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sukirichi · 3 years

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acquainted

You had no intentions of becoming acquainted with the clan your family had cut ties with, but when Naoya Zenin himself is willing to teach you a lesson and you’re determined to show him what you’re capable of, it becomes a silly game of power and dominance.

REQUEST. naoya putting reader back to her place

WARNINGS: Naoya Zenin, rough sex, orgasm denial, face fucking, slight voyeurism, degradation, slight bondage, cowgirl riding, manhandling, spanking, hate sex

WC. 5.4k+

NOTES. Because Naoya is my favorite, his fic is the only one I’ve ever edited, LOL. Even though this is requested, this is written out of self-indulgence, purely because I love Naoya and even though he’s nasty, he’s my comfort character. And freaking FINALLY I have written more for this man. I worship this King 👑

There were so many ways this day had gone wrong. First, your shower broke. Second, the maintenance men couldn’t come until late in the afternoon, so you had to drive all the way to school looking like a half-mess. You weren’t a slob, of course, but you were beyond irritable at the thought your hair felt greasier than most.

So when an unfamiliar mop of blonde hair sat at your place, the sight of pierced ears meeting your gaze as you smiled at the young man, you had to clutch your bag tighter. No need to be harsh to anyone; you reminded yourself.

“Hi,” you greeted as politely as you could.

The young man in your seat was handsome — terribly so — feline eyes emphasized with an eyeliner, and stunning green eyes that peered up at you with utmost boredom. He looked familiar, but you couldn’t pinpoint where you’d seen him before.

“I believe you’re in my seat.”

You expected he’d kindly take another seat since the hall was empty, but he only leaned back in your seat, brow raised with a slight smirk. “So?”

Your mouth fell agape, hands falling at your sides. Who was this guy? “What do you mean, so? Get the fuck out of my seat.”

“Women,” he rolled his eyes, “Always so tempered and dirty mouthed,” the words felt like stinging slap in your face, and he easily read through you when he snickered to himself, waving a hand in the air as if he was swatting a fly away. “I’m already sitting here, so go find someplace else. I came here first.”

“You little — who do you think you are?”

“Who do you think you are for speaking to me? Did I give you permission?”

His condescending voice made you lunge at him if not for your friend’s hand wrapping at your arm, shooting worried glances over the guy. His smirk deepened when your friend pulled away, the words mutter under her breath. “Come on, let’s go,” she tugged you away despite your protests, pushing your shoulders down to make you sit. Once out of earshot, she rolled her eyes. “I seriously hate that guy. Don’t you ever involve yourself with him.”

“Who’s that prick anyway? He acts so high and mighty like he’s some rich daddy’s son. Look, he’s totally claiming my seat as his!”

“That’s Naoya Zenin, and yeah, he is some rich daddy’s son,” she confirmed, shivering at the mere mention of his name. “He’s an absolutely big misogynist. Don’t be fooled by his pretty face — he’s the worst fuckboy to ever exist. That dick of his isn’t worth getting fucked over. He’s already made half the women in school cry and run after him like a horde of lovesick zombies,” your friend gagged with a shake of her head, “It’s terrifying, actually.”

“Fucking asshole,” you hissed under your breath, sending side glances at the corner of your eye.

That stupid guy was still in your seat, a bored expression on his handsome face, his long lashes fluttering against his cheeks at every blink. He just had to be a sexist pig with that gorgeous face — no good men existed anymore. “Whatever. He’ll get a taste of his own medicine soon.”

“Whatever it is you’re planning, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“I’m doing this for all of us,” you announced with your spine straightened. “I’m not letting a man walk like that acting like he’s got the whole world at his feet. I’ll teach him a lesson or two.”

“You do know he can sue you if you punch him right?”

“Who said I was going to punch him?” a smirk painted your lips at the same time he felt your eyes burning holes at the side of his face, your expression even more triumphant when he tilted his head to the side, eyebrow cocked at your gaze. He must’ve assumed you’d fallen for his looks judging by the satisfied smile on his face, making you laugh because it would be fun to teach him a lesson. “No, I have a much more interesting plan in mind.”

It turned out that Naoya wasn’t that much of a stranger.

You had his reputation to thank for — people spoke his name left and right that it was nearly impossible not to know of him. It had you wondering how you managed to live through university so long without knowing him when the name drowned you; he was a Zenin.

No wonder that name was so familiar.

The Zenin’s were a close business partner of your family, but they cut off ties with their company years ago due to them having an intolerable attitude. Clearly, it ran in the blood, and their heir manifested it so well.

Thoughts of Naoya and his stupid face were soon drowned out by expensive champagne, the golden liquid sparkling in your hands. You had to attend this dinner gala where businessmen and powerful families alike conjoined for a formal opportunity of forming connections and solidifying deals, pressuring you to be at your best behaviour lest you wanted your black card to be cut off.

You made your way through the crowd to get another one of those hors d oeuvres, opting to just sit in the corner while you watched your family plaster on big, fake smiles with even louder, faker laughter.

It was quite sad, really, that people had to do stuff like this, but who were you to complain when it was what fed you on a silver plate all the time?

For now, you just wanted to enjoy the new dress your mother had gotten you, the silk black material hugged around your curves delectably. Pearl drop earrings hung to frame the sides of your face, legs lengthened and accentuated with stiletto heels.

You felt sexy — especially when you got lingering gazes from men who were slightly older and definitely richer, though you made no move.

The last thing you wanted was to become someone’s trophy wife when you could become so much more. Plus, only your parents had the task of befriending people and building trust with others. You were only here to help represent the name somewhat with your pretty face, not really having much of an intention to be acquainted with anyone.

You swiped another glass of fizzy alcohol from the waiter that passed by, glossy red lips pinched around the glass when a sultry voice mused at your ear, “Still can’t find a seat?”

Swirling around so fast that the contents nearly poured out the glass, you weren’t surprised to see Naoya fucking Zenin stood before you, his tall stature draped in only the finest and hand-stitched three piece suit.

He looked absolutely delectable this way, earrings glimmering under the golden chandeliers and eyes lined with kohl, the aura of elegance that perfectly concealed his less than pleasing personality excessively charming.

You were beyond appalled.

“Still can’t find a brain?” you retorted with a roll of your eyes, eyes still narrowed at Naoya’s displeased ones as you dunk your drink in one go. “What are you doing here, pig?”

“I’ll let that comment slide once — only because you look hot tonight,” his predatory gaze ran over your form, the careful pattern of him pausing at the swell of your breasts sliding to the curve of your hips heating up each inch of your skin. “And it’s Naoya for you. Naoya Zenin, the rightful heir of the Zenin Corp—”

“What’s that scent you’re wearing? Baby powder? Fitting for your cute face, actually.”

Naoya’s jaw clenched, clearly unaccustomed to people cutting off his holiness, and you had to bite down on your lip to prevent the chuckles from slipping through. “It’s Tom Ford.”

“Hmm, why am I not surprised? My horrible ex also wore the same scent. Maybe it’s a trademark for all limp losers, huh?” Naoya opened his mouth to speak, but you beat him to it, stepping forward to grab at the space between his tie to pull him down. His face was mere centimetres away from you, close enough that his breath ghosted over your lips, the intense anger flaring through those eyes hot enough to burn you. “You act so smug and defensive, Naoya. Trying to have a big man personality to conceal a small dick?”

“I have nothing to prove to you.”

“You don’t need to prove me anything,” you glanced down at his pants with a smirk, ignoring the heat pulsing in your veins because the sight contradicted your words. There was a noticeable bulge inside those shiny black slacks, though the last thing you wanted him to see was the way your mouth watered in anticipation. “I already know what I need to know.”

“Yeah? You and your shitty girlfriends can’t stop talking about my dick?”

You shrugged sarcastically, “You know women. We’re tireless complainers.”

Naoya’s jaw ticked upon you using his words against him, his hands coming up to caress at your neck, his nails scratching behind the thick silver chain you wore.

From afar and in the eyes of others, people would’ve thought you and Naoya were simply getting a little too heated, his lips dipped to graze your ear while his slender fingers pressed a little tighter into your air pipe. Your positions could easily be mistaken for Naoya seducing you, and you supposed he was, since your body responded differently from your verbal protests.

“You should watch what you’re saying,” he warned, voice low with warning. “I could easily dump your body into a river and no one would even notice. In fact, maybe the world might even thank me for doing them a service and ridding them of a spiteful woman like you.”

“Oh, pretty boy,” you chuckled back and stood to your tippy toes. One of your hands wrapped around his neck to forcefully tilt his neck to yours, nose pressed above his collar to inhale the intoxicating masculine scent he wore. “You’re all bark and no bite. Why don’t you show me what you’re capable of? If you’re as awful as they make you out to be, maybe I’ll shiver enough to drop my panties for you.”

You didn’t miss the way Naoya’s hands gripped at your waist to pull you close, enticing you to continue with your insults because maybe Naoya liked this a lot more than he let on. Could it be his superiority complex didn’t always like submissive women, after all?

Well, it would make sense; everyone always liked a little challenge, didn’t they?

If that was what he wanted, then you’d be generous enough to grant it to him.

“Wouldn’t you like to get a chance to put me in my place, to teach me a lesson for defiling the oh-so-mighty Naoya Zenin?” you purposefully toned your voice down to a more breathy tone, your chest swelling with pride when Naoya sucked in a sharp inhale beside your ear.

God, he sounded beautiful — and you hadn’t even fucked him yet. Now, you were eager to hear what else those disgusting lips could be capable of other than degrading you.

Pulling away from him just to bat your lashes at him, heat pooled straight into your core when Naoya’s gaze had completely darkened, dark orbs pooled with lust and anger. Only he could make such an expression look so good.

“You don’t scare me, Zenin. You’re nothing but a small boy wearing big man pants.”

For a moment, your smile widened, believing that you’d won this time around. Naoya was still breathing hard at each brush of your stomach to his now hardening erection, but then he smirked and gently pushed you away from him. “I’m not fucking you here,” he stated calmly, not even bothering to keep his voice low. “You’re a lot dumber than I thought you’d be if you really think I’m whipping my cock out during this dreadful dinner.”

“This dreadful dinner you speak of is an opportunity for people like us to establish connections. I would’ve assumed you wanted nothing more to impress others but it seems I was wrong. If you hate this event so much, why bother coming here in the first place?”

“Just had a feeling I was going to meet a little minx,” he watched you seductively, his smirk adorned with his tongue peeking out to lick his lips — in turn wetting you in places he promised to make his by the end of the night. Curse him, you chanted in your head, curse him for being so attractive. It would’ve been easier if he was ugly. “And as always, I’m right.”

You tilted a brow, slightly impressed. “So you’ve done your background check on me. That doesn’t explain why you’re still here though. Surely a woman couldn’t be enough for a reason to make a man like you go all this way?”

“You’re right, a woman would never be a good enough reason, but I wanted to put you in your place,” his eyes flickered back up to you, now twinkling with danger and something else entirely. “Bad little girls need to be a taught to a lesson.”

“So what’re you waiting for? Go ahead and show me your ways, Zenin.”

“I will,” he nodded to himself, “I’m about to,” Naoya was nothing but confident as he strode your way until his arms was locked with yours, his breath tickling your collarbones that had unknowingly exposed itself at each heated touch. “You’re not that bad for a slut. You look like one, smell like one — I bet you also feel like one.”

A dry laugh left your lips as you fisted his shirt, mirroring his smirk to show that if a match was what he looked for, then a match he’d find indeed. Only this time, you would be worse.

“Why don’t you go ahead and find out?”

Naoya, despite being an absolutely poor excuse of a human being, was somewhat redeemable for being a man of his words. Find out he did, and he wasted no time into shoving you inside his McLaren, barely able to keep his hands off you the whole way up to his penthouse.

It was a blurry mess from there.

Moans spilled from your lips while he ripped your clothes off, not bothering to apologize that he’d just ruined one of your most prized possessions, his lust-clouded haze mumbling that he’d just buy you another one.

It was the last thing you expected to hear from him, but you couldn’t protest, not when he’d angrily snapped the buttons of his shirt away, a low growl mixing with your breathy whines as he loosened his tie.

Your eyes widened at the sight, legs rubbing together as you imagined what else he could do with that pretty tie of his.

Would he tie you to his bed, fuck you stupid and call you useless? Or perhaps, you could do it?

Naoya cut off your train of thought by pushing you back to his mattress, his hands tugging at his belt before he pulled his boxers down, his thick length slapping at his abdomen. Your mouth immediately watered at the sight. You were beyond wet from nothing but your sloppy make-out sessions, but would he fit?

Just the thought of him giving you that burning stretch made your legs spread beside his sides, the sardonic laughter ripping from Naoya’s lips absolutely disgusting.

“Fucking pathetic. You’re just like everyone else; submitting to me at the sight of my cock, but that’s not true, is it? Moment you saw me, I knew you were clenching around nothing,” he gripped at your jaw to force you to look at him. You glared up at him from his bruising hold, your cheeks squished under his rough hands. “But that’s okay; wanting me is not something you should be ashamed about. Although you should be thanking me I’m even letting you near me like this.”

“I’m so honoured. Come on, Naoya, let me feel you — let me make you feel good.”

Naoya, too lost in his ego, missed the sarcasm dripping in your voice. “So eager to be my cock sleeve, huh?” he grinned, tugging at your hair to push you deeper into his mattress. “Get on your knees. Now suck.”

He was too harsh in his pace, determined to exert his dominance over you. You could feel every ridge of his vein as he continued fucking into your mouth, his abs rippling above you. It felt like witnessing a Greek god come apart, and you took pleasure in being his ruin, prompting you to hollow your cheeks and bob your mouth up and down on his cock harder.

Naoya’s chuckles were broken and often mixed with curses of fuck, you feel so fucking good, his nails now scratching at your scalp.

Soon, Naoya stilled inside you, his hold around your head deadly to keep you in place. Tears flowed down your face as he kept thrusting inside, making sure to hit the back of your throat before his muscles tightened. Spurts of warm cum followed after that, but instead of swallowing it like you expected he’d command you to do, Naoya whipped out his cock and came all over your face, his seed shooting all over your cheeks and lips.

You took it all obediently, just enough to give him the false pretense of submissiveness that he was so willing to force from you.

While he was occupied pumping his still rock hard cock, eyes closed and massaging your scalp almost soothingly, Naoya failed to notice your hurried movements of standing from the bed, fingers looped around his tie.

A small wail resonated from him when you shoved him down onto the bed, knees locked at either sides of his waist before you tugged at the cloth wrapped around his neck. Naoya kicked his legs behind you as you tied his wrists to the bed hard enough that Naoya winced, the tie only forming tighter at each lame grapple of his.

You looked back at how he got more beautiful laid out in front of you like that, chest heaving up and down while he struggled against the restraints, face flushed with anger — no, this wasn’t anger anymore — he was furious.

“What are you doing?! Get this off me — how dare you!”

“How dare you,” you spat back, discarding your lace bra off to wipe his cum away from your face, gagging when the bitter cum left a tang on your lips. “I just got my skin appointment last week and you came on my face like that?”

Naoya kept fighting back before he realised it was a futile attempt, leaning back down onto the pillows, though that didn’t soften his heated eyes on yours. You cooed at how adorable he submitted to you, running a finger down the sides of his jaw. “Aw, don’t look so angry, baby. I’m just starting my fun,” you purred, “You should’ve known better than to mess with me, Naoya. I’m not as nice as the others. And I’ll show you just how awful I can be.”

Naoya’s breath hitched when you shimmied out of your underwear, a dark glint in your eyes as you stretched the elastic into a fake arrow until it snapped into his face.

“You fucking bitch,” he growled, turning his face away from your panties soaked with arousal. “Once I get out of here, I will ruin you.”

“Huh, yeah, sure,” you mumbled incoherently, too lost in the pleasure as you sunk down on his cock. You were right, he was fucking thick, stretching you out better than any of your toys could. Plus, he was warm and leaking with pre-cum that he slid in easily, erotic groans leaving both your mouths once he was finally seated inside you.

Naoya was growling at you to let go of him when you laughed, lifting your hips up slowly before sliding back down on him just as slow, almost as if you made love to his cock the same passionate way you did with a lover. “You do have a wonderful cock, though. I’ve never felt this good in my life,” you leaned down to lick a stripe down to his neck, allowing him to hear the needy pants you graced with him. “You feel so good, Naoya, oh. If you weren’t such an asshole, I might even fall in love with you.”

“Go faster. This is unfair!”

Naoya tried thrusting deep into you, evidently unsatisfied at this torturous pace you set, but you only gripped at his thigh in warning, your eyes no longer sweet as you glared at him.

“Nothing’s ever fair in this world, sweetheart,” you reminded him, shivering every now and then as you bounced on his cock, his length slipping past through your walls magically. “Like how such a gorgeous face and amazing dick is paired with the most disgusting personality ever. No, it’s not fair, indeed...”

You closed your eyes with your head thrown back, placing your hips flat on his pelvic bone instead, fingers rubbing at your clit while Naoya throbbed inside you, desperate for release.

The little whines you gave were nothing but mocking. You knew that Naoya suffered through this position, but did you care? Absolutely not. With Naoya’s cock stretching you full and his tip kissing your most sensitive spots, in addition to your fingers rubbing and tweaking at your clit, this was the most pleasure you’d ever gotten from sex.

You were stimulated everywhere, your other hand reached up to tug at your hardened nipples.

Your walls clenched around him, signalling him that you were close and you let out a broken moan, falling forward to gyrate your hips around his cock to push you over the edge. It wasn’t enough to get him off since you were mostly still fondling with your clit, the sounds of your moans like torture to his ears.

“No, don’t you dare cum, I swear if you—” Your orgasm washed over you comfortingly like a warm blanket. Instead of seeing white, it was like your vision cleared, the sight of the sweat that made Naoya’s hair stick to his forehead in clumps crystal clear. You prolonged your orgasm by thrusting your hips in a sickening rhythm of thrust, pause, thrust, stop — and by then Naoya was losing his mind.

Naoya lost control as he snapped his hips upwards inside you hard enough that you winced in pain, pushing off his dick until he’s left humping the empty air, his body drenched with perspiration. “No, no, no, fuck you! Get back here you useless slut!”

You lay beside him, giggling in post-orgasm bliss. Just to tease him, you rolled to his side to press a kiss to his cheek, laughing harder when your lips came in contact with his flushed skin.

“You’re so adorable like this,” you cupped his face tenderly, perfectly aware that Naoya had begun to growl, his wrists almost bruised from how hard he brawled against his tie. “If I didn’t hate you so much, I would’ve let you cum inside me,” you offered with a pat to his chest, moving off the bed with wobbly legs.

“Well, whatever, that was fun. I would say we both had the most sensual sex of our lives, but that would be a joke for you, don’t you think?” you snorted as you inserted your arms to his discarded suit jacket.

Naoya stayed still on the bed, his cock still painfully hard and slick with your cum. “Don’t look so angry, Naoya. You had it coming for you. Don’t worry, though, as a thanks for letting me cum that hard — though I mostly did all the work — I’ll keep this between us so you at least get to keep whatever’s left of your dignity,” you blew a kiss his way, “Bye, sweetie. At least now I know people weren’t exaggerating when they called you a good fuck.”

Not bothering to slip your heels back on, you looped your shoes into the curls of your fingers, about to button Naoya’s jacket as you made your way to his door.

You never got halfway across the room when strong arms suddenly lifted you off the ground, your vision transitioning from his door to the pads of his feet, your body slung across his shoulder. Naoya gripped at your ass in warning when you kicked your legs, leaving him with no choice but to hug your thighs with one arm.

The next thing you knew, he slammed the balcony doors open with one hand and slammed you on the pool table. His rough hands yanked his jacket away from your body, the chilly night of the air bringing a shiver down your spine as it hit your drenched core.

Naoya had pinned your arms flat on your back in a painful angle, making you cry out just as he kneed your legs open, his free hand that wasn’t pinning you down aligning his cock against your hole. You were a moaning mess underneath him, the pain only an intoxicating addition to the pleasure he was pounding into you. Naoya then leaned to whisper your ear, the sudden movement making his cock slide deeper into you, the pleasure overwhelming.

“Oh, Naoya, fuck—”

“I am not just a good fuck,” he corrected you, “I am Naoya Zenin — and you will do well being silent and submissive while I fuck you, do you understand?” You were too lost in the feeling of him rutting deep into you that he had you seeing white this time around. When you didn’t answer, Naoya slapped your ass, your yelps echoing from the dead night. “I asked you a question.”

“No,” you bit back, “I refuse to—” you were silenced when Naoya hit your sweet spot, laughing at your state that you were too fucked out to give him a proper answer.

Naoya’s pace was merciless as he fucked deeper into you, the hand on your ass moving up to grab at your waist to keep slamming you back to his cock. He watched as your lips sucked him in so tight that he didn’t know whether you were pushing him out or refusing to let go. Turning your head to the side to gasp for air, you opened your eyes, only to be met by the sight of men crowding on the building across yours to witness your undoing by Naoya’s hands.

“I’ve barely started and you’re already so wet for me,” he mocked in your ear. As if on cue, squelching sounds accompanied your desperate moans, hands grabbing at nothing in particular. “Shall I try upping my speed?”

“N-Naoya- there are people looking.”

“Let them see,” he seethed, using one arm to lift your other leg up to the table to gain him more access into your warm, wet cavern. The sudden stretch made your muscles ache until you lay there limp; jaw clenched at the pleasure Naoya drowned you with. “Let them know how much I’m making this pussy mine. Gosh, can you hear yourself? You sound like a dirty fucking slut,” another slap landed on your ass, hard enough to leave a mark there for tomorrow. “You claim to hate me, so then why are you dripping all over me, huh? Pathetic whore. You women are nothing but cum dumps to me.”

Naoya spread your butt cheeks open, laughing at the silly way you clenched around him every time he pulled out, your puffy lips sucking him back again until Naoya buried himself to the hilt. His dick did wonders in letting out the most erotic whines and whimpers you never thought you’d be capable of, leaving you a drooling and panting mess under him.

“You little fucker, don’t even think about cumming inside me, I will literally castrate you and feed your balls to yourself.”

“Such a dirty mouth. Though that’s expected of a nasty woman like you,” he sassed, his thrusts faltering while his hand clenched your flesh tighter. That was enough to send you over the edge when Naoya slammed his hips harder and more desperately this time around, his cock twitching against your walls. “You wish I would cum inside you. But I have a better plan in mind.”

All it took was one rough hand for him to pull you before him, pushing you down into your knees again as he came inside your mouth. You could feel your cum and his dripping onto his dark marble tiles, the white pool of liquid shining.

Naoya thrusted lazily into your mouth, a sickening grin on his face while he kept you down there. His glare deepened when you tried to pull away from him. “Swallow, you slut. Or I’m fucking your face until I break your jaw.”

Furiously, you swallowed around his cock, Naoya groaning at the feeling of your walls convulsing around him. The moment you gagged from when his tip poked the back of your throat, Naoya pushed you off him until you were left choking on the ground. You gasped for air, hands clasped around your neck, sure that you were going to have a sore jaw and a fucked throat tomorrow.

You kept glaring at Naoya, but this didn’t deter him from gripping your chin down, humming to himself upon seeing that his cum was now gone in your mouth. “Hmm, so you did swallow it like a good girl. I’m glad I’ve disciplined you well.”

“Go to hell.”

“I’m King there already, baby,” Before you could retort, his arms encircled your waist until you were heaved in his arms again. You pounded against his back because you were too done, you couldn’t do another round. Naoya sighed as he threw you in the bed as if you were a ragdoll, disappearing in the bathroom for a while before coming back with a wet towel, which he rudely flicked your way. “Clean yourself up and then leave. Take the back elevators. I don’t want the staff to see a whore leaving my place.”

“You’re the one who brought me here.”

“Only because I had a duty to put you in your place,” He stared at you with his smirk now permanent in his face, admiring the bruises he left on your body.

“We’re not over yet, Zenin. I’m going to break you one way or another.”

You rolled your eyes at him, walking to his closet to wear one of his shirts. Naoya was silent the whole time as he watched you button his shirt with trembling hands, his presence hot on your heels as he followed you out the large room.

As you were about to leave, you picked up the towel you used to clean your cum with and threw it right at his face.

Naoya dodged it easily, eyeing the towel with a scoff. “Still resilient, I see,” settling down on one of his lounge chairs like it was a throne, Naoya rested his cheek on his fist as he stared you down. “But fine — I accept your challenge. A true man never backs down from a challenge, after all.”

“Oh, honey, I’m more than just a challenge,” you sneered.

Naoya’s gaze left your eyes to stare at your perky nipples that poked through his shirt, feeling his cock swell all over again. But he was a man of control and dignity — he wouldn’t do anything more with you, not when it was clear you’ve had enough for tonight.

It didn’t bother him though, he knew he’d have more opportunities to put you in your place.

“We’ll see about that. I’ll be the one to decide your worth,” he declared oh so smugly, the mere sound of his voice pushing you to slam a fist to ruin that pretty face of his, though you held your ground, far too tired to move a muscle. Naoya saw this too, and he smiled to himself, head tilted to the side as he studied the mess he’d made of you. “Tomorrow, same time same place?”

