#ALSO people were counting on me to give them rides home afterwards and now i feel so bad for ruining their plans but also it's Not My Fault
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yououghtaknow · 6 months ago
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not to vent post on main again but i am. So Fucking Upset because of circumstances out of my control. what if you were a dcom protagonist who Just wanted to go to prom and have a Magical night but the universe said NO FUCK YOU I HOPE YOU DIE.
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liviavanrouge · 1 month ago
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Livia Birthday Girl Vignette
Aura: Hey Liv! Happy birthday!
Livia: Thanks Aura, today has come so fast don't you think!
Aura: Indeed, I'm quite surprised! How's things going?
Livia: *Smiles wide, giggling* IT'S SO FUN!!!
Livia: Everyone in Diasomnia pitched in to throw me this party, it was a surprise party though! I was so sad thinking everyone forgot what today was that I almost cried
Livia: I, of course, have had many extravagant birthdays back home in the Valley of Thorns thanks to Gran Gran and Mal Mal!
Livia: I always picked flower themed parties and everyone always had a blast at them, the different kinds of flowers that were put together always amazed people
Livia: *Giggles* Gran Gran had a flower garden built for me and every year on my birthday the flowers would transform into something else and everyone would get to see a new kind of flower
Livia: I hope I can invite you over sometime to see the garden!
Aura: I'd love that!
Aura: Now, would you care to share some memories with family?
Livia: Of course, hehehe! On my birthday my parents would visit with my siblings! As time went on and as my family grew, the parties got more fun!!
Livia: My younger siblings would make me flower crowns, flower bracelets, flower necklaces and a whole lot more! Despite the pollen making me sneeze, it was so worth it to have their gifts
Livia: My elder siblings would give me things they knew I would enjoy and that always brought a huge smile to my face! Sometimes they'd make things for me, even if it might look bad I appreciate their thoughtfulness!
Aura: How many siblings do you have?
Livia: Ah....when it comes to younger siblings I think I have over...twenty-six or was it closer to thirty...
Aura: Ah...Huh..
Livia: Hm, I lost count after my parents had the triplets...but I have biological and adopted younger siblings! I'd say there's at least thirty younger siblings
Livia: As for elder siblings, there's Ralph, Golden, Silver, Shadow, Maria, Lavender, Elikai, Barin, Callisto!
Aura: *Stares at Livia silently*
Livia: What? My parents love kids..
Aura: A-Ahaha..h-hahaha, a big family you have there
Livia: My mother is expecting her last round of kids as of my time here in school! I can't wait to meet them!!
Aura: WHAT?!
Livia: Hehehe, I also have lots and LOOOOTS of cousins! My family is probably among the biggest there is! My aunt's, uncle's, step uncle's and aunts, grandparents! They're all so cool
Livia: Oh, I also have a few step siblings as well!
Aura: Moving on!!
Livia: *Beams* Okay!
{Part 2}
Aura: Livia, I've heard from Silver that you take care of animals?
Livia: Yeah! I take care of lots of animals, I have raised some baby animals as well and released them back into the wild
Livia: My love for animals came from Silver, we both grew up with animals surrounding us whenever we're out and about
Livia: Although for me, sometimes animals seem more reluctant to come up to me until they notice that I'm not much of a threat, for Silver the animals just scamper up to him without hesitation
Aura: I see, has that ever been a problem for you?
Livia: Aha, sometimes yeah! There was one time where a swarm of magical animals invaded my party and everyone began to panicm
Livia: There were snakes, monkeys, horses and a whole lot more! When they saw me they all came charging over and things turned into a giant animal cuddling pile!
Aura: Hahaha! That sounds crazy but adorable!
Livia: Yeah, hehe, I'm good at animal language as well! I speak it fluently, possibly better than Ruggie! Sometimes I challenge him to see how many animals we're able to speak to!
Livia: It's all fun and games! We both treat each other to smoothies afterwards!
Livia: Oh and this morning some birds brought me flower after flower after flower, till I had a whole bouquet of flowers! They were so sweet!
Aura: Have you ever thought of starting a club dedicated to animals?
Livia: I have but then Silver brought me to the Horse Back Riding Club and I instantly fell in love with it
Livia: I still take care of animals in my free time with other students who want to do the same but it's not much of a club and I couldn't see myself leaving the horseback riding club
Aura: Ah I see, understandable
{Part 3}
Aura: What's your favorite thing to do when you're not dealing with classes or club?
Livia: I love having tea time with Mal Mal and the others! Oh, or I go practice my violin!
Aura: You play the violin?!
Livia: Mhm, I've been practicing since I was seven years old, Mal Mal taught me and still teaches me because I get some notes wrong
Livia: I'm good at playing the song Malleus would sing to me when I was younger and there was a song my Mother sang to me and my siblings as well
Livia: Those songs being played on the violin always brings me peace of mind, I end up nearly falling asleep while playing
Aura: *Smiles* That's sweet and adorable...
Livia: *Giggles, looking a bit embarrassed* It's not much, but yeah, I guess you could say that
Livia: Is there anything else you want to ask me? I'm willing to answer any other questions?
Aura: Is there anything you want to share?
Livia: *Giggles* Switching the question around on me eh! You're sneaky Aura-Chan!
Aura: I get it from a certain someone keeping such a big secret~
Livia: *Giggles*
Aura: Well, Happy birthday, Livia!!
~~~~~
[Groovy]
Livia: *Smiles wide, holding Malleus' hand as she twirled, a wide smile on her face with her hair flowing behind her. Silver, Lilia and Sebek laughing as they clapped to the music playing*
@queen-of-twisted @zexal-club @yukii0nna
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originalleftist · 1 year ago
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Why I Support Joe Biden:
Well, there are a lot of reasons. Like his infrastructure bill. Or support for marriage rights. Or the strong economy. Or his support for Ukraine. But there's one that really (pun not intended). trumps all the others.
In May of 2020, during the height of the election, Donald Trump retweeted "The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat". He used his platform as President to call for the murder of tens of millions of his fellow citizens who's rights he'd sworn an oath to uphold. I will never forget the moment of realization that the President of my country had declared a war of extermination against me and my family, along with millions of other people. Nor will I forget that over 70 million people voted for him afterwards.
And then, on January 6th, they put that violent philosophy into practice in the most horrific possible way, when Trump incited and enabled an armed mob to invade the US Capitol and attempt to lynch members of Congress and his own Vice President. Several people died. Hundreds were injured. And it could have been so, so much worse. If they'd broken in a little faster, if the Congress had evacuated a little slower. I can imagine what might have been, if the timeline had been just a minute or two different. Members of Congress held hostage on live streaming, or lynched on the Capitol lawn. Congresswomen and their female staffers r*ped by the mob. The God Damn nuclear football, which the VP carries with him, in the hands of the Proud Boys or the Oath Keepers. Any of which could have given Trump, the instigator, ample pretext to do what he really wanted, and invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy the military to remain in power.
I don't believe everyone would have gone along with that. But the likely outcome would then have been a civil war.
Look at images from Syria, or Sudan, or any other country in the middle of a civil war. Imagine those are your streets. Your home. Imagine a civil war in a nuclear power, something the world has never really experienced. We came so close to the brink. Just a minute, maybe.
"But Biden is old"- So what? He was fit enough to take a secret train ride into Ukraine. And if something happens to him, if he dies or falls ill or has to step down, that's literally what the VP is for. It's a possibility with every President. Or are you suddenly scared of the prospect of the VP taking over because she's a non-white woman (even that doesn't really make sense, because America already voted for her as VP in 2020, knowing it was possible she'd have to step in).
"I want someone younger"- Fair enough, but if you vote for Biden now, you can vote for someone younger in four years. Or you can let literal fascists win, and never vote again.
"I don't think Biden can win, his poll numbers are really bad"-Fuck the polls. Polls are, even at their best, just what a small number of voters thinks at that time. They are not prophecy. Polls predicted a red wave in the Midterms. They were wrong. Polls predicted Democrats would do badly a week ago. They were wrong. Democrats, led by Biden, have been excelling in every election cycle and special election since he took office.
The only poll that really counts is the one on Election Day.
Also, who exactly is the more electable alternative to Biden? If you want to believe polls, his three primary opponents COMBINED are currently polling at 16%.
"Biden/the Democrats don't get enough done."-The President is not a dictator. He cannot unilaterally do whatever he wants by decree. If you want Democrats to pass a strong progressive platform into legislation, give them clear majorities in the House and Senate to do so.
"Biden supports Israel's genocide of Gaza"-In fact, while expressing support for Israel following Hamas's brutal attack (which literally any president would have done, and rightly so), Biden has worked to avoid escalation, sought to delay the ground invasion of Gaza, pressured the Netanyahu regime for humanitarian aid and pauses, negotiated to get hostages released, opposed a long-term Israeli occupation of Gaza, and maintained support for a Palestinian state. Republicans, meanwhile, have been calling for a Muslim ban (one of Trump's signature policies), censuring the only Palestinian-American in Congress (a few Democrats voted with them, but the large majority did not), and even calling for the extermination of all Palestinians (in the case of one Florida legislator). Trump was strongly supported by Netanyahu.
"We made it through one Trump term." Well, one, a lot of people didn't (Covid deaths alone, Jesus). And two, just because you survived your first round of Russian roulette doesn't mean it's safe to go again.
"Both parties are the same"- Simply false, a narrative based on appeals to public cynicism and frustration and careful cherry picking of which issues to focus on. One party wants to violently overthrow the Constitution. The other does not. Also see abortion rights, gun violence, and a whole host of other issues.
"Democrats have to earn my vote"- What about the millions of people, in America and around the world, who will be stripped of their rights and even their lives if Republicans win? What do they have to do to earn your votes?
"I voted Democrat in 2020 and it didn't solve all these problems."-Frustration is fair, but systemic change does not happen overnight. It takes time, and hard work. It took America over a decade, and a world war, to get out of the Great Depression. It took most of a decade to win the Second World War. And that was with one party, one president, in the White House for most of that time. Even at the best of times, flipping back and forth between parties every four years because you're frustrated at the slow pace of progress is counterproductive. It's catastrophic when one of the parties is fascist, and has no intention of ever allowing the pendulum to swing back.
"I refuse to vote for the lesser of two evils"- Okay, so leaving aside the fact that we all know a third party candidate is not going to win, who do you think is the better alternative? The corporate front that is No Labels? The Kremlin-sympathizing Cornell West? The literal Steve Bannon plant RFK Jr? Just being a third party candidate doesn't automatically make you a better option than the major parties. If Biden is the lesser evil, he is the least of many, not the lesser of two.
And, again, and I cannot stress this enough:
HE DOESN'T OPENLY PLAN TO MURDER HIS OPPONENTS.
"My one vote won't make a difference."- Nearly every major human achievement is a collaboration of many people. That does not make each individual contribution worthless. The Presidential election may not be decided by one vote (though local elections very well can be), but if enough people decide their one vote won't make a difference, boy, does it make a difference.
Them's the facts, America. And there's your mission. Don't fuck it up.
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helpimhyperfixating · 3 years ago
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Photos and Crushes - Cowboy AU Jotaro x Reader P2
Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3
Word Count: 11488
“I’m not coming here again, that is clear.” Jotaro grumbled as he dusted his jacket off. You were standing beside him, giggling a little as you watched his disgruntled look.
The sun was setting and all the children had just left, finally giving Jotaro some respite.
“Ahw.” You pouted playfully, helping him dust off his back a bit. Jotaro sighed and rolled his eyes at your fake sadness, just grabbing your wrist and starting to drag you away from the church with him as you waved back at the nun, darkness slowly starting to set in.
Jotaro soon released your wrist and the two of you were now walking side by side.
“Thank you for today.”
“Hm?” Jotaro hummed, pretending to not know what you were talking about.
“For everything you did. Putting up with the children, helping cheer them up. And especially... with those riders, of course.” You bashfully glanced at him through your eyelashes, only looking at him from the corner of your eyes.
“It’s fine.” Jotaro grunted and you almost couldn’t understand him with how heavy the grumble in his voice was.
“No, really. You saved me again.” You stopped him with a hand on his arm and Jotaro turned around to look at you with a questioning look. “How can I make it up to you? I feel like merely a drink isn’t good enough this time.” You chuckled sweetly at your own callback and Jotaro felt his throat close up a bit, wanting to clear it but not wanting to come across as awkward.
“Come riding with me tomorrow.”
It was a simple sentence but neither of you knew how flustered the other was with those mere words hanging in the air.
“Alright. I’d love to.” You spoke after a bit, finally having found your courage to answer while holding a mini panic attack and celebration inside your head and chest.
Jotaro on the other hand was having a small existential crisis.
Both of you were lost in your own heads as you continued walking and quickly, the fork in the road where you split up came. You cleared your throat and turned to him. “I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow then?” You questioned and Jotaro nodded.
“I’ll come by at nine.” He spoke, oozing his usual calm and stoic confidant look. You nodded a little shyly and quickly stood on your tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek before taking off in the direction of your home, not looking back even once.
Jotaro swallowed heavily as he watched you run away, still feeling the phantom feeling of your lips on his cheek. And then he nearly clocked a dude right in the face when they swung an arm around his shoulder, surprising him.
Joseph screamed like a little girl as he ducked out of the way of the fist.
“Gramps!” Jotaro called out, exasperated.
“Honestly, Joseph, you need to learn how to read someone’s body language.” Caesar sighed. Seemingly appearing out of nowhere as he now stood to Jotaro’s right, Joseph righting himself and putting his arm back around his grandson from the left.
“You two are back in town?” Jotaro questioned, mostly aimed at Caesar as he pulled his grandfather’s arm off of himself and actively ignored him.
“We never left.”
“Yes we’re back.”
Caesar was quick to shut down Joseph���s attempt at a prank and the man pouted.
“How have you put up with him for all these years?” Jotaro questioned, pointing his thumb back to his grandfather.
“It honestly is a mystery to me as well.” Caesar spoke as Joseph let out an offended noise.
“Well screw you too! Here I was, just trying to be happy for my grandson for finding the love of his life, and I get this thrown at me!”
Jotaro actively tried to ignore that statement as he left the two behind and started walking the last leg to his house.
“Joseph, let me talk to your grandson for a bit.” Caesar patted Joseph’s shoulder and - while the man was pouting - he nodded and motioned Caesar to go.
Jotaro immediately noticed the Italian man walking up beside him and pulled his hat down over his eyes a bit. “You haven’t told her yet, have you?” The silence was answer enough and Caesar hummed a bit. “You know what I said before. And, if what we just saw was any indication, she returns your feelings.”
Jotaro once again didn’t say a thing and instead sped up a bit. But Caesar knew he was thinking about his words.
“Oi, Caesar! It’s my turn to talk to my grandson now!” Joseph called out from behind but Caesar was quick to shush him, pushing the older Joestar into another street to take a different route to the Kujo household and give the young man some peace of mind to think.
Tomorrow was a big day after all.
- - - -
A knocking on your door made you jump up from where you had anxiously been sitting. Nearly tripping on your way to the door, you managed to catch yourself in time and just opened the door.
There stood Jotaro, looking the same as ever and you sent him a quick smile.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.” Jotaro greeted back and he could see you excitedly bouncing, making him chuckle softly as he took a step to the side, giving you a good view of the pitch black horse that was hitched right outside your door.
“Jojo!” You exclaimed happily, running over to the gigantic animal. It was one of the biggest and strongest horses you had seen, an almost blue sheen to its black coat when the sun hit it right.
Upon hearing his name, the horse’s ears turned towards you and you walked up to stand beside it, gently petting its neck.
“Sometimes I think you like him more than me.” Jotaro joked as he walked up behind you after having closed your door that you stupidly left open in your excitement.
“I mean, he is a strong competition but no, I think you still win.” You tilted your head back to look at him and grinned, making Jotaro flick your forehead.
“Let’s go.” He spoke and placed his hands on your waist. The action surprised you and you quickly turned your head away from Jotaro so he couldn’t see your blush at the sudden close contact.
He lifted you without trouble, holding you high enough so that you could swing a leg over the large horse and sit down on the saddle.
“Scoot forward.” Jotaro instructed and you did as he asked while he untied the reins, throwing them back over the neck of the horse before taking hold of the saddle horn and back of the saddle while putting his foot in the stirrup, pulling himself up and swinging his leg over the horse’s back with grace.
Jotaro eased into the saddle, his hand that he used to grab the saddle horn now holding onto the reins, running under your arm and slightly pressed into your side.
Jotaro’s other arm suddenly snuck around your waist, pulling you back just a tiny bit so that your back was pressed into Jotaro’s chest. “Is this more comfortable?” He leaned forward a bit, softly saying that in your ear and making a shudder rack through your body, feeling his breath hit the shell of your ear. God, it was too early to get like this already.
“Y-Yeah.” You let out, clearing your throat as inconspicuously as possible afterwards.
Jotaro just hummed a bit, silently appreciating the cute little stutter in your voice while he let go of your waist, instead moving his hand so that he could hold the reins with both hands now.
Letting out two short clicking noises as he pulled the reins to the left side, Jotaro made Jojo turn, followed up by a small kick into the horse’s belly, urging the beast to start walking.
He almost immediately started up, a steady and confident stride in his steps yet perfectly in tune to the rider on his back.
You knew that Jotaro and Jojo had a good connection, the man having taken care of the animal ever since it was a foal. It still surprised you every day you saw the horse however, of how well trained he was. With its size, it could most likely trample everything in its path, yet he was the definition of a gentle giant.
It was your personal belief that the reason for that was because Jotaro had always doted on the animal. He had never admitted to it but you knew that despite the hardass, asshole attitude he had, he loved this horse.
“Relax a bit, you’re completely stiff.” Jotaro suddenly spoke up from behind you and you realised you had been lost in thought.
“Oh, sorry.” You quietly spoke, shuffling your butt a tiny bit to get a little more comfortable in the saddle. You might be a bit cramped and pushed to the front, but it was a lot better than sitting behind the saddle on the rump of the horse. Not only was there not a comfortable saddle back there, Jotaro’s massive frame also made it so that you could never properly look around. The two of you had tried that once the very first time, but after that it was always ‘you in front, Jotaro behind you’. Not that you rode with Jotaro too often. In fact, in the two years you knew him, it had only happened a handful of times. And yet, here you now sat.
“I thought I said relax.” Jotaro suddenly grumbled from behind, wrapping his arm back around your waist and pulling you back so that you were fully leaning against his chest. Instantly, you could feel yourself start to blush heavily as you began to properly sway with the movements of the horse, your back pressed against Jotaro.
“Sorry, uh, I was a bit lost in thought.” You tried to excuse yourself, the awkward smile on your face that he couldn’t see turning into surprise when Jotaro put his chin on the top of your head. In response to you he said nothing, only humming a bit, which you felt vibrate a little on your head.
You could feel Jotaro turn his head left and right as he looked both ways before crossing the street, lifting his head from yours once you reached the other side and spurring the horse into a light trot.
Jojo’s hooves pounded satisfyingly on the dirt road, the horse’s trot a comfortable ride despite his large size.
At the end of the street, Jotaro went right and you both passed the small church.
The sister just so happened to be outside, cleaning the steps and now looking up to see the two young people ride by. You noticed her as well, sending a smile and a wave while Jotaro subtly nodded, almost impossible to see for the nun who stood so far away. Yet still she smiled warmly and waved back, her look turning a bit more knowing as the horse passed by. She could almost smell what was blooming between those two from where she stood.
After a few minutes of a relaxed trot, you two were almost out of town when,
“JOTARO!”
The loud yet faraway shout made you lift your head up and look around while Jotaro gritted his teeth and pointedly refused to look anywhere but right in front of himself.
“Hey! Jotaro!”
At that, the man sitting behind you spurred his horse into a canter, holding you up against himself as he stood up in the stirrups slightly so that the animal beneath you could properly move.
Jotaro just noped the fuck out the moment he heard his grandfather’s voice. Whatever he wanted, it could wait. He had let his mother know he would most likely be gone most of the day if not all day with his horse and he was sure his mother would have told the old man as well. Right now, he was fairly certain that Joseph had seen you sitting in front and if he was allowed to talk to you, he’d definitely do everything he could to embarrass Jotaro. And no way was he letting that happen.
Running away when you were on horse and the pursuer on foot made it almost too easy and Jotaro looked back briefly, seeing the old man stand in the middle of the road, looking defeated as he became smaller and smaller while the pair on horseback left the town.
As soon as he thought you were far enough away, Jotaro slowed Jojo back into a trot and then back into a step, settling back into the saddle with you and unwrapping his left arm from your waist.
Or at least, that was the plan until his hand got snagged in your belt loop. Confused at first, he tugged just a little firmer, accidentally tugging at you while he felt something digging into the side of his hand, piercing through his skin.
“Oh!” You exclaimed in a bit of surprise when Jotaro nearly tugged you forward into the saddle.
Jotaro swallowed before he looked down over your shoulder as to what had happened, having no choice but to rest his wrist against your hipbone.
Somehow, he had trapped two of his fingers in your belt, and now the prong of your belt buckle had just straight up embedded itself into the side of the palm of his hand.
“Shit, sorry.” Jotaro quickly apologised as he tried to twist his hand out, but the prong punctured into his hand refrained him from moving without it digging painfully into his hand.
“No, it’s okay, just- here-“ Your delicate fingers wrapped around his, stopping him from squirming as you then pressed his hand flat into your stomach, using the clearer view to see how you could untangle him. “Who was that anyway?”
“My grandfather.” Jotaro answered as he felt himself blush, feeling the soft expanse of your stomach beneath his hand - even if it still was covered up with your shirt - was enough to make the boy flustered.
When you untangled his fingers, the prong still inside his hand, Jotaro couldn’t keep himself from softly squeezing your stomach. Just a small twitch of his fingers, digging the pads down just a little bit. It felt wrong to do morally but... god, he wanted to be able to keep doing that. Maybe Caesar was right. He had been doubting whether or not he should use today to confess but-
Unknowingly, in his thoughts, Jotaro squeezed again. While you hadn’t noticed the first time, you did now.
The man stopped breathing for a second, afraid he had overstepped and that you’d be mad, but you merely quietly apologised for hurting him, slowly and carefully sliding his hand off the prong, some blood dripping from the small puncture wound in his hand.
Jotaro moved his hand to the side so he wouldn’t bleed on either your clothes or his saddle, simultaneously looking away to the right to hide his raging blush as he gently pulled on the reins to make Jojo stop walking.
He got himself stuck and then impulsively touched you when you pressed his hand into your stomach, yet you were too oblivious to notice. Granted, you were the one to place his hand there, but still. Your mind was just so focused on helping him that you didn’t even notice the world around you. You were so sweet and selfless.
Of course Jotaro couldn’t have helped but fall head over heels for you.
Procuring a handkerchief from somewhere within your pocket, you grasped Jotaro’s hand again and gently wrapped it up.
The man shifted a little in the saddle behind you as you tied the knot and he cleared his throat. “Thanks.”
“No problem, uhm- oh! We stopped.” You only just now noticed and Jotaro turned his head back forward so he could look down on you. God, you really were oblivious, making his heart tighten fondly in his chest. “Anyways, why’d you run away from your grandpa?”
“Because I know him and if I stopped, we would have never left town.” Jotaro explained, and, in a way, he was not lying. For, if his grandfather had teased him and you, Jotaro might have just gotten cold feet and turned around with a ruined mood.
With a small sigh to shake that thought off, Jotaro spurred Jojo back into walking, the horse’s firm steps easily and quickly bringing them up and down the uneven terrain of the planes.
“So, where are we going?” You spoke up after a bit.
“The forest right outside the planes.”
You gasped at that and twisted your body around to look at Jotaro with a massive smile. “Really?!” He merely hummed in affirmation and an excited laugh burst from your throat, with you slinging your arms around Jotaro in a giddy hug.
“Hey, don’t be reckless, I have to ride.” Jotaro chastised you, but really it was just because he could feel his cheeks flame up, his heart beating sporadically at feeling your chest pressed against his and your arms around him.
At that you pulled back (Jotaro managing just in time to steel his expression), a sly look on your face. “Jojo is a competent enough horse, he can steer himself.”
“Tch.”
“That is a subtle way of me saying you raised him well, mister.” Your voice turned a little softer, an almost proud undertone shining through that made a small blush appear on the brooding man’s cheeks at your compliment.
“S-Shut up.”
“Make me.”
Ohhh, that was the wrong thing to say for Jotaro. His breathing became a bit laboured as he immediately thought of all the ways he could in fact shut you up while you turned to sit straight again. His hands holding the reigns squeezed hard and to make sure you wouldn’t notice, he released his left hand and instead placed it on his thigh, bunching the fabric there and squeezing tightly while his right hand that was still in your view was completely lax, just nonchalantly holding the reigns.
“If I want to compliment you I will, there’s nothing you can do about it.” You finished your statement after a second or two and Jotaro released his thigh. Of course, this was you he was talking about. Little old oblivious and innocent you who had no idea what effects simple words from you had on him.
“Compliment those who want it.” Was his gruff response but inside he wanted to kick himself. He did want your compliments, he was just shit at accepting them.
“I sure will.” You smiled slyly and suddenly leaned forward, leaving the warmth of Jotaro’s chest as you hovered your upper body over the neck of the horse you were sat on. “Jojo, you’re such a good boy! So strong and pretty! Yes you are! Yes!” You cooed at the animal, now affectionately patting and slapping the horse’s neck, getting a snort and happy turning of the ears in return.
“Don’t praise him so much, he’ll get spoiled.” Jotaro’s voice piped up from behind you, sounding a little disgruntled.
“You said to compliment those who want it. And besides, what can I say, I got a lot of love to give.” You shrugged with a small smile as you sat back up, twisting backwards in the saddle just a little so you could look at Jotaro.
“Well, put it elsewhere.”
“Like with you?” You teased and Jotaro turned his head to the side, tilting it down a little so his hat would obstruct your view of his face, though you saw the slight pout he sported.
“If it keeps you from turning my horse into a brat.” He responded, making you laugh lightly.
Now he had to accept your compliments, whether he wanted to or not.
- - - -
It took about an hour and a half of riding to cross the planes, switching between a step and a trot every now and then to speed the process up just a little bit.
The view was beautiful of course, some wild animals roaming around through nature. At one point a herd of wild horses had ran past, much to your awe and delight.
But still you were more than excited to get to the forest. You hadn’t been there in so long due to how far away it was, even on horseback, and now couldn’t wait.
Right now, Jojo was slowly climbing a small hill, huffing and snorting a bit as Jotaro needed to keep the reigns taut. It was steep and one of the few things the horse was still fussy about doing, especially now that he had two people on his back. Jotaro had to keep a firm and steady hand to keep him in check, making his arms tightly sit against your sides to do so, even squeezing a bit in order to keep the reigns steady.
You knew that was the reason for it of course, but still, you couldn’t help but blush at feeling his arms so tightly against you, caging you in and keeping you steady while his chin leaned on your shoulder, his hot breath fanning past your cheek as he looked down over you at what he was doing.
Finally, you reached the top of the hill. Jotaro let up on the tight squeeze of his arms at your sides and only now you suddenly noticed how his thighs had been squeezing as well, his knees pressed against your legs. “Sorry.” He mumbled and you cleared your throat.
“No it’s okay, you needed to.”
Jotaro hummed a bit at that and suddenly leaned forward, pressing his chest into your back and pushing you down as he gave the side of Jojo’s neck a few approving slaps for climbing the hill.
He had attempted to lean a bit around you but that proved futile as he pushed you down with him all the same.
Sitting back up together, you opened and closed your mouth like a fish, not knowing what to say, but all of those thoughts were thrown out the window when you saw the forest, the landscape having been hidden behind the hill before.
Your sudden gasp slightly scared Jotaro, afraid it was because of him pushing you down and that he fucked up, but when he saw you turn around to look at him with that giant smile and sparkle in your eye, he knew it was fine.
“Do you want to take us there?” He asked all of a sudden and you furrowed your brow in confusion.
When you didn’t get the hint because you were looking back at him, Jotaro playfully rolled his eyes and grabbed your right hand, making you snap your head forward to see his large hand enveloping yours, leading it over to the reigns he was still loosely holding in his left before wrapping your hand around the leather.
“R-Really?” You asked back at him, genuinely taken aback. You didn’t expect Jotaro to so easily give you the reigns to the horse he cared so much about. He was completely calm and relaxed, a small hint of a smile playing on his lips as he urged you to take it with your other hand as well, as if it was no big deal. He just handed you the control and trusted you with barely a word. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Just use both hands, he’s a strong horse.” Jotaro answered from behind, his voice a little more soft than you were used to and you felt yourself start to blush again.
Bringing your other hand up, you gripped the reigns with both hands, making Jotaro let go with his left as well, completely leaving you in control.
Jotaro gently nudged his heels and Jojo started stepping again.
Almost immediately after getting moving, a pair of hands landed on your waist and you looked down to see Jotaro was holding onto you like that, his hands on your waist so he wouldn’t fall.
In all honesty, you highly doubted he would fall at all, ever. But you couldn’t fault him for just wanting to hang on, so you didn’t say anything, instead just silently musing about how nice and warm and big his hands were.
Jotaro, at the same time, was musing about how small and soft you felt while he was holding you, trying to calm down his beating heart from making the bold move to hold you like this.
A curve in the road was coming up and you pulled the reigns to the right softly, only for Jojo to keep going forward, seemingly not heeding your signal at all.
You tried again, a little firmer this time, but still nothing. “He- He’s not turning.” You spoke with a small voice, feeling embarrassment wash over you. All you had been given were reigns and you couldn’t even make a simple turn to the right correctly?
Jotaro, hearing you and sensing your distress, gave your waist a small squeeze. “It’s alright.” He spoke but you felt disappointed in yourself. “Jojo’s not an easy horse.”
“Somehow I don’t believe that.” Your lips were curved down a bit and when you pulled on the reigns to try and get him to stop, Jojo wouldn’t even do that. A small noise left you and Jotaro was quick to grab hold of the reigns as well, pulling firmly with one hand and getting the horse to stop.
You let go of the reigns and buried your face in your hands while Jotaro let go as well, bringing his hand back to his side and leaning it on his leg as he looked at the back of your neck, his other hand still on your waist. “I’m sorry.” Your apology was a bit muffled but a soft look chased away the usual frown that Jotaro wore at your words.
“There’s no need to be. Jojo is stubborn and it takes practice to ride him.”
“I have not ever seen him be stubborn. He is literally the sweetest horse I know.” You said, lifting your head from your hands and looking back at Jotaro. For the first time you noticed the uncharacteristically soft look on his face and you suddenly felt a lot better already.
“That’s because you’ve only ever seen him with me.” At that you raised an eyebrow, a faint smile returning to your lips, much to Jotaro’s delight.
“Oh so he is only so sweet when you’re around, huh?” You remarked, getting a soft snort from Jotaro. “See, I told you you trained him well.” You then said softly and a warm feeling spread through the man’s chest.
“Want to try again? I’ll help.”
Nodding, you turned back around in the saddle and grabbed hold of the reins a little hesitantly.
“With Jojo it is important to keep your elbows pressed into your sides at all times.” He gently cupped your elbows and pushed them into your sides. Jojo, who had hung his head low to graze a bit at a small patch of grass, was forced to raise his head now that the reins went a little taut.
