#I understood that reference 😊

[coffeeandjuice]

I will never get over some of Steve Rogers’ lines in the MCU because he’s not written to be an inherently funny character or comedic relief, but there’s just something about the way Chris Evans delivers the lines that make me giggle

[hgfictionwriter]

Maybe This Time - Part Four

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Summary: Confessions finally come to light and Jessie has the chance to ask you what she should've asked you years ago.

Warnings: Mild language. Outside of that - none. Just fluff, fluff, fluff.

A/N: I'm ignoring the most recent Thorns results in this story, btw lol. They're gonna rebound - I know it! Previous parts for this series can be found on my masterlist.

"Nice playing tonight. Congrats on the win." 

Jessie smiled to herself as she sat on the twin-sized bed of her hotel room and laid back, resting her head on the pillow.  

A few team members were still downstairs in the hotel restaurant, but she was beat and needed some downtime. She knew Janine would stay down with the group for a while, so this was her chance to get some solitude.  

"Thank you! I'm super happy with how the team was playing together today. And away games can be tough, but I'm stoked. Anyway, enough football talk lol how was your dinner?" 

"Well, you play Utah next – I'm no expert analyst, but as far as I can tell, your chances for 3 points are good lol. And dinner was delicious – thank you for asking. [Y/friend] and [Y/other friend] went out for drinks after but I called it a night. I'm exhausted after this week." 

"Lol I don't want to jinx anything, but yeah, you may be right about those 3 points. Sorry to hear you're so tired. You had a super stressful week though – I know work was crazy for you and then your brother showing up out of the blue. Yeah. That's a rough week. I'm sorry I'm not there to help more." 

"What are you talking about? You were so helpful. I bet you thought you were done hearing about my family drama, but here we are again lol. It's just a lot less common now – thank God. And anyway, what about you – what are you up to? Don't feel like you have to text me. I know you're with the team." 

"It's not a problem – seriously. Call me anytime. And it's all good – I've retreated to my room early. It's been a long day." 

"Okay, still, don't feel like you have to respond. I know you need your me-time; take it if you can get it." 

"It's alright. Really.-" 

Jessie stared at her phone for a few seconds as she contemplated continuing her thought. Screw it.  

"-I'm happy talking with you."  

She hit send and subconsciously held her breath for a second before remembering to breathe. She worked to dismiss any mounting anxieties, but had a hard time denying the way her pulse had quickened. It only got faster when she saw you starting to type. Her eyes remained fixed onto the screen until your reply came through.  

"Well that makes two of us." 

"As in I'm happy talking with you." 

Jessie chuckled, relief going through her body. She lifted a finger to her mouth and mindlessly chewed at her skin. Her brow creased as she contemplated her next move. Thoughts ping-ponged inside her mind before she threw caution to the wind – very intently so – and started texting. 

"Lol I understood." 

"Hey, are you busy next weekend? There's this pop-up exhibit in town for a few days. Maybe we could go and grab a late dinner together after?" 

"Are you talking about the CityScape exhibit? I wanted to go to that! Yes, that sounds amazing." 

Jessie beamed from ear to ear. 

"Okay, awesome. I'll get tickets." 

"Thanks, just tell me what I owe you." 

"Nothing at all 😊" 

"Stop it. Tell me what I owe you. Or I can just buy dinner, then. Whatever works." 

Jessie huffed. She was conjuring up a rebuttal when another message came in from you. 

"Okay, I have to confess something. It's been weighing on me for years and this just totally made me think of it again." 

Jessie frowned as she wracked her mind for any possibility of what you may be referring to.  

"Okay. What is it? Whatever it is, I'm sure it's okay." 

"Lol you say that now." 

"K. Remember when we went to that underground art show and then dinner and drinks in WeHo a few months after we first met? Or more specifically, remember when you asked me if I wanted to go to that?" 

Of course she did. You looked amazing that night. She was grateful that Teagan and Mia were there to distract her because if it had just been the two of you, she wasn't sure if she'd have been able to function.  

"Yeah, I remember. Why?" 

"So, full disclosure, I legitimately thought you were asking me on a date to that. When you showed up with Mia and Teags? DEAD. Let's just say it was a very humbling experience hahaha. So embarrassing! Enough time has passed that I can admit to it lol. It cracks me up now." 

Jessie didn't even realize her mouth was agape. Her mind was absolutely foggy and turned upside down as she reread your message again and again. She felt like she was having an out of body experience. Her mouth was dry and she started stammering even though there was no one to hear it.  

She needed to talk to Janine.

Before she even knew what she was doing, she found herself hauling open the hotel door and started padding down the hall until she realized she didn't have shoes on. She whipped around in a flurry to go back into the room and grab her shoes.  

"Shit!" She exclaimed as she more or less faceplanted into the door when it didn't open as she turned the handle. In her fluster she forgot she needed a key to open it. She stared down blankly at the lock for a few seconds before belatedly realizing she'd left the hotel key in the room. "Oh my god," she growled under breath. She spun on her heel and looked down the hall as she contemplated what to do.  

She looked back down at her phone and called up Janine. She let out another frustrated growl when the call went to voicemail. She texted her. "CALL ME. NOW." 

She paced back and forth in the hallway for a few seconds before looking back at the message you sent. Now anxiety around not replying to you was setting in. She didn't want you to think she was put off by what you said, but she also didn't know what the heck to say. This was too precarious a situation.  

She stood there motionless for a moment as she weighed her options and before she could start to overthink things she took off down the hall to the elevators.  

Once inside, she hit the 'M' button and the button to close the doors repeatedly in a vain attempt to move this journey along faster. She groaned when the elevator slowed at one of the floors along the way. She offered the joining guest a stiff smile and felt heat rush to her face when they glanced down at her sock feet.  

Once at the main floor, she took long, brisk steps towards the restaurant where she'd left the team and searched the remaining crowd for Janine. She spotted the blonde at a table towards the back and took a few steps into the restaurant – hoping not to get caught by the host. Thankfully, she caught Janine's eye. She waved the blonde over with uncharacteristically exaggerated movements and the blonde just frowned at her. Jessie's shoulders slumped in momentary defeat and frustration before she gave the girl another pointed look and gave a sharp wave. The blonde held up her hands in concession and got up. Jessie caught the curious looks the rest of her team gave her and offered a mere wave of 'hello' before grabbing Janine by the arm when she approached and dragging her out into the lobby.  

"I need your help." 

"What the heck!" Janine complained as she jerked her arm out of Jessie's grasp and shook it out for show. "What is going on? And why are you in your socks," she went on as she gave Jessie a disapproving look.  

Jessie bit back a sardonic, tense reply and instead just held up her phone to Janine's face. The blonde winced at the sudden movement and frowned as she read the message, before her jaw, too, fell like Jessie's had earlier.  

"Oh my gosh," Janine said in bewilderment. Jessie nodded repeatedly. "Oh. My. Gosh! Okay. So – what the heck – you left her on read?" 

"I didn't know what to say!" Jessie responded with a harsh whisper, gaze flitting about as she tried to not draw further attention to them.  

"Oh my gosh, Jessie. You're the worst," she said with an eye roll as she began to usher the smaller girl towards the elevators. Before Jessie could protest, Janine held up her hand in declaration, "Okay. We need a game plan..."

Jessie's mind was still racing as she stared vacantly at the elevator floor deep in thought as she pieced things together. Suddenly, she inhaled sharply, eyes growing wide as she lifted her head to look at Janine.

"She went on her first date with [an ex] like a month after that night! Wa-" She stopped herself momentarily, thoughts resetting before she started again, "Wait - do you think if we'd actually had a date that night that she wouldn't have dated her?"

Janine gave her a long stare that tapered into a look that was half sympathetic, half pointed. "Jess."

"Oh my God," Jessie groaned as she rubbed her face.

"Sorry - that was probably really awkward. That was a long time ago. And obviously it was all good in the end. Anyway, now I can die with an unburdened soul lol.”

“What do I say!” Jessie said, her voice rising while her heart beat out of her chest.

The elevator dinged as they reached their floor and the two looked at each other before exiting and heading to their room.

“Well, this could be your opportunity. Why not just tell her that you liked her? I know you aren’t comfortable telling her you like her now. But you can admit to it for the past,” Janine suggested.

Jessie’s eyes scanned around as she processed the different scenarios and outcomes that could arise. Her instinct was to say “no”, but she really couldn’t find a logical reason to deny it. She huffed.

“Okay. Well. What - I just say ‘Oh hey - speaking of funny stories, I had a crush on you for years. And I’m glad your exes hated me, cause guess what, I hated them because I was jealous’?” Jessie said moodily as she crossed her arms.

“Maybe not that,” Janine said with a sidelong glance.

The girls talked hurriedly, debating back and forth about what to say until Janine threw her hands up in relinquishment.

“I told you what I think. It’s your call. This is your relationship. Or - would-be relationship,” she relayed.

Jessie sighed heavily once more and sat down on the edge of her bed. She had to chill out. She reminded herself that this time things were supposed to be different. And that she was different, and not so scared.

“Sooo does that mean you would’ve said “yes” to a date? Wish I had known. I would’ve gladly taken you on a date.”

Jessie exhaled slowly as the message sent. She looked up to Janine and ignored how her ears were ringing.

She glanced back down and immediately saw bubbles come up.

“Lol! I’m sure.”

“I’m serious.”

“Jessie! Come on.”

“What? I’m dead serious. Question is if you would’ve actually said ‘yes’.”

“I wore my nicest dress and actually put in the time to do my hair and make-up properly. So I’ll leave that up to you to interpret.”

“Janine,” Jessie complained, her pitch rising as she rubbed her face in aggravation before bringing the hand down to slap against her leg. “I’m such an idiot.”

“Well I could’ve told you that,” Janine rebutted without hesitation before pausing and giving a small shrug. “For this situation anyway.”

Jessie exhaled in frustration again as she readjusted position on the bed, eyes still transfixed on your text. You know what? She might as well own it.

“Well, I’m an idiot. I truly thought I didn’t have a chance with you. For the record, you looked stunning that night. But also for the record, I liked you just as much in your everyday clothes and makeup or when you didn’t try at all.”

By now Janine was kneeling on the bed behind Jessie, hands on Jessie’s shoulders as she watched everything unfold. She was started to make a remark when she let out a loud gasp as Jessie’s screen lit up with a call from you.

“Oh my gosh!” Janine exclaimed.

“Shit!” Jessie said as panic began to rush through her. She was about to accept when she noted Janine’s head right next to her and she shook the blonde off of her. “Go!”

“Oh now you want me to leave,” Janine protested.

Jessie waved her off and took a steadying breath before answering and holding the phone up to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Jessie Fleming. You start off by giving me a heart attack - just leaving me hanging after I share my deeply embarrassing and humbling story. And now you come out of left field with - I think - a confession of your own? Are you fucking with me right now?”

Jessie choked and coughed at your wording. You didn’t sound mad at all. Bewildered? Yes.

“No. No I’m not,” she said much more tentatively than she’d intended.

The line was silent for a few seconds and Jessie was about to check if the call dropped when you spoke up again. This time you were the one who sounded tentative.

“Okay. Wait. Let’s recap. So-” Jessie could practically hear you thinking. “-you’re saying you would’ve wanted to go on a date together?”

Jessie pushed her hair back unnecessarily. “Um, yeah.” She shook her head out and spoke more confidently. “Yes. I would’ve.”

She heard you give a disbelieving chuckle. “But you didn’t,” you said slowly, but matter of fact. “I’m sorry. I’m just kind of shocked,” you laughed further. “You felt like you didn’t have a chance with me? Are you serious?”

Jessie exhaled, eyes set on the floor as she gave a shrug of her shoulders. “Dead serious.”

“Come on. The great, unattainable, Jessie Fleming, liked me? Impossible. I mean, yeah, we were close, but you never really showed any indication of it being more. I mean, at most it must’ve been short lived.”

Jessie tried to process your words that were coming at her a mile a minute. You gave her an out. She could say it was a fleeting thing. A curiosity. But, Janine was right, this really was the chance.

“Uh,” Jessie rubbed her face distractedly, feeling heat rushing to her cheeks, “if ‘short lived’ means all through uni, then sure.”

The call was silent again and Jessie could hear her pulse throbbing inside of her head until you finally spoke again.

“Now you’re really fucking with me."

Jessie's body continued to heat up and she tugged subconsciously at the collar of her shirt.

"I've said too much already. I mean, it was obviously short lived on your end - which is totally fine."

"Why do you say that?" You questioned.

Jessie frowned, making a face and ignoring how Janine was attempting to look occupied with her own thing, but clearly eavesdropping.

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked, careful not to sound argumentative. "You dated a lot of girls in university. Well, not a lot. You know what I mean."

She heard you give a short laugh on the other end of the call before speaking wryly.

"Well, maybe - no, never mind." You exhaled lightly. "Anyway - it's all in the past, but, consider me stunned." You gave a bit of a chuckle. "I hope you're more forward with girls now than you were then. I really didn't know you had any interest."

"I was shy," Jessie offered as she scratched her temple. "Like painfully shy. And you were so pretty, and smart, and charming - I just didn't know what to do."

A glare crossed Jessie's face as Janine hopped down in front of her and mouthed 'Tell her you like her!" as she gestured wildly in the air.

"Well, now I'm extra confused about why we didn't stay in contact after university. If you liked me that much," you stated without challenge.

Jessie sighed. She'd told you enough. She didn't need to get into how desperately in love she was that she needed to cut herself off from you altogether to even have a hope of moving on.

"I mean, we don't need to rehash it all. Anyway, recap, I liked you, you were open to a date, but I stupidly didn't ask you out." Jessie chuckled, trying to keep things light. She cleared her throat and the heat that had started to fade from her face came raging back and she began to fidget. "And, um," - she glanced to Janine for reassurance - "I don't know. If you're open to it, maybe we could finally have that date. When I pick you up next time, it could be a date - for real."

She heard you hum before speaking.

"That sounds really nice. Yes. I'd like that a lot."

Jessie's eyes lit up and her posture straightened immediately as she looked to Janine excitedly. The blonde gave a boisterous, but silent celebration.

"Okay," Jessie said, her voice growing tight momentarily as she tried to remain composed. She cleared her throat and relaxed her shoulders. "Sounds like a plan, then."

A/N: Part Five is available here.

[twomiddlefingersforthehaters]

@klaribel Hi! 😊

『あ〜い!こっちこっちイ!! 』 大好きな人と待ち合わせ｡笑顔の先は友達? 彼女? 一体、だあれ?

“a〜i ! kotchi kotchii !!” daisukina hito to machiawase. egao no saki wa tomodachi ? kanojo ? itai, daare?

“He〜y, Over here!!” (He) meets with his favorite/special person. Is he smiling at a friend? or a girlfriend? Who could that (person) be?

❉ こっちこっち (Kotchi kotchi) - means over here; come on

❉ 待ち合わせ (machiawase) - means meet up with~

❉ 大好きな (daisukina) - (something), which (someone) likes very much/loves. 大好きな is used to emphasis, how much you like it. You can say "大好きな", when you want to describe something as your favorite in Japanese.

e.g:

大好きな本 (Daisukina hon) : very favorite book

大好きな歌 (daisukina uta): favorite song

私の(大)好きな俳優 watashi no (dai) sukina haiyū : My favorite actor

大好きなんだ〜 (daisukina nda 〜) : I'm lovin’ (you / it / him /her etc)

(大)好きな猫は？[ (dai)sukina neko wa?] : What’s your favorite cat? / What kind of cat do you like?

❉ 大好きな人 (daisukina hito) : a person whom someone likes very much". "like very much" can also be expressed as "love".

❉ 笑顔の先 (egao no Saki)- "beyond the smile", In here it refers to the outcome of a meeting or what happens after that.

❉ 彼女 (kanojo) - she/her/woman Or girlfriend

In a conversation, when you are talking about a woman and refer to her as 彼女 、you mean she.

If you say something like, ``Next time I'll introduce you to my 彼女", you're referring to your girlfriend.

Whether the word means She, her, or girlfriend depends on the context.

e. g:

1. 彼女の目を見たら、彼女の本心がわかった。

kanojo no me wo mitara, kanojo no honshin ga wakatta.

When I looked into her eyes, I understood her true feelings.

2. 彼女 / 彼氏 とデートする。

kanojo/ kareshi to de-tosuru.

Going on a date with my girlfriend/boyfriend.

3. 次回、彼女に会った時は彼女の笑顔が見られますように。

Jikai, kanojo ni atta toki wa kanojo no egao ga miraremasu yōni

Next time when I meet her, I hope I can see her smile.

4. 彼女います。

kanojo imasu.

I have a girlfriend.

4. 彼女は私が本当に会いたかった人です。だから彼女と知り合えて本当に幸せです

kanojo wa watashi ga hontōni aitakatta hito desu. da kara kanojo to shiriaete hontōni shiawase desu.

She’s the person I really wanted to meet. That’s why I’m really happy to get to know her.

5. 彼女はいますか

kanojo wa imasu ka?

Do you have a girlfriend?

But actually, in everyday conversation, Japanese people do not use pronouns [ 「彼」 (he) or 「彼女」 (she)] very often. This is because people often call other people by their real names, nicknames, or job titles.

Before Meiji era (1868-1912), 彼 was unisex and Japanese people used it for both male and female.

彼女(girlfriend) and デート(dating) are usually associated even in Japanese narratives.

❉ 大好きな人と待ち合わせ (daisukina hito to machiawase) - This literally refers to making an appointment to meet someone you really like.

This expression has the following meanings:

1) 大好きな人 refers to someone you have romantic feelings for.

2) "Michiawase" refers to waiting to meet at a predetermined place or time.

3) When meeting someone, you feel so happy to have met them that you want to run over to them with a smile on your face and say hi to them.

Overall this expression expresses that the state of looking forward to meeting someone you love alone. As your meeting time approaches, you'll probably feel excited, nervous and thrilled to meet that person.

If you just look at the smile, you won't know if it's a friend or a lover, but because of the smile, it seems like he's meeting up with his lover. There is nothing that cannot be interpreted.

[berryhobii]

Reconnect (myg x reader)

Pairing: Idol!Min Yoongi x black!wedding designer!female! Reader

Word Count: 6K+

Warnings: fluff, established relationship, mentions of secret relationship, mentions of a wedding(but not Yoongi and the reader’s), reader and Yoongi are engaged, Smut(18+ but I don’t control what you consume), unprotected sex(please speak to your partners before engaging in this), vaginal sex, squirting, creampies, riding, doggy style, mating press/missionary, oral(f receiving), soft dom Yoongi(he’s super soft and vocal but also goes kind of rough😊), rough sex, multiple orgasms(f and m receiving), brief aftercare and mentions of amazing aftercare, reader has goddess locs(color and length not specified), reader also has that Wendy’s Strawberry Lemonade kitty, reader also also has nipple piercings, reader got a fat ass because who doesn’t appreciate a nice booty?

A/N: Hi! This is my second time uploading something. I’ve had this story in my drafts for a while. I had been writing it using she/her pronouns so I’ve been spending the past few days to change those to you/yours. If I missed any, I’m sorry but please let me know so I can make the story more cohesive. Reader is black but their skin color isn’t really described but I believe I referred to their nipples being dark so that’s it. My next post with either be a GreekMythology!Jimin or a Gamer!Jungkook. The Jimin story is actually really long so I think I’ll turn it into a small series but I’ll post the 1st chapter sometime next week. Thanks again for reading! Criticism is greatly accepted and I hope my black and melanated girlies feel good reading this! Have a good day.

~

“I’m sorry, baby. I know I said we’d have dinner but we have to do some last minute recording.”

You tried not to sound disappointed when you replied. “That’s okay. I understand.” And you truly did. You knew how important his job was and that it would be a priority of his.

You just wished that it didn’t take so much of his time. You understood that his music was his life and that it was his dream career. All of his hard work had led up to being able to do what he does now; to make music and inspire the millions of fans that listened. You were so proud of him. Seeing him live his dream filled you with a different kind of pride and emotion. He was happy and that’s all you ever wanted for him.

Still, you missed him. You two had barely spent any time together the past month while he’s been preparing for their new album. He’d come home long after you’d fallen asleep and he’d sleep into the afternoon, just to rise and immediately get ready to go again. You couldn’t even have breakfast together like you used to. You could barely even start a conversation before he was cutting you off with a kiss and rushing out of the door.

While you had your own career of designing wedding dresses, you still had so much free time on your hands. You had already designed your newest collection and it was currently in production to be created. You’ve even made multiple visits to a few stores and they were running amazingly. There was only so long you could bury yourself in work before your heart began yearning for Yoongi’s companionship.

“I promise when this is finished, we’ll go on a trip. Just you and me.”

That made you smile. You and Yoongi have traveled a lot together over the years; Bora Bora, Italy, The Maldives—and each experience had been just as memorable and romantic as the last. He proposed to you in Italy at the Orange Gardens. It was such a magical moment. Just thinking about it made you want to cry. The entire trip was just absolutely perfect; from taking a gondola ride on the gorgeous waters to the 5 Star hotel they stayed in for 3 days and 2 nights, all the way to the candlelit dinner where he got down on one knee. You remember it fondly.

While the promise of a trip together didn’t fix your loneliness now, it gave you something to look forward to.

You couldn’t fight the smile in your voice. “Okay.” Your eyes went over to the stove where dinner was cooking. You had just finished searing some steaks that were finishing up in the oven. There was no point of putting them away for him to eat later. They wouldn’t be as flavorful or tender.

“Hey, is it okay if I bring you some dinner? I know you haven’t eaten yet.” Your tone shifted to one of slight teasing but you knew you were right. His pause of silence was proof enough.

“You don’t have to do that, baby.”

“I want to though. I made steak and I’ll feel better knowing you’ve eaten. I won’t stay long or distract you.” Just knowing he had a home cooked meal would make you happy. You would nag him constantly about drinking too much coffee and eating take out. It came from a place of love, however and Yoongi never minded. He loved having someone so attentive to his health when he’d blatantly ignore it. It showed you cared. Also, he secretly loved being babied by you. He’d never admit it out loud or to his friends but you knew. There was nothing better than coming home, a bath prepared for him to soothe his sore muscles, a meal on the table, and cuddling into your soft breasts while your rubbed his back—always being careful with his shoulder.

