#Cozy Bearhugs | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gfcheol · 2 years ago

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late blooming pt1 | j. wonwoo

pairing: wonwoo x f!reader

genre: slow burn, sugar daddy au, smut in later chapters

word count: 5.9k

tags: struggling artist!reader, trust fund kid!wonwoo, mutual pining, emotional constipation, slow burn, eventual smut (in later chapters oops), photographer!mingyu, best friend!jeonghan, swearing

taglist: @bangchanbabygirlx

"You made it!", Mingyu beamed at you, his smile so radiant, it could probably illuminate the whole city if he tried. Even though he towered over most of his guests, you were almost sure that he was standing on the tip of his toes, trying to make you out in the sea of people. You giggled, his enthusiasm easily rubbing off on you, as you matched his gleeful expression.

Truth be told, you weren't expecting that warm of a welcome, when you got the invite to your college buddy's first Vernissage. 'Pieces of me' - read the title, according to the flyer that is. A collection of photographs that Mingyu took over the years, working as a freelance artist. There was a small part of you, bitter and envious, trying to convince yourself that this was the result of luck and money. But you remembered, even back in your college days, the passion ablaze in Mingyu's eyes when he wanted to get the right angle or capture a moment deserving to be of film. Yes, if you liked it or not, some people were simply blessed with talent, beauty and success.

"Gyu!", you squealed as his hands pulled you into a crushing hug, face pressed against his muscular chest. Jesus Christ, had he gotten even bigger?

"I wasn't sure you'd come", his arms tightened around you, as though he was trying to stop you from vanishing again. "You never really responded to the invite..."

Or his other messages. He didn't have to actually voice it out, but you were very well aware of the hurt you caused by going ghost on him, since you two graduated college.

A pang of guilt shot through you, freeing yourself from his bearhug. "Ah, I didn't know if you'd... want me here? I don't know, it's silly", your smile wavered, nervously toying with the complimentary glass of champagne, they'd offered you at the entrance. How you wished, you'd taken more than a sip from your bubbly poison.

"You're right", he said, hand squeezing your shoulder. "You are being silly! I'm always happy to see you, no reason to doubt that."

The sincerity bleeding off his words tore on you, cracks deepening in your happy, little facade as you felt emotions well up, you weren't really ready to show. The past few years had been tough on you. The constant rejection as an artist, the financial struggle that came with it, the myriad of men so ready to break your heart... It seemed difficult to stay positive in such circumstances, resorting to you isolating yourself from those more successful and happier than you. The constant reminder and comparison would have ruined you, you'd told yourself half-heartedly, everytime you saw Mingyu's invites to dinners or birthday parties. Egoism at its absolute worst.

You cleared your throat - this was hardly the time or place to dwell on your own shortcomings. You'd have enough time to reflect on that, in the cozy confines of your apartment.

Another squeeze, this one firmer. Forcing yourself out of your gloomy thought prison, you blinked a few times. "Fuck, sorry- I was kinda zoning out, what did you say?"

Mingyu's grin widened at that. "You really haven't changed, have you?'

"Oh my fucking- Shut up!", you giggled, rolling your eyes. "Can't blame me for getting emotional over Mister Artist over here achieving the dream."

Your compliment, having its intended effect, went straight to his head, a pretty blush blooming on his cheeks. He had always been offensively sweet and handsome at that as well. It felt good to see how none of that got lost over the years. "It's pretty crazy, right?"

"Nah", you followed his gaze as he looked around the spacious hall, darting from people to photographs. His brows furrowed and you swore you could see his eyes well up with heavy tears. "You're talented, Gyu! Always been! Let yourself enjoy the moment."

"Are you trying to make me cry? Because it's kinda working."

The motion of leaning against his side felt too familiar to resist it, the long years spent apart suddenly forgotten. Your own gentle giant. You felt your heart ache. "C'mon, go mingle a bit! All these fancy people came to see you, I'm not gonna hog all of your attention."

A sigh. "Let's catch up later, okay?", he tore himself from you with surprising difficulty, his eyes oozing with all the feelings of the moment, before he disappeared back into the crowd. Well, as well as he could being the giant that he was.

Taking another sip from your glass, you willed away the urge to hide away in the bathroom. Icky feelings be damned, you're not going to let your anxiety ruin this for your friend. Or was it former friend? You'd still have to clarify that with him, once you'd get the chance to catch up and apologize for being the worst person imaginable.

The photographs adorning the walls of the hall were breath-taking - Really, hardly a surprise for anyone knowing the artist. The motives on them might vary - Some of them bursting with warm colors, others melancholic black and white pieces - but you could recognize Mingyu in all of them. You could picture him so clearly behind the lense in some of them. Lips pursed as he'd play with the lighting, until he'd groan out in frustration, strings of whines escaping him. You couldn't help but giggle at the mental image you conjured up.

"And here I was thinking, this piece was probably meant to be wistful", a voice behind you declared.

"Interesting", you commented, copying the serious tone of the still faceless stranger. "I would have gone with 'serene', personally. Not all landscapes are supposed to invoke a sense of sadness, you know."

"Not even rainy, grey ones? Art teachers must have it all wrong." The mystery man was teasing, you could tell, but your pride simply demanded you not to give in. Biting your lip to suppress a smile, you tilted your head to the side, still mustering the photograph in front of you. "If you think a piece of art being devoid of color is enough to make it melancholic, I feel like you need to broaden your horizons."

You turned towards him to present him with a cocky smirk, yet the sight of him caught you off guard, making you halt in your tracks. He was nowhere near the pompous, old fart that you'd expected him to be. Quite the contrary - He must have been around your age, rather tall, sharp eyes adorned with golden rimmed glasses that sat on his nose bridge. There was an air around him you couldn't quite place. Maybe it was confidence - Or rather indifference? He looked at you with no hint of emotion, yet there was an intensity in his expression that made your brows furrow in silent question. Did you know him? Was he an old acquaintance from school? Work maybe? His face seemed so very familiar...

"I'm sorry, have we-"

"No, I don't think we've had the pleasure yet", he was quick to cut you off, eyes still very much set on you. "Y/N, right?"

Momentarily taken aback by his curt behavior, you crossed your arms in front of your chest, the alcohol in your system lending you some bite. "Very charming and not at all creepy", you replied, keeping your tone cold.

The stranger finally broke into a faint smile, your attitude seemingly amusing him, much to your dismay. "It wasn't much of a question", he said. "Mingyu mentioned you."

That only raised more questions within your mind. Yet your heart warmed at the thought of your college friend still talking about you after all these years. Your demeanor softened, feeling heat travel to your ears. "He did?", your voice rang quiet, even to your own ears. "You two are friends?"

Hesitantly, he gave you a slow nod, as if to choose his next words with extra care. "Why would that be so surprising?"

"It isn't...? I just don't know- I thought, we've established we don't know each other? Or am I being like- really inconsiderate right now?", you wrecked your brain, digging for any hint of information about the mystery man. Yet your mind was blank, the mix of alcohol and the whirlwind of emotions making your mind feel hazy.

Your response earned you a wary look, his eyes mustering you with a strange sense of incredulousness, adjusting his glasses on his nose. The strange air of superiority over you didn't help to soothe your ruffled feathers, biting your tongue to refrain from any too rude remark. When he still didn't reply anything, you huffed, patience wearing thin. "Listen, I'm not here to be catty, so don't make this too hard for me."

"Wonwoo", he extended his hand for you, though he still sounded somewhat careful with his introduction. Feeling petty, you eyed his hand with a sceptical raise of your brow, before shaking his hand. "You're a fellow artist."

It wasn't framed like a question, but you still found yourself contemplating the correct response. Did you view yourself as a creative medium that still creates whenever it's possible for you? Absolutely. Did you attend the same college as Mingyu? That's a fact. Would you be ridiculed if you answered affirmatively, only to admit your primary source of income is your cashier job at the convenience store down your street? No doubt about that either.

Avoiding his ever so observant eyes, you offered a shrug. "Something like that, yeah."

He must have sensed your hesitation, directing his attention away from you, and back to the artwork, a hum on his lips. You let yourself muster him more closely - His features were sharp, something intimidating in his sharp cheekbones and clean cut style. Still, you couldn't deny his good looks. Of course, you'd act like a bitch to the first hot guy approaching you in the longest time. You groaned inwardly.

"Are you one too? An artist I mean." His lips quirked up, as if the question itself seemed absolutely preposterous. "Or are you here for our Picasso?"

"Really - 'Picasso'? I would have gone with Monet - Less obvious choice"

A roll of your eyes was enough to stop his teasing, a smirk plastered on his lips. Handsome or not, the urge to dump the rest of your champagne on his pants seemed to grow by the second. "Mingyu invited me."

You hummed in response before he continued. "You're probably familiar with how persistent he can be."

"Not big on crowds then?", you asked, already sympathizing with Mr Wonwoo's very obvious struggle to socialize. "I get it, I'm not a fan either."

"Hm, yes. One could say that. I try to avoid them, at least." He seemed tense replying to you, jaw clenched as he shifted from one foot to the other. A vague feeling of guilt sank in your chest. Oh, this interaction was just getting better and better. Maybe if you were lucky enough, you'd suffer a spontaneous a heart attack and you could free this poor guy from your clumsy conversation.

"It's worth it though", you decided to say, your edges softening all at once, at the mention of your mutual friend. "Just to see him be all smiley and happy. He deserves it, I'm so proud of him."

There was something so inherently vulnerable about sharing fondness for the same person, you mused, even among strangers. Pride and genuine happiness beamed in your chest, and for a heartbeat you felt as bright and happy as Mingyu. "I've been telling him the same thing for months now, but it almost seems like he was willing to believe you more than me."

If he was agitated, he did a great job hiding that. His words were free of malice, merely curiosity peeking its head through some syllables. Yet all you could do is stare dumbly. "Should I be flattered or worried, knowing that you were just lurking in some corner, watching us? Very James Bond villain of you."

"I'd rather see you flattered than anything", the question left him unfazed, shame nowhere in sight. You pouted at the lack of effect your words had on him. In the short while you had gotten to know Wonwoo Last-Name-Unknown, he managed to coax shame, annoyance, and now, a third emotion (one that made your heart flutter and your cheeks heat up) out of you. What a terrible man he proved himself to be, not even possessing the courtesy to pretend.

From the corner of your vision, you saw his smirk deepen, before asking you, "Would it be terribly forward to ask for your number?"

"It would be", you decided, without further thought to his question, suppressing your smile with effort. "But I'm quick to forgive the faux pas."

His phone felt foreign in your hands, as he produced it from seemingly out of nowhere, pressing his thumb to the side, black screen lighting up. To your disappointment, you noticed the default homescreen, the brightness taunting any hope you had to gain insight into his character. Even with a name to his chiselled features, your Mystery Man seemed intent on remaining a stranger to you. His facade so clean, it was hard not to pay mind to the eerie feeling creeping up your spine. A puzzle waiting to be solved, you thought to yourself.

His smile was surprisingly shy, after you'd typed in both name and number into his contacts, fingertips brushing against you a bit too long, as you handed him his phone. "We'll stay in touch." And once again - His tone left no room for argument.

"Okay, boss", you snorted at his all too formal goodbye, granting him one last smile, before turning on your heel, heading into another direction. It felt almost impossible to force the wave of giddiness down your throat, reminding yourself that you don't, in fact, know this guy. You'd grant him the honour of giggles and shy glances, once he'd actually take you out on a date. Or well, if he'd actually take you out.

Mingyu didn't seem all too disappointed, when you'd told him that you would head home for the day, too occupied entertaining both, friends and art lovers. A wave of nostalgia washed over you briefly. Or was it regret? It was hard to tell.

"Text me, okay?", he said with puppy dog eyes. "Promise!"

"Cross my heart and hope to die- I promise", you grinned in return. "Have fun, Monet."

And you could swear, that for a second, you heard a, now familiar, deep voice chuckle in delight. You tried to disregard your glowing cheeks, as you slipped through the glass door, exiting the building.

♡♡♡♡♡♡

Blue must have always been your favourite color to work with.

