#I need SOMETHING to carry me until season 2 drops LOL

[allastoredeer]

I read the new chapter of Holy Suffering as soon as it came out and I love the way u write Lucifer. For the past few days I have been reading Radio apple fanfic and I hate how lucifer is portrayed in most of them, shy , innocent with Alastor after the fight, and kinda out of character for the both of them, cause they suddenly like each other, and I don’t see it in them. They like to piss each other off, that’s the whole ship point.

Ur Lucifer is so sassy, Hits all the Good Characterization checks in my brain, he’s such a delight to read, same for Alastor. U had me going speechless most of the time Alastor spoke, cause I honestly didn’t know what he was gonna say next. Writing Alastor it’s probably hard, cause he is misterious and always hides his emotions but You totally nailed it. Right now he is probably angry at Lucifer cause he ratted him out lol

Al be like the audacity of this man after he forced him to do this.🙄

Anywhizzle I just wanted to ask, for the overload meeting, is Charlie gonna send Lucifer with Alastor? Maybe as a snake or something, to make sure is he okay. Cause she really sounded mortified that she didn’t notice that Alastor was suffering and man Al definitely didn’t like that, but it’s not like he can say no to Charlie so

A nd is there like a schedule for next updates? I am really invested in this story and I honestly can’t wait to read more of it.

Thank you ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ Hahah Lucifer's got bite to him, for sure. He doesn't come off as the shy type to me. Awkward as hell, certainly. In the throes of depression, absolutely. And he cares about Charlie's opinion of him to a fault. But when it comes to someone throwing their weight around--or, more accurately, getting involved with Charlie (cough Alastor helping Charlie with the hotel, couch Adam fighting/hurting Charlie cough) he isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty.

Alastor is hard to write ಥ_ಥ I love him so much, but sometimes, I want to cut open his head and properly study his brain because f;knslnjsbj out of all the characters, he's the hardest for me to pin down, in terms of both dialogue and actions. He has such a way of talking, and such a distinct voice (his radio filter) that it's simultaneously easy to imagine his voice, but hard to put it to dialogue. So, I really appreciate hearing that I nailed it (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) Seriously, it's so appreciated to hear.

Nah, Alastor is going to be going to that one alone :3 It's going to be set in his POV, so we'll get some insight in his thoughts on the whole thing, and how he's handling his current affliction. I'm both excited to and nervous to get into it, because writing him in someone else's POV is hard, so writing him in his OWN POV is a little intimidating, but I'm mostly excited. I have a lot of thoughts for this series, and it's gonna be fun to explore them.

As for a schedule, I used to try to keep myself to one, and I've found that I have both a love/hate relationship with it. One the one hand, keeping a writing schedule is nice because it gives me a clear view of what I want to work on and an goal date to get it done, which is very nice for my ADHD brain.

BUT, on the other hand, when I start putting that pressure on myself to get it down, and I fail to actually reach that goal, it hits me pretty hard and it can take away my motivation and joy in writing the fic. It starts to feel more like a chore than a fun hobby I can do in my downtime.

Thankfully, I am DEEP in Hazbin Hotel hyperfixation, and the amazing feedback I've gotten from my fic's is certainly fueling my motivation. So thanks to everyone leaving kudos and comments! It's seriously so helpful and I cherish ever single one of them.

If I had to give an estimate for when the next installment of the series will drop, I'd say either at the end of this week, or the beginning/middle of next week. I have an unrelated AppleRadio one-shot I want to bust out before I work on the next installment, and that one I'm going to try and post by Thursday or Friday.

To quote out favorite Radio Demon,

~Stay Tuned

[yarrystyleeza]

Happy birthday tomorrow Yuna! Hope you'll have an amazing day ❤️❤️

As for a request... When I saw you would write for Daryl, I knew I had to send you something. Season 1 and 2 Daryl lives rent free in my mind, so can I please request:

"when they tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear while you talk" and "brushing against each other, even if there is enough room"

Thank you in advance and again, Happy birthday 😁❤️🎉

Awww thank you my love, sorry for answering this late, hope you didn't mind it, it was stupid of me! 😅💖💖💖

I was stuck with the plot of the request for the last two months until last night, I literally wrote this in less than 10 hours lol 🤣🤣🤣 hope you enjoy it, though, and sorry for keeping you hanging! 💖💖💖 You're so welcome and thank you for dropping this request and for the birthday wishes! 🥰🥰🥰

Little Things (D.D)

Requested by @munsonownsmyass

Pairing and dynamic: Daryl Dixon x female! reader, idiots in love

Prompt: fluff, s1!s2!Daryl, tucking hair behind ear, brushing against each other even if there's enough room + petnames for the cherry on top!

Word count: 1.4k!

Writer's note: I loved writing this one so much! As you lily, season one and two Daryl is my favorite Daryl era (beside S8). Not 100% proofread but I hope you really enjoy it, have a great day! <3

"Hurt y'self, little thin'?" He teased, watching you lying on the forest bed after your foot faltered and slipped you into the bottom of the hill. Your brows knitted, you rolled your eyes, he chuckled at the face you made, "alright, I'm comin'."

He slides down, smoothly, and a little bit pompously—with a smirk on his face. You can't lie—he made you smile though you desperately wanted to punch him right in the face.

He offered his hand to you and you accepted his help. At first, he let you wrap your arm around his neck as he walked you towards the hill exit—but as it turns out, you sprained your ankle so bad it was impossible for you to take another step. He scooped you in his arms and carried you back to the quarry.

And that's how you met Daryl.

You can't admit he wasn't a pain in the ass most of the time—if not always, getting on your nerves and driving you up the wall, it was so constant you started thinking he was doing it on purpose.

It kinda was. Daryl had serious troubles with conveying his emotions, and that idiot had a sickening crush on you ever since he saw you at the camp with the girls. He wanted your attention and he only got it when he drove you mad, so he tooled it in his advantage.

You were his favorite. You're the only one he talks to—other than his brother, Merle—and you, too, are the only one who wants to talk to him.

You too had a crush on him. His silly fights and bickering became more amusing to you—sometimes you couldn't even contain the smile drawn across your face when he's mad about something so stupid and could be fixed in complete silence, and when you gave him your smug face—it always drove him insane. You learnt he's quick-tempered, but these ones were visibly made up just to get a chance to be with you.

Daryl reminded you of those little boys in the playground when they used to ruin the girls' sand castles or pull their braids and ribbons just to get their attention. Ever since you came up to this conclusion—life has never been easier!

But things changed a little bit after the attack on the quarry. Daryl turned from only being a hot-headed idiot to be completely protective of you, but that doesn't mean he stopped getting angry—God forbid he does! But he got more reasonable and collected—around you, at least.

As soon as you got to the CDC, he grew closer to you, more friendly, more worried, more caring. He barely slept the night you spent there, checking on you every thirty minutes to make sure you don't need anything—despite you being a wall apart. It was adorable, and it stirred something in you.

Same night at dinner, right before you went to bed, he sat beside you as you dined, he made sure your plate was full and that you'd eaten well because 'it's been a while since you got a decent meal', he says.

And in the middle of the chaos the following morning—he solely cared for you, and not a thing was going to stop him from smashing Dr. Jenner's head that morning if it wasn't for you calming him down.

The two of you escaped in his pickup truck. But despite the horror you had just fled, you couldn't stop stealing glances at each other, Daryl was focused on driving but you spotted him staring at you with soft eyes a couple of times. Both of you blushed, multiple times—vividly, but you couldn't stop. Something was so amusing and sweet about the way he was looking at you, and you were so tempting to him he couldn't stop staring at you even if he wanted to.

Now, staying at Hershel's farmhouse, Daryl turned out to be that sweet lovey dovey guy who'd absolutely melt under your touch—in complete opposite to the face he's been showing to everyone.

As you went out to search for Sophia, Daryl offered to accompany you. He kept brushing arms with you, pumping into your side, and gently holding your biceps to guide you as you walked. He kept putting himself between you and any threat, not letting you shed a drop of sweat—you were almost a passenger princess, but on foot.

But it was very obvious the night he got shot—your heart dropped when it happened, and when you learned it was your Daryl and not some misinformation. You couldn't watch as they took the bullet out, you couldn't watch him screaming in agony—yet you heard him from behind the door. It tore your heart into pieces.

The night fell as you sat on the chair next to his bed, your head dripping every couple minutes as you drifted in and out of sleep. Your head was heavy as a rock sinking in the ocean—yet you kept fighting Mr. Sandman back, shaking your head and rubbing your eyes and patting your face.

"Go to bed, pet," he softly demanded, "ye're tired from sittin' here all day," he extended an arm, gently placing it on your thigh and squeezing it chastely, "ya need some rest."

You shook your head, "I'm fine, Daryl," you shrugged, "it's not like it's the first time I stay up late."

Both of you stay silent, staring at each other with soft eyes. "Climb up in 'ere," Daryl says, his voice was tinted with plead "at least you won't have to keep droppin' yer head like a sippy chicken."

"No, Daryl," you shook your head in utter refusal, desperately trying to show him how awake you are despite craving a warm bed, "you need your own space. What if I accidentally hit your wound--"

"Come on, pet, you know you won't..." he softly smiles, shaking his head. You sigh and climb into the bed with him and he shares his blanket with you. He turns to face you, the moonlight is perfectly casted upon your faces, his blue eyes sparkled and reflected you like a looking glass. He grazes your cheek, tucking your stray hair back behind your ear and his fingertips linger on the skin of your neck.

"Get some sleep, love," he caresses your hair, "I won't need nothin' when ye're right next to me."

You woke up tangled up in his chest, it was warm and peaceful. You never wanted to slip out of his arms—if it wasn't for Hershel coming over to check on him and the men accompanying him.

Daryl got better as the days gone by. You started to see him in the kitchen fetching some biscuits or chips, he'd pump into you on his way out, brushing arms with you and glancing at you with his blueies and a smile. And if he's in the right mood, he'd take you off guard and peck your cheek, and you'd turn red and try to bite your smile. He caught it had quite the right effect on you, and he's been doing it ever since.

"Let it down, pumpkin," Daryl flirts as he snatches the scrunchie out of your hand as you tried to tie your hair, "love it when it's coverin' yer pretty face, gives me a reason to keep tuckin' it back."

"But we're going on a mission," you protest, "it would be dangerous for both of us!"

Daryl takes a run around the golden field and you chase him—but he overpowers you and you stop running, panting and clutching your chest as he giggles. He mischievously walks back closer to you, so you try to take it back, but he's taller than you, stretching his hand up with your scrunchie and shaking it to tease you. "Ya ain't tiein' it today, darlin'."

"Give it back!" you giggle as you jump to reach for your scrunchie, but he keeps stretching his arm above his head.

"Ye look so cute like that, pumpkin," he pulls a smug face as you lean forward against him, your chests compacting and you're an inch away from kissing.

"You could've told me you wanted to kiss me," you tease, not minding that he lowered his hand back down. He tucks your stray bangs behind your ear, ending up doing what he wanted to do all along.

"But it's more fun to watch ya tiptoe and lean on to me like that," he rounds you with his big arms, pulling you deeper into his chest with a Bastard smirk on his face, "it makes you even prettier, pet. These little things you do."

Likes and reblogs are appreciated, thank you for coming to my birthday sleepover celebration! 💞💞💞

[jamietarttownsmyheart]

please i need colinjamie headcanons or prompts i’ve been deprived of them for too long

i am. so so sorry for how late this is. and how uncoordinated the rest of this will probably end up being, but, just, ima unleash random colinjamie thoughts on u and hope it makes sense lol and that you enjoy them, but since idk how long it'll end up ima put everything under the cut

random hcs

colinjamie have definitely watched the owl house at some point. maybe this is fresh in my head since the final episode just came out a few days ago, but i definitely see colinjamie watching the owl house together. two options:

maybe colin was chilling with his niece (i want colin to have a niece or a nephew so bad, he gives uncle vibes and also i want jamie to interact with the kid at some point too) and she was watching it and he got invested. and then jamie got invested via colin. OR. henry was visiting the stadium on spring break and mentioned the owl house to jamie, who was curious, watched and episode, and then got invested. flash forward to colinjamie fwb era and colin dropping by one day and finding jamie losing his shit over the episode hollow mind. jamie needs to lose his shit with someone and colin is the poor soul who came over for a hook up but ended up having to watch two seasons of a disney cartoon.

that being said, i also think that jamie, if he ever watched avatar the last airbender as a kid, only ever watched until mid season 2. life got more complicated and he was more concerned with playing well than "lazy" things like cartoons. he never got to zuko standing up to his dad. he'll get there someday, it's gonna be great

colinjamie have a unique sense of style that they somehow make work, it drives so many people mad

colin had a crush on lightning mcqueen when he was a kid. (11 years old? idk how old colin is, so im putting him at 28 in s3, making him 11 when cars came out) he thinks about this childhood crush and figures its pretty telling that he's got a speedy car and a cocky but talented boyfriend

jamie is dyslexic, and when he realized audiobooks existed, he was thrilled. still, his favorite way to experience books is to have colin read them out to him.

that being said, his favorite way to enjoy drake is to have colin rapping along

colin takes jamie along to theater performances, musicals, and the ballet.

jamie found the "whose the worm now" moment so hot. he can't let colin find out

random prompt

prompt #1

so this might be because i just re read the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, daisy jones and the six, and carrie soto is back, as well as binging all of the daisy jones and the six show, and have been listening to taylor swift all month, but i am craving something specific?

like, i am so here for an au with actor or pop star jamie (have y'all heard phil dunster's voice?) and richmond player colin hughes. its giving posh spice and david beckham.

just the different flavors of it all. if we have it in modern times, as in, the time ted lasso is set in the show, we can do so much. (we can also have a colin who is not actually a fan of his bf's music. it's not that he hates it, it's just not his style. jamie knows this, and writes songs about colin anyways. colin loves listening to these songs regardless of them not being his style.)

then of course there is the other option--i am so bad at timelines and math, so dont come for me when this is all wrong, but i, on my 7 husband of eh kick, was like omg?? give me hollywood star jamie tartt and football player colin hughes who are "roommates."

prompt #2

im a sucker for vampires and vampire hunters. i think it can go either way for them in terms of whose the vampire and whose the vampire hunters.

prompt #3

a canon divergence au where colinjamie were dating s1. jamie and keeley were dating prior to his loan to richmond and stayed friends after their breakup. he really did love her, but still hadn't learned to be accountable yet. keeley still comes around to the club bc she's jamie's best friend and wants to test the playing field with roy.

[noblechaton]

so. the ml movie huh. hm (big ol post with spoilers under this cut btw)

so after almost 10 years of being on this bug and cat train they finally get a big ol expensive movie and I think it was. fine? maybe? there's a lot going on here and while I don't think I can call it good and mean it I don't think it was the worst thing ever. a 6? out of 10 feels kinda right for me. got a lot to say here fwiw so buckle in if ya wanna read it all lol

main issue I feel is obviously them trying to adapt 5 seasons, each of which was dozens of hours at least, and a near decade of storytelling into a movie that doesn't even hit two hours. no idea why - I imagine the money ran out tbh - but running through the entire thrust of the series in ~1h40m movie just. was never gonna work man. feel like there had to be better options out there, like just adapting Origins with some episodes from S1 thrown in between them getting their miraculous and Hawkmoth revealing himself or something. idk. I ain't a writer

but then also I felt despite the short runtime that it sorta dragged on at times? like it got stuck spinning wheels here and there. Marinette constantly needing her confidence boosted even after being Ladybug for so long was weird. it's so strange bc they flashed through a dozen akuma - some of which looked kinda cool btw, be neat if they made the jump to the show - and yet it felt like there'd been no progress made? like the flow of time in the movie just. didn't work. a lot of stuff just sort of happens at you and you gotta hang onto whatever ya like and hope it doesn't just vanish in the river of events

voice acting in English was like. pretty solid honestly. maybe the best performances I'd heard from that side of the dub tho I have no idea what they were thinking with the singing voice for Marinette at least. couldn't really tell if Adrien's was still Bryce (I don't think it was but it wasn't as jarring) and I know Keith sang for Gabe's songs but whoever they got for Marinette just. wasn't even close to Marinette's normal speaking voice and it's super distracting. really weird choice. no shade on the singer tho she was solid imo just like. no connection to Marinette's normal voice really took me out of it

also the songs were kind of nonsensical most of the time and there's way too many of them. some are kinda good - Gabe's, Chat's and tbh I kinda liked the one over the credits to name a few - but like. they were not good enough for there to be what felt like 6-7 different songs in a movie that doesn't even crack 2 hours lmao

they made a ton of changes in terms of the story and general world and I actually kind of liked some of them - Ladybug learning to swing through the yoyo (which had a neat redesign) and doing so using that Ladybug vision was cool, I appreciate that we get a reveal and how it's done even if the end card was brutal, the miraculous seeking them out felt more like nice compared to just having the weight of the world dropped on them by some ancient man lol - but then there's others I didn't. Ladybug just never uses the cure until the end? I guess? she also doesn't purify the first akuma I don't think and like. nothing happens? Adrien's just sorta out and about? going to the school already? he gets a really understated intro imo. Gabriel sort of doesn't get an ending. I'd assume he's in jail? we get almost none of Adrien's perspective on getting the ring which is really weird

and that sorta extends into my feeling that somehow we did not get enough Gabriel in this. really weird saying that after having enough of that bum for the last 4 years of my life but his motives are carried hard by my knowledge of the show, and even then they're not really shown enough - he's not shown enough, and I don't feel Adrien is either. neither is the school setting or side characters, heck I'd say Adrinette gets kinda shafted overall since most of the development they get is in a montage sequence. there's a lot chopped out of this for the sake of a brevity that doesn't feel all that brief?

there's some good stuff in here for sure. the animation is undeniably pretty and slick even if some models are kinda wack. most of the action was fun and cool, the final sequence with Chat running up the tower and such was neat. I loved the Ladynoir something fierce honestly, the bantering and the sparring and the getting closer and closer. missed them being like that a lot tbh, someone on staff clearly did too. couple of jokes got me too like the opener with Chloe getting a single drop of coffee on her shirt lmao

but then there's a lot of stuff that really didn't work for me. Plagg being reduced to a fucking fart joke kind of made me mad lmao. them being super inconsistent with their powers was so weird. no lucky charm?? WHAT?? did I miss something?? no side character getting any focus beyond Alya was disappointing too and even Alya just dips out of the story after a while. breaking out into song once every like 15 minutes got old kinda quick too regardless of song quality (tho it was funny that Marinette seemed aware of the fact that she'd just participated in a musical number at one point lol)

Fu opens the movie with some really weird monologue and basically dips after the first akuma and they just. never find him again? he plays zero role beyond that point? Adrinette's first meeting is kinda cute in an understated sort of way but it's also sort of nothing and doesn't feel like a lingering thing for long afterwards - it ain't no umbrella scene dude. also Chat Noir seemingly drops the "my mom died btw" thing on Ladybug like she'd know that and she just sort of goes "Ah. Sorry, Chat." and that was. super fucking weird lmao

like I said. there's a lot going on - tho I gotta say for sure the writing was not consistently good. there were moments, flashes, Ladynoir is the strongest thing in the movie imo but there's so many fucking craters in terms of quality that it makes me so happy we get what we do in the show

on the whole I felt the movie was somehow way too condensed and yet too long at the same time. it felt like it was made by someone who really likes the surface details of the series but not the whole thing and like that's fine but I wouldn't say it was a good representation of the show. like the things I like about the movie are kind of all things I've liked about the show, and I like them more so because of that but also like I can't say the movie was good just bc I like the show lol

shallow is a good word for it I think. a flashy, expensive hour or so with little more beneath the surface which I feel sorta betrays the show it's based on where it's cutesy on the surface but has more going on under it. which like this feels very much made for the younger demographic and those that aren't into the show, like sort of an ad for someone's ideal version series even if it sorta strays really far from the show itself. as if someone perhaps in charge of this movie was clinging to what elements of their flagship series that they thought were keeping their company afloat and foolishly believed they could do it better than the creator or any other actual writer. wonder who that could be. anyway

as an adaptation of the show I don't think it was good overall and as a movie on its own it was like. fine. imo. wouldn't sway people into picking the series up but definitely not the worst movie ever made. super safe and super shallow, really messy with a few bright spots thrown in. a cluttered Ladynoir reveal fic where the Ladynoir bits are good and the rest is not. etc.

I like it but mostly bc I love the show - I would not introduce someone to the series with this and might not even urge casual fans to watch it either tbh. real mixed bag imo

also what happened to the "Awakening" subtitle? I kinda liked it and it's just gone. weird

[i-need-entertainment]

Haikyuu!! Boys as Bad Dad moments

Characters: Akaashi, Washio, Konoha, Kita, Suna, Ushijima, Yahaba, Iwaizumi, Futakuchi, Daishou and Numai

**These are ways they “failed” as fathers. I am not talking about ACTUALLY failing as fathers, just things dads have done that most of us either remember/get told about NOT TO BE TAKEN  S E R I O U S L Y  it is just for      f u n  I also gave them all at least 2 kids cause SibLiNgS**

A ‘*’ means it happened to me lol

TW- Mentions of giving too much medicine, accidental pain caused to child, these are things I either experienced/knew people who experienced them, allusion to cursing/a FEW bad words (but I substitute a letter for something else :)

*Akaashi Keiji: 

He had been working in his office when his son had come in.

You had been putting your newborn to sleep for a nap when your son decided he wanted to be with his dad.

His son was only 3, so when Akaashi was held up in his office editing his son, Kenji, would sometimes come in and plop himself in Akaashi’s lap.

His sons small feel padded on the floor while he made his way to his father, softly tugging on his pants as he stuck his arms up.

Akaashi smiled and softly chuckled before gently picking up his son from under his arms and placing him on his lap.

He got to work soon after, reading and revising the pages.

Other than having his son on his lap it wasn’t unusual for him to be drinking coffee while working.

Keep in mind, your son had inherited a lot from Akaashi, and not just his looks or personality.

But also his habits.

Because of this, your son was very fidgety, usually toying with a string or your fingers.

That meant he tended to move around a lot.

Akaashi had just lifted his not-so-cold coffee to his lips when his son had made a sudden movement, causing him to knock his arm and, “AHH” Akaashi’s eyes snapped open as his son started crying, cursing under his breath he stood up gently holding his son in his arms as he carried him to the bathroom.

Sitting him down on the counter he dried the coffee off of his son, luckily it hadn’t been hot enough to burn him, but it was still hot enough to hurt.

“What happened? I heard crying, is he okay?” Akaashi sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, he’s okay, he bumped my arm and I spilled my coffee on him. He’s okay! It didn’t burn him, but it did hurt...” Your frowned as you stood in front of your son, giving him a soft smile before kissing his arm, cause kisses always make it feel better~

You carefully picked him up from the counter, rocking him slowly side to side as he burrowed into your shoulder.

“Are you okay little man~” He nodded as he sniffled into your shoulder, little hands clutching onto the fabric of your t-shirt.

“You know daddy didn’t mean it, it was an accident.” He nodded again, lifting his head to rub his eyes and reach out for his dad.

Akaashi gave a wobbly smile before reaching over to grab him, kissing the top of his head as he carried him back to his office, making sure to have some iced coffee instead.

Washio Tatsuki: 

This would be the first time Washio was left alone with the twins.

5 months ago, you and your husband had had your first children, your adorable fraternal twins Natsuki and Tatsuo.

Today would be the first day you would be away from them, but with your mother being sick and you being the only one available to take care of her you had to go.

You weren’t too worried about your husband, he was already a good dad so you had no doubt they were in good hands.

But it was never an enjoyable experience to have to leave your kids, especially your babies, and for the first time. 

So, you decided to leave early in the morning, give them their good morning kisses and head over to your parents house.

Before you left you changed their diapers, letting them play in their little play pen while your husband tried to get up.

Rubbing his eyes Washio walked into the play room.

He had to go to the gym today for a meeting, fortunately EJP had a really good daycare system in the stadium, so he could leave his kids there while he attended the short meeting.

He stopped in his tracks as his face blanched and he felt his breath stop.

You had changed the twins’ diapers...but you hadn’t dressed them.

The twins were still young, so without looking at their, uh, biological differences you couldn’t tell them apart....

Now, usually when this happened you guys would just check the diapers, but you had just done them..

And he was already running a bit late.

So, he made his best guess, got them dressed (one in pink, the other in blue), fed and in the car driving them to the stadium.

Once he got there he quickly dropped them off, rushing to his meeting.

The meeting had been fairly simple, just some pre-season info he’d need.

After chatting with his coach/teammates, and stopping Suna and Komori from pulling a prank, he made his way back to the daycare.

He walked into the building when one of the younger care takers, Yui, walked up to him, One twin in each arm.

He smiled as he carefully put them into their carriers.

“Uhm, just a question...” He looked up to her and motioned for her to continue.

“...Were you aware that Tatsuo was wearing the dress?” Washio sighed as he ran a hand down his face shaking his head. Yui light heartedly smiled, “Don’t worry, we switched them.” Thanking them, he picked up his babies and went home.

He was not prepared for the way you cackled when he told you what happened.

*Konoha Akinori: 

You had gone away for a business trip, leaving your husband Konoha home with your 3 kids. (You guys have 2 girls and a boy)

Your middlest child, your son Akira, had recently come down with a cold making the poor thing miserable when he tried to sleep.

Being the good dad that he is, he gave his son some benadryl!

The next morning he woke up, and after letting his kids sleep in for a little bit he woke them up too.

...two of them.

He tried several times to get his son to leave his bed, but the little kid couldn’t so much as swing one foot over the side of his bed with out falling asleep again.

He didn’t think too much of it, the kid had a cold after all.

So he let him sleep for another hour or so before making him get up for real.

A day later you got home, and everything was pretty much normal.

Until you went to put your son to bed, and realized he had crashed on the couch.

“...Uhm, Akinori?” Your husband lifted his head at your voice, setting the dishes in the sink and drying his hands with a towel as he made his way over to you. 

“Yeah babe?” You took a look over towards your son before looking back to your husband.

“...Has Akira been like that all weekend?” Konoha ran his hand through his hair as he sighed. “No, only since Saturday. He wasn’t feeling good so I gave him some benadryl, he’s been dead to the world since.” You slowly nodded.

“Uhm, Akinori?” He raised an eyebrow at you. “How much benadryl did you give him?”

He left to grab the box, coming back with it in his hand as he continued to look at it.

He shook his head in confusion. “I gave him the amount the box said, 1 teasp-”- He paused.

Uh oh.

He in fact, had not given his son a teaspoon of benadryl.

He had given him a tablespoon.

*Kita Shinsuke: 

You had to leave early one morning for a doctors appointment; you were pregnant with you and Kita’s second child. 

Usually for these appointments Kita’s grandmother would watch your 3 year old daughter Kyoka.

But she had something to do that morning so Kita was the one responsible for getting her ready for preschool.

Kita was a good father so you weren’t worried.

You knew she would be put together, fed, and on time.

There was just one thing you couldn’t account for.

“Daddy?” Kita looked away from the mirror he was shaving in and down to his daughter, washing away the traces of shaving cream. “Yes sweetheart?”

She held out her small hand, 2 bright pink hair ties with little butterfly charms on them held out in her palm.

“Can you do my piggy tails please?” His eyes widened.

He hadn’t done hair...like...ever.

But from the puppy eyes his little princess was giving him, how could he not do it?!

Plus, it couldn’t be that hard...right? I mean, he had watched you do it plenty of times, and it was pretty straight forward.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed he had her stand on the ground in front of him.

He grabbed her brush and put the two hair ties she had given him on his wrist.

He brushed her hair and parted it as evenly as he could, trying to be gentle in the process.

Now time for the pig tails..

He pulled her hair back, trying to make it tight to it would stay.

...But he might have made it a little too tight.

He turned her around and realized he had made them way too tight.

Not only did her hair look like he had slicked it back with x4 strength hair gel, but it was so tight that her eyebrows had been stuck way up on her forehead.

He was quick to turn her back around, loosening the hair ties so she looks like a 3 year old again.

His face turned undeniably red as he told you what happened later that night, you light heartedly laughing at his misfortune.

Suna Rintaro: 

Suna had just gotten out of practice, and now he was on the way to his kids school. 

You and Suna had 4 kids, 2 boys and 2 girls. 

The youngest 2 had a doctor’s appointment earlier that day, which you had taken them too. Meaning Suna needed to pick the older 2 up from elementary school.

He had been listening to music, his music to be specific.

He had pulled into the parking lot, changing the playlist to a kid friendly one right before his children got in the car.

After they had told him about their days, and he had told about his, he switched back on the music.

It had been fine for a song.

Until he realized that he had a few songs qued.

The fun little song had just ended when the bass dropped, the color draining from his face as soon as the song started.

The mentioned song being “Big Bank” by YG, 2 Chainz, Big Sean and Nicki Minaj of course~.

He was quick to turn the radio off, waiting until he could pull over, empty the que, and turn on kid friendly music.

He told the kids to ‘forget what they heard’ and he continued on his drive home.

Now, you’ve got to remember, his daughter is in kindergarten and his son is in 2nd grade, so they’re still kind of at that “monkey see, monkey do” age range.

Or rather, “monkey hear, monkey repeat.”

He thought it was gonna be okay, they were good kids so he figured telling them to forget they even heard it, they would let it go.

There was just one thing about his children that he didn’t account for.

As obedient and well behaved as his children were, they were also very curious.

That night at dinner they had all been sat down at the table, eating dinner and talking about their days. 

You had been feeding your infant son while Suna had been watching the 3 year old, the other 2 older children happily eating their food. Until...

“Hey mommy?” You looked at your daughter with a smile, “Yes baby?” She continued to eat her dinner, “What’s a b!tch?” Your eyes widened as your husband choked on his food, your baby laughing at the scene before him.

Hitting his chest and taking a sip of water Suna tried to catch his breath.

“Nezuko we don’t say that, where did you hear that?!” She tilted her head as she looked at you confused before turning to look at Suna, pointing a small finger at him.

“It was on the radio, daddy told us to ‘forget’ but I didn’t know what it meant...What does it mean?” You sent a glare towards your husband as you sighed.

After explaining to your daughter why it was bad to say those things and not to repeat everything she heard you cleaned up your kids and put them to bed.

...You had quite the conversation with your husband later that night.

Ushijima Wakatoshi: 

Ushijima had been on grocery duty this week since you had a meeting with a friend.

He had the Friday off, and since you weren’t home he took the kids with him.

Now, I would like you to know that you guys have 6 kids. S I X.

Growing up with no siblings and divorced parents, Ushijima wanted to make sure none of his kids were lonely.

Originally you guys had two, each kid had a buddy.

...but then you had a third, and you couldn’t just leave him alone...

so you had another...then another...

And now you guys have 6. But it’s okay cause you both love kids anyway~

He was doing his best, he truly was. He had his 2 youngest sitting in the little seat by the handle bar, 2 kids in the basket, 1 hanging onto the side and the oldest walking alongside him.

When they got to check out he had to take one of the kids out of the basket, so he opted for his 3rd oldest, his son Kazue, figuring he was older so it’d be a-okay.

He checked out his extensive amount of groceries before loading them up into his car, and his kids.

He pulled out of the grocery store parking lot and got on the road, his kids singing along to the radio and chatting amongst themselves.

They had been driving for 6 minutes when his oldest child, Ren, spoke up. “Uh, dad?” He hummed, briefly checking the rear view mirror before returning his gaze to the road. “When are we going back to get Kazue?” His face lost all color as his eyes widened.

As swiftly and safely as he could he pulled over to the side of the road, whipping around in his seat to take a head count. ‘1..2..3..4..5...oh sh-’ Turning back around he got back onto the road, taking the nearest u-turn and rushing back to the store. 

Unbuckling his kids from their carseats he hurried them back into the store, his oldest holding the 2nd borns hand, as he held all 3 of the younger ones in his arms.

He frantically entered the store, almost collapsing with relief when he saw his son sat at the customer service desk with the security guard, eating a lollipop before smiling when he saw his dad come to pick him up.

After giving proof that yes, he was his father, he took all of his kids back home after getting them some ice cream.

...this would be one conversation he was not excited to have with you....

Yahaba Shigeru: 

Yahaba and his 2 sons had been hanging out in the living room while you finished making some snacks in the kitchen.

Yahaba had been trying to set up a DVD player, you guys were going to watch some home-videos from your high school days but they were all on CD.

So, after borrowing one from his parents house, he set out to hook it up to the TV.

...Which was proving much more difficult then he first anticipated.

His two boys, Itsuki (6) and Hayato (8) were in there with him, ‘helping’ as they had called it.

Yahaba groaned as he sat back, a hand ruffling through his hair as he racked his brain to think of the problem.

You had finished preparing everything so you came in, with the food, and set it down on the coffee table.

You came up behind your husband, kneeling down behind him and placing your hands on his shoulders.

“How’s it going?” He sighed, leaning back into you.

“Well, I think I know what I need to do, I’m going to have to stick my hand back there though. Hey Hayato, can you help me out buddy?” The 8 year old excitedly nodded.

“Great, I need you to hold this flashlight here, hold it steady okay?” Hayato nodded with a ‘Yup!’ before Yahaba laid down on his side, maneuvering to where he could see the back of the TV.

All had been going well, he had just got it hooked up, and after having you test it, it worked!

He tried to get himself out from behind the TV, until a sharp edge caught his finger.

“Sh!t!” Your eyes widened, “Shigeru!” He hadn’t realized his slip up until he was out from behind the TV, faced directly with your glare.

“Kids, don’t say that.” His youngest blinked at him. “But why?”.

Kneeling down in front of him Yahaba tried to explain, but it was a little hard when you were glaring holes into the back of his head and his oldest was giggling at the situation.

*Iwaizumi Hajime: 

It was a weekend in summer vacation, and you and your husband were both off work.

This meant, you guys got a whole day to spend with your 3 boys, and one of the things you guys loved to do as a family was play games.

On this particular afternoon, your sons had chosen to play twister.

You were a little skeptical because you had 3 competitive, rambunctious boys. 

And an equally competitive rambunctious husband.

But after getting 4 identical pouts you couldn’t say no...

But, you elected to be the spinner. (..for your own safety)

“Left hand, green.” This put your middlest son in quite the predicament.

The only space available was the Green directly by his fathers hand, meaning he’d have to crawl under Iwaizumi.

“Okay Hajime, right hand, yellow.” Iwaizumi grimaced as he tried to reach it.

 This wasn’t good, the mat was slick, his hands were sweating-

“oOf” Before he could catch himself he had completely lost his balance, landing right on his son.

You gasped in horror as you saw the life get squeezed out of your 5 year old, scrambling from where you sat to check on your now pancaked son.

“...Hiro..are you okay..?” 

His small head shot up with a “I’m okay!” Before he, albeit wearily, stood up brushing off his godzilla t-shirt before continuing on with his life.

You took a deep breath as you sat back down, flashing a warning look towards your husband who sheepishly smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

And after checking that yes, your son really was okay, you guys continued on with some...safer games.

Futakuchi Kenji: 

You had left for a weekend visit to see your parents in your hometown, leaving your husband and Your 3 girls alone.

It was a friday night, so after having a less than healthy dinner, ice cream and a fair amount of other sweets, Futakuchi figured a movie before bed would be a good way to finish off the night.

He scrolled through netflix trying to find a movie he could watch with his girls.

“Daddy, can we watch snow white?!” Futakuchi looked down at his oldest, Hayami, before he shrugged. “Sure.”

He may be a guy, but he was not above watching princess movies if it meant his babies were happy. Besides, it was a disney movie, what bad could be in it!

Everything was going swell, until the witch showed up.

He felt the sick feeling of dread in his stomach as soon as he felt his middlest curl in tight to his side, his youngest hopping off of the couch and climbing into his lap.

...Disney SHOULD have been a safe bet, but with the way his 3 girls were clinging onto him for dear life, he probably should have previewed it first..

That night he put them to bed, reading them a quick story before giving them each a kiss on their forehead and tucking them into bed. 

15 minutes.

15 minutes of almost sleep when he heard you guys’ bedroom door creak open, 3 sets of little feet pad over to his side of the bed.

“...daddy..?” He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he opened them, brown eyes meeting the teary ones of his 3 children as they stood there. Speaking in as soft of a voice as he could he tried not to sound as tired as he knew he was.

“What is it munchkin?” His daughters all fidgeted where they stood, fiddling with the hems of their princess night gowns as they stood there.

“...We’re scared...can we sleep with you..?” Knowing he wouldn’t be able to get them to sleep like you could, and being incredibly tired himself he moved to the side, opening the covers and making room for all 3 of his princesses.

...This was going to be a long night for him.. 

Daishou Suguru: 

Daishou had been playing outside with his kids, his 2 year old son Kento and his 5 year old daughter Shizuko.

His son was sat on his shoulders, one of Daishou’s hands wrapped firmly around the boys ankles while the other pushed his daughter on the swing.

You had been inside getting dinner ready while they had been outside; smiling fondly at the smiles that were plastered on their faces.

When dinner had finished you walked to the sliding glass door, opening it and calling to them. “Dinners ready! Come inside and wash up so we can eat.” Your daughter and husband replied with ‘okay!’ as you went back to get plates. 

Slowing down the swing Daishou brought it to a stop so Skizuko could safely get off.

In all honesty, he was a good dad.

He was very mindful of his children and their surroundings, so they didn’t get hurt too often.

He was also very careful not to accidentally hurt them.

But accidents happen.

Walking to the back door, he, somehow either forgot or the thought didn’t register in his mind that his son was still perched on his shoulders.

He didn’t remember until a loud *whack!* was heard, and his sons cries sounded above him.

..He had tried going inside, through the door, with his son on his shoulders.

Bringing him down from his shoulders he quickly brought him inside to set him down on the counter, you almost screaming when you saw the bruise forming on his little forehead.

“Ah-wha-how- SUGURU! What happened?!”

Groaning Daishou gently put a small ice pack on his sons head, “...He whacked his head on the door frame...” You looked at him, “And how did he do that?”

Daishou sighed as he looked down, grimacing at the purple mark already present on his sons head.

...For the next few nights the couch became a good friend of his.

Numai Kazuma: 

Today was your son, Kazuya’s birthday. Today he would be turning 1.

Kazuya was the first, and so far only child you had with your husband of 3 years Kazuma Numai.

You and Numai were still learning how to be parents, and it had been an interesting journey to say the least, but you guys were doing good!

Your relatives and friends had just left, leaving you, Kazuma and your son.

It was pretty late so you started cleaning up in the kitchen and Numai started in the living room.

Kazuya had been pretty fussy, you both figuring he was tired, but when you tried to put him to sleep he wouldn’t even close his eyes.

So, deciding it’d be best to get it out of the way Numai held Kazuya as he was cleaning.

Things had been going just fine before Kazuya had reached out to grab at something on a nearby book shelf, causing the book shelf to start tipping over.

At that moment the only thing going through Numai’s mind was ‘stop the book shelf’, because at the moment, getting his son and him crushed by a bookshelf seemed like a very bad thing.

But what he hadn’t thought of was the fact that reflexively he had used both of his arms to stop said shelf (which didn’t even fall), the same two arms that had been holding his- “WAAAHH”

His eyes snapped down to the BABY he had just let go of, now crying on the floor.

You rushed into the living room, seeing your husband now cradling your still crying son, whispering apologies into his hair as he kissed the top of his head.

“Kazuma what happened?” 

He avoided eye contact. 

“...Kazuma...” Looking down he spoke.

“...I dropped him...”

...

“...you what?”

[peachsayshi]

Chapter 10 - Intimate (2)

Tags: Friends with Benefits, Angst, Fluff 

Summary: Gojo uses you to relieve some of his stress after his little argument with your best friend, and poses a question that catches you off guard.

A/N: this chapter was a bit difficult for me to write and I think it's because it turned out to be sort of a filler chapter! Also, please excuse any errors - I am definitely posting this half asleep lol! but I am really excited to share the upcoming ones! I initially said that this was going to be 25 chapters but I outlined the rest of the story and there will be more! Hehe I do plan on doing the few extra one-shots in the end, so I hope you enjoy.

- - - 

“Tell me you’re mine…”  

You blushed at the thought of Satoru’s words, painfully aware of the knot that tightened in the pit of your stomach which then tugged at your lungs, slowing your breath. You reached for the seasoning packets, ripping open the colored wrappers to prepare the ramen broth. You watched as tiny circles began to form from the bottom of the metal pot, bubbling it’s way to the surface. You could hear the shower still running from your bathroom, a bit relieved that Gojo was taking his time because you wanted to bask in the few precious minutes you had to yourself to try and quieten your racing thoughts.

You couldn’t focus on the task of preparing dinner because the word “mine” slipping from Gojo’s lips in a feverish claim was playing on a loop in your head. The way his tone darkened with urgency when he held his body close to yours sent goosebumps to run up your arms. You couldn’t figure out where the possessive streak came from or why he felt the need to assert his dominance over an act that should not have been as intimate as it felt. You folded your arms over your chest, subconsciously pinching your skin as you tried to ignore the way your heart skipped a beat.

There was a difference when you made your own personal comparisons in the safety of your mind versus Gojo bringing it up in the bedroom. Somehow admitting your confession to him made you feel vulnerable and his reaction didn’t make it any  better, appearing to be competitive about the entire situation.

That doesn’t make any sense, why would he care? you wondered.

You never actually paid attention to how Gojo felt about your ex-boyfriend. For the most part he’s always been nice to him. Although the two of them weren’t the closest of friends, they seemed to get along whenever you all hung out together. You never would have anticipated that Gojo would be…

Jealous of him ?

That he would resent him?

Honestly, you didn’t even have an explanation for what it could possibly mean.

“ Pay attention…”

Gojo’s voice startled you, you didn’t even realise he was standing right behind you until you noticed him reach his arm forward to reduce the flame, stopping the water from bubbling over the pot.

“Whoops! Lost my train of thought for a second...” you lied, refusing to look in his direction in the hopes that he wouldn’t catch you blushing.

“That’s a safety hazard, you know?” he teased, still standing dangerously close behind you as he reached for the dry noodles himself and placed them into the pot. “You need sharp eyes when cooking otherwise you’ll end up having an unnecessary accident.”

A nervous chuckle escaped you as you circled to face him. Gojo had borrowed one of your black silk scarves, using it as a makeshift blindfold since his own was now tumbled between your bedsheets on the floor. You could smell your coconut and hibiscus body wash off him, the scent combining with the residual cologne on his clothes. An easy smile spread across that handsome face, his relaxed demeanor contrasting the state he was in when he first knocked on your door.

He’s your friend, you reminded yourself. What happens in the bedroom doesn’t mean anything…  

It shouldn’t mean anything.  

“Whatever you say, sensei ...” you chirped, burying your wayward thoughts. “Why don’t you grab those mats and I’ll bring these over to the table”

You assembled the two bowls, adding a little extra broth for Gojo because you knew he preferred it that way. Meanwhile, he had placed the two mats on the opposite side of the dining table, taking care not to disturb your work set up.

“Here you go,” you said, as you slid the bowl in front of him while he took his seat.

“Thank you!”

At first you both sat in silence, Gojo was responding to a few unanswered text messages but you were studying him with curious eyes, waiting for him to give you an explanation for his sudden visit.

“ Sooo, you want to tell me what that was all about?” you asked.

“That being?”

You waved your chopsticks in the direction of your bedroom, raising your brow before replying, “That being the sequence of events that just transpired…”

“ Stress relief ...” Gojo explained in between bites as he casually tucked his phone back into his pocket.

You thrummed your fingers against the warm bowl in your hands, fidgeting with the chopsticks in the other.  “Well, I’m glad I could help you unwind, I guess...”

He flashed you a wicked grin, “Me too, because I need a repeat of the show...”

“I can’t look at you when you say that,” you remarked, focusing your attention onto the noodles and growing shy at his comment.

“Am I embarrassing you?”

“A little…”

“I don’t understand why, that was fucking hot ...”

Your face burned, the heat radiating all the way to the back of your neck from his words. You cleared your throat as you rolled your eyes at him, desperately trying to brush off his statement in a cool manner. You could feel the knot in your stomach, the thoughts you were having crept back into your mind as you tried to hush them away.

You decided to shift the conversation away from the bedroom and back to Gojo instead. If he wasn’t so flustered by his own emotions, you might have accepted his excuse of needing to relieve stress but you knew there was more to the story.

“Did something happen at work?” you questioned.

Gojo chuckled to himself, “It’s funny how you won’t even acknowledge my compliment... ”

“Are you really going to make me pry a proper answer out of you?” you huffed, and he could hear your annoyance in your tone.

Gojo wished that he didn’t have to get into this particular part of the conversation with you, knowing full well how it was going to bring down the mood.