Your already nurturing nature and tendency to baby Yoongi increased tenfold once he got surgery. You barely let him leave the bed, even following him to the bathroom to make sure he didn’t hurt himself. A little bit stifling but he was so grateful to you. You always took care of him.

“Then that sounds great. I’ll leave my door open for you. I love you, baby.”

“I love you too. See you soon.”

With a giddy pep in your step, you finished cooking dinner, packaging it nicely in cute Tupperware before putting it in a bag. You had already showered and your clothes were fine but you wondered if you should put on something different. While Yoongi thought you looked good in anything, you still liked to look pretty for him; wearing dresses and heels whenever you went out, keeping your nails and toes done, and making appointments to get waxed every month. Self care was important to you. It not only made you feel good about yourself but it was also something you just liked to do for your husband.

Deciding to change your clothes, you slipped on a t shirt maxi dress that hugged and showed off all of your curves, along with some short open toed shoes to show off your freshly painted white toes. It was simple but still dressy and feminine, just your style.

Checking your hair once more in the mirror and smearing on some lip gloss, you grabbed the bag of food and your keys before exiting your home.

~

HYBE Studios was a pretty moderate drive from your apartment. The reason for that is to keep crazy fans from ever finding it. Once the company realized other idols were having their homes broken into, there was a decision to move all of the boys about 30 minutes from the company in a luxury gated neighborhood. You had to admit, you missed your old apartment you shared with Yoongi since that was their first place together but you also couldn’t complain about the walk in closet and the jacuzzi bathtub.

You greeted the security guard in front of the car garage, him lifting the block to the garage. After parking close to the company cars that were often used to transport the boys during RunBTS, you exited your car and made your way through the side door to the lobby.

You nodded at the secretary, everyone already knowing who you were and letting you pass with no issue.

Yoongi’s studio was on the 8th floor at the end of the hall. Namjoon’s was just a short distance away as well.

Once you reached his door, you entered the pin code on the keypad. Besides a few staff members and the boys, you were one of the few with the password to his studio. He just preferred silence and no disruptions so the code was only used during emergencies or whenever you or the boys came to visit. There was also a group chat for everyone with his code, adorably named ‘The Plastics’, courtesy of Taehyung. If they ever needed to come to his studio, they’d send a text beforehand so he’d know to expect them.

The beep sounded and you opened the door, smiling at the sight of your husband who was cutely leaned over on his right palm as his eyes scanned the production screen for his music. You didn’t get most of it but you always found it adorable when he’d try to explain. He’d get so invested in telling you how reverb and delay could either make or break a song that he’d never see how endearingly you’d stare at him. And he’d always get surprised when you’d lunge to bite his cheek.

“You are just too adorable! I have to bite you!”

His headphones were around his neck so he turned at the sound of his door opened, a smile immediately rising to his face at the sight of you. He removed his headphones, standing to greet you.

You could barely put the food down before his hands were around you waist, pulling you in for a hug. You wrapped your arms around his neck, cuddling into his body as you inhaled his cologne and the gentle scent of his favorite body wash.

He pulled away a little to press a few pecks to your forehead. “Hi baby.” His deep, slightly tired voice sent shivers down you spine. It was almost like his regular voice was just his morning voice constantly and out of all of the little things you loved about him, his voice was towards the top of your list—right after his newly grown out hair, his hands, and that little habit of him slurping whenever he’d explain things.

You inhaled a deep breath, basking in the affection. “Hi.”

You two just held each other for a moment, locked in an embrace and not wanting to let go. This was your special kind of intimacy, just not speaking or moving, simply holding one another.

Yoongi considered himself a pretty private person. A little ironic considering he was a world famous idol who’s whole job was being put in the spotlight. However, when it came to his personal relationships, he did his best to keep that as private as possible. Just imagine the uproar when people found out he was engaged. You had been hidden from the public eye for 3 straight years before you got engaged. How? One part extreme luck, the other part moving quietly. Your relationship started off with you meeting for the first time at a staff member’s wedding. You had designed her dress and she was so amazed and in love with how you created her dream dress that she insisted you come to her wedding. Always happy to see people overjoyed with your work and excited to see your design in action, of course you agreed. Coincidentally, you were sat pretty close to the table the boys were at. When you recognized them, you softly smiled and introduced yourself, expressing how you were a fan and how many women said they were using BTS songs as their wedding songs. Yoongi was drawn in instantly, your gentle voice and sparkling eyes as you talked about your clients drew him in. He could tell you were passionate about your career, just like he was.

After exchanging numbers while the bride and groom were cutting the cake, you two mainly texted and called each other in your free time. It took about 4 months for you to go on their first date since Yoongi had to go to America for promotions. He thought you’d lose interest since he traveled and couldn’t take you on a proper date but you never minded. You liked talking to Yoongi and found yourself developing feelings for him. He was trying and effort was one of your biggest green flags for a partner. A little distance wasn’t that big of a deal to you. Of course, you wanted to be able to be close to him and hold his hand and maybe even kiss but you knew what you were signing up for when you started talking.

Once Yoongi went on break, he started dedicating a lot of time to you; dates, inviting you to his place for dinner and wine, and learning more about you. He didn’t think you would get along so well. Talking on the phone was vastly different than being in each other’s physical presence but you had melded together like the pieces of a puzzle. You were so gentle and compassionate, always looking after him and giving him affection he hasn’t gotten in years. You were perfect for him and vice versa.

Your eyes slowly blinked up at him, just taking in his handsome features. You could spot the bags under his eyes, feeling a little sad that he was running himself ragged.

“You look tired. Have you slept since his morning?”

He hummed. “I took a little nap around lunch. The new couch came in.” You turned a little to look at the new addition to his studio. Before, he just had a small leather couch, moreso for decoration than comfort. Once he got a bigger studio, he upgraded his furniture but kept that couch. After some prodding from you, he ordered a new and more comfortable couch—one that could become a pull out bed for those overnights at the studio.

“It looks great.” It was a dark grey color, wide and stretched enough to fully support 2 people if you wanted to spoon on it.

“Yeah. I just didn’t think it would take that long to get it in the door. Namjoon almost knocked over my synthesizer.” He said that with a shake of his head. You giggled, imagining the tall and clumsy man scrambling to pick up the keyboard.

“I can only imagine. I brought food. You should eat it before it gets cold. I should go.” You tried pulling away from him only for him to tighten his grip on your waist. You let out an “oof” as your face met the hard planes of his chest. All that physical therapy and time in the gym had really bulked him up. While you loved his body regardless, you definitely weren’t complaining about the extra muscle. He was filling out this black shirt just fine.

He nuzzled his nose in your neck, inhaling your favorite perfume that you’ve worn since he met your. It was one of his favorite scents. His hands rubbed up and down your back, feeling all over the material of your dress.

“No, stay. Eat with me.”

Yoongi could be very affectionate and straightforward when he wanted to be, normally when you were alone. He’d never show this side in public. Not because he was ashamed of his love for your, far from that. He just preferred to keep their intimate moments private. Maybe a little kiss here and there and some hand holding but moments like this were for you only.

Your manicured fingers went to his nape, scratching at the hair there. “I don’t want to distract you.”

“You’re not.” He pulled back to look you in eyes. “I want you to eat with me. I feel bad we couldn’t have dinner at home.” And he did. He knew his job demanded a lot of his time and attention and even if you understood that, it didn’t stop him from feeling guilty about leaving you alone all the time. He knew you could entertain yourself and had your own life outside of him but he still felt bad not being able to spend as much time with you as he wanted. He missed you just as much. While he loved his job, nothing beat coming home to your warmth and affection. To be honest, he was getting a little touch starved.

He led you over to the couch, waiting for your to sit before going to the mini fridge in his studio.

“Do you want juice?” He asked as he pulled out a couple of drinks. He always kept some of your favorites in his mini fridge just in case. You didn’t drink caffeine or really any alcohol, water and juices were your favorites.

You nodded your head, beginning to take out the Tupperware containers. They were still nice and hot. He placed a juice down on the table, along with an energy drink. You frowned at that, leaning forward to pick it up.

“You need to drink water. Don’t think I haven’t noticed those coffee cups on your desk.”

He rolled his eyes and sighed but couldn’t hide his smile. You were too good to him. Sometimes he felt like he didn’t deserve you. Taking the energy drink from you, he went back to the fridge to grab a water instead.

Ignoring the smug smile on your face, he sat next to you, waiting for you to open all of the containers. The smell was delicious, making his stomach growl.

Your handed him some chopsticks and a few napkins before sliding the steak over to him. “Here. Try it.”

You ate in silence, him using his chopsticks to place some pieces of steak and vegetables in your bowl. You smiled, the cute ways Yoongi showed he cared always making your heart warm. Fans knew he was more subtle in showing he cared and that wasn’t any different than him in private. You had to learn that his love language was acts of service but in a more quiet way.

After you finished eating, he helped clean up the containers, giving you some wipes to clean your hands and the table.

He let out of a groan as he sat back down on the couch, belly full and fully ready for a nap. But he knew he had to get back to work and that meant you had to leave.

“Thanks, baby. It was delicious.” His hand came to rest on your thigh, rubbing the soft skin. You hummed, placing your hand on top of his.

“Of course. I’m happy you liked it.” You both rested for a moment before you began moving. “I should go. You have work to do.”

You barely made it to your feet before he was tugging you back down on his lap. A surprised yelp came from your lips at the sudden movement, ass meeting his thighs when you landed. He situated you so that you straddled his hips, his hands immediately going to your ass.

“Baby….” You pouted, feeling a little shy all of a sudden. You were normally the one who initiated physical affection so for Yoongi to do it so roughly surprised you. You weren’t complaining, however. The way his eyes were hooded over and how he looked up at you with that dark endearment made your belly tingle. You knew where this was going.

“Stay.” His left hand pressed your body down so your chest squished against his. “You come here in this dress and my favorite shoes…”

You adjusted yourself to wrap your arms around his neck. “I hardly wear these.”

He shrugged. “I love anything you wear. You look so sexy.” His hand traveled up your dress, moving it up your ass so he could grope full handfuls of the fat. While Yoongi appreciated all parts of your body, your ass was his favorite. Genetics, exercise and a little bit of happy weight had all accumulated into jiggly ass he loved to squeeze and slap. When you met, you were pretty thin but in shape nonetheless. Fans speculated that you gained ‘happy relationship weight’ since Yoongi treats you right. Whatever the reason, he thanks the higher power every day for it.

You could feel the heat beginning to spark between you, along with Yoongi’s growing boner pressing against your panties. Now that you thought about it, it’s been a little while since you’ve been intimate. You and Yoongi have barely had any time for quickies, let alone a full session of sex. And you two could go for hours if you wanted. On the day of your engagement, you barely left the hotel room because you couldn’t keep your hands off him. How could you? He was your fiancé. Mmm, that word just got you hot and bothered.

Your hands ran up his neck and into his hair, scratching at his scalp. The low hum of contentment that came from him spurred you on. You brought your faces closer together, lips hovering before you trapped him in a kiss. He hummed again, lifting his head to kiss you deeper, hands still squeezing at your ass.

Your kiss grew more heady, both of your hands massaging each other and trying to stroke any piece of skin you could. Yoongi began pushing against you to make your roll your hips against him. His cock could probably cut glass from how hard he was. You always got him excited with barely doing anything. To be honest, he started getting hard the moment you entered the room. Just your presence got him feeling almost immediately horny.

And it was the same for you. Your cunt had began getting wet the moment Yoongi turned around in his chair. He just looked so comfortable and effortlessly sexy and the way his muscles strained against that shirt made your imagination run wild.

You pulled away to inhale a deep breath. “Yoongi….please…”

His lazy smirk sent a rush straight to your already wet pussy. “What do you need, baby? Tell me.”

God he was such a tease but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t absolutely love it.

“I need you.”

That was all he needed before he moved to flip you onto your back. You bounced against the soft couch cushions, barely getting your bearings before he was back on you, pressing his lips to yours.

His large hands traveled up your dress, lifting it over your belly and breasts. He leaned back to get a look, letting out a groan at the absolute beauty under him.

Your chest was heaving from just a little kissing, your goddess locks spread out under you, glossed lips plump and ready for more. You were so gorgeous and he made sure to let you know.

You squirmed under the compliment, feeling giddy and a bit bashful. You always received compliments and the occasional catcall and while you accepted the respectful ones gracefully, none of those ever mattered to you. Yoongi’s praise and compliments put you on cloud 9 and you really believed him.

His hands traveled up your body to your breasts, eyes catching something under your bra. He pulled the annoying piece of fabric down and if he could get any harder, he probably would.

“Fuck. You’re wearing your piercings? Did you come here to try and kill me?” The little diamonds sparkled under the light. He remembers buying the jewelry for your birthday last year. He also remembers sucking the sensitive nipples until you were crying just an hour later.

You giggled, biting your lip. “Of course not.”

His smirk widened. “You little sneak.” His hands went to grope at the soft flesh, a sigh falling from your lips. His thumbs ran lightly over the stiff peaks, pulling more sighs and little squeaks from your lips. Your nipples had gotten so much more sensitive after piercings. Yoongi couldn’t be too rough on them when you first got them, being careful of your healing process. He could barely touch them without you gasping in the slight pain from healing. Of course, he never complained, understanding your pain so he just stopped touching them. He just didn’t think it would test his control so much; seeing you walk around without a shirt sometimes, the already silky and delectable breasts looking more appetizing from the little barbells. Months had passed along with many maintenance appointments before you announced that they could be touched without pain. With the pain gone, your sensitivity skyrocketed and with Yoongi’s skilled tongue beginning their assault, your pleasure had been taken to a new level.

Your fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer and his mouth open to lick over your nipple. You let out a moan as his tongue swirled all around your piercing. He switched to the next one, giving it the same treatment.

The heat between your legs was becoming too much, your panties beginning to feel uncomfortable from how they were sticking to you.

“Yoongi….” You whined. His eyes lifted to lock on your flustered face, lips parted as puffs of air came through them, your eyes desperate and pleading for anything. Everything.

Reluctantly pulling away from your nipples, he helped you pull the dress from your body, tossing it somewhere in the room. Neither of you cared.

He kissed from your breasts to your tummy until he reached the apex of your thick thighs. You immediately dropped them open, revealing yourself to him. He groaned at your desperation but also at the sight of your soaked underwear. The thong barely covered anything, the baby blue fabric now dark from your arousal. It was practically leaking from you, the bottom of your ass shining. Kissing over the stretch marks that streaked down the inside of your thighs, he whispered words of praise to you.

“Fuck baby. You’re so fucking wet.” He couldn’t help himself, surging forward to suck on your clit through your panties. A shiver racked your body, your hands coming down to bury in his hair. The friction wasn’t as good with your panties still keeping his tongue from making direct contact with your clit but it was something. And it felt so good.

Your hips jerked against his face, trying to get more. His hands dug into the meat of your thighs, holding them open as his tongue licked at your clit.

More moans fell from your lips, pleasure causing your vision to go blurry. You felt so close already and he’s barely done anything. Blame it on you not having a proper orgasm for weeks. Your hands just didn’t feel the same and Yoongi had thrown out all of your vibrators once you two started having sex.

“You won’t need these anymore. All your orgasms should come from me.”

Now you were remembering why he threw them out in the first place. Only he could rip pleasure and orgasms from your body in seconds, playing your body like a piano.

Your hand came down your body, tapping against his forehead. He pulled away slightly, eyes searching your face for any sign of discomfort. You really only stopped him when you were shaking in overstimulation and he knew you hadn’t even cum yet so why were you stopping him?

When he pulled back, you grabbed onto your panties, pulling them aside to reveal your fat and dripping pussy to him.

How the hell did he get so lucky? Did he save orphans in his past life or something? Not only had he managed to put a ring on a kind, generous, and absolutely amazing person who treated him like a King and opened up the deepest parts of him, he also managed to snag a submissive, slutty, and needy woman who could ride his cock for hours and bend in ways he’s only dreamed of.

There was no way.

Eyes darkening in lust, he dove back in to capture your clit, licking at it more furiously than before. The heat from his mouth made that pressure build in your lower belly, your toes curling from their position in the air. Your loud moans only pushed him further, shoving 2 fingers in your tight heat. Your slick walls gripped his fingers so tightly that he could barely move them.

“Y-Yoongi! I’m gonna-“

He curled his fingers up, pulling away from your clit to lean up close to your face, his breath hitting your cheeks. “You gonna cum? You’re such a good girl.” He pressed some kisses to your open mouth, fingers thrusting in and out of your in a superhuman pace, veins and muscles in his arms shifting and bulging from the exertion.

When your orgasm crashed, you swore all of your senses except touch disappeared. You couldn’t hear and your vision blurred from the tears that had welled in your eyes. But Yoongi didn’t stop.

Your hand flew down to grab at his wrist, back arching as he continued his assault, helping you ride the huge wave.

He pulled his lip between his teeth. You were so sexy.

Once you came down, he slowly pulled his fingers from your, the digits glistening in your release. He sucked them into his mouth, moaning at the taste. He just couldn’t get enough.

Now he wanted more. Standing from the couch, he pulled off his own shirt and pants, taking his briefs with them. His hard cock slapped against his stomach, red at the tip and practically pulsing.

You bit your lip, thighs squeezing together as your pussy throbbed. Fuck you were so wet.

He flopped back on the couch, patting his lap. “Come ride this cock, baby.”

Not needing to be told twice, you crawled over into his lap, taking your bra and ruined panties off on the way.

His hands gripped your ass once you were straddled on his hips. You could feel the heavy weight of his cock pressing on your ass and it filled you with excitement.

Reaching your hand back, you gripped his cock, pumping it a few times. He groaned, head falling back against the couch at your touch.

Delivering a sharp slap to your ass, he growled, “stop teasing.”

His deep and demanding voice sent shivers down your spine. Never one to disobey, you lifted your hips, lining up his cock with your entrance. You rubbed the tip over your opening to gather some of your wetness before you slowly began sinking down on him.

A moan came from both of you as his thick cock began splitting you open. Your walls were squeezing him so tight that he felt like he could cum right there but he refrained. He wasn’t even all the way inside yet.

Your mouth was dropped open as his cock stretched you open, head tossed back and eyes closed as you basked in the feeling. Each ridge and vein was pressing against you in the most delicious way, the slight curve pressing against that spot deep inside of you. You felt like you could cum again just like this.

Once your ass met his thighs, you both let out sighs. Not only from pleasure but from being able to be close like this. This is what you needed; this closeness, this union, this intimacy. Sex was so much more to you than just getting off. It bonded you and brought you closer than ever, love spilling over and intertwining your hearts and souls.

Your arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him in for a sweeter and more sensual kiss.

“I love you…” you whispered against his lips.

“I love you too.”

Your hips began rolling against him, slowly at first to get accumulated to the stretch. He assisted you with one hand on your ass and one on your hip.

Before long, you began raising your hips, falling back down on his lap. The low clapping sounds spurring you on.

Yoongi groaned against your lips. “That’s it, baby. Faster.” With another sharp slap to your ass that made you moan, you bounced faster. Your ass jiggled each time it connected with his thighs and a part of him wished he could see it but the blissed out look on your face was too good to pass up.

Unwrapping your arms from his neck, you leaned back to get that perfect angle, your hands landing on his knees. A squeak fell from you as his tip began bullying your soft spot. Your head fell back, mouth dropped open as that delicious feeling began building in the pit of your stomach.

“Ah! Yoongi! Your cock feels s-so good!” You felt drunk, mind hazy and awareness faded. All you could focus on was the feel of him under you and the way his perfect cock slipped in and out. Your entire body felt like it was on fire, electricity spreading all the way to your fingertips and making your toes curl.

Yoongi couldn’t take his eyes off you. He didn’t even know where to look; your breasts, face, where you were connected? He could see how your arousal was dripping down to wet his pubic hair, a ring of your wetness coating the base of his cock. You were truly was a sight to behold.

That pressure was building faster than you thought. Sliding your hand down your body, your fingers connected with your clit, rubbing the nub in fast circles.

“Yoongi!”

He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. Your walls clenched and constricted around him, almost suffocating him. His hands rubbed at your nipples, flicking at the piercings. You were seeing stars, the stimulation was too much. His hands roaming you, your own fingers on your clit, and his cock inside of you was all too much.

That pressure…..

“I’m cumming!”

Your hips lifted from his cock, it falling out to slap against his stomach. Your fingers rubbed at your clit until some drips of liquid came out. The motion of your fingers caused the droplets to fly everywhere, some landing on the cushions as well.

Once you were done riding it out, he was flipping you back on the couch, head pressed into the cushions and ass up in the air. He delivered a few slaps to your ass, pulling some moans from your at the sting. Your head was swimming, the sudden movement making you a little dizzy but that dizziness quickly left when Yoongi entered you again.

His cock entered you in one swift motion, hips immediately working to push and pull against you. Your ass clapped back on his hips, the fat jiggling and rippling with every move. His own orgasm was just over the horizon.

“You are so fucking sexy.” Each word was punctuated by a thrust. “You come in here looking this good and then you bounce on my cock until you squirt? Why the fuck have I been spending all my time here when you’re at home?” He was really talking to himself. Only a true idiot would leave a hot piece of ass like this at home all day. And he must really be a true idiot, probably the dumbest man alive. But not anymore.

Your moans were rising in pitch. With this position, you could every inch, every curve, absolutely everything. You could barely breathe, your brain only being able to form utterances of his name and begs of faster and harder.

That feeling in Yoongi began cresting, balls drawing up as his orgasm washed over him. His hands gripped your hips and ass hard enough to bruise but you could care less. He could bruise you up all he wanted.

His orgasm spread from the top of his head to the tips of his toes, shuddering his whole body. “F-fuck….” He breathed out. That was probably the hardest orgasm he’s ever had in his life.

Your own breath began to even out. You thought that was the end but you were suddenly flipped around back on your back. Both of your legs were hiked up over his right shoulder, thighs pressing into your chest in Yoongi’s absolute favorite position.

“You think I’m done with you?” His smirk was teasing and it caused more arousal to drip from you. He reached his hand down to line himself up before pushing into your heat. A gasp came from your throat at the intrusion, your hands coming to grip at the back of his neck.

