#these aren't all the in progress fics i want to finish and clean out of my folder but they are the ones most top of mind rn

[tunemyart]

help me (focus) obi wan ur my only hope

[thefreakydeaky]

After the Thrill is Gone

Part thirteen Fourteen

Negan Smith x Reader

Daryl Dixon x Reader

Modern AU

Summary: From the first moment you laid eyes on Negan you were inexplicabley drawn to him. The passion between you is hot and only grows more intense the longer you see each other. There is only one problem, you're both married to other people.

Warnings: Dark Fic , Rape/Noncon, Violence, Stalking, Stalker behavior, Smuttyness, Adult Language...

"Yeah, every Wednesday he gets so drunk he can't get home and every Wednesday we find ourselves driving him there." Rick told you all of a local congressman.

You laughed then took another sip of your beer.

"Good to know we're not the most boring town you've ever worked in." Daryl commented

"Not by far." Rick assured him. "The first town I ever worked in, my hometown was a one stop light town. Now that was boring."

After you had helped Lori clean up, as mich as she would allow you to anyway, you got ready to leave. You gatheres your kids and reminded them to retrieve anything they had brought with them. As Hunter went to retrieve his handheld video game, you looked ahead and saw Daryl and Rick talking still near the back door that led to the backyard. Your husband's stoney expression worried you. Rick had a hand on Daryl's shoulder and from the look on his face the conversation was definitely serious.

Not wanting Wyatt to notice, you turned your face back to your kids. It turned out you hadn't had a reason to do so as you noticed he was busy talking to Carl. Both the boys' eyes were on the screen of Carl's phone.

Oh Great. You thought. He's gonna ask us to get him a phone again.

It was an argument that kept coming up as he got older. He insisted that he needed a smart phone and you and your husband insisted that if a situation arose where he needed to call someone there was always a phone he could borrow from the person he was with. It wasn't as if you allowed your child to go off anywhere on his own yet. He was too young to be responsible enough yet. Wyatt of course did not understand and continued with increasing frequency to ask you for his own device.

Daryl came in from the back yard then. You smiled a little. He looked at you and there was something dark in his eyes some emotion you couldn't quite name. You took a breath and looked away. You turned your attention to saying good bye to Lori and her family and picking up Millie. You took hold of Hunter's free hand and followed Lori to the door which she held open for you.

"Thank you again." You said as you went passed her.

The drive back to your house was quiet. Daryl was usually quiet, but his mind seemed preoccupied with some worry or another.

That night as you were getting ready for bed you could feel Daryl watching you undress. You felt a bit self conscious, but tried not to show it.

"I thought we were gettin' better." Daryl said suddenly. "I thought we were makin' progress, but we aren't are we?"

You turned, surprised by his remark.

"We are. I think we are. You don't?"

His green eyes were on your chest until you pulled your night dress over you covering up.

He sighed.

"Doesn't feel like it...lately."

You frowned.

"How do you mean?"

"I mean, we did...our homework once and that was a month ago maybe more." He watched you get into bed beside him. "You've been actin' weird. real weird for a while now and I'm not sure what to make of it."

You tried to keep your expression neutral.

"The only thing new I've had on my mind is Wyatt playing baseball. It worries me. I don't want him learning from that-that man." You finished lamely.

Daryl nodded.

"And that's all it is. Stress?"

"Yeah, Just stress." You assured him.

He rolled onto his side, closer to you.

You did the same, facing him.

"I know we still have a long way to go toward workin' this out, but I hope we're learnin' that we can talk to each other about anythin' that's botherin' us, anythin' that's goin' on. That we can trust each other." Hesitantly, he reached for your hand.

You took it into yours and held on gently.

"We're tough enough to face whatever comes at us, together." He told you.

You looked into his serious forest green eyes and then down at your hands, entwined. You weren't entirely sure you believed his words to be true.

•••••••••••••••••••••

The sun shone brightly above you as you pushed Millie's stroller down the sidewalk. You could see the tall figure of Negan standing by a bench near the empty playground in a black wind breaker and matching black pants.

He said your name as you neared.

"I'm sorry. My clock must be behind I thought I was on time-"

He reached for you. You flinched as he pulled you into a hug and kissed the top of your head. You felt your hair move slightly as he inhaled your scent.

"Now, now, calm down, Doll. You're on time. I got here a little early. That's all."

You were somewhat relieved by the revelation, but remained wary.

He let go of you and bent over to release Millie from her seat.

