#wanderer is attempting to comfort her with his accessory comment. he is just really not good at it. or at reading the room

[ladyspottedray]

BRO YOUR WANDERYNE PRISON MEME ART IS [chef's kiss] sublimeeeeeeeee

katheryne would *totally* freak out bless her lil mechanical heart ("i'm going to lose my job at the guild" / i'm officially a criminal" / "oh my god i hate these emotions" / "AAAAAAAA <error>") whilst the wanderer is just sitting there like yknow it's good you're testing out these new emotions but can you like, calm down please, it's irritating

New emotion unlocked: MURDEROUS RAGE!

[thefanficmonster]

Never Satisfied [Chapter 6]

Corpse Husband x Original Female Character

Warnings: Language

A collaboration between Vy & Ashens 🖤

“I don’t wanna look like this, fuck”

Previously on Never Satisfied:

Digital Checkpoint activated. Reply to save progress. 💜 — Cora

With minimal contemplation he replies seconds later.

Corpse: save

Cora: your progress has been saved. Thank you for choosing A.S.S. - the Automated Save System. You are now free to activate the digital checkpoint at any time. 

Cora: I had a nice time. Text me whenever you need to. We’ll hang out again soon, deal?

Corpse: thank you

Cora: anytime sugar ;)

Funny how a text exchange so simple and short can turn so much around for a person. Funny how a huge weight lifts off him the second he locks his phone, suddenly finding it easier to breathe, to move, to blink, to function - to live. She gives him that kick he needs to be reminded to live and not just be alive. He’s still not comfortable with how much he’s relying on her but seeing her effect on him is nothing but positive, the most and best thing he can do for himself is go with the flow and let things happen. No overthinking, no planning, no shooting guesses, just facing things as they come face-to-face with him. He may never get used to it, but he won’t know that until he tries, will he?

                                                            *  *  *

Corpse sighs as he looks at himself in the mirror. He’s been trying to step up a little with the dressing game since he’ll be having a special guest over - ok, truth be told, he didn’t invite her, she invited herself but he’s glad she did. Lord knows he wants her company and wants her around but he could never bring himself to invite her over or initiate a hangout. Good thing Cora doesn’t expect anything from him, not of that nature at least. It’s oddly amazing having a person like her - someone who basically reads his mind like an open book and then takes action according to what she’s read. It’s not only the fact that she accurately gauges all his wants and needs, but also how she knows exactly what to do to satisfy them. To calm him down, to relieve his anxiety, to make him feel comfortable. He feels strangely selfish for always being on the receiving end of this friendship, although he doesn’t see much he could do for her. He’s decided to let time have full control of the course of their relationship, hoping his giver time would come soon.

As of now, however, it still hasn’t and he can stomach that.

It’s been about a week and a half since their first hangout but he hasn’t missed her once. That may be due to how much they’ve been texting ever since he unlocked that checkpoint she offered him. To be more specific, it probably has something to do with the fact that her texts are always so full of life and light, sounding almost like she’s there with him, talking in her signature upbeat and bubbly way which is such a contrast to his own melancholic approach to any conversation ever. 

She’s also sent him a ton of memes and selfies, plus pictures she took of clients’ pets. In return for her kindness, he’s sent her bad jokes, weird internet articles about ghosts and pictures of the current game he was playing. Needless to say, their chats have been very colorful.

Now that the scene has been set up a little better, a direct timeline of events lading up to this one would be appreciated, wouldn’t it? Ok so, it all started with an “I’m bored” text Corpse received from Cora about two hours ago. Instinctively, and partially because he didn’t have any idea what else he could possibly say in response to that he sent back an apology. An apology Cora apparently deemed a loophole she could use to invite herself over cause that’s exactly what she did, not that Corpse minds it much. In fact, he felt his heartbeat quicken with excitement when her “K then, I’ll be there in a bit :)” text came in. At first he thought it was his anxiety kicking in but when he realized the rest of his typical symptoms remained absent it took him a little while to pinpoint what that emotion could be.

The epiphany came in the form of the word ‘excitement’.

Regardless of the newfound feeling, or maybe exactly because of it, he attempted to protest. A protest she killed easily with a threatening “I know where you live” text which sent Corpse scrambling to get the apartment in some kind of order. Himself too, it’s safe to say he wasn’t looking the most presentable when he received that message. 

His cleaning session consisted mostly of him shoving the strewn about items in his closet and closing it shut like a wild beast dwelled inside, placing a chair in front of the door as a sign for her not to open it and also as a way of preventing the thing from opening on its own because of how overflowing it was. 

Afterwards he scrambled into the shower to scrub himself down. It’d been too much for him to tackle given he wasn’t doing too well mentally, but considering he was now suddenly expecting company he thought it’d be for the best not to subject his new friend to the three-day-unshowered Corpse stank. 

Right now, his main focus is his face, his stomach sinking at the sight of himself in the mirror’s reflection. 

How does she even want to see me? 

His mirror is cracked along the right side, spider web-like cracks reaching towards the center of it from the impact point serving as a reminder of a particularly bad night he’d rather forget.

He sighs as he combs his hair, knowing the dark curls won’t oblige and behave no matter how much he tries. He touches his jaw, deciding to let himself off the hook by deeming that a shave wouldn’t be necessary for at least another day. And then his eyes land on his clothes - an outfit it didn’t take him long to put together since those are the only articles of clothing in his closet he’d consider presentable enough to be shown off in front of a new friend who is yet to find out how much of a slob he really is. That clothing choice consists of a black button-up shirt and jeans. 

This is nice, right? It’s fine. It’s business casual but definitely leaning more towards casual, as some would say. I look...nice, decent. I’ll take it - it’s enough. Far better than my ‘usual’.

A knock at the door startles him, though it’s quickly followed by a voice he’s grown to find very endearing: 

“THIS IS THE COPPAS! OPEN UP YA’ DOOR!” The voice yells out, probably loud enough for the whole complex to hear but it’s not like he gives a shit. And, as context clues show, neither does she.

Corpse exits his bathroom, heading for the front door, pulling the chain off and unlocking the deadbolt before opening it. The object of his newfound affection stands on the other side, grinning and beaming with that usual light she has surrounding her. Her hair is thrown up into a messy bun - a hairstyle she seems to love - and she’s wearing a simple red t-shirt covered in little chubby, cartoonish black cats that seem to be struggling to exist. 

He smiles a little, finding it in himself to speak up but when he opens his mouth to do so, she cuts him off.

“Jesus, did you just come back from a funeral?” She asks, pulling at one of the buttons on his chest as she walks past him, letting herself in. 

His eyes, completely on their own accord, wander down as she walks on by, causing him to swallow hard as he finds himself staring at a pair of tanned legs, patterned by the fishnets she’s wearing, leading up to a pair of short black shorts. 

She turns on her heel about halfway down the hall, leading him to take an inevitable notice of how her well-loved boots could use a polish. Anyhow, he snaps his gaze away to hide the fact he’s been gawking, despite not really meaning to.

“No, but for real, why are you wearing that? You seem super confined and uncomfy, bud.”

Corpse blinks before swallowing and glancing down at himself, pulling at the button she touched before looking back up, his gaze traveling up the length of her legs. She has suspenders hanging over her thighs, more of an accessory than a necessary addition to her outfit. “I just...I dunno, I thought it looked nice. Does it not? I mean, I wouldn’t know, really. I don’t usually dress like this.”

“I mean, you look dapper as fuck but if you’re not comfortable then change, get your comfy game on. I’m the last person you need to impress in this world.”

God, she sees right through him. Even so, he considers protesting, trying to convince it’s all fine, that he likes this shirt and the outfit in its entirety. But her stare sets the record straight for him - she’ll know it’s all lies. And with that in mind, he lets his shoulders fall. Not a full second passes before he promptly starts undoing his buttons. 

“Oh, thank fuck.”  She comments as he  goes to retreat into his room, stripping the shirt off as he walks, unaware of her lingering eyes on his back, unaware of her lower lip bitten between her pearly teeth. Unaware of the subtle shift in her stance as she looks him over much like he did her moments earlier.

When he returns a moment later in a simple dark grey t-shirt, she greets him with a grin and pats his chest. “Much better.”

It doesn’t take long for them to decide to crash on his couch, throw on a bad movie and just sit in comfortable silence. Comfortable silence - something that usually eats away at him and is anything but comfortable he now sees as calming, a soothe to his ever-racing mind. 

Disrespecting the movie, Corpse takes to analyzing his guest instead. She has so much confidence, he can’t help but notice, like she’s been here hundreds of times, known him for so long. He hates her a little for it. Well, it’s not quite hate, it leans more toward envy. Jealousy. That human-nature characteristic of wanting what someone else has but you desperately need/wish you had. In his mind, she’s almost selfish: Why couldn’t she share some of that confidence and carefree manner with the rest of the world? It oozes out of her like a drip of honey from a beehive, sweet and warm. And all he wants yet has none of.

He instinctively tenses up as he feels her move closer before, suddenly, her head drops into his lap, legs kicked over the armrest of the couch. He holds his breath almost subconsciously, staring at her as she remains focused on the television. Unsure of what to do with his hands, he puts one across the back of the couch and the other awkwardly bent above his head. He doesn’t want her to get the wrong idea if he touches her. He doesn’t want to come off as a creep nor does he want to overstep any of her boundaries, despite the fact she’s walking a dangerous line of overstepping his. Well, that would’ve been the case if this was done by anyone but her. The way Corpse comes to this realization is when he figures out that he really doesn’t mind this proximity, as long as he doesn’t embarrass himself or creep her out in any way.

What felt like an eternity passes before she finally speaks up, still without looking away from the movie playing on the screen opposite the couch, “You know, I can feel how tense you are.” 

His face flushes with embarrassment, heating up as his mind immediately goes to the worst possible outcome of this situation.

She’ll probably sit up, or leave, he thinks to himself, heart thumping in his ears as he tries to observe her face the best he can from this angle. Nevertheless, he swallows that fear as she rolls her head to look up at him with those large glittering doe eyes, grinning a bit as she seems to always do, “You can just put your hands wherever it’s comfortable for you. I don’t mind.”

He hesitates for a moment but, as always, he doesn’t get much say cause she makes the choice for him, knowing that pesky fear is keeping him immobile. She takes the hand from over his head and pulls it down to rest just next to her skull. She then drags the one resting at the back of the couch, placing it so his hand is resting dead-center on her stomach. Satisfied with how she’s rearranged his posture, she goes back to watching the movie but not before asking: “This okay?” while looking at him through her peripheral vision. 

He’d have to admit it’s far more comfortable like this.

“Yeah, it’s fine. You’re okay?” He asks, feeling relieved when he feels her nod against his leg. 

He moves his hand a little and swallows hard as he contemplates if he really should make the move he’s thinking of at the moment. And then he abruptly decides not to think. So, instead, he acts on it. 

Without thinking of any potential negative consequences, Corpse slides his fingers to lace with hers, resting their conjoined hands on her stomach in the same spot where she left his hand a bit ago. She curls her digits around his tighter as reassurance that it’s ok. Her palm feels warm in his hand, her thumb tracing his cold metal rings. 

Checkpoint...his checkpoint. 

Is this what it feels like to be normal?, he wonders, Is this what it feels like to really connect with someone? He has never felt this before. He’s never met someone who has such an effect on him, understand him like this - Without even having to ask she grounded him; she knew what he needed and didn’t make him feel like an idiot about it. Instead she gave him the comfort he needed.

And suddenly he finds himself afraid - realizing that this isn’t simply a vibe of two buddies hanging out. He has that subtle ache in his chest that’s telling him he wants something…something substantial from this friendship. He wants this to last, or for it to blossom, he’s not sure yet. But for the first time, he doesn’t feel the overwhelming need to figure it out. That’s one of the many effects this girl has on him - she’s the definition of improvisation, unpredictable and alive. He’s slowly learning to let loose himself, all thanks to her. Slowly, he’s learning to trust time. 

He abruptly realizes he’s glancing at her often as the movie is still running, examining her features and slowly running his gaze down the length of her fishnet-clad thighs before quickly looking away, mentally scolding himself. It’s hard, but he manages to turn his gaze elsewhere for his sake and hers. For the sake of keeping things normal, platonic and not in any way awkward for either of them. The last thing he needs is to make things weird by letting his mind wander and activate his libido and then she’d really notice how tense he is. 

Cora remains oblivious to what’s going on in his head, thank God, as she continues running her thumb across his knuckles, eyes half lidded in calm content - something that’d typically seem like the complete opposite of what she is. He likes seeing her like this, tamed almost. He feels like no one else has had the privilege to see this calm side of her. Maybe that’s not the truth - it probably isn’t - but he still feels special, knowing that it’s a tight circle of people who have seen her this way.

And then he realizes the movements of her thumb on his hand have stopped.

He freezes for a moment, his fearful gaze travelling to her face where he’s relieved to find her eyes closed only seconds before he hears a light snore escape her.

She’s fallen asleep.

It’s an odd scene. She’s such a wild and free spirit, seeing her fall asleep like this is like observing an abnormality, a paranormal event. You know, like something one doesn’t usually believe exists or is capable of happening. He’d never before been able to imagine her asleep. It’s ridiculous, he’s aware - she’s human after all, but his mind has never been able to comprehend the thought and image of her captured by the power of sleep. He simply couldn’t see it happening. But now that it’s happened in front of him, he can’t look away from the sight of her relaxed, peaceful features, overcome by sudden slumber.

And then he comes to the realization that he’s now practically held hostage on his own couch, crippled by the danger of waking her up. It’s gonna be a long while, isn’t it, he thinks to himself, yet there’s still a satisfied smile on his face. A smile that’s a result of knowing he’s held hostage by her. That’s more a blessing than a curse, if he’s being honest.

@fockingwhore  @vixenl  @annshit  @wineandionysus  @wiseflamingoqueen

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

A Miraculous TikTok Account

Part 15

First

Previous

Next

Ladybug woke up the next morning to her phone going off like an alarm. She groaned and slowly reached to her bedside table, gently nudging away fabrics in search of her phone. She found it, eventually, and tapped her finger on the screen repeatedly in search of the snooze button, but it didn’t seem to be working.

She grumbled to herself, snatching the phone off the table and looking to turn it off…

Only to realize that it was a good hour before she’d set her alarm to go off for her meeting with Audrey Bourgeois. She rubbed her eyes tiredly as she watched another round of notifications come in.

Ugh. That’s what she gets for turning her ringer on at night in case her friends had nightmares. She silenced her phone and fell back in her bed.

After ten minutes of staring at the ceiling and attempting to trick her brain into thinking she was asleep, she reluctantly pushed herself out of her bed. Phone in hand and blanket around her shoulders, she shuffled downstairs for a cup of coffee.

She waved to Chloe absently when she saw her in the kitchen making a bowl of cereal and got a hum in response. That was their entire conversation, though. Chloe always seemed to know when exactly it was a good time to tease her or not without Ladybug ever saying a word.

Maybe she should have figured out that Chloe was some kind of minor telepath.

Whatever.

She scrolled through her phone as she waited for her pot of coffee to finish.

The Parisians on TikTok were going wild.

There was a group freaking out about Chat’s account (because it was cute, but also because he might actually be a dog person considering that was the first thing he’d uploaded). Carapace’s video was full of comments analyzing their group dynamic or pitying the people who had been on shift at the time. Rena’s account had thousands of people screaming about having actual information on the miraculous holder’s daily lives for once and people attempting to use the footage to figure out where they were living. Chloe’s video had people speculating on what she would be doing or commenting on their day-to-day outfits.

And Ladybug’s…

It was full of people saying things along the lines of “of course Ladybug would have a lifestyle account”.

Part of her was kind of offended. Sure, her persona was definitely different than her and if she knew a person like ‘Ladybug’ in real life she probably wouldn’t be all that close to them, she’d made it that way on purpose… but still. It kind of hurt.

Then again, there was another part of her that was tempted to sing. Her ruse was working! She had accurately guessed what would be in character for her persona! Nice!

She poured herself a cup of her quickly cooling coffee and headed up to get properly dressed for the day.

Ladybug couldn’t help but be a little anxious as she changed from her red and black pajamas into a completely different red and black ensemble. Her mind wandered to all the messages she was getting about how consistent her persona was.

If she didn’t give her persona any kind of depth, how long would people keep falling for it?

She didn’t know. She was out the door in minutes and heading off to the park where Audrey had wanted to meet, the prototype of the dress she’d made for a ball in the United States in her hands. She had to remind herself constantly that, even if the stuff she’d used for the prototype was just there to simulate the real thing and wasn’t all that expensive, she still needed everything to be intact when she gave it to Audrey.

She was a little distracted during the meeting, her mind on what to do about her persona, so it was a good thing that Audrey’s only complaint was that the prototype fabric was a little coarse. That could be fixed.

The persona thing…? Not so much.

Rena was already suspicious, Ladybug could see it in the way her eyes narrowed ever so slightly whenever she let little things slip through.

(Thanks for telling her that everyone has personas, Carapace, now she had to be even more careful.)

She forced herself to relax. There wasn’t anything to gain from worrying about people figuring out just how fake she was outside of a possible akumatization.

No. Instead she would concentrate on something she could fix: Hawkmoth. If she figured out his identity they could beat him, and then she would never have to worry about personas ever again.

The moment she got home she walked over to the conspiracy board. She glared at the millions of closeups of every part of Hawkmoth’s body.

~Want to skip some calculations? Here’s your chance! I nerded out a little, sorry~

Hawkmoth was about 230cm tall in costume. That’s what Rena had found out through calculating his height in comparison to some of Nino’s plates in the photo, but Ladybug had (stupidly) offered to do the math to see how tall he would be without the miraculous stuff...

She knew the man’s shoes gave him a little extra height than most normal shoes would; she’d seen them up close, they were practically heels.

She spent literal hours sitting down with her computer at the kitchen table, a cold look on her face.

(Thank the kwamis for Chloe, because every time someone came near she would quickly come up to play interference. Ladybug didn’t know if she was doing this for their sake or hers, but either way it was appreciated.)

She scrolled through page after page of shoes, trying to find a model that looked close to the fashion disaster Hawkmoth was wearing.

Did she have a theory for the type of shoe they were? Yes. Was she going to just go with that? Of course not. She was Ladybug! Ladybug doesn’t GUESS --!

Maybe she’d been pretending to be Ladybug for too long. She made a mental note to go out with friends as a civilian sometime.

Still, it took until midnight to find a model that was similar enough for her to feel comfortable using it as a base. She printed out the picture and put it beside the picture of Hawkmoth’s shoes and nodded to herself. Great. His shoes added about 3 centimeters to his height.

Now onto the next part of height calculations.

Miraculi gave everyone extra height.

She didn’t know for sure if it was a flat rate or proportional, so she went out on the town, looking for some kind of measuring tape -- the type she used for work wasn’t long enough for a person’s actual height. She managed to find a place unfortunate enough to be open past midnight and she and the person checking out her item shared ‘I wish I was dead’ expressions.

It was here that she dragged everyone out of bed to measure their heights as civilians versus as heroes (without shoes, obviously).

They were clearly very annoyed by this, but it was nearing three o’clock at this point and she had spent an entire day looking at shoes. The look on her face was absolutely murderous. They opted to just quietly do what she said so they could go back to sleep as soon as possible.

5 centimeters. Everyone grew by 5 centimeters.

She wasn’t quite sure why this happened, nor did she really care. It was just important for her calculations.

~Calculations over~

So he was anywhere from 215 to 225 centimeters. Unreasonably tall, really. There could only be a few people of that height in Paris.

After doing some searching she figured out that there were probably about 5 people in all of Paris that were that height.

She just had to… find them? Somehow?

Whatever. She should also do some quick things to distinguish Hawkmoth from the others. She grabbed an extra sheet of printer paper and started writing things down.

A semi-muscular build, possibly bald, stupidhead, terrible fashion sense...

She fell back on the couch for a quick breather.

She was getting a headache. What was it from? The caffeine? Dehydration? Was she clenching her teeth? Who knows.

Ladybug pulled her phone out and checked the time…

Four-thirty.

She had time to finish that sketch for Jagged Stone before their eight o’clock appointment. It would be close, though.

She changed while she waited for her coffee to brew (How many pots had she had since yesterday? Four? Five? Whatever, it was probably fine) and then got to work.

She looked up a while later when Chloe walked down for breakfast. It was seven now, then. She would need to leave soon…

“Kwami, Ladybug, you look awful!”

“Thanks,” she said, her eyes falling back to the sketch. It didn’t have enough… yeah, that was the end of the sentence. It was too plain, but she couldn’t seem to --.

She felt hands rest over her cheeks and she looked up to see Chloe standing over her. “You need to sleep.”

“I need to get to an appointment.”

“I WILL use Sticky Situation if I have to.”

Ladybug wasn’t impressed.

“Pollen, buzz on.”

Ladybug blinked at the miraculous holder in front of her and then gasped. Of course! She’d forgotten accessories! No wonder it felt empty!

Kwami, she really was tired, huh?

She put some quick accessories down, careful to make all the items kind of tiny so Jagged wouldn’t be able to tell the ideas weren’t fully fleshed out yet, and then smiled at Chloe as she got up to leave. “Thanks, Queenie. I gotta go, I’ll sleep later.”

“But --!”

She was already gone.

The meeting went well. Yay. She kept her job.

She walked home, happy to just be done with that really long day --.

She randomly chanced a look in the window as she passed and winced when she saw Chloe waiting for her on the couch. She was far too tired to deal with a lecture. She transformed and flew into her room through the window.

… now what? Should she sleep?

Nah. She had patrols that night. Might as well just stay up through it all.

She yawned into her hand and headed down to Rena’s room. She might as well tell her what she’d figured out.

She knocked her head against the wooden door instead of her fist in an attempt to wake herself up a little and smiled when it opened.

“You look…”

“I’ve been told. Anyways, I’ve finished doing math and stuff. Come look.”

Ladybug grabbed Rena’s arm before the other could even say anything and pulled her down to the kitchen where she’d done the calculations.

Rena looked over everything for a few moments before her eyes widened.

“... hey, quick question, why does it say he has a ‘condom-head’?”

That got Ladybug awake. Her eyes found their way to the list of attributes she’d written while sleep-deprived.

Her eyes went wide with horror.

Because there, in handwriting that was definitely hers, were the words ‘stupid-looking condom-head’.