There was no telling what pushed you to agree, but the words left your lips far too confidently for you to even wonder why.

“Be ready for me, Zenin.”

“I always am.”

All the way back to the back elevators that Naoya had directed you at, you pondered on how you’d be able to tell your parents you suddenly needed a ride home when they had no idea you left the dinner gala in the first place. But most of all, how were you supposed to tell them you’d acquainted yourself with the Zenin clan all over again?

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shihalyfie · 4 years

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Ichijouji Ken, his future, and Kizuna

Having talked about Kizuna’s extremely deep relationship to 02 as a series, it’s only natural that I should probably spend some extra focus on its main central character, Ichijouji Ken. It’s no secret that, although Daisuke was the protagonist of 02, Ken was the central figure to the series itself (after all, the series was founded on the concept of deconstructing the supposed “genius kid”), and so Kizuna having such a deep relationship with 02 means that it does, inevitably, have a deep relationship with Ken in particular.

The last twenty years have been full of a plethora of meta analysis on Ichijouji Ken as a character within 02 to the point I feel anything I could possibly come up with would probably be redundant, so today I’d like to place extra focus on his development after 02 (in terms of both canonical materials and general analysis), and how it leads up to his portrayal in the recently released Kizuna. (Naturally, spoilers for the movie will be below.)

We’ll start this analysis by looking at where Ken left off during the final episode of 02.

Thanks to his interactions with the rest of the 02 crew (especially Daisuke), Ken was slowly putting his life back together, but he still had a long way to go. As late as episode 49, we learned he still had suicidal ideation tendencies in regards to his deeds as the Kaiser, and although the rest of the team did get through to him in the end, it was clear that there was still a huge path ahead of him as far as coming to terms with himself and bonding with the rest of the team went. This was especially because he ended the series with the Dark Seed still in the back of his neck -- supernatural forces may have assisted his initial downfall, but it was going to be entirely on him to make sure that he never went back there again for the rest of his life.

One thing that’s really important to put in perspective is the actual chronology this ordeal took place in. Although the Kaiser saga spanned a little under half of the yearlong series that 02 was, Christmas skewed the schedule a little bit, so a good chunk of the second half of the series actually took place in much more condensed time than the first. Taking into account the official statement that everything before Christmas roughly aligns with the time of the year the relevant episode aired, and given the exact dates in December that we know episodes 38-50 take place in, within the course of 02, Ken’s reformation from being the Kaiser and bonding with the group spanned around only four months. That is not a lot of time, especially compared to the roughly two-year period Ken went through the trauma of his brother’s loss and his transformation into the Kaiser, so in actuality, Ken made a huge amount of progress considering how little time he had to do so.

Before we continue, I should make clear that I generally count pretty much everything in the Toei-esque fashion of “everything is canon, don’t think about contradictions too hard” (which is generally their modus operandi with pretty much any franchise), so pretty much everything here is fair game. That said, obviously, contradictions and other outliers do exist, so occasionally I am going to have to omit stuff that really, really doesn’t track...so for the sake of this analysis, I’m skipping Armor Evolution to the Unknown for two reasons: one, because it takes massive liberties with characterization for the sake of crack (it’s pretty hard to believe Ken would be this degree of flippant about the Kaiser persona in a more serious situation), and two, because it was written before 02 finished airing (it was released between episodes 43 and 44) and doesn’t reflect a lot of series and characterization development that happened later in the series. (Armor Evolution to the Unknown was released during a time period when the drama CDs were really, really big on the crack -- the three Adventure mini dramas are the same -- and it wasn’t until later that actual “serious” ones would start coming out.)

Given that, our next canonical point we can work with is Diablomon Strikes Back, which takes place in March 2003.

At this point Ken’s recovery is at a little around six months, and he’s making massive progress -- even if you’re not sure about counting the actual events of this movie as canon, it’s an excellent character study in terms of watching Ken’s emotional recovery at this point in time and his relationship with Daisuke, now that he’s not directly dealing with issues pertaining to his own past trauma.

It’s already a very different Ken from the one we’ve seen in the original series, where in episode 38 the idea of him laughing was such a huge shock, but here we already see a much wider emotional range from Ken -- light cheerfulness, playfulness, and at times even a bit of petulance. His actions and dialogue still have Ken’s trademark “softness” -- being kind and gentle has always been said to be his core inner trait, after all -- but, nevertheless, he’s a lot more willing to show “superficial” emotions, especially compared to how closed up, shy, and sometimes standoffish he would be within 02 proper.

Even Ken’s own body language indicates a lot -- he’s much more relaxed and natural. Observe how he slouches here.

In fact, if you listen to Park Romi’s delivery of his lines throughout this movie, she voices him with a significantly higher-pitched and “lighter”, soft tone through all of it, which really gives off the impression that he’s much less emotionally uptight.

We get a glimpse of Daisuke and Ken’s future dynamic and how they’ll continue to be such tight friends in the future -- Ken is someone who can keep the infamously chaotic Daisuke in check (especially since prior to Ken coming into his life, Daisuke’s closest friend was probably Miyako, and while the two certainly got along very well with each other, they had a tendency to enable each other’s chaos a bit too much at times).

But despite Ken obviously trying to be more sensible than Daisuke here, it still manifests as a much greater show of emotion than the kind you’d be used to within 02 proper. He’s much more assertive with putting his foot down in keeping Daisuke under control, which indicates not only a more comfortable relationship with Daisuke in particular, but also a general increase in his ability to be assertive.

In one of his most famous scenes in this movie, he actually outright taunts Daisuke in order to spur him on. He’s doing it totally affectionately (it’s specifically to give Daisuke more motivation to keep running), but nevertheless, he’s taunting Daisuke -- not really something you'd expect from Ken in 02 proper. The original line in Japanese even has him use the very super-casual and aggressive end particle ~ze.

He even snarks about Daisuke’s convenient bouts of luck in ways that aren’t exactly complimentary (the literal phrasing of this line has “baka mitai ni” in it, in this context "some kind of ridiculous incredible power”).

And, near the end of the movie, when he starts to lose hope, it only takes a single line from Daisuke to get himself back together -- this kind of thing would have probably taken a whole speech in 02, even from Daisuke himself, but by this point Ken’s got a much better emotional grasp on himself.

And in the end, the movie ends on both Daisuke and Ken laughing together -- very lightly.

It’s easy to pass off Ken’s characterization in DSB as an incidental thing simply because this is a “side story” movie from 02 -- especially since it was technically produced during 02′s airing -- but in fact, this portrayal is consistent with what Ken has to say about himself during his next known point in canon, Spring 2003.

Given that Takeru’s track is apparently set “three months” after Christmas, and Miyako’s track talks about having just entered middle school, I assume that this means Ken’s takes place in around late March or early April 2003 (almost exactly a year since 02′s start), but in actuality nothing really “happens” during Ken’s track. Nevertheless, it provides a lot of information on Ken’s state of mind during this time and his own self-reflection on his past...and defines in very clear words what it is that Ken needs to move away from.

You were always in a bad mood and you were cold to me, but now that I think about it, maybe you really wanted to be nicer to other people. I don’t know what happened to you that made you act like you did, but now, I finally feel like I understand a bit. You were demanded to grow up fast, weren’t you, Brother? Because we were always being evaluated and compared by someone, we didn’t get a chance to have more freedom. We didn’t have any chances to run down an alley because we felt like it, or pull up weeds, or tumble around… meaningless things, things that didn’t bring any value to us at all. Just like the cat napping on the roof… we weren’t able to fully enjoy any everlasting freedom.

02 -- especially its latter half -- dealt largely with the concept of parents imposing too many expectations on their children, acting “proud” of them but actually using them to inflate their own self-worth, and in the end effectively robbing their own children of their right to “be children”. While we don’t know a lot about Osamu based on limited information about him, Ken’s parents also lament that they might have robbed Osamu of the opportunity to be a “normal boy” in 02 episode 23.

Once Ken took the role of the “family genius” after Osamu’s death, Ken was thus likewise robbed of that “normal childhood” due to all of the expectations put on him -- and Ken’s words in his track imply that it extended to before Osamu’s death, because just because Osamu was the favored one at the time didn’t mean that Ken wasn’t subject to the same kind of expectations to at least some degree, even if not as much. (Note how he really didn’t seem to have any kind of friends at all prior to Daisuke and the others.)

Thus, Ken’s ideal trajectory is to become “a normal child” -- one not subject to expectations as a “well-behaved genius child”. That applies not only to things like his academic or sports performance, but also even his core manners -- being a “normal person” in this context meaning being allowed to show emotions, be petty, have emotional range that extends beyond just being deferential and polite, and generally do things because he enjoys them and not because others expect him to. This is consistent with his portrayal in DSB, as in said movie he really does come off as a “normal boy” -- a young child who, while certainly less chaotic than Daisuke, is still enjoying himself and interacting with the world in “his own” natural, relaxed way rather than holding himself to obligations.

Another interesting thing about DSB is that it has Ken refer to Daisuke by given name. This is particularly intriguing because up until the end of 02, Ken consistently referred to Daisuke as “Motomiya” (he did use given name in episode 39, but it wasn’t something he really followed up on). This despite the fact he went with given names (plus honorifics) for everyone else in the 02 team, but it seems like Ken was still trying to figure out his very complicated feelings about Daisuke as someone who was his Most Hated Person™ during his Kaiser days and yet is now trying to aggressively reach through his barriers that he’s constructed out of self-defense.

And yet, extremely notably, almost every single post-02 material is consistent about the idea that Ken switches to given name basis with Daisuke after 02. (The only exception is Armor Evolution to the Unknown, which, as stated before, was written and recorded during 02′s airing and not after; notably, Daisuke is also on surname basis with Ken during that drama CD, even though he permanently switches to given name basis after episode 39.) That includes “out-of-hard-canon” things like Xros Wars episode 78.

Yet they still couldn’t remember to put the highlight back in Ken’s eyes, among other things.

Honorific and surname-given name basis fluctuated quite a bit in both Adventure and 02 (especially whenever canon material changed hands between writers), but for all intents and purposes, there is no reason Daisuke and Ken should not be on mutual given name basis after 02. This is especially when you take into account the more naturalistic relationship they have as of DSB -- there’s no standoffishness at all between them anymore.

This ties very deeply into how 02 portrayed its characters. One thing I’ve very, very often pointed out was that it was always an explicit point of contrast between themselves and the original Adventure team was that the 02 kids were not only “friends” in terms of fighting together on Digimon cases, but “friends” in the sense of actual social-life friends who clicked well in personality and adored each other’s company. (Part of this was because of the core theme of the series; Jogress being such a huge motif, “understanding your friends” took precedence over Adventure’s “understanding yourself”.) These are the kids who hung out together in the totally-not-related-to-any-Digimon-incident (at least, not at first) picnic in episode 6 and Christmas party in episode 38, a stark comparison to the Adventure kids who infamously started drifting as early as Our War Game!.

(Note that this isn’t meant to diminish or drop shade on the Adventure kids’ bonds in any way -- I feel like their bond is more of one that’s a “transcendent” one that crosses space and links them through their shared experience, but, nevertheless, is simply not the same in nature as the “social life” bonds the 02 kids had where they were very casual and yet intimate with each other in almost all daily life respects.)

As a result, Daisuke and Ken’s relationship ended up very different from that of their predecessors Taichi and Yamato -- it’s actually hard to imagine them getting in all that many highly heated fights in the same way their seniors would be prone to, and they’d generally be on “mild banter” terms for most of it. In fact, they come off as pretty casual and in-sync with each other, and it’s to the point where it really does feel like -- especially by the point of DSB -- staying on “standoffish” surname basis really is unwarranted.

And while it’s tempting to limit Ken’s relationship to only Daisuke, this did involve the rest of the 02 group, after all -- we got significant episodes defining his relationship to the others (Miyako got a whole episode in 25, and 30′s entire events kicked off because of an attempt to get him to better socialize with Iori!), and the 02 kids as a cohesive “overall group” were integral in getting Ken to open up and show different sides of himself. Although his relationship to certain team members ended up closer than others (Daisuke and Miyako, the ones who tried most aggressively to reach out to him, ended up getting the most out of him), nevertheless, it was important that Ken ultimately cultivated a relationship with a group of friends, and not just one.

This, of course, brings us to Kizuna, which takes place in the summer of 2010. This is a massive leap of time we don’t know a lot about, and for all it’s worth, this means we have, compared to the approximately two years Ken spent suffering under the influence of the Dark Seed, a whole eight years dedicated to potential recovery. There’s a lot that could have happened during that time, and what happened in between, we can only really guess.

Well, for one, he cut his hair.

The reveal of Ken’s design for Kizuna was a huge shock for those watching, because, among all of the twelve main human characters in Kizuna, he probably has the biggest and most drastic design change -- especially because his long hair was so iconic that even the epilogue depicted him with it (and even longer, at that). Were it not for other important identifiers like Wormmon’s presence and the fact said hair is at least still indigo blue, you’d almost wonder if it’s the same character.

(I do have to at least give props to this Animedia poster, though -- that soft and concerned expression is textbook Ken-chan, so it absolutely nails the vibe that it’s the same character despite the massive design change, and it even has a small cute detail that, despite clearly trying to calm Yamato down in haste, he’s still tidy enough to lay his chopsticks neatly on the bowl. That Ken has a habit of doing this while eating hot ramen is a very specific minor blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail in 02 episode 36, and while I’d normally pass this off as coincidence, Kizuna and its PR has had such ridiculous attention to detail that I’m not entirely willing to.)

Not only that, his actual outfit in the movie is rather unassuming -- it’s just a black shirt, pants, and a belt, compared to the more distinctive/fashionable or setting-immersive outfits everyone else has. I mean, it sure beats that godawful grey gakuran he was constantly wearing during 02, but there were certainly a lot of complaints about how...well, unassuming and plain he looks.

The thing is, though, this is very much in line with how Ken would most likely want to present himself. When you think about it, Ken himself would probably not really appreciate his fanbase status as the “sad pretty boy”; having been scrutinized, evaluated, and put on uncomfortable pedestals through all of his early life, “blending in” and coming off as an average, unassuming person would be right up his alley.

Anyway, before we get into Kizuna itself, we have the drama CD that came with its BD, Where Should We Go? While it was released after the movie, in chronological timeline, it serves as a slight prequel, and what we learn about Ken in it is certainly...interesting. Namely, that he’s apparently a hardcore fan of Japanese hot springs. And not just a hardcore fan of them, but also a complete nerd.

The hot springs *obviously* must have free-flowing water. If possible, I think I’d prefer a quiet, rural flowing hot spring that’s surrounded by a moss-covered garden. Then I want to stay the night at a historical inn that focuses more on tranquility and wabi-sabi rather than wildness or beauty. I’m not looking for a lot on the food options, but the portions should ideally be neither too large nor too small. If we’re just going to relax our bodies, then I’d like it if there was a variety of hot springs to choose from. The water quality that I recommend for the ladies would be the hydrogen carbonate spring or the alkaline simple hot spring (these are otherwise known as simple hot springs with a basic pH of 8.5 or above), but my personal favorite is the hot sulphur spring! Incidentally, the hot sulphur spring is said to treat arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. If it were possible, I’d like to take my time there… At least stay for two nights! Ahh… Hot springs… Hehehe…

I cannot stress enough how much the audio delivery for this depicts him as being terrifyingly into it. It’s also...not exactly the most fashionable thing for a nineteen-year-old to be into (actually, it’s more of a stereotype old man thing, what with the fixation on traditional Japanese aesthetics and health nut aspects), but we have Ken being very shameless and assertive about his personal interests, even if they’re a bit unusual.

Funnily enough, this isn’t actually the first time he was demonstrated to be a huge infodumping nerd -- it’s just that the last instance was questionably canonical, but tracks extremely heavily with what was just demonstrated here. Namely, Daisuke and Ken’s Shopping Carol:

Listen, the thing about Christmas is that it's one of the most important days in the world... It was the day the Savior was born... So, you go to church and pray... Of course, you knew all of that right?

Or in other words, he interrupts Daisuke’s wistful thoughts with The Actual Nerd Facts, because he’s a nerd. He even has a bit of a smart-aleck atmosphere...and then he cheerfully and sassily dumps all of the work on Daisuke thereafter. While the canonicity for this song is hard to place since it was released during 02′s airing (and 02 itself depicted a very different Christmas), plus the ambiguity of character song canon in general, it’s interesting how Ken’s portrayal here is pretty surprisingly in line with what we’re learning about his future personality.

The rest of what we see of Ken in the drama CD is what we generally knew about him already -- he’s kind, he dotes on Wormmon (he even indulges Wormmon’s request to take him skiing!), and he still keeps up with being into intellectual studies, and even soccer (he’s described as actually keeping up with soccer to the extent he does training camp), because he was always interested in those kinds of things -- it’s just that now he can indulge in them in ways he personally likes instead of being held to other people’s standards.

But he’s also very emotional, passionate, and openly assertive -- something he could be in 02, but only when it was something he really, really cared about, because most of the time he was a little more on the shy side with others. Not anymore. And he’s happy to indulge in the chaotic trip planning and enable the others, and, at the end, gives some sentimental words to Daisuke, his best friend.

Anyway, onto the movie itself!

Notably, they do not mention Ken’s past trauma nor his deeds as the Kaiser throughout the entire movie.

That might surprise people, given that this was...well, central to the entire plot of 02, so it’s arguably a glaring omission that despite having the 02 cast here, it’s not even brought up once. The only real “reference” to it is this scene, where Ken happens to be the one who knows about Menoa’s background as a child prodigy -- and even then it’s uncertain whether this had anything to do with said traumatic events (Menoa was admitted to Liberica in 2002 itself) as much as it’s a meta nod to Ken having a suspiciously similar background and the fact he and Menoa were based on the same real-life story (the nine-year-old boy who skipped grades into Columbia University).

But, again, recall that Ken has had eight years to move on from the events of 02, more time than said events had actually spanned over. That doesn’t mean he’s easily going to forget that trauma, nor that said events don’t still have an impact on him, but rather that a true positive development for him should have him not having to consciously dwell on it if it’s not necessary, and that his friends of now eight years should probably not be still holding it over him at a time like this.

After all, 02 itself was dedicated to scolding this kind of behavior -- not being “stuck in the past” (which, well, also happens to be a very pertinent theme when it comes to Kizuna...) was basically the entire point of the latter half, and so it stands to reason that Ken, and by extension the rest of the 02 cast, would be more focused on what they’re doing now instead of what happened back then.

In the absence of any references to said past, Ken in the actual movie ends up coming off as a bit unremarkable and plain compared to the three friends who end up surrounding him, all of whom have much more extreme personalities (the chaotic and exuberant Daisuke and Miyako, and the comically poker-faced Iori). But you get the feeling that he’s perfectly fine being that way -- rather, he’s enjoying getting all of his fun from his exciting friends, without feeling a need to spice things up himself.

So when we finally do meet Ken for the first time in Kizuna, he’s cheerfully eating ramen with Daisuke and Iori in New York (which, for all it’s worth, is probably really questionably legal, considering that Adventure’s world of 2010 likely still hasn’t figured out how to deal with that whole thing with “immigration and customs” as it pertains to Digital Gates.) Emphasis on cheerfully. He’s as tidy as ever (note how he still properly keeps his chopsticks between his fingers and cleans up after himself, albeit not as well as Iori), and he’s obviously more straight-laced than Daisuke or Miyako, but he isn’t really hiding the fact he’s also totally enjoying this. He didn’t even know why they were there for ramen in New York in the first place, but he just rolled with wherever Daisuke took him.

Recall that, according to their official profiles, these three go to completely different schools now -- Iori’s in high school, Daisuke’s at vocational school getting a chef’s license, and Ken’s in university studying psychology. (Which, by the way, is not brought up at all throughout the movie nor the drama CD! It’s easy to glean how his past experiences might give him an interest in the topic, and it’ll certainly be a valuable background to have for his future known career in criminal investigation, but despite Ken previously having had a reputation for being studious, it’s not brought up at all -- almost as if hanging out with his friends and having fun with them is more important and pertinent.) The drama CD even points out that Ken would normally be busy with soccer training camp. Yet they’re hanging out. In New York. Eating ramen. So, Yamato, what were you saying about how “choosing your own path can sometimes mean being alienated from friends”? If anything, these friends seem to be going out of their way to make sure they’re staying tight.

And, as you’d expect, Ken refers to Daisuke by given name, following DSB’s precedent. Again, given the nature of their relationship right now, this should be expected. There’s other evidence that Kizuna does use DSB as reference in certain other respects as well (Takeru calls Yamato “niisan”, which had previously been exclusive to that movie), and it’s very possible that Ken as portrayed in that movie was used as reference for his potential trajectory here.

Note that he seems to be even more outwardly affectionate with Wormmon than before (which is, shockingly, apparently possible) -- he still feeds his partner before feeding himself (similar to what he did in 02 episode 37), but now he also shamelessly carries Wormmon on his head, which he never did in 02. Perhaps it’s because he’s tall enough to carry the weight, but unlike with Takeru and Patamon, Wormmon is big enough that the sight is honestly comical -- yet Ken couldn’t care less, and while we don’t see him in his own school, it’s a sharp contrast to how Taichi and Yamato scoffed at the idea of bringing their partners to school because they “have their own lives to live”.

(A nice touch is Ken carrying Minomon from his arm, which actually comes from a very obscure piece of 02 concept art -- you can find it in the Character Complete File or the Animation Chronicle -- but was never depicted in the series proper. The Kizuna design works in the April 2020 edition of Animedia actually recreated that piece of art with Ken in the exact same position, only as a nineteen-year-old this time, which was an incredibly welcome thing to see.)

He greets Miyako upfront when she arrives, which doesn’t look like much on its face, but recall that this probably wouldn’t have happened during 02 proper -- not even with Daisuke! -- and, at the very least, not with this very casual “hey!” tone. It means a lot in terms of how much more casual of a person he’s been able to become in the last eight years, and how much more casual he is with this group (well, at least with Miyako). Takeru also greets Wormmon in the drama CD, and Wormmon seems pretty unusually happy to see Hawkmon when they meet each other there, certainly implying a lot of interpersonal interaction since.

Miyako meets up with them (and, going back to how tight these kids are, Miyako would come in all the way from Spain to meet her friends even for the exact same job that she dumped on her seniors), and they end up infiltrating Menoa’s office. He gets in a line of snark, especially because the Shueisha Mirai novel indicates he’s deliberately “looking the other way” in regards to worrying about security -- looks like he’s developing some Lawful tendencies, but in the end, his friends and getting to the bottom of the real truth take priority.

And, also, it’s still pretty clear he’s totally taking the opportunity to enjoy this.

So what does this all mean, really? He’s taking a fairly passive attitude with his abundantly more chaotic friends, but he’s also not protesting, and he’s enjoying everything he can out of it. He’s a bit quieter than he was in DSB, but that could easily just be from being older and a bit more mature, and he hardly comes off as reserved, either (it helps that Daisuke doesn’t quite resort to any antics nearly as ridiculous as he did in DSB, so there’s no need to keep him in check -- yep, even Daisuke got a bit more mature himself). And he’s joining these kids in being possibly some of the most chaotic disaster adults (near-adults?) on this planet, in a sharp contrast to their seniors.

I mentioned earlier in my analysis of Kizuna’s relationship to 02 that Ken is actually a “hidden” foil to Kizuna’s main antagonist, Menoa -- they were both conceived from the same idea Producer Seki had regarding the real-life “genius boy” who ended up going to Columbia University at a young age and, in her opinion, was going to be robbed of a proper childhood experience. 02′s Dark Seed children arc was a major indictment against parents forcing this kind of pressure on children, not only in the sense of pushing them academically but also quashing out their more “childish” dreams for the sake of a more “dignified” outlook and future. Through the events of 02, Ken learned a very personal lesson on not losing his “true self” to the pressure of those expectations, and the meaning of valuing his family and friends instead.

Ken and Menoa, effectively, were originally on the same path, but thanks to the circumstances of 02, Ken managed to avert Menoa’s fate and ended up following his own way. Nevertheless, Ken was largely robbed of a normal kid’s childhood up until the age of eleven, and it stands to reason that, even at the age of nineteen, he might still be trying to make up for all of those fun experiences he never was able to have.

Funny thing about his haircut, too -- this isn’t the first time Ken’s had this haircut, actually. You know when was the last known time he did?

Hm. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

But unlike Menoa, who decided that it would be better to trap herself in her own distorted view of what “childhood” is, or Oikawa, who ended up clinging dearly to the last reminder he had of what he’d lost from his childhood, Ken ends up dealing with it in a very forward-facing manner. In fact, he’d elucidated his feelings on the issue back in Spring 2003:

There are still a lot of times when I think about how I should have “done this back then.” But I discovered that there are many things I can do over afterwards. I’ll stop counting the things that I can’t do. Because I’m sure there are many things that I can do.

Instead of living in regrets about the past, Ken simply chooses to move forward by making new fun experiences and memories with his friends, befitting those he couldn’t have when he was a kid, and perhaps even enhanced by his newfound freedom as a nineteen-year-old.

