#[ and it bears consequences that i'm certain not everyone is ready to bear. and that's fine. ]

[iniziare]

One little note that I want to get out in terms of Dorian and Minrathous (and a little unrelated 'addendum'). And no, it's not about the versus discussion, but it is a request pertaining to it.

— Minrathous/Treviso. Unless you have an active reason that you want to touch on whether you chose to save it, or Treviso within writing, let's just not. Don't have asks casually bring it up without plotting, because it's not that simple. And on top of that, picking one or the other will have bearing on how Dorian presents himself to you. And that also needs to be taken into account, it's not a 'If I say sorry, can I have my cake, and eat it too?' Kind of situation. So unless there's a need for it, and we've spoken about it, let's just not address it. Ultimately, my opinion does remain that Rook on their own isn't capable of turning the tide either way, so let's just.... you know, talk about it when it's needed, if it's ever even needed at all.

— Little... unrelated addendum about ships with Inquisitors. I'm aware that Dorian is a popular choice for male Inquisitors in terms of ships (I understand, it's a great romance), but I do want to make a clear note that I do not automatically accept the dynamic as a ship, just because that is your preference, or 'chosen romance' in your playthrough. I respect it, but I'm not the type of writer who just goes into a ship will nilly, it's either following a fair bit of writing, or it's after an extensive amount of talking behind the scenes. I'm not closed off to it, but just— don't come to me with expectations!

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Carmy the Artist

I was up this morning reading more on this vibrant collaboration book. It's a very specific thing, Richie says. So i'm offering a positive perspective. Consider this: in the first teaser, Carmy arrives early, has a notebook, unravels knives, looks into the distance, and then at the screen.

In the second teaser, Carmy has a cigarette in his mouth and puts his foot on the chair. I don't think he kicks it; I think his foot lingers and plays with it, as if once again he's in his head, thinking. The two shots above remind me of an artist being thoughtful, ready to work, ready to brainstorm.

As I've written previously, Richie mentions "Vibrant Collaboration," and this could be from the book by Heinz Robert that delves into unconscious attraction and deep eros in the workplace. Here are some quotes that inspired the book Vibrant Collaboration.

Here's some quotes from Ayo and Jeremy about Sydney and Carmy.

Passion and intimacy, Sydney delivers something different...

Here's my guess, Carmy will have cold feelings for everyone except Sydney. With Sydney, it will invoke a certain feeling that we've seen since season 1, and that's passion. It's a passion for each other and its unconscious consequences for the rest of the team, as the book explains.

The teaser could be misleading. Sydney isn't in the trailer because with her, the scenes are different. I think that even showing the two of them together could reveal spoilers.

Because we can't know they're going to spend a lot of time together, creating a menu and Carmy thinking of her, and doing things for her.

Get ready for a deeper look into Carmy's intimacy and honesty, as well as the things that hold him back. Last season, we discovered why he struggles to truly connect with Sydney (i.e. he holds back and delays, fixing himself(the fridge), as well as self-hatred, but that's a different meta). in the season finale, he vows to never be absent from the restaurant or, in other words, from Sydney.

There's going to be different explorations for what love is, what passion is and how it can lead carmy to his true purpose.

They've already co-created The Bear, and now they have to co-create the menu. They may be so deeply involved in each other that Carmy can't worry about anyone else but Sydney. The show mentions inspiration, and I've written along with a few others about Sydney being his muse. He's going to need to figure her out in order to create that perfect dish.

See, the psycho Carmy that he talks about no longer exists. It's a different kind of Carmy. Psycho Carmy existed and was driven by being hurt by Mikey as he disappeared into work. But this time, he dives into work because he believes he hurt Sydney. He wasn't there for her. This drive, this life force behind being 'focused' Carmy, is from deep feelings of love this time around.

And this love that he can't feel for himself, love that exists only when he thinks of Sydney will be explored.

[asgardian--angels]

I wanna bring us all back for a sec to 'You indestructible little fucker'

Because a lot of people got hung up on this line, thinking Izzy should have lived, that he survived multiple death attempts and this was the proof he's unkillable. But I really think this line does the exact opposite - it portends his death, and not just that, but his sendoff with Edward.

As I've mentioned before, Izzy is a real pirate in the real world. Throughout season 1 he did not subscribe to the 'muppet logic' of the Revenge crew, and continuing in season 2, his injuries don't miraculously heal like everyone else's, including Ed (whose injuries were fatal and should have left him with a cracked skull and brain damage at the very least). He bears his scars, as other real pirates do. As his character grows, develops, and comes to be welcomed into the community of the Revenge crew, we could say he is 'one foot in' when it comes to reaching muppethood. But figuratively, and quite literally, he can never have both feet in and complete that transformation. That lost leg is his tie to the real, bloody, and unfair world of pirating he belongs to.

Izzy didn't survive those other near-death situations because of muppet-logic. He had tenacity, and grit, and most importantly, skill. He wouldn't be able to shrug off yardies like Roach, or a sword to the gut like Ed - Stede's dream literally involves killing Izzy via stabbing. Izzy is the character that things stick to - he's grounded in reality, in the old ways of pirating that have now burnt to the ground.

When Ed calls him indestructible, it's not because Izzy can't die. It's because Ed sees Izzy as a universal constant in his life. Of course Izzy will get back up every time he falls down - no one gets the better of Israel Hands. And in that moment when Ed had gone well and truly off the rails, it's Izzy who reappears from certain death to rein him back in and save the crew. Ed counts on that back and forth, that other presence, always there - for better or for worse, it's stability, it's reliability, it's his normal. Whether or not Ricky was right when he said Izzy was the genius behind the operation, we know that Edward and Izzy together formed 'Blackbeard.' Ed thinks he can't kill Izzy in a way that matters - and he didn't ever kill Izzy himself, he left it to Frenchie and then later gave Izzy the pistol.

But that's where it circles back around to the finale. Ed couldn't fathom Izzy actually dying - he's indestructible. He doesn't know what he'd do without him. It leaves Ed in the vulnerable position of being on his own, figuratively - independent, with no one over his shoulder providing guidance, directing him, or nudging him to be one thing or another. But Izzy tells him, you're ready now. And he is. Izzy isn't invincible, and Edward doesn't need him, doesn't need to hide behind the cold, distant, impenetrable veneer of Blackbeard anymore.

If Izzy could have become a true muppet, he would have brushed off that bullet. But that's not who and what he is - not narratively, and not literally either - he himself says it; "Pirating? Well, this is a pirate ship, and I'm a pirate. So, yeah, I'm good with it." Edward is leaving pirating behind, but it's all Izzy's ever known and it's what he wants to continue being - a real pirate in the real world, and thus, one that faces real consequences and can't keep cheating death. It's a tragedy Ed needed to see, that sometimes, things don't turn out alright - not everyone sails off into the sunset. Some stay behind to run an inn, facing an uncertain but hopeful future with vulnerability and free will, which are both daunting for Edward. Others die a pirate's death - but not without imparting necessary wisdom first.

[unseededtoast]

Antedate | Bucky Barnes

Part 9/13 | Part Eight, Part Ten

Summary: Sometimes making the right decision feels like the wrong one. That decision can stick with you for years and leave you wondering what would happen if you had chosen something else. But the alternatives likely lead to a much darker path; you'll never know for sure though. One thing is for certain, the decisions I have made will have lasting consequences.

Prequel to Rectify

Series Warnings: Discussion of human trafficking, physical and mental abuse, mention and description of death

a/n: Hi everyone, thank you for checking this out, I appreciate any and all support! This series is also posted on Ao3 and Wattpad if you prefer those formats/platforms! This is a completed series, and it's going to take some time for me to transfer it to Tumblr, so please bear with me!

"They'll never be able to do this to you again, not if I can help it."

A few weeks have passed by since Dane's latest assault, and I've dedicated my free time to perfecting my plan. Today is the day I'm finally going through with it. I look at my reflection once more and fix a few strands of hair, I feel unnaturally calm about it all. 

I get up from the seat and put my shoes on as I get ready to accompany the squadron on a Winter Soldier mission. Hopefully it's the last. I slip my heels on and go get the Soldier, who knows the routine by now. A routine that I intend to break today. 

We meet up with the others and I go through the motions. Today is the day that they're sending him to wipe out the competing group that's been impeding on our territory. I know that he's more than capable of doing this, I just don't want the others to fully realize his power; they already abuse him as much as they can. They overwork him too much.

I smile at the people I'm supposed to and fall into line, wanting this to be over quickly. My mind is preoccupied with going over the details and I can't be bothered to be too in tune with what others are saying. I bid farewell to the Soldier as he goes to get into position and I take my spot in front of the monitors. There are several more than usual, since this is the biggest contract he's ever carried out. 

My brain comes out of the fog as I watch the mission begin. Effortlessly, and flawlessly, the Soldier throws knives into men's throats and they fall to the ground, choking on their own blood. Some of the opposition starts shooting at him, and I feel my heart sink to my stomach. This is way more than just eight people. 

I watch the screen intensely as I slowly realize we've been set up. I look around and see that everyone else is coming to the same conclusion. I bite the skin on my lip as I watch more people come towards the Soldier, guns drawn. He's going to be overpowered, there's too many people. My eyes grow wide and I feel myself start to panic.

However, just as I'm about to send the squadron in for backup, I watch as the Soldier takes the gun strapped to his back, and annihilates everyone in his path in one sweeping motion. Maybe I'm underestimating him a little bit. My nerves slightly calm and I watch as he takes down man after man like it's nothing. He uses his metal arm to block bullets from hitting him, before gunning down the assailant. 

As I watch the final man fall to the ground, I glance at my clock. It took him only fifteen minutes to clear out more than fifty men. The squadron goes wild around me as they celebrate the biggest victory yet. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, just thankful that the Soldier made it out unscathed. 