Together the three of you walked over to the little covered playground. Negan set your daughter down onto the first stair so she could climb up to the slide and you waited near the bottom where the slide wound down like the bottom of a twister.

You watched as Millie climbed the steps and used the metal posts to steady herself. She took a big step up and sat down at the mouth of the slide. She giggled as she slid down. You caught her at the bottom then walked her back to where Negan was so he could set her on the stairs again. Then you went back to the slide.

"So, does he suspect anything?" He asked casually.

You thought back on the conversation you had with Daryl.

"I don't know." You kept your eyes on Millie as you brought her to Negan again.

"Well is he acting different, talking to you different, asking questions?"

You sighed.

"He said that I've been weird. So, I told him it's because I'm stressing about Wyatt being in baseball."

"Hmm." Negan helped Millie back up the stairs.

"I can't help, but be stressed having this part of my life collide with my family life, my home life. I constantly feel like Daryl will notice some random thing and somehow that'll make him put it all together. To be honest, living like this, it's exhausting."

"Is that why you tried to end it with me? Stress?"

You nodded.

"Although, it's definitely more stressful now than it was then."

"Your life would have become complicated even if you hadn't tried to break up with me. I would have ended up being Wyatt's teacher anyway. I'm the only Gym teacher at that school."

You frowned.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

You caught Millie and placed her on your hip.

Negan came over to your side. He ran a hand over your baby's head then did the same to you.

"My beautiful girls." He said the words with something like ownership in his tone. It made you shiver unpleasantly. "Why don't we go for a walk?" He took your free hand in his and led the way off the playground.

You set Millie onto her feet and held her hand in one of yours, Negan's hand in the other. You walked along the trail together quietly for a time. Not thinking about what he had done to you was nearly impossible, but you had to try otherwise you would follow your instincts and flinch away from his touch. He wouldn't like that.

"Have you thought about putting Millie into pre-k?" He asked.

You gasped.

"Pre-k? She's only three."

"She'll be four soon enough and there's a pre-kinder class at that religious school, Sacred Heart. You can start looking into it now. See what you'll need to get her acepted and registered, that way she'll be set next fall."

You frowned.

"That's a private school. We don't have the money to-"

"Don't worry about money. I know someone in the front office who can get her a scholarship. I'll take care of that part of it. You just tell Daryl you found a scholarship program. He's not gonna say no if it's free."

She nodded. It felt gross to be discussing parenting decisions with Negan when Daryl had been the one by your side raising Millie with you. You swallowed your distaste to get through the visit.

[m-jelly]

Jelly! You're so inspiring with your dedication! May I ask for a little insight on your long multi chapter fics, like the one you recently finished? How is it all planned or IS it planned? Do you have an outline or an idea you run with? How in the world do you get it all out in record speed and not get distracted with other things? I don't even know all the questions to ask! Please, help. 😆 ❤

😂 sure no problem! First things first, my timetable to do these is terrible. When I'm not doing an evening shift at my job I spend all day writing, all day. I spend it all writing things and sometimes go late into the night, it's not healthy and I'm trying to change it. Now I spend two days working on a chapter so I can get a break and do other hobbies.

So, first advice? Take your time! Be strict with yourself. I used to write until 3am in the morning sometimes later. However, now my deadline is 12am and if I don't finish by then, that's okay because sleep is important.

Pick a time period you're gonna work between on days off. Like between 9-12 I'll do my long fic. 2-5 I'll do Tumblr and after 5 I'm doing whatever I want.

Planning....

Well, I have the Levi x Reader dynamic in my head first, mainly their jobs or what they are etc. So my next one I want Levi as a CEO of a fashion line. I want reader to be the one person who reviews his stuff badly and she doesn't have the best job. So now I know the information about both characters, I fill out a plot around them.

I ask. What key things happen with them? What moving moments to progress their relationship and moving them to being a couple? What will stand in the way? (No misunderstanding or miscommunication as I personally don't like those plot points because communication is key). When they become a couple, what will happen to them to challenge them as no relationship is perfect.

Once I answer them I have the main core of the story, the spine of it. The rest I will just go with the flow and not plan. I will add random fun things but make sure that the plot does appear now and then because you want a nice even flow, but also moments where people reading can breathe.

Do I get distracted? YES. I get very distracted. I often walk off somewhere. Play with my dogs. Clean the house. Watch the TV. Etc but these aren't bad things. Taking a break is good for your brain. Often when I'm on this break I think of new ideas or new things to add to the plot.