Even during your middle school years, you'd found the depth of it soothing. Dark, ominous waves that house secrets no one will ever know. Or in contrast, the sky on a sunny day, assuring you that this, will surely be your day. So you'd picked up your crayons, your paint or your ballpoint pen and you drew, knowing that if you didn't bring the emotion you held onto paper, they'd be lost forever.

Your mother had called it, your "Blue Period". Strange, considering you had yet to move on to a different color. But who knew? Perhaps you'd grow tired of the depths and the levity, craving intense red or regal purple in your life instead. Perhaps...

Perhaps one day, when the want to venture out will drown out comfort and safety. Until then, you'd be content with blue.

♡♡♡♡♡♡

Your chest was heaving up and down as you leaned against the doorframe of your apartment, feeling your heartbeat drum against your skull. "Fuck me", you panted.

"Yeah, that's what jogging does to someone", Jeonghan smirks, very happy with himself, while eyeing your sweaty form. Despite it being past noon, he was still in his PJs, the plaid ones that you'd gifted him last year to his birthday, sporting a self satisfied expression on his delicate features.

You recalled the first time you'd met him. Gyu had left you to your own devices at some frat party, letting you stroll around to either cause mayhem or make new friends. At the time, you'd thought Jeonghan was the most angelic looking guy, you'd ever laid your eyes upon in your life, smiling at you with half lidded eyes, red solo cup in hand. That impression quickly changed, his catty remarks ("And you believed what Joshua told you, Channie? That's so brave of you.") having sparked a whole fist fight amongst the surrounding guys - The reason? He'd wanted an excuse to go home unnoticed.

"Not all of us wanna- oh shit-", you gulped for air, lungs stinging in protest, sweat dripping from your hairline, down to your brow. You could already hear the shower calling to you. "-have the constitution of an old lady, Hannie."

"I'm so proud of you for fighting against your old lady nature then."

Groaning at his retort, you pushed past him into your - suspiciously quiet - shared apartment. Reaching for the zipper of your jacket, you asked, "Didn't you mention that - Layla? Mary? - Wanted to come over this weekend?"

A shrug on his side, pushing the front door closed with a shove of his hips. "Layla", Jeonghan clarified. "Mary was the one from the Christmas party two months ago. Keep up, will you."

"Right, yeah. My bad."

"And yeah... but no. No." His eyes were cast down, a sudden interest in the pattern of the old floorboards, lips pressed into a fine line.

There was no need to explain any further than the look on his face. Layla had been sweet from what you remembered. Maybe even one of your favourites in the long line of girls, he'd introduced you to in the past year or so. "Shit, I'm sorry, Hannie. You okay?"

A non committal shrug. "Oh well, what can you do."

Sometimes you found yourself envying Jeonghan's tumultuous love life. No matter how fun the conversations or how good the sex was, he always put himself first. Because why spend too much time agonizing over someone who yearns for fundamentally different things in life? I'm not one to waste a girl's time, Jeonghan had told you after a particular rough breakup. At the very most, he found his pride wounded - But he always managed to bounce back regardless.

Your love life stood in stark contrast to his.

"Before I forget", Jeonghan shuffled next to you, head pointing to your phone on the kitchen counter. "Ya got a missed call - If it's my sister again, asking about her computer, tell her to shoo."

Rolling your eyes, you huffed out a breathless laugh, slipping your jacket off your shoulders as you made your way to the kitchen. You grabbed your blinking phone, notifying you of 'two missed calls' in the last hour. "Why do I have to be the middle man between you guys?", you frowned at the unknown number glaring at you. "Who the fuck..."

Quick to change the subject, Jeonghan hopped onto the corner, peaking over your shoulder. "Oooo, is someone in trouble?", he teased, practically glowing at the opportunity for mischief. "Or is it the guy from Mingyu's thing? Did you give him your number or did he-"

"Oh! I completely forgot- Oh fuck, what if it's him?" It wasn't that he'd actually slipped your mind after your encounter, you were just convinced that after a week - nine days to be exact - that'd be a clear indicator of his lack of interest. The sting of rejection would definitely hurt less by trying to erase him from your memory. "Should I text him? Call back? What if it isn't even him? Oh my god, Hannie! What the fuck should I do?"

Relishing in your flustered state, your roommate gloated. "Text back. If it's actually him, then he has some nerve calling after two weeks of radio silence. Bad move."

"It hasn't even been two weeks."

"So?" Jeonghan raised his brows, tilting his head to the side. "And let him explain himself, that could be funny."

Getting an explanation did sound rather tempting. But wouldn't that seem too much? You hadn't told Mingyu about Wonwoo hitting on you, moreso focused on praising his artworks and all the hard work he put into the Vernissage. So, you were still just as clueless about him as you'd been the day you met him.

Undeniably, there was something exciting about it all. The only thing that served as a connection between you being a mutual friend, but other than that? You were still completely oblivious about him - what he did as a job, where he's from, what his last name is. Your nerves tingled at the thrill of it, all previous exhaustion shed, teeth sinking into the flesh of your cheeks.

"I'd offer to call him instead, but I have a feeling he'll be able to tell it's not you on the other end of the line."

You started laughing at the thought alone, shoving him playfully. "I'm having a crisis, stop being funny!"

A few of Han's ex girlfriends, and even some of your own ex flings, had very readily complained about the bond you shared with each other. You weren't one to blame them for assuming - even though they couldn't be more wrong. There had never even a figment of a moment, where you even considered starting a romantic connection. Jeonghan wasn't your type and you weren't his either, no doubt about that.

"No, you know what? Fuck it", you sighed, your roommate hollering in response, celebrating your newfound courage. Without wasting any more thought, you pressed on the phone number, thumbs forming a quick sentence.

[y/n - 13:11] hi, sorry who is this?

Glancing over your shoulder to the text you'd typed out, Jeonghan could barely contain a snort. "Aw, I was hoping you'd call."

"Next time I'll just force you to imitate-", your eyes went wide as the screen turned black, phone buzzing in your hand. With one last panicked glance at a way too giddy friend, you pressed 'accept' with sweaty fingers.

"Hello, y/n speaking."

"Ah- Hi. This is Wonwoo", the vaguely familiar timber of his voice, almost made you gasp out in delight, heart already aching from all the anxiety and delight. Upon your reaction, Han shuffled even closer towards you, set on listening in on your conversation. "Mingyu's friend?", Wonwoo added after some brief silence.

"Yeah! Hi, yeah I remember! I was kinda being stupid and and left my phone, while I was out..." You hated how nervous you sounded, even to your own ears, looking for excuses when he was the one who kept you waiting. Your roommate seemed to share the sentiment, his glare way too reminiscent of a teacher scolding his student for a stupid question.

"No, please. It's...", he trailed off. "Actually, can you give me moment? I'll be right with you." The other line went quiet for a moment, aside from the sound of papers rustling. Was he at work? What kind of office work might he be doing? If he was yet another finance bro, you'd lose the number as soon as possible. You heard a soft voice mumble something next to your Mystery Man, asking him - or rather a certain 'Mr Jeon'- to sign some document.

Next to you, Jeonghan's head snapped toward you in an instance, eyes wide as he mouthed to you 'Jeon Wonwoo?' in absolute shock. Confusion was plastered all across your face, nodding your head to the unspoken question. "What?", you asked, keeping your voice barely above a whisper. Instead of providing you an answer, he pulled out his own phone, thumbs furiously typing away into the Google search bar.

"Hi again. So sorry, I'm still at the office", you almost jumped at Wonwoo's voice, sounding oh so husky and tired so close to your ear.

The smile tugging on your lips was involuntary, yet still very evident. "No worries."

He cleared his throat. "I know it's been a while, but I was wondering-", Jeonghan shoved his phone into your face, making you blink. Oh. Oh. His device displayed a very professional looking photograph of the same handsome looking man you'd met at Mingyu's Vernissage - hair just as dark, same glasses on his nose. Though what caught your eye next was the headline above his head, reading in big bold letters 'Jeon Wonwoo's rise to success! Son of Billionaire Dynasty shares his Secrets'. You felt the blood drain from your face, thoughts spinning a thousand miles an hour as you tried to process what you've read without a total mental breakdown. This couldn't be real, right? This must be some sick and twisted joke Hannie was playing on you to get back at you for something, you'd already forgotten anyway. There was no way that-

"Y/N?", you snapped back into reality, mouth feeling dryer than ever. "Still there? Should I call back another time?"

"Mhm, yeah!", you squeaked. "M- My roommate is just being annoying - What were you saying?"

Han's shock warped into sheer amusement, body shaking with the laughter he tried to muffle by pressing his palm against his mouth. You, on the other hand, felt like you were on the verge of a very serious mental breakdown. "I said, I'd like to take you out for a coffee", he repeated himself again. "I have a proposal, I'd like to talk to you about."

'A proposal?' Your eyes shot back to your friend, as if he'd magically know the details to Wonwoo's request. "Yeah, I- Sure", you willed your voice to stay as steady as possible, trying to ignore the slight waver in tone.

"Can you do today at five? I'll text you the details, of course." You couldn't stand how casual he sounded, compared to you. Was this a regular thing for him? Picking up women left and right? Paying them to hook up with him? Oh god, was he going to pay you to hook up with him? Was he one of those rich perverts, trying to indulge in some weird, funky kinks with no name people like you? You felt like crying.

"C- can we do six? I'm all sweaty", cringing at your own statement, you winced. "... From the workout. I was working out. If you couldn't tell."

And despite all the worries and anxiety, your heart still leapt, when you heard him chuckle into his phone, heat radiating off your face. "I'll choose to believe you for now. Should we do dinner instead?"

"Sounds great!" Jeonghan grabbed your shoulder, almost vibrating with joy.

"I'll text you the details - See you there?"

"Yep! Bye!" With the press of a shaky finger, you hung up.

The silence that followed was deafening, you and your friend staring at each other as though the other had grown a second head. Your nerves felt fried just from the phone conversation alone, your mind overwhelmed with every little emotion that had passed through you. Physical exhaustion had nothing on the numb feeling bubbling in the pit of your stomach. "Fuck", Jeonghan was the first to speak, his smile almost manic. "I can't believe, you're going to become a Sugar Baby."

"I'm going to die, Hannie! Die! What the fuck?! Why did I agree to this?!" Your body slumped into the kitchen counter, pressing your damp forehead against the cool granite.

"Because you're a smart independent lady, who knows an opportunity when she sees one", You could practically hear the smile in his voice. "Now get dolled up, babe, if you're lucky we don't have to pay rent anymore."

♡♡♡♡♡♡

Stiff fingers clutched the cool metal of your spoon, nervously shifting in your seat. Your lipgloss coated lips stretching into a shy smile, whenever you felt Wonwoo's eyes linger on you a second too long. This means nothing, you tried to remind yourself, ignoring the searing in your chest.

Jeonghan had tried his very best to convince you to go all on out with your outfit and makeup choices. And while you understood his motivation, you'd known how cheap you'd feel by trying to look fuckable enough for your date to pay for you. Date... If that is, what you could call it. "Mingyu's told me a lot about you", he said

"You asked him about me?" You noticed his ears turn a shade of pink as he shook his head, smiling. "You came up naturally."

Your shoulders tensed up, glancing downward to avoid any scrutiny or judgement. By all means, it shouldn't come to you as a surprise that Mingyu had mentioned you. He had seemed quite excited to see you attend his event, his enthusiasm a bright beacon of joy. You had no right to feel ashamed - or to hope Wonwoo didn't think any less of you for ghosting your mutual friend for years for some petty, personal feelings. But still, there was growing discomfort - Or was it shame? - within you that was only hard to ignore.

"Well? Do I need to plan his very brutal murder or send him a thank you letter?", you joked half heartedly.

That earned you yet another smile. You could really get used to the sight. "He told me about your art, actually. Showed me a few of your paintings too."

Your spoon hit the the edge of your plate with a loud 'clank', cheeks feeling way too hot as you gawked at him. "M- My paintings?" Whatever you'd expected to hear him say tonight, commenting on your artwork had somehow completely eluded your imagination. Instead, a myriad of horrors had played non-stop in your mind, doing its best to convince you, that this evening would either end with you murdered or, even worse, heartbroken.

