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thr34t2sanity · 2 years ago

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Inferno

Chapter One: Pompeii

Part Two: The Meeting

Hades froze. He did not expect to encounter someone so soon in his venture into the human realm. Yet, he found himself so engrossed in this mysterious woman that he completely forgot his original purpose for leaving the Underworld’s palace. The way her long, ginger hair flowed down her back in a soft, flower-infused braid reminded him of all the beauty that was absent from his world. It was then that he decided that he needed her- desperately.

And ‘fake it’ is what she did for nearly two whole weeks. Aurora’s life became a cycle of not enjoying the way her life was going, yet feeling too powerless to do anything about it.

Her day-to-day consisted of going to work, being Allen's lackey, and hating life. Then she would go home, avoid her ex like the plague, cry, drink herself to sleep, and wake up to hate life all over again. The weekend was a lot harder than the work days. Without the distraction of her busy office, she was left to think about how quickly it felt like things were getting away from her. She had it all just days ago. Now she was sitting in wine-stained pajamas, eating a mix of her own tears and ice cream out of a cup while watching some awful talk show that she, honestly, was not able to keep up with.

“We interrupt this regularly scheduled program to bring you breaking news. Another woman has gone missing near the intersection of Cromer and Mobius in Seattle, Washington. The 26 year old woman, Momo Hirai, was last seen outside of club Inferno with an unknown man. At the time of her disappearance, Momo was seen wearing a black crop top with a hot pink skirt and black thigh-high boots.” The monotonous voice of the anchor woman relays. “The man she left with has yet to be identified but according to police sources, he could be tied to the disappearance of Kim Minjeon- known to friends and family as Winter- who had been reported missing last Tuesday. That is just one of the many missing person’s cases that have been filed this month. If you know anything, we encourage you to come forward with information.”

“Oh wow,” Aurora mumbles to herself, wiping her tear-stained cheeks. “Things are getting serious. I need to start checking in on Lilly more when she goes out.” As if she summoned her, Lilly’s face lit up Aurora’s phone screen and the chorus to “Obsession,” by Exo, filled the room.

“He—“

“We have to go out this weekend! You and me! We need a girls night. There’s this hot new club I keep hearing about and Dawn is dying to take me. Also you desperately need to get out of the house, so you can’t say no,” Lilly said all in one breath.

Aurora raised an eyebrow, confused by the blonde’s sudden outburst the minute she answered the phone. “What happened to: ‘Hi, hello, how are you, how is your night?”

“Just say you will come out with me on Saturday,” Lilly said and Aurora swore she could hear the rolling of eyes through the phone. “You don’t need to eat out of another carton of ice cream.” Aurora subconsciously clutched her cup of ice cream closer to her chest. “Also, you have to meet Dawn.” Dawn is Lilly’s work crush that Aurora always heard about. They never really interacted because they work in different departments but they seemed nice enough.

“First of all, it’s a cup,” Aurora replied defensively. “Second, I’ll think about it.”

This made Lilly groan loudly through the speaker. “You have to come, I need a wing woman…I’ll buy all the Long Island Ice Teas that you want… And I’ll make sure to get us a ride,” she whines.

Aurora hesitates. When Lilly goes out, she goes hard. Aurora was not sure she could keep up after having been a homebody these past 4 years. She wasn’t that same wild 20 year old that she used to be. The wear and tear of nurturing a relationship had weathered her. Without the support of the man she once loved, Aurora was not even sure she would make it to the end of the year and it was currently October.

“C’mon, Dawn has been there a few times and they swear it’s a vibe,” Lilly said enthusiastically. “Saturday is a costume party and we have to go. I’m already working on getting us matching costumes. I’m thinking of going as sexy witches because we’re bad bitches.” Aurora didn’t even have to see her best friend to know that she was on the other side of this phone wiggling her eyebrows.

Aurora sighed out a laugh before pinching the bridge of her brows with her fingers. “Okay,” she begins and she could hear Lilly begin to squeak in success. “AHT! Not done. I’ll go on the condition that you get me a costume, buy my drinks, get us a ride, and promise not to get me to hook up with some stranger at a nightclub.” Lilly groaned, she should have known.

“Rory, you are extremely sexy. You need to use your assets to your advantage.” Aurora rolled her eyes.

“I think you use your assets more than enough for the both of us, ” Aurora said playfully. “I’ll keep my assets to myself, thank you very much.”

Lilly sighed dramatically. “You’re no fun, but whatever. Have it your way if you must. Just be ready by 9.” That’s kinda early for clubbing, Aurora thought.

“Oh, and I'll get your costume by tomorrow so you can do any last minute tailoring.”

“Tomor– tomorrow is Friday, Lills.” Aurora said in confusion. “That’s literally only one day–”

“Bye,” Lilly sings-songs on the other end of her phone before hanging up. This bit–.

Friday arrives quickly along with the costume Lilly bought Aurora. When Aurora takes the costume out of the black garment bag, she finds a black, velvet wicked witch of the west costume. The sweetheart neckline, long, flowing sleeves, open back, and lace trimmings were snugg around Aurora’s whole body. She was a bit on the thicker side but you can see every crevice that made up her curves. This costume was nothing but scandalous.

By Saturday night, Aurora fully understood why they needed to be out of the house by nine. The ride there was horrendous. They spent several minutes stuck in traffic and that was just getting on the freeway to head downtown. Once they reached the downtown area, it was absolute hell, but when you go out with a carouser, you’re always on time in their world.

Aurora followed behind Lilly- who gracefully floated her way to the queue of the club- huffing in annoyance as she struggled to keep up. The striped thigh-high knee socks that Aurora wore kept rolling down and exposing her skin to the cool Autumn air. Taking a brief pause to adjust the flimsy material once more, she bent over to give the hem of her sock a tug when she was overcome by the densely ominous feeling of being watched. The sensation stopped her in her tracks. She stood up and, for a moment, she was unable to focus on anything other than a vague vision of eyes burning a trail on the exposed s–kin of her upper thighs. She was so lost in the sensation that she nearly forgot where she was, but then, these ‘fucking ruby red maryjanes’ were killing the heels of her feet- snapping her right back into the present. She looks around for a moment, trying to find Lilly as she regains her sense of reality. And there Lilly was, waiting for Aurora to join her in the line, and waving Aurora over like a mad woman.

Aurora decided to ignore the feeling as she took in Lilly’s excited expression. She hadn’t been out clubbing in a while, maybe she just forgot what it felt like when so many people were occupying the same space. “Where’s your little work crush at?” Lilly flinched at the sound of Aurora’s voice.

“They said they were coming, Rory. We just have to give them a minute and they’ll get us in,” Lilly said, giving Aurora a pleading look. “If we don’t get in within the next 30 minutes, we can leave. I promise.”

“Within the next 15 minutes,” Aurora glared, annoyed by the blonde who had her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I am not standing out here for another 30 minutes. I want to go home.”

As if by a miracle, a burly man dressed in all black appeared in front of them. He looked at them then nodded his head while his fingers pressed against his ear piece. “Alright, you two come with me.” Lilly looks back at Aurora in surprise, but follows behind the man without much thought. The people that were left in the long line Aurora and Lilly stepped out of complained loudly as the two were escorted from the back of the line to the front entrance, making Aurora curious as to what was so good about this place.

Music blared through Aurora’s ears so loud that she swore her head was vibrating. She was slick with sweat as she danced with Lilly and a very drunk Dawn who had just arrived, but was all over Lilly. Aurora had no idea how long they had been dancing for, but she was already several songs in and it felt amazing.

Almost as if it was attempting to ruin her night, Aurora’s striped socks began sliding down to her knee, forcing her to bend over just as the bass of the song drops. As soon as her hands grasped the tops of her socks she was weighed down by the same ominous feeling that gave her pause outside the club. This time, the feeling was so strong that it pulled her out of the cloudy haze of euphoria that the people around her were engulfed in. The tap of a hand on her shoulder causes her to spin around and meet the intoxicated eyes of her best friend.

“I’m going to go get a drink,” Aurora yelled to Lilly over the thump of the Jersey mix she had never heard before. “I’ll be right back!” She needed to drown out her anxiety. Unfortunately for Aurora, the bartender was behind on orders. He was running around pouring, shaking, mixing and serving to the best of his ability, but there was truly no way he could catch up to the overwhelming crowd of people surrounding the bar. Dejected, she realized that she was going to have to wait a little while if she wanted that Long Island Ice Tea- and she did.

Three club remixes had played while everyone else had gotten more drunk when suddenly a stool opened up at the bar. Aurora jumped at the chance to give her feet a break. She sighs in relief as her weight shifts off of her heels and onto the chair, but that relief is short lived. The moment she relaxed in the chair she felt a cold shiver run down her spine which was fully exposed in her backless, tiny, black costume. Instantly, Aurora’s gaze swept the foggy scenery of the dark club in search of the eyes she knew were watching her– they were in the room with her. She searched and searched the hot, sweaty bodies grinding all around her until she heard–

“What can I get for you?”

Aurora is forced to turn her attention to the bartender.

“Oh! A Long Island Iced Tea please,” she says, still slightly distracted.

While she waits for her drink to be made, Aurora finds herself interested in the TV hanging above the bar. She let her eyes wander to a large sign illuminating the word ‘Inferno’ in neon blue. That’s when she noticed that there was a second floor lounge area with a view of the entire club. Her thoughts were cut off as her eyes landed on a man behind the glass.

He sat with his legs spread, a glass full of dark liquor pressed against his lips, as he eyed Aurora from the elevated VIP section. He was incredibly intimidating: dark hair, dark eyes, dark suit- dark aura, and yet, Aurora found herself absolutely entranced by him. Who is he?

Aurora found herself feeling compelled to stand up. She needed to talk to him. Or if not, to see him up close. She made her way over to the stairs that lead to the VIP section, and away from the overbearing music of the dance floor. Their eyes remained locked her entire way up. The closer she got to him, the louder the alarm bells rang in her head but she couldn’t stop her feet from moving to where he was. Before she knew it, she had passed the velvet ropes. It was too late to turn back now. She took a few more steps forward to find herself directly in front of him.

He lifted the corner of his lips to offer a smirk. The motion revealed a small dimple, but she was only focused on his pouty, pink lips. Those same lips parted to reveal his deep, alluring voice,

“Hello.”

#ateez #ateez san #ateez fanfic #fan fiction #black girl fan fic #ateez imagines #san x oc #ateez x fem reader #ateez x black reader

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let-them-read-fics · 4 years ago

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Yours Truly (Pt. 1)

Requested By: Some of you!

Pairing: Jisoo x Fem!Reader

AU: College

Word Count: ~ Part 1 -> 9,786 // Part 2 -> 7,433

Warnings / Misc. -- Pining, Angst, Fluff

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: Hey everyone! I finally have a few days off, so we're back to our (semi) regularly scheduled programming with this fic! I really hope you enjoy it; lmk what you think :)

PS ~ Once again, I had to split it into two parts to appease the Tumblr Overlords.

♡ Happy Reading ♡

Part 2 -- Click Here

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

1.) A Day In Class

Where does true beauty come from?

Is it strictly based in someone's DNA, rooted entirely in the attractiveness of their features? Or is deeper than that; does it extend from their soul? The very essence of stardust and personality that makes them them? Is it in how they interact with others? How they carry themselves?

You, being the wannabe philosopher that you are, love hearing people's answers to those questions. Every response is unique in its own way, altered depending on the person asked, and you find that to be one of humanity's most wonderful qualities. Like snowflakes, we're all different; as such is our definition of beauty. It lies in the eye of the beholder, subjective in its nature, and you find that comforting. Just think: if 99% of the world's population found you unattractive, 78,000,000 would beg to differ.

Though, for one person, you're sure those rules don't apply. She's objectively beautiful, and no one even attempts to pretend otherwise.

Who, you may ask? Kim Jisoo, of course -- head of your school's student council, resident girl next door, and keeper of your heart. She's poised in every way, and refined to the point that you question if you're even deserving of knowing her. Humor and kindness radiate from her no matter where she goes, so it's really no surprise that so many people love her.

A tap on your shoulder pulls you from your thoughts, and you turn to look at your best friend. "Yo, Y/N. What did you get for number 32?" Jeong asks from his seat in the row directly behind you, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Your history professor likely wouldn't take kindly to being interrupted during his lecture, so you choose to show him your answer instead of responding out loud.

Jeong thanks you and continues to work on the activity you finished nearly 15 minutes ago, leaving you to half-heartedly listen to your professor. You're a good student, but even you have a limit to how much monotonous speaking you can handle in one sitting. As his words drone on, you roll your neck -- intending for the action to relieve some of the tension in your aching muscles; you're in for a surprise, however, when you lock eyes with none other than Jisoo herself. She offers a warm smile and wave, and the innocent actions send swarms of butterflies to take flight in your stomach. After sitting there for a moment, dumbstruck by her beauty, you snap to and return the gesture, making her giggle quietly.

Huh. So that's what angels sound like, then.

She turns back to her work after a minute, flipping the page every so often as she follows along with the lesson. You take note of how her eyes dart across the materials laid out on her desk, how her fingers mindlessly flirt with the edge of her sleeve in contemplation when she gets to a question that stumps her.

Never have you ever found yourself in such inner turmoil before. The sight before you begs to be seen -- to be admired -- but class continues on. As much as you try to fight it, your resolve eventually crumbles; foreign concepts now falling on fully deaf ears, you allow yourself to be entranced.

2.) Out In The Square

A Few Hours Later

Throngs of people stretch out before you, everyone making their way to various parts of campus as the blazingly hot sun beats down on them. Some run like their lives depend on it -- likely having overslept or missed campus transit -- while others take their time, catching up with friends and gossiping all the while. The soft pfft of sprinklers set up across the sections of lawn around you can be heard, going off every so often, and occasionally they're followed by the shouts of some unfortunate people getting soaked.

"You're so lucky, Y/N," Jeong groans from behind you. A grimace sits on his face as he flips through the pages of his Trigonometry book, looking for the reference graphs again. "No more classes for the rest of the week and you don't have any more assignments to finish? Remind me again how to become a teacher's pet, please." You roll your eyes with an amused smile, leaning back on your elbows to talk to him.

"I'm not a teacher's pet, Jeong. I just do my work on time instead of partying every night." He picks up a leftover piece of bread from the picnic basket that sits to his right and tosses it at you in retaliation to your little remark.

"I don't care what you say, those parties are always epic. One of these days I'll convince you to come along."

You shake your head, knowing there's no way you'd willingly attend one of them. From his stories, all those "epic" nights consist of is ridiculously drunken beer pong, sweaty people doing jello shots, and regrets.

"Not in a million years, loser." You say adamantly, not letting him trick himself into believing he's capable of swaying you.

With one last muttered phrase of, "we'll see about that," he returns to his studies, and you turn your attention elsewhere.

Scattered light filters in through the leaves of the tree you're sitting under, wrapping you in a blanket of warmth as your eyes scan across the crowd again. The sight brings to mind an idea that always fascinates you: everyone you meet is busy creating their own stories, writing and rewriting new possibilities and endings for themselves with each new choice they make. You can hear snippets of their conversations -- see instances of some having their best days while others are living through their worst -- and it really puts things into perspective. Although we may appear as side characters in those books of life that others are writing for themselves, we have no idea what they're going through at any given moment. So, you believe, that makes it all the more important to leave a positive impact on them; whether it be a kind smile, holding the door, or even a simple compliment, you're determined to have your legacy be one rooted in kindness.

Speaking of kindness in human form…

There she is, you think to yourself, feeling that all too familiar pitter patter of your heart pick up. Jisoo exits Building C, where her latest lecture just ended, and rushes down the stairs with her books in her arms. She's studying to become an actress, as far as you know, and you can't help but smile at the thought; she'll make an amazing star someday.

You watch as she meets up with 3 other girls, whom you immediately recognize as Lisa, Rosé, and Jennie, and they eagerly bounce their way over to the refreshment truck that one of your school's clubs had been so considerate to hire. It's the perfect day for a cold treat, after all.

