#I should pose him with a can of raid next

[sailorsenshishitposter]

It's time to slay!

[mingtinys]

songs of a caged bird

pairing : choi jongho x gn!reader

angst , fluff , lore based , outlaw!jongho , strictland!au

warnings : talk of raids and death , dystopian themes , tyrannical leadership

word count : 1.5 k

requested? yes

a/n : had to brush up on my ateez lore for this one

There's a voice on the roof.

You know because you've heard it echo through the thin walls of your apartment at the same time each morning. It started three days ago, early in the morning when the city sleeps and the guards change shifts.

5:00 A.M.

On the dot.

You thought you might have been imagining it at first. Something as outlandish as singing hadn't been heard in, well, most of your life. Not in any instance without immediate consequence at least. And when you'd asked your neighbors they'd told you they hadn't heard anything of the sort. Then again, they've somehow also never been awoken by the sirens and late-night raids that take place on the streets just below your high-rise. Perhaps if you hadn't been born a light sleeper, you wouldn't either.

But now, as the sound amplifies on the climb to the roof, you're sure of it. There is a voice silkier than anything your mind could possibly fabricate, and the boy it belongs to, high above the world, shrouded in moonlight. He sits on the ledge, legs dangling over the sides, near your bedroom window. His head sways side to side, so consumed in his song that he doesn't notice your approaching footsteps.

"You shouldn't do that." You speak, and the voice halts. Though he doesn't flinch, nor seems the slightest bit startled by your interruption.

"Why not?' He questions.

The boy's dark eyes bore into your own. Tired and cast in shadows that seem to envelop everything around them. There's a blank expression scribbled across his face. Boredom.

Or is it curiosity? That still doesn't feel right.

Maybe indifference.

You can't tell.

"They'll hear you," you point to the streets, where new guardians take post around empty corners and alleyways. There's a chill to the night and you're quick to fold your arms in an attempt to block the morning breeze. "People have been killed for less. If they catch you they'll—"

"Are you going to turn me in?" The boy raises his eyebrows, like he knows you pose no threat to him. In fact, the question feels more like a tease than a presumption.

"I'm just saying, if I can hear you others can. Singing isn't allowed." Though you feel like he should already know this.

"Why?"

"Because, human emotion is the root of the world's—" You begin to regurgitate the same motto you've heard all your life, but the boy holds up his palm.

"I didn't ask you to repeat that jargon they spoon-feed you every day. Why do you think singing is dangerous."

No one's ever asked you that. They've only ever told. But never why, just that it is. Until now, you've never questioned it, and it feels like the boy knows that from your silence.

He's back the next morning. Same voice, same time, same song, same dark brown eyes. Except this time, his expression is different. He looks amused.

No. Delighted.

Actually, it's almost like a... pleasantly surprised look. Yeah, that sounds right.

"You're back." He says.

"So are you."

"I like the view."

"I live here."

"On the roof?" His eyes widen. "I didn't know rent was that expensive?"

Your brow furrows. "No, in my apartment. Below the roof."

"That was a joke," the corner of his lip turns up. "A bad one, but just a joke."

"Oh."

The boy hums, nodding as he looks back out at the city. "You want to sit?"

Part of you wants to stroll down to the 24/7 corner shop, buy a quality pair of noise-canceling earplugs, and tuck back into bed. Forget about the boy with a voice of gold and continue about your mundane life. But the other part feels an itching so deep in your bones it burrows an uncomfortable pit in your stomach.

So you sit, in hopes that learning more will quell that unbearable feeling.

"I'm Jongho," he smiles.

You've noticed Jongho has a habit of being vague. Whether it's answering one of your few questions or simply telling stories, he rarely elaborates on where his answers and tales come from.

Like on the fifth night you joined him on his ledge. When he told you of an island he'd once seen. One he claimed to be so full of color, music, art, and dancing he'd felt like he was back "home" for a moment. A fairytale, you're sure.

"—That kind of stuff is actually celebrated where I'm from." He says that a lot.

"Where I'm from." But never elaborates.

"People make a living out of it. That's what me and my friends wanted to do. But that was before..." Jongho's words peter out and his gaze falls to the distant, twinkling lights in the sky.

"Before what?"

"Before here."

There's something in his eyes you haven't seen from him before. You pin it down a little quicker than you expect. Something halfway between longing and sadness.

Whatever it is, it makes your heart hurt.

"Do you..." your eyes search the sky for the right words. "Wish you could go back? To before."

He nods. "Every day. But there are things keeping me here. People who need me. People I love."

"Your friends?"

"Yeah. Among other things."

Jongho's eyes leave the stars and settle on your face. The moon is full, and it's the first time you've been able to catch the warm, brown hue of them. Like the polished wood of a violin you'd once seen in a history textbook.

You hadn't questioned it back then, but now, you wonder how something so exquisitely crafted could be so scorned by those in charge. But then again, it wasn't your place to question such matters.

Right?

"You should really stop," you say. "I'm worried the guardians will—"

"I thought we weren't supposed to feel trivial emotions like worry?" Jongho grins. You've learned by now that when the corner of Jongho's lip lifts just enough to flash his canines, he's joking. "They might lock you up with me."

"I don't plan on being an accessory. Though I have to say, I will miss your songs." The words taste foreign as they leave your lips and judging by the way Jongho snaps his head to the side, they sound it too.

"Did you just make a joke? Didn't know they taught you how to do that at your prestigious institution." He quips back.

"They teach us a lot of things. Though I'm not quite sure how much of it to believe anymore." Lately, in classes, you've found your mind wandering. Recalling the many stories Jongho's told you and fantasizing about what it'd be like to live in a world with everything yours lacks.

He seems to think pretty fondly of his world. So much so, sometimes you think you're the one who wound up in the wrong world.

"And how does that make you feel?" Jongho presses. It's the most urgency you've heard in his voice since the day you met. It's isn't much, but it's there. Like he's been anticipating this exact moment.

You feel... you aren't entirely sure.

"Conflicted."

You haven't been able to focus on much of anything lately. A whirlwind of questions, feelings, and fear cloud your thoughts day in and day out. Sitting through classes is suffocating and the watchful eye of the android guardians feels more threatening than ever. Like once glance and they'd see straight through you and reveal the doubt accumulating against everything you've ever known.

Your thoughts alone could land you a one-way ticket straight to The Disposal.

Only when you're next to Jongho, safely stowed away above the city on your little rooftop, does the weight lift from your chest. You're used to hiding all of your emotions. Yet somehow he still knows.

"You seem distracted lately."

You've never felt a need to lie with Jongho. "I think— I feel like life shouldn't be lived like this. Void of emotion and art. The way you've described it, it sounds so beautiful. So human. I just don't understand how it could possibly be a bad thing."

There's a softness to Jongho's gaze when your eyes meet and you swear, you've both somehow scooted closer during your speech. Close enough for your thighs to touch and the air between you to feel thinner.

"Do you think it's still possible to bring any of that back?"

"I do," Jongho says it like he knows something you don't. Then again, you've always felt he knows more than he's shared. "It's easier than you think, so long as we have people like you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes." No doubt, no hesitation, you do.

His eyes search your face for what seems like an eternity and then suddenly, his palm braces against your knee as he leans and his lips meet yours across the narrow distance. It's short but still leaves a warm sensation that lingers even after he pulls away and floods through your veins.

Your head falls to his shoulder and if the morning wasn't so quiet you might've missed the sigh of relief he breaths out. You can physically feel him relax against you, letting his head rest atop yours. Giving your knee one last reassuring squeeze. Whether it's for you or him, you're not entirely sure.

"Jongho?" You whisper.

"Yeah?"

"Will you sing for me?"

[wonbinistic]

Home: where comfort greets you at the door

pairing: enha maknae line x fem!reader

genre: fluff...a bit too much of it

warning: they are a bit clingy here hehe<3

about; spending precious time with the precious maknaes of enhypen

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

You attempted to ignore the flood of messages taking up space on your phone screen, all from the younger members of your group chat bombarding you with pleas. Sometimes, their clinginess was overwhelming. A sigh escaped you as a video call request appeared, their desperation evident. If you didn't adore them, you would've blocked their numbers ages ago. "Yah, how dare you be on your phone now," Sunoo scolded. Attempting to explain was futile as complaints continued to pour in. "WOULD YOU GUYS JUST LET ME SPEAK!" you finally shouted desperately into the screen, followed by a mumble of apologies.

As conversation flowed, you continued about your day, not daring to end the call as they practically shrieked at the notion. Carrying your phone to the kitchen, you raided the snack cabinet. Your friends on the other end pouted, stuck in their break with no allowance for sweets.

As the minutes ticked by in eager anticipation, Jay and Jake lent a hand in setting up the space. The coffee table became a mosaic of delectable snacks and a variety of drinks, while twinkling fairy lights adorned the room, adding a touch of enchantment to the atmosphere. With a sense of excitement building, Jay and Jake bid their farewells, extracting a playful promise from you to safeguard the place while they were away. As they exited, a sudden rush interrupted their departure— a towering figure brushed past them, wrapping you in a swift and tight embrace. Jungwon and Sunoo swiftly followed suit, enveloping you in a spontaneous group hug, exchanging warmth and affection in the embrace.

The room buzzed with an electric energy as their presence filled the space, marking the beginning of what promised to be a memorable time together. Ni-ki flung himself onto a beanbag, scooping a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"Ew, Ni-ki, did you even wash your hands?" Sunoo wrinkled his nose at the boy, who nonchalantly munched on his snack before complying and heading to the sink. You chuckled and joined them, swapping stories about your day. Leaning against the door frame, you hugged your cardigan tighter, admiring your friends with fondness as they enthusiastically told you about the newest plans for their upcoming schedules. “The song is so good, I'll give you a listen when possible.”,Sunoo promised.

Later, everyone changed into matching pajamas; yours coordinated with Jungwon's. The snug sleepwear was embellished with bears, a favorite of yours. You recalled how Jungwon had found it adorable on himself and insisted on getting you a matching set. Sunoo, in full showmanship, posed with his phone, capturing a snapshot of him and Ni-ki proudly displaying their matching outfits. "Which movie should we watch? I can't endure Mean Girls for the hundredth time," Ni-ki slouched into his beanbag as Jungwon settled beside you. "Why not? Hyung! I wanted to sit next to y/nie…" Sunoo pouted, feeling a pang of betrayal from his friend. He even won the rock-paper-scissors match for that spot, a stroke of luck for him.

"We can switch after the first movie," Jungwon giggled, resting his head on your shoulder. Your hand instinctively found its way to his freshly washed hair, fingers threading through the damp strands. Jungwon emitted a contented hum at the gentle massage, snuggling closer to you. Catching sight of the tender moment, Ni-ki turned to Sunoo beside him. "What are you waiting for?"

"I just got a manicure..." Sunoo confessed, earning a playful eye roll from Ni-ki. The room dimmed as the movie paired with the christmas tree in the corner cast a kaleidoscope of colors around. Half-covered under throw blankets, you all embraced the warmth, sinking into a cozy comfort. Out of habit and seeking solace, Ni-ki reached for your hand, intertwining fingers to seek both comfort and additional warmth.. In that serene ambiance, each touch and shared moment seemed to radiate a sense of love and assurance, enveloping everyone in a comforting embrace. You sensed a gentle nudge at your side, glancing down to find Jungwon pointing towards the snack bar, whispering, "Feed me."

Reaching across to the coffee table adorned with an assortment of snacks, your fingers selected a pack of sour gummy worms.

The room echoed with the crinkle of the candy packet as you tore it open, savoring one yourself before complying with Jungwon's request. Another nudge followed, this time from Ni-ki, expressing his desire to be fed too. "Noona, toss it in the air, and I'll catch it with my mouth," the youngest exclaimed. Sunoo, capturing the entire playful moment on camera, cheered as you executed the stunt flawlessly, each throw landing perfectly.

Returning your focus to the movie, you enveloped both boys in a warm embrace, planting a kiss atop each of their heads. Sunoo found himself reclined on the floor, his head nestled against your stomach. Seeking closeness, he sighed, feeling a sense of calm wash over him. His eyelids grew heavy, signaling an impending slumber, while the other two remained wide awake, cherishing the fleeting moments, yearning for time to stand still. "Anyone up for some tea? I'm going to make some," Jungwon rose from his spot, prompting a request from Ni-ki for a cup. "Pour me one too, thanks, hyung." With those words, Jungwon disappeared into the kitchen, leaving you in the company of a dozing Sunoo and Ni-ki, who diligently adjusted the blanket to cover Sunoo more snugly. His endearing gesture was followed by a whispered 'cute,' escaping his lips.

As your phone softly chimed for attention, a message from Heeseung appeared, inquiring about life in the dorms. You replied with a swift snapshot of your peacefully sleeping friend cradled in your lap. Setting your phone aside, you delicately traced your fingers through Sunoo's hair, making sure not to disturb his peaceful rest. "Wow, these chocolates are too good! Where did you get them?" Ni-ki managed to mumble between mouthfuls of the delicious treat. With a playful tone, you playfully remarked, "Careful now, no talking with a mouthful, kid!"

The sweet aroma of raspberry tea wafted through the room as Jungwon returned, balancing a tray of steaming cups. Passing you your tea, he cautioned, "Be careful, it's hot."

The tray found its place on the coffee table, and you blew gently on the hot tea, attempting to cool it down. The three of you sat in a serene silence as the movie credits scrolled by. Jungwon's chuckle broke the quietude, prompting a curious glance from you. "Sunoo didn't get to switch places," he chuckled, casting a glance at the slumbering Sunoo cradled in your lap. "You knew he'd fall asleep, didn't you?" Ni-ki grinned mischievously. You playfully swatted him with your free hand, eliciting a groan in response.

[purplevortexx]

Home (Leech Part Two)

read part one here

summary: after last night events, you and Rooster have a talk.

pairing: rooster x reader

warnings: mega angst, allusions to bad past relationship (no specifics), crying, arguing etc.

words: 1.9K

a/n: here is Leech part two!!!!! Enjoy folks and let me know what you think!!! Feedback is always appreciated

✨add yourself to my taglist(s) here✨

You wake the next morning slumped against the inside of your front door with your eyes almost stuck shut from crying yourself to sleep. It takes you a minute to re-orient yourself as to what happened and why you’re laying against the door.

When everything from the night before comes flooding back, you bring your hands to your eyes to wipe away new tears that come leaking down your face. There’s a faint ache in your chest which becomes more prominent as you recall the fight between you and Bradley on the beach.

It takes nearly ten minutes for you to muster up the energy to peel yourself off the floor and up onto your feet. Head pounding, you make your way to the bathroom and remove lasts nights clothing and with it. You hope the removal of your clothes will mean the weight you feel on your chest will be lifted but it doesn’t. You loose track of the amount of time you spend in the shower but the water feels cold by the time you get out. Not that you feel it that much, you just feel numb.

You change into comfy clothes and decide to raid your kitchen for the most unhealthy food you can find, you probably deserve it after all the shit you’ve been through in the past 24 hours.

Just as you open your refrigerator, a loud knock sounds and you hang your head in frustration. “Fuck off,” you groan, closing the refrigerator door with a slam.

The incessant knocking continues and you groan even louder as you make your way to the door. “I’m coming!” You yell in annoyance.

It doesn’t surprise you much when you open the door to see Rooster stood on the other side but it does take all the breath out of your lungs and leave you feeling winded. You don’t even know how long you stare at him without speaking but you do know it’s too long.

He’s the one who breaks the silence. “Uh, hi.” He says with an awkward wave. It’d be hilarious if it didn’t kill you just a little bit inside hearing him sound so calm when you’ve been feeling so confused, empty and angry all at the same time. You can’t reply to him even if you wanted to. Anything you want to say gets stuck in your throat, it’s almost as if someone poured super glue down your trachea. You settle for a stiff nod in acknowledgment of his words. At this point, you think, it’s all he deserves.

Whilst you’re thinking of what to say to the person who until yesterday you were sure you could see a future with, you notice another figure stood behind Rooster.

Bob Floyd stands behind his friend sheepishly, giving you a warm smile in greeting. When you frown at him in confusion he stumbles over an explanation in true Bob fashion. “I- uh… I just thought I’d drive him. Y’know, just in case you don’t … want him here?” The ending of his words come out more posed as a question, his gaze wavering as he glances over at his friend who has gone quiet listening to his remark with a hard look. You all know there’s the unspoken words of ‘I will drag him the fuck out of here if that’s what you want.’ and it obviously unnerves Rooster more than you thought it would. You’ve always appreciated that about Bob, he’s protective over people he loves and you’ve come to love him like a brother over the time you and Rooster have been together.

You smile at Bob in gratitude, “uh, it’s ok.” You tell him, finally finding the courage you need to speak, then turn to the pilot stood by his side. “I guess we should talk, huh?” Your words come out hoarse and cracked thanks to the hours you spent painting the hallway with your tears.

You retreat back into the comfort of your home, with Rooster following you through the open door. He shuts it behind him, and although you can still see the silhouette of Bob behind the clouded glass, you suddenly feel alone.

It’s silent between you for a glorious two seconds before Bradley starts his onslaught of apologies. You barely hear half of it, too busy staring at the walls in your hallway, wondering if he can hear the echoes of your pained sobs still bouncing off the walls.

“- I swear I’m the biggest idiot there is, I know I was wrong, I get that now but can’t we just move past this?” This is what he chooses to say to you.

Sighing shakily, you compose yourself before replying. “I don’t think you understand just how much you’ve hurt me.” You tell him and his brown eyes soften as they really take you in for the first time today.

You’re not the smiley, put together person you usually are. All he can see is bloodshot eyes and pain written all across your face. He notices the lines across your face from where the patterns of the door have indented themselves in your skin when you collapsed against it in anguish last night. But most of all, he notices the way you’re looking at him and trying not to cry. He never wanted to make you cry.

“I am so sorry. I didn’t get it last night, I was just trying to make excuses and I shouldn’t but I don’t want to be the guy who makes you feel like this.” He moves closer, having previously been stood a fair distance away from you. You don’t move back and he takes it as a cue to continue. “Just please, can you give me a second chance? I swear I’ll make it up to you.” Rooster pauses and you take that as your turn to tell him how you really feel.

You toy with your sleeves nervously, knowing he needs to hear what you’re about to say. Looking up from the ground, you meet his eyes with a watery smile.

“-I forgive you, Bradley.” His face breaks out into a relieved smile and he steps towards you, reaching out to take your hands into his own. You look into his brown eyes, filled with optimism and hope and continue to speak. “You’ve made me so happy over the past months. I don’t think you’re a bad guy.” Pausing, you take a deep breath, hands shaking as you gently remove them from Roosters grip . “I - I love you.” You whisper, looking down at the ground and willing the tears swimming in your eyes to stop falling.

His smile widens as you say those words to him and he goes to speak but you’re not finished and you cut him off before he can say anything “but I don’t think I can trust you.”

The beaming smile on Rooster’s face falls in an instant. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t keep doing this and wondering if you’re telling other people everything I tell you.”

“I’ll never go near Razor again.”

“This isn’t about Razor, Bradley!” You nearly scream in frustration. “It’s about you not respecting me! The nickname, the talks about our sex life, it’s not right. You can’t treat someone you’re in a relationship with like that!”

He nods solemnly, like a child found sneaking chocolate upstairs for a midnight feast. For a moment you think maybe he finally gets it. Maybe he understands now why you’re so upset. You can’t be sure though, you never could tell for definite what he’s thinking. “You know I didn’t mean the Leech thing Y/N. Yeah it wasn’t a good move but I would never intentionally hurt you.”

You nod slowly. “I know that,” you tell him. “But I’ve been in a relationship like this before and I don’t want to feel like this.” His solemn expression drops further into one of hurt and horror at the realisation of what this means.

“No,” he says firmly, like a petulant toddler arguing with its mother. “No no no no no, Y/N please! I can do better. Let me be a better man for you.” He begs, placing his hands together as he pleads with you to salvage this relationship.

“But what if you can’t?” You sob, “I don’t want to be the reason you change Bradley, you need to want to do it for yourself.”

“But we’re so good together.” He tries, his words sounding feeble and weak.

You sob again, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. “But that’s not enough.” You whisper.

A lone tear rolls down Roosters face and tickles your thumb as you wipe it away for him. “You’re a good man Bradley Bradshaw.” You tell him earnestly. “You’re just not the one for me.” You end your words as you press your forehead against his, both of you silent as you take in the end of your relationship.

It takes a minute for him to move and when he does he places a light kiss on your forehead, a sweet gesture to say goodbye. Making his way back to the door, he stops as his palm touches the handle. “For what it’s worth,” he starts and you’re not sure you want to hear the rest of the sentence. “I love you too.”

You’re pretty certain your heart stops beating. He never was good with words or timing and this is a prime example of that. His eyebrows raise in hope at your reaction, but no matter how much that phrase makes you want to take him back, you know this would happen again. You know you’d keep having fights similar to this one and you’d end up a shell of yourself. The self-respect you’ve built up means you won’t do that to yourself. Not again. You won’t let it happen again.

“Goodbye Bradley.” Is the response you use and he sighs in defeat, wrenching the door open and striding out without looking back. Your pained gaze meets Bob’s and you know you don’t have to tell him what’s happened, he can tell by the way you’re both acting.

The slam of Bob’s car door makes you both cringe. “I’m sorry.” You say but Bob just frowns and shakes his head.

“Don’t apologise, you did what you had to do.” You nod, afraid to say anymore words out of fear of breaking down. “I think you’re really brave.” Bob tells you and at your confused look, he explains “you saw where it was going and ended it. I admire you for that.” You half smile and pull Bob in for a quick hug.

“Thank you,” you whisper, pulling away and he just nods.

“Anytime.”

And with that he makes his way over to his car where Rooster has been watching your encounter with a blank gaze. You practically run back into the house and slam the door, breathing heavily as everything comes crashing down on you.

You find yourself laying on your couch sobbing for a while before you decide to eat something in response to your stomach that has started growling. As you get up to move towards the kitchen, you see your phone lit up. There are quite a lot of messages from last night through to this morning. Phoenix had texted asking you to call her when you’re ready to talk. Bob had sent one before arriving at your house to give you the heads up.

There’s one text however that when you read it, you feel numb all over. It’s a recent text, only 10 minutes old.

It’s from Bradley and it’s only one word.

‘Home.’

tag list: @call-sign-jinx

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[pure-garbage]

Reunion And A Clean Getaway! Fallen Friends And Treasures Taken

Chapter Warnings: Violence, Injury

Franky's frantic flight through the bowels of Enies Lobby toward the gates of justice was anything but a smooth ride. Even so, pain was the least of Lana's worries. The distance they needed to close proved to be greater than she could have imagined and their path wasn't entirely free of obstacles.

So the relief Lana felt when she finally laid eyes on Robin would have been overwhelming, if it wasn't undercut so viciously by sorrow. Her friend lay prone on the ground, looking nearly as battered as Lana felt.

Franky dropped Lana at her friend's side as he engaged the marines, buying her the time she needed to finally free Robin. She felt like it had been weeks since they'd first breached the perimeter of Enies Lobby, like the click of her pins in Robin's cuffs was the culmination of her entire life's work.

"Robin... they hurt you," Lana managed, scowling deeply as she looked the other woman over with grave concern.

"Me?! Lana, you... what did they do to you?!" Robin demanded, managing a strained laugh past the tears streaming from her eyes.

"Ah... you should see the other guy," Lana rasped dismissively. The more time passed, the better her throat felt. It was a relief. She'd been worried she might go mute from the injury at first. "How's this feel?"

The manacles fell away and Robin rubbed her wrists with pronounced relief.

"Better. So, so much better. You have no idea how bad I've been wanting to do this," Robin assured the lockbreaker. She took up the flower pose, gaze cast vengefully over her shoulder at the marines Franky was tangling with.

"Let's try... vente fleurs!" she all but snarled. Hands sprouted by the dozen among the marines, shouts of shock and baffled horror followed by the macabre chorus of cracking bones.

"There we go," Lana smiled encouragingly. "There's the scary archaeologist I know and love."

"Oh, Lana..."

Words failed Robin. She pulled her friend into a crushing embrace. Lana groaned, but returned it with just as much fervor, heart overflowing with joy and relief after the tribulations they'd been through.

"Next time, just try talking to someone about it first, okay?" Lana managed, drying her tears on Robin's jacket.

"Of course. Of course," Robin assured her.

Lana knew they still had a long way to go before they were all in the clear, but a sense of profound peace swelled up from her heart, washing over her despite the practicalities of the struggles that still lay ahead of them.

'As long as we're together, there's nothing we can't deal with,' she thought vehemently.

On the ride back to Water 7, Lana sat completely silent, entirely drained, absolutely unable to move even a single muscle as she processed all that had happened during the raid on Enies Lobby.

'Raid kind of undersells the havoc we actually ended up wreaking on that institution. Invasion? Closer...'

Zoro settled down beside her, interrupting her dazed thoughts.