“No, nothing happened at work,” he said with a sigh, “I was with Rina. She asked me to stop by her shop…”

You knitted your brows in confusion, “That’s kind of random.”

Gojo nodded his head, “I thought so too. She initially told me that she wanted to get my opinion on some new items she was dropping for her menu. Turns out I was only there because she wanted to know how long you and I have been sleeping together for…”

You choked at his statement, his nonchalant words nearly going over your head.

Gojo kept eating, unphased by your reaction. “Need some water?”

“Y-yes…no, ugh, nevermind …she asked you how …”

“ How long you and I have been fucking… ” Gojo replied, flicking his index finger back between you both to fully clarify his statement.

The knot in your stomach cinched, a wave of nausea swirling in your gut as you placed your chopsticks down.

“How... how did she even find out? ” you whispered to yourself as you slumped against the back of your chair.

“She saw us at the park.”

“ Oh .”

You and Rina have both had your fair share of arguments before but sometimes when her emotions got the better of her, Rina’s outbursts often came with her sharp tongue. Over the years you had to explain to her that her words carried more weight than she thought, and in turn she became more conscious around you. However it suddenly dawned on you that Gojo might have been on the receiving end of Rina’s unfiltered anger.

You covered your face with your hands, groaning with frustration. “What did she say?”

“ Hmm ?”

“What did Rina say to you?”

Gojo shrugged his shoulders, “don’t worry about what she said to me. I know she didn’t mean anything by it...”

“But you were upset when you got here…”

“Let’s clarify something, Rina was upset because she was hurt. I was just annoyed by the situation. There’s a difference...”

You wished he would take your conversation a little more seriously and not brush it off with such ease but sighed knowing full well that Gojo wasn’t going to tell you what exactly happened which meant that Rina must have said something deliberately hurtful towards him.

“ I’m sorry… ”

“Why are you apologizing?”

You picked up your utensils, “For dragging you into this unnecessary drama I started. I should have just told Rina what was going on between us…”

Gojo paused after slurping a noodle, “well, why didn’t you tell her?”

“She’s been overprotective recently… ” you explained, not wanting to get into the details that the reason was purely based on your break up and how terrible you have been about getting over it. “I knew that if I told her about our arrangement she would analyze me to death over it and I didn’t want to deal with that…”

“Fair point,” Gojo acknowledged with a hum.

His short responses unsettled you, and you found yourself overcompensating to make up for it. “I’ll talk to her and smooth things over and I’ll make sure she apologizes for whatever it is that she said to you. She shouldn’t take her frustration out on you just because she was upset with me...”

Gojo nodded his head but you could clearly sense that he was not in the mood for any serious conversations right now. Taking himself out of this particular topic, Gojo quickly changed the subject after you made your last statement.

He kept the rest of the chat lighthearted, distracting your worries by telling you little anecdotes he had about his co-worker, Nanami. You suddenly found yourself giggling when Gojo revealed that he practically stalked Nanami for an entire day just so he could force the man to hang out him.

“I feel bad for the poor guy, you completely terrorize him,” you stated, clearing the table once you were both done eating.

You made your way over back to your kitchen where you rinsed off the bowls before placing it in the dishwasher. “You’re free to hang out if you want,” you offered, noticing Gojo get himself together as he was preparing to leave.

“I think I distracted you enough for tonight,” he replied.

You walked him to the door, following in line with his long strides. Just as he was about to reach the handle of your front door, he stopped before turning to face you.

“You don’t owe anyone an explanation about what is going on between us,” he stated, his voice low and serious.

You blinked a couple of times in surprise before parting your lips to respond, “I know I don't owe anyone an explanation but I know what Rina’s feeling and the only way I can see myself fixing this problem is by telling her everything. We never keep secrets from each other and I would probably be equally as hurt if she chose to hide something from me too... ”

Gojo pressed his lips together, navigating the words floating in his mind before reaching his hand out to touch your fingers.

“I get it but I just…”

“ Just ?...”

He exhaled, “I don’t want you overthinking anything between us, okay?”

“Don’t worry, even though we are terrible at sticking to our own rules, I am fully aware of where we both stand…”

You notice the relief wash over Gojo’s face as he slips his fingers away from your touch, “Good, because I like what we are doing.”

“I-I like it too…” you replied almost instantly, your heart racing at your own admittance.

The sorcerer left you a bundle of nerves when he said his goodbye. The knot in your stomach made its presence known, twining itself around your insides as you couldn’t escape this foreign emotion that seemed to have infiltrated your body.

*** 

CHAPTER 11 - FRIENDS

[superhusbands4ever]

DinLuke (Skydalorian) Fic Rec List

Hello all! Like many of us, I have fallen into Dinluke hell since the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian, so I have compiled a list of Dinluke fics that I love for you all to read. I’ve sorted them by series, and long fics, and one-shots. Incomplete/in-progress fics are marked with **. If you are like me and you absolutely LOVE force-sensitive Din Djarin, those fics will be bolded. If you want a rec list of just force-sensitive Din fics, let me know!

Enjoy!

Series

**Seperate Ways by PepperPrints - Explicit - iconic, exquisite, 1000/10, peak art, would recommend

With Moff Gideon defeated and the Darksaber reclaimed, the rumours of newly named Mand'alor Din Djarin spread through the galaxy... along with the stories of the Child he carries with him. Determined to meet him, Luke Skywalker arrives on Mandalore -- but before he can get any closer, he has to prove himself worthy of Mandalorian standards. 

**Skydalorian by Celestial_Alignment - Explicit

What if Din and Luke met pre-episode 4 and continued to run into each other through the years.

The Mandalorian ends up at Tosche Station and meets a desert youth who is apparently named "Wormie."

**The Vanishing Breed Series by @dosmit-raeh - Mature

The first thing Din noticed was the fire in the hearth. Near the hearth was a small, handmade crib, and from the crib came an excited cry. It spread through Din's chest like a bloodstain, perhaps it had in fact pierced his heart. He knew that little voice.

“Hey, you,” said Din softly. He dropped to his knees as the Kid scrambled out of the crib and scampered to him, crawling into his lap and burbling happily.

“That’s the most excited I’ve seen him in months,” said Skywalker. Din hadn’t even noticed him sitting across the room at a rough-hewn wooden table, nursing a cup of something. He wore the same carefully neutral expression he'd had on Gideon's ship, but his clothes were now desert-colored and hung loose around Skywalker's wiry frame. His hair was in disarray and it made him look much younger than he'd seemed on the ship; there, he'd seemed world-weary and ancient. Now, Din felt an insane need to protect.

Skywalker raised his cup at Din in greeting, a lopsided smile on his face. “He’s missed you," he said.

��Feeling’s mutual,” said Din gruffly.

___

The Mandalorian becomes Din Djarin. Din Djarin becomes.

(Luke helps.)

**Beskar and Kyber by Insomniac_with_dreams - Not Rated

“This is going to be awkward,” Luke sighs down at the baby in his arms. R2 beeps besides him and Luke nods in agreement. “Nothing to do but go back.”

His X-Wing is almost completely dismantled, sparking where wires hang limply. There is no way he’s getting off of this cruiser until it’s repaired. There aren't even any escape pods on board all of the docking bays empty. He hadn’t anticipated this, and now he was going to have to walk back to the bridge with the baby and explain himself to a heartbroken Mandalorian.

**you and i have memories by itBlackLeader - General

“What are you doing ?” A quiet voice asks behind his back.

Luke only responds with hums of contentment and a gentle tap on the grassy ground next to him.

(Luke and Din enjoy a quiet evening.)

Long Fic (Multi-chapter & 10K+)

Smoke Signals by Thestorans - Explicit - 23.5K

"Din Djarin"

He hears his name and it scares him enough to throw up his blaster, finger hovering over the trigger that is pointed right at Luke Skywalker's heart.

(or the one where a Jedi meets a Mandalorian and things get complicated.)

More Than His Armor by twoseas - Teen - 12.6K

Din visits Grogu at Luke’s academy more than any other parent. Luke isn’t complaining.

**Fates of the Force by starkjoy - Explicit

Six months after Grogu's rescue, an unexpected encounter launches Din on a quest throughout the galaxy alongside Jedi Master Luke Skywalker—a journey that may alter their fates forever.

the warmest bed i’ve ever known by ceedawkes - Explicit - 11.5K

pre-original series, din djarin is injured on a remote planet and found by an incessantly chatty farm boy named luke skywalker || i won't ask you to wait, if you don't ask me to stay || aka "making out with hot farm boys doesn't count as breaking the creed if he's blindfolded during it". edit 12/29: now with a post-series chapter 2.

**Worlds Apart by PepperPrints - Teen - honestly an absolute favorite, it only has 3 chapters so far but I’ve already re-read each one a million times

Having safely delivered the Child, Mand'alor Din Djarin inherits the Darksaber, a ruined planet, and the burden of Moff Gideon's fate. That burden brings Din to the New Republic on Coruscant, where he's thrown into a shimmering world of galactic politics even less familiar to him than the planet meant to be his home.

Din isn't the only one on Coruscant with his hands full of a once forgotten order - the Jedi is here too, and as their paths cross, Din will be forced to navigate both what's expected of him, and what he wants.

**we could be enough by @snap-dragon-pop - Teen

Din Djarin fights a war he never wanted to be a part of, and Luke Skywalker slowly makes a place for himself in a family he never knew he needed.

**he feels like home by bilgegungorenoo - Teen

Luke is in love.

And Leia doesn’t even need her strong Force bond with her twin to know that.

Or, 5 times people try to convince Luke to ask Din out, and 1 time Din takes it upon himself to do it.

**Family is a Funny Thing by SkylaDoragono - Mature

He promised the child he would see him again; he just didn't realize how hard it would be for him to stay away, even with the responsibility that came with the Darksaber breathing down his neck.

**Kir’manir by @iamonewithyouandyouarewithme - Teen - this one is one of my top 5 favorites already and it only has 2 chapters so far lol

He lets go of everything.

He reunites with his son, sees with his own eyes that he is safe, and just as quickly loses him again.

He gives the child to the Jedi, watches them prepare to leave. He sins, removes his helmet; feels the faintest touch of his son's tiny hand against his tired skin.

And then Bo-Katan shoots the Jedi in the back.

**For All The Things My Eyes Have Seen by Strawbebbi_Daiuiri - Teen

“He missed you.” The Jedi laughed. For a moment, Din didn’t respond, too wrapped up in the moment. Not that he probably would’ve responded anyways, but his focus was on the child in his arms. The feel of the other man’s stare, however, brought him back to where he was. ---- Or, the one where Luke and Din don't realize they're in love with each other for way too long and raise children together.

**no path runs smooth series by @andillwriteyouatragedy - General

"I don't know what game you're playing, here, but you know you have to go with the Jedi. This is your destiny."

"Luke." Din looks up to the Jedi, scanning him through his visor. As if he can see his face — and Din hopes even the most powerful Jedis can't see through beskar — the Jedi smiles at him again. He clarifies, "The Jedi? Has a name. I'm Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin."

One Shots

HOT SINGLE DAD IN YOUR AREA NEEDS YOUR HELP by coldishcase - Teen - crackfest but honestly relatable and funny as hell

A bright red box appears in Luke's vision, declaring in big, bold basic lettering: "HOT SINGLE DAD IN YOUR AREA NEEDS YOUR HELP." He's seen several just like it by this point, each more insistent than the last.

Someone needs his help, apparently. They sure have an interesting way of asking him for it, though.

How (Not) to Meet Your Son’s Boyfriend by fifteenminutesoffame - Not Rated

“You’re blocking the sunlight,” Obi-Wan chides, cast in shadow from Anakin’s hovering, his eyes still closed.

“Will you pay attention?” Anakin snaps. “Luke has made me a grandfather.”

i think i’m gonna marry you by snapdragonpop007 - General

It is an ancient tradition on Mandalore, that before you can ask for someone’s hand in marriage, you first have to defeat them in battle to prove your abilities to care for and provide for the family you’ll have. If you are not a capable warrior, you are not a capable spouse.

Luke didn't realize he had already skipped that step.

Got Me Hypnotized (So Mesmerized) by wasted_wallflower - Teen

“Thanks. For what you’re doing, I mean.” The words come out stilted and slow, and not for the first time, Din curses his inability to talk to people like a normal person. Luke Skywalker smiles at him, ducking his head with an undoubtedly bashful expression on his face, while the kid (Grogu, he reminds himself) chatters between them. “You’re welcome.” He says, that smile still on his face, and oh.

Oh no.

Din Djarin does not have a crush, despite what everyone else thinks. Enter Luke Skywalker.

[meeko-mar]

Can I just compare Bakudeku to Korrasami for just a moment

Not as in, their relationship, but in terms of fandom experience, perception and how it became Canon.

So, some years ago, LOK was on it's 4th and final season. So of course, shipping discourse was high. Who would Korra end up with? Would she end up single, be back with Mako?

Or....there was a big calling for the couple Korrasami, that is, Korra and her female friend Asami, to get together.

Now, up until the point of the finale, (and grant that I haven't watched in a while so I'm speaking in an overall sense and recalling my experience) Asami and Korra had been teaming up more and more. Korra had been really, badly, injured in the last season, leading to her isolating herself in the SWT for about 2 or 3 years to heal with Katara, and upon heading back to Empire City, she takes an abrupt turn to spend more time isolated and on a sort of spirit journey in the wild because she didn't feel ready to face her destiny and her friends and was suffering from PTSD. She later returns to EC, and to Asami, and they are close together for the season.

This all caught the attention of the Korrasami shippers who had, at the time, kind of only been casually shipping them because, hey, wouldn't it be nice? and they were slowly and steadily getting more crumbs, and the ship gathered momentum as the seasons progressed.

But lo and behold, everyone else was saying such things as:

"they're a female/female ship, it will never happen, even if you want it to" (even shippers of Korrasami were resigned to this because the precedent in youth animation in western cartoons at the time, was of course, not inclusive of same sex couplings).

We SAW the subtle development between the two and DARED to hope and dream that it might one day become canon, even though we thought it unlikely because of the trend towards heteronormativity. We saw their interactions and toiled over if they were trying to hint at something more between them.

"They're just friends. You're reading into it"

Because the "just friends" behavior of Korrasami in later seasons were:

-Asami being deeply supportive of Korra when she was injured (and for a time, disabled) Like, literally, getting on a knee, putting her hand into Korra's and saying "I'm here for you, for ANYTHING you need" kind of supportive, even offering to COME to the SWT with her. (Korra sacrificed her desire to have Asami close because she didn't want Asami to drop her duties as basically a CEO to tend to her)

-Korra receiving letters from all of her friends during her healing period, but ONLY responding, in a very beautiful letter, to Asami's.

-Korra honestly apologizing for being gone so long without writing more than one letter or sharing more of what was going on or where she went

-Asami complimenting Korra's new hair and Korra BLUSHING and looking SO charmed(and returning the compliment of how amazing Asami always looks) --there is no hetero explanation for this.

-being battle partners and constantly having each other's backs

-Asami protecting Korra from pursuing enemies while she's in the Spirit World(leaving her physical body vulnerable)

-other characters in their circles being literally like "What's going on with you two??"

-Culminating in the final episode after the final battle with Asami breaking down, confessing that she wouldn't know what she had done if she had lost Korra in that final battle(she'd even lost her father the same day) AND THEN Korra comforting her and suggesting that they, the two of them, alone, take a trip together, to get away from it all for a bit.

-It ends, when They literally walk into the spirit world portal holding hands and staring lovingly into each other's eyes as the camera pans from them into the spirit portal

Which, LET ME TELL YOU, watching this when it first premiered, for the first time, WAS AN ALMOST TRANSCENDENT EXPERIENCE. It was a soft scene, emotional, beautifully animated, and the MUSIC just hit you right in the heart. Like, they didn't even kiss to really hammer it in that THEY ARE IN LOVE, however, it was an EMOTIONAL PAYOFF and there was NO arguing that they were not a couple. Creators soon after confirmed, yes, they are both bisexual women, and they are in love.

And so, you could definitely say that Korrasami could have been interpreted as just "Very Good Friends" behavior, of "Gals being Pals", and many people DID argue that, and would later claim that there wasn't "enough build-up to the relationship". And part of the atmosphere in media back then(esp. Nickelodeon at the time) they really couldn't be blatant about it up until that ending. It was even a thing that Nickelodeon had been kind of shooting them in the foot for a while with switching around air times, and eventually taking it off air and putting it only available to view ON THEIR WEBSITE. There was a lot of fuckery with the studio at the time, and It wouldn't have been far off to think that they had issue with the idea of this series ending with two girls together romantically.

..

It just kind of makes me think of people telling BKDK, not only "They're m/m, it'll never happen in shonen manga" but ALSO anything from "they hate eachother" to "They are toxic because Bakugou bullied him(blatant disregard for any current development of Bakugou's character) and so it can never ever happen" to "Ok sure they're becoming friends again, but that doesn't mean they love each other or will by the end of the story"

When arguably, Korrasami was basically given the same dismissal.

And my dudes, it's only gonna get more intense from here.

Like, Bakugou and Izuku are friends now(again). There's no denying that. They would literally die for one another. Their relationship, and the emotions between the two of them in the coming arcs will only be compounded, with how the last arc left off and how Izuku SUDDENLY left and how Bakugou has so many unresolved feelings, and how, like Korra being the Avatar and having to save the world multiple times over(and the PTSD she got from it), Izuku is carrying a heavy burden that Bakugou is determine to help him see it through to the end without LOSING Izuku in the process. Their stories are so closely tied together and they are SET to return to each other, and it CANNOT end WITHOUT them being together, in some capacity, even if it is just platonic.

So...I wouldn't write BKDK off just yet. We're at the same spot right now that Korrasami shippers were when they were starting to seriously think that there was something canon about Korrasami.

So, Am I saying that I for sure, 100% believe that BKDK will become romantically canon? Not really; the hurdle of it being a Shonen-oriented manga being actively marketed for boys, is admittedly a huge hurdle to overcome, and I, as an American, cannot begin to understand all of the cultural barriers, or implications breaking any of those barriers would have to a Japanese audience or for Horikoshi/his career as a manga-ka.

I still don't know what Horikoshi is thinking when it comes to BKDK, he's obviously very private and all we can do is speculate on what he feels about it; there's still a possibility, however small, that he may actually be the biggest BKDK of us all, and "telling the story he wants to tell" may yet include BKDK becoming canon(that quote may also have nothing whatsoever to do with any romance, but we don't know)...But, much like I was at the point in the Korrasami tale, I'm still painfully aware of the precedent that remains in the way.

Like the Korrasami tale, though, I suppose there is that possibility that we will see something completely amazing and groundbreaking, and I will once again have that transcendent experience where an unlikely ship suddenly becomes reality. At this state in the Korrasami tale, I had NO IDEA that we were shipping the real, canon deal, and it honestly surprised me, being that I usually attach myself to something that never becomes canon, lol(*cough*Zutara).

We're in the thick of it now, we just gotta wait it out and see.

[wedreamedlove]

MLQC Men Headcanon Notes

Now that I’ve spent more time with these men (it’s getting close to 2 years!) I wanted to share the general thoughts, themes, motifs, etc. that I keep in mind when I’m writing their character.

This is 1000% headcanon territory, so feel free to take what’s useful and ignore what’s not LOL but I’d also love to see people add in their own “character reference cheat sheet” to this!

(I’m especially curious because, due to being of Asian diaspora, I write best in English but my understanding of the characters come from CN/JP text). Incidentally, if anyone feels ANY of this when reading my fics, then that’s all I could ever ask for LOL.

LI ZEYAN

He is Capricorn² and, while the game doesn’t make explicit mentions to this, I associate the element earth with him because of this. He’s described with attributes like being steady, calm, and always in control. He is the epitome of an immovable boulder and things revolve around him, not the other way around. I like to draw on imagery of unbending steel and/or the stable ground.

Meanwhile, like the goat of his astrological sign, every step he takes to climb to his goal is assured. He doesn’t do anything spontaneous or without thought, so if he does lose control and act without thinking then it has to be a momentuous occasion. Basically, it’s really important to me that if I write a loss of control, then it’s likely to be the centerpiece.

Keeping in mind that his Evol is time control, I also like to try and subtly weave an atmosphere of how everything happens at his pace. Winter being his season only adds onto this because the world stills when it’s covered in snow; everything becomes muted, hushed, and slowed in this season.

The chemistry in his romance arc is how his pace and control gets disturbed, but he adapts quickly and learns to go along with these moments of whimsy. Or more like that’s his character development and how love changes him.

His canon (spirit) animal is the cat and lion. Felines go along very well with the emperor or noble archetypes he has in all his AU cards, because cats are stereotyped as being independent and haughty animals. He’s not big on PDA or excessive skinship, but he’s not disagreeable to them either. Too much stimulation and, like a cat, he’ll probably show exasperation. Ignore him for too long though and he’ll come to share his presence with you.

For me, his love is shown through quiet acts of service that don’t have any attention drawn to them. Him just being in the same room or giving his attention is how he emotes his love.

He’s quite low-key in his normal life so he doesn’t seem like someone who gets confused over commoner things, but there are also moments where he spends an enormous amount of money without blinking. If life can be made easier with money then why not, right?

Keywords: Calm. Steady. Earth. Immovable. Control. Exasperated Affection. Time. Cats. Literal Capricorn. Winter. Mature.

ZHOU QILUO

First thing that comes to mind is the sun and heat. Fire is his element and so I go for stereotypical imagery like flares of passion and burning bright. He switches expressions and moods at the drop of a hat and he’s a mood maker to the extreme, but there’s no hiding the way he shines with his love for his love.

However, because he’s also Helios, it’s really important for me to play around with dualities and explore the other side of this positive imagery. So, just like how the sun can bring warmth and life, it’s also a deadly laser something that can hurt people by blinding them or setting fires. It’s also fun to remember that the moon only has light from the sun’s reflection.

Game-wise, I believe Helios has been described with cold and ice imagery but, because I try to keep that imagery for Li Zeyan, what I like to consider instead is that extremely cold things can “burn” you too. Frostbite can also be called ice burn.

The sky is repeated imagery for Luoluo too, because of his eyes, but I’ll admit I’m still uncertain about how to interpret this for his character. Generally, the sky represents freedom but...? How I approach this is that the sky doesn’t discriminate and protects everyone below it (echoing his quote about how he protects the light in the dark).

On this note about the sky being welcoming, I view Luoluo’s love as one that accepts his love no matter what they’re like and he grows together with them (unlike the two adults, Li Zeyan and Xu Mo).

However, again, it’s super important to remember his duality and just because he’s a playful mood maker doesn’t mean he���s not able to switch into a serious and mature mode. He keeps his innocence and warm heart despite the darkness he’s seen and understands.

His canon animal is the bear which also makes me tilt my head. I can only see this as how bears are seen as both cuddly and cute, but also fierce and protective. He was also given a stag but... no one uses that LOL.

Keywords: Fire. Passion. Playful. Innocent. Little Sun! But Moon. Spring. Sacrifice. Darkness. Sky. Mischievous. Mood Maker.

BAI QI

Every single cell in his body is attuned to his love. You ever lose your phone and then, for the rest of the day, you feel as if you’re missing an important piece of yourself and you have intrusive thoughts wondering where it is? That’s him. You ever see something so cute you experience cute aggression and don’t know what to do with yourself? That’s him. You know those dogs that strain at their leashes on the streets because they want to go and greet you? That’s him.

It’s all about the yearning.

I know, I know, I wrote essays about how he can survive without his love and how he’s someone who carries both love and a greater justice BUT let’s not kid ourselves that he doesn’t revolve around his love like Jupiter around the sun.

Anyway, so the game shoves wind descriptions down our throats. It’s literally another vehicle for him to emote his love and, to be honest, I don’t do much with it other than use it for that. I talked about it extensively in my character essays, but I suppose I play with the irony of how he’s only free because he has a home can return to. [Loneliness SR Wind and Care Call] “Because I have a place for my heart, I can fly anywhere.”

I don’t believe the game emphasizes this any more than it does with the other men, but I try to always have a point of contact between Bai Qi and his love because, again, the yearning and vibrating with All That Love. He’s such a physical character (military archetype) that I also want to emphasize that in writing.

In addition, I’m all about him being the most feral of the men. Heck, his canon animal is the wolf which is great for both its stereotypical and non-stereotypical meanings, such as being a lone wolf and ferocious animal but also a pack animal that can’t survive on its own and needs a pack. Meanwhile, NW717 is described in-game as a monster.

Look, one of his signature descriptions in the game is resting his chin on or against his love’s head and nuzzling them. I’m not baselessly trying to push my kink I swear.

So, like how Bai Qi said in [Light Bath SSR: Tenderness Call] that maybe he only shows his gentleness towards select people (his love and mother), he’ll give the person he loves all the warmth of his being but, oh boy, I see him as being a beast who will remember his true nature upon being chained; the “chain” of love gives him the reassurance he needs to be truly free... in all its meanings.

Keywords: Ginkgo. Summer. Primal. Wind. Love is love is love. 3-Point Contact. Wolf. Yearning. Vitality. Justice. Freedom. Physical. Restraint.

XU MO

First, given how vocal I am about Elex’s changes, this is probably going to be the most drastically different section out of everyone vs. their English version.

Soft. Light. Gentle. Kind. Gossamery. Feathery. Ethereal. Faint. Whenever I write him, do I literally open up a thesaurus to find synonyms for gentle, light, and soft? Yup! LOL.

Fun fact, in CN and JP the word for “smile” and “laugh” is the same character and so sometimes there is ambiguity when translating if there’s no clear markers. The writers definitely had a word in mind when they wrote the scene, but unfortunately we don’t have the ability to check with them at every use and so sometimes it does come to subjective interpretation.

For me, Xu Mo is characterized by a lot of quietness. Game-wise, there are enormous usages of silence and descriptions of emotional fluctuations in his eyes so Significant Silences and Looks are a major thing with him and in my writing for him, which is why I always choose “smile” over “laugh” if there is any ambiguity in the line (I believe Elex leans towards chuckles).

On a similar note, the game also gives him a gigantic serving of descriptions that only ever use the word for “light, slight, faint, soft, gentle” in JP and CN. It gives him a very floaty and dreamy feeling, even if he’s doing something physical. So, it’s important for me to keep a similar atmosphere when writing and make everything feel as if it has to be shared in a whisper.

A bonus here is that it doesn’t require much to turn this ethereal feeling into a melancholic one, so you get that dash of angst that layers over everything. Leave a few things unknown here and there, incomplete actions, eyes that get averted and Boom. Angst.

Shifting gears, but if my imagery of Bai Qi’s love is like a tense, vibrating, and restrained chain of yearning then Xu Mo’s love is like a flood barely being held back by a dam. Knowledge of the quantity and weight behind the dam is terrifying, but it’s safe to be submerged inside it. Much like Luoluo and Helios, Xu Mo also has a dangerous duality in Ares and so I also like to play with this imagery.

So, on this point, I like to preserve an underlying sense of darkness (all-consuming possessiveness, etc.) and envision that he also wishes to stain his love in his colors, like a drop of ink on white paper and how it seeps into every fiber of the paper until the whole thing is saturated with him.

Incidentally, I’m reminded that—whenever possible and natural—I want to exclusively use water imagery with Xu Mo. The game supports this too! He is described with extensive water imagery and so I try to use water metaphors, analogies, and similes.

I try to make sure every sense is present, but I feel like the game emphasizes (especially with the red thread of fate imagery) that Xu Mo and his love are connected at a soul-deep level and so I always keep in mind a mental, emotional, and spiritual aspect.

Lastly, his canon animal is the fox (we ignore the black goat LOL) so contrasting his elegant, scholarly, and gentleman’s air with a black belly, teasing, and mischievous air is also important! Sexual but with, you know, class.

Keywords: Butterflies. Monochrome. Artist. Red Thread. Autumn. Melancholy. Water. Soft. Gentle. Light. Faint. Dreams. Spiritual. Fox.

LING XIAO

I’m getting more comfortable with him, but he’s still shrouded in so much mystery. If every one of the other men treat their loves with gentleness though Ling Xiao is definitely one who isn’t afraid of roughhousing. He’ll act first and then ask for forgiveness afterward, if needed.

But I like to keep in mind that, for all his roughness, he’s still a good kid at heart and when he saw MC’s skirt rising up when he tried to pull her over the fence he immediately stopped. So, a bit of a bully but without any humiliation.

Intelligent, strong, and dangerous but hiding all of that beneath a devil-may-care attitude and someone who does things on a whim. I don’t know what to do much with his canon animal being the shark except to attach it vaguely to this point and think that, as an apex predator of the sea, it does things at its own pace (somehow, it gives me the image that he likes to bite... but, uh, that’s probably just me LOL).

Keywords: Mercurial. Lightning. Sarcasm. Physical.

[kurinoot]

[day 2] two tempting bentos | ushijima wakatoshi

-> being the manager of a powerhouse school sure adds pressure, but you’re there to prove to them that you are the right person for the job, especially to a certain well-known ace

pairing: ushijima x reader

themes: fluff, manager!y/n, neither one of them has feelings for each other (yet!), continuation on white day special, slow burn (?)

word count: 2256 words

author’s note: sorry if I had to post this one late, as my dysmenorrhea was keeping me from working well (+ a bit of writer’s block) and I had to had this one proofread lol :( I hope you enjoy this one and drop any comments (and constructive ones) if you have one! also, thank you for a couple members of the hq discord server (I don’t know their un :() who willingly beta-ed (if that’s even a word lmao) this one.

Thankfully, it was already lunch time, as the grumbling of your empty stomach finally prompts you to walk to the school cafeteria. On the way, you unconsciously pat your stomach as you finally feel the reverberations and the consequence of the lack of breakfast for today. As soon as you arrive, you immediately take notice of two familiar figures on a nearby table. One of them is already waving at you like one of those wacky inflatable tubes that you closely associate him with, which brings a growing smile on your face.

“Ah L/N-chan! Wanna come sit with us?” Tendou giddily invites you and ushers you to the vacant space beside him, which you replied with an eager nod, sitting beside him.  With Ushijima sitting in front of both of you, you took notice of him who seems to be occupied with drawing something, which piques your interest.

“I never knew you could draw, Ushijima-san!”, you initiated, surprised.

“Yeah. I drew quite frequently as a child,” he replies with his usual deep voice, looking stoic with eyes and hands still occupied with the drawing. Somewhat mesmerized by the sight and view of the ace drawing, you kept watching as it slowly unraveled before your eyes, seemingly forgetting that you haven’t eaten even a single bite of food throughout the day.

Tendou sardonically interrupts, “Manager-chan, you better eat if you don’t want to keep your stomach from waiting!”, which cuts your train of thought (and apparently your daunting stare at Ushijima’s drawing). He ushers a tray of his remaining food to your direction, to which you thank him for, albeit the embarrassment of not being able to bring your own lunch for the day. You quickly fold your hands and utter an “Itadakimasu!” before you began ravishing the remaining food, much to the pair’s dismay.

“So L/N-chan!”

“Hmm?”, you hum in reply; your mouth still chewing on the food you’re eating.

Tendou then inclines himself onto the table, with his chin resting on the back of his hands and smirking with narrowed eyes at your direction, “Have you made preparations for today’s training?”.

You almost choke on your food, with eyes bulging the moment he reminds you of your managerial duties as Tendou knowingly cackles in response. Ushijima however, despite the playful banter happening in front of him, was still focused on finishing his artwork, much to your chagrin and much to Tendou’s entertainment (despite getting used to it). 

“If you are only playing around as a manager, then you do not deserve to be our manager”

Both you and Tendou stop, with both of your attention drawing to Ushijima, who has now stopped scribbling and is now looking at the both of you, particularly you.

You blankly stare at him in shock, somewhat speechless, “”E-Eh?”.

“You need to stop fooling around and do your duties as our manager.”

Tendou, who seems to feel a little bit of unnecessary tension between you and the captain, can only look consecutively between you and him. He tries his best to somewhat support you by putting both of his hands on your tired shoulders, to no avail. He tries to casually interject, “Wakatoshi-kun! L/N-chan probably just hasn’t rested well today!”

“Besides”, you start, prompting the two boys to look at your direction.

“Everybody makes mistakes, and it’s not like I haven’t done my job properly!”, you end as you seek to prove the ace wrong and to show that you have been doing well as the manager of a powerhouse school for the past two years. With that said, Ushijima scornfully looks at you as he resorts back, choosing not to retort back as to not attract unnecessary attention.

The entirety of the conversation has somehow left an air of slight tension between you two, as a pregnant pause engulfs your table afterwards. What started out as a casual lunch had ended in unnecessary tension and silence. Tendou can only do so much as he tries to break the ice to try and stop the tension from developing into something worse.

“Oi, oi! See you later! Good luck with that, Wakatoshi-kun”, he exclaims, gun pointing at his best friend whose only response was a deep, guttural hum. He then glances at you. Still dazed from the events earlier, you did not get what Tendou meant as he winked at you knowingly before he wiggled himself out of the cafeteria, leaving you alone with Ushijima.

“Look, if you’re not doing well, how are you supposed to do your duties?”, Ushijima reminds you as he starts cleaning up his things to prepare for the next class as well as for the training later on. Speechless and dazed, you can only nod in response as he calmly leaves the table, leaving you alone clenching your fist and thinking.

I’m going to do my job and I’m going to prove him wrong!

After a couple of days did you only realize that it’s already Valentines’ season and you know how much your friends are endlessly talking about making chocolates to give to their crushes as well as the girls in your class. You have been thinking for a while now of what to give the team as a gift just to celebrate the day in your own way as well as show your love to the boys. Then it got your mind reeling of numerous gift ideas.

“Y/N! Lunch is ready!”, you hear your mother call you from downstairs.

That’s it! I’ll prepare bento for them!, you thought out immediately, somehow thanking your mother in silence for giving you an idea in the right moment. You then blast out of your room with excitement, rushing downstairs to eat as well as ask for your mom’s guidance for your Valentines’ gift for the boys.

After a couple of attempts later, you were at least finally able to create a decent onigiri that brought you tears of joy, as you finally feel the worth of God-knows-how-many attempts. Your mother, who has been guiding you, clapped her hands in happiness as she shares the same sentiment.

A few days later, as it approaches Valentines’ Day, you decide to bring them each an onigiri as well as freshly-brewed tea to at least help them rejuvenate after training (and because you believed that it’s best to prove your worth as a manager).

Classes have just ended, so you gently pick up the onigiris that you’ve made as well as a big thermos of warm tea as well as the reusable cups and then make your way to the gym. To no surprise, you see Ushijima, who has already changed into his training uniform, already warming up while waiting for the others. He seems to notice your presence as he hears the shuffling sound of a plastic bag as well as the rattling of the cups. You continuously walk towards the nearby bench where Coach Washijo was already waiting, who then sees the food and drink you’re carrying.

“Ah, I’ve made some food and tea for them after!”, you say the moment you saw the coach’s eyes went to the food and thermos. Washijo only smiles at your outburst, somehow seeing your intent as the manager.

Meanwhile, you unknowingly feel Ushijima’s stare at you as you feel a sharp shiver in your spine and a sudden flutter and racing in your heart beat, which was somehow an entirely new feeling for you. Only then you turned around and saw the ace staring at you, with intentions somehow unclear to you.

I must be palpitating, I think, you thought to yourself, dismissing the fluttering feeling in your heart. You have already made sure that your main priority as the manager is to only do your duties to support the boys and nothing more beyond that. 

You dismiss everything and you just went back to your daily managerial routine, setting aside the food and tea you prepared as well as helping to mop the floor free from sweat and all.

After the training, you immediately bring up the bag of onigiri that you’ve made, which caught the attention of the other members, Goshiki in particular.

“”Woah! L/N-senpai brought us food!”, the budding ace exclaims as he quickly grabs his share of the food from your hands. You then distribute the other onigiris to the others, up until there are two pieces left. A smiling Tendou and a stoic Ushijima then walk towards you, with you already giving them the remaining food, to which they accept.

With that, you then start preparing the cups, pouring each with warm tea and giving it to each of the members. While pouring another one, you hear Tendou and Ushijima talking while they’re munching, somehow leaving you eavesdropping on the two.

“So how does it taste, Wakatoshi-kun?” Tendou asks his friend as he munches into his own food, to which his stoic friend bluntly replies with “It’s not good”, leaving you disappointed which made Tendou cackle in amusement.

The alarm of your phone rang early in the morning, prompting you to wake up, slightly scrubbing your eyes, and check your phone.

It’s already Valentines’ Day.

You already know that it might initially cause a stir within some of the boys, as Valentines is often seen as gift-giving only for intimate purposes, but you wanted to show how much you love them as your manager as well as be able to show your support for them, and you felt that preparing them bentos would be the best way to showcase it.

You were glad to wake up early, as you were able to prepare each bento just in time for you to prepare yourself for school. You smile in accomplishment as you comb your hair to finish organizing yourself before you go to school.

“Are you sure you can carry them?”, your mother asks with concern, especially after seeing your effort in making a bunch of them.

You sigh in assurance, “Mom, I’m the manager of a powerhouse school. I can do this!”.

After class has ended, you immediately went straight to the gym to prepare for today’s training as well as prepare the bentos for the boys. To your surprise, even the early bird Ushijima was not yet there, which gave you more time to prepare and even rest before they arrived.

A few minutes later, the team has scrambled together into the gym, only to find you napping on the bench. Everyone slowly steps closer to you except Ushijima, who only stood still, hoping to not disturb your nap. Up until the rest of the team noticed what seemed to be bento boxes stacked together did they stop for a while and took interest in it.

Semi somehow gets ahold of one of the boxes, “Eh? They’re bento boxes.”, he hushes. He then examined the one he’s holding when he noticed a sticky note attached on the top. He reads, “Happy Valentines’ Day, Semi-san! With love, L/N-san”.

Initially, the team took it as a sign of confession, as they have knowledge of the special day today. Only did they find something else when Goshiki sees another box with the same sticky note message attached to it, only this time it belonged to him.

“L/N-san’s giving us Valentines’ bento?!”, Goshiki finally realizes, as the other members of the team finally went to check and see theirs. Tendou, in particular, laughs at the thought, not before he finds his designated box with the same sticky note message, immediately taking interest in it. 

Ushijima, who notices the silent onslaught on the bento boxes, finally decides to step forward. Tendou, who has become immersed in his own box, sees his best friend approach and then decides to pick up his box and then gives it to him.

“Here’s yours, Wakatoshi-kun!”, Tendou stirred as he hands out Ushijima’s designated bento box, or boxes rather. Ushijima accepts it, and right off the bat he notices the yellow sticky note attached with his name on it along with a mandatory ‘Happy Valentines Day!’ as well as your name. He gently opens the warm box and goes to see tamagoyaki and sausage octopuses on the side, and much to his internal delight, was a bed of Hayashi rice sitting nicely on the large portion of the box. He then goes to check the other box underneath to see a mix of steamed vegetables and a couple of pieces of sushi beside it.

Everyone was so immersed in their own bento box that they did not notice you waking up from your light slumber, and much to your shock, you wake up to see them already eating with happy smiles on their faces. Only then did they notice you awake when they hear you move from the bench.

“So, do you guys like it?”, you shyly asked whilst rubbing your eyes from your light slumber, only to find the entire team facing you with serious faces after scrubbing. Goshiki, the ever enthusiastic budding ace, praises you, “We love it, L/N-san!”.

You look around to see everyone eating their own lunches, and much to your shock, you actually see Ushijima eating the food and immersing himself in the bento boxes that you made for him. Somehow, Tendou looks at the both of you in amusement, taking note of the prior events. He then internally smirks on the possible development that is happening before his eyes.

Happy ‘Valentines’ Day, indeed, he thinks as he continues munching on his bento.

back to valentines’ masterlist

[incorrectlumityquotes]

FULL REVIEWS: “I Was A Teenage Abomination”

So if you read my previous review you know that I didn’t like the last episode. That scene of Eda and King mocking Luz almost made me drop the whole show, but the lesson at the end convinced me to to give the show another chance especially since the season just started. Good thing I did because wow did the show deliver.

I’m not the biggest fan of the magic school trope, but I can see why people use it. The most common settings for fiction are schools, homes and work places because they all force people to come together and interact. And while I do think all magic schools look alike (almost all of them) because they’re just castles, I don’t know if Luz, Eda and King can carry an entire show by themselves. A school would force new and different characters in. Variety is the spice of life as they say. What Luz needs is more people her age to bounce off of and we got them.

The episode starts hilariously with The Owl House fam at the beach collecting crap from a dead giant ass slug. It’s when Luz suggests that she might some actual witch apprenticeship in her...witch apprenticeship that Eda accidently lets it slip that magic schools are a thing that exists in The Boiling Isles. BTW, if everyone could do magic on The Boiling Isles, wouldn’t magic school just be called school or is there a separate school system where magic is just an elective you can opt out of? I’m thinking too hard.

Luz decides that being knees and elbows deep in garbage isn’t for her and walks off to find our first new friend, Willow.

Willow is just a little sweetheart. Friend to all plants, kind of a pushover, but kinda really not. She lets Amity walk all over her but that could be just because of their past history together. But as soon as Amity is out of sight, Willow lets the anger flow through her like the Emperor’s dialogue in a Star Wars movie. Also looking back on this episode, it’s so weird to see Willow wearing the abomination purple uniform. I guess because she wears plant track green for the rest of the season that seeing her in her old uniform is unnatural or something.

And here comes the spice of life, baby. When I first heard about Amity I didn’t think twice about it until I heard that she was going to be voiced by Mae Whitman. Freaking Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Yuffie from Kingdom Hearts 2, April O’Neil from TMNT 2012, Rose/Huntsgirl from American Dragon Jake Long, Tinker Bell in...Tinker Bell and Roxy from the live-action Scott Pilgrim movie. I had to see it. And wow. She’s so good at being such a bitch. It’s delightfully mean-spirited. But I think if you compare her performance here to later episodes (especially her first lines) you can sort of hear how Mae Whitman finds her groove to become Amity. Kinda like when you hear Marco Diaz in Star vs the Forces of Evil in the first episode and then in the last episode. But that’s nothing new.

My first impressions of the character were that she was going to be a Draco Malfoy clone, especially after how she put down Willow. Also this filled out enough Harry Potter tropes to make me think that they were going to go down a checklist or something. That’s just the way the world is now. Someone says magic school, first thing you think of is Harry Potter.

Luz has seen enough hentai to know where this is going!

But seriously back to the episode. Willow is surprised to see a human on The Boiling Isles and we see Luz pull her first scheme to help Willow: dress her up in as her abomination and sneak Luz into the school. Willow gets a good grade and Luz gets to see the school. Easy peasy, one two three-sy.

Another thought that I remember having when I first watched this episode was what the H is an abomination? I’ve known people to use the word when they don’t really like something but other than that I have no clue. It’s not the Marvel villain, and it’s not something that causes a feeling of disgust. It’s not even a biblical reference. I checked. It’s more like a golem, but whatever. It’s Dana’s fantasy world. So it’s not really a reference to anything.

And then we have our other friend, Augustus. A supposed human expert who thinks Luz should’ve had gills. Luckily Luz knew an Augustus in the human world that everyone just called Gus, so new nickname. He’s...smaller than the others but we find out in a different episode that he’s actually younger than everyone else and skipped a grade. He’s smart but still a kid.

“Boy, let me tell you what!”

Luz helps Willow get a good grade and this pisses off Amity something fierce because she’s (in this episode) the kind of person who needs someone who she knows she’s better than to feel good about herself. But we find out in a later episode it’s because she’s a stickler for the rules and abhors cheaters. (That’s a good word, abhor.)

Amity’s freakout at the cafeteria gives her an opportunity to call Principal Bump into the situation, but I’m still stuck on Luz being excited over a PB&J. LIke seriously? What has Eda been feeding her? Or not feeding her? She knows her has to feed Luz right? Humans gotta eat too. I have concerns.

Yeah no, your ass would be fired.

Bump tries to bump (lol I’m funny) Luz and it’s out that she’s not an abomination; she’s an intruder. The climax happens which is fine, but Luz punching out abominations reminds me of my argument on why zombies aren’t scary. I mean, if they are decaying flesh how would they have super strength or any strength? It makes no sense. If abominations are just walking piles of goo how would they have super strength? Magic? Is that gonna be your answer to everything?

“Curse you Boiling Isles public school system!!!”

I forgot to mention the B-plot with King and Eda and I really like it. I love the comedy in this show and the B-plot has all of my favorite jokes in this episode. I just get upset talking about it because I know some asshole is going to call it filler. I remember a time where “filler” was used to refer to anime only episodes or story arcs that were produced to let the manga catch up with some more chapters. Now everyone uses it to refer to stories they don’t like. Not stories that don’t further the main plot, but stories they don’t like. 