Jisoo's dark hair flows in the gentle breeze that rolls in, looking like silk as it rides the currents. She's gorgeous in every way, and you can't help but be smitten; besides, it's not like you're not alone in your pining. She practically has the entire student body wrapped around her finger.

"Y/N, don't forget to blink. You're staring pretty hard," Yuqi says, raising up onto her elbow beside Jeong. He laughs with her, but his eyes remain glued to the notebook paper he's scribbling his work onto.

Your eyes dart away following her statement, and you know you've been caught. "I thought you were asleep," you bite back, attempting to hide the blush of embarrassment that's quickly flooding to your cheeks.

"I was, but I guess my intuition as your best friend woke me up. It's my mission in life to tease you."

"So I've gathered," you sarcastically smile at each other, making stupid faces like always.

"You love me," she flips her hair over her shoulder, appearing self-assured with the smirk that tugs at her lips.

"Do I though? I don't know sometimes..." she socks you in the arm, making you chuckle.

"All jokes, babe. Don't pout," you pinch her cheek until she grins, and then she begins telling you all about the dream she just had.

----

Jisoo leads her gang over to one of the nearby tables, making sure to choose her seat strategically. A special someone caught her attention earlier, as they have from the moment she first laid eyes on them months ago, and she hasn't been able to fight the urge to admire them. She watches as they laugh along with something their friend said, tilting their head back as the cheerful noise rings out. She finds herself smiling along, imagining what it would be like to make them laugh like that; it's a uniquely wonderful sound, and she can't help but adore it.

They lean across the blanket they're sitting on and dig through a picnic basket, retrieving what seems to be a sandwich packaged up in plastic wrap. One of their friends exaggeratedly thanks them, tackling them to the ground in a messy hug with a shout of gratitude that even Jisoo can hear from across the square.

"Earth to Jisoo!" Jennie says, raising her voice slightly as she snaps her fingers in front of the unnie. The former jolts back to attention with a little jump, clearing her throat to gather her thoughts.

"You know, you could always go talk to him. I've heard he's sweet." She tells the other girl, noticing the look of longing that's befallen her features.

"Yeah, Joy has Art with him on Thursdays. I think his name's Jeong or something like that." Lisa butts in before taking another lick of her ice cream.

Despite being so smart, the girls are really oblivious sometimes; Jisoo wasn't looking at him at all. She was looking at you.

She doesn't know if now is the right time to tell them that, though. She hasn't officially come out to them, but she isn't afraid that they won't accept her -- she just wants that moment to be special, and sweating in the middle of the campus square doesn't seem like the golden opportunity that she's been hoping for.

"Just eat your treats, knuckleheads." She concludes, taking a spoonful of the shaved ice she opted for instead of ice cream. The truck had multiple types of treats, with all kinds of different toppings and flavorings lining the walls.

"Okay…" Rosé trails off before adding, "but don't say we didn't try to help when you start wishing you had said something later." Jisoo uses her spoon to lower the one that Rosie had raised accusingly at her, reassuring the girl that she'd be fine.

She knows it's a lie, though; as the 4 of them later toss their trash in the bins and make their way to the student council room, Jisoo sneaks a last wistful glance at you, wishing she would've had the courage to start a conversation.

3.) One Step Closer

Friday, 1:34 PM -- A Few Days Later

"Hey, Minji. How many do we have today?" You wave at what kids have already been dropped off, your presence making their little faces light up with joy.

Your coworker responds from across the room, tossing a couple stray toys into their labeled baskets to keep the space tidy. "10 or so, I think. The last ones should be arriving soon." You nod and take off your coat, setting your things in one of the small cubbies against the wall just beyond the entrance.

"Y/N!" A small voice shouts from behind the counter, hidden from view. You smile deeply when you realize who it is, and you quickly dart around the corner to say hello. His chubby hands cover his mouth, but they do little in hiding his adorable grin. "Seungbum! How's my little munchkin?!" He squeals and runs into your arms, giggling loudly when you pick him up and spin him around. His dark hair sways from side to side with the movement, the slight waves sticking out in random places. A few seconds later, he wraps his arms around your neck and pulls back to look at you, settling into your secure hold.

"Can we play when Jia gets here? I promised her I'd show her the new trick I learned, but I wanna show you, too."

You smile at the sweet sentiment. "Of course, buddy. As long as you eat well at snack time, we can play however much you want." You raise an eyebrow at him, showing your authority, before saying, "I saw you put your veggies in your pocket last time and skip to dessert, so it'd better not happen again." He lowers his head after realizing he had been caught, and a hint of redness flushes his cheeks in embarrassment.

"Okay Y/N-yah."

You tickle him to make sure he knows you aren't mad at him, and soon he's laughing again. "Now, go wash your hands and get settled at the table, please."

"Yes ma'am." His tiny sneakers squeak against the floor as he races off towards one of the lowered sinks that borders the kitchen wall, and you shake your head with a smile.

Not even a second later, you feel a soft tug at your pant leg, and you turn around to find the source.

A head of brilliantly auburn hair is the first thing you see, and its shade compliments the child's outfit perfectly. "Hi sweetheart. Are you new?" You squat down to the young girl's level, noting how she shyly toys with her fingers as they rest in front of her. She nods, the movement so subtle that you almost don't notice it.

"My name's Y/N, and that awesome lady over there," you lean closer to her and point towards your coworker, "...is Minji. You can stay with us today, or you can play with the others, okay?" She nods again, her mannerisms letting you know just how shy she really is. Gently taking one of her hands, you hold it and look at her with a reassuring smile, asking, "Will you tell me your name?"

"I'm Aera." She meekly says, only maintaining eye contact for a second or two.

"That's a beautiful name," you compliment, seeing progress as she lightly smiles at your words. "And I love your bow," you add, touching the delicate material that rests near her ear, nestled into her straight locks. It has cherry blossoms and butterflies on it, all vibrant and neatly colored.

"Thank you, I picked it out myself." She perks up a bit now, raising her head to look at you with a proud smile. "Wow, really?" You put on an impressed expression, wanting to boost her confidence even more. "You'll have to help me choose one the next time I go shopping, then. You're great at it." The praise makes her chuckle, and her eyes squint into soft crescents in the process.

After stealing a glance at the table where everyone else has already gathered, you realize that they're waiting on you to start. "Alright, Aera, it's time to grab a bite to eat. Do you want to sit with me, or are you ready to be with the others?" You tilt your head to the side, asking the question softly so she doesn't feel overwhelmed. Having had this job for a while, you've gotten the hang of adjusting your behavior to put them at ease.

"With you," she says, growing a little timid again at the idea of mingling with them yet. "That's perfectly fine." You reassure her, smiling one more time before standing and leading her to the room. Her hand remains clutched in yours, wiggling around slightly from the height difference as she looks around.

"Who's ready for some snacks?" Minji asks the group, laughing when they all raise their hands and get excited. Their high pitched voices carry around the room as they discuss what foods they want to trade with each other, and soon everyone is happily munching away. You rub Aera's back sweetly as she eats some cucumber sticks, swinging her feet through the air beneath the short chair you retrieved from the table for her. She looks up into your eyes with a smile, melting your heart with the cuteness of her full cheeks. You squish them before turning away, feeling your 6th sense kick in as you scan your eyes across the rest of the group.

"Seungbum…" you warn, catching the way he's mischievously eyeing the carrots laid out before him on the table. He pokes at one of them and sighs, eventually giving in as he takes a hesitant bite of it. With some more convincing, he finishes the rest of the pack and gets started on his dessert.

----

Honestly, you feel sorry for the birds outside.

They must have had hundreds of mini heart attacks upon hearing the somehow earth-shattering roar of the 10 young kids, all blasting out the side door towards the playground. Some of them automatically race towards the swings or slides, while others approach the basket of toys and sports equipment. Aera, however, hangs back, her entire hand wrapped around just a few of your fingers. "What do you wanna do?" She shrugs, looking around at the different activities that the others are already starting.

"I can push you on the swings, or we could race. There're some monkey bars and a merry-go-round, too, that nobody's using right now." You suggest, hoping to catch her interest with one of them. Her attention snaps up to you at that last option, and she dramatically drops her jaw. "Did you say merry-go-round?" You nod with an amused grin, laughing when she lets out a cute noise of joy. After pointing her in the direction of it, she dashes off ahead of you and makes her way to it, only stopping to make sure you're still coming with her once she gets there.

"Hold on tight, little one." You advise, cheering when she giggles in anticipation. Her chuckles fill the airwaves as you spin the bar around, making sure not to pull too hard and make her too dizzy. You were once a kid, too, though, so you make it a point to add some serious speed every now and then to keep her entertained and happy. You remember playing on these all day when you were her age.

---

"Auntie!" Aera shrieks, excitedly thundering towards the fence that borders the playground. You finish cheering Seungbum on after watching his trick, grinning as he tries to flirt with Jia; she looks impressed. You turn around at Aera's commotion, feeling your eyes practically pop out of your head at who you see standing on the other side.

"How was your day, my love?" Jisoo asks sweetly, leaning over the metal divider to run a hand through her niece's hair lovingly. She still hasn't noticed your presence, and for that you don't know if you're relieved or saddened. Watching her interact with the young girl is quite adorable, though, and you're distracted from your personal gay panic for the time being.

"I've had so much fun. And Y/N-yah said she likes my hair clip! I told you this one was prettier than the one with just trees on it!" Aera says smugly, happy to have her decision pay off and prove her aunt wrong. Jisoo tenses up, not expecting to hear your name right now. Seeing that this is her first time picking Aera up, she had no idea you work at the daycare; though she'd be lying to say that it comes as a surprise -- you're a very warm person, so it's no wonder that you're good with kids.

As per Aera's request, you walk across the playground and join her in front of Jisoo. Now it's your turn to be shy; you sneak a glance at the student council president and immediately feel your cheeks heat up, so you busy yourself by patting Aera on the head. She hugs your leg and settles against your side, causing Jisoo to raise her eyebrows. "I'm impressed, Y/N. She usually doesn't open up to new people very easily."

"Ah, I'm surprised that such a cool girl like her wanted to hang out with me." You tease, tickling her side lightly when she hides behind the material of your shirt. "Do you want to come in and see what she drew today? She's definitely skilled." You suggest, trying not to sound too hopeful as you muster up the courage to look at Jisoo again. She's already smiling at you, a soft sort of adoration shining in her eyes as they rake over your features. She accepts your offer, and you walk over to the gate to let her in. Aera demands that you carry her, so you scoop her up into your arms as you make your way back into the daycare center. Her head sits on your shoulder, and you can feel her playfully making faces at Jisoo the entire way; her tiny frame jolts with each loud giggle she lets out, and the sound makes you smile.

---

"Yeah, she was my sidekick for the day." You respond to Jisoo, continuing your conversation as you watch Aera remove her drawing from the cork board that she taped it to earlier. Displaying the kids' artwork is something that you advocated for when you first began working here, and you're so glad you did; they always get excited to share their works.

"She's a lucky girl, then." She says, doing her best to ignore the feeling of your eyes on her. Focusing on anything other than you is already hard enough for her, but she knows there'd be no hope left if she gives in now.

"Y/N helped me draw this. She doodled Dalgom in the corner," Aera cheerily says, breaking the slight tension in the air as she approaches the table. Most of the other kids have already been picked up, and Minji's watching the handful that haven't.

"It's not very good," you cringe, scratching the back of your neck. You've seen him a few times since the beginning of the year, whether it be on walks across campus with Jisoo, or perched on her desk during "bring your pet to class" day.

"It's adorable; Dalgomie will be honored when I show it to him." Jisoo says with a nod, shutting down your insecurities within a second. You fail to contain the laugh that slips past your lips, disbelief present in your voice as you ask, "You're going to show him?" She looks at you like you have 3 heads. "It would be a disgrace not to."

With a breathy chuckle, you say, "You're so strange. I like it, though."

Jisoo smiles at that, and the three of you discuss all of the fun things you did that day. Jisoo tells you about the classes she had to sit through, and even how she stepped in gum and had to borrow a pair of Rosé's shoes.

---

All good things must come to an end, though, and after about half an hour of talking, it was time to say goodbye.

You lead them out the door and down the sidewalk as per Aera's request, yet again (that child is basically a mini dictator at this point, but she's cute so she gets a free pass). As she rustles around her bag in search of her keys, Jisoo accidentally knocks her earbud case out, sending it tumbling to the ground. "Oh! Here, I'll grab it for you." You kindly offer, stepping past her to retrieve it from the grass. She takes it from you with a word of gratitude uttered in that angelic voice of hers, and you begin your goodbyes upon hearing Minji call your name.

"I'll see you around, Jisoo. And Aera, I expect to see you next week." You wiggle a finger at the little girl, donning a shocked expression when she pretends to bite it. "Can't you tell we're related?" Jisoo asks with a smile, ruffling her niece's hair. "The resemblance is uncanny," you laugh, watching as both of them join in with you.

"Y/N, come on!" Minji whines, sounding like a toddler herself. You initially go to brush off her request in order to spend a few more seconds with the two of them, but when she stands in the doorway, entering your line of sight, you see why she's so desperate for your help -- two of the children still waiting on their parents are climbing on her, about to knock her over at any second. Her face is beet red from the effort she's exerting, and her hair is mussed wildly.

"Oh shhh---" you start, catching yourself when Jisoo widens her eyes at you and goes to cover Aera's ears, "--shiitake mushrooms!" You finish with a nervous smile, gaining a stunned laugh from your crush. "Bye girls; gotta go. I'm on my way, Minji!" You call out like a superhero, running to her aid as fast as your legs will carry you.

Jisoo watches you wrangle one of the squirmy kids off of her and initiate a tickle fight to distract him and give Minji time to deal with the other one. She smiles like a dork at your actions, realizing she would be content with watching you all day. You're a natural with them, and seeing you in action is something she wishes she had the chance to do more often. With that, she turns around and picks Aera up; the youngster nuzzles into her embrace, lazily slumping onto her after having such a tiring day. As Jisoo goes to take a step forward, she notices something on the ground: a piece of paper. It's been folded neatly many times, and it reminds her of the notes she would always pass to her friends back in elementary school. Her curiosity gets the better of her, and she can't resist the urge to pick it up.

"To The Girl Who'll Never Know I Love Her"

Her eyes scan across the words and she unfolds the note, making sure to keep a steady grip on Aera with her other arm. An almost unnoticeable signature is scribbled in the bottom corner, and she nearly scares Aera by squealing in pleasant surprise.

It's your name, curled into the letters that are so uniquely yours; the paper must've fallen out of your pocket when you bent down to get her case earlier.

After buckling her niece into her car seat and climbing into the driver's seat, Jisoo unfolds the note again and begins reading. She's like a giddy kid all over again, and part of her feels bad for giving into temptation. She reasons with herself by promising to give it back to you the next time she sees you, and that manages to rid her conscience of some of the guilt she feels. For now, though, she's eager to see what it contains.

The first thing to catch her eye is a poem written neatly underneath a doodle of a rabbit, likely serving as some sort of label. Everyone on campus knows of her nickname and resemblance to rabbits, and she can't help but hope that your drawing wasn't simply a coincidence.

Poison, is what you are

A bittersweet mix, intoxicatingly beautiful

For one glance from you

Steals every breath I had so foolishly believed was mine to take

For one smile from you

Sends me reeling, falling all over again

She nearly swoons at the words, rereading them multiple times over and imagining you saying them to her. She wonders how the syllables would fall from your lips, which ones you'd stress to alter the meaning into whatever you imagined when you wrote them. Whether or not they're written for her, she may never know; all she's aware of right now is how they make her feel, and how that feeling is one that she never wants to stop experiencing.

4.) Practice Makes Perfect

2 Weeks, 3 Exams, and 1 Mental Breakdown Later

"Coming!" You call out, using all of your strength to push your rolling chair away from your desk and across the room towards the door.

"Y/N L/N, at your service," you say, doing a little bow in your seat. Upon looking up to see who's in front of you, your eyes lock with the same girl who's been living in your mind rent free ever since you met her.