With your elbows in place, Jotaro shuffled a little bit more back before sliding you back up against him, his chest pressing against you and allowing you to feel the muscle even through the clothing in between.
Bringing his arms around yours, Jotaro grasped hold of your hands, enveloping them with his own and holding onto the reins that way. His head was leaned forward and his cheek almost pressed against yours as he looked over your shoulder.
“Be confident but don’t suddenly tug.” He explained as he showed exactly what he meant, pulling his - and by extension your - hand outward to the right, gentle but firm.
Almost immediately, Jojo started turning on his axis, Jotaro giving a small nudge in the stallion’s belly to get him to start moving again when he was pointed in the right direction.
“He knows you’re the one doing it, he just has a soft spot for you.” You remarked, but Jotaro happily noted the sweet lilt in your voice, showing you were no longer that hung up about the whole thing.
Still, he couldn’t help but want to cheer you up even more. “If we are being honest, I think he has a soft spot for you too. Not many can approach him like you do. Not even my grandfather can.”
“Really?”
“Mhm.” Jotaro hummed affirmatively. “He gets huffy when they do. But not with you.” He leaned sideways to the right a little bit as he said that last sentence, allowing him to turn his head left to properly look at you and bring his point home.
Your eyes were a bit wide as you looked at him before a smile split your face. Jotaro had the sudden urge to press a kiss to your temple but refrained himself, sitting straight in the saddle again and focusing back on the reins and how his hands sat over yours.
Suddenly kicking into the belly of the beast, Jotaro spurred his horse into a trot when you reached the bottom of the large hill, much to your surprise. “Try turning.” Jotaro spoke over the sound of the hooves.
His hands were still over yours, giving you some confidence but still, you tried pulling the reins left, Jotaro guiding you a bit as he helped pull firmer, showing you exactly how hard you needed to work the reins to get Jojo to turn.
In a steady trot, you started to zig-zag on the road. After the fifth turn, Jotaro was no longer helping with pulling the reins and he let go, returning his hands to holding onto your waist.
Jojo was powerfully trotting to the left and you now tried to steer him back to the middle of the path, without even the semblance of Jotaro helping doing it. And, without a fuss or huff, Jojo turned - just as smoothly as he did when Jotaro was the one in control.
A wave of pride flushed through your chest and Jotaro watched as you guided Jojo the rest of the way to the forest.
Once you were about fifteen meters away, you pulled the reins and Jojo slowed down to a step.
“Well done.” Jotaro praised you before looking around a bit. “Stop here.” He said after a few meters and you pulled the reins, bringing the horse to a stop.
Reaching his hand around you again, Jotaro grabbed hold of the saddle horn before swinging his left leg over the animal and dismounting, holding his arms up for you moments after.
You put the reins behind the horn before scooting back in the saddle and swinging your left leg over Jojo as well, only, different from Jotaro, you swung it over his neck so that you were sitting sideways in the saddle. This allowed Jotaro to grab you by the waist and lift you off, gently placing you on the ground.
Once he was sure you were steady, he stepped up to the side of Jojo and patted his neck a few times before swinging the reins over the animal’s head so that he could lead him.
Taking hold of the leather reins in his left hand, Jotaro expectantly turned back to face you and you smiled, realising what he meant.
You skipped up to beside him and stood next to him, ready to enter the forest for the first time in like three years.
Jojo had a different plan however as he suddenly stepped sideways, walking from Jotaro’s left side, over to the right, where you stood - forcing Jotaro to switch the reins behind his back from his left hand to his right - and nudging your shoulder with his head.
“Oh!” You called out in surprise as you were thrown forward a bit by the powerful nudge before turning around. Placing your hand on the nose of the animal, you gently scratched his forehead and neck, Jotaro smirking at you from the side.
“I told you he likes you.”
- - - -
Jotaro watched as you ran around the forest in awe.
Months ago, he had heard you talk about the last time you went to the forest. The sparkle and longing in your eyes as you did showed him how much you loved the collection of trees and he vowed back then to take you to one one day.
And he had to admit you were right, it was really pretty. Though, his eyes were mainly focused on you, not the forest.
With his left hand still holding onto Jojo’s lead, Jotaro followed with his horse as you frolicked through the trees, looking at every bush and plant as if it was your first time seeing green.
“Y/N, don’t stray too far!” He called out when he had to lead his horse around a closer cluster of trees that the large animal he was leading couldn’t fit through.
Walking around, Jotaro looked to where you had been, only to see you nowhere in sight. “Y/N?”
Walking forward, he looked around with furrowed brows, slight worry eating away at him in the pit of his stomach. Where did you go? He called your name once more, once again with no answer.
Suddenly, a pinecone hit him right on the nose, making him curse loudly.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to, I-!” Jotaro slowly raised his head up, following the sound of your voice to see you sitting in between the branches of a tree, your hand guiltily slapped in front of your mouth. Quietly muttering, “I didn’t meant to.”
“Ouch.” He pointedly spoke, holding direct eye contact with you and you quickly climbed out of the tree, jumping down the last bit by hanging off a branch and dropping a way too large drop for Jotaro’s liking before rushing over.
“I didn’t mean to hit you in the face, I just wanted to get you by surprise.” You apologised as you took his face into your hands, checking him over and gently running your thumb over the bridge of his nose where a very tiny chafe now marred the side.
“You’re shit at throwing things, you should know that by now.” Jotaro said and raised his eyebrow.
“Yeah...” You admitted with your head hung low before looking up at him through your lashes, looking a little bit like a kicked puppy. “Are you okay?”
“Y/N, I’ve been hit with a lot worse than a pinecone, especially with your weak throw.” He grabbed both your wrists, though he did not pull your hands away from his face, just simply holding you; Jojo’s leash now just hanging on his arm.
“Oi, now you’re just being mean.” You pouted and the corner of Jotaro’s mouth quirked up.
“I think I am allowed to. You assaulted me.”
“I said I was sorry!”
“But are you?”
“Yes!” You nearly shrieked out, Jotaro cocking his head a little to the side as he looked at you.
All of a sudden, you realised how close to each other you were standing, your nose mere centimeters from touching his.
Jotaro saw you visibly start as you pulled back a bit, an awkward smile on your face as you cleared your throat.
You took a step back, letting go of his face and bringing your arms down, though Jotaro was still holding your wrists.
“Well, at least you’re okay.” You smiled a bit while Jotaro looked at you, closing his eyes a second later as he released your wrists.
“You are a real problem sometimes, you know that?”
“Yeah, I think I do.” You giggled softly and Jotaro huffed in amusement.
“I’ll just have to keep an eye on you.”
With that, he grabbed hold of your left hand, pulling you to his side before starting to walk forward, having re-gripped the reins in his left so he could lead Jojo along.
Your eyes were slightly wide, a light blush on your face as you were dragged along with him.
Walking in step with the man next to you, your eyes were stuck between looking around and constantly honing back in on him. You couldn’t help it.
His hand was so confidently holding yours, a firm grip while he led you along through the forest.
Opting to just take it as it is, you went to look around again, a small blush on your cheeks while your eyes trailed up to the canopy of the trees, seeing two birds sitting side by side.
Suddenly, you tripped over a branch that got stuck between your feet, saved only by Jotaro’s hold on you as he quickly reacted and pulled your arm up, keeping you from face planting on the forest floor.
“T-Thanks.” You breathed out as you used his hand and arm to clumsily get yourself back on your feet.
Jotaro merely grunted in response but suddenly interlaced his fingers with yours, giving your hand a small squeeze. “Try not to trip again.”
You looked up at him in surprise but he was looking forward, his ears a slight red hue while most of his face was shadowed by his hat.
Opting to just stay silent, you looked around at the forest, simultaneously relishing inside your head as to how nicely Jotaro’s hand fit around yours, his fingers tightening and re-gripping your hand once.
Coming from all around, the sounds of the forest calmed your beating heart. Jojo’s hooves softly stomping on the forest floor - paired with your and Jotaro’s footsteps - birds chirping and singing to each other, the wind rushing through the canopies, rustling the leaves of the trees.
You thought that maybe you’d be disappointed when you came back here after years. That the memories you made as a younger you would have overblown and made things way more fantasised and pretty than it actually was; that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Silently, Jotaro watched you as you looked around. Your face was stuck in a constant state of awe, a happy glint in your eye that would not leave as you took in the forest around you, amazed and perplexed.
His heart was absolutely hammering in his chest as he couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. He didn’t know if it was a conscious action on your part, but whenever you would see something that caught your attention, your fingers would twitch in excitement, giving his hand the gentlest of squeezes that made him way more flustered than he’d like to admit.
God, Jotaro had it down bad for you, and he didn’t know if he could keep his feelings in for much longer.
He had a hunch that you liked him back, but he wasn’t sure. And on the off chance that you didn’t like him back, was it worth the risk losing your friendship as it was now?
As he let his eyes drift to the side and away from you, he suddenly spotted something.
“Y/N.” He uttered your name as a mere whisper, making you turn your head with a questioning look as he brought his left hand to his lips, making a shushing motion.
Turning to his left, he quickly wrapped Jojo’s reins around a thick tree branch sticking out, leaving his horse tied down as he then quietly walked forward, taking you with him by the hand he was still holding you with. You got the hint to remain quiet and followed him as stealthily as possible.
Sneaking around trees, Jotaro made you crouch down low as he continued to lead you with him. Right up until you both sat down behind a fallen over log.
Once more motioning you to keep quiet, Jotaro lifted his hand and pointed a little bit to the right. You followed his arm to where he was pointing, only to see a cluster of wild deer standing there, grazing.
A small quiet gasp left you as you saw them and you turned to look at Jotaro, a giant smile on your face that made his heart skip a beat. He squeezed your hand in response and you tightly gripped his’ back while you looked at the animals again.
Just feeling you so tightly hold on, your shoulder touching his as you were crouched behind the fallen over log, there was nowhere else that Jotaro would rather be.
“Did you know fawns do not have a detectable smell? That way predators cannot smell and find them.” Jotaro quietly spoke up, having leaned a bit more into you to whisper that into your ear so that the deer would not get alerted by your presences.
“Really?” You questioned, almost with childlike wonder, and Jotaro nodded, the corners of his mouth quirking up ever so slightly, showing how content he was. “What else?” You questioned, hoping he knew more.
“Well, some deer have been seen eating infant birds, which is uncanny since deer are primarily herbivores.” Jotaro said that with a little hesitancy. He just said the first thing that came to mind, realising only once he said it how gruesome what he actually said was. But you were quick to put him at ease.
“Oh that’s nasty. I thought they were the nice animals.” You joked a bit as you turned back to watching the deer.
Reassured by your words, Jotaro continued. “Some mothers digest their foetuses if times are hard and she is malnourished.” By now, he was not looking at the deer at all anymore. Just watching your expressions as you looked at the animals and your reactions to the information he gave you. Wanting to see you react to his words, to him.
“How hard would surviving have to be if you need to resort to... that.” Jotaro watched as your brows furrowed a bit, your lips turning downwards some as you showed compassion for those deer that you most likely would never even cross paths with. “What else?” Your whisper was barely audible but Jotaro did hear and swallowed a bit nervously. Oh god, why was he nervous?
“Well, deer practice both polygamy as well as monogamy.” His eyes drifted down to your hands still entwined together, drifting back up after to see your reaction.
“Huh, I thought the bucks would just... get whatever female they can have.” You spoke, still looking entranced by the animals further ahead.
“No. Some- some mate for life.”
His words were accompanied by a soft squeeze of your hand and with that, you finally turned back to look at Jotaro. And right then and there he decided that; yes, it was worth it.
“Y/N.” He started as he turned to his right, now fully facing you, making you turn your body slightly toward him as well while he had his head tilted down, burning holes into the log to his left as he questioned himself. Was he really just gonna do it?
“Jotaro?” You questioned after a minute of silence.
Jotaro looked at the forest floor for a second longer before abruptly raising his head. “I’m in love with you.”
Blinking twice, it took a second before you recoiled a bit in shock, Jotaro looking right into your eyes as he said that, looking the most serious he could and only then did the words he spoke actually sink in. “...What?” You questioned with a breathless voice, your eyes wide.
“You heard me. I don’t want to say it again.” Jotaro leaned forward and grabbed your other hand as well, his eyes darting down to it and back up to your eyes.
He gently tugged you towards himself, placing your hand on his side before letting go and putting his left hand on the side of your face, his right still entwined with yours. Slowly, he started leaning in, searching your eyes to see what you were thinking.
“Jotaro?” You whispered softly, an unsure tone in your voice.
“Stop me if you don’t want it.” He quietly said back before leaning in fully, softly connecting his lips with yours as he closed his eyes.
Your eyes were wide as your brain tried to catch up with what was happening. But then, your eyes just fluttered closed and tentatively, you leaned into him, kissing back.
Feeling you kiss back, a massive weight got lifted from Jotaro’s shoulders and he wasted no time, eagerly sliding his hand from your jaw to the back of your head so he could pull you closer, deepening the kiss sweetly as he tilted his head a bit.
He had waited so long for this, and it was everything he had imagined it would be so many times. It was addicting. You were addicting. But this was one addiction he did not want to stop.
Your lips were just so soft and warm and the feeling of kissing you after all this time made that nervous flutter in his chest into a fire. With his hand still holding yours he squeezed softly, his lips continuing to move with yours before you squeezed back, making Jotaro hum a bit.
Slowly, the two of you broke apart, Jotaro returning his hand back to cupping your cheek, very gently running his thumb over your cheekbone as he took in your flushed face.
For the first time ever, a deep red blush was visible to you on his face as well, and just the thought of him blushing so much over you caused your own blush to burn even brighter.
The two of you just looked at each other in silence for a bit, stunned and letting sink in what actually just happened.
“Did you ever realise I was sweet on you?” Jotaro questioned after a bit and you shook your head, though your heart skipped a beat at his words. “You really are oblivious then.” He spoke but there was a small smile on his face, his thumb still rubbing back and forth. “Everyone else seemed to see it, even the brats you teach. But I guess it worked out for the best.” With that he lifted his right hand, turning it so that the back of your hand was facing him as he brought it up to his mouth. He didn’t outright press a kiss to it, just simply holding it there against his lips, but you felt butterflies crashing around in your stomach at the action.
“I-I’m sorry then.” You apologised but Jotaro clicked his tongue, bringing your hands down and finally untangling them as he instead brought it up to cradle your head, his eyes piercing into yours.
“Don’t ever apologise. I don’t want you to change, you don’t have to. Understood?”
You nodded a small nod, lost in his eyes as he wouldn’t look away.
“Good.” He fell into a small silence as his face shifted to appear a little warmer again. “Can- I kiss you again?”
“Yeah.” You smiled shyly and Jotaro’s gaze drifted down to your lips, slowly leaning forward-
Several thumps echoed through the forest and both your heads shot up to see the entire herd of deer suddenly springing and running away, rapidly moving in the direction of you and Jotaro before rushing past to the right, huffing and grunting slightly as they ran.
“W-Why did they do that?” You asked, having a hunch you did not like as the both of you quickly got up onto your feet properly.
“Something must have spooked them.” Jotaro remarked, scanning the tree line and you looked up at him with worry. “Let’s go, come on.”
You were about to start moving when harsh barks and growls echoed from behind you two, further into the forest.
Your eyes widened in fear but Jotaro wasted no time in grabbing your hand as he started running through the forest, back to where he left Jojo.
More barks sounded, getting louder as you ran and Jotaro whistled loudly, warning Jojo to get ready as the two of you ran towards the horse.
As soon as you reached the large animal, a howl sounded behind yourself and you gasped, starting to look behind you but not getting the chance to as Jotaro picked you up by your hips and lifted you onto the saddle.
Having a good view and vantage point now, you easily saw the pack of wolves running through the trees towards you while Jotaro quickly untangled the reins, throwing them over his horse’s neck before putting his foot into the stirrup.
“Jojo, go!” Jotaro shouted out, his left leg barely over the animal’s back as he pulled the reins to the right, the horse immediately reacting as all his muscles - that had been tensed in preparation - were now being utilised, the animal shooting forward as if an arrow out of a bow while Jotaro only still hung on the side.
And right on time, as the wolves reached you the moment Jojo began running, leaving them going in pursuit while Jotaro finished slinging his leg over the saddle, jamming his other foot into the stirrup.
The man behind you immediately stood up in the stirrups as Jojo accelerated into a gallop in just a few seconds. With his right arm around your waist, Jotaro lifted you up with him as well, holding you pressed firmly against his chest since you didn’t have the stirrups to stand in.
Leaning forward over the neck of the horse, you could feel Jotaro’s breath against your ear, the man’s warm chest pressed firmly against your back as he held you up and simultaneously tilted forward, providing as little air resistance as possible to run.
Horse hooves galloped over the dirt, the sounds heavy and thundering as Jojo ran at full speed through the forest, dodging trees left and right, branches breaking as the horse barrelled through underbrush.
The wolves growled and barked hard, nipping at the larger animal’s side when they could. “Come on, Jojo!” Jotaro shouted, the horse pushing just a bit harder and gaining on the canines.
Bursting through even more bushes, a thick fallen over tree suddenly blocked the way. Without missing a beat, Jojo vaulted over it, all the noise momentarily seemed to cease as you flew through the air, right up until the stallion crashed back onto the forest floor. Immediately, Jojo rushed on, sprinting ahead while the wolves jumped over the log as well, still in pursuit.
Wind rushed past, trees still being dodged left and right by the horse right up until he reached the edge of the forest, breaking through brush and running out, back onto the plains, the loud barks and growls of the wolves going in pursuit slowly dwindling and decreasing the farther away from the forest you got - the canines no longer finding it worth it to waste their energy by going in pursuit.
Jotaro chanced a glance behind as you continued to gallop away, seeing the wolves slow down and stop, just watching as you all ran away, becoming smaller and smaller with each second.
- - - -
After what felt like forever, Jotaro finally pulled on the reins, slowing Jojo into a canter before going into a trot and then a step, sitting back down in the saddle, bringing you down with him as well and finally letting go of his arm around your waist.
His breathing was slightly heavy as he pulled once more, coming to a complete stop.
Slightly turning around in the saddle and looking behind himself once more, there was no sign of the wolves and Jotaro let out a deep sigh, turning forward again and lifting his hat from his head to run a hand through his hair before putting it back on.
Putting one hand on your waist, Jotaro leaned forward and patted Jojo’s neck, calming the animal down as he praised it.
“That was, uh- that was- yeah, that was.” You concluded, just shortly laughing at the end, more to get rid of the nerves and adrenalin that had been shooting through your body than anything else.
“It was.” Jotaro chuckled softly as you looked back at him, just huffing a laugh of your own as you turned to look forward again, instead slumping back into Jotaro, leaning against him as you let out a deep sigh; Jotaro automatically placing his hands on your hips to hold you.
“It could’ve gone quite wrong had you and Jojo not been as fast as you were.” You took in a deep breath before sitting up straight again, figuring to not put all your weight on the man behind you. “I forgot that was the reason why my dad always carried a massive rifle when we used to go there.” You said but heard Jotaro ‘tch’ behind you as he let you go.
A disagreeing rumble sounded from in his chest. “There’s no need to shoot innocent animals just because they are hungry or feel threatened.”
“Thinking like that will easily get you into trouble, partner.” A new voice said, making you and Jotaro snap to attention, seeing a man with another rider behind him - both of them carrying rifles - walking up from behind, putting you both on high alert.
A snarl developed on Jotaro’s face as he crossed eyes with the man up front. “You. What do you want?”
Your eyes were slightly wide as you recognised him. He was the leader of the group of riders who had come to rob the church yesterday...
The man’s eyes glided from Jotaro, down to you, and back up while he circled around, and Jotaro didn’t like it one bit, snaking his right arm around your waist and discreetly yet protectively pulling you closer.
Looking behind himself from the corner of his eye, Jotaro took note of the other rider - he had hung back and was now walking his horse to stand behind Jojo - though his main focus remained on the man from yesterday.
“Well what kind of greeting is that? I see you still haven’t learnt some manners, boy. But then again, why would you?” The man from before grinned and Jotaro narrowed his eyes. While his friend was just a few meters behind, this outlaw was standing about seven meters away in front. “Do you have any guesses as to why we’re here?”
“...”
Jotaro didn’t say anything as he sized the other man up, a dangerous glare on his face, borderline scowl.
Seeing as Jotaro wasn’t answering, the man took it upon himself to do so, a suddenly dangerous aura around him, masked by mock politeness. “Let me get straight to the point then. You know what you did with your little stunt yesterday?” He cocked his head, trying to incite a physical response though he got none. “You humiliated me. Hurt my pride.” He placed his hand on his chest as if in hurt, looking down for a second before snapping his eyes open and staring into Jotaro’s eyes with an almost deranged look. “And I care about my pride. So I think I’ll hurt something you care about.”
Your eyes widened as the world seemed to slow down, the man pulling his revolver up and pointing it at straight you, the sound of a gun cocking behind yourselves as well.
Yet Jotaro was faster, signaling Jojo and making the horse spring into action on the command.
The giant black stallion bucked backward and slammed his hind legs into the rider standing behind himself, causing the man to be roughly kicked out of the saddle, instantly taken out of the fight by the harsh impact of the giant animal’s hooves on his temple and torso, his horse scaring and sprinting away simultaneously.
A gunshot sounded at the same time, a bullet whizzing just over your and Jotaro’s heads.
The leader had aimed for your head but due to Jojo bucking, you and Jotaro had leaned down, the bullet shooting past where your heads had just been.
Jojo landed back on all four of his legs and Jotaro kicked his belly, urging him to go, but the outlaw was quicker than Jotaro expected, him having already reloaded before the horse could even start to run.
You felt Jotaro’s hand on your waist tighten as he yanked you aside to the right just when a gunshot sounded.
Attempting to shield himself with his left arm, Jotaro let out a short shout in pain as the bullet seared through his flesh, shooting straight through the middle of his forearm and embedding itself right underneath his left clavicle.
“Jotaro!!” You called out in fear and Jotaro gritted his teeth, growling slightly as he let go of your waist after pulling you back up, yanking the reins to the left to make Jojo turn while he grabbed his gun from behind his back, aiming it at the man.
Said man had his gun pointed at Jotaro in a similar fashion, once more resulting in a stand off between the two.
“What’re you gonna do now that there ain’t no sheriff to come to your aid?” The outlaw smirked but Jotaro calmly stared down the barrel of the gun.
“Don’t need one.”
With that, he fired his gun while simultaneously making Jojo prance up, confusing the gang member enough to make his bullet go wide, only for the man to yelp as Jotaro’s bullet shot into his gun, making him drop the thing.
You fell back into Jotaro when the stallion suddenly got up on his hind legs, the young man letting out a pained grunt as you did, right before Jojo fell back down on all fours.
Jotaro wasted no time in slinging his right arm around your waist again to hold you, kicking his heels to make Jojo storm forward where Jotaro gave a signal for his horse to turn left with his foot, yanking his right leg out of the stirrup to instead harshly kick the outlaw out of his saddle.
Yelling in anger and pain as he fell, he was abruptly silenced as he got the wind knocked out of him by landing on the ground, his horse panicking and running away quick and fast.
With a groan he tilted his head up, seeing his gun lay on the ground not far from him and he quickly made a lunge for it, grabbing it with both hands yet freezing as he heard the heavy hoof-falls behind him step once, twice, before stopping. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Jotaro high atop his horse, a threatening image with the man’s only reassurance being the iron in his hands.
Jotaro, calm as could be, just simply drifted his eyes to the gun, acknowledging it before looking back into the eyes of the outlaw with a cold look.
“Try it. Let’s see who’s the fastest gun.”
The man’s breath hitched. There was no doubt or hesitation in Jotaro, his threatening glare pointed down as he challenged him
Everything seemed to quiet down and freeze for a second, the stare off between the two feeling like an eternity yet lasting no more than two seconds. But with nothing to lose, the outlaw suddenly hardened his stare and abruptly rolled onto his back, providing a dodging movement as he simultaneously brought his gun up, ready to fire haphazardly.
Yet Jotaro was two steps ahead of him, his gun already brought up, aimed, and the trigger pulled before the outlaw had even the chance to put his finger on it.
Jotaro’s bullet immediately shot through both of the man’s hands at the same time, since he was still holding his gun with both hands. His scream of pain echoed over the plains as he dropped his gun, unable to hold it any longer. Blood started bubbling from the wounds and he shakily brought his hands up to his face, stifled yells and pained noises leaving him as he snapped his head up with a venomous glare.
The glare dissipated into eyes widened in fear the moment Jotaro walked Jojo up next to the outlaw and stared directly down at him. There was a cold rage in his eyes that made the man’s breath hitch. “Never threaten her again.”
With that, Jotaro pointed his gun down and shot twice, one in each foot, not a single speck of remorse in him as the man screamed in pain before passing out from it.
- - - -
Jotaro was sitting on the ground with you in front of him.
“You’re so stupid.” You choked out, tears in your eyes as you slammed the bloodied cloth in your hand onto the dried grass.
“Y/N-“
“No!”
Jotaro shut up at that. He couldn’t recall if you had ever raised your voice at him, and now he just stared into your eyes, the tears you were holding back making them glassy while his eyebrows creased in worry, feeling as if he had to say at least something.
“...I can’t see you getting hurt.” He softly said, attempting to grab your hand, but that set you off.
“Oh, so that means I have to see you getting hurt?!” You called out and Jotaro stopped himself.
You were starting to get more and more upset and he needed to calm you down. Doing just that, Jotaro - not thinking clearly due to the pain and not knowing what else to do - just grabbed you by the back of your head with his right hand and pulled you towards himself, slamming his lips against yours, shutting you up.
Tears were now streaming down your face as he kissed you, a small sob leaving you and muffled by his mouth as you placed your left hand on his neck, feeling his warm skin under your palm as you just gave in.
Feeling you do that, Jotaro tentatively broke the kiss, pulling back only slightly before he placed his forehead to yours, you now trying to stifle your crying.
“Hey.” He softly spoke to try and get your attention and you opened your eyes, looking up to look into his. “I’m alright. The bullet didn’t even fully go into my chest, you know that, you pulled it out.”
“I-It was only halfway in.” You sniffled out with a nasally voice, Jotaro petting the back of your hair as he nodded briefly, the feeling a bit strange as he still held his forehead to yours.
“Exactly. So you don’t have to worry.”
“But your arm-!”
“-Will heal.” Jotaro finished for you, finally leaning back. “Right now let’s just get home.”
You sniffled once more and wiped the tears from your face with the fabric of your sleeve, your hands and wrists too stained with blood to use for that. “Once we’re back in town you’re going to a doctor.” You spoke out with a bit of a hoarse voice and Jotaro snorted softly in amusement, a slight smile on his face as he used his thumb to wipe away a last tear that you missed.
“I figured.”
You took a deep breath to reign in and steel your emotions, releasing it again as you focused back on his arm. His trenchcoat was partly off and you had rolled up his sleeve of the shirt he wore underneath it, still unnerved by the see-through hole that you knew sat underneath the improvised bandage, blood staining it from the profusely bleeding wound in his arm. “Don’t ever get into a fight on my behalf again.” You spoke as you picked up the cloth you had thrown into the grass earlier, starting to try and wipe away the blood you had accidentally got onto his neck.
‘It’s one of the only reasons I ever get into a fight.’ He thought to himself but instead shook his head slightly. “No promises.”
- - - -
With only slight effort Jotaro had gotten back into the saddle, you climbing into it yourself for the first time ever now that Jotaro wasn’t there to lift you before you could. He managed to get on behind you with one arm, grabbing hold of your hip afterwards given how you had already taken the reins.
Neither of you spoke much the entire ride back, yet every now and then, Jotaro would softly squeeze the hand on your hip. Comforting you even in silence.
Riding back into town, you immediately made way for the doctor’s, Jotaro rolling his eyes behind you at your stubbornness. If you had your eyes set on helping people, there really was no changing your mind.
“Y/N, you go to the sheriff’s and report what happened like we discussed.” Jotaro said to you as he carefully dismounted, making sure not to use his left side too much.
“What? No, I wanna go in with you.” You protested, looking a little hurt and Jotaro reached his good hand up to grab yours still on the reins.
“I’ll be fine. Those guys won’t stay there knocked out forever and you know it. You can come back after you’ve gone and reported it.” He said before slapping his horse’s neck twice. “C’mon, Jojo, go.”
With that, the horse started gently trotting and you looked back at Jotaro as you went further down the street. Concerned for the man as his figure got smaller and smaller before you saw it enter the doctor’s office.
Unfortunately, the sheriff’s was almost on the other side of town, so it might take a lot longer to come back than you would have liked.
- - - -
“Hello sheriff Miller.” You smiled a small awkward smile while the sheriff shot up from his seat, his eyebrows raised.
“What happened, darling? You’re covered in blood!” He walked forward, taking hold of your upper arm as he looked you over.
“Uhm, well you see, me and Jotaro- uh, Kujo, Jotaro Kujo, I mean - we were out riding when that gang from yesterday approached us. Two of them at least. And, well- let’s just say things got ugly...”
“Are you both alright?” The sheriff immediately asked and you swallowed.
“Sort of. Jotaro got shot.” You teared up a bit but shook your head when the sheriff placed his hand on your shoulder. “But he’s at the doctor now and I came here to say that the two men who attacked us are knocked out on the road to the forest to the north of here. Almost directly next to the forest.”
“They’re knocked out?” At that the sheriff raised his eyebrows and you nodded.
“One got kicked by a horse, the other got shot.” You said but quickly held your hand up when the sheriff furrowed his eyebrows. “U-Uh, but only in his hands and feet! Jotaro didn’t kill him! It was all in self defence! Really!” You frantically called out while sheriff Miller straightened up, looking down at you with a stern expression.
- - - -
“The guy and the gang he was a part of apparently have a bounty on their heads, so you won’t see any consequences for shooting a man.”
You were walking side by side with Jotaro, you on his left, and Jojo having to be on his right so he could lead his horse with his good hand.
Jotaro hummed in response to you as you walked the road back to your home, Jotaro insisting that he escort you there.
His arm was now in a sling, the wounds nicely and cleanly stitched and wrapped up and you felt a lot better seeing that - even though he lost quite some blood - he was walking as if totally fine.
You just wished things could have gone differently. This day took a nosedive from being one of the best in your life, over to one of the worst, with someone you care deeply about being shot. Oh god, you confessed to Jotaro. And he confessed to you. You totally forgot in all the chaos. What if-
“What are you thinking about?”
“Eh?” You snapped out of your thoughts, looking to your right to see Jotaro looking down at you curiously. “Oh, just... today.”
“Mhm.” He hummed, looking forward again, as if contemplating it.
“I just... I’m sorry.” You whispered and Jotaro turned to you with a raised eyebrow.
“Why are you apologising?”
“Because you got hurt and-“
“Is it your fault I got shot?”
“W-Well, no, not exactly I guess-“
Jotaro stopped walking and instead turned to you, taking hold of your chin and turning your head towards himself. “Exactly.” Your eyes were so innocent and you looked like you felt so guilty despite what he said, making Jotaro slowly blink and sigh as he closed his eyes briefly.