Animation is difficult and takes a lot of time and money. If they do something, they do it for a reason. If it doesn’t further the plot then it develops the characters. It’s okay for a comedy to just have an episode that tells jokes. That’s the point of a comedy, to be funny. It’s okay if an action show just wants to do a fight scene or a set piece. That’s what action does. But I know some dipshit is gonna reblog or reply and argue with me about what filler means or what it really means and yada yada yada. Free tip, do that and I’ll block you because this is my blog and I can do that. Also, fuck you.

“I have no son!” My favorite line of the episode.

The episode ends a little too neatly with Willow telling Luz that everything was resolved offscreen. Willow is now in the plant magic track. Amity is begging Bump for a good grade, and Luz is banned from Hexside. For now...

FINAL SCORE: 5 - Loved it!

This episode was a bunch of fun. It was super funny, introduced some great characters and saved my interest in the show. I knew I made the right choice to give this show another chance and it paid off. I wondered why they would introduce the school only to have Luz be banned but I just figured we would have more sneaking in scenarios. Egg on my face, huh?

Still this episode was a great time and I couldn’t wait for the next one.

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

Hi y'all!

So I realized today that it's been about three months since I started cross-posting my stuff to ao3 (those of y'all who were here for After Each Midnight while it was still a wip will know that I've been writing for longer than that but anyway). With the latest fic I just posted, I now have 30 works published to ao3 within those three months! Which is wild to me!

Since that averages out to ten fics a month and I like round numbers, I decided to celebrate by listing my 10 favorite fics...of my own lol. Narcissistic? Maybe! But it's fun anyway!

This is a really long post as each rec includes a summary, an excerpt (or a few), and some personal notes/anecdotes about the writing process or what inspired me to write the fic, etc. so I'm putting it all under the break. If this doesn't sound like your cup of tea then of course please just skip over this one, but for anyone who wants to revisit some of my older works with me, or if you're curious about which fics I personally like the most, or if you want to talk about your favorite fics of mine in the replies or anything, then that's cool too! I just wanted to find a way to mark this down because it feels like something of an achievement ^_^

Thank you!

1. After Each Midnight Begins A New Day, (54,401 words, Rated E) Ship(s): 3zun, Wangxian Summary: When Lan Xichen wakes up the morning after the fifth anniversary of his life crumbling to rubble around him in Guanyin Temple, he's shocked to find both Nie Mingjue and Meng Yao in his bed, both whole and alive and...married to him?! (A time travel fix-it in which the time traveling and fixing of things has already been done by Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian, and Lan Xichen accidentally gets dragged along for the happily ever after.) Excerpt(s):

1. “Poor da-ge,” [Meng Yao] teases again, this time with a bit of an edge, and Lan Xichen cracks one eye open just enough to see him stripping first out of his shoes and socks, then his third layer of robes, then his second, until he’s dressed much as he had been the prior evening - in nothing but a black under-robe so sheer that it actually almost looks gray. It clings to all the petite, lithe curves of him and the sight makes Lan Xichen’s mouth practically water. “What if I want my turn with you now? What if I’m jealous that er-ge got to have you all to himself for hours , while your poor A-Yao had to go have a drink with Xian-didi just to pass the time.” “Oh gods you’re a beast too,” Nie Mingjue groans as Meng Yao slips on top of him gracefully to lean down and pepper kisses up and down his neck and shoulder. “Get off of me, foul creature. Go tempt our husband, I’m temporarily immune to your wiles.” “You’re never immune to my wiles, da-ge, and er-ge is meditating oh so diligently. He’s certainly not smiling and watching us through his lashes as if we’re not well aware of his tricks and what he likes to watch.” - 2. “It took years of practice, you with your painting and I with my answering, but when you were a teenager I finally decided on the best advice I could think to give you: Do not seek for every answer in this life all at once, Xichen,” he instructs with a smile as he returns to painting. “Let them come to you gently and in their season, and trust that all will be as it should in the end.” Lan Xichen takes another breath and returns to his painting with a slightly trembling hand - a trembling that ends up creating a lovely branch on the tree he is painting that, when he turns his head to look, is modeled almost exactly after the one growing in the garden behind the Gentian House, just beyond the window. “I don’t remember ever seeing this tree,” he whispers and Qingheng-Jun hums across from him in clear understanding. “And yet it flows from your brush all the same. Now we can all know that you have nothing to fear, your memories will also come to you in their season. Until then, allow yourself to rest, and remember that you have the support of your family whenever you need it.” “Yes, father,” he replies with a whisper and a tremulous smile, feeling lighter than he has in days. - 3. “I will go into seclusion.” The statement is a stone dropped into the gently rippling water of a spring-fed pool. The stone is jagged and pitted with all that the world has done to chip away at it, to make it rough and painful to the touch. It is sharp in his hands, heavy with all the hurts he still carries in his chest, all the grief he has no more room to hold. He feels lighter with it out of his grasp, the words settling into the ensuing silence with some bittersweet relief.

Notes: I know I've said it before but it bears repeating: this entire fic exists solely because of the smut scene in chapter 1. I thought of the smut first, and then the lead-in to it, and I intentionally left the end of chapter 1 ambiguous - it could have ended right there as an angsty one-shot with Lan Xichen believing that it was all a hallucination, and there's nothing really in the text to say that it's not because Lan Xichen is a very unreliable narrator in this fic. But then I wanted to write the backstory for the smut if, in fact, it wasn't a hallucination - and everything kind of...butterfly-effected out from there to become what it is now, along with all the extras in the series that's now roughly 120k long altogether and still not finished. Oops. Oh and also: this fic that started the ball rolling only exists because for some reason the servers for Omegle went down for months where I live, and prior to that I used to spend hours rp'ing. Without that creative outlet, I filled the vacuum with writing fic instead and now here we are. So if you're grateful for my fics then thank Omegle for sucking for a few months lol --//-- 2. Loving, Loud, Wild, and Theirs (7386 words, Rated T) Ship(s): Xuanli & Gen (kidfic), 3zun (briefly) - an extra for AEM Summary: A brief look at how in this kinder world, Jin Zixuan managed to find and legitimize his three siblings as well as a snapshot of the chaos of love and fun that is his family with his siblings, his beloved wife, and their seven children. Excerpt:

He had listened to [Madam Qin] and her handmaid, and he had believed them, and he had been unsurprised to find himself thinking quite uncharitably of his father following his promise to Madam Qin that he would do everything in his power to make it right, as much as he could. [Jin Zixuan and Meng Yao] return to Jinlintai the day after the next, once their business is concluded. He’s relieved when nothing needs his immediate attention as it means he’s free to retreat into his and Jiang Yanli’s quarters so he can tell her everything that’s weighing on his mind. “No more surprise siblings from now on,” he sighs into the comfort of Jiang Yanli's chest when he’s finished outlining what has happened and his plans to prepare a new suite of rooms in the family wing of the tower. For Qin Su. His sister. Jiang Yanli just laughs her tinkling laugh and kisses him, her hands gentle as she combs his hair back from his face with her fingertips. “You’ve got more siblings now than any of the rest of us,” she teases with a mischievous smile down at him that is a bit too reminiscent of, weirdly, both Wei Wuxian and Mo Xuanyu for comfort. “Two brothers, a sister, and of course we must keep Mianmian in her spot on the list. If you would like to count brothers-in-law as well you’ve also got A-Xian, A-Cheng, Huaisang, Wangji, Xichen, and Mingjue...” He groans and hides his face properly in the soft silk of her robes even as she laughs again over his head.

Notes: This fic is actually a request fill for someone and I had some trouble ending it because there's a lot more I want to write with this wild family, though I did eventually find what felt like a good place to cut it off with 3zun arriving in Jinlintai for the visit they leave for at the end of AEM. There is something of a follow-up floating around my wips that - if it ever gets written - is a direct sequel to AEM that continues where this extra leaves off, with 3zun getting to spend time with their hoard of niblings in Jinlintai. No promises about if/when that will get written though. --//-- 3. Performance Art (8106 words, Rated M) Ships: 3zun, Wangxian (briefly) Summary: A Modern AU inspired by the 'Hysterical Literature' performance art project. Lan Xichen, Nie Mingjue, and Meng Yao take turns doing their best to read aloud from chosen written works as they're filmed. The twist is that they're trying to do so as they're being pleasured with a vibrator controlled by one of their partners off-camera, each of their turns ending when the partner being filmed/played with has an orgasm. Excerpt(s):

1. “Engage people with what they expect; it is..- it…it is what they are able to discern and.. ngh.. confirms their projections. It settles.. ah settles them into predictable-“ He cuts off suddenly to set the book down flat and slap one hand down sharply on the tabletop. Meng Yao simply clicks another button and Nie Mingjue groans as his newly unoccupied hand twitches back to rest on the edge of the table closer to himself, as if about to drop down beneath it. Lan Xichen and Meng Yao both shift forward in their seats but Nie Mingjue catches himself before they have to intervene, returning his hand to the middle of the table and forcing a deep breath into his lungs so he can continue. “-Predictable patterns of..of response, occupying their minds while you w-wait for the ex- extra-“ he huffs out a sharp breath and curls his hand into a fist as he tilts forward and forces out the rest of the sentence in a rush. “Extraordinary moment — that whichtheycannotanticipate. FUCK!” - 2. It’s a few hours of quiet, peaceful work later when Lan Wangji shifts his weight in the way that means he wants Wei Wuxian’s actual attention and not his ‘ I’m sculpting so I’m periodically looking at you ’ sort of attention which he is, of course, quick to grant. He pauses in his muttering half to himself and half to Lan Wangji to say, “Hm? What’s up Zhanzhan?” “From Xiongzhang,” he says by way of explanation, holding his phone out for Wei Wuxian to squint at the screen. It takes him a moment to understand what he’s looking at, his eyes needing a second to adjust to the small black and white video that’s playing after having spent hours looking between Lan Zhan and the clay form taking shape under his hands. “What is this?” he asks as he leans in closer and squints a little harder. He blinks and his eyes go wide in the next moment as he realizes what’s happening on the screen as the woman’s tension climaxes ( literally ) - and then it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to figure out just why he’d been asked to create an eerily similar setup in his own studio the previous afternoon for three men he might as well consider his sort-of brothers at this point. His next exhale is a wheeze as his ears go hot and Lan Wangji is instantly shrugging into a robe to stand from his lounging position and approach, concern written all over his features. “Wei Ying?”

Notes: I don't really have too much to say about this one except that it brought me so much joy and laughter to write and it honestly kind of surprises me that it's one of my less popular fics - it's nothing but a fun, sexy time! But I'm also terrible at guessing trends/what people will want to see so that might be on me haha. Oh! Also - a minor thing but something I'm very mildly proud of: the narrator voice is dependent on who's behind the camera! I wanted a way to make the person filming feel just as involved as the other two and I thought that was a fun way to do it since within the narrative it's technically going to be their perspective used for the video they're recording. Just to give y'all a little insight into my decision-making when it comes to my writing style for this one. --//-- 4. Anything For My Nie-Zongzhu (6411 words, Rated E) Ship: NieYao - pre-canon (just barely) Summary: Meng Yao is Nie Mingjue's trusted right hand, intelligent and valued by his Sect Leader, at least, who has learned lately to appreciate him a hell of a lot in private too - and for much more personal matters than the minutiae of running the Nie Sect. Seeing as Nie Mingjue trusts him so much, he finds it in himself to ask for something new - for Meng Yao to top him. [Technically an extra for AEM but can be read as a standalone] Excerpt:

“Am I to play into this boorish act you’re putting on tonight?” he teases instead as he steps closer until he’s near enough to feel the way the steam from the bath has turned the air sticky and humid. Nie Mingjue finally looks up at him and Meng Yao is internally crowing with triumph as he watches the lines of tension around his eyes and mouth fall away, his expression smoothing into quiet contentment. He did that. His presence alone is enough to help Nie Mingjue relax. It feels nearly as good as the day the man had angrily defended him to his own disciples and promoted him on the spot. “It’s not an act, I’m plenty boorish,” Nie Mingjue gruffs, returning his gaze to the letter, but this close Meng Yao can actually watch his eyes do nothing but try to glare a hole through the center of the page. “Of course you are, Zongzhu,” Meng Yao allows, his tone openly humoring - as is the smile tightening the corners of his mouth. “Therefore I can only suppose that you would prefer it if I returned to my walk and left you to continue your...correspondence in peace.”

Notes: Once again not really many notes on this one! I just love NieYao, I think their dynamic during Meng Yao's Nie Sect days has so much potential and I love exploring it every so often. --//--

5. Bite The Hands That Feed (1590 words, Rated E) Ship: XiYao Summary: After being forced out of the Nie Sect, Meng Yao has to come to grips with the hunger that's been chasing him his whole life, and he finds temporary satisfaction over and over in Lan Xichen, who is always so generous with his time and his body and is willing to help him feel less empty even just for a night. Excerpt:

He would never bite the hands that feed him, that stuff him full enough to make him believe for a moment that he’s no longer starving. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t inflict pains. He bites and he scratches and he plants himself in the bloody furrows until flowering moans reward his violent care, until pleasure bursts sun-warmed and sweet between them, berries ripe for the picking. He stains his mouth red with them, his fingers purple with the bruises he paints so delicately on his devotee’s body. If Meng Yao is being clawed to a slow torturous death from within, then it stands to reason that his other half will be ripped to shreds from without. He keeps his nails sharp and his teeth bared to tear into his flesh and drink sweetly of the vintage he offers - sweat, spend, blood, saliva when their mouths meet for crushing kisses. All of it is his to consume. He puts his mouth to the feast of Lan Xichen’s body and eats until the hunger pangs are satiated, drinks until he feels dizzy with it.

Notes: So I wrote this one when I was getting a little tired of the straight narration style of all my other fics and I wanted to try my hand at something looser, a little more prose-like but also a little darker than my usual fluff. I'm not sure how successful I was - this is actually one of my absolute least popular fics, number-wise! - but it's one of my favorites anyway. --//-- 6. A Figure, A Mouth (2788 words, Rated M) Ship: Wenzhou Summary: A quiet, intimate evening spent in the comfort of the Four Seasons Mountain Manor sometime between their arrival/fixing up of the place and the confrontation with Ye Baiyi. Excerpt:

After a while of warming each other up Wen Kexing urges him back up to push the bed under the window just as he’d said he would. Zhou Zishu takes the opportunity to blow out the candles before he rejoins Wen Kexing in their bed, the sudden darkness leaving them free to admire each other clothed in nothing but broad swathes of cool, sweet blue light bisected by deep black lattices of shadow from the trees out in the yard, the shadows from the contours of the wall and decorations around the window blocking and revealing them in turns. Lao Wen is, of course, as beautiful like this as he has been in every way Zhou Zishu has ever seen him, and he takes the time to savor it, to indulge in the decadence that Wen Kexing presents for each of his remaining senses. He’s a feast for the eyes, all hard muscle and skin glistening with glittering diamonds of sweat along his shoulders and the soft curve of his cheek. He’s a symphony for the ears, breathless desire and tender calls of his name that Zhou Zishu never lets go unanswered when they’re like this. By now Wen Kexing is an expert at drawing pleasure from him in every unlikely way there is to make sure that the effects of the nails don’t keep him from reaching his peak at least once, occasionally more in spite of his fading sense of touch.

Notes: Wenzhou makes me so soft and emotional, y'all. The next one on the list is also a Wenzhou fic and I just can't seem to stop writing them in fluffy/smutty situations because it's what they deserve. I really don't have anything more interesting to say about this fic, I just love them haha. --//-- 7. Tease Him Just Enough (2537 words, Rated M) Ship: Wenzhou Summary: A possible outcome if the conversation post-face reveal in episode 6 had gone differently - i.e. if Zhou Zishu had called Wen Kexing out on all his flirting and challenged him to do something about it - and then he does. Excerpt:

They don’t need words to communicate that at least right here in this particular moment there’s no one else they would rather have in their arms, pressed up against their bodies, no one else’s tongue who would find a new home in each other’s mouths or any other body their hands would rather explore. Wen Kexing has already known that they’re fated, but for the first time it feels like they’re agreeing to be so. Even if it’s just for a night. (Not that he thinks it will be just one night for them, but getting Zhou Xu to agree to anything remotely of the kind is like trying to drag a stray back-alley cat into a bath so he’ll take what he can get.)

Notes: My first fic for Word of Honor! The whole time I was watching the show (read: obsessively binge-watching) I was like 'Okay I like this show a lot but it's not nearly as compelling as The Untamed, idk if I'll be motivated to write anything for it'. Then I got to the end and I was like NEVERMIND YES I AM. I played myself. --//-- 8. You Need Tending (12,108 words, Rated T) Ship(s): Lan Wangji & Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji & Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren & The Jades & Wei Wuxian (this is a kidfic so nothing romantic!) Summary: Wei Wuxian is alone and homeless on the streets of Yunmeng, unaware of the presence of his parents' old friend so nearby. Lan Wangji is a child grieving for the loss of his mother in silence, overwhelmed by the world his uncle keeps dragging him out into. It takes their paths crossing more than once for Lan Qiren to realize just who Wei Wuxian is and that he needs their help, but he gets there eventually. Excerpt:

He watches on as the man comes to a stop next to the boys and squats down to check over the one who had been lost and suddenly he remembers lying on the ground and looking up at a stern-faced man with gentle hands and a ribbon across his forehead. The man who had given him medicine and bandages after a small boy had defended him from dogs, and an older boy had talked to him so kindly and helped him to sit up off the dirt. Wei Ying gasps as the memory hits and he scrambles back down off the roof, landing on the packed dirt of the space between the buildings with an oof, excitement bubbling in his chest. Along with the memory comes a name and it flies from his lips as he scrambles up off the ground to push his way into the crowd again. “Master Lan!” he shouts, his tiny voice lost in the din of the market. He tries to shove closer but the little family is already walking away, their backs to him as he strains against the flow of people much bigger and stronger than him. “Master Lan!” he tries again, desperation lending extra strength and emotion to his cry. Wei Ying stops struggling as he watches the two boys in white walk away, the pair of them flanking Master Lan in his sky blue robes as they move through the market, radiating serenity in the midst of the chaos. His vision blurs and he scrubs his forearm against his eyes angrily to dry them, trying to keep the three of them in his sight for as long as he can just in case they turn around and spot him. Just in case they remember him and maybe want to tell him to come with them.

Notes: Baby Wei Ying T-T He just hits me right in the heart, and so does baby Lan Zhan! And baby Lan Xichen. All the babies. This fic was actually completely inspired by an utterly adorable fanart of Lan Xichen giving a grumpy baby A-Zhan a piggyback ride! I'd been wanting to write a kidfic type fix-it for a while and that art was the spark I needed to come up with something workable. (Edit: here’s my reblog of the art I’m talking about!) --//--

9. Familial Circumstances (5393 words, Rated G)

Ship(s): Lan Qiren & Original Characters, Lan Qiren & Jin Zixuan, Lan Qiren & Qin Su, Lan Qiren & Mo Xuanyu - An extra for AEM

Summary: Another kidfic extra for the horde of children in Jinlintai, this time as seen through the lens of their beloved Great Uncle Lan. It's a simple relationship-study-type look at how all the children love their Great Uncle and how much he loves and treasures them in return.

Excerpt:

An unusual stillness accompanies [Jin Ruhai's] playing. Jin Lu stops fidgeting with her fingers, the twins slip into the perfect stillness of those who are utterly aware of themselves at all times - a trait [Lan Qiren has] noticed in every skilled fighter he’s ever come across - and even Jin Ye relaxes, slumping further and further backwards until she’s slouched down against his stomach, legs dangling over his crossed shins.

The piece isn’t a terribly long one, nor as complex as the next score Lan Qiren intends to teach the boy, but Jin Ruhai’s mastery of it is impressive. Again, Lan Qiren is forcefully reminded of Lan Wangji, always most at peace when behind his instrument to play with and/or for the people he loves.

There’s silence in the room until the last note fades with a shiver into the air and Jin Ruhai pulls his hands back from the instrument. The stillness lasts for one more moment before it’s interrupted by Jin Lu sneezing suddenly and her siblings laugh as the quiet breaks.

“I had to hold that in the whole time !!” Jin Lu laughs as she rubs her sleeve under her nose, one eye screwed shut as she giggles. “I didn’t want to mess up A-Zhuang’s song, it’s so pretty!”

Notes: I'm definitely biased because they're all my oc's except for Jin Ling, but I genuinely love all of the Jin children in the AEM AU. If anyone is ever interested in knowing more about their individual personalities and the like please don't hesitate to ask me, I've actually put quite a bit of thought into all 6 of the kids I created wholecloth and I have a lot of feelings about Jin Ling getting the chaotic siblings and loving parents he was robbed of.

--//--

10. Opportunities To Practice (5710 words, Rated M) (*WIP)

Ship: Xuanli - An extra for AEM

Summary: Jin Zixuan is nervous for his..marital activities with Jiang Yanli - after all, who could he possibly ask for advice? His father? No thank you. Thankfully Jiang Yanli is sweet and patient and knows her husband well - he just needs a bit of time and he'll get it figured out.

Excerpt:

She shivers with an interesting combination of want and intense vulnerability as she stands there, feeling bare in spite of her remaining layer. It’s of a material so sheer as to be practically nonexistent, nothing more than a delicate veil of a red so pale it’s nearly pink that sits on her body like a second skin. Until it falls gently away at the knee to flutter around her ankles, it clings to every curve, every contour, and as she watches Jin Zixuan doesn’t even bother to hang the robe he had just removed on the screen. He lets it drop into a soft pool around her bare feet, his gaze roaming her newly exposed figure - she would perhaps feel strange about it did he not look so devoted , so in awe of seeing her practically naked in front of him.

Yanli gasps softly as he suddenly drops to his knees at her feet and oh - that’s heady. Her body, which she hasn’t really thought of too much in the past beyond the occasional irritation that it’s weaker than she would prefer, has put the man she loves on his knees. He’s looking up at her now, his eyes wide and his hands reverent as he raises them to rest on her thighs, thumbs caressing her too-warm skin through the barely-there robe that bunches up softly under the pressure of his grip.

“You’re right,” he finally breathes, sounding slightly strained. “I’d like this to stay on. If that’s - are you alright?”

“I am,” she reassures.

Notes: This last fic is technically a wip, the only one in the list! However! - it's going to be a collection of one-shots centered around Xuanli and their sexual exploits that lead to their seven children, and possibly also the ones that are just for fun (horny Yanli rights forever). It's not currently high on my list of priorities or anything and the one chapter that's up so far can stand on its own so it's a wip but it's not? I just love Xuanli so much and I want to explore their relationship in my happy fix-it AU whenever the mood strikes, and whenever that happens this is where those one-shots will go.

--//--

And that's it! My personal top 10 favorite fics of my own as of right now. I thought about doing my top 10 according to statistics like hit counts or kudos, but I genuinely love some of these unpopular fics and I wanted to give them some love and attention even if it's just for me. I know there's a lot here to sift through but if any of y'all enjoyed the list or any of the specific fics on it let me know! I liked taking this little pause to take a look at what I've actually been producing these last few months.

Thanks for reading!

[jiminrings]

insufferable

pairing: jimin x y/n

glimpse: rich kid!jimin is a cuddly spoiled brat, personal assistant!y/n is his constant in everything, bodyguard!jungkook keeps making pLAUSIBLE excuses to wear dark clothes, and chef!jin’s dishes are as heavenly as his looks but nO he’s not gonna make u homemade cookie dough at 2 in the morning just bECAUSE u asked nicely :((( he’s gonna do it at 4 am bc you pouted

wordcount: 31k so if u have difficulty with this fic then pls open it in ur desktop or open it in tumblr safari/browser instead of the app :D

notes: this piece is a favorite of mine!! this consumed nine pages in my notebook when i was just getting started to write the fLOW and this whole thing is the longest i’ve ever written // and aLSO the gif isn’t mine!! :D

(*･ω･)ﾉ

if there’s one thing that jimin hates

absolutely hates

besides not having limited edition luxury items because it sold out so qUICKLY that he didn’t get to (slightly) pull some strings to snatch it

besides not having the satisfactory unboxing from the hundreds of PR packages he gets everyday because the packaging’s either tOO simple or too difficult

is you, his personal assistant, not giving in to his wishes

technically your job description’s the opposite since it meant to comply to jimin’s beck and call and NOT interfere with his decisions

at first you were scared to death to even rAISE a brow at jimin’s decisions

“y/n, if u were to buy a limited edition audemars piguet watch — which variant would you choose?? silver, gold, oR black leather??”

“AP??? mr. park — sir i-...”

“sir. three letters. y/n.,.,.. ur a genius. thanks i’m gonna buy all three now :D”

but that was two years ago!!

you grew balls and learned to shut up only when necessary!!

you may be jimin’s personal assistant but you turned into a best friend now who jUST so happens to be with him almost 24/7 while still being his PA

he got you to drop mr. park early on because it AGED him

jimin remembers being in his breakfast nook at the time with his phone turned off and as he’s holding it he could see his reflection on the black screen and he almost fLIPS to see this wrinkle at the corner of his eye

and at the same moment he hears your voice going mR. PARK as you go on to say something completely irrelevant to the battle in his mind of oh my god do i hAVE a wrinkle

“jimin. not mr. park pls that’s my father. jimin. jimin. y’know what??? call me bABY JIMIN-“

he was freaking out

lol it wasn’t a wrinkle

just a little sleep mark he obtained because he was snoozing off for hours with his face squished into his pillow persistently

being close was inevitable, really

you were close in age and you’re his first ever assistant!!!

sure jimin has had his fair share of nannies growing up but now he’s an adult and he’s mvoed out

but his parents still look out for him :))

so yeah he gets a personal assistant, a bodyguard that could also be the driver (jimin’s desperate to mASTER driving okay), and a chef!!

it’s said that a person is not more than six connections away from another

you are a fIRM believer of that now because of a cousin who has a friend whose-

mr. and mrs. park were genuinely :O and :D to know that jimin didn’t resent you and you were going along well!!! money isn’t an issue but jimin’s bills this month wasn’t as high as it used to be because he let this season’s designer pieces because honestly they were a bit ugly hehe :D

he’s learned from you that he dOESN’T have to buy apparel from each season because he does that for all the previous,,, he should buy it because he genuinely likes it and u know what

you’re right

you get that jimin has the freedom to buy what he wants because it is his money after all and he’s still technically your boss even if mr. and mrs. park (ok maybe their assistant) are the ones that transfer your salary to your bank account

and you only step in (first as a friend, second as a PA) when he’s being ULTIMATELY irrational and shallow

jimin’s looking at you with a full pout, fists balled up as another whine escapes from his throat

“why won’t you just let me buy another sweater???”

the gray sweater in question was clearly expensive and you don’t even have to take a look at the label to confirm your thoughts

it was just a tiny splotch of chocolate from the french toast jin made for breakfast!!!

jimin was particularly giddy to have it for breakfast because “jIN-HYUNG i didn’t know u would cook this for breakfast omg i loVE U”

the chef made extra portions of course because he knows the younger one goes WEAK for his french toast

aha and not to flex but basically everything else he cooks because he’s that good :D

didn’t even notice on how eager he was eating until you strolled in to get your own plate and just booped at the damp spot of his sweater

:((((

“because i could wash it off, jimin”

his clothes were dry-cleaned to the surprise of no one

and yes u kinda feel sorry because he has a pout on his face and you know this is one of his favorite sweaters aND all he has to do is press some buttons and god it would probably be delivered to him in less than an hour

he has a new shirt on and jimin’s tugging at the hem of yours as if to plead, watching you work under his curious gaze

u know u have a wash basin here somewhere in this laundry room

that almost isn’t used at all :))

anything that has to do with chores in jimin’s massive place is for decor purposes only :))))

two top-notch washing machines that you could only sEE through pinterest before working here and they just collect DUST

if you were hypothetically a robber can you like.,.,., steal this from jimin.,.,.,. without him noticing,.,...

actually yeah you can

anyways

jimin’s just sitting himself on top of said washing machine as your there beside him with a basin that’s filled with water

and then there’s some detergent??? and-

“wHY ARE yOU STRETCHING OUT THE FABRIC”

“jimin iM NOT”

you’re scrubbing out the stain as gentle yet as efficient as possible without having the fabric stretched too much

he’s whining and clawing at you to sTOP and he shuts himself up every ten seconds because

you’re rinsing it off again???

and you’re squeezing it out???

basic hand washing is a relatively new concept that’s mind-boggling to jimin apparently :D

within a second are you raising up his sweater to him and he’s skeptical so he’s feeling it out and-

tHE STAIN

THE STAIN DISAPPEARED

omg

jimin is so clueless at times especially since your standard of normal is different from his so as much as you wanna take credit for it

like that time he went to the snow for a goddamn photoshoot and u were in a cabin and he pointed to a gas stove and was like :O

god if seokjin was included in that trip he would laugh endlessly bc jimin was too familiar with an electric stove and nOT a gas one

“isn’t this unsafe??”

poor baby was too nervous when you turned the gas range on and you’re like “yA a bit but only when you forget to turn it off obviously”

so he was turning the knob and it won’t turn on and he was so frustrated!!! he wasn’t even gonna cook anything!!! he just wanted to turn the stove on!!!!

then jimin sees you fishing out a lighter you carry on with you because he likes bringing these artisan candles with him whenever he’s going out for a shoot

you’re rotating the knob?? there still isn’t fire bUT now there’s one now that you put the flame from the lighter near it???

he was NEARLY scared as he’s hiding behind your back

“aha look at that!!! a flame!!! from a gas stove!! :D”

now’s not the time to have your fun at poking on his cluelessness because you have things to do and stuff to pack and jimin really needs to learn basic skills at life to survive on his own but that’s for another time

“now toss it to the washing machine and wash it regularly while i send you your schedule for today.”

:)

you’re skipping off to fetch your phone by the breakfast nook and jimin’s... kinda just... standing there

he’s stoic with a sheepish smile

:)

“you.... you don’t know how to work the washing machine.,.,.,.?”

aha jimin definitely does not know how to

feels a bit embarrassed because he seems daunted by this task and his personal assistant has question marks all over her face

but nonetheless you still come over to him and jimin’s heart went wOOSH

he is an adult who is almost fully dependent on you and that bit he is entirely sure of :))

“what do you think is step one?”

oh no iS THIS A TRICK QUESTION

jimin can blame it on his grogginess because he just woke up but he knows that you know he is vERY much awake right now

“... plug?? it’s not battery-operated, right?? plug it in!! yeah, plug it in :D”

he’s proud of that one for knowing because he’s already finding himself the plug and boop just plug it in to that socket right there!! it makes perfect sense

you’re there trying to stifle your laughter at the image of jimin probably having the image of a washing machine with those little 9V batteries you use in a diy series circuit in class :(((

you are not gonna laugh THAT loudly

“that’s good, jimin!! okay now what do you think is the next step?”

okay he’s intimidated now

“do you put in the shirt first or do you put in the detergent?? wHY is there no water?? is he supposed to fill it up?? these buttons look helpful but they’re just too many-“

he finds you putting your hand on top of his to release his grip on the sweater :(((

“you put it in.”

“your washing machine’s on the fancier side so it calibrates how heavy you put in first and then after it does that, it figures out what type of washing needs to be done!! how much water and how much detergent!! and then-”

oh

he didn’t know that

the door to the laundry room bursts open and a jokingly-frantic jungkook pops in

jimin thought it was a serious situation for a second because kook was putting him behind himself and he’s even cROUCHING and his stance is of a basketball player in a defense stance and he’s like WHAT WHAT JUNGKOOK???

“from what do i need to protect jimin from?? is the washing machine being tOO bizarre from him???”

“yA!!!”

jimin’s pouting at that and even punches kook in the shoulder and that just makes him laugh even more

even jungkook pokes fun at his job

he takes being a bodyguard vERY seriously okay!!!

yes he may be younger than jimin and he’s actually the first-ever bodyguard he’s ever had that’s close to his age bUT that doesn’t mean his skillset is far from those middle-aged men that went out with jimin when he was still in his teens

kook’s took up various martial arts and at one point even took boxing!! he likes to think that he is more than certified for this job ok

jimin doesn’t actually need that much protecting (thankfully there aren’t any death threats or something grave),, it just so happened that he’s a bit of a prominent figure and there are times that when he steps out in public, he almost immediately gets mobbed

or there are times when jimin just needs someone to be with him to give him a sense of security because he is highly vulnerable to being mugged

that’s what jungkook is for!!

originally he was supposed to have a uniform and jimin protested that to his parents because aish it looked too official and he dOESN’T want that

doesn’t stop kook from intentionally buying tracksuits and matching sets because it makes him feel official and they’re just really comfortable :D

you, jungkook and jin are jimin’s first-evers (as he’d like to call it) and quite frankly he’s thankful because the three of you were eASY to be along with!!

it’s always been a running joke to how you work for jimin and how even jin who was older than him hAD to call him mr. park at first

“yA think of my pride when i used to call you mr. park!!”

he got everyone to drop it and jin was so relieved and resorted to calling him random food because he cares for the kid and this mochi he ate the other day resembled jimin

he sometimes sees jimin’s face in those jiggly cakes he makes as a dessert for when he’s done with a shoot and has been texting him nonstop because he was craving :((

jungkook was laid off calling jimin as mr. park in a rather different way

he accidentally called jimin as jimin-hyung

pretty eARLY ON 

and god he just froze because fuck did he rEALLY just call his job jimin-hyung???

and jimin was :O

he was freaking out excitedly!!

oMG this is the first time someone called him hyung!!!

he isn’t counting the times he got called in honorifics by those snotty little kids that were the children of his parents’ friends

and he froze too and he was about to squeal!!!

jungkook was about to bury himself 

like seriously

should he pretend it was a ghost or something?? that it wasn’t him?? maybe jimin’s just getting old and he’s hearing things??

“mr. park i-”

“no no nOOO!! omg it’s okay don’t call me mr. park!! just call me jimin!! jimin-hyung!! i like that better pls jungkook pls :D”

it was comfortable between the four of you and you are so glad that jimin is only SELDOM an uptight rich brat and you know what,,, maybe he’s even picking up some personality traits from the three of you

it was basically impossible to not absorb traits from each other

basically the living situation is pretty direct!!

jimin’s property has a huge backyard

and in that backyard, there’s this separate guesthouse that has three rooms and has its own bathroom to each one!!

THE THREE OF YOU DON’T RESIDE THERE THO :D

the three of you used to but just on this particularly lonely night, jimin was ??? because there are more than enough rooms for the four of you in the main house

ᵃⁿᵈ ʰᵉ ᵈᵒᵉˢⁿ'ᵗ ʷᵃⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵇᵉ ᵃˡᵒⁿᵉ ᵒᵏ ʰᵉ ʳᵉᵃˡˡʸ ᵉⁿʲᵒʸˢ ᵗʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵐᵖᵃⁿʸ ᵗʰᵉ ᵗʰʳᵉᵉ ᵒᶠ ʸᵒᵘ ᵇʳᶦⁿᵍ

so on that night where the three of you are cramped into jin’s room because he has the biggest and you all wanted to watch this movie that they said is too ridiculous that it became good, there was a kNOCK

jungkook was immediately pushed to open the door because he was the bodyguard and he was sCARED

normally jimin doesn’t even go to the backyard

and it ended up with you opening the door with jin and kook crouched behind you and they were wAIT IS THAT MR. PARK

the three of you were in your pajamas and are like aha :D

jimin is as surprised as you are and he does a double-take on kook because he was so used to seeing him in these non-obligatory but much appreciated tracksuits and nOT matching pink pajamas with uh an angry bunny???

he snapped out quickly when you asked him what’s wrong and you’re already in PA mode asking him what he needs

“o-oh!! uhm no no everything’s fine!! aHa you see i was just wondering if you uhm -- if the three of you wanna come in?? h-hang out..,.,?? i have this cake that was given to me awhile ago a-and i can’t eat it alone and i-...”

god he was so cute

fumbling with his words as he tries to ask out the three of you to spend time with him and not for work

once he was done he looks up to three grinning faces bc he was sO adorable being beyond nervous

and the three of you agreed instantly like sURE as long as we don’t disrupt you or anything!! :D

needless to say instant friendship was born that night hehe

he asked the three of you to move to the main house and not stay in the guest one because he was very insistent that it was isolating to think of and you’re not even guests!!!!

so yeah the very next day the three of you moved in and you’re all still :D

as per rest days, you have them!! 

those two free days adjust to jimin’s schedule so they were being rotated constantly

jimin can have all three of you in some days, but most of the time, one’s out to have their off!! it basically adjusts to what jimin has in his plate for the day

you all have your own places but jimin insists that you can have ur off-days here!!! the three of you could stay and he’s not gonna bother the one who has said off-day for the whole time

if he’s going out for a shoot, you and jungkook are the most essential so jin could take his off for that one

if jimin’s free and he’s just lazing around, then jin stays and it could jungkook’s off

it’s under rules that atleast one stays with jimin!!! it was easy to hang around with but the three of you needed to learn the others’ job

jungkook’s given the both of you an intensive course on how to drive jimin’s cars and nOT be intimidated to how any damage that would be done is gonna be more expensive than anything you’ve ever bought in your whole life!! 

teached how to sweep away people would sometimes get too close and the trick was to keep one arm on jimin and the other fURIOUSLY waving away while you keep his head down and have the most stoic face ever

he also gave you and jin a swiss army knife to keep on you because u never know amirite

jin taught you and jungkook how to not burn the kitchen down

made a list to what jimin doesn’t exactly like on his food and to how there’s a formula to what meals he prepares for him in the exact needs before a shoot or summat; such as being filled and not looking bloated!!

also taught to how you should keep your cool when jimin shoves his phone to your face excitedly about this recipe for a dessert too early in the morning

jin and jungkook still can’t get the hang of your job

it was busy and all over the place

you were in your own flat and kook and jin were left with jimin

it was just a quick shoot and the brand had it all taken care of the last time so you cashed in your break and just let them handle it

jin was very confused??? like do you just stand here the whole time????

jimin was filling him in to what you usually did

“this is the part where y/n-”

“oHHHH okay okay that’s easy!!”

no

it was not easy

jungkook was not helping

“hYUNG i’m doing something!! i’m a bodyguard!! my job is to protect jimin!!”

“wHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW?? are you protecting jimin from the hairdryer?? or are you protecting him from the straightener?? eXACTLY now help me do y/n’s job!!!”

at the next day you came back, they never underestimated your job eVER

“it was the equivalent of gordon ramsay calling that chef an idiot sandwich :((((”

“i would rather take another intense yoga class than to take your job :((”

same as jimin’s job descriptions, yours were also all over the place

you become what he needs you to be

although that sounds really cheesy :D

jimin is already famous enough as it is for being jimin

he’s known for being his parents’ only child 

and it just so happened that his parents are insanely famous and rich too

his first shot at fame was when his parents were like “ok!!! let’s put in our baby for this baby commercial he’s the perfect fit for it uWU”

all he did was become baby jimin and all he did back then was babble and crawl and drool over himself and then suddenly it was the first peak to mr. and mrs. park’s son and he already has evERYONE wrapped around his tiny pinky

no one ever wants to live that baby commercial down

he wants everyone to collectively forget that it even happened

he’s made the three of you pinky-promise to not eVER watch it nor search nor even breathe in the direction of that course

curiosity ate the three of you because now more than ever you all wANTED to watch it

you and jin and kook pretend to never have watched it :)

jungkook has to resist a squeal every time he sees jimin’s hand reaching out for him 

jin keeps himself from cooing because sometimes he wants to put a spoon to jimin’s mouth just to recreate that baby food scene

anyways 

jimin’s jobs are all over the place!!

most times he’s a model for various luxury brands

he sometimes has minor roles in shows and movies and boom views iMMEDIATELY spike up and his scene would be the most talked-about scene in said media

you remember that he did this cameo once and he appeared for like five seconds

the amount of money he got for it was insane!!!!

jimin just down-played it bc you’re to one who accepted the envelope because he was over in another set talking to the director and while you’re kind of rigid he’s become :D “aHa ignore that pls do u want ice cream”

he has these collaborations too both in fashion and jewelry that he takes really seriously

the only fields he hasn’t dabbled in yet was music and dance

god you really want to see that

you’re sure that he’s probably gonna hit home-run with it too because jimin was just naturally great and gifted at things :(((

he was so effortless

like the way he’s moving right now with this silk shirt on him and these embroidered and fit golden pants and even has the photographer sWOONING 

jungkook’s nodding earnestly with his arms crossed as the both of you watch jimin by the sidelines

“can u believe that we work for a multi-millionaire”

that part never sinks in either

there’s much respect and awe in between your respective work relationships with jimin!!!

he’s kind and sweet aND he could be a brat sometimes but he can get told off :D

“a multi-millionaire who i argued with this morning about to whether the cHICKEN OR THE EGG CAME FIRST”

these banters between the two,,, christ

“are u gonna have that argument every time jin cooks eggs for breakfast”

...

one of them can spot a single thing and have an argument ensued in the next second

jimin once saw a yellow gummy bear and said “look!! it’s a lemon one!!” and kook was like “lmao nO how much you wanna bet it’s banana”

???? jungkook was a dummy for that one

passing the time while jimin’s on his shoots are quite entertaining

apparently being linked to park jimin has its perks and advantages

a crew member saw the both of you standing so of cOURSE you’re immediately being offered seats :D

to be entirely honest, ever since you received the jimin’s crew treatment, you and kook wordlessly tried to dress better when accompanying him to things like these

jungkook must’ve been looking extra broody and extra fashionable today with his all-black outfit once again but this time he was wearing something more figure-forming

even added some silver hoops for a nice touch and he’s eternally thankful that jimin allowed having multiple piercings in for the job because what’s it gonna do?? slow down jungkook when he needs to throw a punch?? aHA he doesn’t think so

must’ve been looking so f i n e that someone approaches to where the both of you are sitting

“are you the new model?? why are you sTILL here go to hair and makeup right now!!!”

jungkook has logged off and you swear you could hear a microsoft xp shutting down

thankfully you step in and speak for a speechless gguk who’s buring his face in your neck before he gets whisked away by the now sheepish crew member

he is BLUSHING

he’s placing himself to be as tiny as possible as he squishes himself to your figure

jungkook’s speaking in tiny text rn

he is giggling and squealing and he is practically burning in flattery

the chair he’s sitting on looks like it was gonna collapse with how he’s moving like a worm sprinkled in salt

“yAAAaA what’s happening???”

jimin just finished that portion of the shoot and the first thing that greets him is a withering jungkook cuddling (???) to you puts a bad taste to his mouth

he’s holding jungkook’s face up in genuine concern but also to keep his face out from your thighs :((((

“he got mistakened for a model”

at your answer he immediately sQUEALS again in the fresh memory as he’s giggling away from jungkook’s grasp and back again to your neck as he’s trying to calm himself down

the situation is amusing and even more-so jungkook’s reaction

jimin doesn’t find it amusing as much though

why are you letting kook nuzzle to you :((((

not that he cares or anything :D

not that it affects him in a way or something :D

you finally get kook to calm down because there are now inquiring stares at the both of you and u need to put a straight face on

you are the PA of the well-respected park jimin you nEED to keep your composure

jimin needs to keep his cool on the other hand :)

he’s gonna ignore his feelings for now because putting things aside until it bit him in the ass is his specialty!!

that’s why he has you as his personal assistant for!!

“y/n can u pls put in putting aside my feelings for you in next year’s schedule?”