"Jisoo!" You announce a little louder than intended, scrambling up into a standing position before kicking the chair backwards. You wince when it collides with something behind you, filling the room with noise as a few of your knick knacks clatter to the floor. Jisoo has to fight to contain the smile on her lips, pursing them as she looks towards the ground so as to not embarrass you.

It's too late though -- you've already made a fool of yourself, and right in front of your crush, no less.

"What can I do for you?" You ask, finally relaxing your face from its previously scrunched up position.

"Are you busy right now? I have a favor to ask and you might be the only person who can help me out." Her eyebrows raise inquisitively at you, quirking up in that special way they always do when she's focusing in class.

She could ask you to do just about anything, and you'd be agreeing without hesitation; no questions asked.

"N-no, just doing a little studying is all. How can I help?" You'd normally curse yourself for sounding so shy, but she looks especially gorgeous tonight and you can't even blame yourself for it. The fluorescent bulbs of the dorm's hallway fail to even put a dent in the glow she's radiating, and that's no small feat -- those horrible little things are usually capable of making anyone look bad, and yet, once again, Jisoo manages to break the mold.

"Mrs. Choi assigned a rehearsal for me tonight, and I need a peer to score how well I do. I trust you to do it." She says, having no idea how much her words are affecting you.

Review portions of the semester are crucial to every major's success, but arguably none so much as those studying to be actors. The peer and admin reviews that they receive account for a large chunk of their grade, so you can imagine how nerve-racking it would be to put that kind of power in someone else's hands. You're touched that she trusts you with it.

"I'd love to help, Jisoo. Just curious, though: why don't you have one of the girls help? They probably know more about it than me, after all." Everyone knows how close JenChuLiChaeng are, so her decision to choose you is genuinely intriguing.

Shit. For some reason, Jisoo hadn't anticipated that you'd ask that question. The thought had never crossed her mind earlier, when she was preoccupied with convincing herself to come in the first place, so she has to think something up on the fly.

"They're all busy with work. Couldn't afford to lose any precious cramming time, you know?" She says, a hint of nervousness behind the small laugh she lets out. It's uncharacteristic for her, considering she's usually so confident all the time, but you think it's adorable.

"Ryujin's the same way," you tease, turning your head to look at your roommate. She's across the room on her bed, reading through her book as she holds her middle finger up to let you know she heard your comment. "What a sweetie," you coo, blowing a kiss at her that makes her roll her eyes and smile despite herself. She pretends to be hardcore, but after spending the past few months with her you've discovered that she's actually the human embodiment of a cinnamon roll.

"Well," you say, turning back to Jisoo, "when do you have to start?"

She pulls her sleeve back to glance at her watch before returning her gaze to you. "Gotta be back at the dorm in 10 minutes."

Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise, the inner honor student in you already panicking. "10 minutes?! It's all the way across campus, Jisoo!"

She laughs at you now, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. "I'm kidding; we still have a couple hours. You should've seen your face, though. Priceless."

"That's no way to treat someone who practically has your grade resting in their hands." You say smugly, a little smirk playing on your lips when her jaw drops dramatically.

"You wouldn't dare," she narrows her eyes, referencing the notion that you might give her bad marks because of that little prank.

"Maybe, or maybe not. Perhaps I'll be merciful if you take me to get something to eat first."

"Food as a peace offering? Alright, I can do that."

You smile, doing a dorky little cheer at that. "Okay, I'll be right out; just give me a second to make myself look presentable."

Jisoo accepts your words with a curt nod, but she wants to tell you that you already look more than presentable. When you first opened the door earlier and she saw you in your study glasses, she couldn't help but smile like a fool; you're adorable, especially to her, and she wishes you could see that.

A couple minutes later you exit your dorm and find her leaned up against the hallway wall, her hands fidgeting in front of her. Is she nervous?

"So, where would you like to go?" You ask, pulling the thin material of your jacket over your shoulders. It's lightweight -- seeing as how the weather doesn't call for a large one -- and it feels soft against your skin.

As the two of you fall into step with each other, she responds, "It's up to you, princess. Since I'm at your mercy and all." Her smirk is visible in your peripheral.

The nickname causes your heart to flutter in your chest, thudding around even harder than it had before. "U-uh, how about the noodle place?" You suggest, trying not to cringe at the stutter in your voice. You've heard that she likes chicken and ramen, and that shop is known as the best restaurant on campus for it.

"110%. You know me so well," she says dreamily, batting her eyelashes at you with a silly smile.

"Called it," you retort, brushing your shoulder off nonchalantly. "Now come on, I'm hungry and ready to spend all of your money." Her hand slips into yours when you reach down for it, almost instinctively, feeling like it was meant to be there all along, and you tug her down the hallway towards the elevator.

----

"I know! If Mr. Johnson assigns another project like that then I'll politely be jumping out a window."

Jisoo laughs at how animated you are, even having to stop chewing her mouthful of food momentarily to make sure she doesn't choke. She really loves hanging out with you; you make everything fun, and all of the stress she feels on a daily basis seems to vanish into thin air.

"I did pretty bad on that last one," Jisoo adds, grimacing as she remembers her score.

"You literally got a 93 out of 100, shut up." You shake your head with an amused smile, reaching across the table to snatch a piece of gimbap from her plate.

"Hey--" she goes to yell at you, but her phone vibrates against the table, successfully stopping her.

"Hello?" She answers, silently starting a chopstick war with you when you reach for another piece. When the person on the other end begins talking, she stops playing in order to concentrate on what they're saying.

"Did she cancel?" She asks, furrowing her brow as her lips form into a natural pout. She sighs, rubbing her temple gently as the conversation continues. "Okay, I'm out with a friend right now, but you can go ahead and head that way. We'll meet you there. Alright, love you, too. Bye."

You raise an eyebrow, wordlessly requesting info about what new plan you're being involved in. "That was my brother; the babysitter cancelled on them last minute, so we have to watch Aera for a few hours." Jisoo loves her niece dearly, but she can't deny that she wanted to spend the evening alone with you. She's afraid the little girl will steal all of your attention away, as childish as that may seem.

"You're such a good person," you compliment, only to frown when she brushes off your words. "I mean it, Jisoo. You always take care of everybody around you; it's admirable. Now take the compliment or I'll team up with Aera later and tease you."

She rolls her eyes with a smile, saying, "You're gonna do that regardless."

"That's not the point," you pout, stomping your foot on the ground lightly.

"Fine; tis I, Jisoo, the greatest person in all of existence. Happy now?"

"Ecstatic." You beam at her, returning back to your cheery self. "I'll go grab some boxes for us, okay?" She nods, and you scurry off on your mission.

----

Back At Jisoo's Dorm

Images flash across the large, flatscreen TV mounted to the wall across from you, displaying scenes of whatever cartoon the network decided to air right now. Aera isn't being picky; she's content with sitting in your lap, mindlessly fidgeting with the necklace that loosely dangles from your neck as she remains entranced by the screen. Your arms are around her to make her feel secure, and her small frame racks against you with every sweet giggle she lets out anytime a new joke is told by one of her favorite characters.

Jisoo observes from the kitchen, leaning back against the countertop to settle in while she waits for Aera's favorite snack to heat up. She watches as you point to various things on the TV, having her name the ones she knows and teaching her others that she doesn't.

She loves seeing you like this. You're beaming in that special way that sets her heart on fire, and the flames are only fanned when you turn to look at her. Somehow, the sight reminds her of the first time she met you:

It was orientation week -- the beginning of the school year -- and you were taking a tour around campus with some of your friends. You were lucky to have them; you'd only kept in contact with a handful of people from high school, knowing full well that most of those relationships were only rooted in superficiality, never meant to last. But this motley crew was different; they saw you for you, and all of you genuinely enjoyed each other's company. It didn't have the same air of awkward tension as the fake friendships had -- this was real and honest, and you thanked your lucky stars for them on the daily.

All of you had managed to get into your dream schools, and the reality was bittersweet; you'd all be moving away from each other and beginning your own lives, having less and less time for each other in the process. You were beyond proud of them, and yourself, for that matter, but it still hurt to think that they wouldn't be just a few blocks away anymore. That you couldn't just swing by their house to go on a late night drive through the city like you used to. As exciting as your new experiences were bound to be, part of you was terrified; your life up until now had been fairly safe, creating a little security blanket to protect you from all that life had in store, but now you were on your own and the idea was a bit daunting. The memories you made together comforted you, though, and kept the sadness at bay.

"Dude, this place is sick. How did you manage to make it in again?"

"Because she's smart, dumbass. We should be asking you that question."

"Ouch, (Friend's Name), that hurt."

"Do you still have those chips from earlier? I'm starving over here."

"Yeah, here, they're in my bag."

Pockets of separate conversations can be heard from behind you, all of your friends chatting away while you walk ahead of them, map and schedule in hand. The campus is fairly large, and with so many buildings and classrooms it's easy to get confused. You continue walking, running a finger along the map to trace the path you intend to take towards the Help Center.

In your preoccupied state, you don't even realize that you're headed straight for a trash can that sits on the sidewalk, mere seconds away from colliding with it.

A passerby notices just in the nick of time, reaching an arm out in front of you to prevent the accident with a noise of warning. You tense up, not expecting the sudden interruption, and look up into the eyes of your savior. Her dark orbs peer back at you, an innocent gleam in them when she sees your lips slowly tug into a smile.

She mirrors your actions, neither of you saying anything yet. You couldn't utter a word even if you wanted to; her beauty leaves you speechless.

"That was close," she says quietly, only to you. Your friends have almost caught up with you now, still busy with their own conversations, though they'll tease you once they see a gorgeous stranger's arm wrapped around you.

"Thank you," you breathe out, clearing your throat as you take a step away from her.

"Ooh, who's this, Y/N?" One of your friends coos, garnering a chorus of childish "oohs" and kissy noises from the others. Why are they so obnoxious?

You apologetically glance at the girl one more time before turning around to respond to them, but she speaks up before you can.

"Kim Jisoo." She introduces, facing them with a wide smile. It's easy to see that she's done this before; her tone is pleasant and light, not even a hint of hesitancy in it. She's used to being the center of attention; you can tell by the way she carries herself and commands the space.

"I see you guys are taking a tour, right?" She looks between all of you, though her eyes linger on you for a second too long to be brushed off as 'just friendly'.

You nod, saying, "I can't find my last class. It's a Gen Ed one; World History, room 435. The map says it's in Complex D, but the room was vacant when we went by."

She listens intently, paying attention to your every word. "They must've handed out the old maps by accident, then. Mr. Johnson had to move rooms to accommodate larger class sizes. When do you have him?"

You unfold your schedule again, gazing down at the slightly crumpled sheet until your eyes find their target. "Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1PM."

Upon registering what you said, Jisoo does her best to contain the grin that threatens to spread across her face. "Ah, same as me! I can take you to the room, if you'd like. That way you can find it next week." She offers, pleased by the fact that she'll be seeing you more often. Your cute mannerisms have already thrown her for a loop, and she wants to get to know you better.

"That would be great." You let out a relieved laugh, releasing the worry you felt; tours are meant to end within 20 minutes or so, and before Jisoo came you were afraid you'd never find your last class. She's saving the day again, it seems.

"Great, follow me," she smiles warmly, placing a gentle hand on the small of your back to turn you in the right direction. When you give your friends one last glance over your shoulder, you find them giving you thumbs up with smirks on their faces. One of them puckers their lips at you, and you stick your tongue out in return.

You're not sure what they'll end up doing while you finish your tour, though it'll likely involve either skating or eating fast food. They have each other to keep themselves entertained, so you're not worried about them in the slightest. You make a mental note to text them when you're done to meet up again.

Jisoo smiles like an idiot when she realizes what's happening behind her, failing miserably to hide it when you spin back around and give your full attention to her.

"What?" You ask, leaning in closer to her to nudge her shoulder when she looks away, blushing.

"Nothing," she shakes her head, only to be prompted by you again. "You're just cute, is all."

You have to use all your power to hold back the squeal you want to let out at hearing that. Kim Jisoo, as you now know her to be, thinks you're cute? You must be dreaming.

"That's funny, I don't remember turning into a mirror."

"Yah, babo!" She chuckles, not expecting that as she smacks the back of your head with no real force. The two of you share a laugh and continue talking while you make your way to the room.

Beeping sounds from the microwave bring Jisoo back down to Earth, causing the pleasant memory to fade more and more with every incessant signal that cuts through the air. She grabs a couple heat guards and approaches the machine, carefully opening the steaming package and pouring its contents into a big, shareable bowl. Though it may be Aera's favorite food, she'd be damned to not make enough for the two of you as well. After all, keeping her entertained will take plenty of energy.

"Did this princess order one heaping bowl of popcorn or am I at the wrong castle?" Jisoo plays, padding into the room with a bright smile on her face as she looks over at her niece. The smell of her snack snaps Aera back to reality, making her eyes light up with pure joy as she leaps off of your lap and runs to Jisoo. She wraps her arms around her legs, thanking her in that sweet little voice of hers as she gazes up at her aunt with stars in her eyes.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She chants, wiggling her body around in excitement. She lets go when Jisoo goes to walk to the couch, following close behind her like an eager puppy.

She approaches you again, making grabby hands for you to lift her onto your lap even though she's more than capable of getting up there by herself. Nevertheless, you pull her up with a humored grin, watching as she puts her hands in her lap and patiently waits for the two of you to get a bite first. Her ability to follow manners is commendable, though the slight twitch of her lip when she gets a whiff of the food is pretty adorable.

"Dig in," you say around your mouthful of food, locking eyes with Jisoo when Aera jumps at the opportunity to follow your instructions. You never have to tell her twice when it comes to food.

"Yep, definitely related."

Jisoo laughs at your comment, reaching over top of Aera to flick you in the forehead. She shrugs at your pained exclamation, uttering a nonchalant "Sorry, not sorry," as the two of you crack up together.

----

"Y/N, how the hell did you manage to do that?" Jisoo whispers, not bothering to censor herself when she sees Aera fast asleep in your arms. It's not like she could hear her anyway.

"She was already kinda tired when she got here; I just made sure to get that last little bit of energy out with the games. Have you forgotten that I know a thing or two about kids?" You tease, turning to her with a smile when you finish walking up the short staircase.

"You don't understand: usually it takes us hours to settle her down. She's just a totally different person around you."

"Must be my awesomeness."

"Hmm, must be," Jisoo hums, quietly opening her bedroom door for you and watching as you carefully lay Aera down. You tuck her under the blankets with care, making sure to brush the hair out of her face and adjust her pillow a bit. Jisoo leans against the doorframe, adding the scene before her to her list of reasons for loving you. Seeing you in such a domestic situation gives her baby fever, and she has to push the persistent feeling away.

"Ready?" You whisper with one last look over your shoulder, giving Jisoo your undivided attention once you confirm that Aera's alright.

"Let's do it," she says, pulling the door to but not latching it. The two of you will be in the living room, just down the hall, and you want to be able to hear her in case she needs something. So responsible.

You take in the dorm as Jisoo leads you towards your destination, amazed at how much bigger it is than yours and Ryujin's. This one has separate rooms equipped with their own personal bathrooms, a decent kitchen, and, of course, a living area. Clearly, having ties to the school and being president of the student council come with some major perks. Your socked feet pad against the hardwood floor, and you close what little distance is left between Jisoo and yourself to press your body against her back, wrapping your arms around her. She lets out a little noise of surprise, but doesn't protest; she tucks one of her hands into your clasped ones and uses the other to rub your forearm.

A few moments later you plop down onto the couch and get comfortable on the cushions. Jisoo digs around in her bag that leans against the tv stand, searching for the script of her upcoming production. Her shirt rides up slightly, giving you a perfect view of her beautifully sculpted stomach, and her skin looks ethereal as it glows in the soft lamplight of the room. Embarrassed for admiring her in such a way, you avert your gaze, failing to notice how she subtly bites her lip as she approaches you; she planned that little show, and it worked.

