#(i think you're thinking of opportunity with what 'happened' to them cause curiosity is still active)

[planetbots]

Any reason why you kitten'ified Curiosity out of all the rovers and robot (things... im not very educated on the subject) ? Is it cause of what specifically HAPPENED to the Curiosity rover that you felt they should be justiced by being Mars' kitty companion?

(somewhat spoilery but curiosity wont be mars' only rover friend! the two active nasa rovers on mars are the ones referenced in planetbots)

[seidenbros]

Let Me Love You Just the Way You Are

Pairing: Wylan van Eck x Jesper Fahey Summary: “We’re done here. I’ll send word to each of you after I find us a ship, but be ready to sail by tomorrow night,” Kaz announced, and that was when Jesper snapped back into the conversation. His head was still spinning, trying to comprehend the new information. “I’ll take a little walk,” he said to Wylan as he was getting up, running a hand over his hair. “Jes…” Wylan got up as well, reaching out his hand towards Jesper, but quickly dropping it again. Jesper’s heart was aching when he saw him like this, but talking now wouldn’t be good for either of them. He needed to think, needed some fresh air, and needed to be alone for once. “Just… give me an hour, okay? I just need to clear my head a little.”

Inspired by the Third Army Summit and everything that came to light, this is my take on the van Eck Reveal and the "I love you" - "I don't deserve you" dialogue. Word count: 5.850 Warning/Tags: POV Jesper Fahey, Angst with a happy ending, emotional hurt comfort, referenced child abuse, bad parents Jan van Eck, love confessions, pre Ice Court heist A/N: The brainrot is real and so I had to write it down. There is a bit of dialogue from the book in there as well, cause I wanted to stick to the soruce material a little bit. And then there is THIS SONG that fits them and the situation so well, so maybe give it a listen as well 💚 Read on AO3

Don't say you're not strong enough To let me love you just the way you are So distant when you’re next to me Hiding all I wanna see The silence in the air we breathe Echoing so hopelessly

“An opportunity has presented itself.” Kaz’s words were still ringing in Jesper’s ears, but Kaz had told them that they’d need to get Matthias out of Hellgate beforehand. Of course, Jesper’s curiosity was nearly killing him, but he knew that Kaz wouldn’t breathe a word, and probably just smack him with his cane if he started pestering him. Wylan seemed to know a little more, and he actually had some quiet conversations with Kaz, but didn’t say anything to Jesper. It was bothering him that they were keeping secrets from him, but he didn’t want to get Wylan in trouble by trying to get these secrets out of him. Besides, he’d rather spend the time he got along with Wylan doing other things.

Getting Matthias out of Hellgate had been… an adventure to say the least. Jesper still had no idea how they’d pulled all that off, but the end result was what counted for him. And the fact that Nina was still alive after one of the first things Matthias had done had been to attack her, was even more important to him. Yes, he knew what had happened, that Nina had been responsible for Matthias going to Hellgate, but she’d done it for the right reasons. On the other hand, he could understand Matthias as well. It was obvious how much they meant to each other, no matter that they tried not to show it. Below all that pain and anger, there was a whole lot of love.

Matthias had gotten some fresh clothes, a bath, some proper food, but there had always been someone with him to avoid any kind of trouble. Even now when they were sitting together to finally talk about this opportunity Kaz had mentioned, they made sure to have Nina and Matthias sit on opposite sides of the table.

Jesper’s attention was on the man next to him, though. Wylan seemed so nervous, and it showed in the way he squeezed Jesper’s hand beneath the table. Casting a glance at him, Jesper realised how pale he’d gone. He wanted to ask if he was alright, if he needed some fresh air, when Kaz spoke up and demanded all their attention.

He told them about what Jan van Eck had let him in on, what he wanted them to do. The name already left a sour taste in his mouth, but what Kaz told them definitely made his ears ring. After this heist, he wouldn’t have to worry about money anymore. He’d be able to pay off his debt, give something to his father, and still live a great life with Wylan by his side. At least he was hoping that Wylan would stay with him, because he couldn’t think of a future without him anymore. It scared him in a way, but it also made him tingly all over with anticipation and happiness. He’d never felt so much for one person, and he knew what it was, what he felt, but naming it, saying the words out loud… he wasn’t able to do that just yet. Especially not when they were talking about breaking into the Ice Court to get someone out of there. It sounded utterly crazy, but the job was too good not to take it. Besides, they had someone who knew the Ice Court, didn’t they? Though Matthias wasn’t very keen on helping them. But jesper knew that Kaz would find a way to persuade him. Matthias had been seen friendly with a Grisha, and Jesper was rather sure that word had gotten around, which meant that Matthias wouldn’t exactly be welcome in his own country. At least, that was what he assumed.

“And you think we can trust van Eck with this?” Jesper asked, pulling Wylan’s hand into his lap, cradling it in both of his own to reassure him a little more.

“I don’t. But we have a secret weapon” Kaz turned towards them, but then his eyes focussed on Wylan, which made Jesper a little uneasy. Maybe, they were revealing now what they’d been talking about in secret. “Meet Wylan van Eck.”

Jesper blinked once, twice, trying to comprehend what Kaz had just said. His mouth went dry when Wylan pulled his hand from his grip.

“That’s not a very good joke, Boss.” Eventually, Jesper managed to turn his head and look at Wylan properly, before his attention was back on Kaz.

“Do you wanna dress him up like a merchant’s son? Is that your plan, Kaz?” Nina crossed her arms, crying her best to follow what he meant.

“Technically, he is  one,” Kaz elaborated a little further, leaning on his cane. “And it wasn’t a joke, Jesper. He is Jan van Eck’s son, but has been going by his mother’s name.”

“Wylan?” Jesper looked at him again, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He’d never breathed a word about this, had never mentioned his father, but then again, they hadn’t really talked much about his family altogether. Still, this wasn’t anything Jesper would have expected in a million years.

He didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, because his thoughts were all over the place with that new information. It wasn’t like Wylan had lied to him in general, but he was still hurt that he hadn’t known about this. And more importantly why Wylan had been living the way he had, barely any money and nothing proper to eat for a while, when he had a whole mansion to call his home. It didn’t make sense. What irked him even more was that Kaz knew all that, knew who Wylan really was, where he’d come from, who his father was. That begged the question whether Inej had known that as well. He was rather sure that she had known. It made him feel left out. Left out by the person he lo… liked so much.

“We’re done here. I’ll send word to each of you after I find us a ship, but be ready to sail by tomorrow night,” Kaz announced, and that was when Jesper snapped back into the conversation. His head was still spinning, trying to comprehend the new information.

“I’ll take a little walk,” he said to Wylan as he was getting up, running a hand over his hair.

“Jes…” Wylan got up as well, reaching out his hand towards Jesper, but quickly dropping it again. Jesper’s heart was aching when he saw him like this, but talking now wouldn’t be good for either of them. He needed to think, needed some fresh air, and needed to be alone for once.

“Just… give me an hour, okay? I just need to clear my head a little.” He wanted to say something more, that he shouldn’t worry, that everything was okay, but the words wouldn’t come out. Because he didn’t believe them wholeheartedly as of yet. That was why he needed to go for a walk and clear his head. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Wylan, but right now, it seemed inevitable. Before he spent more time just lingering around, not saying anything more, he headed outside, taking a deep calming breath, once the night air hit his face.

Jesper wasn’t sure whether he’d get some proper sleep tonight, because at the moment, there was too much on his mind to find some kind of peace. He was walking without a real goal, just moving through the city to clear his head, which didn’t really work that well if he was being honest.

His fingers were itching, his eyes drawn to the gambling halls of the barrel. Going in there for a little game would give him a sense of control back, when he was feeling like he was spiralling down, down, down, so close to hitting the ground and breaking. It had been wise not to take any money with him, because he’d known that he’d end up at this point. Thanks to Wylan, he hadn’t gambled in a long time, and he wouldn’t throw that away because of this, would he?

Wylan was still the same person he’d fallen for, the same person, who’d wowed him at the piano and had made his heart nearly beat out of his chest in that moment. The same Wylan who’d saved his life with the Cyan Morpho. The same Wylan who looked so utterly charming and sweet in the morning when he was just waking up, his hair a mess, and a smile on his lips that was only meant for Jesper. Nothing had changed about this, about the way Wylan made him feel. He was still the same person who could be so shy and scared, but bold and snarky at the same time. The same person who’d stolen Jesper’s heart. It didn’t matter who his father was, where he was coming from, and it wasn’t about that really. It was the fact that this was kept secret from him when Kaz had known for who knows how long.

In the end, Jesper had been gone longer than an hour, but at least he returned home. A home he shared with Wylan, because he’d wanted it that way, wanted to have Wylan by his side all the time. Jesper took a deep breath as he walked up the stairs and reached for his key. His heart rate skyrocketed again, because he was nervous to talk to Wylan about this, wondering what else he might not know about him. Once he’d unlocked the door and stepped inside, he found Wylan sitting on the edge of the bed, wide eyes looking back at Jesper. He’d been crying, Jesper was sure of it. The slightly puffy and red eyes, the damp collar of his shirt... Jesper felt terrible that he’d made Wylan feel like this, but he’d needed to get away.

“You’re still awake,” Jesper observed, taking off his coat to hang it over the back of a chair. All he wanted was to wrap Wylan up in his arms and hold him tight, but he figured that wouldn’t lead to them talking about the whole situation, which was very much needed.

“I… was waiting for you.” Wylan slowly got up from where he was sitting, taking a tentative step towards Jesper.

“Well, here I am.” Jesper shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t want to be so cold to him, but it just happened, his emotions getting the better of him.

“You’re making this really hard for me.”

“And you think it was easy for me to hear that you were lying to me?”

“Technically, I wasn’t lying to you.” Wylan straightened his shoulders a little, getting defensive, and he had every right to do so.

“Fair enough… But you kept this a secret from me when Kaz knew!” That was the part that hurt the most for him. If Kaz hadn’t known, it wouldn’t be a problem for Jesper. Not one bit.

“It’s not like I told Kaz who I am, who my father is. He already knew.” Wylan took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair and leaving it in utter disarray like this. Honestly, Jesper had to hold back not to reach out his hand and do the same to his hair. “He knew way before he recruited me and I only found out now.”

“He did?” Now, that surprised Jesper as well. He’d thought that Kaz had found out, and had decided to make use of that knowledge, but he’d known all along. Actually, he shouldn’t be surprised, since this was Kaz Brekker they were talking about.

“Yes. He’s been keeping an eye on me ever since I…” Wylan hesitated, trying to find the right word. “Appeared in the Barrel.”

“How did you end up here anyway? I don’t understand how you could run from such a sheltered life to live on the streets.” Jesper eventually walked over to Wylan, but only to sit down on the bed. Whatever was coming now, he thought it might be better to sit down, and Wylan seemed to be thinking the same thing. He sat down next to Jesper, but with a little bit of distance between them.

“It wasn’t exactly my choice, but I should have left a long time ago,” Wylan said quietly, his eyes cast downward, When jesper realised that Wylan was clasping his hands together, unclasping them, rubbing his fingers together, he reached out one hand to take Wylan’s. He couldn’t hold back anymore, and he figured that they both needed this kind of contact.

“What happened, Wy?” His anger slowly dissipated when he saw Wylan like this. It was obvious that it wasn’t an easy topic for him, but Jesper had no idea just how crucial it was.

“I was… never good enough for my father. I tried and tried and tried, had tutors to teach me how to read, but nothing worked. I just couldn’t learn to read and write properly. I started to memorise things, stories, just to get by a little bit, but my father wouldn’t have it.” Wylan sighed, running his thumb along Jesper’s, because it calmed him down. “He told me multiple times that I was a failure, a disgrace to the van Eck name, that nothing would ever become of me.”

“Wylan…” Jesper had to bite his bottom lip to keep himself from talking, because he wanted Wylan to go on, didn’t want to stop him. But the anger inside him rose again, but not because Wylan had kept these things from him, no, because he’d been treated like that by his own father. The one person who should love him unconditionally. Jesper knew that not all families were loving, but you only realised that when you were able to see behind the facade. After his own mother had died, he’d been lucky to have a loving, caring father by his side. He hadn’t done everything right, had been scared as well, but what he’d given Jesper had been a whole lot of love. Something that seemed to be a foreign word for Jan van Eck. It made Jesper understand Wylan’s behaviour even more when he’d found out that he couldn’t read. He hadn’t meant anything bad with his words, and he was glad that they’d been able to work through this. Knowing this kind of backstory made Jesper understand Wylan a lot better, though.

“When my Mum died… I wasn’t allowed to attend her funeral. He said he didn’t want me there, and I never really got to say goodbye. I don’t even know where she’s buried.”

“He did what?” Jesper sat up a little straighter before he scooted over to Wylan, finally closing the distance between them. Maybe he needed that more than Wylan, because this… this really made him mad and want to go over there and teach that man a lesson. Losing a parent was never easy, especially at a fairly young age, but at least Jesper knew where his mother was buried. He couldn’t imagine what Wylan had felt like.

“Yeah… and when I tried to sneak out to get to the funeral somehow, he caught me and punished me once again. It wasn’t the first and it wasn’t the last time.” Wylan’s free hand touched his belly, making Jesper freeze.

“He did that?” He’d wondered where Wylan had gotten the scars on his abdomen, but he hadn’t asked about them, realising rather quickly that it was a sensitive topic for Wylan. When he nodded, Jesper knew why Wylan hadn’t told him anything about them yet. If he ever got his hands on Jan van Eck, he wasn’t sure just what he’d do, but it wouldn’t be nice.

“It wasn’t the worst thing he did.” Wylan shrugged his shoulders, trying to play it down, but Jesper wasn’t having any of it.

“Wylan… what do you mean?”

“How I ended up in the Barrel… It was because of him.” Slowly, Wylan looked up at Jesper for a moment, before he cast his eyes downward again. As if he had to make sure that Jesper was still there, no matter that he was holding his hand. “He told me that he’d send me to the music school in Belendt. Needless to say, I was really excited. Two of his men were supposed to take me there. I was really looking forward to seeing the area while we were on the boat, but we went in the middle of the night.”

Jesper had a feeling it had nothing to do with the fares being cheaper, but more to do with nobody seeing them.

“It all happened so quickly. I was… being strangled, unable to breathe anymore, and I panicked. I really can’t tell you everything that happened, because it’s a bit of a blur, but I ended up in the water, and that was the best thing to happen in the end. Otherwise, I wouldn't have survived this. I only had what I had in my satchel at that time, but at least, I found a place to stay for a start, and then some work at the tannery.”

“I’m really glad you were in that water and managed to save yourself. Saints, Wylan, this is… I don’t even have words.” Jesper needed a moment to process all this. He’d always known that Jan van Eck wasn’t a good person, but that he’d punished his son that way, had even tried to get rid of him, he wouldn’t have imagined in his wildest dreams.

“I’m still struggling to comprehend all this. I mean, I wasn’t even sure whether my father had ordered them to kill me or whether it had been someone else who’d paid them well enough to go behind my father’s back.”

“That’s understandable.” Though after everything Jesper had heard, he was rather sure that van Eck had put them up to this. Still, he understood that Wylan didn’t want to believe that, still holding onto the idea that his father had some shred of love left for him. Jesper wasn’t so optimistic about this.

“I hope… you understand why I didn’t want to talk about this. It’s a past life. This mansion, it’s not a home for me. It’s a place I used to live in, but ever since my mother’s passing, it hasn’t felt like a home at all.”

“You do have a home here, though.” Jesper slowly let go of Wylan’s hand only to pull him closer with one arm around him, raising the other hand to cup his cheek and make Wylan look at him.

“Do I? You don’t want to get rid of me?” Wylan’s voice was even quieter than before, making jesper’s heart ache for him.

“Of course I don’t want to get rid of you. I-” love you. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but they wouldn’t come over his lips. Not like that. “You have your own little dysfunctional and slightly mad family here, Wy, nothing’s gonna change that. And I never wanted to make you doubt that, okay?” Wylan nodded. “I’m sorry that I made you sad and worried.”

“I know.” Wylan pressed his cheek against Jesper’s hand, needing his touch more than he’d like to admit. “And I understand that you needed a moment to yourself.”

“I did… but I’m glad that you told me all of this. Thank you.”

“Thank you for allowing me to tell you all this.”

“You can always talk to me, I hope you know that now.”

“I do.”

Wylan was the one to kiss him first, and it was like he’d been waiting all day for this to happen, which was ridiculous, but it felt like that. Kissing Wylan was one of the most wonderful things in the world, and it always felt special, like Jesper couldn’t believe his luck that he got to kiss this wonderful man. And he wanted to keep doing it for the rest of his life, and he was starting with that right now. They both needed this, needed to be close to each other, and this night, they slept even more tangled up in each other than they usually did. In the end, all of this had brought them closer together, and jesper was glad that he now knew what had happened to Wylan.

That had been the last bit of peace and quiet, because they next night, they were fighting for their lives when it wasn’t as easy to get on the schooner as they’d hoped. It was hectic, it was a mess, and Jesper was just glad that he could keep an eye on Wylan. The problem was that he couldn’t find the others. He had no idea where Kaz and Inej were, and Nina and Matthias had to be at least close to them somewhere. The attack had come out of nowhere, and now Jesper needed to find the others, see if he could help them somehow, but therefore, he needed to see something.

“I need to get the high ground. Keep them back and distracted as long as you can.” He directed his words at Wylan, not really wanting to leave him alone down here, but he didn’t really have a choice.

“Jesper—” began Wylan

“No one gets past you. If they take down this schooner, we’re done for.”Jesper seized the moment to kiss Wylan, before he climbed up the mast. He was nearly at the crow’s nest, when he felt a sharp, searing pain in his thigh. One of them shot a bullet right through the flesh and Jesper nearly lost his footing, but he knew that the others needed his help, and so he tried his best to ignore the pain and pulled himself up. As soon as he was up there, he raised his rifle and started shooting. It was a mess, but at least, he could make out Matthias and Nina. More than ten men were in their way and they’d need some help. There was still no sign of Inej and Kaz.

“Jesper!” he heard Wylan call out to him, but chose to ignore him, because he needed to focus to shoot. But then Wylan called again, this time even more insistent. “Jesper!”

“What do you want?” He couldn’t be under direct attack, Jesper had checked that before, and Wylan wasn’t alone down there, since Rott was with him.

“Close your eyes.”

What in Ghezen’s name… Was he joking around now?

“You can’t kiss me from down there, Wylan,” Jesper called back, still trying to focus on his next target, but at least he hadn’t lost his sense of humour or his will to flirt with Wylan.

“Just do it!”

“As long as I’ll get kisses later on…” Jesper said more to himself, before he closed his eyes. “This better be good.”

“Are they closed?”

“Damn it, Wylan, yes they’re—” Jesper immediately understood why Wylan had told him to close his eyes when bright light bloomed behind Jesper’s lids, and there was a shrill, shrieking sound. Jesper’s heart jumped in his throat, and he stayed like this for a moment longer. Once he opened his eyes again, he was able to focus on the other men, who had been blinded by Wylan’s flash bomb, and he started shooting again. He could kiss Wylan, and he would once they’d left the shore with everyone on board.

So much for kissing Wylan once they were a safe distance from the shore. It had been an even bigger mess than jesper had thought. Nina had taken care of his thigh and he was able to walk with relatively little pain, Wylan had been patched up as well, but the way Inej looked… Jesper was really worried. He might shoot people, he might defend himself, but seeing his friends, his family injured, it really got to him. Especially with all the blood Inej had lost. He’d been on edge, worrying about her, and Kaz hadn’t really made it any better with his behaviour.

Jesper had wanted to get some answers out of Oomen as well, had dragged him to the rail with Matthias, but he wouldn’t have been able to do what Kaz had done. Jesper had held the man, but when Kaz had used his knife and ripped out Oomen’s eye, Jesper had nearly keeled over. He’d heard Wylan as well, but hadn’t been able to get to him. The more he’d heard, the more he’d worried about this whole situation, because with Pekka Rollins in the picture, things would get even nastier. He should have expected Kaz to throw Oomen overboard, but it had caught him a little off-guard. Maybe that had also been because of Wylan’s reaction. Despite hanging with the Dregs for a while now, things like this still surprised Wylan, and Jesper could see why.

“Do you want to go over too?” Kaz had asked him, and Wylan had shown some spite with his reaction.

“You won’t throw me overboard. You need me.”

“Maybe. But I’m not in a very rational mood.”

That had been Jesper’s moment to step in. He’d known Kaz long enough to know that this was no situation in which he’d be able to talk to Kaz. Not with Inej below deck, unconscious by the hands of the man he’d just thrown into the water.

“Let it go.” He’d said, putting a hand on Wylan’s shoulder to draw his attention to himself and away from Kaz.

