#I keep smiling so wide while watching this series it's just so lighthearted and sweet

[fluffs-n-stuffs]

Pokémon said bisexual rights 🫵✨✨✨

[spidernerdsblog]

Match made in Hell : Chapter Twelve

A/N : Chapter twelve is here. Ah only one more chapter left. Hope you like this chapter. Let me know what you think.

Pairing : Mob! Tom Holland x Reader

Summary : you always wanted a simple life but to be born as the daughter of a dangerous mobster turned out to be a curse for you. Everything changes when your father gets your lover killed and forcefully marries you off to another mobster as a part of a deal. You hate your father and your husband the only thing you seek is now revenge. Will you ever be able to fall in love again or this burning hatred inside you will consume you?

Warnings : fluff, pregnancy, misogyny, mention of blood, violence, language, missed typos.

SERIES MASTERLIST

“What's wrong?” Vanessa looks at you questioningly.

“I think I might have had skipped for a couple of days,” you admit, scrunching your nose.

“Can you be less vague? Cause I’m not getting it” she deadpans as you scowl at her for not getting your implication.

“Okay so I got shot a month ago I hope you remember that. I was on medication right? Well a lot of medications actually” you half shrug “so with all that going on I may or may not have forgotten to take the pills during that time and we got caught up in the moment at one time and things just happened you know”

“Well you guys are literal horndogs I have no doubt in that” she rolls her eyes “but you need to take the test” she states out to you.

“What? Now?” you looked at her stunned.

“Yes and right now” she stresses on her words.

“But I don't have any test kits at this moment” you mutter

“Then I'll ask someone to get them from the store”

“No! don’t tell anyone especially the boys” you give her a panicked look and Vanessa scoffs.

“OK relax I'll go and get it for you” saying so she left immediately. It took half an hour for Vanessa to make a trip round to the store as you waited for her in your room anxiously.

“Here” she hands you the pregnancy test kit. You nibble on to your bottom lip glancing back and forth between the box and her face.

“C'mon go on” she urged you on. You finally stood up and went inside the bathroom. Closing the door behind you let out a deep sigh taking one last glance at the box before opening it. After reading the instructions carefully you proceeded to do accordingly. When you were done you placed the stick on the marble counter and opened the door for Vanessa to come in.

“Done” you inform her.

“OK, now we wait,” she says, glancing at her watch. Five minutes appeared to be five years for you as you paced back and forth while Vanessa chewed on her nails leaning on the counter in anticipation.

“OK it’s time” she announces and you feel your heartbeat quicken. You took a deep breath and stepped forward to have a look but immediately backed off feeling anxious.

“Oh god I can't look at it” you wrap your arms around yourself.

“What?” Vanessa looks at you puzzled.

“You check it for me please I can’t” you gave her an earnest look.

“You're so dramatic” she rolls her eyes and goes to check the result and falls silent taking the test in hand.

“What? What is it?” you ask impatiently.

“Negative” she answers.

“Negative? Really?” you weren't convinced with the result as you looked at her with doubt in your eyes.

“Yeah” she confirms again.

“Oh that's a relief heh” you chuckle lightly “I told you before only it's just a stomach bug”

“You're upset that it's negative, aren’t you?” Vanessa gives you a knowing look.

“What? No I mean… yeah a little it wouldn't be bad you know but nevermind” you fiddle with your hands fumbling on your words.

“So you wanted a baby?” she raises her eyebrows questioningly.

“I mean yeah I love kids and wouldn't mind one of my own specially if it’s a cute little version of my husband running around the house on his little feet” you expressed your little desire.

“You sure?” she reasserts, raising her eyebrows as the corner of her mouth picks into a smile.

“Yeah but it doesn't matter anyways cause the test is negative as you said” you shrugged letting off the thought.

“Well then good news sissy it's actually positive” Vanessa smiles at you widely and you were taken aback.

“What?! You serious?” she nods, holding out the stick in front of you to see it yourself.

“Oh my god you bitch!” you gasp “who's dramatic now huh?” you scowl, hitting her arm lightly.

“Ow! At least I helped you figure out what you actually feel about the whole thing” she places her hands on your shoulders “congratulations sister you’re gonna have a baby!”

“I’m gonna have a baby” you repeat that to yourself. You still couldn’t believe that this was happening as you placed a hand gently over your stomach

“And I'm going to be an aunt. I’m so happy for you guys” she hugs you tightly but soon your face drops as you pull away from her with a worried expression.

“What happened? Why again the gloomy face?” Vanessa nudges you.

“I don’t want my baby to be part of this bloodshed. I have been trying to run away from this and here I’m again pushing my child right into that same hell hole” you rant with tears in your eyes.

“I think you need to first talk to Tom and then make a decision. You understand?” you nod “everything will be fine don’t worry” she pulls you in her embrace comforting you.

It was almost a week that you got to know you were pregnant but still you couldn’t break the news to Tom, you just didn’t have the nerves to do it yet.

****

You stood by the mirror glancing at your reflection though there wasn’t a visible bump but you still rubbed your hand over your belly. The thought of a life growing inside made your heart swell with warmth. Somehow you felt more livelier than you have ever been a certain glow emanating through your features. Maybe this is what people meant by pregnancy glow. You felt happy and content from inside out, you felt complete as if you had found the missing piece of your life. But you still had to tell Tom and the only person you could think of for some advice was your mom as you finally called her.

“Hi sweetie” your mother’s sweet voice comes from the other end.

“Hey mom”

“So what reminds my daughter about her old mother?” she snickers.

“Mom! you really think that I called for another favor” you grimace.

“Well you don't call much for me to think otherwise”

“C'mon mom you know my situation with dad”

“Yeah, yeah I'm just messing with you now, what’s the matter? you sound stressed” she observed.

“I... just really miss you” you sigh

“Sweetie, is everything alright?” she asks with concern.

“Yeah just wanted to hear your voice that’s all”

“I'm your mother Y/N, I can totally feel that something is bothering my little girl?”

“Mom, can I ask you something?” you say taking a deep breath.

“Anything honey”

“Were you scared when you first came to know that you were pregnant with me?”

“What?”

“I mean to say that I was totally unplanned and for my sake you had to marry that man so were you scared thinking about what your future will be in a crime family?”

“Well honestly I had little choice in that matter. I was stuck in the middle of the rivalry so in order to keep you safe I married him. But honey the day I held you in my arms all my fears went away. The only thing I know is that I can spend the rest of my life looking at you. You were never a mistake you were the best gift given to me”

“That's nice to hear” you smile

“But why after so many years you are bringing this up?”

“Nothing I just have somethings in my mind going on right now and it feels a lot” you try to shrug it off.

“Sweetie, what are you hiding from me?” she prods.

“Nothing mom I swear!” you exclaim.

“I know very well what this ‘nothing mom’ means c'mon tell me”

“Well I'm pregnant” you inform as you hear her gasp.

“What?! Oh my god I can't believe my ears, is this really true? This isn’t a prank right? Like you used to do when you were little”

“No mom it isn’t a prank” you reassure her lightly chuckling.

“Oh god I'm so happy for you honey. My little girl is going to be a mom herself? When did she grow so big?” she shrieks eyes welling up in happiness “Does Tom know?”

“Not yet” you inform.

“Not yet? Why what's wrong? Does he not want it?”

“No it’s nothing like that… actually I myself don’t know. This just happened so suddenly though I was thrilled initially but now I’m worried actually scared I-I don't think I will be a good mother. I mean my life is already a mess. I don't want to give this life to my child. They don't deserve this”

“Listen to me Y/N no one is perfect even I made mistakes too and that’s how we learn. How much ever you want to plan your life Y/N, it will always have a way of surprising you with unexpected things that will make you happier than you originally planned” she makes you understand “Tom is a nice guy I’m sure he’ll always be by your side. And I know my girl too and how much strong she is you have got this Y/N just believe in yourself and Tom”

“Thanks mom really needed to hear this from you”

“Anytime honey now take some rest and then tell everything to Tom, speak to you soon, love you”

“Love you too mom” you end the call feeling lighthearted as if a weight has been lifted off your chest. You grew up in a very dysfunctional family which made you yearn for a perfect happy family and when you have finally got it you’re not going to let anything mess it up at any cost.

****

The basement of your mansion was kind of Tom’s personal hell. He had particularly made it to held people captive for whoever dared to cross him and torture them to death. You were actually never allowed down there but today you got to join him. As you approached the room in the basement you heard screams and groans of a man in pain. Tom opened the door and you both stepped inside to find Ethan tied up in a chair beaten mercilessly barely conscious groaning in pain. His body was pale and face bruised with a black eye, nose bleeding, jaw swollen from the right temple down the cheek. Harrison was standing in front of him in a black tank top and jeans all worked up heaving in anger as you noticed his bloody knuckles. Two other lackeys were also present to help him with the interrogation.

“Haz anything so far?” Tom asks, lighting up a cigarette.

“Nothing till now this bastard won't speak up” he mutters, grabbing a fistful of Ethan’s silky black hair and tugging it harshly. Tom stalks towards him and bents down blowing the smoke on his face

“Well mate you have to speak up some or the other time” he smirks with a condescending tone.

“Over my dead body” Ethan grits under his teeth glaring at him.

“Sooner or later you are gonna end up dead anyways but not before you tell us everything you know about the rest of the viper gang”

“You think you can torture me to disclose everything” he snickers weakly “nah you have got the wrong man dude. You gotta do lot more than this”

“You know what Ethan? I'm not good with patience so the sooner you speak up the sooner you get your sweet death”

“And I think I’ve got the time of the world” he laughs tauntingly “why don’t you ask your wife to do it? Maybe she can seduce everything out of me like the pathetic whore she is” he slurs at you with a mocking tone. Tom clenches his jaw as his hands balled into tight fists and in no time he lands a punch right at his jugular as he coughs up blood.

“Watch your bloody mouth!” Tom growls, grabbing him by his collar “you really don’t know how tempted I am to cut you into pieces one by one as I watch you slowly bleed to death” he mutters, looking at him with malice in his eyes.

The scene in front of you wasn’t that pleasant though you’re used to it but with the raging pregnancy hormones everything seemed heightened for you. The room began to feel stuffy as you found it difficult to breathe adding to that the raunchy putrid smell of blood mixed with the smell of nicotine in the room swept through your nose which made your stomach churn and you tasted bile. The urge to throw up grew strong for you to hold it any longer. You grabbed your mouth, letting out a muffled "excuse me" you ran upstairs to your room.

“Y/N?” Tom lets go of Ethan and calls you back worriedly as everyone’s attention turns to you.

“You go check I can handle this” Harrison assures exchanging glances with Tom as he nodded and sprinted off to your bedroom. He finds the bathroom locked as he hears gagging noises from inside.

“Y/N, love you alright?” He knocks on the door

“Yeah I'm fine” you answer before throwing up again. When you were sure that there’s nothing left for you to throw up you stepped out of the bathroom face flushed and exhausted. Tom hastily went to hold your hand.

“Oh my god are you ok?” he gasps lightly

“Yes Tom I’m fine don’t worry” you tell him

“You don't look fine to me” he drapes a hand around your shoulders and slowly walks you towards the bed and makes you sit down.

“Tom it's ok”

“Y/N we need to go see a doctor now” he insists.

“No, no it’s fine a little rest will be enough for me”

“I’m not listening to anything, wait I-I’m calling the doctor at home only” he fumbles pulling out his phone from his pocket to make a call.

“Tom, relax! It's totally normal in the first months of pregnancy” you exclaim

“What?!” Tom frowns as your eyes go wide realizing your slip up  “Did you just say pregnancy?” he reiterates.

“Yes” you sigh standing up “I'm pregnant….with our child” you reveal placing your hand over your belly and Tom’s expression changed into a mix of shock and happiness.

“What? You're serious? You-you aren't kidding right?”

“Do I seem to be in the state of joking?” you raise your eyebrows unamused.

“Yeah, yeah right” he mumbles to himself as he processes the news and soon after excitement takes over him “Oh god Y/N this is such great news!” He lifts you up and does a little spin.

“Oh my god Tom put me down!” you squeal

“Oh I’m sorry” he puts you down “I’m just so excited. When did you get to know?”

“A week ago” you said meekly.

“And you didn't tell me? Why?” you felt a little intimidated under his questioning gaze. Even before you could say something he made his own assumption.

“Wait, you don't want this, is that why?” he looks at you with dreaded eyes

“No, No, no that's not what it is?” you shake your head vigorously in disapproval “you have got it all wrong”

“Then what is it Y/N?” he asks you softly.

“It's actually the opposite. I was just scared as it was totally unplanned and with all this going on with my father you are already tensed. I wasn’t sure how you would react” you rambled.

“Oh darling” he breathes out cupping your face gently with his broad hands “you don't know today you have made me the happiest man on this fucking world. This is everything I wanted honey. You, me and our perfect little happy family” you smiled at him as he carefully placed his hands on your belly.

“How far are you? Is everything normal? Are you both ok?” he badgered you with questions.

“I... actually thought you would come with me on my first checkup” you looked at him bashfully “it's-it's just I wanted you to be there with me if you aren't too busy”

“Of course love, no work is more important than you and my little one” he beams with joy. Tom didn’t waste a second to call at the hospital to schedule your appointment.

“Mr. and Mrs. Holland” the nurse calls out

“Yes?” you both respond standing up from your seats.

“Dr. Martin is ready to see you” she informs and leads you inside the room.

“Please lie down” she instructs and you follow by lying down on the examination chair while Tom sits on the chair beside you. The nurse then leaves the room and soon after the doctor arrives. She was a middle aged woman and looked quite experienced as she greeted you warmly.

“Hello Mrs. Holland, I’m Dr. Martin”

“Hello doctor” you smiled courteously.

“So how are you feeling today?”

“I feel fine, doctor, just a little bit tired...” you were quickly cut off by Tom

“No doctor she got really sick and nauseous the other day” he puts forth his concern.

“Morning sickness is normal at this time Mr. Holland. There’s nothing to worry about” she reassures him.

“See?” you whisper with a knowing glare. Tom still wasn’t convinced but let it go for now.

“Ready to have a first look at your baby?” she asks cheerfully as you nod, lifting your shirt up. She rubbed the cool gel on your lower stomach while Tom held your hand tightly. Then she switches the monitor on and runs the tool on your belly. A hazy black and white image appears on the screen as the room fills with the rhythmic beeping of heartbeat. You and Tom stare at the monitor in awe.

“You see right here?” the doctor points at the middle of the screen with a pen.

“Awww that's our baby” you squeeze Tom's hand gently, a stray tear of joy rolls down your cheek. Tom was himself brimming with emotions, he knelt down and kissed your forehead with adoration as you noticed London’s most feared mobster’s eyes wet.

“I can already pick the heartbeats” she reveals further as you both give her a puzzled look.

“Heartbeats? As in plural” Tom asked in shock.

“Yeah two heartbeats” she confirms “you're going to have twins Mrs. Holland” she adds. You gasped and smiled instantly feeling giddy and overwhelmed at the news.

“We're gonna have twins” you looked up at him with a sparkle in your eyes.

