#I had to stay late at work and finish my employee review

[cinemaocd]

Liveblog delayed 30 minutes

[starillusion13]

FRIENDS!? Chapter 19

🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳

Series ML

Pairing: poly!ateez × f!reader (An ATEEZ Office AU)

Genre: Mature, Angst, Yandere

Warning: mention of memories (nothing much just go with the flow).

W.C: 4.2k Network: @k-vanity

[Reblogs and Reviews are always appreciated. Thank you for reading and have a nice day ahead. Please always take care of yourself everyone.]

Hello, Can we be friends please?

>.<

"Wow. Congratulations to me for being late again. Ugh! Now why is this bracelet stuck here? Why is everything like this today?"

It will be less to say that your frustration is getting out of hand or you are about to blast. If anyone dares to comes in your way, you are definitely going to bury them alive because no matter what you are already half an hour late, and sleep deprived – thanks to your phone which you left on the cabin table last night without charge and well it has died during the night and your alarm didn't go off. How pathetic for your overthinking self! The main reason behind all these is that you were so tensed last night about the meetings that are going to held today so you had to prepare everything for the morning so you were ranting everything to Beomgyu. He took you to a nearby café last evening and you both had a great time together, forgetting about the life problems and responsibilities for the time being and you appreciated his presence more in this sort of situations.

You are more than relieved that he is back to the country.

''They are your friends – lovers? though ...then just be casual about this whole thing. Why are you so tense? If you ever do any mistake or say something inappropriate, it's not like they are going to sue you like other employees.''

Tried. You really tried his words to settle down in the front of your mind to calm yourself but still everything was becoming a mess, the moment he was reminding you the reality.

''Well, I would panic too on becoming the secretary to some handsome leaders of the most renowned company of the city.''

Every time he mentioned this line, you groaned and banged your head on the table, not really because he will put his hand before your head touches the wood and then his loud laugh on which people will be giving you the judging looks. Atleast, apart from all your life problems, he will still try to make you lively, diverting you to different topics and you are glad to have him with you.

I really want him to be with me always. He wants it too.

It took you two hours to finish up with the long morning schedule with Hongjoong and Seonghwa. The others were still busy with their work so it left you alone to wander around, when the both of them went to greet someone important and Hongjoong said that you should have the brunch without worrying for anything more.

"Mingi, I missed you so much."

You hugged him tightly as you were seeing him almost after one week because he was busy with overseas events and barely got time to attend any office work. Every day, you used to peek at his cabin just to get a glimpse of him but to your disappointment, the lights were off and an empty chair with a neat desk resting inside. But this morning, it's a surprise to see him walking on the 16th floor, this is one of the floors where they are like at their house. The floors: 16 to 20 are like their house so it's normal for them to not allow anyone in this section but you are allowed as you are staying here and well a part of their family.

You still wonder about your relationship with each other.

"I missed my girl too. How are you?" Mingi asked you, smiling down at you still in his hold. His eyes were shining with fondness and yours with excitement.

"I'm fine, just having a lot of work."

"Do you want some rest? If you are tired, I can give you some days and then you can be all fit and fine." He suggested when you shook your head at him.

"I'm not sick, Mingi. It's usual to get tired after working for so long. And today, there was an important event I went to with Hwa and Joong and now I came back to have my brunch and need to get back to my paper work again." You said and gave him a smile.

He nodded, "do you want me to accompany you?"

"If you are free then sure."

.

.

.

Both of you were in your cabin, you doing your work and Mingi occasionally starting a conversation on small topics and then listening to some soft music. Completing the papers and arranging them to the side, you stretched your hand and looked at your side when you got surprised by the man already staring at you and gave you a quick smile.

"I heard you went on a date with Seonghwa..." he started and licked his lips to continue, there was a hesitation in his tone but he was trying to hide it with a smile, "and you accepted him like Yunho."

You nodded, not knowing how to extend the conversation. The message you received one week back when you went to the date was still confusing you. Not telling it to anyone, you kept it to yourself because even when you thought it was just a prank yet somehow you wanted to know about it.

Is there someone else keeping a watch on you?

"y/n?" Mingi placed a hand on your shoulder when you flinched at the sudden effect. "are you okay?"

You nodded, forcing out a laugh, "yeah. I was thinking about that day. It was such a nice day."

He smiled on hearing you, "that's good. I'm really happy that you are comfortable and enjoying being here with us."

"you all really care for me a lot and there's nothing to worry about so why not to feel comfortable." You looked around, glancing at the window then back to him, "also, I still don't remember so many parts of my past yet you all are here to accompany me in every step. What more can I ask for?"

He cupped your cheek with one hand and smiled softly, "y/n..." your eyes moved to meet him when he continued, "just stay with us please. No matter how difficult the situation would be after remembering everything, promise me that you will come to us. Don't be afraid and run away from us, please."

"Mingi..." you grabbed his wrist holding your face, smiling in assurance, "are you all afraid that I might go away like I did in high school?" The silence you got in reply was enough to tell you the reason, so you continued, "don't worry, I won't be going anywhere knowing that you all are the only people I have in my life."

The moment was too peaceful between you two and he was wishing it to continue forever but could it be? He stood up from the chair, noticing your eyes on him, watching him patting your head and smiling down at you before turning around to leave. The moment he stepped forward, he paused and turned around, making you confused when he spoke up.

"Do you want to go on a night walk with me later?"

The question did surprise you a little because first of all, none of them allow you to stay out at night alone anytime and even if you do then you have to get a long hours lecture from Hongjoong and Seonghwa. Certainly, you don't want it at the moment but going out with him won't be a problem here so why not to agree?

"of course. But you all won't allow me to go out at night."

He chuckled, "yeah and here you are going on a trip with Star so don't blame us."

"that's different."

He raised his brow in amusement, "okay, sure."

You furrowed your brows, exactly knowing that he was trying to annoy you when he suddenly laughed at your adorable expression.

"y/n, we just always want you to be happy and safe. Don't misunderstand anything." He softly said.

Hearing his words, you stood up, trudging towards him, your arms wrapped around him, when he immediately returned the same gesture with his arms wrapping around you in a comforting hug, "I know, Mingi and I really trust you all a lot."

He stroked your hairs, "thanks, y/n. Also, come down to the lobby at exactly nine, I'll be there after dinner. Sorry, it's a cheap way of asking you out on a date but I wanted us to spend time alone in a peaceful atmosphere where others won't be there to butt in."

"date?" you looked up at him in surprise.

He nodded, pressing his lips tightly, "yeah, it's just I want us to get to know each other a little bit more. It's just..."

"Mingi...it's not like I only care and love those luxury dates and all. Yes, I really loved the day spent with Seonghwa but trust me, a night walk is also a great option for me. I love this too."

His lips curled up, "so, you coming?"

"wait for me."

.

.

.

It was a cool, clear evening when Mingi and you decided to go for a walk. The day had been long and busy, but as the sun dipped below the horizon and the first stars appeared in the sky, a sense of calm settled over the world. The streets were quiet, illuminated by the soft glow of streetlights that stretched far into the distance. The hum of the city had faded, leaving only the occasional distant sound of cars and the soft chirping of crickets to accompany both of you.

Mingi had texted you earlier, asking if you could dress-up in a particular style of his choice, previously you were confused on the way he wanted but upon noticing the picture he sent you, you realized it was a casual street style. After everything had quieted down, you stepped into your closet to find something exactly similar to the outfit of his choice. It wasn't an unusual request from him and you wanted to dress up accordingly—he liked these late-night strolls when the world felt a little less chaotic. You have often seen him going out alone and today, you agreed without hesitation, eager for the opportunity to catch up in a more peaceful setting.

When you met up at the lobby, he was waiting with his hands tucked into his pockets, his tall frame all in black denims relaxed but still imposing under the dim lights when you walked outside. His usual bright energy was subdued, but there was something calming about his presence tonight. He gave you a small smile as you approached, and without saying much, both of you started walking side by side, the pavement beneath cool and smooth.

The air was crisp, with a gentle breeze carrying the faint scent of flowers from a nearby garden. You both didn't speak at first, and the silence between you both was comfortable, like you were both just content to be in each other's company. The sound of your footsteps, rhythmic and unhurried, seemed to match the quiet heartbeat of the night.

Just after a few steps, he told you to wait, halting your steps and when you looked at him, he stepped away from you, walking further when he stopped and turned around, fishing out his phone out from the pocket, "strike a pose for me."

"huh?" your confusion got answered when he turned on the flash and a click sound echoed in the place. He wanted to click a picture of you, you looked down at your gray loose denim and a black jacket with a white tee and then back at the camera, not knowing what to do, you made a peace sign with tilting your head to the side and slightly smiling and quickly, he pressed the click button.

That didn't end there because after clicking you a lot of pictures – some weird, some decent. You both ended up setting the camera anywhere you wanted and striking funny poses to live the moment. It was totally giving off as if you both were two teenage souls enjoying your only free time. When you noticed the environment, you caught the marvelous view of their building, it looked better at night. The first pics he clicked were in front of that building and you felt so proud knowing your friends own that after their hard work since early days.

As you both passed by rows of houses, their windows glowing faintly with the warm light of evening, Mingi broke the silence.

"You ever feel like everything moves too fast?" he asked, his voice low and thoughtful. His gaze was fixed ahead, as if he was speaking to the night itself. "Like, life's just this whirlwind, and sometimes it's hard to keep up."

you glanced over at him, surprised by the introspective tone in his voice. Mingi was usually so full of energy and humor, always cracking jokes or teasing his friends. But tonight, there was something different in the air—something more vulnerable.

"Yeah, I do," you replied softly, looking up at the stars twinkling above. "Especially when things are constantly happening around you. It can feel like you're always being swept up in it, barely catching your breath. Just like I am surprised that it's been more than a year I'm with you all. Also, I love the peace when life is rushed because other times, you won't know the feelings of those times."

Mingi nodded, his eyes still on the road ahead. "It's like, I love everything I'm doing. The job being a CEO, attending meetings, being with my friends... but sometimes, I don't know, it feels like I'm losing myself in it. Like I'm forgetting what it's like to just be... me. and, you know, it's you with whom I can actually feel relaxed."

He let out a small sigh, his shoulders dropping slightly as he spoke. It was rare to hear him open up like this, and you could tell there was a lot on his mind.

"You don't really get a break, do you?" you said, your voice gentle. "It's a lot for anyone to handle. But as I have already said before, always come to me whenever you want to."

"Yeah," he said, his tone softening even more. "It's weird I am being like this, you know? I wanted this. And I still do. But it's just... hard to balance everything. Sometimes I wonder if I'm missing out on the simpler things, like tonight." He gestured toward the stars, the quiet streets around us. "Moments like these."

His words hung in the air for a moment, the weight of them lingering between you both. you felt a pang of empathy, understanding exactly what he meant. Mingi, for all his talent and success, was still human—someone who needed time to reflect, to breathe, to be.

"I think it's good that you're thinking about that," you said after a pause, your voice soft but reassuring. "It's easy to get lost in the chaos when everything's moving so fast. But moments like this... they're important. You need to take time for yourself, even if it's just for a little while."

He smiled slightly, glancing over at you for the first time since he'd started talking. There was a flicker of appreciation in his eyes, and the faintest trace of relief. "Yeah... I think I needed this more than I realized. I needed you, y/n. I think I need you with me forever."

You stared at him when he held your hand and walked forward to the convenience store to buy you an ice cream and some packets full of your favorite desserts. Oh! Now he is spoiling you.

You both continued walking, the conversation flowing more naturally now. He opened up about his journey, sharing stories about his childhood and his passions, the adrenaline rush he felt when he saw your admiring eyes staring back at him whenever his gaze met with yours was beyond explainable. But alongside that excitement, there was also the pressure—the proposal he wanted to happen at the moment.

"I always want to say something to you," he said, his voice a little quieter now. "But sometimes it feels like no matter how hard I try, I can't say it to you."

"just say it, Mingi. I am here." You held his hand firmly in your grasp, urging him to speak yet not pressuring to his limits.

you could hear the frustration in his words, the weight of carrying the hesitation day in and day out. "It's just what you want to say," you said gently. "I'm waiting to hear everything from you. This night is ours so let it be."

Mingi was quiet for a moment, as if letting the words sink in. "You're right," he said eventually. "I guess I just need to tell you that...I actually never proposed to you in the past. I mean we were good friends but I didn't have the courage to let you know about my feelings."

"oh...is that so?"

He nodded, looking down for a while and then again meeting your eyes, "but y/n...honestly, I have always loved your company. Staying with you is like the most relaxing and comforting time to me. I love you, y/n. please tell me, you will stay by my side, always."

You smiled, "you know even if I don't remember everything, I'm falling for you all, again and maybe it's a good sign."

No y/n, it's not.

"I promise, I'll stay by your side, I love you." You said and received a kiss on your temple and a peck on your lips before pulling you in a tight hug. When he tried to pull away from you, grabbing his jacket, you pulled him closer to lock your lips, sealing the new bond of love from friendship.

You both passed by a small park and decided to stop for a bit, sitting down on a bench beneath a large oak tree. The leaves rustled softly above you, and the night air felt refreshing against your skin. Mingi leaned back, his arms stretched out along the back of the bench, his eyes fixed on the stars above and your head lying on his lap.

"I wonder if we'll ever look back and laugh at how messy teenagers we were," he mused, his tone lighter now, almost playful.

"Maybe," you replied with a small chuckle, glancing up at the same sky. "But I think it's part of growing up, too. Figuring things out as we go. It's not supposed to be easy."

He smiled at that, the tension in his shoulders easing a little more. "Yeah... you're right. It's just nice to have someone to talk to about it."

"I'm always here if you need to," you said, my voice sincere. "Anytime."

For a while, you sat in silence, just enjoying the quiet night and each other's company. There was something comforting about being able to share these deeper thoughts with someone who understood—someone who didn't need to fill the silence with words but could just be there.

After a while, Mingi stretched his arms out and stood up, offering you his hand with a playful grin. "Come on," he said, his usual energy returning. "Let's get back. Hongjoong is probably waiting to scold us."

You pout on knowing you will get scolded again.

He added, "but this time, it's all on me."

>>>><<<<

"how do I look?" Jongho brushed his coat and turned around to ask his hyungs spread around the cabin but none of them cared to reply. "excuse me. I asked you all something."

"nothing special about your look." Wooyoung said and rolled his eyes. Jongho expected reply from anyone but him and so he glared at him before turning towards others.

He scoffed, "I didn't need your useless opinion. This is the new suit I bought last week and today I wanted to wear it on the special occasion."

Now that caught others attention. They all collectively looked towards him, feeling all the eyes as he wanted, he smirked and Seonghwa smiled affectionately, "you always look like my cute younger brother unlike the other." Both of them glanced towards San who rolled his eyes before folding the sleeves of his shirt.

"I don't want to look like him."

Jongho turned away to the eldest, "me neither. Why are you comparing me to him?"

"you are like the jolly one and he is always the grumpy one. But I love both of you." Seonghwa said with so much love and adoration for them.

Yunho chuckled, "someone is too happy knowing that she has accepted him in her life." He glanced at the eldest and then towards the man beside him and poked his side with the elbow, "so, you both went to spend your night out together. Did you two kiss?"

"that's none of your concern." Mingi spat at him when the latter just laughed it off.

Wooyoung chimed in, "whatever you all think of yourselves but I was the first one whom she kissed after joining the company." A proud look visible on his face.

"she did?" Hongjoong asked in surprise. Not only him but the rest of them were also surprised with the sudden revelation. They didn't know about this this whole time and now they were more curious about you.

"don't get all surprised. She was so sorry after that. I assured her that she was stressed, wanting to forget everything at the moment and that was the time..." Wooyoung paused and glanced at Yunho, a glint of a known feeling flashing in front of his eyes, "when I told her about her first kiss already being Yunho."

A realization set in among them but they didn't notice the exchange of glances between Yunho and Wooyoung when Yunho suddenly stood up, "Wooyoung I have something to talk about with you...alone." The younger one nodded.

"let me put this file back."

But Yeosang did notice it, he was attentive to the discussion ever since Wooyoung raised the topic of you. He even recognised the unspoken words between his two friends, and no matter how much he could deny, the same feelings are returning again.

Jealousy.

"I think I'm probably late for the meeting." He suddenly stood up from the desk.

Hongjoong raised a brow at his sudden behaviour, "you don't have any meeting. Where are you going?"

"I have one in the evening and for that I need to prepare some documents."

San turned towards his brother, "and what's your special occasion today? Why are you dressed up in a new suit?"

"I'm going to the event. Won't be returning till tomorrow night." Jongho smirked at him.

San narrowed his eyes at his reply, "and so? What's special about that?"

"with y/n."

Yeosang pulled the door open and there your hand extended, a shocked expression because you were trying to hold the handle to open the door and at the same time he pulled it open for you to come face to face with him.

"Hey, Yeosang. Good Morning."

The previous frown from his face disappeared when your glowing and dolled up look smiling brightly at him, his lips curled into a smile when he gestured you to come inside and without exiting the room, he closed the door behind him, pulling you in a hug, "Good Morning, my doll. You are looking so pretty."

"Is it?" Hearing your voice, everyone inside the room turned towards you where you were busy conversing with Yeosang. You were in straight lilac pants and a sleeveless turtleneck matching top. "Thank you."

A perfect classic business woman.

Their woman more specifically.

"Thanks for this outfit, Hwa." You thanked him and he returned a smile at you.

"You are going to the event with Jongho and we didn't know about it." Seonghwa asked while obviously checking you out in the process. You shyly tugged your hairs behind the ear, aware of his intense gaze.

You nodded, "I , myself, was not aware of it. Last night, Jongho came to my room and asked for me to tag along and that's how I ended up agreeing with him and here, I'm to inform you all about the sudden change in schedule. Won't it be a problem to you without me?" The worry in your tone was audible and Wooyoung nodded quickly while making a sad face at you, earning a smack from Jongho.

"No, sweetheart. It won't be a big deal. In your absence, Giselle can handle all these and we will try to keep up with our own." Seonghwa assured you but hearing the certain name, perked up your ears.

"who is Giselle? That girl from the account department?" you asked curiously and the tint of jealousy got their interest in you. Yunho stepped towards, standing beside Seonghwa in front of you.

He smirked, folding his hand below his chest, "why? Is there any problem?" he bent down to whisper, his breath tickling your ear and shoulder, "or maybe jealous..."

"No! I'm not jealous...it's called curiousity." You huffed, turning away from them, already your face flushing red with all their eyes on you and Yunho's flirty and seductive voice was not helping the situation, "there's so many women around the building. Of course, you have to interact with them and have so many other clients and meetings with women. Why will I be jealous? Also, I am a worker like them here, it's just they are employees and I'm your personal secretary. It's a big difference."

"okay continue..." Yunho was clearly enjoying your ramblings.

Yeah...you are clearly not jealous.

You glared at him, turning towards Hongjoong, "also they should know I'm your best-friend since childhood and you know me before all of them and I am also..." you cut yourself in between, meeting Hongjoong's eyes.

"you are also?" Hongjoong leaned forward, clasping his palms in front of his face and resting his elbow on the desk, a glint of mischievousness in his eyes. You glanced at Wooyoung leaning against the table near him and the smirk all visible on his face.

"I...I..I'm..." you held Jongho's hand, "let's go, we will be late."

"but we are going by our car." Jongho said, acting innocent.

You leaned to whisper in his ear in hurry, "take me out of here now quickly."

He nodded, "we can't leave before having our breakfast."

Seonghwa cleared his throat, "yeah. Let's all go together. Now, I'm certainly so hungry." He chuckled when he watched the disbelief look on your face. Hongjoong nodded, standing up, walking closer to you. San also smiled at the scene, seeing you all flustered because of them.

You looked around but as Yunho was about to hold your hand, you turned around, storming your feet towards the door, yelling loudly, "I literally hate you all."

"y/n..." Yeosang followed behind you closely, chuckling.

The others all laughed at your childishness and shook their heads before deciding to follow you, knowing that you obviously went to the private dining room.

"Let's go before she changes her plans with Jongho. Or boy be about to chase us down." Mingi laughed in the end.

"no need. I'm taking her out already. Don't you dare mess up my plan." Jongho glared at them before they all walked towards the door except one who was standing beside the shelf when he suddenly spoke up, making them halt their steps.

"She doesn't hate us actually, right?"

Wooyoung scoffed, "and why does it matter to you, San? You never liked her."

He nodded, keeping quiet for a moment when he suddenly raised his head, meeting their gazes at him, "because this time, I won't be able to help myself if she hates me. I want her to forgive me."

Hongjoong said quietly, "she will someday."

San shook his head, "I want her to love me."

The chapters are so fluffy because the story is about to take turns. Our EVIL ATEEZ IS GOING TO RETURN AGAIN...HEHEHE!!!

NEXT

—————————————————————————

Taglist :

@mymoodwriting @justhere4kpop @vvshere @anyamaris @yeoobin @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @brrrkdslek-personal @icchyi @jwnghyuns @piratequeen-queenofgames @luhwaine @ilove-taeyong @dinonuguaegi @endeav0rsb1tch @loveforred @hwanring @sanwifesstuff @kiwiisnthereoops @kiwiraccoon @sousydive @aliona124754 @tunaasan @iykyunho @jennifermakmur

(open! dm me/ send ask/reply here)

[avboni]

The Impact of Overworking and Layoffs within the Video Game Industry

Website: Polygon: Gaming and Entertainment News, Reviews, and More

The piece is an informative piece

Below consists of various interviews as well as personal impact on the issue

Piece will be written informal, generalist/lay terms

In this article, I will be reviewing all of the negative impacts this had on the games industry, the video game community, and interviews from employees that were subject to these layoffs, as well as my own personal experiences as both a professional game developer and gamer.

In Late Summer of 2023, there were announcements after announcements on social media, namely Twitter/X that video game companies started to lay people off. While not unusual, the sudden surge and the amount of companies that were being affected by this grew each and every day. Major companies such as Sony and Microsoft were one of many that laid employees off during this purge.

Working in video games is both a wonderful and extremely difficult job to be a part of, especially depending on the department you work in. Some departments may deal directly with customers, stockholders, other workers, legal teams, or reporting on issues on games as they come in. You would think that any and all parts of creating a video game would all be as important as the other team, but unfortunately that is far from the case.

Here is what some professionals in the industry had to say about some of the issues about this as well as my own experiences. Below are from three different perspectives when it comes to creating games: Producer, QA tester, and Project Manager. 

What company do you work for?

Anon A

Cannot state due to NDA.

Brice Morgan

“I was not laid off, but I work as a QA tester on Starfield for Zenimax Media Inc, where I've been for the last two years.”

My Words

FerryGodMother Productions

Physical Health

Anon A

“I developed heart problems from it. I’ve had several nights where I’ve worked 16+ hours. I’ve been lucky enough to not have an all nighter though and get some amount of sleep. I’ve missed family events, time with friends, and overall felt insanely tired and my panic attacks were at an all time high.”

Brice Morgan

“Right before the official launch of Starfield, there were many days available for overtime on weekends or sometimes during the weekdays, but it was entirely optional. There are many folks who say that it is not actually optional and that you're expected/obligated to sign up for it, but I did not always do so and I never experience any consequences for it. When I did sign up, it would usually be for staying late during the weekday.”

My Words

“I would stay up until late hours of the night to get something finished on time. Some days I would be up until 3AM with one of my programmers just to figure out any issues that were going on. There would be days where I would be sitting at my desk for 10+ hours going through documents, meetings, and testing out products.”

Mental Health

Anon A

“I was personally affected by my lead producer leaving in order to save my job. I had to take over the lead role as an associate that had only been there for a little over a year. I had extreme anxiety and depression as I had no idea what my future was going to be. With so many others being let go as well, we were lil emotionally devastated.”

Brice Morgan

“There have been two fears of layoffs since I've begun working here, and the threat of it looms over everyone still, especially because we work in QA and that is usually the first on the chopping block – but I think having a union has saved my department from losing people. And my colleagues have had their friends hit with layoffs, which is greatly demoralizing and painful.”

My Words

“I have developed anxiety due to the stress of not being able to secure a job due to these layoffs as well as fear of the projects I’m working on being shelved, even if I worked on them for years.”

The Impact of Layoffs

Anon A

“We felt it pretty hard. We went from a company of 58 to 32 over the course of a couple of months. I was not laid off but I know several people who I worked with are still looking for new work, even after 6+ months.”

Brice Morgan

“The layoffs have been extremely stressful, despite the fact that they have not personally affected me or my colleagues.”

My Words

“The job market has become completely filled with competition and has made it harder to find something that offers entry level positions. I am lucky that I do not need to transfer soon, but unfortunately when my projects are finished, I have to find something as soon as I can. Companies know people are desperate and are going to start underpaying new employees by giving them positions lower than their actual skill set.”

Harassment from Consumers

Anon A

“We had a game we recently put out take a hit and eventually delisted since we did not have the resources to keep it up. Many players due to our decisions were extremely upset but I wouldn’t say they harassed us.”

Brice Morgan

“I was not personally harassed, nor do I know of any coworkers that were, but I've seen people online commenting to say that game developers should essentially "get over it," which is not directly harassment but it is insensitive and does nothing to help the problems currently plaguing the industry.”

My Words

“I have not personally been targeted by fans, but I have seen live tweets by people upset at game developers for and target community managers and game devs with death threats and doxxing. Some instances have been taken to court because of it.”

Delays, Rush Release dates, and DLCS.

Anon A

“It hurts the player base and gives the release a very rough start, keeping players from what could have been a great game… (not full quote due to length).”

“I do play video games outside of work. I don’t feel like I have been affected by it outside of my personal work experiences.”

Brice Morgan

“Usually delays are a good thing - Starfield was delayed for several months in order to polish the game more, which it very much needed at the time. I'm in support of delays if it means a better game in the long run. That said, I also think of Skull and Bones, which was in development for 11 years and delayed several times, and the game was not better for it, so very rarely, delays are not a good thing.”

My Word

“Ever since DLC’s and live services games became the norm, it has really taken a toll on the production and final product of video games.”

Should the Game Industry Unionize?

Anon A

“I think some parts of the game industry should unionize, especially the art side of production. With the oncoming of AI generated content, they need some way of protecting themselves and their livelihoods. Programmers could also with the rise of AI in game development programs. While I work for a smaller Indiedev company, we do not see an issue. Larger studios though can take advantage of their workers. QA definitely needs to unionize and fight for better contracts or fight for more permanent work instead of contract-based. QA is an overworked and underpaid area of game dev that needs more attention and praise.”

Brice Morgan

“Yes, the industry needs to unionize. The Zsnimax QA department I work at unionized in 2022, and as I said before, I'm certain the union saved our jobs after Starfield was released. I think this is especially true for the contractors who were originally going to be let go immediately when their contracts expired, but instead were able to get them renewed indefinitely. At the time of its foundation, our union was the largest in the industry at around 200, but now it is the union within Activision that is the largest at 600 members, and I think the efforts of our own union and the unfortunate lay offs due to the merge are what inspired Activision developers to unionize too. Unionize works!”

My Words

“Yes. The risk that people have of losing their jobs once a product is finished is a terrifying concept to have to deal with, especially if someone has been working for the company for years. Entry level positions and Senior positions are always hit the hardest as those are people that are expensive or they are so new, they are the usually the first to go along with QA.”

Sources: (cite properly APA)

(Anon A, personal communication March 16, 2024.)

(Brice Morgan, personal communication March 21, 2024.)

(Amanda Bonilla, personal communication March 21, 2024)

Chalk, A. (2022, August 29). Court ruling reveals more details about death threats against Destiny 2 developers. Pcgamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/court-ruling-reveals-more-details-about-death-threats-against-destiny-2-developers/

[boowanie]

Pairing: Ceo!Wonwoo x Secretary!reader

Genre: Angst/Fluff-ish

Warning: Suggestive

W/C: 2k+

Summary: Falling in love with your boss was never on your agenda, or so you thought.

Eri’s note: I’ve been dying to write a ceo!wonwoo scenario and here she is!! aaah, i hope you beans enjoy this! I think this is my favourite of mine so far 💘

The cold rain seeped into your clothes as you padded your way back to your empty apartment. You were absolutely exhausted. Words were not enough to explain how tired you were of your boss but being broke left you with no choice but to stick around as Wonwoo’s secretary.

When you first met him, you couldn’t deny that he made your heart skip a beat with how beautiful he was. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, the image you momentarily created in your mind was shattered. He was always working you harder than your other co-workers even when the tasks weren’t even your responsibility.

You finally caught sight of your apartment building and a small sigh of relief left your lips. You were definitely drenched when you reached your apartment door, shivering as you opened your door. On a normal day, you would have slipped your shoes off at the front door but tonight was different. You went straight to the bathroom, leaving wet footsteps and drops of water along the way. The warmth of the water coming out of your shower fogged up your small bathroom as you finally discarded the wet clothes you were in.

Once you stepped into the shower, your thoughts led you back to the events that happened before you walked home.

—

Wonwoo was yelling at one of his employees yet again. You could hear him demanding for the work that he tasked her to do. You flinched as your co-worker finally snapped, yelling at him with the same tone.

“You know what, I fucking quit Jeon Wonwoo. Fuck you and fuck your stupid company! I’d rather be jobless than stay here for another day. I don’t know how y/n has managed to stay by your side for the past 5 years.”

You and the other employees turned towards the door as soon as she stepped out, visible tears tumbling down her cheeks. Some of your co-workers stood up to comfort her while some avoided her incase Wonwoo saw. You, on the other hand, were called into his office. You sighed, picking up the files he wanted you to sort out during lunch.

“Close the door,” he murmured as soon as you stepped into his office. You did as you were told and walked slowly to his table where he was leaning back against his chair with his eyes tightly shut. You carefully placed the files on his desk, not wanting to disturb your boss’ silence.

“Can you stay for awhile?” he whispered, eyes opening to stare at you. You blinked back, your eyes softening at the sight of him and the dark circles that were visible under his eyes. You nodded as you took the spare seat and pulling it over to Wonwoo’s side.

“What do you need help with, Mr. Jeon?”

“Just need you here to calm me down.” He stated, catching his lower lip between his teeth.

—

When you turned the shower off, you came to a conclusion that Jeon Wonwoo liked to confuse you. He confused you with his actions. Despite the fact that he gave you more work than anybody else in the company, he also cared about you. Wonwoo didn’t mind when you handed files to him late nor did he care whenever he saw you nodding off at your desk. Your co-workers noticed how more lenient he was on you but they never made a comment because they saw how much work Wonwoo gave you on a daily basis.

You finally sat down on your sofa, ordering some food to eat to reward yourself after Wonwoo made you stay behind again to help him with some documents he was reviewing. You remember trying to stiffle numerous yawns as you worked through some documents and you could feel the frustration building up within him.

“You know what, just go home y/n. It’s clear to me that you’d rather be sleeping,” he said, plopping the loose papers on his desk before turning towards you. Your eyes widened at the sharp gaze he threw at you and you felt your heart momentarily clench.

“Won-, Mr. Jeon, it’s past midnight. I think we both need to rest,” you stared back, watching as he ran his fingers through his hair. He leaned back against his chair, watching you with blank eyes.

“Just go.” He turned his body away from you, leaving you staring at his back that was now hunched over his wooden desk.

“Fine.”

—

Once your food delivery arrived, you took your spot on your sofa again, watching reruns of your favourite show. You sighed as your mind began wandering back to Wonwoo.

“Fuck this,” you grabbed your phone, dialing the man that was occupying your mind.

On the third ring, he finally picked up. You could hear some shuffling in the background as you asked if he had gone home. You waited for his answer as silence consumed you both.

“Can I come over?” he whispered, hearing sniffles coming from his end. Your heart clenched at the sadness evident in his voice.

“I-i’ll leave the door unlocked,” you whispered back.

—

Again, Jeon Wonwoo confused you as he began to nip at the soft skin of your neck. Your hands ran through his hair, tugging his locks softly as he continued to pepper your neck with wet kisses, sighing as he left a subtle bruise on your collarbone.

“Talk to me sweetheart,” he groaned against your neck. You moaned when he slid the straps of your bra down your shoulders, loving his gentle touches that burned agaisnt your skin. However, as he continued to leave kisses on your skin, your mind wandered back to everything that happened that day. You pulled away just before he could undo the clasp of your bra.

“W-what are we doing Wonwoo,” you breathed out, pushing his body away from you. He sighed, leaning back on your headboard. You avoided his gaze and stared at your legs that were situated on either side of his thighs.

“Don’t you like what we have y/n?” he asked, pulling your chin up with his hand.

“What exactly do you call this Wonwoo? I’m your secretary for crying out loud,” you replied with frustration.

“We can’t keep doing this. I-i can’t keep pretending like i’m not inlove with you while we’re at work,” you cried, tears sliding down your cheeks as you lightly thumped your hands against his bare chest.

“Baby,” he mumbled, taking your shivering figure into his embrace. You cried against the skin of his shoulder while he rubbed his hand on your back.

“I-i think I should quit Wonwoo,” you sniffled.

“If I stay in your company any longer, I’ll just end up breaking my own heart,” you decided, removing your self from his embrace. You wiped your tears with the back of your hands while getting off his lap.

“I think you should leave now Wonwoo, I’ll hand in my resignation letter later on.”

—

You arrived at the company early in the morning, your hands carrying folded boxes to put your things in. You heard soft mutters when you began to clear your belongings that were neatly organised on your desk.

Once you finished, you made your way towards Wonwoo’s office, gently knocking on his door to bid him your final goodbye.

“Come in.”

He looked up, pushing his metal glasses up when he saw you standing by the door. You took a deep breath before walking towards his desk, your resignation letter in hand. You placed it beside his arm before looking up at Wonwoo again.

“Thank you for the past 5 years, Mr. Jeon,” you bowed. He didn’t say anything and began working on the files that he was holding not too long ago.

“Bye Wonwoo,” you whispered, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall.

—

Four months passed by before you finally got a job at a photography studio. Before becoming Wonwoo’s secretary, you were an aspiring photographer that only studied business to please your parents. You were beyond happy when Mingyu, your boss, called you to offer you the job you applied for.

The first month and a half was hectic, shooting for different companies and artists was something you never imagined to be doing in your life time.

“Y/n, I need you to come with me to a really important photoshoot,” Mingyu chucked a popcorn at your direction. You swatted another incoming popcorn as you tried to place your camera down.

“Sure, who are we shooting for tomorrow?”

“My bestfriend and his family,” he smiled.

“Time?”

“10 in the morning,” he replied, munching on another popcorn.

“I’ll see you then,” you waved goodbye at your boss turned close friend.

—

You couldn’t believe your eyes when you entered the venue. Mingyu texted you that he would be arriving in less than 10 minutes. Your eyes landed on Wonwoo who was staring at you, shock evident on his face. You were shooting for The Jeons. Well shit, you thought. Wonwoo’s mother greeted you, leading you to a small section of the room where she told you you could place your belongings.

You thanked her, grabbing your phone to dial Kim Mingyu.

“Where the heck are you?” you panicked, looking around the room.

“Right behind you, you dumbass,” Mingyu chuckled, bumping your head with his camera bag. You glared at him as he continued to chuckle at you.

—

Throughout the whole photoshoot, your eyes tried to avoid meeting Wonwoo’s. Mingyu noticed the subtle glances that two of his friends were giving. He couldn’t help but shake his head when he finally took the last shot.

“We can call it a day, Mr and Mrs Jeon,” he politely said to Wonwoo’s parents. They both thanked you and Mingyu for your hard work while Wonwoo’s brother waved at you both with a smile before leaving with his parents. Wonwoo, on the other hand, decided to stay. You couldn’t deny how fast your heart was beating throughout the entire photoshoot.

“Thank you Mingyu and y/n,” he patted Mingyu’s back and gave you a small smile. You sligtly bowed at his direction before busying yourself with packing up. Mingyu and Wonwoo began to talk about something you didn’t understand while you tried to place your camera back into your bag.

“Hey y/n, do you need a ride back to your apartment?” Mingyu asked as you finally gathered all your belongings. You shook your head “no”, leaving both of them in the room.

“See you tomorrow, boss.”

—

It was around midnight when you heard a knock on your door. You were clad in nothing but a loose t-shirt that you were certain was Wonwoo’s and cotton shorts. You padded your way towards your door, looking through the peephole to find Wonwoo standing behind the door wearing grey sweatpants and a loose hoodie.

You opened the door, confused as to why Wonwoo showed up at your door after months of him not being here. He spoke gently, asking if he could come in to talk to you.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, sitting back down on your sofa. He followed suite, keeping a small distance between you two. He shrugged, looking at his hands. Silence consumed you both while you stared at your midnight snack that was abandoned on the coffee table.

“Again Wonwoo, what are you doing here?” you asked firmly.

“I miss you.”

“I miss you so much, sweetheart,” he sobbed into his palms. Your heart clenched at his words, reaching out to pull him into your chest.

“I’m so sorry baby. When you said that you were going to leave, I thought it was for the best. I didn’t want to break your heart any further but I realised how stupid I was. How much of a coward I was being when I continued to lead you on for years,” he breathed against your neck.

“I’m so inlove you y/n y/l/n, and I was wonderinrg if you could still forgive me and ask for another chance?” he peered up at you through his tears. You wiped them gently while he wiped your own tears that were falling down your cheeks.

“Why’d you only come back for me now?” you whispered.

“I wanted to give you the space you deserved. I-i knew you were working for Mingyu two months ago when he mentioned your name during a conversation,” he stated. He pulled away from your hug, grabbing your waist to pull you on top of his lap. You straddled him, leaning the side of your head against his chest.

“Are you willing to take me back y/n?”

“Just make sure to ask me to be yours this time around, Jeon Wonwoo.”

He grinned at your words, “I love you so much.”