A quick glance into the street showed it was rather empty, and Jotaro snaked his good arm around your waist, pulling you into himself.
“Y/N-“
Just deciding ‘fuck it’, Jotaro wasted no more time with idle talk and slotted his lips over yours.
Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
@stingray-sins
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wonlouvre · 3 years ago
Note
wonwoo + childhood friends to lovers?? maybe some jealousy involved on woos side eliciting a confession?❤️❤️
home | j. ww.
pairing: wonwoo x g.n. oc genre: fluff warnings: none (please tell me if i missed anything!) word count: 1.3k
💌: thank you for requesting dear anon! i hope you really like this :’) so much wonwoo content if you haven’t noticed by now and i’m living for it! thank you again! please do tell me what you think <3
Wonwoo thinks of himself as a coward for not swallowing his pride and reservations in telling you the truth. The truth about how much he is so in love with you,  it’s making it difficult for him to physically breathe. He hasn’t planned on confessing yet, but as the days go by, he thinks he’s running out of time. And even though he still sees you every day and you still keep him around, it's not enough. It’s not enough that he’s not holding your hands like he wants to or kissing you senseless like he wishes to. 
It’s not enough that he can’t love you more than just a friend. 
 “Wonwoo?”
You have been trying to get the boy’s attention for the past minute because it’s starting to concern you how much he’s spaced out. You have already tapped his shoulder, poked his cheek and even tickled his side. But to no avail, he was just staring at his book and sighing defeatedly. 
“Wonwoo?” You shake him again and finally, he looks at you. 
“Oh?” Wonwoo leans close and gives his glasses clad eyes to you. “What’s wrong?”
You sadly smile, bringing a hand up to fix his fringe. “Don’t you think I should be asking you that? You’ve been distracted ever since we got here.”
You and Wonwoo never created a schedule to study together, but by some unknown force, you always gravitated towards each other. It usually just takes one text message or one call and you’d be meeting at the university’s library in no time. Maybe, it’s a thing to be in sync with your childhood friend. You’re not sure, but you’re not ruling out the possibility. 
You and Wonwoo became friends when you just turned six years old and he was already nine. The two of you are next door neighbors, even up to now. Both of your parents became friends in an instant, automatically drawing you close to the shy boy with ease. He was timid and reluctant at first, but eventually he warmed up to you. 
The two of you were at each other’s side growing up. Attended the same school and always hang out afterwards despite the fact that he’s ahead of you. Went to the same playground. Ate at the local street food stands. Played at the only arcade established in the neighborhood. All of those done, together. 
It’s not that difficult to keep communication lines open and connection intact most especially when your bedroom windows are both adjacent. It’s a little bit unbelievable, but you and Wonwoo saw the different phases of your lives through those windows. You saw him escape through that window to play computer games with Woozi once. On the other hand, he saw you through that window dancing to one of your favorite songs. No hints of embarrassment. You even developed a code where there’s a number of knocks on the glass that will indicate your identities. You can enter at the main entrance of course, but this is special between the two of you. 
Well puberty was a different chapter and the two of you may or may not have distanced for quite a while. But, your friendship triumphed over the trials. 
Several people have asked if you have feelings for your friend. And several times, you denied. Likewise, Wonwoo has had his fair share of nosy people. It’s a conversation that you two have already talked about a year into college. The two of you were awfully awkward in denying, but shrugged it off nevertheless. By far, no one has asked again ever since. 
It didn’t affect your friendship, but a shift definitely happened. Like, the two of you became hyper aware of each other’s presence and actions. Casual gestures became lingering touches. Casual nicknames became specially endearing (that no one else is allowed to say them).
You could say this friendship also became something more as well.
Wonwoo’s heart skipped a beat at the warm sensation of your hand. He plays it cool and scratches the back of his neck, a habit he does when he becomes nervous.
You take notice of that, making you conclude that there’s really something wrong.  “Is there something that’s bothering you?”
Your friend sighs for the nth time and slumps on the open books he has failed to study. Wonwoo’s afraid to ask and he doesn’t even know if he really should. But, he has to get this out of his chest one way or another. “Are you really going on that study date with Jeonghan?”
Suddenly? You frown, confused as to where this is coming from. 
You answer him nonetheless. “Yes. You know I can’t fail this class, right? Jeonghan seemed to be the ace and he’s willing to teach me for free.”
“I can tutor you too, you know?” Wonwoo’s pouting now.
You grin and lean your arms on your notes, mirroring his position. You teasingly narrow your eyes at him and he looks away, annoyed at your antics. “But you don’t have this class in your program, remember?”
“And so?” Wonwoo asks, eyes boring back to you at lightning speed. “Doesn’t mean I don’t have good knowledge about the subject.”
You smirk. Yes, Wonwoo is a coward, but you’re confident. You’re confident with how you have found the only person you’re still friends with since childhood. You’re confident with how you found the only person to teach you how to ride a bike and play computer games. You’re confident with how you found the only person you want to grow old with.
And, you’re confident with how you found Jeon Wonwoo as the only person’s initials you would allow to be at home inside your heart. 
“I smell jealousy,” you state the obvious for him. “Can you confirm that for me, Mr. Jeon?”
Wonwoo was a coward. But not this time anymore. 
Your eyes widen when he suddenly stands up, chair scraping against the wooden floor. What he does next almost made you topple over, but your tight grip on the table kept you grounded. Wonwoo gently holds your chin between his fingers and softly presses his lips against yours. 
Wonwoo is kissing you.
Suddenly, you’re not so confident anymore. Your breath hitches for a short second, but you relax immediately after. You close your eyes and eagerly return his kiss. 
“Uh, guys?”
Wonwoo immediately pulls away and stands straight while you cast your eyes down and pretend to read your notes. Idiot, you scold yourself. There’s nothing wrong with what you just did. Why are we acting like we just committed a crime?
Just like that, the magical moment bursted like a bubble due to Jeonghan's appearance. 
Jeonghan clears his throat and looks between the two of you, back and forth. “You can continue, you know? I'll come back when Y/N’s ready.”
“No!” You and Wonwoo shout in unison and everyone in the library is hissing and shushing. 
“Woah.” Jeonghan raises his hands. “No need to be angry.”
“No, I mean,” you stutter, finding the right words to say before holding the hand of the man who just kissed you. “Wonwoo will tutor me instead.”
Wonwoo blinks in surprise, but gets the message and holds your hand back tightly. “Yeah. I’m- I’ll handle it from here.”
“You know you can just tell me that you have a date, right? Why are you two acting like I don’t know what relationships are,” Jeonghan complains with a roll of his eyes before turning around and walking away. 
You and Wonwoo release a breath of relief, eyes meeting. You couldn’t hold your giggle meanwhile he couldn’t hide the growing smile on his face. You bite your lip and gaze up at him. He fondly caresses the back of your hand and tilts his head, a gesture you clearly know the meaning of.
“How about we do go on that date Jeonghan’s talking about?”
Your face warms, in love. “I’d love to.”
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wannabe-fic-writer · 3 years ago
Text
WandaNat x Reader : Inhale pt. 2
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Summary: She never ceases to surprise you.
Warning: Smoking, Cursing, One Suggestive Joke
Word Count: 1,998
Part 1
* * * * * *
The white paint stares back at you as you lay on your bed. Your view of the ceiling is obscured by the red ball you toss up into the air. It gets slightly smaller as it moves away from you, then larger as it falls back down. 
Your hand catches it and throws it back up into the air, repeating the same process as the tv plays on monotonously from the corner of the room.
Boredom has been washed over you for the past few days. Your girlfriends went on a mission last week. You were able to pass the time during the first week, keeping yourself distracted by hanging around the team, training with Steve, going for a run every time your fingers twitched towards the cigarettes you had hidden in your closet. All of that was failing to work right now.
It seems, though, that you don’t have to suffer through it much longer. F.R.I.D.A.Y chimes up after hours of quiet with an alert that Natasha and Wanda were back and heading to the room. 
You instantly perk up, pushing yourself to a sitting position on the bed and glancing at the door frequently, ready for your girls to walk in. Except they don’t.
The gleeful, happy to be home, response you were expecting is replaced by their clearly upset demeanors. A frown sits on Wanda’s face like you’ve never seen and Natasha’s expression remains neutral. 
They don’t acknowledge you save for a glance in your direction. Both of them go into the closet and quickly change into more comfortable clothes. In an instant afterwards they’re leaving out. And you’re left beyond confused.
With the possible reasons for their behavior and clear attitudes in your head, you don’t take offense to it. You give them some time to cool off, going back to tossing your ball in the air and catching it as you watch tv. 
Around an hour or two later you decide they’re fine now, or at least fine enough to talk to. So you get up, heading first to the kitchen to grab a bottle of cold water and then to the general training room. 
The sound of familiar huffs and the pounding of fists against a leather bag let’s you know your assumption was right. Your redheaded love is off to the fair side of the gym, headphones in her ears as she beats on the punching bag. 
You smirk at the sight of her. Not only do her yoga pants and sports bra look great on her, you always find her focused and slightly aggressive expression kind of hot. She glances at you as you approach and you know she can hear you despite her headphones.
Stopping behind the bag, you lean on it, showing off your smirk to the woman.“ If you really want to work off your frustrations I can think of a good way to do so.” Natasha grunts, rolling her eyes and focusing on punching the bag. 
With a sigh, you move to her side, gently taking her taped up hands and moving in front of her. Forest green eyes look into yours and you give her your best encouraging smile. She knows what your silent question is and sighs.
“The mission went south. We suffered a civilian casualty and others got hurt.” Her expression and tone remain neutral but obviously she’s upset about this. It isn’t her first time dealing with this kind of thing from a mission but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t hate every bit of it. 
“I’m sorry to hear that baby.” You raise your hands to her arms and gently rub them, squeezing a little in between.
Natasha’s heart warms at your soft comforts.“ I’ll be okay. Wan is more torn up than I am. She-” The woman shakes her head,“ she blames herself.” 
You frown, prepared to ask for more details. Then you figure you can ask the girlfriend who’s more deeply affected by it. 
“I’ll go talk to her.” Natasha nods at your words.“ You gonna be okay?” A teasing smile forms on your lips.“ I know you’re my super tough ex-assassin but I’m here if you want to talk.”
Her lips tug up in the corner at your teasing words, but it quickly becomes a sincere smile when you offer your ear. Slowly reaching up, she runs the pad of her thumb along the apple of your cheek.“ I’m okay detka. I’ll let you know if I need to talk. Or your other services.” 
You chuckle softly and nod. Leaning forward, you press a soft, quick kiss to her lips and part, heading off to find your other girlfriend. The not so tough witchy one you love just as much. 
Finding the woman proved to be a little harder than you thought it would be. She wasn’t in any of the places you thought she would be in: the library, the theater, the common room. You wrack your brain for ideas as to where she is and when the last place pops into mind, you can’t believe you hadn’t thought of it first.
It’s a quick jog to the elevator and an even shorter ride up to the top floor. From there you take the stairs up to the roof. 
She’d stolen this spot from you a few months after you started dating. She and Natasha found you up there smoking once and through the year and a half she would find you up here, sometimes sneaking a smoke when you shouldn’t be. 
Her long brown tresses fall down her back freely, the rest of her beauty hidden as she faces away from you. Though you still find her insanely cute that she’s in your hoodie and some stretch pants. 
The long slow straightening of her form clues you in on her deep breath, her body relaxing as she lets it go. You only get a little confused when she pauses and does it again. A thought that you’re unsure of, but the physical cues make you curious. The familiar movement of her arm, the deep breath, the pause. 
“Wan?” You call with an indescribable look on your face. 
Your brunette girlfriend’s shoulders drop and she turns to you. Immediately your eyes focus on the small cylinder in between her fingers, watching as it rises and rests between her lips. 
She takes a quick pull, pauses, let’s a little smoke go, then it all comes out in a straight shot that disperses in the air. It’s such a smooth combination of actions that leaves you wondering if she’d done this before. 
Deciding to hold your comment on that until after she’s completely calm, you take a different route. Approaching her still pacing form, you cross your arms and ask,“ was it that bad?” 
A snort leaves her lips and she takes another drag.“ Worse.” 
“Tell me.” Your hand reaches for her free one and you pull her towards you as you sit on the ledge of the roof. 
Her hand squeezes yours. Your eyes drop from her green ones to her lips as they wrap around the cylinder again, cheeks caving a little, then her lips puckering slightly as she pushes the smoke out. 
“I heard Natasha get hurt,” she starts, fingers once again tightening around yours,“ I looked away for a split second and he got away. We caught him but not until after he shot the tires out on a car. It flipped and crashed into another one.” Her jaw clenches, eyes glossing with tears.“ He hurt a man and his son and- and killed a woman.”
A heavy sigh leaves your lips and you stand, pulling her a little closer to your form. You’d been down this road a number of times. Being on the Avengers team since the beginning almost, you know exactly what it’s like to make a mistake and have others pay for it. It was a deep hole that never ceased to make you hate yourself. But you didn’t want Wanda feeling that way. 
“Hey,” you reach a hand up to cup her cheek, looking into her eyes,“ I know that it hurts. And it’s easy to blame yourself. But it’s not your fault. He made the choices that resulted in that woman losing her life, not you.” 
“But I’m supposed to be the hero. I’m supposed to save people. And I didn’t.” Her accent thickens as she gets choked up, eyes glossing over.
You sigh, taking the cigarette from her hand and putting it out on the ledge, then pull her into your arms. Her head rests on your shoulder and her hands slip up to your shoulder blades.“ You are a hero. A great hero. However, you’re not a perfect one. None of us are. It sucks in situations like this but you can’t save everyone no matter how much we want to. It doesn’t make you a bad person or any less of a hero.”
From the flicker of emotions in her eyes, you can tell it’s still going to take some time for her to cope with this. Still though you see a glimpse of that soft look and you can also see that she believes you to a certain extent.
Raising your hand, you gently push the corner of her lips up. She whines and turns her head away, noncommittally pushing at your side. It makes you laugh and she presses her forehead against your chest.
“Wanna tell me where you got that cigarette from?” You ask. 
She pulls away, producing a pack of cigarettes. Brows furrowing, you flip the top up and count the cigarettes inside. There were four missing.
“Did you smoke four whole cigarettes before I got up here?” An incredulous tone laces your words, disbelief flooding your system. 
Has your habit rubbed off on her? You know she and Nat found it attractive but did that lead Wanda to try it? It’s a terribly unhealthy habit, which is why your girlfriends wanted you to stop, and you certainly didn’t want Wanda getting into it.
“No, I didn’t smoke four. I got these from your boot in the closet,” she tells you.“ Which means you smoked them.”
“I-” you try to think of what to say.“ That was over the course of a few weeks. I haven’t had one in months though.” You know you didn’t need to give her an explanation but you wanted her to know you were still doing well. 
Wanda and Natasha were very well aware of your progression towards quitting. They could even tell the difference in your behavior. Both women were incredibly proud and admittedly you were proud of yourself as well. You had confidence you would be able to completely quit in the fairly near future. 
The younger woman smiles softly at you,“ I know you haven’t. And you don’t have to worry about me starting. It’s actually very nasty and I didn’t feel it did anything for my stress.” 
“Good. I don’t want you forming an addiction and I don’t want to die if Nat found out you’d started by smoking my cigarettes.” 
“She knows now.” 
Nearly jumping a foot in the air, you turn around to see your other girlfriend smirking a little at you. A nervous chuckle leaves your lips and you scratch the back of your neck. 
Rolling her eyes, Natasha steps to the side to stand beside you and Wanda. Her hand slipping into yours, the other held up towards Wanda. 
Wanda sighs and places the pack of cigarettes in Natasha’s hand. The redhead pockets them then takes the younger woman’s hand.“ Neither of you smoke again.” She states plainly. 
Looking at Wanda, you both nod.“ Never again Miss Romanoff.” You and Wanda say simultaneously, bright smiles shown to Natasha.
It’d be harder than that for you but not impossible. Especially not with the support and encouragement of the two women you loved and needed the most.
* * * * * *
Taglist: @owloftheshadows​ @natasha-danvers​ @blackxwidowsxwife​ @yumusak-yastik​ @b-5by5​ @fayhar​ @lostandsearching​ @iliketozoneout​ @ecruzsalaz
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tataelingmoon · 3 years ago
Text
𝒲𝒾𝓁𝒹 𝐹𝓁𝑜𝓌𝑒𝓇
PAIRING: JIMIN X READER 
Word Count: 3.7k  
Summary: You and Park Jimin have been together for as long as you can remember. However, when you find out that you were pregnant you didn't know what else to do but run away in fear of his reaction.  
ℙ𝕃𝔼𝔸𝕊𝔼 𝔻𝕆 ℕ𝕆𝕋 ℝ𝔼ℙ𝕆𝕊𝕋 𝕎𝕀𝕋ℍ𝕆𝕌𝕋 𝕄𝕐 ℙ𝔼ℝ𝕄𝕀𝕊𝕊𝕀𝕆��.
You looked at the test in your hands. Positive. Your thoughts prior had been confirmed, you were pregnant. Without a doubt, you were happy that you were pregnant but as much as you knew Jimin would still love you and the child, you were worried if he was ready to settle down. For something more than just girlfriend and boyfriend. Was Jimin ready for these responsibilities? Would he love you just as much? Is he ready to even get married?! Doing the thing that you were best at, you grabbed your items and left the shared apartment that Jimin had bought for you both. You then called your friend, Haeji and your brother Doyoung to meet up.  
You arrived at the park near Doyoung's house and it didn't take long to spot your brother and Haeji sitting on the benches. Taking a seat on the bench you told them the news, "I'm pregnant with Jimin's child." There was a subtle silence before your brother asked, "Is Jimin willing to take responsibility for you and the child? Have you even told him yet?!"  
"I haven't told Jimin yet but I'm afraid that he's not ready" You shook your head as tears began to run down your face. Haeji, speechless, tried to comfort you the best she could. Rubbing your back soothingly and whispering that 'everything  will be okay'. Your brother and Haeji understood that you needed a moment, they knew you were afraid. Afraid of parenthood and of Jimin.  
"Y/N, I think Jimin would be more than willing to take you both into care. The man really loves you and I don't think you need to be afraid. I've seen how much Jimin cares for you and how he even bought a place for you both so that he knows you're safe and that you won't miss him so much. So please, don't let your doubt get the most of you." Haeji nodded, agreeing with your brother's statement. "He looks at you with so much adoration and love sweety."  
"Yea Y/N I know you're worried but I think you might be thinking too much into this. Jimin's love for you is endless and I think instead of worrying him that you fled, you should go and tell him the news. I think he'll be more than overjoyed. He'll make a great father and a loving husband." Haeji added onto Doyoung's statement. It wasn't after having heard their comforting words, you thanked them and started to cheer up a bit.
"Doyoung, would it be okay if I stayed at your house for a while? I think I might need some time before I have the courage to tell Jimin the news."  
"Sure Y/N, take the time you need but not too long or else your Jiminnie might miss you" Doyoung teased. "But I'll let Jimin know so he won't freak out that you're gone." He reassured.
"Thank you so much Doyoung and Haeji, I didn't mean to bother you guys but I was just scared." You sniffled.
"It's okay to be scared Y/N. I probably would have been afraid too. We all have doubts but if you need time, we'll allow you to think it through first. Doyoung and I know that you and Jimin would make great parents!" Haeji's last statement caused you to laugh and feel slightly better.  
"Don't be sad Y/N-ie or else Doyoungie will be sad." You and Haeji laughed at your brothers attempt at being cute.  
"Eww please don't do that, it makes me feel like I have a weird boyfriend." Haeji cringed.  
"Okay but Jimin does it all the time and I don't see you saying anything." Doyoung huffed.  
"Hold up, at least Jimin is naturally cute." You defended.  
"Are you saying that I'm not cute?! You're probably just saying that because Jimin is your soon to be husband." Doyoung pouted.  
"No, I agree with Y/N Jimin is just overflowing with cuteness." Haeji said in an attempt to make Doyoung jealous. It seemed to work because soon after Doyoung had his arms crossed and was pouting. You laughed at their childish behavior. "Aww is my Doyoungie mad at me. I'm sorry baby, I think you're cute, probably not as much as Jimin, but you're my baby." Haeji cooed. It wasn't until moments later that Doyoung gave in and gave Haeji a quick peck on the lips before smiling again. Haeji smiled back leading up to the both of them coming in for a big hug afterwards. You watched them and smiled. It reminded you of you and Jimin. All the morning kisses he gives you before leaving to work and the cuddles he gives whenever he's home. You loved Jimin undoubtfully. You knew he would miss you and you would miss him but you knew you needed time. You also wanted to plan something special to tell him that you were pregnant. Knowing that both your brother and best friend were being lovey dovey, you took that time to plan the day you were going to tell Jimin of your pregnancy.  
Jimin arrived home at around 8 pm. He was excited to be home so that he could shower you in kisses. However when he went into  the apartment, he realized that it was empty. He checked the shared room but only saw that it was empty as well. Worry coursed through Jimin's mind. Where did Y/N go? Did she go somewhere and forget to tell me? Is she safe? She's usually home by this time.  Jimin checked the apartment one last time to search for any sign that the apartment was broken into but he found no sign. As a last resort, Jimin called Doyoung knowing that Y/N had probably went to her brother or Haeji to spend time with them. Jimin dialed Doyoung's number and it wasn't long before Doyoung picked up. "Hyung, is Y/N okay? Is she safe? Is she with you?" He questioned as soon as the call was picked up.
"Your Y/N is doing fine don't worry. She's with me. She just wanted some time to herself for now. I'll make sure she comes home and to work safely." Doyoung laughed.  
"Okay thanks hyung. I was really worried."  
"It's no problem but I'm sorry that she forgot to tell you." Doyoung apologized.  
"Oh no its okay hyung. I know she can be forgetful at times and if she wants some space I'll let her. I'm sure she misses you and Haeji." Doyoung was touched by Jimin's understanding. Y/N really caught the jackpot he thought. "But hyung do you know when she's coming back?" Doyoung sighed knowing that the younger might not take this the best way.  
"Jimin, Y/N loves you a lot and I know that you know that but I think it might take weeks. Please don't take this the wrong way. She isn't mad at you or anything but she just has a lot on her mind right now." Doyoung reassured the younger knowing that Jimin might overthink things.  
"Ok, I understand hyung. Thank you." Jimin ended the call and sighed. What was he going to do without you for awhile? Hearing his stomach grumble, he headed to the kitchen to make himself a meal. Searching the fridge, he found ingredients to make his dinner.  
…  
An hour later, Jimin sat at the table alone with his plate of food. Sitting down, he realized that he had made enough food for 2 people. Jimin sat alone at the table and munched on his dinner in silence. He felt empty. Although he knew that you needed her own space, it felt weird without you talking and him replying cheekily or you listening to him about his day at work. Jimin quickly ate his food and when he finished he cleaned up the kitchen before heading to the bedroom. Grabbing his towel and clothes he headed to the shower.  
You came out of the shower and headed for the guest bed that was provided along with the guest room. When near the bed, you fixed the fluffed the pillows and placed them accordingly before laying down. It felt weird not spending the night in one of Jimin's cuddles. It was something you got used to when you moved out to live with him. But now that you were alone once again, it was hard to fall asleep. You thought about if you were with Jimin right now, he would have cuddled you and sang you to sleep if he knew you had trouble sleeping. Knowing that thinking about Jimin would make it harder for you to sleep, you thought about your plan to surprise the man you love. Would Jimin like it? It was an hour later of thinking that finally led you to sleep.  
Jimin laid on the bed staring at the ceiling that was looking right back at him. It was only day one of you not here and he was already feeling lonely. He thought about how close your bodies would be and how warm it was to be right next to one another. How cute you would look while you slept. Jimin knowing that if you were to be needing space decided that tomorrow he would be hanging out with the boys before heading home. After tossing and turning for about 30 minutes, Jimin finally fell asleep.  
You were in the guest room, packing up all your items before your brother would come pick you up. It had been a month since you last saw Jimin and in that time, your tummy had not grew in any infinitely special way but you knew it was maturing and preparing for pregnancy. You felt bad to have left him for that long but the plan to surprise him had been finalized. After negotiating and planning with Jimin's friends, you were finally able to set the plan into action. Jimin, according to his friends, was supposed to be in Japan right now for business matters and would be arriving in 5 hours. Which would allow you enough time to surprise him. Gathering the rest of your items and zipping up the suitcase you headed out to your brothers car.  
It was a 30 minute car ride before you arrived at the shared apartment. Getting out of the car, you, your brother and Haeji helped to unload your suitcase before heading up. Upon opening the door to the flat, you realized that everything had been the same. Jimin had kept the place in relatively good shape. If not better than you had left. Heading into the bedroom, you put your items away before making a meal for you three. After the meal, Haeji and your brother had set up the balloons and banners while you cleaned up the house by dusting the blinds and wiping down every surface. Once the place had been set up, Doyoung and Haeji left to pick up the cake you ordered 2 days prior. The house now smelled clean and of homey food. Knowing that Jimin was probably homesick from the business trip and probably missing you, you made his favorite foods. Along with his favorite desserts. Adding in one last pinch of salt into the soup, you started on writing the notes that would be placed around the house. When you heard the doorbell ring, that was when you stopped writing. Opening the door, you saw the delivery man with the crib that you had bought. Since you had paid extra for the service fee, the man had helped you to set up the bed in your and Jimin's room. It was an hour later that the man left and you thanked him for helping you set up the bed. Once the man was gone, you resumed writing the notes and sticking them around the house in places you knew Jimin would find them. With the notes finally finished, you got the flower petals that were supposed to go in the bath and around the house. You made a trail with the flower petals to the first clue before putting petals around the bed. The rest of the petals were saved for the bath later. Letting out a big breath, you looked at the clock to see that you had about an hour before Jimin arrived home. With the time left over, you tried to reheat the food on the stove and set up the table. It wasn't long before you heard the door beginning to rattle. Taking that as a que, you grabbed the cake that was dropped off, out of the fridge and put it into the well-made and decorated crib. It was then that you hid in the bathroom closet, waiting for Jimin's arrival.  
Jimin opened the door, expecting to see an empty house like he had seen for the past month but when closing the door behind him he saw the house was decorated. The house had smelt of homemade food and it was warm, not cold like it had been for the past month. Is Y/N home? Confused with the decorations, he followed the flower trail to a note.  
IT'S BEEN AWHILE... I KNOW YOU MISS ME AND I MISS YOU TOO. IF YOU REMEMBER, OUR FIRST DATE WAS...  
Jimin thought for a second. Our first date was the beach. Jimin dropped the first note and went to the small bookshelf where sea shells decorated the top. Jimin looked through each sea shell collected from that beach until he finally found another note.  
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH BABY. I'M SORRY TO HAVE BEEN GONE SO LONG BUT WHAT DID WE DO WHEN WE FIRST MOVED INTO THIS APARTMENT?  
We cooked for the first time together. Jimin made his way into the kitchen where he saw the set up table. He looked at the food and was reminded of the day they tried to make the same foods. It wasn't long before he found the next note.  
YOU REMEMBER HOW WE MADE THESE FOODS BECAUSE THEY WERE YOUR FAVORITES. YOU SAID THEY TASTED SO GOOD AND THE NEW REASON WHY THEY WERE YOUR FAVORITES WAS BECAUSE I MADE THEM.  
Jimin smiled then put the note down. "Y/N I know you're here. I love you so much but baby please come out. I want to see you already. Can you come out so I can give you the kisses you missed out on? Baby, I don't want this charade to go on. I know you want to tell me something but you're just scared, but I guarantee you, I'll still love you. Your brother told me, you were afraid to tell me something please just tell me. I love you so so much please don't be silly." Jimin pleaded desperately then looked around for any sign of you. You almost cried and wanted to come out at his plea. You knew he was desperate to see you but the surprise wasn't over yet. Jimin out of urgency, went into the room to find you but there was no trace, however, he found the set up crib. Running up to the crib, he found the last note and a cake that said 'We're going to be parents!'  
JIMIN, HONEY, THE REAL REASON I LEFT FOR SO LONG WAS BECAUSE I HAD SOMETHING TO TELL YOU. I'M PREGNANT WITH OUR CHILD. I'M SO HAPPY BUT I WAS SCARED TO TELL YOU AND SEE HOW YOU WOULD REACT. I WAS ALSO AFRAID OF PARENTHOOD. PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR MY STUPDITY AND OVERTHINKING. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND I'M SURE WE'RE GOING TO BE GREAT PARENTS. IT'S BEEN A MONTH AND THERE WERE TIMES WHERE I WANTED TO COME BACK AND RUN INTO YOUR ARMS AND TELL YOU BUT I KNEW THAT TO MAKE THIS MORE EMOTIONAL, WE WOULD NEED SOME TIME APART. I LOVE YOU ALWAYS AND EVEN IN THE AFTERLIFE. PLEASE DON'T CRY WHEN YOU READ THIS. NOW PUT THIS DOWN AND COME LOOK FOR ME ;)  
"You silly goose, how do you expect me not to cry. I love you even more that you're carrying our child." Jimin silently wept before putting down the note and looking around the room. "Y/N! When I find you, expect a big hug and lots of kisses! You better hide good or else, it's going to be nonstop kisses! Here I come!" Jimin excitedly ran around the apartment and searched every cranny that he thought you would hide in. It wasn't long before he looked in the bathroom and found you in to closet. "I found you!" Jimin smiled as he ran towards you. You squealed and tried to run away. However, it wasn't long before Jimin caught you in a strong back hug and tried nuzzling his head in your neck. Your heart fluttered. Being near Jimin like this again felt nice. It felt like home and you didn't ever want to let him go. "Y/N-ie I missed you so so much. I know you were scared but don't you ever do that again. I was so lonely without you and your warm body that I cuddle and kiss every day. It was so lonely without your presence, how could you resist your boyfriend for so long?" Jimin pouted. "Aren't I cute? Too cute to resist?" You laughed at Jimin's expression to which he frowned even more.  
"Okay, my little baby mochi, I missed you so much that I felt like going crazy." You cooed and expanded you arms in the air to show how much you missed him.  
"If you miss me, give me a kiss then." Jimin puckered his lips out waiting for a kiss. You waited a few minutes before Jimin turned the other way with his arms crossed and pouted. "See you didn't even kiss m-" Jimin was cut off with a quick peck. "Heyyy it wasn't even long. Let me show you how a kiss is like" With that, Jimin pulled you in and kissed you deeply. It felt like forever since he last kissed you. Your mouths moulded against one another's as you both tried to kiss away the longing that once etched your hearts. As the kiss continued, Jimin pulled you in closer before breaking apart. "Baby, you don't need to worry. I'm even more happy that you're pregnant. I love you in every way so please feel free to talk to me about whatever. I don't know what crossed your mind but tell me. Let your little mochi know what happened for the past month."  
"I'm so sorry. I was scared. I was scared you were going to leave me. I was scared you wouldn't want a baby because it would mean more responsibilities. I thought you, we weren't ready yet for a baby." You cried and it was then when Jimin soothed out your hair and pecked you lightly on your temple to reassure you that you cried harder.  
"Is that why you were scared baby? I'm sorry if I made you worry. I'm willing to take responsibility and mature a little more so we can take care of our little bean."  