“Yes we are, love” a wide smile spread across his face “you gotta admit I did a really good job in there though” he whispers cockily and there he was back again in his usual self.

“Tom!” you glared, squeezing his hand tightly.

“Ow! Sorry, sorry” he chuckles when you both were interrupted as Dr Martin began to speak again.

“You are approximately 8 weeks and all parameters seem to be normal. The babies are growing fine, nothing to worry about. After 10 weeks we can identify the genders” she elucidates “But you have to be extra careful as you are a new mom and with twins. Everything will be doubled for you so maintaining a proper diet, getting a good amount of sleep is very important. No heavy lifting and most importantly no stress at all as it directly affects the babies. The expectant mother should always be happy” she advises.

“We’ll keep that in mind doc thank you so much” Tom acknowledges her.

“Well then I’ll see you on your next check up. Do you want the prints of the ultrasound?”

“Yes please” you both said together.

“Ok I’ll get it right away”

On the way back home the whole ride Tom kept rambling about how everything needed to be baby proofed and keep everything ready as if you are going to labor tomorrow itself. He even suggested that he shift your bedroom downstairs so that you don’t have to climb up the stairs. You had to literally ask him to shut up and relax that you have seven more months to go.

****

You were about to get off the bed when Tom came in with a huge tray of food.

“Good morning love” he went and sat in front placing the tray on his lap as you looked at the amount of food which was double than you usually have.

“What's all this Tom?” you ask frowning.

“Breakfast in bed”

“I can see that but is this a breakfast for a giant? What's with these enormous portions?” you pointed out.

“If I may remind you, you are now eating for three so you have to eat accordingly”

“In no way I'm going to eat that much” you stated firmly

“But darling…”

“Nope, not happening. I said no means no” you shake your head side to side “I don’t want to get fat because after a few I’m gonna be all big and round anyways and then you wouldn't look at me” your hormones getting the best of your insecurities as you rambled without much thinking.

“Hey look at me” he holds your chin between his index and thumb fingers making you look at him “you seriously think that? You. will. always. be. the prettiest woman for me do you understand?” he asks as you nod “I bet you are going to be the most beautiful mom. Our kids are lucky to have a fearless, confident woman like you as their mother” he says looking deep into your eyes “and I can’t wait to see you all big and round” he adds smiling.

“But I’m still not gonna eat all of it”

“Ok you can eat as much you can no pressure” he assures you as you take the fruit bowl in your hand and start to munch on the fruits one by one going into a deep thought.

“Now what is going on in that mind of yours?” he asks breaking you out of your thoughts.

“I think we should tell everyone I mean your mom and dad then the boys they would be thrilled to know”

“So you wanna invite them over lunch?” he offers.

“Yeah that will be really nice”

****

Tom’s family arrived on time, after lunch all of you gathered in the living room as you and Tom stood in the middle. Everyone looked at you both expectantly though Tom’s dad had a disinterested look like all times.

“Sorry for the short notice but this was kind of important and we were really excited to share this news with you” you started.

“Did the police catch your father?” Harry asks out of nowhere

“That would have been really nice but unfortunately no”

“Then what is it?” Harrison asks impatiently.

“Well….we’re pregnant” you both announce.

“What?!” everyone collectively gasped.

“Is it true?” Nikki looked between you two

“Yes mum” Tom confirms bashfully wrapping a hand around your waist and pulling you closer.

“Oh my god this is such good news” she gets up to you and takes your hands in hers “I’m so happy for you” she cradles the side of your face lovingly.

“Finally I'm going to get to see the face of my grandson, my heir. That's some good news after all huh” Tom’s dad remarks with gruff in his voice as Nikki looks at you apologetically.

“Actually dad, we're going to have twins,” Tom added.

“Well that’s good, can't wait to meet my grandsons as they’re going to take over our business in future” he said still emphasizing on having a son and honestly neither you nor Tom wanted your twins to join the mob.

“Oh dear now that’s something big” Nikki tries to lighten the mood “I remember when I was with Harry and Sam it was a lot of cravings and mood swings get ready for it Tom” she snickers as she starts to give you some helpful tips to make everything a little easier for you as this is your first time.

“Congratulations bro” Harrison goes and hugs Tom tightly.

“Thanks man”

“So I’m gonna be the godfather I assume?” he asks.

“Well we’re yet to decide that” Tom snickers.

“What? C’mon man I’m your best friend and I’m going to be the godfather, that’s final. I know Y/N is still angry at me which by the way is your fault but I’ll manage her” he states confidently

“Good luck with that,” Tom laughs. Everyone left after sometime leaving you both all by yourselves in your house. Tom turns to smiling.

“What?” you ask.

“Close your eyes,” he says.

“Why?” you look at him skeptically

“You still don’t trust me don’t you?”

“No” you quip with a smirk.

“Just close your eyes please I have something to show to you” he pouts with puppy eyes

“Okay” you close your eyes “happy?”

“Yes now come with me”

“Where are you taking me?” you ask again.

“You’ll see soon” he takes your hand and carefully guides you up the stairs. He brings you in front of a room with a large wooden door and slowly clicks the door open.

“Now open your eyes” he whispers softly into your ears. You flutter your eyes open to be awestruck as you look inside the room. It was a nursery for your twins. You looked at everything with wide eyes, two twin cribs situated in the middle with cute plushies in it, the walls painted in soft pastel gender neutral shades, the lighting of the room well coordinated making it look warm and cozy. An armchair for you to take rest.

“How is it?” Tom's voice breaks you out of your thoughts.

“Tom, it’s-it’s beautiful” you breathe out “but when did you?” you looked at him quizzical

“Well as soon as you told me I called in some favors and had this room renovated” he reveals to you.  

“It's-it's really beautiful Tom” you walked further into the room towards the cribs. Brushing your hand over the wooden railings you picked up the baby towel and rubbed it against your cheek feeling the soft texture.

“Sorry I don't have much idea about all this stuff, I just tried my best to make it as comfortable for you three. If you want anything else just tell me I'll get it done” he says scratching the back of his neck.

“Tom, it's perfect. You did a great job. I love it” you take his hand and place it over your belly “and they are gonna love it too” you reassure him.

“I installed a music system too” he adds, turning on the music as he wraps his hands around your waist and sways gently to the music “it's said that listening to calming music helps during this time”

“Someone has been busy reading I see” you tease.

“Well I just want to be there for you guys” he shrugs nonchalantly.

“Aww where did this softy come from? What did you do to my terrifying ruthless mobster husband?” you joke laughing.

“Haha very funny” he scoffs when you finally notice the lyrics of the song.

“Is this our wedding song?” you ask with a knowing smile.

“Yep”

I know you haven't made your mind up yet But I would never do you wrong I've known it from the moment that we met No doubt in my mind where you belong

“Did I ever tell you how bloody gorgeous you looked that day? Just like an angel from the heavens”

“Oh shut up!” you blushed, hitting his chest playfully.

“What? I’m serious” he laughs “couldn’t take my eyes off you”

“Well you didn’t look bad either” you snicker resting your head on his chest “that was such a long time ago isn’t it?”

“Hmm” he hums

“If anybody had told me that we will end up like this I would have never believed it at all” you chuckle at the memories of the numerous heated arguments you had with each other. But now you find solace in each other's arms.

“We have come a long way” he sighs as you feel him tense under you. Something was still bothering him, you knew it for sure.

“Wanna sit down?” you posed

“No it’s fine I’m not tired”

“Well I am pregnant with twins you know heh” he lets go of you and you go and sit on the floor near the cribs back resting against them. You pat on the empty spot beside you urging him to sit down too. He comes and sits down tilting his head on your shoulder as you run your fingers through his soft brown curls.

“I needed to say something to you” he finally lets out.

“Go on I’m listening”

“Don't mind my dad's words I don't care if they are girls or boys I just want you three to be healthy and safe” he says as you go to kiss his forehead lovingly “If you ask me personally I would be thrilled to have two mini Y/Ns” he add.

“Careful what you wish for Mr. Holland you don’t want thrice the trouble do you?” you chuckle.

“Gladly Mrs. Holland” he laughs before turning all gloomy again “do you think they would like me?”

“You are their father Tom they would always love you”

“But what if they don't? What if they hate me when they come to what kind of man their dad is and everything he has done in his life?” he rambles.

“Tom as the eldest son you didn't have a choice they would surely understand” you try your best to make him understand.

“I don't know Y/N, you know my dad wasn't that present for us. It was just us and mum. And when time came all of a sudden I was accompanying him killing people and beating them to death. I want to change that I want to be there for them, for you in every step of your life and most importantly I don’t want that life for them” he rants out.

“Honey, you wanting to do things right has already made you the best father in the world. They are gonna be so proud of their daddy” you cradle his face affectionately.

“You know what, I'm going to stop doing all the illegal trades” he blurts out.

“What do you mean?” you frown at him.

“Means no more shark loaning, extortion, gambling, contract killing everything, everything that's against the laws. I have already made a lot of enemies” he places a hand on your stomach “and I'm not gonna let them inherit this curse too. I need to cut off my ties with the underworld”

“But what about your dad I don't think he would agree with and your brothers then Harrison?”

“Dad will be angry I'm sure of that but Harrison, Sam and Harry would understand. I want to make sure that you all are safe and no more hiding skeletons in the closet” he gives you a determined look as you smile.

“Do whatever is necessary I'll always be there by your side cause I love you”

“I love you too” he says back as your lips meet softly into a chaste kiss.

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true Nothing that I wouldn't do Go to the ends of the Earth for you To make you feel my love To make you feel my love

****

You woke up the next morning hearing some commotion outside your room. You could hear Tom yelling at his men judging by the tone he was furious.

“What?!” he was shocked “how did this happen?! And what were you morons doing at that time?!”

“Sir-sir” the men stuttered in fear.

“I don't want to hear a fucking word from your mouths! Go and find him now or I'll kill you” he threatens “now get out of my sight!” meanwhile, you slip off the bed and put on your robe before stepping out of your room.

“Tom is everything alright” you ask with a worried expression.

“Oh I'm sorry darling did I wake you up? It’s nothing, go back to sleep there will be no more disturbance” he pretends to act like everything is ok.

“Tom, stop lying, what is it? What has happened?” you enquire.

“Nothing darling I promise” he tries his best to convince you but you weren’t buying any of it.

“You're not gonna tell me? fine! I'll go and find out myself” you glower at him.

“Y/N no wait you” he stops you, catching hold of your hand.

“Then tell me what it is?” you demand with a serious look on your face.

“Ethan escaped”

..................................................................................

Taglist in bio.

[ladykissingfish]

Under The Mistletoe with the Akatsuki // Part One// Konan

**This is a small “series” I’ve been working on. The concept is that it’s the holiday season, the Akatsuki has decorated accordingly, and one of the items on display is a mistletoe plant hanging in the archway between the living and dining rooms. Each member will at some point find themselves standing under it, and, as per tradition, share a kiss with the person nearest them. Each individual member will get their own post ((and I will likely post once a week)), and scenarios will be imagined with each other member kissing them. Enjoy!**

Konan

Konan stands under the little green plant, and she looks absolutely beautiful. She’s wearing a form-fitting soft velvet green dress, and her hair is adorned with several poinsettia blossoms.

Kisame

This is the hardest (and the longest) that anyone has ever seen the shark man blush before. He shuffles his feet and sounds extremely apologetic when he mutters to her that she doesn’t have to kiss him if she doesn’t want to, because “I know I’m just a freak, Konan-san.” Hearing this causes Konan to ball up her tiny fist and sock Kisame on the shoulder (which he barely feels, but still). She tells him that she doesn’t want to ever hear him say something like that again, that there’s not a single member of the Akatsuki that doesn’t have something “uniquely wonderful” about themselves, and Kisame is no different from anyone else. Still, he reiterates that she doesn’t have to if she doesn’t want to — but is interrupted when she puts her small soft hands on his face and pulls his face into a kiss ((and Kisame is much taller than her so she’ll have to raise up on her tip-toes to do this)). Kisame is so surprised that he forgets to blink or breathe, and the moment, although it only lasts a few seconds, seems to go on forever. When Konan is done, she’ll give him a warm hug and be on her way — but Kisame will stay stock-still for the longest time, until somebody (likely Itachi) finds him and snaps him out of it. Also should be noted that his blue skin stays a flushed red for quite some time, making him appear a delightful (and tease-inducing) purple.

Hidan

Will literally take his scythe and swing it at anybody nearby to clear a path when he sees Konan under the mistletoe. Grabs her around the waist and yanks her as close as possible, but ... once her face is so close, once he’s actually looking into her eyes, he freezes. She sees his sudden shyness and chuckles, and asks if he’s okay. He blushes a fierce tomato and insists that he is, that he’s done this a million times before, but Konan (or anybody else for that matter) ain’t buying it. Decides to quickly man up and kiss her; he closes his eyes and puckers and pecks in the direction of her lips, but his eyes being closed (and his coordination not being good to begin with) causes him to miss and instead kiss the bottom of her nose. But he’ll feel proud of himself regardless, and Konan will laugh at how characteristically cute he was throughout the whole ordeal. He’ll murmur a “Thank you” to her before he leaves, and when she asks why he’s thanking her, he’ll lean close and whisper into her ear that this was his first kiss. Nobody hears him say it, and Konan won’t betray his secret, simply giving his cheek a soft peck before he goes.

Deidara

“Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!” EVERYBODY chants at him when he and Konan happen to end up under the mistletoe together. He scowls and blushes; during his time in the Akatsuki, he’s come to regard this woman as being like his big sister, for God’s sake. This is the one who took care of him that time he had the flu, the only one in the house he lets experiment with his long hair. There’s no way in hell he’s going to make out with his sister; so he chooses to be humorous with it. He’ll put one of his hands on each of Konan’s cheeks, and, while the hand-mouths are giving her cute tiny little puckers, he’ll lean down and give her forehead a smacking kiss. The others are grossed out by the hand mouth thing, but Konan thinks it’s adorable. She knows that Deidara is extremely ticklish, so while his hands are occupied she’ll quickly reach down and poke his belly, which will make him yelp and scramble away. She’ll “make it up to him” later by bringing him some of the chocolate chip cookies she makes that he loves.

Kakuzu

Thinks that the whole mistletoe thing is childish and a waste of time. However the others will keep on him until he sighs and complies. He’ll lean down and quickly kiss Konan’s cheek, but as he turns to go, Hidan points out that the kiss didn’t count because “your mask was still on, douche. it has to be your lips.” Kakuzu sighs harder but nevertheless listens; he pulls down his mask just enough to expose his lips, leans down once more and kisses Konan’s other cheek this time. Konan will giggle; Kakuzu has the slightest bit of facial hair stubble that tickles her soft skin. She’ll smile and thank him, and he’ll gruffly Mm-hm, pull his mask back up, and go on to whatever task he was doing before. Later that night he’ll sit in his room, reading and smiling; it’s been a long time since he’s shared a sweet gesture of affection like a kiss, and to do so with a woman as beautiful as Konan? He can’t help but feel like he should have been charged for such a privilege.

