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drunk-person · 3 months ago

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Lys the lovely (Modern Au) P.5

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x cousin!reader

Summary: One of the most talked about gossips among the lower class servants in Kings Landing is the fact (or not) that Aemond Targaryen got involved with his cousin Y/n Targaryen when they were both teenagers. Mainly due to the fact that at the age of 17 she was sent to Old Town overnight. Some employees claim that Aemond was caught between her legs. Some say that, like her father, she had had a horrible fight with her uncle and aunt and was sent away. And other than that none of this happened, she just became interested in the course offered at the Old Town conservatory. But now five years later, Y/n Targaryen is back, and rumors haunt those who favor them.

This chapter is a part of a main story The gossip, you can find the previous chapter, summary and general tags by accessing the link.

Summary of the chapter: Aemond and Y/n decide to escape for a moment alone in the most isolated place they know, but the world outside keeps turning.

Warnings of the chapter: 18+ mdni! Fluff, summer things, light alcohol consumption, couples trip, slight codependency, no description for reader.

Word count: 12.500 k

A/N: I hope you like the new chapter, I'm very happy and grateful for all the dear people who commented on the previous chapter, thank you very much, your comments inspire me! Comments and suggestions are welcome 💕

A/N²: I listened to several songs while writing this chapter, Summer Time Sadness by Lana was one of them, but one that really hit me and I listened to a lot was Little Talks of Monsters and Men, maybe you think it fits. I hope you enjoy the new chapter. 💕💕

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"Hey hey kings landing, Floris Baratheon showed up alone at the opening of Lyana Blackwood's restaurant. Apparently when they asked her about Aemond Targaryen she didn't seem very happy, and some even said she rolled her eyes at times when talking about him. Could it be that our once unshakable couple is going through problems?"

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The company was almost completely deserted when Aemond and Y/n went down to the parking lot, which was a good thing since the appearance of both of them was not what could be called presentable. Y/n's hair, previously perfectly tied in a bun with braids, was completely loose and with the braids coming out of the sides, her clothes were completely wrinkled and her legs were still trembling.

Aemond wasn't in much better condition, with his hair messy and his clothes disheveled, but the smile was constant on his lips. The older man rested his jacket on Y/n's shoulders, since the blouse was sticking to her sweaty skin and marking her beautiful breasts that belonged only to his eyes. She just smiled at him brightly as they rode in the elevator.

-I can't wait for us to be alone in Lys. - Y/n's excitement was visible as she got into the car, already taking off her heels and putting them in the bag, and also Aemond's jacket, hanging it on the seat.

-Do you know that since I left I haven't been to the beach anymore? I've missed the sea a lot. - The smile was constant as she spoke, it was almost that same innocent smile from childhood when they both discovered something new that excited them both.

Aemond felt almost physical pain hearing her say that with such joy. Every time he stopped, even for a second, to think about everything she had lost in the last few years, he felt bile rising in his throat with the guilt of not having done anything to stop it.

He knew there was more to it than Y/n was telling him, that she wasn't as okay with all of this as she seemed, but the idea of pressuring her to talk without knowing if she was ready didn't seem right to him, and in the end, he didn't even know if he was ready to talk about everything that happened that night and in the five years that followed. He just wanted to see her happy, and be happy by her side.

-I heard there's a luau on the beach that's beautiful. - Y/n sighed, crossing one leg over the other and leaning towards Aemond. - We can watch the stars together.

-It's going to be wonderful. - He smiled sideways and gently squeezed her thigh. The oldest was driving while Y/n chattered excitedly about everything they were going to do at the weekend and looked out the window observing the city at night. Little by little, her brow furrowed as she observed the path that was visibly different from the one they had taken earlier.

-Where are we going, Aem? - Her voice was curious as she looked at him expectantly.

-Well, if we're going to take the weekend off to spend time together… let's make the most of it. - He shrugged, looking at her while stopping at the traffic light. - I'm going straight to the airfield.

-You swear? - She smiled excitedly and Aemond nodded.

-We'll take the jet from there and be in Lys in 2 hours at the most.

Aemond was giving that simple side smile as he said this, and Y/n jumped on him distributing kisses on his neck and cheeks, she only stopped when they both heard a horn and noticed the green light of the traffic light invading the car. He just rolled his eyes and huffed while Y/n laughed returning to her seat. The remaining path was not very long with the Aerodrome being located south of the city near Rhaenys hill, Aemond just stopped at a pizzeria on the way at Y/n's request and picked up a pizza to take away.

-Mr. Targaryen. - The pilot greeted Aemond respectfully as they entered. - Going to a business meeting?

The man's gaze changed instantly and he had to force himself not to choke when he saw Y/n next to Aemond.

-Not today, Captain White. - Aemond approached the man with a serious gaze. - I'm going to Lys with my cousin, and I would like your utmost discretion regarding this.

Faced with Aemond's completely serious tone, the man just nodded, avoiding looking at the two any longer.

-And when do you plan to return? - He still looked away as he questioned his boss.

-You can pick us up on Sunday night.

-Yes, sir. - The older man said, already going to prepare things for takeoff and leaving them alone.

-I know I already said that I love your business voice, but I'll say it again. - Y/n smiled, hanging onto Aemond's neck now that they were alone. - I love your business voice.

Aemond just gave a sideways smile and pulled her closer by the waist, leaving a peck on her soft lips, and then pulled her by the waist in the direction of the hangar.

A few minutes later, they were both already settled inside the private jet Targaryen just waiting for takeoff without suitcases, without giving any satisfaction. Just the two of them, without anyone else knowing.

After the jet took off and was stabilized, the two took off their seat belts and sat in front of the television with Y/n pulling the pizza box while Aemond took the TV control.

-No movies with historical drama. You know I hate sad endings. - Y/n protested, snuggling closer to Aemond. - Remember when they showed a movie about the story of Elia Martell in ancient history class? I cried like a baby!

-You were sad for days. - The oldest threw his head back laughing at the memory.

-That's not funny! - Y/n rolled her eyes. - Our stupid ancestor destroyed that poor girl's life.

-So, no Rhaegar as possible names for our future child? - He frowned, teasing her.

-No. Never. - Y/n replied smiling, until she opened the pizza box.

-Aemond I can't believe you ordered ham with pineapple pizza. - She pushed his shoulder, making him smile.

-It's delicious. - He shrugged as he reached into the box, taking a bite out of it.

-It's disgusting. - Y/n grimaced as she watched him eat a slice of pizza with the greatest amount of grace she had ever seen in a human being.

-Haven't you lost your childish taste yet? - He cocked his eyebrow ironically.

-First, I don't have a childish taste, this is just a matter of civility. - She pulled the pizza box back towards her. - And second, if that freak you dare call pizza has passed flavor to my cheese half, I will definitely kill you.

Aemond just smiled, rolled his eyes and pulled her by the shoulder closer to him while he selected any movie from the available menu.

The rest of the trip was short, since Kings Landing wasn't that far from the free cities, and the two took advantage of the time to just lie down together in one of the plane's seats while they talked and laughed. Aemond stroking Y/n's hair, and she clung to his chest as if he were going to disappear.

-Did you know that I always dreamed about that?- Aemond whispered against her ear and Y/n felt her chest heat up. - Since the day I started working in that room I dreamed of you sucking my dick like that.

-Really? - She rested her hands on his chest and raised her torso to look him in the eyes, and Aemond just murmured in agreement, nodding his head positively. - I left you a good memory then. - Y/n smiled smugly as she caressed his chest.

-You were horrible at this before. - He chuckled, rolling his eyes.

-You said I was great. - She hit his chest, now offended.

-Because I had never been sucked before in my life. But being able to compare your current self with your 15-year-old self, I can say that you were horrible.

-I should have bitten you. - She growled, hitting his chest. - I'll never suck your cock again in my life.

-We both know that's a lie. - He smiled ironically, grabbing her arm and pulling her in for a kiss.

-Am I good now? - She asked, resting on his shoulders and looking at him.

-So fucking good. - He murmured against her lips, still smiling mischievously, making her blush slightly and kiss him once more.

Y/n laughed and distributed kisses on his neck, chin, jaw and jaw, with Aemond pulling her closer and kissing her on the lips.

-We look like two rabbits in heat. - Aemond spoke between kisses and Y/n laughed, tucking her head into the crook of his neck.

-That's because we miss each other so much. - She kissed his jaw.

-We've been like this since we found out we could have sex. - He raised his eyebrow at Y/n and she just laughed, burying her head even deeper into his neck, making Aemond pull her by the jaw for another kiss.

-Did you touch yourself thinking about me? - He asked maliciously against her lips and Y/n nodded anxiously.

-Almost every night. But it was never enough, I missed your fingers, your cock so much. - She pointed out, leaving kisses on Aemond's marked jaw and sighing against his skin.

-Touch yourself for me. - He asked against her strands of hair, practically rubbing his own body against Y/n's. - Just like you did in the past, let me see you touch that cunt, and then I'll give you all the pleasure you want.

And Y/n did, just like when they were first figuring out how to pleasure each other as teenagers, she lay back against the couch and spread her legs before him, languidly touching herself as she cried out Aemond's name. And when she finally came against his fingers, whimpering for him, Aemond kissed her and made good on what he had said.

After spilling himself inside her for the third time that day, Aemond lay panting over Y/n's tired body, trailing soft kisses all over her collarbone. He had forgotten how good sex could be, not just any sex, sex with Y/n. It had been so hard to stop, and now he was addicted again, it was like he was 17 again and all he could think about was fucking her, being inside her, kissing her whole body.

In the years that had passed, he had never felt desire for any other woman, at most he had used his own hand to pleasure himself while looking at that damn polaroid of Y/n naked and smiling lazily between the sheets. But he felt no relief because what he really wanted was her, the warmth of her arms, the sweetness of her words whispered in his ear, the wonderful taste of her lips that drove him crazy. And now he had all of that back and he couldn't stop.

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In Kings Landing Mayane Dancil had barely closed the door after arriving home from a long day of work and her niece had already jumped on her telling her about what had happened in the store earlier while she told her about what she had seen in Aemond's apartment.

-Didn't you tell his mother? - Milla asked in shock.

-But of course not! - Her aunt answered promptly, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world. - We don't meddle in the bosses' affairs Milla, you should know that by now.

-It's one thing to gossip among ourselves about what they do, it's another to let them know what we do. - The older woman was very serious as she said those words. - What do you think Aemond Targaryen would do to me if he found out that I was telling his mother what was going on inside his house?

-Most likely I would put you out on the street. - The girl answered somewhat embarrassed while looking at a potted plant as if it were very interesting.

-Worse than that, it would guarantee that I would never get a job again. - She sighed and looked at her niece. - Do you know why I work for both brothers?

The youngest just shook her head at the question.

-Mrs. Hightower helped me get the job because she wanted me to tell her everything her children do. - The woman spoke in a whisper, as if Alicent could hear her. - But I never told her anything significant because I'm not stupid enough to think that woman would protect me from the wrath of her children if they found out something like that.

-Never forget our position, Milla. - Her aunt's voice was serious, but softer as she tucked a strand of hair behind her niece's ear. - We can have fun gossiping about their lives, but we can't interfere in the games they play.

-You saw what happened to Joy today, she almost got fired for talking too much in front of Floris Baratheon. - The oldest caressed her niece's hair. - Don't make the same mistake she did.

Almost immediately after she finished speaking, the cell phone rang on the screen, the name flashing brightly.

Mrs. Hightower

Mayane shivered and signaled for her niece to be quiet as she answered the phone using the most polite voice she had.

-Good evening Mrs Hightower, is there any problem? - Mayane held her breath after speaking.

-Whether there was anything strange in your son’s apartment today? - She raised her eyebrows at her niece as she spoke to the woman on the phone. - Everything exactly as always, ma'am, Mr. Aemond is a very organized young man.

-Yes, I'm sure. - She shook her head without even realizing it while she was lying. - Good night ma'am.

When the call ended, the woman finally started breathing normally again.

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Alicent knew that the maid was lying, she knew that it was impossible that she had not seen anything, but she could not force her to tell the truth.

-What are we going to do, father? - Her eyes were closed as she faced Oto.

-Are you sure about what you are talking about, Alicent? - The older man walked around the room with a thoughtful look.

-If this is true, we will need to intervene as soon as possible. For his sake and mine, the elections are coming up and it will not be well received by the party if it comes to light that my grandson has been involved with a cousin. The opposition will descend on this like the vultures they are.

-I don't know what else to do to keep him away from her. - Alicent's eyes were bloodshot as she picked at her cuticles. - He doesn't listen to me, and Viserys won't do anything about it.

-We will appeal to Aemond's ambitious side. - Oto poured two fingers of whiskey into a glass as he paced the room with calculated movements. - Remember what I told you at the last party meeting? It's still in his favor. If Aemond wants to take advantage of this opportunity, he'll have to distance himself from her.

-And if that doesn't work? - Alicent squeaked, looking at her father in exasperation.

-Then we'll go down the path of his loyalty to the family. - Oto smiled reassuringly at Alicent. - She may even have some power over him, but Aemond would never do anything that would harm my campaign or the name of the entire family.

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Y/n and Aemond fixed their disheveled appearance before exiting the jet, both with satisfied smiles on their faces as they walked down the stairs on the Lys runway. She decided to leave her hair loose, which now fell wildly down her back, much to Aemond's delight, who loved to see it loose.

As soon as they entered Lys Airport, they were guided to a counter where they were supposed to leave any electronics that could record images. Aemond had already left his cell phone and other belongings in the trunk of the car, and Y/n's cell phone had been forgotten in the hotel room for two days. After that, they went through the X-ray and were allowed to enter the country without any major problems.

-What hotel are we staying in? - Y/n asked after getting into the black car that was waiting for them at the exit of the airport at Aemond's request.

-Aegon said he came here once and stayed at the Lotus Flower, but I don't know if it's reliable considering the source. - Aemond said laughing and sitting very close to Y/n in the back seat while the driver remained silent until he was told to drive to the main streets, where the two got off at a busy square with a beautiful water fountain in the center and started walking.

The night in Lys was beautiful, Friday night and everyone was in the streets partying even though it was quite late. There were bars and restaurants packed with people having fun, and Y/n and Aemond just walked with their arms around each other smiling on the sidewalk and watching everything. People didn't have cell phones, cameras, or Internet in that part of the island, they were just themselves. They were just dancing, shouting, being silly, not caring that the next day all of this would be ruining their lives online.

Minutes later the two spotted a bar that was playing fun music and they both decided to go in to have a drink together before finding a hotel. The two drank about three drinks and the conversation that was already flowing naturally between them became increasingly excited as they talked a little more loudly and exchanged kisses, feeling loosened by the alcohol.

Aemond felt free. There was no one watching him, no one waiting for a slip to judge him, he was so mixed in among the people that no one gave a damn about who he could be. In Westeros, anyone who laid eyes on him would know he was a Targaryen by his hair, but in Lys… he was just another silver-haired guy, just like the bartender and half of the male population of the island. And taken by this thought and the extra confidence of the alcohol, he pulled Y/n by the hand to the dance floor.

Y/n didn't even blink, just threw her head back laughing as she went with him towards the dance floor.

-I hate this song. - She whispered in his ear while biting his ear.

-Yeah, but you're going to dance with me anyway. - Aemond pulled her firmly by the hip.

-Why? - She questioned him with her eyes shining.

-Because I'm asking. - He murmured against her lips.

-Egocentric. - Y/n sighed, kissing him on the lips once more.

The two then pressed their bodies together, smiling as they danced to the lively melody, slightly drunk on alcohol and joy, spinning and jumping around the dance floor amidst other couples without anyone stopping to look at them as if they were a tourist attraction.

The hours passed without them noticing, and both of their feet ached from exhaustion.

-Want to go find a hotel? - Aemond spoke in a slightly louder voice to stand out over the loud music after a few dances and a few more drinks later.

Y/n just nodded, laying her head on his shoulder, completely exhausted after the long day. The older man guided her by the waist to the exit to get to the car once again.

-Take us to a good hotel. - Aemond asked the driver while Y/n lay against his shoulder and closed her eyes, her hair falling in front of her face with the action.

It didn't take them even five minutes to arrive at a beautiful hotel facing the sea with a beautiful flower garden around it. And Aemond smiled softly when he noticed that Y/n had fallen asleep on the short car ride, and without thinking much he just picked her up in his arms and carried her into the hotel with ease while the youngest just snuggled in his arms.

-Only the honeymoon suite is vacant, sir. - The receptionist said after checking the system.

-Excellent. We will keep it. - He smiled slightly drunk, taking the key card between his fingers without letting go of Y/n who was still sleeping snuggled in his arms and heading towards the elevator.

When he got to the room he gently placed her on the bed with soft sheets and took off her sandals and clothes, smiling sideways as he admired her naked body. Aemond opened the door of one of the closets and took out a light pink silk nightgown and carefully put it on her, then laid her on the bed once more, leaving a loving kiss on Y/n's forehead.

Then he, equally tired, took off his own clothes, getting naked and lying down next to her, pulling her towards him and hugging her from behind, snuggling, putting his head in the gap of her neck and falling into a deep sleep soon after, completely relaxed as he was holding onto Y/n.

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Without a single worry in mind, the two slept almost halfway through the day, tightly holding onto each other while forgetting that there was a world outside.

Aemond, as almost always happened, woke up before Y/n and with a side smile he distributed kisses on her exposed neck, who just groaned and buried her face in the pillows.

-We need to get up if we don't want to waste the day. - He whispered in her ear, pulling her towards him while Y/n buried her face in his bare chest.

-Your feet are cold, Aem. - She grumbled as she snuggled even closer to him.

-Mnmm. - He just murmured and nodded, stroking her unruly hair.

-Give me ten more minutes and I swear I'll be ready to get up. - She begged against his neck with her voice hoarse from sleep, and Aemond, after a smile, got up, leaving a kiss on her back and heading towards the large bathroom.

Without Y/n with him, the shower was slightly quick, and when he came out with the towel wrapped around his waist, he noticed that neither he nor Y/n had any clothes for the day, since they hadn't even bothered about it when they left the day before. And with a sigh, he put on the hotel's fluffy robe and called the reception to request clothes from the hotel store in his and Y/n's sizes.

Almost immediately after Aemond hung up the intercom, Y/n stood up lazily and left a kiss on his jaw as she headed towards the bathroom to take a shower and start the day.

Aemond was sitting in an armchair, smiling as he heard Y/n hum softly during her shower, and he almost didn't notice the soft knocks on the bedroom door indicating the arrival of the clothes he had ordered.

After the second knock, he got up to open the door and receive the two orange bags with the hotel's crest engraved on them. And as soon as he closed the door and looked at the contents of the bags, he knew he was in trouble.

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-I won't use this even if I die. - Y/n said, wrapped in a towel, holding it tightly against her chest as she shook her head in disbelief at the sight of the clothes.

-Why not? - Aemond asked, holding the white shirt in one hand and the orange pants in the other. He knew the answer, but they were still the only clothes he had gotten.

-Because it's ridiculous! I'd rather go out naked than wear this, Aemond! - She frowned slightly, laughing at the clothes that were on the bed.

-It's not an option, dear. - He said, furrowing his eyebrows with a roguish smile and pulling her towards him by the waist.

-You can't make me wear those clothes. - She rolled her eyes, putting one hand on his shoulder while holding the towel against her chest with the other.

-No one will see you wearing this. - He chuckled against her hair. - I assure you, I'm not much happier with this than you are, Your Highness, but we don't have much of a choice.

-Aem… - She looked him in the eyes, pouting, and Aemond just bit her lip and pulled it.

-Let's go to a store after here and we can both choose something. - He smiled against her lips, squeezing her tightly around the waist. - If you're good, I can even let you choose my clothes.

– Do you swear? - She raised her left eyebrow, staring at him.

-I swear. - He murmured against the shell of her ear, making her feel goosebumps.

-Then let's get on with it, because if you stay this close to me, we won't be leaving this room any time soon today. - She smiled, pushing him away from her while pulling the clothes off the bed.

As soon as she put on her clothes and turned towards the mirror, Y/n burst out laughing and Aemond couldn't help but laugh softly along with her when he saw himself in the mirror's reflection. Both dressed identically, wearing white cotton shirts and bright orange plain baggy pants.

-We look like two inmates, Aemond. - Y/n writhed with laughter, looking at herself and him. - Didn't they even have shorts?

-They were missing. - Aemond scratched his head as he smiled and admired Y/n so smiling, wearing the ugly hotel clothes and with her hair still damp from the recent shower. - Let's go down or we won't enjoy the day at all.

-I look even worse than you wearing the necklace. - Y/n said as Aemond grabbed the wallet from the sideboard, then pulled it towards him and they both walked out the door still laughing.

-I already know! - Y/n exclaimed, stopping walking and staring at Aemond with wide eyes. - We were arrested because we stole the necklace! - She laughed, throwing her head back and laughing at her own joke, making the older man laugh too, but more restrainedly than Y/n, while holding her close to him.

Upon arriving at the reception, Aemond, now sober, rented a car to they could easily get around the island, a beautiful moss green convertible with retro-looking leather seats. And Y/n couldn't help but tease him about the fact that he was renting a completely classic car on a tropical island, making him smile sideways as he started the car.

-Ok, you can choose the store. - The eldest murmured, gently squeezing Y/n's knee, driving along one of the island's main streets with a smile while her silver hair flew in the gentle wind breeze.

-Gimme a moment. - She smiled, carefully analyzing the stores through the window. The brands were very different in Lys and she didn't know many, only the most famous Love & Grace, but she didn't see it there. And with a smile she asked Aemond to park after seeing a dozen beautiful dresses and other summer clothes in a simple display case.

-You better get ready to keep your promise because today you're going to be my personal model. - She practically bounced when she got out of the car, even briefly forgetting about the ridiculous clothes from the Hotel.

For a moment, as he got out of the car, Aemond looked around, afraid that someone would see them together acting so passionately, or that someone would see him wearing those clothes. But then he remembered where he was and smiled at Y/n, taking her hand in his to cross the street together.

-I told you I could choose an outfit. - He protested and pulled her closer to him, putting his arm around her back and holding her by the waist as they crossed the street.