"Come on, you're looking at me like I just told you pigs could fly", Wonwoo chuckled, both his tone and his gaze soft. "I liked them quite a lot."

"Oh", you muttered. "Thank you. I just... didn't expect him to mention my art."

"Artists are quick to recognize each other, I've found." Your eyes were fixed on his face then, a knowing smirk playing on the edge of his lips, as he shoveled another bite of his steak into his mouth. The compliment reached your heart first, engulfing you in a warm ray of light, while you could only nod in response. An insufficient form of gratitude, though Wonwoo didn't seem to mind. "How come you're so sassy and confident but turn shy at any genuine compliment?"

"I just don't respond well to cocky flirting. Bad habit, I guess?", you decided to play bold, having grown tired of the timid anxiety plaguing you.

But your partner seemed to be familiar with that game, your defiance only causing him to deepen his smirk. "Bad habits do die hard."

Raising your glass to your lips to mask your smile, you let him have his little moment of victory. Even if short lived. The back and forth was invigorating for sure - A welcome change, compared to all the boring dates you'd been on with men you hadn't even liked in the first place. You exhaled through your nose at the reminder alone. "But back on topic", Wonwoo adjusted his glasses. "Am I correct in assuming, you're not a full time artist?"

The wine tasted bitter to your tongue, making it hard to swallow it down. "Hm- No, unfortunately not."

"I see", he hummed. "I don't know if Mingyu's mentioned my line of work..."

This wasn't a line of questions you'd expected on a date. Business proposal? Your head felt too heavy on your shoulders, as your fingers ran over the neckline of your too tight dress. "Hannie- I mean um. My roommate told me."

Something dark flashed in his eyes, before he continued on. "Then you must also be aware of my financial status."

You nodded. "I am, yeah."

"Good. Spares me all the explaining", he joked, without much humor. "I'd like to sponsor you."

Your shoulders slumped, fingers, still toying with the fabric of your dress, going stiff all of a sudden. This wasn't just the wine talking, was it? "Oh."

This was a once in your life time opportunity, Jeonghan would never hear the end of it. This was everything you had spent nights crying over, thinking life was just so unfair. This could be everything to you. But then, why was it, that you felt like submerging your head in water, until you'd stop breathing? You were supposed to to be happier than this. Thankful too. Weren't you?

"Shit- I'm sorry, sponsor me?", you leaned toward Wonwoo, scanning for any trace of mockery or jest in his expression. "I don't wanna seem unappreciative but- You really want to sponsor me? There's a catch, right? There has to be."

Crossing his long legs, he didn't seem to shy away from your curiosity, not one to be intimidated easily. It did make sense - A business man, confronted with cutthroat competition on a daily, wouldn't really feel intimidated by some nervous no-name artist. The image of him posing on the cover of some important magazine surfaced in your mind again. "Ah, it's probably wiser to not trust offers like this at first, I can't blame you," He leaned forward in his seat. "My motivation's simple. I think you have great potential - You're a pretty lady with a lot of talent. I'd like to see you taken care of."

"Like some kind of sugar daddy?", the realization of your question hit you like a truck. your face feeling heated as you pressed your lips together, as though you could stop yourself from further embarrassment by physically silencing yourself.

Wonwoo, to your luck, merely grinned at the questions. "I mean- if you'd like that to be my official title, we can arrange that."

"Stop making fun of me!", you huffed with a pout on your lips, giggles threatening to burst past your lips. "Or- Are you not joking? Is this like a Shades of Grey fetish thing?"

"Listen", his voice fell into a hushed tone, fixing you with his gaze alone. "I'd like to spend more time with you - Doesn't mean that I'll give you a couple hundred everytime you flash me."

Spend more time with you? It felt unnecessarily difficult to think straight with his face being so close to your own, the dark brown in his eyes so alluring and warm. Gnawing on the inside of your cheeks, you furrowed your brows. It'd be a lie to say, you wouldn't like you two to grow closer. Why hope for a relationship, when this was the more sensible - more lucrative - way for you? No hurt feelings and no more financial struggles. Why hesitate? Jeonghan would kill you, if he were aware that you had any doubts about the deal. "So... You'd pay me to spend time with you? And to paint?"

"I'm not going to force you to spend time with me, if that's your question."

"No, I mean", it would prove to be an impossible task not to flush as you continued on, "This is something... not physical then? A business deal, only?"

And for the first time this evening, it was you that rendered Wonwoo speechless as he paused, his smirk slowly fading away. Instead of the self assured art snob and business man you've come to know, he appeared almost timid, insecure even, his ears blooming a pretty shade of pink. "Deals are... less complicated", his voice trailed off, gaze unfocused, sipping on his wine. "But no, this can be whatever you'd like it to be. Whatever you're comfortable with. I'd merely want to support you, if you allow me."

He was right, you knew that he was. Businesses and contracts might be a language you weren't acquainted with, but you knew the heartache of failed relationships all too well. And even if Wonwoo apparently wasn't one to kiss and tell, he seemed to be no stranger to that pain. The quiet chatter of the restaurant felt so distant in this moment. His fingers felt warm as his pinky brushed against your own, his eyes searching yours. "What do you say?", he asked, both his hands and his tone so very careful.

This was supposed to be easier, why did the words taste so heavy in your mouth? A reluctant smile, but bright nontheless. "I'd like that."

His eyes lit up. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." What could go wrong?

#wonwoo x reader #wonu x reader #svt x reader #wonwoo smut #wonwoo fluff #wonu smut #wonu fluff #listen ik this is neither fluff nor smut really i just have no idea how to tag this one #svt smut #seventeen x reader

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anantaru · 3 years ago

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𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗛𝗨𝗚 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗡𝗦 !

˖˚˳⊹ how they hug you headcanons feat. itto : ayato : childe : kazuha : gorou : xiao : venti : kaeya x gn! reader

˖˚˳⊹ genre: fluff

bearhugs with itto because he‘s just way too big in comparision with your own body. You‘d fit inside multiple times in his arms if you were being honest. Loves to pick you up in front of everybody and swing you around like a ragdoll because he thinks it‘s cute.

hugging you from behind with ayato because he enjoys the trust and intimacy that goes hand in hand with this particular method. Always achieves surprising you, since he‘s busy most of the time, looping his arms around your body to pull you close, and the warmth from his body combined with the excitement of his proximity left you feeling breathless.

putting his head on your chest while hugging you with childe, so he‘ll be able to listen to your heart pick up on pace whenever he‘s close to you. Hands lazily holding onto your waist while you embrace him into a loving hug, reassuring you‘ll forever be his and only his in this world.

laying in between your thighs with kazuha while you have your arms circled around his body, or lazily brushing away his hair while he’s remiscing about his adventures. He‘ll talk about literally anything in that position, it‘s just so comfortable and cozy to him and the way he fits perfectly in between your thighs is an important bonus for Kazuha. There isn‘t anything he‘ll prefer to do on those kind of days.

being the big spoon for gorou whenever he comes home late at night after a busy day of work. Stroking his unruly hair far away his face while being careful of not touching his sensitive ears, kissing his cheeks and relaxing his muscles down greatly. The warmth of his smile would never go lost on you, and you thought about how lucky you truly were to have someone like gorou by your side.

making sure you're okay with him touching you before xiao moves closer to your body, heart racing and overall nervous. It wasn't easy for him to touch someone and initiate intimacy ever, he'd most likely never do it but wait until you show him that you want to be close to him. Slowly sliding you into his embrace, realizing how his breath got slower and calm, feeling as if he was home now.

hugging you under the large oak tree in windrise with venti, who‘ll have his arms around your neck while pushing you against his chest. His fingertips would prance over your back ever so lightly while humming something underneath his breath, forever cherishing those little memories like no other and also being able to relax himself even though of short while.

hugging you while you straddle his lap with kaeya. He could go crazy whenever the both of you do this. The warmth radiating off your body was beyond belief while his hands were placed on top of your behind, slowly kneading your flesh and whispering into your ear how you‘re his forever and that he'll never let you go.

do not! share, copy or repost my work ✎ ©ANANTARU 2022

#itto x reader #ayato x reader #childe x reader #kazuha x reader #gorou x reader #kaeya x reader #tartaglia x reader #xiao x reader #venti x reader #kamisato ayato x reader #genshin impact xiao #itto x you #kazuha x you #genshin impact venti x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader

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uno-writing · 3 years ago

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I dunno if you've already done this, but how the main cast hug? I think Isen's hugs would be really nice.

I think they’d all give really nice hugs tbh, but yeah I get good hug vibes from Isen as well!🍿🥤🍭🍬🍫🧋🥨🥬🍦🍧🧊🐇🍩🥖📦🌻

Seraphina: She’s not a fan of hugs, but she will hug if she thinks the situation calls for it. Like if someone she cares about it upset. Very loose hugs, but they do their job. Mainly support hugs.

John: He gives tight hugs, but they’re not strong. Like he holds the other person super close but he doesn’t put a lot of pressure. Very comforting.

Arlo: Only very rarely hugs. They’re very awkward loose hugs as well, but they do a good job of comforting and making the other person feel safe. Remi: Very frequent hugs. She’ll greet and leave her friends and family with hugs. She’ll loop her arms under the other person’s armpits and curl her arms up so she’s kinda holding their shoulders. If she’s super close with the people she’ll also kiss their cheeks. Blyke: He can only give super strong bearhugs. Like hugs so tight that your feet come off the ground. He accidentally cracks Isen’s back all the time. They’re not painful though. He doesn’t really hug as often as Remi, but it is a weekly occurrence at the most often.

Isen: He hugs kinda tightly, but not like Blyke’s. It’s very cozy and safe feeling. He’ll also tell lots of jokes and will give an awkward pat on the back when he pulls away. He hugs the least often out of the Dumbass Trio.

#unordinary #unordinary seraphina #unordinary john #unordinary arlo #unordinary remi #unordinary blyke #unordinary isen #unordinary headcanon #berriwords

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sneezefiction · 4 years ago

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quarantine with Bokuto

Bokuto x reader in Quarantine - Headcanon

a/n: b/c i loved writing this ask so much, i just had to write some fluff w/ Bokuto too. i’ve been really lonely in quarantine (and i enjoy being alone a lot of the time), but it’s been rough. Bo is a babe and promotes mental health like nobody else lol. hope u enjoy!

warnings: slight cursing

wc: 790

---

when Bokuto finally realized what quarantine meant for his social life, the boy had a full send breakdown

Bo, being your boyfriend, calls you at least 10 times before you realize your phone is even ringing

you can hear his emotional turmoil in his voice, which you’re used to, but this was a bit different

he actually sounds a bit scared?

as though being away from his team, Akaashi, and you is the worst thing that could ever happen to him

your heart breaks a little at the thought of his loneliness, so the next thing you know you’re inviting him to stay over at your place

however, knowing Bokuto and his erratic, constantly morphing behavior, you mentally prepare yourself for some major lifestyle adjustments

it’s late at night when he finally knocks on your front door

you crack it open to see bright eyes, spiky hair, and SO MANY PILLOWS AND BLANKETS

like your man is just covered in plush, cozy items bc he wouldn’t feel at home without them, the cuteness honestly makes you want to cry

he’ll jump into your arms right when he makes eye contact w/ you, sending the cuddly objects to the floor

you’re used to this, but you let him snuggle his head into your neck and pull you in tightly, since it’s already been a week without seeing his clingy ass

after he gets those first few hugs out of his system, he gets to unpacking his clothes and pieces he felt he couldn’t be without

this boy brought all of his workout clothing and two volleyballs… so this wasn’t going to be a very calm quarantine period after all

but you and Bo are super close, sharing similar humor and enjoying each other’s take on life

several nights out of every week, you’ll spend chatting for hours on your couch in a dark living room, netflix being your only light source

you’ll swap stories (something Bokuto is great at), go over what you wish would change in life and who you want to be in the future, and what you love about each other (his favorite part bc he loves hearing that you’re still in love w/ him)

if you’re insecure or fearful of something, Bokuto’s unique ability to uplift literally anyone will be activated

he’ll remind you that you’re capable of getting that job or confronting that hurtful friend (he tells you he’ll go with you for intimidation factor, but you quickly dismiss that idea)

if it’s beauty or body you’re worried about, Bo will have already been smothering you in hugs and kisses, but he’ll add in his most genuine feelings for you and how lovely you always look

you find that just living with him is validating

it’s probably because he understands how important it is to be encouraged and to meet other’s where they’re at. he’s been lucky to have such understanding friends when it comes to his moods and emo moments, so he’s ready to help you tackle your moods now too

but ooph will you deal with the intense emotions of this boy around the clock, you poor soul

one moment, he’s totally fine and laughing at tiktoks on his phone

the next, he’s waking you up to ask you if you still want him around or if he should go home

