#why is he always silently forgiving the shitty treatment from his family almost like he wants to maintain some sort of relationship w/ them

[jasontoddenthusiastt]

The compelling thing about Jason as a character is that I never doubted that he cared about the world just because there weren’t panels of him being overly zealous about “restorative community care”

I’m not coming after anyone who wants to see that kind of stuff, but I do think seeking | that | as confirmation that Jason cares about the world is pretty narrow

[nagy-bari]

again.

The kitchen, place to all if only ever exchange between them is once again faded into a soft light form the outside lamp and the overall quiet of the rest of the house. Most are asleep, as usual. The little table holds a shadowbound figure of an extremely tired woman absentmindedly swirling wine in her glass and lost in focus to the matte dull grayness around her. 

Vlad curses when he spots her sitting there while he reaches for his own cup of questionable amount of coffee. 

- Fo fuck you have to be like this. - she doesn’t stir from her slow movements and he mumbled it so maybe, he could just ignore it and leave. But that’s never the case. They have a routine, a bite and fight, a curse and tear and so on and so... He does a quick mental check up of the millions of ‘why’s for this night and realizes the date. june 4th. the agreement of Trianon.

Years ago she was livid this time around. Spit hellfire and venom even so much as seeing him, curse and throw stuff at him and scream, screech, shriek until her voice was gone. Not just at him if he was honest, at Francis, at Arthur, at Roderich, at Irina, at Jakub, at Drazen, at Ludwig, at anyone daring to even try and talk to her. Not that anyone was really understanding. Not that they really cared. She had a habit of being melodramatic and selfish and oh-so-better-than-thou.

And it was about a 100 years deal, life was moving on who cared anymore, they just wished she would shut up and care about her absolutely shitty reality in silence or far from them. She was loud and annoying all year around but this date brought out the never forgiving fury and it was just so over the top and needless everyone agreed to the silent treatment. Everyone who could stop the impulse or centuries old habit to just try to kick her a bit while down. Even if that meant that she would bounce up, with renewed anger and wrath and just storm it all to that one unlucky devil (him. some habits are hard to break)

Now the figure before his quick adjusting eyes is nowhere near close to the fire-breathing fury of horrid memories. Just an oh-so tired, oh so fed up but oh so out of it wreck of a human it was strange. It was also the moment Vlad realized it’s the first time he saw her today and it was nearing midnight.

She finally looks up at him when he steps into her little bubble to send a pointed look to the near empty wine bottle, then to her almost empty glass. She blinks slowly, still out of it, then a long second later huffs.

- Of fucking course it’s you. - she closes her eyes. - Leave. i don’t have time for this. 

- For what? - he finds himself curling his lips to the usual bitchy smirk without the mirth as he stands his ground.

- Whatever dishing out you have for me. Just... leave me be.

- You know fucking well you could hold your pity party in the godforsaken hole of your room. But you are here rotting my evening air so no, i’m not gonna just leave you be.

for a moment her eyes light up with the old fire of a hellstorm but she sighs it away.

- I’m meeting someone here today. so fuck off.

he pins his pointed look at the glass and snarks.

- Liver failure i assume.

- Yeah so scatter. you’re delaying them.

He sits down across her as close as uncomfortably possible shit eating grin plastered across his face trying to invade her bubble even more.

- Oh honey if you wanted to silently poison yourself you could have always asked. I have a whole collection just for you, labeled and sorted for all occasion. 

-  Like i need your help with that. Your face is enough.

Her bites are way too weak for their usual little spars and he hates these moments and hates these days when she’s so down that it’s not fun anymore. He blames years and years of living with Gyula for this. His mismatched backwards family ties rubbed off of him all the wrong way. (he never wants to humor the thought that their routine being off is the main urge for him to help cause that would imply dependency and fuck anyone trying to tell him he cares. not for this bitch)

- The day’s almost over and you did not even once throw anything at me.

- Sharp as always.

the silence is uncomfortable. it always is. she searches for something in her pockets then fumbles with her lighter. Her first drag of nicotine hits him harder than a nightmare.

- Are you planning on blowing up this building? This why you are so out of it? You finally snapped? - he laughs but not sure how much is a joke on his behalf. He will always see the worst in her and frankly it would be on brand to take out everyone in one swift...

- Would be pity for the furniture. Half of the main halls’ and the common room’s is mine. 

- As if anyone’s keeping track of these stuff. - she shrugs, lit cigarette hanging off her mouth lighting up half her face and her hand around the glass.

- Wouldn’t hurt what’s mine.

- Oh really. - long strange silence again. the smoke makes it less uncomfortable and he’s irked by it. Curse the familiarity of bad habits. - So, what’s eating you here in the middle of the night?

- Memories.

- Ahh, the unjust world where only you get to suffer like noone else?

- You’ve had your fare share of revolutions right?

the smirk freezes in spot. Her topic and casual tone frightens him more than her anger ever would.

- Yeah, what of it.

- Ever wonder if those who died in them were the lucky ones? They don’t have to move on and try to make things right slowly, or clean up their bodies or bury them...

- If i remember right today was a treaty not a revolution.

- Hah, you care - her snort is empty and hollow of humor and it gives him goosebumps cause no, he will never. - yeah. but it started so many personal revolutions. against you, against Roderich or Jakub or Drazen... silent personal wars against a life they did not choose but was forced on them, against governments that treated them like the worst of the worst, beating them into line...

- Oh look who’s talking. As if you did not do the same to anyone inside your hellhole.

- We DID NOT DRAW those borders. -she snaps and it’s familiar, it’s good, he can work with this, he knows this. but she’s out of it in a snap and he hates it. - Neither did i, nor did you. It was them - and she spits the words with hatred and oh so much hurt he almost- but you decided to be oh so fucking diligent in being a strict new owner like they gave you some fucking award for it.

- Don’t give me the moral bullshit, when you were selling out your own people just about a decade later for the fucking nazis! Nobody forced you to do THAT but you were jumping in on the torture like it was your salvation! For fuck’s sake listen to yourself! - he was screaming now and he hated her for that, he hated how he lost his cool in an instant when cruelty was the accusation aimed at him, when he was sitting across one of the most horrifying depraved historical wreck in his lifetime. And he hated how he couldn’t stop - And for fuck sake today wasn’t even about that, it’s supposed to be your pity party about losing family or some shit, why the fuck are you on about revolutions and sacrifices. - he was so confused and she looked so empty and he just hated the moment he decided to get a cup of coffee this evening.

- I know...i know. But you know what scares me? - she looks at him and god her eyes will eat him up alive, she’s so gone. she whispers - I don’t care anymore. Most who live and care are old, mess up the times, confuse 20 and 56 and 98 and those who are young can’t see what to remember, whom to cry for if to cry at all and they are angry oh so angry cause their present is shitty and their future looks stolen, stolen by those who should be the ones leading them and they have to pay respect to historical events nobody understands or learns from and they are told to cry but why, oh why would you cry when the tears are for only those who are innocent and i was never innocent and neither were you but it should not be their problem, their sin and they are just angry-

her voice broke as she ran out of air and he stares like she’s a madman (she is) and someone talking about the secrets never told (she is) and he fears for his life and thanks the heavens to be different, to not be her but he remembers the cost it had, the blood it took and he hates how he cannot look away from her eyes, the madness and the anger. so he lets her hold his hands, grab them as a lifeline and lets her ramble on and on about her todays, her battles that keep her up and numb, her young out on the street crying out for better education, for teachers and respect, her elderly not knowing what freedom of choice means, her middle conflicted and angry at the never ending exploitation and lies and tired oh so tired to work without compensation and... he’s frozen in place, listens cause he cannot let go of her hands, her grip is icy dead like a corpse frozen into a deadlock and he hates it, hates how it makes him speechless and glues him into place. She spits out her venom aimed at herself and it burns more than ever and he has to remind himself not to care, not to take  anything to heart cause it’s not his job, he cannot and will not help.

- It’s about loosing family, being cut off one day by a border yeah, but today it’s about loosing family by being cut of by common fucking sense, by personal fears and hurt, by not seeing eye to eye with your family cause they believe some fucking power hungry liar of a politician the hundred times and loosing them to some national-washed fucking program preparing your house to be sold out to some neo-liberal, neo-capitalist idea and everyone is so done and fed up they don’t even remember anything anymore cause why would you when there are no consequences, nothing at all and you loose family and you loose focus and you loose your will to fight on, cause there’s nothing to fight anymore...

She trails off and it feels like it’s over cause her deathgrip’s gone, her hands are gone and he’s still sitting there looking at her in silence. He has nothing to offer.

- You know the funny thing is how the Pope basically told us to stop fighting years ago? And now told us how sad it is to see so many closed doors. but i don’t fucking know how to open up when i know even if i do all i get is silence and empty stares. - she snarks again and takes a drag of her burnt out cigarette, angrilly searching for another one. - I know he’s right. - she speaks with the chunk between her teeth, frantically checking her pockets. - And i wanted to tell him how much he’s asking. Cause ain’t no way people will open up if i do. - the second cigarette joins between her teeth and she fumbles with the lighter. He cannot turn away just stares. Cigarette finally lit she takes both and blows the smoke slowly out through her nose. - I’m far too gone to be a team player again. Even if i wanted some ridiculous higher ups decide to play solo in the union. veto everthing for the sake of veto. I’m screwed.

- Yeah. you are. - he finally finds his voice and he blames the smoke for the softness in it.

- Thanks. - it’s empty, no venom in her words and it’s strange. - At least i know reality from nightmare.

- What’s your nightmare? - the question slips out and he knows he’s just overwhelmed by her trauma dumping and rambling, that’s why he asked.

- That nothing will change. Not until Ivan barges in again. And then still nothing. That this godforsaken state will remain for decades to come and people will just roll over as the politicians ask. That the kids will give up. That the teachers will give up. That only those remain who are okay with being rolled over and walked on. - her voice is barely a whisper and she’s not looking at him and he misses her frantic eyes cause this is too much, too honest, too personal, they were never like this (they were always like this) and he doesn’t want to help (he wants his normal back) but he has nothing to offer either (he wants this to stop, this night to end)

- You lost your edge.

- Yeah... - she ups her glass but it’s empty, her bottle is empty so she sighs. - can’t even get blackout dunk anymore to at least forget some of these.

- The poison offer still stands you know.

- Careful, i might take you up on that.

- Have the money for it?

- Where’s the personalized organized section for all occasion?

- I’ve never said it’s for free. 

- Leach.

- Moody bitch.

She snorts again, but it’s more to a chuckle and it’s like a mountain was lifted off of him but it’s scary.

- Thanks. You’re still the best verbal punching bag besides Jakub.

- Watching you having a mental breakdown every time is like a free cheap horror movie.

- Even more thanks then to sit it through. - there’s honesty in her voice and he wants to choke on it so he laughs, sharp and mean.

- Gotta watch the train wreck.

- Glad to be an entertainment. - she smiles, hollow and oh so mad and raises her glass to him two burnt cigarette but in it one still smoking a bit.