Fuck.

~~~

Taglist

@nathleigh @mialuvscats @sassakitty @th1s-1s-my-aesthet1c @blueslushgueen @woe-is-me0 @ladybug-182 @cas-and-their-refusal-to-write

[echoes-of-the-clockwork]

Book One: Gold (Prompto x Reader) Chapter XX

It'd been several weeks since all hell broke loose in Altissia. Ignis was blinded due to using the Ring of the Lucii, Lady Lunafreya was dead, and (Y/n) was missing. Now the royal retinue was aboard a train and heading towards Cartanica. The savannah-like landscape was dotted with the occasional tree. Prompto and Ignis are sitting together in one seat while Noctis sits alone across the aisle from them, hanging his head.

Prompto hasn't lifted his head from his bracelet. His eyes had been glued to the accessory ever since he was unable to find (Y/n). It was still intact, but that only meant she was alive. He feared the empire captured her and was possibly torturing her. The thought caused anger and sorrow to bubble inside his veins.

Ignis was aware of how distraught and distant Prompto's become due to (Y/n)'s disappearance. He tried to provide comforting words whenever possible, but they seemed to be hollow and never reached the marksman. Both Prompto and Noctis were wallowing in their own pity, but both had reasons to do so.

After a long while, Prompto found the courage to speak up. "So...we're gonna roll through Tenebrae."

Ignis was surprised to hear him speak, but understood why he chose to remain silent most of the time. It was to keep his own feelings from spilling out in the form of tears. "Not before visiting the royal tomb in Cartanica," the strategist said.

Prompto glanced over, wincing when seeing the extent of his wounds. "You're sure you're up to that?"

"The wounds have mended. Eyesight's a matter of time," he lied, hiding the truth from his companion.

Gladio, who'd been staring at the sulking prince for a while, stood up and walked over to him. His voice was a low growl as he spoke. "The hell is wrong with you?"

Noctis slowly raises his head once hearing the anger-laced tone of his shield. "What?"

"We're not stopping in Tenebrae. You need to grow up and get over it," he growled, glaring at the prince.

The raven-haired boy stands and confronts his friend. "I am over it. I'm here, aren't I?!" He snapped back.

That's when Gladio snapped. He grabs Noctis by his jacket and pulls him close. "Maybe when you're not too busy moping, you can look around and give a shit about someone worse off than you."

"Let go of me," Noctis hissed, eyes narrowing.

Gladio ignored the command, continuing to egg him on. "How's that ring fit ya? You'd rather carry it around than wear it? She gave her life so you could do your duty, not so you could sit around feeling sorry for yourself."

"You don't think I know that?!" Noctis shouted, his voice shaking with anger.

"You don't! Ignis took one for you too, and for what?! Hell, even (Y/n) took one for the team to protect your ass. And now she's missing. Guess you don't give a damn about how that's affected your best friend!"

Prompto's eyes widen at Gladio's accusation. He hung his head, feeling the familiar sting of tears in the corners of his eyes. Ignis, who'd been listening, couldn't stand to listen to their bickering any longer. "Enough, Gladio!"

The tactician's shouting went unheard by the shield. Gladio wasn't finished and gripped Noctis' collar tighter. "You think you're a king, but you're a coward."

"Shut up!" Noctis shoves Gladio and grabs him by his jacket as well.

Prompto lifted his head, fighting against the tears that threatened to fall as he stands and addresses Gladio. "Don't do this—!"

Gladio puts his hand on Prompto's face and shoves him back. Noctis was clearly at a breaking point. "I get it, alright?! I get it!" He shoves the brute away from him.

Gladio was forced to release him due to being shoved. "Then get a grip! Pull your head outta your ass already!"

Noctis turns and walks away. Prompto calls after him. "Noct!"

"Leave him," Gladio growled before turning and walking away in the other direction.

Prompto glanced between the two, wondering what to do. Steeling himself, he wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape his eyes and decided to follow Noctis. He found his best friend sitting in the connected train car. Slowly approaching, he notices Noctis was staring down at the Ring of the Lucii in his hand. Taking a closer look, he saw how the boy's hand was shaking before he closes his fist tight around the ring. Making his presence known, Prompto sat beside him. "Hey, buddy."

Noctis lifted his head and saw he was no longer alone. "Hey, Prompto..."

"I would ask how you're holding up, but that'd be a stupid question," Prompto chuckled weakly, twirling his gemstone bracelet around his wrist.

Noctis realized his best friend was fiddling with the bracelet. "You haven't really spoken since...y'know..."

"Neither have you."

"True..." Noctis glanced out the window for a split second before looking back at the bracelet on Prompto's wrist. "Hey, I'm sorry about (Y/n). What happened, exactly?"

"Well, um..." Prompto found it difficult to talk about her, but he willed himself to. "Remember that daemon the empire made? Well, we ran into it on our way to the altar. She volunteered to stay behind and keep it busy. I'm...I'm not sure what happened after we left her behind..." He hung his head, a few tears trailing down his cheeks. His body shook as he gripped the bracelet tightly.

"She's alive though, right?" Noctis asked.

He nodded his head. "Yeah. I just wish I knew where she was. She could be hurt, o-or the empire might've captured her. Not knowing is the scariest part."

"I'm sure she's okay, Prompto."

"I hope you're right, Noct..."

As the train rolled into Cartanica Station, the two boys stood up. They exited the train and Prompto immediately left the prince's side. Noctis looked around the station and found Ignis sitting on a bench with his cane leaning against it. He wasn't sure where Gladio was and didn't particularly care at the moment. He was still angry from what he said on the train.

Noctis attempted to clear his head, by his thoughts were too rampant. With a heavy sigh, he headed in the direction of the Fodina Caestino Mine elevator where he regrouped with Prompto and Gladio. Thanks to Cor, they knew there was a royal tomb located in the quarry below. The moment he went to summon the lift, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Turning around, he saw it was Ignis.

"Ready to set out?" The tactician questioned.

Uh..." Noctis was unsure if he should let him tag along due to his lack of eyesight. He knew Ignis too well and opted to not leave him behind. "Yeah. You sure you're up for this, Specs?"

The bespectacled man nodded. "I'll manage somehow."

Noctis pressed the button and summoned the lift. Once it arrived, they stepped inside and it carried them down into the quarry. The group stepped off the elevator and made their way down the slope. Prompto grimaced when he stepped in a muddy puddle of water. "Feeling a little out of my element."

"We're a foreign species in this environment. Mind we don't end up prey," Ignis advised.

"Right, good tip," Noctis said.

Due to Ignis' injury, he walks at a slower pace than the others. Noctis, Prompto, and Gladio made sure not to leave the advisor behind as they navigated through the abandoned quarry. Prompto remained glued to the tactician's side in case he were to slip or trip in the mud.

The royal retinue walked down a windy slope into the quarry. As they passed a rusted bulldozer, they spotted movement in the distance. There was a pack of gurangatches wandering the shallow puddle outside the sinking mining machinery.

Creeping up on the group of monsters, Gladio summoned his greatsword and warned the tactician beside him. "Watch out, Iggy, they're on top of us."

"Ah, thank you," Ignis said as Noctis summoned his blade and performed a warp-strike.

"Don't thank me yet," Gladio retorts. He swings his sword at an approaching gurangatch, knocking it on its side.

Prompto summoned his pistol and shot the downed monster, killing it with a single shot. Noctis, who was still blinded by anger from his argument with Gladio, was being reckless and wound up being grabbed by one of the gurangatches. He fell on his back as the creature dragged him through the shallow water.

Although still mad at the prince, Gladio couldn't allow him to get hurt and attacked the creature latched on to his ankle. After he was freed, Noctis didn't even thank his shield before warp-striking another enemy.

When the last gurangatch is defeated, Noctis dispels his blade and glances in Ignis' direction. "Hey, you should hang back."

"Was I in the way?" Ignis asked, slightly dejected.

"No, you weren't. It's just—" Noctis was unsure how to end his sentence and fell silent with a huff. Returning to the task at hand, he trudged through the dirty water towards the path leading deeper into the quarry.

"Tomb must be down below," Gladio commented as they traveled down the sloping path.

Prompto was standing beside Ignis when he nearly slipped in the mud. "Whoa. Careful, Ignis."

Ignis sighed, annoyed by his disability. "Right."

Walking underneath large tree roots, the group comes across mining machinery blocking the path. "They parked here?" Gladio groaned.

"Wish we could write 'em a ticket," Prompto said.

Noctis took a closer look at the machinery and noticed there was nothing they could do from here.

"Nothing but a giant roadblock," Gladio muttered.

"Ironic for a vehicle," the sharpshooter commented.

"If we get its motor running, perhaps we can move it out of the way," Ignis chimed in.

"Then we better head back," Noctis mumbled.

Heading back up the path, they returned to the collapsed mining facility. Prompto was helping to search for a way to clear the path, but stopped when he felt an intense burning sensation on his wrist. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" He shook his wrist, confused as to what was causing him pain.

"The hell's wrong with you?" Gladio spat.

"I-It's not me!" Prompto cried out. He saw the gemstone was glowing brightly and realized it was the source of his pain. He quickly took off the bracelet and instantly found relief. "It's the bracelet."

"What's wrong with it?" Noctis asked.

"I-I don't know..." He examines the accessory closely. "It's never done this before."

All of a sudden, a spectral image of (Y/n) appeared in front of him. He gasped in shock, nearly dropping the bracelet. Alongside the girl was a fuzzy image of a man. He couldn't make out any facial features or what he was wearing. Reaching out, he tried to touch her. "(Y-Y/n)...?" His hand passed through her body.

At that moment, the ghostly image of the spirit began yelling at the man. "What the hell were you thinking?! You've gone too far!"

"I haven't gone far enough!" The man hollered back. "I thought you of all people would understand!"

"Oh, I understand completely. But this is not the way to do this! You're sick in the head! I won't support your experiments anymore!" (Y/n) turned her back on the man and began walking way. She didn't make it far before the man grabbed a sword and ran towards her. He plunged the blade through her back, the sharp tip piercing through her chest. All that fell from the girl's lips was a painful gasp.

"No!" Prompto shrieked out.

"Forgive me, (Y/n)..." The man mumbled somewhat sorrowfully. "But I can't lose you to those Lucian bastards. I will make the perfect copy and you will be mine, body and soul." He yanked the blade from her body, droplets of blood flying through the air.

Prompto leant forward to catch (Y/n) as she fell. Her body passed through his arms, his eyes widening as he remembered he couldn't touch her. He fell to his knees in the murky water, watching the spectral image of his beloved bleed profusely and the life leave her body. Slowly, her body and the man shattered into crystal shards. They floated through the air before vanishing.

The vision ended. Prompto wasn't sure what to do. His hands were shaking and tears streaming down his cheeks, but no sound came from him. Noctis told Ignis what happened once the shock wore off. By what the prince described, the tactician may have an answer to what transpired. "I do believe the term for such visionary is a memory echo."

"What's that?" Noctis inquired.

"A memory echo is a spectral vision which results from immense escalation of emotions from a guardian. The gemstone becomes enabled to exhibit a memory of a spirit."

"So to put it simply, we just saw one of (Y/n)'s memories?"

"Precisely."

Prompto shook his head, snapping out of his grievous state. He stood up and showed them the bracelet. The gem was still intact. "Th-That's not possible! (Y/n)'s still alive! A-And we've been together since we were toddlers!"

Gladio crosses his arms. "Maybe she's been lying to you."

"She's not a liar!" Prompto yelled angrily. The three were shocked. Never had they heard the blonde raise his voice out of anger. Prompto lowered his head, sliding the bracelet back onto his wrist when the gemstone ceased glowing. "She's not a liar..."

"Whatever," Gladio scoffed. He spun on his heels and continued to search for a way to clear the machinery. Noctis and Ignis weren't sure what to say to their friend and also joined the shield. With a huff of sorrow and anger, Prompto follows after his friends.

Eventually, the group discovers a control panel for the machinery. Prompto, although still having mixed feelings from witnessing the memory echo, was somewhat cheerful at the discovery. "This looks promising!"

"Is it operational?" Ignis asked.

"We'll see." Noctis inspects the control panel and starts up the machinery. Black smoke begins to pour out of its smokestacks, but abruptly stops after a moment.

"Hey. What're you stopping for?" Gladio snappily questioned.

"I'm not," Noctis hissed.

Prompto inspected a little closer and found a note. "Let's see here... "In case of power failure, use backup generators." There's a key in the shed."

They head to the lower trenches of the quarry as the sun began to set. Turning on their flashlights, they cautiously proceeded forward. After defeating some snagas, they continued through the windy path of the trenches. Soon, they arrived at Plantagh Haven and decided to call it a night.

A silence befell the group as Gladio distanced himself from the others. Even after enjoying cup noodles, he still wasn't in any mood to talk to anyone. By the time it was ready to sleep, no one said a word.

<—————————————<<<<<

The next morning, they left the haven and continued their search for the generator key. They found it near the shed guarded by a pack of falxfangs. With a quick ice spell, the creatures were all dead and the group claimed the generator key. With it, they searched for the generators and were able to reactivate them.

Returning to the machinery's primary control panel, Noctis was able to activate the machinery. They could hear the sound of the machine moving in the distance. "Did you hear that?" Noctis asked.

"Sounds like we're clear!" Prompto cheered.

"Grand," Ignis replied.

"Then let's move," Gladio huffed.

As the royal retinue begins to make their way down the newly cleared path, the shield stopped Noctis. "Hold up." The boy stops and turns to face his shield, allowing him to continue. "You sure you're ready for this? You got what it takes?"

"To do what?" Noctis snapped.

"To face your ancestors and convince them to lend you their strength. Got a long road ahead. Can you see this through? To the end?"

"Can and will," Noctis remarked with strong resolve. "Whether I like it or not, I've got a duty to fulfill—as king."

"You're damn right, you do. Then that means you'd better start taking this seriously." Gladio walks on past Noctis and heads deeper into the quarry.

With the machinery no longer blocking their path, they were able to head to the deepest parts of Fodina Caestrino.

Continuing down the path, the marksman took in their surroundings. "This cave is huge!"

Ignis lifted his head, loosening his grip on his cane slightly. "The tomb's further in?"

"You wanna wait here?" Noctis asked.

"Alone, here," Gladio sneered.

The prince glared at him. "Not what I said."

The conversation ended and the group proceeded further into the quarry. They eventually draw closer to the swamp at the bottom of the mine. Prompto grimaced when he smelt something foul in the air. "Man, something stinks around here. Don't slip and fall in whatever that is."

In the swamp located at the bottom, outside the entrance to the royal tomb, Noctis and the others come across several large organic sacs hanging between some tree roots. "What is this?" Prompto asked.

"I hate eggs," Gladio grumbled.

"Do we really wanna know what's back there?"

Suddenly, large squirming tentacles come out of the swamp followed by the malboro they belong to. The group backs away from the creature. The marksman stares, mouth agape at the sight of the creature. "That looks like a mouth. Is that its face?!"

Ignis, although he could smell the horrid odor seeping from the creature's being, couldn't see what had the blonde on edge. "What? What is it?"

"Something real bad!" Noctis summoned a spear and leapt into action. He charged towards the malboro and slashed at it. Prompto remained beside Ignis, keeping his distance from the foul-smelling creature. Gladio swung his greatsword, dodging the tentacles in the process.

Noctis activated the armiger and surge forward, slashing wildly at the malboro. When he no longer had the strength to support the armiger, the weapons vanished.

As the battle carries on, malboro sprouts begin to hatch. They scurry towards the boys. Prompto killed a few as they approached. "Whoa! Look who's hatching!"

"Bust 'em up!" Gladio shouted, slicing a few sprouts with a single swipe of his blade.

The three continue to fight against the malboro and the small sprouts. Ignis remained on the sidelines, knowing he would only get in the way. Noctis and Gladio delivered blow after blow, but none of their attacks were causing heavy damage. Not even Prompto's bullets could cause much damage.

"It's useless," Gladio sneered.

Prompto began to grow uneasy. "What do we do?!"

"This might be a good time to panic," Noctis said.

"No. There must be a way!" Ignis shouted, refusing to give up.

Just then, the malboro goes berserk. It opens its mouth, spewing its bad breath. Noctis received a whiff immediately and backed away with the others behind him. "Gotta shut that thing's trap!"

The malboro sucks in air and prepares to unleash another puff of bad breath. That's when inspiration dawns on Ignis's face. "Noct, I have an idea." He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a magic flask. "If I may..." He hurls the magic flask down the malboro's gullet. A second later, flame erupts from the creature's throat. Feeling the immense heat and hearing the malboro wail out in pain, he knew his idea was successful. "Ah, as I suspected!"

"It really worked!" Prompto cheered.

"Nice one, Iggy," Gladio commented.

"Now, we've a fighting chance," the strategist said.

Ignis joins the fray and uses Libra Elementia. With the elemental attack, he torches the malboro to a crisp. Hearing the creature was silent, he asked, "Is it dead?"

"It is—and it's all thanks to Iggy!" Prompto chanted.

Gladio glanced at the strategist. "Iggy, you saved us."

"Seriously. We'd be plant food if it wasn't for you."

"Happy to help," Ignis responded.

Gladio looked over at Noctis with a scowl. "What, no royal commendation from His Majesty?"

"None for you, at least," Noctis quipped.

The group walk over to where the eggs were hanging. Gladio analyzed the small sacs. "Whisking them just makes a mess—better fry 'em."

Noctis incinerates the eggs, revealing the door to the royal tomb hidden behind them. Prompto recognizes the design and was relieved. "I think we found it!"

"Just wish they found a better place to build it," the prince commented. He enters the tomb and acquires the Katana of the Warrior. Leaving the tomb, he regroups with the others.

"All right, let's haul ass," Gladio said once the younger boy rejoined them.

Noctis nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's."

As the royal retinue walks back out into the swamp, Ignis stops everyone. "A moment?"

Gladio faces the advisor. "Is everything okay?"

"It bloody well isn't," he snapped. "And I won't suffer this pointless bickering in silence any longer. Let's be frank. My vision hasn't improved, and probably won't. Yet in spite of this... I would remain with you all. Til the very end."

The shield crossed his arms with a scowl. "Sorry, but I object. War is a matter of life and death."

"But, we'll be there!" Prompto chimed in.

"It's not about us looking out for him!" He growled.

"Uh-huh. Well, then he should be free to choose," the sharpshooter retorted.

"There's more to it than just what he wants!"

"I know full well! I won't ask you to slow down. If I can't keep up, I will bow out," Ignis intervened.

Gladio casted his glare towards Noctis. "What says "His Majesty"?"

Ignis turned his head in the raven-haired boy's direction. "Noct, you are king. One cannot lead by standing still. A king pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back." He then glanced in the shield's general direction. "Gladio, Noct will take his rightful place, but only once he's ready."

The brute is quiet for a moment before relenting and turning his back. "Have it your way. We're still taking a big risk." He then turns to look at Noctis. "We better all be ready." Gladio walks off, leaving the others behind.

Noctis, Prompto, and Ignis follow after Gladio and make their way back to the elevator. They rode it back up to the train station. As they stepped off the lift, they inhaled the fresh air. They wander over to the train, but Noctis stopped when he asked, "You guys mind if we stop in Tenebrae?"

"Might as well hop off," Prompto replied.

"If it helps him move on," Gladio said.

Noctis glanced over at Ignis, feeling resolved thanks to their earlier conversation. He wanted to express just how much he meant to him and the others and how they'd be there whenever he needed a helping hand. "We're here for you."

Prompto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let us help you."

All of a sudden, the boarding bell begins to ring. Prompto smiled at the sound. "And we're off!"

The marksman makes for the train. Gladio comes along behind him, guiding Ignis. "Are we clear?" The shield asked.

"Crystal," Ignis replied.

"Hey, watch your step," Noctis said.

"You're not "pushing onward"?" Gladio asked the younger boy.

"Not at his expense."

"Fair enough."

Just as they were about to board the train, a familiar voice called out to the sharpshooter. "Prompto."

Prompto was almost convinced his mind was playing tricks on him because of how much he missed his beloved. He was afraid to turn around and see another spectral image of his guardian. He wanted the real (Y/n), not some ghostly apparition. Building up his courage, he turned around. When seeing it was no mere figment of his imagination, his cerulean eyes widened as they locked with golden ones. "(Y/n)...?"

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[winryofresembool]

Things We Lost in the Fire, ch 23

aka Caleo uni au

Fic summary: Calypso starts studying at a new university, but to her annoyance her new flatmate is a loud mouthed mechanic who also likes to sneak his dog in whenever. But as she learns to know him better, she realizes they might have more in common than what she first thought. Eventually, even the darkest secrets come out…

Chapter summary: Halloween chapter, part 1.

A/N: This is the first part of possibly a long-ish Halloween 'arc' that is to come. I have to warn you that I only have 1 more chapter as a draft version and the said chapter is a mess and has caused me a lot of insecurities so... I'm not entirely sure how long it will take me to work through the issues that chapter has. I still hope I will have something to post next Friday! Please be patient with me, I promise I have every intention to continue and finish this story.

Thanks for all the lovely comments the previous chapter got! You guys are the best :) And keep them coming because that is literally the best reward I can get :)

Words: 3200+

Genre: romance & hurt/comfort

Warnings: none

previous chapter / AO3

...

“Hey Sunshine, you ready?” Leo asked her flatmate one November Friday as he was pulling his winter coat on in the hallway.

“In a minute!” Calypso yelled from her room. “Just… One final touch up!”

Leo checked his watch. “Okay, as long as it’s really a minute! You know Argo II isn’t waiting!”

“You do know that Argo II doesn’t have feelings, right? It’s a car,” his non-understanding flatmate argued.

“You better hope he didn’t hear that!” Leo protested. “He may just not turn on at all if you claim such things.”

“Oh my gods, Leo. Sometimes I wonder if you care about your machines more than people.”

Leo didn’t respond to that. To himself he mumbled. “At least I know how to fix them. And can’t hurt them.”

The flatmates were getting ready to leave for Jason and Piper’s late Halloween party. Most of the members of their friend group had been busy doing their own things on the real Halloween weekend but they had decided that they’d still want to have a small gathering at Jason and Piper’s house on a later date. Percy and Annabeth would be there, as well as Jason’s sister Thalia, her ‘friend’ Reyna, and Jason’s friend and a distant relative Nico. To Calypso Leo had told, that he had only met Nico a couple of times, because apparently Nico was a bit of a lonely soul and he wandered around the country doing who knows what. That fall, though, he had apparently met someone who had managed to keep him rooted to his home, so Leo suspected that there was a possibility that Nico really would show up this time.