[foenixs]

aight aight idk of this is a good request but monsta x as your employees or something and they're whipped af for you?? but make it nsfw 👉🏻👈🏻🥺🥺 it's v broad I know but do with this what you want

x shy anon

Monsta X as your whipped employees

note: I'm so sorry, I forgot the nsfw part 😭 (i didn't read over the request again before starting to write it) some of these hint at sexy time but they are mainly imagines for how they would behave around you and the office after realizing they like you more than they should

This is supposed to be a lil present for you, happy birthday! ❤

if you like my fics please reblog them with a nice comment or tag

POV: You are Monsta X's employer and they are whipped for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shownu : the servant

very hardworking; he doesn’t get distracted from his work easily but when you bend down a little too low to show him something on the screen, he turns his head away, blushing heavily

he’s very slick with the way he communicates with you, offering to make you a coffee and carrying things for you

does those things without a second thought because he wants to be useful (subconsciously he just wants to be close to you)

when you ask him why he is always following you around the office he starts to stutter, mumbling something about how he didn’t mean to be creepy he just wants to help you out, but you can tell by the way his breath hitches that there is some deeper meaning behind his actions

he ends up taking a job at another company so he can ask you out on a date (he doesn’t have to, but he wants to show you how serious he is and that he doesn’t just want to sleep his way to the top)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wonho : the mess

becomes a blushing mess the minute he realises he has a crush on you

avoids eye contact when talking to you and tries to not bump into you in the office (which turns out to be harder than he thought because it’s not exactly a big office space)

he’s usually smart and quick on his feet but when you ask him a question now it takes him forever to answer and he often miscalculates numbers in his reports

you quickly notice how off he is and start to worry that something private might taint his mind, so you tell him to take a couple of days off and he looks at you with sad eyes thinking he is close to getting fired

he can’t stop thinking about you while he is at home and after his friends give him a kick in the ass to finally man up and confess to you, he calls you up, blurting “I love you” and instantly hanging up again

you pay him a visit and end up staying the night (and a couple more) and his concentration seems to return to normal as he can finally call himself yours

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minhyuk : the comedian

starts his day by telling the joke of the day, gets everyone to laugh and raises the spirit in the office

his workspace is covered in post it notes with little scribbles he drew himself (“Shouldn’t you be working?”, you ask him as he is drawing again; “but this is work, a work of art, like you *wink*”)

surprisingly, he always hands in his reports on time and never makes any mistakes

he tells you up front that he is attracted to you, but you take it as one of his jokes

after years of working with him he asks you why you never made him your valentine (“Why would I?”; “Well, you’ve known that I like you for three years now and you haven’t fired me yet so I’m assuming you like me back, yet you’ve never asked me out.”)

when you tell him that you thought he was just play flirting he gets all serious, telling you that he would never joke about something like that

you take your time thinking about what he had said and how you felt about him but when the 14th of February comes around you slip him a post it note with a scribble of a heart and the question “Will you be my valentine?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kihyun : the daydreaming altruist

respect the authorities and elders is his number one principle, so he never dreamed of asking you out (it seemed unprofessional and rude to him), even when your sheer presence made his heart jump out of his chest

he tries to date other people, but he can’t push down his feelings for you, every time he ends up in someone’s bed, he can’t help but moan your name

cries himself to sleep because he doesn’t want to lose you, but he also can’t move on from you

he daydreams a lot while he’s at work and barely gets anything done

when his performance review comes in you are shocked to see his low numbers and confront him about it, he is apologetic and takes full blame, lowering his head in shame

“Gosh, you’re cute…”, you mumble to yourself, trying to figure out what to do with him, “tell me what hinders you from working. Be completely honest and don’t be scared about coming off as rude, I want us to find a solution, together.”

“You”, he admits, and his sudden bluntness almost makes you fall out of your chair (you settle on late night dates and his performance miraculously enhances)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hyungwon : the perfect balance

he’s considered the quiet one at the office so when he asks you to join him and his friends for a karaoke evening you are quite literally left speechless

he works hard and focused during the day and plans out crazy dates for the night

no one at the office expects you two to date since he is very good at hiding his feelings in public, but he makes sure you still feel appreciated and loved, cuddling into you and professing his love when you two are alone

you stay together for a long time, perfectly balancing your work and love life and eventho he gets job offers from other companies for higher pays, he stays loyal to you and your company till the end

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jooheon : the attention craver

tries to gain your attention as much as he can, thinking that’s gonna win you over

gets sulky when you don’t greet him in the morning, eventho you are clearly stressed

does everything you ask him to do and more (overachieves), knocking at your office door when he has finished his work to ask you if there’s anything else to be done (it gets to a point where you have no work for other employees left because he simply does too much, too fast)

when you tell him to go take a break you find him in the cafeteria, reading over his reports while his soup gets cold

“Do you really love working or do you just want to impress me?”, the question had been lingering on your mind for a while but when you finally confront him about it, he falls silent

he admits that he wants you to notice him and you tell him you do, but you are worried he’ll get a burnout

you tell him it’d be better if he left the company, for his own health, but before he breaks out into tears you ensure him that you have indeed fallen for him and this was the only plausible solution to ensure a serious future for you two

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Changkyun : the fuckboy

flirts with other colleagues to make you jealous, but it only makes you see him as a fuckboy

when you tell him to mature and leave his horniness at home, he becomes beat red, his confidence dying down in his throat

everyone has a crush on him (boy or girl) and you are surprised to find out he’s turning all of them down

he would never admit his feelings for you, and he is lowkey intimidated by your assertiveness, his facade shattering to pieces the second your hand lays on his shoulder

he wants nothing more than to be bent over that stupid desk of yours, writing drabbles about his imaginations

one day he accidently attaches one of his personal word documents to an email instead of his report and when he realises his mistake, he rushes to your office to tell you to please not open the email, but you already did, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, telling him to lock the door behind him

needless to say, he is your fuckboy now

-

masterlist

-

taglist:  @euphoricsunflowers, @baa-nana, @vanillaknj, @mingiibabieee, @sub-hoshi-enthusiast, @soya-zz, @coeurbreak, @mellowriting , @submissive-bangtan

[jayeray-hq]

How He Shows You Affection: Miya Osamu

Hey guys, this one also really hurts to re-post, but I’m really hopeful that since the Kuroo one did so well, this one will too. It was my first request and from the amazing rice-hime too, which is probably the only reason it did so well, so big shout out to her for being amazing! Notes: 84

If you want to know why I’m re-posting check here

Post Time Skip/Manga Ending Spoilers!

Warnings: None all fluff!

How He Shows You Affection Masterlist - Character Masterlist

He Makes Time for You

            You waited patiently at your table, quietly sipping your drink as you waited for the store to close. It was date night, so you’d dressed up in one of your cutest outfits and while you could’ve waited patiently at home for Osamu to come get you you’d decided to surprise him at work instead. The way his whole face had lit up when he spotted you and the appreciative look in his eyes as he spotted what you were wearing made it more than worth it.

You didn’t get to talk to him for long, the restaurant was too busy for that, only managing to exchange quick greetings, and affectionate brush of the hands before he was forced to move on to the next customer but it was more than enough to tide you over. After all in just a short while you’d be able to have him all to yourself, so it was more than enough.

            More than one patron had wondered why Onigiri Miya closed early on Tuesdays. It was a strange day for such a thing after all. Most people thought it was a restocking thing, or a cleaning day, only those closest to you knew it was because your boyfriend had decided early on when he’d started his business that no matter how busy he got he was always going to set aside one evening a week that he could devote wholly to you. Thus the shop closed at four o’clock on Tuesdays and anyone who wanted to have their Onigiri had to come early or miss out.

            He’d had more than a few complaints about it too, but he’d never cared about that at all, waving them off and telling anyone who complained that it was their own fault if they missed out. After all the store was open regular hours all the other days of the week, and even stayed open late on Fridays and Saturdays, so there was no point in whining about one day.

            Once you’d tried to suggest that it might be okay if he didn’t, that you would be okay with him putting his restaurant first, as you knew it was his dream job, but he’d been very quick to shut that down. He’d insisted that yes, the restaurant was his dream, but you were part of his dream too, and part of his future and having time with you, just for you was important to him. You hadn’t been able to argue with him after that, and just gratefully accepted what he’d offered your heart full to the bursting for the incredibly man who had somehow fallen in love with you.

           A few years in and most of the patrons were used to the Tuesday closures, and knew to come early, but there was still the occasional late comer, who refused to be budged, and it seemed tonight was one of those nights.           He’d come in at four on the dot, pushing his way through the door and nearly knocking over the poor employee who’d been trying to shut and lock it, the open sign already flipped to closed, and hadn’t even apologized. Instead he’d marched right up to the counter and rattled off his order right into your boyfriend’s extremely unimpressed face.

            “We’re closed,” Osamu informed the clearly self-important business man in a bored drawl.           “The door says you close at four!” the man blustered clearly angry.

           “And by my count it’s now exactly,” he paused for a minute to check the watch you’d given him for your last anniversary that he wore faithfully every day, “4:01 sir, which means we’re closed.”

           “Well that’s a ridiculous hour to close anyway,” he informed your boyfriend flushed but not backing down, “Not even dinner time! Besides I came all the way here, the least you can do is give me my meal. I’m a paying customer.”

            “We’re closed,” Osamu repeated slowly for the man as if he were a petulant toddler than needed things explained very slowly and in small words, his tone making you hide a smile behind your drink, “That means everythin’ is turned off, and we’re all packin’ up to leave. I couldn’t make yer order even if I wanted to.”           “Well then what is she doing here huh?” the man demanded pointing an accusing finger in your direction, startling you enough you nearly spilled your drink, “I demand to be served too!”

            “She ain’t a customer,” your boyfriend informed the man, a clearly warning edge to his voice, “That’s my girlfriend, and she’s waitin’ there fer me ta be finished so if ya could please vacate the premises so we can get goin’ I’d appreciate it.”           “How unprofessional,” the man scoffed derisively, “Having your girlfriend here. I demand to speak to your manager.”

           “Yer lookin’ at the manager,” Osamu countered with a bored sigh, “And he’s tellin’ you to please leave so we can close.”

           The man blustered a bit more, but in the end he did concede, stomping out of the door and shouting how he was going to be in contact with the owner, and would be leaving a very poor review, which made you frown turning to look at your boyfriend in concern, though as per usual with him he looked completely unruffled by the whole thing.

           “’Spose it’s a bit too late to tell him I’m the owner too huh?” he asked when he saw you looking at him, his mouth curling into a smile.

           “Is it really okay?” you asked hesitantly, “I could’ve waited a little longer for you to make his food. I wouldn’t have minded.”

            “Well I woulda minded,” he countered casually pulling his hat off and ruffling a hand through his dark hair, making it fall across his forehead rather appealingly, “Sides, even if I wanted too, everythin’s pretty much put away anyway. I wouldn’t have had the ingredients.”

          “But what if he does leave a bad review?” you asked with a frown, concerned for his business.

           “It’s just one review sweets,” he assured you, “An if he does I’ll be sure to respond to it, if it’ll make ya feel better and explain the situation, though I don’t think it’ll matter much.”

            “Alright,” you agreed, feeling a bit better at his reassurance, “If you’re sure.”

           “I’m sure,” he told you firmly, “Besides I wouldn’t have wanted to keep my favorite girl waitin’ any longer than she has ta be, just let me wipe everythin’ down, do one final check and get changed and we can get goin’ on our date.”

            “Let me help,” you told him, quickly finishing your drink and tossing the disposable cup away moving toward the counter to grab one of the rags he kept there to help wipe down the tables.

            “Ya don’t have ta sweets, me n the rest can handle it,” he told you grabbing hold of the other end of the rag to hold you in place.

            “I know,” you told him with a smile, giving a quick glance around the shop to ensure no one could see before leaning over the counter to give him a light peck on the lips and explaining, “But we’ll finish faster if I help, and the sooner we finish the sooner I get you all to myself.”

            “Alright,” he agreed a playful smile on his lips, and a soft look on his face that he only ever shared with you, “Have it your way then.”

           “I will,” you told him with a grin, before bouncing off to do as you’d said you would a cheerful spring in your step as you contemplated how very lucky you were to have your man who loved you enough to set aside the time for you even if it meant dealing with angry customers just to spend a little extra time with you.

He Tugs at Your Ear

You stared out the window contemplatively watching the rain hit the glass. It was kind of a dreary day today and while you could sometimes enjoy the rain today it was making you feel a bit out of it. Frankly you had a lot to get done, but you couldn’t seem to drum up the motivation to do it.

You were so spaced out you didn’t even notice your boyfriend sliding a plate of food in front of you, and gently nudging your laptop away too distracted by watching the path the raindrops carved down the shop window. You probably would’ve continued with your daze, not even noticing the delicious smelling food just waiting to be consumed if not for the gentle tug at your ear.

The touch was a familiar one but even so you jerked slightly in surprise, your eyes turning to your boyfriend who had the lobe of your ear caught gently between his thumb and forefinger. It was a gesture he used a lot when he wanted to get your attention, a leftover remnant from his childhood with his twin, where Osamu would be forced to grab hold of him somehow to get him to shut up and pay attention.

Though you had to admit he was a lot sweeter with you than he was with Atsumu, probably because unlike his brother he had no particular desire to cause you pain when he was trying to catch your attention. He never twisted or yanked, just gently tugged on you, a disparity the blonde twin had noticed and liked to complain about loudly to anyone who would listen.

It was a rather sweet gesture honestly and an intimate touch you’d gotten used to after dating him for so long, even if it did still make you jump a bit from time to time, when he startled you, like he had just then.

“Looks like yer thinkin’ some pretty hefty thoughts there sweets,” he pointed out, his voice gentle with concern as he released your ear to gently cup your jaw running his thumb affectionately over your cheekbone, “Somethin’ botherin’ ya?”

“Nothing in particular,” you admitted with a wry smile, “Just feeling a little down I guess.”

“Well maybe this will cheer ya up,” he urged, nudging the plate of onigiri toward you, “Or at the very least fill yer belly.”

You couldn’t help the slight smile that crept over your face as you looked at the food he’d brought you. He’d shaped them into cute little pandas, no doubt especially for you and you didn’t doubt they were full of your favorite flavored fillings too.

Honestly you were pretty sure Osamu thought food was the answer for everything, and in some cases he was right, but this time just the gentle tug of his fingers on your ear had already lifted your mood a bit. The gesture more than enough to remind you just how much he cared about you.

He Cooks for You

The sound of your alarm woke you from a deep sleep, and you groaned quietly to yourself. It was morning again, and you really didn’t want to get up, but you had to work, so you slowly forced yourself to sit up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes and heaving a tired sigh.

You couldn’t help the sad glance you cast at the other side of the bed, which was already empty, the sheets cold, the owner gone a long time ago, no doubt already hard at work at his store. These days you didn’t get to wake up with Osamu in your arms or him in yours very often the way you had when you were in college. Not when he had a store to run, food prep to do, and employees to supervise.

You understood even if it did suck somedays to not find him beside you when you woke. Especially the mornings when you woke up and would’ve given almost anything to hold and be held by him just for a little while. Still needs must, and you were sure if you asked he’d be more than happy to cuddle you all evening if you asked it of him. He was incredibly accommodating that way.

With a tired sigh you pulled yourself from the bed and got ready for the day, doing your morning ablutions, picking out the clothes you’d need to wear, and trudging to the kitchen. You yawned as you glanced blearily around the room only to have the whiteboard on the fridge catch your eye.

You and Osamu had agreed to get the thing so the two of you could let one another know if you ran out of things and start a grocery list, since your boyfriend got a little cranky sometimes when he didn’t have the ingredients he needed. However you also used it to pass notes to one another, and it seemed he’d left one for you.

His handwriting was fairly neat though judging from the way it was a little sloppier than usual he’d either been in a hurry or too tired to really concentrate on what he was doing when he wrote it. However, you couldn’t help the fond smile that touched your lips when you read it.

Mornin’ Sweets,

            Made yer favorite fer ya. It’s in the oven. Don’t forget to turn it off when ya take it out. Have a good day. Love ya.

-Samu

           Curious you turned to the oven, which was indeed on, though set at a very low temperature, just enough to keep the food inside warm without cooking it further. You followed his instruction and turned the oven off before pulling the foil covered plate out, peeling the wrap back to see what he’d left you.

            You weren’t able to stop the tender grin that spread across your face as you saw what he’d left you. He had actually made you your favorite breakfast, along with a couple side dishes he no doubt thought you’d like, including little sausages cut like octopi. It must’ve taken him forever, and no doubt forced him to wake up even earlier than he needed to be.

           Your lip trembled slightly your heart feeling so full it almost hurt, touched at the clear care and thought your boyfriend had put into this for you. You honestly couldn’t help tearing up slightly even as you smiled so wide your cheeks hurt. Eventually you managed to get your emotions under control and eat your breakfast feeling like you could almost taste how very much he loved you with each bite.

           Before you left for work you made sure to leave him a voicemail, knowing he wouldn’t see it until later, but wanting to express your appreciation all the same in the best way you could for the moment.

           It seemed he liked being able to hear your voice and your enjoyed your messages because it was the start of a new tradition. One where he cooked you breakfast every morning and you messaged him in some way in return to express your love and appreciation for your wonderful boyfriend.

[bts-bay-bee]

blue

↳ pairing: park jimin x reader

↳ genre: smut, fluff, a tiny bit of angst if you squint

↳ summary: teaching your cold boss to love might just be the hardest thing you’ve ever done.

↳ warnings: CEO!jimin, cold!jimin, dom!jimin, assistant!reader, cursing, male masturbation, fantasizing (?), vaginal fingering, oral (male and female receiving), cum eating, marking, daddy kink, pussy slapping, praise kink (kinda?), choking, handcuffs, nipple clamps, clit massager, multiple orgasms, creampie, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it), degradation (slight)

↳ word count: 13 066

↳ meaning of blue: heaven. authority. cold. wet. slow. depression. trust. intelligence.

“Is he here yet?” You asked, out of breath as you ran to your desk at work. The office secretary shook her head, no, making you sigh out in relief. You had been massively late for work which ended up with you running up the many flights of stairs – in heels – deeming the elevator too slow to get you to your office.

 You flashed the office secretary a huge smile, hoping that would further prod her to cover up for your tardiness, before walking over to your office, which was conveniently located right next to your boss’s much larger, much sleeker office.

 Park Jimin had been your boss for the better part of five years now. You had undertaken the job when you had finished high school, looking for anything and everything to bring any amount of money into your bank account. University tuition fee statements were your personal version of hell; the obscenely large number crushed any of the dreams you once had. But then came along Mr Park.

 When he had seen your curriculum vitae, he had immediately been intrigued. Back then he wasn’t CEO of the company, but he had started to quickly move up the proverbial ranks, which allowed him to finally acquire a personal assistant to handle the lesser tasks. A high school graduate – with straight A’s in every subject – hadn’t chosen to go to college? That’s what had made him so intrigued with you. In a few short hours after he had first reviewed your resume, you had gone through a short telephonic interview then you had been asked to come in for a trial period. One which you had passed with flying colours.

 Jimin couldn’t help himself but ask about your lack of tertiary education. With a flushed face and shaking hands, you embarrassedly told him about your lack of funds. It was only embarrassing because here you were talking about your financial issues to a man who had a year’s worth of tuition on his wrist in the form of a shiny gold Rolex. Another year’s worth of tuition was probably wrapped around his ring finger, because of course no man as rich, successful and not to mention handsome wouldn’t have a wedding ring on.

 Jimin’s wife, Irene – who you had only met a handful of times – was the complete opposite of the warm, caring man. She was cold and distant, even towards her husband, who was supposedly her high school sweetheart. How they managed to stay together for so long boggled your mind. Slowly, you started to see Jimin change. His once fond smile slowly disappeared, now being replaced by a cold, grim straight line. He stopped caring about the people he worked with. He even began to sneer at lesser workers, not bothering to greet the janitors or the office secretary.

 Sitting at your shiny, mahogany desk you began to review emails for Jimin, sifting through the numerous subject lines and forwarding the emails to him so that he could take care of them. At around 10am you left your desk, realising that you had to make Jimin coffee. After adding the espresso shot and steamed milk into the coffee mug, you walked to the large door of Jimin’s office, knocking three times before waiting for a response.

 “Enter.” His voice was clipped, meaning he was already in a foul mood.

 You quietly pushed down the door handle and entered, your eyes trained on the floor as you made your way to his desk. Without speaking you placed the steaming cup of coffee in front of him, then began to make your way back to your office. Jimin hadn’t taken his eyes off of his large LCD screen, not paying you any attention. However, before you could take a step away from him, his cold, hard voice reached your ears.

 “Take a seat, Miss L/N.”

 Oh, you were screwed. There was no two ways about it.

 “Yes, Sir.”

 He never told you to sit after bringing him his coffee. Taking a deep breath, you turned back to face him and took a seat on the edge of the plush chairs. Jimin’s cold eyes still trailed over his monitor, making you squirm slightly from awkwardness. What did he want? He hadn’t asked you to sit with him since… Well, since before he was married. This just wasn’t something you did anymore.

 After what seemed like hours, he lifted his eyes from the harshly lit screen, bring his eyes to your own. Flushing a light shade of pink, you cleared your throat and looked down again. You didn’t want to disrespect him by staring right back at him.

 “Where’s your coffee?” He quietly asked, picking up his mug.

 “I, uh… I didn’t make myself any, Sir.” You replied, eyes trained on your twiddling thumbs. He sighed, rolling his chair back slightly so that he was more comfortable.

 “Don’t you want to go make yourself a cup? I need to speak to you about something.” Jimin said, loosening the tie he had dawned today slightly. You were frozen in the leather chair – had you done something wrong? Was he going to fire you? He noticed you hadn’t moved, which caused him to frown. “Is the idea of drinking coffee with me really that appalling, Y/N?”

 “No! I just…” You began, wringing your hands nervously, your eyes still not leaving them. “Are you going to fire me?”

 Jimin looked at you, stunned. “Why would think that?”

 “Well… I was a little late for work today, and you asked me to sit down. You don’t ask me to sit down and have coffee with you, Sir. It was almost as if you were going to give me bad news.”

 “I used to always ask you to have coffee with me, Y/N.” He replied, frowning slightly. He knew that you used to have coffee with him on a daily basis, usually to discuss the work for the day, but coffee, nonetheless. He also knew that at one point you used to meet his eyes when you spoke to him. When did that change? “Why aren’t you looking at me?”

 “What did you want to talk to me about?” You asked, avoiding his question that you had no nice answer to. Did he really want to hear that his wife berated you repeatedly for working with him so closely? For looking at him when he spoke to you, and vice versa?

 Jimin eyed you warily. “Are you sure you don’t want coffee?” You nodded wordlessly, only making him deepen his frown. Nevertheless, he ploughed on, settling on the fact that this was now what your relationship had been reduced to. “I have a promotion of sorts for you. Well, in actual fact, it’s just a favour for me. A rather large favour.”

 “Sir?” You prodded, urging him to speak when he had stopped. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes out of sheer tiredness. He had been awake all night, thinking about how to ask you this.

 “As you know, Irene and I have been separated for some time now.” He began, making you reel with shock. When did they split up?! And why did he think that you knew about it? “We recently decided to finalise it and get a divorce. She left last week. She left Ezra with me.”

 Ezra is Jimin’s five-year-old son. Despite his mother being an absolute witch and his father turning colder with each passing day, he was still a respectful boy. Like Irene, you hadn’t really seen him that many times.

 “I’m… I’m sorry.” You softly replied, not knowing what else to say. Where was this going? “I didn’t know this had been happening, Sir.”

 Jimin shrugged, not really worried about the fact that he was divorced. That’s not what had been bothering him. “It’s not a big deal. It’s not like we were ever actually in love. Anyway, Irene isn’t what I need to speak to you about. It’s Ezra.”

 “I’m sure this has been very taxing on him too.” Your voice was barely above a whisper. You still didn’t know where this was going, and it was driving you crazy.

 “He’s too young to really understand what’s been happening.” He replied, his jaw clenched, angry at himself for not being able to articulate why he so desperately needed your help.

 “I, um… I’m not really the domestic type. I don’t know how to cook. I don’t know how to take care of a child. I’ve been dropping Ezra off at my parents every day since Irene left, but I don’t want him to grow up spending most of his day at someone else’s house. He should be at his home. And, I know, I can hire someone to babysit him, but he’s still so young to be left with strangers, and I don’t want to put his life in unnecessary danger. I mean, you never know what these people could be behind a façade –”

 “Sir, where do I fit in?” You asked, amused at his rambling. This isn’t the cold CEO that you became used of. This was the old Jimin, the Jimin that had actually been interested about his employees, regardless of the amount on their pay cheque.

 He cleared his throat, a slight blush on his cheeks. “I know that you’re not under any obligation to help me, but I trust you more than anyone else in my life, Y/N. I need… I need someone to help me with Ezra. Not just with Ezra, but with the whole domestic thing.”

 “Mr Park, I still don’t know where I fit in.” You said soothingly, getting somewhat of an idea of what he was asking you.

 He ran his hand though his styled blonde hair in exasperation. Why couldn’t he just say what he needed from you? “Move in with me.” Shit. That’s not how he had meant to phrase it.

 You choked on nothing; the way he had blurted it out had surprised you, which ended up with you looking up at him with watery eyes from a lack of oxygen. He immediately jumped out of his chair and rushed over to you, lightly tapping your back until you could breathe easily again. Having him this close to you made you even more nervous than you already were. After your choking ordeal was over, he surprised you by taking a seat next to you instead of going to the other side of the desk. His cologne wafted over you, dosing you in his masculine scent. It honestly made you more nervous that you already were.

 “Move in with you?” You repeated, in a small voice. Jimin looked mortified at your reaction, mentally bashing himself for even thinking of asking you this. But he was already in too deep to change the narrative.

 You swallowed the lump in your throat. Obviously, you wanted to help him – you want to help everyone around you. It was just who you were as a person. But how would it look? The world you lived in was a rather nasty, judgemental one.

 “Sir… Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but what would people think? You barely finalised your divorce and you already have another woman moving in?”

 “Just temporarily.” He weakly replied, embarrassment showing on his cheeks. “Of course, I know that this is such a huge favour to ask, I know it’s odd, but I wouldn’t be asking this of you if I wasn’t completely out of options.”

 You bit your lower lip, then sighed. Curse your soft heart. Running a hand through your hair, you nodded to him. “We have a lot more to discuss, but when can I move in?”

 ***

 “This is the living room… This is the kitchen… Your bedroom is upstairs, next to mine.” Jimin timidly said, scratching the back of his reddened neck. This nervous side of Jimin was quite new, and you’d be lying if you said that it didn’t make you amused. Ever since you drove into the driveway five minutes ago, he had been stumbling over his words, tripping over nothing and wringing his hands.

 “Sir, are you okay?” You asked before you could stop yourself. He caught your eye, opening his mouth to brush you off, but was left speechless when you didn’t shy away from his gaze. His mouth curved into a soft smile, realising that it was just you. There was no reason to be a nervous, rambling mess.

 “I’m fine, Y/N.” He murmured, seeing the way your eyes danced with amusement. Who would’ve thought that the cold, cutthroat CEO would be rendered speechless from having his personal assistant in his home? “I’ve been thinking… I mean, you are essentially going to be living here for a while. I don’t want you to feel as if you’re forced to maintain a professional persona the entire time. Call me Jimin.”

 “Okay, Si – Jimin.” You replied, quickly catching yourself. The feel of his name on your tongue foreign yet… Right. Jimin smiled at you, his nervousness of having you in his house now forgotten. Who would’ve thought that all it took to get rid of them was just one look into your eyes? But now his stomach was twisting for a different reason. Why did it flip when you said his name?

 “Where’s Ezra?” Your question hung in the air as he abandoned any thought about the butterflies wreaking havoc in the pit of his tummy. Almost as if saying his name summoned him, the boy suddenly appeared to walk down the stairs. His dark hair was greatly contrasted by his honeyed skin; his cheeks so full that they gently shook with every step he took. Ezra was truly the miniature version of Jimin.

 He bowed to his father almost a little too fast, making you raise your eyebrow. Upon setting his eyes on his son, Jimin stood up even straighter than he already was and lifted his chin, regarding Ezra with cold eyes.

 “This is Y/N.” Jimin told the young boy, his jaw clenched. Jimin almost seemed angry at Ezra. “She’s going to be helping us while your mother is away.”

 ***

 “Good morning, Ezra.” You sang softly as you slowly opened the curtains in his bedroom. You saw his eyes peak up at you through the covers of his grey blanket, then abruptly squint when the sun’s rays hit them. “Did you sleep well?”

 “Hmm.” He mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The long sleeves of his blue pyjamas flopped over the tips of his fingers, only increasing the cuteness currently assaulting your eyes. You smiled at him, hoping that today was the day that he completely opened up to you – having already been here for two weeks surely must’ve made him somewhat comfortable with you, right?

 “How about after you get bathed and changed, we have pancakes for breakfast?” You suggested as you ran your hands through his messy bedhead, smoothing the black tufts of hair. Ezra said nothing, instead he nodded at you, sleep still quite evident in his eyes.

 After tidying up Ezra’s room, you walked into the kitchen with the intent of making some coffee for Jimin and yourself. As you put a couple scoops of ground coffee beans in the machine, you began prepping the ingredients for breakfast. If you worked fast enough, Jimin might be able to eat before he goes to the office. Humming as you gracefully moved throughout the kitchen, you quickly lost track of time.

 “Are you… Making pancakes?” Jimin incredulously asked, eyes sweeping over the stack of pancakes that he found next to you on the counter. You hummed, flashing him a small smile, before going back to flipping the golden pancakes in front of you.

 This was the first time that he had seen you in your natural state – usually you were already showered and changed before he even woke up, but today you just didn’t feel like keeping up the pretence. You were basically going to be living here for a couple more weeks – you didn’t feel like faking how organised you were as soon as you woke up. Even though you did feel kind of insecure and quite frankly embarrassed about the way you were dressed at the moment, Jimin felt totally different. Of course, he knew that you were gorgeous, but with your hair pulled in a messy bun and your thighs on display thanks to your sleeping shorts, Jimin just couldn’t help but stare at you.

 His eyes studied the exposed flesh of your legs, unknowingly biting his plump lip when you turned around to get something from the cupboard behind you. Jimin only tore his eyes away from your unmarred skin when Ezra climbed onto the stool next to him.

 You smiled at Ezra as you placed a stack of pancakes in front of him, the breath-taking curve of your pink lips were enough to make Jimin reciprocate the action, even though it wasn’t even being directed at him. When did he become to enamoured with you? Was it when you agreed to help him in his desperate time of need, or long before that? He couldn’t help but think that you were somewhat like a guardian angel – his own, personal angel, who makes his day a little brighter.

 “Jimin? Jimin? Jimin!” You called, trying to capture his attention. He had spaced out, not realising that both you and Ezra had been attempting to talk to him. You nudged his shoulder gently, causing him to finally get out of his daydream and look at you confused. “We’ve been trying to speak to you. You kind of entered your own world there.” You explained to him, unable to prevent the tiny laughter from leaving your mouth.

 Ezra had long since given up trying to talk to his father; any five year old child would want their father’s attention, but Ezra (even at his tender age) knew that his relationship with Jimin was somewhat strained; his father had already been corrupted by the cold CEO attitude to ever give him any attention. This was why Ezra was already almost done with his stack of pancakes – he didn’t want to spend any more time with Jimin than needed. Well, he knew that Jimin didn’t want to spend any more time with him than needed.

 “I’m sorry, I was… Thinking.” Jimin apologised sheepishly, making Ezra confused. For as long as he had been alive, he hadn’t heard his father utter an apology. Not even to his mother. But Ezra was already confused – not once had his mother ever made him breakfast, let alone eat breakfast together. Was this what a normal family did every day? “What were you saying, Y/N?”

 “I was wondering if it would be okay for me to take Ezra to the craft store today.” You repeated, nervously. “Ezra likes to draw and paint, and so do I, so I wanted to get us some more supplies –” Jimin didn’t even wait for you to finish before sliding his credit card over to you, making you look at him confused. “I wasn’t hinting for money, Sir, I just wanted to take Ezra with me.”

 “I know, but please take it.” He murmured, dropping his gaze to the delectable stack of food in front of him. “And what did we talk about, Y/N? Stop calling me Sir. I’m not your boss here. Think of this as your home.”

 “It’s just a habit…” You awkwardly explained, trying not to make too much a fool of yourself, as Ezra hopped down the chair and went to wash his hands. “It feels disrespectful to call you anything other than Sir.”

 “I remember that you used to call me Chim before.” He muttered, thinking back to when you had first started at the company. You had been so playful with him, something that he misses dearly. His admission made you blush a deep scarlet. How did he even remember something as trivial as a stupid nickname?

 As you opened your mouth to respond, you heard Ezra struggling to reach the faucet in the basin. Before you could turn to help him, he frantically hit the tap falling to the floor, subsequently turning the water on to a very high pressure. You suddenly felt water spray everywhere, falling all over the granite top, the floor, as well as you and Ezra.

 You quickly shut the tap off, ignoring the water dripping down your face and checked to see if Ezra was fine.

 “Are you okay, baby?” You murmured, wiping the water off of his face as his eyes filled with tears. “Did you get hurt?”

 “Why didn’t you ask one of us for help?” Jimin asked in a firm voice, anger obviously showing on his face and in his voice. “Now look at what you’ve done!”

 Ezra doesn’t respond to either of you. Instead, he took one look at Jimin’s face and ran out the kitchen, tears streaming down his face. You stood up and looked at Jimin in disbelief.

 “It was just a mistake, Jimin. There was no need for you to speak to him like that.” You said stiffly, trying not to let your irritation shine through. You turned away from him, quickly cleaning up the water before ignoring Jimin’s silence and walking up the stairs into Ezra’s room.

 Jimin really didn’t mean to do what he did. It came from years and years of being forced to be strict and abrupt with his employees. He meant to tell you that – he really did. But when you angrily snapped at him with a soaking wet, white shirt, he lost all train of thought. The water had turned the material see-through, showing off your plump tits, even flaunting the darker ring of your nipple. He was so lucky you were not there to see him frozen, mind unable to function from seeing your breasts.

 ‘Stop acting like some fucking schoolboy,’ he chided himself as he fixed his semi-hard length through his slacks, ‘you got hard after seeing her tits, for God’s sake. Pull yourself together.’

 After checking the coast to make sure it was clear, he all but ran back into his room, hoping to hide his slightly stiffened member from you. As Jimin walked past Ezra’s room, he heard you soothingly reassuring the child that he hadn’t meant to shout at him. Hearing the way you had to quieten Ezra made his heart clench – you barely knew his son, yet you were comforting him after one of Jimin’s many outbursts. Of course Jimin didn’t want to compare you and Irene, the two relationships you shared with Jimin and Ezra were completely different, but she never cared for Ezra the way you do. She never bothered to notice that Ezra had been interested in art; hell, even he hadn’t noticed that.

 Thoughts of how loving you are, how much you cared about people, filled his head for the rest of the day. His employees and business partners must’ve thought he had completely lost his mind: Jimin’s face had this faraway look the entire day, only changing when his mind decided to remind him just how delectable you looked this morning.

 Jimin had been so out of it, so infatuated by you, he decided that there was no use being at work anymore. He wasn’t getting anything done anyway so that’s how he found himself driving back home early, subconsciously wanting to be back in your presence immediately.

 “Y/N?” He called as he walked through the front door, loosening his tie. Not hearing your voice in response made him frown; you were usually waiting in the living room to greet him, with a steaming cup of coffee in hand and a bright, dazzling smile on your lips. He could care less about the coffee if he’s being honest. “Y/N, where are you?”

 Silence once again met his ears causing him to frown deeper. Worry suddenly filled his every orifice. Immediately fishing his phone out of his pocket, his fingers almost went on autopilot, dialling your number before pressing the phone to his ear. His heart pounded in his chest when you didn’t pick up by the second ring. Where had you gone?

 “Hello?”

 “Y/N? Are you okay?! Where are you?” Jimin said loudly, almost yelling. His tone made you confused; you had told him that you were taking Ezra out today. Why was he so frantic?

 “I’m fine, Jimin. Ezra and I just picked up some stuff from the store. Why are you asking?”

“I thought…” He couldn’t even finish the rest of his sentence because he didn’t know what he had thought. He cleared his throat, trying to clear your mind. “Never mind. Are you on your way back?”

 After you reassured Jimin that you were indeed coming back soon, he let out a sigh of relief and ended the call. He didn’t know why, but not coming home to you felt… Wrong. You had only been here for two weeks, yet he can’t imagine living in this house without you; he sure as hell couldn’t figure out how he lived here with the emotionless statue that was Irene.

 Jimin walked past into the kitchen with the intention of getting himself a snack but his eyes drifted to the sink, his mind betraying him by vividly reminding him of the way you looked this morning. God, the way your shirt had stuck to you, tempting him with the subtle curve of your waist, your voluptuous tits… Not to mention the way you had looked at him sternly. Everything about you made his head spin. Everything about you seemingly sent a rush of blood down to his cock.

 Biting his lip, his mind veered into uncharted territory by imagining just how good you looked without the dripping wet shirt. He imagined kissing down your body, marking you as his, and his alone, then spreading your legs, suckling on your needy clit…

 Before he knew it, Jimin was rock hard in his slacks from the mere thought of you for the second time today. He groaned when he felt his stiffness, irritated with himself because now he knew he had to get himself off, and he hated it. Jimin had only his hand to keep him company for the better part of two years now – himself and Irene hadn’t engaging in sexual activity whilst separated, despite living in the same house, and he couldn’t bring himself to bed anyone else whilst still legally married. Other than that, he found it humiliating to buy a sex toy in person, or even online – his company’s IT people could probably see his search history if they tried hard enough.