[dweetwise]

Headcannons about Ace interacting with other survivors in the realm? Thanks!!

[yess trash husband! these all got weirdly wholesome sksksk just let me have this ok]

there are too many survivors lmao this is so long

Ace & other survivors headcanons

In general Ace is a friendly guy, trying his best to stay on good terms with all the survivors and avoid drama. He’ll joke, tease and flirt to keep things lighthearted in camp. 

He’s a lot more perceptive than he seems, and what initially seems to be an ill-timed quip or a joke in poor taste is often well thought out to lighten the mood and shift the attention away from an argument or tension between the others.

Dwight

Dwight was the first survivor to make him feel part of the group when he initially arrived in the realm. Where the others saw a shady man twice their age lacking any sort of tact, Dwight saw a potential ally just trying to cope with a shitty situation.

Ever since, Ace has made it his mission to act as Dwight’s #1 cheerleader. When the other gets wrapped up in his own head, Ace will offer cheesy compliments until Dwight can’t help but laugh at his antics, forgetting his insecurities at least momentarily.

Ace likes Dwight well enough despite their completely different personalities, but mostly recognizes how important it is to keep their leader’s spirits high.

Meg

Meg is a bit of a loudmouth and Ace likes that she gives as good as she gets. He’ll often tease her and she’ll insult him in return, the others not understanding why the two are grinning like idiots while seemingly arguing.

When Meg has a bad day, she’ll sometimes just flop down next to Ace and sag against him without a word. He knows not to say anything and just lets her rest against him, maybe shows her a neat card trick if she looks like she needs a distraction.

Meg pointedly never talks about any father figure in her life, only her mother, so Ace is happy to fill in for any paternal affection she needs. He’s not sure he deserves the trust she's placed in him, but tries his best nonetheless.

Claudette

Ace thinks Claudette hates him at first, since the girl rarely laughs at his jokes, sometimes even interrupting to defend the person he’s bantering with. It takes him a while to realize that Claudette just has trouble reading his tone, tending to take his words at face value.

He makes a conscious effort to be more genuine with her, and actually ends up opening up more to her than any of the others because he can’t hide behind wit and sarcasm.

Even though he loves being the life of the party, when he needs a breather he seeks out one-on-one time with Claudette and listens for hours while she talks about plants or her family in her soothing voice.

Jake

Jake is an ongoing project for him. Ace has caught glimpses of Jake’s wonderfully dark sense of humor and is determined to see more of what’s behind the stoic exterior.

So Ace pushes more than any of the others, teasing and joking even when it’s clear Jake wants to be left alone. Usually he gets an annoyed grunt or an eye roll for his efforts. Sometimes, he gets punched. But every once in a while, particularly when nobody else is around, he’ll get a small smirk and an amazingly witty quip in return.

So he keeps pestering Jake, hoping that one day the other will be comfortable enough to let his guard down around him and the rest of the survivors.

Nea

Nea is a huge brat and is Ace’s favorite partner is trials, as she’s always up for doing dumb shit with him and doesn’t care if he gets distracted and loots a chest or five.

In camp, she’s like an annoying little sister, constantly getting up in his business, calling out his cheating in card games and booing at his less than stellar jokes.

Ace is her go-to confidant for her girl troubles. She always pretends to be annoyed at his shitty advice and the cringy pick-up lines he suggests she use, but she’s grateful to have someone to talk to who never judges.

Laurie

Laurie doesn’t approve of Ace’s previous lifestyle, not to mention some of the impulsive decisions he makes in trials, and she’s not afraid of letting him know. He doesn’t mind being lectured by her and will be the first to admit she’s leagues more mature than he is despite her young age.

She pretends to hate his jokes but still catches her smiling when she thinks he doesn’t see. Though he learned the hard way that she’s not receptive to flirty comments when she wrangled his arm back for calling her “sweetheart”.

She has cried on his shoulder multiple times, especially after trials against her brother. Ace thinks it’s because he’s open to a fault compared to her reserved nature, and she knows he won’t push her away or make a big deal out of it. Afterwards, she’ll be embarrassed and threaten violence if he tells the others, and he’ll go back to cracking jokes.

Bill

In many ways, Bill is Ace’s polar opposite; he’s serious, grumpy and sarcastic compared to Ace’s lighthearted and over-the-top demeanor.

They make a good comedy duo, with Bill being a reluctant participant most of the time. Still, the other has yet to actually ignore his goading, taking every chance to try to knock Ace down a peg.

Bill’s true colors shine through in bad trials, when he’ll ask Ace to help him save their younger friends, trusting his skill and moral code at least momentarily. After all, there’s a certain kind of solidarity that only comes from bleeding out next to each other on the ground after having successfully bullied the killer away from their teammates.

Feng

Some of the others dislike Feng and how selfish she is in trials, but Ace has a soft spot for her and her erratic behavior, quick to jump in and defuse situations where the others are ganging up on her.

Feng eventually recognizes Ace as her equal and not a “pleb” like she sees most of the others. She’ll even almost look happy to see him if they spawn together in a trial, before pestering him until he hands her his item.

Feng’s competitive nature sometimes makes her take out her frustration on the others in a gamer rage. Ace often intentionally makes himself an easy target by teasing her, not minding being her verbal punching bag as he knows it’s all bark and no bite and it helps her de-stress.

David

Ace finds David’s complete lack of filter and dirty humor amusing. The two have the most bizarre banter, egging each other on with gags that consist of 90 % of obscenities and that cause some of the others to cover their ears in second hand embarrassment.

Ace likes that David doesn’t take himself too seriously, and often uses the Brit as the butt of a joke, knowing the other won’t mind and will most likely be the one to laugh the hardest.

If David gets in one of his moods, pent up after a trial and looking for a brawl, Ace is one of the few who can snap him out of it with one of their tasteless jokes. Sometimes the joke falls flat and he gets punched or wrestled to the ground instead, but hey, at least David’s not sulking any more.

Quentin

Ace goes easy on Quentin at first, because the boy looks so tired and seems like he’s struggling with the realm. Quentin eventually notices the special treatment and starts giving him shit for it. Ace goes full force with the banter and Quentin is more than happy to dish it back, displaying a delightfully quick wit and dry sense of humor.

He still recognizes that Quentin might have an aversion to older men so he keeps a healthy distance between them, consciously resisting his natural inclination for playful shoves or flirty jokes.

Proud member of the Protect Quentin / Kick Freddy’s Ass squad. He wishes he could do more for Quentin, but hey, at least he can make the sleepy boy crack a few jokes at Ace’s expense.

Tapp

His relationship with Tapp is tense at first; as conman and cop, they have a lot of prejudices against each other.

Tapp eventually drops the antagonism, recognizing the real threat in the killers and realizing the benefits of teamwork. That includes accepting petty criminals like himself and Nea.

They’re not the best of friends by any means, but it’s kind of nice to play cards with the man and be able to chat with someone his own age. Ace doesn’t even cheat in their games, and in return gets to hear about some of Tapp’s more colorful cases as a detective.

Kate

Ace values Kate a lot in their group; she’s hearty, genuine and he’s never seen her angry. She radiates charisma in a way that’s completely different to his own, and Ace feels like he can relax and drop the “entertainer” act when she′s around.

He’s not actually close to her personally, as they don’t have much more in common than being the token happy person by the campfire. Still, they have a silent understanding of one another.

Ace will sometimes call her obnoxious pet names like honey, sweetheart and pumpkin, and she’ll just laugh in her melodious voice and shoot back a “yes, darlin’?”.

Adam

Adam is well-read and sophisticated to a point where Ace feels a little bit intimidated. Adam will frown at some of his jokes and correct him, and Ace will feel dumb.

Ace starts having his guard up around the other, until Adam seems to notice and makes a conscious effort to befriend him, confessing that he’s just a little awkward and never meant to be rude.

Ace is always quick to forgive and forget and goes back to joking full force, also making an effort to ask the other about some useless trivia every now and then because it makes Adam’s face light up.

Jeff

Jeff is just so chill even Ace feels himself mellow out in his company. They have pretty much nothing in common but Jeff always chuckles at his jokes and has some pretty good one-liners of his own.

He’ll sometimes just sit with Jeff and talk about anything and everything, appreciating the other’s interesting worldview that’s so different to his own. It always feels kind of like he’s just out having a beer with a bro.

Jeff is the one Ace is most comfortable with asking advice from, because the man never judges and his advice often offers a whole new perspective.

Jane

Jane and Ace butt heads a lot. She doesn’t like some of his more questionable jokes and won’t hesitate to call him out. In return, he’ll claim she just needs to lighten up.

Eventually this dynamic becomes a joke of its own, with the others commenting on how “mom and dad are arguing again”.

Ash

Hoo boy. These two are so much alike and it usually ends in disaster. Will bully killers together and get facecamped while the other is slugged next to the hook.

Ash is more of an adrenaline junkie than him, and Ace actually starts finding himself being the voice of reason that tries to talk Ash out of sucker punching the killer.

Ash is somehow also even more of an attention whore than Ace, so when the man is telling a crazy story to the rest of the camp, Ace is content to quietly slip away from the commotion and go chill with Claudette or Jeff.

Nancy

Nancy is one of the smartest people Ace has ever met and he loves how flustered she gets whenever he tells her as much.

He’s happy to let her take the lead in trials, as she, like Dwight, seems to be a natural leader. She’s always surprised by his acceptance of her as an equal or even superior, and he can tell she’s had trouble with being taken seriously in the past.

That being said, he can’t resist messing with her every now and then, cracking jokes and trying to get her to loosen up and realize that the fate of the world does not rest on her shoulders.

Steve

Ace sees a lot of himself in Steve; the goofiness, the troublemaking, and the cockiness that sometimes verges on arrogance.

He goes along with Steve’s dumb ideas in trials, feeling decades younger every time the teen eggs him on to have flashlight lightshows or make farting sounds with the gauze rolls instead of doing the objective.

When Steve inevitably gets caught trying to pull a dumb stunt, Ace will be the one to save his ass while giving him shit for it, all in good nature.

Yui

Yui is a badass if he’s ever seen one. They’ve pulled off so many end-game rescues together that should have been impossible, but with her determination and his luck they always seem to defeat the odds.

In camp, Yui is a wiseass and they give each other so much shit for the smallest of things. Yui is painfully blunt and thrives on good banter, and Ace is happy to indulge her.

Yui has a filthy mouth that will give David a run for his money and has even managed to make Ace blush and gape on a couple of occasions.

Zarina

Zarina is not amused by Ace’s flirting and flamboyance. Zarina values actions, not words, and somehow seems to sense all the empty promises Ace has made in his past.

Each time he’s about to engage her in conversation is predated by one of her eye rolls or exaggerated sighs. He starts greeting her with the same gestures to mess with her, annoying her further.

Nevertheless, when push comes to shove, she’s there to pick him up off the ground at the expense of her own health state and reluctantly compliments him for running the killer for three gens.

Cheryl

Cheryl keeps surprising Ace, her shy demeanor hiding a dry sense of humor and a rebellious streak.