Leo snapped out of his thoughts when Calypso’s door was pulled open, revealing the girl in her costume. His mouth opened involuntarily as he took her in. She was wearing a white chiton like dress with golden decorations around the neckline and accessories that matched the theme. Those included a golden headband and a belt, a bracelet made of real flowers, strappy leather sandals and since her own hair was short now, she had gotten a caramel colored wig that she had braided to one side, reminding Leo a lot of the hairstyle Calypso had had when she had moved in. She smiled at Leo shyly. “Well, what do you think?” She asked, lifting the hem of her dress slightly to show it off better.

“You’re… you’re…” Leo felt the words escape him again. With frustration he wondered how one person could do that to him. Leo Valdez never ran out of words.

“Calypso?” she tried to guess what he had wanted to say.

‘What?” He asked with confusion, unable to follow Calypso’s track of thoughts. In his mind he had answered her question ‘prettier than greek goddesses’ but he realized too late that she had meant that she was dressed up like the Calypso from the Greek mythology. “Oh, now I got it. Must have sniffed too much machine oil or something…Anyway, I see you have some self irony, dressing as your name sake.”

“That was kind of the point, Valdez. A girl named Calypso who studies Greek mythology? People comment on my name so often that I decided it’s time to make it clear that yes, I’m aware of that coincidence.”

“Ooh, the great revenge,” Leo chuckled. Suddenly he noticed that Calypso had turned more serious, her hands fiddling with her purse.

“Really, though, what do you think of this? I made this dress and these bracelets myself. And my mum gave me this before we moved here,” she pointed at her headband. “Apparently it’s something that’s been running in our family; my grandma wore it in her wedding picture and so on…”

“Oh… Well… that’s cool,” Leo said, mentally cursing the ‘error’ message on his brain. “You did a good job. I mean… I once saw a painting of Calypso in the Indianapolis Museum of Art and I think you look nothing like her… in a good way!”

“Aww, thank you.” Calypso seemed happily surprised about Leo’s comment, and he swore the expression made her even cuter. He also wondered if he should have a doctor check his heart because it seemed to do funny things in her presence...

“You’re welcome?” he replied stupidly.

“So, where is your costume?” Calypso asked curiously, apparently only now paying attention to the fact that he indeed wasn’t wearing one yet. “I thought you said we’re in a hurry.”

“I can’t drive in mine, it’s difficult to see from under it,” Leo explained, returning to his room to get a huge sports bag where he had packed his creation a bit earlier. He had spent several days making it and he was kind of proud of the final result. Although, seeing Calypso now, for a moment he still wondered if he had made a mistake with his costume choice, but it was too late to change his mind now. “I’ll put it on when we get there.” He gestured towards the bag.

“Okay,” Calypso nodded while changing her shoes into more fall suitable ones. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you have come up with.”

“Good, because it will blow your mind,” Leo claimed.

“I will refrain from forming any opinions before I see it,” Calypso noted, putting her keys into her pocket. “Now, come on, mister Mysterious, I hear Argo II isn’t very patient.”

Leo secretly loved it when Calypso attempted to joke back, and he grinned at her as he held the door open so she could leave first.

“Let’s go then, Sunshine.”

…

The drive to Jason and Piper took about 20 minutes so Leo and Calypso had a lot of time to talk about whatever came to their minds. At first Calypso gave Leo pretty short answers and he got worried that something was wrong between them again, but eventually Leo got her curious about the guests at the party that she hadn’t met yet.

“The Hunters are traveling a lot because of their competitions so I haven’t met Thalia that often. She’s a little bit scary, though. She has this edgy look going on and I’ve heard she is super strong; she’d ninja throw me on the floor before I’d have time to say Festus if given a chance. I’m trying very hard not to give her any reasons to do that.”

“Ouch. She sounds like something else,” Calypso said.

“She is,” Leo confirmed, almost getting chills only thinking about her. “She can be nice if you get to her good side, though.”

“Is it just me or does someone have a crush?” Calypso asked teasingly.

“What? No!” Leo exclaimed, glancing at Calypso’s reaction briefly. “Alright, maybe I used to have but that was when I didn’t know what was the best for me. But that was a long time ago. Besides, she’s totally dating someone even though they won’t admit it.” ‘And I wish I was dating someone else as well’, he thought, but left that unsaid.

“Oh? Will I get to meet that person today?” Calypso asked with curiosity.

“I think you will. From what I know Reyna’s always with Thalia. They claim they are only best friends but Jason has told me that they are keeping a low profile because it’s forbidden inside their team to date their teammates.”

“That sounds like a basis for a tragic love story,” Calypso said while staring out of the window with a dreamy expression. “I don’t even know these people but as a hopeless romantic I hope they will find some solution.”

Leo thought Calypso was very cute when she talked like that “Yeah. I hope.”

“So, do you know this Reyna personally?” she asked then, distracting Leo from his thoughts.

“You could say that,” Leo answered, trying to focus on the road instead of the girl next to him. “The team visits Waystation regularly because Jo and Emmie used to coach them back in the day and as a fellow Spanish speaker Reyna has always paid special attention to me. I swear, sometimes she treats me like I was his little brother…”

“Aww, that’s kind of sweet in my opinion. What is this team you were talking about, though? Did you say Hunters?”

“Oh, yep. The Artemis’ Hunters, named after the Greek goddess Artemis, naturally. It’s an archery group… Hey, is everything alright?”

Leo couldn’t help but notice that Calypso had shifted uncomfortably on her seat and adjusted her seatbelt a bit looser around her shoulder when he had said the name.

“Yeah. Don’t worry. I just… used to know someone who was in the Hunters as well, so I was surprised they have some connections here, that’s all.” Calypso turned her head to stare out of the window, sending Leo signals that he should drop the topic. He decided to push it a little bit further, though.

“You did? But you said ‘was’. Is she not in it anymore?”

“No,” Calypso shook her head, but didn’t elaborate.

“OK.” Leo sighed. A few moments earlier Calypso had been smiling and teasing him about some old crush and now she was acting cold again. Clearly the Hunters were a painful topic for her, but Leo couldn’t figure out why. Had something happened to the person Calypso had known? And why did she have to be so secretive? Leo wanted so badly to be able to help her and understand her, but when she was not opening up, it was very hard to do anything about it.

“Any guesses about what my costume may be?” He decided to change the topic. That seemed to cheer his flatmate up a bit.

Calypso closed her eyes while thinking, a tiny smile forming on her face. “Hmmm, I imagine it’s probably something flashy. But knowing you it could also be your work coveralls and working boots. I know how much you love those, after all.”

“It’s flashy, alright,” Leo said, his grin returning back to his face. “I’ll give you another hint: it’s a character from one of my favorite TV shows or movies.”

“You have a lot of those,” Calypso reminded him. “Ooh, now I know!! You’re Dalek! That’s why you would have a hard time seeing from under the costume.”

“No,” Leo shook his head, “But now that you say that, that would’ve been cool! Why didn’t you give me that idea earlier?”

“Because you already had an awesome idea? Or that’s at least the impression I got,” Calypso reminded him.

“Well, yeah. I still like my current idea. Maybe next time I’ll make a Dalek.” Leo had a goofy smile on his face as he imagined building a Dalek costume from the scratch.

“Sounds like a plan. So, will you reveal to me what you will be this time?” Calypso asked.

“Nah, you’ll see soon. Good things are worth waiting for, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Calypso shrugged. “Although our opinions on what’s good tend to differ a bit based on our previous TV watching experiences.”

“Yeah, but that’s why it’s good we are flatmates. It’s good to broaden your horizons sometimes and learn about different things that other people like,” Leo pointed out.

“Maybe you’re right,” Calypso admitted. “But are you saying you have learned something from me? What could that be?”

“That olives taste bad? That sometimes Venusaur can be more useful than Charizard?”

“Not exactly what I was looking for, but I’ll take that.” Leo turned his head just enough to see a small smirk on Calypso’s face.

“I was just messing with you because I think you secretly like it,” Leo said with a grin. “But really, you have taught me a lot. That we shouldn’t let fears control the direction of our life. That Greek mythology is actually pretty fascinating even if tía Callida made it sound boring as hell, and we should all learn to understand different cultures better. And, you know? There’s no way we can know every single thing about someone else so we just need to learn to trust and give them a benefit of the doubt sometimes. And finally, I shouldn’t underestimate your Mario Kart skills.”

Calypso snorted at the last part. “Sometimes you do surprise me, Repair Boy. That was a good answer.”

“I can feel my reputation as the Bad Boy Supreme getting shattered to pieces. What about me, though? Have I taught you something?” Leo asked. If he was honest to himself, he didn’t want to know because what could he possibly teach to a smart girl like her?

“You taught me that chilis are evil and you should never eat them the way I did,” Calypso replied, and Leo was fully prepared for more teasing. But it never came.

“You have also shown me sometimes persistency can be a very good thing – otherwise we probably wouldn’t be friends now. We also shouldn’t judge a book by the cover – I’m just saying that when I first saw you I was kind of prejudiced… but since learning to know you better I realized I was wrong. And remember that time when Jo and Georgina were visiting us and you came home a bit late? Jo told me some stories about you before you arrived and that made me understand how far hard work can sometimes take us. You’ve come a long way… and while there are always things we can work on and improve, I think it’s important to be proud of the things we have already achieved, even when looking ahead.”

“Wow… those are some really nice things you just said there…” Leo stumbled to find the right words. Especially the last point had hit him hard because he had had a very hard time with his self esteem recently. He still didn’t know if he would be allowed to retake his lab test – and more importantly, if he was even capable of trying. That was just the tip of the iceberg; it definitely wouldn’t be the only time he would have to face his fear during his studies and later on in the work life, and he would eventually have to make the difficult decision whether it was worth going through. He did want to get over his fear, but with her own issues on her mind, he hadn’t wanted to ask her to help until the situation was better.

“Hey,” Calypso squeezed his knee gently and Leo was afraid he’d accidentally brake so fast they’d crash somewhere. Thankfully he managed to contain himself. “I know I nag and tease you sometimes, but I hope you know despite that I actually care about you and respect you for the things you do. I’m… glad you’re my flatmate.”

Leo was very thankful that it was dark in the car because he was positive that he was redder than a chili pepper. After swallowing hard, he managed to croak: “Yeah. Thanks. You’re pretty neat too.” “Pretty neat?” Calypso asked, cocking her eyebrow.

“Argh, sorry, you can’t expect a guy to be able to think straight after you tell them something like that!” Leo exclaimed. “But, uh, I mean, I think the same way. That it’s nice that you’re my flatmate.”

“Glad we have that established.” Calypso smiled at him. Again Leo wondered what it was about that smile that made his heart go crazy. He had had a couple of short term girlfriends before Calypso had moved in and even though he had liked them, there was something different about how Calypso made him feel. But now that Leo thought about it, he realized that for example Khione, his first girlfriend (who had turned out to be quite an ice queen in the end) had had a smile that had never quite reached her eyes and made him wonder what was truly going on in that head of hers. His second girlfriend, Echo, had been a sweet girl but something about her smile had said that she’d rather be free of relationship bonds. Leo thought that he had probably sensed that from pretty early on because it had been a smaller shock for him than his first break up. But Calypso’s smile? It made Leo want to see it over and over again, and instead of wanting something from him, it seemed to give him more energy. It made him feel restless, but in a positive way.

When Leo snapped out of his thoughts, he realized that Calypso was staring at him weirdly, as if he had been in his daze for a while.

“What?” he asked a bit nervously.

“You just completely missed my question,” Calypso stated, frowning a little.

Leo tried to shake his head to clear his mind a bit. “Sorry, I was just… remembering something. But what did you ask?”

“I asked if there’s any news from your professors about your studies. It’s been a while since you’ve said anything about that.”

Leo gulped. “Yeah. Right. Um, at the moment I’m continuing to attend the classes except the lab one. I guess I should ask the lab professor if he would still let me redo the test at some point. But the other problem is, I’m not sure if I can. You know, if I have it in me to get over my stupid fear.”

“It is not a stupid fear, Leo. You have your reasons. But I do believe that you can get over it. And I want to help you. We should start working on it soon, how about tomorrow or some time next week?”

“Tomorrow is fine to me.” Leo started tapping his fingers against the wheel, a sign of him feeling anxious about the topic. “I… really appreciate your help. Is there something I can do in return?”

“You already did!” Calypso said to his surprise.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Remember that flower shop you mentioned to me?” Calypso asked. “I guess I’ve been so busy this week that I forgot to mention this but it looks like I’m getting the job! The interview went well and the boss invited me to see how they make their flower arrangements and they even let me do this.” Calypso showed him her flower bracelet that had some small roses and several other flowers the names of which he didn’t know. “She will make her final decision on Monday but I might start working there already next week.”

“That’s awesome news! Congrats!” Leo said, genuinely happy for her.

“Thank you! And sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, it seems we have both been rather busy this week, I feel I’ve barely seen you…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad I was useful for something! But look, that’s Jason and Piper’s place.” He nodded towards the building in front of them.

Leo looked from the corner of his eyes how Calypso would react to seeing the house. From what he knew Calypso hadn’t been there earlier; she and Piper had hung out more at their flat due to the closeness of the university. He wasn’t disappointed when he saw Calypso’s mouth open a bit.

“I know, pretty impressive.” Leo said.

“I have seen big houses before but this looks way nicer than the ones I know…” Calypso noted. Leo wanted to ask more about that but he knew that the friends were waiting so he decided to leave it for later. Once he had parked the car, some strange instinct told him to rest his hand on hers for a moment before he gestured to Calypso to step outside.

“After you.”

[caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma]

Peripheral, Part 7

Pairings: OT7 x reader; Yoongi x reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Smut, Idol AU

Series Summary:  An unfortunate accident leaves Kim Namjoon with amnesia, and Big Hit, BTS, ARMY, and the entire world is desperate to help him regain his memories and knowledge. Fortunately, a new genetics company has successfully created a system to alter our brains into human databases which can help someone regain knowledge and memories through a simple input/output exchange. Can this new invention give us back our beloved leader?

Word Count: 10.8K+

Warnings: cursing, threats of violence, a VERY angry Yoongi (Lil’ Meow Meow goes feral), unfathomable sadness, sexual tension, nipple play, fingering, soft Dom!Yoongi

Taehyung was definitely hearing things and he was starting to freak out. The slow scraping sounds were emanating from outside his bedroom door and they were coming closer.

Shnnck, shnnck, shnnck, shnnck

He pulled his comforter up under his chin and shivered, his mind running a billion different scenarios about what type of sordid creature was lurking in the hallways of their dormitory.

“Jimin-ah,” Taehyung whispered in fright. “Are you awake?”

A soft snore was the only response he got from Jimin. A cursory glance at his phone told Taehyung that it was just after 4 am, so whoever or whatever was out in the hallway making those horrid noises wasn’t any of his brothers.

Shnnck, shnnck, shnnck, shnnck

“Ok, that’s it,” Taehyung grumbled. “I need to figure out what that noise is.”

In a display of faux heroism, Taehyung pulled on a Tata headband and his silk robe. He grabbed a small foam bat from underneath his bed and slipped into his Gucci fur lined slippers. He was the most elegant home defense guardian ever seen, and he was trembling from a mixture of fear and adrenaline.

“Ok, monster,” he whispered against the closed door. “Now, I’m ready for you.”

He was about to open the door when he heard someone groan slightly followed by a sudden crumpling thud just past his door.

Did the monster just die in the hallway?

Taehyung unlocked the door and opened it just a crack to investigate the hallway. In the dim light, he could just barely make out a mass of fluffy pink fabric just past Yoongi’s door. He turned on the flashlight on his phone, and upon further inspection, he saw that the pile of terrycloth on the floor was just Y/N decked out in a pink robe complete with a full ensemble of RJ attire and accessories. The RJ slippers on her feet were the apparent culprits responsible for the shuffling noise Taehyung heard earlier.

I swear Jin-hyung has stock in Line Friends. He spends more on RJ swag than anyone I’ve ever met.

Taehyung snapped out of his thoughts and knelt next to Y/N, trying to rouse her out of the apparent nap she’d decided to take on the floor.

“Noona,” Taehyung whispered. “Why are you on the floor?”

He moved her hair out of her face and noticed that not only did she look a little pale, but her forehead was a little sweaty and warm.

Is she sick?!

In a slight panic, Taehyung attempted to gather Y/N gently into his arms, but her body was nearly dead weight against him. The sound of an opening door grabbed his attention, and he turned to see Yoongi’s sharp feline eyes glaring at him.

“Why are you making so much fucking noise at this hour?” Yoongi griped. “Some of us are trying to sleep, Taehyung-ssi.”

“Hyung,” Taehyung pleaded. “I need your help. I found Y/N-noona like this in the hallway, and I can’t pick her up by myself. I think she’s unconscious.”

The word “unconscious” hit Yoongi like a runaway freight train and he quickly sprang into action, helping Taehyung gather Y/N up from the floor. Yoongi pulled her weight onto his shoulder and started walking toward her room with Taehyung’s assistance. Once they got her situated on the bed, Yoongi was better able to assess the situation.

“Why does she look like Jin’s room exploded on her?” Yoongi asked. “Did he ambush her or something?”

“No,” Taehyung shook his head. “I think she spent the night with Jin-hyung. They were cooking for Namjoon-hyung when Jiminie and I left the kitchen earlier. Maybe they decided to have a little fun with their food?”

Yoongi tried to hide the grimace that pulled at his face, but Taehyung still caught it. He knew better than to pry, so he filed it away to be addressed at a later time.

“Well, where the fuck is Jin?” Yoongi growled. “Did he just leave her like this?”

“I don’t know, hyung,” Taehyung said defensively. “Like I said, I just found her like this in the hallway. What should we do?”

Yoongi shifted uneasily on his feet, trying to figure out the best course of action. He decided to enlist Taehyung’s help, since he was already up and willing to help.

“Go to the kitchen and bring back a few bottles of water,” Yoongi instructed. “I’m going to find her some pajamas without BT21 characters on them. You can help me change her when you get back.”

Taehyung nearly sprinted down the hallway to retrieve the bottles of water, and when he returned, Yoongi was making a small pile of RJ items on the floor. All that was left on Y/N was the over-sized RJ T-shirt.

“She looks so...refreshed,” Taehyung commented. “Did Jin bathe her and then dress her up like that?”

“I don’t know,” Yoongi spat. “But I’d like to get her covered up. I guess we can leave the shirt on, but can you help me get these shorts on her? She’s not wearing any underwear.”

Taehyung blushed at the mention of Y/N’s nudity and he met Yoongi’s equally flushed face. They didn’t want to touch her without her consent, but the partial nudity was bound to be an issue once she regained consciousness.

“Don’t make a big deal out of this, Taehyung-ah,” Yoongi murmured. “Just lift her hips while I slide the shorts up. Neither one of us is going to touch her inappropriately while she’s in this state. It wouldn’t be right.”

“Yeah, ok,” Taehyung muttered weakly. “I wasn’t thinking anything like that, hyung. I’m just really worried about her, you know?”

“I know,” Yoongi sighed. “It’s going to be ok, Tae. We need to figure out what’s going on. Let’s just take care of her first.”

Yoongi and Taehyung switched places and Yoongi slid the sushi print sleep shorts up past Y/N’s knees. She was still not responding to their movements, and that fact was weighing heavily on both men. Yoongi motioned to Taehyung to lift her hips, and they quickly completed their task. They took a moment to breathe and then they tucked her underneath the comforter. Yoongi shooed Taehyung out the door into the hallway and they made their way to the kitchen.  

“Now what, hyung?” Taehyung prompted. “Should we go talk to Jin-hyung?”

Yoongi shifted his eyes toward the other hallway and grunted his assent. Taehyung followed behind Yoongi as he stomped down the hallway and started battering his fist against Jin’s door.

“KIM SEOKJIN!” Yoongi roared. “Open this fucking door!”

Another door opened down the hall, and Hoseok and Jungkook staggered into the hallway, their faces groggy from sleep.

“Yoongi-hyung,” Jungkook murmured. “What’s going on?”

“Yeah,” Hoseok continued. “What’s with all the yelling?”

Jimin wandered in sleepily from the other hallway and his eyes widened at all the activity happening before him. 

“We found Y/N-noona passed out on the floor in the hallway,” Taehyung quickly explained. “She was all dressed up in RJ stuff, so she was obviously with Jin.”

“We know,” Jungkook groaned. “They were getting busy in the kitchen last night.”

“See, Tae,” Jimin whined. “I told you!”

“Wait, what do you mean you found her on the ground?!” Hoseok snapped to attention. “Is she ok? Where is she?”

“She’s fine,” Yoongi gritted out. “Taehyungie and I got her back to her room and into her bed. She’s still unconscious or asleep or something. We won’t know anything until she wakes up.”

Jungkook and Hoseok exchanged concerned looks and Yoongi nearly growled at their silent conversation.

“What?” Yoongi huffed. “Do you two know something I don’t?

“Hyung,” Hoseok began softly. “Jungkook and I had some weird experiences after our transaction sessions with Y/N. We don’t know what it means, but we need to talk to her about it. We’re worried that something went wrong during the transactions.”

“We want to make sure we aren’t hurting Noona,” Jungkook continued. “You don’t think it’s too late, do you?”

“Too late for what?” prompted a voice from the living room.

They all rushed into the living room and glared at Seokjin’s nonchalant demeanor as he walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Yoongi spat. “Why did you leave Y/N all alone in your room?”

“She asked to stay,” Jin retorted simply. “I guess I was too hard on her earlier. I didn’t mind letting her sleep it off in my room since I was the one responsible for wearing her out.”

Yoongi rushed at Jin and roughly pushed his back against the refrigerator. The other members took a moment to react, and they tried in vain to pull Yoongi’s fingers from Seokjin’s shirt.

“You careless asshole,” Yoongi growled. “How dare you leave Y/N alone in your bed? What was so fucking important that you felt the need to abandon her after using her like that?”

“Hey, I made sure she was ok before I left for the hospital,” Seokjin argued. “After I bathed her and fixed her hair, she was sleeping soundly on my bed and she looked very comfortable. I didn’t think I would be gone that long.”

Hoseok maneuvered Yoongi over to the maknae line so they could subdue him, and he put his hand on Seokjin’s shoulder, his eyes firm and his lips drawn into a grim line.

“Kim Seokjin,” Hoseok asked acerbically. “Did you just say that you went to the hospital? The one place we aren’t allowed to visit while Y/N-ah prepares for Namjoon-ah’s therapy?”

Seokjin gulped nervously at Hoseok’s incensed demeanor and he chanced a glance at the other members. The maknae line gawked at Seokjin’s actions while Yoongi merely shot him a malicious scowl.

“I didn’t know we weren’t supposed to go there,” Seokjin protested weakly. “Did I miss a memo or something?”