"I apologized to Robin," he informed her. His words were softer than any she'd ever heard from him, as if he was afraid he might aggravate her injuries with volume alone.

Lana's throat was still killing her. She gurgled happily in response, trying to convey her satisfaction with Zoro's gesture.

"And I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," he went on. "You were right and I know I was being a jerk. So... forgive me?"

"That," Lana managed, tilting her head to rest it on his shoulder, "... was a really good apology. Yeah, of course I forgive you."

Zoro sighed in relief, running his fingers through her hair and pulling out pieces of stone and wood as he went. Lana savored his touch, realizing how much she'd missed it even after such a brief disagreement.

"Can I be completely honest with you?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Mm-hm."

"Usopp told me what I should say when I apologized to you. Does it still count?"

"Did you mean what you said?"

"Every word."

"That's all that's important. Of course it still counts."

Lana gave up on trying to avoid speaking, swallowing hard in preparation to voice a question and immediately regretting it. She coughed weakly and Zoro patted her back rhythmically until she settled again.

"Is he... is Usopp gonna... will he come back?" she asked hopefully.

"If he wants to, he'll need to grovel a little first," Zoro declared decisively. "After the scene he caused, after that fight... I won't let Luffy accept him back unless he comes back on his belly."

"Hmph."

"You don't sound happy."

"I'm not."

"I didn't hurt your feelings again, did I?" he asked, a sarcastic bite hiding behind the words.

"My feelings are way too tired to be bothered by anything you could say right now," Lana rasped. "I think that cp9 agent hit me so hard with those nunchucks I felt it in my feelings."

"Don't be a baby," Zoro scolded her teasingly. "It's not that bad."

"Jerk. How about you? How bad did the giraffe get you before you put him down?"

"Barely scratched me," Zoro assured her dismissively. It was plain to see that he was lying, but Lana wasn't about to call him out on it. "I'm fine. But... something horrible did happen as we were leaving."

"Oh god. What?"

"See for yourself."

Zoro withdrew Yubashiri from her sheath by just an inch. Lana gasped when she laid eyes on the blade, rusted through to the point that there were holes worn in the steel.

"What in the hell..."

"A marine power holder."

"A devil fruit did this?!"

Zoro nodded sadly and Lana felt compelled to offer him comfort. She laced her fingers through his and squeezed his hand tight. He squeezed back, brooding as his eyes made the rounds of their company, vigilant as ever.

Lana let her own eyes slide shut, trusting him with whatever lookout he deemed necessary. She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, feeling the lump of the devil fruit she'd unexpectedly won, still hidden within its lining. She wrapped the fingers of her other hand around it through the fabric, wonder filling her even as sleep threatened to overtake the exhausted lockbreaker.

'A devil fruit... my devil fruit, maybe. I've got one hell of a choice on my hands now.'

____________________________________________________

<== Previous Chapter

Next Chapter ==>

== First Chapter ==

[pancake-breakfast]

Ugh, too sleepy. Almost done with manga. Can't fall behind now....

Stream-of-consciousness thoughts for TriMax Vol. 13, Chapters 7-9 below.

Chapter 7: Catch-As-Catch-Can

Yeah, don't overdo exercise training, kids. Not only is passing out DEFINITELY not good for you, but you can get seriously injured even if you have a spotter. Even if you only get a minor injury, it can put your training back weeks or months.

Awww, Livio looks so young here! Look at his short, floofy hair! I hope he grows it out a bit again. Maybe not quite like he had it before, but yeah.

Do people actually do finger push-ups, or is that just something for badasses in animation and comics?

Training montage!

Aw, man! He got to wear a Wolfwood outfit? I feel robbed.

Ok, Satosugu.

Ah, she's doing that thing again. I think.

Oh, what? Elendira's finishing move is a really big nail? Lame.

She's really putting lot into all this, though, isn't she? She looks a bit rough.

Oh, shoot. It's the nuke.

She senses something. I WONDER WHAT.

Yeah, it was Livio.

I like his simple mentality here. Very straightforward.

NO! No one's allowed to drink vials anymore! NO MORE VIALS!!!

Him? Wolfwood??

Chapter 8: Tipped Wings

CW: Gore

TBH I don't know how the hell Livio won this fight. Assuming he technically won at this point.

Heh. Yeah. "Him" was Wolfwood. But of course Livio knows him as Nicholas.

Aaaaand we're back to my favorite wet cat, Legato Bluesummers.

How does he know Elendira has been defeated? Did he have a little feeler in her? Was he skimming her brain kinda like when he had a little mind convo with Vash?

Dude. I thought you wanted to win this. You guys can't both die to each other in this fight. I will genuinely be annoyed if that happens.

Guernica? You mean the flail thing? That thing had a name???

Heh. I appreciate Legato calling Vash a force of nature here. After all, he is the Humanoid Typhoon.

Awww, look at baby Legato raiding the leftovers from July. Also, hasn't it been like 25 years since July? Just how old is Legato??

Ohhhhh, this is where Stampede got his character design. Like, yeah, they straightened his hair, but I recognize that short little jacket.

Welp, Knives has seen better days. Actually, this is a lovely turn on the way Rem is often paneled with Vash. Instead of a small Vash and a dominating, hopeful figure of Rem, we have a small Legato with a very, very broken Knives dominating the upper third of the panel.

Yes, because the thing Legato needs is another reason to have a psychotic break.

Geez, he's just... scooping up Knives' guts to try and... what, shove them back in? Carry them with them?

He's soooo sad, too.

Knives. What. The. Fuck. Just let the boy cry, idiot. He adores you. Also, talking while you're half corpsified is creepy. Cut it out.

Aww, Vash is still trying to save him. Gods, I wish Vash had found him instead.

Goodbye, weird machine gun doll flail thing. We barely knew thee.

Oh, dang. Legato got the jump on Vash.

Chapter 9: VS

I have no idea what's going on here. At least it led to weird, dramatic Legato pose?

Legato, no. This is not how it should be. This is not how anything should be.

Mmm, Wolfwood memories.

Vash is right. This isn't a fight anymore. But I think Legato knows that.

Oh, would you look at that. Thanks, literally the first panel on the next page.

Ok, but did Nightow have to draw his fingers this sexy here??

Legato's trying, but he's not getting through Vash's defenses.

Huh. Interesting that the Earth Fleet guy with his vastly broader knowledge of Plants would state Vash is a rarity. I like that all his sisters seem very fond of him, though.

Chronica is bitter about Domina. It might have been a bit of a mistake for Knives to off her.

Knives says this, but Chronica knows this, so... I wonder what she's actually planning here.

Wait, just who are they attaching a cable to??

Of course Milly and Meryl would have Vash's back.

Hahahaha, this really highlights the contrast between the two characters.

Love and peace, yo.

Gods, Legato just keeps coming at Vash. He's getting ripped apart by Vash's defenses, but he just keeps at it.

What? Vash? What are you doing?? You... you need that box, don't you???

Ohhh, they're doing shonen battle showdown pose. It's on now.

Aw, dammit. I guess it's on in the next (and final!) volume.

Archive

Trigun Vol. 1: Covers + 1-3, 4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 || Vol. 2: Covers + Extras, 1, 2-4, 5-6, 7-8

TriMax Vol. 1: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 2: Covers + 1, 2-4, 5, 6-7 || Vol. 3: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-7 || Vol. 4: Covers + 1-2, 3-5, 6-7 || Vol. 5: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 6: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 7: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 8: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5 + Bonus || Vol. 9: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 10: Covers + 1-3, 4-5, 6-8 || Vol. 11: Covers + 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 || Vol. 12: Covers + 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 || Vol. 13: Covers + 1-3, 4-6

Extra Credit: Trigun Vol. 1: Nebraska vs. Vash's Motivations, Vash's Loneliness, Vash's Depression (pt. 2 of post), Soupy Brains || Vol. 2: Coin Factoids || TriMax Vol. 1: Lina, Vash, and a Haircut || Meryl, Vash, and the Pursuit of Happiness || Vol. 5: Knives, Vash, and Hatred for Humanity || Vol. 6: Coping Series: Wolfwood, Meryl, Vash || Vol. 8: The Uncoordinated Counterattack || Vol. 9: Justice, Punishment, and Mercy, The Tolling of an Iron Bell || Vol. 10: Crucifixion Symbology (pt. 2 of post), Merging of Families, Being Childlike (And Why God Hates Chapel) || Vol. 11: New Hair, New Outlook

[saltprince]

Do you have a favorite Sandalphon unit? Or does it depend on the job you want him to do?

I need you to know I got this ask late at night and spent like 2 hours figuring out how to answer this before deciding I should go to bed instead of looking like the conspiracy theorist with a wall of print-outs and red threads at 4AM

Talking about favorite characters or units is. Genuinely so hard because I throw myself into a massive rabbit hole. Does it depend on the fight? The lore? The art? Fate episodes? Voice lines? Skills? Full auto? Release? Utility? Synergy? Meta? I'm 100% insane for this but there are too many things to consider here--

Short answer: All of them. Don't make me choose. For as much as I lean into meta there is one man who will make me go monkey regardless of meta. Job doesn't matter when I'll GIVE him a job to do. Though it is easier when his kit is either versatile/specialized or good for full auto/hard content. Either ones of those I'll make work in a heartbeat.

Long and unhinged answer under the cut.

Light Sandalphon (Event): The OG. The reason I went insane. Did you know he's actually surprisingly usable especially after his rebalance? Hit kit is fun but slightly outdated, symbolic of who he was and grew to be. This one gets bonus points for the lore (every uncap art shows a part of his joruney) and the voice lines, as you can have him be a rat for this one still. Base art and final uncap art go hard. First ringed character.

Light Sandalphon (Grand): A followup to his event SSR tbh. I get what they're going for in terms of art but it looks too soft compared to his other alts, which bothers me. It does look like a painting which fits the vibe of his lore. Voice lines sound slightly off to me, but I'm insane for this when the content itself is delicious. Kit is strong and satisfying, building on what his event ssr has except modern and miles better. Damage numbers are fun as hell. Can be slotted in the front but is always solid even in the back, which I'm eternally grateful for. Only cost me half a spark, which is nice of him.

Earth Sandalphon (Grand): A+ lore. Absolute rat. Insane voice lines. Love how unhinged he is. Cygames was insane for giving him to us in the end. Extremely usable for off-element raids, but not that great outside of that. He was on my gold brick farming team for a good while. Not so much fan of the posing for these arts. Does come with his ratty OG dialogue arts, which is a bonus. Base art is nice. He may be evil but he also only cost me half a spark.

Water Sandalphon (Summer): I went insane for him on release. Love his outfit, but didn't like the posing for this. The bonus art I love but looks too blue next to the rest of the team, which bugs me. Still great piece though. Voice lines are fine. Kit... actually kept me from using him. I used him at first and designed around him, but his kit is not great on full auto, since his buff skill isn't supposed to activate first. Thinking about it I'm going to bring him back now out of spite. If I can click Fediel's field, I can also click his sk1. Fun fact about this one: I had to wait a full year to get him because initially i only had 290/300 spark rolls. Next year he came home in 10 rolls. So technically a full spark over 1 year. I spent the remaining spark on summer Lucio to spite him for doing this to me. Have hardly used Lucio ever since then.

Wind Sandalphon (Valentine): Quite possibly my favorite outfit for him, he looks comfy and the style and colors remind me of the Eternals, which is a huge plus. Kit has a bit of everything, it's not as stacked as his Light Grand but in turn has major support options. He's on my endgame team for super ultimate bahamut. I find that he usually offers at least some things I need, so I make a point of building around him to utilize his full kit. Voice lines are fine, though I miss his bratty attitude. I think this one has a nice balance. Like his water ssr, he talks about coffee... and treats that pair well with coffee, and coffee breaks, which I appreciate a lot. He's nerding on main. Does great on full auto as well, since he helps keep the team alive. Got him right before the spark was done, and had a spark prepared specifically for him in case he would get a Valentine's alt.

I think this version of him his my current favorite, though his event ssr and earth ssr are close for their voice lines and lore alone.

[kayhi808]

More Than Our Scars - Part 14

It's a long quiet drive out to Beacon. Logically, you know Billy isn't angry at you, but he looks murderous & you don't know how to fix it. You know all the questions running through your head will only irritate him. You try to be patient and wait him out. You put on some music and let him concentrate on this thoughts & driving.

After about an hour, Bill reaches over & tugs on your hair. You take it as a cue that it's ok to talk to him again. He's come to terms with whatever he was dealing with. You reach over & caress his cheek. He grabs your hand & places a kiss in your palm & continues to hold it for the rest of the drive. Whatever decision he came to, it brought your Billy back to you. "There should be a castle coming up on the left."

You look at him trying to gauge if he was making up stories or not. "Truly?"

He gives a soft laugh, "Truly. It's on a little island in the Hudson. It's supposed to be haunted."

You pull your hand away & hit him in the arm. "Now I know you're lying! A haunted castle in the Hudson River?" You cross your arm over your chest. "Bill Russo."

Bill laughs, "I swear it!"

"Can we visit it?"

"Y/N, it's winter. It won't open up until Summer. We can go then." Ten minutes later, true to his word, there's a castle on an island. More like the ruins of a castle. "See, I told you."

You roll your eyes, "You were right. I was wrong."

Jesus, this looks like every Hallmark Christmas movie town you've ever seen on TV. So tiny & quaint, but scenic & beautiful. You get to the hotel, The Roundhouse & it's much nicer than what you were expecting. You imagined a Bed & Breakfast type of establishment, but it's a hotel right next to a creek, so you'll still have a water view, like at the Loft. Bill valets his car & goes to check-in, while you wander the lobby. This feels like a dream. You're actually out & about after being cooped up for almost 2 months.

Once you're in your room, Bill wraps you in a bear hug that lifts you off your feet. He sets you back down & kisses you. "I need to call Frank. I know we just got here & all..."

You stop him with a kiss. "I understand. You need to make sure your people are safe. I'm just glad you're out of the city and away from Fisk."

"Can you order up some room service for lunch & make dinner reservations for downstairs tonight?"

You smile, "Downstairs?"

"Yea, I can finally take my girl out on a date." You laugh & Billy vows to himself that he'll make things right for you. But first he's got some planning to do with Frank.

Bill has been on the phone with Frank for over an hour. Billy got you guys a 1 bedroom suite, so you let Bill work out of the living area. He comes into the bedroom looking exhausted. You're on the bed lying on your stomach watching a movie on TV. He flops down on the bed, resting his head on the small of your back. "We need to talk." You cringe, but you knew this was coming. You turn off the TV and rest your head on the bed.

"What do you need?"

"Carson Wolf was not on your original list that you gave us."

"I didn't know his name and I didn't know he worked for Homeland Security. He was just another guy. There were other men that i didn't tell you about because I don't know or remember their names either."

Billy's voice is strained & tight, "What can you tell me about Wolf?"

"I met him before the raid. I'm sure of that. Fisk sent me to a party to meet him." You gnaw at your bottom lip trying to recall the details. "I don't know what started or instigated that arrangement. I met him a few more times after that & then it stopped. Fisk didn't send me to him anymore."

"What were your orders from Fisk regarding him? What did he want you to do? What did you do with Wolf?"

You wiggle out from underneath Billy & sit up. He stands legs apart & arms folded across his chest. You stand on the other side of the bed & mimic his pose. "My orders??" He cocks an eyebrow at you. You lift your chin & meet his dark gaze, "My ORDERS were to fuck him. Fuck him so well, he'd want to see me again. And when I saw him again, to fuck him even better. And..."

You didn't get to finish your sentence. Billy launches himself across the bed with a roar, his hand slamming down on your mouth, and his other, cradling the back of you head. Your scream is muffled by his hands. There's such strength and power in him. He could easy snap your neck with his bare hands. You try scratching at his fingers to release you, but to no avail. You try to calm down and breath through your nose. He's not suffocating you. You fist both your hands in Bill's shirt over his heart. You can feel the frantic racing of his heart that matches your own.

Bill rests his forehead on the top of your head & softly whispers, "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up." He releases your mouth but crushes you to his chest with his other hand. You slide your arms around Billy's waist & he adjusts you against his chest, so you both fit each other perfectly.

"I did what I was told, so he wouldn't hurt me. So he wouldn’t kill me."

@idaofinfinity @e-dubbc11 @imagine-a-fictional-boyfriend

[ermwhattehsigma]

Finally, day 5! I've been looking forward to this one. For this day, I went with all three prompts! Debris, Pinned Down, and "It's broken." I worry that I might use Eternatus a lot in these coming prompts, but it's just so easy! After all, it was the big exciting incident of the game.

——————————————————————————————————

The air in Raid Dens has always felt heavier and more charged than a normal cave, Hop thinks. It’s imperceptible to some, but he’s always found it to be as obvious as day and night. Gym Stadiums have a similar effect, though not quite as raw, and he only really feels it when a Pokémon’s been Dynamaxed.

Eternamax Eternatus is a different story, though.

He feels like he can hardly stand upright, let alone breathe with how oppressive the atmosphere is. The energy it emits is so powerful and so concentrated that he can literally see it. Flashes of red bolts of electricity dance amongst the flying rubble, like they’re caught in the eye of a lightning-infused hurricane. It sounds like one, too, although Hop wouldn’t know. He’s never experienced anything like this up until now.

The battle is nearing its end, though. Zacian and Zamazenta have made quick work of the ginormous beast, whittling it down with their attacks while Victor and Hop contribute where they can. Eternatus clearly cannot keep up its assault for much longer. Its claws droop, no longer posed in the menacing, reaching manner they had been earlier, and the energy around them is beginning to fade. One last burst of adrenaline rushes through him at the sight, victory now in sight.

“It’s almost down! One last push should do it!” He calls both his friend and the legendaries to action. Victor nods to him, commanding his Inteleon to use another Snipe Shot if it can.

In front of them, Zamazenta and Zacian ready the final blow. Zacian holds the sword in its mouth up high, the blade glowing and changing in size and shape. It runs forth and slashes, dodging in between the lasers fired at it from the tips of Eternatus’ fingers. Then, just as the dragon is recoiling, Zamazenta’s armor plates shift to form a shield. It leaps into the air, practically shooting itself upwards as it charges into the palm of the hand.

A screech pierces through the chaos all around them, Eternatus shrieking despite a lack of any visible mouth. Then, the hand in front of them slumps over entirely. Hop lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. They did it. They won!

Both him and Victor return their Pokémon, knowing they’ve done enough. Zamazenta and Zacian land with steady paws in front of Eternatus. Now that they’ve beaten it, this is their chance.

“Vic!” Hop turns to the other, “Throw a Pokéball now!”

“What?” His friend responds, wide eyed.

“What do you mean, what? Catch it!”

“But what if it breaks out again and gets angrier?”

He really doesn’t think it can get any angrier at this point, considering it literally Gigantamaxed and went into an unstoppable frenzy. However, before he can voice any of his thoughts, a rumbling noise shakes the arena. He cranes his neck upwards, and to his utter shock, Eternatus is shrinking. It compresses in on itself, one size at a time, like how a Pokémon would do after using all its turn of Dynamax. Once the particles have cleared, they can see that it's gone back to its original form.

Eternatus lets out a high-pitched cry, and Hop has to slap his hands over his ears. He watches as the thing turns over in the air, no longer resisting gravity. Realization hits him like a bucket of cold water. It’s falling.

The impact of it hitting the floor shakes Hammerlocke Castle as a whole. Hop throws his arms out, struggling to stay upright. Victor falls to his knees next to him, and Zacian and Zamazenta duck their heads to try and maintain balance. Then, he hears it. Debris falling all around them. The floor crumbling beneath them. Victor gasping nearby. And just like that, the top of the tower they’re on collapses.

Hop blindly reaches out for something to grab, but there’s nothing to hold onto when everything’s coming down. He feels the drop in his stomach, suddenly falling into whatever space is below them. The sounds of the tower caving in all around them and Victor shouting blend together. It feels too fast and too slow all at once. He can’t see anything, dust and rubble flying everywhere.

He hits the bottom, and one sound rings out clear amongst the rest. Crack.

White hot pain erupts from his leg. He screams, but his voice is drowned out by the pieces of the building hitting the ground. It's hard to see what comes next, his head foggy from the pain– A shadow descends on him, and then something heavy lands above him, pressing down on him without flattening him completely. He tries to push himself up, but whatever is above him barely lets him get an inch off of the ground. What’s more, his legs burns in protest, causing tears to gather in the corners of his eyes.

Finally, it stops. The last of the rubble falls, the dust settles, and it's silent. Hop swallows. He’s not in a good position, he now realizes. He’s lying prone on his stomach, the area around him dark due to the massive slab of concrete above him. It seems to be propped up by some rocks and debris, which he would be thankful for if it weren’t for the fact said materials have pinned his leg.

Arceus, his leg. He grits his teeth, taking in a sharp, trembling breath. It hurts badly, worse than he’s ever felt. Trying to shift it even slightly makes him feel like his nerves have been squeezed and wrung like a rag. A tear slips from his eyes as he curls a hand into a fist, trying to take his mind off the pain.

A familiar click breaks the silence. It’s the sound of a Pokéball successfully capturing something. For a moment, he has no idea what it could be, but then he remembers the fact that Victor had fallen as well. Victor, Zacian, Zamazenta… and Eternatus. He must’ve caught it.

“Hop? Hop, where are you?!”

And there his rival is now, calling his name. He has to take a moment before responding, feeling like he can hardly function after such a fall.

“I’m here!”

He hears armor clanking and paws hitting stone before a set of them appear in Hop’s vision. He can’t see much from underneath the slab, but he’s got just enough room to turn his head towards the gap before him. Freedom is only a few feet away from him, yet a few feet have never felt farther than they do now.

Victor’s feet join the legendary’s, then the boy kneels down and puts the side of the head to the ground. His expression morphs into one of panic when he sees where his friend has ended up.

“Hop! Are you alright? Can you crawl out?”

Hop hangs his head, then shakes it. His leg feels like it's slowly being crushed underneath the weight, all while being stabbed from the inside.

“I’m stuck. M-My leg, it’s–” He has to take a moment to breathe, “I think it’s broken.”

“No… Oh, no, what–”

Victor looks up, his head now disappearing from view. Hop can hear a low yet comforting growl, probably from either Zacian or Zamazenta. He’s glad that the legendary dogs are here, otherwise they’d be completely on their own.

“Can you move it? Or, or cut it, or something?” His friend asks, and it twists something deep inside of him to hear his usually level-headed pal sound so desperate. Judging by the lack of audible response, he assumes it’s a no.

“Vic,” Hop calls for the other, his face lowers into view once more. He looks terrified, and Hop gets it, because he feels the same way right now.

“Listen to me, mate. Y-You’ve gotta get help. There are probably people out there right now, a-ambulances an’ such. You’ve gotta bring ‘em here.”

“But– I can’t just leave you like this! That’s–”

“Please,” Hop cuts him off, practically begging. Victor looks at him with his lips pinched in a frown and his eyebrows tightly furrowed. However, he nods.

“Alright. Try not to move too much, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

If he could laugh, he would. It’s not like he can move much in the first place. He’s far too exhausted to laugh, though, let alone make any other sort of sound, so he just nods. Victor’s face disappears from view now, followed by his legs. He assumes the other has mounted Zacian, judging by the noises he hears, and just like that the two take off.

Hop lays his head on the ground. It must be cool, riding a legendary like that. He isn’t sure how he got Zacian to let him do so in the first place. Did the Pokémon motion for him to get on? He can’t tell from down here. He can’t tell much of anything besides the pain coursing through his leg.

A small whimper nearby catches his attention. He turns his head once more to find Zamazenta laying flat on the ground in front of the gap, eyes set on Hop. Its ears are tilted downwards, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d say it looks pretty sad. Sad for… him? He can hardly believe it, mostly because he would’ve never expected such an old and battle-hardened creature to feel mournful towards him.

They stay like this for an indeterminable amount of time. He isn’t sure how long it’s been, but it’s been long enough his leg is starting to go numb. Is that bad? Is that a sign of it getting worse? He doesn’t know, but at the very least he manages to find some smidgen of relief in the numbness.

There are voices now. They’re far away and difficult to make out, but he hears them. Zamazenta immediately gets to its paws, taking off in the direction of them. Only moments later, the voices have arrived, now close enough for him to parse.

“He’s right here,” Victor says, though he’s not visible from where he’s standing.

“Got it. Leon’s lil bro, you awake? Make any sort of noise if you can.”

It takes an embarrassingly long time for Hop to recognize that voice, but once he does he knows it to be that of Raihan’s. No wonder Victor found him first. He must have been aiding in the evacuation and protection of the city, considering he is the Gym Leader here.

“Yeah,” Hop responds, and he hates how small he sounds. He feels small, too, trapped underneath the debris of the tower and unable to move. He’s awake though, and more importantly– by some miracle– alive.

“Good. I’m going to have Duraludon and Turtinator lift this up, so don’t move when that happens, okay? This is going to take a while, but I promise we’ll get you out.”