She plays along with his banter without missing a beat, throwing in some jokes at his expense for good measure, causing Nea and Yui to basically insta-adopt her as one of their own and bond over his shitty sense of humor.

sorry there’s only 2 for jane and cheryl!  i’ve done a hc with ace&jane before and i still don’t have a good grasp on cheryl/heather’s character ;w;

[sope-and-shine]

Christmas Special: Day 3

-> Pairing: Namjoon x Reader -> Roommate!AU // Best Friend!AU // Fluff // Non-Existent Angst ->Word Count: 2.3k ->Summary: Bedding, Blizzards, and Namtiddies? Oh my! -> Warning(s): None???

A/N: I guess now is a good time to mention that all of these were randomly generated and randomly put into order. There was too much planning and effort that went into this for me to not mention any Namtiddies.

When you agreed to stay home with your roommate and life-long best friend this Christmas and spend Christmas together, it was more of a bonding thing you were going for. You still expected to wrap yourself up in your blankets, sit by your window with a cup of hot chocolate in your hands, and watch the city below you get covered in snow. You agreed to binge watch every crummy Christmas movie you could find and make shitty cookies from the package together in your very tiny kitchen. You agreed to wake up early - but not too early - on Christmas morning to open the presents family and friends had been sending to your apartment together.

What you did not agree to was your best friend dumping his stupid science project all over your bed and forcing you to clean your only bedding, quite possibly staining it and the clothes you were wearing. Why was he in your room? Well, he had a question. Why did he have his nasty science project in his hands? Well, that’s a great question he hasn’t answered yet. Why did he dump it on your bed? 

He got a cold chill and lost his grip on it.

Were you angry? Absolutely. You weren’t just mad. You were big mad. Of all the clumsy things this man has done, this had to take the cake. And that’s saying something considering he literally wore Jin’s birthday cake when you celebrated the other week. Yeah, he was never bringing the cake out ever again. Nor would he be allowed in a three legged race again either, but that’s for another time. 

The only thing you could focus on right now, was the loss of you favorite and only bedding. The sounds of your mother nagging you about taking more than one set of bedding with you was clouding you thoughts, “You should take it with you. Don’t come crying back to me when you realize that one set of bedding won’t work! Your sister regretted it and so will you.” 

Oh, how right she was. And you should’ve known better with a roommate like Namjoon. He was nicknamed the god of destruction back in middle school when he tripped over a chair and broke an entire desk. Of course at the time it was the funniest thing in the world, but being on the other side of the destruction felt like karma for all the times you watched him demolish something and enjoyed it. 

You were so mad that Namjoon didn’t just see it. He was feeling it. He felt it the minute his liquidated project landed on top of your plush sheets. The look you gave him as you sat up covered in green and purple slime - at least you hoped it was just slime - as well as the silence that followed you, screamed how much trouble he was in. Now, you’re not an angry person, and you very rarely hold grudges, but you had your moods just like any other person and this definitely pushed your buttons to the limit. It pushed you enough to go through with the one punishment you always promise to give him.

The silent treatment.

Another thing about you: You’re not exactly the shy type. Not with him anyways. You act like he’s barely even there sometimes, allowing yourself to be embarrassing or to sit right next to him on the couch and cling onto him. You were just a tiny koala that demanded food for compensation and he gave it to you every time you asked, and he’s felt your rage plenty of times. But you never went through with your promise of not speaking to him. Until now that is. But Namjoon is a determined guy. He won’t back down from a fight, especially not with you. He’d get you to talk one way or another.

Sitting on the couch with his laptop resting on his lap, glasses slightly low on his nose from working on his paper and looking up to you, he can’t help but be amused. You were trying to make a show of your anger with him, and he could tell instantly. You would walk by him every 5 minutes, make noise in the kitchen, sigh heavily as you say by the window with no comfy blanket. You deserved an Oscar for most dramatic at this point, staring out at the blizzard raging outside with your arms and legs crossed like a child.

“They say the storm is only going to get worse. We could be seeing power outages across town.” Namjoon says, typing away at his essay. You don’t move, continuing your little game of ignoring his entire existence. He shakes his head, “We should watch The Polar Express now in case ours goes out later tonight.”

You don't exactly respond to him, but The Polar Express is your favorite movie, and it was almost impossible for you to ignore his offer to watch it. You hesitate at first, but you do eventually slide off the windowsill of your apartment window and shuffle across the wood floors in your fluffy green socks to the shelf that holds all of your movies and games. Namjoon has to do everything he can to not laugh at you, pretending to be mad even though he can see you bouncing in excitement. If he was right, then you’d be yourself again in no time.

Unfortunately, Namjoon wasn’t aware of how determined you actually were. As soon as you put the movie in, you were sitting on the opposite side of the couch from him with your knees pulled into your chest, acting like his existence meant nothing to you. It caught him off guard, but it didn't totally convince him. You’ve always turned into a child the minute this movie turned on, and there was no way you’d be able to hold out through the whole film. He’d play your game, but he wouldn't lose. You - on the other hand - were having a very hard time. You were still mad with Namjoon, you didn't want to forgive him yet. Everything this week had gone wrong for you, and his accident was just the icing on the cake. But at the same time, you know it was an accident, and he apologized for the first 30 minutes until he realized you really weren't going to say anything. A part of you felt bad knowing deep down that he didn’t deserve this, but a part of you just needed to let it out. 

Or keep it in, in this case.

You both sit quietly on the couch watching the movie, Namjoon tapping away on his keyboard in between dialogue. He’d add in his own thoughts about the movie in between to get you to talk, sometimes asking about your family or even trying to talk about the weather outside. But just like you, it only seemed to rage on.

“C’mon, (Y/n)! I know you’re not talking, but you can’t keep quiet when you know this song slaps! Could you imagine if there was a rap?!” He faces you on the couch and starts bouncing on the couch to a new rhythm, “Hot!Hot! Hey! Break it down now. I know the chocolate is hot, but you’ll like it a lot! Never sip, never drip, never set it down like-“ As much fun as he seemed to be having in his own little world, you were not as amused as he was. He could tell by the look on your face that he only had one option in this situation, “Yeah, I didn’t think it was that great either.”

He let the movie continue on without interruption for a while longer, letting you enjoy the movie playing. It was nice and comforting to enjoy it, at least until you hear a loud popping noise followed by the room going almost completely dark besides Namjoon’s laptop. His prediction of the power going out came a lot sooner than you both expected.

“Well, it looks like the power finally went out.” He says, trying to lighten the mood. Your lack of response wasn’t exactly what he was hoping for though. He sets his laptop aside on the couch and stands up, “We should probably check how much water and food we have so we can decide where we may need to go tomorrow, if at all.”

You follow behind Namjoon quietly, not ready to speak but not yet ready to be alone. Your apartment is an older one, so the darkness wasn’t as inviting as it would be in other houses - but darkness isn’t all that inviting anyways so-

“Did your bedding finish drying?” Your eyes go wide, the realization hitting you. You just put your bedding into the dryer for the first time run before the movie, and it always took at least three for it to actually be nice and fluffy for bedtime. But knowing how well your dryer worked, there was no way it wouldn’t be a sopping mess when you pulled it out. 

“Damnit...” You sigh.

“Ah, so you’re back to talking to me now?” He asks, his knowing smirk being hidden away in the darkness.

“Yeah, well I can’t glare at the darkness and get the same reaction, now can I?” You scoff. He was right in the end just like always, only now it was more unpleasant with the cold weather seeping into your older apartment, “It’s already cold in here, Joonie.”

“Hey, don’t worry. Go put on some extra layers and I’ll figure everything else out.” No matter what situation, Namjoon always knew how to keep you calm and feel a little better - even if you were ignoring him harder than the plague. He remained level-headed even if you were at your worst.

A few minutes later, after much shuffling around with only your phone light, you managed to pull on some sweatpants and a sweater. Not the best options, but they were the best you could do at the moment with your really warm clothes being tucked in the dryer with your sopping wet blankets. You meet Namjoon back in the living room only to find him sitting on the couch with his laptop wearing a hoodie instead of his NASA shirt from earlier. 

You approach him from behind the couch and rest your chin on top of his head, taking a peak at the screen with his English essay on it, “Did you figure something out?”

“Yeah, you can sleep on my bed for the night and I’ll just wing it on the couch tonight.” He says, continuing to type away like that wasn’t what he’d been doing all night anyways. You weren’t as unbothered as he was though. “Namjoon I-” “Don’t start with me, (Y/n). It’s my fault that you don’t have any bedding, so I get to suffer the consequences.” His typing slowly fills the room again as you stand behind him in silence. You were annoyed with him, but making him sleep on the couch with no blankets when it was only getting colder? Not happening. 

You hesitantly wrap your arms over his shoulders, tucking your head into his neck, “But I don’t want you to suffer. What if I wake up to a Namjoon-Pop? I can’t count on anyone buying you in this weather.”

“Wow, you’re really heartbroken over this.” He says with his voice laced in sarcasm.

“Can we just share the bed?” You ask. You lift your head and press the side of your face into the side his, rubbing very softly against it like a cat, “It’s already below freezing outside right now, and it’s only supposed to get colder. I’d feel better if I knew you weren’t freezing...and if I could steal your body heat.”

He shoves you away, “You, Vixen. You just want me for my body.”

“Body heat, there’s a difference.” You say.

“So, you don’t want my cuddles?” He asks, turning his head ever so slightly to look at you. Thinking about it, he wasn’t that far off. His cuddles were the best, and you really can’t help but to agree with him, “Okay, so maybe I do want your body. Who could resist those Namtiddies?”

“Forget it, you can sleep on the couch.” He returns to his laptop, not fond of the name you’d given to his pectorals after he started showing results from hitting the gym.

Eventually - after convincing him you’re not going to speak of the ‘Namtiddies’ for the rest of the night - you both end up lying in his bed, facing his desk chair where he’d placed his laptop with The Polar Express running. His chest is pressed into your back, his warm covers that smell like his Old Spice: Original body products tucked all the way up under your chin. His arms wrap around your waist to keep you as close to him as possible, and you can feel his breath on the back of your neck. It’s intimate, but it’s nothing that’s really new for either one of you. Cuddling like this really wasn’t new, and it actually felt natural for you to be wrapped in his arms. You felt safe with him, and it just made you feel even worse for treating him the way you had today.

“Hey, Joonie?” You ask quietly, unsure if he had fallen asleep yet. He grunts in response with a slight tug to pull you closer, a small ‘hm?’ leaving him. You shrink back into his warmth and grab onto his hand laying in front of your face to play with his fingers out of nervousness, “I’m really sorry for acting like a kid earlier and ignoring you. Even though I was really angry and I’m still not really over it, you didn’t deserve that.”

“(Y/n), you and I both know that you weren’t and still aren’t mad at me.” He mumbles, grasping onto your hand to keep it still and nuzzling his face into your neck to get more comfortable. 

“Okay, but that wasn’t my point.”