Sasori

Never heard of the concept of kissing under the mistletoe, and, like Kakuzu, feels it to be a pointless waste of time. However he registers the look of disappointment on Konan’s face when he initially declines, and, because she’s one of the few Akatsuki members he genuinely likes, he swiftly walks up to her, and kisses her lips. There’s no pause or moment of hesitation like the others had before kissing her; to him, this is just an empty gesture, with no feeling behind it. At the end, not really knowing follow-up procedure, hel’ll actually stick out his hand for a handshake, which she’ll return, trying her hardest not to laugh at how seriously the puppet man takes everything. Later that night he’ll think really hard about the entire act of kissing, and starts thinking of ways to design puppets so that they can pass on poisons through lip contact.

Itachi

For all of the women (and surely some men) that lusted after him when he was a younger man (and in the present day), Itachi has never gotten close enough to anyone to desire something as intimate as a kiss. And kissing Konan — how would that work? Is there such a thing as a casual kiss, or should it only be done with somebody that you’re in love with? He thinks very fondly of Konan, but he’s nowhere near in love with her. Konan sees the internal struggle he goes through and gently tells him that it’s just a game, he doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to. He settles for a hug instead, which honestly to him has almost the same cosmic impact as a kiss would; this guy has been starved for affectionate touches and comfort for a criminally long time.

Zetsu

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu have a hell of a fight with each other over kissing Konan. Black Zetsu: We need to do this, we’ve never kissed a woman before! White Zetsu: But we’re not ready! This is scary! Black Zetsu: You think EVERYTHING is scary! You need to grow up and be a man! White Zetsu: But we’re not a man! We’re a plant! Eventually the two sides just give it up, and stalk back to their room. Konan breathes out a sigh of relief; she honestly didn’t trust that Zetsu wouldn’t have tried to bite her face off, should they have kissed.

Pein

Nagato would feel strange about kissing his longest-time friend, but as Pein, he knows that the others would expect him to take place in this lighthearted tradition. So he’ll quickly bend down and kiss her cheek — or try to. Konan will turn her face at the last second and he’ll end up kissing the corner of her lips. He won’t blush, but Nagato will; and out-loud Nagato will find himself muttering “Sorry, Yahiko”.

Tobi

As with Kakuzu, Hidan will be nearby and insist that Tobi take off his mask before he kisses Konan, or else it “doesn’t count”. But the situation is a bit different; everybody at some point has seen Kakuzu without his mask, but nobody has seen Tobi without his. It’s widely assumed that he has some sort of physical deformity that he’s hiding, and the others (except Hidan) are respectful of members’ personal choices. But Tobi compromises; he moves his mask just slightly to the side, which exposes his lips but nothing else. He leans in and kisses Konan, and everyone blinks, surprised. The goofy mess that they know as Tobi has disappeared. The person with his lips on Konan’s seems ... older. More experienced than ANY of them. Masterful and in-control. The expression on Konan’s face is somebody who is experiencing the best possible dream, and doesn’t wish to be woken up. Tobi eventually breaks the kiss but Konan seems unaware of this; her arms are still clutching his shoulders and her lips are still in their pucker. Tobi’s visible lips smile, and he reaches out a finger and traces it slowly across Konan’s pink petals. Then he quickly slides the mask back on all the way, and, in his signature idiotic voice, asks if there’s any more candy in the kitchen. He skips off to check, leaving Konan (and everybody else that had been watching) staring after him in confusion.

[internalsealpanic]

Cosmonauts

Summary: You always call Tim space related nicknames. No one knows why.

A/n: This is technically a follow up to Art Gallery Smile but it can be read on its own. This was posted on mobile so Idk how bad it got formatted. Will edit when I get to my laptop.

Warnings: mentions of panic attack and anxiety. No graphic detail but just in case. (Yes, I gave Tim anxiety. Fight me.)

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

“IT WAS ZOMBIE ADJACENT,” Roz protests, shoving another one of Tim’s fries into her gaping maw in a vain attempt to stop the petulant pout retching its way to her lips. You roll your eyes hard enough that your entire head follows along with their movement, taking a nibble of your own fries. Roz scowls, mouth twitching the way yours does (4 times to the left and 4 and a half times to the right) it was honestly the only way to tell that you two were related in any shape or form. 

“It wasn’t even close, you deep-fried stick of margarine,”

“It shambled, didn’t it?”

 

“So does Space Case over here when you don’t funnel enough caffeine into his system, what’s your point?” You bite out leaning back, slinging your arm over the back of the bench and over Tim’s shoulder making his breath hitch. Tim can feel his skin heat up. For once, he’s thankful for just how much Roz hordes your attention.  He’s starting to run out of excuses for the color of his cheeks. Not that you ever fell for any of it from the way you hummed every time he stammered out his excuse. 

 

Based on the way your hand flexes and not so subtly moves away, you noticed his flush but made no comment. Instead, you grin- all sharp teeth and cocksure and smug bastard- leveling your older cousin a look which roughly translated to ‘Checkmate, motherfucker’. Despite his apprehension, Tim can’t help the smile that twitched on to his lips. Your eyes flickered to him. It might just be his imagination but Tim was pretty sure he saw fondness chip away at your smug grin. Tim kind of wants to lean into your arm but instead, he leans forward pretending to pay attention hiding his smile in his hands. His face is gonna get tired from smiling too much around you. 

"It wasn't even close,"

"It was freaky looking,"

"Damn woman, you're being real judgy there,"

“Back me up here Duckie!” Roz screeches, shoulders hiking up making her look like a frazzled cat about to hiss pulling Tim away from his reverie. You roll your eyes all the way to the back of your head while Steph just snorts. Tim sighs. None of you have stopped calling him ‘Duckie’ or ‘Ducktective’ after that stint of being ‘Drake’.  Admittedly, it wasn’t his best idea but you didn’t have to laugh that hard and slap your knee. When you were done laughing, you vehemently protested the name change by wearing your precious, well-kept, one of a kind Red Robin hoodie for the duration of the ‘Drake’ thing. You had said it was to bring him back to his senses (sense of fashion).  Maybe you just wanted to fluster him. He certainly couldn’t put it past you. It worked. Oh, it definitely worked. Now, all he could think about was how nice you looked in his colors which inevitably lead him to think about how nice you would look in his shirts, in his clothes- Damn it. He’s doing it again. 

Roz clears her throat. It is loud and rough and it makes all of you wince despite the already loud atmosphere of the cafeteria. Really what does Roz expect him to say? One, Tim wasn’t fully paying attention. How could he when you two are smooshed together on a cramped cafeteria bench with you still wearing your Red Robin hoodie? Tim’s surprised he isn’t keeling over. Two- 

 

“See! Even our darling-” Tim’s brain short circuits. “Space Cadet can’t even defend your bullshit,” you laugh reaching over to Roz’s drink leaning a little too close to Tim’s face. He can almost feel the heat radiating off your skin. 

 

If I lean in just a little more, I could probably…

 

“It isn’t bullshit!”

 

“You’re right! Bullshit has more substance-”

 

“Sooooo, what’s with all the space nicknames for Tim? When do I get one?” Steph asks casually, popping another of Tim’s fries into her mouth. 

 

Has he even eaten any of his fries? It’s almost gone and he’s eaten at most one.

 

You choke making a pained noise, likely due to said carbonated drink going into your nostrils (and possibly your lungs), as you turn away. Your neck visibly red from where Tim is sitting. Based on the sparkle in Steph’s eyes, she can see it too. A manic grin spreads on Roz’s face wide enough that Tim legitimately worries that it’ll split her face wide open. A shrill sort of giggle escapes her which has you whipping your head to her direction to scowl at her. It does absolutely nothing to deter the sheer glee on her face as she sneers back to you. Some secret conversation passes between the two of you. Tim and Steph watch in slow motion as mortification creeps on to your face. 

 

Suddenly (not really), Tim’s thankful that his only sister is practically a saint. At least compared to the horror that is Roz. 

 

Actually, now that he thinks about it, you have a plethora of space-themed nicknames for him when you aren’t busy calling him whatever endearingly aggravating name Steph came up with that week. 

 

Cosmo

 

Space Case

 

Space Nuts

 

Rocket Man

Martian Manhunter

 

ET

 

Marvin (the Martian)

 

And your favorite, Cosmonaut.

 

At first, he figures it was because of his obsession love for Star Wars and Star Trek but no, that couldn’t be it since you had started calling him that long before you two ended up marathoning the entirety of Star Trek instead of working on your project. He can still remember just how engrossed you looked while watching as you hugged your knees to your chest leaning forward as you waited for the next episode to start up with bated breath. Your features highlighted by the glow of the laptop screen making it very easy for Tim to memorize the contours and angles of your expression. Yet another moment Tim really wanted to capture with a photo. You even did your mouth twitch thing without noticing.

 

 He really wanted to just keep an entire album of all the different expressions you made. Wait. That sounds weird. Does it sound weird? It probably does.

 

 Then again, maybe you called him those because of just how much of a weirdo he was. He couldn’t blame you if you did. But he found that highly unlikely. Sure, you can be mean at times (a lot of times) but you were too oblique for that. Years in customer service made sure of that. Your jabs were usually of the subtler, more needling variety. The type that makes you pause for too long.  Plus, you said every nickname with a fondness that made his heart skip a beat. It was like when you called Roz or Steph ‘Fucker’. Maybe a little warmer. Or he could just be imagining that. Probably. Hopefully not. It was hard to get the honey-sweet way you said them out of his head.

 

Maybe they were just jabs. Lighthearted one. They could have just had easily been comments on just how much he spaced out. Tim has a tendency to live in his own head and it shows especially when he’s stressed or tired or both. Sometimes he would completely shut down as a result of excess anxiety. He can still remember the number of times he had let his anxieties run rampant letting them drag him away from the moment. His breaths were too quick to back then. He felt like he was gonna faint but then you just smiled at him like you were there for him which as it turned out you were. You gently squeezed each segment of his fingers until his breaths slowed. Even when he did fully calm down, you didn’t relinquish his hand. You held them firmly in your own even as you looked entirely unsure of what to do and what to say. You didn’t whisper the usual ‘you’re ok’ or the classic ‘you’ll be fine’. No, you just sat there with him quietly. Letting his feelings ebb and flow as he needed them to. 

 

Tim really isn’t sure what he did to deserve even knowing someone like you but he would do it again and again if it meant being able to stick close to you. 

 

Roz, ever the agent of chaos, throws a conspiratorial smile around the table like a flail. You look like you’ve been hit by one.

 

“Sorry, Steph. You won’t get one,” she says glancing at you. Steph pouts before she and Tim follow Roz’s gaze expecting you to glower or snarl or get up to deck her. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. You just kind of sit there frozen and mortified with a face that simply says ‘Oh. God. This is happening.’. All you can really do is mouth a ‘fuck you’. This obviously pleases Roz. Say what you will about Roz, but there is abso-fucking-lutely no denying that she is petty as hell when it comes to revenge. Nothing is sacred to this woman. Nothing.

 

“Why’s that?” Steph asks innocently, smiling around her bendy straw also enjoying this rare chance to torment you. 

 

“I’m so glad you asked!” Roz answers her voice twisting into a horrifying facsimile of a daytime talk show host. You peel your arm away from the backrest and place your arms over your head and neck as you do in an earthquake drill bracing for impact. By the way, you were shaking, you’d think there was an actual earthquake. Your reasoning can’t be that stupid. 

 

“My dear Stephanie-” Steph scrunches her nose at the overly sweet tone Roz lathers on her name but makes no move to interrupt. “(y/n) only uses space-related nicknames for people they think are- and I quote- ‘waaaaaay outta their league’,” You let out a pained groan and Steph’s face unfurls as she lets out the loudest snort, loud enough to draw the attention of several tables around them. 

 

Tim’s mind is still reeling, still trying to process what Roz just said. 

 

Him?

 

Out of your league? 

 

Excuse him, isn’t it the other way around? 

 

What the hell? 

 

“Tim, for the love of Alfred, please unhear that,” you plead wetly, parking your head out just enough for Tim to see just how red your face has gotten. “God, please unhear it or I might just die,” Tim kind of didn’t doubt that you would. Steph somehow laughs even louder at this. Roz, not one to miss pouring salt in the wound, laughs along with her. You look like you wanted to implode out of existence.  You could certainly try but Tim seriously doubts the universe is kind enough to let you escape. 

 

Yeah, Tim’s brain has officially left the building. He’ll be back at 9 o’clock sharp tomorrow. Promise. 

 

“You mean to tell me that-” Steph chokes, unable to control her laughing fit. “-You’re telling me that you’ve been watching them pine for each other for over a year now and you just let them?!” Steph wheezes still holding her stomach.  

 

Roz looks offended and makes a whiny little noise. “Weeeell, technically I offered to wingman-”

 

“YOU WERE GONNA CHARGE ME FIFTY BUCKS,” 

 

“Hey, matchmaking is hard,”

 

“It isn’t worth fifty bucks!”

 

“You’re right! It is worth so much more,”

 

“God, I hate you,” you groan into the table. 

 

“God can’t help you now, kid,”

Tim frowns, mind backtracking to dissect the information. Apparently, his brain decided to clock back in. 

 

They knew. Even Roz ‘I don’t give a shit what you do as long as it doesn’t affect me’ Andrada, noticed. Was he that obvious?

A year? Wait. No. Over a year. They knew about this for over a year. 

Lastly, what do you mean each other?! As in mutual? Mutual pining? 

As if reading his thoughts, you ask “Wait… what do you mean each other?”

 

Roz blinks at you not entirely sure if you’re being funny. When you give her a look, she slumps back in her chair. “I’m related to a dumbass,”

 

“That you are. Speaking of dumbasses-” Steph whips her attention to Tim giving him a shit-eating grin.”-You said you were waiting for the perfect opportunity to ask (y/n) out, right?” Steph waves her hands doing jazz hands as she points at your still dumbstruck figure. She’s smiling as if she was the world’s best wingman at the moment.

 

 Tim suppresses a groan. “This isn’t exactly how I pictured it,”

 

Roz reaches into her pocket and produces a lighter. Grabbing the last of Tim’s fries and lighting it. “There. Mood lighting. Do the thing.”

 

“Ah yes, because surely the scent of burning potatoes is gonna sweep (y/n ) off their feet,”  Tim said flatly crossing his arms. He knows he’s definitely focusing on the wrong thing but as with all things it was easier to procrastinate. This is especially true when you’re afraid of the outcome.   

 

Roz huffs, waving the fry to extinguish it and muttering something about beggars and choosers. “Trust me kid that isn’t hard to do. Besides, did you not hear the part where I quoted (y/n) about you being ‘outta their league’,” You open your mouth to protest but slam it shut when Roz gives you a lopsided grin looking like she had a mountain of dirt on you which she likely did. He was definitely thankful that she has never met his family. He’s pretty sure Gotham wouldn’t survive. 

 

“How could I possibly be out of (y/n)’s league. I- I don’t- I mean- I’m not-”

 

Your body twists his way fast enough that he’s sure you either have whiplash or a twisted spine. Your eyes are set on him glowering as if he’d said something wrong. He’s pretty sure he didn’t although he did have a talent for putting his foot in his mouth. Your jaw is set tight, your teeth almost grind. He could see the tight hitch in your shoulders. He is 100% sure you’re going to deck him. 

