#( slightly stepping my whole damn foot into angst territory )

[melpcmene-arch]

@strywoven ( kaen! ) / vash-centric starter call

His smile, or had been a smile, was now set in a tight line. A hand was drawn out, fingers calloused yet gentle pressed to the rifle. Pushing it down. Looking at them, Vash, who had been silent, soon began to talk: "You know. I've seen you handle that gun. Like you got a story behind those fingers and how you're gripping it. I see you, Kaen. I see people with rifles and guns. They have their own personal stories with the guns they choose. You got a painful story, don't you?"

[random-mha-thoughts]

Don’t Ignore Me! (Bakugou x Reader)

Pairing: Bakugou x Reader

Requested from my Wattpad:  "Can you please do a fluffy Bakugo x reader chapter where the reader was dared by her friends to try to do 'ignore your boyfriend for 24 hours' challenge? If you don't know, this challenge makes it so that the reader would have to pretend that Bakugo does not exist and they can't respond to any of Bakugo's questions or anything. Look up videos of the challenge if you want to get a better grasp of what the challenge is."

Genre: Fluff (and slight crack?)

Word count: 1,891

Tags:  @yuki-osaki​ @liviitehe​ @iamsoftsodonttoucheume-blog​ @bunnythepipsqueak​

a/n: This ended up being longer than I anticipated... And was a bit difficult to start, but the more I wrote, the more I wanted to write, so I guess it worked out!  I kind of imagined at least 3 different ways this could’ve turned nsfw, but THIS ISN’T THAT KIND OF ONE SHOT SHAME ON ME!

The next post will also be a slightly crack/fluff Baku request from my Wattpad then a Kiri angst, but I miiight not be able to post until Friday or Saturday.  I’m taking a mini road trip down to Florida and it’ll take almost 14 hours, so hopefully I can get some writing done on the drive or once I get there.

Why did I let Mina convince me to do this?

I wanted to text Katsuki earlier and tell him not to come home just so I won't have to ignore him, but that wouldn't be ignoring him!  She told me it would be fun just to see his reaction, and while I initially agreed, it didn't sound as appealing the more I thought about it.  This will probably end in screaming or tears rather than laughs.

The door opens and keys rattle.  "I'm home!" his voice booms out.

I keep my back turned to him as I stir the curry on the stove.  You can do this, it's just a prank, it's only temporary.  You got this, just pretend he's not there.

His heavy footsteps approach me, the hairs on my back tingling as I anticipate him coming up behind me as he usually does.  His puffy hair brushes the side of my head as he peers over my shoulder.  "Sweet, curry!  Wait for me, we can eat together."  Without hesitating, he kisses my cheek and leaves.

I have to resist the urge to answer him back.  Since part of the challenge is to ignore him, I decide to eat without him.  I spoon out some curry on rice and sit at the table by myself.  I don't know how exactly he's going to react, but I know he won't be happy.  We always have our meals together and we talk about our day.  This is gonna be such a jarring break from routine; it'll be difficult for both of us.

He comes back into the room and I don't even look up at him, just scrolling through my phone as I eat.  His footsteps stop short of the table.  "What the- I thought I told you to wait for me!"

I focus on chewing my food so I don't say anything back to him and try to keep a straight face.

"And you didn't even leave a plate for me, what the heck," he grumbles to himself, swaggering into the kitchen to grab one from the cabinet.  He finally sat down with his plate of rice, his pepper paste concoction, and curry.  "So, how was your day-?"

I'd already finished my dinner, so I stand up, cutting him off.  I feel his eyes on me as I casually put my plate in the sink and start cleaning up.

"What the hell?" I catch him mumbling to himself.  "Babe?  What's up?"  He sounds genuinely confused at my behavior.

I don't answer him, continuing to just do my dishes and put away the leftovers into the fridge.  I debated whether or not I should prepare Katuski's lunch for work tomorrow as I usually do.  I mean, I'm just supposed to be ignoring him, not pretending he doesn't exist.  I start taking some of dinner out into one of his containers wordlessly.

As I do that, Katsuki slowly stands up with his finished plate and places them into the sink.  Even as he washes his own dishes, I feel him eye me with his crimson orbs, raking my entire figure over.  When he's about to say something, I put his food container into the fridge and leave the kitchen, strolling into our shared bedroom and settling on our bed.  There's a twinge of guilt as I lay around without him.  Usually, we'd be attached at the hip from the time he gets home to when he leaves in the morning.  He's so perplexed over the whole ordeal.

As I'm scrolling on my laptop, I notice him tentatively tiptoe into the room.  He hesitates every step of the way as if he's testing the waters.  Maybe he's thinking I'm angry at him?  It's almost cute the way he slowly gauges my reaction to every move he makes like he's expected me to explode.  I've never given him the silent treatment; when we argue, we just yell at each other one minute and the next minute we're fine.  This is brand new territory for him.

The bed sinks in next to me as Katsuki rolls in.  At first, he's just staring at me, scanning for any trace of anger.  "Why are you so quiet today?"  When I don't answer, he frowns.  "Hello?  What's going on?"  He half jokingly pokes the side of my head.

I have to furrow my brows and bite my bottom lip to pretend like I'm too invested in what's on my screen so I won't laugh.

"Are you ignoring me?"  I hear the annoyance growing in his voice.  "Did I do something?"  At my continued silence he throws himself onto his back and groans.  "I don't get it!  I don't know what I did!"

Aw, he's blaming himself.  I feel kinda bad.  I know he's beating himself up for a stupid prank I'm trying to pull on him, but I wanna see this all the way through, or at least as long as I can hold out.

His hand suddenly slams my laptop screen closed.  It takes my entire being to keep a blank face and not glare at him.  "Are you gonna talk to me now?"  There's a hint of a smirk in his voice.  I bite my tongue and open the screen again, but he pushes it back down.  "Wonder what you're so engrossed in to talk to me."

I don't even huff as I pull out my phone and start scrolling through it instead.  He groans out again and snatches my phone away from me.  Hoe-

"I thought we solved our problems by talking about it?  Why are you ignoring me?"

I turn over onto my side and show him my back.

"What the f-"  The weight releases from the side of the bed and I shut my eyes just in case he wants to show up in front of me.  He's getting angry now.

He paces around the room for a while, and the soft rustling tells me he's threading his hands messily through his hair.  I feel proud that I know him so well, I can read him like the back of my hand.  Katsuki's stomps finally approach me.  "(Y/n)."  His voice is close to me, so he's kneeling down, but his tone is more somber.  "Talk to me, please?  If it was something I did, I need to know, I really can't think of anything.  I'm going crazy here, just say something for me?"

My heart sinks.  This isn't something I was expecting from him.  I thought he'd be louder about it.

"Seriously, I don't want to go to sleep while you're angry at me, that's not right.  How do I know something didn't happen to you?  Talk to me!"

His desperate pleads almost weaken me completely, and I want to break down and put a stop to this, but I'm gonna be strong.  I keep my eyes closed even in the face of all this and swallow my emotions down.

He sighs and his footsteps retreat.  Then they stop.  Wait, what's he-

Suddenly the bed sinks at the foot and the weight travels up to my back.  "Fine.  Try to keep ignoring me, we'll see what happens."

Crap, what have I gotten myself into?

Katsuki first drops his heavily muscular arm over me, looping it around my shoulders so his thumb brushes the top of my collarbone buried into the mattress.  My fingers itch trying to ignore my reflex of placing my hand on top of his.  "Anyway, my day was okay.  I really missed you though.  Shitty Hair was there, annoying the hell out of me as usual.  Phone battery was even there too.  By the way, leftovers from last night still tasted really good a day later..."

I want to laugh.  So hard.  But if I even so much as shake from laughter, the jig is up.  Every time I feel like laughing, I hold my breath.  He's too funny, going on about his day as if I was actually talking to him.  It's killing me!

Breaking off his monologue for a brief second, he throws a leg over my hip.  "Where was I?  Oh right-"

My eyes shoot open.  WHAT THE HELL KATSUKI!?

I want to yell at him for being such a child, but I can't help thinking it's kind of adorable.  He's hogging his favorite toy in the world, clinging to it like a lifeline.  At this point, the laughter is just sitting in the back of my throat ready to explode at the drop of a hat.

Katsuki breaks off again and sucks his teeth.

Damn it, what's he planning now?

My body is rolled over onto my back and his full body weight suddenly crushes all the breath out of me.  This idiot only smirks down at me.  "You can't ignore a crushing weight on your chest, can you?"

