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lbxbx · 3 months

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Cockpit 6 | knj

Pair: Namjoon x reader

Summary: Namjoon goes through a rough time while getting a divorce, meeting you at the club two weeks in a row when attraction becomes unreal.

Rating: +18 mature content, Smut, divorce, fatherhood

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a/n: let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

taglist: @wecanpretendit |

You open up your eyes the next day, you didn’t get enough sleep but your phone just buzzed a notification, you click your tongue when you recall that you fell asleep before putting your phone on silent or do not disturb, you woke up with a mild hangover from last night’s poker game. You rub your eyes and immediately dig between your pillows to locate your phone.

You scrunch your eyes at the brightness when you unlock your phone, two notifications caught your attention, one being an email from the medical association, announcing that there’s a conference happening in Ilsan on Monday and you have to prepare a lecture for it. You’ve always attended those kinds of meetings but just as listener, but this year it’s your first time as a speaker since you managed to be one of the best in your department, the first notification made your day already, you’re proud of yourself.

But this email was sent a couple hours ago.

The second notification showing that someone texted you something two minutes ago and they unsent it, you click on the app and scroll through it, you even try googling how you can see who’s the sender, but you got zero results.

You scroll down and spot your chat with Namjoon, you click on it to see his last seen being a minute ago, but this doesn’t prove anything, it could be just a coincidence.

Although it isn’t.

Namjoon is dragging his carryon with him on his way to the terminal, he throws away his third empty cup of coffee before grabbing his phone, he’s been thinking about you the entire night, he wants to talk.

“how are you?”

“can we talk?”

It doesn’t even take a split second for him to unsend those messages, he can’t do it over text or over the phone, and he has to fly in less than an hour so he can’t really do anything until he lands in Seoul. He needs to see you face to face.

He swipes the app away and locks his phone when he arrives to the terminal.

“Shouldn’t the hospital pay for your ticket?” Jungkook asks out of breath, both of you are running on the treadmill, you’ve been working out together for some time now.

You and Jungkook met in the states in your first year in university, you both had majored in medicine, but he couldn’t keep up with the pressure, he went through so much that he just had to switch majors, he took the first plane back to Seoul and finished getting his degree to become a teaching assistant in Seoul’s university. You lost connection with him for a long time and you ran into him years after in a club and you became closer than ever.

“Yeah, they do, but I think I should take my car so I can move freely around there.” You shrug, he looks at you before squinting his eyes. “Honey it’s just one day, just go do your speech and fly back. Plus, the hospital is paying so you don’t have to spend anything.”

“It’s not about the money honey.” You mock his words, “It’s just that I don’t mind driving.”

“Don’t, really. Flying there is much safer.” He finally stops running when he finishes his miles. “You can’t drive there and back here on your own anyway, it’s not safe.”

You roll your eyes before turning off the treadmill, you grab your bottle of water and drink some to quench your thirst. “Whatever dumbass, you have to help me with my lecture.”

Both of you decided to shower at the gym and head out to Hoseok’s, they helped you choose a subject for your lecture and you finished it in a couple hours, it was a piece of cake with their help.

“Is it true what I heard?” Hoseok shuts his laptop and grabs a slice of pizza, you and Jungkook both turn to him in confusion. “What?” You ask.

“I heard some stuff from Seokjin hyung.” Hoseok takes a bite and wipes his mouth clean, you try and act oblivious but Jungkook is getting curious. “What?” He looks at you then back at Hoseok.

“Y/n hooked up with the guy she kissed at the club.” Hoseok shrugs. “It’s okay to talk about it since it’s over now, right?”

The younger looks at you with a shameless smirk on his face. “Nice.” He nods his head. You squint your eyes and elbow his chest. “Shut up.”

“So you totally agreed to hook up with a stranger but not with me.” He genuinely seems offended.

“Get over it Kook,” Hoseok huffs. “The guy is married.”

You study Hoseok’s face, is he pretending that he doesn’t know about the divorce? Or did he not really read his papers?

“You slept with a married man?” Jungkook exclaims a bit too loud that you rub your ear. “Okay first off, the neighbors don’t have to know, you don’t need to be loud.” He pouts.

You rub your forehead, you recall that night clearly when you tried to guess what’s his job, you literally had his hands in yours, there wasn’t a ring on it. “And in my defense, he didn’t tell me he’s married.”

“You should’ve asked.” Hoseok points and Jungkook agrees which makes your jaw drop. “Why would a married man flirt with a stranger? He’s the one who started talking to me.”

“Men don’t get enough-” Hoseok shrugs and gets interrupted by Jungkook. “No no, men never get enough.”

You knew all along that some men are pigs but now you somehow find this very unbelievable, and you’re positive that your friends might be pigs too, they’re men too after all.

“He has a child.” Your voice barely comes out, you’re in denial.

“So?” Jungkook asks as if having a wife and a son isn’t enough of a reason, you look at Hoseok, he’s just eating carelessly and totally not shaken by Jungkook’s question and the cringe on your face.

You close your eyes and shake your thoughts out of your head. “Okay, we need to stop talking about this, it was just a one time hook up and it won’t happen again, I don’t even know the guy.”

Monday came in a blink of an eye, surprisingly you weren’t that nervous, you got into a formal attire and filled your handbag with everything you could ever need, your flight is scheduled at 9 in the morning, you’ll be landing in Ilsan an hour later, and your flight back is scheduled to land in Seoul around 7 in the evening.

You grab your phone to find your friends active on the group chat wishing you good luck, you hover your fingers over the screen and respond to them with a smile on your face.

You take a cab to the airport and check in and head to your gate, you’re on your iPad re reading your lecture again while listening to music, you take a sip from your coffee and you spot a bunch of cabin crew and you scoff.

You didn’t realize how wrong Namjoon did you until now, everything seems to remind you of how bad things turned, and no matter how hard you convinced yourself that he’s just a stranger and you won’t have to see him again, you still grit on your teeth. You’ve always been smart and wit, your gut feeling was always right and you question yourself, why did you decide to ignore it this time, you have no idea.

Maybe something deep inside you actually had a thing for Namjoon, not a crush or something, but he just ticks everything on your list, and you find him quite close to your ideal type of men, but oh well, the man is married.

Well, he’s getting a divorce too. You think and you widen your eyes at your own thoughts before you burry your face in your palms.

Even if he was already divorced or whatever, that wasn’t your problem now. The man lied, and he’s a total red flag for you now, you didn’t have full trust in him to begin with, and now you can’t trust him at all.

Do men really not get enough? You recall what your friends said days ago, they can’t be totally right, you’ve seen healthy relationships before where each partner finds the other more than enough and they’re totally happy with each other.

You lift your face back up and you see the cabin crew again, you could clearly see what seemed to be the pilot flirting with one of the flight attendants, and goodness there’s a ring on his finger. Men.

Namjoon could’ve totally slept with so many women and convinced them that he’s single just like he did to you.

Speaking of which.

Namjoon is in the airport bathroom soaking himself with perfume before he heads to the terminal, he’s a few minutes behind the rest of the cabin crew.

The past few days were extremely hard on him, he’s been flying nonstop all over the republic just to distract himself from over thinking and just to waste time. He was going to try and contact you but he still isn’t brave enough to do so. He even drove to your place and stayed in his car for hours, hoping that you’d head out of the building any minute, but you were staying home the past few days.

He knew if he called or texted you wouldn’t answer, and he’s right.

The moment he walks to the terminal and boards the plane is when your face is in your palms because you’ve been having a debate with yourself earlier.

You didn’t see him, and neither did he.

“Where have you been?” His co pilot speaks as he enters the cockpit, Namjoon puts his carryon in the overhead bin before putting his phone down on his seat. “I was having a smoke.”

Boarding finally starts and you walk through the boarding bridge while carefully slipping your iPad in your bag making sure it won’t touch your heels, you chose to wear a pair of sneakers on your way there and change into your heels when you finally get there.

A queue is forming near the airplane door and you hear the flight attendants giggling with the passengers, you step a foot into the plane and one of the cabin crew welcomes you with the fakest wide smile ever. “Welcome aboard, may I see your boarding pass?”

“Thanks.” You hand her the ticket not bothering to mirror her smile, “I’ll take it from here.” A deep voice resonates that makes you lift your face up to see him.

Fucking Kim Namjoon.

Out of all the flights your hospital could’ve booked, they chose the one that Namjoon was flying.

Your eyes meet and it feels like you’ve seen him not long ago, you feel yourself getting charged with hate and anger again when you see him and you hardly control yourself to not snap at him and make a scene.

He snatches the ticket from the flight attendant and looks closely at it. “Come, I’ll walk you to your seat.” An immediate frown sits between your brows, you know he’s not authorized to walk you to your seat, and you can hear the other cabin crew whispering between each other.

You don’t have to take a long walk to your seat since the hospital booked you a business class ticket even when it’s just a one hour flight. Namjoon leads the way and you walk after him, he stops near your seat and points his head towards it. “Here you go.”

He didn’t leave you a good amount of space to enter your seat, so you stand super close to him before putting your bag down and take a your seat. “You didn’t have to do that.”

He bends down on his knees and leans his arm against the seat in front of you. ”How long are you staying in Ilsan?” And you immediately answer while trying to look careless, unlocking your phone and scrolling through it. “None of your business.”

“Y/N, please, we need to talk.” He begs with his voice barely whispering. “I’ll be waiting for you when we land-“

“Save it Namjoon, I’m going there for business and I don’t have the time.” You look at him, a sigh escapes his nose and he swallows when he looks at your lips for seconds, before looking back into your eyes. “I won’t waste your time, I’ll drive you wherever you wanna go. But please.” He begs again, his hand nearly falling on your leg but he stops himself and rests it on the back of your seat.

You scoff and shake your head, you look through the window for a second, then look back at him. “Look at you.” His eyes are locked onto yours. You continue. “Just so you know, there’s nothing you could say to explain yourself.”

“Namjoon, they need you in the cockpit.” A flight attendant nudges his shoulder, he nods without even looking up at her, then leans in closer. “Don’t get off the plane when we land, just stay here and we’ll leave together.”

You sigh in response and his hand finally lands on your knee for a quick touch of affirmation, he gets up and makes his way to the front of the plane, you eye him from head to toe, your eyes piercing through his big body, and he knows you’re watching.

You fasten your seat belt and lean your head back on the chair, you were hoping that you’d catch some sleep on the plane but you can’t.

You can easily predict what he wants to talk about, and you really used to fancy this man in general, but now he looks like a total different human being to you, and you can’t say you’re not disappointed.

You’re not going to over think this anymore, you’ve had enough, you’re gritting on your teeth again and your jaw tenses, you feel yourself about to get a headache. You’re seeking for closure.

The announcement bell rings and your eyes widen when you hear Namjoon’s voice radiate through the speaker. “Good morning and welcome aboard, this is your captain Kim Namjoon speaking.” You find yourself breathing heavily suddenly, you look all the way to the front of the plane, you can see the cockpit door still open, and you could see just the side of Namjoon’s body and the rest is blocked by the stupid giggling flight attendant.

“First I’d like to welcome you on Korean airlines flight number KA87 heading to Ilsan, we are currently third in line for takeoff. We are expected to be in the air in approximately 14 minutes, we’ll be up to a cruising altitude of 32 thousand feet, flight time will be one hour, if the seat belt sign is turned please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened.” You can see him shifting in his seat, before your phone buzzes a text, you grab your phone and see that he was the one who sent the text.

“I’m happy to see you :)”

Your stomach does this weird thing inside you that you haven’t felt before, your hand hovers over it and you try had to calm your breath but now your heart is fluttering.

“Please switch off your mobile phones, or turn on airplane mode for safety reasons.” He speaks through the speaker and you put your phone back into your bag with your jaw down. You cannot believe him.

“In about ten minutes after departure the cabin crew will be coming around to offer you a light snack and a beverage, until then, sit back, relax and enjoy your flight, thank you.” He closes the speaker and the back of your hand sits on your burning cheek, you’re totally confused on what’s happening to you.

You unbutton the first two buttons of your shirt and fan your face, if any of the flight attendants saw you they’d think you’re afraid of heights or you’re panicking but really, you’re not. You’re just.. Overwhelmed, if that’s the right word to use.

“Cabin crew please be seated for takeoff.” He speaks one last time before he moves the entire plane towards the runway.

Namjoon did his hardest to stay focused on the only thing he had to do, his mind was rushing with thoughts, each one interrupting the other, he has no idea how to start talking, hell he’s not even sure if you’re going to wait for him or not. He couldn’t fight the smile that’s slowly creeping on his face, it doesn’t go unnoticed by the copilot, he even smirks before asking Namjoon. “Is that your wife?”

The question robs the smile away from Namjoon’s face, and he finds himself cringing. “No.”

She could never live up to you, no offense to her. But she doesn’t put any effort in the way she looks, she never cared, in fact Namjoon doesn’t recall the last time he saw her styling her hair or putting on makeup. She’s unemployed since she’s taking care of Jay most of the time, but Namjoon opened a bank account for her so she can do whatever she wants or even buy something for herself. But she never did.

And you, gosh he doesn’t even know where to start. You’re just you.

The second you stepped foot on the plane and he saw you, he felt his stomach twist and his heart skipped a beat, he could feel a hint of tightness in his boxers as his body starts pumping blood everywhere. He really is happy to see you.

Meanwhile you’re in your seat less than an hour later as the flight attendants take their seats to prepare for landing, and you may seem biased when you admit that this was the smoothest landing ever. Namjoon must be really good.

People almost immediately rise from their seats to claim their luggage from the overhead bin, you grab your phone and turn off airplane mode, you’re welcomed to Ilsan with a few text messages from your mobile network, the moment you clear this notification you lift your face up to see the passengers beginning to exit the aircraft, and you spot Namjoon standing with the flight attendants and saying goodbye to the passengers one by one with a soft smile with his stupid dimple showing.

His eyes pierce to you between each passenger and he’s glad you actually stayed, he grabs his carryon from the bin above his head and puts it down on the floor before nodding to you.

You take it as a sign to get up and you do, throwing your bag over your shoulders and lowering your sunglasses down to cover your eyes, you walk towards him and you feel your body heat up the second he puts his hand on your lower back. “How was your flight?”

You look at him and roll your eyes at how cocky he’s getting and he lets out a soft laugh. “I’m just messing with you.” This motherfucker.

“What brings you to Ilsan?” He starts talking as you’re walking down the stairs of the plane, and you take a second to give him a blurry answer. “I’m here for work.”

“Work?” He asks as both of you make it inside the bus that’s driving you to the airport gate.

You look around the bus and it’s packed with people and there isn’t a single seat empty, you lean your back against the window near the door and you try finding a hand grip to hold onto, Namjoon leans both his palms behind you and nods. “Hold onto me, it’s okay.”

The smell of his cologne mixed with cigarettes wafts through your nose, you’re sandwiched between him and the window, and you’re surrounded by so many people that it’s physically impossible to push him. You look into his eyes to see him staring at your lips, your eyes wander lower to his neck to see his necklace.

It’s the necklace you saw on his neck the morning he left your place.

Your fingertips move towards his neck before you fish out the necklace from underneath the buttoned shirt. The look on your face makes his heart shatter, and even his heart melts when you breathed. “That’s your son.”

He looks down to your fingers and he touches the small necklace too, making both your fingertips touch, you feel his touch in a form of electric current and you lower your hand immediately. “That’s my son.” He whispers.

You study his face for a long second.

Despite the fact that he cheated and what he did was wrong on so many levels, he looks like he totally regrets it, and he seems like he genuinely wants to make things right with you. You’re ready to hear him out.

“Alright.” You sigh and he smiles softly, tugging softly on the loose strand of your hair behind your ear.

The bus starts moving and you immediately hold onto his wrist for support, his smile goes wider before he grabs your hand into his, intertwining his fingers between yours which settles this weird feeling down in the pit of your stomach. What in hell is going on?

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” He takes a step closer to you, the smell of his cologne getting stronger and chest barely brushing against yours. You remind yourself that this man lied to you once and you can’t just let him off the hook this easy.

It’s a five minute ride to the airport and it felt like five hours to you, you’re getting worried at how your body is reacting around this man.

