#this got long and crass and I’m NOT sorry

[unfortunate17]

i agree with you about being frustrated with how often this fandom has top/bottom discussions but its a pretty common talking point in most fandoms so YR isn’t special for that

No I totally agree with you that it’s a common topic of discussion in a lot of fandoms, but there’s a particular way we have it in this fandom that really grinds my gears.

And don’t get me wrong, I don’t care if you hc Wilmon to be vers or if you think Wille tops or Simon tops or whatever - it’s the justification and reasoning that I’m seeing behind these headcanons that I find deeply irritating and, frankly, insulting and kind of homophobic.

This is going to get long so forgive me.

1. I’ve seen so many posts talk about how the show is “brave” and “subversive” by having Wille go down on Simon or potentially bottom, but like - what the hell are we even talking about? In what world is it subversive to show a queer character having queer sex?? What are we subverting?? This show has never shown us anything with its intimate scenes other than two guys that are deeply in love and really horny for eachother and I hate that we keep bringing this shit up!!!

2. I’ve also seen people say that it was very important for us to see Wille moving to go down on Simon in the tape in S1 because it’s “more damning evidence that he’s queer” and otherwise Wille could’ve just said he was horny and desperate but he was actually imagining he was with a girl in his denial statement. But be so fucking forreal, in what world is that a thing he could argue in an official statement to the press? He’d be the laughing stock of the world.

Wilhelm isn’t more or less gay because he went down on Simon vs the other way around. He’d still be having queer sex because he’s having sex with another guy. Arguing that the framing here is for anything other than a plot device so Wille’s face wouldn’t be visible to set up the denial is actually kind of ridiculous.

As someone very smart on here said, “I’m sorry that you apparently have a tier list of sex acts ranging from “kinda straight” to “Gaylord” 😭😭 get well soon, couldn’t be me.”

Imagine for one second Simon was the one giving Wille head? Would you have criticized the show for that?? And WHY?!

3. Next: saying that Wilmon’s relationship is “equal” because you think they’re vers is…a take and a half lmao. What the fuck does being vers have to do with a relationship being equal?? Why are we assigning arbitrary hierarchies to sexual preferences??? Why are we implying that topping and bottoming are somehow not equal and you have to carefully balance both, when, ideally, it’s just whatever the fuck everyone is into???

Wille isn’t selfish for topping. Simon isn’t sacrificing anything by bottoming. They’re fucking because they’re in love and they want to 😭

TLDR: Wille doesn’t suck Simon’s dick for class liberation. Simon riding Wille isn’t a commentary on how he’s “girl-coded.” It’s just sex, leave them alone to have a good time and stop assigning agendas to queer sex.

[kooktrash]

lost & found | jeon jungkook

summary:your college years have never been something you dwelled on for too long. you didn’t want to think of all the chances you lost and that’s why when the guy you had a crush on moves back to town, you try not to let it affect you again. but then he brings up old memories that didn’t go the way you thought they had and you’re thrown for a loop. you’re stuck between finding something new with him and falling back into old habits of never standing up for yourself. it probably doesn’t help that he dated your best friend, where everything seemed to go wrong.

➣ genre/au: jungkook x reader [she/her, female anatomy], mid-20’s friendships. what kind of au is this? smut, plot

➣18.7k words

warnings: heavy plot. smut. a little bit of angst if you squint. tae is oc defender. shy oc. jk is an old college classmate. oc and jk got complicated, misunderstood history :(. oc is kinda insecure? bathroom sex. teasing. foreplay [f and m receiving]. very neeeedddy, long time waited sex.. unprotected. jk fucks oc on the counter, on the door. jk is tatted up but not in his college days. heavy makeout. breast play. fingering. dirty talk. oc goes down on jk as a thx 🤧 jk dated oc’s bestie but there’s HISTORY. oc’s bestie is the real villain im sorry. took advantage of two insecure college kids >:( love lost, love found vibes. just read I swear it’s not that bad 😭 no cheating. FRIEND BREAK UPS. oc gets confident toward the end

song inspo: bff — jesse

As you settle into adulthood, you learn a few things about friendships. There tends to be a slight divide between those you’ve known since you were young and those you’ve collected over the years. Some might value the friendships they’ve held longer more than those that are more recent but for others, what matters is the trust that comes with friendship no matter with whom it might be with. You’re somewhere in between, you think.

You have people like Taehyung who you’ve only recently started to get to know and have had a chance to grow close with. He doesn’t know everything about you yet but he doesn’t need to, he seems to understand enough now to be an important person in your current life. He’s the kind of friend you're thankful you’ve met on some random occasion.

Then you have someone like your best friend, Miyoung. You’re not sure the last time you had ever been truly without her at your side. From your earlier school years to college, to now when you’re both settled into what would essentially be your careers and private lives. She’s… she's special to you in a way that you're not sure you could ever find in someone else—or at least that’s what she says?

There hasn’t been a time where it wasn’t the two of you practically glued together at the hip and you credit her for her outgoing nature that always seemed to balance with your more introverted demeanor. Of course it didn't mean you couldn’t make friends without her [take Taehyung for example] but she’s always seemed to gravitate people toward you with her energy. That’s why you're not at all surprised by tonight’s events and how everyone seemed surprised that you came alone.

”Honestly, I’m happy you made it, it feels like we haven’t seen each other in so long,” Your friend, Hoseok, pointed out as he led you to the private area of the lounge bar where it seemed like a reunion was taking place, “When Miyoung said she wasn’t going to make it, I thought you probably weren’t going to show up and—“

”Is that what you would have preferred?” You asked with a teasing smile as he began to stumble over his words, attempting to backtrack.

“What? Y/n, don’t you know I’ve been desperately enamored by you since your first year? Don’t make such crass comments,” He joked back, helping you out of your coat as you grew closer to the room filled with loud chatter. He led you with hands on your shoulders and said, “And between us, I’m a little happy she didn’t come. I wasn’t really in the mood for this to turn into a Battle of the Exes fighting ground.”

”What do you mean?” You barely had time to ask as you entered the room where an explosion of your name was heard by old college classmates of yours who all seemed on the border of tipsy and in a good mood. You couldn’t help but smile, looking at everyone at once till your eyes fell on the person in question.

He didn’t hesitate to meet your gaze with equal surprise as you sat across from him, just one person down the line. Immediately the people next to you tried sparking a conversation and you used it as a distraction to keep from gawking at him. When Miyoung told you she wouldn’t make it, you debated coming yourself but after some begging from Hoseok you decided to come along. Despite your best friend not joining, you're kind of glad she didn’t. Hoseok is right, it would have been a battlefield and you did not want to be caught in the middle of it.

“Y/n.”

Ignore, maybe? Just ignore and maybe he’ll forget trying to talk to you and your head won't be on the chopping block. You looked down the table at some of the other people you remember from campus activities or long lectures and tried to ignore the growing smile you could see on his face from the corner of your eye.

“Hungry?” The person next to you asked as he made you look his way. There were platters of hand food across the bar table and you happily took whatever Jimin offered. As much as you hated it, you couldn’t help but look across the table to make sure it really was who you thought it was,

Jeon Jungkook.

Better known as your best friend’s ex boyfriend.

Or worse, the first guy you liked when you started University.

”Hi,” he said in a low voice, catching you in the middle of staring at him. In your defense, he seemed so different—more matured if you will. Now he was covered in tattoos and piercings, he lost that sort of boyish charm but clearly gained something else along the way. He was buff and bigger, more intimidating yet alluring? Safe to say he didn’t look like the ‘Boy Next Door’ you had a crush on in your English seminar.

“You’re here,” was all you could think to say back, giving up on your sorry attempt at ignoring him for no real reason other than saving yourself from an awkward encounter.

”So are you,” Jungkook bit into his bottom lip as he looked at you closely. How is it that someone could look so different but the same all at once? In your gaze he could still see that curiosity in everything that he remembered from back then when he would spend lectures wondering what was on your mind. In your appearance, he can see how much you’ve changed physically. They were surely small differences in everyone else’s eyes but he always had a tendency to pay too much attention to you and it would get him in trouble.

You gave him a polite nod in response to his blatant observation that matched yours and attempted to shift your attention elsewhere but he didnt let it get too far. He cleared his throat, “How have you been?”

“Me?” You asked, “Okay, I guess. Busy with work.”

“So I’ve heard, you’re in marketing now, right? What happened to your writing?” Jungkook asked, seeming genuinely curious to know. He didn’t care for the conversations happening around him more than he did hearing your response now that you looked more willing to give him one.

“It wouldn’t have paid the bills—You remember my writing?” You asked, surprise evident in your features that he couldn’t help but smile.

It was hard for him to forget his biggest competition at the time. He let out a small sigh, ready to go on about being unable to forget a certain piece you wrote when a firm hand was placed on his shoulder. Yoongi stood over him, “Smoke break?”

Say no, he thought. Jungkook could easily reject the offer and continue what he was going to say. Without meaning to, he looked back at you, but you had excused yourself from the table in the blink of an eye. Nodding hesitantly, he grabbed his jacket and followed his friend out while he wondered where you went so suddenly.

You were hiding in the washroom when you got the call from Miyoung, like she had a sixth sense telling her to reach out.

“So how is it? Is it as boring as I said it’d be?” Miyoung asked as she waited in line for some nightclub she was going to with some of her various other friends.

“Um, kind of?” You said without much thought—knowing it was what she wanted to hear. In reality, it was fun. You were greeted warmly that it washed away your earlier worries and you’re being taken care of by old friends you didn't get to talk to as much. Not to mention, you’re seeing Jungkook again after a couple years of hearing and thinking of nothing about the guy, so you don’t actually think it's boring.

Miyoung snorted, “Figures, good thing I didn’t go. I could not sit through more than an hour of everyone going on and on about what they’ve been up to. I mean, yeah I miss Hobi and stuff but I could see him whenever, y’know? Who all showed up?”

“I think everyone,” You admitted with a nervous bite of your lip. It was now or never. You tell her that it seems like Jungkook has come to visit or has come back to stay and you’re not sure how she’ll take that. She might even march over here just to tell him how she's felt these last two years and chances are that’ll ruin the easy vibe for everyone else. You leaned against the stall door and talked with her.

“So you’re back,” Yoongi asked with a smirk as he took a drag from his cigarette, “My Golden Boy’s back? Someone pinch me.”

“Funny guy,” Jungkook said sarcastically as he looked out onto the busy street. Yoongi shrugged, turning toward the bar window looking around to see the group, “Aren’t you happy you came?”

“Yeah, it’s great seeing everyone again,” Jungkook told him casually, flicking the end of his cigarette and watching the ash fall to the cold cement of the street.

“Want to know who surprised me tonight?” Yoongi asked, looking over at him to see if his expression would change at all, “Y/n.”

Jungkook cleared his throat awkwardly, “What do you mean?”

He shrugged, dropping ash to the ground, “Y/n never comes out to these sorts of things, and if she does come it’s usually with Miyoung but she came by herself tonight.

“Yeah…” Jungkook zoned out a bit as he thought about it more, “Why doesn’t she meet up with you guys often?”

“You know Y/n doesn't really go out,” Yoongi said, “And she’s busy with work, at least that’s what Hobi says. I don’t know, when Hobi said Miyoung wasn’t coming tonight we both expected Y/n to not show too but… hey, aren’t you happy she isn’t here?”

“I don’t really care either way,” Jungkook confessed truthfully, “But do you know if… y’know, you might have heard something about Y/n and if she’s still seeing someone or—“

“Oh God,” Yoongi couldn’t help but laugh as he put his cigarette out, Jungkook doing the same, “It’s been like three years, man.”

Jungkook watched him laugh as he walked off leaving him to follow, “What?”

Yoongi held the door open for him, “You know what, but I’ll answer your question, anyway. Last I heard Y/n is single, so what now?”

He waited for Jungkook to respond but he wasn’t listening anymore. There were too many things on his mind that he needed to work out before you came back to the table.

“What do you mean you’re leaving? You just got here,” Jimin said to you as he held your hand in his to stop you from leaving, “One more drink.”

“It’s late,” You tried to say, “I’ve got to be up early.”

“Liar, it’s a Saturday night, Y/n. Sit your ass back down,” Hobi said with a firm voice making you sit down immediately. He flashed you a cute smile before asking everyone if they wanted another round of drinks.

“So, what were we talking about earlier?” Jungkook asked, trying to get you to talk to him again, “Your writing? Yeah, how can I forget it? Remember we used to read each other’s essays all the time before… well.”

Before he broke up with your best friend.

“Yeah, I remember,” You admitted, trying to find something to say. What kind of questions would Miyoung want to know? What do you want to know? What should you prepare your friend to know? “How long are you visiting?”

“Actually, I just moved back, I got a job doing graphic design for a local company,” Jungkook told you with the hint of a smile, “It’s my first time meeting up with everyone again.”

You let yourself indulge in small talk with him here and there but usually when he started it. The night had been fine, you enjoyed your time but after a while all you wanted to do was go home and Hoseok couldn’t make you stay any longer. You ended your night wondering if you should go out more.

Everything has a backstory, right? How it all started and yours seems pretty tacky. You spent the first couple years of University doing what you had to do in school and letting Miyoung drag you to whatever outing she had on the weekends. Some time in your third year, you joined this English class with the most boring, monotonous professor ever and that’s where you met Jungkook.

In all honesty, you thought he was cute from the get go. Sitting through three hours of a boring lecture led people to do odd things and one of those for you was staring at the cute guy who sat down a couple rows from you. It was just a little thing you did to pass time so you never expected anything to actually happen from it.

Then one day most of the seats were taken [naturally, it was a large class] and he seemed to have been running late because his usual cycle of seats were all taken except the one next to yours. Despite all those times you would find yourself ogling the stranger, when he was right next to you, you didn’t say a single word.

It was Jungkook who spoke first and it was just to ask if you could help him catch up. That day you were supposed to read someone else’s prompt and revise it and you chose each other which then trickled down to a routine of it. Without speaking much, he would sit next to you or silently save you a seat whenever you were running late and the one time you decided to switch it up and sit elsewhere…

Well, he was practically pouting the whole day.

It had been a nearly perfect set up to what could have been if you just allowed yourself to go for things but it didn’t happen that way.

One random Tuesday night, Miyoung wanted to go out for some cheap drinks and you found yourselves at a bar not too far from campus where you ran into a senior in one of your classes. Yoongi had come up to you first, just greeting you and making small talk when Jungkook who apparently had come with him, recognized you too.

They drank with you and Miyoung for a bit and you honestly thought it had been fun. You had never had real conversations with him outside of school work and it was nice to have more people to hang with that it just felt natural. Though at some point through the night Miyoung had gotten kind of flirty. She claims she assumed you had wanted Yoongi and not Jungkook and practically called dibs on him despite meeting him for the first time that night.

When she made her intents obvious, you couldn’t help but backtrack.

You always considered yourself pretty self aware about yourself. There was nothing special really and when you compare yourself to Miyoung there just isn’t much competition.

She was the perfect Prom Queen type who always had the nicest clothes or the cutest boyfriends, the best awards and most interesting stories. The amount of guys she would pull who you didn’t even have a chance with was insane. And though you might sound bitter, you’re not. You’ve never been the type to want the spotlight or attention and being best friends with someone so damn perfect was that you could always stay in the shadows.

So when she started flirting with Jungkook, you didn’t really notice his awkward glances or how he shied away from her proximity. You only saw how he smiled politely and listened to her go on and on about how great she is and assumed he was into her like all the others had been.

You tried to act normal after that, you would talk to him every now and then and never questioned why he stopped talking to you as much until he started dating Miyoung but you weren’t bitter. You were understanding.

It made sense he would date her. She was beautiful and smart and someone people pine for. It was a given that that would happen so once again, you didn’t take it personal.

They dated for a couple months [nothing serious at all] and then he dumped her which resulted in Miyoung practically forbidding you from even looking his way at all. You completed your last year without thinking about him despite the various mutual friends you shared and went on with your life when he moved.

That was the backstory and why you felt so awkward seeing him the other night.

You haven’t told Miyoung yet because there’s a high chance she won’t care at all and would get annoyed that you even thought to bring it up. Your friend is very pretty and she likes being in relationships so she’s been in quite a few since they dated and probably doesn’t care to be reminded at all.

The only person you’ve told is Taehyung.

“But did you at least have fun?” He asked as the two of you sat at a small restaurant for lunch. You nodded your head, “Yeah, it was alright. It was just weird, for me at least.”

“Why?” Taehyung asked as he dug into his meal, stuffing his mouth with no care in the world, “I mean it’s obvious everyone was happy to see you and didn’t want you to leave. Who cares if Miyoung didn’t go, clearly it didn’t matter to anyone else.”

You didn’t say anything, taking your time to enjoy your meal as you drifted off in thought. He is right, you know that sometimes it’s just in your head and you overthink things. You always feel like you’re boring to others so it’s natural for you to assume no one would be happy to see just you and not your bubble of joy best friend. There has to be a certain level of comfort between you and another person to show personality and it’s rare people get to see it.

“But how’d it go with that guy? Did he ask you about her?” Taehyung asked with a hint of curiosity.

“Not that I can remember. I don’t know, it was kind of awkward but we talked a bit,” You told him honestly, “He just moved back down so that’s cool I guess.”

Taehyung looked at you skeptically but you avoided his gaze, trying to distract yourself with your phone.

yoongi: throwing a welcome back party for jk this weekend, u coming?

you: idk, if I’m free

yoongi: … ur always free🤒

yoongi: just say yes, bring whoever u want

you: but is he ok with me going

yoongi: y wouldn’t he be

yoongi: he’s the one who asked me to make sure u come

you: okkkkkk 🥹

“Tae, can you come with me to this party please?” You asked, immediately showing your friend your text messages leaning across the table for him to see them clearly.

Taehyung’s brows furrowed as he read through the texts carefully, “Jungkook is the ex boyfriend, right? Why’s he so interested in you going?”

“He’s not,” you said, “He’s probably just doing it to be nice, since everyone I know will be there.”

“What if he’s… y’know, interested?” Taehyung asked curiously and you nearly choked on your drink.

“No, oh my god,” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, “We were just classmates and we stopped talking after he dumped Miyoung so—“

“Yeah but did you ever stop to think ‘hm, I’m the one who knew this guy first and then Miyoung went and snatched him from me before I even got a chance to explore’,” Taehyung said in a high pitched voice, presumably mocking yours. You reached over to playfully shove his shoulder making him grin mischievously.

“What? No, it wasn’t like that at all,” You tried to say, “Him and I didn’t even really talk until the night he met her at the bar and… no, that’s crazy. He liked Miyoung right away.”

Taehyung just sighed, giving up on trying to get through to you, “If you say so, but who’s the one he approached first? Because I can tell you right now it wasn’t her.”

Despite how he expresses himself when he talks about your best friend, he doesn’t dislike her. He thinks Miyoung is alright, maybe a little too much for his tastes but that doesn’t mean anything. He understands the two of you are really close and although he has had many chances to befriend her too, he just hasn’t.

He’ll talk to her if you force them to hang out together but he would never go out of his way to be her friend. It might sound bad but Taehyung is pretty protective over you and rightfully so, he feels.

He doesn’t want to badmouth one of his closest friends but you have a tendency to overthink things. You don’t realize how great you are and make yourself seem smaller and he thinks Miyoung and other people like her in your life are at fault. He’s heard some of the things she says to you and it’s like you hold her up so highly there’s no room for you to see how pretty, smart, and talented you are. And before anyone gets the wrong idea, he’s not in love with you or anything.

You’re too good for him so he gave up on that idea long ago.

Plus, now that he’s able to connect some of those pieces from when you were in Uni, some things are clicking into place for him. Miyoung tends to dim your light a bit, or copy something you do and claim it as her own and when he hears this little backstory between all of your old college friends… he just can’t help but wonder if Jungkook was one of those things she claimed for herself.

With that thought in mind, he agreed to go with you to this party and see for himself what is there and what could be. He just wants what’s best for you and for you to be able to go and get it without worrying you’re not good enough or stepping on anyone’s toes.

When Friday night came, your apartment was filled with loud music and even louder complaints coming from one person in particular. Taehyung was just listening to you and Miyoung go back and forth about tonight’s plans and it got to the point where you couldn’t say anything but the truth about what you would be doing tonight.

“It’s a welcome back party for Jungkook,” You said, trying your hardest not to let your voice sound strained.

“What? When did he get back?” Miyoung asked, sitting up from your bed and tossing your pillow off her lap, “Like he moved back?”

“Yeah, I guess not too long ago,” You said with a shrug, looking in your mirror to see if you liked the way you looked or not, “I don’t know, Yoongi is the one who invited me.”

“Why didn’t I know? Why wasn’t I invited?” Miyoung asked, turning to Taehyung like he would have the answers.

“Probably because you’re his ex girlfriend and you ditched out on their little reunion so you could party,” Taehyung said, not bothering to look up from his phone.

“Yeah but, why’d they ask Y/n? She’s not even friends with him,” Miyoung said with a slight scoff, “You’re not actually going right? We could go out, just the three of us. You already hung out with them, you and I haven’t gone out in weeks, let’s just do our own thing. Unless you’re trading me in for all of them.”

You looked at her with apologetic eyes. You’ve been busy with work recently and she is right. The last people you hung out with aside from Taehyung were all of them two weekends ago so it would only be fair to hang out with her this time. It shouldn’t mean anything that you were invited and that Jungkook wanted to make sure you were going. Miyoung was supposed to be your best friend so how could you go to a party she wasn’t invited to?

Just as you were going to give in and shoot Yoongi a text that you weren’t going to make it, Taehyung spoke up for you. “Why don’t you just come with? One of them said Y/n can bring whoever she wants and I’m already going so it’s not like you have to be by yourself. Plus, aren’t the rest of them supposed to be your friends too? Y/n already agreed.”

“Why didn’t you ask me first?”

“I didn’t realize I needed permission,” You couldn’t help but sigh, sitting on the edge of the bed to comfort her, “We can just stop by, have a drink or two and leave if it’s lame. Come on.”

After much convincing, the three of you arrive at Yoongi’s place which was a small house with good outdoor space and the inside was packed with people already. The amount of party goers made you anxious but at the same time slightly thrilled that surely the attention would never be on you with so many people around.

“Y/n! Miyoung!” Namjoon spotted you two first and he threw his arms around you both with a grin, “Surprised to see you here, Mimi.”

“Yeah, probably because I was the only one not invited,” Miyoung said bitterly, making Namjoon take a drink from his cup and look away nervously.

“Let’s get you guys drinks then,” He said with an awkward clear of his throat looking to Taehyung, “What’s up, I’m Namjoon.”

“Taehyung,” he said, following you to the drinks table. The music played loudly and there were a lot of people having a good time that it was somewhat easy to try and blend in and act normal. Miyoung had a pout on her face, looking around worried but Namjoon brightened her mood and every now and then another friend would stop by to greet her. Taehyung mostly clung to you and only drifted away when a friend would spark conversation with you but you were thankful he was around.

“Y/n,” someone called out to you from across the room. You couldn’t make them out through the crowd of people and it took a while before you spotted Jungkook making his way to your direction.

“Jungkook,” you said with a nervous breath, looking around for Miyoung but she was off with Namjoon talking about god knows what.

“How long have you been here? Why didn’t you say anything?” Jungkook asked, slightly more energetic than usual. His hair was messy, with strands out of place, he wore a basic black tee and baggy jeans so why did he look good? It’s still hard for you to wrap your mind around who this is.

He’s gotten so muscular and just… more intimidating with his tattoo sleeve and piercings and it’s so unexpected but in a good way.

“I, um, you know, I just assumed you were busy,” you lied, looking around for one of your friends. Taehyung was at the table getting a drink and he’ll be back soon to save you before Miyoung looks around.

Jungkook found himself looking around too, as if he could see what you did but he came up short, “Did you come with anyone?”

“Yeah, Miyoung and a friend of mine,” you rushed the words out in hopes of sounding casual but Jungkook didn’t even bat an eye.

“So what are you doing alone?” He asked with a raised brow, taking a step closer to you, “Actually, there’s something that’s been on my mind since last time I saw you and I uh… I haven’t had the chance to say it.”

You blinked nervously, looking up at him and how close he was to you, “What is it?”

He licked his lips, playing with his lip rings shyly, “Well, I was wondering if you would like to get together some time, just you and I. We’ve never had the chance to hang out.”

“We’re hanging out right now, aren’t we?” You asked, feigning naivety that almost seemed teasing. In truth, you could sense what he was possibly asking and you needed him to stop. There was no reason for you two to hang out alone, no matter how much the thought made you giddy.

“I guess,” Jungkook couldn’t help but let his eyebrows knit together in confusion. He took another step closer to you, hand on the wall behind you for support. , “But I was still hoping… I know it’s probably kind of awkward but we’re grown, right? We can get together without worrying about anyone else.”

“Who says it’s because I’m worried?” You asked with a hint of playfulness in an attempt to ease some of the growing tension caused by the way he looked at you, “Where is this coming from all of a sudden?”

That made him crack a smile, “All of a sudden?”

“Yes, all of a sudden,” another voice added in from behind him and you jumped at the sound. Jungkook didn’t bother to turn around, he was more focused on the way you tried to look behind him and meet Miyoung’s glare.

“Where’d you run off to?” You asked, pushing past him making Jungkook slide his hand off the wall and roll his eyes at the disruption.

“Somewhere I felt wanted,” she said bitterly, eyes on Jungkook as she spoke to you, “Let’s go, I’m bored.”

“I thought you were having a good ti—“

“I’m not, Y/n,” Miyoung almost snapped, “You said we could have a drink and go. We’ve been here for like forever and I want to leave. That’s what we agreed on.”

“Okay, jeez, let’s go then,” You said with a sigh, “Let me find Taehyung.”