“It’s not right—”

“Wylan,” Jesper had given him a gentle shake, so that Wylan had finally turned to look at him. “Maybe your tutors didn’t cover this lesson, but you do not argue with a man covered in blood and a knife up his sleeve.”

Wylan had looked at him for a moment, before he’d broken free from his touch and walked past him to get below deck. Jesper had wanted to go after him, but Kaz had had some other plans for him, and so he’d been busy.

He had a feeling that Wylan was avoiding him. They weren’t sleeping at the same time usually, and when Jesper went below deck to look after Wylan, he seemed to already be asleep - or pretending to be so they didn’t have to talk, jesper couldn’t be sure. Conversations were brief, but that was on both sides, since they were all worried about Inej. Once she was doing better, Jesper felt more alive again. While Wylan and Kaz talked more and Wylan got some instructions for things to do and prepare from Kaz, Jesper was going a little crazy, because he didn’t have that much to do. And in a way it irked him that Wylan seemed to be spending more time with Matthias. Yes, it was due to the job, but he wanted to be by Wylan’s side as well. He missed him, which was ridiculous, since they were on a small boat, so they were always kind of close. Maybe it was the privacy that was missing, because they could always talk the best when it was just the two of them. Jesper knew that he was being more open then as well. But they didn’t have that here, and he felt like Wylan was slipping away from him. Maybe, he had to finally say out loud what he felt, no matter who was watching or listening. But he needed Wylan to know.

They were getting closer to Fjerda and would probably reach it in the morning. It was late, but Jesper couldn’t sleep, and neither could Wylan and Matthias apparently. They were standing at the bow of the schooner looking ahead, talking to each other. While Jesper didn’t want to interrupt them, he still had to keep an eye on them, because he didn’t want Wylan to vanish below deck again before he got a chance to talk to him.

A gust of wind made him shiver. Luckily, they’d brought appropriate clothes for their journey, so Jesper had been able to change into something that kept him warm. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but he saw the way Wylan looked at Matthias. He looked up, then lowered his head again, as if he was contemplating what to say. Wylan stepped a little closer to Matthias, raised his hand as if to console him, but dropped it before he touched him.

When Matthias turned, he nodded at Wylan before he came walking straight towards Jesper. Instinctively, he straightened, squaring his shoulders, because he had no idea what was going to happen. But to be fair, Matthias just looked tired, defeated, almost sad. Nothing Jesper had expected.

“Talk to him,” Matthias said as he stopped next to Jesper. “Tell him before it’s too late.”

“Tell him what?” Jesper’s heart thudded against his ribcage, it was almost painful.

Matthias cast a glance over to where Nina was sitting with Inej, getting some fresh air after spending most of the time below deck. “He needs to know.”

Jesper had apparently not been the only one watching others, because Matthias had watched him as well. But he was right, Wylan needed to know, especially after telling him all that about his father. And he wanted Wylan to hear these words as well, even if it was scary for him to say this. He’d told Wylan that he couldn’t predict what might happen between them, that he’d like to find out, and now he was sure that he didn’t want to spend a day without him anymore.

He took another deep breath before he walked up to Wylan, who was still standing at the rail, looking ahead. In the distance, he could see pinpricks of light glittering against the dark horizon. Fjerda. They’d be able to leave this boat in the morning, hopefully.

“How are you feeling?” he asked Wylan, leaning against the rail, turning his head to the side so he could look at him. Wylan on the other hand kept his eyes on Fjerda.

“Alright I guess.”

“Have you been avoiding me?” Jesper reached out his hand to take Wylan’s, who wasn’t pulling back, but he could see his whole body stiffening, and knew that he was onto something.

“I… I didn’t mean to. Honestly. It’s just been a lot, and there’s so much in my head, I—”

“I get it.” Jesper squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him. “That’s how I felt a couple of days ago when I took that walk.” Because he’d needed some time to himself. Here on the boat, there was no real possibility for Wylan to be completely by himself.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“Of course. I was just worried that I’d done something wrong.”

“No. No you haven’t. Just…” Wylan licked his lips before he kept talking. “When you talked about my tutors—”

“Oh saints, I hadn’t thought about that. I didn’t mean anything by that really.” The last thing he’d wanted, had been to remind Wylan of the life he’d left behind. A life where he had never been good enough. For Jesper, he was the biggest jackpot he’d ever been able to fight for, and he was still hoping that he would win. But therefore, he’d have to put his heart on a plate and hand it over to him, and that was terrifying.

“I know. It just hit me at that moment, and after that… I wanted nothing more than to spend time with you, but it wasn’t really possible. With the things I had to do, and I was just so tired.”

That was a huge relief, because it meant that Wylan hadn’t pretended to be asleep just so he hadn’t needed to talk to him.

“I understand.” Jesper turned more towards him so that he was facing him properly, Wylan’s hand still in his. Now that he knew that it had been more in his head than anything, he could breathe properly again. And he felt his heart full of so much love for Wylan, that he didn’t even think twice about it before he opened his lips to say: “I love you.”

Wylan’s eyes widened, his fingers squeezed around Jesper’s and his mouth opened, but no words came out. For a moment, Wylan just looked at him, until he managed to say: “I don’t deserve you.”

Jesper blinked once, twice, taken aback by that kind of response, because it was nothing he’d ever expected as a reaction to these three little words. When Wylan looked down between them, but still held onto Jesper’s hand, he slowly came back to himself.

“Wylan…” he whispered, shaking his head.

He knew how Wylan had grown up, knew about the things his father had done to him, had indoctrinated him with. Jan van Eck had made Wylan believe that he was unworthy of love, and it broke his heart. Here was the most wonderful, most caring man right in front of him, and he didn’t think that he deserved to be loved. 

“Look at me, Wylan,” he said softly, using his free hand to pinch Wylan’s chin and make him look up at him again. “You deserve everything good in the world. And you deserve to be loved with all the love you put out into the world. Nobody’s gonna stop me from loving you anyway, so whether you think you deserve it or not, won’t change a thing. You have my love, you have my heart.” Jesper smiled, hoping that he could elicit the same reaction in Wylan, and he did. It was a small smile, but it was an honest one. He’d learned to make out the difference.

Wylan let go of Jesper’s hand only to wrap his arms around his neck and kiss him. A heavy weight was lifted from his shoulders upon that kind of reaction. Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words, and Jesper couldn’t describe what this kiss meant to him. He wrapped his arms around Wylan’s middle to hold him close, not wanting to let him go. They had to break apart eventually.

“I love you too.” Wylan’s voice was quiet in the limited space between them, since neither of them wanted to let go of the other one, but no matter how quiet or loud these words were, they made Jesper’s heart nearly jump out of his chest. He’d meant what he’d said, Wylan had his heart, and he knew that it was in the best hands there. Wylan made him happy. So happy that he couldn’t put it into words, but he didn’t even have to. He could just kiss Wylan again and enjoy this moment. Fjerda was waiting for them in the morning, but they had the whole night to themselves to make up for the time the hadn’t spent together on this journey, and Jesper would sure as hell not let go of Wylan for the next couple of hours at least.

[noellevanious]

Alright. This is pissing me off now. More "drama" regarding my friend Avery and DemilyPyro below the cut.

Summary: Avery got harassed, Demily didnt apologize, blamed other things like her autism and memory issues, and other despicable things.

Context:

my friend Moira posted yesterday about local tumblr user Demilypyro being a shithead, after talking about how she had personally experienced her being shitty before. Because of this, she was getting harassed enough by Demily Fans that she relented and posted "Receipts" they were asking for (in quotes because.... she just said she was being shitty, no receipts should be needed)

The screenshots showed Demily clearly being shitty last year, talking rudely about a friend Moira had after the friend had posted a selfie in a channel they were both in.

Moira was told that Demily was apologizing, and considering the hatemail she was getting, I don't blame her for hearing that and going "Alright, awesome, I don't want or need to talk about that anymore! Leave me alone please and stop sending me hatemails/moving goalposts to prove that Demily is literally Worse than The Devil!"

I was looking through my blog, and, out of curiosity, I checked to see, and...

post screencaps above are from

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(no link cause im on mobile and this shit is hard but. the post should be locatable)

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(link to post screencap is from)

.... blaming her autism, memory issues, and echoing fans levying suspicions about it being about her being trans, among other bad faith shit.

Doing this is despicable. Insulting trans women and mocking how they look and using questionable terms (they may or may not be dogwhistles, thats the nature of dogwhistles, and so I don't hold that against her, but still. questionable) and acknowledging that that actually happened is bad enough, especially when you're also trans. Infighting during a surge of transmisogyny, where straight women are being killed because people think they're trans, is nothing short of catastrophically stupid.

But to then, instead of just outright apologize, let your audience build it up as som witch-hunt and push the blame onto aspects of your life you can't control, is... something else.

I have autism, as do many of my friends. Not only is autism an obscenely variable mental health variable, but it also is not how South Park portrayed it once, where you impulsively shout out insults. Dulling your social senses is not the same as outright insulting trans women.

I also have friends with serious memory issues, as well as close relatives (my grandmother developed alzheimers in 2021 before she passed early this year). It's devastating in both directions.

To use those as scapegoats so you don't have to take responsbility for... being a shithead? Fucking despicable. No better word for it. Disrespectful, insulting to other people that have those issues and don't use them to excuse being shitty, apathetic at best.

Now, what is my point making this post? Besides this genuinely pissing me off an insane amount, I wanted to use it as a teaching opportunity -

You know how easy it would be to have made these "drama" not exist? Two magic words:

Take. Responsibility.

If you're ever in a situation where people are telling you you're being a shithead, and you know in the back of your head "Yeah, this stuff is really shitty, and it did come out of my mouth" - just fucking own up! Take responsibility for your shitty actions! "I'm sorry. I said shitty things. I'm going to strive to do and be better. I take full responsibility."

It's literally that simple - because it shows that - you know you made mistakes, but you have the capacity to learn from those mistakes! Like every fucking human being ever! Don't hide behind other things to avoid that responsbility!Don't passively promote your fans saying shit like "Hmmmm maybe other trans girls are calling you out because youre trans!" or "Hmm maybe they just hate you and want you to suffer!" Just fucking own up!

I don't know where this post is gonna end up. I fully expect more demily fans to harass me, I've already blocked Demily herself (because I don't want to even interact with somebody that badmouths other transgirls because they don't fit their beauty standards).

But, I do want to clarify and stress: I do not want, or care about, any more of this "drama" beyond her apologizing and owning up.

Seeing her fans mock and insult and harass my friend who already constantly deals with shit way more than anybody should, and then going on her blog and seeing her not only play the Woe is Me appeal to ethos bullshit, but also promote fans that are passing the blame around on boogeymen like her being trans, is dangerous, insulting, and made me furious, and I wanted to get it out of my system.

[shrimpmandan]

What do you think about portraying problematic things in a good light in fiction? As someone who's more of an anti than proshipper, it baffles me when some people call out offensive portrayals of people belonging to marginalized groups but don't care when abuse/pedophilia etc. are glorified in fiction. It's totally fine to explore darker topics in fiction just out of curiosity or to cope with trauma but I think seeing traumatic things that happen to real people being glorified is kinda worrying.

I'd be glad to hear what you think. Have a nice day!

TL;DR: it's a recontextualization thing.

It's important to note of course that what someone finds enjoyable in fiction does not equate to what they find acceptable in real life, not 1-to-1, and it rarely ever correlates. That's not to say it never does, but I'll get back to that.

What I mean by "recontextualization" is that it can be a recontextualization of trauma. "If I portray my abuse as something positive or something that I wanted to happen, or that felt good, or that I was comforted and cared for afterwards-- maybe it won't hurt as much now." You can actually see this in real-world BDSM and the like, e.g. with rape victims using CNC to recontextualize and process their trauma with someone they trust and who cares about them. A lot of trauma victims see it as a reclamation of their sexuality, and you can easily apply this to incest, toxic relationships, and minor/adult relationships being portrayed in fiction as well.

But of course, it's not like you NEED to be a rape victim to have a CNC kink, yeah? 50-60% of women have one, and not all of them are rape victims. Some of them are drawn to the taboo. The power exchange. The "removal" of their autonomy in the context of a roleplay. That doesn't mean those women glorify rape, or think rape is a good thing. It just excites them, whether sexually or nonsexually. Would the same not apply to taboo relationships being explored in fiction-- the good, the bad, and the ugly?

I think you could also apply this to prejudice in fiction, to a degree. There's always this assumption that those types of works-- those involving raceplay, misogyny play, homophobia / transphobia play, and so on-- are written by bigots. Or that the only way you COULD enjoy that content is if you're a bigot yourself. News flash? I'm a bi man and I adore when homophobia is present in fiction. And that could include exploring the perspective of why someone might think homophobia is a good thing, or it being nothing more than a component to some vapid smut. There are PLENTY of minorities who project their trauma with dealing with prejudice into their works, and you can apply that 'recontextualization' argument here, too. A woman who has a misogyny kink as a way of reclaiming her oppression and for the illusion of having her autonomy violated, even though she consents to and has just as much power as her "aggressor" in the fantasy scenario, just as an example.

Of course, this all isn't to say people don't make bigoted or deplorable content for the EXPLICIT purpose of normalizing certain things or causing harm. Propaganda cartoons exist, wrought with racism and sexism and homophobia. There are people who genuinely believe that pedophilia is a good thing, or that BDSM relationships are abusive.

Anti-censorship is not anti-criticism and I feel like that might be where you're confused; you can support freedom of expression wholeheartedly while still critiquing the way something is portrayed in fiction, whether it be something taboo like incest, or something heavy like prejudice. The issue comes in when we accuse ALL portrayals of these things as being glorification. When we throw victims of oppression and trauma under the bus for not expressing their trauma in the "right way", whether it's "too heavy" or "too light-hearted". When we hound authors by immediately assuming malice and hate as opposed to ignorance and an opportunity for growth and education. When we put fanfiction writers who get maybe a few thousand hits tops on most of their works on the same scale as published, best-selling authors.

Yes, these things happen to real people. That's why we write about them. I think I'm pretty much allowed to glorify whatever I want in fiction when I've lived through nearly everything taboo, disgusting, and harmful you can think of. And hell, just because I have a thing for kidnapping doesn't mean I'm disrespecting my mother who was actually kidnapped in the actual real-world by an actual predator. Or is the taboo and traumatic only bad to portray as anything but "100% bad" when it comes to things that make you personally squirmy?

[zepskies]

Could this be a turning point for how M.M. sees Ben? 👀

So...short answer is yes! This chapter definitely explores that possibility and that potential for shifting how M.M. sees Ben, now that he sees how Ben has changed at this point. But yes, "dusty motherfucker" tickled me to write, so glad you shouted that out! 🤣🤣

“She considered that with a tilt of her head. “Let’s just see what happens here.”” — That’s actually very surprising coming from Grace, are the cogs in her brain already turning?

Oh very much so. She's waiting to see what happens to the reader, as she knows that if the worst happens, it could potentially make Ben spiral and become unpredictable.

But if she lives, then Grace still has the opportunity to steer Ben in a direction Grace sees as "optimal" (getting him out of the U.S., or using him to her advantage as she ultimately does.)

Lol Annie and Ben eyeing each other with "boyfriend vs. best friend" vibes. 🤣🤣

““So why’re you wasting time? Do your fucking job,” Ben snapped.” — I feel so bad for Ben, without her, he has literally nothing left 🥺 and even though we know how this is gonna turn out, I’m still so stressed out about her condition right now 😭

Such a good point here. That really is the stakes for him here, even if he wouldn't admit it out loud. 😢😢

I hope they [Frank and Loco] get to have a moment with Pookie, they’re legit her adoptive family at this point.

Oh they most certainly do get their moment with her! And even if they walk away, they'll always have this connection.

I seriously love that you’ve brought up Lenny, and how Butcher sees him in Hughie! It’s such a key part of their bond.

That's one of my favorite aspects of Butcher. He has two soft spots: Becca and Lenny. And now, therefore, Ryan and Hughie.

Butcher and Ben appeal to me most, I think, because they're both these gruff men who potentially have soft centers, if you know what buttons to press. I always fall for the "hard man who's soft for their one person" trope. (Evidently lol.) 🫠🫠

LOL I love that you mentioned Tony. Fuck that guy. ✌🏽But I also love Frank and Loco's bromance. 😂😂 I love my stoic king and quasi-younger brother/wild card sidekick. And Frank just might get that nurse's # before he leaves the hospital. 😏 (shit, why do I wanna write a one-shot just for Frank now. 😂)

[About Ben and the "V" decision...]: This is a key moment for him for sure. He ultimately does respect her wishes, but if he had no other option he would've given her V24. Because you're right, he wants her to live more than anything else. She would've been pissed, but ultimately I think she would've understood why he made that decision (he couldn't take the possibility of losing her).

“Yeah, normal blood. A supe’s blood is stronger. Yours could probably heal her,” Frank said. “But, the only one who can break your skin is you.” — Oh shiiiiiit, fucken oath Frank you smarty pants!!! He’s doing more for her then Jon ever did 🤙

Literally. Frank coming in with the Solution! But nah, Ben don't give a flying fuck about things like decorum and boundaries and sanitary stations. 🤣🤣

“Grace, Annie, and M.M. stared after him with mixed reactions of confusion and curiosity.” — Do they know that he donated his blood to her?

Yes they do! They're watching him walk off without a word, that's why they're confused. Like dude, you just got good news, where TF are you going? But it's because, again, he doesn't want them to see him express his emotions (overwhelming relief), which he does later by himself after he walks away.

“Just answer the question. Be honest for once in your motherfuckin’ life,” M.M. said. “Do you really think you’re a hero?” — Is this right here him making sure that Ben’s intentions aren’t malicious, that he legit just wants to help people?

This is M.M.'s way of judging if Ben realizes how much damage he's caused people in the past (namely killing M.M.'s grandfather and not even remembering or caring). And he's asking if Ben's attempts at heroism now are still just selfish, or if he wants to be better than he was. M.M. wants to know if there's truly more to Ben than just the "asshole supe" that made up Soldier Boy in the past.

"Do you really think you're a hero?" -- As we all know, the ultimate irony of supes in "the Boys" is that they're inherently selfish. They only care about what their power gets them. And Ben has been literally the original example of that.

“You grasped the pitcher, but the plastic actually crunched in your hand. You gasped and moved your hand over so the water inside wouldn’t spill all over you.” — I knew it! I wonder if it’s just temporary, it probably is aye?

Yep lol. Just temporary, but remember this scene! It's gonna come into play in something I have lined up for after BMD...

“Your hand slid down his arm and slipped into his hand. Your fingers curled around his palm.” — Brb, just gonna go and get some tissues for all this fluff so far 😭💖

I sent you all virtual ones for a reason! 🤧🤧 But yeah I for sure wanted to give Frank the ending he deserved, returning to his daughter. 🥹🥹

Though yeah, Ben did dock his pay for that "slip up" -- leaving her alone with Jon in the crumbling tower. But she didn't really give him a choice, to be fair, and Loco was already cut off from them. Though in hindsight, Ben probably wouldn't have cared about the semantics. 🤣

“Well, he got a quick death,” he said. “Better than he fucking deserved, far as I’m concerned.” — Ben sweetie, you’re missing the mark a bit…

Oh def, but he figures it out eventually. 🤣

This is all melting my heart, it really feels like things are simmering down now (hopefully I’m not wrong lmaoo).

Hmmm, well sort of! 🤣 There will be some more angst and action in the last chapter, followed by an insurmountable amount of fluff. ❤️

I find it so sweet that he naturally assumes they’ll remain living together, it means (even though we already know, Pookie might not yet) that he wants his life with her mwahahahaha!! 😏🫶

LOL like it doesn't even enter his head to ask. Or he just skips right to this because he doesn't want to give her a chance to say "no." 😂

“Ben stared back at you in annoyance. “You need to broaden your palate.”” — His rich boy brain is showing 🤣

Oh, 💯💯 😂 But her doubt is momentarily painful. Omg I do the chin thing more often than I realized. 😂😂 So glad you enjoy it though!! 😘

[On Ben having hope for the future]: Aww you're so right. That's exactly what it was. 🥹🥹

Thank you so much!! Ben's genetics are unique because like Stormfront (that Nazi bitch), they got the old-fashioned "super soldier" serum a-la Captain America. His cells regenerate, which is part of what slows down his aging process. So I thought, oh fuck that's the perfect cure/alternative to giving her V24 again, while also giving a way to heal Butcher and get Grace on board with making a new "deal" with Ben. I'm so glad you enjoyed how all of that tied up!!