"Thank you for being so understanding Jiminie."  
"Now, should we go out there and eat the dinner you made me and then we could take a bath together." You nodded your head in affirmation while Jimin took you both to the dining area.  
"Wait, let me warm up the food again." You took the food and quickly heated it up. Jimin sat at the table, looking at you heat up the food with a smile. He had missed this view. It would be even better if he had proposed earlier. He thought that if he did, you probably wouldn't have freaked out like you had. "Okay here we go. Now eat up baby!" You smiled. Jimin had missed your smile and he swore when he saw it, he wanted nothing else but to see the twinkles to continue to glimmer in your eyes. Jimin dug in and exclaimed in moans to show how good the food was. With occasional forced feedings from Jimin, the food was finished and you both were cuddling on the couch watching a movie. "Jiminie, did you miss me a lot?" Jimin answered with a hum indicating that he had. "Will you forgive me?' Jimin turned from the movie playing on the screen.  
"I already forgave you, you silly goose." Jimin nuzzled your noses before giving you smooches. You giggled at his smooches before asking, "You look really tired Jiminie, you want to take a bath now?" Without any notice, Jimin yelled out a 'Yes!' And then proceeded to carry you bridal style to the bathroom making you squeal at the sudden carrying. You both stripped off your clothes before getting into the tub.  
You both sat in the tub relaxed, with your back against Jimin's chest. "Y/N, I can't wait until our little bean is born. The baby is going to have such amazing parents. And we're in this together so don't worry. If you're ever scared, we still have our parents to talk to. And we have each other." Jimin stared at you lovingly before squeezing your hand in reassurance.  
"Thank you so much Jiminie. I'm so grateful to have met you. You're so understanding that sometimes, I don't feel enough but I love you just as much." You blew on the bubbles and played with the petals in the tub. The bathroom was in gentle silence before Jimin pulled you closer to his chest and started caressing your stomach. You gasped, shocked with his actions. You tried to take his hands off but he stopped you.  
"I didn't mean to scare you, Y/N. I just wanted to feel our little bean. I can't wait to go to our first appointment together!" Jimin kissed your cheek before you both decided it was time to get out and go to bed.  
7 months later, Jimin had been true to his word. He became much more responsible and mature. He helped you when you needed it and loved you like no tomorrow. You and Jimin were now engaged. It was in the 5th month that you were pregnant that he proposed and with the overflow of hormones felt during pregnancy you bawled worrying your fiancé. It was a sight to see. The love you had stayed strong like it always was and looking back to the moment when you freaked out, you felt foolish for feeling such way. Throughout the months, you realized that no matter what, Jimin would love you, except if you cheated of course. Jimin's devotion and undying love only added to your loyalty to the man. And despite the many obstacles that you both will encounter in the future, you were willing to go through it together with him. Because you were his flower to guide him in the wind.  
A/N: I might add in a little drabble series of Y/N’s journey. Probably just little snippets. But I hope it was enjoyable! 
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lifeofa-fangirl · 3 years ago
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Enough Nothings
Pairing: Damiano x fem!reader
Summary: You and Damiano bond over the idea of a quiet night in
Word count: 1.5k
Warnings: None, pure fluff
A/N: I saw an instagram post from the Late Late Show where James Corden talks about how he met his wife and my mind went haywire thinking that this would be such a Damiano thing to do. Written in an hour or so, not proof read. First fic in years, let me know what you think! 
“Oh come on, having a little bit of fun won’t hurt you! Here, have a glass of wine, it might help you relax. And remember to enjoy this evening, you deserve it!”
 Before you could protest, your boss had grabbed a glass of wine from a passing waiter’s tray and shoved it in your hand. You opened your mouth, but before any words were formed, she gave you an encouraging pat on the back and disappeared into the crowd to mingle.
 You sighed as you watched her start to make the rounds, shaking hands left and right. She made it seem so effortless it almost made you jealous. Almost. Because as much as you appreciated her effort, appreciated that she had insisted you deserved a night out after all the hard work you put in for the charity organization, you still felt this was the last place you wanted to be right now. You would always prefer a quiet night in, cooking dinner and falling asleep in front of the television.
 Another sigh and you finally took a sip of your wine. ‘Come on, you can do this,’ you told yourself as you remembered you did enjoy the taste of the drink in your hand, although you rarely took the opportunity to enjoy it. ‘You’re not even 30 yet, you should be out and about every night. This can be a fun Friday night. Don’t be a party pooper.’
 You almost choked on your next sip of wine as you heard those exact five last words being repeated out loud behind you. Coughing, you turned around in surprise. You would recognize that voice and that Italian accent anywhere.
 “Victoria!” you said as soon as you confirmed your suspicion.
 Victoria De Angelis spun around on her heels when she heard her name being called. “Ah, there you are! We’ve been looking for you!” she cheerfully announced. As she pulled you into a hug, you realized she wasn’t alone. You also realized that her words hadn’t been directed at you, but at the man accompanying her. You recognized the singer of her band.
 “This is Damiano, the singer of my band,” Victoria confirmed when she stepped back from hugging you. You nodded your hello as Victoria introduced you to Damiano in return. You only heard half of her explanation about how she met you when the band had stayed in London for a couple of months, and you worked for the organization that was hosting that night’s charity event. You were too distracted by the way the man in front of you was staring at you with the beginning of a smirk.
 Damiano patiently waited for Victoria to finish and then accepted the hand you offered him, pulling it up to his lips without hesitation and pressing a small kiss to it. “Hi, pleasure to meet you. You might be the most beautiful woman in the world,” he greeted you, all the while never breaking eye contact.
 “Well thank you very much.” You offered him a smile in return and slightly twisted your head to the side to give him calculating look before adding, “That sounds like something you say a lot.”
 “I’ve never said it before in my life,” he shot back at you. There was a playful glint in his eyes as he spoke and that smirk never left his lips, but you also didn’t miss the sudden rosy tint on his cheeks.
 He could easily be feeding you lies, but somehow you were inclined to believe him. You didn’t offer a verbal response, choosing to shoot him an bright smile instead. Judging by his reaction, it did nothing to hide the matching tint that you were sure was now also on your own cheeks. Was it just you, or had someone suddenly turned up the thermostat?
 Not much later, Victoria had disappeared, most likely off getting into trouble. And you sat with Damiano in a dark corner of the bar. Getting tipsy on the sound of his laugh and how his touch gave you goosebumps. It was so easy to be around him. Within an hour and a half of meeting you were jokingly planning the rest of your lives together. Kids were a must, at least two of them, so they’d always have each other. Legolas and Bidet, he had already named his cats, and you insisted that the new kitten would be called Loki. The flower beds in your garden would contain many different flowers, so there would be something blossoming every season. Your bedroom needed a balcony, so he could serenade you from below. And you would need a big kitchen, with plenty of room for all the home cooked meals you were going to prepare.
 You found comfort in how he loved the prospect of a quiet night in. Glorious, he called it, the thought of chamomile tea and going to bed before eleven. You had quickly agreed, told him that at your age, you had very much passed the notion of going out every night. He was a couple of years younger than you but took it as a compliment when you teasingly called him an old soul in a young body.
 You didn’t realize how much time had passed until Victoria eventually showed up again. “Time to call it a night, lovebirds,” she teased you both with a grin. When you finally tore your eyes away from Damiano for the first time in a long while, you realized that there were only a couple of people left in the bar and the waiters had already started cleaning up.
 As the three of you stood outside waiting for a cab, the cold night air did nothing to get rid of Victoria’s words. Lovebirds, she had called you. Away from the secluded, quiet corner of the bar, you were starting to feel anything but, and much more like a fool. The harsh streetlights burned your confidence away and you just stood there, silently waiting as Victoria chatted away besides you. Sneaking glances at Damiano, trying to memorize the sharpness of his jawline, the glimmer of the tiny golden ring piercing his nostril, the brown of his eyes, convinced that you weren’t going to see him again.
 When your rides arrived, Victoria gave a quick side hug and a “We’ll talk later” before jumping into the first cab to get away from the cold night air as fast as possible, leaving you and Damiano alone on the sidewalk.
 You took a deep breath to gather your courage and were about to pull in Damiano for a hug as well, when you realized he didn’t seem to have any intention to move. Instead, he stood next to you, staring at the pavement and fidgeting with the rings on his fingers.
 “Damiano?” you wondered, carefully reaching out to touch his arm, trying to figure out why he looked like a nervous child suddenly.
 Damiano looked up at you when you called out his name. His nervousness reflected in his eyes and he bit his lip when he just stared at you for a moment. Then, with a steadiness in his voice that surprised you, he said, “I was wondering… Well… what about tomorrow, we do nothing together. You could come over to my place and we could just do nothing. And then maybe we could stay in and do nothing on Sunday as well. And on Monday, we can go to work and afterwards we can do nothing if you’d like. And I’m thinking that if we do enough nothings, if our evenings are enough of nothing, then maybe this can become something.”
 “What do you think?” he asked as he looked at you hopefully. And while he looked so very young under the streetlights, his old soul had just pulled you in. This was it. You were in. And by an absolute miracle, so was he. “That sounds like a fun idea,” you told him with a smile.
 He beamed at your answer, before the both of you got distracted by Victoria shouting for him to hurry his ass up and get in the cab.
 “Go!” You gave him a slight push towards the car. “She has my number, text me the details for your plan,” you told him with a wink.
 Damiano was about halfway to the car and you were about to walk over to the other ride, when he turned and came running back only to stop in front of you. Before you could react, he had put a hand on your cheek, and used the other to pull you close. The next moment his lips were on yours in a gentle kiss.
 The moment was over almost before you fully realized what was happening. “See you tomorrow, bella ragazza mia,” he whispered against your lips before running off towards his ride again.
 You watched in stunned silence as their cab drove off. Left with the tingling feeling of where Damiano’s lips had just been and the exciting promise of nothing ahead.  
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kmorales1 · 3 years ago
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Office Affairs
Pairing: Javier Peña x f!reader
Word Count: 2.2k
Rating: Explicit (Anyone under 18, go away, thanks.)
Warnings: Uh, unprotected sex(this is fiction please wrap it before you tap it), i'm bad at this. One(1) mention of spit(whoops).
A note: Hey, so I wrote this in an hour and (maybe) a half. This entire thing is purely based off my intense yearning for Javi the past few days(more like weeks). Also he's incredibly hard to write for so I hope I was able to capture his character. This is also my first time writing smut, let alone posting it. Be gentle with your critics lmao. It might not be entirely cohesive but I tried really hard but anyway this is what my brain popped out.
Javier Peña is the type of guy to take you home for a quick fuck, cuddle you like he’s in love with you, and then leave an hour later without barely a glance in your direction. You know this, you’d heard the whispers about him in the embassy when you were making your way to the filing room, or to the break room for your afternoon lunch.
And you believed them.
The first night Javier took you home you were 99% sure that you’d get the best fuck of your life out of him and then he’d be gone before you could even ask him to stay the night. And let’s be honest you wanted him to stay the night. To feel him pressed against you, his broad chest against your back, his breath fanning over the back of your neck. God, you yearned for that man. Or maybe just a man, it’d been a while.
You weren’t entirely wrong though, you did get the best fuck of your life out of him, but you also found the Javier that was sprawled in your bed, a lit cigarette between his lips, wasn’t the same man he was in the daylight of the office.
He was quieter, soft spoken, almost open.
The first few times he had stayed for a bit after to lay pressed beside you talking about work and you had even managed to pull a few details about his life back home. A few. But those few details only left you craving more, and who could blame you. He was intoxicating. You hadn’t been expecting it and now that you saw it, you wanted more.
“You know, you’re different like this.”
You had practically whispered the words to him, a little scared you might somehow push him back into the person he was in the light of day. But he only offered you something almost like a smile and leaned forward to press his lips to yours.
“I think, maybe i’m just different with you.”
He didn’t elaborate or say anything more, and you didn’t say anything in response. Cause what could you say? He’d pressed you open into the mattress a few minutes later his head between your thighs. Taking you apart slowly whispering filthy things as he brought you over the edge.
Your heart clenched as he laid his head on your thigh afterwards, his hair an unruly mess.
You wanted him like this all the time.
You weren’t naïve,though. So you didn’t think much of the way he laid beside you, or the things he said to you. He could feed any pretty woman words to make them feel special, and no matter how much you wanted to be different, something told you weren’t.
That became apparent when you started seeing less of Javier and hearing more about his informants and the other women he would bring home some nights. You weren’t mad, nor jealous, but you weren’t exactly fine either.
Coming home from a late night at work you had passed him and who you assumed was one of those said people that were whispered about. She was laughing at something, his arm locked tight around her waist guiding her down the hall. His face didn’t match hers but he certainly didn’t look unhappy, and when you crossed their path trying hurriedly to get into your apartment before seeing something you didn’t want to, he barely spared you a side glance.
Fine.
You stopped giving him the attention he silently would ask for in the daytime. His gaze burning hot on your body as you silently sipped your tea in the corner of the break room. Or the way he would brush your shoulder as he passed your desk. It’s almost laughable how he could seemingly seek your attention out one minute and then act like you didn’t exist the next. You didn’t play into it and things were fine.
Until they weren’t.
“You’re ignoring me, princesa.”
He’s got you cornered in the filing room his broad form practically towering over you. This is the closest you’ve been to him since you’d seen him that night, or the occasional time he would purposeful bump into you in the office.
“Hello Javi,” You barely managed to hold onto the papers in your hands. His close proximity to you slightly knocking you off center. You weren’t entirely lying when you said things were fine, but him being so close and the smell of him nearly overpowering was reminding you of the parts that were exactly not fine.
“I’m sorry i’ve been so busy.”
That’s a lie. You know it’s a lie, he knows it’s a lie. Things had been incredibly slow the past couple of weeks. Pablo in hiding from a recent raid that hit a little too close to home.
“I think we both know that’s a lie,”
And oh, is his voice a little breathier.
You curse yourself quietly, because you’re supposed to be putting this behind you. This man only sought you out when he felt like it when he was bored. But the way he’s pressed so close to you, if you just leaned forward a tiny bit. His eyes are skimming over your face, like he’s taking in the changes he’s missed in the past few weeks he hasn’t seen you.
There’s a tilt of his head and a small push forward and his lips are a near inch away from yours.
“Don’t you miss me, baby?”
Your knees nearly buckle.
He called you that exactly one time before. A rough raid with Carrillo had him stumbling into your apartment at nearly 1 am, luckily you had just gotten home from work and were still awake. His shirt was damp with sweat, the color of it slightly darker than the original pink, a stray mark of blood on his face- you later found out wasn’t his. He’d been needy, the way he had pressed you into the counter in your kitchen, fucked you within an inch of your life it felt like. Growling filthy things into your ear, praising you, before pulling you roughly to the floor(his back didn’t forgive him for days after that) and sliding you onto him. You’d rode him hard and fast nearly sobbing your release. He’d came up to cradle you to him. Whispering baby and your name reverently into your hair. You didn’t talk about it, what had made him so frantic. You had to practically peel yourself away from him and when you did it had broken the spell. He was up, fixing his jeans, kissing your forehead and then he was gone out the door before you could even get words out.
Javier whispering your name brings you back to the present, his eyes are locked on your lips and fuck-
Your fingers are dropping the papers and urgently sliding up his back to curl in his hair, pulling him the last bit of distance to bring his mouth to yours.
You’ll tell him later that you don’t forgive him for that debacle with the woman he brought home with him and you’ll also tell him the other things that have been pent up for the past almost month. And if he doesn’t like it oh well, but god right now all you want is to be fucked by this infuriating man.
“Javi-“
Your plea is broken as his tongue swipes the inside of your mouth his hands holding firmly to your hips.
“Javi please”
He shushes you, his leg coming to press between your thighs, right against where you want him the most and you nearly keen at the relief it gives. His thigh flexes and applies just the pressure to send your hips sliding forward.
“Quiet, princesa you don’t want anyone to hear,”
Oh fuck. You’re at work right now. You’re at work fuck. You’re at work. You remind yourself again.
One more time you’re at work-
But no one really comes back here. (that’s a lie)
His hands are guiding your hips roughly, and you’re practically riding his thigh. The feeling is too much and not enough all at once.
“Anything, Javi please.”
You’re breathless whimper has him growling under his breath as he pushes you deeper into the cabinets. His hands tear your skirt out of the way, pushing your panties aside before dipping his fingers into your center.
“Baby, fuck you’re so wet,”
His fingers leave you momentarily to slide into his mouth. The hum that leaves him is enough to push a wave of slick out of you, and you eagerly grip any part of him you can reach.
“Is this for me? You have missed me,”
The smug look on his face makes you want to roll your eyes, and you would if he wasn’t currently sliding his fingers back into you and curling them just like that-
“Fuck! Javi,”
The hand that is grasping your hips leaves to hurriedly slap a hand over your mouth. His eyes are burning into yours his teeth bared slightly.
“I said quiet, do you want our coworkers seeing how much a slut you are for me?”
He licks a line up the side of your neck before coming to suckle and bite lightly on your ear.
“Youd like it wouldn’t you?”
You’re practically dripping at his words, the squelching noise from his fingers fucking into you roughly is nearly obscene. You’re so close you could cry, if he could just give a little more.
“More,”
It’s a desperate plea for anything and it’s slightly muffled by his hand but he gets the message. His hand drops and you’re caught off guard by him roughly undoing his belt and pushing his pants down enough for his cock to spring free.
You nearly moan at the sight, long and thick with precum gathering at the tip. Fuck it’s been so long you want to taste. But he’s got you shoved back up against the nearest filing cabinet, his hand back over your mouth as he nudges his cock against your clit.
You keen at the slight pressure it gives before you jerk at the feeling of him sliding into you fully his hips flush to yours.
“Fuck, hermosa,” his teeth are clenched tight the cords of his neck strained as he whispers praises into your ear.
"Baby you’re so tight, missed you.”
You don’t even have time to process the last part before he’s almost urgently pulling out to slam back in. You want to worry about the noises that are being made but just as the thought comes in it’s gone. He’s fucking into you hard, his hand still covering your mouth tightly, trying hard to mask the moans that are escaping you. The slight jingle of his belt buckle as he roughly pounds into you shouldn’t be as erotic as it is. His head is pressed to your shoulder and you can feel the air from his mouth as he pants.
You’re so close you can practically feel yourself dripping down your thighs. One of your hands is curled tightly in his hair and the other snakes down your body to rub between your clit. Your breath is coming out harsh from your nose meeting the warm skin of his hand and god the thought of his hand over your mouth as he fucks you is so much you think you might come now.
But then his hand slips away and he’s sliding it in your hair to tilt your head back. Baring his teeth he gives one particularly hard thrust before demanding.
“Open.”
Immediately your mouth snaps open and he spits.
"Fucking swallow it."
You do, quickly before you lift eagerly to meet his mouth, teeth clinking harshly.
“Javi i’m gonna come-“
He’s pulling back, whispering urgently in your ear .
"Do it baby, do it now. Cum for me."
You’re pushing to meet his thrusts hurriedly chasing the orgasm you feel tightening in your stomach.
“I said now,” The harshness in his voice sends you reeling. You keen, a little too loudly to be in your office building, the thread snapping as you tumble over the edge. Your cunt clenching hard around him. Somewhere through the haze you feel Javier bite roughly into your shoulder and his cock jerk inside of you as he cums.
His hands are sliding around you to pull you into him his face meeting your neck as he pants, his cock softening inside of you. There’s a pleasant sounding hum from him as you card your fingers through his hair your nails scratching lazily at his scalp. The room is humid and sticky you suddenly come back to yourself, sinking down from your post orgasm high.
“Javier,”
The change in your voice has him pulling back to look at you before his eyes widen in understanding.
Yes, basking in the after sex glow isn’t the best idea at the moment.
“We can talk after work okay?”
There’s a nod from him before he’s sliding out of you with a hiss and tucking himself back into his jeans. And there’s a lot to talk about, he isn’t off the hook, and you’ve got to think it over because you know you have technically no right to even be upset.
You’re adjusting your skirt when you feel him cup your cheek.
“I really did miss you.”
Its said quietly, almost like it’s a secret.
And momentarily, you forget everything you need to be confused about with him.
"I missed you too."
86 notes · View notes
fluffi · 3 years ago
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SARCOLINE SUNSET I: WELCOME HOME, OUTSIDER :: SOOBIN
pairing: soobin x gn!reader, platonic!ot5 x gn!reader genre: fluff, some subjective angst, bits of humor, enemies-to-lovers, childhood friends word count: 4002 event: #summerscape for @kpopscape credit: @enha-woodzies​ for making the gfx for this series! show her some love <3 author’s note: i accidentally deleted this post so here is a rushed reupload. it might not be as good as the original because it isnt proof read as well but i still hope the algorithm picks it up, maybe this’ll be good for the post. Also, the second part will be coming out in 15 days. warnings: people disappearing, mentions of burning and fire (further warnings will be released in the next parts as the story gets darker)
THIS STORY IS PURELY A WORK OF FICTION AND DOES NOT DICTATE JAY OR NI-KI’S PERSONAL LIVES AND/OR FAMILY.
part two ->
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The blonde stared up at an intricately designed structure in awe, walking forward to touch the sides of it and running his calloused hands up and down its rusted carved wedges. It seemed oddly cliche and unrealistic, but he could feel its story. Every touch of the ceramic pillar provided him with emotion that he couldn’t bring himself to explain.
The sun hadn’t set yet, but he could make out the faint reflection of it settling in the background. The huge pine trees around him were making conversation with each other; their faint whispers and rustles providing peace to his veins.
So entranced in the scenery of such a mystical place, he forgot to watch out for his younger peer. Kicking back into his senses, he nervously called out, “Riki! You there?” His voice, usually strong and boisterous, laced fear today.
“Don’t worry about me Jay, I’m right behind you. Just climbing this fence..and..there!” Riki let out a grunt as he jumped onto the soft grass, looking at his older friend with an innocent grin.
At the sight of his buddy, Jay visibly loosened. It was clear that he didn’t feel safe in this environment, yet felt entranced to it in some way. Riki caught up to him in a quick jog before standing next to Jay, in awe at the magnificent view that they were spectating for the first and possibly last time.
“Is this…the place you were talking about?” Riki was out of breath from running after his peer. He pats the grassy patch below him before slumping onto it, crossing his legs afterward.
Jay took a seat next to him, setting his canvas satchel and leather jacket next to him. “According to the maps and books, this is the right spot. I just want to see if the myth is true.”
Riki clapped his hands in excitement and turned to face Jay. “We’re staying till the sun sets right? I want to see what the carousel looks like at night! This structure is so fascinating. It must be beautiful out here at night.”
“No, we’re walking back as soon as the sun goes down. I do not want to risk being out here at night. People have disappeared from staying too long and I wouldn’t want to worry your mother.”
Riki visibly slumped and turned back in time to see the last drop of orange dip. It was quiet for a while. The singing birds stopped humming their soulful tunes, yet the whispering trees grew louder, their inaudible gossip echoing in the ears of the two boys.
At nine at night, Riki’s mother would call Jay, heeding no response. She would do the same for his parents and his friends. The only piece of information they could provide was that Jay had brought Riki, in his words, to “a magical place”. With no other vital details they could draw from their son’s peers, Jay and Riki’s family agree to call the local police, reporting two missing people: two minors, one last seen in a brown leather jacket, and a taller one tailing alongside him. Both their hairs were dyed in a striking shade of blonde.
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Summer’s heat-blasted onto your skin as soon as you stepped out of your sleek white Toyota. It was good to be back, you supposed. Although it was something that not many people would fawn over, you were ecstatic to be home in town.
Leaving at the mere age of sixteen wasn’t easy. After your parents decided that you were too good for a mediocre high school where people cared more about their body count than grade count, they immediately sent you off to a prestigious boarding school in the big city. You were given three days to pack and say goodbye to your friends, the rest of your family, your world. As excited as you were to study in the evolutionary epicenter of technology, you didn’t like how you had almost no say in this decision.
You didn’t return home from high school even after four years of studying at that mentally draining institution. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to come back, you were just so accustomed to life in the big city that it seemed pointless to return to square one. With the rest of the world finally in your grip (or so you thought), you enrolled in a highly expensive university and received a full-ride scholarship.
Perhaps that was your breaking point. Piles of work that could never be cleared must’ve got to your head. No one out there seemed to care about your mental health and well-being. The only reason you were allowed to take a break from the university and return was because of your constant breakdowns that your lecturers called “distracting” and “unethical”. You were hoping that this drop-by in town would give you a physical and mental cleanse.
There was no place as hot as home, from where you had been. The blazing sun scorched onto the road. Carrying baggage by itself was already hard enough, but this heat was immensely torturing. You struggled to carry your belongings while trying to close the car boot at the same time. Oh, a pity. You had just returned home and you were slowly turning into a bundle of disorganization, unlike your previous methodical attitude.
“Need a hand?” A familiar suede voice behind your shoulder sounded like music to your ears as you dropped all of your luggage and turned back to see…
“Taehyun!” Child best friend number one. You were looking at a once-innocent boy with doe eyes who had matured into a fine young man. His hair was dyed platinum blonde and, although younger than you, possessed a flair that was completely unlike his past self. His facial features were more prominent than ever and you wondered if all of your friends had developed as well as he had.
You locked your arms around his neck and embraced him as he took your baggage from you.
“You’re so tall now!” You gasped in awe and looked him up and down.
“Of course I am! A boy has to grow, doesn’t he?”
Speak of the devil(s), four people tagged behind Taehyun, waiting for you to notice their presence. All of them were just as tall (if not taller) than your blonde friend and stood out like a sore thumb. It wasn’t just the height, their hair was also in very...exciting colors.
“Can’t believe you forgot about us just for Taehyun.” Ah, that nasal voice was so recognizable. Choi Yeonjun, second-best friend. You cherished him like he was your secret weapon, a power waiting to be unleashed into your industrial world. Although older than Taehyun, they seemed to be the same height now. You couldn’t tell because his new neon pink hair was waxed slick and puffy which made him look a teensy bit taller than his younger friend. You had seen him around on social media and he was a hair-changing chameleon.
Alongside Yeonjun was Hueningkai, better known as Kai in the friend group. He was the youngest one, constantly babied and spoiled, you could say. He was probably influenced by the rest of his friends too, his hair now in a mossy shade of blonde. 
Poor Yeonjun, you completely disregarded his existence and dashed over to Kai instead, eagerly standing next to him to compare heights. The kid had grown so much, you couldn’t tell if you were contented that he was now taller than you or dejected that you had missed so much when you weren’t around.
“Hey, wait up!” Someone from behind called. With Hueningkai and Yeonjun blocking your view you couldn’t see who that one person walking next to Choi Beomgyu was.
Beomgyu, the last friend who joined the friend group. He was always a comedian and never failed to make your day. Although, he didn’t seem so smiley anymore. You figured that it was school stress and adulting getting the best of him. We all had those days; you regrettably knew them like you knew the back of your hand . Unlike the rest of his friends, Beomgyu’s hair was kept in a natural shade of ivory brown. He had never been swayed by the rest of the crowd.
There were so many things to do, so many people to see. You had missed out on most of your growing: having fun with friends, staying up late at night just to watch the stars, dancing on your balcony. You had missed the people too. The town felt different from when you had left it.
“Soobin! Don’t just stand behind, meet our friend! They just returned from the city, right?” Beomgyu ran over to you before giving you a little squeeze.
Who’s Soobin?
“Hey, I’m Choi Soobin. Twenty-one this year. I moved here a few years ago. You must have left before I showed up.” A simple and concise introduction from the blue-haired man. Maybe he was the root of this hair-dyeing trend in town (pun very much intended), as well as the height trend since he was just as tall, if not taller than the rest of the boys.
You briefly introduced yourself but that was about it. You didn’t know how to create small talk, nonetheless with someone completely unfamiliar to you.
Later that day, you wondered if he had replaced you, become another guardian in the friend group. As one of the oldest, you and Yeonjun were always known as the parents of your three “kids”, but Soobin seemed to take care of them equally well. Throughout the day, you watched his every action, how he helped Beomgyu with homework, how he styled Kai’s hair, how he treated Taehyun to his favorite meal, exactly like what you did when you were still around. For once, you felt like the outsider.
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Marshmallow Night had always been a tradition here. It was a five-of-you kind of thing, well, the six-of-you now. It had always been the go-to celebration whenever one of you hit a milestone, or was just held for fun. The days of joy where the only thing you had to worry about was whether your smores were burnt.
It had changed a lot over the years, you guys would add some new events to it and remove the ones you guys outgrew, like hopscotch.
You had missed most of its evolution.
Instead of being the main catalyst for today’s event, you resorted to sitting at the side as Soobin took the lead, carrying tables back and forth as well as setting up the fire in a method that the five of you had never used.
Oh, how much you loathed him. You hated his innocent-looking face that spurred out words of authority and boastfulness. You couldn’t stand how he looked so obnoxious with his bright blue hair, his dark brown eyes that held an impeccable gleam. He looked so cheeky, so mean, and worst of all, he had made all of your friends convert to mini spawns of him. Even Yeonjun, the oldest member, no longer felt like the Choi Yeonjun you once knew.
If you could, you would throw him out of your hometown, except that you seemed to be the outsider here. Anyone who walked past would see five people sitting on a huge log, helping each other light marshmallows and biscuits. They would barely notice the one person hunched over on the other side, sitting on the ground, eyes dazed and uninterested.
Occasionally one of the boys would call out to you, either hand you a s’more or ask if you were alright, to which you responded, “I’m alright! Don’t worry about me, I’m having fun.”
Anyone could also see that you weren’t in the zone, but you didn’t want to ruin the moment and be a party pooper. You ended up spending most of the time scrolling on your phone, checking school emails, and such. It didn’t feel like you were back home, it felt like you were on a vacation, on your own.
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The commotion had died down, for the most part. Everyone else was either discussing school gossip in hushed voices or making the most of use of their electronic device. You were tempted to join the little heated conversation that Soobin and Beomgyu were having, but you didn’t know who this ‘Chaeyeon’ girl was and either way, you wouldn’t want to voluntarily speak to Choi Soobin.
It wasn’t long before both of them went to do something else, the only sound prevalent being the wood crackling from the bonfire and the occasional chirp of evening birds.
It was a loud, sucked-in breath that drew the attention of everyone, eyes pinned onto the instigator.
Choi Soobin, once again disrupting the peace of this curated environment. He ducked his head in apology and you were about to return to your world when Kai’s curiosity got the best of him.
“Why did you just do that?” His booming voice resounded over everyone else.
You weren’t going to lie, you were curious too. It wasn’t every day you heard a gasp like that.
Soobin looked back up, eyes wide and awake. He was excited about something but seemed to be masking it for the sake of..suspense?
“Okay. You guys know Yongsam Park right?” He put his phone down and tapped his hands on his thighs in a state of urgency.
Now that statement got everyone’s attention. “It’s the flower place outside our town, everyone passes it when they enter. Of course we would know where the place is. Why are you so adamant about it?” Taehyun inquired.
“Well, have any of you gone inside the park? Or near the landmark in general?”
“No. Why would we? There’s nothing to do there than to take pictures of boring flower statues.” You stated.