-I’m pretty sure I heard clothes in the plural. - Y/n hummed. - And don't even try to fool me, Aemond Targaryen, I know you too well for that.

Aemond just smiled and placed a kiss on her hair. As soon as the door opened and they both entered, the store attendant chuckled and looked away slightly when she saw the two, and Y/n just looked at Aemond and curved her eyebrow as if to say "I told you so!" and the older one, in return, just pouted and shrugged in an almost audible gesture of "What can I do?".

And letting go of Aemond, Y/n went towards the smiling attendant who immediately tried to be serious.

-Good morning, I would like to try on the dresses that are on display in your window. - Y/n said, smiling friendly as she leaned over the counter. And the young woman, without looking her in the eyes, nodded positively, already heading towards the window to see what the pieces were, tripping on the way and regaining her balance while holding on to the counter.

-It's okay to laugh. - Y/n smiled again towards the attendant when she noticed the girl's nervousness. - We know we look ridiculous. - She made a face, pointing at her own clothes in a relaxed manner, and the girl smiled a little as she asked Y/n's size.

-What's your name? - Y/n asked as she looked at some clothes and Aemond had to hold back a smile, she hadn't lost her chatty manner.

-Arlie, miss.

-It's a very pretty name if you want to know. - She smiled at the girl as she pulled out two shirts that Aemond strongly suspected were for him.

-Ahem, let's go to the fitting room. - She pulled him by the hand, confirming his suspicions. - Try these on and I'll bring you some more.

The relief Aemond felt when he took his clothes out of the hotel was fleeting when he put on the shirts Y/n gave him.

-I brought black shorts out of respect for your goth side. - She said as she hung the shorts on the dressing room door and waited for him to come out already dressed.

-Speaking of which and paraphrasing you earlier today. - He paused dramatically and opened the dressing room door, coming out with the black shorts and bright yellow shirt. - I'm not wearing that shirt even if I'm dead.

He looked at her very seriously and Y/n burst out laughing at the same time, holding on to the door frame of the dressing room as she looked at him, making Aemond raise his eyebrows.

-I didn't expect you to use it. - She looked at him, still smiling. - That was just personal revenge for making me wear that. - She said pointing to her own clothes, and the older man, rolling his eyes, ripped the shirt off his head and threw it over her, making her laugh even more.

-I'm going to regret letting you do that…

-Okay, okay. - Y/n interrupted him with pleading eyes. - I'll be good now, I promise. - And when she kissed his fingers as she said that, Aemond felt like a string was pulling at his heart, and shaking his head negatively, he brought his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her in for a sweet, soft kiss before returning to the dressing room, leaving Y/n standing there smiling and looking at the door.

-I'll be much nicer now. - She spoke loudly, returning to the store's hall, making the older man smile to himself inside the fitting room as he waited for more clothes.

About forty minutes later, Y/n had already chosen clothes for herself and was just watching Aemond try on his with a look that mixed between pure love, desire and genuine happiness as he changed looked at the pieces with that serious and firm look directed at her, smiling every now and then as they talked.

-You're lucky we don't have much time to waste. - Y/n bit her lower lip as she admired him wearing the looks she put together, already dressed in a beautiful flowing lilac dress and wearing a green bikini underneath. - Or we would stay here forever.

-We already have more than enough for today and tomorrow. - He pulled her by the hips close to him. - Are you satisfied?

-For now. - She gave him a quick peck on the lips and pulled him by the hand towards the cashier, while Arlie passed the clothes. Y/n smiled when she saw a pair of black sunglasses that she knew would look perfect on Aemond. And still smiling, she turned him towards her with her fingertips and placed the glasses on his face, sighing at the result, making Aemond roll his eyes.

-I think it's fair that I at least choose your sunglasses. - He murmured, smiling sideways and Y/n agreed, narrowing her eyes.

-No funny business, sir.

Aemond rolled his eyes, choosing a nice pair of glasses that matched his own and placing them on Y/n's face.

-Excellent taste. - She smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror and Aemond just shrugged with a slightly shy smile as he paid the bill, making her smile even more.

-Bye Arlie, I hope you have a good day of sales. - Y/n waved to the attendant as the two left the store with their various shopping bags.

As she put the bags she was carrying in the trunk of the car, Y/n raised her eyebrows slightly when she noticed that Aemond had put their ugly hotel clothes in a bag from the store, but she ended up not asking him anything when she felt a soft kiss on the back of her neck as he closed the trunk and guided her by the waist towards the passenger seat.

-Where to now? - He smiled, squeezing her thigh as he maneuvered the car.

-I saw a lovely restaurant in front of the beach a few meters back. - She smiled, looking at him. - We can eat and then stay at the beach.

-Sounds really good to me. - Aemond then looked away at Y/n's body and smiled slightly. -This dress looks like the one you wore to my graduation.

-Do you remember? - She looked down analyzing her own clothes with a stupid smile on her lips.

-How could I forget, you were so suspenseful about this that it seemed like it was already our wedding day. - Aemond rolled his eyes with a smile. - And then there you were, more beautiful than any of the graduates sitting in the front rows, waving at me and smiling. I felt like it was more worth being there to admire you than for anything else.

Y/n's heart melted as she heard Aemond describe the way he remembered her that night. And with a smile she placed her own hand over his hand that was on her thigh while he drove and squeezed it gently in affection.

It didn't take them five whole minutes to get to the restaurant, and it really was lovely. With a beautiful bouquet of purple Bougainvillea climbing up the columns and tiles of the porch, making the place cozy and colorful, and several wicker tables and chairs spread across the polished wooden floor.

Aemond pulled out a yellow wicker chair for Y/n to sit on and after she did so he placed a kiss on her hair as he pulled out a chair for himself, sitting next to her and already picking up one of the menus on the table and analyzing it.

They both ordered salmon, but Y/n opted for a Mediterranean salad without onions while Aemond chose something with more green leaves. The lunch was light and peaceful with the two laughing and talking as they shared food from each other's plates even though they had ordered almost the same thing.

And after paying the bill, the two finally went towards the beach, which was empty in that part, but there were still some people talking or sitting in the kiosks, far from the privacy they both wanted.

-We can go to a more secluded place. - Aemond suggested. - We'll take a snack and have a picnic later.

Y/n's eyes lit up at the suggestion and she nodded, pulling Aemond by the hand towards a wooden kiosk covered with straw.

Aemond bought a wicker basket while Y/n chose some things they could take to eat, and in the end she ended up with fruit juices, two sandwiches, a bowl with a mix of strawberries and cherries and some crab cakes.

-Apparently they don't sell lemon cake in beach kiosks. - Y/n rolled her eyes as she put everything in the basket under the watchful eye of Aemond, who just smiled sideways at her.

The two walked and talked for what seemed like hours, until they reached a completely empty and quiet beach. Only the sound of the waves and their voices interrupted there, and with a smile Y/n spread the aqua green linen blanket that Aemond had recently bought on the sand for them both to sit on.

-Gods i missed this so much. - Y/n smiled as she felt the cool sea breeze against her face.

-You just stayed in the conservatory all the time? - He bowed his forehead. - Not allowed to go out?

-We had guided "tours" into town once every two months.

-But? From your tone I know there's a but.

-I was banned because the first time I tried to call you from a pay phone. - She huffed, feeling tears in her eyes as she remembered that horrible day.

-It's okay. - Aemond murmured against her hair after gently pulling her towards him. - We're together now, you're safe and with me.

-No one will separate us anymore. - He stated with certainty, looking into her eyes. - Do you understand me, Y/n?

She nodded, wiping away a tear and smiling at Aemond, giving her a hug.

-Want to talk about this? - He murmured against her hair as he stroked her back with his fingertips.

Y/n just shook her head slowly and then looked him in the eyes.

-I just want to be happy to be here now. - She smiled at the eldest and left a sweet kiss on his angular chin.

❦❦❦

The sunlight shone on Y/n's skin and Aemond enjoyed it as he ran his fingers gently over it. He could notice more clearly every little change in that body he loved so much. Some small light stretch marks that were not there before now went down her breasts and lodged below the fabric of her bikini and Aemond wished to see her naked under the sun so he could see them completely clearly.

And satisfying that desire, he untied the knot of the bikini top, pulling it down and he could see her breasts under the golden sun of Lys. Y/n didn't object, she just stood there with her eyes closed, feeling the touch of his fingers and enjoying the warmth of his gaze.

Aemond gently traced his fingers along the white lines that had appeared there due to the growth. The touch was not malicious, but rather adoration. Y/n's nipples gradually rose with his gentle touch and noticing this, the older smiled and placed a sweet kiss on her left breast, making her shudder.

And with a bigger smile he distributed kisses over her left breast, being meticulous in each small new mark that had appeared. And when he finished he gently sucked her nipple making her bite her lips and gasp his name.

-I'm taking care of you. - He answered simply as he moved to the other breast and did the exact same thing, making Y/n sigh, and when he finished and sucked her right nipple Y/n opened her eyes and pulled him into a slow and passionate kiss that in both of their minds seemed to last hours.

-When we're done I'll have recounted each of your freckles in case a new one has appeared out of my sight. - He promised, trailing kisses down her neck while Y/n tangled her hands in his hair, pulling him closer and closer until they were both hugging each other, Y/n's bare breasts pressed against Aemond's bare chest.

When the two finally let go of each other, Y/n stood up under Aemond's confused gaze, who frowned. And with a mischievous smile, Y/n removed the bottom of her bikini under Aemond's watchful eye. And still laughing, she turned and began walking towards the sea, completely naked.

-Y/n! - Aemond shouted her name, who just laughed, looking at him over her shoulder. - Seven hells. - He grumbled, mesmerized by the sight of her walking naked along the deserted beach under the sun.

-Come with me, Aem. - She called him with that melodious voice while making the come here gesture with her index finger, already entering the water and getting lost in the waves.

Seeing her there, naked in the middle of the sea waves, Aemond suspected that perhaps his cousin was a mermaid, or one of those mythical sea creatures he had read about, that bewitched weak-hearted idiot men. The way he couldn't contain himself in her presence couldn't be normal, there had to be something wrong with it. And with that thought, he took off his own shorts and went towards the sea where Y/n was waiting for him with only her eyes out of the water, and just by looking into her eyes, Aemond knew that she was smiling mischievously at him.

As soon as he approached, she entwined herself around his body like a vine, pulling him close and kissing him slowly.

-I think that in at least one place in the world what you do to me should be considered a crime. - Aemond murmured against her neck salted by seawater.

-Maybe, but I don't care as long as I have you. - She sighed, looking into his eyes and Aemond smiled, pulling her in for another kiss.

-How could you have spent 5 years confined in a conservatory and still be like this? - The eldest bit her lower lip, pulling it slightly.

-Have you ever heard the theory that repression is the best way to create rebellion?

-Good theory. - He kissed her again with even more passion.

-My mother would be so pissed if my ass appeared on the cover of a newspaper. - Aemond said, squinting after thinking for a few moments, making Y/n laugh.

-That's already happened to Aegon, twice, and he's still alive. - She laughed, hanging around his neck. - She'd probably kill you for your naked ass being next to my naked ass.

-Mmmm. - He just muttered under his breath while laughing and Y/n, taking advantage of the distraction, splashed water on him while laughing.

And as if they were children again, the two screamed and splashed water on each other, smiling and laughing amidst kisses and laughter. When they were both shivering from the cold, they got out of the water, still kissing, lightly biting each other's lips.

-You're the most beautiful person I've ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on. - Aemond tucked a lock of hair behind Y/n's ear, speaking in a low, soft voice, making her blush, and then he kissed her deeply once more.

And with her body still wet from the salty sea water, Aemond laid her down on the blanket on the sand and took her under the golden sunset of Lys, loving every part of her body with passionate kisses and sweet caresses while the last rays of the day's sun bathed their naked bodies.

-You're so beautiful.- Y/n sighed, looking at him with bright eyes and her head lying on Aemond's bare chest and her legs entwined between his, both comfortable under the starry sky while the only audible sound was that of the crickets. - The most beautiful man I've ever seen.

-Considering the last few years, I don't think there were many to compare it to. - Aemond joked, slightly laughing and Y/n rolled her eyes with a huff.

-You're the most beautiful Aemond Targaryen, just deal with it. - She lifted her head and her torso, looking into his eyes, speaking seriously, making him let out a nasal laugh and pulling her to lie back on his chest.

-I'm happy to be here with you. - He stroked her hair lovingly while admiring the stars. - It's like I feel alive again after years of living under anesthesia.

-It's funny you say that because I feel the same way. - She caressed his chest with her fingertips.

-Sometimes I don't know who I am anymore. I spent so much time pretending that I think I forgot, but when I'm with you I feel like I'm me again. Just me, without having to try hard for it, without having to think or pretend. - Y/n pressed her eyes tightly as she said this, and Aemond remembered what she had said the day before about pretending to avoid being punished and with that thought he hugged her tightly.

-No need to pretend. Not with me, I will always love you and accept you exactly the way you are. - He smiled softly, looking into her eyes. - Every characteristic of yours makes you my Y/n, and I would never change anything.

Y/n laughed, feeling tears in her eyes.

-Not even my total dislike for reading and dramatic movies? - Her voice was choked as she teased him.

-Maybe the books part. - He tightened his grip on her waist, making her laugh out loud and shrink against him, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

-I'm hungry. - She murmured against his skin.

-I think we'll have a picnic under the stars then. - He chuckled, pulling the wicker basket closer.

❦❦❦

Y/n and Aemond returned to the hotel for a quick shower and a change of clothes since night had fallen and the youngest was anxious for them to go to the famous luau on the main beach. The two of them put on light-colored clothes and decided to walk since the beach where the luau was taking place was just a few meters from the hotel.

The beach was lit only by fire torches and moonlight while several people laughed, ate and danced to the soft music that was played on a guitar. Some women were weaving flowery necklaces and there were food and drink stalls. Y/n let go of his hand so she could walk around and observe things more closely.

When she returned smiling moments later, she was carrying a shell necklace that she had received from a stranger, and before Aemond could say anything, she put it around his neck with a radiant smile.

-It looks beautiful on you, Aem.

He just smiled and pulled her by the waist, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. The two of them bought a new blanket and spread it on the sand to sit and watch the stars and the sea while enjoying the music, sharing drinks and eating some food that was being served.

The youngest smiled, sipping a fruit drink and humming the same melody that was played on the guitar. And watching Y/n sway gently to the slow rhythm of the music, Aemond took the last sip of his own drink before getting up from the blanket and pulling Y/n to stand as well.

-Would you grant me the honor of this dance, My Lady? - His voice was gallant as he bowed, making Y/n laugh and throw her head back.

-Of course, my good sir. - She bowed with a wide smile as she joined Aemond.

The two danced barefoot on the sand of the beach under the silver moonlight, with satisfied smiles on their faces. Aemond pulled her closer and closer, while his hands grabbed her waist and hips firmly.

-I'm sure that wasn't how our ancestors danced. - She laughed against his neck when she felt a firmer grip on her hip.

-These are modern times, we can adapt some things. - He shrugged, leaving a gentle kiss on her neck and she snuggled even closer to him.

-You know, that dress looked breathtaking on you too. - The compliment flowed easily on Aemond's tongue as the two danced slowly, holding on to each other.

-Truth? - Normally Y/n didn't depend on compliments from others, especially when it came to clothes, but when they came from Aemond it was different.

-Yeah. - He assured, leaving more kisses on her neck and ears. - You're by far the most beautiful of all the people present.

-I can't even blame those assholes for drooling over you when you look so good. - He whispered in her ear and Y/n looked back to see two boys watching them, she just rolled her eyes and laid her head on Aemond's chest.

-They are idiots not for looking, but for thinking that maybe they could have a chance. - She looked at him from under her eyelashes and Aemond smiled, leaving a kiss on her forehead.

Suddenly Y/n felt the skirt of her dress being pulled and when she looked down she found a beautiful little girl with blond hair looking at her shyly.

-Hello dear, what's wrong? - Y/n crouched down looking into her eyes. - Are you lost?

The girl shook her head, her cheeks flushed as she smiled shyly.

-I need to choose someone to participate in the dance contest. - The girl smiled at Y/n.

-And you chose me?

- Only if you want to. - She smiled sweetly while looking at her feet.

-Of course I want to, it will be an honor. - Y/n smiled sweetly at her.

The girl's eyes lit up at the same moment and she offered her hand to Y/n who held it and then gave Aemond a smiling look before following the little girl.

Aemond walked towards the circle in the sand where the torches were positioned to illuminate the girls who were already positioned and with his heart pounding he watched his Y/n enter the circle with that charming smile that made anyone love her, and he knew even before the song started that she would be the winner.

And when the music finally started and everyone started dancing, she looked exclusively at Aemond as if she was dancing only for him, smiling and moving her hips and arms to the rhythm of the music.

As the competition progressed the music became more agitated and more lively and only Y/n and two other women were left. And when only she and a red-haired woman with green eyes were left, the man returned to the stage and asked the audience to decide which one had been better.

As soon as the man extended his hand to Y/n, Aemond applauded loudly along with several other people, and when she was declared the winner, the same little girl who had chosen her was called to place a crown of purple flowers on Y/n's head, who, after being crowned, picked the little girl up with a wide smile on her lips.

Aemond's heart warmed at that sight, and he remembered the dream he had once had as a teenager where he saw Y/n with a silver-haired girl in her arms, but in his dreams that girl was his daughter.

After letting go of the girl, Y/n ran towards Aemond, laughing and throwing herself into his arms as lightning flashed across the night sky followed by thunder.

-Seeing you with that flower crown makes me think that if we had been born centuries ago I would have fought in every tournament just to crown you queen of love and beauty. - He brushed his nose against hers, feeling a light drop of rain drip on his cheek.

-I don't know why I can't imagine you participating in tournaments. - She looked at him smiling from under her eyelashes, hanging from his neck.

-Maybe our lives would be easier if we had been born during the conquest period. - He murmured against her lips.

-Maybe. - She smiled slightly sadly, leaving a sweet kiss on the corner of Aemond's lip.

Little by little the two of them moved away from where the people were gathered, dancing alone in the dark even though they could no longer hear the sound of the music, only the sound of each other's heartbeats.

And slowly the fine drops of rain began to fall thicker and the two laughed with joy, spinning around the beach with the sand stuck to their feet as they felt the fresh, cold water running through their skin. Aemond grabbed her by the waist and spun her in the air, making Y/n throw her head back as she laughed with a bright smile on her face.

And at that moment bathing in the rain with Y/n on the beach under the moonlight, he didn't need to think much to know that he had smiled more in the last five days than in the last five years.

❦❦❦

The next morning, the two woke up shortly after sunrise, determined to make the most of the day before returning to Kings Landing. Their hair was still slightly damp from the night before, after they both ran back to the hotel in a heavy rain during the night, jumping into puddles of water formed on the cobblestones of the streets of Lys and exchanging passionate kisses.

The two said they would not stay in bed that morning, they would go straight to the shower, but after calling the reception and requesting breakfast, Aemond lay down again behind Y/n, rubbing himself sleepily against her thighs, which inevitably led to a round of lazy morning sex while they waited for coffee.

Y/n was still lying there panting and Aemond reluctantly pulled out of her, because as much as he liked to stay in contact with her after climax, there was something else he also liked. And positioning himself between her open legs, he watched with an adoring look as his seed dripped from her intimacy.

-Damn how I missed that. - He sighed in delight as he just admired between her legs. Little by little, he took his own seed with his fingertips and placed it back inside Y/n, only to see it drip from inside her once more as she panted.

After that, he kissed her belly and slowly moved up, making her sigh. He passed through the valley between her breasts, through her neck, until he reached her lips. He placed a gentle, smiling kiss there.

-I want to stay like this forever. Stuck with you. - Aemond laid his head on her chest, listening to the still agitated beating of that heart that proudly belonged to him. - Whenever I'm with you, I can't help but feel at peace with the world. It's like nothing can touch me or knock me down, like I suddenly became the strongest being on this earth.

Y/n stroked the older man's silky silver hair as she felt her heart race with each of his declarations, feeling loved and cherished with each word he uttered.

The two were interrupted by the knock of the maid who brought the breakfast requested by Aemond. Contrary to what was expected, the day had dawned very sunny, and after the rain the waves of the sea were visibly bigger.

And with a smile and many kisses spread across his face and neck, Y/n convinced Aemond to surf just like they had done on a trip to Driftmark when they were already teenagers, and he kept up the habit when they returned to Kings Landing. The oldest rented a board from a kiosk on the beach and the two went hand in hand towards the sea, this time staying in the main part as they didn't want to go too far from the hotel and the main streets.

-I haven't done that in years. - Aemond spoke in a voice a few tones higher to stand out over the loud sound of the waves breaking as he lay face down looking out to sea.

-Honestly, I think if you fell, I would laugh. - Y/n ran her hands through her wet hair, putting it back as she leaned on the surfboard and stared at Aemond.

-Would you at least help me get on the board again? - He raised his eyebrows laughing since the idea of surfing had been hers.

-Probably! - Y/n left a quick kiss on his lips.

Y/n slowly moved away while Aemond went to the deeper side waiting for a wave. And when a particularly big one formed, he swam out quickly and managed to stand on the board while Y/n laughed, screamed and applauded. After leaving the tube, he jumped into the sea, submerging for a few moments before returning to the surface laughing and hitting the water with his fist.

-It was amazing! - Y/n shouted as she swam towards him, still smiling.

-Like riding a bike. - Aemond shrugged and Y/n rolled her eyes, pushing his forehead back with the palm of her hand.

-Always egocentric.

-Mmmm. - He pulled her close to him by the waist. - I can't avoid it. And now it's your turn, My Lady.

-No. - Y/n widened her eyes when she heard him say that, putting her hands on his chest and trying to push him away without success. - No, no, no.

-Just one. - He laughed, holding her against his chest as she struggled. - A small one.

-I never managed to learn how to surf like you and the others. - She rolled her eyes at the memory. - Did you forget? I was terrible, I fell off the board every time, even Uncle Corlys said I was a lost cause that time.

-Not for me. - He immediately denied it with a smile and a chaste kiss on her temple. - You're going to catch a wave today even if we have to stay here all day.