When it comes to the long fics, I know if I'm writing it there's a high chance I won't be able to answer a request. So, I make a request day and have a day off the long fic in order to answer requests in my inbox. Long fics take up more time than people know. You can spend a month maybe more focused on this one's story. A oneshot can take me a few hours to a whole day to do, it's not that long it depends when the person wants. But my long fics I make up I'm working on them for months.

I hope this makes sense? It's a lot of rambling. 😂

[corvixa]

I have this thing, that when an idea gets in my head, I either get it out on paper or it will create a traffic jam in my head and bugger up everything. So, not including my ongoing Fics, which includes the Gold Universe as part 4 is still nearly finished, I just need that last push on it. These are Ideas that can have anything from a few scenes, an idea, plots, or several chapters.

So I call this -

Winteriron WIP

(because what else 😅, I have a problem.)

In Fire & Flames - In this universe, Phoenixes and Humans live together, if one species dies then the other will too. When a Phoenix does for good, lots of natural disasters happen, starts with Tony'parents dying and then Rhodey, who is also a Phoenix, finds Tony. Who is now familyless and dying as lone phoenixes tend to die. There are several different kinds, and they come in pairs general. Golden and Ice, for example, Golden are high in magic, Ice tends to protect, especially the rare Golden, it's more tribes than individuals, there is no requirement for who likes who. It's surprising how much making a few other Avengers phoenixes tweaks things here and there, this actually goes up to the fight in Siberia and is one of the bigger WIP's. (26k)

Flash of Gold - Avengers are shifters or humans with magic, and they think they know what Tony is. They believe he is a human with magic, but they notice that he has some shifter traits, which is odd as shifters can't have magic in this AU. Only in very old stories and myth. Tony, however, is a dragon, which are myth. Instead of being like most shifters a, a human that shifts to something, he is the reverse. It only has a few scenes. Full shebang, team as Family. Steve is even a good guy. James is brought to the tower after being found and slowly integrated into the group and is wondering wtf Tony is. (13k)

The Operative Program - Howard was never meant to be a father; he was a weaponsmith. So he took the red room and the wolf spider programs and decided to create himself an Operative that he hoped would be the darker side to help Steve when he found him. Two sides of the same coin, one for the light and one to work in the shadows, Tony would be under Steve's control, he would be a weapon for the man who only picked up a shield. (Also assassin Tony is just fun.) Tony in this is a mash-up really, Tony traits, like Gold but different as he has been trained his entire life, the only reason he has developed a sense of self is Rhodey and the fact his parents died at 17. Rhodey got there first after the car crash, getting to Tony before anyone else who knew what he was could potentially claim him. Tony definitely collects people. Yinsen and Vanko for example. Chapters from Ironman up to Avengers (not complete). But enjoyed myself rewriting some out of sequence chapters, so there is a nice big scene in Siberia. (15k)

Another Persons Wish - Now this was based on a post I saw going around. Person A is married to Person B. Person A is looking back at their life and wondering if they should have married B, etc. So, A is offered a wish. Poof. Goodbye Marriage. Person A is Steve, and the story is from Tony, person B's POV. It goes from Tony planning his anniversary(because I was apparently extremely angsty when I started this!) to waking up in the past, alone and wondering what the fuck has happened. 6 chapters entirely written. Chapter 7 is in a different file and in progress when I dabble on it. (30k)

Tarnished Gold - This is an AU from my AU AU XD. Basically similar set up to the Gold Universe, Tony escapes Hydra Captivity but is brought in by Rhodey instead of spending 2 years on his own cleaning up Hydra. He only spends about 7 months before Rhodey convinces him to come in. Few other tweaks here and there but that is just side. Rhodey and James are pals too. The plot here is Howard and Maria are brought back from the Dead and Rhodey is trying to work out how to tell them what has happened and that he can't just bring them to Tony, because he doesn't know if Tony will remember them yet. Tony is a little less 'give me orders, and I'll gut you, and more 'orders made things easier'. I basically flipped his and James reactions from the original Gold universe. Tony is more in need of a hug. It's very loosely put together. I wanted something where Howard was a good dad to offset the fact I kind of made him Hydra in the next piece, and I wanted a good family man Howard with the bringing the parents back because I love reading fics that bring Howard and Maria back. (9k)