LEGIT this guy will have his clothes in a bag, ready to go, while asking you this bc he is JUMPING to conclusions in his lil owl brain

a soft, bearhug usually clears his mind while little, encouraging whispers help him to calm down and sink into your touch instead of abyss of his own insecurities

when y’all aren’t fighting bad vibes, you’re usually battling restlessness

Bokuto’s energy puts you on edge too, it’s literally contagious

you’ll be making dinner and humming a tune and suddenly Bokuto is BLASTING Drake or Bruno Mars and dancing just so he can feel alive and real again

he wILL drag you in to dance with him, which is both fun and wildly exhausting

dinner is cold now, oops

Bokuto is the ideal roommate, especially the older he gets

he’ll be breathing joy into every aspect of your life, the slow moments and the most hectic of online workdays (even if you do have to shut him up for being way too loud when you’re doing zoom calls)

and tHANK YOU for letting this sweet kid room with you, he probably would be drowning in silence at his place, so you really would contribute to his mental health majorly

and you would reap the benefits of his loveliness, laughter, and good looks

quarantining with Bo is just an eyeopening experience and it’s what leads you to eventually move in together after the quarantine is lifted

but yeah, it’s precious and you learn so much about yourself and your relationship. all around healthy and fluffy stuff <33

#haikyuu!!#hq #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu headcanons #bokuto #bokuto x reader #bokuto headcanons #bokuto fluff #bokuto kotaro #hq fluff #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios #sneezefiction

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stonecoldjerseyfox · 4 years ago

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Jersey on my mind (part 37)

“Although I’ve been away so many lonely nights, you know I’m back today…”

While John Martyn sang out the first line, Mila exhaled at the two first, soft chords on the scrapy cassette tape; C, G, and inhaled at the two following; A and F.

“We’re home, malysh.” Mila said faintly, like a loud whisper, as she turned on the usually busy, well trafficked Broad Street onto Rumson, after miraculously making the 1000 mile drive from Missouri back to New Jersey all safe and sound.

Outside the car window the darkness laid thick. Was it a Thursday or a Wednesday? The last few days she had had a harder time remembering the days. They kind of floated together more and more and remembering dates felt unprofitable. It was night, that much she knew at least.

It had been raining just hours prior to their arrival and the puddles resembled deep dark oceans in the thick darkness, only enlightened by the car lights. Much had changed since they left Jersey a couple of months earlier. Broad Street resembled a graveyard, quiet and spookily empty. Broad was never entirely quiet or empty, just more or less trafficked and more or less scattered with people, depending on the time of the day. It was a main road, with a homey feeling to it. A mix of businesses and homes in neat rows. The houses were well maintained, the lawns cut and the constant aromatic atmosphere, thick as a blanket, consisting of a variety of different sorts of food and exhaust fumes almost stunned the mind; rocking the residents in a warm feeling of security in the Red Banks and Little Silver area. But the safe, homely blanket had disappeared and Broad lied all empty and ghostly.

“-You know without you honey, all I do is worth nothing. And girlie, don't cry for me-” John Martyn sang on.

“We’re home.” Mila repeated faintly, while steering the car between the debris, having a hard time wrapping her head around the fact that this was Little Silver. That they actually had made it back. It felt surreal.

A tipped over shopping cart rested in the middle of the wet road, filled with what looked like stacks of magazines, or what once was. Now they lay scattered around the street and sidewalk, crinkled up like papier mache from the rain, having dried up in the breeze into nodular shapes. The drugstore window was shattered, raided, as was the grocery store. Everything felt like being in a movie set for Dawn of the Dead. Mila swallowed as she scanned the otherwise very familiar, cozy area for movements, from both living and dead creatures. They had been lucky ever since they left Missouri, hadn’t crossed paths with anyone. If they’d seen people, they’d kept out of sight, watching them from afar.

Juri gestured at her in the rear view mirror, letting her know that he too had a hard time recognizing the neighborhood.

“I know, malysh.” Mila replied as John Martyn continued to sing:

“Although there might be other people in my life. Honey, on my mind, you will always find there's only you-”

As she slowly cruised further down Rumson Place, Mila felt how the tight belt of anxiety eased around her chest a little. It wasn’t all so different. The trees looked the same, the street lights were dark but otherwise it felt as usual; the street she’d learned to love, to feel safe at, to call home. That sense of safety and calm disappeared. Chaos had reached the quiet, lush Jersey suburb as well. This part of Little Silver also lied dead quiet, ghostly and abandoned; cars were left in the street with their doors open, empty driveways and boards over the windows at some of the houses. The usually well cut lawns were left uncut and the bushes looked ravaged and bewildered. Juri twisted and turned in his car seat to look out of the window, looking mildly shocked. Mila couldn’t get her mind around it either. It felt bad, wrong. Where was everybody? Hiding inside their houses? Or had they fled the field? And in that case, where had they gone?

“Don’t worry.” Mila said automatically, but felt how wrong the words tasted on her tongue. All she could feel was worry, as soon as she saw the Galka house. They were finally home and it didn’t feel at all like she’d imagined it. “We’re here.”

When she parked on the driveway to the two storey house she’d called home for the past years, Mila shut off the car, killing the sound of “Back to stay” mid sentence. She threw herself out of the passenger seat, grabbed Juri from the backseat and ran onto the porch. She pulled the handle on the door, decorated with a wreath of oak leafs, acorns and a ribbon. Locked.

“What the-” Mila started banging on the wood, but there was no answer. ”Joe?” she cried, hesitated to do so because of the risk of attracting attention. ”El?”

Still no answer. No lights going on inside or any sign of life. With Juri locked on her hip she ran to the kitchen door, only to find it locked as well.

”Billy? Adam?” She called out.

Juri tugged at her jacket, signing questioningly ‘where are they?’

“I don’t know, Malysh.”

Mila ran back to the car and managed to get the keys out of her old, trustworthy handbag with shivering fingers. Still with Juri on her hip, she ran back up on the front door porch, fiddled with the keychain before finding the right key and unlocked the door.

“Hello?”

She received no answer. Ellie Galka didn’t come out of the kitchen and greeted her with a hug and Joe didn’t wave at her from the living room couch. No Adam or Billy who ran down the stairs to smolder her with bearhugs. Mila and Juri seemed to be the only ones there. The blinds were pulled down and the shutters closed. She put Juri down on the floor and walked through all the rooms on the ground level, only to find them empty. Then she ran upstairs, checked Billy’s and Adam’s room, only to find them dark and empty as well. Panic arose up her throat as Mila ended up in the master bedroom. There she haltered with a pounding heart. The drawer was extracted, the wardrobe was wide open and the framed picture on El’s nightstand, picturing ‘her three kids’ was gone. Mila couldn’t take it anymore, her legs folded under her, and she collapsed on the floor, kneeling in front of the bed. They had left. She was alone, again. Plan B had failed and she didn’t have a plan C. She sat there crying uncontrollably, until Juri found her. Tightly he squeezed her neck, pressed himself against her, allowed her to cry into his hair.

“It’s gonna be alright, Juri-” Mila sobbed between her crying breaths, understanding that she had to pull herself together. “I promise.”

It had to be alright, but how?

Still crying she stood up on shaky legs, lifted Juri from the floor and put him down in the big bed where they made themselves comfortable up against the pile of soft pillows. While Mila brushed her tears away with the back of her hand, Juri started fiddling with his walkman, pressed “play” and cranked up the volume. Through the leaking foam headphones the raspy sound of strings were heard, followed by a male chuckle that sent chills down Mila’s spine. Then the voice, oh god that voice, started to sing “Highwayman” in a wailing, southern-way, causing her whole body to ache. Jim made that tape just for fun; no biggie, just a messy recording of him fooling around with his guitar singing some of his favorite country songs, “I won’t back down”, “When I went down to Georgia”, “Highwayman”, “Your man” … - Right there and then it was more precious to them than anything else in the world. Mila closed her eyes and pressed Juri against her body as she could, clear as day, see Jim in front of her. Clear as if he was there in the room with them. The luscious brown hair, thick beard, the funny face he made when he sang in that southern, country way she liked so much. Juri squeezed her hand tightly and Mila opened her eyes, feeling them tearing up.

“I miss him too, baby.” She stuttered while caressing the blond hair. “So, so much.”

A tear ran down her cheek, then another one. Outside the window it was pitch black; Mila wondered if it had ever been that dark in Little Silver before? They lied there, curled up on the bed in the master bedroom under complete silence, only broken by the faint sound of the wind, while Jim sang them to sleep.

Mila woke up the next morning by the room bathing in morning sunlight, making the sheer yellow curtains resemble sunbeams. Juri lied curled up next to her, snoring loudly underneath the covers. Mila remembered their whereabouts, how they got there and that they were alone in the house. Once again her stomach shrinked, but she couldn’t give up at this point. There surely was a logical explanation to why the Galka’s had left, they must’ve gone to some collecting site, somewhere safe. What if they came back? Why hadn’t they left a note? Would they come back? It was possible. They had to wait and see, defend the house from potential scavengers.

Mila got up from the bed and ran downstairs into the kitchen, where she peered out the window through the wooden shutters. After making sure the coast was clear, she turned the locks and opened the door, snuck out, and began to unload the car in a hurry. Back inside she locked the door again, made sure no one had seen her and turned to watch the cellar door.

Mila knew Joe kept weapons down there, in the weapon cabinet, decorated with stickers from different fishing competitions and the local football and baseball teams. It was a big cabinet that Ellie, under no circumstances, wanted to have upstairs in the house. Now Mila needed to get inside that cabinet. Joe couldn’t possibly have brought all of his guns with him when they left.

Mila went into the living room and further into the office, where Joe kept the family’s small safe, containing important papers and documents, jewelry and the key to the gun cabinet, hidden inside a copy of “The Heart of a Woman” by Maya Angelou, taped to the inside of the binder. No wonder Joe was the family’s undefeated master of hide and seek. Inside the safe Mila found the key and went back to the kitchen. She found her copy of the key to the basement on her keychain and unlocked the door, turned the light switch and went downstairs. The basement smelled like gasoline, old, dried paint, very basement-y. A year after she moved into the Galka house, Joe renovated the laundry room next to the kitchen, moving the washer and dryer from the basement to the upper floor. Before that, during Mila’s first year with them, the smell of freshly dried sheets used to hit her in the face as soon as she opened the basement door. Well, no more. At the end of the stairs she looked around. Shelves with motor oil, red plastic gas can, an old football, Joe’s rubber boots and fishing rods... everything looked normal. At the right she saw the weapon cabinet. Big, green and frankly, ugly. Once she had managed to unlock the lock, she pushed the heavy door open. To Mila’s relief she saw that Joe hadn’t been able to bring everything from the cabinet. To her surprise, Mila also saw a weapon case she recognized. It didn’t belong to Joe or anyone of the Galka’s, but-

"I’ll be damn-” She took out the fabric case and looked at it. It felt like several years since she last saw it, then in a completely different place, on the other side of the earth. Papa’s rifle, from Russia. How was that possible? She hadn’t seen it for years. A patch was pinned to the shoulder strap. She looked at it. “Confiscated at customs, cleared by Joseph Galka at New Jersey Police Department for safe handling.” Mila read out loud. “Accompanying Sergey Volk-” she paused mid sentence.