"Fuck's sake!  I can't do this anymore!" I finally break down and scream.  "Get off me!"

He clings his arms around me again so neither of us can move.  "Oh, look at that, you can talk!"

"Katsuki, your giant tits are suffocating me, get off!"

"Not until you tell me why you're ignoring me!"

I groan, utterly defeated anyway.  "Fine!  It was a prank!  Mina dared me to do it!"

His eyebrows furrow.  "Pinky put you up to this?!"  He rolls off so I can breathe properly and sit up.  "Why would you even follow through with that?"

"I don't know, I thought it would be fun?"  I recognize the genuine anger and hurt in his eyes and reach for his hand.  "It was stupid, I know, I'm sorry."

He turns around and gives me his back like a pouting child.  "I really thought I did something, dumbass!  Do you know how confused I was?  That wasn't cool."

I crawl up behind him and slither my arms around his neck.  "I know, it was hard for me to stay quiet knowing how upset you sounded."

Katsuki's voice gets softer.  "I thought you were gonna break up with me."

My entire body gets cold at his somberness.  Considering our track record, this is a strange occurrence for us.  I can't imagine the thoughts going through his head, especially knowing how insecure he can feel.  I bury my head in his neck.  "I knew this would probably happen."  I kiss the taut skin.  "I'm sorry I hurt you.  I love you, Katsuki."

He turns around in my arms and stares me down, his lip still slightly jutting out.  "You have to make it up to me with cuddles for the rest of the night."

A relaxed smile spreads across my face, relieved that he's more or less recovered from it.  "Deal."

We lay back onto the bed again, his head pressed into my chest and his arms constricting around me so I can't move away.  Fingers brush against the side of his head, in his hair, and on the exposed skin at the hem of my shirt.  "Don't do that to me again, dumbass."

"I won't, promise."

A light groan vibrates from his chest.  "Tell me you love me again," he mumbles out the order.

I tilt my head down and press a kiss to his forehead before placing my lips near his ear.  "I love you, dork."

"...Again."

"I love you, big baby."

"Again."

"I love you, Katsuki."

[alistonjdrake]

Of Rust and Gold: Season Two

Or more like...the beginning of my world building posts for Of Vipers and Saints (the sequel) 

My other world building posts:  1  2  3  4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Main Wip Intro here

Below you’ll find a rundown of the key figures/prominent characters of the sequel so let’s get to this, shall we?

OVS, Of Rust and Gold’s first sequel takes us back to the Escana Empire where the Harver reign faces new struggles when they’re asked to join a war on foreign soil, rebellions against their rule are sparked, and an assassination attempt threatens to tear it all apart.  Prince Argus and his ex-pirate lover Leo are finally given the chance to be together, but as the political climate gets hot even they might turn against each other.

Prince Argus: Older and (slightly) wiser, Argus has said goodbye to his party boy nature although not by choice and spends much of his time as a councilman and still pushing his nose into other people’s business and matters that go over his head. Now with fewer friends, a bigger rift between him and his cousin, and a boyfriend he spends all his money on. Lonely but still well dressed. Oh. And he proposed to Leo. 

King Cidro: King of Escan and Emperor of all her territories. Cidro’s reign is still young and he struggles to emerge from the shadow left by Frederick and to move Escan away from the history that stains them. Can be found either doting on his wife or cooing at one of three children he now has. Being a king can get busy but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t get in his family time. A very nice guy but possibly not very keen of his youngest brother’s sugar baby?

Prince Leonides: With their father gone, Leonides has possibly occupied an even bigger space in court. Still striking fear and reluctant attraction into the hearts of others. Between him and the queen, sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s really pulling the strings behind the scenes but at least we can always trust Leonides to know everyone’s deepest darkest secrets. Or does he? 

Queen Liliana: Queen Consort of Escan and Empress of all her territories. After pushing out 3 kids (1 girl and twin boys) she’s moved onto other “duties”. Such as shadowing Cidro everywhere he goes and constantly whispering in his ear before he makes big decisions. What’s she saying? No one knows but no one is gonna ask either because of the resting bitch face. 

Princess Zurina: The only daughter of the late King Frederick and Argus’ oldest sister. The past couple of years have not been easy for her and she’s tired of not being included. She also thinks she’s cursed and that demons are gonna pry the empire from their hands and hates when their religious neighbors come to court.

Princess Damaris/Dame Havisa: Having pushed more of her focus onto knighthood and her work, Damaris is just one step away from leaving the Harver family entirely. After Argus, she’s been engaged several times. Luckily, nothing stuck.

Councillor Gilabert: A councilman who sits next to Argus during meetings. He’s in charge of a whole ass committee put together specifically to find Argus literally anyone else to marry as long as it’s not A. an ex-pirate and B. an ugly ex-pirate. He’s a nice guy. Ask him about his aunts.

Chancellor Harver: Or Prince Manolo. Although he took priestly vows and is technically no longer a prince. He lives and works in the holy capital of Mignola but is back to ask for a favor as war wrecks havoc throughout Codua and the most religious Santivians seem to think this is the Saints saying that something ain’t right with the world. He started growing a mustache. No one has the guts to tell him it’s not a good look. 

Prince Aayden Ponsonby: Possibly Argus’ only friend at this point. Friend, being used liberally. He still has a short temper, but now with more angst considering his father has been locked in his room for 3 years and now he has a family and legacy of his own to consider. 

Lady Cordinia ana’Gustavo Carvallo: Ex-queen, still a stepmom. Cidro put her in charge of the royal nursery. Keep as far away from Argus has possible.

Lord Enyo an’Tomas Serafin: After being dumped he’s actually been away from court for quite some time but could be tempted to come back. Or forced. Depending. 

Reverend Mother Ulrike: Mother of all Santivian nuns and here to pull Escan and Oskya into a war in Codua. It’s a messy situation but hey, some of the Harvers have a bone to pick with the Justice (religious leader) too and she’s hoping to pull them in if only because this might have a negative effect on their empire. 

Ambassador Ulmer: Oskyan Ambassador who literally will never be able to get a break. 

Hartanti Telak: King Frederick might be dead but she remains in the palace as a kindness from King Cidro. Not for any other reason. She has no other job. We swear. 

Maltoq Zamen: So...is he a prisoner? Is he a guest? Are people really still mad at him over the whole “almost fed Argus to a living god” thing? Wow. Get over yourselves. Oh. Also the figurehead ruler of Theassau, one of many territories controlled by Escan. He’s been held in Graza Palace for some time now. 

Marcel: A man traveling with Mother Ulrike because he sought help after fleeing religious persecution caused by the wars in Codua. Certainly not a con artist and definitely not someone Leo recognizes.  

Leo Dianglo: Still grumpy, still drinks a bit too much, and still would rather not talk about it. All he wants to do is put his life of crime behind him (or does he?) and spend some well-deserved time with the man he loves but it’s hard when literally no one in Graza wants him there and he’s constantly being pushed in different directions. Not to mention being the guardian of two teenage boys have put him in more troubling scenarios than he ever signed up for. At least now he’s the captain of his own ship and what he does is totally LEGAL.

Mel: Angst-riddled teenager, definitely cursed, and struggling to understand something no one can really explain to him. With his dad still on the run, people keep coming to him for answers he doesn’t have. But worse yet, they’re trying to teach him things. 

Mung: Pirate orphan #2. When he’s not threatening to murder Mel, he’s also spending way more time with him than he’d like to admit. Sure, Mung is definitely hiding something but he also slouches too much. Let’s pay attention to that instead.

Officer Gerwin: Commander of Escan’s Knights. He’s never having a good day.

Sir Erasmus: Knight elected to keep an eye on Leo and his wards to watch for any illegal activity.  

Tarley Vilardi: A Fate (solider of the Saints) who survived the night all hell broke loose in the holy city. An ex-lover of the now-dead Niels Dursten and blames a certain Harver for it. 

Lady Ludovica: A woman living in Mignola with her children and a distant relative to Mother Ulrike. Might speak up in a case against the Harvers because another one stopped writing her back after their affair. 

Duchess Benedetta Onesta Cassiopeia de ave Astorino: Yes. You have to say her whole name. She’s young and the daughter of a warlord who had a dedicated following, as such she’s been raised as a soldier and her men would die for her. And that’s likely why she’s been waging war in Codua since she was 10. But recently she’s gotten more ambitious and that can’t have anything to do with the fact that her uncle is Justice and hoping to build an empire of his own? In the process of trying to work out an engagement with someone that would give her land on Escana soil and no one wants her to step foot out of Codua. 