“putting aside my feelings for you; next year!! sure thing wAIT WHAT”

he hates confrontation so much 

jimin doesn’t care if everyone else is basically scared if they’re confronted by him because hE’S afraid of them too

again, that’s why he has you!! for confrontation!! one whisper to what he feels about a particular thing and you’re immediately voicing out “mr. park doesn’t-...”

he’s okay now

already once again subdued these confusing and blooming feelings of his

:D

one of the great things that came with this job is that the amount of PR packages jimin receives is bottomless

jimin’s used to having all things to himself because he was an only child and hehe he normally isn’t used to sharing

but he is now!!!

unboxing all the packages he gets is now a bonding task for the four of you

jimin however gets first dibs to pick the packages that catch his eye and those that invoke no enthusiasm at all is left for the three of you

“your turn!!” was basically signal for you and jin and kook to elbow at each other to grasp boxes all of you have been eyeing for quite some time now

quite aware that you all look unicivilized but that’s been normalized at this point when jimin asked the three of u to open his packages with him; something he’s nEVER done before

he’s generous too

most times he gets sent the same stuff twice and sometimes even more

you particularly remember that time when jimin opened a box from gucci and meh it was the same shirt he had

“here u can have this kookie!! we have the same size i think :D”

“m-me???? you’re giving this to mE????”

needless to say there were tears and some hugs shared and that’s become a regular thing now for all these things jimin gets for free

jimin’s done a favor for this cooking show that was good but was declining on ratings and ever since his appearance, the show was basically saved

ever since then, he gets sent atleast twice a week of cooking and baking equipment 

seokjin was so near to tears when jimin said that he should get everything he gets sent cooking-wise and then some because he’d benefit more from it

“jimin u little brat i LOVE YOU :’‘‘)”

a whole-ass grill was sent one time and it was expensive as frick as what jin explained

he was too excited that he set up the grill at 10 in the evening

everyone narrates what they’ve opened up

“jimin-hyung u hAVE THE MATCHING JACKET TO THIS omg it’s gonna look so good”

“more snacks!!! omg i can pack them for u in these nEW lunchboxes!!”

and this is what jimin likes because he can clearly tell that you aren’t taking advantage of him nor opportunities like these

there’s no hidden agenda, no bluffs, no half-assed compliments to get him 

his heart feels especially content god he goes soft for things like these

if it’s a duplicate of what he already has or if he isn’t much of a fan, you can have it!!

if no one wants it, you could just wrap it up and he can give it as a gift to the people he works with!!

if it’s makeup, you’re all gonna sHARE and if it isn’t in your shade then you’re out the table as a contender to who gets it!!

if it’s jimin opening up the red compact cartier box to see this beautiful thing for a necklace

the necklace that’s a part of the cartier caresse d'orchidées line and ithe box is just sitting snugly on his hands and it literally makes him gasp and makes his heart awe at the sight

so much so that you stop trying to get to open this complicated parcel that can’t be opened with a cutter, and jin and jungkook stopping in trying to pry it open do the same as they stop

“what is it??”

jimin smiles brightly that his eyes disappear and you visibly grin at the sight of him :(((

wordlessly he’s standing up from his own pile

jungkook’s sweeping away the japanese paper and the dustbags and everything else in the way because jimin’s a bit clumsy and he doesn’t want him to slip ok

he’s walking himself to you wearing the sweetest smile on his face!!!

you are not falling

spoiler alert because you have already fallen

jimin’s crouching at your position on the floor and is already in a squat and before you get more confused, he tips the box to your eyesight, a slight gasp escaping your lips

“that’s so pretty!!”

jin and kook are internally screaming because they’re not blind to the mutual pining you have for each other ok

they’re not blind but it seems like the bOTH of you are

they don’t wanna intrude at this new moment in front of them but they’re also very curious to what’s happening judging by the way their necks are outstretched and how kook’s punching at jin’s shoulders in anticipation

jimin merely hums as agreement

hehe is it just you or does it feel like it’s only the two of you in this room right now or is like the airconditioning busted??? there’s this sudden piercing gaze he has on you???? and-

you feel your hair being swept to the side carefully and following almost immediately was the cool feeling of this thin chain on your neck

wait

wait what

“jimin!!!”

“y/n.”

he’s just calmly replying to the confused and almost worried calls to his name

you don’t know how you’re going to register this

the chain went a bit low and jimin’s wordlessly adjusting the pendant to sit at the center of your chest 

his fingers just bARELY glides to the exposed bit of your skin because you aren’t exactly wearing a turtleneck for bed

“thought of you when i saw this :D”

and it’s true

he really did think of you the moment he opened the box

it’s dawning into you now and the fact that oh my god this was a cARTIER necklace and it’s expensive and it’s sitting on your neck and jimin just did tHAT

“jimin i-i can’t accept this, y’know?? it was sent to you and it’s not for me, really!! also it’s too expensive and i really don’t-...”

he gets to pull a reverse uno card for you on that one

“technically, it’s free right? just got sent to me.”

:))))))

he sees you speechless

you only used that line for the snacks and the gummies he got in the packages that you most definitely could buy out from your own pocket

NOT FOR A CARTIER NECKLACE

jimin’s grinning at you and you look at a lost and defeated puppy who’s about to blubber

he shrugs like no big deal and before he goes back to his pile, he ruffles your hair for good measure and eVEN pinches your cheek

“keep it, jagi.”

did he just like mumble that line

did he just

did jimin just call you jagi

jagi

did your soul just ascend to heaven or-

ok that is most definitely jungkook pushing you and jin choking you but gently,, because the necklace madame,,, over what they just saw

jimin’s just smiling to himself like none of that didn’t happen

and the only thing keeping you sane (and the same time delirious) that all of this is happening is the bit of expensive proof hanging by your neck and at the though you instinctively run your thumb over the pendant

you will really d-word right now tho

the things is

it was hard not to fall for jimin

you really fought now to view him in the way the general media did because that can’t be to all he is, right?? :((

and god you’re so glad that you didn’t let your thoughts precede the way you viewed him

jimin may be materialistic and bratty at times

could be real inconsiderate sometimes too

but he was actively and consciously trying!! he may not admit it now but the way that you didn’t tolerate his bullshit and that someone actually says no to him was almost empowering and eye-opening

he has an actual personality!!! he is genuine and he cares!!! 

jimin is so much more and it just so happened that he was born into a pedestal with a golden spoon on his mouth

he didn’t choose to be born into this more than privileged lifestyle and he recognizes that!! makes him somehow guilty and he’s always trying to give whenever he can 

sucks because some people think that he’s being this way to gain him some publicity

he means every single thought he has for these things he advocates for!!!

he has this charisma and star factor with him and it was undeniable in everything he does

he’s intelligent and not air-headed!!! 

ok he may not know basic chores or how to work a washing machine until now but he’s trying his best!! 

and you love him for that

love

who said that

aha :D

maybe this is the same ghost that said jimin-hyung

that couldn’t be you :D

it was hard not to get consumed by your thoughts and feelings when you’re practically with jimin around the clock

can’t help thinking that this is probably you’re closest shot at domestic life because god if you were an official couple then this means you’re living in tOGETHER

you’re just a personal assistant!!

you need to get that into your head 

also you need to get into your head that there’s urgent knocking on your door and it got you so nervous that your heart probably fell to your ass as you were jolted awake

“jimin?”

a sweaty-looking jimin jolts as soon as you open the door and he’s sQUEEZING himself in to fit in the gap between you and the door

“aHAAA hi y/n!!” :D

he immediately sits himself by the end of your bed and god he looks so relieved the moment he set his hands down your comforter

too relieved that he didn’t notice that this was almost intimate

too relieved that he didn’t even see you snatching a random hoodie so quick because you for sure weren’t wearing a bra aha

he’s smiling up back at you as he’s still catching his breath

“.,..,.,. jimin this is the part where u explain why you’re here”

...

...

“...,,.,. there was a spider in my room,.,.,.”

he was sO terrified because it was intimidatingly huge

huge is relative but god it must’ve been the size of his palm and that is tOO big for a spider

goddamn it he was just about to apply his toner that he left by his bedside table and the spider just HAD to exist by the wall behind it

he ran out so fucking fast it was like he totally didn’t yelp at all

that must’ve been the sound of how quick his feet moved 

you thought it would be more of a life-threatening emergency that isn’t caused by a spider

you’re just gonna be relaxed and comfortable as if you and jimin aren’t in your bedroom :D

“can u kill it for me pls”

“lol no”

even the thought of a household spider and their obscenely long legs and the way they moved is enough to make you shudder

“want me to wake up kook to take it out for you?”

jungkook the bodyguard is mighty scared too but he has nO choice because after all his job is to protect jimin

even if it’s from a paper cut or a spider

that’s actually a good idea

an even better idea pops into jimin’s head though :D

“aish i don’t wanna wake him up :(((”

is jimin stretching right now

is he-

is he yawning on cue 

and is jimin swiftly getting under your covers right now

god he’s so smart but in the same time so nERVOUS

are you seeing right now the way he’s trembling nervously at his nonchalant attitude??

he even pOINTS to the light switch that needs to be turned off

“good night, y/n!!!”

he doesn’t mind the way your bed’s smaller than his

doesn’t mind the way that the comforter he has over his body isn’t as weighted or isn’t as luxurious as the one he has on his room

doesn’t mind that he can’t spritz that line spray that helps make him sleep because this isn’t exactly his room

it doesn’t matter at all because the only thing his mind is on is the fact that you’ve climbed into bed too

that you didn’t say anything else and yielded to the fact that he wanted to sleep here because there was a spider in his room

god you’d do anything for him

you’re whipped

even more whipped than the dalgona jin makes as breakfast coffee and he has that mastered to the T

good thing the lights are already turned off or else you’d be outed for having your cheeks heating up

jimin doesn’t need a light to know that

and there aren’t any words needed either to know that sharing a bed with you is something that fills jimin to the brim with contentment 

it’s not even dirty thoughts it’s wARM FUZZY THOUGHTS

the prior is something he’s shoving to the back of his head because now is not the time to have a hard-on when he’s sharing a bed with you oKAY

his thoughts are so noisy

why cant he just be !! no thoughts, head empty !! right now like every other time he is genuinely about to fREAK out

feels you shift and he immediately freezes because oh god was he moving too much?? y’know what he’s not gonna move at all like he’s sleeping in your bed he’s the guest he should be bEHAVED!! matter of fact he shouldn’t even breathe who tf does jimin think he is for causing you trouble i mean-

“night, jagi :)”

oh huh

oMG DID YOU JUST CALL HIM JAGI

jimin swears he can evaporate happily right now 

he even giggles at it!!!

here u were thinking you were being  𝖇𝖔𝖑𝖉  for calling him jagi and all he had to do was giggle and nOW you’re outbested once again

needless to say that that was the soundest and most fulfilling sleep jimin’s ever had in a long time

he wakes up and uhm you weren’t there????

he wasn’t cuddling to you, was he??

spoiler alert: he was indeed cuddling you unconsciously

you’ve been jimin’s PA for so long now that your body clock adjusts to whatever schedule he has for the next day

and today was a free day for him!! and you wanted to sleep in!!

even burrowing deeper to hug that particularly fluffy and good pillow you have

aha that is most definitely not your pillow :D

you were in-between the state of still being sleepy and being aware of the things that are happening around you 

you aren’t a big fan of spiders

and the fact that you just remembered jimin slept in your room and on your bed because of the fact that there was a spider in his room and he didn’t want to bother anyone at that time of the evening to take it out

and just decided to take residency in your bed for the night

the same jimin who has his head propped up on your pillow higher than yours did, with his whole leg weighing your lower body down and his arm loose yet snugly fit on your waist

with his eyes closed and pillowy lips plump 

and this urge to wake him up intentionally because his morning voice,,.,..,, his morning voice

aha but maybe that spider knew what it was doing :D

you are not falling, and you most definitely have self-control!!!

those are lies

it physically pained you to count to three before trying to untangle yourself from jimin because you wanted to EMBRACE him like what he’s doing right now but with you being awake

he goes down the stairs with much more purpose

only jin is downstairs and you’re still not here?? :(

jin was about to finish making these obscenely fluffy pancakes that take so long to cook but eh he’s like whatever since he woke up early this morning

and also he needs to up is breakfast game because jungkook intimidated him when he won you over with the breakfast burrito he made on a whim as a competition between the two of them

jin wants everyone to know that he is the best cook in this house and he’s still huffy about it if he’s being honest

he’s gonna forgive you and your horrible taste and poor decision-making skills but he swears :) one more time that you pick jungkook’s cooking over his :) whether you’re being genuine or just wanting to get a rise out of him :) he’s gonna cook you stale noodles for every meal for the rest of your days that he cooks as you work for jimin :)

where are you though :((

aha he’s hearing your steps on the stairs right now and he’s certain that they belonged to you!! he’s trying to look as nonchalant as possible with his back turned on the staircase

“JIMIN-HYUNG!!”

ok he’s looking for you and not for an oversized buff bunny bounding at him

“i got kook to take out the spider from your room!!”

oh that’s your voice alright

he’s just humming as you and kook take your seats in these barstools he specifically bought since you all take genuine enthusiasm in watching jin cook and in annoying him

he’s hearing you and kook take turns in droning off about the spider and wait

does this mean he doesn’t have anymore reason to sleep in your room anymore??

:(((

how about if he just uses the excuse that the spider jungkook took out actually left a family behind

and now there’s just a family of spiders in his room and jimin being the generous man that he is, gave up the room for them and with that, your room is now his room!! :D

will you buy that though

will anybody

absolutely: no one

he’s still a bit pouty because he still doesn’t know if he was cuddling to you last night

aha and you feel awkward in letting him know that he did

what jimin doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?? :D

jungkook has his free day today and he’s gonna spend the entirety of it shopping!! he’s gonna come home here later on since it’s been ages when he came home to his own place and lol no he isn’t ready to clean up that place

and also since jimin’s sweetly emphasized that his home is your home too and you would always be welcome!!!

“i’m bored :((”

jimin says for the tenth time in the past half-hour

the only thing he’s been doing is laying his head on your shoulder as you do your work

he’s never really gotten your whole scheduling process even after this whole time but he’s gotten more aware and more confused at the past ten minutes

you’re copying and writing down past and future schedules in your planner from your phone so you could have both a physical and digital copy

“i don’t get why you’re still writing down my schedules. i bought you an ipad for work. you have your work phone too. i mean -- oh my god you don’t have a smartwatch!! oh god why didn’t i think of that??”

he’s launching himself into a rant of how he hasn’t bought you a smartwatch and that he owes you that much since he puts a lot on your plate and that would help ease your work

even before he pulls out his phone to order one asap, he hears you just barely mumble while you’re still nose-deep into what you’re doing

“because you bought me this notebook.”

oh

uhm

is that adoration in his eyes

jimin even forgot that he bought you this planner in the first place

you remember him giving it to you when he came home from his friends’ trip abroad with taehyung and hoseok!!

you never really got to know them properly since whenever they go out, jimin insists that you stay at home since they don’t have their PAs with them either

and from what you know, taehyung and hoseok are also insanely rich :D

as from what jin knows too, their parents are all friends and they’re like a part of this compact wealthy and well-known group of families and that the three of them have been childhood friends ever since

you were kinda confused when he gave you a paper bag with multiple notebooks and planners

because sir?? i already have a work phone and a work ipad?? wHO has the time to write in planners when you work for park jimin???

his very simple answer that got through your heart was:

“i don’t know either. just remembered you when i saw these so i bought them.”

and you wanted to melt on the spot

you got around to using them!! and as you realized physical copies could also be really helpful since what if your devices died or were hacked or maybe something wrong just happened!! you still have a physical copy

and besides you want to keep track of them so one day you could give them to jimin like

“here are years worth of planners and the things you did like wOW you just get more fully-booked each day and you’ve accomplished so many things pls jimin pls take these”

“cool cool cool cool”

jimin tries not to grin over that one but it’s hard not to combust over your sentiment 

he’s distracting himself by peering at what you’re writing

“i’m going grocery shopping today????”

lol the confusion in his voice is enough to break you out of your focused spell

“no i’m going grocery shopping. i combine my schedule with your schedule sometimes. this is our planner jimin.,.,., the one that’s purely for yours is on that other notebook”

our planner

goddamn it is seokjin cutting onions extremely close to jimin’s eyes right now

tries his best to ignore these fluttering feelings because it’s like you’re nOT EVEN TRYING TO MAKE HIM FLUSTERED

and if you were, you’re so effortless and he’s over here about to bust a lung because he’s trying not to breathe and therefore not giggle

“then let’s go grocery shopping.”

your eyes widen

is jimin

is park jimin going to go grocery shopping

"take me with you in your errand!! :D”

he repeats again because he sees the sheer confusion in your face

i mean what could go wrong!!!

uh yeah you’re pretty sure he hasn’t been in an actual grocery store like probably ever and he wouldn’t know what to get

“... are you sure about that jimin.,.,,”

“yeah it’s gonna be fun oMG i’m gonna take a shower now bye!!!”

this chore is mostly split to you and jin; him with everything food-related and you with the necessities!! it was fun because honestly? doing it was fun

maybe the fact that the two of you are given bottomless cards to do so since this was done for the sake of jimin anyway but besides that, it doesn’t feel like a chore at all

jimin has an array of cars and less driving skills if you were being honest 

yes he can drive but he’s not very good at it :D

and jimin lends any of you his cars whenever you need them for personal use -- always insists that any of you don’t take public transport when you’re gonna go home (which is rare) or basically go anywhere even outside when you’re not working for him when you could perfectly be at ease and in safety in the comfort of his cars

he fully convinced you when he said the fact that “yA uhm you do know that you’re all kinda known now for being associated with me right,.,, safety reasons, right,...,.,” and he gets worried ok

since kook is off and he was the bodyguard slash driver, you’re in charge for that now 

you’re dropping off jin in this supreme grocery store that has pretty much everything

everything except processed comfort food like mozzarella sticks and cheap god-tier ramyeon so you’re the one who buys those in your grocery store

one that’s ordinary compared to jin’s

and has ordinary people shopping in it 

and has a counter or seven that isn’t working

and has a tub of yogurt probably somewhere in the toiletries aisle 

because this was an ordinary grocery store and it doesn’t have each and every employee kind nor immediately putting back yogurt from the toiletries aisle back to the fridge 

because this is an ordinary grocery store :)

jimin’s in the back waving jin off enthusiastically and he’s kind of lingering looking at the rearview mirror because you’re not stepping on the pedal just yet

...

“you don’t wanna sit in the front?”

“nO I ABSOLUTELY WANT TO THANK U FOR ASKING I WAS WAITING FOR YOU TO ASK ME HEHE ANYWAYS”

can jimin just say

that he is in very much deep thought

he’s looking at you every few minutes just to let it sink in

that oh my god y/n is driving my car right now

my PA y/n is driving my mercedes s-class cabriolet 

my y/n is driving my mercedes s-class cabriolet and i’m so here for it

lol woah there who said that in jimin’s subconscious

who said that he can’t help imagining you driving it and the both of you doing groceries but this time you’re not his PA and he’s not your boss, but instead an actual couple that-

this goddamn ghost

damn ghost who called him jimin-hyung and then jagi can now invade his mind and plant these thoughts that’s making him yearn uncharacteristically smh

“wear your mask, jimin”

you’re prodding at him to wear it already before you leave the car and even make him wear the bucket hat for good measure just so he wouldn’t attract unnecessary attention

the car isn’t exactly the best car for you to be lowkey with hehe

jimin’s probably gonna get recognized anyway :(

you’re internally preparing yourself to kinda hover around jimin and look stoic and say “important business” whilst doing groceries

aha did jimin just immediately take his mask off the moment you step foot 

“.,.,,, it’s not like -- is it just me or is the air here a bit thinner than the grocery store jin shops at?”

:D

“nope. it’s really just like this :)”

“oh oh i wanna do it!!”

he says as soon as you take a cart and he’s waving grabby hands at you before he just pauses because uh 

is it just him?? or is like the handle supposed to be this color but it looks foggy and it’s not supposed to look like that color in the first place??

oh you’re already wiping down the handle of the pushcart before you take it

“no it’s ok it’s clean now hehe let me take this one y/n!!”

well then

you have a list and you’re at the end of the cart pulling at it to direct jimin where to go because it’s very clear that this is his first time

he keeps gasping every ten seconds while being very distracted

“are you sure we don’t need anymore sponges?? because that ten-pack seems very tempting. they’re in dIFFERENT colors too omg!!! we don’t need more?? aha u know what i’m paying this from my own wallet aha we need them”

“i didn’t know red cups were sold this many and this cheap let’s buy like five of these packs :D”

“yOOOOOO buy five take five of these sodas!! jungkook likes these right??? LET’S GET IT”

“this is such a big pack of ziplocks omg omg i can like use them when we go to these shoots!! we have these already?? but do we have them in this dINOSAUR edition tho???? no? that’s right”

“this is the biggest bottle of body wash i have ever seen in my life!! and it’s like so cheap!! wait i’m searching and yA it’s loved by 93 out of 100 people!!! i’m gonna be the 94th”

you didn’t expect this reaction

didn’t expect this completely perplexed yet amazed jimin who is amazed at mundane and ordinary things and honestly???? your heart tugs at the sight even when jimin’s holding up a three-pack of baby wipes saying “this is the bEST deal ever” before excitedly putting it in the cart

even at the bagging process he was very excited to see how things stacked up

at one point he even asks if he could pack some of the groceries down into the paper bags and when the cashier agreed and the bagger was confused yet agreed at the same time, jimin smiled so hARD

“you should take me with you every time you go get groceries :)”

“we’re not gonna get in front of the line every time because not every cashier would recognize you though”

“yeah bUT STILL”

there’s fondness just seeing jimin load up the trunk with groceries that he himself wanted to pick out

you needed to aid him a bit because he’s getting the unusual brand or forgetting something completely essential

and you just can’t help it!!!

“you did good today, jimin.”

aha aw really?? :)))))

you are killing him more and more as the day passes by and he hates it because you’re completely slick and effortless and god what does he have to do to make you fLUSTERED about pulling moves on him

“where do we go now though?”

“if it’s after my grocery run or if it’s after my grocery run but with you???”

“lol just pretend i’m not here this is yOUR day anyway”

there is this one place

that ramen place

that ramen place that’s a little restaurant and is located into the outskirts of the city and eating there for the first time was one of the days in your life that you felt the luckiest

you were getting a little bit lost going back to your dorm one night because the building was new and you just moved in then and you were hUNGRY from not having eaten lunch and it’s gonna be like 7 in the evening soon enough

and u know what you were ready to settle in to this only slightly sketchy looking place that has neon lights for a sign but the inside is bRIGHTLY-LIT but in the same time the inside has some faint lighting of pink and

ok there’s some customers by the corner aha you’re convinced that this is is an actual resstaurant and not a cover-up for some underground sketchy business :)

you could also ask for directions!! a double whammy you’ll take :D

and god

that was easily the best ramen you’ve ever had for such a reasonable price and you get so mUCH

didn’t skimp on the amount of noodles and the broth isn’t annoyingly salty!! the egg remained intact without it being tOO hard and it was in the perfect state!! the pork was tender without being irritatingly too chewy and was cooked to 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷

it was so good you may have had shed a tear or some

you literally did it was so gOOD

not only were you given directions to your dorm, but you were also given directions to the best ramen place to ever exist :D

that ramen place is literally the name of the ramen place lol

and then you met jin and jungkook

and then kook accompanied you in a grocery run early enough into your new jobs and you all still kinda haven’t had the hang of it

and god u know what

u trusted jungkook.,,.,

trusted him enough to give him the directions for that ramen place and he’s like??? y/n ur not planning to ditch me in the side of the road are you????

and he’s just mhmm-ing his way as he let you order for him since this was his first time and you clearly knew it better

when jungkook says that he went to heaven at his first slurp

he means it

jungkook means that with his whole heart

in the same time he wants to clear his bowl so quick because he just can’t get enough but in the sAME time he wants to take his time because good things shouldn’t be rushed

after the meal like not only is his stomach full but so is his heart

it was official

“y/n i want u to know that i eNTRUST you with my whole life like pls i don’t mind if u call the shots until the day i die i don’t care u hAVE my whole heart”

and then it was when you and jungkook came home and kook can’t stop talking about the ramen

seokjin was so annoyed and offended like wtf did u just cheat on me with this damn ramen place i am the CHEF here

“jin-hyung please you hAVE to try it”

“aha i would never :D”

but then the inevitable happens

you pick up jin from his grocery store after you were done with yours and successfully set him up for the both of you to eat in that ramen place

and it was too late when he realized

and he’s figured it out since every description jungkook has ever given about the food matched up perfectly

he was at a total loss for words

:O

“i want what they have :’’’’)”

and the moment the both of you came home he iMMEDIATELY got to work in trying to recreate it but he never came to the exact recipe :((

a bit bummed but he’s in peace that he doesn’t know the recipe (even if it irks him sometimes)

aha jin knows that he would be too powerful if he knew the recipe anyway :D 

he’d be probably immortal at that point so this was for the sake of everyone else’s pride and sanity at this point

you’re oddly protective of that ramen place and u can’t help ity

OU’VE EVEN MADE FRIENDS WITH THE OWNER

park seojoon is an incredibly sweet man and restaurateur and you would easily lay down your life for him no doubt

he striked up conversation with you after u came in there for like one week straight because you were just going through it and he’s getting concerned now because he’s never seen someone eat tempura with so much sad eagerness

and he only knew you as a regular customer but he kNEW that you were normally happier and not looking so gloomy and intimidating????

turns out that his business is relatively new and not many people would come in because it looked sketchy and he doesn’t have enough profit yet to make the place look so divine

so he thanked u for giving that ramen place a chance

aND BECAUSE u dragging in jungkook and jin and that people would pass by seeing that oh wait these people are eating and they look vERY pleased that turned into the point that he’s been getting more customers!!!!

in short you’re very selective of the people you decide to introduce to that ramen place and seojoon finds that endearing and amusing at the same time

and bringing in jimin to this place is something that means a lot to you and it’s just sO exciting that you get to bring him in this part of your life

the part that entails to you being y/n and not his PA that’s with him almost 24/7 tending to his needs!!!

seojoon’s whipping his head at the chiming bell and oMG IT’S YOU!!! IT’S BEEN A WHILE!!!!

“y/NNNNNNNN!!!! :D”

“sEOJOOOOOON!!!! :D”

there’s a very eager hug and it catches the attention of some patrons but they’re like oh wAIT isn’t that the y/n from the multiple polaroids on the wall

kinda takes jimin aback for a sec

uhm he thought that you were gonna take him to lunch because as per your words of “probably my most favorite meals in my life ever besides jin’s?? i eAT THEM HERE”??????

meals???

not unless.,.,..

nOT UNLESS YOUR MEALS AREN’T ACTUALLY-

“i just got done getting groceries for my boss and he’s here with me!! jimin-“ you’re grabbing him by the arm to get closer to you and seojoon because he clearly backed off when the both of you hugged, “this is park seojoon!! he’s the owner of this place!! seojoon, this is-...”

“park jimin, i know!! it’s an honor to meet you, mr. park :D”

seojoon very much knows who he is even before you told him out of the blue that you worked for him as a personal assistant

he promised you extra portions of cheesy tonkatsu as long as you tell him how jimin’s like because he’s a bit of a fan of his work and all :)

he has his hand outreached and god you don’t know why but jimin’s suddenly buffering

kinda just gazes at the hand and you had to nudge him discreetly with your shoe tapping his

...

“.... nice to meet you too, mr. park.”

:)

:)

“oKAY let’s sit down in the booth!!!”

“yES good idea y/n!! you and jimin should get seated like right now aha!! good thing because i always put a reserved sign in there in case you and jin and kook decide to pop in all of a sudden :)”

jimin’s sitting across you and there’s this look on his face

oh god you know that face

maybe you’re just overthinking it

you already know what you’re ordering but you pretend to still look at the menu just to disguise the fact that you’re trying to distinguish jimin’s expression

he looks a bit-

“do they uhm, do they serve anything else besides these?”

oh

seojoon’s expanded the menu generously compared to the first time you went here

you’re trying to understand because the menu doesn’t exactly have the gourmet fish fingers jimin orders as an appetizer that contained two skimpy ones with sauce swiped haphazardly on the plate

there isn’t exactly luxuriously roasted lamb skewers in the menu

nor does it serve vin chaud as a refreshment while you wait for your order

but it doesn’t make the place any less good because good is subjective

and in normal circumstances and unlike standard of people like jimin, this place was genuinely good

“the water they have here... does it uhm... does it come from the tap?”

...

“no.”

you’re gonna try and keep a positive outlook on this because you know what?? maybe jimin’s just a bit tired to enjoy this new experience :)

“but don’t worry anyways! i brought with me your water! both the water and the iced coffee”

you’re already fishing through the tote bag you carry around when you’re out with jimin (your initials are embroidered with one strap and his in the other!!)

actually these are all your ideas

it was in your first month of working for him that you noticed jimin just like drinking in general

whether it’s water or orange juice or iced coffee and maybe even those fruity sugary drinks that has coconut jelly in them and of course beer

jimin atleast makes you fetch water for him about five times within a day and you have to hold onto plastic bottles until you see a recycling bin

then u had this genius idea

how about you gift jimin one of those hydroflasks because not only is it more eco-friendly but aLSO you don’t have to run to the nearest catering table or convenience store!!!

was it in the more expensive spectrum for water bottles? yes

but gODDAMN the pride you felt was insurmountable when you gave it to jimin

“y/n? water please.”

“aha sure mr. park here you go :D”

wait lol that’s relatively quick

then jimin’s eyes (and hands) land on this 21 oz army green hydroflask filled with cold water and if u wiggle it you could sTILL hear the ice clonking because it was still intact

he’s kind of perplexed

did this water bottle come with the water or????

“don’t worry sir!! i bought that for you!! it’s clean and new!! it’s yours, mr. park :D”

that touched his HEART

he may have dropped it once so lol you’re that whipped for him so you bought the rubberized sleeve, that it u may add is also tOO expensive for rubber that covered only a quarter of the bottle

it’s ok it’s for jimin

you’re bringing said hydroflask out now!!

even bringing out the tiny baby hydroflask (you bought him one the very next month because he liked it so much and he’s so happy with the original one) with iced coffee in case jimin wants variety

you could pull out a thousand more things from your bag to appease jimin

his expensive hand lotion that smelled of vanilla and coffee beans

his nintendo switch you carry around that he barely plays with but seeing it makes him happy

your work phone that contained emails from brand representatives and that they would have something sent over

you have more materials but none of it could shake off this noticeable frown in jimin’s face you’re so willing to try and ignore

one that looked like disgust

“i’m just gonna go to the counter to pay for our orders.”

jimin’s eyes narrow at that

don’t the waiters here come to your table and list down your orders so you don’t have to move a single inch because after all, this was a dine-in???

he feels so out of touch now that you’re over the counter

he’s definitrly feeling more glances from like the four people eating here that are starting to recognize him

the booths aren’t that spacious and the foam in the cushions isn’t heavenly comfortable to sink into

the table is a bit sticky and there’s a faint residual smell of lemon-scented multi-purpose cleaner

these pendant lights are too plain like why even bother with a pendant light if it’s just like every other boring light fixture

no ambient music in the background either

jimin is so out of it if you can’t tell by now

you’re coming back to your booth with your table number and he snorts to himself at that

there isn’t else who’s ordering wHY would you even need a table number

you heard that

clearly heard that

“... y’okay, jimin?”

“i’m fine.”

he’s not even gonna rest his forearms on the table

he should lean back and oh wait no he can’t :D

there’s this uncomfortable silence that’s so sudden and you don’t wanna partake in it because what happened to the jimin in the grocery store??

“why are we here?”

you were clearly not expecting that question

didn’t he tell you that you call the shots today and he’s just gonna tag along?

“you’re given a limitless credit card to attend to my needs and — does this place even take credit cards?”

you don’t like how soft-spoken yet condescending jimin’s tone is right now

nor his choice of words

and to how you feel so ridiculed with just the way he’s starting

seojoon arrives with your food and was about to crack a joke but uh your face is hung low and your fists are clenching and unclenching?? ok maybe next time

keeping this in is very hard

you’re gonna ignore that :)

you’re fishing for the metal case of jimin’s premium wooden chopsticks without a word

ok

you’re gonna keep your emotions together, sat your food, go home, and try to be understanding of jimin all throughout

it’s actually going along very well

pretending that jimin isn’t even here and instead savoring in the ramen you haven’t eaten for more or less a month because of jimin’s busy schedule and therefore your busy schedule

you missed this so much

omg seojoon definitely put more noodles in there he is a national treasure

you’re keeping your cool actually and-

“are you playing a prank on me, y/n? it’s not funny anymore.”

he’s half-whining and half-pissed

still hasn’t had one taste of his ramen

“i agreed to let you pick because i thought we were going to a real restaurant.”

christ

you are most certain now that trying to looking unfazed is what you’re failing miserably at as of the moment

“not a hole-in-the-wall type of ramen joint that’s cramped and has laminated hand-written numbers for table number.”

god you so badly want to explode

beyond offended and hurt because even seojoon and his place he worked tirelessly on is being slandered for a completely selfish reason

and that this whole thing is being twisted to you as if you didn’t ask him a million times is he was sURE of this

“and y/n, you know i don’t go to these types of places! i don’t-...”

“then we’re leaving.”

you’re not even halfway done eating

the excitement you harbored for wanting to be in this place in the first place has long been displaced

jimin’s sitting there in shock because he really didn’t expect that

he didn’t know what end result he was looking for

but you being actually mad at him and standing up and leaving so quickly through the door that you didn’t even wait for him was the eventual result

he’s sputtering to himself and he’s walking outside the restaurant with his head hung low

are you mad at him??

in his defense he was just speaking the truth

but that doesn’t mean shit now does it

he’s wordlessly climbing into the front seat of his car that you’ve already started because fUCK are you so mad and sad at the same time

jimin’s kinda worrying that he might’ve took that far

he’s sneaking looks at you and you’re stone-cold and he doesn’t even get a side-eye in response

he should be as stubborn as you were being now but he thinks that he might not be in the right position for that

you’re so silent and he’s fiddling with his rings and eVEN in stoplights you just keep your gaze trained to the road and nothing else

jimin realizes that oh

you’ve pulled up to his usual restaurant

his usual restaurant that had valet service and staff that would let him in even without a prior reservation

oh

he’s kind of hovering by the main door and you’re not beside him but rather behind, your position stiff and guarded with your arms crossed across your chest

you’re being jungkook right now instead of y/n

god you’re still boiling

you’ve never had this much determination to drive to this high-end ramen place that jimin earnestly likes and as you’ve figured his only standard that he’s compared seojoon’s place to

he doesn’t know how to react to how you reacted either

he didn’t expect to be eating lunch right now in one of his favorite restaurants with you sat across him but in guilt-tripping circumstances

jimin doesn’t know what to do with himself :(

he knows what to order and he knows what your order would be from here since this isn’t the first time you’ve accompanied him

even tried asking you if what you want to order in a timid voice but you didn’t even meet his gaze

still said your order to the waiter and he sneaks a look to see on how you would’ve reacted to it but again

there’s still none

guilt is practically eating jimin from the inside out at this point

he’s eating in front of you and he still feels guilty to do so because in the other hand

you refuse to even look at the meal in front of you that’s going cold

knows for a fact that you LOVE the red iced tea here even if he tells you repeatedly that it’s too sweet and the fact that it’s always served cold won’t help with it bUT NOW you’re not even casting a single glance to it

you don’t budge not even until he settles the bill and his eyes aren’t on you

gets your food wrapped up for take-out and normally drinks can’t be but they always make an exception for jimin

he’s holding it himself and you’re just trailing behind him again

even until you get handed the keys and drive jimin home

there’s no interaction whatsoever

even the radio he’s turned on doesn’t help because you’re not uttering a single word to him

you get home and jimin’s lingering by the driveway as he sees you lugging the groceries in your hands without making it obvious that you’re dYING to leave again so you could pick up jin

“i’m -- i’ll help.”

he says as input and he thought that would atleast get a small smile from you

aha there is none

he’s taking out paper bags from your hands and you let him

just turn your back on him and go back to the trunk and get some more

he’s purposely slowing his pace getting into the door so you’d trail behind him and maybe atleast nudge at him to fasten his pace because what you’re carrying is particularly heavy

yOU’RE STILL SILENT

and then there are no more groceries left and jimin’s frowning at that because wHAT he was just about to actually speak to you 

you’re starting the car again and????

you’re leaving???

oh

he uhm

he thought he was going with you to pick up jin

:(

jin immediately knew something was wrong when you picked him up and helped him put in his groceries in the very limited trunk so you had to put some of them in the actual backseats wITHOUT ANY COMPLAINTS

he even bought cacao nibs to snack on and you just give a gentle smile to when he’s offered you one because normally you and him would’ve bickered now on who should hold the bag for safekeeping

“y/n baby are u like,,,, ok”

“yeah i’m all ok :D”

“oh ok :D”

he smiles at that

might he remind you that he is nOT booboo the fool :(((

he doesn’t wanna prod in just yet and he doesn’t wanna invade ur bubble by asking you what’s wrong upfront

he’s just gonna invade it every once and then when he shoves a nib to your mouth to munch on to atleast believe that he fell for your blatant lie and aha he’s just being goofy :)))

there is something definitely up

jimin greeted him wAY too enthusiastically

“JIN-HYUUUUUUNG!!! hi”

“hi brat :)”

there’s a look that falters in jimin’s face for a sec because oh god maybe you told jin

and the teasing nickname of brat is actually meant for real this time

he’s really panicked right now

he’s helping jin get out the food he’s bought and jin’s ????

this is the first time you’re helping me out fill in the pantries and the fridge???? i’m a chef not a nurse are you like rUNNING A FEVER RIGHT NOW???????

he keeps his mouth shut

jin isn’t oblivious to how jimin purposely kept messing up in organizing food because you’re also included in this organization thing as you always were

and the closest jimin’s ever got to an interaction was you wordlessly picking things up that he was messing over

he literally put frozen baby carrots into a cabinet full of pasta just to invoke a reaction and jin’s just inwardly laughing and cringing at his attempts lmao he’s going too far in making a fool out of himself

and to see you just picking up the baby carrots and putting them in the freezer made him frown

aTLEAST laugh at him for goddness’ sake

please

pls

say something

make fun of me

raise your voice at me for putting yogurt in the spice rack y/n just please

and tHEN there’s no food left

it’s a free day after all and jimin can’t materialize shit about things he needs you to do with or for him just so he could squeeze out a word or two

but then you coop yourself up in your room and jimin’s kinda lost being by himself when you normally hung out around him like second nature

it’s time for dinner and jungkook’s already come home by then with his arms full and his first question was “where’s y/n???”

then jin answers him and kook was like cool.,.,.., if u need me i’ll be in y/n’s room

maybe jimin is truly indeed losing his mind with this silent treatment

why is jungkook in your bedroom and why is it so easy for him to go to you while he’s here chickening out

probably because jungkook isn’t the one who’s made a mistake towards you and may have caused a slight scene awhile ago

maybe it’s because jungkook was being down-to-earth and isn’t a fucking brat like he realized he was being one awhile ago

:(((

it’s dinner time now and only jungkook was the one who came down the staircase and joined them in the dining table

which felt weird because you’re not sat beside him :(((

jin isn’t surprised that you didn’t come down but kook’s fazed so hard rn

“she was just bundled in her comforter.,.,., not even bundled up while watching netflix or something.,.,.,. just bundled.,,.,., half-asleep and half-scrolling through her phone and then i pEAKED at her phone and her feed wasn’t bland and then there was this really funny tiktok but y/n didn’t giggle :(((“

“y/n didn’t pester me to do a try-on clothing haul of the things i bought :(((( i mean before if she asked me to do it i would say nO but now that she’s not asking i wANNA DO IT :((( where’s y/n?? who’s that girl upstairs?? what’s going on?? i miss her :((”

jungkook doesn’t know jack either but he does know that it may have something to with jimin and his mind, really.,.,,.,. jin and him are straight-up vibing rn if that’s the case

“yO are u being honest but in the same time guilt-tripping jimin or something because you fEEL like it’s his fault too?”

“THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING!”

they’re communicating telepathically

they’re not psychic but the point is that they will surely talk about this the moment jimin leaves them and say their hunches about what probably happened on your grocery run

jimin meanwhile is absolutely being roasted in guilt because he atleast thought that you would open up the situation to jungkook because you were friends

and after all he came to your room alone and he’s not there to deny whatever you tell

but you’re closed off even to them and jimin just wants so badly to fix thishe sees the tray jin’s fixing up and he figures that it’s for you so he immediately jumps to his feet and grounds jin by the shoulders

“no nO i’ll take them to y/n, hyung.”

jin is more than happy to give the tray to jimin but somehow bummed ?? at the same time because this just confirms that something indeed happen

there’s a soft knock to your door and you don’t even answer because it’s never been locked this whole time

you wanna pop your head out from your comforter too since binge-watching how things are made but without boring commentary is really starting to make your eyes hurt

“koo?”wait you know those footsteps

they’re lighter and delicate even with house slippers on and-

“hi.”

jimin isn’t surprised that you thought he was jungkook but his pride is hurt though

not just because he isn’t the first person you’re looking for when someone comes into your roombut because you still refuse to meet his gaze

:((

he’s setting up the tray that doubled as an actual mini table on your bed and he’s trying to divert his thoughts as he did, opting to be silent instead

he made the conscious decision to not have the food you didn’t eat at lunch to be reheated for your dinner because he knows that there are unresolved issues still — and it happened to be over his pride and ramen

safe to say that you’re eating your dinner

even if he’s standing by the corner looking like a kid who’s put in time-out while he remains silent

nobody’s forced him to take your dinner up nor even stay in your room while you’re adamant on eating your dinner and not making any conversation with himbut he’s willing though

jimin is more than willing to try and make up for what he did

“i’m sorry.”

the thing is

jimin barely apologizes

even when he’s in the wrong most of the times and it’s a trait of him that he’s not exactly proud ofhe just feels so shy whenever he apologizes verbally and it’s almost humiliating

but sir that is the point because you’re in remorse which is why you’re apologizing sIR

but he does things in his own way and he incorporates apologies into his actions and rarely into words

which is also good

but this blatant display of him apologizing using his words and letting you know that he knows what he’s done

jimin doesn’t want you to applaud him for it (and you’re not going to) because apologizing is a thing he really should be doing in the first place!!!

“i knew i was — i knew i was being stubborn. a-and it’s totally unjustifiable because i judged seojoon’s place so quick and i didn’t even know what i was talking about!! i didn’t even give the ramen a chance!! i’m sorry too since i uhm, i let you pick the place and then i made you feel bad for picking it. which is just wrong, i know. w-well uh i’m also sorry since i was just being-...”

god he really hates this word

hates this word to a degree

but he knows it’s very much true as he proved awhile ago and he has to face it head-to-head

“a brat.”

he frowns over what he just said and he doesn’t see you raising a brow at him as you’ve been trying to pre-occupy yourself by eating the whole time

“and an asshole.”

he’s fiddling with his rings in worry because oh god he may be a little bIT scared to look back up at you

maybe you already dozed off??? maybe you’re still mad and you’re gonna kick him out of your room???? maybe you’re gonna qUIT???

he should accept his fate, really

he will never have an assistant as good as you because you’re the bEST and he means it

also jimin isn’t wearing contacts and this is not the same mistake of him wearing them in the plane so whY are his eyes dry to the point that they’re gonna dampen any second

actually it’s just emotion

“okay :)”

that’s the only things you say after fully digesting his apology and it makes him falter in the corner for a second

“oH so like okay we’re gonna be nORMAL again and you don’t hate me??? oR okay as in you agree that i’m an asshole??? i’m fine with either two i just need to clarify for sURE so i could apologize again, y’know?? if it’s the second part? actually what if-...”

you gotta admit

your heart’s thawing at the moment and it’s still a progress but seeing jimin so flustered and uncomposed is very unlike himself

he knows his standing and what he’s capable of and he acts like it

he’s professional when it comes to work and dedicates his entirety of himself to it

he knows his social cues (well uh most of the time) and reads the room every time just so he could adjust along with it

it’s not his intention every time to stand out but even without trying to, he is and always will because he’s jimin

the jimin you see in shoots who requests for another shot to be taken when he feels like he hasn’t done enough for a pose and shakes people’s hands that already leaves a good lasting impression on them, isn’t the one who’s in front of you right now

it’s jimin who’s timid and rambling and is actually being very humble as of the moment -- devoid of any makeup and in his pajamas and the one who took up the dinner for his personal assistant who was mad at him

“we have a long day tomorrow, jimin. get your hours in, hm?”

oh 

okay that means you’re okay

he really can’t help blushing jUST because of a certain pronoun

god he is a mess and a half 

but he is a mess and a half that hAS your forgiveness 

jimin’s shuffling out the door and says his good night in tiny caps!!!

since he’s very obedient and u know what,, this has been a tiring day for him so he’s just gonna take a shower and then fall asleep to the thought of you :))

lol jin and kook have jimin memorized by now so they’re just waiting for that particular click of the door aND THEY’RE ALREADY DASHING UP THE STAIRS AND INTO YOUR ROOM

....

“sooooo.,.,.,.”

??????

“this is the part where you tELL us what happened oh my gOD y/n”

they’re plopping down to your bed on either side and then you’re in this sandwich you can’t get out of

seokjin is very good at pressuring and jungkook is very good at nudging you repeatedly to the point that you have no choice but to tell what happened

they were so :D when you told them about the grocery part

“he is sO clueless it’s so adorable”

“jin-hyung i’m telling you we NEED to get jimin-hyung to the flea market please :((”

there can never be too much side comments

they’re treating you as a pay-per-view boxing match and you best believe that they are gonna be NOISY

“hOW DARE YOU GO TO THAT RAMEN PLACE WITHOUT US :((”

“lol hyung the two of us went there when y/n was in her day-off bUT HOW DARE YOU Y/N :(((”

but in the same time it was okay for them because jimin feels like family at this point and he’s kinda within your circle if you just crossed out the fact that he’s your multi-millionaire boss and the three of u are his employees

then you get to that part where you felt jimin was being too quiet

jin’s already shaking his head at that point because he knew one way or another to where this was going

kook has some hope that nO jimin-hyung isn’t gonna do that so he has his mouth hung open as he waits for you to continue on

“yAAAAA why do you have to be so sTUPID jimin????”