So it really was his rifle, she thought, without becoming the least bit wiser. He must’ve brought it with him in his luggage when they left Russia, that was the only logical explanation. What’d he planned to do with it? Mila didn’t want to think about it. He was obviously capable of doing anything, she knew that now, and as a highly regarded city official he could bring whatever the hell he wanted in his luggage without consequences it seemed like. Or at least he thought so. Mila hugged the cloth case, it felt like an old jute sack between her hands. She had used the weapon in her youth; shot cans with it in the countryside during the summers and a pigeon or two. Well, papa didn’t need it, not anymore. Mila set it aside, considering it as hers from now on and went through the other black plastic cases. Some were empty, but she found two handguns as well as ammunition and a big knife Joe used for gutting fish with. It could definitely be used for other things as well, like killing those walking dead creatures, formerly known as people. Mila returned upstairs with her findings and put it down on the kitchen table. She could hear Ellie’s distressed voice inside her head:

“No- oh, not on the table! Christ sake!”

Well, El wasn’t here now to see the mess she’d caused. Mila’s eyes swept over the table. She was armed, so now then? She began to go through the cupboards in the kitchen. They needed food, that was priority number one now that she was armed. Luckily Ellie Galka was Little Silver’s unofficial champion of grocery shopping. El always took the biggest shopping cart in the grocery store, the shopping lists were meticulously designed to make shopping smooth and she always made sure that everything that could be needed was at home in the cupboards. If one of her ‘kids’ wanted banana bread, or just mentioned it in passing, they could be sure to find a steaming fresh banana bread under a soft baking sheet an hour later without El having to go shopping before. Everything, from bananas to flour, was always at home no matter what it seemed. Mila didn’t find any brown bananas hiding behind the flour or baking soda in the cupboards, but there were a lot of cans and dry goods stacked away. She and Juri didn’t have to starve just yet.

From that day they settled into the Galka house in Little Silver on their own. They slept in Mila’s old bedroom, that the Galka’s had kept for when Mila, Juri and Jim came to visit, armed with both Adam’s trustworthy baseball bat and all of the weapons she had found in the house.

Days turned into weeks. They had everything they needed, and if they needed something else or ran out of food, they slipped out of the house, out on the streets of Little Silver and Red Banks, to collect supplies. Sometimes Mila dared to leave Juri at the house and go scavenging alone, making him swear to hide if someone broke into the house. Luckily that never happened, but Mila encountered the dead creatures every time she went out the door. There were plenty of them. Neighbors suddenly turned up as walking corpses behind trash cans, cars and roamed around downtown like delusioned pigeons. It took awhile for her to not feel bad about killing them, and to understand their weaknesses and weak spots. Aim for the head and put them out of their misery quickly, was her conclusion after a while. At first it was horrible, made her think of Jim, but after a few killings she felt mentally numb. One thing was sure, she could not get her head around papa’s perverse tendencies to kill out of sheer desire.

She tried her best to keep a routine, for Juri’s sake. Making sure his reality and routine was kept intact and nice was everything she could think off. Making sure he had everything he needed, felt safe and happy. She woke up at eight in the morning, exercised, woke Juri and they ate breakfast together. Then she dressed him, they played or went out exploring. If she went out on her own, scavenging and exploring, she did so by bicycle. She went to the library and collected books to read, to Blockbuster to get movies and the grocery stores for food. In the nights they curled up on the couch and watched movies in the living room, thanks to Joe’s ‘mega disaster generator’, operating on gasoline.

“What if there’s a tornado, El?” Joe said when he returned home, with the big piece in the trunk one day, to Ellie’s horror, about a year prior to the apocalypse. “Think about that for a minute. This bad boy might save lives, I tell you.”

Joe, just like Mila, loved disaster movies, but unlike Mila, Joe was extremely influenced by what he saw and could, without blinking, begin to prepare for a presumed doomsday, well… half-heartedly. The generator was a much welcomed addition to the situation whatever Ellie had thought about it that day, Mila thought to herself as she put ‘Terminator 2’ on VHS into the player to watch one night, when Juri was asleep. She used to stay up late, watch another movie and get batshit drunk. Joe had a bar cabinet that was only opened when they had guests over. He rarely drank otherwise, so Mila did him a favor and made sure the booze didn’t go to waste. Her drinking soon spiraled into a ‘around the clock jagg’; she was never sober, just more or less drunk, to the point when she started to hallucinate. After a while, she began to think that Jim was with them in the house. At first it was comforting having him around, but that quickly turned. It was painful, to the point where she thought she was going crazy for real.

“We gotta get out of here, Juri.” Mila monotonously expressed one day, mid a Clint Eastwood movie and halfway through the last bottle of Buffalo Trace from Joe Galka’s bar cabinet. “We can’t stay here.” She looked at the bottle in her hand. Fuck, she hated Buffalo Trace; had she lost all sense of taste and class? “Not like this.”

Juri, lying on his belly on the carpet surrounded by colorful drawings and chubby kids crayons, looked up at her and nodded. He was fine either way it seemed. A month, maybe two, even three or four, Mila wasn’t really sure, had passed without any sight of the Galka’s, or anyone for that matter. The streets were desolated. There wasn’t anyone around that was alive anymore. Down the street Mila had, to her horror, seen Mr and Mrs Paulson pressing up against their barricaded windows, looking like melting wax dolls with blood running down their mouths. No sight of their two kids. Mila could just guess what had happened to them. Considering their absence from the window and their parents blood stained faces, she had her suspicions.

No, they couldn’t stay any longer, Mila thought as she lay on the couch. She was starting to get mad from being locked up inside the house. They needed to go back out on the road, leave their comfortable but isolated hideout. For what she didn’t really know. A sign? Or a miracle? She didn’t believe in signs or miracles, didn’t believe in any God either for that matter. But they couldn’t stay here hiding for all eternity. It was much better to get out of there. Maybe they would find the Galka’s while on the road. The possibility was minimal, but Mila really wanted to believe that there was a slight chance, despite it being one in a million.

One early morning, Mila shut off the generator. She packed their belongings, locked all of the doors and painted a red cross at both the front door and the kitchen door, to imply that the house was unsafe to enter, hoping it would leave it untouched. She drove the car out of the garage, having loaded it the night before. She had hid a filled gas can up the beams of the roof of the garage, if she ever needed to come back there for some reason, she at least knew she had extra gas. After backing out of the driveway, she just stood there on the street, looking at the house. Would she ever come back again?

“Look at it Juri.” Mila sighted and hugged the wheel tighter. “Look closely. Remember it. I don’t know when we’ll be able to return.”

As she said it out loud, she could have swore she saw Jim looking out at her from the upstairs window, peeking out behind the curtain. She swallowed hard. I’m hallucinating, he’s not real, she repeated inside her head, but couldn’t take her eyes from the window. She just had to accept it and continue to live, survive, for Juri’s sake.

#jersey on my mind #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon x oc #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl fanfiction #daryl dixon #twd daryl #the walking dead daryl #twd #twd fanfic #twd fanfiction #the walking dead fanfic #the walking dead fandom #the walking dead fanficition

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peonybane · 5 years ago

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Agape and Pragma: Chapter 1

Pairings: OT7 (BTS) x Reader

Word Count: 4k

Genre: Hybrid AU, Fluff, Angst, Sci-Fi, Smut (eventually)

Summary: Your entire world had be torn asunder by just one lab test. Time heals all wounds, but does it really? What will it take to feel whole again?

Warnings: Mentions of Alcoholism and depressive relapse, a mention of an instance of abuse.

Hybrid Types: Peacock Jin, Serval Yoongi, Golden Retriever Hoseok, Great Dane Taehyung, and French Lop Eared Rabbit Jungkook… with more to come.

a/n: Hope you all like this one! Also if you have not yet read it, please go back and read the Prologue for context, for well, everything.

<--- Previous (Prologue)

Three years later…

“Hoseok! Let’s go! Liam is waiting at the airport!”

“Coming!”

You stood at the foot of the stairs, tapping your foot, miffed. Well, as miffed as you can sound in heels. The other two were sniggering behind you, their suit jackets freshly pressed. Usually it was Taehyung that would run late, this time though, it was Hoseok for a change.

The thundering steps of the Golden Retriever Hybrid alerted you guys to the fact that he was, indeed, finally ready. He greeted his roommates with a smile, having finally finished putting himself together. You giggled as he showed off how spiffy he looked, with his dark golden hair (almost dark orange hair, really) styled around his floppy ears and his new suit jacket and shirt.

You giggled out, “Alright, let’s go. Oh! And dogs in the back.”

Both of the dog Hybrids cried out in horror— one of them always won a great battle of rock, paper, scissors to sit in the front when you were the one driving. You would have none of that. Raising you hand, they fell silent. “You’re telling me you wouldn’t open the windows like last time? We’re picking Liam up and taking him to dinner upon his request. You think I’m going to let my nicely styled hair go to waste?”

Both Hoseok and Taehyung looked at you, guiltily. Jungkook on the other hand giggled, little bunny smile peaking through. You rolled your eyes then lifted your keys to eye level. “Fine. Hobi gets to drive there. And the windows can be down. But once we pick up Liam, I am driving and the windows are rolled up.”

The two dog Hybrids whooped excitedly. Hobi grabbed the car keys and headed out first, Taehyung close on his heels, not without his whip like tail smacking your hip as he made his way past you.

You made a face, rubbing the sore spot. Jungkook made a face in sympathy, having been a victim to Taehyung’s whip-like Great Dane tail himself. Even though Liam was only going to be back in the town for a few days, you couldn’t wait for him to have a talk with Taehyung about the importance of him being aware of his tail, especially since he just got out of a tail cast… again.

Making your way to the car, Jungkook helped you (the dress making hoisting yourself in, a little bit of a challenge) in then passed you one of the jackets that was often left in there, not really sure who it belonged to. You slipped it on and pulled the hood up to protect your hair as much as possible. It wasn’t often that you did your hair anymore, so since it was such a special occasion you wanted to keep it protected from the Chaotic Twosome. As soon as you were buckled in, the dogs in the front seat rolled down the windows as they rolled out of the driveway. As very human as they were, it still made you giggle at how scent oriented they are.

The four of you were laughing the whole way to the airport, all excited to see Liam again.

Not an hour later (living in the countryside has its ups and downs), the four of you were in the pick up area of the airport (you having left the borrowed jacket in the back of the car), excited to see your old friend. Almost 20 minutes later, Taehyung spotted him, having been the tallest. His tail started smacking into Jungkook side, making him shout. “Yah! Tae! Your tail!”

Taehyung had enough shame to look guilty before he started calling out for Liam. Upon hearing Taehyung’s bellowing voice (which scared an older couple who were also waiting for someone), Liam turned towards you all and waved back as he headed towards you, dragging his suitcase. Liam looked tired, but also happier. His once hollowed out cheeks having filled and his beard looked fuller, healthier. There was an unmistakable twinkle in his eye, tell tale sign of something wonderful had happened to him while he was away.

As soon as Liam was in launching range, both Taehyung and Hoseok launched themselves at him, enveloping him a crushing group hug. Liam just laughed, having braced himself. “If this is the sort of welcome I get from my over grown puppies, I need to disappear for months on end more often.”

Once Hoseok and Taehyung had gotten their fill of love, they let him go. Hoseok took his luggage and Taehyung helped him load it into the car while Liam walked over to Jungkook and you. He pulled Jungkook into a headlock first, both of them laughing as Jungkook managed to get free, continuing to lightly play wrestle with Liam as they bickered. Once they had gotten their fill, Liam turned his attention towards you.

He pulled you into a bearhug, one that you gladly returned. “Hey, Shortstack.”

“Hey, Beefcake.”

He pulled back and cupped your face, looking at your face intensely. You knew what he was doing, he always did it— he scanned your face to see if anything, or rather anyone, had healed your broken heart. After a moment Liam leaned back towards you and kissed you forehead. “I missed you, Shortcake.”

“I missed you, too.”

You smiled at each other before going to the car. The three Hybrids had already climbed into the back of the car, knowing that it was your turn to drive and Liam probably wanted some leg room after his flight.

Once they were all ready to go, you pulled away from the curb and the boys immediately began talking, filling Liam in on all the things he had missed out on.