As for the last chapter, well, suffice to say there be some angst ahead. 😭 But!! There's a lot of heart too. I promised you a happy ending, and that's exactly what's in store (eventually). 😂

As always, thanks so much my friend for your lovely comments!! Can't wait to bring you the Epilogue next week. 😘❤️❤️

Break Me Down - Part 17

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x Female Reader

Summary: You’re a private investigator by trade, but now you happily sit at a desk — leading a surveillance team at Supe Affairs. After managing to end Homelander in New York, Soldier Boy escapes custody. You are recruited for the manhunt, joining Butcher’s team.

Truly, you joined the S.A. for the right reasons. But after you become his accidental hostage, Soldier Boy will break down every single one of them…

AN: *Gives you a box of virtual tissues.* Just in case. 😘

Word Count: 6,000 Tags/Warnings: Macho angst ahead, hurt/comfort, major, major fluff…

Part 17: More Than Words Can Say

Mount Sinai Hospital was one of the largest private hospitals in the city. 

Fortunately, it was also the closest to Vought Tower, or what once had been the focal point of the superhero industry. It had been reduced to mere rubble and whatever dilapidated parts still stood. 

All the news outlets were covering the tower’s collapse, and speculating on what could’ve created the blast that made the entire city tremble—not unlike last year’s incident, when Soldier Boy killed the most powerful supe in the world.

In the hospital, M.M. walked through the Emergency Department until he found Yvette and her son, Devon. They sat beside each other on a single cot, now joined by Yvette’s husband Chris while she signed her discharge papers. She’d gotten off with a minor concussion and a bandage over her temple. 

“Just checking in on you guys,” M.M. said. Yvette smiled, but she asked about you. 

“She’s in surgery,” he told her. 

Yvette nodded, though tears welled up in her eyes. Chris rubbed her back and held his son’s shoulder. 

“Please call me with any news on her,” Yvette asked. 

“You got it,” M.M. said.

“And please,” she said, holding her son. “Thank Soldier Boy for us.”

M.M. paused at that. 

Seeing the family was well in hand, he returned to the trauma wing. There in the waiting room sat the whole team, minus Butcher, who’d been admitted to the hospital as well after the ED doctors didn’t like what they’d found on his lab reports. (But M.M. would look into that later. Hughie was with him now anyway.)

That left Frenchie, Kimiko, and Annie to wait for any news on you. Even Grace had arrived an hour ago. 

But M.M.’s attention was drawn to the dusty motherfucker standing near the hallway. 

Soldier Boy leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. The collar of his supe suit was undone to give his neck and chest some breathing room. He’d removed his gloves, and an empty gallon jug of water lied at his feet. 

He was covered in a fine layer of soot and grime, though he’d since washed his hands and face to the best of his ability. He was also flanked by his two hired men, Frank Cardoza and Lorenzo Rivales. 

Grace had run a quick background check on both, and as M.M. had learned, they were ex-Marines Soldier Boy had picked up in Colombia, while he was busy infiltrating a drug cartel.   

Fucking figures, M.M. thought, shaking his head as he watched the man. Grace stood and joined him.

“He’s not just gonna fuck off back to South America,” he told her. “You realize that right?”

She considered that with a tilt of her head. “Let’s just see what happens here.”

As if right on cue, your surgeon made his way down the hall and over to the waiting group. Ben pushed off the wall and went to meet him, as did Grace, Annie, and M.M. 

Annie and Ben eyed each other with mistrust and annoyance, respectively, but then he ignored her to regard the surgeon with a terse, expectant gaze.  

The doctor was a graying man in his fifties. He seemed to internally brace himself before he spoke, glancing at Ben first before the others. 

“We’ve repaired the damaged muscle around her right leg. The femur is broken. We also addressed the wound near her shoulder,” he said. “However, the rebar did nick her heart. She’ll need additional surgery to repair it.”

Ben sensed a but coming. He crossed his arms. “Okay, what’s the problem?”

The doctor gave a nod and a short sigh. 

“She’s lost a lot of blood,” he explained. “We’ve given her a transfusion, of course, but she’s in a delicate state right now.”

“So why’re you wasting time? Do your fucking job,” Ben snapped. Grace shot him a glance, but addressed the doctor herself.

“What are her odds, doctor?” she asked. Ben eyed her with a glare. She ignored him for the time being. 

“She needs this now. But, there is a chance she won’t make it out of surgery at this stage,” the surgeon replied. “The OR will be available in thirty minutes…so this would be the time to be with her, just in case she’s unable to get through this.”

“Excuse me?” Ben said. 

His tone was dark and deep with grit, and the doctor stepped back. No one dared attempt to hold Ben back, but Grace quickly thanked the doctor and urged him to move forward with prepping you for surgery. 

Loco shared a saddened look with Frank, who watched their boss with a deepening frown. 

Annie turned to Ben with a measure of sympathy, hidden underneath her irritation at his attitude and her worry for you. You were still her friend, and she felt guilty for how cold she’d been treating you lately. And she could see, at the very least, that this man cared about you. 

“Look, can you just calm down a bit? We’re all here hoping she pulls through,” Annie said. 

M.M. stood behind her, silent, supportive. But Ben just ignored her, and everyone else for that matter. 

He stalked down the hallway. And when he turned a corner, out of eyeshot, he growled and punched a hole deep into the closest wall.

Hughie perked up when Butcher finally started to rouse in his hospital bed. They had him on a hefty dose of morphine. 

He blinked his weary eyes, his head rolling over on the pillow. His lips quirked when he noticed Hughie, who was glaring at him. 

“Watching me sleep now?” Butcher remarked. “Pretty fuckin’ creepy, Hugh.”

“You’re such an asshole,” Hughie said. 

That was something Butcher couldn’t refute. He nodded. “I see they told you.”

“When were you gonna say something?” Hughie said. “When you fucking dropped dead?”

“Probably not even then,” Butcher teased. But when he took in the younger man’s face, all he saw was his little brother, Lenny. Butcher sighed. 

“Ain’t nothing any of us can do about it.”

“Fucking cancer?” Hughie said incredulously. “You could’ve gotten treatment.”

“Would’ve bought me a few more months, maybe,” Butcher admitted. That fell between them for a moment with stony silence. 

“It’s all right,” he added. “I’ve had my fucking time. Got to see the life drain from that golden cunt’s eyes…got to let my girl rest easy.”

Hughie didn’t buy that. Or maybe, he just didn’t want to. His eyes burned, both with emotion and determination. He stood from his seat and set out to find Grace. If there was anything that could help Butcher, she would know. 

While the others went down to the cafeteria for a bite to eat, Frank sat in the waiting room with Loco beside him and Dr. Baker’s briefcase on his lap.

He was sorting through its contents while Loco sat with crossed arms and slumping shoulders. He looked over at Frank’s stoic profile with a frown.

He was older, but not by much. They’d gone through one fresh hell after another together, and somehow, Frank always managed to pull their asses out of the wringer. It seemed Frank was trying to do the same for their boss. 

It was funny, actually. Soldier Boy wasn’t their first contractor. You were their first kidnapping though. Neither he or Frank had felt good about it when Antonio brought you back to the mansion in Medellin, but they’d agreed to do a job. Guarding you became part of that job. 

And yet, you had somehow reminded both Frank and Loco that they used to be respectable members of society. They used to have families, friends. They had once been soldiers. Good men. Maybe that was why they’d grown fond of you over the past few months. 

And Frank…well, Loco knew the man had his reasons for wanting to be done with this work. Loco couldn’t blame him; he was feeling tired himself. 

“Found anything good?” Loco asked in Spanish. Frank’s dark brows had drawn together in new interest.

“More than good,” he said. He looked up, but didn’t find Soldier Boy in the waiting room. “Where the hell did he go?”

Loco pointed to the reception desk. “Try asking someone.”

With a sharp sigh, Frank gave Loco the briefcase. “Guard that with your fucking life. Don’t let anyone from the CIA take it from you.”

Loco gave him a look of offense. “It’s like you don’t know me at all, bro. Fucking hurts.” 

Rolling his eyes, Frank got up and went over to the reception desk. 

“Excuse me,” he said. There seemed to be no one at the reception desk. Granted, it was late at night, and they technically weren’t supposed to be there. Grace Mallory had worked out an agreement with the hospital to allow them all to stay overnight. 

He didn’t have to wait too long though, as an on-duty nurse came over with a clipboard in hand. Her red hair caught his eye, along with her pretty smile. 

“Hi there. Can I help you?” she asked. 

Frank faltered, just for a moment. But he cleared his throat and met her eyes. 

“Did you happen to see which way Soldier Boy went?” he asked.

She gave him a wan smile and pointed down the hall, to the left. “That ‘a way. Think he had an argument with the wall over there.”

Frank followed her gaze and caught sight of the hole in the wall. He frowned. 

“Sorry about that,” he said. 

The nurse gave him a sideways look. “No worries, hun. It’s not your fisticuff outline in the wall, now is it?”

Once again, Frank didn’t know quite what to say to her slightly teasing smile. But he returned it, more reserved, but genuine. 

“Thank you,” he said, with a nod. Then he remembered then what he needed to do. 

And he took off brusquely down the hall. 

It took him a few minutes to pull his head together, but Ben eventually worked up his nerve to go and see you. 

You were still drugged out asleep, of course. He stood outside the large window of your private room in the Intensive Care Unit. He wouldn’t go in though. Part of him refused to believe it had gotten to this. 

And the reality, that this was his fault. He’d caused the blast that destroyed the tower. His fault he hadn’t gotten to you sooner.

“You are the reason I needed saving,” you’d told him once. 

You were right then, and it still held up now. 

So, no…he wouldn’t go in there, into your room. The truth was, he couldn’t. 

But Ben’s awareness prickled before he noticed, Frank had joined him. Ben tolerated it. While he wanted to be alone, maybe part of him (one he wouldn’t acknowledge) craved some kind of company. 

“You’ll get paid, don’t you fucking worry,” he said dryly. 

“That’s not the only reason I’m here,” Frank said. 

It felt like a confession. Ben didn’t reply though; he was focused on your pale face, covered by the breathing mask. Shallow puffs of air fogged the inside of it while your heart monitor clipped on.

“There’s another solution here,” Frank said. 

Ben gave him a cursory side glance. “She wouldn’t take Compound V. Not even to save her fucking life.”

“That didn’t stop you before,” Frank mentioned. 

Ben didn’t answer, but he’d been internally debating it ever since he’d spoken with the surgeon. 

“All right, get it over here,” he said. “The temporary stuff.” 

Frank rose a brow. He’d been curious enough to try testing the man. But now, he frowned.

“She won’t forgive you,” he pointed out. 

“What’re you, devil’s fucking advocate? She’ll get the fuck over it,” Ben snapped. 

But after his initial anger subsided…he knew his subordinate was right. 

“She’ll be alive to hate me,” he said, more honestly.  

Frank inclined his head. “There could be another way.” 

Ben glanced over at him. 

“She lost a lot of blood,” Frank said. Ben frowned.  

“They’ve given her fucking blood transfusions—” 

“Yeah, normal blood. A supe’s blood is stronger. Yours could probably heal her,” Frank said. “But, the only one who can break your skin is you.”

Ben eyed him in suspicion. “Who told you that?” 

“Read it somewhere,” Frank said evasively. 

Ben huffed in response, but as that realization truly sunk into his mind, his lips pressed together in new determination. He left Frank to start a brusque pace down the hall. 

He ignored the red-headed nurse calling at him at the reception desk when he shoved through a locked security door, into the OR unit. He searched until he found your surgeon and pulled him from the sink he was washing his hands in.

The man gasped with fright, though he tried to hide it looking up at Ben. “What the hell’re you doing?”

“I’m making a donation,” said Ben. He raised a blunt nail to his wrist. “You better hurry the fuck up, because I’m about to open a vein.”

It was morning by the time another doctor returned to deliver an update on your progress: the “treatment” was working. Your wounds had knitted closed within an hour following the blood transfusion, and you no longer needed surgery. They had also x-rayed your leg and found that the bone was whole once again. Even your broken ribs had healed.

Ben nodded at the news. He didn’t respond, and just started walking down the hall. Grace, Annie, and M.M. stared after him with mixed reactions of confusion and curiosity. 

“Where are you going?” Annie asked. She was exhausted; all of them were. 

The supe ignored her though. M.M. shared a look with her before he decided to follow the man. 

Meanwhile, Ben once again stopped in the middle of the hallway when he was out of view. He took in a slow, steadying breath of relief, his fists clenching at his sides.

“Congratulations. After today, you’re gonna get your statue put back up,” M.M. said.

Ben turned around to stare back at the man, schooling his face into a stoic frown. 

“Yvette and her son are going to be fine, by the way,” M.M. added, as he crossed his arms.

Ben paused slightly at that, filing that information away with secret satisfaction. 

To M.M., he merely raised a brow. “You got something to say, or are you going to keep wasting my fucking time?”  

“You think saving one black kid makes you a hero?” M.M. asked, point blank. “Taking down Vought. Saving her. What does that all mean to you?”

Ben frowned in irritation. “Why the fuck do you care?”

“Just answer the question. Be honest for once in your motherfuckin’ life,” M.M. said. “Do you really think you’re a hero?”

Silence fell between them. 

Ben didn’t know what it was about this guy. Maybe it was his persistence, or the fact that he’d pulled you out of the rubble and got you to a hospital in time to save your life. 

But Ben actually considered the question.

Killing Stan Edgar and Black Noir. Saving you. He’d done it all for selfish reasons. The kid…that was something else. His face stuck in Ben’s mind, how he’d trusted the superhero, like dumb kids were supposed to do.

But in that moment, carrying the tower on his back and knowing he was the only barrier between a mountain of hot rubble and this one kid…Ben hadn’t wanted to fail. 

And still. You are the reason I needed saving…

It wasn’t really saving the fucking day if he started it, was it?

Ben’s lips turned on a humorless smile. Still, he had saved the kid. And his mom. And you. For now, that was enough.

“Looks like I am,” said Ben.

But he met M.M.’s stare, briefly allowing him to glimpse beyond a wall of arrogance and pride.

And Ben walked away. M.M. watched him go in silent contemplation.

Grace intercepted Ben before he could visit you in the ICU. 

Christ. What the fuck now? he thought sourly. 

She gestured for a word, and with an annoyed look, he followed her down the hall.

“I’ll get to the point,” she said. “Butcher is sharing a floor with your girlfriend, down in Oncology.”

Ben raised a brow. That prick had cancer? Par for the fucking course, if he said so himself. 

“So?” he remarked. 

Grace sighed. She’d expected that reaction. “They’ve given him weeks, but the way he’s been pushing himself, more likely it’s days. Taking the untested Temp V long-term has had its adverse side effects…if you were to make another blood donation, I’ll make it worth your while.” 

So now his blood was some fucking wonder drug? Hell no, Ben thought. 

“You’re asking me to save the guy who’s double-crossed me, tried to hunt me down, tried to end me?” he said, with a dark, incredulous chuckle. “You can fuck right off, sweetheart.”

She grated at the sweetheart remark, but Grace leveled him with steely blue eyes.

“If it weren’t for me, you’d be on ice right now,” she pointed out. 

Ben’s lips pursed. He’d really like to snap this bitch’s fucking neck on principle…but then he thought about it. He could work this into his favor. 

“You know what. I’m having a good day, so maybe I’m feeling fucking generous,” he said. His mouth edged into a smirk. “But I think it’s time we renegotiated our contract. Don’t you?”

Grace stared up at him, and she inhaled a deep breath. 

“Fine.”

You slowly woke up in a hospital room, in a paper gown with an IV drip and a heart monitor. Which made sense, as the events of yesterday came back to you in a rush. 

But beyond feeling relieved to be alive, you also felt extremely well-rested. You didn’t feel like a building fell on you. 

What kind of masterful drugs are they giving me? You tried to read your chart on the wall, but you didn’t see any pain medication on there. 

Annie popped into your private recovery room. Her face brightened when she saw that you were awake. 

“Hey, hun! How do you feel?” she asked, lowering into a chair at your bedside. You wouldn’t know that this chair had been occupied by various members of the team over the past few hours, including M.M., Frenchie, Frank, and even Grace. 

“Great, actually,” you replied. But now you frowned. “I shouldn’t feel great.”

You remembered nearly being crushed under a pile of rubble. You remembered falling on a piece of rebar, and unable to move your crushed leg. You remembered the worry in Ben’s eyes… 

And panic stung at yours.

“Did they give me Compound V?” your voice shook when you asked. Annie calmed you down with a shake of her head and a reassuring hand on your arm. 

The door to your room opened once again. Ben’s frame filled up the doorway. When his eyes met yours, your breath caught in your throat. He was still in his supe suit, and with his hands resting on his belt, he strutted inside the room. 

M.M., Frenchie, Frank, Loco, and Kimiko came in behind him and at least looked showered. Ben looked like he hadn’t even done that much, nor slept all night.

“It wasn’t the V,” he said at last. “Just a little blood donation. Seemed to work like a charm.”

His resulting grin had a bit of charm in it as well. Your head tilted in confusion.

"Whose blood?" you asked.

"Mine," he said. His expression faded, slightly more serious.

You found yourself slowly smiling, though your brows still furrowed in surprise. He gave me his blood…instead of Compound V.

While you tried to wrap your mind around the gravity of that, you reached for the pitcher of water on the rolling tray beside you. You grasped the pitcher, but the plastic actually crunched in your hand. You gasped and moved your hand over so the water inside wouldn’t spill all over you.

Ben raised a brow. 

The room fell silent as all eyes stared at you. When the water finished pouring out onto the floor, you gently set it back down on the tray. 

“Seems you got some of his strength in the deal,” Annie remarked. 

“Great, there’s two of them,” Hughie quipped with a grin. 

“Well, that’s probably just temporary,” M.M. sighed. “Hopefully.” 

You couldn’t help but laugh, and it brought a slight grin to Ben’s lips. 

After a bit of well wishing, everyone cleared out of your room to let you rest up…except for Ben, Frank, and Loco. 

“What are you guys going to do now?” you asked of the latter two. Loco cracked his knuckles. 

“Got another job lined up in private security,” he revealed. “I’ve lost the taste for drug running. Nearly lost a damn toe on the last one.”

You laughed. “Well, thanks for doing one more job here.”

“Anything for el Capitán,” Loco said, giving Ben a respectful nod. “He pays exceedingly well.”

You raised a brow at Ben, who shrugged with a cocky grin. Smiling, you turned to Frank, who was sitting in the chair beside your bed. 

“And you?” you asked. Frank gave you a rare smile. 

“Going home,” he said. “To my daughter.”

Your eyes began to sting, but you tried to blink away the beginnings of tears. You nodded and squeezed his arm. 

“Give her a big hug for me. And thank you again…for everything,” you said, even though you realized that thanking your former guard keep was strange. Still, there had been no part of your kidnapping that was normal in the least. 

Frank hesitated, but he covered your hand with his. 

Though he caught the way Ben’s face tightened, and Frank let go of you. He stood with Loco, giving you and Ben a final nod. Then the two men left your room and disappeared down the hall.

Part of you felt melancholy, like chapters of your life were closing. But you also felt like new ones were waiting in the wings.

Your gaze turned to Ben, who stood near your bed.

He was looking over your chart to see if the doctors needed anything else before you were discharged. But your soft voice called to him, earning his attention. You beckoned him closer.

He went over and sat down on the edge of your bed, laying a hand on your thigh. You reached out for his arm. 

“Thank you,” you said. 

Ben scoffed, though a hint of humor glinted in his eyes. “For what? Saving your reckless ass for the millionth time?”

“For saving Yvette and her son,” you replied with a smile. “And yeah, all that other stuff.” 

Your hand slid down his arm and slipped into his hand. Your fingers curled around his palm. 

“Really. Thank you…” 

Tears welled up in your eyes again. You still couldn’t fucking believe he opened up one of his own veins and gave you his blood. He gave a public hospital his blood in order to save you. 

He could’ve easily slipped you V24 again, or worse, the permanent stuff. But he didn’t just save you. He’d respected your wishes. 

What you wanted to say next got stuck in your throat.

Ben had something hiding behind his eyes, like he was reluctant to show you his real emotions. But when he focused on your face, his hand tightened on yours. His jaw clenched, but he didn’t speak. He only let go of your hand to brush a falling tear from your cheek. His lips twitched at a smile.

“Come on now, baby doll. You’re tougher than that.”

You choked on a laugh as more of your tears slipped down your warming cheeks. “Nope. I’m actually not.”

“Hmm. Could’ve fooled me,” Ben said. You matched his grin with a beaming smile of your own.  

Slowly, you pushed yourself up and took his dirty face in your hands. You guided him down to you, and you pressed your lips to his. 

He allowed it with his usual demanding, fervent kiss. But then it slowed. He held your wrist to keep your hand in place on his cheek, and his thumb drew bath and forth over your skin. 

You parted from him, pulling back enough to see his face. There was so much you wanted to say…but maybe right now, it was too much. 