As he comes into the temporary base, people continue to clap, but I guide him to our armored car. This was a lot more than any of us were expecting, and I need to make sure he's okay. They can celebrate amongst themselves if they want. Dane sits next to me as I turn my body to the Soldier and begin looking him over. 

"You pay more attention and care to him than you do to me." Dane speaks. I try to ignore him as I notice a small cut on the Soldier's face, probably from a stray bullet ricocheting off of his arm. I feel Dane's fingers wrap around my forearm and in the blink of an eye, the Soldier has Dane's hand in his metal one, tightly squeezing it. 

Dane's face goes bright red as he struggles to get his hand back, and instead of immediately telling the Soldier to let go, I let him suffer for a few moments. I debate telling the Soldier to let go at all, but, I know I have to. I instruct the Soldier to let go of his hand, and Dane lets out a sigh of relief as he rubs his hand. 

The rest of the trip is silent, and I feel my stomach becoming upset, I know that the time is coming soon. I taste blood on my tongue from chewing on my lip so much and run over my plan again in my head. It's going to work out, it has to. 

Once we arrive back at the base, I take the Soldier to his room. He sits in the chair and I go about cleaning him up as I've done hundreds of times before. I carefully remove the black from around his eyes, making sure I get all of it off. I take my time, memorizing the ways his eyes glisten in the light. This will be the last time I ever see them. 

I place the dirty cotton balls on the desk and grab the brush, doing our little routine once more. I take my time working out the tangles in his hair, softly humming the same tune as I do every time. Once the tangles are out, I set the brush down and run my fingers through his long, dark hair. I massage his scalp and savor the sweet moment. I sure will miss him, but I know this is for the best. 

"I need to tell you something. This will be the last time we see each other, but it's okay. I'm doing this for you. If I'm gone, they can't control you again, they don't know how. If I'm gone, you'll finally be able to rest. I'm going to miss you, a lot, but I know this is the only way I can truly protect you. I hope there are no hard feelings, I really did try to take the best care of you." I say as I lead him to the cryogenesis chamber. As he steps in, I wipe my eye before the tear has a chance to form. 

I step up to him and give him one last tender kiss on the cheek. I put my hand on his stubble-covered jaw and look into his eyes. My heart breaks knowing I'll never see him again, but it's the best thing I can do for him. 

"They'll never be able to do this to you again, not if I can help it." I whisper as our eyes are locked. After a few silent moments I turn the chamber on, sending him to sleep for one last time. I hope he can finally rest. 

I turn from the chamber and remind myself of my plan. I need a clear head if I'm going to properly put it off. There will be time later to process my emotions.

I lock the door behind me and put the key in my back pocket. I take a breath to center myself and know it's time to move. I rush to my room and I exchange my high heels for some more comfortable shoes, knowing I'm going to need to be able to move quickly. I put on some more versatile and practical clothes as well.

I grab the small bag I packed the night before. The contents include one pair of pants, one shirt, the red leather book, and I vial I stole from the lab a few days ago. I also put the Soldier's room key in there before I put the small bag on my shoulder. I look around my room one last time, my eyes linger on the ratty, run-down chair by my bookcase and the memories of my childhood come back to me in snippets. 

"Goodbye mom, I love you." I whisper to myself before I leave the room. I walk down the hall with false confidence, my stomach tying itself in  knots with every step. There's no going back now. 

I walk into the base's kitchen and smile at the workers as I move around them. I grab two cups and fill them with water from a kettle that's sitting on the stove. I look over my shoulder to make sure nobody is watching as I put two tea bags in the hot water, and reach for the vial in my bag. My eyes dart around the room as I take the cap off the vial and pour half the contents into one cup, and empty it in the other. 

I drop the empty vial in the garbage and wash my hands before picking the cups back up. Carefully, I walk to my father's office, where I know he will be there with Dane discussing the events from today's mission. 

I use my foot to knock on the door, and am met with an angry looking father. His eyebrows scrunch together even further as he looks at me, not used to seeing me here on my own terms. 

"What's all this?" He questions, but lets me into the room. Just as guessed, Dane is sitting in the chair, looking at me quizzically as well. I lick my lips and feign sweetness.

"Well, I've just been doing some reflecting and I think I need to start doing more for you around here. And after the contract today, I figured you two could use some tea." I say and set the cups down on my father's desk. I know as soon as they take a sip I need to run. 

I take a few steps away from the desk, and my father sits in his seat. He looks from the cups to Dane, who shrugs and picks up his cup. 

"It's still a little warm." He says to my father. My father picks up his cup and I can hear my heartbeat thumping in my ears. I try to remain as natural as possible. I watch as my father brings the cup to his lips and Dane follows his lead. My father tips the cup back and I turn quickly and run from the office. 

I'm not two steps out of the door before I hear choking and gagging. It worked. I run through the halls as quickly as I can, trying to get to the exit. I hear the intercom turn on and my father's strained voice is heard, 

"Adalyn Averina, shoot to kill." His voice died out at the end, and I can only assume the rest of him died as well. I pick up my pace as I see agents look around the halls. Seconds later, bullets start flying past me, hitting the walls. 

I flinch but don't stop. I need to make it out of here. I hear guns go off behind me, but somehow I manage to not get hit. I zigzag back and forth as I make my way to the door. I can see it, it's about twenty feet in front of me. I hear more people run down the hall, yelling. 

I get to the heavy, solid metal door and enter the code with shaking hands. The door begins to open and I squeeze myself through once the opening is just big enough. More bullets hit the door. I run as fast as I can through the snow, hearing people shout behind me. 

I'm almost to the treeline, freedom is so close. As my left foot hits the ground, I feel a searing pain rip through the side of my thigh. I stop momentarily and look back, seeing Dane standing at the door, gun raised in the air. My heart feels like it stopped, he didn't take the drink. 

However, I turn away from him and make my way into the forest, quickly weaving between the trees, desperate to lose the people following me. My lungs burn from the cold air, but I keep moving deeper into the forest.

The pain in my thigh is white hot and burns, but the shouting men behind me remind me that my life is on the line, so I keep moving. I get to the forest and start weaving through trees. My lungs burn from the cold air, and I find a bush to hide behind. The shouts and yelling is quieter, and I can tell they're in the distance. There are thousands of trees out here, it'll be hard for them to find me.

I clench my jaw as I look down at my thigh, seeing bright red blood staining the snow. I've been shot. I watch as blood pours out of my leg, I have to stop the bleeding or I'll die out here. I grab the hem of my shirt and in one quick motion, rip the bottom off of it. 

I take the raggedy piece of cloth and tie it over the wound tightly, to stop the bleeding. I know that I have to stay still for a while so that my blood isn't pumping harder than it needs to. I catch my breath, my exhales coming out in white clouds

I lean my head against a nearby tree and with shaky hands try to tighten the dressing around my gunshot wound. I need to get somewhere else, I can't stay in the woods by myself for too long. Either they'll find me or I'll die of infection. I did not come all this way to die. 

I stare at the cloudy sky above me through the tree tops and think of a way to get out of here alive. My options are limited, but I know what I have to do. 

After waiting for a little bit I get up from my hiding spot and begin hobbling through the woods further, hoping to find some kind of civilization soon. I feel blood start soaking the cloth around my leg, and in no time, blood is streaming down my leg in small streams. I grit my teeth together and keep going, reminding myself why I left in the first place to keep me motivated.

[skiyoosmi]

if fate permits

⤷ chapter twenty nine: welcome to california

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Fate, red thread, soulmates. You always perceived them as the embodiment of gods' toys, their playtime; you loathed how it can be so giving yet so cruel— it gives you someone to love yet at the same time, makes you lose them by the same love you harbor. How foolish, was what you thought and yet in the end, you danced right on their palms, attended to their desires for entertainment, and now, you're left with nothing but gaps in your memories, flashes of light and headaches when you try to remember your beloved one.

Every day that you wake up is another day that you feel the hollowness in your insides. With your eyes staring up at the ceiling, your heart throbs for your own desire to find him, to let him complete you, whoever he is. So, despite the hundreds, or maybe at this point, thousands, of scolding you get from your mother, you try over and over again.

Because fuck the soulmate system. Fuck those consequences.

And yet...

"YN... I was your soulmate."

You thought you'd feel a bit more ecstatic when you finally hear those words. You imagined yourself immediately running in your ex-soulmate's arms, engulfing them in a tight hug that felt like you never wanted to let go, because you swore that you actually won't. But for some reason, you stay still from where you're standing, still bearing the hollowness that desires to be refilled.

If this was some sort of sitcom, you definitely would've heard the sound effects where they play hoots of owls due to how awkward it felt. Truth be told, you have no idea how to respond considering that your current feelings were opposite of your expectations.

But as you try to process his words, your hands begin to clench from where they hang on your sides, "Is this some kind of a sick joke, Iwaizumi? Because I'm telling you, it's not fucking funny."

If only you had the ability to read minds, you would have been able to see the internal mess caused by the panic that was arising in him. Though he did expect you to not believe him right away, he was certainly not ready for the reaction you just gave him. Hence why he slightly flinches from your angry tone, pausing to get his emotions together before snapping out of his thoughts, "What? No! Why would I lie about that?"

You glower at him, "Then tell me why I remember you from the moment I woke up the day after cutting my thread. Because I clearly remember that you... you were that girl's soulmate! Yui!"

"No, I wasn't! And who the heck is that? I don't even know anyone whose name is Yui! I think your memory's just distorted, YN," he rubs his forehead in distress before looking straight into your eyes again, "It's hard to believe but even the system's not perfect, YN. Just because it has been said that you’ll forget your soulmate, doesn’t mean it will apply to everyone. I don't know how you could remember me, but I swear, it was me."