 

“Do you want it listed alphabetically or what?”

 

“What?”

 

“Structure it like an argumentative essay. Speak nerd.” Roz instructs, earning her the full force of your glare. Your face pinches even more. Maybe this was the part where you implode. 

 

You suck in a calming breath before turning back to Tim. 

 

“Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne, you are a fucking moron, and here’s why:” Taking another breath, you turn to face him fully your cheeks reddening but you press on either from pure unadulterated spite or determination. 

 

“You quite literally co-run a multibillion-dollar corporation. You’ve been doing that since you were seventeen apparently. You know several languages and you are not only fluent but proficient. You’re well versed in an insane amount of fighting styles. You are the smartest dumbass I know-” 

“Preach!” Steph jokes. 

 

“-You can basically operate any machinery I put in front of you. I have no doubt you can Macgyver one up if you fucking wanted. You could hack into any system you want just as a joke. You could probably throw the entire global economy into the toilet just for shits and giggles. Need I go on?”

 

Tim looks at you wide-eyed and speechless. You shrink a little as he continues to gape at you but you keep looking him in the eyes daring him to refute your claims. Really what was there to say? As much as he wants to come up with something witty to snap back at you, his chest is too crowded with warmth from the absolute sincerity of your voice. He knows you didn’t set out to make him fall deeper in love with you but he feels like he’s in free fall with your gravity pulling him downwards. Tim can feel the heat rising to the tips of his ears. 

 

You shrink again, your mouth twitching. “I-” Another calming breath. “I said too much. But my point stands!” The infinitesimal gap he felt between the two of you practically vanished. Still, he could do nothing but stare. Words fail him in the most inopportune moments even when you look so desperate for any kind of response.  You swallow thickly looking like you think you’ve ruined everything when the fact was you haven’t. Quite the opposite really. Tim feels like he could take on the entirety of Gotham’s rogue gallery right now. Still, his brain was drawing a blank. 

 

“Mood,” His brain has short-circuited and is now beyond repair. His palm is in his face before he even sees your reaction. You give him an entire speech about how great he is and all he can say is ‘mood’. Looking over at Steph and seeing her phone on her hands, he can tell she’s already transcribing the events to the group chat. Well, It can’t get any worse. 

 

You giggle snort eyes slamming shut from the force of your laughter. Joy suffuses throughout your tense body, loosening your tense muscles. “Thank you for proving my point,” you say between gasps.  

 

Tim falls victim to the infectious smile spreading on your face. He feels the warmth crowding his chest grow fuzzy. 

 

Now’s your chance.  

 

Tim takes a steadying breath. He rolls his shoulder back to straighten his posture. He waits for you to calm yourself a bit. When you do, he asks as confidently as he can “Are you free this Saturday?”

 

“No,”

 

Oh crap. He knew he screwed up. He feels cold seep into his feet.  

 

You shake your head at his panic. “I work Saturday, ET,”

 

“Oh, I-”

 

“I have all of Sunday off though,” A hum of excitement spreads through his limbs. “Name your time,”

 

“9 AM?”

 

You give him a look roughly translating to ‘You aren’t going to lose sleep over a date, so help me’.

 

“11:30?” He corrects. You smile and hum seemingly making the oxygen in the atmosphere disappear. He finds that he doesn’t mind, not when he feels like he’s floating on zero gravity. 

 

-------------------------------------------------

Bonus: 

 

Steph: Tim’s a dumbass😌🙃

Damian: Thank you for stating the obvious, Brown. 

Step: 🙄 Do you wanna hear about it or not?

Dick: 👀We’re listening…

Steph: (Y/n) made this whole speech about Tim and all Tim could say was 'mood' cycgu9c8ychic8td 5d8fcouv9ygpuv

Jason: F

Duke: F

Cass: F

Babs: F

Dick: F

---------------

Thanks for reading!!!!!

Taglist:

@idkmanicantenglish, @batarella, @batarella-mini, @birdy-bat-writes, @anothertimdrakestan, @founduebitches , @lucy-roo

[kerikaaria]

If I Never Met You: Chapter 41

(Taehyung X Reader) Idol!AU, Manager!Reader

Genre: (PG13) Angst, but lots of fluff

WC: 3.6k

Warnings: None

Series Masterlist

Chapter 40 | Chapter 41 | Chapter 42

You had never seen Jin so angry. The look on his face was almost enough to make you feel absolutely terrified, even if you knew that anger wasn’t directed at you.

There was no getting past being honest with Jin after he already heard so much. So Yoongi had grabbed his arm and hurriedly dragged him into the stairwell before attempting to calm him down and explain what he had heard.

But there was apparently no calming him down.

“And you guys felt like this wasn’t important information to share?” Seokjin asked.

“We thought it was better if less people knew about it,” Taehyung replied. “There’s nothing we can do at this point, and Bang PD already told noona that he’s going to let her finish healing without anything else being asked of her.”

“That doesn’t make it any less wrong,” Seokjin agitatedly replied. “Are you just letting it slide? Not going to do anything about it?”

“If you heard about that, then didn’t you hear what I told noona?” Yoongi asked, meeting Jin’s intensity.

“I heard Y/n saying about the article’s release being intentional and done behind her back,” Jin answered. “I wasn’t close enough to make out anything before that. But frankly, I don’t care what you said, Yoongi. Something should be done about it!”

“First of all, would you just- please calm down,” Yoongi said, attempting to do the same for himself. “Don’t go waking the whole building. And you should care about what I said before that. What do you want us to do, hyung? Barge into Bang’s office, tell him how much of an injustice it was, and demand he compensate her?”

“Sure, that sounds like a great start,” Jin said, still obviously very agitated, but his voice at a reasonable volume.

“Okay, then what?” Yoongi asked. “Do you think he’s going to just admit it? Do you think there is no chance whatsoever of it affecting noona’s job? Or our own? Do you really want to risk everything you’ve worked for for years, and risk making noona losing her job, make her have to move back home? While she’s still healing?”

“He can’t just do stuff like that, though!” Jin replied incredulously.

“He’s a businessman, Jin,” you said. “He saw an opportunity to better your guys’ image and popularity and he took it.”

Your friend turned to you and furrowed his brows. “You’re not telling me right now that you’re okay with him just- just using you like that, are you?”

“Of course I’m not!” you whisper yelled, making the boys around you flinch. “It is constantly bothering me. He called me earlier today, and I felt so awkward I had no idea how to talk to him. He apologized for asking me to go to the airport to pick you guys up, but I wanted so badly for him to come clean and apologize about the article instead. I can’t tell you how much I want to just wheel right into his office and demand that he tell me what he did and why he did it, even if I already know. I want to hear it straight from his mouth, and I want him to tell me he knows he did something wrong and say he’ll never do it again. But it’s not going to happen, Jin. It’s just not.”

Letting all of the anger you’ve felt over the situation out in your rant made you feel breathless. The others remained quiet for a moment, probably unsure of how to respond to something like that.

“Yoongi is right,” you said. “It’s wrong, and he shouldn’t have done it. I’m getting more attention than I ever asked for and it’s nerve-wracking being this much in the public eye. But what good will it do to ask for an apology? It will make him aware that I know what he did, and probably wonder who else knows. I have no idea if I’d get fired, if he’ll do something to make sure that I can’t tell anyone. And I’m scared of how it could affect you guys. I needed to talk to Tae and Yoongi today because I just had a lot of emotions and wanted to confront him, but knew it wasn’t a good idea and they helped reason that with me.”

Jin chewed on the inside of his cheek while he calmed himself down. “I’m still not okay with this.”

“Neither am I,” you admitted. “But what else can we do, really? Other than hope that he decides to come clean about it on his own.”

“Hyung, please promise you won’t do anything,” Tae pleaded in a small voice. “I really wish I could too, believe me. But I just don’t think this is one of those things we can fight.”

Seokjin didn’t look any of you in the eyes while he said, “Don’t worry, I won’t. I’m sorry for exploding like that, I just-” he sighed, unable to finish his sentence.

“I know, hyung,” Yoongi said, placing a hand on Jin’s shoulder. “I felt the same when I found out. I understand.”

“Now I get why he’s acting so apologetic, though,” Seokjin said. “When he gave us permission to take a long break to take you out of the house, he just seemed odd. I couldn’t place what it was, but it was almost like he felt guilty. Which I guess could be explained by the airport, but it felt like more than that.”

“I mean, being attacked by a couple of sasaengs does make one afraid to leave the house when they’re so defenseless,” you said, laughing a little. “If I could stand on my feet and run away, that’s one thing, but I’m literally at others’ mercy like this.”

“That’s why you have us to protect you,” Tae said, smiling widely at you.

You smiled back, feeling more at ease now that you were all on the same page.

“Alright, let’s get back before someone else gets curious and eavesdrops,” Yoongi said, sending Jin a teasing look.

It was Jin who took you back to your apartment, helping you into bed. Nobody really argued when he silently decided he’d do it, figuring it would help him feel better to help you in the ways that he at least knew he could.

“I seriously can’t wait until you can start walking again,” he said as he helped you gather your covers and tuck in. “Not that it’s a burden to help you, but just because I know how frustrating it is for you.”

You chuckled. “Yeah, you and me both.”

Jin suddenly looked serious as he sat on the edge of your bed. “Y/n, you know you can always come to me for anything, right? If you need anything, I’m here for you.”

You smiled at him. “I know Jin. I promise I will. If I need to talk or just need some company or something, you’re the first person I’d go to.”

“You really are like family, you know?” he said. “It’s not just me. But you really are like a sister to me. So I want to be a good brother to you.”

“You are, Jin. I treasure your friendship. And I love being a part of this family. I would never trade any of you guys for anything.”

“Even if it meant you’d instantly be rich?”

“Absolutely,” you didn’t hesitate to answer. “I’d pick living a poor and hard life if it meant that I had the seven of you with me. I’d even be willing to be stuck in a wheelchair for life.”

Jin laughed quietly. “Well, we’re for sure going to try to not let any of that happen. But thank you, I’m sure we all feel the same.”

He gave your hand a squeeze as he leaned in to kiss your forehead before getting up and you one last ‘good night’ while he left.

You really did have such a wonderful family here.

By now it had been about two months since your injury. It could take up to six for your legs to fully heal, and with you staying entirely off your feet the hope was that you’d heal more quickly than that.

Two days after that night in the stairwell, Mrs. Kim attended your doctor appointment with you. She was really sweet and you couldn’t have been more grateful for her wanting to keep you company during this short time. It was especially a relief having someone with you when you visited the doctor. Not that you were scared of hospitals or anything, but you often had trouble remembering to ask questions and just nodded along to what the doctor told you. So someone else being there who could remember to do so was a huge help.

After an x-ray of your legs to see how the bones were healing, your doctor informed you that the healing process was going well. It would still be a little while before he recommended anything like walking, but they were at least healed enough that putting some weight on them shouldn’t have been bothersome.

To test it out, he asked you to place your feet on the floor and put a small amount of pressure on them and told you to immediately stop if you felt any pain. You found that it didn’t really hurt with just a bit of weight, but it did feel weird to do so for the first time in so long.

With the confirmation that it didn’t cause any pain, he told you that you were able to assist when people helped you in and out of your chair now. They still had to hold the majority of your weight, but walking lightly to help make it easier on them was no problem.

It was small progress, but it made you feel happy and excited, nonetheless.

After the doctor appointment, you decided you wanted to go back to the office first and let Bang and hopefully the boys know the news.

You felt nervous since this would be your first time seeing him in person since you learned about the article, at least if he was available to see you. But you felt it was important that he knew any progress in your condition and it wasn’t like you could avoid him forever. You had to see him at some point, so might as well rip the band-aid off now.

Your boss ended up not being at his office, and a quick message to Sejin let you know that the boys were practicing choreography for the concert so you headed toward the practice room in the meantime. You waited outside with Mrs. Kim, watching through the window as they practiced for Boyz With Fun. The choreography for the song was more lighthearted and didn’t need to be precise since the song was mostly for fun, but it was still very high energy.

When the song ended and didn’t restart right away, Taehyung’s mother knocked lightly on the door, not wanting to intrude without permission. It was Hoseok who came to open it, smiling brightly despite looking exhausted. “Hello eomeoni, noona. What are you guys doing here?”

“We wanted to stop and say hi,” you said. “We just came from my doctor appointment.”

“Oh, that’s right! That was today!” Hoseok sounded excited. “You can come in. We’re due for a break anyway.”

He opened the door wide, holding it while you wheeled through after Tae’s mom.

“You had your appointment today?” Namjoon asked from his spot on the floor through ragged breaths. “How’d it go?”

“My legs are healing well,” you said with a smile. “He said I can put a little bit of pressure on my feet now.”

“Really?!” Jimin asked, sitting up straight after having been laying flat on the floor.

You nodded. “No walking or anything yet, but he said I can put some weight on them to help when you guys are moving me in and out of the chair.”

“That’s great!” Tae said, smiling widely as your eyes met his. “That’s huge progress. That means your bones are healing really well.”

You smiled softly, feeling your heart skip a beat. It felt silly, but everyone seemed so enthusiastic and made it seem like it was such a big deal when it was really only just a small amount of progress.

That, and how are you supposed to not feel affected when Taehyung was staring at you like that.

“Yes, the doctor said she’s healing really well,” Mrs. Kim said. “He said she’s healing faster than they expected, almost as fast as they hoped she would. He expects it to be no more than two months, if that, until she’s able to start getting back on her feet.”

“And then you’ll be able to resume being our manager,” Jungkook said.

“Well, after I can walk again, yeah,” you said. “I can already feel how weak my legs are. They’re going to need a good amount of physical therapy before I can walk entirely unassisted.”

“But that’s still so much closer than it could have been,” Namjoon smartly added. “With how bad that fracture was, the doctor said it could have taken up to six months. But since you’ve been really good about resting your legs, I guess that helps a whole lot, huh?”

You nodded. “That’s what he said. He said he could tell that I’d been following his instructions to not put any pressure or weight on them.”

“How much longer are you boys practicing?” Mrs. Kim asked.

“Probably another hour,” Hoseok said. “We have a few things to refine, but we made a deal that if we can do the choreography with no mistakes for five runs in a row then we can go home early. I think we can do it.”

“Well, I guess I’d better go get dinner ready then, hm?” she responded. “I want to make something a little special today since we got the good news from the doctor.”

“It’s really no big deal, eomeoni,” you insisted.

“Nonsense! Every step is progress, and that’s something to celebrate.”

“I still need to let Bang know,” you said. “I might need to just call or text him to tell him.”

You could see Jin’s head turning to you out of the corner of your eye at the mention of your boss’ name. “We can tell him for you if you want,” he said.

“It’s fine.” You smiled in his direction. “I can talk to him.”

Jin took a moment to think before nodding, clearly understanding what you meant. You were okay with talking to him despite the fact that you still hadn’t quite gotten over what happened.

“Do you want to stay, noona?” Taehyung asked hesitantly. “I know you used to like to watch us practice. You could stay and go home with us?”