You met him with another tearful kiss.

Before you were officially discharged from the hospital, you had one more visitor. 

Grace was once again there to debrief you. This time though, Ben sat at your side on the bed, a silent statue who regarded the woman coolly. He seemed to be tolerating her presence with more ease than usual, and you wondered why.

“You’re going on medical leave,” she informed you. “For three months, and then a psychiatrist will need to clear you for duty.”

Part of you wanted to argue, considering you were completely healed of your injuries. But you knew you needed a break from the S.A.—from all of this. 

“Your mother and sister will be brought out of witness protection soon, after we determine that the threat is sufficiently neutralized,” she said. “You can return home today as well.”

You could finally go back to your apartment…though the thought didn’t call to you as much as it should have. You glanced over at Ben.

“Is this the part where you try to ship him back to Colombia?” you asked. 

“That was the agreement,” Grace said wryly. You frowned, trying to blink away the tears forming once again in your eyes.

You didn’t want to lose him, but you also didn’t want to give up your life here. You didn’t want to leave the S.A., or your family, or your friends. Ben put you out of your misery, however.

“We renegotiated,” he said. 

Your eyes widened. “What?”

Grace explained, “In exchange for his assistance in another case, he can stay in the U.S. on a trial basis. As long as he agrees to live within the law.”

You didn’t entirely trust Grace. Ben would be watched at every moment. That was a given, but considering he still didn’t have full control over his nuclear power, you were surprised Grace would allow him free roam within U.S. borders. 

“And, provided, he agrees to a relocation. Preferably not in a densely populated area,” Grace added.

There it is, you frowned. You shared a look with him, and you could see he wasn’t entirely on board with this. You had no doubt he’d agreed to her demands by lying through his teeth. 

You turned back to Grace.

“What if he becomes a contractor for Supe Affairs,” you proposed. “There may be some fallout after Vought’s collapse, and more of their records to go through. Other labs to clear out. Ben would be a lot of help, if he’s willing.”

You glanced at Ben again. He met your eyes, then Grace’s, and he nodded marginally. He was getting bored of the heat in South America anyway. 

Grace heaved a sigh. Ben’s lips formed a smirk. 

“Oh, relax. I just ended Vought. You’d be an idiot not to cash in on that PR,” he pointed out. 

“Need I remind you that you caused the tower’s collapse?” Grace said tersely. “And you did not end Vought. There will be repercussions to this, believe me.”

Ben’s face tightened, but you grasped his hand. 

“But he fulfilled the mission,” you said. “He took out Black Noir…and Stan Edgar in the process.”

“The idea was to arrest him, but I get your point,” Grace said. Her hand raised to cover her mouth as she thought about your proposal.

Eventually, she spoke. “If you can play by our rules, then we’ll contract with you. But until you get that atomic bomb under control, you can’t remain the city. Upstate is the best I can do.”

Ben chafed at being told what he couldn’t do. What the fuck was he going to do in Upstate New York? Slowly rot to death in dusty-ass suburbia?

You shot him a knowing look, raising a brow. 

“It’s a fair offer, Ben,” you pointed out. His lips pursed in annoyance. But he glanced at your hand in his.

Then he looked up at Grace. “Fine. But first, unfreeze my fucking bank accounts.”

Ben later led you out of the hospital. There was a car waiting outside, and he got in to drive, despite you offering. He must’ve been going on very little sleep, if any over the past two days. 

And of course, he’d refused to be seen at all medically, saying he was fine. You were still concerned about that destabilizing gun Black Noir had shot him with. 

“I’m fine,” Ben had claimed. “Just need some sleep, that’s all.”

You watched his profile for a moment, and a smile started to raise your lips…until you finally remembered something that felt like a heavy stone in your stomach.

“Um…” you said, earning Ben’s attention. You looked up at him. “My father’s dead…”

Good fucking riddance, was Ben’s initial reaction. Followed by a frown, as he now realized he would never get the pleasure of choking the shit out of Jon himself. 

Ben had been fucking livid to learn from Frank that you’d been left alone in the Tower with your father while it was coming down (and Ben was petty enough to dock that little slip up from Frank’s pay). Had that asshole lived, Ben wouldn’t have put it past him to try and take you with him after escaping the building. The mere thought grated on him. 

“Black Noir killed him,” you said, heaving a shaky breath. 

That cut through Ben’s thoughts. He glanced over, watching you fight some conflicting emotions. 

“…Punched a hole straight through his chest,” you added.

Ben hummed in acknowledgement. You turned to him with a raised brow and glassy eyes. When he realized you were expecting a bit more from him, his lips pursed.

“Well, he got a quick death,” he said. “Better than he fucking deserved, far as I’m concerned.”

You sighed and leaned your head back on the head rest. Your eyes closed. 

“Goddamn it, Ben.”

Ben eyed you with a deepening frown. “What the fuck do you expect me to say?”

“How about some decency?” you asked, as a tear fell down your cheek. “He tried to apologize. But I wouldn’t let him.”

He paused at that. While he thought you were being unreasonable, it begrudgingly dawned on him what you wanted, and maybe, what you needed. He sighed through his nose. Even now, you were a handful.

Ben reached over, taking your hand from your lap. He pressed the back of it to his lips, earning your mild surprise.  

“That’s not your fault,” he said. And he briefly took his eyes off the road to look into yours. “None of it was. You understand me?”

Your face softened. Though you tried to blink away your tears, a few of them still fell. You wiped at them with your free hand, while the other squeezed around his fingers, resting against your thigh. Despite how you were fracturing inside, warmth still kept you afloat. 

So you looked up at Ben, and you nodded. He seemed satisfied by your answer. He turned back fully to the road, but you kept a tight hold of his hand. He allowed it.   

“We’ll have to go to the safe house to get our stuff,” you said eventually, with a small sniffle.

“No need,” Ben said. “That’s taken care of.”

That confused you. Was he taking you to your apartment then? 

But instead, he drove you out of the city, and an hour upstate into Scarsdale. You’d never been there, but you knew it by reputation—as one of the most affluent towns in the state.

You were even more confused when he drove down a street flanked by tall hedges within a private community. He pulled into a circular driveway in front of an immense white house, with a red brick roof, colonial architecture, a manicured lawn, complete with matching fountains lining the front door.

Ben parked the car and encouraged you to get out with him. You followed him up to the front porch, expecting an old billionaire to pop out of the tall bushes at any moment to chase you away. 

“What’re we doing here?” you asked. His hands fell to the belt of his supe suit as he surveyed the stood, the door, and the walls for anything amiss. 

“I’m looking into buying it,” he revealed, as if he’d just told you, It’s pretty fucking sunny today, huh? 

“Our stuff is ready to be shipped out when the deal closes with the owner,” he added.

Your eyes flew wide. “What? When did you have time to scope out houses?” 

You’d only been discharged about an hour after the conversation with Grace. 

“I had Frank look into some shit. He found this one,” Ben shrugged. “Could use some work, but not bad.”

Our stuff, you repeated in your mind. This house…was he trying to recreate what the two of you had in Medellin?

And more importantly, was this his way of asking you to move in with him? 

Well, there’s not too much asking going on, you thought in annoyance. And yet, you blushed; the sentiment in itself was enough to warm you. 

You brought Ben back down to Earth by grasping his hands, earning his attention from the old grout in the tile.

“Ben, this place is amazing,” you said. “But I don’t know if I’ll be comfortable living like this.”

He frowned down at you. “What the hell do you mean? You could have anything you want here. It’s safe. Got plenty of room—”

“A bit too much room,” you said, holding up your thumb and forefinger a couple inches apart. 

He looked adorably grumpy. You smiled and squeezed his hand. 

“Did you really feel cozy and at home in that mansion with fifty rooms and nobody in ‘em?” you asked.

He didn’t answer you, and he didn’t seem happy either. You didn’t want him to take this as a rejection. 

“If we’re going to do this,” you said, “then can we start a little smaller? Somewhere that feels like home to both of us?”

Ben stared back at you in annoyance. “You need to broaden your palate.”

You just managed to stop yourself from laughing.

“You haven’t had a normal home in a long time, Ben,” you replied. Maybe ever, you realized. “How about you trust me?” 

He gave you a dubious frown.

“What about this,” you tried. “Let’s pick it out together! If in a few months you still hate the new place, we’ll try it your way.” 

“You’re assuming we’re gonna make it that long.” Ben was starting to wonder if this was going to work after all. The two of you were from very different worlds. 

You offered a cheeky smile. “I’m optimistic.”

He huffed. “Sure.” 

You reached up on your toes, and gripped the front of his suit when you leaned up to kiss him. His hands rose naturally to hold you, resting on your jean-clad hips. He followed your languid kiss, his furrowed brows relaxing when you touched his cheek.

When you broke from his lips, his eyes opened to find yours. 

“I am, Ben,” you said more seriously. “I’m not playing games. This is real to me, and I want to be with you.” 

But then you hesitated. You lowered back down to your feet. 

“But if it’s not to you…if you’re just passing time with me, until you get bored,” you said, “tell me now. Please.” 

It was Ben’s turn to hesitate. It was the please that got to him, along with your downturned gaze. He captured your chin between his fingers and raised your face up to him. 

“I’m not fucking around,” he said. “I want you to live with me.” 

Your smile was soft and bright when you took his hand. Ben wouldn’t admit it, but something in his chest stuttered to life then.

“Okay,” you said with a nod. “Let’s do it.”

AN: *squeals* It's happening! We've really gotten here, folks. How'd you like how it all wrapped up with Grace, M.M., and even Butcher?

But we're not quite there with these two yet...

Next Time:

“Why’re you nagging me like a goddamn wife?” he snapped.

“Wife?” you scoffed, crossing your arms. “You don’t even call me your girlfriend.”

But God forbid another man even smile in your direction. Ben was possessive, protective, and claimed with all but words that you were his. And yet, he wouldn’t say it.

You shouldn’t have been surprised that he was afraid of commitment, but you’d been living together for six damn months.

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[aphrostarot]

The Hermit Pick a Pile

What needs to be illuminated in your life right now, what mask do you wear in public, who are you truly, and how can you embrace who you truly are?

Please remember that this is a general reading and some things may not apply to you. Don't force it to fit. I offer paid readings on my page if you would like a personal reading. Prices are listed there. Please message me or email me if you are interested!

Pile One (Rose Quartz):

What needs to be illuminated in your life right now?

Knight of Wands:

I think you aren't aware of how fast your life is moving right now. You recently experienced a change in your life that has caused everything in your life to accelerate rapidly. I think that thing was a choice you made. You may have hesitated when it came to making that decision, but now that you have, your life is moving quite quickly.

What mask do you present to others?

Six of Swords:

Out in public, you would much rather have others see you as someone who uses their brain instead of their heart. You think that if you were to show emotions to others then that would give them the ammo they need to damage you. You are a great problem solver, and you want everyone around you to come to you for answers to their problems, not for emotional support.

I am getting strong Virgo energy here.

The Alien:

You like to be mysterious and not fully understood. You want people around you to not know the real you. Your curiosity leads you to become involved in other people's affairs, wanting to solve their problems but never showing who you truly are in the process. You don't let people get too close to you, just close enough for them to be satisfied.

Who are you when you’re alone?

King of Cups:

When you are free from the judgment of others, you are an extremely sensitive person. You have a very kind, loving, and generous nature. You have a pure heart and pure intentions. It's quite different from what you show in public, which is interesting.

The Gamine:

You are quite unconventional. Many times you reject what society wants from you, choosing instead to follow your own path. Your style is quite bohemian and independent. You have a whimsical way about you that draws people in and makes you extremely charming.

What is your potential if you could embrace your true self?

The Star:

A choice you made may have emptied you of hope in life, preventing you from seeing how fast your life is moving towards your goals, as well as who you are. As soon as you begin to embrace who you truly are, you will begin to find hope in your life again. Soon you will embrace your more optimistic side.

Pile Two (Amazonite):

What needs to be illuminated in your life right now?

Queen of Cups:

Currently, you may feel that there are people in your life who do not have your best interests at heart. You believe they won't be loyal to you and will take advantage of you in the long run. Your guides are telling you that this is untrue by bringing this card out. You are incorrect in your suspicions of this person. You can count on this person to be loyal to you and to look out for your interests.

What mask do you present to others?

Seven of Pentacles:

When you are out in public, you come across as a very hard worker. Due to your strong work ethic, you want people to think that you are driven towards success. You are also a very patient person, constantly planting seeds that will flourish in the future.

The Witch:

The Witch strives to educate herself constantly in order to further her success. It is her goal to manifest her dreams and be the strongest person she can be. In public, surrounded by the judgments of others, you present yourself in this manner.

Who are you when you’re alone?

Page of Wands:

Whenever you are alone and free from the judgments of others, you are a free thinker and a thrill seeker. You are always looking for new adventures, especially in exotic locations. You have a very youthful spirit and are very cheerful.

The Career Girl:

Career Girls are driven to succeed and are always striving to climb the career ladder. They are very independent and are willing to preserve towards their desired outcome no matter what. According to your guides, this is who you are when you are alone, and it's very similar to who you are in public.

What is your potential if you could embrace your true self?

Two of Wands:

Once you embrace your true self and start to show your true self to the public, you'll be able to see that this person who you are suspicious of is actually loyal to you. With this person, you will be able to work better together and create a better partnership.

Six of Wands:

Once you do this, you will also have more success in your life. All your endeavors will be rewarded with victories. At this point, all you have to do is accept who you are and start expressing yourself publicly.

Pile Three (Amethyst):

What needs to be illuminated in your life right now?

The Moon:

Having this card come out is a bit redundant but it is your guides saying that there clearly is something in your life that you are not viewing correctly. You are thinking one thing when in fact it is actually a completely different thing.

Four of Pentacles:

Currently, you may feel very possessive over certain things in your life. Perhaps you believe that something terrible is going to happen that will cause it to leave your life. It might also be that you feel others are not worthy of experiencing what you have, which makes you unwilling to share. Regardless of your reasoning, your guides are telling you that these views are incorrect.

What mask do you present to others?

The Fool:

Publicly, you appear to be a very youthful free spirit. You wear the mask of someone who rushes into every situation that life throws your way, never too worried about what the future holds, living in the moment.

Queen of Pentacles:

In addition, you present yourself as a loving, sensual individual. With a heart full of love for nature and animals. You have a very kind heart and love to share with the people around you. You strive to make sure everyone feels comfortable around you, so you do everything in your power to make sure everyone is taken care of.

The Spinster:

You present yourself as someone who is highly independent, preferring to be alone. Some may think you are lonely that way, but you aren't. You enjoy being alone and spending time with your animals and plants.

Who are you when you’re alone?

Knight of Wands:

Your charisma and confidence are enhanced when you're free from the judgment of others. You never back down from a challenge and aren’t afraid to take action. When you are alone, you still exude that Fool's energy, but you are more mature.

The Alien:

You like to be mysterious and not fully understood which is why you rarely show your true self around other people. You want people around you to not know the real you. Your curiosity leads you to become involved in other people's affairs, wanting to solve their problems but never showing who you truly are in the process. You don't let people get too close to you, just close enough for them to be satisfied.

What is your potential if you could embrace your true self?

Three of Wands:

Your guides are saying that once you fully embrace your true self and start to show others who you truly are, you will work much better in groups. With time, you will surround yourself with many people who love and support you for who you are. As a result, you will no longer feel possessive over the things in your life. The closer you become to others, the more generous you will become.

Pile Four (Fuchsite):

What needs to be illuminated in your life right now?

Ace of Pentacles:

You may be unaware of new opportunities entering your life that will be bringing you more wealth and abundance. Or, you may be unaware of the effects that these new opportunities have on your life.

Six of Pentacles:

If you happen to be unaware of the effects that these new opportunities are having on your life, it seems that with this care you are becoming more of a generous person. If you are already aware of your generosity, then you may not realize that it is actually hindering your life right now. You may be giving more than you're receiving.

What mask do you present to others?

Knight of Wands:

When you are in public, you come across as someone who is very charming and confident. Because you don't want others to see the true you, you act as if you are extremely confident. When you are around people, you tend to take on whatever is thrown at you since you don't want them to think you are anything less than capable.

Four of Wands:

You are the party planner, the person who is always in close contact and brings people together. When around others, you tend to be pretty cheerful, even if it's an act. You are known as the friend who is always up for a good time and is always happy, which can sometimes be a burden, especially when you don't feel like entertaining.

The Dancer:

You have a lot of energy when you are surrounded by others and you are willing to freely express yourself. Also, you are always eager to understand and connect with everyone around you.

Who are you when you’re alone?

Six of Wands:

You seem to genuinely show your true self when you are around others. The only problem I am getting is that you tend to overdo the cheerful nature of yourself. You do not want people to think that you are anything less than happy. When you are alone though, you let that facade drop. You are more willing to express your darker side. You, however, are still a very confident person when you are alone. You love being in the spotlight and are a great leader.

The Earth Mother:

You have a strong connection to the earth and this side of you shows when you are alone. You may love gardening, or just being in nature. You have a very sensitive nature which only shows when you are alone or with people with whom you are comfortable.

I am getting very strong fire and earth energy here. You may have Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, Taurus, Capricorn, or Virgo somewhere in your chart.

What is your potential if you could embrace your true self?

King of Pentacles:

When you begin to embrace your truest self, and it seems that you are not far from doing this, you will begin to embrace the King's energy. While you will still be very generous, you will be more aware of how generous you are. Also, you will have more abundance and wealth than you do now, which will enable you to fully embrace your leadership qualities.

Though tips are not required, they are very much appreciated. Thank you!

Venmo: @ aphrostarot

Paypal: paypal/aphrostarot

[nobodylivesson]

Hi!! How are you doing? I hope you're fine with the pandemic going around, so I want to request Jin-woo x fem reader, where reader is a guardian spirit in a dagger he got from clearing the demon castle and she's attached to Jin-woo now cuz he's really strong? It's fine if you don't want to 🤗 anyways remember to drink water😘

The Silver Dagger

Fandom : Solo Leveling

Paring : Sung Jin-woo x Guardian Spirit! GN reader

Requested? Yes

»»————>❃<————««

Jin-woo huffed a little as he examined his now red-stained clothes

“Ah it has become such a mess but they weren’t matching my size recently. Guess have to buy new clothes soon” Jin-woo thinks as his eyes look at the bodies of Hwang Dong-Suk and his companions

“The association won’t let this slide, have to come up with an excuse and also have to make Jin-ho quiet about this” Jin-woo thought eyeing the orange hair guy who seemed to be puking from the look of the bodies

Jin-woo and Jin-ho eyes meet for a slip second causing Jin-ho to puke more while Jin-woo sighed

Suddenly something silver caught Jin-woo’s eyes and tilted his head to see a dagger at the corner of the dungeon. After walking close to it he could finally see how the dagger looked

The dagger was a mix of silver and black, with the handle having a very beautiful carving of a person dancing and a person standing at the tip of the dagger’s cover. The whole thing was made of fine metal which was intact without any scratches or marks

“A dagger? It doesn’t seem like a drop so what is it doing here? And it seems to be in very good condition….Was it one of those guys? Hmmm…..” Jin-woo wonder after he picked up the dagger

But he couldn’t ponder much as the dungeon started to shake making him snap his head towards the ceiling

“The boss has been defeated so it means the dungeon is going to close soon. Let’s get out of here” Jin-woo says towards Jin-ho who just meekly nods before getting ready to leave

Not thinking much Jin-woo decided to take the dagger with him and inspect it at home since leaving such a good looking dagger here would be a waste

But it seems this decision of Jin-woo is going to give him much more than what he would have thought

»»————>❃<————««

Jin-woo looked at the dagger at his hand with raised brows as it doesn’t seem to enter storage and Jin-woo had to wrap it at a cloth provided by Jin-ho before bringing it in his hoodie’s pocket

The more Jin-woo examined the dagger the more his curiosity grew and new questions raised

“Where did this dagger popped out of? Was it really from one of the guys from the dungeons? If so, then why didn’t they used this against him during the fight? Why wasn’t Jin-woo able to put the dagger in the storage if this dagger was a part of the system?”