“Hyung,” Jungkook huffed. “Didn’t you read the materials Bang PD-nim sent us? We can’t see Rapmon-hyung while Y/N-noona is still doing our transactions.”

“Yeah,” Jimin assented. “Any new memories you form after your transaction are going to affect Namjoonie’s transactions later on.”

“It was all in the materials, Jin-hyung,” Taehyung insisted. “I can’t believe you didn’t remember that. It was in all caps under Restrictions.”

Seokjin visibly shrunk after each barbed comment from the maknae line. He was the eldest, but it didn’t necessarily make him the most responsible member in the household. In fact, he was notorious for behaving just as irresponsibly as the youngest members, and he was certainly feeling the sting of that immaturity now.

“Jin-hyung,” Hoseok continued. “I’m not completely sure, but you may not be able to complete any more transactions with Y/N because of this. It could jeopardize the entire process.”

“What?!” Seokjin protested hotly. “No way! That isn’t your call to make. Let me talk to Y/N-ah.”

“You can’t,” spat Yoongi. “She’s unconscious right now. Taehyung and I found her collapsed in the hallway.”

“What?!” Seokjin barked with alarm. “Why? What happened to her?”

“We don’t know because someone left her all alone in his room,” Yoongi reminded him. “I guess she tried to find her way back to her room and she didn’t make it. We had to carry her to the room and get all that fucking RJ shit off of her.”

“Hey, those were gifts, Yoongi-ah,” Seokjin argued. “I gave those things to her.”

“How convenient,” Yoongi persisted in a mocking tone. “You fucked her, you gave her a full spa treatment, and then sent her packing with lovely parting gifts. You’re a real fucking hero, Kim Seokjin.”

The acidic words spewing from Yoongi’s lips made everyone flinch. Now free from the maknae line’s clutches, Yoongi stepped forward to confront Seokjin. Hoseok held Yoongi at bay, but it didn’t stop him from glowering up at Seokjin with his menacing black stare.

“You need to get your fucking priorities straight, man,” Yoongi growled. “We’re all worried about Namjoon-ah, but the rest of us made sure we were careful not to fuck up and do something that would jeopardize his upcoming therapy.”

“I didn’t think-” Seokjin began.

“Yeah, you didn’t,” Yoongi cut him off harshly. “All you cared about was what you wanted and what you needed. Always thinking only of yourself, aren’t you, hyung? Never once thinking of anyone else.”

“Yoongi-hyung,” Hoseok scolded gently. “That’s enough.”

“No, Hobi,” Yoongi backed up. “Look, I know Y/N hasn’t been here that long, but we’ve all become attached to her in some way. There’s no denying that. However, she’s here to help us with Namjoon-ah, and we should be treating her with the respect and dignity she deserves as his therapist. We aren’t supposed to be using her to satisfy our own selfish needs.”

“Hyung,” Taehyung piped up. “We’ve been nothing but respectful to Y/N-noona.”

“Oh really?” Yoongi rounded on the rest of the group. “With the exception of Hoseok, you’ve all been acting like horny idiots. You’re either drooling over her, undressing her with your eyes, or getting jealous over who she spends time with.”

Everyone but Hoseok and Yoongi dropped their guilty eyes and shifted nervously. The tension in the room was increasing exponentially and Hoseok searched in vain for a solution to this problem. Yoongi stepped forward and shoved Seokjin out of the way to open the refrigerator. He grabbed another bottle of water and slammed the door shut. After taking a drink from the bottle, Yoongi leaned forward on the kitchen island and glared at the others.

“There’s not much we can do until Y/N wakes up,” Yoongi stated plainly. “I’m going back to watch over her. I don’t want her to wake up to an empty room.”

“Hyung, Jungkook and I still need to talk to her,” Hoseok reminded him. “Maybe we should come with you?”

“Yeah,” Jungkook whined. “I want to make sure Noona is ok.”

“Tae and I want to come too,” Jimin spoke up. “We still need to do our transactions with her, so we want to help take care of her before that happens.”

“That can wait until later, Jiminie,” Taehyung corrected tenderly. “We need to focus on her health and safety above everything else right now.”

“I also need to apologize to her,” Seokjin urged. “I didn’t realize I was putting her in danger by leaving. You’re right, we all need to take care of her needs.”

“Can you all just shut the fuck up for a moment?” Yoongi lashed out. “Why should I let any of you near her right now?”

“Hyung,” Hoseok prodded gently. “You’re not the only one who cares about Y/N. Like you said, we’ve all bonded with her on some level and we only have her best interests at heart.”

“You think so, huh?” Yoongi smirked sardonically. “I’m sure all of your intentions are pure.”

“Yoongi-hyung,” Jimin piped up. “We just want to help Y/N-noona. Are you really not going to accept our help?”

Yoongi scoffed at all of them and brushed past Hoseok to the stepped entrance of the hallway. He stopped at the threshold and turned back to face them, albeit at a higher level.  

“You know, Y/N may be working as a part time peripheral device for Big Hit, but she’s not a fucking machine, you inconsiderate pricks!” Yoongi fired at them. “I’m only going to say this once, and I’m hoping that you are all paying attention because I’m not going to repeat myself. You will back the fuck off and you will leave her the fuck alone until she’s had enough time to recover from all the bullshit you’ve put her through. I don’t give a fuck what you think you feel for her.”

“Yoongi-hyung,” Hoseok pleaded. “Please, be reasonable. We care about Y/N just as much as you do. Please don’t shut us out.”

“No, Hobi, you don’t get it,” Yoongi cried out. “Based on what I’ve seen and heard so far, the only ones who haven't been treating Y/N inappropriately are you and me. She was not brought to us as some kind of twisted sex service. She’s a real person with real feelings. I will not idly stand by while they attempt to treat her like some kind of mail order concubine.”

“That’s not what we think, hyung,” Taehyung retorted. “We would never do anything to hurt Y/N-noona.”

“Too late for that, Taehyung-ah,” Yoongi blurted. “You selfish bastards need to think about Y/N’s well-being instead of focusing on the tightness of your balls whenever you see her. Fucking perverts. If any one of you motherfuckers even tries to bother her, I will personally beat the living shit out of you and slice off your balls. Let’s see you get it up for her then, huh?”

Yoongi stared down everyone of them and they all backed down under his domineering aura, even Hoseok. Before he left down the hallway, Yoongi leaned against the wall and released a troubled groan. He pinched the bridge of his nose and scrunched his eyes and nose out of frustration.

“Look,” Yoongi sighed out heavily. “I love you all and you are my beloved brothers, but right now, I don’t give a fuck about any of that. There is a woman in our home who has been mistreated and is lying unconscious in her room, probably because of what you all did to her. I swear I’ll fuck you up if you don’t let her rest. Save your bullshit theories and concerns for now. They will be addressed once she’s back to normal. Hobi, will you please keep everyone else away until she’s recovered? I promise I will let you know the moment she’s awake. Now, get the fuck out of my face and stay the fuck away from our rooms!”

With a final huff at their startled expressions, Yoongi stalked down the hallway and disappeared behind Y/N’s door. The rest of the members released a defeated groan and looked at each other, seeking out answers to their growing problem.

“Now what, Hobi-hyung?" Jungkook pouted. “You know Yoongi-hyung isn’t going to let us in there right now, and we still need to talk to Noona about the weird stuff we saw.”

“I know, Kookie,” Hoseok mused. "Give him some time to cool off, yeah? We have other issues to work on at the moment."

“I’m sorry, I’m confused,” Jin blurted out. “Why is Yoongi-ah the only one allowed to see her right now? What gives him the right to act like a jealous boyfriend to the rest of us?”

“Hyung, no offense, but you really shouldn’t be talking like that right now,” Hoseok corrected him. “You’ve put this entire therapy preparation at risk by going to see Namjoon-ah in the hospital.”

Jin’s ears flushed bright red and he leaned back against the kitchen counter in an exaggerated pout. He knew he was in trouble, but he was having difficulty reconciling his guilt.

“I’m sorry, ok?” Seokjin breathed out. “It was not my intention to put anyone at risk, not you guys, not Namjoon-ah, and certainly not Y/N-ah. I just...really missed him and I needed to talk to him. I needed to look into his eyes and just be in his presence for a moment. It was so nice just seeing his face and hearing his voice in person. It almost felt like everything might be ok. I just want this all to be over so we can have him back, you know?”

Seokjin’s rant ended on a whimper and they all sighed and nodded with understanding brimming in their eyes. Namjoon was a missing fixture in their lives, and his absence was starting to take its toll on the rest of the group. Taehyung leaned his head down onto Jimin’s shoulder, and Jungkook walked forward to pull Seokjin into a hug. Hoseok watched helplessly as they all regressed into various levels of emotional strife. Jimin and Taehyung were surrounded by an impenetrable cloud of sadness, and Jin and Jungkook were sobbing quietly in the kitchen. Hoseok felt his eyes gloss over and he inhaled a shaky breath as a single tear rolled down his cheek. He corralled everyone over to the couches and sat them all down so they could at least be comfortable in their misery. With another glance down the hallway toward Y/N’s room, all Hoseok could do was hope that Yoongi would be able to revive Y/N.

If anyone can do it, Yoongi can. There isn’t a person in this entire house who is softer than my hyung. Let’s just hope that he hasn’t lost his magic touch.

Hoseok sank onto one of the couches and Taehyung laid his legs across Hoseok’s lap while Jimin continued to stroke his hair. Jungkook and Jin occupied the other couch with a box of tissues between them. They all settled into the comfort of their expensive furniture and tried to clear their minds of doubt and despair. <~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

Yoongi couldn’t find anything else to tidy up in Y/N’s room. After placing the laundry in a basket, arranging her shoes in the closet, and wiping down everything in the bathroom, he was at a loss.

What else am I supposed to do?

Reluctantly, he walked back into Y/N’s bedroom and he turned off the light from the bathroom. She was still sleeping soundly on the bed, but as Yoongi watched her, she shifted slightly beneath the comforter and turned on her side. She released a soft moan as she exhaled and her eyebrows knit together slightly. Worried that she might be in pain, Yoongi pulled the vanity chair over to the bed and leaned in to examine Y/N more closely. Her face suddenly clenched and then relaxed, and soft snores began shortly after.

At least she’s moving. That’s a good sign.

Yoongi reached over and placed his hand around her open one and he reached up to brush a few strands of hair away from Y/N’s face with his other hand. The pallor of her skin was alarming, but the heat from her face had dissipated along with the thin sheen of perspiration they'd seen earlier. It was almost as if she'd broken through a light fever throughout the night, and Yoongi took that as a sign of recovery.

Any sign of life is a good sign. Come on, Y/N. Open your eyes for me, sweetheart.

The pet name flickered across Yoongi’s brain and he furrowed his brows at its appearance in his thoughts. Had he and Y/N spent enough time together to warrant cutesy little names like that? He wasn’t completely sure, but it felt right as he tested it out again.

Sweetheart…

Yoongi smiled as he looked at Y/N and he noted that her eyes were starting to blink rapidly as she slowly peeled her eyelids open. Grogginess and confusion settled on her flushed face and she took a moment to assess her surroundings. Y/N’s eyes locked onto Yoongi’s hand clasped around her own and she pouted with questions pushing at the front of her mind.

“Yoongi?” Y/N gruffed out against the pillow. “What’s going on? How did I get back to my room?”

“Taehyungie and I found you on the floor in the hallway,” Yoongi explained. “I think you tried to come back to your room on your own. You don’t remember?”

Y/N yawned loudly and stretched out her limbs as far they would go. Yoongi could swear he heard a few crackling noises as she reached the limits of her extremities. Once she retracted her limbs, she sat up, albeit with a groan and a grimace. Her body was pretty sore from her transactions with Jin, and Yoongi noted the small whimper she released as she shifted her hips back into a sitting position.

"Be careful, Y/N-ah,” Yoongi said. “I think your body is trying to recover from a fever or something. You were pretty warm and sweaty earlier. How do you feel now?”

Yoongi leaned forward to offer her support as she sat up, and Y/N relented and braced her arm on his shoulder to push back against the headboard. Even that small motion left her feeling weak and breathless.

What the hell is wrong with me?

“Yoongi,” Y/N pleaded. “Can you go into my closet and find a black plastic case with a handle? It looks like a heavy duty briefcase.”

Yoongi sprang into action and located the case and brought it back to her. It was heavier than it looked, but he managed to lift it onto the bed next to her. Y/N reached over and popped the latches open and lifted the lid to reveal some kind of machine with a collection of wires and sticky medical pads.

"Whoa," commented Yoongi. "What is all this?"

"This?" Y/N pointed out while connecting the wires to the machine base. "This is what I use to run diagnostics on my system. This device is programmed to monitor data storage, various brain functions, and my overall general health. If something is wrong with me, this program will be able to figure out what it is."

Y/N started placing the adhesive pads on the back of her neck, her temples, her forehead, her chest, and her lower abdomen. Even though Yoongi could tell she was familiar with the machine and its operation, he noticed that her fingers trembled occasionally as she connected the wires to the adhesive pads. Once everything was connected and hooked up, she turned on the machine and started pushing buttons. Yoongi was absolutely fascinated by her movements and he laid close attention to her hands as they operated the machinery with practiced ease.  Y/N yelped softly and tried to mask the strained expression on her face, but Yoongi caught it just in time.

"What happened, Y/N?" He queried, his voice full of concern. "Are you in pain?"

"Not necessarily," she squeaked lightly. "I always forget how jarring this sensation is. I promise, I'm ok."

Yoongi nodded, but the look on his face suggested that he would be watching her closely. Once Y/N set the machine to do a full diagnostic scan, she tried to settle back on the pillows, but found the small action somewhat difficult. She twisted slightly and strained her limbs to curl into a more comfortable position. Yoongi smirked at her stubborn insistence on doing everything on her own and leaned forward to still her hands with his own.

“Do you need some help, Y/N?” Yoongi asked sweetly. “That’s literally why I’m here, sweetheart.”

"Sweetheart?" quirked Y/N with a grin. "Since when did you start calling me cutesy names, Yoongi?"

"Since I found you unconscious outside my door, smart ass," Yoongi retorted. "Now, will you please let me help you?"

Y/N released a huff of defeat and held her arms out to Yoongi with a pout on her lips. Yoongi felt his lips twitch into a smirk of triumph and he climbed onto the bed, carefully positioning his knees so he wouldn’t accidentally crush her. With a little maneuvering, Yoongi was able to help Y/N into a comfortable position with the wires from the machine out of the way. He tried to slide off the other side of the bed, but Y/N grabbed his arm.

“Yoongi,” she murmured softly. “Do you think you could stay on the bed with me?”

“Ummm, sure?” Yoongi offered, while climbing back up. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Yoongi crawled over to the space next to Y/N and awkwardly planted himself next to her legs. Once he decided on a position, Y/N pouted cutely at Yoongi and he tilted his head in confusion.

“Yoongi,” Y/N whined. “I was kinda hoping you’d cuddle up and hold me.”

“O-oh,” Yoongi stuttered. “I mean, I guess I-”

“Come on, Yoongi,” Y/N murmured sweetly. “I’m sick.”

Yoongi’s lips quirked into a small smile and he released a sigh of amusement. Y/N’s pout expanded into a wicked grin, proof that she’d successfully convinced him to give in to her demands. Shaking his head, Yoongi scooted closer to Y/N and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, careful to avoid any wires connected to the diagnostic machine. Y/N pushed the covers down to accommodate Yoongi underneath and the two of them snuggled up against the pile of fluffy pillows behind them.

Y/N hummed in approval as she placed her head on Yoongi’s shoulder and traced her fingers across his knuckles. Yoongi chuckled slightly and kissed the top of her head, taking a moment to inhale the sweet scent of her hair. He frowned a bit when he realized that she smelled like Jin’s hair products, but he smothered that disdain before she could catch it. Instead, he watched as her fingertips toyed with his free hand, following the trails of veins visible through his porcelain skin.

“So what now?” Yoongi prompted. “Does this test take long?”

“No, it will probably finish scanning in a few minutes,” Y/N replied. “After the scan is done, I have to wait for the system to process the information. That’s the part that takes the longest. It can take a few hours to fully process all the information.”

“Will you have to stay hooked up to the machine the entire time?” Yoongi wondered aloud. “That would suck.”

“Fortunately, I can disconnect once the scan is complete,” Y/N explained. “Until then, I’m afraid you’re stuck cuddling with me.”

Yoongi groaned playfully and laid his head back in faux annoyance. Y/N giggled and snuggled into Yoongi’s chest, causing him to jerk slightly.

“Y/N, don’t” Yoongi pleaded. “That tickles.”

“Really?” Y/N smirked. “I didn’t realize your chest was ticklish.”

“It’s not my chest exactly,” Yoongi said hesitantly. “You grazed my nipple and they’re kinda sensitive.”

“Sensitive, huh?” Y/N mused. “How sensitive?”

Y/N slipped her hand under Yoongi’s shirt and felt his abdominal muscles clench in response. He inhaled deeply through his nose and held his breath for a few seconds. Y/N placed her warm hand on his tightened stomach and paused. Yoongi released the breath he was holding and groaned slightly.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Yoongi chastised weakly. “You know I can’t move right now. I’m trying to keep those wires in place for your own safety. It’s not fair if you start playing with me right now. Please behave.”

Y/N looked up to meet Yoongi’s pleading glare. It was amazing that he could look both reproachful and beseeching simultaneously. He cocked an eyebrow at her, a silent inquiry that she could only grin at. Y/N leaned up to rub her nose along Yoongi’s jawline, earning a quiet whimper from his lips.

“I haven’t really thanked you for coming to my rescue,” Y/N whispered against Yoongi’s neck. “I’m sorry that I scared you.”

“It’s ok,” Yoongi gulped. “You don’t have to thank me.”

“But I do,” Y/N insisted. “You saw that I was in trouble and you swooped in to help me like some kind of superhero. How can I ignore something so sweet and noble?”

“I think superhero is a bit much, don’t you think?” Yoongi laughed. “Besides, it wasn’t just me. Taehyungie was the one who found you, I just kinda took over because the poor kid looked lost.”

“Well, then I’ll have to thank him later,” Y/N hummed. “But right now, I want to thank you, if you’ll let me.”

Yoongi tensed next to her and he tried to remember how to breathe. Y/N slid her hand further up his bare torso and her fingertips gently brushed across his right nipple. His breath hitched and a small moan escaped from his lips.

“Y/N, sweetheart,” Yoongi gasped. “We shouldn’t be doing this. You’re in the middle of your diagnostic thing and you’re obviously exhausted after the last couple of days with Hoseok and Jungkookie and Jin-”

“Yoongi,” Y/N cut him off brusquely. “I’m not going to fuck you while I’m connected to this machine. I’m not that reckless. I just feel like we’ve been dancing around each other in the dark and I never get a chance to just be with you. You’re always pulling away from me.”

“No, I’m not,” Yoongi argued. “We cuddled on the couch, remember?”

“Yes, I remember,” Y/N assented. “But I also remember you ran off to your room when I invited you to nap with me on this very bed. What are you afraid of exactly? Do you think that I’m going to hurt you?”

“No,” Yoongi whispered. “I’m afraid that I’m going to hurt you.”

Yoongi emphasized his words by reaching up to place a lock of Y/N’s hair behind her ear. He placed his palm on her cheek and sighed at the warmth tingling across his cold fingers.  Y/N slid her hand around Yoongi’s waist and pulled him closer to her body. For a brief moment, they just held each other’s gaze, eyes flickering back and forth, fingers subtly stroking against skin, tension building between them as each millisecond ticked away.

Y/N’s eyes softened and before Yoongi could object, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. His eyes shut tightly and he inhaled sharply as his fingers slipped further into Y/N’s messy locks. Despite his lingering apprehension, Yoongi couldn’t deny his submission to Y/N’s soft lips against his own. He kissed her back and reveled in the soft moan she released. His lips glided sensually over Y/N's and he couldn't resist pulling her bottom lip in between his teeth and nibbling on it playfully. Y/N whined into the kiss and attempted to push her tongue past Yoongi's lips, but she was quickly distracted by the loud beeps emanating from the diagnostic machine.

"The scan is complete," Y/N muttered as she reached over to turn off the device. "Can you help me disconnect everything so I can put this away?"

Yoongi offered Y/N a small smile and pulled her in for another kiss, his lips smothering her and his tongue languidly dipping into her mouth until she was panting and gripping his arm tightly. As soon as she started to reach back under his shirt, Yoongi pulled back and kissed her forehead.

"Let's get all that stuff off of you, yeah?" Yoongi smirked at Y/N's wide eyes and flushed cheeks. "I'm sure you'll be more comfortable when you aren't hooked up to a machine."

Y/N bottom lip puckered into an adorable pout and Yoongi leaned in to nip at it while chuckling.

"Come on, sweetheart," Yoongi insisted. "You don't want to be covered in wires all day, do you?"

"I'd rather be covered in you," Y/N murmured cheekily. "But someone keeps teasing me."

Yoongi winked at her and slid off the bed to help get the diagnostic machine sorted out and put away. As he was placing the black case on the floor by the bed, a vibration in his pocket reminded him that he needed to check in with Hoseok. He checked his notifications and saw a long apologetic message from his brother along with a request for a status update.

🏵️ J-Hooooope 🏵️: Hey, I'm really sorry about that mess of an argument in the kitchen. I'm talking to Bang PD-nim about how to handle this whole Jin situation. I'll let you know what's going to happen as soon as he gets back to me. So aside from all that insanity, how is Y/N doing? Any changes in her condition? We're all very worried about her, hyung. I hope you'll keep your promise and let me know when she's awake. We really need to talk to her.

Yoongi pursed his lips and debated on whether he should inform Hoseok about Y/N's improved condition. A part of him wanted to be selfish and keep Y/N all to himself for just a bit longer, but he knew that there were more pressing issues at hand. As much as he was enjoying himself with Y/N, there were other matters that needed to be addressed first.

Work first, then play.

"Hey, Y/N," Yoongi spoke up. "I know you're pretty tired, but Hoseok needed to talk to you about something important. Would you mind if he came in?"

Y/N perked up at the mention of Hoseok and grinned, and Yoongi tried to mask his disappointment at her excitement.

I have no right to be jealous. I have no right to be jealous. I have no right to be jealous.

Even as he berated himself for his unprovoked envy, he offered Y/N his most convincing smile. She suddenly frowned and took a look at herself for the first time since waking up.

"Ummm, Yoongi," Y/N piped up. "Before he comes in, do you think you could help me take another shower and change into other clothes? I'm just now realizing how gross I feel. You'd never guess that I had a shower yesterday."

"It's that fever you had, sweetheart," Yoongi explained. "Your body went through a lot trying to break it and then you sweated it out onto your pajamas."

"Ugh, gross," Y/N grimaced. " I can't believe you kissed me when I'm like this."

"A little sweat isn't going to scare me off, Y/N," Yoongi chuckled while leaning in to kiss her forehead again. "I don't care how gross you are, I'll still kiss you, sweetheart."

"Awwww, Yoongi," Y/N cooed. "I never knew you were such a sappy guy."

"What?" Yoongi bristled. "Don't like it?"

"No," Y/N smirked. "I love it."

Y/N pulled Yoongi in for yet another kiss and whined when he pulled away from her. He lifted the comforter and tossed it aside to coerce Y/N out of the bed.

"Let's go, sweetheart," Yoongi commanded. "If you want me to help you, let's get this done right now."

Y/N sighed and rolled her eyes. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and lowered her feet to the floor in front of Yoongi. The pout on her face dissolved completely when her knees buckled under the weight of her own body. Yoongi was bracing her upright as she tried to evaluate her current condition.