Then why don't I feel anything but disappointment— is a thought of yours that remains unspoken while he tells you to believe him. You close your eyes and take a deep breath, trying to remember him as your soulmate but to no avail, all the memories that flash in your mind are those that he claims to be distorted: from the moment you met to how you worked together for this certain play. Nothing just adds up.

You don't feel the headache of trying to recall your soulmate, nor do you feel the longingness for the home you seek in him— looking at him, everything just feels... random, or even, normal... way too normal. Like it was just some sort of friendly feeling.

Or maybe it was just because you had way too high expectations?

"YN, please... believe in me," he begs, approaching you.

"I..." you look at the way his hand wraps around your wrist before pulling your hand away from his grasp, "I think we should stop for today, Haji. I just need a moment to think this through… Too much, it’s all too much for me to take."

You back away from him, much to his dismay as his face drops, "I'm assuming you know your way to your hotel, seeing as you were able to find our apartment by yourself anyway."

You turn around and begin your journey back to your house, hands clenched that your knuckles almost went white. And while you did so, the spiky haired lad can only watch your back as your figure went further and further away from him.

Please trust me, YN, we can make this work. I will make it work.

After a few minutes of remaining in his place, he feels his phone buzz from his jeans’ pocket. As he fishes it out and reads the text message he received, his face beams and he quietly cheers.

[6:23 PM] YN: Let’s talk again tomorrow. I’m sorry for leaving you all of a sudden.

The morning sun came as quick as how the previous night left and so, here you were, waiting for Iwaizumi in the café you were just in yesterday. The steam coming from the espresso you have just ordered kept you entertained for a short while, before you sighed because you felt yourself finally becoming nervous.

Am I making the right decision? What if he’s lying? No, Hajime’s got no reason to lie to me, right? But…

“YN! Sorry, I kind of got confused along the way,” Iwaizumi pants as he jogs and finally stops in front of you. He takes a look at your strained smile, giving back a gentle one before he takes a seat across, “I’m sorry for just dropping the bomb on you like that. You look like you haven’t gotten even a wink of sleep.”

“Oh, haha, yeah,” you awkwardly laugh, touching your face out of consciousness. You mentally facepalmed and screamed, Dumbass, don’t be so obvious about your feelings!

Despite your inner turmoil, you calmed yourself and collected your thoughts, sighing afterwards before beginning to speak, “Look, Haji… no, Hajime… I’m going to be frank right now so please pardon me. When you admitted that you were my soulmate, I didn’t feel anything. Not that I’m entirely supposed to but… you know. It’s still kind of the reason why a part of me still finds it hard to believe you. But of course, you’re my friend and I haven’t thought of any reason why you would lie to me, so I’ll still give you the benefit of the doubt.”

He nods and smiles gratefully, “Of course, I understand how difficult it is, YN. This whole soulmate system is a fiasco. I mean, look at how it distorted your memory and made me an entirely different person to you.”

You completely disregard his statements, choosing to go by the dialogues you literally prepared all night, “Before telling you my decision, I just want to ask why did you do it?”

Taken aback by your sudden question, he blinks but of course, to you, it just seemed like he was trying to pick out his words carefully, maybe to not hurt you, “You were someone out of my league. Everytime I see you, I just feel like no matter what I do, I’ll never deserve you. That’s why I thought I should set you free, let you meet and love someone who’s on the same level as you. Someone who’s as perfect as you.”

You squint your eyes as you take his words into consideration, “Then why come back now? Why go all the way to California when you’ve already let me go?”

He lets out a sad chuckle as he rubs the back of his neck, “I… I just… When you left, even with this cut thread,” he gestures to the black thread around his pinky, something only you and him can see, “You were the only one I can think of. I thought I’d be fine… but imagining you with someone else… It was and will surely be a torture. That’s why I realized that it didn’t matter if you were my soulmate or not, I like you, YN. Not even the system can refute that.”

It felt odd to hear such words from Iwaizumi because the one from your memory was someone who’d rather keep his feelings to himself than burden others. But as he said, this system was a fiasco, a fucked-up universe the gods gave you. So you only nod at his responses to your questions, biting your lip as you rethink your decision.

“Okay,” you heave a deep sigh, “I’ll give you a chance. I don’t mean to offend you by saying this, but I don’t want to get into a relationship just because you claimed that you were my soulmate, Hajime. Doubts don’t just come and go but as I said, I don’t think you have any reason to lie to me so yeah. We can… I don’t know, start off all over again and get to know each other first? I just want to fix my fucked up memory first before committing to something. To begin with, I’m not even sure of what I’m feeling right now. I feel my heart flutter around you, but at the same time, I think it’s just infatuation. And I wouldn’t want to be unfair to you. Because you’re my precious friend, and I don’t want to lose you.”

Underneath the table separating the two of you, Iwaizumi clenches his fist and resisting the urge to curse, he grits his teeth and forces out a smile, “Right. Of course, I definitely don’t want to be unfair to you too.”

On behalf of Japan Airlines and the entire crew, I’d like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future.

“I knew you have always been a shameless person, but still, I never took you to be someone this shameless. The ticket I gave you was just a test at first, you know, just for me to see how much you're longing for my sister,” Kiyoomi grumbles while he prepares to get off the plane, “But god, I’ve never thought you’d actually have the guts to accept it and go with me.”

Atsumu, too caught up in his internal giddiness and excitement to notice Kiyoomi’s complaints, looks outside the plane window with a familiar shimmer back in his eyes, “Thank you, ‘Yoomi. I owe you my life.”

Your brother rolls his eyes, “Damn right, you do. The things I do for these idiots, god.”

Once again, we welcome you to California.

marga's notes. all i can say is wow, man's got the audacity to actually keep lying with a straight face— i mean i know i made him to be that way but god, why am i suddenly having the urge to punch somebody in the face 😀

[evierena]

The demon brothers reacting to a MC that got cheated on. Part 2

Hello, I come here with the second part of my first headcanon, and I wanted to say that I did found a mistake in Satan’s hc, but I already fixed it. Just like last time, if you see a mistake, please kindly point it out for me, I really want to improve in everything I can. 

TW: Mentions of death. 

Intro:

MC was going to get married to their high school sweetheart, they were deeply in love and had been very clear about their status. They had made friends with everyone but never accepted any advances.

Halfway through the year, they get a text from the third party informing them about their significant other affair.

And now, heartbroken and angry, it was up to the rest to help them pick up the pieces. How? Well... Let's see.

Asmodeus

(In this one MC is GN, but the cheater and third party are female and male respectively)

This demon would love to talk with you about your wedding preparations. The theme, your outfit, the flowers, the music, the lingerie for your wedding night *wink, wink*. He would absolutely adore going through pictures upon pictures of weddings.

However, at the same time, as much as he is the Avatar of Lust, he wouldn't like to talk specifically about you with your fiancée. Yes, he would offer to *show* you how to make your bride go crazy on the wedding night, but since you always shot him down (gently, because you know he is sensitive about rejection) he wouldn't actually give any input to help you in that matter.

There is something else that only he, as the Avatar of Lust, sort of anticipated as he listened to you talking about how you met your girlfriend thanks to her being your younger brother's best friend.

And there were nights when, as much as Asmo could feel guilty later, he just couldn't help but fantasise about it coming true so that he could steal you away.

When it finally came true, he felt... Well, overjoyed and immensely guilty for even feeling like that.

You see, you were video calling your girlfriend, and as she was telling you about her day someone entered her room while saying "Honey, I'm home" and you recognized your little brother's voice.

Your girlfriend's face was in shock, and then you saw your brother placing a kiss on her lips casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world, like she was his and not yours. Then, he turned to the camera and his face was disfigured with shock and remorse.

But you had seen enough so you finished the call.

Asmo was in your room, but he was busy doing a face mask in the bathroom and when he came out and saw you crying and sobbing, head between your knees, he just knew it.

I wouldn't say he went as far as hating himself for that (knowing he could've given you a heads up) but he did feel remorseful.

So, for the rest of the week he made it up by pampering the hell out of you.

He lend you his bathtub, he made sure your skin didn't suffer the consequences of crying so much, he gave you massages, he took you shopping, he distracted you by inviting you to clubs, parties,  he bragged about you in his social media, giving your self esteem and ego a much needed boost.

Of course, he would always make sexual innuendos, but he never did anything to make you feel uncomfortable, more like friendly reminders that you are desired.

"Oh, MC, you look delectable with that, I could just eat you up" and "If she saw you like that, she would beg for you to take her back" and some more "You'll see they'll regret everything, you are beautiful inside and out, and they will soon realize what an amazing person they let go"

Asmodeus will try to be in constant touch with you (as long as you allow him) holding hands, a hand in your back, sitting really close to you in school, cuddling with you on movie nights, fingers brushing delicately through your hair, etc.

His revenge is by far the most direct and cruel out of his brothers.

He teamed up with Solomon, the latter getting permission to go to the Human Realm for some errands he needed, and then he summoned Asmo.

In there, he went and meet your ex and brother, and with just a few words he charmed your ex so badly she forgot all about your brother, falling forever in love with Asmo (Solomon helped with a spell that would keep the charm on forever), effectively breaking your little brothers heart and driving your ex to a state of desperation, for she was obsessed with the demon until she died.  

As for you, as time went by, you moved on and once you were ready to embrace your new found feelings for the pink haired demon, you decided to let him know.

"I love you, Asmo"

"Ow, of course you do, peaches, I love myself too" he would say, playfully.

"I mean, I love love you, Asmodeus"

Cue to squeals of joy loud enough to be heard in all House of Lamentation.

" Really?!! Ohhh, I love you too, MC!!!!"