You finally get to the airport and finish all your paperwork, he fishes out a pair of car keys and leads you to the parking lot.

“You’re renting?” You question him while buckling up and he shakes his head. “It’s my sister’s car.”

“Ah yes, you’re from Ilsan.” You remember that he told you this before and he nods, you lean down to take off your sneakers and socks off, you switch to the pair of heels you have in your bag, you can feel his eyes on you so you turn to look at him. “What?”

“Where are we going?” He asks, you show him the exact location that the conference was held in and he nods and starts driving, he doesn’t even bother opening maps or anything, he knows every alley in Ilsan. “How long are you staying here?”

“Namjoon, you’re the one who’s supposed to be talking.” You sounded too mean and he starts feeling pressured, his breath becoming slowly irregular. “Fine, fine.”

You look at him while he’s driving, he’s forming small sweat pebbles on his forehead and his grip around the steering wheel gets tighter. “I’m sorry.”

You’re fed up with how hesitant and scared he seems. “Yeah, I know, and?”

“I uhm.. I should have.. told you since day one.” He clears his throat. “What I did was really wrong and unfair to you.”

Your hand sits on your chest when you exclaim. “To me? You’re married, you should feel sorry for your wife.”

A frown sits on his face and he feels his blood pressure elevating by the second, he gets really irritated at the mention of her. “No, y/n, you don’t know anything.” You frown. “Enlighten me.”

He rubs his face and his jaw tenses, he opens his mouth to start talking, but he shakes his head instead and looks through the window. “For fucks sake Namjoon.” Your voice starts getting louder, he slams the steering wheel and finally bursts. “I’m miserable, okay?” He’s louder than you are.

“I’m fucking miserable, I’m not happy, and I’m lonely.” His chest heaves up, he runs his fingers through his hair before continuing. “My life is a fucking nightmare, y/n.”

You feel your heart clenching when his voice starts getting shaky. “It’s killing me.”

This man lied to you once and you don’t feel like you can trust him again, for all you know, he could be lying to you again. You’re unsure if the reasons he listed earlier are valid enough for him to cheat on his wife.

“I feel like shit for doing you wrong.” He stops the car on the side of the road and looks at you. “You have the right to be mad at me, I know I’m a terrible person.”

And right off the top of your head you ask him. “Is she not good to you?” Your voice comes out in a form of a whisper. He scoffs and shakes his head before looking down. “I’ve known her for years, but she still feels like a stranger..:”

You lose it when you see tears forming in his eyes. “We painted this fake image of us holding hands in front of people and smiling just so they think that we’re happy, but we’re not even an inch close to happy. I tried so hard to compromise but I got nothing in return, it was always me who has to work hard for this marriage and I got nothing. I thought that life just goes on and maybe that’s what all married couple are like, but no. I��ve made so many wrong decisions in my life but she was the worst ever.” His tears finally roll down on his cheek and he just sobs, gravity does its job and his tears fall onto his lap.

You’ve never seen a man this weak and vulnerable, you feel your heart squeezing at his state, he looked so firm and happy on the outside, he looked stable, but he was able to conceal it all very well, that must’ve drained him through those years.

You unbuckle your seatbelt and sit on your knees, you grab his head into your hands and brush his tears with your thumb softly before hugging him closer to you, he wraps his arms around you and speaks. “Imagine being silenced for years.” He pulls back, leaning his forehead against yours. “I’ve been through this nightmare for three fucking years and I couldn’t say a word to anyone about how fucking miserable I am.”

“Shh. It’s okay.” You whisper, cupping his jaw in your hands and tracing it with your thumb, you brush your nose against his and close your eyes. “I’m here.”

He grips onto your top with his fist and pulls back, “What?”

You feel the need to help him escape this, the man is clearly going through severe depression and he’s emotionally deprived from any act of affection or love. It’s not like you’re offering to love him, but you need to help him get back on his feet.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” You smile softly at him and offer him your hand, he locks his eyes into yours and grabs your hand pulling it closer to his face, he leans his head onto it and kisses it softly.

“Thank you.” He whispers while mirroring your smile. You giggle and adjust your seat. “We have to get back on the road Namjoon.”

He nods and turns the car back on before hitting the road again, you felt the need to explain to him the reason you’re in Ilsan and he ends up offering to attend the conference with you, actually no, he insisted on attending.

He parks in front of the building and both of you exit the car, he opens his carry on and manages to change just his top before entering the main hall.

“Miss y/l/n.” The head of the medical association approaches you while reaching his hand out to you, you shake his hand firmly and smile. “Lovely to see you Mr. Baek.”

“I’m so glad you got to be a speaker this year.” He smiles back, his eyes spotting Namjoon behind you, you pull back and put your hand behind Namjoon’s back, pushing him closer to you. “Let me introduce you, this is my friend Namjoon.”

“Nice to meet you.” Namjoon shakes his hand firmly before the old man speaks to you. “It’s lovely for you to have support, we’re all so proud of you.”

“Thank you.” You smile before hooking your arm around Namjoon’s. “Pardon us.”

Even when you just introduced Namjoon as your friend, he’s not used to being touched like that in public because he was never touched like that in the first place.

Speaking in front of a huge crowd was never a big deal for you, your lecture was interesting to begin with and your powerful personality made a strong presence on stage, you almost forgot that Namjoon was between the crowd watching you with his jaw slightly open.

The second you stepped on that stage he felt… Euphoric.

He listens to every single word that comes out of your lips attentively even when you’re using complicated medical terms, he scans your body language and your hand movements and he swears he hasn’t been this impressed by a woman before.

He’s proud of you.

You’re the woman he’s always imagined having in his dreams, he was quite the ambitious person himself and he had so many goals he wanted to achieve but his personal life always stood in the way.

He finds himself charged when he’s around you and not only sexually, he’s suddenly in a better mood and his brain and body function better, he finds himself way less anxious than when he’s around his family, although he should feel this way around his son too, but your aura is totally different.

His heart skips a beat again when your eyes meet in the middle of your lecture and you smile softly at him as if he’s the one who needs support. He finds your smile contagious and he gives you one back with a soft nod, he’s really proud of you.

You finally end your lecture and they applaud you, you know you did great. You bow your head and get off the stage to be welcomed by a few colleagues who shake your hand and make small talk with you about how good your lecture and where your sources were from, they even ask you a couple questions about your topic.

You got offered two jobs on the spot in two different hospitals around the republic but you were kind enough to refuse, the hospital you currently worked at is the hospital that helped you get where you currently are.

You thank them and make your way back to your chair, Namjoon gets up on his feet and grabs your hand into his. “You were great.”

“I know, thank you.” You grin when he pulls you closer for a soft kiss on your cheek, he pulls your chair back for you to sit next to him, and both of you sit back to listen for the rest of the conference.

It’s a couple hours later, Namjoon is driving you back to the airport while you’re on your phone texting your friends on your group chat, they had planned a dinner to celebrate you tonight, so Taehyung was supposed to pick you up from the airport since he already lives close to it.

“Can’t you please stay for tonight?” He manages to turn his head towards you for a split second while he’s driving, you lock your phone and put it down before you speak. “I’m supposed to meet my friends for dinner and I’m on call tomorrow morning.”

His shoulders sulk in disappointment and a sigh escapes his nose, his eyes are now focused on the road and it’s clearly showing that he wants to be around you more, which kicks your ego up to the top.

At the same time he doesn’t argue and he doesn’t insist, he just wants to give you your own space so he won’t pressure you, you chuckle before running your fingers to the back of his head, scratching his scalp with your nails. “You know I can see you back in Seoul.”

You know your hand drives him crazy and you could care less If you crash, you want to leave him edged and thirsty for more and you like it. His eyelids starts to feel heavy and he fights it so hard to stay focused on the road. “It’s just that..” He breathes, your fingers move down to scratch his neck, he swallows before he proceeds. “.. I wanted us to be alone and away together.”

You take a long breath before you retrieve your hand back onto your lap, you’re not going to give him what he wanted immediately. You did offer your help but you didn’t forget about the terrible lie he played on you. So he deserves to be denied for the mean time. “If that’s your way of inviting me to bed than save it.” You smirk. He lets out a quiet laugh and stretches his hand to sit on your inner thigh, his fingers squeezing your covered flesh softly and stroking it, “Fine, I deserve to be punished after all.” He bites on his lip.

“Good boy. I’m glad you’re aware of that.” You managed to play the role of the tough cookie but you can’t deny that his touch is doing wonders to you, the warmth of his hand against your covered skin and his soft strokes gives you flashbacks of that night you spent together, and the other nights where you made him cum just by hearing your voice.

You finally get to the airport and he turns off the car in the parking lot, he looks at you while unbuckling his belt. “Are you sure you don’t have the time?”

“The gate is already open Namjoon.” You look at the time on your wrist, you unbuckle your seat belt and fish out your documents from the bag. “Thank you for keeping me company.”

“I’ll see you back in Seoul?” He coaxed, you giggle and take your time to answer with a slow nod. “I’ll see you back in Seoul.”

He leans in and you think he’s going to kiss you on the cheek, but he moves further down to brush the tip of his nose against the pulse of your neck, he takes a long inhale through his nose, collecting whatever he can of your smell which arouses him, he closes his eyes and whispers. “I can’t say it enough, but I’m truly sorry.”

You clear your throat before you move your hand up to his jaw and caress it with your thumb. “I know you are.”

He keeps his face buried in your neck for a couple seconds before he pulls back and locks his eyes with yours, you see the face you saw earlier this morning, apologetic and full with regret.

“I have to go.” Your faces are extremely close that he feels your hot breath hit his glistening lips, he nods and fully pulls back to collect his phone and keys. “Come on, let me walk you inside.”

“I don’t know if we say this enough y/n, but we’re totally proud of you. We’re always there for you and we’ve got your back, we truly love you.” Taehyung lifts his glass of champagne up on the air before all you clink your glasses together. “To y/n.”

You sip some of your drink and put it down before Yoongi starts. “So how was your trip?”

“It was quite chill, it’s my first time on a business class, other than that everything went great, I also got a few job offers.” You slowly nod your head. Yoongi sips more of his drink and lifts up an eyebrow. “I heard some stuff from Jungkook.”

You snap your head towards the youngest who’s totally avoiding eye contact with you, his face flushing at the sudden mention of his name.

After all, what were you expecting? Seokjin told Hoseok, and Hoseok spoke in front of Jungkook, and now Yoongi is discussing this around the table where not only your friends are sitting, but also a couple of their partners.

And by the looks of it, his wife already know since she’s studying your face and waiting for confirmation.

Do they just go around talking to each other about you? Your hookup with Namjoon will haunt you for the rest of your life.

“Yeah it’s true.” You spit out, “Namjoon’s married?” Jimin asks and your eyes almost fall out from their sockets, as far as you remember, he knows you hooked up with someone, but not with Namjoon specifically.

“He’s married?” Taehyung dramatically drops his fork which makes you roll your eyes. “I actually saw him in Ilsan.”

Your statement was followed by a complete silence around the table, you feel everyone’s eyes on you as they’re waiting for you to elaborate, you clear your throat and open your mouth. “Relax, we didn’t go together, he was flying that plane.”

You realize that they still don’t know what he does when they look at you like you said something in a foreign language that they don’t understand. Hoseok turns his body fully towards you. “Flying the plane? Like fly fly?” He blinks repeatedly.

“He’s an aircraft pilot.” You take a sip from your champagne and you clearly see Mia and Jade, Taehyung’s girlfriend, swoon over the man, you nod with a smirk. “I know right?”

“And did you talk?” Seokjin hesitates, leaning his elbows on the table and closer towards you so he can hear you better. You nod. “Mhm. He apologized and I guess we’re okay now.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to see him again.” Taehyung whines. “You can’t be the mistress.”

Taehyung’s words woke some sense in you and you actually admit that you cannot be the mistress. You scold yourself because you shouldn’t have let him off the hook that easily and offer him closeness immediately.

You jump in your seat when your phone buzzes and speaking of the devil, it’s him.

“Call me when you’re home.”

“I miss hearing ur voice.”

A knot sits between your eyebrows and you actually leave him on read. You are not going to reply to him and that’s it. You lock your phone and put it back in your purse. “I’m not going to be the mistress.” You firmly say, and you cross your arms above your chest.

It’s later in the night, you had already finished your dinner with your friends that night and headed back home, you showered and put on a face mask, and went to bed really early since you’re on call in the morning.

A little past midnight, your phone vibrates repeatedly and you think it’s work because they usually call for consult during the night when you’re at home. But it’s Namjoon again.

“can I call you?”

“I’m at the hotel room”

“I’m flying back to seoul in the morning”

“I’m so glad I got to see you today”

Your fingers hover above the screen and you purse your lips, debating whether you should answer or not, but again Taehyung’s words echo in your head, which makes you quickly turn off the wifi when you see him typing, you lock your phone and put it on your nightstand.

Oh so you’re going to ghost him now?

You don’t hesitate for a second, you fall back asleep in a snap of a finger.

Meanwhile, Namjoon is freshly out of the shower, his hair dropping small pebbles of water on his neck and back, his phone is in his hand and he’s getting concerned of the fact that you’re not replying to his texts.

He actually saw it coming, and he knows you’re not going to reply to his texts or ghost him for some time, of course he’s not going to pressure you to answer, so he just puts his phone down and lies down flat on his bed. He knows he deserves the punishment.

He’s in Ilsan but he doesn’t always stay at his parents. Since he’s there partially for work, the aviation he works at provides him a room at the airport hotel, so he just stays there before he flies back to the capital.

To say you wake up cranky the next day is an understatement, your period started today and your tummy and back are killing you, and your headache is getting stronger by the second.

Hoseok who decided on picking you up to and from work today has been blabbering since you stepped foot in the car and you’re waiting for him to stop talking.

“Men actually love it when women are mean with them, don’t over think stuff with that man, I remember once I hooked up with a girl and I was planning on not calling her the next day, she wasn’t that special and she wasn’t really worth the shot, but I swear the minute she started being mean with me I liked her a lot better.” He even laughs and your face falls inside your palm, you could beg him to shut up.

“When she started being nice to me I got the ick and totally blocker her number, it’s just how the world works you know, and I’m not-“

“Hobi please.” You snap. “Shh.”

And the man sulks with a pout on his face, you’re not even sorry, you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today and your body isn’t giving you a break. You could’ve called for a day off but no one wanted to switch shifts with you.

The moment you step foot into the department, the nurses actually give you a few meds to help you go through your shift, it was hectic that day.

You grab your phone a few hours later and finally turn back on the wifi, Namjoon sent one text early in the morning, which is probably right before he headed to work.

“i hope ur okay, take care.”

Your fingers hover over the screen and you decide on messaging him back even when you don’t want to.

“fly safe J”

Your heart beats faster when he reads the message seconds later, you’re about to lock your phone but he’s calling you, and you can’t just ignore his call when you just texted him.

You wait a couple seconds later and finally answer him. “Kim Namjoon.”

He lets out a low grunt before laughing, you can’t see him, but he’s in bed stretching, he’s sleeping on his right side with his phone under his ear, his eyes immediately shut close when he hears his name. “Good morning.” His voice deep and sleepy, also low so he cannot be heard.

Fuck, he’s not helping you keeping your hands to yourself when he does that.

“Did you miss your flight or what?” You grab your white coat and make your way out of the emergency department to take your call. He breathes into his phone and speaks. “No, my flight was early in the morning, I’m in Seoul now.”

You can’t help but ask, even when you really know that it’s inappropriate and really none of your business, you even stutter. “Is she there?” And it comes out as a whisper. You’re really asking him about his wife.

It takes him a few seconds to process the question, uncertain whether he should actually answer the truth or not. Because she’s home and in the next room, if he was an octave louder he would be heard.

Although he did promise himself that he won’t lie to you, so he answers. “Yes.”

Your heart clenches and no matter how hard you think you’re going to accept it, it’s just really hard to digest.

You clear your throat and bite on your nails, and as if he can see you, he laughs quietly and whispers back. “I wanted to say this to you face to face, but you have to know, whether you showed up in my life or not, I would’ve gotten the divorce any way, so don’t worry.”