-I hate you. - Y/n looked at him sulkily while grimacing.

-I know that. - The oldest smiled and left a sweet kiss on her neck, already removing the board from his own ankle and passing it to Y/n's.

-If I drown, it will be your fault, Aemond Targaryen. - She grumbled as he helped her onto the board.

-I find it hard, you surf terribly but you swim very well.

Y/n just showed him the middle finger after hearing that and then grabbed the board again.

It took about two hours of instruction from Aemond, Y/n fell off the board every ten minutes. He laughed and she hit his chest with the palm of her hand and threatened to take the board off her ankle. When the sun was already stronger in the sky, she finally managed to stand on the board and with an exuberant smile on her face she surfed a wave for the first time, a small one, but a wave. The love and pride were visible in Aemond's eyes as he smiled and applauded the youngest.

-Fuck you Corlys Velaryon. - She screamed in ecstasy as she threw herself on Aemond, hanging onto his neck while laughing. - I did it, I did it. Did you see that, Aem?

-I told you I could do it. - He left a kiss on her salty lips and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

-Thank you. - Y/n gently brushed her nose against his affectionately as she smiled and looked at him from under her eyelashes.

In the middle of the conversation, the two didn't even notice that the board had come loose from Y/n's ankle and was speeding away into the sea. And with a very serious look, Aemond apologized to the kiosk owner, paying him some gold coins for the lost board while Y/n watched everything with her hands behind her back, biting her lips.

The two chose to go back to the hotel for a shower and after that, they had lunch at the same restaurant as the day before, since Aemond had liked the food and he was very picky about it. Y/n didn't even try, she just liked the fact that the restaurant was covered in beautiful purple flowers.

Lunch was full of conversation and laughter as the two remembered silly things and shared their order with each other as they liked to do, drinking a delicious wine produced right there on the island that Aemond assured Y/n that he would take at least two bottles back with them to Kings Landing.

-Damn, I forgot my wallet at the desk. - Aemond rolled his eyes after putting on his sunglasses, realizing he was missing his wallet as soon as they reached the restaurant's sidewalk, letting go of Y/n's hand and going back inside. - Wait a minute, I'll get it.

-Do you want to know your future child? - A hoarse and cold voice asked as soon as Aemond entered the restaurant, making the hairs on the back of Y/n's neck stand on end. When she turned around, she came face to face with an old woman with extremely white hair and violet eyes wearing completely black clothes that were very closed for such a hot day.

-No, thank you very much. - She smiled, taking a step away from the old woman who had approached. - I don't believe in these things.

-Your pain and suffering will suffocate you until there's nothing left if you don't let them out. - The strange-looking old woman grabbed her hand, looking deeply into her eyes, and Y/n felt her stomach turn with anxiety. - If your soul only pretends to forgive, without actually embracing its essence, your destiny will be covered in bitterness and will take away from you the one you love most.

-I didn't ask to know my future! - Y/n hissed very harshly, pulling her hand towards herself and letting go of the old woman with an angry look while Aemond, who had returned, frowned since it wasn't common to see her treating anyone that way.

-Let's get out of here. - She pulled Aemond by the hand as soon as she saw him practically dragging her towards the car.

-What happened back there? - He started the car while Y/n looked out the window without looking at him.

-I don't want to talk about it. - That was all she said, still without looking at him, and Aemond didn't want to pressure her about it, but he suddenly felt like he was invading her personal space, something he had never felt before and he didn't like that feeling.

The heavy mood that had set in after meeting the elderly woman gradually dissipated as they admired the beautiful landscape of Lys with the wind blowing through their hair, since the convertible top was open.

-We'll have to moisturize our hair when we get back or we'll end up looking like corn on the cob. - Y/n laughed, looking at herself in the car mirror while Aemond smiled sideways and squeezed her knee.

-Where are we? - She frowned when Aemond stopped the car at what looked like the entrance to a park.

-Earlier, the owner of the hotel told me that if we come that side we could see the fountain of the goddess of love. It is she who is on the coins. - He took one of the coins from the pocket of his black linen pants and handed it to Y/n, who finally paid attention to the local coin. It was oval and golden with the design of a beautiful naked woman with long hair and who looked like a mermaid in the center.

-She is beautiful. - Y/n smiled, taking the coin from Aemond's hand and holding it between her fingers with a smile.

The two walked through the lush gardens with enchanted looks, Y/n for admiring the garden and Aemond for admiring Y/n who was wearing a beautiful off-white dress that flowed down to her feet with a slightly transparent skirt that gave her an almost ethereal appearance in the afternoon sunlight. Seeing her walking and smiling amidst all those flowers was what Aemond thought was the closest he would ever get to seeing an angel.

-I've never seen such beautiful hydrangeas in my life, Aem. - She leaned in to smell the scent of the flowers, closing her eyes with an expression of delight on her face. - I'm sure Helaena would love to see this.

-Where is Hel living? - She smiled excitedly as she remembered her older cousin. - I need to go see her as soon as we get back.

-Near the exit to Rosby, facing Blackwater Bay. - Aemond also smiled as he remembered his sister. - She spends almost all her time at the beach.

-She's living alone?

-She adopted a huge dog named Dreamfyre. She was at an adoption fair in Driftmark on a trip Hel took to support an environmental project of Rhaenys. - Aemond shrugged.

-She must be beautiful.

-She drools all over everything, barks non-stop and ate half of Helaena's furniture. - Aemond rolled his eyes.

-That doesn't make her any less beautiful. - Y/n curled her mouth downwards and raised her eyebrows, making Aemond roll his eyes again as he pulled her closer to him by the hip.

After about ten minutes of walking through the beautiful park full of beautiful flowers and a huge number of fruit and ornamental trees, the two arrived at the center where there were a few people sitting on benches admiring the beautiful fountain.

It was all white with a statue of the goddess of love in the center, who now looked even more like a mermaid, but in this version she was holding a clay vase from which crystal clear water fell softly in calm noises.

-The natives say she grants love requests. - Aemond whispered into Y/n's ear.

And with a smile of satisfaction, love and hope on her face, Y/n closed her eyes and threw the coin that Aemond had given her earlier, and which had been pressed firmly in her hands until that moment.

-What did you ask for?

-So that I could be yours and you mine in this life and in all those to come. - She crossed her arms against his neck, joining her forehead with Aemond's.

-You wasted a wish asking for something that is already real. - He kissed her chastely on the lips, smiling when he felt that sweetness he loved so much.

❦❦❦

As dusk approached, Y/n and Aemond walked smiling and holding each other down the main street, trying out food and talking. Y/n had already bought three handmade dresses that she found in smaller stores while they were walking, and a beautiful dark blue shirt for Aemond.

As the sun was setting on the horizon, the two passed in front of a temple to the goddess of love and stopped to watch a couple leaving to the applause of several people. Apparently a wedding due to the clothes and happiness, the two held each other's hands tightly as they smiled at the scene before them. Aemond smiled and gently brushed his lips against Y/n's, then left a gentle kiss there while still holding her hand.

The two separated with smiles at each other and just stood for a few more moments on the other side of the street admiring the happiness of the newlyweds. Suddenly a very dirty and thin dark gray cat came limping down the street, Aemond's eyes instantly went in her direction and Y/n could see him getting sad almost instantly.

And with a sad smile Aemond crouched down and made a soft sound with his mouth, catching the cat's attention. She first looked at him suspiciously showing her teeth and exciting to get closer, and he insisted a little more still making soft sounds as he approached her.

-Calm down girl. - His voice sounded calm and confident, and Y/n smiled seeing the scene. Slowly he reached out his hand, and the little street cat let him touch her dirty and dull fur.

And Aemond took the chance he had been given and gently caressed her with a kind smile on his face.

-Poor little thing. You're probably starving. - His voice sounded sad as he observed the cat who had ribs protruding under her skin because she was so thin.

-Let's get her something to eat then. - Y/n smiled, placing her hand on Aemond's shoulder, who looked back with his eyes shining in agreement.

Aemond had always been passionate about cats, he had a fondness for them since Y/n had met him as a child. He always told her about how cats were intelligent and majestic animals, and when he was younger he was obsessed with the fact that some ancient civilizations worshiped them as if they were deities.

Unfortunately Alicent and Viserys never let Aemond have a cat, Viserys had an old dog named Balerion who was very territorial, and even though he stayed outside more than inside the mansion, Alicent said that he could hurt any other animal and wouldn't let them have other animals.

When Balerion died of old age, Viserys was devastated, but even so, animals were not allowed because Alicent always said that one of them might have an allergy. But that did very little to diminish Aemond's love for cats.

The two walked to a pet shop that they had seen a few blocks back, and when they got there, they bought food for the little cat who ate everything that was offered to her very happily under the watchful eye of Aemond who occasionally stroked her between the ears.

-Why don't you keep her? - Y/n asked when she saw how happy Aemond was with the dirty kitten.

Aemond automatically raised his eyebrows, as if her suggestion was completely absurd.

-I can't have a cat.

-And why not? - She asked gently as she stroked his arm who just stared at her in confusion.

-Because… - Aemond looked at her confusedly as he thought.

There was no Because.

-Aem, you're an adult now, you have your own apartment, you pay your own bills and you're responsible for yourself. - Y/n smiled encouragingly. - There's nothing wrong with doing something you want. Like finally having a cat.

Aemond smiled in disbelief, but that disbelief slowly turned into relief.

-I can do the things I want too. - He repeated to himself, as if Y/n couldn't hear. But she could, and smiled when she heard him say that.

Aemond then walked to the store counter once more to talk to the attendant who was visibly distracted while reading a book with an old cover.

-I'll want a cat carrier. - His voice sounded confident, and Y/n smiled as she looked from Aemond to the cat, who had followed him to the counter and was rubbing against his leg, purring.

❦❦❦

When the two realized it, it was already night, and at any moment Captain White would be waiting for them in the private hangar of the island's airport. Y/n felt her heart tighten in her chest just at the thought of returning to Westeros. Where nothing was private and everyone watched their lives with a magnifying glass, analyzing every mistake to try to separate them. It was as if the weekend had lasted a lifetime, but at the same time it had passed as quickly as a gust of wind.

-Hey beautiful, I have something for you. - Aemond walked through the door with a smile and a red bag in his hands, he had come down a few minutes ago to close the hotel and car rental bill.

-What is it? - Y/n arched her eyebrows, approaching and trying to look inside the bag, and when she saw the contents, her eyes sparkled with joy. - No fucking way. Is that Myrish chocolate?

-Apparently they don't just sell junk at the hotel store. - He smiled and then gasped, stepping back trying to regain his balance after the impact of Y/n jumping on him and distributing kisses all over his face while saying thank you.

Y/n threw herself on the bed, still smiling, with the bag in her hands, already pulling out one of the bars and peeling the chocolate. As soon as she put it in her mouth, she gently threw her head back and moaned with contentment, slowly licking her fingers where the melted parts of the chocolate had remained.

-If you keep going like this, we're going to have a problem. - Aemond raised his eyebrows, admiring her on the bed, and Y/n laughed, running her tongue over her lips provocatively.

-Teasing. - He rolled his eyes, discreetly adjusting his pants as he finished putting the things they had bought in a new brown suitcase.

-This is the best thing I've ever eaten in my life. I could cry because this chocolate is so good, all the other chocolates have been ruined for me, Aem. - She spoke happily as she ate and Aemond just smiled as he watched her genuine joy.

When the room phone rang with a warning that the car had arrived to pick them up, Y/n felt her own heart constricting in her chest with each step she took towards the door.

-What's going on, love? - Aemond placed the cat's transport box on the armchair and held her with both hands, looking into her eyes, and Y/n lowered her gaze, staring at her own feet, unable to say anything.

-You know you can talk to me, Y/n. - He murmured, getting even closer to her. - It's me, Aem.

-I'm afraid to go back. - Y/n sighed, tucking her head into the crook of Aemond's neck.

-What are you afraid of? - He pulled her so he could look into her eyes and could see the shine of tears there.

-That all of this will end. - She practically sobbed, her voice choked. - That they'll separate us once again. - A tear ran down her cheek. - To lose you.

-No. - Aemond spoke in a serious voice, holding her tightly close to him and looking into her eyes. - I won't allow anyone to separate us again. Never again.

-Do you swear? - She asked, still tearful.

-I swear. - Aemond promised as he wiped the tears that had escaped from his Y/n's eyes. - It will be you and me forever. Nothing will come between us, not again.

Y/n smiled slightly upon hearing this and hugged him again, resting her head close to Aemond 's heart and sighing upon hearing the agitated sound that came from there. That heart belonged to her, it always did. Just as hers belonged to him, and Y/n didn't know what she would do if, of all people in the world, Aemond broke it.

tag list: @afro-hispwriter @fan-goddess @strangersunghoon @zenka69 @callsignwidow @amanda08319 @alesswift-blog @marialikescherries

Final notes: Thank you to all of you who commented on previous chapters and asked to be tagged, I think you're all here. 💕💕

Ps: A virtual hug to whoever guesses who the dear cat that Aemond adopted is. Hahaha 💕💕

Tell me what you think of the story, it makes me very happy. 💖

Next chapter

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possum-quesadilla · 2 months ago

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The first chapter of Lonely Remnants, the fic about my CorpseJuice AU, is up! It’s called “Your body may be gone, I'm gonna carry you in, In my head, in my heart, in my soul”.

CorpseJuice is an AU where Lydia’s mother dies in a car accident, and her adopted brother, Lawrence, goes missing and is presumed dead. A year later, she stumbles upon a demon puppeteering his corpse! She and the demon work together to find out what happened the night of the wreck, and who her brother really was.

Please read the warnings attached to the start of the chapter before continuing, this fic is a doozy!

Here are the extras for chapter one!

- The lyrics for this first chapter are from “Ocean Breathes Salty” by Modest Mouse! It is very literal for Lydia and her lost family members. I wonder if it’ll come back later?

- “Lawrence Graham” - Since his last name can’t be Shoggoth, I decided to pick a last name that has relevance to the plot! But I can’t tell you what sort of relevance yet. Because spoilers.

- “He could look at someone and know in an instant just what to do to scare the absolute shit out of them.” - This is a sort of joking reference to Beetlejuice’s line in “That Beautiful Sound”, about “clean white shorts turning brown”!

- “Talking Heads and MCR” - I listen to one of these. The other my best friend listens to and says he thinks Beetlejuice would be really into.

- “the ‘TinyTimes Hardware store’” - Thank you @jessicawesker83 for this whimsical suggestion. I love it!

- “Barbara Butterfield” - thank you @bjfinn and @ten-chocolate-sundaes for helping me figure out a good maiden name for Barbara!

- “Lydia remembered her mother cheering for Lawrence when he’d finally asked them to “hang out” with him, seeing some sort of cheesy horror comedy flick with them.” - IT’S MY FIC AND I GET TO PICK THE ANACHRONISTIC MOVIE THEY SEE IN THEATERS!! They saw “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” because I said so

- “One moment, Lydia and her mother were laughing and singing along to ‘Jump in the line’ by Harry Belafonte.” - This is, of course, a reference to the line in the musical where Lydia says that this was one of Emily’s favorite songs.

- “Only a portion of his left arm, and six liters of his blood were found in his stupid, beat-up old green 2001 Volkswagen Beetle.” - the most blood a human can lose and still survive is two liters. Also, get it? A Volkswagen Beetle? A green buggy?

- “Charles refused to pay for a cemetery plot, and certainly not one next to Emily.” - What an ass! I wonder why this is.

- “Jumping off the old bridge at the edge of town, into frigid waters, letting them carry her to wherever her home was now.” - This is a reference to Barbara and Adam’s death, and how Lydia planned to kill herself in the original film. It is also a reference to how she often called her mom “home” in the musical.

- “They sat huddled together and watched his favorite movies. ‘Zombieland’, ‘Groundhog Day’, ‘The Mask’.” - Haha, “Zombieland”. ‘Cause he’s a zombie now. Also yeah “Groundhog Day” is a sort of reference to LoopJuice, sue me. Notice how Lawrence only really likes comedies! He was actually pretty squeamish with blood and gore that wasn’t for the haunted house.

- “Barbara and Adam helped Lydia find a counselor that same day. Her name was Kerry, and although she was resistant at first, she’d helped Lydia tremendously.” - The name ‘Kerry’ is, of course, a reference to Barbara’s actor in the musical, Kerry Butler! I just think she’d have such a calming presence, and that she’d listen to you so well.

- “They both wore a necklace each; a simple chain with a ring attached. They got them shortly after the accident. Lydia had never gotten a good look at them, but she could take a guess as to what they were. (In June, she got her hands on the police report. A box with identical engagement rings had been found in Lawrence’s glovebox, and were handed off to “next of kin”.) Barbara and Adam never took the necklaces off.” - Ouchie. Are we connecting the dots here? Because I don’t like the image they’re makin’.

- Bellflowers mean everlasting love, forget-me-nots are pretty self explanatory. Also, bellflowers are purple! Lawrence loved purple and green.

- Sunflowers obviously represent happiness, which is a little ironic, but Lydia chose them more because they were her mother’s favorite.

- “A dirty, stained, shredded grey trench coat, the arms caked in dark splotches she could only hope was just mud. (They were black and russet brown, so probably not.) The left sleeve of his trench coat was tied off, most of that arm obviously missing. His hair was wild, stained green from what seemed to be moss growing on what little she could see of his face, as well as on his clothing and down his neck. A… somewhat familiar red button-up underneath, patterned with beetles, and tattered black slacks- ” - Yeah, he is dressed like Beetlejuice’s cemetery appearance in the movie! But he is not a KeatonJuice. The button-up and pants were what Lawrence was wearing when the crash happened, and the trench coat… let’s say the demon stole it.

- “C’mon, Scarecrow, don’t be so glum. I’ll be back before you know it.” - This was the last thing Lawrence ever said to Lydia before leaving for his “family emergency”.

- “Lars!” - Lydia’s own nickname for Lawrence.

- “Like he’d gargled a bowl of nails every day for the past century without any milk.” - Sorry not sorry for the SpongeBob reference.

- “His skin was a sickly sort of green, with moss patches growing on his face, and various sickly bruises dotting all of his visible skin.” … “His movements were stiff and robotic..” - Sorry, I studied forensic science for a few years, so there is a lot of gross dead body stuff in this fic that I will do my best to tone down. The “bruising” is livor mortis, or discoloration of the skin after death. The weird, stiff movements is from the demon being a freak as well as rigor mortis, or the stiffening of the joints/limbs after death.

- “Number 88, to be specific. We’re part of a big collective, see? A big ol’… mishmash of primordial goop.” - The demon’s true form is goo. The black stains on Lawrence’s face is it leaking out. This Beetlejuice is more Lovecraft than Dante’s Inferno. Also, #88 is a reference to the year the original film came out!

- “Let me take the driver’s seat!” - This is a reference to the song Alex Brightman sings in “Dead End: Paranormal Park” as his characters Pugsley and Temeluchus. The similarities were an accident.

- “Shuddering twitches wracked through it’s body, moving up from it’s legs, to it’s torso, to it’s shoulders, then it’s head, but it didn’t seem to care.” - The twitches and shakes are from both the demon being a weirdo (and AuDHD but we don’t have time to unpack that) and from algor mortis, or the body cooling after death.

- “Whatever-the-fuck. The.. it’s a chemical only found in brains. Gotta eat it or risk total rejection from the host.” - Yeah I kinda stole the idea from “Venom”. Yes there will be more things I stole from “Venom”. Let a creature (me) have fun and borrow things from their favorite rom-com!

#beetlejuice fanfic #beetlejuice #beetlejuice the musical #lawrence beetlejuice shoggoth #lydia deetz #adam maitland #barbara maitland #charles deetz #emily deetz #corpsejuice extras #corpsejuice #corpsejuice chapter #beetlejuice au #beetlands #beetlelands #lonely remnants #shoggoth 88 #lawrence graham

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theautisticjedi · 7 months ago

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Hello there autistic jedi.... I have one simple question for you.... Could you tell me everything about your Michael Afton please and thank you

Why hello there connectionteterminated13.... I have a not so simple answer....

Also I thought tumblr deleted this but it didn't! Thankfully omg.

So! *claps hands together* I'm working on an AU rn, as in, first chapter is 75% doneish, and I have a plan sorta.

Things could definitely change as I change things constantly if I get a better idea.

So my Michael Afton...this poor boy, oh God where do I start...

Trigger warning for child abuse and self harm mentions under the cut

When Michael was 16, he walked downstairs to find his mother dead in his father's arms by his hand. Michael is of course horrified and tries to call the police, but William threatens him into staying silent.

Michael was very close with his mom, and her loss caused him a lot of pain understandably. Especially when, now that Clara is gone, William can hurt and lash out at Michael as there's no one to stop him. William never liked Michael, as he was an accident baby, and later caused the death of Evan (accidentally of course, Michael is haunted by the guilt every day).

After being compared to his father (the two look near identical, only that Michael's eyes are bright blue and he has freckles), Michael takes matters into his own hands and purposely burns half his face so that he won't ever be mistaken for his father again.

When Michael graduates high school, he decides to run away, he's an adult now, there's nothing stopping him from running. He packs his car up and starts to drive, no destination in mind. As he's driving, he starts to see signs for Las Vegas, and decides he'll go there, he's always wanted to visit.

Here is Mike (made with picrew so not exact but close to what I have in mind, the cross necklace was his mother's)

He arrives in Las Vegas and explores the city, immediately loses $10 to a slot machine and decides to never gamble again (smart man).

While wandering around, he ends up meeting the owner of a club, who immediately offers him a job as a security guard.

See, Michael may have soft, wide eyes and be mostly soft-spoken, but he's tall. As in, 6'8 tall. So he's pretty intimidating.

He enters the club, and his eyes fall to one of the dancers on stage, who's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen.

Meet Nancy Schmidt (stage name Serenity), an aspiring dancer.

Mike is head over heels in love with her at first sight. He walks her to her car every night, and finally he works up the courage to ask her out on a date. She agrees, and he skips all the way home.