“Go, then,” Miyoung said, making you take a deep breath, trying to tell yourself she had a right to be upset. She didn’t want you [as her best friend] talking to her ex boyfriend. And you did say you didn’t have to stick around for long…

“What?” Miyoung asked Jungkook with a roll of her eyes as she caught him staring, “Did I interrupt something?”

“You still don’t know how to speak to people like they’re human beings,” Jungkook said simply, “And it’s sad to watch.”

“Screw you,” Miyoung scoffed, “You’re just mad I stopped you from trying to ask my best friend out. My friends are off limits.”

“She was my friend too,” Jungkook said as a reminder, “And I can do whatever I want. You’re just childish.”

She snorted, “Right, says the guy who fumbled me.”

He couldn’t seem to act mature anymore and before he stop himself he said, “Remember, you’re not the one I wanted anyway.”

He walked off without much care for how she felt and found his other friends, wondering who it was you ran off to find.

“Tae, can we go now?” You asked your friend. Taehyung had found himself a group of people to entertain with his stories and had nearly forgotten who he had tagged along with until you pulled him to the side.

“Uh, okay,” Taehyung cleared his throat awkwardly, “What happened? I thought everyone was having a good time.”

“Miyoung wants to leave,” You said with a small sigh, “She saw me talking to Jungkook and I just don’t want it to become this big problem so can we please just go?”

Taehyung placed an arm on your shoulder, leading you to Miyoung who waited at the door, “Yeah, sure let’s go.”

The car had only stayed silent for the first half of the drive to Miyoung’s apartment. Somewhere between the last red light and this short stretch of road, a fire had been lit underneath her which made her start up again.

“So what was that back there?” Miyoung asked from the backseat and you debated just acting asleep or like you were too drunk to listen properly. She leaned forward, looking at you closely.

“What do you mean?” You asked nervously.

“You know exactly what I mean,” Miyoun said with an annoyed tone, “First you get invited to a party for my ex boyfriend and next thing I know the two of you are whispering in the corner looking like you’re about to kiss and like I’m not even in the room.”

Taehyung had to bite his tongue from responding, worried that if he spoke too soon it would only make you seem more weak to her antics. He just tapped his fingers against the window trying to keep silent

“Miyoung,” You started with a sigh, “You’re overreacting. It was nothing, we’re friends—“

“Since when?” Miyoung scoffed, “You’re supposed to be my friend, Y/n.”

“I am,” You said defensively, “And if you want to talk about this tomorrow then that’s fine but right now it’s late and we’ve all been having a decent time so don’t ruin it…”

“Y/n’s right, let’s end the night on a good note,” Taehyung finally said but he seemed to go ignored by you two.

“You’re not though, real friends wouldn’t flirt with their best friend’s ex boyfriend—“

“You two dated for less than five months and it was years ago,” You blurted out, “I knew him before that so don’t act like I’m betraying you.”

“Oh my god, I knew you’d still be bitter I started seeing him,” Miyoung said, suddenly making you hide your face in your hand from exhaustion. “I didn’t know you had a thing for him back then. You should’ve said something instead of holding it against me like you do everything else.”

“What are you talking about?” You couldn’t help but scoff.

Miyoung’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, “You know exactly what I’m talking about and it’s not fair.”

Taehyung took a deep breath, fingers clenched around the steering wheel unable to bite his tongue any longer, “Miyoung I don’t think you’re being fair. You’re clearly drunk and you just want to arg—“

“Shut up, Taehyung,” She snapped, slurring on her words a bit and not even realizing the car came to a stop in front of her building, “I’m not even talking you and you can stop acting like Y/n’s bodyguard because last time I checked she’s a grown adult who could speak for herself. God, I swear everyone is the same. Just because Y/n is boring and insecure, doesn’t mean she doesn’t know how to speak for herself.”

“Get out. We’re at your place so just go,” Taehyung said, annoyed with the harshness she was projecting on you, “Y/n might put up with you but I won’t.”

With an irritated scoff, she swung the back door open, “Fine, screw you guys too.”

The door slammed shut as she stormed up to her apartment and Taehyung waited till she was gone to say, “Fuck, what did that girl drink? Y/n, why do you put up with that? Hey.”

You stayed silent for a moment letting her words sink in. Whatever, she yelled and threw a tantrum, that’s fine, that’s normal. But she seriously thinks you’re just a bore and maybe you’re starting to believe it too. If it weren’t for you always being cautious over how she might feel about you and what you do, you wouldn’t seem so boring.

Or was that just how you were and now you’re trying to say it’s because of Miyoung? Jeez, you just can’t seem to make up your mind about anything but all you know is that��� you’re not boring. Well, you don’t have to be. If she wants to think that always backing up whatever she says makes you boring, then maybe it’s time you just do what you want even if she doesn’t like it.

“Tae, can you do me a favor,” You finally said, making him look over at you curiously. The car is still parked in front of Miyoung’s place and he’s been waiting for you to speak anyway, “What?”

“Take me back to the party please.”

Miyoung was wrong, if you were boring it’s because she made you boring. Anytime you did anything on your own, she always had to ruin it and you just let her. You just let Miyoung monopolize your time and make you her right-hand in everything. You’ve never gotten the chance to truly put yourself out there because you firmly believed you didn’t compare.

Maybe you needed to stop overthinking and just do what you want, be confident—or at least act like you are.

“Y/n! You’re back?” Yoongi asked once you made it to the party again, “Let me tell you, I was mad because I thought you left before even talking to me.”

“I’m so very sorry,” You said playfully, “But do you know where Jungkook is?”

He seemed to freeze up, surprise written on his face and he looked down at you questioning. You held his gaze, watching the wheels turn in his head before he was blurting out, “I don’t know. The bathroom?”

You blinked nervously, letting him slip away from you when someone called for him and were left standing there. Your mind was racing with ideas yet you couldn’t think of what to do.

What did you expect coming back?

What does this prove?

You feel anxious and insecure and maybe she was right, you’re boring and you don’t even speak up or do anything exciting.

“Jungkook?” You called out to him as you walked down the hall of doors, knocking or opening whichever door you landed on. You got to the last door with a bated breath, realizing it’s a bedroom and closed yourself in.

Your sense of bravado had been short lived. Whatever burst of confidence you had was completely gone now that you sat alone in the guest room contemplating just going home or not.

In all honesty, this was stupid from the very beginning. You let Miyoung’s words get to you and you acted before you could think. You didn’t need to prove anything. Plus, you don’t want Jungkook. Maybe once before you did… but not… anymore?

God, you felt like an idiot.

“Y/n?”

Your heart dropped with a sense of disbelief as you looked up. The once pitch black room was illuminated by a block of light from the open bathroom door. Jungkook stood at the doorway, brows furrowed as he looked at who sat on the bed.

“Jungkook,” you cleared your throat awkwardly.

“You’re back?” He asked, looking you up and down with a hint of suspicion. You nodded your head silently, making him blink with confusion.

You stood up from the bed suddenly, “Are you done in there?”

“Uh, yeah,” he moved out of your way, watching you closely as you closed the door in his face before he could say anything else.

Maybe this had been a sign that you didn’t want to talk to him but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the privacy in the bedroom to go out where everyone else was. He could hear the faucet running but oblivious to how you wet your face to try and snap yourself out of this strange mood before drying off. When you opened the door, you didn’t expect to see him standing there right in front of you.

“Everything alright?” He asked, halfway in the doorway, walking forward making you step deeper into the bathroom.

“Yeah, everything’s great,” you said with a strained smile, backing away, “Just—what about you? Has it been fun, this is all for you, right?”

“I guess,” Jungkook shrugged, “But it would have been more fun if you stayed.”

“Good thing I came back then,” you couldn’t help but laugh nervously, leaning against the sink counter.

“Good thing,” Jungkook licked his dry lips, “Y/n, about what I was saying earlier… I would honestly like for us together sometime, just the two of us.”

A small, shy smile appeared on your lips as you thought about earlier and repeated yourself playfully, “We’re hanging out right now, aren’t we?”

“I guess,” he blinked in confusion, looking down at you and struggling to keep his composure. Your response was a bit of a let down since he hoped you had come back to see him and he should have known better. You would never take him seriously after his mess with Miyoung and he was always reaching for the stars thinking it could work out.

Plus, you’re too good for him. You always have been.

He can’t explain why, but he’s always felt a sense of ease with you, like everything was perfect. As shameful as it is to admit, Miyoung had reasons to be worried.

When they dated… well, it didn’t stop him from thinking about you from time to time. Miyoung was aware of it too and he looks back on it now and realizes how wrong he was then. It was wrong for him to think about you when he was never able to have you, and he will be much less now.

“Am I wrong? Is it not just the two of us now?” You asked, swallowing the lump in your throat and looking to the bathroom door which was closed some time ago.

“Y/n,” he said it softly but you could sense his warning tone, like you were going to get yourself in trouble. Jungkook wanted to believe you were aware of what this looked like yet he knew there was a chance you weren’t. He couldn’t just go for it.

He could not just go for it.

Not even if you looked up at him with a look in your eyes that said you might want him to…

He could be dreaming it up.

Would you want him to?

No. No way, you would never, that’s how this all started right? You wouldn’t want him the way he wanted you and you’ll go be with someone else while he beats himself up for another failed attempt. He’s not in college anymore, he can’t make the same mistakes.

You do not want him.

“Y/n,” he said with a sigh, “I think we should get out n—“

It was soft but sudden. One second he was giving up on everything he had been hoping for and was ready to go on once again without telling you how he really felt. The next, your lips were on his, barely giving him a chance to feel the tenderness of it before pulling away with a gasp.

“Jungkook,” you covered your mouth with your hand, “Oh my god. I’m s-sorry, I, that was not okay. I shouldn’t have done that.”

You were rambling, apologizing for doing it without asking him first but in all honesty, he couldn’t hear you anymore. There was a strange ringing in his ear that only seemed to stop when he grabbed your face in his hands, and pulled you into a real kiss.

To keep yourself from leaning back too far, you wrapped your arms around his neck and met him the rest of the way. You kissed him back with an equal sense of urgency that had his eyes falling shut and letting himself get lost in the moment. Your lips were soft against his own and his lip rings felt cold on your tongue the first couple times.

At one point you surprised him by nipping at his piercings with a soft tug and it had his hands tightening around your waist, using his strength to pull you onto the counter with ease. It made it easier to kiss you and he let the small sigh you let out guide his tongue between your lips. Your hands were in his dark hair, and you surprised him with the way you took lead of the kiss. It felt like he was melting into you and it was doing things to him.

“Y/n,” he mumbled softly, “I want you so bad.”

You pulled back from him with widened eyes. It was the first time you heard him sound that way and you knew he meant it. He looked at you with an intense gaze and it felt good to be looked at that way by him. You wanted him too, right? That’s why you came back. That's why you were so upset back then. Why can’t you have him now?

What was really stopping you?

Nothing.

The second time he kissed you, you didn’t hesitate from doing more and it had his mouth dropping when he felt your hand trace down his toned chest. He let that feeling motivate his hands to do the same to you and they ran along your sides till he could feel your front. His hands slipped under your top and found your chest, gently reaching to touch you as he kissed you with his tongue.

Your fingers trailed down his navel to the waistband of his jeans, tugging softly and teasingly that you felt the way he sucked in a shaky breath. When he didn’t pull away to tell you to stop, you took it as a sign to go a little farther and undo the button and zipper. Jungkook’s rough fingers caressed your breasts ever so softly but with an added pressure that made you let out a small sigh, especially when he ran his thumb over your nipples.

He released a light groan against your lips when you got more confident in your actions and slipped into the hem of his Calvin Klein’s. You barely touched his growing member but you felt it harden against you, the more attention you gave to it and it was all just exciting to you. His kisses were needy and his rough hands felt so good against your sensitive buds that you couldn’t hold yourself back. You wanted to make him feel good too and you could tell you were.

Jungkook helped you tug his jeans down enough for you to have more reign over him and you touched his bare dick so softly. The first touch was light and teasing, like you were still letting him get lost in the feeling before you actually did anything but it was soft that it made a tingle run down his spine. Goosebumps rose on his skin and blood ran straight to his cock making it easier for you softly palm him to full hardness.

You circled your fingers around his tip, softly running your thumb around the ring feeling him twitch with need and softly sliding down to his base.

His movement grew rougher, he was no longer softly caressing your breasts but more groping, never getting enough for the softness of them. When you began to stroke him gently, he found it hard to keep himself from digging his nails into your flesh to ground himself and it made a hand of his fall to your leg. His palm was wide and flat against your inner thigh, tracing his lips down your jaw and to your neck to try and distract himself from getting too lost into the feeling.

“Fuck,” he huffed, licking his dry lips as he began to slowly fuck into your closed fist, deaf to the sound of music just outside the bedroom you two were hiding in. The bathroom felt even smaller at this point yet he couldn’t bring himself to put a stop to it now. Especially not when your hand began to fuck his cock faster, with more vigor as he twitched in your hold making his nails dig into your thigh harshly.

Your skirt was scrunched up around your hips at this point and he could see the soft blue of your laced underwear and couldn’t stop himself anymore. He had grown too curious to have you and with his hand so close already, he let his thumb trace along your covered folds.

They were already sensitive at this point and his sudden touch made your insides tighten with arousal, your back straightened in surprise and a light moan left your lips. The sound snapped his attention away from his own pleasure and when he did it again, he swallowed your moan with his mouth on yours.

He couldn’t take thing slow anymore, especially not when his dick felt so close to the edge already and was trying not to cum all over your hand and so soon.

You were withering against him, squirming on the counter to feel more of his hand against your heat. Your fingers tightened in his hair when he reached under to the hem of your panties, pulling them down as far as he could. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he tugged them down your thighs. Jungkook pulled away from your lips with a slight groan as he brought his fingers to your lips. He pressed into your bottom lip watching close as you drew your mouth open and took them in. As you licked between two fingers, your hand’s stroking sped up with more pressure that had him pushing them deeper down your throat.

When he pulled them out there was an obvious line of drool connecting his fingertips to your lips and he brought his hand between your legs once more. The mixture between his rough fingers and the slick that now coated them made a tingle run down your spine when they ran along your folds. You pinched the fabric of his shirt as he circled your hardening clit with his middle finger while his index finger began to tease your sensitive labor.

He ran the longer finger down your slit, dipping into the puddle of arousal that formed at your center before using it to wet your clit and massage you gently.

You looked into his eyes as he finally pressed his middle finger into your waiting cunt, giving you a second to respond and he couldn’t help but let his lips slip open with heavy breaths. Your hand stopped its actions as you took in the feeling of him pulling out his finger before pushing it forward once more. Each time felt hotter than the last and it made him want to take things further. When he thought you adjusted enough, he teased the tip of his ring finger in with his middle one and kept a steady pace of thrusting.

At this point you began to stroke him again, rubbing against his mushroom tip where a thick vein was felt along the underside of it. Your hips had began to move with the motion of his hand and you were fucking his fingers into you while fucking his cock with a closed fist. The both of you were left speechless, unsure how long you had been locked away in the bathroom but not caring either.

You felt more impatient than him but you couldn’t help it. You can’t remember the last time you let someone else touch you and none felt quite like this. Jungkook seemed to know where to kiss, where to press or pay attention to and he never left a part of you untouched. Even now as he thrusted his fingers into you, his other hand was at your chest again, fingers pinching your nipple and tugging harshly but it brought little whines from your lips.

“Jungkook,” You were breathlessly calling for him and you’re sure that if your back wasn’t to the mirror, you would be able to see how desperate you looked to him. Your other hand was on his hips, pulling him forward in hopes of getting him to get the hint that you needed more, “Fuck me.”

“What?” He asked with heavy breaths, looking down at the way the tip of his cock pressed against your inner thigh now, “Really?”

“Please,” You found yourself begging, desperately begging for him to give you something and oh, how it worked.

His eyes rolled back at the soft sound of your begs and with a hand on your thigh, he pulled you harshly to the edge of the counter. He placed his hand over yours and stroked himself once, twice, to slick his member with your arousal and his own.

His cock was hot to the touch and pointed straight to your waiting entrance. He had made such a mess of you already that when he pressed his tip into your clit, it nearly slid down from how wet you are. You had to bite your lip to keep from whining too loud when he teased you with that repeated motion, wetting his tip more and feeling the way your walls tightened and released for him.

Your back was fully against the mirror now, legs open waiting for him and you were getting impatient. The anticipo had been building up for too long and you brought your hand between your legs. All it took was a soft push down for his cock to sink into your waiting pussy.

His jaw went slack at the sudden tightness of it, he hadn’t expected it to be so snug. His tip barely pushed against the ring of nerves and your facial expression matched his own when he kept going. He held your thighs open, guiding himself in with a deep breath.

“Fucking hell,” he growled lowly, hands trembling as he kept you open and ready to take him in. He looked up at your eyes, completely enamored by the way your features softened with pleasure. Your eyes were glazed over with obvious lust that made him want to just fuck you into oblivion.

“Oh my god,” your hand circled around his neck, pulling him into a sloppy wet kiss that left him biting your lip softly. He groaned against your lips as he picked up the pace of his thrusting, letting his cock drag against your puffy walls so that you could feel every juncture on his length. Your back was arched into him, your chest nearly pressed against his and he snuck his arm around your waist to pull you firmly against him.

“That’s it baby,” Jungkook groaned into your ear, gripping onto the counter with his free hand to fuck you better. You were on the edge of the sink and he bucked his hips up to reach that pleasure spot he had found with his fingers just moments ago and had you moaned loudly into his ear, “You sound pretty, tell me how it feels.”

“Feels good,” you whispered softly against his neck, lips teasing kisses against his skin that made the veins in his arms bulge, “Don’t stop, please.”

“Ngh, Y/n, beg for me,” Jungkook said with a deep voice filled with lust as he fucked you with all his strength. There were too many layers of clothing between you but neither of you seemed to have the time or energy to tear them off. You were both too focused on the pleasure that came from feeling his skin against yours.

Your legs tightened around his waist forcing more of his length into your sopping cunt and his fingers pinched your sides roughly. Without thinking, Jungkook lifted you off the counter. You clung to him as he stepped back and he needed a second to just feel the way your pussy tightened around his hard, thick cock. He wanted to dig into your guts and it was nasty how badly he wanted to have you cum all over him.

It was so unexpected because you always came off as a quiet, reserved person but here you were letting him tear you in two with his fat dick. Jungkook used his strength to push you against the door, letting you drop onto his length before backing his hips up and pistoning them back into you.

“Fuck, I can’t,” your legs tightened around him with your face digging into his neck, “Jungkook, baby, I can’t.”

“You can,” He whispered, pressing you firmly into the wall, “Come on baby, take it.”

“Too much,” You whined, squeezing your eyes shut as he picked up the pace and you searched around for something to hold. Your hand tightened around the doorknob, trying to anchor yourself as he fucked you so good you could barely focus on anything but the pleasure, “I’m so close.”

Jungkook’s hand held you firmly by the waist while the other cupped your ass, groping you harshly as he fucked you onto his length trying to make you cum, “Cum baby, for me. Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you moaned, “Kiss me, please?”

He didn’t hesitate to do so, kissing you with tongue as you clung to him, moaning into his ear and shaking slightly. His knees buckled tightly to hold you up and just as he gave one final thrust to the hilt, he felt your orgasm hit you.

Your walls tightened around him, nearly bringing him to his own orgasm before feeling his tip get flooded with your release. His thighs shook with the pressure of it and he felt his strength leaving him. His abdomen grew tense and he pushed you back to the counter where you let your head fall back with pleasure. You swallowed dryly, panting heavily, “Oh my god.”

You were sweaty, tired and overall unsure what to think but your mind hadn’t cleared yet. All you could focus on was the way Jungkook’s dick throbbed painfully hard when he pulled out of you with a slight pop. You eyed his red member, slightly hypnotized by how pretty it looked and you dropped to your knees wordlessly.

Jungkook watched you slip down on your knees in front of him and it took him a moment to process what was going on. He was hard, so fucking hard he couldn’t think straight and it wasn’t until your hands held his thighs, eyeing his cock hungrily did he realize what you wanted to do. He brought a hand fo attempt and gently brush your hair back, “Y/n, baby, you don’t have t—oh fuck.”

His jaw went slack when your hands circled his base, your lips on his tip and taking him down your throat suddenly. Your nose brushed against the base of his cock, eyes watering as you tried relaxing your throat around him and he nearly stumbled back with surprise, “Y/n.”

You ignored his call of your name, and began to bob your head against his length, your tongue licking along the thick vein you discovered earlier and feeling his hands sink into your hair to guide you, “That’s it, fuck.”

Jungkook looked at his reflection in the mirror, turned on by the way your head was seen bobbing against his length and his body was overheating so much he had to pull his shirt over his toned chest to cool down. It gave him a perfect view of the way his cock disappeared between your lips.

The thought of having you like this hadn’t dawned on him yet but now he couldn’t forget it. The memory would always be ingrained in his mind and although he doesn’t know if he’ll never get a chance to do this again, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

You gradually began to pick up the pace, using your hands to hold closed fists around his cock to help stroke what didn’t fit in your mouth. You swallowed and bobbed around his dick hungrily, moaning around him and hollowing your cheeks when you would pull your head back until only his tip was between your lips.

As ashamed as he was to admit it, he wasn’t going to be able to hold himself back anymore. Still wanting to warn you, he tried to guide your head off him, “I’m close.”

All it did was push you to take him deeper, stopping when he hit the back of your throat and sucked. Jungkook’s eyes squeezed shut with a loud growl as his orgasm hit him harder than it had in a very long time.

You coughed as his cum sprayed down your throat, thick and creamy with a bittersweet taste that you tried to lick up. You would’ve cleaned him off fully despite his legs shaking but he pulled you off. He pulled his softening dick out of your wet mouth with a huff, panting heavily as he looked down at you.

“Y/n,” his voice was dry, pulling you up to your feet, “That was…”

He couldn’t even get the words out as he watched you lick the corner of your lips and without thinking about it, he pulled you into a heated kiss. You kissed him back with need, moaning against him as his tongue circled around yours hungrily, not caring for the way he tased on you. You only broke away to catch your breath, realization dawning at you as you looked at his messy appearance that surely mirrored yours.

You sat against the counter for a moment, attempting to catch your breath as Jungkook did the same. The two of you were silently readjusting your clothes again and you needed just a moment to yourself. He looked at you, buttoning his jeans back up, “Is everything… okay?”

“Yeah, um, can I just get a minute,” You said with a hoarse voice trying to pretend like you couldn’t see the way his shoulders slumped down. With a short nod of his head, he left the bathroom to let you wash up and for a moment you just looked at yourself in the mirror.

Your reflection looked different, maybe because what you had just done was so out of character and with your best friend’s ex but… why did it feel right?

Jungkook wondered what would happen now, if you expected him to leave the room or wait for you but he wanted to be with you. He didn’t want to walk out and think that because he got something he’s been wanting for years now, he’ll just leave. He knows the others are looking for him, mostly because he’s gotten a few texts now asking where he’s at but he can’t bring it in himself to care. When you opened the bathroom door into the dark room, he looked like a deer caught in headlights, rushing to his feet, “Are you sure everything is fine?”

“Yeah, yes,” you nodded stiffly, “If you want to go out there with everyone else that’s fine. I won’t be upset or anything.”

“Well, I was kind of wondering if you wanted to come back to mine?”

The first thing you noticed the following morning aside from the sun shining down on your face was the heavy arm across your waist. It made your eyes flutter awake with a small huff leaving your lips as you attempted to stretch your limbs but it tightened around you, securing you closer to Jungkook’s naked chest.

“Morning,” he mumbled sleepily into your hair as he hugged you closer.

“What time is it?” You asked awkwardly, trying to sit up making his arm slide to your hips instead. You reached for your cell phone, eyes widening by the number of text messages.

miyoung: bye I was drunkkkkkk 😳

miyoung: did I 🤮 at all?

miyoung: r u alive

miyoung: helloooooooo

A quiet sigh escaped your lips as you read it over. Either she couldn’t remember how upset she was in the car or she’s going to pretend like nothing at all happened.

God, what did you do?

“Y/n,” Jungkook grumbled tiredly, “Lay back down.”

“I should go,” You bit your lip nervously. If Miyoung forgot what happened last night then maybe she forgot about Jungkook asking you and won’t know you… slept with him. Fuck, were you a bad friend?

He dated your best friend and dumped her out of the blue making it obvious he wanted nothing to do with her and here you are letting him fuck you in the bathroom. What did that make you? You had a poor lapse of judgment last night, you acted out of character and hadn’t been behaving like yourself at all.

“Why?” He sat up suddenly, “You don’t work today, right? Why don’t we go grab breakfast—well, brunch.”

You looked down at him, unable to stop yourself from taking in his appearance. He had bed hair, no shirt on and his blanket draped over his waist. He failed to take off his jewelry last night so he still wears silver chain necklaces around his neck and leather bracelets. You couldn’t possibly spend time with him still. It wasn’t right, right?

Just as you were ready to give him your answer, your phone began to vibrate with an incoming call. You looked down at the screen and a picture of you and Miyoung displayed on the screen that had Jungkook huffing quietly and laying back down, close to giving up.

In all honesty, you weren’t in the mood to talk to her. It still bothered you by how harsh she was last night but there’s a chance she doesn’t even remember and… “Hello?”

“Tell me why I have a raging headache when I barely drank last night?” Miyoung said immediately once the call went through, “It’s your fault y’know for upsetting me.”

You couldn’t see her but she was walking on a treadmill in her apartment acting like everything was completely normal. Jungkook didn’t care for your conversation either but he was focused on the way you looked first thing in the morning.

You looked cute, undeniably cute with circles under your eyes and a disheveled appearance. You wore an oversized shirt of his so you wouldn’t have to sleep in such uncomfortable clothes and he loved it. You looked good in his clothes.