“why didn’t you tell us earlier?? we could’ve been mad at jimin wITH YOU!! you didn’t need to be alone at being mad!! i’m mad!!”

they totally get your standpoint and how it must’ve felt to be in your position awhile ago

“i would really fight with jimin right then and there-”

“hyung that’s because you’re old”

“i’m old aND i have ramen to eat and jimin’s being a hypocrite tHAT’S WHAT”

the two of them are really making it clear that they’re not gonna stop on talking and have probably forgotten that this is your room

they’re so fired up to notice that it’s your bed they’re messing up by tossing and turning

“well for me.,,.,, i think i would just eat my food because aha i paid for it aND for jimin’s order too. gonna ask here and there to what standard of good does he have and how different it actually is from that ramen place. especially if you take out the external and materialistic factors”

“real mature of you, jungkook. i’m-”

“but that’s just a front and i’m gonna cHEW HIM OUT IN THE CAR AND FIGHT WITH JIMIN BECAUSE HE WAS DISRESPECTING ME!! AND SEOJOON!! AND THE FOOD!! AND-

lol jin spoke too soon

there’s this inevitable question that’s hanging

of how any professional and unattached personal assistant wouldn’t be too hung-up over this and just call it a day

and to how they wouldn’t dwell over that and coop up in their room as they re-evaluate the fact that they’re probably falling for their boss and said boss has hurt their feelings

jin and kook choose not to delve in it

especially jin who’s concerned about you in the first place because he caught onto the fact early on that you and jimin have this sort of tension and ease of comfort at the same time

not to mention that jimin smelled of the linen spray he gifted you on your birthday

and he could never mistaken that scent for anything else besides your bed

not unless someone else sleeps in your bed

he kNEW

knew this whole time that jimin shared your bed that night and he connected it to the spider thing and then suddenly, it just wasn’t a theory that he concocted

he could’ve easily slept in one of the many guest rooms here

could’ve bunked with jungkook because his room was the closest to jimin’s

could’ve bunked with him because jimin knows jin has a diffuser that’s same as his in his room and it would make him asleep faster

but no :D

jimin still chose to knock on your door and stay in your room

because in jimin’s fight or flight response over a spider invading his room, it’s to go to you

:D

he is one step away from making one of those boards you can see in tv shows that connected you and jimin with pushpins and yarn just to let you both know thAT THE FEELINGS ARE MUTUAL

THEY ARE VERY MUCH MUTUAL

AND YOU’RE NOT ACTING ON IT AND HE ISN’T EITHER BECAUSE THE BOTH OF YOU ARE SCARED

the three of you probably must have been carried away talking for so long that you’ve all fallen asleep squished into your bed with you still in the middle

kook is fully latched to you and he’s hEAVY and jin has his back turned to you but with his legs resting on top of yours???? and you’re all knocked out to the point, especially you, that you didn’t even notice that whilst being in the middle, your comforter warmed eVERYTHING and everyone but you 

but it felt tOO lax

too lax that in your groggy half-asleep mind that you think you’re missing something ????

that all three of you are half-awake now and are just rolling around in the slightest and something jUST doesn’t feel right

wait

is that the door to your room opening

that is mOST definitely a phone clicking

was that a giggle

“yAAAA have some respect dhshhd wAIT JIMIN OH MY GOD OH MY GOD JIMIN WAKE UP WAKE UP WE SLEPT IN”

jin is flailing around like a fish out of water

he is moving more than the he caught within like eight seconds when he decided to try out fishing

you’re jostled awake because you’re laying closest to him and you sWEAR your soul must have been jostled too

kook was having it rough

he was.,.., in a defense position???? he’s,.,..,., taking cover??? 

lol alright jimin thinks that’s IT

“hush the three of u just kinda overslept”

jimin says sweetly while in the same time he’s kinda prying jungkook off of you hehehe and he could just disguise it as getting him to wake up

he has to admit that he was really endeared when he saw this sight of the three of you passed out asleep

he was very confused when he woke up and there still wasn’t breakfast or you explaining today’s flow and jungkook listening in behind the two of you

that’s weird,,,,,

then he peaked into each of your rooms expecting for it to be locked but to his surprise it wASN’T

he opened kook’s first and then it was empty and he completely blanked at that

j-jin????

he opened your room last and when the doorknob budged so easily he was about to pass out because wHY IS IT OPEN

and then he peaked and oH OMG UR ALL STILL ASLEEP

that’s no worries!! :D

jimin can handle all of this for the morning and he can even surprise the lot of you

ready-mix pancake batter?

aha easy but no :D he is looking to impress, not to burn

cereals?

aha no :D he is limited but his skills go far beyond than just adding milk ok

cup noodles bUT with mozzarella sticks that he can pop in the oven while he makes iced tea perhaps if water is too bland???

AHA YES :D

it’s beyond simple but he’s proud of himself ok

and it’s the thought that matters!!!

he’s even assured you that it’s all okay and no one’s gonna get fired!! not even close!!

you keep apologizing to him because you know today is supposed to be a busy one and you’re just gonna hOP into the shower and you’ll be out in five minutes and ur gonna be professional

“y/n jagi trust me!! i checked!! my call-time isn’t for another two hours!! you’re fINE. just go join jin-hyung and ggukie because i made breakfast :D”

“okay fine but jUST because you made breakfast :D”

[ and also u called me jagi and i am too soft for you and you can comfort me and my thought very endearingly so yes i wILL go down ]

jimin is so happy to see the three of you being genuinely excited ok

the two boys are SLIGHTLY taking a piss out of him but apart from that they are so so proud and are being absolutely candid

“jimin-hyung you didn’t forget to stir the iced tea this time oMG :((((

““you aCTUALLY closed the lid this time when you put in the hot water”

“bUT I’M SO PROUD OF YOU JIMIN OMG!!!!! you killed it with the mozzarella sticks”

“you EVEN sprinkled some uncooked noodles for that extra crunch omg i will hug u right now”

he’s actually blushing from all the praise

it doesn’t help either that you’re sitting beside him and are agreeing and even adding in your own quips!!

“it’s no big deal :D”

it is, in fact, a big deal

and jimin wants to stress that no matter how all of you are impressed with him right now, he wants to show that this should be a normal occurence too!!!the three of you are literally paid to make his life easier by doing tasks he can do himself and for that he is beyond grateful

but he wants to return his gratitude from time to time!!!he thinks letting you keep some from the PR packages is not enough

it’s jimin’s baby steps and the three of you are aware and you’re rooting for him

even if sometimes he might fall face-first but you’re always there

:)

you don’t want to be overly too cheesy

but you mean it

you really do

as much as jimin depended on you, you’ve probably also learned how to always look for and after him in everything that you do

he’s ultimately housed into your heart and god it’s too hard to try and pick him out of it

you could be in your day-off and trying to do an activity by yourself and your first thought would be “lol jimin would get so impatient with this”

you see a relatively luxury item? that’s jimin

u see a billboard of a brand in fashion week that he most definitely sat front row at? jimin

a dog you pass by on the street that looks like it most definitely something he would coo and try to pet?? PARK JIMIN

you don’t wanna take advantage of your position to enact your feelings

even if that is most certainly a vantage point

but you most definitely would do it if you were just sure that jimin liked you back

that he thought of you in the same way and you’re not only a mere PA he could always replace whenever he wanted to

distancing yourself is practically impossible

especially when you can’t distinguish the concept of mixed signals anymore from the actual fact that maybe

just maybe that he liked you too :(((

jimin’s kNOCKING on your door again at an ungodly hour and you’re opening it up

again

“is it another-“

you’re about to fully open your door because you’re highly sure that this is another spider and he’s not gonna put himself up with that situation EVER again

about to rub off the sleep in your eyes only to succumb back later again when he’s gonna lie beside you in your bed

but it was different this time

there’s sniffling and heavy tears

there’s jimin whose chest is heaving right now as he’s trying to compose himself

his heart feels ultimately heavy and even more so because it’s about to sink in that he just woke you up to hear out his problems he doesn’t think is too shallow to even be a problem; his whole mind foggy

“if my parents weren’t rich and i wasn’t the park jimin — do you think i’d still get to my level of success?”

he looks absolutely wretched and his voice sounds so pained

he’s about to turn on his heel because he feels so selfish for having you wake up for him but it’s not something-

“yes.”

you say without skipping a beat and you swear your heart clenches when jimin does a double-take over what you just said

your heart is absolutely hurting for him :((

you don’t even think when you pull him to you for an embrace and he’s completely breaking down by then, his face buried to the crook of your neck with his hands still in fists

jimin might have searched his name for the fun of it

but then one thing led to another and then he ended up reading threads in reddit and twitter and basically in any portal of social media

some are good and wholesome

but god there’s just some that were criticizing him and his wealthy background

some were too below the belt

and there’s this guttural feeling in his chest because what if he really is everything that these people point him out to be

he didn’t want for himself to be born into a well-off family and that’s out of his control

jimin so badly misses the time that he was still pretty fucking young and naive to the fact that he’s already had millions to his name even before he could speak his first words and crawl for the first time

and it’s the guilt that he carries with him

it’s how he tries to rid himself off the image that he’s nothing but wealth

he’s spiraled so hard into thought during the past hour that it hasn’t sinked into him that he’s been crying to you for almost equally as long

“i see you for you, jimin — i mean it.”

you’re rubbing circles in his back and it’s helping him calm down especially you talking to him because it grounds his mind

he’s kind of blubbering still but he’s listening to you intently and he’s resorted to staying still in your embrace

“you’re one of the greatest people i ever know and it’s not because you’re your parents’ son, okay? i see you for you.”

he’s all puffy from crying and you’re wiping at the extra tears that’s coming out with how he’s digesting your words and that earns him another kiss to his hairline because it truly calms him

you have one hand on his palm and jimin’s mindlessly playing with it as it distracts him from the heaviness on his chest and besides

you’re a really calming figure

you’d do anything right now to just ground jimin :((((

whatever it takes

“you can take off your makeup and your jewelry, jimin — i’d still love you the same.”

you mean it

you mean it vERY much

if the circumstances were different and they were lighter

you’d notice that you might have slipped up and basically confessed your love for himi

f the circumstances weren’t jimin crying to you at 2 in the morning from reading up to what some people think of him

he’d say the same to you

but it’s this

and jimin nods to your words and he’s tired and so are you

he lets you tuck him and squeeze his hand and listens to when you tell him that if he needs anything, he could just shake you awake and you’re gonna be there for him

and maybe even in the dark

jimin turns to face you at one point and you’re fast asleep and he’s getting to finally succumb to the rest that’s tugging on his veins

maybe even in the dark, he may have slotted his hand to fit yours

jimin’s holding your hand in the dark as he falls asleep

:D

he feels secure and goes to sleep secure and he wakes up secure

growing up, his security without a doubt was always ensured considering his background and well practically who he is

but that was a different type of security

it’s surface-level security such as what jungkook’s hired to do!!!!!

but you

you probably can’t tell but you are literally a walking safe place for jimin to which he feels immediately at home at

home is a broad term because it’s more of a feeling of belonging rather than a set location

and u know what

:D

home feels oddly specific to jimin nowadays

especially when he got two of his impacted wisdom teeth out under general anesthesia :D

he doesn’t hate going to the dentist’s office actually

who wouldn’t when the dentist he goes at is too pristine and there’s a flat-screen tv and the receptionist is actually nice!!!! and the doors were cool!!!! and the seats were spacious and loungy!!!!!

jimin only went like “.....cool” when the dentist said that he has four impacted wisdom teeth after seeing his x-ray

in fact he was a bit excited because omg i’ve never had an operation in my life ever wHAT must this feel like????

but then

u see

lmao dr. baekhyun kinda has a knack for joking and he nudges jimin at one point when he was explaining the operation

“yeah you’re gonna be under local anesthetic :D”

“that’s cool doc :D”

you’re catching on to what dr. baekhyun is saying because you’ve got your wisdom teeth taken out before aND HIS TONE IS JOKING

AND JIMIN DOESN’T KNOW IT YET

does jimin think that there’s an imported anesthetic and he’s being oh wow cool support local rn.,.,.,,.

and not realizing that-

“that means you’re gonna be awake for your operation :D”

“oh that’s — wAIT WHAT????”

dr. baekhyun is really taking a piss out of him omg he’s trying to keep a straight face right now and so are you

“what do you mEAN i’m gonna be awake for it doc????? that’s nOT what the movies say!!!”

“it’s almost gonna be pain-free, jimin. don’t-...”

“b-but aLMOST?? why do i need to be awake for it??? oh my gOD i watched that video of how they extract and i’m gonna be AWAKE when you drill into my jaw??? dr. baekhyun-“

jimin is blubbering

he is so near to tears

he’s turning into a big baby and his voice is wavering and oh my god that’s when dr. baekhyun and you cut it out

he is tEARING UP to the crook of your neck as you simultaneously try to stifle your laughter and run your hands through his hair

he’s pouting the whole moment you and dr. baekhyun take turns explaining

“aish, those movies. actually, most wisdom teeth extractions happen under local anesthetic. it’s most recommended if you’re just gonna have one to two wisdom teeth taken out at a time-“

“or generally if your wisdom teeth are not buried in too deep!!”

“what happens is — ok the dentist applies some lidocaine to the spot, and then it numbs, and then they’re gonna inject some stuff with a bIG-ASS SYRINGE!!!!”

“lmao y/n don’t scare jimin but aLSO!!! THAT’S TRUE!! but sometimes local anesthetic could be intravenous instead :D”

jimin is so conflicted wHY are you still explaining this to him and why did u play with him like that:(((

“but don’t worry!! point is, you’re not gonna be awake for it since your situation is a bit more difficult for local anesthesia :)”

.....that really made him sigh out of relief

but also he’s still a bit mad because wHY did you let dr. baekhyun joke with him like that and why did you join

if that was truly the case then yeet he will never get his wisdom teeth taken out

throughout the week you remind him to take the prescription meds that would have him prepped for his surgery

he is both excited and nervous

he’s bringing it up at every chance he gets

“carbonara..... ugh :(( oh well this is my last taste at carbonara before i get operated on and have my mouth bloody and my cheeks puffy for like a week or something :(((“

“chicken :(( oh yeah i can’t eat chicken and other oily things after my operation :(((“

“oh right :(( y/n can you put a toothbrush for toddlers in your grocery list? y’know,,, since i’m gonna have stitches and all :((“

jungkook was very nervous and concerned with jimin’s hype for this because omg he doesn’t know yet if his own wisdom teeth are impacted

and jimin did a word-per-word explanation of the procedure as per dr. baekhyun and boy is he so scared and nervous at the same time

jin on the other hand is very amused as to how he’s so pumped for a damn operation

“lol watch him mope for five days when all he could eat is soup and you and jungkook get to eat solids beside him”

but then the actual day of his operation came

and he is nervous ok

beyond nervous than he could ever admit

jimin is excited and nervous at the same time because he knows exactly what’s gonna happen to him but at the same time he wOULDN’T know that it’s happening to him

that’s terrifying

he’s so nervous about going alone into the room and the three of you are sending him eager waves as moral support ok yEET he’s coming back in for another hug

he may or may not be stalling

jimin hugs seokjin longer this time

jungkook hugs jimin tighter because omg he has all his respect like king u are gonna have your jaw basically cracked i’m rOOTING FOR YOU

he seems that he has no intention at letting you go so u have to move the both of yourselves to the room step by step while still keeping his embrace

dr. baekhyun is assuring him that it would be literally over before he knows it!!

jin is putting in his bet that it would be an irritable post-op jimin the moment he comes out of the operating room

jungkook bets that jimin would be v clingy and cuddly 

u are siding with neither bet because you know that jimin would be a handful either way

some hours passed and dr. baekhyun is going to the waiting area eagerly!!

“yAAA follow me!! most especially y/n!! jimin is thrashing looking around for you!!”

jin never walked with this much purpose

kook is so nervous because omg is jimin okay whY is he thrashing :((

ok maybe thrashing is a bit of an exaggeration

but there’s some truth to it actually

jimin’s cheeks are mad swollen!!!

there’s a nurse standing some distance away from him and the tag reads kai and kai looks so amused looking at the patient he’s had some trouble with the moment he woke up

by trouble he means jimin whining and flopping around like a goldfish and wON’T listen to sehun’s explanations nor get his assistance

jimin’s still sat on his chair with his arms crossed across his chest and it’s clear that he has a frown on even with his gauze-filled cheeks 

his ears perk up the moment the door slides open!!

“mMMMPFHH!!!”

in any other situation you would giggle with how he excalimed with so much ferocity but you just become concerned because his arms are outstretched for you

yes you’re now hugging a hazy post-op jimin

“the nurfse!!! kai!! he waFf trying to choke me :(((”

kook would jump at any second now but lmao everybody knows he’s not actually serious

kai was actually just trying to take off the bib around his neck but jimin fLIPPED omg he thought kai was gonna choke him :((

“my cheekTh :(( am i touching my cheekFs??”

jimin is very adamant in patting his cheeks aggressively and you have to catch his hands because that cAN’T be good for him

“yes jimin u are”

he’s panicking now because wHY can he not feel them??

he resorts to patting and smushing your own cheeks instead

:O

he is wooing out loud

dr. baekhyun is giving u a lil baggie of jimin’s wisdom teeth and u hAD to hide them real quick because jimin thought that he saw some food and that’s something he’s not exactly entitled to indulge in right now

kai is giving jin reminders besides the bond paper he’s already given

dietary reminders too and he’s practically chuckling because omg jimin’s gonna HATE this 

“he was out like a light during the whole thing but the moment he woke up?? he was crying because you weren’t in the room with him”

dr. baekhyun says as if jimin isn’t there beside u,,, clinging onto you,.,.,

you’re sure he is completely out of it and is totally not listening :D

“if jimin’s still bleeding by the second day, or if something’s just not right with his healing or if there’s too much pain, just give me a call, m’kay?”

ok wait actually

he’s listening

jimin’s tUGGING you by the collar of your shirt and u literally almost plank to the ground because a post-op jimin is stronger than necessary

“nOoOo!! don’tfh call him!! y/n wHY are u gonna call docfor baekhyun :(((”

“in case anything goes wrong with your hEALING,, jimin”

“wHAFtf no :(( just call mE!! ME!!! me notfd him :((”

dr. baekhyun really seems to be enjoying and at this point he kinda has to kick the lot of u out because the room needs to be disinfected and the next appointment he has is in an hour

“lol your boyfriend’s really the jealous type hUh”

“lmao nO dr. baekhyun jimin’s not my boyfriend!!”

he looks like a seal pursing his lips right now but he just absentmindedly hums as he gives u another baggie but this time with some gauze and cotton and the medicine he needs to take

jimin isn’t opposed to being carried right now and jungkook is most certainly not against carrying his hyung

in fact he is gLAD

he doesn’t mind at all carrying jimin who’s cOMPLAINING that he feels so light with how fast kook is walking so he’s slowing down to like five steps within five seconds

omg he hopes he isn’t making him dizzy :(((

he’s just gonna take long strides ok 

that way, jimin isn’t gonna notice!!!

also 

jimin is adamant that u hold his hand and jin with his other hand the wHOLE time jungkook is carrying him

u pull your hand out one time because it was getting clammy and u had to wipe it off and jimin almost threw a fit :(((

kook is driving and jin is in the front seat and you’re left at the back with jimin

he is still pouting and u can’t tell actually with how his cheeks are at the moment but there’s this crease in his brow you so badly want to kiss off

he feels fuzzy

ultimately fuzzy and soft at the same time 

he is in: pain

jimin softly places his head on your shoulder with an accompanying sound effect from his own mouth of course :)

“are you gonna take care of me?”

he is definitely less wild than he was back in the clinic but that doesn’t take away the same confusion and persistence in his voice though

you are convinced he is speaking in tiny text and that just adds up to the fact that he looks so mushy right now :((

“of course i am :)”

jimin kinda blanks at that

nods slowly even

he’s looking at your lap wistfully and just juts outs his bottom lip while sTILL tugging at your heartstrings with how he is now

“ok thank u :(((”

his scalp is getting scratched at gently and both normal and post-op jimin like that

the whole drive is smooth actually

with the music playing and jin and kook arguing in the background about whose bet won and in your humble opinion it’s a 50/50 bc he is Snarky with a capital S to the two of them but he is completely soft and pliable to you

just when u thought that jimin’s asleep with how quiet he is, once again is he shifting in his seat and upfront grabbing your arm to lace around him while he’s still laid on your shoulder :((

“loaf u”

you’re humming as you’re a bit lost to what jimin just said

“i loaf u”

????

jimin knocks out after he repeats loaf to you for like ten times and he’s basically lulled himself to sleep just by saying that

oh

OH

“i love you.”

you are not gonna squeak

u are nOT gonna cry

what you’re gonna do is TRY to keep your composure even if u know your cheeks are outrageously heated and your lip’s about to bust with how hard you’re biting down

jus gotta pretend that jimin isn’t lying down on you or that you’re never gonna hear the end of it if jin and kook just knew what happened right now

or that night when jimin slept beside you in your own bed

or that night before when jimin slept beside you in your own bed :)

he is in pain

in iMMENSE PAIN

jungkook carried him up to his room and even tucked him in!!

he got so worried bc jimin sometimes drools but instead of drool what if he just drools bLOOD???

right in these silk pillowcases? not in his watch

he’s putting his own dark-colored face towels on either side of jimin’s face because someone needs to take one for the team

he woke up all groggy and he was about to yawn bUT CHRIST NO

FUCK

THAT HURTS

JIMIN FORGOT THAT HE HAS STITCHES

he’s gonna appreciate it that it was a blue thread used and the stitches are dissolvable

but it’s hard to appreciate when even opening your mouth hURTS

he’s groaning and whining so bad

he is dialling your number in an instant because he can’t exactly call out for you, can he :D

he is so fatigued oh my god he’s gonna lay this one out

“hiiiii sleepyhead :D”

“hurts :(((”

right off the bat, you know

you already know that you’re gonna need to baby jimin perhaps this whole week 

foods that require sipping and sucking are absolutely not allowed

ramen is off the menu

anything spicy or served hot is a no-go

anything oily such as chicken and pork aren’t allowed either

leafy things such as kimchi is a no!!!

basically!!!

none

jin is trying his best to cheer up jimin with his cooking ok 

you and kook empathized with him by also eating room-temperature mushroom soup :D

that will be the only time though aha 

there’s two heating pads almost always on jimin’s face 

he is moping around in his pajamas and indulging in his button up silk pajama tops because slipping on shirts hurts ok

his schedule is basically free so that means the three of you are too!!

non-stop movie marathons

jimin is so bitter seeing the three of you eATING snacks and popcorn and everything else

the three of you made a rule after that if you’re gonna eat, just eat at the couch bEHIND jimin

accidentally the three of you came together to eat at the couch and jimin was ???????

“oh ok i see what happened there,.,,.”

a new rule was you can eat oNE AT A TIME

and if ur gonna eat something noisy such as chips, you gRAB ANOTHER CHAIR AND THEN SIT FAR BEHIND

he’s also learned to say the word please more

it’s not that he didn’t say it before

but now every sentence that he says has pls and thank u in it

“kook can you pls lift this box for me? y/n still won’t allow me to lift heavy things because dr. baekhyun said so-”

“not a problem jimin-hyung!!!”

“aha thank you :D”

“jin-hyung can u pls make me one of those yogurt smoothies? please? i’m not gonna try to use a straw i swear :(( please??”

“oh my god don’t worry u don’t even need to ask!! hOW many do you want??? two? three? thIRTY?? u know what i’m gonna send kook out to buy those baby biscuits that u could dissolve really easily you deserve a

snack :((”

“y/n my hand is really heavy right now can you hold it??”

:D

if jimin was affectionate then, he is mUCH more affectionate now

all these lingering touches and all these pet names :((

makes you think more and more if jimin remembered what he was saying when he was in that post-op haze

and honestly you don’t know which option was better

u are in panic whenever you think about the whole loaf thing

in the same time you’re excited and nervous because what if he didn’t mean what he was saying!! or what if he did know what he was saying but now that he’s okay, he regrets it and thinks it’s a mistake

kinda like u who’s sat on his bed because he asked if u could stay with him and play with his hair until he fell asleep 

:((

u absolutely don’t know what to do

YOU CAN’T SLEEP

all you’ve been doing is watching video after video doing thrift store hauls

u want that pan

that small polar bear-shaped pan meant for pancakes

it’s dysfunctional and it will be impossible to flip in theory

but you WANT it 

you ended up on tiktok watching eAsY recipes they’ve crammed to 15 seconds :D

you’ve lost track in how many links you’ve been texting jin :D

maybe u should tire yourself to fall asleep!!!!

how about u make dalgona right now

i mean it is mainly milk but it still has coffee so it’s a 60/40 chance that it’s gonna help you fall asleep????

u are gonna beat with your arm until it falls off :D

...

....

“..,.,, jin??”

“..,.., y/n??”

“why are yOU awake??”

“no why are YOU awake??”

the two of u could bicker for hours but it ended when it finally dawned on

jin that you’re awake and he is too and he’s holding his phone

oh god he’s been avoiding your messages

“so :D aha edible cookie dough?? :D”

jin is squinting his eyes at the microwave and he almost flips at you as he thinks this should be the answer to your request

“y/n it is two in the morning”

“ok what’s your point though :)”

he’s gonna stay silent because oh shit u did have a point there

there is no direct correlation with the time and giving in to making you your cravings and honestly? edible cookie dough sounds nice

he’ll probably have to make his own recipe because jin will NOT follow a 15-second tutorial in tiktok :D aha over his dead body :D

turned out that jin was only here because he got hungry from gaming straight for five hours and he’s in a bit of a loss streak so he just wanted to eat some comfort food

you blanked out when he asked why were you here

oh my god

yOU UNPACKED A LOT

jin is sitting in the bar stool next to you as you keep rambling on over what you’ve been feeling and the things that have been happening the past few weeks

he is really killing it with his expressions

:O

he is shocked but at the same time not

but hearing this from you himself and confirming some theories he had here and there rEALLY MAKES HIM :O

“oh baby :(((“

you’re crying at this point and yOU DON’T KNOW WHY EITHER

you’re just so confused and conflicted at the same time ok and u don’t know what to do

jin’s hugging you for moral support and he really does feel sorry for you

“ok ok just cry it out i’m gonna make the cookie dough now oKAY WAIT NO DON’T SQUEAL”

apparently your squeals can summon someone with the name of jeon jungkook :D

he explains quickly to nOT do that because he says that there’s literally a pattern

you squeal and jungkook must pop out at any second even if you’re out of reach

jungkook says huwah :O and then yOU literally drop everything that you’re doing just to see what’s happened and be a part of it

“thank god he’s asleep though”

seokjin mutters more to himself in relief because lol the edible cookie dough he’s gonna make in now four in the morning 

having to share it with u who could inhale comfort food in a second is enough

having another one who could inhale twice as much and twice as fast is nOT welcome

also he is doing really good with this recipe he just improvised

it smells so good that you lit rally stopped crying

why is a door opening

and why are there eager footsteps descending on the stairs

“hYUNG what is it why did y/n squeal? oH y/n omg you’re here too”

he is still groggy from sleep and his voice is really raspy and not to mention the fact that he was woken up by your squeal alone

jin is adamant in shielding the mixer with his body because no way is he going to add in to the batch

u didn’t get the note that the two of u are supposed to hide the cookie dough though so you pipe in at the very last second before kook notices your state that yes u indeed cried!!

“cookie dough!! edible cookie dough!! jin agreed to make it for me :D”

he is caught red-handed and kook has never felt this betrayed 

and he’s gonna take this betrayal as a silver lining now that the sleep is wearing off of him!!!

“woah omg i can’t wait to taste it :D”

seokjin has already lost this game even before it started so u know what he’s just gonna cook more flour and make a bigger batch for the tHREE of you

the barstools jimin has put here are honestly a hit because that way kook could probe you gently on why were you crying

judging by the way jin freezed too when he mentioned jimin’s name, kook even got more curious

and u trust him enough just like you do with jin

you’re gonna retell the story again with some interjections here and there from jin who you told this to like two hours ago and it’s more exciting that way because as you said, he is rEALLY killing it with the expressions

jungkook cannot stop gasping and at one point you had to hold his hand bc he is in a state of shock ok

all his side comments and reactions gave jin more leeway to rapidly freeze the cookie dough a bit since he’s still a bit offended that you said he could just follow the tiktok recipe and it wouldn’t make a difference!!

not true

jin puts the D in difference 

you’re just about to wrap up your whole story and jin’s taking out the dough and kook is half-distracted because he can clearly see the bag of chocolate chips that isn’t empty

DON’T BE SHY PUT SOME MORE

kook nods in earnest when you finish up and he’s gonna say what he thinks

but not before stating to you the fact that jimin is clearly in love with you!!!!

“do you want me to make you a cake that says we should get married so you could give it to jimin? i make-...”

“piss off jungkook wE ARE NOT THE SAME!! i’m gonna make that cake!! me!! not you u little-”

lol jin is really touchy with his job 

he is dearly protective and he will be the ONE and the ONLY

the cookie dough is heavenly

so heavenly

jungkook swears he has never ate something so divine and he has never wanted to contract salmonella before since he so badly wants to recreathe this for himself

he’s just gonna be good to jin and won’t get on his nerves so he could request another portion of this and not contract salmonella :))

time passed by so quickly and there were so many snacks made that u didn’t notice that the sun already rose and jimin’s going down the stairs with question marks floating around in his head

the two are QUICK to lie with the reasons to why you’re all up and deflect that you have been even before the sun peaked and it is surely connected to jimin

“hi hyung!! oh y/n just couldn’t sleep so that’s why she grabbed milk from the fridge!”

“and i heard the little ruckus so i came downstairs and then jungkook came down because he hear my door opening!”

“yeah and we all couldn’t sleep so we were just talking about things!!”

“global warming!! uH the new kitchen-aid jin wants!! normal things :D”

that is more information that jimin asked for

he literally just remarked “oOoH you’re all up early!!”

he is much better now since it’s been a little over a week and he’s recovering steadily

he’s on a solo errand today actually!! and jimin said that he wanted to go and meet up with his friends

you don’t have a clue to what him and taehyung and hoseok do in their time-off

probably rich people things like ordering a big bowl of caviar??

or maybe they just drive in convertibles all day and wear cool expensive shades 24/7

you’ve been jimin’s PA for like two years now and not once have you ever seen those two

it’s cool

you know almost everyone in jimin’s circle by now!!

even more-so now because you’re gonna school jin in this very party jimin’s throwing right now

you and kook have memorized his circle by now and it’s jin’s opportunity now since his job description doesn’t exactly entail that he’s gonna be glued to the hip to him to everywhere

this party is both intimidatingly high-end but in the same time actually entertaining

that’s rare nowadays hehe

it’s a party that’s been a long time coming now!! 

after all, jimin has bagged every award he possibly could in the back-to-back award shows that’s happened in this month alone

quite an awesome feat since the nature and fields of all award shows were different!! from being in countless lists in magazines as one of the most successful people to having the greatest selling power

to being hailed as the most influential endorser to being the most promising future leaders

he’s got it all

jimin literally got them all

he wasn’t even present to every award show he was nominated for and later won at

he was kinda unfazed

and that is boss shit as jungkook said in disbelief 

it explains this extravagant party and it’s also a celebration that aHA i’ve also got over this wisdom teeth scenario and u bet he’s gonna retell the details to the guests

it’s in a nightclub within a hotel

a lavish nightclub with in an even more lavish hotel and it was huge

so huge that there was a sWIMMING POOL!!!

a swimming pool!!! in a nightclub!!! in a hotel!!!

there was something for everybody in this party 

jimin got this idea when he was lying it bed after being so groggy after his surgery and was like wAIt what if i threw a party ya know

so he started planning!!!

he didn’t have to leave his bed when he hired an event planner over the phone nor laid out his course one by one

you only knew of this party a couple days later and you were a bit confused because??? wait at your past parties i dID the planning and u came to me first right?? :(((

ok you knew what jin was getting at

and he’s just :D aha it’s bc i want it to be a suprise for u and everyone ya know???

there is alcohol!! there is booze!! everything!! it ranges from cheap canned beer to expensive aged whiskey!!

also: there are meals in this party???

lasagna!!! chicken fingers!! hors d’ouevres!! dESSERT!!!

it’s a fusion of everything you could ever look for without being or looking overwhelming at all!! sure the lights are out and it’s a mixture of neon lights that are lighting up the whole room and there’s default party music playing bUT you could eat ice cream and it’s gonna look perfectly casual!!

jimin really did a great job doing this (mostly) by himself

you are so stunned :D

just yesterday jimin literally sent out the three of you with his credit card and he said nO QUESTIONS ASKED

everything that he did raised questions

“jimin wHY are you kicking us out and wHY are you giving us your credit card and yOUr car keys, without you???”

“yA calm down jagi-”

jin and kook try not to freeze in their spot

are they gonna pretend to be surprised or casual because uhhhhh jimin just called u jagi right in front of them and they think that he hasn’t realized it yet :)

“treat yourselves!! pick up what you wanna wear for the party tomorrow!! don’t skimp out this time pls because i’m gonna receive a notification for it and i wILL march down there if u do skimp :((( ok treat yourselves bYE :D”

you’re all confused and are very ʷʰᵃᵗ ʲᵘˢᵗ ʰᵃᵖᵖᵉⁿᵉᵈ

jin is talking to jimin on the phone while kook is driving and you can hear whining through the other line and jin’s very persistent sputters

ok u all had no choice

and it all landed to the three of you looking so divine in this party!!! surely they knew that oh my god yes u are indeed jimin’s entourage and u don’t need any introductions at this point

man all these compliments and gasps are really going straight to your ego :D

jin and kook were really persistent in interfering with the outfit u were gonna pick out and u had little say because they were so excited but u know what.,.,.,. they did an eXCELLENT job

you’re wearing a black lacy bodysuit!!! you were skeptical at first because whAT does this have to do with ur outfit??? it wasn’t see-through but it fit sOOOO nicely and jin was in the store with u to help because as he explained

there are different laces and he swears that he will strangle you if you pick a tacky one because it would ruin the whole outfit he and kook planned out

and then pants!! high-waisted fITTED BLACK SILK PANTS 

and then bOOM A VERY NICE BLACK SUIT JACKET 

and it wasn’t plain because tHERE’S GOLD EMBROIDERY ON THE BACK

really nice golden embroideries of flowers and some dragons and jungkook iMMEDIATELY screeched when he saw that there was a tiger flowers and was :O

“get it. get it. immediately. right now. get it. if you’re not gonna use jimin’s credit card. use mine. you want cash? here. after the party you hAVE to let me borrow this. please. pls.”

he even let you borrow his earrings and gOD WOW

YOU’RE ALSO WEARING THE NECKLACE JIMIN GAVE YOU!!

safe to say that you have stunned everyone :D

lit rally everyone and you felt so good wearing it too!!

jimin’s reaction was very heartwarming omg

he was frozen for five seconds and then after he was squealing and shrieking 

“jAGIIIIIIII you are so beautiful omg do you know that :(((”

he is really pushing the term of endearment and ur not complaining

the way that he’s so giddy about seeing you in your outfit and how he even tWIRLED you around!!!!

you’re positive that you’re gonna cry

jin looks dashing and people are literally swooning over him

some people were arguing about u know what how about u become my chef???

a blue button-up with a dash of gold on the side and there’s some jewels on the collar and there’s embellishments and then bOOM HE SUDDENLY HAS A DIAMOND CHOKER

it wasn’t really expensive tbh but god it could be a $3 chain and he’s still gonna make it look like it’s a thousand dollars!!!

jungkook had on a silky black inside shirt and a thread-like glittery combo for a suit and he sERVED!!!! he most certainly didn’t disappoint and people were turning their heads and were :O jimin are you sURE this is your bodyguard

you were enjoying yourself!!! so much!!!

you’re by yourself since jin explored by himself to get some lasagna because he is getting hungry ok

kook is near jimin but not so much because he wants him to enjoy himself but in the same time be safe but aLSO not feel like he’s kinda invading his fun personal bubble at the moment

jimin’s with taehyung and hoseok in their own booth and it’s very clear that they are catching attention because they are quite the attention-grabbing trio

so much beauty and not to mention so much money

you’ve barely talked to him the whole party because people keep whisking him away though :((

sometimes you forget that jimin is beyond famous because right at this moment, it’s sinking in again that everyone invited here has something to do with every field jimin’s ever been in

and that is a lot :D

half are personalities and celebrities and the other half are people behind the scenes and it’s just a mesh of basically everyone in the media and such

there’s a lot of really pretty people

so much so that ur a lil bit insecure :D

some female co-stars that jimin’s worked with left and right :D

sPEAKING OF

chaeyoung.,.,.,

chaeyoung who jimin had a massive crush on like two years ago from a luxury shoot and back then you didn’t used to mind because yOU HAVEN’T FALLEN FOR HIM YET 

however when u did start,,,

and she’s mentioned out of the blue or she’s in the same shoot coincidentially, you swear

you sWEAR your stomach does flips and there’s a monster in the name of jealousy that pops up :((

u can’t help it :(((

chaeyoung belonged to the same circle of elites jimin belonged to

not to mention that she’s famous and closer to jimin’s level than you ever could!!!

you’re not sure if jimin knows that she’s indeed here and most certainly you don’t know if he STILL has a crush on her

apparently you’re about to know now because you let your eyes linger around you again to see cHAEYOUNG!!! WALKING TO YOU!!! AT FULL SPEED!!!

aha :D

why :D

pls no why :D

u feel so intimidated you’re not gonna lie at aLL

she looks stern and looks so put-together and u are pretty sure she has no pores at all and her dress is more expensive than your paycheck for like six months could ever be :(((

“you’re his personal assistant, right? can you ask him to come meet me here?”

oh

you weren’t expecting that

you weren’t sure on what you were expecting in the first place at all but you are hecking sure that this was not it!!!

and by his you know it’s jimin 

and why

why :(((( 

you wanna play dumb so bad or atleast just do something,, ANYTHING,, that u don’t have to do what chaeyoung wants you to and is practically obliging u to because after all you aRE jimin’s PA

“sure.”

:)

oh god why are you doing this :((

you’re walking over to where jimin’s sat at and you are having second thoughts about this 

chaeyoung could walk to jimin herself like damn :/

maybe u could still back out

you peek behind you over your shoulder and she’s actually looking at you with a small smile taunting you as if what u think you’re doing miss gO do what i told you to do!!

jimin’s all snug in his booth and he looks a bit tipsy by now judging by the slight flush on his cheeks and how from here you can hear his giggles and they’re even more infectious when he’s drunk

you are just gonna pOp right there in the booth and the security that’s kinda sprawled around them lets you pass through easily because jungkook waved them off and he’s throwing you in a confused and a giddy smile

“jimin, chaeyoung wants you to go to her by the bar.”

say no baby

please

“chaeyoung?!!”

ok fuckie no

sAY SIKE 

jimin looks excited??? shocked even??? and you don’t know how to react either 

but you’re sure that there’s this monster again because he looks interested and it’s clearly piqued his attention :((

“jimin....???”

wait

oh right that is kIM TAEHYUNG

you hear him trail out with his eyes narrowed and you’re a bit dumbfounded because he’s uh injecting himself to the conversation 

also this was his your first ever interaction with him

hoseok pops in his head to your line of sight to make his being known

“hmmmmm,,.,.,, jimin???”

what is happening right now

the both of them are throwing looks to jimin and you’re genuinely confused as to why

they’re communicating with their eyes and it literally looks like it

jimin’s throwing you a skeptical look and he clears his throat and you’re fully giving in your attention!!! there’s just something that-

“mr. park, y/n. mr. park.”

...

oh

that’s,,,

that feels bad in your gut

it’s been years ever since you called jimin as mr. park

and it puts a bad taste on your mouth with the context that’s given because basically

taehyung and hoseok are so iffy about you and the idea of you, a personal assistant, call jimin by his first name

felt as if they were so repulsed with what you just called him and how you’re treating him so casually????

and to how, if you put it, jimin immediately switched from being a tipsy gentle being to a stern and authorative boss

“i don’t know why she called me jimin, actually. she could be a bit-...”

not to mention that jimin goes ahead and tattles of to how you’ve been lacking

right in front of you as he chats on to taehyung and hoseok while simultaneously getting up from his seat as he detaches little by little

you tuned out at that

your heart’s dropping from your chest and it does not feel good at all :((

jimin’s catching up to you because actually you’re leading him to chaeyoung since he didn’t know where she was and this was what you were supposed to do

you didn’t know you could walk this fast in heels but now you do

there’s a slight tug on your wrist and u had to snatch it real quick before it could ever tighten

“listen i just-...”

you suddenly feel so out of place and the fact that this certain scenario is happening doesn’t help at all

before jimin could ever finish though, chaeyoung’s already greeting him perkily and oh yeah she’s hugging him now

:)

just what you needed

someone literally whisks you away and when you look up it turned out that it was just jin

you could not be more thankful enough

there are definitely some tears pricking in your eyes aha

“there you are!! do you have your eyedrops with you? my contacts are getting dRY and-”

jin didn’t know who he was whisking you away from but he is sure that it was you who he’s grabbing by the arm and taking outside because of his eyedrop hunt

he’s a bit perplexed to see you all red-eyed and he has no words...???

maybe you’re the one who needs eyedrops??

“y/n are you-”

“nO NO NO i’m not crying :D”

nice save you got there

jin’s thoughts did a complete 180 and he’s frowning a bit in wondering what happened

“aww baby what happened??”

he gets lost even more because the moment he asked out loud, mORE tears come out and now he’s taking you in for a hug and his shirt’s getting all wet

the doors right behind the two of you burst open and it’s a confused-looking jungkook strolling behind it

he left because in the first place, the booth jimin was sitting at had enough security alone because hoseok and taehyung’s alone were already too much and nobody would really notice if he left

also he saw the whole chaeyoung approaching you thing unfold

not to mention that he heard every word of nonsense jimin was spewing and berating you right in front of his friends and he swears that his inner cheek is a bit bloodied from biting down so he wouldn’t explode on the older boy

“hey hEy how about we go to the rooftop, hm?? where there aren’t any people???”

jungkook is quick to suggest and jin immediately gets his point because anyone would get the wrong idea of why park jimin’s personal assistant is crying and is detached from him so yEAH why not!!!!

although there’s a hurdle because you’re still crying to jin’s shirt and it’s not really efficient to drag you to the elevator while you’re still face down right

“ok my turn!!!”

kook is really the problem-solver he loves that for him

he’s holding you upright by the arms and immediately presses you to his neck instead because you won’t stop!!!! and in this position not only would u not that tear up much to his very expensive suit jacket, but also!!! he gets to carry you efficiently to the elevator without breaking into a sweat because aha!!! your position is optimal for a snug carry!!!!

jin is rushing him and he’s looking to the elevator and behind the both of you to see if there’s anyone and if there were, there would surely be headlines to jimin’s name the very next day

the coast was clear!!

throughout the whole elevator ride, jin’s trying to coax out what happened from you and he’s just answered with sniffles :((

so tHEN he turns to kook and kook is trying his best to whisper out the summary of what happened, wITHOUT letting you hear what he was saying

and that’s hard because not only can you hear him, but also you can see his reflection right in the walls of the elevators

“later later shhh i’ll tell you laTER, hyung!!”

okay he may have said that a little too loudly and you kinda whimper

because you knew what jungkook was gonna tell jin and it’s a fresh dig at what happened all over again :(((

“i’m sorry i’m sorry dON’t cry y/n please :(((“ he’s bouncing you up and down like if you were to burp a baby and jin smacks him upright in the head

he may not be helping at carrying you right now but he dID make you stop crying and giggle instead for a bit so yes jin is essential like that

he even helps via adding the mMmph when kook’s plopping you down on one of the fluffy sofas by the pool

jin was gonna step in and try to get some more pillows from stealing the pillows from those individual chairs but he didn’t need that since you’re already contorting ur body to a lil ball of sadness

oh

“sO?????” kook throws a blank look to when jin left you and deemed that u weren’t gonna do anything in your position so he could go ask

“what do you mEAN so??? wHAT HAPPENED IDIOT”

“oH!!!! :O”

jungkook proceeds to tell what he’s witnessed in detail he even memorized the dialogue almost word per word and that jimin really painted you as a fool right in front of taehyung and hoseok

“this assistant — sometimes can’t realize that i’m her boss and not my equal.”

that was a low blow

that was sUCH a low blow that even jin winced and kook flailed with him as he reacted to the retelling of the story

“no way!! jimin said THAT?! i can’t-“

“THAT WASN’T THE END OF IT EITHER!!”