You turned toward his mother, about to ask her what she thought before she beat you to answering.

“That sounds like a lovely idea,” she said, smiling. “You have been wanting to get out of the house more anyway. Do you want to stay?”

“That would be nice,” you didn’t hesitate to answer. Seeing Tae’s boxy smile break out on his face at your response most certainly didn’t make your heart skip again. Not at all.

“Alright, I’ll see you back at your apartment in a little while then,” Mrs. Kim said before turning toward the door. “Take good care of her, boys!”

When she left, you wheeled yourself to the front of the room, as close to the corner as you could so you wouldn’t be in the way of their reflection.

“Do you want to sit on the floor?” Taehyung asked. “We can use our jackets to make a little seat for you, it might be more comfortable than your chair.”

You thought about it for a moment, realizing that that would help keep you more out of the way for them since your chair could be folded up as well. “If it’s not too much trouble, then sure. It’ll keep me from blocking your guys’ reflection, too.”

Taehyung’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean it like that!” he backtracked, flailing his hands around a bit.

“Whatever is more comfortable for you is more important,” Namjoon chimed in. “You’re not in the way, not at all. But if you’d prefer to sit on the floor, then it’s no trouble for us.”

You smiled at their thoughtfulness. “I know that’s not why you asked, Tae. It’s okay, it was just my own concern. But yeah, if you don’t mind I would definitely like to spend some time out of this chair.’”

“Absolutely,” Jin answered, smiling reassuringly. Everyone jumped into action, grabbing their spare jackets to pile into the corner.

You wheeled yourself away so they could work and turned to look at what they were doing. A smile slowly spread across your face as you watched them quietly discuss how to set everything out so that it was the smoothest and most comfortable they could make it.

It made your heart swell, the amount of thought and care they put into such a small task. You really didn’t know what you would do without them.

After almost everyone sat on the little pile of clothes, testing to make sure that it was comfortable enough (It was only supposed to be Jimin, but then a few of the others decided they wanted to make sure themselves, which of course made you laugh), they dispersed and you approached the makeshift seat. You locked your wheels, Taehyung approaching to help you get out. Scooching forward as usual, you internally reminded yourself that it was okay to put some weight on your feet to help him out. Especially since you were being moved to the floor, it would require a bit more maneuvering than the usual chair-to-bed or vice versa.

But when Taehyung reached out for you, he wasn’t standing in front of you and with both arms reaching underneath your arms. He instead was a little to the side, one arm wrapping around your shoulders as the other looped underneath your knees. Just as you were opening your mouth to ask what he was doing, he lifted you with ease, hands reflexively linking behind his neck to keep yourself steady.

Before you could even blink you were being held princess style, which most definitely wasn’t the standard way of picking someone up out of a wheelchair. You had to resist the urge to tuck your face into his chest to hide your embarrassment, brain working well enough to notice that that would only make things worse.  

“What are you doing?” you finally managed to ask as he knelt down next to the clothing pile to set you down. “Why’d you pick me up like that?”

“It was easier,” he answered. “Less shuffling and easier to get you sitting down.”

It felt like forever before you were finally sitting on the floor, even though it must have must have been no more than ten seconds. Once he pulled away you found yourself feeling simultaneously relieved and disappointed at the loss of his warmth.

Looking up at the others, you caught the knowing smirk and raised eyebrows on Jin’s face. You felt a sudden urge to smack the expression off of him, but of course you couldn’t exactly get up and walk.

“Comfy?” Hoseok asked, giving some of the material around you another fluff for good measure.

“Yes, it’s nice and soft. Thank you,” you said.

“Good,” he responded. “Alright, let’s get her chair folded up and get back to practice, guys!”

It was really nice to watch them practice again. It felt so normal, you could almost forget that your injury ever happened and like you were still working with your boys almost every day.

At one point, when they had just a moment in between runs through the choreography, Jimin captured a selfie of the two of you. He sent it to Sejin with what he wanted to caption it with to get it approved before saving to post on Twitter later.

It ended up being closer to two hours, rather than the one that Hobi projected, before they were perfect enough to head home early. Luckily, you weren’t picked up so intimately this time as you were helped back into your chair by Yoongi. He said he wanted to let you practice and get used to letting your feet rest on the floor and help do some of the work.

You appreciated your heart being saved from anymore palpitations today.

Even on the walk home, you felt so refreshed at even the smallest return to normalcy that you didn’t care about Jungkook wanting to push your chair for you when you’d usually insist on wheeling yourself.

Mrs. Kim’s delicious homemade dinner filled with laughter and the company of your closest friends warmed your heart even more, so by the time you got around to texting your boss if he was available and calling him when he responded, you didn’t feel even the slightest pit in your stomach as you had the previous day.

You still had quite a while to go, but everyone was right. You were making progress and despite how small, it was reason enough to be excited and celebrate. It was enough to help keep you going as you waited for the day that you could walk again, at least for now. Nothing was perfect and there were certainly more things that you needed to personally work through, but it was the little steps to be celebrated that would help you climb your way there.

After laying down for the night, you got the notification that BTS tweeted. You clicked to see a sweet but short message about how you heard good news from the doctor today, and how excited they were to have you cheering on their practice.

You fell asleep with a smile on your face and dreamt of your head pressed against a warm chest while strong arms carried you.

Series Masterlist

Chapter 40 | Chapter 41 | Chapter 42

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[notes-from-my-journal]

lover series: london boy - t.h.

A/N: And the fluff continues...

Word Count: 2.2k

I love my hometown as much as Motown, I love SoCal

And you know I love Springsteen, faded blue jeans, Tennessee whiskey

In terms of the phrase “some days are better than others” this was definitely one of the others. You felt the homesickness physically churn in your stomach, thinking of LA and the whiskey you would order at the dive bar on Friday nights to celebrate the weekend. Spending last night with Tom was really tugging at your heartstrings, because the dive bar is how you guys ended up meeting. 

“Whatcha thinking about?” he walks up in his Spider-Man suit, smirking at you. Clearly thinking that he was the one on your mind, but you wouldn’t satisfy him that quickly. 

“Home, actually.” You smile up at him. That whiskey sure would help right about now. 

“Missing it?” he questions. “A little bit. Must be nice for you to be filming in London.” 

“Yeah, it actually is. My mum and brothers are going to visit set later today. You should say hi if you, you know, you want,” he stutters the last part out as he tries to cover it with a cough. 

You smile back, equally as nervous. “That’s moving a little fast, don’t you think, Holland?” 

“They already know you basically…”

Your eyebrows furrow. “How so?”

“I may have told them about you…” 

“Tom…”

“No-not like that darling!” Darling. “I just mean, I talk about the cast and crew all the time, and they notice you in particular because you’re the crew member I talk about the most, and I-”

“Tom. It’s sweet, really.” “You think so?”

“Yes,” you chuckle. “I’d love to say hi.” 

His eyes widen. “That would be great! I’ll let you know when they’re here yeah?”

You smile and nod, hearing his name called in the distance on the set. 

“I gotta run, I’ll see you later darling!” he runs off before you can even give him your own nickname. 

It had been less than 24 hours since you had kissed and spent the night just talking about all the feelings you had kept inside for so long until you both fell asleep. You both had to be up at 5am for a 6am call time, but the adrenaline kept you energetic regardless of the three hours of sleep you had gotten. 

Watching him run off into the distance, you were glad you both admitted that “close friends” wasn’t working for you anymore. You knew that “just friends” wouldn’t work the second you met him in the dive bar in LA all those months ago, but to have it reciprocated was a new level of relief you didn’t know you’d be able to achieve. 

But something happened, I heard him laughing

I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent

six months earlier...

You had walked in with your roommates, hoping to forget about the fact you had the biggest interview of your life earlier that day and that it could make or break your career in the entertainment industry. 

The bar was slightly full, still being early in the evening, and while all the girls went to dance you decided to sit. You had a difficult time bringing yourself to dance with strangers, and sometimes sitting and watching was more relaxing and less anxiety inducing. Turning around, you see one of them already dancing with a tall, gorgeous blonde with the brightest shade of blue eyes. Score. 

“You fancy the seats more too, eh?”

And you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t the prettiest voice you had ever heard. The words rolled out of his mouth like honey, quiet and smooth and delicious. You turned towards the owner to see an even prettier set of curls on the warmest face you had come across in any bar. 

“A little bit,” you smile. He looked familiar. Why did he look familiar?

“Not ashamed to admit I love them. Dancing isn’t really my thing - unless it’s choreographed anyway. Harrison, on the other hand,” he nods towards the tall boy behind your roommate. “My roommate is entertaining him just fine I think,” you gesture towards her, giggling. 

He smiles, the kind that reaches your eyes. He sticks his hand out, “I’m Tom.” 

And then it clicks. You grab his hand, “Thought you looked familiar. I’m Y/N.” 

“Hoping you’re not going to call the paps on me. Trying to lay low tonight,” with any other guy that happened to be a hot celebrity, you would have scoffed. But he was clearly joking around, trying to be lighthearted. It was sweet. “I actually am not a superfan...I just happened to interview for crew today. For the new movie.” 

His eyes light up at the mention of work, “No way! That’s awesome. What do you do?”

You sigh, “Gaffing mostly. Nothing exciting. I really want to produce...eventually.”

“You will be sooner than you think,” he smiles. How could a stranger have more confidence in you than you had in yourself? “Tell you what. If I could just get your phone number, I’ll make sure to put a good word in and then keep you updated.” 

“Put a good word in? You barely know me!” you try to be serious, because this was your career after all, but it was Tom fucking Holland. Why would he do something like this? 

“Because you seem lovely, dedicated to your job just by the look in your eyes when you said the word ‘gaffing’,” he stops to laugh, “and it does help that you are one of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever met.” You scoff. 

Charming. 

And the rest was history. 

They say home is where the heart is

But that's not where mine lives

You were more than relieved to have your feelings towards him be out in the open, but that didn’t mean it was open to everyone else necessarily. You were starting to get distracted at work not only having Tom there, but also thinking of meeting his family? Who apparently already knew about you. 

Shaking off the stress, you continue setting lights and building equipment - something you could do mindlessly while keeping focus somewhere that wasn’t your hot coworker. 

Before you knew it, it was your lunch break. Walking back to the trailer, you feel another hand grab yours delicately. And there he is, once again grinning from ear to ear making you breathless - as if his hand grabbing yours wasn’t stressful enough. 

“Hey! The gang’s all in my trailer, wanna come over for a few?” You swallow thickly. 

You nod and try to manage a smile. “Sounds great.”

You were convinced you had blacked out during the walk to the trailer, just from pure panic. Before you knew it the nicest British family was standing in front of you, with the cutest dog ever. An adorable puppy to add to the fun? Your heart rate was definitely going to set off the Health app on your watch. 

“Darlin’, this is my mum, and my brothers - Sam, Harry, and Paddy,” Tom smiles and gestures to each member. 

“So nice to meet you Mrs. Holland,” you reach out to shake her hand, which she uses to pull you in for a delicate hug.

“Lovely to meet you darling!” This family and that damn darling. “I’m Nikki. Mrs. Holland is a little older sounding than I like,” she laughs. 

“Hi guys, nice to meet you,” you turn to the brothers. Paddy’s eyes had widened when he got a good look at you, and before you could ask why he answers.

“You really are as pretty as Tom described,” Paddy laughs with a blush. 

“Paddy!” Tom yelps. You feel your cheeks heat up. 

“I’m flattered, thank you,” you chuckle. 

“Alright, well I...have to get back to set so you guys can be on your way!” Tom hints through gritted teeth to his family. 

“Oh but my dear brother, we have no idea how to get out of here,” Harry chuckles. “Maybe she can show us the way?” he turns to you with raised eyebrows. Well. 

“Of course,” you smile. No need to be rude, no matter how nervous you were. 

Tom groans, “Please don’t embarrass me anymore. I want Y/N to like me enough to hang out with me tomorrow.” 

You whip your head around, “We’re hanging out tomorrow?”

“Might want to ask the girl out before you assume things, brother,” Sam laughs. 

“Shut up Sam! Yea-ah I was hoping I could show you around Camden Market tomorrow morning? Since it’s our day off but you don’t have to I know you probably have better things t-”

“Tom!” You interrupt. He whips his head up to look you in the eyes. They’re always pretty, but when filled with hopeful anticipation they glow more than usual. How could you say no to that?

“I’d love to. Tomorrow morning. Now let me show your family how to get out of this maze.”

You know I love a London boy

I enjoy walking Camden Market in the afternoon

The next morning Tom is at your hotel door at 9 a.m. - which is considered sleeping in to you two with your schedules - with your coffee order and a smile. Always smiling, even in the morning.

Tom was probably one of the only people that could cause you to smile in the morning. A morning person you were not. And Tom knew that. 

“Vanilla latte,” he hands you the warm cup. You sigh as it rests in your hands. Taking a sip, you close your eyes to enjoy warmth filling your body. 

“Thank you,” you smile. 

“No worries, pretty girl.” You take a pause.  

“That’s the first time I’ve heard you use something other than ‘Dah-lin’,” you giggle trying to mimic his accent. 

“Well, darling is common. I’m trying to not use common names for someone special,” he winks. Damn he was smooth. “Also that is a horrible accent!”

Okay maybe not that smooth. 

He leads you from the hotel down the streets of suburban London, people barely waking up and opening the curtains. Being up early on occasion was nice, just for the sake of the quiet and low risk of running into fans. Regardless of the time, Tom still wore his signature black hoodie when he didn’t want to be noticed. It was sweet that he wanted to hang out with you as privately as possible, and you feel your sleepiness roll off of you as you smile. 

“What’s so funny?” He chuckles. 

“Nothing’s funny. You’re just cute,” you giggle - eyes wide and hands covering your mouth after you realized what you had said. He pulls your hand away from your lips (rosy from the cold). 

He likes my American smile

“Don’t cover that smile up pretty girl” he smirks as he kisses the corner of your mouth. You could definitely get used to this. You know you’re probably making heart eyes when you realize he’s staring at you. 

Like a child when our eyes meet, darling, I fancy you

“Everything okay, Tom?” 

He smiles, but it’s not playful per usual. There’s something deeper behind it. “Yeah I just...I fancy you.”

The moment is ruined when you start laughing. He rolls his eyes. 

“I was trying to be romantic!” 

“That was the most British thing you’ve ever said, I’m sorry!” You attempt to stop laughing while he pouts at you, eventually calming down and kissing his cheek. “I fancy you too, dah-lin,” you giggle. 

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” 

Took me back to Highgate, met all of his best mates

So I guess all the rumors are true

A few nights later, Tom asked you to come to dinner so he could catch up with his best friend, Harrison, near his suburban hometown a few miles away from set. You reluctantly agreed, hoping that it wouldn’t be too weird (unlikely for you and your social skills) but after realizing Harrison was the tall blonde from all those months ago at the club, your heart rate steadied a bit. 

You went to the diner Tom and Harrison would go to when they were younger, and you were surprised at how easy the conversation flowed. By the end of the night, you and Harrison were laughing about how your roommate ghosted him and how much you loved pancakes. 