Sins of The Father - Arno has just buried his father. His mother is in a coma, he is 20 and mourning his life now he's expected to take on the business when a visitor flips his work upside down worse than the phone call about the crash. His Father? Part of a program that summoned a creature known as a Void Walker. (A creature from the Void Loki fell into, the only native species to that area, most others can't survive the void, so Loki will read as Void Touched and is 'To Be Protected' because I think that could shake up the Avengers section nicely.) Oh and he has Howards DNA. So Arno is freaked that he has a brother, that someone released and sent to him and Arno is 100% sure he is not meant to deal with severe traumatised half-human assassins that could be his kid brother. That is how Arno meets Tony and becomes very invested and turns up big brother protective instinct to 13. When summoned they're tired to a person and has to obey orders, that person was chosen as The Asset under the idea he can't disobey, which obviously fails as Winter does everything to protect Tony, including freeing him and sending him to Arno. His last order is that Tony is not allowed to go looking for or rescue Winter, which I think will be some nice drama when Bucky gets brought in (I really like this one) It has mostly set up but 2 scenes for in the future, Tony finding Coulson threatening Arno in IM2 and the data dump. (21k) (in this S/S Helped is Yelped, I'd fix it, but I've been working on this post forreeever)

Blood and an Arc - This came about from reading the Tony is a vampire fic and noticing that when he gets turned, generally Tony hates being a vampire. There aren't many where he comes back from Afghanistan a vampire and goes, huh... Well. This could be interesting. Loosely based on Vamp the Masquerade but I've tweaked it because my brain takes ideas and then runs off madly into the sunset. It is however utterly all over the place, some from Ironman and then random out of sequence chapters that I'm unsure about as I hadn't slept in a very long time on writing them and Tony went kind of Spike-ish calling James 'Pet'. I do like the idea of Tony fully embracing his changes. Yinsen never intended Tony to live, so he did something extra whilst turning him, so he is not an ordinary baby vampire and is convinced (justifiably so) that if he meets any other vamps, they'll try to kill him. In notes have Sam considering being a werewolf who works out Tony is a vamp and freaks out, because Vampires vs Werewolves and Tony is utterly confused and tells Sam he smells of mint (seriously, insomnia) Sam is baffled to find out the centuries of hatred that is claimed to be instinctual is actually taught. Sam gets kind happy he has a Vamp friend. (20k)

The Original Plan - This sets up around the end of the Mandarin (because honestly, I prefer working with Tony that has powered, especially because James has the serum and I personally think it would expand life span more than shown in Endgame. So I like evening things out and powered Tony is my jam) Tony has a bunch of plans, and they go awry. He doesn't see why and has zero clue what's going on. It's because no matter how well he plans this out, he's caught up in other people's plans. Steve is a little more "End goal justify the anything and everything." In other words, getting Bucky back is his plan and everyone are just pawns in said plan. I've taken that tactical genius title and also pushed him a little darker. After Ultron, he brings Wanda on for 3 reasons. 1 Precedence. 2 Fixing Bucky. 3 Making sure Tony doesn't find out about his parents and making sure he is on the team and available to fix Bucky's arm. That last bit changes things as instead of pulling away from the Avengers, Tony fully moves into the compound(just after AOU, it's not good). There will be no accords and Steve will find Bucky and just move him in and general plans on telling no one about the Winter Soldier. I summed up a chunk of AOU in this format, and I liked it (in an angst and pain fashion.) But it's quite long for a screenshot, so here's a chunk. Bucky is being brought in soon, but as it is, Tony is not having a good time, there might be Wanda conditions in his mind that Steve can use to convince Tony to do things... Also, because he is living there, I couldn't justify Sam not noticing there is something very wrong, so he is asking questions he didn't in canon as Tony's PTSD is more in his face living together you know? (16k)

[starlit-serenade]

Dance With Me | Chapter 5

💙 Summary: After visiting the members of ONEUS during their dance practice, you find yourself inspired to learn to dance. You ask your friend Kim Geonhak to teach you.

💙 Chapter 5: 2,242 words

💙 Pairing: Reader x Kim Geonhak (Leedo) / Characters: GenderNeutral!Reader; Kim Geonhak (Leedo); Son Dongju (Xion); Yeo Hwanwoong (Hwanwoong); Lee Keonhee (Keonhee); Lee Seoho (Seoho); Kim Youngjo (Ravn);

💙 Rated: T for some minor swearing / Warnings: Minor Swearing; Jealousy (Later in the fic) / Genre: Fluff; Minor Angst (Later in the fic); Friends-To-Lovers; Happy Ending;

《 Series Masterlist // ONEUS Masterlist // Boy Group Masterlist 》

You arrive to practice with your mind buzzing. Hwanwoong had texted the Team B party planning group chat that today is the day where you would meet with Team A--Youngjo, Seoho and Keonhee--to finish planning Geonhak's birthday party next week. The meeting is only ten minutes after your practice with Geonhak ends, so you'll have to hurry to the ONEUS dorm after practice.