Their first date is a bit rocky, as Mike has no idea how to be romantic, but they work things out, go on more dates, and start to fall in love. He spends three years with her, they move in together, he's planning on proposing, all is well.

Until his father gives him a call, says he needs his help with something to do with his sister. (Who Michael thinks went missing) He doesn't want to go back, but Nancy, who has no idea about William's abuse and murder, tells him he should go back, just so they don't end on bad terms, like her and her father. So he agrees.

And then he gets scooped.

He wanders around as Ennard until Ennard makes a dash for the sewers, leaving Michael an empty husk. He limply crawls to the only person he knows I'm town that might help him.

His Uncle Henry.

Henry has been a complete shut in since Charlie died back in '83, Michael hasn't seen him in years.

He knocks on his door, it's late, Henry opening it to find Michael slumped on the ground, his chest haphazardly stitched together. Michael begs for his help, which Henry gives, taking him inside and doing his best to properly stitch him up.

After being scooped, Michael doesn't call Nancy, to ashamed of his appearance to tell her, hoping she'll just find a new man and move on. But she doesn't, tracking down Fazbear’s and giving them a call, and while William nor Henry own it, she manages to get Henry's contact info and gives him a call. He tells her that Michael is here, without telling Michael.

Nancy drives down immediately, knocking on Henry's door, who let's her in.

She hears Mike in the kitchen, begging her to stay away. He's hiding in the dark, and when she flips on the light, she's horrified. She asks what happened to him, who did this to him. She steps closer and cradles his face, she's so worried about him.

Much to Michael's shock, she's worried, not disgusted with him.

Michael explains what happened, not just the scooping but everything before that. His father abusing him and killing his mother, how he got his burn scar, etc. She holds his hands as he explains, heartbroken at how much he kept inside.

Michael expects her to leave, but she won't, she's staying with him, he's still the same man she fell for, just purple and missing most organs.

There's so much more to get into, they get married, they have a kid, how the games play into the story, the ghost kids, Scrap Ballora, etc. But this is enough for now I think :D

If you made it this far, thank you! Some of these details will change when I write the actual fic of course. Thank you so much for asking me!

#fnaf #michael afton #fnaf oc #michael afton x oc #long post #fnaf au #my au

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floralseokjin · 2 years ago

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⤑ 9 months to fall in love 20.

It seems like everyone around you is either already in love, or in the process of falling, and while normally you couldn’t give a damn, finding out the co-worker you’ve had a teensy crush on is dating someone else at the office seems to sucker punch you right in the gut. It’s stupid, and you’re irritated at yourself, but you can’t seem to shake out of the funk you’ve fallen face first in.

Feeling lonely and heartsore, and mad for no reason, during drinks with your best friend you spot a man at the bar. Tequila confident, you make your way over to the stranger, and successfully one thing leads to another. The next morning you leave before he’s woken up, feeling satisfied in one way, but still as discontented as ever. Telling yourself it was an inebriated mistake, you quickly try to forget about it.

Only, three weeks later that night comes back to haunt you – in a very unescapable way…

pairing; kim seokjin x f reader au/genre; unplanned pregnancy, strangers to lovers, slow burn, romance (dare I say romcom in places), smut, angst, (melo)drama, dual pov words; 5,821

warnings/includes (!) characters getting their hea, mild sexual content, crocs, and now for the serious: this chapter features a MINOR car accident. It does end on a little bit of a cliff hanger, but I want to reassure everyone that everything is fine, and Oc and the baby are okay! (I feel evil for this one…) I’m reiterating: EVERYTHING IS FINE. OC AND THE BABY ARE OKAY!

⟶ ao3 link

*inspired by the manhwa ‘Positively Yours.’

↪︎ series index

SEASON THREE ⇤ previous | next ⇥

While you were still trying to process what you’d just seen, you heard the door to the office beep, signalling another person’s early arrival. Your head snapped up, spotting Yoongi entering and already removing his messenger bag to hook his jacket on the stand.

“Hey,” he greeted as you rushed towards him, a little confused. “I have an early meeting so I’m here to set up. What about you—?” He cut off when you grabbed him by the wrist and started dragging him to the break room. “What’s going on? Everything okay?” When you didn’t reply, he chuckled awkwardly. “____?”

Break room door closed, you dropped his wrist and took a deep breath. “Yeah. Everything’s fine. I just…” You just what? You’d already burst in on Namjoon and Yeeun, you couldn’t have Yoongi doing the same.

“Don’t go in Namjoon’s office,” you blurted.

“Okaaay,” he said slowly, eyeing you strangely. “Any reason?”

At a loss at what to say, you settled for a touch of honesty. “He’s in there with someone.”

“Oh.”

The way he said the monosyllable made you instantly suspicious. You narrowed your eyes. “You know?”

“It depends,” Yoongi replied haltingly. “Who’s he in there with?” When you didn’t respond, he added carefully, “Does her name start with a ‘Y’ too?”

“Oh, my God. You do know!” you yell-whispered. Your mind was in the process of blowing. “When? How? What?”

Yoongi chuckled, turning away to grab a mug from the shelf. “It’s not really my place to explain the details.”

You opened your mouth, wondering how you could coax said details out of him, when the door opened and in came a sheepish looking Yeeun.

“____—” She stopped when she saw Yoongi, eyes wide. “Oh. Yoongi. I didn’t know you were here too.”

“Hey, Yee,” he grinned, abandoning his coffee in favour of running away. “I’m gonna go set up in the conference room. Later.”

As the door clicked shut, Yeeun took a shaky breath, a guilty look in her eyes as she turned them to you. “____. I’m so sorry you had to see that. I’m sure it was surprise.”

You laughed, confused as to why she felt the need to apologise. “Yeeun, don’t be sorry. I burst in unannounced.”

“Yes but—we don’t usually—the office is usually empty when—argh, what am I trying to say?” She brought her hands up to her face, frustrated and obviously embarrassed, her cheeks flushed. She gave her head a tiny shake and composed herself. “I wanted to tell you. I mean, we both did. We want to tell everyone, but…” She hesitated, then added: “The last office romance didn’t really work out very well—or so I’m told.”

You ignored that, not wanting to give Sera another thought ever again. “It’s serious between you guys?”

“Very.”

She looked so certain, it warmed your heart. You could definitely coax the details out of her. “How long as it been going on for?”

She winced. “Since the first week.”

“The first week you started here?” you repeated, gaping in disbelief.

“Soobin’s birthday party,” she confirmed. “I wanted to say something for so long. Yoongi knows, my friends know. They’ve met him and love him. I just—We’re friends, too. And you’re so close to Namjoon.” That guilty look spread across her face again. “I wanted you to know. Tara too. Mari! I hate it being a secret. It feels like we’re doing something wrong.”

You smiled, touched that she saw you as a friend. You really liked Yeeun. She was kind and funny and had been there for you while at work. When you were running on practically no sleep. When your emotions felt so erratic you didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—or both. When Glob—Sarang—was bruising your insides… The list went on. To be honest, thinking about it now, her and Namjoon made a perfect match.

“How does Joon feel about it all? Where is he, by the way?” Only now you realised he was nowhere to be seen.

Yeeun looked awkward. “I asked him to stay in his office. I wanted to explain everything first. I don’t know why. You and him are much closer—”

“Don’t be silly,” you reassured kindly, cutting in.

She smiled. “He hates it being a secret too. So it’s great you beat us to it.”

“I’m so happy for you, Yeeun,” you told her, surprising yourself when you hugged her.

“Really?” she laughed, squeezing you and your bump carefully.

“Yes! And Namjoon!” you cried. “Get him in here!”

At that, you heard the handle of the door turn and the door slowly floated open, revealing Namjoon stood outside it. “He’s here,” he said quietly.

“Were you eavesdropping?” Yeeun demanded.

“Maybe.” He grinned, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s celebrate!”

“Joon, it’s 8am.”

“We’ll celebrate appropriately,” he corrected. “Coffee? Toast?” As Yeeun and you laughed, Namjoon stuck his head around the door and yelled towards the conference room. “YOONGI! Get in here, we’re celebrating!”

“I’m sorry,” Namjoon apologised to you ten minutes later. Yeeun and Yoongi were busy buttering toast.

“What for,” you laughed, batting his arm. He seemed just as sheepish as Yeeun had. “I’m happy for you, you giant goof.”

“I thought maybe Seokjin would have said something already…”

“Seokjin knew?!”

Namjoon’s eyes went wide with panic. “In his defence, he found out a really long time ago and I never gave him an update, so…” He took a breath and continued to babble guiltily. “He barely knew anything. He doesn’t even know it’s Yee. I just told him I was secretly seeing someone. I asked him to keep it quiet.”

“He’s a man of his word,” you smiled, knowing Seokjin could keep a secret well. He’d kept your pregnancy from his parents for months, had he not?

You batted Namjoon’s arm again, making him jump. “Since Soobin’s party though? Really?!”

“It just sort of happened,” he grinned bashfully, dimples showing.

“I bet,” you teased. “No wonder you warned Yoongi away.”

“I warned him away before that night,” he made sure to insist, but laughed with you.

“What are you all doing in here so early?”

All four of you turned to the door and saw Mari standing there, visibly bemused.

“We’re celebrating,” Yoongi explained, holding up the plate of toast.

“Celebrating what?”

Namjoon walked over to Yeeun and they both wrapped their arms around one another, smiling happily. “Yeeun and I are together.”

“Oh,” Mari blinked, then beamed with delight. “That’s lovely. Do your parents know?”

Namjoon nodded proudly. “They’ve met her and love her. Obviously.”

“Joon,” Yeeun whined, obviously embarrassed.

Mari rushed over to give them both a cuddle, and as you watched with a smile on your face, you felt Yoongi arrive at your side. “Some very buttery toast?” Turning your head, he smiled at you, proffering a plate stacked tall.

Sarang jabbed you in anticipation.

“This is bad,” you muttered while putting an eye-wateringly expensive wicker bassinet into your online basket.

“What’s bad?” Seokjin asked, moving away from the stove to look over your shoulder at the laptop.

While he made a late dinner, you were browsing for baby furniture at the breakfast bar. You were mostly done, but you were sure nesting had set in because you were making excessive amounts of lists and buying things you were pretty positive you didn’t need. Your father was almost done with the crib to end all cribs, but you’d need something smaller for your bedroom… Maybe downstairs too… Sarang was going to spend a lot of her time sleeping (hopefully), she needed to do that somewhere comfy. She might also need an extra dresser for the mountain of clothes you’d already collected…

Her room was almost done, Jungkook’s breath-taking mural complete – incredible-looking whales flying through a starry night sky. You loved it, couldn’t stop awing at it whatever chance you got. He’d also started coming over in the evenings to help Seokjin put together all the furniture. The man could blast through an Ikea flatpack, you’d give him that! But you could do without hearing Seokjin and him bicker until well past 10pm every night. Not that you weren’t thankful for his generosity. You two had the best friends there could be – and yes, that was a flex.

“I’m really getting used to spending your money,” you answered, admiring the image of the bassinet again. It really was so beautiful. And it was made by a very talented and small company. It was worth the price. When it came to your baby, money didn’t seem to matter, and that could potentially become a problem in the future. You needed to rein it in…but not just yet.

“Well, that’s what it’s there for.”

“I just think this will be really nice for our bedroom.” You didn’t know why you were trying to justify it, Seokjin was already on board – as he was with anything for Sarang. Just like you. You were probably trying to justify it to yourself.

“It will,” he agreed.

“Sarang will have to sleep with us for a while.” You glanced over your shoulder at him. “Or maybe we could use it for downstairs. It has wheels.”

“I like it,” Seokjin said, giving your shoulder a squeeze before moving back to the cooking. “Buy two.”

“Seokjin, I’m not buying two,” you burst out, incredulous. Then quieter, “but maybe I’ll look for another one…” As if you hadn’t decided that already.

“It turns me on seeing you spend my money,” Seokjin told you over loud clanking, head in the corner cupboard searching for a pot.

You pulled a face. “You’re weird. Your dick won’t be hard when you check your account and I’ve run off with all your money!”

He simply laughed – loudly, and not forgetting fondly. You smiled happily to yourself as you continued to browse before wincing when you felt Sarang moving. You readjusted your butt on the stool, willing yourself to get comfy again, and trying not to think of how much she was pressing on your bladder. It was all in your head, you told yourself, you’d peed half hour ago.

To be frank, you were over being pregnant. You now laughed at past you who wanted a baby bump so badly. Past you who wanted to feel your daughter move every second of the day. She didn’t know the horrors of what being heavily pregnant involved. Then again, present you now knew the horrors of what was to come next month. Future you would know for definite.

The birthing and baby preparation classes you’d been attending were great. You’d made a couple of new parent friends and you felt a lot more confident for when Glob—Sarang finally got here, but with the classes came the knowledge of what happened while giving birth. You’d successfully avoided it all up until a few weeks ago. Seokjin usually attended them with you, a real hit with the other dads. The guy was a DILF magnet. But just last weekend he hadn’t been able to make it, a work emergency, so Yuna had become your unexpected birthing partner for an hour. Not that she lasted the whole sixty minutes.

During a showing of an (extremely graphic) birthing video, she had to run out to be sick when the brave woman getting filmed split her perineum.

She was still gagging on the drive home, while you held her emergency toothbrush, toothpaste and bottle of water she’d bought to get the taste of vomit out of her mouth. I think I’m going to be one of those moms, you know, the ones too posh to push, she’d decided defiantly, taking a break from viewing you with pity. Or, on second thoughts, I might just scrap kids all together.

Not that a caesarean was any better, you wanted to remind her, having a stranger dig around in your organs, but being the great friend you were, you kept your mouth shut, silently freaking out about torn perineums and pooing yourself. Was it too late to be getting second thoughts?

The day after, Seokjin called you at lunch to explain he wouldn’t be done at work by half 5. You didn’t mind. He’d gone above and beyond lately to make sure you both drove home together every evening. He was already working himself stupid in order to take a month off when Sarang was born. He didn’t want to miss a thing during her first few weeks on this planet, but that meant for now he was tired and stressed as he prepared his absence. You hated seeing him so worn-out, even if he tried his best to still joke around and make the mood light.

Not particularly wanting to ride the subway home – especially now that the distance was further, you took him up on his offer to hang out at his office until he was done. You wouldn’t be a distraction, you promised him teasingly. On your way there, barely down the road from Artkive, a car slowed down beside you on the road.

“Need a ride?” Yoongi asked out the window. He saw you hesitate. “____, come on. It’s cold and you’re pregnant.”

You didn’t know when being pregnant had become a reason for you to be unable to do basic tasks, but you didn’t take it to heart anymore, knowing Yoongi, just like everyone else who said similar things – including Seokjin – didn’t mean anything by it. They were just looking out for you. And while non-pregnant you usually walked a mile a minute, this baby bump was really weighing you down as of late. Instead of your usual brisk walk, you now shuffled.

“Thanks,” you smiled when you got inside and started doing up your belt. The autumn weather had started to kick in, and your nose felt tingly with cold. You rubbed it absentmindedly as Yoongi pulled off.

“Where you heading? Seokjin’s?”

“Yes. He’s working late, so I said I’d wait with him.” After a moment, you realised something. “You don’t usually go this direction.”

“Yeah.” Yoongi briefly glanced at you – and was that? —Was he looking slightly uncomfortable? Bashful? “I’m meeting someone.”

Your eyebrows darted up. “Like a date?” Yoongi didn’t reply, but he was smiling to himself, breaking for a red light. “Yoongi,” you urged, excitement bubbling up in your chest.

He finally relented, grinning now. “Not exactly a date tonight, but yeah, I’m dating someone.”

“That’s great news!” you burst, grinning widely too. After everything he’d been through with Sera, with you, he deserved this. He deserved to look this happy and to smile the way he was right now.

The light turned green as Yoongi started talking. “It’s been a few weeks but we’ve known one another longer. She works at the grocery store near my place.” He glanced at you again, snorting with laughter when he saw you nodding eagerly, desperate for more info. “She has a three-year-old son. He’s fucking adorable.”

“Awwh. She sounds lovely.”

Yoongi shot you an amused look. “You haven’t even met her.” Then he sighed happily. “But yeah. Yeah, she is.”

“What’s her name?”

“Areum.” He noticed the way you were looking at him and chuckled unsurely. “What?”

“I’m so happy for you, Yoongi.”

He obviously didn’t realise how smitten he looked. But he did seem to catch the undertone in your words. He dropped his chin, tapping the steering wheel. “Thanks.”

“There’s something going around our office,” you announced dramatically.

Head shooting up, he looked mildly concerned. “Flu?”

“No!” you laughed, shaking your head. “Love! Mari told me today she’s thinking of renewing her wedding vows.”

Namjoon and Yeeun, Mari, and now Yoongi!

“Well then,” he chuckled, “I better get an invite.”

When you arrived at the AGS parking lot, it took you a moment to begin heaving yourself from Yoongi’s car.

“Need a hand?” he asked.

“I’ve got it.” You were breathing hard with exertion, but you had it. Possibly. “I really can’t wait for this to be over,” you heard yourself admitting, a hand on your lower back. If only you could skip the next five weeks and the tearing of your vagina to have Sarang here, that would be wonderful. You didn’t say that part out loud though.

“I bet,” Yoongi winced sympathetically. “I can’t even imagine how uncomfortable you are.”

“I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in weeks.” It was all right to have a little moan now and again. Yoongi could be your sympathetic ear for a brief moment. Yuna was still stuck on the horrors that birthing video and bestowed upon her, and you didn’t want to worry Seokjin.

“I don’t think that’s going to remedy itself after the birth.”

Well then. Sympathetic ear, Yoongi was not.

“I don’t know, at least I won’t be getting slowly kicked to death. Glob’s going to be a martial artist when she’s older, I swear.”

The office knew all about how active Glob was and had all felt her move – including Yoongi. At this point, you were sure she just liked putting on a show.

“Sarang,” Yoongi teasingly corrected.

“Sarang,” you repeated, smiling. Your daughter had two names. She’d been Glob for so long, it was impossible to shift.

“Suits her. A pretty name for a pretty baby.”

“You don’t know that yet,” you laughed.

Yuna had been sending you TikTok’s of ‘ugly’ newborns, which truthfully, you found quite mean, but maybe that was because you were weeks away from giving birth and very sensitive. Or maybe you were just quietly hoping your baby didn’t come out squished, wrinkled and angry looking. Not that you wouldn’t love her all the same.

“I know both her parents,” Yoongi replied knowingly. “She’s blessed with good genes.”

With a laugh, you finally hurled yourself out of the car. “I’ll let Jin know you think he’s pretty,” you said as you turned back to grab your bag.

Walking into the AGS building, you spotted Haram at her desk logging off the computer and waved. She smiled and waved back as you headed for the elevator. Seokjin’s conversation with Jungkook had enlightened absolutely nothing, so their situation was still just as baffling as it had been a few nights ago during the dinner party from hell. Still, if being passive aggressive was what they were into, who were you to judge. They obviously liked something about their relationship to be still in it. Cough cough, the sex. Had to be!

You found Seokjin hunched over his desk not long after Hoseok had practically run into you as you’d exited the elevator. Seokjin had told him he could go home, and Hoseok wasn’t giving him so much as a second to change his mind. Giving Seokjin a kiss on the cheek, and telling him about the ride here with Yoongi, his new relationship and making Seokjin laugh with the pretty comment, you quickly moved over to the sofa by the large window and took out your laptop, doing your own thing and not wanting to interrupt him.

“Just because you’re here doesn’t mean you still need to be working too,” he said not twenty minutes later.

Something about your face must have given it away. Less searching-for-extra-baby-things-concentration and more writing-last-minute-emails-concentration.

“I’m just sending off this one email,” you replied, hitting send.

A client had thanked you for all the hard work you’d done this week and you wanted to respond. Your last client – for now. You started your maternity leave next week. To be honest, you wished you’d started it sooner, but going on for as long as you could seemed a good idea at the time. Come the weekend you would have six months away from Artkive. The thought was a strange one. No work for half a year. Well, of the graphic design nature. A baby was going to be plenty of work.

“Put the laptop away, ____.”

You closed the screen, smirking over at him. “I like it when you’re bossy.”

He gave you a smile, but there was something tired about it. “How about stressed?”

Your own smile fell as you watched him run a hand over his face, making his glasses go wonky. His shoulders were sagged, and his shirt was wrinkled. He looked absolutely exhausted and you hated it. He was in need of a great big hug.

“That not so much,” you replied, managing to stand up. He welcomed your embrace, and welcomed your hands against his shoulders even more when you moved behind him to give them a massage.

“That feels good,” he grunted, the tension slowly leaving him as his muscles relaxed under your palms. “You shouldn’t be doing that, though. You need to be sitting down.”

“I’ve been sat on my ass all day.”

“You’ve been working hard all week,” he argued.

“So have you.”

“Yes, but I’m not preg—”

“Don’t say it,” you cut him off, digging your fingers into his shoulders. He chuckled, swivelling in his chair to face you. You stared him down. “You’re forgetting I’m also free for the next six months come tomorrow at five thirty.”

“Define free,” he questioned sceptically.

You chose to ignore that, stroking your hands down his chest, admiring him even though he was a smartass. “I like you in glasses. You should wear them at home.”

“Yeah?” His hands reached for your hips, giving them a gentle squeeze.

You felt the sudden urge to kiss him, leaning in and pressing your lips against his. After a moment, his mouth parted, pulling you closer to deepen the kiss. You brushed your tongue against his, eager to feel it moving against yours. Seokjin moaned softly and it sent a shiver up your spine.

“What’s happening right now?” he asked, breaking away slightly breathless.

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t kissed me like this in a while.”

“I kiss you all the time,” you argued.

“I meant with…tongue.”

You drew back, noticing the mix of confusion and hope on his face. The poor man. You suddenly remembered when you’d turned him down a few nights ago. While a few months ago you’d had the highest sex drive of your life, now was a completely different story. Sex, in any form, was the last thing on your mind, but maybe kissing with tongue had unwittingly been added to the list too. He was right, you couldn’t remember the last time you’d done this.