Namjoon never knew what it felt like to be taken care of or shown love, and neither did you, you’ve never been in an exclusive relationship with anyone before. Of course you’re loved by your family and friends, but someone actually offering you affection and care who is neither a family nor a friend feels weirdly good.

It’s like the missing piece in your life that you just realized you needed.

But still it feels concerning when Namjoon talks about you like that, and you actually spit it out to seek for an answer so you won’t have to overthink it. “Come on Joon, it was just a one time hookup, why are you talking like it’s more than that.” You even fake a laugh to make it sound nicer than you truly mean.

And he just blurts it out. “Because it is more than just a hook up,” And he can sense that your tension over the phone is increasing, you realize you’ve been holding your breath for a second before he speaks with an audible smirk on his lips. “Come on y/n, we both know it’s more than just a hook up.”

It slightly irritates you at how smug he sounds, you scoff before speaking. “Wow you surely sound confidant about that. I hate to break it to you, but really, it’s not true.”

“Okay.” He’s totally not convinced, you hear him muffling under the blanket in his bed. “I’ve been thinking about you the entire night.”

Now it’s your turn to make his life a little harder. “And did you make yourself cum?” He takes a long breath before he hums. “I made myself cum when I imagined the way I wanted to please you, y/n.”

You’re ashamed at the way your body reacts, even when you’re on your period, your body acts upon his words and your face flushes, you press your thighs together to ease the increasing heat between your legs.

What he just said suddenly filled a certain void inside you that you never knew existed, you’ve always wanted a man seek after your own pleasure.

Even when you absolutely enjoy the dirty talk, and even when it makes your cunt tingle, you still manage to ask him. “Hm, so I guess you called just to ease your morning wood?”

You doubt the fact that this man thinks before he talks, he sounds so convincing and genuine when he replies so fast. “Just so you know, I don’t just see you in that way.”

Of course you’re going to doubt that, but he’s is in fact serious, he does think you’re insanely attractive and really good in bed that it makes him sometimes wonder how you’re still single, but on the other hand, he finds your job and your lifestyle very interesting and attractive, it’s been a month since you guys first met at the club, he thinks he knows enough to really fancy you, but when he attended your lecture and saw how successful you are at what you do, it made him see a totally different version of you.

“Whatever Namjoon, I need to hang up.” You sit up from the bench, he doesn’t hesitate when he asks. “Do you have any plans for tonight?”

You actually have nothing planned for tonight, but you know you’re going to be kicked in the ass from your current shift and you’re also on your period. “Maybe.”

You can hear him stretching, he lets out a low grunt before he speaks again “I feel the need to take you somewhere, that’s if you don’t mind of course.”

You cross your arms over your chest. “Somwhere?”

“I know a wine tasting tour held today, it’s on the outskirts though and there’s a huge farm there and it’s the harvest season, so we can actually go and check out the entire process, If you want to of course.” He seems excited when he’s speaking, still making sure he isn’t heard by the other two living under his roof.

You’re intrigued, your mind wants to say yes so badly, but your body is barely holding on for work. “I can’t today, I’m not feeling well.”

He shifts in his bed before he sits up. “Oh no, are you okay?” His voice coming out so soft and sweet, you try to stifle a grin but you can’t, and he actually hears it through the phone when you speak. “Oh my back hurts, that’s all.”

“Do you want me to come over?”

Screw you Kim Taehyung for saying those words, they still echo in your head and for a split second you shrug it off, fuck it, your body is aching for Namjoon and you’re a little ashamed to admit it.

“Yeah, I mean-“ You bite hard on your poor lower lip before you realize that even if he showed up, there’s nothing to do when it’s your time of the month. “Sure, come over.”

Namjoon finally leaves his room after he finished his call with you, Jay was crying his lungs out and he was on the floor throwing a tantrum, and his wife is nowhere to be seen.

“Daddy.” Jay stretches his arms up when he sees his father which makes Namjoon’s heart melt, he kneels down and holds his son closer to his chest, rubbing the back of his head softly. “Daddy’s here, what’s the matter?” He kisses his forehead softly. “Why are you crying?”

“Mommy won’t give me my ice cream.” He cries even louder and his father barely understands a word. Finally she gets out of the kitchen and starts picking up the little toys from the floor, “Jay how many times did I tell you, crying will not get you the ice cream.”

And the little toddler’s crying is loud and he starts kicking his legs, Namjoon holds him closer and smothers his tiny faces with kisses. “Shh, it’s okay.”

He turns to shoot a glare at the demon picking up the toys, he actually feels nauseated when she’s around, and ever since he met you, he just can’t look at her, so he forces himself at the second. “Why won’t you give him his ice cream?”

Jay is Namjoon’s only point of weakness, he cannot stand seeing him want something or crave something without getting him whatever he wants, he’d give him the world if he asked and he’s willing to sacrifice anything for him, that all makes Jay adore his daddy.

“He didn’t finish his bowl of cereal and he even spilled it.” She throws the bag of toys down in the corner of the room, “No ice cream and no toys for the whole day.”

“He’s a baby, playing is all he’s got to do, you can’t just punish him like that.” Namjoon sternly speaks before standing up, still carrying his child.

“But daddy, I was too full and I said sorry.” Jay hugs his daddy tighter while wiping his own tears, “No you’re not going to get anything before you have your breakfast.” She approaches the little one and grabs him, Jay cries loud again and holds onto his father for dear life.

It aches Namjoon’s heart when he sees his child like that, he turns away and uses his palm to gently stop his wife from approaching them again. “Let me deal with this, he’s my child too.” He frowns before he goes to Jay’s bedroom and puts him down on his bed, he kneels down and cups his cheeks. “It’s okay baby, mommy wasn’t wrong, you can’t have your ice cream before breakfast,”

“But the bowl was too big, I’m full.” Jay rubs his eyes, his crying finally coming to an end, but the child is still sad. “Hmm, don’t you wanna be tall and big like daddy?” Namjoon pokes his son’s nose softly, “It’s okay you don’t have to finish your breakfast today, but I’ll tell you a secret,” He even whispers and inches closer to his son, a smile already starting to creep on Jay’s face when he’s enjoying the tiniest interaction with his father.

“We’ll go get you ice cream, but we cannot tell mommy, she’s not invited to our ice cream party.” And Jay looks at his father and it breaks Namjoon’s heart to see his son broken and crying over some stupid ice cream.

“Who were you talking to earlier?” She asks and gain’s his attention, she standing near the door frame with her arms crossed over her chest, he looks at her and wonders for a second when was the last time this woman showered?

He turns to his son’s closet and picks out a pair of sneakers. “Let’s get you dressed.”

“Who were you talking to?” Her voice gets louder and Namjoon doesn’t even flinch, he’s used to her being crazy and asking useless questions, he gets back on his knees and helps his son with his shoes. “Why do you care?” He asks, not looking back at her again.

“Just so you know, your son has been crying the entire morning asking for you, and he didn’t finish eat breakfast because you were too busy being on your phone.” She’s blabbering and even her son ignores her and asks his father. “Can I bring mister broccoli with me?”

Mister broccoli was a stuffed toy that Namjoon got as a gift for Jay when he took his first flight ever with his father, the little one is extremely attached to this toy specifically and he wouldn’t let any of his cousins touch it.

Namjoon nods eagrly. “Go get him.”

Jay runs back to the living room and Namjoon rolls his eyes before he looks at his wife one last time. “I would appreciate it if you try and not pick an argument in front of him.” He cannot stand this woman.

She scoffs, “At least try and be a good father, try and be there for your son. He cried all night.”

Namjoon hates being called a bad parent, he isn’t. He finds himself gritting on his teeth and his heartbeat pounds faster in his chest. “Oh trust me, I’m a better parent than you are.”

Jay’s presence back in the room that eases Namjoon down immediately, even though he guaranteed divorce, but still he has to contain himself in front of his son, last week’s incident was a tough lesson for him.

“Daddy can I put mister broccoli in the back seat with me? I also want him to wear the seat belt.” Jay’s playful tone makes Namjoon mouth twitch in a smile, he nods and prints small soft kisses all over his son’s face. “I’ll let you put the seat belt for him, deal?”

Namjoon’s been flying nonstop and he’s very tired and he needs to catch some sleep to make it up for the nights he stayed up at work, he’s very exhausted but he can never say no to his son.

He grabs Jay’s tiny hands and leaves the place, leaving the woman behind him fuming. They get down to the car and Namjoon even gives Jay the key to unlock the car, and the little one is staring at his father with heart eyes, he always tried his best to give him anything he wishes for.

Namjoon opens the back door and puts mister broccoli next to the car seat, he teaches his son how to buckle the seat belt and Jay ends up doing it on his own, Namjoon gets this cute aggression around his son that he grabs his face tightly and sucks his cheek into a kiss. He can do it forever.

He finally helps Jay get into his car seat and buckles him up, before they head to their ice cream date.

Your shift is finally over by the afternoon, you hand over everything to the team on the next shift and you call a cab home, you were near breaking down and balling your eyes out, nothing major really, you’re just hormonal and tired.

Hoseok was supposed to drive you back home but you instantly regret it when he calls you from the court and says that he needs an hour to be there because something was scheduled urgently today.

You get home and take your clothes off, instant relief when you ditch the fabric off of your skin on a hot summery day, you change into your pajamas and head to the kitchen to turn on the kettle for tea, you don’t usually get that big of an appetite when you’re on your period so food is the last thing you consider making, your doorbell rings and you head to check the cameras, it’s the man you told to come over, the man you’ve been waiting for.

You unlock the door and a warm breeze of air immediately wafts through the entrance carrying the smell of his musky perfume, “Hey, Come in.” You tilt your head inviting him to come on in inside, and the second he steps foot inside your house he inhales, the smell feels nostalgic to him even when he’s been here only once.

Your place has this distinctive smell, it smells clean and fresh, a hint of fruitiness to it, your diffuser is always on so it always smells good, and Namjoon has picked up the hint of the floral scent you spray your furniture with, and also picked up your smell. Your odor is engraved into his head and he can smell it even when it’s layers away or even miles away, he finds it arousing.

He enters the house and hands you a small grocery bag that’s been sitting in his hands. “Are you okay? You look tired.” He steps closer to you and tugs your hair behind your ear.

“I’m fine, what’s that?” You open the bag to check out what’s inside, your heart melts when you see that he actually put in the effort to buy you pain killers, a heating pad and chocolates, even when you already have every item in your household. “Thank you, you didn’t have to do that.” A genuine smile creeps on your face and he smiles back at you before pinching your cheek softly, you inch closer to him and give him a soft peck on his dimple that leaves him blushing, but hardly noticeable though.

“Come on, let’s get you into bed.” He takes off his shoes and you see him walking inside, again even when he’s been here once, he knows this place like the back of his hand, you know that he’s comfortable around you even when the two of you haven’t known each other for long, he feels familiar and he feels close.

You walk into your bedroom and he follows you, he takes a quick scan at your room and he can tell that you’ve been in bed and you’re planning to spend the rest of your day in bed even when he’s here, nothing sexual planned at all though.

“Do you want me to help you with the heating pad?” He’s standing so close behind you that you feel his breath his your neck, you swallow and exhale with a shiver running through your spine, you nod softly and fish out the heating pad from the bag, “On my back please.”

“Okay.” He softly speaks before going down on both of his knees, you grab your top and pull it up for him to have better access, and he opens the wrapper and takes the pad out, he prints the softest kiss on your lower back right by the end of your tatted spine before he sticks the pad onto it and pulls your top back down. “There you go.”

You could swear he kissed your pain away, or it’s probably the endorphin rushing through your entire body when you saw him at your doorstep.

“Make yourself at home, I need to make tea first.” You’re about to turn but his hands sit on your hips, putting a soft amount of pressure, he presses his lips against your shoulder for a little kiss and whispers. “It’s okay, get in bed, I’ll make you tea.” He even kisses the same spot again before heading to the kitchen.

What is he doing to you?

You get to take a quick glance of his back when he’s leaving the room and you feel your face heat up, your hand sits on your cheek and you try to ease your quickening breath, you never felt this way towards anyone and it feels different, your stomach is pinching you and you’re unsure if it’s the cramps or what?

You’re worried for a second, you don’t know if he’s doing this because he wants to, or because he’s trying to get you into bed again? You know he’s in a miserable marriage so he might just do everything because there’s a benefit for him.

You make your way to your bed and you hear his footsteps coming closer and your heart races again at his aura, he enters the room with a cup of tea in one hand, and the box of pain killers in the other one, he approaches your side of the bed and rests the cup onto the nightstand before handing you a pill from the box, you look at him in the face and you tilt your head, his eyes lift up and lock into yours.

For a long moment both of you are studying each other.

You were never able to find out people’s intentions right away, you are very smart and really wit, you sometimes make assumptions that turn out to be true just out of coincidence. But Kim Namjoon was too difficult to read, well at least to you.

Or maybe he is easy to read, but after you found out that he masked his misery and his years long marriage, it became difficult for you to really find out what were his intentions. You appreciate what he’s trying to do, but you don’t know why he’s doing it.

You actually consider introducing him to your friends just because they know how men think and what are their real intentions, Taehyung can easily judge people and he was never wrong.

As for him.

His eyes travel between yours, then move down to your nose and lips, up to the loose strand of your hair that’s tickling your jaw, he feels drawn to you in ways he cannot explain, and if he wants to reflect on the overall situation, he easily admits that he changed after he met you, you changed him, he’s a better version of himself when he’s around you, he’s looking at you and memorizing every single detail on your face, you’re not like her, you’re not like any of them women.

Actually it’s way easier than you think, Namjoon was too easy to read, if you just stop the over thinking for a second and see the way he stares at you, you could easily tell that the man is developing something for you, let’s just call it a crush for the mean time, you don’t know the effect you have on this man.

“Thank you.” You grab the pill into your mouth and chase it with water before pulling the blanket over your body, he stands up and takes his shirt off, after all, it was really warm that day.

And goodness you forgot how big this man is, you immediately look away because you know your body gets way too excited at the thought of Namjoon naked. And you also hate to admit it, but your sex drive is usually on fire on your first day of your period.

“You can sleep if you want to, I’m here if you needed anything.” He walks to the other side of the bed and lies down next to you.

You simply nod, maybe he was right when he told you this morning that this is more than just a hookup.

Minutes later, you close your eyes but you’re not asleep, he probably thinks you are, but you can’t, you open one eye and look at him, he’s lying on his back with one arm behind his head and his phone in the other hand, he’s reading something, clearly a book. His eyelids feel heavy and he puts down the phone on the night stand next to him before he adjusts in bed and falls asleep while hugging a pillow.

And suddenly you feel this flood of emotions wash through your entire body, and you feel bad for the man, a smart good looking sensitive man whose desperate to feel loved and touched after all these years, he’s practically a virgin even when he isn’t.

You huff and hide your face under the blanket, you cannot believe that you actually validate his reasons and give him the right to cheat, you even start thinking that him cheating should be worth it.

He’s a human being with feelings, and you feel like you can offer him some of his needs.

You crawl closer and pull the blanket over his body, you even grab the pillow away from him and hold onto his wrist to and put it around your waist, he’s not in deep sleep yet, so he opens his eyes for a second and processes the fact that you’re going to sleep in his arms, he tightens the grip around and pulls you even closer to him whilst whispering in your ear. “Do you want me to get you anything? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” You bury your face into his neck and both of you fall asleep in a click of a button.

It’s almost like both of you felt safe enough to go into deep sleep when you’re around each other.

You don’t know yet, or maybe you do but won’t admit, but you’re developing something for him too.

258 notes · View notes

wolfjackle-creates · 1 year

Text

Bring Me Home, Chapter 2 Part 3

A little shorter this week. I had my graduation ceremony over the weekend and the opportunity to hang out with my sister-in-law for the first time in a few months! (She and my brother moved states a few months back.) If you scroll down a bit, you'll be able to see how I decorated my graduation cap! I love how it turned out.

But you don't care about that. It's Wednesday! Time for a WIP Wednesday segment!

Story Summary: Tim and Danny are both neglected by parents who care more about their work than their families. They deal with this by spending too much time online and find each other playing MMORPGs. They keep up their friendship as Tim becomes Robin and Danny becomes Phantom and don't bother keeping secrets from each other.