During the final battle, we get a few more emotional and assertive shows from Ken -- his concern about Miyako is pretty frantic-sounding, and the fact he steps in so quickly and frantically to help her out by his own will is pretty impressive. And then he definitively declares that they can’t afford to give up -- which is certainly in line with the nobility he had even during 02, but remember when, even in DSB, Daisuke had to be the one to remind him of this? Now he’s the one reassuring his teammates about this, all on his own. When it all comes down to it, his sense of awareness of what he wants and what he wants to do is stronger than ever.

I mentioned in my analysis of Kizuna in relation to 02 that the 02 kids are in a fairly unique position in the movie, thanks to having already practically gone through a lot of the lessons in both 02 and Kizuna, thus leading them to become very lacking in susceptibility to potentially losing their partners anytime soon (and in fact are deliberately portrayed as such). I would say of all of them, Ken is the most representative of this -- being such a direct foil to the movie’s main antagonist, one who actually came dangerously close to making some of the exact same mistakes she did and emerged with his own trauma as a result, the lessons and warnings imparted by the movie are already deeply embedded in his being.

He’s one of the most openly affectionate and intimate with his partner, having already learned the very, very hard way of what happens when you don’t treasure your partner properly. (He’s taking Wormmon jogging with him, which has got to be an awfully uncomfortable setup, but, goddammit, he’s gonna make it work. And if ~With~ is to be believed, he’s been doing this for years now.) He’s still got a Dark Seed in the back of his neck as an eternal reminder to remember who he is, and to acknowledge the love from his family and friends around him instead of succumbing to arbitrary societal expectations. Remember what I said in my earlier analysis about the true reason for partnerships dissolving, and how deeply it was tied to throwing yourself away for the sake of arbitrary standards of adulthood? Ken’s experiences and extremely painful trauma are like a giant do not do this stamp on his face, and although everyone in this cast is naturally human and may have ups and downs or relapses, Ken is possibly one of the last characters one could imagine succumbing to that kind of mistake again.

So we make it to the epilogue, and although Ken’s technical job title as given in the epilogue is literally “police officer” (keisatsukan), his form of dress (plainclothes, not uniform) and his the Character Complete File indicate he’s from the Digimon Special Investigations Unit (tokusoubu), or, in other words, he’s actually a public-servant detective. (So no, the various dubs also going with “detective” are thus not “changes” in this respect.) In short, he investigates scenes of crimes after they happen, and the Character Complete File provides an example in the form of him investigating a dead body found at the river.

This is probably why Kizuna has him major in psychology, because forensic psychology would be a pretty useful skillset for this kind of job, and a university education in general would most certainly be helpful. (The job requirements as per the Japanese system also require a very high level of athleticism and aptitude.) On the other hand, considering what we know about Ken up to Kizuna, there aren’t any indications that he treated this like any kind of major aspiration, and the psychology major makes you think he might have just fallen into this career by a series of accidents -- he took an interest in psychology (and mental health) due to his own experiences, and then decided that “discovering the truth behind things” was up his alley (much like Iori). Even more notably, his position isn’t really described in any history-making terms, not even ones like being “the first” of anything (like Jou), and it feels like he’s doing this to contribute to society in a way he prefers more than he’s trying to accomplish anything world-shattering.

But on the flip side, it’s probably no coincidence that the 02 epilogue portrays him with such a big family. Of course, it also fits with his and Miyako’s family backgrounds (they’d probably want their kids to have siblings, given their own experiences), but since the Dark Seed was described as having its effects countered by acknowledging how much you’re loved, Ken is clearly surrounded by love -- his wife is one of the most openly affectionate people out there, and his kids (or at least his middle child) use the same “Mama” kind of affectionate language Ken shared with his own parents. Once the events of 02 came to a close at the end of 2002, Ken went on a journey of discovering his own self-assertion, personal desires, and fun -- shedding the expectations and societal standards others had of him, and learning to enjoy life in ways he personally enjoys, for his own sake.

#digimon #digimon adventure 02 #digimon adventure last evolution kizuna #ken ichijouji #ichijouji ken #shihameta #kizuna spoilers

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artificialqueens · 4 years

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On The Ground (Rosénali) - Moonshot

A/N: So… Guess who is back after a year of not writing fics? Yours truly! What can I say? Rosénali is that powerful of a ship. As always, I hope eveyone enjoys this fic. Feel free to let me know what you think… Who knows, there might be a follow up to this little fluff in the future! Little side note: this is a lesbian au where most of the s13/s12 girls appearing are cis-female, however Mik is still a trans man in the fic.

Summary: The diner girl!Denali x street singer!Rosé AU based on Blackpink’s Rosé’s solo music that nobody asked for!

ao3 link https://archiveofourown.org/works/30267687

Denali stared at the round clock above the entrance of the diner.

4:57 PM.

Three more minutes until her shift was over.

Three more minutes until the girl who had been a fixed character in her dreams would come from around the corner, set up her guitar, greet the passersby before starting her set for the evening like she did every Wednesday.

“So, gorge, are you going to ask the champagne girl out today, or are you just going to keep on creepily staring at her from afar?”, her coworker, Kade - or as everyone called him, Mik - appeared next to her with an empty tray.

“Her name is Rosé, not champagne girl!”, Denali rebutted, “and also, for the record, I don’t just… stare. I just happen to like appreciating her set without bothering her! It’s not like she was flirting with me that one time”.

“Did I just hear our Nali denying her crush on that pink-haired singer, again?”, Olivia, who was busy running the cash register, chimed in.

“Girl, I think we should start betting against her and maybe we’ll make more money than what they can pay us here!”, Mik joked as he washed some of the dishes in the sink.

The black-haired girl rolled her eyes, ignoring her two best friends and focusing on the performer’s much-anticipated arrival.

Denali didn’t believe in love at first sight but after the first time Rosé and her guitar had shown up on the other side of the road from Tamisha’s Diner, she couldn’t think about anything else.

There was just something about the other girl that had the Alaskan girl enamored.

The first - and so far only - time she had talked to Rosé was out of necessity as the other girl and who she assumed were her two best friends - the diner girls had dubbed them ‘Pastel Powerpuff girls’ - had decided to dine in just as Denali’s shift at the register had started.

“Hi! Did you enjoy our diner?”, the skater had put on her best smile, not quite able to meet the gaze of the taller girl as she typed out the receipt.

“Oh, sure, the skating gig is cute, the food’s great, and the service… isn’t too bad either,” Denali could see from the corner of her eye the smirk on the pink-haired girl.

“Rosie! Quit flirting with every cute girl that breathes and hurry up or Jan and I are leaving you here, the Uber is going to be here in 2 minutes!”, the blue-haired girl went on with the other girl in the friend group while ‘Rosie’ rolled her eyes at them.

“Sorry about Lagoona, she has the tact of an elephant on rollerskates,” the taller girl joked.

“O-Oh, no problem. So, your total is 20,04$, will you be paying in cash or card? Also, are you splitting the bill?”

“Since dumb and dumber over there already left, I’ll just pay everything with my card,” she replied taking out her purse and taking out her credit card, “here you go, angel”.

Denali tried her best not to blush at the sudden pet name, maintaining her on-the-clock persona as she brought out the card reader. She quickly finished up the operation and handed the pink-haired girl her card back with the receipt, “I just need a quick signature here and you’re free to go to your friends”.

‘Rosie’ scribbled down her signature - she learned her actual name was Rosé, classy yet slightly worrying - and left a tip for her.

A 10$ tip for her.

“Gorge, she left you a 10$ tip, she was basically asking for your hand in marriage”, Mik reminded her, his eyes darting around the half-empty diner.

He nodded his head to his left where Denali saw another one of her co-workers sharing a milkshake with her girlfriend, giggling like teenagers, “I’m just saying. If Utica managed to end up dating that self-proclaimed ebony enchantress over there, you got a chance with wine girl”, he ended with his trademark L.A vocal fry.

Denali knew Mik had a point, but as she was about to reply, she heard the familiar sound of a guitar starting a new song. Her eyes glanced back at the clock.

5:14 PM

Damn, she had missed the beginning of the set.

The Alaskan girl didn’t lose any more time as she clocked out, skates still on her feet as she zoomed out of the diner.

“Aaaaand she’s gone!”, Olivia commented, turning her head to Mik, “Do you think this time is the good one?”

“Well, if she doesn’t finally go after her, I might as well go after her myself!”

Denali reached the usual crowd that had already formed around Rosé, trying her best to blend in and not be seen by the singer while still getting a good view of the set.

“Well, aren’t you guys a lovely crowd!”, the pink-haired singer smiled as she got ready for the next song, “I’ve got one last song for today and this is going to be the first time I’ll be performing it, so, don’t hate it too much!”, she chuckled as she checked her guitar before turning her head back to the mic stand, “This is On The Ground, I’m Rosé and I hope you’ve enjoyed the set! Feel free to drop your tips in the guitar case!”

Denali couldn’t take her eyes off Rosé when she heard the guitar’s first chord paired with the honey-like vocals.

My life’s been magic seems fantastic

I used to have a hole

in the wall with a mattress

It’s funny when you want it

Suddenly you have it

You find out that your gold’s just plastic

The black-haired girl quickly pulled out her phone, opened her voice memo app, and hit record. She wanted to treasure the magic Rosé’s voice brought.

What she failed to notice while she was so into the song was a pair of hazel eyes settling on her as the song reached its climax.

A couple of days later, Denali had just finished with her teaching job at the local ice rink when she spotted Olivia on the railings.

“The suspicious lack of a certain pink-haired girl makes me think that you still haven’t asked her out” she heard the younger girl say as she skated her way to her.

“You’ll never let it go, won’t you, Liv?”

“Not when I see that you like her and, from what I’ve seen, she is at least interested in you. Mik tried to ask her out yesterday after your shift was over,” the other girl replied.

Denali furrowed her brows, “Wait, he was serious about asking her out? I thought he was just joking!”

“If you don’t act on your cute pink crush, you can’t expect everyone else to stop for you,” Olivia reasoned, “if it’s of any help, Mik did say that, and I quote ‘she didn’t want a piece of this fine ass’”, she finished, air quoting their co-worker.

“To be honest, the dude’s barely got an ass compared to me,” Denali muttered, but her best friend managed to catch it.

“Well, as Symone said, you do have a fat ass,” Olivia commented, causing both of them to laugh out loud.

She continued, “Point still stands though, you gotta do something or you might just end up regretting not doing anything about it”.

The dark-haired girl sighed, “I know, I’m just… scared to get hurt because she seems so cool and unreachable, and I’m just so… me?”, she confessed, resting her arms on the rails.

“Give it a chance, Nali,” Olivia replied, laying her hand on the skater’s arm and giving it a gentle squeeze, “And just in case, if she fucks you over, we’ll just unleash Kandy on her!”, she added, making Denali chuckle.

“Girl, if she knew you said that…”

“She would do absolutely nothing because she’s too busy chasing after that Joey guy”, she didn’t miss a beat with her reply, giving her a knowing look, “Almost forgot to ask, are you coming later to the club with the others?”

Denali shook her head, “No, sorry. I don’t feel like clubbing today, I’ll just skate a bit more and then go home to watch some Netflix”.

Olivia shrugged her shoulders, “You do you, girl. But think about what I said, okay?”

She gave her best friend a small smile, “Thanks, Liv. See you at work?”

The younger girl nodded and left Denali to her thought as she exited the room. The black-haired skater turned her head back to the rink, noticing that only a few people were left on the ice.

She took a deep breath, putting her earbuds back in and looking through her phone to decide on what song to use for her last routine of the day. Her eyes fell on the voice memo app, immediately reminding herself of the recording she had taken just a few days prior. She hadn’t even listened to it since she had recorded it.

It wasn’t a clean recording, she could hear the sounds of the city and the people around her, but she closed her eyes and focused on Rosé’s voice, letting it guide her.

The music fully took her over as she performed her usual stunts.

I’m way up in the clouds

And they say I’ve made it now

But I figured it out

Everything I need is on the ground

She found herself in the center of the rink, the bridge of the song was blasting in her ears. She smiled to herself as she started to spin, gradually picking up speed while Rosé’s high notes were all she could focus on.

Just drove by your house

So far from you now

But I figured it out

Everything I need is on the

Everything I need is on the ground

The recording stopped abruptly, she remembered how she had to bolt away, almost missing her bus home.

Denali could hear her heavy breathing, suddenly aware again that she wasn’t alone. But she had made up her mind.

She was going to talk to Rosé the following Wednesday.

That Wednesday the diner was busier than usual, giving Denali barely a moment to think, let alone realize she was missing Rosé’s set outside.

She glanced at the clock.

5:26 PM

Shit.

She turned her head and looked outside the diner’s big windows and saw that the pink-haired girl was starting to gather her things.

“Miss Iman just left, go to her! We’ll cover for you and we are not letting you get back in unless you got a date!”, Olivia said quietly enough for just her to hear.

Denali couldn’t help the grin spreading across her face. She grabbed some of the tips that she had made before she bolted outside, faintly hearing the cheering of her friends.

As she reached Rosé on the other side of the road, the singer’s back was facing her, she didn’t seem to have noticed Denali yet.

The black-haired girl took a deep breath, just like she had done on the ice rink, and let the tips fall into the still open guitar case.

The noise of falling change was what made Rosé turn around, a surprised look on her face as she registered Denali’s face.

“Denali?”

Gosh, she could hear the other girl say her name all day.

Wait.

“How do you know my name?”, Denali asked slightly confused.

Rosé didn’t reply but simply pointed at the waitress’s chest.

Oh, right. The nameplate on her uniform.

“That and also I tend to remember a pretty face when I see one,” she added, now her attention fully on the shorter girl.

“Oh, yeah, right”, she fidgeted awkwardly, not knowing where to look, “Uhm, I just wanted to say that you have a really beautiful voice. You can consider me your first fan when you make it big”.

Rosé smiled at her and Denali couldn’t help but notice how beautiful of a smile she had.

The singer turned back to her stuff, shuffling things around and leaving the brunette to her thoughts. She wanted to ask the taller girl out but felt all her courage leave her body.

Way to go, Nali.

“Well, Uhm, I think I should-”, she started but she was stopped by the pink-haired girl, who had finished packing everything up.

“Here, this is for you”.

It was a jewel case cd, a picture of Rosé in a very 80s inspired attire on the cover with pink marker writing across the front.

‘To Denali

My first (and hopefully not last) fan

Rosé xo’

It was signed with a small rose doodle next to Rosé’s name and, much to Denali’s surprise, a phone number along with the phrase ‘put it to good use’.

She looked up to find the other girl staring at her, her guitar case strapped on her back. She gave her a wink and started walking towards the subway.

Denali stood there for what felt like forever as she watched Rosé disappear in between the crowd of people roaming the streets.

She looked back down at the cd, committing the number to memory. She turned around to look at the back, her eyes were drawn to the tracklist.

She smiled when she saw On The Ground.

Finally, she didn’t have to listen to a shitty phone recording to enjoy it.

“Wait, what? You had recorded it all secretly and shady, mama?”

Rosé’s laugh filled the room as Denali tried to hide her face on the other girl’s bare chest.

“You’re an ass! I just wanted to use it for one of my skating routines”, she muttered, causing her girlfriend to laugh even harder.

“I find it cute that I’m not even famous and my music has already been pirated!” she commented, “I’m already halfway there to stardom, baby girl,” she added, kissing the top of Denali’s head.

The shorter girl groaned as she hid the increasing blush on her cheeks, rolling her body so that she was on top of the pink-haired girl.

“Well, miss Rosé, is it pirating if it was for personal pleasure only?”, Denali teased, running her hands upwards on the naked skin, slowly lowering herself until her face was inches away from her girlfriend’s.

She felt Rosé’s hands take a firm hold of her behind, “Oh angel, I’ll show you personal pleasure,” the singer replied, eliminating the little space left between their lips as Denali brought her hands to cup the older girl’s face.

Rethinking about those lyrics Rosé had written months prior, Denali knew she was right, she did have everything she needed on the ground.

It was to be right there with Rosé.

#rpdr fanfiction #denali foxx #rosé #olivia lux #gottmik #rosnali #fluff #lesbian au #diner au #s13 #moonshot #submission

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yuzukult · 4 years

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candy stars || baekhyun & reader

title: candy stars pairing: reader x baekhyun genre: romance, soulmate!au words: ~5k+ prompt: soulmates unlock one of the five senses for people, some finally get the opportunity to feel, to see, to taste, to hear, or to smell. but what if you never find yours? notes: i decided i would make a soulmate story for each member of exo!! all stemming from a similar universe as city lights & under the moonlight. :)

The wind that hits your face is brisk, the trademark characteristic for the November air, tinting your cheeks pink, pink like the juices of strawberries that you bite into, dripping onto your palms and sliding down your arms. But the pinks don’t signify the same thing— your cheeks are stained like a winter heather, growing in the colder months and bringing the only color in a garden with a white blanket that drapes over, and the strawberries are just a reminder of the warmer days, something that seems so out of reach.

Someone without a soulmate might lack this quality— to be able to see these shades or feel the changes of weather. But those senses weren’t absent from your life, but rather the taste of the strawberry, the sweetness that it spews and bursts on your tongue. Instead, there’s nothing. Emptiness is what fills you, without the understanding of what sugar is and what people mean when they crave the treats or when there’s a comparison to a love that’s like confectionery.

Cups filled with hot chocolate steams out from the covers, the scent saturating your nose. You knew what it smelled like, the sweetness, but once bringing the warm liquid to your lips, the expectations for the taste dissipates.

“You sure you don’t want to try some?” Chanyeol asks, lifting up the styrofoam cup in his hand, offering some of the delicious goodness to you. “It tastes good.”

“I assume that it tastes good. Did you already forget? I don’t know what sweet is, Chanyeol.” Rolling your eyes at the older male, you stuff your hands into the pockets of your puffy jacket. “You only have one younger sister and you don’t even remember what qualities she’s lacking?”

“Other than the fact you have no soul and you’re lacking the quality of being a decently nice person—“

You shove your older sibling as he winces, hand trying to stabilize the drink but fails, some spilling out. “Hey!”

“If you maybe weren’t so rude—“

“Are you two really fighting again?” A familiar voice chimes in, snapping both of your heads in the direction of the melodic sound.

There he stands, handsome as ever, with his amber locks flowing in the route of the breeze. Hearing his voice again brought chills down your spine, warming your claimed cold heart, causing you to swallow. “Baekhyun, you’re back.” He’s gifting you with his soft smiles, so beautiful that if it were awarded for the impact it brings into a room, he’d win.

“As per requested by two out of the three Park siblings, I am here. You wanted me in Seoul and you got me, so, what did the two of you have in store for me?”

Baekhyun was always Chanyeol’s best friend, from beginning to end, hopefully. They’d have each other’s backs like the friendship between two main characters of a sitcom, constantly glued at each other’s sides until University hit. Baekhyun decided to go out of his comfort zone, residing somewhere in the outskirts of the countryside. Chanyeol stayed near home, or your difficult mother would be left alone with you after your eldest sister eloped with her now husband.

There was always something inside of you that had crushed on Baekhyun, but you knew that being Chanyeol’s little sister meant it was off limits. Nonetheless, you kept your focus on finding your soulmate instead, eager to find sweetness on your tongue.

“Should we head out for a quick bite?” Baekhyun suggests, nuzzling his nose into the scarf that wraps around his neck cozily. “We can catch up and plan everything there.”

The two of you agree, following Baekhyun whilst he raves about a cafe that he encountered over yelp and instagram one day. He states, “it’ll make you rethink what desserts you actually like,” and you want to remind him that you can’t taste sweets, but the eager expression on his face halts you from doing so.

Entering in the cafe, the bell rings simultaneously as the door opens in invitation. The aroma of the baked goods inundated your sense of smell to that point you can almost feel yourself relishing in the flavors until you come back to reality, recollecting that it doesn’t exist for you. Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s expressions were opposite from yours, inhibiting pure bliss.

“Ah, I totally forgot. My little sister here, the party pooper, doesn’t have a sense of taste.” Chanyeol glances over at you, nose and cheeks red from the harsh winter weather, gaze hinting for desperate approval. “Are you okay with eating here?”

“Well, we’re already here, aren’t we?”

“We could always go for something else, if you want. Is it just taste in general or a flavor?” Baekhyun jumps in, eyes wary. “There’s a pizza place next door if you’d prefer.”

“No,” You shake your head in response, bouncing on the balls of your feet in order to gain some warmth. “We can eat here. I can’t taste sugary things. You guys seem like you want to try it, and I want to enjoy the looks on your faces.”

“What’d you order?” You and Chanyeol are seated beside each other, previously waiting patiently for Baekhyun to bring the tray of drinks and pastries. Your mouth waters at how beautifully crafted they are and the pleasant odor that fills the room.

“I got the famous strawberry smoothies for the both of us,” He says, sitting across from the two of you, placing the glass cups onto the table. “And for you,” he then gestures at the dark iced liquid that drips in condensation in your view, “iced americano. It’s bitter, but I figured you’d at least be able to enjoy something rather than... nothing.”

On the tray sits several different types of pastries, over salivating the mouths to those who have a sweet tooth. In the midst of the conversation, Chanyeol and Baekhyun discussed the ideas of where to go for their annual winter trip, and you couldn’t help but trail your eyes all over Baekhyun.

He’s aged since you’ve last seen him— he’s grown into those baby cheeks of his, well, kind of, but he has upgraded from cute to handsome. After he’d slip off his thick camel trench coat and hangs it over the back of his chair, you’d become aware of how even a plain black t-shirt is snug on his frame and the sight of him makes you breathless. Baekhyun was the epitome of a character in a film where he’s the main character’s brother’s best friend that is just a little too old for you, yet a guy everyone falls for.

In this film— he’s your brother’s best friend who’s overly kind, shooting warm smiles your way, and for some odd reason, always there whenever you need him the most. Baekhyun was a dream, a dream that would never come true, and you knew this because being near him never unlocked your sense of sweetness. There was a bit of disappointment when you came to that recognition but nonetheless, he was the candy on the highest shelf you’d come to admire, desiring it but knowing it was out of reach.

“What do you think of the raspberry croissant?”

“Who would’ve thought that people would put raspberry and croissant together? This is... truly an art.”

A light hearted laugh escapes from Baekhyun’s grin, shaking his head at your brother’s response. “Dude, it’s just raspberry jam and a croissant, I’m sure plenty of places have it. I’m talking about how they made this— like, how soft yet crispy it is and the jam alone is just...” fingers pointed and pressed together in his hands, he gives it a chef’s kiss, “... perfection.”

Tearing a piece of the pastry off from Chanyeol’s hand as your brother reacts with a whimper, he holds it by your mouth with his own open, gesturing you to do the same. “Open up.”

“Why?” You question, raising a brow. “Because, even though you can’t taste it doesn’t mean it hurts to try. Open wide.”

You think it’s pointless, Baekhyun’s pursuit, but you can never say no to him so you comply, mouth slightly agape as he pushes the pastry in between your lips.

And for a moment, you almost thought you tasted something new.

Your taste buds tingle, sparking something within before the sweetness disappeared, causing your heart to race. The two men watched you in complexity as you grabbed Chanyeol’s drink, attempting to regain that feeling again.

“What’s wrong?” Baekhyun asks, brows furrowed in confusion. “Did it have a funny taste?”

Sipping the smoothie through the straw, your expectations disappeared once again when the only outcome of it was the cold liquid going down your throat. “I... swore I was able to taste the sweetness.”

“How do you know that it was sweet?”

“It’s the only flavor I’ve never had before.”

“Oh please,” Chanyeol interjects, cheeks full of the pastry. “If you could taste that sense right now, that would mean Baekhyun is your soulmate. That could never happen!”

Walking down the streets of Seoul, Chanyeol stops by a shop, actively looking for a gift for his lovely girlfriend, leaving you and Baekhyun standing by the exit of the store, waiting patiently.

“Speaking of... I never knew what quality you lacked for not meeting your soulmate. What is it, Baek?” He hums for a moment, playing with some of the knick knacks that sit on the shop shelves. “I can’t smell.”

“Wait— you can’t smell? At all?”

He shakes his head, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his trench coat. “Nope, nothing. That’s why I wear a shit ton of deodorant and try to go easy on the cologne. I can’t tell what’s too much.” How could Baekhyun not be able to smell? He loved food— always moaning at what you assumed was the pleasant aromas that filled the room, but now when you think about it, you never noticed how he never talked about the scent of things.

“But... you always smell so good,” You blurt, cheeks flushing crimson when you realize what you said. “I mean... you smell good whenever you walk by and I get a whiff of you.”

He chuckles, voice smooth and thick like honey, music to your ears. “Do I? I never knew what ‘natural smell’ I had. I heard people have it but I’ve never been able to actually... you know, experience that.”

Your brother had a majorly contrasting experience compared to you and Baekhyun— he didn’t lack any of his senses. In fact, he’s part of the portion of the population that possessed a marking, resembling one that his own soulmate has.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun were a textbook example of the outcomes of finding your soulmate. Chanyeol got to meet his, and despite the fact he rejected the belief that she truly was his mate, he eventually caved and fell in love with her. However, he never lacked anything. He just had a marking in resemblance to hers— the only identification he had to determine if she was his soulmate. But Baekhyun was the same age as your brother and hadn’t even gone close to meeting his. There were people who never got to meet their ‘the one’ but found love elsewhere, close in comparison. It wasn’t impossible to fall in love with someone who isn’t your mate, but who wouldn’t want to meet their soulmate?