The way Seokjin’s eyes flitted over your face now, dark and filled with need tugged at your gut, and you realised you were breathing heavier, the skin where his thumb stroked circles against your hip tingly. Even above a layer of clothing. Were you actually turned on? It was a miracle! Without a second thought, you got into his lap. He groaned, wrapping his arms around your middle and capturing your mouth with his. Your bump was in the way and you were mildly uncomfortable in this chair, but it didn’t matter.

“It’s the glasses. I can’t resist,” you muttered against his mouth, tugging his bottom lip.

His hands moved up and down your back, squeezed your ass. “The glasses aren’t really practical when it comes to this,” he said throatily. “I’m steaming up.”

You giggled, noticing how they had indeed fogged up, but immediately whined when he went to yank them off. He relented with a staged sigh, kissing you again, harder, and then you heard his feet scrambling against the floor as he spun the chair around. You laughed into his mouth, followed by a squeal when he lifted you up as if you weighed nothing, sitting you on the edge of his desk. It might have been sexy if you weren’t fit to burst and weren’t wearing papaya-coloured Crocs.

You were thankful for them, don’t get you wrong. (Crocs had been a Godsend during your final trimester. However, Seokjin had taken things to the next level and had bought you a pair in practically every single colour. You could open up your own Crocs store, that’s how ridiculous things had gotten.) But they didn’t exactly scream sex appeal. With that thought, you felt one slip off and hit the floor.

As his mouth skimmed your jaw, you reached for the zipper of his pants, feeling him hard and desperate for you already. The realisation that you’d been neglecting him sent you almost uncontrollable. You worked his erection over the fabric of his boxers, feeling every vein and ridge.

“Are we really doing this?” he panted against your neck.

“Is there a rule against it?”

“I own this company. I make the rules.”

You pulled back, raising an impressed eyebrow. “Panties metaphorically dropped.”

“I can make them drop quite literally,” he rushed, fingers digging into the waist of your leggings ready to tug them down.

You didn’t know how long you continued to fumble on his desk. All you knew was that when you heard someone knocking at Seokjin’s door, you had his bare cock in your hand, wrist mid-flick, just as his fingers were slipping under the side of your damp underwear.

You both froze, mouths still attached.

“Mr. Kim?”

Quietly cursing, Seokjin jerked his head back, a string of saliva snapping in half and landing down your chin. That had been a very wet kiss. You cocked your head, silently demanding questions from him. Who the hell was at the door?!

“Janitor,” he explained in a whisper.

Oh fuck.

“H-hang on one minute, Mr. Lee,” Seokjin stammered.

You quickly wiped your chin as Seokjin backed away, attempting to fold himself back into his boxers and pants. Meanwhile, you were wriggling on your back like a flipped woodlouse, attempting to get your leggings back up.

“One minute,” Seokjin repeated, sounding completely panicked.

“Are you busy? I can come back later,” the janitor asked as Seokjin rushed over to help you up.

“No. Not busy. Just—nearly—done—” Seokjin bent to pick up your Croc, sliding it on. “Okay, you can come in now.”

You attempted to straighten your cardigan as quickly as possible, your eyes widening as they caught sight of Seokjin’s very obvious boner down his pant leg. He followed your gaze and spun around just as the door opened and in came a very short, very adorable looking elderly man with a cleaning trolley.

As Seokjin concealed himself, probably tucking it into the waistband of his underwear, you simply beamed at the man, aware you were out of breath and hot in the face.

“Ahhh.” His face lit up, wrinkling even more with his grin. Should he still even be working? He must have been at least 75.

Seokjin turned back to you both, winding his arm loosely around your waist. You discreetly glanced down, finding his erection nowhere to be seen, and gave a sigh of relief. “Mr. Lee, how are you today?” he asked, voice a little strangled. He was panting quietly.

“You know me,” the man continued to grin. “Full of energy.” He motioned to you then. “Is this your pregnant wife?”

“Well,” Seokjin began, unsure how to correct that, but Mr. Lee was still talking.

“—Just as pretty as the photo.” He gestured to the picture frame on Seokjin’s desk, but it was face down. You must have knocked it over.

You cleared your throat. “Oh. Thank you.”

“Mr. Kim tells me lots about you on the evenings he works late.”

You smiled at Seokjin, noticing him grow a little flustered – or extra flustered. His face was a comical shade of red. “Where’s my manners? ____, this is Mr. Lee. Our janitor.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” You directed your smile his way.

“You look ready to drop,” Mr. Lee remarked.

You tapped your bump. “Not long left now.” Thank God.

“Mr. Kim showed me a video on his smartphone. She’s very active.”

You shot a look at Seokjin, then laughed. “Especially during the night.”

“Are you nearly done for the night, Mr. Kim?”

“Not yet,” Seokjin replied apologetically.

“No need to worry.” Mr. Lee was very cheery. You liked it. “I can come back last. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t—I mean, you didn’t interrupt anything,” Seokjin stumbled.

Mr. Lee shook his head. “You work too hard. You need some fun.” He looked at you with a gentle smile. “It was lovely to meet you, ____. Have a nice weekend.”

“You too, Mr. Lee. Goodnight.”

As soon as he’d rolled his trolley out and closed the door, you couldn’t hold it in any longer. Laughter burst out of you. “Do you think he knew?!”

Seokjin ran a distressed hand through his hair, scratching his scalp. “I don’t think so.”

“Seokjin, you were panting like a dog.” Plus, he’d told Seokjin he needed ‘some fun.’

“You can talk,” Seokjin shot.

“Sarang squashes my lungs,” you informed him primly, rubbing the top of your bump back and forth.

“Oh, that’s your excuse,” he grinned. “Nothing to do with me then?”

Leaning into kiss you, you brought your thumb and forefinger together, not quite touching. “Maybe just a little bit.”

Seokjin ran a hand down your side and groaned weakly, taking a step back. “You should go home. It’s getting late.”

“It’s not even 7pm.”

But yes, getting interrupted by a janitor did sort of ruin the mood a little.

“I probably won’t be done for another couple of hours,” he reasoned, sounding displeased.

You felt for him, you really did. “I get it, I’m a distraction,” you teased, wanting to cheer him up. It wasn’t a lie. The mess of his desk was proof of that.

One side of his mouth quirked. “A terrible one.” He reached for his phone. “I’ll call for a taxi.”

While you waited for it to get here, you helped Seokjin reorder his desk, questioning how a man Mr. Lee’s age should still be working. Apparently, he just really loved his job and was adamant to keep going for as long as he could. He was already retired, but he liked having something to do in the evenings. It made sense. Keeping active kept you going, and sometimes life was lonely, especially when you’d been living it for so long.

“I’ll see you back at home,” Seokjin said, walking you to the door and kissing your cheek. He would have walked you all the way down to the exit, but you told him there was no need.

“Wake we up if I’m asleep?” you asked, your eyes giving away the meaning of your words.

His darkened fractionally, and as you left he squeezed your ass, making you giggle with delight.

You greeted the driver outside, a smiley middle-aged man with rosy cheeks, and sat in the back. You always felt awkward getting up front. Was it something people did when they were only one person? You didn’t know and you weren’t about to make that faux pas now. You hadn’t got far into the journey when your phone pinged with a text. It was your dad, who had gotten considerably better at texting these days. Unless he was asking Yeonja for help – which you were expecting he was.

Dad (7:23pm) It’s done 👍 (Image attached) Is it okay? Do you like it?

You gasped audibly when you saw the finished crib. It was breath-taking. You’d seen bits of it already, but nothing could prepare you for the whole thing. It was made from dark, sturdy wood, intricate engravings decorating the back portion of the crib, which was higher than the rest of it. The three other sides had beautifully carved slats. It had obviously been made with lots of love, care and patience.

Grinning from ear to ear you started to reply, unsure you even had the words to articulate how much you loved it. You had the first word down – Dad – rather ineffective, when there a loud screeching pierced your ears, followed by a heavy thud. Thrown into the window, your phone jerked from your hands, which flew up uncontrollably when your head hit the glass with a dull thump.

Seokjin realised he was chewing the end of his pen and stopped abruptly, grossed out by himself. It had been on the floor not five minutes ago, hidden beneath the desk, lost. He hadn’t even noticed it rolling off when you two were, well, you know… Whew. That had come out of nowhere. Not that he was complaining. However now he had to deal with the mortification of being caught by Mr. Lee. He’d obviously had an inkling as to what you and Seokjin were doing in here. He’d been on this planet for nearly eighty years. He wasn’t stupid.

Instead of focusing on the embarrassment, he let his mind wonder to what would have happened if you hadn’t been interrupted. He’d never had sex in his office before, which now seemed ridiculous. Thinking of all the times you’d been here with him, he’d wasted each and every opportunity. Fool.

Fuck, he was chewing his pen again.

He really needed to start concentrating if he wanted to be home soon. You’d told him to wake you up if you were already asleep, but he knew he wouldn’t do that, no matter how much he wanted the chance to have sex. You hadn’t been sleeping very well lately, and he wasn’t about to interrupt the little you were getting. So the only option was to speed through this and get home before you found yourself in bed.

His phone started ringing. A private number he noticed as he glanced at the screen. It wasn’t his work phone, so he immediately found himself a little confused, but picked up anyway. It was probably some kind of call centre.

“Am I speaking to Mr. Kim Seokjin?” A woman’s voice asked, professional but polite. Maybe something else too, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Yes, you are,” he replied unsurely. “What’s this regarding?”

There was a pause on the other end. “I’m calling from the hospital.”

Seokjin’s stomach swooped for no obvious reason. Then again, a call from a hospital could never be a good thing. Especially when you hadn’t been expecting it. He opened his mouth to begin asking questions, but nothing came out.

“There’s no need to panic, Mr. Kim,” the woman prefaced, but too late. He could already feel a lump in his throat, the coil in his stomach tightening. “Everything is all right, but your wife was admitted to us about twenty minutes ago.”

Absently, somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered that this was the second time tonight someone had called you his wife.

“The taxi she was riding in was involved in a minor collision.”

His heart plummeted, then started to pound heavily. The pen he was still holding fell to the desk, where it bounced once and rolled off the edge. Again, for the second time tonight.

Written 2022 - 2023. Please refrain from posting my work elsewhere. No translations allowed. © floralseokjin 2023

#seokjin fanfic #bts fanfic #jin fanfic #fic:9mtfil #floralseokjin:writings

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yume-fanfare · 2 years ago

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mitsuba's deaths and almost deaths: my ranking!

he has died 3 times in canon, and has had some other close calls in both canon and aus, so it's ranking time! this will of course contain several spoilers under the cut!

CANON DEATHS

number 3: his severance death

this one has a LOT of potential! it had been a while since his last death! he broke into pieces right in front of kou, and just as he was having the most peaceful cutest sleep! was vanishing physically painful? who was more emotionally hurt by it, kou or mitsuba? how did it feel Falling Apart into pieces later? i need to know! but unfortunately we haven't yet gotten an actual severance chapter from their pov, only vague flashbacks. we don't even quite know what natsuhiko told kou and it's haunting me. can we go back to the kou becoming a supernatural plotline please. but anyways yeah this is why it is the worst (in terms of thematic importance and story focus) death to me. need those extra details

number 2: his first death

car accident. when he was buying potatoes. on his mom's birthday. when curry doesn't even actually need potatoes. need i say more. there's even the extra irony in the fact that kou's earring, which he so hates, says "traffic safety" in it. it's simply so perfect. it aligns so well. it's an everyday tragedy, yet it somehow is the cause behind the plot of the entire manga. has led to some of the most heartbreaking official art. like the one where baby kou is holdin g an empty uniform whose owner has vanished into a pile of flower petals. fucked up.

number 1: the death of m1tsuba

PERFECT. SHOWSTOPPING. HE DIED IN KOU'S ARMS!!!

the scene that actually got me Invested in this manga. ive watched it around three hundred times, in the anime, the manga and the musical and it can still bring me to tears. while death number 2 hangs heavier, this one ranks higher for me because it is. a cataclysm. this event seriously changed the trajectory of kou's life forever. HAS THE "this... this isn't you, mitsuba! the mitsuba i know i-is... sassy. girly. sarcastic. selfish. and... and his voice was annoying. obsessed with cameras. went emo sometimes and was only fake-nice. and... and he was my friend!" LINE AND and it cut to the shot of their first meeting as first years but with mitsuba getting up and leaving and! man. it is so good. i wouldn't change a single detail. something important to me... maybe

ALMOST DEATHS (CANON AND NON-CANON)

only the ones i remember off the top of my head and wanted to talk about sowwy

if you have not read any of the aus i mentioned you Definitely should check them out they are SO good!

honorary mention: the times he's (almost) been turned into a mokke

didn't know whether to count this one but i really like it it's so funny. his pyon pyon pink bunny era. the most mokke-coded character. i did cringe a little in that christmas event where his gift was being turned into a mokke because come on. horrors for him again? on christmas? but no one had that great of a time then so ill forgive it

number 5: his transformation into a familiar in hanako-kun of magic

he didn't die at all in this one, yes, but it's supposed to parallel his becoming a supernatural, so it's going into the ranking. it was kind of lame though 😭 ik it was public voting yadda yadda but like it only happened like that to fill aidairo's monthly quota of bad things happening to mitsuba. the alicorn concept and clothes were cute though ill give them that. can we get a colored front-facing ref

number 4: his almost-death in chapter 98

it sucked so bad. like ok. when i was reading the chapter i was not surprised by it at all. this is a horror manga so something bad Had to happen, and like hell he was actually going to die Again in that moment. and it was executed in a really cool way! kou's single page that only had a "SQUELCH" speech bubble was bone-chilling and there is almost a eurydice flavor to the whole fleeing and turning around to see the ghost of the person you love and finding that you're holding Only their hand.

but as much as ive joked about this manga inventing a new level of bury your gays, there Are some unfortunate implications to two boys having a cute date and then immediately almost-killing one off them. (this could indeed also be applied to mitsuba's death in a way too). im usually not too harsh w this stuff because even if the implications are there i have faith that this wasn't quite meant like that.

but ultimately this scene was there only for shock value to end the chapter in a cliffhanger so! not ranked very high

number 4: his afterlife as a mummy in the ghost hotel café

ok we barely have anything on his death here so it's not too high but just those four lines are so funny. guy who owns the land but is too scared to act out on it. is secretly planning on taking over the hotel. has cried when kou bit him. is his pastissier apprentice. i hope he's better at baking than mit2uba is at cooking. the idea of them having a silly afterlife baking together and chasing after each other is so funny i love them

number 3: his youkai transformation in the bakeneko ryokan hanakotei

his most recent almost-death! we don't know much about it yet but it is such a cute concept!!! he turned into a kitty youkai and now works at the hot springs! it's just like spirited away!!!! super invested on this one i want more so badly

number 2: the time he got poisoned in hanako of the opera

chef's kiss! this one is Almost perfect, if only because the number 1 spot is my favorite scene in any manga ever. mitsuba drinks poisoned peach juice and thanks to the subsequent investigation and hanako's intervention, he is able to escape from the oppressive opera environment with kou! but here is the catch: every night, natsuhiko left a glass of juice for him, and mitsuba never once drank it. what changed this time? why did he drink it? well, the one who left the juice and poisoned him was not natsuhiko, but kou. did mitsuba know? kou. poisoned mitsuba, who in this au is his Childhood Friend. to see if, by taking him out of the opera, he'd be able to help him regain his love of music. and mitsuba willingly drank the poison. probably knowingly. he trusted kou not to kill him. and then they elope. there are sooo many levels to this one i love it

number 1: chapter 48, picture perfect arc

EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR THE BEST ROMANCE EVER!!! SHOWSTOPPING!!!! BREATHTAKING!!! NO ONE DOES IT LIKE THEM!!!

it's so perfect. the way the the page where kou jumps off the building is angled and composed so that the panels themselves are falling with them too. kou's promise. the way he literally jumped off a building just to have a chance to understand mitsuba better. and then they'd work their way back to life together! it gets me every time. no one does it like them. i love them so much. <333

and that is all, thanks for sticking by!

but how about YOU guys? what is Your favorite mitsuba death? how would you change my ranking? im always up for talking about mitsuba!

#as an extra note even if hanako of magic isnt very high it Is my favorite au so check it out!!!#do i even tag this #it did take me way too long but i wrote it because i felt like it #jshk #mitsuba sousuke #mitsukou #tbhk #ok thats enough #anyways yeah my silly #be sure to vote for him in the came back wrong tournament and the dead character tournament btw #jbksh #mar's midnight rambles

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kiliinstinct · 9 months ago

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The Forbidden Woods

A Genshin Impact Au Pairing: Aether/Xiao Urban Fantasy and Supernatural Romance Find on A03: [Here] Special Thanks to @genavere: My beta. Chapter 1: / Chapter 3:

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Chapter 2: Golden Gaze

Someone was watching him.

The gaze was a subtle one that Aether hadn’t noticed at first. The kind of stare that builds over time until the pressure on the back of your neck became too distracting.

And this certainly distracted him.

The first few days in his family home were full of coughing and sneezing as he struggled to clear a space enough to consider his temporary bedroom. The rest of the home looked like an abandoned, haunted house that beckoned him to every shadow with promises of exploration and horrors. Dusty sheets covered old furniture, the remains of mice and other excrement could be found in every corner, and a musky, staleness filled the air.

In any other circumstance, this place could be seen as a bio weapon, unfit for the living, but he made do. Opening every window he could to air out the first floor, he struggled with the upstairs rooms to do the same. (Many locks had rusted over, making his hands itch and sore with the attempt to open them.) But once the layer of dust was out of the way, sunlight streamed inside, illuminating every room with a calming, natural light.

Amusingly, it brought to light just how his parents had left all those years ago. Ratty books, moth-eaten and dusty, still sat on the shelves and toys he had thought lost, were left on the floor as a frozen memory to their former games. Plaques and pictures still hung on the walls, reflecting those memories with the forever smiling faces of his family.

Just what had happened to make them leave in such a rush? Aether couldn’t recall, temple pounding as he struggled to remember anything beyond the car ride full of excited laughter as they crossed the border.

When he called his sister, Lumine, the first night to tell her of his jitters, she laughed and told him to not watch any horror movies while alone. Considering the lack of wifi, cable, and satellite access, it should have been an easy enough suggestion to follow.

But no one ever claimed he was wise. Well, he did, often enough, too. Who better to be his hype man than himself?

The data on his phone was more than enough to bring up a couple true crime videos in the dead of night while he lay in bed. (Which was more a glorified pallet of his own sleeping back and linens he’d brought with him.) Lumine’s early morning text calling him an idiot made him cackle through an exhausted yawn. It had come before he’d decided to admit his poor choice in entertainment, and the call out was enough to make the house feel just a little bit lighter. Unfortunately, the laughter turned to a string of sneezes from the dusty air.

That was then.

Three days of toil later, Aether questioned his life choices. Was it even worth cleaning the place up—the only interest in the land was a company hoping to use the acres for its warehouse. Gone would be the house, the untilled land waiting to be used again. And gone would be the memories he held dearly in the treasure trove of his mind, examining them with fond nostalgia when he had the time. The old fence, shed and forest boundary aligning the edges of the land would be replaced with industrial metal and merchandise, shipping in and out of the area.

He ignored the way this reality clutched at his heart and settled in his gut like a sickness.

The logical voice in his head claimed ‘no,’ but a louder part of him refused to acknowledge it.

Even before he’d agreed to pay the house one last visit, making Lumine wait to sign the papers, Aether had felt the urge to return. Whether it be the old, nostalgic dreams and memories that plagued his sleep or just a feeling in his heart he couldn’t explain, he couldn’t ignore it. And so, he put himself to work, cleaning every room with his hair tied back in a messy braid and a mask fitted over his face. (It didn’t work. He still coughed each time he unearthed a new pile of dust bunnies under the old, moth-eaten furniture.)

It was the evening of that third day when he first began to consider the feeling of being watched as something other than his ridiculous love of horror and true crime documentaries. Anytime he passed by a window, the entry doors, or just laid on his makeshift pallet to rest, his skin crawled. Ignoring the way goosebumps settled along his arms, Aether would shut the blinds to every window he crossed in a fit of paranoia and irritation.

The difference it made was zero. As if the presence could see through the old fabrics with relative ease. He had considered buying new ones before shoving the thought aside. He was just being ridiculous, he knew that.

When Lumine’s daily check in was answered with his worries, she held no sympathy for her twin, texting back her thoughts with humorous teasing.

‘Is it bigfoot? He saw your pretty hair and is planning to take you away, ooooh~’

‘This isn’t helping, Lumine.’

‘You’ll wake up in the midst of night, being carried off like a princess, curled up in the arms of the hairiest beast alive!’

Aether would not let her know just how easily she pulled a bark of laughter from him, replying petulantly, ‘I’m ignoring you, now.’

It would be minutes later, when he was already busying himself with more cleaning, that his phone dinged with her final remark:

‘Can’t wait to see your new boyfriend. :P Take lots of pictures for me!’

Instead, he took a shot of her stolen bunny slippers currently resting on his feet, and laughed when her ensuing outrage caused a cacophony of notifications to ring from his cell. Lumine: 0. Aether: 1.

Unfortunately, the feeling persisted.

The fourth day came and went. As did the fifth. When a full week had passed, the sensation became a companion to Aether’s every movement; one he was constantly aware of.

Lumine’s sense of humor persisted, ‘It’s the calm before Bigfoot comes for you.’

‘You’re seriously not funny…’

‘Maybe he’ll leave you a gift?’

‘I’m burning your slippers.’

‘NO!’

Aether: 2

Whatever was watching him seemed only interested in doing just that: watching. And with no visual proof of anyone on the grounds, Aether accepted it might be in his head.

Another thought came to mind, one whispering of the old tales enshrouding the perimeter of his backyard.

“These woods are the home of ancient spirits and demons,” he remembered hearing as a child. “They guard the land possessively, scaring away all visitors that mean it and its denizens harm. Those who don’t belong will find themselves lost in the accursed fog they create. Never cross the boundary, child, for those who do will never return.’

A silly tale, all things considered. He recalled the tale, written in a children’s book, but repeated by teachers and his parents alike. It was something aimed to keep children from wandering and getting lost in the woods, but he couldn’t get the story out of his mind.