"Okay, so here's the scoring sheet," she hands you a semi-formal looking paper, along with a pencil and clipboard to use as a stabilizer. "I'll be reading from the first few pages on my own, but I was wondering if you'd fill in for the male lead for some of the other parts? It's a lot easier to get into character if I have someone's energy to feed off of."

You smile at how cute she sounded with her little rambled request, and nod. "Of course, Jisoo. I doubt I'll be any good, though." She releases a sigh at that, happy to have you agree; her plan is coming along nicely, but there's always room for things to go wrong.

"I'm sure you're better than you think."

"Stop sucking up, Chu. Flattery won't make me raise your grade," you warn, pointing the pencil at her sternly. Your tone sends a shiver down her spine, though it goes unnoticed by you.

"Let's just get started." She concludes, doing her best to keep from getting too flustered under your already watchful eye.

----

Her show is well underway, caught somewhere towards the end of act two, and you're enthralled by the performance she's giving. The paper that once rested in your lap is marked up with comments of praise and proud annotations to accompany your high scoring, though now it lays forgotten about on the coffee table, serving no purpose any longer. You finished all of the required sections necessary for your peer review, and now you're just enjoying the journey that Jisoo is continuing to take you on.

You look back up into her eyes after reading off the lines of the character you're filling in for, looking completely unskilled next to the pure talent that she's exuding. She stands from the couch, looking down at you with an exasperated expression as she remains in character.

"You don't get it!" She raises her voice slightly, though not loud enough to wake Aera. Even while in the intense mindset she has to be in for her character, she keeps one foot in the reality of this world, making sure to behave appropriately.

"Enlighten me, then." You stand and retort, shifting a bit closer to her after reciting your line.

"Only when I'm with you do I feel true happiness. Your kind eyes bring me comfort like no other; I'm safe in your arms. For you, my love," she pauses, her eyes brimming with tears from the emotional words she's spent so much time rehearsing. "...there isn't a thing in this world that I wouldn't do." Your breath is held tightly in your throat, and your hands subconsciously grip onto the material of your jeans.

Only now do you realize how close the two of you have migrated to one another; she's merely a breath away, so close you can feel the warmth radiating from her. You swallow thickly, feeling your nerves come alive with every second that passes in heated silence, neither of you knowing what to do now. You've lost the desire to read your next line, and she doesn't seem too upset by that fact. Her eyes slowly scan over your features, and the lovesick look in them makes you question if she's still in character or slipping out of it.

After her gaze darts down to your lips and she licks her own without even realizing it, you seriously begin hoping for the latter of the two options.

She searches your face for any sign of refusal as she leans in closer, now bringing her arms up to wrap around your waist and lightly ball the material of your shirt up into her fists. Your hands rest on her shoulders, and you glide your fingertips over her jawline. A singular nod is the last form of consent that you give her before she pulls you closer.

Her lips ghost over yours, receiving some of the vanilla balm you applied earlier; her breath hitches when you tug at the collar of her university sweater, teasingly taking her bottom lip between your teeth. She wants to savor this moment, so she fights against her urge to dive right in and get lost in you.

Within seconds, she's kicking herself for that decision.

"Auntie? Y/N?" Aera calls sleepily from just around the corner, making the two of you spring away from each other. When she appears less than a second later, you realize how close you had been to getting caught. Jisoo refuses to meet your gaze when you look towards her, and that simple action disheartens you a bit.

"Hey, sweetheart. Bad dream?" You ask, using your inference skills after noticing the way that she's clutching her stuffed bunny close to her chest. Her lip trembles as she nods, and the sight breaks your heart. Quickly, you pick her up again, assuring her that she's safe and that you'd slay any monster that dared to hurt her, even in her dreams. A small smile tugs at her lips, and she brings a fist up to rub her eye. "How about this: I'll do a quadruple check of the room for you, and stay with you until you fall asleep. Sound good?"

She utters a tired, "Yes, Y/N-yah", before laying her head on your shoulder and waving a goodbye towards Jisoo as you take her back to the room.

Four sweeps of the room and one fight with a ghost later, you tuck her in again and lay a sweet kiss to her forehead. "Love you," she mumbles lazily, making your heart melt. Kids say that phrase quickly, without even realizing the weight that it has, but you're always glad to accept whatever they imagine it to be. Whether she loves you for playing with her, tucking her in, or defending her honor against imaginary monsters, you don't really care all that much -- she loves you in the ways that she knows how, and that's all that matters.

"I love you, too, Aera. Sleep well." You tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and settle against the wall, prepared to come through on your promise.

----

"Hey," you start, albeit a bit awkwardly.

"Hey," Jisoo returns, pushing her leftovers from the restaurant around her plate half-heartedly. You approach the marble countertop that she sits behind, silently begging for her to look up at you.

"Should we talk about earlier?" You quietly ask, picking at imaginary imperfections on the surface of the countertop.

"What about it?"

"We practically kissed--"

"It was in the script to do so, Y/N." She says, finally looking up at you. She sounds a bit hostile now, like she's getting defensive for some unknown reason.

"Oh," the simple utterance is all you can manage, seeing as how your brain is running a mile a minute. You want to ask if it meant anything else to her -- if she would've taken it farther, had Aera not walked in -- but you don't. Her tone serves as enough of an answer, and you're not sure you could stand to hear her verbalize your fears anyway.

"Well I guess I should go, then." You retract your hand and put it in your pocket, realizing how stupid you were for thinking she could like you back. She doesn't; she was just in need of a helping hand tonight, and you offered that. You shouldn't have tried to turn it into anything that it wasn't.

Hearing the disappointment in your voice makes her want to confess right then and there, but something still holds her back -- some force is yelling at her to keep her feelings hidden for fear of rejection. "I can drive you."

You shake your head. "Nah, it's okay. I'll have Ryujin come get me. You can't leave Aera here and I wouldn't want to have to wake her up just for you to drive me across campus." Jisoo agrees, realizing that she didn't even think about that at first.

"Goodnight, Jisoo." You say, heading off towards the front door. She returns the gesture, reminding you to be safe as she locks it behind you and watches you dial up your roommate's number. Before long, she pulls into one of the parking spaces in front of the dorm, and the two of you drive away.

Click Here For Part 2

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digital-corruption · 4 years ago

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Haunted by the Past Part 17

When I opened my eyes again, it was morning. To my surprise, Jake was still there holding me. I shifted and turned to look behind me. He was sleeping - the man who never sleeps.

He must’ve sensed my gaze as he stirred and slowly woke up. He blinked at me for a while, then smiled, “Hi beautiful.”

“I take it you’re feeling better,” I smiled back.

“I can’t complain,” he said with a light grind against me.

“We will have to get up eventually,” I laughed.

“Mmm, maybe I’ll just call in sick,” Jake groaned and he snuggled closer.

“How is your boss going to handle that?” I teased.

“Oh he won’t complain. I never take sick days,” Jake closed his eyes.

We laid like that for at least an hour, just enjoying each other’s warmth. Eventually we could not ignore our basic needs any longer. I got up and went to the bathroom for a shower. Jake followed me in. The shower took so long from Jake’s intense kisses that we started to run out of hot water.

When we got out, I couldn’t be bothered with clothes and just put on one of Jake’s shirts and panties. This made him giddy. While I dried my hair, he left to make the morning payment for the room.

I went to the kitchen and served myself a large piece of cake for breakfast. With renewed energy Jake had gone back to his computer for the first time since I interrupted him. I put the cake down on the desk next to him and grabbed one of the chairs to sit next to him. I shared my cake with him, feeding him while he worked.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. I went into the bedroom before Jake could even signal to me. Jake peeked through the peephole. “It’s the motel staff,” he said quietly to me as he put his facemask on. He took a deep breath, then opened the door. “Is there a problem?”

I couldn’t really hear or see the staff outside as Jake blocked my view. I saw him glance at the door, then at me. Then he stepped outside further, nearly closing the door fully behind him. After a minute or two he came back in and grabbed some cash out. He tried to give it to the well-dressed male staff at the door, but he shook his head and refused to take it. A few more quiet words were said and Jake closed the door.

“Get dressed, pack up,” he instructed without even looking at me.

“Did we get made? How?” I asked.

“Just do as I say,” Jake snapped. Whatever was happening, it was bad.

I went into the bedroom, got dressed and packed up quickly. When I came back out, I noticed Jake had packed up his backpack, but not his monitors. He saw me looking at them.

“I'll come back for them later. It is imperative we get you out now,” Jake stressed.

“Me?” I questioned. Then it hit me. My stalker had struck again. I decided to test my theory by heading for the door.

“No, we’re going out the fire escape at the back,” Jake gestured. “We won’t be seen.”

I followed Jake to the back balcony, which led a ladder down to the back of the building. He went first and I followed. We could've swung around to the car, but instead Jake led me down a path of alleyways to an abandoned building. He knew exactly where he was going, this was his escape plan. He pulled out a lock pick set and after confirming no one was watching, he picked the lock. Inside was an old set of offices. There was a number of desks and chairs remaining and paper littered everywhere. Jake led me to what must’ve been the manager's office. It was dark, but Jake didn't turn the lights on. If he didn’t, then there had to be a reason to.

“Jake, it was him again, wasn’t it?” I asked.

While keeping his eyes peeled on the outside door and windows, he sighed, “Yes, he had marked the door sometime after I got back to the room. So sometime in the last 20 minutes? He'll still be nearby.”

“You tried to give the manager money?” I questioned.

“I tried to pay for cleaning the door, but he wouldn’t take it. Can you set up my laptop at that desk?” Jake gestured to the large L-shaped desk further in the room, then pulled off his backpack to give to me. “Oh and grab one of the cameras.”

“Sure,” I took his bag and plopped on the desk. Taking out his laptop was easy in the low light room. Finding a camera was a bit harder. I opened his laptop to provide more light. In the front pouch of his bag were various bits and pieces. I finally came across something resembling a nanny camera. “Is this what you’re looking for?” I held it up as I walked back to Jake at the doorway.

“Yup, thanks,” Jake took the camera and stuck it on shelf behind the receptionist’s desk. He then went into the office and sat down at his laptop.

I walked up behind Jake and watched as he turned the camera on, leaving the feed on in the corner of the screen. He then typed away until he opened the motel's security cameras. He scrubbed through until he found the exact time he headed back to the room after paying. He slowly scrubbed forwads, waiting for the time that our graffiti artist showed up. However before he could, my phone started ringing. I pulled it put, but before I could answer, Jake took the phone from me.

“I already know what he’s going to say and do. That’s not important right now,” Jake answered the call and put the phone face down on the desk on the other side.

I could hear the Man Without a Face's voice hissing, “Where are you, little kitten? I am here, in the room you’ve been sinning in every night, but where are you?”

Jake meanwhile typed furious on his computer. The last thing I saw him type was ‘this.ScorpionSting();’. He pressed enter, then sat back with his arms crossed, looking pleased with himself. A loading bar appeared on the screen ‘Uploading Sting'.

“Do you realize how loudly you’ve been sinning? Finding you was easy,” the voice on the phone continued.

“Ignore him, you haven’t committed any sins,” Jake insisted.

“Well, technically having sex out of wedlock is a sin. Nevermind oral sex,” I pointed out.

“If you subscribe to that interpretation. As we are committed to each other, I hardly see how a piece of paper or a ring changes that,” Jake explained his view nonchalantly. The upload finished and Jake grinned. The call ended shortly after. “Consider yourself stung asshole.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“The other reason why I got you a new phone, so I could easily use the P2P connection to infect his phone with malware. Now I have complete backdoor access to his phone,” Jake typed away at the computer again. “It is my own work, I’ve named it ‘Scorpion Sting’ because it infects his phone while he’s distracted. Let’s see where you are...” Jake brought up a map with a beacon on it. “He's still at the motel. What else has your phone got on it?”

Jake typed away and then frowned. “It’s a burner. No saved contacts, no files, no apps, photos and videos of- nevermind.”

“What?” I questioned.

“It’s not important,” Jake insisted.

“Tell me.”

“Can’t you just trust me?” Jake snapped. “Sorry... with these timestamps and location data... he has recordings of us. Multiple nights.”

“So now he’s a voyeur? But the curtains were fully closed,” I pointed out.

“Do you really want me to open them to find out what he has?” Jake looked at me quizzically.

I thought about it for a moment, “No, it does sicken me.”

“If it would make you feel better, you can look away while I look,” Jake offered.

“Couldn’t you just delete them?”

“No, he'd realize he’s been hacked. I can’t be modifying anything on his phone. Ah, he’s finally leaving. Crap!” Jake suddenly exclaimed.

“What is it?”

“He's turned his phone off! Of course, it’s a burner, he doesn’t need to keep it on. He was so close to leading us to his home too,” Jake rubbed his head through his hood. “At least I can create a listener for when he turns it back on.”

“You’re sure he’s leaving?” I asked.

“He went to the car park. That would indicate he had a car. Probably got in and turned it off there. I can probably compare it to the footage in the lot, see if I can get a license plate,” Jake went back to the motel’s CCTV. “Why don’t you get a chair?”

“Ok,” I left the room to find a decent chair. They were all dusty, but there was one that had faired better than the rest. When I got back, Jake was scrubbing through the footage of the parking lot. Sure enough our voyeur got into an older car and drove off. However the plates were obscured. “What’s with those plates?”

“He's got a reflective filter on them, making them hard to pick up on cameras. To the naked eye they seem normal,” Jake groaned in disappointment. “Well I’ll know when he pops up again. And he might even be careless enough to turn it back on in the safety of his own home.”

“Then we’ll know where he lives,” I smiled.

“Not just that, Scorpion Sting is programmed to infect other devices on the same network,” Jake grinned. “He'll become the prey.”

#duskwood #duskwood jake #duskwood jake x player #duskwood jake x mc #duskwood fanfiction #Haunted by the Past

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ninja-go-to-therapy · 5 years ago

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Orange

We now interrupt our regularly scheduled program to bring you: the soulmate AU to end all soulmate AUs. Hell yes.

Dedicated to @friendly-neighborhood-ninjager and @razzle-zazzle

Trigger Warnings: None (that’s a new one)

2395 words

“Bye, dad, I love you!” Cole said, walking backward and waving at his dad as he did.

“I love you too. Stay safe and tell your friends I said hi.”

“Will do,” Cole grinned, fully turning around and beginning the short walk to the train station. He usually took the train to visit his dad, seeing as he didn’t really have many other modes of transportation. Well, none he could park easily, especially for the few days he usually stayed when seeing his dad.

It wasn’t a long walk to the train station, and he made it there just in time to get on before it departed.

He sat down, turning on a playlist for the ride. After a moment’s thought, he texted the group chat, asking if anyone wanted him to pick up coffee.

Immediately his friends replied, giving him their orders. He screenshotted them just in case the chat blew up and the orders got lost.

Soon enough the train pulled into the station, and Cole got off, making a beeline for the closest coffee shop. If he hurried, he could just beat the rush.

After he placed his very long order (he felt a little bad for the poor girl behind the counter), he sat down in one of the chairs. The place wasn’t too busy yet, but it still had quite a few people in it.

There were a few small groups of friends, or maybe business partners, a few old ladies off in the corner, and… a few couples.

Cole sighed. A few soulmates, more likely.

The thing about him was that he hadn’t found his soulmate yet. And sure, plenty of people hadn’t found theirs by his age either, but it just kind of really sucked that he hadn’t yet. He wished he could at least have a way of finding whoever he was destined to be with that was a little clearer.

There were loads of ways of finding soulmates. Some people were connected by a red string of fate. Some people had timers. There were things like having their name tattooed on your wrist, or even the first words they would say to you.

Some, like Jay and Nya, could feel each other’s pain. And others, like Zane and Pixal, had black marks on them that signified where their soulmate would first touch them that would burst into trillions of colors when they did. It was beautiful, really.

But then there was Cole. Cole, who just had to have one of the most useless identifiers there was. Whoop de do, Cole couldn’t see orange. And neither could his soulmate.

Honestly, Cole didn’t try to think about it all that much. It could be worse, he reasoned. And besides, not everybody even ended up with their own soulmate. Jay and Nya had been dating far before they’d ever even realized they were soulmates. Some people never even found their soulmate. Usually, people like him, which sucked.