Without thinking, he sat up and pressed his lips to yours in a short and surprising kiss. You flinched back with confusion, nearly dropping your phone in the process but he backed away with a small smile. You tried to glare at him but you couldn’t stop from smiling and it annoyed you when he placed a gentle kiss against your neck that made you feel flustered. You almost forgot you were on the phone when he leaned in for a kiss again and one you would surely grant.

“But I forgive you,” Miyoung said suddenly.

“What?”

“I forgive you, I’m over it,” Miyoung said with a shrug you couldn’t see, “Our friendship means more to me than Jungkook and I know you would never do anything that you know would upset me so… it’s whatever. In the past.”

“Wait,” You held up a hand to Jungkook as you said it to the both of them, “When did I apologize?”

He stopped immediately, looking at you with concern as Miyoung went on, “I mean, we both know you were going to. I’m just letting you know it’s alright.”

“No, Miyoung, I wasn’t going to,” you couldn’t help but scoff, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Technically.

Jungkook raised his brows, surprised by your tone and a little turned on? Was that okay to say?

“I didn’t mean it like that, but you know… you were flirting with the guy who dumped me,” Miyoung said, “It’s fine, whatever, you want to flirt with Jungkook, I don’t care anymore I just thought I meant more to you as a friend.”

You didn’t say anything for a moment as you looked down at Jungkook who couldn’t seem to go more than a minute without attention. He had your free hand in his measuring your size difference and you released a sigh, “You know what, I’m kind of busy right now so I’ll call you later.”

Miyoung wasn’t able to get a word in before you ended the call, turning your attention to Jungkook, “You’re getting me in trouble, sir.”

“I’m terribly sorry,” he said, biting back a grin, “How should I make it up to you? Brunch?”

“You’re still thinking about that?” You asked with a slight laugh.

It was strange trying not to let your best friend’s feelings bring you down too.

“I’m hungry,” Jungkook said, hand on his toned stomach for detail.

“I don’t have clothes or, I don’t know, a toothbrush,” you couldn’t help but sound sarcastic, falling back on the bed with an arm on his chest.

“Don’t worry, I got you.”

In the end you caved to his incessant begging and found yourself dressed as casual as ever with an oversized tee and the skirt you wore last night clashing horribly. The only thing that had you regretting it was what stood [parked] in front of you.

“You’re not serious, are you?” You asked as you watched him walk up to you with a helmet in his hands, “I can’t get on that.”

“You can,” Jungkook said, putting it over your head, “I’m a very safe driver.”

“What about your car?” You asked nervously as he buckled[?] you into the head gear, “Can’t we just go in that.”

“We can but that won’t impress you,” Jungkook snorted a laugh as he got his own helmet on, “Come on Y/n, I won’t kill you, don’t worry.”

With a small sigh you nodded, letting him lead you to the bike and he swung a leg over to straddle it and patted the seat right behind him. Frankly, you didn’t care that you were in a skirt. You know that there’s an appropriate way for people in skirts to straddle something but you cared more about living so you straddled it the way he did. Jungkook couldn’t help but smile as he felt the softer touch of your hands on his waist and without saying a word, he pulled you into him suddenly. Your chest was pressed to his back and your arms snug around his waist.

“Atta girl, no time to be shy now,” he chuckled, feeling you smack his arm playfully.

If he were being honest, he liked this side of you. He’s never seen it before and it was breathtaking and enjoyable. Before when you were just classmates you were still stand offish from him and the only night he got you to open up was the first time he ran into you and met Miyoung. It was short lived and once he dated her, he rarely got to see you alone.

When he got back, you would barely even look at him yet whatever spurred last night’s events seemed to open up new possibilities for you two. You haven’t talked about what happened but he’s expecting it almost excitedly.

Jungkook’s hand ran up your thighs, securing you to him as he started up the motorcycle, feeling the smoothness of your leg and teasing the end of your skirt with a small tug, “Ready?”

He felt you squeeze harder before taking off.

The cafe was small and filled with warmth making this feel oddly close to a date… which is probably because it was? You’re still not sure how to take it.

“Did I really get you in trouble?” Jungkook asked as he cut his breakfast sandwich in half before doing the same with yours. When you looked at him he looked concerned by the notion. You didn’t have to ask to know what he was referring to and you couldn’t help but sigh, “Not really, sorry, it was more my fault than any—“

“Why though?” Jungkook cut you off, “Why is it always your fault? You can’t talk to me now?”

“You know we didn’t just talk,” you bit your lip nervously. You couldn’t meet his gaze and he didn’t like that.

He huffed in annoyance, “But she doesn’t know, or does she? I mean, what does it matter?”

“You dated. She’s my best friend and it bothers her, I already feel guilty for what happened last night—not that I regret it, don’t get me wrong but… well, it’s just confusing and it upsets her,” You rambled, still defending Miyoung even when she was slowly getting under your skin.

“We dated so long ago, it was such a short fling,” Jungkook said with a laugh as he went back to eating, “And she dumped me so why does it matter if you and I get together?”

“I don’t know, I just… she’s my best frie—wait, what did you say?” You met his stare suddenly making him set down his coffee cup to answer.

“She dumped me so why can’t you and I…” he stopped. Did you mean for him to repeat the part about being with you? Did you want him to say it again, maybe use the right words this time?

Why is he saying Miyoung dumped him? You remember the day exactly.

Miyoung called you while you were studying in the library late one night, not fully in tears but clearly under duress and she couldn’t stop herself from letting her emotions get to her. She went on to tell you how Jungkook dumped her suddenly over a phone call because he wasn’t interested anymore and was just using her or something.

You remember because you left the library to go comfort her and you almost ran into him on campus and he wouldn’t even look you in the eye…

He dumped her because he got bored, that’s why she asked you to stop talking to him. He was just like every other guy according to her and you owed her the promise to avoid him. It was you who introduced them anyway and…

Why is it that any guy you’ve ever thought you’ve liked would fall for her instead, only to dump her and in return make her ask you to not speak to them again?

Jungkook wasn’t the first so when she asked you to avoid him, it bothered you a little but you soon got over it and did as told.

You always do as told without questioning it.

“You broke up with her.”

He chuckled, shaking his head no, “I was going to but she beat me to it. I don’t know how honest you want me to be this early in the day.”

“Tell me,” you urged him on.

“I wanted to break up with her but I had this sick feeling that I wasn’t going to be able to talk to you as much anymore or it would be awkward so I stuck it out,” Jungkook said it with a shrug, “But then she dumped me and suddenly you won’t even look at me so it was worse for me, I guess.”

Your eyebrows stitched together with confusion, “What are you saying? Why did you care if I talked to you or not? You went for Miyoung the second you met her—“

“That’s not true, actually,” Jungkook confessed, deciding if you wanted honesty he would give it even if it embarrassed him, “I wanted you.”

“And when I met her, I was obviously there at the bar trying to talk to you but she kept butting in and next thing I know, you were off talking to Yoongi and ignoring me,” Jungkook went on, “To be honest, I was kind of insecure back then, like really insecure and I was trying to get you to notice me but everytime someone would cu—“

“Jungkook, stop, I just… no, you did not like me, you dated Miyoung,” You cut him off, fidgeting in your seat anxiously, “It’s fine, it’s in the past.”

“No it’s not fine and I asked how honest you wanted me to be and you told me to tell you so I’m going to,” Jungkook said more seriously, “I was insecure, alright? I had just moved to the city and I shared class with this pretty, incredibly smart girl who would barely give me any time of day. Honestly it was kind of depressing, I was kinda depressed at the time and I needed a boost to talk to you so I asked Miyoung and… she said you were into someone else so I was pretty bummed out. Then she’s kind of just everywhere and she actually tries to talk to me so when she asks me out, I say yes but I realize I still have to see you.”

“And I liked being around you even though I probably shouldn’t have because technically I was dating her at this point and I realized that I practically screwed up whatever chance I might have had with you,” Jungkook couldn’t stop himself anymore. He was saying whatever was on his mind, barely giving you time to process any of it before continuing, “Yes, I know it’s fucked up because whenever I thought it might work and I might catch real feelings for her, you would came around and they just went out the window. So it was getting harder and harder to keep pretending and I wanted to break up with her but I was worried you wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”

“She beat me to it and dumped me because she was bored and I was relieved, honestly, but then I see you on campus and you can’t even look at me anymore,” Jungkook cleared his throat, “Then life went on, I moved away, moved back, ran into you again and…”

“And what?” You asked breathlessly, lips dry and completely frozen in your seat.

He looked at you warmly, “I found you, everything just came back and I knew I didn’t want to lose you a second time. I wanted to ask you out the first night at the bar but you didn’t even want to talk to me so I tried again last night and you were so ready to blow me off when Miyoung came along. I don’t know what made you come back to the party and I don’t want you thinking I’m some sleazy guy who acts like that with just anyone. I was just… it was unexpected and I had been waiting years for something to happen between us.”

Suddenly, this didn’t feel like an easy brunch inside a warm and cozy cafe anymore. In all honesty, it felt a little suffocating now and you don’t know how to explain it, but you didn’t want to be here. So much has just been thrown at you and you don’t think you can handle it all.

What did he mean that he liked you first?

Why had Miyoung told him you were into someone else? You learned to stop sharing who you liked with her so long ago and had never once told her anything like that in school. Why couldn’t she just have asked you? Why did she ask him out after he made it known he wanted you?

You don’t care that he said yes, that really was in the past for you. Now you’re more focused on why someone who was supposed to be your best friend would act so sneaky? What did she gain from it?

Why did she lie and say he dumped her? Was it just so she can paint him as a villain and make you not want to talk to him anymore? Why would she do that?

“Y/n?” He called your name waiting for you to respond to him but you just sat there stunned, “I’m sorry, I know I was a piece of shit for dating her when I wanted you bu—Y/n.”

Your mind is filled with questions that you couldn’t answer and it was overwhelming. The cafe felt suddenly overwhelming and you just had to get out of there, so you did.

“Earth to Y/n, I don’t know how long you plan on ignoring the world but I know you’re not too busy with work to ignore your friends.”

Tacky, Taehyung was so very tacky leaving a concerning voicemail. Who left voicemails these days?

And he was being dramatic, he’s acting like you’ve fallen off the face of the Earth but that’s not true. You’ve just been holed up at either the office or your home for the past week, avoiding any call or text from anyone so you could be alone with your thoughts.

Alright it’s been over a week, almost two and maybe it is a little concerning but you’re telling yourself you’re just being dramatic.

“Y/n you better open the door before I break it down,” Taehyung’s muffled voice boomed from the other side of your front door and you begrudgingly went to let him in.

“Relax, I’m not dead,” You muttered under your breath as you let him in.

“Damn near!” Taehyung said loudly as he let himself through the door, “What is up with you? You haven’t responded to any text I was beginning to get worried.”

“Sorry,” you mumbled as you flopped down onto your couch, “I’ve just been tired.”

“Too tired to answer the phone?” Taehyung asked sitting down next to you, “Miyoung, I get. Ignore her all you want but me? What did I ever do to you? What’s up with you? I haven’t talked to you since the party. Did something happen?”

With a small sigh, you let your head rest against the back of the couch, “I slept with Jungkook.”

“Really?” Taehyung seemed genuinely surprised, “So fallout with Miyoung I’m assuming? Look, I personally don’t get why you try to make her happy but she’ll get over it. Did you like it? Like him?”

“Yes, I don’t know, I’m confused, I don’t know what to believe anymore,” you admitted, “And I feel so dumb because this shouldn’t be a big deal.”

“Alright well I need you to rewind and explain things better so my pea brain can handle it,” Taehyung made himself comfortable, “You’ve gone Ghost for over a week, I want to know why. Was it because of Jungkook? Miyoung? If you think sleeping with him makes you a bad friend the—“

“She’s a liar,” you cut in, “And it shouldn’t bother me so much because she’s my best friend but that’s why it bothers me, Tae. I’ve known her for so long, and I’ve always tried to be a good friend to her but it was never enough. So I tried harder and harder because who else would be there for me like her but… now that I’m looking back on it, I don’t think she’s ever cared about me as much as I care about her and it sucks, honestly.”

Taehyung wanted to tell you so many people cared about you but he wanted you to say whatever you needed to say first.

“You know what Jungkook said? He said Miyoung knew he apparently liked me before and still asked him out—and lied about how I felt about him,” You said, “And okay, why would I fight over a guy with my best friend but now that I’m thinking about it… it’s fucked up right? She lied that he dumped her and begged me to avoid him. You saw how she acted the other night just because he talked to me. What was that about?”

You weren’t going to go into full detail about the past because you owed Jungkook enough to not tell Taehyung about everything he said but he needed context.

“And I know it’s in the past so I should just move on but I can’t,” You admitted, “I still like him but if I… I get with him Miyoung would never let me forget that she dated him first, even if he liked me. It’s just all so confusing and overwhelming and it sucks that I’m letting it get to me like this but… it’s not fair.”

Once again, Taehyung didn’t say anything but he could tell you were feeling emotional by the way your voice began to shake.

“I like him, and not in the way I liked him before but I like this new him too, and it’s not fair that even if she lied or even if she snaps at me about shit that doesn’t matter, I will still feel guilty,” You finished.

“Y/n,” Taehyung cleared his throat, “Obviously I don’t know everything that happened back then but… I think that if you feel for him what he feels for you, it shouldn’t matter what she says. And honestly, I just… I wish you could see that there are so many people who care about you so much and you don’t have to put up with being belittled by someone who is supposed to be your best friend just because you have history. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the past, if it’s upsetting you now then clearly it still matters so don’t try to downplay your emotions.”

“But she’s my best friend,” your lip quivered.

“Then what am I?” He forced his lip to quiver as well.

“You’re my best friend too,” you sniffled.

Taehyung mimicked your expression, “Then as your best friend, I’m telling you to stop trying to make excuses for people who don’t treat you right—and go fix it with this guy.”

“Bu—“

“Y/n, I know you,” Taehyung sighed, “And I know that you’re not going to do anything if you think it upsets her but she doesn’t deserve a friend like you. You deserve to go be with whoever you want. I don’t care about what she says and at this point neither should you. I know that right now it’s confusing and you’re overwhelmed but if you’ve been ignoring me you’ve been ignoring him—I hope because if it’s just me that’s cold—and if the girl I had feelings for ghosted me… I’d be hurt.”

Jungkook was not hurt. He was… y'know, perfectly fine and that’s what he kept telling himself. It’s not like you made any real sign of feeling something for him too after hooking up and maybe that had just been a casual, one time thing. He can handle that, he’s grown.

Sure, he sort of spilled his damn heart out to you just for you to storm off on him and not reach out to him in days but he’s not bothered by it at all. That’s why when his two closest friends called Saturday night asking him to go clubbing… he said yes.

It was a chance to possibly let it go, forget it even, but it wasn’t easy. He was aware that he was possibly reading too into what happened the other night but could you blame him? You’re suddenly all about him and spend the night at his place where you wake up in his arms before going out to eat. It was like the perfect set up for a what if yet it went all wrong. Clearly it was his fault for being hopeful.

“So who else did you say is meeting us here?” Jungkook asked Hoseok for confirmation as he passed him a drink. The music played loudly in his eardrums that it was borderline painful and he wanted to leave more than anything but there was that stupid what if in his head.

“Jimin’s joining later on and so is Namjoon and his girl,” Hoseok said as he made sure everyone else had what they ordered, “Oh, and Y/n too, I think.”

“Y/n?” Jungkook tried clarifying. Hoseok smiled, “I know, it’s weird, Y/n seriously rarely comes out but all of a sudden she’s starting to more. I mean, lately she has, probably since around the time you got back?”

Jungkook let his friend go off to do whatever he wanted while he stood there seemingly frozen. Tonight would be the first time in days that he sees you—talks to you—and he’s not sure how to handle it. There’s nothing he can do about it either because he hasn’t confided in anyone yet but it’s painfully obvious that he’s waiting for you.

Yoongi noticed first, like he usually did, and tried talking to him, “What’s up with you? You’ve been antsy since the party, will you finally tell me where you ran off to?”

“Yeah man, don’t think we didn’t notice when you disappeared,” Jin said with a slight wink, “We just want to know with who.”

“Y/n.”

He could see you from the corner of his eye when you joined them at a table they had found. You came with Jimin by your side and a shy smile on your face. He assumed it was Hoseok who had screamed your name considering how he hogged your attention with a huge grin and Jungkook felt nervous all of a sudden.

As embarrassing as it was, Jungkook had nearly forgotten what he was asked until he looked back at Yoongi and Jin who looked at him expectantly. A nervous laugh escaped his lips as he shrugged, “Did you guys miss me too much?”

“Sneaky guy, don’t change the subject,” Jin laughed before letting Jungkook shift his attention back to you, making it painfully obvious where he was focused.

You felt a little nervous to be out tonight but after what you had talked about with Taehyung, you knew he was right. You acted strange with Jungkook after he opened up his side of things to you and it was plain wrong. Part of you isn’t even sure if he’s actually interested or not since he didn’t reach out to you this week and it made you wonder if he was really upset.

And if he was, would that mean that he didn’t want to speak to you?

“I need a drink,” you mumbled to yourself more than to the others but it made a good excuse to at least try. You looked at Jungkook for the first time since you got there and cleared your throat to awkwardly ask, “Jungkook, do you mind going with me?”

“Get me another, will ya?” Yoongi asked with a sudden wink that made Jungkook do a double take. Was he winking over the drink or him leaving with you?

He nodded his head in response and without question followed you to the bar once more. The bar was packed from all sides and Jungkook had to fight his way to the counter working as a barrier from people pushing at you. If he were to be honest, he wanted to skip the questions and get close to you again but he had to stay strong. He needed answers, right?

“Are we good?” Was the only thing he could think to ask.

You looked at him warmly, sitting down on the stool at the counter with him standing close to you, his hand itching to reach for you. Your lip caught between your teeth as you nodded, “Are we?”

For some reason he didn’t expect to be asked that back. It made him wonder if he thought you were. It was undeniably embarrassing to have you walk out on him like that after he thought it had been going good but did that mean he was truly upset with you?

“Yeah,” he nodded stiffly, blinking nervously and looking to the bartender who noticed them a while ago but had to attend to earlier customers first, “But uh, I guess I am just a little confused by it all. Did I do something to upset you? Was it what I said?”

“No, no, I’m sorry, it wasn’t you,” You blurted out, “It was me, I wasn’t thinking straight and I feel really bad about leaving like that.”

“Then why didn’t you just call or even text me?” Jungkook asked honestly, “I… I think that’s what bothered me the most.”

You looked down at your hands, “I'm sorry. I didn’t talk to anyone, seriously, and I did think about reaching out to you but I don’t know, I’m really bad at explaining things.”

“Well can you try? I know it was sudden but I thought it had been going good,” Jungkook said and the longer he tried getting to the bottom of this, the more annoyed he felt that you couldn’t just say it, “I think I’ve made it clear now how I feel about you and all I’m asking is for you to do the same.”

“I—yes,” you stumbled over your words, “I mean, I’m trying to be clear now but I’m doing a shit job at it. I did have a good time with you but it was honestly, really out of character for me to yknow… and then the whole Miyoung thing and I’m sorry but it was just a lot all at once. It’s definitely not fair to you that I acted that way, but I do have feelings for you.”

He let out a sigh, feeling unsure how to take it and stuck between wanting to smile in relief and wanting to be upset. You didn’t text him, nothing. How is that fair? He wanted to reach out to you but after the way you left he thought he would just make it worse if he kept bothering you. The bartender finally got to you two and he let you speak first as he tried gathering his thoughts a little more.

“But what does this mean?” Jungkook asked now, “I want you and you want me, right? So, what does this mean Y/n because right now I’m still confused by it all. If it’s because of Miyoung then—“

“No, it’s not, honestly,” You said, reaching for him, pinching the bottom of his shirt between your fingers to pull him toward you, “I don't care what she thinks anymore, I like you and I should have just said that from the beginning.”

The pull was harsh and had him looking down with his lips slightly parted in surprise, “Y/n, you’re not being fair.”

You knew it. You knew you probably ruined your chance now and coming to see him had just been a waste. You nearly let go of him when he continued, “You can’t ignore me and walk out on me and then just tell me you want me too, expecting everything to be fine.”

He had to be tough. He can’t just let it go even though you’re saying everything he wants to hear.

“You’re right, I���m sorry,” you said with a slight frown, “I can leave if you want me to.”

“Ugh,” he groaned, unable to help himself anymore as he closed the distance between you two. He circled an arm around you and pulled you into a hug, “Why would I want you to leave when I’ve been waiting for you to get here?”

“What?” You asked, hands finding his waist as he held you, “I thought you were mad.”

“I was,” Jungkook said, “So you don’t know how annoyed I am with myself right now. All it takes is for you to sweet talk me a bit and give me those eyes of yours for me to fold, that’s embarrassing.”

“Jungkook,” you said, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have walked out like that. I should have texted you and if you want to be mad, I get it. If you want to think it over an—“

“And what if I don’t?” He asked looking down at your pouty lips and glossy eyes, “What if I just want to let it go and be with you without any more problems? Can I do that?”

His tone was surprisingly firm and you couldn’t do anything but nod, “Okay.”

It didn’t change the fact that you still felt bad because it seemed like you were being let off the hook easily but what else could you do? Jungkook really did seem ready to move past it and that’s why you came here in the first place. You just hadn’t expected it to be so easy and it made you feel bad.

When your drinks were ready, you opened up a tab despite his protests to just put it on his and the two of you got back to the group like nothing had happened. There was still a lot that needed to be talked about before you told anyone about what happened but it’s not like they were all oblivious.

Jimin, for instance, had been keeping an eye on you two at the bar since you left and had seen the majority of your conversation but he didn’t bring it up. Instead he watched silently for your little glances in each other’s direction and shy smiles. It was obvious to Yoongi too that Jungkook was in a much better mood now than earlier and it wasn’t hard for him to figure out why.

Perhaps for the same reason you had suddenly started joining them more often, being more comfortable too.

It had been a slow start for the two of you after the night at the club. Neither one of you seemed to want to rush into things but at times there was a strong pull. Tonight was going to be your first official date but you were keeping that information to your friends until you figure out if this works or not.

Jungkook picked you up from your apartment and drove to a nice restaurant where the two of you sat for dinner. He was very attentive to you, making sure your glass was always full and all your needs met and it was a surprisingly good feeling to be taken care of this way. You’ve dated in the past but you can’t say you’ve always chosen the right ones. You had a tendency to lean toward the ones who were overly forward with you because in your mind there was no doubt they liked you.

At first it would be nice but then you would realize that it was more of a conquering feeling to them than actually wanting to be with you and you would be left heartbroken. That’s part of why you rarely put yourself out there.

Jungkook is different though, he always has been. When you first met him he was forward but aloof. You never expected him to actually like you because you couldn’t see the signs clearly and the way things turned out it just never worked. Now that he’s been back he’s almost like an entirely different person in the sense that he’s ready to go for what he wants and it’s sort of admirable.

If you had been able to do that back then maybe you would have had him sooner but there was no point in dwelling in the past. He was here now and so were you. Honestly, knowing that there's something that’s been brewing between you two for a long time made it easier to feel confident around him.

“Why are you so pretty?” Jungkook couldn’t help but ask even if his mouth was full. He was trying not to smile too as he said that.

“Oh my god,” You felt your face heat up, tempted to hide behind your hand. It took you a moment to think of a response and it was surprising for the both of you to hear you say, “Why are you?”

Jungkook cleared his throat awkwardly in hopes of not seeming too affected by your words. It didn’t work and he broke out into a grin, “I wasn’t expecting that.”

Dinner was filled with small flirting here and there. It’s crazy how well you and him seemed to get along when you stopped worry about other things. He made you smile, really smile and you made him feel giddy whenever he talked to you. He wanted to spend his night with you and nobody else.

“Are we going to meet with everyone else after this?” You asked as he pulled your chair out for you and you got up from the table. After some back and forth arguing, he eventually took care of the bill despite your protests and the night felt near its finish much to your disappointment.

It was the weekend and you’ve been trying to go out with your friends more and they had asked to meet up later—but both you and Jungkook had to tell them maybe.

“Do we have to?” He asked, taking your bag in one hand and holding yours with the other, “You think they’ll get a little suspicious if we’re both gone?”

You walked with him across the restaurant toward the entrance. You weren’t paying much attention to the people you passed, “I’m sure they know.”

Your response surprised him a bit and he couldn’t help but ask, “Really? Has it been that obvious?”

“Yeah, Jimin called me out on it the other night,” you shrugged, reaching for your bag to look for chapstick while he led you to the front. You couldn’t meet his eyes because you sensed where this was going.

“What’d he say?” Jungkook asked slowing his pace for you.

You blinked nervously, distracting yourself with your lipbalm as you tried sounding casual, “He asked why we were being so sneaky at the bar.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened slightly, opening the door for you as he said, “Damn, what did you say?”

“I said because we’re together.”

You tried being slick about it and slide past him without much attention but it was useless. He stood in front of you with a smile on his face, “Oh, we are? I don’t remember you clarifying that. Can you remind me when you asked me to be your man?”

“Oh god, don’t act like that,” you whined shyly.

“I’m sorry baby, I gotta hear you say it with your own words. What’d you tell him?” Jungkook blocked your path, hands finding your waist and keeping you from running. He liked making you flustered and you had no idea how you left him with a racing heart.

You pouted, looking at him seriously, “Jungkook.”

The two of you stood outside the restaurant looking like a playful couple that maybe had one too many drinks but it was all Jungkook’s fault. He wouldn’t let it go to rest and even had the nerve to smirk as he teasingly said, “That’s not how you say ‘Boyfriend’.”

“You’re ridiculous, we talked about this,” you said, focused on his chest to hide your embarrassment.

Jungkook just grinned mischievously, “What did you tell him?”

“I said you were my boyfriend,” you mumbled into his chest.

“Your what?” He asked trying to step back and get a good look at your face, “Come on baby, don’t get shy on me now.”