Liam had been away for a year, helping a few hospitals in Africa set up a Hybrid wing. He spent the last week back in the country but had been staying at the HQ of the World Hybrid Health Organization, not only doing debriefings but also to make sure that he himself was healthy enough to come home.

It had only been in the last 5 years that it was discovered that there truly needed to be a Hybrid specialization in the medical field, society having thought that other characteristics other than the desired and the appearance would not be inherited (for example, broken tails had to have special care, some could be left alone to heal, while the care for others was vital as their spinal cords may extend into that extra appendage). There was a need for doctors to not only understand human medicine but also understand veterinary medicine just as well and be able to combine the different practices where there wasn’t automatically crossover. Some places were not as well equipped or as ready as others to handle the changing times.

Pulling up to the restaurant, the boys were more than ready, Hoseok having gotten them a reservation as soon as he found out Liam was coming home. The restaurant was called ‘Epiphany’ and it was a rather high end fusion restaurant that Hoseok frequented when he would have meetings with other investors, big shots, and the heads of charities.

Even though you were more than willing to park and walk, Hoseok insisted that they let valet park the car. For once, you complied, just as excited as the boys to finally to eat dinner (having forgotten to eat while working all day if it hadn’t been for Taehyung arriving home from the Kindergarten to remind you). Once you had pulled up to the valet parking and parked the car, in his ever cheesy manner, Hoseok was out the door and pulling yours open, offering you his hand with a flourish, going over the top cheesy with it. You rolled your eyes giggling, taking his hand. He took the keys from you and handed them off to the valet, taking the parking stub from him in return.

Hoseok hooked his arm with yours, making you smile. Taking the cue, off to the side, Jungkook and Taehyung played rock, paper, scissors, duking it out about who would take your other side. Liam laughed as Jungkook won, looping his arm with yours, leaving Taehyung to sulk a bit.

While it was never desired or asked of them, they always felt the need to spoil you. For what reason, you weren’t sure, but it wasn’t unwelcomed.

They led you into the building where Hoseok detached himself from you arm to speak with the maitre d’. In the meantime, you allowed yourself a moment to gaze around the restaurant. It was certainly minimalist, but there was something cozy about it. Perhaps it was the light blue color theme or the smell of a home cooked meal.

Soon, Hoseok returned to your side where you all followed the maitre d’ to your table. Hoseok pulled out all the stops, having convinced his friend, Jin, to set them up at the Chef’s Table— for a discount, at that as well.

Taehyung took the opportunity to pull out your chair for you and you thanked him as you sat down. The others joined you and they all sat down as well. The maitre d’ gave you all drink menus and explained that the chef would be there in a moment to speak with you about dinner.

As the maitre d’ walked away, you looked over at Hoseok with wide eyes. “Um, Hobi?”

“Yes?”

“Just how many stops did you pull for this?”

“Not too many, I promise. Jin just owes me one.”

“Uh huh….”

You continued to eye him suspiciously before turning your attention to the drinks menu. Since you were driving back, you knew you’d opt for some sort of nonalcoholic cocktail.

A voiced pulled you from you deciding between the Sparkling Pear Punch and the Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri. “Well, well, look what the retriever retrieved.”

You all turned your attention to the man that joined your table. He smiled at Hoseok who returned the smile, and stood up to hug the man in the white chef’s uniform. You couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the man was. Especially with his striking blue hair, which you then noticed that his eyebrows were the same color as. As they hugged you noticed his hands, while covered in burns and cuts like any other chef’s hands, there were patches of blue and green discoloration that seemed almost iridescent.

“Everyone, this is Jin, the owner and head chef of ‘Epiphany.’”

Everyone greeted Jin and Hoseok proceeded to introduce each of you. He shook hands with all of the men and when Hoseok got to you, Jin took your hand and kissed it, shooting you a wink. Immediately, a blush reached your cheeks. Jungkook giggled. Hoseok playfully scoffed, “The peacock strikes again.”

Jin replied, “Yah! You bring a lovely woman into my restaurant and expect me not to charm her? Just how big of an idiot are you?”

Jin proceeded to laugh, startling you a bit, not expecting such a high pitched sound, it sounded like windshield wipers, his voice box slightly altered by his genetics. Once Jin has calmed down a bit, he began speaking with everyone about what they’d like to eat. He explained that at his table, he’d design a meal from scratch for each person and often it would be a surprise.

He finally left for the kitchen after getting an idea about everyone’s preferences. As soon as Jin was out of earshot, Hoseok looked at you with a smirk. “You look as starstruck as ever.”

“Oh, shush you. He just surprised me. Let’s be real, when was the last time I had my hand kissed by a complete stranger?”

The boys chuckled— you had a point. You continued, “Besides, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bird Hybrid before, except for a couple of falcon.”

The maitre d’ returned with a tray of drinks, explaining that Jin had insisted that your drinks compliment your dinner. You knew you’d have to thank Jin later for having a lightly sweet mocktail brought out for you. Once the maitre d’ had left, Hoseok said, “Yeah, Jin is a rare one. The only way you can really tell that he’s a Hybrid from afar is the hair color and skin discoloration. Apparently, all of his body hair is iridescent, too. He also apparently doesn’t have any feathers. Which is weird for a bird Hybrid not even to have some feather sprouting through their hair. Though, once when we were drunk—“

Jungkook interrupted, “You mean when YOU were drunk, you lightweight.”

Hoseok shot him a dirty look before continuing, “He mentioned that even though he’s got no feathers, his back is litter in markings that look kinda like the eyes on a peacock’s tail. Besides, he’ll tell you that his Hybrid characteristics should be obvious considering his evident beauty.”

You all had a chuckle.

Quickly the conversation turned towards Liam, many questions inquiring about his work. Liam explained all about what he was up to. But… you felt like there was something he was hiding, because the moment he got excited about whatever he was talking about, he reeled himself back in, which was very unlike Liam.

For a moment, you eyes landed on his left hand, specifically his ring finger, which was now sported a golden band. Just as you were about to open your mouth, you were cut short by Jin loudly announcing that dinner was served.

For Hoseok, Liam, and Taehyung, he brought them all steaks, with sides and sauces that suited each of their tastes. You couldn’t tell who was more excited for their steak, Liam or Taehyung. For Jungkook, he brought over chicken salad. Despite being a French Lop Eared rabbit Hybrid, he could give his canine roommates a run for their money when it came time to going to a barbecue place. And for you, Jin brought over bowl of the fanciest mac n’ cheese you’d ever seen. Jungkook couldn’t keep a comment in about you and your child like palette. Oh, he was lucky y’all were in public, if this was back home you’d pull at his little cotton tail without a second thought.

As you all thanked him for the specially made dinner, Jin hushed you all and directed your attention to the grand piano in the center of the stage. At the grand piano, a man sat down, or rather a Hybrid. He was rather lithe, dark brown (almost black) hair was crowned by a pair of extremely attentive large ears, bands of the same dark brown and beige covering it. There were several piercings going through them. But there was nothing more striking about him than his sharp, cold eyes. There was a raging fire behind that cold exterior, just waiting to be unleashed.

He began playing, it was a slow tune, but immediately, you couldn’t help but be drawn to it. Slowly the melody picked up… the emotion behind it rose up and swelled. Not with happiness or pride. It was anger. Unbridled, wrathful anger. But that was just on the surface… below it, you could feel the pain and mourning. You knew it was there, because you had felt that before.

You didn’t realize you were crying until Taehyung reached over and wiped the tear that had escaped. You sniffled and apologized. Hoseok quickly changed the focus away from you, probably smelling your nerves. “Hey Jin, everything ok with Yoongi? He’s not play as well as he usually does.”

Jin sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Unfortunately, no. Between our landlord telling us to find a new place because he wants to change the condo to a hotel and Yoongi’s company rejecting all of his recent compositions, he’s just been more moody than usual. I dragged him here tonight so he didn’t just sleep and mope.”

You started eating as Yoongi switched to a different song, something much more suitable to the restaurant atmosphere, seemingly haven gotten rid of some of his nerves. Between bites you asked, “What you mean that wasn’t his best? That was… absolutely lovely.”

Jin smiled softly. “Well, thank you. I’ll be sure to tell Yoongi. Perhaps it will lighten his mood.”

You couldn’t help but blush a little at that. The boys chuckled and Jin bowed out, wishing you a good rest of your meal.

Just as you were finishing dinner, Yoongi got up from the piano and headed towards the kitchen, but none of you really noticed, not with how Taehyung was retelling an embarrassing story involving Jungkook and a wedding he was photographing.

As dessert was being brought out, a small glass of Sparkling Pear Punch was brought over with your plate. You turned to the waitress, “Um, excuse me. There must be a mistake. I didn’t order a drink.”

She replied, with a small knowing smile, “Compliments of Mr. Min. Jin made sure it was nonalcoholic for you.”

Your brow scrunched up and she pointed your gaze towards the bar before she left, clearing away the last of dinner. Looking that way, Yoongi was leaning against the bar, his long banded tail flicking around about him as he held his own glass, looking in your direction. He raised his glass in your direction before taking a sip of whatever he was drinking, it looked like some sort of red wine. You felt heat return to your face and you raised your glass towards him before taking a sip yourself.

You were the first to look away. But as you did so, you immediately subjugated yourself to the teasing of your roommates. Of course you teased right back, enjoying their company. It been too long since you’d all been together.

^~^~^~^~^

A couple of hours later, you all were back home. A few showers later, you all piled into the living room, finally in comfortable pajamas, settling to watch a movie.

As per usual, half way through any Ghibli movie, Jungkook and Taehyung were lightly snoring while Hoseok slightly wagged his take in his sleep. And you and Liam were still awake. Now looked like as good of a time as any. Taking the remote, you turned the volume down on the remote, still audible, but not too loud anymore as to not suddenly rouse the boys from dreamland.

“So, Liam. Who is the lucky, or I guess unlucky, love of your life?”

Liam blushed and began playing with the ring on his finger. “Can’t get anything past you, huh, Shortstack?”

You chuckled. “Stop stalling. Spill. You hardly spoke about anything important tonight.”

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “After I broke up with Mikey, you know, cuz he didn’t want me to go to Africa, my drinking got bad again for a short while.”

You frowned. You remembered that fight. Mikey really lost his shit with Liam when he found out that he was going to Africa. Honestly, you didn’t blame Mikey for getting upset, because you felt the same. They had problems like any other couple but that was the final straw for either of them. As far as any of you were concerned, Liam never went back to drinking like he did back in college, back when it was really bad because of the loss of his parents. You didn’t realize that he gone back to that black thing to cope.

“Anyways, one evening in a village we were working with, I was drinking with the community leaders and well, it was getting out of hand. That’s when Deeba found me.”

A smile graced his lips. “She grabbed me and dragged my drunk ass away where she proceeded to yell at me to act like the doctor I am.” He laughed. “She would violently splash the water from her water bottle in my face if I so much as looked in the direction of alcohol. Even if it meant she didn’t get to drink as much as she needed to.”

He went back to twiddling with his ring. You couldn’t help but feel happy for him. He’d never been this soft for anyone. “We got married last week. Nothing big. Just went and signed the paperwork. No muss, no fuss. I don’t regret any of it. But….”

He turned to look at you, which disturbed Taehyung slightly, who mumbled confused in his sleep a bit before falling completely unconscious again. “Shortstack, listen. I’m leaving the house to you.”

You tilted your head confused. Liam continued, “Deeba wants to start a clinic in India for helping Hybrids and training medical professionals. I’m going with her. Which means… I don’t need this house anymore.”

“But this is your home. Where you grew up. This—“

“This is the house that my parents used to help all of those abandoned Hybrid children when the truth came out. This is the house I was raised in. And I much as I love you, as much as I love the guys,” he waved towards the three sleeping Hybrids, “my home died with my parents. This is just the house that was filled with love and will continue to do so… but with you as its heart and soul. Besides, with Deeba… well, she helped me forgive myself.”