He lets out a sigh and pulls at your waist to get you to turn, pulling you into his chest as soon as you turn over enough. He fixes the blanket covering the both of you and holds you against him in hopes to get you to settle into sleep instead of your thoughts. “You forgive me. I forgive you. Can you just listen to The Polar Express so we can go to sleep before it gets colder?” 

And that’s how you fall asleep, your head resting on Namjoon’s chest wrapped up in blankets and his comforting scent. No snow to look at, no hot chocolate in your hands, but at least you have his heartbeat drumming next to your ear to keep you at peace.

[unimpressedperson]

Jackpot | pt. 3 [FINAL]

(Found this picture in @youthstuffs , thank you for posting it)

Genre: Fluff and Crack, I guess…

Warnings: None

Pairing: Kim Namjoon x @taesbetch , Kim Namjoon x Reader

Word Counting: 8.5k

Synopsis: Nya spent her whole life in Las Vegas, she would never imagine that local knowledge would ever be useful. However, her vision changed when Kim Seokjin appeared and introduced her to a few friends, film producers, whose needed guidance through Las Vegas underrated places for a movie. She agreed in working for them, and in that moment none of their lives would ever be the same. What happens in Vegas, not always has to be kept in Vegas.

A/N: Heeeeeeeey Nya!! Finally the last chapter! The oneshot has originally 20.958 words, so I decided to split it in three chapters. It’s the final one. The closure of this rhapsody (am I cocky, lol?), yeah. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing, ‘cuz it was fun talking about RPDR, movies, Vhope, Jeon Seagull, Namjoon, you, Dragon! Yoongi au spitting fiiire oooh, Star Trek references, etc :) Forgive any grammar mistakes.

- x - x - x - x -

Yoongi knew it. He fucking knew it in the moment Namjoon began contending about some girl willing to guide them through Las Vegas. He saw back in then that something would rotten up during the process. Nothing could ever go soft and swift, every damn time, Kim Namjoon would come up with some drama, or Hoseok and Taehyung would fight, or the pipes from their filming location would BUST IN GEYSERS FROM EVERY WALL AND FLOOR.

He could gain money by showing off his auguring powers. At least from some dumb folk like Namjoon.

They worked together for 10 years. A decade living through ups and downs, but what kept their Cinematography Company moving and succeeding was the timing. Namjoon directs a successful movie, then gets involved with someone, breaks up and directs a shitty movie. It was a cycle in which Yoongi never complained and watched happening time after time. In 10 years, Kim Namjoon proved to be a genius and that he acknowledge the romantic vicious cycle, never defying it by getting involved with someone after almost breaking their business.

In situations of risk like these, Yoongi takes over his Spock role and always gives good advices to Captain Namjoon. It was his Vulcan power, after all. The Enterprise never bankrupted precisely because everytime one of the bosses made a bold move or a bad decision, someone would soothe it with a better idea or stopping before happening.

This time, though, Namjoon was being a stubborn bitch. Yoongi considered the idea of poisoning him and keeping the whole company under his name and charge.

Oh, he really pondered and even searched for undetectable poisons, but their 10 years story spoke louder than the homicidal side of Min Yoongi.

Kim Namjoon and Min Yoongi met whilst working. They were producing the songs from a  soundtrack, after so many nights of writing and playing instruments, sometimes all by themselves, their similarities brought them closer. A beautiful and honest friendship blossomed, nurtured with honest, curses, talent, humor, sarcasm and a lot of partnership.

Eventually, their dreams became way too big and only working for a company wasn't satisfying them. With their savings combined, Namjoon and Yoongi registered a firm called “Enterprise Inc.”. They had the name and ideas, but only when Taehyung and Hoseok appeared that their machine began working.

Independent movies were becoming a trend, so their company grew and more people got hired to different task. Jimin, Jungkook, Emerson, Jade, Taylor, Shmaillah, Zariah and Robin were now part of their big family. They treated each other like relatives.

However, since not everything happened smoothly, Namjoon also had his flaws. Unfortunately, his passion and volatility affected financially their business and finances. Kim Namjoon loved loving, but his kind of love changes fast and finishing a relationship always turned him into a grumpy man.

His longest relationship lasted 1 year and a half, with an author and professor of Creative Writing at London Institute of Art, Barbara. Unfortunately, their break up made Namjoon extra unbearable, to a point where the actors hired would quit and the filming had to be stopped. His mood swings almost led Enterprise to declare bankrupt.

Of course Yoongi dated, actually he's been officially living with Emerson for over five months, but his personal life never affected the professional. Home feuds stayed at home, even because his girlfriend worked as head from the Enterprise's Marketing and Advertising department.

After discussing, they slept for four hours. Yoongi always valued his sleep and would rest whenever (and wherever) possible, but their argue made the atmosphere inside the room unbearable. Namjoon couldn't sleep as well, he knew Min was right, but and if he allowed himself getting closer to Nya, then doubtlessly at some point would end up falling for her. Namjoon was an assumed romantic mushy, but with a volatile heart.

They went to the buffet, dragging a sleepy Jungkook and an awaken Hoseok jogging, dancing, humming and texting his boyfriend, also animated and sending copious audios thrilled with the last night events. Even though it was already noon, people having breakfast could be seen all around.

— I can see a whole bunch of people with last night’s makeup smudged. Walk of shame, guys. - Jungkook murmured after drinking a whole mug of coffee.

— You walked in the hotel with someone else’s skirt, smudged makeup and cummed pants in a brown paper bag. Walk of shame, bro. - Yoongi grinned and stared at Jungkook.

— Last night was nuts, wasn’t it? - The younger one asked, sipping from his second mug. - We started in a bar and end up in a Ball. What the fuck, I love my life.

— Yeah. Crazy night. - Namjoon disassembled himself from the conversation with a sweep of hand.

Jungkook could feel the tension around. Namjoon and Yoongi were clearly pissed at each other, and it was palpable around. The air was borderline toxic with so much electricity. However, Jeon could rightfully guess why. In his time working for Enterprise Inc., that same negative energy surrounded them plenty of times before. Currently, everyone knew their financial situation, since two actors decided to leave the project in order to get away from Namjoon and his bad temper, and one actress who broke contract after being casted to a bigger production.

Min Yoongi and Kim Namjoon were great egos and minds. Working together represented war and success. They bickered, yet found ways to reconcile and respect each other’s differences, at least during toil days of finishing every detail, since both were also meticulous with lighting, angles, planning thoroughly even colours and shades. In fact, Jungkook graduated in cinema, but most of his practical knowledge was obtained by watching his bosses.

For a matter of fact, Jungkook could have chosen to remain in Korea and work with K-Dramas, movies or even MVs. Their cinematography industry was in constant growth, Jeon would never actually be unemployed, mainly with his fame as an idol. Even though his payment wasn’t the highest one, residing in London wasn’t impossible or uncomfortable, he could be classified as a wealthy lad, since the fame acquired during his boygroup years still paid him for image copyright licensing.

Jungkook was so famous in Korea, that every film produced by Enterprise Inc. sold like water on desert. Their film grossing came 6% from Seoul only. His stardom reached such a level that Jeon Seagull was mentioned beside great names like BIGBANG and Super Junior.  

When Jungkook became 25 years old, his biggest fan club in England during a whole month sent 25 roses to the Enterprise Inc. building daily.

Although, even with fame and constant proofs of how influential he still was, Jungkook felt good by being treated like a younger brother. No one gave him a special treatment or rolled out a red carpet whenever he walked around. Once, after having a small party at Yoongi’s place, he vented with his hyungs about fame and all, Min Yoongi stared at him blankly and said placid:

— I couldn’t care less about your idol life and shit. For me, you are Jeon Jungkook and works with film editing, you can even sing whilst doing your job, but it will never earn you a golden star.

It worried him watching his hyungs and main inspirations brawling, probably over Namjoon’s love interest in Nya and how it would affect his work. Also, Jungkook knew about money problems and thought about offering some cash to help and stabilize their finances, however everyone knew Yoongi would rather sell a kidney before accepting any loan.

— NOO!! - Hoseok yelled and punched the table, cell phone still on his other hand and eyes furiously staring at the screen. That unexpected behavior startled everyone.

— What happened? Did someone die? - Namjoon questioned, genuinely worried.

— No! But someone is about to! Taehyung finished watching The Umbrella Academy without me! I'm going to kill my boyfriend! - Hoseok declared and began typing furiously.

- x - x - x - x -

Nya felt an apprehension in the air, like something was off. Namjoon and Yoongi barely looked at each other, definitely not a subtle change from their past behavior. It could be only a hangover, or not. Well, she wasn’t in such position to question them.

Whilst Namjoon and Yoongi were silent, Hoseok and Jungkook were jamming to whatever played on the radio, creating choreographies out of blue and pulling the grumpy men. Maybe in a common day things were like that, very balanced: two neutrons and two protons.

Their last demand was going to thrift shops, and places selling wigs. Their desire was an order, so Nya chose “Opportunity Village Thrift Store” and Honey’s favourite place to buy wigs.

The ride to Opportunity Village seemed to last forever. Namjoon wanted to talk and have fun along with Nya, Hoseok and Jungkook, but Yoongi could consider it flirting and throw a homeric tantrum. Oh, he would die out of embarrassment.

Arriving was a relief. Yoongi stretched his legs and stared at Jeon. Before leaving the hotel, they decided that having Yoongi always sitting on Hoseok’s lap wasn’t fair, so using their best tool of democracy (a.k.a rock, scissor, paper) the last ones would play to decide who would flump and who would be flumped. In conclusion, maintaining a Jungkook steady during a car ride isn’t comfortable.

Opportunity Village Thrift Store looked huge. Garment tracks, clothing rails, huge baskets and hampers with colourful fabrics and shoes. It felt like a paradise and a warzone. Namjoon seriously considered the idea of diving in one of them, only to test how it feels like, but kept a composed behavior.

Nya got in and pulled a huge pink coat from one of the baskets, throwing it in Yoongi’s direction, whose first reflex was to deviate, watching the fabric becoming a puddle on his feet. He picked it up and dressed. Understanding it as an ice-breaker, everyone else decided to have their fun exploring what the store had to offer.

— I’m gonna pop some tags. Only got 20 dollars in my pocket. - Hoseok began singing happily, getting out from the fitting room with a huge ass fur coat covering down his knees, pink glasses and platform shoes.

Jungkook was with his body halfway in one of the baskets, but after listening the fitting room’s door opening, he stood up using a baseball cap, a t-shirt made of black tulle with Xs covering the nipples. Hoseok never behaved discreetly, but seeing him all dressed up and singing Macklemore, it made Jeon cackle and sit on the ground.

— You look like an asian version of Elton John on a budget! - Jungkook managed to utter between guffaws.

Before Jungkook died out of laughter, Namjoon showed up with a brown ushanka covering his lilac hair, white jacket with voluptuous shoulder pads and a brown clutch. Jung was about to pronounce something, when Kim opened a huge and glittery fan that was hidden inside the jacket’s pocket.

— You look like a cheap version of Adam Lambert, Jeon. - Namjoon sounded serious, but a quirk dimpley smile took over his features.