You whined, “Jung—“

“Your what?” He was laughing now, not caring for whoever might pass them and stare because he felt good. Too good to be affected by a stranger’s judgement.

“My boyfriend,” you sighed with embarrassment, “You heard me the first time, goof.”

“That’s what I thought, alright, you ready to go?” He asked with a chuckled as he took your hand in his ready to walk with you to the car.

“Y/n?”

You both stopped in your step, wondering if it really was your name you had heard. You looked back toward the rest, eyes threatening to widen with surprise as you looked at the person who stood at the entrance. She was with a group of people all headed inside but when she saw you, she stopped.

“Miyoung, hey,” You cleared your throat awkwardly, your demeanor changing completely.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” She asked as her eyes trailed behind you where Jungkook was looking at you with worry and confusion. He wanted to make sure everything would be alright, knowing how Miyoung would react. He didn’t want your good night to be ruined over something petty.

“What do you mean? I’m uh, I was just having dinner,” you said stiffly, looking back at Jungkook which proved to be a mistake because it seemed to solidify his presence to her.

“With jungkook?” She asked with a snappy tone. Miyoung shooed away her friends, telling them to go in without her as she approached you.

“Yeah.”

“Why?” Her brow arched with amusement, clearly ticked off and in disbelief by what she saw before her. Like usual, the situation seemed much worse than it really was.

It was time for you to be up front. What’s the point in putting yourself out there and letting yourself open up to him if you wouldn’t have the courage to make it known? You swallowed dryly, “Because we’re… dating.”

Jungkook had stepped back from the situation, not wanting to worsen it so he stood off by a light post not too far for a smoke break. He tried distracting himself with lighting his cigarette but he couldn’t help but freeze up when you said that. It brought a shy smile to his face as he waited for you to finish.

“No, you’re not,” Miyoung scoffed looking back at Jungkook as if betrayed by him too. You blinked with confusion, what did she mean you’re not? Did she expect you to be joking or back down? “We are.”

Miyoung stood in front of you now, slightly taller, “Y/n, you’ve been ignoring me for weeks and now you’re saying you’re dating my ex boyfriend? What kind of friend are you?”

This time it was you who scoffed lightly, looking away from her to try and process what you would say but you had spent too much time already trying to think it over, “The thing is, um, I’ve been kind of wondering the same about you.”

“Me?” She looked down at you genuinely taken back, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

You swallowed the lump that formed in your throat and tried to gather the courage to just say it. You could feel Jungkook around, listening but giving you space and it was like a push start for you to say what was really on your mind, “I’m just tired of feeling like I’m the only one who puts effort into being friends and I don’t see the point in always fighting. We’re not together, we don’t have to be friends if it always has to be some sort of argument. It’s getting tiring at this point and I think maybe it’s best we just distance ourselves from each other.”

“You’re kidding, right? I’m like the only person who really cares about you, Y/n. Don’t act stupid.”

Although that made Jungkook want to intervene and tell her how very wrong she was, he didn’t. He didn’t want to speak for you. He knew you could speak for yourself and he should let you, even if he was itching to cut in.

“No, I don’t think you are. I know you think you are so you always tell me you are, but you’re not. People like me for me and not just because I’m friends with you,” you said coldly and your tone was definitive it left her speechless. It had to be one of the first times you were ever remotely close to snappy with her and she didn’t expect it.

“I know it’s hard for you to think of me as my own person but I don’t have to do what you want,” You said, “And I think you only boss me around and act sneaky behind my back because you’re threatened by me.”

She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. What you said left her rendered quiet. You waited too, waited to see if she would tell you to stand down but she didn’t and you didn’t give her time too, “ But I think I should go, I don’t want to bother your dinner any longer—and uh, maybe we just shouldn’t contact each other anymore.”

Jungkook had forgotten about his smoke break, jaw nearly to the floor at how confident you sounded. It was obvious you had never spoken to Miyoung that way but she couldn’t even deny what you said. You did it so casually and like you couldn’t care less which made you seem mature compared to Miyoung’s tantrums.

“Why was that kind of hot?” Jungkook asked as you finally reached him under the light post. Miyoung had stormed off with an evil glare that he ignored telling you how “You’re done”.

He looked down at you with hazed eyes, amazed and enamored. You scrunch your face curiously, “What was?”

“You, right now,” He chuckled, reaching for your hand in his, “Kind of scary too. Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

“You’re exaggerating,” you tried to laugh it off, “I wasn’t mean, was I?”

It was so dumb of you to still be worried about it but you couldn’t help it.

“No, you were calm and casual but that was so scary,” Jungkook gasped dramatically, “Because I know you were mad at her—… it was mean but only a little and so very very hot, and you’re doing all this in that dress…”

Without meaning to be, Jungkook was sort of like your hype man. You were worried about being too harsh, you still are, but he made you feel better about it. Part of you will never not feel in the wrong for being with Jungkook but you’ve gotten the rest off your chest and it felt good. Maybe you were a bit mean or maybe you weren’t, you could never be entirely sure but Jungkook seemed to be on your side no matter what.

“You like my dress?” You asked him with a teasing smile as he held the car door open for you.

“I really do,” he played with his lip ring, looking down at you.

“Then take it off me.”

“Oh fuck,” Jungkook whispered to himself as he looked around the parking lot, “Here?”

You broke out into a laugh as you sat down. Your words got to him easier than you thought and he sighed, “You can’t say that shit to me, Y/n. I’ll actually do it.”

“Let’s go back to my place and see if you can keep your word then,” you told him, watching him close the door with a tense jaw just thinking about it.

You can’t do this to him. You can’t be shy and cute one second and then act like that. You can’t. That’s not fair to him. How is he supposed to not be affected when you say things that get his heart racing while looking so cute? Was this what it would be like dating you? Just constantly caught by surprise?

He did like the way you stood up for yourself. He liked that you spoke your mind more freely than before and he takes joy in hearing you flirt back. In the beginning it felt like he was the one always trying to get you to talk to him or notice him and now you’re saying things that make his head dizzy.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, yknow?” Jungkook asked after the painfully long car ride back to your apartment. He was removing his coat as you sat on the edge of your bed to undo your shoes.

You let out an amused laugh, “What do you mean?”

“I mean… you act all shy and innocent and then you say shit that…” Jungkook let out a groan, “I can’t explain it, you just drive me crazy.”

“In a good way or bad way?” You asked, following him with your eyes as he closed the space between you two until he was at the end of the bed standing in front of you.

“A good way,” he said softly, “I’m finding more sides of you I’ve never seen.”

“And you like it?” You asked shyly, feeling his hands curl around your jaw.

“I do, a lot,” he confessed brushing his lips against yours, “I don't know what I would’ve done if I lost my chance with you again.”

::.

NO PART TWO

oml yall this took me forever to come up with 😭 I went through at least six other ideas before deciding on this one and I can’t tell how happy I am with it yet but I tried my hardest not the disappoint 🥹 I miss being more active and taking to you all but life has been so busy lately

please let me know how you feel and I promise I’ll try to be more active 🫶🏽

permanent taglist: @notmyfaultbutours @rerefundslocals @fandems @sugaluvmyg @guvgguk @kimyishin @libra04 @kooromiwrld @classycreationcupcake-blog @cherrymonlightt @nikkiordonez12 @asking4-sanity @thvlover @saweetspoiled @shaybts-blog @babycandy111 @jeonninja @yellowcupid08 @02010802faves @skzthinker @unnatae @beautywine @lilliankoo @annenakamura @lesoleile @burnahtsw @kooloveys @ku-ku @chaelvrx @minnie-mouser22 @whoa-jo @marvelbun @sunnikthv @kochycooky @acielelyseen @giselleswifeee @ilikeitlikethatt @bangmechanpls @lvr2seok @badbyeyoongi @jaerisdiction @watermelonjuice15 @artmsmaid @xyahrinx @angeleen777 @jooniesxbby @dream-cvtcher @jksjx @kissyfacekoo @joyjunk @caro134340lina @hyunjinswifeee @oldermenluverrr @caro134340lina @olivialeesstuff [taglist is too long so I’ll have to make two versions of it]

[yanderenightmare]

Gojo Satoru x darling

TW: NSFW, noncon, fantasy au

gn reader

Thinking about hunter Gojo and the pretty little nymph that gets themselves snared in one of his traps.

You can’t get your poor leg loose, having twisted your ankle in your fall to the ground – something’s wrong with your wing too, you can feel it – the thin network’s been folded, almost broken – so even if you did manage getting loose, you wouldn’t be able to fly away.

Branches snap around you along the crunch of old leaves – and your heart’s beating out of your chest in fear of it – knowing something large and dangerous is not far behind, that whoever set the trap is not something that wishes you well.

“You’re not a rabbit.” The man says, having crept in close before you’d even heard him approach – crouching in front of you with a hunter's grace. Hawk-eyes ice-blue and piercing, hair as white as pure snow.

He’s got three daggers sleaved in his belt – a fillet knife, a gutting knife, and a larger one you imagine is meant to slice throats. He doesn’t carry a sword like most men but has a bow and sack of arrows slung on his back. Otherwise, dressed lightly – brown leather boots, brown slacks, and a blue cotton shirt. You could have mistaken him for a woodland elf if it weren’t for the thick stench of man.

“Eating creatures from the holy forest is forbidden.” You snip, despite your wide eyes and the wobble of fear evident on your lip.

He only smiles at the quip, a grin like a predator humored by prey. “You wouldn’t tell a wolf not to hunt.”

He stalks you, leaning in closer, and you try shuffling away – but the movement only makes you wince.

“I’m just another hungry animal…”

Rope gnaws into your fine skin while his breath puffs hot and dewy on your face.

“And tonight… seems lady luck has favored me once again.”

He gags you and ties you further up before redoing his snare for the next unlucky creature – then carries you over his shoulder until he’s dropping you down on a bed of furs.

Your skin flushes with goosebumps at the thought of being skinned the same way – mouthing a little prayer around the cloth he’s split your teeth and lips with. He’s cut trees down as well; you hear their pitiful screams when he lights a fire with their bodies. You mourn them, too.

At his full height, the man must be two heads taller than any male nymph you’ve ever seen and at least three heads taller than you. You hope you’re enough to satisfy him tonight, to spare the forest of further bloodshed.

You shiver and sniffle when he starts prepping you – removing your clothes and groping your tender, fleshy places with a strength you’re not used to – hands large and crass – kneading you like dough – probably to assess the quality of your meat. He has a smile on his face while at it. 

Humans make you sick – to think he’s planning on roasting then eating you despite the soul fueling your spirit and the beating heart in your chest. But you’ve long known that all death but their own matters little to them – they don’t feel the same way nymphs do – they don’t regard life with the same respect they’ve donned themselves. It must be a sad and lonely existence, you think. It even makes you feel a little sorry for him.

You yelp when his gritty fingers brush the area between your legs – shimmying when he lowers his mouth down to the same place. Oh God – does he plan on eating you raw? While your body’s still hot and pumping blood?

But the bite never comes – not yet eating but tasting it would seem – licking and slurping and sucking on you.

He takes his shirt off. Probably to avoid spilling on it, you think.

You don’t really understand what’s going on until he’s got his fat manhood pointed toward your kernel-sized hole. Eyes wide as he splits you apart slowly and unabashedly – as though it isn't as deviant as a dog mating a cat – sinking in inch after meaty inch.

You whimper at the stretch – wincing when the plush mushroom-shaped head grinds against that special place inside you. 

It doesn’t fit more than halfway, but that doesn’t seem to bother him – rolling his head back with a rusty groan, even with just the tip gaining purchase within you – pounding into you like a beast in his rut.

“What's the matter, pretty nymph? Did you think I was gonna eat you?” He laughs, bearing over you – his hands steadying your hips to meet his sharp thrust – each hit deeper than the last. “I’m the only hunter in this forest; I can eat what I want when I want – but eating you?” He scoffed and snickered. “That would just be a waste.”

The blood on his breath makes you wrinkle your nose – squeezing your eyes shut as his tongue sweeps up the tear streaks on your cheek.

“My stomach’s already full. Time to empty my balls.”

[saetoru]

✩ ‧₊˚ ✩。NUMBER — SHIDOU RYUSEI.

✩ — contents ⋮ barista! reader, fluff, very annoying yet very sweet boyfriend shidou agenda <3 he’s so romantic in the most vein popping way <3

shidou loves to bother you at work, it must be his favorite pastime, you think—except now it’s starting to get everyone else at work invested too.

“oh. my. gosh,” you coworker whispers, swatting your arm excitedly, “there’s a guy asking for you—says you made his drink last time.”

“i make a lot of guys drinks,” you shrug.

“yeah but not for guys this cute,” she huffs, “i’m jealous. this is your chance, so don’t ruin it! maybe he’s good in bed too,” she wriggles her brows at you, making you scowl as you roll your eyes.

and then you see it—that mop of blonde hair with those pink ends, and you sigh in exasperation as you walk up to the register.

of course, it’s him.

“hello sir, what can i get for you?” you say monotonously.

“hmm,” shidou grins, tapping his chin as if he’s deeply in thought, “i was just thinking i’d get a drink from a pretty little barista. maybe even a number.”

from the distance, you can see your coworkers stop whatever they’re doing to stare—it’s not like it’s every day that someone this attractive comes in to flirt with a fellow employee. you can just about make out the jealousy in some of their faces and amusement in the others. one thing they all have in common, however, is awe—which you’re not too shocked at, shidou’s admittedly a handsome guy….if you look past how obnoxious he can be, that is.

“what drink would you like?”

“any is fine with me as long as i can get your number as an add on,” he grins, and it’s a wicked grin, really. it’s wide and smug and almost makes him look psychotic. you purse your lips as you shake your head, and distantly, you can hear your earlier coworker groan at your lack of enthusiasm for what you’re sure she’ll later go on to describe as the luckiest experience you’ll ever get.

“that’s not an option we carry here,” you squint, “you must be getting our menu confused for another coffee shop. maybe you should look somewhere else.”

“i don’t know,” he smirks, “i don’t think i’d confuse a pretty face like yours so easily.”

if anyone were to tell you, they’d say shidou ryusei is insufferable. you come to learn this is very true with every possible encounter you have with him, including this one. but there’s something a bit endearing about him, something that’s…dare you say, adorable, despite the way his words are sometimes crass and far from proper. and if the way he’s so persistent for your attention is of any proof, you’d say he’s a pretty determined guy—but you like to see how long you can keep him on his toes.

“i’m sure you say that to all the pretty faces you come across,” you say sarcastically, eyeing him as his smile widens and his eyes glint with amusement.

“nope,” he pops the p as he speaks, “you’re the only one. why, you jealous?”

“you wish,” you snort. “and i can’t give you my number, actually,” you say—and this time, it’s you with a smug grin, catching the eyes of your coworkers as they tilt their heads in confusion, “i have a boyfriend. so i’m afraid it’s simply not possible.”

“oh?” shidou drawls with a raise of his brow, “i bet he’s a loser. bet i could take him in a fight easily. if i win against him, you gotta let me move in with you—how ‘bout that?”

“he is a bit of a loser,” you grin, and anyone could make out the fondness seeping into your voice as your eyes soften at the idea of whoever’s got your heart. “but he’s my loser, so i’m afraid the answers still no.”

“sounds like you love him,” he presses, eyeing you expectantly.

“i don’t know about that one,” you giggle, “he’s still got to prove himself a bit more.”

“that’s harsh,” he hums, “maybe if you gave me your number, i’d prove to be better.”

“sorry, no can do—”

“just give him your number, already!” your coworker cuts you off and huffs, stomping her way over to where you stand. shidou’s got a cheshire grin on his face, eyeing her with that same look of amusement that makes you pinch your nose as you sigh. “you and i both know good and well you don’t have a boyfriend so do yourself a favor and just—”

“and how can you be so sure there’s no boyfriend?” shidou raises his brow.

you try, you really do—but you can’t help but finally crack. it’s a small giggle at first, and then it’s a fit of laughter that makes his eyes soften and his lips quirk into a lopsided beam that’s nothing short of lovesick.

“if you do seem to think there’s a boyfriend in the equation, why pursue someone then?” you coworker raises a brow, arms crossed as she challenges him, “that makes you a jackass, don’t you think?”

“easy,” shidou cackles, leaning in and pressing one, two, three soft pecks to your lips, making everyone gasp as you roll your eyes affectionately, “i’m the boyfriend. sometimes i like to keep the romance alive and fight myself every once in a while.”

“wha—” she’s left speechless, staring at him as she tries to comprehend what he’s just said with her mouth hung. shidou only mocks her opened mouth, and you reach over and swat his shoulder, making him snicker.

“that’s enough, ryu,” you warn—though you don’t sound all that serious. “i’ll be off in ten. are you gonna order anything or just stand there?”

“aw, c’mon baby. ‘course i am,” he pulls out his card, handing it to you, “i’ll take your favorite. you keep it though,” he winks.

“god you’re so annoying,” you mumble, but still, you don’t pull away when he leans for another peck on the lips, even as your coworkers chant a chorus of get a room from the back.

“see you in ten, baby,” he calls over his shoulder, walking off to find himself a seat as he waits for you.

yeah, you think, your coworkers are really going to be invested in this one.

he’s like…so very sweet and in love but in a very annoying and odd way. like he’d vandalize a building to spray paint your initials together in a heart or something

[mournings-stars]

Could I request an Alastor x reader? mostly smut, however i love fluff with aftercare and such

I was thinking the premise being of a reader who was and old friend from cannibal town coming to the hotel maybe? (cis fem reader)

hellohello! i personally don’t write smut for alastor but here’s a little fluff for you/how im comfortable writing for alastor!! its a bit of an ambiguous relationship but i hope thats fine :)

alastor x cannibal town fem reader (i may make this into a multi-part fic)

There was more than one reason Alastor brought Charlie to Cannibal Town — yes, it’s important she met Rosie, but he also had business to attend to while she did. He excused himself, heading down the street, several shops down, and into a narrow alleyway where he opened a hidden door to a small shop.

It was two small rooms and a back kitchenette. The walls of the first room were lined with bookshelves that made a narrow aisle to the back of the store. There, was an open seating area with sofas, armchairs, and a roaring fireplace across from the small register in the corner. It certainly wasn’t supposed to feel like a store where you had to buy something, but one where you could if you really wanted to.

“Welcome in!” A very sweet voice came from the back of the shop, a hint of an old, long-lost accent that made Alastor’s smile widen. “I’ll be right with you!”

“Take your time,” he hummed, and immediately heard shuffling from the other room before you stumbled into the front. “Hello, my dear!”

“Alastor!?” You gasped, lifting the hem of your skirt to rush over to him and hug him. He stiffened, a high pitched radio frequency sounding from his microphone and making you step back. “Sorry—“ You straightened out his suit jacket with a smile tugging at your lips as he watched you. When your fussing became too much, he placed a very calm hand over yours and gave you a gentle smile. You laughed under your breath and stepped back. “Sorry—“

“You said that already, my dear — and there’s no need to!” You nodded as he squeezed your hand before letting it go. “No need at all!”

“Right, right… How are you? Where have you been? I’ve… missed you.” Your excited tone dampened as you finished, clearing your throat and offering a smaller smile when it faltered. “But I’m glad to see you’re alright.”

“You were always too kind to me!” He said cheerily, walking to the second room to have a seat on the couch.

“Can I get you anything, Al?”

“Just a bit of precious time,” he said a little too sweetly, waiting for you to sit across from him. But you made yourself busy, pouring hot water over tea and preparing a plate of sweets for the two of you to share. “Tell me how you’ve been!” He said impatiently as he watched you go anywhere but toward him.

“Ah… where to start?” You hummed, leaning against the countertop. “I thought you might’ve…” You waved your hand dismissively, but as he’d gone missing just after an extermination, he understood and hummed along. “And since you never told me anything—“

“It was all so sudden, I would’ve left you a note—“

“A note?” You scoffed, but moved on when he nodded, going to get teacups for the two of you. “Anyway, I met someone.”

“Did you?” He sounded unimpressed, watching you get sugar and spoons; anything to avoid sitting down. “So quickly?”

“It took a few years.” He hummed along. “And it didn’t last—“ He laughed snidely. “—It felt very… wrong—”

“I'm sure,” he was almost too quick to say.

“And… They were exterminated, anyway.”

He looked very happy to hear that fact, but said nothing until he got his expression under control. “Shame,” he said, tone crass. “I would have loved to have met them.”

“I’m sure,” you repeated, throwing him a pointed look that he beamed at. “The years have become a bit blurry,” you continued.

“Have they?”

“I spend most of my time here, talking with Rosie. Missing you.“

“Ah, yes… You said that.” His smile dampened. “Surely you moved on?” But he was hopeful you didn’t, and he knew his hopes were answered when you stayed quiet and poured your tea. You remembered how much sugar he liked, and how much cream, not even bothering to ask before you put the cups on the plate and walked to the couches. “I always thought of you,” he admitted, taking the cup you offered, “but I could never go to you… I watched from afar.” He cleared his throat, sipping his tea and forcing his smile to stay put. “And I felt…” His eyes drifted to nothing as he thought back on those seven years. “Excruciatingly bored.”

You laughed. “Does that mean you missed me too?”

He narrowed his eyes, taking the plate from you before you could get anything else. “Why don’t you have a seat next to me?” He set the plate on the end table. “I didn’t come here to be served; I came to, finally, get the chance to see you again.” And then he offered his hand, and the small gesture of vulnerability made you understand that yes;

He missed you very much.

[runnning-outof-time]

More Than Charm | Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: no - part two of Actions Speak Louder … inspired by a comment from @holacia3

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Reader

Summary: Tommy’s got a lot of making up to do, both to (Y/N) and her parents. To anyone else, this would be a challenging feat….but Tommy Shelby isn’t anyone else.

Warnings: drinking, language

Word Count: 2493

A/N: I’m sorry it took so long for this second part to be written. If you’re still interested enough to see what happens next, thanks so much for sticking around. I’m not 100% sure it came out how I wanted it to, but I’m happy with it nonetheless. Enjoy! :)

A/N 2: oh and what a better time to post this than on the day they got married? - thank you to @eatdirt420 for suggesting I pick a day in between the two seasons that won…I hope this day is considered to be that!

I’D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! - YOUR COMMENTS & REBLOGS HELP ME WRITE!

Comment/Message me if you’d like to be tagged in future stories similar to this one!

- December 12th, 1920 -

If you told (Y/N) that this day would finally come around, she probably would have laughed in your face.

Tommy proposed to her in October of 1913. They were planning to have their wedding in August of the next year. But no one had anticipated the fact that Tommy and his brothers would have been shipped out to fight a war in France just one month prior.

The wedding had to be postponed due to the conflict, and it stayed postponed for seven long years - both due to the war continuing longer than anyone could have imagined, and also because of the ‘mess’ that Tommy and the family business got themselves into just shortly after they returned from the Western Front in 1919.

(Y/N) thought it’d be better to wait, to allow their wedding to have the spotlight that she felt it deserved. But she’d by lying if she said that the prospect of her walking down the aisle got bleaker with every year that passed.

But today it finally happened. She finally walked down the aisle, took her fiancé’s hands, and vowed herself to him for the rest of her life. He, in return, vowed the same for her, and she and Tommy then walked back down the aisle as husband and wife.

Now it was time for the reception.

Tommy and (Y/N) decided to take a moment to themselves before going out and greeting all of the people who joined them on their special day.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her as he shut the door behind them, making sure they were alone in one of the rooms just of off the large banquet hall. He noticed that something had been eating at his wife since the ceremony was finished.

“Nothing,” she quickly responded, noticing instantly after she’d answered him that her haste had given her true feelings away.

“You’re picking at your nails, love,” he nodded at her hands, catching her in the act, “something’s bothering you. What is it?”

(Y/N) took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh. “My parents, Tommy,” she answered, her response only scratching the surface of what she wanted to say.

“What about ‘em?” he asked with furrowed brows.

“I’m worried what they’re thinking…how they’re taking this,” she divulged.

“Fuck what they’re thinking,” he was quick to brush it off, and he promptly earned a glare from his wife in response.

“Seriously? You can’t just say that,” she said, looking at him with wide eyes. Tommy stayed silent. (Y/N) turned from him with a huff, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes in hopes to alleviate some of the stress and worry she was feeling. “You can be so crass sometimes, Thomas,” she sighed, shaking her head as she looked at the ground.

“I’ve got this covered, love,” he responded, moving to stand behind her.

“I’ve heard that before,” she remarked, snorting after she spoke.

“I’ve got it covered,” he assured her, wrapping his arms around her midriff so he could pull her flush against him.

“Please don’t mess this up,” she whispered as she placed her hands atop his forearms.

“I won’t,” he mumbled as he pressed his lips to her neck.

(Y/N) couldn’t help but lean into his touch, her eyes slowly closing as she got lost in the feeling of his lips pressed to her skin. “We’ve gotta get out there, Tommy,” she finally spoke after a few moments had passed.

“They’ll be fine for a few more minutes,” he disregarded her statement, continuing his ministrations.

“Tommy,” the repeating of his name came as a breath this time.

“Just wanna spend some time with me wife,” he mumbled before spinning her around so that he could kiss her lips.

The reception was in full swing now. Tommy and (Y/N) had been playing host, going around to all of the guests and thanking them for being part of their big day. (Y/N) was so happy to see Tommy back to acting like his old self. Usually his smiles and lighthearted behavior were reserved for her eyes only but today, while in front of family and friends, his guard had been completely lowered.

Her parents hadn’t yet made a scene, which (Y/N) was thankful for because they very well could have if they wanted to. They stood off to the side and watched with smiles as their daughter celebrated her wedding day. (Y/N) wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or worried that Tommy hadn’t gone over to them yet.

“Don’t look now, (Y/N),” (Y/N)’s sister, Josephine, started while looking over the younger woman’s shoulder, “but Tommy’s on his way over to mum.”