Beelzebub

You and Beel had an amazing friendship, he was very protective of you, and soon everyone knew that you never were far from each other. You would cook for him, accompany him in his nightly carvings when you were also awake, he would share his food with you, pretty much the most wholesome friendship you ever had.

As such, you told each other everything. He would tell you about Lilith and his nightmares, how he felt about his brothers and himself, and you would tell him about your future spouse, the nervousness and eagerness of sharing your life with the love of your life and the want of starting a family with them.

He only wanted for you to be happy, so if that person was making you happy, he would ignore the ache in his heart every time you talked about it and wished you the best.

One day, you were on cooking duty, and you decided to make Beel a feast of his favorite Human Realm recipes, so you left your human phone charging in your room and put yourself to work, but you took your D.D.D with you.

Beel was coming back from practice when you texted him if he could bring you some stuff from your room before you finished everything in the kitchen.

He saw the tilting screen with several notifications and decided to also bring it to you. However, one text captured his attention.

He didn't recognized the name of the sender, but the text read "I can't keep up with the lies and I wouldn't want someone as important to me as (name of your soon-to-be spouse) is to you to do this kind of thing" Beel furrowed his brows, trying to read more in the screen, but he decided it was best for you to read it first.

And just in time, you called out to him.

He went and when he saw you he gave you your phone with a pained look on his face.

"I think you need to see this before eating, MC"

You were puzzled, "what could have happened that was more important than eating?" you thought. Oh, but when you started to read everything, you understood. 

Your ex co worker had confessed to you to be having an affair with your soon-to-be spouse.

You looked up to see your best demon friend, your big teddy bear for some sort of comfort when your world was coming crashing down on you.

Beel hugged you tight, letting your tears stain his shirt, engulfing your entire being in his bigger and warmer frame.

He didn't say anything, he even forgot all about the feast you had prepared, his soft and big heart was broken for you. However, he did feel a sudden craving for a certain human up in the human realm.

Finally you pushed yourself out of his embrace and said "Beel, I'm hungry" causing him to smile gently at you.

"Me too".

With Beel, you eat your woes away. He would always make sure that you had at least a snack in your hand, because in his experience, food can make you feel better.

He became your personal body heater, always keeping you at arm's length. If before you both were close, now you were joined by the hip.

You welcomed him, his compassionate and sweet presence was all you needed to keep going.

With time, you began to recover from the blow, started to smile more, be more happy and lively, like you used to. Beel would always smile at your way, and he always offered his help when things got a little too much for you.

If you felt like you gained weight from all the comfort food you had been eating, he would remind you, by lifting your body, that you were still really light for him and that you would always be very pretty to his eyes. Nonetheless, if you still felt insecure or uncomfortable, he would offer to help you train and get back on track.

If someone dared to make you feel guilty about what happened, Beel would growl at them and then he would remind you that it was not your fault and that you are an incredible person who helped him to get his family together again, and that he would always be there for you.

If you fall for this sweet, adorable teddy bear I don't blame you (honestly, same) you would also need to be the one to come forth about it, not because he is dense or clueless about your feelings for him, but because he was already happy with your friendship and didn't want to push for more.

"Beel, I love you"

He would look at you with big and excited puppy eyes, and the biggest, most heartwarming smile you had seen

Belphegor

(Spoilers from lesson 16 read under your own risk)

When you found him in the attic, and accepted to help him, you started to sneak to try and keep him company when Lucifer wasn't around.

You would try to make conversation to help him feel not so lonely up there, and in his efforts to gain your trust he let you ramble about your future marriage.

He HATED hearing you talk about it, it just made his blood boil. How could an insignificant and naïve human like you even dared to think about being remotely happy when he lost everything because of humans? Oh, he would be so thrilled to crush your pathetic dreams of happiness by taking your life. But all that  had to wait until you were stupid enough to let him out.

Well, after the whole Incident™, you, Belphie and Beel had The Talk™ because you wanted to start over, forgive and forget and give yourselves a new chance at friendship.

Who knew you two would become such good friends??

When you weren't busy doing your tasks or studying for class, you would be with Belphie, napping and recharging energy in the most weird places. One time, Lucifer found both of you sleeping hanging from the horns of that demon head at the entrance.

Somehow you would always get dragged with Belphie's pranks at Lucifer, and more often than not, you were the reason he stopped from doing the really dangerous ones, something that the Avatar of Pride was mildly grateful for, if only you could make his little brother stop completely.

With your new blossoming friendship with the youngest of the demon brothers, you confide in him with your worries about your future. He would listen to you, if he wasn't too tired or if he didn't fall asleep, and in his heart still remained a little bit of the annoyance of hearing you talk about your wedding, but for entirely different reasons.

After everything that happened between the two, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop you from leaving back to the human realm, but it still hurt him to think that he wasted his short time with you trying to trick you instead of enjoying your company.

One night, you were napping in the attic next to him, and he just stared at you, unable to sleep, when your phone started to vibrate unceasingly.

He was annoyed to say the least, thinking that it could wake you up and break his peaceful time with you, so he took it to turn it off when he saw the preview of a concerning amount of texts you were receiving.

He froze reading the previews, (I do not justfy invadig someone else´s privacy at all, but he is a brat and a demon, so he just did it) so he decided to investigate further by unblocking the device and read thoroughly what seemed to be... a confession.

Once he was completely informed of the current situation, he put the phone down, took his own and texted Beel asking him to bring you some comfort snacks, because you were going to need it.

Once he got the confirmation from his twin, he turned to you and, against his own desires, woke you up.

"What is it Belphie?" your sleepy eyes trying to focus on his, your voice barely audible. He was almost convinced to let you go back to sleep and deal with this shit tomorrow. But he stopped himself from giving in to his sin.

"MC, you need to read something"

The severity in his voice helped you clear the haziness from your mind as you sat up.

He knew the moment you were completely awake while you were reading the messages from who, he deduced, was your partner's ex telling you that they were having an affair from at least two years prior to your coming to Devildom and now that you were gone, they were planning to move in together despite all your daily calls and weekly video calls.

When you looked at Belphie, tears clouding your beautiful eyes, he remembered why he hated humanity so much. They didn't hesitate to crush souls as pure and kind as yours, they were selfish bastards.

He held you, firmly pressed against his chest, rubbing your back, while he let you know his feelings against your now ex.

That's when Beel showed up with your favorite snacks in tons. And when he saw the scene before him, Belphie just looked at him while still whispering to you that you have them, he and Beel, that they were going to look after you and that you were going to be fine. Cue to Beel sitting by your side and took you and his twin in his arms, reaffirming the youngest words.

After they helped you calm down, Beel and Belphie offered your snacks and all three of you ate quietly, you were leaning in Belphie's shoulder and he even kept quiet about the crumbs you were spilling on him.

Once you were done and full, you went back to their room, and all three of you decided to join the beds and sleep together for the night. So, you were resting in the twins's bed, in the middle of them, engulfed by their comforting warmth when you felt Belphegor's hand snake his way until he found yours.

"I will never let anyone hurt you ever again" he swore to you, and you fell asleep.

Belphegor would be the type of friend who would diss and bad-mouth your ex to help you feel better, and he definitely teamed up with Satan and Solomon to effectively curse the people who hurt his favorite human so much. How? You'll never know, but one day you found him staring at a wall as if he was reminiscing something with a malicious grin, and when you asked he simply said "I was just wondering how long can a human stand with only three intermittent hours of sleep daily".

You dropped the subject and never brought it up again.

Belphie would make sure no one bothered you, and he kept his promise to you, whenever he wasn't awake and around you, Beel was.

The Avatar of Sloth guarded your dreams, allowing you to sleep soundly and safe, he would steal you to nap the moment he sensed you were feeling down, and the glare he gave to others left no room to argue.

He wouldn't make a move with you, directly, but he would *subtly* and most of the time while falling asleep, let you know about his own feelings so if you did end up falling for this sleepyhead, you would be sure he felt the same.

"Belphegor?" you whispered while you both were in the middle of one of your napping sessions, snuggling up to him more.

"Mm?"

"I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life"

You didn't see him, but you felt him hugging you closer to him, tangling his legs with yours, pressing kisses to your head. But he would still tease you.

"Took you long enough, MC"

Again, thank you so much for reading all of this long ass headcanon. I hope you have a great day, and remember to take breaks and stay hydrated. 

P.s: In case you haven’t found it, here’s Part 1

[veenussposts]

Mingi as a demigod (and your boyfriend)

Mingi was always a lazy person who found it difficult to be punctual and maintain an orderly lifestyle. However, he always did things well even if he had no idea what he was doing.

And things didn't change when he arrived at Camp Half-Blood, after trying to be killed by a minotaur as he walked back home.

After being claimed by his father, the God of war, Mingi continued with his same attitude as always and, unintentionally, quickly climbed into the hierarchy of his cabin. He was just good at fighting, he was honestly the best, even though he never had any training in the art of war.

He only had fun with Apollo's sons and daughters and yet no one was able to beat him in a battle. The laurel crown was his over a year ago and no one could take it away from him.

But everything changed when you arrived.

"Who is he?" Mingi asked one of his sisters who was observing all the commotion that was forming in the camp due to the arrival of a squad commanded by you.

"He is a roman demigod, one of the leaders of Camp Jupiter, the only child of Bellona the goddess of war, destruction and devastation"

"Uff, it's a very long and intimidating name for a boy. I bet he's not that good"

With determined and somewhat haughty steps, Mingi came towards you with his chin up to ask you to a duel. The warriors under your command looked at each others scared when they heard Mingi challenging you. What did you do? You laughed at him and then completely ignored him.