Everyone laughed and looked around for Nya, since Yoongi was anything but undercover with his bright pink coat, sitting on one wooden bench close to the fitting rooms, he typed something on the cellphone, a deadly serious face, not even paying attention to all foolery.

The woman emerged from the third and last fitting room. She was using a dress made of golden sequins, her cleavage in evidence and left leg standing out of a opening. Namjoon, Jungkook and Hoseok shut up and stared at her in awe.

— Can someone please make a joke so I will feel less embarrassed? - She muttered, cheeks getting warmer and redder with their eyes laying on her stunning figure.

— Nya, Big Bird from Sesame Street called. - Yoongi pronounced without looking at her, still typing and unfazed. - He wants his drag queen dress back.

They got back to laugh until tears were streaming down their faces, even Yoongi giggled a little. Everyone went back inside a fitting room, dressing back their own clothes and going out, looking for more funny outfits.

…

Namjoon and Nya would never understand or feel able to explain how, but somewhere between laughing at a pair of ugly ass shoes and grabbing more stuff to try on, they found themselves making out inside one fitting room. Sitting on the ground, her legs straddling him and his hands cupping her ass, their mouths connected and only separated looking for air (or taking turns in kissing necks), lips moving in sync and desperately grinding against each other.

After a few minutes swirling tongues and trading saliva, they stopped gasping for air, foreheads touching and now fingers intertwined, laying on Namjoon’s lap. Nya smiled and gave him a quick peck, without saying a word. They agreed in making out without pronouncing syllables, got there and began smooching, not a single sound needed.

Namjoon moved his hands and posed them on her waist, smiling whilst staring and decorating every feature from Nya’s attractive face. The dimples, oh those dimples, she held his face and began kissing those goddamn cute details. Namjoon moved his face a bit, getting back to peck her lips passionately.

— I don’t want to leave this fitting room ever again. - Namjoon whispered watching Nya hop off his lap and sit beside him, laying her head on his shoulder, a long arm enveloping around hers.

— If we are going to do something else, then we gotta leave. - Nya murmured and caressed his clothed knee, making small heart shapes there.

— I like the way you think. - His free hand lifted her chin leaning a little to kiss there again.

Before they could even think about continuing the make out session, a loud knock on the door was heard, startling them. Namjoon froze on his spot when a deep voice was heard, most specifically Yoongi’s voice.

— Kim Namjoon, why is Nya inside a fucking stall with you? - He sounded pissed off and it scared even the woman.

— W-who told something about Nya being here? - Namjoon questioned, trying to keep his cool.

— Who told me? A blue bird appeared to tell me. - His sarcasm sharp and killer like a knife, as always. - I COULD HEAR SOMEONE WHIMPERING FROM THE FRONT DOOR! AND IT WAS YOUR WHIMPERINGS!

Looking around, Namjoon tried to find another exit other than the door, in vain of course. Nya noticed Yoongi’s frown when he saw they kissing the day before, but would never imagine how against making out with her. By the way, why did Min even cared about it? Well, she didn’t understand, but Kim’s reaction surprised her: Glancing around desperately, fidgeting and anxious.

Did Yoongi carry a gun with him after all?

— Namjoon, you know I wouldn’t care about your romantic life, if you were capable of dicking down someone without falling in love and ruining our business! - Yoongi scolded profusely, words spitted like fire. The small man had flames inside his belly, always keen to burn whoever dared to cross his path and stumble. When their partnership became real and moneymaking, Namjoon’s creativity and intellect lost ground to Yoongi’s audacity, geniality and incredible honesty. Everyone in a meeting could witness how Min grows talking about money, market and tactics on getting attention, the same way Kim shrinks. 148 IQ points, tall and intimidating, but the business head looked like a human Hamtaro.

Indeed, Namjoon felt rickety closer to Yoongi. Who wouldn’t? Although their partnership equally shared in 50% of profit between them, who always controlled their accounts and hired people was Yoongi. Kim Namjoon was creative and smart, but Min Yoongi was ferocious, visionary, not afraid of facing bigger companies and calling attention to their work. Success depends on many more aspects than a well produced movie, knowing how to speak with business man, sell their product and spread their name. The universe knows Enterprise Inc., Mr. Spock always the mind, Captain Kirk their face and voice.

Namjoon wholeheartedly respected Yoongi, which was a mutual feeling.

It’s not like Yoongi was perfect and never made mistakes during their ten years career, running a filming company and producing polemical content.

Seven years ago, Min Yoongi dived from head to toe in a project about korean idols selling girls around the world, promoting prostitution and drug dealing. The movie was a mixture of documentary and fiction. Purposely or not, apparently the villain portrayed resembled a lot a certain manager from some big entertainment company and they were sued. Back in then, drowning in debts, Namjoon sat down and studied similar cases, learning with someone else’s past equivocation, he based their marketing on that judicial situation.

In the same way his sharp tongue and bold behavior made them big, Yoongi also caused a lot of trouble by saying something offensive. Once, Min Yoongi argued with a group of australian entrepreneurs, owners from a huge farm with mines around, a collaboration organised with Seokjin’s help was being discussed. Maybe joking about their political bias wasn’t the best choice of icebreaker, ‘cuz when they found themselves, Mr.Smith was red in anger and punching the table stopping himself from whacking Yoongi’s face.

However, Yoongi was right, Namjoon falls in love way too easily. Perhaps it was loneliness, or his massive levels of empathy. Fearing the loss of his company, Min Yoongi felt the grip and patience held along their trip fly away in the moment Jungkook and Hoseok appeared, but Kim and Nya were nowhere to be seen. Whimperings inside one stall, it was the last straw.

Nya and Namjoon got out the fitting room, red as beets. Yoongi had a hand covering his face, pissed off and trying to control his voice volume, not wanting to cause a stir.

— Why do you care? What happened of so serious? - Nya raised one eyebrow, still confused about Yoongi’s reaction about them making out. He would be sane to complain about public display of affection, but not the whole idea of someone kissing another human being.

— Namjoon is a workaholic, but also has a huge problem with loneliness. -  Yoongi slid the hand down his face and stared at her, dead opaque eyes. - Every single time he gets attached to someone and breaks up, who deals with his tantrums and childish behavior, grumpy face and irascible humour, believe me, wouldn’t be you, it would be me, our hired actors, and of course our ring of friends. He gets unbearable.

— But we are not dating or in love, if anything ever happened, it wouldn’t leave Vegas. You are overreacting. - She was clearly embarrassed with the whole situation, when did she expressed any feeling of passion? Nya flirted with Namjoon and mentioned sex, but never said anything about dating, falling in love, or whatever.

— Yoongi, you are being irrational. I’m not in love, we are just young, horny and getting along. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. - Namjoon backed up Nya, pissing the hell off of Min, who took a long and deep breathe.

— Exactly! What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but you know who else will be staying in Vegas? Us. We’re coming back in a month and if you dick her down now, you will probably want to get another dose after. I want you fully focused on working in ‘Fierce’, not splitting your thoughts between tortuous falling in love and doing your job properly. - The shorter man spat, again fire coming off his mouth.

— I’m focused! I’m having fun, but also analyzing every place we’ve been to!

— Oh, you are focused, right? Focused like a fucking cannon under a drunk man’s watch! - Min Yoongi snapped, if he ever worried about not causing a stir, then it disappeared like Namjoon’s rationality. - Do you know what I was doing whilst everyone tried on clothes? I was trying to resolve some of our location renting problems and checking how the filming for our other projects are going. - He got closer to Kim, poking one of his long fingers against the taller one chest. - By the way, did you make any contact with Enterprise every since we landed in Vegas? Did you check your phone? Did you worry about anything other than inserting your dick in somewhere or someone?

— No, but… - Namjoon suddenly felt small and shrinking more and more.

— That’s what I thought! Your whole focused ass is whipped and willing to lose everything we fought for, all for one night stand with some random one!

— Shut up! - Nya yelled, flustered and vexed, stepping closer to Yoongi. - Don’t you dare referring to me as if I’m not here. Don’t you ever treat me like someone random, trivial. I’m not a random someone, I’m the one guiding you around Las Vegas for free. It may not be something as big as filming a movie, but it’s also helpful. - She poked Yoongi’s chest, he gave one step back, their discussion drawing attention from people looking around, Hoseok and Jungkook showed up. - Your posh ass can be rich, or the owner from a company, but don’t you dare talking about me like a brainless person, someone incapable of fucking with someone without growing fond of that person! Your friend can be sappy and weak minded, but I am not. You don’t know me, Min Yoongi.

— We better leave before anything else is said, right Joon? - Jungkook asked, pulling Yoongi by one arm in the door’s direction.

— Yes, please, I don’t think I can keep on guiding you guys, I would say I’m sorry, but it is not true at all. - Nya seemed gloomy, but also frustrated. They were discussing sexism and pre-concepts in a movie, but Yoongi’s opinion about her seemed far from awaken. Maybe it was more about Namjoon and his past relationships, but why couldn’t Min consider her vision? A relationship necessarily has to have two sides, and both agreeing with their terms. Even if Kim fell in love, nothing would ever happen again if Nya did not fancy it.

Women do have voices and their standpoint should be taken seriously.

Maybe Yoongi wanted to protect both parts from heartbreak or unhealthy obsession, but what a problematic way of showing his worries. Why couldn’t he just ask for Nya’s opinion? It’s not fair or right.

Nya watched them leaving, Yoongi frowning and Namjoon in shock, both being dragged down by Hoseok and Jungkook. Everyone inside the thrift shop staring at them, dividing their glances between Nya and the group.

- x - x - x - x -

Whilst packing their bags again, Yoongi checked his pocket list of goals for the travel. He concluded that everything needed was basically sorted, places chosen and their owners actually liked them, which would make it easier to bargain better renting prices. Their casting situation and debt with Nya could be solved within days and a few phone calls, since while Namjoon was flirting, Jungkook and Hoseok were doing some bullshitery, Min gave his cellphone number to a no number of people.

Staring at Namjoon and his gloomy eyes felt heartbreaking, but Yoongi knew that it was the right thing to be done. Kim needed to keep his head on the game. They only had one chance, and oh boy, Min Yoongi would hold it with claws and teeth.

Nya was a bewildering creature and, after filming everything, Yoongi would totally invite her to their premiere, however in order to actually having a Premiere, they first had to rent places, cast people, transport their shit, direct, film, edit, and first of all, not declare bankruptcy. Namjoon should’ve know better, acting like a horny teenager would be the death of them.

The lilac-haired man wished things could be different, but Yoongi was correct and sane: Kim Namjoon would never know how to balance a relationship with work, at least not without slipping at some point and getting hurt.

Namjoon was aware of his workaholic condition. All of his relationships got to dramatic endings after spending hours in a row inside his office, studio or even at home, but with a notebook almost morphing into his lap. Every single one of his past girlfriends were very understanding, and accepted that working represented over 80% of his life, routine and thoughts, but being pushed into the background felt tiring. Namjoon hurted himself so many times with that and promised to change, which never happened.