This is the most serious he’s ever heard him speak, he realizes. Even during his battle against the other, he had never adopted such a tone, always retaining some of that… Raihan-ness he has. Something between a mix of cocky and playful, or during a heated battle, wild and untamed. There’s none of that here.

So, he remains still as the two dragon types move the slab and the arduous process of freeing him commences.

[writingmaidenwarrior]

Sin Eaters Part 10

So last time we left, Talindra, Wynthan, Eshfyrr and Ylvante were at the archives for some ancestry research and learned Eshfyrr is actually Wynthan's cousin and some weird things is going on about Talindra having a twin sister who grew up on the horned one side of the city but authorities didn't thought their were their parents children.

Still at the archives, Eshfyrr and Wynthan have some talk about their family while Ylvante left already and Talindra is digging up the whereabout of her sister.

Some minor warning for the idiots of Wynthan and Talindra not being able to behave lol @cljordan-imperium

Anyone wanna read what happened before? Here is the masterlist

“She is taking a long time”, Wynthan wondered after he checked the bracelet for the time.

The last hour he and Eshfyrr talked about all the things he needed to know about the horned ones and how they got trained, about their family and some basic get to know each other.

The other one’s laughter surprised him, but also caught him in a funny way. It reminded him of his grandfather in this spooky way and proved in this strange way the family connection between them.

“Tal probably sits on the ground in front of the files and studies them to give us space to talk.”

“You make it sound like a reoccurring thing.”

“It is. Whenever someone needed private space, she just knew it and ended up in the weirdest places. Once she got into trouble because she slept in the canteen on one of the benches.”

For a brief moment, Wynthan was speechless, but the next, laughter bubbled up.

“Dear Eternals, what a silly woman.”

“But the best friend you can have”, Eshfyrr stated with a proud glow only to lean over conspirative and smirk at Wynthan, “Which leads me to one question.”

“If you want to ask if she drives me crazy, yes.”

“I could see this earlier.”

The amusement sparkled in Eshfyrr’s eyes and slowly Wynthan started to understand why he and Talindra liked each other so much: They both were mischievous little idiots. Playing along with his game, Wynthan copied Eshfyrr’s pose and stared him down.

“You want to ask something else, my nosy friend?”

“I know she is … let’s say a man eater.”

The amused huff by Wynthan clearly confused Eshfyrr but he continued anyway.

“But I could also tell you are taking it slow, otherwise you would have known she has a different side.”

“Now I am wondering how you happen to know this”, Wynthan teased with a suppressed smirk.

“We had been on plenty long-term mission, and you know there is no privacy with those tents…”

The defeated sigh that followed made him almost feel bad for Eshfyrr. He got up and stretched his back with a snicker.

“We should get her before she becomes a human pretzel, and we need to carry her.”

“I have a feeling she wouldn’t mind that”, Wynthan joined the snicker.

“You already got a taste of her playful side then.”

“And how much she can eat. I was afraid she would raid my mother’s kitchen for more yesterday.”

“Next time I like to join. Tal and I happen to like the same things when it comes to food and when she raids your mother’s cooking like a starving woman it must be delicious.”

A knowing smile appeared on Wynthan’s face as he got up himself.

“First, we need to introduce you to every horned one’s favorite sweet. And maybe it will distract her from being a little devil for a few hours.”

“Why do you call her this anyway?”, Eshfyrr asked amused.

“You know her longer than me. Tell me.”

“She can be a prankster for sure and loves to tease, but I don’t know if this qualifies her for being called a devil.”

“Thanks for stepping in for me, Esh”, Talindra came over from the hallway with a broad grin.

Something about the grin gave Wynthan the feeling she overheard more than the last sentence.

“Always having your back, Tal.”

“I know, that’s why I love you. So, where are you about the Ylvante situation?”

Eshfyrr looked at Wynthan with a puppy look that was almost heartbreaking, but Wynthan understood it. For now, they couldn’t do anything besides keeping a watchful eye on Ylvante.

“I am careful and skeptical around him. I contacted my mother with Wynthan’s help just minutes ago and we will see how this will go.”

Wynthan stepped next to Talindra while Eshfyrr talked and nudged her shoulder.

“Speaking of mothers. You found a lead about your sister? Or family?”

She rolled her eyes and nudged him back.

“I have a list with my mother’s siblings and her father who was the horned one. My twin sis got adopted by a Yrawyn Charit.”

“That is more than one lead. We should find an answer why none of them took her in.”

His gaze fell on the files in her hand.

“You forgot what was written in my mother’s file. The authorities didn’t believe her to be the mother because they had no record of the pregnancy.”

“What fucked up shit is this?”, Eshfyrr burst out, his eyes wide.

With a shrug Talindra opened the file on her notepad and showed it to him. Fascinated Wynthan stood by and watched how Eshfyrr proved again how fast he was with taking in new information and adjusting himself to a new situation. Once the teams would get announced Wynthan hoped they would get put together, even if this would mean dealing with Ylvante.

“But we have blood tests and so on that would have easily prove you are her children. Why didn’t they do it? We have records of each Sin Eaters DNA for whatever reasons.”

“We have what?”

Wynthan and Talindra asked at the same time, staring at Eshfyrr as if he became a monster right in front of them.

“Oh right, you don’t know because you got no field medic training. There is a data base with our DNA. They would have only needed a drop of your blood as baby and check up the data base to see if you are really your mother’s children. Even if the pregnancy went undetected, what happens a lot, this is no reason to doubt the motherhood and not find a proof.”

Slowly Wynthan raised a finger.

“First it is good to know you have that kind of training and second: What the fuck? They have our DNA on a database? Now I get why no horned one is allowed to become a medic.”

He felt the fire in him surge to the surface until a soft hand on his shoulder eased it back down. His gaze went to Talindra who smiled calming at him.

“I know. That would mean they know humans are turning more and more into horned ones, or more that there will be no clear cut in the future except maybe who has horns at birth and who gets them in puberty.”

“Maybe that was their plan from the beginning”, Eshfyrr mused aloud, his gaze somewhere behind Wynthan, “Somewhere in the past the leaders must have realized we won’t survive if we keep the horned ones from having children and decided mixing the blood would be the best chance for survival. I don’t say the way it is handled is good, but technically spoken the idea wasn’t stupid. The way they went to organize it, is.”

The air around them wavered in a rise of temperature Wynthan knew was Talindra. Questioning he looked at her.

“I got an idea what happened with the neighbor kid who had horns”, she stated with gritted teeth.

“What do you think?”

“Think about it, Nat. They turned us all into their little experiments. If they really plan to have humans and horned ones intermixed to a degree there will be no real difference in the end, those like Esh and I will be their proof it works.”

“They took him away for experiments.”

Eshfyrr stated it without any emotion what was even eerier than hearing anger or hate from him after getting to know him to be so cheerful.

Talindra looked at him and they shared a look of shared panic.

“We can’t let them grow.”

“No.”

“Wait a second…”

Wynthan pulled both closer and into a hug.

“There is no second”, Talindra sighed against his shoulder, “The moment the higher ups see our horns we will become their lab rats.”

“We don’t know. It is all assumptions right now. There must be some way to find out more about all this. The only thing we know is there is this data base and for some reason the higher ups decided to not use it when you were a baby to verify you are your mother’s daughter. This alone is something to investigate.”

Talindra curled deeper into his shoulder with another sigh. The whole day clearly took a huge toll on her.

“We should leave and maybe find something to eat. It is getting late.”

Eshfyrr wiggled out of the group hug, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation and stepped a little aside.

“You are right. Time to introduce you to some delicacies”, Wynthan agreed.

“Just what I need now.”

Her snicker eased Wynthan’s worries a little, but the last hours were already enough to make everyone overthink and she had enough on her hands with the last days.

A buzzing head and a full stomach later, it was only Wynthan and Talindra again. With still some daylight left she didn’t want to go back to their apartment and picked a close by chance to sit.

“You need something?”

“Just time to let everything sink in”, she smiled weakly at him.

With a nudge of her shoulder Talindra looked up.

“I know what you mean. I bet my aunt will still stare at the message I sent her about Eshfyrr. It doesn’t happen every day our kind get a chance to meet their children that got sent to the human side.”

“That reminds me…”

With a big smile, Talindra opened another note on her bracelet and held it in front of Wynthan. His eyes darted from her to the notes until he realized what it was.

“You dug out information about my sister?”

“Thought it wouldn’t hurt to know where she lives now and where she works. By accident she is a nurse.”

Careful she watched his reaction. Within the blink of an eye, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her.

“You are amazing.”

“I got told so sometimes. We can visit her, now you are a Sin Eater. I also found a half-sister of my aunt who could help me piece things together.”

He beamed at her and kissed her a second time before putting her back on her feet with an embarrassed look.

“Sorry, I got carried away.”

With a goofy grin she put her head in her neck. The heat rising in her was either her fire demanding attention or Wynthan’s action, she couldn’t clearly tell, maybe it was both.

“I like that side of you better than the grumpy, silent observer I saw at the archives.”

He ran his hand through his hair with an apologetic look.

“Yeah, sorry about that. It is just as long as we don’t know for sure what to do I like to keep Ylvante out of the loop.”

“I understand.”

Stretching herself to reach him, Talindra placed a kiss on his nose.

“There is a lot we learned today.”

“And a lot we need to understand. You really want to keep filing down your horns?”

His gaze was intense and sent shivers down her spine. Talindra sighed.

“For now, until we know what the deal with those blood samples are.”

His hand came up to her face and softly ran through her head over those stumps. Wynthan placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“I see. I… don’t want to put you in danger.”

“If we keep doing this, we are in a different kind of danger”, she teased with her hands on his chest.

“I know.”

“No but?”

“You know the but.”

“I do, still it seems to weaken today.”

There was something in his gaze Talindra couldn’t clearly identify but for a moment she was tempted to call it longing.

“Maybe. Tal?”

“Yeah?”

He pulled her as close as possible and buried his face in her hair.

“Why aren’t you scared of me?”

“Because everything you did so far was to keep me save. And…”

“And?”

“I know how it is to feel like a monster walking among others. I felt like this those last years. It’s lonely.”

Talindra felt him press her against him even more with a deep sigh, so she wrapped her arms around him as well.

“Two weeks”, he suddenly stated.

“Huh?”

“I was wrong when the festival would be. It’s in two weeks.”

She chuckled against his shoulder. Somehow, he sounded like he also felt like he wouldn’t survive that long.

“Good, otherwise I would go crazy.”

A deep hum was his response.

“Nat?”

“Yeah?”

“We should go home if you want to keep cuddling. This is uncomfortable.”

Reluctantly, he let go of her, only to kiss her one more time in the shyest way possible. Whatever caused that sudden physical attention out of him, Talindra surely didn’t mind even if it made things harder for her.

They went to the remaining path to their apartment in comfortable silence. Once the door closed behind him, Wynthan kicked the shoes aside and lost his shirt in such a complicated movement it made Talindra laugh.

“You look like a cat tangled in yarn.”

“I hate these clothes.”

“Why?

A big boyish smile appeared on his face.

“You will see at the festival. The clothes of the horned ones are made different.”

“You mean different material?”

“Not only.”

He breathed out relieved once he was only in pants and fell into the sofa. Talindra followed him the second she was out of her shoes and curled up next to his side. Lost in her minds she traced on of his many black and golden tattoos.

“I hope Kylantha had a chance to get out her energy today otherwise she will hand us our asses tomorrow”, she snickered.

“That bad?”

“Yeah, and she claims I am antsy but if she can’t train, she is the real antsy one.”

He stopped her hand right under his navel with a warning glance.

“You just need something to occupy you mind?”

“Or hands”, she snickered, “So…”

“So?”

“These tattoos. Why do all horned ones have them?”

Talindra started again to trace them, starting on his shoulder this time. The scarring under it told her how old or young they were, and the golden lines clearly left thick bulging lines and areas where the black lines and areas laid flat. It almost felt like a map.

“Those tattoos are the story of our life, the things important to us, the big victories, the loses that formed us, tragedies we survived.”

Again, Wynthan stopped her hand and placed little kisses on her fingertips. She wondered if he even remembered the cameras, he told her about and how they were watched or if he didn’t care.

“It is pretty personal.”

“They are. We have certain motives representing certain things, but still, it is personal. The first one is nonetheless the same for everyone.”

He guided her hand to an almost pure golden spot on his left chest that was a circled by a black flower like pattern with golden lines moving back to the golden spot in the middle that had only one small black dot in it.

“This one?”, she asked, her eyes darting back and forth between the tattoo and his face.

“Yes, this one. It stands for the community of us horned ones. How we make the best out of every situation we are thrown into and still flourish. Everyone gets it somewhere around their 21st birthday.”

“Before you start your military training.”

“Yeah…”

Slowly she moved on his lap and bent forward to kiss the tattoo. When she looked up at Wynthan again his eyes darkened a little. His hands grabbed her by her neck and massaged the base of her skull with his thumbs. With a naughty smirk she bent down to him and steadied herself at the backrest.  

“This doesn’t look like taking it slow”, she stated amused.

“Mhmm, we are both bad, aren’t we?”

His smirk was equally teasing and naughty. Whatever he was doing with his thumbs on her skull felt too good to make him stop.

“You are the bad one now.”

He moved one had deeper to the small of her back and gently put some pressure on hit. A soft moan escaped her, and she fell completely onto him. Her hands around his neck she tangled her hands in his hair and scratched his scalp. Out of the sudden she felt his teeth grazing her shoulder.

“Fuck, if you continue this your plan is in vain.”

His smile against her shoulder irritated her.

“Wanted to test something”, Wynthan whispered into his ear.

“That would be?”

“I remembered how you said the joke is on them.”

It ran hot and cold through Talindra in an arousing way. Before she could completely wrap her head around the fact he was on the right path, Wynthan scratcher over her ass and made her instinctively press deeper into him. His chuckle vibrated through her body.

“Nat… you better stop this now.”

“Or?”

“Or go the full mile.”

The moment stretched into an eternity until he sighed wearily. Carefully he replaced his hands on her shoulders.

“I am sorry, I didn’t know what got into me.”

Talindra’s soft chuckle made him frown, she could feel it against her skin.

“You don’t need to apologize. I get the feeling your heart isn’t on the same page as your mind.”

“No”, he agreed with a hint of annoyance, “My mind says to wait and get to know you but …”

“But the rest of you wants to fuck me silly till we both can’t walk anymore?”

“Something like this.”

At least he laughed again. Gently she nibbled on his ear until she got a moan from him and let it pop out of her mouth again to whisper into it.

“You know, these things just make it better. I don’t want you to hold back. Bite me, restrain me, fuck me rough. I am not fragile, and I want it.”

“Talindra…”, he whined needy.

The next second he turned them both the side and she found herself buried under his massive form. Her hands above her head she smiled at him. Talindra could see how he fought for a decision until Wynthan bent down to kiss her feverish.

She felt his tongue press against her lip and willingly opened her mouth for him. To her dismay he kept hovering over her even if she would have loved to press herself against him.

Heavy breathing he broke the kiss, his eyes hazy and still visible this inner discussion with himself.

“You know the monster inside of me.”

“And I happen to be a monsterfucker.”

He blinked a few times. Laughing he leaned back, shaking his head. His hand ran through his hair as he glanced to her.

“Two weeks, little devil.”

“You are the devil today”, she shot back.

[flipwizardstarlight]

Okay i dont write enough sam and tucker and jazz so im doing it. Also it got very long so im putting it under a cut. Smoking ment and like, vague refrences to anti-meta bigotry. I dont think it needs any other warnings? But if someone sees something i missed let me know.

Sam doesn't watch the news anymore. She knows she should, that anything could be a clue and national news is likely to be the easiest place for Danny to get their attention, but she can't do it anymore. It's all about the heroes of the world now. Justice League this, Metahumans that, heartwarming reunions and engineering geniuses and congress and judges and shootings and laws and- It's just noise. All of it is just noise. Tucker has Technus monitoring all of it anyway. She doesn't understand how Vlad and the Fentons have disappeared so thuroughly. It has been a year since they took Danny and it doesn't matter where she, Tuck, and Jazz look, they can't find him.

Ember is out touring, trying to lure the Fentons into the open by posing as a metahuman musical artist, since they know she is a ghost. Jonny, Kitty, and Shadow are helping Val and Paulina hold the line in Amity, not that there is much to hold anymore. Last time they talked, the environment had finally readjusted to the lower ectoplasm levels after the portal was shut down and the last couple people liminal enough to ping on the GIW radars are scheduled to move out of the US entirely in the next month. Once they move, Val and Paulina will have two weeks left until they can move into their dorm room at a Southern California University.

Without the Fentons, the GIW have basically run themselves into the ground, so once everything they could really do harm to is gone from Amity, they are likely to collapse the rest of the way.

Wulf is the go-between for the three groups at the moment. If they find Danny-either by virtue of him going home for help, Ember finding the Fentons, or the three of them getting lucky-then Wulf can be summoned and will get him to Frostbite and Clockwork as soon as possible.

It has been a year.

Sam takes a deep drag of her morning cigarette as she stares up at the slowling lightening sky. They are somewhere near Gateway City, California, in some run down motel about an hour out from the city that didn't ask too many questions when three clearly homeless teenagers came rolling in at two am and asked for their cheapest room. The clerk had just shrugged and told them not to get drugs in the carpet.

Sam huffs in amusement as she thinks about the woman's remark and taps her cigarette on the edge of the balcony rail before taking another drag.

She picked up smoking shortly before Danny was taken, about a week after she got killed. It isn't like the chemicals can hurt her anymore, and the nicotine helps keep her tremors at bay. It makes her feel more alive, more solid.

Jazz doesn't like that she does it, but that's a losing battle that she doesn't fight anymore. As long as Sam doesn't smoke in the car, she can do whatever she pleases.

They are running out of time. Sam can feel it in her bones. They don't have much time left to Find Danny before something goes horribly wrong.

They have one more place to check before they reach out to the Justice League for help.

Sam closes her eyes as she takes another drag.

She doesn't want to go to them. She would almost rather End herself before asking those stuck up, sanctimonious assholes for any help, but they are out of options. There is a Dalvco office in Gateway that they are going to raid for clues today, and if they can't find anything there, the biggest Bank they can find is their next stop.

With Sam's plants, Jazz's mild mind control, and Tucker's Technopathy, the three if them will be able to get Wonder Woman's attention quickly with minimal collateral. If they can get her to trap one of them with the lasso, they can get her to take them seriously about how much danger Danny is in.

Sam takes the last drag of her cig before dropping the filter into the tray and breathing out slowly.

Twelve hours. In twelve hours, they will either know where to look next or have some help.

She doesn't startle at the sound of the hotel door slamming open. She felt Tucker's quick movements as he stood from his bed so she knew the slam was coming. Her eyebrow twitches anyway and she is having a hard time telling why.

"The Fentons are on the Daily Planet," he says.

Sam goes still, not even breathing as she waits for him to elaborate. She doesn't turn to look at him, scared of what she will see in his face if she does.

Tucker swallows, then says, "Lead Dalvco Scientists under investigation for the dissappearance of seventeen year old son," he must be reading the headline. Sam keeps waiting, feels like if she moves a centimeter for any reason she might just fall apart. "Doctors Jack and Madeline Fenton, lead scientists and inventors at Dalvco's Gotham branch have been placed under house arrest on suspicions of human experimentation, Metahuman Rights Acts Violations, and suspected abuse of their seventeen year old son, Danny Fenton, as of two days ago."

He takes a deep breath before he continues and Sam tries desperately to hope that Danny is okay. "Danny was well known among Gotham's medical professionals and engineers as a soft-spoken, intelligent young man with a kind heart despite the hardships his chronic health condition had put him through. He was never seen more the ten feet from one of his parents or Vlad Masters-CEO of Dalvco and close friend to the Doctors Fenton-until two days ago. He made his first ever appearance at a Gotham Gala, as sick as anyone has ever seen him, but has not been seen since shortly before the event was interrupted by one of the local villians. The initial coverage of the event listed him as a likely kidnapping victim, as the local heroes were unable to apprehend at least two of the hired muscle. It was theorized that the boy was going to be held for ransom so the two could keep out of the justice system. At noon three days ago, the two missing criminals were found and a new avenue of investigation was opened when the Officer sent to talk to the Fentons found evidence of abuse in the Fenton home. While the search seems to be ongoing, a leaked copy of the charges the Fentons and Masters might be facing includes Child Abuse, Conspiracy to Murder, Unauthorized Practice of Medicine, Unethical Human Experimentation, and Murder of a Child. It is unclear if the final charge is going to be prosecuted as First, Second, or Third Degree, and Manslaughter is also listed as a possibility. No further information has been released on the whereabouts or status of Danny."

The railing of the balcony crunches under Sam's hands as she stares, unseeing, into the sunrise.

"The article goes on to say a Justice Leage Spokesperson has come forward to confirm that they are involved," Tucker says, and like that Sam slams back into herself.

She spins inhumanly fast, well aware that her eyes are glowing and her hair is starting to float and catch fire. She doesn't care. "We have to find Wonder Woman," she says, her voice a quiet kind of deadly. "If they have him-"

"Murder, Sam," Tucker says desperately, voice equally quiet and devastated. "Technus already went through every existing article at the Gotham Gazette and none of them talk about him in the present tense, none of them confirm his status, and all of the most recent agree that the murder charges aren't going anywhere."

Sam shakes her head, feels her hair flare brighter. She won't believe it until they see the body. She won't even let herself think it. She hasn't lost him. Not yet. She can't.

#

There are a three Metas holding a building of civilians hostage in downtown Gateway City who refuse to speak to anyone except Wonder Woman. There aren't any confirmed casualties yet, and the only injuries are to the security personnel that attempted to stop the three and the few cops that were unlucky enough to approach before the preimiter was secured by the one able to control plants.

As Diana approaches, she is unsurprised to see the agitation and anger on the lead officer. He has always been more concerned with the lives of his junior officers then those of civilians or the criminals that endanger both groups. It is likely he would prefer to be able to shoot the three Metas and be done with it.

Diana dismisses every word out of his mouth before he even opens it. She is well aware he thinks she is a freak, she is uninterested in hearing what he has to say about the people who forced him to call for her.

Instead, she focuses on the woman standing in front of the door to the building. She is almost too young to be considered a woman, surely no older then 19. Her black hair is shaved on one side while the rest is cut in rough layers and shines a deep purple where the sun hits it. Her skin is ashen, an impression not at all helped by the dramatic, dark makeup on her face. She is dressed for combat; black long sleeve shirt that fits snug to her body but doesn't appear to restrict, fingerless gloves, a thick belt with multiple pouches attached that hold up black cargo pants that are loose enough to allow movement but not so loose as to get caught on things, heavy combat boots that appear to be steel toe. She holds herself in much the same way Cassie does, a fact which makes Diana frown slightly.

Seemingly sprouting from under the girl's feet is several dark green vines. They stay small and low to the ground for a foot on either side of her before they seem to multiply and grow and split until they circle the building, covering the windows of the first three floors completely. There are at least four cops caught in the vines, all of them unconcious and thoroughly restrained, but all of them still breathing. Diana notes a small tremor in the girl's hands and arms that does not translate to the plants and spares half a second to wonder what the tremor could mean.

The girl doesn't look nervous. Diana can't quite pinpoint what emotion the girl is displaying, but it isn't nervousness. Her makeup is perfect even though her eyes are bloodshot and her nose red, like she has been crying.

Diana looks back at the still talking cop next to her and says, "if I require your assistance, I will ask," before stepping forward.

The girl's eyes snap towards her when she gets within thirty feet and her expression cracks down the middle with a kind of desperate hope that makes Diana's chest hurt. She was right, the girl isn't nervous.

She is breaking apart at the seams with desperation.

Diana speeds her steps, holds her hands out palms up to indicate she isn't approaching with agression, softens her body language and wills a concerned expression onto her face. "Well met," she says once she is close enough. "I have been told you were asking to speak with me. Would you be willing to let the civilians in the building go now that you have my attention?"

The girl takes a breath and Diana refuses to allow herself to react to the way the girl's chest doesn't move with it. She has seen that kind of false breathing once before, when she visited the underworld breifly and the shades of the palace pretended to do so to make her more comfortable.

"Not until you promise to hear us out without arresting us," she says, and Diana is struck again with how young this girl is.

"Of course," Diana says. "So long as no one is hurt further I can promise that I will hear you out."

The girl shifts nervously and Diana does her best to project her honesty and concern only.

"Swear it on Styx," she says suddenly. "Swear that you will hear myself and my siblings out without hurting us or turning us over to the pigs, and that you will answer our questions with honesty and to the best of your ability."

Diana tilts her head to the side slightly as she thinks over the girl's demand. She is unlikely to want to harm any of the siblings at all, so that is not a hardship to swear. They have been remarkably non-violent except in self defense so far, and the only crime they appear to be committing is public distrubance, which is not something she wants to send metahumans to jail for. The desperation in her tells Diana that this was done as a last resort, and the insistance on beaing heard points towards this being a plea for help.