First, Previous

Word Count: 1k

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Unable to get Tim’s attention, Conner asked, “Who’s Technus?”

Danny shrugged. “One of my rogues. Tuck thinks he’s the ghost of Nikolai Tesla. He’s interested in controlling all technology and will make himself a giant mechasuit cannibalized from any electronic he can find in, like, a half mile radius. Super annoying.”

Tim hummed. “You didn’t tell me about him being Nikolai Tesla.”

“It’s a new hypothesis of Tuck’s. He’s been trying to research all the ghosts that come through as part of our profiles on them. That involves trying to figure out who they might’ve been in life. We’re hoping it’ll help me deescalate confrontations to cut back on property damage. Thanks to my parents talking about how evil all ghosts are, no one trusts Phantom and I get blamed for everything.”

Tim reached out and squeezed Danny’s shoulder. Practically everything Danny ever said about his parents made him like them less. To change the subject before he learned something else that’d make him want to attack Jack and Maddie while they were under the same roof, he asked, “So why does ectoplasm harm electronics anyway?”

Danny seemed to lean into his touch. “Well, ectoplasm is complicated. It is generated in this dimension but doesn’t really belong here. It comes about through death and leads the way to the Ghost Zone. At least… that’s the hypothesis I think is the most likely. I’ve only really been studying it for a few months since my own accident, though.” He shook his head. “Anyway! When it interacts with things on Earth that aren’t trying to get to the Zone, things get weird. Especially with non-sentient things that can’t will the ectoplasm to act in a specific way. Even animals can exert some control over ectoplasm. But electronics can’t.”

It was only a few minutes more before Danny had completely disassembled the phone. He then grabbed another pipette and adjusted the volume and added ectoplasm to certain pieces. Then took a third size and did it all over again.

“How on earth did you find out how much to add?” asked Bart. “You’re changing quantities constantly.”

“Trial and error. Long and tedious trial and error. We tried dipping sections in the ectoplasm to start, but that generally fried the tech and mutated its function. Wires do do best with submersion, though. No more than a second or two for small ones. Even after we stopped submersion, we started by adding way too much—spreading it over the entire chip. But that also didn’t work. Realized just half a microliter applied to the connections was best. The camera, speaker, and microphone need more. Those get ten microliters apiece. And we just kept trying different amounts until we had something that worked. We ruined four phones before we started testing each component individually.”

Conner let out a low whistle. “Well we’re glad you have. Thanks for helping with this.”

“Of course. Anything for Tim.”

Tim’s face heated as Cassie laughed. “Yeah, our Tim has a way of winning people over, doesn’t he?”

“I think I won him over, actually.” Danny hung the pipette back up on the holder. “All right, now just to put this baby back together. Who’s hungry?”

“Me!” called Bart. “It’s been ages since we’ve last eaten.”

“You’ve got an accelerated metabolism, right? We’ll stop by a store and get some extra stuff if you need anything overnight or tomorrow.”

“I like you,” said Bart. “You should come with us when we leave. Join our team.”

Tim buried his face in his hands, did none of his teammates know the definition of subtlety? Offering Danny a place with the Teen Titans or Young Justice was the first thing he tried.

“Thanks for the offer, but as I’ve told Tim, I can’t leave Amity. No one else is capable of responding to ghost threats.”

Conner shook his head. “Looks like your parents have it under control.”

Danny laughed. “Oh hell no. They’ve got a lot of inventions and most of them do something. But it’s not always what they expect them to do. And dad’s aim is terrible.” As he spoke, he continued to reassemble Tim’s phone.

Tim couldn’t help but admire how expertly Danny’s fingers moved over the pieces. And before he knew it, Danny was handing the phone back to him.

“Should work now. Turn it on and double check.”

Tim took it and held the power button until the WE logo appeared. Sure enough, once the screen loaded, so did a dozen missed phone calls and even more missed texts.

Bruce, Dick, and Barbara had all attempted contact multiple times. Even Alfred had called once. He winced and immediately called Bruce back.

“Hey, B,” he said as soon as the call connected. “We’re all fine. Just crossed an area that messed with our tech.”

“How did it mess with your tech?” Bruce demanded.

“It’s normal in this area. But I’ve a local friend and he fixed my phone. He’ll take care of Conner’s, Cassie’s, and Bart’s after we grab some dinner. So if anyone else is worried, tell them we’re fine and they can call me in the meantime if they have questions.” Tim made sure to use civilian names so Bruce would know they were no longer in costume.

“Who is this ‘friend’?” asked Bruce.

“God, B, it’s fine. I’ve known him for years. We game online together when we can. Have since we were kids.”

“Hn.” Why was it so much harder to read Bruce over the phone than in person? It was so annoying. “I see. Where are you currently?”

“We’re in Illinois. Will probably stay here a day or two with Danny and his parents. And then we’ll come home and share everything about our trip.” Aka, submit an official report about the outcome of their mission.

“Very well. I expect to know all the details. And I want twice daily check-ins until you’re home.”

“Fine, fine. Will do. Bye, B.” Before Bruce could demand anything else, Tim hung up on him. Next he shot texts to Dick, Alfred, and Barbara assuring them he was fine and his phone was working again. Replies came instantly and he ignored them all. “All right, that’s done. Let’s go eat.”

---------

I think this is the first time I've had an actual scene break to stop the segment at. I usually just go until I see a change in the conversation, but I've got my <hr> marker at this point and there's gonna be a scene change! (So I won't have to repeat a paragraph or two next time I post.)

You get a different explanation for ectoplasm in this fic! Wasn't planning on that, but it happened and I like it.

Hope you enjoyed.

Tag List Part 1

@gremlin-bot, @bonebrokebuddy, @britcision, @lady-time-lord-, @welcometosasakiworld, @akikkobara, @phoenixdemonqueen, @dolfay, @skulld3mort-1fan, @we-ezer, @markus209, @sjrose1216, @onyxlightdragon, @dragonsrequiem, @jesus-camp-the-sequel, @spidey29phangirl, @kyrianclawraith, @evilminji, @introvert-even-on-the-internet, @emergentpanda-blog, @lexdamo, @v-inari, @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit, @longlivethefallen, @undead-essence, @xye-chan, @liandrin, @seraphinedemort, @kisatamao, @schalensitzbucket, @caelestisdreamer, @runfromthemedic, @nutcase8691, @channajen, @tonicmii, @ambiguouslyominous, @vythika96, @addie-lover-of-stories, @ironicvixen, @violetfox2, @pickleking8, @mysticalcomputerdetective, @ark12, @mygood-bitch99, @squirrel-wolf, @satisfactionbroughtmeback, @sometimesthingsfallapart, @automaticsoulharmony, @d4ydr34min9, @revnantdpxdclover, @midigeria, @raginblastocyst

#dpxdc #tim drake #danny fenton #conner kent #cassie sandsmark #bart allen #dead tired #bart made attempt 1 to kidnap danny #it was super ineffective #tim is embarrassed

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livwritesstuff · 5 months

Text

this is an edited repost of something I wrote last year for the 10-year anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School (now 11 years today). to say the least, it’s a difficult day for a lot of people, including me. i wrote this all in one go just as a positive outlet for the things this day evokes and i went back and forth on if i would post it, but i know i’m not the only one who has been affected by these events. if you’re someone who finds this day to be a hard one, this one is for you.

tw: references to gun violence and school shootings

It’s late morning in December 2012 and Steve is watching the news. He isn’t really paying attention to the current segment about opiate use, too busy being completely annihilated in Words with Friends by his eleven-year-old, who just played the word ‘jinxes’ for 23 points, the bastard.

He’s mid-way through sending Moe a text (“get off your ipod you’re in class”) when the channel’s Breaking News intro interrupts the interview that he’d been ignoring. He looks up to see that the headline has changed.

Steve sees shooting, and then elementary school and feels his heart jump into his throat the way it does any time he hears sirens when his daughters or his husband aren’t home – not because he really believes it’s for them, but because it could be. There’s always a chance it could be.

And he’s got two kids in elementary school right now.

He makes himself read the headline in full – it clarifies that the school is in Connecticut, nowhere near him and his house and his children’s schools in the Massachusetts suburbs, but it does little to remedy the panic that has his heart going a mile a minute.

Steve sits for a while, eyes glued to the TV as the anchor slowly ad-libs, clearly waiting for any new scrap of information.

On the first commercial break, Steve checks his phone. He’s got one text – from Moe telling him to play another word in their game. He responds back with the message he’d written before he’d become fixated on the news.

On the second one, he texts Eddie, tells him he loves him and asks if he’s heard what’s going on (he knows he probably won’t get a response for a while – Eddie is notoriously bad at checking his phone and that’s when he’s not in a meeting he’s been looking forward to for weeks, as is the case today).

By the third, they’ve learned the school is on lock-down, but not much more.

Everything he hears after that is nothing short of harrowing, and leaves Steve feeling sick to his stomach.

Eddie finally texts him a couple hours later, after the news anchor has been switched out for another, to say his meeting ran late (an actual director had reached out to him saying she was interested in adapting one of Ed’s books into a movie – today was the day they got to talk in person) and he hadn’t known any of this was going on, but he’s on his way to pick up Hazel from her AM kindergarten session.

Steve’s day continues. He makes lunch, he finishes some laundry, he responds to emails, always with one eye on the news. His shock at what was occurring mere hours south of his home, subsides, slowly replaced with a dull horror because he’s seen a lot of things in his forty-six years of life, but nothing like this. One by one, his three girls return home from school and he hugs each of them like he always does, but today it’s a little tighter.

It’s a Friday, and Friday night is movie night in the Harrington house. It’s Robbie’s night to choose (she picks Spy Kids, like she does every time she gets to pick the movie since it came out last year). Before they start, Steve and Eddie tell their kids what happened. They do their best to find an explanation that is sufficient for ever-precocious Moe, but not too much for Hazel, their sweet kindergartner who only just turned six. Once the movie starts, they all pile under the same blanket, and where there’s usually fidgeting and arguing and occasionally having to pause the movie altogether to wipe tears and wait on a time-out because someone weaponized a foot or an elbow after they weren’t given the big bowl of popcorn fast enough, tonight there is quiet and stillness.

The next day, the girls are back to their normal, bickering selves, but Steve still can’t shake the aching feeling in his chest every time he thinks about what happened the day before. He starts to get that itch in his brain, the same itch he'd felt after he ran out of the Byers’s house in 1983, after he turned back and saw those Christmas lights flickering, the itch where he’s gearing up for a fight.

As the months go on, Steve finds himself reading into gun control laws, finds himself with multiple non-profits fighting for them bookmarked on his computer, finds himself following politics for the first time in his life as he watches bill after bill get shut down by both sides of the debate.

Honestly, Steve isn’t sure why he cares so deeply about this – and not just what happened in Connecticut, but the issue of guns and gun safety in general. It’s not like he hasn’t fired a gun before. It’s not like he’s never seen their value (he still remembers that drive to the War Zone so many years ago). It’s not like he hasn’t ever felt safer with someone nearby wielding one, even if that someone was Nancy Wheeler.

Maybe he’s a little too familiar with children being the casualties in a war they didn’t choose to start, didn’t choose to fight in, and if that had made him angry at nineteen, he’s irate now, now that he has a six-year-old like the students in that classroom in Connecticut, now that he has an eleven-year-old like El when she escaped that lab in Hawkins.

It wouldn’t be the first time Steve threw himself into a battle that had nothing to do with him, that he knew very little about, because he knows what happens when children get caught in the crossfire of a battle that has nothing to do with them, and he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he sat idly by and watched it happen again.

#i’m NERVOUS posting this one idk #they can’t all be fun times folks #idk if el was eleven years old in season 1 i'm pulling the artistic license for that one #i am definitely projecting here but whatever that’s what fandom is for i’m pretty sure #steddie #liv’s steddie dads verse #steddie dads #steve harrington #eddie munson #tw: school shooting #tw: gun violence

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joelswritingmistress · 7 months

Text

Last Halloween: Chapter 2

Summary: After a tragedy involving Joel happened on Halloween one year prior, the town now shuns him while ignoring the details of the now closed case. You are seemingly the only one to offer empathy to a man the town is making out to be a monster.

Warning: Angst

Pairing: Joel x f!reader

You went back to the house you were renting with your three friends once your shift ended. Honestly, despite them being some of the closest people in your life, you didn't know how they would feel about your interaction with Joel. Rather than speculate and guess, you simply put it out in the open.

"I talked to Joel Miller today," you blurted out while the four of you mindlessly toyed on your phones with the television playing in the background. The mindlessness paused at the mention of his name and suddenly all eyes were on you.

"You talked to him?" Your friend Chrissy asked.

"Where?" Winnie asked a second later.

Shit. You knew by making it sound ominous that you weren't doing him any justice. You had unintentionally added to the local folklore, or worse, the slander of this man's name.

"He stops in at the coffee shop," you said with a shrug. "I feel bad for him."

"Bad?" Chrissy asked, her eyes bugging wide. "He's a killer."

"He's not a killer," you countered.

"Ooo, I don't know," your third roommate, Jessie, chimed in. "I heard-"

"Everyone has heard something different," you cut them all off. "At a trial he was found innocent. I heard he was the one who was attacked and he defended himself."

"Who the hell knows," Winnie said. "Whether he's a killer or not, I'd stay away. You just can never be too careful."

She isn't totally wrong, you knew. What if the people in town had it right and Joel had skated by on a loophole? Or what if he was attacked and it was all just a tragic mess that ended badly? From Joel's body language that you saw almost daily, you could almost see the guilt steaming out of him. Monsters didn't feel guilt.

"I just don't think he ever got a chance to tell his side of the story," you explained with a shrug. "I don't know."

"What did you talk to him about?" Jessie asked.

"I just sat down," you explained and then reluctantly admitted, "I asked him to go out-"

"You asked him out!?" Chrissy shouted. "He killed someone!"

"It was an accident," you assured her. "And I didn't ask him out like that. I just.. asked him to do something. He just looks so lonely."

Chrissy looked to Winnie. "Girl, can you talk some sense into her before she ends up on Dateline."

You all laughed and you shook your head. "I don't know. I l figured you guys would react like this." You stood up and went to retrieve a bottle of pumpkin ale from the fridge.

As good of friends as Chrissy, Winnie and Jessie were, you knew they wouldn't understand your empathy toward Joel, the man your town had branded as some kind of boogeyman. And so you decided to drop it and watch the scary movie one of your friends had put on. Deep down, however, you were silently thinking about Joel.

A deep dive into Google had lead you on a bit of a wild goose chase that night and the next morning. You had Googled Joel Miller, and after finally getting past the plethora of articles revolving around the accident, you finally discovered a link with some valuable information - like his employer.

Stalker! You called yourself in your mind. If anything it made you smile and roll your eyes at yourself. Everyone Googled everyone. Right? Joel Miller would be no exception to that. When you found the address of where he worked, you grabbed your keys and began your drive across town to a notorious junk yard and car repair center.

The gates to the grounds were wide open when you arrived. Despite living in town your whole life you had never been down here. It was stereotypical, with rows and rows of cars that seemed to stretch on for miles. With your window rolled down you could hear a loud humming or buzzing sound coming from somewhere in one of the big, open garage bays.

A hefty man with a bushy mustache approached your vehicle as you eased inside the gates.

"Can I help ya?" He asked, slightly out of breath as he placed a meaty hand on the car.

"Um, yeah, I have an appointment with Joel. He's supposed to take a look at this ratting noise in my car."

The man scratched his head and looked down toward one of the open bays. "You can pull it down in front of the last one there. He'll take care of ya."

"Thank you." You smiled and slowly cruised down between two rows of cars, a cloud of dirt trailed your vehicle as it bounced over the uneven landscape.

When you got to the last bay you glanced inside, seeing Joel working up a sweat and he whipped around the workspace. A Jeep was perched up on a lift inside.

For a moment you drank him in. Rolled up sleeves of a black thermal over jeans and beat up work boots. Grease was smudged in random places on his face and he carried a silver tool as he walked.

As you clicked the door open, he turned in your direction, only to do a double take when he saw it was you. Butterflies emerged in your stomach and you took a breath as you met him by the door's entrance.