His hips set a brutal pace, balls wetly slapping against your ass.

“Oh my god! Y-Yoongi!”

It felt like he was in your throat, every thrust hitting you in all the right spots. Your nails scratched at his neck, the slight sting only pushing him harder. He could feel your walls tightening, a tell tale sign of your orgasm. Your breasts bounced with every push, dark nipples looking incredibly enticing.

“Cum, baby. That’s it.”

Your body seized up as your second orgasm full body absorbed you. Your vision spotted white and your ears were ringing.

But not even your orgasm made him stop or slow down. He pushed faster and harder, the squelching noises getting louder as more and more wetness spilled from you.

It was like your orgasm wouldn’t stop. Wave after wave came over you. Every nerve was lit on fire, your mouth dropped but no sound came out. He had taken every word from you.

When he felt you squirt on his cock again, he shoved his full cock inside. Your toes curled so hard that you could feel them crack, legs shaking but he held them tightly. Your hands smacked against his shoulders as the stimulation became too much. You were so full.

“Yoongi!”

“Take it. Take all that cock, baby.”

You had no choice but you didn’t care. You’d give up every choice if it meant he’d fuck you like this.

He rolled his hips against yours a few more times before his own orgasm washed over him. He groaned into your throat, a full body shudder racking his body.

Lifting his head, he connected your lips in a soft kiss, a complete turn from what just went down. You hummed against his lips, hands roaming his soft skin.

He moved your legs from his shoulders, massaging your slightly sore muscles as you kissed. You both let out small moans as he pulled out of your heat, his cum flowing out of you.

Yoongi helped you clean yourself up, giving you a large elastic to tie up your hair. The sweat would definitely make your roots curl back up but that was a problem for another day. You put your dress back on as Yoongi pulled his shirt and pants back on. Your underwear found themselves tucked into his back pocket. A little silly considering he had endless access to you pussy but you guessed it was some man thing.

When Yoongi went back to his computer, leaning over the chair to click at some things, you visibly deflated, mood dampening. Was he really going back to work? You guessed you did just come to drop off food, the sex was a bonus and you did say you would leave afterwards. You just couldn’t help but feel a little sad and used. Yoongi was the king of aftercare, always running you a bath or giving you cuddles as you two calmed down from lovemaking. It’s not like this one moment would make you think Yoongi didn’t care but you did feel a little defeated.

Gathering your things, you were about to approach the door but Yoongi’s voice stopped you.

“Where are you going?”

You didn’t turn to face him, feeling a little embarrassed. “Home. Aren’t you going back to work?”

A snort came from him. “Of course not.”

You gasped when his body pressed against your back, also the feeling of his boner was right on your ass.

“Yoongi….”

“You really think I’m about to work and let you go home so you can wash my cum out of you? I’m fucking you until you can’t walk.”

Maybe you should come to the studio more often.

[hellfire-state-of-mind]

Clandestine

pairing: Mr. Ben x fem! reader

rating: Mature (things get a lil heated 👀)

word count: 4.5k

summary: Mr. Ben is daddy, Ms. Jenny is mommy and they’re all a happy family at St. Lawrence High School, no crumbs left. But what happens when the cool aunt moves to town?

warnings: i did my best to leave out specific descriptions of reader except that she does have breasts and wear feminine clothing, infidelity, swearing, alcohol consumption, some heavy making out and implied smut, Ben has a daddy kink (as always, please message me if i missed anything)

a/n: my second submission for @beskarandblasters's Taylor Swift writing challenge! this one is based on "illicit affairs" from her album, folklore. being one of my top 3 albums of hers, i was excited for this prompt but i laughed so hard when Kel paired it with Mr. Ben 🤣 i had a ton of fun sprinkling in references (as well as a few extra swiftie ones too, if you look closely). this is also probably the longest fic i've ever written since i started writing years ago but this story really just took on a life of its own. i hope you all enjoy reading as much as i did writing and PS happy birthday, Pedro 😊

Teaching European History to a bunch of 10th graders is definitely not for the faint of heart, but the aftermath of the pandemic on the public education system only made the calling harder for you to ignore.

That’s why it meant so much to you when you discovered your students making fancams and claiming you as the “cool aunt.” You knew it was just their way of connecting with you and if it helped them pay attention in class and actually enjoy learning, what’s the harm? Some of the other teachers didn’t share your sentiment, but you were never one to much care about others’ opinions.

Until you met him.

Mr. Ben.

He and Ms. Jenny were the students’ absolute favorite teachers at the school, earning them the coveted titles of Mommy and Daddy. Their classrooms were both on the other side of the school in the math hall, so you never really saw them except at the monthly after-school faculty meetings. But one morning a piece of mail intended for Mr. Ben had been left in your mailbox in the front office by mistake, so you made the journey into uncharted territory.

Reading the plaques on each door, you almost thought you were in the wrong hallway when his name finally appeared on the last one at the end. It was slightly cracked so you could hear the scratching of chalk as he wrote on the board. Knocking lightly to announce your presence, you waited to hear him acknowledge you before walking in. His classroom was decorated to feel bright and cozy and welcoming, soft music emanating from the area near his desk. And the man standing in front of the chalkboard certainly fit the vibe. Soft but sturdy, carefully styled curls threatening to break free. You immediately understood why he was your students’ beloved and had them in a chokehold. You felt your cheeks heat for a moment when he cleared his throat to catch your attention, having been staring in silence for a bit too long.

“Can I help you with something?” Even his voice was so father.

“Um, yes. Sorry. I think some of your mail ended up in my box on accident.” You approached him, holding out the thin envelope. “It’s right underneath yours so it’s an easy mistake to make if you’re not careful.”

His thick fingers brushed yours as he took it from you, and you tried to steady your breath as you felt their brief warmth radiate up your arm. “Oh, good catch. Thank you.” He turned to place them on his desk and you were prepared for that to be the end of it, but he focused his attention back on you. “You’re new this year, right? I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Ben.” Extending his hand back out to you, you swallowed hard before taking it and replying with your own name. He repeated it back to you in understanding and you nearly melted at the way it effortlessly rolled off his tongue. The bell indicating the beginning of first period interrupted you before the conversation could continue any further. Bidding him a rushed farewell, you hurried back to the sanctuary of your own classroom across campus.

That was months ago. By the end of the year, the passing gestures became more frequent so that you were thankful for summer break to give yourself some time away from the man who had no idea his foot was always on your neck. Finally, you could breathe.

--

The weeks passed quickly and now you’re hauling boxes of school supplies across the parking lot. It’s the week before classes start anew and all of the teachers are trickling back in to ready their classrooms. You’ve just deposited the cardboard box on your desk when your phone chimes with a reminder about the faculty meeting in 5 minutes. You grab your lanyard, weighed down with your ID and keys, and head for the library.

When you arrive, everyone has already taken their seats so the only one available is next to him. Mr. Ben. Steeling yourself, you try to appear casual as you take your place. Feeling your movement, Ben looks over at you and flashes a captivating smile that you return without a second thought.

“Welcome back, kid. Have a good summer?” He launches into the usual teacher small talk but it’s not at all uncomfortable.

“I did. And yours?”

“Not bad. Nothing special, really.”

You hum in acknowledgement before Principal Owens steps up to the front, signaling the start of the meeting. In that moment, you come to a realization that you can’t shake. Nudging Ben’s elbow with yours, you lean closer and keep your voice low.

“I haven’t seen Jenny around, is she feeling okay?”

He chuckles before picking up on your sincerity. “Oh, you didn’t hear? She transferred over to St. Augustine.”

Your eyes widen in surprise. “Really? Can’t wait to break that to the students.”

“Yeah, you and me both.” He chuckles a little harder, earning a couple of sideways glances from others around you. You shrink into your seat a little as Ben attempts to cover with a cough.

You try to ignore the flutter in your heart, but you just have to know. “So are the two of you still…?” you trail off, hoping he picks up on your meaning so you don’t have to say it out loud.

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re still together. One less heartbreak for the kids,” he jokes.

“Oh, good. That’s good.”

And you mean it. If he’s happy, you’re happy. But a pit has formed in your stomach and you lose yourself in thought until Principal Owens makes his final announcement.

“There has been yet another surge of fancams created over the summer so as part of the first-day assembly, we will be including a segment on responsible technology usage. Ben, since you ate up the last one, would you mind handling it? After all, it was nom nom delish and had them gagged.” A burst of laughter ripples through the room as Ben runs a hand through his hair, amused.

“Yeah, sure. What could possibly go wrong this time?”

“Thank you. And if it’s not too trouble, I’d like to pair you with our newest target,” Owens gestures to you, conveniently sitting in the same vicinity, “so dubbed the ‘cool aunt.’”

You feel the heat begin to creep up your neck as you realize the implications of the proposal. You look over to see Ben nod and shrug as if to say “why not.” Looking back to the front of the room, you smile and nod in acceptance of the project. Inside, you’re trying not to scream. You don’t notice Ben holding his gaze on your profile for the rest of the meeting.

You retreat to your classroom after you’re all dismissed, willingly losing yourself in paperwork and organizing when there’s an all-too-familiar knock on your door. You look up just as Ben steps over the threshold. And closes the door. And crosses to perch on the edge of your desk, giving you an optimal view of the way his jeans stretch over his sculpted thigh and ass.

“So, how are you feeling about this assembly next week?” He leans forward, propping himself up on one arm. You force yourself to not look at the veins winding and disappearing under his shirt sleeve and maintain eye contact, which isn’t much easier.

“Good. I mean, is it supposed to be scary? What happened last time?” You remember the way everyone reacted when Ben received the assignment.

He smiles and huffs a laugh at the memory. “Let’s just say I was in your shoes now. I was just so confused about the whole concept. But it gave Jenny and I the opportunity to officially come out as a couple, so I guess it wasn’t all bad.”

The pit in your stomach widened at the mention of Jenny again. “Well, I’m glad I’m working with someone so experienced then.” You mentally kick yourself at your choice of words. What the hell is that supposed to mean? You try to recover. “Honestly, I’m a little flattered. It means the kids are engaged.”

Ben doesn’t seem to notice. “Yeah, it is kinda nice that they look up to us like that. Even if it is a little…”

“Unorthodox?”

“Right. It took me forever to figure out what it meant to have rizz and be a skinny legend.” He almost can’t get through his sentence as he’s interrupted by his own wheezing laugh. He fights it off long enough to finish his thought. “But it looks like you’re in your assembly era now, so what do you say we meet up here tomorrow and put this presentation together?”

You quickly agree, both in excitement and eagerness to get him out so you can get ahold of yourself. Satisfied, he rises but stops before he fully walks away. “By the way, I really like that perfume you’re wearing. Vanilla?”

“A-and cherry,” you manage to choke out.

“My favorite.” He smirks before raising his hand in goodbye and exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

--

The next week is a blur. You meet the next day to organize the presentation, as promised, but one conversation topic leads to another and before you realize what’s happening, Ben is putting his number into your phone. Then you’re giving him yours.

You keep telling yourself you’re just friends, like a mantra, but you can’t help but feel a sense of pride at the way he thinks you don’t notice how he inhales a little deeper when you lean into his personal space, taking in your scent. His favorite.

Even the assembly goes off without a hitch. Naturally, the students are disgruntled yet again at being reminded that fancams of their biases are banned, no matter how much they munch on it. But they seem to pick up on the friendship between their daddy and cool aunt and that’s enough to appease the juvenile masses.

You’re both dreading and looking forward to your free period. When comparing schedules, you and Ben discovered you had the same block open, so you agreed to make that a regular coffee break together. He’s already there when you walk in, bursting into his signature smile as you approach.

He stands and pulls your chair out to sit at the small table. “So, how’s the first day been?”

Accepting the gesture and trying not to read too much into it, you breathe out, “Pretty good. I can already tell that covering the Bubonic Plague is going to be interesting, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Once more, the two of you fall into an easy conversation when an ill-timed joke has you spilling your coffee. All over Ben’s tie. You immediately jump up, dashing to wet some paper towels. Ben rises to stop you, laughing at your mortification.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Hey,” he grasps your wrists, forcing you to turn and face him.

“I-I think I have a Tide pen in my room, I can go run and get it.”

“No need. I started keeping a spare in my desk years ago. You wouldn’t believe how often I spill coffee on myself.”

With that, you follow him back to his classroom. He closes the door behind you, crossing to his desk to rifle through the drawers, but you hang back. It’s only when he finally pulls out the replacement tie that you allow yourself to breathe and walk over.

Ben holds it up in jest. “See? Problem solved.” You hope he doesn’t hear the way you swallow hard as you watch him skillfully unwind his soiled tie from around his neck with one hand.

However, he struggles to knot the new tie and you speak up, “Need a hand with that?” You don’t know where the confidence came from.

He looks up at you, eyes a couple shades darker. “Would you?”

You round the desk and try to stop your hands from shaking as you reach up towards his chest. Your knuckles brush his soft button-up but before you can grip the decorative length of fabric, you feel Ben’s hands cradling your elbows. You slowly lock eyes with him, and the rest happens too fast for your brain to process.

Ben swiftly maneuvers you against the edge of his desk and leans in close, his nose to your temple, breathing you in. “You wear this just for me?”

You can’t lie to him. “Yes.”

He travels down to your pulse point where the perfume is applied, ghosting over the delicate skin there. “Good.”

He darts the tip of his tongue over the spot before moving to look you in the eyes once more, his hands journeying experimentally down to your waist. You’re fully trapped now. But you don’t want to escape.

He rests his forehead on yours as your eyes flit down to his mouth and back up. “Ben?”

“That’s not my name.”

You’re taken aback by his response for a moment before he leans in the tiniest bit more so you can feel the tickle of his mustache as he whispers, “What’s my name, baby?”

“Daddy,” you breathe out.

His lips twitch into a smirk before crashing against yours, sealing you to him.

--

Your escapades go on that way for months, innocently meeting in the teachers’ lounge to make your coffees and carrying them back to his classroom where they’re quickly abandoned. You easily get lost in each other, you perched on his desk as he stands between your thighs. You’ve discovered he likes it when you tangle your fingers in his curls, but you have to be careful not to muss them too much lest anyone catch onto your illicit activities.

You know it’s wrong. He and Jenny are still together, despite the different schools. Your mind is a constant whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. What if she finds out? Does she already know about you? Where do you stand?

But Ben is quick to make you forget your inner turmoil. You’re in your usual seat upon your throne of his desk, your blouse unbuttoned halfway to grant him access to your chest. His lips are latched to your collarbone, one hand cupping a breast and the other holding the knee you draped over his hip. You feel his hardness against your clothed core, knowing it must be painful for him. But you can’t cross that line. Not here.

As if rehearsed, Ben slows his movements to a halt, trailing his tongue back up your neck and jaw before reaching his final destination and molding your lips together. Wordlessly, you peel apart and put yourselves back together. You dare to break the silence.

“Ben?”

He looks back at you with those adorable baby browns that everyone at the school loves. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“Nothing, exactly. I just-” you cut yourself off, taking a deep breath. “At the risk of sounding like a cliché, what about us?”

“I don’t understand,” he says with a furrowed brow.

“I mean. We’ve been doing…this for a while now. And I can’t deny that I’ve grown to love the thrill of sneaking around with you.” You slide off his desk to plant yourself firmly in front of him. “But…you and Jenny...I guess what I’m trying to figure out is-”

“What do we do?”

“Yeah.”

Ben lets out a sigh and adjusts his watch. Noticing the time, he reaches for your arm and the two of you walk to the door. But he puts his hand on the handle before you have the chance to turn it.

“I promise we’ll talk about this. Tonight? I’ll call you?”

You press your lips into a tight smile. “Yeah. Tonight.”

Ben removes his hand and you exit the room. As if on cue, the bell rings to signal the change of classes and you pick up your pace to make it through the sea of students back to your room in time for your next lesson.

--

He does call. And you do talk. But ultimately you agree not to change anything for now. He needs time to figure out where he and Jenny stand but neither of you can bear to let the other go in the meantime. You try to hide your growing disillusionment at your arrangement, but you can’t tell if you’re truly that good at pretending or if Ben actively ignores it.

It all comes to a head the morning you sleep through your alarm, recovering from your hushed over-the-phone activities the night before, and you forget to wear your perfume. His perfume.

You’ve assumed your position when Ben suddenly recoils.

“Where is it?”

“Where is what?” You wrack your brain trying to interpret the question.

He slowly leans back in, inhaling deeply to make sure he didn’t just miss it. “Vanilla and cherry.”

The realization hits you like a ton of bricks. “Oh, B- Daddy, I’m so sorry.”

He nearly whines in disappointment. “Where is it?”

“I slept through my alarm. I must have been moving so fast this morning that I forgot it.” You twirl your fingers through the curls at the base of his neck. “I’ll wear it tomorrow, I promise.” Ben still doesn’t look at you. You tug a little harder, forcing his attention. “Hey. It was an honest mistake, I-”

“Did I do something wrong?”

The question jars you even more than the first. You want to reassure him but you can’t form the words and your hesitation speaks volumes.

“Baby, why didn’t you say something?” Ben pulls away completely now, leaning up against the chalkboard.

“What could I say, Ben?” You’re emboldened now, matching his stance. “That I’m tired of sneaking around? That I hate being the other woman but I feel this crushing guilt about coming between the two of you?” You pause to think carefully about your next words before just throwing caution to the wind. “That I love you and I want people to know it. Don’t you?”

You can see the hurt bloom in Ben’s eyes. “Kid, I…I don’t know what I want.”

But that hurts worse. “Really?” You reach to fix the few buttons he had managed to undo and walk towards the door but he steps in front of you.

“Hey, hey, don’t- baby, just- just hear me out kid, please, let’s talk-”

“Don’t call me that.” Your voice is tinged with cold.

“Call…call you what?”

“Don’t call me ‘kid.’ Don’t call me ‘baby.’ In fact, don’t call me anything until you figure out what it is you do want.” You swerve past him and yank the door open. “Maybe I’ll still be waiting for you.”

It takes everything in you not to slam the door out of respect for the ongoing classes around you.

--

You’ve mastered the separation of your personal and professional lives so no one can see through your façade for the rest of the day. But the last bell couldn’t ring soon enough. You pack your bag and leave just as quickly as any of your students and book it out to your car. You know you’re going to get stuck in the after-school traffic but it’s better than waiting it out in your classroom where he could find you. You’ve just unlocked your door when you hear your name. You don’t recognize the voice over the din of cars and school buses, so you search for the owner and immediately regret it.

Ben raises his hand at a car that stopped to let him pass and jogs across the pavement. You want nothing more than to scream at him but for the sake of keeping up appearances, you smile and let him approach. Your voice betrays your true feelings.

“I told you, Ben, I’m-”

“I know you’re pissed and you have every right to be. But I have something I need to say and I really don’t want you to misunderstand me, so could I please just get through to the end and then you can say your piece?” He sounds out of breath. “Please?”

You simply nod and lean back against your car, waving at passing students.

“Okay. I’ve thought about what you said. And truth be told, I have not been fully honest with you. But I want to change that. I want to talk about this. About us.” He takes a long pause, collecting himself, and you almost think he’s finished before he launches into it again. “Can I come see you tonight? At your place? Or mine, whichever you’re more comfortable with. I’ll cook and we can really talk. Face to face.”

“What about Jenny? She’s not going to wonder where you are?”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m taking care of it.”

You take in his words. It’s not exactly what you hoped when he said he had something to say but you’re also standing in the middle of the high school parking lot. It’s neither the time nor the place to hash out your relationship problems.

“Fine. My place. 7:00. But you’re not staying too late, it’s a school night.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ben lets himself smirk for a moment before switching back into teacher mode and bids you good afternoon, taking off back towards the school.

--

It’s 6:57 and you’re starting to curse yourself for agreeing to let Ben come over. But in a way, this is like a first date. Your first meeting outside of campus. And you can’t lie that the prospect of what could come after intrigues you.

7:00 on the dot and your doorbell rings, so you steel your nerves and open the door. Ben looks almost relieved that you actually answered and you step aside to let him in. In one hand, he holds an insulated bag of what you can only assume is ingredients for the dinner he promised to cook and in the other, a small bouquet of your favorite flowers. You accept those with a small smile and lead him into the kitchen. He begins unpacking the bag to start cooking while you dig through drawers to find a pair of scissors.

“Do you want some wine? You didn’t say what you were planning to cook so I pulled out a red and I also have a white already in the fridge,” you offer as you cut the flower stems at an angle and untie the bundle to arrange them in the vase on the coffee table.

“White sounds perfect, thank you,” Ben accepts as he rolls up his sleeves. You pull out the bottle and pour a little into two glasses, handing him one. You go to take a sip before he holds his out to you. “Cheers.” You clink and then drink, resisting the urge to down half the glass in one go.

You stand off to the side most of the time while Ben takes over your kitchen, falling back into your easy conversations without even realizing it. You have to admit you love watching him, the way his hands grip the knife and the vegetables he’s cutting, the sweat glistening on his forehead and the back of his neck from the hot stove.

The rest of the night feels…natural. Effortless. You almost forget why he came over in the first place.

You’re lounging on the couch with him, dishes washed and kitchen cleaned, wine glasses in hand when you finally cut to the chase.

“So what did you want to say to me?”

Ben’s eyes widen slightly and he leans over to rest his glass on the coffee table. “Say what?”

You need him to get to the point before you lose your nerve again. “In the parking lot, you said you wanted to talk. About us. So let’s talk.”

He lets out a nervous sigh and turns to better face you. “Right.”

You hold eye contact, expecting him to say more, but nothing comes. You sit up, putting your glass down next to his, losing your patience. “Ben, if you’re not going to-”

“I love you, too.”

The four words you’ve been waiting for him to say since the first time you kissed. But followed by more silence.

“That’s it?”

Ben opens and closes his mouth, searching for the words, but you cut him off.

“That’s not enough, Ben. The sneaking around, the stolen stares across the room, it was fun but it’s not enough anymore. You’ve made a fool out of me, but more than that you’ve…I’ve ruined myself for you.”

“You…what do you mean?” He leans in, careful not to intrude too far into your personal space.

“What we have is- is different. I’ve never had something like this and I don’t think I ever will again. You’ve shown me things, taught me things that I can’t ever share with anyone else. But this isn’t going anywhere and I’m not sure you even want it to.”