“Why am I so weak?” Y/N wondered aloud. “It feels like I ran a marathon or something.”

“I think you just pushed yourself too hard,” Yoongi offered, while sliding his arm around her back. “You’ve only been here a few days and you didn’t give yourself any rest time in between your transactions. I think your body needs a break, babe.”

“Babe, huh?” Y/N teased. “What happened to sweetheart?”

“Aish, gimme a break,” Yoongi groaned lightly as they walked toward the bathroom. “The pet name thing is kinda new for me. I don’t know what works and what doesn’t, ok?”

Y/N reached out for the counter by the toilet and turned to lean her back against it so she could face Yoongi. His cheeks already had a sprinkling of pink and it was clear that he was feeling exposed and vulnerable under her scrutiny. She reached up to cup his cheek and he sighed while closing his eyes. Taking advantage of his loss of sight, Y/N lifted a single finger to boop Yoongi on the nose, eliciting a flutter of eyelashes and a small pout on his lips.

Oh, Yoongi. Look at that pout! How can one grumpy man be this soft and sweet and absolutely adorable at the same time? It doesn’t seem fair.

“I think I can use the toilet on my own,” Y/N mused. “While I take care of business, can you be a lamb and get me some new pajamas? I want to get back in bed after I get all cleaned up.”

Yoongi glanced around the toilet area, making sure there were ample places for her to grip before nodding in agreement. He turned toward the tub and a stroke of genius hit him.

“I don’t think a shower is the best idea,” he began, while reaching under the sink to grab bath supplies. “Let me run you a bubble bath so you can lay back and relax while you get cleaned up.”

The thought of a hot steamy bath sounded unbelievably enticing, and with all the bottles and bags Yoongi was gathering, Y/N was starting to get really excited about it.

“Umm, yeah, sure,” Y/N blurted out. “That actually sounds lovely, Yoongi.”

He offered her a shy smile as he started turning on the faucet and adjusting the temperature. Once he was satisfied with the warmth of the water, he began pouring in scented liquid soap and bath salts, and he even tossed in a large elaborate pink glittering bath bomb in the shape of a maneki-neko.

“Why do you guys have all of this bath stuff?” Y/N laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, it all smells amazing. I just didn’t think you’d have all of this in the house.”

“Hey, don’t mock,” Yoongi smirked. “We like to lay back and relax just like everyone else. The company lets us order whatever we want, so we keep all the bathrooms fully stocked with bath products.”

The tub was already reaching the desired depth, so Yoongi turned off the taps and walked over to place the softest of kisses on Y/N’s cheek. She actually blushed a little at his sweet gesture. He reached into a drawer and placed a black hair tie and a fluffy black headband with cat ears on the counter.

“Do your thing while I find you some jammies, yeah?” Yoongi murmured against her cheek. “You can use this to put your hair up so it doesn’t get wet. When you’re ready, you can get in the tub, but please be careful, sweetheart. If you don’t feel strong enough to move that far, then please wait for me. I don’t want you to get hurt, ok?”

Yoongi snuck one last kiss from her lips before biting his lip with a smile and walking out into her bedroom. Y/N sighed happily and carefully maneuvered herself over to the toilet. Once she was done, she mapped out a path to the tub along the counter top and wall. With a little patience, Y/N made it over to the tub, shucked her clothes onto the floor, and gingerly lowered her aching body into the fragrant heated water. The relief was instantaneous and she moaned out in delight as the water enveloped her in soothing comfort and calming scents.

When Yoongi wandered back into the bathroom, Y/N was leaning back against the inflatable pillow Yoongi had set up for her with her eyes closed. She was floating in pure bliss as the bubbles strategically masked her nudity from Yoongi’s wandering eyes. He placed the bright blue pajamas covered in penguins on the counter and pulled the vanity chair over so he could sit beside the tub.

“Feel good, sweetheart?” Yoongi asked. “You look very happy right now.”

“Mmmmmm, I am,” Y/N moaned lightly. “Well, for the most part. My muscles are loving the hot water, but I still feel really sore.”

“Oh yeah?” Yoongi chuckled. “Does my sweetheart want a massage? I might be persuaded to offer my hands up for a little massage, if you’re interested.”

Y/N's eyes glimmered with anticipation as she lifted one tired leg out of the water and offered it to Yoongi. He scooted the chair closer and wrapped his hands around her dripping calf. When his nimble fingers started pressing into her muscles with practiced precision, she couldn't keep her delicious moans to herself.

"That's it, sweetheart," Yoongi cooed. "Let it all out. How good does it feel?"

"Mmmmm, Yoongi," she gasped. "That feels amazing."

The corners of his lips turned up at her tone of voice. He moved his hands to her thigh and massaged out the aches along her quads and hamstrings. Every inch of her body was heavenly against his fingertips and he silently thanked the Universe for allowing him to bring her some ease. Each groan and gasp evidence of the stress and tension lying dormant in her muscles, and Yoongi was determined to vanquish those demons from her body by any means necessary.

She works too hard. I doubt I can slow her down, but maybe I can convince her to take a day to just recover.

Yoongi ran his fingers along her leg one last time and placed a kiss on the top of her knee before placing it back into the water. Y/N’s eyes fluttered at the intimate gesture and she was thankful for the warmth of the water masking the flush creeping across her skin. As Yoongi moved around to the other side of the tub, Y/N lifted her other leg out of the water. He repeated his motions to the newly revealed limb.

“Yoongi, your hands,” Y/N mewled softly. “They’re just, just-”

“Just what, sweetheart,” Yoongi smirked while pressing his thumb across the arch of her foot.

“Magnificent,” Y/N groaned in response. “Magical, Heaven-sent, ugh, pick an adjective.”

He chuckled as he moved on to her other thigh and soon found himself distracted by the sliver of pink that was tracing a line across her lips as he massaged. That devilish tongue would be his undoing if he didn’t find some way to keep his lewd thoughts at bay.

“Hey,” Yoongi piped up. “We never finished our conversation from the other night.”

Y/N’s eyes blinked open and shifted over to Yoongi’s face. The man was deep in concentration as he massaged her thigh, not revealing any hint of an ulterior motive as his fingers danced inches away from her center. Y/N tried not to think about it, but the way Yoongi’s fingers felt on her skin was incredible and her mind wondered what they would feel like elsewhere.

Yoongi, you’re such a tease.

“Which conversation?” Y/N replied calmly. “The one about our old flames? I think we finished up that depressing bit of information.”

Yoongi kissed her other knee and placed it back in the water, then moved to the back of the tub so he could massage her shoulders. He placed his hands along her neck and began soothing out the tension she was holding. Her satisfied hum made him smile, knowing that he was helping her in some small way. Encouraged by her compliance, he continued the conversation.

“No, not that one,” Yoongi grinned. “We were talking about our pets. I was telling you about my dog Holly, and you were talking about that ferret you used to have in college. What was her name?”

“Oh, yeah, Freya,” Y/N sighed. “I should’ve named her Loki. That little fur nugget was always getting into trouble around my apartment.”

“What do you mean?” Yoongi asked while moving his hands to massage her shoulders. “What would she do?”

“What wouldn’t she do?” you laughed. “She would hide my keys, take the insoles out of my shoes, roll around in my clean laundry, hide in drawers, you name it. She was a menace!”

“That actually sounds really cute,” Yoongi giggled. “I can just imagine you getting all flustered over little things like that and yelling at a ferret.”

“She would actually chitter back at me,” Y/N pouted. “Like she was mad that I was yelling at her. Gods, I miss her.”

Yoongi hummed in response and started massaging along Y/N’s shoulder blades which had her moaning loudly and leaning forward in the tub. Her exposed back shimmered with scented water and suds, and Yoongi licked his lips at all that naked skin. He continued massaging the knots he felt in her upper back while admiring the smooth expanse of skin before his eyes.  

“Yoongi,” Y/N gasped. “Can you go back left a bit? There’s a knot there that I can’t seem to get on my own.”

His deft fingers went in search of the offending intruder in her muscle and when she groaned and tensed her shoulder, he knew he’d found it. After a few moments of digging into that one spot, Yoongi finally relented and pulled her back to lean against the tub. The suds across her chest slipped lower and lower until her full breasts were on display, glistening in the brightness of the overhead lighting. Yoongi gulped and tried to pull his eyes away from them, but the sudden exposure to the air tightened her nipples. The twin peaks stiffened and called out to Yoongi. His fingers twitched and he had to lick his lips yet again.

“Y-Yoongi?” Y/N stuttered. “Are you ok?”

She turned her head to look at him and caught the bright pink spreading across his cheeks, the dilating pupils fixated on her exposed bosom, and the way he swiped his tongue across his lips hungrily. He snapped out of it when he realized that he’d been caught staring, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I shouldn’t be looking at you like that.”

“Why?” Y/N murmured. “What if I want you to look at me like that?”

“I’d say that you’ve been through enough the last couple of days,” Yoongi retorted. “I shouldn’t even be thinking about stuff like that. You need to rest.”

“What if I don’t want to rest?” she whispered seductively. “What if what I really need is a little tender care? Would you be willing to give me that, Yoongi?”

Yoongi blew out a huff of frustration. His heart said she needed to rest, his mind argued that she was a grown woman and a professional scientist who knew her body better than he did, and his dick was twitching to life, begging to be touched, specifically by her. It was difficult to decide who was going to win this argument. Maybe they needed to settle this the old-fashioned way?

안내면 친구 가위 바위 보 (ahn naemyeon jin guh, gawi bawi bo!)

Before Yoongi could see who played what in his mental Rock, Paper, Scissors game, Y/N’s fingertips tracing the line of his erection in his pants brought him back into the moment. He groaned at her soft touch, but he couldn’t let this be about him.

If she needs this to relax, then that’s what I have to do. But this can’t be about me. I just have to focus on her.

“Y/N,” Yoongi replied huskily. “If you want me to take care of you, then you can’t touch me, babe.”

“No touching?” Y/N pouted. “That’s no fun.”

Yoongi gathered her fingertips away from his crotch and pressed tender kisses into her palm before placing it on the edge of the tub. He reached into the water, and she shivered in anticipation. He pulled her other hand out of the water and placed it on the other edge of the tub. She narrowed her eyes at Yoongi and he just shot her a big gummy smile in response.

“Oh come on, now, sweetheart,” Yoongi tutted playfully. “If you want to play, this is the only way I’m going to do it. You’re all about consent, so I’m going to ask you. Are you willing to play by my rules?”

Y/N settled back against the tub and sighed heavily while drumming her fingertips along the edge of the tub. Yoongi crossed his arms and patiently waited for her response.

“What are the rules?” Y/N pouted. “Tell me what they are and then I’ll decide whether I want to play or not.”

“You’re a bratty one, huh?” Yoongi smirked. “Well, you have to keep your hands on the edge of the tub at all times, you have to tell me if anything starts to hurt or if you feel dizzy or sick, and just for fun, I want you to talk to me the entire time.”

“The entire time?” Y/N whined. “What the hell am I supposed to talk about?”

“Whatever you want,” Yoongi grinned. “I’ll help you out if you need talking points.”

“Hmmmm,” Y/N debated. “Ok, I think I can agree to those terms. I consent, Min Yoongi. Now what?”

Yoongi’s smirk intensified and he tossed a folded towel on the floor before kneeling on it behind Y/N. His hot breath on her neck sent goosebumps rippling across her body, and she sighed sweetly when he pressed a big kiss on her shoulder. When his tongue laved up the side of her neck, she inhaled sharply and gripped the edges of the tub tightly.

“Ah, Yoongi,” she gasped.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Yoongi teased while nipping at her earlobe. “Is my girl a little sensitive right now?”

Y/N could only nod as Yoongi continued kissing along her neck and shoulders, nibbling every so often to draw small whimpers out of her. His hands made another glorious appearance on her shoulders and he massaged them lightly before sliding forward and cupping her bare breasts. Yoongi gently explored Y/N’s curves, pausing only a moment to pull slightly at her stiffened nipples. Y/N’s hips rolled in response and Yoongi kissed her flushed cheek before licking at the shell of her ear.

“Your breasts are so beautiful, Y/N,” Yoongi drawled. “They fit so well in my hands. Look at those pert nipples, just begging for more attention. Should I give them what they want, sweetheart?”

She nodded more enthusiastically while a small whine tumbled out of her lips. Yoongi shook his head and bit down on her shoulder, transforming the whine to a yelp.

“Remember my rules, sweetheart?” Yoongi reminded her. “You have to keep talking while I play. Why don’t you tell me more about why you decided to work in a technology field alongside genetic engineering? I’m sure that wasn’t an easy choice.”

“U-u-umm,” Y/N answered unsteadily. “It happened by accident, actually.”

Yoongi shifted his body along the edge of the tub until his hands brushed across the top of Y/N’s clenched fingers on the edge. He dipped his head lower until he could pull one of her nipples between his lips, suckling gently as the scent of citrus and lavender invaded his senses. He released the nipple with an audible pop. He looked back up at Y/N and her eyes were bolstering full of undiluted desire. He’d barely touched her, but the look on her face spoke volumes about how riled up she was.

“An accident, you say?” Yoongi smirked. “How does something like that happen by accident?”

He reached over to give the other nipple a little attention with his fingers while his tongue snaked out and flicked across the nipple closest to him. He withheld a triumphant chuckle as he watched her fingers whiten from the intensity of her grip on the tub.

“I, ah, well,” Y/N continued. “I took a bio-engineering class out of curiosity during my senior year, and I, ah, ended up loving it.”

Yoongi reached over and grabbed a large natural sponge from the basket next to the tub and dipped it into the water, gathering a large amount of water. When it fully swelled with liquid, Yoongi pulled it out and started dribbling warm fragrant water across Y/N’s chest, causing her to buck her hips slightly. After each waterfall, his other hand continued to stroke her breasts, always paying special attention to her precious nubs.

“Really?” Yoongi mused. ‘What did you love about it, babe?”

Yoongi started brushing the sponge gently across her skin and Y/N found the rough texture to be invigorating. Her legs started rubbing together under the water, and Yoongi tracked the motion and smirked.

“It was, ah, it was,” Y/N attempted to speak. “It was fascinating. All the, ah, things you could create using a-a-artificial tissues and fluids. I just, ah, I just w-wanted to learn MORE.”

As Y/N reached the word more, Yoongi had slipped his fingers into the water between her legs, lightly cupping her sex. He didn’t move at first, allowing Y/N to adjust to his touch, albeit not without clenching her thighs together and whining in protest.

“You couldn’t give me a warning, Yoongi?” Y/N pouted. “I almost screamed.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Yoongi chuckled. “Besides, I’m the only one here. Who else would be touching you, sweetheart?”

She could only pout at him in response and he leaned forward to kiss her lips. He pecked at her lips until she started to kiss him back and then he pulled away with a smirk.

“So you wanted to learn more, huh?” Yoongi nodded. “That sounds like the start of a real passion. You picked two insanely competitive fields to work in, babe. I’m floored by the amount of success you’ve been able to achieve.”

“You’re one to talk,” she shot back. “You’re in the music industry, aren’t youuuuuuuu?”

Y/N’s words transitioned into desperate mewls as Yoongi started dipping his fingers across her slick folds. His pace was painstakingly slow and Y/N canted her hips forward, trying to get more friction from him. He pulled his hand away to her thigh and pushed her back down with a chuckle.

“You have to hold still, sweetheart,” Yoongi growled softly. “Now, why don’t you tell me about what it was like working in Japan when you first arrived. That had to be a lot different from your life in America.”

“It was,” Y/N gritted out as Yoongi’s hands slipped back into her folds. “I already had experience c-c-commuting by train in N-New York, ah, but Japan was so different. It was so, ah, high tech.”

Yoongi started moving his fingers a little faster, toying with her clit until she squeaked out a moan.

“Tell me more,” Yoongi insisted. “What was the first thing you ate when you moved to Japan?”

“Sushi,” Y/N gasped out. “I had lots and lots of sushi. Gods, your fingers, I can’t get over how incredible they are.”

“They’re not bad,” Yoongi teased. “What about your apartment in Tokyo? What was that like?”

Yoongi reached over with his other hand and started playing with her breasts and nipples again, extending the amount of tingling sensations assaulting her body. Her breath was shaky and she was biting down on her bottom lip which had Yoongi enthralled.

“It was nice,” Y/N whined while fidgeting against the back of the tub, her hands clamped onto the sides of the tub like vice grips. “Small, but very nice.

Yoongi dragged his fingernails between her breasts, leaving a soft pink trail in their wake. It wasn’t rough enough to leave  marks behind, but the sight just spurred Yoongi’s lust forward. The shift in sensation had Y/N gasping for breath, and Yoongi increased the speed on Y/N’s clit for good measure.

“Ah, Yoongi,” she moaned. “I’m getting close.”

“You are?” Yoongi asked. “I didn’t realize you were so sensitive. Well, then, I guess I should help you get closer, yeah?”

“Yes, please,” Y/N begged. “Please, I need more, Yoongi.”

Yoongi leaned in and captured her lips, stroking her tongue with his own. He plunged two fingers into Y/N’s aching center and continued stimulating her clit with his thumb. Between his formidable tongue and his nimble fingers, Y/N didn’t stand a chance. She was quickly swept away in a current of pure bliss as a powerful orgasm crested across her body and rolled along her nerve endings in exhilarating pulses. It was different from the orgasms she’d experienced with the others. This was softer as it flowed through her body, and the afterglow left her feeling hazy and warm. Yoongi worked her through the aftershocks of the orgasm and then slowly moved his hands up to cup her cheeks while he continued to kiss her. He gave her one last lingering kiss and then pulled away to grab a towel from the stack to dry his hands.

“How are we doing, sweetheart?” Yoongi asked. “Are you ok? Anything I should be concerned about?”

Y/N sighed and stretched out her limbs in the tub with a happy squeal. Yoongi giggled at the glee evident on her face, and he grabbed a large fluffy towel from the stack.

“Ok, ok,” he expressed with satisfaction. “ Come on, get out of the tub before you start getting all pruney. Be sure you give yourself one last swipe with that sponge though. Someone was a bad girl and got herself dirty again.”

She rolled her eyes and cleaned up between her legs before standing up. The sound of the water cascading down her body was a temptation in and of itself. She rose up from the tepid bath looking like Aphrodite emerging from the pink sea foam, and the sight made Yoongi’s throat dry up instantly. He stepped forward so she could brace her hands on his shoulders while stepping out of the tub. Once she was once again on solid ground, Yoongi wrapped her body in the soft warm Egyptian cotton. Her light giggle caught him off guard and he tilted his head in confusion at her.

“The last time you put a towel on me, you were running away afterward,” Y/N reminded him with a grin. “I’m just hoping you don’t leave me hanging this time.”

Yoongi’s cheeks and ears were drenched in red as he remembered their last embarrassing encounter in her room. He pouted at her giggles, but only succeeding in multiplying them when she saw the adorable look on his face.

Desperate to silence her mocking laughter, Yoongi pulled on Y/N’s covered hips and pushed her against the bathroom wall, stifling her laughter with a yelp. He held her hip in place with one hand and gripped her chin firmly with the other. There was a moment of electric tension between them before Yoongi seized her lips with his own and had her moaning into his mouth within seconds. His hands slid up her sides and buried themselves into her hair as he continued to own her mouth with his lips and tongue. Once he felt her legs start to buckle, he pulled back and pressed his forehead against hers with a chuckle.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Yoongi breathed out. “That bratty little mouth of yours is going to get you into a lot of trouble one of these days.”

“Promise?” Y/N gasped out cheekily, still reeling from the symphony he’d played on her body.

Yoongi unleashed another brilliant gummy smile at her request and kissed her lips again, only softer and with an undercurrent of emotion attached to it. When he finally broke the kiss, he nipped at her nose before grabbing the towel to dry her off a little better.

“Why don’t you finish drying yourself off while I clean up this mess and get your pajamas, sweetheart?” Yoongi offered. “Then we can put you back in bed before I bring Hoseok-ah in to see you, yeah?

Y/N nodded happily in agreement and watched Yoongi empty the tub, put away the bath items, and gather up her penguin themed pajama set. Even though they had yet to share a transaction, she felt closer to Yoongi than anyone else in the dorm. There was just no way to explain the unbelievable comfort she felt when she was with him, and he was always so conscious of her needs and desires. It was unlike any other relationship she’d experienced before, and that was including the handful of exes she had in her past. The fuzzy feeling in her brain made her sigh out with some inexplicable emotion.

Oh, Yoongi. What are you doing to me?

After getting the bathroom sorted out and Y/N back into clean pajamas, Yoongi led her back to the bed and tucked her in. He’d already texted Hoseok to explain what was going on, so he knew that his brothers were expecting an update in person from him.

“I have to go talk to the guys for a bit, babe,” Yoongi explained. “Get comfy and watch TV or something until I get back. I promise I won’t be gone long.”

Y/N pulled on his shirt and pouted, which Yoongi quickly kissed away. Their intimacy was becoming second nature, and a small part of Yoongi’s brain screamed at him to not get attached so easily. There were so many factors in play and he couldn’t afford to get swept away by romantic notions.

Not yet.

“Stay in bed and rest, sweetheart,” he demanded. “You’re still not at 100% and that diagnostic machine hasn’t sent you alerts yet, has it?”

“Nope, not yet,” Y/N replied while checking her phone. “I will let you know when it does.”

“Ok, I’ll be right back,” Yoongi assured her while booping her nose playfully. “Stay here.”

After stealing one last kiss from Y/N, Yoongi slipped into his slippers and walked into the hallway. The darkness of the hallway was unsettling, but the sound of voices coming from the kitchen comforted him. It was time to talk to his brothers.

I just hope they aren’t too mad at me.

Author’s Note: It’s been SO LONG since I went back to this fic, and I’m glad I finally did. I really missed these characters. Luckily, they were patiently waiting for me to continue the story. I hope you enjoy this latest update. Summer break is coming up soon, so I hope to get a LOT more writing done. Happy reading, everyone! Thank you to @xxxille-girlxxx (my soulmate-Goguma) for Beta reading this for me. BORAHAE!!!

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Peripheral Masterlist

@caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma​ MASTERLIST

[withyounct]

What’s wrong kid? (2)

Reader x Single dad!Jaehyun

Genre: Fluff

Words: 2.6k

Prompt: You notice a child crying at a school playground. You decide to see what’s up and meet an extremely stressed/extremely handsome father.

Prev | Next

A/n: There is a slight Reader X Jaemin moment for like 12 seconds. Enjoy!

Watching Hyunjin was not only the easiest job ever it was also the funniest. She had such a ray of youthful exuberance mixed with an odd amount of maturity for her age. It was Friday night and you were putting her to bed when she hit you with a comment that completely threw you off.

“I hate this.” Hyunjin pouted, eyes brimming with tears. You immediately panicked. You were reading her favorite bedtime story. She was surrounded by her favorite plushies, her favorite star nightlight was on. Everything was downright perfect.