Diana nods to herself and says, "I swear on Lady Styx's waters that, should you release your captives with no further harm to them or anyone else in the vicinity as well as come peaceably with myself to a more private location, I will not allow harm to come to you or yours while we discuss, will not allow you or yours to be taken in by law enforcement for what has transpired here today, and will answer your questions as honestly as I can without endangering myself or others for the duration of our conversation today."

The girl's shoulders slump slightly with what can only be relief as her eyes begin to glow neon purple and the vines around the building grow smaller and retreat, leaving the architecture unharmed. The trapped officers are lowered gently to the ground, and though they all stay unconcious, they are no more harmed then they were when she arrived.

Behind the girl, the doors to the building open and the other two metas step outside. A black boy with a sharp chin and large nose stands to the girl's right. His hair is done in long braids and pulled up into a low, messy bun. He wears a similar outfit to the girl, though his has more color to it. His pants are an olive green and tucked into brown workboots, and his long sleeve shirt is a golden yellow. While the girl does not carry any visable weapons, the boy has an intricately decorated sheath for a long, curved blade that hangs on his left hip. The handle for the weapon is equally ornate and seems to glow with power. She feels like she recognizes the handle, but does not allow herself to linger long enough on him to wonder. Instead, she looks on the redhead who stepped out to the girl's right.

She is older then the other two, and something about her face feels familiar. She carries herself the same way the first girl does; with the same grace and poise that young warriors on Themyscira do. It is obvious to her that they were not trained since early childhood like many if the natives of Thymescira, but she can see where they have been trained in the same ways anyway.

The older girl has her red hair cropped short, the sides and back shaved with the top barely any longer. Her clothing differs from the other two in that she wears tight jeans that are ripped at the knees from wear, practical black tennis shoes, and a red flannel over a black tank top. She has a holster strapped to each thigh, the handguns in each one reek of magic. There are at least two knives on her as well, though Diana can't see them to tell if they are magical too.

She looks tired.

All three of them look tired, really, but the oldest has a heavy droop to her shoulders and a weariness in her face that speaks of more sorrow then someone her age should have to carry.

"There is a safe house a few blocks away that the league maintains for various reasons," Diana says. All three children-because, truely, these are kids in front of her-watch her intently as though determining if she is worthy of theur trust. She does her best to project nothing but concern and truthfulness. "Once the police have secured the building and confirmed no one is hurt, I will escort you three there so we may talk privately. Would you mind waiting at the corner of the building?"

They younger two look to the third as she seems to stare right into Diana's very soul. She stands tall under the scrutiny. She has nothing to hide.

The girl nods, after a moment, and the one who spoke to Diana first says, "we will wait."

Diana smiles encouragingly at them and turns her back, hoping against hope that her show of faith will set them more at ease.

#

"Would anyone like something to drink? Some tea perhaps?" Wonder Woman asks from the open kitchen of the small apartment she led the three of them to. Jazz glances to the side at Tucker and Sam, lets them know through aura that she trusts the woman not to do anything to their drinks.

"Chamomile," Tucker says quietly. Jazz wonders if Diana has realized that she knows her name yet or not.

"Just some water is fine," Sam says.

Jazz stays silent. She fears that if she tries to speak, the sobs she has been holding in since she saw the article will finally burst loose. That, or all that will come out will be the Language of the Ancients. She hasn't had a nonverbal episode in years, not since her core developed enough to use ghost speech. She just loses the ability to speak a living language.

She sends Sam her own request for water so she can let the hero in front of them know.

"And water for Koppitz, also," Sam says. Jazz sends the mental equivalent of a grimmace at Sam for using code names, but doesn't reprimand or correct her. For as much as she knows Diana is trustworthy, she doesn't know if the League is. They will know their names soon, if they don't already, Jazz isn't going to hold Sam's well earned caution against her.

"Koppitz?" Diana asks as she pulls two sealed water bottles from the fridge while waiting for the water in the kettle to boil. "Please, sit," she sets the bottles down in front of the stools at the island that separates the living room from the kitchen. Tucker glances at Jazz for confirmation of safety again and she cringes internally. She is so tired of being the adult, of being the decision maker, of having to lead.

She wonders if this is how Danny felt before... Before.

Jazz encourages Tucker to sit by taking the middle stool. The other flank her automatically and she draws strength from their proximity, takes a drink of her water, and then asks Sam to do the talking. Her throat is still too tight for english and she knows for a fact that Tucker's will be too.

"You can call me Nightshade, she is Koppitz, and he is Pharaoh," Sam says. Her voice is flat and smooth, and Jazz pokes her aura to ask if she has noticed it yet. Sam sends back awareness and a request for patience that makes Jazz wince. Sam isn't doing well. None of them are, but at least Jazz is still mostly human and doesn't have to think about the things a flesh body needs like Sam does. The more tired she gets, the less human she is able to act. It seems her heart and lungs have long since stopped for the day.

Diana nods to the three of them in turn and doesn't offer her civilian name. She doesn't comment on the lack of essential functions from Sam either.

Jazz likes her. Despite every instinct in her body screaming at her not to, Jazz decides to trust her.

And just like that, her throat loosens. "We have been looking for our brother for a year," Jazz's voice is soft and it creaks gently where she hasn't used it yet today. "My genetic donors took him and ran when they found out he was a metahuman, dissappeared completely and cut me off because I told them they were wrong about there being something to cure." Her eyes flash at the thought of the last time she spoke to them. They do it every time, the rage and fear just as strong now as it was then. "We finally got word of them through the Daily Planet article about-" her throat closes again. She isn't sure how to put this in words and clearly her body and brain agree that it isn't something to be spoken. A growl of frustration wchoes from her core as she fights back tears of anger. She can't even ask the important question. How is she suppossed to be of help to him if she can't even ask a fucking question.

"The Doctors Fenton," Sam takes back over. "We have been looking for them for a year because Danny-"

"Isn't their son," Tucker says firmly. The first words he has spoken since they loaded the car this morning. "He shares their genetics, technically, but he hasn't called them parents in years."

Diana's face is a mask of blankness that would have been more then enough to cover her emotions if Jazz wasn't a telepath.

Diana is angry. She is sad, horrified, angry, relieved, and remorseful. She is heartbroken.

Jazz ignores every last one of the emotions swirling in her mind to focus on the truth of the words that come out of her mouth next.

"I can't tell you much," she says, and Jazz has to physically grab Sam's arm before she can reflexively use her plants to grab the woman in front of them.

"We don't need much," Jazz forces herself to say. "Just. Tell us he is alive. Please-" her voice breaks, fails her again, and the grip she has on Sam isn't holding the other girl back anymore. Sam's cool arm beneath her hands is all that is keep Jazz from falling apart.

"Danny is alive," Diana says gently. "He is alive and far away from Jack and Madeline Fenton. I do not know where, but I can promise he is safe for the time being."

Jazz takes a great, shuddering breath in. Her chest aches all the sudden. The room is tilting around her and the world feels like it is ending, but she doesn't care. Danny is okay. Danny is safe. Danny is safe.

Someone is sobbing, loud, heart-rending sounds that only barely sound human. The earth is shaking and Jazz is falling apart against the cold, hardwood floor. She doesn't remember how she ended up on the floor. Tucker is next to her, face pressed to the dip where shoulder meets neck and she can feel him shaking with his own wailing.

Sam is like stone under the hand not holding Tucker close. Unyielding, unmoving, cold. She is the immovable object to the unstoppable force of Jazz and Tucker's emotions. The shutdown to match their meltdowns.

Jazz realizes she is the one making those awful keening noises and it does nothing to stop them.

Danny is okay.

#

In the upper atmo somewhere, Danny, Jason, Kori, and Roy are gathering the last of the shit for danny to summon wulf so he can portal danny and jay to the far frozen. Wonder woman spends the next hour consoling these three kids before getting them set up in the guest room at the safe house and then calling batman like "how opposed to meeting up with his siblings do you think danny would be? Could we maybe get the four of them together? Cause i just watched his siblings have the mother of all breakdowns upon finding out he is safe. I think they plan on driving to gotham to try and find him."

She is like, ten minutes too late to catch Jason's check in before they do the summoning. About twenty minutes later wulf shows up and brings the three through a portal so they can see danny.

Dp x Dc Bad parents with a twist.

The Fentons find out about Danny being Phantom. Either from Vlad or just randomly. They take it badly. They think Phantom is possessing him, but they think they can "save" him. Unfortunately, the GIW think otherwise and want to destroy their son. So what do they do? They erase all signs of their existence in Amity and wiping every article and study they ever had on ghost. Then they packed up and moved to Gotham in the middle of the night. Cutting Danny off from his friends and Jazz (due to her being at college and disagreeing with them). Vlad and the Fentons become business partners. Publicly, the three work together making and marketing inventions. while privately trying to 'fix' Danny on the side.

Danny has to wear an upgraded specter deflector, which is a thin metal bracelet.

Having half of himself offline for a long period of time has been causing his physical health to decline. That and the experiments his parents have been performing on him. No full-blown vivisection. He also gets anesthesia because they believe the Danny can still feel.

It wasn't long for the people of Gotham to start to talk about Vlad Co's new business partners and their sickly son. It wasn't long after for Bruce Wayne to gain some interest as well.

The first time Bruce met the Fentons was at a gala with Masters introducing them. Jack, Maddie, and Their son. He was also able to observe that he looked more sickly in person. With deep eye bags, pale skin, and how thin he was. It made Bruce's heart ache thinking what the boy about Tim's age had been having to endure.

The conversation contuied. Danny nervously fidgeting, only giving curt responses. Mr Fenton laughed, joking about how Danny didn't like fancy events. He excused Danny, telling him to grab something to eat. Danny nodded and rushed away, grabbing food and settling down in a nestled in a far back conner.

Bruce continued talking to the enthusiastic pair, talking glances at the boy occasionally. He felt some of his tension relax when spotting Tim taking a seat near Danny.

After the gala Tim and Bruce got together and compared notes. They both came to one conclusion.

They needed to find out more.

[iamjungkooked]

Until My Last Breath

↳Pairing: Jungkook x female reader

↳Genre: Smut (mild), Romance, Angst

↳Word count: 13.4k

↳Warnings: swearing, mild oral sex (f receiving), way too much making out, grinding (sort of?), mention of death. More than all of this Jeongguk is just fucking delicious in this fic (that’s the biggest warning i can give you)

↳Rating: 18+ (Don’t read if you are underage)

↳AU: werewolf! Jungkook + human OC

↳Summary: Sporting an undercut and tattoos Jeon Jungkook waltzes back in your life after 5 years of being away. You think you know him– and just when you think you have gotten close, he reveals a secret (or two). Following this, is a series of trials and tribulations that concludes in a way you never expect.

(Alternatively: the one where Jungkook creates a mess out of you)

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Your hands hurt from holding the grocery bags. Mrs. Jeon did offer her help but you refused because she has so much to do. If anything Jimin should have accompanied you considering that he’s always going on about how he’d marry you if he could.

Alas, he wasn’t there either because being the beta of the pack meant he had to run morning training and education with the younger children since Jungkook wasn’t there. Generally this was something the alpha of the pack would do-- but Mr. Jeon was busy with the politics of the werewolf and human world. Had Jungkook been here he would have been running the session seeing as he is next in line to be alpha of the pack. But he was miles away on the other side of the country. He has been for five years and truth be told you can’t even remember what his face looks like anymore.

With thoughts such as that the only accompaniment, you march along with as much energy you can muster at each step. The house comes into view. Once again with no other company but your own to entertain yourself you take a drip down memory lane. You remember the awe you first felt when Mr. Jeon brought you to the house. Your father had just passed away while on a drug raid. Mr. Jeon being his best friend brought you with him.

In the early days, the entire family tried to hide their secret. But then on a full moon, you curiously followed Jungkook out and watched as he transformed from man into a beast. Initially, you wanted to scream with horror, but the air got stuck in your throat when he began approaching you. Rooted to the spot and with no escape, Jungkook-- rather his wolf form nuzzled his nose against your neck and whimpered. The fear was gone just like that. All night long, you accompanied him, roaming the forest behind the house getting into all sorts of trouble. When the effect of the full moon began to fade during the early hours of the morning you remember sneaking back into the house and rummaging through his room to get him clothes for when he transformed back.

You kick the giant black gate open and walk down the cemented pathway flanked on either side by lawns outlined with a variety of flowers. To your left was the gazebo that Mr. Jeon built when you were sixteen as a birthday present because that happened to be your obsession at the time.

As the foyer nears, you see a huge commotion outside. It seemed everyone and their mother was present. With urgency in your steps only worsened by curiosity, you reach in no time. You stand on your tiptoes to get a view of what was happening, however, the five grocery bags in your hands weigh you down.

Momentarily the crowd parts. You see the outline of a face that isn’t recognizable-- the hoodie covering half the profile.

“What is going on?” you gather the courage to speak loudly against the chatter of the crowd.

It is loud enough to get the talking to stop and everyone turns to you, including the mysterious stranger.

He pulls his hoodie down.

The grocery bags drop from your hands, just as your mouth hangs open.

“Jungkook is back!” one of the kids tugs at your arm in excitement.

Well shit. You never could have recognized him even if someone planted his younger version of right next to him. He is probably just shy of 6 feet tall. Although engulfed in a black crewneck, you could tell he was built. His dark wash ripped blue jeans contour his thighs to perfection and just when you think he couldn’t have changed further you notice his hair. He had gone off and gotten himself an undercut. His hair was on the longer side, and it was parted to the left of his head while the undercut was visible on the right. He had even gone so far as to get tattoos that adorned his fingers, and his forearm-- a music note. Well now you were fucked because how could you ever resist a man with that kind of hairstyle and tattoos.

Correction, how could you resist a fucking werewolf who wears an undercut and has tattoos?

“Y/n?” he speaks and you swear you could have heard angels speaking to you.

You keep mum. In fact, you can’t even hear him. You’re too busy undressing him with your eyes. Your heart pounds, your knees feel weak because this man is simply too gorgeous to exist. How the hell is everyone else standing on their two feet while you feel like you’re going to fall any moment?

You say something. You have no idea what exactly because your ears are ringing, but you know something comes out of your mouth which causes everyone around you to giggle. You might as well just turn around and go hide somewhere because you’ve probably made a fool of yourself.

“Huh” comes his deep voice, but it’s faint. His remark only makes you wonder what you spat out.

“It’s hot” you fan yourself with your hand. Your mouth is parched, dry like the desert. “You--  Wow. You look--nice to--- welcome. I mean, g-good— to” you look at him, and pause to collect your thoughts. “Good to have you back. I think...” you are completely breathless and dazed by the end of that word salad. Your forehead scrunches in a frown as you try to shake away the magic spell his presence has cast on you. You don’t even bother to wait for a response as you run back down the pathway you came. You follow it out of the gate and turn the corner. A few paces up the hill you come upon the gated entrance to the forest.

You hear someone calling you out, but you’re a damn mess. You aren’t willing to let anyone see you like that. You run as far into the forest as your legs will carry you-- far, far, away from him.

You can finally understand the phrase “avoid like the plague” because that’s what you have been doing to Jungkook. For the past four days since he has been back, you have done anything and everything you can to avoid him. If you see him in the house, you immediately make a u-turn for your room. If you see him outside, you hide behind anything you can find-- a pillar, a bush, a tree, a car, another fucking human being.

Of course it doesn’t help that everyone tries to keep pushing you to him. Well, mostly his parents. But also random people like the ladies in Mrs. Jeon’s book club who on Saturday made a spectacle out of you.

“Come on, pose for a photo” they had said when they saw you and Jungkook out and about the house. You weren’t even looking at one another when they swarmed you and him, taking you by the arm and making you stand next to one another. They didn’t even ask nicely-- no. They demanded that you and Jungkook take a photo because apparently you two look amazing together. Despite your protests, and vigorous head shaking-- they basically pushed you to him, and thankfully he managed to steady you on your feet by catching your waist.

His arm around your waist as he holds you flush against him and your hand on his forearm while you two looked at one another-- that’s the picture they took. You may as well have just gotten a whole fucking photoshoot done while you were at it.

“Y/n’s probably always had a crush on him” one of the ladies, Mrs. Ri had mentioned while all the others including Mrs Jeon crowded around to look at the picture on the camera.

A tomato couldn’t be more red than you and that's saying something. All Jungkook did in response was shrug at you like he was enjoying it. Normally a man might object to being treated this way. But he didn’t utter a single word. Only he looked quite amused by the whole situation and your reaction as he smiled and chuckled to himself.

On the other hand, his parents always mentioned in his absence that they would love if you and him got together. You never paid any mind to those conversations in particular because it was Jungkook— atleast how you remembered him before he became a fucking Adonis. Not that it’s the only thing that matters. But you just never felt this way before, and now you do.

You tiptoe through the house while everyone is busy at this time of day. Mrs.Jeon is probably with all the other ladies for their book club, Mr.Jeon no doubt is in his study and Jimin is probably with Jungkook, training.

It sucks to be the only human sometimes because they can always hear you, and know what you’re thinking. But you can’t do the same. It makes you feel vulnerable. But everyone is good at reminding you about how lucky you are to be human.

You traipse through the living room, peeking behind from walls here and there to make sure Jungkook isn’t around because if you see him you’re sure you’ll lose your shit. Again.

There is a certain chunk of the wooden floor that creaks under pressure so you take care to avoid it. Because in case Jungkook is anywhere inside the house he’ll hear it.

Creak

“Fuck” you mutter, shutting your eyes tight and carefully lifting your toes from the damned spot which makes another sound.

You hear footsteps on the stairs behind you. Too scared to move, you straighten up.

“I was wondering when I’ll see you again” comes Jungkook’s voice.

“Heeeyyy” you turn around, plastering a smile on your face and it screams fake.

“Four days huh. Good job” Jungkook looks impressed as he comes down to ahalt at the last step . “How did you manage to avoid me for four whole days? I am curious”

“You knew”

“Of course I knew” he’s mouth moves as he chews gum, one brow raised at you, looking absolutely devilish (in the best way possible). “Too bad the streak has come to end” he places his hands in pockets lining his black sweats.

Well fuck. No point in denying it anymore then.

“If it wasn’t for this stupid floor I could have gone the whole week. Probably” you decide to give in instead of pretending you have no idea what he’s talking about.

He steps towards you, one corner of his mouth curved up in a sly smirk. “That would never happen. You’d have made a mistake at some point before that”

“Maybe” you shrug. You’re so surprised that you’re able to find your words this time. “Welcome back by the way” you offer a genuine smile, trying to make up for that botched attempt when he first arrived.

“Thanks. It’s good to be back” he sighs contentedly. “I missed this place and the people.” he looks around and then his gaze comes to rest on you. “Well, one person in particular” he looks you straight in the eyes.

“Your mom” you reply. He loves his mother.

“Yes. But also someone else”

“Who?” curiosity gets the best of you.

“Just someone” he shrugs.

You’re about to respond when Jimin comes in. “What are you two doing here?” he looks at Jungkook as he stops next to you, throwing an arm around your shoulder.

Wordlessly, Jungkook’s eyes change color from his hazel brown to icy blue. He steps towards you and Jimin, and then pulls Jimin’s hand away from your shoulder. He looks at the boy, jaw grinding as he chews gum. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” his voice is calm, but his eyes are absolutely terrifying since they harbour a cold, mean look. They change back to brown in an instant once Jimin nods. You notice how tense Jimin looks but he walks with Jungkook anyway.  

They’re probably only gone for thirty seconds. But when they come back their body language is completely relaxed. They look like two pals reunited after years.

“Everything okay?” you ask Jimin.

“Yeah. All good” he nods. “I was just congratulating him”

“What for?” you look between the two of them, feeling awfully suspicious.

Jimin is about to open his mouth when he catches Jungkook’s gaze. Jungkook shakes his head and you notice, at which point you turn to him. “Fine. I don’t want to know” you huff. You start towards the back door which leads to the backyard where Mrs. Jeon is with her friends.

Just a couple steps in, you’re tugged back. You turn around to find Jungkook holding onto your wrist. There is something about the way he looks at you. You’ve seen this look before in movies—it’s the way the hero looks at the heroine when he thinks she isn’t looking. It’s soft, but it’s wanting-- a complete contrast from the way he glared the life out of Jimin just minutes ago. He looks like he’s got something to say, but he’s holding back.

“What is it?” your voice is quiet, like you’re too scared to speak out. As if your voice will give away the crazy whirlwind of emotions in your chest.

“Nothing” he blinks and lets go of your wrist. “See ya around” he turns on his heels and walks the other way as Jimin follows him.

The woods at this time of the night are majestic. Moonlight bathes the tops of trees in a silver glow. The moonlight filters through gaps in tree branches, and covers the ground in a white sheen. It looks nothing short of magical.There is a slight chill in the wind, but it’s nothing you aren’t used to. The fallen leaves crunch under your feet. Sounds of crickets chirping, owls hooting fills the air.

You walk through the pathway bordered on each side by large trees the branches of which meet in the middle above you, forming an archway. You feel safe in the womb of nature like you’re protected and nothing could touch you. Without fear, it’s easier for you to take in everything. The air you breathe feels fresh, and crisp. If you could, you would make time stop so you could stay in the woods at night and never have to leave.

As each step carries you further into the woods, you feel more and more at peace. The trees become more lush the further you go. The animals are more noticeable deep into the forest. You see squirrels running around the trees, there are bird nests high up in the branches. You can hear mockingjays in these parts of the forest too.

You stop by the clearing in the woods. This side of the woods is your favorite. You sit against the trunk of one of the trees, resting your head. You look at nothing in particular in the sky. It’s clear above you, with a full moon shining. Your mind immediately goes back to Jungkook as you gaze upon it. You feel tortured every time your thoughts turn to him. You don’t know if it’s normal for you to want to cry, but you’re already shedding tears. Your quiet sobs accompany the sounds of nature. The weight seems to be lifting off your shoulders, and it feels easier to breathe. But then you think of him and that someone he mentioned. It causes you to sob even harder. You hiccup, using the back of your hands to wipe away the tears.

“What’s wrong?”

You can’t forget that voice. You look up at Jungkook as he stands with his hands in his jean pockets.

You shake your head. “Nothing. I just-- I miss--” you begin to cry again. “I-I miss my dad” another sob escapes your throat.

“Can I give you a hug?” he asks in a soft voice, which makes you want to cry even harder. “Please”

You nod.

He comes over, sits down next to you and gathers you in his arms. He pulls you into himself, wrapping your arm around his side, as he holds you. You place your cheek against his chest as you hold him close. It may have started because of him, but it continues because you do miss your dad. The moment you said “dad” was when you knew you couldn’t stop even if you wanted to.

“I am sorry y/n” he strokes the back of your head. “I really am” he sniffles.

You pull back to find tears staining his cheeks. “Why are you crying?” you look up at him.

His gaze is locked onto yours. “Because, I can feel what you feel”

“Sorry. I forgot you’re a werewolf” you shift back on your spot, forcing his arm to fall from your shoulder.

He opens his mouth to say something but then closes it. He looks at you a few seconds longer. “Yeah. That’s it” he says, blinking and a lone tear escapes. Your fingers twitch at your side, needing to wipe it away. But it might be too weird so you let your fingers curl into a fist.

“Thank you for doing this” your mouth curves in a soft smile. “How did you find me here?”

“I’ve seen you in the woods for the past four nights. I didn’t know who it was at first because I only saw a flash of your hair, or your shoes. But today I followed you and it’s good I did because pretty girls like you shouldn’t be crying alone”

You snort. “Right. Pretty girls like me”

He raises a brow. “You don’t believe me?”

“I believe you. I just don’t believe your words”

“Then tell me what I can do to make you believe me” he states. You’re sure he isn’t serious but one look at him tells you he means every single word.

“Jungkook, it’s alright. You don’t have to do anything” you shake your head. But then it strikes you. “Although there is something…”

“Anything” the corners of his mouth upturned in a soft smile-- one that made your heart skip a beat (or ten maybe).

“I want to see your wolf form” you look at him tentatively, wondering if he’ll turn you down, or maybe even shout at you for making a request. Asking a werewolf to show their wolf is a sacred request and not something that should be asked lightly. You know how important their wolf form is to them. It’s like talking about sex among humans, but much more of a touchy subject.

“That’s it?” his eyebrows are furrowed together at the miniscule nature of your request.

“So you’ll show me? Can you do it on your own will?” your hands clasp in front of your chest in anticipation.

A laugh bellows from his chest. “Of course. I’ll show you” he stands up, dusts his hands, and the back of his jeans. “You may want to close your eyes because I need my clothes for later”

Without needing to be told in exact terms, you close your eyes and cover them with your hands for good measure. You can hear sounds of feet shuffling, a belt unbuckling and soft thuds—probably his clothes dropping ctx dagainst the soil.