You open the door, and Geonhak is inside. A song that you don't recognize is playing, and Geonhak is dancing intensely, watching his own movements intensely as he dances this unfamiliar choreo. While the song isn't familiar, you known the voices of ONEUS well enough to guess that this is an upcoming song, or at least a work-in-progress.

Geonhak is so focused on the dance that he doesn't notice that you've walked in. His eyes are so focused on his own body in the mirror that he doesn’t see you enter. You laugh to yourself.

Payback for those times he's come in and watched me dancing without me knowing, you think. You sit down on the ground to stretch silently and watch him, impressed. His voice comes on in the song, and you have to prevent yourself from saying wow out loud. You admire the choreography, the way Geonhak's shoulders move.

Perhaps someday I'll learn this choreography, you think.

The song comes to a close, Geonhak throws his head back in exhaustion. He runs his hand through his hair, breathing heavily as he turns around.

He freezes in his tracks when he sees you sitting on the floor. His eyes widen in surprise, then he looks really shy, then he goes back to his normal self in a matter of seconds. "How long have you been here?"

"A bit. Your part is amazing. Was that the new title track?"

He lets out a chuckle. "Thank you. Yes, that was the new title track, coming out later. Do you like it?"

"I do. It's cool. Your dance is really pretty," you say.

Geonhak looks away from you. "Thanks. Let's finish up stretching, and decide what song you want to try next."

He sits down in front of you and watches you with a smile. His eyes on you make you look down at the floor for some reason. "So what song would you like to learn next? Another ONEUS song?"

You smile. "Of course."

"What songs did you have in mind?"

"I mean. Lit is a fun one. Valkyrie, too. Twilight. Zigzag--"

"You've just named all of our title tracks, Y/Nie!" Geonhak chuckles. "I have an idea. We can go with two songs. We'll spend the first two hours learning the first one, and then the second two learning the second one. How does that sound?"

"That sounds fun."

"Great," Geonhak says, humming. "What two songs would you like to try?"

You think for a long moment. "Can we do Lit?"

Geonhak smiles. "Sure. We'll do Lit first."

"Great!"

"Let's start with the pre-chorus this time," Geonhak says, standing in front of the mirror.

"So you're gonna start with your legs in sort of a front stance, turn all the way to your left and put your arm over your leg with your hand against the outside of your thigh. Like this."

You copy his stance. Arm over leg, facing the left wall. You glance at the mirror and make sure to adjust your knees and position.

"Good. Now, you're gonna twist your body in a loop, lean back, and lower your body to kneel like this with your left arm down--"

You immediately do the move, so you're kneeling like him. This move, you've seen and done so many times that it comes somewhat easier to you. You check the mirror and see that you're correct as he continues to demonstrate.

"--and then straighten your back quickly. Lift your right arm, eolssu, and then your left arm, eolssu."

You follow his demonstration closely, which isn't too hard. This song, you've tried to do in your living room, so while you're not good at it yet, you're certainly familiar with it.

"Good. Now," Geonhak says, "lift your back knee off of the ground. Shift your weight back to face the left side of the room again and now put both of your hands over your thigh in an X. Then lean back, and slide your hands behind your back and down with the beat."

You nod, copying the movements.

After a couple hours of learning the rest of the pre-chorus and the chorus, and after taking a ten minute break, Geonhak starts teaching you Valkyrie, starting with the pre-chorus.

"Face the right wall, and put your hand back like this, palm up. You're going to have your right toes and your left heel facing toward the front of the room and off of the ground, so that your feet are positioned in a V."

You copy him. It takes you a minute to get your feet positioned correctly, but Geonhak waits patiently with a smile on his face.

The end of practice nears, and you and Geonhak sit down to stretch together. You look up from your stretches to smile back at Geonhak, and your eyes land on the clock on the wall behind him.

"Oh, shit," you mutter, quickly getting up from your stretches. You start scooping up your stuff. "I have to go."

"What? So soon?" he asks.

"Yes, Dongju's waiting for me," you say.

"Dongju?"

You blink, realizing what you said wrong.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I have a, uh, a doctor's appointment, and Dongju's taking me."

"Oh." He looks sad. "Take care! See you soon."

As you reach the door, you frown. "Aren't you going to be heading home?" you ask. Geonhak shakes his head.