Besides, he kind of liked not being able to see a color. Kind of. He sort of liked the mystery of it. He supposed that was why he considered orange to be his favorite color. It was just so… mystifying.

He could only hope that one day he’d find his perfect match.

“Cold brew for Cole!” the barista called out.

Cole stood up, barely making it two steps before he tripped over his own bag. And of course, like the graceful ninja he was, he fell. Directly into a person. And spilled their coffee all over them.

“Oh my master, I am so sorry,” Cole said, cringing when he saw that the guy had been wearing a white shirt.

The guy sighed. “It’s alright, it was my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“No, no, it was all me. Crap, I’m so sorry, let me buy you another one, to make up for it.”

The guy thought for a moment. “I’ve still got plenty of time on my break. Sure, why not?”

And as the pair turned towards the counter, Cole couldn’t help but notice how attractive this guy was (even while he was dabbing at his shirt with napkins). Besides the coffee all over him (and Cole would feel bad for that whether he was buying him another one or not), he seemed very well put together. His sleeves were rolled up (which always served to make guys hotter, okay), and his face. Was just. So attractive. Okay, Cole supposed what he was trying to get across here was: guy hot.

Damn.

Once the second order had been placed, they sat down in chairs opposite each other.

“You know, I don’t usually talk to people who throw coffee on me,” the guy said, and though he was obviously joking, Cole still felt bad.

“Right, sorry again about that. Again.”

“It’s no big deal,” the guy shrugged, “Trust me, I’ve got plenty of shirts that look exactly like this. I think this coffee may have even spiced this up a little.”

Cole laughed. “Oh yeah, very fashionable. They’ll be wearing it like that in all the fashion magazines by next year.”

“Please, next month at the latest.”

They both laughed.

“So,” the stranger said, still dabbing at the stain with napkins (at this point Cole really should have just bought him a new shirt). “Are you from around here?”

“Sort of. I’m from the city, at least.”

“Nice, me too. I—”

The guy cut off when a girl from one of the groups of friends stood up with a squeal.

“Guys, my timer’s down to ten seconds! It could be whoever walks in the door next! Oh man, I’m so nervous!”

The girl’s friends pushed her towards the door encouragingly. The door opened, and in walked a guy that was staring at his own wrist. He looked up, they met eyes, and the way they looked at each other. Oh man, the way they looked at each other. Finally finding their other half. It was a beautiful thing that Cole wished so badly he could experience for himself.

“Damn, they look like high schoolers,” the stranger hummed. “You don’t see too many timers who get to zero as a teenager.”

The guy was right, actually. Lots of people with timers that counted down to the first time they would meet their soulmate had to wait for forever. But at least they knew when it would happen. That it would happen.

“What’s your identifier?” Cole found himself asking, cursing himself for doing so. It would kind of suck to meet a guy with the most beautiful eyes and then hear him talk about his wife, or something. Although, he didn’t look old enough to be married, and actually, Cole didn’t see a ring.

“I can’t see orange,” the guy shrugged.

Cole’s jaw dropped.

Okay, yes, there were billions of people alive, and surely many, many people would have the same identifier as he did. But to meet someone that had the same identifier as him and who Cole felt such an instant attraction to? It had to mean something.

“Oh,” Cole said, trying to play off his utter shock. “Me too. Or, me neither. I can’t see orange. As well.” wow, great going, he didn’t sound flustered at all.

The guy looked just as surprised as he felt.

“No way,” the guy laughed, like Cole would joke about something like this. “Damn, small world.”

“Have you found yours yet?” Cole asked, almost feeling bad for wishing he’d say no.

“Nah, not yet. I haven’t met any guys I was attracted to that were the same. Until maybe now,” he said, looking at Cole the same way that Kai looked at girls all the time.

Kai was one of those guys who’d accepted that he’d never find his soulmate and was an absolute flirt as a result of it.

Wait. Did this guy just admit to being attracted to Cole? Wait, even better, did he just admit to being into guys? Holy shit, holy shit! What was he supposed to say? How was he supposed to handle this? This could be his moment! This could be his soulmate!

“Thanks,” Cole said, laughing nervously. “You’re — I —” okay. The first step was to take a deep breath and stop acting like a bad actor on TV. This was just a person. Just like him. “Thanks.”

“Iced coffee for Cole!” the barista called.

“Oh, that’s yours, I’ll get it,” Cole said, standing and being sure not to trip into any handsome strangers this time. Handsome strangers who could quite possibly be his soulmate. Who thought he was attractive. Who was really easy to talk to and who, within minutes of meeting him, made Cole feel almost like that part of him that had been reaching out and longing for so long was almost…. Filled. Was this what it felt like when you met your soulmate?

He grabbed the coffee and returned to his seat.

“Here,” Cole said, handing it to him with a smile.

The guy took it from him, his hand lingering on Cole’s for a moment. He was about ready to scream. In a good way, of course.

“Oh, I have to get back to work,” the guy sighed, checking his watch.

Cole tried to mask his disappointment. “Oh, yeah, I should probably get going too. It was nice to meet you.”

“Hold on,” the guy said, walking over to the table with straws and other various stuff on it. He grabbed a napkin and pulled a pen from his pocket, scribbling something down on it.

“Give me a call sometime,” he said, handing the napkin to Cole, which, upon further inspection, had a phone number on it.

“Sure thing,” Cole replied, staring after him until he’d left the building.

He couldn’t believe that had just happened. He couldn’t believe that had just happened!

“Cinnamon latte for Cole?”

Oh, that was the last of the drinks he’d ordered. He really needed to get back to the monastery.

But more importantly. He’d just gotten the number of his maybe-probably-soulmate. Holy shit.

---

“I have coffee!” Cole announced, carefully pushing the door open with his leg, since he was carrying two drink holders.

The others rushed him immediately.

“Hey, at least let me set them down before you go crazy,” Cole laughed, setting the holders on the countertop before his friends started sorting out whose was whose.

“Hey, what took you so long, anyway?” Kai asked between sips of his drink. “You got there way before it usually gets busy.”

“Oh! Uh…” Cole didn’t want to lie to his friends. There wasn’t even a reason to lie. He could just say, like it was no big deal, that he’d met someone. And that the person he met was quite probably his soulmate. Easy!

Except… well… he didn’t really want them to know before he was sure. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his friends, he did! He trusted them with his life. But he didn’t want them to make a big deal out of what could be nothing.

He just wanted a little bit of time to figure it out. He’d tell them as soon as he did.

“There was just a big group that got there before me, and there weren’t that many people on staff,” Cole said. And really, that wasn’t really a lie. There had been a few groups that had gotten there before him, and there hadn’t been that many people on staff.

He felt a little bad, but he would tell them by like, tomorrow, tops.

---

“Cole,” Kai said as the group walked down the street, for once not on a mission. “Why do you keep checking your phone? I mean, I of all people would know what it’s like to want to keep in contact with my adoring fans, but you keep checking every like, half a second.”

Cole startled, nearly dropping his phone in the process. He shoved it into his pocket.

“I don’t keep checking it every half a second,” he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“You kind of do,” Jay said, unhelpfully.

Okay, so it had kind of been a lot longer than he’d intended to keep this from his friends. It’s not like it’d been a whole month or anything, but he just hasn’t found the right way to tell them.

Okay. Okay okay. Maybe he should just say it.

“Okay, the thing is…” he trailed off, trying to figure out what exactly he was supposed to ‘just say’.

“Whoa, you just got serious. What’s up?” Nya asked as the group came to a halt at a stoplight.

“I sort of… met my soulmate?”

His friends practically erupted with cries of “that’s amazing!” and “holy crap!”

“Wait, wait wait. Can we meet them?” Jay asked once they’d all calmed down.

“Oh… um…”

It wasn’t that Cole didn’t want them to meet. It’s just, they’d only been on three dates, and it felt a little… soon.

“What, are you embarrassed of us or something?” Kai asked, throwing an arm around Cole. “Come on, we’ll be on our very best behavior!” He said, in a tone that indicated that they absolutely would not be on their best behavior.

“I’m not embarrassed of you guys!” Cole said, “I just don’t want to scare him off—”

“So it’s a guy,” Jay said at the same time as Kai said “So you are embarrassed by us!”

They stared at each other. “Oh, that too.”

His phone dinged. Cole pulled it out, glancing at the message.

And then he looked up. And then he locked eyes with his soulmate, who was standing just across the street.

Oh boy.

He didn’t have much of a choice here, did he?

The light turned red. His friends began to cross the street. He wasn’t upset or anything, he just couldn’t believe the chances of running into each other. While all of his friends were around.

“Hey,” Cole said when they finally got to the other side of the street.

“Hey,” his boyfriend grinned, glancing at the other ninja. “Who are your friends?”

“Who’s this?” Lloyd asked.

“”I’m getting to that,” Cole said, trying to ready himself for whatever was about to happen. “Okay, uh, guys, this is my…” he’d never actually said it out loud to anyone but him. “boyfriend. Koshiro.”

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previoustags · 6 years ago

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Haha anywayz we interrupt your regularly scheduled program for me to not act like a crackhead having a mental breakdown for a hot minute and go back to being normal haha

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re-cut-off · 6 years ago

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#cleaning homes

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dreamonslayer · 6 years ago

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So... I haven’t been feeling great still. You could argue I’m not trying hard enough to, but I just don’t have the energy, lately. But yesterday? Yesterday was different.

I got up, and I had food. I figured it would be cool to just walk downtown, since it wasn’t obscenely cold out or anything, and see where the day took me.

I found a cafe, with a four leaf clover on the sign that swayed in the wind. I may not have felt lucky in ages, but whatever helps helps, right? And plus, warm beverages are always good.

The place was pretty quiet, save for four girls probably about 5 years older than me. I ordered a peppermint hot chocolate, and sat down, only to find a few minutes later they had abandoned their work and decided to sit with me.

They told me they just felt like I seemed lonely and they got this feeling that I needed a friend today. A friend who could talk back, added the one, nodding to my trusty “corgi.”

“So, how are you?”

And that’s when I fell apart. Vulpecula hopped onto my lap and they all grouped around me, asking if I was okay with hugs. I don’t remember how long it’s been since I got a hug like that, halfway through my head nod. One brought a tissue, another scolded her for going underboard and grabbed a whole box, followed by someone bringing a whole unopened package of tissues. They obviously wanted to make me laugh, and it did.

“Don’t know if you want to talk about it, but here,” said two of them, and they ran into the back room for a few minutes before coming back with a beautiful crystal pendant. It was pink, on a blue cord.

“Rose quartz. It has healing energy, and it’s meant to comfort you,” said the green-haired one.

“And blue because it looks nice with your eyes!” said the one with a red ponytail.

I smiled, thanking her.

“So... different small talk opener? What’s your name, dear?”

“Aislinn.”

“Oh, nice to meet you Aislinn,” one said, pronouncing my name with an ‘ash.’

“Oh come on, don’t be a name snob! Not everyone knows the intricacies of Gaelic naming.”

“True. And my mom and dad are two of those people.” I dabbed at my eye with a tissue, catching the last of that outburst of tears. “I’m used to how it’s always been, but I like the little hidden part of it. People often tell me I have a fiery personality,” I said.

“Oh! A kindling spirit!!” shouted the pink-haired one.

“Huh...?” I questioned.

“Don’t you mean kindred?” added the blonde.

“Not when kindling is a fire pun!”

“I gotta say, it’s pretty lit!” I added, with a smirk and a laugh contrasting my tired eyes and weak voice after my little breakdown.

“Oh, I like you!” She grinned. “I’m Hisa. And yes, I’m also a pretty fiery person, some would say. I make the rice balls, and you get a complimentary one. Fire friends discount!”

“Mina,” added the blonde, adjusting her glasses. “Smoothies and parfaits.”

“And I’m the resident tea snob, Aki! And, of course,” she added, tapping my cup, “the hot cocoa. Which I will absolutely refill if needed, hun.”

“Which leaves me, Chiyo! I bake. New pastries every day, depending on what I feel like baking. And we welcome you formally to the Cafe Yotsuba!”

I hadn’t felt so comfortable around people in so long. These girls felt like the kind of people I could trust.

“Cute friend you have there, by the way!” Chiyo interrupted my thoughts. “What’s their name?”

“Vulpecula.”

“Ah, a little fox!” said Aki. “What a sweetie! And fitting, too!”

I could practically hear their voice snickering in my head.

“Thanks... it’s been a while since I really talked with people, so...”

They nodded, and I could tell they were encouraging me. And if they would listen, maybe it would be a good time to let it out after keeping it all bottled up for so long.

“I... a while ago, I lost my best friend. And it started a whole adventure of emotions and trauma. And then it feels like... it feels like it’s hard to get close to people again, and if I manage to... it’s like I lose them again and again... there’s been a lot of that happening lately. And I haven’t felt okay in years... not at all...”

They all gathered together to envelop me in a group hug again.

“It’s hard to talk about, but... I’m just lonely, and I don’t know how to talk to people anymore. So much about me has changed, and I feel detached from everyone else...”

“Aislinn. She loves you. I can tell.” Aki said, holding my hands. “I can feel these things, and even though I don’t know her, I feel her presence radiating around you. Not literally, but... you know, people always leave traces with those they care about. And I think that energy is what led me to the rose quartz for you. Part of her is forever with you, guiding you, trying to help you heal.”

“I just sometimes... sometimes I feel selfish for wishing it was me. I’d rather take the burden of living without her than leave her in the same place.”

“It’s okay to mourn, dear. It’s part of you. It’s how your heart is meant to work,” said Mina.

“It hurts, and it’s okay to feel that. It reminds you you’re living. And that you can make a difference. Even with the smallest step, by living on, you’re carrying her legacy with you to whatever greatness might come. Even if the greatness is getting up in the morning, or coming to a cafe full of four weird girls who gave you a weird rock.”

“I mean, I hate to break it to you, but...there’s five of us here,” I said, smiling, then nodded to a Vulpecula who seemed very indignant at being ignored. “Well, six of us.”

“The more the merrier!” Hisa grinned, then looked at me with a more serious expression. “Aislinn, it sucks whatever you went through. All of us can feel it’s complicated and raw. But I can speak for all of us when I say, your aura is like... a bonfire. You radiate strength even though you might not feel strong. I’m glad you found us today. I hope this is only a start.”

“Oh, it is...” I nodded, sipping my drink. “There’s only been a few people who made me feel even close to being at home like she did. And it’s been a while since I could let anyone else in. So... thanks for being here.”

“Thank you for coming!” said Aki. “I look forward to seeing you around.”

“We all do!” added Chiyo. “And if you need to talk, just stop in. Or if you wanna exchange numbers...?”

“Sure, of course!” One by one, they handed me their phones to add my information into. As I typed away, Aki left and came back with a fresh hot cocoa, as promised, with a few heart-shaped marshmallows.

“You seem like an interesting girl, Ais. I know it’s hard to talk about hard stuff, but I think it’s helpful if you do. In your own time, of course.”

“Well, to be honest, it’s also hard to talk about because it’s... such a long story. And I guess kind of hard to believe.”

“Oh,” Hisa said with a little smile. “I got the feeling that might be the case. But I think you’d be surprised what kind of stuff we’d believe. We have our own surprising stories, too!”

Seamlessly, she led this transition to a lighter conversation. For a while, we laughed about those stories. Tales of funny coincidences, their entertaining antics as cafe co-owners and roommates, and more. I felt like it was easier to be normal around them, and maybe it was because they weren’t as “normal” as I feared they would be. They were fun to talk to, and it was a nice distraction from my regularly scheduled programming of tired, sad numbness and angry thoughts.

After a while, I decided to head home before sunset (mostly because they convinced me, since I obviously wasn’t uncomfortable in the dark at all.) I texted them once I plopped onto my bed, since the girls also threatened me if I didn’t let them know I was home safe. It was nice, knowing that in one afternoon they grew to care about me that much.