"Hi." You greeted him.

"Hi." Skepticism continued to hang in the tone of his voice.

"She's got a rattling noise in her car." The man with the bushy mustache seemed to come out of nowhere, patting Joel on the shoulder as he quickly passed by to enter the garage.

For whatever reason, the interact left you at peace, at least to a small degree. Someone was friendly with Joel, at least.

"Yeah, um." You motioned to your car and you could tell Joel knew it was more bullshit.

"A rattling noise?" He asked.

"Yeah, look, I didn't come here about my car," you confessed, though you knew Joel already knew that.

"You can take off after that one!" The other man shouted to Joel. "I'll finish up the oil change on the Jeep and then lock it up for the night."

"Thanks," Joel called back and then returned his attention to you. "Why'd you come here?"

You eyed a motorcycle off to the side and before you could answer his question or ask him one of you own, Joel said simply. "It's mine."

A smirk formed on your face and you walked over toward the bike, placing a careful hand on the handlebars. "Teach me to ride it?" You said, half-kidding.

Joel finally cracked a barely-there smile and joined you by the motorcycle. "Fine. Hope on."

Your eyebrows raised and you smiled wider at him before doing your best to straddle the bike. When you placed your hands on the handlebars you looked back at him. "Now what?"

Joel crept in behind you and the butterflies in your stomach escalated again. You feel a twinge of pleasure when his hands came down over yours. "Believe it or not this is the break. And this is the throttle. If you bring your hand this way toward you, you accelerate." He moved your hand backwards a bit and you continued to grin to yourself.

Joel immediately backed off once he was done showing you some of the basics and you turned to him, still positioned on the bike.

"Do I look cool?" You asked, making him actually chuckle this time.

Progress, you thought.

"Cooler than I do," Joel answered.

"Well, let's judge." You got off the bike and waited as he hesitated before getting on. "All you need is a leather jacket."

"He's got one hanging in here," Joel's coworker called out, making you laugh at the fact that he was obviously eavesdropping.

"Thanks Ron." He shook his head and looked back to you, attempting not to smile but one finally broke through again.

"I've never been on one before," you admitted, creeping closer to him. Your eyes were sparkling with excitement and you could wholeheartedly sense Joel's hesitation again.

On the same note, you saw a flash of something change in his expression and could tell when his guard was let down just enough. "Get on."

You flashed a wide smile and straddled the back of the bike, wrapping your arms securely around his midsection. When Joel started up the bike you felt a rush of adrenaline that you hadn't ever felt in your life.

"Hold on," he instructed before taking off back up through the rows of cars.

Your hair whipped in all directions as you flew out of the gates and onto a wooded back road. What a rush!

A part of you wanted to look down but you knew it could ruin the experience and so you squinted ahead into the incoming darkness and smiled wider.

The chill of October air kissed your cheeks, leaving a little sting as you whipped through the town. Joel half-looked back at you when you cruised past your coffee shop and you held onto him a little tighter.

Everything whipped by in little flashes - couples walking the town green, ghosts hanging from trees, lights from the little businesses about town that were close to shutting down for the night.

As darkness fully submerged the two of you, you almost felt like there was no one else on earth; that you and Joel existed in this exclusive world build for the two of you without hurt, pain or prejudice. You didn't want the ride to end. You didn't want that feeling to end. It was a feeling you knew you would chase again.

When the motorcycle finally came to a halt in front of the now-locked gates of the junkyard, you could hear your chorus of heavy breathing for the first time. It matched Joel's, and when he got off the bike a second after you, you could see he was equally basking in the afterglow of the ride.

You ran your hands through your hair and you could almost feel the energy that radiated out of your wind tossed hair. "Wow." It was all you could say.

Joel smiled at you more genuinely now. "Hope I didn't scare you."

"You don't scare me." You shook your head. "Quite the opposite actually."

There was a silence that lingered as you stood there at the desolate entrance to the junkyard at the edge of town. Leaves from the surrounding trees swirled down in elegant, twirling patterns. One stuck in your hair and you didn't notice until Joel leaned a hand in your direction.

For a second you were prepared for a kiss - a smoldering, adrenaline-ridden kiss. But as your eyes began to close in anticipation you quickly realized Joel was reaching for the bright yellow leaf that had clung to your still-wild strands of hair.

"Oh." You felt the tiniest flush of embarrassment but it was fleeting and certainly didn't ruin the moment. "Thanks." You gave a quiet chuckle and Joel smiled.

"Let me get you to your car." He unlocked the gate and walked the motorcycle down into the junkyard with you by his side.

If Joel hadn't been beside you, you would have been freaked out. The place was eerie at night with no one around; but somehow that added to the thrill right then and there in the moment.

You weren't ready to call it a night. It felt as dark as midnight but it was only seven o'clock.

"So," you turned to him as you used your key fab to unlock your car. "Do you want to go down to the East Bend Tavern with me tonight? There's a costume party."

Joel seemed to cringe. "I don't know."

"Come." You knew you were sounding a little desperate, but it didn't matter. The motorcycle ride and the intensity you felt being in Joel's company was a bit addicting. Even if it ended up being just one night, you wanted to really live it.

"Costume party.." He toyed with the idea in his head.

"I picked up a couple of cheap masks." You gave a laugh and popped open the trunk of your car. You reached in and pulled out a plastic scarecrow mask and a plastic black cat that covered down past the nose. "I have dibs on the black cat but uh.." You extended your arm toward Joel with the scarecrow mask.

He looked down, slowly taking the mask in both of his hands. Joel stared at it for a moment and then looked back up. "Maybe no one will recognize me." He immediately added, "What time?"

"Meet you there at nine?"

"Nine." Joel looked back down at the mask and he let out a deep breath. Anxiety oozed out of him but he nodded. "Nine it is."

CLICK HERE FOR CHAPTER 3

@untamedheart81 @amy172

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thebubblesareevil · 2 years

Text

My lab partner is dead, does that mean I get extra credit?

‘Why did she decide to take this class again?’ Barbara thought as she sat in her robotics class. She gave a sigh, ‘because that jerk that’s selling test answers is in this class and she needed to catch him in the act if she was going to report him’ she looked around as she entered the room, most of the seats in the room were taken but lucky for her there was a seat available with a perfect view of her target and the only other person sitting at that table seemed to be passed out so they won’t notice a thing. She made a beeline for the seat and started setting up her supplies, ‘its absolutely freezing right here’ she looked up to see the vent above her. ‘We’ll that explains why no one wanted to sit here’ she thought pulling out her jacket from her bag. She took out one last piece of equipment, a gift from Bruce, a pencil case with a camera on the end with a pen trigger. Her table mate had yet to move when the teacher entered, in fact it looked like he didn’t move at all, Barbara was close to checking his pulse until the teacher called his name for the third time “Daniel Fenton!” He jumped up and said here and she decides she must have been imagining things. When class started. For the most part Barbara ignore the sluggish teen next to her, and planned to do so for the rest of the semester, until her teacher announced lad partners that is. She reluctantly turned to Daniel and held out her hand “let’s work hard!” She said with a forced smile. He looked at her hand for a second before shaking her hand “sure” before laying his head back on the desk. Barbara sighs and decides to ask the teacher if she can trade partners at the end of class, then returns to her observing (spying) on Lloyd. Not noticing she wasn’t the only one observing her classmates.

After class let out Barbara approached the teaches desk, determined to get a new partner. She didn’t even get a chance to speak when the teacher stopped her. “I know what you’re going to say, and no you can’t switch all partner assignments are final unless I am given a valid cause.” Barbara sighed and headed for her locker. She just opened her locker when there was a thump on the other side of the door. She looked on the other side to find Daniel leaning against the next locker. “I’m in” she froze staring at her lab partner. It took her a moment to gather her thought before she asked “what exactly are you in”

“I don’t know why you’re spying on Lloyd, it’s pretty obvious you DONT have a crush on him, the look you just gave me proves it, so you’re planning something, I don’t care what it is but I’m in.”

“I’m sorry, you’ve been here for a grand total of what two days? Why do you want to help me?”

“Oh no offense but it has nothing to do with you. The dude tried to shove me in a locker my first day here. He’s a dick and I don’t know what he did to receive YOUR ire, but I’m sure he deserves it, so I’m in.”

Barbara freezes, Daniel tilts his head questioning. “Okay but this doesn’t change the fact that you better pull your weight in class and in this investigation.” Daniel laughs

“My weight may be half dead but I’d like to think I carry it pretty well.”

Barbara snorts “well then Daniel I do believe we have reached an accord. I do believe this is the start of a beautiful friendship”

“Please call me Danny, the only people who call me Daniel are typically trying to kill me.” He paused “well finish the job at least.” He says with a shrug

———

Miles away at Gotham city police department commissioner Jim Gordon felt a shiver creep up his spine

I will be adding more so keep an eye out this is just the beginning mwahahaha

#danny phantom #barbara gordon #dc x dp #ghost king danny #au #highschool detective team activate!#detective comics #Bruce Wayne #Lloyd sucks #I’m sorry to all the non sucky Lloyd’s out there but this one sucks

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lena-honey-writes · 9 months

Text

the perfect cheesecake

You’re normally a pretty good baker, but today, you’re having trouble with a cheesecake. Good thing Matt is a fantastic taste-tester.

(fluff, 700 words)