 Jimin sighed, knowing that his erection was solely his fault. He trudged up the stairs, situating himself in his en-suite bathroom, before turning the shower on. He hated jacking off, but he might as well make the clean-up easy. Stripping out of his work clothes he quickly hopped into the shower, trying to ignore the almost painful stiffness protruding from his body.

 Leaning his back and head against the tiled wall behind him, he allowed the water to cascade over him, relishing in the steaming hot water that soothed him. Jimin tried to not touch his boner for as long as he could but five minutes into the shower, he just couldn’t stop himself from gently stroking himself. He grabbed his shower gel, foaming up his hands so that it would be easier to jack himself off.

 “Oh, fuck!” He groaned, taking his curved length into his slippery palm, moving back and forth on the sensitive flesh. Continuing the motion, he applied more pressure around his cock, relishing in the feeling of getting himself off. But he so wished it were you.

 He wished it were your wet pussy squeezing and clenching around his dick, gripping him like a vice. He wished he could wrap your legs around his waist and pound into you, pulling on your hair and sucking on your neck, leaving deep purple marks so that everyone knew you were his. He wished he could paint the inside of your dripping cunt with his cum, making you hold it in and walk around the office with no panties, seeing evidence of his climax slowly drip down your legs.

 “God, Y/N…” Jimin whined, his usually steely voice reduced to a pitched, needy moan. He wanted you so fucking badly, and he was so fucking close. His hand moved with a mind of its own – it doubled its speed, exerting itself to relieve Jimin. Throaty groans left his plump lips, bouncing off of the tiles and echoing throughout the bathroom. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

 Somehow squeezing tighter around his pulsating cock, he got more frantic. Jimin began bucking into his fist, ignoring how his wet hair stuck to his forehead. After a few more seconds of fucking into his hand, he let out a growl, his cum squirting up and landing on his toned stomach. “Y/N, I’m coming!”

 ***

 “Why don’t you go up to your room.” You suggested to Ezra, ruffling his hair lightly as you walked into Jimin’s living room. He leaned into your touch, clearly affection-starved, making you frown. You’d have to talk to Jimin about that. You noticed just how cold and strict Jimin was with Ezra; of course it wasn’t your place to say anything about how someone raises their child, but it did become your place when said child has to look for comfort from you.

 “Are you going to come paint with me?” Ezra asked timidly, one hand gripping the shopping bag filled with art supplies, while the other gripped your hand tightly, not wanting to let go.

 “In a little bit, sweetheart.” You murmured, walking up the staircase that lead to the rooms. “Go set up. I just need to talk to your father about something.”

 He nodded, only leaving your hand when you walked past his bedroom. You walked to the end of the hallway, planning on giving Jimin a piece of your mind for being so unloving towards Ezra. Without knocking, you entered the room hoping to find Jimin laying on his bed or something, but he was nowhere to be found.

 “Sir?” You said quietly, before berating himself. Hadn’t he told you not to call him that? You cleared your throat, steeling your voice before calling loudly again.  “Jimin?”

 As you walked further into his room, you heard the shower running, indicating that he was already occupied. You decided to talk to him later, so you turned on your heel and began to walk out the room. Suddenly, you heard Jimin’s voice. “Y/N, I’m coming!”

 Huh. Okay. Guess he was cutting his shower short for you.

 You sat on the edge of his bed, elbow resting on your crossed legs and chin resting on your open palm. What if you were about to say something hurtful and he decided that he didn’t need you anymore? Maybe this was a bad idea.

 In a split second, you decided that this conversation could happen another day, so you started to make your way out of his room. As you were about to lift yourself off of the luxurious bed, the bathroom door opened, letting steam escape the bathroom, and also allowing you to see your boss.

 Your jaw dropped open seeing Jimin in nothing but a white towel covering his lower body. Water droplets streaked down his chest, down to his toned abs. Upon seeing them, you felt your mouth go completely dry… Oh god, his body looked like it was carved by the gods themselves. Jimin looked shocked, almost panicked by your presence, which was weird since he had told you he was coming out of his shower.

 “I, um… I needed to talk to you.” You said, quickly, standing up hurriedly. “I was about to leave and then you said you’d be coming out the shower. I just assumed you wanted me to wait for you.” Jimin’s cheeks were tinged red, probably from the hot shower, paired with his second-hand embarrassment from you. “I’m sorry. I’ll just speak to you later. I’ll be in Ezra’s room if you need me.”

 And with that, you practically ran out of Jimin’s room. You didn’t realise that you didn’t allow him to get a word in. Speed walking to Ezra’s room, you felt your cheeks heat up from extreme embarrassment – how, just how, did you think it was appropriate to check out your boss? Sure, you were living in his house, but it’s totally a different thing.

 “Y/N?” Ezra called, confused when you rushed into his room and shut the door behind you quickly. You quickly took a deep breath to calm your radical breathing, then turned to the young child, putting on a dazzling smile.

 “Yes, sweetheart?” You replied, seeing a smile forming on his lips due to your own. Your eyes drifted to the painting supplies that he had spread in front of him, all untouched, because he was waiting for you to paint with him.

 “Did father give you work? Or can you come paint with me?” He timidly said, eyes full of hope. You felt your smile turn tender; you know that you only spent a few weeks with him, but Ezra had completely captured your heart. But paired with your tenderness, you felt yourself feel a pang of sadness: Ezra never called Jimin anything other than ‘father’. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but it just showed that their relationship wasn’t the best, nor were they the closest. God, how can you think about fixing their relationship when you were drooling over his father five seconds ago? You’re pathetic.

 “I came to paint with you.” You reassured, swallowing hard to try and get that delicious image of Jimin out of your mind.

 ***

 After you left, Jimin sat on the edge of his bed, extremely embarrassed that you had heard him jacking off. Sure, you didn’t exactly figure it out, but you had heard him nonetheless. He quickly found himself regretting doing what he did, not because you were his PA, but because you were obviously so innocent; even though he had caught you checking him out, he’s pretty sure that your mind didn’t extend to anything else. Unlike him.

 He sighed, knowing that he had to face you momentarily. Park Jimin – a married man – had been thinking of his assistant, who’s selflessly helping him by living in his house, while he masturbated. How fucked up is he? What kind of person –

 Stopping his self-derogatory monologue, he realised that he had nothing to be angry or ashamed about: he was no longer a married man, and as far as he knew, you were completely single. What was stopping him from advancing on you? It was almost as if a lightbulb had gone off in his brain. What was stopping him?

 With his mind made up, he decided to quickly slip on some clothes, probably needing to make a better impression than just a towel hanging loosely from his hips, then walked down the stairs to where you were making dinner.

 “Y/N?” He called, walking with purpose into the kitchen. His eyes fell to you chopping up some onions with Ezra quietly sketching something next to you. He suddenly felt awkward – the whole situation was too… Domestic for him. It was something that he never experienced.

 But it was too late for him to change his mind. Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat and directed his gaze to Ezra. “Go to your room. I need to talk to Y/N.”

 ***

 “Y/N?” Jimin called as he walked into the kitchen, seemingly angry. You immediately shrunk, thinking he was about to yell at you for waiting in his room. You felt nervousness fill your being at your pending doom. He turned his attention to Ezra, voice turning even harder. “Go to your room. I need to talk to Y/N.”

 That simple command, ‘Go to your room. I need to talk to Y/N’, was enough to bring back all your anger that consumed you earlier. Jimin needed to fix his relationship with Ezra, and he needed to fix it fast.

 Ezra wordlessly obeyed Jimin, hopping off the chair from next to you and making his way up to his room. Once he was safely back in his room you turned to Jimin, meeting his cold gaze, you refused to back down. Ezra needed you now.

 “Y/N, are you –”

 “Why do you speak to him like that, Jimin?” You coldly asked, trying to match his usual tone. “That’s what I needed to talk to you about earlier.” He didn’t reply to you, seemingly shocked in your tone and words. “I know it’s not my place to say anything, but it seems like no one else is willing to confront you about it. Ezra is just a child. It’s fine if you speak to me like that, I’m just your assistant, but he’s your child.”

 “You’re more than just –”

 “I wasn’t finished.” You said, visibly vibrating from fear, yet you still stood your ground. “You’re so cold towards him, Jimin. And why?”

 He stood frozen in place, unsure of what to say. In the many years he has known you, you’ve never seemed so… Angry about something. You were almost a completely different person and it made Jimin feel unsure about himself for the first time in forever. He swallowed hard and broke eye contact with you, deciding to instead stare at the floor.

 “I know that things must be hard because Irene isn’t here anymore, but you cannot allow that to effect Ezra.” You said softly, knowing that you had overstepped multiple boundaries. He opened his mouth to reply but found that he had no words to say. He had no excuse for his harshness towards Ezra.

 Before you could say anything else – perhaps an apology, perhaps more wakeup calls for him – he quickly walked out of the kitchen, probably going to hide in his bedroom. You sighed, knowing that you were too harsh, yet also knowing that it needed to be said.

 ***

 A few hours later, you still haven’t seen Jimin. He had been holed up in his room, doing God knows what, and didn’t even come out for dinner, which left you and Ezra to enjoy a quiet supper. But now it was late, and Ezra was currently knocked out in his room; apparently the shopping trip and then painting for hours was a little too much for his small body. The fact that he was sleeping was bad news for you – it left you to wallow in your thoughts, it left you to overthink.

 Sighing as you turned on the shower, you began stripping and jumped into the shower, enjoying the soothing feeling of hot water caressing your skin. However, your relief was short lived as unwelcome thoughts of Jimin swam through your mind. It wasn’t your place to say anything; all you did was hurt him when he needed someone to help him.

 ‘I should probably apologise’, you mused as you rinsed soap off of your body, feelings of guilt and shame pooling in the pit of your stomach. Nodding to yourself, you quickly wrapped yourself in a fluffy towel, before going back to your room, planning to quickly change into your pyjamas before going over to apologise to Jimin. Before you could do anything of the sort, you heard someone knock on your door, making you frown.

 “Ezra, is everything okay –?” You began, tightening the towel around you before pausing. It wasn’t Ezra, it was Jimin. He looked exhausted, worried even. Before you could say anything, he beat you to it.

 “I think I have feelings for you.” He blurted, causing you to look at him confused. You didn’t even get a word in before a look of realisation came over him and he all but bolted back to his room, leaving you with your mouth agape. What. The. Fuck.

 “J-Jimin!” You called, now worried for his sanity. You definitely shouldn’t have yelled at him earlier. He didn’t look back at you as he hurriedly closed his door. Exasperatedly, you walked down the hallway, and opened his door.

 He was laying on his bed, face buried into a pillow. If you weren’t so worried about him, you might have actually laughed at the situation. “Jimin?” You softly said, making him groan.

 “I’m sorry, Y/N. Just ignore whatever I said. Go back to your room.”

 “Why are you apologising?” You murmured, shutting the door and walking closer to him, ignoring what he said. He sighed into his pillow; face still buried there.

 “Please go. I can’t face you right now.”

 “I’m not going anywhere.” You said gently. “You need to learn how to express your feelings, Jimin. You can’t say something like that then run away.”

 “I didn’t run away.” He grumbled, barely lifting his face off of his pillow to eye you out. This was so unlike the usual Jimin that you couldn’t help but feel worried. “Go get dressed, Y/N.”

 “Then you’ll just lock your door so that I cannot get in.” You replied, suddenly acutely aware of your lack of clothing, making your cheeks heat with embarrassment. Clearing your throat, you tentatively walked forward, placing a hand on his muscular back. “Jimin? Please talk to me. I’m worried about you.”

 “I’m fine. Go to your room.”

 “Stop acting like a child.” You chastised, realizing that this was the only way to get him to talk to you. “You need to get used to talking about your feelings. Yours and Ezra’s relationship needs open communication –”

 “Y/N, I swear I’ll talk about my fucking feelings as soon as you get some clothes on.” He all but yelled, suddenly sitting up with his eyes running hungrily over your exposed legs. “I can’t tell you what I need to when my mind is set on tearing that God damn towel off.”

 You froze, completely shocked that he could ever say such a thing, let alone to you. Quickly shaking off your astonishment and arousal, you knew this was just a ploy to avoid talking about his feelings. Brushing your hand on his cheek, Jimin’s eyes fluttered shut while his chest rapidly rose and fell. Unbeknownst to you, he wasn’t using this as some tactic to get rid of you: he genuinely couldn’t get his mind off of your luscious thighs, wanting nothing more than to sink his teeth into it and mark you everywhere.

 “Please…” He whimpered, leaning into your touch despite wanting – no, needing – you to leave. He didn’t know if you were at all interested in him, but if by some off chance you were, he didn’t want this to be the first time anything like that happened.

 “Talk to me.” You whispered, worry and anxiousness blooming in your heart. What happened to the fearless, scary CEO? Where was he?

 Within a millisecond you felt his hands grip your towel-clad waist, flipping you underneath him, allowing his toned thighs to trap your own bare legs. Your heart began to pound rapidly, only adding to the growing heat between your thighs.

 “What do you want me to talk about?” He murmured as plump lips ghosting over your earlobe, resulting in a silent gasp to leave you. Why were his lips so soft? And why, oh God why, were you so responsive to his barest touch?

 Gulping, you tried to move, knowing that Jimin wasn’t in the right state of mind for this. Even so, it was almost as if your body didn’t want to believe that; your arousal from him doing basically nothing was slowly becoming evident.

 “Jimin, you’re not all there at the moment, we can talk about this in the morning –”

 “No, you wanted to talk, so let’s fucking talk.” He snapped, running his hands over your calves, head buried in the crook of your neck and his lips ghosting over your pulse point. “Now what do you want me to tell you, Y/N, hmm? Want me to tell you that I want to bury my face in-between your legs?”

 “Jimin!” You said, shocked at his lewd words. He didn’t even have the decency to look abashed, nor did he even pull away from your neck. Quietly kissing over your sensitive flesh, you began to feel goose bumps rise over your skin. He paid you no mind as his hands continued to roam over your exposed legs.

 “Do you want me to tell you that I want to have my lips wrapped around your pretty little clit? Or how about finger fucking you until you’re cumming all over my hands? Hmm? Is that what you want, baby?”

 As much as you wanted this, as much as you wanted him, you couldn’t allow him to do this. Not when he has such emotional issues. Tearing his lips away from your neck, you held his face securely between your hands.

 “You’re thinking with your dick.” You firmly said, not missing the way his eyes were clouded with lust. He shook his head, trying to move back to ghost lips over your soft skin. “I cannot let you do something you’ll regret. I came here to talk about your feelings. You need to communicate with me.”

 “Let me show you what I’m trying to say… You know I can’t… Use words for this.” He mumbled, feeling the foreign feeling of nervousness gnaw at him. “I’m not going to regret it, Y/N.”

 Without waiting for a response, he removed your hands from his cheeks and instead cupped your own. “Can I kiss you?”

 You were frozen, unable to think. Was this really happening? Did he really mean it?

 Before you could answer him, you felt his soft lips gently ghost over your own, allowing you plenty time to move away if you wanted, before urgently pressing his lips onto yours. He tasted like mint, the fresh feeling making you sigh into his mouth. The tip of his tongue ran over your bottom lip, silently asking you to let him in. Tentatively parting your lips, you felt his tongue slowly slip next to your own, the corners of his mouth slightly lifting upwards to create a small grin.

 ‘Is this what it is supposed to feel like?’ he mused, feeling butterflies erupt in the pit of his stomach. He never had this feeling of Irene; hell, they never kissed unless he was balls deep inside of her, and even then, affectionate kisses were few and far between. Kisses between them used to be a clash of teeth, sloppy, usually out of irritation and just to keep each other quiet because they had a child down the hallway, but this… This was different. This was right.

 Pushing his nervousness aside, he took one corner of your towel and slowly pushed it out of the way, giving you plenty time to stop him if you were uncomfortable. You didn’t stop him; you didn’t push him away – and why would you? You wanted him just as much (if not more) as he wanted you. Threading your fingers through his hair, you began kissing him harder, no longer fighting against your need for him. Even though you knew he wasn’t serious about his feelings for you, the sexual tension was too much for you to handle, especially since he looked so delectable hovering over your now naked body.

 “Knew you had fucking amazing tits.” He murmured to himself, breaking away from your lips to kiss down your neck and chest. Your towel lay underneath you, no longer a barrier between your bodies. He sucked hard on your chest, marking the flesh just above your nipple with a love bite, eliciting an audible gasp from you.

 Your arousal had begun to slowly drip out of you, the sticky fluid making your folds glisten, something that wasn’t missed by Jimin. After trailing down the length of your body, he placed a kiss over your mound, his eyes never leaving your own. With your heart beating profusely, you watched with bated breath as his eyes left yours to settle on your dripping folds.

 “You can stop me whenever you want.” He promised, struggling to contain his excitement at finally being able to taste you. Nodding at him, you watched as he spread your thighs, trailing his lips over the sensitive flesh, before abruptly sucking harshly on your inner thigh. He proceeded to do this to your other thigh as well, taking his time to get to where you needed him. After marking both your thighs, he soothingly ran his tongue over the bruised flesh, only adding to your frustration.

 “Jimin…” You quietly complained, your pussy throbbing from lack of attention. He looked up at you, laying his chin on your stomach, with a small smile on his features, making your heart stop. He was so gorgeous like this: carefree, happy.

 “I have to take my time.” He whispered sadly, his smile still on his face. “I don’t know if you’d want anything to do with me afterwards. You might leave.”

 “I’m not going anywhere.” You promised, heart wrenching at how lost he looked. Before any more words could be said, before any more reassuring sentiments could be uttered, Jimin peeled apart your folds, strands of sticky arousal visible connecting your lips. Whilst locking eyes with you, he repeatedly licked up your arousal, spreading your folds further to get him what he wants.

 His warm, soft tongue glided against your slickness, drawing soft sighs and moans out of you. Your fingers made their way into his hair, needing to feel him in some type of way as he so gently suckled on your dripping core. The pleasure engulfed your entire being, all curtesy of Jimin’s delicate mouth. Slowly, you felt him prod a finger at your honeyed entrance, resulting in a moan being drawn out of you.

 While he slowly worked his finger into your core, he leaned up and kissed you again, allowing you to taste yourself on his tongue. As you sucked on his bottom lip, making him chuckle at you, he inserted another finger into you, making you clench around his digits.

 “Shit, baby, you’re so tight.” He groaned, feeling you contract on his fingers. “When’s the last time anyone stretched you out?”

 “Jimin!” You moaned, feeling him massage that spongey flesh inside of you while his thumb rubbing loose circles over your slightly swollen clit.

 “As much as I want to hear your moans, I need you to be quiet, baby.” He murmured onto your lips as he continued his actions. You whimpered into his mouth, unable to contain yourself. “Think you can be quiet for me?”

 He didn’t wait for a reply; instead, he removed his hot mouth from your lips and placed it right on your clit, sucking harshly. Throwing your head back from the white-hot pleasure, you bit down your moans, wanting nothing more than to please him and be quiet.

 “Pussy taste so fucking good.” He praised whilst smirking, a result of you bucking your hips further into him while biting your lip, silently asking for more. Suddenly, he gripped your hips tightly and pressed the flat of his tongue over your leaking cunt, collecting your arousal on his taste buds before swallowing the nectar down, eventually abandoning the movements to stick his stiffened tongue in your entrance repeatedly. His tongue fucked you mercilessly, relentlessly, all the while rubbing forceful circles on your clit. Pressure continued to mount in your abdomen, only amplifying the extreme pleasure Jimin was inflicting on you.

 “J-Jimin… I’m going to…” You whimpered, your hands tangled in his hair as he suddenly added two fingers in you, using his mouth to suck on your clit harshly, almost painfully. He spread his fingers into a V, stretching your tight walls, kick starting your climax.

 Your body arched off the bed, pushing your exposed breasts into the cool air. Jimin worked you through your orgasm, his tongue and fingers not relenting as you continuously convulsed around him, your cum sliding down into his tongue. Your cunt throbbed, the pleasure foreign after not being stimulated for so long, yet he didn’t stop. Continuing his actions, he began to lick thick, bold stripes with his tongue, giving no sign of stopping, despite you ceaselessly pulling on his hair out of sheer overstimulation.

 “Jimin, Jimin, stop!” You whined, feeling the euphoric feeling evolve into something different. Because of your begs and pleas, his tongue relented; removing it from your pulsating clit to your lips. Tasting your cum on his tongue made you whimper, the mere thought of you tainting him was already turning you on again.

 His plump, pink lips never left your own, even when he switched from hovering over you to laying next to you, using his hands to continuously rub and knead your soft thighs.

 “You did so well for me, baby.” He praised, pulling you over his lap, making you straddle him. Subconsciously, you began to grind down onto him, feeling his hard cock through his pants. Letting out a strangled moan, he forcefully held your hips to prevent you from rubbing your slightly swollen, still glistening folds over his length. “We don’t have to go further, Y/n. Too much has been left unsaid. I just had to have a taste of you before you…”

 “You still haven’t told me if you meant what you said.” You whispered, not at all feeling awkward still being the only one who wasn’t fully clothed. “You need to get better with your emotions.”

 “I –” He choked out before looking away with tears in his eyes, causing your heart to clench. “How am I supposed to do this?”

 “Don’t cry, Jimin.” You whispered, using the pad of your thumb to gently wipe away the small tear that fell. “Just tell me how you feel. I won’t judge you. You’ve never judged me, right? You stood by me when no one else would. I’ll never forget how much you helped me, despite not even knowing me.”

 He slowly turned back to you, burying his face in the crook of your neck and holding you tightly. You felt silent sobs wreck through him, bringing forth tears to your own eyes; but you couldn’t cry, not when he needed someone, anyone, to be there for him. While allowing the sobs to die down and ignoring the sudden wetness on your neck, you stroked his hair soothingly, wondering when’s the last time anyone encouraged him to let out his emotions, encouraged him to cry. You didn’t rush him. You knew this was more than just him and you – it was Ezra, it was his lack of emotion and affection to everyone around him.

 “I’m ready to listen whenever you’re willing to talk, okay?” You whispered, softly kissing the top of his head. The action caused him to immediately tighten his arms around your waist, pulling you impossibly close. After a few moments, his croaky voice rang through the room.

 “I feel like the worst father in the world.” He admitted through his tears, small sniffles leaving him. “I know I should be doing better, but how? I don’t know my own son, Y/N. You’ve barely moved in and you know more about him than me. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to be affectionate.” He spat out the word, his tears drying on his cheeks.

 “You seemed to know how to be affectionate with me…” You said quietly, pointing out how he had become so caring when there was a sexual element. He sighed, running a hand through his messy hair.

 “That’s different.” He admitted. “I know what you like, I know how to make you cum, I know the right things to say... That’s just sex. It’s easy for me to do all those things, but anything other than that…”

 “Keep going, baby.” You encouraged, using a pet name to show him that you are listening.

 “I’m confident enough in my body, but I’m not confident with my words.” He carefully explained, voice cracking slightly. Taking a shaky breath, he finally looked up into your eyes, finding comfort in them despite being scared, terrified even, of opening up like this. “I really like you, Y/N – oh my God, I sound like some teenager –”

 Quickly pecking him on his lips, he fell quiet, mesmerized by the softness of your lips, if only for a second. “I like it when you sound like a teenager.” You replied, no teasing tilt to your voice as you looked at him with adoration.

 “I can’t love you like anyone else can.” He admitted, still gazing into your eyes, seemingly unable to look away. “I don’t know how to, evidently because I’m already fucking divorced. But I can try. I can learn. You can teach me.” He breathed, saying everything rather quickly. “Please teach me. I can’t let you go. I need you. Ezra needs you.”

 “Jimin,” You said carefully, trying not to sound too harsh. “I’m your assistant.”

 “I don’t care.” He breathed, heart pounding through his chest. “You can move to another department if you want, but I need you in my life.”

 “What if it doesn’t work out?” You whispered, having to think all the consequences through for the both of you. He frowned at the thought of not being able to work out your relationship.

 “Then at least we tried.” He whispered back, his forehead leaning on your own. “But please give this a chance. I need you. I need this. Teach me how to love again.”

 ***

 One year later

 “Dad, I’m going to be late!” Ezra huffed, trying to move away from the hugs and kisses his father was trying to give him. Jimin elected to ignore him, kissing his forehead one more time, before Ezra ran to you, hiding behind you. “Y/N, please make him stop! Grandma’s waiting for me.”

 “Why would I stop him when I want to do the same thing?” You laughed, picking him up and peppering his face with kisses. Jimin chuckled, gathering Ezra’s backpack, various toys and paint supplies, packing them neatly. Jimin’s mother had asked Ezra to accompany her for a short holiday to the countryside, which Ezra basically jumped at.

 “Mommy, please!” He whined, making you freeze. He had never called you that, and by the silence echoing throughout the room, Jimin hadn’t expected it either. Before you could break the silence, Ezra gasped and ran over to his Grandmother, who had just walked through the open front door, hugging her tightly in greeting.

 “I’m sorry for rushing you, but we really do need to get on the road.” She apologised, all of you standing outside as Jimin placed Ezra’s luggage in the trunk of his mother’s car.

 A few minutes later, you and Jimin were waving goodbye to a retreating car. After seeing them safely off, Jimin snatched up your hand, intertwining your fingers and bringing it up to his lips. He still had an irrational fear of showing affection to you and Ezra when people were around, but when you were in your safe haven, he was the most affectionate person you’ve ever met.

 “Mommy, huh?” He asked while smirking, using his free hand to bring your hips to his body. You smiled and blushed in response, shrugging as if it was nothing, but inside you were jumping for joy. He planted a kiss on your lips before leading you back inside, his hands squeezing your ass gently. “So, mommy and daddy are having some alone time this weekend…”

 “Ezra didn’t call you daddy.” You laughed, walking into the kitchen to get a snack to eat.

 “Yeah, but you did.” He replied, biting his lip as you gasped, feeling heat rise to your cheeks as he brought up your hidden kink that you had accidentally let slip a few nights ago. He hadn’t brought it up until now, making you think that he hadn’t heard your whines as he had been too busy fucking you senseless.

 “Park Jimin!” You chastised, swallowing hard as your hands barely grasped the ice cream pint you had gotten from the freezer. He raised an eyebrow at you, squaring his shoulders. “I didn’t think you heard me.” You admitted, blushing tomato red.

 “Oh, don’t worry, I heard you loud and clear, baby girl.” He promised, pressing his bulge against you as you leaned on the large island in the middle of kitchen. His hands found purchase in your hair, roughly yanking it backwards so that your neck was exposed. He ran his lips all over your neck, biting the flesh, leaving dark red marks.

 “Ezra is barely out the door and you’re already this horny?” You snarked, trying to hide your gasps as he sucked rather harshly on your pulse point.

 “We haven’t been able to really fuck lately.” He shrugged, lifting you up on the cold granite surface and wrapping your legs around him. “Quickies aren’t as fun as being buried in this pussy for hours and hours on end, baby.”

 “We have to go through that presentation – Jimin!”

 “Where are your panties, huh?” He teased, his hand slipping under the hem of your skirt to knead your bare ass. “You’re acting like you don’t want my cock, but you aren’t even wearing anything to cover this pretty, little pussy.”

 You didn’t reply, knowing that if you did a whimper would slip out of you, only adding to Jimin’s smugness. He ran his fingers along your folds, revelling in the way thick strands of your arousal clung to his fingers, essentially coating them in your arousal. You couldn’t take it anymore, the charade of not wanting him, so you threaded your fingers through his hair, using it to bring him to your mouth.

 “Jimin, please…” You breathed, feeling his fingers dance around your clit. As you spoke, he froze, pulling away from your lips with his eyebrow raised.

 “What did you just call me?” He asked sternly, his fingers retreating from your wet cunt, only to come down hard on your clit, the slapping sound echoing throughout the kitchen. “You need to be more respectful, you little brat.”

 “Daddy…” You corrected, voice still barely above a whisper. “Daddy, please.”

 He slapped your pussy again, ensuring that whimpers left your lips. Your arousal coated his fingers, the sticky substance making his skin glint in the light.

 “Look at what a mess you’ve made, baby girl.” Jimin murmured, inspecting his shining fingers before looking you right in the eye and slipping one in his mouth. The sight alone was enough to release another gush of arousal out of you, some of your juices now coating your thighs. “Fuck, you taste good.” He groaned, sucking on his finger. He glanced up at you, his eyes showing just how smug he is. “Want to have a taste?”

 Without waiting for a reply, he placed his fingers in your mouth, allowing you to taste yourself as you sucked his fingers clean. Maintaining eye contact with him, you swirled your tongue around his digits, licking him clean.

 “Like that?” He asked, eyes dark with need. With his finger still in your mouth, you nodded, looking up at him through your eyelashes. “What do you want now, baby?”

 “Daddy’s cock.” You instantaneously replied, almost quivering with need. He smirked, allowing you to grind into his bulge, trying to desperately get any source of friction.

 “And what do you want to do with Daddy’s cock?”

 “Suck it.” You answered, mouth salivating at the mere thought of it. “I want to suck it and taste Daddy’s cum.”

 “Then why aren’t you on your knees?”

 Wordlessly, you hopped off of the counter, knees harshly hitting the floor, yet you couldn’t care less. Your hands messily unbuckled Jimin’s belt, precariously shoving his jeans and boxers down his muscular thighs before you began to palm him in your hand.

 “Don’t fucking tease me.” He groaned, voice deep and laced with seduction. “I still have half a mind of punishing you for being disrespectful, baby.”

 Not wanting to get punished – well, at least for now – you slipped him into your mouth, sucking gently on his tip while maintaining eye contact. You gave it a few kitten licks, sucking off his precum, you run the flat of your tongue on the underside of his cock, making him grip your hair. His eyes hardened as he knew you were still teasing him, so he used his grip on your hair to push you all the way down to the hilt, making you take every inch of his cock down your throat.

 “Ah, fuck yeah, baby.” He moaned, feeling your throat muscles expand and contract as it tried to swallow all of him. Tears sprung to your eyes, the lack of oxygen evident, but it only made Jimin chuckle. “Who fucking told you to tease me, huh? You wanted my cock in your mouth, baby. Now take. It. All.”

 He punctuated every word with a thrust, increasing the tears in your eyes as well as the spit leaking out the side of your mouth. You loved it when Jimin made you take all of him, and it was evident as your arousal had slickened your thighs even more. He eventually took pity on you, pulling you off his dick as you gasped for air, your tears now streaming in rivulets down your face.

 Allowing your lungs the chance to get air, you begun using your hands to jack him off, your spittle and his precum acting as lubricant. You stared up at him as his face relaxed with pleasure, head thrown back as your hands continuously pumped his length. Eventually, when your lungs had recovered, you put him back into your mouth, bobbing your head on the parts that you could reach without choking. With your hands fondling his balls, and your hollowed-out cheeks repeatedly sucking on him, he quickly met his end.

Grabbing your hair, he once again pushed you right up against his pubic bone and shot his cum right down your throat. High pitched, melodious moans reached your ears as his orgasm hit him. The salty, tangy taste of his cum coated your taste buds, the taste alone making you clench your thighs.

 After the rush of his climax was over, you came off his dick with a ‘pop’, nuzzling your head into his thigh, clearly looking for praise. With his chest still heaving, he looked down at you, affection blooming in his eyes.

 “You always suck Daddy’s cock so well, baby.” He murmured, helping you to your feet, bringing your lips to his own. “Such a good girl, hmm? Does my baby want a reward?”

 “Swallowing your cum was my reward.” You breathed, still revelling in the feeling of having him fall apart in your mouth. He smirked, enjoying how submissive and God damn fuckable you were. His hand slipped around your throat, squeezing the sides gently, while his lips ghosted over the shell of your ear.

 “Run up to our room. By the time I get there, I want you to be naked and laying on the bed for Daddy. Got it?”

 Nodding, you felt excitement bloom deep in your chest, knowing that you were truly about to be rewarded. Once he let go of your throat, you all but ran up the stairs, wanting nothing more than to please Jimin. You stripped out of your skirt and stockings before you even made it to the bed, throwing them haphazardly over your shoulder, then you began to unbutton your blouse, peeling off your bra in the process.

 Waiting with bated breath, you found yourself squirming with impatience on the cool, silky sheets. Right before you could huff out with irritation, Jimin made his appearance in all his glory. His own shirt was nowhere to be found, and his jeans hung low on his hips, giving you quite a view of his abs and defined v-line.

 He paid you no mind, walking over to the closet to rummage around in the drawers. He came back a few moments later with a pair of handcuffs and nipple clamps, as well as something shoved in his back pocket. You quivered at the thought of him tying you up; despite the amount of times it had happened, it still brought an insane amount of adrenaline to your bloodstream.

 “Good girl…” He trailed off as he took in your naked body, feeling his cock stir again. The silence in the room faded as he slipped the cuffs around your wrists, then fastened it to the headboard so that your arms were stretched above you, pushing your breasts up into the air. Using this to his advantage, he immediately snapped the clamps onto your nipples, the soft silicone doing little to soften the blow of the pinch.

 A hiss left your lips when he tugged on the chain, accentuating the pain that claimed your nipples. He tugged on it again, gauging your reaction, and smirking when you whimpered.

 “Does it hurt, baby?” He asked as he kissed your neck, sucking red blotches onto your skin. You nodded in response, causing him to smirk even further. “But you like it, don’t you? Daddy’s baby girl enjoys the pain.”

 Before you could respond to him, his lips claimed yours, quickly claiming every breath you had. After a year of being together, Jimin’s lips knew exactly how to move with your own, not to fast nor to slow. His tongue swiped your bottom lip, slowly snaking its way to your own, where it massaged it gently.

 In the midst of his lips ravishing your own, his hand slipped into his back pocket, retrieving a clit massager. Without breaking the kiss, he slipped his hand in-between your legs, prying them apart so that he could place the toy right above your clit.

 As soon as he turned on the toy, the gentle sucking caused you to moan into his mouth. Continuing to move his tongue in tandem with yours, Jimin slowly began to circle the head of your toy around your clit, getting maddeningly close to the bundle of nerves but never actually touching it.

 “Daddy…” You whined, wiggling your hips so that he could place the toy directly on your clit. “Stop teasing!”

 “Weren’t you just teasing me when we were in the kitchen?” He cockily asked, once again circling your clit with the toy. “Remember, baby? When you weren’t giving me what I wanted?”

 “But you came!” Your argued, voice slowly becoming whinier as your stomach began to clench uncomfortably in anticipation. “I want to cum too, Daddy. Please!”

 “You want to come?” Jimin asked, amused at the way your hips were trying to angle themselves to get the stimulation directly on your clit. You nodded, arms straining against the handcuffs. “Why don’t you stop chasing the toy then, huh? Why don’t you be a good girl for Daddy?”

 “I am a good girl – ah!”

 Your sentence was cut short by Jimin placing the toy right on your clit, turning the toy to its highest setting. A plethora of moans left your lips as the suction steadily grew and grew, simulating someone sucking on your clit.

 “Daddy…” You moaned weakly, the pleasure making your brain fuzzy. With the suction directly on your clit, your orgasm loomed over you, driving any other thought out of your head. Needing something to set you off, you began to buck your hips into the toy, moaning and whimpering softly. “Please let me cum, Daddy… Please…”

 “You can, baby.” He cooed into your ear, mesmerized with the way your body was lifting off of the bed to claim your orgasm. He quickly tugged on the nipple clamps, knowing that a tiny bit of pain would increase your pleasure tenfold. “Such a good little girl for Daddy, yeah? Always to ready to beg.”

 With a yelp, your climax washed over you, turning your bones to nothing and transporting your head to cloud nine. You trembled lightly on the bed, sending a rush of blood back to Jimin’s cock and making him impossibly hard. He watched with bated breath as your chest rose and fell rapidly, the nipple clamps jingling with your actions, a visual indicator of the amount of pleasure your body was facing. Once your orgasm receded, he quickly turned off the toy and replaced it with his mouth, swallowing your cum and treating it almost with reverence.

 “Daddy.” You croaked, voice almost gone due to the number of moans and whines that had left your throat just a few moments ago. Even though you had just experienced one of the best orgasms of your life, you wanted more – you wanted him. “Want you.”

 “Are you sure you can handle another one, Y/N?” He asked seriously, not wanting to push you further than you could physically go. You nodded excitedly, pulling on the handcuffs to show how ready you were. He chuckled at your eagerness, taking off the clamps off of your nipples. They were puffy and sore, but your breasts welcomed the blood flow.

 “Please fuck me.” You whispered, your cunt already clenching at the thought of being filled by Jimin’s cock. He smiled at you, his beauty taking your breath away as he stripped out of his jeans and boxers. His cock was already rock hard as it leaked pre-cum, the substance beading at the tip of his dusky pink head.

 “Want my cock, baby?” He asked, positioning himself in-between your legs. You tried to reach out to him, wanting to align his dick at your entrance and watch how he pushed into your core, but the restraints that bound your wrists prevented that. That didn’t stop you from continuously tugging on the cuffs, the metal rattling against the bed post. “Keep acting like a little brat and I’ll leave you here the entire day.”

 His threat immediately caused you to cease your actions, wanting nothing more than to feel him in you. Hearing the absence of you pulling on the restraints made him smirk up at you, knowing that you would probably do anything to have him in your cunt right now.

 “So obedient.” He mused, leaning back and stroking his length to rile you up. “My baby will do anything for my cock, hmm? Such a dirty fucking slut for my cock.”

 “Only for you, Daddy.” You promised, your breathing erratic due to seeing Jimin’s hand enclosed over his dick, lazily fisting the length. “Please fuck me. I need your cock in me.” He raised an eyebrow at you, still wanting to tease you despite being painfully hard. Your pussy clenched when he threw his head back in pleasure, fist pumping up and down his cock. “Jimin, please!”