“I’ll count to five and then open. One, Two, Three, Four, Five”

You give it a few more seconds just in case before you’re uncovering your eyes. Standing in front of you is a majestic white wolf, with icy blue eyes-- Jungkook’s eyes. Your mouth falls open, your mind unable to come up with words. You cautiously step towards him, hand reaching out wanting to touch him. He meets you halfway, nuzzling his nose against your hand. You laugh.

“You’re beautiful Jungkook” you whisper as you stroke the fur, which is softer than velvet against your hand.

The wolf whimpers in response.

“What can you do as a wolf? Any tricks?” you ask, forgetting that he’s not a dog.

He growls, baring his teeth.

You throw your hands up. “Geez. Sorry. I was just curious” you reach for his muzzle as you continue stroking gently to help him calm down.

He steps back, turns around and starts further into the forest.

“Where are you going?” you ask.

He whimpers and motions beyond the clearing with his head. You start to follow, when you remember his clothes and grab them. He’s already a few paces ahead of you. It seems that even his wolf isn’t patient.

“Slow down will you?” you yell as you run to try and catch up. He doesn’t listen though as he continues on.

You’re breathless by the time you reach a beautiful meadow full of wildflowers and fallen timber. Flowing right next to the meadow is a stream littered with little stones and large rocks alike. Moonlight shines through the cracks between tree branches above you. The air is cooler than you have ever experienced in this part of the woods. The grass is lush and soft beneath your feet unlike the rest of the forest which is mostly soil. You don’t know how you never came upon this place on your walks. But then again Jungkook probably knows the forest best.

He is stopped at the edge of the stream. You drop the pile of his clothes on a log, and walk towards the stream. You crouch and place your hand in the running stream. The icy cold water sends shivers down your body. You flick some of the water on him, at which point he growls at you again.

“This is fun” you chuckle as you get up.

He whimpers as he tackles you to the ground, and nuzzles his nose in your neck.

“It tickles, it tickles, it tickles” you laugh as you try to push him away. You doubt you could have pushed him away in his human form but as a wolf it’s impossible. You rub your hand against his fur. He mewls and falls on his back next to you and you rub his underbelly. He loves it as he continues to make these cute noises and all you want to do is hug him.

A twig snaps somewhere in the distance. Jungkook jumps up to his feet, growling, teeth showing as he paces in front of you looking in the direction of the sound. He continues to snarl and growl, pacing increasing in speed. He looks ready to kill. You abandon your perch on the grass in favor of standing up. You tread towards him. At this point you’re more scared of what he’s doing rather than where the sound came from. You reach him, stopping by his side. You look at him— at those blue eyes of his, and take a step forward but he’s quick to nudge you back with his head.

“It’s alright” you reassure him as you caress the top of his head.

You try once more to step beyond where he’s standing but he gives another push and you tumble back slightly. He snarls at you as he looks back at you over his shoulder, warning you to stay in your place. He turns back to inspect the woods, pacing from side to side.

“Alright. Fine” you give up. “But please don’t do anything. It could just an animal like a squirrel or something”

Ears perked up, he stands towering in front of you.

“I don’t think it was anything” you stay in your spot, as you place your hand on his flank.

He holds up his nose, moving his head in every direction like he’s trying to smell something out. He starts stepping back, his rump hitting you as he does. He turns around, leaning his muzzle against your shoulder, like he’s trying to comfort you and find comfort in you.

“It’s okay” you whisper, skimming his fur. “We’re fine” you wrap your arm around his neck.

He lets out a small cry as he snuggles into you.

“I brought your clothes by the way” you let go of him and he steps back. “I think it’s best if we go home. It’s already 1”

He steps back a few paces and disappears behind a tree while you turn around and wait for him.

“Give me a sign whenever you’re done” you call out. You wait and wait for what seems like ten minutes but is really only a minute or two.

He clears his throat. “I am good.” he says.

You turn around to face him. You really missed seeing his face-- in the human form. He was majestic in his wolf form, but there is something about the human side of him that you can’t get over. In all honesty, he’s a sight to behold.  

“So, what did you think?” he rubs his hands together in anticipation.

“You’re amazing” you meet him halfway. “I’ve seen almost everyone’s wolf form. But yours is breathtaking”

He chuckles. “Thank you. I am sure he’s happy to hear it too” he closes the distance. He reaches for your hand, curling his fingers around your palm. It’s the warmest feeling you have ever felt.

You open your mouth to protest but he’s already cutting you off.

“I am not letting go, until we’re out of these woods.” he tugs on your hand as he turns around and begins towards the house.

“Thank you. It is sweet of you to protect me”

“It’s my job to protect you. I will always be there when you need me” he squeezes your hand in reassurance.

It’s nice to know that you have someone in your corner. “I wish I could say the same. But you don’t need me to protect you”

He nods. “You’re right. But if I ever need a hug, I know who to come to”

Little does he know that you are ready to give him the whole wide world. “Anytime”

Your eyes lock for a few seconds and both of you burst into grins.

Walking in the forest by yourself is always peaceful. But walking in these woods hand in hand with Jungkook is euphoric.

A pang of dread fills your chest when Jungkook ignores you.

Just when you thought things were going good, he distanced himself. You don’t know what went wrong in the days following the night in the woods. But he was avoiding you. It wouldn’t have felt so bad were it not for the fact that the way he ignored you was cold. It wasn’t like you where it was more benign in nature and it was clear that you were avoiding him for fear of embarrassing yourself. He knew that too. But with him it’s something else

He wouldn’t even look at you. A frown seemed to have permanently settled on his face. He was never present anymore. He was always lost in thought with an inscrutable look in his eyes. If you showed up where he was, he’d leave wordlessly. If you tried to talk to him he’d act like he couldn’t even hear you and that would be followed by his departure. And when he did look at you-- the only way to interpret the expression in his eyes was: resentment. You had no idea why he was doing that.

So as the whole family, including Jimin was sitting in the backyard under the canopy for breakfast, Jungkook made to leave just as you were approaching to join them. But his mother made him sit back down.

“Jungkook, you’re not going to leave” her tone is stern.

He rolls his eyes with a huff as he sits back down.

“What’s wrong with you dude?” Jimin leans in, thinking he’s whispering but his voice is a tad bit louder than that.

Even you can hear him just as you are a few steps away.

“Nothing” his voice is devoid of emotion. He leans back in his chair, sliding down against the back like he just wants to disappear. He fiddles with his fingers.

“Hi everyone” you offer a tight lipped smile. Everyone except for Jungkook replies. “Hi Jungkook” you say after not being met with a response.

He stays silent, holding the same sulked posture as before, not even acknowledging your presence.

You catch Jimin’s eyes. He gestures with his head to Jungkook as if to ask ‘what’s up’. You shrug because you have no clue what has gotten into him. You take the empty chair next to Jungkook and you can see him shifting in his chair uncomfortably. Your heart sinks in your chest, but you dismiss it. You look over at Jimin sitting on the opposite side of the table. He looks between you and Jungkook and you just know he’s thinking something. You both look at each other-- a silent conversation ensuing.

“Oh no. I forgot the cutlery” Mrs. Jeon jumps suddenly. She gets up when you interrupt.

“It’s okay. I can grab it” you gesture for her to sit down. “Do you want that special set?” you smile at her.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together like this. I think it’s time we use it. This is a special occasion. The box is in the attic. Will you be okay?”

“It’s okay. I got it”  you put her concern to rest with a grin.

You glance at Jungkook who still hasn’t moved an inch as he is still playing with his fingers and ignoring everyone around him. You make way inside the house, and up the stairs to the second floor. The entrance to the attic is on the second floor. You turn right on the landing, moving towards your room and at the end of the hallway. You pull the rope which unfolds the ladder. It comes down, you climb it and reach the musty room.

It’s full of boxes. You rummage through them to find the one labeled cutlery. The box is quite heavy, but you manage to climb down with it safely. You push the ladder back up, and the door closes blending in with the rest of the ceiling. You carry the box down the first two flights of stairs, slightly shaking because of how heavy it is.

You lose your footing at the beginning of the third set of stairs and down you go five stairs. The box slips from your hand. A scream rips through the air. You manage not to hit your head. But your ankle twists during the fall. You’re laying on your side attempting to get up when everyone rushes into the room.

Jungkook is the first one to arrive. “Are you okay?” he helps you sit up and you wince.

It hurts so damn much, you can’t stop yourself from crying. “I- I am” you grimace. “I am fine” you croak through a strained voice, tears sliding down your cheeks.

“No. You’re not” he cups your cheeks to make you look at him. He inspects your head for injuries. “You’re not fucking fine” he’s pissed as he’s practically at the verge of yelling. “What the fuck were you thinking?” he slides an arm under your back, and the other under your knee as he picks you up off the floor. You lock your hands behind his neck, keeping your gaze cast down. You don’t want to look at him in this condition.“I am taking her to her room” he announces, and no one even gets a word in because he’s already started up the flight of stairs.

You try to contain your cries, but the pain is too sharp especially at your ankle. You can sense him looking down at you.

“What were you trying to do?” he shakes his head. You should have called for help, you idiot”

“Sorry” you snivel still not meeting his eyes. “I was just trying to bring the box down and I lost my footing”

You reach the room, and he kicks the ajar door fully open. Once you’re in, he kicks it close. He gently lays you down on the bed, adjusting the pillow underneath your head.

You wince in pain, wiping away the tears. For the first time you look at him and he’s pacing, like he was in the woods except he’s in his human form. “Where does it hurt?” he sounds concerned but it’s that angry kind of way. There is no softness in his tone, if anything its gruff.

“You don’t have to worry. I am okay”

“Bullshit” he stops and sits at the edge of the bed, as he takes off your shoe and sock to look at your ankle. He touches the ankle bone, and you inhale a sharp breath. “See” he shakes his head like he’s disappointed. “That looks like it’s sprained. You could have asked--”

“You for help?” you complete his sentence, full well knowing that’s what he intended.

His eyes flicker to you, but he doesn’t say anything. He begins to gently feel around your ankle for any other injuries, brows furrowing in concentration.

You watch him, as he continues to look for other wounds,or gashes-- scanning your legs, arms, and face. You can’t understand the sudden shift in his behaviour. “What are you doing?”

He stops to look at you. “What do you mean? I am checking for any other injuries” he says in a blunt tone and resumes inspection.

“That’s not what I mean” you push his hands away from your forearms just as he’s looking over for more bruises. “Why do you suddenly give a shit? What do you care if I live or die”

He opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again and shuts it, grinding his jaw. “I’ll grab ice” he ignores your question and gets up from the bed.

You tug him back by the hem of his sleeve. “I need an answer”

“I don’t have one” he yanks his arm, and the cloth slips from your fingers.

“This is what I am talking about” you bite the inside of your cheek just as he’s approaching the door “One minute you act like you give a crap about me, and the next you act like you wouldn’t blink an eye if I died”

He’s reaching for the doorknob when he turns around. His brown wide eyes stare back at you He scoffs. “I wouldn’t care if you died?” his disbelief reflects in his partly open mouth. Do you---” he covers his face with his hands, taking in deep breaths and letting his hands run through his locks before looking at you. “You have no fucking clue what you’re talking about” he turns around and reaches for the door when there is a knock.

He sighs in frustration. “Who the hell--” he opens the door.

Jimin stands on the other side of the door with an ice pack in his hand, and a bottle of what looks like medicine. Jimin peeks over Jungkook’s shoulder, about to say something. But Jungkook grabs the ice pack and medicine wordlessly and shuts the door in his face.

He walks back and presses the ice pack to your ankle, while holding the tiny bottle out for you.

“I don’t want it” you say sharply, looking to the side.

You hear him huff. “Do I look like I give a shit right now?” he seethes through clenched teeth.

You turn to him. “You know this whole tough guy act doesn’t scare me”

He pulls his lower lip between his teeth. If this were a cartoon he would have smoke coming out of his ears. “Just take it”

You study him, your gazes locked on each other. Neither of you even blink. His nostrils are still flaring and you’re still breathing heavily through pursed lips. “I hate you” you snatch the bottle from him and chug the bitter liquid down.

His expression changes for a moment-- the look in his eyes softens. He blinks, casting his gaze down momentarily. But then he’s back to carrying a frown on his face as he looks up at you. “You should. You shouldn’t like me at all” his tone gentler than before, hiding beneath it an infinity of disappointment that you catch.

“Well now I don’t. You damn well made sure of that” you grab the pillow next to you and hide your face behind it.

Seconds later you hear the door slam and that’s when you scream into the pillow.

Your ankle gets better in the next couple of weeks, but your relationship with Jungkook doesn’t. You’re still distant from each other. Still angry at each other. Your silent fight has tensed the atmosphere in the whole house. It’s awkward to say the least. Mr. and Mrs. Jeon skirt around you both, walking on eggshells whenever you are in a room together. Dinners are silent for the most part except for when his parents make conversation about their day.

You both ignore each other. Neither of you even looks in the direction of the other person. If you happen to pass each other in the house, you avoid each other.

Perhaps everyone has had enough-- especially Mrs. Jeon since she broaches the subject at dinner one night.

“Alright” she holds her fingers in a steeple. “What the hell is wrong with you two?”

You and Jungkook glance at each other wary of how she’s speaking because she never swears-- not even use the word ‘hell’.

You both say at the same time. “Nothing”

“Bullshit” she slams her hands on the table.

“Honey” Mr. Jeon looks at her.

She dismisses it. “ No. We’re going to address this”

“Mom” Jungkook looks at her warningly. “Don’t”

“What happened?” she looks at you. “He won’t tell me” she glances at her son from the periphery of her vision. “But I know you will”

“Nothing. I promise” you offer a half hearted smile.

“I wasn’t expecting this from you y/n” she sounds disappointed.

“Mrs. Jeon. I swear to you it’s nothing. Even if there is something we can sort it out amongst ourselves”

“Well that’s just the problem isn’t it. You’re not. You don’t even look at each other”

You avert your gaze sideways.

“Just drop it will you?” Jungkook sounds frustrated. “We’re good” he doesn’t even look sincere in the least bit.

You nod finding purchase in your lap, barely making eye contact with anyone.

“Whatever it is, apologize” she demands. She looks to Jungkook, raising her brows at him expectantly. She waits for him to say something. He avoids looking at her but she is persistent. It’s only for a few seconds but he crumbles under the pressure and mumbles a “sorry”

“Look at her and say it” Mrs. Jeon says curtly.

He looks at you, eyes meeting yours for the first time in weeks.

Something changes in you and once again you feel like crying just because he’s there.

“Sorry” he looks away, folding his arms across his chest and chewing on his lip.

“Well you can tell him Mrs. Jeon that if he isn’t going to mean it, I don’t accept it” you glance at her and then back at your lap, leaning against the chair. 

“You can tell her that this is all she’s getting from me” he looks at his mother too.

“Tell him that he’s the one who started it. So, if he can’t even own up to it there really is no point in talking about it” your cheeks feel warm as you keep your gaze fixed firmly on your lap.

“While you’re at it mom, you can tell her that she shouldn’t be talking about things when she doesn’t know what’s going on” Jungkook rolls his eyes.

Your nostrils flare and so do his. You’re breathing heavily, cheeks red and eyes wide. “Maybe Mrs. Jeon you can remind him that he never actually told me what his problem is” you glare at him.

She looks between the two of you and your both lower your gaze.

Jungkook scoffs, returning an equally contemptuous glare towards you. “I don’t have a problem. It’s not my fault she doesn’t understand I don’t actually want to talk to her”

“Great! you throw your hands in the air and look at his parents. “You can tell him he’s the biggest asshole I have ever met in my entire life and I regret ever feeling anything for him” you slam your hands on the table and storm off.

The breeze is cool as it caresses your face. You sniffle away the tears as they well up in your eyes. The woods seem to be the only thing that can comfort you. You walk down your usual pathway, hugging yourself against the chill. As you look around at the moon bathed trees, they look different to you. But they don’t seem as beautiful to you as they did when you were with Jungkook.

The whole forest feels different.

You reach the clearing once more where he found you. You’re overcome with emotion, and your eyes tear up once again. You choke a sob away. You sit against the same tree, look at the same clear sky blanketed by stars. His voice echoes in your head when he asked if he could give you a hug.

You don’t know what happened to that boy. You don’t know where he went and if he will ever come back. You thought he was a friend. But it turns out he wasn’t. He’s just a stranger that you used to know.

You’re immersed in your thoughts. You look down at your hands, a bittersweet sigh passing your lips.

There is a rustle in the bushes near you and you’re immediately on alert. You slowly stand up trying not to make any sudden movements. You look in the direction of the sound and see two glowing brown eyes staring at you.

Your breath catches in your throat. You don’t straighten up fully, for the fear of aggravating whatever animal it is, so you stay in a partly bent position, hands visible by your side.

The animal steps out from behind the shadows.

It’s a wolf-- a black one. It’s not Jimin because his fur is brown. It sure as hell isn’t Jungkook.

The wolf growls at you. It steps towards you like a predator towards prey.

Full blown panic sets in. You’re frozen on the spot. Your heart beats hard and fast, as if the sound rings in your ears. Is this how you die? Alone in the woods? Your whole life flashes in your mind. Among all of that the only name and face that echoes in your head is Jungkook’s  because you would hate to die and not have a chance to talk to him. That would be the biggest regret of your life.

The wolf is still approaching you, and it’s halfway there. It growls and snarls-- saliva dripping from its mouth.

“Oh please no” you whisper, as your knees begin to buckle.

The wolf takes a leap towards you. But at the end second, you see a white one knocking the black one out mid air. They both fly some distance and fall on the ground.

“Jungkook!” you scream running in his direction.

Those blue eyes look back at you as he gets up on all fours.He keeps growling at the other wolf.. You know better than to interfere, so you stay behind him. Both of them snarl at each other. The other wolf howls, probably to try and intimidate Jungkook. But then he howls-- it’s loud and fierce so much so that you have to close your ears. He then makes a sound that is a mix between a roar and a growl as he steps towards the wolf.

“Jungkook no” you hold your hand out for him but he’s just beyond your reach. He looks back at you. You shake your head. He turns to the other wolf and makes a sound that sounds like a threatening bark.

There is a moment where they both just look at each other. Then the other one whimpers and leaves-- tail between its legs quite literally.  

Your knees give out and you fall on the ground, sobbing and hugging yourself. Your cries fill the air. You sob hard enough to make your whole body shake. You have never felt such fear in your life and not just for yourself. You were more worried for Jungkook.

He comes running to you, fully clothed somehow. He immediately holds you in his arms. He holds you close, chin resting on the top of your head, as you bury your face in his chest, body shaking in his arms. You can’t even breathe  properly-- gasping for air with short shallow breaths.“Jungkook” you whimper, holding onto his shirt.

“I am here” he squeezes tighter. “I am right here. You’re safe”

“I-I” you pull back to look up at him, eyes swollen and red, tears still falling down your face in droves. “I thought you were going to...” you bawl again just at the thought of something happening to him. You hide your face against his chest, wrapping your arms against him so tight, you’re sure he’s having a hard time breathing.

“I am okay. I am not even hurt” he reassures you.

“I was so…” you hiccup. “Worried that--that s-some-something w-would happen to you” you manage to choke out the words.

“Look at me” he holds your face in his hands, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. “I am completely okay. I was worried for you. I was scared. I was so so scared” he gazes into your eyes, and you know he’s speaking the truth because he’s beginning to cry too.

You sniffle, trying to control your sobs so you can tell him. “The only thing I could think of was you. I didn’t want to die without talking to you. I was afraid I would never get to talk to you”

“Me too” he croaks. “You didn’t get hurt anywhere did you?” there is panic in his eyes as he suddenly realizes that.

You shake your head. “No. You saved me”

“I told you I’d always protect you didn’t I?” he snivels.

Your lips just in a pout, lips quivering. “How did you know?” you slide your thumbs against his cheeks to wipe the tears.

“I came to the woods to cool off for a bit” he stops to rub the tears from your cheeks as the water works start again. “I was just so pissed, so naturally my wolf took over and I transformed. I was just roaming around, when I could smell you. I followed your scent. I saw the whole thing and trust me, my heart almost stopped. I was waiting for the right moment to intervene and when that wolf jumped at you, I lost it”

“I am sorry I said all those things” you clutch the material of his shirt tighter, looking down.

“No. I started this whole shit and if I hadn’t you wouldn’t have gotten into trouble. I could have lost you tonight and it would have been my fault. I could never forgive myself” he takes your hands in his, curling his fingers in yours. “I am so so sorry”

“So we’re good?” you chuckle.

He doesn’t laugh with you. “Look, if this night has proved anything, it’s that you shouldn’t like me. I told you. Don’t like me. I am not right for you. I am not even good for you. Look at where I landed you tonight” his fingers begin to slip from yours.

“You’re wrong” you hold tight onto his hands.

“I can’t y/n” he avoids your eyes, his shoulders droop. He looks absolutely defeated.

“What’s the reason?” you press on. “Is it someone else?”

“No” he’s quick to shut down that train of thoughts in your head. “There’s no one else. But I can’t. You hold too much power over me. That’s exactly why I can’t”

“I don’t get it. You do all these things for me that no one ever has. Your actions say one thing and your words another. What am I supposed to do Jungkook?”

“Don’t like me. Stay far far away from me” he pulls his hands away from yours. “I’ll take you home”

“Jungkook-”

“I am taking you home” he says firmly, as he lifts you off the ground in his arms.

You hook your hands behind his neck. You let your head rest against the crook of his neck. You let him take you home because you’re too tired to fight. You don’t want to fight with him because you know that you love this man. If the night taught you anything, it was that.

“Y/n we’re going to be leaving” Mrs. Jeon hurriedly comes into the kitchen, opening up cabinets and grabbing food.

“Leaving?” your brows furrowed. “Where?”

“Jungkook’s dad and I have to go to the orphanage in the city for an event. We’ll be back by tonight. But Jungkook is home if you need anything” she packs up a bag full of food, probably for the journey since the drive to the city is 2 hours.

“Wait, you’re both leaving? Jungkook and I are going to be alone…?” your voice trails at the end, having been met with a dreadful realization.

Mrs. Jeon’s nose scrunches as she walks over to you. “Is everything okay?”

You’re too busy worrying so you don’t even hear her.

Mrs. Jeon calls out your name a couple of times before she physically has to shake you. “Y/n, what’s going on?”

You blink rapidly. “Oh nothing. Everything is fine. I just thought he would go with you too”

“We asked him, but he said you’d be alone at home so he’ll stay too”

“He said that?” your eyes widen. You don’t understand his concern.

She nods. “Mmhmm. He also said he will stay just in case you need something while everyone is gone. I would ask you to come too but I didn’t want you to feel bad”

You shake your head. “It’s alright. I’d cry the whole time anyway thinking of my parents” you chuckle. “But you know I can take care of myself”

Mrs. Jeon chuckles. “I know that. But tell Jungkook that because this boy was adamant on not wanting to leave you alone. I don’t understand him” she shakes her head, like any mother aggrieved of her child would. You can’t blame her though. He is a unique specimen.

“Yeah me neither” you purse your lips in a smile.

“Alright. We’ll be off then” she gives you a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “If he troubles you, call me right away”

“I will”

She makes haste of leaving, carrying the bag.

You spend a better part of the day hiding in your room, avoiding Jungkook. It’s the only place in the entire house where he won’t come. Not after everything that has happened between you. He’s honorable in that sense. Things have shifted between you once again. There’s no anger anymore. All of that has been replaced by awkwardness. Now if you see each other, you only nod at one another. Occasionally, you talk too. But it’s always surface level things. Nonetheless, it’s a step in the right direction.

At half past one though, your stomach starts to grumble and gradually all you can think about is food. It’s a relief in a way because it distracts you from him. You spend ten minutes trying to persuade your brain that you’re not actually hungry.

“I am not hungry” you chant it like a mantra hoping that at least for a while it will go away.

After agonizing and torturing yourself for half an hour, you give in.

“Fuck this” you grumble as your hunger gets the better of you. You drag yourself down to the kitchen. Unlike last time though you don’t tiptoe around the house.

You go into the kitchen, open the fridge to find two plates already filled with food. A note, no doubt from Mrs. Jeon is stuck into the cling film: don’t forget to eat.

You grab a plate for yourself, leaving the other one in the fridge for Jungkook. You’re about to shut the door, when you change your mind. This may serve as an excuse to talk to him. At the end of the day, you’re going to be living in the same house. So you figure you can’t go on avoiding him.

You grab the second plate, heat both of them in the microwave.

You head back upstairs, where the bedroom’s are. You turn left at the landing towards his room which is at the end of the hallway. You stop in front of the door, and seeing as your hands are full you settle for calling his name. “Jungkook, you in your room? I got food”

You wait, but there is no response.

“Jungkook” you call again.

No response. Finding yourself with no other choice left, you somehow manage to balance the plate on your forearm. With the free hand, you turn the handle.

You peek your head inside to find the room empty. Just as you’re about to leave your eyes catch something at his bedside table. You know you shouldn’t go inside, but you can’t help it. You leave one of the plate’s on his bedside table  because you can’t lug three things around. You grab it, meaning to ask him about it when you find him.