“I do!”

“And Jenny? You can’t have us both, Ben.”

“I told her.” The only sounds in the room are your individual heavy breaths. “We talked and apparently, she’d been feeling pretty distant, too. She was trying to work up the courage to talk me into counseling but when I told her about you…she let me go.” He curls his hand into a fist, stopping himself from reaching out and touching you. “I am yours and only yours. And I don’t care who knows it anymore.”

“Then prove it.” You feel as if your heart is going to burst from how fast it’s racing.

“I will.”

Ben practically launches himself across the couch, yanking you into his arms and smashing his lips to yours, as if pulled by an invisible string. You react immediately, curling your limbs around him, desperate to hold him closer. You gasp for breath when he breaks apart just enough to mumble against your lips. “Where?”

“Down the hall, last door on the left.”

In a flash, you find yourself deposited on your bed, dress crumpled on the floor, fingers flying to undo the buttons on Ben’s dress shirt. You shift your focus to his slacks, his rock-hard bulge ever prominent as you unzip. You move to pull them down his thighs along with his briefs, but he stops you. His shirt now gone, he nudges you to fall backwards onto your pillows and he follows.

His weight on top of you is intoxicating, finally able to feel all of him. The broadness of his shoulders, the contracting muscles in his back, the softness of his tummy pressed to yours. His mouth finds its home in your cleavage, nipping and sucking at the sensitive flesh, the scratch of his patchy beard bordering on overstimulating.

“Ben-”

“That’s not my name.” He looks up at you with a devilish grin and emphasizes his point with a hard grind of his hips into yours. “What’s my name?”

“Daddy!”

His tongue soothes each bite as he finally journeys up your chest to your neck. Taking in a deep breath, he releases it with a sinful groan from deep in his chest.

“You wear this just for me?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

[scarletwinterxx]

lee and lily - haechan dad scenario

hello!! just wanted to write a quick haechan fluff. haechan as a girl dad, i just know he'll be the most gentle and caring and whipped dad 🥺😭

if you have a request or scenario you want me to do, just send me a message I'll see what I can do😊💌

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

and if you want, u can buy me coffee(totally optional but any donation is very much appreciated!) thank you🥺💛

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2023 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

"Honey, I'm home! oh what are you doing there, angelbug?"

Haechan stops by the doorway when he spots his daughter sitting on the bottom step with her arms crossed and a frown on her cute little face

"Time out" his daughter answers with a pout, Haechan had to hold back his laugh just in case you're around watching. He tries not to get in your way whenever you discipline your 4 year-old daughter, he did it once and he ended up in trouble with you too.

You always tell him she's too spoiled, how can he not spoil her though?

Lee Nari, you and Haechan's first born. Baby girl was born on June 06, yes the same day as your husband. The two of you were enjoying his birthday dinner at home with his family when it happened, it was to say the least a very dramatic way of entering the world. Little Nari knew how to announce her entrance, a few hours later she was born.

Since then she's been yours and Haechan's world. You can control yourself when it comes to giving her what she wants and teaching her how the real world works but her father is a whole another story.

If Haechan could, he'd give Nari the world on a silver platter. When she was a newborn, she would make the slightest little baby noise and Haechan would be on his feet checking on her.

You adore it. You love how he loves his daughter. There's no doubt she'll have one man loving her truly for the rest of her life. As long as Haechan is around, Nari would be loved and cared for and protected.

Walking towards his daughter before crouching down to meet her eyes,

"Did you do something that you weren't suppose to?" he asks

"She drew on the wall with markers, then when I asked her if she did it she said Uju did" this time Haechan let out a chuckle when he heard your explanation, looking up the staircase to see you standing with a rag and bottlespray in your hands. Probably cleaning up the mess little Nari made.

"Who knew our dog was an artist" he jokes, he stands up before cupping his hand over Nari's ears "How long has it been?" referring to her being on time out

"Like 5 minutes, atleast talk to her Hyuck. She's getting cheekier and cheekier by the day, and you're not helping" you told your husband, walking down the stair

"I do help" "Yeah, help her with getting away with things" you counter

"Okay, you're not wrong. Not my fault I can't say no to our baby, she can do no wrong in my eyes" he says, you give him a pointed look. One he understood even without words.

"I'll talk to her" he tells you before looking down to Nari

"Let's go, Nari. We'll help mommy clean up, okay?" he says as he picks up his daughter in his arms.

Before the two Lee's make their way upstairs, Haechan speaks again

"Now, what do we say to mommy?" he asks Nari who is currently playing with the button on his shirt

"Sorry, mommy" Nari mumbles

"Doesn't count if you don't look in her eyes. Now try again" he tells her gently.

You don't talk, just stood beside the daddy and daughter duo. Haechan has always been the energetic, all-out type of person. But when he's with his little girl, he's the most gentle man.

The little Lee looks up and look at you with a small pout on her lips, "Sorry, mommy"

Haechan looks at you, waiting for you to succumb under her powers just like he always do. Like he had when he first held her in his arms. Like how he'll always be for the rest of his life.

"Don't do it again okay, and don't lie to mommy when I ask you. I forgive you" you tell her with a small smile. Leaning over to give her a kiss on the head

"Hey, where's my kiss?" Haechan says, earning an eye roll from you but you comply nonetheless.

After all, Nari isn't the only Lee who has you wrapped around their finger.

Giving Haechan a quick kiss on the lips before passing the rag and spray bottle to him. "Goodluck, love you" you tease him, lightly pushing him upstairs.

"You see angellove, there's this thing in your playroom. The coloring books and canvass I got you, you can paint and draw on them all day so that you and I don't have to clean. And mommy won't get mad, she's scary when she's mad"

"Lee Donghyuck!"

[melanieph321]

Can you make a pedri/ Barcelona x hollywood actress fic? Where the actress and her castmates come to Barcelona to promote the show worldwide and they go to barcelona and have to do like those challenges the players do , on YouTube or an fun interview, or both of them mixed?

This one was a little bit difficult for me. I've never heard of the show Worldwide and doing the research would be too much for a one shot. However, you inspired me to write something else for Pedri instead.

I hope you still enjoy! ❤️

10 DAYS OF REQUESTS

(DAY 3)

Pedri Gonzalez - Between Two Brothers Part 1/2

PART 2

Summary - Pedri and his little brother, Hugo, has a crush on the same person.

Enjoy! 😊

There's nothing Pedri wouldn't do for his little brother Hugo. He was his flesh and blood. His partner in crime, and if everything went well for Hugo in the Barça Youth Academy, he could be Pedri's future teammate one day.

It would be an honor playing football alongside his younger brother. Hugo was skilled both off and on the pitch, with a left foot that threatened to put a hole in the back of the net. His brain sharper than any eleven year old Pedri has ever met.

Perhaps that's why it seemed a bit out of character for Hugo to be so forgetful these days. Misplacing training gear, cleats, waterbottles, you name it. Or this morning, when Hugo claimed to have forgotten to pack the sandwiches that had been prepared for him by their mother.

"Why are we doing this again?" Pedri asked, in the mids of their local supermarket.

"I need a snack between training sessions." Hugo explained and thoroughly scanned the grocery shelves for something edible.

"Donuts are not a snack." Pedri objected, skeptically peering into the grocery basket that his brother was carrying.

"They can be." Hugo insisted.

"Nah. I'm pretty sure they count as a dessert, or a sweet treat."

"No, it's a snack." Hugo said resolute.

Pedri chuckled. "Whatever you say."

After paying for his brother's items at the supermarket, Pedri and Hugo made the journey towards Ciutat Esportiva, the official training ground for FC Barcelona. The brothers made the journey by foot, perhaps to resemble the days of old when Pedri would walk his little brother to school, that neither of them attended anymore.

Walking to training added a sense of normality. Although, the brothers were well aware that they were living a life far from normal for other boys their age. Hugo, who was still adjusting to this fact, while in awe of his brother Pedri, who never seemed to be startled or annoyed at people who stopped and stared at them in the street. Some people, mostly girls, would even cross the busiest roads with Barça jerseys and banners in hand, begging for Pedri to sign them. This wasn't normal to Hugo, who understood that playing for the Barça U11 squad wasn't as prestigious as playing for the first team like his brother.

Nonetheless, what girls saw in his older brother, Hugo, couldn't seem to fathom. Pedri neither had the looks or the charm, and once he grew older and maybe a few inches taller, Hugo would finally be able to say that his brother neither had the skills or the stamina compared to himself, at least on the football pitch.

"Won't your coach be angry seeing you eat those?" Pedri was referring to the donuts, and no, Coach Menendez wouldn't mind. Hugo was betting his pride on it.

"No, she won't." He replied. "My coach likes jam donuts, she even said so herself."

"She?" Pedri arched his brows.

"Erm, yeah." Hugo felt how his face turned red under the Barcelona sun. And it didn't help that his brother kept looking at him as if Hugo should have more to say about the matter.

"So the Donuts is for your coach, not you?"

"Dammit." Hugo muttered to himself. Now he had to unravel his lies. He did so without raising his eyes from the street. "Erm....no, not really. Their for me....as a snack."

"But...?"

Without meeting his eyes Hugo could sense the grin on his brother's lips.

"No buts." He shirped. "I just thought it would be kind of me to share them with her, that's all."

"Very kind indeed." Pedri muttered. "She must be a very special coach."

"You have no idea."

PART 2

DON'T MISS - 10 DAYS OF REQUESTS

(DAY 1)

(DAY 2)

[adarkroomandawallflower]

Hey there! I love your writing so far! I was wondering if you would write a little something about Data and his partner choosing pet names for each other? I think it could be cute :)

Hello, I'm so glad you're enjoying my writing!

This is such a cute idea, and thank you so much for bestowing the honor upon me to write this lovely request!

I had a lot of different ideas for this, and couldn't settle on just one, so I decided to write this in the style of those "5+1" fics. I tried to choose older/more outlandish terms of endearment, in order to avoid potentially discarding a name that someone would actually want to be referred to by. Hopefully, I was successful in this endeavor (but my sincere apologies if not)!

The final nicknames I chose were based on Data's characterization, and what names I think would be most appropriate and fitting for him and his vocabulary. I'm not sure if anyone else will agree with these choices, but I hope they're still enjoyable.

Anyways, without further ado, here's the final piece! I'm so sorry for the wait, but I really hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it 😊

5 Times Data and His Partner Tried Out Pet Names (and the 1 Time They Stuck):

Although Data didn't quite understand the necessity for having a pet name for his partner, he did understand the appeal. It was another form of affection that couples demonstrated with one another; something special shared between both parties.

Frankly, Data hadn't even considered having a designated term of endearment for you. At least, not until Geordi and himself had discussed the subject after witnessing a couple in Ten Forward one evening using their chosen pet names.

"Why did Lieutenant Smith refer to his spouse as an overly saccharine pastry comprised of honey?" Data asked, bewildered at the exchange he just observed between the aforementioned crewmembers.

Geordi chuckled, "He didn't mean it literally, Data. He meant it as a pet name."

Data still looked at his friend quizzically, "'Pet name'?"

"Yeah, a term of endearment."

Finally, he understood, "Ahh."

"Don't you and your partner have pet names for one another?"

Data shook his head, "No, we do not."

Geordi raised his eyebrows above his VISOR, "Really?"

"Indeed...I did not realize this was a necessary aspect to couplehood."

"Well, it's not exactly 'necessary', but it is a fairly common thing between couples."

"Hm, I see..."

Later that night, while Data was running an internal diagnostic, analyzing the information he had collected during his Away Mission earlier that day, and reviewing the remainder of the day's events, he considered the conversation he had with Geordi. Should he have a pet name for you? If so, which one should he choose?

After some internal analysis, Data decided that yes, he did want to designate a term of endearment for you. He figured the best way to go about choosing a name would be to use a trial-and-error method of research:

First, he would conduct personal research about pet names. He would pay special attention to their connotations and popularity. Next, he'd construct a behavioral profile for you that he would then use to determine which pet names you would most likely appreciate. He would then test the chosen names by using them to refer to you. Additionally, he'd observe your reactions to each name, and internally record his observations. Finally, he'd compile all his collected data and analyze them to determine which term of endearment you appeared to enjoy the most.

The endeavor would prove to be more difficult than he anticipated.

1. Honeybun or Honeybunch

Since Lieutenant Smith and his spouse had initiated this experiment, Data felt it was only appropriate to test out their preferred pet name first. He tested it out a few days after he witnessed their interaction, one night while the two of you were snuggled up on his couch with Spot.

Data was sitting near one end of the couch, his body oriented straight ahead and away from you. You sat at the other end of the couch, facing Data. Your legs were stretched out across his lap, and one of his hands was draped along the arm of the couch. His other hand was affectionately rubbing your knee. Spot was curled up in your lap, purring loudly as you intermittently stroked her back while you spoke.

You were currently summarizing your day's events for Data, and he listened intently. His gaze was soft and adoring, and he was meticulously making internal notes about the way you gestured certain aspects for emphasis, how your chest shook when you laughed, and the way your lips curved upwards just a little higher when you returned his eye contact. Absentmindedly, he marveled at how beautiful humans and their behaviors were, and he wondered if he could ever come close to emanating that beauty himself.

After you completed your tale, you relaxed back into your corner of the couch, ready to answer the anticipated onslaught of questions from him. Once his queries were satisfactorily answered, it grew silent between the two of you, but comfortably so.

At this point, you were relaxed, and starting to succumb to the call of sleep. As your eyes started to droop, Data spoke softly, "Shall we 'hit the hay', Honeybun?"

Your eyes shot open. Now, you were wide awake, "What?"

"Your respiratory and heart rates have decreased by 3.7% in the last 4 minutes and 51 seconds, and you have been closing your eyes for intervals longer than necessary for blinking. You are demonstrating the initial stages of human sleep," he looked at you sweetly, "I believe it would be best if we went to bed now...Honeybun. You are welcome to spend the night in Spot and I's quarters."

You stared at him curiously for a moment, before you laughed, "Okay, honeybunch; let's go to bed."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise at your unexpected reciprocation of the pet name.

You carefully picked up Spot from your lap before slowly getting up. You and Spot made your way to Data's bedroom, but said android was still on the couch, processing your previous interaction.

Based on your expression and reactions, Data deduced that you did not particularly enjoy that nickname. However, did he enjoy being called a 'honeybunch'?

"You coming, honeybunch?" you called from his bedroom.

Again, Data reviewed the name, considering his perceptions towards it, before he grimaced slightly.

2. Snookums

The next time he tested a term of endearment on you was over a week later, during a double date between the two of you and the O'Briens in Ten Forward.

You and Data had arrived first, and were chatting idly as you waited for your friends to join you. Once Keiko and Miles arrived, you all greeted each other, and caught up briefly before Data got up to get everyone some drinks.

"I'll just have a plain ol' Irish ale," Miles said.

"Some tea would be lovely," Keiko added.

Data turned to you, "And what would you like, Snookums?"

Miles chortled softly, and Keiko lightly kicked him under the table, but she was holding back a smile herself.

Data, who was too focused on you and your reaction, thankfully didn't notice the O'Brien's' interaction. He studied you carefully, patiently awaiting your response.

You blinked, still processing the nickname, "Uhh just some water, please."

He nodded once, "I shall return in a moment with our beverages."

Miles watched Data walk away, waiting until he was out of earshot. Once satisfied with the distance between the three of you & Data, Miles then turned to you with a smirk, "'Snookums'?"

You raised your eyebrows and shrugged, "I have no clue where that came from...last week, he called me 'Honeybun'."

Again, Miles snorted.

"Miles!" Keiko scolded, "Don't be rude!"

He held up his hands in mock surrender, "I'm not! They're just...interesting choices for nicknames."

"I suspect he's up to something," you theorized, "This is probably related to some personal research he's conducting, or something. In any case, I'm sure it's just a phase," you hadn't been too concerned about this seemingly random development in his behavior, but you were curious as to its purpose. It was still a fairly recent alteration, so you figured you'd let him have his fun a bit more before you confronted him about it.

"Maybe he's trying to be more romantic," Keiko offered, "in his own way."

You pondered the thought, as you watched Data gather your drinks. He certainly was romantic, in his own way. You both had lunch together almost every day, something that he had insisted on. After he discovered the ancient invention of "Post-It Notes", he made it a habit to leave you handwritten notes with them throughout your office. Their contents varied, from jokes pertaining to your area of expertise to quotes from his favorite works of literature that reminded him of you. He even enjoyed reading some of his favorite novels and plays to you. These actions may not have been the kind of whirlwind, passionate gestures that most people equated to romance, but you knew they were his way of showing his fondness for you, and you loved them (and him) dearly.

You continued to watch him as he carefully placed everyone's requested drinks on a small tray that Guinan provided. You noticed how he was slightly more careful when placing your drink on the tray, and how he placed it in front of the others. You knew his actions were deliberate and calculated, but it still brought a soft smile to your lips.

"Maybe," you finally conceded.

"And maybe you should take some notes, Miles," Keiko teased her husband.

Miles sighed, "Oh, Hell..."

3. Sweet Cheeks

"Thank you for bringing me lunch, Data," you told him, sitting down in the chair he had pulled out for you. When you had contacted him earlier to let him know that you were going to work late and wouldn't have time to grab lunch with him, he decided to bring lunch to you, in your office. Data had also taken the time to replicate some flowers in a vase and cleared your desk of all clutter, so you could have a proper table setting for your meal.

"You are welcome," he said, as he gently pushed your chair back in.

Your shared meal was relaxed and calm, but the atmosphere changed when Data suddenly dropped his latest pet name for you into the conversation, "I believe your proposed solution to your current work predicament is acceptable, and will prove to be successful, Sweet Cheeks."

You then did what Data recognized from 20th century humor to be a classic 'spit take'. He was surprised, yet somewhat delighted by this, as he had never witnessed someone perform a spit take before. He considered inquiring about it, but decided against it.

You stared at him in astonishment, blushing wildly as you coughed, "I beg your pardon??"

Your reaction was quite unexpected, and Data scrunched his eyebrows in soft confusion as he attempted to ascertain the somewhat scandalized tone of your voice, "Did I say something wrong?"

Before speaking, you cleared your throat, and waited for the shock to subside, "No, Data, you didn't say anything wrong, per say...It's just that 'Sweet Cheeks' is a very old and sometimes offensive term, depending on the context, used to describe someone with a nice ass."

Data looked at you with surprise, and perhaps embarrassment. How had he missed that pertinent fact during his research? "I see...I apologize for offending you; that certainly was not my intent," he considered this new development briefly, before tilting his head softly and returning his gaze to you, "Based on this information, that term would also be inaccurate in describing yourself because you do not have a donkey."

You couldn't help but laugh softly, "Sorry, not that kind of ass, Data. I meant it refers to someone who has an attractive butt."

Realization dawned on him, "Ahh," he raised an eyebrow, "Although it would be accurate to describe your posterior as 'attractive', I would not wish to use an offensive term to convey that fact."

"Data!" you said, astonished and blushing once again.

Data was hopelessly confused anew, "Have I offended you again?"

"No, no, it's just..." you sighed, still flustered. "Nevermind..." you carefully stood up, "I have to get back to work, so I'll catch you later," you tidied up the remnants of your lunch, pressed a quick peck to his lips, and somewhat hurriedly left your office.

4. Dumpling

"Alright, Lieutenant," Dr. Crusher said as she completed healing the large gash that ran along your forearm, "I think that just about does it. Can you wiggle your wrist for me, like this?" you watched as she moved her wrist, and you replicated her movements. Although you were able to repeat her actions, you felt a small pinch somewhere in your wrist, causing you to wince.

Dr. Crusher noticed this, and gently took your wrist in her hand, "Let me take another look," she scanned your wrist with another handheld medical scanner, "Ahh, it looks like the fracture I repaired earlier is applying excess pressure on your radial nerve," she smiled reassuringly, "It's just a pinched nerve, but I'll need to go get a different tool to repair it," she gently released your wrist, "I'll be right back."

As you waited patiently for her to return, the doors to Sick Bay opened. You looked up and saw Data making his way over to you.

Having not seen him all day, you were elated that he was here, "Data!"

He smiled faintly at your enthusiasm for his arrival, somewhat perplexed at how your mood always seemed to improve almost immediately upon the sight of him, or mention of his name. His smile widened just slightly when he reached his hand out to you, and you eagerly took his hand in yours.

After a few moments, his expression became serious, "Commander Riker informed me of the injuries you sustained during the Away Mission," he frowned slightly, "I apologize for not arriving sooner, but the Exobiology team required my assistance in analyzing the samples you and the remaining members of the Away Team collected."

"No apology necessary; I understand."

He performed a quick visual inspection of you, before his eyes met yours again. It only lasted a second, but you could have sworn you saw something akin to concern swimming in his golden irises, "Are you alright...Dumpling?"

You took a moment to absorb the new nickname before replying, "Yes, I think so...Dr. Crusher healed all of my cuts, and repaired my broken wrist. She still has to alleviate a pinched nerve, but other than that and a few scars, she says I'll be just fine."

"I am...relieved to hear that," he squeezed your hand gently, "When Commander Riker explained to the Captain and myself that you had directly thrown yourself in front of an incoming boulder, in order to displace Ensign Diaz out of its path, my mind was..." he paused pensively, as he searched for the most appropriate term, "...uncomfortably preoccupied with the prospects of how extensive and detrimental your injuries could be," his thumb rubbed the back of your hand affectionately, and his eyes appeared almost sad. "The possibility that you sustained serious injuries, or could have lost your life was rather...distracting to me, and made it difficult to complete the sample analysis."

You brought your intertwined hands up to your lips, and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand, "I'm sorry for worrying you," he looked as if he was going to remind you that he was incapable of worrying in any fashion, but he didn't vocalize the correction, "I didn't intend to land directly in that boulder's path. I was only trying to push Ensign Diaz out of the way, but I miscalculated the boulder's velocity."

His expression became neutral, "Regardless, your actions were admirable, and I am pleased that your injuries were minimal," suddenly, he gave you a pointed look. "However, as your partner, I must sternly remind you not to knowingly put yourself in unnecessary danger again," his expression softened slightly, "Dumpling."