"No. I have . . . some extra stuff to do."

"Okay. Bye, Geonhak," you say. He smiles softly and waves goodbye. You wave back, before you run down  the hallway to change in the bathroom, before hurrying to the ONEUS dorm for the birthday party preparation meeting.

You arrive and knock on the door and wait. Dongju opens the door after a moment and smiles.

"Y/N, you're almost late," he whispers.

"I was at practice with Geonhak! I had to change," you explain. Dongju rolls his eyes and drags you inside.

When you had pictured a surprise party meeting, you had imagined that the five members would have set up a space in the bedroom so that it'd be harder for them to be accidentally walked in on by Geonhak. However, they've simply set up at the dining table, Team A on the left and Team B on the right. Youngjo, Seoho and Keonhee are seated on Team A's side, with their phones on the table with notes. Hwanwoong sits on Team B's side with his phone open to the group chat. Dongju sits in the middle chair so you sit on his left, facing Keonhee.

"So," Youngjo says. "We have gathered here today to figure out how we want to celebrate Kim Geonhak's birthday before. We will have opening statements from Team A."

Keonhee opens his phone and clears his throat.

"Our plan for Kim Geonhak's birthday morning includes the following," he says, leaning forward in his chair. "We will spend time at either RBW or the dorm. We'll practice a bit, and then relax."

"Then," Seoho continues, "we will eat lunch at the dorm."

Team B applauds Team A, clapping as Youngjo, Seoho and Keonhee bow before sitting back down.

"That is all Team A has planned," Youngjo says. "We sort of . . . didn't spend as much time on this as you three. Now, Team B, your turn to present your proposal for the afternoon."

Hwanwoong stands up in his chair and clears his throat. "Hello. I am Yeo Hwanwoong of Team B. I am joined, today, by my colleagues Son Dongju and Y/N. Today, we will be presenting our proposal for the afternoon of Kim Geonhak's birthday celebration."

Seoho is laughing in amusement at how seriously Hwanwoong is taking this.

"Our plan includes snacks such as ice cream, sweets, fruits and small meat appetizers," Hwanwoong continues.

"We have multiple afternoon activities planned, including a random play dance, several guess-the-song challenges, and other music and dance related games. We are open for additional suggestions at any time. Then, for dinner, we will go out to that restaurant Geonhak loves so much."

"As for decoration plans," you say, "we propose a silver, gold, black and white color scheme, with streamers and balloons."

Keonhee starts the applause, followed by Seoho, then Youngjo. You, Dongju and Hwanwoong take your seats once again.

"Does anyone have any feedback or questions?" Youngjo asks. Keonhee raises his hand.

"Hwanwoong, what ice cream flavors will there be?" he asks.

"Rainbow Sherbet, Geonhak's favorite," Hwanwoong says. "Don't worry, Keonhee, I know all of ONEUS's favorites. They'll be there."

After questions conclude, you six decide roles for party set-up.

"Dongju, Y/N, can you two be in charge of decorations?" Youngjo asks. You both nod, and Dongju gives Youngjo a thumbs up.

Keonhee ends up in charge of making lunch with Hwanwoong. Seoho is in charge of finding and putting together the activities, and Youngjo ends up in charge of getting snacks. After all of the roles are decided, you all put your hands together.

"1! 2! 3! Let's go!"

As you all start cleaning up, you realize how late it is. The sky is dark, almost black.

"Why hasn't Geonhak come home? Shouldn't he have come sometime during the meeting?" you ask.

"No. He actually has to catch up with some practice choreography," Dongju explains. "He's started staying late for extra practice since he started teaching you."

You blink. "What?"

"Usually, after you head home, Geonhak stays at RBW practicing for hours on the new choreos. Since he spends so much time with you, he has to find extra time to do his own practices. And he also comes in early mornings to prepare for your practices. Has he not told you?"

You shake your head.

Dongju frowns for a bit, confused, before his expression morphs into something like shock or surprise.

"I . . . probably shouldn't have told you that then."

You frown. "What do you mean?"

Dongju waves the question aside. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, you should get some rest. Let me walk you home."

You and Dongju walk home comfortably, like you did with Geonhak a while ago. You think about what Dongju had said. Had Geonhak gone and practiced at RBW after dropping you off at your home? Has he really been coming in extra to catch up with the other members and prepare to help you?

"How's your practice with Geonhak going?" Dongju asks after a while.