“See. You guys don’t know anything about the place.” He smirked tilting his head upwards and proudly crossing his arms.
“Could you cut to the chase and tell us what it is already?” Thank Yeonjun for his smart, impatient mouth.
Soobin didn’t answer and merely flipped his phone so you could see whatever was on it. The only words you could make out were “Yongsam...missing...carnival” and something related to the park before he turned it back, away from your view.
“You can’t just say that we don’t know anything about this place then proceed to give us nothing about it.” You rolled your eyes, disinterested in the conversation once again.
“Fine. I’ll send it to you.” Soobin rolled his eyes back as four of the other boys snickered. They loved seeing the two of you bicker.
In courtesy of Beomgyu who gave Soobin your number (without your consent), you received a news article and skimmed through it with eager eyes:
[WHAT’S THE HYBE?]
YONGSAM PARK CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION, AUTHORITIES SAY 3 days ago
What’s the deal with Yongsam Park? Insiders say that, although bland and boring, Yongsam Park is currently under high-level investigation for the disappearance of a few citizens. The flower-decorated park is the perfect place to take Instagram-worthy pictures and is quite harmless in itself, so visitors were shocked to arrive at the park only to find it surrounded by heaps of yellow tape.
Yongsam Park was developed by Kim Yongsam, director of My Flowers, a multi-million florist franchise that has now spread to Japan and Taiwan. In a 2015 Interview with the millionaire, he mentioned that he had created the park in the inspiration of the rising ootd picture trend, also known as the outfit-of-the-day trend, which he had initially discovered from his teen daughter. 
“I wanted to create a welcoming park for people of all ages, but I couldn’t find a suitable place to do it without the budget being drastically high. In the end, my team and I found an abandoned site and decided to build a simple structure with lower costs up there. Props to my team for the discovery of this landmark. The scenery there, especially in the evening, is stunning .” He stated in the 2015 interview with Soup Magazine.
What’s the abandoned site? With the evidence that is still standing, Yongsam Park is rumored to have previously been a carnival. Said evidence is a worn-down carousel in the back of the park, along with piles of other burnt carnival decoration and equipment. With research, Yongsam Park’s site may have once been an abandoned carnival that perished from an unknown wildfire. This may have been the primary cause of the drought that ensued in the 80s, leaving only a carousel and ashes behind. When questioned, Mr. Kim said that he had decided to leave the carousel standing behind the park due because he felt ‘drawn by its alluring glow’, as quoted.
Investigators and the local police have only enclosed the flower section of Yongsam Park because that was where the victims were spotted. They believe that disappearances took place there and are currently trying to find evidence to back up their stance. Most of this new information is not known to the public, however, Kim and his team are trying to keep it that way. The current disappearance count is seven people, the most recent case being two high-schoolers.
The carousel is still open and does not require a visitor ticket, but visitors are advised to take precautions and leave before the sun sets.
RELATED
TWO MORE BOYS HAVE DISAPPEARED AT THE NOW INFAMOUS YONGSAM PARK 5 days ago
FAMILY OF TOURISTS DISAPPEAR AT YONGSAM PARK, INSIDERS SAY THIS IS THE SECOND CASE OF DISAPPEARANCE HERE 2 weeks ago
JAPANESE COUPLE DISAPPEAR AT FLOWER PARK, NETIZENS CALL THE NEWS A POLITICAL DISTRACTION 3 weeks ago
“Are you seriously...telling us...that we should visit a place where people have been kidnapped?” Yeonjun gawked. “Dude, that’s so stupid. What if we die or something?”
“Don’t say that! I was just curious if you guys wanted to go since it’s so near and since your old friend is back home.”
“It’s a dumb move. I’m not risking my life just so I can celebrate the return of my friend. Not worth it.” Beomgyu huffed.
“Hey! You’re worth it, right?” Soobin glanced at you, waiting for a response.
He was...defending you? His ulterior motives were questionable and you weren’t sure if he was protecting you because he cared about you (cue the puking) or solely because he wanted to go to Yongsam Park that bad.
You didn’t reply and chose to drown out the wailing and chaos that ensued with your friends. You clicked on a related article below, curious to learn more about this lesser-known part of the park.
[WHAT’S THE HYBE?]
TWO MORE BOYS HAVE DISAPPEARED AT THE NOW INFAMOUS YONGSAM PARK 5 days ago
Park Jongseong (20) and Nishimura Riki (15) mentioned to their friends that they would be heading to ‘a magical place’, before disappearing for around a week. They were last spotted walking through Yongsam Park, according to anonymous witnesses. This is the third case of disappearances at the park and both teens are the sixth and seventh people to go missing.
Both families reported their children missing just two days after their disappearance. With this case being the last straw, local authorities forcibly shut down Yongsam Park despite protests from staff and management.
Parents of the two minors refused to respond when called for an interview and HYBE reporters resorted to interviewing the victims’ friends instead.
“Jay’s never been a bad kid. Yeah, he might be late here and there, but he wouldn’t skip class or fly across the country for vacation during school. I just don’t understand why he’s not here with us. He wouldn’t voluntarily disappear.” Park Sunghoon (19), a friend and classmate of Jongseong (who is better known as Jay among his friends) said.
“Although I’m not close with Jay, I know Riki personally and I know for a fact that both of them wouldn’t run away like that. Why, Riki was gearing up for a dance competition that he’s been excited about all year, and now he’s just gone? Like that? Riki has always been like my little brother, and he’ll always be. I just want him back at my side.” A teary-eyed Lee Heeseung (20) says.
Netizens have been complaining about the lack of coverage on this issue.
“Maybe Mr. Kim spent all his money on covering this story up from the mainstream public. That’s why he had to build the stupid park on an abandoned sketchy site.” An anonymous netizen commented.
Regardless, we’ll be keeping our prayers for Jongseong and Riki, as well as the five other victims, to return home soon.
“...you guys are such wimps.” That was the first thing you heard Soobin say when you tuned in to the conversation again.
How dare he say that? How dare he have the courage to call you, someone who moved out on your own at 16 to live in the big, scary world, a..wimp?
“Look, Choi Soobin. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a wimp. I didn’t say that I wasn’t interested on this trip.” You stand up and blurt out without thinking twice.
The rest of the boys are gawking at you, their mouths open wide in awe and shock. Yes, you weren’t a wimp, that was for sure, but they had known you all their life as someone who could not stand going out into the wilderness. Maybe the big city had really changed you.
���At least someone wants to go! Perfect. We can leave tomorrow at noon, bring your camping stuff!” Soobin grabbed his things and began walking away.
“Camping?” The five of you exclaimed in unison.
Taehyun, the rational member, gasped. “I, personally, wouldn’t mind going to the carousel thing..or whatever it is, but I am not staying the night. Dude, are you nuts?” The rest of you nodded your heads in agreement.
“It says in the article that we are advised to leave before the sun sets.” You point out, trying to keep your voice as steady as possible in fear of breaking this mask of false confidence, when in reality, you were terrified of this place.
Soobin turned back and eyed you down disinterestedly. “Conclusion is that we’ll bring a small backpack, or whatever you guys want to pack, and we’ll stay there until eight. Deal?”
“Seven.” Hueningkai timidly said.
“Whatever you guys want.”
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You hadn’t been able to sleep last night. It wasn’t due to fear of the place you were going, rather, you weren’t too excited about having to spend half of your day around Soobin.
What were you going to say to him? You were definitely overthinking at this point.
You know, they always say that the person one hates the most is the one that they also love most. And when Soobin flipped his blue hair back or cheekily smiled, showing his endearing dimples, you couldn’t help but…
No! You loathe Choi Soobin. You couldn’t stand his smile, or his hair, or his height. That evil moonwitch.
“Hey, you ready to go?” Speak of the devil (or moonwitch), you spotted a fluff of blue hair in your peripheral vision.
You couldn’t even muster up the courage to look back at him, merely nodding your head while staring at the white wall.
“Why aren’t you looking at me? Are you...scared?” You could see him wiggle his eyebrows as he made that statement.
That was it. You turned back at him. “Yes I am. I’m absolute terrified. I can’t stand the fact that I have to forcibly spend my precious time around you. It’s like I’m about to voluntarily live a nightmare.”
Woah there, calm down. You had smoke spurting out of your ears at this point.
Soobin’s once excited face fell into one of disappointment. “Yeah, it’s a nightmare having to be around you too. Gosh, the immaturity.” He left the room in haste as your eyes shot lasers through his well-toned back.
Maybe you had gone too far with the insult. He hadn’t been mean to you at all, really.
Then again, he had been mean. He took your place when you weren’t around. Suddenly, you were determined to get it back.
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“Hop on the magic school bus!”
“Shut up, Yeonjun.” You deadpanned before leaning your head on his shoulder. The two of you were finally falling back into routine and you couldn’t help but bask in this nostalgia.
You also couldn’t help but notice how Soobin kept on looking through the rearview mirror at the both of you, pupils darting away once you locked eyes with him.
Man, this was going to be a long ride.
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2021 © fluffi
157 notes · View notes
mishirak · 4 years ago
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Beauty in Everything [2/2]
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Pairing: Gaston(Beauty and the Beast) x F!Reader
Ratings: General
Warnings: Death of a loved one, depression, angst with a happy ending and final part
A/N: I did not expect people to like this fic or people like Gaston in 2021. What a pleasant surprise! I redid the ending, I’m way happier with the ending as a terato fan.
Word count: 2.4k
Like my works? Support me on Ko-fi!
> Part One! | Alternate Ending
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That was nearly a week ago. The Beast drops you off near the town after wrapping your ankle. You understand why he wouldn't enter the town. You don't get a chance to say goodbye when you hear your name being called. The town folks were searching for you, and he promptly left after that. You limp towards the noise, making sure not to place too much pressure on your injured ankle.
Apparently, Josephine was okay, she ran towards home, and your mother was frightened that you were not with Josephine. There were many questions from folks. You informed them everything and left the Beast out of it; you don't think they will be happy to hear a beast anywhere near them.
Since then, you've been stuck in your house for a couple of days, your mother making sure your ankle is fine and healing properly. You sighed as you continued sewing the clothes. The good thing is that your ankle is starting to feel better, so you can start moving around without your mother pestering you. It also means you can go to the next town to buy her medicine. You remind yourself not to take shortcuts in places you aren't familiar with without any guidance.
"Ma! I'm going to buy medicine! Do you want anything before I go?" You said as you are getting ready for the ride, you hear your mother's footsteps behind you. "No, just come back home safe." You sighed as you turned around to look at her, "mama, it was just a one-time thing. I promise I won't get hurt again." You told her as you gave her a reassuring smile and hugged her. You pull away and climb on Josephine. You looked towards the direction of your mother and waved goodbye to her; once you both bid your goodbyes, you're off.
As Josephine walks you both through the forest, you were in deep thoughts, thinking about your mother and the Beast. The Beast has been plaguing your mind for a while now; you wonder if you will meet him ever again. There is so much you want to ask him, to know more about him. "Why are you here again?" You jumped at the voice; you looked around and saw Beast.
"I didn't expect to see you again!" You said with enthusiasm in your voice. You smile at him; you're glad to see him again. "I'm going to the next town to buy my mother's medication." You continued; he scratched the back of his neck, looking unsure how to answer you. "...Do you want to company me there? If you don't mind, that is." You offered, hoping that he takes on the offer.
You smile brightly as he accepts the offer and the two of you continue your trip to the next town.
And your friendship with Beast blossoms after that; since then, he has been accompanying you throughout your trip. While he's isn't too keen on talking about himself, you figured that he isn't comfortable talking about it yet. You decided to talk about the forest he resides in, what happens in the town, and you.
You'll be lying if you say you don't fall in love with the Beast; he gives you comfort that your mother can't provide. Especially since your mother's health has been deteriorating as time went by. The aunts around you and even Agathe said there's nothing you can do to stop the inevitable death of your mother.
Beast no longer just accompanying you through your trips; he was becoming your source of comfort, your friend. There will be times where you visit him just to sit together in silence.
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You didn't think you would lose your mother 3 years after your father's death. Your family meant the world to you, especially your mother, who teaches everything you know. The house feels too quiet now; without your mother's coughing, the reality starts to sets in. Your mother is no longer here with you.
You didn't visit Beast after your mother's death; you don't have any energy to stand up and do anything in general. Once your food runs out, you realized you need to get out. Using this reason, you go straight to the place you and Beast usually meet.
The walk towards there, you don't know if Beast were still there, was he angry or was he worried? What if he wasn't there? Your thoughts and doubts immediately wash away when you saw his silhouette. Your slow walks suddenly became fast-paced as you run towards him, Beast quickly turned around as he was startled to hear footsteps behind him.
When he saw it was your footsteps, he catches you as you throw yourself to hug him. The feeling of his fur, his arms hugging your frame, being safe and protected in his arms. You remember the times he comforts you while being in his arms.
He never saw you cry this hard, not over things or anyone else other than your mother. He knew the worst has happened; he hugged you a bit tighter, burying his head in your hair. "I'm sorry." That's all he can say as you cry in his arms.
You didn't think you have more tears to shed after days of crying; you felt so tired afterwards. You close your eyes and steady your breathing. After a while, you look at Beast and give him a smile. "Thank you," you said as you dry your face with your hands.
"I didn't do much, you should... go home, it's going to be dark." He said, but you shake your head. "I don't want to; it's too quiet. I have no one," you said, and you look down at your lap. You saw his large hand taking one of your tiny hands. "Then let's go to mine," he said, pulling you up making you both stand up.
You both walk in the direction of his house, which is a hunter's hut that he can barely fit through the door. You never stay too long in his place; there wasn't much to do in the hut, so the two of you spend most of the time outside. 
As the two of you went inside his house, you awkwardly standing in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do. "You take the bed. You must be tired. I will be here when you wake up, don't worry." He said and push you to the only bed. You were about to protest about you taking the floor, but you immediately realize he doesn't fit the bed at all.
You lay down on the bed and lay on your side, looking at Beast. There was a bit of silence as you two look at each other until he decided to turn around, his back facing you. You giggled and finally close your eyes, letting sleep taking over you.
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You technically still live in the village; however, you rarely return to your home. Returning to only clean the house and wash your clothes. You haven't retired from your work, you just don't work twice as hard, there weren't any medications you need to buy. You found out that Beast hunts for his food, which saves up some money.
You panicked a bit when one of the aunts asked about you, asking why you were rarely at home. You lied to her, saying that you moved to the forest that's not connected to the main path. The aunts were a bit suspicious about you, but Agathe was there for you and to soothe the gossiping people.
But that wasn't enough.
When one of the villagers found out where you lived and saw Beast. You didn't know anything about it until the next time you went back to the village. The people start to surround you, telling you that you've been hiding a beast.
After hearing those words, you try to escape from the people. A man catches your arm, trying to hold you down. By some miracle, you manage to pull away and escape the mob. You ran towards the hut to warn Beast and to escape from the place together.
You saw Beast's large form as you ran towards him before you can say anything, "there they are! Get your weapons ready!" You froze in fear when you heard a man's booming voice. You turn your head and saw the mob with their weapons ready. You grip on Beast's fur; you never felt this scared before.
Without warning, a shot was fired, and Beast started running away from them. It was happening so fast, you didn't even register what had happened. You suddenly felt pain behind your back; you finally realized that you were shot.
"Beast-" you call out to him; he didn't acknowledge you and keep on running. You winced in pain as you felt his big hand putting pressure on the gunshot wound. "Don't fall asleep on me. Please." He begged desperately and look down at you; you never hear or see him this desperate. It hurts your heart.
"I won't." You lied as you smile at him. You felt yourself getting exhausted, you know it's due to blood loss, but you still want to reassure and comfort him. Like the many times, he did to you before. You try to keep your eyes open.
Suddenly he stopped and put you down, making you sit on his lap while he's holding your back, "talk to me. Anything." he said out of nowhere. You look at him, trying to think, but he continued. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, you wouldn't be like this if it weren't for me" Your expression changed to anger when you hear that.
"No, it's not. It's those stupid villagers' fault. We never harm them, and yet, their minds come to that conclusion. Don't ever think it's your fault." You argue weakly. If you could, you would yell at him, but you don't have the energy to. Beast just huff at you while his other hand caressed your head. You lean towards it, smiling as you do so.
"I wish we could do this more."
"Once you heal, we can do it however much you want." He said, continuing playing your hair. You hummed in delight as you snuggle closer towards his chest. "I love you, Beast. Thank you for being there for me. These past 3 years, I have so much fun, experience things I've never have before meeting you." You confessed, your voice was weak that Beast can hardly hear it.
"I love you too" You felt him hugging you closer, feeling something wet on your face, you see him crying; however, you don't have the strength to wipe his tears away. You let sleep take you; it was getting harder to open your eyes.
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Beast stays in his place for a while, continues playing with the dead girl's hair. He was too focused on the girl and didn't realize that someone was approaching him. Once he did, he roars at the stranger and jumps back with the girl in his arms to avoid them getting closer to him and the girl. His eyes widen as he soon realizes it was the same enchantress that cursed him.
"...Please bring her back. She's all that I have after you've cursed me. I will stay as a beast forever if it means that she's brought back to life," he begged to the Enchantress. The Enchantress was taken by surprise; she expected him to lash out at her, not just that, he offered to stay as a beast. During her stay as Agathe in Villeneuve, knowing Gaston, his appearance and his ego were huge factors of who Gaston was.
"Are you sure? You do know that you still have a lot of time to break your curse, right? There will be more people that can break-" "I DON'T WANT OTHER PEOPLE!" The Enchantress jumped as he cuts her off and slams his hand on the ground; Gaston continues. "She's not like any other people. No one can be like her."
The Enchantress smiles at that and walks towards Gaston and [Y/N]. She crouches down to the girl, waving her wand around the girl as the bright light appeared and blinded the beast. He closed his eyes.
After a few seconds, he opens his eyes to see that the Enchantress wasn't here anymore. He looks down at [Y/N], grabbing her face. Noticing that her body felt warm, unlike a few minutes ago where her body was cold. The girl shakes her head and blinks a couple of times. "Beast? What happened?" she asked.
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You woke up suddenly, not remembering what exactly happened. You look at Beast, he has a surprising look on his face, but you don't know why. You were about to ask again until he engulfs you in his hug. You went along and hug him back.
"Let's go home..." he said and smiles at you. He stands up with you in his arms. "I can walk on my own, Beast!" You playfully kick around in his arms but still wrap your arms around his neck. "I never tell you my name, have I?" He changed the subject as he walks towards his hut. You quickly change your position and sit on his forearm and wrap your arms around his neck again. Which makes you two's heads close to each other.
"Oooh! What's with the sudden change of mind?" You teased him. Beast huffed and stopped talking. "Wait! I'm sorry! Please tell me your name! It's not fair that I don't know yours for 3 years!" You keep on pestering him, shaking his shoulders to change his mind.
"Gaston. That's my name." Gaston said. You stopped your pestering and think about it. "That's a nice name. I thought it's going to be more... different. Now that I know your name, will you tell me more about you?" You asked him. All these years of waiting to know more about Beast finally felt worth it. Even if it's just his name.
"Hmm, soon." He answered and smiled at you. You smile back when hearing that.
"I love you. Like romantic way kind of love." You said it out loud, suddenly feeling confident. "I know, and I love you too." He replied back casually. He leans in towards you and plants a kiss near your lips. Before he can pull back, you kiss him on the lips this time.
"Wrong place, Gaston." You said playfully and giggled. Gaston hummed and continue walking back home.
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all-my-love-for-harry · 4 years ago
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Sing me my song.
summary: Harry’s feeling insecure after he sees his girlfriend interact with her ex.
word count: 2.7k
warnings: fluff with some angst, happy ending tho. 
a/n: this was requested by @hazzalightsupmyworld, hope you like it! Let me know what you think :) 
Find the rest of my masterlist here.
*:・゚✧ ✧゚・: *:・゚✧ ✧゚・:
Relationship wise, Y/N has never been one with luck. She has never had the ability to jump from one relationship to other, it just wasn’t who she was. Instead, she spent several years being in love with the same person.
Ariana and Y/N met after they shared a studio session back in 2015. They wrote some songs together for Ariana’s upcoming album at that time. It took them two months and several cups of coffee to fall in love. Their relationship was mostly private, as neither of them wanted curious eyes all over their every move. Of course the media eventually caught up the two women weren’t just friends, but were romantically involved and after Ariana’s album dropped, it looked pretty serious.
However timing just wasn’t on their side, and for different reasons, they ended up going separate ways. Although that didn’t stop them from remaining friends, Y/N was still in love with her ex-girlfriend. She stayed there through tough times and not even once not dropped everything if Ariana called.
It was some time after their breakup when they found their way back to each other. They thought it was only fair to give it another shot, but it just didn’t work out. They both wanted different things and together came to the conclusion they were better off as friends, so Y/N and Ariana called it quits before they hurt the other bad enough they wouldn’t be able to be friends in the future.
For a lot of time, Y/N thought she wouldn’t be able to fall in love again, or at least have a somehow serious relationship with someone else. It took her time, but eventually she got there. With every day that passed, it got easier to move on.
And that’s when she met Harry.
A kind, shy man who has shown her a completely different side of the world, one that she was completely oblivious of before he came into her life. Although Harry was sure since the beginning about his feelings for her, it took Y/N a little while to open up to him and allow him to take her on a date. Sure, they hung out and stuff, but it was always with other people around in a friendly environment. Now there was nothing wrong with that, but Harry wanted more.
Almost a year after they first met, Harry and Y/N finally started dating. Things were great between the two of them. They both felt like there was something very… real in what they had. Quite frankly, they had never felt like this before. It truly felt like they were building a life together that could easily become a forever thing, and even though for some people it could be scary, for them it wasn’t. It felt good to have something stable after a long time of trying to find something that felt completely real and honest.
It wasn’t until Y/N felt like she was 100% over Ariana that they started talking again. Of course, they had missed each other but they both agreed it wouldn’t be so healthy to try to move on without putting some sort of distance between them. For them, it was so easy to become close friends again. It was like the old times, just with a few boundaries they had agreed on.
Last time Y/N saw her, was on Ariana’s first show of her tour. She had gone to support her, however she did not join her on tour like last time. And it was fine, honestly. Y/N felt like her life was complete now that she had her boyfriend and her best friend in it.
Now Y/N found herself spending more time in London with Harry than anywhere else in the world. And it was slowly starting to become her second home.
Around August, after taking a shower before getting ready to go out with Harry, Y/N received a text. It was from Ariana, she was inviting her to her next concert in London that was in a few days. Y/N bit her lip, thinking what it was best to do. Honestly? She wanted to go. It would be really nice to go see her perform after a few months of not seeing each other, and she could always bring Harry so he’d have a good time too.
“Babe, are you ready? Reservation’s at seven o’clock.” Harry came out of their walk-in closet with his clothes on his hands.
“Yeah, one second.” Y/N sent Ariana a quick text saying she’d ask Harry before looking up at him. “Hey, do you want to go to a concert this weekend?”
“Sure, who are we seeing?”
“Ariana.”
Now, Harry knew their story and how big of a roll Ariana was on his girlfriend’s life, and although it made him insecure at times (not that he’d ever say a word to her about it), he has come to accept that. Also, it wasn’t like Ariana was a stranger to him. They were also friends, just never been really close.
“I mean, I’m down. It’ll be fun if we go.” He shrugged, deciding it shouldn’t have to be a big deal.
“Awesome. I’ll tell her we’re going.” She smiled.
Inside of his head, Harry tried to convince himself they’d have a good time, and everything was going to be fine, although he wasn’t feeling so confident at the moment.
//
Saturday rolled in and all Y/N could talk about was the concert. She planned an outfit along with hair and makeup that with go along with her clothes. She was excited but also a little nervous. They’d most likely go backstage after the show, and it would be the first time the three of them would be together in the same room.
Harry has called a car that would drive them to the O2 Arena. Unfortunately, they ran a little late due traffic so when they arrived, they had to take her seats in the VIP box immediately because the show was about to start. Harry wrapped an arm around Y/N’s shoulder as they stood there waiting. Now, normally he wouldn’t be anywhere touchy with her if they were in public, but he was feeling particularly clingy today so he didn’t care if tomorrow there would be a billion of pictures of the two of them all over the internet.
The lights when out and the music started, making the twenty thousand people in the arena erupt in screams.
Aside from the two of them, there were other people in the VIP box. A couple of Ariana’s friends Y/N knew and some celebrities.
So far they were having a good time. Harry let loose a little and started dancing with Y/N too. He screamed the lyrics he knew and jumped around just like everyone else. After the fourth song passed, the energy lowered a little as a slower song came into the set list.
Y/N swallowed hard when she recognized the melody. R.E.M. was a song Ariana told her a long ago was written about Y/N a little before they broke up for the second time. In complete honesty, she loved the song. She loved it when Ariana showed it to her that night they stayed up until 2am just talking, long before it was out to the world, and she loved it now that she was hearing it along with twenty thousand people.
It brought a lot of memories back and the song that followed did not help.
Harry noticed her sudden change of behavior but chose to not point it out. Instead, he gave her hand a squeeze that quickly snapped her back to reality. She looked up at him and smiled, leaning into him a little.
Songs like Moonlight, Sometimes or Thinking Bout You, Y/N knew weren’t on the original set list of the concert. They were old songs Ariana didn’t really sing anymore, mainly because they were about her, and she was singing them now.
It only made her more nervous to step into backstage after the concert. And it wasn’t about any lingering feelings, truly. It just was kind of a lot to take in. She was in love with the woman for a long time, for the love of God.
One song before the concert ended, they decided to head backstage to avoid the crowd afterwards. Someone from the security team leaded the way to them and some other people who had the same idea and they waited patiently for the show to end.
“Did you have a good time?” She asked him.
“I did, haven’t danced like that in quite some time.”
“Me too.”
The couple held hands and stayed a little behind. There were people everywhere, both from the staff and friends that were hanging around. They heard Ariana say her goodbyes to the public before she ran off the stage. People rounded her to congratulate her for the show, she went around giving hugs to everybody until her eyes landed in Y/N.
Both girls squealed and crashed into a hug. “You’re here!”
“I promised I’d come, Ari.” Y/N said sweetly.
“I’m so happy you did. I changed the set list after you texted me.” Ariana gave her a dimpled smile, looking directly at her eyes.
“So I noticed.”
Harry caught awkwardly, not really knowing what to do with himself. Ariana and Y/N broke the eye contact as the first one went and hugged Harry. “Thank you for coming, Har.”
“Thank you for the invitation. We had a great time.” He didn’t really mean to, but subconsciously he emphasized the we.
“I’m happy you did.” She said. “I was thinking we could have dinner afterwards. Courtney’s also here somewhere.”
“Absolutely.” Y/N was quick to answer.
“Great, let me take a shower and grab my shit before we go.” Ariana walked away towards her dressing room.
“Do we have to go?” Harry almost whined.
“C’mon, it would be fun. Please?” She gave him those damn puppy eyes she knew he couldn’t resist. So he sighed and nodded, making her squeal. Y/N hugged him before she gave him a quick peck on the lips. “We won’t stay so long, I promise.”
Although he agreed on going, Harry kept quiet for most part of the dinner. Ariana and Y/N sat in front of the other so they were talking the whole time, giggling about things Harry did not understand as they were inside jokes they had. He did not feel comfortable at all by the end of the night, and it didn’t help the fact that Y/N was not acknowledging him.
“You need a ride home?” Ariana asked after dinner was paid and everyone was starting to get up from their seats.
Y/N was about to speak but Harry cut her off. “I have called a car, thank you though.” He didn’t want to sound rude, but he didn’t think he could stand a whole car ride with them probably seating next to each other giggling and whispering things.
“Oh, alright.” Ariana answered slowly. “I’ll be in London until next week, maybe we can meet up?” She said to Y/N.
“Totally, I’ll text you.”
The pair hugged tightly. Ariana waved at Harry a little awkwardly as she has already sensed his jealousy building up.
“Have you really called a car?” Y/N asked when it was only the two of them.
“Are you talking to me now?” He couldn’t help but say. He has in fact called a car, he did it the second they asked for the check. Y/N sighed, not really wanting to start anything while they were still in public.
Not long after that, a black range rover pulled up and they walked towards it to get in. This time, Y/N didn’t seat in the middle to be close to Harry. Instead, each of them sat by each end of the seat. The ride back to the house was quiet, none of them had really nothing to say to the other, but they were also gathering their thoughts because they knew what was going to go down once they entered the house.
The both of them thanked the driver before getting out of the car and into the house. Y/N took off her shoes and walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water, Harry following her steps.
“Are you going to tell me what is wrong?” She asked.
“I don’t know. Is there anything wrong?”
“Oh, c’mon. Don’t be like that.” She crossed her arms. “There’s something bothering you and I want to know what it is. Did you not have a good time?”
“I was until you started flirting with your bloody ex.” He finally said.
“Flirting? Harry, I was not flirting with her.”
“Yes, you were. And she was flirting with you too!” He accused. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how she was looking at you!”
“According to you, how was she looking at me?”
“Like she was still in love with you! Didn’t you see? She basically serenaded you back in the concert and had no problem admitting it. ‘I included these songs only because you told me you were coming’” He tried to copy her voice. “For fuck’s sake.”
“Well, I can exactly control what songs she includes in her show!”
“Oh, but you clearly enjoyed it, didn’t you? Must have felt good to have all her attention.”
“Now you’re being mean.” She said.
“No, I’m being honest. And I’m sorry if it makes me mad when your ex is all over you!”
“She was-”
“And you can’t even see it. Can’t you see how fucking insecure it makes me feel whenever you talk so highly of her? How am I supposed to top what you had with her?”
Y/N swallowed hard. “It is not a competition, you know? I don’t spend all our time together comparing what we have with what I had with her.”
“For you it might not be. But I do spend a lot of time worrying about you waking up one day and deciding you don’t love me as much as you love her. After all, you have found your way back to each other once, what assures me it won’t happen again?”
“It won’t.” She stated.
“You don’t know that.” He shakes his head. “What if one day you realize you can always go back to her? You’d leave me in a heartbeat.”
“How can you have such little trust in me? I love you, Harry.” Y/N almost cried out. “When my heart was broken, you were the only one there who helped me glue it back together. You. I would have never agreed on going on a date with you if I wasn’t over her.” She paused. “After I met you, I knew I had to get my shit back together so this,” She motioned the space between them. “would work. Because I wanted it to work. You have given me so much,” Her voice broke. “I don’t think I would ever stop loving you.”
“Baby-”
“And I’m sorry if I today I made you doubt that. It wasn’t my intention at all. I was just… I was excited, you know? You have to understand that while I dated Ariana in the past, I’m not in love with her anymore. Do I love her? Yes, I do. But it isn’t the kind of love I have for you, H. What I had with her had an expiration date, and I knew it. But I also know that I want to be with you forever. You’re my forever, not her.”
Harry chocked a laugh, allowing one tear to roll down his left eye. “You’re my forever too, baby.”
“I’m sorry.” She said again before wrapping her arms around his torso. “I love you so, so much. Please believe me.”
“I believe you, I do.” He mumbled before kissing the top of her head, hugging her back. “I’m sorry for being so insecure.”
“I know it isn’t exactly normal to be close with your ex, and i’m still working on setting boundaries.”