“Guys I’m literally right here,” Tom rolls his eyes. 

“I think I might like Haz more, babe,” you laugh. Harrison doesn’t say anything when he notices the pet name, he just smiles and feels confident that you would be around for a long time. 

The next morning, paparazzi photos of you three in the diner show up along with you and Tom leaving together. He drinks his tea and slams his phone on the table in his trailer. 

“Fucking hell! I can’t get any privacy even in the suburbs,” he groans. Your eyes soften with empathy. Walking over to where he was sitting you try to calm him down. You grab his hands and kiss his knuckles. He glances at you, and the anger slowly dissipates. 

“It’s okay. At least they’re not rumors right? We really are seeing each other,” you try to amuse him. He lets out a dry chuckle. 

“I guess you’re right. Thank you, pretty girl,” his smile returns and he kisses you gently while you keep your grip on both of his hands. 

“Hey Tom?” 

You know I love a London boy

Boy, I fancy you

“Yeah baby?” 

“I fancy you,” you smile.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Erin/Gerald Arc 2 Part 13

Next part to the series! So I’ve been thinking, what about a title like “Restricted Magic”? Open to other suggestions, If I think of any other ones I’ll post them too. 

Link to Masterpost here.

Erin came to visit the practice field early the next day. She was expecting to find a quiet scene Gerald and Frederick diligently training. That was most definitely not the case.

Gerald stood tall, his face impassive, his arms crossed. Isabelle was close next to him, clutching some sort of box, sobbing uncontrollably. Richard, his brother was shouting while pointing a finger in the other boy’s face. All of this was being spectated by Frederick, who stood off to the side with a malicious grin while eating snacks. Erin approached him first; taking a handful of the salted treats and watched alongside him.

“What happened?” She asked quietly, staring at the dramatic scene before them.

 “You missed the best part!”  Frederick laughed. “Let me catch you up to speed: We were minding our own business, when the little psychotic princess comes over and offers Gerald some homemade food or whatever.” He raised an eyebrow as he glanced over at Erin. “Did you know she was trying to move in on your territory? Anyways, Gerald says ‘No, you stupid cow, screw off!’ like any respectable boyfriend would, although he was disappointingly much more polite about it.”

Erin was starting to get a headache. “And Richard?”

“I’m getting to it! Shush! So psycho starts sobbing about how Gerald doesn’t love her anymore and who would show up but her current fiancé!” He chuckled, his eyes flashing with delight. “Just too delightful. Now he’s shouting and here we are. Let’s listen.” He offered the bag over to Erin and she grabbed another handful, chewing quietly as they continued to watch the drama.

“Stay away from my fiancé!” Richard was spitting with rage.

Gerald sighed. “I don’t want your fiancé. You may or may not have noticed, but I have zero interest in that girl. I’m currently courting someone else!”

Isabelle sobbed louder. Richard turned to her irritably. “What are you crying about? You aren’t even engaged to Gerald anymore! Why were you trying to make him food in the first place?” Isabelle ignored him, continuing to look miserable.

“And Gerald! You may think that just because you found a girl that our parents approve of that you have a chance at the throne, but I have made my own plans, my own deals. I will be king, Gerald, NO MATTER WHAT!” With that, he grabbed his fiancé’s hand and stomped away.

“…” Gerald stared silently after them, frowning uncomfortably.

“Aww… just when it was starting to get interesting.” Frederick complained to Erin.

“Erin!” The frown melted away when Gerald saw her, his whole face lighting up with happiness. “You came by!”

“Thought I would drop in and check on how your practice was going.” She smiled. “Sorry, didn’t bring any homemade food to woo you with.”

Gerald shuddered. “Don’t know what that girl is thinking. She made it very clear she had no interest when she left me for my brother.”

“Maybe she has regrets?”

“Too bad, I don’t.” He reached out and hugged her, the embrace stretching out, as both were reluctant to let go.

“…” Frederick coughed uncomfortably. “Guys, do you want me to leave?”

They broke apart, laughing, both faces turning red. “Well, um… yeah… I’ll let you two get back to practice.” Erin looked back at Gerald one last time, grinning. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

Gerald spread his hands wide and shrugged. “Of course, I will be just fine, I promise.”

Frederick groaned. “Idiot, now you’re definitely going to die.”

“Shut up!”

The boys went back to fighting each other, and Erin walked away, the lighthearted conversation doing nothing to dispel the heavy feeling in her chest. Part of her wished that morning wouldn’t come.

Despite her wishes, the next day came and the tournament started. After introduction of the candidates, the fights for the first round were started. Erin stood on the sidelines, watching the arena before her, twisting her hands together. No matter how many fights she faced back when she was “worthless” even when she knew she was going to get hurt, it never scared her, never worried her. This feeling, this uncertainty as she watched Gerald prepare for his fights was new, foreign. It ate at her insides, making her wish she could do something, anything. Even screaming with frustration would be better than this silent stillness. As she was thinking this, however, a small hand reached out, grabbing her own. Startled, she looked down, smiling back at the cheerful face looking up at her.

“Maddie, are you here to watch your brother fight?”

The younger girl nodded. “Yep! At first he didn’t want me to watch, he was worried I’d be scared, but when I told him I would stay with you he said it was okay.”

“Aww, that’s sweet.”

“He also said to try to keep roping you in with being cute so that you want to be my sister and agree to marry him.”

“…” Erin stared blankly at Maddie’s guileless expression, before shaking her head slowly. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Frederick’s fight is starting!” Olivia pointed down at the arena. “Looks like he got one of the Royal academy guys, I don’t recognize him.���

Frederick and a similarly sized boy were circling each other, their hands out in a defensive posture. Frederick was uncharacteristically serious, as his eyes studied his opponent for a weak point.

“Ooh, I hope he gets pounded into the ground!” Olivia clapped her hands.

Erin felt she had to point out the flaw in that goal. “Olivia, he’s on our team. If he loses we lose too.”

“Not really.” Olivia shrugged. “We still have Gerald. Points are given to the top three spots. Right now after the first round, we’re in first with 3 points, Royal academy is second with 2, Merion is in third with 1, and the Sionelle Military Academy is last with 0 points.”

“Well, magical theory is not exactly the military student’s strong category.”

“Sure, they tend to dominate the combat oriented competitions, so they’ll make a comeback. We just have to stay in the top and consistently win points and we’ll keep up.“

Cheers directed their attention back down to the fight. Frederick had seized the other boy’s arm after a poorly attempted attack and threw him over his shoulder. As he landed with loud thump, the Royal Academy contestant found himself in a strangle hold and tapped out, leaving Frederick the winner.

He stood up and pumped his fist victoriously, wiping the sweat from his face as he returned to the bench where Gerald sat. Erin cheered loudly and gave him a thumbs up when the boy glanced in her direction. He grinned and returned the gesture.

“Oh well, I guess it’s good to win.” Olivia sighed loudly.

“Did I miss it?!” Catherine rushed to the sidelines next to them, bending over to catch her breath.

“Not yet!” Maddie let out a squeal of delight and threw herself at her older sister. “There’s still one more fight before Gerald comes on.”

In the arena below, two young men were already locked in combat. With a small shock, Erin recognized the representative from the military academy. It was Walter, the lackey of her father’s who she had lost to before leaving for the tournament. He was smiling viciously, obviously toying with his opponent, letting the other boy tire himself out before reaching out and casually breaking his arm.

The contestant from Merion Academy paled, and reached out with his good arm to tap out, but before he could, a foot stomped down on his hand, crushing it. Walter laughed at his opponent’s cry of pain, and began kicking the boy repeatedly, until the referee stepped in, indicating the Merion representative was too injured to continue. 

Erin’s heart hurt. Growing up at her father’s side, she was used to such violent scenes, but now she imagined Gerald in the ring with this man… She gripped Maddie’s hand tightly, and the younger girl patted her arm to comfort her.

“Don’t worry Erin, he’ll be okay. I made sure of it!”

Erin smiled despite her worries. “How did you do that.”

“A good luck charm!” She winked, causing group to chuckle. The staff drug the unconscious boy off the arena grounds for healing, and quickly cleaned for the next round.

“It’s Gerald’s fight next!” Maddie jumped up and down with excitement.

Erin watched silently, clenching her free hand into a fist at her side. Gerald was waiting with a patient grin, watching his opponent draw closer. Seeing the black sash, Erin frowned with worry.

“It’s the other Military Academy representative.”

The boy was about the same height as Gerald, but seemed to outweigh him quite a bit, all of it muscle. It didn’t seem to bother the prince though, as he reached out and shook his opponent’s hand with a casual gesture. At the movement, Erin caught sight of a silver bracelet around Gerald’s wrist and was distracted.

“What is that he’s wearing?”

Maddie hugged Erin, staring down at the fight with an expectant expression. “It’s the good luck charm I gave him!”

“Oh.” Feeling slightly reassured, she continued to watch as the two young men circled each other. The military academy student made several attacks, but Gerald was obviously the faster of the two, slipping just beyond his reach with each attempt.

“Does he look okay?” Erin muttered, wondering if she was just being paranoid. Gerald’s face seemed paler than normal, his eyes darting around the arena as if distracted by something else. He mistimed a dodge, having his arm grabbed by the military academy representative. The larger boy grinned, trying to throw him to the ground, but Gerald moved with the momentum of the throw, putting him off balance. He slipped behind his opponent, the large arm now within his grasp instead of the other way around, and kicked out his legs, knocking him to the ground. Gerald sat on him, trying to hold him down with his weight. Struggling to escape, the military student didn’t stop moving until Gerald adjusted his grip and threatened to break his arm. Slowly, angrily, the boy reached over and tapped out, ending the fight.

Erin cheered loudly, joined by his two sisters and Olivia as Gerald returned to the St. Julienne’s bench. Her cheers quieted, then slowed and stopped as she took in Gerald’s shaking hands, his pale features. He rubbed his eyes repeatedly, blinking as if to clear something from his vision. Looking slightly dazed, he finally looked up and met Erin’s gaze, and gave her a brilliant smile.

Are you okay? She mouthed, exaggeratedly, hoping he would understand.

He nodded, and mouthed back Marry me?

She laughed, hoping that meant he was doing better than he looked.

“I saw that.” Catherine sounded amused. “He’s nothing if not determined.”

“I don’t mind.” Erin answered without thinking.

“…” Catherine, Olivia and even Maddie turned and stared open mouthed at her. Erin finally realized that it sounded as if she wanted him to propose and tried to explain awkwardly.

“I- I mean..um… no”

Catherine laughed, and hugged Erin tightly. “It’s okay. Take your time. There’s no rush.”

Maddie joined in. “Just make sure to marry him, okay?”

Everyone laughed, and continued talking, almost missing the fourth fight. Finally Olivia commented. “Isn’t Richard you two’s brother too?”

They both looked down, as if just realizing that their blood relation was currently in a physical struggle below.

“He hates me. Says I’m worthless because I don’t have powers.” Maddie frowned.

Catherine rested a comforting hand on the little girl’s head. “He lead the calls to have the position of crown princess stripped from me when I became engaged to my darling. He cares about nothing but being strong and political power.”

“Not that we want anything bad to happen to him.” Maddie added quickly, her face upset. “I just don’t want him to win.”

Olivia shrugged. “Fair enough.”

Erin didn’t comment watching as Richard quickly dispatched the second representative from Merion Magical Academy. She remembered the anger on his face as he assured Gerald he would never be king. She didn’t trust him.

Richard won his fight, starting the second round of the tournament. Frederick looked pale as he stepped up, staring at his next opponent from the military academy: Walter.

“Try not to die!” Olivia called out as he reached out and shook the other boy’s hand, wincing at the tight grip.

“Thanks for the tip.” Frederick muttered the answer, but it was clearly audible throughout the arena, making the audience chuckle.

The two circled around the arena, but it wasn’t long before Walter charged forward, his arms out. Frederick ducked and rolled, but the other boy was faster. Like a striking snake, his arm flashed forward, grasping Frederick’s ankle. His other fist came down towards Frederick’s chest, and Erin winced, remembering how badly Walter’s first opponent had been hurt before the referee stepped in.

“I concede!” Frederick shouted at the top of his lungs, surprising everyone.

Walter’s fist halted, millimeters from Frederick’s body. The young man’s face was twisted in rage, caught in a thwarted act of violence that he could no longer follow through on. Obviously struggling, he stepped backwards, his hands clenched in tight fists beside him.

Standing up, Frederick waved cheerfully at his opponent and the judges before returning to his seat. Several of the audience members booed him as a coward, but most saw the intelligence of his quick decision. He was obviously outmatched by the larger boy, and Walter was not the type to stop until he had fully incapacitated his opponent.

Again Erin gave Fredrick a thumbs up and he struck a victorious pose, causing her to laugh.

“He looks awful happy for someone who just lost.” Olivia muttered.

“He’s relieved he’s still alive.” Erin answered calmly, her heart starting to beat faster once she realized Gerald’s second fight was next.

Richard and Gerald stepped onto the arena, eying each other carefully. They did not reach out and shake hands, ignoring the referee’s instructions to do so. Erin leaned forward, her hands grabbing the railing that separated her from the arena so tightly that it was painful. Gerald… he didn’t look right. His eyes were unfocused, he was jumping slightly as if reacting to things that were in the periphery of his vision, despite it being only him and Richard in the arena. The two circled around, but he already was swaying on his feet as if dizzy.

Erin felt as if her chest was being stabbed. A slowly dawning horror was coming over her as she stared at him.

“Maddie.” She asked slowly and calmly, not wanting to scare the younger girl. “Where did you get that ‘good luck charm’ from?” Maddie was watching the fight cheerfully, and absentmindedly replied. “I found it outside my room this morning.”

The other three turned towards her and stared. She looked up, her smile fading slightly. “It had a note that said it was a lucky charm. I wanted Gerald to win so I gave it to him this morning.” Her brows furrowed, and worried, she asked. “Did I do something bad?”

Catherine hugged the girl tightly, her face grim. “It’s not your fault, sweetie. We’ll take care of this.”

“It must be some kind of artifact, maybe mental reinforcement or illusion type.” Olivia muttered staring over at Erin with concern.

Erin’s mind was blank with horror, she heard cheering and turned back towards the fighting grounds just in time to see Richard’s elbow striking Gerald in the face, breaking his nose and spraying blood.  Gerald fell to his knees, but jumped back to his feet, his eyes unfocused and nearly closed. His opponent didn’t let the chance go by, blows rained down on the injured prince’s head and face, knocking him to the ground. Gerald raised a weak hand, trying to tap out, only to be kicked in the head and have it fall uselessly next to him.

It all happened in the space of a few seconds.

A coldness took over Erin, as she saw Gerald’s eyes close, his hands fall. Someone was holding onto her arm, talking in her ear, but she ignored them. Grabbing Olivia, she jumped to the ground with the assistance of wind magic, landing at his side lightly. Olivia knelt next to Gerald’s fallen form but Erin continued standing, studying him from a far. His familiar features, crushed and broken and stained with blood. Swelling around his eyes, forcing them closed. His hands were angled wrong, he had broken them trying to protect his head. Cracked ribs, lacerations, bruises, obvious fractures, her brain categorized them all with a detachment, filing them away in the back of her mind. Someone was screaming and idly she wondered if it was her.