Justice Zisa: Well polite in manners he’s known to be quite ambitious and selective when it comes to telling people his intentions. Is he putting any effort into stopping his bloodthirsty niece or is he party to the destruction she’s causing?

Wiara: A girl Leo found in a shipwreck. She claims to be a princess but she was also smelled like blood magic and no one is really sure how she ended up there or what she wants. 

Sister Rosalie Pélissier: Working in the Kallenbach household, a Kellish nun working out the terms of engagement between Lord Gaius Kallenbach, one of the last of the Kellish nobility, and Duchess Benedetta. She also has some radical ideas about the Saints and could possibly be tempted to guide someone else who isn’t a warlord if they’re willing to listen/bring the change she believes the world needs.

Lady Philomené Kallenbach: One of the last of the Kellish nobility. At one point she was engaged to Argus and at another was the symbol for the last Kellish rebellion against the Escana Empire. She and Sister Rosalie are very close.

Lord Gaius Kallenbach: Phil’s younger brother. Might marry Duchess Benedetta and invite her onto Escana soil.  

Lord Elas an’Rodro Barraza: The rivalry between the Barrazas and Harvers goes back to the beginning of Frederick’s reign. There’s a lot of bad blood but current events invite the Barraza family to Graza for a celebration and surely an old man with a grudge is no worse than all the other threats surrounding them. 

Tamune: The living god in the cells deep within Alda. 

 An Assassin: Someone tried to kill a Harver. The question is who?

[itsblissfuloblivion]

Kindle - Chapter 11

A/N: A bit of an extra wait, but hopefully worth it!  Fluff and family and food abound in this chapter!  Thank you for reading, we hope you enjoy!

Love, @fightfortherightsofhouseelves & @gryffindormischief

Also available on FF and Ao3!

After that night, between Teddy’s increasingly busy social schedule, Ginny’s picked up shifts at Ron’s, and Snuffles’ set schedule, and their semi-regular video chats with Harry, the days begin to pass in an easy sort of rhythm.  So before they know it, it’s less than half a month until Harry’s coming home.

As part of their daily rituals, Ginny and Teddy wake early to walk Snuffles at the nearby park - which on special days like this one includes a stop off at Ron’s for a sweet breakfast.  Ginny unhooks Snuffles’ leash and lets him bound after his well loved tennis ball while she shuffles Teddy toward a nearby bench.

They’ve got matching powdery grins when Ginny leans back against the seat and sighs.  “So Harry’s coming home soon.”

“Is it less than two days yet?”

Ginny chuckles, “Not quite, more like fourteen days.”

“Fourteen - that’s,” he flares his fingers out and nearly drops his doughnut into the grass, squeezing it in a death grip at the last moment, “That’s a lot for me.”

“Four after ten,” Ginny supplies, “It’s less than it was before.  Remember that number?”

Teddy frowns, thoughtful, “Nine something.”

“Ninety,” Ginny supplies, swiping at the sugary mess on Teddy’s cheeks, “Which is a very big number.  Even for grownups.”

Snuffles trots back over, offering Ginny the slobbery ball in his mouth with wide eyes.  Ginny stuffs the last of her strawberry cream in her mouth and swipes the remaining bit on her trousers - a travesty of manners her mum probably sensed all the way in Ottery St Catchpole - and throws the ball once again.  Without hesitation, Snuffles bounds off after it.

“Are you gonna leave when Harry gets back?”

Ginny frowns, “Of course not - I love you too much.”

“But you’re not gonna be living with us all the time,” Teddy says, glum.

Brows rising, Ginny slumps back against the bench and mulls on the thought she’d somehow not managed to consider before now.  In all the months of angst and waiting and missing Harry, she’d never really thought about the after.  Well, beyond welcoming him home and then welcoming him home.  But that’s a thought for later, when she’s alone in her - Harry’s - bed later, or maybe he’s still on the other end of the line…

“I’ll be around, Teddy, love.  Whenever you need me.  Plus you know Harry and I are.  Special friends.”

Teddy nods, “Yup, like me ‘n’ Victoire are gonna be.”

Pressing a kiss to his forehead, Ginny tucks Teddy into her side as they watch Snuffles enjoy his roll in the crisp leaves littering the ground.

She’s dying to tell Harry about this little Teddy and Victoire development, but proper storytelling would require some background information that she’d rather not provide at the mo’.  Because really, she’d be more surprised if a story centering around whether or not she was moving in permanently didn’t freak Harry out when he was halfway around the world.

It’s not even that she thinks he won’t want it, because honestly they’re already halfway there, but it’s so soon and she doesn’t want to seem like she’s parlaying Teddy’s adorable questioning into an invitation.  So instead, Ginny files that away in her mental list of things to tell Harry once she can hold him close and feel the thrum of his heart under her hand.

And before they know it, there’s less than a week until Harry’s flight home and Ginny just might be more excited than Teddy - and he’s already drawn a notebook full of pictures of all the things they have to do when Harry returns.

In the last few days, Harry’s non-essentials arrived back in a couple of smaller cardboard boxes, which he sent with explicit instructions to not open.

With less than seventy-two hours between their reunion, Ginny’s finding her patience steadily waning.  Luckily, she’s accidentally planned a pretty packed schedule for Teddy and herself, beginning with a family dinner at the Burrow tonight.  And just in case she was considering begging off, Ron decided to drop by so they could carpool.

So while she’s shuffling Teddy through his ‘get ready’ routine, Ron’s jeering at contestants on the telly who, in his estimation, have questionable intelligence.  

Meanwhile, Teddy slumps off to his bedroom to pick another outfit after Ginny nixes his shorts and t-shirt given the increasingly frigid weather.  They’d spent the afternoon baking biscuits from a recipe they scrounged up on the internet, leaving them both covered in flour and stray bits of dough.  

After showers for them both, Ginny’d tugged on a jumper and her favorite trousers while Teddy tried for light clothing and longed for summer days.  She’s just debating whether her hair is dried enough to avoid giving herself a cold when her mobile begins vibrating itself off the kitchen table.

At the last second, Ginny grabs the phone, mere inches from the floor, and smiles at the photo of Harry - three day’s worth of beard, a glorious tan gilding his skin, and that stupid leather hat that does things to her.

Before the call goes silent, Ginny swipes and presses the phone to her ear.  “Harry?”

“Hey, Gin,” there’s some shuffling, “How’s things?”

Ron’s perked up at the sound of Harry’s name so Ginny wanders into the den and drops onto the couch, “Pretty good - or it was until my lump of a brother showed up.”

“Ron’s around?  Great!”

Ginny frowns, “I mean, it’s not awful.”

That earns her a kick in the shins, once more slight and it’s definitely in messy hair ruffling territory.  Harry chuckles over the line as if he’d heard her thoughts, “Watch it - Ron’s not one to let things go.”

Teddy reemerges at this point, proudly power posing to show off his dinosaur jumper and mismatched corduroys, which is probably as good as it’s going to get tonight.  But if he’s not going to catch cold, she’s fine.  “Very nice Teddy, love,” and then, “Victoire loves dinosaurs.”

“Little matchmaker,” Harry snickers on the other end.

While Ron coos over Teddy’s sweater, Ginny murmurs, “S’not me.  Your godson is a little Casanova.”

Once his laughter dies down, Ginny hears the sound of a door closing and then Harry’s voice is hushed, and a bit low.  “I do have some news.”

“Is everything alright?  Are you hurt?”

“Oh - yes, I’m fine.  I just, there were some flight changes and mine got moved and, well.”

Ron and Teddy are tickle-fighting on the floor so Ginny quickly makes her way to the quieter entryway.  “You can get home, right?  Do I need to get help?”

“No, no it’s fine,” Harry sighs, “It’ll just be a different flight.  I’ll email you the new info when I can.”

Ginny droops back against the door, willing the stupid tears rising in her eyes back.  “Alright, well.  It’s not the end of the world.”

“Not for you,” Harry laughs, “I miss you.”

Smile trembling a little Ginny forces a chuckle, unconvincing though it is.  “I miss you too.”

“Well this whole flight thing is going to make that more difficult.”

Pinching her nose, Ginny’s shoulders slump forward, “How much more difficult?”

“Three days?”

“God, Harry, with the way you carried on - ” Ginny freezes when she hears a man’s chuckle from the other side of the door, “You did not Harry James.”

She can hear his laughter through the door and her phone, “Didn’t what, Gin?”