You close the door, and head back downstairs. You walk the whole of the first floor from the dining room, living room, kitchen, family room calling out his name. But he’s nowhere.

“Maybe he’s in the basement” you think to yourself as you head downstairs. You walk down the steps.

It’s dark save for the blue LED lights running along the ceiling. You walk in further turning the corner from where the pool table, and the arcade game machines are. You remember that before Jungkook left he had set up one half of the basement as his gaming room.

Sure enough as you near the room you hear sounds of gunshots, and rifles and some mild cursing which makes you chuckle.

You don’t bother knocking as you enter. The same blue LED lights adorn the room. You can see his black mop of hair against the couch.

“Are you hungry?” you say tentatively as you stop next to the couch.

He immediately stops playing, throwing his remote on the ground as he turns to you. He takes off his headphones. You notice his hair is tied up in a bun, which manages to make your heart skip a few beats.

“Oh hey” he says, straightening up. “You didn’t have to” he notices the plate in your hand.

“Your mom said you haven’t been eating” you hold the plate for him and he reaches for it.

“Thanks” he offers a pursed lip smile. He takes the plate and sets it aside on the side table. A few beats of silence pass. He taps his fingers against one another, something you notice he does when he’s nervous. His eyes stay fixed on his hands.

“Will you make me a promise?” you look at his profile.

He clears his throat. “Depends on what it is”

You roll your eyes, fully expecting that response. “Just say you will”

Your persistent gaze makes him shift uncomfortably in his spot. He sighs, looking ahead at nothing in particular, while thinking over your request. He turns to you. “Fine”

“Promise me if I ask you questions, you will answer. It can be anything”

“That doesn’t sound very fair” his lips quiver at the corners, a hint of smile making an appearance. “What if I don’t want to answer”

“Too bad” you narrow your eyes at him. “You don’t have a choice. So?” you raise your brows giving him an expectant look.

He considers your demand, looking back at his hands again. “Well looks like I don’t have a choice”

“Good. Because I am asking right now”

At this, he looks at you wide eyed.

“Now?”

You nod. “Mmhmm. Tell me why you won’t act on your feelings”

He opens his mouth to speak but you cut him off. “Don’t deny it. If you didn’t feel anything for me you wouldn’t have lost your shit the day I hurt my ankle and you sure as shit wouldn’t have risked your life for me” you remind him. “And you wouldn’t have put this next to your bed” you bring forward the picture of you and him Mrs.Jeon’s friends had taken-- the one where you’re both looking at each other as he holds you by the waist.

He lets out an exasperated sigh. He rubs his hands on his face, resting his elbows on his knees as he keeps his face covered. He pulls his hands away , crossing them together. He looks at you, trying to determine how he should begin. “You’re right. I do have feelings for you. I’ve been here before y/n and…” he pauses, swallowing thickly.

“And what?” you prod, placing the photo frame next to you.

“She was beautiful. You should have seen her. She was amazing, just beyond I could express. Everyone here loved her. We used to spend every day together. Her parents hated me for it” he lets out a chuckle, a nostalgic look in his eyes.

“What happened?”

“She-- she died”

Your mouth hangs open. “I am so so sorry. I had no idea. I am sorry. Just.. forget I asked. I don’t need to know” you feel guilty immediately.

“No. It’s alright. I’ve already started. There was a fire in the woods years ago and she died in that. Some humans were having a bonfire and they left the fire burning. It caught on and somehow she got stuck in the middle of it with no escape” he looks down at his hands yet again.

You shift closer to him and wrap your arms around his shoulders resting your head on against the crook of his neck. “I am really sorry”

“Thank you” he places a hand on your forearm, leaning his cheek on your head.

“If I had known, I never would have pressed you. I feel like an asshole” you mumble.

“You’re not an asshole” he replies.

“I get it now and I promise you I won’t ever ask you to consider your feelings for me again” you lift your head and place a kiss on his cheek.

His lips curve up in a grin immediately and he is quick to place a kiss on your cheek too. “You’re amazing” his gaze locks with yours.

“I know” you grin. “Can I ask you something else too... ?” you say tentatively.

He nods. “Anything”

“Did you… did you imprint on her?” you ask, noting just how close you’re sitting to him. You can smell his breath, and feel it on your face as he beholds you in the most loving look in his eyes.

A coughing fit ensues for Jungkook, and you unwrap your arms from his shoulder, in favour of gently patting his back. “Sorry. Bad question hey?”

“No” he dismisses with his hand. “It’s just I’ve never been asked that”

“Forget I asked” you shake your head.

“No. I promised. Not her. Only my human side loved her. To imprint on someone all of me, including my wolf has to feel something. That’s the only way werewolves can imprint and it would be a far stronger bond than what I had with her” he sighs. “I have imprinted on someone. Not her” he finally answers your question.

“Oh my god” your heart sinks. “I- I have no idea what to say” you shift away from him, feeling like you’ve violated some rule. As if you have made him cheat on someone with you.

“Y/n” he says as soon as he sees your body language tensing. “It’s not what you’re thinking”

“No” you shake your head. “I am sorry. I am so sorry. I am so fucking stupid” you get up abruptly and march off while he calls out for you.

As is customary every third Friday of the month, the children from the neighbourhood gather around the campfire. This time Jungkook is there so he’ll have to answer all their questions.

Everyone sits around in a circle, some on the logs and others on chairs. Jungkook and you sit on opposite sides of the fire, Your eyes are fixed on the embers burning away. He holds a stick as he’s poking at the coal to keep the fire going. Your eyes meet momentarily as you both look up, but you look away first, busying yourself with watching the fire burn away the wood once more. You can still however feel his gaze resting on your face. But you’re too resigned at this moment to feel anything but emptiness.

“Is everyone ready?” Jimin comes along, absolutely chirpy and the complete opposite of how you look and feel. That’s when you sense Jungkook looks away. Jimin settles into the empty spot on the log next to you. He passes around drinks to the group. He offers you one too, but you decline. “Hey” he nudges you.

“Hmm” you turn your attention to him.

“What’s going on with you? Everyone’s been asking me what’s up”

“Nothing’s up” you shrug. “I am absolutely okay”

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine. But at least don’t lie” Jimin purses his lips in a smile.

“Sorry Jiminie. I am just not feeling great. I’ll be okay I promise” you note with a half assed smile.

“So who wants to go first and ask Jungkook questions” Jimin turns to the group once he’s assured by you. The group is made up of mostly older kids in their late teens. But there are some younger children mixed in the group.

A chorus of ‘me, me ,me, me’ starts up.

“How about we go one by one” Jimin suggests and the sea of hands in the air disappears.

“How was the city?” someone from your side asks. But you couldn’t be bothered to know who.

“It was good.” he sighs, poking the fire logs once again. “But it was dull compared to this place” his eyes flicker to you momentarily.

You catch him, if only for a second and then look at your hands as you fiddle with them.

“Did you find a human mate? I am sure you met very pretty girls” one of the girls asks. The question you piques your interest.

You remember she was the one who excitedly told you Jungkook was back.

He doesn’t respond immediately which only makes you think that he did meet someone there. Why wouldn’t he? She’s probably the one he’s imprinted on. You would leave were it not for Jimin who holds your wrist with a shake of his head as soon as he sees you’re about to get up.

“I did meet girls.” Jungkook says, looking at the little girl. “But they are nothing compared to someone else I know” he shifts his gaze to you once more. “She’s beautiful, but she doesn’t see it that way” he looks right at you, like he’s speaking to you, and you only. Time seems to stand still momentarily because he acts like no one else is around. “It’s a shame because she really is the most beautiful girl I have ever met” he holds your gaze, rendering you unable to look away.

You hear aww’s and squeals from all around you which pulls you away from the trance and blinkingly you avert your gaze.

“Does she know you like her?” someone else asks, this time a boy.

He shakes his head. “I don’t know. I think she does. By the way, I thought this was about exchanging stories about our ancestry” he looks around at everyone.

“Yeah. We hear those every month. But this is much more exciting and romantic” one of the older girls probably in her late teens replies, and everyone agrees as they nod or offer a ‘yes’ in agreement. “Tell us more. What’s it like to imprint on someone?”

“Are you sure we should be talking about this? Aren’t they young?” Jungkook looks at Jimin.

“They won’t tell if you don’t. Right guys?” Jimin chuckles and everyone nods eagerly.

“Alright then” Jungkook continues.

At this point you really want to leave because you don’t want to hear about how she makes him happy, and how his whole life has changed because of her. But you stay because some part of you is still holding onto hope of you and him.

“It feels like gravity is shifting from underneath you. When you look at her, you can see everything clearly. It’s as if your past, present, and future come together all at once and everything makes sense. It’s as if you finally find the ‘why’ of your existence. You’ll be anything for her-- whatever she needs be that a protector, a friend, a lover. Anything… he trails.

“That’s so romantic” the girl squeals dreamily. “I want that too”

Jungkook laughs. “Any other burning questions?”

“When are you going to tell her?” another question comes which only furthers your resolve to leave. You get up, having had enough of it. The moment you stand, everyone turns to look at you. Without a word, you begin walking towards the house.

“Don’t you want to know who it is y/n?” Jungkook yells as you leave,  his words halting you in your steps. You feel everyone’s eyes darting back and forth between you and him.

You look over your shoulder. ‘I already told you”

“I think you’ll want to know,” he replies. You hear the crunch of the grass beneath his feet as he walks towards you. He gently places a hand on your elbow to turn you around. “Just let me tell you”

You glance up at the man. “I won’t be a--able to hear it” your voice cracks.

“I did imprint on someone—“

“Jungkook” you say warningly.

“Just listen to me” his grip on your elbow tightens, his jaw tightening.

“Jungkook please” you beg just as your eyes begin to water. You avert your gaze to the side. “Please. I cannot do this” you shake your head.

“I love her” he continues anyway despite your protests. You know he’s looking at you. But you can’t. You can hear the pain in his voice which makes everything so much more worse because that means he could never love anyone the way he loved her. “ She makes everything make sense and-”

“Just stop” you yank your elbow away from his hand and walk away.

You sit at the edge of the pier which juts out to the side from the boardwalk. just as the sun begins to set behind the mountains. The night market bustles in the distance. Crowds and crowds of people and come and go. Yet you feel calm, just watching the waves ripple beneath your feet. You dip them in the cold water, shivers running through your body. You splash the water, trying to pass your time.

You would have gone to the woods but given everything that has happened in that forest, you’re not too fond of it at the moment. This time Jungkook won’t be there to protect you. He’s out with his friends somewhere. You didn’t bother to ask where, not that it is any of your business.

From the periphery of your vision you can see a group of guys jumping down on the wooden planks of the pier.

You feel disappointed because you won’t have the space to yourself anymore.

They’re laughing, and being boys in general which makes you roll your eyes.

They pass by behind you, being as loud as ever. You ignore their incessant and annoyingly loud voices as you focus on the sun which is still in the process of setting. You close your eyes, the wind blowing softly against your face, and through your hair.

“Y/n?”

You instantly whip around to come face to face with none other than the man who had made a home out of your thoughts.

“Jungkook? You’re here?” You question, using your hands to push yourself up.

“Careful” his hands come out as if to hold you in case you fall.

“It’s okay” you tuck strands of hair behind your ears. “I am fine”

“I was just with my friends” he turns behind, and points to them while they stand a respectful distance away. They wave at you and hesitantly you wave back. “Why are you here?”

“I needed to get out of the house. The woods aren’t exactly my favorite place right now. So I thought why not come here” you shrug.

He nods, sliding his fingers in his jean pockets, rocking back and forth on his toes. “So…”

“So…” you fold your arms across your chest out of sheer self-consciousness.

“Do you maybe want to-” he starts.

“Hey Jungkook” a random girl throws her arms around his shoulders from behind, chin resting on his shoulder.

You look between the two of them.

This must be her. She’s pretty

“I thought we were gonna go eat” she pouts at him questioningly.

He doesn’t look at her as he speaks. Instead he locks eyes with you. He stares at you— wordlessly, like he’s lost in you. “Yeah” his reply is intended for her.

“Well introduce me, won’t you?” she looks at him and then at you.

“This is…” he’s still looking at you and you only.

“I am Alix” she extends a hand, much too cheerfully.

“Y/n” you can only manage to press your lips to feign a smile.

“Ohhh” her mouth opens in realization and she looks at him, like she’s impressed.

This time he looks at her and nods.

“Well y/n, do you want to come to dinner with us?” she offers kindly. But to your ears it’s anything but.

“No. I am alright. But thank you” you look at her. “See you at home Jungkook”

“Just come” he says just as you’re about to turn around to leave.

“I have to do some stuff at home” you say listlessly. “I’ll see you tonight” you reply with a ghost of a smile.

Yet again you turn away from him, not even waiting for his response.

You walk all the way back home, thankful that the way back is quiet, and not many people are around. You take the road from the pier that merges into the street that leads to your house up the hill.

You kick your feet beneath you, sighing heavily every so often. A fluttery feeling intensifies in your stomach the closer you get to home. Your chest feels heavy, a dull ache coming on. Your breathing quickens pace, not so much from the effort of walking up the hill but the mental exhaustion that you’ve faced in the past few weeks.

Love fucking sucks.

Your thoughts are occupied by Jungkook and Jungkook only. Every thought begins and ends with him and soon enough your head is full of memories you spent with him-- good and bad. It’s like a movie playing in your head-- beginning with the first time you saw him after he came back, and just a few minutes ago to Alix and her perfectly pretty face. How could he not love her?

By the end of it, you’re positively bawling your eyes out. Tears upon tears cascade down your face, with no indication of stopping anytime soon. You wipe your nose with the back of your hand, sniffling. Your legs become heavy with the weight of carrying you up the hill. Your head hurts, and you’re sure you’ll faint if you don’t sit down soon.

You quietly continue to sob, head hung low as you reach the gate. You push it open. Your feet drag beneath you, a heavy tread leaving marks of soil from the walk up on the cemented pathway. You open the door to the house, only to hit your head on something.

“Ow” you mumble, rubbing the spot that’s starting to ache. It only makes you sob more. “What the hell...” you lament under your breath, beginning to cry with the force of someone writhing in pain on all fours. You fall on your knees, everything inside you giving up. You cry the way a child does-- hiccuping, heaving to catch your breath only to have it be drowned by another wave of painful sobs.

“Just stop” Jungkook’s voice cracks, as he falls to his knees in front of you too. “Stop doing this to yourself” he croaks.

“I don’t know how to” you strain.

“I can make it all go away y/n” his cheeks are stained with tears too. He gathers you in his arms just like he’s done before. He kisses the top of your head. “Just let me make it go away. Please”

You break the embrace to look up at him through tear soaked eye lashes. “You can’t” your voice quivers.

“If you just…” he stops to take a deep breath, arms loosely wrapped around your back. He’s defeated into silence by your cries.

“It hurts” you clutch the material of his shirt., tucking your chin into your neck “It hurts so so much”

“It’s you”

You don’t even hear him, as you hide your face behind your hands, your body shaking due to your forceful sobs.

“It’s you.” he says again. “Listen to me. For once. Please” he’s begging you at this point.

You uncover your face to look at him. “What?”

“It’s been you all along”

“Wh…” your mouth remains open as you gawk at him. You hastily wipe your face with your hands as if that will somehow help you make sense of it.

“It’s you” he says in a whisper. “It’s you” he looks into your eyes this time--really looks as he says it for the third time almost like he’s saying it as a mantra. “I love you”

As if on cue, you stop crying because his words sink in. You don’t just hear them, you understand them. You begin connecting the dots. “Holy shit” you look at him daze. “I never even gave you a chance to speak” you bemoan that fact.

A bittersweet chuckle softly crosses his lips. “You didn’t. If you had, you wouldn’t have tortured yourself like this. Couldn’t you see it?” he searches your eyes for an answer that will make sense to him.

“How could I have? You’re you and I am me-- clumsy and stupid. You acted like there was someone else this whole time” you rub your eyes to dry the tears away.

“You never gave me a chance to tell you. I tried so many times. That night in the woods when I said I feel what you feel, you misunderstood that as being part of my abilities as a werewolf. But that’s not true. I feel every emotion you feel and I feel it ten times more than you because I imprinted on you .Then I tried to tell you during our conversation in game room and you walked away”

“Then why didn’t you do anything? Why didn’t you just act on it? You should have stopped me”

“You know why” a slight frown adorns his forehead.

You gulp hard, realizing the depth of what you just said. An apology is just at the tip of your tongue. “I know I said I wouldn’t ask you to consider my feelings ever again. But Jungkook, I can’t. Being around you overwhelms me. All I want to do is be around you, have you in my sights and when you’re not I feel disappointed and sad. I miss you every single second of the day when you’re not there. ”

“I have seen the entirety of us y/n-- everything that was, is and all that is to come ”

“I’ve imagined a whole future with you too”

He doesn’t respond.

Your stomach feels tight, your chest feels like something is pressing on it as his silence continues. Your gaze doesn’t leave him for even a second. You feel like you’re naked, as if the whole of you is on display, vulnerable to the point where even a single look will be enough to make or break you.

“I am just asking you to love me” your soft voice doesn’t dampen the gravity of your words.

He scoffs. “That’s just it though. I don’t just love you. I am bound by you. I am bound to you for the rest of my existence. That’s far scarier than love”

“I don’t know how to reply to that. All I know is I am in love with you exactly the way you’re in love with me” you shift closer to him, locking your fingers in his. “Because I can’t deny you any more than you can deny me”

He looks down and plays with your fingers. “That’s true. But I haven’t stopped thinking about the night you got attacked. What would have happened if I wasn’t there? What would I have done with myself if something happened to you?” his words reflecting the guilt he’s been feeling.

“Quit blaming yourself” you chide him. “Anything can happen to me, or to you at any given time. So stop worrying about that and keep your promise of protecting me. It’s not like you can switch this off”

“Not any more than I can stop breathing” he replies.

“Then love me. It’s simple. Jungkook, we either do this, or we don’t” it’s not that you are giving him an ultimatum, but it’s a fact.

“You know as much as I do, that even if in some ridiculous world I wanted to say no, I couldn’t. So you don’t have to worry about me not loving you. Because that just isn’t possible. Not only because I chose you but because that’s just how it is”

“Then what are we doing here?”

“I already told you I love you. You know that I do”

“And that’s supposed to be it?” you raise your brows at him.

His lip quivers into a lopsided smile, the solemn mood beginning to shift. “Tell me what you want”

“Just kiss--”

His lips on yours quiet down your thoughts to nothing. Shivers cascade down your body in waves. He invades each of your senses. The fluttering in your stomach grows intense. His lips feel soft against your own.

Jungkook keeps his eyes slightly open, taking a guilty peek at your face. He still couldn’t imagine if this was a figment of his imagination, or if the universe had gifted him this moment just at the right time. But he felt thankful for it beyond words could express. Every breath he took smelled like you— like water lilies.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a very long time.” he breathes heavily. He doesn’t even give you the chance to speak because he’s pressing his lips to yours once again— softly and gently. His hands run the sides of your body, the material of your shirt gathering together, exposing your skin.

He guides you up without breaking the kiss, pulling you in to erase every inch of space between your bodies. You can feel every contour of his body against your own. You hold him tight, trying to take in the feeling.

His hands slide under your thighs as he picks you up, you wrap your legs around his hips, as he takes you inside the house. He carries you as if you don’t weigh anything— through the house and up the stairs to his room.

“What” kiss. “About” kiss. “Your parents?”

“Not” kiss  “here” he mumbles between a kiss.

He kicks the door open and carries you in until your back hits a wall. He gently lets you down, till the tips of your toes are touching the floor. He breaks the kiss. “You know I won’t do anything you don’t want right?” his gaze, fixated on your eyes.

You nod, running your tongue over your lips and tasting him.”How could I not want this” you pull him by the nape of his neck, unable to bear even one second of distance. He happily obliges, melting into the kiss with a content sigh. It kind of feels like you’re drunk because there is a slight buzz and your mind feels hazy. You’re thoughtless at the moment, and your entire body is burning. Kissing him, touching him-- is all the intoxication you need to feel out of control. Neither your mind, nor your body is acting under your direction anymore

Your whole being is responding only to Jungkook. Every kiss, every soft touch, every caress, every stroke elicits a reaction from you.

“Tell me what you want, baby” he asks, leaving a trail of kisses down your neck and to your chest. “Tell me exactly what you want” his mouth parts against the skin of your neck as he bites down gently.

You can’t help the moan that passes your lips and fades into the air. “You”

He inhales sharply at your words as if that is enough to turn him on. He lifts his head up to look at you “You wanted me to love you right?” he pushes your thighs out by burying his leg between yours. He pushes his thigh against you exactly where you’re aching for him.

“Oh my god….” your voice fails you.

“I’ve thought of you so many nights, for so long” he pushes in more and you grind your hips against his thigh.

“I want more” you can’t help but mumble. “Please”

A corner of his lip raises in a smirk. “Your wish is my command” . He swipes his thumb against your clothed clit. “Is this what you want baby?”

You nod, a whimper crossing your lips as the sound of your heavy breaths fills the air.

You continue to rock your hips against his thigh, while he continues to rub circles on your clit. “Does that feel good?” he asks, but before you can even respond he’s shoving his tongue down your mouth through your parted lips.

You moan into him. eyes shutting tight at the fluttery sensation between your legs. You clutch the fabric of his shirt, unable to hold yourself up longer as you clench around nothing in particular. You feel the adrenaline in every part of your body-- in the pounding of your heart, in your breathless noises, in the way your body grows warmer by the second.

You open your eyes to look at him, cupping his face in your hands. But he’s already looking at you. His pupils are dilated, irises beginning to change colour from his chocolate brown to blue while he continues to kiss you. His hand stops moving against your clit, and he removes his thigh from between your legs. At the loss of friction you feel like a starved animal, needing more, and more, and more. You didn’t think you could ever feel this way, but he was making you abandon all of your inhibitions and want whatever he could give you. You didn’t know if you would ever feel satisfied after what you started.

But Jungkook knows exactly how to pleasure you and then some more as he picks you up and leads you to his bed where he lays you down. He hovers over you, palms pressed into the mattress on either side of you. He gulps.”Are you sure?”

You only nod.

He shifts down, unbuttoning your jeans, and sliding them out from under your legs. He throws them on the floor. He parts your legs, resting his upper body between your legs. He doesn’t waste any time, as he licks a strip on your clothed clit.

“O-oh- oh my….” your fingers curl around his hair, and you push his mouth flush against your core.

He moans against your flesh, laying kitten licks against the sensitive skin. The friction tenses the knot in your stomach even more. Just when you think there’s nothing more he could do, you feel your insides being stretched as he pushes a finger into you. Your back arches at the sensation. He buries his finger knuckle deep,curling it and inside you and hitting that sweet spot. Broken moans and gasps cross your mouth, while your toes curl from all the pleasure.

Seconds tick by and turn into minutes which turns into hours and just like that the night flies by. You don’t know how many times you come undone under him, above him. You stopped counting after the second time because you weren’t even in a state where you could think about thinking anything.

You lay under the sheets facing each other--limbs entangled and noses almost touching. Every few seconds the tip of his nose touches yours as he moves in to kiss you, but then he stops.

“Stop being a tease” you pout at him.

He laughs, showing his pearly whites. His eyes crinkle at the corners just like they do when he’s happy. He leans in, to place a peck on your lips. Then he shifts his head up to kiss your forehead. Then gently, he places a tender kiss at the tip of your nose. He pulls your hand into his as he brings it to his lips, laying down gentle kisses on each knuckle.

“Who taught you how to be romantic?” you tease

“I’ve always been romantic” his gaze locks with yours, a gentle smile coming onto his lips.

“By the way what did you talk to Jimin about that day?” a sudden curiosity shifts the subject.

A look of realization crosses his face “Ah” he says. “I told him about you”

“So that’s why you were pissed” you chuckle.

“Pissed?” his brows crinkle together.

“You were jealous of course. You looked like you were going to kill him” a corner of your mouth lifts into a smirk.

“No. I wasn’t. That’s childish stuff. I just thought he should know that at that time you were kind of taken. Not really but you know…”

You tap his nose. “If you say so” You trace the outline of his face with your fingers. “Are you happy?” you whisper.

“More than I can tell you. Are you?” he licks his lips as his eyes flicker to yours.

“Mhmm” you nod. “Happiest I have ever been I think”

“Good” he kisses the back of your hand. “That’s all I want for you baby”

“I can’t believe you’re mine” you look into his eyes-- finding yourself falling in love all at once.

“You better believe it” his lips turn up at the corners into a grin. “I don’t know how much humans mean it when they say ‘forever’. But let me tell you us werewolves tend to take the stuff pretty seriously.”

You chuckle silently, huffing through your nose. “Your point being?”

“You better believe I am yours, because you’re forever y/n. Until my last breath”

THANK YOU IF YOU READ THIS! REBLOG, COMMENT, LIKE! 