I felt understood, for the first time in a while. Maybe they’d even understand the real story, and maybe it’d help. I’d need to get to know them, but I had a good feeling about them. Not like my counselor, who can only be so helpful when I have to omit most of the story because I don’t want to explain spirits and magic and all these things I hardly understand enough, even after all these years. Plus, she doesn’t deserve having to hear about my convoluted experiences with a side of pyromania.

I feel lighter now. And while I still miss you, Mie, and the others I don’t get to see much, I’m glad I was able to find a new place to be. And some new friends.

And if it was you, or a part of you that’s also part of me, or whatever it was that led me there... thank you. The only reason I’m still moving forward is because of you. It hurts every day, Mie. I won’t lie, and I’m sure you know. But as long as I’m going on, no matter how little progress I make, they still haven’t won. And I’ll fight for you for as long as I have to. I’ll fight the baku, I’ll fight my negativity, and I’ll just fight to live every day in your honor until I hopefully get to hold you again. You’re where my greatness comes from.

I love you, Miesha. And I always, always will.

#ic #it’s been a while but hi #i worked on this for a few days but #i’m tired and it’s been busy and it might not be that great #but i wanted to share this because it’s a thing i’ve had in my mind for a while

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gossamie · 7 years ago

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we have one hour left to live.

— summary: The world is ending soon. How will you and Jimin spend your last hour on this earth?

— pairing: park jimin x reader

— genre: angst w/ fluff if you squint hard enough

— word count: 2,839

— warnings: major character deaths, implied + non-explicit smut

— notes: wow this might be the saddest fic i’ve ever written. i love writing angst, but sometimes i cry over my own works and i wonder why i do this to myself. i promise i’ll be writing something more lighthearted soon, but until then, i hope you enjoy!

huge thanks to @fentasies for helping me with this story!

p.s. the research used for the introduction can be found in this article (so, yes, this could actually happen!).

p.p.s. i highly suggest listening to this as you read if you want to get in your feels, especially as you continue further on into the story.

“How strange this fear of death is! We are never frightened at a sunset.” - George MacDonald

We interrupt this broadcast to deliver you breaking news.

Scientists believe that the end of the world is imminent.

Throughout the century, the Earth has been experiencing climate change at an increasing pace, but there has been a sudden and rapid increase in the atmosphere’s temperature. Recent data from the Pohang University of Science and Technology shows that global temperatures are now 10℃ warmer than pre-industrial levels, rivalling that of the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, when, fifty-five billion years ago, Earth experienced one of the fastest temperature rises in history.

As we speak, the Earth is overheating in what has been theoretically known as the “runaway greenhouse effect”. Greenhouse gases are being emitted by the planet at an alarming rate and this self-providing mechanism has now become unstoppable. It is expected that the Earth will soon warm by hundreds of degrees, effectively terminating all life as we know it.

Mathematicians have calculated that this devastating process will take place exactly one hour from now.

We understand that this is very distressing information, but we urge you to enjoy this hour to the fullest. Spend time with your loved ones, speak to those that you haven’t, do something you’ve never done before— do whatever you think is necessary to enjoy these last few minutes we have on Earth.

We will now return to your regularly scheduled program. The government will issue a statement on this situation in the following moments.

From all of us here at Channel 17, we thank you for joining us.

[1:00:00] UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD

Today, you and Park Jimin are going to die.

You thought you would be more upset when you heard the broadcast. There are no tears in your eyes nor are your hands starting to shake uncontrollably from the thought of your inevitable demise. Rather, you feel—

Nothing.

There is a strange emptiness in the pit of your stomach and a hollow in your chest where your heart should be. It’s almost as if you had known that today would mark the date of your death but you had only chosen to act upon that information now.

If Jimin is at all scared, he doesn’t show it. You realize that both of you feel this unusual calamity lingering in the air, and when you look at each other after watching the broadcast, you do not think about how you will lose him in the next hour, but instead, you think about how you can spend your last hour with him.

This is the only thing that saddens you about your last hour living on Earth. There are so many things you want to do, so many words you want to say, but so little time. You want to destroy every clock in the world in an attempt to enact revenge on the cruelty that is time.

But you can’t because you’ve already wasted five minutes thinking about what you and Jimin will do first. Jimin suggests visiting the nearby arboretum, to which you quickly agree.

It is unusually hot outside when you arrive, the air much warmer than it had been in the past few years, but you and Jimin had expected this— the planet is, after all, being cooked into oblivion. There are no tourists strolling through the park, nor are there any employees stationed at the ticket booths; everything is extremely quiet— too quiet— as if the world, too, had already accepted that its end was near.

As you and Jimin walk through the conservatory with intertwined hands, you noticed just how bare the gardens are. Most of the vegetation had succumbed to the extreme heat, leaving the trees to shrivel into thin branches and the flowers to droop in defeat. Your eyes are met with patches of beige and umber wherever they look, and you sigh when you remember that your eyes should have met endless fields of emerald and bronze.

You sigh, for what had once been a shrine of cultivating life is now a grave of relentless death.

Jimin suddenly stops. “Look,” he whispers, and you turn towards him in curiosity as he gently pulls you to the side of the path.

From your viewpoint, all you can see is tawny grass and crumbling foliage. “Jimin, what’s so interesting about a pile of dead le—”

You saw the pink carnations.

There were three carnations, the few flowers that had grown amidst the dense, dehydrated bush. The rich, vivid tones of the carnations’ petals captivated you; you could not tear your eyes away from the hues of ruby and amethyst and opal that caught the sunlight like shards of jewels. The blooms were miniscule fireworks, blooming brilliantly, magically against the sepia sky.

What fascinated you the most, though, was how naïve the carnations were. They continued to flourish despite the unforgiving sun, as if they were completely and utterly aware of the fact that their beauty would become nonexistent in a matter of minutes. A small part of you wished that you could take part in the blossoms’ naïvety, wished that they could whisper the secrets of their blissful ignorance.

An iron plaque with engraved letters was positioned next to the pink carnations, and you assumed that it had once detailed the origins and the meaning of the flowers. However, rust had eaten away at the metal, making the writing barely legible. A mysterious aura now surrounded the carnations and it was begging you to solve it, only piquing your curiosity.

But time is precious and you couldn’t afford to throw these sacred seconds away. You raced to Jimin, who had already moved on down the trail, and held his hand once more. It was difficult to ignore the death that surrounded you.

[00:41:23] UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD

Jimin was hungry and he was craving fast food.

By some odd chance, you and Jimin had stumbled upon a small, dated diner. The only occupant in the restaurant was a middle-aged man wearing a checkered uniform. As Jimin ordered, you were tempted to ask the employee why he seemed oblivious of the eerie, unnerving silence, why he was here and not anywhere else.

When you noticed the pained yet empty stare in his eyes, however, all of the questions whirling in your brain died down because you realized he had no one to turn to and nowhere to go.

You tried to enjoy the burger and the fries Jimin had ordered for you, but you were a machine and eating felt mechanical, as if every fry you ate and every sip you drank was merely an action you were programmed to perform. It was so hard to enjoy because it was hard to enjoy anything.

How could you possibly enjoy living if life was ending?

Jimin, on the other hand, was eating his meal heartily, his cheeks growing more plump with each sip of his chocolate milkshake and his smile growing wider with each bite of his burger. You noticed how his happiness seemed to illuminate the dimly-lit building, how his body seemed to fill with a childlike innocence that you haven’t seen in an eternity.

In an instant, you were no longer watching your lover; rather, you were watching the cheerful and bubbly teenager you met in high school all those years ago. You were watching the boy who bought you roses every time he thought about you, who listened to all of your secrets and kept them locked away in his heart, who became your first kiss as you danced on the gymnasium floor during your senior year prom.

It was as if you were watching the boy you fell in love with.

“Earth to Y/N? Are you okay?” Jimin asked, his voice snapping you out of your reverie.

You blinked. “I’m fine, why do you ask?”

“You looked like you were falling in love.”

“Would it be a bad thing if I was?”

“No,” he replied. “You should do it more often.”

“I will.” Because I’ll never get a chance to do it again.

Even though the luminance of Jimin’s smile rivalled that of the sun, there was something wistful behind that beautiful iridescence, as if he heard those thoughts and made them his own. That unspoken truth lingered in the air like a sword hanging from a thread, threatening to sever the red string connecting the two of you.

Rather than confronting the truth, however, you and Jimin decided to spend the next twenty minutes floating in a comfortable silence, enjoying your last meal together.

[00:20:58] UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD

Somewhere in the neighborhood, there was music breaking through the silence.

Intrigued and captivated, you and Jimin followed the haunting melody, the streets leading you to a guitarist idly leaning against a barren tree. She sang with fluttering eyelids and drifting fingers; she, too, was enchanted by her own music.

“Before we say goodbye, let go / But I’m lost in the maze of my heart / From stereo to mono / That’s how the path splits…”

Her words seemed to flow and ebb, intertwining with the breeze that swept through what was left of the flowers at her feet. But, like Jimin’s smile, an otherworldly sorrow stained her voice, a melancholy that no human could ever feel. This sadness suffocated you, crippled you, with such force that breathing became difficult, as if you were trying to hold your head above water.

“If my fate is to disappear like this, then this is my last letter / Penned words, written then erased / Feelings for you, so many to let go / So be it, don’t cry / I’mma let you go and fly…”

You felt wrong; you should be panicking or hyperventilating or crying or something instead of standing here, especially when everything was crumbling to pieces with every passing second. But a larger, irrational part of you wanted you to stay, wanted to savor the world and what little there was left of it, and you listened to it. You felt as if you were a passenger on the Titanic, focusing on the band’s hymn instead of the ship sinking beneath you.

“In order to release your hand right now / I gotta let you know that I need to let you go / Hard to say goodbye / But I can’t run / I’m ready to let go…”

Somewhere, something within you was telling you that you had no other choice but to let go of Jimin’s hand; however, you ignored it, burying those thoughts into the rifts of your mind where you could no longer hear nor think of them. As if in defiance, your grip on Jimin’s hand tightened, a silent reminder to both you and him that you would never truly be ready to let your lover go.

“Life without you is really unbelievable / But even so I still gotta go / To the person I loved so much / To the red thread that got too entangled in itself / I couldn’t reach you, so I’ll walk a separate path / For that reason I’ll say goodbye…”

In response to your tense grasp, Jimin began to softly tap to the beat of the guitar on the back of your hand as if to tell you that, don’t worry, I’m still here. Your eyes trailed up to Jimin, focusing on his porcelain skin and the way the sun seemed to make his ash blonde hair glow like gold. His eyes were closed and his body gently swayed back and forth. He, too, was becoming more enraptured by the guitarist with every note that he sang. He looked beautiful; he looked at peace.

He looked like he forgot that he was dying.

“The color of the sky we saw together / The scent of the path we walked down together / Don’t forget them…”

You struggled to understand how Jimin could be so calm, so undisturbed by the presence of his impending death. When you looked at him, you saw pink carnations blooming underneath his skin and you desperately wanted to know how he could be so innocent, how ignorance could be so euphoric. Patience is no longer a virtue when the world is ending in twenty minutes; you wanted to know, and you wanted to know now.

But, like time or fate, this was something that could not and could never be understood so all you did was rest your head on Jimin’s shoulder and felt the life that emanated from his being.

[00:15:13] UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD

When you asked Jimin if he wanted to watch the sunset during his last moments on Earth, he said no.

When you asked Jimin why, he said, “I’ve seen enough sunsets in my lifetime. Let’s go watch the fireflies,” and you agreed.

The sun set for the last time when the guitarist finished singing, the clouds fading to hues of violet and lapis as you and Jimin arrived at the park. Although dusk had fallen, the heat was becoming unbearable, but you paid no attention to it. There was no need to pay attention to something that would no longer exist.

Amongst the jungle of barren trees, you and Jimin found a secluded, grassy clearing, the moonlight breaking through the clouds as an everlasting lantern. You winced as you laid down on the parched sod; the heat emanating from the earth threatened to burn the skin on your back.

You became numb to the pain when you saw the fireflies.

The fireflies endlessly surrounded you and Jimin, those flecks of gold stretching into infinity. The sight before you was otherworldly, as if you and Jimin and these fireflies were suspended amidst a more beautiful version of reality. You felt almost ashamed to be watching these fireflies; you felt like an intruder, recklessly disturbing the delicacy of their world.

It’s like the stars visited us, you and Jimin thought, and for an eternity, this was how you remained, with the silence and the heat and the raining stars.

Jimin’s hushed whisper cracked the glass of tranquility. “I never told you about the carnations.”

You turned your head towards your lover, your cheek pressed against the scalding soil. “What about them?” you asked.

“The meaning,” he replied. “I never told you about the meaning of the pink carnations.”

“Well, what do they mean?”

“They’re a symbol of gratitude. It’s a silent way of saying, ‘I’ll never forget you.’”

Jimin then pivoted his head towards you, his fingers reaching out and holding yours. “Y/N, I know we don’t have much time left, but if there’s one thing that I have to say to you before we go, it’s that I’m so thankful to you. Thank you for saying ‘yes’ when I got down on one knee. Thank you for making me a better man. Thank you for giving me the honor of loving you for these past seven years. Thank you for giving me a life full of love even when I didn’t deserve it.”

You look at Jimin and, for the first time, you are scared.

It’s not enough. There are still so many mornings left to start with laughter, so many nights left to fill with lust, so many kisses left to give, so many ‘I love you’s’ left to say, so many days left in your future, so many things that you will never get back because you only have fifteen minutes left before you lose Jimin forever.

You look at Jimin, and for the first time, you are truly and terribly scared because these fifteen minutes are all that is left; this is all that will ever be.

You start to cry and Jimin tries to wipe away your tears but it’s useless because crying is the only thing that your body can do. Somehow, you manage to find your voice within your despair and you whisper, “Aren’t you scared? Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

“No,” Jimin replies simply.

“Why?”

“Being with you has shown me how beautiful life is. You gave my life meaning just by being in it. I’m not dying with any regrets. There is nothing more that I want from this world. I’m dying with a smile on my face and you by my side and I can’t be afraid if we’re together.”

His words resonated in your mind, marked its permanence in your heart.

I can’t be afraid if we’re together.

You believed him.

He holds you as your tears start to dry, his arms wrapped around you tightly as if to prove to the universe that no force in the world could ever tear you apart.

You feel at peace in Jimin’s embrace. You, too, are not leaving without any regrets because Jimin has given you a life filled with love; for you, too, there is nothing more that you want from this world.

Jimin kisses your forehead in what will be your final kiss. He whispers, “I love y—”

[00:00:00] UNTIL THE WORLD ENDS

#i'm crying now what about you #kpopwritingnet #bts #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts au #bts angst #bts fluff #jimin fanfic #jimin fic #jimin au #jimin angst #jimin fluff

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hannahindie · 8 years ago

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Sam Wesson, FBI

Characters: Sam Winchester, Reader Insert, Dean Winchester (Brief) Word Count: 3,955 Warnings: Canon violence, a little blood, sassy reader, pancakes. A/N: This was written for @atc74‘s 2k celebration challenge! Congratulations, doll!

This was beta’d by my beautiful and smart waterbear @trexrambling: “This scale is my new favorite scale.”

As usual, tags are at the bottom. If you’d like to be added, please let me know. :)

Overview: You go to work expecting a normal day at the bar when two FBI agents stroll in and interrupt your regularly scheduled programming. Is the handsome stranger who he says he is? Unfortunately for you, you’re about to find out the hard way.

I woke up this morning thinking it was just another day, and holy hell, was I ever wrong. I don't think I have ever been more unprepared in my life. And this is coming from a girl that once spent the evening tending bar for a Hell’s Angel birthday party.

I’m wiping down the bar when Sarah walks over and jabs me hard, right in the ribs. I swear under my breath and glare at her, “What the hell was that for?”

She jerks her chin towards the door and grins, “Did you see the two walking, talking hunks of sex that just walked in?”

I roll my eyes, “Literally every single guy that walks through that door earns that title from you. Unlike you, I’m actually working.” I pick up a glass and start swirling the dishtowel around the smooth surface and purposely avoid looking up.