“You hate what Hyunjin?” You treaded cautiously while pulling her closer to you on the bed.

“You’re always gone when I wake up.” She admitted sadly, holding onto your side. You thought about it for a minute. For the past week you two spent every late afternoon and evening together. You would put her to bed and, in her mind, disappear until the next afternoon.

“I'm sorry. But you get to see your dad in the morning.” You reminded her hoping it would make her feel better. She just pouted more.

“Why can’t I see you both in the morning?” She asked innocently. The implication of staying over made your face hot, so you ruffled her hair in hopes to distract her from your slight panic expression.

“Well I don’t live here.” You laughed. You reminded her that you guys get to spend all of Sunday together. She accepted this begrudgingly and fell asleep after two more books.

You wandered into the living room to find Jaehyun on the couch reading through some documents. He looked up upon your arrival and sent you his signature smile, dimples and all. You stared at him questionably. How long has he been home? Why didn’t he say goodnight to Hyunjin?

“I didn’t want to interrupt. She would have been too hyper if I came in and its really late.” He answered before you could ask. You nodded understandingly and took a seat by him.

“It’s your house and daughter. You wouldn’t be “interrupting” anything. Plus, I wish you would have.” You added letting your head lean on the back of the couch. Jaehyun placed down the stack of papers and copied your movements.

“Why?” He turned his head in your direction and for the second time that night you had to hide your panicked expression. This close up you could see just how handsome he really was. You scanned his face and couldn’t find a single flaw. The raise of one of his eyebrows brought you back.

“She’s upset because I disappear before the morning. I sucked at explaining it to her; your input would have been helpful.” You blushed being caught staring dumbly. He smiled and turned his head back forward.

“You probably did a good job, but I’ll talk to her in the morning.” He reassured. You hummed and silence fell between you. After a few minutes he let out a heavy sigh.

“I’ve been so busy; I'm starting to feel like a shitty father.” He confessed. You were taken aback. In the week that you’ve know him he was anything but a ‘shitty father’. You sat up and nudged his leg.

“A shitty father wouldn’t wake up at the ass crack of dawn to prepare his daughter’s lunch and make breakfast. He wouldn’t take his time out of his already busy day to make sure her hair was done nicely, and her uniform was ironed. He wouldn’t care if she’s with someone that she actually liked watching her. He wouldn’t bust his ass day to day to make sure she has a happy and secure life. Jaehyun you’re nowhere near being a shitty father.” You ranted more concerned than you need to be.

There was a silence that engulfed you two unlike the first and you felt that you might have overstepped your boundaries. But, you weren’t going to apologize for being right. He looked at the leg that you nudged then at you. You saw a smile make its way across his face and he laughed.

“Has anyone told you your kind of amazing?” He asked while in a laughing fit. If your face wasn’t hot before it was then.

“Several times a day.” You lied, slightly turning away from him.

“Thanks.” A calm smile replaced its former. “I really needed that.”

“Anytime.” You softly smiled.

Since it was Friday you stayed longer than usual. You talked Jaehyun into putting his work away and to watch a movie with you. You, being the horror fan that you were, suggested The Conjuring. Jaehyun told you that he didn’t believe in ghost, which you thought was funny given how many times he got startled by a jump-scare.

Saturday rolled around and you were hanging out at Mark and Haechan’s apartment. Haechan had called you over to help him pick out and outfit for the party that night; the party you had no interest in going to.

“Mark ‘I never leave the music building’ Lee is going, and you can’t because?” Haechan grilled, throwing clothes on you while you laid on his bed. Mark shot a “I can hear you’ from the kitchen, but neither of you paid him mind.

“I got other shit to do.” You picked up a plaid shirt and threw it in the ‘no’ pile.

“Being what? You disappear more than I do nowadays. Which is fine, but we would like to know who you’re ditching us for.” Mark asked walking into Haechan’s room. You looked between your friends and saw a hint of concern in their expression. You asked if this was a common concern across everyone, including Kun and Ten, and they nodded.

“I've been babysitting this really cute girl.” You stated simply. They looked at each other then back at you.

“You like children?” They asked in unison.  

“Meh, but she’s really adorable and fun to be around.” You confessed. They looked at each other once more and shrugged, accepting your explanation. Mark pulled out his phone to text the rest of your friends and Haechan went back to throwing clothes at you.

About 30 minutes later you felt your phone vibrate.

“I’ll be right back.” You announced to the two.

“Jaehyun, what’s up?”

“Y/n, hey. My friends and I are taking Hyunjin to the aquarium, so you have the day off.” He informed happily. You could hear Hyunjin screaming in the background about fishes with another male voice; you guessed it was Johnny’s.

“Okay have fun.” You smiled.

“We will.” You heard Hyunjin and Johnny? scream ‘dolphins!’ before Jaehyun hung up. You chuckled to yourself and turned to walk back into the room. There you were greeted by a nosy Haechan leaning on the door.

“Oh man what a bummer, it looks like your plans are cancelled. So, you’re going to this fucking party.” He let out a cheshire smile. You always had a hard time saying no to him so after an hour of begging you gave in.

“I'm gonna go home and change.” You rolled off his bed and attempted to grab your keys. Mark got to it first and shoved it in his pocket.

“As if. We let you leave, and you’ll just lock yourself in your room till tomorrow.” He smirked. You squinted at him, but said nothing because he was right. Haechan pulled out his phone and dialed Ten.

“Hey, can you do me a favor and pick Y/n out and outfit for a party? Yeah and can you bring it and her makeup bag here too. Thanks.” You heard Ten yell “fuck yeah’ on the other end before it went dead.

Ten and Kun brought over the stuff and took your car back to the apartment. You begrudgingly got ready. The outfit screamed ‘Ten picked me out’ a red crop top with a lace bralette under, high waisted ripped black jeans with fishnets, and black boots. You finished up your makeup and stole a few of Haechan’s accessories when Mark announced it was time to go.

Since you had no intention of going you had no idea whose party it was. When you pulled up at Hendery and Xiaojun’s house you were surprised. They were friends of Yangyang and acquaintances of yours. They both came from fairly wealthy families, so they rented out the biggest and nicest house off campus.

“Holy fuck you look hot.” Jaemin greeted when you entered the house.

“Thank Ten.” You blushed at the sudden compliment.

You were suddenly dragged by Lucas and Xiaojun who demanded you do shots with them. Somewhere between the jello shots and real shots you were pulled to the dance floor by Hendery. To say you were having fun would be an understatement. You had a comfortable amount of alcohol in your system and you felt light as a feather.

More partying and shots later, you found yourself in an intense make out session with Jaemin. It was a mutual thing. After dancing for what it felt like hours, you drifted to his side on the sofa. The two of you were talking about nothing when lips met. He pulled you onto his lap and you carded your hands through his hair. You guys were going at each other for a good 5 minutes when you were interrupted.

“Umm.” Renjun’s voice broke you two apart. You looked down at Jaemin then back at Renjun and Jeno. You slid off of his lap and opened your mouth to say something, anything, when they both just walked away. Jaemin glanced down at you and the two of you squinted at each other. You were the first to break into laughter. Jaemin soon followed suit. He grabbed your hand and pulled you into the kitchen to do more shots with your friend group.

It was nearing 3am and you were beyond tired. You found space on one of the couches upstairs and was leaning on Lucas’s side when Jeno appeared.

“Y/n you okay?” He asked sweetly.

“Mm tired.” You pouted.

“Where’s Mark and Haechan?” Lucas asked while petting your head.

“Fucking it up on the dance floor. Y/n, here let me take you home.” Jeno, being the angel he was, pulled you up. You waved bye to Lucas and was gently place in the passenger seat. The drive was mostly silent since Jeno was the comfortable silence type.

“You don’t have to answer this, but do you by chance like Jaemin?” He asked suddenly at a red light. You weakly turned your head from the window to him. You could see the worry on his face.

“Not like that.” You answered, way to tired to elaborate. You rolled your head back to the window and sighed at the coldness on your warm face. When you arrived at your apartment you dreaded the walk up the stairs. While you were complaining in your head, Jeno got out the car and opened your side.

“Here.” He unbuckled the seat and scooped you up bridal style. You could have protested, but you were happy you didn’t have to make the walk and possibly trip and die. You informed him that Kun had your keys, so you both waited until they answered the door. Jeno passed you on and left. The last thing you remembered was Ten and Kun taking off your make up and putting you to bed.

Waking up the next morning sucked. Jaehyun had a full day so you had to be there by noon. You slammed your alarm off and sat up. You had a few sitting minutes so you pondered if you should text Jaemin, but decided to give your brain time to process what to say. So, you texted Jeno thanks instead. On your way out the door, Kun handed you coffee and Ten sunglasses.

“Did someone party to hard last night?” Jaehyun joked when he opened the door.

“You have no idea.” You muttered taking off your sunglasses.

“You can tell me over coffee. You look like you need more.” He said leading you to the kitchen. You smiled at his offer and tried to forget about his hands on your shoulders.

He placed a mug of coffee in front of you and you laughed at how much cream he put in it.

“So, spill.”

“I made out with one of my friends and had way too many shots.” You sighed. You noticed the shock spread across his face and another expression you couldn’t quite place.

“Oh, um well. Do you like this friend?” He asked awkwardly and you were a bit thrown off, but kept your face neutral.

“No. Not like that, but what if he likes me and it makes shit awkward.” You worried. Jaehyun’s face looked, what you would consider, relieved. But again, you kept your face neutral because there was no way. Right?

“You should talk to him. You guys are friends, so I'm sure it’ll be fine.” He ruffled your hair in reassurance.

“Wise words from a wise guy.” You joked. He cringed at how lame it was and you two talked until he had to go.

Hyunjin was taking her afternoon nap when you decided to suck it up and call Jaemin. Before you could get anything out, he spoke.

“Fam. You’re one of my best friends and I love you, but not like that. You just looked really hot, not to say you don’t look hot all the time I pride myself on having the hottest group of friends and I don’t know what happened, but I'm sorry. Are we cool?” Jaemin pleaded. You laughed because he was also lowkey freaking out.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. We’re good.” You smiled.

The day with Hyunjin was filled with its usual fun and adventures. You two spent some time in the garden and had an intense hide and seek battle. You got done putting her to sleep when you heard the door open. You looked up from your spot on the bed and saw Jaehyun smiling holding up a box. You carefully snuck out the room and followed him to the kitchen.

“Hyunjin told me your favorite dessert is cheesecake.” He smiled holding up the box proudly. You went to retrieve plates and told him about your conversation with Jaemin.

“Wise guy is always right.” He noted, placing a piece of cake on your plate.

“You can’t use my lame joke against me.” You laughed poking him with your fork. He smiled softly at you laughing and went into his pocket.

“Here. You can use this freely.” He placed down a key. You glanced down at it and picked it up. You were happy that he trusted you this much, but it seemed a bit fast. He must have picked up on your hesitation because he closed your fist with the key in hand. Your pulse jumped by a thousand at the sudden touch.

“Hyunjin is really good at sensing people to the point where it’s kind of scary. She trusts you as much as she trusts me even though she hasn’t known you for long. Please take this key for emergency and non-emergency purposes.” You saw the pure sincerity in his eyes and hooked the key to your keychain.

“You’ll regret this when I eat all your food.” You murmured trying to hide your growing blush.

“I doubt that.” He smiled.

Jaehyun slowly opened Hyunjin’s door and made his way over to her. He smiled down at the dolphin plushie that Doyoung bought her squished between her and the bed. Carefully, he petted her head. Despite his efforts, her eyes slowly opened.

“Did I wake you? I'm sorry.” He spoke softly.

“Daddy.” She smiled. “Y/n’s gone?” She asked. He nodded and noticed her sad expression.

“You really like her?” He asked more than stated. She sat up and nodded quickly. She proceeded to tell him everything she thought was amazing about you.

For the first time in a long time, Jaehyun wasn’t sure if his heart was swelling because of his daughter or you. But he did agree, he thought you were amazing too.

[friendliestplaceonearth]

Okay I got one Yes so have this introduction to Sadie Sawyer

“Okay, everyone out of the fucking car.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you’re being too fucking loud. Go burn off some energy while I get gas.”

“I don’t wanna go in some stupid gas station. I spend all day in stupid gas stations.” Otis gets out of the car and yanks open Babys door.

“There is a whole fucking town here. Go find something to do and let me have a moment of peace to fucking think while I fill up the car.”

“Fine.” Baby sighs and scoots out of the car, pulling Ida behind her. “There’s nothing to do around here, this place is abandoned.”

“Than why is the gas pump working? Get out of here.” Baby and Ida headed off away from the gas station. Sadie got out of the front seat and followed them.

“Do you think there’s any food around here?” Ida called.

“Probably in the gas station,” Sadie called back. Unlike the other girls, she found comfort in the familiarity of her surroundings.

“Than go on back there and get us something!” Baby suggested. Sadie stuck her middle finger up, but the others didn’t see. She did turn around and head back to the gas station, but she didn’t plan on getting anything for Baby and Ida.

“Hey,” Otis called out when he saw her coming back. “You going inside?” She nodded. “Take this and pay for the gas.” Otis practically shoved a wad of money into her hands.

“You pay for gas now?” She questioned. Otis made a face at her. There was nobody inside the gas station, which suggested that they probably wouldn’t be paying for gas after all. Sadie looked around the inside of the store, taking in the merchandise lining the walls. It was mostly car parts and accessories such as air fresheners and steering wheel covers, but there was a decent selection of chips and candy. The soda options, on the other hand, were just enough to piss Sadie off. “Are you fucking kidding me?” She mumbled, staring at the Pepsi cooler. The door opened behind her, and she thought it was Otis.

“I’ll take your gas money.” Sadie whipped around at the voice that definitely wasn’t Otis’. “I talked to your brother out there. Said you came in to pay.”

“He’s not my brother,” Sadie commented, leaning back against the counter. She was sizing the man up. “I don’t need any more of those.”

“You got alot of brothers?”

“Four. All older.”

“I got two. Younger, but me and Vincent are twins.”

“Yeah, we’ve got a set of twins too.” Sadie finally took her eyes away from the man to look out at Otis. He was leaning against the hood of the car, staring off into the town. Probably watching Ida and Baby.

“I’ll take that gas money now.” Sadie rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know if you deserve it. See, we stopped for refreshments and your drink selection is… subpar.” The man chuckled.

“You not a Pepsi drinker?”

“My family owns a barbecue joint in the middle of nowhere in Texas. If I ever thought of drinking Pepsi they’d shoot me on the spot.”

“Texas? What brings you out this way?”

“Baby and Idas anniversary. Taking a road trip. Although I don’t know why they had to drag us along.”

“Baby and Ida? Your sisters?”

“Ida is. Baby is her girlfriend. You didn’t see ‘em running around out there?” The man shook his head. “That’s suspicious. Means they’re up to something.”

“Will I have to bill you for property damage too?”

“Not like this place is exactly bright and shiny anyways.” Something flashed between Sadie and the man as they looked at each other other the counter. “You told me your brothers name. Now tell me yours.”

“Bo. You?”

“Sadie. Sadie Sawyer.” Bo nodded.

“You said he wasn’t one of your brothers. Is he just your driver?” He gestured out the door towards Otis, who was still perched on the hood of the car.

“Yes. He’s Baby’s brother, actually.”

“She got a lot of brothers too?”

“Three or four. They’re always coming and going, it’s hard to keep track.” Bo laughed again.

“Well, Sadie. I like you. So you can keep the gas money.” He leaned closer to Sadie across the counter, inches from her face. “As long as you keep it for yourself.”

“Like I’d give it back to Otis. He broke my knee last year, he owes me.” Bo nodded his approval.

“You still looking for a Coke? I think my brother has some in the fridge up at the house.”

“Alright. I’ll wait right here.”

“Why don’t you come on up? Give your sister something to talk about on the drive from here.”

“I like the way you think.” Sadie waited for Bo to round the counter and reach the door, than she grabbed a pair of pliers from the counter and slipped them in her pocket. She wasn’t stupid, she knew how to lure people in. She was just hoping to have a little bit of fun before moving onto their next stop, which better have been a roadside diner with greasy bacon and lots of Coke. Otis turned to look at the sound of the door opending, and his raised his eyebrows at Sadie as Bo held it open for her. She stopped next to him.

“You comin’?” Bo asked when she stopped.

“Just gotta tell Otis where I’m going first. Don’t want him talking too.” Bo nodded and leaned against the side of the next building, thankfully out of earshot. “He said he’s got two brothers. I know one of 'em is here somewhere. You feeling up for a fight?”

“Always. You got your knife?”

“It’s in the glove compartment. Let Ida have it. I grabbed some pliers.”

“Pliers? That’s it? You’re gonna fight this guy off with pliers?”

“I’ve done more with less. So you got my back?”

“I’ll be right behind you.” Sadie pushed herself off the car and joined Bo again on the sidewalk.

“So who else lives around here?” She asked, loud enough for Otis to hear.

“Just me and my brothers. Me and Vincent, mostly. But Lester is around sometimes.” Sadie glanced casually over her shoulder, and Otis gave her a thumbs up. He was sure they could take these guys.

“So you run the gas station?”

“I run the gas station, Vincent runs the museum.”

“You get alot of customers?”

“Depends on the season.”

“I guess it’s the same everywhere. Summer is always the busiest.” Bo looked at Sadie with interest. “We own a gas station too.” Ida and Baby were on the other side of the street, staring into the window of a pet store. They didn’t seem to notice Bo and Sadie walking by. When they reached the house, Bo let Sadie in first, than pretended he wasn’t locking the door behind them.

“Kitchen is right through there.” He pointed. “I’m gonna head to the bathroom first.” Sadie nodded. She took her time to get to the kitchen, and she was slightly disappointed to find Bo leaning against the counter when she arrived, holding a knife. He was making this way too easy. For a split second, Bos face showed confusion. He was obviously expecting her to run, or be afraid. He recovered quickly, and lunged towards her. Sadie ducked easily, and landed a solid punch in his stomach. As long as one of the brothers didn’t show up too soon, she’d be able to handle this herself. While Bo was doubled over, he grabbed Sadies braid and yanked her to the ground. Her hand was already in her back pocket, reaching for the pliers. When he pulled his foot back to kick her, she snipped the back of Bos ankle and rolled out of the way before he could collapse on top of her. He hadn’t expected her to fight back, and if he had, he hadn’t expected her to be this good at it. If she had been a normal person, she would’ve ran; taken off down the hill towards Otis and sped off in the car before Bo could gather himself enough to chase after them. But she killed for a living, and seeing as how she had been on this stupid trip for a week already, and they still had nearly a month ahead of them, she didn’t want to get rusty. She wasn’t worried about Bo fighting back, he had been caught too off gaurd for that, but she wasn’t used to killing and not getting to wrap the remains up and stick them in the fridge afterwards. She decided it was time to bring in reinforcements.

“Otis!” He must have been right outside, because a window shattered and he appeared in the living room in seconds.

“Are you okay?” She seemed remarkably in control of the situation, now straddling Bo on the kitchen floor with both the pliers and his knife in one of her hands, and the other around his throat.

“Go find me a cooler. I don’t like wasting food.” Shaking his head, Otis wandered deeper into the house.

“Food?” Bo questioned. It sounded like he already knew the answer. “You’ve done this before.” He had stopped reaching for her hand, and as a compromise she loosened her grip on his throat. Not that it was doing much good to begin with, her hand was too small to wrap around his neck with any significance, it was really an attempt to keep him from sitting up and biting her.

“I’m used to the kill coming to me, not the other way around.”

“Are they in on it?” She knew he meant Otis and Baby.

“Gas stations and roadside attractions seem to make good lures.” Bo almost laughed.

“You think we could make a truce? Share tips and tricks instead of… whatever this is?” A loud banging noise from somewhere in the house caused Bo and Sadie to snap their heads up. “Maybe keep our brothers from killing each other?” Sadie raised her eyebrows. “I know he’s not your brother. But Vincent is mine and he’s definitely good at what he does.” Sadie relinquishes and stands up, even offering Bo a hand. She keeps her grip on the weapons. Bo points towards the direction of the noise and Sadie takes off, Bo limps after her.

“Hey, boys!” Otis has a man with long black hair in a headlock in the middle of a hallway, and the man has a knife pointed at Otis’ gut. “Knock it off. Otis, we’re playing nice.” Bo stops behind Sadie and gestures to Vincent. He drops the knife, and Otis backs away.

“You make a new friend?” Otis asks, almost incredulous.

“Go get the lesbians. We should talk.”

[galbinuscarnation]

The Last of Real Ones

Chapter 1

Haircuts were a chore for James Herondale. Ever since he was a child, his hair has grown massively and uncontrollably curly. Unfortunately for his parents, he abhorred having his locks chopped off like the the other boys his age. His mum compromised with hair ties, barrettes, headbands the like when he was a toddler but when it was time for him to enter primary school, he quickly realized that there was an expectation for boys to have shorter hair than girls. His tantrums soon became pouts and small sniffles into his mum’s embrace after his dad had put away the scissors. James couldn’t fault his parents for trying to help him, and held no bitterness against them for not respecting his wishes as a five year old. He was able to look back and chuckle a bit, especially at the memory of his dad sitting down for his mum and attempting to model what a haircut should have been like and getting immediately itchy and chasing James whilst flicking his itchy hairs at his son.

That was a period of time before his father had become the renowned author, Will Herondale. In later years he was constantly locked in his office drafting new works, while his mother tended to his little sister Lucie, and James. He still respected his father, and his mother, Tessa, never complained, and it was not like there weren’t other male figures in his life. His Uncle Jem, for example, would visit their household and was equally, if not differently, an influence in his life like his parents.

Maybe, James thought, he was projecting his disdain for haircuts on remembering his father because his hair was basically a more shaggy version of Will’s seemingly flawless, unruly and handsome hair. Also, because he was currently heading towards a salon, with the money his sister forced upon his wallet, and business card of an apparently excellent hairdresser. He also couldn’t get out of it, because Lucie threaten to call the establishment to make sure he went and even went as far to book an appointment for him. Not, James smirked slightly, that Lucie would have time to call till closing because of her busy schedule as a publishing intern for TIME Inc.