“I appreciate that.”
They both sighed happily, enjoying being in each other’s arms. “Do you get as excited as you were today when you listen to the songs I wrote for you?” He asked quietly after a while.
“Just as excited, if not more. I love it when you sing me my song.”
“The one about us dancing in the kitchen or the one about me eating your pu-”
“Way to ruin the moment, Styles.”
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littlemisslipbalm · 4 years ago
Text
Little Border Town
Summary: It begins with a man and a woman, as it always seems to. One lives in France and the other lives in Italy, technically, but they’re also neighbors. Various issues arise between these two and they can’t ever seem to see eye to eye on anything. Will they ever move past their petty fighting or is the little town they live in doomed to only gossip about what Harry and Y/N are fighting about today?
AKA: Harry and Y/N are neighbors that fight all the time, the whole town wants to know when they’ll just fuck. 
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Featuring italrry as well as mustachrry! and running italrry... I hope y’all like! this is just part one, so much more is in store so pls let me know what you think :) lots of love - first fic that’s not named from a quote said in the story I’m shook!! the growth, the range...she has it apparently! side note: i had to change the gif from italrry/mustachrry bc something is whack with the formatting and either the keep reading or the title keeps disappearing so i tried some stuff to resolve it *sobbing*
Word Count: 8.5k | Warnings: swearing, mentions of relatives death, bickering, otherwise tame for now?
Pt. 2
-
There’s a little town that straddles the border between Italy and France. It’s just a little ways from Nice on the French side and Ventimiglia on the Italian side. The population is rather small and the tourists who come are usually either returners or are very very lost. One street you’re in France and the next you’re in Italy. It can be confusing to newcomers, but the locals love it -- for the most part. These streets are easily delineating as French or Italian by the little country flags that hang above all the shops or in the windows.
It’s a coastal town with cobblestone everywhere and bright painted buildings. The water is a soft blue and the wind barely ever brings any waves greater than a foot high. There’s a shop for everything and it seems to be frozen in the past from the outside, thankfully if you step into the tiny bed and breakfast there is wifi. The sun almost always shines down on this sweet piece of paradise, the winter does however bring gusting winds and thunderstorms. Those storms rattle the little town and afterwards you’ll find the residents picking up the pieces that have fallen off the shops.
Now, this little border town, with its streets separated by French and Italian customs, well almost all of them, it seems imperative to mention. There, in the exact middle of the little town, is one street that is split down the middle, half in France and half in Italy. The locals from the French and the Italian sides love that street the most because it has this certain dynamic spark of change that brings them together, makes them unique. Except for two locals that seemingly hate this street. These two locals aren’t actually true locals either. They both moved there a couple years ago.
Harry, from the Italian side, owns the shoemaker and repair shop. He hailed from England and moved to the little town when his great uncle, Joe, had sent him a letter pleading for him to take over his shop so that he could retire. Harry, ever the traveler, hopped on the next flight out to Italy and then traversed by train and bus until he reached his Joe’s home. Like most of the shops, there was a living space above the shop area. Harry lived there with Joe until he passed away a few years back leaving Harry to tend the store alone. He didn’t mind too much, being left there alone. He had always loved Italy and to get to live in the countryside in a little cobblestone town and own a shop was a dream come true. After living there for two years, he had bought a sailboat that he would take out when the shop was closed. He also had bought himself a motorcycle that he would ride to the next greatest city if he was ever in dire need of more of a nightlife as a 26 year old. He loved it, his own slice of paradise… except for his thorn in his side.
Y/N, from the French side, owns the bookstore, which carries lots of vintage books and records. She had moved there after college. In school, she had studied French and taken a year abroad in Paris and had traveled down to Nice for a month. While in Nice she had made a few friends and one of them had come from the little border town. They had insisted they all go there for a weekend. When Y/N stepped foot onto the street she now lived on a few years before, she fell in love. Seeing the little Italian and French flags in the windows and potted plants with a view of the sea had been so endearing to her.
She was drawn to the bookshop and had chatted up the old French woman who ran it. The woman had reminded Y/N of someone but she couldn’t quite place her finger on it. It was strange for her because she often found these connections with older people, she felt like she had known this woman her whole life. Y/N went back into the store the next two days she was there to talk to the woman again, Marie, she had learned. Before she left the little town she left her number with Marie and kept in some contact with her. After about a year though, their communication fell off. Y/N was sad but understood that life can be busy for people and that she obviously wasn’t the most important woman in the little border town bookkeeper’s life. Or so she thought. In the middle of the summer after she graduated college, Y/N was backpacking through Iceland and got a call from who she assumed was Marie. She was ecstatic and answered the call immediately. Sadly, it wasn’t Marie, instead a friend who had been given her will to execute. In her will she had left Y/N the bookshop. Her reasoning was similar to why Y/N had liked Marie so much, she said that Y/N had reminded her of her sister who had died unexpectedly in her teenage years. Being so far from home at the time and completely consumed with love and loss, Y/N had agreed to take over the shop without any hesitation.
She got home and informed her parents of her choice and moved to the little border town as soon as she could. She lived in the little area above the shop that Marie had also gifted to her and she tended the shop downstairs. The living area hadn’t really been cleaned out and Y/N had found an old collection of vinyls in the corner of the bedroom. As much as she wanted to keep them to herself, she thought it would be a good addition to the shop and had made a section for records in memory of Marie. She loved France and the coast, she bought a little car and would drive to Nice every so often or to the more sandy beaches along the French coast. It was quiet and different from the life she had maybe expected, but taking over a bookshop because a kind stranger had gifted it to you as one of their dying wishes wasn’t something Y/N could ever turn down. Her soul was too sweet. At least it was for most people, not for her neighbor though.
Her neighbor was the shoemaker, Harry. Their shops lived against one another even though he was on the Italian side and she was on the French. They were located exactly at the split between France and Italy. With less than a foot between the buildings, they saw a lot of each other. On their first interaction, Y/N had seen too much of her neighbor, meaning she had seen all of him. Their shops were similar to track homes, meaning they were built completely the same only mirrored. This meant that the windows of their bedrooms matched up exactly, she wondered who had thought that was a good idea after her first night. When Y/N had first moved in it was August, she left her window open and without the shade down to let as much fresh cool air in as possible. With her jet lag, she had found herself wide awake at about three am. Pacing around her room in the pink silk tank dress she had decided to sleep in, her eyes froze on her window - or rather, who she saw through her window. The light from her room and the moon were strong enough to illuminate the tanned and tattooed skin of the naked man in the room next to her. He held a bowl in his large hands that he seemed to be spooning cereal into his mouth from.
His half-lidded eyes flickered to the light coming from the place next door. The bookshop had been closed all summer and no one had been living in the upper area for a little longer than that so he had gotten into the habit of leaving his window open. He was half drunk after stumbling his way home from the tiny bar down the street. He had decided a naked cereal run would be a good idea to tide over his cravings. But upon seeing the girl wearing lingerie a mere two feet away from him, separated by the screens on their open windows, he realized that wasn’t actually true. His eyes widened only slightly as he saw her, his drunkenness allowing him to keep his blushing to a minimum. His drunken confidence kept him from covering himself as he lifted a single brow and made a salute with his spoon hand before going back to his bed.
She stayed at the window for a moment after the naked man disappeared and then quickly ran back to her bed. She shut off her light and tried not to think about everything she had seen. She tried to not think about his toned arms that flexed as he moved around his food, or the tattoos that lined every part of his body (the tiger and ferns seared into her mind specifically), or his tousled chestnut hair, or his searing green eyes, or the full mustache that held a little milk from his cereal. She tried, she really did. But how was she supposed to face her neighbor ever again after that. Maybe he wasn’t her neighbor, she reasoned, maybe he was an acquaintance her neighbor had just spent the night with. That wouldn’t be better! Her hands grabbed her other pillow and shoved it over her face trying to force herself to go to bed.
The next day, she had been working out front of the bookshop, beginning to repaint the windowsills of the shop with some navy paint she had found in the back to give it an updated look. It was early and she hadn’t expected to see anyone at all. Her jet lag still ailed her and caused her to be up bright and early. This was her second run in with the shoemaker, this time though, both to her dismay and joy, he was fully clothed. He wasn’t watching where he was going and almost toppled the both of them over as he left his store front, locked the door behind him, and then set off down the street. His large body, covered in short black running shorts and a mesh grey tank top, bumped into her almost immediately. He was still fiddling with his music on his phone as he began his run. She jumped back and dropped the paintbrush from her hand. She yelped as his body collided with hers and he stopped in his tracks. His eyes scanned her and took in the light wash cuffed jeans and moss ribbed tank top she was wearing. They widened when he recognized her face, the expression of shock similar to that of last night when she had seen him in his bedroom. He smirked and took out one of his earbuds. She grabbed her paintbrush from the ground as he extended his hand to her.
“I’m Harry,” his hand is greeted with hers. He speaks to her in English and she decides it’s probably best to follow along with whatever someone else began with. She worried that she’d run into a lot of Italians who didn’t know French or English and she’d have some trouble. His eyes flicker to the bits of blue already littered on her hands and in her hair.
“Y/N.” She nods, avoiding eye contact with the man she had already seen too much of. At least he’s not your neighbor’s lover, he’s just your neighbor. She also notices how he doesn’t apologize for running into her.
“You were spying on me last night,” his hand returns to his side and his smile quirks up again as he watches her face flush. His nicely groomed mustache twitches, trying to contain his laughter.
“I was not!” She finally looks up at the taller man and takes in his tanned face that is even more attractive in the morning light and up so close. The hat he wears is funny, a blue trucker’s hat that read “If you ain’t a fisherman, you ain’t shit!”, and she would laugh if she couldn’t already tell he was going to be extremely annoying.
His smirk continues and he barks out a laugh. He removes his sunglasses to really look at her now. “It’s alright, I work hard for this,” he gestures to his body, “glad someone appreciates it. Just means I’ll need to be installing a shade now, I guess.”
“You don’t have a shade and you walk around your room naked?” She ignores his first bit of conversation. She can’t think about his body or how it had looked last night. She sets down her paintbrush and folds her arms across her chest, trying to figure the man in front of her out.
“No… but it’s not all my fault. You had your shade open too! Who’s willingly up at that time of night anyway? I was just fixing myself a snack after the pub.” He raises his brows triumphantly at her, feeling confident that he has gotten the upperhand in the conversation.
She narrows her eyes at him as she finally registers that his accent isn’t Italian or French. He’s British and she wonders what he’s done to get himself in this little border town. He also seems to own the shop beside her since he locked the door behind him. He was peculiar, but she couldn’t dwell on what she thought about him since he had just accused her of being a peeping tom.
“Someone is up at that hour because she just moved and has terrible jet lag and can’t sleep. The place has been completely closed up for months and I needed to get as much cool air in as possible before the hot day. That’s why I was up and that’s why my shade wasn’t down.” She stands up straighter and rolls her eyes at him, muttering something in French to herself about annoying men. She smiles to herself when Harry doesn’t seem to understand. He obviously can tell she said something, but he doesn’t know exactly what. He could understand a good bit of French and he could speak some, but if someone spoke quickly and quietly, like she had just done, he wouldn’t be able to make it out. He figured it was something rude, though, with the way she sounds and begins to turn from him.
“Are you here to stay?”
“Yes.”
“Well, welcome to the best place in the world. It was so nice, two countries couldn’t decide who got to keep it and decided to split it.”
His arm sweeps out around him, gesturing to the street around him. She smiles up at him before following his arms movement. His arm had more tattoos than she had realized from her eyeful last night. She noticed the intricacies of all the black ink and again she had a million questions that she had to keep to herself. He was arrogant, conceited, impatient and a little bit odd and she knew all of this after barely one conversation. At least they could agree on one thing, they loved this town.
He looked back at her after scanning the street and saw her smiling in wonderment at everything around her. This brought a fleeting genuine smile to his face, knowing she was happy to be there. He had known Marie and was sad to see her go less than a year after his great uncle. He had always thought that Marie and Joe were both secretly pining over each other. Constantly stopping into each other’s shops and waving from their windows at each other, but Joe had always shaken his head at Harry when he mentioned it.
His smile faded when her eyes came back to his fac face face. Her smile disappeared as well. “Right, so, see you around…?” He said, already forgetting her name. She scoffs when she realizes what happened and then repeats her name. He nods curtly before replacing his sunglasses and single airpod and starts running again. She calls after him, “Thanks for the apology!” and then mutters to herself, “le con” knowing she shouldn’t shout that down the street where other people speak French. He doesn’t hear any part of it, his music up high enough to drown out the sounds of the world.
-
Y/N settled into the bookshop fairly easily, but she never failed to mention how unhelpful Harry had been:
“Yes, well, it’s been going pretty good...except for this one man. Well, I’d hardly call him a man -  a boy. My neighbor, actually, he owns the shoe shop...no, nevermind that, he practically made it his mission to make my move the hardest thing in the world...Harry -- yes, that’s his name, Mama… well I don’t know, It’s just Harry. - it doesn’t matter! He’s been in my way at every turn… yes, both physically and metaphorically...I’m not kidding! And I’m not being dramatic… Well, It was nice talking to you. Love you, talk soon.”
That was her first telephone conversation with her mother since arriving in the little town. Maybe ten days after she arrived. Naturally, she had it in the downstairs area of her home, the bookstore. And naturally, Harry had wandered in, to discuss one of their shared planters, and overheard her entire side of the conversation and gathered the rest from his own imagination. When she had laid eyes on him after setting down her phone, she rolled her eyes at the smirking Chesire cat look on his face.
“You would be the kind of man to eavesdrop, hm?” She restacked a group of books that were already in order.
“Thought I was a boy?” his smirk remained on his face. He strided closer to the counter she stood behind.
“Like I said...What can I help you with?” Her voice drips with venom as she finally turns her eyes to look at Harry. His smirk still remains on his face now that she is making eye contact with him. He’s clad in a t-shirt that has some baseball team on it with burgundy corduroy flared jeans. She notices the strain of the shirt over his chest and biceps and avoids the scoff of how vain he must be to keep himself in that good of shape for tending a shoe store in the South of France, or rather Northern Italy…
“Right, Thought I’d pop in and tell you that one of our planters is shared. So you’ll have to talk to me before replanting anything. I noticed you coming in with tulips the other day.”
“The ones on the front of the street?” He nods as her head turns to glance out the front window. “Why the hell do we share a planter?”
“Because, my late great Uncle Joe and Marie fancied each other.” Her eyes went wide at his words, trying to think of Marie having a crush on someone. “They were never together, never admitted the fancying, but they always did the planters together. They each had one of their own and then bought the third together, said it made sense to make the shops look nice...I know it was just so they had more to tend to - together.”
She hums, taking in everything that he said and how his eyes shine slightly just at the mention of his uncle. His voice had perked at the story he had just spun for her and she smiles thinking about the idea of love and loving someone so much that you’re content with simply planting flowers together. It seemed really old-fashioned to her, but it also brought even more charm to the town she now called home. Romance was still alive here, or so she hoped.
“Okay, I’ll make sure to let you know when I’ve decided what flowers I want to put in there.” She turns around, assuming the end of the conversation and getting back to work. She doesn’t really find a reason to entertain Harry anymore than necessary. Like she told her mother, he was constantly in her way or being naked in his room, something she had chosen to leave out of her conversation with her mom.
“You’ve misunderstood me. Maybe my English is getting rusty, I rarely speak it since everyone else knows Italian.” She flips around at his rude comment, eyes alight with fire once again. “If you want to replant anything, which I don’t understand why you would, the flowers I put are wonderful, we’ll have to discuss it. It’s not you just telling me you’ll be doing it. We own it equally and I won’t let you bulldoze my hard work.”
“On a planter?!”
She sticks on a sickly sweet smile as she tries to refrain from laughing. “I guess the countryside really can make some people enjoy the simpler things in life…” With that she walks to the back of the shop, leaving the stunned Harry to see himself out of it. When the little bell rings, her stifled laughter can be heard among the books.
-
It doesn’t matter what it is, Harry and Y/N are able to make a fuss about anything and the whole street, if not the whole town, had quickly figured that out. No one had a problem with Y/N, they welcomed her with open arms. Marie had told the entire French side and a good amount of the Italian side how wonderful and tenacious she was. How Y/N reminded Marie of her sister and upon meeting her, many agreed. But the first time Harry and Y/N had a public row, at the bakery in the center of town, on the French side, everyone was quick to realize that there was bound to be trouble between the two. It was a stark contrast to the loving comments and endearing looks the previous owners had always engaged in when they were still alive. This fight was maybe a few days after the planter business and Y/N had tried in the following days to get him to change the planters to no avail so she was in an especially pissed off mood towards Harry.
“Could you be taking any longer?” Y/N rolled her eyes as she stood behind her tall neighbor, her foot impatiently tapping a beat against the stone floor.
Harry stood hunched in front of the display case, scanning for exactly what he wanted and desperately trying to remember what he had come here for. He was a bit more dressed up that day, his mother had been coming to visit him for the first time in a while and he wanted to look nice and have a special treat for her when she arrived. His trousers were a deep navy that matched the navy of the stripes on his sweater vest, the blue pinstripes of the button down underneath was a slightly lighter shade, but blue nonetheless. He had rolled up his sleeves past his elbows, showing off his various tattoos and sinewy arms. As his eyes scanned over the case again, he ran through his mental list and bit at his lip, knowing he was forgetting something. He barely even heard her drawl out her insult, the tapping of her foot eventually getting his attention due to its faltering.
She straightened upright from her hip jutted position when he didn’t even bite at her unkind words. Her foot stopping its melody. As she was about to give another go, Harry turned around and she gave him her full look of displeasure.
“Country life requires a bit of patience. I doubt you’ve ever had to wait your turn in your life, but you’ll have to get used to it here.”
Her eyes roll instinctively. She noticed that they seemed to do it just at the mention of his name or the sound of his voice. She had always thought herself a lover of the British accent, citing Downton Abbey and various famous musicians - Freddie Mercury, George Harrison, Elton John, etc. - as members of that little island who were formative to her identity, loving them for their talents as well as their accent. Yet with Harry’s deep meandering British voice, she found herself wishing to be anywhere but in its presence. She found that he took so long to ever get out an actual full thought and when he did it was barely coherent. He also never failed to let his sarcasm or smugness drip into his tone, causing her to audibly be aware of the smirk on his face even if she couldn’t see it. The image flashing across her mind no matter what.
“You’ll have to let me know when you’ll be here again…” His eyebrows quirk at her odd response and it’s her turn to smirk up at him. She’s already satisfied with her quip even though she’s only gotten half of it out. His mouth opens to question her, but she finishes her thought. “That is, so I can plan around you. If I have to alot a whole day to the boulangerie just waiting for you… I’ll never get settled.”  
Harry scoffs and a fleeting expression of actual offense flashes across his features before turning around to finish his order. The others in line and the worker are all equally wide eyed and she hears some hushed whispering behind her, but it’s in Italian so she can’t make it out. The worker eyes Y/N as she rings up the rest of Harry’s chosen items. The worker smiles softly at Harry, feeling for the man she had known long enough to know that he wasn’t as rude as he was being with Y/N. She was also taken aback at Y/N’s response, but hadn’t seen her be rude otherwise so she had to assume it simply had something to do with the man.
When Harry is all set, he turns to leave and pass Y/N again. His eyes narrow and his words once again are turned nasty. “I wouldn’t mind if you never got settled,” he said before muttering something in Italian under his breath and leaving the store. She assumed it to be nasty as she eyed the couple behind her giggling, before walking to talk with the worker.
She shook her head trying to rid herself of her cold exterior that she kept having to conjure up for Harry. Now smiling, she asks for her items in French, happy to be speaking the language that brought her so much joy rather than English which seemed to be reserved only for Harry now. She hadn’t gone to the Italian side very much yet and the people she had met over there so far had spoken French to her once she had introduced herself.
As the worker finished with Y/N’s order, she asked in a hushed tone, in French, “How do you know Mr. Styles?”
“Harry?” Y/N guessed, not actually knowing Harry’s last name until now. The girl behind the counter smiles quickly before nodding. “Mon voison” she sighs and contains the accompanying eye roll when she sees the girl blush at the idea of being neighbors with Harry. “He’s a brat,” she continues and the girl laughs lightly before saying, “I think he’s rather sweet… not bad to look at either.” She looks out the window of the shop wistfully, like Harry’s still there and Y/N whips her head around, afraid he knew that she was talking about him. Thankfully, he was gone and Y/N laughs to herself when she feels the anxiety that had gripped her for a moment dissipates. Shaking her head at the girl, she grabs her items and change from her before making a break for the door.
It was soon after that incident that Harry and Y/N’s squabbles became notorious throughout the little town. Drama wasn’t common there and any sort of excitement was the talk of the town. It made sense that this was snapped up by the gossipers from the French and Italian sides alike.
Anne, Harry’s mother, was stopped the next day, when she was out for coffee and Harry was still at the shop, and was asked why her son was so angry at the new bookshop owner. She thought it made sense for her to drop into the bookshop next to her son’s shop after hearing that. Walking into the shop, she was greeted with the smell of lavender and the sweet melody of a love song. She immediately smiled at the charm of the bookstore, feeling like there was a bit more life in it then there had been the last time she had come in. Harry had told her that Marie had passed, but not that someone new had taken over and she was eager to meet them, especially now that she had been told about the town gossip.
A messy haired, but bright eyed Y/N came trotting out of the bookshelves at the sound of the door opening. A smile beamed on her face when she saw the mature brunette woman standing just inside the doorway. “Bonjour! Bienvenue!” She greets as she smooths some of her unkempt hair. Y/N had been digging around the back shelves of the store searching for a specific book one of her other customers had asked about yesterday. And much to her dismay, she wasn’t being very successful. When the woman only says “Bonjour” and makes no inclination that she plans to speak more French, Y/N believes it’s safe to assume she’s a tourist and switches to English. “Can I help you?”
Anne laughs happily to hear English and walks over to the counter that Y/N had walked behind. “Yes, Hi! My son lives here and I’ve just come to visit him. He didn’t tell me someone had taken over Marie’s shop.” Y/N perks at the name of Marie and she smiles sincerely at the woman now. Not quite a tourist, yet not quite a local, she noted for herself.
“Yeah, I’m Y/N. I was a friend of Marie’s, so to say, and she left me the place.” Pausing, Y/N turns over the vinyl that had just finished side A, and then returns to her place at the counter. “I’m still really new, but it’s a small town. I don’t know of many other people who weren’t born here who live here, though, who’s your son?” She rests her elbows on the counter and leans on them while staring at the kind woman. She had noticed the British accent, but hadn’t connected the dots yet. It wasn’t uncommon for people to have a British accent when they spoke English so it didn’t necessarily mean she was from England. But maybe Y/N should have noticed the light eyes and brown hair, maybe that should have been an indicator as well. Or the way she had said ‘my son’ and nodded in the way of the shoe shop. But no matter what, it came as a shock when the woman with the coffee in hand said what she said next.
“My son is your neighbor! He runs the shoe repair shop. His great uncle, my ex-husband’s uncle, left it to him a couple years ago.”  Y/N’s eyes widen so much so that she has to blink a few times to assure herself they haven’t popped out of her head.
“Harry...is your son?” She speaks slowly and Anne smiles at the girl. She nods and Y/N nods back, taking the news in. He has a mother...she guessed she should have expected that. It had been unlikely that her theory of him being sent straight from hell to make her life just like it was accurate.
“Here you are mum! What are you doin’ in here?” Harry rushes through the door when he sees his mother inside from the window. Y/N rolls her eyes on cue, but still notices the soft adoring look on his face while he gazes at his mother. She supposes she can concede that he isn’t the spawn of satan now. His look hardens when he turns to Y/N, who has straightened up to her full height upon his arrival.
“I was just meeting the new bookshop owner, Y/N!” She looks between Harry and Y/N. “What’s this about you being angry with her?” She asks more to Harry, but Y/N hears easily. Harry’s eyes flash at Y/N and her eyes widen once again, but shrugs to Harry, having no idea where his mother had gotten that idea.
“What did you say-”
“I didn’t say anything! I’d just realized she was your mother right before you walked in!”
“It’s true. Someone said something about it to me at the coffee shop. Of course, I didn’t even know the book shop even had a new owner, so I decided to come by.”
“It’s nothing, mum,” Harry insists.
“Harry and I...we just don’t exactly see eye to eye. But, I’m sure we’ll warm up to each other eventually,” she easily lies through her teeth, knowing she really couldn’t see herself ever being friends with this prick. “Feel free to look around the shop, it’s not exactly to my liking yet, but then again, I am just getting settled. Otherwise, you two should enjoy your time together. I’m sure it’s not often you can make the time to journey all the way out here.” She smiles sweetly at Anne, choosing to ignore Harry completely.
“Thank you, Y/N. Harry can be an acquired taste for some, but just below that exterior of his, he’s a giant softy.” Harry groans at his words, Y/N’s smile only grew.
“Au revoir! Good Day!” She calls when they leave the shop rather swiftly. It seemed to her that Harry was desperate to get his mother out of the shop as soon as possible, while Anne was happy to browse and look at what had been changed in the shop.  
-
Their early unhappy encounters were now months ago. But encounters of a similar caliber happened at least once a week. It’s hard to avoid a neighbor who you seem to find anything they do to be an annoyance, even their existence. They saw each other around town and at their shops and in their bedrooms. Even though they didn’t particularly like each other, hated was actually the correct word, the drawing of the shades was a near impossible task with the heat that plagued the little town between August and Mid-October.
They had fought over who could leave their shade open and who couldn’t because Harry believed only one of them had to close it to maintain privacy but then he wouldn’t settle on an agreement on taking turns closing shades. Y/N argued that they could both leave them open if he would agree to stop walking around his room naked all the time, but he refused that as well, at first. He conceded after a week of having his shade drawn that he would wear boxers. Therefore, practically every night, Y/N and Harry would see each other before bed since they actually seemed to have the same sleep habits. Sometimes she would have to yell at him to close his window if he came home with a guest and he would yell at her to turn off her light if she was reading or watching television in bed too late.
Thankfully, it was approaching the end of October and the weather would begin to change. There wouldn’t be a reason to have the window or shade open and they at least wouldn’t have to see each other right before bed.
This morning, Y/N is up early, she found it amazing to wake up early here, something she had never done before this little border town. It was teaching her new things about herself and changing her, but she liked it. In deep forest green flared pants and a long sleeved rainbow striped shirt, Y/N is watering the planters in front of her shop as well as the little ones attached below the windows. It was always a little cool in the mornings, but she had checked her weather app and seen that it was actually going to be the first cold day of the season. The first cold day since she had arrived actually. As much as she liked the sun, she also loved fall and winter, so she was excited to experience them for the first time in the little border town.
She smiles to herself as she moves around gracefully. In her back pocket, her music plays softly, Paul Simon sings lovingly to her. She hums along and moves to deal with the planter at the edge of the sidewalk. But she’s foiled by a man she seems to think about far too much for how much she says she dislikes him. Harry jogs back a half step upon realizing he has run into her yet again. One would assume that one of them would either change their routine or know to step out of the way or really just be a little bit more aware of their surroundings with how many times this has happened since Y/N’s arrival. Of course, their stubborn personalities actually require them to be unrelenting in this area of their lives as well. Much like the shade debate, the who was in the way of who debate is still majorly undecided.
“Oi!” He looks down at his shirt and it has a substantial wet spot on it. She had spilled some of the watering can’s contents.
“Excuse you!” She says simultaneously, not realizing she’d gotten water on him.
“I’m not the one who just threw water on someone.”
“Neither am I. You ran into me, it’s not my fault you never look where you’re going.”
“You’re just always in my way. This has been my route for ages, I’m not going to change it just because you moved in next door.” His hands fly around in annoyance and anger.
“You’re unbelievable!”
“Well! I can’t stand you!
“Clearly!” “Cleary.” They’re both huffing out insults that don’t seem to really be going anywhere. Harry has straightened his posture for once and she actually finds his true height slightly intimidating. They both breath for a moment, finding no other words to fill the tranquil morning silence that they had just disturbed.
“Are we ever going to have a conversation where we’re not at each other’s throats?” She sighs, feeling upset that the nice Fall day was suddenly ruined for the rest of time just because of this.The bickering with Harry was tedious and she couldn’t keep going like this. Being in a completely new place and running a small business was hard enough as it is. Something snapped in her just then, hoping to squash a part of her life that is causing her stress and exhaustion.
Harry’s expression falters, his eyes losing that glint of angered passion for a moment, he wasn’t expecting that response. It wasn’t necessarily mean, it was more like she was resigned. Simply done with the conversation. He felt his anger and annoyance slip away rather quickly at her question. She sees his mustache twitch, which she realized happened when he was either amused or confused. She didn’t think what she said was funny so she presumed he wasn’t sure what to make of what she had just said. Her head tilts to the side and waits for his response. Her watering can falls to her side now, making herself a little more comfortable and leaving only a small amount of air between her and Harry.
“Tired out already? Thought you were more of a competitor than that.” He mirrors her by tilting his head as well.
“I didn’t realize we were in any sort of competition.” She stepped forward and straightened her posture a little, feeling challenged by the tone he had taken. She may have a kind and soft exterior for most, but she was nothing if not fierce in her core. She was an Aries afterall. She wondered what Harry might be, she wasn’t super into astrology, but she was sure that he wasn’t an Aries. Aries were fiery and passionate and were very unwilling to admit defeat, so he had just hit the exact right note to keep her from squashing their now long-standing quarrel.
“We’re not. I just thought I had met my match, guess I was wrong.”
He looks off in the distance to be nonchalant, like he wasn’t trying to bait her even if that’s exactly what he was going for. Sure, he found her annoying, for whatever reason. But he had realized when she had posed the question, that he hadn’t had this much excitement in a while. Nothing and no one really challenged him in the little border town, his work was easy enough, money wasn’t tight, friends were easily made, and partners for the night were easy to find. He didn’t dislike any of those facts, truly, he counted himself lucky and was overjoyed that he lived there. But the verbal sparring he engaged in with Y/N fulfilled a need he hadn’t realized was going unsatisfied. He would never admit it, but she was often a highlight of his day. Getting into a little quarrel with her brought a smile to his face when he recalled it later. The bird she had started to flip him before bed made him genuinely laugh. He liked it, so when she seemed to want it to end, he did what he knew would make her change her mind. Tease her.
“I see...bonne journée, cul.” She decided to bid him farewell, knowing he didn’t plan on apologizing any time soon. She turned her body from him and Harry understood enough French that she had ended the conversation with a “good day”. He also knew that she had called him an “ass” as well. His brows raised for a moment at the insult before giving a flicked salute in her direction and jogging off for his morning run.
For some reason, after a moment of knowing Harry had gone she glanced up in his direction and watched his retreating figure. And for some reason she found herself looking back down at the flowers and smiling to herself. Somewhere inside her she was glad Harry hadn’t given into her veiled request to stop fighting. It was a strange sensation because as tiring it was to bicker with him, she feared if they stopped then they would stop talking at all and her heart panged at the thought. She didn’t know why and she didn’t care to know why either.