Stepping backward, Ginny looks at the door like it’s burned her.  “I hear you, you wanker.”

“Is that any way to talk to your loving boyfriend who’s just flown around the world to see you?”

“Stop being a git and open the damn door.”

The knob doesn’t so much as twitch and Ginny grunts.  Harry chuckles on the other end, You open it - I want the dramatic entrance where you leap into my arms.”

“Well I want more than a half a minute’s notice that my boyfriend is coming home after three months so I don’t look like a drowned rat,” Ginny drawls, “So I guess we don’t all get what we want.”

There’s a thud as if he kicked out at the door.  “Open up.”

Ginny quirks a brow and folds her arms over her chest, after switching the phone to speaker.  “You.”

“No.”

Ron and Teddy choose that moment to wander in, mostly dressed save for Ron’s trainers and Teddy’s unbuttoned coat.  While Teddy makes grabby hands for the phone, Ron narrows his eyes, “What sort of weird,” his voice drops, “foreplay is this?”

“Your best friend is being an arse and won’t just come inside.”

Confused, Ron looks between Ginny and the door, “You - he - Harry’s out there?”

In the interim, Teddy managed to grab Ginny’s mobile and has been updating his Godfather on the state of his action figures’ lives, and made his way over to the kitchen table where his crayons and paper are still strewn about from his earlier artistic inspirations.

Ron’s eyes widen at Ginny, and he gestures toward the door in an encouraging fashion.  But when he sees she’s not moving, he lets out a dejected sigh, “I guess I’ll let our visitor in - our visitor,” he pitches his voice higher, “Who actually lives here and has a bloody key.”

Ginny folds her arms tighter over her middle and taps her foot impatiently while Ron makes good on his declaration and throws the door open.  

And while Ginny’s slightly annoyed that she’s not the first one to hug Harry, she’s sort of glad for the moment to collect herself, to catch her breath, because she’d never really got what people meant when they said their heart stopped.  But if she’s ever experienced that, it’s now.

He’s here, after days, weeks, months of waiting, Harry’s mere feet away from her, suntanned and bedraggled and here.

Ron claps him on the back and is a little teary when he pulls away.  By this point, Teddy’s run into the room and thrown himself into Harry’s arms.  

Rising, Harry keeps Teddy close with a broad hand over his back, green eyes squeezed shut while Teddy shudders out a happy sob.  Ron throws an arm around Ginny’s shoulders and presses a kiss to her hairline.

Eventually, Teddy does resume his childish wiggles and wants to be released, allowing one last hug and a kiss to his forehead before he gets untamably antsy and patters off to grab a toy to bring to the Burrow.

And then it’s just Harry and Ginny and it’s like every pent up emotion, desire, and longing wells up inside of her until she’s frozen, gaze locked with Harry’s.

Until Ron clears his throat and Ginny remembers it’s not just them.  “So, uh,” he rubs at his neck, “I’ll just take Ted out for a milkshake?”

To his credit, Teddy looks a bit torn between Harry and the prospect of dessert before dinner.  Harry takes pity - although he’s certainly got a vested interest in some alone time with Ginny - and encourages Teddy to go, promising a full day together tomorrow, and bedtime stories tonight.

Once the door clicks shut behind Ron, who gets a free pass for his teasing looks because of his unexpected consideration, Harry steps toward Ginny slowly.  “I uh- I wanted it to be a surprise,” he ruffles his hair, “And I half thought it was too good to be true, even when I got on the plane.  Hell, when I landed I was waiting for them to hold me hostage at customs for three days.”

Ginny laughs, brushing tears from her eyes as she shakes her head, “You stupid, stupid man.”

Harry steps a little closer, “That you love.”

“Can’t think quite why.”

Another step.

“Brilliant.”

“Passably smart.”

Another.

“Devastatingly handsome.”

They’re barely an arm’s length apart.

“Slightly above average looks.”

Harry’s hand cups her jaw and his voice pitches lower, “Dashing beard and hat to go with it.”

“Well, I picked out the hat so - ”

And then his lips are on hers, warm and sure and deliciously, torturously slow while her arms wrap around his neck like she’ll never let him go.

Somehow, they stumble over to the couch without knocking over furniture or breaking Teddy’s toys that litter the floor, until Harry’s pressed against the cushions and Ginny’s splayed across him.  Breathless, Ginny pulls back as Harry’s fingers run through her damp hair.  “God, Gin, I missed you.”

She kisses the tip of his nose, “Tell me all about it.”

“Your eyes, your laugh, your little sassy remarks,” he kisses her chin, “The way you smell.”

Ginny scratches at his beard, “Good I hope.”

“Heavenly.”

Before Ginny can dive back in, Harry’s phone begins vibrating in his pocket and she tumbles onto the floor in a fit of giggles, “Sorry - that,” she sighs, “It tickled.”

Harry flips over, sending his phone to the floor as he brushes his fingers along Ginny’s jawline.  “You’re so far away.”

She snorts, “Ron’s calling - was calling.”

After a minute of silence where they stare at each other in an admittedly soppy manner, Harry’s phone vibrates again and Ginny swipes across the screen.  “Hello?”

“I’m just calling to see if you’re decent.”

“If we’re - what the hell?  It’s been like ten minutes.” Harry wriggles his brows, “A lot can happen in ten minutes.”

Flicking Harry’s nose, Ginny turns her attention back to Ron, ���Yes, we’re decent, bring Teddy home.”

“And then we leave for the Burrow?”

Somehow, in all the confusion, family dinner had completely slipped Ginny’s mind.  So she turns to Harry, “Awake enough to go to mum and dad’s for dinner?”

“Will there be mashed potatoes?”

“Loads,” Ginny leans in close and kisses him short, but full of promise, “And I bet mum’ll give us some to take home for later - ”

Forgotten until then, Ron groans and shouts something about being home in five after he hurls in the gutter, Ginny disconnects the phone and tosses it aside while Harry frowns, “I - oh.  Yes - yes to everything.”

“Can’t put anything past you, my love,” Ginny teases, brushing her fingers through his beard.

“I’ve got major,” Harry yawns, “Jet-lag.  Excuse me.”

Soon enough, they’re piled into Ginny’s little sedan and trundling off toward the Burrow while Teddy and Harry doze off in the back seat.

By the time Teddy wakes from his grumbling stomach and Ron starts to get hangry, they’re driving up toward the house, gravel crumbling under the the tires loud enough to wake Harry.

When Ginny puts the car in park, Harry leans forward sleepily and presses a kiss to her shoulder, “Thanks for driving, Gin.”

“I was not about to trust you behind the wheel - or hungry Ron for that matter,” Ginny laughs, twisting around so she can see Harry in the dim light, crooked glasses and sleep crinkles on his face.

Ron’s already disappeared into the house, likely hoping to ‘taste test’ whatever’s ready while Teddy seems content to stay at Harry’s side.  Not that Ginny can much blame him.  After three months, Harry's surprise coming home three days early feels like a dream and silly as it is Ginny doesn't want to let him out of her sight for fear of waking up.

They do amble into the house, enjoying the night sky as the deep blue hue darkens to black and Ginny's stomach grumbles.  Harry snickers. “Hungry there?”

“Well dinner was delayed by an hour.”

“Sorry, shall I leave again?”

Scoffing, Ginny rolls her eyes, but Teddy’s feeling less humorous about the whole thing and grips Harry’s leg tightly.  They pause outside the back door of the house and Harry’s eyes are soft as he kneels next to his godson.  “I was just teasing Ted, love.  I’m not leaving.”

Teddy nods jerkily and Ginny brushes his lank hair back from his forehead.  “It’s true - I’ll get his passport revoked.”

And while Teddy’s grip of Ginny’s meaning is minimal, Harry lets out a barking laugh and ushers them inside the topsy-turvy cottage.

Within mere seconds, they’re engulfed in bone-crushing hugs and damp kisses from the ladies present, and Harry’s first thought is spent wondering why he stayed away from this family for so long.

During the summers when he was young, if he wasn’t with his parents, he was exploring the expansive woods and meadows that surrounded Ottery St. Catchpole or being stuffed to bursting with delicious food care of Molly Weasley.  If Ginny’d been a part of that deal, Harry’s parents would’ve had to pry him out of this little house with a crowbar.

So it’s no surprise when Molly exclaims over his too-thin frame and almost immediately begins pushing food onto his plate light years faster than he can eat it.  It’s no replacement for his mother, but it’s still nice to be mothered.  And Molly Weasley’s an Olympic champion at the art.