She looked around, Richard had already run back to his side, hidden behind his fellow students and staff. One Royal Academy student, however, stuck out like a sore thumb:

Isabelle.

Her face pale she stared at Gerald with a terrible expression. Not the exultant look of a victor, not the concern of someone who cared… it was the terror of the guilty.

Erin smiled, the expression feeling unnatural on her face. Isabelle, catching sight of her, abandoned all pretenses of innocence and started running away.

“Heal him.” Erin started walking calmly in the direction that the girl had fled.

“What are you…?” Olivia started to ask, but paused at the sight of her face.

“Save him.” Erin kept walking, her eyes never leaving her prey. “Save me.”

She didn’t hear Olivia’s reply. She called the wind, enhanced her muscles, and was gone before her words had faded from the air.

Isabelle ran into the forest, the only sounds around her were the stomping of her feet against the ground, her ragged breaths escaping from her as her lungs burned for more air. She wanted to glance behind her to see if there was anyone there, but instead she kept running. She didn’t want to know if that girl was behind her.

She hadn’t expected things to end like this, they had tricked her! As she cursed the circumstances that led her into this predicament, tears ran down her face, her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

When she had seen Gerald fall, she thought she was afraid. She was scared of getting caught, of losing her reputation, of getting punished. But these were small, childish feelings next to the pure unadulterated terror that filled her when she met eyes with the girl who stood with Gerald.

Isabelle had never seen eyes like that before, but even so, she knew what that look meant.

That was the look of death.

Something snagged her ankle, tripping her to the ground. Falling on her face, wiping the dirt from her eyes, she turned only to see her foot sunken into the earth. Had she stepped into a hole? Confused, she stood up and started pulling on it, trying to free it. As she knelt down to examine it closer, she felt a cold chill run down her spine.

Looking around frantically she saw nothing, but couldn’t shake the unwavering feeling that she wasn’t alone.

“Hello?” She called out softly, her voice trembling with fear.

A voice whispered back, right in her ear.

“Found you.”

[moonnfairie]

defying gravity | ch 2

defying gravity, chapter 2

genre: angel!jimin, soulmate au

pairing: reader x jimin

word count: 6,011

warnings: slightly aggressive drunken behavior

summary: Your life had been a series of events that you had to face alone, leaving you to lead an independent yet lonely life. Come the day of your birthday, things take an unexpected turn given a twist of fate and an encounter with your saving grace, someone who just happens to be your angel in disguise.

ch 1 / ch 2 / ch 3

He’s staring at you with wide eyes for a few seconds, as if he’s discovered something the world has yet to find, then shortly after, his eyes shrink into crescent moons and displays a perfectly beautiful smile with his plump lips. You’re practically breathless at the sight, frozen like a deer in headlights. Thank god you closed your register or else people behind him would be yelling at your face to come back to Earth by now.

With a quick deep breath, Jimin’s expression changes yet again into something so gentle, so sweet, as he gets closer to where you stand and says

“These must belong to you then.”

“I’m sorry?”

Did you hear that correctly?

You step back aghast, turning the other way to hide the heat that crawls up your face. Is this insanely ethereal man, let alone insanely ethereal stranger, just messing with you?

Noticing he might’ve been too forward, Jimin nervously giggles while running a hand through his hair. “No, I’m sorry, miss-” he squints to read your name tag “-Y/N. I guess I have a thing or two to learn about appropriate pick up lines.”

He leans down and tilts his head in attempts to make eye contact with you, frowning at the still flustered expression on your face. “I promise I’m not a stalker or anything of the sort. I just” he pauses and takes a deep breath “think you’re very beautiful.”

You must be dreaming, right? To have Mr. Gorgeous walk into your grocery store, on your birthday, and even call you beautiful at first sight? Thank god you decided to get your eyebrows done yesterday, it has really made all the difference in your luck.

You stutter in response, “Well, I certainly appreciate it, and I didn’t find you to be a stalker or anything, at least from what my instincts tell me.” At this, you crack a smile, and Jimin’s eye smile returns, relieved.

“But before we get into anything,” you continue “I should probably ring these flowers up for you so you can really give them to whoever it belongs to.”

“I was in every way serious when I said they were for you, Y/N.”

Despite how wildly your heart is beating at this strange encounter, it’s as if his voice soothes your soul, calming your worries away. Did he really come here for your sake to give you flowers that just so happen to be your favorite color?

“I, uh, well” you close your eyes and heavily sigh. You really have to get yourself together. “Thank you so much…” your voice trails off as you look to him quizzically, realizing you don’t even know this man’s name.

“Jimin” he finishes, as if sensing just what you needed to hear.

“Right, thank you Jimin” you say with a bright smile that sends a rush of warmth all throughout his body. He hasn’t quite seen a smile as radiant as yours, and he revels in the fact that he gets to stare at yours in his remaining time on Earth.

After what seems like an eternity of staring into each other’s souls, you remember to pick up the bouquet, scan the barcode, watch Jimin’s delicately deft fingers reach into his wallet and slide his card through the machine, and hand the flowers back to him.

“I can’t be handed merchandise from behind the counter, so…” you meet Jimin at the end of the conveyor belt, as he gently places the purple roses back into your hands, making sure not to hurt you with any thorns.

Abruptly, Jimin speaks out, “I’m just going to go out on a limb here but… I’d love to see you again. Maybe I could take you out to dinner tonight? Or rather, any time that you were free, of course.”

You started giggling to yourself, noticing how flustered Jimin was also getting in return of your interactions.

Jimin knows he has one job, one that doesn’t require taking his soulmate on dinner dates, but there is a compelling force to you that’s driving his heart insane. It’s as if he wants to do more for you, as much as he can for you, just so you can be genuinely and wholeheartedly happy.

You nearly blurted out a big fat “Yes,” but your mind defogged at the mere thought of your best friend, Taehyung. As much as you’d love to be swept off of your feet by the mysterious yet intriguing godsend that is Jimin, you can’t even imagine leaving your one and only friend in the dust when he had made plans in honor of you.

“Jimin, I sincerely appreciate just how kind you’re being to me right now, and I’m insanely flattered, but I actually have birthday plans with my best friend tonight. Would you maybe like to do Friday night instead?”

Three whole days? You weren’t sure if it was a blessing or a curse to wait so long, but you didn’t want to come off too needy, so that would do. On the other hand, it would hinder Jimin’s trial to have to wait three days for you, but maybe he could make it work.

“Sounds good to me, Y/N. I’ll be seeing you then.” Jimin takes your free hand to kiss the back of it, and smiles ever so sweetly at you, your heart exploding with fireworks in your chest. All you could do was stare as he walked past you and outside the automatic sliding doors. You blink a couple times and clear your throat in attempts to gain your bearings, screeching as you turn around to immediately find Namjoon stood in front of you instead, grinning.

“What was that about? I’ve never seen you so expressive before” he says while chuckling loudly, drawing attention by your coworkers nearby.

“Oh, what, that? Nothing, it was nothing. Just a random guy, giving me flowers, on my birthday, no big deal.”

Namjoon raises his eyebrow at you accusingly. “A random guy doesn’t just give you flowers coincidentally, Y/N. Do you even know him?”

You gulp, and Namjoon notices the apprehensive look on your face. “Hey hey, I’m not here to lecture you or anything, but that’s pretty cool, I guess. Seemed like he really had a thing for you.”

“Did he? Really? Maybe, I don’t know…”

Namjoon grins at you again, reaching to pat you on the back before turning and walking back to the offices. “From the looks of things, I’d say you’re done for the day. Feel free to head out and enjoy the rest of your special day, bud.”

You can only nod and word a breathless “thank you” back at him before running to the break room and gathering your things so you can head home to get ready for tonight.

Despite how gloomy it had gotten outside while you were working, you still had quite the spring in your step and the feeling of joy radiating off of you as if you were the sun itself. Before entering your complex, you receive a series of text messages:

Tae

[4:47 PM] hey you

[4:48 PM] called you earlier but i guess you were still workin

[4:48 PM] just letting you know!!! that you’re NOT bailing on me tonight

[4:49 PM] and that i’m getting you DRUNK and we’re gonna go apeshit

[4:50 PM] also we’re going to have so much fun uwu

[4:51 PM] look like a bad bitch tho you never know who we’ll see ;)

[4:52 PM] ok n e ways see you soon love you bitch

You’re wheezing by the time you reach your door, turning your keys in the lock to find yourself in your empty apartment once again. Yet, for some reason, it doesn’t feel as empty today. At least you get to be out of here for the night. You slip your shoes off and walk through your spacious living room to plop onto your bouncy mattress in your bedroom, turning on your back and holding your phone up to the ceiling to respond to your best friend.

Me

[4:59 PM] yeah, yeah shut up, i already know

[5:00 PM] best believe i’m lookin mighty fine tonight

[5:00 PM] i’m just gonna hop in the shower and all that jazz and i’ll see you tonight

You smile from ear to ear, remembering just how thankful you are to have one solid friend in your life to care about you as much as Taehyung does to be with you today and every day.

Me

[5:02 PM] thank you again, taehyung

Tae

[5:04 PM] what, youre getting sappy on me now?

[5:05 PM] save it for when we’re drunk dude!

[5:05 PM] … but youre welcome. you already know i love you.

Me

[5:07 PM] hey, save it for when we’re drunk!

[5:07 PM] … but i love you too

[5:08 PM] lol

At this, you plug your phone in to charge as you walk to your bathroom and take a much needed hot shower.

It’s been a while since you’ve felt this lighthearted. It could be all the interaction you’ve had today, considering when you normally go to work you try to cut all socializing to an insanely low minimum, but for once in your life you feel special, important, and wanted. You know, aside from the days Taehyung declares his undying love and affection for you and bugs you every time you deny a movie night at his place all because his roommate that can’t seem to stop ogling at you every time you’re there, but to know that some mysteriously handsome guy apparently has eyes for you too, has your stomach turning in excitement.

You keep thinking back to the moment you met eyes with him earlier, how sweet and warm his voice sounded when he told you that you were beautiful to him, and how his gaze seemed to draw you into him so effortlessly, almost tantalizingly over all the emotions that rushed to you in that exact moment. You want to dwell on the feeling, revel in the butterflies that float around in your stomach for hours thinking about seeing him on friday, but something switches on inside your brain as you realize one thing:

How were you supposed to meet again with no means of contacting him?

Before much thought could be put into creating a game plan of seeing Jimin again, your phone vibrates in spurts, signaling that Taehyung must be outside. You run to your mirror one last time to brush through your hair and smile at the reflection in front of you. You’re genuinely so excited and ready to spend your birthday with the one you love.

Walking to the designated pickup area of your complex, you see Taehyung leaning against a familiar grey civic, laughing at the confused expression that now colors your face all over.

“Ah, you didn’t tell me Jungkook was tagging along” you try to say cheerfully, but Taehyung sees right through you and pats your back rather aggressively to stop you from saying anything further.

“Indeed I didn’t, because he’s not! He was so kind to come along and drop us off. An act of kindness for your dear birthday, Y/N.” At this statement, you smile softly, crouching over to make eye contact with Jungkook in the driver’s seat. He meets your eyes quickly, grinning wildly and waving his hand frantically. You were honestly incredibly thankful for the gesture, but knew his intentions were always filled with something more, as he has always been into you from the moment you first set foot in Taehyung’s shared apartment.

Pushing these thoughts aside, however, you decide to just live in the moment and accept all the kindness you’ve gotten in one year’s worth on this very day alone. “After you, princess” Taehyung boldly declares while opening the passenger door for you, your face scrunching at his obnoxiously loud volume, and hand reaching up to pinch his cheek “You are so annoying and dumb but sweet. Thank you.”

Despite looking down into your seat while buckling up, you can’t help but feel Jungkook’s needy eyes roam your full figure, a notion you’d normally feel insulted by, but you realize he means no harm. He’s never seen you dressed up like this: tight fitting clothes, exposed collar bones, and heels, and even you seem to blush under his gaze.

“Alright Gguk, as much as you want to be staring at Y/N’s tits all night, we don’t have time for that. Let’s hit the road.” You turn around in your seat and slap Taehyung’s leg aggressively, causing him to laugh loudly in response and Jungkook to clear his throat while turning on the engine.

“Oh, don’t be such a dick Tae, and you” you sit turn to sit forward again, burning right through to Jungkook’s soul with your glare, “don’t stare at my tits and please drive safely. Thanks.”

Taehyung’s laughter is still dying down as Jungkook nods to turn on the stereo, but the air is still light knowing that’s the dynamic between you all. You’re pretty used to it by now considering most if not all of the people you interact with are men with their brains deep in the gutter.

Your favorite bar is in the heart of downtown, meaning it’s a little ways from where you live, but you really only go there on special occasions, and on nights like these, the boys really don’t mind. Through and through, you were a city girl, and if it weren’t for the insanely high price of living, you’d find yourself living in the apartment of your dreams overlooking the tall skyscrapers in the day and losing yourself in the city lights at night. To most people in your city, it was the same thing, different day, every day, but that wasn’t the case for you. You’ve managed to paint most of the town red, but there are still nooks and crannies that you have yet to uncover, and places you haven’t even hit just yet. It was like there was something about this side of the town that called to you. Something that had you longing for more, and you were absolutely determined to find out just what that was.

Pulling up to the curb, you groan at the sight of a short line at the entrance. “It’s literally a Tuesday evening, what are people doing at a bar?”

Taehyung sits forward, placing a big but gentle hand on your shoulder “literally the same exact thing we are.”

“Wow, you really got me there!” you shrug and state sarcastically, Jungkook giggling at your banter.

“Have fun tonight you guys, and happy birthday again Y/N!” You smile at him tentatively, feeling a little sad that he’s come all this way not to come with you. “Thank you, but are you sure you don’t want to grab just one drink?”

Before he could answer, Taehyung interjects “Nah, the dude has plans to play some tournament with some friends when he gets back. They’ll have their own fun.” Your gaze turns to Jungkook for confirmation, and he simply flashes a cute little bunny smile and nods.

You unbuckle your seatbelt and give Jungkook a quick hug, not noticing the way his face flushes pink before waving him goodbye and getting out of the car. Taehyung pats his shoulder next, thanking him then jumping out to meet you at the end of the line.

As much as you’d normally be impatient to wait in such a line, Taehyung passes the time by telling you about his artwork. At his university, two of his pieces have been chosen to be displayed at an exhibit of high prestige that buyers have the option to bid on. There is an amount of proceeds that go to the artists upon selling, but that was just a perk in the line of his work. He made pieces for the sole reason of creating art that spoke to him and those who got to see it. You even managed to snag a piece that he held onto dearly but ended up caving in and giving it to you at how much you loved it.

It reminded you of your mother.

It was an airy piece, but one still full of matter. It was light, it was delicate, and it was sweet. It made you feel calm, and it made you feel warm. It now sits above her recliner in your living room.

You finally make it to the front and are pleasantly surprised when the guard at the front even greets you a happy birthday. You smile and nod your thank you as you and Taehyung link arms and walk inside.