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The bell of the book shop chimes and Y/N pops up from behind the counter. She had been crouched out of sight trying to organize the books of notes on customers Marie had left that Y/N had only just found. She hadn’t realized the cabinet existed in the counter so when she accidentally slid it open she was a little taken aback. Still, she was quickly distracted by the new customer. Her cream collared shirt was unbuttoned to where her collarbone and decalotage were on display, some gold medallions hanging around her neck today. Her worn light wash blue jeans were barely visible behind the counter due to her height. In her hair was a classic red bandana, pulling back her hair out of her face save for the strands that worked themselves free on their own accord.
Her smile was wide, happy to see the first customer of the day as she pinched at her shirt to make sure it was in place. Her posture slumped immediately when she realized that her first customer wasn’t a likely customer at all, instead who else but Harry. A mischievous glint in his eyes as he strolled in and right up to the counter. He leaned his large body down to rest his head in his hands and look up at her. He crossed one ankle over his other, getting comfortable as he stared wickedly up at her.
She wet her lips and took a step back. It was her first look at him today, apparently missing him on his morning run. Maybe she should have thought something of that after their encounter yesterday, but she didn’t. Like most days, his trousers were high waisted, Gucci likely - how he afforded them, she had no clue - and his usual shirt had now been accompanied with a striped red, black, and yellow open cardigan. His hair looked wet like he had just taken a shower, most of it was pushed up but a few strands fell over his large forehead. His mustache looked freshly trimmed and the rest of his facial hair had yet to leave any shadow after his obvious shave.
“Harry.” She says definitively, regarding him with even contempt.
“Ice Queen.” He levels, eyes narrowing.
She scoffs immediately. “At least give me something original...or accurate maybe. I may not like you, but ice queen? Hardly.”
He genuinely chuckles at her quick response and nods, agreeing easily with her for once. “You’re right. It was weak, I’ll admit. Feel like you need a nickname though, thought something really rude might upset you.” He smirks cheekily. His agreement doesn’t make her feel like she’s won at all, unsurprisingly.
She rolls her eyes at his comment. “Care to let me know why you’re gracing me with your presence today, Mr. Styles?” Moving around the counter, she begins to walk to the back of the shop, assuming Harry would follow her if he needed to. He apparently did and walked after her after realizing she wasn’t coming back.
He gives a half-laugh, “Yeah, I came in for a new record. I saw you decided to restock them...thought I’d pop in. It’s easier to get them here than order online...Curtain-hater.” He adds the name as an afterthought.
She glances at him from the bookcase she’s standing at, her eyes shifting to meet his. A smile fades into her features as she can’t contain the giggle at his new attempt at a nickname. She then wrinkles her nose, “That isn’t good either, but proficient try, I guess.” She gives him points for actually relating the name to her in some way, but it still doesn’t incite any anger in her which she knows is what he is going for. She probably should question herself why she’s helping Harry to nickname her something rude, but alas, she doesn’t. He nods solemnly, knowing she’s right again. He needs to find a nickname for her and he doesn’t know why, but he’s glad she seems alright with him giving her one, so long as it is fitting.
Her body shifts from the bookcase over to the boxes she had gotten to hold the vinyls. She had a small collection since the place was small overall, but Marie’s old collection had sold successfully so she had restocked afterwards, this time choosing some of her personal favorites.
“I’m not sure of your taste...I know you bought Marie’s Ella Fitzgerald album last time.” She sifts through the records, trying to find something she thought he might want. Like she said, she didn’t know what he liked, but she prided herself on knowing music and as an owner helping a customer, she wanted to please Harry. She knew he liked Ella from his previous purchase and she knew he liked Marvin Gaye in the evenings when he had guests - how very cliche she would add. “I mostly got in 70’s/80’s rock...Elton, Queen -”
“Got any Paul Simon?” Harry cuts her off and she looks at him surprised. Her fingers stopped when she looked up at him, their tips placed on the peaks of the albums covers. “Thought I heard it here the other day?”  
Her face perks up at the mention, she loved Paul Simon. “That was on my phone, but I do actually. Well, it’s Simon & Garkunkel. I can order something from just Paul Simon whenever I have to order again if you want?” Their gazes are holding each other’s, her fingers still rubbing over the pointed edges of the two albums she had between her hands. Harry’s watching her and leaning against the table the boxes sit on.
He nods after a moment. “That’d be great.”
“You’ll have to tell me which records of his you already have so I can order something new for you.” She grabs the Simon & Garfunkel album and flips it to Harry so he can look it over.
He regards the Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme cover reading over the fine print with all the tracks listed on the bottom right. “Thanks,” he mutters out after another moment of silence. It was rarely this quiet between these two, so it was different. “I’ll take it, Shrimp.”
“Oh my god!” She gasps before bursting into a fit of laughter. He had actually made her laugh and his eyes widen at the sound, almost confused that she hadn’t scoffed. Her laughter was far louder now then the half-hearted chuckle she had given earlier, which really was probably just another scoff. This laugh was loud and unbridled, but melodic and fun. In the back of Harry’s mind, he noted that he liked it. The first bullet point on a list that was likely to grow.  “That works, just the perfect amount of rude. I love and hate it at the same time.” She finishes before walking back to the front. Harry saunters after her, pleased with himself.  
“I’d like to say I wasn’t looking for your approval, but I guess I sorta was,” he ponders out loud as she takes the record back from him to type in the correct spelling into her relatively new computerized system. She twists her mouth to the side of her face to refrain from smiling anymore and then hums. Her eyes flit back up to Harry’s triumphant smile and for once she doesn’t want to slap it off of him.
“People-pleaser…” She prods him easily. His smile falters only slightly, not out of unhappiness, but of borderline jealousy.
“How do you come up with that so easily? It just rolls off the tongue,” He asks seriously, confused by the woman before him. This time she laughs as she hands him back the record and a copy of his receipt.
“I’m well read, that usually helps, but maybe it’s just my intrinsic wit that gives me an edge,” she raises her brows slightly, before beginning to walk off now that their exchange is done. She’s surprised she doesn’t want to rip her hair out after that encounter, but she figures she should simply count her blessings. “Au revoir, trouser-boy!”
He rolls his eyes as he turns on his heel and exits the shop, amused rather than annoyed with the bookkeeper.
-
enjoy! lmk what you thought :) part 2
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heyyyharry · 4 years ago
Text
Deep End - Chapter 5: Master of the House
…in which Ezi is home alone with Harry’s assistant.
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Word count: 4.8k
AU: famous!harry, siren!mc, adult modern retelling of the little mermaid? lol, fake dating, enemies to lovers.
WARNING: MATURE THEMES
All chapters / Synopsis / Moodboard / Playlist
Wattpad link
A/N: PLEASEEEEEE LEMME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! I'll write faster when I get a lot of comments 😩
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Harry pulled Ezi down the hallway to find the nearest bathroom. His head started to hurt as he thought about how his mother would react if she found out what Ezi had done. What he had done. He didn’t expect his cousin to run and tell anyone that he’d been attacked by a helpless girl and that Harry had beat the shit out of him afterwards. But someone might have seen that, and words could spread like a virus at these kinds of events. It’d be wiser to just walk away quietly.
When he had found a bathroom, an old lady stepped out, saw them and made a face, probably assuming the worst when she caught sight of the blood on Ezi’s face.
“I didn’t hit her,” Harry told the lady, only to receive a disgusted look in return.
She ignored him and turned to Ezi. “Honey, are you alright?”
Ezi offered a grin, showing her blood-stained teeth. “Yeah. It’s not my blood.”
The lady’s eyes widened in shock. Slowly, she took a step back, then ran off without another word.
Harry immediately shut the door behind them. “Wash your mouth,” he told Ezi, turned on the water, and as she washed her mouth in the sink, he took off his jacket, put it on the marble counter, and rolled up his sleeves.
Ezi hopped onto the counter and watched Harry soak the handkerchief he’d been carrying in his pocket.
“Face,” he ordered, and she lifted her chin so he could gently wipe off the blood around her mouth.
“I was defending myself,” she said once he’d finished and tossed the handkerchief into the bin at his feet.
“I know.” He shifted his eyes back to her. He didn’t mean to sound like a dick, but it seemed like he’d come off as one. He leaned to the side with his hand on the cool surface of the sink. “It’s not your fault. I know my cousin. His family is in debt because of his gambling addiction. I keep telling my mother to ban him from the manor, but she has too much respect for the fucker’s parents to do it.”
“So why did he call you trash?”
At that, Harry couldn’t help but cackle. “He did? Well, I think most people would think so. I haven’t done much to make my mother proud. She wanted her only son to take over our family’s business, but I wanted to become a singer, and yeah…”
Ezi blinked at him. She probably didn’t understand most of what he’d said, so he let it go and worked up a smile. “Sorry for oversharing. You okay?”
She nodded. “I’m not hurt. I was the one that bit him.”
“Are you feeling sorry for him now?”
“No. I would’ve eaten him if you hadn’t shown up.” The way she;d said with a straight face amused and scared Harry at the same time. “Although he didn’t taste as good now that I’m human and need my food cooked.”
“I’ll just assume that you weren’t serious.”
Harry picked up his jacket from the sink. Ezi hopped to her feet and reached for the doorknob, but he pulled her back to him by her wrist and swept his eyes over her body once again. “Where did he touch you?”
She pointed to her waist and showed him the red fingerprints around her forearm.
“Nowhere else?”
“Nowhere else.” She shook her head. “I don’t like being touched.”
A sense of discomfort filled Harry as he recalled how she’d said those same words after he’d yelled at her earlier. She must have been so scared. Tonight he deserved a trophy for being the biggest asshole alive.
“Nobody should touch you. Not even me.”
“You are touching me.”
Harry looked down at his fingers around her wrist and immediately let go. “From now on, nobody,” he said. “Only when you give them permission to touch you, okay?”
“What about handshakes?”
“Handshakes are fine. Wouldn’t recommend shaking hands with everyone, though. Germs and all that.” He stepped in closer and pretended to put his arms around her without touching her, just to demonstrate. “So hugs like this are for friends. You don’t usually do this to people you’ve just met. Unless they’re the ones on the street with the sign that says FREE HUGS. You’re allowed to hug those.”
“Got it.”
“And,” breathed Harry as he grabbed his nonexistent boobs. “This area is forbidden. Nobody is allowed to touch you here...unless you want them too, of course.”
“Why would I want them to?”
Harry ignored the question and went on, grabbing his bum. “Also this and the front area.” He gestured to his crotch. “Forbidden.”
“But I don’t have a tail.”
“You have something else that’s just as important as my tail.” He felt silly to say it, but it would have felt weird to say dick or penis to her face.
She put a finger to her lips; a line appeared between her brows as she pondered. “Speaking of something else, the hole--”
“Okay, not here! Save your questions for when we’re home.”
Harry grabbed her shoulders to spin her around, and she immediately smacked his hands and shot him a glare. “I didn’t give you permission to touch me.”
“Good. Love that attitude. But really, we need to leave before my mother finds out I almost killed someone in her home.”
He reached around Ezi and opened the door, bobbed his chin for her to go first, but she stood still, her face serious. “That wasn’t like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Back there. You became someone else. You were...violent.”
“Well, yeah. Only because he deserved that.”
Ezi cocked her head to the side, her clear blue eyes squinted. “But he was one of your kind. And I’m not. So why were you protecting me?”
“Because he assaulted you. I don’t care if he was the Queen of England. I would’ve beat his ass still.” Seeing her perplexed expression, Harry let out a soft laugh. “Why’s it surprising? Didn’t you save me twice?”
Ezi averted her eyes and gave a small nod. “Yeah.”
“And you lost your tail for it, so it wasn’t a fair trade anyway.”
He waited for her to say something, but she didn’t, so he wrapped his jacket around her shoulders and told her to go.
They didn’t speak on the ride home. Harry wanted to lighten up the mood with his stupid jokes, but he was too agitated to say anything. They had left without saying goodbye to his mother or anyone, so he would probably be in so much trouble tomorrow. He had put his phone on airplane mode; his mother’s harsh words would have to wait. He also couldn’t help but think that if he hadn’t shown up, something worse could have happened to Ezi. Or his cousin. Or both. And it would’ve been his fault as well.
“Next time we go out, don’t do the opposite of what I tell you to do,” he told Ezi when they’d arrived home and gone upstairs to her room. “You’re even more stubborn than my cat. At least she’d stay put when I tell her to.”
“I was looking for you! I thought you’d left me.”
Harry tossed his keys onto a table and turned to look at Ezi. He put both hands on his hips. She was giving him those puppy dog’s eyes while fidgeting with her own fingers as if she hadn’t nearly torn open his cousin’s throat with her human teeth. He could not imagine what she could do with her siren fangs.
He let go a sigh and scratched his forehead. “You thought I’d left you?” His voice was lower now that he’d calmed down a bit. “So you don’t trust me?”
She said nothing, just staring back at him.
Calmly, he went on, “I brought you all the way here to London and risked it all to keep you in my house, Ezi. I had to speak to some of my relatives at the event, but I was going to come back for you. I told you to stay--”
“You lied to me.”
Frozen to the spot, Harry blinked. “About?”
“Dawson,” Ezi said. “I talked to Dawson.”
“You talked to Dawson?!”
“And he was a nice person.” Then, she had to reassure him, “Don’t worry. It was a short conversation, and I didn’t tell him much about myself.”
“Then how do you know he was a nice person?” Harry scoffed. “I mean, you barely know the lad.”
“He told me about manga, and he called me beautiful, and he doesn’t act friendly to his enemy.”
“Enemy?” Harry asked, but Ezi didn’t bother to explain.
“Why do you hate him?” she asked.
Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. “He’s a try-hard. I hate try-hards. My mother loves him, so of course you’d love him, too.”
“I wouldn’t call it love--”
“Good. Because he’s lame.”
Ezi tilted her head, looking puzzled. “What’s lame?”
“Boring. Not interesting.”
“Oh.” She gave an understanding nod. “Then you’re the lamest.”
“Okay, you know what?” Harry exhaled and pointed to her bedroom door. He had never felt more like a dad than he was now. “You’re grounded for a day. That means you’re not allowed to leave your room tomorrow.”
“How will I eat?”
“The food will be brought to your room.”
Ezi’s face turned red as she crossed her arms and stomped her foot. “You cannot imprison me!”
“It’s not imprisoning if you still get to play games and watch videos on your iPad.”
Harry knew Ezi loved the iPad. Her furrowed brows relaxed as soon as she heard that she got to keep it. “Fine.” She breathed. “I don’t want to see your face anyway. I’ll just be in my room with Chilli.”
“Good.”
“Good!”
Ezi shoved Harry aside as she stormed into her room and kicked the door shut. Harry stared at it for a moment. Then, he smiled, shook his head and went back to his room.
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Ezili had a nightmare again.
This time, she’d returned to the ocean after failing her mission, and as punishment, her mother had turned her into a shrimp, while her sister had watched with a satisfied sneer.
A few moments after she’d woken up screaming, she heard Harry’s footsteps pounding down the hallway before he burst into her room, panting as he asked if she was alright. She almost said that she was now that he was here, but she didn’t and only answered with a nod.
“Okay,” Harry gave a crooked smile. “Just...wake me up if you need anything.”
“Wait.” The word slipped out before Ezili could stop herself.
Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Yeah?”
She rubbed her hands onto her thighs, feeling the smoothness of the fabric of her nightgown, which brought her a sense of comfort. In the semi-darkness of her room, Harry looked strangely handsome with his messy hair and sleepiness in his heavy hooded eyes. She wondered why he had to be all groomed most of the time when he already looked good without trying.
For a second, she forgot what she was about to say then flinched when he called her name.
“Can you sleep here with me tonight?” she asked.
Harry looked stiff, his lips slightly parted.
“If you want to,” she quickly added. When she was living under the sea, she had hated sharing her space with the other sirens, so she could imagine how uncomfortable Harry must feel about her request. Still, she knew if he was around, she wouldn’t have nightmares. If she focused on his presence, then she wouldn’t think about her mother and sister and the task that seemed impossible to complete. Besides, she wanted to be as close to him as possible, learn his behaviours, and slowly slip into his mind and then his heart.
“I mean…” He scratched the back of his head and awkwardly looked around the room. “I guess I could sleep on the sofa over there.”
“There’s plenty of space on this bed,” she said, patting the spot beside her.
His mouth curled. “I know. I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. After what happened tonight, I thought you wouldn’t want to be near a man anymore.”
Ezili shrugged. “Well, I’ll try not to hate you tonight.”
Harry rested a shoulder against the doorframe and rubbed his chin. “Well, well, well, are you saying that I chase your bad dreams away?”
“Yes, because you’re already a living nightmare.”
Her response made him laugh. At this point, she could conclude that he enjoyed being degraded.
He narrowed his eyes at her. “How’s your English so good? I thought you must speak a language for sirens, no?”
“We speak Séren back home.”
“Oh, cool. Say something in your language.”
“T’ko thikc mei vie mei zua zi.”
“Damn. What does it mean?”
“I don’t like you because you’re ugly.”
Harry’s smile vanished, making Ezili explode in laughter. When she saw the way he was gawking at her, probably because she had never laughed like that before, she forced herself to stop and cleared her throat. “Yeah, so that’s Séren.”
“How do you speak English so well then?”
“Not just English. I also speak French, Danish, and German.”
“Wow. Your fish schools teach human languages?”
Ezili made a disgusted face. “No. I learn them from hearing the conversations of the sailors on the boats.”
“Makes sense.” Harry nodded slowly. “You seem like a fast learner. Way too fast; it’s scary. Maybe your brain is even more developed than mine.”
“Thank you.”
“Now that I’ve entertained you--”
“You’ve done nothing. I did all the talking.”
“I gave you a topic to talk about. Don’t be mean.” Harry rolled his eyes. “Anyway, now that you’re entertained, do you still want me to stay?”
Ezili thought for a second and nodded.
“Alright,” Harry breathed and shut the door behind him. “I’ll stay. Scoot over.”
“You’re permitted to touch me tonight,” Ezili said.
Harry froze when he’d sat down on the edge of the bed. “What?”
Was there something wrong with his hearing? He’d asked her to repeat a lot of things tonight.
“You’re permitted to touch me tonight,” she told him again in annoyance. “You might touch my hand or arm when you sleep. I can’t hold you accountable for that.”
“That’s not--” He exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. “You know what? Good for you. Keep that attitude when you’re with any man. I’m a man myself, but most of us are pigs.”
“You mean all of you.”
“I literally just lay down and you’re already insulting me.”
“Fine. I’ll stop,” Ezili said, smiling as she watched Harry adjust the covers to make himself comfortable.
“I can’t sleep with you staring at me like that,” he said with one eye shut and the other half-opened.
Pouting, Ezili turned over with her back to him. Harry’s throaty laugh made her stomach clench, but in a good way. “Ezi,” he whispered. “I was only joking.”
She completely ignored him, pretending she was asleep. He was quiet for the next few moments, and when she looked back to check, he was already sleeping. She thought he was playing, so she called his name and lightly pulled a strand of his hair, but he didn’t react. He was lying on his back, his mouth slightly open as he breathed, chest rising and falling in a calming rhythm. She pushed up on one elbow and peered down at his face. She hadn’t observed him this close before. Well, not since their first encounter on the beach. The last time, however, had been in a different situation, and she hadn’t got time to properly study him. Humans were exquisite-looking creatures. She would never admit aloud, but she had always envied them for it.
She started counting his eyelashes and connecting the freckles on his face. The more she looked, the more fascinating he became. It had amazed her how he’d rescued her instead of another human. And not just any human, but his family. She would never betray her kind for a human. Her rescuing him twice had been an act to gain his trust, when the whole purpose of this mission was to have him dead at the end.
Slowly and carefully, she moved closer and gently pressed her ear to his chest. She could hear it. The thumping of his heart, pumping blood through his veins, keeping him alive. He would be dead without that heart. Sadly, so would she.
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“Good morning?” Harry said in a tone of a question when he woke up and found Ezi standing in front of the window with her back straight and arms to her sides, like one of those guards in front of Buckingham Palace. “Helloooo?”
“Shhhh. I’m meditating.”
“Who meditates standing up?” He snorted. “Man, you’ve been watching too much YouTube.”
“TikTok. And I’m not a man.”
“Wait, you’re on TikTok now?”
Ezi released a long breath and turned around to face him, hands on her hips. Sunlight filtered through the thin material of her blue nightgown, and Harry looked away as fast as he could before he got hard over a nipple or something. He wasn’t a bad guy. It was only--
“Seven in the morning,” he groaned into the pillow and fell back to the bed. “Fucking hell.”
“It’s morning, so you’re not welcome in my bed anymore.”
He removed the pillow to glare at her. “Ungrateful little minx. Said that after I’d chased away all the nightmares.”
“Go before I send Chilli to take you out.”
As if she heard her name, Chilli appeared in the doorway and licked her little paw while sending Harry a death look.
“You’re siding with the enemy now, huh?” he asked the cat.
“Why not?” Ezi said. “She’s a smart girl.”
Harry groaned loudly as he pushed himself out of bed and started doing some stretches. “Remember,” he told Ezi, who was watching him with her arms crossed and a judgy look on her face. How did she manage to look this good at seven in the morning? Totally unfair. “Remember,” he repeated as he almost forgot what he was trying to say. “You’re grounded. So you can’t leave your room today, but the food will be brought to you. You’re allowed to use the bathroom down the hall.”
“Fine.”
“Fine.” He ruffled his hair and gestured at her. “Now continue doing...that...thing that you were doing.”
“Meditating.”
“Whatever,” he chuckled. “Weirdo.”
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“Good morning, Mr Boss!” said Amy, Harry’s assistant, as he went downstairs. She’d just arrived with the flowers for his living room.
“Morning, Ames. Any updates?”
“All in the email I sent you, Boss. Also, your mother called...52 times.”
“Yeah, I’ll deal with her,” Harry gave the girl a tight smile as he fixed his hair in the giant mirror by the stairs. “Thank you so much.”
“Did you watch the season finale of Master of the House?” Amy asked, smiling at his reflection in the mirror.
He turned around, grinning back at her. He liked how Amy was always so enthusiastic, but at the same time, found it difficult to match her energy. “No, been too busy. What happened?”
“I won’t spoil.” She giggled and started replacing the flowers in the vase in the centre of the living room with the new ones. “You should watch it this week and we’ll discuss.”
“I will.” When he got to the door, Harry did a spin as he remembered what he almost forgot. “Amy, can you stay here and wait for Niall to come? Also, there’s a girl sleeping upstairs. Don’t wake her.”
Amy’s usual grin had never disappeared so fast. Her hand that was holding a rose froze midair when she asked, “Was it the girl I saw the other day?”
“Yeah.”
“Your new girlfriend?”
“Just a friend.” Harry knew Amy had a little crush on him. It was harmless, so he didn’t really care. “I gotta go,” he told her, pretending he couldn’t see through her frown. “Wait for Niall.”
“Okay.” She forced a toothy grin and waved. “Have a great day, Boss!”
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This shirt was too big for Ezili. She shook her head, tongue stuck out at the corner of her lips as she reached further into the closet to get the dark blue t-shirt at the back.
As she pulled the pink shirt she was wearing over her head and put on the blue one. She heard the door to the closet creak open. Her chest nearly exploded. It was just Chilli.
She gave the cat a look. “What?”
The cat meowed at her.
“Yeah, I know he said I couldn’t leave my room and was only allowed to use the bathroom, but I’m bored.” She slipped on a white tennis skirt and sat down on the floor to put on a pair of white shoes. She struggled with the strings, but somehow still managed to tie them into two nice bows like she’d seen on those tutorials.
Twirling in front of the mirror, she asked Chilli, “Do you think I look good?”
Chilli responded by rubbing her tiny head against Ezili’s ankle. Ezili took it as a yes.
Their moment was interrupted by a loud thump from downstairs. Speaking of which, Ezili hadn’t heard from Harry all morning. He’d left breakfast for her at the door and disappeared to who knew where. She probably should go check on him.
Chilli followed her to the living room, both forgetting that Ezili wasn’t supposed to go downstairs. But it didn’t matter anymore, because instead of Harry, she found the green-haired girl lying on her stomach on the white cushioned sofa with her feet in the air and a half-finished bag of chips on the coffee table.. The sound Ezili had heard was the result of the chair this girl had knocked over yet didn’t bother to pick up.
Ezili hesitated for a moment behind the bookcase behind the girl. Before she decided to speak up, the girl did. She was on the phone with someone.
“So the master of the house was taken care of.”
Master of the house?
Harry?
“Nah, I think that girl is dead, too,” the green-haired girl giggled. What was so funny about death? “No, I don’t mean like dead now. But if she attacks, then the team will take her out.”
Ezili shivered. Could she be talking about Ezili? The master of the house was Harry. This green-haired monster had murdered Harry, and Ezili was the next target.
“What do you mean I don’t know that? I’m the expert. I’ve watched stuff like this all the time. Believe me. There’s no way she’s not getting caught. I can’t wait for the world to find out who she really is.”
Ezili went numb until she felt Chilli around her ankle. She put a finger to her lips to order the cat to stay quiet otherwise they’d both die. Picking up the cat, she walked quietly to the front door and slipped out before the green-haired girl found out she’d left her room. She must run away. She’d rather die by her mother’s hands than become a prisoner to humans.
The problem was: she didn’t know where she was.
How far was the ocean from here? She remembered having flown across the sky inside the iron bird, so this land must be very far from home.
“Watch where you’re going, crazy bitch!”
Ezili screamed when a car made a loud noise that almost blew up her ears. She stumbled backwards to the side of the road as the man inside the car gave her a look of contempt and drove off.
She hugged Chilli tighter to her chest. Relax, the voice inside her head said. I know you’ll figure out what to do.
She inhaled deeply and--
“Ezili?”
The sound of her name felt like a splash of water on a hot day. She shot her focus to the white car with the window rolled down and saw a familiar handsome face with glasses.
“Dawson!”
Dawson poked his head out of the window. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans -- the opposite image of the person she’d met last night. “Hey, where are you going?” he asked, looking concerned. “With the cat. Where’s Harry?”
“He’s dead,” Ezili told him quietly. She couldn’t let them find out that she’d escaped.
To her surprise, Dawson laughed. Could it be that he was one of them?
“Sooo dead. His mum sent me to check on him because she’s raging and he doesn’t answer his phone. But don’t worry. This happens all the time. He’s like a cat. Got nine lives.”
Ezili rapidly shook her head. “There was a girl in there. Green hair—”
“Harry’s assistant?”
“Yeah, that girl!” She continued nodding. “She was talking on the phone with someone. She said that the m-master of the house i-is dead.”
“Shit.” Dawson’s face grew dim. Maybe he’d finally understood. “She spoiled you the season finale?”
What?
“That sucks. But don’t worry, there’s still more.”
“What?”
“Master of the House. The Netflix show.”
It took Ezili’s brain a few moments to process, then she realised she had made a fool out of herself for nothing. Of course the green-haired girl wasn’t talking about killing Harry. It was a Netflix show!
Sighing in relief, she threw on a smile. “Oh, right. Yeah, that really shocked me. Harry’s not home, by the way.”
Dawson grimaced. “You okay? Where were you running off to?”
“Uhhh.” Ezili straightened her back. “W-Where were you running off to? I mean, driving.”
Dawson chuckled. He also had dimples like Harry’s, just not as prominent. “I came to see Harry but since he’s not home.” He peered around her to the front gate of Harry’s house. “I guess I’ll go to the bookstore today.” Another smile at Ezili. Unlike Harry, this one smiled a lot. And Ezili was keen on it. “Wanna come?”
Go with him?
Yes, yes she absolutely wanted that.
Harry wasn’t going to let her explore this new land anyway. And after the incident this morning, it was for the best if she knew her way around here, to escape when she must. Still, she remembered how angry he’d been last night about her not doing what he’d told her to do and putting herself in danger. She was about to turn down the offer when Chilli jumped out of her arms and into the car with Dawson. She sat casually on Dawson’s lap, gazing up at Ezili.
Dawson beamed. “Looks like the cat’s made up its mind.”
Ezili rolled her eyes, threw her head back and groaned. “Her name’s Chilli,” she said. “But, fine. I’ll go with you.”
.
.
.
Niall felt like the main character today as he skipped up the steps to Harry’s door. Harry had asked him for a favour again. Because where else would his best friend turn to when things got rough? Niall knew that he was helpful and the best friend Harry could ask for. Still, he tried to stay humble about it.
“Sup, Ames.” He waved at Harry’s assistant, who opened the door for him. “Did you like my new TikTok?”
“With all five of my accounts. I got you, Nialler,” Amy said as she leaned against the staircase while chewing gum in her mouth.
Niall shrugged off his coat and hung it up. “Thanks, love. Sorry I’m late. Mikasa was wild this morning. I’m literally exhausted.”
“Uh, TMI?”
“What do you mean? It’s just yoga. She and her ‘I’m a therapist. Yoga will be good for your mental health’. She thinks I’m in love with her and would do anything for her. And you know what? She’s absolutely correct. Now where’s the girl?”
Amy looked confused for a second before she realised who he was referring to. “Oh, the pale girl? I saw her leave with Dawson Styles.”
“What?!”
“Yeah, she got into his car with Chilli. Is she really Harry’s girlfriend? I don’t like her. She didn’t say hello to me the first time and not this morning, either.”
“Shit, shit, shit.” Niall grabbed his head. “Sick girl on the loose. Sick girl on the loose. Thanks Ames.” Ignoring Amy looking baffled, he pulled out his phone and called Harry. The endless ringing only got him more frustrated. “Pick up, you motherfucker. It’s always the Nialler who has to save the day.”
Harry picked up after what seemed like a million beeps. “Don’t tell me someone’s injured. It’s only been an hour.”
“Worse!” Niall almost yelled. “Dawson kidnapped the girl!”
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joontier · 3 years ago
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Subliminal in Scrubs | V2; report xiii
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pairings: dr. jeon jungkook x female reader
chapter rating: NC-17 | genre: humor, workplace relationships
warnings: swearing 
word count: 1.8k
g/n: decided on a bit of a filler for this one as a sort of prelude to future scenes 👀👀 ((likewise manifesting my plan to post another chapter this week))
[taglist]:  @nottodayjjk @ditttiii @zeharilisharaban @btsbunny07 @turquoiseandplaidinautumn @aamxxrii @codeinebelle @btsmakesmehappy @stargukkie @moonchild1​
Subliminal in Scrubs (the records) |  navi. | m.list
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Jungkook locks his apartment door behind him, jiggling the doorknob afterwards for ‘double security’ as one would usually call it. He grabs his backpack from the floor and places one of the straps on his shoulders and heads on his way. As he passes by two of his neighbors who live in the same floor, he nods at them, adding a brief hum in greeting. 
“Hey man!” One of the men, Jikwang (as what Jungkook believes this man’s name was), calls out just before Jungkook reaches the elevator. “There was this hot girl asking about you last night.” 
Jungkook raises a brow. He hadn’t really met anyone recently, besides that one cute law student who was looking for a new tenant - and eventually turned out to be your neighbor this whole time. She was cute and all, but she didn’t seem like the type that was ‘hot’ to these types of people. 