Or at least that's what Mingi believed because even though it didn't seem like it, you really paid attention to him. At a glance you realized that, after being rejected, that son of Ares made vibrate some swords while walking back to his cabin.

You had a slight suspicion of why that happened but there was only one way to check it.

It was a normal day after a chat with the director of the Greek camp, you were on the banks of the great lake meditating when you felt a familiar sensation in your stomach. Someone was watching you. With a single movement, you unsheathed your sword and threw it towards where your instincts told you.

"If this were a real fight you would already be dead" Your sword was pointed at his forehead as it floated in midair. With a single wave of your hand, your sword turned towards you and came back to its place.

"What... Ho-how did you do that? You... how did you manage to stop it before... and..."

"I didn't stop it, you did" Mingi's eyes widened, looking at you in surprise. "The weapons obey you, they will do whatever you tell them to do. You can even fight with them even if you don't have them in your hands"

"But my brothers cannot do that"

"That is because only a few are blessed with the gifts of their parents. Some children of Apollo can heal, others cannot. They are gifts that have to be used and I am willing to help you, son of Ares, even if it goes against my principles as a descendant of a Roman Goddess "

And that was how Mingi, dumbfounded by the way your tan skin shone in the sun's rays, agreed to train with you.

Things were going well, too well. Mingi was more powerful than you imagined and could follow your strict training without problems.

As the days passed, your stomach felt strange sensations and it wasn't your sixth sense. It was something else.

"Am I in love with a Greek demigod? Oh my Jupiter"

On the other hand, Mingi was totally in love with you. Every cell in his body went into ecstasy every morning when he saw you, he seemed to be flying through the clouds every time he saw you smile and the mere fact of listening to your compliments when he did something right blushed his cheeks.

"He is very cute"

"I think you are the only person in the world who thinks that he is cute. Brother, every time I look at him I feel like a deer being analyzed by its predator. He's scary"

"Yeah, that's one of his many charms. Ahh, he's magnificent"

Your swords collided, they withdrew and returned to find ways to outdo each other and catch up with their opponent. A slight whistle accompanied the movement of both, indicating the speed of your movements and your location.

"I'm sorry to inform you that this fight will be won by me" Mingi said as his eyes closely followed you.

"Don't sing victory yet, redhead"

Your swords collided again and both of you continued to dance across the training ground in a fight that never seemed likely to end because neither was ready to lose.

You, who at the time were leading the initiative, attacked while Mingi defended himself. He leaped back, accurately moved his hand, and one of his two swords, which he had previously lost in a counterattack against you, shot out at top speed. You barely had enough time to turn around and dodge the attack, consequently your opponent's weapon cut a piece of your purple cloak that was part of your armor.

"Well if this was a real fight you would already be dead" The cold metal of his weapon was leaning against your neck while a silly little smile was drawn on his lips as you stood up slowly. "Can I sing victory now?"

"I don't think so" The smile on his face faded when he saw out of the corner of his eye your great sword, pointed at him in midair. "I think you are dead"

"Yeah, but dead of love for you"

Your eyes widened like saucers and Mingi's hand that didn't hold the sword opened, letting it drop to the ground. His cheeks started to turn deep red like his hair as he tried to look anywhere but you.

Hell, he had screwed up. Surely you were going to reject him, surely you would laugh at...

"In that case... I guess I'm dead too" Before Mingi could understand your answer, your strong arms were around his waist, drawing him towards you. You were so close that you could smell the sweet scent of his cologne, your noses were rubbing against each other and your lips were only a few millimeters apart. "I... I also like you, too much for my liking but I couldn't help it"

Mingi leaned his head forward and kissed you, softly at first, and then with immense passion causing you to cling to him as if there was no tomorrow. His lips were caressing your trembling lips, sending shocks of electricity along your back, causing emotions that you had never thought you were capable of feeling.

Mingi almost went crazy when you confessed with a blush on your cheeks that he was your first boyfriend. For that reason, you weren't quite sure how to act in certain situations.

Despite being stoic, strict and not very good with words, Mingi knew that you loved him because your actions showed it. For example: the time you were training and it started to rain, without thinking twice you took off your cape to cover Mingi so he wouldn't catch a cold.

HE LOVES PLAYING WITH YOUR LONG HAIR. He could be brushing, stroking, or just playing with it all day.

"Just relax, I'll wash your hair for you"

He is capable of sending a sword flying to anyone who dares to speak ill of you.

"I'd fight the whole world for you and I don't care how cheesy that sounds"

Mingi says and does things on purpose to embarrass you for his own amusement such as calling you by cute nicknames in front of your legion or dancing while he was wearing your golden armor.

You haven't tell the others about your relationship but all the demigods in both camps know that your are a couple.

Gets giggle because of your existence and blushes when you kiss him.

The biggest cuddle bear ever.

When you had to leave Camp Half-Blood to return to Camp Jupiter Mingi did his best to keep you from leaving but, unfortunately, it was your duty and you had to leave. The first night without you he cried because he missed you.

Now, Mingi is only in Camp Half-Blood the summers, the rest of the days he lives in Camp Jupiter with you.

He sleeps on your chest because he says your skin is very soft and warm, he feels calm and protected in your arms.

"You're ridiculously comfortable"

His cellphone password is the date of your birthday and as a wallpaper he has a photo of you smiling after the daughters of Venus combed your hair in a large braid decorated with flowers.

Every summer at Camp Half-Blood, Mingi tells the new demigods how magnificent his boyfriend is, telling them that he is the most powerful person ever born, that perhaps you were the reincarnation of a hero like Hercules. Sometimes just to bother you, he tells you to go to the camp to sign autographs because everyone admires you but not as much as he does.

Worries about your safety 24/7.

"Zeus, I was very worried"

"It was just a reconnaissance mission, baby. There's nothing to worry about"

You never fight, you have a healthy and prosperous relationship, but sometimes when you have had a stressful day you ignore each other unintentionally.

In conclusion, just being with Mingi makes you happy. That redhead, son of Ares, has completely changed your life in a wonderful, magnificent and extraordinary way.

[smileyoongle]

Mafia BTS! Not so innocent

This was requested by @marie-sarah and @multi-fandom-lachimolala

Your requests were very similar so I merged it into one. I hope you like it. LET'S GET IT!

Kim Seokjin:

"Mr Kim, I think Ms.Y/N was attacked." As soon as these words left the bodyguard's mouth, Jin dropped the papers he was holding, sending them off across the room due to the wind coming from the open window. He stood up, making the guard drop his gaze to the floor.

"What did you say?" His voice came out really dark, making the other men in the room gulp. Every matter that concerned you, made Jin extra worried. He couldn't bear the thought of you even getting a scratch. Taking in a shaky breath, the bodyguard started explaining, "The supervisor of the Chanel store she went to, informed us that he saw a man following her with a gun too-" Jin didn't even let him finish the sentence and let out a groan of frustration.

"Get the car. We're going there. NOW!" He bellowed, causing everyone to snap into action.

"That will not be needed, Mr Kim." Said a gruff voice from the main entrance of the house. Jin looked at the small group of officers walking towards him, a couple of them were even carrying shopping bags. He was confused until he saw you walking behind them. Your face displayed annoyance until your eyes met with Jin's. Your lips broke into a smile and you rushed to give him a hug, which he gladly returned. Pulling away, he cupped your cheeks as he examined you for any injuries. "Are you okay?" He frowned with concern. You placed your hands on his and nodded. He placed a kiss on your forehead and turned to the officer he knew all too well, Min Yoongi.

"Did you get that man, Officer Min?" He inquired as you wrapped your arms around his waist and rested your head on his chest. "We did. But I'm afraid it'll be a while until he gives us a statement. Ms Y/L/N knocked him out unconscious before we even reached." The black haired man answered, gesturing towards you. Jin raised his eyebrows in surprise as he looked at you.

An auxiliary came forward with a laptop, standing in front of Jin as he played a certain video. Jin narrowed his eyes as he saw your small figure leaving the store, followed by a man in grey clothes. As he saw you grab the man's hand and dig your heel in his foot, his eyes widened. Furthermore, his jaw dropped when you held the attacker's head and hit it on your bent knee, making him fall down unconscious. You pretended to be interested in the ceiling as Jin looked at you with an indescribable expression. "We'll be taking your leave now, Mr Kim." Officer Min bowed as he turned to leave with his subordinates. Just as the group reached the doorway, Jin called them, making them turn back to face him.

"Make sure that bastard answers. If not, then my men can always collect him." Jin smirked as he exchanged a knowing look with Yoongi, making him chuckle. After everyone had left, Jin ordered his men to leave as well, leaving you two alone in the big house. You let out a gasp when Jin pulled you towards him as he sat on the couch, making you straddle him.

"I never knew my princess was a badass." He teased as he held you tightly. You wrapped your arms around him and hummed. "Well, that's because you don't let your princess go alone anywhere. Today was just a miracle." You shrugged and ran your hands through his soft hair. He sighed and buried his head in the crook of your neck. "Today was the first and the last time. I'm not risking it anymore. It's good to know you can protect yourself in my absence but let's try not to get into that situation." He concluded, making you pout. He mimicked your expression and laughed when you gently hit his chest, quickly kissing your lips.

Kim Namjoon:

You were reading a book in Namjoon's study. He wasn't home due to an important business meeting so you had decided to put your free time to productive use. The silent atmosphere of the room was interrupted by the ringing of your phone. You took your phone from the side table, situated beside the couch you were seated on. You closed the book when you saw Namjoon's contact requesting for a video call. Quickly accepting it, you smiled as your boyfriend's face came into view.