In Aether and Lumine’s youth, they were fascinated by the stories and tested the limits by making their play location right along the boundary lines. He had the feeling they had even passed the lines once or twice, but the memories were too foggy to confirm. Like a dream that refused to fade away. Either way, there were no actual records of people disappearing, not in his lifetime, and he scoffed every time the thought crossed his mind. Considering his and his sister's penchant for exploration, he doubted the stories worked for any child with a healthy curiosity.

No, he had to accept the fact that maybe, just maybe, all those late night podcasts, being alone in the middle of nowhere, and an active imagination were helping the tales take form into something darker in the back of his mind. His paranoia grew a life of its own without anyone else around to help keep him grounded.

Not for the first time, he wished Lumine (or even his little sister, Paimon) had come with him. While the three had lived without their parents for the last two years, he had never, truly been alone. Not like this and it was fraying the edges of his sanity if he stood still long enough.

If Lumine knew he was regretting his want for being ‘independant’ and ‘capable,’ he’d never hear the end of it. So he urged his siblings to trust he was more than okay, and continued to bite down on the rising need to check over his shoulder every moment. He even considered taking Draff up on his offer for a night or two, just to get fresh air, but no…Stubborn pride kept him there. Soon enough, after the house looked, for the most part, liveable, if a bit dated.

When he finally took his attention to the exterior, dressed in a pair of overalls he’d pulled from storage (he wanted to look the part!) that were covered in dirt and grass strains coupled with one of his low-cut shirts and handkerchief for his hair, he noticed the state of the yard. Draff had done a good job in the upkeep throughout the years, visiting often enough to keep the weeds and overgrowth at bay.

From an outside perspective, one would almost think the yard and untilled farmland was still occupied, like a summer or winter home. That didn’t mean the yard didn't need work, however… Old pathstones were barely visible beneath the overgrown lawn and what was once a blossoming garden held no resemblance of the love their mom had poured into it. Gardening tools that had been forgotten in the moment sat against the wooden gate, rusted over, and brought a feeling of sorrow to Aether.

A part of him wanted to grasp the tools in hand and see what could be done with the old garden, to restore it to the vibrancy he remembered. But he wasn’t here for that, and stomped down those feelings. He’d clear away the old and leave it open for the new— whatever form that would be. And if possible, he’d just borrow some of Draff’s tools instead. The current ones looked close to falling apart if disturbed.

These were issues he could tend to later. With another two months left of his visit, Aether already knew what he wanted to do that day, and spending more time cleaning wasn’t one of them. At least, not when it came to the old house and its fields. He had a more childish aim. The old stone shrine near the edge of the woods: his and Lumine’s childhood haven.

The yard was large, covering a few acres and needing a riding mower to keep the grass at bay, but Aether enjoyed the walk. He kicked at sticks and pebbles that littered the old, almost non-existent pathways and enjoyed the treeline at the end of the path. It still held an air of mysticism for him; one born from the childhood fantasies he tailored in his youth. The trees had grown enough for their branches to bend over and out, stretching forth over the yard.

Between them, as the limbs swayed in the wind, a flash of familiar teal caught his attention. He squinted his eyes, breath catching in his throat as he caught sight of a bird, slightly larger than the one he remembered, but matching in colors. It kept watch on the branches, head tilted as it observed from above.

Recognition brought a burn to his eyes and a lump formed in his throat. “Did my old friend have kids?” he asked out loud, grinning wistfully. The fowl in question, ruffled its feathers and jumped to another branch, ignoring his query. Laughter bubbled up in Aether’s chest.

“Must have. You have the same temperament!”

Somehow, that thought brought him more joy than he’d felt in the last week. Relieved laughter bubbled in his chest as his shoulders shook with a rising happiness. Was this the source of his paranoia all along? Feeling this swell of emotion, he withdrew his phone to take a picture. Lumine would love an update on their old birdwatcher, he was sure of it!

But before his fingers could pull up the app, the bird had warbled an annoyed cry and took off towards the woods, careening Aether’s excitement down to the bits of his stomach, “Aww, you couldn’t stay for just two more seconds?”

He felt his shoulders drop, maybe he’d have another chance later. Instead of a picture, he sent a quick, ‘I think our bird friend had babies!’ to his sister and pocketed his phone once more. He’d check later for a reply.

Later would come much later, Aether realized. When he came upon the stone altar, he saw the state it was left in and gawked. Far messier than the rest of the yard. Draff hadn’t been asked to clean so close to the boundary fence due to his aversion to the woods and it showed.

“The Mistwatcher would prefer his boundaries respected,” Aether recalled over hearing the man say over the phone months after their departure. Despite the inconvenience, his parents didn’t fight over the local superstition and the altar paid for it.

Debris from storms and over growth littered the small clearing and the old stone seats he and Lumine had carefully dragged into the area were covered in moss and fungi poked out from the shadows. Old, dead leaves littered the ground, while dried vines and other plant life had reclaimed the area.

Aether had come to see it for the sake of nostalgia with no intention of making it what it once was, but the urge to fix what was lost swelled in his chest and he moved to clear off the altar without a second thought. They didn’t need seats, or the old blankets and streamers that had been left behind long ago. Even the old rope, tied to the nearest tree for swinging, could stay broken and festering on the ground, but the table itself…he couldn’t leave it as it was. That wasn’t right.

He thought, for one insane moment, that his old, childhood friend, unseen by anyone but himself, would be sad at the state of things. This had been his home, after all, made up in the minds of two kids who wanted to believe the world was more magic than not. And while he no longer believed in imaginary friends, he was determined to return things to the state they were before. It was an illogical, desperate pull at his fingers and mind that refused to loosen its hold on him.

He HAD to clean it off.

Pulling thick, leather gloves from his back pocket, he pulled them on and went to work, brushing off every bramble he could.

It was almost meditative. Each task a pattern. Tear off a vine here, brush dirt away there, move the debris off to the side. He fell into a rhythm, humming as he worked. It would take more time than he had in the day to complete, but he continued with a smile.

He began to zone out, body moving on autopilot while his mind drifted into the skies and all the thoughts in between. He wondered when Lumine would text him back, when she would have the next meeting with their prospective buyers, and just how much was being offered for the land. As much as he understood that the land was wasting away while they struggled to pay off the debts left to them in their parents' wake, Aether couldn't help but think no amount of money could truly equal the amount his childhood home was worth.

After all, it had been the most constant place in his life until they were spirited away to Sumeru City.

The thought made him laugh, snorting at himself as he refocused his attention. The top of the altar was clear now, but the decades of grime and moss would need something more. A hose, perhaps? I could bring one out from the shed, he thought. While rusted over, he recalled the tools left behind. All he would need was more time to unearth the old relics.

Perhaps they could be sold, too? He began to consider the logistics of a garage sale or donating to the local flea market. It was as good a train of thought as anything else and he considered the particulars as he worked. As the minutes passed, a pile of debris began to grow by the old oak tree while his mind continued to wander. The pile pulled a frown at his lips and displeasure began to color his mood. Did he really want to sell these items?

His train of thought was interrupted by a large gust of wind, picking up a torn vine as it blew back into the woods with a flurry of leaves. He watched it cross over the gate, but froze when he returned his attention back to the altar, eyes widening in surprise.

The bird was back. It bounced on tiny talons across the flat surface, picking bits and pieces of leftover twigs with its beak. Was it the season for building nests, Aether wondered, reaching for his phone for a quick search on bird behavior. But the question was moot as he watched the bird drop the twigs to the side, clearing the space as it went.

Aether blinked. Then blinked again. Its agile movements belied its apparent thick size, feathers ruffling any time it failed to fit something in its mouth. Any failure was quickly dealt with, however, as it renewed its hunt for what Aether left behind with vigor.

“...is,” Aether muttered breathlessly, voice so low he could barely hear himself in fear of chasing the fowl off, “is he helping me?”

The ball of feathers continued its task and Aether marveled at the intelligence behind its tiny eyes. Too afraid to ruin the moment, he stayed in place to watch silently while his fingers itched to record it on his phone. 'Lumine would find this so cute-'

His hand was already moving before he could reconsider it. With slow, mechanical movements, he readjusted his phone and smoothly swiped his thumb along the screen to his camera, eyes trained on the bird the entire time. He didn't glance at the screen, too afraid to break the magic.

So when he pressed what he hoped was the record button, the sudden flash that occurred not only surprised him but sent a jolt of panic through his veins. “No, no, no-!”

He fumbled the phone, quickly trying to change it, but dropped it to the leaves at his feet instead. Dazed by his own mess up, he noted in confusion a sudden pain on his head as he dove to retrieve it, but the pain persisted. It stabbed him again and again and again until he processed all events and recognized the sound of angry squawking just overhead.

When he stood back up, phone firmly in hand, his now angered bird friend stopped its constant attack to Aether's skull and dive bombed his fingers instead. Talons grasped his thumbs as the point of its sharp beak pecked away rapidly.

Aether couldn't help it when the phone fell again as he jerked his hand up to shake the bird off, shouting, “I'm sorry! Ow!“ He tried to grab the phone again, but the bird persisted, landing on the screen to peck at not just him but the phone itself. ”Hey, stop! I need that!“

A quick tussle followed as Aether cursed to the skies above and finally had to admit defeat. He couldn't count the amount of times he'd dropped his phone as the crazed bird continued its attack, far braver now than it had appeared an hour ago. After the umpteenth time of the device flying to the ground, Aether changed tactics and used the side of his foot to slide it across the yard instead—

Which ended in his shoes being attacked just as viciously. Any onlookers would find it a comical sight. (It relieved Aether to know that wouldn't be possible this far from the nearest town.) By the time he made it to the back door, he was feeling less apologetic, focusing on swiping the bird away in a last ditch effort to protect his phone.

”Shoo! Go Away!“ He said, once more sliding the phone further from the bird's manic grasp. The rush to save the device made him miss the change in terrain as the grass became scarce the closer to the porch they came. Giving the phone less friction to fight again, it grinded across loose dirt as his final push sent it sliding straight under the back porch.

Mouth agape, Aether wanted to scream in frustration. That was his only connection to the outside world. The thought of not calling Lumine, or hearing Paimon’s voice as they checked in on each other filled him with a boiling, desperate rage, but the Bird's relentless attack had switched targets. Landing on the bannister, it watched him with angry eyes, boxing itself up again with the fluffiest of feathers (a view Aether would have found adorable in any other circumstance). When he stepped forward, the bird trilled an angry warning and bounced on its feet back and forth, preparing another dive bomb.

Nope. He was done with this. “Augh, fine!” If he couldn't brave the dangers under his porch for his phone or enter through the backdoor then he'd simply retreat and come back when the risk was safer.

“Don't you have a nest to make? Or a female to attract?” He threw his arms up, tangling his fingers in his hair. “I...I can't believe a bird is this evil!”

Grumbling the entire way to his front door, Aether thought he felt the bird following him, or a faint laughter. The sound and sensation disappeared as soon as it had begun, and in retaliation he slammed the door behind him without a second thought. He'd be back for his phone, the world and that demonic bird be damned!

Though, after a quick examination of the shallow bites left by a surprisingly sharp beak that littered his arms and possibly his head, he sighed. He'd run back into the demon’s realm for his phone after he cleaned himself, he amended.

Thankfully, the adventure to retrieve his phone wasn't nearly so harrowing an experience as it had been to lose it. After disinfecting the tiny marks on his arm and checking his scalp (surprisingly undamaged, he noted.) a hot shower, and lunch to mollify his angry stomach, Aether decided it was time to try again. If anything, he needed to attempt before the sun went down and the need for dinner distracted him.

And he hoped—no, prayed to the very stars that the tiny menace had long lost interest and went off to do whatever birds did. Another thing he considered searching for out of inane curiosity, but how could he with his phone MIA?

As luck would have it, his once tentative friend now turned enemy was nowhere in sight. He almost let out a sigh of relief, but if the bird's nest was nearby, he couldn't sit on his laurels just yet. He'd have to be quick. And that's exactly what he did with arms wrapped in ace bandages and covered in a long sleeved sweater for extra protection. It was hot being bundled up like that in the afternoon heat. Ridiculously so, but he'd rather have some form of armor than nothing.

Aether was lucky that most things didn’t disturb or creep him out. When he finally crawled under the wooden deck with what little light his small keychain flashlight could manage. Cobwebs left and right and other bugs did not disgust him, and what little spiders that lived there, scurried off as he disturbed them. A second shower would be needed to get rid of the itchy feeling caused by their presence and the cobwebs above. Gritting his teeth, he moved quickly, determined to find his phone.

Surprisingly, it was not too far away, just enough for him to crawl his entire body inside to reach. It glinted in the light from his flashlight, a faint blue hue outlining its surface to notify him of missed messages. He'd check that later in the safety of the house. Swiping from the dirt, he shoved it into his pocket and quickly inched back out. A shiver of disgust ran through him as he stood and tried to dust himself off and rid himself of the crawling sensations.

A quick glance around for his enemy brought not a single chirp or a flash of teal. Perfect. He dashed through the back door without a second thought and slid to the floor in a heap.

“Hah,” he breathed sharply, “take that you little demon.” Smiling triumphantly, he withdrew his phone to look it over, turning on the screen to check his messages.

His jaw dropped.

The screen was broken in many places, punctured by a tiny beak. The screen still worked, but the lock screen was discolored and he had to squint to read most of the notifications.

He was the kind of person who'd consider himself an animal guy. He loved all kinds and wanted to adopt any critter he came across, but at that moment: Aether wanted to go hunting and have fowl for dinner.

#genshin impact #genshin impact fanfics #xiaother #XiaoxAether #xiao genshin impact #aether #genshin traveler #Urban Fantasy #Supernatural Romance #human/monster romance

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theapocalypseisonlythebeginning · 1 year ago

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TWD/Telltale - The Walking Dead AU - "Bad People or Good People?" Masterlist

Father Daughter relationship between Daryl and Clementine. Watch as she grows to become even more badass than the two men who taught her how to survive a zombie apocalypse <3

☝️art by @estethell ❤️🖤

Summary:

"Find a group…" are one of the last words Lee says to Clementine. And so, Clementine does. Over and over and over again… until Clementine finds Daryl Dixon and his group at the prison. Whilst it's easy to gain the affection of Daryl, a man who soon becomes like a father to her, other members of the group might have some issues with her… not to mention the looming threat of other people still out there.

Changes Clementine’s fate after telltale's season 1 to fit in with the Walking Dead show, intertwining the stories from mid season 3 and onwards. Clementine is therefore 9 at the start!

(I will try to write with enough details that if you haven't seen or played either of the medias, you can follow along. But I also keep in mind that some have played and seen things multiple times so if something that was canon doesn't make sense immediately, it will in a later chapter <3 )

Chapters:

Glenn || A year after Lee's death, Clementine is on the run from Walkers after a horrible year. Right as she's on the brink of dying, an arrow saves her life.

Daryl Dixon's arrow.

Find a Group || Clementine's introduction to the group does not go as smoothly as Rick had hoped... Already existing tensions surface, and Clementine starts to notice that there might be something going on here at the prison... something involving bad people?

Fever || As Clementine falls unconscious from a fever, the group goes through various debates on Clementine's presence... whilst Glenn and Daryl bond over their care for the girl.

Forgiveness || When Clementine wakes from her fever, she's faced with the Greenes' grieving anger of the death of Shawn Greene... But Hershel's Farm is not the only thing from Clementine's past that is still haunting her.

An Honest Man || When Daryl and Merle return to the prison, tensions are high as both children of the group get offended by their father figures.

How is Daryl Dixon, the least talkative of all people, going to apologise to Clementine?

A Stronger Girl || Whilst fixing cars with Daryl (and Merle), Clementine ponders on whether she should tell the group where to find Ylva's group now that she's finally free of it. In the end, it's the last two people one would think to change Clementine's mind that convince her...

We're the Good Guys, Clem (Part 1) || With Clementine revealing the location of the group after her, Rick makes a risky decision to take some of the group’s fighters to go after them despite the Governor looming on their doorstep. Meanwhile, Merle finds more reasons to provoke Daryl.

We're the Good Guys, Clem (Part 2) || Worried about Daryl as he goes after Ylva's group, Clementine finds herself stuck in her emotions until she cannot keep it together anymore...

We're the Good Guys, Clem (Part 3) || New alliances are made. Tyreese doesn't like what Woodbury seems to be, but Kenny is blind to it all. Rick doesn't like what he is turning into, meanwhile Clementine might have finally found a friend in Carl.

Bracelets and Unexpected Visitors || A calm before the storm settles over the Prison group now that Rick, Daryl and Glenn swear that there are no people after Clementine anymore. But there are still enemies out there, and although Daryl and Clementine are as close as ever, will it last...?

Based on story:

All on His Lonesome (only on AO3 atm, sorry) || At Daryl Dixon's grave, Clementine copes with her father figure's death with the help of Judith Grimes.

AO3 link to AU work (limited access - only those with AO3 account)

my carrd

← back to blog masterlist

#the walking dead #daryl dixon #twd #the walking dead telltale #the walking dead au #clementine #my fic clementine #masterlists

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dontcallpanic · 4 months ago

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I was tagged by the lovely, beautiful souls @oldefashioned and @gege-wondering-around to share the receiptify for the past month and, fair warning, this is more unhinged than usual.

Wait, let me explain:

I read Heart as black as night (which was amazing) https://archiveofourown.org/works/939054/chapters/1829660 and then I read We gotta hide what we're doin' https://archiveofourown.org/works/15961844 Which was equally amazing and this combined reignited my love of 1920's mafia fics/ mafia fics in general. For this song, I already loved the original (which I think was the theme for the Sopranos) and this remix just grabbed me, I like the added gospel chior elements!

I had a roadtrip with my best friend/co-pilot and fellow Sterek shipper. This song was on repeat while driving through torrential rain to find a cabin halfway up a hill. We were trying to see how many sterek fics we could create from this one song. I think we got up to 15.

This one is just good to listen to, especially while packing. I love the attitude.

My kiddo LOVES cars (rally cars in particular) and has recently discovered Cars the films and therefore Nascar. Through both Cars and Nascar he has discovered country music. Once he finds a song he likes, it gets played on repeat.

See above.

This is two Scottish Gaelic folk songs together - It's quite different from Welsh so I've no idea what the lyrics are but I'm pretty sure one of the songs is about porridge. Either way, the second song is my favourite and I LOVE Julie Fowlis.

Okay so... I have been distracting myself while packing by thinking up Sterek AU's. This song sparked one of them. I mean I do love this song (I think the music arrangement is fantastic and totaly cinematic) but... Okay so my AU is a Fallout esq setting, lots of sand, americana etc and Derek drives an old pickup truck. For this song he's travelling around, trying to set up communication networks, fighting monsters etc (while being a monster himself) and while he's on the road he finds himself falling in love with the mysterious DJ, Stiles, who he hears on his radio as he travels place to place, setting up the communication systems for him.

This one was stolen from @oldefashioned writing playlist and I genuinely have played this on repeat SO much. I love how haunting (and haunted) it is! Thanks for sharing your playlist all those months ago!

This song follows me! I didn't even think I'd played it that much but hey! It's a classic. My gramps used to play this style of music on his guitar when I was little and when I learned to play the violin I was desperate to play like him, but I wasn't allowed. Later one of my frends, who taught dance, convinced me to do belly dancing with her and this was one of the songs! Either way, it always makes me smile when it comes on!

Not listened to this one since I was a teen! It's SO dramatic but I still love it (the guitar solo!). It's tied to the violin playing because I couldn't play gypsy jazz or folk or anything I wanted to play. I had to play classical so this was my small rebellion at the time. I used to practice trying to play this instead of whatever I'd been asked to play (could never get the ending right!) and I got kicked out of a string quartet because of it. No regrets! - and obviously I am still trying to figure out the Sterek Au to go with it. Something to do with haunted woods, the hunt, lots of snow and blood.

#unhinged music recs #shameless explanations #Listen at your own risk #have fun!#Thanks so much for the tags!#I hope you have fun with this one #sending you both so much love!#nice things for nice people #nice tags #tag games #music #a little bit of all sorts #personal

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izloveshorses · 2 years ago

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izloveshorses fic masterlist

sooooo we’ve gotten an accumulation of anastasia fics in my portfolio now, so perhaps it’s a good time to start a masterlist, yes? yeah. okay. let’s get started.

general dimya playlist is here, otherwise, more links under the cut :)

Birds on the Wing: (G, 1k, canonverse, one-shot) tossing in another almost-kiss™ during the ballet scene, also inspired by This artwork

They See Right Through Me (I See Right Through Me: (G, 4.5k, canonverse, one-shot, ghost/haunted au) Anya was haunted by ghosts for as long as she could remember. Unfortunately, she had no idea who they were or why they followed her.

No Proof, One Touch, You Felt Enough: (T, 10.9k, canonverse, one-shot, missing scenes, angst, anya pov) Exploring how Anya is touch-starved and how that affects her interactions with Dmitry. Affectionately known as “the touch fic.”

So Close: (G, 2.8k, canonverse, one-shot, missing scene) After arriving in Paris, Anya, Vlad, and Dmitry had some time to spare before meeting the Dowager. Why not celebrate their newfound freedom with a few fun nights out?

Who Could Stay: (T, 3k, modern au, one-shot, hurt/comfort) A decade after fleeing to Paris instead of facing the trauma of her family's deaths, Anya's grandmother dies suddenly and she has to rush back home to settle everything. Now the sole heiress of the Romanov fortune, she can't seem to come to peace with the responsibilities and the untouched grief. Until Dmitry knocks on her door.

Still I Fall: (one of my very favorite moodboards ever) (T, 14.6k, modern au, multi-chapter, college road trip au) Anya needs a ride back home for spring break, and unfortunately for her, the only person available is... well. Dmitry.

I and Love and You: (moodboard) (playlist) (T, 17k, historical au, multi-chapter, mechanic!dmitry, anya pov) Great Depression Era au where a simple car repair job becomes a lot more than either of them expected. Affectionately known as “the mechanic au.”

