#I’ve literally been imagining this edit in my head since the start of the project. and here she is

[youcalledmebabe]

Meet the Websters

🦢 My Fair Liebgott Chapter Two 🦢

https://archiveofourown.org/works/61236958/chapters/159997147#workskin

[felassan]

BioWare Blog post: Developer Story - Mac Walters

Friends, it’s time for another Developer Story, where we meet the folks who make the games that make BioWare what it is. Today we sit down with another member of the Dragon Age™ leadership team: Production Director Mac Walters. Mac has been with BioWare for… wait, 18 years? That can’t be right. Oh, here we go: 18 and a half years.

In some countries, Mac’s time at BioWare would be old enough to vote.

THE STORY SO FAR

With such a long tenure here, it may surprise you to learn that before joining BioWare, Mac wasn’t in the video-game industry at all. In fact, he’d spent most of his life up to that point thinking that wasn’t even an option. “The first time I realized that there were teams of people who made the games I loved, I thought, ‘I want to do that one day,’” he says. “But growing up, everyone said, ‘Video games? That’s not a real job. You can’t do that.’ So I pursued a bunch of different things that weren’t my passion.”

A chance encounter changed his perspective dramatically. “I happened to meet Ray [Muzyka], one of the founders of BioWare, at a conference,” he says. “He was there talking about how BioWare was a business, how he and Greg [Zeschuk, co-founder] got their MBAs—and I know that doesn’t sound exciting, but I was like, ‘Wait a second, this is a real business? You can do this for a living?’ So I carved out part of my schedule every day to work on a submission to BioWare. That was a long time ago… but it worked out in the end.”

And as for why he looked at BioWare, specifically? “Every time I fall asleep, I’m creating a new world in my head,” Mac tells us. “I’ve been that way since I was a kid. And the worlds that BioWare was building—at that point Neverwinter Nights™ had just come out—those worlds really excited me. They released the Aurora toolset for Neverwinter Nights, which let players create their own RPG stories; I could build those worlds myself. I spent a lot of time playing with that. And there weren’t a lot of companies that were so strongly focused on telling interesting stories and having amazing characters.”

Coming off Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition as its project director, he’s taken on the role of production director for the next Dragon Age, and that role is… well, what, exactly? “The easiest way to think of it,” Mac says, “is to take the two key components of that title and map it to the film or TV industry: imagine someone who’s both producer and director. So you have the vision for a product you’re helping to uphold—something you and the team want to do—but on the producer side, you are also responsible for figuring out how you’re going to support the team in creating that vision. And then you work with the team to actually execute that vision.”

ON DRAGON AGE

This isn’t his first leadership position at the studio, though. During his time here, Mac has held high-level roles across multiple franchises. But he never forgot his very first look at a BioWare game in development—because it was love at first sight.

“When I started at BioWare, I didn’t know what project I was going to be on immediately,” he says, “so I was kind of just wandering around, chatting with people. And I remember someone showed me a super-early concept of Dragon Age: Origins, and there were all these characters having a battle beneath the bridge, with all these arrows flying up and everything. And I was like, ‘Oh, my God, that looks incredible, I want to work on that!’”

He was fated for a different path, however: he started as a writer on Jade Empire™ before moving to the Mass Effect franchise, graduating from senior writer to narrative director and then to creative director, most recently serving as project director of Mass Effect Legendary Edition. But things have a way of coming around. “Eighteen and a half years later,” Mac says, “I finally get to work on Dragon Age, the one I saw literally on the first day I was at BioWare.”

And what is it that makes that franchise so special? “For me,” he tells us, “it’s exploring a deeply magical world, alongside incredible characters who really make that journey, that exploration, impactful and meaningful. And it’s the diversity of characters, the ability for players to really see themselves in that heroic role. Dragon Age really lets you lean into that. It allows anyone to play the role that they want to play, in a way that they can see themselves as the hero of the story, whatever that means to them. I think that’s one of the great things about BioWare games in general, and specifically the Dragon Age franchise.”

ON BIOWARE

Talk to enough folks at the studio, and you’ll start to notice a common thread that runs through the developers’ feelings about BioWare, something that you’ll see in all kinds of artistic endeavors: The people who make BioWare games make them because these are the kinds of games they want more of in the world!

“I assume if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably a fan of at least one of the franchises,” Mac says. “So imagine going to work with a bunch of people like yourself who are fans of the same types of games, who are passionate about making them—and then getting the opportunity to build more of those games. I think that’s what BioWare is; we started as fans of the games that we’re building.”

And that’s kept at the core of everything the team does. “One of the questions we often ask ourselves is, would we want to play this?” he says. “Is this exciting to us? That’s what leads us to develop the games and franchises and worlds that we do. And I think that’s one of the things that makes it so much fun to work here. It is work—but it’s also getting to do something that you’re deeply passionate about.”

Even after 18 and a half years, Mac doesn’t seem at risk of losing that passion. “The franchises, the worlds themselves—they’re so big,” he says. “Like I said, I go to bed every night thinking about new stories to tell and new places to explore in those worlds. There are so many stories yet to be told.”

Mac Walters is the production director for the next Dragon Age. He can be found on Twitter at @macwalterslives or on his road bike. Or his mountain bike. Or his fat bike. He likes bikes, is what we’re saying.

[source]

[theglitterypages]

Hi! I’m a new follower so i’m not quite sure if you accept requests now but if u do! i have this request that i think would be really nice!

I just read ur one shot called “behind the scenes” and i literally fell in love with it! I was thinking if you could do a sequel or part two where levi and reader talk about what he said in the interview and come to terms with their feelings for each other and then he says that they will take it slow and court reader properly.

After that, they would have like cute moments together like, she goes live on ig or such and he join and then flirts with her through the comment section 😆🥰 they have like small dates. And then when they film again for the next season, the other actors will ask what’s the deal with the both of them and Levi says he’s courting reader ><

Just a thought hehe i hope you have a great day!

Title: Behind The Scenes Part Two

Pairings: Levi x fem! Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3000

A/N: Hello darling, I'm so sorry it took me so long to respond, I've been a little busy in cleaning our house these days and I'm trying to spend less time using gadgets that's why I rarely find time to write. Anyways, I hope you'll like this one. This is not proofread so Expect many errors, I will edit this in no time. Thanks for requesting dearie💗💗💗

Read Part 1 Here

°°°°°

“Let's see each other next season! Good luck on your upcoming projects especially you Miss Marvel!” Zeke walked towards you and hugged you tight.

The whole cast just finished eating dinner, it was a dinner filled of laughter, the whole cast talked about the days on set, the silly things and other stuffs. Throughout the years of filming attack on titan, every one became each other's best friends and every time the filming are finished it's kinda sad because it will take time before you guys start filming together again.

“Goodnight everyone!”

Levi guided you towards the parking lot, his car was parked beside Eren who's now opening the door for Mikasa. “Drive straight my sister home, it's late.” Eren nodded and saluted to Levi before he climbed up the car and drove off.

Levi, on the other hand also opened the door of the car for you before he entered the car himself.

••••

“Thanks for driving me home, Lev. Do you want go inside for some tea?”

“It's fine, I don't wanna keep you up. We barely had enough time to sleep these days because of the promotions and stuffs.” Despite of saying that Levi is still standing in front of you, his eyes are full of hesitation and he kept opening his mouth just to pursed his lips together again as if holding himself back.

You are holding yourself back as well, you wanted to talk about what he said on the interview, you wanted to make things clear but you're too scared to do so.

Levi is a man who's hard to read, you wouldn't know if what he's saying is for the sake of fun or it is because he meant it.

Maybe he said that because you two are good friends, right, that's the only logical reason that popped into your mind.

You smiled fakely, trying to hide your disappointment to the fact that he's not gonna say anything, you get ready to turn your back on him to go inside your house but Levi suddenly held your hand, causing you to look back at him with wide eyes, “W-What is it?” you stammered.

“I mean it.”

“You mean what?”

Your heart is beating so fast, you're suddenly wondering it is because of Levi or it is because you have a heart problem.

Levi sighed and squeezed your hand gently as he looked into your eyes, he prepared himself a lot of times already but why is he getting afraid all the time?

He wanted to say it, say that this is more than just a friendship, that this is more than a job, that what he's doing is not a publicity stunt but he's tongue-tied. His mind went blank the moment he met your gaze, everything that he practiced before all of this has gone into the abyss.

But if he won't take a step forward, he'll always be at the same place and he wouldn't want that.

“I like you—no scratch that, I'm in love with you.”

“We had no liquor earlier so you can't be drunk. I have no times for jokes right now Lev.” you wanted to say that you like him too but what if this is just a joke? Can you afford to lose the friendship you to has?

Levi took a deep breath before he slowly nipped your chin and leaned down, his lips almost touching yours. “I know this is ridiculous but I..fell in love with you. At first I thought it was just because I'm portraying a man who's possibly in love with your character but as time passes by, I realized I'm not portraying Levi's feelings anymore.” he closed his eyes and gulped hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he do so.

“On Erwin's last day on shoot, I've realized that my remaining time with you are short and I realized that I'm not ready to let all of this end just like that.”

Flashback

“Okay so Levi you'll be choosing between Armin and Erwin, you know what to do just show us that you're heartbroken without obviously doing it and then once Samantha and Hanji came in look at Samantha with a face of relief, because in this scene Levi is glad to see her alive.” Levi nodded to the director, the make up artists put more fake bloods all over his face and when he sat nearby Erwin, the latter opened his eyes.

“Come on, man. Loosen up, the camera's not yet rolling.” Erwin smiled, Levi is a passionate actor and he gives his best in his craft, this series for example, Levi doesn't have any stunt doubles, he learned martial arts for the role and he did great portraying Levi Ackerman.

“Lights, Camera, Action!”

The scene went well and everyone cheered since this is the last day of filming for Erwin's character, Armin immediately hugged his older co-actor, Jean and Connie did the same while Mikasa and Sasha are clapping and smiling at the production team.

You and Levi are standing side by side behind Erwin, “This is sad.” you commented while Levi sighed beside you, “Imagine what my old guy feels.” Levi told you referring to his character in the series, you shrugged your shoulders and walked towards Erwin to hug him.

“You're the best, Commander Erwin.” you smiled and did the salute in the series before chuckling, “Shinzou wo Sasageyo!” you told him and the other actors heard you, everyone started doing the salute and shouted, “Shinzou wo Sasageyo!” Erwin looked around and smiled at everyone.

“Oh come on! It's not like I'm real dead, it's just my character.”

That wraps up the filming that day, while everyone was busy taking pictures with Erwin because this is his last day, Levi remained watching the whole cast from afar.

His eyes landed on you as you cry hugging Erwin, telling him that you'll miss working with him.

That was when Levi had come to realize that once this series is finished, he will never be ready to share the last moment on and off screen with you.

He's been working in this industry for a long time, not all friendships formed in work could last after a project is done, that was one of the reason why he's doing his best not to get attached especially in leading ladies but right now, for working so long with these whole cast it is inevitable to be attached to someone so similar to him yet different in other ways.

A small smile made its way across his lips as he see you laugh with the casts as you stood beside his sister.

One thing has come to his mind at that moment, he will never be ready to let you go.

End of Flashback

“I don't want to pressure you or anything. We can take it slow, I'm ready to court you properly, I haven't done any of that before but I'll do everything...let's just give it a try.”

All you could do was stare at him, blinking slowly as you tried processing everything he said, it was surprising to see him tremble like this, you can feel how cold his hands are and how his eyes are glassy because of the tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

“Well...I like you too but we'll take things slow, right? I don't want any of us to be hurt.”

“I understand—wait, what? You like me too?”

“Should I take that back?”

“No!”

You yelped with surprise when he hugged you tightly, his arms wrapped around you as he whisper sweet nothings on your ear.

“Levi it's too tight.” you giggled and he immediately pulled away, his cheeks are red so are his ears, he's cute with that blush but the way he smiled at you makes you feel like you've won the lottery, who knew you could see the Levi Cold Ackerman smile like this?

“I promise, I'll do my best.” he told you before pressing his lips on your forehead.

••••••

“Miss Y/N? Ahm the show asked if you could go live on Instagram to entertain the fans and inform them that you'll be in the Night Show.” you smiled at the staff and took the tablet in her hands since you'll be using the show's account to go live.

You started the live while your hairstylist is still fixing your hair, “As you guys can see my beloved hairstylist is not yet done fixing my hair, I will be at the Night Show! Oh my gosh I don't know what to say next, I'm just gonna read the comments.” your hairstylist laughed at your silliness and took a glance on the screen before turning her attention back to your hair.

“Okay, @ynsupremacy says she's been waiting for me to appear on the show. Oh thank you very much dearie! I've always wanted to be here too thanks for your support.”

“Oh my gosh take it easy babes, I can't read everything in just one go.”

You scrolled through the comments and sees a familiar username, “Someone deadass spammed the comment section you guys, Levi you little bastard stop spamming. Let my babies talk to me.” you narrowed your eyes at the screen before reading Levi's comment.

“I can't believe Angels go live on Instagram, says @captainlev.”

You looked back at your hairstylist after hearing her read Levi's comment, you blushed and she laughed at your reaction before shaking her head. “What? I was just reading. Nice on Captain Lev!” she smirked at the camera before looking back at you.