A soft laugh interrupted your moment, and you both turned towards the sound, "Well, don't you worry, Data," Dr. Crusher had returned, a new tool in hand, "In a few moments, your Dumpling will be as good as new," you blushed at her use of the moniker, and Data took mental note of this.

Dr. Crusher held the tool against your wrist. It tingled slightly, but otherwise you felt nothing. After a few minutes, she turned it off and removed it from your skin, "Alright, move your wrist for me again?" you repeated the same motions she had shown you before. This time, there was no pain at all. She smiled, "Better?"

"Much better; thank you."

"You're welcome. I suggest you don't put too much strain on that wrist for a couple of weeks," she began to put away her tools and instruments, "If you notice any more pain, please come back to see me."

You nodded, "Thank you, I will," Data helped you carefully hop down from the Bio-Bed, "Do you want to grab some dinner now, Data?" you asked, "I have a sudden, inexplicable craving for dumplings."

Dr. Crusher held back a laugh.

5. Love Bug

"So, Reg will take care of Spot, Keiko will water and watch over our plants, Beverly and Geordi will keep tabs on our ongoing research experiments..." you reviewed the checklist on your PADD for the umpteenth time, "Okay, I think that's it...am I forgetting anything?"

"Negative, Love Bug. It appears you have everything 'under control'."

You peered up from the PADD to look at him, an eyebrow raised questioningly, "'Love Bug'?"

Data nodded, "That is what I said."

You sighed, but smiled softly, "Okay, Data; what's going on?"

"To what are you referring to?"

"In the past month, you've been calling me various nicknames. What's all this about? Are you conducting some kind of research?"

He looked at you, accessing your reaction for any kind of anger or discomfort. When he saw nothing but confusion and curiosity in your eyes, he sighed softly, "It had been brought to my attention that couples tend to utilize terms of endearment for each other," he blinked, "I did not wish to neglect one of my expected duties as a partner, nor did I wish to make you feel as though you were 'missing out' on an aspect of couplehood, simply due to my ignorance."

You softened immediately at his admission, "Oh, Data," he looked away briefly and somewhat sheepishly, "Being in a relationship with you doesn't make me 'miss out' on anything. In fact, I've gained much more from being in this relationship with you than I would from being in a relationship with anyone else."

His eyes locked with yours, and they were noticeably brighter than before, "Truly?"

You placed your PADD down on a nearby table, and took both of his hands in yours, "Truly," you repeated, before pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. When you pulled away, you flashed him a reassuring smile, "Everyone else are the ones who are missing out."

The corners of his lips curled just faintly upwards, "Thank you for alleviating my vexations in that regard," he raised his eyebrow in thought for a moment, before he looked back at you with an inquisitive expression, "Based on your reactions to each of the names I chose, I gathered that you did not particularly enjoy any of my selections. Is that an accurate conclusion?"

"I mean, they weren't necessarily bad choices, they were just...a bit dated, and neither of our styles. But yes, you're correct that I didn't particularly like them."

"Hmm," he bowed his head down slightly to better meet your eyes, "Do you have a preferred term of endearment you would like for me to use?"

You pursed your lips in consideration, "Well, I do have specific names that I do like...but I don't think I'd want you to use those, either."

He tilted his head softly, his eyebrows scrunched in slight confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I think that pet names chosen between partners should be somewhat unique, in the sense that they should relate to something only the participants of that relationship are aware of, like an inside joke of some kind," you paused, "I think those names should also match both partners, not just the recipient of the name. I don't think my current preferences fit you because they aren't necessarily terms you're likely to use."

He took a few moments to analyze this new information, before he nodded, "Yes, I believe I understand. In essence, you would like for me to choose a term of endearment for you that is both unique and relatable to you, but also representative of my vernacular?"

You smiled and squeezed his hands, "Exactly, yes."

"Hmm," he blinked, "I shall take this into consideration, and 'return to the drawing board'."

You laughed softly, "Sounds good," you leaned in, and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, "Thank you for being such a sweet and considerate partner."

"You are welcome."

"What about you?"

His look of confusion returned, "What about me?"

"Is there any particular name you'd like for me to use for you?"

He thought about it briefly before raising his eyebrows, "Truthfully, I had not considered requesting a term of endearment for me, from you...Although I do not have a preference for any particular term at this time, I believe I would like for you to bestow one upon me."

You nodded, "Okay. I guess I'll have to go back to the drawing board, too...but for now, let's go enjoy our Shore Leave, Love Bug."

+1. "Dearest" and "Sunshine"

As Data's eyes flickered between his canvas and you, he could tell that you were getting restless. You had remained in your current position for the last 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 13 seconds, relatively unmoving. You had not complained once about your discomfort, but he could tell from your slight fidgeting that the required stillness was getting to you.

He reviewed the state of his canvas one more time, adding a couple more strokes of paint, before gently setting his brush down on his easel, "Would you like to take a break?"

You immediately sighed with relief, "Yes, please," you began to move, but stopped, "if it's not too much of an inconvenience for you?"

"Not at all. In fact, you have been an excellent muse thus far; much better than Spot. You are more than deserving of a break," he set down his paint palette, and tilted his head as he reviewed his progress. He was able to get a good portion of your silhouette and distinctive features outlined onto his canvas. He would only need your assistance for another session or two before he could complete the painting on his own.

"Can I see it?" you asked excitedly as you made your way over to him.

"Please," he said, and stepped aside to allow you viewing space.

You looked it over, and smiled widely, "Wow, this looks amazing already, Data! You're definitely going to get the highest marks from your art teacher for this," the two of you continued to admire the beginnings of his painting in comfortable silence for a moment, before you broke it, "Can I ask you something?"

Data turned to look at you, "Of course."

"Why did you decide to paint me for this assignment?"

"In my art course, we recently discussed the Aestheticism art movement. The core belief of this movement was 'art for art's sake'. In other words, it prioritized the aesthetic value of art, rather than the common belief at the time of the movement's introduction that art must serve a particular, didactic purpose," he paused, and inhaled sharply before continuing, "For this assignment, my instructor desired for myself and my classmates to create a work of art, in the tradition of the Aestheticism movement."

You absorbed all the information he just provided, attempting to determine how it related to you. After realizing you still didn't understand the connection, you asked, "That's all really interesting, Data, but what does it have to do with me?"

He eagerly continued, "After careful consideration, I realized that you embody Aestheticism. Although you can and do appreciate the hidden meanings of not only art, but many aspects of life itself, you also recognize the importance of creativity with no inherent purpose," he looked at you softly, "During one of our thoughtful, evening conversations we shared in the initial stages of our relationship, when I had explained to you my confusion as to my purpose of being, you responded that perhaps my father had no true purpose in creating me. Perhaps the only reason he created me was because he wanted to produce something beautiful, simply because he could. Perhaps he merely wished to add something of aesthetic value to the universe. Perhaps he was an artist, just as much as he was the forefront of cybernetics."

He inhaled sharply again, still looking at you, "I have found myself revisiting that conversation consistently and frequently, as frequently as the rate at which you are a part of my thought processes. This lesson, in particular, had triggered my memory banks to replay this memory 3.27 times more than usual. Thus, I deduced that you would be the most appropriate topic for this assignment."

You blinked, staring at him in complete bewilderment. You certainly weren't expecting that answer! Your brain felt like it was malfunctioning, uncertain how to process all this information.

As your brain melted inside your skull, you felt him gently take your hand, "Additionally, this assignment has also made me realize how...dear you are to me. You are always willing and eager to assist me in my hobbies, activities, assignments, and other endeavors. You have never expressed agitation nor annoyance with me, and always allow me to 'babble' to any length or degree. You have always encouraged myself and my passions, even when they potentially served an inconvenience to you."

He squeezed your hand gently, "The term 'dearest' refers to someone who is: loved and cherished, greatly valued, precious," he exhaled softly, "Although I am incapable of love, I am capable of cherishment, and seeing the value in others and objects. I certainly cherish you, and see how invaluable you are to many individuals, including myself," he looked at you with pure determination, and maybe a hint of pride, "Therefore, I believe the most fitting term of endearment for you is 'Dearest'."

At this point, you were short-circuiting, and your brain was absolute mush. Data was always eloquent with his wording, but this was definitely one of the most eloquent things he had said to you. It made his earlier statement of being incapable of love seem completely impossible. No one could speak in such a way about anyone or anything, if they weren't capable of love in some capacity or degree.

He watched you cautiously and patiently, his eyes moving slightly from side to side as he awaited your response. Your brain was still unable to form coherent thoughts, and no words escaped your lips. As his words sunk in and settled as warmth in your chest, all you could do was beam at him as you threw your arms around his neck, and pressed your lips to his in a deep kiss. He was frozen for just a moment, evidently surprised by your reaction, but gently moved his hands to hold your waist and returned your kiss.

After a couple of minutes of eager kissing, he pulled away, "Based on your reaction, I assume that you find this an acceptable term of endearment for yourself?"

You laughed softly, "Yes, Data, I do. It's perfect."

His lips curled upwards into a faint but bright smile, "I am glad you think so, Dearest."

You played with the ends of his hair that tickled his collar, still beaming at him, "You know, this just confirms my theory that 'Sunshine' would be the most fitting pet name for you."

He tilted his head, analyzing the moniker, "Intriguing. What is your connotation of this nickname, as it pertains to me?"

"Well, ever since I met you, you've brought so much light and sunshine into my life. You're a very bright, and warm person, both literally and figuratively, that you are an embodiment of the sun and its sunshine. I realized I've come to think you of as my personal ray of sunshine," you wished you could convey your thoughts and ideas as refined as the manner in which he just did, but the state of your mind was still too slushy to do so.

At your admission and unexpectedly sentimental token, his expression softened. You could tell he was analyzing and processing your sentiments with a fine-toothed comb, no doubt for further review later.

He was quiet for a long time, or at least, a long time for an android, and you began to shuffle nervously, "Do you find the name acceptable?"

Again, he was quiet as he mulled over your query. Finally, his eyes met yours, "Yes, I believe I do. I never considered the similarities between myself and the sun, but I can understand how you came to those conclusions," he blinked, "Yes," he repeated, "I do 'like' it, Dearest."

Your lips brushed against his once again, "Glad to hear it, Sunshine."

[lxmelle]

Flowers - referring to Chapter 236 again

I might be late to realise this, but I’m going to write about it anyway 😊

Whoever Gojo regarded as flowers, whether they were his students or even Sukuna, he didn’t think they could understand him. And to be fair maybe he didn’t want / let / try (⬅️Geto was also guilty of this).

But he was saying this to Geto. So we can deduce that the fact he was asking to be understood by Geto means that Geto was standing on the other side of the line with him.

Geto was not a flower to him. He was a fellow creature like Gojo. Or at least he regarded him as one. Maybe it was evident in how they were each other’s “only best friend”. I hypothesised this in a previous post but it just dawned on me that it seems very fitting now. I’m quite satisfied with my conclusion.

Further, when he felt that Nanami and Haibara’s words could be disputed, he didn’t try to defend himself. He just let them be and Geto joined in the banter.

Gojo and Geto both seemed to be of the opinion that they “didn’t need everyone to understand” - just as Geto said it himself in HI. Despite surrounding themselves with people.

When Gojo tried to reach Sukuna, he also realised that, if Sukuna was a flower too (which is a hypothesis I also explored in another long post some time ago [just search 236 in my profile if you’re possibly interested 😳 but tbh nobody is really gonna be bothered with my word vomit 😅]) , Sukuna wouldn’t understand either because he didn’t regard love as important like Gojo did. So, the depth of understanding was disappointingly(?) limited to an all-out good battle that was (as of recent chapters) arguably more satisfying for Gojo , who was more human than monster. Maybe Sukuna needs more as a greater monster 😳 I have no idea...

Anyway. But it didn’t hit me until today 😅 so I might be late to the party in realising this.

Just sharing my thoughts 💭

[jeannereames]

I have never fully understood the role of Thais within the court of Alexander. Some historians describe her as the lover of Ptolemy, while others assert that she was an intimate of Alexander himself. Given that she was allegedly involved with Alexander, could she also have had a relationship with Ptolemy? It seems improbable to me that Ptolemy would have taken an affair from Alexander without causing animosity between the two. I find it difficult to believe that Ptolemy would have “stolen” Alexander’s lover.

I apologize for all these questions, but I am very curious to hear your opinion on this matter. 🩷

It’s far from certain that Thaïs was ever romantically connected to Alexander. This assumption rests on only one (maybe two?) claims in late, Roman-era texts. Her connection and later marriage to Ptolemy is well-documented, however.

The Roman assertion seem to be assumption, based primarily on the account of the burning of Persepolis. In our Alexander histories, nobody calls her Alexander’s mistress, although Curtius is quite dismissive of her, essentially referring to her with a Latin term that can be rendered “tart.” (snort) But she isn’t portrayed specifically as Alexander’s mistress in any of these.

THIS POST “Thaïs & Hetairai” goes into a bit more detail about hetairai in general, speculating on where Thaïs might have fit in that scheme (answering a similar query), although I don’t talk much about her role at Persepolis in particular.

THIS POST “Fire from Heaven” does talks about Persepolis (and Thaïs), and why Alexander may have burnt it.

Furthermore, in the forthcoming festschrift for Ed Anson, Jenn Finn has a really good (albeit long) chapter on Alexander’s destruction of both Thebes and Persepolis, and what he may have intended by each act.

Btw, for those wondering at the spelling with the double dots over the /i/…that just means you pronounce both vowels. So, her name is “Tai-ees” not “Thice” or “Thaes.” In ancient Greek, the theta (th) is an aspirated /t/. Most people accidentally mispronounce her name. 😊

[lazyalani]

Hello, I hope you're well! I hope I'm not bothering you, but if I understood correctly then you currently have requests open for Black Butler?

If I'm wrong, please feel free to delete this ask. I appreciate you taking the time to read it regardless!

If I'm not, then may I please request for Black Butler? I have all kinds of ideas myself about a situation where Ciel brings in another member of staff to help Mey-Rin out with cleaning since she can be clumsy quite often. That being said, the person (Mc, reader, whoever you wish to refer to them as) isn't strong or spiritual or really that special of a person. Borderline Mary Sue with how normal their life seems, but maybe they could have something more to them than just being a normal human. How would some of the characters react to/interact with them? (Preferably romantic headcanons if that's okay, if not then feel free to change it however you wish!) My favorite characters at the manor are Snake and Sebastian, but if you want to add someone different feel free! If you only take one character per request, then can it please be Sebastian?

No pressure, no rush, you don't have to accept this. Thank you for reading my request anyway! I hope you have a lovely rest of your day, please take care of yourself and stay safe! 😊

| Black Butler [Phantomhive Estate]

| When Ciel brings in an assassin as a servant

| i was a little bit confused to what you meant as 'more than a normal human' but i assumed they aren't supernatural but not a normal civilian either, i hope this is okay, gosh im so nervous about this, but i love this request, i got this when i was in rites rehearsal in school lol, only a few dialogues, oc is gender neutral, i wasnt sure if i should put reader or oc but ig oc would fit more i hope its okay, this could also be read as reader cuz its gn anyway, i wanted to write this is fic form but i figured it would be too long, im sorry i couldn't do snake because im not really that familiar with him, this is my frist time taking up this kind of request, mixing up an assassin and romance is a bit confusing so sorry if i dont live up to your expectations, mc is referred to as 'they/them'

Ft. Ciel, Sebastian, Mey-Rin

| Kuroshitsuji Masterlist

| Main Masterlist

Extra Note: I was a lot more motivated to write this cuz you're so sweet :') lots of thanks and hugs for you

CIEL [Platonic]

Ciel encountered them during a mission as the guard dog. An assassin sent to kill him, who ofcourse, failed due to his demonic butler. After suffering an utter defeat on Sebastian's hands, Ciel had a risky idea of bringing them back with him to add to his army servants. He has seen great potential. Although Sebastian had not been fully pleased as it was risky because they were literally sent to kill them, he had respected his master's wishes but kept an eye on them. Waking up to an unknown bedroom and then suddenly being offered a chance to work for someone you were assigned to kill before was definitely surprising for them, but after observing how the 'job' works, they reluctantly accepted.

They weren't good at doing the housework, but they weren't bad either for someone who had just started to work. Still confused, they kept observing Ciel, wondering why they were even offered the job despite almost assassinating him.

"Young Master, may I ask a question?" They asked during dinner time, dusting shelves near the dining table.

"Because you're useful."

"Pardon me?"

"The answer to your question. You were going to ask why I had offered this to you, were you not?" He calmly sipped his tea, then lowering the cup to let Sebastian fill it. "Failed, but not helpless. Surely you understand why I have 'servants' like you, don't you? You'd prove to be a good ally against those pests."

".... Thank you, young master."

"You have yet to prove your full loyalty, show me your devotion, servant."

"Gladly, Earl Phantomhive."

And so they brought back the heads of their former client and their agency employer. With a few days of Sebastian still keeping an eye on them, they had slowly but surely earned the whole manor's trust.

They had soon gotten used to how their job works. Although still a bit clumsy, they had done their best to serve the Earl, gaining fondness for the child. Despite what others think, it was quite easy to have affections for the young master, whether it's out of sympathy or slowly just getting to know him. They understand what draws the other servants to their master. The Earl was cunning and ruthless, but he was still infact a child and in need of support. So they had grown to get used to taking care of him by doing simple actions and words, serving him with gentleness and fondness.

"Young Master, is the blood yours?"

"Young Master, please let me tend to your bruises."

"Young Master, it is time to eat."

"Young Master, what should I tell Sebastian to prepare?"

"Young Master, Bard has made something explode again, please civer your nose from the smoke."

"Young Master, I heard this tea is good for soothing headaches."

"Young Master, I believe it is time to rest."

As an assassin, they understand what it's like to kill. To have a shitty and frustrating background. To have to kill to survive and get what you want. To have to be cautious everytime. To not affording to let your guard down knowing the dangers of your world.

And so they are cautious and wary of anyone getting close to him. A visitor or anyone that's not originally a part of his life before. They always keep them, hence why they requested to have a slight change on their uniform to hide it.

They had heard his story from the other servants and came to an understanding of what Ciel really wants to do, to achieve. Revenge, and if it means protecting the boy and letting him live as much as he can, they will help him towards that goal.

It's only when they are in a mission and they are involved that Ciel is reminded that they are a professional assassin still.

It does make him more confident that while Sebastian is out fighting the main enemy or hunting someone, they can protect him, not letting any other enemy near him and killing them all before they can even take a step forward. It gives him chills, the same ones he feels when Sebastian shows his true abilities. It terrifies him that a human could kill so easily like a demon, and relieves him that he took them in.

Eventually, Ciel has gotten used to their subtle (not really) smothering and protectiveness. He was bothered at first, but he just let it be until he does get used to it, it's a great balance to Sebastian's sarcastic and teasing nature at times. And althought he would never admit it, he does look forward to getting pampered after a long day or mission and not get teased for it (Sebby srlsy).

SEBASTIAN [Romantic]

When he doesn't trust them yet, he sees them as a potential formidable enemy. They may not have defeated him, but they still put up quite the fight for a few minutes. Although defeated, not completely. They might not be a danger for him but they are great danger to his master, being inside the estate and meddling with other servants. He does find them a bit interesting. Normal people may not see it, the assassin's face is neutral, but their eyes are readable, atleast to him. It interests him how their eyes keep on changing emotions, curiosity, observant, interested, empathetic, understanding, sympathetic, pleased, distressed, frustrated, disagreeing, surprised. It interests him how much a human could keep on changing through so many emotions in a short time, and manage to keep it hidden under a neutral mask. And it interests him how they could keep such a calm manner while suspecting something about him.

Sebastian could see it in their eyes whenever they see or interact with him. Cautious, observing, curious. He knows they suspect he isn't human. Ofcourse, what human could do those things he did during their fight. But still, they had kept quiet about it and never asked questions, atleast not verbally. Sebastian could see so many questions hidden in their eyes, and it amuses him to see how they try to keep those questions in. It amuses him how they could really reign their own thoughts and questions despite seeing and interacting with him everyday.

When they had gained his trust, he lets his guard down just a little bit more. He admits, he finds it comforting to finally have someone competent enough in the household to help him. It's not that he really needs help, it's just that he finds it quite a bother and annoying to do every chore while doing his tasks as the Guard Dog's 'assistant' or something.

It's not really a secret that Sebastian finds it easier to be around them than the others. The way his stiffness is nowhere to be found around them, and his voice seems to be less strict. He knows and he doesn't really care when even the Earl points it out. He claims it should serve as a motivation for the others to start working harder if they don't want him to always nag them. Ofcourse he and Ciel knows there's more to it but they don't care (though Ciel definitely would save his thoughts about it for future purposes).

After a while, their curiousty does fade into just being neutral and not giving a shit about who he is or what he is. Despite having suspicions, they let it be because knowing he keeps their master safe is enough. Although they are a bit wary to how he is connected to the young master, they decide to push it down.

Sebastian and them act like normal co-workers as time passes.

"Goodmorning, Sebastian."

"Goodmorning. Has the utensil shelf been polished upstairs?"

"I did that yesterday, shall I do it again?"

"No need. Have the pests been taken care of? There were quite a few crawling around yesterday night."

"They have, I laid them in the 'garden' and let the others clean up. I will check on it again later to make sure the job is done perfectly."

"Good job. Make sure everything is fine while the young master and I take care if everything outside for later."

"Yes. Is the young master still asleep? He didn't overwork himself again, didn't he?"

"It seems that he quite did, seeing as he is still asleep right now and not calling for me. I shall get him ready for the day, I'll leave you to do the rest."

"Yes."

Sebastian does prefer interacting with them than anybody else. Okay, maybe not normal co-workers, but the most normal talk murderers pretending to be servants could do. He prefers talking to them more than any servant because they understand how he talks about the things that aren't meant to be said around anyone else. They have the intelligence Sebastian wants a subordinate to have and he's quite greatful for it. It pleases him that he can now take a little bit more time outside the manor without worrying about it burning down or the young master's safety.

Afterall, their new servant is very skilled in doing their job.