Can’t Stop Loving You: (moodboard) (playlist) (T, 10k, modern au, one-shot, childhood best friends to lovers, artist!dmitry, dmitry pov) Dmitry and Anya have known each other for most of their lives, but, predictably, they grow apart with time and space between them. Several years later, when they both arrive back in town, they don’t fall back into their usual easy banter like Dmitry expected, and as he's fighting the many memories haunting him, he has to decide if he should risk what they have left and finally confess what he's been feeling and move forward. Affectionately known as “the gazebo au.”

All I Ask: (M, 3.9k, canon divergent, one-shot, missing scene, smut) After spending a few days in Paris, Anya shares her worries of what will happen after she meets the Dowager with Dmitry. Is she really willing to leave him?

Sad, Beautiful, Tragic: (playlist) (T, 5k, canon divergent, one-shot, angst) au where Anya doesn't make it to the bridge before Dmitry leaves and what would happen if they eventually crossed paths again.

Princesses (Don’t) Marry Kitchen Boys: (G, 3k, canonverse, one-shot, missing scene, dmitry pov) 5 times on their journey Dmitry gets to show off his cooking skills. Since anything that doesn't come from a can is a rare luxury in their current situation, Anya is begrudgingly impressed.

Cold December Night: (moodboard) (G, 16k, modern au, one-shot, obligatory holiday au, time travel) Dmitry accidentally sends himself into the future and the only person who might be able to help is Anya, a collector of antiques in Paris with a very busy schedule this close to Christmas.

Forever Is the Sweetest Con: (G, 2k, canonverse, one-shot, post-canon, fluff, dmitry pov) After Anya kisses him on the bridge, Dmitry finally gives her the dance she's wanted.

My Pain Fits in the Palm of Your Freezing Hand: (G, 9.5k, au, multi-chapter duology, the office au, friends to lovers) Dmitry is a salesman, Anya is a receptionist, they're best friends, both working dead-end jobs and find themselves as some of the subjects of a documentary about the average workplace. And he's hopelessly in love with her.

Sweet Creature: (moodboard) (T, 18.7k, modern au, multi-chapter, neighbors au, fluff) Anya recently moved into her sister's apartment and she couldn't be happier, except she doesn't care much for their next door neighbor, Dmitry. Shenanigans ensue.

Dust to Dust: (G, 9k, canonverse, one-shot, missing scenes, angst, dmitry pov) “Even when I was mad at you,” Anya started, “I never doubted we would. Thank you, Dmitry.” He realized he’d been staring and the silence was too long. “Uh… Thank Vlad.”

Never Done With Killing Time: (moodboard) (playlist) (G, 24.8k, modern au, multi-chapter, high school au, baseball player!dmitry, fluff, friends to lovers) Dmitry, to his disdain, is pretty good at baseball. To her annoyance, Anya can't really seem to escape him. To their surprise, they enjoy each other's company a little more than they expect.

Two Drifters, Off to See the World: (playlist) (G, 59k, 90′s au, multi-chapter, paris au, chef!dmitry, anya pov) On impulse, Anya buys a one-way ticket to Paris, starting a refreshing and peaceful life in the hopes of finding herself. What she doesn't expect to find instead is a handsome waiter at her favorite bistro, who may be more of a kindred spirit than she bargained for. Affectionately known as “the paris au.”

Someone to Stay: (first installment on tumblr) (playlist) (M, 28k, canon divergent, multi-chapter, hurt/comfort, smut, angst, high-stakes, etc lol) An au where, instead of kissing him on the bridge, Anya tells Dmitry they're in danger and they go into hiding together.

Younger Than Springtime: (tumblr post) (G, 3k, modern au, one-shot for now, skater!anya, dmitry pov) Dmitry finally gets the courage to talk to the cute girl with the skateboard, but accidentally sets up a date that's more than he bargained for.

The Way You Look Tonight: (T, 36k, modern au, multi-chapter, fluff, assistant!dmitry, mutual pining) When her sister mentioned Papa had hired a new assistant, Anya didn’t expect him to look like… that. an au where Dmitry is Nicholas Romanov's personal assistant and there is a rule against dating employees.

grapejuice: (tumblr post) (G, 4.8k, canonverse, one-shot, missing scene, fluff) Anya discovers her love of shopping haute couture after arriving in Paris. And she also discovers Dmitry cleans up... really well.

Nothing Is What it Was: (tumblr post) (G, 46k, canon-divergent, multi-chapter, ghost au) For the record, Dmitry did not believe in ghosts. He didn't have the luxury. Until he started living with one.

Joyeux Noel: (tumblr post/illustration) (G, 9.7k, modern au, one-shot, holiday fic) Five times Anya runs into Dmitry on accident, and one time she finds him on purpose. Or the holiday fic where Anya decides Dmitry is her arch nemesis but Dmitry doesn't get the memo.

Laundry: (tumblr post) (T, 3k, modern au, one-shot, friends to lovers, fluff) “You want… to kiss me? And I give you feedback?”

Sleep on the Floor: (WIP) (tumblr post/gifset/moodboard) (playlist) (M, 47k, modern au, road trip au, multi-chapter, friends to lovers, smut, angst, hurt/comfort, grief, running away, etc) Anya runs from her grief. Dmitry follows her, as he always does. Neither of them really knows what they're getting themselves into.

There Is an Indentation in the Shape of You: (M, 3k, one-shot, canon-divergent, smut, missing scene) (Part i of The Lakes series) Anya is stressed. Dmitry provides some distraction. (Or, to put it bluntly, they sneak off during the ballet)

I Don’t Belong, My Beloved, Neither Do You: (M, 26k, one-shot, canon-divergent, post-canon, smut, fluff, pillow talk) (Part ii of The Lakes series) Anya and Dmitry have parted ways, both settled into their roles as grand duchess and (reformed) conman respectively. But when they encounter each other again, well. Conman and princess make it work. Or a post-canon au where they see each other in secret for a bit.

before you came into my life, i missed you so bad: (WIP) (T, modern au, multi-chapter, actress!anya, bookshop!dmitry, fluff, inspired by notting hill 1999) Anya is the movie star the entire world is in love with. Dmitry is some broke owner of a dying bookshop in St. Petersburg. Her face is on every billboard, he couldn't care less about the latest blockbuster. But when their paths cross, somehow their differences-- nor half the globe separating them-- don't seem to matter.

Remind Me: (T, 8k, one-shot, wwii era au, friends to lovers, nurse!anya, injured!dmitry, angst, hurt/comfort, blood and injury) “Dmitry?” “Hey,” he croaked. She reached him, kneeling beside him, touching his face. Her eyes adjusted more to see his lips pulling at the corners. His face, though caked in a layer of dust, was, as always, too handsome and smug for his own good. “You okay?” The question was so ridiculous coming from him she wanted to laugh. “Can you move?” “I’m a bit stuck,” he said, the sound of metal creaking and fabric shifting.