(Y/N) looked as soon as her sister finished speaking. Sure enough, Tommy was now talking to her mother. She held her breath as she watched the two conversate.

“What is he going to do?” she wondered aloud, frozen as she silently hoped that this wouldn’t be the time where the train got derailed.

The two talked for a moment longer before Tommy offered his hand to her. Time seemed to go slow as (Y/N) watched a smile form on her mother’s face before she accepted Tommy’s hand and allowed him to lead her to to the dance floor.

“He got her to dance,” Josephine pointed out, grabbing hold of her sister’s arm as a look of shock formed on her face, “no one gets mum to dance.”

“And it looks like she’s enjoying it,” (Y/N) remarked, feeling an immense relief wash over her as she caught the wide smile that was present on her mother’s face.

“Leave it up to Tommy Shelby, right?” Josephine grinned as she looked over at her sister.

(Y/N) couldn’t help but blush. She tried to play it off, but the fact that Josie’s grin grew made it obvious that she had caught her initial reaction. “Yeah,” she conceded with a slight nod before adding, “but mum’s the easier of the two to convince. I’m interested to see what he’s got planned for dad.”

The evening had gone as swimmingly as it could have. There were many laughs and smiles, and the love could practically be felt in the room.

The dance seemed to do the trick: (Y/N)’s mother had decided to put her feelings of hesitance in the past and accepted Tommy as her son-in-law. Her only qualm now was that the two hadn’t gotten married sooner.

Much like (Y/N) predicted though, her father was going to be a harder person to sway. He stayed at the table for most of the evening, watching the event happen around him. She tried to get him involved a few times, but to no avail. The only time he stepped away from his seat was for the father-daughter dance.

“Is your father still here?” Tommy asked (Y/N) as the evening was drawing to a close.

“Let me see…” she trailed off, peering around his shoulder to find the table her parents had been sitting at, “he is,” she affirmed when she found him in the same seat he’d been occupying all evening. “Why do you ask?” she couldn’t help but question the reasoning behind his concern.

“I’ve not gotten to talk to him yet,” he answered.

“He’s not going to be as easy to sway as my mother was,” (Y/N) warned.

“Doesn’t mean I can’t try, eh?” he cracked a grin. (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile at his determination.

“Please don’t make things worse,” she said before he could leave her side.

“I won’t,” he assured her, leaning in and pressing his lips to her forehead before he turned and walked away from her.

“(Y/N)!” she then heard from behind her. She turned to find Ada approaching her with Freddie in tow. There went the plan of watching Tommy try to smooth-talk her father. “I’ve been looking for you,” the Shelby woman stated as she pulled her new sister-in-law into a hug.

“You’ve found me,” (Y/N) smiled once the two ladies pulled away. She made sure to also acknowledge Freddie, who sent a smile back.

“I wanted to let you know that we’re leaving. It’s getting late and we don’t want to keep Karl’s sitter for too long,” Ada informed her.

“Oh that’s fine. Thank you both for coming,” (Y/N) smiled.

“It was absolutely lovely! We’re thrilled to have you as part of the family now,” Ada said with a smile before asking, “would you happen to know where my brother has run off to?”

“He trying to have a word with my father,” (Y/N) answered, watching as Ada’s eyes widened slightly.

“Best of luck with that,” she stated, “but knowing Tommy, he’ll be able to settle the score.”

“I can hope,” (Y/N) smiled softly, hoping it hid her true emotions. “Thanks again for coming tonight.”

“We wouldn’t have missed it for anything,” Ada smiled before pulling the other woman into one last hug.

By the time the Thornes had left her side, (Y/N) turned again to find Tommy sitting at the same table as her father. They were talking, and by the looks of it, her father seemed to actually be interested in the conversation. (Y/N) felt a smile creep onto her lips as they both lifted their glasses in unison for a drink.

“Whiskey…it sure does help men forget their differences,” the voice of her mother came from beside her, making (Y/N) jump at the sudden company.

“Mum,” she couldn’t help but gasp, her reaction making the other woman laugh. She shook her head and let out a sigh, her smile returning as her mother pulled her into her side. “Tommy really brought whiskey over for him?” she asked.

“He did,” her mum answered with a nod, “was really polite in asking if he could talk with him privately.”

“I can only imagine what they’re talking about,” (Y/N) stated, silently hoping that whatever it was wouldn’t ruin their chances at married life before it even began.

“Oh horses and betting, I’m sure,” her mother threw out a few ideas. “So long as he doesn’t coax him down to Watery Lane, we’ll be grand,” she then added in a nonchalant manner.

(Y/N)’s eyes widened as they found her mother’s. She’d never explicitly told her about the business that Tommy and his family ran. Right now she felt like a child who’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to. That was why the smile that formed on her mother’s face made confusion wash over her. Why is she smiling? she couldn’t help but think to herself.

“The Shelby name is spoken all around Small Heath, darling. It’s hard not to know about the business they’re involved in,” her mother explained her reaction, making her daughter immediately go into panic mode.

“You’re not upset about that, are you?” (Y/N) asked in a weary tone.

“I’m not,” the older woman started, shaking her head softly, “you’ve been with him for a long time now, and he’s not once shown that he wants to be anywhere other than by your side. He’s a good man to you, (Y/N), anyone can see that. I’m happy that he’s the one you married because I know that you’ll be safe with him.”

“I’m so happy to hear that you think that, mum,” (Y/N) said with a wide smile. She couldn’t help but wrap her arms around the older woman and hug her tightly. All of the worries she was harboring had now vanished.

“You’re going to have a lovely life with him,” her mother whispered as she held her daughter tighter.

“I’m not sure what you did, but you made them love you, Tommy,” (Y/N) said as she worked on making sure all of her jewelry was removed.

“You should have trusted me,” he responded, standing from the bed after he’d taken his shoes off. He then moved over to where she was standing so that he could wrap his arms around her waist from behind.

“I should have,” (Y/N) mumbled as she tried to fight the smile that was threatening to form on her face.

“What was that?” Tommy asked as he lifted his chin from her shoulder so that he could look her in the eyes through the mirror. His eyes were wide now and there was a grin teetering on his lips also. He definitely caught what she said…he just wanted to hear it again.

“Oh nothing…” (Y/N) trailed off, playing coy as she bit on her bottom lip.

“Did you just say that I was right?” he tried to coax the answer out of her.

“I said nothing,” (Y/N) held steadfast, although her grin was peeking through despite her attempts to keep it hidden.

“Fine…I’ll just have to use another means of getting it out of you,” Tommy decided, not giving her a moment to process what he said before he was dragging her backwards and - gently - pushing her onto the bed. “What was it you said, love?” he questioned between the kisses he was peppering all over her face, his hands finding the sensitive spots on her sides.

“Tommy!” she shrieked, trying so hard to catch her breath through her giggles. Despite her attempts to either stop his hands or take hold of his face, Tommy continued his barrage of kisses and tickles. “I should have trusted you!”

“What was that?” he stopped all at once, holding himself above her as their eyes met.

“I should have trusted you,” (Y/N) repeated herself once she caught her breath. She took hold of his cheeks with both of her hands and searched his eyes for a moment before adding, “I must’ve forgotten how much of a charmer you are.” She couldn’t help but smile as she watched a grin crack through his composure. If only she could have photographed this moment or found a way to freeze time.

“I managed to keep you for all these years somehow, didn’t I?” he countered, his grin growing, “that wasn’t because of luck alone.”

“I think it was more than your charm that made me stay, Tommy,” she admitted, her smile widening.

“Oh yeah?” his question sounded like he was challenging her.

“Yeah,” her quick response told him what she was up for the challenge.

“Wanna tell me all of those other reasons?” he asked then, one of his eyebrows raising as he spoke.

“Gladly,” (Y/N)’s smile grew more, if that was even possible. Her eyes then flitted down to his lips before returning to his again. “I think I’ll start with your kisses,” she stated, leaving him with no time to respond before she pulled his lips down to match hers in a passionate kiss.

Tagged: @mystcldydrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @elenavampire21 @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @shelbydelrey @theshelbyslimited @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @emotionalcadaver @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @cillmequick @dandelionprints @letal-y-poetica @gypsy-girl-08 @insanitybyanothername @depxiety @raincoffeeandfandoms @dragons-are-my-favorite @acewritesfics @forgottenpeakywriter @cljordan-imperium @brummiereader @areyenotfondofmelobster @everythingelseisextra @little-diable @thomashelbyswife @shaddixlife

MASTERLIST

[traveler-at-heart]

Get your cardio

Lena Luthor x Fem!R

A/N: Lena joins her girlfriend at the gym. What happens when she gets jealous? Fluff and (badly written) smut. Per @jujuu23's request :)

Early bird gets the worm.

Or a ride to the gym. You pull over, surprised that Lena is already waiting for you.

“Hello, darling” she presses her lips against yours, the taste of coffee lingering.

“I’m so happy you decided to join me today!” you say, beaming as you drive. “It’s been a while since we trained together”

“I do enjoy watching you all sweaty and out of breath” she comments, arching her eyebrow. Before you can reply to her comment, her phone pings and she reads an email thread that screams incompetence.

Another mess to clean once she gets to the office.

“Everything ok?” you ask as you open the car door for her. She takes your hand, finding comfort in your presence.

“Nothing than can’t be solved”

“Alright then. Wanna start with weights?” you leave your jacket in the locker next to your gym bag. “I was thinking that we could try with the new… Lena?”

She’s standing there, looking at you.

“Your clothes…”

You grimace, scratching the side of your neck.

“Messed up my laundry and a couple of shirts… got smaller. Do I look that stupid?”

Lena shakes her head no. The opposite in fact, but she doesn’t know how to say it without sounding… crass. The white tee raises all the way to your midriff, giving a tempting glimpse of your abs. The muscles in your arms strain as the fabric covers them, leaving little to her imagination.

She’s seen you naked a great number of times. But this… she wants you, now.

And yet, she has to behave.

“Let’s just get this over with so we can go home and I can ride your abs” she whispers as she walks next to you and your mouth drops.

“Lena!”

“What? I know how important it is for you to complete your routine. So get it done and then we can go back to mine” she says with a sultry voice.

“I thought you had an emergency at work?”

“And what good will I do if I can’t focus?” she smirks, eyeing you as you begin to adjust the weight on some of the machines for her. She steps closer and whispers in your ear. “Or if all I can think about is your hand up my skirt while I bent over my desk”

Your movements falter for a second, almost dropping the disc.

Lena steps on the machine and begins to exercise, thinking she has won. Then, she feels you approaching from behind, making sure her posture is right.

“Behave, or I’ll have to drag you to the locker rooms and have my way with you” to anyone else, it might seem like you’re giving her instructions on how to workout. Lena shivers. “And who knows if I’ll even let you come”

The final blow is a kiss behind her ear and she hesitates.

“You’re skipping cardio” she warns as you step away to start your own routine.

“Yes, Ma’am”

You’ll both get plenty of that at home.

The music at the gym will have to do today, as you prefer to not use headphones in case Lena needs you. Hopefully it isn’t an open invitation for other people to approach and chat.

You begin with the leg press, and just as you’re about to finish, a girl waves.

“Can we share”

“Yes, of course, I’m almost done”

Standing up and taking your towel, you leave room for the girl to adjust the seat.

“Would you like some help?” you offer as it becomes clear she has no idea how to do it.

“Yes, thank you”

Kneeling beside her, you move the seat forward until it’s better for her smaller frame.

“Try it now” you ask and she takes a seat.

“Better, thanks” she places a hand on your arm that lingers a little to long and you blush.

“No problem” you walk back to put some distance but then crash against another girl that’s walking behind you. “I’m sorry, are you ok?”

“My, you are all muscle, huh?” her eyes go over your figure and you cough. “I’m more than fine. Don’t worry about me, gorgeous”

All you can do is nod and try to escape to another area.

—

Lena keeps an eye on you and all your little fans. You’re trying to keep out of everyone’s way but there’s always someone coming up next.

First, the girl that leaned against you as she showed you her phone, asking about an exercise she allegedly couldn’t understand.

Then, the blonde who asked you to “spot her” and you’re too nice to say no, so you do, trying to keep distance between your bodies. But you’re trapped, behind you another girl that is “observing”.

A guy joins you and he pulls their attention enough so you can slip and continue with your routine.

As you sit on the floor, ready to start with hip thrusts, Lena loses it.

You’re about to pull the bar with the weights to your lap when she stands over you.

“You won’t be needing that”

“Huh?” at first, you fear it’s someone else interrupting you -it’s been nonstop today- but you relax when you see her. “Hey, I’m almost done”

“Yes, you are” she retrieves the bar and instead, straddles your lap, making you blush furiously.

“Lena, what are you…?”

“I’ve spent the last hour watching all these girls flirt with you. And now, I want you to do this so they know who’s on top”

You begin to lift your hips, holding her stare. There’s sweat going down your back, and it’s not the physical exertion, but the fact that some of the girls are staring, while Lena only has eyes on you as your hips go up and down.

“That’s enough” you say after two and a half sets.

“You’re halfway…”

“I said that’s enough” you stand up, carrying her over your shoulder.

Lena gasps and laughs a little, forgetting that you’re in a public place.

Except you only put her down once you reach the underground parking lot.

“You’re gonna ride me until you scream my name” you instruct as she pants, trapped between the car and your body. Lena nods and allows you to open the door. You pull her on top of you, and even if it’s a large space, it’s not enough for her to raise herself completely.

So, Lena ends up laying on top of you, her mouth sucking and kissing your neck as she moves her center against your abs, just like she teased before.

You can feel the heat and a patch of arousal even through her leggins and underwear, and that prompts you to spank her, making her moan and pick up the pace.

She pants against your ear and when she’s on the edge of release, bites down on your pulse point, effectively marking you.

Both out of breath, you stay in the car, limbs tangled together.

“I’m building you a private gym” she says when her breathing goes back to normal.

“If this is what happens after every workout, be my guest” you laugh against her temple, placing a soft kiss.

Early birds get laid, if they're lucky enough.

[billybennet]

You Belong With Me

James Maguire x reader

Summary: “The few weeks James has been with the group, he has somehow become very close with you. Little did the two of you know, you would become even closer than you thought.”

A/N: thank you to @decadenttrashcookiehero for requesting this!! Also FYI: reader is Erin's sister!

Masterlist

The sound of Erin’s complaining pierces your ears as you make your way downstairs to grab some food before school. It’s only the first day back and yet Erin has found more than one way to make the day terrible. First the mess she made in the upstairs bathroom, now this. You sigh, opting to focus on pouring yourself some cereal as opposed to listening to your family bicker. The sound of the tv being turned louder draws your attention, “There’s a bomb on the bridge? How are the kids gonna get to school?” your mum says, rubbing her forehead.

“Their bus can go the long way, relax Mary,” your dad assures.

Aunt Sarah enters the room and the chatter resumes as normal, granting you the peace to return to zoning out as you munch on your breakfast. 

“We better head out,” Erin informs, grabbing her jean jacket and pulling it on. You and Orla clean up your dishes quickly as your Mum begins nagging your twin sister about her jacket. “I’m not a clone, I should be able to express my individuality,” your sister argues, you roll your eyes, not bothering to get involved. “I’m sorry, I’m not wearing me blazer, end of story.”

“Jerry, pass me the wooden spoon,” you have to hold back a laugh as Erin hurries to take her jean jacket off and grabs her blazer, quickly tossing it on, rushing out the door. 

You walk alongside Orla on the way to Dennis’ Wee Shop, the two of you have long been the quietest of the group and often get grouped together. When Erin spots David outside as you’re leaving, you smile to yourself, this outta be good. Your sister walks towards him and begins laughing at nothing, scaring Claire who’s stood back beside you. “No way! Are you serious?” Erin asks no one at all.

“Erin, what are you doin’? Who are you talking to?” Claire exclaims, rushing forward.

This actually draws David’s attention to the two, “Erin, have you got a light?”

“Me? No, I don’t smoke,” Erin responds. 

Beside you, Orla digs in her pocket, fishing out a lighter, “I have one,” she tosses it his way, “I don’t smoke either, I just like meltin stuff.” 

David's head tilts in curiosity as he lights his cigarette, which you actually find kind of cute. Erin promptly ruins anything you felt though, her annoying voice cutting through your thoughts to ask him about his poster for his gig. You nudge Claire, pointing to your watch, she looks at her own, and rushes to pull Erin away, saying you were going to be late. 

“MOTHERFUCKAAAS” Michelle yells from behind you, tossing an arm over your shoulder when she reaches you, “Motherfucker, it’s my new thing, watched this film last night with me dad…” she trails off talking about the plot of the movie, you notice your sister and Claire looking disturbed to your left, and turn your head, almost jumping in surprise at the boy standing over your shoulder. 

“Who owns the fella?” Erin finally asks in a break of Michelle’s rant. 

Michelle looks back at him, then to you, where you’re looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Me,” she shrugs, “Well c’mon on bullock, are you introducing yourself or what?” She pushes away from you to address the boy. 

You turn to him as he flails his hand in a wave, “Hi, I’m Michelle’s cousin, James,” he practically mumbles, no doubt trying to downplay his very obvious English accent.

“Why is he making that funny noise?” Orla asks Erin, which entices Michelle to go on a rant about the English and his mother. 

You listen for a moment, as Michelle says some awfully crass things about his Mum, following her and Erin as they lead the group to the bus, before you turn to the boy and introduce yourself, “Hi, I’m Y/N, it’s nice to meet you.” 

“Yeah,” James seems speechless, “Yeah, you too,” he smiles gently. 

.·:*¨༺----------------------------------༻¨*:·.

The few weeks James has been with the group, he has somehow become very close with you. The other’s still have yet to warm up to him, but the two of you seem to get along great, you both love Doctor Who and other nerdy shit. He has really helped you come out of your shell, you talk more than ever, but mostly to him. And in turn, you have made James feel semi-comfortable in Derry. Little did the two of you know, you would become even closer than you thought. 

Michelle had spontaneously invited your lot to her house. Although apparently, she had negated to tell James about it. 

“Where’s James?” You ask Michelle as the others plop down on the sofa.

“Upstairs probably, little weirdo,” she says the last part under her breath and you roll your eyes as you hurry up the stairs to find him. You had been to Michelle’s house many times so it wasn’t very hard to locate where James would be hiding out. 

Knocking on the guest room door, you call out, “James?”

There's shuffling on the other side of the door, then a weak “Come in,” followed by him clearing his throat and repeating himself.

You open the door to see him sitting on the bed, shoulders slumped. “Is everything okay?” you ask when he doesn’t look up at you. 

He wipes his eyes, sniffling a little, “Yeah, no I’m good,” replies weakly.

You step forward into the room and take a seat next to him, “No you’re not… What’s wrong?” you place a hand on his back comfortingly.

He finally looks up at you through bloodshot eyes, still wet with tears. “I just… still can’t believe my mom would just leave me here, like this, alone.” At the last word he broke out into a sob, leaning forward and into your chest. 

Wrapping your arms around him, you rub his back soothingly, “Hey, it’s okay, you’re not alone… You have me,” you nudge him lightly. He lets out a laugh, but his breathing is still shaky. The two of you sit like that for a while as he calms down. Finally, he lifts his head, looking into your eyes again, “You okay now?” You ask.

“Yeah, thanks,” he practically whispers, distracted by how the afternoon sun casts a halo around your hair and the flecks in your eyes make them even more alluring. You smile softly at him. His eyes are drawn to your lips as you lick them for moisture. “Can I kiss you?” the words tumble out of his mouth before he knows what he’s saying, though he doesn’t regret it, especially when you smile brightly at him. 

“I’d like that,” you agree, leaning into him as he does the same. Heat blooms in your chest when your lips meet, and it lingers as you pull away, grinning wildly at the boy beside you. 

The sound of footsteps stomping up the stairs snaps the two of you out of your daze, both of you scooching further away from each other on the bed to avoid looking suspicious, though the way James continues to look longingly at you doesn’t help your situation. “WANKERS!” Michelle yells as she slams the door open. “Are ya coming down to watch the film or what?”

You look at James but he’s still MIA, so you just nod, hopping up off the bed, “Yeah of course, c’mon James!” and you drag him down the stairs by the elbow. 

.·:*¨༺----------------------------------༻¨*:·.

Hiding that you and James had kissed would have been easy, that is, had you not continued to sneak around together. The other’s never paid you two any attention anyways, so holding hands in between your bodies on the couch, or falling behind them when you’re walking as a group so that he could wrap his arm around you, was pretty safe. But managing to slip away from them to be alone was harder, because you all had done everything together for the past decade or more. 

The only way the two of you had managed to get any time alone together had been sneaking around at school. Which was not an easy task, given you had most of your classes together, but when you didn’t, if you timed things right…

You looked both ways down the hall as you approached the secluded closet. You knock 3 times, and hear the sounds of the door unlocking, and see James peeking his head out,  a big grin spreading on his face when he sees you. His hand reaches out and pulls you in the closet. You let out a giggle and James shushes you by pulling you into a greedy kiss. Your fingers rake through his hair, as his circle your waist, pulling you as close as possible. This isn’t the first time this has occurred, and like clockwork James hands wander upward, pulling up your sweater and shirt. Before and skin is revealed, the doorknob jiggles, a loud sigh coming from the other side. You and James pull away from each other, a panicked look in each of your eyes.

“Oh you’ve got t’be shitting me,” Sister Michael sighs, when she sees the two of you, looking like deer caught in headlights. “C’mon, out wit ya!” she sighs again, ushering the two of you down the hall to her office. 

As you sit in the chairs opposite her desk, you look at each other, tight-lipped smiles on your faces. Sister Michael calls your mum and Michelle’s mum, asking them to come down to the school.

When they arrive, they are shocked to see that it's you and James who have caused quite the fuss, and not Erin and Michelle.

“Thank you for coming down,” Sister Michael sighs as the mothers sit down beside the two of you. “I regret to inform you, but I found these two sneaking around in one of the broom closets. I’m gonna have to suspend them.”

“Sneaking around doing what?” Michelle’s mum asks. 

Sister Michael looks at you? but you quickly avoid her gaze, “They were… kissing.”

“I thought he was gay!” your mum exclaims, more towards Michelle's mum than anyone else.

“Me too! James, why didn't ya tell us you fancied girls?”

“I tried to! No one believed me!” James explains.

“How long are they suspended for?” your mum finally asks, after taking a long look at you. 

Sister Michael ponders for a moment, “2 days.”

“2 days! What am I supposed to do with her for 2 days?” your mum argues. 

“Yeah some of us got to work ya know!” Michelle’s mum agrees. 

“I don’t care what you do with with them, I just don't want to see them back til thursday!” Sister Michael raises her hands as if to say she's said her final piece.

Grumbling, the two mums pull you and James out of the office, where you find the rest of the lot waiting. End of the day must’ve come while you were waiting for your mum. “Well? What’s all this about?” Michelle asks, arms crossed, eyeing you and James. 

“These two were caught kissing in a closet!” your mum exclaims. A chorus of gagging and puking noises sound. 

“Y/N, how could ya?” Claire asks sincerely. You just shrug. 

They're never gonna let you live this down.

[precious-little-scoundrel]

Dear John | Part 2

Masters of the Air Fanfiction

Part 1

Series Summary: Major John Egan wasn’t the pen-pal sort but a couple of hours into a dark night full of writing condolence letters he finds himself wondering why he never tried his hand at the nicer forms of correspondence. Who better to reanimate his numb inspiration than the glamorous Miss Lana Tierney? -the army’s girl next door, the pinup so prolific she was practically a wall paper print and Bucky’s long-standing cinematic crush. It’s not like she’ll read it anyways. Right? Right.

Warnings: suggestive language, crass vocabulary, the vintage form of sexting -honestly this is mostly fluffy in reply to his more overt letter

Author’s note: after episode four I’ve got feelings and fics for this universe that are far ahead of these establishing pieces. So I’ve gone ahead and tossed this preliminary one out but I may very well skip around and ahead to October next. At least now y’all know: she wrote him back. Hehe. If it’s of interest, I’ll probably end up writing John’s reaction to receiving this response as well as Gale’s response to realizing his friend actually went and sent that awful thing.

Date: Early August, 1943

Dear John, (I’m sorry Major Egan, I just had to)

Thank you for your kind letter of the 18th. It’s been many years since I received so delightful a correspondence or so candid an expression of admiration. And you should know I keep most of the letters the sweet people of this country send me. They’re stacked in quite an orderly fashion in my various garages, kept for the rainy days to peruse and keep the blues away and also so I might try very hard to reply. I don’t take such affection for granted. It’s humbling really, always has been, to be so loved by folks but it’s another level entirely to be singled out by someone as brave and impressive as yourself.

I found your letter to be heartfelt and wonderfully brave and in an effort to be equally transparent, you should know that when I finished it I clutched it to my breast and whispered half a dozen prayers for you. Or as you might say, I held it to my knockers.

That’s an awful word, you must know that Major.

As is “rack”, for that matter, but I’ve a sneaking suspicion that you would make it sound charming as even your blotted paper was electric. How could you dare to praise my film set flapjacks and mention making babies? I’m fizzing just glancing at it. You really must be quite the fella and I’m terribly sad now that our rendezvous, such as you say it was, got cut short. You must reprimand your friend -Buck, is it?- and tell him he did an bad deed that night. There’s nothing I like better than duets and hamburgers, we might’ve been one of the great loves by now if he hadn’t meddled. But don’t be too hard on him, if he’s the sort to take it well, kiss him for me, after you chide him.

But since we are being honest, I must admit, reading your letter, being privy to your thoughts, seeing myself through your eyes as it were - dear man, I feel rather riled. Quite riled, in fact. Why, I haven’t felt riled in a while, not like this. Not like an ordinary girl with an extraordinary boy. Do you know what I mean?

Maybe you don’t.