 “Is that how you talk to me?” He snapped, sliding his length into you as his hand tightened around your neck. Without giving you time to adjust to suddenly having his entire cock in you, he began to piston out of you, the sound of skin on skin echoing throughout the room. Your eyes rolled back from the pleasure, the feeling of having his cock force open your walls and the feeling of his hand tightening around your neck making you lose all train of thought. “Answer me, you fucking brat!”

 “Daddy!” You corrected; voice hoarse from being choked. His hand left your neck, instead using his hands to hold your hips at an angle so that he could go deeper. “I – I’m sorry, Daddy!”

 Hot tears of pleasure ran down your face, the droplets falling to your chest. “You’re crying?” He scoffed, somehow making his hips rut into you faster, your tits moving from each powerful thrust. “Is my cock too much for you to handle?” He asked, thumbing your clit, bringing more tears of pleasure to your face. You shook your head at his question, showing him just how well you could take his dick. “Hmm, good girl. Such a good slut for my cock, huh? Take it all, baby. Take every fucking inch of me in this tight pussy.”

 “Going to… Gonna cum.” You whimpered, feeling your pleasure reaching a precipice quickly. He groaned as he felt your walls hug his length even tighter due to your impending orgasm. His thumb continued to work quick, tight circles over your clit, the white-hot pleasure surging through your veins and setting off your climax. “Daddy!”

 “Ah, fuck, Y/N!” Jimin moaned, your convulsing cunt bringing about his own orgasm. Your body arched off of the bed once again, your orgasm seemingly too intense for your body to handle. Your thighs trembled and a heat rushed up to your cheeks, sweat gleaming on your body. Jimin’s cock was coated in your cum, the sheer feeling of it causing him to shoot his hot cum deep in you. High pitched curses and moans left his plump lips, ropes of his cum coating your walls as both of you tried to control your heavy breathing.

 Without pulling out of you, Jimin reached up and unlocked the handcuffs, throwing them onto the floor to join your long-forgotten clothes. Flipping you over so that you were laying on him, he kissed your raw wrists gently, despite both of your chests still heaving.

 “Thank you, baby.” He murmured, kissing your forehead. “I’m sorry if I was too rough.”

 “You were amazing, Jimin.” You said softly, enjoying the feeling of having his skin directly on your own. “I wouldn’t want this with anyone other than you.”

 “I love you.” He blurted, unable to contain his feelings any longer. You sucked in a breath, not believing your own ears. It was the first time he had ever said something like this. “I know it’s been a journey and a half with me, teaching me how not to be some cold asshole, but God damn, I love you, Y/N. I can’t imagine a life without you; I don’t want to imagine a live without you.”

 “I love you too, Jimin.” You replied, a smile creeping on your face as your heart fluttered. “I love you more than you will ever know.”

 ***

 ↳ a/n: so that was the first instalment of my colour series! I plan on doing a one shot for each member based on meanings of a specific colour. Please let me know what you think and let me know if you want to be tagged in the future one shots :)

[le-amewzing]

Minor Details

So Knight and Parker won't let me leave the universe of "20 Winks" alone, I guess?? XD *Note: This is set after my oneshot, "Token," so spoilers for that! I highly rec reading that first~

Fic: "Minor Details" [FFN] [AO3]

Pairings/Characters: Jess Knight/Alden Parker, Nick Torres (bros!Knight&Torres), Timothy McGee, & Jimmy Palmer

Rating: K+

Words: ~5,340

Additional info: romance, friendship, 3rd person POV

Summary: Parker returns to work, Torres offers his two cents, and Knight finally does something she wishes she'd done sooner.

      Every ding of the elevator doors made her jolt. With as sly a peek as she could pull off, Knight would slide her eyes that way, twisting her head slightly, each and every time. And, each and every time, it was some other agent, or a visitor, or some other employee who was part of the NCIS machine keeping this vessel afloat.

      Still no sign of Parker.

      She tamped down her frown, masking her disappointment, and checked her phone in the shadows her desk cast across her lap. Sure, the hour bothered her a little—it was after eleven already—but Knight pulled up her call logs.

      They hadn't talked a whole lot these last couple weeks, but Parker needed rest after they'd survived what was supposed to have been a total collapse of a parking garage. Still…her call logs were a nice reminder that they'd chatted at all. Last night's call (twenty minutes long and shortly before bedtime—she'd had to threaten to hang up on him before he admitted that, yeah, he was yawning quite a bit) was when he'd informed her he'd be back at work the next day, on the late side, in the morning.

      But it was getting too late to call it "morning" still, Knight thought with a swipe up. She went into her texts next. She and Parker had fewer exchanges here, but—

      "Knight, did you finish reviewing the witness statements from the Connelly case?" McGee asked, interrupting her glum train of thought.

      She covered her jumpiness this time, making a show of closing the folders on her desk while she tucked her phone under her thigh. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Here, you can have them, McGee." She handed them over after he crossed the carpet for them.

      McGee nodded his thanks and turned Torres' way next. "Nick, you gonna be ready when Mrs. Connelly takes the stand in a few days?"

      Their friend groaned at his desk and slumped over, his head hitting the edge with a thud. "I hate court," he moaned.

      "Yeah, not what I asked."

      Torres picked his head up, grimacing at the pair of them. "Court is so…stuffy. The suit? That's fine; I'm sexy in a suit. But staying awake during the proceedings?" He groaned again, more vigorously this time, and covered his face with his hands before ultimately pushing his fingers up into his dark hair.

      Knight's eyes flickered to McGee, who was trying his very best to maintain his usual even temper and not grimace himself. McGee sighed. "You're not the one testifying; Mrs. Connelly is. You had the best rapport with her, so we need you there with her, Nick, otherwise her husband and brother are going to get away with murder. She needs you there."

      "I know," Torres huffed. "I don't hate helping her, for the record. It's just—court. It's the most boring part of the job."

      "Yeah, well." McGee shrugged and sat back down, plopping the witness statements onto an already large pile to the right of his computer. "Our time on the docket comes up every now and then. It's probably for the best that it's right now, being a man down."

      Knight understood McGee didn't realize how blasé he sounded, but the casual reference to Parker's absence stung. She dropped her eyes to her keyboard.

      But Torres cleared his throat, and Knight glimpsed the subtle shake of his head which he sent McGee's way, along with a reproving look. At least he didn't jerk his head in Knight's direction, too. Still, it was nice to see McGee flounder like his usual self as he reconsidered his words.

      A muffled chime came from her chair, soft enough in the general office din that only Knight heard it. Oh, right, her phone. She shuffled it under her legs and turned slightly away from the others to read the new message. It was from Parker:

-H

      Knight furrowed her brow, confused. "H"? What the hell was "H"? Was it supposed to be shorthand for "Hi" or "Hello"? Her heart ached, summoning a memory of when Parker spoke with her in the hospital after he woke; though not the first thing he'd said to her, "Hey" had been their first exchange once the nurses checked him over.

      But Parker also didn't use shorthand. Oh, God. What if this were a sign, just like someone's speech being garbled? Wasn't that a thing? If someone suddenly spoke funny, get help. If someone suddenly texted funny, get help. Except where was—

      The elevator dinged, and a few people began applauding before a familiar, smooth voice insisted, "Ah, hey—I appreciate the welcome back, but I'm good, and I'd hate to disturb everyone else. So if you don't mind?"

      Knight stood so quickly, her chair slammed into the cabinet behind it. But she could care less about disturbing others right now. Least of all when her eyes met Parker's dark ones as he walked the short distance and turned in to the bullpen.

      He held her gaze for an extra Mississippi before addressing all of them. "'Morning. Barely."

      McGee and Torres got up, too. McGee's grin was almost too bright, as if admitting he was ready to cede command again. "Parker! You're finally back!" he said, half hugging the older man.

      "Pretty sure you knew today was my first day back, same as Director Vance," Parker commented, one eyebrow quirked skeptically. His smile flitted to Knight as she came around to the front of her desk to join the welcoming party.

      "True, but, the later it got, I thought maybe you or Vance pushed your return out until tomorrow."

      Parker shook his head. "Nah, no use for it. Not much to do at home." He ran a hand over the back of his head and pulled a face. "To be honest, I would've loved to have been back sooner. Nearly a week in the hospital. Then they released me, only because the Doyles were kind enough to take me in; Tess is great as ever, but Billy and I were getting on each other's nerves after a week in their home. And just when I thought I'd have peace and quiet recuperating back at my place—" He sighed.

      Torres angled his head away, as if literally smelling something bad. "What? That ex-wife you never tell us about show up out of the woodwork?"

      Parker, Knight, and McGee all sent him exasperated, unamused looks for the rude reminder. "No," Parker answered forcefully. "Fornell kept 'dropping by,' trying to make himself useful."

      "Ohh. Okay. Not as bad, but a giant pain in the ass. Got it."

      "Three weeks out of commission, though," McGee pointed out. He raised his eyebrows at their team leader.

      Parker held up his hands in defeat. "I know, I know, McGee. I'm on desk duty, just the light stuff, for another week." He did that scoff-chuckle of his. "Is that all right with you, Boss?"

      McGee's shoulders sank a fraction, but he clapped Parker gently on the back. "Just glad to have you back, Parker." His phone rang then, pulling him back to his desk.

      "Hey, Parker," Torres began, just as Knight was searching for her own words of welcome.

      Parker pulled his attention from Knight back to Torres.

      "If you're doing desk duty, then you probably are cleared to go to court, right?"

      But McGee paused in the middle of his phone call, covering the receiver to hiss, "Nick! You cannot send Parker to court on the Connelly case in your stead!"

      Torres cursed in Spanish under his breath and shuffled back to his desk.

      Parker half sighed, half chuckled, his eyes finding Knight's again. He dropped his volume when he next spoke. "Now that Thing One and Thing Two have had their say…"

      Knight laughed, abruptly, and covered her mouth to stifle the sound. Go figure Parker would open with an ill-timed joke while she stood there, wracking her brains, trying to settle on something much more suitable than a simple "Welcome back" that might encapsulate everything she felt these last few weeks.

      …oh. Duh. Felt. She was using her brain to do something it couldn't.

      That was why Knight put a pin in her jumbled-up thoughts and let her feelings—relief, primarily, along with concern and…—wash over her. And her eyes scanned him, just once, looking for any signs he really hadn't recovered yet. Then she hugged him, throwing her arms around his neck, squeezing him against her.

      Knight thought she heard the softest "oh" escape him, but—if one did—Parker's surprise vanished. He slowly, gently wrapped his arms around her back. His hands were warm. His hands were real.

      They'd survived. All that had transpired was real.

      He turned his head slightly, in towards her hair, and took a breath. "I missed you," Parker whispered, so quietly his words were damn near imperceptible.

      But, of course, Knight caught them. Her heart stammered (did he notice, being so close?). "Took the words right out of my mouth," she mumbled, a wet chuckle in her voice.

      Their hug and exchange lasted for all of one minute, but it felt so much longer and yet not nearly long enough when Parker released her to stand straighter. At least he didn't glance at or motion to the others, reminding Knight they had an audience. No, he gave her a nod and let his eyes linger as he passed by her on the way to his desk.

      It wasn't the reunion she'd hoped for, but it would do. Satisfied, Knight returned to her chair and righted a few items she'd knocked over…pointedly aware of another stare diagonally across the room. That one she ignored.

      McGee hung up then. "All right, have a body." He scanned the notes on his memo pad. "Unidentified woman, dressed in a sailor's uniform. Divers pulled her from the Potomac in Harpers Ferry after guests from a local b'n'b stumbled across her during a post-breakfast walk." He glanced first to Knight and then to Torres, who already was shouldering his bag, before settling on Parker.

      Parker met each of their gazes in turn. He rolled his eyes at McGee. "You're Senior Field Agent, McGee, and you're in charge while I'm chained to my desk. So don't mind me. Go on." He motioned, too, with his hand, to emphasize that they hustle.

      Torres shrugged. "Shotgun," he declared, breaking the ice and racing to the elevator.

      McGee groaned and jogged after him.

      Knight grabbed her bag but paused at Parker's desk. "We'll catch you later. Take it easy, yeah?" She gave him a soft smile.

      Her worries ebbed when he returned it. "Will do, Jess," Parker promised. And, much as he had upon arriving, he let his eyes trail her when she left.

      "Ooh, that's quite the slope," Jimmy remarked when the team met him at the scene in Harpers Ferry. He pinched his nose and put a silicone clamp on it to handle the odors in addition to what he slathered on his upper lip. "I thought you said they'd pulled the body from the water?"

      McGee frowned alongside Knight and Torres. They peered down the riverbank, which, after recent rain, looked more like a muddy ravine. "That's what I was told," McGee said. "I can't believe they just got her out of the water and left her down there."

      Knight held up a finger and reviewed her notes. "That's the decision of both the new dive team and the old, small police department here. The dive team doesn't have all their equipment yet to bring the body up further, and the police department lacks resources."

      A siren interrupted them. The noise triggered an unpleasant memory of nearly a month ago for Knight, being trapped, but she quickly shook off that anxiety since she knew it was ludicrous to fear the sounds of those who'd saved her and Parker. Plus, Torres whistled and remarked, "Looks as though the cavalry's arrived."

      The fire truck backed up close to where Jimmy had parked his M.E.'s van. Then McGee left to speak with their chief. Two minutes later, he returned, still frowning. "I've got good news and bad news."

      They collectively groaned. "Good first," Jimmy requested.

      "The good news is that the fire truck has what we need. The firefighters can lend us everything we need to haul up our Jane Doe the rest of the way."

      Torres' face fell. "Tim, you gave us part of the bad news. They're going to lend us—?!"

      "Oh." McGee's eyes widened at his mistake, and they groaned again. "Uh, sorry. But yeah. So as not to disturb more evidence—apparently they've had some liability scares, so they're really wary right now—they'll loan us gear to send down two people to secure the body and any other evidence. The captain reminded me, too, that the ground's extra crumbly, having dried out from all the recent storms, so they want us to be mindful about not sticking so close to the edge."

      Knight darted back from the edge as if someone had shot at her feet. "How crumbly, McGee?!"

      He threw up his hands to placate her. "Not that crumbly! We can stand on it just fine. But no dancing or stampeding. That sort of thing." He audibly swallowed the lump in his throat. "…I think."

      Knight bit down on her tongue, keeping from offering certain words she was only "thinking" right now. But she did shoot him a withering look.

      Jimmy, more focused on the body down below than on his friends, readjusted his cap. "Well, obviously I have to head down. Who wants to assist?"

      McGee looked to Knight and Torres, but she took a step back. Even if he pulled rank, she'd ignore it. …huh. It was the third or so time in less than a month that she'd felt prepared to be insubordinate. She made a mental note to ask Dr. Grace about it the next time they met.

      Torres, too, shook his head. But he pointed to McGee's footwear. "Might as well be you, McGee. You're all ready, and I'm not sure I even have my boots in the car—"

      "Nick!"

      "—I'll take a look! And, hey, Knight, mind lending your eye? But time's a-wastin', McGee." He grinned, impish.

      McGee's foul mood was evident in both expression and body language. Nevertheless, he turned to discuss with Jimmy how they'd approach the fifteen-foot drop safely without further harming the victim's body or the surroundings.

      The pep left Torres' step, though, the moment McGee's attention went elsewhere. He looked back at Knight when he realized she wasn't following him. "Well?" he prompted.

      Knight forgot her anger and did a double-take at him. "You were serious? I thought you were just trying to get out of going down there and getting muddy."

      "Eh, two birds, one stone." Yet his tone was tired, not teasing. He made once again for the sedan.

      Curiosity got the better of her. Knight pocketed her notes and held her camera close so it wouldn't bounce against her chest. She met him right as Torres popped the trunk, but clearly that was for show, because he didn't rifle through the contents (and, she noted, his rubber boots were tucked into the space by the right rear wheel).

      Torres removed his NCIS cap and tossed it inside. "Feel free to relax. They'll be a while," he said when he caught her furrowed brow.

      Knight pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do I have the feeling you specifically wanted me over here, out of earshot, with you?"

      He crossed his arms in front of his chest and faced her head-on. "Well, for starters, you've flinched twice in the last ten minutes. It wasn't just McGee mentioning ground that could disappear from under your feet—"

      She tensed and hoped she maintained a neutral expression. But her right hand disappeared into her pants pocket, thumbing a soft, worn, calming square of cloth hidden there.

      "—but the sirens, too." Torres drew in a breath and exhaled just as evenly. "…I won't ask if you have, but I hope you've told Dr. Grace about your jumpiness, Jess. PTSD is not something to combat on your own."

      Knight stared at a point on his shoulder, not liking yet appreciating the empathy with which he watched her. "It's not as bad as a few weeks ago," she admitted.

      Of course it wasn't. She'd had four appointments with Dr. Grace, and that helped.

      But talking to Parker helped, too.

      Torres hummed in acknowledgement. Whether he understood her position or where her mind had flown, Knight didn't know. Then he said, eyes dropping to her hidden hand, "As long as that's a self-soothing technique and not a nervous tic."

      Knight meant to protest…but then she decided otherwise. She knew why. It wasn't just him shooting McGee a look this morning. There'd been the time at the hospital, too, when he'd gotten McGee quickly to back off the idea of Knight leaving Parker's bedside while Parker remained unconscious. And, clear as day, she recalled Torres'…look of understanding (she couldn't describe it any other way) when he'd glimpsed the way she'd held on to Parker's hand in the ambulance before the doors shut.

      So…she withdrew Parker's handkerchief from her pocket.

      Knight didn't explain why she had it, though the memory of Parker's token of affection eased her nerves some right now. But it was undeniably his. They'd all seen him with it at various points in time, and the monogrammed, lone "A" in one corner was unmistakable.

      Torres licked his lips and rolled his jaw while he processed things and Knight tucked the item away. Eventually, he nodded. "I thought so."

      Knight wasn't sure what to make of that, of his reaction, of someone else knowing about them. She frowned and clenched Parker's handkerchief once more in her pocket.

      The mechanical whine and steady clinks of winches and hooks working to lower McGee and Jimmy down beside the Potomac River filled the air. It was near deafening where they stood, so Torres jerked with his chin to the other side of their M.E. van. There, the noise still grated on their ears and nerves, but the intensity was dampened. And, between clinks and clunks, they could talk.

      Knight waited for Torres' full reaction.

      He leaned against the side of the van, casual, crossing his ankles. He sighed. "Has it…has it been going on for a while?"

      She gawked at him. Knight wanted to laugh. "You're joking, right?"

      Torres frowned; some color dusted his cheeks. "How am I supposed to know?! The two of you pair off a lot in the field and have finished each other's sentences in and out of Interrogation."

      Her own ears burned, being handed confirmation that, yeah, she and Parker had grown noticeably closer the last several months. "Nothing's been going on," Knight replied curtly. She hoped he didn't offer more examples. A lot came to mind.

      "Really?" He settled her with a disbelieving stare. "Never seen him be affectionate the way he was with you this morning. Never seen him really be affectionate at all, come to think of it."

      "He's comfortable by himself," she thought aloud. Though, despite saying so, Knight questioned that. Parker had seemed more interested in her company, the weeks before the garage collapse. And he'd wanted that night to go different, for the two of them. The proof was in her pocket.

      Torres neither agreed with nor denied her remark. For a few minutes, the fire truck's crane and pulleys groaned, wiping out all comfortable silence. Then the crime scene's soundtrack dulled to white noise. Torres ground his heel against the softened earth. "Jess…"

      "Hmm?"

      "Don't take this the wrong way, but."

      Knight grimaced. "Fine way to preface things, Nick." But her irritation lessened when she noted the way he stared off into the distance at nothing in particular.

      "Jess, I have some experience with this kind of thing. You can get burned, real bad. Both of you. When you least expect it."

      …actually, similar thoughts had been running through her head, ever since Parker had not only given her but insisted she hold on to hope about them. Knight studied Torres' profile, her memories of Bishop floating to the surface. The story of Bishop's treason never made sense to her, even though Knight had barely gotten to know her, to work with her. But it made less sense that Torres especially had dropped that topic, had stopped correcting others about Bishop's story and motives almost as soon as it happened.

      Knight knew he'd been burned, but Torres acted more like a scarred, torched man ever reaching out to the fire.

      Yet, in spite of Torres' caution, Knight thumbed the handkerchief. She thought on all the things said between her and Parker, as well as what was yet to be said. And she replayed in her mind one of the better parts of being trapped with him amongst debris, how Parker had struggled, despite a horrible head injury, to stay awake, to stay alert. With her. For her. "So this is a word of warning, then?" Knight ventured. Her dark eyes darted to Torres' face.

      He shook his head but cracked a smile. "I guess. The people closest to us can do the most harm. …but I'd do it all over again, knowing how it plays out."

      "Worth the risk—I get that." She went to bump her shoulder against his in a show of solidarity, but he stood up straight and dodged it. Knight scowled at him. "Nick, what the hell?"

      "Hey, I don't need any Parker cooties, and, after that long hug this morning, you're covered in them."

      Her cheeks burned as she stomped after him back toward their car's trunk. "I am not covered in—! And it wasn't that long a hug. And McGee hugged him, too!"

      Torres shrugged and smirked, donning his hat once more. "Yeah, but McGee doesn't look at Parker the way—"

      He never did get to finish his sentence. The machinery growled to life, signaling McGee and Jimmy's return and covering up Torres' yelp when Knight stepped on his foot to shut him up.

      But…antics aside, Knight was grateful to him for improving her mood as well as for helping her reach a conclusion.

      By the time the workday ended, all four of them still sat at their desks. Knight was the first to note the hour, and she logged off her computer and turned off her desk light without any of the men around her flinching. She sighed. "Guys, I know the case is an interesting one, but…" She stood and emphatically tapped her finger on the face of her watch.

      The sound pulled McGee from his trance. "Oh, Knight. Thanks for the reminder." He paused to squint at Parker. "Wait—Parker, you're still here?"

      Parker raised his eyebrows. "I'm allowed to put in a full day."

      Knight sided with McGee on this one. "It would've been okay to go home a little on the early side, Parker," she told him, a pout tugging at her lips.

      But he shook his head. "I came in late anyhow, so it all evens out. I'm taking it easy, as promised," he reminded her.

      Her pout quirked upward into a covert smile.

      "Well, Parker, definitely head home now," McGee ordered. He shuffled through the documents in his hands. "As for us… Until Jimmy completes his autopsy tomorrow, going through these recent receipts from the bed-and-breakfast will have to suffice, thanks to the clues in Jane Doe's waterlogged pockets."

      "But that can be done tomorrow, too," Knight said. Plus, if she were being honest with herself, she felt a hair guilty for making McGee retrieve the body, even if her talk with Torres had been necessary. Her eyes darted to the soaked jacket and shirt McGee had hanging up drying behind him after slipping an arm into the river by accident this afternoon. So she grinned at each of them. "Why don't we all call it a night? Grab dinner. Burgers, like usual?" Knight grabbed her windbreaker and purse and raised her eyebrows. "My treat."

      Parker perked up one second, his shoulders falling so slightly the next. But he nodded and started packing up. "I'd like that," he said.

      "Rain check," Torres said. "I, uh, I think I've got a nice rhythm going, so I'd rather finish my stack of possible names for our Jane Doe tonight."

      "You sure?" Knight asked. A burger might be little compensation for the kindness he'd shown her, but she figured it was a nice start.

      He shrugged, nodded, and caught her eye. There was a mischievous glint there. "Yeah, I'm sure. Hey, McGee, if you really wanna stay, at least help me sort through and run the names I have."

      McGee sat back down while Knight caught on to his plan.

      Torres, for his part, tried to tamp down his grin as he waved Knight and Parker on. "Enjoy dinner, you two."

      Oh, for crying out—! Knight led the way, ignoring both Torres' shit-eating grin and Parker's curious glance between the two of them. On the elevator, she stabbed the button for the ground floor, only heaving a sigh of relief once the doors shut in front of them.

      Parker studied her for a moment. "All, right, I'll bite." He tipped his head at the doors. "What was that about?"

      Knight met his eyes briefly. …ooh, she really didn't want to explain how Nick Torres had evolved into her wingman right now. "Just a stark reminder that I'm surrounded by seasoned investigators." Although, saying that, she wondered if McGee knew…and quickly dismissed the idea, because McGee got distractedly easily and tended to miss social cues.

      "Uh-huh," Parker said, not at all convinced.

      Knight took a breath and mentally stuffed her worries and misgivings into a box. "Burgers still sound like a great idea, though," she mumbled as the elevator slowed.

      Parker was quiet for half a beat. Then he asked, just before the doors opened, "Just burgers, though?"

      Her pulse stuttered, her brain processed his words on a two-second delay as she scurried after him out of the building. Parker turned left, though, so they walked through part of the green on NCIS' yard. Though, at this time of day, rapidly descending evening, things weren't bright green but dull, dark, warm golds, ambers, and sepias. "You want burgers. And drinks," Knight inferred, picking out one specific detail from that night.

      Parker stuck his hands in his pockets and glanced at her as they walked, following the footpath. "I told you I recall being trapped in the garage with you."

      She nodded.

      "Some things are fuzzy around the edges, but I do remember talking with you. What I said to you." He slowed to face her. Parker pursed his lips, as if unsure he could get her to believe him. "What I said at the hospital—everything I've said since—I've meant it all, Jess. But I didn't need some psycho killer to light a fire under me. I really had planned on asking you out for drinks that night, to get the ball rolling properly on us."

      Knight blinked. She took half a step closer to him; any further, and there'd be no room left. "Alden…" She rested a hand on his chest, feeling the steady, familiar bthump-bthump under her fingers.

      "It was bugging me," he mumbled. He met her eyes. "We've talked some over the phone the last few weeks, but too much"—he paused, corrected himself—"all of that's been about the aftermath of the garage. I thought we'd gone back to dancing around each other, and I hated that we'd lost our progress." Parker paused again, though this time his frustration melted into realization. "And I still have to look into those dance lessons I promised you."

      Finally, she laughed, and Knight lightly smacked him on the chest for the detour. But she got them back on track. "I'm glad you spoke up. Some of what happened felt like a nightmare, some of it, a dream," Knight thought aloud, her voice soft but loud to her ears, out here, in the empty open.

      "Stinks about the nightmare," Parker stated. He brought his hand up to cover her fingers, keeping her hand close, pressed against him. "But I'm happy to share in the same dream."

      For the second time that day, hearing his words, Knight knew she was overthinking things. So she stopped thinking and did. She curled her fingers under his, clutching the fabric of his shirt, and reached up with her other hand, damned that she dropped her windbreaker on the concrete and her purse's strap slid haphazardly from her shoulder in the process. Knight could care less. The only thing that mattered right now was touching Parker's cheek, holding his jaw, and moving to kiss him.

      At the same time, Parker clearly experienced the same switch to actions only, perhaps even coming to his own conclusions that enough had been hypothesized, enough had been said up to this point. He curved his palm around her fist, and his free hand cupped the side of her face. His fingertips grazed her cheekbone before he pushed his hand back, sinking his fingers into her hair, cradling her head and moving to kiss her.

      Wishing for the same thing—and following through, at the exact same time—was so much better than finishing each other's sentences at the office.

      Knight pulled away first, a smile on her lips, but Parker lingered, his nose still brushing hers, his mouth barely a centimeter away. His hand was still wound in her hair, too. "I'm glad I spoke up, too," he said in undertones.

      She chuckled and kissed him again, softer now, letting him go but with a promise for more another time. "I like to think we would've gotten here eventually," she remarked. Knight stooped to grab her jacket and beamed at him when he offered her a gentlemanly hand up.

      Parker nodded eventually as they followed the footpath to its parking lot exit. "Definitely. After having you in my arms for the briefest moment this morning…" He let his words trail off, so Knight peeked at him. Parker averted his gaze, oddly bashful.

      The sight made her heart skip a beat. She grinned, tamping down a laugh so he wouldn't misunderstand, and picked her way through cars as they threaded through aisles to reach hers. To think, her spirits soared right now in contrast to this morning… That triggered a fresh question. "One last thing, though, about this morning—"

      Parker was right on her heels, so his voice was pleasantly close when he said, "Go for it."

      Knight glanced at him. "You're definitely okay, right, Alden? All you texted me was the letter 'H,' for which I had absolutely no context."

      "Ah, that." He scratched his beard just below his jaw (another bashful motion, she decided). "I wanted to give you a head's up the moment I arrived at NCIS today. That was supposed to read 'Here.'"

      They came upon her car, though Knight didn't rush to unlock it. She nodded, especially since Parker stayed on the driver's side with her to finish this thread. "That makes sense. I just…" She chuckled at herself, suddenly feeling self-conscious and perhaps a little insane for the frenzy she'd briefly sent herself into that morning. But she admitted, "…I worry."

      To her surprise, Parker snickered. "I've noticed," he teased. "But, really, I was going to say the same about you, Jess. Every time I went to text you, my mind would go blank. … I only settled down once I saw you."

      That was a sentiment she both understood and felt, keenly. So Knight met his eyes, squeezed his hand, and left with Parker, to have their night—drinks and burgers, just for two—as planned.

This story is a mix of things, both diegetic and non. For diegetic, that would be the titular reference to the little things interspersed throughout "20 Winks" and "Token" that I ultimately decided I wanted to pursue in earnest. Some of those items were p obvious, if you've read the previous stories (Torres confirming he suspected Parknight, Parknight getting together for real & not simply talking about their feelings); others cropped up naturally (Knight's likely PTSD in the wake of events, Parknight reassuring one another that their affections are genuine & not the side-effect of what they suffered together). Plus, there were just some fun details to include and play up. For example, "20 Winks" opened in a parking garage at evening, and here "Minor Details" circles back to that to end in a parking lot around the same time (mainly because I feel that this is a good stop for this universe, tho I'm not gonna beat my muse back if she revisits this universe yet again with another great idea, bc I'm digging this, *LOL*). In the real world, tho, this story is unique, being one of two Parknights written longhand in a notebook (both written at the end of April, the first was "blowback"—I, uh, also splattered beef stew on these stories' pages…WOULD JESS KNIGHT BE PROUD bc I simply blotted the stains and pretended they didn't exist c:) and also the 2nd to have a detail inspired by a rewatch of s19e7, "Docked." Tho that ep is still early with the team and Parker's clearly getting to know everyone there, Knight's original invite of burgers there and Parker pulling a prank on Torres that would've seen perhaps only Knight and Parker grabbing a bite then…well, I expanded on my drinks thread from "20 Winks" using that canon bit. Goodness, I love this team's dynamics! -w- SPEAKING of which: Y'all know by now how much I dig Torres & Knight's broship, but omgggg Nick bringing up Ellie in a roundabout way and saying everything he did… Sure, I'm a diehard Ellick shipper, but c'mon, that could've been pulled from canon, given the torch he still carries for her (and I promise I will stop referencing fire for Ellick now, given the metaphor in the story, *lol* :3). So yeah. Wingman!Torres, stressed!McGee, and new!Parknight. That's the story in a nutshell. XD (Ngl, of my other story ideas, there's one that could potentially exist in this universe…but we'll see. ;3c) So please read "20 Winks" and "Token" if you missed them! And then enjoy my other Parknights, fic and art alike, if you need more content, bc I am always happy to deliver~ Just as I am happy to chat and to receive requests. :3c And don't forget to stop by my tumblr sideblog for them, too, parknights!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this!

~mew

[nakachuchu]

Red Wine | Historia Reiss

SYNOPSIS: Modern AU - She's your assistant.

READER: female

WORDS: 1590

WRITTEN: 03/21/2021

You were a successful CEO of one of the biggest publishing companies.

Your assistant, Historia, knew everything about you. She had to in order to continue being your assistant.

"There's no way you know everything about her," Ymir, a friend who worked at the company, told Historia.

Historia shook her head as she hurriedly scribbled down words onto a notepad. "I have to."

She got up, grabbing a pen, binder, notepad, and a cup of coffee, and walked down the short corridor to reach your office.

"What's her favorite food?" Ymir called out.

"Macaroni and cheese with bread crumbs!" Historia shouted before entering your office.

You smiled. "Hey, Historia."

"Hello, Miss L/N. I have your coffee," she said as she set it down on your desk. "Your salon appointment is at 3:00 pm, but you have an emergency meeting at 2:00 pm."

You groaned. "Is there any way you could move my appointment to 4:00? Knowing the members of the board, they could take up more than the one-hour slot."

Historia nodded as she scribbled it onto her notepad. "Done. Your sister called. She wanted to know if you were still coming to her son's 9th birthday party."

You sucked on the inside of your cheek and nodded. "Well, what am I doing on that day?"

"Sorry. The party starts at noon, but you have a deadline due at 2 pm for the factory's article. You also have a dinner meeting with Mr. Smith at 6:30 pm at the New World restaurant. You'd have to leave early to beat traffic and make it on time."

You sighed. "I can just work late the night before the party."

"Well, actually, you had me make you an appointment with the masseuse the night before so you could sleep easily after your appointment with them."

You grunted. "It's okay, I'll figure it out. Just tell my sister I can go."

Historia nodded before briskly walking out of the office.

"Oh—Historia, wait."

"Yes, sorry!" she exclaimed as she walked back in.

"Could you bring me a glass of wine?"

"Yes, right away," she said.

"And stop apologizing for nothing," you said.

"Yes, so—Uh—Yes."

Historia's face was on fire as she walked back to her small cubicle. Ymir was still there, waiting for her.

"Her favorite drink?" she asked.

Historia smiled. "Red wine."

After everyone had gone back home, Historia and you were the only people left at the company. Historia never left to go back home until you did.

"Historia!" you called.

She scurried into your office. "Yes?"

"You know what I hate?" she asked.

Historia smiled, despite knowing how rash you could be when you were drunk. "What, Miss?"

"I hate people who don't know how to follow orders. Don't you just hate that? You give someone a simple task, and they don't even know how to follow it. I'm glad I have you, Historia. You always know what I want. Now, can you—"

"Bring you more red wine? Yes."

"You know me so well. Just bring the whole bottle. I have an article to finish and a stack of papers to sign and review. It's going to be a long night, Historia. I hope you brought a blanket."

Historia smiled and nodded. "Always be prepared, Miss. That's what you taught me."

"Good girl," you praised.

Her cheeks flushed and she turned away after bowing to you. She walked to your cabinet to grab a bottle of red wine for you.

You weren't a bad person. A woman like you was always busy. You never had time for yourself. You were always at the office, working.

But Historia was glad you trusted her enough to get drunk in front of her. The walls you usually kept up during work hours came down in front of Historia once you were tipsy enough, and she appreciated that.

When she came back into your office, you were working diligently despite being intoxicated.

Historia sat on your couch with the bottle of red wine, ready to pour it for you once you were tired of working.

Three hours later, the bottle was half empty and you were passed out on your desk after finishing your work.

Historia grabbed a pillow and blanket. She lifted your head and put the pillow under your cheek, then she let go and your face plopped onto the pillow. She unfolded the blanket and wrapped it around your body. Next, she closed all the blinds to make sure the sun wouldn't be too harsh on your face.

Historia left your office and went back to her cubicle, getting ready for sleep. She didn't mind not going home to sleep. She was extremely loyal to you, and part of it was due to the fact that you hired her.

Historia had a hard time getting hired or staying long at any publishing company. She always started from the bottom but never got too far because of people who looked down on her or bosses who got too close to comfort.

But you have her a chance. You were the only female CEO in the publishing industry and you taught Historia how to work and stand up for herself.

She appreciated that and looked up to you. Along the way, she developed a crush on you.

Historia set an alarm. She woke up two hours before work would start for anyone. She stretched and smacked her cheeks to wake herself up.

She walked into your office to open the blinds to let the sunlight in before gently shaking you awake. You swatted her hand away as usual.

"Miss L/N? The employees will start checking in in less than two hours. We need to get you awake and functional for today," Historia informed.

You sighed and lifted your head, eyes squinting at the light. You knew Historia meant well, but that didn't stop the quiet string of curses.

"Here's some Advil and water," Historia said, handing you two pills and the glass of water.

You took the glass of water and pills, quickly swallowing both pills in one go. You sniffled and rubbed your nose as you messily tied your hair back. Strands were sticking up everywhere.

Historia rushed to the other side of the desk and opened a drawer, grabbing a can of hairspray. She walked back to you and covered your eyes with one hand while spraying your hair.

Then, she patted down your hair to make it seem as neat as possible. She walked back to the drawer to put the hairspray back, then took out a stick of gum.

"Here you go, Miss," she said as she handed it to you.

"I'd be dead without you," you informed.

Historia smiled. "I know. Now, we have a meeting to prepare for."

After a long day of meetings with the council and Mr. Smith, you came back to the office and got drunk again.

You didn't have anyone waiting for you at home, and you spent more time at the office than your own house to the point where the office was your home.

Historia was tidying up the office when you came back from your meeting, demanding red wine.

A whole bottle later, and you were out of it.

"Miss L/N, you're drunk," Historia said as you crawled onto her lap.

You pouted. "Historia, don't you like me?"

Of course, she liked you. After spending two years with you, she grew attached to you. You were the constant variable in her life.

You were snaking your hands up to her hair, tugging lightly as you kissed her jawline. Historia's face was on fire as she tried to lean away from you.

"What's wrong?" you asked.

"It's just—You're drunk and I'd rather do something when you're sober."

You pouted. "You're lying."

"Miss, I'm not. I really like you!"

"Fine. But you know I don't like talking when I'm sober."

You tried to keep your eyes on anything and anyone but Historia. You were so embarrassed about how you acted last night.

Neither of you really wanted to bring it up because of how awkward the topic was, but Historia wanted to know if what you liked her too

"Do you like me, Miss L/N?" Historia asked quietly.

You looked up and glanced between the open door and her. Historia understood and she closed the doors softly.

"I do like you, Historia," you answered.