Sarah groans, “Come on, look at them, I promise it’s worth it this time.”

I sit the glass down a little more forcefully than necessary, “Fine, but this is it, you’ve used all of your pretty man cards for the evening-” My thought is interrupted when I look up and see two men in suits standing near the door talking quietly to each other as they look around the bar. “Okay, so you weren’t wrong.”

She leans her elbows on the bar and props her chin in one hand. “See?” she sighs. “I wonder why they’re here? They look like police officers. Think they’re police officers?”

I pick the glass back up, but I’m not really paying attention to what I’m doing anymore. I’m too busy staring at the taller of the two men. “Nah, they aren’t police. Have you seen any police officers in this podunk town that look like that? They look more like FBI or something.”

“Oooo, FBI! I hope so...that’s hot.”

“You’re an idiot, Sarah. Truly.” The two men turn their attention to the bar, and I fumble the glass back onto the rack and reach for the next one. “Quit staring at them, Sarah, you’re being awkward.”

“No more awkward than you. You’ve been washing that same glass for like five minutes,” she scoffs.

“I’ll have you know, this is a different glass.” I look back up in time to see the one I have dubbed Tall Man roll his eyes, and then...are they playing rock, paper, scissors? It looks like the shorter man lost because now he’s glaring and Tall Man is smirking. Tall Man walks toward the bar as the shorter one claims a booth. Sarah brightens and winks at me.

“I guess I should go wait on my table!” Sarah runs off, which leaves me with Tall Man. Alone. I look up at him...holy shit, I have to look up. This man is even more giant than I originally thought.

“Hello.”

I blink slowly as I try to remember my name. Tall Man is smiling, and you could literally swim in those dimples. I can’t even begin to describe what color his eyes are, but I’m here to tell you that they’re magical.

I clear my throat, “Umm...hi.”

He holds his hand out, “I’m Agent Wesson, but you can call me Sam.” I shake his hand, and it’s like my brain short circuits when I feel how strong he is.

“Agent, huh? Got a badge to go along with that title?” Y/N, what the hell are you doing?

He chuckles and pulls a leather wallet from his inside jacket pocket, then flips it open so I can see it. This is straight out of a damn movie.

I nod, “Impressive.”

He snaps it closed and slips the wallet back into his pocket. “So….” He raises an eyebrow as if he’s waiting on me to tell him something important. Oh. That’s right. My name.

“Y/N. My name is Y/N.”

He smiles, “Nice to meet you, Y/N. I hate to bother you while you’re working, but my partner and I are investigating a couple of disappearances, and we thought maybe the local bar would be a good place to start. Do you know what I’m talking about?”

How can I not know what he’s talking about? I live in a town of maybe five hundred, and at least ten of those people have disappeared in a three week period. Not exactly something that goes unnoticed in a big city, but in a small town, it’s literally all that’s being talked about.

“Yea, I know what you’re talking about. What can I help you with?”

Sam sits down on the stool and crosses his arms in front of him. Out of habit, I grab a clean glass and toss a couple of ice cubes in, fill it with water, then throw a napkin down and sit the drink on top of it. Sam smiles and wraps a huge hand around the glass, and it nearly disappears. Holy balls, his hands are giant. Where did this man even come from?

“Have you noticed anyone that doesn’t fit in lately? Someone that normally isn’t here, or maybe they started acting weirder than normal?”

I laugh. Everyone here is weirder than normal. “No, not really. We have people that drive through on occasion, tourists that swing by here to see ‘The World’s Only Living Three Headed Calf’, but they don’t stick around.”

Sam’s eyes widen, “Three headed calf?”

I snort and then immediately feel the flush creeping across my cheeks. That was smooth. “Yea, three headed calf. But I’ll tell you a secret,” I say as I lower my voice and lean across the bar. He mimics me and suddenly is very close to my face. Oh my God….he smells wonderful. I collect myself enough to finish my story, “It’s just a regular calf with two fake heads mounted on it with a harness. They just change out calves when the other one gets too old.”

Sam laughs, a quiet belly laugh that deepens his dimples, and flips his hair out of his face. “Are you kidding me?”

I shake my head, “Not even a little bit.” I stand back up and Sam leans back on the stool. “But in all seriousness, I haven’t really seen anyone. Sarah might know more than I do.” I look over Sam’s shoulder and groan, “Looks like your partner is getting all the information he’d need from her, though.”

Sam turns in his seat enough to look at his partner’s booth and rolls his eyes. Sarah is leaning against the table and pointing at things on the menu. His partner is not so much looking at the menu on the table as he is Sarah’s chest. Even without being able to see Sarah’s face, I know she’s doing it on purpose, and I can picture the smile she has plastered on her face.

“Of course he is.” Sam looks back at me, and he appears to be about as over it with his partner as I am with Sarah. “Sorry about that, Dean is...well...Dean.”

I laugh, “Don’t worry, Sarah is...Sarah.” We fall silent for a moment, and I can’t help but really look at Sam. His hair is long, too long for an FBI agent, and though his suit is nice, I can tell that it’s inexpensive. His hands are still wrapped around the glass, but I can see that they’re rough, covered in small scars and callouses. He’s got a bruise under the nail of his middle finger, and I wonder where he would have gotten something like that by just investigating.

Sam clears his throat, “Well, I guess we should move on. It’s been very nice talking to you.” He slips a card out of his pocket and slides it across the bar top. “If you think of anything, please let me know, alright?”

I nod, “Yea, sure thing. If you need something stronger than that water, you know where to find me.” Sam smiles at me and winks, and oh that wink. It should be a sin to look like that.

“See you around.” He walks over to the booth and collects Dean, who looks less than thrilled to be leaving Sarah’s charming company, but gets up with a grumble and walks out with Sam. Sarah practically floats back over to the bar and drops down onto one of the stools.

“I’m going to marry that green eyed man. Mark my words, Y/N, I’m going to be Mrs. Sarah Smith.”

I roll my eyes, “Yea, I’m sure that’s a thing that’s going to happen.” I glance back to the door just as I hear the roar of a muscle car speed out of the lot. If those men are actually FBI agents, then I’m the Queen of England.

“Is it cool if I leave? I'm supposed to meet Dean later, and I need to get ready.” I can hear the whine begin to creep into Sarah’s voice, and it's not something I feel like dealing with.

I look up from the open register drawer and shrug, “I don't care. Flip the sign on your way out, would ya?”

I hear the quiet swish of the open sign as it flips over and the bell above the door jingles as Sarah slips out. Although I normally don't care too much about Sarah’s escapades, I'm a little disappointed that she's getting to go out with Mr. Green Eyes FBI Agent, and all I have is Sam’s card. I finish counting the drawer and toss the money bag into the safe, then lean against the bar with my back towards the door and pull the already creased card from my pocket.

Sam Wesson Federal Bureau of Investigation (555) 623-1513

There's no address for his office, no mention of even a state. I'm not sure that that matters or means anything, but it's a little weird. I contemplate giving him a call, but am quickly interrupted by the bell above the door. I groan inwardly; though I had told Sarah to flip the sign, I didn't tell her to lock the door, and of course she didn't.

“Listen, you know Wednesday is early night. The sign says closed. Come back tomorrow.”

I hear the click of the lock being turned, and I can feel the panic start to creep in. Get it together, Y/N. I turn slowly to see Hank, one of our regulars, standing by the door. “Hey, Hank. What’s up?”

He takes a step towards the bar, but stays silent. Jesus, that’s disconcerting...and also very un-Hank like. My hand stutters across the shelf just under the bar as I search for the baseball bat I keep on hand for just this very occasion.

“We’re closed, man. If you don’t mind just heading on out, I’ll be glad to get you something tomorrow. On the house, even! Just not tonight.” Hank smiles, and it’s creepy. It’s not his usual friendly smile, and that’s when I notice the blood spatter across his overalls. I finally find the bat and grip it tightly. Please don’t make me hit him, please please please. “Did you hear me, Hank? We’re closed. I need you to leave.”

“That’s too bad, I guess. Because I think I like this place, and I don’t plan on leaving. None of these other people have been useful, but you...you will do just fine I think.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I swallow, and it feels like there’s a golf ball jammed in my throat.

“All these…puppets...working their dead end jobs and their farms, spending all their time with their families��it’s disgusting. But here...oh, you’re surrounded by alcohol and gossip, and you just do what you want. You’re alone. It’s what I want, it’s perfect.”

Despite the fear that is coiled tightly in my stomach, I can’t help but let the confusion take over for a second. “Are you….you think being a bartender is everyone’s dream job? Are you serious? I don’t even own this bar. And thanks for the reminder, Hank, I really appreciate it. Totally forgot I had no one there for a minute.”

“I’m not Hank, not really. But if it makes you feel better to refer to me as that until we’re done here, then that’s fine.”

Not Hank? What the hell does he mean by that? While he was talking, he’d made his way around the counter and is now standing behind the bar.

“Just cooperate with me, Y/N, and this will go very quickly. I promise. Hank seems to have rather enjoyed you while he was alive.”

I tighten my grip around the smooth wooden handle of the bat. Screw not hitting him, this son of a bitch is about to get it.

“You know what, cooperation doesn’t seem like a thing I’m going to do. Like you said, I do what I want. And that is not a thing I want to do.”

Not Hank steps towards me just as I pull the bat from its hiding spot. I pull back and swing it as hard as I can; thank God for softball. The bat slams into his jaw with a resounding crack, and for a second I’m pretty sure I’m going to throw up. I can actually feel his jaw break as the vibrations roll up the bat, and I nearly drop it.

The man that’s not my friend Hank despite looking exactly like him is gripping the bar top, his knuckles white and his head is down. My chest is heaving, although at this point I’m not sure if it’s because of what I just did or fear, but the air isn’t filling my lungs the way it should be and the room is getting a little spinny. The man straightens up and looks at me, and my stomach threatens yet again to empty itself. His jaw is hanging at an awkward angle, and he slowly reaches up and shoves it back into place with a sickening crunch.

“That wasn’t very nice.”

It’s at this point that I drop the bat. It’s not on purpose, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t matter now because the world is trying to go black and the bat is not going to be super helpful in a few seconds anyway. I look at Hank again, but he’s starting to look less like Hank and more like…

My eyes are heavy, but I manage to force them open enough to see a blurry figure standing in front of me. My arms hurt, but when I try to move them, I can’t. I can feel….is that rope? Dammit, I’m tied to a chair. Where the hell did he get rope? I blink to try to get the fuzziness to go away, but immediately regret my decision when I look up to see myself staring at me.

“Am I dead?”

The person standing in front of me laughs, “No, not yet. Had a few things I wanted to talk about first.”

I roll my eyes as I struggle against the rope, “What can you possibly want to talk about? Personally, I have nothing to say to you. Wait...yes...I do. Go fuck yourself.”

“Is that any way to talk to yourself? I don’t think so.” Not Me crosses their arms and smirks, “Aren’t you even a little bit curious as to how this happened?”

I shrug as well as I can with my arms tied behind me, “I mean, you’ve got me there. This is some pretty weird shit, and I’m expecting to wake up at home with a raging hangover or something...because I have clearly indulged in way too much of something recreational. But honestly? I just don’t care. What have I got to lose? It’s better you take me than someone else I guess. If you think being a lonely bartender in some backwoods town is the dream, then that just makes me sad for you. It doesn’t matter to me who or what you are.”

Not Me frowns and puts her hands on her hips. Do I always have that resting bitch face look? I need to work on that.

“You’re no fun. I was hoping we’d get to play a little before I killed you, but you’re ruining it. I think we’re done here.” She pulls a knife from her pocket and walks towards me, stopping in front of my chair. She kneels down and smiles, “Thanks for this, by the way. This lifestyle is going to be perfect for me. I've always been a bit of a loner, so this...this will fit like a glove.”

I nod like I'm in agreement, and then, without even thinking, throw myself forward and headbutt Not Me directly in the face. I have never headbutted anyone in my life, and I have to say, I did not anticipate how much that was going to hurt. She falls backward and I land on top of her, chair and all. Unfortunately for her, she didn't think to tie my legs down, so I manage to scramble out of the floor, over her, and around the bar.

Before I can get close to the door, I feel a hand wrap itself around my hair and yank. If I thought the headbutt hurt, this was like my scalp has been set on fire. “Son of a bitch!” The chair slams back down on the ground, and I find myself pretty much where I started, except in the middle of the floor rather than behind the bar. I can feel blood pouring down my face; my nose is probably broken, but I suppose that'll just give me more character. The sharp tip of what I assume is a knife is being pressed to my throat, and I groan. It was a valiant effort, but it seems that I just wasn't fast enough. I'll give the whole situation a B minus.

“How dare you try something like that on me?! You can't even begin to hurt me-”

The front door suddenly flies open, and when I say flies open...it's more like an explosion. Pieces of wood rain down on us, and I hear the tinkling of glass as it hits the floor. My boss is going to have a fit. When I open my eyes, I see Sam standing in the doorway. His suit has been exchanged for jeans, a flannel, and a canvas jacket. This look suits him far more, if I'm being honest. Not really the time to think about it, but hey.

“She might not be able to, but I can,” Sam growls, and despite the situation I'm currently in, it kind of does things to me. It’s now that I realize he's not just standing there, but he's also holding a gun. Before Not Me can move, he pulls the trigger and nails her right in the heart. She hits the ground with a thud, and I look at Sam with wide eyes. He crosses the space between us and begins untying my hands.

“You aren't an FBI agent, are you?”

Sam chuckles, “No...no, I'm not. I'm a hunter.”

I stand up and rub my wrists where the rope has left red burn marks, “Huh. A hunter, huh?” I walk around behind the bar and grab two glasses. “So, what do you hunt?” Sam sits on one of the stools and nods over his shoulder.

“Things like that.”

I nod, pour a shot of whiskey and shoot it, then pour another. “And that thing would be…?”

“A shapeshifter. It's been killing people all over town and taking their identities.” I pour a second shot for him and slide it across the bar.

“Well, isn't that just lovely?” I forego using my shot glass and take a swig directly from the bottle as I stare at Not Me lying in a slowly spreading pool of blood. It is incredibly weird to see myself lying there like that, and I have the strangest urge to walk over and close her eyes. It feels like she's staring at me. I can feel Sam watching me; he's probably waiting for me to freak out or cry. Honestly, I think I might be in shock.

I take another swig of whiskey, “You kill these things all the time? Seriously, who are you?”

Sam laughs, and the sound of it is strange considering our current situation. “Someone who knows just enough to be dangerous.”

I scoff, “That's a hell of an answer.” My eyes are drawn back to the dead body on the floor, and Sam glances back over his shoulder.

“Do you want me to move it? I can take care of it pretty quickly.”

I shake my head, “It's fine…but if you could shift about six inches to your left, that would be swell.” I wipe the back of my hand across my face and grimace as I bump my nose. My hand comes away bloody and I grab a bar towel. “On a scale of one to holy shit, how bad is it?”

Sam tilts his head and smiles, “If you're asking about the damage...I'd give it a three. If you're asking about how you look...holy shit.”

I attempt to wipe the rest of the blood away, then toss the towel in the trash. No saving that one.

“I'm not sure how to take that, Sam. Is that even your real name?”

He throws back his shot, then slides the glass back to me. “Sam is. My last name is Winchester.”

“What the hell is up with you and gun names? Maybe try to be a little more original. Holy shit, huh?”

He smiles again, “Yea. But it's a good thing.” He pauses for a moment, and I'm not sure what he's thinking, but I know what I'm thinking, and I hope that he is in agreement.

“Well, Y/N, I'd ask you out for a drink, but…” He gestures vaguely at the bar, and I laugh.

“Eh, I was ready to get out of here anyway. You hungry? There's only one diner other than this place, but it's open 24/7. I feel like I could go for some pancakes, and I think eating my feelings might be the perfect distraction.”

Sam nods, “Eating your feelings, huh? I thought you were a little too calm considering what you just saw. You sure you're okay?”