**i don't bake lol i just thought this was a cute idea

request guidelines

~~~~~~

One of the fun little surprises that came with dating Daredevil was finding out that he had really sensitive taste buds. Like, beyond anything else you’d ever seen. He could list all the individual layers of flavors, single out spices, explain what should’ve been taken out or added in. If you were anyone else, you probably would’ve taken offense to someone being so critical of your baking, but you love it, especially since it's Matt. It gives you the chance to really perfect your recipes, and there have been multiple occasions where you’ve brought in Matt-approved cookies or muffins to work and had your coworkers praise your skills.

Today, you’re working with a cheesecake. Not a particularly difficult recipe, but you’re trying to figure out how to modify the batter with fruit compotes and for some reason, the goddamn peaches are not doing what they’re supposed to.

You slide your third failed attempt out of the oven and stare at the browned, crusted edges, a far-cry from the smooth finish that this recipe usually produces. The air smells like over-caramelized fruit and something badly burned. The crust, you know without even checking, is beyond saving.

“What am I doing wrong?” you mutter to yourself, flipping through your notes. Baked it too long, probably, but you’ve been decreasing the time with every attempt and you’re still not getting it. “It’s just a cheesecake, for crying out loud—”

“What happened?” Matt asks, coming in from the bedroom, even though you know he can smell the disaster from a mile away.

“Burned it,” you say, not even flinching as he comes up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

Matt hums, resting his chin on your shoulder. “Got a fork?”

“It’s too hot!” you protest, even as he reaches around and pulls a fork out of the drawer. He releases you to scoop a small bite into his mouth. “You Catholics and your self-flagellation.”

“Too much sugar,” he says, swallowing. The corners of his eyes crinkle up in that adorable way of his, and you can’t help but smile, even if he’d stupidly eaten burning-hot cheesecake. “Other than that? I think it’s perfect.”

“You’re just being nice,” you mutter, accepting the kiss on the cheek.

“Nope,” he says with a grin. As if to spite you, he takes another bite of the cheesecake. “Lower the sugar in the batter and the compote. Also, the compote needs a little acidity.”

“How’s the crust?” you ask.

“Burnt.”

You swat his shoulder lightly. “I’m being serious.”

“Add a little salt.”

You smile and lean in to kiss him. His lips taste like cheesecake. “Thank you.”

“You’re going to nail it this time,” he says, squeezing your arm before heading to the living room.

You make the modifications he suggested and, unsurprisingly, when you pull this one out of the oven, it comes out perfect, the orange swirl of peach compote standing out brightly against the creamy white batter. This time, Matt lets you have the first taste (after it’s been chilled for a couple hours), and you end up sharing a slice on the couch after dinner.

“See? I told you,” Matt says.

You nudge his thigh with your socked foot and steal the plate back from him. “Mr. Always Right. That’s what they should call you.”

“Nah,” he says, grinning. “I’m only right about a couple things.”

“Like what?”

“Like you,” he says. He reaches over and runs his fingers through your hair, before pulling you closer to kiss you. You smile against his lips. But when you lean back, you find your hands empty. You gasp in shock and watch him take the last bite before setting the plate on the coffee table.

“Matthew!”

“And this cheesecake,” he says, dodging the pillow you throw.

“You’re so annoying,” you grumble, pushing him back against the couch cushions and kissing him.

“But you love me,” Matt says, and in the warm light of your shared apartment, his dark eyes glitter at you. He’s still smiling, his hands gripping your waist, and your heart aches with your affection for him.

“Yeah,” you say, leaning in again. “You’re right about that, too.”

#matt murdock #matt murdock x reader #daredevil #fanfiction #fanfic #matt murdock fanfic #fanfiction writer #fanfic writer #fluff

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muselin · 1 year

Note

another one because my current yuta brain rot made me dream about that man and it's kinda embarrassing but let's go

don't ask me why my unconscious made such a dream like this but for some weird reason yuta ended up helping me stretch my hole after for some reason i brought it up to them (127) that i was small pls what the hell

This is brilliant. I have like half a dozen things to finish but my brain is frazzling and just wants to write NCT smutty drabbles and bits. I'm not sure which hole you meant but I've ended up turning this into a little anal training headcanon lol 🔞⛔️

Anal training with NCT127

Taeyong

Prefers to do it the old-fashioned way, with his fingers and with his face buried in your pussy the whole time. Gets you to sit on his face while he does it.

"Does it hurt? No? I'm going to put one more in, okay?" He raised his head and his eyes searched yours before he dipped back down, tongue swirling around your clit as he added a third finger and kept moving them in and out of your ass slowly, stretching you out.

Taeil

He prefers to start by eating your ass. You're comfortably laid out on your front, Taeil between your legs giving you a hell of a rim job. He teases you, tongue dipping in and out of your entrance as he wants for you to start whining and humping the mattress until he starts putting fingers in your little hole.

"You sure you're ready? It'd be fun to make you cum just with my tongue first..."

Johnny

A little adventurous, a little traditional. Johnny gets you used to anal beads quite quickly. He gets you on all fours, his long form blanketing yours as he works the beads in slowly and his long fingers stretch to tease your clit. He gets really hard hearing you moan as he starts to pull the beads out and you back your hips up against him, brushing against his cock.

"You seem ready for the bigger set already. This will be a piece of cake."

Yuta

Loves his toys and he's got you sitting in his lap riding a cone-shaped grooved dildo that he holds for you, gradually getting you to work the wider parts at the base inside of you. Runs a vibrator over your clit as you go and watches you like a hawk, doesn't want to miss any little noise or face you make.

"Getting tired yet? I hope not, it'll be so much more fun when it's me inside of you."

Doyoung

Cautious and uses loads and loads of lube. Uses his fingers or different sizes of dildos to get you used to the feeling but he's partial to becoming impatient so he indulges in different flavored lubes.

"As if you weren't tasty enough already but I quite like the cherry," His voice was muffled by your ass and his tongue was teasing around your rim as it stretched around a small dildo.

Jaehyun

Similar to Taeyong prefers to use his tongue and fingers but he's got you pretzeled up into whatever position lets him get the deepest inside of you. Usually on your back with your leg being pressed up towards your chest. Groans against your pussy and humps the mattress whenever he works another finger into your ass.

"Does it feel good? Look how much more you can fit now, almost ready".

Mark

Mind goes a mile a minute and his fingers are twitchy and nervous as he's working different sizes of butt plugs in and out your hole. He has you over his lap on all fours and he's so concentrated and methodical that you start to whine and make him hurry up. He spanks your ass and palms the flesh, kneading it and stroking.

"You made me lose track of which one we got up to. Don't make me spank you again."

Haechan

Shy to ask but gets really into it. Steals one of Yuta's toys and it's a bullet vibrator which he uses to get you ridiculously wet, which he then uses as lube because he forgot to bring any. Uses his fingers for the rest and likes to hold you against him so you can feel how hard he is while he works you up.

"Still feels tight. How are you ever going to fit my dick in there? I'm getting blue balls just thinking about it."

#nct smut #nct hard hours #nct 127 smut #nct 127 hard hours #nct smut reactions

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matan4il · 9 months

Note

Do you think Mile remembers Apo from those earlier events?

Hi, Nonnie! Thank you for the ask. Buckle up, I have some thoughts and plenty of info (and pics).

When it was discovered Mileapo were both present at the 24 Jul 2013 event, I mentioned that Mile said there might have been more than one runway gig they did together, because in the Journey interview, he mentioned remembering Apo as walking ahead of him, not behind (*cough* Gee, I wonder what Mile was staring at that he still remembered looking at Apo from behind when doing this interview 8 years later). In the 10 Aug 2013 runway event, the clearer pic of Apo and the vid show him behind Mile, not ahead of him:

We never see Apo in front of Mile in either the 21 Feb 2013 event or the Jul 24 event vids.

But there's another pic showing Apo (in the checkered shirt to Mile's left in the pic below) behind Mile WHILE walking in the opposite direction. Which implies shortly before the pic was taken, Apo was walking ahead of Mile, got to the end of the runway, and turned around. So the pic itself still shows him behind Mile despite Apo having walked in front of him.

(this is based on the assumption Apo is indeed the guy in the checkered shirt. It seems to be him, but it's hard to 100% confirm)

Assuming that that's Apo, the event where Mile remembered Apo walking in front of him might have been the same one uncovered by the fans (10 Aug 2013). BUT it could be that that's not Apo, or that Mile does remember a separate event. If you ever have the chance to ask Mile a question, please let it be about this!

Either way, up until the 24 Jul 2013 event was unearthed a few days ago, Mile def was under the impression that the 10 Aug event was the first time they crossed paths, as he mentioned in a recent interview (remember that when he gave this answer, the only vid uncovered by fans was the one from the August event):

This seems to suggest that even if he remembered seeing Apo at other events, he might not remember which came first (meaning it could be that either the 21 Feb or Jul 24 events had a section where Apo walked in front of Mile that has not yet been uncovered, and that's what Mile recalls). Or maybe he remembers Apo walking ahead of him from modeling events that took place after the 10 Aug one.

In any case, here's an extra touch of destiny. In the recently uncovered 21 Feb 2013 vid, you can see Masu, Apo's friend, holding his hand at the start of the vid.

There was this separate project where they took 9 handsome guys, made them radio DJs, had them record a song together boyband style, had them do some fan events, and then at a certain point they expanded to 13 guys. Masu was one of the original nine, Mile was one of the four who got added on, it appears he was a part of this from Feb 2012 to Apr that year. Here they both are together at an event in Singapore, Masu's the third guy from the right, Mile's the fifth:

So at the Feb 2013 event, there's no guarantee Mile saw Masu, or that he came over to say hi, and even if Mile did, Apo might not have been by Masu's side at that particular moment (or Masu might have seen Mile and walked over to say hi without Apo). But doesn't it feel like destiny was TRYING its DAMN HARDEST to make sure Mile and Apo would cross paths in EVERY CONCEIVABLE WAY?

Damn, I had no idea when I started watching Kinnporsche the Series that this is what would lead to me being convinced fate is real. Thank you again for the ask and allowing me to simmer in madness. xoxox

(if you're looking for any of my other Kinnporsche/Mileapo posts, just click here)

And just for the hell of it, 'coz I don't think I'll include this in any other post, here's another pic of Mile from the 21 Feb 2013 event that did not make it into the vid:

#ask #anon ask #mileapo #mkp #mile phakphum #mile phakphum romsaithong #phakphum romsaithong #apo nattawin #apo nattawin wattanagitiphat #nattawin wattanagitiphat #man suang #man suang cast #kinnporsche #kinnporsche cast #kinnporsche the cast #kpts cast #kpts the cast #kinnporschedaily #mileapodaily

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bibiwrld · 10 months

Text

ON HIS NERVES🩹| Miguel O’Hara

previously: –four.

–five.

THIRD PERSON POV

After the meeting with Lego Spider-Man, that took longer than expected, Miguel was ready to go back home to Alice.

“Where’s Alice?” Gwen asked.

“Is she comfortable?” Miles leaned on the desk.

“Why’d you leave her by herself?” Pavitr pouted.

“Is she even alive, mate?” Hobie sat on the desk.

Where did they all even come from?

Miguel stood behind his desk in annoyance, not wanting to answer their questions. “She’s at my home, she’s comfortable, I was only stepping out for a minute so she won’t be alone for long, and she’s very much alive.” He walked pass them. “Now if you don’t mind, I have to make her lunch.”

🧺

Miguel arrived home to see Alice relaxing in a web hammock in the living room, that she made herself.

He told her to be careful, before she hurt herself even more. Luckily she didn’t or she wouldn’t hear the end of Miguel.

Miguel got into more comfortable clothes, threw on his apron and got busy in the kitchen. He decided to make a Mexican dish for her and Alice grew curious of the meal being prepared.

“What’s that?” Alice stood on the high ceiling above Miguel. She sniffed. “Smells good.”

Miguel added peppers to the pan, not looking at Alice once. “Get down from there, pequeña araña.”

“Mmmm no.” She challenged. “And I still don’t know what that means.”

He sighed. “Don’t make me come up there for you.” He put the pan on medium heat.

Alice only giggled.

Before she knew it, Miguel was scaling the wall with his claws on all fours.

He was now on the ceiling, slowly crawling towards her. She shot a web at him, but he caught it with his hand like it was nothing.

“Stop playing and get down before you hurt yourself, hermosa.” He told her sternly.

She only laughed, getting on her uninjured hand and 2 feet like Miguel, slowly backing up.

Miguel suddenly lunged at her, causing her to scream. He grabbed her, holding her closer to his chest and landing carefully on his on the floor with Alice in his arms.

She went on her feet and looked up at him mischievously. “Something smells like it’s burning.”

Miguel’s eyed widened and he ran into the kitchen. “Mierda!”

🌷

So scratch whatever Miguel was cooking, it burned, very badly. Instead he ordered Mexican pizza for the both of them and watched a movie from Alice’s universe on her laptop, called Bodies Bodies Bodies Bodies.

“So they died for no reason?” Miguel was confused.

Alice grabbed another slice. “Yeah, basically.”

“Very stupid movie.” He grumbled.

“No it wasn’t, it was funny.” She pouted.

Miguel’s watched beeped and he groaned. He pressed to reveal a hologram of Miles.

“Hey Tio!” Miles looked like he was swinging from buildings.

“What is it Miles?” Miguel was already.

“Uh, we kinda need your help on this mission!” Sounds of things crashing were heard in the background.

“Did you get Migue— watch out!” Gwen’s voice was heard.

“I’m on my way.” Miguel ended the call and stood, his full suit slowly covering his body. He turned to Alice who looked up at him with a pizza in her hand. “I’ll be back, okay?”

She nodded.

“Be good.” Is all he said before the large circle of light appeared.

🕷️

Alice was bored. Conversing with Lyla as she walked around his large house.

“Does Miguel ever get lonely?” She walked down a hall. “Such a big house for one person.”

“I can’t answer that.” Lyla responded.

“Hm, I guess he programmed you to do that.” She walked up to a door, trying to turn the knob but it was locked.

“You should leave that door alone, Alice.” Lyla instructed her, worry in her voice.

She went on her knees near the door. “Why?” Alice’s web grew out of her wrist like vines, slowly creeping under the door. She controlled the vine, trying to unlock the door.

Lyla was now annoyed by the spider-woman. “Because I said so.”

The door made a small click and the door was now open. The vine like web retracted back to her wrist and she opened the door to a dark room.

She walked in, feeling the wall for a light switch. She found a switch, quickly turning the light on. The room was small, like a storage room. It had shelves with little knickknacks, and boxes. There were a few boxes on the floor, but one of them got Alice’s attention. It had the name ‘Gabriella’ written on it.

She went on her knees to open the box.

“Alice, you should really leave this stuff alone.” Lyla warned her.

She only ignored the AI. Lyla only groaned in frustration.

Alice saw lots of soccer trophies and medals, plushies and there was a smaller box. She opened it to see pictures. Pictures of a little girl, a woman and Miguel. They looked so happy in all of the pictures. The more pictures she went through, less and less she saw the woman.

“His wife..and his daughter, Gabriella.” She whispered to herself.

She knew about it, everyone knew about it. It was something they all never talked about, to the point where it was sometimes forgotten. Miguel’s wife died from natural causes and his daughter…well, we all know what happened.

She kept going through the pictures, admiring how happy Miguel was.

A dark figure appeared behind of Alice.

Lyla stared up at the figure. “Alice.” She said before disappearing in fear.

“You said something Lyla?” With a picture still in her hand, Alice slowly turned around on her knees. Her eyes widened when she saw the tall figure, Miguel. The picture fell from her grasp.

“What are you doing in here?” His voice was cold.

“I–”

“Why did you come in here?!” He snarled.

Fear struck Alice even harder.

“Get out!”

Alice quickly ran past him and scurried off to the bedroom.

“Lyla.” He breathed heavily.

“Miguel.” She appeared at his shoulder.

“Why didn’t you stop her?” He closed back the box.

“I did.” Lyla replied. “You didn’t have to shout at her like that.”

Miguel didn’t say anything. He walked out the room, closing and locking it behind him.

🕷️

Next part: –six.

[Requests are open for Miguel and Hobie🕷️]

Tags: @urmotherswhor3 @i-bet-you-think-about-me-mp3

#hobie brown #miguel o'hara #my works💌🌷#spider verse #miguel spiderverse #pavitr prabhakar #across the spiderverse #spider man 2099 #spiderfem #blackspiderfem

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things-about-cars-in-posts · 7 months

Note

What would you consider the best, most reliable, low maintenance car? Bonus points for affordability. After having to take my 2011 Corsa to the garage for the fourth time this year due to a faulty temp sensor (this car just runs on a constant fever I swear. I'm in the UK for goodness sakes it shouldn't get that hot!!!), I'm curious as to whether there are any cars that don't have expiry dates outside of carefully maintained classics.

Well someone's not read my shooting brake post that thoroughly eh! :P

Jokes aside, I've touched on reliability a couple of times so those could be interesting reads for you, but I can tell you that, you'll hear it a lot, Toyota Land Cruisers are usually what you see when a dozen people need to cross a desert and camels aren't an option. And I cannot talk about the durability of old Toyotas without bringing up a piece of television that has been burned into my mind from when I was six or seven to this day and has never faded or faltered in clarity for a single of the seconds between them. Like, genuinely, you go pay me a visit eight years since I last saw it to hit me with a trick question about shot composition details and as you open the door shouting it you walk in on me losing my virginity and I shoo you away yelling "Piss off with your trick questions, I'm getting laid here".

youtube

But in terms of advice that is more actionable for you, I would as noted in other posts advise Toyotas and Hondas, and by extension Toyota's luxury brand Lexus (but please don't consider this advice against anything else, especially because these brands, Toyota and Lexus especially, have in some contexts developed a bit of a premium due to their reputation). And I know what you're thinking: "Mate I've a Corsa ya think I could get me a Lexus?" And the answer is yes. And other positively splendid pieces of kit.

I mean, you can find yourself plenty of first generation Lexus LSs in various states of rattiness, and one of those most famously did literally a million miles so I'm pretty sure you're going to be good on that front.

...but if you're not in the extremely lucky position of ULEZ compliance not being a dealbreaker, while looking for those, I also found some second generations...

...and I saw an ad for a third generation, and you know when you see an item and a price and you go through the description just to find out what the deal is and as you comb through you slowly realize that the part where they explain how this is not actually a functioning, usable product isn't there you start whispering "what the fuck? what the fuck?" and you put your hands in your hair and- yeah this is that level. Like genuinely I do not CARE if you were not asking purchasing advice and are not interested in changing your car you go phone your insurance for a quote and if it is anything below "This insurance price will actually ruin my life" you go click on that "Buy it now" button before someone else does.