Harry’s already two servings of mashed potatoes in before he realizes his little shadow has vanished and he has a moment of panic - home less than ten hours and he’s already lost Teddy - before spotting his little grinning face four people down at the end of the table, listening intently as a tiny blonde chatters in lightly accented English.

Ginny, however, has stayed close, her shoulder brushing his in that comforting way that reminds him he’s finally home.  When there’s a pause in the conversation, Harry leans close and whispers, “Ted’s got a new friend.”

Her gaze follows his and she grins, “Victoire and Teddy are practically inseparable - you and your godson are little ladies’ men.”

“If you mean we know a good lady when we see one then…”

“You’re lucky you said that when I’m too happy to take the mickey,” Ginny laughs, slicing a bite of roast and dunking it through her potatoes.

Before Harry can sass her back, Ron shouts across the table, much to his Mum’s dismay, “Oi!  Lovebirds.  You’re holding up the stuffing line.”

Looking to his left, Harry finds a smirking George waiting with bowl in hand.  “Alright there, Harry?  I could ‘accidentally’ lock you in the larder with Gin-Gin.”

Ron winces and tosses a roll at George, “Ew - please not while I’m eating.”

Hermione snorts, “Well then he’ll never get a word in, will he?”

The family descends into fits of laughter - Ron included - and before Harry knows it, dinner’s been had, three tarts have been devoured, and he’s following Ginny as she leads the way to her childhood bedroom while the family relaxes in the den.

“You’re a little minx, sneaking a boy up to your room while your mum and dad are just downstairs.”

Ginny turns and quirks a brow, “You are literally raising a child.”

“Fine, man.”

“Because that’s the only thing wrong with that sentence.”

Without pausing, Ginny swings the door to her room open, the cozy space dominated by a barely double bed with a soft grey and blue quilt, all settled atop a homemade braided rag rug.  The floor creaks beneath Harry’s feet as he examines the posters that decorate the pale green walls - a girl band or two, more than a couple sports figures, and a whole collection of family and team photos that timeline her childhood.

Pausing, Harry gestures to a single frame housing a picture of Ginny where she can’t be more than six, football in hand and more than a couple missing teeth.  “Did those teeth come out naturally or did you take a ball to the face?”

Ginny rolls her eyes and comes to peer over his shoulder, “They were loose, excuse you.”

“Yes, but how did they come out?”

“Knee to the face, Mr Smarty-Pants.”

Harry presses a kiss to her forehead and smiles, “I don’t know how your mum and dad disciplined you - those eyes and the freckles?  I’d have been putty in your hands.”

“You are putty in my hands,” Ginny murmurs, rising on tiptoe and pressing a lingering kiss to Harry’s lips.  One that has him chasing her lips when she pulls away all too soon.

“I knew you only brought me up here for an illicit snog in your parents’ house.”

“Are you objecting?”

The following days are filled with unpacking, too much food (in just the right way), and sleeping until Harry feels like a person again.  He’d tried pushing through the jet lag that first night, but after three months of craziness, Harry fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and was immovable until dinner the next night.  Still, he made the trouble worth Ginny’s while with a special after dinner - and after bedtime - treat for adults only.

In no time at all, they’re flushed and happy, tucked up in bed with a bottle of Pisco tucked between them.  “You know when you said you had a surprise in the bedroom, I really wanted it to involve less clothing.”

“I’m being romantic.”

“I can be romantic while naked.”

Harry kisses her, the sweet liqueur fresh on her lips.  “I know - but If you’re naked when I bring this up, it’ll seem - ”

“Bring what up?”

“I know it’s practically a moot point by now, but I - we.  Teddy and I want to ask you to move in. Officially.”

Ginny sets her glass aside and grabs Harry’s, doing the same before she straddles his legs and strokes his beard.  “Of course, my love.”

Completely overcome, Harry tackles Ginny backward onto the bed and peppers her face with kisses, earning giggles that bubble up her throat.  “Upside-down.  Kinky.”

“Don’t sass me Weasley.”

Ginny grasps his hair and tugs him in for a kiss, and a deeper one, “Sass is one of the main tenets of our relationship.”

Pulling away breathlessly, Harry looks at her, eyes already blown wide and lips swollen.  “If you’re still thinking about words like ‘tenet’ I need to work harder.”

Ginny sighs as he kisses down her throat, working the hem of her t-shirt up her midriff, “No arguments here.”

Later, after they’ve more than re-acquainted themselves with each other, Ginny lets her fingers trail gently up and down Harry’s side.  “So, how nerdy is it to talk shop in bed?”

His chuckle rumbles through his chest.  “If we’re ok with it, then it doesn’t really matter, yeah?”

Ginny pushes up on her elbow and tosses her hair back over her shoulder.  “Well then tell me, how was everything?”

“Amazing - everything I hoped,” Harry props his head against his mussed pillows, “We’ve got so much new data - my theories panned out for the most part.  And I’m still in that blissful phase where I’m excited to write.”

“Enjoy it while you can,” Ginny laughs conspiratorially, “I’ll want more details of course.”

“You’ll get more than you could ever ask for come editing time,” Harry says, running his fingers through her hair, thoughtful, “How’s things with your paper?”

Ginny jolts up, “Oh!  I forgot to tell you in all the excitement - my advisor showed a colleague my paper and I’ve got an internship for next quarter!”

Harry kisses her excitedly, “We’re a couple of good news hoarders, eh?”

Humming, Ginny drops onto her back and tugs at Harry’s hand until he shifts with her silent direction, “Yes, and I believe a double celebration is in order.”

[mothereffingtae]

a pretty play | 3 || j.jk

→ pairing: Jeon Jeongguk x reader

→ genre: hockey!au, fuckboy!au, jock!au, fluff, small amount of angst

→ word count: 3, 578

→ summary: You recently started dating Ethan, one of the best players for your university’s hockey team. You watch one of his practices and all eyes are on you-especially Jungkook’s, the captain of the team.

→ a/n: There’s an error on mobile where you can’t see those faint dividing lines. It’ll be slightly confusing as you read it since I use those to separate different scenes.

→ Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5

Ethan isn’t late for practice for once in his life. Both of you managed to get out of the house at a time that allowed you two to arrive at the arena approximately ten minutes early-even with your short detour called “a Starbucks trip”.

A duffle bag on his shoulder and a tall iced Americano in your hand, you two walked into the chilled venue. All eyes land on you two. Some eyes grow wide, and some had to do a double take.

“Wow, Ethan is early for once in his damn life!”

The arena erupts in laughter; Ethan and you included. He knew about his bad rep with the attendance but shrugged it since it was no big deal for him. However, the coach thought differently.

“Okay folks, I got the keys to the change room-Oh nice to see you bright and early Ethan!” The coach nods sarcastically at your boyfriend and he gives a nod of acknowledgment in return.

As the players file in the room, the old man walks towards you and Ethan.

“Son,” His meaty hand lands on Ethan’s right shoulder, right beside your face. You could smell the cigarette stench floating around it. “You know about your attendance rep, right?”

“Yes coach, I’m working on that.” His arms move up and down motioning to his current presence.

“I can see that.” You try to hold back a snort as the coach gives Ethan a deadpan look. He’s either unimpressed by Ethan’s sense of humor or his irresponsibility; He probably doesn’t like both. “Look, Ethan. I know you’re a great player, you show that on your time in games and the occasional practices. However, that won’t stop me from kicking you off the team-”

“But coach! You can’t just say that-” Ethan’s taken aback and so are you. His heart and soul is within hockey-even if he doesn’t show it through his low attendance record, he definitely excels during his time on the ice competing for the medal.

“I know. That’s why this is your one and only warning. One more late practice, then you’re off the team. Go and get in there Great One.” Coach inserts Ethan’s nickname that’ll boost his ego by tenfold and shoot pride through his veins. That’s how you get him to listen; Put in the pride factor and he’ll do anything to not let that down.

The coach’s meaty hands shove Ethan in the direction of the change room. Ethan nearly trips over his feet as he tried to sneak a quick over-the-shoulder glance at you before he disappeared behind the doors.

Now, it’s just you and the coach. The coach turns around, eyes on the ground, hands on his hips and his head shaking side to side. What are you supposed to do? Do you start a small conversation about Ethan’s antics? Finally introduce your name so you’re not just Ethan’s girl? Your final decision: awkwardly rock on your feet.

“You.” Your attention snaps to the hockey coach and you immediately stand still-even straightening your posture a bit.