“I'll be back in a minute.” she said before walking out of the room.

You could still see Levi's comments but you did your best to ignore it so you could talk to your fans. “Hello @erenlegalwife happy birthday! I'm gonna tell Eren that it's his legal wife's birthday.” you chuckled. It's amusing to see their usernames, the comments are also hilarious but there are some bashers in the comments. You didn't mind them and just proceeded in interacting with your fans.

Another comment was shown but before you could even read it someone covered your eyes and you squealed, you removed their hands off your eyes and when you looked back you gasped in surprise.

“You kept on ignoring my comments, meanie.” Levi smirked as he opened his arms, asking for a hug and when you're too slow to hug him he's the one to walk towards you and hug you tight as he laughed loudly. “I scared you big time didn't I?” he teased.

You hit his back and pullled away from the hug. “God, I hate you.” it's been two months since you two confessed to each other, just like what he said, you two are taking it slow.

You guys are going out on dates from time to time yet there's no official relationship status, you didn't need the label actually, you're sure Levi wouldn't break your heart or anything, you just want to enjoy every time that you're with him.

“Okay, Levi will be joining us too but believe me I have no idea that he's a guest as well.” you told the fans as they ask you in the comment section.

“Figured I gotta surprise you, it's much better this way right?”

“You told me you're filming for that movie, big liar.”

Levi laughed and pinched your cheeks gently, “Sorry, I just want to surprise you.” he smiled sweetly and you looked away, blushing. “Pft. Never mind...” you bit your lower lip and scrolled through the comments but Levi already read something out loud.

“Ooh... @levisamlover says ‘you two look good together, just date already’ thank you for that. I also think that we look really good with each other, thanks for supporting my claim.” he smirked.

••••

“Are you sure you're fine with us just having a date at home? Well you probavly don't wanna let the press see us.” Levi asked as he wrapped jis arms around your shoulder, pulling you close to him as you two watch a movie.

“Hmm, nah the press has been seeing us two a lot but I don't care, I just want to stay close with you like this.” you told him, hugging him sideways, Levi chuckled and kissed the top of your head before feeding you some popcorn.

In the middle of the movie, Levi looked down on you just to see you asleep with a pout on your lips. He chuckled to himself and he slowly scoop you up being careful not to wake you up. He carried you towards your bedroom and he lay you down on the bed gently.

He smiled at your sleeping form before kissing your forehead. “I love you, do you know that? The day's ending yet I'm still 'ere falling in love with you again and again, deeper and deeper at every moment that passes by.” he took his phone from his pocket and took a picture of you, it became his new hobby, he's not the type to love taking pictures before but now that he has you, he wants to capture every moment.

He wants every moment to be saved, so he can go back to it every time that he misses you.

••••

“Nice job YN! Another action stunt beautifully done!”

You let out a sigh of relief when you're done filming your part, you guys are filming Eren's fight with the War Hammer Titan, along with the Survey corps fighting scene.

When you've finally done your part you immediately sat on the floor, feeling drained because of the insane stunts you had to do.

Levi was quick to hand you a bottled of water, he also naturally took his handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe your sweats, technically it is your PA's job but Levi was way faster than them.

Zeke and Reiner who just got finished their parts too, laughed at the scene because your PA was standing awkwardly as she watch Levi steal her job. “Man, I can't be the only one feeling that something changed with this two.” Zeke smirked nudging Reiner's sides, the latter hummed to agree before flicking his eyes on you and Levi.

“He's not even using his trailer anymore. He's with her all the time, Levi is acting sus.”

“Not to mention the fact that they kept on stealing glances all the time.” Hanji appeared behind the two holding her phone in her hand as she captures a photo of you and Levi laughing together. “Once we caught 'em in the act they'll spill the beans, believe me.” Armin who just finished filming also appeared holding his bottled water.

“I have a plan.” Hanji smirked deviously.

•••

“What, you're telling me to flirt with YN? Mikasa, I don't want to get killed by your brother.” Eren complained when he found out that the plan that they were thinking was getting Levi jealous so he would spill the tea.

Mikasa glared at Eren and smacked the back of his head. “Just do it, we'll be here to do something once he attempt to kill you.” Eren stared at her unbelievably before looking at his older brother. “Why don't you tell Armin to do it?” Zeke pushed his glasses up his nose before shaking his head. “Nah, Armin is like her son, Levi won't get jealous but you, a fuckboy would appear as a threat.” Zeke explained and everyone agreed.

“Man you're the one who flirts like a Seahorse.” Armin told him.

Eren narrowed his eyes, unable to understand Armin's sentence. “What do you mean by that smart-ass?” he growled.

“Seahorses flirts a lot, you're just like them.”

“I hate you all.”

Zeke got impatient of his brother's drama and he immediately pushed him towards your direction, the poor man almost landes face flat on the floor if you weren't able to grab his arm.

“Eren!” you gasped and helped him up, when Eren got up his face is pale, he smiled awkwardly and looked back at his brother to send a glare on his way before looking back at you. “You look beautiful today, YN.” he complimented.

You were taken aback by the sudden compliment so you just smiled before tapping his back, “Thanks, you look handsome today too, nice stunts by the way.” Eren looked around and he sees no traces of Levi so he loosened up a bit.

“I was just wondering if you'd like to have some coffee, there's this new coffee shop nearby and I've heard they have nice coffee.”

“Oh yes su—”

“She doesn't like coffee.”

Eren wanted to run when he heard Levi spoke behind him but he had no choice but to look at him, “Hey Lev! What's up?” Levi raised his brow to Eren, he didn't respond to him and went to your side as he glares at Eren.

“Play nice.”

“What am I? Your dog?” he whispered and you glared at him. “I'm just saying that you should act nice.” Levi crossed his arms over his chest and let out a deep breath. “I am nice.” you shook your head and massaged the bridge of your nose, there's no point in calming a jealous Levi.

“Ohohoho! I see what's happening here! Seems like sugar plum and captain grumpy is hiding somethin' eh? Spill it. What's with the possesiveness and lovey-dovey moments?”

Levi's eyes widened for a secons before he looked away, his ears and cheeks are red. Zeke's teasing smirk tells him that the man already know something, Hanji, Mikasa and Armin's stares are also meaningful, it seems like they're pressuring him to give an answer.

Levi clicked his tongue and acted cool as he looked at his co-actors and sister.

“I'm courting her, got any problem with that? Flirt with her again and you're done, Yeager.” he held your hand and dragged you away from the group while Zeke and Eren's laughter boomed at the whole set.

“YEAGERS! QUIET!”

[halpertstuna]

Could you do 8 and 10 on the prompt list with JJ?

A/N: i’m so sorry it took me so long to answer, i’ve been pretty occupied lately and so i didn’t really have time to write and when i did it was for ‘someone to stay’, anyway, here it is i hope you’ll like it🥺

and PLEASE don’t hesitate to send me requests, questions, messages whatever you want. i would love to make friends and mutuals on this platform plus i love feedback and would really like to hear your opinions(:

also, this turned out way longer than i intended it to be, it was supposed to be a blurb but i guess i’m just gonna turn it into a whole ass imagine cause why not

-> prompt list <-

word count: 1,899 (oops... guess i got a bit carried away)

prompts: “i’m not jealous!”, “you’re hot when you’re mad”

pairing: jj x kook!reader

warnings: a pretty heated make out sesh, jealousy?, platonic Kie, Pope and John B. oh and typos probably.

btw, i was kinda in a rush to post this so please forgive me if it’s not that good, i’m too lazy to edit this again (and this is the first time i wrote something that’s kinda smutty? i mean this isn’t really smut but you get my point. don’t know how i feel about it), anyways, if you’ve made it this far in my insanely long intro congrats! enjoy <3

-> masterlist <-

(gif credit: @anakin-skywalker )

—

It’s been almost two years since you started attending the kook academy, almost two years since you became one of the pogues.

On your first day there you met a brown haired hippie chick named Kiara. The two of you had chemistry together and were paired by your teacher to be lab partners.

On your first encounter you didn’t really talk, and on the following couple of lessons it developed to only small talk and warm smiles if you saw each other in the hallway.

Kiara didn’t like kooks, even though technically she kind of was one.

Judging by the way you dressed and the people you surrounded yourself, she didn’t think you were really the type of person she’d get along with.

But when the two of you got assigned to do a project together, you instantly proved her wrong.

You met up with her at the wreck, the two of you talked about the project then yourselves and bonded almost immediately.

You revealed that you actually hated the people you usually associated with, thinking they were all fake, stuck up snobs with their heads way too far up their asses, and the only reason you hung out with them was your parents.

You turned out to be really reckless and funny which she wasn’t expecting at all, but she liked, it kind of reminded her of someone, her best friend, JJ.

She was quick to introduce you to the rest of the pogues and they welcomed you with open arms into their group. You instantly befriended them and vice versa.

Just as Kie suspected, you got along extra well with one particular blond.

The two of you had a lot in common; you were both hot headed and impulsive which often got you into trouble. You two were pretty competitive, always challenging one another.

You being so similar was the reason you got along so well, but it was also the reason you fought a lot, neither of you ever willing to admit you’re wrong or be the first one to apologize, but you couldn’t stay away from each other for too long. The sexual tension between you two could be cut with a knife.

Hungry glances, longing touches, needy desires that were transparent on both your faces.

Everyone on the island could see it but you. You were both so terribly oblivious.

You tried treating him like the rest of the pogues, you pushed your feelings for him to the back of your mind, thinking he was just being friendly, knowing he was a flirt, and for almost two years, it worked.

But seeing him flirt with Harleen tonight was literal torture.

Harleen was your neighbour and former best friend. A tall, tan brunette you hated with all of your heart.

The two of you have known each other since birth, you were practically inseparable, but as you grew up you noticed she always wanted what was yours, and she always did whatever it took in order to gain it. Whether it was the new shoes you got for your birthday which she bought herself the following day, or the guy you told her you liked in middle school the week prior to her dating him.

With time your friendship grew toxic and you felt like she was bad for you, constantly bringing you down and never caring.

So you decided to defriend her and ever since that moment you despised each other.

You were sat on a log beside Kie at a kegger, Pope next to her as they argued about god knows what. You tuned them out, far too focused on each and every one of JJ’s actions, watching as he whispered in her ear.

He probably said something funny since she started laughing, leaning forward and grasping his bicep for balance, which made your blood boil, you felt like history was repeating itself.

The grip on your red solo cup tightened, you stared and it seemed as if lasers were about to shoot out of your eyes and burn her pretty face off, but you diverted your gaze down to your hand, jumping up slightly when you felt a cool sticky liquid on your fingers, noticing you accidentally created a hole in your cup of beer with your milky white painted nails.

“Wow, what did the poor cup ever do to you?” Pope joked, his and Kie’s attention averted to you the second they heard a pop coming from your direction.

“Huh? Oh, well it didn’t tell me how pretty I look tonight, take that as warning sign” you trailed, trying not to look suspicious, “are you sure it isn’t because JJ told that to the girl beside him instead of you” she implied winking, causing Pope to cackle with laughter.

“What was that?” You asked rhetorically trying to act intimidating, “oh nothing” she gave you an innocent look.

“Anyways... i’m gonna go get a new drink” you swiftly stood up and started walking until you made out John B. from afar who was stood by the keg.

“Refill?” He questions once he spotted you making your way towards him.

You nodded “I accidentally poked mine” you admitted lifting the ripped cup in your hand and pursing your lips as you came to a stop beside him.

As he poured you a new cup of beer with the tap head connected to the keg by a tube, you searched the crowd with your eyes and focused your attention on JJ again.

You’ve seen him flirt with a countless amount of chicks before - kooks and torouns mainly, but none of those times pissed you off os much as seeing him flirt with Harleen did.

I mean he probably didn’t even like you back, so why where you so pissed? It wasn’t different from any other time, except that this was Harleen. She was a bitch. But he’d probably catch on quickly, right?

He placed his hands on her waist and you clenched your jaw at the sight grinding your teeth, you were irritated by the whole situation.

John B. noticed, a sly smile spreading slowly across his face.

“Hey, want some peanut butter with that jelly?” You turned to face him, a dumbfounded look on your face, “what are you talking about?” You raised an eyebrow at him.

“You’re obviously jealous”, he chuckled at the bewildered look on your face and you felt your cheeks heat up. “am not!” You denied huffing.

“Tell that to the vein popping out of your forehead” he teased.

You gasped and jabbed his chest playfully with your elbow, you mumbled a “shut up” then channeled your attention back to the two.

Her hands were rested on his chest, like that wasn’t enough already to send you off the edge. But when he pecked her cheek you lost it.

Abruptly you stormed off from where you were stood, John B. shouted from behind you “where are you going?“ but you ignored him.

When you approached JJ and Harleen you clutched onto his wrist dragging him away from her towards the chateau, ignoring both her and his protests. You led him inside then turned around to face him.

“Hey! What did you do that for? It was going really good for me! This better be an emergency” he sneered.

“Are you fucking serious? Out of all the people in the party you chose to hit on Harleen?” You scoffed.

“What’s the problem with that?” JJ was clueless, he knew nothing about your and Harleen’s rivalry. You never told any of the pogues, well except for Kie but she didn’t recognise her as the one flirting with JJ.