Liam ran his hand over the scar on your upper forearm, the only one he caused, his eyes starting to drift off into the distance, welling with guilt. At first, he hid it so well, but when you confronted him about his drinking problem, he lashed out, throwing a vase at you. It was the first… and last time he ever hurt you. That’s how he knew he needed help… really needed to change.

You felt your eyes start to tear up. Taking his hands in yours, you leaned up and kissed his forehead. You knew that look in his eye all too well. He was determined to follow through with this. “If that’ll make you happy, I’ll take care of the house. And I hope you live your best life with Deeba.”

He smiled and nodded. “I will. Deeba is hellbent on turning me into a ginger Santa Claus with the way she cooks.” You both shared a laugh— Deeba was already well on her way to completing her mission.

“Beefcake, if you’re not at least 20 pounds heavier the next time I see you, Deeba and I are having words.”

The both of you shared a good laugh, sort of waking up Jungkook, who just lifted his head, looked around then went back to sleeping. As you both calmed down, Liam turned a soft gaze towards you.

“Thank you, so, so much. Now, let’s get these three to bed.”

You both worked to lightly shake them awake, telling them to take themselves to bed. Jungkook was fine enough to walk himself to his room. Liam took Taehyung up to his room and you did the same with Hoseok.

After getting Hoseok tucked in, you stroked his dark gold hair out of his face. He mumbled your name in his sleep, his tail lightly wagging under the sheets. You couldn’t help but chuckle before leaning down to kiss his forehead.

You quietly stood up from his bed, walking back out into the hall. You sighed looking down the hall.

Eight bedrooms. Seven, if you exclude the master bedroom. A large kitchen, designed to create the most soul warming meals for the greatest number of people. A living room large enough for dancing, for cuddling, for wrestling. Every room in this house has held near endless laughter, but also some tears. Every single with one a story. For those who came to this house to survive, there were some who’s story started in this house, for others, it was the last chapter before the new story in their lives would begin.

This mansion was Liam’s parents’ pride. They took in every abandoned Hybrid child, finding them loving homes that would accept them, both having experienced the pain of abandonment. Every single one being successfully adopted, both of which had prayed for themselves but had never been. This house had been filled to the brim with love, unconditional love— agape, and enduring love —pragma.

You had big shoes to fill. That’s for sure.

As always, reviews, comments, asks, and tags are always loved! ~Peony

Next (Chapter 2) --->

Agape and Pragma Masterlist

Masterlist

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ikenbar · 5 years ago

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Mr. Love: Ike’s Choice Ch2 Pt3

Warnings:... there really isn’t any. Unless you’ve got a problem with some fluff and plot development... oh, and cliff hangers :)

(Chapter One parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, chapter two’s prologue, parts one and two here :))

((Please read the author’s note on chapter one part one if you’re new here :D))

Chapter Two:

Part three:

I walked into the familiar building with Sam’s hand in mine. Gavin walked next to us with the perp perched over his shoulder. Sam swung my hand playfully as he looked around. I kept my eyes trained on him. I couldn’t quite pull myself from his smile. “Hey, wait!” Sam’s face filled with realization as he looked up at me, catching my eyes perfectly, “Did you say Officer Gavin was your neighbor?!” I nodded wryly. “Really?! So you’re Sr. Yells-a-lot!! Jeez, from the way Ike talks about you, I always pictured you as an old m-”

“OK!” I shouted over Sam, cutting him off uselessly, “Let’s not mention nicknames I give to an officer of the law while we are in a police station.” Sam’s smile only grew as he watched how flustered I had gotten. I swear, that kid had a whole dark side that he hid so well behind those puppy eyes. I stole a glance at Gavin who was looking at me skeptically. He opened his mouth but was cut off by an approaching officer. The officer was chubby and smiled joyfully as he neared us.

“Ike!” He greeted me with open arms, “What a nice surprise! We haven’t seen you here in ages!”

“Landsman,” I folded my arms, refusing his hug, “Wish I could say the same but I can’t.” I flashed a glare towards Gavin, who didn’t seem to notice my movements. Officer landsman chuckled.

“Same ‘ol Ike.” Landsman directed his attention to Sam, who promptly jumped at the sudden attention, “So this is the perp you were talking about, Officer Gavin? Ah it seems the criminals just keep getting younger.” Landsman shook his head playfully as he pulled Sam into a bearhug, cradling his head in his arms and dramatically petting it, “Ah the youth of today. Getting so carried away with the ‘fun’ they are always having.”

“I’m not the perp!” Sam laughed pushing Landsman away from him.

“Oh?” Landsman tilted his head, “Then what’s your name, kid?”

“I’m Sam.” Sam held out his hand politely, “Sam Bearhreak.”

“Well it’s nice to meet you Mr. Bearhreak!” The officer shook Sam’s hand. Gavin gave me a confused look.

“How is it Landsman gets to know his name and I don’t?” He asked with a tinge of offense.

“Landsman didn’t sit me next to a sleeping perp in the back of a police car.” I gave Gavin my arched eyebrow. Gavin returned my gift with a frown. Sam poked my arm, directing my attention back to him.

"How do you know so many people here?" He asked, "Sr. yells-a-lot, Officer Landsman, you talk to them as if they were your old friends!" I hesitated.

"You don't know?" Landsman chuckled, "Ike was a bounty hunter!"

"What?!" Sam's jaw dropped.

"Yeah! A dang good one too!"

"Landsman!!" I protested.

"What?" Landsman looked nervously at me, "I thought you were proud of that! She brought in ten criminals a day! The fastest I had seen anyone do it! Not even Gavin… is… that…." Landsman made eye contact with a scowling Gavin. Landsman cleared his throat and stopped talking.

"You were a bounty hunter?!" Sam looked at me with distance in his eyes. Whether it was from fear, or from confusion I didn't know. What I did know was that I didn't like it.

"I'm retired." I said patting his head reassuringly, "I stopped after a year and a half. I don't do it anymore, I promise." Sam's distance was replaced by worry. I bit the inside of my lip sheepishly.

"Don't worry, Sam." Gavin spoke up, looking past me to catch Sam’s stare, "She wasn't as good as Landsman makes her out to be."

"Thanks." I sarcastically mumbled. Sam laughed nervously. It was almost as bad as not hearing him laugh at all.

“Why don’t I get you a nice cup of hot chocolate as the adults start talking.” Landman said as he stood up and offered Sam a hand. Sam’s soft, growing smile soon dissipated as he heard those words. He looked at me nervously.

“I don’t know.” Sam pulled closer to me, “I want to stay with Ike.” My gut turned uncomfortably. I didn’t want to leave Sam either but I knew how grueling interrogations could be. I didn’t want Sam to see a side of me that I had purposely left behind all those years ago. Something had to be done.

“Landsman’s right.” I said pushing Sam closer to the officer, “But, how about you show Sam your hidden donut collection as well? You know, to seal the deal.” Landsman gave me a mixed look. As did Sam. I bent down next to Sam. “You’ll be alright.” I reassured him.

“I’m not the one I’m worried about.” Sam whispered slightly.

“I’ll be alright too.” I stroked Sam’s hair gently, “I’ll meet you for hot chocolate soon, ok?” It took Sam a long moment before he slowly nodded. He gave me a quick hug before turning to Landsman. I watched silently as they walked away.

“You really care about him, don’t you?” Gavin’s voice was soft. I hated the way it sounded. What does a cop know about caring? Nothing. That's what. The perp moaned slightly on Gavin’s shoulder. “Welp, that’s my cue.” Gavin said, waving to a police officer a couple of feet away, “I’ll set him up in an interrogation room so Officer Sean will be the one to check you in. Try not to break anything while I’m gone.”

“I’m gonna break anything.” I muttered childishly as Gavin walked away and Officer Sean approached me.

It felt as if I had been waiting for hours in that empty room. Since all of the interrogation rooms were occupied, I was put in the waiting room. The room was nice and cozy. Couches and chairs took up the middle of it and a coffee table, which I had my feet firmly planted on, made for a good centerpiece for everything. I looked down at my watch for the twentieth time. Forty six. It had been forty six minutes since Officer Sean dropped me off there. I groaned and slid down the couch slightly. If this was Gavin’s way of angering me it was working. Sam had been left alone in the police station for far too long as it was. He was already having a bad day. I couldn’t be yet another reason to make it worse.

I rubbed my face, trying to wipe away the tension I was feeling. I couldn’t believe Sam got tied into this. Just because I couldn’t shut my mouth and get along with my neighbor. Mister Rogers is turning in his grave because of me. I grunted and shifted my position on the couch, restlessly. "That no good, pathetic, excuse for a cop." The thoughts in my head escaped my mouth as I sat in that empty room, "Who the hell does he think he is!? The moment I get out of this police station, I am gonna-"

"Gonna what?"

The door opened and I stopped my murmurings. Gavin walked in with an arched eyebrow and a folder in his hand. “Finally.” I huffed, “You realize I could have grown a vegetable garden big enough to solve world hunger from the amount of time you’ve kept me here?” Gavin locked eyes with me. Something about his stare was off. It was softer than if it was before. So he chooses now to feel bad for me. I rolled my eyes and thought to myself, He should have thought about that before he locked me in here for nearly an hour.

Gavin walked further into the room and sat on the couch across from me. I folded my arms and glared at him. He carefully placed the file on the coffee table.

“Would you... like some coffee?” He asked awkwardly.

“No thanks.” I answered, defiantly, “If I say yes, you might make it an excuse to travel to Costa Rica to brew it, thus leaving me here longer, making me tend once more to the vegetable garden.” Gavin sighed and held his eye contact with me. His gaze was steady and had an emotion that was unrecognizable to me. My stare was stronger; full of determination and hatred. Whatever that emotion was in his eyes, I couldn't stand it. I couldn't stand him. Does he even realize how he isn’t just hurting me here? Didn’t he care when he saw how scared Sam was? How scared Sam was of… me? Ugh, why must Gavin be such a… cop?

Gavin held his stare as he leaned back on the couch. He folded his arms and finally spoke up, “Why don’t you save us some time and tell me everything happened before I got to the scene?” His soft voice turned into one of business.

“Because you care so much about saving time.” I rolled my eyes. I tapped my shoulder for a moment, in thought. When I decided to speak up, I chose my words very carefully, “Sam and I were walking home from school. There is a shortcut down an alley so we decided to take it. That man you found came out from behind the dumpsters and pointed a gun at us. He told us to go with him but we refused. He fired the gun. I punched him. He dropped the gun and fell to the floor, unconscious. Sam and I were debating how we were going to take him to the police station when you came.” I became silent and waited for Gavin to speak. He didn’t. He just looked at me with a sense of anticipation. “....That’s it.” I added.

“Oh really?” He asked, “That’s not what Hickman said.”

“Who?”

“The gunman. He woke up just a little bit ago and confessed to the whole thing.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “He confessed?!” This just adds to the theory I had going in my head since the car ride.

“He confessed out of fear.” Gavin said, leaning forward and resting his arms on the coffee table, “He told me that he shot the gun three times and he hit you every. Single. Time. But you didn’t bleed. The bullets just fell to the floor. Care to explain?” It was my turn to be silent. Millions of excuses came to mind. He saw the holes in my fashionable shirt and made an assumption! The gun was firing blanks and he didn’t realize it! This is all just a prank to promote my new TV show, Guns VS Glam!! Come on, Gav, you would trust a criminal more than you’d trust me?! But the more I thought about how I could get out of the situation, the more I realized how useless it would be. If my theory was right about this guy, people could be in danger. I had to be honest with Gavin if I wanted to keep them safe.

“I’m bulletproof.” I deadpanned. Gavin shook his head, clearly taken aback.

“What?” He asked, slightly laughing.

“I’m bulletproof. It is part of my powers as an evolved human being.”