“M-Me?”

“I know you’re his girlfriend, you’re a really good one for him; Responsible, smart, and everything he’s not. So keep a check on him for me, okay?”

“Yes coach.” You nod with a giddy smile on your face.

You’re scrolling on your phone since there’s nothing to look at on the rink except for ice, ice, and more ice. A loud clinking of the change room door scares you, causing you to slightly jump in your seat. Turning your head to see who made that noise, you land on a figure with the number 97 plastered on his jersey.

“Hey Y/N”

“Oh, hey Jungkook.”

He continues to walk past you and you can’t resist the urge to follow him with your eyes. It mesmerizes you how his whole persona changes as he steps foot on the ice. His main focus is on the puck as it glides on top of the frozen water. Your eyes follow the black object as it gracefully maneuvers with the aid of the flicks of the hockey stick. It’s as if that piece of fiberglass was with him since birth. You’re so drawn in by his skill that soon, you find yourself leaning forward on the boards to the point where you might flip over it.

“Like what you see?” Jungkook spots you observing and glides towards you. As he leans to the left to stop in front of you, some shaven ice to flings up to your face.

You could care less.

You’re still in awe.

“Holy shit-I-you-” Words can’t seem to form and you think that flailing your arms could help make him see your point.“I mean, I know you’re captain and all but damn-”

He laughs at your wide-eyed state and looks down at the ground sheepishly. Jungkook knows that he’s a good player, but compliments never fail to send him in a state of fluster. It causes his cheeks to turn a shade of red and he tries to cover it by tilting his head towards the ground. But even if a good portion of his helmet covers his face you pick up his embarrassed state.

“Okay, Y/N, you can stop now.” He nervously laughs.

“Awe Jungkook! You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed!” Your hand grabs the top of his helmet and you lightly jostle his head side to side. An immediate reaction from him is to swat your hand away.

“You should stop before I drag your ass on the ice and beat you in 1 v 1.” Finally, he looks up. His eyes harboring a youthful glow to them as his rosy cheeks push upwards to mold his brown orbs into two half moons. It’s refreshing for you to see him like this after all the stress that has been thrown on his shoulders from your project.

The two of you share more laughs, smiles and occasional shoves here-and-there. Any bystander passing by at this moment would think you two are flirting-maybe even as an item.

As you two continue chatting, Ethan silently watches you by the change room entrance. His jaw is clenched and fumes steam out of his ears. In his eyes, he sees Jungkook luring you as one of his next victims; In your eyes, you see Jungkook having a friendly conversation with you.

Ethan stomps his way to you two and slings a shoulder over you.

“Hey, Ethan.”

“Hey babe.” You give him a light peck on the lips and continue your chatter with Jungkook.

Ethan’s jealousy and possessiveness begin to slip out of him. It starts off as an innocent back hug as he rests his chin on top of your head, then it transforms into small suggestive whispers in your ear-which ends up with you playfully swatting him on the cheek. It’s the last straw for you when his small pecks on your neck turn into a harsh sucking and tugging of your skin to mark up his territory.

You were fine with it in the beginning. Small kisses on the neck were a norm for you two. However, obnoxious sounds and biting of the skin were not appropriate in this scenario. You became visibly uncomfortable and Jungkook exchanged concerned glances between you and your boyfriend's mouth on your skin.

“Ethan, stop,” Jungkook commands him.

“Hmm?” He looks up through his lashes with flames and mischief swirling in his eyes.

“I told you to fucking stop.” Jungkook’s voice grows a step louder and more stern. You can visibly see him clench his jaw which causes the vein on his neck to protrude.

Oh God, seeing how the events turned out, you wished you could’ve asked your boyfriend to stop yourself. But the power to do so happened to drain out of you. Ever since that incident when he knew he crossed the line with another attempt to take your virginity away, whenever he would touch you in a suggestive way-like right now-you would freeze under his touch. You can’t explain if it’s fear or helplessness that causes this. But either way, you’ve grown uncomfortable to the point where your mind blacks out.

“Fine then. But just so you know,” Ethan leans in close to Jungkook to the point where his breath fogs up Jungkook’s clear plastic visor, “she’s my girlfriend.”

With a scoff, Jungkook skates away and continues his drills with the other players. Now it’s your turn to reprimand Ethan. You turn around to see a smirk plastered on his face.

“What the hell was that?” You shove him back; Which only feeds his smirk to grow bigger.

“I have to show that fucker who you belong to.” He leans in to kiss you but you lean to the left to dodge his lips. His face twists into a dark rage and if you weren’t so mad at him, you might have begun to tremble at his stare.

He leaves your side and shreds the ice. You’re left there alone with the presence of the cold air.

As the practice progresses, the tension between the two of them grow thick; It’s as if you can cut it with a flick of a knife.

Their teammates can sense it too.

Confused eyes constantly switch between Ethan and Jungkook in their awfully quiet state. Observing the other players, you can see the gears turn in their head as they quietly try figure out what happened between the two. You guess they reached their answer when the majority of them start to whisper in each other's ears while taking quick glances in your direction.

The practice has finally come to an end. Both you and Jungkook are patiently waiting on the bleachers for Ethan to finish changing so Ethan can drive you back to their shared house to work on your project. Even though both of you despise him at the moment, he’s your only drive to their place-unless he decides to ditch on you again, you’ve got the trusted bus passing by every hour.

Players file out and all of them look at you with smirks on their faces. Confusion submerges you and you begin to feel insecure under their eyes. Jungkook notices their stare as well and shares a concerned look with you, but you just shrug to reassure him.

Ethan is the last to come out.

You and Jungkook simultaneously stand from where you were sitting and quietly follow him. The past events haven’t slipped out of your minds just yet.

You silently give a small thanks to God as Ethan’s car finally pulls up in the driveway of their shared home. If you thought the practice was tense, the car ride was much worse. You almost opted to jump out of the car because you felt so uncomfortable.

For the whole ride, you stiffly sat in the passenger's seat beside Ethan. You could see him glance at you in your peripheral. But you didn’t return one. Your heart was as cold as the ice in the hockey rink. However, you would melt and soften when you ask Jungkook where you should work on your project. His room? Sure, why not.

“I don’t think so.” Ethan’s voice booms from the bottom of the staircase.

You stop dead in your tracks, your eyes nearly rolling to the back of your head. You whip around to look down at him; Arms crossed over your chest and your left hip jutting out.

“What?” Your voice returning the same volume as his.

“Just the two of you… working on a project… in his room? Do you know where that’s going to lead?” His footsteps make their way up the stairs towards you and you can see the fire in his icy blue eyes.

“Okay, if you’re so worried, why not join us?” You spit in his face.

“I don’t like to share. But I guess you’re into that kind of shit, you whore.”

That’s it.

You slap your hand right across his face. The skin of your palm began to sting, so imagine the damage you did to his reddening cheek. The harsh contact of skin slapping skin created a loud sound that bounced against the walls of their home. It even summons Jungkook out of his room with a concerned look on his face.

Your body whirls around and begins to make it’s way to Jugnkook’s room. With every step you take, you leave a path of fire behind you. And once you reach the doorway of Jungkook’s room, you turn around. At this point, you wouldn’t be surprised if you had flames growing out of your head.

Let him see how mad you are, rings through your mind.

Adrenaline begins to spill through your body. As you lock your eyes with his, mirroring the same intensity he bares in his blue orbs, you open your mouth and the words fly out:

“Fuck you.”

Then you slam the bedroom door, leaving both Jungkook and Ethan stunned in their place. Jungkook awkwardly turns to Ethan, in which he scoffs, grabs his jacket, and leaves; Also slamming the door. This leaves Jungkook alone in the upstairs hallway to fully process the events that just happened.

This is why I don’t do relationships, he thinks.

Jungkook awkwardly enters his bedroom to see you crying on the floor. He stands there like a statue. He’s never good with other people’s emotions-especially girls. He personally finds them scarier than guys when they’re at their worst. This is usually why he prefers to just receive the pleasure and leave before any attachment so he wouldn’t end up with a situation like this.

“Uhm, let’s go work on our project. It’s due tomorrow, yeah?” He nervously stammers at the doorway.

You look up with puffy, bloodshot eyes and nod your head. Despite the fact that you’ve been around Jungkook at least three times a week for the past two months, you’re still not fully open to him. But crying in front of others is the most vulnerable state you can show to someone in your opinion. So for him to see you like this, you let your walls fall down.