“The problem is Harleen hates my guts and the other way around. We used to be best friends but she became toxic, trying to take everything that I had and I’m not going down that road again JJ”

Your words confounded JJ, what did you care if she flirted with him? It wasn’t like he was yours, although he really wanted to be.

Does you caring about whether they end up together or not mean you wanted to be his too?

Then he noticed what emotion your eyes held, he’d never seen it before on your face, but he immediately recognised it.

“Wait.. are you jealous?” He questioned, the corners of his lips perking up into a smirk when he noticed the furious look on your face from his revolution.

“I’m not jealous! Would everyone please stop saying that?! I’m mad ok?!” You defend.

“Ok! Ok!” He surrendered lifting his hands up in the air “but just know, you’re hot when your mad”. Your mouth slightly agape as you weren’t able to form words to deny, far too transfixed under the fact he directly called you hot.

He started walking towards you slowly, you didn’t want to cave, to admit you have fallen for his charms, so you backed up until you felt your back gently hit the wall. Chest rising and falling quicker as your breathing started getting heavier and your heart beat faster.

The second his hand landed on your waist you felt a million butterflies erupt in your stomach, he tenderly stroked the exposed skin of your v line between your low cut shorts and crop top. You felt as if the skin under his finger was being set on fire.

He brought his other hand to rest beside your head on the wall, he leaned in, inches away from your face. His breath mingled with yours, fanning your lips, it smelled of cheap beer and weed.

He slowly moved to your ear and extolled in a low voice “I mean, really hot”, his warm breath sent shivers down your spine.

He left a sloppy, open mouthed kiss on the skin under your earlobe and you could’ve sworn you were seeing stars.

When he detached his lips you bit down on yours holding in a whimper at the loss of contact as he brought his face back to yours.

His blue orbs gazed into yours, they seemed darker than usual, lustful.

He waisted no more time and captured your lips with his. You didn’t hesitate to kiss him back.

You wrapped your hands around his neck and pulled on the edges of his hair deepening the kiss. As your tongues fought for dominance, he brought his other hand to your ass and squeezed it causing you to moan, he took the chance and slipped his tongue in.

you tugged on the hem of his shirt and he got the message. He separated his lips from yours and within less then a second, practically tore it of his body and discarded it on the floor. The two of you were panting at this point, completely out of air but you didn’t care. Breathless, you reattached your lips to his, desperate to taste him again.

You caressed his much bigger length with your petite hand, signalling you wanted more and he groaned into the kiss.

“Up” he demanded mumbling agains your lips. You jumped up and wrapped your legs around his waist, he grabbed your thighs and without breaking the kiss led you into the spare room.

Almost two years of yearning and craving dissolved in that night at the chateau, and to think it happened because of Harleen.

As much of a bitch as she was, you did owe her that.

[nicco-needs-love]

Oh boy. I did it. I wrote this damn thing. It's kinda long (5k) so I'm splitting it into three parts because that's how I wrote this fic. The full thing will be up on ao3 tomorrow because it's 6am :,) my ao3 is HoliGAY if you wanna see the whole thing because I'm gonna edit it and make it look pretty on there! :,,)))

TW//quick desc of gore, and romanticizing of marriage! The gore isn't in this chapter so no worries! I would say this chapter would be rated G!

This is only chapter one! I'm gonna post the other's tomorrow! Sorry for any errors! I didn't read it over!

(1/3) White Proposal

"Is it normal? Y'know… To fall in love with one of our Eves?"

"Do you really think that's a good question to ask me?! Hell, I've fallen in love with every damn one of them!"

Ildio shrugs, realizing that asking Hyde was not the smartest idea.

"Well? There's a reason you asked that. Catching feelings for your Eve?"

"Yeah, I wanna propose."

Hyde inhales his water, coughing everywhere; caught very off guard at Ildio's sentence. 

"Huh?!"

"It isn't that strange. Mother married one of her old eves. Double Doubt and his eve are engaged. You and yours?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But it's normal for us to fall for our eves! You, however, haven't done that once!"

"Well… Nicco's different."

Ildio looks away, thinking about the long haired guy he'd hopelessly fallen for. Ildio isn't sure about even asking Niccolò to marry him. They're dating, been dating for a few years. It's just there has never been a good instance of Servamps marrying their Eves. It's just a sad thing to think about. Servamps are immortal, they'll never die. Their Eves aren't. Ildio was never close to any of his previous Eves, he was one of the very few Servamps who has never fallen in love. Of course, that was until he met Niccolò. It was a curse until Ildio eventually gave up fighting off those butterflies he'd get when Nicco would smile. 

"Uh-huh… Okay. Do you actually wanna do it? Propose I mean. Think about it, would it work?  Sometimes I wanna propose to Licht but there's so many reasons I can't. Our schedules, his job, he's popular with "everyone" so I can't imagine the problems he would get if people found out he was married. Hell,I'm not sure Licht would even say yes."

"I'm just thinking about it, if I was gonna do it, it wouldn't be extravagant, we wouldn't even have to wear rings."

"Then what's the point? Could be the romanticism in me but, that's such a beautiful thing about marriage. Wearing rings? It's so romantic, the glimmer of each other's face reflecting on their wedding rings! Being able to see your love in a metal band on someone's finger is just a beautiful thing! I've been married a few times and wedding days are some of the best days of my life."

Ildio sighs, definitely regretting his decision of talking to Hyde about this. He definitely should have talked to Kuro instead, none of the theatrics or excessive romantic details. Honestly any of his siblings would have been better to talk to about this; except for Hugh. Hugh has always been against Servamps falling in love. Especially ever since the incident with Hyde many centuries ago. Then Jeje's past with the Alicen family. There have been many, many times Servamps have fallen in love. Every time they had talked about those things to Hugh, there would be a very long conversation about the problems with a romance like that. That's one of the reasons that Ildio has always been weary of the idea of love. In fact, he thought he would never fall for anyone. All his previous Eves were asses who would break Ildio's rules almost immediately. Yet again, Niccolò changed his mind on that.

"I'm gonna go, Law. I'm gonna think more about it."

"Mkay! Invite me to the wedding! I wanna see it!"

Ildio laughs aloud once, closing the door behind him. 

The thing is, Ildio already bought a ring for the proposal. It was an impulse buy, he was shopping for snacks and a bright ring caught his eye in a window. The ring is one of a kind, a gorgeous onyx black band, with a shining silver inlay. Apparently there was a second ring similar to that one, however it sold a while ago. Ildio knew immediately the ring would fit Nicco. Don't ask how he would know that, many hours watching Niccolò's hands move would certainly not be Ildio's answer. The ring, inside a white velvet box, feels heavy inside his pocket. He could propose, just give Nicco the ring and walk away. Although he knows there's no way he could do that. After all, the worst thing Niccolò could say is no, right?

"He's been gone for hours… Not so far that the distance effect would take in, but far enough that I can't find him."

Niccolò sighs, sinking down against the vinyl chair he's sitting in. A few hours ago, Ildio told him to meet him at this diner. Nicco didn't expect to be waiting for hours. It's not like he has anything to do today anyway. Besides the piles of phone calls he has to make with other bosses of families because there have been many issues in the workplace. Nicco puts his head down on the table, considering giving Ildio a call. Not because he's impatient, but starting to get worried.

"Hey, Nicco."

Niccolò opens his eyes and looks up, seeing Ildio. Nicco isn't sure when he took a nap, but he certainly did. Ildio looks nervous? Niccolò isn't sure why he would be, but he sits up, tapping the spot next to him on the seat for Ildio to sit down. 

"Hey… Sorry I fell asleep, I meant to call but, I fell asleep…"

Ildio doesn't say anything, just nods. It isn't rare for Ildio to not say anything. However, it is rare for Ildio to look this nervous. Or nervous at all. Nicco notices Ildio has his hand inside his jacket pocket, it looks like he's fidgeting with something? Or, it could just be Niccolò projecting. You see, something has been weighing on his mind for months; marriage. Niccolò knows that's the very last thing he should be thinking about. First of all, he's a mafia boss with many people who rely and count on him, he still has to prove he can be just as good as his father one day. Secondly, he would be married to a vampire, a Servamp. If Niccolò proposed, would Ildio even have a choice to say no? If that's the case, Nicco would never want to propose. Still, he bought a ring, specifically for Ildio. He was just window shopping for rings when he saw it. The ring is a shining silver that shines beautifully in the sun. Inside the ring is a deep black inlay, the ring is gorgeous. He sighed a sigh of relief looking closely at the ring, he knew it would fit Ildio perfectly.  Niccolò being the hopeless romantic he is, he got an engraving into the ring's inlay. 'Mio dio'. Translating to 'My God' in italian. It's a very cheesy thing that Niccolò thinks about a lot, he thinks of Ildio as his God. 

Nicco can't help but idly roll the black velvet box between his fingers. He bought the ring about two weeks ago, he's been thinking about the moment over and over. The imaginary proposal in his head. Niccolò honestly is far too shy to do something so forward. It's completely different to hold hands or soft kisses, this is marriage. 

"S-so uh...Why were you out for so long, Il? I was getting worried…"

"Just thinkin' about stuff."

Silence. Niccolò shifts in his seat uncomfortably, not too sure what to say. Ildio is thinking the exact same, he isn't sure which way to go about this.

"So uh-"

They both start talking at the same time. Meeting each other's eyes, Niccolò looks down first, a blush dusting his face. Ildio obviously takes notice of this, realizing that Nicco is more nervous than usual; which is hard to be. 

Ildio stands up, grabbing Nicco's hand and taking him out of the diner. In the corner of his eye, he can see many of the Carpe Diem members giving him a look of suspicion. 

Outside the diner, around seven feet away from the entrance, Ildio can't stop fiddling with the box in his pocket. Nicco isn't touching the box in his pocket, however, it feels like one-hundred tons weighing in on him.

Ildio inhales, getting a grip on the wedding ring. He's doing it; he's going to ask Niccolò to marry him.

Looking at Ildio, Nicco can see a look of determination? Seeing that makes Nicco want to propose. He reaches within his coat pocket, grabbing the white box.

"Niccolò."

Nicco stops in his tracks, the severe tone in Ildio's voice making him stop. Has he done something wrong? Does Ildio suddenly just want to turn their relationship into business only? Does he want to leave the business and have nothing to do with Nicco anymore? His hands turn clammy, swallowing down a lump of anxiety. 

"Y-yes?"

"I uh… Listen, augh- dammit."

Ildio's stuttering just makes Niccolò feel much more nervous. Thousands of different things race through Nicco's head. Thousands of negative things. He tries to brace himself for whatever words Ildio is going to say. Unfortunately, Nicco knows that if Ildio says anything negative, it will most likely break him.

"...I wanna marry you."

Ildio pulls out the white velvet box, opening it up to show the ring to Nicco. Part of him doesn't want to see Niccolò's reaction. He doesn't want him to say yes because Ildio doesn't want to get any closer to this anomaly. He also doesn't want Nicco to say no, because honestly… Ildio wants to marry Nicco. If Ildio's being completely honest with himself, he's hopelessly in love with the man before him.

Nicco gasps, audibly gasps, a… a proposal? He can't believe his eyes. The ring is absolutely stunning, it looks uncannily similar to the ring that Nicco bought for Ildio. He looks up to meet Ildio's eyes from the ring; it feels like hundreds of butterflies fly from his heart. Ildio's eyes are warm, soft. The breath leaves Nicco in a rush. Niccolò is sure Ildio is a literal god, not a vampire. 

"I- the funny thing is…uh…"

Niccolò pulls the open black velvet box from his coat, showing the ring to Ildio. Nicco turns his head away from Ildio, not wanting to see his expression.

Ildio blinks a few times, looking at the gorgeous ring in Nicco's hands. He can tell immediately that it's the opposite version of the ring he purchased a few nights ago. Looking closer, Ildio can see some italian engraved into the ring. Since Niccolò knows italian, Ildio was able to know it immediately when they made their contract. "Mio Dio". It's a term that Nicco would use very affectionately towards Ildio. A term that Ildio doesn't agree with, but hearing those words from Nicco is, ironically, heavenly. 

"Jesus Nicco… This is beautiful. So, I'm guessing it's a yes?"

Niccolò laughs, nodding. He pulls the ring out of it's black box, gently sliding it onto Ildio's finger. Ildio mimics the action, both of them wearing the ring the other chose.

Ildio grabs Niccolò's tie, tugging him into a gentle, loving kiss.

[sassyduckqueen]

Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 53

Whooo! that's Big Momma and Little Sister down, the Oni-chan inspired chapter. Next up is Startrain! Hope you guys like this. Also @naruwitch helped with this chapter and came up with the nickname treasure for Luka. It was fun to write but I am now tired and need rest! Enjoy the chapter!!

Edit: Forgot to do this last night because I was knackered when I uploaded this but trigger warning for scenes of violence, attempted kidnap and attempted sexual assault.