Blinking as he arrived to his destination, a salon in Soho on Great Marlborough Street, he immediately was caught off guard by the pastel green floral decor lining the window and the door, which was also green. He briefly wondered if this was an Irish theme of some sort and meandered around the people still walking while he had paused, and opened the door. An overbearing wave of heat overcame him, he assumed from the sound of a handheld dryer, and the rows of hair dryers while a few women waited reading magazines and the like as ambient classical music played.

James instantly regretted stepping inside what he should have known was a space for the opposite gender, since he received some confused and some appraising looks from the various patrons. Before he could turn tail and leave, coming up with an excuse like “I agreed I would go not actually get a cut” for his sister, a voice rang over the noise and music and James turned to see a man with rosy blonde hair brandishing a comb in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other.

“Hullo sir, I’ll be right with you!” He smiled radiantly, and James squinted at him suspiciously, recalling the name on the card, Matthew.

“Very well,” James settled with saying as Matthew turned his attention to his current client seated in front of him. This entire establishment was beyond James comfort zone, but he was here, Matthew had seen him, and now he sat on a couch which seemed ancient and Edwardian, but well preserved despite that. To avoid the continuing stares of some women that had nothing better to do with their time while their hair dried, James produced his book from his messenger bag. He could hear Matthew the hairdresser talking animatedly with some woman on the chair. James mind drifted away from the environment and into the book, becoming lost in the fantasy and ignoring the reality of his discomfort and impending appointment.

“James Herondale, correct?” James jumped in his seat and adjusted his glasses to look up at Matthew who appeared before him with a winning smile. James had the urge to scowl at him, but held his tongue and nodded, clearing his throat as he put away his book.

“Yes.”

“Didn’t mean to startle you!” Matthew apologized and bit his lip before it formed back into that irritatingly fitty smile. “Lucie did mention you like books too.”

Great, James drawled within his thoughts as he stood. This man would have expectations of him due to Lucie’s inability to respect his privacy. “Yes, hard to avoid books in my family.”

Matthew nodded in agreement. “Of course, how’s your father?”

“Um,” James faltered, it was natural for people to assume his dad was the reason his children loved to read, despite the fact that his mum was also an avid reader, and pushed his dad to pursuing his dream of being an author. There would be no Will Herondale without Tessa, and it didn’t help that over the years his uncle Jem Carstairs rose to fame as a violinist and known friend of the famous author, adding fuel to the fame flames. “He is well, writing, signing books, the like.”

“Sounds glamourous.” Matthew gestured to the now empty seat in front of a massive mirror. “Care to have a seat?”

James could not tell if Matthew was being sarcastic or earnest, but if Lucie felt this man was the right one to tackle the task of his outrageous hair, who was he to argue? Maybe later, if this ordeal turned out with his hair being buzzed off entirely. He made his way to the seat, relaxing a bit as aria from one of his favorite pieces began. He concentrated on that, even when he could see Matthew stanitizing the scissors and switching out the recently used combs and brushes for new ones.

“What were you thinking of doing today?” Matthew spoke easily during his task.

“I’m told that I need a haircut,” James told him bluntly, and flushed at how brash he must’ve sounded. Of course he needed a haircut, his curls were covering his eyes, only his glasses were keeping it slightly out of his line of vision.

Matthew laughed, his eyes twinkling. “Do you now? You have magnificent hair, and with a little styling and some accessories you could definitely pull it off.”

“Really?” James asked, skeptical and blushing. Was this man encouraging him to not get a haircut with flattery?

“Really,” Matthew repeated with a chuckle, placing his instruments down. “But I swore a solemn oath to your sister that I would cut your hair today.”

Of course, James thought bitterly, recovering from Matthew’s earlier comment, damn Lucie.

“We’ll start with removing your glasses...” Matthew reached out for them, but on instinct James grabbed the man’s wrist. It went slack at the grab, and with a gasp James released the startled hairdresser’s hand.

“Sorry…” James eyes darted to his lap and he put his shaky fingers to his rims.

“No it’s alright!” Matthew waved his hands in front of him. “They would be in the way but I shouldn’t have grabbed them without asking or explaining myself.”

James nodded and took his glasses, handing them to Matthew’s outstretched hand, now lowered and not so near his eyes. Matthew placed them gingerly on the vanity and produced a black smock to wrap around James neck.

“Would you like a shampoo and condition?” Matthew inquired, James could see Matthew staring at his curls thoughtfully.

“Sure.” James said reluctantly, knowing it was part of the process. Matthew raised his eyebrows but helped him up and guided him to the tubs with chairs in front of them. James lowered himself against the chilly edge of the tub, and Matthew ran the water just above his forehead.

“Let me know if it’s too hot or too cold,” Matthew informed James, as the water trickled within his thick hair. James took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Matthew’s fingers were careful, and they kneaded against his scalp as the chill of the shampoo was mixed in. James could feel himself drift away as the sensation of a stranger washing his hair lulled him to a foreign sense of security, something that was sort of lacking in his life lately. Before James’ mind could wander off to a memory he repressed, he heard Matthew’s voice in his ears. “Time to get back to my chair.”

James opened his eyes and stared up at Matthew, who was looking at him expectantly. He was holding a towel and seemed to be about to do something with it, but hesitated. James raised his eyebrows as sat up from the low chair. “That’s for me correct?”

“Oh, yes.” Matthew nodded distractedly and covered James’ soaked hair, ruffling the towel a little to dry it up.

James put his hand on the towel, brushing against Matthew’s for a moment, and held the ends so it wouldn’t slip off as he crossed the salon back to the chair he had first seen Matthew at. Matthew followed him hurriedly, apologizing about the towel, or the hands, or something. James honestly wasn’t paying attention, still lost in the blissful haze he experienced during the wash.

“Do your best and I’m sure it won’t be so bad.” James decided to say, as he sat down and pulled the towel off. Matthew stopped in front of James, his face flushed like he’d been running a mile at full sprint only to stop halfway through.

“You… mean the haircut? That you're definitely sure you still want? I was sort of joking when I mentioned a promise to your sister.” Matthew waved his hands dismissively at the mention of Lucie, and James rolled his eyes.

“Well I’m hardly going to walk out of here with my hair dripping over the sidewalk.” He chuckled and noticed how Matthew’s lips crinkled upwards from his dry tone, and whatever sudden nervous energy that he had seemingly disappeared.

“Your a piece of work Mr. Herondale,” Matthew put a hand on his hip, the other gliding over several pairs of scissors.

“Already? Wait till you have to keep sweeping my hair bunches long after I’m gone.” James retorted. “Besides, Lucie probably had some choice words about me, isn’t gossiping apart of your job?”

Matthew gasped in mock offense and put a hand to chest. “Et tu, Brute?”

“What?” James laughed, knowing the phrase but clueless to why Matthew had said it.

“Lucie accused me of the same thing at her first appointment, reducing my profession to nothing but being a collector of gossip.” Matthew explained, placing a dramatic hand to his forehead. “I finally see the family resemblance.”

“Seeing as you’ve done nothing but chatter instead of cutting I’ll say that’s a pretty accurate description.” James teased.

“So eager now?” Matthew flashed a grin and James let out a resigned sigh.

“Just get it out of my eyes.” James told him.

“Will do,” Matthew finally picked up a pair of scissors and a comb and went to work.

James wasn’t used to so many questions during the process; he was asked if he still wanted bangs, whether it was alright to cut over the ears, how far down his neck he still wanted it, where did his part normally fall? It wasn’t as though he didn’t know what he wanted in the past, it was simply he never felt more relaxed, instead of sitting terse and silent he was engaged with Matthew.

“So why a salon and not a barbershop?” James wondered.

“I love working with different styles, and long hair is easier for me to work with.” Matthew explained as he clipped another piece of hair to trim the one underneath. “I would ask you the same, but Lucie probably had much more to do with your decision than yourself, right?” He chuckled lightly as he worked.

“Hm, yeah. Lucie likes to meddle where she’s not needed. Though… if it wasn't for her I probably wouldn’t leave the house...” James realized he was exposing his life story to this stranger and went silent.

“Family can be tough, but we look out for each other.” Matthew nodded and continued snipping. “Growing up I looked after my father, he’s a genius but extremely clumsy and prone to have accidents.”

“Accidents?” James inquired.

“Well,” Matthew paused, concentrating on cutting the hair while holding it together with a comb. “He uses a wheelchair, from an accident he had before I was born, but he still does what he loves most, inventing. He’s always moving around his laboratory to do something, with science and engineering though sometimes things don’t go as planned. I once had put out a fire that was blazing on top of his head.”

“Wow,” James hadn’t expected Matthew to say so much, and the details made him feel a bit guilty, he never remembered ever helping his own father with his craft. He wondered if it was normal to go through such lengths for one’s parent.

“It’s finished.” Matthew announced after some silence, and James opened his eyes to face the mirror before him. He blinked a little and Matthew handed back his glasses. James hadn’t mentioned to Matthew that he was farsighted, and could see himself relatively clearly. He couldn’t help the slight smile curving his lips, his hair was still messy, but somehow Matthew managed to make it look stylish. James brought his glasses to his face and glanced up at Matthew, who was wiping his hands with a towel.

“It’s good.” James nodded. “Though, I’ve never used anything in my hair before.”

“Never?” Matthew echoed with awe and removed the smock. “I should have asked!”

“It’s alright,” James nodded standing up. “I never cared either way. It looks good.”

“Do you want to care?” Matthew folded the smock and placed it on the vanity.

“I wouldn’t know how,” he admitted with a shrug and reached up tugging on one of his locks. “The most important task is done though, I can finally tell Lucie I survived a haircut.”

“Survive you did.” Matthew chuckled and clapped his hands. “Congratulations Mr. Herondale.”

“James,” He amended to Matthew’s surprise. “Call me James.”

Lucie was delighted to hear from Matthew after her brother paid and left his establishment. Matthew was busying himself by scrawling over his appointment pad while Lucie gushed over the line about this milestone. Matthew initially agreed to this appointment as a joke, thinking Lucie was exaggerating her brother’s plight against getting a haircut. It was almost jarring to be reminded that some men strolled through London without even touching their hair, but when James had entered the door Matthew mistook him for a walk-in. His hair, what James had referred to as a mess, was windswept and lustrous, covering half his face with glasses peeking on his free side. If James hadn’t immediately sat on his couch and pulled out a book Matthew wouldn’t have suspected he was Lucie’s brother.

“He wasn’t terribly rude was he?” Lucie asked after she was finished squealing and cheering.

“Not at all,” Matthew laughed. “We bantered but nothing I haven’t already experienced with you.”

“Now you know where I get it from,” Lucie giggled. “Although Jamie tends to be more passive aggressive when he dislikes someone, so clearly you passed!”

“Was this a test?” Matthew drawled, “I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“Is it drastic? Or- I swear if you only cut a piece and let him leave I’ll…!”

“No no, I trimmed it quite a bit, and got it out of his eyes as requested and even touched it up with mousse.” Matthew explained, leaning against the counter stationed towards the door.

“MOUSSE?!” Lucie cackled and was muffled, Matthew suspected she was still at the office and covering her mouth with her hand.

“Yes, is that a problem?” Matthew inquired with a chuckle.

“I cannot believe he let you put product!” Lucie took a breath to calm her laughter. Matthew put his pen down and glanced back to check on his colleagues. Only one familiar person was left for her appointment, she gave Matthew a knowing look as her hair was being styled. Matthew rolled his eyes at her, she winked back at him, and then he turned his attention back to his pad to look occupied.

“Well you’re the one that recommended a salon, we have dozens of products at our disposal.” Matthew informed her.

“Oh I’m aware, and if I had referred a barbershop they would have chopped it all off and he wouldn’t speak to me for years!” Lucie countered.

“Are men truly that barbaric?” Matthew gasped.

“Indeed they are, lord knows why you are attracted to them.” Lucie teased.

“Men nor women cannot resist my charms, or my hair, not sure which is more effective.” Matthew shot back and they both laughed.

“Matthew if you don’t mind I need the counter space so Anna can pay me.” A clipped voice interrupted, and Matthew cast a coy smile at his oldest assistant, Barbara Lightwood.

“You really going to make your cousin pay?” Matthew quirked an eyebrow Barbara and then at the woman who smirked at him, Anna Lightwood. She was what those in the modern world considered androgynous, wearing a fine suit fitted for a man but still fashion forward. Her hair was slicked back on the sides, with a quaf of longer hair on top. Anna stood regally, basking in the attention as if it were her god given right, yet still humble enough to meet his eyes and smile.

“I am willing to help Barbara provide for her family.” Anna explained.

“Of course,” Matthew nodded, and winced when the voice of Lucie interrupted.

“Is that Anna? Matthew why didn’t you say something?”

Barbara casually brushed against Matthew to access the touchpad to process the payment. Matthew busied himself with telling Lucie that he would definitely let her know when Anna was free next time. He could feel Anna’s eyes on him, and his neck heated up a bit when Lucie went back to the topic at hand.

“Thank you Matthew, you don’t know how much it means to me that you helped Jamie.” she admitted.

“Helped? All I did was a trim,” Matthew rubbed his neck, his eyes going to his feet bashfully.

“I know.” Lucie sighed. “But every little thing helps you know?”

“Lucie…” Matthew could sense there was more to this than what she had told him but Lucie clicked her tongue.

“And my dinners up! Back to work!” She hung up before Matthew could reprimand her for calling him during her meal breaks.

“That woman, I have half a mind to order her food for tonight.” Matthew lamented for a moment, placing their old fashioned phone back with a clack!

“You should buy some for reclusive James as well.” Anna chimed in. Matthew’s eyes darted up to Anna, his face flushed even more, and Barbara laughed at the statement.

“So it’s not just me who noticed your obvious crush.” she teased as Matthew shook his head vehemently. “Don’t deny it!”

“He is… attractive.” Matthew admitted with a sigh. “But my finding a male attractive doesn’t mean I have a crush!”

“Was he hideous after the cut?” Anna inquired as she swiped her card.

“Excuse me?!” Matthew was scandalized that Anna would even suggest such a thing of his work. “He was beautiful!”

Anna and Barbara exchanged a look. Matthew realized belatedly what they were trying to do; the saying goes if you find someone unattractive after a haircut it was merely an aesthetic that appealed to you, but if you continued find them flawless after a do... it was more.

“Conspiracy!” Matthew accused. “I was the one to cut it, of course I’d make sure it would appeal to me!”

“What happened to the Matthew that is always critical of his work and strives to be better?” Barbara demanded to know.

“I never admit my flaws in front of customers,” Matthew pointed out.

“Ha! I am hardly a mere customer,” Anna, who was as close to him as family, reminded him. Matthew pouted and turned away from the patronizing women. He stared at the spot James had sat in waiting for his appointment and could feel the nervous flutters of his heart beating at the memory. He placed a hand over his eyes and let out a long, drawn out breath before turning back to face the two women still staring at him.

“Fine.” Matthew relented. “Still, it’s not like he’ll ever come back, and is probably straight. End of discussion!”

“But he’s-” Barbara began to say something that Matthew should have heard but was embarrassed enough as it is.

“Fin.” Matthew held his fingers together and zipped it across his face for emphasis before heading to the back room to take care of closing business.

Later that evening Matthew was locking up for the night, his eyes wandering up to stare at his decorative green carnations. He reached out and touched one, letting out a deep sigh before turning away and striding into street towards his home. He twirled his jangling keys in his hand as he weaved through the bustle of the end of the work day. His residence was a couple of rail stops away, so he stared wistfully out the window, with one thing on his mind, James Herondale.

It had been ages since he’d felt compelled to go out of his way to please a client, but seeing James and realizing he was the one Lucie had spoken to him about, he couldn’t help it. He wanted the man to have a positive experience with a haircut, but Matthew could also understand completely why James would be self conscious. A personality like that, one that seemed to shrink at being the center of attention and couldn't fathom being pampered, would probably be completely unaware of how gorgeous he really was. If his hair, with waves like black wool wasn’t enough, his eyes were a striking orchiroid, which were hidden by his wide dark glasses. When Matthew had trimmed his hair he made sure James’ face was framed just enough to continue being a shield, but with the option to be styled back in case James considered opening his face to the world. Though Matthew suspected the glasses also had a role in this, but he wasn't an optometrist.

Shaking his head, Matthew followed the crowd off of the rail and made his way up the stairs back to the streets. His stomach grumbled as he passed by the pub wafting the aroma of food from its windows on the way to his flat. He swiftly turned the corner and arrived at the entrance, and could hear the barks of an excited dog upstairs. He grinned and bounded up, hearing the scratches on his door as he worked to unlock that one too. The door swung open and a small, pudgy French Bulldog greeted Matthew with slobbery kisses. Matthew laughed and scooped up his darling, kissing her on the head as he entered the flat. “Evening Adele,” He greeted and was rewarded with more licks. “You wouldn't believe the day I’ve had.” Adele blinked slowly at him, not minding being cradled in his arms as he made his way to the kitchen. “I met Lucie’s brother, James…. And he is something…” After feeding and walking Adele, Matthew finally sat down to relax, sipping tea with his dog on his lap and rereading one of his favorite novels. He drowned out the noises of the streets as he became engrossed within the world on the pages...

The apartment was still and dark, the only illumination was peeking through the shades from the street lights. Low rumbling snores between Adele and Matthew echoed through the place, until an instistant buzzing coming from the coffee table woke Matthew out of his slumber. He rubbed his eyes, carefully sliding his precious pet off his lap, her limp body sank into the couch cushion comfortably. Matthew picked up his phone, scrolling through his various notifications.

“Thomas and Chris are back…” He mumbled to himself upon seeing a text and rubbed his eyes as he thumbed through his apps. His voicemail declared the number one, with a message waiting for him to listen to. He pressed it, and was surprised to see a awfully familiar number. “Bloody hell what does he want?”

“Matthew? It’s your brother, Charles. Look, I know its out of blue for me to call but it’s an emergency. You see… Father… He tried to do something ridiculous and wound up in the hospital again. Except this time… well it’s his head you see… Mum told me to call, she a bit distraught at the moment. You know how much she cherishes family... I’ve just called the girls as well-“

The phone slipped from Matthew’s grip as he put his head in his hands. He had to make arrangements right away he knew, but all Matthew wanted to do was scream. Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he took deep labored breaths to attempt to calm himself. Father is in good hands it’s just another …. incident ... nothing major … His nails dug into his scalp, the pain alerting him to the voice of his brother still droning on, but with the details of which hospital he was located at. Matthew wiped his eyes with his sleeves, as his shaky hand grasped his phone to listen again. He tuned out the beginning and with a pen and pad wrote down every important detail, and made note that at the moment his father was unconscious as the doctors tried to determine if he was concussed.

Matthew stood up, shoving his papers into his pocket, and running a hand through his hair, deflated as it was. He didn’t care and strode to his room to gather a overnight bag, toiletries, and his jacket. He immediately texted Thomas, Barbara Lightwood’s younger brother and good friend who just returned from a semester abroad with his other cousin, Christopher. The Lightwoods were in no way related to Matthew, but their parents had been close friends, and raised their families together like relatives would. He would understand Matthew’s situation the best out of anyone in the world, but he also needed a willing dog sitter.

“Adele!” Matthew called, whistling. Adele awoke and jumped, trotting over to Matthew and wiggling her butt since she did not have a tail. Matthew smiled shakily at her, scooping her up. “I have to go my darling… I’m sorry I can’t take you with me…” Adele licked the salt of his tears away, her round eyes boring into his with a knowing expression unfit for a canine. Matthew nodded and kissed the top of her head, before placing her down. His phone buzzed yet again, and Matthew sighed as he glanced at the response to his S.O.S.

I heard, but figured you were asleep. I’ll stay for Adele np. Call when you’re ready.

I’m heading out now, I’ll ttyl. Matthew texted back.

He slung his duffle bag over his shoulder, and after a thought, snatched a snapbill cap to cover his mess. Adele followed him dutifully, and when he reached the door he ruffled her head. “So long Adele.” She yipped and licked his hand reassuringly, and after one last look at his flat, Matthew turned away and shut the door behind him.

[sophisticated-angel]

Out of My Hands - Part Six

Character: Dean Winchester, Castiel

Warning: Unwanted advances (kissing)

Word Count: 2,632

Pairing: Castiel x Reader, eventual Dean x Reader

Prologue - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five

Summary: Dean wakes up in the reader’s home and makes an attempt at flirtation. Later, after a conversation with Azariel, Castiel pays a visit and makes a move on her - he has good intentions, but the reader calls him out.

Story

           Dean Winchester is asleep in your bedroom. He's not in your bed, but the fact that he's slumbering in the chair by the window is odd enough. Groaning lightly at the ache in your chest, you begin to recall events from early this morning. You remember him helping you out of the car and into the house and from there upstairs, but that's about it. Why he's still here, you don't know, and you also don't know how long he's been sleeping in the chair.

           The room is dim, but through the closed window you can hear the muffled sounds of nature. Some stupid bird has decided that the branch right outside your window is the perfect spot to squawk an early morning tune, and it prevents you from nodding off again. With stiffness just about everywhere, you push yourself out of bed, noticing that your clothes are still on. For a moment, you think about changing into something clean and comfortable, but then you think of Dean in the corner. What if he woke up?

           Limping slightly, you hobble over to the window and pull open the curtains. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead!”

           Dean startles awake and blinks against the intrusion of light. “What? I'm up! I'm up!”

           “There's no fire, you're just in my room.”

           “Huh?” He glances at his surroundings. “Oh. Sorry. I was waiting for Sam to show up, and I guess I dozed off.”

           “Obviously. Comfortable?”

           “I was when I sat down.” He shifts uncomfortably. “Chairs aren't really made for sleeping in.”

           “Nope. Say, you mind giving me a bit of privacy so I can change?”

           “No problem.” Bowing out, Dean gets to his feet and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

*    *    *    *    *