You tried to busy yourself with the items around your desk. You reorganized your desk and flipped through papers before sighing. "But I'm not sure if it's a good idea if we have a relationship with each other. It'll end badly and it'll be awkward for us to work with each other."

Historia pouted. "You underestimate me, Miss L/N. I've been working with you for over a year now. In the end, I get to see you every day of my life. What's more to ask?"

You weren't expecting that. "I'm not good at dating. It's weird to me. I wouldn't even know where to start."

Historia puffed out her cheeks and you thought she looked like a cute hamster. "We can take it step by step!"

"You're really too kind for your own good," you said.

"Sorry, I get that a lot."

"Stop apologizing," you demanded. "Are you free tonight?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Let's go out for dinner," you suggested.

Historia nodded energetically. "What should I wear? Is there a dress code?"

"We'll keep it simple," you reassured with a soft smile.

[eskalations]

"I've always known that I was a big target for them - almost as big as Erwin himself - but I never thought they would go after my own daughter." Levi released a dark chuckle at this, closing his eyes in disbelief. 'I can't believe my stupidity. The Titans have cut down families before, I don't know what made me think that mine would be any different."

(Rivetra AU where Petra is a pediatric nurse and Levi is a single father)

Hello! Wow oh wow! I haven't written since August and this oneshot definitely made it more obvious. Originally it was only supposed to be about 5,000 words but it soon grew into the monster that it is now. Will it stay a oneshot forever? I don't know...but for now, it is what it is! Editing this was a nightmare, so I apologize for any missed mistakes, as well as my poor writing skills that have been underutilized for quite some time.

I hope regardless of that, you will still enjoy this! I just finished AOT and this couple's story absolutely gripped my heart. Here you go, Rivetra fandom!

As always, reviews are MUCH appreciated. So please be sure to tell me what you think!

-

Petra Ral was NOT having a good day.

While she had been a night nurse for several years now, her penchant for making rookie mistakes was almost as bad as it had been when she started. Upon crashing into bed at seven this morning, she had completely forgotten to set her alarm for later in the day. Hence, why she was running through the streets of Paradis like a madwoman.

Her co-workers were less than impressed with her dramatic entry onto the ward. Nanaba was glaring at her over the top of the counter, while Nifa bristled from beside the employee water tower.

"Really, Petra?" The spunky redhead commented in a low, disapproving tone - watching as the other ginger woman threw her bag down onto the floor beneath the desk and hurriedly began to punch in her time. "This oversleeping thing is getting pretty old, considering it's six in the afternoon, not six in the morning."

Petra held back a growl as she fumbled with her card, sticking it into the machine but not getting any response due to the shakiness of insertion. Finally, she heard a click and withdrew the parchment. With her heart still racing like mad after her dash up the stairs, she dropped in exhaustion into a vacant chair.

“You say that - “ Petra spoke for the first time since entering Paradis Hospital, her usual chipper voice hoarse from her ragged breathing. “ - but you’re not the one who worked a 12-hour shift yesterday. You were too busy working on that boyfriend of yours to even - "

“Shhhhhh!” Nifa’s face glowed scarlet as she shushed the young woman, her pale skin heating at the vulgar comment. Nanaba just laughed quietly at her friend’s embarrassment, turning her attention back to the file in front of her. All the nurses and doctors bustling about around the counter paid the girls no mind, used to the familiar banter between the three.

"Say what you want about Nifa's love life," Nanaba bristled, pulling out another form from the file in front of her for closer observation. The blonde's eyes cut towards Petra, disapproval evident in her tone. "But your the one who's late today. We had a pretty intense case come into the ward too from emergency."

“What?!” Petra yelped, her nurse’s instincts kicking in instantly at Nananba’s words. Despite her still heaving chest, the young woman sat up straighter to observe the report that was being handed over to her. “Is the child okay?”

"She's stable." Nanaba offered, turning back to the folder on her desk to grab a few more forms. "However, she's going to need to be watched closely throughout the night. The poor thing was stabbed and the blade had poison on it."

Petra wished she could act shocked, but she wasn’t. Paradis Hospital received several stab cases a day due to the gang violence in the area. The Titans certainly weren’t pulling any of their punches when it came to looting. Regardless of whether their victim was eight or eighty, they would steal from anyone with a bit of coin in their pocket.

Stabbings weren't super common on the pediatric ward, but common enough that all the staff who bustled about barely batted an eye at the thought of such an injury being treated on the floor.

"She's already been stitched up and the antidote for the poison has been administered - but, the emergency department sent her up here for monitoring, just in case she relapses," Nifa explained, now leaning over the counter to read the forms Nanaba still held in her hands. The blonde threw her an exasperated look.

“She’s not your patient, so stop being so damn nosy.”

"Well, I've never - " Nifa scoffed at the blonde's scathing tone, though Petra could hear the amusement behind it. "Sorry, for wanting to dedicate my life for the next 12-hours to a hot man with a nice - oh, I mean to a sweet little girl with a -"

"Nifa!" Petra exclaimed, catching on to what the young woman was implying. "Don't tell me you're trying to hit on a little girl's father while she's bedridden in the hospital! Have you no shame?"

“Not really!”

Even Nanaba laughed at Nifa's answer.

"Well, too bad for you, since you have a boyfriend." The blonde reminded her, to which the red-headed nurse simply stuck out her tongue. " - and  Petra has been assigned to be her nurse."

“Me?” Petra had the gall to act surprised, but her friends simply rolled their eyes at her modest response.

“Oh please!" Nifa sighed, crossing her arms over the counter to once again lean closer to the girls on the other side. One of the older doctors, a man with grey hair and spectacles, eyed her disapprovingly as he passed. Nifa didn't even spare him a glance. "While you may be a notorious flake when it comes to arriving on time, it's no secret that they entrust you with the higher priority cases on the ward."

Nifa was right - it wasn't a secret. Since graduating at the top of her class in nursing school, she had always been highly respected for not only her knowledge but bedside manner, as well. Just last year, she had received an award for having the highest satisfaction rate on her floor. Now, if only she could show up to work on time…

“- he’s really short, but his eyes - wow!" Petra was brought back from her thoughts by Nifa's words. Nanaba was shaking her head as she wrote a note down in one of her patient files, trying to tune out the girl's excessive praise. "He's got that rough around the edges look, yet is put together and clean and - "

"I hate to cut you off in the middle of your fantasy - " Petra commented before standing and collecting the patient papers from the desk. "- but I have patients to take care of."

Nifa's mouth popped open in shock, her expression quickly turning to one of disbelief at the sight of Petra's teasing look.

“Says the girl who was LATE!”

Petra chuckled, shrugging her shoulders as she rushed off to her first patient's room, ready to begin her shift with newfound energy. Despite her exhaustion from the night before and the soreness in her limbs, she couldn't approach the job she loved with anything less than excitement and positivity.

Maybe it would be a good day after all.

-

Upon entering Heidi Ackerman's room twenty minutes later though, Petra was once again lamenting the horrible luck that seemed to be plaguing her during the past twenty-four hours.

It wasn't the child who was causing her such discomfort, but her father.

After having checked on and familiarizing herself with the low-risk patients she had been assigned, Petra finally decided to introduce herself to the latest Titan's stab victim that was residing on her ward. Checking the young girl's forms before entering the room, the nurse noticed that the child was due for a round of medication soon anyways.

‘Perfect,' Petra thought to herself while turning the knob of the door. 'If I take care of her medications now, I won’t have to return for another hour and then I can go check on - ‘

Petra's thoughts were interrupted by the sight that met her upon entry to the room.

Nifa wasn’t kidding - the guy was short. Like, really short.

Petra rarely met a male anywhere close to her height - so, the short stature of the figure that stood by the lone window of the room, instantly caught her attention.

The second thing that caught her attention? His looks.

While the man was certainly not attractive by societal standards, his piercing gaze was enough to stop any woman in her path. His eyes were grey and heavily hooded by pale white lids and beneath his stare, lay two dark bags that spoke of a restless nature. Despite the blatant signs of exhaustion, his dark hair lay near perfect across his forehead, the shaved lower half of it buzzed in an undercut fashion.

He was captivating and terrifying all at once.

“Oi, are you just going to stand there?”

His gravelly, low voice broke her from her analysis, jolting her back to reality as he shifted his posture to a more casual stance. Whereas he once stood rigid, he now placed a hand on his hip and schooled his features to resemble something more akin to indifference.

Realizing she had never responded, Petra suddenly jumped into action.

"Oh!" She smiled awkwardly, not quite feeling like her usual self. Typically, talking to patients and their families wasn't so difficult for her, but this guy was unlike her usual clientele. He practically exuded indifference and didn't look very interested in receiving an answer to what she had to assume was a rhetorical question - but Petra did not care. "Hello, my name's Petra Ral, I'll be the night nurse for Miss Heidi."

As if saying her name had reminded her of exactly why she was standing there in the first place, Petra turned her smiling face towards the bed, trying not to show her concern as her gaze fell on the small child.

Heidi Ackerman at five years old had experienced more pain in the past several hours than some adults would face in their entire lifetime. While the child's sweet features could still be seen over the top of the crisp white blankets, the pained lines of her forehead spoke of a quiet distress that had taken a hold of her and refused to let go.

Petra ached to go towards her - however, a snide remark from the man on the other side of the room had her pausing.

“You’re going to attend my child looking like that?” Disgust was evident in the man’s tone as he gave her a once over from top to bottom. “Ever heard of an iron?”

The young woman could feel her face go red at his comment, her eyes glancing down at the outfit she typically wore during her shift - a white nurses uniform, tights, and white slip-ons. The front of her outfit was pristine white - however, the bottom of her skirt had a set of small wrinkles. Petra went redder as she realized that in her confusion to get dressed after having slept in, she had picked up her uniform from the previous night that had been lying atop of the hamper.

Most people wouldn't even have noticed her slightly used uniform, but somehow this man had called her out on it, despite it only having had a few wrinkles of use embedded in the fabric.

Petra was furious. Of course, she wasn't going to show it, since she was a professional - but she couldn’t help but bite back, even if it was just a little.

“Yeah - well you aren’t looking too good either, so I guess we're even.”

The man cocked an eyebrow at her comment, before looking down at himself to see what she was talking about.

In Petra's defense, she hadn't actually looked at the man's clothes. When she had entered the room, she had been so distracted by his face, that she hadn't even gotten the opportunity. But, as he looked down at himself in search of the reason for her comment, Petra was able to give him a once over too. After examining his outfit of choice, Petra had to bite back a groan from the error of her comment.

He was dressed immaculately, wearing a dark brown leather jacket with a white shirt underneath and a pair of slender black jeans on the bottom. On his feet, were a pair of shiny, black combat boots that looked as though they had been polished that very morning.

However, the state of his clothes was not the reason Petra wanted the Earth to swallow her whole. It was the substance on the front of his shirt.

Blood.

“Tch," The man clicked his tongue, having caught sight of the dried, red blood covering his otherwise pristine white shirt. "I guess my child's blood isn't the best accessory to wear, huh?"

Fully embarrassed by her comment, Petra immediately stuck out her hands in defense, forms and all.

“Sir, I’m sorry. I truly didn’t mean - “

“I’m sure.” The words were said with such a quiet finality, that the woman felt her tongue grow heavy in her mouth. Not knowing what else to say, the room fell into an awkward silence that even Petra’s vivacious personality couldn’t conquer.

Perhaps, she had officially met her match.

The man continued to stare at her with his slate-gray eyes as the silence drug on - however, they were both interrupted from their thoughts by a quiet cough coming from the bed.

‘That’s right!’ Petra thought, a newfound energy taking hold of her as she returned her attention to the small patient residing in the bed. ‘She’s the reason I’m here.’

"Sorry, Miss Heidi!" Petra adopted her usual, chipper tone as she approached the child, already glancing at the chart that had been left on the wall at her side. While the form should have match the one she had been given, she wasn't one to cut corners, so she began to read over it to check for any additional information that could have been missed. "Your father and I are rudely neglecting you. Are you in any pain at the moment?"

While most children instantly brightened at the ginger's easygoing bedside manner - Heidi, much like her father, was not acting like a typical patient. Instead of answering, the small, dark-haired girl remained silent, glancing over at the woman with the same hooded gray eyes as her father.

Petra found the whole thing incredibly unnerving. To keep herself busy, she began to check the young girl's vitals. As she glanced over the numbers, she snuck a peek at her charge who still lay silent in the hospital bed.

Despite her lack of response to Petra's earlier question, the woman could see from the lines of distress on the girl's forehead that something was bothering her. She knew from the child's file that she had been slashed with a knife across the stomach and had been on the receiving end of an incredibly deadly poison. There probably wasn't much on her body that didn't hurt at this point.

Although she knew that the young girl must be in pain, the silence continued to grow as the two females in the room kept their gazes locked on the other.

Finally, Heidi turned to her father, who had been watching the scene unfold from his designated spot by the window. The girl's eyes shone with nothing short of fear as she appeared to silently communicate with her father. While the look on the poor child's features caused Petra's heart to clench, the man by the window merely bristled at his daughter's behavior.

"Stop trying to be tough, brat." His voice was rough, the edge in his tone similar to what it had been a minute ago. However, Petra was relieved to note a slight gentleness to his words that hadn't been present in their earlier conversation. "There's no reason to hide your pain if you're feeling any."

While the young nurse imagined any normal child would flinch at such words being thrown at them after having experienced such trauma - Heidi just blinked at her father's comment, almost as if pondering the meaning behind it.

Petra was about to jump in, having seen quite enough of the man's crass attitude towards his daughter, when the little girl finally spoke. Feebly, but with conviction.

“My stomach burns.”

Unlike her father's voice, Heidi had a sweet, slightly high-pitched voice, that would have had Petra cooing, had it not been for the current predicament the child was in.

“That’s to be expected.” The ginger responded understandingly, wanting the girl to know that she was someone she could trust over the next twelve hours. “What if I told you that I have some medicine that could make it feel better? Would you like that, Miss Heidi?”

Heidi hesitated for a moment, pulling the crisp white blanket up to her chin, almost acting like she was ashamed for having to take medicine. However, only a few beats passed before she nodded in response to the young woman's question.

"Perfect!" Petra's smile grew, the genuine kindness that typically radiated from her, shining from the depths of her chestnut eyes. "You're going to need a drink to help you wash down your pills - and I know they may taste a little nasty - so, how about I get you a juice to make it just a little bit better?"

As though a switch had been flipped, Heidi’s pale hands dropped the sheet covering the lower half of her face, revealing a tiny, rosebud mouth opened in shock. The dull gray of her eyes that had been so flat just a few moments ago, sparkled at the prospect of such a treat.

It made Petra’s heart clench once again.

The nurse was about to ask what flavor the girl wanted when her attention was drawn back to the man standing on the other side of the room. He had made a disapproving noise with his tongue as his daughter's face lit up at the thought of the sweet drink.

"Now you've done it." The man chuckled, though there was no real humor behind it. "This girl's favorite thing in the world is sweets. Now she's going to say she's in pain, just so she can get some juice."

“Sir,” Petra responded firmly, her once shining brown eyes hardening at such a careless statement. “I’m sorry, but after what she’s been through today, I think the least we could do is allow her to have some juice.”

The man shrugged his shoulders, raising his brows as though to tell her ‘do what you want’.

Which she would - gladly, in fact.

Turning back towards Heidi, who was now watching her father with a concerned expression, Petra attempted to redirect the girl’s attention.

"What flavor do you want?" That got Heidi's head swiveling back towards her. "I have cherry, grape, apple, orange, or watermelon."

“Uhhhh - “ Heidi pondered over her choices, looking up at the ceiling as though the answer would be there. After a few moments of thinking it over, the girl finally glanced back at the nurse waiting anxiously by her bedside. “I guess...cherry?”

“Excellent choice!” Petra agreed, readying herself to leave the room, but stopping dead in her tracks when hearing Heidi’s little voice again.

“Is that okay, Daddy?”

Petra watched as the little girl turned to her father, gauging his reaction for some kind of approval. The nurse waited with bated breath as the man simply stared back at the child, giving no indication of his approval either way.

Just when he was opening his mouth to give Heidi an answer - Petra jumped in, tired of witnessing the power dynamic in front of her.

“Your Daddy’s not the one drinking the juice, Heidi - so, I’m sure your choice is of no real consequence to him. Isn’t that right, Mr. Ackerman?”

There was a challenge in her tone, the words laced with borderline rudeness as she stared down the man across the room from her. Never in her life had she been so sharp with a patient nor a patient's family - however, she guessed there was no day like today. If she was going to get fired due to bad conduct, at least let it be because she stood up for a child who seemed to be in want of an advocate.

What reaction she was expecting to get from the man, she did not know - but it certainly wasn't a smirk.

He was smirking at her.

The silence stretched on for a few more seconds, the man's thin lips holding that frustrating smirk in place. He watched her as though waiting for what she was going to do next, but instead of shrinking under his gaze, she simply crossed her arms over her chest, ready to stand her ground.

Once the older Ackerman noticed Heidi’s head swiveling from side to side, watching their reactions, he released another tired, breathy chuckle.

“That’s right, Miss Ral.”

Petra hated to admit it - but, even after exiting the room, her legs continued to shake as she made her way down the hall. The trembles soon transferred into her hands as she poured the little girl a glass of cherry juice.

Upon re-entering the room, the first thing Petra noticed was that Mr. Ackerman had moved from what she thought was going to be his permanent spot in the room. He now stood by his daughter where she lay in her hospital bed, speaking quietly to her about something that the nurse couldn’t hear.

The second he saw her walk through the door, he quickly quieted - his lips returning to the thin line of indifference that she had become acquainted with, not too long ago. Choosing to ignore the strange atmosphere that settled over the room at such a blatant display of secrecy, Petra smiled brightly towards the child lying in the bed.

She was her priority.

“Alright, Miss Heidi!” Petra chirped happily, trying her best to return to the usual persona that she emulated while within the walls of the hospital. “Time for your medicine! If you could just sit up for me - “

The girl began to shift higher up in the bed, struggling to prop herself up against the pillows that lay behind her. Petra rushed to find somewhere to set the glass of juice down so that she could help her patient - however, she was beaten to it.

The girl's father placed his hands underneath her armpits, slowly pulling her back towards the head of the bed. After she was situated a little bit higher, he released his grip on her before tugging at the pillows to arrange them in a fashion that was more comfortable for her. Though he moved with purpose, his actions held a tenderness that Petra was surprised to see. If this was an unusual occurrence for Heidi, she certainly didn't show it on her tired, yet grateful features.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

The man grunted in response, patting his hand on the pillow behind her head one more time before moving his hands back to his pockets.

Petra’s brow rose in response to the uncharacteristic helpfulness she had just witnessed, but she tried to school her features in a way that didn’t show her surprise.

“Well - “ The woman cleared her throat, before handing the glass of juice over to the girl, to give herself time to retrieve the pills she had placed in the pocket at the front of her dress. “Hopefully, your pain will lessen after you take these.”

Heidi gave a shy nod at the woman’s words, looking warily at the pills. Noticing the child’s hesitance, the older Ackerman reached for the cup of juice in her shaking hands. With the movement of his arm, Petra watched as the cuff of his jacket slid up and over the skin of his wrist.

She couldn’t hide her surprise at what she saw branded there.

It was a ‘Wings of Freedom’ tattoo.

This man was a part of the Survey Corps.

It wasn’t that Petra had never interacted with an SC member before, it was just that they normally didn’t frequent this side of the hospital. Most of them didn’t have children and, even if they did, most of them wouldn’t have the opportunity to care for them properly.

It was no secret that of all the cities in Marley, Paradis was the one that had the biggest gang violence problem. Paradis was deemed as the headquarters for the infamous Titans gang, a group of thugs who were well-versed in politics and typically well-educated. One could never know that someone was a Titan, since they blended in so well to society.

There were rumors floating around that several larger corporations had Titans at the helm, working their way through the ranks in an attempt to have a better chance at being elected into political office. Their end goal was unclear - however, their violent acts and shady business dealings had escalated over the recent years.

Suddenly, businessmen who were in perfectly good health one day were turning up dead in a river the next. The same went for major political figures. Several big-name military men had been cut down in the streets and in their homes, to the point where the implications couldn't be ignored.

This was an all-out war.

Though Petra had been busy in nursing school at the time, she still vividly remembered Commander Erwin Smith’s case - since it had eventually led to the creation of the Survey Corps.

Erwin Smith had walked into his home one day after a long day of work, only to be attacked by a group of four masked Titans brandishing knives. While the Commander had lost an arm as a result of the poison on the blades that had come in contact with his arm, he was able to fight off all four assailants and come through the accident with a clear vision of what needed to be done.

This incident prompted the formation of the Survey Corps.

The Survey Corps was a group of former criminals who would have otherwise faced jail time or execution if they chose not to serve their government. The Commander's idea was that when it came to the Titans - one had to fight fire with fire. For him, the Survey Corps was his fire.

The men would be given a meager compensation in exchange for their loyalty, as well as a full pardon for the crimes they had committed in the past. All they had to do was promise their hearts to the cause.

Petra had always thought the venture sounded like a risky one. How could someone trust a criminal? If someone was willing to commit a crime once, wouldn’t they be willing to do it again? From what she had seen of the SC members who had been wheeled into the Emergency Room over the past few years, they looked more like thugs than the actual Titans themselves.

However, it appeared that that was the whole point.

The Survey Corps were used to obtain information about the Titans from the inside. To learn about the Titans, it seemed you had to act like one. Once inside, their goal was to negotiate deals with the underlings, who would then pass on the information to the SC in exchange for compensation. No surprise, though - these exchanges could turn deadly pretty quickly.

The young nurse couldn’t imagine how anyone could trust a criminal to infiltrate the enemy without the fear of them turning themselves - but from what she had heard, Commander Erwin Smith was a very good leader who kept a tight hold on all the men who worked under him.

Petra guessed as much since a good majority of them had small government-issued tracking devices located somewhere on their person - somewhere that they were unaware of, of course.

The woman had only ever seen an actual 'Wings of Freedom' tattoo once, and it was on the wrist of a body that was being rolled to the morgue past her in the hallway one day. The symbol was a sign of rank. Much like how the military operated, the Survey Corps themselves had a set of ranks that signaled a separation of powers within the group.

Only captains and the Commander himself were given the ‘honor’ of bearing the SC tattoo. The placement was purposeful, too - right on the wrist, where an opponent’s eyes would be drawn as they wielded their signature blades.

Suddenly, the behavior of the man made a lot more sense. He was a former thug - now, turned Captain of the Survey Corps.

The nature of Heidi’s injury also made a lot more sense now. She wasn’t victim to a few Titan pick-pockets on the street of Paradis. She was a victim to her father’s line of work.

She had been caught up in the crossfire.

"Miss Ral?" At the sound of the man's deep, gravelly voice, Petra looked up only to be met by a steely gray gaze. He had noticed where her eyes had fallen and had also deduced where her train of thought was drifting. "Are you ready to hand over the medicine?"

His tone was polite enough, not to alert Heidi to the mounting tension that seemed to build with every interaction the two adults had - but there was certainly an edge to it. He was pretty much daring her to ask questions.

Petra certainly was not taking the bait.

“Yes,” The woman responded, slowly. The smile that had fallen from her face at the sight of the man’s tattoo, returned as she warmly regarded her waiting patient. “Let’s get this over with!”

Neither father nor daughter caught the double meaning behind her words.

This shift could not go by fast enough.

-

After what she could only describe as ‘the longest 12-hour shift ever,’ Petra was ready to hit the sack and enjoy the next two days off.

It seemed like fate, though - had other plans.

"What?" The woman groaned as she pulled her time card out of the slot, her whine catching the attention of a few doctors passing by. Petra couldn't care less what they thought of her right now, she was exhausted - and the news Nanaba had given her was definitely less than welcome "There expediting Krista's maternity leave? Isn't she still like - I don't know - four months away from giving birth?!"

Nifa shook her head from her usual spot by the water tower, looking just about ready to fall over herself.

“Two months,” She reminded the frazzled ginger, chuckling at the groan her answer received. “It was bound to happen sooner or later with how faint she’s been - it just so happens that they made the call during a hospital-wide nursing shortage.”

Petra didn’t want to seem inconsiderate, but this news had really put a wrench in her plans - plans which had included nothing but cleaning and sleeping - but plans nonetheless! There were about a million other things she'd rather do than continue to cross paths with her patient's reticent father.

She had really thought that as the hours passed, his mood would perhaps lift and become a bit more pleasant - but no, things had only seemed to get worse.

While Heidi had slept most of the night, it was almost as if the dark-haired man was reluctant to close his eyes. No matter how many times Petra had walked in there over the past twelve hours, he never moved from his spot near the window. Even when Petra offered to help move the chair over closer to the wall so that he could see, he had glared at her as though she had outright insulted him.

Never had Petra felt so uncomfortable while tending to a patient and she had been doing this for years!

The worst instance of this was when she had gone to change Heidi's bandages over where her injury was. While she had tended to many injured patients before, she could feel a cold sweat breaking out along her hairline as she gently removed the bandages from the young girl's pale skin.

Every movement she made was subject to his intimidating glare - almost as though he was waiting to snap at her the second she made a wrong move. Though he was trying to hide it behind a wall of indifference, Petra could tell that he was on edge as she began to work on Heidi’s wound.

If one thing could be said, it was that Petra had never met a five-year-old quite like Heidi before. Though she remained silent for most of the night, the young woman could tell that she was highly intelligent and aware. Never before had she had a patient who was able to grit their teeth and fight their pain so well. Not even when her bandage got stuck on a small area of irritated skin did Heidi release a whimper.

Petra knew the whole process must have caused her a great deal of pain - however, like her father said, she was hellbent on acting tough.

It wasn’t until she got to the part of the cut that appeared to be the most severe that the child even happened to make a sound.

“Is that tender?” She had asked, but it was more of a formality. The lines of distress on the girl’s forehead told her all she needed to know. “I’ll try to make it quick.”

Heidi said nothing in response, but at her obvious signs of discomfort, her father shifted forward - hands still in his pockets, but his rigid posture showing that he wasn't nearly as indifferent as he tried to act.

Petra was suddenly aware of the man's eyes following the movements of her hands and - though she had done this in front of an audience many times - his attention made her more nervous than she had ever been before. Not only were his eyes watching her like a hawk's - but his body was also tilting forward , closer to her, to see exactly what she was doing.

Under such pressure, she panicked - something that was highly unlike her on a normal day.

With the man's eyes boring holes into her hands, her sweaty palms lost their grip on the bandage she had been trying to pull gently from the skin.  Heidi's reaction was instantaneous.

While she had made little more than a whimper up to that point, when the bandage slipped from Petra's hand and the skin of her palm made contact with the stitches that lay over the girl's abdomen - a short, little whelp escaped from her lips at the pain.

If that didn’t have the nurse feeling bad enough, Heidi’s dad’s reaction almost had her crying.

While most parents would be understanding of such a small mistake - many not even realizing she had made one - because he had been watching her so closely, he had borne witness to her error. The shock on his face, expressed only by the raise of his brows and the slight opening of his mouth, soon morphed into something much more threatening - anger.

"Don't you know how to do your job?" The man seethed, glaring at her with the same eyes that had been watching her so closely moments before. While his voice was not loud, the quiet tone almost made it that much scarier. "Can't you see that your mistake has caused her pain?"

Petra didn’t know what else to do besides look at him like a gaping fish.

"Well - are you competent enough to continue your work, or should I request another nurse?"

“No sir,” The woman answered, quietly - in a sort of daze from the man’s unusual reaction. Though she thought he was going to argue some more with her - he instead leaned back against the wall next to Heidi’s bed and continued to watch her in silence, as though he hadn’t questioned her skill at all.

Petra rolled her shoulders back, steeling herself to do the same thing she had done a million times. She would not let this man get to her twice.

After apologizing to the small girl, who merely gave a meek nod in response, Petra finished removing the old bandage from her cut. Once the wound had been cleaned and rebandaged - the nurse hurriedly made herself scarce, barely giving the girl's father a second glance.

When she had left the room, her face had been flushed and she had felt as though she was going to cry - but after hearing the taunts from her friends at the desk, thinking she had had some kind of flirtation with her patient's father, she instead turned to the next room and prepared herself to tend to her other patients.

“Earth to Petra?” Nifa’s voice brought her back to the present, something she was grateful for. Though it had been a long shift, at least it was finally over. “So, are you going to cover Krista for the rest of the week?”

Petra groaned once again. She had forgotten why she had spaced out for so long in the first place - they wanted her to take on the night shift for an additional two days.

"Hey!" Nifa chirped, crossing the small distance that separated her from Petra, throwing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "The good thing is you'll get almost a full week off if you finish all your hours now!"

"Yeah - " Petra agreed reluctantly, though her voice held little excitement. "But what good are hours off if I'm too exhausted to enjoy them?"

"All you do is clean, you neat freak! Don't act like it's going to spoil a hot date or something!"

Nanaba chuckled at Nifa's words, also reaching to pick up her card and clock out. "You know, she's not wrong."

Petra blushed at their goading. “How would you know?”

Both girls looked at her dubiously,  their reaction causing Petra to blush an even deeper shade of red. Nifa shook her head, clucking her tongue in disappointment.

“I rest my case.”

“Oh, shove it!” Petra grabbed her bag from the floor, ready to leave the past 12-hour shift behind. “I’ll cover Krista’s damn shifts if it means I’ll get some time away from you weirdos next week.”

Nanaba rolled her eyes at Petra's dramatics, while Nifa simply laughed in response, also retrieving her bag from under the counter. Though both busied themselves by getting their stuff together to take home, neither missed the shameless smirk Petra sent over her shoulder.

“I guess this is the price one has to pay when they’ve been named the most satisfactory nurse on the ward.”

Now, this comment had both Nifa and Nanaba groaning, the girls rushing to catch up with Petra as she made her way to the stairwell.

-

The second day Petra was assigned to the Ackerman’s was just as strange as the first.

After getting a good 8-hour rest, the nurse entered the hospital with a renewed bounce in her step. The reason? She had pressed her uniform to perfection and had even pushed back her shoulder-length hair with a headband with not a hair out of place.

‘Let’s see what that man can find wrong with me now,’ Petra thought to herself as she clocked in for the day, only to be shocked by what she saw going on at Room 325 - Heidi Ackerman's room.

She could recognize the dark blue suits of the Military Police from a mile away.

Two men, one with long blonde hair and the other with a dark, crew cut, stood outside the girl's room, talking with Heidi's father. The men were speaking quietly to each other, the blonde one jotting down some notes onto a form he held in his hand.

It looked like a statement.

Not wanting to intrude, Petra double-checked Heidi's folder to make sure that she wasn't due for another dose of medication for another half an hour still. The day nurse had left several notes for the night nurse, describing the girl's progress. While she was still in a considerable amount of pain, her vitals had remained stable throughout the day. Now, the only thing they needed to worry about was the possibility of infection setting in at the sight of her would.

Petra made a mental note to remain extremely vigilant when it came to caring for the girl’s wound. The faster she healed, the faster she would be out of the ward.

'...and the faster her father could get the hell off of my floor.'  Petra thought to herself, jotting down a few quick notes of her own, before closing the file and picking up the next.

By the time Petra arrived at Heidi's room, the MP's were long gone and the girl was sleeping peacefully in bed.

Upon entering the room with a glass of cherry juice already in hand, Petra braced herself for a rude comment or a deadly stare - but was surprised when she found that she was not on the receiving end of one.

Mr. Ackerman was still dressed in the same clothes he had worn the day before, his hair styled still to perfection, yet a bit greasier from the lack of a good washing. While his gaze was cold as ever as it moved from his daughter's slumbering form to the nurse as she entered the room, it wasn't nearly as intimidating as it had been before.

The man just looked tired.

Still, he stood by the lone window in the room, leaning against the ledge as if it was the only thing keeping him on his feet. Petra spared a glance towards the only chair in the room by Heidi's bedside and noticed that the pillow and blanket that she had left for him last night were still neatly folded and waiting to be used.

He had never slept. He had never even sat.

Petra's mouth popped open in surprise as she stood in the doorway, glass in hand. She wanted to say something but found that every time she tried to get the words out, they got stuck in her throat.

"Don't wake her up." It was the first words she had heard out of his mouth since entering, his tone as deep as it had been the day before, but weaker from lack of rest. He almost didn't look so much annoyed, as he did exasperated. "She's had a long few hours and was just now able to fall asleep."

At his request, Petra felt conflicted.

"It's time for her medicine." The woman insisted, talking quietly as she approached the girl's bedside, placing the glass of cherry red liquid onto the side table. "I'm worried that if she doesn't take it soon, she may wake up in pain."

The man considered her words, staring at her for a few moments before letting his gaze drop to the sleeping five-year-old in the hospital bed. The fact that he was even chewing over her statement had Petra reeling. While the day before, he had been questioning her methods - now he was actually taking her seriously.

The man sighed, pushing himself off from the wall he was leaning against.

“Could you wait twenty minutes?”

The words were spoken quietly, yet for the first time, they held no underlying rudeness. He seemed genuine in his request, his gray eyes boring into her's as he waited for an answer.

Petra was beginning to feel as though she was experiencing whiplash on the receiving end of his mood swings.

It was only in that moment, when he was making such direct eye contact with her, that she began to notice the slight shake of his stature, almost as though a short burst of chills were beginning to overcome his body. The sight was so strange, that Petra felt herself nodding at the man's request before she had even had a chance to think it over.

"Uh - " The young woman stuttered, trying desperately to find her voice. "I guess that would be alright?"

The man gave her a short nod of appreciation, his lips pressed in a thin line as he seemed to consider whether to say something else. Instead of asking any more questions though, he breezed past the young nurse and began to make his way to the door - something that caught Petra's attention, considering he had not left his daughter's room the entire time during her shift before.

"Wait!" She called out in surprise, though the volume of her voice surprised her. The man gave her a sharp look as he glanced over at the still slumbering child. After watching the rise and fall of her chest for a few long moments - he switched his gaze back to her, annoyance evident in the twist of his features.

And just like that, the same man from the day before was back.

"What?" He asked, as though it wasn't unusual for him to leave his daughter's room. In most cases, it wouldn't be strange for her patient's parents to leave their child unattended while they went to find some food or refreshments in the hospital, but this man had never done that before.

‘Maybe that’s why he wants her to stay asleep…’ Petra thought to herself, as she tried to think of what else she could say without sounding too nosy.

“Where are you going?”

Nice one, Ral.

The man scoffed, as though he believed her question didn't deserve an answer. Without responding, he turned back to the door and placed his shaking hand on the knob.

But Petra was surprised when, before leaving the room, he quietly called back over his shoulder.

“Would you mind keeping an eye on her for me, real quick? There’s something I need to do.”

Not waiting for her answer, the man was out the door before Petra's brain could even catch up to what he had been asking. However, when she realized what he had done, she found herself seething.

What did she look like - a babysitter?! She had other patients to be taking care of!

Though she knew that she had no real obligation to stay in Heidi’s room, there was something that had her sitting in the chair beside the bed, scooting the pillow and blankets out of the way to make herself more comfortable. She didn’t know what it was that kept her rooted in that spot, but she truly felt like she couldn’t leave the little girl.

A vision of the MP's quickly flashed through her mind.

It was that feeling of guilt that had her planted in the chair for the next twenty minutes - even though she had other patients to check on.

‘Oh well,’ Petra picked a piece of lint off the top sheet of the bed, watching the steady rise and fall of Heidi’s small chest. ‘What are they gonna do? Fire me?’

Just as Petra was fantasizing about all the things she could do if her boss truly did fire her - Mr. Ackerman returned to the room.

The first thing the young ginger noticed about the man was that he held a large white bag in his hand - one that seemed to be from the hospital's gift shop. The second thing she noticed was that he held a mug of what looked like some kind of tea in his other hand.

The third thing she noticed was that he reeked of smoke. With this knowledge, Petra could feel her face heat up in annoyance.

Now the shaking of his body and hands made sense - he had been going through withdrawals.

“You left me in here to tend to your daughter while you went and had a smoke?” The nurse stood from her spot in the chair, quietly chastising the man as he walked through the door. “Don’t you know those things can kill you?”

After having gotten his fix of nicotine, the man was back to his usual pleasant self. Before Petra could even think of what else to say, his eyes flashed towards her in contempt.

"Don't you know how to mind your own business?"

At such a rude response, Petra threw caution to the wind, sick of the man's attitude. Not caring whether Heidi woke up at this point or not, she stormed over to the dark-haired man, pointing a single finger into his chest. At least the man had the nerve to look surprised.

“Listen here - “ Petra dug her finger further into his hard chest, the fabric of his white shirt wrinkling as she tapped him once more for good measure. “Your daughter is currently my patient, Mr. Ackerman. So yes, your health is a part of my business now. What I’d like to know is how you think you're going to take care of your child on nothing but cigarettes and tea? Did you even eat while you were gone?”

The man raised a brow at her tirade, still shocked at the fact that the small redhead had had the nerve to speak to him like that. He definitely wasn’t used to it.

"Well, did you?" She asked again, demanding an answer, sticking him in the chest with a finely manicured finger once more.

What the man did next, nearly floored the poor girl for what felt like the millionth time in the past twenty-four hours. He smirked.

That damn infuriating smirk again!

Before she could repeat her question, the Survey Corps member grabbed the finger that was currently poking his chest, pushing her hand down while the infuriating smirk on his face only grew bigger.

"No," He said simply, as though he had not a care in the world. Petra could tell by the challenge in his eyes that he was eagerly waiting to see how she would respond.

Almost as though it was a game to him. Well, Petra was perfectly ready to play.

Pulling her hand out of his hold, the woman crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at him as he continued to smirk down at her. While he had shaken her the day before, she had become familiar enough with him to know that he only seemed to respond positively to her when she was actively challenging him.

What was he - a masochist?