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Chapter Fifty-Three: Big Momma and Little Sister (2/2)

"Mr Couffaine!! What's like having the rock giant, Jagged as a father?!" A reporter shouted as he stepped in front of him and shoved a microphone in his face. Luka groaned in annoyance before pushing it away. He was going to school and was about come to the stairs when this guy appeared out of no where. This wasn't the first time a reporter had turned up since Bob Roth had let slip that he was Jagged's son. A number of reporters had tried to get an interview with him. It had forced Anarka to move the Liberty three times but that didn't seem to stop them. It was only when she threatened to run them through or force them to walk the plank that they had backed off from the Liberty but they had came up with different ways to try and get an interview with them. A couple of them gatecrashed his time when he was hanging out with Marinette, another had actually sneaked into the Grand Paris hotel and managed to get some photos of him having dinner with Jagged before Chloe and Fang had chased them out and a couple of them had taken to turning up on his shifts at work. Luckily, none of them had found him while he was Anatis but he was taking extra precaution with that side of his life. Instead of detransforming in alleyways, he was transforming on rooftops and just climbing down from them. After he checked to see if anyone was around of course. He was knocked out of his trail of thought as the reporter shoved the microphone back into his face. "Did you always know he was your father?! Did he abandon you when you were born?!"

 "Leave me alone," He stated, pushing it away again and trying to walk around him but the reporter moved back in front of him, making Luka sigh in annoyance. "Could you move please? I need to get to my lessons,"

 "Is it true that you were almost akumatized after accusing XY of stealing your work? Do you think that's why Bob Roth released the information of Jagged been your father? As revenge?" The reporter continued, completely ignoring Luka's request. He groaned and pinched his nose before moving again but once again, he stepped along with him. "My sources say that you're also friends with Adrien Agreste, Chloe Bourgeois and a close friend of Paris' very own hero, Anatis? Rumor is you're also very close to the young lady who designed the album artwork for Jagged's latest album Rock Giant? Do you intent to use your connections to jump start a career in the music industry? Is that why you accused XY of stealing your idea? To make your rival look bad while you rise to stardom?"

 "No! I would never do that!" Luka gasped before shaking his head as the reporter smirked. A trick question designed to make him answer. He took a deep breathe and looked at the reporter. "Look, I'm not interested in answering your questions. I just want to go to school and have a normal day so no comment for any of your questions. Now have a good day and leave me alone,"

 Before the reporter could even stop him, Luka moved around him and jumped over the edge of the stairs, rushing up them and through the front doors of the school. He let out a sigh before walking into the locker room. He glanced around and frowned a little as Marinette wasn't there yet but he imagined she was probably just having a hard time waking up again. He smiled a little before shaking his head and moving over to his locker, opening it as he put his bag in. He frowned and looked behind him as he felt like people were watching him. To his surprise, he wasn't wrong. A number of students who he hadn't really paid attention before were looking at him. He let out a sigh and continued to take out his books. Someone cleared their throat, making him look at them. A girl was stood in front of him, making him frown. She had black wavy hair and was wearing a pink long sleeved top, a dark purple skirt, black leggings and trainers. He kind of recognized her as he had seen her around the school but she had never actually tried to talk to him before.

 "Hi, you're Luka Couffaine right?" She smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I'm Renée Marcel. I'm the class representative of Mr Beauregard,"

 "Um... hi?" Luka replied, confused. She giggled to herself as she continued to play with her hair.

 "So I was wondering if you wanted to sit with me and my friends at Lunch," She smiled, making him look at her in surprise and confusion. She literally had never noticed him before and while he had seen her around, he had never talked to her before today. "It would be so cool to have you sit at us with lunch,"

 "Um... Why?" He asked, making her giggle.

 "Oh, you are so funny," She replied, making him blink. She looked at him and frowned as he didn't laugh. "Wait... were you been serious?"

 "Yeah..."

 "Oh," She replied, surprised. "I thought you were just joking, like how your father does,"

 "Ah right," He replied, closing and locking his locker. So that's why she suddenly paid attention to him. It's because he's Jagged Stone's son. He let out a sigh before looking at it. "It's nice for you to invite me to join your table at lunch but I'm quite happy with the friends I usually sit with,"

 "But that's the akuma class," She gasped, causing him to look at her in surprise and annoyance. "And you're like way too cool to sit with them,"

 "Like I said thanks but no thanks," He replied, walking past her as he shook his head. Renee frowned as he walked away. He left the locker room and headed up the stairs to Mrs Mendeleiev's class. As soon as he walked in, the students that were already there kind of just stared at him, making him sigh as he walked to his usual seat. To his surprise, he noticed Marc was sat at his table, hunched over his note pad. He put down his bag and sat next to him, making Marc jump and look at him with big eyes. "Hey, Marc,"

 "O-oh, hey Luka," He muttered quietly. "I didn't realize this was your table. I can move if you want,"

 "I don't mind you sitting here," He replied, smiling. Marc gave him a shy smile back. "But I thought you were in a different class,"

 "I was," He muttered, closing his notepad before he glanced to the side. "I wasn't exactly getting on with my classmates. Like they weren't bullying me but they didn't exactly talking to me either so I asked to switch classes..."

 "I get you," Luka nodded before sighing as he noticed a lot of students were still staring. Only Aurora, Jean, Mirelle, Kagami and Felix weren't staring. Luka wasn't surprised by that. Aurora, Mirelle, Kagami and Jean were his friends in the class so they wouldn't react the same way as everyone else and Felix was... well Felix. Marc frowned and looked around before looking back at Luka.

 "Why is everyone staring at you?" He asked, making Luka hide his face in his arms and groan. "Everything ok?"

 "Honestly, it could be better," He replied, looking up at Marc. "They're staring because they learnt who my father is,"

 "Oh," Marc replied, making Luka nod. "That's true?"

 "Yeah," He sighed, sitting up. "And because of it, I'm suddenly in the spotlight,"

 "Wow. I kind of just thought it was gossip," Marc admitted, making Luka chuckle. "Why did Bob Roth reveal it? Did Jagged ask him to?"

 "No. While Jagged wanted to shout to the world that I'm his son, we both decided it would be better if we waited til we were both ready," He sighed, making Marc frown. "But apparently, Bob Roth decided to release it regardless of what we wanted. Dad... I mean Jagged... thinks that it's revenge against him for leaving Roth's label and against me for calling XY and Roth out on stealing mine and Marinette's work,"

 "Are you taking legal action?" Marc asked, concerned.

 "Yeah, we are but we haven't gone much of a case against him yet," He admitted, frowning. "Since the information isn't really harmful and we can't prove he did it on purpose yet, it's gonna be super hard to go against him,"

 "That sucks," Marc frowned, making Luka sigh as Mrs Mendeleiev walked into the class. "I hope you get it sorted out soon,"

 "Thanks, Marc," He smiled, causing Marc to give him a small smile back as she clapped her hands.

 "Ok, students, today we will be starting a home work project in pairs. You will choose a project to study and create a presentation on in two weeks time. Now when I call your names, come up to the desk and take a work sheet then sit next to your partner," She declared, making everyone groan a little. She began to call the students, causing them to grab their worksheets with their project partner. "Felix Graham de Vanilie and Luka Couffaine,"

 A number of the students stared at him again, making him groan and get up as he walked up. A couple of the other students whispered, making Mrs Mendeleiev to tell them off as he grabbed a work sheet and took a seat next to Felix as she called up Marc and Aurora next. With the pairings sorted out, Mrs Mendeleiev began to teach the class and tell them about their project.

~Lunch Time~

 "I would recommend we go to my house," Felix suggested as he, Kagami and Luka walked into the canteen. Marc was trailing behind them, hugging his note book. Aurora had gone home for lunch so had Mirelle and Jean but Nathaniel would be joining them soon. "I've have a lot of books on physics after all, which I think would help,"

 "Yeah sure," Luka nodded as Felix grabbed a tray. He sighed as he noticed a number of students staring at him again. Felix nodded and frowned as Luka took a tray for himself and began to put some food on it.

 "Is there a reason why everyone is staring at you?" He asked, making Luka sigh again. "Is that because the rumor of Jagged Stone been your father?"

 "Yes," He replied, paying for his food as Felix did the same before the two of them walked to their usual table, just as the others came in. Marinette waved at him as she walked over, causing him to wave back but she could even sit down, Lila pushed her out of the way.

 "Luka!! Hi!!" She gasped, making him frown as she sat down and latched onto his arm tightly. "I can't believe that my uncle Jagged is your father. Isn't it crazy how much we have in common?"

 "Lila, let go," He growled as he tried to pull away from her but she tightened her grip, digging her fingers into his arm. He hissed in pain a little and tried to shake her off. "Let go of my arm,"

 "Oh but Luka, I'm just trying to talk to you," She gasped, making him frown as she leaned closer. "I would hate for something to happen to Mar-"

 "Don't even finish that sentence," He growled as he finally pushed her off, causing her to gasp. "I will say this one more time, Rossi. I am not interested in been your friend. Now leave me alone and get out of Marinette's seat,"

 Lila gritted her teeth and went to say something but Felix and Kagami both glared at her, making her frown before she got up and walked away, causing Luka let out a shaky breathe as Marinette, Juleka and Rose rushed over to him. Since he had his hoodie around his waist, he could always see the marks where Lila had dug her nails in. Juleka looked at them and mumbled angrily as Marinette and Rose frowned. There were small specs of blood, showing how deep they were.

 "Are you ok?" Kagami asked, making him look at her as Marinette took out a tissue and a bottle of water from her bag. She undid the bottle and used it wet the tissue a little before gently dabbed his arm with it. He nodded, making Felix frown.

 "Does she do that often?" He asked, crossing his arms.

 "A fair bit," Luka replied, making him frown. "But I think she does it more to Adrien then me,"

 "She liked to try and leech herself onto me in class," Adrien admitted, frowning. "Though since Miss Bustier put her in the back, she can't do it and Nino stays pretty close to me as well. She won't try it around Kagami because she's scared of her. I think she thinks that Kagami will slice her in half,"

 "I will if she goes near you," She growled, making Adrien swoon.

 "I love it when you get protective other me," He grinned, making her blush a little. "But seriously, Lila doesn't know the meaning of personal space. She claims it's how Italians are,"

 "You should sue her for sexual harassment," Felix mused, making Luka sigh.

 "I don't know..." He stated, making the others frown before he turned to Marinette. "Thank you,"

 "Don't worry about it, Luka," She smiled, making him smile a little before frowning a little. "But maybe you should try and sue her. I'm sure Penny will be able to help with it,"

 "I don't want to bother her," He admitted, making her frown. "She's really busy with the whole... you know..."

 "I get it," Marinette sighed, understanding where he was coming from. Penny was doing a lot overtime to try and help him and Jagged deal the fallout of Bob Roth's interview. "But I still think you should consider it, especially if she gets worst. I'm worried,"

 "Alright... I'll look into it," He nodded, making her smile as Lila glared towards them. "But could we change the subject?"

 "Sure,"

 ~At Felix's House after School~

 "And this is where I've been staying since moving to Paris," Felix explained as he welcomed Luka to his home. It wasn't what Luka had expected at all. He had expected it to be very similar to Agreste manor but it was actually much homely then it was. He noticed some photos on the walls, causing him to look at them. One was of Felix, his mother and who Luka assumed was his father. Another showed his father again with another blonde man who resembled Felix. The last photo shown the Felix lookalike with a woman who was dressed in summer shorts and red top. She was pulling a silly face but the Felix lookalike looked very serious but he had a small smile on his face. "That's my uncle Felix senior and my aunt Bridgette and that's my father with my mother,"

 "They look happy," Luka muttered, making Felix sigh. "Sorry,"

 "No need to apologize, Couffaine," He replied, making Luka frown. "You're right. They were happy but things happen and nothing can ever last forever,"

 "You know you can call me Luka right?" He asked as they walked into the kitchen area where Felix Senior was sat in front of a laptop. He glanced up at them with a cold expression.

 "Uncle, this is my lab partner Luka Couffaine," Felix stated, gesturing towards Luka, who waved a little as Felix Senior rose an eyebrow. "We're going to be working on a science project together,"

 "Aren't you the boy in the news?" He asked, making Luka frown a little as he nodded. "Hmm. I hope you didn't bring any press with you,"

 "No, sir," Luka replied, making Felix Senior raise an eyebrow. "We didn't come across any on our way here,"

 "Good," He replied, nodding as he got up and walked over to the coffee pot. He took out a mug and poured out another drink. "Will you be staying for dinner?"

 "Um... no?" Luka asked, unsure what to say. He got the impression that the older man didn't want him to stay.  Felix Jr rolled his eyes and glared at the older man.

 "Stop questioning him, uncle," He stated before pulling Luka away from the kitchen and into his room. "Sorry about Uncle. He doesn't get out much and hates anyone that isn't his family or a cat,"

 "Oh," Luka nodded as he glanced around the room. To his surprise, Felix did have a poster of Jagged on the wall. He also had a lot of science posters and magic shows posters. "So what's our project going to be?"

 "I thought we could study Water Electrolysis," Felix suggested, making Luka nod. "No suggestions?"

 "I'm not very good with science," Luka admitted, making Felix frown. "I'm more into art and music,"

 "That seems logical given your taste in fashion," Felix replied, making Luka frown. "Not that it's a bad taste. It's just obvious that you're not into maths or science from it,"

 Luka frowned, making Felix frown as well before he sighed.

 "I'm sorry," He stated, looking at him. "I'm not very good with people or interacting with them,"

 "I get it," Luka nodded, surprising Felix. "I've only just learnt how to really interact with people without music. I still find it hard to talk to people properly,"

 "Really?" Felix mused, eyeing up as Luka nodded. "I would have never have realized. What do you mean to talk with them without music?"