“i don’t know with this one, taehyung. this one’s probably in love with me so she’s chasing me around everywhere.”

????

no

no fucking way

so that’s why you can’t stop crying :((

you felt so ridiculed and belittled

embarrassed is too light of a word by now

you aren’t aware of how much time has passed that the three of you were hanging around in this deck for a balcony, one that you’ve been let into with no question because they knew you three and who you worked for, that both jin and jungkook are coaxing you into bringing you to your respective rooms

four rooms were booked for each of you and as jimin explained prior, it was because you’re all gonna be knackered from this party to the point no one would be in the capacity to drive home

yeah that came in handy now jungkook accepts your hand that’s holding on to his arm and you know that the both of them are looking at you in pity

u see this roofdeck is one of the many roofdecks in this whole hotel one that belonged to the floor you all were staying at

jin was just about to push one of the many doors and-

it was too quick

almost too quick but not too slow that you see a giggling jimin and chaeyoung jogging down the hallway that was adjacent to the glass that enclosed this deck

felt as if the whole scene was playing in your head in slow motion you hATED it

they stopped at one point when chaeyoung was tripping over her heels and jimin did a natural thing:

to swoop her from her feet and carry her bridal-style as they disappeared from your point of view

…

…..

“maybe they’re just gonna play scrabble!! uh ya let’s not jUMp into conclusions!!”

jungkook breaks the tensioned silence and instead of scolding him, jin just looks up at u to gauge your reaction

you look even more concerning now

because you have no reaction at all

the two of them absolutely don’t know what to say or how they’re gonna cope up with this whole thing and-

“i’m sleepy.”

kook almost jumps up at your voice because that’s the first time he’s heard you speak

jin tries to be as nonchalant as possible as he appeases your desire to completely pretend as if none of this happened and he has his hand on your back as he fishes for the keycards for the three of your rooms in his pocket

“here’s eyedrops, by the way. i have your brand in my other bag, though. do you want it? i could get it for you. hold on let me just-“

he forgot the eyedrops at this point

he’s a lil bit speechless because despite all of that

how come did you manage to still remember his eyedrops and worry about him instead of you who’s had atleast five different mental breakdowns from the last hour alone

you’re still putting other people before you regardless if they’re jimin or not kinda kills seokjin as you hurriedly go into your room and he can hear u rummage through bags just to give him his preferred brand of eyedrops :((

“are you guys hungry? i brought some snacks so we don’t have to buy it expensively from the minibar. do you-“

ok even this sight is tugging at jungkook’s heartstrings so he basically almost pounces and clamp his hand on your wrist

“no, no. no need, okay? j-just rest, y/n. don’t worry about us.”

so you did

you did rest

and then the day after that

kook was driving all of you home later into the noon when everyone was feeling less of their hangovers

you were only light with that part since there were more happenings into that night that made you sink

the drive back home was off

jin let you sit in the front seat so he could be stuck with jimin in the back because he’s figured that you’ve been through eNOUGH ok

uh jimin didn’t find that weird

what he found weird however was that everyone was a bit silent

yeah jin and kook were still talking to him and trying to keep up conversation but you weren’t

you just had your hands glued to your lap and that was it

he kept looking at the rear view mirror every five seconds to catch your gaze and uH jungkook was ???? what jimin what do u want

did he do something?

because he felt like he did something

u weren’t lingering around him when you all came down to eat at the breakfast buffet

you didn’t even fight him when he stole a waffle from your plate and he was almost ready to give it back because that should be your cue to fight him, right???

he has this particular order of coffee from the hotel you were staying at and now that he thinks about it, it was JIN !!! it was jin who gave it to him and not you!!

you know what

you may just be a bit spaced out because you’re still having a hang-over

:D it’s ok :D

jimin understands :D

even when you all come into the door and the event organizer rings the bell and delivers all the presents that he’s got for the night

and you don’t come down to open it with them

or when tomorrow is an off-day for all of you since he doesn’t have any gig and you come home to your flat and not stay at his house instead

jimin was a bit perplexed at that because you rarely ever came home during your off-days

he doesn’t know what to do with himself now that you came home and

he’s just loitering around the house

what is he supposed to do

:((

the next day? you called in sick

he became more worried then!!! you barely did that and sURE you do get sick a couple of times but with how selfless and dedicated you were, you still worked!!! you put a mask on it and drink your medicine and work!!!

and not that jimin was being selfish because he expected you to still do that

actually he’s all :) because your wellbeing should come first before him and he’s happy that you’re prioritizing that more now and allowing yourself to take a sick leave!!

but he can’t help thinking that you know.,.,.,

what if you weren’t sick and you were just avoiding him :((

he feels it in his GUT

he fends for himself for the day and it’s kinda overwhelming because things without you.,.,,. whew,.,. they r a mess

he realizes more than ever that you do so much and all he does is sit around in comfortable chairs and sip on some juice while doing his job and tHAT WAS IT

fuck jimin and his yearning for u so he just decided to text you the whole day

he gave updates about his day!!

[ i miss my seatmate in this breakfast nook :(( ]

[ hiii!! did you wake up already? jk’s driving me to set now ]

[ do you have a fever btw?? pls text me if you need anything ]

[ y/n!! they have your favorite snacks on the catering table!! hehe i’m bringing home some for you :D ]

[ not unless you have a sore throat then i will totally not feed u them ]

[ just wrapped up my shoot. it was quick ]

[ i saw a labrador in the street today!! ]

[ hi it’s time for dinner and u haven’t replied yet. are you okay?? are you over at the doctor’s?? ]

[ are we okay? ]

jimin went to sleep sad and uneasy that night

he felt really empty and hollow and his first thought was to get up and go to your room and knock on your door and-

oh

that’s right

you aren’t there

.... you aren’t there

he hastily rises from bed and just takes his phone with him and walks the way to your door

it’s exactly how you left it

without any second thoughts, jimin tucks himself to your bed

this eases him wordlessly and lessens the noise in his head 

because even if you aren’t here, this does remind him of you because after all this is your room 

and he sleeps

then sleeps

and he almost wishes that he should’ve done it continiously because he woke up to kook eating breakfast and when he asked for you, jungkook was just pouting

“oh. y/n didn’t come in yet.”

he didn’t receive a text from you saying that you were about to take another sick leave though

he is seriously deciding to come to your house at this very moment

jimin wants to bury himself in his pillows

but tHEN he hears a car pull up on his driveway and then the front door open and !!! 

IT’S YOU!! :D

he is too slow with his reactions because jungkook automatically leaps from his seat and attack you with a hug and jimin’s just standing by the breakfast nook still in shock

://// shouldn’t i be the one doing that :////

“oohMpHgHF hi to you too, koo”

he is still in the background about to intervene because jungkook is giving you too many kisses on the cheek but he already scrambles since he said that he was gonna go fetch jin from the backyard because he’s trying out planting some potatoes and gingers

he finally has you to himself!! 

although you walk over to him first than him doing the same so he just smiles and was about to-

“can i talk to you upstairs?”

:O

oh?

oHHHHHH????

jimin may be a tad bit confused but he doesn’t mind and immediately agrees

he thinks it’s because you wanna do something that you don’t want jin and kook seeing??? oh??

he hugs you the moment you lift your foot from the last step and he doesn’t remember the last time he hugged you!! he’s gonna squeeze you to oblivion and-

oh

your fists are in between your bodies while he’s hugging you tightly and that’s when jimin freezes in realization that something really was wrong as he pulled off from you slowly

he least expected that your hands aren’t around him but rather holding a piece of paper for him to take

your letter of resignation

a copy of it, rather

he takes it from your grasp and jimin outright gets chills in his body because this format is oddly familiar to him and god the moment he has his eyes glaze over to the confirming words to what he thought the paper was about in the first place

“what do you mean?”

he skims the paper again and back to your face and you’re not breaking into a smile and

“what do you mean you’re resigning?”

at this point he can’t bring himself to read the paper all over again because jimin can’t wrap his head around it

and most definitely, jimin refuses to accept it

you’ve thought long and hard about this throughout the free hours you had

you didn’t want to be drastic but god did you feel that you had no way out of this whole dilemma

it’s hard to keep up with the troubles in your heart and consciousness if you see the cause for it every single day

jimin completely trampled over you that day :((

every single thing and thought you did and had came back to you in the form of embarrassment and remorse 

you are completely willing to quit your job 

it wouldn’t be that bad, ya know?? you’re pretty known anyway being park jimin’s PA and job opportunities are probably gonna be bombarding you left and right!! right??

or maybe it would be the complete opposite and you just quit the greatest job you could ever have in your whole lifetime

you took this up to mr. and mrs. park’s personal assistant because after all, they were the ones who hired you and are paying you, not jimin

“greener pastures, mr. park.”

by now is jimin completely panicking

completely losing his mind and he’s starting to sputter and pace around little by little

“is this about the pay?? i-i can double what my parents give you monthly.”

did he-

did he just-

he’s striking point after point in the notepad in your mind and fuck u might actually cry with how you’re in so much disbelief

it’s not about the money at all!!!

it’s to what he did and how insensitive he became and how he doesn’t even think it’s worth apologizing for because at the moment, jimin thinks it’s about money!!!

money and material and not emotions and feelings!!

“jimin you are fucking insufferable.”

his mouth goes dry at that 

you’re looking at him with so much evident hurt that he felt like crumbling on the spot and he so badly wants to know what he’s done 

“why are you like this, jimin?? i don’t get to how you could be attached to me and sLEEP beside me in my bed and the moment you’re in your own rICH bubble with your rich as hell friends you’re immediately repulsed!!! it’s like you don’t even know me!!”

“a-and hOW you still didn’t stop berating me in front of taehyung and hoseok!! you completely made me a fool out of me just to appease them and you think that’s normal?? you tHINK it shouldn’t be worth apologizing for!!”

“y/n, you don’t get it, okay? i had to-”

“jimin you just can’t say you loaf -- you can’t say that you LOVE me after you get your damn wisdom teeth pulled! i don’t even know if you remember saying that but gOD i can’t stand it anymore! i can’t stand the fact that i love you and i think you love me and the next second that i feel we’re gonna be something more, you go with chaeyoung!! you take her to your hotel room and you cARRY her in your arms as if you don’t come to me crying when you’re sad! o-or as if you didn’t say that you love me and i-”

you are so heated

sO beyond heated :((

you had no parking words in mind and god you’re pretty sure you’re already tearing up by now aND fuck jungkook and jin could never be more confused to have you hurriedly bumping to them in your dash out the door

jimin has never felt this way

he never did

he probably never will with any other person

:((

you’ve found a new job!! :D

you gave yourself a week of doing absolutely nothing and also since you were avoiding the fact that what if you can’t find any other job that came close this

you landed on the first try though hehe

it was to be a personal assistant to min yoongi!!

yoongi who’s this top-notch model and renowned aLLLL over the fashion industry and has broken the internet many times with how powerful he is aha

he has a secret 

one that he’s made you sign a non-disclosure agreement for 

he’s actually producer suga and has been behind cOUNTLESS bops and no one even knew who he really is and that made the hype for him even tenfold

although he may have another secret you jUST can’t place it yet

“u know what mr. min i think u may have been a rapper in your past life”

“....... what makes you..... w-what makes you say that”

that was one of the first ever things you’ve said to him upon hiring you and he instantly knew that you were gonna click with him

he lets you call him yoongi!! or whatever nickname you could think of as long as it doesn’t sUCK

yoongi only has you, a PA, as secondary help

anything else, he does it himself

his schedule’s less damnding than j*min’s and he was generally more lax even if aha he is one of the most in-demand people as min yoongi the model and suga the producer and [ insert name ] for [ field u think he dabbles in but aren’t sure of ]

you aren’t a live-in PA for him

most days he calls you over at 8 am and a little early than what his calltime is

if he doesn’t need u, he just sends you home because he’s cool like that :D

you answer some e-mails and forward him the most important ones!!

you come with him mostly whenever he shops for groceries and yeah he likes having u around because u dO know your stuff

and u make some suggestions on what he should cook for dinner because he’s running out of ideas and when u recommend something you thought of at the top of your head (even tho it might be a lil stoopid), yoongi goes.,,.,,

“.. hmm. i didn’t think of that....”

meanwhile

jin and jungkook have been texting you updates about jimin

they were very :(( about your decision but ok,,, it’s cool they guess,,, this would be better for you,,, probably,,,,,

they miss you so much :((

you’ve agreed to allot about 98% of your time with them aS LONG AS you spend them outside and not within the threshold of jimin’s property 

they instantly agreed to that aha :D

[ day two: no one is allowed to sit on your seat and jin-hyung almost sat on it and jimin almost bawled to his cereal ]

[ day four: everything is a mess and i sWEAR i saw u as jimin’s lockscreen ]

[ day five: the new PA is here and idk whether jimin’s gonna choke him or not i rlly can’t tell ]

kim namjoon!!

he’s the new PA as to what jin and kook gossip to you

namjoon feels so foreign to jimin he actually can’t take it

the systems aren’t the same!!

namjoon is organized to the point that he just pops out exactly ten minutes before a certain doing and isn’t hanging around with jimin that much 

although when he does linger around jimin, jimin gets iRRITATED

he is so composed!! prim and proper and he hates it ok

namjoon doesn’t joke with him 

one time jimin accidentally tripped on his feet and he would’ve giggled too if namjoon did but this guy.,.,,. this guy literally just deadpanned

“you should probably double-tie your shoelaces, mr. park.”

inhal exhale inhALE eXHALE IN-

this guy!!! tHIS guy!!! yA he is getting on his nerves 

he’s too great at his job and it’s not that you aren’t great at it too

in fact u were excellent

but this namjoon guy is just tOO namjoon for his own sake that jimin’s making his name an adjective and a verb at this point

he’s probably gonna come around to him at some point

maybe so much so that he’ll let him drop off the mr. park title

it’s been a little over three weeks ever since you left

and that bit of time has been the saddest and emptiest he’s been in record time of his life

he’s never faltered in trying to reach out :((

he still texts you daily and tries out calling you once every night when he knows you’re about to sleep

he hasn’t heard from you in awhile and whenever he asks either jin or kook, they just shrug as if they’re clueless

news has come out that basically speculated you not being his PA anymore after he was spotted out several times that you weren’t there with him

he was pouting when he read those rumors that APPARENTLY you were seen out and about with this min yoongi and ur being linked as a girlfriend

he refuses to believe that

no jimin will never believe that :D

rumors are just rumors and besides maybe you were just being a social butterfly and u suddenly bUMPED to world-renowned min yoongi in the street and you were just walking beside each other at the same pace while coincidentially looking at him and making it seem that you were talking but actually not :)

park jimin refuses to be replaced by min yoongi :((

although it doesn’t help, really

doesn’t help when he learns that wait

hold on he needs to emphasize

MIN YOONGI IS INCLUDED IN THIS JOINT MODEL SHOOT HE’S ALSO IN

aha fate surely isn’t in his side

the most he’s cared about is that taehyung and hoseok were included in this shoot and although he’s not exactly too keen with them ever since the mr. park incident, he’s albeit a little thankful that there’s some sense of familiarity in this whole shoot

the shoot was for a very high-class watch brand and it’s to be done in both solos and some pairs and groups to stress enough that this is high-class ok

sure he still has his cool knowing that this yoongi is here although he can’t help but to feel a little bit intimidated

jungkook and namjoon are here with him so yeah it’s like cool 

jimin’s in one of the chairs in the massive communal prep room to get his hair and make-up done and oNE chair away from him is yoongi

god look at how he looks so lax scrolling on his phone while jimin keeps looking at him slyly every ten seconds

“mr. min and mr. park? the both of you are up.”

gr8 the two of them are paired up!!

yoongi catches jimin’s gaze and sends him a lil smile as he hops down from his chair

ok this yoongi guy is really polite it’s actually annoying because that gives him more reason to unlike him

yoongi stops by his chair and it’s oHHHHHH he’s waiting for jimin to hop out of his too so the both of them could go to set together

“hey man nice to meet you! i’m yoongi :]”

“aHA oHhHh so you’re yoongi! i’m jimin. nice to meet you too.”

oh damn he feels like crying

they shake hands for a bit and even pulls him in for a side bro hug and wait yoongi smells like cologne? damn

you see

yoongi knows about jimin too :))

you don’t know what it is with yoongi but you swear he’s immediately crawled himself to your heart just by a couple questions that weren’t invasive at all and then you’re suddenly opening up to him about the whole thing with jimin!!

this was at the fifth day mark when he decided to ask you and then suddenly it’s your boss who’s patting your back and saying words of enlightenment to you

and he brought you into this shoot :D

yoongi hasn’t made it known to you yet that uh jimin is here tho

all you know is that yoongi has his shoot here and that’s enough information for you to know as a PA

look at him!! all dressed-up snazzily with a watch more expensive than your life 

you found it adorable that yoongi can sometimes just be so stoic but when it comes to shoots like these he gets very in the zone 

if the director needs yoongi to be giggly and bubbly? he will be on with it

if the director needs yoongi to look both intimidating yet somehow a lil bit approachable like right now?? he will SERVE

yoongi was put on first for a solo and jimin was just called to prepare because they’re gonna do the pair shoot right after

jimin’s sitting down on a chair yet again as he watches yoongi work that watch :((

he’s not wearing his yet because it’s really expensive and although insured and it’s for a shoot and they’re gonna get some goodies from the brand anyway and it may be the watch they’re modelling, nobody wants him to trip and have it scratched

“yoongs can i have that?”

yoongi’s sat down on the nearest makeup chair for a touch-up and you can clearly see the key makeup artist that’s set on a hUUUUGE bag that’s opened midway and omg those are really good ones :((

he bows slightly at that and waits for her to leave so he could open the bag without seeming rude hehe

that is the SAME foundation you’ve been eyeing for awhile and have been seeing rave reviews about and u r pretty sure that is your shade

you sQUEAK 

“yoongs can i have that?”

“lemme borrow your powerbank and it’s a deal.”

you love this 

you are really loving this deal to the point u are already scrambling to go back to your tote bag on that stool that was provided for you

“yoongs can i have that?”

jimin freezes at that the moment his ears picked those words up it’s too familiar and it’s something he’s missed so dearly and- that’s you!!

jimin’s already scrambling to his feet and his own chair almost breaks at that but he doesn’t care because this is you!! this is you that he’s talking about and he’s not gonna waste any more chances that he has left

“okay! right on cue, mr. park! it’s time for your shoot with mr. min.”

he gets scurried over to the actual set and he keeps wriggling out because you’ll always be more important than any other thing

“no no you don’t understand!! it’s just that-”

“yOONGIIIIII here’s the powerbank i-”

oh

you didn’t expect that at all

that’s jimin standing next to yoongi who is equally as frozen as you

and even yoongi has his mouth parted open slightly as he watches this interaction unfold

that’s cool

that’s nice

that’s fire

neither of you move and it’s the shutter of the camera that brings everyone out of the trance

you are just gonna.,.,,, stand at your place

jimin is just gonna.,.,.,. model this watch

yoongi is just gonna.,.,, stay as a rock throughout this whole ordeal as he’s gonna feel out whether he should tease you about this later on or not now that he’s seeing you in the flesh, he doesn’t know what to do at all 

he’s thought of this for so long that now the opportunity is present, he doesn’t know at all on how to enact

he has a lot of things in his mind ok

first of all, he settles that he doesn’t have any pride and he doesn’t mind at this point because again, it is you

second, you don’t even need to ask him if you can have something like what you’re doing with yoongi now!!!

third, he is trembling

jimin’s doing this “pretending to unbutton my cuffs and therefore highlight my watch” pose to try and stable his hand for one bit

yoongi leans one elbow to jimin’s shoulder and they both do this smoulder thing

he is talking through his teeth in desperation because the director said for them to try out some smiles ya know

“yoongi please tell me you’re not dating y/n and if you are i respect that but pls know that i will nOT stop at anything to take her away from you”

:D

“lol i enjoy her company and we aren’t dating but she, however, is mY personal assistant”

:D

that’s a big thorn out of his chest but it’s still somehow a dilemma because although you’re still a PA, it’s just not for him :((

and finally the shoot wraps and jimin is scurrying the moment it was called out that they’re done 

the first thing u do is scurry behind yoongi and hand him his tissues from behind and god he is the one adjusting

yoongi is getting caught in the middle of the two of you and he doesn’t know if he’s happy being in the literal center of attention or annoyed because you’re using him as a human shield without even being sly about it

“y/n, please. just give me-”

he is getting jostled in the middle and he’s even more intimidating than

jimin when he gets all shaken around 

“yA YA YA STOP IT!!”

he has only met jimin once and he already knows enough that he’s a handful

he’s eVEN playing mediator at this one

yoongi sighs as he reaches his verdict and pulls you by your arm because you’re behind him and just carefully, he leans down to whisper by your ear and makes sURE to look at jimin because lmao he deserved that

“five minutes. i’m giving you five minutes that you can spend before you go out to the garage and it’s up to yOU on how and with whom you’re gonna spend those five minutes with.”

damn 

yoongi’s already leaving you with no choice and he even yanks out the tote bag in your shoulder but not before fishing out his hydroflask that you bought him as he takes a hefty sip and even gets to wave at you and wink at jimin

jimin is in disbelief goddamn how dARE this yoongi :O

why does he have his own hydroflask

why does he 

that’s a y/n and jimin thing!! not a y/n and yoongi thing!!

the most you do is let jimin guide you to atleast a private place because

you don’t want to be dragged in to rumors by staff members who could tattle on what they see

you’re so antsy with this and jimin is beyond nervous

fuck ok how does he do this

“y/n, i-...”

“jimin, i can’t talk to you.”

oh okay he gets shot down before he could get a sentence in his eyes immediately bulge as he tries to appeal but not before you interrupt him again

“.. right now.”

he may or may not have hope here

you can’t avoid jimin forever and as much as you want to hear his voice, you really can’t because not only are you not ready, but also because-

“yoongi has another shoot today, and i have to go.”jimin’s eyes gloss at 

that and a whine bubbles in his throat because who knows when and where he’s gonna see you again and if you’d even let him to

he’s trying to paw at you and take a step closer but you’re already walking away

:((

jimin knows more than better now the gravity of what he’s done to you and how stupid and how much of an asshole he was on his part

knows more than better that he indeed loves you and that he shouldn’t give up no matter how much you turn him down

he misses you so much these days

he projects your face to namjoon’s body in his mind and that’s good

enough for him to not be irked he’s unknowingly picked up all your mannerisms and he hasn’t even noticed 

god does he miss you so much :((

misses you so much that he’s found himself driving to that ramen place with the intention of eating what he should’ve eaten when you took him there

yes he’s gonna wallow in self-loathing later on because he’s gonna reminisce about what he did and what happened here the last time but it’s worth it he thinks :D

what he didn’t expect however was to see it more packed than usual and isn’t that -- 

jungkook?? and jin?? 

seokjin is outright choking on his dumplings and jungkook is giggling with the boiled egg in his mouth as he repeatedly pUNCHES his back and truthfully he doesn’t know if it would help but eh it’s the thought that counts 

jin is on his break which is why he doesn’t feel pressured at all, but what he does have pressure for is elbowing jungkook to look up at jimin and this time he chokes on his boiled egg

“jungkook.,.,., you said that you were gonna take a leave,.,,,. because you had an important family business to attend to.,.,.”

“ʸᵉˢ ʲᶦᵐᶦⁿ⁻ʰʸᵘⁿᵍ.,.,,. this is an important family business.,.,,.,”

...

this guy

god tHIS guy he swears..,.,,

before he could even wack jungkook in the head, he gets interrupted once more and this time it’s a welcome interruption and not just the sounds of jungkook choking on iced tea this time

“i got more dumplings!!! seojoon gave us more soup!!! oKAY OKAY make some room-”

“jimin?”

you might as well get bonked in the head now 

seojoon’s place is closing down and this is the last time you’d ever get to eat meals here :((

it’s the reason to why you and jin and kook decided to assemble as quICK as seojoon made a groupchat for the four of you to deliver the news :(((

he’s moving to another place to open a bigger and better that ramen place there but he can’t keep up two of them at the moment so he’s decided to let go :((

it’s the reason to why you certainly aren’t gonna leave, noah fence, just because of jimin 

this closing is just on par with his presence 

jin and kook are just now realizing the dilemma and they swear they’re gonna choke on tempura with how they’re both in anticipation and curiosity as to what would happen

jin’s letting you sit beside him now but later he’s gonna push you to jimin at full-speed if the both of you don’t talk it out now

“as long as your food isn’t finished — i-i get to talk and hopefully you listen.”

:(

...

“okay.”

the booth...

the booth isn’t all that spacious

jin and jungkook are clearly not reading the room and if they were, they’re pretending not to because they aren’t gonna sacrifice seojoon’s last dishes that they’re gonna taste for the time being just so the both of you could make up lol

ok think think tHINK

that’s it!!

jimin’s pulling out his phone and is calling you and he’s throwing you a thumbs-up before he scrambles outside

it’s really cold outside and his hoodie just isn’t cutting it but it’s whatever :)) it’s you

“i didn’t remember saying that i loved you.”

ok that is qUITE the intro and now you’re the one who’s choking on your ramen

“and i hate that i don’t remember it because of the anesthesia; but believe me when i say that i do love you -- under anesthesia or not.”

“i’m truly truly sorry that i treated you so badly in front of taehyung and hoseok. i, uh, i was too prideful when i was with them and i felt like i always need to prove myself to them and y’know what?? i don’t need to prove myself to them!! a-and y’know what? i told them off! and i told them about how we are and how one’s disposition shouldn’t be the determining factor on how they treat people!!”

jimin kinda looks like a madman with how there’s so much passion in his voice and how he even has accompanying gestures even if you aren’t outside to witness it personally

“they apologized and i told them that they need to apologize to you a-and just give me a date and a time if you’re ready to hear them out bUT you know??? this isn’t about them for the meantime it’s about me apologizing!!”

“i want you to know a-and y/n please i swear on everything, chaeyoung and i -- nothing happened. she was drunk and she wanted me and i politely told her no!! countless of times!! she was starting to make a scene so i just agreed to take her upstairs to my room bUT it’s to lock her there!! oKAY i know that doesn’t sound very nice but-”

“i kept telling her about you and how i do love you but she kept clinging on and forcing herself on me!! a-and i was about to call kook but i didn’t see him so i called hotel security and i didn’t see you too and thEN right after i completely cut ties with her!!”

“i get it if -- i get it if you don’t want to forgive me though because i’ve hurt you so badly and i have to suck it up nonetheless but i need you to know that i love you a-and i’ve never loved someone eVER this much before and i’ve never been so sure.”

...

...

“come inside, jimin. eat dinner with me.”

:D

there’s a learning curve that both of you have to go through you’ve made it very clear that you aren’t gonna quit as yoongi’s PA with much frowns from jimin but aight ok he’s gonna try and understand because you do love working with yoongi and with his schedule, you aren’t chained to work almost 24/7

namjoon and jimin are slowly but surely warming up to each other as you dropped by briefly when it was your off-day and you instantly hit it off with him

jimin’s huffy because you are really something else and he doesn’t come close

he really kills it with apologizing and changing for the better!! likes to spoil you with gifts all of a sudden and you always point out to him that they r very unnecessary and he kNOWS that but he just wants to shower you with things and his love that’s all :)

he makes it up beyond words and beyond actions and for a fact he is also proud of himself like you are with him because it’s rare!! that someone of his status would strip his pride just to have someone’s full forgiveness

jimin however never stops being whiny and needy aha

like to how he has his hands covering your eyes and you keep asking him on wHAT he’s doing and where he’s taking you and at one point, he keeps one hand on both your eyes and one covering your mouth and that earns him a lick and he isn’t even bOTHERED

“okay okAY calm down jagi we’re here!!!!”

“one.”

“jimin if this is a horror movie i will really replace you with yoongi”

“nO and two.”

“fuck this is really making me nervous omg i think i need to pee oh my g od jimin pls i-“

“three.”

wait

this is-

“that ramen place. this is now your ramen place. our ramen place, if you want.”

oh my god

oH MY GOD

you see

jimin’s been talking back and forth with seojoon unbeknownst to you, he’s been helping with all this process of seojoon opening up his new ramen place in the city proper and it’s all expensive and kinda tricky

without even doubting, jimin’s paid for most of his requirements and needs overnight and seojoon was like yOU BARELY EVEN KNOW ME

and jimin explained that it was because easily the best meal he’s ever had in his life and even better than those restaurants he goes to and seojoon was aha :D really :D

and then jimin casually slid in the conversation about that ramen place that seojoon decided to close down and one thing led to another and here it is

again :D

seojoon’s entrusted that place to jimin and he’s his first official shareholder (and probably the only one he’s ever gonna have bc he trusts no one else besides jimin because no one else is probably as genuine as him) and this could be considered as a franchise!!!

the permits are all taken care of and the head chef seojoon’s gonna be trusting and jimin’s thinking of? seokjin :D although he’s gonna propose the offer later (spoiler alert: jin cried and said yES)

the spot is all empty and it’s nothing that some furniture and flooring and jimin’s wallet can’t fix

but it is this

jimin’s too busy explaining the process that he doesn’t notice you being absolutely awed and even cRYING :(((

before he knows it, you are actively leaping at him and he easily catches you as he hooks his hands under your bum to secure you into place jimin’s on the receiving end of a rather desperate deep kiss and he giggles to how you even won’t let go of him and how your grip tightens even more

“i love you.”

he is all so loved up right now that he feels like he’s gonna cry and moan at the same time as he returns the favor of nipping at your bottom lip

“i love you too.”

your fingers are most definitely getting tangled in his hair and when you and jimin practically shudders when you give it a little tug

“if buying restaurants is what it takes for me to taste your kisses and then pOSSIBLY get laid then fucking hell i’m gonna buy you one everyday

bELIEVE ME”

“you’re insufferable”

hehe

“i know :))”

jimin’s letting you catch your breath for the meantime, his hands still securing you against him as he peppers kisses to your cheek very eagerly 

“especially spoiled for you though.”

[superangsty]

ok ficlet prompt: tomgreg coffeeshop au but Tom is the barista and he's a total bitch about it. up to you whether this is a) an au where they don't know each other at all or b) post season 2 au where tom is on the outs. basically i just think it'd be funny to see tom forced into doing menial labor and taking it out on customer!greg by belittling his order. if you hate this, you never saw it lol

fsdgfgfdhs I feel like I didn’t get much snarkiness in there and I’m not sure if 1k+ words can still be called a ficlet, but here we go!

///

Tom doesn’t normally pay attention to customers. Sure, some of them you get used to when you’re seeing their miserable faces day in, day out, and for an even smaller percentage you remember their orders and sometimes, if you’re feeling particularly generous (or bored, either works), you let the ones who look like they’re about to cry skip the queue, but for the most part the hundreds of faces he sees each day blend together.

Hard, though, for a face to blend in with the others when it’s a foot above everyone else in the store.

It’s eleven in the morning and the rush is on, but every time Tom looks up from the till or coffee machine his eyes automatically dart to where this guy is standing in the queue, just briefly before he gets back to what he was doing.

When the guy gets to the front of the line, he smiles and says “hey, how are you?”, and for the first time in his years in this job Tom smiles back.

Then he goes and ruins it all by ordering a skim milk vanilla mocha latte with, and this is a direct quote “some kinda sprinkle things?”. Asshole.

 *

 He comes back the next day, in mid-afternoon when it’s quieter and Tom’s the only one behind the bar (and thank god for that, because after he’d left yesterday Tom had got honest to god wolf-whistles from the others).

“Hi,” he greets, still with that carefree smile. He tucks a piece of hair behind his ear. “How’re ya doing?”

“I’m great,” lies Tom. “What’ll it be?”

“Um, an iced almond-milk macchiato with, like, do you have some caramel? Like a lot of caramel?”

This guy had better not become a fucking regular.

 *

 He becomes a regular. Every day for a week, and never at the same time, he comes in and orders a new, somehow even more ridiculous drink than the one before. It’s infuriating.

Still, Tom can’t help but notice things about him. His hair needs a cut, he’s carrying a backpack that needs to be thrown out, like, ten years ago, and his suits are cheap but if Tom knows his shoes – and he does know his shoes – he’s wearing a pair of Crockett & Jones oxfords.

A line has to be drawn somewhere. Luckily, the guy draws the line himself when he comes in one day, 10pm, and asks for a cappuccino with four shots of espresso.

“Absolutely not.”

“What, why?”

Tom cocks his head, frowning. “Because you would have a heart attack, that’s why, and I don’t feel like dealing with a lawsuit.”

“No, it’s fine, I’ve had it before, actually, so.”

“Then get it somewhere else.” Tom waves a hand towards the door when the guy doesn’t move, just stands there with his eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. “Shoo!”

 *

 He comes back the next day, orders himself a herbal tea, and introduces himself as Greg. Weird and unnecessary, as far as apologies go, but whatever.

 *

 Greg starts ordering normal drinks. Tom keeps on making ridiculous sugary crimes against humanity for him, and then telling him he’ll get diabetes when he accepts them. This is not flirting.

Greg starts staying to sit and drink in the café, rather than rush out. Sometimes he reads the newspaper, sometimes he flicks through paperwork. Sometimes Tom gives him one of the day-old cookies that are normally claimed by staff. This is still not flirting.

One day, there’s snow and no customers, and Greg says “hey, Tom, why don’t you sit with me for a bit?”, and Tom does.

They sit in silence for a couple of minutes, each sipping at their respective drinks, and then Greg asks “so you been working here long?”

“Couple of years,” Tom replies. “Came into some money, saw the storefront for sale, thought ‘why the fuck not’, right?”

He’s gotten very good at keeping this part vague. The money had come wrapped in the neat little bow of ‘redundancy package’, when in reality it was hush money in response to the breakup and the breakdown and the subsequent NDAs.

It’s not what Tom thought his life would be. It kinda sucks, actually, but whatever.

“Oh!” Greg says, again with those wide eyes of his. “I – I didn’t know you owned it, um, sorry? If I offended you?”

Tom waves it off. “New to the city?”

“Ha, yeah,” Greg says, smiling into his cup. “How could you tell?”

Everything about you, Tom wants to say. “You’ve just got a vibe,” he says instead.

A customer walks in, and the conversation is cut short.

 *

 This keeps happening. It’s like Greg knows when Tom won’t be busy, and he chooses those exact times to show up. It’s annoying, really. He’s annoying. And Tom isn’t flirting.

A couple of months later Greg walks in during the mid-morning rush with another, significantly shorter (not that it’s hard), man in tow.

Tom takes one look at him, unties his apron, and walks into the back room.

Kendall fucking Roy.

Of all the coffee shops in all of Manhattan, he had to come into Tom’s. Of all the customers in all the coffee shops in all of Manhattan, Tom had to befriend the one guy who just happened to know his ex-future-brother-in-law.

He stays back there until he hears Greg’s voice disappear out the door again.

 *

 “I brought my cousin by here yesterday, told him it was the best coffee in the city.”

The next day, Greg is back at his normal time and is sitting in his normal seat. Tom is reluctantly sitting across from him.

Cousins, jesus fucking christ, it keeps getting worse.

Also, Tom’s coffee is only okay. Greg should probably try some new cafes.

“And what did he think?”

Greg shrugs. “I don’t know, he said it was only okay. He also saw you walk into the back? Said ‘hey I know that guy’?”

“I used to work at Waystar Royco.”

Greg smiles incredulously. “No way! That’s where I work too!”

“Mm, nothing like a good bit of nepotism in the workplace, is there?” Tom bites out. But it’s not like he’s bitter, or anything. That would be hypocritical.

“Oh, ha, I guess.” Greg shifts awkwardly in his seat, like he’s worried Tom will think less of him. “So you used to work together?”

“Used to be engaged to his sister, too.”

Greg doesn’t drop his cup, but it’s a near thing. He gapes at Tom. “You’re Tom Tom?”

Whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean. He wonders what they’ve been saying about him, whether Greg’s important enough to know the real story or if he got the version they feed their friends and colleagues.

Not that it matters, because there’s no way Greg’s coming back after this. There’s no way Tom would want him to come back.

“I think you’re done, Greg. I’ll clear up your cup.”

Greg looks like he’s going to say something, but Tom walks away and doesn’t look at him until he leaves.

 *

 Against all odds, he comes back the next day. And the next.

[the-wild-wolves-around-you]

Carry Me Home (A Din Djarin/Reader Fic)

Summary: Din and Reader find themselves on a jungle planet hunting a bounty, but nothing goes as planned, and secrets are shared.

***Based off this line from a previous fic in this series: "Then the mysterious bounty hunter told you his name one day when you were trying to hold his femoral artery together with nothing but bacta gel and hope."

No spoilers. Set in Season 1 between Episode 6 (The Prisoner) & Episode 7 (The Reckoning)

Pairings: Din Djarin/Reader; Din Djarin/You

Rating: M(ature)

Warnings: Blood, gore, & violence. Brief mentions of past slavery. 

A/N: In true Star Wars fashion, I'm just writing shit out of order lol. But the idea for this fic kept bugging me, so i just had to get it out on the page. 

You don't need to read the previous fics to understand this one, though (since the others are set in s2.) I have some more ideas for out of order stories, too, so I'll most likely be continuing this series.But let me know if you'd be interested in a fic from Din's POV! I think that could be fun, but if y'all are digging Reader POV, I'll stick to that.

And in case anyone cares, the title is taken from the lyrics of Arcade by Duncan Lawrence, which I was listening to on repeat as I wrote this. 

As always, I’ve posted this piece on Ao3, but I’ll paste the text below. 

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28763814

I’ll also include the links to the other two fics here: 

The Sea Like Glass Ch 1: Here

The Sea Like Glass Ch 2 (includes smut): Here

“Dank farrik!” you hissed as the wire in front of you sparked and sent a jolt of electricity through your already singed fingers. Not for the first time, you wished you could wear your gloves, but some of the pieces that needed repairing were too small to feel through the bulky material, so you could do nothing more than sacrifice your flesh for the cause.

Didn’t make it hurt less, though. You sucked the smarting tips into your mouth, glaring at the trashed circuit board in front of you, but the ruined hardware only crackled in response.

If you were back in Hanger 3-5 in Mos Eisley, you would have probably trashed the whole part and dug through Peli’s stock for a replacement, or gone down to the market and haggled for something newer, but you weren’t on Tatooine. You were smack dab in the middle of a jungle planetoid you couldn’t remember the name of, and it was up to you to get the Razor Crest running again on what you had available.

Which, admittedly, wasn’t a lot.

You sighed as you sat back on your haunches, using the back of your wrist to swipe at the sweat trailing down your temple. The pre-Empire ship towered over you as you dug into her innards, having pried off one of the semi-melted lower side panels to access the appropriate circuits. Your thin tank top was already drenched, and the hair sticking to the back of your neck kept giving you phantom itches. You wanted nothing more than to tie it up completely, but you always felt naked when your nape was exposed. You weren’t necessarily ashamed of the scar there, or the past connected to it, since it wasn’t your fault you were born into shackles, but… still. It was a… personal story to tell, and you weren’t sure you were ready to share it with your new boss.

Well, “new” was relative. You’d been employed on the Razor Crest for several months now, but you didn’t know much more about the Mandalorian than you did when you’d first set foot onto his ship. You knew he was a bounty hunter, from a race of legendary warriors. You knew he had a partially sordid, and dangerous, past if your encounter with Ran and his crew of mercenaries was any indication. You knew the green baby was his ward, or foundling as he called it, and Mando was tasked with returning the little guy to his people. And you knew his Creed forbid him from removing his helmet.

That was about it. The Mandalorian didn’t talk much, but it didn’t particularly bother you. You’d always been a quieter person, and after years of Peli’s constant chattering, you were kind of relieved for the silence.

Most of the time, anyway.

“How’s it looking?”

You gasped in alarm, jolting yourself off balance and falling back onto your ass in the dirt.

“Maker, Mando,” you panted as you craned your neck back to stare up at the bounty hunter. “What have I told you about sneaking up on me when I’m working on electrics?”

The impervious mask of the Mandalorian stared down at you silently, blotting out the sweltering sun and providing you a modicum of relief. A moment passed, then two, and you shifted uneasily under his unblinking gaze.

“I thought you heard me approach,” he said finally, his modulated voice flat and unaffected, but he didn’t move from where he was looming over you.

“Well, I didn’t,” you grumbled as you flopped your head forward and popped your neck, stretching your legs out in the dirt.

The tight leggings you wore ended not too far past your knees, so your shins were streaked with the red soil of this planetoid. The dirt didn’t bother you, but the heat sure did. It was different than Tatooine’s dry desert. This heat was oppressive, stifling, almost cloying, and every time you took a deep breath, a small part of your brain panicked, images of drowning flashing through your mind even though you knew it was irrational. You were just grateful your clothes didn’t look a fraction as hot as the Mandalorian’s all black get-up and what had to be twenty-five kilos of armor.

“So,” the bounty hunter said after a few more moments of silence, interrupted only by the call of exotic birds in the canopy, “how are things looking?”

“Honestly?” you sighed as you pushed yourself off the ground, dusting the red dirt off your hands but not even bothering with your pants. “Not good. The bounty’s guns must have grazed us when we were still outside orbit, and entering the atmosphere certainly didn’t help matters. Some of the side paneling has been melted beyond repair, and a lot of the wiring is fried, too.”

“Can you get it flying?” Mando asked, crossing his arms over his chest and making his silhouette all the more imposing. The sun glinted off his silver beskar, and you squinted in the glare.

“Maybe.” You pursed your lips and averted your gaze, turning back to stare at the charred panels and sparking wires. Sweat trickled down your neck, and you reached back to cup your nape, feeling the bounty hunter’s eyes on you.

“Didn’t know I was paying you for maybes.”

“You’re not paying me at all if you can’t even catch that quarry,” you snorted before your brain could catch up to your mouth.

You froze when the words finally registered, nails digging into the back of your neck. Stupid. Your mouth always did get the better of you. You used to mouth-off to your former owner until he backhanded you into silence, and now you’re starting shit with a bounty hunter you’d seen kill half a dozen men in just as many seconds.

Stupid.

You waited for Mando to say something, staring at the Razor Crest without even seeing it, and even if you didn’t really believe he’d hurt you for a simple off-handed comment, your body didn’t get the message. Muscle memory was a hard thing to forget, and every fiber in you braced for the blow.

The birds chittered in the towering blue-green canopy above your head as sweat poured from every single one of your pores, and you were just about to come out of your skin when the Mandalorian finally spoke.

“Well, to catch the quarry, I need my ship to fly,” he said, and when you chanced a glance over your shoulder, you discovered he’d somehow moved further away from you, like he took several steps back.

Was he… giving you space?

His tone was still flat, but after several months spent in close proximity with the bounty hunter, you were now able to parse out several different minor inflections in his modulated voice. You were by no means an expert, but you knew for a fact he didn’t sound angry in this moment. When he was angry, his voice took on a softer, menacing quality. The few times you’d heard it—thankfully never directed at you—every hair on your body stood on end, and the lizard part of your brain had screamed to run and not stop running until you were in a completely different star system.

This wasn’t anger. This was… something else. You almost wanted to say… amusement, but that would have been crazy.

Still, the tension bled out of your shoulders like sand through a sieve, and you dropped your arms as you turned to face the Mandalorian fully again.

“Alright, this is the best I can do,” you said. “I can get her flying again, I think I can even get her shielded enough to withstand leaving the atmosphere when we’re done here, but it’s gonna take some time.”

“How much time?” he asked.

You glanced over your shoulder again at the damage, did some calculations in your head, and added some padding to give yourself a margin for error. Then you turned back to the bounty hunter.

“At least two days,” you replied, confident in your abilities. “Anything less, and we risk blowing ourselves to the Inner Core and back when I go to start her up.”

“Hmm.” Mando stared at you for a moment and then shifted to gaze into the jungle. “The bounty will most likely be off planet by then.”

“I don’t think so,” you contradicted him, and your heart actually skipped a beat when the T of his visor turned to look at you. There was something nerve-wracking about staring into the dark, reflective glass, but then you noticed your red-streaked appearance, and you cringed self-consciously as you looked away.

“Why do you say that?” he asked.

“Because,” you started, stooping down to pick up the tablet beside your tool bag, “when I first came out here and saw the damage, I was afraid we’d end up in this situation. But then I remembered that the quarry’s ship took more damage than we did in our little space battle. I know for a fact we landed at least one solid hit, I saw it myself.”

“And?”