"Hey, babe!" He greeted while waving at you through the screen. You giggled and waved back. "Is the meeting over?" You asked, a little hopeful that maybe you could spend time with him. He pursed his lips and shook his head. "Break time. And I wanted to check on you so..." He trailed off as he shrugged. This was one of the many things you loved about Namjoon. Although he was busy most of the time, he never failed to grab the opportunity to talk to you. Just as you were about to say something, a loud crash startled you. Your head turned towards the door of the study as your heartbeat quickened. Namjoon had heard it too. He was already on his way to inform everyone to cancel the rest of the meeting. "Babe, is there someone else at home?" He asked quietly, not wanting to alert any intruder about your presence. You shook your head as you slowly got up from the couch to go and inspect the cause of the noise. You looked at Namjoon and placed a finger on your lips, telling him to be quiet. Namjoon wanted to tell you to go back inside and lock the door but it was too late. He kept the call going to make sure you were okay as he sat in his car, ready to come home to you. His breathing hitched as he saw your face contort into a horrified one and a scream left your mouth. The screen went black, showing that the call had been disconnected. "Shit...." Namjoon cursed as he tried calling you again, driving out of the speed limit (not like he ever followed it). He bit his bottom lip when the call went unanswered, making him think of very unfortunate consequences.

After what felt like an eternity, he reached his house. Quickly pulling into the driveway, he ran out of the car and unlocked the door to the house, all the while shouting your name. His footsteps came to a halt when he saw you sitting on a chair in front of a tied up man, your fingers wrapped around a gun. Your head turned at the sound of your name being called out, only to find Namjoon standing there with a panicked expression. You dropped the gun and ran into his arms.

"Thank god you're here. I didn't know what to do-" Namjoon hushed you as he kissed you all over your face. Just then, the other members of Namjoon's gang entered the house. "Is everything okay? You left in such a hurry- holy shit, who is that?!" Jin cursed as soon as he saw the man with ropes around him and a tape sealing his mouth. Namjoon told them to move the man to the warehouse and start questioning him while he stayed with you for a while. As the members left, you hugged Namjoon again, burying your face in his chest. "I really thought something happened to you, Y/N." He mumbled against your hair. You pulled away to look at him and gave him an assuring smile. He poked your cheek and scoffed. "But who would have thought, that this baby-face could actually be a threat? I guess I need to be careful from now." He joked as you rolled your eyes and turned to leave.

Min Yoongi:

You were on your way home from a dinner date with your boyfriend, Yoongi. You both listened to your favourite songs as he drove, all the while holding your hand. Suddenly, his phone started ringing. He sighed as he saw one of the members' names flashing on the screen. He looked over at you to find you staring outside the window and quickly accepted the call.

After the call had ended, Yoongi called out to you to tell you that he had to go deal with something urgently and that you will have to come with him. But you had already fallen asleep, so he just turned the car around to go handle the mess that his members had created. Once there, Yoongi kissed your forehead as he grabbed his gun from the glove compartment and left. He was sure that he would be back by the time you wake up.

"Where is he?" Yoongi asked his gang, once he found them standing in the middle of the warehouse with a few bodies lying here and there. "We searched everywhere. He must have gotten away." Namjoon informed, clenching his eyes shut. Yoongi cursed under his breath as he ran his hands through his hair. "He couldn't have gone far. Let's search around this area." He suggested, making everyone nod. After about half an hour, they ended their search and walked towards the place where Yoongi had parked his car.

On the way back, he checked his phone to see 14 missed calls from you, making him walk faster. He came to a halt when he saw you leaning on the car with your arms crossed. "Y/N, I'm sorry. You were asleep and- who the hell did that?!" Yoongi's voice turned from calm to angry when he saw your busted lip. He gently lifted your chin to see the small wound. You sighed and walked towards the back of the car, making Yoongi frown.

"Okay so I don't know who this is but he tried to steal the car. With me inside!" You narrated, raising your voice in annoyance. Yoongi and the others followed you to where you stood. You opened the trunk of the car and stepped back for them to see. Their eyes widened in shock at the unconscious man lying in front of them. After a moment of silence, Taehyung cleared his throat. "Isn't that the man we were looking for?" He asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. Yoongi leaned down and grabbed the man's chin, turning his face to take a better look. "It is." He confirmed in a gravelly voice.

"I can't believe Y/N did this!" Jimin exclaimed as he stood beside you. You turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Want me to give you a demo?" You sneered, making him move away from you. Yoongi chuckled as he placed his arm around your shoulder. You instantly leaned into him as he placed a kiss on your head. "I guess my sweet and innocent princess, isn't really that innocent. Oh, I've been deceived." He dramatically placed a hand on his chest. "Hey!" You whined, pushing him away from you as you pouted. He laughed and pulled you into a hug. "Let's get you home so that I can clean that up and you can sleep, yeah?" He mumbled, examining the dried blood on your lips.

He led you to the passenger seat of the car. "Also, I think it would be pretty hot to see you in action." He smiled cheekily and winked at you before closing the door on your side, a blush tainting your cheeks.

Jung Hoseok:

"Did you just rent out this whole place?" You asked as you twirled around, admiring the interiors of the expensive restaurant. Hoseok smiled as he took in your amusement. "I did. Because I wanted it to be just you and me tonight." He answered, holding your hand and pulling you close to him. He cupped your cheek and tilted his head, his eyes running over all your features before pulling you into a hug. You giggled as you returned the hug, feeling your heart flutter.

To the world, Jung Hoseok was a ruthless mafia boss, but to you, he was everything other than that. You both parted when you heard someone clearing their throat, only to find the waiter with an expensive bottle of champagne. You held hoseok's hand and pulled him to the decorated table set for two, making him turn his attention to you rather than glaring at the waiter. You thanked the waiter as he served you your champagne, earning an annoying look from your boyfriend. "Angel, your attention is supposed to be on me." He complained, lips turning into a pout soon after. You laughed and leaned over the table, giving him a quick kiss. You could tell he was trying to hold back a smile as the little dimples appeared by his lips.

"I expect more than that for doing all this." He joked, referring to the expensive dinner. You placed your chin on the back of your hands as you propped your elbow on the table. "Maybe I will give you something more.." You smirked at him, making him raise his eyebrows at your boldness. "Or maybe not." You finished your sentence, taking a sip of your champagne. Hoseok pursed his lips as he glared at you. But in reality, he was happy to see you being so playful. He never really got to spend time with you and now that everything was going well, he couldn't be more pleased.

Smiling innocently at him, you stood up from your seat as you excused yourself to use the bathroom. The sound of your heels echoed through the corridor as you searched for the bathroom. You sighed in relief when you spotted it, wanting to get back to Hoseok quickly. You had been getting an eerie feeling since you stepped foot in the restaurant, but stayed quiet for the sake of your boyfriend's happiness. It had been a while since you saw him so relaxed and you didn't want to ruin that. After you finished doing your thing, you washed your hands and wiped them with a disposable handkerchief. As soon as you opened the bathroom door to leave, you came face to face with a strange man, your eyes widening on seeing a knife in his hands.

Hoseok glanced at his watch as he tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for you to return. You were taking too long which made Hoseok anxious. He couldn't help but think that you were in trouble. So without further delay, he made his way to the bathroom. He heard some sounds of struggle from the corridor ahead and fastened his pace. Just as he turned around a corner, he spotted you holding the back of a man's head and slamming it onto the white marble wall. Your jaw was clenched and blood was running down your arm from a long cut on your forearm. "Y/N!" Hoseok yelled and ran to you. The man groaned as he tried to stand up but you kicked him with all your strength, making you stumble a little. You breathed heavily as Hoseok cupped your face, asking you if you were fine. Suddenly you broke down into tears. You were so terrified when the man attacked you and you had no time to call out for help either. Holding it all in, you tried to fight him and now that it was over, you felt overwhelmed. Hoseok hugged you and kissed your head, whispering sweet things to you, making you feel a little calm.

You currently sat on a chair in the restaurant as Hoseok cleaned your wound. The other members of his gang had arrived soon after Hoseok informed them about what had happened. The staff of the restaurant stood in a line, nervous and scared as Yoongi questioned them. You hissed as the antiseptic made contact with your skin. Hoseok mumbled an apology and continued his task, trying not to cause you too much pain. You leaned your head on the back of the chair and stared at the ceiling. You had never hurt anyone in your entire life and you never thought you'd have to. Of course, when you decided to stand by a mafia leader, you knew you would have to get involved in his work in some way or the other. But you didn't expect it anytime soon since Hoseok worked so hard on trying to keep you safe.

"All done." You snapped out of your thoughts as you heard hoseok's voice. You turned to him and smiled slightly. He quickly caught up to how you were feeling and sighed. "Angel, I know this was terrible for you. But I need you to know that I'm so proud of you for being able to defend yourself. If you wouldn't have been able to protect yourself, then I don't even want to think of what could have happened..." He trailed off, his expression turning into one of sadness. With a shaky breath, you threw your arms around him.

"I love you so much, Hoseok."

"I love you much more, Angel."

Park Jimin:

"Wow! Aren't all these so amazing?" You said, looking around at all the paintings and statues adorning the huge museum. You had been telling Jimin for months about wanting to come here and finally, after a ton of persuasion, he agreed. Looking at your eyes sparkling in amazement, he felt like he should have done this sooner. Slowly walking towards you, he hugged you from behind.

"I'm sorry, baby. You should never have to beg me for anything but that's what I made you do." He stated, burying his face in your neck. You pouted at hearing his apology and turned around. Jimin refused to meet your eyes, only looking at the ground while you held his hand. "Jimin, you were busy. You don't have to apologize. We're here now, aren't we?" You smiled and cupped his cheeks. He lifted his head to look at you, eyes filled with love. You were exactly the one he'd always dreamed of. Sometimes he would hold you close, fearing that you'd disappear.