 "Um... I usually have a guitar with me and if I don't know what to say I play it instead," Luka admitted, making Felix chuckle. "I hate not been allow it in school. Maybe they'll let me bring my violin?"

 "You play violin too?" Felix asked as Luka nodded.

 "I also play bass guitar, drums, a bit of the flute. I can sing a little and I can write and compose music," He muttered, making Felix look at him in surprise. "It's like the only thing I'm good at but I like drawing as well. Admittedly I can't draw to save my life but I enjoy trying,"

 "Well, you certainly seem creative," Felix replied as he picked out a book from his book shelf. "Maybe we can work that into our science project. You know what soundwaves are, right?"

 "Yes, it's the energy generated by sound," Luka frowned, making Felix chuckle. "I'm not completely dumb, you know,"

 "Never said you were," He replied, making Luka roll his eyes. "I'm thinking we create a thesis about using sound waves as a source of energy and power. Like wind power,"

 "But with sound," Luka nodded, thinking. "Well, Mrs Mendeleiev did say to think outside the box,"

 "Exactly," Felix grinned before the two of them began to discuss how it would be possible to use sound as a power source. Luka took some notes as they continued to plan and discuss but before he knew it, Felix Senior had called that dinner was ready, causing the two of them to go downstairs. This time Felix's Aunt was in the kitchen. She looked up as they walked in.

 "Hello," She smiled, making them stop. "Are you one of Felix's friends from school?"

 "We're lab partners," Felix answered. "Luka Couffaine, this is my aunt Bridgette,"

 "Hi," Luka smiled before looking at his phone as it vibrated. It was his mother asking him when he would be home. Normally, she wouldn't ask but since the whole dad reveal and the press stalking him, she had taken to doing so. He texted back at that he was just leaving Felix's and would be home soon before looking up. "Sorry, I need to get going home. See you at school, Felix?"

 "Yes," He replied, nodding as Luka waved to his family and left the house, causing Felix to lock up after him. Felix Senior looked up from the book he had started to read and glanced at him. "Something wrong, Uncle?"

 "Not at all," He replied, sipping his coffee. "I approve of your friend,"

 "What?!" Both Bridgette and Felix shouted in surprise as he went back to his book. 

 ~Meanwhile~

 Luka hummed to himself as he walked through the streets towards the metro from Felix's house. He turned down the street before stopping as he felt like he was been watched. He glanced around but saw nothing. He frowned as he turned back round and continued walking, feeling uneasy as he did. He glanced back and frowned even more as he noticed a man dressed in dark clothing stepping out from the shadows and following him at a steady pace. He didn't think it was the press as they usually didn't turn up on the night. One or two of them had but most of the time they tried during the day. He figured it was because it was easier to get a photo or to film during the day plus it was technically safer. He crossed the street and began to walk over to the entrance to the metro as Tikki poked her head out.

 "Are you ok?" She asked, making him frown.

 "Someone is following me," He replied quietly as he noticed the guy following him cross over the road towards the same metro station. He sped up a little and quickly went down the stairs. Glancing up at the time table, he bit his lip as he saw the train he needed to get was 12 minutes away. He frowned as he noticed the man walking down the stairs with his phone out as he messaged someone. He briefly looked up at Luka, making him feel even more uneasy before he began to walk over to the exit that would take him out of the metro. It was only a 30 minute walk to where the Liberty was docked and he would rather walk through the well lit city that had some tourists out and about then wait in a practically empty metro station with a guy who had followed him since he left Felix's. He also knew he was about a five minute walk from Marinette's home, which made him feel slightly better. He took out his phone and checked the time as he climbed the stairs. It had just gone 7pm meaning the bakery would still be open so if he needed to, he could go there. He locked his screen and switched it off before using it as a mirror. The man now was now on the phone and staring at him while talking to someone. Luka quickly put away his phone before climbing up the stairs and out of the metro. He pulled his hoodie up as he did and headed down the street towards the school speed walking as he did, speeding up as he heard footsteps behind him. He wanted to break into a run and was about to when he saw someone he hoped never to see again walking towards him, causing him to freeze in fear. Issac smirked as he walked over to him.

 "Hello, Luka," He stated, smirking before he roughly grabbed his shoulder. "I think it's time for me and you to have a talk, don't you?"

 "N-No," He gasped as his eyes widen in fear. When ever Issac said he wanted to talk, it never ended well for Luka. A black car suddenly pulled up, making him glance at it with fear as well. Issac smirked at his expression before grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the car as the guy who had followed Luka opened the passenger's door. Reality suddenly caught up with Luka, causing him rip his arm from Issac and run as fast as he could away from him. Issac growled and chased after him, grabbing him and trying to pull him back to the car as he struggled and fought against him. "Let me go!!"

 "Shut up, you brat!" He gasped, punching him before he grabbed him around the waist, dragging him towards the car. Luka struggled and tried to call out for help s Issac pulled him towards the car, causing him cover his mouth with his other hand. The other guy grabbed his legs to help Issac get him in the car, causing him to try and kick him. His eyes started to turn silver as he panicked. He could feel his chest tightened as a panic attack began to set it but Tikki began to hum against his chest, helping him calm down enough to try and escape. She couldn't directly help him as it would reveal his identity to Issac and his goon but she could calm him down. He suddenly sunk his teeth into Issac's hand, causing him to scream in pain before Luka managed to kick the other guy in the face, busting his nose and causing him to drop his legs. He slammed his head into Issac's face as the other guy held his nose before freeing himself again and running away as fast as he could. Issac growled and gave chase again. 

 "Luka!! The bakery!!" Tikki gasped, pointing to it. He rushed over to the door and managed to get inside, just as Issac caught up with him. Issac tried to open the door, causing Luka to grab the handle and pulling it shut, quickly turning the lock on it. Issac screamed angrily and punched the door as Luka sunk down to the floor as Sabine looked up.

 "Luka?!" She gasped as she rushed over to him. Issac growled and began to kick in the door, screaming abuse towards Luka as he did. "Tom!! Call the police!!"

 Luka curled up on himself as he began to shake and sob, covering his ears as Issac continued to scream and try to break into the bakery. Sabine kneel down next to him and held him as Tom rushed in. As soon as Issac saw Tom, he began to stop kicking the door and screaming before glaring at them and rushing off. 

 "What happened?" He gasped, causing Sabine to look up. Luka was still crying and shaking. Tom frowned as he saw him, causing him to kneel down and gently place his hand on Luka's shoulder but he flinched, causing Tom to remove it. "Son, are you ok?"

 Luka just shook his head as he tried to calm down, causing Sabine to help him to his feet.

 "Tom, watch the bakery and wait for the police," She ordered, getting a nod of him before she brought Luka through the back and up the stairs. She led him into the living room and made him sit on the sofa. He was shaking and staring at the ground with an expression of pure terror on his face. His lip was busted and a bruise was starting to form on his jaw. "Luka?"

 He flinched, making her frown as she heard the sirens of the police. 

 "Ok, I need to go talk to the police to tell them what happened so I'm gonna go and get Marinette to sit with you ok?" She stated, making him nod. She nodded back and rushed up to Marinette's room, knocking on the door before entering. She noticed that her skylight was open and Marinette wasn't in her room. "Marinette?"

 "Mama," She gasped as she climbed through the window and slid down to her. "What's going on? Why are the police here?"

 "Something just happened," She replied calmly. "Your friend Luka-"

 "Is he ok?!" She gasped, worry and panic filled her eyes.

 "He's downstairs," Sabine replied calmly. "He's pretty shaken up and scared. I was going to ask you to sit with him while I talk to the police,"

 Marinette was already grabbing a blanket from her chaise and walking towards the trap door as Sabine spoke. She smiled a little as she climbed down, following Marinette down downstairs before heading back to the bakery to talk to the police. Marinette rushed down the stairs and into the living room, stopping when she saw Luka. He was sat on the sofa, hugging his knees and had his head in them as he shook. By the sound of it, he was crying. Her heart shattered at the sound, causing her to walk over. She sat next to him and gently place her hand on his arm, making him flinch a little before he peeked up at her. She put the blanket around his shoulders and wrapped her arms around his torso as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his face into her shoulder as he shook and cried. 

 "It's ok," She whispered, stroking his hair as Sabine came back up with Office Roger and another cop who was holding a camera. Officer Roger cleared his throat. Luka slowly looked up, causing Marinette to frown as he sat up and moved his arms around his waist. Sabine instantly went over to the phone and called the Captain.

 "I need to ask you what happened," Office Roger stated, trying to keep his voice calm as he could. He could see Luka was spooked and he had a rough idea who the man was. He had dealt with a number of domestic disturbances at the Couffaines back when Anarka was married to Issac's. He was a nasty bastard back then and if it was him behind tonight's events then it was clear, he hadn't changed. Sabine walked back over and sat down next to Luka as he slowly stopped, shaking as he thought about what had happened. Sabine gently took his hand, making him look at her.

 "Your mother is on her way," She stated, making Luka nod.

 "We can wait until she's here if you want," Officer Roger suggested but Luka shook his head. He just wanted to get it over with. "Alright then.... can you tell me what happened before you came into the bakery tonight?"

 "I w-was going h-home from Fe-Felix's," He muttered in a quiet voice that wasn't normal for him. "I w-went to g-get the metro but I realized I was been followed and the s-station was r-really empty. I d-didn't feel s-safe so I left and speed up when I realized I was still been followed. I was gonna run from them but... then he blocked my path..."

 "Was it who I think it was?" Officer Roger asked, making Luka nod as he looked up at him.

 "I-Issac Fa-Farrow... m-my s-step f-father," He muttered, making Marinette cover her mouth and Officer Roger to frown. "H-He said t-that it wa-was time we talked a-and then a black car pulled up. He tried to pull me towards it but I pulled away. H-he then tried a-again and when I tried to b-break away and tell him to let go, he punched me and grabbed me ar-around my waist. W-When I tried to call for help, he covered my mouth a-and his friend grabbed m-my legs t-to h-help him g-get me into the car,"

 "He tried to kidnap you?" Officer Roger asked, frowning deeply as Luka nodded. "Can you tell me how you escape?"

 "I b-bit his hand a-and kic-kick the other guy in his face before I managed to br-break f-free then I r-ran a-and s-saw the b-bakery so I c-came inside," He replied before looking at Sabine. "I'm s-sorry. I d-didn't m-mean-"

 "It's ok, Luka," Sabine stated, frown as he wiped his eyes. He was clearly trying not to cry or freak out again. Marinette wrapped her arm around him, causing him to rest his head against her shoulder as Officer Roger spoke into his radio, ordering his men to arrest Issac if they saw him on sight before he turned to Luka. "Are you ok if my colleague take a couple of photos of your injuries?"

 He nodded, allowing the other cop to take some of his face.

 "Do you need anything else?" Sabine asked, causing Officer Roger to turn to him.

 "I'll need to take a witness statement from you and Tom,"

 "Of course," Sabine nodded, getting up before looking at Luka. "I'll send your mother up when she arrives,"

 He nodded in reply before Sabine and Officer Roger left the room. Marinette gently moved and walked into the kitchen, taking out their first aid kit before walking back over and sitting down on the sofa, next to him. She took out a bottle of Antiseptic Liquid and a cotton wall bud before putting a bit of the liquid on the cotton wall bud and gently dabbing Luka's lip, making him flinch a little at the pain.

 "Sorry," She whispered, making him shake his head.

 "It's fi-fine," He whispered, making her frown. His voice was still shaky and he still looked frightened. She finished up cleaning his lip before throwing away the cotton wall ball before checking the bruise on his face.

 "Do you want some pain killers for that?" She asked, making him nod before she took some out of the kit and got him a glass of water. He took them and drank the water as she put the kit away before she sat back on the sofa, causing him to move so he was resting his head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry that he tried to hurt you and kidnap you,"

 "It's not your fault, melody," He muttered as she played with his hair. "I'm sorry I got your family involved,"

 "It's not your fault, Lu," She repeated, making him nod. "He made his choice and if he so much as breathes near you, my parents, the bakery or me, I beat the crap out of him with a rolling pin... but I'm honored that you see us as a safe place so don't ever feel like you can't come here if you need help ok?"

 He nodded as they heard someone come up the stairs. A few seconds later, Anarka burst through the door and rushed over to him, pulling him into a hug before he could even argue. Not that he did. Instead, he hugged her back for a good few minutes before she pulled away and turned to Marinette.

 "Thank you," She whispered before turning back to Luka. She frowned deeply as she noticed the bruise and cut on his lip. "What did that bastard do to you?!"

 ~Friday Lunchtime, Two Days Later~

 Marinette walked over to Juleka as soon as the bell rang to call for lunchtime. She wanted to check in on how Luka was doing after the other night. She ignored Lila's glare as she moved past her and walked over to the model. She glanced up from her bag as Marinette stopped in front of her.

 "Hey, Marinette," She muttered, putting her book away. She knew what Marinette wanted to ask. The two of them began to walk to the canteen. "He's ok. A bit shaken up still but Ma thought it would be best for him to stay home from school for a couple of days. He'll be back in school on Monday,"

 "Oh, good. I was worried when I saw you come in alone," She smiled, glad that Luka was as ok as he could be but she also wanted to check on Juleka. "Are you ok though?"