“Well,” you said as you tapped at the screen, “given the make and model of his vessel, and the location of where we struck the ship, I was able to deduce that we most likely damaged his engines. If his engines are damaged, then there is a maximum distance he could have gone before he would have been forced to land, or even crash landed. With all this information, plus the fact that I knew the general location of where we lost visual of him when we entered the atmosphere, I’ve estimated the quarry can’t be farther than five klicks from our current coordinates. And with his entry trajectory, he’s most likely in this triangulated area three and a half klicks to the west, which should be easily reachable on foot.”

You turned the map on the tablet to face the Mandalorian, and he stepped forward to take the device from you. His gloved fingers brushed across your singed ones, remnant electricity shooting through your veins, and you stifled a flinch as you dropped your arm.

Mando studied the map for a long moment, cocking his head and zooming in to get a better look. You shifted uneasily in the silence, scuffing the tip of your boot into the red soil, but then the bounty hunter finally looked back up at you.

“When did you have time to do this?” he asked, and he actually sounded… impressed. “You were out here for less than ten minutes after we landed.”

“It wasn’t that hard.” You shrugged as your cheeks flushed with heat, but you blamed the sweltering sun overhead and the soup-like air.

“I didn’t realize you were so good with numbers,” he said, his helmet staring directly at you.

“Numbers are easy,” you replied, shrugging again as you raised your hand to chew nervously on your nails, but you stopped yourself when you saw the crimson dirt still caked on your skin. “They don’t lie, once you understand the rules.”

“Did Peli teach you how to do this?” he inquired, and you were surprised by all these questions. Most of the time, the bounty hunter asked you one-or-two-word questions and expected one-or-two-word answers. You couldn’t figure out why this situation was any different, but you found yourself responding anyway.

“Partially,” you explained, and you wondered how you could phrase your answer to be vague but satisfactory. “She… taught me a lot of the specifics for bigger jobs like ships and larger machines, but I’ve always been good at numbers and tinkering.”

That seemed good enough. You didn’t think it was relevant that you first started tinkering because your former owner used to lock you in his shop’s basement with broken droids when you misbehaved, and putting the discarded machines back together kept you from going crazy when your punishments lasted days. You also didn’t think it relevant that when your former owner found out and realized he could profit off your skills, you fine-tuned your abilities to become indispensable. The bastard still hit you occasionally, and his other slaves weren’t treated any better, but you had to admit, him locking you in the basement all those years had saved your life. If you hadn’t cultivated the skills you had, Peli wouldn’t have bought you at auction when the bastard bit the sand, and she wouldn’t have dug out your transmitter chip and effectively freed you the moment you walked into Hanger 3-5. The tiny woman had said she needed an apprentice, not a slave, and so that was what you became. Now, you were a mechanic in your own right, and a damn good one if you did say so yourself. Mando just didn’t need to know how you’d gotten there.

The bounty hunter seemed to think the same thing, too, because he nodded once before he looked back at the tablet.

“This is good work,” he said, and something in your chest preened at his words before you squashed it down. “If these calculations are correct—”

“They are,” you interjected before you could stop yourself.

“Then I think I can set out on foot, find the quarry, and bring him back tomorrow just as you’re finishing the repairs,” Mando went on, and he glanced up at you again. “Does that time frame sound right to you?”

“Maybe.” You shrugged. “Should work for me, but it could take you a little longer. I’m unfamiliar with this terrain, and there are too many other variables, like jungle beasts or indigenous species, for me to be sure.”

“The terrain won’t be a problem,” the Mandalorian said as he handed you the tablet back. “And neither will any beasts or natives.”

You cocked an eyebrow at the bounty hunter but didn’t contradict his confidence. “Alright. Then, yes, I should have the ship up and running by the time you get back. Are you leaving now?”

“Once I grab some supplies,” Mando replied before he paused and seemed to consider you. “Will you be… okay until I return?”

It was a familiar question, albeit still surprising. The Mandalorian was a stoic, usually silent warrior, literally a wall of beskar steel. You’d seen him kill men as easy as breathing, and he threw each bounty into carbonite without an ounce of remorse.

And yet, every time he had to leave the ship alone, he asked you if you would be alright until he got back. The question and concern would have made no sense… if you hadn’t seen the bounty hunter interact with his foundling. He tried to hide it, but he treated the little green baby so gently you knew there had to be a warm, beating heart beneath all that beskar. You just never expected any tenderness to be aimed at you, so it drew you up short every time.

“Yeah.” You smiled. “I’ll be fine. Besides—”

You trailed off as you felt something touch your lower leg, and when you looked down, big brown eyes set in a little green face blinked back up at you. Then little green hands lifted in your direction, and you laughed as you swooped down, picked him up, and set him on your hip.

“Besides,” you continued, still chuckling as you booped the child on the nose and left a smudge of red dirt behind, “I’ll have this little guy to keep me company. Right, kid?”

The baby cooed and reached out, his three tiny fingers settling on the bridge of your nose as he tried to boop you back. When he withdrew his hand, though, his skin was dyed black.

“Huh?” You frowned at the slick ooze on his fingers, your eyes crossing as you tried to bring his hand into focus. “What’s on your hand there, bud?”

“It’s grease,” Mando supplied.

“What?” you asked as you turned your head to the bounty hunter.

“Grease,” he repeated, and he touched the intersection on the glass T of his visor, right over where the bridge of his nose would sit. “You’ve got some just there.”

“Oh.” You blushed, your hand flying up to cover your face. Not only were you covered in dirt and sweat, but grease now, too. Typical. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I thought you knew,” the Mandalorian said, but there was that faint undercurrent in his voice that you were sure was amusement now. “Don’t you have any rags?”

“I did,” you muttered as you tried to rub at your face with your shoulder, “but I had to throw most of them out after that oil leak we had on the moon we left about a week ago. It’s fine. I’m already a mess anyhow, and I’m just going to get dirtier as I fix up the ship.”

Mando seemed to stare at you intensely for a moment, and you had the feeling he was taking in just how filthy your clothes were. You could read nothing from his body language, though, and since he wasn’t speaking, there was nothing to infer from his voice, either. Embarrassed heat crawled up your neck, and you suddenly felt naked in your tank top and leggings. You shifted the child in your arms a little to bring him more in front of you and block more of you from view, but the effort was useless because Mando was abruptly spinning on heel and marching toward the ship’s ramp.

“I’m going to gather supplies,” he said gruffly over his shoulder. “Don’t let the kid touch any of the wires.”

And then he was gone, his cape flapping behind him as he disappeared into the bowels of the Razor Crest.

“Okay, bye,” you muttered, and you frowned after him before looking down at the kid and lowering your voice. “Your dad’s a little weird, you know that?”

The child blinked up at you and then seemed to nod his head in solemn agreement.

You laughed and kissed the top of his head even though you knew you were toeing a dangerous line here. You knew you were just the ship mechanic, the hired help, but you and the foundling had spent a lot of time together when the Mandalorian was out hunting bounties, and you couldn’t help loving the adorable baby like he was your own. He was mischievous and always looking to put things in his mouth that he shouldn’t, but something about his presence was calming, soothing. Plus, those big brown eyes were to die for. You weren’t even that surprised the kid had managed to wiggle his way under Mando’s beskar. It had only been a few months, but you knew without a shadow of a doubt that if it came down to it, you would give your life to save this child.

Which was wildly inappropriate, but you chose to ignore that fact.

“It’s just gonna be the two of us again for a bit, little man,” you told the foundling, turning back to face the Razor Crest. “But we’re gonna have some fun, yeah? Do you want to help me fix up the ship?”

The child gurgled into your ear and patted your cheek, which you took as an affirmative.

“Alright,” you laughed as you set him on a large root right next to your tool bag. You dug around until you found a tool you would need eventually, and then you handed it to the kid. “Here, hold this until I need it, okay? But don’t put it in your mouth.”

The foundling seemed to pout at that last bit, but he dutifully wrapped his three little fingers around the tool and held it firmly.

“Thank you.” You smiled. Then you turned back to the ship, put your hands on your hips, and furrowed your brow. “Now, where to start?”

You spent the next ten minutes assessing what was completely ruined, what was salvageable, and what you had on hand that wasn’t necessary and could possibly be retrofitted to fix the damage. The skeletal beginnings of a plan were already forming in your mind by the time the Mandalorian was clomping down the ramp again. You set down the tablet you’d been tapping away at and picked up the child once more, and the foundling babbled as he waved around the tool he was still holding.

“Be careful with that,” you chuckled, and you craned your head back to avoid getting smacked in the temple. “I’ll need it soon, so keep holding onto it.”

The child cooed and then shifted to wave the tool at the bounty hunter as he approached.

“Putting the kid to work now?” Mando asked as he stopped a few feet away. The crescent-shaped hilt of his favored Amban rifle jutted out over his left shoulder, and a small bag was slung over his right, probably filled with spare ammo, cuffs for the bounty, and possibly some food. You’d never personally seen the Mandalorian eat, though, and a part of you was convinced he didn’t, even if you rationally knew that wasn’t possible.

“Nah, I’m just teaching him a thing or two,” you said as you settled the foundling more soundly on your hip. “You’re never too young to learn something new, and on the plus side, being my little helper keeps him out of trouble. For the most part, anyway.”

“Thank you for watching him,” the bounty hunter said, tilting his visor down minutely to stare at the child, who grinned a gummy grin and waved the silver tool again. “I know it isn’t exactly what I hired you for—”

“I don’t mind,” you cut him off, and you glanced down to smile at the kid. “He’s pretty good company, and some of Peli’s droids have given me more trouble than he does. It’s really no problem.”

“Well, regardless,” Mando replied as his visor returned to studying you. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” You nodded, flushing again under his scrutiny. Then you cleared your throat and gestured at the bag on his back. “All ready?”

“Yes,” the bounty hunter said. “Days are longer here, but the sun will set eventually, and I want to try and find the quarry before moonrise. If all goes well, I should be back tomorrow before sunset.”

“Good luck, then,” you told him, and you lifted your chin with confidence. “I should have the ship ready when you return.”

“Thank you.” He inclined his helmet.

The baby suddenly burst out babbling something, and you glanced down to see him reaching out with his free hand toward the Mandalorian. His three little fingers made grabby motions, and the bounty hunter sighed.

“Listen to her while I’m gone, okay?” Mando murmured as he stepped closer into your personal bubble and held out his finger for the foundling to latch on to.

The child cooed, swinging the Mandalorian’s finger from side to side, and the breath stilled in your lungs as the bounty hunter’s glove brushed the edge of your mouth. You smelled something like leather and smoke, probably blaster residue, but then Mando was stepping back again, and the baby was forced to drop his finger.

“Keep alert,” he addressed you as he adjusted the pack on his shoulder. “We’re pretty far from any civilization out here, so I don’t think you should encounter anyone, but don’t assume you’re safe. And get inside the ship once the sun sets. The jungle will be more dangerous at night. I’ll have my comlink on me, but it’s affected by proximity, so you most likely won’t be able to contact me until I’m on my way back.”

“Don’t worry, Mando,” you said, and you patted the blaster he’d given you that was almost permanently attached to your hip. “I can defend myself if need be, and I have no desire to be caught outside after dark. We’ll be fine.”

“I know,” he replied, but you weren’t sure if he was trying to convince you or himself. Either way, he seemed to compose himself because he nodded once. “I’ll be back soon.”

“We’ll keep a weather eye on the horizon.” You smiled. “Try not to die of heat stroke.”

“I’ll try my best,” he said dryly, but after one more moment of staring at you and the foundling, he turned on heel and marched off into the jungle without another word. The multi-colored trees swallowed him almost instantly, and suddenly you were alone.

The child cooed sadly as he stared after the Mandalorian, and he turned his big brown eyes on you as if to say, Where’d he go?

“Don’t worry, bud,” you said, turning back to the ship. “He’ll be fine and back before you know it. Now, let’s take a look at those power converters, shall we?”

You set the foundling down beside your tool bag again, but you couldn’t help glancing over your shoulder in the direction the bounty hunter had disappeared in.

He’ll be fine and back before you know it, you repeated silently to yourself.

~~~~~

Two days later, you were starting to doubt the validity of your statements.

The sun had set and risen twice, and there was still no sign of Mando. Now, the celestial orb was steadily making its way across the horizon for the third time, and you sat on the ramp of the ship and glared up at the chattering canopy.

The child was down for a nap in the hammock the Mandalorian had set up in his own bunk, and your eyes burned with a similar exhaustion, but the anxiety slowly mounting in you made it impossible to sleep. The past two days had passed uneventfully. You’d spent every hour of sunlight you had at your disposal patching together the ship, and since days were longer on this planetoid, you estimated you’d spent over seventy-two hours getting the Razor Crest in working order again.

And you’d done it. It wasn’t perfect, but the ship could fly, and you were ninety-eight percent certain it would withstand leaving the atmosphere.

Now, all that was missing was the Mandalorian and his bounty.

“Dank farrik, Mando,” you grumbled under your breath as you dragged your singed, cut-up, and bandaged fingers through your hair. “Where the Maker are you?”

The chittering birds and critters in the underbrush didn’t have an answer for you, and you huffed out an aggravated breath as another bead of sweat dripped into your eyes.

By your estimate, there were about six hours left before the sun set again. Part of you, the illogical, irrational part, wanted to charge into the jungle in search of the Mandalorian. You had a general direction and location he should be in. Maybe you could find him.

But the rational side of your brain thankfully pointed out all the problems with that plan. For one, leaving the ship unattended was dangerous. You hadn’t seen anyone in the past two days, but that didn’t mean you were alone in the jungle, and now that the ship could fly again, someone could potentially walk right in and steal the vessel if you weren’t here to stop them.

Then there was the issue of the foundling. Sometimes, Mando took you and the kid along with him when he was hunting a bounty in a more populated area, but he was always there to protect the two of you if something went wrong. What happened if you brought the child with you into the jungle and you couldn’t protect him? And you couldn’t exactly leave him behind. Someone could steal both the child and the Razor Crest in that scenario.

The most compelling reason to stay with the ship, though, was Mando himself. Before he left, he’d confidently declared that neither the jungle itself nor the beasts or peoples therein would pose any problem for him. If he was wrong, and these things had posed a problem for the bounty hunter, what luck did you have of doing something he could not?

Anddddd that’s where the irrational side of you chimed in again with, Well, if he did run into an issue, he could need your help, so you should go look for him.

It was a vicious cycle, and your head was pounding with how fast it was running in circles.

You groaned as you dropped your face into your hands, digging the heels of your palms into your eye sockets.

“Fine,” you sighed into the darkness. “I’ll give him until morning.”

If the Mandalorian hadn’t returned by then, you’d start up the ship and fly over the area you’d triangulated for him. If you couldn’t find him from the air… well, you’d cross that bridge when you came to it.

~~~~~

You huffed in irritation as you tossed and turned in Mando’s bunk that night. You turned one way, rolled another, but then you found yourself with your nose buried in his pillow, and you instantly flipped back over, face hot with embarrassment even though it was dark and you were practically alone. You weren’t sure if he slept with his helmet on when he was alone in the closed confines of the bunk, but either way, the small space smelled of him intensely. You tried not to put words to his scent, told yourself it was inappropriate and he was your boss, a Mandalorian to boot, and you had no room or right to think of him in any way other than strictly professional… but that apparently didn’t work because you knew he smelled like the cheap soap from the fresher, and the rest was a blend of smoke, leather, and metal, the degrees of which varied by the day and yet was still always uniquely him.

You knew you were playing a losing game even just having these thoughts, but you somehow couldn’t help yourself, couldn’t stop yourself. Ever since Mando stepped between you and Ran’s crew all those months ago, blocking you with his body, a startling, protective rage in every inch of his armored silhouette, this little voice had come to life in the back of your head and wouldn’t shut the kriff up.

What if? the little voice whispered. What if it’s not just you having these thoughts? What if you could have him in more than just your dreams and fantasies in the darkness of this bunk?

Usually, you shoved the voice into the deep, dark recesses of your thoughts and recited equations until it grew quiet. You knew that was nothing but wishful thinking at best and delusion at worst. The Mandalorian was just that: a warrior closed off from the world by a shell of silver beskar. He cared for the foundling, yes, but that was entirely different and bore no correlation to the bounty hunter’s relationship with you. There was little he could possibly want from a former slave turned mechanic, aside from your skills, of course, so you clenched your eyes closed and tried to take shallow breaths through your mouth, but nothing you did could get his scent out of your nose, your memory.

You sighed for the umpteenth time and rolled to face the wall of the bunk.

When the bounty hunter was on the ship, the two of you usually slept in shifts so you could share the bunk, though sometimes the Mandalorian slept upright in the cockpit. It had been his idea originally. You’d been fine with a thin sleeping mat on the floor of the cargo bay, but he’d insisted in his strange, stoic, nonchalant way. So, you shared, and when it was just you and the kid on the ship, the two of you had the run of the place.

The child was currently in the hammock above your head, but you were pretty sure he wasn’t asleep, either. Every so often, he’d gurgle or make some other noise, and more than once you peeked up to find big brown eyes staring down at you in the dimness. You wondered if he could sense your anxiety, and you shifted so you could glare past your feet, out of the bunk, and at the closed ramp door.

You wanted to be angry with Mando, but by the time the sun set a few hours ago, you’d moved past that anger and straight into worry. The bounty hunter had never been gone this long before without contact, and your gut told you something was wrong and wouldn’t let you sleep. You wished you could blame your insomnia completely on your concern, but sadly, that wasn’t the case.

As if on cue, a sudden, piercing shriek echoed through the ship, and all the muscles in your body locked up on reflex.

The child gasped and made a worried noise as he poked his head over the edge of his hammock and stared down at you, and you tried to plaster on a fake, reassuring smile.

“It’s alright,” you murmured, reaching up to gently rock the foundling. “The ship’s closed and locked up. They can’t get us in here.”

The baby made an unconvinced sound, but he settled back into his bed without any further argument.

You sighed as you continued to rock the child, and you did your best not to flinch when another high-pitched screech sounded outside the ship.

You weren’t entirely sure what “they” were, but you knew they were nocturnal and carnivorous. And hungry. The past two mornings, you’d found bloody animal remains torn to bits and strewn along the edges of the clearing the Razor Crest was parked in like gory, crimson confetti. You’d kept the child practically glued to your side during the days because of this, but nothing ever attacked you during the day. They just circled the ship incessantly at night, howling and screeching and keeping you from finding a moment’s peace or rest. They hadn’t outright attacked the ship yet, but you were ready for it, your borrowed blaster a cold and heavy weight tucked under your pillow.

Reaching for it now, you curled your fingers around the familiar hilt and tried to block out the crescendoing, bloodthirsty shrieks of the mysterious jungle beasts.

You didn’t know how or when, but you must have dozed off at some point because all of the sudden, you jolted awake with a panicked gasp.

The bunk was dark and close around you, but since you’d left the door open at your feet, it wasn’t claustrophobic. Your vision was still blurry with sleep, so you swiped at your eyes with the back of your left wrist as you scrambled into a seated position. In your right hand you grasped the blaster, and you pointed it blindly in front of you, toward the rear of the ship.

You couldn’t remember what had woken you up, but it had been something. Your heart pounded a frantic tattoo into the underside of your ribcage, your arm shaking minutely with adrenaline. The ramp was still closed in front of you, so it hadn’t been Mando opening the door and returning. You squinted in the darkness but couldn’t see anything beyond shadows and vague shapes in pale, muted moonlight. It must have still been night, then.

You strained your ears, listening for the howling, but it was quiet. Suspiciously quiet. The jungle beasts usually didn’t go silent until right before dawn, but it was dark enough in the ship that you estimated it was still the middle of the night.

Where had they gone?

Your heart rose up into your throat, sweat beading at every one of your pores, and your mouth was so dry that your throat clicked when you swallowed.

The child made a noise of inquiry above you, barely louder than a breath, but it still made you jump all the same. Your gaze darted upward to find brown eyes staring down at you, but they were wide in an alarmed sort of way. One three-fingered hand poked over the edge of the hammock, making grabby motions at you, and the noise he made this time was more urgent, louder.

Had he heard something, too?

“What is it, little guy?” you whispered, reaching up with your free hand and awkwardly grappling him from his sling-bed.

He tumbled gently into your lap with a soft “oof,” but almost immediately he was standing up, turning around, and frantically patting at your cheek.

“What?” you asked with a frown.

He babbled and continued to tap the side of your face, and his noises grew increasingly distressed until he was grunting with frustration.

Then his tiny palm actually slapped down right across your ear canal so hard that both of your ears rang, and you hissed as you jerked your head back.

“Kriff, what was that fo—” you started to ask, but another hiss cut you off, and this one wasn’t from you.

Your heart stuttered, eyes skipping over the child’s head and out into the cargo bay, and your right hand tightened around the blaster you’d lowered to your side.

But there was nothing there. Nothing moved in the shadowy ship beyond you, and you frowned, thinking your mind was playing tricks on your startled and sleep-addled mind, but then the hiss came again.

And this time, you recognized it.

“Oh, pfassk!” you cursed as you craned around and shoved your hand under the pillow. Your fingers scrambled wildly across the sheet but encountered nothing, and you growled in aggravation, shifting the child off your lap and coming onto your hands and knees. You tossed the pillow over your shoulder in a fit of frustration, and your right hand slapped at the wall around your head until the bunk light came on.

You squinted in the flood of harsh light, the child gurgling behind you, but when your vision cleared, you spotted the thumb-sized comlink off the edge of the cot, shoved up into the far corner of the bunk. You lunged forward and wrapped your fingers around the small device, and the words were falling out of your mouth before you were even sure you had hit the button.

“Mando?” you called into the comlink, cringing when your loud voice echoed back to you in the close confines of the bunk. “Mando, can you hear me?”

Mild static crackled back for a moment as you huddled around the tiny communicator, but then a louder burst of static—the hiss from earlier—exploded to life.

And you were sure you heard Mando’s voice in there.

“Mando!” you shouted as you heart did its best imitation of a speeder, and you cupped both hands around the comlink like that would help him hear you better. “Mando, it’s me! I’m here. Can you hear me?”

Another burst of static. Then…

Mando yelled your name, clear as day, followed by a scream of what sounded like “help” and a chorus of familiar howling, and your stomach bottomed out inside of you.

“Mando!” You were gripping the communicator so hard you were afraid you were going to break it. “Mando, where are you? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t respond. You sat there frozen for a full minute, ears straining to the point of ringing, but only quiet static crackled back at you.

“Dank farrik!” you cursed, punching the side of your fist into the bunk wall.

The child cooed at you, brown eyes big with concern, and he put his tiny hand on your knee as you raked a shaking hand through your hair.

Your chest heaved up and down as you fought for breath, your mind spinning off into a million directions at once.

Mando was in trouble. Mando needed your help. He was fighting jungle beasts, and he was far enough away that you couldn’t hear the shrieking with your own ears, but close enough that he could partially reach you over the comlink. You had to do something. You had to go help him.

But what about the child? What about the ship? You couldn’t take the Razor Crest. It was pitch black outside, and you wouldn’t be able to see Mando below the thick, dark canopy. You had to go on foot.

And you had to take the kid with you.

“Come on,” you said as you tucked the communicator into your pocket, grabbed the foundling and blaster, and scooted to the edge of the bunk. Your boots were on the ground below you, and you shoved your feet in them blindly, tying the laces in three deft movements.

Then you were on your feet, turning on the cargo lights, and jogging the child over to his floating silver carrier. You grabbed the spare remote on top of it, pressing the button and watching the top slide open with a hiss. Then you set the foundling down inside of it, and in the same motion you were tucking the remote into your pocket, turning on heel, and striding for the armory.

Another button press, followed by the hiss of hydraulics, and you were left staring at several walls of guns and weaponry. Some of them you knew. Mando had even taught you how to shoot a few, but those were typically smaller blasters.

And based on those howling screeches, you needed something with more of a kick.

Your eyes skipped over the blaster pistols since you already had the one on your hip, and after a moment’s indecision, your gaze settled on a midsized rifle you’d shot once before. You hadn’t been very good at it, only hit four of the ten targets Mando set out, and you remember it being very heavy.

But it was better than nothing, and you needed something to fight back against the dark jungle.

So, you took the rifle down and looped it around your shoulder, pursing your lips as the strap dug into your skin. You spent a moment checking the power cell and gas canister, and even though both were full, you still stuck a few spares into a belt that you wrapped around your hips. You also added a few grenades to your arsenal, both explosive and ones set to stun, plus a pair of Mando’s vibroknives, as a last defense measure. If you were being honest, if the rifle and grenades failed you, you probably wouldn’t live long enough to use the knives, but it made you feel better to clip their sheaths unto your belt.

The rifle and belt weighed you down with an extra five to six kilos, but you had lugged far heavier burdens through Tatooine’s desert, so you knew you could handle it.

The last two things you grabbed were the head lamp you typically wore when working under or inside ships and the cuff you’d programmed to work the twin lights—along with a variety of other tasks aboard the Razor Crest—resting at each of your temples. The cuff was a haphazard creation of yours made of old leather, metal, and glass, but it worked and was comfortable, which was all that mattered. It also had a small magnetic slot that was specifically meant for the remote of the foundling’s floating carrier, so you fished that out of your pocket and felt it snap into place with a satisfying click.

You were armed and ready now. All you had to do was move.

“Mando,” you said as you stuck the comlink in your ear and synced it to your cuff, which had a built-in frequency booster. You were already moving toward the ramp, tapping at your wrist and listening to the foundling’s carrier humming after you. The rifle felt heavy as you maneuvered it into your slick palms, and your heart hammered a war song in your ears. “Mando, I’m coming for you. Just hold on, okay?”

Static crackled in your ear, and your chest began to heave up and down as adrenaline flooded through you.

“Okay, little man, you’re going to take a nap, alright?” you said as you looked down at the child in his pod, your voice shaking even though you tried to stop it. “And when you wake up, your dad will be back with us.”

He cooed up at you with a fearful expression on his face, but you only spared a moment to press a kiss to his head before you were tapping at your wrist again. The lid of the pod started to hiss close as the ramp of the ship began to clank open, and you slid your finger onto the rifle’s trigger as the door slowly lowered before you.

The ramp finally thudded to the jungle floor, and you took a moment to stare out into the foreboding darkness. The moon was pale and wan in the purple-tinted sky, and all you could see were shadows along the edges of the clearing. Your eyes darted back and forth, every muscle in your body locked and braced for an attack, but nothing happened. Nothing moved save the indigo clouds over head, and the only sound you heard was the muted chirps and hums of insects.

“Okay, come on, quit stalling,” you muttered to yourself even though your heart felt like it was about to roll off your tongue. “Mando doesn’t have time for this.”

At the sound of his name—or at least, the only name you had ever known the bounty hunter by—some of the fear inside you vanished, and you were suddenly jogging down the ramp without further thought. The child’s carrier trailed after you quietly, and you jabbed at your wrist to close and lock up the Razor Crest.

You spared half a glance over your shoulder to make sure the ramp was secured, and then you looked down at your cuff. Mando’s comlink had a built in GPS transmitter, but its range was limited. However, if he was close enough to briefly contact you…

A dot flickered in and out on the grungy screen on your wrist, and you spun in a circle to figure out which direction had the strongest connection. The dot flared brightly when you angled toward the west, and you started running before you even had a plan.

You crashed through the underbrush with the child’s pod hot on your heels, and the thick, humid air sawed in and out of your heaving lungs as you gasped for breath. The lights at your temples provided enough illumination to see several steps ahead of you but not much else, and you tripped and careened over root and vine as you tried not to lose your grip on the rifle.

The good news was the dot on your read-out was no longer flickering, and it was now a strong red point about a kilometer ahead of you.

The bad news?

The jungle was no longer quiet around you.

As your feet pounded into the red soil and carried you forward, static crackled loudly in your ear, and the howling returned, faint at first but growing closer. Shivers wracked your sweat-slicked spine, and every fiber of your being was screaming to run the other way.

But you couldn’t. Because now you could hear Mando grunting and shouting over the comlink, clearer and clearer with each step, and as you vaulted over a protruding root in your path, you distinctly heard a roar of rage directly ahead of you.

You would have shouted his name if there was any breath left in your lungs, but instead you just lowered your head and sprinted as fast as you could.

The howling was nearly deafening now, echoing all around you, seeming to come from every shadow in the jungle. Your ears rang with the soul-piercing shrieks, and the cacophony was so disorienting, you tripped over your own feet and crashed into the dirt.

“Kriff!” you gasped, your knees and palms stinging as you skidded to a halt. Dots danced in front of your eyes as you panted harshly, and the rifle knocked painfully against your sternum.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the child’s pod come to a stop several feet away, the silver orb glinting in the pale moonlight barely filtering through the canopy.

Then you saw something else shift in the shadows behind the floating carrier.

At first, you thought it was your swimming vision, but then the weak lights of your headlamp reflected off several glinting eyes, and the breath stalled in your lungs.

A guttural, wet growl echoed out of the bushes beyond the foundling’s pod, and in the next instant the beast was lunging forward, vaulting over the carrier in one bound.

You yelped as you scrambled backward, fumbling for the rifle’s trigger, and you got the barrel up just in time to block a bifurcated jaw of gnashing fangs. The beast let out a piercing shriek as it snapped at your face, and the familiar sound nearly popped your eardrum at this proximity, but the pain barely even registered as you wedged your legs up under the creature’s chest and heaved it off you.

The beast let out a high-pitched yip as it smacked into a tree trunk, but you didn’t give it the chance to regain its feet. In one swift movement, you brought the rifle up, sighted down the barrel, and pulled the trigger.

The blaster must have been set on full-auto because a continuous stream of energy screamed out of the weapon, and the barrel jerked upward with the recoil. Bolts of energy shredded through the vines and branches overhead, and some kind of bat-bird creature screeched as it dove out of the canopy and swooped over you. It thankfully wasn’t trying to attack, merely flee, and the avian-beast cawed angrily as it disappeared into the jungle.

“P-Pfassk,” you panted, your voice as jittery as your racing pulse. Still, you scrambled to your feet, with the smoking rifle held tight in your shaking grasp, and you stared wide-eyed at the corpse of the beast that had attacked you.

The thing was almost two meters long, and six disjointed looking limbs jutted out from underneath it. Your would-be-killer looked vaguely canine yet also insect-like, with its long snout and what looked like scaled plates along its spine. The combination made your stomach churn. The blaster had carved smoldering holes into most of the creature’s flesh, but the uncharred remains were blackish-purple, mottled with spots of blue and green that matched the jungle’s underbrush. The beast was entirely hairless and slick-looking like an oil spill, and its bifurcated maw hung open to reveal rows of rotted black fangs. Two pairs of pale white eyes stared blindly up at the dark sky, and purplish blood seeped out around the carcass to stain the jungle floor.

Bile rose in your throat, but before you could even process your fear, terror, and revulsion, a very human sounding scream echoed through the dark night, and you whipped your head in the direction it had come from.

“Mando,” you breathed, and you spared the dead beast one last glance before you took off running again, every sense on high alert.

You didn’t dare blink as you crashed through the underbrush, and you pushed your aching limbs as fast as they would go. The din of snarling and howling was so loud now it was rattling your teeth, and all of the sudden you were stumbling out of the thick tree line and into a small clearing.

A clearing riddled with bodies, both living and dead.

Your brain stuttered as it tried to assess the scene before you. The canopy overhead was broken in a perfect circle, so the moonlight here was strong and bright after the deep shadows of the jungle, and it illuminated everything perfectly. The Mandalorian stood in the center of the carnage, half collapsed against a rotten log twice as tall as he was. Carcasses of the canine-like beasts were piled up in mounds around the clearing, some shot but some charred into blackened skeletons, and the stench of burnt flesh invaded your nose and sat heavy on the back of your tongue.

For every dead beast, though, there were two more still snarling, and boy, were they pissed.

The pack of creatures prowled in a semi-circle before the bounty hunter, all their attention centered on him, and they growled and snapped their bifurcated jaws in his direction. They didn’t seem to want to attack him head on, and a moment later you saw why.

One of the beasts must have reached its breaking point, because with the same piercing shriek that had kept you up the past two nights, it lunged for the Mandalorian, the moonlight glinting off the armored plates along its spine.

The poor bastard never made it.

While the creature was still in mid-air, Mando jerked his wrist up, and a blast of flames roared out of his vambrace. The beast screeched as it was swallowed by the inferno, and its charred corpse crashed to the ground at Mando’s feet a moment later. The remainder of the pack snarled in fury as they paced in front of the bounty hunter, but you felt your throat tighten with fear.

The flamethrower was obviously a great weapon at repelling these creatures, but judging by the radius on that last spurt of fire, you estimated Mando had enough fuel for one, maybe two more attacks.

And there were dozens of the beasts left.

What were you going to do?

You heaved for breath as your eyes darted around the clearing, trying to look for a solution, but you knew the answer was obvious: you were going to have to fight.

You blindly tapped at your wrist, and a moment later the child’s carrier rose up above your head and nestled against the lowest branch of the tree you were standing under. You didn’t know if the beasts could climb, but the pod was made of a strong, reinforced metal, so as long as the creatures didn’t notice the kid, he should be fine.

The same couldn’t be said for you.

Maker, you were going to regret this, weren’t you?

You didn’t give yourself the chance to change your mind.

“Hey!” you shouted as you stepped further into the clearing, one of your hands dropping to the belt on your waist.

The chorus of snarls and growls tapered off for a moment as the pack whipped around in unison to face you, and the saliva evaporated in your mouth as you stared at the dozens of glowing white eyes.

At the sound of your voice, you could see Mando jerk upright in your peripherals, but you didn’t dare tear your eyes off the pack as they started to stalk toward you. Sweat dripped down your face and trickled along your spine as you palmed a cold, heavy orb in your right hand, and you watched the distance between you and the creatures shrink bit by bit.

Mando shouted your name, but you ignored him.

“Yeah, that’s right!” you yelled at the beasts instead. “You guys hungry? Why don’t you come and get me?”

“What are you doing?” Mando roared, but you still didn’t pay him any mind as you tracked the pack. There were maybe three dozen left alive, and they bared their black fangs at you as they drew closer and closer.

Twenty meters… fifteen… ten…

Now.

“Take this!” You heaved your arm back, aimed at the beast in the center of the pack’s line, and threw with all your might, and the creature yelped as the stun grenade struck him in the skull.

A moment later, a web of electricity exploded out of the orb and arced through half of the pack, and the poor bastards screeched and screamed as they fell spasming to the jungle floor. The beasts on the edges snarled as they jumped away from their sparking brethren, and you saw some of the canine-monsters retreat into the shadows of the clearing.

This was your chance.

You darted forward the moment you had a clear path to take, and you vaulted over the pack’s twitching bodies in three swift strides. When you landed on the other side of them, you spun around and faced the fallen creatures as they whined and spasmed on the ground. Then you lifted your rifle, aimed haphazardly, and pulled the trigger. You swept the barrel from side to side for a moment, energy bolts tearing and searing through flesh, but then you whirled back around and sprinted toward the Mandalorian’s prone form.

He was propped up against the log with his legs splayed out in front of him, and you inhaled sharply when you saw the dark stain of blood on the ground beneath his right thigh. His Amban rifle lay beside him, but since he wasn’t using it, you assumed he was out of ammo. The bounty hunter listed heavily onto what you first thought was a rock of some kind, but as you skidded to a stop in front of him, you realized the lump was the body of another humanoid, except it didn’t look to be breathing.

“Mando!” you gasped as you crouched down in front of him. “Maker, w-what happened—”

“What are you doing here?” he cut you off with a snarl, and the absolute rage in his voice drew you up short.

You gaped at his visor, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. “W-What… you called—”

“I didn’t call you, he did, right before they tore out his throat,” Mando growled and shoved the prone form beside him.

The body flopped over with a thud, and you stifled a gag when you realized the poor bastard had been eviscerated. He was torn open from gut to gullet, intestines and innards gleaming wetly in the dark, and his bulging black eyes stared up unseeingly at the moon.

“Dank farrik, Mando,” you breathed in horror. “What happened?”

The Mandalorian tilted his helmet up to look at you, but then his gaze seemed to shift over your shoulder, and he was suddenly latching onto your wrist with an iron grip and tugging you forward.

“Watch out!” he shouted as you tripped over his legs and landed on the other side of him, and a moment later you heard and felt the roar of flames at your back as another beast met a smoldering end.

You scrambled up onto your knees and whirled around, rifle held at the ready, but there were only the two new dead creatures sprawled at Mando’s feet. Their corpses smoked as their blackened flesh crackled, and this time you weren’t successful in stifling your gag. You dry-heaved off to the side, tears blurring your vision, but when the chorus of bone-chilling howls started up again, you blinked away the tears and clenched your rifle in a white-knuckled grip.

“We gotta get out of here,” you panted, your eyes darting from place to place as you tried to track the beasts slithering through the shadows.

“Can’t,” Mando grunted, and all of the sudden, you realized his voice sounded off, slurred.

You whipped back around to face the bounty hunter, and your gaze immediately fell to the dark stain under his leg. It had grown since you’d first seen it, and then you realized a haphazard tourniquet was lashed around the top of his leg, right above the metal plate that covered the front of his thigh.

“You’re hurt,” you breathed. It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah.” Mando’s head jerked up and down in an unsteady nod. “Just… happened. One of them got me… when I was trying to save the bounty. Pretty sure they nicked my femoral.”

His words were softer and definitely slurred now, and panic rose up in your throat like a burning coal.

“Then we need to get back to the Razor Crest now,” you said as you reached for his shoulders, but the Mandalorian sluggishly shoved you away.

“I’ll… only slow you down,” he grunted. “The bounty and I… are easy meals. The pack should stay to finish us off while you make a break for the sh—”

“No,” you cut him off, and the snarl in your voice surprised even you. “No, Mando. I’m not leaving you to die. We’re only a kilometer away from the Razor Crest. I have extra power cells and grenades. We can make it.”

Mando’s head thunked back against the log he leaned on as he stared up at you, and even if you couldn’t see the face underneath the visor, you could see the resignation in every inch of him.

And it ignited a fury in you unlike anything you had ever known.

“So, what?” you growled, bending down to bare your teeth in his face. “You’re just gonna sit here and die? What about the kid? You just gonna abandon him?”

You’re just going to abandon me? you didn’t say, but the words rattled against the backs of your clenched teeth.

“He’ll… have you,” Mando said, and suddenly his gloved hand reached up as if to touch your face, but he didn’t seem to have the strength, and the tip of his index finger barely grazed the edge of your jaw. His touch left behind a warm streak on your skin, and you didn’t have to look to know it was blood.

“That’s not good enough,” you snarled before you stooped down and grabbed the ends of his makeshift tourniquet, yanking tightly on both ends until Mando groaned in pain and latched onto your shoulders.

He murmured your name, his modulator crackling in your ear, but you ignored him as you looped his spent Amban rifle over his shoulder and shifted to slide your left arm behind his back, throwing his right arm over your shoulders. You took two deep breaths to brace yourself, and then you dug your fingers into his waist as you tried to leverage the both of you onto your feet.

It was nearly impossible. The Mandalorian had to weigh nearly ninety kilos in his beskar, and with the added weight of the weapons and grenades you carried, you could feel the muscles in your legs, core, and back scream at the strain.

“Dank… farrik,” you hissed out between clenched teeth, but you managed to get the two of you upright, even if Mando was practically limp against you. Still, you had to leverage your back against the log behind you to keep from collapsing.

“We’ll never make it… back to the ship like this,” Mando panted, his cold helmet brushing against the shell of your ear.

“Shut up,” you gritted out, listening to the howling beasts closing in again like they could sense your weakness. “I refuse to leave you behind. So, unless you want to kill us both, you need to get your ass in gear, Mando. I can keep them off our backs as we go, but you need to walk with me. Understand?”

“Cyare,” he slurred, and the unfamiliar word sounded pained as his helmet thunked into your temple. “I… don’t want you to die.”

“Then walk,” you grunted as you tightened your grip on his waist and lurched forward a step.

Mando staggered behind you, half draped over your back, but you widened your stance and refused to go down.

“Please… Mando,” you panted, shoving the barrel of your rifle into the loamy red soil to act as a crutch. “Help me save us. Just… just put one foot in front of the other.”

“Wait,” the Mandalorian said, and he actually lifted his head off your shoulder. “The bounty…”

“The bounty’s dead,” you grunted as your eyes darted to the trees again. You could see the sinuous shapes of the pack weaving between the towering trunks, but they kept their distance for the moment. They’d lost more than half of their numbers by your estimate, and you prayed to the Maker they would just give up, but you knew that would be way too convenient for your life.

“The puck… said dead or alive,” Mando sighed, his arm weighing down on the nape of your neck like a yoke, and it reminded you of the slave’s collar you once wore.

“I can’t carry both of you back, Mando,” you growled in frustration. “I can barely drag you.”

“Don’t need the whole body,” he clarified. “Just… the head. It’s… a big bounty.”

You groaned as you glanced down at the quarry’s corpse, and then you tilted your head back to try and look at Mando.

“Can you stand by yourself for a minute?” you asked.

“Maybe,” Mando grunted, but he shifted his weight off you bit by bit and leaned up against the tall log at your backs. His boots slid a few inches in the blood-soaked dirt as he almost collapsed, but he dug his gloved fingers into the rigid bark and stood there shaking.

“Didn’t know I was paying you for maybes,” you parroted his words from days ago back at him in an attempt to take his mind off the pain, and it seemed to work because he actually huffed out a strained-sounding chuckle.

“Hurry,” he panted, and you nodded as you quickly stepped away from him, stood over the bounty’s corpse, and shoved the barrel of your rifle between his shoulder and neck.

It was so dark, and you were running on so much adrenaline you couldn’t even be sure of what species the man used to be, but you pushed the thought away as you took a deep breath and held down the trigger.

The rifle screeched as it tore through flesh like a hot knife through butter, and you tried to ignore the feeling of lukewarm blood splattering across your lower legs. Moments later, the jittery, rapid-fire motions of the gun ceased, and the bounty’s head rolled away from the smoldering stump of his neck.

Bile rose up in your throat again, but you swallowed it down as you picked up the decapitated head and started punching buttons on your cuff.

Instantly, you heard the familiar hum of the child’s pod drone closer and closer, and behind you Mando inhaled sharply as the jungle dogs yipped in curiosity from the shadows.

“You brought the kid?” he growled.

“Well, it wasn’t like you left me much kriffing choice, but you can fire me later for child endangerment,” you snapped as the carrier floated down to stop in front of you. Then you turned to the Mandalorian and held out your bloodied hand. “I need your fibercord whip. Eject it.”

Mando didn’t even question you, he just did as he was bid. Within moments, you had the thin but strong wire wound up in your palm, and then you started the gory process of wrapping it securely around the bounty’s bloody head. Your stomach churned at the slick warm goo covering your skin, but you swallowed the saliva pooling in your mouth as you tapped at your wrist again.

The child’s pod opened with a hiss, and you made sure to lower the decapitated head so it was below the carrier and out of the foundling’s line of sight.

“Hey there, bud,” you said as you leaned down and tucked the end of the fibercord into the interior of the pod near the hinges. “Look who I found.”

The foundling cooed and gurgled happily when he caught sight of the Mandalorian, and he lifted his arms and made grabby motions at the bounty hunter.

“Not yet,” you said as you stepped forward and blocked Mando from view. “First, we need to get back to the ship, so I need to close you up again. Don’t worry about anything you hear, though, okay? I promise we’ll be fine.”

The child murmured a soft sound as you bent down and kissed his wrinkled brow, but then you tapped at your wrist, and the pod closed with another hiss, locking the wire with the dangling head in place. You keyed in a few more commands, and the carrier rose up high above you, hovering at least six meters off the ground. Blood dripped from the severed stump of the quarry’s neck as it dangled from the pod, and you flinched when a speck of it landed on your cheek. It might be disgusting, but this way, the child and the remainder of the bounty would hopefully be out of reach of any of the beasts, and you could focus all your energy on getting you and Mando back to the Razor Crest.

“Alright.” You tore your gaze away from the silver pod and shifted your grasp on the rifle, wedging the stock against your right shoulder as tight as you could. You knew your aim would be abysmal since you were going have to shoot one handed while dragging Mando, but you hoped the full-auto setting would grant you some leeway. “Let’s go.”

“You really should—” the Mandalorian started, but you clicked your tongue to cut him off.

“That wasn’t a request,” you said as you sidled up against the bounty hunter and double checked that his tourniquet was secure.

“Fine.” He reluctantly draped his right arm over your shoulder, and you wrapped your left one around his waist. Then the two of you pushed off the log at your backs, and you staggered forward several steps, trying not to trip on any dead jungle dogs.