“We found your soulmate.”

“What?”

You think, maybe it was a good idea you signed up for that research group on the flier that hung in the public bathroom stall of your university with a link to their website. If this was legitimately your soulmate, a session on the toilet was the beginning of how you found the true love of your life.

“Park...” The worker on the other line hesitated, reading what you assume is on the piece of paper resting in front of her before she says your name. “We are about 95% sure this person is your soulmate. But the problem is... he’s on his deathbed.”

“Excuse me?” Death bed? What did she mean? You’d just found out that someone knows who your soulmate is and they’re already telling you that he’s dying? “He’s... sick?”

“Yes,” she says, voice filled with concern and empathy. “It’s actually how we found out. His medical records are in the system, and we tried to match it to what was in your DNA from the research study you signed up for, and the soulmate component matched.”

You’re quiet for a moment, unsure how to respond with so much information being thrown at you. It was difficult to absorb. “So... now what? I lose a soulmate?”

“Well... we suggest you to at least meet him. Spend his last moments with him, and get to know who he is. He lacks the sense of taste for sweetness too, you know. Maybe... you both can get to experience it for the first and last time.”

First and last. All your life, you thought meeting your soulmate would lead you to the direction of feeling fulfilled— filled with awakened taste buds, traveling the world and being able to eat foods that you’d never been able to have before.

But that’s gone. All of that is gone. Your soulmate apparently only has 2 months left to live. You’d have to come to terms that once those two months are up, you really won’t be able to do those things again.

“How are you feeling?” Baekhyun asks, sitting on the stool by your kitchen island, fingers tapping anxiously against the granite top. He never fails to hop on the first train back to Seoul when you needed someone by your side. “You’re supposed to go meet him at the hospital this afternoon, right?”

“Yeah,” you sigh, drinking the tea that Chanyeol had finished brewing for you, deciding that he would be gentler with you today after finding out the news. “I was told he was on the verge of death the other day, but they were able to pull him out before they lost him. But after that, he told the doctors and nurses he didn’t want to be saved anymore. So... he has two months left.”

“Even when they told him they found his soulmate?” You nod slowly, tiredness evident in your eyes. “I guess it isn’t worth fighting anymore. How can I blame him though? He’s been sick for years. I can only imagine the pain and suffering he has been through.”

“Uh, hi.” You choke up after knocking on the window of the door quietly. “I’m.. uh,”

“My soulmate,” The man finishes, voice hoarse. He sounds gentle and kind, but his face shone exhaustion and ache. “I’m happy you decided you wanted to meet me, in spite of the selfish decision I made.”

“It’s okay to be selfish,” You retort, gifts in hand as you approach to the side of his bed. “You’ve been suffering for so long.”

“If only I met you sooner,” He says with a soft smile, and just the sight alone made it feel like all your worries had gone away. He’s beautiful, regardless of the state he’s in, and you could only imagine what he looked like when he was up and going. Skin pale as ice and lips chapped from the treatments, he looks cold and frozen, but right when he tugged the edges of his mouth upwards for you, you’re the one who melts. “Then there would’ve been something worth fighting for. Right now, it’s too unbearable. I hope you forgive me—“

“Don’t say that,” you quickly interject, taking the seat next to him. “I could never hate you. You’re my soulmate, how could I?”

“You won’t get to taste the sweetness again when I go.” He says shakily, eyes tearing up as you lean over to swipe your thumb against the skin of his cheek, the wetness smearing away, “It’s okay. I get to try it just for a little bit, and that’s all that matters. I got to see you, I got to taste the flavor that people describe good things as. When you are finally at peace, I go back to where I was before, yes, but I got to meet you and that makes it all worthwhile.”

You two of you spent almost everyday together. Eventually, he officially introduces himself as Cha Eunwoo, just a year older than yourself. He shares stories about how he used to be a rock climber, hands full of calluses to prove it, before he learns he has leukemia. He mentions how he developed the symptoms about a year ago, when the thing he loved the most became a chore— bones weak and tired, constantly getting chills and fevers occurring. He’d occasionally go climbing, despite his fatigue, and he’d find himself bruising easily compared to initially. Deciding to finally go to the doctor, albeit his efforts to avoid them by ditching his yearly visits, he’d been diagnosed with the cancer, his future deteriorating before his eyes.

You’d bring sweets for him almost daily, along with a meal. Whether lunch or dinner, you made sure your presence was known. Eunwoo deserved the best few months of his life, and knowing him for just a week made you realized how much of an impact he had on your life.

More than the first time the both of you try sweets.

“Let’s try it at the same time.”

“On the count of three?”

Both holding a cupcake in hand, wax paper already peeled off, you eye each other mischievously, ready to take your first bites of the dessert.

“One,” He says teasingly, waiting for you to continue.

“Two,” You continue onto his antics, a grin stretched across your face.

“Three!” With that and mouths open wide, as a couple, you chomp on the delight, eyes almost rolling to the back of your heads.

Chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting— a classic that Chanyeol suggested— pretty much sparking inner fireworks on your tongue. You’d never experienced this feeling before; it had been a different kind of bliss, one you never knew you were missing out on. You finally understand why Chanyeol and Baekhyun were raving about the café you visited the other day; your brother texting his group chat of friends that they have to come here next time. With such a feeling from eating a cupcake from a franchise grocery store and obtaining this deep of a sensation— you could only imagine trying that café again.

“Holy fuck,” Eunwoo curses, bulging eyes and remains of the baked good on his face that exasperates a laugh from you. “That shit... is fucking good.” There’s a twinkle in his eyes that you catch, and your heart clenches at the sight.

You get why people compare their loved ones to sweets. How when old couples call their significant others “sweetheart” or “sweetie.” Or when Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s faces lit up in glee at the thought of inhaling those baked goods at that café a couple months ago, mouths watering at the thought of their tongues tasting the sweetness of the desserts. It was a feeling you never thought you’d long for until now.

Eunwoo was sweet, you think to yourself. His hair is dark as the chocolate in the cupcake, and his voice sounds as sugary and smooth as the frosting. The first bite of the common baked good is a reminder of how addicting being with Eunwoo is, like the taste of the cupcake and how you can’t seem to get enough of it. Your eyes trail to his lips— so plump and pink, just like strawberries and you’re suddenly curious on what the fruit tastes like, but your mind is flooded with the thought of how his lips tasted like.

Bold is what you’re feeling today. You figure that if this was your last shot to make a move on him, you’d regret it later. And life... Well life is always full of regrets, but you didn’t want this to be one of them.

Seated on the edge of his hospital bed, his brows are raised questioning at the shift of atmosphere. “What is it?”

“I just... don’t move.” Pushing your weight on your arm that rests by his leg, you lean in, eyes fluttering shut since pressing your lips gingerly onto his.

Eunwoo didn’t just taste sweet, Eunwoo was sweet.

Reality hits hard, even if you already know what the future holds.

Your soulmate passes peacefully in his sleep a month ago, and the thought of him disappearing from your life is a constant indication that the nightmare was your reality. The memories of Eunwoo are embedded into your head, his face reoccurring in your dreams only made you mourn harder.

“Are you sure you’re fine? Your drink is melting.” A voice interrupts your thoughts.

Baekhyun invites you out for coffee, ordering you an iced americano like he did last time. It’s just the two of you for this occasion, and you don’t question the absence of your older brother from your mind being fogged up of the loss of Eunwoo.

“I’m... holding up. I’ll be okay later,” You assure the older male, attempting to pull the edges of your mouth into a smile. It’s harder to showcase your jubilance lately but thankfully Baekhyun doesn’t probe you to. “Thanks for getting this for me, by the way. I guess I’m still trying to get used to the fact I can’t enjoy dessert beverages anymore.”

He shrugs slightly in response, opening the plastic packaging off his blueberry muffin. “I know you’re going through a lot, Eunwoo sounded like a nice guy and I wish I could’ve met him. But... he’d want you to keep living your life. Don’t stop yourself from doing the things you want to do because you met him and he’s gone now.”

“It just feels... so wrong to do things without him because he’s my soulmate.”

“Well, I can almost guarantee that Eunwoo would be pissed if you weren’t at least trying to put yourself in a good mood.”

He... wasn’t wrong, but you’d never tell Baekhyun that he was right about anything. Maybe you’d try— just a little more for Eunwoo. You got to meet him, learn who he was as a person, and even though Baekhyun never met the guy, his observation and assumption of him was spot on. Straightening your slouching back in the seat, you lean over to take a sip of your drink, eyeing his selection off the menu.

Changing the topic at the sight of his drink, you burst out, “What... the hell did you even order?”

Baekhyun hums for a moment, lips pursed in thought. “I think this is a vanilla, caramel, java chip frap.”

“What?” He laughs at your distorted facial expression, peeling the plastic off the straw fore poking it into the top of the drink. Peculiarly, he brings the cup to your lips. “Try it yourself.”

“Baekhyun, what’s the point of trying—“

“I said try it, Park. Give it a shot.” Watching him doubtfully as you tilt your body toward his offering, your mouth opens in invitation as he brings the drink closer to you. Sucking on the straw for a brief moment, it hits.

It hits.

The drink wasn’t only cold— it was sweet.

“Is this— but how? This is so sweet, Baekhyun!” Taking a moment to let the taste sink in, your face winces in realization at how sweet it is. “Baek, why is this so sweet, I swear that just that one sip alone could give me diabetes.”

He watches you attentively, placing the cup back onto the table. “You taste it, right? You actually taste it?”

“Yeah, I do. But how? When Eunwoo passed, the taste disappeared. I thought I’d never experienced it again... unless...”

There’s silence between the two of you. Thoughts started to flood your head; what did this mean? Why did you suddenly get the taste back? Eunwoo was gone, and you were absolutely sure of it because you attended his open casket funeral. And why was Baekhyun so persistent with you trying sweets?

“I know this sounds weird, but there’s a theory.” Reclining in his seat, he takes in a deep breath before wiping his hands on a nearby napkin. “I’ve read somewhere that there are more than one soulmates to a person, and that possibly when one passes, it means the opportunity to meet your next one is... well, possible.” You don’t say anything but gesture your head for him to continue.

“My soulmate passed too. I never got to meet her but I found out that she passed because I joined that research group when you told me about it. They informed me that they found her in the system, but she had gotten into a car accident when she was young. I honestly thought I’d never get to smell anything— ever.” Pausing for a moment, he tightens his lips at the memory of a couple months ago. “Then... remember when we were here last time and you thought you could taste that raspberry croissant? That same exact moment, I actually... smelled that. My sense of smell was so strong in fact that I could smell Chanyeol’s fart that he passed moments after.”

“What are you saying?” You blurt.

“I’m saying, that moment we got our senses might be that very moment Eunwoo almost died.”

You recall the conversation you had with the woman on the other line when she delivered the news that they had found your soulmate. How Eunwoo was barely holding on, and days before he was on the verge of death before the nurses were able to save him.

“It’s crazy, I know. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And honestly, I couldn’t even stop thinking about you. Hearing Chanyeol constantly tell me about how you’re with Eunwoo almost everyday pretty much broke me, but I know that he’s biologically your soulmate, so what am I supposed to do?”

Did... Baekhyun just confess?

Unsure of what to say to his words, you abruptly grab his drink again, startling him as you slurp aggressively. Sweet, cold, sweet. It was disgusting, you had to admit, with all these flavors in one drink, but there was no denying how in awe you were that you could even taste it.

“Baekhyun, this is disgusting.”

“I honestly only picked that drink because I wanted to test the waters.”

And with that, he was able to bring your lips into a beaming smile for the first time since Eunwoo’s death.

The thought of your brother’s cool best friend falling in love with you sounds like a cliche, something you never thought yourself could be reality. After meeting Eunwoo, it felt like the end, something that most people who lose the love of their lives feel, as though there isn’t a purpose anymore. But hearing Baekhyun pour his heart out to you, even knowing he had to suck up his feelings for you when he finds out you’ve met your soulmate, makes you believe again. Believe that there’s more to life, even when your mate is gone, and it’s worthwhile to keep exploring.

And although your wishes were to explore with Eunwoo, exploring with Baekhyun sounded just as good.

Baekhyun wouldn’t replace Eunwoo, is what you learn. He’d occupy another part of your heart, loving you the way that Eunwoo would have, and honoring his previous role in your life.

“Chanyeol, you put way too much sugar in that.”

“I’m starting to miss when you didn’t meet your soulmate.” Your brother grimaces, swatting you away with his spatula. He was attempting to recreate your mom’s kimchi jjigae, which you tried to tell him that she doesn’t even put sugar in it, to which he argues that you’re not a professional in tasting things. “I also miss when Baekhyun was mine.”

You fail to notice Baekhyun’s feelings for you over time— his effort to travel from the countryside to come see you on occasion during his college years and incessantly telling Chanyeol to invite his little sister when he really didn’t want to. Even attending family gatherings as Chanyeol’s guest, when really he wanted to charm your parents in case he’d ever get the chance to win your heart one day. Chanyeol wasn’t supportive of Baekhyun’s feelings for you only because he didn’t want him to interfere with the opportunity to meet your soulmate— only late to find out that Baekhyun is your soulmate.

“Baekhyun is still yours, you idiot, or else we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Are you telling me that you don’t want to spend time with your only brother?”

“Honestly, Yeol, I rather not—“

“Whoa whoa whoa, what’s going on here? Are the Park siblings fighting yet again?” As usual, Baekhyun enters into the kitchen, handsome as ever dressed in a simple basic t-shirt still hitches your breath. He slides his arm underneath yours, snaking it around your waist to pull into his embrace, resting his chin on your shoulder. “I thought we discussed not having a fist fight with Chanyeol this weekend and trying to be civil.”

Squinting your eyes at the taller male, you scrunch your nose despite softening in the warmth of Baekhyun. “I’m trying. But Yeol here isn’t great at compromising.”

“I told you. All you have to do is return Baek to me and we’re all good.”

“You have a girlfriend! Why are you trying to steal my boyfriend from me? Don’t you get enough love from her?”

“I want Baek’s love.”

“There’s enough love to go around, stop fighting!” In contempt of his tone, he was amused. His ego must be inflating that very moment. Chanyeol frowns, turning away to the sink to dispose of his utensils.

Precipitously, Baekhyun swings his head to face you, a mischievous smirk on his face. “What?” You furrow your brows questioningly before he surprisingly plants a kiss on your lips.

“Nothing... you just smell really good.”

And Baekhyun... tasted sweet like honey.

Baekhyun is sweet.

#baekhyun #byunbaekhyun #byun baekhyun #baekhyunxreader #baekhyun x reader #baekhyun & reader #baekhyun&reader #exo #exofics #exo fic #exo fanfic #baekhyun fanfiction #exo fanfiction #gyukultfics

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scribblingfangirl · 4 years

Text

CHILD SURPRISE | The Witcher - Part One

not my gif!

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Author’s Note: My first request! Thank you so much nonnie! I’m sorry it took me so long and I really, really hope you like and enjoy what I came up with. I’m very aware that this is mostly a shorter and changed recounting from Ep. 6 and that you’d probably wanted to see more of the aftermath, but somehow that’s where my mind went and I had to follow it. Please excuse me if I went totally against your will. I could do a part two if you wanted to? Or rewrite it?

word count: ~ 1.9k

request: Hello! Please could you write something where the reader is Geralt's child surprise (instead of Ciri) and they find out that Geralt said "I'd rather use my child surprise as bruxa bait"? Perhaps set during that mountain scene with Jaskier & Yen? 🌷

warnings: swear words, mentions of death, spoilers for Episode 6 of The Witcher

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You were sitting on a bench in front of the tavern when they came back. The room you were actually supposed to wait in seemed to grow smaller by the minute and your bouncy legs were no longer satisfied with walking the same line up and down while waiting impatiently for Geralt and Jaskier to return.

You hadn’t been travelling around with them for long. As the daughter of a common farmer, you would’ve never travelled with them, but there was that little and annoying law of surprise. Once claimed, the law was inevitable. And well, long story short, your father had been saved by Geralt and kind of insisted on the law as repayment. They then parted ways and Geralt said that he’d come to get was is rightly his. A few years later their paths crossed again and Geralt met his child surprise. You.

You quickly jumped up as you saw them in the distance, running towards them. “What happened? And who are they?” you asked curiously, pointing at an old man, you’d later know him as Borch, and his two female warrior companions.

While Geralt gave you an angry look, otherwise completely ignoring you as he passed, Jaskier hooked your arm in his and pulled you with him. “Nothing a kid like you has to be concerned about,” he said as you both followed the others into the tavern, “but there might be a story coming up.”

x-x

And what a story it would be. You were off to a dragon hunt! You couldn’t believe it! And so the race to the mountaintop began. It was actually a rather pleasant adventure if one forgets about the death of that hirikka creature and Sir Eyck. Having other people around you meant that you didn’t have to spend time with Geralt or better, he didn’t have to spend time watching your every move. Jaskier, however, he probably should have.

“We’ll watch each other’s backs until we reach the next peak, then every man for himself. What say ye?” the dwarf leader asked Borch.

“Let’s go.”

“Go on. I’ll catch up,” Geralt said in your direction, but looked solely at Jaskier and then followed the mage called Yennefer.

You had yet to get properly introduced to her, but you’d seen the glances she had thrown you over the camping fire and during your travels. Each time it felt like cold water running over your back and it was as if your blood turned to ice. “Quick question, do we like her?” you asked Jaskier as you watched Geralt walk away, following his instructions and walking behind the dwarfs.

“I don’t.”

x-x

“Yeah, you’re right, this is a shortcut… do death!” Jaskier exclaimed as he leaned slightly around the curve, glancing warily at the wooden pathway.

“We should turn back,” Geralt said behind you, putting a hand on your shoulder, “This is not a place for a little girl.”

“I’m not a little girl!” shaking off his hand you stomped up to Jaskier, following his glance, “I’m not afraid of heights!”

“You heard the girl.” Yennefer grinned and for the first time, her smile was full of warmth and encouragement. The ice in her eyes gone.

“See ya on the other side!” the dwarfs yelled as they passed you and started walking along the floating wooden path.

“Yeah, yeah, yes,” Jaskier mumbled to himself and then turned around to you, “Ladies first then?” But before you could say something Yennefer had already pushed him in front of you, urging him to go on.

Everything that happened afterwards was a blur to you. The adrenalin that rushed through your veins and your beating heart the only memory of the horrible accident. You didn’t see how Borch lost his footing, only heard Jaskier scream. The wooden path vibrated dangerously under you and let him push you against his chest.

“Geralt! The planks won’t hold!” Yennefer shouted as another vibration went through the wood, more planks loosening up under your feet. And then you heard Jaskier gasp and Yennefer sigh sadly.

x-x

You were sitting beside Geralt on the stone, overlooking the beautiful yet tragic view, still shaking due to the aftershock.

“Here,” Jaskier wrapped you in a blanket as he took a seat beside you, stroking your back soothly while he turned to Geralt. “You did your best,” he said in the most calming voice he could muster, “There’s nothing else you could have done.”

The wind blew while he waited for Geralt’s response and his hand left your back to join his other one in his lap, as you heard him breathe out. “Look, why don’t we leave tomorrow? We could head to the coast. Get away for a while. A little bit of sea salt never hurt a child.”

Yet again Geralt didn’t say anything, just kept staring into the distance. You three, probably a very unique looking bunch, stayed there in silence, basking in the last sun rays of the dying sun. Then Geralt stood up without a word, making his way to Yennefer’s tent on top of your own resting place.

“Come on,” Jaskier whispered, embracing you, “Let’s get you to bed.”

x-x

The next morning you were awoken by a bird cry. You were laying back to back with Jaskier, sharing the blankets as it got cold during the night. Heaving yourself into an upright position, you realised that you were alone. “Jask? Jask!” you woke him up, nudging his side, “Where are the other ones?”

Jaskier lifted his head with a snort. “Uh,” blinking he looked around confused, sniffed and sat up as well. Then he stood up, still a little bit stiff from sleeping and walked around the camping site. “Geralt? Dwarfs?”

“Well thank you, I could’ve done that myself.”

“Alright, but thanks to me you see the dwarfs over there though,” he said as he pointed to your left and in the distance, you saw little tiny black dots lined up along a path.

“They’re not moving though. You sure-”

“Yes, let’s go!”

x-x

You had laughed at the dwarfs as you passed them. “Are we… queuing for something?” Jaskier had asked. The moment you and Jaskier had seen the scene in front of you, you started to run.

“Oh fuck!” Jaskier quickly turned around to you, a shocked expression on his face. “You didn’t hear that from me.”

“Really?! Dead bodies everywhere, an old man fell to his death and that’s what you think about?!”

“I’m panicking, okay?! Let me!”

“Yeah, whatever. What hell happened?”

x-x

A lot, apparently. Not that anybody would tell you, or Jaskier for that matter. You were sitting with him, looking down at Borch, Yennefer and Geralt who were talking about things neither you nor the bard needed to hear.

“What happened?” you asked while you scratched the ground, carving tiny lines into the sandy stone floor.

“Hm? Your guess is as good as mine,” Jaskier stated and looked at you.

“No, I mean way back then. How... Why did Geralt save my father’s life?”

“Oh… well, that’s a funny story actually,” Jaskier chuckled embarrassed and scratched the back of his head, clearing his throat.

“How could we ever know?” Yennefer then asked loudly as she stood up which made you and Jaskier snap your heads towards them. “Disregard for other’s freedom has become quite your trademark.”

You couldn’t make up what Geralt answered, but it obviously didn’t help as Yennefer angrily shouted, “I didn’t need your help!”

“Like fuck you didn’t!”

“There, say you heard him from him,” Jaskier mumbled beside you and you punched his shoulder, “Ouch.”

“And you, you flit about like a tornado, wreaking havoc, and for what? So you can have a baby?” Geralt's words made you both look down to them again. “A child is no way to boost your fragile ego, Yen. I would know! I have one now!”

She scoffed. “I’ll take advice from you about children as soon as you take responsibility for the one you bound to you and then abandoned!”

“Abandoned? She’s here, isn’t she?”

“Are you really sure about that? I haven't seen you talk to her once these past few days. If I didn't know better, I'd say she belonged to the bard,” Yennefer said, already walking up the slope you and Jaskier were sitting on. As she passed you, she threw you a pleading look. Run as long as you still can.

Meanwhile, Jaskier had stood up and had made his way downwards to Geralt. You stood up as well but kept your distance. Unsure if you wanted to walk after Yennefer, who was making her way back or stay behind for Jaskier.

“Phew! What a day!” Jaskier tried to lighten up the mood with a chuckle, “I imagine you’re probably-”

“Damn it, Jaskier!” Geralt suddenly screamed, making you flinch as his voice even reached you in full force. “Why is it whenever I find myself in a pile of shit these days, it's you shovelling it?!”

“Well, that's not fair-”

“The Child Surprise, the djinn, all of it! If you hadn’t run into that stupid ambush and dragged the farmer with you, he would have never been able to burden the law of surprise upon me! All I wanted was to save your ass and now look at this! If life could give me one blessing, it would be to take you off my hands! And you know what? The child too! Because I'd rather use my child surprise as bruxa bait but that’s not going to happen as we’re bound by destiny!”

It felt as if you were back on the wooden path, the planks breaking under your feet as you plunged into unknown depths. It shouldn't hurt that much. You knew it, it was as clear as the morning sky that Geralt had never liked the thought of you. You were a burden he had picked up during his travels but never welcomed like Jaskier.

Your legs were moving without your consent, carrying you away from Geralt, away from Jaskier, away from the last piece of life you had. What were you now, an orphan? You parents didn’t die, but you wouldn’t be able to go back to them, you couldn’t run from your destiny. Could you?

“You could come with me, you know?” Her voice was soft, even caring as she appeared by your side. Or where you fast enough to catch up with her?

Your mind was racing, your view blurry with the tears that had found their ways into your eyes. You wiped them away, sniffled and looked up into the face of the mage. Her smile was warm and inviting. “You might not be my child surprise, but seeing as we both are bound unwillingly to that witcher, we might as well stick together, right?”

#the witcher x reader #the witcher imagine #jaskier x reader #geralt of rivia x reader #geralt of rivia #jaskier #yennefer of vengerberg #the witcher #the witcher netflix #jaskier the witcher #geralt of rivia the witcher #yennefer of vengerberg the witcher #the witcher fanfiction #the witcher one shot #viascribbles

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calumbringbackthewatermelonshirt · 5 years

Text

Angel Baby (L.H.)

a/n: oh yeah shaking it up with a Luke piece instead of cal. who am I? any who, please enjoy another mediocre beginning and weak finish story by yours truly

“It’s time for a change.”

You jumped as Luke slammed a bag of groceries onto your kitchen island, raising an eyebrow at his theatrics.

“O-kay?” These kinds of declarations were no stranger in your household, seeing as Luke went through a personality crisis at LEAST once per month. Still, you always heard him out, since 9 times out of 10 you had to gently persuade him away from doing whatever he was going to do, including stopping him from shaving his eyebrows.