 "Me? Yeah, I'm alright," Juleka replied, nodding as she closed her bag. "Issac was never like that with me. The most he would do is shout and scream if he actually noticed me but it was rare that he did. I was basically invisible to him but Luka... he took the brunt of it. I guess it's why I'm so quiet. I realized it was better to be quiet and invisible then get hurt. I just wish I could have protected Luka like how he protected me,"

 "Juleka," Marinette muttered before suddenly hugging her, making Juleka jump a little before she returned the hug. "I'm sorry you both had to go through that,"

 "It's the past," Juleka muttered, shrugging before frowning as they took a seat at their usual table. "Or for me it is. I highly doubt Issac actually remembers me,"

 "Normally, I would say that it would be sad but I think it's probably better that he doesn't remember you," Marinette mumbled, making Juleka nod.

 "You know we're doing a movie night tonight," She mumbled, making Marinette raise an eyebrow. "I'm sure it would cheer Luka up if you came to it and stayed over,"

 "Are you sure?" Marinette gasped as Lila sat near them. "I wouldn't want to intrude,"

 "You wouldn't be intruding," Juleka mumbled as she poked at her food. "You're our friend and Ma loves you. If it helps, Rose will be there too,"

 "Really?" Marinette asked, making Juleka nod. "But I thought it would be just you, Luka and the Captain,"

 "It use to be," Juleka mumbled before she smiled a little. "But Ma basically adopted Rose as her future daughter in law and invited her to join us for it when we began dating. She pretty much has adopted you as her other future daughter in law,"

 Marinette squeaked and blushed as Juleka smirk, covering her face as she did. Neither of them had realized Lila had overheard a small part of the conversation and was gripping her plastic fork before she took a deep breathe and moved over to Alya, who was sat with Nino. Alya smiled and greeted her as Nino gave her a dirty look. Apparently, she had interrupted their lunch date. Normally they went outside for dinner or to Alya's but today they wanted to mix it up and have dinner at the school. 

 "Oh, Nino, would you mind if I borrowed Alya for a second?" She asked in her fake voice before pulling the girl up and away from him, making Alya ask her if she was ok. "I'm ok. I was just concerned about Luka. I know he's a bit shy but isn't it odd that he isn't in school?"

 "Oh, I think he must have called in sick," Alya replied, shrugging. Lila frowned a little before smiling falsely.

 "Oh poor thing," She gasped as Alya nodded. "I hate been sick but my mama makes a wonderful chicken soup that makes me feel better every time. Oh, I wish I could give his mother the recipe. I'm sure it would make him feel better but I have no idea how to send it to her,"

 "Well, you could go old school and post her a copy," Alya suggested, making Lila smile.

 "Oh, my gosh! That is a wonderful idea," She gasped, holding her hands together before she frowned. "But I don't know where they live,"

 "Oh, well... maybe you could ask pass it to Juleka then?" Alya suggested, making Lila mentally growl so she put on the waterworks. It usually worked with Alya.

 "Oh but I don't want to bother her or for her to get the wrong idea," Lila muttered, making Alya frown a little. "I know how overprotective siblings can be of each other. I don't want her to think I'm trying to steal him away from her when I just want to be his friend. Maybe I should just forget it. It was a bad idea,"

 "Oh, no. It was a really good idea," Alya reassured her but then she frowned. "But I can't give you their address. I know they're having some trouble recently with the press so I have to respect that,"

 "Oh, don't worry, Alya, I understand," Lila gasped as she hugged her. Alya smiled as she hugged back, failing to notice Lila slipping her phone out of her pocket and into hers. "You're such a sweetheart. I'm so lucky to have a friend like you,"

 "Ah don't sweat it, girl," She smiled as Lila pulled away. "You need anything else?"

 "Oh, no," She smiled, shaking her head. "Enjoy the rest of your date with Nino,"

 "I will," Alya smiled as she headed back over to him. Lila grabbed her bag before heading out of the canteen and into the Library, sitting in a corner that was the most quiet. She took out Alya phone and entered in the pass-code, smirking as she did, giving her access to her phone. Alya was so predictable. She was tempted to post a nasty message about Anatis on the Ladyblog but decided against it before she opened Alya's messages. She scrolled past Marinette's and Nino's, resisting temptation to send Marinette a very nasty message before she finally came to the message she was looking for. It was a message between Juleka and Alya. She opened it and found the part with Juleka's address on it. She took out her own phone and saved the address in her own phone before going through Alya's contacts. She saved a number of them, including Marinette's to her own phone before locking Alya's phone. Now all she had to do was pretend she found Alya's phone. She could use the library as they had been in there earlier that morning. She smirked to herself and got up, heading back to the canteen. She also needed to make sure Juleka or Marinette did leave the school on time.

 ~After School~

 Lila walked as quickly as she could, following the directions on her phone as she smirked to herself. Alya completely believed she had found her phone in the library and she had managed to delay Juleka by about fifteen minutes by using gum on her locker, causing it to get stuck. Since Marinette was going to be walking out with her, she and Rose were also delayed, trying to help her. She stopped when she came to a houseboat and heard guitar been played. She walked over and smirked as she saw Luka playing his guitar on the deck. He didn't look ill so she crossed the gangplank.

 "Luka! Hey!" She called, making him jump as he stopped playing. He quickly got up as she walked over.

 "Lila?!" He gasped, not happy to see her. "Why the hell are you here?! How do you know where I live?!"

 "Oh, I have my ways of finding out," She smiled, making him frown. "I noticed you weren't in school today or yesterday so I thought I'd come by and see if you were ok,"

 "Leave now!" He gasped, pointing to the gang plank but she didn't move. "I don't want you here so leave! You're trespassing!"

 "But Luka, I was just concerned," She gasped before taking off her bag. "I even brought you your homework. Marc was suppose to give it to you but he was too busy so I said I would bring it,"

 "You mean you stole it off him," He growled as she took it out.

 "Well, he was too busy to notice," She replied slyly before smiling falsely. "I thought we could do it together. I'm so behind on my own work I could do with the help! Oh, is that your guitar? I heard you play. You're really gifted but I guess with a father like Jagged that can be expected. Did you know I use to play guitar as well? I was considered the best of my age but had to stop playing because of my arthritis. Isn't it amazing how much we have in common?"

 "No because you're lying as usual," He stated, making her frown. "Now for the last time, get off my home!" 

 "Alright," She replied as he turned to look at her in genuine surprise. He was glad she was going to go but he didn't expect her to agree so quickly. "But how about a little souvenir photo?"

 "What?" He asked as she suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him close to her, taking her phone out as she did. He tried to pull back from her but before he could, she kissed his cheek and took a photo. His eyes widen in shock as she did before he quickly regained his senses and shoved her away harshly. "What the hell, Lila?!"

 She didn't answer. Instead, she went to touch him but he stepped back, flinching a little as she did. She had to admit she enjoyed seeing the horror and fear in his eyes. She smirked and took another step forward, trapping him between the edge and her. She stood up on her tiptoes, moving her face closer to his again to kiss him again but this time she was aiming for his lips, causing him to try and push her away again but she grabbed his arms, pinning them with surprising strength.

 "Lila, stop it!" He gasped, trying to free his arms from her. However, she didn't listen and leaned closer, causing him to panic and try to pull away from her. "I said stop!"

 "Get the hell away from my brother!!" Juleka's voice suddenly filled the area as she rushed over and grabbed Lila by her hair, causing her to cry out as Juleka literally dragged her away from him and pushed her to the floor. Lila got up and saw Juleka standing protectively in front of Luka as he sunk to the ground, trying not to have a panic attack. "I suggest you get the hell of our ship before I run you through!"

 "Oh no," She gasped, covering her mouth as Juleka growl. "I read the situation wrong, didn't I?"

 "Read it wrong?!" Juleka screamed, surprising Lila. She had no idea the girl could shout. "He told you to stop and you ignored him!! You just tried to assault him!"

 "I should go..." Lila gasped, backing away as she heard someone running up the stairs. "I hope you both feel better soon,"

 "Get off!!" Juleka screamed, causing her to rush off the boat, just as the captain came up and frowned as she saw her leave before she turned to Luka and Juleka, panicking as she saw him in clear distress and Juleka raging. Lila smirked to herself and took out her phone, opening the photo she had taken and sending it to everyone on her contact list including Marinette.

 ~Back to the Liberty~

 "Lad?" Anarka gasped as she saw Luka shaking. He looked like he was about to have a panic attack. She glanced up at Juleka, who was trying to calm him down. "What's wrong?!"

 "Lila," She growled, making her frown. She had remembered him briefly mentioning her and she was aware that the girl had it in for Marinette but that was all she really knew. "She just tried to forcefully kiss him!"

 "What?!" She growled angrily as Juleka's phone pinged. She ignored it as she got Luka to calm down and breathe before taking it out and checking the phone, making her let out a deep growl, causing Anarka to look over her sword. Her eyes narrowed in anger as she saw this Lila girl kissing Luka on the cheek despite the clear look of disgust and shock in his eyes. "I'm going to run her through,"

 "I'm gonna help," Juleka declared as Anarka grabbed one of the swords that she kept near the door. Juleka followed her over as Luka shook his head.

 "No," He gasped, making them look at him. "She's not worth the prison sentence,"

 "We can't just do nothing, Lad!" Anarka declared loudly, making him flinch as she brandished the sword about but he nodded in agreement. 

 "I know," He replied as Juleka placed her hand on her mother's to get her to lower the blade. None of them noticed the akuma or amok heading towards them. The akuma landed in the sword and the amok, landing in the ship necklace around Anarka's neck, causing them to go really quiet as they listened to Hawkmoth's voice. "I want to file a report for- Ma? Juleka?"

 He looked up to see why they had gone quiet, gasping as he noticed the butterfly mask over their eyes. He jumped up and rushed over to them.

 "Ma! Jewel!" He gasped as they listened to Hawkmoth. "Please don't listen to him!"

 "Hawkmoth, Mayura, you can count on us," They both said in union as Luka backed away from them. "We'll do everything to protect our treasure," 

 Purple smog surrounded them before a dark blue cloud appeared in the air. Luka rushed over to the stairs that led below deck but before he could get down there, an eerie green smog surrounded him and the rest of the boat, causing him to cough as he breathed in it. He rushed down the stairs but began to feel dizzy as he got to the bottom. He tried to fight it, managing to get into the living room and tried to head to his room to get Tikki. She had stayed in his room as he just wanted to play guitar alone.

 "T-Tikki!" He gasped as the room began to spin. He shook his head and pushed forward, despite his vision beginning to turn blurry. He tried to grab onto the sofa as he succumbed to whatever the green mist was, falling onto the floor. "T-Tikki..."

 His eyes dropped and his head fell to the side as he fell unconscious.

 ~Hawkmoth's Lair~

 "My, my. Such a rare emotion," Hawkmoth muttered as he felt Juleka's rage at Lila's actions against Luka and Anarka's fear about not been able to protect him. Sure, she was just as mad at Lila for hurting her son and Juleka was just as fearful for her brother. Both felt like they couldn't protect him and were righteously enraged on his behalf. Hawkmoth couldn't help but grin evilly. He had felt negative feelings coming from the Couffaine's home for the last few days but this incident had caused them to tip over the edge. "A sister angered by the mistreatment of her older brother and a mother fearful that she can't protect her son from the real horrors of the world,"

 He held out his hand, causing a white butterfly to land on it.

 "What perfect prey for my akuma," He mused before looking up. "Nathalie, I think Mayura can give this negative emotion a new dimension,"

 She smiled and walked over to him as she fixed the brooch onto her jumper before taking off her glasses as Dusuu manifested from the brooch

 "Dusuu, spread my feathers," Nathalie declared, casting her glasses aside and causing Dusuu to get sucked into the brooch. She transformed into Mayura and walked next to him as he put his hand under his arm and place his now free hand over the butterfly, turning it into an akuma before moving his hand and letting it fly off towards the window. He took his cane out from under his arm and spun it around before slamming it onto the ground.

 "Fly away, Little Akuma and evilize them!" He declared as it fluttered out of the window. Mayura plucked a feather from her fan before holding it in her hand and charging it up, transforming it into an amok before lightly blowing it off her hand. It floated towards the window as she moved her fan to the side and looked up at it.

 "Fly away, beautiful amok," She declared as it reached the window. "And enhance and hone that frustration!"

 A few minutes after they had sent them out, the connection between them and their victims opened, causing the purple mask to appear around Hawkmoth's eyes and the blue mask to appear around Mayura's.

 "Captain Hardrock, you want to protect your son hmm? And you, my dear Reflekta, want to avenge your older brother? Well, I can help you with that with some new powers," He stated, talking to the two of them. "Big Momma and Little Sister, I'm giving you both the power to track Lila Rossi and make sure she never gets closed to your loved one ever again. Young Mr Couffaine is too gentle and innocent for this cruel world and the clutches of Lila Rossi,"

 Mayura smirked as Hawkmoth finished his speech. 

 "Big Momma and Little Sister, I am Mayura," She stated as they listened. "To help you succeed in protecting your family, you will be assisted by Guard-O-War. It will be completely under your control,"

 "But of course, Lila use her silver tongue to convince Anatis and Lady Noir to stop from accomplishing your duty and protecting your family," Hawkmoth stated, smirking as the two victims got angrier. "Therefore, you must bring me their miraculous to punish them for their naivete! Do we have a deal?"