Mando’s cold beskar felt like it was burning you wherever it brushed against your bare, hot flesh, and he groaned in your ear as he practically dragged his injured leg behind him. The agony of his voice made you want to stop and sprint forward all at the same time, but you settled for stumbling several more steps.

“That’s it,” you panted in encouragement. “One step at a time.”

The pack howled and shrieked as you painstakingly shuffled your way across the clearing, but you haphazardly aimed your rifle into the jungle and held down the trigger. Rapid-fire bolts of energy careened into the darkness, illuminating white eyes and flashes of twining vines and snarling beasts, but several yowls echoed through the night, so you knew you’d hit at least some of them.

“Mando,” you gritted out as you neared the tree line. “I need you to hit my cuff. There’s a button on the side that will turn up my headlamp. I want it at maximum. Since these bastards are nocturnal, I’m guessing they don’t like the light.”

The Mandalorian grunted something that sounded like an affirmative, and then his left hand was swatting blindly at your cuff. After fumbling for a moment, his thick, gloved fingers encircled your wrist, his thumb brushing faintly over your thudding pulse point.

Your feet nearly tangled beneath you, but then Mando found the button on your cuff, and he pressed on it until the lights at your temple were bright enough to blind. The beams of white light cut through the oppressive darkness of the jungle, and the canine creatures yelped in pain as they darted back into the shadows. You swung your gaze back and forth, your lamp dragging over the scenery like a burning laser, and the beasts whimpered as their tails disappeared into the bushes.

“Come on,” you groaned as you dragged Mando forward, and the two of you finally stumbled into the thick of the trees.

You didn’t know how much time passed as you and the Mandalorian struggled back to the ship. Seconds seemed like minutes, minutes hours. The moon appeared frozen in the sky above your head, and more than once you had the thought that you were already dead, and this was some messed up version of an afterlife where you were tortured for eternity.

In the end, though, you knew you were alive.

If you weren’t, it wouldn’t hurt so much.

“Left,” Mando slurred in your ear, half draped over your back, and your feet stuttered as you swung both of you around to the left.

The rifle screeched as it fired off into the darkness, followed by the yelps of dying dogs, and you hissed as the stock dug into your already sore shoulder. The pack snarled and gurgled as they encircled you, but they were hesitant now that you’d killed a majority of them. You wondered why they just didn’t give up, but you realized they could most likely sense you weakening, slowing.

Sweat ran in rivers down your face and spine, and every tendon in your body felt like it was on the edge of snapping. You could tell Mando was trying to take some of his weight off you, but he was becoming more and more unsteady with each step, his breath jagged and uneven as it rasped out of his helmet. He probably wouldn’t remain conscious for much longer, and if he passed out before you reached the ship, you were both dead. You couldn’t fully carry him, and you would not even entertain the idea of leaving him, so it was all or nothing.

Either you both reached the ship together, or neither of you did.

But, as you glanced up at the child’s pod hovering high over your head, you knew the second choice wasn’t really an option. The kid needed you. Needed both of you.

So, you were going to kriffing live, even if you had to break your body down to achieve your goal.

“Come on,” you encouraged as you stumbled over a tree root. “Come on, Mando. We’re almost there. Stay with me, okay?”

You had no idea if you were almost there or not. The homing beacon on your cuff was beeping steadily, but with all the howling, and the blood pounding through your ears, you couldn’t approximate how close you were to the Razor Crest.

“I’m… trying,” Mando mumbled, lifting his head just slightly. “B-Behind us.”

You cursed under your breath, letting the rifle dangle against your chest as you fumbled at your waist. Your fingers curled around a cold, metal orb, and you clicked the button in its center before you lobbed the grenade over your shoulder with all the strength you had left, which wasn’t much.

Then you staggered forward a little faster, dragging the bounty hunter behind you, and five seconds later, you heard the stun grenade go off, followed by the crackling of static and the yelping of beasts.

“That’s my last… stun grenade,” you panted, and the hair on your arms stood on end with all the electricity in the moist air. “I have some explosive ones… but…”

“But we’re not fast enough to get out of range in time,” Mando finished for you, his helmet bumping into the crown of your head as he sagged a little more.

“Yeah,” you huffed, but then a crunch to your right had you whirling and firing in one motion.

The canine yipped and screeched as the energy bolts tore through its chest mid-lunge, and it crashed into the ground at your feet as you staggered into a tree. The bark scraped painfully across your bare shoulder blades, and Mando groaned as you almost lost your grip on him.

“No,” you growled, tightening your arm around the bounty hunter and tugging you both upright. “Dank… farrik!”

The muscles in your arm burned hotly from the strain of keeping the Mandalorian on his feet, and you bit through your tongue to keep from crying out, the metallic taste of blood coating your teeth and whetting your parched mouth.

You stumbled forward blindly as you tried to work through the pain, but all the sudden, the claustrophobic darkness caused by the towering trees lessened a few degrees. You thought you were hallucinating it at first, but then you lifted your head a fraction and realized the trees were thinning out ahead of you.

And the beacon in your cuff was beeping like mad.

You were almost there. The Razor Crest was so close.

Of course, that’s when the snarling behind you reached new frantic heights, and you knew the pack was gearing up for one final assault.

“Mando, listen to me,” you gasped as you shifted to shove him against a tree, using your palm to keep him rooted at the sternum and on his feet.

He groaned as he listed there, mumbling something that didn’t sound like it was in Basic, but he remained upright, so you seized the opportunity to jab at the screen on your wrist. A moment later, the child’s pod swooped down from where it had been hovering near the canopy, and the bounty’s head dragged against the jungle floor with a dull crunch. You tweaked the carrier’s settings half blind, one eye on the encroaching darkness and the beasts therein, and then you grabbed the floating orb and shoved it against Mando’s gut.

“Ugh,” the bounty hunter grunted, his feet starting to slide out from under him.

“No, lean forward,” you rushed out, grabbing one of his shoulders and tugging him toward you.

Mando moaned as he collapsed onto the child’s pod, but since you’d cranked up the carrier’s power output to the max, the bounty hunter didn’t crash to the ground. Instead, he hung there half suspended, the pod whirling angrily from his added weight, his feet limp and dragging behind him.

“Mando,” you said as you tapped the side of his helmet, eyes still on the shadowy trees. “Mando, I need you to hold onto that pod as tight as you can, okay? Can you hear me?”

“Hear… you,” the Mandalorian just barely breathed, and you saw his arms wrap around the bottom of the silver carrier.

“Hold on like your life depends on it,” you instructed as you tapped at your wrist again. “Because it does.”

“What—” he started to ask, but he didn’t get to finish the question because the pod was suddenly surging forward, in the direction of the ship. The bounty’s head and Mando’s feet dragged loudly against the ground, but with one last jolt of power, the pod lifted away from the jungle floor and began to float away.

The pod would probably have just enough power to get Mando back to the ship before it died, but that was fine. That was just what you needed.

The jungle dogs howled and shrieked as they watched the Mandalorian drifting away through the trees, but as you listened to them start to skirt around you in his direction, you finally gripped the rifle with two hands and aimed into the dark.

Then you pulled the trigger, full-auto, and the shrieking of the energy bolts collided with the screeching of the canines and crescendoed into a deafening cacophony. You sprayed the jungle in wide sweeps as you slowly started to walk backward toward the Razor Crest, the rifle stock jolting into your shoulder in time with your racing heart. You just needed to give Mando time to reach the ship. You had programmed the pod to open the ramp at a certain distance, so they would just fly on into the cargo bay, and it would close behind them. Once they were safe, you could make a break for it and—

Suddenly, one of the shadows broke away from the trunk directly to your right, and you turned too late to see it was a slavering beast, its bifurcated jaw wide open and aimed for your throat.

“Ahh!” You stumbled back, trying to crane away from those jagged black fangs, but your feet got tangled up beneath you, and you came crashing down. A root slammed into one of your rear ribs so hard you heard and felt the snap as the bone gave, but you didn’t even have time to register that pain before the jungle dog smashed into your chest.

You instinctively shoved your arms outward, wedging the rifle between those deadly, snapping jaws. One of the beast’s jagged fangs scraped down your forearm as you tried to keep the bastard from swallowing you whole, and you screamed in fury and pain as blood spilled from your rending flesh.

Then you brought your knee up and smashed it as hard as you could into the jungle dog’s ribcage, and this time you felt its rib snap, and grim satisfaction burned like a wildfire through your blood. The warmth filled your limbs until you thought you would burst into flame, and you kicked the beast again and again as it yipped.

You were just starting to think you had the upper hand when the creature’s jaw started to close with a creaking sound of bone on metal, and your eyes widened in horror as the canine jerked its head back, taking your rifle with it. Then its bifurcated jaw snapped close with a horrible crunch, and the rifle shattered into shards of metal and sparks.

The beast roared in pain and rage as it tossed the remains of your rifle aside, but now you were acting on pure survival instinct, not thought, not logic, and you were already wrenching two grenades and a vibroknife off your belt when the nightmare dog finally settled its four milky white eyes on your face.

“Eat this, you bastard,” you snarled as its terrible jaws, rowed with serrated teeth, descended on you.

Then with one hand you stabbed the vibroknife into its neck just above the shoulder, and with the other you activated the grenades and shoved both of them down the jungle dog’s throat.

Warm blood sprayed down on you like humid rainfall, and you twisted the blade in to the hilt, feeling as it tore through flesh in a jittery fashion. The creature gagged and gurgled as its throat muscles convulsed around your other wrist for just an instant, but then you yanked your arms back with all your might, teeth catching on your elbow again, before you crashed into the dirt.

You were scrambling up in the next instant, barely listening to the creature heaving and choking behind you as you staggered forward into a clumsy sprint.

The rest of the pack howled at your back, but you were flat out running now, and you could see the Razor Crest through the trees. The pounding of paws on dirt sounded at your heels, and you couldn’t tell if you were gasping for breath or sobbing as you tore the final grenades off your belt, activated them, and let them fall through your numb fingers.

In the next instant, you broke through the tree line, and you could see the ramp of the Razor Crest, closing. You slapped at your wrist blindly as you sprinted as fast as you could, lungs heaving to the point of seizures, legs at the point of collapse. You didn’t know if the dogs were still right behind you, but the grenades…

You must have finally hit the right command because the ramp suddenly shuddered before it started to lower again, and you were ten meters away when the grenades went off like dominoes falling.

The first two explosions—of the grenades you shoved into the jungle dog—only shook the ground hard enough to make you stumble forward, but then the rest of them detonated much closer, and the combined shockwave hit you moments later and catapulted you into the air.

Thankfully, the ramp was just low enough that you scraped over it and crashed into the ship, smashing into a bulkhead with a dull crunch. The howling shrieks of dying dogs reached you through the ringing in your ears, and you felt a wave of heat hit you as the grenades engulfed the jungle trees. You curled into a ball on the cargo bay floor, your back to the ramp, and you just barely had the presence of mind to tap at your wrist one last time. A moment later, you heard the whirling of the ramp closing, and when it clanked shut a moment later, you rolled over onto your back and stared blindly above you.

You could just barely hear the roar of the building wildfire outside the ship, and the screeching of the jungle dogs died down within seconds. Your entire body—your lungs, your heart—heaved up and down as adrenaline pulsed through you like a bad hit of spice, and your ears ached in the relative silence.

Then the child cooed, and Mando groaned weakly, and you jolted upright like you had just been struck by lightning.

“Mando,” you rasped, flipping over onto your raw hands and bruised knees.

The bounty hunter half-sat, half-sprawled on the floor at the foot of his bunk. The foundling’s pod lay askew on the ground in front of the fresher like it had crash landed there when it finally died, but the child stood unharmed beside the Mandalorian.

Who was currently bleeding out on the floor of the cargo bay.

“Kriff!” You scrambled forward when you saw the spreading stain of blood below his leg, and as you drew closer, you realized his tourniquet must have been loosened when he collapsed.        

The Mandalorian barely even seemed conscious at this point. His chest stirred only slightly beneath his beskar chest plate, and if it weren’t for the soft groans he was exhaling, you would have thought him dead.

“Mando!” you shouted as you shakily rose onto your feet and staggered the rest of the way to the fresher. Your hands were shaking as you tore one of the storage compartments open in search of a med kit, and your voice cracked when you said his name again. “Mando! Stay with me. We made it back. We’re on the ship. Just stay with me for a few more moments. Please.”

You crashed down onto your knees beside the bounty hunter, tearing the med kit open with bloody hands and broken nails. His helmeted head lolled onto the edge of the bunk behind him, and you could barely hear his raspy breaths through the modulator.

The child stood between Mando’s splayed boots, eyes large and frightened, but you couldn’t pay him any mind right now. Your frantic gaze darted between the bacta gel patch in your hand and Mando’s bleeding leg, and even though it felt crazy, you set the patch down for a moment and reached for the last vibroknife on your belt.

Suddenly, Mando jerked awake with a gasp, and you reached out without thinking, pressing your left palm over his heart and feeling his faint, fluttering pulse.

“Mando, I’m right here,” you murmured soothingly. “Keep breathing for me.”

The Mandalorian muttered your name as his head lolled toward you.

“Yes, that’s me, I’m here,” you said, rising up on your knees and leaning over him. The vibroknife glimmered in your hand, looking like a real-life glitch, but you shook off the unsettling feeling and fixed your eyes on Mando’s visor.

“Mesh’la,” the Mandalorian slurred. The word was soft and elongated to the point of sounding like gibberish, but his hand settled firmly on the wrist you still had pressed to his heart, like he was talking directly to you.

In any other situation, your own heart would be fluttering with a feeling you didn’t want to name, but as the bounty hunter’s blood started to soak into the knees of your pants, all you could feel was dread.

“I need you to stay still, okay?” you said as you dropped your hand from his chest to grip the top of his injured thigh. “I need to cut your pants away from the wound.”

“O… kay,” he muttered, and his hand fell to settle over yours again on his leg like he was grounding himself by touching you.

“Nice and easy,” you cooed, trying to blink the tears out of your eyes so you could see to cut through his pants and not his flesh. “I’ll have that bacta patch on in just a moment. Why don’t you talk to me, huh? Mando, talk to me. Tell me something. J-Just stay awake.”

“Aw…ake,” he whispered, but it sounded like he was just repeating you now, barely clinging to consciousness.

Your hand shook as you slowly sawed through the blood-soaked fabric, and an aborted sob rose in your throat. But you shoved your hysteria down, down, down, you had no time for it, you had to stay level-headed, steady-handed, Mando was counting on you, Mando was dying.

“Mando,” you choked as you finally pulled the cloth away from his wound. Three parallel gashes, each nearly five centimeters deep, ran from his hip crease and nearly all the way to his knee, and blood pulsed sluggishly from the wounds in crimson gobs. “Oh, Maker, Mando.”

You dropped the vibroknife with a loud clang as you lunged for the bacta patch, and out of your peripherals you could see the child waddling closer, standing in between the Mandalorian’s knees, the hem of his little robe slowly staining scarlet. You didn’t have the heart or the strength to shove the child away now, so instead you focused on settling the bacta patch over the bounty hunter’s grisly injuries.

Mando twitched and inhaled sharply as the bacta adhered to his skin, and you sent up a million prayers to the Maker that you had administered aid in time.

“There y-you go,” you sniffled, unable to stop the tears from coursing down your cheeks now. “I got the patch on, Mando. You’re going t-to be okay. You… you have to be okay. Do you hear me, Mando?”

You felt like a glitching holotape repeating his name over and over, but you couldn’t stop yourself. You wanted, no needed, him to stay awake, and every time you said his name, he seemed to jerk a little, like he’d been recalled from a long distance at the sound of your voice.

For a moment, there was only the faint, raspy wheeze of the Mandalorian’s breath through his helmet, but then he suddenly mumbled something.

“What?” You shuffled closer, slipping in blood. You practically had your ear pressed against his visor. “What was that, Mando? Say it again. Come on, talk to me, Mando.”

“Not… Mando.”

The words were stilted, sluggish, and you frowned in confusion. “Huh? I-I don’t understand.”

“My… name isn’t… Mando,” the bounty hunter struggled out, and his helmet tilted forward a fraction like he had lifted his head and was looking right at you. “It’s… Din. Din Djarin.”

The shock you felt was muted, distant and removed, like a crack that formed deep in the heart of a glacier, buried beneath the adrenaline, horror, and helplessness warring within you.

“Din,” you breathed, and the word somehow tasted like the exact moment Peli dug out your transmitter chip. It tasted like freedom, like infinite possibility, and you didn’t understand why.

Mando—no, Din, Din Djarin—exhaled heavily as his head thunked back against the bunk, and even if you couldn’t see it, you could tell his eyes were slipping closed. “I… wanted at least someone to know before I—”

“No,” you cut him off vehemently, reaching out to cradle the sides of his helmet like you were cupping his face. “No, you’re not going to die. Not now. Not when… no, do you hear me, Din Djarin? I will not allow you to die. Not when I worked my ass off to fix this ship and drag you back onto it by the skin of my kriffing teeth.”

“Mmmm.” Din’s head lolled in your grasp, the weight of him growing heavier and heavier. “I knew I would like the way… you say my name.”

Oh, Maker. He was nonsensical now, and terror gripped you by the throat and squeezed.

“Then stay awake, Din,” you begged, and your heart felt like it was on the edge of a great precipice. “Stay awake for me.”

“’m so… tired,” he sighed.

“I know,” you breathed as you guided his head back to rest against the bunk, and you couldn’t speak above a whisper because your voice was thick with tears. “I know, but just listen to my voice, Din. Just—”

You trailed off as the child suddenly waddled into your line of sight, and you dropped your gaze slightly to find him standing between the Mandalorian’s thighs, right next to the bacta covered wounds. The foundling stared up at the bounty hunter with a furrowed, seemingly determined expression, and then he closed his big brown eyes as he reached for Din’s leg.

“Oh, buddy, don’t,” you started, reaching out to stop him, but Din—Maker, his name felt delicious and forbidden even in your mind—weakly placed his hand on your wrist to stop you.

“It’s… okay,” he panted. “He can help.”

“Help?” You frowned down at the child. How could he help? Was this one of the “powers” the bounty hunter had vaguely mentioned before? You thought the foundling’s ability dealt with physically moving things, not healing, but honestly you could do for a miracle right about now.

The child gurgled a small noise as his three fingers settled over Din’s wound, and the Mandalorian inhaled sharply at the same time that you felt… something. You weren’t sure what it was, but it was like the very air shifted, became magnetic, charged somehow. The air stilled in your lungs as you feared even the barest breath would fracture this fragile spell you were bearing witness to, and you watched with wide eyes as the gashes on the bounty hunter’s legs began to close right in front of you.

Bacta worked fast… but not that fast.

Several still, endless seconds passed as the foundling healed the Mandalorian, but then just as soon as it began, the moment ended. The atmosphere snapped almost tangibly, time jolted back into motion, and the child suddenly started to pitch backward.

“Oh!” you gasped as you lunged forward, your hands cupping the baby and bringing him close to your body. The foundling’s eyes were closed, his face slack, but his little chest still moved up and down with breath.

“He’s okay.”

You snapped your head up, more tears spilling down your cheeks with the motion.

Din was sitting up a little straighter, and his helmet looked squarely at you. His voice sounded stronger, too, and you gaped at him in bewilderment.

“He’s okay,” the Mandalorian repeated when you continued to blink at him. “He usually… tires himself out when he uses his powers.”

“I d-didn’t know he could do that,” you breathed, and your tongue felt like a disembodied lump of flesh in your mouth. “I… wait, how do you feel? A-Are you okay?”

You suddenly realized how close you still were to the bounty hunter, practically kneeling in his lap, but you ignored this as your eyes darted back to his leg. It was a little hard to tell through the dried blood and blue bacta, but it looked like the three gashes had closed altogether, leaving behind faint pink lines.

“I’ll survive,” the bounty hunter sighed, thunking his head back against the bunk again, but he tilted it to the side to regard you still. “Thanks to you.”

“I-I’m not the one who just healed you with magic,” you stuttered incredulously as your cheeks flared hot, and you cuddled the child against your chest even though you realized you knew almost nothing about the apparently powerful foundling.

“No,” Mando said evenly, “but you did charge out into a dark, unknown, dangerous jungle, fight off a pack of wild dogs, and drag both me and the bounty back safely.”

“Well,” you snorted with an edge of hysteria in your voice, and you gestured to the discarded head that lay sprawled against the corner of the fresher. “I don’t know if I’d say he got here safely.”

Maker, you felt a little crazy, hollowed out and wrung dry by the sheer amount of emotions you’d just experienced in a span of a few minutes.

“I’m serious,” the Mandalorian replied. “You… saved my life. I am in your debt.”

“I-I’m not one for debts.” You shook your head to try and clear it, dropping your gaze to the foundling’s face, nuzzled against your sternum. “I don’t like to owe anyone or be owed. You’ve stuck your neck out for me before, so let’s just call it even… Din.”

You saw the bounty hunter freeze out of the corner of your eye, and you bit your cheek until you tasted blood.

You should have known that was too much to ask for.

“Sorry,” you muttered, peeking up at the Mandalorian through your lashes. “You… mentioned your name when you were—”

“I remember,” Mando said, cutting you off, but you couldn’t tell what he was thinking, his expression hidden as always and his voice pitched in a way you didn’t recognize, couldn’t identify.

“Right.” You cleared your throat, feeling the adrenaline starting to drain out of you and be replaced by every ache and pain you had ignored in lieu of survival. “Of course, I can just forget about it. You weren’t exactly in your right mind, after all. I’ll just… using ‘Mando’ is fine for me.”

The Mandalorian’s visor stared you down unflinchingly for what felt like an eternity. Then…

“You can… use my name, if you like,” he said haltingly, then quickly amended himself. “But only when we’re alone, on the ship. I… my name could be a dangerous thing in the hands of my enemies.”

You blinked in shock at the bounty hunter.

“A-Are you sure?” you asked, and you tried to keep the hope out of your voice, but you knew you failed miserably. “O-Only if you’re sure. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

You’d thought giving up his name had just been a delusional, dying declaration, and you didn’t want him to regret it. What you said had been true enough. You were fine using “Mando,” even if the traitorous feelings buried deep in your chest said otherwise.

“I’m sure.” The bounty hunter nodded minutely. “I… trust you.”

The admission flooded your whole body with warmth, and goosebumps broke out across your skin. You’d known the Mandalorian trusted you, he wouldn’t have left his ship or his foundling in your care otherwise, but hearing him say the words felt like something out of a dream.

“Okay, then.” You smiled, heart thudding against where the child was pressed into your chest. “Din.”

At the sound of his name, the tension in the Mandalorian’s worn body seemed to bleed out of him entirely, and he sighed as his helmet fell back again.

“Let’s get off this Maker-forsaken planet,” he grumbled.

“I second that,” you chuckled dryly before you slowly clambered to your feet, careful not to slip in Din’s tacky blood or jostle the sleeping baby in your arms. You very gingerly leaned over the prone Mandalorian to set the foundling in his hammock, but you hissed when the movement jarred the bruised or fractured rib in your back.

“What’s wrong?” Din asked below you, and he was so close you could feel the rumble of his modulated voice against the bare skin of your stomach, your tank top having lifted up a fraction.

“Nothing.” You took a quick step backward, trying to put distance between you and the bounty hunter, but now that he was no longer actively dying, you were starting to realize you were a little more beat up then you’d previously thought.

The moment you stepped back on your right leg, your hamstring seized up, and when you went to grab at it, you realized your fingers were a little numb. You glanced down and saw fresh blood dripping down your forearm—your blood, not Mando’s—and the sight of the wound seemed to flip a switch in your brain because a moment later, pain crashed over you like a wave.

“Dank farrik,” Mando cursed lowly as he tried to shove himself up.

“No, no, no, no,” you babbled, holding out your less injured left hand in a gesture to stop him. “Don’t get up so fast.”

“You’re hurt,” he grunted, and you could practically hear the scowl in his voice as he tilted his helmet back to stare at you. “You’re bleeding.”

“I’m fine,” you stressed, even though you could still taste blood on the back of your tongue. “Also, you seriously have no room to talk. You were literally just bleeding out less than five minutes ago.”

“How much bacta do we have left?” he asked, completely ignoring your statement. “We should take care of your injuries before they get any worse.”

“Maker, you’re not even listening to me, are you?” You rolled your eyes as you leaned your shoulder against the bulkhead, but when the Mandalorian started to get up again, you held your hand out once more. “Alright! Alright. Let me at least set the coordinates to meet up with the client and get the ship in the air. I’m pretty sure the jungle is burning down around us as we speak anyway, so the sooner we lift off, the better.”

Din stared up at you silently for a moment like he wanted to argue.

“It will take me two minutes, max,” you reasoned with him. “I won’t pass out or die in that time frame, okay?”

“Fine,” he finally sighed and dropped his chin to his chest. “Just… be careful climbing up there.”

“I’ll try my best,” you snorted, wincing when pain flared through your body, but you still slowly made your way to the ladder.

It took you way longer to climb five rungs than it should have, but you thought not falling back into the cargo bay was a feat in itself, given how every muscle in your arms and legs twitched in pain. The blood pouring down your arm also did nothing to help your grip, nor did your scraped up palms, but you still made it into the cockpit relatively unscathed.

Dawn was just breaking beyond the windows, but you could barely see it through the black smoke that hung thick in the air. Guilt sat heavy in your chest as you saw the charred trees and the birds fleeing the flames overhead, but you told yourself you did what you had to in order to survive.

And it wasn’t like you were walking away scot-free, either. Your arm pounded painfully in time with your slowing pulse, and every time you took a deep breath, you became a little surer that the rib in your back was, in fact, broken.

You punched in the client’s rendezvous coordinates without sitting in the pilot’s chair since you knew if you sat down now there was no way you were getting back up. While you waited for the Razor Crest to power up, you cringed at the blood you were dripping all over the floor, but there was nothing for it at this point. The whole ship would need a thorough scrub down the next time you made a pit stop, but that was a future-you problem. Right now, you were mainly focused on getting off this planetoid and out into orbit without crashing and burning.

You held your breath as the pre-Empire ship rose up above the now smoldering jungle, but no warning alarms or messages sounded. The Razor Crest glided steadily upward, and you leaned heavily on the control panel as you breeched first the clouds and then the atmosphere. Entering orbit rattled the ship and you more than you cared for, but nothing broke off or burst into flame, and before you knew it, you were drifting through the familiar black void of space.

“Thank the kriffing Maker,” you sighed as the autopilot took over, and then you turned and shuffled back to the ladder, exhaustion starting to make the edges of your vision go fuzzy.

Or maybe that was blood loss?

You were a little less graceful with the descent than you were with the ascent, but you at least landed on your feet before you nearly collapsed into the fresher.

“Careful,” Mando’s modulated voice murmured, and suddenly his bare hand was on your left, uninjured elbow, skin against warm skin.

“What are… you doing up?” You frowned as you studied the Mandalorian, trying to make sense of what you were seeing as he led you to sit in the open mouth of his bunk.

“I told you,” he said, reaching over and grabbing another med kit from the fresher. “We need to take care of your injuries before they get any worse.”

“You should be resting,” you grumbled, but you were too tired to put any real heat behind your voice.

“I’m fine,” Din parroted your earlier proclamation back at you. “The kid did a thorough job.”

Then the bounty hunter sat on a crate before you, a crate that hadn’t been there before, and you realized he was no longer wearing a majority of his beskar, save the ever-present helmet, of course. Instead, a faded but clean pair of duraweave clothes covered his body, and the bloodied outfit you’d basically sliced off him was piled up between his feet. It also looked like he had haphazardly tried to mop up some of his blood with the dirty clothes, and you wondered if you’d been up in the cockpit longer than you thought.

“Hey,” you chuckled suddenly, and you distantly noted that your voice was a little slurred with exhaustion. “Looks like I’ll have some new rags after all.”

You giggled a little loopily as you gestured to the Mandalorian’s blood-soaked clothes and then to the blood and dirt your outfit was also currently coated in, but Mando didn’t seem as amused as you were.

“Let me see your arm,” he said as his helmet stared at you impassively, but then he paused and added, “Please.”

“It’s really not that bad,” you tried to argue as you held out your injured limb, but since it was still actively dripping blood, your words didn’t carry much weight. Then the bounty hunter gingerly gripped your wrist with tentative fingers, and you hissed through your teeth as pain lanced up your arm.

“Osik,” Din cursed in a language you didn’t recognize, slowly rotating your arm to take in the extent of the damage. “Did one of those dogs get you? The bastard almost flayed you to the bone in some spots.”

“Yeah, well I shoved two grenades down his throat, so I think we’re even,” you gritted out.

Din froze and lifted his head, your blood, sweat, and dirt-streaked face reflecting back at you from his visor. “You what?” 

He must have really been on death’s door if he didn’t notice or remember you literally blowing the jungle dogs to Tatooine and back, but you just shook your head.

“Story time later,” you huffed, narrowing your eyes as you tried to breathe through the pain. “Bacta time now, please.”

“Right.” Mando jerked back into action, and in the next moment he was shifting into medic-droid mode.

Few words were shared between you two as the Mandalorian tended to your bumps and scrapes. Beside the deep lacerations on your forearm, your palms and knees were scraped bloody from tripping your way through a dangerous jungle in the dead of night. Your upper back was in the same condition since you’d been wearing a tank top when you decided to grapple with blood-thirsty hounds, and when Din accidentally brushed against your lower back, a small whimper squeezed out between your clenched teeth.

“This rib is probably broken,” the bounty hunter said, and there was a heavy quality to his quiet voice.

“Thought as much,” you grunted, trying to sit up straight without breathing too deeply. “Too bad we don’t have a full bacta tank to soak in.”

“I could always… drop you back off on Tatooine,” Mando muttered. “With the payment that I owe you, of course. Should be enough to pay for a full treatment and then some.”

You froze sitting there in the doorway of his bunk. The Mandalorian wasn’t looking at you, too busy double checking the bandage he’d wrapped over the bacta on your forearm, but you could see how rigid his body was as he awaited your answer.

“Do you… want to drop me back off on Tatooine?” you asked hesitantly, the breath shallow in your lungs. You could hear the child snoring softly in the hammock directly behind your head, and the thought of leaving him opened a dark pit inside you.

And that was nothing to say of the thought of leaving the Mandalorian. Of leaving… Din.

Now that you knew his name, the feelings you had done your best to ignore came surging up to the surface, that little voice whispering sweet nothings in your ear.

He told you his name. He trusts you. He wants you here. Maybe he wants you for more than just your skills.

You shoved the thoughts away as quickly as they cropped up, but that didn’t stop something small and fragile from unfurling in your chest. You almost wanted to call it hope.

“I—” Mando started, stopped, fidgeted on his crate, and then sighed as he scooted back a little to stretch out his injured leg. “No, I don’t want to do that. You’re a talented mechanic and… good company. I’ve… enjoyed having you on my crew.”

“Oh.” You blushed as the breath whooshed out of your lungs, leaving you feeling lightheaded and buoyant. “T-Thank you. Current circumstances notwithstanding, I’ve enjoyed being on your crew, too. A-And not just for the payment. Seeing new worlds, as dangerous as they are, was something I never thought I’d get to experience. So, even if the price to pay is a few bumps and scrapes, I think that’s a fair deal.”

“You have a skewed idea of ‘fair,’” the Mandalorian chuckled dryly as he reached down beside him, picked up a pair of his gloves, and slipped them back on.

“No kriff,” you snorted, the scar on the nape of your neck tingling. “But it works out in your favor, so I wouldn’t question it too much.”

“Fine.” Din held up his hands, but then he lowered them to his knees and cocked his head at you.

“What?” you asked when he didn’t say anything for a full minute. His gaze made your skin prickle even if you couldn’t see his eyes, and with each passing moment, you grew acutely more and more aware of how dirty and disheveled you looked and felt.

“Nothing,” he said, fingers flexing against his knees. “Just… thank you. Again. For saving me, the kid, the bounty, and the ship.” 

You fidgeted in discomfort. You didn’t know what to do with praise and compliments, having never really received them before, so you shrugged your shoulders as you picked at the bandage on your arm.

“I told you, we’re even,” you muttered.

“It doesn’t feel that way to me,” he argued, and something about his tone told you he wasn’t going to let this go. “So, how about this: after we drop off this bounty with the client, you can pick the next planet we stop on.”

“Really?” Your eyes flicked up to the bounty hunter and widened. He’d never let you pick a destination before. You’d always just been along for the ride.

Mando nodded. “And make a list of parts and stuff you need to keep the ship running. We’ll stock up wherever we stop off next.”

“Okay.” You grinned as your heart did a little jig in your chest, and you stuck out your bacta-wrapped hand to shake on it. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Din Djarin.”

His name rolled off your tongue like a grain of sand spiraling down a dune, picking up momentum as it went, and it sent a shiver of pleasure straight down your spine. You knew you were playing a losing game with your own heart here, but as you stared into Mando’s visor, you also knew there was no stopping yourself now. You would just have to deal with the future heartbreak.  

The Mandalorian tentatively reached out and grasped your fingers in his gloved ones.

“Deal,” he rumbled back.

“Good.” You nodded as a yawn cracked open your jaw, and you reached up to cover your gaping mouth and scratch your nose. “Now, given the client’s rendezvous coordinates, we should have a few days of rest before we reach our destination, and if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to start right now by taking a well-deserved nap.”

You made to stand up, but Din gently placed his hand on your shoulder to keep you seated on the edge of the bunk.

“Take the cot,” he said as he nodded behind you. “I’m going up to the cockpit to send a message to the client anyway.”

“Are you sure?” you murmured around another yawn.

“I’m sure,” he said, but then his gloved fingers were suddenly ghosting over the bridge of your nose. “By the way, you’ve got a little grease right here. Just thought you should know.”

You went cross-eyed as you tried to draw his finger into focus, but when he stepped back, you noticed the fingertips of his glove were shiny, and glancing down at the hand you used to shake his revealed that your palm bore the same black sheen.

“Hey, this is your grease,” you muttered indignantly, but then Din was pressing gently on your shoulder, guiding you to lay back on the cot, and you went willingly.

“Get some rest,” he said, turning off the bunk lights. “We’ll worry about cleaning up later.”

You tried to grumble something, but exhaustion was starting to tug at your limbs and eyelids, and your body unwound bit by bit as you buried your face in the bounty hunter’s pillow with no remorse.

A moment later, Mando’s boots were clomping up the ladder to the cockpit, but he left some of the cargo bay lights on and the door to the bunk open, like he somehow knew you were afraid of the dark.

The beginnings of a smile tugged at your lips, but you spiraled into sleep before you could fully process the thought.

[anxiousdepressedintrovert]

Otome Thursday

IT’S BRAM!!!!

Y’all, you have no idea how excited I was for this route/series to start. I wasn’t a big fan of Ravi.

ANYWAY

Bram Route

Episode 1 (The free one 😉)

-I really dig the beginning of the route.

-Like a land hidden from even the Elves? Nice

-Also also, I like that this series, Love and Legends, AND Reigning Passions all take place in the same universe and it makes sense. Unlike the more modern series where the crew just sticks characters in the stories to say “Hey, look, notice these characters”

-Sorry. I’m ranting

-Focusing now

-I named my MC Mari Rya

-She’s beautiful

-She’s got a little, sprite/fairy/thing named Ness

-I love them

-I only know the name of the new land because I played the Ravi short but it’s called Tallav

-Mari’s got a reputation as a researcher.

-But this is also a lifelong dream of hers.

-Ness doesn’t speak (what I’m going to call) English, but Mari understands her anyway

-Ness uses They/Them pronouns. RESPECT IT

-Magic time!

-Ness magic time!

-Mari can feel all the living things. I feel like that’s not a human thing.

-But I will reserve judgement

-She’s had a rune stone since she was a baby. Yeah, she’s def not human.

-Holy shit a bear!

-…with a shield and a spear on it’s back.

-Subtle

-The way these sprites move are fucking hilarious

-Mari said “Nope not today”

-Can’t out run a bear. What does this bitch do?

-Drop down to play dead. Cause that’s totally gonna stop a bear from chewing on your spleen

-the “bear” is able to turn her over to her back (duh)

-it turns into a man and…oh what a man

-this CG is so fucking cute!

-he’s like “Is she alive?”

-She’s like “the fuck is he doing?”

-I’m like “Squeeeee they’re both so stupid rn”

-Oh those eyes…

-I haven’t been this in love since Razi. Or Renzei.

-Oh no! headbutt. Gives me a headache just reading it.

-Fuck look at those abs.

-LVS really knows what they’re doing with these character designs

-And Mari’s being thirsty too. It’s not just me

-Whew chile, the way she describes this man. Girl,

-Thank you, Ness, someone has their head on properly

-Never mind. They’re just as thirsty

-I still wanna know how Mari can talk to them

-He knows she’s a human cause she’s wearing clothes. Good lord this series is gonna be a riot in the first couple seasons

-Oh Mari…you’re sounding very Colonizerish

-I don’t like that

-Though it is kinda cute how she nerds out

-I can see her doing this with any thing she comes across.

-Thank you, Ness. Time and Place Mari!

-Invasive is one word for it

-Not much to write.

-She’s gushing. He’s listening. They’re both hot

-oh no, not an eyebrow lift!

-from both of them!

-I can’t do this.

-This bitch just walks away from a question ‘cause she got caught staring!

-I can’t! This is me. Running away from all my problems

-Bram follows cause, y’know, stranger in the woods

-Bram likes Ness. It’s adorable

-Anthropologist=Skald? Maybe.

-Apparently rune reading is impossible, so is befriending a Puck (Ness)

-Mari is def not a human. At least not fully

-See, I feel like if she showed Bram the rune stone she carried with her, that would help bridge this gap.

-But y’know. Whatever.

-Oh they are two bull-headed people

-He’s got (understandable) prejudices against humans/bipeds

-She’s like “MY RESEARCH”

-I’m like “Girl, they’re living people. Respect their boundaries. And Dude, Learn a little”

- She’s very forceful with the fact that she ‘needs to do her research’

-It’s very Colonizerish and I don’t approve.

-Mari, You can’t prove that the Duke who hired you only wanted you to do pure research.

-Ha, Bram called her pretty

-Ohhh Mahuwin Villiage

-Cue Victor from Underworld: “YOU MUST BE JUDGED!!”

-damn he called her insidious

-Mari…honey. Going to a village, you’ll get to see how they live and see how the justice system works. Calm down.

-Of course, no one’s ever been so unwelcoming. You’ve been dealing with other humans and elves.

-Girl!

-I’m judging you so hard rn

-Whew chile that took a lot outta me

Episode 2

-Awww I do feel bad for Ness tho

-They’re scared too

-Bruh, Bram JUST said he doesn’t know what an anthropologist is. You barely related it to a Skald. Showing him your notes means nothing.

-Bram, dude, I get you’re supposed to protect but you’re seeing enemies in the wrong people. Though I get why you’d suspect her.

-The Dinae have no secrets between their tribes (I’m assuming) so there’d be no need for an anthropologist to go looking for old history.

-Also he called her cute (again)

-Ohkay. I draw the line at you accusing Mari of torturing Ness.

-Only a heartless monster would lay hands on Ness.

-I need you to think baby: WHYY WOULD NESS STAY? If Pucks are magical creatures, surely you don’t think that Ness would be foolish enough to stay with a powerless human.

-Oh. Don’t make me insult your intelligence

-Oh don’t make me

-Mari. Don’t do anything stupid. Please. He’s actually being nice. In a weird way. Taking you to be judged. Someone else would’ve just killed you

-Mari…you can’t do your job in someone else’s country without permission. To get permission, you need to go to a village.

-I’m starting to question your intelligence

-Oh good. The bull-headedness is back

-No shit it’s more than just a job! I think you would have gathered that from the fact that to enter Tallav you had to pass a BEAR statue

-Oh no not the sad face

-I know LVS is gonna use that face to get money out of me in future scenes

-Mari, you’re both stubborn. And if I had it my way, you’d’ve gone with him already

-MARI! HE’S NOT A SOLDIER!

-ARUGH

- Not the type of roleplay I thought I’d be reading in this story but sure. Have some hearts

-I wanna smack her so bad and the first season’s not over yet.

-Usually the urge to smack doesn’t kick in until at least season 2.

-She’s a record setter

-Uh oh Bram, you called her an interrogator.

-And he STILL doesn’t fix it!

-They’re both so rude

-Ok, so he gets the why.

-We’re making progress

-This woman can’t let her thirst rest for five minutes.

-I mean same but come on

-Ah! Progress on both sides!

-Still don’t like how forceful Mari is about her job. How would she feel if her job put people in danger?

-You kinda did Mari. You kinda did say “I’m going to do what I want anyway”

-Not in those exact words but enough

-My point!

Bram: You ever think that if we wanted to be bothered by any kingdoms, we would have officially contacted them

That’s my point

At the same time, Bram and his fellow Dinae have their fellow prejudice against bipeds. As I said, mostly justified but they act that they can’t adapt or change

-Mari, interest isn’t always flattering…we aren’t in high school

-Now she’s running away. From a guy that can turn into a bear

-I’m very much questioning her intelligence now.

-Cause she dumb dumb.

-And thus begins an infuriating game of human and bear

-Oh yeah Mari, cause you can totally break the hold of a guy WHO CAN TURN INTO A BEAR

-As Mari is kicking and screaming, Bram: Am I hurting you?

-LMFAOOOO

-Awww Ness trying to help.

-Bitch. He puts you down and you climb a tree. Like bears don’t climb trees?

-Thank you Ness for talking some sense into this stupid girl

-Why is she so defensive?!

-Why can’t they just give me the option of “Fine.” FOR ONCE

-Seriously Mari? If you had stumbled upon a village during your wandering that really HATED humans, the chances of them killing you are SUPER fucking high. Doing it this way is arguably a lot safer

-YO  WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!!!

-That looked like a swamp deer  monster from It Lives Beneath

-FUCK THAT

-RUN BITCH…FUCKING RUUUNNNN

-Why is run never an option when we are clearly outmatched?

-Oh god why does it have to look at the screen!!!

-I don’t like that

-and ewwwww they did detail on the muscles

-Yeah no shit it’s targeting Mari, Bram!

-I think that’s pretty obvious!

-Thank again Ness for saving One Stupid Bitch

-We…we get to RIDE Bram?

-I can (and will) make so many jokes about that

-I’ve already restrained myself from making Bear jokes. So, you’ll deal with that

Episode 3

-Hehehehehehehhehe

-We rode him

-Hopefully this won’t be last time

-and the next time won’t be in bear form

-Ohkay. I’m back. The chapter’s loaded

-Wait one more

-And we can use that rope for something else too

-Idk how to do the lenny face so……just imagine it

-Ok. NOW I’m done.

-Finally, a decent option. THANK YOU, BRAM

-Yeah Mari get that through your thick fucking skull. He’s a defender. He defends.

-Awwww Bram isn’t comfortable with praise. I’m gonna take every opportunity to do it now

-Mari, this is why we don’t talk shit up.

-Hehe still riding him

-Ewww that thing is back.

-Plus side?

-FIGHT SCENE

-Oh nooooo Bram’s hurt

-MARI CONTROL YOUR THIRST THE MAN IS INJURED

-Thank you, Ness! I swear they’re the only character I haven’t been pissed at

-Mari begins to nerd out over plants. Honestly same

-OMG HIS BLUSH

-GUYS. HIS BLUSH

-The stuff of nightmares was an Abberation. I like my name better so it and all its freaky brethren will be called The Stuff of Nightmares

-And Bram’s back to being suspicious. Sigh. And we were having such a nice time

-The Dinae don’t have pets and that’s the saddest thing I’ve read all day.

-Mari just realized that Bram’s been naked this entire time.

-Lol

-Oh so, if Bram trusted Mari, he’d happily tell her everything she wanted to know.

-Hmmmmmm

-I certainly can’t say no to that face. So neither can you Mari. Here. Have some hearts

-See, they say fur covered thigh, all I hear is, cuddling for the winter.

-OMG SHE COULD SQUISH HIS PAW BEANS

-IF SHE DOESN’T SQUISH HIS PAW BEANS WE’RE GONNA HAVE A PROBLEM

-Mari stahp being so thirsty. There’s a stream next to you. Go dunk your head.

-Ness is adorable and I want a plushie of them

-Oh NOQOOOWW she has a problem with riding him

-…Ok, I mean…her explanation makes sense.

-See, every Dinae does it!

-Bram is so tired of her. It’s so funny

-WAIT. THERE’S WOLVERINES

-….is one’s name Logan?

-I’ll leave now

-I’m so glad they’re starting to understand each other more. Cause I was ready to jump through my phone screen.

-Things are still tense, of course.

-Wait a fucking minute. Going through a patch of brambles saved you a fucking DAY of travel? WTF

-I’m very interested in seeing how this plays out as opposed to Ravi’s route.

-Let’s meet Chieftain Mael!!