But of course you may want a smaller car, what with coming from a Corsa and all that. Well, if that's the case, there's a little beauty that you're going to love love, and needs no TLC you and my help can't tackle. Remember my kei sportscars post? Well guess what it just so happens to turn out:

(if you are actually interested in getting a new car but have requirements these don't fulfill don't hesitate to drop me a line, there is little I love more than window shopping car ads and I have plenty other great ideas. If you want a new car you are going to end up with something cool whether you like it or not.)

Links in blue are posts of mine explaining the words in question - if you liked this post, you might like those!

#reliability #lexus ls

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corpsebasil · 1 year

Text

Tea and Spices 18+ part THREE

Jealousy doesn’t earn you any points from anyone but Nikolai.

She was laughing, already on her third glass of wine, when she made the mistake of putting her hand on the handsome Grisha beside her's shoulder. Nikolai was fed up. Not only did he not want to be around any these pompous idiots, but she was...she was...

"Your brothers are looking for you." Nikolai lied, grasping Victoria's hand and practically dragging her out of the great room. She knew it was a lie—her brothers were with the Crows, a million miles away.

"What are you—" she demanded, then yelped when he scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder the second they exited the hall. "Nik you're embarrassing me. Put me down now."

His hand slid up her thigh until his fingers reached bare flesh and he cursed so colorfully her own face reddened. He removed his hand and smacked her ass, causing her to yelp in surprise.

"You're embarrassing yourself." He told her, his heart racing so fast in his chest it threatened to burst.

“So what? You get to throw your engagement party and walk around the way you are and I can't wear a dress?"

“You left the rest of your dress in your room." He gritted out, glaring at the deep slit in her dress that threatened to expose her—undergarments free—form to everyone. A passing guard glanced then double took the scene, quickly pretending he hadn't noticed. "When we get to my rooms.." his voice was a snarl that made her blood hot. "you're in trouble, Miss Victoria."

"Am I?" She scoffed, but squeaked when he practically kicked open his bedroom door and dropped her onto the couch. "Nikolai stop it you're—" Her words died immediately in her throat when he dropped to his knees in front of her, shifting the literal scrap of fabric aside to run his tongue along her inner thigh.

When he yanked her forward by her hips she sank lower on the couch, her breathing unsteady as his hands and mouth moved up bare skin. His words were muffled and vibrated against her when he hooked his hands under her lower back, pressing a kiss right above her.

"You knew exactly what you were doing you little hellion." He laughed, and then kissed her again, lower, and she squeezed her eyes shut on a gasp.

Later, embarrassingly soon after, he walked with her briskly back to the party, her face flushed and a pair of undergarments discovered miraculously and quickly yanked on.

"You're going to be the death of me." Victoria hissed, shooting him a glare. He was practically beaming as he gave her a side glance, his smirk devilishly handsome.

"If you die, darling, I'll be right there beside you."

"You—"

"Where have you been?" Tolya asked, stepping out from the doorway, then took in the appearances of the two of them with a start. "You—really? It's your engagement party."

“It's not like that," Victoria scoffed, lying breezily. "I started my monthly cycle. He was helping me find a nurse."

"She needed my help to make sure everything was okay...down there." Nikolai added, tone innocently void of any hint of sarcasm, and she could've whacked him.

"Yes. Thank you, Your Highness." She took Tolya's arm and practically dragged him away, ignoring Nikolai's dark chuckle behind them as they entered back into the party.

"Are you alright?" Tolya asked. "I've heard those are uncomfortable for girls. Can I get you a drink?"

"You're a Saint, Tolya." She sighed, releasing him to walk to the drinks table, before a voice came up behind her and threw her off her guard.

"That one's trouble isn't he?" Vasily, the prince's brother, asked, watching Nikolai's guard and friend walk away. "As are you, I'm starting to think."

"What do you want?" She asked, exasperated. How many men were going to bother her this evening before leaving her alone? "I'm none of your business, and neither is he."

“I’m going to be honest with you, Victoria, because I like you. I think it’s time for you to go.”

She paused.

"What?"

"You're clearly distracting my brother from whatever he needs to do to get hitched and get this war in line. Frankly—your presence is a nuisance to me, and I'm happy to give you whatever token you want that will encourage your departure to speed."

"How dare you speak to her that way." Vasily's cold stare turned infinitely amused as he looked at his brother. Nikolai held two glasses of wine in his hands and was staring at Vasily like he wanted to rip his head off.

"Did I say anything untrue?"

"I will have her here, and I will have her here for as long as she wants." He clipped back in a low, dangerous voice, and her chest flooded with warmth at the purely possessive look on her friend's face.

Gods, she...liked that. She liked him being possessive with her, and she...she didn't think that was a good thing, not when Alina was making her way over from across the room, having had seen the beginnings of a fight brewing.

"Nik," she greeted, looping an arm through his, and any feelings of warmth and gratitude instantly left. Nik. As if she had any right to use that nickname.

"I think I'm about ready for a last turn around the room, Alina." He told her, eyes never leaving his brother's face for a second. Then his eyes moved, finding Victoria's, and the heat that still filled that vivid gaze made her stomach drop. "I'm feeling suddenly unwell. I think I'll leave soon."

"Sure," Alina lifted one shoulder in a tiny shrug, but gave Victoria a confused glance before walking away with the Prince.

With...

"It seems you have my offer to consider on top of his." Was the last thing Vasily said to her before he left.

Victoria stood there, feeling like a vagrant, before a glass was finally, finally put into her hand and Toyla was guiding her back to the table, already chatting about something or other. She listened half-heartedly but her eyes scanned the room, searching vainly for even a glimpse of him. When she did, she looked away quickly, having had met his stare directly across the room.

"I'm tired." She told him, knocking back her drink in almost two gulps. "Goodnight, Tolya."

"So soon?" He asked, but she stood, walking swiftly for the hallway. Maybe she'd steal on of Nikolai's nasty cowboy books and make a big, big glass of brandy.

KEEP READING GUYS KEEP GOING FOR PART FOUR

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adamwatchesmovies · 2 months

Text

Speed (1994)

Speed is one of the greatest action films ever made. It’s packed wall-to-wall with memorable action scenes - so many this could be three great action movies instead of one. The premise is beautifully simple and explored to the fullest by writer Graham Yost. The actors have terrific chemistry. The stunts and pyrotechnics are sublime. You won’t believe this is director Jan de Bont’s directorial debut.

After saving an elevator full of hostages, LAPD SWAT officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) receives a phone call from the madman responsible. He’s planted a bomb onto a city bus. The bomb will become armed once the bus reaches 50 miles per hour. Once armed, the bomb will explode if the bus’ speed dips below 50 miles per hour. If anyone attempts to get off the bus, the bomb will explode. While Jack attempts to catch up to the vehicle before disaster strikes, his partner, Detective Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels) searches for the bomber’s identity and whereabouts.

The first part of Speed has Jack and Harry in the same building as the bomber (Dennis Hopper). Who knew you could wring so much tension out of an elevator full of people by adding some explosives? Well, alright. Maybe that’s sort of a stupid question. The point is, that the bad guy is deliciously evil. No hammy agendas or big speeches. All he wants is to get money. If a few people have to die in the process, so be it. Elevators are always a little bit scary to ride, with the claustrophobia and knowledge that in case of an emergency, it's the last place you want to be (take the stairs instead). This? It'll have your hands all sweaty. Thank goodness for Jack and Harry. You like them as a team and get a good feel for who they are as individuals as well. That’s critical because they're separated the second the bus comes into play.

Now the movie REALLY gets going. You place yourself in Jack’s shoes and feel overwhelmed. First, he has to find the bus, then he has to stop it from going 50 miles per hour… unless it’s already reached that speed. If it has, he’ll have to tell the driver without slowing the vehicle down - at which point everyone will die. The only way to get a hold of this situation is to get onboard, which of course is easier said than done. That’s just the beginning. Once aboard, there’s so much that can - and does - go wrong you’re never given a minute to relax. The closest thing to a breather are the scenes with Harry as he begins closing in on the mad bomber, which isn't exactly a pleasant stroll through a meadow.

As Speed plays, your mind races with ideas. What will Jack have to keep an eye on? How will he deal with the problems that will arise as the bus keeps driving? What would you do in this scenario? I ask because it isn’t just Jack on the bus. You get to know several passengers more than you’d expect; just enough for you to care about the safety of everyone onboard. There’s the tourist who at first seems like a bit of a sleaze but turns out to be just an ordinary guy, the paranoid lady who just wants to get off no matter what (who can blame her?), the big guy Jack can count on when something goes wrong, the criminal who knows he’s wanted and thinks Jack is after him and Sandra Bullock as Annie Porter. Bullock’s a treasure in pretty much any role, and that is certainly the case here. She helps immerse you into the action even further because she winds up taking the wheel on the bus for a long time. Remember, she’s no cop; she’s not even a bus driver!

Bullock and Reeves have terrific chemistry, which is key to the last third of the film. Just when you think this moving is winding down, it picks up again. Even when it’s over - for sure this time - you’re not sure if it’s ok to relax. What a ride that was!

I hadn’t seen Speed in at least a decade and was surprised by how vivid my memory of the film was. One of the reasons? It contains little downtime. It’s action, action, action all the way and each perilous situation is a contender for the movie’s best. It’s fast-paced with loads of energy, fun twists, a smartly written story, memorable characters, and a premise you can’t wait to tell your friends about. Speed stands the test of time. (On Blu-ray, January 14, 2022)

#Speed #movies #films #movie reviews #film reviews #Jan de Bont #Graham Yost #Keanu Reeves #Dennis Hopper #Sandra Bullock #Joe Morton #Jeff Daniels #1994 movies #1994 films

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middleearthpixie · 1 year

Text

Wanted Man ~ Chapter Nine

Summary: A price on his head, Loki of Asgard finds himself stranded on Earth and in need of one woman's help in order to free himself from the bounty and try to reclaim what he sees as his rightful throne in Asgard.

McKenna Carlin just wanted to put a horrible day behind her. She had no idea that things would get worse before they get better…

Pairings: Loki Laufeyson x ofc McKenna Carlin

Characters: McKenna, Loki, Shannon

Warnings: None

Rating: T

Word Count: 1.6

Tag List: @fizzyxcustard @court-jobi @guardianofrivendell @piggledy-higgledy @evenstaredits

If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!

Previous chapters can be found here!

The boardwalk was just as crowded as McKenna thought it would be, and Shannon ended up dropping them off by the pier while she went in search of a parking space. Almost an hour passed before she called McKenna to find out just where they were, and by the time she reached them at the Shack, she looked as if she’d hiked five miles.

“I swear, I’m parked up in Asbury,” she groaned, plunking down onto a cracked red leatherette stool. “What is that?” she asked, gesturing to the red plastic cup in Loki’s grasp.

McKenna chuckled. “I bought him a milkshake because he’d never had one before and now, I think he’s in love.”

“He’s never had a milkshake before?”

“That’s what he says.”

“What flavor did you get him?” Shannon asked, trying to peer into the tall cup.

“Chocolate,” McKenna chuckled as Loki didn’t so much as pause in his sipping. “It’s his third one.”

“His third?!” Shannon’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “Careful, big guy, you’re not gonna fit into your jeans come tomorrow.”

McKenna glanced over at him with a wide smile. When he took the first pull on the straw, the expression on his face suggested a man experiencing the greatest pleasure he’s ever known. She thought for a moment he might actually cry. After the second one, he immediately demanded a third. Hopefully she’d be able to convince him to stop before he made himself sick.

He lowered the cup and smiled at Shannon. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

“What can I get for you, miss?” The guy behind the counter approached them with a smile.

McKenna swirled her straw in her Coke as Shannon said, “A Diet Coke, please.”

Loki held out the cup to McKenna. “Try this. You must see for yourself.”

“I’ve had chocolate shakes before.”

“You have?”

”Loki, you can find them pretty much anywhere, so yeah, I have. Trust me.”

“Please,” his eyes softened, “try.”

“Fine.” She leaned over to sip. The Shack’s shakes were good, but if she had one, she probably wouldn’t fit into her jeans. She already felt guilty about the Coke. She should’ve ordered water, instead.

Still, the shake was delicious and Loki must have seen the pleasure on her face, because he said, “One more of these for the lady.”

“Oh, no,” McKenna waved off the suggestion, “I shouldn’t. But thank you.”

To her surprise, Loki leaned over and whispered, “You have a ways to go before you need worry about fitting in those jeans, McKenna.”

What the—? She gave him an odd look. “Are you all right?”

He sat back, all wide-eyed innocent, and sipped his shake some more.

The guy behind the counter set the shake in front of her and she couldn’t help but lift the straw to her lips. Delicious.

Shannon gave her a look over the edge of her glass, but then she winked and McKenna rolled her eyes. Maybe sugar was to Asgardians what alcohol was to human beings. How funny would it be, if Loki was drunk because of three milkshakes?

But if he was, he hid it well and when they finished, he rose from the stool without the slightest hint of a stumble and his words weren’t at all slurred as he said, “So, where do we go from here?”

Shannon smiled. “Let’s just walk around and kill some time. Plenty to do on the boards.”

They spent the remainder of the afternoon walking the midway, Shannon insisted on going on the carousel so they did that. Turned out that was a poor decision, as those three milkshakes came back to haunt Loki and when they got off the ride, he looked decidedly green. But thankfully he held the shakes down by collapsing onto a bench and sitting with his head between his knees while Shannon ran for a ginger ale.

McKenna sat with him, outwardly sympathetic, inwardly hoping like hell he didn’t throw up while they waited. But the ginger ale did the trick and a short while later, they were back to roaming about, although he shunned any more rides, which was fine with McKenna.

Finally, it grew dark and Shannon shoved through the crowd that gathered to watch the fireworks. They moved toward the back of the masses, which was fine with McKenna. She hated crowds. They always made her feel like she was about to suffocate.

She stood next to Shannon, Loki stood behind her, and when the first fireworks were shot off, the sky exploded into a shower of pink and purple sparklers. Then came a burst of brilliant white, cascading sparklers that reminded her of the butterflies that had flittered about in her apartment. Damn. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Loki made the snow fall and butterflies flutter, and yet, it was only a couple of days.

She glanced over her shoulder at him. He stood rigid, arms folded over his chest, eyes trained at the black night sky. As the green and gold sparklers lit up the night, the colors reflected against his skin, the sparkles reflected in his eyes. Green and gold. His colors.

He didn’t look at her. Didn’t look anywhere but at the sky, and a sense of sadness crept over her. It was silly, but more than anything, she wanted to reach back and slip her hand into his, to lace her fingers with his. It really sucked, wanting someone who made it so plain they didn’t want you back.

Purple and white burst overhead and she blinked back unexpected, annoying tears. What the—? How annoying. How absolutely annoying.

Then, she felt movement behind her, and Loki's right arm came from the shadows to slip about her neck. He tugged gently, bending her slightly backward, and his voice was a gentle breeze against her ear as he whispered, “I apologize for my words last evening. I meant not a one of them.”

She peered over her shoulder at him. “What?”

As red and white stars rained over their heads, Loki's eyes softened and the corners of his mouth curved upward into a sheepish smile. “I am sorry. I was unnecessarily harsh. I should like a chance to rectify that.”

As he spoke, his left arm came about her as well and he pulled her firmly up against him. For a moment, it was so much like how he held her in her dream, that she looked up at him again and said, “You did this last night, didn’t you? I wasn’t dreaming, was I?”

“About what?”

“This.”

“I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about. I spent the night crammed onto that tiny sofa.”

Shannon twisted about, and beamed when she saw Loki with his arms about McKenna. She winked and mouthed, “Told you,” before turning back to the fireworks.

McKenna didn’t feel much like arguing. Besides, it didn’t really matter if she’d only dreamed it or not. This felt wonderful enough in its own right, as the coolness from his body made the sticky heat of an early July night far more bearable. But that wasn’t the only reason. Not by far. Amazing, really, how someone’s arms about you could feel so perfect.

She leaned more into him, and he responded by tightening his hold on her. His fingers swept gently along her arms and she sucked in a sharp breath when she felt her ponytail swept aside and Loki's lips brushed the side of her neck, just above where it sloped into her shoulder.

They were cool and gentle, and a bit playful, as he lightly nipped her. She shivered. She couldn’t help it. He did it again, and this time, she let out a soft laugh and managed to turn and smile up at him. “What are you doing?”

“You don’t seem to mind,” he replied over the burst of purple and green sparklers. “Should I stop?”

She eased her arms about his waist, her hands flat against the solid planes of muscle on either side of his spine. “Is that what you do in Asgard? Bite?”

“Did I do it too hard for you? I can be gentler, you know.”

He towered over her, his dark hair falling forward, made even curlier by the damp ocean air. A smile played at his lips, his eyes sparkled with mischief. The God of Mischief, and she was falling under his spell as easily as an undertow could sweep her out to sea.

“I thought you said you didn’t want to kiss me?” she asked softly.

“And I thought you were going to remember your place?” he asked with the same flirtatiousness he’d used on Shannon.

“I can.” She moved to break his hold on her.

“Absolutely not,” he growled, yanking her back. “It’s not in my nature to deny myself of something I want so much.”

Those words rippled through her with enough force to make her toes curl into her flip-flops. And with those words, he leaned into her. This time, he would kiss her and she urged him into it by pressing into his back as hard as she could with only her hands.

She never heard the crowd move. Never heard anything over the burst of fireworks overhead. But then, there came a bright flash, a burst of white light, and Loki was ripped out of her embrace with a loud groan as he shot across the boardwalk and crashed into a game stand.