 "Hawkmoth, Mayura, you can count on us," They both said in union, causing the two super villains to smirk. "We'll do everything to protect our treasure," 

 ~At The Place des Vosges Park~

 "So when you gonna ask Luka on a real date?" Alya grinned as she walked with Marinette through the park. She had a couple of hours before the Couffaine's movie night actually started so she had decided to spend sometime with Alya. However, Alya's question caused her to blush. She went to open her mouth but both of their phones vibrated, causing her to take out hers and unlock it. She frowned as it was from a number she didn't recognize. She opened it and gasped in horror as she saw the photo of Lila kissing Luka on the cheek. She didn't feel heartbroken, like Lila wanted but she felt rage. To her, it was clear he was trying to pull away from her and looked extremely uncomfortable. "Wow, I didn't think Luka liked Lila,"

 "He doesn't," Marinette declared, making Alya look at her. "He hates her and there's no way he would let her kiss him, even on the cheek. She must off caught him off guard!"

 "You mean she forcefully kissed him?" Alya asked, frowning before looking at the photo again and stared at it. Now that she looked properly, Luka looked shocked and really uncomfortable. She felt sick that she didn't realize straight away but surely, it was a misunderstanding. Then again, how did Lila get his address? And Marinette's number? She knew for a fact Marinette herself wouldn't give it to her. She frowned and looked up at Marinette. "But... Lila wouldn't do that... right? I mean that's assault so she wouldn't do it... right?"

 "Oh god!" Marinette gasped as she realized what Alya said. She took out her phone and quickly dialed Luka's number but it went straight to voicemail. "Luka! Please call me back ASAP!"

 She hung up and jumped up, making Alya look at her.

 "I'm going to the Liberty," She gasped, causing Alya to get up as well. "What are you doing?"

 "I'm going with you," She stated before Marinette nodded and the two of them ran out of the park, heading towards the Seine. When they got there, they found the gangplank open and the Liberty hadn't been locked up. Luka's guitar was on the deck as was his amp but there was no way he would have left either of them out on their own. Marinette unplugged the amp and grabbed the guitar, going over to the stairs. She frowned as the door to them was also opened. She headed down into the living area and glanced around, frowning even more as it was eerily quiet. The quietness made alarm bells ring in her head. The Liberty was never quiet, even if it was just Luka home. He usually played his guitar or watching something on YouTube. Hell, he'll even put on the radio and when the captain was home, it was full of sound. Juleka was the quietest of the family but even she would hum when doing things. Marinette couldn't help but feel panic as her mind jumped to the worst case scenario. Issac may have kidnapped all of them.

 "Luka!!" She shouted, rushing over to his room and burst in. She hoped that he would just be in there, listening to music with his headphones on but to her horror, he wasn't. She rushed back out. "Luka! Juleka!! Captain!!"

 "Marinette!" Alya shouted, causing her to rush up the stairs as Alya stared at the sky. "What is that?!"

 "What?" Marinette gasped, looking at what she was looking at. To her surprise, high up in the sky, there was a huge, flying ship that resembled a haunted, pirate ship. It had black tattered sails and was mostly brown with purple flames painted on it and a huge creepy grin it on. It's portals and windows were glowing an eerie green and it had side sails, a tail sail and a fan, helping it fly. It had glowing green lanterns on it as well and it had a green smog around it. It's jolly roger had the skull and cross bones that Captain Hardrock wore on her scarf and it was flying towards them, making Marinette gasp. Someone climbed up the rigging before jumping down and landing in front of them, causing both Alya and Marinette to look over at her. Marinette gasped again as she realized it was Juleka but she was dressed like a pirate. Her hair was purple that faded into pink and she was wearing a corset over a loose shirt and brown leather pants. She had dark brown Cavalier boots on and a black belt with a silver buckle. Her ears had golden hoops in and her corset and boots had a gold trim. Around her neck was a jewel that resembled the one that was on her dress when she was Reflekta but it was part of a choker and her eye makeup resembled the eye jewel that contained her akuma as Reflekta. "Juleka?!"

 "I'm not Juleka anymore," She growled, making them both jump as she took out a sword and pointed at them. "I'm Little Sister and I will do anything to protect the treasure!"

 "The treasure?" Marinette asked before she shook her head. "Juleka, where is Luka and the Captain?! Are they safe?!"

 'Little Sister' suddenly glared at her, making her gulp. She thought for a second that she was about to slice her but she didn't.

 "Big Momma is fine. She is guarding the treasure," She replied before lowered her sword away and went to move past them. Alya grabbed her wrist but Little Sister suddenly threw her over his shoulder and pressed her sword to Alya's neck. She looked like she was about to stab her.

 "Juleka!" Marinette gasped but Juleka ignored her, making her panic. "Um... Parley!"

 She stopped and turned to Marinette, pointing her sword at her as she narrowed her eyes. Alya looked terrified as she looked between them.

 "Name your terms, Lass," She declared, making both Marinette and Alya to let out a sigh of relief.

 "Um... Let Alya go?" Marinette gasped, making Little Sister glance at Alya.

 "Done," She declared, turning to her. "But if you get in my way again, land lubber, I'll run you through! Savvy?"

 "Y-Yes," Alya gasped. Little Sister let her up before she walked away from them. "B-But where are you going?"

 "To find that silver tongued siren so I can run her through with my sword," She growled before jumping up to the main street and away from them.

 "Who's the silver tongued siren?" Alya asked, confused before she gasped and looked at the photo. "You don't think..."

 "She's going after Lila," Marinette replied but she didn't sound too disappointed, making Alya frown before she turned to her. "I'm going to go see if I can signal Lady Noir or Anatis!"

 "Marinette!" Alya shouted as she ran off. "I have the app on here?"

 ~Somewhere near Rue Gotlib~

 Lila smirked to herself as she walked down the street. She was certain that Marinette would be crying her eyes out at the photo of her kissing Luka. However, her smirk didn't last long as she heard a girly but creepy laugh, making her stop and look around but there wasn't anyone around. She frowned and continued to walk, moving her hands up to her chest as she glanced around nervously. She speed up and hid behind a small wall as she thought she heard someone calling her name but when she looked around, she couldn't see anyone there. She frowned and stepped out, failing to notice as Little Sister slipped down behind her. Seeing no one there, she turned around and jumped, letting out a scream as she came face to face with her before she took out her sword and pointed it at her.

 "I forbid you to go near the treasure ever again!" She growled, making Lila gasp as she realized it was Juleka. "Stay away from him and I run you through!"

 "Treasure?!" She gasped, confused. She figured Juleka was talking about Luka but she wasn't stupid enough to try and confirm it. "I don't know any treasure!"

 "Don't lie to me!" Little Sister growled as she grabbed her arm roughly, surprising Lila. She was never like this as a normal person. She was always so quiet.

 "I'm really sorry but I always get what I want," She gasped, looking at her. "It's not my fault,"

 "Well, this time you're gonna have to give in," She smirked, lifting her sword. "Otherwise, you'll really get it wherever you like it or not,"

 "Now that's not very nice," Lady Noir stated, making Little Sister glare at her. "I'm mean I get that Miss Rossi is annoying-"

 "Hey!"

 "But threatened her isn't going to make it better," She explained, making Little Sister suddenly attack her. She used her baton to block her sword as the two of them fought against each other. Seeing her chance, Lila made a run for it. Little Sister went to follow her but Lady Noir dived at her, causing her to block her attack before the two of them clashed. Lady Noir managed to get the upper hand and knock her sword out of her hand before knocking Little Sister down, smirking as she did. "I guess it's time to surrender for you,"

 "Think again, Kitty cat," She growled, causing Lady Noir to frown as she smirked.

 "Why are you smiling?" She asked, frowning.

 "Because unlike you, I didn't come alone," She replied, making Lady Noir frown before she looked over her shoulder. Lady Noir glanced behind herself and gasped as she saw the creepy looking pirate ship, flying towards her. However, she noticed a second figured standing on the hull of the ship. They pointed their own sword towards her as the ship's canons were pointed at her.

 "Oh no,"

 "Fire!!" They shouted, causing the canons to fire. Lady Noir jumped out of the way, allowing Little Sister to get up as she dropped her sword before she jumped up and climbed on board the ship as it fired more canons, creating a green smoke screen. Lady Noir covered her mouth as she cough before waving her hand to clear the air. Once she did, the ship was gone. She took out her baton and opened it, dialing Anatis' number. It went straight to voicemail.

 "Annie, where are you? We have two akumas and a sentimonster. They're after Lila Rossi," She gasped before hanging up and checking the news feed. The ship had been spotted at the Place des Vosges Park. She jumped onto the rooftops and headed there. She jumped and landed in the park, just as Little Sister roughly grabbed Lila's hand. "Hey! Pirate! Back off!!"

 She threw her baton, causing Little Sister to jump back away from Lila as she smirked. Lila ran off again as Lady Noir caught her baton.

 "Look, if Lila is involved then I get why you're angry but this is not-" She stopped as Little Sister was looking up at the sky. She glanced back up but the ship wasn't around. However, the eye jewel on her neck suddenly glowed before she disappeared in a purple glow, causing Officer Roger to take her place. Lady Noir blinked as she looked at him. "Where did she go?!"

 "Huh? How did I get here?" He asked, glancing around. "Lady Noir?"

 "Officer Roger, what happened?"

 "Well, I was just in my car, helping out a teenager who was been chased by a villain when I suddenly got a weird message and then I appeared here," He explained, making her look at him with confusion before shaking her head.

 "Ok, stay here. I'm gonna go find your car," She gasped before jumping onto a building and heading there. When she got there, she saw Little Sister was sat in the car, smirking before she suddenly disappeared again, replacing her with her mother. Lady Noir frowned and jumped across to the bakery, landing down in front of Lila as soon as she got there.

 "Oh, Lady Noir! Please help me!" She gasped, suddenly hugging her. "You're the only person who can!"

 "Um what?" She gasped before her baton vibrated, causing her to open it. It showed a skull and cross bones before it sudden began to glow before it engulfed her. She covered her face but blinked as she appeared in the bakery. "How did I get here?"

 "Lady Noire!" Tom gasped, making her rush over to him and help him up. "How did you get there?"

 "I'm not sure," She admitted before looking at her baton. The message was gone. "Your wife somehow ended up in a police car. Did she get a message before she got there?"

 "Yes!" He gasped, making her nod. "She looked at her phone then disappeared and that pirate girl replaced her but then she disappeared and you replaced her,"

 Lady Noir frowned and looked out the window, seeing Little Sister smirking but Lila was no where to be see. Literally seconds later, Little Sister glowed pink and then disappeared, replacing her with a confused person. Lady Noir gasped as she saw the man looking at his phone with confusion.

 "That's how she does it!" She gasped, making Tom look at her confused. "Sorry got to go!"

 She rushed out of the shop and down the street, leaving Tom confused.

 ~On The Guard-O-War~

 Luka groaned as he slowly waked up. Slowly, he opened his eyes and blinked as his vision was blurry. He slowly sat up as his vision cleared. The last thing he remembered was trying to get to Tikki then just darkness. He frowned and touched his head as he had quite the headache before glancing around the place that he was in. Immediately, he realized it wasn't his room or anywhere familiar. It appeared to be some kind of bedroom but it was themed around pirates. In fact, it resembled a captain's cabin. He jumped as someone came in, making him glance over at the woman. She had long red hair and was dressed as a pirate. She wore a baggy shirt, a black belt with a silver buckle and brown leather pants that had spikes on. She had black Cavalier boots with red flames on them and a golden trim. She was also wearing a red coat that had a gold trim and a black bandana over her head with a black choker around her neck. Her eyes were exactly the same as Captain Hardrock's.

 "M-Ma?" He asked, frowning. "What's going on?"

 "We're keeping you safe, Lad," She replied, making him frown. "That silver tongued siren or that scurvy dog won't ever hurt you again,"

 "Ma, where are we?" He asked, looking around as she glanced up before she turned back to him. "Ma?"

 "We're in the Guard-o-War, where you'll be safe," She replied, making him frown before turning on her heel and walked over to the wall, causing it to open out. "This is where you'll be safe. No one will ever hurt you again, Treasure,"

 "T-Treasure?" He asked as the wall opened, allowing her to walk through before it closed, making him pale as he realized there was no door in it. He tried to take a deep breathe and keep calm as he looked around. He would just transform and escape that way. "TIkki! Spots on!"

 He closed his eyes as he said the transformation words but snapped them open when nothing happened. He opened his hoodie and looked inside the pocket Tikki was usually in but she wasn't there.

 "Tikki?" He gasped, looking around. She didn't fly out when he called her name. "Tikki?! Where are you?!"

 Again, no answer. He quickly moved his hands to ears, still feeling the miraculous in place but without Tikki, he couldn't transform and escape. That meant he was trapped. Panic began to fill his mind as he realized he was trapped in this room with no way out. His mind briefly flashed back to when Issac forcefully locked in him a cupboard after a beating, making him feel sick. He rushed over to the wall that his mother had walked through. Maybe she would let him out of the room and he could climb off the ship that way. "Ma?!"