           It was, by all accounts, unintentional. Embarrassment courses through Dean, and as he leaves (y/n)'s room, he asks himself how he could have possibly allowed himself to fall asleep in that chair. He was supposed to keep watch until Sam arrived and then leave, which presents another question. Did Sam even show up? For all Dean knows, his brother could have been attacked by a vampire or hit by a drunk driver on the way here. The last he knew, Sam was an hour away by car.

           Suddenly anxious, Dean jogs down the stairs and peers out a front window, relieved to see (y/n)'s car parked beside the Impala and Sam waving reflexively from the front seat. Dean rolls his eyes and turns back, pacing the living room for lack of anything better to do. He doesn't know why he won't just leave. He's got his keys in his pocket, so it wouldn't be anything to just walk outside, climb in the car, and drive away with Sam. Something about that just feels wrong though, a little rude, but it's not something he wouldn't expect if the roles were reversed. (y/n) is okay, and he is in her house.

           He finds himself wandering through the kitchen, running his hand along the spotless marble surface of the counter that borders the living room. An open window above the sink floods the space with light, landing upon a bouquet of fresh flowers. Around the vase is tied a neat bow of red ribbon. If it weren't for that bow, Dean might think she picked them herself, but the accessory plus the fact that the flowers are still fresh leads him to the conclusion that they're most likely a gift from someone, a lover maybe, someone who had access to her house while she was gone. Habit drives him to give the bouquet a once-over, checking that there are no hidden hex bags or poison. They're clean.

           The sight suddenly makes him jealous. It's an uncalled for feeling, but he can't help it. Sam was right every time he suggested Dean felt attracted to (y/n), and for the past week he's been trying to find a good moment to ask her out sometime. However, if she's got a love interest already, he doesn't have a chance.

           “Hey,” her voice calls from the stairs.

           Tearing his attention from the flowers, he turns to give her a forced smile. “Morning.”

           “Almost noon.” Knitting her eyebrows, she spots the vase on the counter. “Where did those come from?”

           “Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing.”

           “Well, they weren't there when I left for the hunt.” Crossing the room, she examines the flowers, and Dean can't tell if it's a normal surprise or a pleasant one.

           “They look like they're from a secret admirer, but maybe you were just visited by a really nice burglar.” Dean rolls his eyes at himself.

           “Yeah. Like those exist.”

           “Admirers or nice burglars?”

           “Both.”

           “Fair enough. How are you feeling this morning?”

           “Alive.” She massages her ribs for emphasis.

           “I'll make breakfast if you want,” he blurts. “I've been told I make a mean scrambled egg.”

           She pauses for a moment, thinking, perhaps. “I'm good, thanks. I'll have to take a rain check. Besides, your brother probably wants to head out. I saw him in the driveway.”

           “Your loss.” Dean shrugs and turns for the door. Just as he puts his hand on the knob, he turns back to make one final effort to stay. “Sam's fine. We don't have anywhere to be right this minute. He can wait.”

           “Goodbye, Dean,” she laughs a little and waves her fingers.

           “Alright, I'm leaving. Call me?”

           “If you're lucky.”

           Returning her smile, Dean finally makes it outside and shuts the door behind him. Sam's already leaning against the passenger door of the Impala, so he sees his brother curse himself.

           “You offered to make her breakfast, didn't you?” Sam grins.

           “Get in the car.”

*    *    *    *    *

           You almost said yes. More than anything, you wanted to let Dean make good on his offer and serve you a breakfast of scrambled eggs. Almost, and then you thought about Castiel. What if the angel showed up? How would you explain him to Dean, and what if he didn't approve of you having male hunters at your house? You rather like Dean, and you don't want to see him smited by your jealous Heavenly husband.

           As he leaves, you drag your hands down your face self-pityingly. You might like to have friends if you knew how Castiel would respond to them. Maybe you should get a dog.

           You know the flowers are his doing. He probably dropped in yesterday with the bouquet as a friendly gesture and left them as a gift. Despite the lack of a note or some marking on it, he's the only one who could have gotten into your house. Taking the vase in your hand, you move as if to dispose of the flowers – you just had a good hunt and aren't really in the mood to be reminded of your marital status – but you pause. A feeling of guilt washes over you at the thought of throwing out the bouquet. There's no harm in the gift, no roses to mark it as a romantic gesture, so perhaps he's only being thoughtful and trying to be friendly. There's no harm in friendly, is there? With a sigh, you move the vase out to the dining room table and leave it there.

           Cass really isn't that bad for an angel.

*    *    *    *    *

           Castiel stalls for as long as he can. He knows she's just gotten back from a hunt, and more than anything he wants to allow her the solitude of which she seems so fond, but Azariel is impatient, and sating the other angel is a bit more urgent than leaving his wife alone.

           “You have yet to approach her, Castiel,” Azariel had said.

           “She doesn't want me to 'approach her', as you say.”

           “And since when is she allowed to dictate what happens? You are the authority in this marriage. She must obey whatever you command.”

           “I don't want to command her to do anything. She's a human, and humans were created with free will.”

           “She no longer has that privilege. As it stands, this relationship is unacceptable.”

           “What do you expect me to do?”

           Cass won't do exactly what Azariel expects of him. What Azariel wants is for him to consummate the marriage officially, maybe drag her back up to Heaven and lock her up the way he would do it if he were in Castiel's position. If he wasn't concerned with her safety, Cass would let things develop as they please, but Azariel's disapproval makes him nervous. Tonight his goal is to convince her to open up to him, maybe flirt a little bit. Perhaps a kiss will satisfy his superior.

           He knocks at her door at about six in the afternoon, shifting his feet uncomfortably and offering a friendly smile when she rolls her eyes.

           “Castiel. Long time no see. What do you want?”

           “How was your hunt?” he begins.

           “I survived.”

           “Were you injured?”

           “You felt it.”

           “Yes. Would you-”

           “No.”

           “Alright.”

           A tense silence falls between the two of them, her shoving her hands into her pockets, him toying with the edge of his trench coat.

           “I take it the flowers are from you?” she inquires.

           “Yes. Do you like them?”

           “They're nice. I'll admit I didn't expect to find them when I got back.”

           “I thought you might like them.”

           There's a pause before she says anything else. “Do you want to come in for dinner? I mean, I don't know if angels even eat. Do they?”

           “Dinner would be nice.”

           “Pizza?”

           “I've never had it.”

           “You're missing out. Come on. I'll have some delivered.”

           She nods in the direction of the living room, revealing a hint of the first real smile she's ever had in his presence. He follows her into the house, abstaining from commenting on the look of the place for fear of running the conversation aground. Instead he shifts his eyes for lack of something better to do as she picks up her phone and dials a number.

           “You're very pretty,” he blurts suddenly.

           She raises an eyebrow as she puts the phone to her ear. “Thanks?”

           “Sorry, I didn't-”

           Before he can finish apologizing, her call is picked up, and she proceeds to order the pizza. He waits politely until she hangs up.

           “So what was that about me being pretty?” she inquires.

           “Nothing, I just . . . I don't know why I said it.”

           “Hm. Did you mean it?”

           Cass hesitates, afraid of distancing her. “Yes.”

           To his surprise, she smiles a little bit. “That's nice. It's a little abrupt, but it's nice. Hey, why don't you make yourself comfortable? You could take off that coat for once.”

           He sheds his coat as if she gave him an order, no less awkward than when he had it on.

           “Making yourself comfortable includes sitting down on the couch. What do you think of daytime TV?”

           “It's entertaining.”

           “Come on, then. We've got about twenty minutes until the pizza gets here.”

           When she takes a seat on the sofa, he sits next to her, not too close at first, but he tries to shift over an inch or two without her noticing. (y/n) doesn't seem to mind his proximity, but he isn't sensing total comfort either, so he holds back. He really has no idea what he's doing; all he knows is that he wants a kiss to happen of her own free will. It just has to be one kiss, enough to satisfy Azariel. How hard can one kiss be?

           She flips to a channel airing an unfamiliar, low budget soap opera, and immediately becomes absorbed by it. Under different circumstances, he might be intrigued as well, but right now his mind is on other matters. Slowly moving his hand in her direction, he tries to be discreet about resting it on top of hers, but he retracts it when she pulls away almost immediately. She doesn't say anything, but he can sense a small flare go off in her head.

           He tries again in a moment, this time resting his hand on her shoulder. This time she doesn't pull away, but he catches her casting him a confused glance. Encouraged, he scoots closer and drapes his arm across her shoulders, holding his breath.

           “What are you doing?” she asks.

           Cass grabs for words. “You are, um, you look nice.”

           “Thanks, but why is your arm around me?”

           “I thought this is what humans do when they sit together.”

           “Not all of them . . .” shrugging him off, she returns to watching TV.

           Cass folds his hands in his lap and pretends to be fascinated by a mark on his wrist. Minutes pass before he tries to make any other advances, this time going for a hand on her leg.

           “Okay, seriously, what the hell?” She pulls away and glares at him. “What's with the touching?”

           “I don't mean to make you uncomfortable.”

           “You're failing.”

           “I just thought maybe it would be nice if we . . .”

           “If we what? Cuddled up like love-drunk newlyweds?”

           “I don't understand this.”

           “I don't either. I'm not really the cuddling type, hate to break it to you.”

           “I'm sorry.”

           “Let's just be quiet until the pizza gets here, capiche?”

           “Yeah . . . I capiche.”

           “Thank you.”

           Cass stares at the clock on the wall for a while. He really doesn't want to push the matter any further. She doesn't like his advances, that much is obvious. But he can't just let this go. If Azariel decides to act . . .

           One more time, he reaches out to her, attempting to brush hair out of her eyes. She blinks and shakes her head.

           “Castiel, stop it!” she snaps.

           “It's just hair!” He tries to defend himself. “I'm just getting hair out of your face! Please, just . . . it was bothering me. May I fix it?”

           (y/n) glares at him but eventually rolls her eyes. “Fine. Fix my hair.”

           Timidly, Cass brushes the strands away from her face and tucks them behind her ear. Moving carefully, he blends the motion with trailing his fingers down her neck, spontaneously deciding to lean in close to her. Smartly, she slaps him across the face and shoves him away.

           “Get off, creep!” Flailing, she lurches to her feet and backs away, eyes fiery.

           “(y/n)-”

           “Don't you understand no?! What about stop?! What the hell are you trying to achieve?!”

           Castiel rises, nervously dropping his trench coat onto the sofa. The anger radiating from her psyche is overwhelming, but there are traces of fear. He scared her. There's no point in trying to apologize or lie.

           “I was hoping to kiss you,” he admits.

           “Kiss me?!” she scoffs. “Kiss me?! Some nerve you've got! I told you I will never love you! Never! I don't want you! I have never wanted you!”

           “(y/n), let me explain.”

           “How dare you ask to explain yourself! There is no excuse for what you tried to do, and there never will be! You have no right to approach me that way!” Voice trembling with rage, she quiets her tone, and her fear pokes through the surface. “Then again . . . I suppose you get to take whatever you want, right?”

           “I would never  try to take anything from you without asking.”

           “You just did.”

           Cass opens and closes his mouth, trying to come up with the words that will make this better, but there are none. She's right. He did try to coerce something out of her, and no matter what his reasoning was, it wasn't right. All at once, he feels ashamed.

           “Leave me, Castiel,” she orders. “Go away and never come back.”

READ PART SEVEN HERE

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[hashtagsmitty]

Smitty's Thailand Adventure - Day 2

Big day. My phone is saying 27000 steps. The highlights include getting a suit tailored, having a thai woman rub my naked body down for an hour, meeting Keith Urban's green beret brother, and a friendly, spirited discussion about Islam. No spoilerinos though!

I didn't sleep well, the bed was way too hard and the springs jabbed me all night. I'd told Josh 10am but I was up at 6. I read some more of "Growth Mindset" - talking about sports stars and CEOs that had fixed mindsets vs those with growth mindsets.

Josh texted me and said that he was going to meet me at 11 because he didn't sleep well, so I went out exploring. I got turned around a few times trying to find the train station on the main road. Think a giant freeway overpass with four train lines on it, and a huge station connecting them all. This one has two mega shopping centers like the Emporium attached. It didn't open until 10, so I went for a walk in the park instead.

There were heaps of people just doing normal park stuff - walking, exercising. I saw a couple kids practicing punches. There was an old woman cutting a hedge, and most of the park was well maintained - except for a set of steps I found. They were leading to a jetty that jutted out over the lake in the middle of the park, and the steps leading down were covered in bird poo. It was weird seeing the juxtaposition. There's another one in this picture I took yesterday:

I really liked the architecture of this building, and it was odd to see the rats nest of phone cabling framed in front of it. That wasn't even the worst one. It highlighted something we saw quite a bit of - lowest possible effort to look good.

I walked around the park for a while, then grabbed some food from the White Family Mart on the corner of my street. The name jumped out at me. I grabbed some godawful dried strawberries and a rice and grilled chicken packet that was way better than I expected.

Josh texted me, so I left the hotel and went back to the Emporium and walked around a bit. There was this cool shop called Another Man Story with unique custom men's accessories. Some of the stuff was cool, but it struck me as a desperate attempt at buying individuality through conformity. "Look at these unique expressions of you that anyone with enough money can buy!"

Says the guy with too many stupid expensive leather jackets.

I was looking at my leather bracelet that I made myself for like $5, and compared it to these bracelets that cost hundreds. I like mine better because I made it and it has meaning to me.

I met up with Josh eventually and we got some pad thai in the food court. I'd never had it before, and it was pretty good. I've always been a picky eater, so eating new shit is a bit outside my comfort zone and I'm proud of the small steps I'm taking.

After brunch(?) we went to a tailor Josh knew, in the first of many trips across the city. We took the skytrain - it cost about a dollar per trip. We needed to change train then walk a bit. I was boggled at how well Josh knows the city, and again reminded how screwed I'd be if I wanted to do any of this shit without him.

The tailor was cool - spoke English, very business-oriented. I ordered a 3-piece suit in grey wool, and two white shirts. It'll be ready the day before I leave.

We left the tailor after Josh finished texting one of his friends - something about organizing a business together. Josh had many words to say about this guy, and the tailor, and anyone who walked slowly...

After the tailor Josh wanted to check out a market to get ties and cuff links. I told him I'd look at one market - we went to Cambodia together a few years back, and I got burned out walking from market to market trying to save 3 dollars on some bag. He led us on a crazy whirlwind tour of the backroads and skywalks across Bangkok, until eventually we ended up at the same market we'd gone to last time we were here!

It was a sprawling shopping centre, with as many stalls crammed in as the fire code would allow. Josh described it as "an inside market with air conditioning." We wandered around looking at shirts for a while until we found the ties and cuffs place. I hemmed and hawwed for a while until I picked out a tie and some cuffs. The tie looks awesome - it's skinny and red.

We left the market and took the winding route back to a different mall - we had some meat and rice dish. Josh told me that beef in Thai was "moo". I called bullshit. The menu had "grilled beef/pork/chicken" on it. When we ordered, Josh pointed at that item and said "moo". The waiter nodded. I grabbed Google Translate and typed in moo - it came up as "swine". Sure enough, the waiter brought out pork.

As we ate, Josh told me the plan for tonight - I needed a haircut, so we planned to walk into a place near his AirBNB. We planned on meeting up with his friends for drinks and a meal, right around the corner from his place. And, I'd expressed that I wanted a massage. So the plan was dump my bag at the hotel, find a massage, get a haircut, then meet his friends for dinner.

Another quick train ride. The thing they don't tell you about the skyrail is that you gotta climb stairs to get on and off each time.

I dumped my bag. Josh warned me about the massage girls outside my hotel, and again, they disappointed by not heckling me.

We tried a couple of massage places near my hotel - the two non-dodgy ones near my hotel, anyway, ones that didn't advertise "Vip Room", "4 Hands Massage", or God forbid "Teen Love". If you need to emphasize that your "masseuses" are teenagers, you're not an establishment I'm keen to visit.

The two non-dodgy ones near the hotel were full. We caught the skytrain again, this time to near Josh's house. We found a massage place that looked OK and went inside.

We had to take off our shoes to go inside. I was wearing blundies that slipped off, and Josh had some sneaker things. I waited awkwardly inside after telling the lady that my friend was coming and he spoke Thai. Josh came in and asked for a massage for each of us, in English. Bastard.

We got led into a cubicle each. Shower curtain walls, a very small cot. I sat down and my masseuse walked in. She was a middle-aged Thai woman. She dropped down under the cot and pulled out a basket, then said "leave your underpants on" and left. I took off everything except my underpants and sat cross legged on the cot. I was nervous. What if she touched something I didn't want touched? What if I reacted in a way I wasn't comfortable reacting? I did some deep breathing while I waited.

My masseuse came back. She said "lay down, back first." I lay down on my back. She said "no, back first!" I rolled back over onto my tummy. She covered my back with a towel, then unrolled the towel down to my underpants. She oiled her hands and started rubbing my back. It was nice - Thai massage is firm, more of a deep tissue massage than relaxation. She worked her way across my back, my legs, then my chest. There was a weird one where she raised one of my legs into a bent position, foot flat, and pressed it down into the other leg. It felt like my balls were getting squished in a sandwich press. Clearly, these techniques were designed for Asian men.

She finished with a neck and head massage. She couldn't speak English, but she communicated humour in other ways - she started rubbing my neck and flicked the weird lump on the side that I have. I wondered how to say "misformed conjoined twin" in Thai, which led to a mental rabbit hole about Siamese twins and whether it was a faux pas to talk about that in Siam. She massaged my scalp and flicked my quiff, then spent time straightening my hair when she finished.

I rate the massage a solid 5/7 - staring at a bare stone wall while an Asian woman grinds her elbow into my spine isn't necessarily my thing, but it was an experience and I'm glad I did it. I'm also glad none of the things I was worried about happened.

While we were putting our shoes back on outside, a sketchy white dude walked up to us. He commented on Josh's shoes and stretched his hand out to me to shake. I shook. He asked where we were from. I said Australia. He said his brother came from New Zealand and that we'd know his name. I said I'm sure I don't. He said his brother's name was Keith Urban and that his name was Greg. I said that I knew his brothers name. He said that he used to be a green beret and asked me to rate his handshake. He did his left hand, then without letting go did the right hand. I said his shake was firm. He said the green beret thing again and twisted my thumbs around. Then he wished us a good night and walked off.

We shrugged and walked on down the road towards the barber. We bumped into Greg Urban again - he commented, and asked where we were going. I said we were getting a haircut. He said "you need one!" I said "thank you!" He said "you need one because you look like shit." We kinda just walked off a bit faster. Both me and Josh were getting major sketchy vibes. Josh compared it to a foreign 5 year old who can speak fluent English walking up to you and talking to you - a distraction for something more sinister.

We kept walking. The barber was in Josh's area. He decided that he was going to show me all the street animals he was friends with. We had to cross another skybridge to get there. As we walked across this one, there was a dude laying down covering half the bridge. Josh said we should go single file. As we walked, the dude sat bolt upright. It felt like something out of a zombie movie and I almost sprinted off. Josh later explained that he was likely an opium addict, and likely at rock bottom because of it.

We walked to the barber. They were super full, so we booked in for tomorrow at 3. My fade needs a touch up. We left, and Josh started pointing out his dog and cat friends. He called them all cutesy names in Spanish, like gordo (fatso) or nino (little boy) or chico (little guy). It was weird to see this super intense friend of mine, fiercely competent and ruthless in business and his personal lives, acting like a kid in a candy store with these street animals. It was a weird juxtaposition, but it definitely humanised him a bit more. The animals were really cute too.

We sat down in W District, an outdoor dining and bar area. Josh ordered us some ribs and chips and we waited for his friend and business partner to arrive. Josh had been texting him all day about their planned business venture. Josh wanted his friend to pick one idea, develop it, and pay Josh to implement it. Josh's friend wanted to develop a whole bunch of ideas at once, and give Josh equity in his company and a place to stay in exchange. His friend was arriving early to negotiate.

Josh had been talking up the ribs all day - he said he should get a commission from the ribs lady for all the business he drove to her. They had a chat, and she agreed to send out 3 things of ribs ASAP.

Bill, Josh's friend, arrived. They negotiated while I listened. I wasn't following everything, but I asked Josh later and he said he got what he wanted. As we talked, more and more people showed up, and Josh introduced me to some of his other friends. His current girlfriend, his Egyptian friend who hates Islam, friends of friends. A Thai girl named Ben - that threw me a bit, let me tell you.

I spent the night mingling. I don't normally hang out in large groups, and definitely not with people I don't know, and rarely around people who are drinking. Further outside the comfort zone, I guess. I put aside my nerves and chatted to people, drawing on my inner extrovert. I played improvisation games with Josh and Bill. I talked about Islam with the Egyptian guy. I did my best to make myself, if not the life and soul of the party, at least a net gain to the gathering.

The ribs arrived after 2 hours of waiting. Bill and I joked about Josh's failed celebrity status. They gave us some plastic gloves to eat the ribs with. The group ordered tower after tower of beer - portable taps with 3 Liters of beer inside. They cost 650 baht, around $25.

I ended up staying way longer than I expected, and headed home around 11. Josh walked me to the station and we talked about expectation and visualization and the universe providing and the great magnet turning. We made plans for the haircut tomorrow, as well as lunch with his current girlfriend and dinner with the same group as tonight. Bill said that he was definitely going because I said I was.

I walked past the"massage parlor" again on the way home, still no harrassment.