But the main reason it that because he could show sides of himself that aren't meant to be seen even by the other servants. While he may not show his true nature, he does show a little bit of non-human capabilities. Not needing to worry about it makes things easier for him, also because they can cover for him at tines. Their neutral and usual they don't care nature puts him at ease. And them being an assassin definitely adds more ease. Knowing how to kill, and anything that involves it makes it easier for him to slip out and ask a bit help.

It reaches to the point where interacting with them puts him at ease after a long day or after an annoying event. Sebastian is definitely more comfortable around them than anyone else.

He does know what it means. He knows what the little tingle feeling he feels when he hears their voice. He knows what the ease on his back means when he sees them. And he doesn't mind at all. It feels good so why would he deny it? Although it could propose a few problems in the future, but he'll worry about it when it gets there.

When he realizes it, he gets a little more softer on them.

"Job well done as usual."

"After dusting that, you may take a rest."

"Have you eaten? The food I made a while ago is still fresh."

"Ah, do be careful dealing with those pests, they might be quite a handful."

"I imagine you might be tired from dealing with those cockroaches, the tea is still hot, it is good for body pains."

And yes, other people do notice. And yes, Ciel does know, and he doesn't give a shit as long as it doesn't interfere with their missions and tasks. Plus, it gives him opportunities to tease his butler back.

It also adds that whatever is going on will not have to interfere with his tasks to his master because he knows full well that they can protect theirself, the household, and the young master. They are a professional assassin and does not need protection and direct orders and intructions to kill and hunt.

In any case, Sebastian and them would deal with their growing affections slowly and quietly, letting it grow further while letting the each other savor it.

As times passes by, Sebastian does get a little bit more bold with his words and actions. He grows quite more confident when they reciprocate his advances.

All in all, Sebastian was drawn to them because he can show a little more if his true self around them. Because despite disgusing as a servant, they don't exactly differ from when they act as an assassin or a servant. They don't lose their personality and turn into a normal person when changing roles. They are competent in any role they take and know what needs to be done, how to talk about house chores and how to talk about other things, when to meddle, what to do, what needs to be left unasked, how to deal with their emotions efficiently, and does not get distracted by the slights of things.

MEY-RIN [Platonic]

Mey-rin sees them as an older sibling.

Sure they might be monotone and apathetic at most times, but their caring nature makes her think otherwise.

"Mey-rin, be careful, you might fall down."

"Please don't move too much, you might get injured."

"Ah, use this instead of that, this is more effective."

"Oh, don't do that, it will make blood flow out more."

They definitely scare her when they are at the battlefield. Those emotionless eyes and monotone voice are more terryfing than everything when they hold their katana and slash through the enemies. The thought of them being their ally when they keep enemies from coming at her makes her calm.

Merciless, definitely. But she sees them a bit different inside the manor. Those scary eyes are replaced by a neutral face. They rarely smile but she can see their caring actions towards everyone, especially towards their young master.

She was definitely more than happy to know that they can live up to Sebastian's standards in doing house chores because they definitely need help. Although she is ashamed and embarassed to be outdone and to ask for help from a new servant, she can't help but do it and admire them. She can't help but ask them to teach her, and she was happy to know that they agreed.

"I see, instead of doing that, I think you should do it sideways so the duster can cover everything."

"Try cleaning in a more staright posture so you don't fall down."

"How about starting at the top so you don't fall down bending when you start at the bottom of the stairs?"

"I am glad to be of help."

She does look up to them so much. She is very glad that they are as competent in the house chores as they are in the battlefield.

When she observes then, she can quite see the similarities of when they are outside. They still have that stealth when they are walking, that swiftness and speed when doing chores, the effiency when doing tasks, and the quality when doing everything.

It honestly terrifies her how they can just kill so easily without any trace of emotion and pretend to be a normal servant as though nothing happens at night.

Despite obviously having a crush on their resident visual butler, he also does intimidate her in a way the new servant does.

The new servant does make her a little bit more scared, but it brushes of everytime she sees and hears them taking care of everyone. It makes her happy that under that apathetic face they wear, they truly care for all of them. And it makes her relieved that they aren't an enemy.

Ofcourse, she was wary of her before, all of them were. But they did see their improvement. From doing chores improvement to socializing improvement.

When they kind of 'nag' her to be careful on standing in chairs to dust the shelves and clean the stairs, she feels warm. It feels like having an older sibling nag at you to take care of yourself.

They also have the room next to Mey-rin, and when she has her nightmares about her past, they come comforting her. Despite the usual monotone of their voice, she can feel their concern. They may not be much of a talker, their comfort is quiet, but it's enough for her that they listen to her thoughts and worries and understand her.

They also remind her to change her glasses when it's near breaking. Or when she falls and breaks her glasses, they always offer to buy a new one and let her rest and tend to her small bruises.

All in all, she's glad to have someone who can be there for when she's sniper Mey-rin, maid Mey-rin, and sad Mey-rin.

[the-wanderer16]

Hello! I don't speak Spanish, so I'd like to ask you what is the translation of the real context of the bit in the ins that mapi posted thanking ingrid? Because I saw a media outlet on X that said: mapi said ingrid had to put up with her and sarcastically said that ingrid took her spot on the field. I feel very confused, if it's the media promoting untrue information then I feel angry, can you give me some answers? Thank you very much!

Hi, thanks for the ask but unfortunately I do not speak Spanish too, so most of my translation comes from google translate or from the kind Spanish fans that helps to correct them.

I'm not sure which media outlet post was it on X that you are referring to, but if you would share the link it'd be much appreciated.

However, I would like to point out that there wasn't at any point of time during the course of Mapi's injury that she had sarcastically said that Ingrid has took her spot on the field.

Throughout the course of the season, both of them have been very supportive of one another since day one.

I shall try my best to plot out a timeline for you.

Since the announcement of Mapi's injury 😔

Part 1: Ingrid's post on IG to support Mapi

Part 1: Mapi's reply - "I will teach you some center back tricks just in case😉🤍"

Part 2: Mapi's pre and post surgery shared on IG. Pic on left was shared by Mapi and pic on the right was shared by Ingrid.

Part 3: Overcoming the injury together (even when Ingrid needs to travel for away games or NT duties)

Part 4: Celebrating each other's birthday

Part 5: Winning everything together

Supercopas

Liga F

Copa de la Reina

UEFA Women's Champion League

Part 6: Always complimenting each other (some excerpts from interviews of Mapi and Ingrid)

Ingrid + Maria Tikas interview, when Ingrid was asked what have she worked on the most for this season.

What have you worked on the most?

"Tactics, left-footed technique, clearing the ball from inside the area... All these concepts. Also, Marc [Sellarès, the team psychologist] has helped me a lot to work on different situations on the field. For example, knowing when I can use my calm to bring the ball down instead of clearing it with my head. All this. And, obviously, Mapi [León] has been a great support for me."

2. Ingrid in an Norwegian interview

Ingrid when asked about Mapi in the interview:

"Of course she has helped me all along the way. She is an important supporter. I had to play in her position, so there is a lot to learn from her, says Engen."

Does she also offer harsh criticism?

"She's nice like that, she's more focused on what I do well. She is the one I go to if I wonder what I could have done differently."

3. Most recent interview with Mapi on her first game back after her injury

Mapi when asked about Ingrid's season and the technical difficulty which Ingrid had to cope with

"At no time was it noticed at a very low[level]. In the end the roles have been there. I think Ingrid adapted very well in this case because I think it wasn't easy due to the role I have in this team, being left-footed. I usually have a leading role in taking the ball out. I think it was not easy for her and she has adapted well and in the end she has understood perfectly. I think it's a very good season."

4. Mapi's appreciation post for Ingrid on IG

"And to you, Ingrid, for taking care of me, putting up with me, being there every day and giving me strength even though the season has been very intense for everyone and you already had enough with taking my position, I hope I have helped you "with my tricks" 😉😊 THANK YOU my heart. 🩷"

Here's the result of the text running through on Google Translate

Therefore, by no means was there any diminishing of Ingrid's effort and support on Mapi's part at any point of time. I hope the above proves and shows that.

All in all, I think Mapi's and Ingrid's love for each other are so big and unconditional. The moments that were captured of them both in this season (thanks to all the fans and Culés) are many and is impossible to be compiled within this one small post.

To end this off, I would like to share one of my favorite video of the couple from this season. I hope you'd enjoy it too 🫶🏻

Video credits to @Barcafemenifotos

[deke-rivers-1957]

I came across this old review of Double Trouble while browsing through some stuff. What do you think of this? (I also never knew E liked the Beatles' song "I Saw Her Standing There.")

https://www.elvis.com.au/presley/the-trouble-with-double-trouble.shtml

The inspirations that were mentioned are new to me. I always understood the story was that British actress Julie Christie was slated for the movie. However, actual head of MGM wanted Elvis to have the lead role. They had to completely rewrite the script so it would fit a male lead.

As for the movie being based on Help! I personally don’t see a connection. The ring has a completely different purpose than the diamonds. Even though there was a bit of a mystery in that movie, the focus is more on the comedy. In DT, they wanted to do a bit of everything. The European stuff is likely a hold over from the original script since that aspect didn’t really need to change.

I can’t speak for the references to Peter Sellers since I’m not that familiar with his work. If anything the Wiere Brothers gave me Belgian 3 Stooges vibes. Especially with the phone booth scenes since that strikes me as something they did.

It goes without saying that the 17 going on 18 plot was cringe and I have no idea why that was a choice made. The actual actress was 19 so you can just have the conflict be “oh Guy thinks she’s underage but really she’s not.” The issue isn’t that I’m applying modern ideology to a 60s movie but that given the real life situation this is just too on the nose. I have no idea how Elvis was comfortable doing this role. Especially when you consider that in previous movies they made it perfectly clear that his character never returns the affections from a minor. So having him do that here now that he clearly can’t be in a gray area of early 20s just feels so bizarre and incredibly out of touch.

Thanks for sharing this with me 😊

[im-akira]

Joel Miller x F!Reader | 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 | 🌿

Chapter 4 : The secret | Chapter 5 | Summary

Series Summary : Joel Miller is no longer the same man after losing his entire family, except his little brother. A few months later, after saving Ellie from the Fireflies. He now lives in a community of survivors with Ellie and her younger brother, Tommy.

He has only one goal, to ensure his own survival and that of those he loves. Until the day he crossed paths with a young woman and her son in the community. The young woman’s face was particularly familiar.

Are you and Joel strangers or are you a lot more than that ?

Warnings : Mature content angst, smut, romance, blood, violence...

Do not : Claim, Repost, Copy, or Translate my stories anywhere else.

Notes : Reference to certain scenes of the series and the game. If some things bother you, inconsistent in my story, do not hesitate to tell me this will allow me to improve ! 😊

I apologize in advance but English is not my mother tongue. 💙

~*.♪。★*・゜・＊♪*.♪。★*・゜・＊♪*.♪°~

- « Mom, are you okay ? You know I can stay here with you. I don't want to- » James suddenly stops talking after his mother puts her hand on his cheek. The glint reflected in his eyes shows that his decision had been made for some time.

- « Listen to me, my angel, you’ll be happy to change your mind. In today’s world, it’s hard to have that kind of moment, a moment of respite. I’ll figure it out on my own, don’t worry about me, okay ? » She closes after she takes her hand off her son’s cheek. His body hurt him, he shot from all sides, but Y/N doesn’t show it to his son.

Ever since Y/N had just met Joel, the truth had hit him in the face. She had told him straight in the eye that her husband was not dead, funny thing, he was right in front of her.

But nothing happened, neither wanted to say anything about it. Why pretend they are just strangers when they are just the opposite.

The truth hurt so much that neither Y/N nor Joel had the courage to fall into each other's arms. The years passed gave way to a distance they grew accustomed to, each protecting themselves in their own way.

Holding on to someone in this world, Joel and Y/N fully understood that it ended in pain and suffering. And neither of them wanted to relive that feeling.

Everyone had someone they could hang on to, Ellie for Joel and James for Y/N. It was their pillar and their two lights.

For the moment, James paid no attention to any of this. He was more concerned about this city, the people, the integration and doing his best to help. On Ellie's side, it was pretty much the same. She was learning to live a normal life.

Y/N also figured that Joel and Ellie would probably take care of James. He is no longer a child today but an adult, an adult who must fly away on his own.

James gets up and observes his exhausted mother in his bed, he no longer discusses and becomes aware of his words. Heart-bound, he barely leaves the room and takes the stairs one step at a time.

- « I trust him, I know he will be fine without me.» After his few words, exhausted by fever, Y/N falls asleep without much difficulty against his pillow.

James is in the living room preparing his things from right to left, he seems a little agitated. He looks at his guitar next to the TV. « Sorry, but today you stay here. Take care of my mother. »

This is the first time he will go outside without Y/N. Even at twenty-eight, James has always stayed with his mother. During all his years, he kept the promise he had made to his father and he will keep it until his death. On Joel's side...

- « So ? Do you really think it was her or did I make a mistake ? » Tommy asked looking at his brother sitting on the sofa across from him. The younger brother was not agitated at all, which was quite the opposite of Joel.

Joel puts a hand through his hair, then down into his beard, heaving a sigh from his lips. « Well, I would say you were right. » Joel watches his brother take a glass of whiskey and lean against the edge of a piece of furniture in his living room. « To sum up the situation, I had a great time talking to him about different things, including learning a bit more about his past. »

Ellie was not present with Joel in this discussion. She had an event to prepare with the other Jackson teenagers. She wasn't exactly excited about the idea, but Joel justified that he needed to have a private chat with his brother. He also assured her that she had nothing to worry about, that it was nothing serious.

Anyway, they will meet for the mission with James and Y/N this afternoon.

Tommy takes a sip. « Now that you know your wife and son are here, what are you going to do ? »

- « You may find me selfish, even absurd. But I wouldn't do anything. » He concludes by getting up from the sofa and walking towards his bag placed on the living room table. « I have something to do today, we'll postpone this discussion, okay ? »

Joel was still running away, reality and truth were so close to him that he didn't want to face it. Not at the moment anyway.

He didn't really give Tommy a choice to ask more questions. Both knew very well that this discussion was far from over. Joel didn't need to ask more about his brother's opinion, his look said a lot.

Tommy remains surprisingly calm despite the words he has just heard. He knows what Joel was playing. But he also knew very well that he wouldn't let go of him like that, especially after his answer to his question. « Do you go out with specific people where you used to go alone ? »

- « Yes, with Ellie, James and Y/N. Ellie needs to change her guitar strings, but since I used the latest materials for James' guitar, I have nothing left. We go to the old music store. » Joel quickly checks what's in his bag, to make sure he doesn't forget anything, always with his back to his brother.

- « Okay, i would have liked to accompany you but Maria wants me to welcome newcomers to the city. I also promised Thomas that I would help him on the buildings in the city. I guess that will be for next time. » Concludes Tommy by finishing his drink and then placing it on the cabinet in front of him. « Have a good trip and be careful, big brother. »

- « I won't be alone, Tommy. Ellie will be there and I'm sure James and his mother will be able to fight if things get worse. They managed to reach Jackson, so there is nothing to worry about. »

- « You know that in this world it's not the infected who are most to be feared, but come on, you have to go, I won't hold you back anymore. He finishes his words by finishing his glass through a large sip. »

Tommy crosses one foot in front of the other to join his brother and comes to put some blows on his back. « If it's her, your family. Reconnect with it and don't let go, okay ? Today having a family... It's an opportunity, a gift. »

Joel smiled slightly after receiving the pats from Tommy. He turns to him and takes him in his arms for a few seconds. « I'm not alone, little bro, I've got you, Ellie and Jackson. »

Tommy slowly slips out of Joel's arms and looks him up and down, letting out a light laugh. « Wow ! There is nothing to say, old age makes you more and more sentimental. Come on, enough talk. » Tommy leaves the living room, closing the door behind him, he leaves to join his wife to welcome the newcomers.

A few minutes later..

Ellie and James are already there, Y/N seems absent. Joel approaches the two teenagers and slightly relaxes his shoulders. « Hello to you two. Can't see your mum James, did she have a problem ? » He asked looking at the young man. Joel didn't show it directly in front of the youngsters but he was worried.

- « Yes, she fell ill recently. This morning she was stuck in bed with a fever, and she couldn't get up. So she asked me to tell you that she deeply apologizes for not being there. »

- « I see. Ellie and I will visit her when we get back from our little getaway to see how she is. » After finishing talking with James, Joel turns to Ellie, she seems completely lost in thought. She probably didn't pay attention to Joel's arrival. « Are you okay with that Ellie ? »

Ellie who has her arms crossed pays no attention to Joel's question.

James comes over and shakes her shoulder slightly to try to bring her back to reality. « And ! Ellie ? Joel asks you a question. »

- « Oh ? Mmh.. Yeah, it's fine. » Ellie didn't want to look bad in front of Joel or James. But her mind had decided even today to confront her with certain questions that she had decided to put off until later, placing her or deeper within herself. She didn’t want to fight anymore, she really wanted to be able to enjoy this life that held out her arms after all her years.

Ellie is acting weird and Joel can sense that it concerns him in some way. It must have something to do with what he swore to her, everything he said about the Fireflies was wrong. It had to happen sooner or later, but why now ?

Or maybe she just blamed him for not allowing her to stay with him during the conversation he had with Tommy? Hard to say.

Silence is sometimes the best way to say what you want to say.

A rather disturbing tension is created within the group. James hates this kind of feeling, he didn't come to sulk but to enjoy this day. « How about we go to that famous music store ? You two can talk in more detail along the way. »

James didn't know the story between Joel and Ellie. All he could understand and see so far was that they were in a father-daughter relationship. The rest was complete nothingness.

He did not like to interfere in other people’s lives. Only when the person decides to open up to him will he go further. James will never force someone to do something he doesn’t want to do, it wasn’t in his nature.

After each and retrieving their horse, they leave the stables and head to the old music store. Ellie who knows the place passes in front of the group while remaining silent. James and Joel stay behind and follow her closely.

Joel on his side squeezes the reins of his horse a little more in his hands. A question for James was in his head. It's none of his business, and it's probably possible the young man won't answer. Yet he tries anyway.

- « James, have you ever killed infected people with your own hands ? »

James looks up thinking a bit about the answer to Joel's question. He was not afraid to answer with the utmost sincerity. After all, in the world he lived in, it was survival first. If he had to have blood on his hands to protect those he loves, James wouldn't hesitate.

- « Yes. During our trip across the country, my mother and I encountered infected people. I managed to get out of it, but my mother always knew how to do better than me. Actually. When I stand in front of them with the gun in my hand, I don't feel like I have an infected person, but a human face. »

Y/N like Joel, since each lost part of the other, had only one word in mind “Survival”. Even if it means doing bad things, his life and sometimes that of his son could be put in danger. It was out of the question for the young mother to lose someone again.

So there were situations where it was Y/N pulling the trigger first and not James. Who could judge him? Just because he was a man, didn't mean he could do it all. He was still young and had to learn to find his bearings with weapons and the world.

After several minutes, Ellie hesitates and decides to join the conversation. « They’re no longer human, James, they’re just infected. Their souls have long since left their bodies. »

- « I agree with you, but there is always a part of me that wants to believe otherwise. »

Joel is happy to hear Ellie join the conversation after she speaks. « Tell me, Ellie, Raphael told me you did pretty well on group patrols. He even thinks you are ready for two-up patrols. »

Ellie tugs on her horse's reins to slow her pace and finish alongside Joel. His gaze was filled with determination. « I shoot better than almost anyone. And I have more experience than most new recruits. So if-... »

Joel cuts Ellie off at the end of her sentence. « Look, if you think you're ready, then I trust you. »

Confidence is not claimed, it is even less demanded, it is earned. Ellie deserved to have Joel's trust and vice versa. Through the adventures, the walls, the pains, the joys, all his things helped create this trust between them. And Joel made her understand that he would always be behind her despite the obstacles that will arise between them.

Ellie let out a little silence after what Joel said, she didn't expect to hear that. Somehow, even if it was just words, it warms her heart. « Thank you, Joel. »

It was one of the few times Joel gave in to Ellie, but he does it and it suits him just fine. He had to learn to let her grow, because one day he won't be there to protect her from this world.

- « But I would still prefer that you stick to the shortest routes for now. Just until you can get your bearings. »

Ellie doesn't say another word and smiles back at Joel to let him know she's happy with his choice and his behavior towards her.

James didn't say anything either, he listened and observed the behavior of the two very carefully. He shared the same relationship with his mother, but sometimes he wished he could go back and find his life before just for a moment.

He missed his father and sister terribly, as did his mother. James overheard Y/N talking several times in his sleep. What came out most often was the name of his father and his sister. It was continuous nightmares. He had understood that since that day, his mother was no longer the same and neither was he.

Until the final destination, the group remained particularly silent. It didn't bother James, on the contrary, he was glad everyone was talking about something. The atmosphere was much different than before leaving Jackson.

- « The music store should be over there. We'll have to leave the horses here. » Ellie concluded after getting off her horse first. She then recovers her weapons on the saddle of her horse, her bag is already on her shoulders. « Hey, Paillette. No nonsense while I'm gone ! »

Ellie had her own horse now, it wasn't the size of an adult horse yet but it was enough for the young teenager. The connection between her and Paillette had been immediate when Ellie and Joel arrived in Jackson. Since one and the other no longer separates when it comes to leaving the city.

James in turn dismounts from his horse and also gets his weapons strapped to his saddle. After recovering everything, he comes to pet his horse and watches it carefully through his eyes. « Maybe we'll go away for a while. So take care of the other horses, okay ? »

James loved horses, but he especially admired one species, giraffes.

When he was younger, he had the chance to meet his creatures, he was fascinated. It was a father-son day, Sarah was at school and Y/N was at work. Joel took the day off to take James to the zoo for the first time.

The first time he saw one. Joel install it on his shoulders to get closer so he can stroke the tip of his snout. At that moment, Joel could see in his son's eyes all the love and innocence he carried within him.

He laughed and smiled, just like Ellie when she also encountered a giraffe. There was no word to describe it, Joel was overjoyed.

Joel gets off his horse last. He already has his weapons around his shoulder, tied together. He takes his bag and walks over to Ellie and James to see if they're ready to go to the music store. « Are you ready to go ? » He might not show it, but Joel was anxious to get back into that building.