I shrug, “Maybe wait until the shock of seeing myself murdered wears off and ask me again. Although you'll probably have to drag me out of the fetal position I will undoubtedly curl into. And there's going to be tears. A lot of tears.”

We walk outside, and I look back at the door. Well, what was left of it. “I should probably tell someone about that...oh well. It's not like there's a body in there or anything.”

Sam smiles and oh my Lord he winks again, “Don't worry, Dean’s on his way to clean up. Sounds like your friend is offering to help, too. You’re in the clear.”

I close my eyes and pump my fist in the air. Leave it to Sarah to be totally okay with cleaning up a ‘crime scene’, no questions asked. She will do anything for a good looking man, although looking at Sam now, I can't judge. “Yes! Let's go, Sam Winchester. Those pancakes aren’t going to eat themselves.”

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#Angelina’s 2K GIF Challenge #supernatural fanfiction #sam winchester #reader insert #sam x reader #dean winchester

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kateofthecanals · 8 years ago

Text

For The (Not)Watch: Episode 7.2

Exposition Theatre Presents...

Apologies for the lateness of this recap, I assume many of these topics have already been covered elsewhere, but I have things to say nonetheless!!! The episode was far from the worst, though far from the best. Inoffensive for the most part and even included some rather nice moments (if you ignore the broader context... so, you know, the usual). Let’s start at the beginning...

It was a dark and stormy night. Tyrion was regaling the Dragon Queen about the circumstances of her own birth, which was a treacherous omen of things to come. Dany and Varys then decide to have a conversation that should have happened before he had even stepped aboard her ferry to Dragonstone. She confronts him about plotting to assassinate her back in Season 1 and he’s just like “whaddayagonnado?” and she makes him swear that he’ll actually tell her she sucks before actually betraying her. I’m sure that’ll work out swell. Varys assures her...

And Tyrion vouches for Varys because he’s “an excellent judge of character.”

Then Grey Worm has some kinda psychic episode and suddenly jumps in to tell Dany that Melisandre is in da house to say welcome to the neighborhood. Dany is cool with her being there because apparently the red priests helped bring “peace” to Meereen (really? when did that happen?) and Mel starts speaking to Dany in High Valyrian.

**We interrupt this program to bring you a prophecy that should have been mentioned 7 seasons ago. Had D&D realized this was actually an important plot point, they would have seeded it earlier. We now return to your regularly scheduling programming.**

Dany’s bummed that she’s not the Prince That Was Promised because she’s not a “prince”, then Missandei interrupts to tell Dany, WHOSE FIRST LANGUAGE IS HIGH VALYRIAN, that her interpretation of the prophecy is wrong -- the PTWP is totes gender-neutral, y’all! Mel won’t confirm or deny if Dany is the PTWP because even she is apparently skeptical of her own bullshit; instead she just tells Dany that she NEEDS to hook up with this cat Jon Snow, who “defeated” the Boltons and became “King in the North”. Dany’s like...

So is Tyrion, tbh. He jumps in and vouches for Jon too (remember, Excellent Judge of Character!) and because Dany has no opinions or thoughts of her own and can’t even properly translate her own mother tongue, she’s like okay cool, send a raven to Jon (where did they get ravens?).

Well, it must have been a FedEx Express Overnight™ raven cuz we cut immediately to Winterfell where Jon is already reading Tyrion’s letter. Sandra questions whether or not it’s really Tyrion but Jon says it’s legit because he included a Book Quote from the first season. And even though Jon got to know Tyrion pretty well on their journey to the Wall, he decides to be Condescending Ally and asks Sandra her opinion. Sandra then fulfills her “Tyrion’s such a nice guy!” quota for the season before Davos strolls up to finally deliver some dialogue. He has a “eureka” moment when he realizes that dragons can kill white walkers. Jon asks if he thinks he should meet with Dany as she Tyrion requested, and Davos says no, it’s too dangerous, but they should keep that shit in their back pocket for future consideration...

Then we hop to King’s Landing... Side Note: not only do all the main female characters dress alike this season, they all sound alike too. Seriously, watch these first three scenes with your eyes closed -- they all sound exactly the same!

Anyway, Cersei is in the throne room addressed Randyll “What Sword?” Tarly and some leftover Tyrells to try and convince him to join her cause against Dany, and Randyll doesn’t seem at all bothered by being ordered around by a woman. (So, I guess it’s cool for Arya and Brienne to be retconned as misogynists, but actual canon misogynists like Randyll Tarly are suddenly super cooperative and tolerant? Okay.) Cersei then starts throwing mad shade at Dany and her dad: “You remember the Mad King and the horrors he inflicted on his people...” <-- says the woman who literally did the thing that Jaime KILLED Aerys for only THREATENING to do. At this point, I began to wonder if it was actually common knowledge that Cersei blew up the sept; I guess there’s some plausible deniability, but Cersei herself doesn’t exactly seem like she has anything to hide in that regard...

After the meeting breaks up, Jaime takes Randyll aside and introduces himself to Dickon, who seems to be played by a new actor now. (BTW, how many times do you think D&D giggled like 10-year-olds at the name “Dick-On”?) Jaime questions why they even came, and Randyll says, “If my queen summons me, I answer the call. And I’ve heard what she does to those who defy her.” Which answers my question above -- he DOES know about the sept. Yet, just like kinslaying and Guest Right, terrorism is just NBD anymore. Randyll then waffles in his allegiance to Cersei and Olenna Tyrell, and I’m just.... Please. If Olenna, who is not even a Tyrell by blood, was really the only Tyrell left, do you REALLY think Randyll wouldn’t bounce at the first opportunity?? Then Jaime makes Randyll an offer he can’t refuse (Warden of the South) because the King’s Landing plot is basically The Godfather now.

Down at the Citadel, Archmaester Slughorn has a terminal prognosis for Jorah and he suggests that he just fall on his sword and get it over with. Jorah, I assume, is too busy wondering how he’s gonna make sweet love to Khaaleeesiiii with a stone wang...

Then we jump back to KL where Qyburn and Cersei are taking a little stroll through the dungeons where the dragon skulls are. Cersei says that Robert would come down there sometimes to look at them, or to band random whores, which seems extremely unlikely since Robert had an aneurysm every time the Targaryens were even mentioned. Cersei questions how they’re actually gonna be able to defeat Dany’s dragons, and Arnold Qyburnegger insists that “If it bleeds, we can kill it.” He then reveals his TOP SECRET MASTER PLAN!!! A really big crossbow. Somewhere Daryl Dixon just got the most massive boner...

Then we’re back on Dragonstone where Yara and Ellaria are yelling at Dany to just attack Dragonstone now while they have the opportunity and the forces. Tyrion’s all, “I got this, babe” and proceeds to lay out Dany’s plan for Dany (is it even Dany’s plan?), because why should the supposed leader and aspiring Queen be the one to give her troops their marching orders herself? The few lines she did have were just direct quotes from Tyrion. Anyway, Dany Tyrion tells Yara to escort Ellaria back to Dorne for some reason I don’t remember and I couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t think of this before dragging Ellaria and Olenna all the way to Dragonstone just to send them back south again. BTW, D&D thought this scene was super Feminist because 4 women were in one scene together. I’m not making that up...

Then Dany and Olenna have a one-on-one in which Olenna delivers the first meme of Season 7: “You’re a dragon! Be a dragon!” T-shirts are now available in the HBO store. (Yes, I’m serious.)

We then take a break from “Game of Thrones” to bring you a very special episode of “As the Grey Worm Turns”. So, blah blah blah, Missandei visits Grey Worm in his quarters, whines about him leaving, he calls her his “weakness”, kisses her, she immediately disrobes -- seriously, that shit came off QUICK like

...and then he goes down on her. SIGH okay look... Yes, it was a lovely scene in and of itself, and I know this was D&D’s attempt at something “sweet” for a change, and YES it was the first CONSENSUAL sex scene we’ve gotten since, what, Season 3? But here’s the problem... First of all, there are so many other actual CANON romances in ASOIAF that have gone completely or virtually unexplored on this show, so for them to just invent this “romance” between a eunuch and a character who is actually supposed to 10 just feels utterly inane. Let’s be honest, guys, this scene happened for 2 reasons: (A) they wanted to see Nathalie Emmanuel naked again, and (B) penises are for sexual assault and comic relief ONLY on this show.

So, back at the Citadel, Slughorn is droning on about one thing or another when Sam says he found a couple of recorded cases of greyscale being cured, but Sluggy says don’t believe the hype because the procedure is too dangerous and risky and was outlawed. But... you guys... greyscale is like Westerosi AIDS, so even if the procedure is “risky”, don’t you think it’s worth maybe EXPLORING at the very least??? Anyway, I’m sure you can already guess what’s gonna happen next...

Yes, Sam sneaks into Jorah’s quarters with an assortment of paraphernalia, and the same dude who spent a solid 5 minutes last episode dry-heaving over some turds has suddenly decided he’s now Doogie Howser. He offers Jorah some rum to drink to dull the pain, since apparently milk of the poppy was outlawed while we weren’t looking, and it turns out that the cure for greyscale is to just scrape it off like an old paint job. Huh.

BTW, what the hell is with this new obsession with juxtaposing bodily fluids with food all of a sudden?? New fetish?? Anyway, that pie looked AMAZING. We’re not at what I assume is the Inn at the Crossroads where Arya is chilling waiting for her meal, special delivered by Iron Chef Hot Pie! She begins to eat and drink like a pig in the manner of her soulmate The Hound and makes a joke about baking one or two pies (BECAUSE SHE’S THE MARIE CALLENDER OF MURDER PIES GET IT); there’s also another brief reference to Briennebowl (sigh). Turns out, even fucking Hot Pie knows about Cersei blowing up the sept, ffs. He also knows something else that, for some reason, Arya doesn’t -- that the Starks took back Winterfell from the Boltons. Arya is SHOOK and frankly so am I because she spent 2 whole weeks at the Twins and NO ONE mentioned this?? Even the Lannister soldiers from last episode never brought it up?? Anyway, Arya’s like “oh shit I gotta go” and Hot Pie tells her that he prefers her as a girl because she’s “pretty” and OH how I wish she would have gotten more of a reaction from that, but then again this is GoT where only “idiot” girls would respond to being called pretty... When she leaves the inn, she hangs a louie north instead of south, having decided to keep her murdering more local.

This actually wasn’t that bad a scene, to be honest. I liked how Arya looked genuinely detached as she casually made references to murders she committed or would be committing... and then how she completely snaps out of it when she hears that Jon is in Winterfell. I think the success of this scene rests solely on Maisie’s shoulders though.

Speaking of WF, we then cut to Jon who is doing the thing where the scene opens on someone just staring blankly at a map. Maester Whatshisnameagain comes in to deliver Sam’s raven, cuz the Citadel is cheap as fuck and only uses UPS Ground. We then IMMEDIATELY jump to another council meeting where Jon announces Sam’s “news” that Dragonstone is lousy with dragonglass, and that this info has confirmed his decision to answer Dany’s Tyrion’s summons after all. And because Jon can NEVER seem to clue Sandra in on his plans BEFORE meetings, he blindsides her once again, prompting her to ONCE AGAIN speak up in defiance. Yes, it’s all just lame, manufactured, forced tension on D&D’s part, and what makes it even more infuriating is that it frames Sandra as a brat Every. Time. Though, in this case, everyone else in the room seems to agree with her, including Feminist Icon™ Lyanna Mormont -- Jon is their King and should NOT abandon them when winter is upon them. Jon’s like, “Hey YOU guys are the ones who wanted me to be KiTN, I never asked for it!” Which is a super cool thing to say in front of the rightful heir whose claim you stole. But hey, all is forgiven I guess when Jon oh-so generously declares that he’s leaving WF in Sansa’s hands while he’s gone. Hey, I kidnapped your child, would you mind babysitting for me for a bit? So, basically Jon abandons the North like he did the Night’s Watch, and aren’t we so glad that Sansa’s claim was completely ignored in favor of this super reliable dipshit?

Before he leaves, Jon ducks down into the crypts to meditate in front of Ned’s effigy when Littlefucker rolls up on him like a creep and Jon’s just OVER IT before it’s even begun...

LF then declares that he “loves” Sandra (cue every puking gif ever), and Jon immediately knocks his gross ass into the wall and tells him he’ll kill him if he ever touches his sister. Frankly, LF seemed kinda into it... ;-P

Jon then leaves and mounts his horse, waving goodbye to Sandra from her permanent perch on the walkway, and she’s all

Out in the woods, Arya’s building a fire when she notices her horse acting freaked out. She suddenly finds herself surrounded by VERY BAD BOYS snarling and growling at her when a huge figure comes up behind her and then...

Yeah, I admit it, I straight up cried seeing Arya and Nymeria together again. Of course, this is GoT, though, and we can’t have nice things, so it was shortlived. Yes, in the grand tradition of D&D reintroducing forgotten characters just to kill off/get rid of them again, I present: NYMERIA. So I went from tears to rage in less than a minute. These fucking assholes are more concerned about $$$$ than the VERY CRUCIAL FACT that the Stark kids are bonded to their wolves FOR LIFE and are GODDAMN WARGS, period. I hate them so much.

The next scene was filmed through a dirty coffee filter and I couldn’t see a damn thing, but horrible accents + cattiness = must be the Sand Snakes! Oh joy! I dunno what those fucking accents were; they sounded like fucking Apollonia when she first learned English, and I wanted to kill myself. Things just got worse from there when we jumped to another part of the ship (oh yeah, we’re on a ship btw) where Ellaria and Yara are cozying up to each other in front of Theon and begin to taunt him by feeling each other up and MAN I can’t wait for these bitches to die. The gropefest is mercifully interrupted then by the ship getting rammed, and they all run outside to see Euron’s sails in the firelight. Euron Both-Hands himself then makes one helluva entrance before getting down to some good ol’ murderin’. It’s a complete clusterfuck that’s not very well lit but I could see enough to know that he killed Obara and Nym...

PRO TIP: If you’re trying to establish the next big villain on your show, don’t have him kill off 2 of the most universally despised characters.

Not surprisingly, they spare Ellaria and Tyene “Bad Pussy” Sand (AKA the one Sand Snake most willing to take her top off), meanwhile Euron and Yara face off against one another. Euron gets the upper hand and is holding a knife to Yara’s throat as he calls to Theon. Theon looks back and forth between his shitperson sister and his psychopath uncle and decides mmmmmm NOPE

I’ve seen plenty of people criticizing Theon for this, and I think it’s utter bullshit. Like, I honestly believe that scene was intended to show us that Theon was still highly traumatized and triggered in that moment, much like Sandor during the Blackwater. I do not think that we, as viewers, were meant to look at that and come away thinking that Theon was being shitty or a coward. BUT HERE’S THE THING: you cannot spend 6 seasons conditioning your audience to believe that experiencing genuine trauma is a “weakness” or “foolish” and then expect everyone to be all cool and understanding when you suddenly decide to go for “realism”. Especially when last season featured a scene in which Yara told Theon to either get over it or just kill himself and it was framed as LEGITIMATELY GOOD ADVICE (which D&D even confirmed as such)!! So yeah, a retcon in which Theon’s trauma is addressed in a very logical and meaningful way is obviously going to receive backlash. This is the same show where Sansa had to be raped in order to be “strong”, so clearly a male character who’s experienced similar trauma should just “get over it” too, right? THAT is the lesson GoT is teaching its viewers, so it stands to reason that they would revolt when a character has a genuine PTSD episode. Not to mention the fact that Yara totally did not deserve Theon’s help or protection after the way she had treated him. Not to mention how SHE left HIM behind with Ramsay!! And later blamed HIM for it! Shit, I would leave her ass too. So, yeah, this scene was, I believe, intended to show that, no, Theon is NOT over it, because yelling at someone to just stop being sad about their trauma is not a magical cure. But it’s too late for this show to try and be sensitive about these sorts of things, because your viewers have been programmed NOT to accept it. So the one time D&D&Co choose to be authentic, it falls on deaf ears. No surprise there.

Quite a note to end on, for sure. Next week looks to be more of the same, so I’m stocking up on Red Bull now...

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