“Lucky for you I have a wide array of crackers to offer you.” Petra smiled sweetly, watching as the man’s brows rose at the sound of her tone. “What would your flavor of choice be - cheese or peanut butter?”

“Neither, I - ,”

“Oh!” She cut him off, tapping him once again on the chest, knowing that this seemed to annoy him greatly just a few moments ago. “I’m sorry but ‘neither’ doesn’t seem to be a flavor - try again!”

The man's brows rose even higher at her continued teasing. "What if I'm allergic to peanut butter and cheese?"

Petra was anticipating such an answer, her arms once again crossing over her chest as she puffed it out with pride, knowing that this was an argument she had already won. "Then I guess I get to pick your poison."

They stared at each other in silence, neither intending to back down. Finally, the older Ackerman broke.

The man chuckled. Not a pity chuckle, either - but a real, amused chuckle. Though it may have been quiet, Petra couldn't conceal the pride that swelled up in her chest at having broken through at least one of the man's self-made barriers.

They didn't call her the best nurse for nothing!

"Alright, alright…" He finally conceded, no longer chuckling - but still keeping that mysterious smirk on his face. "I'll eat something, but no crackers."

Petra’s brow rose at this. “Why not? Isn’t that the most universal snack there is?”

“They’re too messy.”

The woman had to stop herself from giggling at the look of annoyance that passed over the man’s face. It seemed they at least had one thing in common - Petra absolutely hated a mess.

“An apple?”

The man shrugged noncommittally. Petra took this as confirmation that the fruit would do.

“Daddy?”

The feeble call from the bed had both of the adults turning, their eyes falling on the once slumbering girl who still lay propped up against the pillows. Though she had only said one word, Petra could tell from the look on her face that she had been woken from her sleep by some kind of pain.

The girl’s father hummed in response, acknowledging that he had heard her. Not wasting a moment and with a new pep in his step from his smoke break, the Survey Corps member approached his daughter’s bedside, placing his tea down by the glass of juice that still lay on the bedside table.

It was when the girl glanced over at the juice and then at the door, that she noticed the short nurse who was also now standing in her room. Petra liked to imagine that the girl’s face had lit up a bit at the sight of her, but she wasn’t foolish enough to think that it was anything other than the prospect of juice that had her glowing.

Heidi, much like her father though, surprised her.

"Hi, Miss Petra," The girl said in that sweet tone of her, her words still shy, but definitely more confident than from the night before. "Is it time for my medicine?"

Petra smiled in encouragement, joining the girl’s father at the side of her bed. “Yes, it is. Are you in any pain?”

Once again, the child looked up at her father - but, instead of waiting for some kind of input from him, she turned back to the nurse and answered for herself.

“Just a little.”

While her answer was not nearly as descriptive as Petra would have liked, the woman knew that this was probably the best she was going to get out of the child. With a tough-as-nails father by her side, the little girl was never going to give a true indication of how she was truly feeling. To do so would be to admit defeat in her eyes.

It was sad to an extent, but having grown up with a single dad herself - something she was assuming based on the fact that Petra had yet to see a mother stop by for a visit to Heidi's room - she knew how important it was to show them that their little girls were strong enough to handle themselves.

Petra’s respect for the precocious five-year-old just continued to grow as she spent more time with her.

After the nurse had given the girl her pills and had made sure that they went down easily, she reviewed Heidi’s vitals one more time before promising to return in the next hour.

Before she could make it out the door though, she turned to face the girl’s father one last time.

“I’ll be bringing you an apple, Mr. Ackerman,” She called back to him, watching as his gaze drifted upwards to meet her’s. “- and I’ll be expecting you to eat it.”

“Levi.”

The response was so quick and unexpected that it had Petra quieting immediately. Seeing the look of confusion written across her face, one side of the man's mouth quirked up in a half-smile. He sighed, shaking his head before closing his eyes in exasperation.

When he opened them again, there was a softer look there than there had been before.

“My name’s Levi. Stop it with that Mr. Ackerman stuff.”

Even Heidi chuckled from her place in the bed at the sound of such a formal name for her father. Once Petra had collected her wits, she gave a short nod in response.

"Levi, then."

Without wasting another second, the woman turned from the room - shutting the door close with more force than what she had intended to.

Her face was burning as she walked away from the room - and for the first time since she had been assigned to the patient in Room 325 - it wasn't from shame.

-

It was nearly an hour and a half later that she was finally able to return to Heidi’s room to check on the girl. With an apple in hand, the woman pushed open the door quietly, just in case the little girl had happened to fall back asleep.

The scene that lay before her, had her pausing in the open doorway in wonder.

Levi Ackerman was sitting. Not only was he sitting, but he was reading - and from a children’s book, nonetheless!

The white bag from earlier lay at his feet, the contents of it having been removed. While it had been puffed up quite large only an hour before, it now sat deflated on the cold tile of the hospital floor. Petra couldn't imagine that a few children's books from the gift shop would make a bag look that full, and she was right to assume that.

The reason the bag had looked so full was currently resting in the happy little hands of one Miss Heidi Ackerman in the form of a very large, stuffed teddy bear.

"Then Mr. Owl asked Mr. Bear if he could borrow a few - ," Petra listened to the smooth voice of the man who had nearly made her cry the day before, no rudeness left in his tone as he read to a very captive audience.

"Daddy, why would he ask to borrow something that he could never give back?' Heidi asked from her hospital bed, fully engaged in the story. Whether it was consciously or not, she hugged her bear a little tighter to herself as she turned onto her side to regard her father.

The man gave her a small, patient smile. "It's an expression, Heidi. Mr. Owl is going to eat the carrots, of course - so I'm sure hoping he's not planning on regurgitating them and giving them back to Mr. Bear. Mr. Bear is letting Mr. Owl have something without the guarantee of ever receiving it back or something in return."

“Then it’s not borrowing.”

Her father shrugged, his eyes turning back to the page in front of him. "Not really, I guess."

Before the man could pick up where he'd left off - Heidi cut him off once more.

“Daddy, I don’t think owls actually eat carrots.”

“Are you going to let me finish the story, brat?” The man gazed at her over the top of the book, annoyance creeping into his tone after having been interrupted for the second time. “Or do I need to read from the dictionary in order to please you?”

While Petra had been shocked when he had referred to his daughter as "brat" the night before, she would have to be deaf to not hear the endearment that lay hidden in his tone. He said it so gently - as though it was meant as an affectionate tease more than an insult.

Heidi certainly wasn’t offended by it if her sweet little laugh was any indication of how she was feeling.

“Daddy!” She whined, hugging her bear even tighter. “No dictionary! I want animal stories!”

“Then sit back and enjoy the damn book, instead of overanalyzing everything.”

Heidi’s eyes widened in shock, her small mouth forming an ‘o’ at her father’s choice of words. “Daddy, you swore.”

The man twisted his lips, trying his best to hide his face behind the children's book that he held in his hands.

“I heard you! You’re going to have to put change in the swear jar at home!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Heidi smiled brightly at her father. "Nuh-uh, it's a deal! I'm going to be rich!"

“Heidi,” Levi raised one dark brow towards the girl, his tone darkening with warning as she continued to get louder. “You need to be quiet.”

At her father’s admonishment, the child’s face fell, her bright smile falling swiftly off her features. Petra made a movement to jump in - anything to bring that sweet expression back to the darling girl’s face - but was stopped by the man’s voice chiming in once again.

“ - and besides, you only have two dollars. That’s barely enough to call yourself rich.”

While most children would have balked at Levi's use of blunt humor, Heidi - who must have been used to it by now -  began to giggle once more, the bright smile from just moments before, returning to her face. Petra was even surprised to find that the man was wearing one of his own now.

"It's almost enough to buy a chocolate bar." Heidi insisted as if the candy was the most precious thing in the world.

Petra had to clamp her mouth shut to keep from laughing out loud. From her spot in the doorway, the nurse's shoulders trembled in quiet amusement. This little girl was something else - and, from what she had seen over the past few minutes, so was her father.

"Now you see, Miss Ral?" The question had her pausing mid-shake, her amusement slowly fading now that she had been caught. "I told you sweets would be her downfall."

Petra could feel her cheeks heating up. She had just been caught eavesdropping - how unprofessional could she be?

Opening the door all the way, the woman stepped fully into the room, apple still in hand. While Heidi certainly seemed to quiet as the woman entered the room, the smile on her face did not fade.

While she had thought the older Ackerman would look at her in contempt for having the gall to eavesdrop on him, during what she would call a very intimate family moment, he instead looked over at her with a slight quirk in his brow.

“ - and eavesdropping will be yours.”

Without saying another word, the man placed the children’s book on top of the bedside table, where Petra could now see an entire stack had been laid. Next to it, a small cat plush sat, almost as though watching over the mountain of books that now stood beside it. Before the nurse could make any comments in regards to his gift shop purchases, the man stuck out his hand.

Petra just stared at him in confusion.

Levi gave her a less than impressed look. “My apple, Miss Ral?”

If Petra had thought her face had been burning before, it was nothing compared to now.

-

A few hours passed uneventfully in the pediatric ward. That was one thing Petra had always enjoyed about the night shift - there was a certain calm in the air that seemed to hang over the 3rd floor of the hospital. A child would cry out in pain, only to be shushed a few moments later by comfort or medicine - or a buzzer would go off, signaling that someone needed assistance.

Other than that, the ward pretty much always stayed quiet in the late night to early morning hours of the day and Room 325 was no exception to this.

Heidi was snoozing peacefully as Petra made her rounds once again to check on the girl. After having received her last dose of medication until morning, the girl had lost her battle against sleep. She had fought valiantly - wanting to stay up and continue listening to the stories being told by her father - but after several hours and retellings of the same stories over and over, she was finally out for the night.

While Petra hated to disturb the girl's sleep, it was pertinent that she clean her wound every few hours to keep the infection from setting in. Though the girl was already taking oral antibiotics, the nurse knew that it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to wounds.

In an attempt to be as stealthy as possible, Petra quietly entered the dimly lit room of Heidi Ackerman, careful not to make any noise as she closed the door behind her.

Giving her eyes time to adjust to the lack of lighting in the room, Petra squinted while looking over at the chair.

There sat Levi, bloody clothes and all, by his daughter's bed and still wide awake despite his obvious exhaustion. Petra had given up hours ago on telling him to get some sleep, learning quickly that even without an injured child the man was a terrible insomniac.

However, she couldn't help but be concerned when it came to the man's state of mind. How on earth was he supposed to tend to his child when he wasn't willing to rest himself?

"Oi, stop lurking in the doorway." A ragged voice called from the chair, his eyes never drifting from Heidi's face. Even without looking, he seemed to just know she was there. it must have been a Survey Corps thing. “She’s out for the night, so there’s no need to sneak around as if the smallest noise is going to wake her up.”

Petra blushed at the call-out, stepping fully into the dim light of the room, her expression apologetic. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to change her bandages."

The man grunted in acknowledgment, shrugging his shoulders. "It can't be helped. Several more hours of reading from 'Mr. Owl's Adventures' sounds like a decent penance to me."

Though Petra found herself chuckling at the man's dry wit, she couldn't help but notice the strain in his voice that spoke of some underlying guilt she was not privy to. Trying to lighten the mood, she moved closer to Heidi's bedside, bandages already in hand and a soft smile on her features.

"Count yourself lucky," The woman bristled, reaching into her pocket for a disinfectant wipe. "You could be changing dirty bandages and bedpans for the rest of the night. I think I would choose Mr. Owl over that, any day."

While she hadn't expected the man to laugh at her remark, she wasn't expecting him to sober so quickly either.

He watched as she placed the packet of disinfectant wipes down on the table, her hands moving to the bandages to ready them for placement. The night before, she had found his gaze unnerving - now, however, he seemed to be pondering her actions more than looking for something that she was doing wrong.

“Could you show me how to change her bandages?”

Petra couldn't hide the shock that flooded her features at the quiet request. The words were spoken so softly that she questioned whether she had even heard them.

“Huh?” She heard herself ask, pausing mid-action.

Levi's face held its usual passive expression - but, when Petra looked closely, she could see the skin of his neck turning red underneath the hairs of his undercut.

The man was blushing.

Petra had little time to be amazed before he was speaking again.

"I tried watching you last night and when the nurse did it this morning," The man confessed, his voice tight as though he felt ashamed for admitting it. "But I want to make sure I know how to do it right since I'm the one who's going to be doing it at home."

Suddenly, his attentiveness to her actions during her prior shift made a lot more sense.

While she had thought he had been watching her closely to see if she made any mistakes while changing Heidi's bandages, he was really just trying to learn how to do it himself. So the reason he must have been so grouchy when she had made that one mistake, was because he was frustrated not only with her but with himself for having to seek out someone's help.

Man, she had misjudged him terribly in that moment.

Knowing that it was hard for the man to admit he needed guidance - Petra gave him a small but encouraging smile.

"I can show you," The woman gestured for him to come closer to the bed so that he could see better. "This is the perfect time, actually since I'm going to be doing it really slow, so that we don't wake her."

Petra tried to calm the furious beating of her heart as the man rose from his chair and made his way over to her side. This was the closest she had ever been to him, even closer than when she had gotten up in his face earlier. From this vantage point, she could see the dark stubble that now lined his cheeks and the puffy bags that seemed to permanently reside under his eyes.

The man was starting to look a bit ragged. However, no amount of exhaustion could dull the look of determination in his eyes.

Petra took her time, carefully peeling back the bandages that sat across Heidi's abdomen. Levi watched closely as she worked her finger under the sticky material at a particularly irritated patch of skin. While Heidi mumbled a few incoherent words in her sleep and turned her head to the side in agitation, she remained unconscious as Petra continued to work on her wound.

The nurse quietly explained proper wound care, as she cleaned around the stitches that lay on the girl's stomach. Levi nodded in acknowledgment to each of her points, his steely gaze never leaving her hands.

The whole process took about ten minutes, much longer than usual, but Petra felt like it had taken a hundred years.

The man was just so close and it was distracting.

Despite being flustered by his proximity and rapt attention, Petra was able to successfully clean and re-bandage the wound.

She ripped the end of the last piece of tape needed for the girl's skin, gently patting it down with soft pressing motions. "So, that's all there is to it."

Levi nodded, the wheels in his head turning as he tried to internalize everything he had just seen.

It struck Petra as odd that he needed such guidance from her when his line of work surely included some bumps and nicks over time. Almost as if he could guess her train of thought, the man answered her unspoken question.

"I've had to treat my own wounds before," He admitted quietly, eyes glued to the area of Heidi's stomach where her injury lay. " - but I've never had to treat a child's. I just want to make sure I do it right."

Petra gave him a sympathetic smile, placing the roll of tape back on the table. "It really isn't that much different from dressing your own wounds."

Levi's eyes darkened at her words, his tone shifting. "It is different."

The young woman watched as the man's eyes drifted back up to Heidi's peaceful face, her small pink lips opened in an 'o' as little breaths escaped between them. From a hardened gaze, the Survey Corps member's eyes softened at the sight of his slumbering daughter.

“What happened?”

Petra didn't know what had come over her, but at the man's words and expression, she couldn't help but speak out of curiosity. While the girl's file had said she had been cut by a blade that had been laced with poison, it hadn't said any more than that. She figured that Heidi had been caught up in a crossfire, but she couldn't be too sure.

She wanted to know what had caused her patient so much pain - and she also wanted to know what it was that was causing the girl's father so much guilt.

Petra had not expected much in ways of a response, figuring that the man would tell her to mind her own business. She was surprised when, instead of snapping at her in anger, Levi sighed and crossed his arms over his chest in defeat. She could see his reluctance to share in the rigid way he stood, but could also see in the way he rolled his lips inwards, that there was a part of him that wanted to tell someone what happened.

"They broke into my home when it wasn't there." The man admitted quietly, a quick rush of breath leaving him as he resigned himself to share with Petra the details behind the incident. "Heidi knows not to open the door to strangers, so when they came knocking, she hid - but they knew she was there. They had been watching."

"The Titans?" Petra asked in a whisper. Levi nodded.

"I've always known that I was a big target for them - almost as big as Erwin himself - but I never thought they would go after my own daughter." Levi released a dark chuckle at this, closing his eyes in disbelief. 'I can't believe my stupidity. The Titans have cut down families before, I don't know what made me think that mine would be any different."

The man sighed, his eyes cutting back to his daughter’s face. “One of my men had heard through our line of communication that The Titans were planning on laying siege to my house - however, it had been kept under wraps for as long as possible to keep the plan from getting back to me.”

Levi's face darkened, his thin lips pressing together as his eyes took on a faraway look - like he was being transported back in time.

"Unlucky for them," The man continued, his tone growing terser as time went on. "I found out and was able to intercept the attack."

Petra watched as the man’s focus drew back to the present, his steely gaze never leaving his daughter. “But not before Heidi could get hurt.”

Levi ran a single hand through his hair, the action causing the arm of his jacket to rise and the ‘Wings of Freedom’ tattoo to be exposed.

"There were six of them at the house," Levi admitted, not even pausing when this information called forth a gasp from Petra. "I cut down every single one of them."

At the dark look on his face, the nurse could feel herself gulp in fear. The same intimidating man whom she had encountered the night before during her first shift was suddenly making an appearance once again. His behavior - however, made more sense now. He had been reticent and ready to snap, not just because his daughter had been injured, but because he had just murdered six men.

Petra also realized that the blood that lay splattered across the man’s white shirt was, more than likely, not just Heidi's. While the news had Petra suppressing a shiver, she didn't interrupt him as he continued with his story.

"When I realized the blade had been laced with poison, I rushed Heidi here." He glanced over at her now, his gaze watching her carefully as he analyzed her reaction. "Then a few hours later, we met you."

Petra didn't know what to say - half of her had expected the story to be something like that, but also half of her wishing it hadn't. She was outright conflicted.

"She had been alone?" She heard herself ask through the whooshing in her ears. Her head was spinning from all the new information.

Levi nodded. "I can't afford to send her anywhere. She's always alone."

Though Petra tried to hide her surprise, she couldn't conceal it quick enough for his all-seeing eyes.

"She has no mother." Levi admitted though Petra had deduced as much. "The woman dropped her off on my doorstep years ago without so much as a word - so I'm all she has."

"That's horrible." While it was an understatement, to be sure, it was all Petra could think of in response. At least it was able to draw a dry chuckle from the man.

“I guess you could say that.”

Not knowing how to dispel the tension that currently lay in the air, Petra turned to continue cleaning up the used bandages from the side table, disposing of them in the trash while she continued to think of what to say.

Noticing her unease, Levi sighed. "I didn't tell you all of this to make you feel awkward. You did ask, you know?"

"I don't feel awkward!" Petra insisted although she knew it was a fib. She rolled up the gauze that she had neglected to use while trying to choose her words carefully. "I'm just not sure what to say."

"You don't have to say anything,"  The man said, walking back around to the other side of the bed. His eyes drifted to the children's books that lay stacked on the side of the bed. "It's the ways things are and the way they will always be. All I can do is ensure that none of my decisions from here on out will infringe on her safety.'

Petra nodded. “I guess you're right.”

The room was quiet as Petra continued to bustle about. She fluffed Heidi's pillows a few more times, before reviewing the young girl's vitals. She didn't know what it was, but despite the tense atmosphere that lay heavy over the room, she really didn't want to leave.

No matter what she wanted though, she knew she had other patients to see.

Before she left, a thought came to her as she reached for the handle on the door. She remembered at the start of her shift that Levi had only taken leave of his daughter's room when Petra was guaranteed to be there and keep watch. The circumstance had Petra pausing.

Was that why he hadn’t bothered to go home and change yet?

Petra could see that the man needed a good shower and a fresh pair of clothes - but, after hearing about what happened, she highly doubted he was willing to leave the hospital while his daughter was still in such a vulnerable state.

She didn’t know what came over her, but suddenly she was speaking.

“I get off in a few hours. Do you want me to sit with Heidi while you go home and change?”

Her offer caused the man to turn his head, his eyes gazing at her warily. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. I know you probably need your rest.”

Petra shook her head. “I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t willing.”

"I couldn't -,"

"No offense," Petra finally said, her arms crossing over her chest in an act of defiance. " - but you are starting to look rough.”

This caused one side of the man’s mouth to quirk up. “I’m just now starting to? I thought surely when I walked in covered in blood yesterday that I looked about as rough as I could.”

“Well, then I guess you’ve been proven wrong.”

Levi shook his head. “I’m not leaving. Besides, I have nowhere to go. My home is a crime scene, remember?”

"You can use my apartment." The words had left Petra's mouth before she even had time to think. At the suggestion, she could feel her face heating up, but she continued speaking anyway. "Go at least take a shower - please."

This had the man's brows raising to his hairline.

"You would let a man who just murdered six people take a shower in your home?"

Petra shrugged. “Yeah, I mean as long as you promise not to mess with anything.”

“You’re damned crazy.”

"Yeah, maybe," Petra conceded, but her arms still crossed tightly over her chest. "But it's better than being stinky. I'm going to get a shirt from the lost and found for you to take. My shift is over in three hours, so try to at least get some rest before it's my turn to watch Heidi."

Without waiting for a response, Petra exited the room in a flurry of white fabric and frazzled nerves, missing the smirk that followed her actions as she hurriedly exited through the door.

- True to her word, Petra had returned to Heidi's room after clocking out. The woman handed the older Ackerman a piece of paper with her address, a key, and a plain white t-shirt - before practically pushing him out of the room.

Not allowing any chance of negotiation, Petra slammed the door behind him, fighting the urge to actually lock it.

Now fully awake, Heidi giggled at the sight of the young woman bossing her otherwise intimidating father around. The sound had Petra smiling, too. Though she was tired, she was looking forward to spending a bit of downtime with the girl.

During the hour and a half that Levi was gone, Petra learned many things about Miss Heidi Ackerman.

She was born in late September and couldn't wait for the Summer to be over so that she could finally be six. Her favorite thing to learn about was animals - hence, why her father always bought her stories with animal characters rather than humans. She had named the big teddy bear her father had gotten her, Felix, after a cat character with the same name that existed in one of the storybooks her dad had once read to her.

While it wasn’t new information, Petra was struck once again by how intelligent the little girl was.

Heidi shared with her the process of her daily routine - how she woke up in the morning to find a bowl of cereal already sitting ready for her at the table. Though her father was usually gone by this time, he always left a note telling her what time he would be home and reminded her to never open the door to strangers. After reading the note, she would do a few chores around the house - she loved sweeping - and even had her own little broom that matched her father's so that on the weekends they could clean the floors together.

While Petra imagined such an existence would be a sad one - being all alone in a house all day, especially, at such a young age - Heidi didn't seem particularly bothered by it.

"When Daddy gets home in the afternoon, he always cooks me something yummy for dinner," Heidi's voice held all the wonderment of a child, who was properly spoiled by her father. "Uncle Erwin even sometimes comes over and eats with us. He can toss me up in the air really high! Higher than Daddy!"

Petra found herself chuckling at this. “Oh, really?”

Heidi nodded excitedly, her cheeks flushed from the conversation and probably what was still a bit of residual pain. Despite this, she continued chatting as though she couldn't be bothered.

Petra felt her heart warm as the girl slowly began to open up more and more to her - remembering how quiet she had been during the first time she had attended to her.

It was as though the child that sat before her now was a completely different person from the one before. While she could probably blame some of that on the young girl's injury - a bigger portion of it was just that it probably took the girl time to warm up to people.

‘Much like her father,’ Petra supposed.

By the time Levi returned, both his daughter and the nurse were sat up in the hospital bed, the scene causing him to pause in the doorway.

Petra had sat herself behind Heidi, allowing the girl to lean back on her legs and chest in a reclining position. The nurse’s hands were working through the girl’s hair, her deft fingers twirling the long dark strands into a simple braid.

“I’ve always wanted a braid!” Heidi shared, squeezing her bear close to her chest. “I’m so excited! I hope it looks pretty.”

“Oh, it looks very pretty," Petra insisted, her light, chestnut eyes finally drifting towards the man that stood in the door. Her lips quirked up in a small smirk. "Doesn't it, Mr. Levi?"

Fighting the urge to groan at the use of mister before his name, the man closed the door to the hallway behind him before stepping fully into the room. "Oh yes - very pretty."

At his insistence, Heidi giggled - her little cheeks flushed now from the compliments.

Once the girl was situated back on her pillows - chatting with her bear about all the hairstyles she'd like to try to learn to do in the future - Petra turned to Heidi's dad, giving him a smile of appreciation.

Instead of wearing the t-shirt she had retrieved from him, he was wearing a dark blue one with the hospital logo that they sold in the gift shop. The woman had to smirk when she saw that.

"What are you -  a germaphobe?" She couldn't help but ask, remembering the wary look he had had on his face when she had handed the used t-shirt over. Though she couldn't blame him, being very particular about things like that herself, she couldn't hold back a laugh.

Levi shrugged. “Sure, let’s go with that.”

They stood there for a few silent beats, the only sound between them being that of Heidi's quiet voice as she chatted to Felix, the teddy bear. Finally, Levi pulled his hand out of his pocket, her key shining in his hand.

Petra held out her hand to receive it.

"Thank you for your hospitality." The man drawled, placing the object in the middle of her palm, a smirk teasing the corner of his lips. "Your lodgings were adequate enough, I guess."

After having heard from Heidi herself in the past hour of how her dad was a self-proclaimed 'clean freak' - the woman was not surprised at such a comment. In fact, knowing what she did now, it made her quietly chuckle.

“I’m glad.”

Petra called over her shoulder to Heidi that she would be back on the night shift in just a few hours, the girl happily waved at her as the woman made her way to the door. Knowing that she only had one more 12-hour shift for the week, the young nurse moved with a slight bounce in her step.

The realization that she probably only had one more night to spend with Heidi and her father had her pausing though.

Shaking her head, she attempted to rid her mind of the thought. She wasn't one to get attached to her patients and she definitely wouldn't start now.

Still, there was something in her heart that tugged every time she thought of Heidi’s sweet little face. Not only that, but the tug worsened every time she thought of Levi’s.

‘I need some sleep,’ She lamented to herself as she continued her way down the stairs.

Yes, sleep was all she needed.

-

Upon arriving on the 3rd floor for her fourth shift of the week, but third with Heidi, Petra was surprised to see the one and only, Erwin Smith exiting the room of her favorite patient.

She guessed she shouldn't be surprised by the appearance of the blonde man - given how much Heidi talked about him - however, what did surprise her was the grave expression present on his features. While not one to fear the worst, the furrow between his brows and the thin line of his lips had her heart sinking, just a bit.

After confirming with the day nurse that nothing had changed in Heidi's condition, Petra was able to breathe easier. Apparently, in the last hour, Dr. Shadis had even cleared the girl to return home whenever she pleased - however, both the Commander and Levi had convinced the doctor to extend her hospital stay by one day.

The day nurse said she had no idea what the reasoning was behind it but Petra had a good idea.

‘My home is a crime scene.’ Levi had said earlier in response to her pressures for him to go home and shower. The truth of the matter was, Petra feared that neither Levi nor Heidi had anywhere to go.

With that in mind, she entered the girl's room for her first round of medication with a slight hesitance in her gait.

Whatever nerves she had been feeling though dissipated at the sight of Heidi's joyful face.

"Miss Petra!" The girl exclaimed from her place in bed, arms wrapped around her teddy bear and now a large monkey plushie too. "Look what Uncle Erwin brought me!"

The woman was about to respond when a sort of grumbling coming from the direction of the chair caught her attention. Levi had his chin in his hand, his eyes glaring at the plush kitty that still sat on the bedside table untouched. Petra could see a hint of jealousy in his actions.

Dare she call it - adorable?

Though his mutterings weren't all that caught the woman's attention. The man had a whole new change of clothes on, the hospital t-shirt now stuffed away in the white bag that lay by his feet.

The commander must have brought him an extra pair of clothes.

Realizing that she hadn't ever answered Heidi's cheer, Petra smiled at the child who lay in the hospital bed. "Well isn't that a lovely surprise?"

Heidi nodded excitedly, hugging her plushies closer to her. “I think I’m going to name him Beast.”

"That's a lovely name," The nurse agreed, laughing quietly as she watched the girl's father roll his eyes. Despite the current levity in the atmosphere, the woman knew she wasn't going to be able to keep her mouth shut much longer.

Placing the cup of juice she had brought with her down on the bedside table, she busied herself preparing Heidi’s medication as she thought of how to brooch the topic.

“So, I heard Heidi’s been cleared to return home?”

Levi was silent for a moment, but she soon heard a grunt behind her. “It would appear that way.”

“I heard Dr. Shadis approved her for one more night in our care?”

Levi hummed in response, not saying anything more as the woman continued to arrange the pills. Her hands paused as she got to Heidi’s sleep medication.

“Will you be staying with Commander Erwin?”

At her question, the man remained silent - watching as Petra assisted Heidi with taking her pills. Always a brave patient, the girl barely grimaced as the nasty medication tumbled down her throat. When it was all over, the five-year-old simply laid back on her pillows, picking up right where she left off with her two stuffed animals.

It took Levi so long to respond that Petra figured he wouldn't say anything more on the subject - however, his quiet answer came soon enough, a sort of bitterness in his tone.

"No, we can't," He spat out, a rare show of his old reticence shining through. Petra could tell that it wasn't directed at her, though - it was more so in response to the situation. "Erwin thinks it's a bad idea for us to stay with anyone who's a part of the Survey Corps. If they had my address, who's to say they don't have any others?"

Petra had guessed this was the case by the way Commander Erwin had looked upon leaving the room. It was the look of a man who was used to solving problems, who just couldn't seem to solve this one.

Levi continued, missing the pensive look that settled across Petra's features. "He's trying to find somewhere cheap that we could stay, but at the end of the day, the Corps don't receive much funding. I barely make enough to pay for the place we have now and I'm still going to have to pay for it until my lease is up."

“You don’t think you’ll be able to go back after everything is cleaned up?” Petra asked, the wheels still turning in her head. Levi released a dry chuckle at the suggestion.

"I'm not going to make the brat stay in a home where she was almost killed. I may be a monster, but even I have more compassion than that." He spoke quietly, aware that Heidi was still very much awake and able to hear their conversation.

"There's no one you could reach out to and stay with?"

Levi laughed bitterly, once again. "The only people I know are either a part of the Survey Corps or thugs themselves, my options are pretty slim."

Petra nodded, quietly mulling over his words.

After a few moments, she made the offer she had entered the room willing to make.

“Why don’t you stay with me?”

Levi's brows rose, a look of mild shock commanding his features. Feeling uneasy from his reaction, Petra began to ramble in order to fill the awkward silence.

“I mean -,” She cleared her throat, hating how the words had come out as a mere squeak. “You said my lodgings were adequate, right?”

"Well, yes. But -,"

"I certainly wouldn't mind it - and you wouldn't have to pay me rent or anything! All I would need is maybe a little bit of money for groceries since I barely have any - and - uh - and I'm barely home anyway since I work so much, so it would probably be just like living alone!" The words left Petra in a rush, her brain working faster than her mouth as she tried to convince him that this option wouldn't be so bad. "I'm a pretty clean person, so you wouldn't have to worry about -,"

“Could you shut your damn mouth for a second?!”

The low growl of his voice had Petra pausing mid-ramble, her mouth hanging open as the man in the chair cleared his throat, in an attempt to get emotions back under control.

When he spoke again, his tone was even, incredulity evident in his words. "You really expect me to accept such charity?"

Petra closed her mouth, shrugging meekly. “I mean, do you have any other options?”

"Yeah, the street." The nurse found herself rolling her eyes at his words.

"What happened to not allowing any danger to fall upon your daughter again?" Petra asked, remembering their conversation from before. While the man's eyes flashed in anger at her implication, the woman didn't stop there. "Do you really think the safest place for your daughter currently is on the streets?”

The man was silent again.

“I can’t pay you.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

“I hate charity.”

"This isn't charity." Petra insisted, meeting his steely gaze with one of her own. "I'm honestly being selfish. I don't think I could sleep at night knowing that the two of you ended up on the streets when I could have helped.'

“Why would you do that for people you barely know?”

"I don't know," Petra answered, honestly - her eyes drifting to where Heidi lay still unaware of the serious conversation taking place next to her. "But something inside of me is telling me that it's the right thing to do."

Levi stared at her, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"So you would offer up your home to two strangers just because your heart is telling you to?”

While his comment was snide, Petra refused to back down. "And you would offer up your life to a cause that will most likely get you killed in the end? It seems like neither of us is very responsible when it comes to where our hearts lie."

The man couldn’t argue with that.

The room descended into a suffocating silence for a few moments, before Levi spoke again.

"What about Heidi?" He asked. "She stays home alone all day. Are you okay with a child residing by themselves in your apartment?"

"Not really," Petra admitted, though she had already thought about this. "But my friend who lives down the hall runs a daycare out of her home. I'm sure if I explained the circumstances, she would be willing to make an exception and let Heidi stay with her when you or I can't be at home."

Levi sighed, realizing she had thought this out a lot more than he had expected. “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

“Nope.” Petra smiled brightly, knowing that he was close to admitting defeat.

The man looked once more towards his daughter, who was now rubbing her tired eyes as she tried to win the battle against sleep.

“Fine.” He begrudgingly agreed, refusing to make eye contact with the now ecstatic ginger.

"Perfect!" The woman nearly exclaimed with glee - however, she kept her reaction quiet, aware of the presence of Heidi who was almost in the throes of sleep. "Leave all the planning to me. Heidi was cleared to stay one more night - so, once I finish my shift, I'll go home and get everything prepared for her discharge tomorrow afternoon."

Levi nodded, still not exactly happy about the situation.

"Don't think you're going to be able to stand around and mope, either," Petra warned, pulling the blanket up higher on Heidi's chest, the girl finally losing the battle against her eyelids. "I'm doing this because I want to, so I won't have you feeling guilty.

Levi shook his head, a smirk appearing on his features. "You're crazy."

"Maybe," Petra shrugged.

After picking up the empty glass of juice from the girl's bedside, Petra decided to take her leave, ready to attend to her other patients.

Before leaving the room, she turned back towards Levi, still sat in the chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

"We're going to figure this out," Petra assured him as she exited the room, smiling as he turned his face towards her - a look of apprehension on his features. "You, me, and Heidi - it'll work, I promise."

Though his answering smirk was tired, Petra could see that maybe - just maybe - he was starting to believe her.

[validity-is-powerful]

The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known - chap. 1

Hello friends. I already posted chapter 1 weeks ago, but I've finally gotten around to making a post about it.

Written with permission off this post by @sapphicdeath (my main is @strung-by-fate).

[Masterlist]

—

Summary: A day in the office. Nighttime sets the stage.

Warnings: none

Pairing: Hotch/Rossi

Words: 1.9k

Read below the cut, or on ao3.

__

The office was never empty, not even early in the morning as Hotch arrived. Already there were other employees there, setting up for their days or ending their nighttime shifts. He made his way to his office, nodding a greeting to those he passed.

He set up his desk, arranging the papers he would need to go through according to importance, as he frequently did. Occasionally, there would be a file he would go through first that wasn't overly important, but he would still go through first for other reasons.

It was easy to sink into the headspace he needed for the motions of reading each document and filling out what needed to be. A glance at the clock showed him it was eight. The team would likely be some time still.

Half an hour later, he looked up to see most of his team spilling into the bullpen, talking and laughing together. JJ was absent, but then, she had spoken yesterday of her son's fever and how she and Will were worried. He would give her until nine, then call. 

Hotch watched in silence as they settled into their desks, getting ready for the day without ever truly ending their conversation, save for Rossi, who found his way to his own office. It always felt distant, viewing them from behind the glass as he was now. He was part of the team, but there were times he wondered if he was truly part of it in anything but name. Mornings were some of those times, more often than not.

A knock on his door stirred him from his reverie.

"Come in."

"Hey, Hotch," Morgan said, opening the door. "Saying good morning."

"Good morning." 

"You looked a bit lonely up here this morning. Anything you want to talk about?" 

"I've been thinking," Hotch said. Morgan made a disbelieving but amused sound.

"Alright, man. But if you do ever want to talk, I'm always here."

"I know. Thank you." Morgan shut the door and walked off. Hotch returned to the work in front of him.

*

"You know, we don't actually know how many-" Reid began, only to be cut off by Prentiss.

"JJ, there you are. Everything alright? You're usually as early as Hotch." The other agent was rarely late, and yet it was almost nine. Hotch had been in the office for likely more than an hour, from what the others knew of his schedule.

"Yeah, everything's fine," JJ said, waving away her friend's concerns. "Henry has a fever, Will's watching him. I left a bit late because of that and hit traffic."

"Henry okay?" Reid chimed in from his desk.

"He will be," JJ assured the group. "He's warm but not dangerously so. We're just worried over how frequently he gets sick."

"That's not uncommon," Reid said. "The average child Henry's age tends to get several fevers a year, not to mention seven or eight colds. So I really wouldn't worry about it unless it's rather severe." He tapped his pen against his fingers, as he was wont to do. JJ nodded, a bit off-kilter

"Thanks, Reid."

*

"Prentiss." Her name being called grabbed her attention away from the report she was filling out as Morgan and Reid bickered behind her, and she turned. Hotch stood outside his office, waiting for her to turn. "I need to speak with you."

It wasn't only her attention that he had. Reid and Morgan were watching intently as well. She rose and made her way over, frowning.

"Something going on?" Hotch opened his door for her in answer. She entered, and he shut it behind them.

"You're not in trouble," he said once he had taken a seat at his desk and she was sitting in the chair across from him. "It's just some routine training. Seven months is a long time to be gone from the team. The Bureau needs to know you're still sharp."

"What do they need from me this time?" The retraining and assessments had been continuous since she had returned to the Unit. Hotch slid a form and a pen towards her.

"For you to fill that out, then report to the mats tomorrow. Morgan and I can cover your paperwork." She nodded.