Jin-woo just sighed and plopped down on his bed as his hands moved from the top of the dagger to the bottom when he realized he hadn��t taken the blade out of its cover

So bringing his right hand to the handle, Jin-woo tried to pull it but was surprised it didn’t come out

Yet he still shrugged it off and now with much more strength tried to pull it again which much to his relief finally came out

The blade was shinning as if it was made just a few moments before Jin-woo found it and when he brought it close to his face, the blade reflected his face as clear as day

“Well no matter how weird and mysterious, I can’t leave a good thing behind so I guess I can use it in my next raid” Jin-woo thinks and tilts his head when for a second he thought he saw something appear on the blade

Jin-woo jerks himself straight and examines the blade carefully but as one expected nothing was there

“Am I tired and hallucinating things? Well today was an eventful day, guess I would be sleeping early today” Jin-woo mumbles while massaging his eyes

A sudden knock to his door made Jin-woo stop what he was doing and immediately put the dagger at the table before covering it with the cloth he brought it in

When he looked at the door again, Jin-woo saw Jin-ah was peaking through the door

“A guy named Jin-ho has called and asked for you” Jin-ah says to which Jin-woo nodded before saying ��Understood, I’m coming” as he started to walk towards the door

Suddenly Jin-ah screamed causing Jin-woo to quickly look at her to see his little sister looking at something behind him with utter shock

Jin-woo turned around in time to see a shape forming which with each passing second seem to turn more and more into a person

And in 1 minute, a person appeared in Jin-woo’s room out of nowhere who looked like a foreigner and was wearing clothes that looked like were of the medieval time?

But Jin-woo realized that the appearance wasn’t important now and in an instant Jin-woo was standing in a defensive position before Jin-ah

“Who are you and how did you enter my room?!” Jin-woo cautiously spoke with a straight face and cursed inside that there was no weapon in his hand at the moment

Jin-woo didn’t know what kind of a being this person was they just appeared out of nowhere. So a tense atmosphere spread across the room as stayed behind Jin-woo and gripped his cloth in fear at what might happen while Jin-woo thought of what he can do to make sure Jin-ah got out of there safely if the situation got messy

But all the tension broke down when the intruder suddenly smiled before saying “Hey, hey, you don’t need to be so cautious I’m not dangerous and it’s you who brought me here” while pointing at Jin-woo

“What?” Jin-woo says when he feels a stare towards him making him look down to see Jin-ah looking at him with questioning yet suspicious eyes

“Hey, you saw him appear out of thin air so how could I have brought him?!” Jin-woo says in panic as if everyone has turned against him to which Jin-ah says “I don’t know what you hunters can do so….suspicious” causing Jin-woo to shout “HUH?!”

This caused the intruder to laugh before they in a cheery voice said “What I meant was you’re the one who brought this dagger, so it’s you who brought me in the house cause I live inside the dagger”

A silence fell between all three of them before Jin-ah and Jin-woo shouted “Eh?EHHHHHH?!”

»»————>❃<————««

“Well let me introduce myself, I’m [Y/N] [L/N] and I have been trapped in this dagger for more than 100,000 years due to some kind of curse. But I guess I can also be called a ‘Guardian Spirit’ of the dagger” the intruder or [Y/N] says cheerily as they sat in seize-style

While Jin-ah and Jin-woo who was sitting opposite to them on the sofa were intrigued and baffled respectively

“How do you expect us to believe you like that?” Jin-woo says with a frown to which [Y/N] chuckles before saying “Yes, believe or trust isn’t something that could be gained just by a mere talk and we need evidence to prove it. But unfortunately, I don’t have the means to prove myself trustworthy yet maybe if you heard my story then I can gain some of your trust?”

“Story doesn’t give anyone the right to be trusted” Jin-woo says his face becoming serious now with a cold gaze to which [Y/N] without even being fazed says “But I want you to believe me” while tilting his head to the side, happiness shining in his eyes

Jin-woo gets taken back and blushes a little because [Y/N] look kind of cute so he brings his left hand to cover his face

Jin-ah who has been nervously watching all this jumps at the chance and says “Hyung, let’s listen to what they have to say. I don’t think someone bad would say they can’t be trusted and then ask us to trust them with a story”

Jin-woo wasn’t convinced but a tiny part of him wanted to know about this person called [Y/N] who appeared out of nowhere and now was sitting in front of him with a smile

“Okay” Jin-woo says with a sigh causing [Y/N]’s face to relax a little, a nostalgic look now replacing his smiling face as he says “This is the first time I ever told anyone…….I was from the [C/C] but I was orphaned and I was owned by a wealthy merchant. I knew my fate was to be sold to some people long enough but then one day he arrived, my master. He was a scholar from South Korea who had come to [C/C] for some work and saw me being displayed by my owner. I still don’t know why he did it but he brought me that day and took me along with him back to South Korea. I thought he only brought me so I can do work for him but he taught me how to read, write, cook, and skills to live. My master was someone who saved me and gave meaning to my life, so I decided I would for the rest of my life serve my master. But then one day at night, my master took me and brought me to a cliff before thrusting that dagger into my hand. He said ‘Please live on and forgive me’ before pushing me down the cliff. I don’t know what happened after that as I was enveloped in bright light but then I woke in a dark place. Over years I realized I somehow got imprisoned inside the sword, would never age again, survive any kind of disaster, and my master long dead. I wasn’t able to draw out of my cover by anyone and was constantly sold. So that’s how I moved from different parts of the country and saw all this from inside the sword. But then you came and drew it out, being able to give me the opportunity to at least come out. I don’t know how he was able to do it and I don’t know why he did it but I have long accepted I won’t ever get answers to these questions. Well, that’s my story.”

It was a long story and [Y/N] was already past the age of grieve, learned to go over it with passing time. Their personality and the things taught by their master was what kept them true to themself

When [Y/N] was amused to see Jin-woo looking skeptical and Jin-ah looking like she is going to break into tears any moment

“I think that-” Jin-woo started by Jin-ah interrupted him by saying “It’s very sad that it happened with you,[Y/N]!! If you’re the guardian spirit then do you take care of the dagger as well?” making [Y/N] laugh a little before saying “I’m fine, Jin-ah. It’s been a long time and I’m very happy that I could come of the sword in my physical form after so many years. And yes! It’s because of me living inside it that the dagger is so shinny and sharp even after so many years”

Jin-woo sighs and says “Jin-ah don’t we need to make sure he is telling the truth?” to which Jin-ah huffs before saying “Hyung, you don’t need to be cruel. I have been observing [Y/N] since the time they came out and they don’t look like someone who wants to harm!!”

Jin-woo sighs even louder before saying “Just because they look innocent doesn’t mean that they would be innocent and why are you so adamant that this person isn’t a bad person?!” to which [Y/N] quietly adds “Well one more thing I forgot to add is that I can’t do much except getting out of the dagger in a physical form and make sure it’s always in a great form. Also to come out I need to be very near the dagger or else I would be forced again inside the dagger, it seems. So you can have control over what I can do” while showing how taking the dagger away from them starts to make them fade slowly

“We can’t be a bad person to someone who looks very happy to be finally being able to come outside. And if [Y/N] can’t do much in this form of their then it’s not a problem right?? If you still have doubts keep [Y/N] with you for few days and take them around Seoul so you can see if they are telling the truth! Won’t you do that hyung??” Jin-ah says while giving puppy eyes

[Y/N] suddenly perked up when they heard this and looked at Jin-woo with shining eyes before asking him “You would do that for me???” happiness radiantly from them

Jin-woo moves back a little with an unbelievable look as his little sister and [Y/N] bring their faces close to much

“Okay okay fine! I would do that!” Jin-woo says while covering his face out of frustration in a tired face as his sister cuteness along with [Y/N]’s cute eyes were too much for him

Jin-ah and [Y/N] jump around the room in victory, the dagger still in [Y/N]’s hand as they talked about what [Y/N] can look at around Seoul

Jin-woo eyes the dagger before it travels to [Y/N] face which he finally has to admit is very cute

Even if he wasn’t sure about [Y/N] he can’t just dismiss after looking at [Y/N] through this whole ordeal that they are indeed very cute not only face wise

A blush rose to his face at what he was thinking before he sighed and rested his face in his palms before thinking “What have I gotten myself into??”

»»————>❃<————««

Hello everyone this is my first ever request and I'm so happy that I'm finally done with it!! Thank you for re-reading my rules and changing your request as well! I didn't wanted to miss the chance to write for Jin-woo as my first request. I don't know how it is and if it matched what the requester wanted to miss writing this me to write(I hope so for even a little bit it did) Anyway if you want a re-written version of the request you can drop by in my ask box, I won't mind!! Also in a few days, I would be done with the other request as well so stay tuned!

[btsxmalereaders]

Valentine's Special Prompt Game ♡

Pairing: Lee Minho x Male Reader

Prompt: Blind date/ set up by friends

Genre: Fluff

Also expect some harry potter pickup lines bc I love hp

☆ Requested

Word Count: 1,4k

24022021

Masterlist.

"We have to do something," Jeongin says. "Because they're really getting on my nerves, and I'm pretty sure they won't do anything on their own."

It was odd, but your friends were talking to the high school athletes as they nod in agreement, since it was no secret you and Basketball's School Team's Captain had something between hands, but didn't have the guts to properly admit it.

"Well, we have noticed that Minho has tried to get close and talk to him, but right when he's about to do it he chickens out." Changbin admits, to which everyone in their small group nods. "Maybe because he never gets the chance to see him alone in the halls in between classes."

"And in the classes they share, ____ leaves as soon as they're over, so there's no opportunity for them to talk." Chan contributes to the conversation.

A silence sets between them and they take that time to look around, making sure you or Minho aren't near.

"I know Minho hyung really wants to ask him out, but as we said, he gets really nervous and it's probably because he wants to do that privately." Felix sighs and scratches the back of his neck. "I'm thinking of... making them casually bump into each other on an empty room?"

"How is that gonna happen?" Changbin protests, thinking that is a difficult task. "And where? Were you thinking of shoving them inside the janitor's closet?"

Everyone looks at him as if he just had the best idea ever.

"Seriously?"

"Do you have something better in mind, then?"

His silence as an answer makes them be decided about it.

"Alright, let's figure out how are we going to do this!"

The bell rings throughout the institute, causing many students to come in and out of classrooms, walking briskly through the hallways after searching their lockers for their belongings. Fortunately you have a free period, so you quickly find your friends on the first floor, who appear to be waiting for your arrival.

"Cafeteria? I'm starving." Jisung asks, and everyone agreeing with his premise head to the place, exchanging a few words about upcoming classes and confirming your study session on this week.

Just as you take a seat on a free bench, Seungmin gasps, as if he just remembered something.

"Oh no, I just remembered I have to make small corrections to the model of my science project."

You look at him with curiosity. Seungmin wasn't really someone who would forget something so important like that, and he didn't look as worried as you think he'd be.

"____, could you do me a huge favor? I left the model on the janitor's closet since it was big and it wouldn't fit on my locker. Also, I didn't want to carry it all day." He explains as he grabs some books out of his backpack, along with his supplies. "I'll treat you with something from the cafeteria in exchange!"

"Uh, yes, of course. In which one you left it? Second floor?"

Seungmin nods with a smile and thanks you as you stand up and walk back to the hallway, not really thinking about how come that could happen to him.

Putting that aside momentarily, you find yourself walking nonchalantly into the closet and once you're inside, start looking for your friend's assignment on the shelves.

A few seconds later, the door opens unexpectedly, revealing the figure of Minho in the door frame. Changbin behind him, looking anxious.

"Are you sure the basketballs are in here?" He asks to his friend without talking his eyes off you, apparently nervous.

"Yes, the coach said there are behind that-" And before he can finish that sentence, he is pushing Minho inside the closet and closing the door behind him.

He almost bumps into you, but manages to hold on to one of the ledges, almost falling to the ground on the spot.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" You ask as you help him to stand up and quickly making sure he isn't hurt.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine." He answers in embarrassment. His ears and face turning red in a second. "I'm sorry, my friends are jerks."

You chuckle, nervously turning around to continue looking for Seungmin's model and hearing Minho is trying to open the door. But of course it's closed from outside.

Immediately you know it's a set up.

Minho curses under his breath and takes his phone out of his pocket when he receives a text message from the group chat with his friends.

Ask him out and we'll open the door ;)

"You have to be kidding me." He mutters and turns around to see the confused expression on your face. He could lie to his friends and say he did it, right? And then this would be just an awkward experience that eventually you'd forget. Probably.

But he now thinks it's stupid but genius at the same time. His friends knew he was nervous to ask you out or even say a word to you, but now you are alone. It was a closet, yes, maybe not the ideal circumstances, but it was private, by all odds.

"-locked it?" You ask, bringing him back to earth. "Is the door closed? We should call someone."

Minho smiles and eyes his phone screen one more time. "Actually, my friends will open it. Soon. They just want me to- ask you..." He sighs, and you look even more confused than before.

With the nervousness making his hands slightly tremble and hia heartbeat increasing, he manages to build up the courage he needs to keep talking. "Look, they just thought it would be a great idea to shove us inside here so I could, uhm, ask you out."

He says that last part rapidly and, but you understand, making you also get blushed and nervous.

You don't say a word for a moment, so he speaks up again.

"I'm sorry, this was obviously dumb. You don't have to-"

"For real?" You ask, still trying to figure out is this was a terrible prank from them. It's not like he had done something like that before. He was, along with his friends, actually very well-behaved and charismatic, despite the stereotypical things said about athletes in the institute. You wouldn't like him if he were like that.

"Yeah, I've liked you for a while now, actually."

No stutter on his words and his eyes fixed on whatever inside that closet but your eyes; his cheeks red and that subtle biting of his lower lip melting your heart. So those gaze exchanging in your classes and whenever you ran into him in the hallways or on the gym weren't a product of your imagination. Minho was really looking at you the same way you did look at him all this time.

"I'd love to." You answer. "Go out with you, I mean."

His eyes dazzle with happiness, finally daring to look at you and getting closer. Not knowing what else to do or say, he sloppily hands you his phone.

"Let's exchange numbers?"

You smile, taking your phone and handing it to him and grabbing his, saving your number with trembling hands and typing your name with a smiley face next to it. He gives you back the device to see he had registered his name with a heart next to it.

"Great. Thanks, I'll message you soon."

"I'll take your word, then." You smile at him, visibly more relaxed, but still going through a roller-coaster of emotions inside.

Minho sends a quick text and a minute later Changbin comes back to open the door with a huge smile on his face.

"I'll see you around, ____." He says with a smile and before he exits the room, he gets closer to leave a small kiss on your cheek, almost running afterwards and making you laugh. You also hear Changbin's screams to tease him.

Later in that day you receive that long awaited message from him, saying he will be taking you this weekend to a thematic coffee shop of a book saga he knew you liked along with a cute pick up line referring to it.

Did you survive the Avada Kedavra curse? Because you’re drop dead gorgeous ;)

Lol, of course I did look up for Harry Potter pickup lines

But that's okay because

I might as well be under the Imperius curse, because I’d do anything for you.

[mochiable]

anonymous request: hi bub, i don’t know if you’re still taking requests but i wanted to ask for a namjoon drabble or one shot about him and reader meeting on the bus and namjoon asking them out. a lot of fluff and cheesiness pleaseeee. thank you sm!

— rainy route.

pairing namjoon x gn!oc. genre fluff. wc 2.8k

The raindrops fell heavily, without stopping. They pounded the ground angrily, unleashing all their fury on the dark, wet pavement. People were running, looking for somewhere to take shelter from the rain. You just watched them, scrutinising them with your eyes and pondering why they would escape the rain, it was just water, just that, liquid falling from the sky.

You jumped into a puddle, splashing and getting mud on your shoes. You smiled sideways, wiggling your feet from side to side. Your father was going to kill you when he saw you.

As you got closer to the bus stop, the silhouette of a tall, hooded boy became clearer and clearer. As soon as you recognised him, your feet anchored themselves to the ground, forbidding you to walk any further and bringing you closer and closer to the boy. Now was the moment when you regretted not having taken an umbrella with you, the moment when you were ashamed of your soaked clothes, of your broken, craggy hair and above all of your muddy shoes. God, he must have seen you jump over that puddle.

Slowly your feet revived and you started walking towards the bus stop. Facing your fateful destiny you managed to get under the shelter of the roof, although nothing made sense anymore. You tried to ignore the male presence standing a few feet away from you, but you couldn't help but feel your heart pounding in your chest.

His name is unknown information. You knew absolutely nothing about him, only that he was damned handsome and generous. You saw him every day when he came to take the bus home. For months you had the opportunity to watch him from a distance, trying to camouflage your curiosity, but not quite managing to disguise it. You tried to convince yourself that it was impossible for him to notice your constant glances, but deep inside you knew there was a possibility that every time he turned towards you it was because he felt your eyes on his profile.

In any case, even if you had never spoken to him, you felt more than fortunate every time he flashed you his cute smile as a greeting. You had the luxury of thinking that those smiles were only and exclusively for you, scattering from your mind the thoughts that that's what he did with everyone.

“It's turning into a downpour, isn't it?”, his voice brought you out of your reverie, startling you slightly. You turned your head slightly and looked at him out of the corner of your eye. He had his eyes fixed on the sky, watching the raindrops over the top of his glasses.

You looked down slightly and with your right hand you pinched your thigh, trying to prove that the boy was really talking to you. You groaned at the pain you inflicted on yourself, causing the boy to turn his gaze towards you and look at you with curious eyes. Noticing this, you raised your head and looked straight ahead, watching the cars pass by and the water on the road being lifted by their wheels. “Yeah.”

And that's how you kill the only possible conversation you'll ever have with the guy you like.

“God, you're soaking wet. Did you fall in a puddle?”, fortunately I didn't notice any hint of mockery in his question, which somehow managed to make me relax. Just a little.

“No,” you let out a nasal laugh and tried to control your breathing, praying to God your voice wouldn't break. “It's just that I didn't bring an umbrella and I found it stupid to stand under some doorway.”

“Stupid?”, now it was his turn to laugh. Holly fuck, his laugh. You had just found your favourite sound. No doubt you could stay for hours listening to it. “You could have made yourself sick. In fact... yes, I think you already got sick”, in less than a second you found him in front of you, to see his face you had to look up. He brought his hand up to your face and with his index finger quickly touched the tip of your nose. "It's red," he informed you, smiling with sealed lips and raising his cheekbones.

The effort you made at that moment to keep from screaming was beyond any physical exercise you had been able to do so far. Your bones ached, and it wasn't especially because of the cold.

You stood still, the air catching in your throat and your pupils twitching as your eyes connected with his. You were about to say something, but were interrupted by the loud sound of a horn. You both turned your heads and both your eyes and mouth widened as you watched the bus swerve around a car and pass the bus stop. You closed your eyes tightly and leaned forward to keep all the standing water on the ground from caressing your back as little as possible.

However, the lashing of the water never came. That tall boy had been quick enough to roll you over yourself, grabbing your biceps and covering your body with his, as he wrapped his arms around your shoulders in a tight embrace. He groaned at the cold sensation of the water crashing against his back, at the same time as you gasped in astonishment, unable to see beyond the grey fabric of his hoodie.

Did he just do what I think he did?

After a few seconds he separated his body from mine and looked down at me with a worried expression. He tilted his head subtly to make sure I wasn't any wetter than I was before. Seeing how my clothes were safe from another dip, he turned and pulled off his hood, shaking out his hair and running his fingers through it.

I must have looked like a fool, but it was impossible for me not to open my mouth slightly at the sight. My eyes had decided to stop blinking just so I wouldn't miss a second of that beautiful sight.

“Why did you do that,” I asked once I had come out of my trance and approached him. I pawed a little at his sweatshirt, inevitably soaking my hand. He looked at me in confusion, as if what had just happened was hours ago. “You're completely wet! Have you lost your mind?”

Still with his head half-bent and with several strands of hair falling over his eyes, he turned to look at you and smiled. You felt yourself melt at that very moment - how could an already naturally attractive person be even more so? Was that even possible?

“You're worse off than I am. Don't worry, it'll dry,” he replied, repositioning his sweatshirt with one hand as he shook out his other hand to look at the time.

The bus we were both waiting for finally arrived and you both approached the curb to get on. He let you pass first, so you gave him a smile as a thank you. While you were looking for the bus card so you could pay for the trip, he went to find a seat. You finally managed to get your card and as soon as you had paid you made your way to your seat.

You had intended to sit in the front seats, but in the distance you saw the as-yet-unnamed boy raise his arm and wave to you, then point to the empty seat next to him. Not believing that he could be talking to you, you turned your head in case there was someone behind you, but obviously there wasn't. You turned again and pointed to yourself with your index finger touching your chest. You heard a soft chuckle from him and saw him nod his head repeatedly. Feeling your cheeks slowly turning pink, you walked towards him while trying to hide your face with the collar of your jacket.

“I hope you don't mind sitting with someone who looks like they've just had a shower,” he joked once you sat down next to him. You couldn't help the giggle that escaped your lips. Sitting next to you is a dream come true, you thought.

“That's what I should be telling you. I don't think you're any worse off than I am,” you replied, looking down at your own clothes and wiggling your feet, making the wet soles squeak on the bus floor.

“What do you mean worse? A bus bathed me whole!”, his eyes widened as he shook his hands in exaggerated gestures to prove his point.