Let’s face it, his fate had nothing to do with a successful love life.

Truth be told, but never convinced. Namjoon thanked mentally Yoongi, he saved Nya from a very frustrating life beside him.

Hoseok and Jungkook didn’t dare to say a word from hotel to airport. No one felt the need. Silence seemed adequate and anything else would only trigger into bickerings. There was no energy or disposition to raise voices and argue.

Silence and rain, those words defined their travel back to England.

- x - x - x - x -

— Zariah finished the filming of “Beast”. She sent the files to Jimin and Jungkook, but I think they will need my help, since Jeon is stuck with all those sequential cuts Yoongi made during “Je M’appelle Carinè”, and Park is simultaneously working on the sound effects for our first animated short-film “Poundcake”, and in… Oh Jimin is recording the soundtrack to “Fierce”? I’m proud of him. - Taylor, a short, chubby young lady, with short brown hair and sparkling eyes, was standing in front of Namjoon’s office table, staring at her iPad and checking every information, whilst he stared blankly outside the window. - Should I keep on working as your secretary? Or can I help Kook and Chim Chim on editing “Beast”?

— What? What did you just say? - Namjoon looked at her, blinking fast and slowly getting back to reality. - Sorry, Tay. I lost myself in my mind again. It’s been happening more often than I would like to assume.

— That’s alright. - She pulled a chair and sat in front of him, placing the iPad on her lap. - What’s bugging you, Joon?

Namjoon gazed again outside, eyes oscillating between shining and getting opaque again. Where should he even begin with? His mind was hopping from thought to thought, concern to concern, and somehow, even filled with preoccupations, Nya always danced between daydreams and awaken nightmares. Despite trying his best to forget and move on, the lady with a contagious smile, beautiful eyes and the smoothest skin ever seen found her way back to divagations.

Enterprise Inc. wasn’t placed in a huge building, actually, they placed had to place a billboard outside to indicate where the firm resided. An ancient building about to be demolished, that’s why Namjoon and Yoongi could bid a whole four floor building for such a bargain. With its structure, the duo fixed some details and reformed every flat, turning into different studios. Every deck had a specific department: first video editing and animation (recently inaugurated by Taehyung and Hoseok after finishing their online animating course), second reserved to audio (both recording and editing, Yoongi built his office there) and characterization accessories, third filming studios, last everything related to managing (marketing, advertisement, Human Resources, Management, and of course, Namjoon’s office). No one would ever imagine how proud Kim and Min were of their achievements, every award and nomination resulted in motivation. They were succeeding, from the bottom and going higher.

Imagining himself waking up and heading to somewhere else, other than the building made of red bricks and black doors, that thought scared the shit out of Namjoon. He would never cooperate or live happily after declaring bankrupt and having to shut down his business, at least not after conquering so many prizes, awards, incredible movies under his name. No, closing doors would never be an option.

— Taylor, I know everyone is aware of how ramshackle is our financial situation. Those projects, “Beast”, “Je M’Appelle Carinè”, “Poundcake” and “Fierce”, are our last string of hope. That’s why we are rushing to finish and release them. - Taylor nodded, in fact, everytime Namjoon and Yoongi argued behind closed doors, rumours around the office were spread. - Specially “Fierce”, we are investing every dime left in that. It’s probably our most expensive and laborious movie, but we count on it to keep us working for a few more months. Two weeks ago me, Yoongi, Hoseok and Jungkook went to Las Vegas and rented places to film, but something happened there.”

“See, our guide, Nya, is the most dazzling creature alive. Not a single soul ever made me feel so impressed in my whole life, yet I can’t get attached to her. Not before finishing the filmings for “Fierce”, it would make me lose focus and possibly fuck everything up. It’s not my intention, but I can’t get her out of my head. Whenever I stop and think, she is there, dancing through my worries and thoughts.”

— Joon, why can’t you talk to her? - Taylor pushed her glasses down the nose bridge and raised one eyebrow. - It seems like by avoiding Nya, you are focusing in nothing else but her. Maybe this time your romantic curse was casted differently. You are not dating her, perhaps the vicious cycle is broken. Also, being unable to think about anything else won’t help you directing.

— I don’t know… - Namjoon pouted and laid his head against the wooden table, leaning the forehead there.

— When the filming to “Fierce” will begin?

— In two weeks. - Namjoon mumbled without raising his head, but now facing his brown walls. - We casted some american actors and actresses, our luggage is being packed, Yoongi made deals with every place to film, rented a house for the crew and us.

— You have two weeks to decide whether you want to invest in something with Nya, or not. It’s up to you. - Taylor made a flourishing movement with one of her hands, whilst standing up and staring again at the iPad. - Now about the “Beast” video editing...

— Go help Jimin and Jungkook. - Namjoon dismissed her and got back to his thoughts.

- x - x - x - x -

— Namjoon, you know I hate to accept when I’m wrong, huh? - Yoongi had an U shaped pillow around his neck, resting peacefully on a comfortable seat, whilst Kim typed on the notebook, adding some reminders on the script to himself. - But I think you should call Nya and ask her out.

— What? Why? - Namjoon turned his head and stared at Yoongi's unfazed face.

— You never had to take notes on scripts in order to work right. You are way a fucking genius, with 148 IQ points, had written masterpieces and composed glorious songs. - Min said without looking at his friend, but placing a hand on his knee. - In the past month you barely talked during reunions, you've been unfocused and divagating, also I spoke to Emerson, and she mentioned a certain talk you had with Taylor. Man, you need Nya and it's insane. You spent less than 24 hours by her side and now living without talking to her seems like a punishment. I don't understand how and why, but if contacting her during our permanence in Vegas will cheer you up, then I'm 100% supporting you. We need our leader, our main director.

Namjoon got back to typing without delivering a single sentence, Min’s hand still on his knee. Suddenly the space between their seats felt tinier, they were way too close and He needed to absorb Yoongi’s new position on Nya’s awe. Indeed, having his approval on looking for her was amazing, but how? During their trip to Las Vegas Min Yoongi said harsh things, leaving right after. Upon weeks of silence, even having Nya’s phone number saved, Namjoon never made effort to apologize, keep in touch or whatever. He respected Yoongi’s opinion, but his spitted phrases and dark tone made both parts highly uncomfortable.

He wanted and decided that looking for Nya was part of his plans whilst filming in Las Vegas, but embarrassment spoke louder and clearer. Namjoon wanted, but had no balls to accomplish it. At least not after remaining mute whilst Yoongi spat mean words at her, he could’ve defended their situation, stand up and put Min on his place. Well, what happened was far from ideal.

All Namjoon could think about, even before hearing Yoongi’s concerned and caring words about his mental state, was Nya, and what were the chances of her accepting to go on a date with him. Namjoon despised the idea of Nya evicting him.

Unlike Yoongi thought, Namjoon wasn’t in love before. It took him an array of nights stalking Nya’s Facebook page, checking her Instagram and reading how passionate her friends seemed to feel. Now, he felt obsessed and slightly uncomfortable with the idea of being dumped.

Nonetheless, Namjoon decided to pull himself together, grow a pair of balls and try. ‘No’ is a possibility, risking won’t harm.

Trying to gather some courage, the lilac haired man opened a new Word file and named “Captain’s Log”, getting in full Star Trek mode, he was Captain Kirk afterall.

“Captain’s log. Stardate -303753.640. We are arriving in the dusty and hot atmosphere of Las Vegas, a city located in the middle of Nevada, a state from United States of America, North America, one of the seven continents from planet Earth. My Vulcan friend, Mr.Yoongi, possessor of a great logical intellect is encouraging me to look for a human partner in our new location, specifically someone already acknowledged by Enterprise as homo sapien sapien, formed by carbon and XX chromosomes, turning it into a fascinating woman named Nya by her genitors. After our last expedition through Las Vegas, the relationship development between Enterprise’s Captain, yours truly, and terrestrial local resident Nya were harmed by Mr.Yoongi’s behavior towards her. Nevertheless, I’m willing to change our perspectives and get another chance.”

- x - x - x - x -

Saturday. A boring afternoon ghosting over Nya’s body, sitting on her couch along with Alexa. They were watching something about wildlife in Taiwan forests on National Geographics, a bowl with caramel popcorn between them and cups of mint tea. The curly-haired woman stared around her living room, noticing how the yellowish painting was peeling and slowly showing stripes of the white paint under it. Basically, her walls looked like an albino zebra. The purple sofa comfortable and everything else seemed pretty fitting, not needing to be replaced or moved. Oh, she was proud about her good taste in decoration.

Boredom hit Alexa like a truck and a deep grunt left her throat, almost scratching its way out. She grabbed the remote control and began zapping through channels, looking for something more interesting than animals mating or bullying each other.

— We should go out. You look like a mushy potato in that set of sweats. Is it yellow because you’ve been copiously using that for the past four weekends, or is it the original colour? - Alexa snorted, trying to combat boredom with jokes. - Honestly Nya, what the fuck happened? You explained something about Korean entrepreneurs, but as far as I know you’re not eager in investing on stock market, so I don’t know why their business would affect you. Did you get involved with one of them?

— No shit, Sherlock. - Nya mumbled and took a sip from her tea, trying to gather some words without sounding grumpy. - I have nothing to do with their business, but see, they hired me to guide them through Las Vegas. I’ve done that once before for one of their friends, the Seokjin guy I told you. Remember?

— Seokjin? The cocky and rich film producer? I remember him, he was funny and immensely confident, literally, I’ve never seen someone so sure about his looks. - Alexa kept her glance on the television. - Big dick energy at its finest.

— Yeah, him. - Nya avoided talking about Namjoon and cia, but now, completely alone with her best friend, it seemed like a good moment to vent. - One of the film producers I accepted to guide, he was funny, interesting, smart and a very good kisser, although, apparently someone deeply confusing. Like, I felt interest on him, but never said shit about being in love, unlikely what Yoongi understood and took as the gospel truth, his friend could cherish me with a thousand roses, but I would never date him and then break up, even because it takes more than 24 hours wandering around sin city and a good fuck for me to enamor someone.

“I don’t know how are the girls they know and usually go out with, but I’m not innocent. We don’t live in a book from Jane Austen. They claim to be so woke and liberal, discussing pre-concepts, sexism and homophobia on their scripts, but behaving and thinking like Mr.Darcy. Did they ever consider a scenario where women have voices and opinions? A scenario where I can easily say no and continue my life? See, I’m not hurt because I’m fancying Namjoon, but because from the moment they introduced themselves and their ideas, they seemed like progressivists, looking for equality, open-minded guys, willing to fight our biased society with their movies. However, Yoongi insinuating that Namjoon and I would ever date or engage in a long-lasting romantic relationship, without even considering my perception on it all, the possibility of the woman only looking for a good fuck. He literally throw a tantrum in a thrift shop about it, calling me some random one. The delusion hurt me.”

— Uh girl, I’m sorry about it. That Yoongi guy really assumed some fucked up things about you. - Alexa turned to stare at her friend, who didn’t spare a look from the television, even though she wasn’t actually watching it, only avoiding eye contact. - But you went through several deceptions along life, why is that different? What happened lately that you remain thinking about them? Or him?