Ellie walks past the boys climbing a wall to get to the other side of where they are. After straightening up, the young teenager sees in the distance the music store that Tommy told her about. « He didn't lie, the music store is right in front of us ! »

The boys climb the wall at the same time and join Ellie. Joel puts his hands on his hips and looks at the music store a little further from them. « He's not very far. »

- « Do you really think we'll find something there ? » James asked looking at the group. He had no doubt to follow Ellie and Joel but sometimes certain dangers arrive faster than you think.

- « I would say we have to believe it and go see for ourselves. » Ellie concludes by trotting towards the path to the store. Her hands firmly tied to her bag, she was playful at the idea of ​​venturing into the building.

At the bottom of the road, 2 trucks seem to block the road to the group.

Joel comes behind Ellie with James, he approaches her and watches the truck, it is quite big but not impossible to cross. « Do you want me to help you up ? »

- « I don't mind. » Ellie lets Joel walk past her so he can take a stand against the truck.

- « If you need help, I'm here. » While Joel helps Ellie, James steps forward on her side. He takes his bag off his shoulders and throws it on the other side of the vehicle. Picking up a little momentum, he catches himself on the truck and manages to climb onto the roof.

Ellie for her part relies on the help of Joel. She felt in the strength of Joel's arms that he was no longer young, that old age was catching up with him very closely. « You should be careful, Joel, I feel old age is catching up with you ! » With that said, Ellie quickly grabs the edge of the roof of the vehicle, James comes to support her.

Joel sighs with satisfaction at the young teenager’s words. This is the kind of moment Ellie liked to tease. If Joel was laughing, then Ellie had managed to get her day back. « You should be careful what you say, kid. » When Ellie arrived alongside James, Joel did the same action as James to join them.

The group now heads for the entrance of the old store. Ellie throws herself at the doors first, shooting several times towards her, the doors don't seem to want to open. « It is impossible to enter here, it is completely blocked. »

Both Joel and James are crouched on the ground, tilting their heads towards a passageway under the store's roof that appears to have caved in over time. « We may have something here. »

James comes over to pat Joel on the shoulder to let him know he might have the answer to his problem. « Why not lift that wooden beam ? I'm going with Ellie and we're sneaking around and trying to find a way to open you up from the inside. »

- « Mmh... » Joel mumbling in his beard doesn’t seem to be ready for James' idea. However, this is the only solution available to the group at this time. Despite Ellie’s reflections on her age, Joel no longer had the same abilities as twenty years ago.

- « We can try. And you won't have to worry, Joel. James will be there to help me. » Ellie breaks the silence of the two men's conversation. The posture she was in did not represent fear, only confidence and readiness for adventure.

Joel trusted Ellie and James too, after all he was her son. Deep down, he didn't want to send his two children to this building. What can await them on the other side? If something happens to them, Joel will never forgive himself.

Even though somehow Joel had just found his son, he had to be very distant with him. He couldn't show her any sign that could make her suspect who he really is. A father and a stranger to him.

For Joel, it was not the time, not now. But sooner or later he is going to have to be, where he will have to live with regrets for the rest of his life.

Joel grabs the wooden beam with his hands and lifts it with all his remaining strength in his legs. « Go ahead, cross and be careful. »

James doesn't argue further and slips through the passage first, Ellie follows James quickly after. She crosses to the end of the passage and stands up, turning on her flashlight. « I'm here and so is James ! Wait two seconds ! » She said raising her voice.

- « Okay ! I'm in front of the doors ! »

James holds his flashlight firmly in his hands and takes a quick tour of the place, staying close to Ellie. « Really charming this place. »

James and Ellie together end up inspecting the rooms of the music store where they are. They managed to recover, bandages, few medicines and preserves. No rope sign at this time.

Joel grows impatient when he doesn't see Ellie and James return. « And ! You find something ? » They had only been gone for a few minutes, but for Joel it seemed like an eternity.

James carefully walks past each room, he and Ellie retrieve what they can from her bag and continue to look for ways to open the doors for Joel. « We are looking for ! »

Ellie slowly walks away from James and finds a hallway that leads to the doors of the store. « James ! Over there ! » The young teenager advances cautiously despite the silence in the building. A chair blocks the entrance, Ellie grabs it and removes it, throwing it on the floor next to her.

The doors open quickly for Joel, James arrives seconds later behind Ellie. « We are back. »

- « So, impressed ? »

- « Not bad but you're too skinny. You have to eat, you know?" He says amusedly and walks past them.

It was one of Joel’s ways of expressing himself in his own way to thank them for opening the doors and coming back alive. He always had this way with Ellie, through humor and jokes.

James continues to look through the various rooms for a passage through the music store. A cash machine intrigued his eyes, he cautiously approached and put his hands against him. He could see a passage behind but a problem arises, spores were present on the other side. « I should put my mask on so I don't arouse suspicion in front of Ellie and Joel. »

Joel and Ellie walk towards James. Joel realizes after watching him that he's found something, maybe a passage. « Did you find anything for us, James ? »

- « Yes. Behind this dispenser there is a passage. But there is a problem, spores. » He observes out of the corner of his eye through the end of the wooden board if there are any infected, at first sight nothing to report.

Unfortunately, it is in the shadows that the infected like to come out and surprise.

- « I see. It's our only passage so I only see one thing, put on our masks. » Concluded to Joel taking his mask from his bag and attaching it to his face. Ellie and James do the same by equipping their masks.

With the mask fitted, James stands in front of the vending machine blocking their way. « Here we are. » James pushes to move the distributor out of the way, Joel helps him.

What Joel didn't know was that his son had the same abilities as Ellie. He was immune, just like her, and conversely James didn't know about the young teenager.

- « Come on, a little more effort and it's good. »

- « You are both doing well. » Complimenting the boys, Ellie goes first behind them to squeeze through the narrow passage. The spores are there, but strangely no infected seem to be in the room. « You can come, the way is clear. »

The group continues to inspect the store, hoping to find guitar strings. Silence reigns around them, the atmosphere is heavy. But that doesn't stop Ellie, Joel and James from moving on. A few minutes later, they climbed over a wall and finally landed in a larger room, brighter than the previous ones. Joel calls Ellie and James not to take another step, he puts his ear to the door, several noises come out.

- « Infected ? » Ellie asked, watching Joel. She recognized his look, which was not a good sign.

- « Yes, they seem numerous. » He said with troubled voice. Joel doesn't want to lie to himself but he wasn't reassured by what awaited them on the other side. Ellie and James know how to fight, but that’s no reason to jump right into danger.

James seems determined to push through, holding his gun tight to him. « It's not a few infected people who are going to stop us. We are three, it will be easy for us to infiltrate through them and kill them one by one, discreetly. Don't let fear win over you. »

Joel drops a slight smile in the corner and straightens up after glancing at James. This character, this way of not giving up and continuing. Joel knows him only too well, his wife had exactly the same character. As for the stubborn side, he had inherited it from him, that was certain.

The group agrees to James' idea, Joel sneaks into the room first, he infects the nearest, quickly and quietly. Ellie and James take turns getting rid of an infected person. The group moves quietly but calmly towards their exit door.

Two clickers stand in front of the door. James throws an object away from them, it lures them out of the doors. It works, but it had to be done quickly.

Clickers react to noise and quickly run towards it. Joel, Ellie and James take the opportunity to pass the door quietly, they succeed. A very narrow passage appears in front of them, they don't think another minute and squeeze through. Joel kept moving forward, Ellie follows him and James stays behind the group.

- « It’s very narrow here, I hope we don’t run into an infected person in this passage. » James doesn’t like narrow places, he’s not claustrophobic but he’s not really excited to be there.

- « Let's walk quietly without rushing. » Joel does not take his eyes off the path in front of him, for the moment nothing to report. It passes under a pipe and continues to move without looking back.

- « Relax, it's just a bad time has passed and- » Ellie does the same thing as Joel and she goes under that pipe too. She grabs it until it falls. A strange noise accompanied by a tremor seems to advance dangerously towards the group. The wall collapses and Ellie is taken by a Colossus.

- « Ellie ! » Joel and James react to the situation at the same time. « James! with me ! » Joel quickly teams up with his rifle and directly attacks the infected. « I’m here ! » James joins Joel with a rifle in his hand. Together, they draw the colossus in a different direction from Ellie.

- « Come on ! Come on, son of a bitch ! » Jacques does not look away from the Colossus, it is the first time he has seen one, but he is absolutely not afraid, on the contrary he smiles in fear.

- « Joel ! James ! » Ellie barely got up after the Colossus' attack. Grabbing a molotov cocktail from her bag and lighting it with a brick. « Step away ! » Ellie warned Joel and James, and then she started without hesitation.

This doesn't seem to weaken the creature, it still keeps moving forward and destroying everything in its path. The colossus changes direction after receiving the molotov cocktail in the face, he is now heading towards Ellie.

- « James shoot him ! » Joel ordered James, shooting the creature in the back. The bullets did next to nothing to him, but they served as a diversion and knocked the creature out of its mind.

- « What do you think I've been doing for a while ?! » James raises his voice while continuing to fire, the colossus does not seem to change direction.

The colossus quickly arrives at Ellie despite its weight and throws itself on her to grab her by the face. Ellie drops her weapon and tries to fight with all her might in front of the colossus.

- « You’re gonna let her go, motherfucker ! » Joel throws his gun on the ground and grabs his machete quickly by getting his bag. His hunches that something was gonna happen today were good, and there was no way Joel was gonna lose Ellie here. Not now, not after all these trips and ups and downs. The trip wasn’t going to end there.

James watches Joel run without thinking about the colossus. He also throws his rifle and grabs his machete. « Joel ! I'm right behind you ! We can get her, we won't let Ellie die here ! »

The two men run as fast as they can towards the creature, they throw themselves violently on the body. It is after many violent blows that Joel and James manage to overcome this monster. Ellie, who has seen the whole scene, looks at the boys with wide eyes. She doesn't want to admit it, but the three of them make a great team.

James, out of breath from the fight, steps forward and reaches out to Ellie to help her up. « Everything's good ? » He asked, slightly out of breath from the fight.

- « Yes, thank you both. Thank you. » Ellie takes James's hand and pushes into his legs to get up. For a moment, the gaze of the young teenager focuses on the body of the monster, her hands are still shaking.

- « We almost stayed there. » Joel groaned as he wiped his machete against the fabric of his pants to remove the remaining blood. « Thank you for your help, James. »

- « It's true, but we got him, that bastard. » James puts his machete back in his waistband. Then passing a piece of his sweater against his face, he removes the blood of the colossus.

- « How are you holding up ? » Ellie asked, looking at Joel, still breathless from the fight, old age catching up with him. Many jokes came to her mind, but she preferred not to say anything after the event they had just experienced.

- « Other than old age, you mean ? No, nothing that will stand up to a good night's sleep. » He said with an amused look. His legs, his whole body call him to rest. But despite the pain, Joel was resilient in the face of it all.

Even if he didn't want to face the truth, he was getting old, which means that one day he won't be able to follow Ellie on her adventures and protect her from the dangers of this world.

After all, Marlene told her : « You can't keep her safe forever. No matter how hard you try, no matter how many people you kill, she's gonna grow, Joel. »

Joel knew she was right and yet he kept going, keeping hope. Ellie saved Joel, she gave him back that hope he thought he’d lost after losing his children and his wife.

Ellie became his light through the darkness of this broken world.

- « I can't wait to get out of here. » Ellie walks past the boys and tries to get out of this dark place.

James straightens his hair and puts his bag back on his shoulders. « Now we have to find another exit. I think we are all in agreement to defer this research to a later date. »

- « I think at the end of this corridor we will find an exit. » Joel remains puzzled as he walks past Ellie to make sure there is no danger.

Ellie doesn't have to ask questions, through Joel's behavior she knows she has to stay behind him alongside James. What annoys him the most is that he still takes her as a child when she is now a teenager.

It's to protect her that Joel has this behavior, Ellie is special, different. For him, losing her would be the worst thing that could happen to him.

Joel walks down the hall with his mask still on his face. « There must be something behind it. James, please help me. » He pushes the group of stacked chairs, James joins him in seconds and they manage to clear the hallway entrance.

- « What do you do ? What if there are other infected people behind ? » Said Ellie watching Joel get rid of what was blocking his way to the other room. The young teenager had had her dose of infected for the day.

- « Don't worry, Ellie, and if there are two Colossals behind us, I know I can count on you and James to put them down. » He concluded after gently pushing open the door.

- « There are no more spores in this room. You can take off your masks. » Joel takes off his mask and breathes in a moment to rediscover clean air.

- « Yeah, but that doesn't mean we're out of danger. I'll keep going through the few places here. Maybe I'll find our guitar strings. » James keeps his mask on his face as he rushes more and more towards the other rooms and moves away from Joel and Ellie.

- « James wait- » Joel didn't have time to say anything, he had already left to inspect the other rooms. Even if James seemed valiant, it doesn’t mean he was invinsible. - « Well, we're going to the door that's open. There. » Joel comes to the door and watches for a brief moment. Clearly he can't pass, Ellie can pass. « Do you think you can get in there ? »

- « Yeah, I think I can do it. » Joel steps aside and makes way for Ellie. The young teenager stands through the door and passes without any problem on the other side.

- « See what's blocking ? »

- « Yeah. » Ellie pushes the furniture blocking the door and lets Joel in. « OK, you can come in. » Ellie comes into the room first, a body on her back, an old corpse apparently. She decides to get closer to it to be able to analyze it further.

- « Ellie ! » An infected person appears out of nowhere from the ground towards Ellie. Joel puts his foot on his arm, the creature stops and Joel shoots him right in the head. Joel sighed for a moment and tucked his gun into his pants.

- « Thank you, Joel. »

- « Be more careful next time. »

- « Joel. »

- « Hmm ? »

A symbol is present on the body bag that Ellie saw first. It’s definitely Jackson’s symbol, J. I think it’s them. This is one of the couples who ran away last year. « That’s what Tommy told us at dinner.  The list was long and very few had been found. »

Joel looks at Ellie for a moment and looks at the corpse in question. He walks around and kneels beside the corpse. Silence reigns, reflection forms deep inside Joel. « I think you're right. »

Ellie turns to her right, her eyes seem drawn to something, especially a letter on the table. Ellie picks it up and starts reading it. « Jackson is a wonderful place, but we couldn't stand the stories of people suffering everywhere else. We wanted to save lives. We wanted to do something good. Just after we left, we came across a horde. We were bitten. We decided to end it rather than become monsters. Tell our family and friends that we are sorry. Adam and Sydney. »

Ellie finishes the sentence and turns the letter over, another message is written. « I killed her. But I can't finish. I'm just a coward. Adam. »

- « Damn it. » Joel comes over slightly to scratch his beard, frustrated and upset at what he just heard.

Why was this world so violent ? Why do people who try every time to do good deeds always fall first ? Joel had no answers to his questions, just silence in his head.

- « They weren't immune. » She said in a dry and direct tone. Ellie was clumsily trying to get a message across to Joel. Deep down, she knew the truth and the lies.

After a long silence in the room, Joel lightly scratches his throat and avoids eye contact with Ellie. « Yes, we have to… We have to get James, and we'll get their bodies back to Jackson. » Joel finishes his sentence and finds his back to Ellie.

Ellie feels that he is avoiding her gaze, hiding something from her, the truth. She decides to go straight to the point. « When you got me out of the Firefly hospital, you told me there were dozens of people like me. »

Joel turns around after Ellie makes a remark about him. He finds himself facing her now. « Yes. That's what they told me. »

Joel knew that at some point he would have to answer Ellie's questions about it. But now was not the time, not now.

- « I don't know anyone else who is immune. How about you ? » Ellie stared at him. She could sense in his answers that something didn't ring true, and she wanted him to tell her the real truth with all his heart.

During the tense discussion between Joel and Ellie. James came back from his research on the other pieces, he found nothing extraordinary. Not wanting to interfere in the discussion, he preferred to remain silent and stand against the wall to listen to what they have to say.

- « Maybe they hide them. Like you. » James didn't want to believe what he had just heard. He was not alone, the only one immune. Ellie was too, were others like them? Hard to say, as Joel says, this kind of secret should stay hidden.

Ellie looks at the letter one last time and drops it on the table looking at Joel with a determined look in his eyes. « Do you really believe that ? »

- « Do you really think it's time to discuss this ? » Joel approaches Ellie without taking his eyes off her.

- « We traveled.. across the country to get me to Fireflies. I had a million questions for them. Why did you pull me out before I even woke up ?! »

- « Because I let them do their tests, and when I saw it wasn't working, I got us out of there. »

- « How do you know it didn't work ?! » Ellie raises her voice, rage boiling inside her. « Maybe if you had given them time, they would have found something-... »

- « Ellie ! » Joel also raised his voice. He cut into Ellie's words. He didn't want to appear hurtful, he wanted to keep her close to him.

- « They couldn't find a solution. There's nothing could've saved these people, or anybody else. I know you wanted it to be different and I wanted it to be different too. But it's like that. »

It was wrong, it sounds so wrong. Joel knew full well that Ellie wanted to sacrifice herself to become the cure and maybe save the world.

But in his eyes it was impossible, he couldn't lose someone like her again, his hope, his daughter, his world.

After a few words, there was a moment of silence around them. « We need to bring these two children back to their families. Do you have anything to add ? »

- « No. »

After looking at Ellie one last time, Joel sees a shadow approaching the door to the room where he is. « James ! Is that you ? » He had his hand on his holster, ready to fire.

James acts as if nothing has happened and quietly arrives at the door. He sees two corpses on the ground, and now he understands the shot that was fired earlier. « I understand better, so it was you. Are you all right ? » He approaches them, putting away his weapon.

- « Yes, it's fine, don't worry. The two bodies you see are Jackson youths who fled last year. I'm going to need your help getting them to the horses. »

- « Yes, of course, you can count on me. » James looks at Ellie, she looks frozen. James puts his hand on her shoulder trying to get a reaction out of her. « Ellie ? »

Ellie turns back to him and smiles slightly at James. She gently pulls her hand out of her shoulder and moves away from the boys to reach the outside. Joel’s answers clearly didn’t satisfy her.

James turned to Joel to figure out what was going on, he closed his eyes. The questions are then useless and James understood by the look of Joel. The boys do not waste more time, recover and carry as they can the bodies of the two teenagers.

What a sad story, wanting to save lives, they paid the price with theirs.

After installing the bodies on the horses, the group decides to give up for the music store, Joel will take care of it alone. Ellie and James didn't add anything once he decided that.

The return to Jackson was much calmer and more tense than the start. Here they are at the gates of the city, they open a few minutes later.

- « I'm going to see Antoine and Dina to tell them about our day. Wish your mother James a good recovery. Good evening to you both. » Her horse trots away and Ellie leaves the boys in silence. She didn’t look up to Joel, she was still running away from him, even after a few hours after the argument.

James saw Ellie leave, he could understand that the discussion between her and Joel had hit him hard. There were reasons, things Joel had to do to put her in this state, but what ? Then he turns to Joel. « Do you want to see how my mother is doing ? Don't worry about Ellie, she can see her later in the week, whatever. »

Joel takes a deep breath and straightens his posture. He couldn't blame Ellie for reacting like that, for running away. He deserves it, lying is not a good thing and that's where it leads. But he was doing this to protect her, to keep her with him. « Yes, if you don't mind. »

- « No, she hasn't seen anyone today. I think she'll be happy to have some company. »

- « Let's leave the horses here, someone from reception will take them back to their box. Let's continue on foot. » Joel dismounts and puts his foot on the ground. On the saddle are his weapons, he has just taken his bag.

- « I leave like you I imagine, my weapons. » Instructions are clear, no weapons in town. James also leaves his weapons, he already has his bag on his back.

- « I'm with you now. » Joel puts on his bag and readjusts his jacket.

His mind was fighting between two walls, Ellie and her family. For now, he should accept that Ellie probably won't talk to him for a few days, which is normal. Joel will wait without rushing her.

Joel glanced at James, he remained particularly quiet. He knew, he wasn't stupid, he saw with his own eyes that something was wrong with him and Ellie.

James won't ask what happened unless Joel starts the conversation. After all, they were still strangers to each other, they didn't have to reveal everything overnight. There were limits and rules to follow, the two men knew perfectly well which ones.

Although to James, Joel was a stranger. For Joel, it was the opposite. He managed to see how his son had evolved into an adult in this broken world.

He would like from the bottom of his heart to tell him so many things that go through his head, like the fact that he is proud of him, of the man he has become. Although it was only a few hours with him, Joel was a happy and proud man.

After a few minutes of walking in the streets of Jackson, the two men arrive at their destination. James walks past, approaches the front door, and takes the keys from his jacket pocket.

Even though his mother was inside, James decided to close after leaving. Not that he didn't trust his mother, but she was clearly in no condition to defend herself if someone broke into the house.

Even in Jackson, danger was never far away. For James, no place was safe. It was therefore necessary to be prepared for any eventuality.

- « Close the door behind you, please. » James takes off his jacket and hangs it on the coat rack near the entrance.

Joel comes right behind him and goes home, he closes the door behind him. « Can I hang my coat here ? » Joel mentions the coat rack with his eyes.

- « Yes, of course, go ahead. » James takes off his boots and puts them on the corner of the couch. « I'll make us some food, my mom is upstairs. If she or you need anything just let me know. » He leaves the living room and walks into the kitchen, leaving Joel alone at the entrance.

Joel also takes off his shoes, he puts them next to his jacket. The behavior that James had. Even though Joel didn't know his age, he seemed so mature for his age. Some teenagers in this town should take their cue.

Joel leaves for the stairs, he manages to reach the floor of the bedrooms. It was so quiet, until he heard a faint cough coming from the open door down the hall. « This must be his room. »

Exhausted Y/N pays no attention to Joel's arrival. Breathing heavily, her face covered in sweat, muscle aches and headaches, she shifted slightly in bed keeping her eyes closed.

A wooden chair sits at the end of the room. Joel sees her and gently pulls her to the Y/N bed to sit next to it. Trying to make as little noise as possible through the move. He could see on the nightstand that she had managed to take her medication and something to eat.

The young mother looks exhausted from the fever, Joel couldn't help but stare at her. He couldn't lie to himself, see her like this. It hurt him even more, he couldn't do anything to help her get better.