"You can return to your desk. And, Emily. It's nice to have you back." She stood and moved to the door, then paused with one hand on it.

"Hotch?" He looked up questioningly. Prentiss smiled. "Thanks." She got a small smile in return.

*

Lunch was a remarkably quiet affair. Even Hotch deigned to join them, which was unusual in itself. 

"Is anyone doing something interesting this weekend?" Garcia asked.

"A friend and I have plans to go strawberry picking up in Pennsylvania,” Prentiss offered, which gained some approving nods around the table.

“Let’s hope nothing comes up, then.”

“You know, the garden strawberry is originally from Brittany, France, and is a cross of two other breeds, one from eastern North America and the other from Chile. It replaced the woodland strawberry, which had been around since the early 17th century,” was Reid’s contribution.

The talk after that shifted to work, and what had come up in reports. Some members were more vocal than others. Hotch was frequently observant but largely silent when there wasn’t a case, staying in his office and working alone. Rossi preferred to observe as well, but tended to be more active in the conversation.

*

Towards the end of the day, Hotch knocked on JJ’s door.

“Come in,” was the call he was greeted with. She looked up in surprise as he entered, hands pausing on the file she was looking over. “Hey, Hotch. There’s nothing demanding we fly out, though there are a couple of cases that we should offer a consultation on.” He made a small, dismissive gesture.

“I’m not here to discuss cases yet. I trust your judgement.” She smiled.

“Um, thanks. Why are you here, then?”

“Checking on you. You’ve seemed distraught today.” JJ gave him a tight smile.

“It’s nothing, really. It’s this job. It’s my son being sick. I’m fine, Hotch.”

“JJ, if you want to talk, I’m here. And if you need to take some time off, no one’s going to think less of you.”

“I know that.”

“But?”

“But I can’t bear to.” She sighed, quietly. “I can’t step away from this desk and these files, knowing that if I take even a day off, they’re going to pile up and by the time I get through, there’s going to be more bodies. They aren’t my fault, and I know that, but some days it weighs on me more heavily than others.”

She looked up, studying his face. “I can do this job.”

“I know.”

“I just have bad days.”

“Look at me.” JJ lifted her eyes, meeting his own. Hotch continued softly. “You go through files detailing some of the worst acts human beings have committed every day. You have to choose who we try to catch, knowing that the others that you don’t pick are going to keep on killing. Of course this job weighs on you. I want you to know that you have my respect. You’ve always had it. If you need anything, I’m here for you.”

She smiled, teary-eyed.

“Thank you, Hotch.” She slid him a file. He took it.

“The evil in the world is not your fault,” he reminded her as he opened the door to leave.

“Nor is it yours,” she said.

*

It was unusual for any of them to, towards the end of the day, find themselves with a light enough load of work to begin thinking about heading home. It was unfortunately common amongst members of the team to stay far later than was healthy in order to finish filling out some form or report, or to finish reading through a file.

The time was approaching eight by the time Rossi wrapped up the final file he was reviewing. He shook out his wrist, stood, and began packing up.

Then, as was custom on the nights it was just the two of them left, he made his way to Hotch’s office.

Hotch looked up as he entered. “Budget reports,” he said in answer to the questioning look. “HR wants to make another cut and Strauss has me looking over the proposal in case they go through with it.” Rossi dropped into one of the chairs opposite Hotch’s desk.

“What’s it look like for the team?”

“There’s no threat of downsizing this time.” Hotch made another mark and kept reading.

“Well, that’s good, at least.”

Rossi watched in silence as his friend continued to make his way through the report, his usual frown etched on his face even now, in the quiet stillness when it was just the two of them.

Hotch set the file aside some ten minutes later. He took his things as well, then Rossi opened the door for them both and they headed out.

The elevator ride and the walk to the main entrance passed in a blur, and before long, the two of them had reached the parking lot and their cars. They had parked beside each other, something that had started out being convenience (they tended to leave late, and together), and had turned into a habit both were unwilling to break.

“I’ll see you tonight?” Rossi asked as they stood face to face, closer than was perhaps appropriate for two colleagues. Hotch’s hand found his waist.

“Tonight,” he agreed. “An hour from now, my place?”

“Works for me,” Rossi told him. The kiss they shared was brief and chaste. Nothing else was safe, and even that much was too much for a place like the parking lot of Quantico.

*

An hour later, Hotch had seen Jack safely to bed and now opened the door to admit his partner. Rossi entered, and they found their way to the kitchen, trading soft words and sure hands, at ease with each other.

Their relationship was far from new, after all. They had been working with each other for a little over two decades and had been friendly throughout. Their romantic involvement was shorter, but still had several years on it. 

Hotch took Rossi’s free hand as they drank, and Rossi could feel the cold of the ring Hotch wore against his skin. They both wore the rings signifying their relationship, though what exactly the rings signified he couldn’t say.

“I’ve been wondering,” Hotch said into the quiet. They had never dared to go further than what they had. A serious relationship between two employees, especially two senior employees, was enough risk as it was. Marriage was out of the question for more than one reason. Anything more than friendship was already putting the team at risk. If one of them was injured or killed on a case, the other would be more vulnerable than was safe with their job. Relationships were a risk, always had been. Unfortunately for them and countless others, their hearts had never cared.

“We have plans to not go further until we’re retired.” Hotch paused, turning the words over in his mind and finding the right ones. “But if we could safely, Dave, would you marry me?”

“Yes,” was the answer that fell from Rossi’s lips, before he sealed them over Hotch’s again. He tasted desperation and the wine they had drunk. The glasses found their way onto the counter as he wrapped his arms around his lover, holding him close as Hotch did the same.

[misterewrites]

Cheers from Newton Haven ( Mirror’s Edge)

Hey everyone E here with a surprising amount original works. haha so you can blame my good friend @hains-mae for this because she enabled me. So long story short I love writing. I love creating ideas, story plots, characters all that jazz. Often there's a lot of leftovers that i put away in word document just so I have stuff to work with or ideas i can use later. Most of the time I might write something just to get it out of my system but it usually just ends up gathering dust in my computer.

I've been getting more into modern urban fantasy stories and watching the unsleeping city which is a modern dnd show (highly recommend it. first season's free on youtube over at the dimension 20 channel) and naturally I wanted to write some so here we go.

I don't know how often I'll be writing this because this accidentally became my side project whenever I need a break from the underground but who knows might turn into another big layered project.

so basic summary is there are a group of friends, associates, reluctant allies, organizations and frenemies who work together to keep the peace of the supernatural world in check and to ensure it remains secret to everyone else while living their lives as best as they can. Today's chapter includes Finnrick Drift a private investigator wizard and his best friend Casey Remington, cleric of the hearth

that's it for me. have a great week! stay safe, take care of each other. wear your mask, wash your hands, get the vaccine if you can and I'll see you soon!

and if you wanna an easier place to read and leave me some good old comments or reviews you find the chapter right here https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/75486005

Not gonna lie i promised I’d try to promote myself more and it’s weird. it feels so weird. haha 

It was a busy Friday afternoon in Midtown. People in designer named suits and dresses bustled across the sidewalks in all directions, too caught up in last minute phone calls or sudden late night work orders to notice anything else. The buildings that scraped the bottom of the sky were clean with a fresh coat of paint and maintenance, a testimony to the wealth and power that was found here.

So naturally Casey felt as out of place as fish out of water in his purple baseball jersey and black shorts just standing outside some fancy restaurants doors with his friend.

“Finny” Casey started awkwardly, his sea green eyes darting back and forth awkwardly “Any reason we’re out here being creepy? I got a Neighborhood Watch meeting at like 6.”

Finnrick or Finny as Casey referred to him, was no better dress than he was for the environment. A long black trench coat that was more stitching than fabric, a matching frayed faded fedora sitting comfortably on his head. He wore a nice collared dark red shirt tucked in a black vest but even that felt cheap and tacky compared to the thousands of dollars worth of clothing that passed them on the street every second. At least his black dress pants were dark enough to hide the patch up jobs and naturally the only kept squeaky clean were his loafers.

Finnrick sucked on the thin white stick for a moment before speaking up “I’m debating if it’s worth the trouble. I didn’t realize you had a meeting tonight.”

“Well we always meet up on the fifth. You know talking about treaties, clean up jobs, if any undead hordes have been spotted. My birthday cake.”

“Ah shit” Finnrick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, his dark brown eyes apologetic “It’s your birthday? Did you want to go? I think I can handle it alone.”

Casey lifted the hat off Finnrick’s head and playfully ruffled his already messy black hair “You getting old Finny. My birthday is the tenth.”

Finnrick waved off his assault “I’m six months younger than you.”

“But” Casey gestured to the smattering of sliver streaks in Finn’s hair “You look older.”

“At least I don’t look like I’m 15. Dude you need a haircut. Everyone here thinks you’re a hippie.”

“A good looking hippie.” Casey gave a dramatic shake, his wavy dark brown hair flowing in the breeze.

The pair burst out laughing, doubling over trying to catch their breath as the business suits eyed them distastefully.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” Finnrick made his way over, smiles and charm as they approached the doorman.

“Your cigarette sir.” The doorman spoke dully.

Finnrick pulled out the now finished lollipop “Don’t smoke but done anyway.”

The doorman gestured to the nearby trashcan but Finnrick opt to tuck it away in coat pocket. Disgusted but professional, the doorman gave strained smile as he allowed them entry into the building.

Casey nudged Finnrick curiously “Wizards? Warlocks? God not druids.”

“Probably. This is guy doesn’t have an ounce of magic in him but I wouldn’t doubt he’s got some casters on the payroll. Try not to leave anything behind.”

“I’m a freaking walking carpet here!”

“That” Finnrick grinned playfully “Is why you need haircut.”

Casey gave a fake snarl “Shut up and call the elevator.”

Finnrick whistled, amused by the near silence of the opening doors “Such fance. Barely a sound.”

“So what’s the plan?”

Finnrick scratched the little bush of hair he had on his chin thoughtfully “Ask some questions. Probably get no answers. Be threatened more than likely.

Casey cracked the tension in his neck “Think it’s gonna get ugly?”

“Depends on how many witnesses.”

The two made their way to the seventh floor, the elevator smoothly slowing to a stop before the doors opened with a ding. Two burly men in suits were waiting, flanked on either side as they gestured to an empty restaurant dining room.

“The boss will like to speak to you.”

Finnrick and Casey shared a look.

“Sure!” Finnrick beamed cheerfully, patting both the brutes arms as he passed “I was hoping to talk to him anyway.”

The men growled in annoyance but did nothing as Casey and Finnrick made their way to the center talk, unsurprised to find two glasses of wine waiting for them.

“After you” Finnrick joked, pulling out Casey’s chair for him.

Casey gave a mocking smile “Such a gentleman.”

“Only one I bet” Finnrick whispered before taking his seat.

Casey could hear the low hissing of whatever spells were on their chairs being dispelled.

Yep there was going to be trouble.

Casey eyed the room carefully in search for options: The room itself was pretty dark, dark reddish walls with dim lights to set the mood. Most of the tables had been left alone for whatever event this room was scheduled for later with the chairs stacked in the corner. A few feet to their left was the bar, unmanned but well stocked and a window to the outside nearby.

“Well, well, well!” A voice called out from some shadowy part of the room “Who do I have the pleasure of meeting this fine Friday afternoon?”

Finnrick rose to his feet, politely motioning to himself and Casey “My name is Fredrick and this is my friend Charles.”

The man’s hazel eyes shone with suspicion “No last names?”

“Of course” Finnrick grin “But there’s no need for friends, right? We are friends Robert?”

Robert paused, a barely contained rage shimmering just under the surface. His slicked back graying hair and tailored perfect dark blue suit were signs of a precise, irrational control. This was a man that was never told what to do and considered himself above everyone and anyone.

“Of course.” He answered a moment too late. He was not happy. “Of course. What are polite manners among friends?”

“Thanks Bobby!” Finnrick gave a friendly wink before retaking his seat.

Robert fumed but followed Finnrick’s example as a trio of secret service wannabes took their spots across the room: Inhumanly beautiful men with dark suits and shades. Something was off about them but Casey couldn’t put his finger on it.

“What do I owe the pleasure Freddy?” Robert sneered, hoping to see how Finnrick a taste of his own medicine.

“Well Bobby.” Finnrick went on, purposely ignoring the older man’s jab “As you know you have been stealing countless money from your employees.”

Robert chuckled darkly “I am afraid wherever you have been getting this claim is very misinformed. I am a simple, honest businessman.”

Finnrick nodded in agreement “Of course. Of course. That’s how you can say that with a straight face. Honest businessman of mundane practices.”

Casey felt his hair on his arm stand on end as the atmosphere in the room tensed. The brutes growled unhappily, the trio of bodyguards shifted uneasily and Robert’s eyes shone with understanding.

“I see.” He spoke simply “You’re from the other side.”

“Naturally.” Finnrick confirmed “No need to peer around the bush, is there?”

“No need at all. It is refreshing for such transparency. You don’t get that often in the world of business.”

“I doubt you give much either Mister Walker.”

“Enough games. What are you doing here? Some kind of union rep for magical freaks? Blackmailing me?”

Finnrick sat up with pride “Private investigator. Building a case against you actually.”

Robert carefully studied both men before him, trying to piece together their plan, their angle.

“Either.” He spoke after a few moments “You have all you need or more than likely you have nothing and you are simply here to smoke me out, hoping I will give you something to use against me.”

Casey felt Finnrick’s hand move underneath the table and a rush of chilly air brushed his leg.

Casey gave a quick nod to let Finn know he understood.

Finnrick cleared his throat “You’re aware of the works of Tolkien Mister Walker?”

Robert was caught off guard “What?”

“Elves.” Finnrick answered with a calming voice “Elves are the most famous of his characters that aren’t humans of course but there’s more: Elves, dwarves...”

“Hob…” Robert began but Finnrick cut him off.

“That’s a legal matter but yes. Wonderfully fantastic creatures.”

Robert narrowed his eyes “And?”

Finnrick leaned in close, smile mocking and cold “I hate when people take advantage of them.”

Robert was a cold, calculating heartless man who was used to being the smartest one in the room. The one who rigged the playing field in his favor, held every ace in his hand and led his prey exactly where he wanted them to be. He played with people before he destroyed their hope. He was the apex predator in the world of business.

It was satisfying to see that swagger and pride drain out of his face.

The businessman went for the button hidden underneath his side of the table, no doubt the switch to trigger the holding spells on Casey and Finnrick’s chairs. Of course Finnrick had dispelled them first chance he got and since the only other caster in the room was Casey, no one else noticed.

Robert’s face was the second most beautiful thing Casey had ever seen (first being Jaime but there was no need to tell her that). The panic, the fear, the utter confusion. Just poetic justice at its finest.

Finnrick shot to his feet with a surprising speed given his unremarkable build. He muttered the words of power, a magical incantation as his hand made the proper gestures to complete the spell.

The shades squad went for their weapons but Finnrick had gotten the drop on all of them. He pulled his hand back, a burning flame sitting peacefully in his palm. He pitched the flame forward, lobbing directly at the closet goon. The inhumanly beautiful man rose his arms to defend himself in time. The flame, mostly pressurized air, splashed over him harmlessly as the force of the attack shoved him back into the wall.

Casey followed Finn’s example. He stood as well (not as quick as his friend), a soft gentle light glowing from his hands. He glanced at the two remaining shades and aimed directly for them. A bolt of pure light burst forth from his palms. One goon got a chest full of holy energy and skidded backwards but the other was ready. He leapt to the side and narrowly avoided the attack as he slid out of sight.

The brutes charged towards the pair, murder in their eyes. Finnrick barely spared them a look as he snapped his finger. The two flames sigils he had imprinted om them when he grabbed their arms ignited, twin fires eating at their sleeves and sending them into a panic.

“What’s the plan?” Casey shouted, sending more holy bolts towards the shades.

“Up and over the counter.” Finnrick answered, tossing another fireball.

Casey quickly made his way closer, prepping to leap over the bar when Finnrick crashed into him, a strange whistling sound piercing his ears one moment then silent the next.

“Over buddy over!” Finnrick repeated, grabbing Casey by the collar and heaving him ontop of the counter. Casey flailed for a moment before glancing backwards. Finnrick was right behind him, hand outstretched as a blue translucent field of protective magic hung before the two while the shades opened fire with crossbows, the jet black bolts barely visible in the dimness of the room. They bounced harmlessly off the barrier but Casey could see the cracks starting to form.

Casey hopped over the bar gracelessly, struggling for a moment before clearing the jump. Finnrick tucked himself backwards, allowing himself to roll over the counter top and land on the other side with a thud.

“Remember when elves were honorable?” Casey huffed, quickly scanning the various bottles.

Finnrick scoffed “They were never honorable. They just acted better than everyone.”

“Remember when we were kids?”

“Vaguely. Pass the absinthe. I want to really make this hurt.”

“Blue bottle? These are all in German and Russian.”

“Green liquid. Come on Case I taught you better.”

“Right. I miss when the cartoons used to tell us the mafia was honorable.”

“Criminals these days.” Finnrick shook his head disappointingly “Just don’t make them like they used to. It’s all corporate shit.”

Casey began picking other bottles at random, wrapping them tightly with the tape he brought “It’s disillusioning I tell you. How right is he?”

Finnrick smashed a pane of glass. He took the jagged edge and slowly inched it over the counter, catching sight of the trio of shades for a moment before a crossbow bolt shattered the glass.

He flexed his hand, trying to relax his muscles. They were elves alright. They might be dressed in suits and ears hidden by some sort of glamour illusion magic but old habits died hard. Elves habits never died given their long lives. The trio had fallen into a close knit triangle formation: one fires, one reloads with the last taking aim.

“He had this whole operation locked tight. No one was talking. Either bribed them or made an example of them. Broken bones or horns. I had enough evidence to implicate him but bringing him to trial in the mundy court was going to be pointless.”

Casey moved the bottles back and forth to ensure they wouldn’t come loose midair “So what are we doing here?”

“Given his limited knowledge and the numerous magical violations I counted in this building alone, I figured he’s not registered with the Council.”

Casey’s eyes lit up in understanding “Gotcha. How long we got?”

Finnrick shook his hand back and forth “I’d say 10 minutes knowing the Council. Magic in an unregistered area requires a subtler approach for them. “

Casey snorted “Fake beards and stilts for the gnomes you mean? Robert will be gone by then.”

Finnrick’s face scrunched in concentration “He’s still here. Cowering under the table. He’s not used to dangerous wizards up in his face. Let’s scare him put huh?”

Casey spared his friend a glance “Big shot?”

Finnrick nodded in agreement “Aim high Case.”

And with a synchronicity only achieved through years of friendship, the two stood up at once. Casey threw the makeshift bomb high into the air as Finnrick formed the magical shield once more. Arrow after arrow bounced harmlessly off its surface as the bottles sailed through the air. Finnrick focused directly in the center of the payload. The shield dropped but the elves had broken formation and were all reloading at once. Finnrick pinched his thumb and finger together, murmuring under his breath. A small spark of flame fluttered wildly on his finger. He flicked it as quickly as he could towards the bottles. The spark spun and twisted as it floated towards the payload. The spark expanded, growing in size, and intensity, rapidly without warning. The air warmed as the spark exploded, smashing the bottles and engulfing the alcohol within. Flaming liquid, glass and hot air shot out in every direction. The elves were blasted off their feet and crashed against the far wall with sickening series of crunches. The floor above now had a massive hole in it and the brutes sprawled across the floor. Robert himself was thrown onto the ground, ash and soot covering his face as he struggled to breath.

He tried to call for someone but his ears were ringing and everyone was down for the count. He tried to search for the trouble makers but the smoke that filled the room was too thick.

The elevator dinged open once more and three pale suits came scuttling out. They clung to the walls on all fours, unnatural and repulsive. Their blood red eyes shone in the dimly light room, their fangs barred and ready for blood.

“Vampires!” Casey rubbed his eyes tiredly “This fucker has vampires. Loose by the way.”

“Right?” Finnrick shook his head “There are just so many regulations being violated right now.”

The vampires did not care. They dropped to the floor, gliding effortlessly midst the smoke and flame.

Casey took a step closer to the encroaching undead. He outstretched one hand towards them while the other clasped his necklace tightly. The vampires tilted their head quizzically at the symbol that adored the chain: It was a house of all things, a simple shape of rectangles and triangles no different than what a child would draw.

The vampires chuckled, their eyes bright with hunger.

Of course in their bloodlust they had forgotten something important: It was not the symbol but the faith behind it that was their bane.

Casey held the symbol as high as he could. The vampire shrunk away from him as his eyes blazed with holy energy, the symbol of home glowing with a harsh light. The vampires barred their fangs as a symphony of noises overwhelmed their senses: the soft hum of an air conditioner, footsteps thundering about, the chill of winter, the heat of summer, the overlapping sounds of cars and buses as the roar of crowds boomed in their ears. The city, the hearth of so many people, filled this room for a moment.

The vampires drew back, white smoking curling off their charring flaky skins. They ducked back into the elevator, hiding in whatever corner they could manage until the doors shut with a satisfying ding.

“Come on” Finnrick gestured to the window “I don’t want to be written up for unauthorized magic in an unregistered area.”

Casey and Finnrick scampered to the window. Casey’s face turned a sickly green when he realized how high up they were.

“Ugh I don’t feel good.” his stomach churned queasily.

Finnrick broke the window with his elbow, the fresh smoggy air of the city bringing some color back into Casey’s cheeks “I know buddy but it’s only eight floors up.”

“I hate you so much right now.”

“Okay cool jump now!”

Robert regained enough sense to see the troublemakers leap out the window without hesitation. He struggled to his feet when flickers of something began to form. Before he knew what was going on, the previously empty room was now filled with various creatures: Elves, dwarves, a gnome on silts had appeared out of thin air. They weren’t dress in any ancient medieval garb but rather dark blue jackets, jeans and combat boots with the initials M.R.R.D stitched on their clothing. They were no different than any one on the street aside their more unique physical features.

“M.R.R.D!” the gnome cried out, brandishing a strange clockwork pistol “Everyone freeze! We sensed a magical disturbance and a violation of the Arcane Veil!”

Robert rose to his full height “I am Robert Walker and I…”

The gnome opened fire and Robert could feel exhaustion overtake him. Sleepiness began to ebb at his resolve and before he could mutter another word, he closed his eyes. A dreamless sleep until he woke up in a council prison cell a few hours later.

-----

Casey didn’t scream as he fell through the air. He was too busy trying to keep his lunch in his stomach.

Finnrick waited a moment to make sure everything was in place and with a wave of his hand, the two began to fall much slower. They landed on their feet as if they had taken a step off the sidewalk instead of several stories up.

Casey began hyperventilating, trying his best to get his stomach settled. Finnrick began fanning his face when a man walked up to him.

Casey and Finnrick said nothing, waiting for the Arcana Veil to fill in any blanks they were missing. They could’ve told this man anything but they found from experience that it was just easier to roll with whatever the magical blanket that separated the mundane world from the magical decided.

The man peered at them, his gaze unsure and confused.

“Hey, you guys okay?” he asked helpfully.

Casey and Finnrick remained silent.

His eyes glazed over for a moment, a strange shimmering sheen within his pupils telling the duo that the veil was in effect.

“You guys are oddly dressed for window washers.” the man chuckled.

Finnrick glanced back to find a ghostly image of an electrically operated scaffold behind them, water buckets and squeegees included.

They shared a look.

“Would you believe it’s national window washer day?” Casey filled in.

Finnrick added “Yeah, they let us wear whatever want today. It’s only one day out of the year anyway and most of the time we work by ourselves so no harm done.”

the man nodded like that was the most reasonable thing he had ever heard “Right sorry. I’ll just be on my way.”

Finnick and Casey ducked out of the alleyway behind him, heads low and nonchalant as the human M.R.R.D members began to shut down the restaurant from the outside.

“Well that sucked.”

“Just a little. Here let’s go some dinner on me.”

“Damn straight on you Finny. Brutes, elves, vampires?”

“Oh my.”

“Now I’m ordering extra bread for that.”

[gypsydanger01]

THE STORM - Part twenty-six

Fandom: The Boys (Amazon prime tv series)

Pairing: Black Noir x OC

Disclaimer: I don’t own The Boys, only my OC characters and certain pieces of au plot.

Comments, reviews, constructive criticism, and other requests are always more than welcome!

Deceiving all parties

Black Noir felt as though he were walking on air. Nothing could touch him or distract his thoughts of her. The evening before he’d allowed her to see behind the mask, to see behind the walls he’d spent his whole existence building. And she’d gazed at him with such intense emotion and something he could not put his finger on. But she saw something in his eyes, she saw something in him other than a cold-blooded killer. She didn’t flinch away from the web of scars that crossed the side of his face; instead, she lightly traced them with her finger, and her eyes didn’t hold pity but understanding.

Unfortunately, his mood was ruined as he crossed paths with Homelander upon reaching The Seven’s floor.

The caped man smiled wide, baring perfectly straight white teeth.

“Noir, there you are,” he spoke, lightly slapping the other man’s shoulder.

The man simply stared at him, but Homelander didn’t let it deter him.

“We’re going to have a meeting in fifteen minutes. You’re going to want to be there.”

Homelander said it casually, but the light tone was hiding a subtle edge. Noir only nodded before moving on. He’d be there, all right, so he’d know at what point the maniac was in his desperate hunt.

Homelander continued walking and finally called out, “Wouldn’t be a team meeting without you, Noir.”

He then took the elevator, mentally patting himself on the back for being such a responsible and caring leader.

Noir couldn’t help but clench his fists as he trudged back to his living quarters. With heavy steps, he slipped inside and let thoughts of Sarah soothe his rage.

 [Fifteen minutes later]

In the conference room, four superheroes waited.

Black Noir watched them, observing their small quirks and tell-tale signs. Queen Maeve had her arms crossed tightly against her chest and her foot was lightly tapping against the floor. Beside her, Starlight sat with a straight back but made herself seem small. Her eyes were lowered to the table’s surface and they often darted off to the sides. It was guilt, and Noir filed it away for later use. Finally, he moved his attention to A-Train, who appeared to be royally pissed. He swung lightly from side to side in his swivel chair, deep in thought. Lips pursed, he stared at a point on the table before him.

Noir leaned back in his chair and clasped his fingers together.

Soon, Homelander barged through the doors as arrogant as ever. He didn’t spare a glance at any of his teammates and reached the head of the table with long, purposeful strides.

Noir gave a quick glance at the others, seeing both Queen Maeve and A-Train stiffen, bracing themselves. And, well, Starlight seemed to make herself even smaller: she was afraid. Like a dog about to be beat with a stick, she seemed to curl into herself, her eyes never lifting to look at Homelander. As if sensing Noir’s attention, her eyes darted to his and he found no regret. He wondered what she had done to warrant this fear of Homelander. Sure, he was a maniac, but he’d never seen her cower this way. Starlight clenched her teeth and lowered her eyes.

It was the smallest and most fleeting of details that were the most telling, and Noir had since learned to observe them.

“Everyone,” Homelander began, “we have a few talking points we need to cover today.”

He grasped the back of his chair, leaning against it.

“First of all, as you can see, the Deep is not with us today nor will he ever be back in this Tower, I suppose.” He fixed his gaze on the superheroes before him, gauging their reactions. “We are your teammates, Starlight,” he continued, “We are your family, and we support you,” he told her directly.

She slowly met his gaze and nodded.

Noir found it to be the most ungenuine exchange he’d ever seen. Family? Bitch, please.

Satisfied by her acknowledgement, Homelander proceeded, “The Deep has been assigned to…” he trailed off, “I don’t know, somewhere in Ohio.” Upon further thought, he added with a shrug, “Never liked him anyway.”

Noir had always found The Deep of slimy character and couldn’t care less. He wanted to know how the hunt for Marianna Stacker was proceeding.

Homelander moved onto the next point, “Secondly, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the retirement of a teammate,” he paused for dramatic effect, and Noir rolled his eyes. “A-Train will be leaving us shortly,” he shook his head. “His going-away party will be coming up in the next week.”

Noir let his gaze pass over A-Train once more, noting the tension in his shoulders. It obviously wasn’t a voluntary retirement.

Homelander went on, twisting the knife, “A-Train, you will be sorely missed.”

The speedster stilled and shot a murderous side-eye at the blonde man.

Noir thought the venomous look deserved an applause.

After a few moments of silence, Homelander cleared his throat and gave A-Train a meaningful look.

“If you’ll excuse us, I need to speak with my fellow teammates about confidential information.”

Immediately, A-Train scoffed, “I’m not retired yet—”

“You are,” Homelander cut in. “You are retired, and I will not ask you to leave twice.”

In disbelief, the runner stared at the serious man. Finally, he pushed himself out of his chair and stalked out of the room.

Homelander’s serious expression broke and gave way to a wide smile.

“There,” he sighed. “Now we can talk business.”

Still standing, he paced over to the windows.

He glanced over at Black Noir, “I trust that you’re working on Stacker’s location.”

The man nodded.

“Good,” Homelander nodded to himself scanning the city below him. “I was able to gain some information on this woman down in security…,” he trailed off as he spun away from the view. “She is tall and has straight, black hair so keep your eyes open for women who fit the description.”

Black Noir almost sputtered. That was all he had. He was so pompous and arrogant that he thought this information was a breakthrough, a step forward. Stupid bitch.

After his dramatic pause, Homelander continued, “Edgar, for some unknown reason, seems to think the company she works for Vought and security is looking through employee profiles for anything suspicious—"

Queen Maeve spoke up, “So what are we supposed to do.”

For a split second, Homelander seemed put off, not expecting the interruption.

“Like I said, keep your eyes open. They may not tell us everything but we’re the backbone of this place. We know she works here, within these very walls. Whether she runs or trips up, we will catch her.”

Black Noir couldn’t help the chant in his brain. Stupid, stupid star-spangled bitch.

Homelander gazed at them, mentally weighing his next question.

“Does anyone here know of an Adam Pieters?”

The superheroes looked at each other around the table and Maeve finally cleared her throat.

“Uhm, I don’t know much, but Vought wanted him to join the Seven a while ago. Supposedly his power lies in coding, computers, technology, and things like that. He sees patterns where others don’t.”

Homelander chuckled, “Doesn’t seem like much of a power to me.” Nevertheless, he contemplated her words. “Where is this man?”

“No one knows, really. He constantly changes identity and moves around. He didn’t want the government or the market to use his hacking ability.”

Homelander seemed surprised and maybe disgusted. Noir mentally snorted. That man couldn’t recognize a moral compass if it were spelled out for him. Now, Noir had been raised to act above a moral compass, but he could recognize what it meant to others even though he didn’t necessarily abide to one himself. And Noir had come to question it, while Homelander was not bothered by such doubts.

Queen Maeve concluded her thought, “Pieters declined Vought’s offer and disappeared.”

“Well,” Homelander chuckled, “They have a pretty good lead on him and they’re planning on bringing him in to track this Marianna Stacker and any potential accomplices.”

He scanned the room and finally decided, “We will get to him first and he will tell us who she is.”

Black Noir stared at him, realizing that, indeed, the man was like a dog with a bone. If he’d continued going at it alone, there would have been nothing to worry about. The man wasn’t particularly intelligent and only saw things through his narrow, arrogant point of view. But now, Noir was growing worried.

He could keep Sarah safe by shifting the suspicion onto other characters and making sure she stayed hidden in plain view. But Adam Pieters was a variable he could not control. All Vought or Homelander would have to do was get him seated in front of a computer or the server she had hacked. No, Adam Pieters had to go.

Homelander interrupted his thoughts.

“Meeting adjourned, I need to think.”

Everyone immediately stood and headed out the door. Starlight sighed in relief and Maeve barely contained her frustration, wishing she could knock the team-leader off his pedestal. Noir was wrapped in the thought of murdering a certain tech genius. They all silently went their separate ways.

 [Late afternoon, Vought Tower]

Black Noir found himself, once again, taking the elevator up to the top floor.

Oddly, he didn’t feel the usual anticipation, the nervous energy that would build up before being assigned a new mission. No, he was on edge, barely hiding the tension.

Mr. Edgar was sharp and wouldn’t be as easily fooled as Homelander.

Stepping into the spacious office, the businessman barely lifted his head and beckoned him forward.

“Sit, Noir,” he spoke with a monotonous voice, eyes still glued to the document before him.

Once he’d finished reading it, he signed at the bottom and neatly filed it away in a drawer.

“So,” he drew out, folding his glasses and setting them on the desk, “How is your assignment proceeding?”

He slipped a blank paper and pen across the desk.

Noir quickly scribbled, Difficult. Not impossible.

Mr. Edgar watched him, almost as though he were scanning his thoughts. Noir sat stock-still, calm and collected.

“Right,” the man continued with his usual tone of voice. It was one of the man’s most peculiar aspects and let no emotion transpire. It was a deep, unwavering, monotonous voice that carried its message in a direct, clear, and unnegotiable manner. “It will not be easy. She has prepared for this and has probably been planning it for some time. She works here and is probably hiding in plain sight.”

Noir only nodded.

“Now, let’s discuss your new assignment. You,” Mr. Edgar spoke clearly, “are to stop Homelander from finding Pieters and intervening in our apprehension of Ms. Stacker.”

Immediately, Noir straightened in his seat, tilting his head only slightly to the right.

“Don’t be naïve,” Mr. Edgar clarified, “I have my ways of knowing these things and, while his speech was cute,” his eyes held a tinge of amusement, “I do not need him running around, putting holes into our operation.” He grew serious, “I will not have that overgrown child interfering with my plans.”

Mr. Edgar looked out the window before returning his attention to the hitman sat before him.

“Do you understand?”

Noir firmly nodded. He was pretty sure his boss didn’t mean for him to kill Pieters, but they did agree on keeping Homelander out of it.

“That’s good,” Mr. Edgar proceeded as though he’d given a choice and not an order. “And the girl.”

Noir perked up, suddenly unsure of what the man knew of Sarah Burns.

“I don’t mind you finding companionship,” the man fixed his gaze on him. “But if I find that she is a distraction or interferes with your work… she will be dealt with accordingly.”

At these words, Noir visibly tensed as dread churned in his stomach. He’d brought attention to her when she was supposed to blend in with everyone else. He cleared his throat, feeling himself grow hot. In the silent office, his mind ran through different scenarios. He could fool Homelander, but he wasn’t sure he could do the same with the cunning, ruthless man before him. He had channels, informers and observation skills that would focus on Sarah until he’d dug up her true backstory. Noir fidgeted slightly before stopping himself, knowing Mr. Edgar would catch onto the most minute insecurity.  

He could deny any attachment, but that could warrant suspicion. No, the cat was out the bag and distancing himself or hiding their ties would only gather more attention. He didn’t always understand his boss’s ways, but he did know him to be persistent.

No, he would be open about it, as though there were nothing to hide.

He took the pen back into hand, She is my friend, but she will not interfere with my work

Mr. Edgar carefully watched him, “Is she important to you?”

Noir didn’t hesitate to nod.

“I see,” Mr. Edgar responded gathering another file of papers he had to read and sign. “You are dismissed,” he told Noir, slipping his glasses back on.

“Oh, and Noir,” he called out. “I’d love to meet this Sarah Burns. Bring her as your plus-one to A-Train’s retirement, would you? It’ll be in two weeks, on the twenty-first.”

It was formulated as a question, but Noir knew better.

He nodded and headed out the door.

Noir felt both awake and tired, knowing how deep of a hole he was digging for himself and Sarah. He had to play nice with Homelander but secretly stop him from using Pieters to find her. At the same time, he had to find a convincing lead and show Mr. Edgar he was working towards finding Stacker, even though he would actually be setting Vought off-course.

He sighed lightly and made his way back to his quarters.

 [Five minutes later, Mr. Edgar’s office]

Mr. Edgar, who had begun flipping through papers, stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He gingerly placed the pile on the desk’s surface, taking his phone into hand.

It rang a mere two seconds before the other end picked up.

“Hello Jimmy, I want you to proceed with what we discussed. I want DNA testing to be a viable option should Pieters fall through.”

He listened in before confirming.

“Yes, Friday the twenty-first.”

The man on the other end of the line answered and fell silent.

“Excellent.”

Mr. Edgar concluded the call and fell deep into thought.

There was so much that needed to be dealt with as quickly and discreetly as possible.

Finally, he set his whirling thoughts aside and focused on the pile of papers in front of him, letting the silence of his office quiet his mind.

MASTERLIST

Tag list: @ateliefloresdaprimavera @ellejo @dust-bun @coco724 ​  @proximio-5 @damiminator @omegahighendpro @rpgluvr95 @sweetrabbitteamx @rayray1463 @mialexisrodrigues @angelocipriano @reborn-rekall

[inseongsfoxybae]

After a hard day

Pairing: Boyfriend Dawon + Female Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: Implicit mention of nudity

Words: +1,4k

Requested by @sanghyukstattoos​: Can I request a Sanghyuk fic where the reader is really exhausted after a long day of work like her feet hurt and head ache but Sanghyuk makes sure that she eats and takes care of her before he cuddles her to sleep?? Thank you so much ❤️❤️ I'm so exciteddddddd

Author’s message: Baby B!!!! I loved your request so much and it was so good and relaxing to write! I hope this lives up to your expectations and that you like it. Also, I wish it may comfort you after a long day. Thank you and I’m waiting for more ideas from your beautiful mind soon. Love you ❤️ Foxy kisses 😘

P.S: As english is not my mother language, it may contain misspelled. Also, sorry for any other mistakes :)

Synopsis: You had a long and hard day and all you need is the warmth of your boyfriend when you get home. 

look at this lil baby TT

You knew your day would be awful since you opened your eyes early in the morning and realized your alarm clock hadn't gone off and you were late for work. “Oh, shit”, you jumped out of bed and rushed to your bathroom to take a quick shower and get ready for your day. You pecked your sleepy boyfriend’s lips and ran through the door, the cold air of winter hitting your face like a slap. 