"Oh, it's going really well," you say excitedly. "I just finished learning Geonhak's part in A Song Written Easily last practice, so now Geonhak is helping me learn Lit and Valkyrie."

Dongju is smiling widely. "You seem to be enjoying it a lot. Maybe as much as Geonhak is."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

He chuckles. "I know you very well, Y/N. I've known you for years. And I've rarely seen you this excited about something for this long. Often times, when you get excited by a hobby, but then your excitement dies down after a week or two. But it's been several weeks, and you're still smiling like a fool whenever you think about it."

You place your hand on your cheek and realize that they hurt from your smiling so hard and excited chattering about how practice has been.

"Geonhak, on the other hand. You should see him after he comes back to the dorms after practicing with you," Dongju continues. "Or even during our practices before practicing with you. He's always smiling like an idiot on your practice days."

You blink.

"Y/N. How do you feel about Geonhak?" Dongju asks after a moment. You stare at him, unsure of how to answer that question.

"I mean. I like him. He's my friend. He's a good dance teacher. He's kind and sweet and funny, just like the rest of you."

"But do you like him?" Dongju asks, emphasizing the word like.

You frown. "Why would you ask me that?" you ask. You don't have an answer, though. You think back to all of the butterflies that you've had, fluttering about in your stomach for the past few weeks. Maybe you do have an answer.

"Like I said, Y/N. I know you very well. There's definitely something going on in that head of yours, whether you know it or not," he says, poking your head gently. "I've seen you two interact. Just from hearing you talk just now, I can hear that there's something. Even if you don't know it."

You blink. "Dongju, I don't--"

"Oh look, we're here!" He stops, and you realize that you two are, in fact, right outside your door. Dongju smiles at you softly. "Go sleep, Y/N. Get some rest. I'll text you tomorrow to figure out a time to go decoration shopping for Geonhak's birthday, okay?"

You nod. "Okay."

He waves goodbye, and you sigh, watching him leave. As you turn to go inside, you turn over the past few minutes in your head. As you shower and get ready for bed, you continue to consider your feelings.

You don't like Geonhak like that.

Do you?

[angrylilfic]

I Could Fall in Love

A very cute, longish Destiny and Ramona fic featuring Mercedes and Annabelle.

(ignore the trash quality I totally was rewatching the movie on a website 😗✌️)

_____

The chilly November air made staying in bed all too easy. Destiny blinked her eyes open lazily. Turning her head, she smiled at her small family.

Lily was curled up into Ramona's side, the 6 year old burrowed into Ramona's shoulder. Juliet was right in the middle just like always because she got cold easily. Despite the fact that she was almost 16, she still found a way to curl into their bed and make herself small.

Ramona had an arm thrown around the girls, her fingertips curled into the front of Destiny's shirt. Ramona always had to be touching Destiny while they slept, she supposed it was a comfort thing. Destiny kissed the top of Juliet's head and slowly crawled out of bed. The floor was like ice when she stepped on it. A pair of black sweatpants with one of Ramona's sweatshirts kept her warm.

Thank God it was a Saturday. She didn't think she'd be able to rush fast enough to get to work if it was a weekday. It was just a little over 8 am, so she got to work making breakfast for her girls who would most likely be up soon.

Destiny turned on the radio that sat next to the toaster. Some radio station just happened to be playing Selena. By now she had memorized all the lyrics to "Como La Flor" because it was Ramona's favorite song of hers.

She hummed softly to herself, taking out the eggs from the fridge and heating up the pan.

While the song finished playing, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders.

"Good morning my love." Ramona kissed the top of her head. Ramona was wearing a green sweater that came just below her knees with a pair of pink socks she probably stole from Juliet.

They stood there for a moment, just enjoying the warmth from each other. Another Selena song had started playing, this time it was I Could Fall in Love. This one had become Destiny's favorite.

I could lose my heart tonight

If you don't turn and walk away

'Cause the way I feel I might

Lose control and let you stay

Ramona swayed them gently as Destiny lowered the heat on the stove. Ramona turned her around and started dancing them in the middle of the kitchen.

So I should keep this to myself

And never let you know

I could fall in love with you

Destiny smiled and let Ramona lead. The song was so beautiful and romantic that she thought it was only right that it be dubbed their song. Destiny stood on her toes to kiss Ramona slowly as the song came to an end.

"That's a little throwback for all you love birds out there. Selena, I could fall in love. We'll be back after this break from our sponsors." The radio host said, effectively breaking the moment.

When Destiny pulled away, Ramona was looking at her so gently, and so softly.