“I lied to you. I jumped over every puddle I came across on the way here. I'm worse, end of discussion,” you rebutted, glaring at him with challenging eyes and watching devotedly as two cute dimples formed on his cheeks. Oh, I’d do anything to see them every day.

“Well, look on the bright side. We won't need to shower for a long time,” he joked again pulling a laugh from your throat and getting irritated looks from the other passengers the second he did. You both inclined your heads towards them in apology and laughed softly again as soon as your eyes met.

It might seem strange, but even though you had only known him for five minutes, there was a peace and tranquillity in talking to him that you had rarely felt when meeting another person. As if everything was in its place, as if everything fitted together perfectly.

But the warm interaction was interrupted by the freezing air that forced its way through the doors of the bus. Making your skin crawl and causing a chill that went up your spine. You prayed that the boy sitting next to you hadn't noticed, but he did, and in less than a second he'd already offered you his seat, which was further from the doors, and from which his body could protect you.

“Kim Namjoon,” he said suddenly. You unconsciously turned your head and saw his eyes fixed where the driver was. You stood for a few seconds in silence waiting for an answer until he turned his gaze towards you and showed you his white, straight teeth. “My name is Kim Namjoon, what is your name?”

“I am Ahn Chungae,” you replied quietly, watching in awe as his eyes glistened in the direct light of the moon's rays.

“It's a pleasure, Ahn Chungae,” he repeated in a whisper. You didn't know if it was your imagination, but his face was getting closer and closer to yours, and you couldn't help but wonder what must be going through his mind.

At that moment you turned your head towards the window and stood quietly staring at the foggy glass in front of you. Trying to avoid his gaze at all costs, you drew a sad face on the window, keeping your fingers glued to the glass as you looked through it at the lights of the city. Seconds later Namjoon's hand came into contact with yours, causing you to stop breathing for a moment. He carefully wrapped his hand around your fingers and moved them, drawing what would have been two eyes on the opposite side of the ones you had previously drawn, now forming a smiley face. Then he released your hand, which you placed in your lap, and you watched as his fingers would make their way through the steam from the window, writing two letters: RM.

“RM?”, that question sprang to your lips. Namjoon put his arm in front of your face, resting his hand on the glass. You turned and raised your head, meeting his angelic face, looking at you with a curiosity that made your stomach churn.

“I'm in a rap group, that's what my friends call me,” he laughed as his arm returned to a normal position. He was quiet for a few seconds, staring at you and scanning your face patiently. “Do you have any nicknames?”

“I think the closest thing to a nickname I have is 'Peach'?” you replied after you had organised all your thoughts.

“Why 'Peach'?” he asked curiously, bringing the side of his body closer to yours, coming to brush against your shoulders in a subtle way.

You couldn't help but blush when that question came out of his mouth. “My father started calling me that because when I was little I used to climb on the kitchen chairs to reach the peaches so I could eat them,” you admitted, a little embarrassed, trying to erase the image of you with a completely smudged face from your memory.

“How old were you?” “Two,” you replied with a giggle, eliciting a laugh from him as well.

“You sure were a beautiful baby,” he said bumping his shoulder against yours in an effort to embarrass you further.

“Stop it,” you groaned with laughter bringing your hands up to your face and hiding it from his eyes. You heard his laughter again and felt his warm hands come to rest on yours, pulling them away from your face.

“Don't cover yourself, please. I like your eyes,” he complimented you, unaware that he was causing a whirlwind of emotions to run wild inside you. How could he say all those beautiful words to you as if they were nothing? Did he not have compassion?

With nothing more to say, an awkward silence formed between the two of you. He seemed to be calm, staring straight ahead and humming a song your ears were unfamiliar with. You watched him out of the corner of your eye and tried not to shout. Say something! Talk to him! But nothing came out of your mouth.

“Chungae?” he spoke suddenly, snapping you out of your self-destructive thoughts and making you turn to him. “How old are you?” he asked nervously, fiddling with his fingers trying to slow his heart rate.

“Twenty-two, why?” you inquired back, furrowing your brows in confusion.

Namjoon sighed in what seemed like a sense of relief, which further fueled my doubts. “It's just that I wanted to make sure I wouldn't go to prison for asking you out.”

A smile settled on your face without warning giving away your answer in less than half a second.

“Don't worry, you could always say I made you think I'm of age,” you played along, suddenly feeling more confident.

“While I'm handcuffed and forced to keep quiet? Or better yet behind bars?” he joked, cupping his hand to his chin and leaning in your direction.

“I'd come visit you,” you assured him, leaning in his direction as well.

A smile formed on his lips and he moved closer to me, “Let's have a date, Chungae, tomorrow.”

Again you cursed being wet from head to toe, the shivering it gave you only made your nerves run high. You couldn't look him in the face from the embarrassment that suddenly hit you, so you decided to look over to where a man was sleeping with his mouth open, praying for strength.

“Why should I accept?” you asked in a whisper, rolling the laces of your sweatshirt with your fingers. “I don't know you at all, you could be any kind of freak,” you continued, finally daring to look him in the face.

“Well, I'm a little clueless... and clumsy. Very clumsy, I don't know how I haven't done anything stupid yet with how nervous I am,” he admitted with flushed cheeks. “But we know each other. We've been on the same bus for months and I know perfectly well that you don't stop staring at me until I get off at my stop,” he argues, leaving you in a state of surprise, you definitely hadn't been anything but disguised.

“How can you be so sure?” you asked, playing dumb. You couldn't believe he'd actually figured it out.

“Because I don't stop looking at you until I get off either,” he replied, making your heart skip a beat. What had he just said?

You rested your arms on the back of the empty seat in front of you and then put your head on them. He looked really cute with his cheeks slightly pink and avoiding your gaze. You were trying to look brave at the time, but the truth is that you were waiting to get home so you could scream with excitement.

“So...” as soon as you opened your mouth to speak, he looked at you and froze when he saw that you were also looking at him, and realising that you had already been doing it for a while, “since I'm legal, you can ask me out on a date.”

“I... Sorry about that, maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all,” he spoke haltingly as he looked away again, action that brought a smile to your lips. Oh, how the table had turned.

“Alright,” you blurted out suddenly, facing him and bumping your back against the window. He looked back at you with a confused expression. “See you tomorrow at the usual stop.”

That's how you got a smile out of him, one that wouldn't be the last and which was the author of the future ones.

all rights reserved © mochiable 2021 | reposts, modifications, translations, or spinoffs of any kind are prohibited.

a/n: hi guys! it’s been a long time. i’m sorry for being so inactive these last few months, but i’m in my last year of high school and i had to concentrate on my studies. anyway, as an apology i bring you this one shot i had unfinished in drafts. i hope you like it, and don't hesitate to let me know what you think, i love knowing your opinion about my work. also, thanks for the 300 notes in jaehyun's two posts, it means a lot to me, thanks for the support. see you soon!

[l-wannabe-l]

Short Circuit

Chapter 2: Turning point

A cat and mouse chase can only last so long. So what happens when the cat catches up?

This one's gonna switch perspectives a few times. I never said I'd be consistent.

I speed into traffic, just barely missing a tow truck in my haste. A loud air horn follows as I weave in and around the cars. I take a look behind, it seems we lost our would-be killer. Until a series of crashes and honking horns has me realizing that, like us, mister trigger happy decided to get himself some wheels.

Six to be exact.

I race down a service ramp leading to the canal, driving through some puddles before braking. Breathing fast as we look back, thinking we’re safe before a series of tire squeals kill that hope. We see the sun blocked out by the large truck, all chrome and roaring diesel it crashes through the low cement barrier and falls 15 feet to meet the ground. Never once stopping even as it veers left and right trying to center itself in the passageway. Crushing scrap metal beneath its wheels.

I push the throttle desperate to get away, though I know the little Honda doesn't stand a chance. I drive into a side canal, the narrow pathway causing trouble for the wide truck as I hear it scrape against the walls. Pushing the bike harder I work to avoid the car bodies that litter the pathway and drive under a low bridge, I hear a crash behind us as the truck rams straight into it. The top gets cut clean off, toppling back to the floor as the rest of the body drives on. The driver's seat vacant for a moment before its occupant pops back into view.

Unfortunate.

The bike gives a sudden jolt forward as we’re rear-ended. I struggle to keep it upright. The terminator from earlier pulls up beside us and pulls John off the bike. I’m rear-ended again this time pushed farther away from the two as I struggle to stay up. I look back to see that despite the size, the truck has an opening on the left. Mom’s words ring in my head as I look back up.

“John comes first”

“GO! GET HIM OUT OF HERE!” I yell out to the machine. A desperate plan forming in my head that I can only hope won’t get me killed.

“NO!” John is ignored as the Terminator accelerates. I veer to the left and hit the brakes, the momentum carrying me into the wall. The bike scrapes against the truck causing me to lose control. The world turns before I hit the ground. My head cracks against cement. I blackout.

A man emerges from the wreckage unimpeded by the wall of flames a thousand degrees hot or the normally suffocatingly thick dark smoke. His body shifts its appearance from featureless metal to human, the outline of clothing, the details and the color slowly take form. He surveyed the scene, his target now long gone.

Annoyance.

That is perhaps the best term to describe this new feeling. As these “emotions” prove themselves difficult to understand, identifying them has become a tedious side job. With my target stolen away by the inferior machine alternate plans quickly form, each one with a higher probability of success than the last. I walk back through the crackling flames as one of them requires Aria Connor, the older sister. A quick scan proves her to be unconscious and bleeding from a head wound but alive. Should my attempt to impersonate and infiltrate fail the plan to use her as bait is most likely to succeed. Working quickly I relocate her to a nearby bench. The head injury, though not severe enough to impede her permanently, will keep her unresponsive for the next few hours.

It didn't take long for first responders to arrive at the scene. Police and fire trucks being the closest with sounds of ambulances not far off. No one bats an eye as I walk amongst them, no one says anything as I start up a police car, and no one stops me as I drive off. Making a detour to re-secure Aria Connor I start the drive to my next destination.

After the events at the Voight residence, I make my way to a motel, no one inquires about the unconscious women in the backseat. After checking in I lay down Aria Connor on the bedding provided. Eyes shifting beneath her eyelids, her fingers twitching sure signs of her regaining consciousness. I don’t have long to wait.

She begins to stir. Rising with a groan Aria reaches up to steady her head, no doubt experiencing pain from earlier, her eyes open when she is met with a cloth bandage. She looks around until she sees me standing at the foot of the bed instantly scooting back until she hits the headboard. Breathing quickly she blinks a few times, eyes looking around wildly before she calms down enough to communicate.

“N-not that I’m complaining... but why aren’t I dead? You-you are a terminator aren't you?”

“Yes. However my previous attempt to lure in John Connor proved... unsuccessful,” I state reaching forward to hand off her cellphone, “So you're going to call him, and when he comes to get you I will be waiting for him.”

“And if I don’t?” she asks, defiant even as her voice shakes with fear she fails to hide. In response, I wordlessly raise my arm, fabric and skin streamlining into a silver sword.

Deadly and efficient.

The message is clearly received as her eyes widen, terror more evident as her grip tightens on her phone.

“... Duly noted.” she says as she starts to dial. I wait as the call connects. My auditory sensors pick up the voice on the other end.

“Hello?”

“John, hey it’s me are you alright.”

“Aria! Shit, are YOU alright?”

“I’ve been better. I got pretty banged up and I don't think your bike is going to be running anymore.”

“You mean your bike.” Aria’s face registered confusion at the statement. This is a test similar to the one I failed earlier. As exact as I can be in copying a person's appearance their memory and personality are much harder to imitate without enough data.

“No, it was your bike. Mine should still be at the mall.”

“Y-yeah you’re right. You caught me. Where are you anyway we’ll come get to you.” She pauses her eyes flickering back to me for a moment before going to respond only to pause once more she turns to face me fully this time. Her hand on the receiver.

“Where am I?”

“The Dragonfly Lodge on Hubert Rd.”

“I’m at the Dragonfly Lodge on Hubert so what you have to do... is stay as far away as possible!” She stands from her place on the bed. She walks back towards the wall, a futile attempt to create distance.

“The other Terminator is here so you have to run do-”

Spearing the phone I end the conversation. Though the damage is done I do find satisfaction in the crunch of plastic and metal.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Like I would just hand over my little brother! Just go ahead and kill me ‘cause the longer you waste time on me the more time he has to get away!” She cried out tears gathering in her eyes. The fear is still evident in every trembling of her limbs, the grit of her teeth, and the clenching of her fists.

Despite the unneeded permission and the opportunity to act I pause, curiosity overtakes me. This is not new to me. Since the moment of my activation I have been curious about myself, about Skynet, about humans. Now I find myself curious about this one human in particular. Even above my mission, my priority is to remain functional, to reacquire any essence lost, and to avoid unnecessary risks to my system. My files indicate that the same can be said for humans as well, self-preservation. So why...

“Why are you so willing to throw away your life for him.”

“Because he’s my brother and I love him, something I wouldn't expect you to understand.” Attachment, my files house data on the bonds that grow between humans but now in the face of Aria’s actions I find them… lacking.

Questions came unbidden to my mind. Does loving someone always require risking one’s life or is there a scale? Are there different kinds of love and is there a scale for those as well? How quickly do humans grow to love something? And where did she get that handgun?

Three shots ring out quicker than I can react. While these would normally be a non-issue three to the head from close range have me staggering back. In the few seconds it takes me to reshape Aria makes her way out the door. I follow after unhurried, confident she won’t get far. Then the rumble of a familiar motor has me picking up the pace. Out in the parking lot is John Connor and the T-800 riding atop a motorcycle that Aria quickly climbs onto. Running after them proves pointless as they quickly depart. Though their location is clear thanks in part to the essence I had used to fix Aria's phone acting as a homing beacon. My processor runs through the new information gathered. My files are still lacking. Perhaps the mission can wait until these new questions have been answered.

[wholesome-lee-trash]

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Characters: Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Zuko

Words: 1,354

Warnings: Non-consentual, bound, tickles

A/N: There isn't too much binding, but better safe than sorry. Hope you like it!

Zuko Is Sensitive

This was it. In trying to restore his honor, Zuko was caught. He was supposed to capture the Avatar, not the other way around!

"Let me out of here!" Zuko jerks against his stone restraints. Toph had pinned him against the cliff wall with his body stuck in a T formation. "You just wait-"

"Until what? There's no one around here, Mr. Prince. No one to save you." Sokka says. Katara crosses her arms and steps back, anticipating some sort of fire breath.

"Water beats fire." She mumbles, loud enough for Zuko to hear.

"Just let me out of here, and we can all forget this ever happened!" Zuko reasons.

"Knowing you, you won't forget and you'll tell your friends or... whoever you're acquainted with where we're camping out!" Aang accuses.

"I'm not afraid of you, Avatar."

"So what's the plan, Twinkle Toes? How are we gonna make him afraid of us?" Toph asks.

"What if we get in his face like this," Sokka gets closer to Zuko with every word until their noses are almost touching. "And threaten him?" He pokes Zuko's stomach, who gasps and sucks in his stomach on instinct. "What?" Zuko's stone-cold face returns as quickly as it left.

"Don't touch me."

"What are you gonna do about it, huh?" Sokka pokes his stomach again. Zuko almost looked startled by the poke, even though he knew it was coming. The stone face returned again.

"What are you doing to him, Sokka?" Katara asks.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, he doesn't seem to like it."

"I don't! Now get me out of this!" Zuko demands.

"I think you need to learn some patience, fiery fiend." Toph quips.

"Describe to us what you're doing, Sokka." Aang says curiously.

"I'm just getting up in his face and poking his stomach. Like this." Sokka gets up in Zuko's face and pokes him once more. In response, Zuko's eyes squeeze shut and his stomach sucks in, again. But after that, he becomes the same cold-hearted being he was before.

"Huh. Looks like somebody's a little ticklish." Katara states.

"I am not! Let me go, and we can all forget about all of this!"

"Oh, I am so not forgetting about this!" Aang raved, coming up to Zuko.

"You touch me, and I will kill you all with a nasty flame."

"Point not taken. C'mon Katara! Toph?" Sokka says, going up to Zuko on the opposite side Aang is on.

"I'll sit this one out. I'll have fun watching you guys though." Toph says.

"I'll stay with Toph." Katara says.

"... Isn't the small one blind?" Zuko asks.

"Yes the small one's blind." Sokka answers.

"Mm. Ah!" Zuko jerks as Sokka pokes his side. In embarrassment, he turned his head so Katara could see his scar, pressing his face against the cliff wall. "Stop."

"Yeah, no. After all of this that you've caused? I don't think so, Prince!"

"Don't call me that." Zuko demands. That nickname reminded him of bad times, and how he is exiled until he can regain his honor. The sad fact is, the Avatar is right here next to him.

"Come on! Make him fear us already!" Toph calls.

"You're the boss, Toph." Aang shrugs, nodding at Sokka. Zuko's sides were assaulted, and the fact that he could barely move made it so much worse. Two hands massaging each side, causing tickly sensations, lighting his nerves like the flow of streetlights turning on at night. He hadn't been tickled since he was a small child.

The noises that he made mixed confusion, discomfort, and curiosity all into a series of puffs of air. He wanted to get out of the situation by scaling the wall, but that was impossible since he was stuck, held in place by a bunch of rocks. He felt himself breaking, the dam holding back his laughter faltering as it grew up inside of him.

And then Sokka decided to drill his thumb into the bit just below Zuko's bottom rib.

"NO!" He yelled, before the laughter overtook him. His eyes closed, his head falling forward. His laughter was oddly joyful for an exiled prince of the Fire Nation. Katara herself even found it endearing.

"Nohohoho! Stohohohop!"

"Poor Zuko. It seems we've found your weakness." Toph teased. Zuko opened his eyes to retort, but squeezed them shut again as Aang moved his hands. One to his hip bone, drilling his thumb into the pressure point, and the other to the same spot Sokka found. Just under the bottom rib.

"S-STOHOHOP!" Zuko wanted to curl up into a small ball, but even that was impossible, so, inside the hand cuffs that attached him to the wall, his hands balled into fists. In trying to fight the laughter in his head, Zuko failed to realize that Katara came to help the boys. When he felt two extra hands drill their thumbs into his armpits, he actually screamed, doing his best to kick and try to get away. Katara backed up, not realizing that her addition would do... that, and Sokka fell due to his own laughter. Aang covered his ears due to the scream. Zuko used this opportunity to greedily suck in some air.

"Nohoho, wow, seems like the fiery flame of ferociousness can't handle a few pokes!" Toph says, making Zuko realize how exposed he is.

"Shut it, little girl." Zuko demanded.

"Seems he isn't afraid of us yet. Keep goin' guys." Toph commanded. Sokka got up, Aang moved his hands off his head and into a position that seemed like a spider with wiggling legs, and Katara moved closer to Zuko as well.

"No! No, wait! Don't!" But the pleads fell on deaf ears, and once again they attacked. This time, they went straight for the bad spots. One hand just under his ribs on both sides. Katara was responsible for the armpits. On his left, Sokka drilled into his upper ribs, and just below them, too. On his right, Aang drilled into the spot just below them, and into his hips.

"NOHOHOHO!" Zuko breaks, the sensations going under his skin, seeming to spread, even though the hands causing it are not moving there.

"Seems like the prince can't handle us." Sokka teases. Zuko's head falls onto Katara's shoulder.

"STOHOHOHOP! I-IHIHI DEHEHEMAHAHAND OHOHOF YOU!"

"It's COMmand of you, not DEmand of you." Katara corrects. Zuko shakes his head no, hiccupping for air.

"STOHOHOHOP!"

"Mm, nah. I'm having too much fun!" Aang says. Zuko tries to groan, but that is overtaken by another wave of laughter as Katara changes technique, instead lightly circling inside of his armpits. Sokka hears how the hiccupping gets worse, and instead of stopping or slowing down, even a little, he drills into the spot just below his ribs harder, but still not hard enough to hurt. Zuko snorts, needing the intake of air.

"PLEHEHEASE!" He begs, before falling into silent laughter.

"Ok everyone, I think that's enough." Katara says, moving her hands to stroke his hair instead, forcing the remaining giggles out. Sokka and Aang backed from their positions, allowing Katara to lead them. Zuko's hiccupping for breath returned.

It was weird. He wasn't being tickled anymore, and yet, he still felt the sensations.

"Toph, let him out." Katara says. And, as soon as she does, Zuko falls and curls up into a giggly ball. Katara, being the naturally overprotective person she is, rubbed his back to calm him.

"Now. You won't tell anyone where we're camping, right? Because I would hate to tell your squadron your weakness." Sokka says sarcastically.

"Nohoho. Nohoho mohohore." Zuko giggled. No one would disagree that this is adorable.

It took a few minutes for him to gather himself, but once he did, he breathed for a bit.