You took the first train available and used that time to drink some coffee you had bought on the street, praying not to be so late at the office. Even so, half an hour had passed when you hurried through the office entrance, spitting excuses for the threatening look your boss gave you.  

As if the delay and all the stress it caused you were not enough, some of coworkers who were part of your team made a big mistake that could compromise the project of one of your main clients. As the leader, of course you had to take full responsibility and your boss didn’t spare to humiliate you in front of all the employees who were in the room.

Your listened all his unnecessary words with your head down, nodding and accepting his false arguments against you and your time. It took you the rest of the morning and half of your lunch time to correct the errors and reverse the results, but you did it. Successfully, if you could say so. However, when you sent the new files to your boss and were about to leave to eat something, he called you to his office and gave you more “urgent” tasks.

You would complain, but then you remembered that he would definitely use your delay against you. So, you just grabbed the new folders with a lof of pages to review and started your work on them. 

It was still mid-afternoon and you were already exhausted and starving, drinking cups and cups of coffee to stay awake and focused, coming and going from meetings to spreadsheets on the computer. Fortunately, it was friday, so you could just get home later and sleep for days with your sweet boyfriend by your side. 

When you thought about him, you realized that you had barely spoken to him today and felt bad. And as if he had read your mind, your phone buzzed with a message from Dawon.

Hope you’ree having a good day at work. What about we order your favorite pizza tonight? It’s on me ^.^

You smile slightly at his cuteness, but you couldn’t answer him and felt bad again. When the time of your shift ended, you swallowed in tiredness, your head hurting like if it was cracking, all your limbs are tensed and heavy. 

You felt like crying and you didn’t want to scare Dawon with your defeated face when you got home, so you decided to take a bus to clear your mind and breath the cool air of the city through the open windows. But, to end this bad day with a golden key, there was a big accident in the middle of the avenue and the traffic was stuck. 

There were no subways stations near and a taxi wouldn’t work too, so you got off the bus and walked the rest of the way to your apartment. You weren’t too far from your place, but your thin heels shoes weren’t helping you and you felt like your feet were screaming in pain when you finally stepped in your living room. 

Dawon was sitting on the couch with a concerned expression, your pizza cooling thrown in the corner of the table. As soon as he saw you, he sighed and got up of his seat. 

“Baby, I was so worried! Why didn’t you answer my calls?”, he exclaimed, cupping your face between his small hands and looking for any type of hurting. 

“Sorry, babe, I guess my phone discharged”, you said weakly. 

Dawon looked right into your eyes and shook his head, a heavy sigh leaving his mouth. “Hard day?”.

You barely nodded, feeling tears forming in your eyes. Dawon pulled you into his arms in a strong embrace, patting your shoulders, trying to comfort you. “It’s okay now”, he whispered and kissed the side of your head. You inhaled his scent deeply, your face resting on his chest, as warm tears rolled down your tired eyes and your body relaxed into his body. 

Dawon kept hugging you for a while, both of you still standing in the middle of your living room, while it started to rain out there, its soft drops hitting your window. With you still in his arms, Dawon led the two of you to the bathroom, where he took your clothes off and joined you in a warm shower, rubbing delicately your skin and scalp. 

“Done. Now, let’s eat. I’m pretty sure you didn’t eat anything today. Am I right?”, he asked once you finished drying your hair.

“You’re right. I didn’t even have lunch and just drank coffee all day”, you confessed avoiding his eyes. You were waiting for him to complain about “you have to eat to stay healthy” or something, but Dawon just grabbed your hand and guided you to sit in your couch.

“Okay... Let me feed you till you feel like exploding”, he shouted like a hero and put a large pizza, soda and a ice cream pot right in front of you. “Gobble!”, he exclaimed excitedly and you couldn’t help laughing at him. 

He sat next to you and you both ate in silence, just some giggles and happy hums leaving your full mouths. Once you were done with eating, Dawon cleaned the table and came back to you in no time, laying you carefully on the couch while taking your feet in his hands.

“You were wearing heels all day. Your feet must be hurting”, he said softly when you looked at him confused. “Now, relax. Let me take care of my girl”, he winked and you smiled. In moments like these, you were sure Dawon was the one for you. Your boyfriend, your man, the love of your life. The one who you wanted to spend the rest of you life with. 

You could feel his small fingers gently massaging your aching feet, putting the right amount of pressure in the right places, rubbing your sole and ankles perfectly, as your eyes were closing inch by inch. 

You felt so relaxed, so spoiled, so loved, that you ignored your heavy head and gave yourself into Dawon’s touches. You were so lost in a tender bliss, that you barely made out when he took you into his strong arms and carried you to your bed, laying you softly on the matress and covering you with your thick comforter. 

You barely made out when he laid there with you, wrapping his arms around you - one arm holding your waist; the other one around your shoulders, so his hand could caress your hair slowly. You instinctively snuggled closer to his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat, as he hummed a sweet melody near your ear. 

You knew you didn’t have to tell Dawon many things about your day, you were so connected that he understood everything just by looking at you. Of course he would attentively listen to your complaints or anything else you had to tell him if you wanted, but it wasn’t necessary, and he would never press you to talk about anything if you didn’t feel like. 

For the two of you, that was enough. This was enough. Just you and him, together, sharing the same bed, having the same feelings. Dawon was always there for you just like you were always there for him, and you knew it. 

Now, here in his arms, you felt loved and protected and you didn’t want to lose this ever. Your eyes were closed for some time, but your mind was still a little clear. Enough to parted your lips slightly and whispered a lovely and sincere “I love you, Sanghyukie”. 

You couldn’t see him, but you felt him smiling before whispered back “I love you more, Y/N”.

Here inside, your mind drifted off as you feel asleep in Dawon’s arms. Out there, small drops of rain keeping hitting your window. A scenario so soft and so relaxing after a hard day. You needed this today and you’ll have this forever with Dawon by your side.

[aspiringauthorintraining]

Volleyball Actually: Scene 2

It was a cold, dreary day outside, which meant for you it was a perfect day to eat a freshly-made warm onigiri from Miya’s Onigiri. But really, everyday was a perfect day to eat at Miya’s Onigiri. And it seemed like the rest of Japan had the same idea as you, seeing the long line of customers when you walked in.

You made your way up the front of the line soon enough with the queue moving fairly quickly. When you reached the register, the girl recognized you as you took your mask off to order. And before you could even speak, she asked if you wanted your usual, to which you nodded happily. It wasn’t the first time this happened, although it was with a different worker. But with how much you visited the restaurant, you weren’t surprised the employees remembered your face. 

Holding onto your receipt with the order number, you walked over to sit down in an empty corner of the store to wait for your food. Sitting down on one of the stools, you checked your phone to see multiple text notifications. There was one from Kiyoko, wanting to make sure you were coming to the big match next week, one from Kageyama confirming your visit his team again later in the week, and some from your manager about an upcoming schedule.

A tap on your shoulder made you jump up from your seat.

“How’s my favorite customer doing?”

“’Samu!” You greeted him with a hug, surprised by his sudden appearance. 

Your friendship with Osamu had started out as a purely business relationship- customer and restaurant owner relationship to be exact. You had just moved into the city and went to the newly opened Miya Onigiri’s flagship restaurant for lunch, after seeing all the good reviews. After noticing you coming in frequently, he stroked up a conversation with you while waiting for your food one day, and the rest was history. 

“What are you doing here? You said you’d be busy this week with finalizing the opening of your new restaurant in Miyagi.”

He took a seat in the empty stool next to you. “I had to stop by today to check on the store’s inventory. And I heard you visited the team yesterday. How’d it go?”

“Great! Your onigiris were a hit with the team by the way. Thanks for the suggestion.” You shot him a thankful smile, before remembering what Hinata had texted you shortly after your visit. “Why didn’t you tell me your twin brother was also on the team?”

Osamu burst out laughing at your accusing question, putting his arms up in mock surrender when you frowned at his reaction. “‘Tsumu always needs to be knocked down a peg or two, and having a pretty girl not know who he is would have crushed his ego.”

You had thought it was a strange that there was someone with the Miya surname on the team, when looking up how many players were in the MSBY Black Jackals team. But when you had brainstormed ideas with Osamu on what food to to bring on your visit, and he didn’t mention anything, you thought it had just been a coincidence. 

“Also, last week that bastard said my onigiri was salty, so he deserved it.”

“Have either of you matured at all from high school?” You deadpanned. 

“I have, but he dumbs me down.” Osamu shrugged.

You shook your head with a sigh, not being able to imagine what it would be like to put up with two Miyas, when one was already draining your energy. Bless the Miya matriarch. 

“You know you could have just looked it up on the internet to find out.” he added.

“I wasn’t really that curious to investigate. And unlucky for you, he wasn’t even there when I went to visit anyways.” You looked to the front thinking you had heard your order number being called out.

“Well, let me know if you go visit them again. I’ll make him pay for the food next time. But you know, I am surprised you and the shorty are so close after all these years.” Osamu changed the subject, referring to your relationship with Hinata. “You weren’t even in the same year.”

You breathed a happy sigh, thinking back to your time at Karasuno. “The team, when I was in my third year, was really special. With everything we went through that year, it felt like we were one big tight-knit family. So I try to keep in touch with everybody and visit them whenever I can. And it helps that we have a big group chat with everyone that was on the team, making it a bit easier.” You smiled, thinking back to the last time you all got together- it being the Tanakas’ wedding. But even then, not everyone was able to make it due to their busy lives. “But I guess I do dote more on the first-years though. Even more so with Shoyo as of late, since he had gone to Brazil right after graduation.”

Having heard one of his workers call him over, Osamu got up as soon as you finished talking, heading over to the counter. You watched as he grabbed the bag handed to him, walking back over to you before placing the said bag in your hands.

“I told them to add an extra onigiri in there.” He informed you, sitting back down.

“Is this what it feels like to be a valued customer?” you asked, placing your hand over your heart in a dramatic fashion. “Did you know I didn’t even have to tell them my order up at the front? She knew what my usual was as soon as she saw my face.”

He smirked in response. “I think that’s rather a testament to how much you come here.”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

“With how often you come here and the amount you order when you do, I can’t help but be worried about the health of my favorite customer. I want you to live a long life ordering my onigiri, not have it be the cause of your death.”

You shrugged, brushing off his comment. “It’s healthier than other fast food options, since it doesn’t have any msg- which is good enough for me.” You looked over at the crowd of customers that had just walked in, seeing the restaurant having become even more busier than when you first came in. “I should let you get back to work.”

You got up from your seat, collecting your things after putting back on your face mask. Osamu watched you get ready to leave from his seat, when a sudden thought occurred to him.

“Oh yeah. I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” You paused your movement, waiting for him to continue. “How would you feel being the face of Miya’s Onigiri?”

“Eh?!” You reacted like he had just told you Atsumu was actually just him in a blonde wig. “Me?”

“I told you about the new location we were opening in Miyagi, yeah?” Seeing you nod, he continued explaining. “Well, I’ve been thinking about doing a celebrity endorsement, and I thought of you since you’re from the prefecture.”

You still weren’t understanding why he would ask you of all people. “Why me though?”

“Didn’t you say you were a singer?” 

“Singer? Sure. Celebrity? Not really.”

“C’mon. It’s not like we’re a super famous company either. Think of it as beneficial opportunity for the both of us.”

“I feel like it’s more beneficial on my end than yours, though.” You frowned. 

Osamu brushed off your worry. “I’d much rather work with someone who I know and trust than a random person anyways.”

Knowing it was a good opportunity for publicity, you sighed, relenting. “Well, If you’re okay with it, then I guess I am too. But,” you raised your finger, “I’ll only accept onigiri as payment. I’ll feel bad if the advertisement doesn’t help bring in any customers.” Osamu tried to argue, but you just ignored him. “I’ll give my manager your number so that y’all can work out the scheduling.”

And without giving him a chance to negotiate the deal, you waved him goodbye, scurrying out the door.

Director’s Cut: Scene 2 Part 1

“Hey, Tobio!”

“Hai, Hoshiumi-san.” Kageyama looked at his teammate, in the middle of changing into his practice clothes.

“Did you see this?” Hoshiumi showed the Adler’s setter Hinata’s picture posted the night before. “We have to be careful, Tobio. These guys might steal (Y/N) away from us! That’ll mean no more visits, no more delicious bentos, or sitting on our side of the court during matches. And worst of all, no more good luck hugs!” 

Hoshiumi started to pace back and forth around the locker room.

“Senpai said she will come visit us the day after tomorrow.” Kageyama replied with a straight face, resuming his changing.

“Who’s coming tomorrow?” The Schweiden Adler’s captain, Hirugami Fukuro, asked the two younger players, walking into the locker room.

“Captain!” Seeing his captain brought an idea to the Little Giant. “Can you convince Sachiro to come tomorrow with his dog? She likes dogs, right?” 

Kageyama nodded in response.

“(Y/N)-senpai said she’ll visit on Thursday.” Kageyama answered the confused Hirugami.

“Oh, Sachiro will definitely want to come then. He wasn’t able to come because of a midterm last time she came to visit.” Hirugami replied. 

“Who’s coming to visit?” Ushijima asked, having come back from the bathroom. He wiped his wet hands with a handkerchief, folding the wet part inwards before putting it away in his pocket. 

“(Y/N)-senpai.”

“I see.” The wing spiker nodded in understanding. “I will bring some of my tomatoes tomorrow. She mentioned she wanted to try some of them last time we talked.”

“Tomatoes? The Black Jackals can give her tomatoes too! We need something that’ll convince her to stay with us.”

“My tomatoes are of high quality. The MSBY Black Jackals will not be able to find fruit with similar quality and grade easily.” Ushijima responded in confidence.

“That’s true. (Y/N)-senpai seemed very interested when Ushijima-san mentioned his gardening to her.” Kageyama confirmed, agreeing with the ace.

“Maybe I should bring some seeds for her as well?” Ushijima asked. “You should ask her if she has fertile soil to support good seedlings.”

Hoshiumi had already left the locker room, realizing the conversation was going nowhere.

The Karasuno alumni gave him a nod, making a mental note to text his senpai after practice.

Director’s Cut: Scene 2 Part 2

You had a busy schedule the following morning, so you prepared to sleep a bit earlier than usual. Right as you were about to fall asleep, your phone pinged loudly, waking you up. Drowsily, you grabbed your phone to check who had texted you. 

Reading the text, you blinked in confusion, rubbing your eyes to see if you had read the message correctly.

Received 9:10 p.m.

From: Karasuno #9

Message: Senpai, do you have good dirt?

______

(A/N): Hoped you like Part 2! Leave a like, comment, or do whatever ^^

[chibienvychan03]

MC Learns How to Cook

No way. No how. It just could not be. You followed the recipe exactly. No short cuts. No substitutions. Yet somehow you wound up with this thing… While you would rather not waste food, you were definitely not going to it or gods forbid show it to a certain CEO/chef. You recalled the last time he witnessed your cooking.

 Victor takes one look at your latest cooking creation if it could be called one. “… Congratulations. You’ve created a new substance. I’m sure the scientists will be interested in how you managed this.”

 At this point, your eye is twitching, and you struggle to fight off the urge to strangle your boss. After all, he’s in charge of your paycheck along with everyone in your company. Think of your poor employees. Must remember them.

 “Thanks for your… suggestion. I’ll keep that in mind.” This is the last time you’ll let Victor come over before you’ve finished practicing on whatever dish you’re trying to create. You dump your creation into a container you’ve brought before cleaning up. All the while you’re purposely ignoring a certain person.

 Victor sighs a long one. He says something that you pay little attention to as you’re taking out your frustrations on the poor cookware. They won’t clean themselves after all. Once you’re finished and Victor’s kitchen is back to normal, you grab your dish and storm out of there.

 Your anger and frustration are completely apparent, and if Victor doesn’t pick up on it, well he may as well be the dummy or blind. As tempting as it is, you somehow manage to refrain from slamming the door shut. No need to owe Victor any more than you already do.

 The strange multicolored black lump had to be useful for something. The first thing that came to your mind was paperweight, but it might attract unwanted pests and would probably start rotting. Out of the question. Using it as a weapon? No. First of all Gavin would hear about it, and second you couldn’t think of anyone in your life that warranted such a treatment including Victor. At the same time, you hate wasting what was supposed to be food. Maybe it would make good fertilizer? Surely it wouldn’t kill the plants. If it did… oops?

 After taking out your frustration on the black lump, you shove the now pulverized stuff into a container and took it outside your home. You glanced around to make sure no one (or camera) was looking before you deposited your “fertilizer” onto a random bush. The leaves hid the evidence.

 Back at home, you went online and searched for available cooking classes. Even if it costs a lot of money, there was no way you were going to him and asking him for lessons. You’re already deep in debt with him. Plus that smug smirk of his even if he looked handsome wearing it. It took awhile to find a good instructor within Loveland, but you found someone who was about to start classes. When you went to register, your jaw dropped at how much, but then again, the classes were small, and they provided everything including the ingredients and apron.

 So worth it.

 You open your wallet to pay for these classes. If the teacher was anything like the reviews said, you knew this was going to be a great learning experience for you.

 On your first day there, you managed to get lost until you ran into another person who was in the same class as you. At least he knew how to get there. The two of you arrived a few minutes ahead of the class starting in spite of you getting lost. Well he didn’t. There was a total of six students. Hence the high costs, but you kept thinking how great it would be to show up Victor… not outdo him, more like show him you could do more than what he anticipated.

 Your teacher looked awfully familiar. Had you seen him somewhere? Not recalling where you had seen him frustrated you. Maybe once introductions were done, you’d remember… wait a moment, you recalled reading a name when you signed up. Why couldn’t you pull that information up? It was like your brain needed rebooting.

 “My name is Kalvin, and I’ll be your instructor for the next three months,” the guy introduced himself. That was when you realized he had many cooking videos where he showed step by step how to make quite a few dishes. Not that you were his fan or bookmarked his profile on the video website. Nope.

 As it turned out, the person who helped you find the place was name Levi. He looked like an expert when handling the knife. You, on the other hand, appeared to be drunk. Your vegetables were lopsided no matter how hard you tried. It was frustrating.

 “You’ll hurt yourself that way. It’s better to have a good grip on both the ingredient and your knife.” It was that guy. When you looked over at his station, his vegetables were perfectly cut. He picked up one of your and showed you where to position both your hand and the knife, but he didn’t cut the eggplant. Instead he handed it back to you.

 You attempted it and almost cut yourself if it weren’t for his quick reflexes. “Thanks.” On your next attempt, he helped you by moving your hand and knife where they should be in order to not cut yourself. It felt different than what you were used to, however, you managed to cut the eggplant into decent sized pieces. Not as good as certain people though a lot better than when you first started.

 Your neighbor gave you a few tips on handling a knife and returned to his station. Maybe the two of you could be friends after this or something. The other students appeared to not be the friendly type as none of them bothered to greet you during the break nor did they help you when you were struggling. At the end of class, you all made a couple edible dishes… at least yours was. When you looked at your classmates, they all looked good… and smelled good too. Sigh.

 Once you finished cleaning up your station, you found that guy waiting for you. “It’s not safe for a lady to walk alone at night.”

 What a gentleman and caring too. “Thank you for staying… and helping me out.”

 The guy shrugged it off. “Everyone has to start somewhere. Myself included. Let’s just say I have a way with knives.”

 Something told you that you didn’t want to know what he meant by that. “Whatever it is, you’re an expert with it. Me? I’m clumsy.” You walked alongside him, and he even slowed down his speed to accommodate yours. If only a certain person… then again, it wouldn’t be him and didn’t feel right.

 “It takes practice. Trust me I cut myself a lot when I first started.” Ouch. It reminded you of yourself when you first attempted to cook. Needless to say, you now kept a first aid kit and a couple of fire extinguishers in your kitchen.

 “Sounds painful.” If he wasn’t there while you practiced outside of class, you knew you’d need those bandages perhaps several.

 “Anyways if you want help practicing, let me know. I’m self-employed.” Did he just read your mind?

 “Please. I don’t want to look like a fool in front of him.” Your cheeks become a bright red.

 “You’re learning how to cook for your boyfriend?” he teased. When you glared at him, he held up his hands. “Sorry. I’ll avoid that landmine.”

 You shake your head. “We’re not dating.”

 “But you like him, otherwise, you wouldn’t be doing this.” How observant he was! Could this become any more embarrassing?

 “How can you tell?” You hesitantly ask.

 “Because there’s a guy I like.” Did he just say he liked a guy? “If that bothers you…”

 You shake your head. It didn’t bother you at all. “No, I’m just surprised since you know… a lot of people don’t admit it to someone they first meet.”

 “This guy doesn’t even know I exist… He is rather selective about what he remembers, and he cares about only one person who isn’t me.” You want to comfort and reassure him, but it’d feel a bit awkward or at least until you get to know each other.

 “So you’re hoping to win him over?”

 “The guy’s probably straight, and even if he isn’t, I probably don’t stand a chance,” your classmate sighed a long one. “But still his dietary habits are… not good for his profession. It’s physically demanding, and bad eating habits wind up with complications later on in life.”

 You began thinking of your own dietary habits and wince. His words were true. If anything, you’d at least learn how to cook healthy for yourself. “When you cook, you can control the salt, sugar, and fat contents.” He nodded his head.

 “You forgot it’s cheaper too.”

 “Yeah, easy on the wallet.” You two laugh… well his was more of a chuckle. “You want to exchange numbers?” You took out your phone and show it to him.

 “Why not?”

 After exchanging numbers, you reached the bus stop. You were about to board the bus when he started to walk away. It turned out he didn’t need the bus, but rather wanted to make sure you got on safely. This reminded you a lot of a certain cop, but he was away on a mission.

 Since you knew when classes would be held, you were able to change your work schedule to accommodate it. Anna, being supportive of your desire to learn and the fact she knew why you decided to take lessons in the first place, took charge whenever work ran late or for any sudden changes like a shoot being postponed and reports being delayed. She said it was for only three months, not three years. You decide to treat her to a well-deserved vacation once you finish your classes. Thanks to her efforts, you never missed a class.

 Also thanks to Kalvin and your friendly classmate your cooking improved by leaps and bounds. This time you could handle a knife without cutting yourself! You still needed to work on cutting the ingredients into the same size and shape, but that came with practice as they told you. Focusing on your cooking had become easier. You’re able to cook a dish without having your mind wander too far. It helped to have more than a pair of eyes watching your cooking. It was embarrassing at first being reminded to turn off the stove, lower the heat, or something else. About a third into your class, you didn’t need that many reminders which your new friends praised you for. Friends as in the teacher and the nice classmate.

 You were excited for today’s lesson. Dumplings! Two classes ago, Kalvin announced you’d be making dumplings and that you’d get to decide on which ones you wanted to make. He also needed to know as they needed to buy the ingredients for it. Once you handed in your list, you were told not to change. Otherwise you risk not having the proper ingredients for the filling. Trading ingredients was sometimes done, but not that often. Somehow with the way your classmates interacted with you, you doubted they would trade any of their ingredients with the exception of that one person. Rather than risk it, you had made a list of what you wanted to make and gave it to them last class.

 When you reach your station, you started preparing for your lesson. You glanced over to your classmates. They were all busy with their own preparations. Your only friend was already prepared and waiting for your teacher to arrive.

 “Looks like someone is in high spirits today,” he said in a casual tone, no teasing. “But it’s no surprise. We’re making dumplings, and we get to pick the filling.”

 Nodding your head, you completely agreed with him. “There’s someone I want to thank. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be able to attend every class.”

 “She covered for you?”

 “Yeah, and she volunteered for it too! She’s someone I can count on.” In fact, you thought of her more as family than an employee.

 “That certainly deserves a thank you gift.” She wasn’t the only one you plan on thanking. You also wanted to thank him for mentoring you in spite of his work even if he was his own boss. That was something the two of you had in common except he didn’t have employees. He was what they called an independent contractor or something similar to it. “What did you pick?”

 You listed off what you wanted to make much to his amusement. The ingredients were mostly the same, and the way they were cooked too. Plus you wanted to learn as much as possible. You rolled up your sleeves. “I can do this.”

 “Don’t rush yourself. We have class tomorrow and can finish it then.”

 “Yeah, but I don’t think I can keep quiet about the gift any longer.” You felt like you had drunk several mugs of espresso. “And what if they don’t like it?”

 “Have faith in yourself. Don’t forget. Failure is an option. Take it as a learning experience instead of beating yourself over it. It doesn’t do you any good ruminating on what if scenarios.”

 The way he said it, something terrible had to happen in his past and that something changed him. You weren’t close enough to ask and you doubted he would voluntarily tell you. Some things were better left unsaid as someone once said. “You’re right. I may stumble, but I get back up on my feet and move forward.” After everything that happened in your life, you had become a stronger person.

 You chat about everyday things, namely you complain about your work and unreasonable boss. Thankfully he was willing to listen to you vent. Some of his commentaries were hilarious and gave you ideas on editing certain pictures. You didn’t plan on showing anyone else, lest, they managed to make their way to that person.

 Then you noticed him looking at his watch and frown. “Our teacher is late. He’s never late. I hope he’s okay.” As soon as he mentioned it, you pulled out your phone and looked at the time. He was right. Your teacher was definitely more than late. Kalvin usually arrived there early in order to prepare for the lesson. Your lesson should have started about ten minutes ago.

 SLAM!

 You jerked in the direction of the sound with a start, heart racing. It couldn’t be Kalvin as he had never slammed a door, not while you were in class with him. Your friend didn’t appear to be affected by this as if he was used to this. Why couldn’t you be that way? But no, you had to be jittery and full of nerves. Instead of your friendly teacher, you see a taller and much thinner man make his way to where Kalvin normally stood when demonstrating to the class. It turned out your usual teacher was sick, and he was there to help as he owed Kalvin a favor. Two classes. You hoped you would be able to survive this.

 “He looks familiar,” you blurted out.

 Your teacher looked in your direction as if he heard you, and you could see his eyes widen a lot. What? He never introduced himself but launched directly into the lesson. Still you get the feeling you know him from somewhere.

 You didn’t have much time to dwell on this as your teacher instructed you to gather your ingredients from the walk-in fridge. Room temperature ingredients were already at your station, but the ones that needed to be chilled were in in the colder room. Each student had a couple bags with their names on them. You groaned upon finding yours. They had to put it just beyond your reach. Stretching out was useless as was jumping and tippy toeing.

 A hand reached over your head. You turned around to find your male friend. He was definitely taller than you, but not a whole lot. “Thanks.”

 “No problem.” When he handed them to you, you almost fall forward. Those ingredients were heavy, yet, he handled them as if they weighed nothing. “Here, let me help you.”

 You followed him out into the much warmer room and discover you were the last two to get your ingredients. Your instructor narrowed his eyes at the two of you. What was his problem? It wasn’t that long, and helping others was a good thing, not bad. Your only friend in this class, Levi, placed your ingredients at your station before heading to his.

 Mystery teacher appeared to be less than pleased by this. Now that you gave it some thought, he looked downright pissed. Was he angry or upset at you? It wasn’t like you could help being that short. Maybe your strength could be improved… okay, it needed a lot of work on it, but that took time. Gentlemen were rare and far between these days. A rare species even! Your other classmates, who happen to be all females, weren’t fond of you. Now your substitute teacher wasn’t either. You hoped he would be there for only a couple of days. There were only two nice people in the class, and one of them was absent.

 As he began explaining the method for making the filling, there was that nagging thought in the back of your head. No matter how hard you tried to kick it out, it kept returning. You knew this guy from somewhere and sometime. It was a matter of figuring out where and when. Something hit your leg. You glanced over to the only male student who nodded towards the front of the classroom.

 Oh crap. It looked like you had spaced out for a bit. Instead of being caught by the mean teacher, it was someone on your side. Phew. You focused your concentration on learning how to make those delicious dumplings. Then maybe just maybe you wouldn’t have to spend a fortune buying them at your favorite place. Yours wouldn’t be as good as theirs, but that would be akin to comparing a first-time student to an experienced teacher.

 Grumpy, your substitute teacher, moved onto filling and folding the dumplings. He showed the different techniques and dumpling presentations. While he made it look easy, you knew your first dumplings would wind up as lumps of dough with meat fillings. Easier said than done as the saying went. After Grumpy answered a few questions and showed the others again, he told you to get to work.

 Your filling turned out to be acceptable. Eating raw meat was definitely not a good idea. Grumpy taught you to take a spoonful of your filling and cooking in order to taste test it. It took a few attempts to get the seasonings right. First time you couldn’t taste anything. Second time there wasn’t enough salt. Third was too much salt so you added some extra ingredients. Third time the veggies were undercooked, but the taste was good. You mentally noted you needed to add more time in cooking the filling.

 When you looked over at the others, they were well on their way to finishing their dumplings while you were just starting the assembling portion of it. You had an extra day, but did you really want to spend it with Grumpy over there? Not really. All right, time to get marching or rather folding. You had an idea of how much to add and what to do, but your clumsy fingers kept messing up. As you thought, your dumplings looked more like blobs, tasty ones. The first few batches tended to be the practice ones. You planned on eating your failed dumplings and giving the rest to your friends. Hopefully you’d end up with more successful dumplings than failed.

 By your tenth one, you had made a little progress, but you still wouldn’t give them to your friends especially Kiki. You would never hear the end of it from her. Just as you were about to start crying, Levi came to your rescue yet again. “Need some help?”

 You nodded your head. “I can’t get them right.” The failed dumplings proved your point.

 “It’s not hard once you know a trick,” he said as he grabbed a wrapper. He then proceeded to make a dumpling, explaining every step.

 Grumpy was there for only two days. After that, you wouldn’t have to deal with him or so you thought. Through his explanation, you couldn’t help but think that you had met this person somewhere. Not only that, but his voice sounded awfully familiar, one that you heard several times. Hard as you tried, your mind couldn’t pull out a name. It frustrated you to no ends. Yet, you couldn’t put too much thought to it as your teacher appeared to be the no nonsense, get it done type.

 Making the filling was the easy part. Assembling was a different story. Your clumsy fingers kept messing up your first dumpling. At this rate, you’d need a third day to finish all the dumplings you planned on making. The others managed to get the hang of making theirs. Why did you have to be the slowest? Just as you were about to cry, your friend walked over to your station.

 “Don’t you have dumplings to make?” Your teacher glared at the guy. Where did Grumpy come from? Was he secretly a ninja or something?

 Your friend raised his hand to show he meant no harm. “We didn’t want to trouble you since you were busy helping another student.”

 “That is why I’m here,” Grumpy said, still glaring at your friend. “I’m the teacher. Got that?”

 “Understood.” Your reinforcements made a strategic retreat, leaving you to face the Grumpster by yourself. At least there were other witnesses. He wouldn’t try anything while there were others who would witness it, right?

 “What’s your problem?” Grumpy asked. That was what you wanted to ask him.

 “Err… folding it, but I think I got it!” You demonstrated your new folding technique. While it wasn’t that good, it was a lot better than your first dumplings.

 “Do it again.”

 Okay. You repeated the process. This time Grumpy made some suggestions on how to further improve your dumpling as well as speeding it up. Oh oh oh! Why didn’t you think of using that? It saved you time and effort. In spite of his cold attitude, Grumpy turned out to be a knowledgeable teacher. Yet, you kept thinking that you were supposed to know him.

 Those hours were a lot shorter than you imagined them to be. Thanks to Grumpy’s and Levi’s assistance, you were able to assemble all your dumplings, but cooking them all was a different story. Class ended. Your last batch of dumplings were not fully cooked. They needed a little more time.

 “Aren’t you going home? You’re finished.” Why was he still here when he did not have to be? He already finished his and packed them too.

 “I could, but I’m not letting you go the bus alone,” Levi stated. It reminded you of Gavin, the way he was protective of you, but more of an overprotective big brother way than someone who could be interested in you. “It’s getting late.”

 “Go home,” Grumpy said, appearing out of nowhere again. “Class is over.”

 “Sorry teacher, it’s dangerous for her to be alone at this time.” The two men seemed to be in a glaring showdown. One of them was definitely taller than the other. Was Grumpy this tall? You hadn’t noticed as you were too busy trying to make dumplings last time he came to your station.

 “I will take the young lady home,” Grumpy said in a very authoritative tone. This was too familiar.

 “You have a vehicle?”

 “What do you think? Of course, I have a vehicle. A lot safer than your motorcycle.” That arrogance and haughty tone could only be… no way.

 If he was who you thought he was, it was mind blowing. Wasn’t he already busy with TWO business? Granted one of them was a side business than full time, Still… You didn’t want to believe, but all the evidence pointed in that direction.

 You pointed your finger at him. “VICTOR!?”

 Good thing the other students already left. Otherwise, you’d make yourself look like a fool again. If Victor was in disguise, then he also didn’t want anyone to know…. Oops? You just outed him to your newest friend.

 “Took you long enough to notice, Dummy.” With that, Victor took off his disguise.

 “… I heard nothing. I saw nothing. See ya next class.” Levi didn’t appear or sound intimidated by Victor. No, it felt more on awkward being the third wheel.

 “Who is he?” Victor demanded to know as he stepped close to you, pinning you between himself and your station.

 “He’s a classmate… and a friend. Why?”

 “I don’t trust him. Stay away from him.” Victor sounded very cold and very angry. There was a look about him, something feral. It sent chills up and down your spine.

 “Are you jealous?” you blurt out. Open mouth and insert entire leg. Why stop at your foot? Why not put in your entire leg?

 “Me? Jealous? Where did you get that absurd idea?”

 You giggled, not believing him. “You’re jealous of my gay friend.”

 “Are you deaf? I’m not jealous of your what did you say?” Victor blinked in disbelief as if he couldn’t comprehend what you just told him.

 “My gay friend. Yes, Victor, he likes guys. You have a problem with it?”

 The bright blush on his cheeks spoke volumes. “No, I do not.”

 You decided to press your luck. “He’s more of an older brother to me. You know? Looks after me, helps me, and encourages me without being interested in that way.”

 “How do you know he likes guys? He could be lying.”

 You were now giving him the ‘I can’t believe I have to explain it to you,’ look. “We went to the mall to shop and look at cute guys.” Victor’s eyes widened. “Kiki and Willow came too. You can ask them. They’ll vouch for us and that my friend likes guys.”

 “You looked at ‘cute guys?’”

 “Is there anything wrong with appreciating the aesthetics of men?” Apparently those were the wrong words to say as Victor’s attitude darkened quickly. “I can’t believe I have to say this to you of all people.”

 “You—”

 You cut him off. “Just because I like how something looks doesn’t mean I love it. I like looking at art, but I’m not in love with art. I love cute animals, but I’m not in love with them. I love eating good food, but I’m not in love with them either.”

 “This appreciation is superficial?”

 “YES! If a good-looking guy is mean and nasty, I wouldn’t like him even if he paid me to.” You hoped this would drive home your point.

 Victor appeared to be distraught over something. Was it what you said? Why was he suddenly quiet? Wait a moment, did that mean you’d lose your funding? Victor wouldn’t be this petty, would he?

 “You’re heavy. Mind giving me some space?” At this point, he was practically on top of you.

 “Do you dislike me?”

 Eh?

 “Never mind.” Victor pulled away from you, not letting you answer the question he just asked. However, you weren’t about to let it drop.

 “I don’t dislike you. Sure, you give me a hard time and are annoying, but that doesn’t amount to disliking. I guess you can say I’ve gotten used to you.”

 “I’m annoying?”

 “At times, yes.”

 “When have I ever been –”

 DING! Your timer went off.

 “My dumplings are finished.” You rushed over to turn off the stove, ignoring Victor’s attempts to find out what you find annoying about him. They were finished. You began taking them out and placing them into your containers. It gave you time to think of an answer. Your mind was in overdrive trying to figure out a way to redirect his attention.

 “Are you listening?” As soon as he opened his mouth to ask, you shoved an earlier dumpling into his mouth. Why didn’t you think of this before?

 Rather than spitting it out, Victor ate it. He wasn’t the type to waste food. “Not bad… for a dummy. Why are you smiling like that?”

 “From you, that’s practically a complement,” you sounded pleased. You knew your cooking would get better, but for your first lesson, it was good.

 “What are you going to do with them?”

 You glanced over to Victor who had that look. “I’m giving them to my friends.”

 “……”

 “You’re not getting any.”

 Victor’s stance became rigid as he narrows his eyes at you and folds his arms over his chest.

 “I’m going to make more with better ingredients.”

 Victor relaxed a little. “You noticed the quality of the ingredients?”

 You laughed at his observation. “Of course, I did. I may not be an expert at cooking, but I am when it comes to tasting. Besides it should be obvious.”

 “Obvious?”

 “Cooking classes aren’t going to give you the finest ingredients… at least this level.” Done! You finished packing your dumplings. As you were about to start cleaning up, you notice Victor grabbing the pots. They still needed to be washed.

 “What are you waiting for? Get the rest.”

 Between the two of you, you cleaned up your station in no time, and Victor insisted on carrying your dumplings to his car. You wanted to split the load between you two, but he wouldn’t have any of it, saying that you were too weak to carry it. Consider it a reward for improving that much in such a short amount of time, according to him.

 “Why didn’t you come to me?”

 You blushed. “You have a large company to run and a small shop. I didn’t want to be a burden to you.”

 “What’s one more thing?”

 “Hey!” You pouted and puffed your cheeks while looking away from him. “I also wanted to surprise you with my cooking skills. Besides weren’t you encouraging me to be more self-motivated?”

 Victor appeared to be stunned for a moment. “Heh. Never thought you’d be using my own words against me. That’s a first… and it’ll be the last time.”

 “Is that a challenge?”

 “You want it to be?”

 “Bring it on, Tsundere!”

 “Dummy, I’ll make you regret saying those words.”