Honestly, you had no idea what he would do without you.

“Throughout the history of this band, I have always been the relatively ‘safe’ one. Conservative, very blah-blah.” You sighed, internally pinching the bridge of your nose. So this ‘change’ now came with a long-winded speech. It was tough getting a word in edgewise, considering Luke’s impressive lung capacity that accompanied being the lead singer of the band. “I’ve never had a tattoo, spontaneous shave of my head, or even a huge engagement announcement.”

Okay, now you were interested. The word engagement kinda set you on edge now, not in a bad way, of course. But you and Luke had been going on about three years together now, and you knew people that had gotten married after one. The word had prompted you to sit up more, placing your arms on the back or the couch and resting your chin on your hands.

“To this boring life, I say no more. I have decided.”

You raised your eyebrows in anticipation.

“We’re dying my hair.”

You deflated a little but honestly weren’t too disappointed. With the dramatics Luke went through for something as simple as hair dye, you figured the proposal would have to be HUGE.

Still, one thing at a time, you supposed.

“Oh. Listen, I totally support you 100 percent, but are you sure you’re not gonna have an identity crisis? I mean, you’re hungover Jesus. You’re the angel baby! Golden curls are literally trademarked by you.” You climbed over the back of the couch, foregoing the three steps it would take you to walk around. It was a wise choice for you to wear sweatpants and an old t-shirt today.

Yet when you peaked into the bag that Luke had slammed onto the counter, you weren’t sure you actually had to worry about an identity crisis.

“Um, babe.” You took the boxes into your hands, each one almost the exact same.

“Yes, darling?” Luke looked up from the cabinet he had been digging in, trying to find a bowl to mix his dye in.

“You do know that you bought all blonde hair dye, right?” All the boxes had the same generic but awful names, like ‘beeswax and honey’ or ‘sun kissed golden rays of pure sunshine.’

“Um, yeah. That’s like the whole point.” Luke gave you a dumb look then resumed rummaging in the cabinet, undoubtedly ruining all your perfectly organized shelves.

“Okay, so that begs the question. You do know you’re already blonde, correct?” Honestly, your boyfriend sometimes.

“Yes, I am aware of my own hair color.” Luke stood. Apparently, he had finally selected an adequate mixing container. “I just wanted something different, but nothing too drastic.”

“Sure. Okay babe. Whatever you say.” You gathered the numerous boxes of hair dye into your arms, which was no easy task, considering how many there were, and stumbled your way into the bathroom. There you dumped all of the dyes onto the counter and started running the hot water so it’d be warm whenever Luke managed his way in here.

“Welcome to the salon I guess,” you sassed as you extended your arms and spun in a circle, although you accidentally smacked Luke in the chest since you were in the smaller hall bathroom and not your own.

Petunia let out a happy bark at the sound of Luke’s yelp. Luke just made sad eye contact with her as if to say ‘why would you betray me like this?’

“Alright you giant, lean over so I can wet your hair.” Luke obliged while you busied yourself mixing the bleach and putting on the proper gloves. You were not ready for accidental bleach burns, not today thank you. Still, it was almost relaxing, massaging first the water, then the bleach mixture through Luke’s hair. With the water running in the background, it was almost like you really WERE at the salon.

“So, we just let it sit for what, twenty minutes?” Luke was staring at the box with a glaring intensity, as if the box had roughed him up and taken his lunch money in middle school.

“Depends on how blonde you wanna be.” You hopped up onto the counter and crossed your legs, making yourself comfy for the next probable half hour. “If it doesn’t work out for ya, you have enough hair dye for us, our clones, and piggy.”

“Alright then. Let’s start with twenty five.” Luke set the timer on his phone and took a seat on the edge of the bathtub.

“Wow, twenty five minutes huh? Someone’s feeling edgy.” Time passed quickly, between your teasing and Luke’s protesting. It made you a little nostalgic, though. You honestly couldn’t remember the last time the two of you had spent time together like this.

However, before you could really make yourself sappy, Luke timer went off, making both of you jump a bit.

“Well, Hemmings. Let’s see if you got your wish to become blonde.”

After washing, toning (which, note to self, Luke looks good in purple), and drying his hair, you had to take a step back and admire your handiwork.

“Well? How’s it look?” Luke ran a hand through his locks, having been too nervous to look straight away.

“I take back what I said earlier.” You crossed your arms and shook your head slightly, a small smirk on your face. “We’ve definitely averted an identity crisis. I’ve somehow managed to turn you into an even bigger angel baby.”

#Luke Hemmings #luke hemmings au #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings fanfiction #luke hemmings headcanon #luke hemmings 5 seconds of summer #luke hemmo #luke hemmings 5sos

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theincompetentgenius · 5 years

Text

Hisoka and Masumi Relationship Headcanons

anon: Ahhhh! Just found this blog and I adore it 🥰 Could I please request some relationship hcs for the sleepy boys, Hisoka and Masumi? 💕

Hisoka Mikage

Good luck being his pillow. Hisoka sleeps everywhere, so he needs someone who won’t let him sleep in the middle of the street (although he wouldn’t mind). His favorite places to sleep would be on his lover’s lap, chest, and back. Places with extra fat are great too because he loves that cushioning ;)

Cuddling with Hisoka doesn’t last for long because he falls asleep in three seconds. In those short moments, however, this man will be all over his lover. He’ll wrap his arms and legs around them (as if he’s hugging a bolster pillow) while nestling his head on their chest.

His S/O is the ONLY PERSON who can get Hisoka to eat anything other than marshmallows. Whenever Omi or Izumi make food, they call his S/O over to make sure that he actually eats a nutritious meal. Sometimes, his S/O feed him as a form of endearment. If he’s feeling energetic, he might feed them back.

Speaking of marshmallows, I can totally imagine the couple dressing up as a bag of marshmallows on Halloween! It’s a sideways sack that has two holes in the middle for their heads to stick out. The two stuff it with cotton to make it look like marshmallows, but Hisoka might sneak in a few real ones for later.

The actor has a hard time remembering his past, but if there’s anything that he does remember, then he’ll tell his S/O first. The two have a small journal (which was mainly pushed by his lover) dedicated to memories from his past. Currently, the notebook is blank because Hisoka doesn’t make the effort to remember, but they’ll make progress (I hope…..)

His kisses are soft and light. They melt on the skin, leaving his partner fuzzy and warm on the inside. He usually gives small kisses on the forehead whenever he’s going to bed, wishing his partner goodnight and sweet dreams.

Hisoka loves receiving kisses when he wakes up. The fact that he was awakened from his peaceful slumber is an inconvenience that he can’t avoid. However, giving him a kiss on the cheek when he’s bleary-eyed and letting out a small yawn makes his day a lot brighter.

Masumi Usui

Oh boy, this one is the literal definition of clingy. He’s always with his lover. Some might say that they’re attached to the hip because they spend so much time together. It got so bad that he went to the principal of their school and demanded that the two were put in the same class. It didn’t work, but A+ for effort.

When it comes to cuddling, he has zero preference and does anything that his partner wants. The one trademark in his cuddling style is that he’s very handsy. He’ll hug them and give them small kisses all over their face. On top of that, Masumi likes to place his head on his S/O’s shoulder, idly twirling a strand of their hair.

His favorite time to cuddle is in the morning when he’s sleeping in. There’s nothing better than spending an extra hour in bed with his lover, having a lazy cuddle session.

Masumi gives kisses with his whole chest. He’s completely enamored by his lover, so he wants to show that through his kisses. It’s very passionate, leaving both parties out of breath. His hands are on their back as he pulls them in for another long, steamy kiss. Tsuzuru and Itaru groan in the corner as they yell at the couple to get a room.

He’s a sucker for kisses on eyelids, especially when he’s feeling sleepy. A soft boop on his brow bone is another great way to make him blush. Sometimes he’ll ask his lover for a few kisses on either his browbone or eyelid because he loves is so much.

A note to all the other boys: be careful when interacting with Masumi’s partner. He gets jealous very easily and it will take a handful of people to hold him back when he suspects someone is making moves on his boo. Often times, it’s his S/O who calms Masumi and assures him that it’s not that serious.

Masumi has a spare pair of wired headphones whenever he’s out with his lover. They share one earbud, listening to their favorite songs. They’ll take turns picking songs through the playlist, occasionally jamming out. When it’s a chill song, his partner lays their head on his shoulder while he places his arm around their shoulder.

#a3!#a3! act! addict! actors!#hisoka mikage #masumi usui #a3! hisoka #a3! masumi #a3 #a3 hisoka #a3 masumi #mankai a3!#act addict actors #act! addict! actors!

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stellacolletore · 4 years

Text

08.26.2020

oneechan, let’s eat! anime: chihayafuru characters: mashima rika, mashima taichi/ayase chihaya, mashima oligo, mashima reiko, oe kanade, komano tsutomu, nishida yusei, hanano sumire summary: for Rika Mashima, meals with Chihaya-neesan is always something to look forward to. notes: zero spoilers (aka everything’s headcanon, compliant with the mizusawa series)

Their first meal together is a memory she only remembers from a photograph.

She’s been staring at said photograph for a while now, initial objective in leafing through the old family photo album promptly abandoned. Accomplishing the assignment for character development class could wait; this surprise has to be dealt with first. ASAP.

Because no matter which angle she looks at it, the picture still appears like it’s taken from an alternate universe.

Admittedly, the notion sounds over-the-top for a simple snapshot of a supposedly normal lunch in the Mashima household from five years ago. Especially with their dining area remaining unchanged, pieces of chinaware retaining their meticulously-curated pattern on the cupboards. She and Taichi-niisan sitting on the same ends of the table. Truly, everything is familiar, except for one thing: Chihaya-neesan had been occupying the spot next to her older brother.

It’s not that Chihaya-neesan is a stranger to Rika that the discovery of her dining with them before is something wholly unexpected. Quite the opposite, actually―Rika adores Oniisan's then-best friend. Cheerful and always in the mood for playing whatever game Rika requests (much unlike her annoying Oniisan), Chihaya-neesan brightens his bedroom whenever she’s around.

That’s where the surprise comes from, though. In her memories, Rika has only ever seen Chihaya-neesan in that room―and for a reason both the Mashima siblings fully understand. Okasan can be intimidating. It figures that Chihaya-neesan would only breathe well once she’s well out of range of their mom’s trademark laser glare.

But this photo is solid proof that there had been a day―or were they days? ―when Okasan wasn’t Mrs. Pressure in Chihaya-neesan’s eyes. The wide-toothed smile of hers, perfectly matching Oniisan’s, reflects that well enough.

It’s also evidence that there had been a day―at least―when Chihaya-neesan wasn’t on the receiving end of her mother’s barely concealed disapproval. The corresponding serene smile on Okasan’s face in the photograph says it, too.

After snapping a picture of it, she excitedly heads upstairs to Oniisan’s room. Look, Taichi-niisan, she intends to say. Let’s have fun with Chihaya-neesan again. Don’t you miss her, too?

The doorknob is turned halfway when an unfamiliar voice from the inside cuts her motion short. “Ta-kun, when are you going to invite me to your house? It’s what normal boyfriends do, you know.”

Rika’s mind turns up blank fast enough for her to miss Taichi-niisan’s reply, before filling up with a sick sense of dread at the mental image that appears afterwards.

It’s the same one as the photograph she’s been holding minutes before, only that instead of Chihaya-neesan, it’s an unknown girl who’s smiling beside her brother.

Rika’s not in the least surprised in finding out how she doesn’t like the image. At all.

ii.

You’ll be paying for this, Taichi-niisan’s glare tells her. You’ll be thanking me for this, Rika’s playful ones reply.

The doorbell rings, and in a flash, Oniisan’s expression switches from embarrassed annoyance into embarrassed anxiety. Her mischievous expression slips, too―she’s not that sadistic, after all. Of course she’s also feeling nervous about this. But nervousness is expected, nervousness is normal, when she’s about to meet the girl who says she loves her older brother...on livestream internet. For anyone to hear, including her classmate’s sister who happens to attend Mizusawa High School.

And really, if Rika Mashima hadn’t taken it upon herself to share this information to her Dad, who a) loves a good love story and b) loves his son so much that every milestone of Oniisan is treasured by him, then wouldn’t that just be sad? And totally not fun at all?

“Ara, ara...Who could that be? Taichi, would you please answer the door?” Otosan’s eyes are already gleaming with childlike mirth. Oniisan, cheeks turning more and more crimson by the second, rushes to the doorway.

Yep, this is going to be fun.

From the kitchen Rika hears her Okasan’s chiding. “Oligo, would you please give our son a break before he and Chihaya-san skips this lunch altogether?” The plates she’s carrying make an unusual clinking sound as they meet the glass table. Huh. Even Okasan is tense about this whole ordeal.

Chihaya-neesan finally arrives, sheepish as she was confident during the Queen Matches a week ago. She stutters a greeting. “Ko-konnichiwa, M-Mashima Oligo-s-san. Mashima Re-Reiko-san. R-Rika-chan.”

Otosan sends her a warm smile, once again making Rika feel thankful that her Dad’s one of the kindest Dads in the world. “Hisashiburi, Chihaya-chan! Congratulations on your victory! But before all that―come, Reiko has prepared for us a wonderful lunch.”

Lunch is indeed wonderful, going above and beyond Okasan’s insane standards by all means. From the seat across hers, Taichi-niisan is no longer giving her threatening glares, his own metaphorical plate full with awkwardness and concern for Chihaya-neesan who looks just as helpless herself. She keeps on avoiding Okasan’s line of sight and cutting up steak without ever putting it in her mouth. Rika snickers. Chihaya-neesan hasn’t changed a bit.

Heart warm at the thought, she decides to play the adorable little sister role and throws them a lifeline.

“Chihaya-neesan, Akane-chan―my schoolmate―has a sister who also goes to Mizusawa. She says you and Oniisan are really awesome , creating a karuta club and winning tournaments immediately after! I think so, too. They’re awesome, ne, Otosan, Okasan?”

Rising to the bait, words of praise immediately follow, much to her brother and Chihaya-neesan’s continuing shyness. But somewhere in between Otosan inquires about the process that went into the club’s making, and Chihaya-neesan begins to respond more confidently, with the subject of the conversation not being her but her friends. Taichi-niisan pitches in bits of information, too, and Okasan listens with a surprising, but definitely not unwelcome, level of rapt attention.

Soon enough, they find themselves laughing at the quirky tales of Mizusawa Karuta Club (Rika’s personal favorite was the one where they went head-to-head with Chiba International School, whom they first thought were foreigners, only for Taichi-niisan to reveal that they were Japanese people who hadn’t ever been overseas…).

Amidst all the merriment, Rika finally notices something.

Chihaya-neesan is giving Taichi-niisan an inexplicably fond look whenever his own eyes aren’t meeting hers; that is, when he laughs. Rika realizes that she hasn’t heard Oniisan laugh like this for a long, long time, and, judging by that loving twinkle in Chihaya-neesan’s eyes, she feels the same and is just as grateful for Taichi-niisan’s new found happiness as Rika is.

Maybe it’s due to that look that neither Otosan nor Okasan brought up Chihaya-neesan’s post Queen Matches speech, or asked them about the status of their relationship and its implications on their future.

She’s got a feeling that those questions hold no importance anymore.

iii.

Sure, she might’ve an older brother who’s basically the stuff of shoujo mangas, but there are days when Rika wonders if she could trade him for a sister.

After all, an older brother won’t rush to your school after dismissal, begging you for a trip to the mall. (“It’s an emergency, Rika-chan! Help me!”) An older brother wouldn’t ask you about what a boyfriend would want for a first year anniversary. (To which Rika would answer, “Definitely not another set of karuta cards.”) He’s the last person you would rather be talking to about high school girl problems over coffee and cake at Starbucks. (“It’s so easy for you, Onee-chan. You’ve liked each other from the start.” “Easy?! You call all that easy?!”)

But as Rika parts ways with Chihaya-oneechan after a hectic but enjoyable day and goes home where Taichi-oniisan greets her (“I heard you went shopping with Chihaya. Did you have fun?”), she’s finally made up her mind.

It’s useless to think about trading his brother anymore. Not when she already has both.

iv.

Taichi-neesan hasn’t popped the question yet, but Komano-san―nee Kanade Oe-san―is already crying.

Waiting in a classroom like the rest of them, Nishida-san remarks, “Kana, you’re supposed to cry after Chihaya. After!”

“Well, I apologize if my tears cannot bear to wait a moment longer after having done so for fifteen years. ” Komano-san wipes her tears with a handkerchief her husband passes to her. Behind his eyeglasses, his eyes are moist, too. “I think three years in high school is already a long time. But Mashima just had to add med school years on top of that.”

Hanano-san, already wearing a gleaming engagement ring of her own, is also on the verge of breakdown when finally, her phone rings. “T-that’s our cue, guys!”

Rika, with emotions equally unstable as her brother’s lifelong karuta friends, grips at the box of cake she and Okasan have spent all night baking to perfection. Altogether they head out of their hiding spot and towards the Mizusawa Club Room, where Oniisan has just finished asking Oneechan a question that is, indeed, fifteen years in the waiting.

As soon as they enter the room, Rika is treated with a sight that surpasses every joyful moment she’s ever encountered thus far. Chihaya-neechan, in her classic karuta get-up, surrounded by the cards she’s spent most of her life loving, crying openly on the crook of Taichi-niisan’s shoulder. Oniisan, one arm placed lovingly around Oneechan’s waist, welcomes them inside with the brightest smile she’s ever seen him wear.

Needless to say, Rika’s exhausted the limits of her handkerchief after that.

Later on, when everybody’s calmed down a bit and Oneechan is finally convinced by Komano-san that, yes, this is not a dream, Chihaya-chan, Rika hands her a slice of the gift she’s brought.

And finally, finally, gets to say the words she’s been longing to say:

“Oneechan, let’s eat!”

#taichihaya #mashima taichi #ayase chihaya #mashima rika #rika being the mischievous and adorable little sister hahaha #come talk taichihaya with me!

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written-prose-things · 4 years

Text

What did you just call me?

Summary: When an unknown hunter walks into Beacon Hills, Derek goes into Over Protective Alpha mode. Everyone gets puts into groups, which they're supposed to stick with at all times. Stiles gets stuck with Derek. Ya know, The Alpha He Has A Crush On. Over the next three days, they both realise exactly how much fun their normal life can be as well.

{this is the third chapter!}

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Ao3

The alpha is extremely vigilant about following the rules he lays down, so not having him in the room kicks Stiles into overdrive. Stiles flings himself out of the bed and towards his false-bottomed drawer. He pulls out the blue felt cover tome. Over the past month, Deaton gives him a book to keep when he masters its content.

Stiles flips through the pages quickly, which are warm with his residual magic. The page he needs falls open on its own.

The Re-Calling spell. Stiles gulps. He should be using a locator spell, but he wants Derek in front of him. Right. Now.

He’s only tried the Re-Calling spell on objects that he’s given to other people. But it has to work now.

He places his hand over the sigil, which has faded over time, on the coffee-coloured page and concentrated on Derek’s face, his smell, his “aura” like Deaton liked to call it.

A second later there was a loud thump against the window as Derek was flung onto it from the outside. Stiles yelped when Derek feel back with the inertia, onto the tiles of the roof.

Stiles rushed to open the window and looked down at Derek, who was groaning in pain. Below them, Scott and Boyd are standing on the ground, looking at Stiles like he’s the crazy one.

Stiles huffs, “I’m not apologising. I didn’t know where you were so I called you back.”

Derek, who’s in the middle of sitting up, stares at him with murder eyebrows, “You used a re-calling spell on me? You could have pulled my spleen out!”

Stiles shrugs, “Then the spleen would be the only part of you that followed the rule.”

Derek grumbles and sits up. Scott says loud enough for Stiles to hear, “So what should we do-?”

Derek flashes his eyes, “We just talked about this Scott.”

Both the betas bear their necks and Scott looks like a scolded puppy.

Boyd puts a hand on Scott’s shoulder and nods at Derek, “Yeah, we’ll figure it out.”

The two betas rush out of Stiles’ yard just as the sun begins to rise. Derek lets out another sigh before climbing in through the window.

Stiles asks in what he hopes is a casual way, “What’s up with them?”

Derek replies just as casually, “Nothing.”

Stiles nods and walks off to the bathroom. He isn’t going to get a straight answer out of Derek just yet.

-x-

The day goes slowly. Jackson, Erica and Allison are missing and Scott and Boyd look dead on their feet.

Stiles tries asking them what the issue is, but he only gets mumbled responses in return. Lydia and Issac keep him company in the classes they share, but they too are busy holding secret conversations when they think Stiles isn't looking.

When the day ends, Stiles is more than happy to run out the door to where Derek is already waiting for him.

Stiles dumps his bag in the backseat and slides into the front seat next to Derek. The alpha smirks, “I didn’t know you could get into a car without falling down.”

Stiles rolls his eyes, “Why weren’t Erica Allison and Jackson at school today?”

Derek shrugs as he pulls the car out of the parking lot, “How should I know?”

Stiles scoffs. How should I know? For an alpha who loves to nag and hound his betas, Derek is acting suspiciously. The alpha is always ready to spam the betas with texts and voicemails when they’re missing. Not that Stiles grudges Derek’s helicopter parenting, considering his past. But the sudden lack of enthusiasm for the same is alarming.

Stiles pulls himself out of his inner monologue just as they reach the turn for the Deaton’s clinic. He has a “class” with Deaton on the days that Coach doesn’t schedule practises.

“I have to go-”

Before Stiles can finish his sentence, Derek’s pulling the car onto Deaton’s street.

“How did you know where I wanted to go?”

Derek replies shortly, “Deaton’s place on days with no practice.”

Stiles quirks an eyebrow, “So, you remember my schedule but not the others?”

Derek covers quickly, but Stiles knows him well enough to see the quick flash of bewilderment on his face, “I’ll remember their schedules when they start spamming me with unnecessary voice notes at all hours of the day.”

Stiles rolls his eyes and drops his feet on the dash, “Whatever, I know you’re lying.”

Derek only shoves his legs off the dashboard as they slow down in front of the vet’s clinic. And that’s answer enough.

Outside, Deaton’s waiting for them in front of the clinic’s door. Stiles and Derek climb out of the car.

Deaton nods at Derek and Stiles, “Derek. Stiles.” His head moving low enough for it to look like he’s almost bowing weirdly.

But Stiles has become used to the man’s quirks. He repeats a parody of the man’s action, “Deaton.”

Derek growls unexpectedly, “Why’re you doing that?”

Stiles looks up to see Derek’s eyes flashing at Deaton, but his question is directed at Stiles.

Stiles shrugs, “He started it.” Which is true. Deaton’s been acting weird for the past month, but it’s not too different from his usual quirkiness, so Stiles just went with it.

Derek growls at Deaton.

The vet replies frankly, “I can’t not Derek. You know how important traditions are.”

Derek huffs and looks away. Clearly, he can’t argue with Deaton’s obscure explanation, but he still doesn’t like it.

Stiles raises his hand tentatively, “Can someone explain these traditions for the novice spark, please?”

Deaton clears his throat and replies slowly, “As the new emissary to the Hale pack, you rank higher than I do. Therefore, traditions state that I must show you respect. However, by returning the gesture, you are establishing my superiority, which can be taken as a challenge to Derek’s authority.”

The druid’s trademark long-winded sentences make Stiles’ head ache. But he’s understood the gist of it.

“So why didn’t you tell me this before?”

Deaton shrugs, “Between attacks by Alpha packs and hunters, this didn’t mean like a pressing issue.”

The druid looks at Derek to gauge his reaction. If his responding grumble is anything to go by, the explanation has satisfied him.

-x-

When they start Stiles’ lesson for the day, Deaton rubs his hands together. Which is never a good sign.

“Today I’m planning on teaching you how to bend the rules of magic.”

“What do you mean?”

Deaton smiles which only serve to set Stiles on edge even more, “Have you ever tried object spells on humans.”

Stiles can’t help the blush that creeps up his face as Derek groans loudly.

Deaton turns to the alpha, “What?”

Derek shakes his head, “You’ll find that your novice has already started those spells.”

Deaton’s head whips back as he stares at Stiles, “What did you do?”

Stiles holds his hands up, “Calm down, no one got hurt.”

Derek growls at that and Stiles amends, “There wasn’t any permanent damage to anyone… I just used the re-calling spell on Derek.”

Deaton’s eyes widen in surprise, “Why did you do that?”

Stiles shrugs, “He wasn’t there when I woke up, I just tried something.”

Deaton nods, “And you were able to handle it?”

Derek interrupts, “No, I slammed into his window.”

Deaton nods, “Right I need you to practise the spell till you can handle it.”

Stiles startles, “You want me to keep banging Derek around?”

“No. I just bought a can of worms in the back for the gerbils that had been admitted. You can start practising on them.”

-x-

By the time Stiles and Derek leave the vet’s clinic, Stiles has seen enough worm guts to last a lifetime.

Almost all his attempts had ended with the carcasses of worms being splattered around Deaton’s back room, which he had to clean up with Derek.

They quickly make their way to Derek’s Camaro as a light rain has started.