Before he could say anything his phone rung, making him groan. You chuckled and told him to pick it up. You turned your attention back to the huge painting in front of you, taking in every little detail as he walked away. You smiled when you felt a tap on your shoulder, thinking it was your boyfriend. But that smiled was wiped off when you saw your ex-boyfriend. Your heart quickened its pace and you felt nervous and scared. Your eyes searched around for Jimin but he was nowhere to be seen.

"I must say, I'm quite shocked to see you alone, darling. Did he finally get tired of you?" He mocked, taking a step towards you. You tried your best to not show how bothered you were by his presence but it wasn't easy. You ended up taking a step back, making him smirk when he saw how affected you were. He placed a hand on your shoulder causing you to flinch. You felt disgusted under his touch. "I'll take that as a yes. I told you, didn't I? That no one would ever tolerate you as much as I did. See how that went?" He mumbled, staring deep in your eyes as his grip on your shoulder tightened.

"L-let me go!" You retorted, grabbing his hand to get it off you but it didn't budge. He chuckled seeing you struggle, certainly enjoying how helpless you looked. "Or maybe I should just take you with me." He mocked, holding your wrist with his other hand. Your breath hitched and your movements stopped. You had two choices now, either you keep him here until Jimin comes back or you make sure he never bothers you again. You chose the latter, taking a deep breath.

You lifted your foot and jabbed your pencil heel into his, making him scream and let go of you. Everyone around you whipped their heads to see what was going on. Letting out a grunt, you swung your handbag across his face and he fell to the ground. You heard a few gasps from around you, making you feel proud of yourself. Before you could strike again, you felt two hands grab you from behind.

"That might be enough, baby." You heard Jimin mumble from behind you. Looking at the guards, you sighed in relief and turned to your boyfriend. Instantly you wrapped your arms around him and rested your head on his chest. Jimin was in awe when he saw you fighting someone who had terribly hurt you once. He felt so giddy that for a moment, he forgot that he was supposed to help you. "You know, you being untouchable makes more sense now. That was just so....hot." Jimin remarked, making you blush. "I should leave you alone more now." He continued.

You gasped and hit his chest, pouting slightly. The entire day was spent in you ignoring him and him, oh-so-desperately trying to get your attention.

Kim Taehyung:

You tightened your grip on taehyung's hand as you both entered the club, cursing under your breath on seeing the mass of bodies grinding on each other. This wasn't the first time that you were coming to this club, however, it was the first time you were coming here with Taehyung. This was the club where you had met him. You noticed how the people on the dance floor had started to move to the side, creating a path for you to go your way. You looked at Taehyung to find him smiling at you. "You underestimate me, baby." He stated, smirking at you before kissing your head. He wasn't wrong though. You were aware of how people were scared of him but you had never witnessed it on this scale. A whole lot of people, moving away, all at once on seeing your boyfriend. You let Taehyung lead you towards the VIP lounge, getting excited to meet the rest of the members.

"Finally!" You heard Jungkook yell as you entered the lounge, the loud music dissipating to a mumble. You laughed as he came and hugged you, followed by the others. Soon enough, laughs and chatters filled the huge room along with the beats of the music. "I was thinking we should appoint more guards for Y/N's protection," Namjoon suggested, taking a sip of his drink. You furrowed your eyebrows. "Why? I already have 2 following me everywhere. No more, please!" You whined, covering your face with your hands. You already felt like a child, being watched over all the time and if more people took to this job, then you weren't sure if you would be able to do anything anymore. Before anyone could say anything, loud screams echoed outside the lounge making your eyes widen. Everyone quickly stood up as a guard came stumbling into the lounge with blood seeping down his arm. He was panting heavily, mouth opening and closing, again and again, clearly wanting to say something. But before he could get a word out, he blacked out. You turned to look at everyone with fear evident across your face. They all had different expressions, confused, concerned, murderous.

"Y/N, I need you to stay here. Don't you dare come out. Understood?" Taehyung ordered, looking at you with a serious expression. You slowly nodded as they all hurried out of the room. A couple of minutes passed with no sign of what was going on. As you moved closer to the entrance of the lounge, your heart nearly jumped out when a man came inside, blood dripping down his chin. You whimpered when his eyes landed on you, his lips tugging at one corner. You screamed when he ran behind you and wrapped his arm around your neck. You gripped his arm, trying to get out of his hold, which only made him hold on tighter. You relaxed a little on seeing Taehyung enter the lounge, followed by the others. Taehyung's expression turned dark and threatening, making you shudder. Adding to your misery, you felt a cool metal against the side of your forehead.

"Come any closer and I'll blow her brains out!" You heard the man hiss. The air in the room grew thick as everyone exchanged glances, thinking of possible ways to get you out of the situation. You decided you weren't gonna wait for someone to help you. The blood from the man was falling on your shoulder, making you squirm.

Gathering all your strength, you threw back your elbow and hit the man in the stomach, making him bend over, clutching the spot you hit. You twisted one of his arms, bringing it behind his back with a tight grip. Your free hand quickly grabbed the gun that lay on the ground beside him, placing it against his head. Everyone stared at you in awe. The man started struggling in your grip, you weren't as strong as him anyway.

"Is anyone gonna help me?!" You bellowed, bringing your gaze to Taehyung who held an unfathomable expression. Jungkook rushed to you while the others only stared, taking the gun from you and hitting it against the man's head, knocking him unconscious. You stood against the wall nearby, catching your breath. Jungkook placed a hand on your shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. You gave him a slight smile when Taehyung cleared his throat and made his way to you. Cupping your cheeks, he pressed a kiss to your forehead before asking you if you were hurt. You shook your head and buried your face in his chest, sighing in relief when he gave you his warm hug.

"I was so scared, baby girl." He mumbled against your head. You smiled and leaned back to look at him. "Really? I remember you saying that no one could ever take me away from you. Now you're just making me doubt you." You narrowed your eyes at him, teasing him. He tightened his grip on your waist and chuckled. "Oh no, baby. I'm still sure about that. I was just scared that you'd kill him." He pointed towards the unconscious man. You gasped and hit his chest, making him laugh and pull you back into a hug.

Jeon Jungkook:

"Do you need a ride home, Y/N?" Your best friend inquired. You gently shook your head and informed her that your boyfriend will be picking you up. She hugged you and bid farewell, getting into her car and driving off. You stood at the curb, looking around for jungkook's car but when you couldn't see it, you decided to call him. He picked up just as the phone rung. "We got hung up a little, love. Hold on, we should be there in 10 minutes if Jin Hyung decides to drive faster." You could hear how annoyed he was. You mumbled an okay before hearing Jin curse, making you giggle.

Hanging up the phone, you stood by the lamppost which cast a dim light on you. It was getting quieter on the streets now, even the cafe you went to was closing. You sighed and closed your eyes, letting the cool air fan your face.

This was one of the moments when you felt at ease. No worries. No overthinking. You were absolutely content with how life was and a major part of it was Jungkook. Even though you despised him initially, with time he proved that he was the man you dreamed of.

Suddenly you felt a hand clamp around your mouth, making your entire body jolt into action. Your eyes frantically looked around for any kind of help but all you could see were the empty sidewalks and the quiet roads. "Don't make this harder, missy. No one's saving you tonight." You heard a gruff voice from behind you while you tried to get out of his grip.

Jungkook's eyes widened when he saw you being held by someone. His heart was pounding. The car was still a little far from you but close enough for Jungkook to see you struggling. Jin stepped on the gas, speeding up the pace of the car when he saw what was happening. But you didn't notice anything, too scared to look around anymore. Halting your failed attempts, you opened your mouth and bit harshly into the man's hand. As he screamed and let you out of his grip, you turned around and held the back of his head. Squeezing your eyes shut, you slammed it into the lamppost. You breathed heavily as you felt the man fall to the ground, still not opening your eyes. Jungkook stood still as he saw you defending yourself. He was surprised, you were never the kind of person to hurt anyone, let alone physically. You just didn't have it in you. It was only when he saw your trembling form, that he rushed towards you.

"Y/N!" You heard jungkook's voice call out. Slowly opening your eyes, you saw him running towards you, making you sigh in relief. He pulled you into his arms as you buried your face in his neck. He mumbled calming things to you, kissing your head again and again as if trying to assure himself that you were fine. "He's knocked out for now. I'll take care of this and you take her home. Good job Y/N!" You returned Jin's proud smile, feeling better after hearing his appreciation.

Jungkook took you to the car while Jin called the others to inform them. "Are you hurt, love?" Jungkook asked, putting on your seatbelt for you. Your heart fluttered for some reason, clearly, you still weren't used to being taken care of. Leaning forward, you kissed your boyfriend's cheek making him look at you in confusion, feeling grateful for the lack of light preventing you from seeing him blush. "I love you." You stated, admiring his face. Slowly, he grinned and cupped your cheeks before kissing you sweetly. "I love you more." He whispered, leaning his forehead on yours.

I'm back y'all! No exams anymore and now I can write and update as much as I want. I'm probably updating after like 2 months? I'm sorry. Let's hope there aren't any typos in there. I hope you like it!

-XX

[rixxy8173571m3w1p3]

Out Of The Woods (3/?)

This multi chap fic has been one that I've wanted to write for a while. I'm hoping to connect a few loose ends, since my series is getting closer to the end. Don't worry, I still got a couple of fics left in me. I'd love to thank @xerxezra whose conversations with me are always inspirational. I'd also like to thank @dorkydisappointment whose writing got my creative juice flowing and @hoodoo12 who continues to inspire me all the time. Please check out the wonderful art done by @ravenousscorpian for two scenes out of the second chapter of this fic (Her art found here)

References to the woman in Ricks journal is from my fic What You Found Amongst The Pages. I know, that was shameless self promotion. There are a lot of questions that I wanted to answer in you'd chapter, but for the sake of editing had to put it in the next. I'll work on it right as soon as this is posted. Thanks for everyone's continued support. 😘😘😘😘😘😘

If you haven't read part 1 or part2, then heres a link (Read Chapter 1, Chapter 2)

In this fic the reader tries to uncover the mystery of the artist behind Zeta-7s portrait.