Jungkook racks his brain for anything, trying to remember the very few number of his one night stands.Surely,none of them would have gotten pregnant with protection on….surely? On top of that, he hadn’t really disclosed his address to a lot of people too, so there was no way someone would be looking for him, all the more a “hot” woman,as these two would claim. 
“Did she say what her name was?” 
The one beside Jikwang shakes his head, adjusting his beanie. He’d seen this dude a couple of times hanging around, but he never actually got his name.  “Nah bro, I don’t think you’re the commitment type of dude…” he comments, dark eyes looking at Jungkook from his head down to his toe. Who was this guy anyways and who was he to judge whether Jungkook was the type to enter a committed relationship or not? 
“She just...looked rich, rich. She had a driver... who helped her come down from a nice Benz.” 
Jungkook feels his heart drop to the ground. No way in hell. 
“I think her name was Hee something...Junghwa? I dunno man, I’m not good with names. But it sounds similar to that…” 
“Was it Junghee?” 
“Yeah I think that’s it…” bonnet-dude replies, tapping a finger against his chin as he approaches Jungkook. “You think maybe you can set me up? With you know…” 
Jikwang knocks the back of bonnet-man’s head. “I got dibs first, shithead. “If she’s not already yours though,” he adds, delivering a wink aimed at Jungkook. “Her friends will do.” 
Jungkook squints his eyes at the duo. “No. She’s my sister. And she doesn’t have any friends.” A chill courses through his spine as he replies, wondering how she managed to find out where he lived, and why would she even reach out? Why now, when she had so many years to do so? 
Beanie guy simply laughs at him - if it was even considered laughing, when he was practically splitting his sides with laughter - like the thought of having a sister was hilarious to him. “You’re real funny, man. There is no...way...in hell… that that lady was your sister.” 
Ah yes, this man is a health vice personified. Jungkook notes the discoloration of his teeth, the god-awful odor coming from his mouth, and they both reek of alcohol and drugs combined. From a safe distance, Jungkook watches their amusement over the subject that is his sister, thinking about why he even indulged these two in the first place. For all he knows, they might have been shitting on him the whole time. 
“Sorry man. I mean...she’s rich and hot… and you?” Jikwang shrugs his shoulders. 
‘And he?’ What about him? 
What the hell was that supposed to mean? 
Jungkook clicks his tongue silently, clearly taking full offense with Jikwang’s statement. Did they just imply he didn’t look rich and hot too? Well, compared to them though, they’ll obviously have way longer to go. 
Jungkook blinks before equally returning their level of disbelief. “For real, bro?” These men diss him, won’t believe he has a sister whose aura dwarfs his by a million percent, and now they want him to set up a date with her? He shakes his head. Only crooks like these would say insane shit like this. 
If only this wasn’t the cheapest and most convenient apartment he could find to accommodate his daily hustle, Jungkook would have moved out of this crap excuse of an apartment building a long time ago. 
“Keep dreaming man.” 
“Hey, this is what I get for selling you my bike for a good price?” Jikwang eyes Jungkook, taunting him. 
“I owe you nothing. I paid for it ages ago.” Jungkook turns on his heel, leaving the two in the crusty ass corridor of their apartment building. He needs to get a new place. Quickly. 
With a sigh, he pulls on his down jacket, keeping himself warm as he walks to the garage. 
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‘King Auto’ 
There’s a certain warmth that envelops Jungkook whenever he sees the garage, a place he’d rather call home than his terrible apartment building. It sits right at the corner of two busy streets, just six blocks away from his apartment. 
Funnily enough, it wasn’t him who first found out about the garage but the other way around. Well, technically, the owner did. Lee Dongmin, owner and manager of ‘King Auto’ repairs and restores almost all types of cars and bikes alike, occasionally servicing high-end cars on lucky days. 
Dongmin would usually see Jungkook pass by the garage in the morning on his way to the university or his part-time job.Well, being located at a busy street in the city of Seoul, there would normally be a lot of passersby but Dongmin knew these people either worked or lived around the area; Jungkook, however, always lingered when he walks past the garage. 
It had come to Dongmin’s knowledge a few months later that Jungkook purposefully used a longer route on his way, walking two extra blocks just so that he could pass by the garage. Dongmin hadn’t initially done anything about it, as he thought Jungkook simply took interest in cars - especially when the shop had its fair share of servicing cars from the western market. 
There was this particular day though one summer, that their paths would finally cross. Jungkook’s bike, the same bike he bought from sketchy Jikwang, broke down. Coincidentally just in front of King Auto too. Funnily enough, no one in the garage was familiar with fixing up bikes, but Jungkook simply asked if he could borrow a few tools and he’d fix his bike himself. 
Ultimately, Jungkook became part of the King Auto family. He’d spend his spare time in the garage when he’s not busy with his part-time jobs and on occasion, Jungkook gets to keep a tiny commission whenever he helps out with the repairs. 
Jungkook goes through the front door greeting the new receptionist, Clark, a good morning before heading straight to the garage. Jungkook spots a familiar shade of blue peeking through the scissor lifts, just by the end row. He practically dashes to the car in excitement, too thrilled to greet his favorite car he had worked on previously. 
“My baby!” The boy exclaims as he rests his chin on the Porsche Panamera’s roof. “Kook! Get your hands off that! I just had it cleaned!” gruffs Mansik from the other side of the car, flinging his towel at Jungkook who mumbles a sorry but continues to cradle the car, a little more gently this time. 
“If you continue doing that, you know a towel isn’t the only thing Mansik is going to throw at you.” Lee Dongmin’s voice is low, careful that the man he’s referring to won’t hear his words. “I’m glad he hasn’t resorted to tools yet...just a couple of smelly socks and a t-shirt that smells like it hasn’t been washed for months... “ 
“Fuckers.” True to Jungkook’s foreboding, Mansik does throw a sock ball from out of nowhere, one which barely misses Jungkook’s face. Dongmin simply shakes his head at his workers, who he has considered family at this point, Jungkook included. “I’m just glad none of that fell into my first coffee of the day.” Dongmin observes, drawing himself father from the Porsche and any flying objects later on. 
“By the way, the owner is actually here to pick up the car. I may or may not have mentioned your infatuation with it.” 
Jungkook almost instantly jumps to his feet, searching for the owner inside the garage, but disappointingly ending up with all the familiar faces at the garage. “Chill, kid. He just grabbed some coffee down the street,” Dongmin mentions as he takes a sip of his own. “Ah, speaking of the devil,” the latter states, nodding his head towards someone behind Jungkook. 
“Seokjin-sunbaenim?” 
“Oh hey! Wasn’t expecting to see you here...Jungkook, right?” 
“Yes sir!” Jungkook’s pupils shake, animatedly looking back and forth between the garage owner and his upper-level resident. “So...you’re the one who owns this Porsche?” Seokjin raises his cup, adding a small nod in Jungkook’s direction. He internalizes his excitement, before confessing his love for Seokjin’s Panamera. 
“And so, Dongmin here mentioned. Also said you were the one who fixed her up. Thanks man!” 
Dongmin looks at the two of them, eyebrows creased in the middle. “You two know each other?” 
“Seokjin-sunbaenim is a senior of mine at Woocheon.” Seemingly shellshocked at the new piece of information, Dongmin turns to Seokjin, “You’re a doctor?” The owner of the Porsche rolls his eyes fondly, “Yes, Dongmin. We can have lives outside the hospital too, you know.” 
“Anyways, ‘Mera’s ready to go yeah?” 
“Of course. Kook fixed it up just fine.” 
“Alright. Got a shift today man? Need a ride to the hospital?” 
Jungkook is tempted to give in, but merely fixing Seokjin’s car is enough honor for him and he can’t take advantage of his generosity. “No thank you, sunbae. I’ve already got a ride to work today.” Jungkook points to his bike on the other side of the garage. 
Seokjin tuts his disbelief. “You’re kidding me right? In this weather?” The older doctor points outside, then rubs his palm against his down coat. “No way in hell, kid. Get in the car.” 
“Really?” Jungkook mumbles, dimple on display as his lips form a thin line. Seokjin makes a hum of approval as he takes off his jacket while Jungkook dashes back to where he’d left his backpack. “He’s a good kid, Jungkook. Can be a bit of a delinquent sometimes, but he’s good. Take care of him, yeah?” 
“Huh,” Seokjin smirks, “this handsome face got nothing he can’t handle.” Dongmin rolls his eyes this time, “Seriously doubt we’re the same age honestly.” 
Jungkook returns to where the Porsche is parked, and Seokjin gets a spur-of-the-moment idea. The surgical resident throws his keys to Jungkook before settling inside the passenger seat. Jungkook, surprised as ever, simply stands there in surprise. “Well?” Seokjin asks, ducking towards the dashboard so he could take a look at Jungkook, “We’re gonna be late!” 
© joontier 2021
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maatryoshkaa · 4 years ago
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young god | epilogue
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chapters: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | epilogue
word count: 4.4k
description: it’s been five years since the Miroh Heights murder cases came to a close — and five long, bittersweet years since you’d caught a glimpse of Han Jisung. Things in Miroh Heights have changed drastically since then — but when Felix sets you up on another blind date in an attempt to help you move on from the past, you realise that, once again, you’ve signed up for much more than you bargained for.
masterlist
recommended listening: stray kids - “sunshine”
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epilogue.
“See ya, Miss l/n!”
You turned to wave back at the little girl who had called your name, her round eyes visibly bright from the waiting room of your clinic. Seven years old, front teeth just beginning to come in. One of her hands clutched a half-unwrapped lollipop as her mother held onto the other. 
The first time you had seen them, the child had been unwilling to speak — bullied relentlessly at school, her mother had informed you through a veil of desperate tears — but now, her laughter filled the warm air, traumas that had once been etched into a too-young face already beginning to heal and fade.
Evening sunshine warmed your cheeks the moment you stepped out of the building’s doors, a light breeze rustling the papers in your hand as you quickly tucked them into your bag. “Five years of graduate school hasn’t made you more organised,” Felix often teased you, and you would smack his shoulder in retaliation.
Five years hadn’t changed your friendship in the slightest, either—and you had to admit you were beyond grateful for that.
As always, the city around you was humming with life: evening rush hour, with people darting here and there, frantically flagging down taxis and catching their buses. Usually, on days like these, you should have been hopping into the first cab home and collapsing like a corpse as soon as you reached your apartment. But today, you remembered with a sigh, was not going to be one of those days. 
“Hey, Doctor l/n!”
You whipped your head towards the voice, a smile spreading across your tired features as you saw who it belonged to. In a slightly jaded Mini Cooper—second hand, of course, but worked just like new — Yang Jeongin waved at you from the driver’s seat.  
“I’m not a doctor, ‘innie,” you reminded him playfully as he unlocked the passenger door and let you climb in.
“Not a doctor yet,” he corrected you, grinning. “Besides, ‘child therapist’ doesn’t have as much of a ring to it.”
You rolled your eyes, laughing, and waved at another one of your patients as Jeongin started the engine. “You really didn’t have to offer to drive me, you know — the streets are a nightmare during this hour.”
“It’s not that far,” Jeongin protested, “Plus, I barely get to see you now, you’re so busy.” You didn’t have the heart to argue. The kid loved being behind the wheel so much, he made it seem like you were doing him a favour.
You watched Jeongin turn onto the main road, squeezing the car in between a van and a motorcyclist. He really had grown up over the last few years — his hair was darker now, remarkably sharp cheekbones overtaking his once-rounded cherub cheeks — but in some ways, nothing had changed at all. He still had that natural knack of brightening whatever room he stepped in — the Yang Jeongin effect, Hyunjin called it. And his heart was still too big for his own good: you remembered how he had adamantly refused to take the money Jisung kept offering him after the case had finally closed, and when Hyunjin had asked him why, Jeongin had simply replied, “After everything that’s happened, it doesn’t feel like he’s the one who owes me.”
On the other hand, Jeongin had been more than happy to take Prosecutor Kang’s compensation money instead, and had finally visited a car dealership with you and Hyunjin. 
The moment he had seen the Mini-Cooper — a beat-up thing from the 90s that you were amazed was still running — the younger boy’s eyes had lit up. “It’s just...it looks like the one our family used to have, before...the incident,” he had explained sheepishly, making you and Hyunjin exchange a look. And so, after a fiery back-and-forth between you and the salesman—not to mention a few sleepless nights at the mechanic’s — the rest was history.
The light turned green, and you spotted a photograph wobbling on the dashboard — a laughing child you recognised immediately as Jeongin. Behind him, a woman with a familiar wide smile had her arms around a man with eyes resembling a fox’s, with none of the slyness. “How’s your dad these days?”
“Mostly stays at home taking care of my mum, but he swears he wouldn’t have it any other way.” Jeongin turned his head to you excitedly, as if a thought just hit him. “She got out of bed a couple days ago, you know? The first time ever since my dad left.”
Your mouth fell open in a surprised smile, and Jeongin continued, “He’s real excited he got to teach me how to drive, too. I think he feels like he missed out on a lot of things, like...walking me home from school. Teaching me how to ride a bike. Graduation.” He shrugged. His words might have sounded sad at first, but you could see the way the lines of Jeongin’s face were more relaxed now, at peace. 
“Mind if I make a quick stop?” Jeongin asked abruptly, and you checked your watch before shaking your head lightly.
“I’m still about twenty minutes early. We’ve got plenty of time.”
He turned onto a familiar street, and you rolled down the window as Glow Cafe slowly came into view. It was just as busy as it had ever been — even the cars were stalling by the curb — but Hwang Hyunjin spotted you almost immediately, waving through the glass window. Quickly hopping out, Jeongin popped the trunk open, and you watched him haul two crates of coffee beans into the bustling cafe. The once-famed “delivery boy” of Miroh Heights only really did deliveries for Glow Cafe now, after Hyunjin had offered Jeongin a position as a barista until he graduated—and although he wasn’t the best with his hands (or his memory, for that matter), Hyunjin didn’t mind in the slightest.
“Him being here is more than enough for business. You should see the students flock in here every morning just to catch a glimpse of him.” The former barista snorted. “What’d I tell you? They’re eating him right up.”
They waved at Jeongin now as he jogged obliviously out of the cafe, Hyunjin’s laughs muted by the glass as he threw you a knowing wink. He had graduated himself, two years ago, officially inheriting the business after his grandmother had passed away. Glow Cafe had since come a long way, with Hyunjin always at the forefront of new design ideas and enthusiastically telling you about his plans to expand even more in the future.           
“Get this: ‘CEO Hwang, the most eligible bachelor of Miroh Heights,’” Felix held up his hands as if picturing a giant headline, giving his signature wolf whistle as you burst into laughter and Hyunjin kicked the blond man in the shin. “Ow!”
“How did you even get into the press with those cheesy titles?” Hyunjin  groaned.
“Not just ‘get into the press’, ‘jinnie,” you reminded him, giggling, “he’s the head journalist now!”
It was true—with his impeccable wit and seamless way with words, it came to nobody’s surprise when Felix maneuvered his way to the top of the local press in a matter of years. The head of the press still loathed him with a biting passion— “I can feel her glares all the way from her office,” Felix retorted — and rumour had it that the two seemed to fire shots at each other all day long. The image of a powder-faced, middle-aged woman bickering with your notoriously insufferable best friend made you laugh, but you also knew deep down that Felix always took his job more seriously than he let on. His eloquent articles had gotten his name out across the city in no time,  and so you took comfort in knowing that — no matter how hard the head of the press bared her teeth—nobody could touch Lee Felix now. 
Five years, you thought to yourself wistfully, eyes catching a familiar detective’s office as Jeongin drove past. What a trip down memory lane. You’d seldom come by this part of town since then, and seeing the familiar buildings sent a flood of memories and mixed feelings stirring in your chest. 
The well-loved Detective Bang, much to the disappointment of adoring students and professors alike, had moved abroad to a bigger city—whether he had been taken by a new precinct, or a new big case, you couldn’t be sure. “Rumour has it he’s doing undercover work now,” Seungmin had mentioned to you once in passing, “We haven’t heard from him in a while, but he’s making a big name for himself out there, that’s for sure.”
The District Nine police station whizzed by you in a blur, and more of the prosecutor’s words rang through your head.
“Meanwhile, the chief of police keeps insisting he’s glad to be rid of him, but we all know he secretly misses Chan.” Seungmin had shaken his head, and you had smiled at the image of the stoic police captain—chief, now—grudgingly sulking over the loss of his best friend.   
Jeongin made one last turn, and the narrow buildings opened up into the heart of Miroh Heights—the oldest part of town, where the roller rink, record shop, and the diner were. The sight of Mia’s Diner made you sink down instinctively in the passenger seat, and you couldn’t keep the raw dread out of your voice as you let out a long sigh. 
Jeongin gave you sympathetic look. “For someone who’s going on a blind date, you don’t sound too happy.”
“That’s because I’m not, Jeongin. I don’t even know why Felix keeps insisting on these. The last time I agreed to one was—” you broke off before you could finish what you were saying, the unspoken words echoing in your mind. The last time I agreed to one was when I met Jisung.
That’s right—the last official blind date you had been on, you had met Han Jisung — and he had turned your entire world upside down. For years afterwards, you had told yourself that you wouldn’t take that day back for the entire world, but now...now, you weren’t so sure.
After all, how could you be sure of someone you hadn’t heard from in over five years?
The rehabilitation centre didn’t allow letters in or out— you had learned that the hard way after your first letters had been sent directly back to your doorstep. Usually, they had told you, if things went well, patients could start correspondence again after a year or so—but you had gotten absolutely nothing. Not a single word. 
Five years—he should have been out by now. He could have been anywhere, doing anything—but he certainly hadn’t remembered to write or even call you. 
Had he really forgotten about you?
“Five years is a long time, y/n,” Felix told you gently, after you had adamantly refused the blind date he kept insisting on. “People...change, and maybe he’s—moved on.”
Moved on. 
You didn’t know how to tell Felix how much the thought of that hurt more than you were willing to admit, how this was the sole reason why you hadn’t been able to go on a single date for the past five years. You didn’t know how to tell him that Jisung hadn’t left your mind since the moment he had disappeared from your sight, five years ago, in the corridor of that courthouse. 
“I’ll be waiting,” Jisung had said.  And yet he was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Felix wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“You’re in your mid-twenties now, y/n. Loosen up a little, yeah? You’re allowed to go on dates, for goodness’ sake.”
“I’m hopeless, ‘lix. I’m pretty sure the stray dog on the street has a more interesting love life than me.”
“Maybe,” Felix mused, “I think I saw it running around with a litter of puppies the other da—ow!”
“You okay? You look kind of sick,” Jeongin remarked, pulling you out of your thoughts. “Got everything you need?”
You resisted the urge to laugh. If only Jeongin knew how you had prepared for this date—by mapping out all the ways you were going to end it as quickly as possible. Faking food poisoning? Check. Arrange a time for a friend to call you and pretend an emergency came up? Check— although Hyunjin had had a strange glint in his eyes when he had agreed to it. Worst comes to worst? Pepper spray, check. You let out a slow exhale. “Sure. All set.”
You thanked Jeongin with a hug and hopped out of the car. Just as you began walking towards the diner, you heard him call out behind you.
“Oh, yeah, Felix told me pass on a message — from him to you.” You turned back, and Jeongin gave a boyish grin that was half apologetic, half laughing. “‘Go get ‘em, tiger!’”
You gave an exasperated cry and yanked open the diner door.
━━━━━━━━
You were beginning to wonder if you’d been stood up.
Mia’s Diner was usually busy, bustling with students and townspeople alike, and tonight it truly was: booths packed with couples both old and new, laughter and the smell of food wafting through the warm air as friends and families celebrated the start of summer. The jukebox was on and playing an old disco song you liked but didn’t know the name of, the checkered floor tiles clicking with the sounds of brisk waitresses’ heels and dancing feet.
You didn’t know why Felix had insisted on coming here, of all places, what with the mixed emotions and memories you had tied to it, but you had to admit that the jovial atmosphere of Mia’s Diner on a Friday night never really disappointed. You found yourself relaxing slightly—just slightly, bobbing your head lightly to the music.
“Mia’s Diner?” You repeated incredulously. “Seriously, Felix, do you only know one date location? For the so-called ‘Matchmaker of Miroh Heights’, you’re sure lacking in the variety department.”
“Easy, tiger. Just trust me on this one, okay? You’re gonna owe me one.”
“I’m not—” you began indignantly, but Felix continued.
“Plus, the poor guy in question hasn’t been on a date in years, either. You both need this.”
“Years? Are you setting me up with a hermit?” 
“Oh, yeah. A big-time loser, seriously— but don’t tell him I said that. Just — indulge him a bit, okay, y/n? I promise you won’t regret it.”
And so, for the second time, Felix’s schemes and pleading puppy eyes had gotten you here—sitting at an empty booth, waiting for a blind date. He hadn’t even bothered to show you a picture of the man in question. You couldn’t help the smile from slowly slipping from your face as each minute passed, and you nibbled your lip anxiously.
Your date was thirty minutes late.
You peered out the window, at the lights of the town glowing a faint neon  against the clear evening skies. Each time a car filled in a parking space, you sat up, craning your neck to see if it was him—before slumping back down in disappointment. Five years, you thought to yourself glumly. Five years, and you still had no luck with dates. Maybe you just had no luck with love, you thought dryly. You imagined Felix laughing later when you told him about it and sighed, a twinge of worry replacing the dread in your gut.
Had something gone wrong?
After turning the waitress away for the eighth time, you fished out your phone from your pocket, tapping on the foreign number Felix had given you. Zero new messages, zero missed calls. At least I can tell Felix I tried, you thought glumly. Maybe I should just call Jeongin again, and ask him to pick me up. And then you could drop by Glow Cafe for a bit, before trudging back to your apartment like a fallen soldier.
Just as you were punching in Jeongin’s name, feeling a sense of guilty relief wash over you, you vaguely registered the diner door swinging open beneath the lively music, and a pair of footsteps trying to shuffle past the dancing couples.
For a split second, you thought you saw a pair of tattered black Converse—laces untied, soles worn—but the mirage disappeared, and was replaced by a pair of dress shoes that eventually came to a stop at your booth. You sighed, fighting back the tears that had suddenly threatened to well in your eyes. Shit. This is not the time to be thinking about him. Why were you still thinking about him? And why on earth had you agreed to this? 
You lifted your gaze, trying to muster up a smile, hoping your disappointment didn’t show on your face— 
And immediately froze.
“Hello.”
Standing before you, looking almost like an apparition — a golden silhouette against the backdrop of the dim diner — was Han Jisung.
You had to blink several times to realise you weren’t hallucinating again. He looked...different, and yet in some ways, he looked entirely the same: his hair was shorter, but tousled as it had always been, cheeks flushed and breathless as if—as if he’d been running through a storm.
You felt your body moving before any intelligible thoughts could form in your head, pulling you forwards like a magnet until you were standing face-to-face, your shaky eyes darting across his features, not daring to believe what you were seeing.
All of a sudden, the glint in Hyunjin and Jeongin’s eyes made sense, Felix’s words replaying in your head as overwhelmed tears began welling in your eyes without warning.
“The poor guy in question hasn’t been on a date in years, either.”
“A big-time loser, seriously — but don’t tell him I said that. Just — indulge him a bit, okay, y/n? I promise you won’t regret it.”  
“Y-you—are such a dork,” you stammered out, one hand weakly hitting Jisung’s chest as you felt the tears finally spill down your face. “Han Jisung, you are such a d—” 
Your words were cut off when Jisung pulled you into his arms, his head falling to rest in the crook of your neck. Your shoulders shook with muffled sobs as you buried your face in his chest, memorising everything about this feeling, not wanting to take a single second for granted, memorising everything about him. Jisung no longer carried with him that scent of gasoline and fire — instead, he smelled faintly of lemongrass, and a hint of warm, fresh laundry.
“I missed you,” you finally whispered hoarsely, “I just—missed you, so much.”
He chuckled in your ear, the low, familiar hum stirring faint, faraway memories in your head, and you gripped onto his shirt harder, as if he would disappear completely if you didn’t hold on tight enough.
Jisung had found you in the crowded diner before you had seen him — just like the first time he had met you. And just like the first time, he had felt his breath hitch in his throat, hands hesitating on the door, wondering if he should turn back instead. He had watched you bob your head gently to the music, a small, tentative smile on your face.
You looked good — no, amazing. Different, and yet entirely the same. Kind, worried eyes catching him completely off guard, like the flash of a camera.
Just as bright.
Just as brilliant.
The truth was, there hadn’t been a single day where he hadn’t thought of you — of your voice, your touch, your laugh. Jisung had asked Felix for help the moment he had gotten released, but what he hadn’t forseen was your reaction.
“She won’t go on a blind date, mate,” Felix had informed him exasperatedly, “Took weeks of convincing. Good news, though — she finally caved. You sneaky, hopeless romantic bastard.”
She might have forgotten me, Jisung had thought. And even if you hadn’t, you might not even welcome the sight of him—after all, he hadn’t been in touch since he had left, all those years ago. But in the end, the inexplicable pull in his chest had grown unbearable, and he found himself walking towards you, wading through the crowd, feeling the ache in his heart softening with each step he took. All the way back to you.
You pulled away slowly, vision blurry as Jisung lifted a hand to cup your face, never taking eyes off yours. He had grown in the time you had been apart—he was taller, his once-lean frame stronger—and, most of all, there was a light in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.
“Hey, pretty girl,” he murmured softly, and you laughed in disbelief, “I think you’re my blind date.” 
“How—w-why—”
“I told you I wanted to do this all over again, didn’t I? And I promised that I would try to do it right this time.” Jisung smiled apologetically, wiping your tear stained cheeks with his thumb. “I’m sorry it took so long.”
You shook your head, eyes widening when you saw what he had been carefully clutching in his other hand: a small bouquet of sunflowers, their golden yellow petals as tousled as Jisung’s own blond locks. 
“Apparently they symbolise new beginnings,” Jisung said, pulling a stray petal from your hair and chuckling, “Keeping promises. Eternal happiness. That kind of thing.”
“Why didn’t you write?” You whispered, as Jisung tucked the bouquet into your hands. 
“I wanted to...to heal. In every sense of the word. I didn’t want to show you, until I...knew I was really better. Believe me, I wanted to.” Jisung’s voice dropped to a whisper, as if he were fighting back tears. “I wanted to, so, so badly.”
You shook your head, mumbling something about how much of a stubborn idiot he was, and Jisung’s laugh made a hesitant smile tug at your lips. As if sensing the lightening atmosphere, the waitress had promptly appeared behind Jisung and meekly cleared her throat, setting down the menu. Jisung turned back to look at you, his grin growing playful.
“I hope you’re hungry?”
The diner seemed to come back to you all at once in a flood of senses, the music and murmur of restaurant goers sending a pleasant hum through your veins as you and Jisung sat down. The night went by in a warm blur, Jisung telling you about his life at the institute, the unlikely friends he had made, the dreams he hadn’t realised he had. 
“I’m going to go back to school,” he admitted, one hand rubbing the back of his neck shyly. “I’ll be a bit behind, but...I want to study something I actually like this time.”
You had told him about how you had been working in a child therapy ward ever since you had graduated, about all the children you had met and loved and cared for. As you talked about them, you saw a wistful look in Jisung’s eyes, and a thought crossed your mind. “Have you heard anything from—from Minho?” 
He gave a small smile, but shook his head. “Rarely. It hasn’t been long since he was released, but he said he was planning on going abroad. Doing some travelling. I think...he’ll reach out when he’s ready.” He then added, as an afterthought, “And if he doesn’t, I wouldn’t blame him.”
The sad simplicity of Jisung’s words stirred a strange feeling you couldn’t quite place in your chest, and your mind flashed back to the cold-eyed coroner and his stiff smiles; then, to the raw pain that had cracked through his strained features the last time you had caught a glimpse of him. Maybe you would meet again one day, or maybe that truly would be the last you ever heard of him.
Healing of the mind, you knew, was a strange process—one that always took much longer than you would expect. There were always scars that reopened along the way, old hidden wounds that surfaced right when you least expected them. There would always be answers you might never find, you mused sadly, closure you might never get.
But sometimes, you thought as you listened to Jisung talk, memorizing the feeling of his fingers interlaced with yours, sometimes we can only hope to hold onto what we already have. 
The end of the night drew closer, and when Jisung and you had stepped outside the diner, the city was swimming in the dark ochre of the setting sun. Eventually, the two of you ended up back in the wide garden behind the hospital, your laughs and giddy conversation slowly hushing into softer murmurs. In the distance, the rush of cars on the main road grew sparser, the windows of the buildings around you flickering to life one by one like young stars. Here, though, as you rested your head on Jisung’s shoulder beneath a willow tree, the world seemed to stand still, and all was quiet.
You heard Jisung yelp suddenly and looked down to see a familiar dog pattering around your feet—a stray, with scraggly fur like an overgrown teddy bear that had been through the wash one too many times. It immediately pounced onto Jisung, beginning to lick your boyfriend’s face like no tomorrow.
“Oof! Hey there, old buddy.”
You laughed, scooping the dog off—only after it had gotten a few slobbery licks in—and shivered slightly as a cool night wind swept past you. Noticing, Jisung shrugged off his jacket, draping it over your shoulders as you raised a teasing eyebrow at the cliche move.
“It looks good on you,” Jisung insisted, and you laughed incredulously.
“Your jacket?” You asked, ruffling the dog’s ears as it curled up at your feet.
At that, Jisung looked back up at you—seeing the faint outline of your smile in the dark, your eyes sparkling as you looked back at him expectantly, obliviously—and in that moment, Jisung wondered what he had ever done to deserve someone as perfect as you. 
After a beat, he replied, “Happiness. Happy looks good on you, love.”
Your mouth parted in surprise—both at his words, and at the unexpected name—and Jisung took the chance to lean in and kiss you, pressing his soft lips to yours. Gently, at first — carefully, but as you began to kiss him back, you felt Jisung slowly relax. You kissed him the way you had wanted to for so long, feeling the years of distance, of heartache, of endless waiting finally unravel beneath your lips. His hands reached up to gingerly cup your face, pulling you closer into him as if he never intended to let go. 
Happy looks good on you, too, Han Jisung, you wanted to say once you pulled away, forehead still lightly pressed to his. And you deserve it, more than anything. You watched Jisung’s features come back into focus beneath the dim moonlight. His gaze was fixed on yours, filled with nothing but pure adoration, and you felt a sudden surge of warmth coursing through your chest. 
I love you, you wanted to tell him, more than you could ever know — but something in the warm yet playful look in Jisung’s eyes told you that he was already thinking the exact same thing.
So you just smiled, and leaned in to kiss him again.
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                                                YOUNG GOD | END
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ryu says: to you — yes, you, who has reached the end of this series! this epilogue is my way of saying a big thank you to those who stayed along for the entire wild ride that was young god. thank you for loving the characters, the world of miroh heights, and of course, the story! there are easter eggs and full-circle moments all throughout this epilogue, so i hope you enjoy and have fun finding them all ^^
disclaimer: in my opinion, all epilogues are open to interpretation: i’ve left some characters’ stories untold, some loose ends untied for this exact reason. miroh heights’ story has finally come to a close here, but what happens to the characters from this moment on continues in the reader’s mind now. 
all that cheesy, pretentious stuff aside, i hope to see you in the next story!
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