Stiles whines once he’s sitting in the car, his head thumping back against the headrest, “ I don’t understand what went wrong! I didn’t pull your guts out and you’re a whole assed human being! Those were just worms. I hate this so much.”

Derek shakes his head, “I’m not a human though. You didn’t pull my guts out cause I’m a werewolf. My body was able to handle the pressure. The worms died cause you couldn’t handle your spark.”

Stiles laughs, “Ohhh, ProfessorWolf.”

Derek rolls his eyes, “Shut up.”

They get in the Camaro and peel out.

-x-

Instead of going to Derek’s loft to pick up Stiles’ jeep, Derek takes them away from the heart of the county.

Stiles looks over at Derek, “You missed the turn for the den.”

Derek smiles wryly, “Oh, I totally forgot!”

Stiles replies with a deadpan, “Ha fucking ha, where are we going?”

Derek shrugs.

A little while later as the rain increases, they turn onto the highway and Stiles realises where they’re going. Stiles’ favourite place in Beacon Hills; No, his most favourite place in the world. Heaven on Earth…

Sadie’s.

Although it doesn’t look like much, a run-down diner tucked into a corner next to the highway, Stiles has been going there with his father for as long as he can remember. Sadie’s cultivated his love for curly fries and milkshakes.

The flickering light of Sadie’s is visible through the car’s window, getting blurred by the raindrops.

Stiles turns to Derek, smiling widely, “I.Love.You.”

He realises slowly, that maybe he shouldn’t be so blatant about his crush on the alpha, if Derek’s surprised face is anything to go by. But he tries to comfort himself because he would have said the same thing to the others if they had taken him to Sadie’s as a surprise.

Derek parks the car and stops Stiles from opening the door. Instead, climbs out and rushes to Stiles’ side, holding his leather jacket over the door, in an attempt to shield him from the rain.

As they both rush from the car towards the warm diner, Stiles feels goosebumps rise on his back. He tries to make himself believe that they’re from the cold and not from Derek’s arms surrounding him as he holds up the jacket.

When they walk into the diner, relatively dry, Derek covers Stiles in the jacket, patting it down to keep him warm.

Stiles knows he should insist on giving it back, considering that Derek is only wearing a henley and werewolf’s high body temperature be damned, he isn’t letting Derek get cold on his watch.

But, the smell of pine cones and soap that emanates from the jacket effectively stops his brain from working. When he wrestles back control from the primal part of his brain, Stiles realises that he’s still standing in front of the door, a hair’s breadth away Derek, who’s looking at him with a look that Stiles can’t describe.

It pains him to admit that Derek’s eyebrows have an emotion that he doesn’t know about. Instead of wallowing in it, Stiles turns away to look for an empty table. Derek walks away a moment later to order their curly fries and milkshakes.

In true Sadie’s fashion, the order takes a long time to be served. So much so that by the time they’ve picked up their to-go bag and walked out of the diner, the sky has cleared.

Only, it’s late enough now that the clouds give way to bright stars. Derek stares at the sky just as they’re getting into his car and says, “Have you ever been to the roof above the loft?”

Stiles shakes his head, “I didn’t even know you had access to the roof!”

-x-

When they walk into the loft, Derek leads him up the spiral staircase. Stiles realises that he hasn’t even seen the alpha’s bedroom.

Stiles reaches the top of the staircase two steps behind Derek to find an average looking room. Of course, due to the fire and his constant shifting, the room is a little sparsely decorated, but other than that, it looks lived in. There is one door on the wall in front of him, which Stiles assumes leads to the roof. Next to the door is a table and a chair, made of thick wood. A queen bed pushed against the wall in covered in fine cotton sheets and a variety of blankets. In front of the foot of the bed is a thick, brown-coloured rug that takes up most of the floor space.

Next to the bed is a cupboard built into the wall, with clothes settled haphazardly. Of course, compared to Stiles’ cupboard, it looks much cleaner. What surprises Stiles the most is the abundance of colour in the closet. Stiles realises that Derek chooses wearing the drabbest colours

Stiles thinks that if he was in charge of dressing Derek, he would make the alpha wear all the clothes that he’s shoved into the corner of his closet.

Stiles’ inner monologue on Derek’s clothing stops when he realises that the Alpha is staring at him.

Stiles also realises that the Alpha asked him a question, “What?”

Derek mumbles, “Is it good?”

“Your room?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure...It’s nice, I guess.”

“Okay.”

Derek abruptly opens the door and walks onto the roof, their bag of takeaway in his hands. That is officially the most abrupt and weird conversation he’s had with the alpha and Stiles wants to pursue it. But when he walks onto the roof, Derek’s already opened the bags of food and Stiles forgets everything under the influence of the smell of his favourite curly fries.

As they munch on the fries and sip their shakes, Stiles stares up at the stars. The sky is exceptionally clear that day, so he realises he can ask Derek for the information he’s been needing in the past.

“Hey, Derek.”

The alpha’s mouth is wrapped around the straw of his shake, but he hums in response listening to Stiles.

“Remember how you said you were going to teach me the constellations?”

Derek’s eyes twinkle in excitement. He sets down his milkshake lies down on the roof. He looks at Stiles expectantly.

Stiles settles down next to him slowly. Stiles realises that maybe Derek knows how important he is. Because Stiles can easily look up all the constellations he wants on the internet, learn their placing, history, discovery and other stuff. Instead, he’s lying on the roof of a rundown building, with only a leather jacket to keep him warm as he listens to Derek describe the constellations.

Stiles hums and nods every time Derek pauses, but his eyes keep slipping shut. Derek slowly shifts his arm under Stiles, allowing his to curl into the alpha’s warm chest.

Stiles falls asleep to the steady thump of Derek’s heart and his soft voice describing the constellations.

#sterek #teen wolf

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movienotesbyzawmer · 3 years

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April 18: Rocky IV

(previous notes: Rocky III)

The Cold War one! I was in high school when this came out, and it seems like the Rocky movie that has most endured in pop culture for people my age, and even younger maybe? I haven't seen it in a very, very long time so I'm wondering if the Rocky-versus-All-Of-Communism logline is going to seem like a pathetically irrelevant conflict. Or, frankly, if that sentiment is going to sound like the dipshits that attacked the US Capitol just a few short months ago. It's definitely going to feel like just a slight twist on a formula that's been working, right? Let's see…

Totally different intro from the rest of the series, and surprisingly the recap of the end of the last movie also includes the hit single from the last movie. But also there is a thing about an American-flag glove and a Soviet-flag glove punching each other into an explosion.

They were so happy with the chummy chit-chat at the end of Rocky III that they just gratuitously include that whole scene here. It is a cheap way to eat up a couple of minutes.

Oh My God. The first actual new scene in this movie serves the important purpose of documenting for all time how dazzlingly technically advanced things were in 1985. For Paulie's birthday party, he gets a ROBOT! It talks… ROBOT-style! Paulie is whelmed by how robot-y it is.

"Open your prize," Rocky tells her when asking Adrian to open her PRESENT. Why did he say "prize".

MEANWHILE IN SOVIET UNION… They do a quick montage that only vaguely suggests something about a boxer and the USSR.

Apollo Creed spots an innocuous news story about Russian boxer Ivan Drago coming to America to participate in sportsmanlike fighting. AC is PISSED! A Russian being competitive, oh hell no.

At least Drago has a female companion so there will be an actual female character who isn't played by Talia Shire.

"Commies Are Evil" isn't the only theme of this movie; there's also "The Marvels of Technology". Drago's unmatched strength is demonstrated for the press in a very electricity-filled gym. And the robot has been in three scenes already in the first fifteen minutes! Oh I hope they aren't going to get me to fall in love with Robot Character only to have it lose in a boxing match to The Commies.

Big press conference to announce that AC will be fighting Drago in an exhibition match. AC is all cocky and Drago literally says nothing the whole scene. He is characterized as perhaps yet another robot character. But his wife and some other Russian guy do all the talking, and if they're supposed to seem like the Bad Guy, I don't see it. They are perfectly diplomatic and AC is just acting like a tool.

0:23:23 - I remember this scene, we all do, oh yes we do. The Fight That Does Not Go So Well. It starts with a super flashy intro; they're at the venue in Vegas and there are showgirls and pretend fighter planes and Actual James Brown singing this movie's legit hit single, "Living in America", singing it all At The Russians as AC descends in front of a monster thing in spangly Uncle Sam garb. AC actually dances alongside James Brown and around Drago. What they're doing, these diabolical filmmakers, is going to make what happens next sting the audience pretty bad.

Right before the fight, Drago's first line is "you vill lose". Monotone. Robotic. Technology! #1985

Drago beats him to actual death, he twitches on the floor as Drago robotically says things like "I will not be defeated". It is a bummer, this turn of events.

New press conference. Rocky is going to fight Drago. "No money. It's not about the money." That's weird, addressing money in this press conference. They're not really addressing the monumental fact that Rocky is sitting next to the guy that killed Apollo Creed.

This time, the Soviets are less diplomatic. Rocky barely says anything, but the old Russian dude calls him little and weak. They have a good point, though, about how Drago gets death threats in the US on account of he is a killer of an American hero, even though the wife also says he is not a killer. But that's why the fight will be in Russia.

New montage with a very 80s pop song. Worth noting that we have not heard any of the famous music from the first movie. This montage also looks very 80s, with it's flashbacks using a lot of different, highly techologically sophisticated frame rates.

0:42:41 - Adrian eye-close sighting! Thank you so much for that, it is what we all want and only you, Rocky-movie, can provide it.

Flashbacks to all the other movies. He is thinking about it all as he anticipates The Hell Of Going To Russia. Remember when he pointed to the jacket in the window that one time? Rocky does. Remember when he looked at his statue? Rocky does. He even somehow remembers Adrian closing her eyes. This is a music video with mostly recycled footage from the whole series.

0:48:35 - Another "modern" pop song, I think it's the band called Survivor again. Were we supposed to love all the catchy tunes and go out and buy the soundtrack? We only remember the James Brown one in 2021.

It is snowy in Russia ha ha! Paulie has joined him on the trip because he is part of Rocky's staff, but he doesn't like how cold it is ha ha.

Rocky's quarters consist of a log cabin dripping with icicles at the foot of some really pretty mountains. I play Geoguessr a lot and I don't ever see pretty mountains like that in Russia, but they must have them, right?

Rocky has been assigned minders. He is told they will go wherever he goes. I'm pretty sure that's not an unfair characterization.

He's got Apollo's trainer guy there with him, but Rocky makes it clear that he just has to do this training stuff on his own or whatever blah blah.

Now a montage going back and forth between Drago training and Rocky just running through the snow-covered countryside. ON HIS OWN. Plus also sawing wood and displacing boulders on his own. Oh and being the dog in a dogsled pulling Paulie! Locals look at Rocky because, look, a man doing something, that's new and confusing. Drago has electric machines. Rocky fells trees! Drago is inside comfortable facilities. Rocky is growing his beard out! The minders observe it all. The minders observe it all.

There is a subplot about how Adrian is dealing with this whole thing. She had been unconfident earlier, and did not join Rocky in USSR. But surprise, she is now there in Russia suddenly because love! Rocky continues to train, not so alone-y now and with a new rock song with more major chords. That is Drago's weakness! Communism hates major triads.

Gotta have inspired running, right? This time Rocky runs up a snowy mountain, running so hard that the minders can't keep up! At the peak he does his trademark cheer howl in that pretty place… but he is saying "DRAGO!!!!!!!!!"

Just like that, we're at the big fight. This time it's in Russia and it's mostly uniformed soldiers in the crowd.

Ugh. Quick cut to Rocky's kid watching at home on TV with friends. He says "that's my dad" and one of them replies "what do you think we are, nerds?" Ladies and gentlemen, the wit of Mr. Stallone: Screenwriter.

Do we need to talk about Drago's hair? He has very styled hair. I think it looks like Vanilla Ice hair. Is that a strange choice? I don't know how to think about hair, I guess.

"I must break you". That's what Drago says to Rocky right before they fight. I remember it. It is an above average dialogue choice compared with other Rocky-movie-right-before-the-fight dialogue choices.

Drago punches Rocky a lot, and the commentators make sure we know that Rocky might lose and they may even have to stop the fight. But also, yes, it does just look like Rocky is taking a lot of rough beating.

"He's not human. He's a piece of iron." So speaks Drago in unbecoming monotone. I don't know what that means.

It's a montage now, an appealingly edited summary of a whole bunch of rounds. The two boxers are both doing well and maybe not doing well, both. Montage.

I guess I'm experiencing what I remember noticing back when I first saw this in the 80s, which is that they really did convince us that Drago was indestructible, and now we're seeing him be damaged and it's kind of satisfying.

1:21:15 - Whoa, I forgot about this. The Soviet Diplomat Man is giving Drago a hard time about not winning yet, and Drago lifts him up violently by the neck and says something about I Will Win For Me, For Me. It's a little like we're supposed to think Drago is increasingly inspired by American Freedom, maybe? But it won't help him if he's still the bad guy in a Rocky movie.

This fight is taking a long time. A lot of this movie's running time is being consumed by this fight.

Eventually Rocky wins, because it turns out that he is just better because Freedom, and it's that same tiresome "Rocky-won" music, maybe arranged a little differently.

What does he say in the mic at the end? What is his message? "During this fight, I seen a lot of changing…" he says that during this fight, like during the actual boxing match, they all grew to appreciate each other. And it's better to do boxing than do nuclear annihilations. The whole crowd cheers for Rocky! Even the important Soviet Boss Men, startling even themselves with their abrupt adoration of The Wise American. Then when he says Merry Christmas Kid to his kid at home, well this whole entire crowd clearly thinks Rocky is better than their whole entire country. We don't see Drago any more. We don't know if he, too, is moved by Rocky's profound monologue. And we never find out what Drago and Robot Character think of each other.

So that's it, that's the end of Rocky IV. I get why it fires people up in a simple way, but I don’t think it's good. It totally assumes you'll understand that Rocky wins because the USSR just kind of sucks. Or you won't care that it's improbable that Rocky wins because it's just so gratifying to see Drago falter. Which they achieve by making him look very perfect, and having no charming characteristics.

It's true, though, how cocky we were about technology in the mid-80s.

(next: Rocky V)

#rocky iv

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damndaehyung · 4 years

Text

Daniel Choi Vs Timezones

Valentines Day

Included: Daniel, Tyler, Maude Mentioned : Tara,Mark, Emily, Minah and Sungjae

“Am i still dreaming?” Tyler asked, significantly more awake than Daniel had last him. “Because I swear I had this really wonderful dream last night that my boyfriend showed up at my house 3 in the morning and now it looks like he is making me breakfast - are they supposed to be heart-shaped?” he asked, wrapping an arm around Daniel’s waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. “Adorable, but you know during the season I try to keep it healthy and no offence. The small feast you somehow managed to cook is enough for my entire team,” he laughed, the movement of his laughter lead to his hair tickling Daniel.

“Firstly you dream about me? That is so cute,” Daniel said unwrapping himself from Tyler’s grasp and turning to look at him. “And two surely you can make an expectation for today?” Daniel said with a grin, reaching into his pocket and pulling out one of those cheesy cliched happy valentines balloons. “Happy Valentine’s day,” he said, handing it to Tyler.

Tyler looked at the balloon with his brows furrowed. “Look i know its kinda lame but -”

“Daniel today is the 13th,” Tyler said cutting him off, this time Daniel’s brows furrowed. No yesterday was the 13th he specifically took that flight so he could be back in time for Valentine’s day. “Babe you do remember that time zones are a thing -” Tyler said. Timezones… stupid fucking timezones….. They ruin everything.

“No, I was just trying to get back in time and now I’ve ruined everything,” Daniel pouted, as poetically the pancakes he painstakingly made started to burn. “Including breakfast,” he huffed, turning back to the now burned pancakes and moving them off the stovetop.

“Babe you’ve ruined nothing,” Tyler frowned. “Come on how about we have breakfast and you can explain to me what is happening?” Daniel nodded, glaring once more at his heart-shaped shards before sitting at the kitchen bench.

“So,” Tyler said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Well,” Daniel sighed stabbing a strawberry. “I had this grand plan of surprising you on Valentine’s day but Australia with it’s stupid backwards, no forward, timezones ruined it all,” Daniel huffed. “Now i am here on the 13th, Galentine’s day for women, when is the male equivalent of this day is it the same? At least then I could have claimed i did it for our Broentine? Palentine? Day,” he ranted as Tyler snorted, shaking his head. “Anyway sorry i ruined it all,” he sighed.

“I am going to ignore Broentine because really Daniel? You are better than that,” Tyler laughed. “But you’ve ruined nothing, I am very much happily surprised, a little shocked that managed to keep it a secret from me and i might have to make a few calls soon to change a few orders -” Tyler said, nose scrunching. “But as if i am going to be disappointed about you here a day earlier and to be honest you shouldn’t be either, in fact, you should be happy because you get to spend more time with me,” he pointed out, Daniel nodded in agreement because in his opinion more Tyler was always better. “Though not gonna lie, I never pegged you as a Valentine’s day type given you aversion to literally every other holiday,” Tyler teased.

“It’s not a holiday, a hallmark trademark,” Daniel pointed out. “ And i am not, well not usually, but you know,” he said vaguely, looking down as his face heated up. Tyler coughed making a go on gesture. “Okay well this is super embarrassing for me so if you ever bring this up again i will invite Mark over for Broentine’s day,” Daniel said ignoring Tyler’s protests over that not being a real day. “Anyway as i was saying -'' he continued. “This is kinda the first time i had a boyfriend during Valentine’s,” Daniel frowned. “Not that i haven’t had offers of course but i was never really interested in the whole thing like who needs a specific day to act like you are actually in love if you are supposedly in love why wait for one day you know?” he ranted.

“I agree,” Tyler said.

“Right but i guess i got swept in all the hype because i wanted to make today - well tomorrow,” Daniel scoffed. “Special, lame huh?” he mumbled.

“Not lame,” Tyler said with a grin. “And if i say it’s not lame than it’s not lame - plus you know I’ve got plans as well as I said earlier I have to change the delivery address but I went all out,” he said before pausing. “Well not all out because of the whole secret relationship but just know next Valentine’s Day I’ll really go all out.” Tyler jokingly threatened. “So by default, you’d be saying I am lame and we both know that isn’t true,” he said tossing a grape at Daniel.

“When you are right you are right,” Daniel nodded, picking up the aforementioned grape and chewing on it.

“I am glad you agree,” Tyler grinned. “Because babe as much i love you, you need to shower,” he smirked. Daniel gasped in offence. “You know I’m right,” Tyler shrugged. “You were on a plane all day yesterday,” he pointed out as Daniel frowned, unhappy that now it was pointed out he couldn’t ignore it and was once again reminded how much he hated timezones.

“You aren’t and now that i think about have you ever been right?” Daniel said, stroking his chin. “But I will shower because i love you,” he said nodding as Tyler laughed. “You can go get me some clothes to wear because i don’t have anything but what i am currently wearing and as good as i look naked i probably should put some clothes on,” he shrugged said standing up and ruffling Tyler’s hair as he walked past.

“You just said i am right all the time and you have a whole suitcase over there,” he said nodding to Daniel’s ‘luggage’. “I think someone just wants to wear my clothes,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Not exactly… my suitcase is full of gifts for Valentine’s day,” Daniel paused his cheeks heating up . “Like i said i got caught up in it so i might have gone overboard,” Daniel muttered. “If you tease me i swear,” he said.

“Baby last time i checked you like it when i tease you,” Tyler smirked, “And i feel honoured that in a rush to get back and spoil me you forget to pack clothes, it’s adorable - really- “ he said as Daniel opened his mouth to argue about teasing him. “But no can do about the clothes, I am going to be a little busy while you are having your shower,” he said.

“Doing what exactly?” Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow as Tyler stood up as well closing in on him.

“You,” he grinned. “I mean showering totally showering as well,” he laughed. “If that is okay with you?” he said pausing. “Because you did spend 24 hours on a plane and maybe you’d want -” he started to speak but was cut off by Daniel’s lips.

“More than okay,” he said, peppering Tyler with kisses. “We should go right now,” he said, pulling Tyler forward as the headed away from the kitchen.

----

“Did you just take a photo of me?” Daniel asked, raising an eyebrow as he pulled on his shoes. “I mean i know i am killing this Ty Core look but really?”

“Ty Core?” Tyler snorted. “You need to stop talking to Penny. She is a bad influence on you,” he said leaning down and kissing his forehead. “And yes i was taking a picture off you because i wanted to show off my model bestie wearing my clothes,” he said.

“I see,” he nodded. “Did you get my good side?” he asked, doing an exaggerated pose that no real model would do.

“Both sides are good so it was pretty easy for me,” Tyler said, Daniel beamed up at him as he was weak for compliments. “So do we have any plans since you’ve raided my wardrobe or are we just staying in,” Tyler asked, wiggling his eyebrows. “We could always Netflix and chill?”

For a brief second Daniel considered this, there was nothing he enjoyed more than been on top of, underneath and everything in between when it came to Tyler but flashbacks of those muggle Harry Potter movies flickered in his mind, making what should have been a flirty comment back became “Dumbledore was the worst,” Tyler at tried to hide his laughter but failed when he began to chuckle.

“There are other options, you know more movies exist -”

“No, I don’t trust it” Daniel said, shaking his head. “But now that you bought it up, how about we go to Hogsmeade?”

“Hogsmeade?” Tyler repeated confused. “What? Why?”

“Well isn’t that where all Hogwarts students go for their dates?” Daniel asked. “We never got to do that because we were -” he trailed pulling a face. “Busy,” he said as he nose crinkled at the thought.

“You mean Madame Puddifoot’s Tea Shop?” Tyler asked as a disgusted look made its way onto his face. “No Daniel, that place is hideous. It is something we can totally skip out on,” he said seriously.

“Hmmm I feel there is a story here that I very much want to hear one day,” Daniel said an eyebrow raised. “But I meant Hogsmeade but noted about the tea shop,” he said with a laugh. “We could always just go out as friends, celebrate broentine day today and Valentine’s Day as lovers tomorrow - you know the whole best of both worlds thing,” he said. “Except we are really together so not only do we get the best of both worlds we also get to secretly mock the lonely people by dating,” he continued.

“Didn’t you go to Hogsmeade when we went to Hogwarts, I could have sworn we went to the three broomsticks together,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Look I am not saying no I am just confused as to why you want to go there?”

“Yeah maybe,” Daniel shrugged, he went to a lot of places with Tyler most of the time though Daniel would be distracted with other things. “Look I want to go to the screaming shack,” he said.

“Shrieking shack?”

“Same difference,” he said waving a hand dismissively. “Look, if madame pudding's teapot is for dates then the screaming shack is clearly for hooking up,” he pointed out with a grin. “None of my Hogwarts hookups ever took me there, it was always the broom closet or the prefect’s bathroom or that weird room on the seventh floor,” he said scrunching his nose up.

“Firstly what Hogwarts hookups? When did that happen? Why did I not know and who was it?” Tyler asked with eyes narrowed. “And the shrieking shack wasn’t a hookup spot, you saw it in the movie people thought it was haunted because of potters-“

“Furry godfather and his werewolf boyfriend yeah I remember,” Daniel filled in. “Which is why the shack was shrieking, they were totally fucking,” he pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Tyler stared at him for a second mouth ajar before breaking out into a fit of laughter. “Okay let’s go then,” he said with a grin. “But after we have to go to Diagon alley, I need to check something at gringotts,” he added.

“Oh I got you showing me your bank accounts after one shower succ I knew I was good but wow,” Daniel teased with a wink.

“You wish,” Tyler said with an eye roll. “And please that is not the first time that has happened,” he smirked.

“Yeah yeah,” Daniel said dismissively as he stood up. “Let’s go and maybe if you are good you can make my shack scream,” he laughed.

“I don’t think that metaphor works,” Tyler chuckled.

“What was that invite mark and Tara on a double date at the tea house?” Daniel said with a boxy grin gigging as he saw Tyler’s eyes narrowing before racing down the stairs before he could catch him.

%%#%

“Well this is disappointing,” Daniel frowned as he looked around the shack. “I expected a place full of sin and all I got was a place full of dust bunnies,” he said kicking a broken chair. “Well I am not going to have sex with you here, we might catch something and not in the way you’d expect,”

“We were going to -“ Tyler laughed. “You what never mind, I am sorry this place is such a disappointment. How about head to Diagon Alley, we get a drink and then I will take you on a real date,” he offered. “You can even sex me up all you want.”

“I suppose I could use a drink,” Daniel said. “But I’m paying since I dragged you all the way here for nothing,” he added.

“Is it really for nothing? I am spending time with the person I love in a…. Shack.” Tyler said nose wrinkling in disgust.

“Tyler Lee shacks up in a shack now there is a headline I never thought I’d see,” Daniel teased, linking their hands and dragging Tyler towards the exit.

“The crazy things you do for love,” Tyler said with a laugh.

“Love or not let’s get you that drink you mentioned,” Daniel laughed as they apparitied to Diagon Alley. Daniel looked around the cobblestone street, the bright colours and busting life a stark contrast to the dusty disappointment of the Shrieking Shack.