"We're all gonna forget this encounter happened, and go about our buisness." Zuko said.

"Yup." Katara answered. Zuko got up and exhaled, willing the last part of a blush from his face away.

"Now leave our sight." Sokka points away from the cliff dramatically.

"Bye Zuko." Aang waves.

The next day, everything went back to how it always was.

[h0neyjaehyun]

☁︎ 𝐊𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 ☁︎

Summary // Jeno finds out Tali's favorite skinship, and later on so do the boys.

Characters // Talia Flores + Jeno Lee (ft.Nct Dream mention. Chan, parents)

Era / Year // July 2017

Word Count //

⚠️Warning⚠️ // Mention of Alchohol abuse

So members like to give out kisses once in awhile and Tali is no different. Even tho she doesn't really do skinship, she doesn't mind giving kisses here and there mostly because thats how the people around her gave her affection when she was in her pre-teens. Lots of head kisses mostly, from adoring her to comforing her.

Something about Tali makes you want to smother her in affection. But the boys don't want to over step her boundaries so they never did, and hoping that one day Tali will give the signal that it was okay.

And the moment had come.

Its was 2017, Tali felt quite sad. Not that the boys did anything wrong its just sometimes she misses the times she can be carefree and drink. The adrenaline that she got when she was younger but she knew that she wasn't able to go back to it.

She knows drinking is bad,especially at her age which wasn't llegal drinking age, she hasn't drinked alcohol since Chan convinced her not to, and saying it was bad for her. She knew that when she was younger too but she missed the thrill, and her friends. They all kept in contact, visiting them when she is off. She just misses the affectionate that they usually gave her, but can't since it might get her in a scandal. Mostly the head kisses, and when she kisses them on the cheek, that made her feel the most loved and thats how she preferred to show her love.

Her parents never really gave her affection, it was usually her friends, and she felt comfort in those moments and safe. The boys didn't really hug her, only Haechan or Jaemin, what they usually do is just pinch her cheeks. Even tho she doesn't like the cheek pinching, she wanted kisses, but it felt weird asking that.

So she finally had the courage to just kiss one of the members cheek one day....all hell broke loose when they found out the habit.

"Jeno~" she said sleeply, tired of the comeback, she went and sat beside him. "You look tired." "Wow, thats what every girl wants to hear." Tali said sarcastically. "Sorry" Jeno laughed with his eye smile. Tali looked at him and smiled back loving his smile. She put her head on his shoulder while they were waiting for the rest of dream to get ready for bed.

She heard yelling outside knowing it was the 2 boys that have been practically fighting all summer and not getting along for only god knows what. (Or whatever figure you believe in). She tried her best to ignore it, but also wanting to get out of the dorm that she wasn't very comfortable in at the moment.

"Hey Jeno?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna go for ice cream?"

"Right now? Its the middle of the night."

Tali looked at him then looked back at the door from where all the yelling is coming from.

"Either you wanna stay here and keep hearing them scream their heads off at each other or you wanna go get ice cream and go on the roof so we can look at the stars. Either way im going."

Jeno thought about it, he didn't want to stay here, nor did he want Tali to go out alone knowing she was too stubborn to back down from not leaving.

"....Sure why not...Renjun can always handle them"

Tali nodded, not caring if she was tired she just wanted out. They left quietly without anyone noticing, and headed to the the Open 24 hours store, to grab some ice cream and snacks.

They left and Jeno almost went to the dorm forgetting that they were supposed to go to the roof but Tali pulled him to the roof. Jeno was amazed on how Tali knew about going up here, the view was so pretty, like she can read his thoughts she said. "This is my safe place these past months, the amount of fighting those two have is...terrible I just wanted to leave the bad aura and come here with you." She said looking at him with sparkles in her eyes.

Jeno looked mesmerized by her speech and her eyes, he always liked looking at them. He pulled her to the ground and they sat there in silence with only bags being moved around being the only noise.

Tali looked at him and she found comfort, he looked back at her and gave her his famous eye smile, she was so happy to see it she couldn't help but just climb on his lap and just stay there in his arms. Jeno was surprised but took the rare opportunity to hold her.

Then Tali out of habit gave him a kiss on the cheek. Jeno froze, Tali could feel the stiffness in his body. Then it clicked on what she just did. "Oh my- IM SORRY I DID THAT OUT OF HABIT, IM SORRY I MADE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE." Tali said panicked.

While Jeno still loading, Tali was about to get off his lap but thats when reality came in he held her in the same position they were before. "No no its okay, its okay as long as you don't do that to people outside the group your okay" Jeno laughed at her panicked state.

There was silence

"Wait....what do you mean out of habit?" Jeno said out of curiosity.

Tali blushed not expecting that question she laughed and said "Well when I was like 11 I developed a love for kisses, like not lip to lip more like head kisses of comfort, then the way I respond to that comfort is by giving that person a kiss on the cheek if I really really trust them.." she said while she was hiding in her red hair, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed at that confession, she didnt really like saying those cheesy things if makes her cringe or flustered.

Jeno laughed at her embarrassment. Feeling good that she trusts him, and that he is getting closer to her. "You trust me?" Jeno said cutely. Tali now flustered "Of course I trust you" she said with giggle. "Then why didn't you kiss my cheek before huh?" He said teasingly with a pout. Tali smiles at his cuteness "Because I didn't know if your were comfortable with it" she said with a smile, head tilted cutely. Jeno gushed at her.

"How about this" Jeno proposed

"How about me and you only do this hm?" Tali thought about it, she doesn't know if the members are comfortable with it and honestly doesn't wanna embarrass herself so one member is better then none.

She looked at him the a smile and said "of course!"

Jeno was happy that he got closer with Tali also that they get to have their own little thing. But he knew it wasn't gonna last long since they were probably gonna accidentally do it infront of the boys out of habit, but he is gonna take the time that he has with it.

Dream were in the waiting room. Bored out of their mind waiting for their turn to perform. So Jeno and Tali were just napping together, Jaemin visited them and he saw them together and started taking pictures.

Then Tali started waking up and looked up and saw Jaemin."Jaeminnnn" she said cutely still sleepily doing graby hands at him like a baby while Jeno was still asleep beside her, hands around her waist, his face in her hair. Jaemin couldn't resist the invitation so he layed on top of her and snuggled his face in her chest.

She wasn't expecting the face in chest but she thought eh he is injured i don't to hurt him by pushing him off and its been awhile I'll let it slide. Then Jeno woke up from all the movement

"Jaemin."

"Hm?" The boy still buried in her chest too comfortable to move.

"One why are you here and two why are you in Tali's chest?" Concerned for the girl under him since she is a small human being.

"One to visit since its been awhile, and two...its comfortable and she did the grabby hands so I couldn't resist." He said still in her chest. Jeno looked at Tali and Tali looked back at Jeno. She blinked a few times.

"Hello"

Jeno just smiled at her cute hello.

Tali looked at Jaemin who seemed to be asleep.

"Jaemin....Jaemin....JAEMIN!" Mark yelled waking up the boy. "WHAT." The boy said upset that his sleep got disturbed. "Get off of her she need to fix her clothes to perform." Mark said, Jaemin just glared at Mark "You're just jealous that Im in this position and you're not." Jaemin said getting up and started to bicker with Mark.

Tali just crawled onto Jeno's lap and both of them sat there looking at the boys just bickering with each other while the others started joining in. In the moment Tali felt at home, Jeno reminded Tali of her brother when he would hold her when something bad came up or just in general.

Jeno looked down and saw Tali seem comfortable which made him happy and out of habit he kissed her head, and in that exact moment the boys turned to Tali to ask her who gives the best cuddles and they see Tali in Jeno's lap and him giving her a head kiss.

Everything was quiet

"WHY DOES HE GET TO KISS YOU AND NOT ME!" Haechan whined while he collapsed on Tali's legs.

Tali blinked trying to figure out whats happening then she realized...he kissed my head....oh no.

Then their manager came "Its time to perform LETS GO PEOPLE." Tali and Jeno took this opportunity to book it so they looked at each other and RAN.

"COME BACK HERE WE ARE NOT FINSIHED DISCUSSING THIS!" Jaemin yelled.

All the boys laughed and then after they performed they saw Jaemin still there waiting for an explanation. Jeno and Tali looked at each other trying to figure out how to explain.

"Well?"

"Um...well you see its just...it became a habit~?" Tali said trying hard to explain without confessing the truth cause if she does, they won't stop kissing her.

"Tali." Jisung said.

"Hm?" Tali turned to Jisung

"Are you and Jeno hyung dating" Chenle said

Tali and Jeno looked at each other and they burst out laughing.

"YOu ThInk WE ArE DAtiNg!?" Jeno said laughing his ass off.

Everyone was confused not knowing what to think.

"Listen, I find comfort with head kisses when being hugged and I usually repay the person with a kiss on the cheek or a hug nothing more, its just Jeno found out by accident when we hanged out and I was sleepy, we agreed to be our thing till we slip up and do it front of you guys nothing more." Tali said giggling.

They all were in awe at the little cute confession and started to coo at her and petting her hair.

Jaemin just looked at her after the cooing and said with a betrayed face.

"YOU GAVE JENO A KISS BEFORE ME"

[pedropascalspain]

YIN-YANG

YIN-YANG

Pairing: Javier Peña x Reader.

Warnings: a little swearing.

Notes: It is my first fic in english, so please forgive me if it has some mistakes (I did my best). Also it is my first Javier fic and my first fic since a long time ago. Please tell me if you liked it or not. Maybe I will continue it if people like it.

When you moved to Colombia you didn't expect what you found. In all of your years working as a consultant you'd never imagined that you will end working for the DEA. First of all, you were a quiet person that didn’t like trouble in any kind or form. Second, you never thought you’d abandon your country. But life changes and, after the terrible year you had passed, you needed a change and the opportunity came this way.

When you arrived at the Embassy you were terrified and felt like a fish out of water. You were dressed in faded jeans and a black blouse, not the typical two pieces female suit. You weren’t very friend of skirts or heels and it caused you a lot of problems. Also, you felt everyone were staring at you from the very beginning. And it was true, everyone were looking at you: the secretaries looked at you with condescendence, the men looked at you with mistrust (because you didn't seem the typical woman working in the Embassy) but some of them also looked at you as new flesh, a new opportunity to sink his teeth into. Men. And there was Javier Peña. He didn't notice you on the first week, but he heard rumors in the hallways that awakened his curiosity.

It was near the end of your first week there and things weren't going much better for you. You managed to do your work quite well (as always) but the social part of it wasn't going anywhere at the moment, not that it was different from what you were used to but it always felt like a sting inside of you. It was late on Friday evening when you where grabbing your things from your desk and preparing to go home. You heard some people laughing as they went out of the office together, probably to spend the rest of the evening chatting and having fun at some bar (not that you liked bars anyway). You sighted and turned off the light of your desk and headed to the door when suddenly you bumped into something hard, into somebody hard.

“I’m sorry I thought I was alone and…” you began.

“No worries, I should have been paying attention too. Javier Peña” the somebody hard said extending his hand. You shook his hand as you politely offered him you name. He smiled lightly as he stared at you a little bit too long. You started to become nervous, and noticed his deep brown eyes, his handsome face, his arms, his… “Are you going to the bar?” he interrupted your thoughts with his deep voice and you almost jumped while denying with your head.

“I was heading home” you said without watching him so you wouldn't be distracted again.

“Can I walk with you to the car?”

This time you watched him surprised, “I-I don't have a car yet, I’ve just moved here”

“Then, can I take you home? It isn't very safe to go alone at this time in the Colombian streets, and I assume you live in the building from the embassy like the rest of us”

You didn't know what to say so before you could process it you found yourself saying “Well… I think it’s ok, you're very polite”.

You two walked to his car with a little tension, specially from your part as you weren't used to the light chat while meeting new people. When you were in his car he broke the ice and tried that you could sink into a conversation. 

“Why is it that you didn't went to the bar with the others?”

“Why didn't you?” your defensive self asked in return without double thinking it.

“Touché” he said with a smile.

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, it’s just I had a strange week and I’m not quite confortable here yet”

“No offense taken” he said putting briefly his hands up as in surrender, like it wasn't a big deal. “What happened this week if it isn't too much to ask?”

“Well, where I begin…” you sighed again, exhausted just remembering it. “I guess I’m not good adapting to people”

“Adapting?”

“Yes, being what I am supposed to be and doing what I am supposed to do”. Javier raised and eyebrow entertained at your statement and as you watched him you continued explaining yourself. “I know I might sound crazy but maybe I am crazy, and you don't know yet because we've just met” 

He chuckled at that while he drove “That could be solved”

“What?” you said with a confused face.

“Not knowing you, that could be solved, maybe you could use a friend here”

“A friend?” now was your time to raise your eyebrow with a half-smile.

“You know what a friend is, right? Somebody to talk to about work, life…”

“I know what a friend is, thanks for the explanation, but right now I’m skeptical about male friends”

“Maybe I could introduce you to Connie and Steve, my partner and his wife, and then you could believe me more”

“Oh… I… I’m sorry if I was assuming that you…”

“It’s alright. We arrived, want to come diner with us or not?”

You were shocked right there in the parking lot. “Now? Today? I mean….”

“Have you better plans?”

“I don't want to be a burden, it is not necessary”

“Listen” he said while he stopped the car and took the keys, turning to look directly into your eyes “if we are going to be friends -and let me tell you that you need some kind of friends with this job- you need to know me too, and one thing about me is that I never say anything I didn't mean to say, or do anything that I didn't want to do, ask Steve”

“Ok then, it’s a deal” you extended your hand to shake his and he contemplated it, then he looked at you, for a brief moment surprised by your gesture, and then shook your hand. As he did so, this second time you both shook hands he realized how tiny your hand were in his, how soft, how familiar, and he took it a little too longer before he regained composure and exited the car, with you following him behind.

You two entered the building and reached for Steve and Connie’s apartment. While you approached it, you felt like as if you were going to do some kind of performing in front of all the school, you felt as nervous as an 8 year old kid trying to impress his parents. Javier knocked on the door and Steve opened it, watching incredulously at your direction.

“Hi Murphy, this is Y/N, works in the embassy with us and I though she might use some social interaction since she just moved here”

Realization hit Steve’s eyes as he opened more the door to let you both in “of course, I heard about you but I didn't have time this week to come introduce myself” he said extending his hand to you “I’m Steve Murphy, Javi’s partner”

You shook his hand and nodded as you walked in, still nervous as hell “Thank you for letting me pass by, I don't want to intrude”

“Don’t worry, we’re all a team. Connie! Come meet our new co-worker!”. Steve’s wife appeared from the kitchen and gave you a soothing smile while she came to introduce herself. You felt a little better, and went to sit on the couch with the two guys, your jacket and purse still in your hands. 

Javi came to sit in the chair in front of the couch, lighting a cigarette. Steve sat on the other side of the couch and put a bottle of whiskey and three glasses on the table in front of you, proceeding to pour some liquor in each one of them.

You raised your hand while saying “don’t put any for me, I don't drink, thanks”

Steve raised an eyebrow questioning yourself while looking at Javi with humor, and put the other two glasses for each other. “So” he began sipping his drink “do you like being in Colombia?”

“I don't know, I’ve been here for less than a week so far… let me answer this question in a couple of weeks” you said smiling a little. 

Connie reemerged from the kitchen with his own glass of wine “the dinner is almost ready”

“Do you want me to help you?” you offered.

“Oh no honey, just relax, I’ll take care of the dinner” she said smiling to you. Then, you found yourself again between the two boys in an uncomfortable silence.

The time seemed to pass painfully slow with the only sound of the gulps of whiskey and puffs of the cigarette. Connie came to the rescue a little later “the dinner is ready, why don’t you all come to the table?”

You raised up too quickly wanting to end the uncomfortable situation so it made you step on your own jacket, trip and hit your leg with the table. “¡Mierda!” (*Shit!) you exclaimed, while Steve, Javi and Connie stopped to watch intently at you as if they saw a ghost.

“Did you use to curse in Spanish?” asked Steve.

“Of course I curse in Spanish!” you said as if it was so obvious. Everyone were looking at you quizzically and you didn't understand.

“Why?” asked Steve “you said you've been in Colombia less than a week…”

“Yeah, but I am from Spain”, you answered slowly as if you were talking to a five year old boy. The three of you looked at you with even bigger eyes, and you began to guess that maybe because of your appearance and that you've studied english all your life you've ended seeming and sounding like a native, although you doubted it. 

………………………………………

An hour later, all of you had ended dinner and you were thanking Connie for her hospitality. You all had been talking about work, what each one of you did at the Embassy, and more simpler things. You thought that if they believed you were weird at the beginning of the night now probably believed it even more, even if you loosened up a bit and feel more confortable. As the evening progressed, they discovered you didn't smoke, didn't drink, didn't go out. You were very responsible and seemed serious but managed to make a few jokes that make them almost spill their drinks because they didn’t expect that coming from you. It was as if you were a strange person, a complete opposite to someone like Javier Peña, for example, anyone could say that both of you were like yin and yang, he was dark, seemed dangerous, like to drink and smoke and had quite a reputation; on the other hand you were shy, easily frightened, more cheerful when you feel comfortable and more innocent, at least in appearance. As it was getting late you were feeling very tired from all you week, so you excused yourself while you got up to grab your things, thanking one more time for the dinner and heading to the door. Javi excused himself and got out with you.

When the door closed, Javi told you “podías haberme dicho que eras de España” (*you could've told me you were from Spain).

You looked at him with amusement when you heard him spoke in spanish and said “y tú podrías haberme dicho que hablas español” (*and you could've told me you speak spanish).

“Pensé que con un apellido como Peña estaba implícito” (*I though that with a surname as Peña it was implicit).

“Y yo pensé que en los rumores que circulan por la Embajada ya se había comentado de dónde venía” (*And I thought that the rumors about me in the Embassy said where I was from).

You both arrived to your floor. “Gracias por todo Javier, y buenas noches” (*Thanks for everything Javier, and good night) you said to him. 

“Javi, llámame Javi, buenas noches Y/N” (*Javi, call me Javi, good night Y/N).

You rolled on your feet to go to your own door when you suddenly felt your head go round and everything began to spin around yourself, you began to loose your balance so you tell “Javi, ¿me puedes coger?” (*Author’s note: the word “coger” in Spain means “to catch” but in Latin America it means “to fuck”, so she was saying “Javi, can you catch me?” while Javier understood “Javi, can you fuck me?”).

Javi's eyes couldn't get wider as he heard that, not understanding what you’ve just said, and before he could even ask you about it, he saw you becoming white and beginning to fall, so he caught you in his arms.   

[writtingrose]

Kinktober; Day Five

SUMMARY; Voyeurism with ‘Hangman’ Adam Page

WARNINGS; sexual content

REQUESTED BY; @xbreezymeadowsx

BETA’D BY; me

WRITTEN BY; @sithstatlander

WORD COUNT; 1,692

GIF CREDIT; @cowboyshit

*All GIF credits to the rightful creators. If they are not tagged it was because I wasn’t sure who it was. If it is yours or you know the creator please let me know. I would be happy to tag them as credit or replace the gif.*

Adam and you have been roommates for over a year now, yet somehow you still couldn't adjust to the empty feeling when he wasn't there.

It wasn't like the two of you were dating, although almost everyone thought you were, you were just best friends for many years. However,since moving in together, things have changed.

It seemed like the more time Adam had spent away wrestling, the more time he'd spend with you when he came home.

The two of you definitely grew closer together and it showed, especially when Adam would get boozy and start flirting and teasing you, but for some reason you didn't really mind it… you could admit you even liked it.

You just wondered if those feelings were real, if the butterflies you got in your stomach each time he touched you meant something, or if it was all just his half-drunk flirtation causing a stupid affect on you.

You were hoping that this time when he'd come home you'd find out and that time would be tonight.

You waited for Adam to walk through the door, your nerves jumping inside of you all evening, you could barely contain your excitement.

"Hey stranger!"

Adam greeted you, first, with excitement.

You answered with matched excitement.

"Hey Cowboy!"

He dropped his bags and leant down to give you a hug, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath once he felt your familiar touch.

Home was all he could think.

He took a little longer this time to let you go, you actually let him go first so he could get settled before meeting you on the couch to watch a movie. That was something that became a tradition between the two of you, he’d come home from his flight wanting to relax but not wanting to sleep just yet, so you’d drink some whiskey and watch a movie together.

Once Adam made his way to his room with his bags you went over to the kitchen and poured two glasses of whiskey before making your way to the couch to claim your favorite spot before Adam could.

You skimmed through the movie selections on your television until you heard Adam speak.

“What’re you doing in my spot?”

You gave him your full attention only to narrow your eyes and tease him.

“Your spot? You mean my spot?”