Nya got tired of staring at nothing and met Alexa’s brown eyes, thick and beautiful eyebrows. She took her cell phone and found the long text Namjoon sent a few hours before, throwing it to the friend, keen to understand everything surrounding her grumpy aspect.

“Kim Namjoon [03/31/2019, 8h34min]: Hey Nya.

Sorry taking so long to contact you. I couldn’t find words apologizing my behavior four weeks ago. Unfortunately, there is nothing I can say now. I could’ve defended you, Yoongi acted like a jerk and said some hurtful things, which I don’t agree 100% with. I wasn’t in love back in then, but I understand his side from this story. Yoongi is worried about our finances, which I was the responsible for fucking up. Let me explain it all, expose the situation we unintentionally inserted you in.

A few months ago I broke up with an incredible woman who taught me a lot, but also couldn’t bear my working schedule and how I always set her aside. The career I built along with Yoongi always goes first, it’s my main priority, and I never learned how to balance ‘working Namjoon’ with ‘dating Namjoon’. The result of that break up was a moody me, who brought hell to surface and made two of our casted actors quit, they couldn’t deal with my humour (beside one who quit after receiving a better role somewhere else). It really cost us way too much, since they received for working day and we couldn’t ask their payment back. Also, when the infamous movie was released, the numbers were low and barely covered our bills and paychecks, media and critics criticized it harshly.

However, what happened is a vicious cycle which I’m stuck in. It’s one of the certainties from life: death, the ones most adaptable to change will survive and that I’m fucking up a relationship and then ruining a movie. Yoongi always found a way to contort it and put us back, saving our finances, but this time the loss was gigantic. Our company is solely relying on the success of ‘Fierce’, and a few other projects we will be releasing.

I’m not trying to find excuses for everything Yoongi spat to your face, he was rude and unnecessarily loud, but I’m begging you to consider his side as well. We are not up to losing our company, it’s our deepest fear. Min Yoongi and his stone cold heart is trying his hardest to get our butt off bankruptcy. I guess inside his head, he is willing to drag me away from anything considered as a distraction.

Now, enough of Yoongi and our financial trouble. Let's talk about feelings.

Yeah, I'm a lonely man and tend to get attached pretty easily. However, I wasn't in love with you. Nya, you seemed like someone really interesting and attractive, I'd rather chew my feet off than leave Las Vegas without kissing you. You are smart, independent, proactive, empathetic and friendly. Within hours being guided by you through Vegas, we saw how passionate you are about people you grew surrounded by, how you care deeply about them all and are willing to give up on money in order to help them.

By the way, our deal is still up and we casted your friends (Carol even gained a solo scene where she dances and Sasha got lines). Hopefully they already told you, but if they didn't and you are suspicious of my word, get in touch with everyone you introduced to us.

Continuing…

I wasn't in love with your back in then, but after two weeks thinking about it all and checking your social media (sorry about it :S), I grew fond of you. Everyone seems to love you so much and your heart is so big, couldn't help and now I, Kim Namjoon, am fancying you as well.

I'm not hoping to gain your mercy, but am willing to try and get your sympathy back. Would you go out with me sometime? Not in a romantic way, if you don't feel comfortable.

Again, I'm sorry about how it all began and hope we can fix it.

I'll be staying in Vegas for a while.

Thank you. Bye :) “

— First of all. Did he deadass structured the text like an e-mail? - Alexa looked up from the cellphone in time to see Nya grinning. - You are considering the idea of accepting his invitation? Girl, I ain't gonna tell you what to do, but that Namjoon doesn't seen to be a jerk, he could've just gave up, but he insisted and apologized. Did he actually casted everyone you asked to?

— Yes. Two weeks ago I received a text from Carol and Sasha, they thanked me and all. Tio Diego is also renting his bar for their movie. They also chose Paris as the main filming place, casting Honey too. - Nya felt divided, hoping on Alexa's opinion to define what should be done. - I'm still a bit hurt for what happened, but they proved their integrity by casting and renting everything and everyone I suggested. Namjoon apologized, gave me Yoongi's point of view and invited me to a date, giving me the option of saying no or defining if it's romantic or not.

— Nya, I don't see a plausible reason why you would say no. - Alexa’s hand snaked between them and landed on the other woman thigh. - You are only trying to find excuses because you are stubborn. If you want to, then go, get dicked down and you don't necessarily have to head back to him ever again. Even though he assuredly grew fond of you, it doesn't mean you obligatory have to engage in an actual relationship.

Nya huffed and slapped Alexa’s hand off her thigh. She hated when the girl with wavy black hair was right, and unfortunately Alexa seemed to never be wrong.

- x - x - x - x -

The night sky was clear and the air cool, wind making leaves from trees huff against each other and a chill run through everyone's spine. However, Namjoon felt sweat bidding down his forehead, anxiously shifting from one foot to another and resisting the urge to bite his nails.

The lilac-haired man was standing alone in front of Devito’s, same dining Nya took them the first night. His white t-shirt covered by a thin plaid shirt, jeans and white Converse, outfit plained specifically to seen laidback, since Nya chose the place and said it wasn't a fancy date. She was a ten minutes late and Kim had this crazy thought culminating in his mind, where she probably gave up and would call at any moment to dump him.

With 15 minutes of delay, Nya showed up dressed casually with a black Iron Maiden t-shirt, brown corduroy coat, skinny jeans and Vans. Her curly hair free and adorning the whole picture, no makeup, except for a cherry coloured lipstick. Flawless, Namjoon felt like his legs were made out of jelly and would collapse. His guts contracted in the same moment butterflies attacked his stomach. His mind hazing and suddenly his vocabulary vanished, being resumed by the extensive plethora of words pronounced by someone 2 years old, basically “bluh”.

The first half hour from their date felt weird. No one knew what to say, so small talk almost defeated them, but Namjoon decided to insist. Between eating burgers for dinner and dying out of embarrassment from going out in such situation, Kim decided to thank Nya.

His grateful words somehow touched Nya's heart. He sounded so sincere and whipped by her presence, that keeping the attitude of someone offended seemed pointless. Alexa was right, Namjoon liked Nya.

Goddamnit, Alexa.

Like a chain of gratitude, Nya thanked Namjoon for remaining faithful to his promise of casting her friends. He blushed and sipped on his fizzy cherry drink, grinning slightly, dimples marking their presence and reminding the woman why she thought Kim Namjoon was such a heartthrob beforehand.

Those dimples. Goddamnit, dimples. How can you be mad at someone desperately fluff with such a cute face? Nya wanted to stay loyal to her belief and hard feelings, but Namjoon's polite behavior, lovely face and insistence made it specially complicate.

Goddamnit, Namjoon.

Their body language clearly showed how the unsolved business led to a huge amount of sexual tension, Nya could bear it masterly though. Talking about everything and nothing at all, that's how Namjoon decided to speak his mind. What's the point of sitting and awkwardly pretend there is not an elephant in the room? Well, let's excuse it and set the pachyderm free then.

— Nya, I don't know if you are ever going to forgive me for not standing up for you, or whatever… - Namjoon's hand slipped swiftly closer to Nya's, touching her pinky but not holding it, avoiding more of an intimate contact.

— It's not that you didn't stood up or defended me, see there is so much more. Did you guys ever consider the idea that, I don't know, I could easily not want something serious with you? - She allowed his pinky to snake from her side and lightly take a hold of it. - I'm not mainly mad at you, disappointed with both Yoongi and you, though. For guys claiming to be so open-minded, then why is it so hard to assume I don't want a relationship? That I'm glad having something unofficial and leaving? Fuck, you make it so hard to believe you are an hypocrite.

— I'm not an hypocrite. I do believe in women's sexual freedom and ability to choose partners without necessity of commitment. I'm shitty at not getting attached, it doesn't mean that everyone else is also suckers for love. - His gaze was no longer on her eyes, but staring down to his own lap. - Indeed, we discussed my side, claiming I’d fall for you and ruin our project, but never considered your opinion, the possibility of you wanting nothing related to me. We behaved in such a sexist way, I’m profoundly sorry.

Their order arrived, someone almost spinning on her calves. Burgers and fries, so much cheese melting down the seeded bread. What a vision. If the conversation wasn’t in such an uncomfortable place, Namjoon would probably declare his passion for the juicy and greasy food in front of them.

The chit-chatting kept its slow pace. If National Geographics decided to make a parallel between their behavior and animals socializing, then they were trying to mingle, like Taiwan birds, Nya and Namjoon were singing in order to attract each other, hoping to link and connect. They got along once, why was it so hard to do it again? What wasn’t being said? Who was holding the cat inside the bag?

— I think I’m fancying you. - Namjoon finally took the cat out of the bag, or it could be a mice, ‘cause within seconds the elephant sitting on their conversation got up and left. Gone late, pachyderm.

— What? - Nya lifted an eyebrow. - I don’t know why I’m surprised, you said it in the message. Sorry, keep talking.

— When I closed all deals and rented everything we needed for the filming here in Vegas, my friends and my crew was all like ‘Heck yes, Vegas! Strippers, gambling, money, casinos, yaay!’, and even trying my best, the hardest, to focus on working and directing a masterpiece this script deserves to originate, all I could think about was you. - Namjoon decided it would be appropriate to look at Nya, she seemed unfazed, which made him nervous. - Travelling hours in a flying sardine can to see Nya! No one, except for the boys and Jin knew who you are, and kept on questioning me why so much anxiety and excitement over seeing you. And not even I understood. Working and wondering about what you could be doing really messed with my head. Nya, you messed with my head!

— Ok, Namjoon, it’s a lot of information. - She didn’t spare a look, he felt intimidated, but Nya’s behavior never showed any insecurity. - I don’t fancy you, but it doesn’t mean I cannot grow fond of you at any moment. However, in order to see it happening, you’ve got to insist. If you really want to be with me, then you’ll need to stick along, we’ve got to go out more, in different places. We can totally link up and have great sex today, but it won’t guarantee another row. Got it?

Well, Namjoon felt relieved. Nya was far from being mad at him. Oh, he remained willing to go out, as long as she was there.

In the end, if Nya and Namjoon’s story was something elaborated by Jane Austen, then it would be Sense & Sensibility. Nya and her sense changed how Namjoon dealt with his sensibility, breaking a vicious cycle, where engaging in a romantic relationship without previous thinking ruined all logical thoughts and mature behavior.

The end.

[trustmeimawitch]

Home Sweet Fucking Home; backstory drabble (Aaron) one-shot

A/N: various triggers are contained within this drabble so read at your own discretion.

Thank you.

2005      

    Aaron got the call Thursday night, just twenty minutes before midnight, before he was due to meet a demon about shipment of magical artifacts. He canceled the meeting, caught the next flight out of Las Vegas without offering a single apology. Twelve hours later, he was home.

    Or, what used to be his home.