[eemeelyy]

Hello, baby! Hope you are alright! Could you write something for zendaya x fem reader where they are friends and are dating two different guys but they broke up and they are like 'screw it lets travel' and they go and there they fuck all the time and maybe its reader's 1st time with a woman and at the end are like 'yeah... we dont need men' sorry if it's too specific! You dont neet to write it if you dont want to ❤❤

I dug into my own little box of emotions for this, so I think it got a little more serious than intended. Anyway, hope you like it ❤️

Vulgar Language and Smut ahead! Minors, do not interact!

What happens in Italy…

You and your boyfriend had gone to the first screening of your new movie together. You and Zendaya had played two young women discovering themselves together. There were some rather steamy scenes in it and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t like it, especially when you saw it on screen.

Zendaya and you, however, became great friends over the course of filming. You started to hang out in your free time even after filming was over and were now posing for pictures together on the red carpet, bright smiles on your faces. Your boyfriends were standing off to the side, watching with frowns.

He didn’t talk to you all evening and when you arrived back at your place and you wanted to head to bed he stopped you with gritted teeth.

“Y/N, can we talk about what happened tonight?”, he asked when you were halfway down the hall.

“Why, what happened tonight?”, you asked, leaning against the wall next to you.

He didn’t step closer, you didn’t come back. You just had this chat with at lest five metres between you.

“I don’t want you hanging around Zendaya anymore”, he crossed his arms.

You stood up straight and let out a small, confused laugh, “What are you talking about? No.”

“Do you have a thing for Zendaya? Y/N, are you gay?”

“I’m not gay. I’ve never had a thing with a woman before. That was for the movie. Oh my god, did you think me and Z-?”

“No. I mean, not yet. I don’t think you’d cheat on me”, he uncrossed his arms and started shifting his weight from one leg to the other, “I should go. I’m sorry, Y/N. I can’t do this anymore. I’ll pick up my stuff later.”

You looked after him with scrunched eyebrows as he left the key to your house by the door and left. You watched him from the window when he got in his car and drove off.

The first night after he was gone you were angry. You didn’t sleep but did everything that came to mind to calm your rage. You packed up his things, exercised until you were drenched, you took a cold shower, you raided your own kitchen, and cooked and baked everything that came to mind.

The afternoon of the next day, his roommate came by to pick up his stuff. You didn’t talk at all but you did feel his eyes judging you as if you actually had cheated. Which you didn’t, of course.

Since you had pulled an all nighter full of rage you went to bed early that night. You were laying in bed and stared at the ceiling. Alone with your thoughts you remembered that he had left you because he thought you were gay. But you weren’t gay, right?

Frustratedly, you pulled a pillow over your face and screamed into it. You slept nearly twelve hours that night and were woken up by your phone dinging with incoming messages.

Are you okay? - Zendaya.

I think we should talk. - Zendaya.

It’s a bit important. - Zendaya.

Screw it. I’m coming over. 20 minutes. - Zendaya.

You groaned and got up. You quickly put on some track pants and a big white shirt, so you wouldn’t be in nothing but knickers when you opened the door. You had another five minutes left and quickly made yourself a coffee to wake up. In the reflection of the coffeemaker you noticed your tired and puffy face so you quickly splashed some water from the kitchen sink into your face and wiped it with a your shirt.

The doorbell rang so you picked up your mug and went to open it. You buzzed the gate and saw Zendaya approach in shorts and a similar shirt. She smiled at you from afar and you stepped aside to let her in. You closed the door behind her and leaned against it, looked at her and smiled a little.

“Are you okay?”, she asked.

“Yeah”, you breathed out and looked down.

“Uh-huh”, she raised her eyebrows and head waiting for you to say something.

You looked at your feet and wiggled your toes, then pushed yourself away from the door.

“Do you want to drink something? I just made coffee, you want one? Er, I can make you tea. Water? I guess I could mix something if you want but it’s not even noon yet.”

You walked ahead into the kitchen and started fussing around to get the attention away from your mental state. She followed you and grabbed your shoulders.

“I broke up with him.”

“Who?”, you asked.

She raised an eyebrow, waiting for the penny to drop and then your mouth formed an o-shape and you looked around for something to say.

“I’m sorry”, you decided on.

“Why?”, she asked with a small laugh.

“I don’t know. I think that’s something you’re supposed to say when someone tells you bad news.”

“You think it’s bad news?”

“No, I-, I don’t know. What do you want me to say?”, you shrugged her hands off and leaned back against the counter, your arms crossed around your middle.

“I want you to tell me why you haven’t texted me back since the premiere”, she crossed her arms as well and leaned against the counter opposite from you.

“My phone was dead”, you muttered.

“For two days?”

“Yes, actually. I tossed it into the furthest corner of my bedroom after he broke up with me and left it there until late last night. Then I found it with a massive spider-app and put it on the charger”, you shrugged.

“He broke up with you?”, she asked, her eyebrows raised in concern.

“And he hasn’t contacted me since. I could do better, right? I mean, he lives in a bachelor pad with this other guy who picked up his stuff for him, and was jealous about everyone I worked with. I payed for every dinner. Why did I-? Fuck, I set myself up for failure”, you put your head in your hands and shook it.

“You can’t blame yourself for bullshit-people”, Zendaya put a hand against your arm in comfort.

“I can blame myself for associating with them”, you argued.

“Do you also want to get away from bullshit-people for a bit?”, she then asked.

You sighed, “More than anything.”

“Alright”, she stepped away and went to your laptop that sat on your kitchen table, “Clear your schedule. Two weeks away from bullshit-people. Can you unlock this for me?”

You sat down next to her and did, “What, you just want to leave everything for two weeks and go somewhere?”

“What’s everything? Noon can stay with Darnell and you and I don’t have any obligations”, she shrugged and looked up flights and hotel rooms, “Where do you want to go?”

You sighed and rubbed your hands over your face, giving yourself a moment to think, then you looked at her again and gave up, “Italy?”

“I love Italy”, she put it in.

-

Less than a week later you entered a beautiful, large hotel room with a view over a piazza in Sicily. You had decided to share a room and, thus, a bed into which Zendaya jumped right after entering. You quickly tipped the man who had helped you get your things up and closed the door. Then you jumped next to her and both of you laughed.

“This was a good idea”, you told her.

“I knew you’d say that”, she smiled.

For a moment you just laid there and smiled at each other. You couldn’t help but notice her beautiful features and when you caught yourself doing that you cleared your throat and got up.

“So, tiny place, beautiful beaches, incredible food. I could do with incredible food”, you announced.

She sat up and nodded in agreement. Bad idea.

Here you were now, dressed up in a very stereotypical restaurant. Meaning it was very intimate and just set you up to fall in love. However, for the night you two had ordered a pizza to share and a bottle of Lambrusco. You had the friendliest talks about anything and everything. Talking about bullshit-boyfriends and joking about not needing men at all.

When your laughter died down, the pizza was finished and you were on your last sips of wine the thought crept in the back of your head that tonight was not all jokes.

“Y/N, can I ask you something a little, well, more serious?”

“Uh-huh”, you raised your eyebrows in anticipation.

“Why did you break up?”, she asked quietly.

“It doesn’t matter”, you shook your head and looked into your glass.

“I broke up with my ex because I’m into someone else”, she admitted.

You looked up with wide eyes, your heart beating faster, “Who?”

“Your turn now”, she dodged the question.

“He thinks you and I- He thought I had a thing for you”, you admitted.

“Do you?”, she started to move closer across the small table between you.

“Your turn now”, you mirrored her movements.

“It’s you”, she whispered when there was barely any space left between you.

You stared at her for moment and bit your lip, then you moved back and gave the waiter a hand motion to show him you wanted to pay. She stayed there for a while, just staring at you and trying to figure you out. All the while the waiter came and you paid for both of you. You downed your wine and took her hand.

“Come on.”

She got up with you and you walked back to your hotel, not letting go of each other’s hand the entire time. You entered your room and you leaned against the closed door.

“Yes”, you said.

“Yes what?”, she looked back at you.

“Yes, I do have a thing for you.”

Her eyes lit up and mouth formed a little o-shape.

“But I-I’ve never done this. I’ve never been with a woman before. I’m not even sure about my sexuality anymore. I mean, I never put a label on it. And I won’t. I’m just… I know, I’m not supposed to say this, but I’m confused.”

She got up and interrupted your rambling, “That’s okay. It’s okay not to have a label. You can be into whomever you want to be into and it doesn’t have to say anything about you.”

She put her hand to your cheek and started to stroke it with her thumb. Again, you just stared at each other for a few moments. Your eyes flickering from each other’s eyes to each other’s lips.

“What do you want me to do?”, she whispered.

“Can you- Would you kiss me?”

She smiled and pressed her lips to yours. She guided you through it and it felt like you’d never kissed anyone before. She opened her lips slightly and touched yours with her tongue, asking you to let her in. You smiled into it and opened your lips for her. You danced, with your tongues and your bodies. Your hands started to roam each other.

In a trance you started to walk, making her walk backwards until she hit the bed. She pulled you down with her and turned you over until she was on top of you. She pulled away for a moment.

“How far do you want to go?”

“As far as I fucking can.”

She laughed and you joined in.

“Help me?”, you asked.

She nodded and unbuttoned your blouse, revealing your dainty nude bra. She bit her lip and let her hands glide from your collarbone, down to the button of your beige trousers. She opened it and you raised your hips so she could take them off completely and then she looked down at you.

Your blouse was open and pulled down your shoulders, you wore a lacy nude bra and simple white cotton panties. You felt heat rise in your cheeks and instinctively tried to hide yourself. She smiled and laid a hand against your cheek. When you looked back at her she started to let it wander down your neck, across your sternum. She added her other hand to hold your waist as she leaned back down and kissed you again.

“May I?”, she asked with a hand on your waistband.

You nodded and lifted your hips a bit again so she could pull them off.

“Y/N, you’re beautiful”, she said, looking back up at your face.

“Says you”, you tried to shrug it off.

Zendaya gave you a bright smile and brought her lips back down to yours as her fingers moved to your centre. You tangled one hand through the hair on the side of her head and moved the other to her exposed waist. When she touched your clit and started to rub you moaned into her mouth. Your hands dropped and she moved away from your face so she could watch your expression as she fingered you.

It didn’t take you long to cum over her expert hands. When you climaxed you opened your eyes and mouth in bliss and looked right into her glowing eyes. She smiled at you as she rubbed you through your high.

And that’s how your next two weeks went. At first you kept worrying that you looked as fucked-out as you felt but after a few days it just turned into the blissful feeling of actually being fucked-out. You’d order breakfast to your bedroom everyday and take your time in the mornings. Sometimes you’d have a few orgasms before you even left your room.

You’d spend your days exploring the small town you’d decided to spend your vacation in or at the beach, lounging in the sun and swimming. At night you’d get dressed up to have dinner at one of the romantic little restaurants in the city and then went back to your room excitedly to fuck each other to sleep.

On your last morning you were sitting naked in bed again, a big array of breakfast food and coffee on a tray between you. You were eating in silence. A slight wind and piazza-noise came through the open window and there was the occasional munching-sound or slurp of coffee.

“What happens now?”, you asked, looking down.

“I think, we need to hurry up a bit, actually. We still need to pack up and check-out’s at twelve, latest”, she shrugged, focused on the mandarin she was peeling.

“That’s not what I mean”, you looked up, “I mean, when we get back. Is this like a ‘what happens in Italy stays in Italy’ sort of thing or what happens when we get back home?”

She looked up and smiled a little, “What do you want to happen when we get back home?”

“I want- I just had two weeks of the best sex of my life. And we have the best conversations and the nicest times together, that part even before Italy. And my heart always beats a little faster when you smile at me”, you admitted, quickly putting a piece of bread in your mouth to shut up.

She laughed a bit, “Keep going.”

You just kept chewing the rather big bite of food and stared at her, silently begging her to say something first.

“My heart beats a little faster, too, whenever you do anything, to be honest”, she looked down with a timid smile, “I really like you. And if this is a ‘What happens in Italy stays in Italy’ sort of thing, then I don’t ever want to leave Italy.”

You had finally gotten down your food by the time she finished and looked up at her, “Me neither.”

She smiled brightly and leaned across the tray to kiss you, just shortly. Yeah, you wouldn’t leave that in Italy.

[gnocchighoul]

Hmm.. kind of a random thing but that's how my brain works sometimes but hear me out! The Bros (plus undatables and Luke if you want) get turned into cats. What type of cat would they be, how would mc react, and how would they react to being a cat.

I had SO much fun writing this one. Thank you for this excellent prompt 💗

This is just the demon bros getting turned into cats, but I might make a part two with the undateables! :D

~

Lucifer

Oh he’s going to be so pissed off. 

Seriously, even as a cat, his murder-death-murder-death stare is beyond intense. He will sit himself high up on furniture to glare down on everyone like the prettiest gargoyle you’ve ever seen. 

Nobody is allowed to come near him. He will swat and hiss at anyone and everyone who approaches, unless they are approaching to turn him back into a demon. 

BUT if you had nothing to do with this curse that’s fallen upon him, then he’ll probably let you near, as long as you’re not like, weird about it. Seriously, don’t baby talk at him, he’s not actually a cat.

Cat-Lucifer will probably just want to constantly stand on your shoulders and wrap his tail around your neck, which isn’t super comfortable because he’s not exactly small and dainty. 

Also, every time you say something stupid he’s gonna bite your ear lol

Tbh he’s probably going to make you carry him everywhere like that and he’s gonna control where you go -- you know, kinda like ratatouille LMAO

Mammon

You know those cats that climb literally everything and anything?

Yeah.

When he first gets turned into a cat, he freaks the fuck out. But when he finally calms down and isn’t meowing up an angry storm, he’s gonna realize that this is a great opportunity. for evil.

He's gonna book it the second he realizes that he can literally be a cat-thief.

Nothing is safe from his grabby little gremlin paws.

He steals so much shit (wallets, Asmo’s jewelry, Levi’s limited edition collectors items--anything he can carry in his mouth or drag around) and then he stashes it all in your room, because unfortunately, becoming a cat didn’t make him any smarter.

Lucifer tasks you with just sitting in your room and keeping track of everything cat-Mams steals so that you can return everything to their rightful owners.

You quickly become used to cat-Mams sauntering in and out of your room every five minutes with his newfound riches.

So it’s a bit concerning when Mams darts out of your room after stashing a wallet in his hoard, and doesn’t come back after thirty minutes.

Naturally, you go looking for him.

You’ve only been searching for about twenty minutes, when pathetic meowing reaches your ears. You follow the sound, and--

You find him stuck in a cardboard box.

(before fishing him out, you take tons of pictures. He’s very upset.)

Levi

Levi is so distraught. He’s literally going to just wail and roll around on the floor until somebody picks him up. 

He’s literally the crying cat meme.

Once he’s in your arms, do not put him down. He’s very sad and his reflexes really aren’t good. You know how you can just kinda toss cats onto the floor and they’ll land on their feet just fine?

He will not. 

Is suuuuper jumpy and only trusts you (and maybe Beel, but he’s lowkey afraid that Beel is going to eat him.) 

You should probably get him one of those bubble back-packs that cats can sit in and carry him around in that. 

He has the worst time as a cat. He just wants to play his video games :(

(But if you give him lots of smooches, it’ll make his suffering a little bit easier to deal with. But like, he’s gonna turn into an overwhelmed ragdoll when u start giving him the smooches)

Satan

Honestly? He isn’t that opposed to being a cat for a little while.

But he’s also like. So hyperactive. Goes from 0-1000 in half a second.

He’s got the zoomies.

He’s gonna parkour his way around the house of lamentation, testing how fast he can zoom, how high and far he can jump (and how far he can fall without hurting himself)

He’s gonna do a backflip off lucifer at the speed of light and then sprint away as fast as he can to go wreck some shit

If you want to hold him, you’re going to have to catch him mid-air. If he doesn’t just squirm out of your arms and actually lets you pet him, he’s gonna stare you dead in the eyes, extend his claws, and then pat your leg with his lil toe beans.

You’re not entirely sure if that means ‘keep petting me’ or ‘stop it right now’ so you just kinda scratch his ears instead

Asmo

Even as a cat he’s beautiful and everybody has to see just how pretty he is. 

He’s constantly striking poses. 

Looking back over his shoulder. Stretching his leggies out so you can see how long and lean they are. Contorting his body in the WEIRDEST ways because he’s even more flexible now.

He does not run anywhere, he struts very daintily and model-like.

He’s gonna be so affectionate. Constantly rubbing his cheeks all over you, and leaning against you, but be careful while you give him pets because if you mess up his fur he’s gonna swat your hands away.

He’s also definitely going to be really annoying and constantly walk in front of your feet and trip you up. Where are you going, why aren’t you admiring him, dammit

You know how most cats hate water?

Not asmo. 

He’s gonna make you fill the bathtub up to his chin so he can float around on his tiptoes with just the upper half of his head out of the water like a crocodile. 

Then you have to blow-dry him until he’s all nice and fluffy and give him a good brush. 

He will absolutely tolerate you dressing him up and taking pictures as long as you make him look nice. He won’t allow you to put him in stupid costumes (he’s gonna bite you when you bust out a lobster costume) but a pearl necklace? Hell yeah.

Beel

Feed him dammit, he’s starving.

Cat-Beel is going to gnaw on EVERYTHING. Furniture. Books. Clothes. Your hands and ankles. 

It’s not anxiety -- honestly he really doesn’t mind being a cat -- he’s just so hungy.

Also he’s MASSIVE. 

You don’t actually know that he’s been turned into a cat until you go to the kitchen for a snack and find an orange & white cat the size of a literal child raiding the fridge. 

Which brings me to my next point -- he’s gonna be SUCH a snuggle bug. Like those really big dogs that insist on sitting in your lap and crushing you. If he isn’t eating then he just wants to flop on top of you and crush you with his love.

You can baby-talk at him if you want, as long as you give him treats and snuggle him. 

He purrs so. Much. 

Will also let u just roll him around and do whatever you want to him dkjncdsn he’s honestly the chillest out of them all

Belphie

God he’s so fucking upset at first, like claws out, hissing and spitting at everyone, full on tantruming upset, BUT THEN. but then. You pick him up and press a kiss to his sweet little triangle head and he bleps and it's all over.

Good luck getting anything done. Cat-Belphie is going to demand your full attention for snuggles CONSTANTLY. 

No, he doesn’t care that you’re trying to research ways to turn him back, he’s gonna plop his little butt on the tome you’re attempting to read until you give him love, dammit.

Honestly, Belphie being a cat isn’t that much different from normal. The biggest difference is that now he can squeeze into weirder places to nap, which makes it very difficult to keep track of him. 

After searching for two fucking hours, you, Satan, Levi, and Beel find him stretched out across the arms of one of the chandeliers in the dining room, like it’s some kind of weird hammock. 

He’s fast asleep. Nobody knows how he got up there. 

(To get down, he ends up yeeting himself into Beel’s arms.)

If Bells isn’t napping, then he’s hiding under furniture, waiting for his next victim to walk by so he can attack their ankles.

(also the most likely to bite u when he wants your attention)

((part 2 with the undateables))

[foryoumyheroes]

Otaku

[Bakugou + Todoroki] are in love with the anime character [Name]. 

A/N:  Gender-neutral reader  Crackish?? 

Bakugou Katsuki: 

He’s sort of picky with the genre, be it fantasy, horror, shonen, but his favorite character has to be a super cool, super powerful one. No excuses. 

You know, the type of anime character that’s probably introduced through a silhouette of them posing dramatically with their notorious group whose image is teased throughout the first few episodes/seasons. 

He goes pretty hard for All Might, and he’s definitely the same for your character. 

Reads the manga (but he buys it super secretly, like in a hoodie at night and the cashier probably thinks that they’re being robbed until he brings the entire [Series] collection to the register). Watches the anime the moment it’s broadcasted, reads metas and watches youtube videos that talk about conspiracies/analyses of your character. 

NO ONE CAN KNOW THOUGH. 

He’s taking his anime phase to the grave. 

For some reason gets super aggressive when you’re being flirty or being shipped with another character?? He hates all the scenes that tease any potential romance between you and other characters. asdfgj He’s like, “No one is good enough for [Name]!!! Except for me.” 

He even tries to think up ways he can legitimately square up with them LMAO. Like he wonders how he could defeat your potential S/Os in a fight but y’all are like ,,, anime characters SO WHY DOES IT EVEN MATTER LOL 

“Three-sword style?? Tch, I’d fucking blow that bastard to bits.” 

“Who’s this Gaara of the Sand looking ass and why is the author getting so bold.” 

He even tries to think of how well your abilities match up with his own Quirk, this dork. 

THE LENGTHS HE WOULD GO FOR YOU.

If you were a real life person and your dislikes are lets say spicy food or loud, overbearing people, Bakugou would be like, “Tch I’m right, they’re wrong. Shut the fuck up!!!” But if his ultimate wifu/husbando has those dislikes he would be like, “Omg...😳😳 opposites attract...👉👈” 

He honestly tries to be a low-key fan (as in, not be a fan at all to outsiders), but if one day during class Kaminari ends up saying that in [Series], you’re the weakest character in your group/squad, Bakugou would get super angry. 

“Hey, Dunceface!! It’s so fucking obvious that you’re an anime-only fake fan, so don’t talk as if you know shit!” 

Bakugou is those “um actually” ;; fans 

Bakugou is a manga reader, so by the time your introduction scene or Ultimate Attack scene is being aired he becomes super OOC. He’s hyped for it for days, incredibly nervous at how the animators handle the scene. 

By the time he watches it?? 

THE ANIMATION!! THE VOICE ACTING!! YOUR COOLNESS!!! PLS ORA ORA HIM IN THE CHEST!! HE’S BEGGING YOU! IF YOU’RE GOING TO UNISON RAID WITH ANYONE PLS LET IT BE HIM!! 

He’s legitimately sweating buckets by the time the episode is over. A whole-ass fire hazard. 

Probably knows how to play your character theme on the drums. 

Omg but if your character dies/is hinted toward dying/or the most recent chapters ends with a cliffhanger where you’re fatally injured he will become legitimately depressed. 

Like holes himself in his dorm room for a whole day without contacting anyone and with the blinds drawn type of depressed. 

When he comes to class the next day with eye-bags and is slouching and his classmates think that something horrible has happened, it’s probably only Izuku who knows what’s going on. 

He’ll say, “You’re upset about the most recent chapter of [Series], right? I know it must be hard for you right now.” He’ll give Bakugou an officially licensed rubber strap of your character and Bakugou will just ;; cradle it in his hands softly. 

In complete seriousness, your character is probably someone who is strong physically, but publicly rallies for things like, “Failure is fine.” Your character arc would probably explore what it’s like being not good enough or feeling constantly disappointed, so he feels comfort in your character. 

Todoroki Shoto: 

In comparison to Bakugou, he’s probably a more low-key fan unintentionally, but goes just as hard. 

Buys all of the merch, limited-edition or not, has your picture set as his phone lockscreen and homescreen, has a little acrylic charm of you on his phone, follows several fanartists that draw your character on social media. He buys enough merch that his room looks like a glorified shrine. 

It’s canon that he reads manga, but I headcanon that he’s even less picky with his genres and willingly reads things like slice-of-life or shojo all the way to shonen or adult fantasy, so your anime could come from any possible story. 

Your character is probably someone who is sweet and kind but has a traumatic character backstory. 

He probably ends up thinking stuff like, “If [Name] was with me, I would never let them get treated like that.” asdhj he’s a dork too. 

Unironically dramatically quotes you during battle and thinks that it’s still badass because he’s a teenage boy in his anime phase. 

Doesn’t get into debates with people who don’t like your character. He’s like, “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion :)) even though they’re wrong. >:(.” 

If you’re from a sports/competition anime he’ll try to learn all of the rules, and even try it out for himself (if it’s not fighting) but he finds out that he’s... not very good at it. That doesn’t make him any less amazed though! 

If your character is from a different culture with different customs and traditions, he’ll even learn more about them outside of your anime! 

Forces his siblings to watch the anime with him. They don’t necessarily have to, but the Todoroki household has one big TV and he hogs it all the time watching your anime over and over. 

Natsuo is begging him to watch something else and Shoto will just pout angrily from the other side of the couch.( ￣＾￣)

It’s so jarring because he doesn't look or appear like a hardcore anime fan, but sometimes he’ll just butt into conversations randomly and talk about you. 

Like you know those tumblr Naruto posts that talk about it as if it’s some sort of Renaissance literature. That’s Todoroki. 

[”Man, they’re so hot--!” 

“You want to see someone hot?” Todoroki asks with a perfectly straight face, and he’ll just... turn his phone around and show them a picture of an anime character.] 

When his dad tries to set him up with someone else: “You think they’re my type? Do they watch [Series]? Do they know what true friendship is?? Do they understand pining and love the way [Name] does?” 

Endeavor: who the FUCK is [Name]. 