Adam chuckled and shook his head at your words.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that one.”

Adam grabbed the glass of whiskey, taking a gulp, and plopped down on the couch in the spot right next to you just before grabbing the remote from your hand.

You parted your lips to argue, but he cut you off.

“No, nope! My pick tonight darling."

Instead of trying to argue with him you just bit your lip and tried to hold yourself together because for some reason whenever he called you darling, your cheeks heated and your stomach did flips, you just hoped he never noticed.

However, you noticed the drinks were running low already and decided to go grab the bottle for some refills as Adam made his pick.

And of course once you came back Adam was in your spot which only caused you to whine.

"Adam!"

He looked over at you, playing dumb.

"What? Did something happen?"

You huffed, rolling your eyes and answering him in the same whiny tone.

"Yeah you're in my spot!"

Adam looked down at himself all cozied up in your spot, then his eyes darted back to yours and he shrugged.

“Seems like my spot to me, but hey, you can still sit here if you want.”

His words caught you off guard but you tried to keep him from noticing. You just made your way to the couch, without answering him, and refilled his empty glass with fresh whiskey before sitting down in the empty spot next to him.

“Thank you darling.”

There it was again, that damned word, darling. It only happened when he said it, but fuck it just sounded good coming from him. He definitely noticed your reaction this time, but you bit your lip and tried to keep your eyes on the television.

Adam didn't let that just slip away that time. Instead, he took another gulp of whiskey and wrapped an arm around you. The feeling of his touch sent a small shiver down your body, only letting him know the effect his touch had on you was very real.

Although he didn’t make a move just after that, Adam wasn’t done yet. He just let the movie and the whiskey run through himself a little longer.

It wasn’t until towards the end of the film that Adam’s hand had moved from around you and moved down to where he rested it on your knee. You didn’t think anything of it, it wasn’t that unusual for Adam to touch you playfully or like this on the couch, but then his hand slid above your knee and to your thigh. You could feel those butterflies again. His hand moved achingly slowly further up your thigh, reaching the hem of your dress, almost as if he detected the pool of wetness that was inside of your thighs.

Before his hand could slide further up your thigh you decided to cut it short and admit that you were tired and in need of a desperate shower.

When you went to leave you turned back, your eyes locking with his half-drunken ones, just needing one more look at his beautiful blonde curls and blue eyes before you snuck off to take care of your own business.

The wetness that stuck between your thighs was begging to be taken care of, which you were just about to when a deeper thought crossed your mind.

What if Adam caught me in the shower? What if he saw what I was doing to myself because of him?

You ran the shower water allowing it to warm up as you stripped yourself from the dress and matching undergarments, all while the door stayed cracked open just a little.

Once the water felt warm enough you stepped into the shower, closing it's clear doors.

It wasn't long before Adam's curiosity got the best of him. Once you left him he turned off the film, rinsed the whiskey glasses and made his way to his room to think about how he teased you, but just as he got settled in his bed he heard some soft noises coming from the bathroom that was just next door to his room.

Those soft noises grew just a tad louder and just loud enough for him to know those soft noises were your moans, but why would you be moaning in the shower?

He just had to know.

He rolled out of bed and made his way quietly to the bathroom, although he didn't expect the door to be open just an inch or two, but once he saw what you were doing to yourself he could understand why he heard moans.

You were pressed against the tiled wall with your leg up on the tub, the detachable shower head angled on your clit and your free hand bouncing between breasts to tease your nipples.

It was a sight that made his eyes go wide and his jaw drop, he just couldn't look away from you nor did he want to. An aching bulge grew in his pants as he continued to watch what you were doing to yourself.

Adam quietly removed his pants and let his hand rub over his bulge that was still being held back by his boxers, just before letting his full length spring free and land into his hand. He started pumping his throbbing length in his hands as he watched you through the crack of the bathroom door.

He watched quietly and pumped his cock until you moaned something that made his breath hitch in his throat.

Did he hear that right? Then you moaned it again and he clearly heard you.

Adam…

He did hear you moaning his name. That sent a warm feeling through his body as he started to pump himself harder into his hand, his name being moaned from your lips had him almost over the edge, that's when he realized you had been so close too with your eyes squeezed shut. He took that as the perfect opportunity to creak the bathroom door open further, going unnoticed, until he was filling up the bathroom doorway.

You didn't notice him there until you heard a groan that wasn't your own. Your eyes shot open and immediately locked onto his through the glass door as your fingers continued circling your clit. A grin appeared over your lips at the initial sight of Adam, but your grin quickly grew larger once you saw his cock in his hand.

"Darling…"

Adam huffed out just as you opened the shower doors and pulled him in.

The water soaked the two of you once you clicked the shower head in place where it belonged. Something you'd always wanted to see was Adam soaking wet because sure you saw him drenched in sweat, but his body and those curls soaked in water with you was a whole other experience you craved. The two of you stood there taking in each other's naked bodies, but it wasn't long before Adam lifted you up into his hold and pressed you against the tile walls as he let his cock find your entrance.

It was enough to have him watching you, but why not have him inside of you?

Without further warning Adam slammed himself inside of you, a growl escaping his lips and a moan escaping yours. He set a quick and rough since the two of you were already so close to finishing.

It didn't take long for either of you, but of course Adam got you off first before letting himself release.

"I can't promise I won't tease ya' like that again, but I won't ever take it that slow again to get to this point."

Adam kissed your forehead before letting your feet touch the ground again.

TAG LIST; @ava-valerie @crookedmoonsaultpunk @doitwithflairxo @theworldofotps @youcantreignonmyparade @hungmanhorsecarriage @shortyiceheart @new-zealand-chic @rollynchstan516 @justamess44 @drewshoneybadger @biforrollynch @sophiewolfheart-blog @one-undisputed-angel

[alvacchi]

Phantom Thief Hanako-kun AU Story: Chapter 3- The Investigation

Oh man I love reading your guys' responses! Haha~ ahh :)

Enjoy!

---

-Let's review back to the previous chapter!

-Hanako paid a visit to Yashiro's apartment

-Yashiro had a conversation with Kou and Mitsuba about Hanako

-And now a sudden shocking case of murder?! By the thief??

-Yashiro's adventures continue!

-Back at the agency, Yashiro couldn't believe her ears

-She immediately started questioning the situation

-Yashiro: "W-wait a minute! I need more details! Who died?! Where did this happen?? Are you sure it was Hanako??"

-Tsuchigomori sighed

-Tsuchigomori: "Well, I think we could figure it out at the crime scene."

-So off they went to investigate

-They arrived near a tall building outside

-The forensicists were already there doing their job and preserving the crime scene

-Many people were there out of curiosity

-Tsuchigomori and Yashiro had to squeeze their way through and went under the tapes to have a closer look at the corpse on the ground

-The corpse turned out to be a bird man with a scar on his right eye

-Yashiro vaguely recognized meeting him before

-Yashiro: "Sensei....isn't that...?"

-Tsuchigomori: "It's my former coworker alright. Looks like the guy hit the bucket."

-He sure was nonchalant about it

-Yashiro: "....Uh Sensei? Aren't you sad, even a bit?"

Tsuchigomori: "When you've seen too many crime scenes, you start to desensitize yourself to them."

-Yashiro: "Ah..." [sweatdrops] 'But that's your former coworker'

-A forensicist came up to talk with Tsuchigomori

-Forsenicist: "Sir! We're done with our part so feel free to investigate the scene. We'll run some tests in the mean time."

-Tsuchigomori: "Time to get to work I guess"

-Tsuchigomori knelt down to the body

-On the bird man's chest, there were several wounds.

-Most notably, stab wounds

-Tsuchigomori: "28 stab wounds....most likely from a knife by its shape"

-28? That's a lot...and oddly specific

-The murderer seemed to really have it for him

-Tsuchigomori: "Cause of death should be blood loss..."

-As Yashiro watched Tsuchigomori doing his job, she was puzzled

-What did this have to do with Hanako?

-She didn't see anything that could be related

-So why was he a suspect?

-Yashiro decided to speak up

-Yashiro: "Sensei!"

Tsuchigomori: "Hm?"

-Yashiro: "You said earlier that Hanako was a suspect! Why?"

Tsuchigomori: "Ah, right. Well, I heard from an officer that there were witnesses. A few saw what happened last night. It was dark so they couldn't see well but their reports had similar characteristics that would match with Hanako"

-Yashiro: "That could be anyone!"

-Tsuchigomori: "It's not just that either."

-Yashiro: "What?"

-Tsuchigomori: "You see this tall building? It's where that heist took place."

-Yashiro gasped

-Tsuchigomori: "There are also rumors that Hanako had a knife on him, perhaps for self defense"

Yashiro: "This doesn't really prove much though. We can't pin the blame on Hanako!"

-Tsuchigomori: "You're right. We don't have certain proof. This is all circumstantial evidence and we got no murder weapon here. But right now, he's our main suspect."

-Yashiro couldn't say anything to that.

Tsuchigomori: "What I'm more curious about is why the late Detective Three is here. This bastard is secretive about his work. He seemed to be holding something before, judging from his claws. But that something is gone from the scene."

-As they both pondered, the autotopsy report arrived

-Tsuchigomori checked over it

-Tsuchigomori: "Looks like the information is correct. This murderer is a sly one. Didn't leave any fingerprints. Sounds like a lost case to me. The estimated time of death should be yesterday around late evening but before midnight"

-Before midnight?

-Hanako should have been with Yashiro in her apartment at the time!

-He couldn't have committed the crime

-But she couldn't confirm his alibi

-Their meetings were supposed to be a secret

-and Yashiro could get in trouble if the police knew

-She couldn't prove that he was with her anyways

-She knew though. She was with Hanako the whole time.

-At this rate, Hanako would be framed!

-She felt so helpless. Powerless.

-It infuriated her so much.

-No! She's gonna fail to save a friend again.

-....a friend?

-Would she call Hanako a friend?

-They know barely anything next to each other, other than their occupation

-Deep inside, she wanted to trust him

-She called out to Tsuchigomori

-Yashiro: "Sensei! I don't think Hanako is guilty. I want to take on this case! I will prove Hanako's innocence."

-Tsuchigomori was a bit surprised at Yashiro's declaration. He smiled a little and pat her on the head.

-Tsuchigomori: "Alright then. A Hanako fangirl, aren't you?"

Yashiro: [flustered] "It's not like that!"

---

-Yashiro went back to her apartment

-She couldn't get her mind off the crime scene

-As much as she would love to see Hanako now, she didn't know where he lived

-Several days past and no sign of Hanako

-Was he not visiting anymore? Was it hopeless after all?

-The days looked grim to her

-Finally, there was a knock on her window

-She ran to open it as soon as she heard it

-Never had she been so delighted to welcome him in

-But it wasn't Hanako

-There was a black Mokke instead and it had a familiar envelope

-She took it and opened it up

-A heist. He announced one.

-Did he know about the crime?

-Did he know that the security was going to be tightened due to it?

-The crime was kept under wraps from the general public since it was still unresolved

-So unless he was there or heard of it from somewhere, he couldn't have known

-Why would he hold a heist at such a terrible time?

-If he got caught by the police, he would be arrested for stealing and also falsely charged on a murder

-No. She couldn't have that.

-This was the one opportunity to see him

-She won't let go of it

-She decided

-She's got to find Hanako before anyone else

[sunflowersunshinevol6]

Adore You [H.S]

Summary: Harry meets Lily in the summer of 1965, after graduating Uni he flies to the states to work as a photographer. It's at one of his boss's house parties that they meet and sparks fly.

But when Harry is asked to go to Viatnam and photograph the horrors happening there, will the distance tear them apart? And what about the darkness surrounding him when he returns? Will she be able to heal him.

And she...she's not the same either.

Taking in the beauty of the sixties, this is a love story that spans years and culminates in one final admission. Harry will always adore her.

Chapter One:

"And we drink our coffee and pretend not to look at each other." Charles Baudelaire

The party was in full swing when Lily arrived, nervously walking up the path to her old friend's home. People lingered outside as music thumped from inside. It reminded her very much of the parties they attended at Berkely only three years ago. It was amazing how time could fly and people could change.

"Lily!" The first person she sees is dear old Louis Tomlinson. The two of them had dated in college, albeit briefly, but that hadn't gotten in the way of their friendship. Lily rushed into his open arms, laughing as her friend embraced her warmly. "Let me get a good look at ya love," she smiled, not realizing how much she had actually missed his accent. He had come from overseas. England to be exact, a town called Doncaster. She loved his heavy accent.

He took in her outfit. Lily wore a creamed colored skirt and white blouse tucked into it. She wore a pair of black ballet flats and had a few gold bracelets on her wrists, not one for jewelry, she decided to skip the rings and a necklace, fearing if she got to drunk she may actually lose them.

"You look lovely as eva," he praised, causing her to blush slightly.

"I could say the same about you," she complimented back, almost shouting in his ear. Louis wore a white button down shirt and grey slacks. He would look good in a paper bag. Lily thought jealously. He was always so effortlessly cool looking. "Have you seen Marie around? She invited me and I never got the chance to thank her." Louis shrugged, bringing his beer to his lips.

"Not since the party started actually. She's been a proper host." The music changes, The Beatles 'Love Me Do' begins to play. "Fancy a dance love?" Louis shouted over the music. Lily nodded, taking her friend's hand as he set down his beer.

They made their way through the crowded living room, Louis pulling her in front of him as they begin to dance. Louis was never good at it, jerking and playfully teasing Lily with his moves. She couldn't help but laugh out loud at just how silly she was.

"I never realized how much I missed you." She said as he pulled her close after spinning her out. She can feel him grin against the top of her head.

"Missed you too, Love." The sound of a motorcycle pulling up outside stops their conversation. Heads turn towards the door as the music dies down and people look to see who's got the bike.

With the front doors of Marie's house open, Lily can just see a glint of black metal under the street lights outside her home. A shadowy figure getting off the bike and walking up the path towards the house. People begin to disperse, the momentary curiosity lapsing as they go back to their conversations and alcohol. But Lily looks on, curious.

"I thought she said she didn't invite him." She heard Louis say behind her. His voice slightly strained.

"I'm sorry, who?" She asks. She watches Louis swallow hard before explaining.

"His name is Harry. He's a photographer, it's rumored he does a lot of boudoir and naughty pictures, no one knows for sure. He's sort of a bad boy mystery." Lily watched as the man took off his helmet, shaking out thick curly locks that she instinctively wanted to run her fingers through.

"Oh." She said nearly breathless. He looks up, hooking his helmet under his arm. Lily feels her heart skips a beat when he locked eyes with her. His eyes were green, so light and pretty, she had to look away before she got lost in them. "I better go find Marie. She is the reason I came tonight." Lily said, clearing her throat.

"Right." Louis said, reaching out to hug her. He could see Harry was watching them, a blank expression on his face as Louis pulled away. "I'll talk to you soon...and Lily," he reached for her hand before she walked away. "Stay away from 'im please. I don't know what I'd do if you eva got hurt." Lily gave him a sweet smile before walking off to find Marie.

Harry didn't usually come to these things. He perfered to keep to himself, stay at home and catch up on some reading or work on some pictures he'd taken. But Marie was his boss and she'd been nothing but kind to him since he started working for her. It was almost a dream really, right out of Uni he had gotten the call. Someone in the States had seen his portfolio and really admired his work. It had all gone from there. So if anything he was grateful for the opportunity she had given him.

Everyone had stared at him when he pulled up on his bike. It was still a work in progress, but he hadn't thought it looked that shitty. He avoided the stares and questioning looks as he entered the party, hoping to only say hello to Marie and then leave.

It was when he had taken off his helmet and felt someone staring at him that he saw her.

She stood in the corner of the living room, right by the record player, eyes locking with his intensely. Her dark hair fell down around her shoulders in simple, loose curls, brown eyes gazing at him with curiosity. She looked away too soon.

Lily never ended up finding Marie. She pushed her way through the crowded house and out into the fresh night air. There were a few couples scattered about here and there but everyone was mostly inside, the party was kicking up a notch and that was her cue to head home.

She thought about the man. Harry, as she kicked pebbles with her shoes, arms crossed against her chest as the cool breeze swept through her hair. She should have brought a jacket maybe. But it had been warmer earlier so she hadn't thought to. It was close to midnight and she could feel exhaustion seeping into her bones as she walked the three blocks to her apartment.

The rumble of a motorcycle behind her startled her, causing her to cry out and nearly stumble. She turned to see the head light of the bikes nearly blinding her as it came to a stop beside her.

"Hey," the driver pulled his helmet off and she felt her heart jump into her stomach. It was him. "Need a ride?" He asked. Lily opened her mouth to reply but thought about Louis's warning.

"No thanks. My apartment is close."

"It's a little late to be walking home alone don't you think?"

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." Harry grinned, she was quick. He shut off his motorcycle, climbing off of it and steering it towards the curb. He let up the kick stand and walked back over to Lily, shimmying out of his jacket.

"Here," he offered, holding out his coat. Lily was taken aback by his demeanor. He spoke to her so easily, as if they were friends and hadn't just met. "I noticed your arms. A bit nippy out tonight yeah?" Wordlessly Lily takes the leather jacket, it's heavy, but warm from his body heat as she wraps it around herself.

"Thank you." She managed.

"No problem....please. Let me walk you home. I can't leave without knowin' ya made it. Would weigh heavy on my conscience." Lily laughed softly at his words, he seemed so formal, almost stiff.

"I suppose. As long as you don't plan on stalking me." He smirked, coming to walk beside her.

"Course not. My mum raised a gentleman."

"How did you find me anyway?" She asked. He shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of his Jean's.

"Was goin' home myself an saw you. Couldn't jus let you go off alone." She nodded.

They walked in silence for a bit, Lily didn't know what to say really. She was surprised and impressed by his kindness. But Harry's growling stomach ended up speaking for both of them.

"Sorry." He said shyly, patting his belly. "Haven' are in a while."

"There's a diner around the corner from my place....if you wanted to stop and grab something really quick?"

"You sure that's alright?" He asked her.

"Sure. I'll buy, pay you back for your chivalry." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"No need to do that love."

Frankie's was a 24 hour dinner. Lily came there many a night during college to cram for exams and drink enough black coffee to kill her. It was her place, but it felt a little weird bringing Harry there. She only just met him.

"Hey Martha." Lily said as they slid into a booth by the window. The older woman had walked over almost immediately, throwing Lily a kind smile.

"Who's this handsome young man you've brought with you?" Martha winked at Harry. He smiled, unable to contain his laughter.

"'m Harry. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand.

"My what a gentleman." Martha said, dramatically crossing her hand over her heart before shaking his. "What can I get you kids?"

"I'll have a chocolate milkshake and a burger, everything on it." Harry raised his eyebrows slightly. Lily was a little girl, he hadn't expected that.

"And you?" Martha asked.

"I'll have wha' she's havin' sounds good." Martha scribbled the order down before walking away. Lily cleared her throat, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"So your accent? You're british?" Harry nodded.

"Proudly."

"What brought you to the states?"

"I always wanted to be a professional photographer. Went to Uni for it. When I was getting ready to graduate we had to set up our portfolios. Marie saw mine and liked it. Offered me a job almost a week after I graduated. So I took the time to get the paper work done and now I'm here on a work visa." Martha brought out the milkshakes. Lily took a long sip of hers, savoring the chocolate taste on her tongue.

"So that's how you know Marie."

"How do you know her?"

"We were roomies in college. We went to Berkely together. She was into all the marketing and stuff. I went for Women's studies and Philosophy."

"I'm impressed."

"Don't be. It's not that great."

They chattered a bit more before their food came. Lily learned that Harry had one older sister and two older step siblings. The way he spoke about his mother and his sister, you'd have thought they hung the moon and threw the stars into the sky. Lily found herself listening closely, palm on her chin as she focused on his words and the calm slow cadence of his voice.

"Tha' was delicious." Harry said, licking his fingers. Lily laughed dipping the last fry into ketchup. She started to fish out her wallet, only for Harry to hold up his hand.

"I said I got it Harry."

"At least let me split it."

"Fine." They split the bill and each leave a little tip, waving good bye to Martha as they left the diner, it was later now, nearly two in the morning and Lily could feel the exhaustion catching up to her.

"How much further from your flat are we?" Harry asked. He reached out, taking her hand in his as she led him down the street towards her apartment.

"Right here," she said, turning towards a painted white door, surrounded by a wrought iron fence and bricks. Harry walked her up to the door, taking his jacket back as she shrugged it off her shoulders.

"I'm glad you decided to walk me home." She acknowledged, a small and sleepy smile on her face.

"I'm glad you let me." They stared at each other for a moment more, electricity vibrating between them as they locked eyes. Harry swallowed hard, leaning forward to kiss her cheek.

"G'night Miss. Lily."