I mean regular, old fashioned flustered. That’s what you’ve made me. And thank you for that, John. Can I call you Johnny? I wonder if you’re the nickname sort, or if you’re real stern and serious, a real John-John. Not a Johnny at all. But either way, I think you deserve a treat, for being so nice, Major Egan. For reminding me I can feel my pulse somewhere besides my wrists before a show -and for all you’re doing in the war, besides. There seems to be no safer hands to trust this to, you do seem so very fond of them, I am led to believe you’d be protective of them, too.

Enclosed is something for the personal morale, I hope you’ll think of me nightly with it at hand, in fact, I’m so excited about it I’ve taken this ill advised measure to insure you do. I’d very much like a report, do they live up to your expectations? They’re homegrown, after all, I hadn’t much say in them but now I’ve got them, I don’t see why they shouldn’t do their bit to keep you alive. A small sacrifice.

One of those reasons you mentioned, John, you’ve so many of them, more than you know. A million souls over here rooting you on, insisting you make it out the other side.

I’m forefront among them, I’ll be scanning the crowd when I come to Europe -because I will, at your invitation. Perhaps if you send me a picture of your own mug I won’t be looking a fool asking every man in uniform if I remind them of an acorn. Are you going to tell me what on earth that means? I’ve tried to work it out but I always end up with some mathematical conundrum and I just know in my heart of hearts you wouldn’t let me down like that, would you Major? It’s something awfully salacious, isn’t it? Please let it be!

I’m a vain little thing and I can’t deny the way this poor heart of mine is all pitter pattering at the thought of you being so awful while also so nice. It’s a strange blend, and rather like my coke, I do prefer my men mixed.

Best wishes, may you have cloudless skies and fresh coffee to your heart's content. My sources -and I’ve excellent ones, an upside of working the war bond circuit- tell me you’re airforce. I think that’s remarkable and I hope you give that picture some thought. Mine, and yours.

Your vain little friend,

Julia Jean Turner

P.S.-I’m only ever ‘The Lana Tierney ‘ to strangers, and we aren’t strangers now, are we? not if you’re to take my picture to your bunk. i suspect you may have already taken that liberty. who’s to say I did not take similar liberties upon reading certain stirring passages of your letter? Xx 💋

__insert vintage titty pic__

Whew this week was a doozy wasn’t it? Here’s some fluff for those of y’all who needed it, and I can promise angst soon for those who want to stay in the soul shattering mood. Hope you enjoy. Feedback is a writer’s lifeblood, let me hear your screams.

Drop a comment to let me know if you’d like to be tagged in any of my MOTA fics. Xo

Taglist:

@stylespresleyhearted

@ab4eva

@earth-to-lottie

@suraemoon

@blurredcolour

@steph-speaks

@crazymadpassionatelove

@rubyfruitjungle

@taestrwbrry

[ficmashup]

Learning

Summary: You join TF141 after something happened on your last deployment. They take you in and while it takes some time, you find yourself warming up to them, and them to you. Perhaps especially to the Captain.

A/N: Hello, my sweet darlings. This one is pretty indulgent and I'm sorry it's so short! It just had to be this way and I couldn't fit it anywhere else, so I decided to just go with it. I have a vague idea of where I'm going, but no promises. ;) Hey, a summary! Will probably go back and do specific summaries, but for now this is good enough. Thanks for reading! <3

Warnings: As always with this fic, vague references of SA, crass language, talk of injuries, honestly a sickening amount of fluff.

Word Count: 2.4k (Short, I know! Sorry!)

Feral Masterlist

I don’t leave Soap’s side as he recovers. Thankfully, the infection isn’t a bad one and the fever breaks in a couple days. I keep him in the infirmary for one more day and threaten Soap with more if he so much as puts a foot on the floor. “And what about you, lass? You look dead on your feet.” He looks at me pointedly while I resist sticking my tongue out at him like a child.

“’M not on my feet.” I object as I settle back into my chair with a yawn, Ghost’s jacket dwarfing me as I tug it on. He’d visited and hadn’t reclaimed it yet, so it’s my personal blanket for now. I’d like to wash it before I give it back anyway. The boys had each tried to convince me to head back to my room, but I hadn’t given in yet. Price hadn’t ordered me away, so I figured I had a little more time. “Said I’d stay until you’re well. I keep my word.”

“I’m well enough, G. You’re discharging me tomorrow. Come on, go get some real sleep in your own bed.” Soap pushes and I shake my head, resting it back against the chair as my eyes close.

“About to get some sleep right here, right now.” I open an eye to peak at him and point an accusatory finger at him. “Remember that the other nurses will tell me if you move.” They were the ones who had to treat the soldiers I fought when I first got here. They wouldn’t lie for him. Not to me, anyway. Soap rolls his eyes with a huff before my eyes shut again. I’m nearly asleep when I hear the familiar scuff of boots stopping next to me and I look up a bit blearily.

“I’m relieving you tonight, soldier.” Price’s voice wakes me up a bit more and I wipe a hand over my eyes as my brows furrow.

“That’s not necessary, sir. It’s my job.” I sit up a bit more, pulling the sleeves of Ghost’s jacket up so my hands are free.

“And it’s my job to see to the welfare of my team.” He points out as his fingers curl in a gesture for me to get up. I rise with a small huff and keep a hand on the arm of the chair to keep myself steady. My lips part to object again, but Price steps a bit closer and bends down a bit so only I can hear his words. “You’ve done a hell of a job looking after Johnny. Time you looked after yourself.” He holds my gaze for a moment, his hand reaching out to lightly squeeze my shoulder in his usual method of encouragement. A little smile creeps onto my face at the feeling, at knowing him well enough to see that.

I heave a breath. I’m being overprotective, possessive, as Soap would put it. Certain memories stick in my mind despite the fact that Soap isn’t me and I didn’t have a team like this the last place I was in. “You’ll send for me if something happens?” I allow at last and ignore Soap’s slack-jawed look. A few words from Price can get me to leave, but an hour-long argument with him and the others didn’t so much as get me to budge. Well. Price knows why I’m reticent.

Price nods without hesitation. “You’ll be the first to know. I won’t leave until you discharge him tomorrow.” My jaw locks as I consider it for a few moments before nodding my agreement. Price squeezes my shoulder again in acknowledgement of how difficult this is for me even though we both know I’m using my background as a basis, rather than logic. He turns towards the chair and this time I’m the one who reaches out, my fingers sliding over his hand on my shoulder. He turns back towards me and I soak in his pretty blue eyes.

“Thank you.” The words are quiet, but firm and full of sincerity. His gaze softens in that sweet way they sometimes do and his hand turns, his fingers brushing mine before both our hands drop.

“You’re welcome.” He responds just as quietly before I turn to Soap who is blinking as if worried he’s hallucinating.

“Remember the nurses know my orders and won’t hesitate to snitch on you to Price.” I pin him to the bed with my gaze before he holds up his hands in surrender. My feet carry me out of the infirmary before I can change my mind and I sigh entering my room. I barely have the energy to kick off my boots before I collapse onto my bed and instantly fall asleep.

*     *     *

I’ve no clue what time it is when I wake up. It’s still dark out, that’s clear to see, and I’m groggy as hell. A quick glance at my phone reveals that it’s two a.m. and my stomach gurgles loudly. Sighing, I slide out of bed and rustle around my bags before finding a granola bar that I immediately shove in my mouth. It’ll tide me over until I somehow find some more food. Half-asleep, I shrug Ghost’s jacket on and drape a blanket around me as I head out towards the mess hall. I pass by the infirmary and slow down a little, then decide to duck in for just a second. They usually have some good rations hidden away anyway.

A soft smile comes to my face as I see the boys exactly where I left them. Soap is asleep with some drool coming out of his mouth and Price is sleeping in the chair next to him, his hat pulled low over his face and his feet propped up next to Soap’s on the bed. I creep in and ignore the scolding look the on-duty nurse gives me as I walk over to them. Something in my chest eases seeing everything is alright without me.

Carefully, I drape my body warmed blanket over Price and he doesn’t move a muscle except for the steady up and down of his chest as he breathes. There are a few cups of pudding next to Soap’s bed and I happily scoop one up and open it with a little crinkling sound from the packaging. “Couldn’t resist?” I freeze at the gruff voice and see the corner of Price’s mouth lift as he reaches up to set his hat properly on his head so he can look at me. I smile sheepishly at him.

“Got a bit hungry. The infirmary always has the good snacks.” I tell him honestly and he quirks a skeptical eyebrow at me. “And I may have wanted to check in while I was out. Didn’t mean to wake you, Price.”

He shakes his head, that near smile still on his face. “I’m impressed you made it this long, actually.” He sits up and moves his feet onto the floor, cracking his neck with a heavy sigh. I smirk a little as he moves. That chair isn’t that comfortable and no one knows that more than me. I grab another pudding cup and spoon before offering both to him. He glances at them, then to me, then takes them while I grin.

“I swear I would’ve made it until tomorrow if I hadn’t gotten hungry.” I say softly while we both eat the pudding. Chocolate. It’s not too bad for military rations.

Price hums in amusement. “Should’ve made you eat something before I sent you off. Should’ve also gotten you a better chair to sleep in while you looked after Johnny. This thing is a fuckin’ nightmare.” He kicks the leg of the chair he’s in with his heel and I giggle, short and sweet. His eyes crinkle slightly as he smiles at me and I feel something in me soften. He really cares about his team. Which includes me now, I suppose. That’s why he stayed here tonight, not to watch Soap, but to put my mind at ease.

“You don’t have to stay here the rest of the night, Captain. Soap seems well looked after.” I say quietly and he raises his brows.

“You sure about that?” He asks and I nod.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” I spare Soap a look and take a breath as I feel doubt creeping up into my throat. Soap isn’t me and the situations are completely different. Time to move forward. “I’ll walk you out.” I turn back to Price and I’m struck dumb with the pride in his gaze.

He nods slowly, considering me a moment longer before he agrees and lays the blanket I put over him onto Soap’s bed. “Alright.” He stands and I put a hand over my mouth as he groans softly while stretching. Those lovely eyes shoot daggers at the chair behind him. “Remind me to burn that chair.”

“Yes, sir.” There’s amusement in my voice and he gives me a look that tells me he knows I’m laughing at him. He doesn’t call me out on it though and merely smirks as I take another pudding cup to eat as we quietly leave the infirmary.

“Lucky you got the soft introduction to treating the team when we’re injured.” Price says as we walk slowly through the halls. Our pace is a tad slower, but I don’t mind spending a little extra time talking with Price. He goes on, “Soap and Gaz aren’t too bad. Johnny gets a bit restless, but he’s not too bad. Gaz is a smartass and tends to hide how bad things are with humor. You have to push a bit or he has to trust you enough to be straight with you. And Ghost…” He trails off and reaches up to wipe a hand over his facial hair, shaking his head.

“Difficult one, hm?” It’s not a surprise to me. Ghost seems as likely to trust others as I am and that’s not much.

Price sighs as we come to a stop outside my room and turn to face one another. “He’s a stubborn bastard. Won’t tell you something’s wrong unless he’s bleeding out.”

I grimace, but make a mental note of the fact. “Okay. I’ll keep an eye out.” Because I know he’s not telling me this simply to talk. Price isn’t the time of man to do things idly. He’s giving me a lot of trust by letting me into his team, trusting me to take care of them to the best of my ability. The relationship between a medic and a captain can make or break a team. It’s up to both of us, him giving the orders and me patching everyone up, to keep everyone whole and safe.

He nods and there isn’t any doubt in his eyes. “I know you will. You’re a hell of a medic.” He glances down to Ghost’s jacket still wrapped around me and I tug a bit on the sleeves while he smiles. “You’ve made real strides with this team in a short amount of time. That’s nothing to scoff at.”

“You all welcomed me too.” I point out, holding out my hands that are half hidden in Ghost’s jacket to prove a point. “Despite my…less than warm attitude.”

Price hums in amusement. “You did better than you think. Ghost didn’t answer anyone but me with anything other than grunts the first two months he was here.”

I laugh softly. “Really?”

“Told you he was a stubborn bastard.” Price confirms with a warm smile on his face. “Soap was the one to eventually break him down. Took a while though.” I lean back against the door frame of my room as I hear the thinly veiled comfort in his words. He’s saying it’s okay that it’s taking me a while too.

I hesitate a moment, then decide to go for it. “Ghost told me that you kept my file to yourself. I appreciate that.” My eyes hold his as I speak so he can see the genuine gratefulness in my gaze.

He nods, not having to think about it for a second. “No thanks needed. I figured you would tell who you wanted when you wanted.”

“Well, my preferred answer to that would be no one and never, but apparently that’s bad for my mental health.” We both chuckle before his stance softens a touch and he shifts towards me despite not taking a step closer.

“You’re a tough soldier, I know you know that. I’m glad to have been able to give you a place here. Give you a team that actually deserves you.” I’m caught in his eyes for a moment, in the absolute certainty in his voice that I’m a good fit for the team that he holds in such high esteem. His team.

I smile, glancing down at the floor a moment while my head shakes. “You’re a really fucking good captain, you know that?” My compliment isn’t as smooth or deft as his, but it’s sincere. Our gazes meet again and he looks a bit taken aback, then a surprised smile takes over his face. He chuckles softly and the sound is warm like a glass of whiskey.

“Don’t know about that. I try.” He says, reaching up and lifting his hat to rub a hand over his head, then putting the hat back on. I smile a tiny bit. Is he…flustered?

“No, I’m telling you. As a member of your team. You’re a good captain.” I don’t give him time to brush it off as I reach out and squeeze his bicep with a little smirk on my face at turning his habit back around on him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” I open the door to my room and take in that sweet, soft look in his eyes.

“Tomorrow.” He tips his hat and I can’t stop my wide grin as he pauses, second guessing the movement before he shakes his head. I watch him walk away before one more thing pops into my head.

“You never said how you are when you’re injured.” I call out and he turns back to me with a half-shrug and mischevious smile.

“Insufferable.” He responds and leaves me with a smile on my face. I hold his cigar box as I sleep, but it’s for a little more than chasing away nightmares…

Taglist (hi! it's so nice having so many people wanting to be tagged! Thanks for being interested! If anyone else wants to be tagged, lmk);

@under-the-dirt @jj-ara33 @sorchateas @cherry-blosom-tree

@thriving-n-jiving @jinxxangel13

[kimetsu-chan]

Heyy! I’m back! I was wondering if I could ask for another request! I’m so sorry if this seems like a lot to ask, and you don’t have to accept the request if you don’t want to!

My 2nd request would be the same concept (Tokito Muichiro X Hashira!Reader)

But this time we get a different point of view! Through Shinobu’s!

Of course she has already built a sibling-like relationship with (Reader) and treats them like they’re her own flesh and blood, though she never thought she would hold a sort of resentment towards a certain air-headed Hashira!

Of course Shinobu only wants the best for (Reader) so seeing that they are going after this forgetful and blunt boy didn’t feel like the best decision on (Reader)‘s part.

And when she sees that Muichiro might see (Reader) more than a friend, oh she’s livid

She thinks (Reader) is way too young to be involved with a relationship like that! She barley allowed (Reader) to become a Hashira at their age, but this was crossing the line!

Ever since then Shinobu’s been sort of passive aggressive towards Muichiro, each time he came to the Butterfly Mansion to get his wounds treated, Shinobu always seemed quiet and her smile a lot more strained as she asked about him and (Reader)

Of course Muichiro began talking before quickly trailing off, his mind wandering. The only thing that brought him back was the slight stinging sensation from how tightly Shinobu had been wrapping his wounds-(If this is a one shot like the first one, please add this part! Idk I think it would be funny😆)

But Shinobu was only being over-protective, always putting herself between (Reader) and Muichiro, most of the time with it ending with Muichiro eventually wandering off since he had forgotten who he was speaking to in the first place-

Add more if you’d like! I hope this request reaches you in a good place, please take your time and have a good day!

~Passive Aggression~

A/N: that’s totally okay! As long as I’m accepting requests and as long as it doesn’t break any rules, I’d be happy to take requests at pretty much any time! Once again, thank you so much for making it detailed, it really helps a lot. This one might be a little(a lot) shorter as I haven’t eaten all day and I’m kinda tired, so I apologize for that! I hope you enjoy this one as much as the first!

TWs: none, I don’t think. Shinobu’s just upset at Mui :>

Shinobu had been picking up on… things.

She had been observing the way her younger sibling would always conveniently disappear during lunch, and how they would always get just a little bit happier at the mention of a specific mist hashira.

And that irked Shinobu to no end.

One, she felt as if [Name] was far too young to be in a romantic relationship. And two, him? Seriously? Of all people?

She would almost rather [Name] fall in love with… Genya… or literally anyone else.

Not only was he crass and rude, he was also rather irresponsible. Shinobu couldn’t count on both hands the amount of times she has had to patch up wounds of his that could’ve been easily avoided.

Ever since she had learned about their mutual interest in each other, Shinobu had been more careless in how gentle she was when patching up the amnesiac boy. She would be talking to him and “accidentally” tighten the bandages just tight enough to elicit a hiss from the boy. She’d throw in a sarcastic, “Oh sorry, did that hurt?” before continuing.

Every time she heard [Name] ramble about Muichiro, and vice versa, it took everything she had not to roll her eyes. Whenever she saw the two alone, she would always approach them with a very strained smile.

And if Muichiro ever got a little too close to [Name] for Shinobu’s comfort, she’d would suddenly need their help with something, urgently.

And if that didn’t work, she’d physically get in between them. She would do her best to keep a polite tone of voice, but it was always clear that she was running thin on patience.

Thankfully, for Muichiro’s sake, he would always get quickly distracted and go off to do something else.

Shinobu also really like to “joke” that she was always in need of volunteers to try her new medicines, to test if they were safe to use on patients or if they would have any bad side effects.

Oh, and if Muichiro were to ever fall sick? Oh he’s getting the grossest tasting medicine that Shinobu has in stock.

So long story short, Muichiro better mature up a bit and wait until he and [Name] were a bit older if he ever wanted to Shinobu to even consider letting him court them.

A/N: it was really fun to imagine Shinobu reacting to Mui and [Name]. She’d def get really petty too.

this was not proofread, bc I’m too lazy for that—

Taglist: @ayunakatsukiwolfhashira @larz-barz @sweetstarryeyedgirl @cloudymistedskies (ik cloudy didn’t specifically ask to be tagged, but KURA said I should tag them :3)

[janort]

Hey

I know I just sent you an ask but

I’m planning on buying this female clown and I was wondering

If you could possibly bestow any knowledge about this pretty girl too before I receive her in October 🥺🥺

Tysm I love your imput 😁 (also give me name ideas if you have any!!! She needs a good name!!)

Ohoho, that’s a fancy looking lady right there, I’d be happy to give my two cents on her!

She seems to be a teacup, I’m slightly unsure of the scale since the background of the photo is blank. Those bells and that hat are classic jester traits, she’s got quite a lot of sequins, lace, ribbons and frill so I might even guess she’s a royal jester.

The monochromatic black and white color palette is very striking, I’m not quite sure what to make of that. Unlike with circus breeds, black and white colors don’t necessarily mean the clown is mixed with Pierrot/mime, or that the clown is from a very selectively bred lineage that’s been cultivated for those colors. Jesters can be grayscale without Pierrot/mime ancestry and it’s not extremely rare, this makes it difficult to determine whether a jester is a mime or Pierrot mix, along with the fact that pure bred jesters and pure bred Pierrot can have some similar features.

The best way to know without DNA testing is to interact with the clown in person. Jesters are witty and talkative, they can be crass and mischievous, and they don’t tend to be very shy. Pierrot are considered more ‘dainty’, they rarely vocalize (although they can, unlike mimes), they are shy and cautious, and their performances are more subtle and musical than slapstick and comedic. It shouldn’t be too difficult to observe your clown’s behavior and draw your own conclusion, but until you meet her it’s anyone’s guess what her ancestry is. (If she is mixed, it’s probably not with mime because of the info I mentioned in my last clown husbandry ask)

Whether she’s got some Pierrot DNA or she’s purely jester, her diet should consist mainly of things like hard cheeses, preserved fruits, chicken/turkey, potatoes and sweet breads. That’s not to say she can never have more staple clown foods like cotton candy or corndogs, just that it’s not what she’s meant to rely on, jesters have different nutritional needs than circus clowns, for example they require higher sodium intake. This diet generally works for jesters and jester mixes, so it’s not necessary to modify if she’s partially Pierrot.

Other than diet it’s important to get some props for her, small bells and items to juggle are a good place to start. Jesters are inquisitive and love games, puzzles and riddles are a staple of theirs. Be carful when you take her places, because of how curious they are, small jesters can wander off to explore and become near impossible to track down.

Other than that I can’t think of any advice that’s specific to her, she should settle in easily with the other clowns, the enrichment of having so many friends should be very good for her, and she probably won’t need a setup too different from theirs. Of course I’m not a vet, (sorry for hammering this into the ground lol, but it is important for anyone who isn’t familiar with me) and I’m more experienced with standard teacup party clowns, so if you notice anything wrong or odd you should take her to the vet.

And lastly, I’d be happy to give you some name suggestions!

Periwinkle comes to mind, based on those beautiful blue eyes of hers.

Quinn, because I can’t stop thinking of Harley Quinn the harlequin.

Koi, Iris, Swan, Juniper, Goose, Olive and Fawn, just because I think they sound cool.

Wow, this one was pretty long! But it was worth every minute it took, and I really hope you find it helpful, it’s always a pleasure to answer your asks.

Happy clowning <3

[polarisbibliotheque]

Are you into MBTI? If yes, may I ask for your idea on DMC characters types? If no then feel free to skip this ask, sorry for bothering you.

First things first, my beloved: DON’T APOLOGIZE. None of you are EVER bothering me by sending an ask – unless, of course, you’re completely crass, deranged, borderline criminal (or full criminal) with your words or just gratuitously rude. Those types are bothersome and will get blocked and ignored.

Unless I’m on an Axl Rose like rampage and want to burn and fistfight people along my way, then I’ll use the stupid being in question to pour all my anger and have a good reason to spend hours in therapy :)

But you are NOT one of those, my dear. That’s a very fun question and do feel free to ask me random things like that, I enjoy answering!

Now, I’m not really big on MBTI – I know enough about mine and my family’s so I can make things work between me and them. I also like to know my friends MBTI’s because the memes are usually freakishly accurate with all our personalities xD

I am an INTP! Quite proud, if I might say so hahahaha I like the weird vibes and I have adopted in my heart Sherlock Holmes as an INTP ‘cause he was my role model when I was a teen (I know, HORRIBLE role model, but it is what it is) – and that’s how I got into MBTI.

(more under the cut, this answer is LONG)

Big introduction for me to say: VERGIL, THIS LITTLE SHIT. INTJ. I DON’T EVEN HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT.

I’ll start with him and then Dante. I won’t share my 2 cents on the rest of the crew because either they aren’t that much developed as the twins or I’m not really trusting my MBTI judging abilities here.

Without further ado…

Vergil

I debated quite a WHILE on Vergil, to be honest, because we all know INTJ is the typical villain archetype used everywhere on media because heaven forbid a villain is not calculating and devoided of emotions.

And there’s where I got a little stuck: emotions.

Vergil does have emotions, and I dare to say his run even deeper than Dante’s, so I got a little sidetracked. But then I took my own personality, INTP, and thought about it for a while. I have the same problem as Vergil: my emotions do run deep and I’m always guarding them in a dark, secret place inside of me so I won’t get hurt, opting for a more thinking, analytical and practical approach rather than the feeling approach. And oh boy does my life get difficult with feeling types like my aunt, my mom and even my sister.

I got to the conclusion, then, it’s not how you feel, but rather how you present yourself. I took the test as if I was Dante (I needed that to figure him out, not sorry) and a lot of questions are more leaning on that. It’s not that you don’t feel or don’t understand feelings, it’s more like you have a different approach when doing things and processing all of that – because it can be quite overwhelming.

So, there we go, Vergil is BLATANTLY Introverted and Thinking. The Introverted I got from what I heard some people saying that it’s not that “oh I like talking to people/I don’t like talking to people”, it’s energy: at the end of the day, do you prefer being alone to recharge or around people to recharge?

Me and my sister are opposites on that. My sister was always quieter and shy when she was a kid, and I was expansive and always came back with a new friend. Lo and behold, I’m an Introvert and she is an Extrovert. How? I HAVE and I NEED time alone, completely for myself, with NO ONE around at certain times of the day and I do get AWFULLY tired when I’m being social for too long, needing some me time with tea and a good book. My sister NEEDS to be around her friends after a long, tiring week at work, famously going to 3 parties in a row, in 3 different days, different groups, outfits and all, exiting one party to go to the other, and then BAM going to work on a Monday completely replenished. I’m an Introvert. She is an Extrovert.

Dante and Vergil seal of approval here hahahahaha

His Intuitive part, though, comes from the art – poetry, philosophy, reading, education. Vergil is obviously BIG on that, loving poetry since he was a child and always being found in libraries, we can all picture him going to art galleries, concerts, operas and such. But, particularly, I extend that to his thirst for knowledge: everyone who enjoys reading the dense stuff he does, tends to fall for philosophy, sociology, the metaphysical part of physics, mathematics, all that. There was a reason why great mathematicians of the past were also philosophers: knowledge walks together.

Loving that deeply, Vergil has to be quite Intuitive. Yes, he will do things with discipline and how they should be done to achieve the result – but he will rebel and do things his own way if the knowledge he acquired so far points him to another direction; he will follow his intuition. He’s not one to dismiss the big questions in life: quite the contrary, I think one of his favorite past-times would be drinking wine along his s/o while talking about philosophy into the wee hours of the night as if they are the only people in the world.