“Yes and while we are having this drink you can tell me about these Hogwarts hookups that you conveniently kept secret all these years,” Tyler said huffed from beside him stepping forward. Daniel glanced ahead sussing out if Tyler was genuinely upset or just teasing, despite the way he had said it lightly there was a flicker of hurt in his eyes.

“I didn’t keep it a secret, at least purposely,” Daniel sighed as he jogged to catch up with Tyler. “I never really bought it up because it wasn’t important you know? They were just hookups, some of them I can't even remember names off which is kinda horrible of me,” he frowned. “It was never serious, I think half of them just wanted to experiment and I wanted to get off,” he frowned. “I was kinda a whore,” Daniel said with a shrug, playing it off as a joke.

“No you weren’t, don’t talk about yourself like that,” Tyler said seriously stopping mid-step. Daniel hummed, his automatic response would have been to play it off making a crude comment about he could be for Tyler but the way Tyler look genuinely upset with him for saying that stopped any words from leaving his mouth. “I wasn’t judging you, you know that right, I was just- surprised, not that these boys would want to hook up with you, I mean your gorgeous but i just thought as your best friend i would have known,” he said.

“Let’s get to The Leaky Cauldron, yeah, i think a drink is needed for this conversation,” Daniel said, remembering that they were indeed in fact on a busy street surrounded by people who would eventually realize that Tyler Lee was among them. Tyler brows furrowed a frown making its way onto his handsome features, Daniel had to ball his fist from reaching out and caressing Ty’s face. “You know away from prying eyes and especially ears,” Daniel said pointedly as recognition flashed across Tyler’s face.

They walked into the leaky cauldron, Daniel had only been to this particular pub once in his life, the summer before he started at Hogwarts. It was safe to say this shabby little pub had not been touched by time, but one good thing was the number of dark closed off corners it had, perfect for a conversation that didn’t want to be heard. Daniel watched as the pub’s patrons slowly realized just who had walked in, now Daniel was not a modest person, he was pretty famous but it was nothing compared to the fanfare Tyler caused. Soon they were swarmed as people all ran to get a piece of Tyler.

“Oi you lot none of that,” The landlord called out, pushing through the crowd. “Give him some space, you vultures,” he said. “You two come through the private parlour,” he said to Tyler and Daniel. “Let them through, i swear anyone who hassles him is getting kicked out.” he threatened, sending withering glares towards the crowd.

“Here you go,” he said, leading them into a room behind the bar, it was a little small but it was clear it had a renovation the rest of the pub had not. The walls were clean painted a lovely shade of light blue, luxurious lounge chairs were pushed against the wall, has a small table was placed in front of them. “I am sorry about them,” the landlord said scratching the back of his neck, genuinely seeming embarrassed. Daniel couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at him despite that, he was sure there was some kinda catch he’d probably want Tyler to date his sister now or something like that. “We don’t get too many famous people here these days but its no excuse, what can I get you two? Don't worry it’s on the house,” he said, Daniel waited for the catch but it didn’t come.

“Could i get two malt whiskeys,” Tyler said to him as the landlord nodded backing out of the room. “Daniel I’m so so-”

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” Daniel said, placing a finger on his lips. “You deserve the fanfare, maybe not that craziness but i get it if Tyler Lee walked into my local I would want a picture of him as well - plus you’re the boat,” Daniel shrugged.

“Boat? Do you mean goat?” Tyler moving his head back, raising an eyebrow at Daniel.

“Best Of All Time? Why would I compare you to a farm animal?” Daniel frowned. “Wait, are you trying to be self-deprecating? Usually, when people do that you can see why they would say it but with your pretty face, it just doesn’t work” Daniel pointed out.

“No, i mean your version works but the term is the G.O.A.T, the greatest of all time,” Tyler laughed. “Again no more Penny for you Mister,” he said flicking his nose. “I swear you are such a fan sometimes,” Tyler grinned.

“Number one fan, thank you very much,” Daniel huffed playfully.

“The bestest,” Tyler said leaning and pecking Daniel’s lips, pulling away as the landlord walked back in with a tray of drinks and two menus. “Just in case you get hungry,” he said before leaving the room. The two of them blinked before laughing. “I think we are alone now,” Tyler said as he took on a sit on the couch tapping it gesturing for Daniel to come sit beside him. “So about that other thing -” he said.

“I never told you because i didn’t want to waste your time talking about people that didn’t matter,” Daniel said, grabbing his glass of whiskey and taking a gulp as he sat down. “It wasn’t anything but that, none of those guys were important, the only people that mattered to me were you, Emily and … you know,” Danel said. Even now he was reluctant to mention Sungjae’s name. He was over him he knew that for sure and he hoped Tyler knew it but he didn’t want to upset Tyler even more by bringing up his crush on Sungjae.

“Well, you should have told me,” Tyler huffed, “ I could have found some better guys for you,” Tyler said. Daniel smiled, placing the glass back on the table before cuddling up to Tyler. Truthfully a part of him wanted to laugh at the idea, he knew the majority of Tyler’s friends and none of them were his type.

“I could have and should have told you I agree but you my little over-achiever would have struggled to find the right guy and it would have driven you crazy,” Daniel laughed. “Who would have guessed all you would’ve had to do is look in the mirror,” Daniel grinned.

“Well everyone should have because I am a catch but let’s face not even you would have known plus me as just a hookup? As if,” he scoffed.

“You’re right you would have ruined me for other guys,” Daniel said seriously. “Like you have now,” he added with a wink.

“Hell yeah, I have,” Tyler boasted. “And as I should you since I am your boyfriend, best friend and in general the love of your life,” he said.

“You’re adorable,” Daniel said smiling at Tyler fondly. “But now we have discussed my Hogwarts dating experience we need to talk about yours, what’s with the tea place?” Daniel asked raising an eyebrow.

“Do we have to?” Tyler all but whined. “Maybe i just don’t like it because it’s tacky, have you ever considered that?” Tyler said with a pout.

“Normally I’d say yes but considering how you had no problems going to an abandoned old shack for me but the possibility of that tea shop you were like no not happening, something happened in that shop, something bad, something you need to share with me,” he said patting Tyler’s thighs. “Come on, you know I’d never judge you,” he said in mock seriousness.

“I already know you are going to laugh,” Tyler said with an eye roll. “But first please know when i say tacky i mean tacky, everything was covered in frills and bows,” he shuddered. “Gaudy tables and chairs, so much lace.” he continued.

Daniel hummed sympathetically handing him his glass, “My poor baby,” he said caressing his face. Tyler nodded dramatically tapping a large gulp of whiskey. “Continue when you are ready,” Daniel said shifting so he could lay, his legs over Tyler’s laps effectively locking him in place.

“Well, in my third year this girl, i am not going to give names because we both know you are the jealous type,” Tyler said with a grin. Daniel’s brows furrowed protesting that he was not. “Don’t even deny it, love, you totally get jealous when i spend time with Maude,” he smirked as Daniel pulled a face, he was not jealous of Maude Olivier, he just didn’t like how obviously in love with his boyfriend she was. “Anyway this girl was a grade above me, super popular and pretty enough so when she asked me to go to Hogsmeade with her my friends at the time pushed for it, I was already the youngest quidditch Captain could you imagine if i was dating a pretty fourth year, so i said yes, it was no big deal, i figured we’d just go to Honeydukes, Zunko’s and maybe the quidditch shop,” he said with a frown. “But i was naive, “ frowned.

“What did she do to you?” Daniel asked eyes narrowed, murderous thoughts running through his mind, he could always find out this girl’s name on his own.

“No nothing like that it was just a terrible date, Madame Puddifoots was packed full of other couples we were pretty much stacked on top of each other, the decorations - there were golden cherubs, i love gold but that was just awful, the tea was terrible, and it was just so awkward,” he said with a shake of his head. “And then the girl asks me if i think she is the prettiest girl in the school and like she was pretty but the prettiest girl in the school? No way, so i thought i was doing the right thing and -”

“You didn’t?” Daniel laughed as Tyler nodded causing Daniel to break out into a fit of laughter.

“Anyway she bursts into tears and everyone looks at us, like imagine crying over that i didn’t say she was ugly -” Tyler scoffed.

“13 year old you had zero game and was not here for nonsense, i respect that,” Daniel said trying to control his laughter as Tyler glared. “Anyway, honestly that girl didn’t deserve you,” Tyler nodded in agreement, scoffing about how you could say that again. “I am sorry that you had to relive that trauma,” Daniel said sitting up pressing a kiss to Tyler’s cheek. “It gets better,’” he said trailing kisses down Tyler’s jawline.

“I thought we were meant to be having a bro day,” Tyler groaned, pushing Daniel down, climbing on top of him and kissing him.

“We are,” Daniel said breathlessly as Tyler pulled away. “I mean it’s not to bro-ee considering I’ve talked about fucking in a shack,” he shrugged pulling Tyler back down. He can’t just kiss him like that and stop. No, he needed more, much more. Luckily for Daniel, Tyler got the message very quickly.

He didn’t know how long they were making out but sadly they were interrupted by Tyler’s phone ringing, Daniel groaned his hair messier, lips were swollen, shirt askew and pants significantly tighter. “Ignore it,” he said, leaning up to kiss Tyler pecked his lips before pulling away laughing. Daniel pouted as Tyler held his phone to his ear with one hand while buttoning up his shirt with the other. Daniel scoffed sitting up pressing his ear against Tyler’’s trying to hear who was on the other end. Tyler raised an eyebrow as he stood up walking to the other side of the room, causing the pout on Daniel’s face to turn into a full-blown frown.

“Mhm thanks,” He heard Tyler say. “Okay I actually really need to go to Gringotts now,” he said coming back over to Daniel and sitting back down next to him. “Just have to pick something up,” he said,

“Do you want me to come with you? Or - “ He asked, raising an eyebrow as Tyler smiled sheepishly. “Fine,” Daniel rolled his eyes. “I’ll just go get Em’s Valentine’s day gift, do you want me to get something for Tara?” he offered. “Wait do you buy each other presents? And if so, do you have a price limit?”

“I already got her something and yes, all because my gifts were better than Mark’s,” Tyler huffed.

“Didn’t he write her a song -” Daniel began to say as Tyler glared at him. “But how dare he not spend money on your little sister? He is beyond lucky to have her as a fin-” he started but trailed off as Tyler’s glare only intensified. The F word has a different meaning when it comes to Tyler, fiancee had been on the do not say list since his sister got engaged. “Anyway -” he trailed off trying to change the subject, Tyler snorted clearly amused by his attempt. “How about we get going?”

“Yes we should,” Tyler said. “How about we meet at Fortescue’s Icecream Parlour?” Tyler offered.

“Sure,” Daniel said. “This time i am definitely paying, no matter what your fan club tries,” he said with a laugh.

-------

“So did you get what you needed?’ Daniel asked as Tyler sat down across from him, raising an eyebrow as he spotted his bowl of ice cream.“It’s your favourite and I’ve already paid so you can’t say no,” he added.

“I did and okay, i’ll just pay for our date later,” Tyler grinned. “So did you get your cousin a gift?” he asked. “What do you even buy a huff n puff?” he asked nose turned up.

“A Tyler Lee voodoo doll,” Daniel deadpanned as Tyler frowned. “I am kidding, i just got her some chocolates and a new quill set,” Daniel said, nose scrunching up. “She won’t let me buy more since she mostly gives her friends and family homemade things,” he pouted. “But instead i bought my friends gifts, including you, happy broentine day,” he said pulling out a Tyler Lee figuring. “And here is me with heart eyes and my number one fan jersey,” he said pulling out his custom made doll.

“Seriously,” Tyler laughed. “Strange but cute,” he said with a grin.

“It’s realistic thank you very much, you exist. I have heart eyes, it’s the natural order,” Daniel said as Tyler grinned at the praise.

“I see well in that case you should keep this one,” he said, pushing his figuring towards Daniel. “And i should keep this handsome fella,” he grinned, grabbing the Daniel-esque figure.

“You monster! how dare you try to separate them?” Daniel gasped dramatically causing Tyler to chuckle.

“Uhm excuse me,” A woman said, “I am really sorry about this but would you mind if my son said hello,” she said gesturing to the small human hiding behind her leg, peaking out to look at Tyler with awe. “It’s his birthday and you are his hero,” she continued. Daniel looked down to see a bag full of presents in the woman’s hand proving her claim to be true.

Tyler over at Daniel questioning if it was okay, Daniel nodded for him to go ahead. “What’s his name?”

“Artem,” the woman said, trying to get her son to stop hiding, “Sorry he is a little shy,” she said. Tyler shook his head, got out of his chair and kneeling so he could spot Artem.

“Hello Artem,” Tyler said softly as the boy slowly moved to the front. “I heard it was your birthday today,” he said as the little boy turned red nodding furiously. “Happy Birthday,” he said with a smile. “How old are you now?”

“Four,” Artem said with a toothy grin. “I am a big boy now,” he said, getting braver as time went on.

“Four,” Tyler gasped. “Wow that is so cool,” he said. “Have you had a good birthday?” he asked.

“Mhm, I got to have ice cream with my friends and mummy said she is going to go to the quidditch shop to look at the new broomsticks,” he said. “I might be a junior broom,” he said excitedly looking at his mother who smiled fondly.

“Wow that sounds so fun, my friend bought me ice cream,” he said nodding to Daniel who waved awkwardly as Artem stared at him. “And your first broom?” Tyler asked. “That is so exciting, you are very lucky.” Artem nodded happily.

“I am gonna practice so i can be as good as you,” he said looking at Tyler as if he had put the stars in the sky.

“As good as me?” Tyler asked, stroking his chin. “Hmm I think if you practice really hard you might be even better,” he whispered as Artem's mouth hung open. “How about we take a quick photo, yeah?” he asked Artem who let out a squeal of excitement. The mum pulled out her phone quickly, taking the shot of her beaming son and Tyler who had a well-practised media smile on his face.

“Thank you so much,” The mother said as Artem excitedly stared at her phone, not fully believing he had just met his idol. “I am sorry about the disruption,” she said bowing pushing Artem along who was waving excitedly at Tyler.

“Sorry about that,” Tyler said sitting back down. Daniel shook his head, there was no need for him to apologize.

“It was cute, you made his entire day and they were a lot more polite about it,” Daniel said. “You are really good with children,” he said, Tyler grinned. “Anyway about our -”

“Tyler!” Daniel heard an all too familiar voice screech out. He looked across the street to see Maude Olivier making her way over to them. Daniel looked at Tyler who just shrugged, shaking his head letting Daniel know he had no hand in this. “I thought it was you,” she said as she came to their table. Daniel rolled his eyes, she was probably stalking him looking for any updates on his whereabouts. “Daniel,” she said looking at Daniel with a sneer before turning around pulling a chair from a nearby table. “I haven’t seen you in forever,” she said, leaning forward, blocking Daniel.

“I’ve been busy but i am pretty sure you came to my match the other week,” he said.

“But we haven’t hung out in like forever,” she pouted making Daniel want to throw what was left of his icecream at her stupid head. “How are you holding up,” she said, reaching out to rub Tyler’s arm.

“Fine,” Tyler said, pulling his arm away, shifting away so she couldn’t touch him. “Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know since Valentine’s day is tomorrow and Minah is rubbing her loser husband in your face like marrying Sungjae Lee is something to be proud of,” she said as Daniel glowered, bringing up the M word and insulting Sungjae, while Daniel was completely over him, he was going to let someone like Maude drag him, especially when he was miles above her.

“You know what I am surprised by? ” Daniel commented, “That Minah hasn’t blocked you, I mean you’d think after you and your entire family make a name for yourself after copying her family's designs,” he said mockingly, he couldn’t stand Delacroix but he hated Maude so much more.

“Shouldn’t you be in Australia right now? Why are you even here?”

“Why am I here? You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Daniel snorted, this bitch invites herself to their table and dares to ask that. “And how dare you bring her up in front of him, what kind of friend are you-” he snapped. “Oh crap you got me saying her name now, Ty, babe, I am so sorry,” he said causing Tyler to laugh.

“It’s fine, I don’t care,” Tyler said waving a hand dismissively. “But maybe we should go back to mine, you know to make sure you can’t say any words,” he said suggestively, winking at Daniel. Daniel flushed wondering where exactly that had come from. “Already speechless? Wow, i haven’t done anything yet,” he smirked.

“What?” Maude said looking between Tyler and Daniel. Damn it, Daniel had momentarily forgotten about her presence.

“Why are you still here?” he muttered as he looked at Tyler panicked, telling their friends and Minah was one thing but Maude Olivier, a woman who in Daniel’s opinion has an attic dedicated to Tyler with like a piece of his hair that she smells before going to bed. Daniel opened his mouth to explain it was a joke, a weird nonsensical joke, yup a joke.

Tyler shrugged, “Any way we have to go,” he said to Maude. “I’ll text you to find a time when we can hang out,” he said standing up and grabbing Daniel’s hand and pulling him up.

“What -” Daniel said, eyes darting to Maude.

“We have some not speaking to do,” Tyler said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder not glancing back at Maude.

#story

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theycallmebecca · 5 years

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Drabble: High School Reunion

This story was written for @mycapt-ohcapt in celebration of her birthday! This was totally inspired by Chris going to his high school reunion recently.

This really is too long to be called a drabble, but I only post drabbles on this blog so that’s what it’s going to be called.

Title: High School Reunion

Pairing: Chris Evans x reader

Rating: PG

Warnings: n/a

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

A “Welcome Class of 1999!” banner greeted you as you entered the venue that was hosting your 20 year high school reunion. You were still in disbelief that it had been that long since you’d graduated, but here was the proof.

You hadn’t become the world famous model that you had dreamed of become in high school, but you’d done pretty well for yourself. After all, it was your party planning company that had coordinated tonight’s event. You’d spent the afternoon here overseeing everything until your business partner, Maggie, had kicked you out, reminding you that tonight you were a guest and she would take care of everything.

It wasn’t until now, when you were in the restaurant with your classmates, that you realized how odd it was to actually be attending a party your company was throwing. You always tried to blend into the background and keep your eyes out to keep disasters from happening, but tonight you would be doing the exact opposite.

“You look like you need this,” a voice said from behind you.

Turning around, you found yourself looking at Chris Evans, your one time lab partner who had become a global celebrity. You’d run into him a time or two around town over the years, but only for a minute or two and you had never been able to really gage how he had changed over the years. Now, however, he stood before you with a name tag that said “Chris”, acting as if he didn’t star in the number 1 movie in the world, and holding out a wine glass towards you.

“Thanks,” you replied, taking the glass from him. You and Chris hadn’t been best friends by any means, but you had always been friendly and it felt natural to add, “Nice name tag.”

“I was told I had to wear it or I couldn’t come inside,” he replied with a shrug. “And since it was coming from the wife of one of my friends, I figured I couldn’t argue without getting him into trouble. Tomorrow’s their anniversary, so I figured I’d take one for the team.” He gave you a lazy smile and you chuckled.

Chris opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by two of his former wrestling teammates practically accosting him. He shot you an apologetic look as the two men began to talk to him at the same time and you gave him a small smile before walking away to say hello to some friends who had just walked in.

It was nearly an hour later before Chris found you again. Like in high school, you had floated in between groups of friends, catching up with people. Eventually, you had grabbed a plate of food and then had joined some friends at a table, but you were by yourself when he appeared at your side.

“I have a bone to pick with you,” he said, dropping a business card onto the table. It was obviously yours, you could tell at first glance. “I’m pretty sure I’m the one who came up with this name in the tenth grade.”

You stared at the business card for a second before the memory came back to you. You’d had to build a fake business in a marketing class and hadn’t been able to come up with a name. You’d asked Chris for help brainstorming during science lab and he had helped come up with the name.

“I’m pretty sure it was a group effort,” you responded, going with your gut instinct that he was just messing with you. “And besides, you didn’t trademark it. But I did.”

“That’s because you’re a good business woman,” Chris said and he sat down in an empty chair.

“Where’d you get that?” You asked casually.

“It’s on the sign in table,” he replied with a shrug. “Not in an obvious place but there for the taking. As are the fancy pens. I grabbed a handful of the cards to give to my family. They’re always looking for an excuse to have a party.”

“Well thank you,” you told him as a familiar song came on.

The reunion planning committee had been specific that only songs released or made famous during your senior year were to be played at the party. It only took you a few seconds to recognize the song as -

“Smooth,” Chris said as he too recalled the Carlos Santana song that Rob Thomas had sung on. A small smile crossed his lips and he added, “it brings back one of the few positive memories I have of prom night.”

It only took you a second to remember what had happened to him prom night: his date ditching him for her ex boyfriend in the middle of the evening. You had gone with friends and had convinced Chris to come dance with you with the song had come on.

“Makes me wish I had stuck with my original plan of asking you to be my date that night,” he sighed. “We would have had a fantastic evening.”

“We would have,” you agreed. You hadn’t had a crush on Chris, back in the day, but you hadn’t been immune to his charm either. And he hadn’t been awful to look at then. He was the opposite of awful, now.

As the last notes of Smooth faded away, the class president took the stage and talked for nearly thirty minutes. Recognizing those that had passed since the 10 year reunion and your company’s contribution all the while ignoring the elephant in the room that was Chris’s success as a movie star. It wasn’t until one of Chris’s buddies yelled it out that Chris was there that the class president finally acknowledged the feat. (All the while gritting his teeth because HE had been voted most likely to succeed.)

The class secretary followed the class president, but instead of talking, she told everyone that the class photo would be happening in twenty minutes and that the venue was booked until 11pm and everyone was welcome to stay until then.

Chris stayed by your side as everyone got arranged for the class photo and then posed. But the second it was done, the people who hadn’t realized he was there earlier descended upon him asking for photos and wanting to “catch up with an old friend”.

You slipped away from the madness and couldn’t help but survey the party. Your staff had been at the top of their game tonight, keeping the appetizers stocked and the tables clear of abandoned plates and cups.

Hearing your name, you turned and smiled when you saw an old friend who had arrived late. The two of you spent the next hour catching up and only realized how late it was when Chris showed up at your side. He greeted your friend by name as if they had just seen each other last week instead of years ago. The three of you made small talk for a couple minutes before she had to leave, with one of your business cards in her hand from Chris.

“I’ve been asked to escort you home,” Chris told you once you were alone.

“You were what?” You asked, glancing around assuming it was a joke. Then you caught the eye of your business partner and understood when she pointed to the door; your help wasn’t wanted for tearing down the party. “You know Maggie then?”

“She’s an old friend of my sister's,” he replied with a shrug and then a grin. “And she may or may not have dirt on me that I’d rather not have my sister know about.”

“Taking one for the team again?” You asked, though you made a mental note to ask Maggie about said dirt later.

“Something like that,” he replied, but not in the same cocky manner he had used earlier when telling you about his buddy. “Did you drive?”

“I walked, my place is only a couple blocks away,” you said.

“Can I walk you home?” He offered.

“You don’t have to,” you told him. “It’s really not far and-”

“I’d like to,” he cut you off. “We didn’t get to talk as much as I’d hoped we would.”

“Alright then,” you replied with a smile. “I’m ready when you are.”

The two of you said your goodbyes and then left the restaurant. Conversation flowed easily between you as you walked the few blocks to your house.

“This is me,” you said, nodding to a small cottage.

“It looks nice,” Chris complimented.

“Thanks, I’ve done a lot of work on it,” you said, smiling proudly at the house. Truth was you’d put as much blood, sweat and tears into the old house as you had your business.

Chris cleared his throat and you turned to look at him.

“I have a confession,” he said. “Maggie only asked me to make sure you left. I just wanted to spend a few more minutes with you, preferably some place where no one could interrupt.”

“I enjoyed spending time with you tonight,” you told him. “Both at the party and now.”

“I’m filming a movie in the area and I just bought a house out here, too,” he said before rambling on about other jobs he had planned but stressing the fact that he was making Sudbury his home again.

You couldn’t help but smile as you recalled that teenage Chris had rambled too when he was nervous. It was charming to know that he was still the same guy at the root of it all.

“If you’re trying to ask me out, the answer is yes,” you interrupted his ramble about how he still had a house in California.

“- I don’t plan -” he stopped midstream as your words seemed to register in his head. Then a lopsided grin stretched across his face along with a hint of pink that you could faintly see thanks to the street lights. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” you said with a laugh. “Give me your phone number and I’ll text you.”

He rattled off his number and you sent him a quick text that simply said: “call me to setup our date.”

“I should warn you that my weekends are pretty busy with events,” you told him. “And I’m sure your schedule will be pretty tricky, too.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Chris assured you. “Even if it’s brunch on Sunday or dessert on a Wednesday.”

“Yes we will,” you agreed as you unlocked your front door. "Well, I guess this is goodnight."

"Goodnight," he echoed with remorse in his voice.

On a whim, you kissed him on the cheek and then slipped into your house.

#chris evans #theycallmebecca #beccaheartschrisevans #theycallmebeccawrites #becca writes drabbles #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans fan fiction #chris evans x you #chris evans x reader #chris evans x y/n #reader insert #mycapt ohcapt #it's mycapts bday

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queertazsecretsanta · 6 years

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A gift for @lucretiastan, created by @magnus-mcelroy!

Happy Candlenights!!