“What the fuck?” Shannon snapped as two men clad entirely in black rushed to them and grabbed both her and McKenna by the arms, tugging them even further away.

A third man stepped up, holding what looked like a bazooka in both hands. Unlike the other two, he was not dressed in black fatigues, but in a staid blue or black suit. He raised the gun, pointing it squarely at a still-very-stunned-looking Loki and said, “Shall I do that again?”

#Loki #Loki Fanfic #Loki x ofc #Tom Hiddleston #Thor #Romance #Is it hot in here?#Jersey girl #Marvel #Marvel fanfic

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recurring-polynya · 1 year

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Renruki Week Day 1: Alternate Universe

I have, um, written a lot of Renruki Alternate Universe stories over the last few years. I really did intend to continue my Spirit Society AU, but I totally writer's blocked it, so instead you get Dr. Renji AU: Part Three. This chapter is sadly lacking in Unohana, but it is very Renruki, so, I think it fits the occasion.

If you're behind, this is an AU where Aizen had Renji shipped off to the Fourth instead of the Eleventh. You can read parts one and two on ao3, or here.

| ao3 | ff.net |

🩹 💔 🤕

“Second floor, east wing…” Rukia repeated to herself, her eyes scanning the identical office doors. “This really doesn’t seem right.”

She’d already been shuffled through three different departments downstairs before a harried nurse had directed her up here. It was very quiet in this part of the Coordinated Relief Station, and the few people that she saw seemed to be going about their business more sedately than on the ground floor.

“Excuse me!” Rukia said, accosting the next person to pass, a slender, nervous-looking young man with kind eyes. “I think I’m lost?”

The young man bobbed his head and smiled shyly. His nametag said ‘Yamada’. “How can I help, ma’am?”

Rukia sighed. “I’m trying to find the, er, the head of the trauma department, and I was told to look on the second floor, east wing, but this doesn’t seem like…an emergency room.”

Yamada tilted his head to one side. “The emergency room is downstairs.”

Rukia groaned.

Yamada waved his hands. “You seem very calm and there doesn’t seem to be any blood coming out of you, so I’m guessing you probably just want to talk to the Third Seat, right?”

“Er, right,” Rukia agreed.

Yamada nodded happily. “You’re in the right place then! His office is that one over there!” He pointed at a doorway just past the next cross corridor. “I’m not sure if he’s in or not, but if he’s down on the floor, he’s not available for talking, anyway.”

“Oh! Right. Of course,” Rukia realized. Obviously the guy wouldn’t have time to talk to her if he was trying to reattach someone’s arm. A small wave of disappointment washed over her. It would have been kind of cool to see an arm get reattached. “Tha--” she started to say, only to realize the little shinigami was already bustling away. “Thank you?” she called anyway.

Heaving another sigh, she walked over and rapped on the doorframe. There was no answer. Rukia sucked her teeth for a moment then rapped again. “Er, hello?” she called. “Doctor Third Seat, are you there? It’s…um, Kuchiki Rukia.” She thought about adding her squad, but she supposed she wasn’t actually here in her professional capacity. “First Daughter of the Kuchiki,” she mumbled instead. It didn’t matter. He wasn’t in.

After all this, she would just have to come back later, she decided, although she had no way of knowing when this guy might actually be in his office. Kiyone said that everyone at the Fourth was terribly overworked. For all she knew, Dr. Trauma Boss spent twenty hours a day packing people’s livers back into their bodies and the other four sleeping it off in a supply closet. Now that she thought of it, maybe Kiyone could ask Isane to ask him to give her a call when he had a minute.

Rukia was so lost in her own thoughts as she headed back down the hall, that she didn’t notice the voices coming from the cross corridor, and nearly ran face first into the chest of a tall shinigami who was talking a mile a minute to one of the pink-clad Squad Four nurses.

“I am so sorry!” Rukia sputtered. “I wasn’t looking where I was…” Suddenly, all the words fell out of her brain. “R-renji?”

Rukia had never really understood why humans found the prospect of seeing a ghost so alarming. She had seen quite a few ghosts on the occasion that she had been deployed to the Living World with Kiyone, and it had, for the most part, been a very professional and not-at-all affecting experience.

Now, confronted with a person whom she hadn’t seen in thirty years, she got it.

For a second, she tried to convince herself that she must be mistaken. (But how could she be mistaken? Who else would get eyebrow tatts?) Renji was taller now, his shoulders broader, and his rangy frame filled out with cords of muscle, a fact made obvious by the fact his sleeves were tied back, putting his handsome biceps on full display. His hair was longer, a long, neat braid hanging out from under a pale green scrub cap. His eyes were familiar, though, brown and wide with surprise, behind the dorkiest pair of heavy-framed glasses Rukia had ever seen.

“Since when do you wear glasses?” she demanded.

Renji’s face split into a sheepish, goofy grin. “Rukia! Ah, um, hi!” He blinked and shook his head like he was trying to get his brain back into place. “Er, Nurse Yuki, did you--?”

Nurse Yuki was sizing up Rukia, like he was ready to throw hands over Renji’s honor. Rukia realized belatedly that the little fellow also appeared to have an eyebrow tatt. Maybe it was a Squad 4 thing. “I got it, sir,” Yuki said, icicles hanging from every word. “I’ll go see to Mr. Fueki right away.”

Rukia’s brain raced, still trying to make sense of it all. At some point, she’d heard Renji was no longer at the Fifth, but she didn’t know any of the details. She’d avoided trying to find out any of the details, to be honest. Renji had never been very careful with himself when left to his own devices and, well…as long as she never heard anything to the contrary, she could assume he was out there somewhere, working hard and making a name for himself.

He was still alive, though, and right in front of her. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. The very moment after she said it, her brain put together the tied-back sleeves and the scrub cap and the fact that the nurse had called him ‘sir’. Fuck.

“I…uh…work here,” he said stupidly.

“You work here?” Rukia repeated. “In the Coordinated Rel-- wait--in the trauma department?”

“Yeah, actually.” He looked confused. “Um…why?”

“I am supposed to talk to your department head, but he’s not in. Do you know how I could get ahold of him?”

Renji blinked at her for a moment, then frowned. “He’s in.”

“He’s not! I just knocked on his door and no one answered!”

“I tell you, if he’s not in, he’s gonna be back very shortly.” Renji straightened up and strode past her, back toward the office of the errant Third Seat. As Rukia scrambled to catch up to his stupidly long legs, he bent over and squinted at a placard mounted on the wall next to the door, just underneath the room number. “Hey, Rukia,” he said, his voice dripping with trollish delight, “come read this for me.”

“I didn’t see that,” Rukia grumbled as she finally caught up. “‘Trauma Department, Chief Officer,’” she read off, “‘Third Seat… Abarai…Renji.’” With horror, she looked back at him. He was grinning and waggling those stupid eyebrows at him.

“I didn’t see it!” she repeated.

“I gathered that.”

“This isn’t a prank? You’re really…” she waved her hands vaguely at him, “a surgeon?”

“Surprises me too sometimes.”

It seemed completely absurd, but at the same time, it made perfect sense. Renji had been a funny kid. His public face had been as pure a son of Inuzuri as there had ever been-- sneering and swaggering, a temper like dry kindling, tough as a wild boar and twice as strong. But all this was a defensive armor that Rukia had watched him construct, brick by mud-packed brick. Underneath, there was a certain tenderness, a heart that couldn’t help caring about everything and everyone. He patched holes in their roof and learned which wild herbs were edible. He somehow always ended up with the smallest blanket, even though his legs were the longest and stuck out ridiculously. He never hesitated to offer a piggyback when Mameji got too tired, or a kind word when Fujimaru got down in the dumps. Just because he held a sword like he’d been born with one in his hands didn’t mean that’s what he actually wanted.

A doctor. Go figure.

Renji cleared his throat politely. “Um. So…you were looking for me?”

Rukia tried to pretend like she hadn’t just tripped headfirst into her feelings. “My brother,” she announced, pulling herself up to her full height, “came home yesterday after spending two days in the Coordinated Relief Station! He won’t tell anyone what happened. Even his lieutenant doesn’t know. I haven’t even seen him, but this morning, he sent me this note.” She rustled around in her sleeve and pulled out the little folded slip of paper. She almost just handed it over, but changed her mind at the last second and shook it open so she could read it out loud. “‘Rukia. Please go to the Fourth Division and speak to the Head of the Trauma Department.’ That’s it!”

Technically, that wasn’t ‘it’. There was another line, which read, “Dress in a manner befitting the First Daughter of the Kuchiki and comport yourself accordingly.’” She still wasn’t entirely sure what the reasoning behind that was-- she certainly would have felt more comfortable facing a senior Gotei officer--childhood friend or not--in a shihakushou instead of the wisteria-patterned semi-formal kimono her maid had stuffed her in before shoving her out the door.

“Ummmm,” said Renji.

Rukia narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. “So what the Hell happened? Is my brother going to die?”

“What? No!” Renji squeezed his eyes shut for a second. “Look, let’s go into my office to talk about this.”

Byakuya was definitely dying. Rukia could feel it in her bones.

Renji led her into his office. It was small, and full of stuff, shelves packed with medical books, primarily, but also practice swords and weights and the ubiquitous piles of Gotei paperwork. Unlike her own Third Seats’ shared office, at least there was some order to it. The walls were crowded with various framed certifications, as well as pictures of Renji with his friends-- playing soccer, dressed up for something fancy, manning what looked suspiciously like the safe sex booth at the annual Squad Four Health Fair with a horrified looking Kira Izuru. His zanpakutou sat on a wall-mounted sword rack behind his desk.

“Can I make you some tea?” Renji offered, waving vaguely at a kidou-powered kettle and some tins of tea crammed onto a shelf next to a precariously leaning ikebana arrangement of chrysanthemums and greenbrier.

“Do you still make tea so strong that a stick would stand straight up in it?” Rukia asked.

“Only when I’m pulling graveyard shifts,” Renji replied. “And don’t say that too loud. My captain takes tea very seriously.”

“I’ll pass, then,” Rukia said, sitting down in the visitor’s chair, as he settled down behind his desk.

“So,” said Renji.

“So,” Rukia echoed.

Renji folded his hands in front of him, and composed his face into a very professional mien. “Your brother is fine. He lost a fight, and I put him back together afterwards myself. Captain Unohana signed his discharge papers personally. The only reason he was here for so long was because we have a mandatory 48-hour observation period for infection when someone’s had an open abdominal cavity in non-sterile conditions.”

“He lost a fight?” Rukia’s brows furrowed. “To whom?” There weren’t that many people in Soul Society who could beat Byakuya, and even fewer who wouldn’t have bragged about it to the entire city by now. “Was it the Kenpachi?” she guessed. “Or Captain Ichimaru? Have you ever met that guy? He’s really creepy.”

“I…have, but let’s hold off on badmouthing other people’s captains for now.” Renji sucked his teeth for a moment. “It was me. I was the one who fought your brother.”

Rukia blinked at him. “What?”

Renji sighed. “This is really not how I pictured explaining this to you. He really…he really didn’t say anything?”

“Just the note!” Rukia singsonged.

Renji looked down at his desk and nodded for a moment. “Of course he didn’t. Why would he? I deserve this, I suppose,” he mumbled to himself. Then, suddenly pulling himself together, he slapped his palms on the desk, and looked up at her, jaw set and eyes blazing behind those stupid, nerdy, unspeakably hot glasses. “Rukia,” he said. “I have something to tell you.”

Rukia stared back at him and waved the note again. “Yeah? That’s why I came here?”

“It’s not about-- well, not directly-- that is to say--” He screwed up his face again. “Are you seeing anyone?”

“Am I what?” Rukia echoed.

“Seeing anyone. You know. Romantically.”

“I am not, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Oh! Great!”

“‘Great’? ‘Great’?! What is that supposed to mean?”

“In that case, may I prevail upon you to go to dinner with me? This weekend maybe?”

Rukia squinted at him. “Are you a person who says ‘prevail upon’ now? Ew.”

“Not--not usually! I was trying to sound classy!”

“Well, stop it. I get enough of that at home. Anyway, can’t you just tell me the thing right now? I am not a patient person and I will explode if I have to sit on this until this weekend.”

Renji squinted back at her, and for a long moment, they made faces at each across his desk. “Are you serious?” he finally said.

“Just tell me!” she insisted.

He laughed softly for a moment, then flashed her a fangy grin. “Fine. Here goes: Kuchiki Rukia, I think you’re the best girl in the world, even though you’re a huge blockhead. I like you so much that I trained every free hour I had until I could beat your brother up and ask him for permission to ask you out. Then, I studied and practiced every working hour I had until I could heal him back up afterward, so you wouldn’t get too mad at me for doing it. I’m sorry, I thought most of this was implied when I asked you out, but I honestly had forgotten about the blockhead thing.” He studied her gobsmacked face for a moment. “So, do you wanna go out or not? I’m paying. I got a place picked out and everything.” His face softened. “I’ve really missed you, you know.”

Rukia stared at him blankly for a moment. Absolutely none of this made any sense. She pulled the note out of her sleeve again, and re-read it. Dress in a manner befitting the First Daughter of the Kuchiki and comport yourself accordingly.

“Are you telling me, Abarai Renji,” Rukia said slowly, “that you just attempted to win me back from my brother?”

Renji’s face flushed. “No! Well--I guess you might see it that way, but my intention--”

“I guess you won,” Rukia mused. “So I guess you did just win me back from my brother.”

“No, it’s not like--”

“What the Hell, Renji? And for that matter, how did you manage to beat him anyway? Hit him over the head with a frying pan while he wasn’t paying attention? I’m still grappling with the fact that you’re a Third Seat. There’s no way you beat up my brother.”

“Look,” said Renji, having abruptly snapped free of his stammering and stuttering when there were fight retrospectives to be done, “Captain Kuchiki’s been in a lot of public fights and he makes no efforts to keep his zanpakutou’s abilities secret. His fighting style is well documented. He always trash-talks his way through the first half of a fight, and slow-rolls his bankai, which after enough study, I realized is because it takes him some time to build his reiatsu up to the nosebleed levels he’s capable of. I went in hard, straight to bankai, and didn’t let up until he was on the ground. If I’d let him get up any head of steam at all, he would have rolled me over, so I…didn’t.” Renji made a thoughtful face. “He says he wants to fight me again, and I kinda want to see how I would do outside of win-at-all-costs mode. Could be fun, you know?”

The way he explained it, so matter-of-factly, sent her right back to Inuzuri. He could have been telling the story of how he distracted a fruit merchant while palming an apple instead of talking about his--

“Renji,” Rukia said slowly. “Did you just say you have bankai?”

“Yeah.”

She stared at him. “How the Hell did you find the time to get bankai on top of,” she waved vaguely at his bookshelves, “learning to be a doctor?” She thought she had been doing well with two sword attacks and getting up to 60’s-level kidou.

“Those two things turned out to be weirdly complementary,” Renji scratched his head. “Makin’ bones do stuff that bones normally shouldn’t be doing.”

“What is it like?” Rukia blurted out. “I want to see it.”

Renji’s eyes widened. “My bankai?”

“Yes! Do you do something with your own bones, or is it extra bones, like do you get bone armor? I don’t even know what your shikai does, is it bones, too?” Rukia’s mouth snapped shut, as she abruptly recalled why she had never seen his shikai. She stared down at her knees. “I’m sorry. That was very forward of me. I…I forgot.”

Renji regarded her very somberly. “Forgot what? That we aren’t friends any more?”

“Mm,” Rukia replied noncommittally, rubbing her fingers over the intricate woven texture of her kimono as a distraction.

Renji sighed. “Look, Rukia. I’m sorry I hit you with the dating thing out of the gate. I never told you how I felt about you back then, and I wanted to be upfront about my intentions. If you’re not interested in that, or you don’t feel that way about me, I still--”

“How am I supposed to know how I feel about you, you dumbass?” Rukia snapped. “I haven’t seen you in thirty years! And for that matter, it’s not like I’ve stayed the same, either. How do you even know you still like me? This is just like you, latching onto some stupid idea and--and going to the trouble of getting bankai over it before even asking my opinion!”

“I’m sorry,” Renji repeated. “I just wanted it to be a sure thing, that’s all. And you’re right. You’re absolutely right. But what if we started slow? Get to know each other again. We can figure out what we want to be later.” There was open desperation painted on his face. “I just want to see you again, Rukia.”

Rukia crossed her arms over chest. “Answer one question for me, Abarai.”

Renji looked like he was torn between horror and hope. “Okay?”

“What kind of face did my brother make when he conceded to you?”

Renji stared at her for a moment. “Oh. Um. Well, he didn’t exactly concede. It was very…pbbbbblllth!” He made a vague gesture with both hands that suggested fountaining. He thought for a moment. “Hmm, his normal face is kinda like this?” He lidded his eyes, tilted his chin up slightly, and made a face like he smelled something unpleasant.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s pretty good,” Rukia nodded.

“Well, the face he made was more like this.” Renji made the same face, only he opened his mouth ever-so-slightly. He still managed to look about a thousand times more surprised than Rukia had ever seen Byakuya.

She nodded again, curtly this time. “I wish you had invited me.”

Renji’s eyebrows shot up.

“I don’t know how I feel about you or about any of this,” Rukia decided. “But based on this note, you asked Byakuya for full courting permissions, didn’t you?”

“Er, maybe?”

Rukia scanned Renji up and down one more time. Everything about him--the braid, the glasses, the scars, the muscles-- it all screamed down-to-earth practicality. He was exactly the opposite of the rarefied assholes her brother regularly surrounded himself with, the stuffed-up peacocks her aunts constantly tried to interest her in. “No,” she said. “No, you beat him fair and square, so you’re my boyfriend now, and he is going to deal with it.”

“Ummmm,” said Renji.

“Do you own any nice kimono?” Rukia asked.

“I do, actually!”

“Perfect! We’re going to a garden party at the Shihouin’s on Sunday afternoon. You will escort me. I will be wearing green.”

Renji looked like he was about to say something, but instead, he set his jaw and nodded. “Okay!”

She could get up and leave now, Rukia reminded herself. She had done exactly what Byakuya had asked her to do, and was being more than generous in upholding his end of this stupid bargain. Renji knew it, too.

Except that Renji had the courage to say a bunch of things out loud, and just because she couldn’t bring herself to process any of them at the moment didn’t mean he didn’t deserve better than this.

“If you show me your bankai on Saturday morning,” she said slowly, “I’ll let you take me to lunch afterward. Lunch! Not dinner! And if it turns out your bankai is lame, I’m walking.”

Renji’s facial expression relaxed into an obnoxious smirk she recognized all too well. “I think I’ll take those odds."

#renrukiweek #renrukiweek2023 #renruki #dr renji au #my writing #i know I KNOW when i get to ch 3 of something it deserves to go into its own fanfic #but i don't think i'll be getting back to this one for a while and i don't want to get anyone's hopes up #i love it i just got other priorities rn #also i still don't have a good title for it #if you see ch 4 i mean business i promise

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