Unless, of course, he accepts the truth and stops putting up barriers.

He could : stay in bed with her, support her to put her in a more comfortable position, kiss her to hope that her kisses will bring her a minimum of sweetness and well-being.

Even if being in contact with her made him sick, it didn’t matter to him. She was his wife after all, they shared everything.

Y/N barely opens her eyes a few minutes later, she sees Joel next to her, by her side, sitting on a chair. « Sorry, I'm not in the best shape to host… » Y/N stops talking after feeling Joel's hand on his shoulder.

- « You don't need to apologize, James told us what happened to you. Now save your strength. » Joel rests his hand on the young mother's shoulder.

There they were, like two idiots, acting like they were nothing to each other. His wife was there, before his eyes, close to him, so close. He could kiss her and tell her how much he missed her all those years. But Joel didn't do anything, he just stood there and looked at her.

They were playing a game, a dangerous game that will eventually fall on them.

Y/N, exhausted by fever, lets Joel do it. She lets out a slight sigh of relief. Despite her difficulty in moving, the young mother draws on her last strength to adjust her position in the blankets. « Thank you so much, you and Ellie, for bringing my son home. »

« Our son. » Joel needed to say it so badly that the words were scrambling to get out.

The choice had already been made for some time, he shouldn't say anything, to protect them. Protected by whom ? Of what ? From him. For Joel, he felt he was unable to keep his family safe and that it was best that the situation remained that way.

Joel gently takes his hand off Y/N's shoulder and puts it on his knee for support. A slight smile appears on his face. « You don't have to thank us, Y/N. At Jackson, we are all family. So we have to take care of each other. »

Her gaze wanders to an object strapped to Joel's wrist, a watch appears behind his shirt sleeve. There was no doubt that the watch Joel wore on his wrist was the one she gave on her birthday. Even if worn out over time, she could recognize it in thousands.

Joel had the watch, Y/N the ring. Everyone had an object that allowed them to keep a link between them, in some way.

Joel puts his hands on his legs to help himself up from the chair. « I'm not going to bother you anymore and let you rest. It was good to see you, Y/N. » Before leaving, Joel is going to do something he will regret later, but his heart was telling him to do.

He leaned very gently towards Y/N's face, more precisely towards his forehead. He then gently placed his lips against it. It was light, fast, but the gesture was there. It was like a message to the young mother.

After that, Joel says nothing. He rose from his position and quickly turned from Y/N. He is about to leave the room when suddenly he feels something touching the skin of his hand.

Y/N understood his message, his gesture said a lot. "Forgive me, darling." He didn't say anything to her, but this gesture meant his words.

She couldn't blame him because she was also in the same position as him, running away from the truth and remaining in the current situation.

Why choose difficulty when ease is easier to choose ?

- « Thanks for stopping by, Joel. »

- « You don't have to thank me. » He concludes by leaving the room and walking down the stairs. He had to fight himself not to look at her before he left. It was stronger than him, but he couldn't, he shouldn't.

Joel walks over and takes his shoes and his jacket from the coat rack, he puts them on. James still seems busy preparing dinner, he hasn't seen Joel coming down the stairs. He hesitates but chooses not to tell James he's leaving. Silent in the shadows, he opens the door and leaves the house with a slight regret.

Distance was nothing, it's when distance is needed that love shines brightest. The emptiness of absence made them stronger, to keep hope alive. Even though Joel and Y/N were broken inside for many years, their hearts were still bound forever, even beyond death. Nothing could extinguish this flame, their feelings, their love.

As much as the other, thinking that acting like nothing was happening, staying aloof and acting like they were just strangers was the solution. On the contrary, it brought them closer, despite their efforts.

They hate being separated, like their body or their heart.

~*.♪。★*・゜・＊♪*.♪。★*・゜・＊♪*.♪°~

Tag : @wolfieellsworld @rosemirrors @dorck26 @dizzyforyou

If you want to be marked on my future stories, let me know in the comments. Thank you again for reading ! 😊

[dreamwritersworld]

I could fall in love! Part 3. (Neteyam x reader)

Enjoy! 😊💓 this does have inspiration so if you see the references…I love you.

The next day I woke up super early doing chores and extra work around the island, leaving zero spots for my dad or mom to say something needed to be done. I cooked breakfast and ate, patiently waiting for everyone to be done.

“So Dad, I did all my chores early, and did extra chores around the island, can I take an attempt at training the Sully’s with my siblings? I can teach and explain more to them since I’d have more experience and techniques for them to learn. I know you said you didn’t really want me dealing with it when I asked in the beginning but can I just have a try in it? ” The two siblings watch as their older sister tries to have time to train ‘the Sully’s’ in other words ‘Neteyam’, this in fact wasn’t the first time. Even before Y/n and Neteyam met, Y/n was extremely interested and more than happy to meet the new members and train them.

“Ok fine. You must keep your siblings out of trouble. No excuses and do your chores everyday, after all that is done then you can go.” I give my dad the biggest hug saying “thank you! I won’t disappoint you! We will do good with them!” I turn to my siblings grabbing their hands and pulling them out the Mauri to make our way to the Sully’s…this routine continued for about three weeks..

Neteyam and Y/n ‘friendship’ only got strong.

As we were walking towards the Sully’s Mauri for training, I speak quietly hoping Ao’nung would get the hint to speak quietly too. “…Hey brother, I need a favor” Both he and Tsireya turn away from whatever they were looking at to place their attention on me. “What’s up?” I give a nonchalant face trying to act like the question I was going to ask wasn’t a big deal. “Has Neteyam said anything about me?” He gives a confused face as Tsireya silently laughs knowing what I was implying already. “What do you mean? Like what?” I throw a couple of looks here and there before replying “if he likes me.” He gives a surprised face “Woah. You kidding? I didn’t think it was that serious.” I smile nervously “I don’t know. Can you just ask him?” He chuckles before saying “Y/n, what are we, children?” I laugh prepared to give him a sassy response back “Well I wouldn’t know, I wasn’t allowed to be “childish” as you’d call it.” We all laugh before Ao’nung sighs.

“You’re going to get in trouble. If dad find out, he’s going to punish you.” I shake my head to this. “There’s nothing to find out. Neteyam will probably say that he doesn’t anyway. Can you just ask him?”

Tsireya can see the desperation in Y/n’s eyes so she nudges for Ao’nung to just accept the offer. “Ugh fine. I’ll ask, you guys are so annoying.” The two sisters giggle before saying “But you love us!” Forcing a hug on Ao’nung.

The three siblings approached the Mauri and greeted the Sully’s asking if they were ready to train, they rushed out quickly saying bye before they leave. Y/n greeted everyone, however Kiri couldn’t help but notice how you spoke just a little longer to Neteyam. How you and Neteyam looked at each other like you were each others world. Kiri couldn’t help but laugh, feeling true happiness that her brother found someone. She knew in her heart Neteyam loved you and you loved him, it was so obvious to see.

During the last two weeks you were up at early hours and didn’t sleep until very late hours, doing chores just to keep up with your dad’s expectations in order to let you keep training the Sully’s. That meant you were exhausted constantly and sometimes you weren’t in the mood to talk because you were slightly frustrated at how your father gave you so many chores and expectations. The one to pull you out of exhaustion was Neteyam. Surprisingly for the first time, it wasn’t Lo’ak telling someone to let loose and be daring. Neteyam and you understood each other completely. In Kiri’s eyes you were his light and when things got serious he was yours.

Y/n slowly parts her ways from Neteyam, noticing how Ao’nung was going to execute the plan since he was calling Neteyam over to his ilu. Y/n goes to join the rest of the group to begin teaching more techniques for diving.

*Away from Y/n and the group*

Neteyam approaches Ao’nung fully curious as to why Ao’nung seemed to hesitant to speak “Hey, listen. Y/n’s cool right?” Now…Neteyam was even more confused “Yea, of course. We always have a great time.” Ao’nung rolls his eyes at how Neteyam wasn’t understanding his question. “No you Skxawng, what do you think about her?” Neteyam showed complete disbelief with what Ao’nung seemed to be implying, does he lie? Or does he avoid the question? “your dad will kill me and You’re her brother!“ Ao’nung laughed to this, noticing how Neteyam got nervous and was in such disbelief to even come up with a good response. It didn’t go unnoticed how Neteyam had also avoided answering his question. “Don’t worry about it, my father won’t kill you! I know you like her, I also know that she told me to ask you so…think about that you Skxawng! Let’s just head back, it’s fine.” Ao’nung ends the conversation there, laughing on his way back to the group since Neteyam was so silent. Ao’nung just co-signed and gave approval on their Y/n and his relationship…maybe Tonowari and Ronal will do the same*

As Y/n watches Neteyam about to do his diving practice now, waiting for him to go underwater before catching her own brothers attention. She silently asked how it went with her eyes going back and forth between the boy underwater and him. Ao’nung smiles to his sister throwing a thumbs up and Y/n turns back with a wide smile feeling relieved that some of her feelings were at least mutual.

The more time Y/n and Neteyam spent together, the more serious it was getting. Neteyam was so sure on how much he loves Y/n while she remembered the way love was described to her when she was younger …it all made sense to her…she loves him too.

*flashback*

Y/n had a voice of an angel, Tonowari sat down with her as he tried to teach her one of the songs she was going to put on for the clan. Y/n agreed happily, after she saw Tsireya and Ao’nung’s excitement to see her perform again, after so long.

(This is just a short clip of a song called ‘feelings’)

“Nothing more than feelings, trying to forget my feelings of love….tear drops, rolling down on my face. Trying to forget my feelings of love.”

Tonowari stops playing the music before giving a frustrated sigh, y/n is completely thrown off by this. “I thought I was doing good…what did I do wrong? Can I fix it?” Immediately panicked because she frustrated her father. “No, you’re just not- it’s about love Y/n. The song is about how you had a great love and then you lost it, it was taken away.” Ronal couldn’t stand listening to him try to explain the song to y/n, who didn’t even know what type of love he was referring to. “Tonowari. Shes 9 years old, she doesn’t know about love.” Y/n gives an even more confused face “What do you mean? I know about love! I love you! I love dad! I love Ao’nung and Tsireya!”

Tonowari laughs and nods toward Ronal to explain what love was to Y/n. Ronal walks closer to y/n kneeling down to her height. “It’s a different type of love, like your father and me. I can’t explain it fully, but it happens when you meet someone and suddenly it feels like there’s a fist around your heart…and if someone was to take that away? …it would feel like they are taking your whole heart with them.” Y/n slowly backs up with a scared expression “…well I don’t want that..!” How could her mother say love was so comforting yet so dangerous..? Her two parents laugh saying “You will want love one day. For now, you observe. One day it’ll all make sense ok?..*

After practice and talking with Neteyam, I had to do more work around the island, so I was walking back to the main area humming softly. My calmness is interrupted once I hear a voice. “Y/n! What are you doing all by yourself? I’ll walk with you.” Imrik. Oh please, no I made it clear I’m not interested, he’s so…arrogant?! He always seems to think he can get anything and anyone. He won’t have me. He doesn’t truly care about me, just wants to be a high role beside me. “Imrik hello, I was just heading to finish something up! It’s ok, you don’t ne-” He doesn’t allow me to finish my sentence “Nonsense I will walk with you and help you.” My next thirty minutes were filed with, Imrik telling me all these ‘sweet ideas’ and all of them ended something along the lines of ‘Once we are the leaders of the clan. I am going to…’ if this is what he thought as good company, it isn’t.

“Ok Imrik! I appreciate you being here but I’m exhausted I’m just going to rest now, it’s getting late.” Imrik said his goodbyes and let Y/n walk to her Mauri.

“He’s a good guy Y/n!” I give a blank face to my mother. A good guy? He’s selfish.

“He is not a ‘good guy.’ He isn’t good for the clan either.” Tonowari joins in from a far since he has just finished his conversation with Tsireya “He couldn’t even walk her to our Mauri. I believe Imrik Can be a good guy if he just got out of his own ways.” They actually are giving him the benefit of the doubt? “Very funny…goodnight, sleep well!” I immediately leave the frustrating conversation.

“pst…pst.. y/n” for a second I thought about ignoring Tsireya, but her ‘pst’ got louder. “yes?” Tsireya puts her hand on her lips telling me to keep quiet before signing to me so our parents don’t know about our conversation .

‘Neteyam completely likes you!’

‘And Lo’ak completely likes you!’

‘Oh my Eywa, we are doing so good!’

‘Did dad approve of you guys? Is that what you were talking to him about?’

‘Yes! Lo’ak asked him first! They approved m before you showed up! They were kinda stubborn though!’

‘Im so happy for you sister!…do you think dad will approve neteyam and i?’

She gives me a sad smile before signing back

‘In complete honesty?’

I nod to her anxiously.

‘…no. Only because of the way they are with you. Dad had mentioned you, after Lo’ak left..”

I give an upset face…what could he possibly say? What more does he want?

‘…well tell me!’

Tsireya contemplates it

‘Ok fine but please don’t be discouraged sister! He said that it better not be you to fall in love with the ‘other brother’ and that he noticed how you guys talk more and that it better only be about what I told him, he asked me about you two’

My heart breaks to this..

‘Please sister, don’t say anything about us! I love him! I can’t stop that from happening, it’s no one’s fault….What did you tell dad?’

‘I told him that you were just friends and when you two would talk it’s only about learning our ways. I talked highly about Neteyam to try to change his whole thought process on him’

Our conversation is cut short with Ao’nung waving his hand to us, to catch our attention.

‘Stop stressing each other out! Y/n you already know what you’re getting into, only question is what are you going to do about it? Now both of you shut up and go to sleep.’

I laid back, thinking about what my siblings said, I will confess tomorrow. If Neteyam knew how I felt and he felt the same, what’s stopping us from just going the full mile? I just want a relationship with him, even if it upsets me that we have to love each other in private.

The next morning I was set on my plans. I did the same routine of chores and extra work and soon we all went to training. I said hi to everyone, so nervous and yet so sure on what I was going to tell Neteyam when we were by ourselves. My dad was away on a hunting trip, but that doesn’t mean my mom couldn’t see anything. So immediately after practice I pulled Neteyam to follow me and I completely stopped him halfway through this sentence “we’re going to the cave ok? Just follow me.”

“what’s wrong y/n? Are you ok? Did something happen with your parents?” I can’t help but smile at how sincere and caring he was with me. “Neteyam…when I’m with you, it feels like my whole world is complete. I can’t wait anymore, because now to be without you is like not living anymore. I could fall in love, with you again and again, and I’d be completely happy with it.” Neteyam’s face has complete shock, he took in the moment. The girl who stole his heart and ran around with it , had finally confirmed everything he dreamt about hearing from her is real. “Y/n you have zero idea how happy I am to hear that. You have my heart completely. With those blue innocent eyes, it would undeniably be the death of me to ever make them cry. I will take care of you Y/n. In my eyes..it’s only you.” I stare at him with tears of happiness “Neteyam…Oel ngati kameie.” He hold my face before saying “Oel ngati kameie y/n.” I kiss him immediately and once we separated i knew it was only time before we discussed the hard part…

“My parents, especially my dad…they won’t accept us. It hurts me so much to ask you this, please understand me. Is it ok with you if we just keep our relationship between us, and when the time is right we will tell them. I promise Neteyam, please don’t be upset.” Tears build up in my eyes. It’s frustrating to have to hide my relationship, I should be allowed to fall in love.

“Of course my love, we will do everything in order for us to be together. I’m here to stay, no matter what.” He wipes my tears as we lay down enjoying the view and each others comfort.

From then on Y/n and Neteyam were knee deep in their relationship , everyone in the group knew, and they all silently agreed to keep it a secret. Neteyam was only upset at how everyone knew about it but their parents. No one should have to go through what they did.

The group of teens were joking around while Y/n and Neteyam were hugging each other, before Y/n gave Neteyam a quick kiss. The group was completely unaware that for the first time Y/n’s parent went to the teens hidden spot on the shore because they were looking for a moment of silence. Their laughing and jokes immediately stop because they hear Tonowari’s voice.

“Get up! Everyone get up! Out now! Y/n and Neteyam stay.” The teens immediately get up with fear written all over their faces for their friends, as they slowly walk away. They watch from a far, scared that it’ll be over for them as well.

My dad walks up to my face looking me in my eyes while my mom gives me a disappointed look. “This is over right now. You and him are done.” anger is completely written all over my face as Neteyam tries to calm that situation “respectfully sir, you can’t tell us what to do when it comes to this.” My dad quickly gets in his face yelling “I can tell you anything I want to tell you. You don’t think I know what you want? I’ve seen boys like you, falling from their throne to be a complete…waste.” Now it was my turn and unlike Neteyam I won’t hold back. “Dad do not talk to him like that-“

“I can say anything I want to say to him! I will not have him as the future leader. You are forbidden to see each other.” I get in his face, grabbing Neteyam’s hand with me “I have done everything you’ve asked of me. I will not do this one request-“

My mom immediately joins into the conversation, as her heart is torn into two. “Y/n! You are going to bring yourself and this clan down.”

“I will not bring anyone down! I made my due’s, I have kept this clan safe. Neteyam is the one person I have allowed myself to love! I love him…and he loves me too.”

They both roll their eyes as dad looks Neteyam up and down as if he was nothing. Mom speaks “Of course he does because you’re young, beautiful and your going to have a throne perfect for him to be lead beside you! He wants full control, something he wasn’t allowed to achieve because his family abandoned their home. He is dangerous to you. You are not in love.” Neteyam pulls me closer before looking at both of them “We’re not going to stop seeing each other.” Dad gets closer with his eyes holding so much anger, more than I’ve even seen before. “Listen to me. If you think I’m going to allow you to come here and mess up her future for this clan, you’re mistaken.” Neteyam puts his hands up saying “I am not here to ruin her future. I respect your family and clan. I love Y/n and we choose each other as future mates.” Hearing this ignited a even bigger flame.

“That’s it. You are forbidden to see her again. Do you hear me?! Or else you’re going right back to the forest. There will be no way for you to talk to Y/n.” Neteyam gets closer to my dad before saying “that’s ok I can make my own way.” My father yanks my hand from Neteyam, dragging him away. My mom stops me from following them, not allowing me to move.

“You can’t do this dad! I’m not going to let you do this! Dad no stop! We didn’t do anything wrong! We were going to tell you! Mom please! Please stop this! Mom you’re not going to stop this?!”

Y/n screams can be heard as her father, the group and Neteyam walk away.

“The result will be better for him and his family if you stop fighting this. You do not want to be the cause for them leaving.” So I did stop fighting at least in that moment…because we weren’t going to give up on each other. We made promises.

*Away from Y/n and Ronal*

“Your son is forbidden to see my daughter. They have been sneaking around our backs for months, they were in a relationship. This sneaking around and lying is not allowed in my family and it most certainly will not be allowed for her future.” Jake and Neytiri don’t even argue. They don’t stand up for Neteyam the one time he needed them. Jake yanks Neteyam and throws him to the side. Tonowari turns around to the group of teenagers, ready to make his statement clear. “You listen to me. You all listen to me. If you allow this relationship to happen, you will not see Y/n again, or you’ll just choose a worse fate for BOTH of them. Do you all understand me? It’s over.” Tonowari pick up Roxto, Ao’nung and Tsireya telling them all to go home as he walks back to Y/n and Ronal.

As he approached Y/n started letting down her tears, no one ever saw y/n cry…except Neteyam, he was the one who held her. The last time they saw Y/n cry was when she returned to the island. Y/n was never allowed to cry when she was held captive, the child wasn’t even allowed to show that she was tired because she would be punish horribly if she was..

“You never liked him!” Tonowari yanks Y/n now dragging her as she gets flashbacks of her memories, it ignited a fight or flight for Y/n. “I know how he’ll be.” I yanked my arm back pulling myself away “…you don’t know anything about him…” Tonowari grew frustrated with his daughter, just like he did many times before…except this time he wasn’t going to let anything hold back. “This is how it’s going to be. You are the future leader of this clan Y/n. I don’t care if you’re happy with my order or not anymore, you will keep your promise to the people. You are leaving first thing tomorrow to travel for trading Y/n. You’re better off!”

Hearing this broke Y/n’s heart once more…as much as Y/n was abused when she was younger…this was the worst punishment of them all. They were taking her heart and throwing her happiness away. Worst part is that they didn’t even care. They threw her around and gave y/n flashbacks…

!💙!

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[queen-scribbles]

🍒 for whoever you want to gush about? I want to hear about some platonic fluffiness :D

Oh, hmmmm, I have many bff sets, it's so hard to choose. :'D

🍒 (cherries) - Does your character have a best friend? How long have they known each other? What do they like most about each other? How did they meet?

Endrali's best friend is Nadia, they've known each other... 12 years if I'm doing my math right? Maybe 14? even if half that time they were separated, they still refer to each other as "best friend". I joke they bonded over being underestimated bc they're tiny(build 1 solidarity🤝), but that might honestly be part of it. They both feel kinda fish out of water, so there's that too. The galaxy's so different than Sarkhai for Nadia, Endrali is a CHISS JEDI. They're about the same age; I think Nadia's a year older, and both come from cultures with a dismal view of Force users, so lots of similarities + both being Different™ where they are now, bonding was inevitable.

Nadia likes that Endrali respects her and treats her as an equal and doesn't dismiss/coddle her, as well as giving very good advice and guidance about being a Jedi. Endrali likes Nadia's curiosity and positive outlook/believing the best of people, she's extremely glass-half-full and that's so nice to have with everything that is Consular acts 2 & 3. They also make a damn good team in a fight. They tell each other everything, and when they reunite on/after Ossus it picks right back up like they were apart days instead of years.

Bonus: Nadia meets Arcann, sizes him up, and makes some comment about hearing he did a lot of bad stuff, but if Endrali forgives him and loves him that's good enough for her, she's ecstatic for them HOWEVER "you know if you hurt her, I'm gonna have to kill you, right?"

Arcann (who knows better than to underestimate The Tiny Ones bc he's in love with one who could wipe the floor with him): I assume this is if she doesn't beat you to it?

Nadia: Oh, she's too nice. I usually am, too, but I make exceptions for people who hurt my best friend. 😊🗡

Arcann: ...Understood.

Red Emoji Asks