“Ethan and I have been constantly fighting for a while.” Blurts out of your mouth.

“Pardon?” Jungkook’s eyes waver towards your vulnerable state, unsure of where you’re going with the conversation.

“Our fights are usually over small things. He seems really tense lately and would be paranoid by basically everything I do. I thought it was just a difficult time for him, so I usually let it slide. This was the first time I actually said something back.” You timidly look up to see Jungkook sitting on the floor across from you with a sympathetic look resting in his eyes.

“Oh God, I’m so stupid. After today he’s probably going to realize I was a waste of time. Why would he ever be with a girl like me when he has a line of girls ten times more beautiful than I am! He’s going to see them waiting for him and forget me just like-” Another sob spills out of you, but you find yourself being engulfed by a pair of arms.

It’s a stiff embrace, to say the least. Jungkook never comforted anyone like this. But once you eased into his hold, he molded against your body; His chin on top of your head, your body perfectly tucked into his chest, and your breaths in sync. His head turns to rest his cheek against the crown of your head. You can sense he’s mumbling something as you feel the wind of his breath pass through your hair and his lips moving against your scalp. You give a soft hmm as a request for him to speak louder.

“He would be one hell of an idiot if he chooses someone other than you. You know, you’re too good for him.” He speaks softly, but loud enough for you to hear, “If anything happens between you and Ethan, please know that I’ll be by your side.”

You stay comfortably in his arms for a moment. As you take in his words, your body grows stiff. Jungkook notices your muscles tensing up and hastily puts some space between you two.

“Why on my side?” You ask but this brings up confusion to Jungkook’s face, “Why me when you are his best friend. Why me when I’m just another one of the girls on his list?”

His eyes divert to the ground as he looks for the correct words. His thumbs fight against each other and his leg bobs up and down. You reach for his arm to calm him down but he flinches away; Nervous is a trait that you never thought would fall under Jungkook’s name.

“So-uhm-I-my-shit,” His eyes start to scan every item in the room but you, “I’m not good with words or expressing my-uh-feelings, let’s just start off with that.” He looks at you only to see the calm anticipation in your eyes.

“I didn’t like you at the beginning, and you didn’t like me back. But you still managed to push through and think past all the rumors or my so-called reputation. You also didn’t throw yourself at me which was a plus…” He trails off as he scratches the back of his neck, “Okay, fuck it, I’m just going to say this. I’m incredibly comfortable around you, it makes me scared. I’m not like this to any girl or any guy in that fact. You’re the only person that I feel I’m truly myself. I don’t have to put on an act, I don’t have to lie in front of people, I don’t have to make bets, and I don’t have to talk about the girls I’m fu-”

“Calm yourself there, I get it.” You lightly laugh, “I think of you as a really great friend; a best friend even.”

As you watch him, it’s as if pounds of bricks rose from his back. A light smile hangs on his face, his shoulders sit up taller, and his eyes harbor a content look.

“After we hand in this project tomorrow, we better stay as friends or else I’m dragging you to hell.” He nudges your foot with his; In which you kick him in the shin as a return.

The two of you work quickly and diligently to add the final touches to your social platform project. Your plans and ideas from day one beautifully flowed into the codes you inputted in your computers. Both of you look at the final product and sigh. The idea of only having two months to create something like this seemed impossible, but there you two were, working to the minute to perfect this project; Which you completed on time! In hindsight, you don’t believe your work would have ever been this good if you weren’t partnered with Jungkook.

“You know I didn’t want to get paired with you.” You say randomly.

“Me neither.” He returns; You push him over as your response.

It was approximately 5:00 pm when you got a call from Hoseok reminding you that the three of you are going out for a place to eat. All your stuff was packed up in your bag as you waved goodbye in front of your shared car; He waved goodbye from his front porch and soon, you were gone.

Presently, he sits on his couch with a cup of microwavable ramen. He was sitting there in peace and tranquility, basking in the stressless moment until Ethan storms through the house, nearly pulling the front door off its hinges.

“What the fuck do you want with her?” Ethan throws his coat onto Jungkook, spilling his ramen on his sweatshirt. Jungkook doesn’t have enough time to process what was going on until he soon realizes that he’s getting hauled to the ground by the collar of his hoodie. Ethan’s wide hands find their way around Jungkook’s neck, causing stars to form in his vision.

Ethan’s face comes close to Jungkook’s as he continues to yell vigorously in his face, passing on the lingering scent of the alcohol he drank in previous events that lead to this. As a do or die instinct, Jungkook kicks Ethan in the groin which loosens the grip around his airway. The tables turn and Jungkook has Ethan’s back on the floor with his knee against Ethan’s chest to prevent him from getting up. Ethan was rabid under Jungkook’s weight at first but there was too much alcohol in his stream to really focus on getting out of the trap; Therefore, he laid there with a haze over his eyes.

“I know you like her Jeon,” Jungkook reacts to his friend’s words immediately by denying and pushing his knee harder on Ethan’s chest. “I can see it in your eyes, the rest of the team can see it, everyone can see your love for her.”

“Shut your mouth, I don’t love anyone.” Jungkook seethes through his gritted teeth.

“Tsk, tsk. You’re in such denial, it’s cute.” Ethan spits out, “Did you fuck her to mask your feelings like you always do? Did you get to pretend that you actually felt loved for once? Did you-”

“FUCK YOU!” Jungkook grabs Ethan’s collar and pulls him up, only to throw him back down. With that, Jungkook leaves the comfort of his house, even if he has ramen all over his hoodie. It doesn’t matter anyway since it’ll be off soon.

As he walks out of the house, he does what he hasn’t for the past two months: he calls up Makayla and tells her he’s going over.

Makayla is one of the girls on campus who’s notorious for their numerous hookups with the boys of the hockey team. Bets have been placed on her day after day, but once she laid eyes on Jungkook, she knew she wanted him bad. If Jungkook ever decides to hang out with her or vice versa, nothing innocent is to arise. One foot in each others doorway and they’ll find themselves tangled in the sheets of desperation and lust.

Ethan’s words swirl in Jungkook’s mind. It hits him like a truck. All his comfort and euphoria that spreads throughout his body when he’s with you is definitely no sign of a friendship. It scares him to death. A relationship is too foreign for him.

So here he is, doing exactly what Ethan criticized him; Fucking another to forget his feelings.

Rays of the orange sunlight cascade through the spaces between your curtains. The dips and hills of your mattress mold against your body. It’s heaven on earth to you. However, the celestial sleep gets interrupted with a soft knock on your front door. Your bed creaks as you get up to open it, but the sound of Taehyung’s footsteps and the sound of the street flooding in opt you to lay back down-that is until Taehyung yells that it’s your boyfriend.

You groan inwardly. The events of last night have not left your mind yet, nor will they ever. You may forgive today, but you won’t forget.

As you near the door, you realize it doesn’t reveal a pleading, puppy-eyed Ethan. Instead, his sharp blue eyes fiercely stare into yours.

“What do you want?” You spit out.

“I’m going to make this clear, whatever you and Jungkook have-”

“-We’re just friends-”

“I don’t care. Whatever it is, it’s done. Your project is over, great, now you can’t hang out with him anymore-”

“Why-”

“Wow,” He leans in close and harshly tilts your chin up to look at him, “You’re just like all the other girls. You’re going to get hurt with a guy like him.” His hand drops and he turns his back to you as he walks towards his car. Midway to his vehicle, he stops and looks back at you over his shoulder.

“Me or Jungkook; Choose.”

→ Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 

[tombloodyfelton]

So I finally decided to get out of my comfort zone and write something silly with zero angst and terrible puns and questionable morals. I just thought I owed it to Julian (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) Pls don’t hate me for this lol. 

Part I - Allenbert

After the whole fiasco of wiping off Barry’s memories and his little row with Cisco over what could have possibly gone wrong (‘There was nothing wrong with my disruptor, Julian, I’d calculated everything!’, ‘Oh, then why did you forget about Barry’s increase neural velocity?’, ‘Excuse me, but it wasn’t like you remembered that tiny little detail either, Mr. Metahuman Specialist!’), Julian had retreated to the small room next to the Cortex, which he had basically made his own private office. He was currently making himself look busy with working on an algorithm to identify patterns in unsolved murders in Central City in the past ten years when Barry Allen walked in, looking slightly sheepish, but mostly curious and...well, carefree.

‘Carefree’ was a word Julian would have never thought he would one day use to describe the superhero of Central City, but well, here he was.