Vergil is an open minded, curious and always searching for the meaning of things kind of person, and I will die on this hill. There is no way a guy who likes learning so much would be against challenging his own point of views: to learn, you have to first be a novice; and to improve, you have to admit there’s much you still don’t know and keep an open mind to fail and do it again, and again, and again, until you master what you are learning. Just the way he fights tells me he is very much like that and I’m still dying on this hill.

And lastly, Judging. No, not because he’s the judgy bitch of the series who’s always side-eying someone and sighing while saying “pathetic” just because they got scared by their own shadow. I have to say I wasn’t too sure on this one when I realized Vergil could end up as an INTP and that bitch can’t be an INTP like me, I claimed it.

Jokes aside, Vergil can be quite Perceiving at times, because, wanting or not, he has had his moments of needing to improvise and spot opportunities that weren’t quite on his schedule… But, I do have to admit, INTPs are a mess and Vergil is FAR from being a mess – and when I say a mess, we are everywhere: reading 5 books at the same time, leaving them scattered all around the house, laying upside down in bed to think and come up with a great idea for something… INTPs aren’t pragmatic or schedule oriented. And Vergil would DIE in an environment like this, I think.

So, my conclusion was: his ability to survive does come from his Perceiving characteristics, but his pragmaticism comes from his Judging – and the second is a lot stronger in him. He would like the schedule, he would do things as he has programmed and, if you interrupt him, he’s counting the minutes to go back to his schedule or else everything he has carefully programmed for the week will be delayed and his plans are all but GONE (read: Verge at the Temen-ni-gru screaming “WHY ISN’T THIS WORKING?!” when ALL the plans he carefully executed for WEEKS so he could get to THAT moment and open the gates of Hell just went down the drain ‘cause he missed something in his calculations. Man is in excruciating pain he missed something and ALL was for NOTHING and he’d have to TRY again).

Verdict: Vergil is an INTJ. Expected, annoyingly villainous personality, but it does fit him wonderfully.

Plus, we are the 'we don't have feelings' types :D

Dante

Oh, Dante. My beloved. My red devil. The man who haunts my dreams.

Seriously, I had a REALLY hard time pinpointing his MBTI.

Remember I said I took the test as him? Yes. I did. To check some things and argue against others hahahahaa

I don’t think Dante is as black and white as Vergil. The blue devil is almost textbook INTJ, but Dante…? I have my doubts on SO many parts of his personality, because, unlike Vergil, Dante does a LOT just for show.

Starting with the Extroverted/Introverted. Most people won’t even think before saying Dante is an Extrovert, but I had my doubts when taking things in consideration. What we usually see is that, yes, he does love being around people – but Dante spends most of his time alone, without electricity, reading his old magazines at his shop, sleeping or eating pizza by himself.

Depression? Yes. YES. This man is more depressed than the San Andreas Fault. This can make people behave differently from their personalities, so I had to think a little more about it. Dante doesn’t really go out of his way to be around people, to party with his friends or just have a nice time with them around. Dante wants to be alone, because he thinks he doesn’t deserve to be with people – and that they are better off without him, safer. He puts them in danger, at least that’s what’s on his mind. So, he isolates himself and prefers to spend time on his own, away from everything and everyone.

That’s where the energy thing comes into play! What gives Dante energy? Honestly, my man looks drained and just the dust of his being whenever they get to his shop and he’s been living in that condition for months. During the games AND after the games, though? He looks a lot better – even if he has been beaten up by a bunch of demons. And that’s because, I think, Dante gets energized by being around people – friends, family, loved ones. Just like my sister, he can conquer the world after going to 5 parties in a row. Vergil, in the other hand, would be drained and dying by the second one, just like Dante is when he hasn’t been around people too much, always isolating himself.

So, despite his depression that makes him behave differently, Dante is an Extrovert in my book.

One that I don’t even think too much about him is the Perceiving trait. Dante is like that, 10/10. He can’t thrive on a schedule, things in his life are Everything Everywhere All At Once, and my man is in his lane with that. Try to fit Dante in a box with a set routine and too many rules, he’s dying. Aside from that, he has a knack for improvising and finding the best opportunities in unexpected situations.

Hence why he has so many freaking weapons and is just using all of them and all of his fighting styles at the same time, taunting demons and dancing Macarena right after – and making it all look like it makes the most absolute fucking sense. No one can pull that off like Dante, king of winging it.

Now, I do believe he is Intuitive. Dante might not be the art and poetry type like Vergil, but he is well educated. He has to be, to do what he does. And I do believe his thing for philosophy shows when Dante is lecturing demons: that WHOLE answer he gives Agnus about what demons lack compared to humans, that is VERY much philosophy. Dante doesn’t just go and takes everything at face value, because, if he did, he would very much say the obvious: demons are, objectively, stronger than humans. But all the heart, all the internal things that make humans stronger than demons… That’s philosophy.

I can see Dante enjoying movies – blockbusters, yes, packed with action and special effects, but let’s remember… Titanic is a blockbuster. And there’s so much heart in that movie, so much philosophy, so much about choosing your own fate and not being tied to the one that was handed to you… Titanic can pack one hell of an existential punch and make you think about so much in your life – you just have to be open to it.

Differently from Vergil, Dante wasn’t the library and heavy books sort of guy. But he was the guy to go to the movies, to watch all of that. To go back home (wherever his home was at the moment, even if just a place for him to crash for a while) and think about everything he watched in the silent darkness of his room. To think about the things Eva taught him – and see the value of all that.

He’s not the type to go to an art gallery, or read philosophy, or go to the opera. But he will go if he is invited, he will discuss things the way he learned them, and he will enjoy it. He’d be more than willing to talk about what makes humans so precious and spend hours doing so, as he would be open to listen to his s/o explaining what makes him so human despite his demonic heritage. And he would spend days thinking about it, always willing to discuss those topics if his s/o wanted to.

He's not textbook Intuitive like Vergil, I think, but he still is, in his very own way. I’d say Vergil is academically Intuitive, while Dante learned his Intuitive trait on the streets – we all say Dante is a safespace for everything, and a man like has to be open minded and curious. If he wasn’t, he would have never welcomed Trish and given her a chance to be human: he would’ve killed her right away for being a demon. And that isn’t our red devil.

Last but not least, Dante is a Feeling. I’m always dying on this hill, even if that one ALSO made me have some doubts.

Because you see, Dante just pretends to be a goof, but he isn’t. He is very intelligent and cunning, very perceiving and observing, but wrapped in a reckless rockstar package. It’s his own way of coping, but that is what makes him SUCH a great devil hunter (sorry, Nero). Even if we might disagree on this, I do believe Dante has his emotions very much controlled.

Which is a little evidenced by the lyrics on his theme song in DMC V, Subhuman (I know we ALL love Bury The Light and Devil Trigger but OH MY GOD, I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT HOW SUBHUMAN IS AWESOME AND FITTING FOR DANTE). The song is VERY explicit how Dante is always controlling his rage and keeping his demon on a very tight leash so he has control over it all the fucking time. That isn’t very Feeling in my book – it’s quite Thinking, like Vergil.

That’s what made me think a little about Vergil’s as well. I have what might be an unpopular opinion about the twins after thinking so much about them and seeing how they react and act in all of the games: Vergil has a tendency to loose control and overkill, while Dante has a tendency to let his rage burn at the exact moment he needs it and use his power just as much as he needs to get the job done. Dante is more controlled with his emotions than Vergil – and in my opinion, it’s because Vergil bottles up and ignores his emotions until they become a storm that can’t be stopped (cough cough personal experience cough cough) while Dante controls things so he can use his emotions and let them be expressed/gets them off his system in “safe” environments for him, which would be killing demons.

So, why the heck is Dante a Feeling in my book? Precisely why Vergil is a Thinking. It has to do with how they present themselves – and that is the point that makes them so different and butt heads almost every game.

The devil on Dante’s leash is his rage, the feeling he allows and wants to run amok and uncontrolled is his love. Dante controls his bursts of anger and the demonic blood who craves for mayhem – but he doesn’t control his human heart that does everything out of empathy and love. He will run to the rescue when his loved ones are in danger, he will protect weak people against the powerful ones, he will lecture corrupted humans who see nothing but power in front of them, he will cry and he will do everything in his power to keep love alive and thriving. He will react immediately, he will understand, he will feel the pain of those who are injured and begging for help – he will let his heart melt and do everything for them.

Therefore, Dante is a Feeling. And I think that’s what makes him and Vergil opposites and always fighting: Vergil wants power and puts logic over feelings, avoiding them like the plague, while Dante wants love and puts feelings over logic, embracing them and acting out of what his human heart tells him is the right thing to do. The whole series is based on this – at least in my opinion.

Verdict: Dante is an ENFP. Didn’t really expect it, but after analyzing with care, it makes a lot of sense to me.

Also, all the memes with ENFP x INTJ relationship dynamics I just checked are basically Dante and Vergil in a nutshell - I’ll leave some of them below and you guys will HAVE to forgive me not really crediting the people who created these memes, I honestly just found on google and wanted to share so you can have an idea of what I’m talking about.

But I honestly have been wheezing for the past hour and I thank you SO MUCH anon for this ask – I hope you enjoyed this little TED Talk about the Sparda Twins’ personalities please Capcom hire me to write official canon about them

If this isn't Dante and Vergil, I dunno what is

And last but not least:

That's all the games in a nutshell, really.

[comphy-and-cozy]

Did I spend this morning rereading A Dream Come True again?

Yep. Zero regrets.

I wouldn’t object to peek ins on them if the urge ever hit to write more on this just saying 👀🫶🏻

this is very sweet and I am so very glad that you enjoyed it! because, well...

mastermind - jt compher

Pairing: JT Compher x Reader (f) - A Dream Come True universe

Word Count: ~1.8K

Author’s Note: I’m sorry Ghost lol

Warnings: references to sex, implied smut, language, the usual banter; otherwise, just some ~relationship development~ and an update on my fav duo ♥️🐙

link to series masterlist

January 2024

The email lies buried beneath the myriad of holiday marketing newsletters you ignored and let build up in your inbox. Sales that have long since passed, codes like ‘HOLIDAY20’ and ‘HAPPYNYE’ expired from stores you shopped at once and never unsubscribed from the marketing. 

It’s a Wednesday evening, and you’re sitting on the couch doing your best to mass delete the influx of unread emails from the past three months after receiving the notification that your storage is running low. A knit blanket covers your legs, and the scent of tobacco and teakwood drifts to you from the candle on your coffee table.

“What’re you giggling about over here?”

JT’s low timbre echoes behind you, the sound followed by the soft padding of his feet as he approaches the couch with a bowl of popcorn. His favorite nighttime snack, you’ve grown to learn over the past three months, so you started stocking your pantry with a box. 

You aren’t sure exactly when things became so domestic and natural with him, only blissfully aware of the steady thump of your heart in your chest when his texts come through or the warmth that fills you whenever he kisses you. You’ve managed to get comfortable with his presence, craving it the same way you crave a sweet snack before bed, but you’re still adjusting to the idea that this is real. That he’s still here, returning to your bed, dutifully—eagerly—after every road trip. 

Every time, he’ll sigh, find solace in the warmth of your arms, press his lips against your skin. He’ll fuck you, God, he’ll fuck you; somehow never failing to reveal a new place inside of you that blooms pleasure. Your body has never sang the way it does for JT, expertly coaxing melodies out of you that you didn’t know you knew. 

But sometimes, he just lays, content to feel your warmth against his, head resting heavy on your chest until his breathing becomes steady and sleep takes him. His expression softens, hair falling out of its styled coif, wrinkles settling into the lines of his t-shirt—if he hasn’t already removed it. In those moments, you defy the heaviness of your eyelids to simply gaze at him, memorizing the shape of him in your bed, curled up against you underneath the blankets that will forever be embedded with his scent. 

You can’t decide which you like more.

“I just got an email inviting me to the Toast of Hockeytown event in February,” you reply, accepting the weight of him on the cushion beside you before you steal a kernel from his bowl—your bowl. “‘Fans can look forward to enjoying live entertainment, culinary delights, drinks, and desserts while mingling with the entire Red Wings team, coaches, select alumni, and other local celebrities.’”

JT hums. “Sounds like an event you can’t miss. A chance to meet them?”

“I better make sure I wear my nicest dress. One that really shows off the goods, don’t you think?”

“Definitely,” he agrees, eyes flicking to your chest—though it’s covered by a t-shirt, you can feel the heat from his gaze. “Think maybe you’ll get to fuck one of them?”

Laughter bubbles out of your mouth and you shove his arm at his crass joke. “It would be a good opportunity to try and snag someone’s number.”

“Oooh, maybe Larkin? He’s dreamy.”

“Nah, he’s too popular,” you shake your head. “Can’t aim so high as the captain. Gotta go for lower-hanging fruit. Maybe one of the new guys. Ghosty, you think?”

There’s the briefest flash in JT’s eyes that you would’ve missed had you not been watching for it. You catch it, though, smug with yourself that you’ve one-upped him at his own game. 

“Heard his dick is small.” He feigns indifference, but you see the glint in his eyes. Your favorite eyes. 

“You really want me thinking about Ghost’s dick?” 

JT shrugs. “I’m the one sitting on your couch eating your popcorn. And I’m gonna be the one in your bed later.”

Check mate. The nonchalance paired with his confidence makes you weak—he’s right, and he knows it. You could have every one of them fawning over you, and you’d still pick him, every time. Once the joke falls and the silence settles, the sound of the Brooklyn 99 intro plays softly on the television in front of you.

As your mouse hovers over the ‘delete’ button, you’re reminded of the similar event you attended over two years ago—the one that led you to the man sitting beside you. You reminisce on how you spent days deciding on what to wear, even going so far as to get your hair blown out beforehand. Looking back, you’re a bit embarrassed at the effort, but as you feel the warmth of JT’s leg pressed against yours, you think to yourself it was worth it.

“I came to Denver specifically to meet you,” you blurt out, then freeze when you realize what you’ve just admitted to. Your heart thuds in your chest, the sound almost deafening in your ears as he pauses, three kernels of popcorn in his fingers halfway to his mouth.

Testing a glance at him, you’re surprised to see him pop each puff between his lips, one by one, taking his time chewing. Then, “I know.”

“You know?”

“You kn—the entire time?”

“The entire time.”

A sigh accompanied by a tidal wave of relief washes over you. If he knew, and was still here, it couldn’t have bothered him that much. “Do I want to know how?”

“Jus’ know,” he says with another shrug. Then your favorite glimmer shines in the warm chocolate of his eyes, the kind when he’s really feeling the banter. You love him like this. “You’re a bit of a whore when you’re desperate.”

“Joseph!”

An auburn eyebrow raises and he smirks. “You really gonna argue with me on that?”

Your silence is an answer enough, accompanied by flits of how he’s had you begging him on more than one occasion; you resist the urge to smack him at the smug ‘I told you so’ expression on his stupid, handsome face. “You’re not… creeped out?”

“Told you already,” he says around another mouthful of popcorn. “M’flattered. I think it’s cute.”

Heat simmers in your cheeks as you tell yourself you have no reason not to believe him; he’s still there, still eating popcorn out of the faded, red bowl you got from Target when you moved into your dorm at U of M. 

It’s another few moments before he says something that catches you off guard. 

“I came for you.” 

There’s an air of hesitation about him, like maybe he’s been mulling it over as he finishes the last few bites of popcorn before offering you the remaining kernels in the bottom of the bowl. A peace offering, maybe, like he wants to even the playing field now that you’ve confessed something so private. Funny how this isn’t the first time this has happened to you with regards to him.

“What?”

“That night. At Tin Roof.” The second time we met.

“I know you did. You were inside me.”

JT smiles at your snark, a spark glinting in his eye as if he’s replaying the memory in his head. “No, I mean… I suggested that bar to the guys because I knew you were there.”

“What are you talking about?”

He clears his throat. “After we met—the first time—I spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to find you. I kept waiting to get a tagged photo from you, but never did, so… I started combing through my followers.”

Your eyebrows raise, heart swelling at the idea of making such an impact on him that he’d go through such an effort to find you. 

“It took me awhile, but I finally found you,” he continues. “Imagine my disappointment when you were private.”

You hum, waiting with baited breath to hear the rest of his story. The memory of posting the photo of you and him comes to mind, his hand placement just visible on your side that gives you butterflies to this day, despite him having touched you far more intimately since then.

“I’d check back once in awhile whenever you crossed my mind. Still, private. I even made a habit of checking my DM’s in case you decided to message me after we won the Cup.”

“Hard to get,” you tease with a smile. “Gotta keep you on your toes.”

His eyes glint again, acknowledging your quip—because you sure fucking have kept him on his toes. “And then I got a call from Steve Yzerman.”

The breath in your lungs stands still.

“We talked—and I loved what he had to say, don’t get me wrong; Detroit really had been on my radar for awhile—but after I hung up the phone, I went to check your page. Figured it couldn’t hurt. And you weren’t private anymore. And, by all accounts, you appeared to be single.”

You’re doing your best to keep your jaw from resting on the floor, absorbing his candid confession with no shortage of disbelief. Part of you wonders if this is a long, elaborate play to tease you for how you lusted after him.

“Saw the picture of us,” he adds. “And the caption, too.”

A grin breaks out onto your face at his reference. It had been funny at the time, so far-fetched, unthinkable that the contrast between then and now hits you in the chest. Call me JT xoxo, it had said.

“Thought you said I wasn’t the reason you signed.”

“You were… encouraging,” he says with a smirk. You don’t miss the way his eyes dart down to your body. You don’t expect he meant for you to miss it.

As tempted as you are to take that concupiscent gaze and use it to quell the heat that’s simmering between your legs, you can’t resist probing just a little more to see what else you can glean out of him. “So… the bar?” 

“Oh, right,” he blinks, like he forgot he was telling a story; you can practically see the dirty images conjured in his eyes as they float away. “Pretty straightforward, really—before we went out that night, I checked your story, on a whim. You tagged the bar.”

“Joseph Taylor Compher, were you stalking me?”

For the first time, a tinge colors the pretty ivory of his cheeks and his expression turns… bashful? “Does it count as stalking if it’s on your public page?”

“I’m sure the police might have something different to say,” you shoot back with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s only if I harassed you,” JT says. “And I’m pretty confident I did quite the opposite of that.”

He nudges your knee playfully, and you roll your eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you blew my mind, whatever, whatever.”

“You blew mine too, baby,” he adds, the tinge of huskiness in his voice undeniable. “But you knew that.”

And later, after he’s thoroughly appreciated your travel efforts to Denver, when your cheek is pressed against the warm skin on his chest, you whisper, “I can’t believe you were playing 4D chess this entire time.”

“What can I say? I’m a mastermind.”

[its-jaytothemee]

Until I Met You - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: No Gnome Left Behind

Pairings: Halsin x Tav

Word count: 6,181

Rating: Currently M, will be Explicit in later chapters.

Read on AO3

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Summary: Tav leads the others back to Grymforge to find the last enslaved gnome. During their exploration she makes some discoveries about the Harpers. Part 18 of the slow burn fic. Tav and Halsin POVs.

Tags: Slow burn, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, fluff, eventual love confessions, eventual smut, angst, implied past rape/non-con and abuse, graphic description of injuries, brief suicidal thoughts.

A/N: Tav and Shadowheart are like 0.2 seconds away from a full on brawl - I'm so sorry to god's favorite princess. Only two more chapters left in the act 1 story! We'll be moving on to the shadow curses lands soon enough with some serious angst and hurt/comfort. Another chapter will be added either later tonight or tomorrow :)

Their trip across the lake was uneventful this time. No ambushes by other sailing duergar, no crass greeting party at the docks.

“Okay, keep your eyes out for another deep gnome. Also, for anything that might help us get through those fucking shadows.” Tav had almost forgotten about their passage through the shadow curse after the events of today. They still had no idea how the cultists were walking among them.

Gruff voices rang from the other side of the docks, the opposite direction from where they explored earlier in the day. She took slow, careful steps toward the sound, unsure whether their True Soul cover was still intact. As they made their way around the docks, they walked past cages holding dead bodies.

“Dead drow, displayed in cages. What message are the duergar trying to send?” She gave a passing glance between the corpses. None seemed to wear any symbols of the Absolute on their clothing.

The raucous voices echoed off the walls around them again. A smaller, higher pitched voice bit back at the first one. Tav’s head snapped over to a small set of stairs off to their side. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a gnome stomping away in a huff.

She nodded her head up the short flight of stairs in front of them. Two duergar were drinking and leaning against the stone banister. A wrought iron gate sat at the top, and behind it looked like an elevator was concealed. One of the duergar called out to her when she tried to inspect it.

“Hey! You got one of Nere’s moonlanterns?”

“A moonlantern?” Tav looked between the two slightly drunk duergar.

“One of them pixie-lamps. If you’re heading to Moonrise, you won’t last without it.” He responded as if this should be obvious to her.

“Good to know. Where can I get one?”

The duergar rolled his eyes at her and called out at the gnome again.

“Stickshit! Another round.” More laughing from the two duergar. The deep gnome came shuffling back with another couple mugs of ale.

“Skickpit.” He muttered under his breath.

“You disgust me, slaver. How do you live with yourself?” Tav sneered. Astarion let out an agitated groan behind her.

“Comfortably. Figured it’d be obvious.” He laughed again. “The little buggers complain, but they love it, I’m telling you.”

Tav’s eye twitched listening to him speak. The tension in the air around them could have been cut with a knife. She could feel her companions struggle to contain their groans; they knew she wouldn’t be able to hold back for long. Rather than start a fight before she could get all the information they needed, she brought the conversation back to the lanterns.

“I believe I asked you where to find another one of those moonlanterns.” She used the most commanding voice she could muster toward the male duergar.

“Hm? Oh, I don’t know. S’far as I know, Nere had the only one.” He shrugged as he took another long drink of his ale.

Great.

“So, there’s nothing you can tell me about how to pass through the shadows besides a moonlantern? And you can’t even tell me where to get one?” Tav glanced back at her companions, Gale’s voice glided into her thoughts.

“Whizbangs?” Even using the tadpole, he sounded exasperated.

“Big time.” She answered silently.

“That’s the only way to make it through, or at least so we’ve been told.”

“Well, thank you for your honesty. Such a rare trait in a slaver.” Tav gave a mocking bow.

Before the duergar had a chance to respond, she punched him in the jaw. Lae’zel and Astarion sprang into action, each of them picking a duergar to attack. Necrotic magic popped and cracked at Shadowheart’s fingertips before she reached out and grabbed one of the duergar by the neck. The dark magic flowed from her into her target, corrupting the flesh and drawing an agonizing scream from him. Gale followed up with a quick Thunderwave spell, launching both duergar off the landing to the ground below. One landed with a lifeless thud, the other just barely made it up to her feet. Tav drew her bow and fired a quick couple of shots into her chest, knocking her to the ground next to her ally.

“There. Feel better, darling?” Astarion rolled his eyes.

“Shit! You killed them!” Skickpit yelled in shock as he ran back up the stairs. “Why?”

“I was sent by Thulla to get you all out of here. Beldron and the others are already across the lake.”

“But why in the hottest hells would a True Soul be helping me?” Suspicion still clouded his face.

“I’m not really a True Soul, we’re here to infiltrate the cult.” Tav gestured to her companions behind her. The skeptical look faded away as he moved his gaze between her and the duergar.

“You’re serious, aren’t you? Shit…what now?”

“We’ll get you across the lake to the others. Wait on the raft until we can clear the fortress, so we’re not followed. Stay low, wait for us to return.”

“Thank Ironhand. I’ll find a good hiding place until you get back!” He scampered off toward their boat. A small wave of relief came over her.

That was all the slaves. At least the ones that survived.

“Let’s take care of the rest of these assholes then head back.” Tav stretched her arms and rolled her shoulders.

“I mean, do we really need to clear the entire fortress? It seems…unnecessary now that we’ve gotten the last gnome out.” Gale peeked around to ask her.

“We can’t risk word getting out of our fights here. What if they warn others at Moonrise that we’re coming?”

“You heard them, they don’t care about the Absolute. We got your precious slaves out, we should go back now.” Astarion wiped his daggers clean on the dead duergar as he searched their bodies.

“They’re slavers!” Tav growled at them. “They don’t deserve this mercy, were the roles reversed, you would be shown none!”

“That doesn’t mean we have to return in kind, Tav.” Gale placed a hand on her arm, and she realized she had started shaking.

“Fine.” She kept her teeth clenched. “Let’s at least explore a little more so we cover our bases. Just because the duergar didn’t know of a moonlantern doesn’t mean that Nere didn’t stash one away somewhere.”

The others nodded their agreement and followed her back down the stairs. There were a few doors along the wall, she figured they could check for any hidden passages that the cultists hadn’t found.

A couple more duergar stood at the other side of the docks, complaining about their work. As Tav got closer, she saw they were kicking bodies of deep gnomes into the water. An involuntary growl escaped her throat at the sight. The symbol of the Absolute adorned their robes.

They can’t even receive a proper burial.

“Stop!” She yelled.

“Listen, elf. ‘Less you’re here to kick some stiffs lakeside, I suggest you bugger off.” The first duergar spat back at her.

She whipped around to face her companions, hoping the rage in her expression was clear.

“Ugh, fine.” Astarion rolled his eyes before running up to one of the duergar and plunging his dagger into his shoulder. The stocky man stumbled back in shock, giving Lae’zel an opportunity to run up and ram her sword through his chest.

The second duergar shook off the surprise of their attack and came rushing forward, but Shadowheart muttered and incantation under her breath that caused him to stop and fall to his knees. With him immobilized, they were able to easily take him down.

Tav looked over the corpses strewn haphazardly across the floor. Tears stung in the corners of her eyes. How many others were enslaved by this cult? She bowed her head and offered a moment of her time to respect their loss.

A locked set of iron double doors was set into the wall beside them. Astarion made quick work of the lock, gaining them entry to a dining hall of sorts. Even with the plates cleared and covered in dust, Tav knew the purpose of this place.