"What?" She laughed.

Ramona moved a stray hair from her face, "Nothing, you just look so good in the morning."

"Look at yourself hot stuff. Go get the girls before the food gets cold."

Ramona shook her head and went to go wake her daughters.

Destiny set our the plates and juice and sat down at the table with her coffee: sugary and without a taste of bitterness to it. She also poured a cup for Ramona, black and bitter, exactly like she liked it.

When everyone was sat at the table, Ramona spoke up.

"Hey guys, how about we go do something today?"

"Like what? Mami, It's too cold to be outside Lily would freeze to death." Juliet teased lovingly. Lily stuck her tongue out at her sister.

"I don't know, how about we go to the rink?"

"Ooh good idea babe. Maybe this time I won't fall completely on my face." Destiny said with sarcasm.

The girls laughed at the memory.

****

"Baby you gotta let go if you ever wanna actually be able to skate." Ramona laughed at Destiny, who was clinging to the side railing like her life depended on it.

"I don't think you've noticed Ramona, but if I let go I'm pretty sure I'll die."

"You're not gonna die. Here, hold onto me." Ramona reached her arm out to steady her girlfriend.

Destiny wobbled like Bambi, she wrapped her arms around Ramona's waist in an effort to stay up. Ramona took a small step to get them moving. Somehow their legs got tangled and they went tumbling downward. Ramona ended up on the bottom, cushioning Destiny's fall.

"I told you! What did I tell you!" Destiny laughed.

The girls skated over to them, "Mama you look funny." Lily giggled as Ramona picked herself up.

"Look, it's not as easy as it seems ok?"

Ramona threw an arm over her shoulders and helped Destiny back to the bench.

*****

"C'mon it'll be fun. And maybe mama can get the hang of it this time." Ramona said putting her plate in the sink.

"I wanna go to the park." Lily said through a mouthful of eggs.

Ramona ruffled her hair and sat back at the table.

"Great, we'll make a day out of it. I'll call the girls and see if they wanna come."

Everyone helped clean up the kitchen then broke away to get ready for the day. Juliet was taking a shower while Lily was trying to decide what outrageously bright pink shirt she'd wear.

Ramona was drying off her hair while Destiny pulled on a thick sweater when Mercedes and Annabelle showed up.

"Mama I'm home!" Mercedes yelled from the doorway.

"Hey baby we're in the room."

Mercedes and Annabelle walked into their bedroom, their cheeks rosy from the cold. Annabelle's belly poking out from underneath her winter coat.

"Y'all ready to go?" Mercedes said kissing Ramona on the cheek.

"Yeah we're ready. How y'all been?" Destiny asked from where she was putting makeup on.

"Tired. The twins are restless these days." Annabelle sat on the bed, rubbing her stomach.

Ramona smiled, "That's how I felt with Juju. She could never stay in one spot."

The family grabbed their coats and walked out into the chilly New York air.

They took Mercedes car to the ice skating rink that had been set up in the park. Mercedes and Annabelle watched the girls while Ramona and Destiny went to get hot chocolate.

"Ann can I ask you a question?" Juliet said from where she was watching Lily skate around on the ice.

"Yeah Ju what's up?"

"Do you think my mom is gonna propose anytime soon?"

Annabelle shot a curious glance at the two women from across the ice "I have a feeling. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I just feel like, if they've been together for so long, why aren't they married yet?"

Annabelle pulled her into a one armed hug, "They're special Ju. For the longest time they didn't even acknowledge that they had something deeper. Then the heist went down, and it was rocky for a while. Destiny hates feeling like she has no way out, like she has to rely on someone."

"And your mom, well your mom likes having control a hundred percent of the time. Their personalities can make it hard for them to feel like they're being heard. Their relationship is a give and take. Ramona gives Destiny her freedom, she lets her know that she'll never have to rely solely on her. Destiny gives Ramona control over how they do things like the way their relationship progresses. It's a give and take."

Juliet nodded. She never really got an in-depth explanation of her mom's relationship. It made sense now that Annabelle had told her.

"Your moms mean a lot to me. Ramona is like my mom, she really pulled me up when my own family didn't want me. Destiny made me feel like I could do things even without them to support me. They're two of the most special people I've ever met."

She smiled at Mercedes who was skating behind Lily.

"Without them I wouldn't have Mercedes. Our family isn't like anyone else's Juliet. Be thankful for that."

Juliet watched her mom's walk back over to them, hand in hand with hot chocolate on a tray.

"They're weird. I love them."