Gets into fanfiction because of your character and series. He’ll just be reading on his phone during break times at school and everyone thinks that he’s being so well-read but he’s just reading pure smut with a straight face. 

Doesn’t mind when you’re shipped with other characters necessarily but he is super picky. If your character is hinted toward a potential romance with another character that’s pretty crass and doesn’t necessarily treat you well but you’re sticking together through the power of friendship, he won’t ship it. 

He’s just like “[Name] would be so much happier with someone else like me.” ://// 

And if your character goes through something traumatic or terrible during the series he’ll be so sad, like soooo sad. :((( Deku would probably be comforting him on the couch in the common room and everyone is concerned because he looks like he’s mourning a lost pet, but it turns out to be over some anime character pshhhsdfh. 

Deku would just be patting his shoulder trying to console him and Todoroki’s just sitting there with a big frown on his face going, [“But they’ve been through so much throughout the anime already...” 

“I know, Todoroki-kun, I know...” 

“The author can’t do that to them... It’s just not fair.”

“I get it,” Midoriya says mournfully.]  

Plot twist: They like the same anime character 

They’ll probably find out when they have to retake the license exam together. 

Todoroki will just take his phone out during off times and Bakugou’s eyes looks over because it’s drawn by the noise but then his head just snaps to the side when he realizes its a little charm of you, like, he’s going to get whiplash from that. 

“What the -- is that [Surname] [Name]?!” 

Like they have never really hung out together before this, so when they both first realize that their favorite character of all time is [Name] they’re left ,, just standing there ,,, pointing at each other like the spiderman meme.

At first they’re both inwardly excited because FINALLY someone cultured and with taste. They spend the entire time talking about your stats, your attacks, your post-timeskip character design, and your personality, and then they delve a little bit deeper and then they realize ,,, oh. 

Bakugou says that you don’t belong with the dumb protagonist, you should be shipped with someone strong, confident and loud, but Todoroki is like noooooo they deserve to be with someone that treats them gently. 

They connect the dots. 

[“Bakugou, you aren’t compatible with [Name]. It says so in their trivia page.” 

“Says you! They won’t want some bland-ass pretty boy! They would want a real man!”] 

They’re such fanboys ;;; they do realize that you aren’t real, right asdfghj?

One day Kaminari and Sero separately invite them to an anime convention, but they both say no and that they have plans or “something better to do” that day. 

Then Bakugou and Todoroki both turn up to the convention at the same place because they both reach for the last limited edition [Name] figure and they just stare at each other wide-eyed (ʘoʘ╬) like that. 

They start verbally fighting each other over the last figure and then physically fighting each other andddd then they get kicked out of the convention. 

Izuku ends up swooping in and getting the last box. 

[jaehyunhour]

teenage dream | mark lee

genre + idol → fluff, smut, tiniest bit of angst if you squint, high school au, virgin!mark (x virgin fem!reader) [they’re both 18]

word count → 4.7k

warnings → alcohol consumption, unprotected sex (always wear a condom pls guys), tiniest bit of cursing

summary → mark lee moves to your hometown halfway through your sophomore year of high school, and once he arrives you quickly fall in love with both him and the town you grew to hate. after you graduate, mark has a surprise for you that may or may not include going across state lines, losing your virginity, and asking for your hand in marriage.

“Mark, you can’t leave me. You’re my soulmate.”

“If I could marry you tonight, I would.”

“You know... it’s only about a 5 hour drive to Vegas from here.”

a/n → i’ve been writing this fic for well over a month and it’s finally done!! this fic is purely self-indulgent because 1) i’m in love with mark lee and 2) i think of him every time i listen to teenage dream by katy perry... as always please let me know what you guys think of this one! i think this is one of my favorite fics i’ve written

Before you met Mark, life was bleak. That was the only way to describe it. Your life was monotone, shades of light blue and gray; your daily routine was the same, you walked through life as a zombie and hated everything about your hometown. But when Mark showed up halfway through your sophomore year of high school, when his family moved from Canada, everything changed. You got to show him the ins and outs of the city, turn him into a real native, and fall in love — both with your hometown, and with him.

You can still recall the first time you got to show Mark what it’s like to be a local. You went downtown, taking the light rail and getting off at each stop, enjoying what the city has to offer, before getting back on and staring out the window at the scenery. Mark’s hand rested in-between both of your thighs in an attempt to warm himself, while the other pressed onto the glass window of the light rail and tapped lightly. You pointed out the window at different buildings, telling Mark the story of your life in this little town, and he sat quietly and listened. His gaze lingered on the moving buildings as you spoke, and he immediately felt his entire body warm. This is when Mark knew you were special.

Your high school graduation was bittersweet. You were choosing to go to a college only thirty minutes away from your home because of your family, and Mark was on the waitlist for his dream college in Korea. After all the names were called, and all the caps thrown in the air, Mark wove his way through all of the graduates and straight to you. He picked you up in his arms, spun you around quickly, and set you down.

“We did it,” he said, eyes wide and smile bright. He placed his hands on your face and squished your cheeks before pulling you into another hug. “I have something to tell you.”

“I can’t believe we graduated. Tell me,” you responded.

“I got off the waitlist.”

You let out a scream, pulling back from Mark and hitting him on the chest. “Oh my god, Mark! Holy shit, that’s incredible. So you’re going to Korea? W-when do you leave?” Your stomach drops at the realization that Mark will be going to an entirely different country soon, meanwhile you have to stay in a town that you love only because he’s in it. It’s not the same without him.

“I don’t leave until the beginning of September.”

“So you’ll get to move me into my dorm before you leave?”

“You think I would leave without seeing where you’re going to be living? I need to make sure that you’re being well taken care of in my absence. You know I’m kidnapping you and taking you with me to Korea if I don’t like the dorm, right?”

“I expect absolutely nothing less,” you said, both you and Mark’s families rushing up to you on the football field to congratulate you. Your families forced you to pose for photos, talked amongst themselves about your college plans, and made plans to throw you two a joint graduation party.

Two weeks after graduation, you’re laying down on the trampoline in your backyard as the sun is setting. It’s a Thursday night, your parents are out of town for the weekend and have left you home alone. You could throw a huge party, celebrate the end of senior year, but instead you choose to enjoy the alone time in your childhood home before you move out. You stare at the moving clouds, your chest sitting on your phone as you talk to Mark who’s currently driving.

“You know, I’m kinda mad that your parents still won’t let you come spend the night at my house. We’re 18! We’re adults,” you say.

Mark lets out a laugh. “My parents are scared that if they let me spend the night at your house that I’ll do drugs, join a gang, and get you pregnant all in one night.”

“Do I really give that vibe off? I thought your parents liked me! We’ve been inseparable for well over 2 years now.”

“They love you, you know that. You’re home, right?”

“Yuuuup,” you say, standing up quickly and jumping a few times on the trampoline. He can hear the creaking of the trampoline and whines.

“No fairrrrr, you’re jumping without me!” Mark says. You hear Mark close the door to his car and lock it. Before you can ask him where he’s headed, he walks through the front door of your house, through the living room, and out into the backyard. Mark hangs up the call, before jumping onto the trampoline with you. 

You get back down onto your back on the trampoline, grabbing at Mark’s leg and trying to pull him down with you. He lays next to you, rolling over so half of his body is on top of yours. He nuzzles his head into your chest and lets out a content sigh.

“You should really keep the doors locked when you’re home alone. What are your plans for tonight?” He asks.

“Mmm, probably watch a movie and eat something. I might raid my mom’s wine cabinet and finish a whole bottle by myself.”

“Woooow, look at you breaking the rules. Who are you and what have you done to my best friend?”

“I’m just trying to enjoy myself before college!”

“Look at what I got today,” Mark says, flopping onto his back and pulling an ID out of his pocket. He hands it to you and you inspect it carefully.

“This is a Korean ID,” you start. “Aaaand, it doesn’t even have your name.”

“Yeah! It’s a fake ID. Says I’m 21.”

“Why’d you pick Kim Soohyun for your name? And why do you need a fake ID? You’re legal in Korea, you can drink.”

“My mom says Kim Soohyun is my long lost brother, I thought it would be funny. I got it for tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Yep,” Mark says, plucking the ID out of your hands and shoving it back into his pocket. “Go pack a bag, we’re going on a road trip.”

“Where to?”

“It’s a secret, but it’s somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.” Mark lays on his side, and you can feel him staring at you. You turn onto your side to look at him. “Can you close your eyes for a second?”

You nod and close your eyes. Your heart begins beating faster and your breathing is labored. Before you can ask Mark what game he’s playing at, you feel Mark’s lips on yours. You gasp, returning his kiss, and he slips his tongue into your mouth. It’s not your first time kissing someone like this, but it’s definitely his and you can tell. His tongue peruses the inside of your mouth, and his lips are pressed firmly against yours. You try to push your tongue into his mouth in an attempt to control the kiss, but to no avail. Mark pulls back to catch his breath, and his eyes meet yours.

“You’re bad at that,” you whisper, letting out a giggle.

“Yeah, I thought I might be,” Mark says with a sigh.

“You’ll get better at it. W-we can practice,” you say, pecking his lips. “I’ll go pack a bag.”

Thirty minutes later, you’re sitting in the passenger’s seat of Mark’s car, watching him as he drives. His hands rest perfectly at 10 and 2, his lips pouting, and he watches the road ahead intensely. 

“You should probably sleep, it’s going to be a while before we get there.”

“How long?” you ask. You recline the seat and lay back, extending your hand out to rest on Mark’s thigh. “Hold my hand.”

One of his hands leaves the steering wheel and he intertwines your fingers with his. “About 16 hours? Just sleep, I’ll wake you up in like 8 hours so you can switch with me.” You nod, closing your eyes and willing yourself to go to sleep. 

You’re not sure how long you sleep, but when you wake up, Mark’s hand is still holding yours. The sun is shining through the windshield and you look over at Mark, who is also sleeping. You’re parked next to a gas station in what feels like the middle of nowhere. You check your phone: 8:35 a.m.

“Oh, fuck,” you groan, causing Mark to stir. You tear your hand away from his, shifting the seat up and pushing Mark to wake up. “Mark, get up.”

He groans too before sitting back up. “I just fell asleep.”

“Why did you let me sleep for so long? You drove for 12 straight hours! I’m going to go inside the gas station and buy some coffee, then I’ll drive the rest of the way. You can sleep until we get to wherever the hell you’re taking me.”

Mark tries to sleep for the remaining four hours of your drive, but he’s too excited to be able to sleep. Instead, he watches you drive and smiles proudly. Mark has always thought you are so beautiful, even in your current state — no makeup, hair messy from sleeping in the car, and bags underneath your eyes. He leans over and presses a rough kiss to your cheek before laying back down. 

“What’s gotten into you?”

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t like you. Yesterday before we left you practically shoved your tongue down my throat, and now you’re forcing me on a road trip. You’re not normally like this.”

“I just… I realized that I wasted so much time not doing the things I want to do with you, and I would’ve hated myself forever if I didn’t do it before I left to Korea.”

“You would’ve hated yourself forever if you didn’t make out with your best friend and force her to drive around before leaving to Korea?” You pause. “Where are we going?”

“Something like that. Uh… well, we’re in California,” Mark says, causing you to swerve.

“You brought me across state lines?! Maaaark, your parents are going to kill you!”

“They think I’m with Johnny-hyung for the weekend. Don’t worry, he’ll cover for me. I think we’re only like half an hour away from LA.”

“You’re insane, Mark. So so insane.”

“So this is Santa Monica, huh?” Mark says, looking out at the crashing waves in front of him and inhaling deeply, letting his lungs fill with the cool ocean air, sand getting stuck between his toes.

“This is so beautiful,” you whisper. “Thank you for bringing me, Mark.”

“I would do anything for you, I hope you know that,” Mark responds. He takes out a brown paper bag from his backpack, twisting off the cap of the bottle inside and taking a swig of it and gagging. You laugh, taking the bottle out of his hand and sniffing it before taking a drink yourself. 

“Why would you buy vodka? You know you can’t drink alcohol very well.”

“I wanted to see if my ID would work! It was pretty easy, I just handed it to the guy and spoke in Korean and he didn’t question it.” He takes the bottle out of your hand and takes another drink, this time more prepared and able to suppress the gag that bubbles in his throat. You turn to look at Mark, and he quickly shifts his head to stare back at you. Some people say they feel their heart skip a beat when the person they love looks at them, but when Mark looks at you, your heart stops completely. Your heart stops, your breath gets caught in your chest, and you stop blinking. You have to make a conscious effort to breathe in and out, and open and close your eyelids as Mark looks at you and overtakes your thoughts.

As you’re staring at Mark, memorizing every inch of his face as the Santa Monica sun sets, you feel your cheeks begin to heat up and your face begin to numb as the vodka hits you. He reaches out to pinch your cheek, smiling wide at your flushed face, and when you feel his fingers on your skin, you just know — this is real, this is love.

“You’re so cute,” Mark says.

“Says you.” You grab the bottle from Mark’s other hand, taking another deep chug before pressing the bottle to his lips. You tilt it and he drinks from it until he can’t handle the taste anymore, pushing it away slightly and letting you drop it between your bodies.

“Y/N, I—”

“Kiss me.”

Mark doesn’t need to be told twice; instantly pressing you down into the sand, body hovering above yours and attaching his lips to yours. He lets you lead the kiss this time, opening his mouth when he feels your tongue poking at his lips and allowing you to slip your tongue into his mouth. Your tongue traces over his teeth, before meeting his tongue and playing with it. Your hands come up to hold onto his face, and he softens into your touch. Mark feels dizzy — both from the feeling of your tongue in his mouth and the vodka hitting him all at once. He pulls away, panting as he tries to catch his breath.

“I feel like I’m living a dream,” Mark says, staring at your face with something you can only describe as love in his eyes.

“I want to go swimming,” you respond, quickly sitting up without thinking and hitting your head against his. “Owie, I’m sorry, honey. Don’t know why I got up so quickly.”

Mark giggles and sits up, peeling his shirt off and dropping it on the sand. “Let’s go swimming.” He stands up, trying to kick his skinny jeans off as you stand up and start walking to the water. “Y/N! Take your jeans off at least.”

“Nuh-uh, I wanna go swimming,” you say, stumbling as you walk through the hot sand as quickly as you can and into the water. You don’t even register how cold the water is, quickly walking deep into the ocean and letting the waves go over your head. Mark rushes to catch up with you, walking into the ocean in only his underwear. He pulls you into his arms and you wrap your legs around his waist, your arms around his neck, and rest your forehead up against his.

“I miss you already, Mark.”

“I don’t even leave for another 3 months.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to go,” you say quietly. Unwillingly, tears fall down your cheeks and mix with the salt water on your face.

“I’m so glad I finally found you,” Mark responds. “My missing puzzle piece. I’m complete.” He wipes the tears and water from your face and presses a kiss to your lips. 

“I can’t believe we’ve known each other for over 2 years and you waited for us to graduate before making a move on me,” you say, angrily pressing another kiss to his lips. “I’ve been in love with you since the day I took you downtown for the first time, Mark.”

“And I’ve been in love with you since the day you asked me to go downtown with you.”

“You’re so lame,” you say to Mark, just as a huge wave goes over your heads and crashes. You both burst into laughter and you untangle yourself from him, pushing the hair out of your face and trying to regain your breathe. You place your hands on Mark’s shoulders, letting them travel down his chest to the waistband of his underwear. You slip your fingers underneath, pulling the band back before letting it snap back on his skin. “Mark, have you ever… you know…”

He shakes his head no. “M-my mom told me I should s-save myself for someone special,” he says, nervously. “Have you, ever… you know…”

You shake your head no. “Let’s go all the way tonight. No regrets, just love. Just you and me.”

“Okay.”

You and Mark stumble into the Santa Monica Motel, only a 20 minute walk from the Santa Monica Pier, coming up to the front desk with your clothes still dripping and asking for whatever vacant room they have. The desk attendant rolls his eyes, handing you two a pair of room keys and sending you on your way. You walk into the room, one hand holding Mark’s hand, as the other held onto the mostly gone bottle of vodka.

As you walk into the room, Mark throws your things onto the floor and locks the door behind him. You drink half of what’s left in the bottle, giving the rest to Mark which he finishes quickly before stepping into the bathroom. As Mark is in the bathroom freshening up, you pull the sheets off the bed and throw them onto the floor. You then pull the cushions off the couch in the corner, attempting to make a fort in the tiny motel room. You set the cushions up, then use the pillows to try and complete the walls of your fort, before throwing a thin white sheet over everything and crawling underneath. Mark comes out of the bathroom and raises an eyebrow when he sees the mess you’ve created on the floor.

“Y/N?”

“Come meet me in the fort, honey.”

Mark crawls underneath the sheet carefully, trying not to destroy the fort he’s sure you worked hard on. Once he’s underneath and he sees your shirt sticking to your chest, and your skin-tight jeans seemingly sticking tighter to your skin, his heart begins to race.

“I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but I feel like I’m living a dream,” Mark says, letting his hand rest on your stomach. You reach for his arm, pinching him slightly and he lets out a soft moan. “What was that for?”

“Just to remind you that this isn’t a dream. This is real, and I love you.”

“I love you,” Mark responds. You pull your wet shirt up and off your head, letting it fall to the floor before you unbutton your wet jeans and try to push them off.

“Mark, I need help,” you whine. He laughs before helping you pull your jeans down and setting them on the floor with your shirt. He looks at your entire body up and down, taking in the sight of your matching bra and underwear.

He groans. “Fuck, I really love you.” Mark lets his body hover over yours, quickly enveloping your lips in a quick, passionate kiss. You wrap your legs around his waist, pulling him closer to you and bucking your hips up to meet his. Mark feels himself harden in his underwear and he whines into your mouth at the feeling of you grinding up into him. Your hands grip onto his cheeks softly just as they did when you kissed on the beach, and one of his hands reaches up to pull your bra down and let your breasts free. His hands grab at your chest as if he’s done this before, fingers tugging and tweaking your nipples and you can’t help the moan that escapes your mouth and is caught by his. 

You rip his hand away from your chest, bringing it down into your underwear and pressing his fingers onto your clit. His fingers reach down to your entrance, teasing it softly before collecting your slick and returning to your clit. He pushes down roughly, rubbing in circles and your hips buck up again. This is the first time anyone else has ever touched you, and you quickly feel the knot forming in your stomach. 

“Mark, I’m gonna—” you say, pulling back from his lips for a second and grinding harder into his fingers in an attempt to reach your high quicker.

“Really?” Mark asks in disbelief, eyes wide as he presses his fingers harder into you and takes in the sight of your body. Your chest is going up and down quickly, hips moving and grinding into his fingers, one hand gripping onto his wrist as the other grips on his hair. 

“Fuck, just a few more seconds, I swear, Mark,” you whine, and he speeds his fingers up. And surely enough, within a few seconds, you’re gripping onto his wrist tightly to stop his movements as you cum, clenching around nothing as you chant his name repeatedly. Mark lets you come down from your high on your own time, afraid of overstimulating you before he can even get inside of you. As soon as you’ve come down from your orgasm, you’re pulling Mark into another kiss and pushing his underwear down. 

“Y/N, I-I should p-probably get a c-c-condom,” Mark stutters as your hand grips onto his hard dick and pumps lightly. 

“Nuh-uh,” you say, letting go of him and bucking your hips, feeling the tip of his dick rub against your clit and letting out a content sigh. “I want to feel all of you.”

Mark nods, gripping onto the base of his dick and pushing himself into you slowly, letting you adjust to him. Once he’s all the way in, he lets out a shaky breath as you clench around him a few times, getting used to the feeling of being full of something more than your fingers. “You can move now, honey.” He nods again and slowly begins moving his hips, pulling all the way out before slamming back in.

Mark lowers himself more, making sure you’re chest to chest as he moves slowly inside of you. Your legs wrap around his waist again, arms around his neck, pulling him close to you as you close your eyes and focus on the feeling of Mark’s length moving in and out of you swiftly. Mark lowers his head, resting it on your shoulder and pressing a kiss as you let your mouth fall open in a moan.

“I love you,” Mark’s hips pick up speed at your confession and you let out another loud moan. “I love you, I love you, fuck, baby, I really love you.”

He balances his weight on his hands, pushing himself up to look into your eyes as he fucks into you like his life depends on it. You want to close your eyes so bad, want to focus on the feeling of Mark fucking you, but you’re mesmerized as his eyes look into yours. You’re afraid to even blink, not wanting to miss a moment of this, not wanting to miss a second of the way Mark’s eyebrows furrow as he looks into your eyes, then down at your chest, then down at where your hips meet, then back up into your eyes. He shifts his weight onto one hand, moving the other to your clit and your eyes instantly roll into the back of your head.

“Look at me, baby,” Mark says quietly, angling his hips to meet that spot inside of you, and you struggle to keep your eyes open and looking at him, but you try. 

“A-are you sure you’ve n-never done this before?” You ask, clenching tightly around Mark as he fucks you and rubs your clit. 

“N-never ever. Been saving myself for you.”

“You’re gonna make me cum,” you whine.

“Cum for me, baby, please.” Mark says, and you nod as he presses his fingers just a little harder, pushing you over the edge quickly. The feeling of you clenching around his length sporadically, and your fingernails digging into his back, is enough to push him over the edge, and he’s cumming in you in thick white ropes. He lets out a deep groan as he cuts inside of you, giving you everything he’s got. He falls on top of you, not even bothering to pull out, and you wrap your arms around his neck and hold him close. You wipe the sweat off from his forehead and let out a laugh that he returns.

“I can’t believe we just did that,” you say.

“Are you on birth control?” Mark asks.

You flick his forehead and giggle. “Yes, I’m on birth control. I have been for like a year.”

“Oh thank God,” he lets out a sigh of relief.

You bask in the silence of the motel room for a second, realizing you’re still on the carpeted floor in the fort you’ve built. “Lets get into bed.”

Mark fixes the sheets and pillows onto the bed as you use the bathroom, and when you emerge from the bathroom naked and crawl into bed next to him, he feels his chest swell with love for you. As soon as you’re in bed with him, you snuggle into his body, resting your head on his chest and closing your eyes, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

“Your heart is beating really fast,” you whisper.

“Because of you,” he responds. He pushes you off him slightly, pushing you onto your back and resting his head on your chest. “I wanna be held.”

“You’re such a baby.” You play with Mark’s hair, enjoying the silence before it hits you that Mark is going to leave you. You’ve finally gotten the boy you love, given everything to him, and within a few months he’s going to leave you and start a new life while you’re stuck in your tiny town. Your chest begins to warm in anxiety at the thought of having to be away from him, and tears well in your eyes. “Mark, you can’t leave me. You’re my soulmate.”

“Come with me, then.”

“Ha-ha. Very funny.” The tears drip down your face slowly and Mark can tell you’re crying by the way your chest contracts underneath him.

He sits up quickly and looks down at you, eyes flickering to your bare chest for a split second before looking back up into your eyes. He wipes the tears from your face. “Y/N, I’m serious. Just take a year off and come with me to Korea, and then you can start school there. I’ll take care of you, I promise.” He leans down and presses a kiss between your breasts before coming back up. “I can’t live my life without you.  Please come with me.”

“Mark, my parents would kill me. Moving to a new country for a boy I’m not even married to? You’re insane.”

“If I could marry you tonight, I would.” Mark thinks for a second and grabs his phone from the table next to the bed, unlocking it and shielding it from your view as he looks something up.

“What time is it?”

“It’s midnight,” he responds.

“You know… it’s only about a 5 hour drive to Vegas from here.”

“And?”

“If we start driving now, we can make it by the time the sun rises.”

“Aaaaand?”

“Aaaand, wecouldbeimpulsiveandgogetmarriedmaybeifyoureallymeantit,” you say quietly.

Mark lets out a hearty laugh before rolling over onto you and pressing a flurry of kisses all over your face, before pulling you into a long kiss.

“What was all that for?” you ask.

He unlocks his phone and hands it over to you, showing that he was looking up 24 hour pawn shops nearby.

“I had the same thought. I thought maybe we go out and get some food, hit one of these pawn shops and get some rings, then drive over to Vegas.”

You let out a laugh and peck his lips. “Let’s go then, baby.”

“I can’t wait to see the look on your parents’ face when you tell them I convinced you to drive across state lines, get married to me, and drop out of state university to move to another country with me.”

“They’ll just have to deal,” you say, getting up out of bed and cringing as you put your wet clothes back on. “I have dry clothes in the car. It’s still parked by the beach, isn’t it?” Mark nods in response, slipping his wet clothes back on and leaving the room keys with the front desk attendant. Your hand slips into his as you walk in the dark streets of the city, walking towards the beach where Mark’s car is parked. “Can we stop in San Francisco on our way back home? I want to see the Golden Gate Bridge.”

“We can do whatever you want, baby.”

“I love you. You know that, right?”

“I know. I love you, too. You know that, right?”

“I know,” you sigh contently. “I can’t wait to spend my life with you.”