“Ugh the scraps of a nightfall feast.” She didn’t bother hiding her disgust. Could this have been the nightfall feast that occurred just before they marched on Moonrise?

“Food and drink, followed by murder in Shar’s name. Barbaric.” Gale shook his head alongside her.

“This is one of Lady Shar’s most sacred rites. Reserved only for those who have proven their worth in her eyes.” Shadowheart snipped.

“And what do you have to do to be seen as worthy in your lady’s eyes, Shadowheart?” Tav spun around to spit back at her. “Kill anyone who dares to worship a deity that doesn’t insist on loss and darkness? Warp and twist an entire land until it’s nothing but shadow and death?” Her voice was rising with each word, but Shadowheart didn’t back down.

“I’d rather devote my life to someone who at least makes sure my suffering doesn’t happen without reason.” She furrowed her brow further as she walked over to glare up at Tav. “Those who walk the ways of light may think they experience happiness, but it’s an illusion. Made to keep them sated until they finally make their way into the eternal night, into Lady Shar’s embrace. Some of us are just wise enough to accept that fate sooner.”

“Tell me then, what are those reasons that make your suffering so worth your devotion? Tell me what you lost, Shadowheart. What you gave up to be here reveling in admiration of your wicked goddess. Can you even remember?”

The last statement seemed to get under her skin. “I gave up my memories willingly so I could devote myself completely to Lady Shar. A most honorable sacrifice made by many in her following. I know my faith will be rewarded.”

“You know nothing of the suffering Shar is capable of inflicting on those who do not walk her path, and even those who do. I only hope you realize the truth before it’s too late.” Tav’s voice dropped to an angry whisper.

“Okay friends, why don’t we finish having a look around here so we can get back to camp, yeah?” Gale took a timid step in between them, trying to coax them apart. “Might I remind you we have a gnome hiding in waiting for us?

“Fine.” Tav spun on her heels stomped out of the room, not waiting for a response from Shadowheart.

She led them back up and around the chamber where they had fought Nere. A hidden path took them over some hanging metal platforms to a balcony that overlooked the docks. At the end of the walkway, another set of stamped iron doors blocked the way forward. Once Astarion picked the lock, they found themselves in a room that looked almost like a library.

She and Gale looked through the bookshelves, trying to find any information that could help them. He found multiple scrolls that he tucked away into his pack, as well as a few small stashes of gold. Tav ran her fingers over dusty journals and tomes. She stopped and hovered over a book lying on its cover.

Small splatter marks dotted the spine and something indecipherable was etched into the leather that bound it. She picked it up and blew the thin layer of dust off so she could read the title, brushing away any remaining cobwebs. Tears pricked her eyes as she stared in disbelief at the cover.

Dark Justiciar Log – Moonrise Towers Captives.

In darkness, we see your truth.

She opened the book with trembling hands, knowing exactly what she would find in these blood-stained pages.

Lima Hallian, female tiefling, Harper spy, discovered trying to infiltrate Grymforge from the lake. Both horns broken during the first round of questioning, the tail will go next.

Elf, black hair, tanned skin, small tattoo of a harp on his wrist. Refuses to give up his name or the name of the Selûnite cleric whose magic envelops him. Lady Shar may take an interest in this one.

Page after page detailing torture of various Harpers and their unlucky allies.

“Tav?” Gale placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. “What is it?”

“A logbook. It contains the descriptions of Harpers and their allies tortured for information.” She wiped her eyes as a few tears dripped onto the journal.

“Gods above…” Gale’s eyes wandered to the page open in front of her. “What’s this here?”

He pointed to a small section next to her thumb. An entry detailing the torture of a Harper spy who had revealed the location of a nearby stockpile, but the location was not listed in the entry. The rushed writing from the Dark Justiciar explained that any attempt to open the chest could break the contents completely.

The only additional words they could get out of the Harper were ‘Lux Splenda.’

Lux Splenda…

“Moonlight.” Gale’s eyes continued scanning the page. “What does that have to do with a stockpile?”

“A common enchantment used by the Harpers. When they hide a stash of any kind, there’s usually a two-step process to access it. In this case, we’d need a light spell to disarm the trap.”

“Clever.” His voice was quiet as he read over her shoulder. “Perhaps if the Dark Justiciars weren’t so fond of darkness they could have figured that little riddle out.”

The others were picking through the various piles of armor and books that were scattered about the room. Lae’zel found a mold for a shield, one they hoped would work in the adamantine forge when they could find it.

She could hear them shouting out their finds, but Tav’s mind stayed distracted, her eyes fixed on the book before her. She found herself terrified each time she turned the page, never knowing which name or description she could stumble upon.

“I…” She stashed the book in her bag before turning to Gale. “I think maybe we should leave.”

“Of course.” He brushed himself off a bit as he stood up.

Tav shuffled out of the room with her arms wrapped tight around her chest. Her hands itched to keep flipping through the book. Why was she so desperate to torture herself?

As they retraced their steps back to the docks, a concealed passage caught her eye. A small landing sat a short drop beneath them and, in the dirt, Tav spotted a white sigil painted on the ground. A large ‘H’ written using a curly, flowing font.

“That’s definitely a Harper rune.” Tav peered over the edge to search for more clues. The Harper from the journal came back to the front of her mind.

Lux Splenda.

“This may be the stockpile that was mentioned in that journal.” She beckoned the others to follow as she descended the rocky cliff. Three chests sat spread out around the stone landing. She stood over the rune, inspecting the area further.

“Well, seeing as there’s no active Harpers here, I say we take a peek. After all, it’s their own fault for just leaving it here.” Astarion giggled as he jogged over to the first chest.

“Left out in plain sight like this? No – the Harpers are far too smart for that.” Tav rolled her eyes at him.

She took a moment to investigate her surroundings, trying to think what kind of trap could have been left here by Harpers, or perhaps for Harpers. A sharp, sour smell hung in the air and stung her nostrils. A different medley of odors from the rest of Grymforge. Where did she recognize that smell from?

As she continued racking her brain, Astarion made his way up to one of the chests, a lockpick twirling between his fingers and ready to loot. It clicked in Tav’s brain a fraction of a second before the chest started to wiggle, and a few eyes popped into sight.

“Astarion, no!”

Rows of teeth appeared in the chest’s opening, followed by a long, thick, tapered tongue.

Mimics.

“Careful! They’ll grab your weapons right out of your hand if you’re not ready for it.” Tav drew her bow and fired an arrow tipped with crackling electric magic at the two mimics clustered together. One let out an agitated hiss and the other shook off the attack with ease.

“Really? Mimics disguised as treasure chests?” Astarion narrowly avoided an acid-soaked tongue that came lashing out at him. “How original!”

“It worked on you, didn’t it?” Tav yelled back as she yanked Gale away from a whipping attack from another tongue.

She could see Astarion flipping her off out of the corner of her eye. Lae’zel jumped over by him to make a couple of arcing swipes at the creature, one particularly vicious swing from her severed the mimic’s tongue as it tried to lash out again. The long, thick appendage writhed and struggled on the ground, flinging droplets of acid into the air as the larger piece of the monster fell lifeless to the ground.

“Ew, ew, ew.” Shadowheart kicked away the tip of the tongue from her feet as she aimed a bolt of radiant energy at one of the mimics at the bottom of the landing.

Wyll and Gale started hurling spells at the mimics while they were grouped up. Fireballs and scorching rays shot from their hands to roast the two remaining monstrosities. One collapsed on its side, charred and sizzling. The other took a few hopping steps toward them before making another lashing attack. Tav’s ankle was grappled by the tongue and it started dragging her closer to the mimic.

She hissed in pain as its acidic saliva worked its way through her skin. As she was being pulled along the ground, she saw a few bolts of red energy fly through the air above her to hit the creature in the back of the throat. The attack caused it to let go of her leg as it screeched in pain. She rolled to the side, trying to keep out of reach of its thrashing tongue strikes. The searing pain in her ankle wouldn’t let her stand.

Lae’zel ran down the small hill and stood between her and the mimic. She made a powerful attack, bringing her sword over her head before leaping in the air and plunging the blade down into one of the creature’s eyes. The last mimic fell, lifeless and bent in half next to her. Its rows of long, needle-like teeth stuck straight up in the air.

Shadowheart jogged down to kneel by Tav, a healing spell already forming in her hands.

“That was lucky, you must have wriggled free before that acid could do any real damage.” The soothing magic worked its way into her skin and muscles, mending the wound within seconds.

“It felt real enough.” She grunted as the last bit of skin cinched together.

At the very edge of the cliff, a small toy chest sat perched on a rock. When she opened it, another larger chest was revealed. A classic Harper safety net.

“Hmm, this chest is definitely sealed with magic.” Gale hovered over it as he inspected the lock.

“Here, let me.” Tav quickly cast a light spell on the revealed chest, and the lock was free for picking. “Most Harper chests are protected by a spell of sorts rather than a typical physical trap. Or sometimes both.” She recalled with fondness.

Not a minute later, Astarion had the chest unlocked. It contained two scrolls, one an ice spell of some kind that she handed over to Gale. The other was a message sent from the Council of High Harpers.

The formal scroll was written as a plea from the Harpers to the Emerald Enclave. Tav ran her fingers over the old parchment, almost worried that it would disintegrate in her hands. A scroll that detailed the beginning of the alliance that would decide the fate of Moonrise Towers.

“That’s it? Two lousy scrolls?” Astarion gawked at her. “You Harpers have a strange sense of value. Why, if I had three mimics at my disposal, I’d be guarding much more than scrolls.”

Tav just clutched the scroll to her chest.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am starving.” Gale gave his stomach a few light pats, pulling Tav out of her thoughts.

“Let’s get going then.” She stored the scroll in her backpack. “We should get Skickpit back to the others.”

The docks were close by, hardly a jaunt. But on their way back to the boat, a small glimmer in the corner of her eye pulled her attention to one of the dead drow in the cages. She leaned down to inspect the corpse who wore simple leather armor and boots, but above her left breast, she saw a pin. The symbol caused her breath to catch and a lump to rise in her throat.

A silver harp within a crescent moon.

She’s a Harper…what was she doing here?

How was this possible? It was obvious this drow was killed within the past couple of days, she couldn’t possibly be one of the original victims of Grymforge. Tav snatched the pin from her and searched her pockets. In the inside of her jacket, a small piece of parchment was folded and tucked away. The broken seal on the edge of the paper also bore the Harper sigil. She snatched it to stash in her pocket, opting to read it away from the others later.

“Anything good, my friend?” Astarion bent over to inspect the corpse as well, startling a yelp out of Tav.

“I swear, I’m going to start making you wear a bell if you don’t stop scaring me like that.” She rolled her eyes as she stood up. “Just the basic leather armor she’s wearing.” She lied.

“Let’s head back then, I can hear Gale’s stomach rumbling from here. Terribly annoying.” He turned away to join the others by the boat.

The entire ride back, Tav’s mind raced trying to find an explanation for the Harper she found. Were they simply a wandering loner, unlucky to come across the Absolute cultists? Not too far-fetched considering the drow would be at home in the Underdark. Or were the Harpers perhaps after the cult as well? Once again, not out of the question.

She toyed with the corners of the parchment in her pocket, bending them backwards and forwards while keeping it out of view of the others. Maybe this note would give her more insight, and though she didn’t dare to expect it, a little hope.

***

Halsin and the others had spent a fair amount of time at the myconid colony. He took the opportunity to trade with the hobgoblin, Blurg, from the Society of Brilliance. They had a pleasant conversation about the fauna of the Underdark and their many uses in potions and elixirs. Blurg had let him know that they would be leaving for Baldur’s Gate within the next tenday and if they found themselves in the city to visit the lodge they had there. It was a kind offer, but a large metropolis such as Baldur’s Gate held no temptation for him. Karlach and Wyll had gone to speak with the sovereign to deliver the drow head while the gnome named Barcus bid farewell to the others liberated from Grymforge.

Once their business with the myconids was completed, he enjoyed a pleasant stroll back to their camp with Karlach, Wyll, and Barcus. Until today, he hadn’t realized just how much Karlach could talk in one sitting.

“Let’s see, what happened on the boat…” Karlach tapped her chin as she recalled the events of today. “Lae’zel nearly got blown off the deck, Tav threw a bunch of duergar into the water before taking an arrow to the chest, and Gale had to rip the arrow out. Then she went a little murder happy when we landed at Grymforge.”

“What do you mean?” He peered around Wyll to look at her.

“I don’t know, as soon as they mentioned the slaves, it’s like something in her snapped. She immediately turned on them. Scared me a bit if I’m being honest.”

“Scared you?” Halsin teased.

“She just…didn’t seem like herself is all. I think being at Grymforge is a little tough on her, I just wish I knew why.”

“You’re very kind to be concerned, Karlach. Speaking from our shared experience of the curse surrounding Moonrise, I am sure this place is bringing back many unpleasant memories.”

“What exactly happened at Moonrise, Halsin?” Wyll spoke up between them. “And what does Grymforge have to do with it?”

“It’s…indescribable really. All I can say is I have yet to live a worse day in three hundred and fifty years than the day that curse was unleashed.” His tongue had gone dry, and he heard a slight crack in his voice.

The others walked in silence as they listened to him.

“Grymforge was said to be the stronghold where Ketheric Thorm had gathered his forces in the fighting. The fight began when he turned his back on Selûne to follow Shar. He marched on Moonrise Towers in her name…” Halsin trailed off as he felt tears gather in his eyes.

“And the curse?” Karlach asked.

“It was his final act. One last horrible display of Shar’s wrath. It consumed everything. Harpers, druids, Selûnites, and Sharrans alike.” He took a shaky breath as the memories of that day threatened to come back and drown him. “We defeated Ketheric Thorm, many called our fight a victory for it. But I cannot call anything that ends in a curse that dark a victory.”

Halsin remembered the aftermath of that battle. So many wanted to proclaim triumph, yet there were no celebrations. No festivities raising glasses to fallen allies, no stories told around campfires of their victory. The small camp they set up after he helped drag the few survivors from the wicked tendrils of shadow remained silent and bleak throughout the night.

“But why did he attack? What did he stand to gain?” Wyll turned to look up at him.

“The region around Moonrise was filled with devoted followers of Selûne.  Once he fell from the Moonmaiden’s grace into Shar’s darkness, he likely wanted to gain her favor by wiping out such a strong enclave of her sister’s followers.”

The reason Ketheric Thorm fell into Shar’s embrace was not fully known. Most often, he heard it was the untimely death of his beloved daughter that pulled him away from Selûne.

“And there’s nothing that can be done?” Karlach leaned forward to look at him.

“I…I don’t know.” He lied. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen the shadows. Perhaps once we arrive, we’ll learn of some fortune to help us.”

They seemed to accept his answer. Thank the gods Tav wasn’t here, she would have seen straight through that lie.

The four of them crossed the familiar threshold into their camp, the three animal companions came trotting up to greet them. They had hardly put their things away and settled by the fire when Tav and their companions came shuffling into camp. Barcus jumped up from his seat and ran up to Tav.

“Did you find him?” He asked, his voice eager and nervous.

“Yes, we took him to the others at the myconid colony.” She patted him on the shoulder before dragging herself off to her tent. Halsin stood up to greet her, but she walked right past him. He felt a small stab of sadness when she didn’t come over, or at least say hello to him on their return. She always came bounding up to him whenever they came back to camp but today…today she just meandered away on her own.

He thought she would have been happier having freed the gnomes, but something else must have happened during their trip. She had her arms wrapped around herself, her eyes were reddened, and she dragged her feet in the dirt as she walked. While he watched her disappear behind the canvas walls of her tent, he caught sight of Gale in the corner of his eye.

“Gale!” He called out to stop the wizard before he made his way to his own tent. “Tell me, what happened today? Tav seems…troubled.”

“She had a rough day, Halsin.” Gale gave a light shake of his head causing a few of his grey hairs to fall over his eyes. “We found information about Harpers who were kept at Grymforge. It…wasn’t pleasant. Her and Shadowheart had no shortage of spats as well.”

That wasn’t surprising. Tav seemed quick to befriend everyone in their travelling party, except Shadowheart. The ever-present unease arising from her Shar worship caused strain between the two of them, not that it was any better with Halsin. Add in the fact that they were exploring a Sharran fortress? He could be sure the tension had been palpable in the air.

“Yes, I suspected wandering around Grymforge would be difficult.”

“On the bright side, no wounds are in dire need of tending on our return. Quite the record for our little band, no?” Gale smiled as he walked away to change out of his bloodied robes.

The rest of the evening was rather boring. They sat together around the fire to eat, those that ventured back into Grymforge recounted their adventures, which today included mimics. He took his usual seat next to Tav, but she hardly spoke or participated in the conversation. She would offer weak smiles and halfhearted chuckles, but not much more. Halsin noticed that her hand would jerk to her pocket every now and then as she fidgeted with something hidden there.

The only time she spoke more than a couple of words at a time was to inform everyone that they would need to pack up tomorrow morning so they could move their camp to Grymforge. Since they had cleared it out, she figured it would be easier for them to rest there tomorrow before leaving for Moonrise. Gale had left a rune there to allow them easier travel.

With a plan in place and stomachs full of stew, the camp began to wind down for the evening. He packed away some of the herbs and potions he had been fiddling with earlier, stashing them in his bag so he could continue working on them tomorrow.

When Halsin turned around, he saw Tav still sitting by the fire, clutching a piece of parchment in a white-knuckled grip. The others had all retired for the evening, even Scratch and Sniff had curled up together at the edge of camp.

“Staying up a bit longer?” he asked as he took the seat next to her.

“I found this letter on a Harper in the Grymforge.” Her voice was as shaky as the hands that clutched the letter. She held it out for him to take.

“A Harper?” He smoothed out the crumpled paper on his leg. “Did you tell the others?”

She shook her head, never taking her eyes off the flames. The writing was legible, but it was obvious that the hand that wrote it was in a hurry.

Jhaam,

Like a phoenix from the ashes, Grymforge has risen from the dead.

I’ve word of a drow cultist gathering duergar in the old city’s halls. That the Absolute means to recruit them, I’ve no doubt. Yet it’s what they might seek amidst the ruins that most troubles me.

You’ve not failed me yet. Go to Grymforge, cling to shadow – and bring word of the cult’s intentions to Last Light. I will be waiting.

J

Halsin’s heart raced as he finished the letter.

Last Light…

“Tav…” He said breathlessly, “This letter mentions Last Light…as in Last Light Inn?”

“I can only assume.”

“But that is not possible, is it? Last Light would have fallen amidst the worst of the shadows, surely.”

“If this note is any indication, there are Harpers waiting at Last Light, Halsin.” Her lower lip trembled as she turned to face him. “I know who wrote this note. I would know that handwriting anywhere.” She whispered.

“You do?”

“Yes, this was written by Jaheira. The High Harper herself. Halsin…I think she’s at Last Light Inn. She’s found a way to walk amongst the shadows.” The hope rising in her voice was unmistakable, it brightened the dim hope in his own mind.

“Perhaps. Or they’ve at least found a temporary measure to keep them at bay.”

She nodded as she turned her attention back to the flames in front of them. He thought this newfound hope would have lifted her spirits more, but she still seemed…downhearted.

“Is there something else?” He asked.

Her eyes glanced toward a small book that was resting in her lap, he didn’t see it when he first sat down. She picked it up to hold tight against her chest.

“This book is a log of the Harpers that were captured and tortured by Dark Justiciars.”

“Recently?”

“No…” She trailed off. “The last dated entry was just over one hundred years ago.”

“I see.” Halsin kept his voice low and gentle, praying that she hadn’t found an entry that detailed her brother being tortured.

“Some of them have names, others just general descriptions of the captive. I can’t help but wonder…” She sniffled and took an unsteady breath before continuing. “I can’t help but wonder how many of them I knew.”

He watched as she opened the book and started thumbing through it. Her soft cries were lost in the sounds of the turning pages and crackling of the fire. A few tears that rolled down her cheeks landed on the paper.

“Tav…” Halsin reached over and gently took the book from her hands. They stayed frozen in place as if she were still holding it. “I think you’ve punished yourself enough for today. Re-reading accounts of your allies’ torture will do nothing to bring them back.”

Even as he said the words, his own fingers itched to flip through the pages as well. To know if any of his own allies were mentioned.

“I know.” Her hands relaxed and fell back into her lap. One reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pin. A Harper pin. She held it gingerly between her fingers, watching the light shimmering in the metal from the fire.

“Is that your old pin?”

“No, I found this when I found the letter.” She kept her eyes fixed on the tiny harp in her hands, turning it between her fingers.

“Do you miss it?”

“Sometimes.” She gave him a sad smile. “I didn’t quite realize it until I started traveling with the others after the nautiloid. It’s nice having a team, having others to rely on. I miss that part of the Harpers.”

“Did you ever consider going back?”

“A couple of times. But every time I thought about it, I’d take that first step toward the closest enclave, and I would think of Tev. I just didn’t want to be a part of them without him.”

Halsin nodded before deciding to change the subject. He was dying to know if they had found out how the cultists were traveling through the shadows.

“Did you find anything else today?”

“Yes, there was an elevator guarded by a couple of duergar. They said that’s their path to Moonrise. It seems like the cultists are using something called a ‘moonlantern’ to navigate the shadows.”

The path to Moonrise.

“Moonlantern?” He tried to hide his mix of eagerness and anxiety at the mention of their path forward.

“I think it was the broken lantern we found on Nere. But what would a pixie have to do with walking among the shadows?” Tav continued fidgeting with the small pin.

“I haven’t the slightest idea. I suppose there’s no chance you found a working one?”

“Nope. Nere was the only one of them who had one on his person.” She bowed her head down. “I…I’m sorry we couldn’t find a way to safely explore the land.” A few more tears ran down her face.

Halsin moved close to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

“There’s nothing to apologize for, my friend. For so long, it was nothing but a hope that I could even get this far. At least now we know that the cultists aren’t immune to the shadows, they’ve simply found a way to keep them at bay.”

“I suppose.” She sniffled as she rested her head on his shoulder. “We still have one more day though, perhaps our luck will turn around. The others still want to go look for the adamantine forge tomorrow.”

“Right. Then let’s not lose hope yet.” Halsin squeezed her shoulders. “And even if you don’t find another lantern, we’ll find a way to get through the shadows. If the cultists can figure it out, so can we.”

I hope.

[imaginesappho]

hiii, do u take requests? i like your writing ! could you do sam x fem reader? just domestic things would be nice :)

also if you feel comfortable with it, could you write the reader to be socially awkward? like, often missing social ques, not really speaking out loud unless sam is there with her, habit of latching onto her when she’s nervous in crowds, things like that? no pressure, it would mean alot to me if you wrote anything at all

thank you! <3

Domestic!Sam with Anxious!GF HCs

Hi, thank you so much! My requests are always open, sweetheart. It may take a bit for me to get to them, but I will always work on them when I can!

I’m so sorry if you were looking for a one shot. I did try to write one but I couldn’t get it to where I felt good about it, so I decided to play it safe with a set of HCs. If you want, I can absolutely work on a one shot with this premise.

Fandom: Until Dawn

Pairing: Sam Giddings x Fem!Reader

❥ Sam knew about your social anxiety not too long after meeting you. You were a lot more reserved when she was around compared to how she saw you with your friends. At first she thought you didn’t like her, but then she started noticing different things tied in with it.

❥ You would fidget with your fingers or play with your hair when you went quiet. You also tended to avoid eye contact. She had heard some people saying it was rude, but she would always defend you—once she figured out you had bad anxiety in social situations, she knew you weren’t doing it on purpose.

❥ Her persistent kindness, patience, and willingness to stand up to you was what drew you to her. It also helped that you thought she was the prettiest girl you’d ever seen—which also contributed to your shy demeanor when she first came into your life.

❥ Sam took care to watch you anytime there were other people around. Especially people you didn’t know well or if there was a crowd. She started gravitating towards you to give you a sense of comfort and to distract you from the situation.

❥ Sam became your person. You would seek her out if she didn’t come to you first. When things got too overwhelming, you would hold onto her sleeve or grab her hand. It took her by surprise the first time you did it because you had never initiated contact with you until then.

❥ The more she paid attention to you, the more quirks she picked up on. She noticed you had some difficulty with gauging the atmosphere. Sometimes people would make a joke at your expense and it would go right over your head. Sometimes you would dare to make a joke when it wasn’t the right time.

❥ You would always get embarrassed if you realized you had missed the social cues that everyone else seemed to understand. Sam would be right there to offer reassurance. Even if it wasn’t verbal, she would place her hand on your back or take your hand—and she would scold anybody who gave you grief.

❥ You couldn’t tell when Sam flirted with you. You thought she was just being nice. At this point, you considered her your best friend and never thought anything of it. Sam tried to make it as obvious as possible without being crass, but eventually she had to tell you bluntly how she felt. You were both surprised and elated when she said she wanted you to be her girlfriend.

❥ “I’ve been trying to tell you for months—I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

❥ Sam tried to take the relationship slow because she didn’t want to overwhelm or scare you off. It was you who wanted to move things to the next level only a couple of months after you started dating.

❥ She would always take you out on cute little dates. She would take you on nature walks to the river, picnics at the flower gardens, or a lookout area. Very rarely would she try to take you out to a public place, and she would always ask your opinion before doing it. She knew some days were better than others.

❥ You weren’t allowed to go shopping on your own. Sam never wanted to control you, but she didn’t want you to get overwhelmed and potentially sink into a panic attack. The attention it would earn you would only make it worse.

❥ Most of your time was spent either inside the house or enjoying nature. Your favorite nights together were when you would cook dinner—Sam is practically useless around a stove—and watch movies. The quiet nights in were the ones you cherished most.

❥ Sam was always gentle with you. She knew how to be just the right amount of firm to help bring you out of a panic attack but was never stern or rough with you. She asked what best helped you in your anxiety and did some research on her own time. Sam wanted to make sure she always did right by you.