    New Ashton hadn't changed much. The city was still the same shithole it always was, cleverly disguised as an ambiguous sort of place, a geographical impossibility, a place where magical and supernatural shit was the norm. The place where he'd grown up, where they'd all grown up, wasn't a very forgiving place, even for those supernaturally inclined.

    The years might've gone by, but the memories hadn't. At least some things had changed. Kay no longer lived at home. She had her own place, an apartment in a shitty little neighborhood, but it was as far across the city from their mother as could get. That seemed to work well for her, but Aaron had gone all the way across the country and that still didn't seem like far enough for him.

    The other side of the world probably wouldn't be enough.

    There was no way he would've come back if it wasn't for a good reason. The last time had been when Kay gave birth to CJ. And this time it was once again because of his half-sister, though the occasion this time wasn't joyous.

    Despair tightened in the bottom of his stomach, coiled into a knot that wouldn't loosen. Barely past noon and he already wanted the day to end—fair enough, given he'd been awake for almost twenty-four hours now and sleep was no doubt too far away.

    He took a bus from the airport to the bus station just outside the city limits, then he walked the rest of the way. As tired as he was, he couldn't sit still for a minute longer. The walking gave him something to do, gave him the opportunity to think, to smoke cigarette after cigarette, and soak in the midday sun that bore down on broad shoulders.

     She was sick, she'd said. And she sounded like it too. She sounded god-awful tired, like every ounce of energy was being sucked out of her and it was a struggle for her to keep her head high. She wouldn't tell him what, so Aaron could only assume it was worse than a cold or the flu. She wouldn't be calling him if it was something like that. Kay had always been the one to get sick, and very sick at that, when they were kids. He and Jamie were demigods. Their blood, their lineage, it protected them from illnesses. Kay wasn't like them. All human. And get sick she did. Often. It wasn't a surprise to hear it now, but it still took his breath away.

    She wouldn't have called him if it wasn't bad. The lack of details worried him, and he knew his sister didn't want to talk over the phone. He didn't have a choice but to come. If he hadn't—well, Aaron was enough of an asshole as it was. When it came to Kay, it was different. He wouldn't abandon her again, not when she so clearly wanted him there.

    Her street wasn't very busy for an afternoon, and he made it up the steps to her apartment without anyone stopping him on the sidewalk, without being stopped—he almost wanted to be stopped. Delay the inevitable. Hold on to the few precious seconds he had before everything went to shit.

    But there was no way to do that. As much as he hoped, Aaron had always been practical. Wishing, delaying—none of it was particularly helpful. A waste of time, a waste of energy. He composed himself before he rang the doorbell, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and resisting the urge to immediately light up a cigarette to calm his nerves.

    He noticed it immediately when she opened the door. She looked thinner than the last time he saw her. Three years ago, thereabouts, when she and CJ had made the trip out to Vegas to stay with him for a week. She looked drawn, gaunt. The hollows of her eyes were dark, making the blue-green of them stand out—but even they seemed dulled. Kay's hair was shorter too, chopped off just below her ears.

    She said nothing when she saw him there, immediately pulling him into a hug, face pressed against his chest. Her fists bunched into the fabric of his leather jacket, and she didn't let go even when he enfolded his warm arms around her. For a few seconds, there was nothing at all wrong. Everything was fine. Aaron was there and she was safe and warm. The world was right.

    That all faded when reality snapped back. She relaxed her hands and closed her eyes. Tears wanted to fall but years of practice kept her from shedding them. Even so, she ended the hug long before she was ready, and feebly swiped at her eyes anyway.

    And then her fist hit his chest, walloping him with all the strength she had—which, given the circumstances, wasn't much. “You could pick up the goddamn phone once in a while.”

    The blow didn't do anything to him, but Aaron staggered back in the doorway anyway. A wry smile pulled at his face. He didn't have any good excuses for having not called her, or for why he didn't pick up whenever she did. He wanted to avoid anything to do with his family, to avoid the guilt of having left them behind. Avoiding it wasn't helpful in any sense, but it kept it out of the forefront of his mind, and that was good enough. He almost hadn't answered her call Thursday, but he had.

    “I made an effort.”

    “Not a strong one.”

    “Fucking sue me.”

    That earned a faint smile from her. Kay waved him into the door and shut it behind him. The locks slid back into place, but she took her time doing it, to gather her thoughts. A part of her hadn't expected him to come. She'd been fully prepared for his refusal, but Aaron was here now.

    It was time to face the facts. This wasn't going to be easy. “You fly in?” She filled the silence with small talk as she walked the short distance to her kitchen, grabbing for an ashtray. Aaron had a cigarette out and lit before she even had it on the coffee table. “Of course you did. How else did you get here so fast?” But there were other ways, favors from demons or witches who could travel a large distance in a blink, but Kay dismissed that with a shake of her head.

     Aaron didn't say anything, just watched his sister. She moved slowly, like she was in pain, everything she did was deliberate and careful from the way she sat down, to how she folded her arms over her chest when she leaned back, to how her fingers traced the burn scars on her upper arm—a remnant left over from childhood and his literally explosive outbursts. He took a long draw on the cigarette before he passed it to her. “Where's CJ?” he asked, expecting the kid to run out from one of the other rooms like a bat out of hell, but the place was silent. “She's what? Eight now or some shit?”

    “Yeah, or some shit.” Her smile was thin but she took the cigarette and inhaled on it, letting the smoke join Aaron's a second later. “Amber's at school.” She put emphasis on her daughter's real name. Aaron always insisted on the nickname, as did Jamie. It was going to stick, Kay was sure of it, and that would lead to a fun discussion of how it stood for Cujo Junior and just why her brother thought it was funny to have nicknamed the bitey toddler after a fictional rabid dog. “It's Friday. She won't be home until three. Sorry.” It wasn't important though, not right now. Her daughter's absence gave her time to talk with Aaron alone.

     “It's alright. I'll see her then.” What was a couple of hours compared to a few years? And CJ wasn't the reason he was here anyway. It was for Kay, and whatever it was she had to say. There was no sense in keeping up with the small talk—it had never suited them anyway. They'd never been one for mincing words anyway, not when it came to getting down to the important things.

    Kay pressed her lips together, looking down at the cigarette between her fingers. Her hand shook as she brought it up for another drag. She passed it back to him and exhaled the smoke in a heavy sigh.  “I'm dying.”

    Silence. Aaron watched the smoke curl from the end of the cigarette, watched it go up toward the ceiling, where it vanished into nothing. He swallowed hard, kept his eyes trained there.

    She watched him, waited for a response, waited to see how badly this would affect his control. The air was warm, but no warmer than it usually was within his or Jamie's presence. Her heart thudded loudly, a boom-boom boom-boom in her ears that drowned out all other sound. She realized she was holding her breath and she exhaled, tasting the tobacco and tar that lingered on her lips and tongue.

    Finally, he moved, dropping his gaze from the ceiling and focusing ahead of him. “Shit.”

    “I was diagnosed a while back. It's cancer. I--” Kay cut herself off, shifted some in her seat to better face him. “I was taking treatments but the doctor said that they're not working—”

    “No.”

    “--he says there's not a lot of time.” She ignored his protest. When he started to rise from her couch, she grabbed his wrist, even though his skin was hot to the touch. “You're not going to walk away, and you're not going to burn any of my shit, okay?” She spoke firmly, jaw set, eyes suddenly bright with intensity. “You're not walking the fuck away from me now. Do you understand?”

     Her grip was tight on him, tighter than he expected. Instinct had him wanting to pull away, but when he heard the desperate plea in her voice, the vehemence within her look, he sat back down. This wasn't happening, he tried to tell himself, she couldn't be dying. She was only twenty-nine. Too young to die, too young for any of this shit.

    “Do you understand?” she repeated. There were tears in her eyes now, glistening but unshed. Her composure had been tentative at best, and it was now crumbling apart. She had wanted to be strong for this, but she wasn't. “Jamie can't help me. Jamie's—he's on the brink of losing his own shit.” She didn't need to explain to him how much she relied on Jamie's help. They had always been close, had always supported each other. His young brother had always had his own problems, and it was clear that they were getting in the way of looking out for Kay, looking out for their niece. “I can't rely on him. I can't put that pressure on him. I don't know what to do, Aaron. I'm running out of people I can call on. I can't—Mason's out of the fucking question. And there's no way in hell I'm getting Mom involved. It's us, right?” She looked up at him. “It's always been us. The three of us against the fucking world, right?”

   But I left. I left you and Jamie and I swore I was done. I couldn't face it. I couldn't fucking face myself. I can't do this. The words ran through his head, but he couldn't voice them. For once, he was speechless, trying to make sense of everything she had said. He had to understand it, process it. It was worse than being smacked in the gut. “Fuck.”

    What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? His anger was palpable, leaving a heavy aura in the room. The heat was steadily climbing, but Kay didn't let go of him. “I don't want this,” he heard himself murmur, his voice low.

   “No one wants this.” Her voice was quiet too. Her fingers eased away from his wrist, drawing across her face. She pushed away the tears that had fallen. “I can't do it alone. I don't know what to do after—when I--” Her breath came out shaky. Fingers combed through her hair, gripping it for a moment before she dropped it. She had calmed down some, resigned to the fact life had handed them all shitty cards and that there wasn't much they could do about it. “We need you, Aaron. That's all there is to it. We need you.”

    The cigarette between his fingers had burned down and Aaron leaned forward automatically to crush it out. Without thinking, he had another one from the pack, blazing before it came to his lips. He took one long drag, then another. The nicotine did nothing for his nerves, nothing to soothe his mind so he could think.

    For once in his life, he realized, he could do the right thing. It wasn't what he'd pictured with his life, and it was a blow he hadn't quite processed completely yet, but there were some things he knew with certainty—if Kay needed him, if CJ needed him, if Jamie needed him, there was no way Aaron could turn his back on them now.

    There was a lump in his throat that made swallowing difficult. It was going to take time to come to terms with it. It would take time for him to understand, to figure out what to do, but time might not be on their side. He had to do this like he did everything else—headfirst, little hesitation.

    He let the cigarette drop into the ashtray before he turned to Kay. Her eyes were fixed on her hands now, where she pulled at her fingers. When he took her hands, she stilled them. One look at his face, and she understood his new resolve. She tried to smile, but if failed. When her tears came, she didn't try to stop them and neither did Aaron. He put his arms around her, drew her close, let her cry. It was what she needed right then, and he gave that to her. There was very little question now what he wouldn't do for his family.

    A weight lifted from her when she sank again into his arms. Her troubles were far from over, but the burden had now shifted. Aaron was going to help her, help them. The certainty of that was all it took to ease her mind and soul. She could rest now, for the first time in months.

    When she withdrew from the embrace this time, she murmured her apologies for having cried into his t-shirt, but Aaron didn't seem to notice the wetness or care that it stung his skin. He just shrugged, picked up the remainder of his cigarette, and got right down to it.  “Guess I'm gonna have to find a fucking place to live. Get a fucking job. Shit. I'm gonna have to go legit, ain't I?”

    Kay's chuckle was humorless. “Looks like.”

    “Home sweet fucking home.”