No More Pretend: (T, 7.4k, one-shot, canonverse, missing scene, fluff/angst, hurt/comfort ish) Missing scene from somewhere in the traveling sequence.

~~~

drabble collection: these were all originally posted to tumblr, but i’ve collected them together on ao3. but i’ll link the original tumblr posts here as well :)

What Endearments Am I Allowed?: post-canon fluff Uncomfortable: spies/Chuck au Mistletoe: holiday rival professors au Waiting: canonverse missing scene bro are we about to kiss rn?: college au country boy i love u: horse girl!anya and delinquent!dmitry Birthdays: more post-canon fluff Not What You Expected: superhero au Hold That Thought: modern au Let Your Heart Be Light: holiday au

#my writing #dimya #anastasia broadway #fanfiction #iz's fic masterlist #long post #moodboards by leah of course #thanks anon for suggesting this!!#it's humbling to see all of these in one place lol

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junghelioseok · 4 years ago

Text

clandestine. | 05

↳ forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.

◇ jungkook x reader ◇ smut | fluff | brother’s best friend!au ◇ 7.6k [5/6]

notes: second to last installment of a fic that didn’t need to be as long as it is!!! really this entire thing can be summed up with last chapter’s warning, which was “reader is dumb and jungkook is slutty.” i stand by it, okay!!! 🤷🏻‍♀️

warnings: dumb banter, a couple brief smutty bits, oral (f receiving), listen to slow dancing in the dark by joji during the soft smut scene in the middle if u want

⇢ 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06

“No. No. God, no. Has your music taste always been this bad, or is this a recent development?”

“You will excuse yourself,” you retort sharply, wagging a finger at your brother. “Mr. Brightside is a classic and I will not hear this slander. Please feel free to permanently vacate the premises if you disagree.”

Jimin rolls his eyes from where he’s slouched on the couch beside you, one hand submerged in a bag of chips and his bare feet kicked up on the coffee table. “You’re so dramatic.”

“I’m dramatic? Really? You wanna go there, Chim?” You raise your hand and begin ticking off on your fingers. “I’m not the one who threw a fit over a piece of cilantro in my taco. I’m not the one who refused to bathe when Mom couldn’t find the right bubble bath.”

“Oh my god, I was eight,” Jimin snorts. “Both times. And cilantro tastes like soap.”

You raise a third finger. “What about the time you hid all the Monopoly money because you kept losing? Or when yo—”

A knock on the door cuts you off mid-sentence, and you nudge Jimin’s shin with your big toe. “Go get the door,” you order, and you aren’t sure if he’s just tired of hearing your voice, but he stands up without complaint and wanders into the entryway to receive your unexpected guest.

“Hey,” you hear him say. “What’s up?”

“Hey,” a very familiar voice replies. “I need some help.”

It’s Jungkook. Of course it’s Jungkook. You haven’t seen him since he dropped you off and kissed you senseless in your driveway, but you’d have to be delusional to think that you could avoid him for the next week and a half before you leave to return to Seoul. And yet, you allowed yourself to indulge in your delusions for two full days, before he tears them apart with ten simple, innocent words.

“So, I think I might have done the laundry wrong.”

Jimin laughs out loud, covering his mouth with his hand. “That’s all you, Noona,” he says, glancing over his shoulder at you, and you don’t even have wherewithal to lecture him about the sexism of his remark because Jungkook is smirking like he’s just won the lottery and you’re his grand prize.

“Noona?” he begins, his voice syrupy sweet and thick with intent. “Can you come help me?”

You glance down at your pajamas—gray sweatpants and a pink Pusheen t-shirt that’s a couple sizes too big. It’s beyond obvious that you have no plans for the day, and therefore no excuse not to help. Heaving a resigned sigh, you clamber to your feet and roll your eyes when Jimin immediately flops down across the newly abandoned couch and lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Have fun,” he calls lazily as you walk out, and you do your best to ignore the wicked grin that flashes across Jungkook’s face.

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll find a way to make it fun,” he says as he lets you pass by him to exit the house. “See you later, Jimin.”

As soon as the front door slams shut, you round on him with a glare. “Are you serious, Jungkook?” you hiss. “He’s totally going to catch on to… to whatever it is we’re doing.”

“You’re being paranoid,” Jungkook chides, clicking his tongue. He hops over the low bushes that divide your property, and waits patiently as you skirt around them. You follow him into his house—down the hallway and into a little side room that houses the washing machine and dryer—and as soon as the door swings shut, he’s grabbing you by the hips and pulling you close.

“This—this isn’t how you do laundry,” you stammer weakly, winded by his sudden proximity and the dark promise in his eyes. “What the hell are you doing?”

Jungkook chuckles, the sound rumbling through his chest. “I may have lied a little bit. Would you have come if I hadn’t?”

You don’t answer, because you know he’s right. If you had your way, you would have avoided him until it was time for you to leave again. But Jungkook just doesn’t seem to be willing to let that happen, as he tightens his grip on your hips and tugs until you’re flush against him.

“See, the truth of the matter is, I’m actually good at laundry.” He smirks and tilts his head, dark bangs flopping across his forehead. “I’m good at other things, too. Why don’t you let me show you?”

Attraction blooms in your belly, hot as molten lava, and it takes the last ounce of your wavering restraint to say what you say next. “We can’t take too long,” you whisper, letting him hoist you up onto the dryer and jab the start button. The machine rumbles to life beneath you, and you nearly lose your train of thought when the vibrations go straight to your clit. “Jimin!” you gasp. “Jimin—he’ll kill you if he finds out. He’ll fillet your dick with a dull knife and serve it over rice.”

Jungkook raises an eyebrow. “Why are you talking about your brother? Is this your idea of dirty talk, princess? Because I gotta tell you—it’s not doing it for me.”

“Jungkook!” you chide, and he grins and moves to tug off your shirt.

“That’s much better.”

///

In the days that follow your laundry room tryst with Jungkook, sneaking around becomes routine. Both of your parents work—as do his—so avoiding them is easy. Jimin, however, is a different story. The dance classes he teaches are irregular, and the schedule shifts often enough that you’ve come dangerously close to getting caught on more than one occasion.

And it certainly doesn’t help when Jungkook has taken to texting you at all hours of the day, even when you’re eating a sandwich on the couch with Jimin half-sprawled across your lap in his effort to invade your personal space as much as possible.

[12:35pm] Jungkook: hey i just thought of something

[12:35pm] Jungkook: you know how i call you princess?

You nearly throw your phone across the room. Cautiously, you glance at your brother, who is glued to the television and doesn’t seem to notice anything amiss.

[12:36pm] You: yeah…

His response is instantaneous.

[12:36pm] Jungkook: well i’ve got a throne for you to sit on

You almost sigh out loud. Please don’t, you write back, and you practically hear Jungkook’s cackle in your head as the ellipses that indicate he’s typing pop up at the bottom of your screen.

[12:37pm] Jungkook: it’s my dick ;)

[12:37pm] Jungkook: get it?

I fucking hate you, you tell him, thumbs flying across the keyboard.

[12:38pm] Jungkook: and i love fucking you

[12:38pm] Jungkook: princess ;)

///

After nearly a week cooped up at your parents’ house, you’re getting restless. Without a car, you’re confined to the suburban neighborhood you grew up in, and the revelation that you’re bored somehow spills out to Jungkook during one of the many heated makeout sessions you’ve started having in the backseat of his sedan.

“Do you want to go somewhere?” he’d asked, tilting his head curiously, mussed hair falling across his eyes. “I can drive you, if you want.”

And that’s how you find yourself wandering around downtown Busan on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon. Jungkook drops you off at the curb after cumming down your throat, and now that he’s dashed off to work the lunch shift at the restaurant, you’re free to explore all of your old haunts. The shopping center that you and your friends used to frequent is right around the corner, so that’s where you decide to start. After all, you’re still in need of some professional attire, and as much as you love your mom, you’d rather avoid the unflattering dresses and itchy pantyhose she would be sure to seek out.

As soon as you step through the glass revolving doors, you find yourself in a familiar air-conditioned paradise of shops and restaurants. Stopping at your favorite coffee spot, you treat yourself to an iced mocha before heading to the first store.

Two hours and three full bags later, you decide to head to the food court for a quick snack. You’d promised Jungkook that you’d meet him at the restaurant once you were finished, but a glance at your phone tells you that you have more than enough time to stop by Kim’s Kitchen. Mrs. Kim makes the best cookies in the entire city, as far as you’re concerned, and you decide to order a dozen to take home and share with your family.

You’re lowering yourself into a seat at one of the many tables scattered around the tree-lined atrium when you spot a familiar head of strawberry blonde hair. The owner spots you a split second later, and you return her smile as she immediately swerves and heads your way. “{Name}, hey!”

“Hey, Chaeyoung,” you greet, gesturing for her to take the chair on the other side of the table. “What are you doing here?”

“Same thing as you, from the looks of it.” She grins and hefts her shopping bag. “I swear I’ve been to every shoe store and still haven’t found what I’m looking for, but somehow I’ve bought this much crap anyway. What about you? What are you on the hunt for?”

“Professional attire,” you say with a grimace. “Why are pants so hard to find? I swear, they’re all either too long or too short, and never fit properly in the waist and thighs.”

Chaeyoung pulls a face. “Ew, I know. Pantsuits are a nightmare unless you have a tailor. And who has money for that?”

You laugh, nodding in agreement. “So what are you up to now? Mrs. Kim has cookies fresh out of the oven, if you’re interested. Cinnamon rolls too, I think.”

“Ooh, that’s tough,” she says thoughtfully, tapping her chin. “Would it be bad if I got both?”

“Not even a little bit,” you assure, reaching into your box and pulling out a cookie. “But here, I’ll make it easier for you. Hope you like chocolate chip.”

Chaeyoung gratefully accepts the cookie you hand over. “Who doesn’t love chocolate chip?” she asks, taking a bite.

“Criminals and heathens,” you reply, snagging a cookie for yourself. “Among others.”

She tilts her head. “Doesn’t Jimin hate chocolate chip?”

“My point exactly.”

Chaeyoung giggles, hiding it behind a manicured hand, and you laugh right along with her. Together, you decide to grab some smoothies, and when you sit back down, the conversation turns to your trip up to the lake house. “Next time, we’ll have to do a girl’s trip,” Chaeyoung says, propping her chin in her palm. “Feels like it’s been ages since we’ve done one. You must’ve been exhausted with all those boys around.”

Unwillingly, your thoughts turn to Jungkook. “It wasn’t that bad,” you say slowly. “It was actually nice, being able to spend some time with them.”

“Who ended up going, anyway? Your brother, obviously. Taehyung? Yugyeom?”

You nod, raising a hand and ticking them off on your fingers. “Jimin, yeah. Taehyung, Yugyeom, Taemin, Minho. And Jungkook.”

If Chaeyoung notices the way you pause before saying the last name, she doesn’t comment on it. Her expression grows pensive, and you can practically see the gears turning in her head as she considers her next sentence. “You must be seeing a lot of him,” she says at last. “Jungkook, I mean.”

You take a massive sip of your smoothie and wonder if you’re imagining the lingering taste of him on your tongue. “Yeah, a bit,” you manage, your voice surprisingly steady. “He games with Jimin a lot.” After a pause, you decide to tell her the truth. “He dropped me off today, actually. Jimin’s working this summer, and I’ve been stuck at home, so he offered to take me downtown on his way to work.”

Chaeyoung hums thoughtfully. “He’s working at a restaurant or something, right?”

“Just a few streets away, yeah.”

Slowly, she nods. “We went out, you know.” Her voice is distant. “Just for a few weeks. He ended it after… well, after we slept together.”

There’s a pause, as Chaeyoung lets you digest this information, and a part of you wants to spill everything to her right then and there. Jisoo told me, you want to say, as acidic guilt begins to bubble up in your belly, every memory of the moments you’ve since shared with Jungkook rising unpleasantly in your throat. I’m sorry. I’m so,so sorry. You say it over and over again in your head, but the apology gets stuck in your throat when you try to voice it aloud.

Chaeyoung takes a sip of her smoothie and leans back in her chair with a sigh, oblivious to your internal struggle. “Maybe I should have seen it coming,” she says, gnawing on the end of the straw. “Everything changed our senior year, you know? It was like a switch had flipped—he started dating around, relationships that never lasted more than a week… I really should have known better when he asked me out. But I guess I thought I was different. We were already friends, after all. But whenever we were together, just the two of us, he was always… distant. Like he was somewhere else, mentally.”

Her words trail off, leaving only silence that you don’t know how to break. Chaeyoung sips at her smoothie again, before huffing out a laugh and waving a manicured hand in your direction. “God, sorry! I can’t believe I just started monologuing, ew. Jungkook this, Jungkook that—god. I’m not even mad at him anymore, you know? I just want him to figure his shit out.” Her eyes flit up to you briefly, before skittering back down to where a cookie crumb has landed on the tabletop. “It’s funny, though. Seeing him at Taehyung’s graduation party was probably the happiest I’ve seen him in a long time. He almost seemed like himself again.”

You can’t help it—the singular word bubbles up before you can stop it. “Really?”

Chaeyoung nods, her gaze flickering up to meet yours again. “Really. And honestly? I think it was because of you.”

Your heart does a series of backflips in your chest, thudding against the slats of your ribs. You try to respond, try to find the words, but they stick in your dry throat and your smoothie is practically gone at this point. Chaeyoung shrugs, unfazed by your silence, and you watch as she swirls her straw around in the remainder of her own drink. “I don’t know—maybe I’m imagining things. But it always seemed like he had a bit of a thing for you. Didn’t he used to follow you around the playground?”

The memory draws a startled laugh from your lips. “Sure, yeah. But that was in elementary school.”

Chaeyoung shrugs, smiling around her straw. “Still. We never really forget our first crush, do we?”

///

You head over to the restaurant after bidding Chaeyoung goodbye, her words weighing heavy on your mind and your heart. Through the tall glass windows, you can just barely make out Jungkook—looking sharp in a black collared shirt and matching slacks as he greets a table of diners. His smile is warm and his stance is confident, and you’re reminded of just how much he’s grown from that gangly kid you knew back in grade school when you catch the edge of flirtation lingering in his gaze.

The boy who used to follow you around the playground is gone. There’s no doubt in your mind about that. And so, you take a deep breath and walk into the restaurant, doing your best to smile at the host who greets you and asks whether you’d like to sit at a table or the bar.

“Hey, you made it!”

Jungkook strides over with a grin, taking the menu off the host’s hands and leading you over to an empty seat at the bar. “It’s full service, so you can order food here, too,” he explains. “You hungry? Thirsty?”

You glance down at the menu he places on the counter, scanning the lines of text. “Not really, but it smells really good so I might get something to go. And this carbonara sounds really good, actually.”

“It is,” Jungkook confirms. “I’ll go put the order in. You want some water or anything to drink?”

“Water’s good,” you tell him, and he nods before trotting off to do his job. You watch him disappear to the back of the restaurant before reappearing with a tray of glasses, and follow his meandering path through the tables as he disperses drinks and checks on the guests. Somehow, his shoulders manage to look even broader in his black shirt, and you can’t ignore the way they taper into a narrow waist that’s only emphasized by the belt threaded through the loops of his dark slacks.

He’s stopping at the table you first saw him at now, leaning in close when one of the women seated there asks him a question about something on the menu. His smile oozes easy charm, and you can’t help the feeling that flares in your chest when she reaches for the menu and purposely lets her fingertips graze his hand. Frowning, you tear your gaze away and focus on the wood grain of the bar counter. Your eyes zero in on a smattering of water droplets near your left arm, and you’re just about to run a fingertip through them when a voice sounds to your right.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

Surprised, you look up and find yourself face-to-face with a man who appears to be in his early thirties. Dark hair is brushed away from his forehead, a stray lock falling into his eyes, and you find yourself momentarily at a loss for words when your brain registers just how handsome he is.

“I—uh. I think Jungkook is going to grab me some water,” you finally manage, wanting nothing more than to melt into the ground when you hear the stammer in your voice.

“Ah, you know Jungkook?” The man laughs—a sound that is distinctly reminiscent of a squeaky windshield wiper. “He’s been pretty busy today, so why don’t I grab you that water instead?”

You nod, watching as he fills up a glass from the nozzle below the bar, accepting it when he hands it over. “Thanks.”

“Name’s Seokjin,” the man replies with an easy grin. “What’s yours?”

You return his smile and tell him your name. “Seokjin—Jungkook’s mentioned you a few times, I think. This is your place then, isn’t it?”

Seokjin beams. “Yep! Opened just a few months ago, after we finally sorted out the rat infestation and the asbestos problem in the rafters, and—” He pauses at the dumbfounded look on your face, and several beats pass before another peal of squeaky laughter escapes him. “I’m kidding. One-hundred percent. I promise the whole place is up to snuff.”

“So, I see you’ve met Seokjin.” Jungkook materializes at your side with a glass of water, which he takes a sip out of upon realizing that you already have a drink. “Is he making jokes about the health code again?”

“I would never,” Seokjin sniffs, and you laugh, finding yourself completely at ease for the first time since you entered the restaurant.

Jungkook rolls his eyes good-naturedly and turns his attention back to you. “Your carbonara should be out in a few,” he says, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the kitchen. “Are you sure you don’t want anything else?”

“Positive,” you assure him. “I’m full of chocolate chip cookies, anyway. Here, you want one? They’re still a little warm.”

Jungkook eyes the box you pull out of your bag hungrily. “Hell yes. I can smell them from here.” Laughing, you push the box toward him and watch as he pulls a cookie out and takes an enormous bite. “Thanks,” he says in between chews, his cheeks puffy. You can’t help but smile when he takes a sip of water to wash it all down, his eyes growing round.

Turning to Seokjin, you offer him a cookie as well, which he declines with a graceful wave. “I should be feeding you, not the other way around,” he remarks. “You got the carbonara, right? I’ll go see if it’s ready.”

With one last glance at the patrons sitting at the bar, Seokjin departs with a promise to be back in five minutes. Jungkook finishes off his cookie, and you’re considering offering him another when a familiar chirpy voice sounds from your left.

“Wow, it smells amazing in here! What do you think—should we sit at the bar?”

You whirl in the direction of the voice, your eyes immediately landing on a group of three girls standing near the entrance. Two of them you don’t recognize, but the third you’ve seen before. Mina, you’re pretty sure her name was, and you’d recognize her anywhere. The last time you’d seen her was at the restaurant on the night of Jimin’s and Jungkook’s graduation, and your face heats at the memory of everything else that transpired that night.

“Welcome!” Jungkook draws you out of your thoughts, and you turn to see that he’s wearing a bright, welcoming smile. “Were you looking to sit at the bar, or at a table? It looks like there are a few empty spots at the end of the bar, if you ladies would prefer that. Otherwise, I can take you to a table.”

Mina’s face lights up in recognition, and you’re forced to hide your scowl in your water glass. “Hey, we’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“You work at that place a few blocks down, right?” Jungkook jabs a thumb in the general direction of the street. “I’ve seen you around.”

She giggles and tucks a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “That’s right, yeah! I remember you now. Graduation, right? You were my best table of the night.”

Jungkook chuckles. “I bet you tell everyone that.”

“Not a chance,” Mina answers, looking him up and down before a coy smile curves her lips again. “I only say what I mean.”

“Honesty is the best policy,” Jungkook says agreeably. Then he turns to you, distractedly fiddling with his apron as he speaks. “Jin should probably be back with your food soon. Are you okay to sit here by yourself for a bit?”

You can only nod, still staring down into your water glass. “Yeah, sure. Go on, then.”

He smiles and gestures for Mina and the girls to follow after him, and you’re positive you don’t imagine the triumphant look that flashes across Mina’s face before she departs. Frowning, you grab a cookie from your box and break a piece off, grateful for the distraction. Seokjin drops off your carbonara a minute later, and you find yourself suddenly ravenous as you dig into the steaming bowl of spaghetti.

Jungkook returns to your side about five minutes later, raking a hand through his hair as he replaces his notebook back in his apron pocket. “Man, I’m beat,” he remarks. “Thank god Mina and her friends didn’t order anything complicated. My brain would’ve exploded.”

“Thank god for that,” you echo dully. Unwillingly, your gaze drifts over to where Mina is now sitting, chatting happily with her friends. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Seeing Mina here, of all places. I mean, what is she even doing here?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but most people go out and have fun on their days off,” Jungkook responds dryly, a grin breaking across his face when you roll your eyes at him. “Or wait… could it be that you’re jealous?”

You scowl. “Don’t be stupid.”

Jungkook just laughs, tilting your chin up with two fingers so he can look you in the eye. “It’s okay,” he says, his thumb brushing softly along the corner of your lips. “You’re cute when you’re jealous, princess.”

You don’t know how to respond to that, and thankfully you don’t have to. Seokjin returns with a takeout container for you to put your leftovers in, shrugging off your gratitude when you offer it.

“I’m discounting your food, too,” he says, leaving zero room for argument. “Any friend of Jeon’s is a friend of mine.”

Jungkook’s shift ends half an hour later. He turns on his roadtrip playlist on the drive home, and you are more than happy to let the music wash over you, eliminating any need for conversation and drowning out your thoughts.

“See you later, princess,” he says once he’s pulled into your driveway, following your every move as you climb out of the passenger seat.

It sounds like a promise coming from his lips, and you can only nod. “See you.”

///

You’re in the middle of buttering a piece of toast for breakfast the next morning when there’s a knock on the front door. Perturbed, you walk over to answer it, wondering if perhaps Jimin has forgotten his keys again, but when you peer through the peephole it isn’t Jimin who stares back at you.

“Jungkook—” you begin, swinging open the door, but he cuts you off before you can finish, taking your face in his hands and pressing his mouth to yours.

“Hey,” he whispers once he’s had his fill, pulling back just enough to mumble the greeting against your lips. “They’re all gone for the day, right?”

“Yes,” you confirm, still reeling from the suddenness of his appearance and the subsequent kiss. “But how did you—?”

“Jimin told me,” Jungkook answers shortly, before pulling you close and kissing you again. This time, you let yourself get lost in the feeling of his mouth against yours, following his lead as he ushers you back upstairs and breaking the kiss only once in the process. He lays you down onto your bed, the mattress dipping under your combined weight, and you sigh when he moves down to nip at your neck.

“No marks, Jungkook,” you remind him breathily. “You can’t leave marks.”

A low whine escapes him. “Can’t you wear a scarf?”

“It’s the middle of summer!” you huff in amusement, smacking his arm when he whines again and stubbornly sucks at the soft spot where your neck meets your shoulder.

Jungkook’s breath is hot against your skin. His fingers find the elastic waistband of your sweatpants, tugging them off your hips and down your legs, and you kick them off as soon as they’ve reached your ankles. Hungrily, his gaze traverses the newly revealed skin, and you shiver when he gently trails his fingertips up your calves and all the way to the sensitive flesh of your inner thigh. “Jungkook,” you sigh. “I haven’t shaved in days.”

“Ask me if I care,” he replies hoarsely, leaning down to press the flat of his tongue against the growing damp spot seeping through the cotton of your underwear. It’s far from your sexiest pair—you’d categorize them as granny panties, in all honesty—but Jungkook doesn’t seem the least bit fazed as he hooks them aside and licks a broad stripe all the way up to your clit. “Want you,” he groans, and the vibrations from his voice send a volt of tingling electricity straight up your spine. “Want you in every way I can have you.”

You don’t respond. You don’t have to, because Jungkook is diving in with the enthusiasm of a man starved, tossing your underwear aside carelessly before banding his arms around your legs to hold you open. His face disappears between your thighs until only the top of his hair is visible, the dark strands mussed. Lips parting in a moan, your fingers find their way to his head, tangling at his roots, and Jungkook parts from your cunt briefly to groan his approval. Then he’s eating you out again—alternating between broad licks and teasing flicks to your clit before his tongue delves into your entrance, inhaling deeply as if he just can’t get enough.

The sun rises higher into the sky, beaming through your window and illuminating Jungkook’s head and shoulders in warm, hazy gold. You chant his name as you reach your high, spurred on by his teasing tongue and whispered words of encouragement, and the grin he wears when he straightens back up is near blinding. Slowly, he peels off his shirt and shucks off his jeans until he’s completely bare before you, the sun painting him in warm strokes of color. Deliberately, he crawls up your body, hiking up the hem of your shirt as he does. He plants kisses into your newly bared skin, and when he reaches your lips he settles there as if that’s where he’s meant to be.

Jungkook kisses you slowly. He kisses you deliberately—sensually—and you melt into his gentle touch, relishing in the feel of his bare body pressed so intimately against yours. You don’t miss the way his cock hardens against your thigh, but Jungkook seems to be in no hurry to do anything about it. Instead, he cups your cheeks and licks into your mouth, and you’re all too willing to part beneath him like a flower in bloom.

The rest of the afternoon passes like this—hot kisses and slow fucking, the two of you meshing until you’re no longer sure where you end and he begins. You keep an eye on the time, though, and by the time your parents and Jimin return home, you and Jungkook are showered and dry, sitting on the living room floor embroiled in a Mario Kart tournament.

“No fair! You played without me?” Jimin whines, plopping down between you and trying to wrest the controller away from Jungkook. “C’mon, let me have a turn. You’ve been at it all day!”

Jungkook’s gaze flickers up past Jimin’s shoulder to meet yours, his lips twitching in barely suppressed mirth. “Yeah. We sure were.”

///

“God, I’m going to be sore for the next month.”

“Don’t be such a drama queen,” your brother snorts, squeezing your cheek between his thumb and index finger like you’re a small child. His three o’clock dance class has just wrapped up, and people are slowly filtering out of the studio. A few of the younger women glance back toward where you’re standing with Jimin, and you have no doubt they’re vying for one last look at your brother in his tight-fitting joggers and loose tank that keeps drooping off one shoulder. Rolling your eyes, you suppress the urge to loudly bring up the time he walked into a sliding glass door and nearly chipped his tooth. Instead, you pinch his cheek back, and laugh when he pouts.

“Ow, hey! What happened to giving me all your love and support?”

“Please, Mom made me come to your class,” you retort, batting his invasive hand away. “I think she just wanted me out of the house.”

Jimin laughs. “Can’t blame her. You’re a goddamn freeloader.”

“Seriously? Because in that case, I’m dying to hear what that makes you.”

Thoroughly nonplussed, Jimin pinches your other cheek before dancing away on light feet. “I’m an angel. Now go away, so I can get ready for my next class!”

Rolling your eyes again, you heft your bag over your shoulder and turn on your heel. “Fine, fine. Good luck, and all that. See you at dinner.”

Jimin doesn’t respond, and when you peer over your shoulder at him, he’s already sprawled on the floor and reaching for his toes in the unmistakable first step of his warm-up routine. He waves when he sees you watching, and you stick your tongue out at him playfully before exiting the studio and heading for the door. You’ve borrowed your dad’s car for the day, and hum cheerily as you climb into the driver’s seat.

You spend the rest of the afternoon running errands—stopping by both the post office and the bank before heading for the grocery store to pick up some ingredients for dinner. By the time you get back home, Jimin has finished teaching at the studio as well, and you fix him with a stare as you plop two full bags of groceries in front of him on the kitchen counter.

“Care to help me carry the rest in?”

“Not really,” he replies, but he stands up and follows you outside to the car nonetheless.

Once all the groceries are inside and unpacked, you begin prepping for dinner. Jimin, to his credit, offers his help without you even having to ask, and with his assistance you finish cooking in record time. Your parents join you in the dining room, and together you enjoy the meal over the evening news.

You retire to your room after dinner, cracking open your laptop to go over the details of your internship for the umpteenth time. You’ve read the emails and the attached documents so many times you practically have them memorized, but the anxiety gnawing at your belly refuses to be quelled. You’re returning to Seoul in less than a week, and your empty suitcase sits in the corner of your childhood bedroom like a taunt. You wonder, briefly, if you should start packing.

“Nah, it can wait,” you decide, muttering the words to your nonexistent audience. Standing up, you stretch lazily before exiting your room and heading down the hall to the bathroom that you and Jimin share, muffling a yawn behind your hand.

You’ve just finished brushing your teeth when your phone vibrates against the bathroom counter, a notification lighting up your screen. Spitting into the sink and rinsing off your toothbrush, you towel off your face before picking up your phone, blinking owlishly at the text.

[11:08pm] Jungkook: can you come over?

By itself, it’s not an unusual request. At this late an hour, though, you can’t help the unease that rises up in your belly. And as if sensing your apprehension, your phone vibrates again.

[11:09pm] Jungkook: my parents are out

[11:09pm] Jungkook: please? i could use some company

There’s an edge of desperation in his last message—something you haven’t seen in him since you returned home. It reminds you a bit of the Jungkook you used to know—the scrawny, gangly one with a nose too big for his face and an all-encompassing fear of the opposite sex. Give me ten minutes, you tell him.

Okay, Jungkook writes back. See you soon.

The next few minutes are a blur. You slather on some moisturizer and consider changing out of your pajamas and putting on a bra, but dismiss the thought immediately. Jungkook has seen you in far less, and you’re staunchly opposed to putting a bra back on after a certain hour of the night. Besides, he’s sure to dispose of your clothes at some point, so there’s little point in changing. With that thought in mind, you tiptoe out into the hall, past your parents’ bedroom and Jimin’s closed door. You carefully edge around the creakiest floorboards and hop over the two steps in the staircase that always groan when subjected to additional weight. Gingerly, you edge open the front door, just enough to slip out into the night.

The trek across the yard doesn’t take long, and Jungkook swings the door open before you even get a chance to knock. “Hey,” he says, and you can’t help but smile at the familiar round glasses perched on his nose. He’s in his pajamas as well—a blue and white checkered set that’s about two sizes too big—and when he ushers you inside, you catch a whiff of his floral laundry detergent.

“Hey,” you say. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“Long day,” he sighs, raking a hand through his already tousled hair and mussing it further. “Come on in. You want anything to drink?”

You shake your head, stepping into the entryway and watching as he closes and locks the door again. Jungkook nods and shuffles to the kitchen, where he pours himself a glass of water from the faucet and downs half of it in one swig. His throat bobs as he swallows, his head tilted back to expose the long line of his neck, and you step a little closer as he turns to refill the glass.

“On second thought, maybe I’ll have some water too.”

“Mm. Okay.” Jungkook turns and fetches a second glass, filling it to the brim before handing it over. Then he takes your free hand and leads you upstairs, taking a left turn into his bedroom and nudging the door closed with his foot.

“So…” you begin slowly, putting your water down on the nightstand and reaching for the hem of your shirt. “We need to be quick. My mom’s a light sleeper, and I’m pretty sure I heard Jimin playing games in his room when I walked by.”

Jungkook chuckles and lays his hands over yours, stilling your attempt to take off your shirt. “When did you turn into such a horndog, Noona? Maybe I just want to hang out.”

You blink. “Did you just want to hang out?”

Jungkook plops onto his bed and grabs you by the waist, tugging you down and into his lap. “I mean, yeah—I thought that was obvious. Figured we could watch a movie or something.” Grabbing the tv remote, he switches on the television hanging on the opposite wall. “Any suggestions?”

You hesitate. You’ve been in Jungkook’s bedroom just once since you’ve come back, and the memory of the way he’d bent you over the desk in the corner sends a pulse of heat to your cheeks. Tearing your gaze away from the piece of wooden furniture, you instead focus on the television screen, watching as he navigates over to the Netflix menu.

“We can go old school too, if you want,” he remarks as he scrolls through the list of new arrivals. “I have a DVD player.”

That draws a laugh from your lips. “When was the last time you purchased a DVD? Last I checked, you only had Kung Fu Panda, Iron Man, and two copies of Titanic for some reason that you still won’t tell me.”

Jungkook laughs, his chest rumbling against your back. “Call it human error,” he says, looping his arms comfortably around your waist and propping his chin on your shoulder. “How do you feel about going super old school? I can get the VHS player out of the basement and pop in one of the Pokémon movies.”

“I’m sure we won’t have to resort to that,” you assure him, grinning. “Here, why don’t we just watch Iron Man? Three’s your favorite, right?”

“Three is everyone’s favorite,” he says, scrolling over to the appropriate menu and clicking play. “It’s the best one, hands-down.”

“Won’t argue with you there.”

The movie starts, and you shift off Jungkook’s lap to switch off the lights. Darkness overtakes the room as the screen lights up with the opening credits, and when you return to the bed, Jungkook has sprawled comfortably against the pillows lining the headboard. His eyes remain glued to the screen even as he reaches for you, and you hesitate for only a second before joining him, laying down beside him and letting his arm find its way around your shoulders. The scent of floral laundry detergent fills your nostrils, and you subtly nestle a bit closer, resting your head on his chest.

This isn’t the first time Jungkook has seen this movie. You know this for a fact, yet that doesn’t change how raptly he watches the screen, the action sequences reflected perfectly in his glasses. He’s practically vibrating with excitement by the time of the final showdown, mouthing along to the lines, and you hide your smile in the blue-and-white squares of his pajama shirt as the music swells.

It’s well past midnight by the time the credits roll. Jungkook seems perfectly content to lie on his bed with his arm around you, and when you make to get up, his grip slides down to your waist to hold you in place. “You gotta watch the credits all the way through,” he says, blinking at you with bleary eyes now that the adrenaline from the final showdown has worn off. “There’s a post-credits scene, remember?”

You shake your head, but let him pull you back down onto the mattress regardless. “I’m sure you already know what it is. Why don’t you just tell me?”

“What’s the fun in that?” he asks with a grin.

The end credits continue—an endless stream of names scrolling down the screen. Your eyes begin to droop, the words blurring together, and it’s only when the music stops and the final scene begins that you jolt awake. Jungkook is faring no better than you are, suppressing a yawn behind his hand as he watches the last bit of the film through half-lidded eyes. Then the screen goes dark, and silence descends over the room once more. You glance at the alarm clock on his nightstand and see that it’s nearly two in the morning. A look back at Jungkook reveals that both his eyes have fallen shut, and you slowly begin wriggling free from his embrace in order to head home.

You’ve barely moved an inch when Jungkook’s arm tightens around your waist. “Stay,” he mumbles sleepily, one eye cracking open.

You should say no. You should head home to the safety of your own bed. But there’s something about Jungkook—something soft and fond in his tired gaze and something vulnerable in the way he’s holding you so tightly against his pajama-clad body with his hair in complete disarray and his round glasses askew. Heaving a sigh, you reach up to take them off his face, placing them neatly on his nightstand.

“Okay,” you whisper. “I’ll stay.”

Jungkook smiles sleepily and shuts his eyes. “G’night, then, Noona.”

“Night, Jungkookie.”

Within seconds, his breathing evens out, and you know he’s off in dreamland. Twisting in his grasp, you tug your phone out of your pocket and set a quick alarm for six o’clock. Neither of your parents wake up until seven at the earliest, and Jimin would sleep until three in the afternoon if he could get away with it, so you’re certain that you’ll have plenty of time to sneak back into the house. Besides, Jungkook’s bed is comfortable, and his chest is practically a furnace against your back. You aren’t sure you could work up the energy to leave even if you tried.

So instead, you settle back into his embrace and let sleep whisk you away.

///

There are birds chirping outside the window when you open your eyes the next morning, blinking blearily against the sun shining through the curtains. The blanket is tangled around your legs and there’s an arm looped around your waist, and you sit bolt upright when realization dawns. Jungkook groans and mumbles something unintelligible, but you don’t pay him any mind as you twist out of his grasp, clutching for your phone on the nightstand.

7:03am.

Shit.

Throwing your legs over the side of the bed, you rise to your feet and shove your phone into the pocket of your pajama pants. Jungkook makes a sound that vaguely resembles your name, and you spare him a glance as you fumble for your shoes. He’s flat on his back, blinking hair out of his eyes as he fights to stay awake. “Hey,” he manages, his voice raspy.

“I gotta go,” you whisper urgently, successfully putting your shoes on the right feet and wrenching the door of his bedroom open. And then you turn and dash out, leaving a very sleepy, very disheveled Jungkook blinking after you.

Your house, when you carefully crack open the front door and poke your head inside, is quiet. Much to your relief, you don’t hear any of the telltale signs that your family is awake and downstairs yet—no drip of the coffee maker and no sizzle of bacon or eggs. From upstairs, however, you can distantly hear the sound of the shower, so you dart inside and toe off your shoes, padding into the kitchen to start the coffee maker. You check the alarm you’d set the night prior as you scoop coffee grounds into the filter, and curse under your breath when you realize you’d somehow managed to select six PM instead of AM.

You’re seated in the living room with a mug of fresh coffee when Jimin shuffles in with damp hair and a sleepy frown. “You’re up early,” you remark.

“I have a morning class to teach,” he replies, yawning widely as he grabs a fresh mug. “What’s your excuse?”

You shrug. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Fair enough.”

Suppressing another yawn, your brother turns his attention to the refrigerator, rooting around for the milk. And you return yours to the window, where you can see the side of the Jeon’s house, and Jungkook’s bedroom window on the second floor. There are no signs of life from within, and you wonder if he’d gone back to sleep after your departure. Considering how tired he’d looked last night, you wouldn’t be surprised if he had.

Chaeyoung’s voice echoes in your mind then, soft and wistful. It always seemed like he had a bit of a thing for you. Happiest I’ve seen him in a long time. And honestly? I think it was because of you. We never really forget our first crush, do we?

And then Jisoo’s words rise up in your brain, just a bit louder. He’s a heartbreaker. He never, ever stays until the morning.

So why, then, did you wake up in his arms today?

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