Gavin wasn’t laughing anymore. His face became serious as he slowly sat up. He searched my eyes for any lies. I grew impatient and leaned forward in a hurried whisper, “Long story short, I’m an evolved human being with super abilities unknown to man known as Evol. There are loads of us that live in secret so the government won’t do experiments on us. I’m only telling you this because I think the perp knows this. I think he knows about Evolvers. When he shot me the first time, he acted as if he was afraid but his eyes remained calm. There wasn’t any sign of fear in them. No dilation or raising of the eyelids, nothing. You’d think he was high or something but he was putting up such a front to act as if he were terrified of me. He started shaking and shot me again as if he thought he missed. He even dropped the gun. When I came at him, he didn’t move to defend himself. He just let me knock him out. And then he immediately confesses when he wakes up?! Something isn’t right here.” Gavin still had his eyes trained on me. His expression was indistinguishable. He was clearly lost in thought. I groaned impatiently, “I know it’s a lot to take in but if his guy knows about Evolvers then millions of lives could be at stake. He could be trying to expose us, which could cause a war larger than you will ever know. It will send a panic into the human race as people start mistrusting everyone around them. Life as we know it would disappear. Everyone you love, everything you cared about, torn away as we are thrust into a battle against the natural man. I know it’ll be hard for you to do, but I need you to trust me. I know you don’t and I know you likely never will, but you have to. This one time. If anything happens it would be my fault. I can’t live with that. So, please, Gavin.” I took Gavin’s hand in mine, “Trust me.” Gavin’s eyes looked at our hands then back at me. There was a moment of silence as he made his choice.

He furrowed his brows and nodded.

“Alright.” His tone was one I had never heard before, “I trust you.” Relief washed over me as I sighed. Gavin leaned slightly forward in thought, “Do you know the gunman?”

“No.” I matched my tone to Gavin’s, “Which leads me to believe he may be working for someone who knows me. Someone who knows I’m an Evolver.”

“Who knows you’re an Evolver? Does any of your family know? What about the people you put away as a bounty hunter?”

“Sam knows.” I looked down in thought, “So do my foster parents. As for the people I put away…” A memory came to mind. I was chasing after a mobster down an alleyway. A car was waiting for him at the end of it, honking noisily. He was nearing it steadily and I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch up to him in time. I made a split decision. I took one of the dumpsters in the alley and chucked it at the mobster. It flew in the air and landed right in front of him, stalling him just enough for me to catch up and take him down.

I cringed slightly. “There’s one.” I awkwardly muttered, “but he is behind bars. It can’t have been him.”

“Well then, there is only one way to find out who it could be.” Gavin said matter-of-factly, “We have to ask Hickman himself.” I looked up at Gavin. His eyes were full of determination. I straightened my posture and matched his gaze.

“Right.” I nodded with courage. Gavin nodded back and looked down at the table. He cleared his throat slightly, his ears turning a slight red

“I… uh… need my hands back.” His voice was awkward as he evaded his gaze both from the table and me. I looked down and saw that I was still holding his hands. I felt my face burn as I quickly pulled them back.

“S-sorry.” I muttered, rubbing my face casually to mask my red cheeks. Gavin swept the file from the coffee table and stood up. He walked to the door and opened it. I leaned back on the comfy sofa and waited for the door to shut... I looked up and saw him still standing at the door.

“You coming?” He asked, gesturing to the door.

“You… want me to come with you?” I asked, stupidly. Gavin’s face fell into one that only an idiot would receive.

“Do you want to know who paid this guy?” Gavin asked. I nodded, “Then come on! I don’t know who you put away. I need you there to tell me if the name he gives us is real. Besides,” Gavin rubbed his neck and looked away from me, “you could tell this guy was lying to you with his eyes alone. I could use that in an interrogation.” I slowly nodded and stood up.

“Give me a moment to talk to Sam first.” I said as I walked through the door. I scanned the area for any sign of my little brother.

“That will be kind of hard to do.” Gavin closed the door behind us.

“And why is that?” My tone returned to its initial darkness.

“I took him home.”

I blinked.

“...you what?”

“I took him home. I didn’t know how long we would keep you here and he didn’t do anything wrong so I drove him home after he gave me his story.” Gavin’s eye contact with me seemed sincere. I leaned away from him slightly, “Which strangely matched your initial story perfectly, might I add. It almost makes me wonder what kind of kid he really is."

“OK, one more question.” I said, “Who are you and what have you done with my crabby neighbor?” Gavin chuckled. That was the first time I had heard him laugh. The sound made me slightly uneasy… but it wasn’t an awful sound.

“Maybe I’m not as bad as you make me out to be.” Gavin gave me a pat on the shoulder as he walked past me. “Which reminds me, Sam told me to tell you to call him when you get released.” I stared at him as he walked down the busy hallway. Was he just… nice to me? To Sam? What happened to that heartless cop I once knew? Did Sam say something to him to make him change?... Did I say something to him to make him change? What... I shook the thoughts out of my head. There was no time to be thinking about these things. There was a criminal that needed to be taken down. I quickly caught up to Gavin and walked with him down the hallway and to the interrogation room.

(Next part to be posted on Wednesday April 29th)

#i almost accidentally deleted this part #almost had a heart attack #the fluff begins #strap yourselves in cause it's about to get so much fluffier #im talking angora rabbit levels of fluff here people #seriously google an angora rabbit #them suckers are fluffy af #mlqc gavin #mlqc gavin fanfic #mlqc #mr love #mlqc oc #mlqc oc fanfiction #mlqc oc fanfic

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vultury · 5 years ago

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@brainsnbeauty // interstellar sentence meme // cont. from Here

|| Liz || Gumdrop !!

for a brief moment there’s silence on her part. it’s DEAFENING , & her ears are pounding – or maybe that’s her heart ? both , maybe. no – definitely both. all bodily sensations are starting to blend into one & she has to take a breath so unfathomably deep to steady herself. fight or flight is kicking in big time , but in her heart she knows it’s not him she wishes to flee but instead the plethora of feelings that have arisen. it’s complex , & despite being a smart girl like herself , not even liz can untangle the mental web her mind has so intricately woven. that said , the girl’d be lying if she said her father’s dedication to the return of his lost love came as a surprise. in some part she’s certain this could be chalked up to the stubborn & steadfast nature with which she’d been bestowed as a mere result of being raised by the man standing before her. on the other hand , the two had always had some sort of telepathy. not the kind prominent within reality of some who’d born with such a gift ( or curse , perhaps , depending upon how one looked at it ) , but the kind that breeds as a result of knowing another so intimately. she’d always find her way back to him. liz had tried so desperately for so long to cast this truth aside. clearly , she’s failed. it’s inevitable , her being here. perhaps it’s the sudden disappearance of her mother just years prior , & the subsequent adoption of he belief that life truly is precious & often taken for granted. she knew things could change in the blink of an eye - courtesy of mr. toomes himself - but the loss of doris , the seemingly permanent loss , truly drove the message home. the thing is , liz was so certain for so long that she was free of her past … onto better things. but she’s gone backwards , & it feels most satisfying to be here than it does to be elsewhere. it’s conflicting , to find comfort in the one who’d made a mess of her life. she’ll shift her weight then , hands clasping before her. there’s a lot she’d like to say in this moment. maybe a simple … “ sorry “ ? seems lackluster , but there must be something to quell this guilt that resides within her gut. something that she means. lips quirk , eyes averted until words tumble forth.

❛ —— of course i would , dad. i love you. ❜

☆——» Even after being told the traumatic news that his love, that his wife && the doting mother of his most cherished daughter had been culled away from this unforgiving world, Toomes held steadfast an unyielding refusal to believe it was the ultimate end. All evidence of such a glaring truth had been painfully visible to his own two eyes prior to Liz’s final visit when fellow inmates && security guards had been snapped away into a curiously familiar cloud of ash && dust all around the prison. It was pure pandemonium to behold, to be sure. But pure spite && bullheadedness prevailed, with Adrian ignoring the fact that Doris was truly gone. He just couldn’t allow for such a poisoned reality to seep into his mind. It would absolutely break him.

This was just another play of deception, a lie -- the universe, the Avengers, the gods above && below toying with mortal lives for nothing but cruel SPORT. There was no way, no way in H E L L Doris could be dead. Robbed from him && his daughter, forever. He wouldn’t give into that logic, no matter how many years had stumbled past him that cruelly spoke, spat in his face that ‘this is it, this is permanent, YOU can’t change this.’

He had built an entire profitable, if blood-stained empire upon cunning lies, misrepresentations of still being that legitimate blue-collar demolition && salvage worker. Perhaps it was because he had learned how to so easily lie to his family in order to protect them, that lying to himself with what could only be described as delusional hope came all the more naturally. If he didn’t have this hope to cling to, like a lifeline made of barbed-wire which dug, ripped, clawed into every inch of his being, what little humanity he had left might all but disappear. He won’t give up to save what little was left of his family.

Even if it meant more visitations behind bullet-proof glass, it would be worth it, right? Just to see Doris again. To know mother && daughter could be united once more on the same plane of existence...

He is surprised, elated to find Liz standing here upon her own accord. A numbed heart abruptly pumping with adrenaline jolt, not because of a flight-test or robbery, but birthed of pure warmth from a father’s love. Separation did in fact make the heart grow fonder, at least so was the case for Adrian. Liz wasn’t arriving on his doorstep due to sheepish requests made over phone calls to meet over a bite to eat or offerings of presents on her birthday, or any holiday her father can find to try && see, talk to his Gumdrop for more than a few fleeting minutes. Much as it kills him inside knowing their relationship might be damaged beyond a permanent, less painful repair, Adrian knew he just had to weather the storm instead of fighting against the tides of change.

He wasn’t a bad father, not by Adrian’s own biased opinion. He loved Liz more than life itself. He’d do anything for her ;; for her happiness, safety, health, even if it meant destroying himself in the process. Whatever it would take, Adrian was more than willing to go or keep a distance. Liz knew this. && he knew, believed that his Gumdrop, even if she had grown up faster than she should have, tried to put him in her rear-view mirror, well, she must to still love him, even if it wasn’t as much as before. Love was still there. Had to be...

But hearing those words, sheepish as they may be, certainly helped not only brighten Adrian’s mood, but bring a smile to light that pulled at muscles that hadn’t been used in a very long time. Weights lifted off his chest of which he hadn’t been aware were piled on high, like he could breathe after slowly drowning. So many lies he told himself to get through each day, it was relieving to know Liz wasn’t just another delusional fantasy.

This time, Toomes won’t keep himself at arms length. Instead, stepping forward to embrace Liz in what could only be described as a bearhug. Holding onto her as if at any moment, she might just slip between his fingers like in one too many nightmares of being left alone in a world made entirely of mountains of ash && embers.

❝ I love you too, Gumdrop... always. ❞

That was one thing of which would never change in this world, no matter how hard it tried to tear them apart. He squeezes her one more time before breaking away just enough to look at her directly. Tears are held behind the dam, but there are cracks forming beyond just the years that lined his face.

❝ It’s so good to see you again. -- Waitaminute, did you get taller? ❞ He’s teasing, making small talk in an effort to keep from becoming utterly overwhelmed by emotion, but is as genuine with her as ever. Huffing that gruff chuckle as he ruffles her hair, then passes a hand up to his forehead to discern height. But his other hand seems to refuse to let go of hers, lightly squeezing, reminding himself that this could be very well the last time he’d see her again, just like every other time since his days in prison.

❝ You’re a real sight for sore eyes, kiddo. I’ve missed the hell outta you. How’ve you been? Hey- c’mon inside, if you want... I’ve still got plenty of coffee brewin’. We can talk over a cup’a Joe? ❞

With that, Adrian relents in his physical contact, stepping aside && back into the less extravagant house he now occupied. It’s far smaller, but still cozy && well maintained -- aside from the pile of blueprints && textbooks sprawled across the kitchen counter. That organized chaos was enough to mimic a college students study space right before midterm exams, with the addition of specialty calibrated tools, tablets, && random looking assortments of small mechanical parts. He only spares that pile a glance, but is more worried that Liz was only stopping by for a brief moment to tell him that she’s moving to another country, or off into SPACE itself.

#brainsnbeauty #gumdrop! ;; Liz #;; Long Thread #V ;; I'm not a Hero || Just a Guy in an Unfortunate Circumstance #\\ -inhales-#\\ -screams-#\\ i love these two so friggen much yall don't understand ashsdfskdfjsfb #\\ I cry every time i write something abt these two interacting #\\ FEEEEELLLSSS

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