(tw: alcohol ment)

It wasn't like Lucretia to not be studying hard the night before exam, especially a final, but on this particular night, she found her interest drawn elsewhere. The night had started like any other, her head deep in the rigorous notes she had taken during Mr. Jenkins class, but something changed; her Stone of Farspeech started to ring. Unusual, she thought, seeing as she had silenced it hours ago. Curious, she reached for it, but then pulled away. It was probably just Robbie asking to bum off her notes for the twelfth time that week. It wasn't her fault he had missed class and got detention for it.

No, she couldn't get distracted now. The ringing soon stopped and Lucretia went back to reading.

It wasn't long before it started to ring again. And again. And again.

Now Lucretia was annoyed. She picked up the stone and rejected the call, making sure not once, but three times that it for sure was on silent. For an added safe measure, she placed the stone under her pillow. Out of sight, out of mind. As she began to walk back to her study desk, a muffled noise made its way into her room.

“What the...” she said aloud, looking around for the source of the noises. No, not noise, music? It sounded like someone singing. There was no radio in the room, could she just be hearing a noisy neighbor? No, it sounded way too close. The singing became louder as she got closer and closer to her bed, sounding almost intelligible as she put her ear to her pillow.

When she lifted the pillow up, a swell of sound filled the room.

“Hey Lucy you so fine, you so fine you blow my mind. Hey Lucy! Hey hey! Hey Lucy! Hey hey!” The lines repeated over and over, the voice so very familiar.

“Um, Lup?” Lucretia finally squeaked, not wanting to interrupt Lup's flow.

Lup finished the last repetition before answering, “What's up?”

“What are you doing?”

“I'm serenading you, what does it sound like?”

Lup then picked up her singing again, this time Lucretia was inclined to interrupt.

“Did you need something?” Lucretia asked, her voice a little more stern this time, “I’m kinda in the middle of studying.”

“Oh, good, then I caught you at the perfect time,” Lup replied eagerly.

“Perfect time for wh--” Lucretia was interrupted by the sound of a knock at her dorm room's door. “Hold on,” picking up the stone and walking over, Lucretia hesitantly opened the door to find Lup stood there, holding her own stone and smiling her (literally) trademarked goofy smile.

“Heyyyy Lucy,” Lup said in a sing song voice, trying to be endearing, “Can I come in?”

Before Lucretia could answer, Lup skipped in, the bells on her festive Candlenights dress jingling as she moved. Lup firmly placed herself down on the other woman's bed, patting the spot beside her.

Lucretia was still stood at the open door, only turning to look toward Lup. She really didn't have time for Lup's antics, as much as she enjoyed the other woman's company.

“Look, Lup, I'd love to get involved with any of your crazy plans, but I have a final tomorrow,” she sighed, “and so do you!”

“Antics? Moi?” Lup feigned shock, batting her eyelashes for added dramatic measure, “I don't know who you take me for, Lucy.”

Lucretia couldn’t fight the smile that made its way to her cheeks as she begrudgingly shook her head, “Okay, then why are you here?”

“I’m here to save you!” Lup announced with a flourish, her arms open wide in a grand gesture, “Now, before you say “From what?”, let me answer that; I’m rescuing you from yourself.”

The elven woman stood, her dress tingling and bouncing with her excited movements. She walked over to Lucretia and grabbed her by the shoulders, driving her back towards the bed. She made a motion that meant for Lucretia to sit, and she obeyed.

“We all know damn well you’re gonna pass that final with flying colors tomorrow, you pay attention in class like it’s nobody's business and study pretty much every night anyway. You need a night off--”

It was here that Lucretia interrupted, “--Not taking a night off is what got me where I am. I don’t need saving from myself, Lup.”

“When was the last time you slept?”

“What’s that?”

Lup sighed, “Okay, it seems like things are a lot more dire than I thought. Do you trust me?”

Lucretia eyed the other woman wearily, “Normally, yes. When you actually feel like you need to ask me, no.”

Lup groaned, “Come onnnn. Do you trust me?”

“Ugh, fine.”

“Okay, close your eyes.”

Lucretia complied with Lup’s order, although uneasy about it, “What now?”

“Just wait a sec.”

A creaky sound echoed through the small room, and was followed by a cool breeze and a loud clattering thud. Lucretia’s eyes shot open at the sound, turning to the source. Lup was stood at the open window and smiling.

“What did you do?” Lucretia yelped as she got over to the window. Pushing past Lup, Lucretia ducked her head out the window and found her whole stack of books, notes and all, scattered on the snowy ground below. Pulling herself back inside, Lucretia quickly shot an incredulous look Lup’s way.

“You’ll thank me later, now come,” Lup spun on her heel, her long, wavy hair flying as she moved.

Lucretia stay stood at the window, mouth hung wide open and dumbstruck. She couldn’t believe what just happened. She wanted to be mad, but all she felt now was confused. She didn’t know what to do next.

Lup made up Lucretia’s mind for her, turning back to the other young woman. “Goofus, close your mouth and come on,” Lup shot her a teasing smile, grabbing her hand and leading the way.

Lucretia obediently followed. It took a moment before she even realized that she was following Lup, only getting it when she felt Lup squeeze her hand. Lup was holding her hand. Lup Taaco was holding her hand. Oh boy.

While the gesture was done in an attempt to get Lucretia moving and nothing else, Lucretia couldn’t help but blush.

Blush? Why was she blushing? She couldn’t let Lup see that, she’d call her lame or something. So, as the two made their way down the hall to wherever Lup was leading them, Lucretia hid her face, trying to regain composure.

It wasn’t long before they reached their destination, the dorm building’s common room. A small party of students had gathered there for a little get together, nothing crazy, just some chips and light music. Still holding Lucretia’s hand, Lup lead the pair to the comfiest couch in the room, which she had reserved with coats and bags, which very obviously weren’t hers.

“Sit here, I’ll be right back,” Lup explained, leaving Lucretia at the couch.

Lucretia sat and looked around, doe eyed and still in a semi-shocked state. She saw a lot of familiar faces. She was surprised, however, to see Lup’s brother, Taako, here. He was talking to that new guy, Kravitz she believed his name was, who was transferring in for next semester. She didn’t really think this kinda get together was his scene, he was more a party animal than this and there were more than enough Candlenights parties happening for him to be here. She watched as the two guys talked, Taako laughing a little too hard at some crack or another that Kravitz made. At one point, Kravitz leaned in and whispered something to Taako. Lucretia couldn’t hear what it was, but it must have been juicy by the way Taako reacted. His face went flush, the only color came from the dusting of red blush that made its way to his cheeks and pointed ears. Lucretia can only imagine the secret that was shared. Before she could contemplate that too long, the pair of men walked off and Lup returned, a drink in each hand.

“Here,” she said, offering Lucretia one of the drinks as she plopped down on the couch, “Before you say anything, it’s just punch.”

Lucretia took the drink and gave a silent thank you. “Why did you bring me here? Wouldn’t you much rather be at some big Candlenights party?” Lucretia hadn't thought about the words before she said them, but there they were. It's not like she could take them back.

Lup shrugged, taking a sip of her drink as her eyes scanned over the small gathering of people, “Those are a dime a dozen. I wanted a change of scenery.” She paused and looked over to Lucretia, “Plus, I knew parties aren’t really your scene and I wanted you to be happy.”

Lucretia fought back the blush she felt returning to her cheeks, “Oh, well, I appreciate that.” Lucretia could have very well have left it at that and things would have been all and well, but for some reason, her brain compelled her to say, “And why do you care that I’m happy?”

The words shocked Lup, but she didn’t let it show. Instead, she took another sip of her drink and leaned back heavily into the couch. She sat silent for a moment. “I care about you, Lucy. I’ve noticed you’ve been running yourself ragged lately and thought you needed a night off. I knew you weren’t gonna do that, so I took it upon myself. I thought this little shindig would do you good without overwhelming you.” She paused and looked directly into Lucretia’s eyes, letting out a slight scoffy laugh, “But maybe I was wrong about this not being overwhelming by that blush on your face.”

“Oh!” Lucretia squeaked, hiding her face in her hands, “Sorry, I uh… I don’t know.”

“Wow, that’s a first,” Lup laughed lightly, “Come on, Lucy, let’s relax and just enjoy ourselves tonight. Let’s unwind and celebrate the end of the semester and Candlenights. You deserve a little break, you’ve worked so damn hard.” It sounded like Lup was going to end her thought there, but then added, “I’m proud of you.”

At that Lucretia smiled, letting the smile show and not caring if Lup thought it goofy.

The rest of the night went by easier as Lucretia actually allowed herself to have some fun. For the most part, it consisted of her and Lup talking on the couch, talking about everything and nothing. They were joined by some friends, Carey even dropped by after wrestling practice to say hi and totally not to see if Killian was there (she was).

As the night dragged on, Lucretia felt herself feel more and more relaxed, not tense and worried like she had at the start. At just after midnight, she turned to Lup and smiled a big goofy grin.

“Whaaaaat?” Lup asked, feeling a slight buzz from her now slightly spiked punch, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because,” Lucretia replied, thinking she had said more. Perhaps she was also feeling the effects of her new drink as well. After a moment’s silence, she continued, “I’m very happy that you rescued me.”

“My pleasure, bubelah,” Lup replied, placing a warm hand on Lucretia’s knee.

The pair of women smiled, locking their gazes for just a brief moment.

“You are so beautiful.”

It took a moment for Lucretia to realize what she had just said, and when she did, she didn’t blush, she didn’t try to take it back, she just let it be. Perhaps the very small amounts of booze in her drink was acting as liquid courage, but she didn’t care.

This time, it was Lup’s turn to blush. Just as her brother had when Kravitz whispered into his ear, a faint pink decorated her full, soft brown cheeks. “Thank you,” Lup replied in a soft voice that Lucretia had never heard before. She wanted to hear that voice forever.

Lucretia was feeling better than she had in weeks, months even. She could have discounted it to actually relaxing, maybe even the alcohol, but no, she knew it was all Lup. Feeling another burst of confidence, Lucretia extended her hand and placed it on Lup’s cheek, her thumb gently rubbing circles on her jaw.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Lup said suddenly, “And I think you should wait.”

“What do you mean?” Lucretia was genuinely confused, she wasn’t really much thinking, just letting things happen from moment to moment for the first time in a long time.

“Just,” Lup paused, placing her hand on Lucretia’s and taking it off her cheek, “wait. A little while. I want you to be completely sober before you make any decisions.”

Lucretia nodded, her’s and Lup’s hands still intertwined in Lup’s lap. “Is this okay?”

“This is more than fine,” Lup replied softly, flashing a goofy, gap toothed smile.

The night stretched on a little longer, the pair of women remaining quiet for some time, but still perfectly content in each other’s company. It wasn’t long before they were on top of each other, but in the most serene way. Lup had casually melted into Lucretia, their two forms almost becoming one in the tangle. At just after 2am, Lup looked up at Lucretia.

“Hey,” she said, breaking the long, but comfortable, silence.

“Yeah?” Lucretia had her hand tangled into Lup’s hair, playing with it gently for who knows how long.

“Are you still thinking about it?”

“Yeah.”

“And are you sober?”

Lucretia took a moment to reply, “Yeah.”

“Then do it.”

No longer guided by liquid courage, Lucretia took a moment. She was prepared to contemplate every little thing, but something told her to just do it. Although the position was awkward, Lucretia leaned in and placed her lips on Lup’s. It had been a while since Lucretia had kissed anyone, but Lup made it feel so natural. This kiss wasn’t mind blowing or life changing, it was simple and sweet. It was perfect.

As the two broke apart, Lup smiled and replied, “I wanted you to be making that choice, not the alcohol. Aren’t you glad you waited?”

Lucretia nodded, placing her hand back in Lup’s hair.

The two quickly fell back into the comfortable silence they had shared moments ago. Periodically, one of them would initiate another kiss, peppering small, sweet moments throughout the night. It wasn’t long, however, before the girls felt sleepy, but neither wanted to move. They were comfortable enough where they were.

Morning came before anyone knew it. When Lucretia woke up, she felt a small tinge of panic as she realized she wasn’t in her dorm. The panic quickly subsided, however, when she looked down and saw Lup’s head in her lap.

Looking at her watch, she saw it was only 7:30. It was later than she normally woke up, but she didn’t really care. Looking around the room, she saw the remnants of last nights get together; stray beer cans, a leftover box of pizza, Merle faced down in the carpet. She was tempted to go check on him, but when she saw him twitch, she decided that he was fine.

She then looked down at Lup, so peaceful in her sleeping state. She was half tempted to wake her with a good morning kiss, but decided against it. She knew Lup liked to sleep in. Knowing she had some time to kill, Lucretia remained still, in hopes of not to disturb the guest using her legs as a pillow.

Just as she went to take out her stone of farspeech, which Lup had at one point in the night told Lucretia that she hacked, a familiar figure walked in with a paper cup of coffee in hand. It was Lup’s brother, wearing what he had been wearing the night before, only a little more disheveled.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt the fun,” Taako quipped as he spotted his sister and Lucretia on the couch.

“You’re not interrupting anything,” Lucretia replied softly.

“So, did you two get it on in here last night or something?”

Lucretia was shocked by Taako’s forwardness, but then remembered who she was talking to. “No, nothing of the sort. We just… kissed, a lot.” She paused, but then added softly, “It was so nice to finally kiss her.”

“Finally? What are you talking about? I thought you two have been boning for like a year,” Taako said nonchalantly as he sipped his coffee and left the room.

Lucretia was left dumbstruck, had her puppy dog crush really been that obvious? Well, it didn’t really matter now. She had her girl, that’s all that she cared about.

#lucretiastan #magnus-mcelroy #queercandlenights #taz #the adventure zone #lupcretia #fic

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siriuslyem · 5 years

Text

Goodbye

An Original Random Element Short Story

Elements: A girl with lilac hair, a boy with a bicycle carriage business, an abandoned beach pier, and a temporary tattoo.

Flora Kennedy kicked at the gravel on the sidewalk with one of the toes of her worn-out floral vans. She had just finished her last shift of the week at Whisker Pete's, the town's local music store. As she waited, she scanned the street, looking for her friend Carter who was coming to pick her up for their last weekend together for a while. He would be heading to college on Tuesday, and she would be heading back to Reynold's High to start her senior year.

Without him, she thought, before shaking the thought from her head. Around her, the droopy eyed town was winding down from the hectic tourist season. As the tired shop keepers started to pack up to spend the fall and winter somewhere warmer, Flora frowned. No one ever seemed to want to stay in Sunset Harbor for long.

From a distance, she heard a ringing sound that could only come from one place, and sure enough, moments later, Carter Jones turned the street corner. Even before he pulled up to the curb, Flora caught the friendly smile forming on his face. She raised her eyebrows in question as he came to a stop, and the smile transformed into his trademark smirk.

"Yes?" He asked amused and chuckled as Flora responded by rolling her eyes.

"Seriously? Why would you bring this? Actually, why do you even still have this?"

"Some of us are entrepreneurs."

"You ride people around on your bicycle."

"I offer charming and unique carriage tours of one of the most beautiful coastal towns on the west coast." He insisted.

Flora raised an eyebrow. “It’s a pedicab.”

“Car-ri-age, and as usual, you’re raising both of your eyebrows, not one. Besides, this pedicab paid for three out of the four years I will be seeking an education.” Carter teased but changed the subject anyway, he knew how difficult she was taking his leaving. “Can I interest you in one last bicycle drawn carriage ride through our fair town?”

“I guess it beats walking.”

“Or boarding.” He said noticing the skateboard she was holding.

“It gets me places.”

“It’s going to get you hurt.”

“Says the guy biking without a helmet.” She said sarcastically, slouching in the seat, and smiling a little when she heard his low laugh.

“Florabelle… this is basically a tricycle for adults. If I turn this over, I probably need to evaluate more important things than my lack of helmet. Now, if you will kindly direct your eyes to the right, you will see that we have arrived at stop one on Carter and Flora’s epic weekend.”

“Are you serious?!”

“What?” Carter asked innocently, dismounting his bike.

“We literally didn’t even move.”

“I can’t help that you work so close to the ice cream shop, besides, this is only a pit stop. I have a lot that I want to do today.”

“We have all weekend you know.” She reminded him, as he held the door open for her.

“Time moves faster than you think.” His voice was low, almost sad Flora noted, but he bounced back quickly when he noticed her watching him and ushered her inside with a side nod.

True to his word, she was soon climbing back into the carriage and Carter began to pedal off toward their next mysterious destination. Flora smiled, enjoying the rocky road waffle cone he insisted on paying for, as he gave her a true tourist’s tour of Sunset Harbor. He took care to point out each point of interest and made her laugh as he told her stories she already knew by heart. By the end, the sun was barely poking up over the small-town skyline, and Carter looped back around onto main street where the tour had begun.

“Are you not even going to drop me off at home?” she asked puzzled. She started to pull her board from the storage compartment as he stopped in front of his family’s grocery store.

“We’re not finished,” he said with a wink, as he hopped off the bike. “Wait here, I need to get one thing.”

Minutes later, Carter returned with a cooler and a backpack and placed it in the seat next to her. “We only have one more stop.” He explained. “Hold onto this until we get there please.”

It was a short trip to their destination, a left at the end of Main Street onto Beach Drive instead of a right, and she knew where the last stop would be. After a couple more minutes, and some terrible jokes from Carter, they had arrived at the pier. It was abandoned this late in the day, the restaurants closed around sunset, and most kids from town were at an end of summer bonfire at the McCreed’s, a mile up the beach.

“They’re real loud tonight, aren’t they?” Carter mused as he pulled a blanked from his backpack and spread it on the ground at the end of the pier.

“As opposed to all of their silent parties?”

“I guess.” He said with a laugh, as he sat down and pulled out a couple of Dr. Peppers and sandwiches.

“Dinner?”

“Well I couldn’t very well keep you out all hours of the night and not feed you. I am a gentleman after all.”

“That much about you is true. You are a gentleman.”

“Oh, before I forget, I got you something and it came in the mail today.” Carter said as he rummaged through his backpack and pulled out an envelope. Flora raised both of her brows, purposely this time as she opened the envelope.

“You got me a temporary tattoo?”

“Yeah, but this one is really cool, it lasts for two weeks.”

“Really? Why’d you get this for me? Like I love it, but…”

“I know you wanted a real one, but your dad won’t let you until you’re eighteen. This is the next best thing.” He explained as she looked over the instructions.

“Can we do it now?”

“Yeah, where do you want it?”

“My shoulder of course.”

“Of course. The most obvious of places.” He teased but helped her apply the tattoo to her sun-tanned skin. In the moonlight, her lilac hair reminded him of one of the characters in an anime he used to watch as a kid, but it suited her. It reminded him of a flower, though with Flora, most things about her did. That’s why he picked the tattoo with large peony flowers. He knew she’d want to put it on her shoulder and have it stretch down onto her arm. She had only reminded him a couple hundred times over the years. Twenty minutes later, he removed the paper, and frowned.

“It didn’t really take.” He said.

“It says it takes a day to develop.”

“Oh, you’ll have to send me a picture when it’s ready.”

“Or you could see it yourself tomorrow night.” Her tone was matter of fact, as the fact was one that should have been common knowledge.

“Well.”

“Well what?”

“I’m actually leaving in the morning. I just found out there is a mandatory meeting Monday in my dorm, it’s some get to know you outing or something.” Flora turned away from him, her gaze falling out over the waves highlighted in moonbeams. There was a new feeling in her heart, one that she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Betrayal.

“When were you going to tell me?”

“I’ve tried for the last week. It never seemed like the right time.”

“Well, you should have told me sooner.” She said, snapping her head to meet his gaze, before looking down and picking the fuzz off the blanket.

“I’m sorry. I wish that we had more time.”

“Well, it was your idea to take me all around the town.” Flora said, and she looked up at him just in time to catch the faintest glimpse of the same sad smile he wore at the ice cream shop.

“I wanted you to be my last tour.”

“Last?”

“Yeah, Tommy Broadman’s son, Trevor, is coming by in the morning to pick it up. He seemed like a good fit. Responsible and charming like myself.

“And he actually knows all the facts and stories.”

“Yeah that’s a plus.”

“He’ll do good. Trev’s a good kid.”

“I know. It’s a little bittersweet. I’ve spent every summer on that bike since I was nine doing everything from grocery deliveries to tours.”

“Well, it’s a stepping stone. I’m sure by next summer you’ll have a new job in the city.”

“Yeah?” He laughed. “What can you see me doing?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Working in a coffee shop probably.”

“A coffee shop?”

“Yeah, you’ve got a barista vibe, and the girls will flock from all over of course.”

“Oh? What makes you think that?”

“Well, you’re a total babe of course.”

Flora’s eyes widened to the size of tea saucers as the reality of what had left her mouth dawned on her, and when her hand flew to cover her mouth, it's meaning confirmed itself. She was smitten with him, of course, all girls were with his dark eyes and perfect olive skin. Flora had crushed on him since she was ten years old, but Carter always called her his sister, which deterred more guys from dating her than it attracted. She didn’t much mind though, because most guys weren’t like Carter anyway.

“I see.” He said quietly, looking over at her a little more softly than he had in the past. “How long have you felt this way?”

“Seven years.” It was his turn to wear a look of surprise.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“You called me your sister.” He shook his head a little, laughing under his breath.

“I didn’t know. If I had known…” He didn’t finish his sentence.

There was a soft silence between them, as the waves rippled below. There was an uncertainty in the air, a choice Carter had to make. He had convinced himself that she wasn’t into him. That after all these years, she still saw him as the boy with braces and glasses with lenses that seemed to be a solid inch thick; that she saw him as a brother. He thought that she had told him that once.

“Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to kiss you?” He asked her quietly. He didn’t prefer to be so vulnerable, but he was afraid if he masked it and pushed it away, he would end up hurting her more.

“No.” He chuckled sadly.

“Every single time I said goodbye.”

“But you never did.”

“No”

“Do you still want to?” Flora asked, looking up through her lashes, preparing herself for the disappointment she assumed would come.

“Florabelle, I’m going to school 2,000 miles away.”

“Yeah.” She agreed, tears slipping out of the corners of her eyes.

“It’s not fair to you. I shouldn’t have said anything. I told myself I wouldn’t.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m, um, I’m going to head home okay?”

“Let me pack up and I’ll take you.”

“No, that’s okay, it’s late, and you probably need to pack.”

“Flora.”

“I’ll see you Thanksgiving them I guess.” She said walking backwards.

“Christmas, actually.”

“Yeah, well, be safe.”

“Flora.”

She grabbed her board from the storage compartment of Carter’s stupid carriage, and wiped the tears still falling down her face. Stupid tear glands, she thought as she set off down the road towards her house. This shouldn’t be a surprise. Flora knew this was exactly how it would end up going, but it seemed especially cruel to have told her how he felt, only to leave her disappointed in the end. He had no right, she decided as she climbed the stairs leading to her front door.

“Night peanut.” Flora’s father called from the front porch as she stormed by.

“Night.”

She continued her angry internal tirade all the way up the stairs to her bedroom. How dare he in fact. When he knew he was leaving to go to his fancy school, how dare he tell her. Why didn’t he tell her sooner? Why didn’t he kiss her sooner? She changed into pajamas and left her clothes in the floor on her way to her bed. No sooner than her head hit the pillow, the tears came like a dam bursting inside her. Betrayal.

The next morning, she ignored the texts, missed calls, and several voicemails from Carter, and went out into the backyard to garden. After a few minutes, her dad joined her. He didn’t say anything, which she was thankful for, she was happy to be in his company. He hummed as he worked, and it distracted her from thinking about Carter.

“He called again, right before I came out you know.”

“Hmph.”

“This might be hard for him too peanut, everyone knows that you all have been in love since middle school.”

“Yeah well. You haven’t said anything about my tattoo.”

“I know it’s not real. It wasn’t that dark when you came in.”

“Yeah well.”

“Peanut.” He started, never pausing his weeding. “Maybe you should give him another chance. I think he was trying to protect you?”

“Protect me, or stay single to sleep with every girl on the east coast?”

“Peanut.”

“I am not a child anymore. I don’t need to protection.” Her voice broke a little at the end, and her dad hugged her.

“You know, when we lost your mama, I felt betrayed too. It wasn’t her fault though, and I had to come to terms with that peanut. You should always give the people who love you a second chance. You never know how long they’ll be around you know. In the end, it’s your choice. Do what’s best for you.”

“Flora?” Carter’s voice was soft as he crossed the backyard. Her dad let go and patted her shoulder before turning back towards the house. Flora stood slowly and wiped the tears from her cheeks before she turned to face him.

“I have to leave in a minute. We’re actually late, but I didn’t want to leave without making things right.”

“It’s okay Carter. I understand. Be safe.” She hugged him tight, which took him by surprise, and he wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll miss you.”

“Flora?” She looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time since their fight last night.

Carter kissed her, leaning in slowly, making sure she had time to register what was happening, but she was still surprised by the action. “I didn’t want to make the mistake of leaving again without kissing you. Because, Florabelle, I love you, and I would like to figure out how to make this work.” Flora looked back towards the house and saw her father as he peeked curiously out of the kitchen window.

“We’ll figure this out then.” She said before kissing him goodbye. For now, at least.

#short story #writing #flash fiction #love #college #writers on tumblr

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