“So...since everyone else is busy downstairs trying to figure out how to... fix me, I was wondering if we could...talk, perhaps?”

Julian didn’t take his eyes off the tablet in his hands as his fingers typed in a series of codes in quick succession. “Talk? Alright. I can multitask.”

“What do you know about me?”

The question came out of nowhere and made Julian look up at the younger man with a raised brow, “What do I know about you?” You’re a shitty CSI, you’re sloppy and hot-headed, you never listen to my wise suggestions, you have a hero complex… “You’re gay and we’re dating.”

He wasn’t sure why he said that. Maybe because he thought it would rattle Barry, or at the very least annoy him. He liked getting under Barry’s skin, ruffling his feathers, so to speak. It was all good fun, the length the two would go to just to see nostrils flare, teeth sinking into the bottom lip to stop a particularly nasty remark from escaping, but failing most of the time and then being shamelessly unapologetic about it. He braced himself for a sarcastic retort, but for some reason, it didn’t come.

Barry’s pleasantly surprised “We are?” wasn’t exactly what Julian had been expecting to hear. He expected a certain amount of skepticism at least, but instead Barry had sounded pleased with the possibility of them together. Julian also noticed that the brunette CSI hadn’t even objected to being gay either. Curiouser and curiouser.

“Yes, totally.” He said flippantly to mask his surprise, eyes cast downward at the tablet, numbers and charts mixing haphazardly with the sudden images of Barry bent over his desk at the precinct, pants pooling around his long legs, his bare ass sticking out in the air.

Julian dug his finger into the knot of his tie to loosen it. It had suddenly become a little difficult to pass saliva down his throat.

“So, it’d be ok if I did this,” Julian looked up at the odd comment at the same time Barry leaned down to catch Julian’s lips in a surprise kiss.

Julian’s first impulse was to push him away, but Barry was kissing him with so much fervor and charming eagerness that it felt wrong and somewhat cruel to put such an aggressive end to it. Still seated and craning his neck to better access Barry’s mouth, Julian went along with the kiss because it actually felt nice, and he was surprised that he was enjoying a misplaced kiss with Barry Allen, of all people. Normally, he wasn’t particularly interested in such open displays of affection, but Barry had a way of running his tongue seductively over the seam of Julian’s lips and sliding it persuasively into his mouth that the blond couldn’t find it in his heart to care.

“What the fuck, man?”

The two promptly broke apart as their eyes landed on the intruder. Julian cleared his throat and adjusted his tie awkwardly, as he pointed an accusing finger at a deeply flushed Barry, “He kissed me first!”

“Err...I shouldn’t have?” If possible, he went even redder in the face as he took a step away from the desk and Julian’s seated form.

Cisco gave him a comic wide-eyed look mixed with horror and confusion. “No! You’re not even gay! Or did we mess up with your sexuality, too?”

“What? I’m not gay? But I thought...and the kiss was…”, Barry looked back at Julian as if asking for help.

Julian didn’t have the heart to deny him that, not with those innocent eyes and the trembling lips on that stupidly cute face. “It was very nice, Barry.” He said with absolute honesty.

Barry’s face lit up like a child who had just torn into a birthday present only to find his dream toy inside the box. “Yeah! I’d like to try it again.”

Cisco looked like he was about to pull his hair out. “No, you don’t! This isn’t you, Barry. You’re totally not gay,” and then with less conviction, “Well, as far as you let us know all these years, that is.”

Somehow, Julian was finding this whole scenario highly amusing. “Well, if he likes to explore other possibilities now, I’d say we let him.”

Barry gave him a brilliant smile, while Cisco turned to him with a severe frown. “Why are you even enjoying this? I thought you didn't like him.”

Well, the remark was a bit odd, considering the progress Julian had made in his rocky relationship with Barry. He thought everyone knew by now that the two actually got along and the bickering was only part of the fun. Why was Cisco upset over the fact that Julian might like Barry a little more than was allowed within the red lines of friendzone?

“You...don’t like me?” Barry’s eyes were quivering with hurt and confusion. It did something awful to Julian, like he had just kicked a puppy. “Then why are we even dating?”

“You're WHAT? JULIAN WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HIM??”

Julian got to his feet and crossed his arms across his chest defensively, “I was joking, okay?”

“Joking?” Barry now looked on the verge of tears. “Like, we're not really dating?”

Apparently, an amnesiac Barry was also very slow on the uptake. Julian actually liked him better this way, he could easily wrap him around his finger and make him believe the most ridiculous thing. He was just so damn gullible and Julian surprisingly found that a highly attractive personality trait on the speedster.

But the British CSI wasn’t really that horrible of a person. Or at least, he didn’t want to think that he was. “No, Barry, I’m sorry. It was just a stupid joke. I didn’t think you’d believe it.”

Julian was expecting Barry to get angry at him for the prank, but instead, the younger man just kept looking at him with hurt, pleading eyes. “But...but I liked it. The kiss. You. I mean...I have these feelings...I thought...it didn't feel like a joke.”

Barry’s sudden confession of love, or whatever absurd feeling it was, threw Julian completely off-guard. “Oh my lord,” he pinched the bridge of his nose, not believing that a little teasing and a little kiss, no matter how nice it had actually felt, could leave such a strong impression on Barry, who was, by all intent and purposes, totally straight and in love with his childhood sweetheart.

They really needed to get the old Barry back, Julian thought with rising panic.

Still standing in the doorframe, Cisco seemed to be having the same idea. “Julian, please figure out this mess before Iris finds out about it!”

“Why? What does she have to do with anything?” Barry’s cluelessness made Julian snort in amusement. Ignoring the whole creepy love confession, this was the most fun Julian had had in ages. And he had to thank an amnesiac, suddenly-gone-homosexual Barry Allen to thank for it. What had become of his life?

“Barry! You and Iris are engaged!” Julian was finding Cisco’s outbursts also quite funny. Somehow, the thought that this whole mess was the product of something Julian had said made the senior lab tech feel very proud of himself.

“WHAT?!” Was it just him, or were there just too many outbursts in this room, Julian wondered to himself as he watched Barry’s panicked expression with sly amusement. “Why would I even...! I mean, she’s like, my sister? Wally told me he’s my brother, so how does that not make Iris my sister?”

Barry’s reasoning actually managed to quickly sober Julian up. This was getting into dangerous territory now and Julian should really stop treating Barry’s sudden homosexual tendencies and attraction to blond, blue-eyed jerks as an amusing joke. “Okay, this is getting totally fucked-up.”

But it was proving to be very difficult not to be amused at the ridiculousness of the whole situation.

“You think?” Cisco narrowed his eyes angrily at him. “You should’ve thought about it before making such stupid jokes for your perverse amusement.”

Oh, they were back at it again. The constant bickering. What was it with Julian always attracting these types of people into his orbit? Or did he just had that effect on everyone? “Well, I’m sorry! I wasn't lying when I said he kissed me first. Barry here apparently is kind of attracted to me.” And that is by no means my fault, he let Cisco draw that conclusion by himself.

Never let it be said that Julian Albert Desmond would ever admit to having made a mistake. Especially in cases that he clearly had not.  

As if Julian had just said something Barry was dying to hear from the very start, those green eyes began to shine with fierce determination once more. “Yeah, Julian’s right. I really like the idea of us dating.”

How did they end up in this mess, again? Yeah, totally not Julian’s fault.

Cisco grabbed the sides of his head into his hands, looking on the verge of a nervous breakdown. “Oh my god. Okay. I’m leaving you to this! Julian! Fix this!” He then turned on his heels and left the office before either of them could say anything.

Julian turned towards Barry who was looking back at him with badly-concealed anticipation, biting his lip and shifting from one foot to another. He gave the brunette a suggestive smirk as he walked around the desk to get closer to him. Barry held his breath, green eyes daring him to throw all caution to the wind.

It had been ages since Julian had felt this carefree . He supposed Barry’s attitude was probably contagious.

“Okay, where were we?” And before he knew it, they were making out again, all eager mouths and labored breathing and drawn-out moans, hands tangled into one another’s hair and their bodies flushed from chest to hip, Julian on his tiptoes to better reach Barry’s amazing lips.

Barry was a damn good kisser, Julian decided as he felt sharp teeth tugging at his lower lip and sucking it in; and the blond CSI wasn’t one to let such good opportunities go to waste just because of some feeling of moral obligation. He’d let Barry punch him in the face once he regained his memories and then everything would be back to normal. No more guilty conscience and all, if there ever was one.

Next Part: Julvibe