___________________________

Chapter 3: Dare Not Say That Man Forgets Sooner

Whatever redeeming qualities the room held in the previous happy hours were gone, and now even the remnant, lingering daydreams were falling away. With every hour you comprehended the severity of your assumptions and what the consequences were if you decided that enough was enough. Honestly, you didn't want to lose him because Zeta-7 was the light of your life; he expanded your universe and had helped you become a better person, but you could still carry on if you needed to. You had the means, your work, and an ever growing list of books to read, but was it enough, now that you had gotten a taste of the good life? Probably not.

Nothing made sense anymore.

Concerning the current situation, and all which led up to it; if you considered everything which included your existence, life till now, and all he had ever done, then there was no mistaking that he loved you; or had; at least thought he did, but it didn't change the truth of the matter; you hadn't been the first. A few hours had given you time to weep until you thought you had no tears left to cry, but there was still a thick fog over your thoughts and rationality; any shift of emotion being too much to bear. You curled into yourself, aching, hoping you'd disappear, but it didn't work; you were still here; stuck. Being at a disadvantage, not knowing how to get home and neither having a way to get there if you could was frustrating.

Who knows how long you'd been down here, despairing, wallowing in memories and dust, but you were tired, thirsty, and knew that if you didn't move he'd have trouble finding you, and yet you didn't care; let him find you; let him work for it. Though, how would that make it any better? All it would do is succeed in upsetting him before you knew all the facts. You hated this. Father always said hate was a strong word that shouldn't be taken for granted; you rarely had reason to feel as such, but the more you gleaned from those photos and the more proof you found of her presence about the place made you feel hateful and bitter.

Thinking of her smiling at him, receiving every bit of his loving-kindness and inviting demeanor animated by unaffected good-will; his general countenance and becoming familiar with a fresher-faced creature of your dreams; holding him; touching him; loving him. Oh God no, you thought, groaning into a handmade pillow. What was worse was that you couldn't dissuade the thought of her mysterious silhouette sneaking up behind you, plunging a knife into your already fragile identity, and taking back what was hers. Your doubt feeding these ugly horrors which were hybrids of nightmares and daydreams.

Though during a brief moment of clarity, you had come to a conclusion which hardly alleviated these feelings, but we're true; it wasn't your fault. Yes, it had been your choice to accept him and be in a proper relationship with someone with an ambiguous past, and yes you did snoop around a little, but you didn't know how much he'd been hiding or searching for someone like her and had settled on silly, stupid you. Yet, no matter how much you thought about it, why chase a vision of the past and put so much effort in the present? There must've been more to this; there had to be.

Manifested, unstinted kindness and consideration and love in his form didn't happen out of the blue, it was nurtured and conditioned. Had it been her influence which made you knew? Who knows, but you had been fortunate to have had an opportunity to associate let alone form a romantic attachment, but that would soon pass away once you confronted him. Right? After a little while longer, when your heart was finally beginning to slow and thought you'd be able to catch your breath, you heard him walking about upstairs; calling and knocking.

Rick was home and you turned over on the couch and covered your ears so you wouldn't hear him; you weren't ready to deal with this; you didn't want to deal with this. In your heart of hearts, you wanted to go home, to the past, back to when there were no problems and it was just you, dad, and your dreams. If only he was still around so that he could tell you that everything was alright and it was all just a bad dream and that he could fix it, but you couldn't; only in a dream, you could. Dad always knew what was best, but you were old enough to decide for yourself now.

Did this mean you wish you never knew Rick? No, but you wished that you would've never known about all this; about her; that you could've lived in ignorance. Oh, the sweet, sweet bliss of ignorance, how wonderful it had been while it lasted. Even when his warm laughter echoed down the stairway, having found you, ready, eager and excitable to be near you, you didn't answer. You knew you weren't in the state of mind to say anything nice, that despite it all he wasn't a bad person. Yet, the moment that hand of his touched your shoulder, you hissed. “Don't touch me.”

He gasped, stunned by this uncharacteristic aggression. Maybe you weren't the nice girl he thought you were after all; especially if the rustling of his clothes alone made you angry enough to dig your nails into the couch cushions. Zeta-7 waited for a few moments, ruminating on what would be the best course of action before he knelt down to be at your level and wondered. “What's wrong? Are y-y-you hurt? Is th-there anything I can do?”

Swallowing back a sob, you silently counted to ten then answered in a listless tone. “I don't know if you can. You've… you've been hiding stuff from me.”

“Huh, I-I have? What have I…”

“Don't try to deny it.”

Pushing yourself up, you rubbed your swollen eyes and chanced a look at him; your sight fuzzy as tears threatened to fall but thankfully didn't. The alarm in his widened eyes at the state of your runny nose, and tear-stained cheeks made him instinctively reach out to wipe your tears away, but you pushed that familiar, loving hand away. “M-mi corazón?”

Instead of answering as you usually would, you pulled out the well-loved copy of Persuasion from behind a pillow, took a deep breath and dropped it on his lap. “I found it while I was looking for something to read.”

“Oh geez.”

“And can you believe I found more than I bargained for.”

You two sat in silence for what felt like hours as he stared at it, and when he gathered the courage to look inside, the lines about his brow and mouth deepened; another sign that it was true. When he finally interrupted the silence, he confessed regretfully. “I-I was going to tell you.”

“But you didn't. There's a lot of things that I understand are none of my business, but this….I think is a good time to know. If you care about me at all, then read what you wrote.”

“But it's - it's not what you think.”

“Then there's nothing be afraid of. Go on then, read it.”

Visibly swallowing, his shaky hands held it open and he stuttered. “I-I-I thought of you today as I left th-the milky way, on my way t-to a classified location. I-I wish you were here so I could show you the beauty that exists across the universe, but knowing our limitations I can only send you this wonderful novel that I found when I was exploring a-a bookstore located on one of Saturn's moons. I-I know it can be hard to believe that Miss Jane Austen's works can reach the furthest depths of-of space, but that can be blamed on a certain Gallifreyan and his little blue box. I can't wait to hear what y-y-you think of it. Till next time my dear. With love, from Rick.”

“Don't forget the photos.”

Setting down the book, he glanced at the discarded photos, sagging a little after each one, gauging your reaction after he finished studying them. Rick was a smart man, he knew well enough that he messed up and how compromising those photos were. “It's not - I was only writing as ugh - as a friend.” He began, wringing his hands as he went on. “Y-y-y-y-you know I don't have that many.”

Which was true. “Really? So what did she do for you? Was she special?”

“She - she made me a little less lonely. That in itself was something I w-was grateful for.”

Your nails bit into your palms and that ever familiar ache bloomed across your chest; his answer birthing more questions than you were willing to ask. He offered you a Werther's original to placate you which you accepted; it's wrapper similar to the one in the painting. As ever he waited for you to answer, and the longer he waited, the more he sagged; his eyes pleading, hoping, wishing that he could know whatever hurt clouded your heart and wanted to fix it. “I want to believe you, I really do,” you admitted, which made him hopeful, though only for you to crush it with this. “but I'm tired of walking on eggshells. Tell me, what did you want from me when you had someone like her? Seems as though she was a good match for you. She was a creative who could paint, loved flowers, and butterflies among other things I imagine.”

“Sh-she did.”

You bit the inside of your cheek in an attempt to hold back the surge of feelings which were a result of his sincerity. Damn it. You could do this……possibly. “See?” you said cooly, focusing your gaze on your naked feet. “I knew she was special considering you sent her a book that had belonged to the Doctor. She also knew about your travels, which meant you trusted her and you hardly trust anyone. The point I'm getting at is that I want to know what I am to you. So, am I a knockoff or a rebound? Because we both know there's nothing like the real thing.”

“N-n-no, not at all. You mean th-the world to me and I-I love you. I have only loved you. ”

“But she loved you, didn't she? And you loved her. I can't ignore that. If she's anything like me, then what are we doing together Ricardo? Why aren't you with her? I…. I thought we understood each other but then I found proof that I was only second best. I can't do it, I can't compete with a shadow, and I'm not going to try. I don't have it in me.”

“I-I-I-I never expected you to. Por favor mi amor de m-mi vida, if you'll let me explain, I'll tell you whatever you want. I - I don't want to lose you. Please, honest t-t-to God, I don't. I can't.”

“Hmm, I didn't know you were a praying man.”

“When you're about t-t-to lose your universe, I don't think there are th-that many options. I can't - oh please I can't lose you. Not again.”

You felt your resolve breaking. You wanted to fall into his arms and melt into the comfort of them; for you both to comfort each other and let it all go because it probably was just a big misunderstanding; him being the best thing that ever happened to you, but not yet. Maybe he was a praying man after all, and if God was merciful, then why wouldn't you be? Rick certainly would. For Zeta-7, you could be. He'd definitely given you enough chances.

“Fine.” you decided, helping him up as you stood, but through this brief touch he almost misunderstood, thinking that the worst was over and gave your hand a squeeze; his warm smile weakening your resolve even further. Maybe Ricks were masters at mind games after all. And you knew it wouldn't take much for him to make you forget how unhappy you were, and like magic, show you something wonderful and dazzling, but you didn't want to be charmed; you wanted the truth. You bit the flesh inside of your cheeks hard enough for you to bleed, and despite relishing the warmth which permeated your chilled hands, you let go. “I'm……I'm not over it yet.”

TBC