The bar is spacious yet relatively crowded for a Tuesday night, causing the temperature to rise from all the body heat, but it’s nothing you can’t handle. The ceilings are high, decorated with modern sconces that illuminate a dim, warm light. The scene is a perfectly balanced mix of a traditionally modern bar scene, split on the bottom floor with a lounge area and the actual bar itself, and the top floor for reserved parties and table service.

You were about to make your way to your usual spot near the back walls before Taehyung pulled you back to look at the staircase over to your right. “Hey, come on, you’re getting that special treatment tonight” he says with a wink, and you try to hold back all urges to gag.

“Excuse me, what? Tae we can’t just sneak up there, they have a list-”

Your bickering comes to a halt as Taehyung speaks to the server who stands at the bottom of the steps. “Uh yeah, we have a reservation under Kim.”

The server eyes Taehyung from head to toe in an almost doubtful way, then scans the two paged list within his hands. You’re almost about to apologize for Taehyung’s behavior, but the server speaks up “Ah, Mr. Kim I presume?”

The way in which you glare at Taehyung has his boxy smile shine thru, and you can only loosen up and squeeze his broad shoulder in return.

“Right this way.”

The two of you carefully climb the spiral stairway, giggling at the awfully nice treatment you are getting. The server walks all the way towards the end, missing the booths for two completely into a booth that could fit at least a few more guests.

“The waiter will be with you shortly. Enjoy your evening.”

With only a quick bow, the server turns on his feet to find his way at the bottom of the stairway once again. You blink a few times in disbelief, before turning to face Taehyung who is seated across the table from you.

“Tae,” you start with a pout, and he tilts his head and smiles “you really didn’t have to do this. I already know how much this costs and I know you’ve been selling many pieces lately but-”

“Oh shut up, Y/N. It’s your birthday! You deserve it, and you already know I’ve been saving up to do something, anything, with you, so ta-da!”

How in the world have you gotten so lucky?

You scoot over in the wide booth to sit closely by Taehyung’s side, leaning your head on his shoulder and happily sighing. Closing your eyes, you tune in to the music from the live band that is playing downstairs, tapping your foot to the downbeat of the rhythm the drummer is playing before a beautiful toned saxophone breaks through the air and plays a hypnotizing improv.

“Okay,” you say with your eyes still closed “but it must’ve costed you even more to get a full booth like this. What’s up with that?”

“Actually-” Taehyung’s voice is cut off with the sound of dress shoes clacking on the hardwood in front of you, causing you to open your eyes and sit up with shock at the sight that beholds you.

“Seokjin!”

Seokjin. The Kim Seokjin, that you made a complete and utter fool of yourself in front of the last time you were with him, oddly enough, at this very bar as well. Taehyung met Seokjin at a film festival held at his university last year, thanks to Jungkook. Seokjin, an alumna of the school, had become an incredibly popular actor and well desired by many, but always knew to remain humble and stay true to his roots by participating in judging the at the annual festival, granting Jungkook’s indie film his first top three prize.

You knew of his existence, and have seen him in trailers and movie posters alike, but never bothered to give into any of the media craze, as you thought of him as only an actor of what the market has built him to be. The night that Taehyung had set the two of you up, you drank one too many shots and revealed your true emotions for him, or at least, your perceived thoughts on who he was, and though Seokjin was kind enough (or most likely drunk enough) to let it slide, you made matters worse by insulting one of the earlier movies he starred in, The Deserted, claiming the plot was “lame” and the actors were “dry,” when Seokjin had a big part in the production, and the story had elements true to his life.

And here he was now, standing before you like one of the most handsome men you’ve ever seen in this world with your two eyes. His dark hair was perfectly swept and styled, his lips were so perfectly pink and so perfectly plump, and he was dressed simply in a black dress shirt, slacks, and dress shoes to match.

You don’t notice how you slightly topple over in the absence of Taehyung’s torso when he gets up to greet Seokjin, and you look to the side, rubbing your arm in embarrassment.

“Hey guys, I’m sorry it took a while, the driver had to take me to the back to avoid being seen in the front, you know, all that.”

“Damn, dude, didn’t realize you were getting that huge already!” Taehyung teases while playfully pushing Seokjin’s arm.

“Yeah, no, not really. The workers didn’t even know why I had to come through the back, but it was just for safety purposes.”

As if sensing your sudden alienation, Taehyung turns to slap your arm and get your attention, and you try not to squint too hard his way before turning to Seokjin and smiling as best you can, without letting the embarrassment eat you alive.

“Happy Birthday, Y/N! You look stunning tonight.”

“Ah, don’t flatter her” Taehyung jests, and you get up to slap his arm back and hug Seokjin in thanks.

You feel so small engulfed in his broad frame, but so warm in his embrace. His arms rest perfectly in the small of your back, making you feel as if you don’t want to let go. You haven’t had as much affection as a whole embrace in ages, considering Taehyung doesn’t even bother to hug you like this, and almost as if Seokjin agrees, he lets go when you do, but keeps holding you by the waist.

You don’t dare move.

“Thank you, Seokjin. I’m glad you were able to make it tonight.”

He laughs even more boisterously than Taehyung does, a sight to behold that makes your heart melt. “Well of course I was able to make it, I’m the one who booked the reservation!”

You gasp at the unexpected information, raising your brow at Taehyung who lifts his hands in surrender at your gaze.

“Hey, hey. I wasn’t lying when I said I was saving up. I’m at least paying for some of the drinks tonight, but Jin was so kind as to offer setting this all up.”

Seokjin did this all for you? What even is this luck with men suddenly being so kind to you?

You only tell Seokjin millions of thank yous after that, but you’re quickly ushered to sit inside the booth while Seokjin starts going down the menu and ordering round after round of drunks, eyeing Taehyung to see just how much he’d be willing to pay, and to your pleasure, he was willing to spend big just for you.

The menu that table service guests receive have names of drinks you haven’t seen before despite how many times you’ve been here, and Jin definitely isn’t shy to introducing you all to them.

What makes you really happy about tonight is that on most nights, you come here to ease your stress and forget the worries that life has thrown at you for just a couple of hours, but instead, you’re here with your best friend and potential man friend(?) who are paying for you to get happily drunk and enjoy your special day. Eventually you all get to the point of intoxication where your eyes are starting to droop, your limbs feel light, and your vision is only slightly wobbly, and that’s when you have to put your foot down.

You open your mouth to speak and don’t even realize how slow and slurred your speech is, “Listen... I appreciate you both so much right now, but you guys need to stop shoving liquids in me because I am this,” you hold your hand up lazily and with your fingers, try to create as small a gap as you can “this close to being completely and utterly shitfaced, and last time I was like this, I made a horrible fool out of myself in front of Seokjin”

Taehyung doesn’t seem to catch that as he’s asking the waiter for water, but Seokjin closes the gap between where you’re seated completely and places a hand on your thigh.

“Hey, I’m not even worried about that anymore. If I was, I wouldn’t even be here” he chuckles heavily, moving his hand up a tad more “don’t even sweat it.”

Oh, on the contrary, you’re sweating as if you’ve just ran a race while sitting under his gaze, but you’ve been trying to hide it as best as you can by dabbing your forehead with the readily available napkins when the drunken mess of men in front of you weren’t looking.

When your water finally arrives and you all take a minute to chug it down, Taehyung offers to go downstairs and dance, as the live band has been replaced with an open dance floor and loud beats that echo throughout the bar.

You hesitate only for a moment, wishing to stay under Seokjin’s lingering touches, but Taehyung grabs your wrist and drags you out of the booth to waddle downstairs, the both of you holding on for dear life in order to not topple down altogether.

The small floor is almost packed, but you manage to squeeze through behind Taehyung, Seokjin shortly following. You’ve always managed to dance playfully with Taehyung on nights like these, but now that Seokjin is here, you’re not quite sure what to do. After only one song, Taehyung pulls you close and speaks in your ear “Hey, I see some chick eyeing me from across the floor, you go have fun with Jin, kay?”

“Wh-what? Tae wait!” you manage to garble out without processing much of what he said, but before you can linger on it, you feel strong hands pull you by the waist as you crash into Seokjin’s firm body. It takes a while to get used to the sensation of dancing with him, but a song comes on that you recognize, and you throw all caution to the wind and just start having fun.

On this dance floor, you’ve seen many of the people around you start to get rather sleazy, dancing on their partners like this was their bedroom, but for the most part, Seokjin didn’t seem like the type to try and advance with you. Sure, his grip on your waist would get tighter every now and then the more you felt yourself in the songs that played, but it seemed as if the both of you were genuinely having fun. Holding onto each other tightly. With thanks to your heels, practically face to face mind the few inches up that you still had to look at him.

You could feel how intense his stare his gotten, his expression that looked just like what it did earlier when he had his hand on your thigh.

You were going to risk it all right then and there.

And by risk it all truly you just wanted to kiss him because god knows how long it’s been since you’ve kissed a man, especially a man with such plump lips, but before anything could be done, you hear someone calling for you from the side.

“Hey! Y/N! Listen...” he starts, eyeing up you and Seokjin holding onto each other tightly and shortly chuckles after, causing you to apologetically look up at Seokjin and peel yourself off of him.

“Oh this better be good Taehyung”

“Uh huh, yeah, I see what I’ve walked into and I was about to apologize, but it turns out my situation here could be for the better. Apparently Jungkook lost his key or whatever and left his spare inside. I gotta head back to let the dude in.”

You smile, knowing Taehyung would have probably gotten lucky tonight as well, but he cared about Jungkook too much, and for that you really admired him.

“Hey, if that’s the case, I’m going back with you-”

“Oh no no no no!” he yells above the music loud enough for the people dancing around you to look in your direction.

“You, missy, are going to have fun tonight,” he winks, and you punch his arm. “Jin definitely has means to get you back home safely so don’t even worry. Just text me from time to time, kay?”

He reaches forward to hug you tight, another first of the night, and you reach to embrace him back, yelling to him to text you when he’s home as he makes his way through the crowd.

Seokjin grabs you by the waist again, leaning down to talk into your ear “Oh, is he heading back already?”

You nod and speak loudly back since you can’t necessarily reach his ear. “Yeah, Jungkook got locked out and he’s being the hero.”

“I see” Seokjin says calmly, reaching down to whisper into your ear now, and you shiver at his breath against your lobe. “How about get out of here too, to just talk one on one?”

Your heart starts to race faster in your chest, somewhat managing to sober you up right then and there. As much as you’d love to see where the night takes you, you don’t necessarily feel comfortable in the idea right now, especially since your head is starting to pound mercilessly along with the loud music the dj keeps spinning.

“I, uh, actually should head home as well. It’s getting late and I’m actually thinking of picking up a shift tomorrow.”

You weren’t, but you figured you should say anything just to convince him, as it seems that his expression has barely lightened up, before he sighed and smiled softly before guiding you out of the crowd and outside to wait by the curb.

“I’ll call one of my drivers and he’ll take you home, alright?”

You nod frantically “Oh, no, Seokjin, you don’t have to do that, I can just call a taxi.”

He notices you shivering, and puts an arm over your shoulder to bring you closer as you both lean on a nearby wall.

“Just call me Jin, sweetheart, and” he pauses, typing fast with one hand and looking down at you right after “I already called him. He’ll be here shortly.”

“Oh, okay, thank you Jin.” you try to say politely behind chattering teeth.

It’s quiet for the next few moments, but now that you’re outside, you can definitely feel the alcohol still running through your system, as when you turn your head to watch the passing cars, you still manage to get slightly lightheaded.

“Are you alright?” he asks with a low, almost guttural voice. You turn to look up at him and lazily nod. He then proceeds to stand in front of you, pushing you up against the wall, maybe to hold you up, but from the way his body is reacting, probably for ulterior motives.

“Yeah, Jin, I’m fine, really” you smile back placidly, as he brushes a piece of loose hair behind your ear. You must be a complete mess once again in front of him, yet he’s still looking so intently at you.

“The offer still stands, you can come crash at my place, I can help you feel better.” The hand that moved your hair finds its way to your cheeks, caresses your jawline, and ever so lightly feathers over your neck.

The comfort he brought you before with his touch is now replaced with a feeling of fight or flight, your heart starting to pound in your chest, as you weakly try to push him off.

“N-no thank you, I think at this rate I just really need to sleep at home, really-”

“There’s no harm in letting me take care of you Y/N, I swear I won’t do anything you won’t like.”

“Jin please I said no-”

“Get off her!” a familiar voice rumbles not too far in front of you, and you can see Seokjin’s expression of concentration falter as he turns in the direction of the shout.

You prop yourself up weakly against the wall and squint your eyes to see a figure backlit by oncoming cars approaching you, almost as if to save you.

“Jimin…?”

Jimin rushes to your side as you practically fall into his arms, almost falling back himself but holding you steady into his welcoming embrace.

“Hey man, when someone says no, just let it go.” the way in which Jimin is speaking is a complete contrast to when you met him only hours ago, but you’re thankful as it seems to set Seokjin straight.

“Ah, I seem to have crossed the line.” he states somberly, his driver pulling up to the curb beside him. “I’m sorry, Y/N. Have a good evening.”

You say nothing more and wait until his car disappears from your line of view before sighing and sinking even further into Jimin’s arms, leaving him to giggle softly as grunts to pick you up bridal style, catching you completely off guard.

“Oh my god, please you literally don’t have to carry me like this, I can walk, I swear” he only shakes his head in protest, laughing even more.

“With the way you drank tonight? I don’t think so. It won’t be for long, I don’t live far so just enjoy the ride.”

You smile for the first time after what happened between you and Seokjin, and you thought to yourself that maybe you can relax in the arms of yet another stranger, until you start feeling light drops of water hit your face.

“You’re kidding” you state crossly, and Jimin starts to walk faster, almost jogging now with you still in his arms.

“I can’t cover your face or I’ll drop you, but protect that pretty face of yours, it’s just around the corner!”

You can feel how fast his heart is beating as your head rests against your chest, and at such endearing words, yours starts to race just as fast.

You both manage to make it into his lobby only moderately wet, Jimin’s hair sticking to his forehead and white shirt soaked through. You try your best now to stare at his chest while he lowers you onto your feet.

“Thank you so much, really, for all of that just now. I don’t even know how but you really just saved me.”

Jimin shakes his head aggressively before running a hand through his wet hair, eyes closed, exposing his forehead, looking like a man straight from a magazine spread. His shirt clings onto his torso as if for dear life, outlining his abdomen and… is that a v line? His denim is sticking onto his thick thighs like glue and you can’t help but feel yourself slightly drooling. Thankfully when he calls out to you, you wipe it off your face along with the water that drips down your cheeks and play it off like normal.

“My place is this way, only if you would like to come up. I can get you some dry clothes.”

Having been invited from one man’s place to another, you gladly accept Jimin’s invitation and find yourself anticipating what is bound to happen next.

a/n: ahhh this has been highly anticipated on my own behalf and I am so happy to have finally posted it! I have such a strong connection and good feeling about this story already, and hope you can enjoy even further down the road! much love always <3