 She didn't answer, making him panic even more. His mother had been akumatized, he was trapped inside a sentimonster and he had no way of transforming into Anatis. He banged against the wall.

 "Ma?!" He shouted again, hitting it. "Ma!! Let me out!!"

 Again, no answer, causing him to panic even more.

 "Please! Let me out!!" He shouted, hitting the wall repeatedly until his hand began to hurt. He looked down as tears filled his eyes as he fully realized he was trapped before sinking down on the ground. "Let me out... please..."

 He curled up against the wall, hugging himself as he tried to calm himself down. Slowly, he heard other voices, making him look up. He pulled himself up and banged on the wall.

 "Hey!!" He shouted, hoping to get their attention. "Hello?!"

 "Luka?!" A voice that he recognized as Adrien answered. "Where are you?!"

 "Adrien!?" He gasped. "I'm in the cabin!"

 "There's no door!" He answered, making Luka frown. "You're not hurt, are you?"

 "No, I'm fine," He lied, not wanting to panic Adrien. "What are you doing on here?"

 "I have no idea. I was just walking home when I ran into Lila. She seemed frightened and then my phone rang and suddenly I was on here. Big Momma then pushed me down here," 

 "Big Momma?"

 "It's what the akuma is calling herself," He replied as Luka looked around. 

 "I have to get out of here," He muttered to himself before looking around the room. He noticed the window and rushed over as Adrien called out to him. He ignored him and looked out the window, making him gasp as he saw Tikki trying to keep up with the Sentimonster. "Hang on, Tikki,"

 He examined the window and smiled when he found a latch. He moved it and slammed his shoulder against the window, forcing it open. 

 "Luka?!" Adrien's voice called out, making him look back. "Are you ok? I heard a crash?"

 "I'm fine. I just found a way out!" He replied before climbing through the window and on to the window seal as he held onto the edge, looking down. They were literally hundreds of miles above Paris. In fact, all he could see were clouds. Tikki gasped as she saw him and tried to fly over to him but for some reason, she couldn't reach him. He tried to reach out to her as he did but once again, she couldn't get to him.

 "Something is stopping me from getting to you!" She gasped, making him frown. "I think it's a magical barrier,"

 "Tikki! Spots on!!" He shouted but the barrier from the ship still kept her from him. "Tikki, I need to get off the ship otherwise we can't transform!"

 "Luka, no! You'll have to jump!" She gasped as he moved against the edge and looked up at her. "Luka! Don't!!"

 "I know!" He replied, looking up at her. "Fly to me!"

 Before she could answer, he jumped off the edge, causing her to gasp and rush down towards him as he plummeted down to the earth. He carefully took out a purple macaron as he fell before throwing it to her. She dived towards it and ate it.

 "Tikki! Power up!!" He shouted as they continued to fall, causing her to glow and spin as she transformed, gaining blue wings and blue spots. She also got a little glowing star in the middle of her chest and her two antennae had two small balls on that glowed as well.

 "Star Tikki!" She declared as Luka swiped his earrings.

 "Star Tikki! Spots on!!" He declared, causing her to get absorbed into the miraculous. He transformed but like his other power ups, he had a new form. His basic suit was the same as was his hair but he had a new belt that was blue and red with a ladybug embalm as the belt buckle. His spots were glowing blue and he had a jet pack on his back. His gloves and boots resembled a galaxy and had blue trims. His mask was had blue spots instead of black and he had a helmet over his face as well that was red and blue. He continued to fall before blue beetle wings burst from his jet back. He flew straight up through the clouds, spinning as he did before glancing over to the ship. His yoyo vibrated, causing him to open it and see a message from Lady Noir. He phoned her back, causing her to answer it.

 "Anatis! Thank goodness!" She gasped before noticing his outfit. "Are you flying?"

 "Yes. Space power up," He replied, making her nod. "I'm going after the akuma and sentimonster. Want to join me?"

 "Wait, Little Sister is on there already?" She asked, making him frown. "She must have swapped with someone,"

 "I thought the akuma was called Big Momma?" He asked, making her frown before she gasped. "What is it?"

 "That must be the other pirate who attacked me early!" She gasped, making him frown. "Oh no... It's both of them!"

 "Lady Noir?"

 "The akumas! There's more then one!" She gasped, making him frown. "There's Little Sister who has been chasing and tormenting Lila Rossi through Paris. She uses people's phones to send them messages that then swaps her with them...  and there is Big Momma who must be manning the Sentimonster and helping her track Rossi. Little Sister kept on referring to a treasure though..."

 "Treasure?" He muttered, thinking back.

 "Yeah," She gasped, nodding. "I'm guessing it has something to do with them and Lila but I know who Little sister is. It's Juleka, which means Big Momma must be the captain. I think they got akumatized because of a photo Lila took. It showed her kissing Luka but he didn't comfortable at all but I don't know where he is. i checked the Liberty,"

 "Luka is the treasure," Anatis replied, making her frown. "That's what Little Sister must mean,"

 "But that means he's on the ship!" She gasped. "I'm coming to help you,"

 "No, I'll rescue Luka," He replied, making her nod. "See if you can capture Little Sister while I deal with Big Momma. Normally I'd be against but I think It will be easier to fight them separately,"

 "Alright!" She nodded. "Be safe,"

 "You too, Kitten," He replied before hanging up and flying towards the ship.

 ~Back to Paris~

 Lila ran as fast as she could do the street but Little Sister kept on replacing the people she went near. She had managed to find Adrien and tried to cling onto him but Little Sister replaced him as well. She ran past a man who was suddenly replaced with Little Sister, causing her to jump over and land in front of her as she pointed her sword at her.

 "Do you get it now?!" She growled, making Lila tremble. "I'll hunt you down wherever you go! Just give up on the treasure and I'll let you go!"

 "I don't know what the treasure is!" She gasped, making Little Sister growl and swipe her sword upwards, using it to knock back a car. 

 "My brother!" She growled, making Lila gasp. "Never go near him again and I'll stop tracking your every move!"

 "Alright," She gasped, looking down. "I'll never go near Luka again. You have my word,"

 She expected Little Sister to lower her sword and let her go but then she noticed a small black spot on her hand. It glowed and tripped in size, making her gasp as Little Sister roughly grabbed her arm.

 "The Black Spot betrays you," She smirked, pressing the sword to her neck. "Every time you lie, the black spot will grow. It will only disappear once you sincerely give up on the treasure and leave him alone!"

 "B-But how could I leave him alone? I just want to be his friend! I never meant to hurt him!" She gasped, hiding her hand behind her back as the spot grew. Little Sister growled and lifted her sword but Lila gasped and held up her hands. "Wait! There is something that might persuade me to leave him alone would be..."

 She moved closer to Little Sister.

 "If you got rid of Anatis for me," She whispered in her ear, making Little Sister looking at her with a small smirk. "Do that and I'll never go near the 'treasure' ever again,"

 "Lila!" Lady Noir gasped as she jumped down. "Are you alright?"

 "If that's what it will take to get you to leave the treasure alone then I'll do it," Little Sister declared, causing Lady Noir to give her a confused look. "But first... It's time to skin a cat,"

 "What?!" Lady Noir gasped as Little Sister charged at her, causing her to block her sword with her baton. However, Little Sister was going full force, managing to knock Lady Noir's baton out of her hand. She jumped out the way and grabbed her baton again but Little Sister knocked her back again as they battled down the street and landed on a fire truck. She ripped the hose pipe out of the engine and tried to hit Lady Noir with it like a whip. She jumped back and hit the hose with her baton, knocking it back. Little Sister growled and when to hit her again with the hose. This time Lady Noir caught it but before she could anything, Lila cried out.

 "My leg!!" She gasped, causing Lady Noir to look in her direction for a second but it was a second long enough for Little Sister to take advantage of it. She yanked the hose from Lady Noir's grip and threw it back, wrapping it around and pulling her towards her before slamming her into a lamp post and tying her to it with the hose. Lady Noir struggled against the hose as Little Sister glared at her. Lila couldn't hold back the smirk as she got up, showing her leg was clearly fine.

 "You little con artist!" She gasped, trying to get free as Little Sister turned to leave. Hawkmoth's mask appeared over her eyes as she did.

 "Relax, Hawkmoth, she's trapped and not going anywhere," She replied, jumping up in the sky as Lila stalked over to Lady Noir.

 "You! You helped her!" She gasped, struggling against that. "Why would you do that?!"

 "Me? Of course not," Lila gasped, causing the black spot on her hand to grow even bigger, making sigh. "Well, I guess that means I'm lying again,"

 "I knew it!" She gasped, struggling against the hose. "Why did you help her?!"

 "Well, I may have made a little deal with her," She smirked, making Lady Noir growl. "I'll leave alone her treasure, if she gets rid of Anatis for me."

 "You hate him that much?!" She gasped, making Lila laugh.

 "Of course, I do," She laughed, walked closer to her. "And now that you're tied up here, you can't help him... so I think I'll take that ring of yours since you won't be needing it anymore,"

 "I have one word for you," Lady Noir stated, narrowing her eyes as Lila reached for her hand.

 "Oh and what's that?" She laughed, making Lady Noir narrow her eyes.

 "Cataclysm!" She declared, charging her hand with the dark energy. Lila gasped and stepped back as Lady Noir manage to tap the hose, turning it to dust. She looked at Lila angrily, making her gulp as she stalked forward.

 "N-Now we can talk about this, Lady Noir," She gasped, holding her hand out as she saw how angry she was. "I was just trying to protect myself,"

 "By placing Annie in danger and helping Little Sister capture me so he's facing them alone?!" She growled before lifting her fist and slamming it into Lila's face, causing her to stumble back as she held her nose. "Now if you excuse me, I have spend enough time with you then I care too,"

 She jumped up, using her baton to lunch herself up to a building as her ring beeped. She hid behind the chimney before dropping her transformation and catching Plagg. She gave him a chunk of cheese before looking from behind it.

 "What's wrong, dollface?"

 "Lila tricked Little Sister into a deal. She'll leave the treasure who is Luka alone if Little Sister takes care of Anatis for her," She explained, making him almost choke as he ate his cheese. Marinette gasped and looked at him. "Are you ok?"

 "Fine!" He gasped before coughing. "We better hurry up and save bug boy then,"

 "I know," She replied, checking her phone for the location of the sentimonster. It was last spotted high above the arc de triomphe. She put her phone away before taking out a purple piece of cheese, making Plagg groan as he took it and ate it. "Plagg! Power up!"

 He spun around and glowed as he transformed before revealing himself. It wasn't much different to his usual form but he had a glowing ball on his antennae, a glowing star in the middle of his forehead and he had small bat wings that were green in color. He had a little green trim on his ears and his body looked like it was made from deep space. It was more of a very dark blue then black and it appeared he had stars all over himself. 

 "Plaggstroid!" He declared as Lady Noir held out her hand.

 "Plaggstroid! Claws out!" She declared, causing him to be sucked into her ring before she transformed into her new form. In general , her suit was the same as her normal form but instead of it been black, it resembled deep space like how Plagg looked. She had green detail across her gloves and boots and she wore a black belt with a green trim. Her belt buckle was a black circle with a green trim and a green paw print in it. On her back was a green and black jet pack with green straps. She had a helmet over her face that was green and black. Her mask and eyes were the same as were her ears but her hair had gone through the most drastic change. It was still the same style and length but instead of it been black, it was a bright but icy blue color. She ran to the edge of the building and dived off, causing green bat wings to burst from her jet pack before she flew up in the air, spinning around as she did. She stopped in the sky and looked around before taking out her baton and opening it. It showed Anatis was nearby so she flew in that direction, catching up with the Guard-O-War as she did. Just as she got there, she saw Big Momma and Little Sister had trapped Anatis with his lucky charm, which was a hose, similar to how Little Sister had trapped her but he was tied to the mast instead of a lamp post. He was trying his best to fight them off, kicking them back. Lady Noir narrowed her eyes before diving downwards back towards the earth. She flew back to where Lila had been and suddenly grabbed her, making her scream as she flew back into the sky and back to the ship. Lila screamed as she threw on the ship, just as Little Sister was about to reach for Anatis' earrings. His yoyo began to ring, causing her to stop and look at him. Big Momma rushed over to him then but Lady Noir flew over and slammed into her, knocking her to the edge. "Annie, answer it!!"

 "What?" He gasped, kicking Little Sister back before answering it, showing a skull and crossbones symbol on it. "What is with that symbol?"

 "No!" Little Sister shouted, going to reach him but he answered the phone, causing her to swap places with him. He smirked as she struggled but jumped back when Big Momma attacked him. Lady Noir flew over to Little Sister and grabbed her sword as Anatis blocked Big Momma's sword with his yoyo.

 "Annie! Catch!!" She gasped, tossing it towards him as Big Momma threw him to the ground. She rose her sword as to hit him but he caught the sword and blocked it, knocking her back as his luck vision lit up the two swords and her necklace. He kicked her back and held the sword out, causing her to grow because she charged at him, causing him to clash swords with her as Lady Noir landed on the ship. He spun around, moving his feet with skill as he blocked Big Momma's sword with his, causing Lady Noir to look on in amazement as he met her blade. In the corner of her eye, she saw Lila getting up and moving towards Anatis but she quickly grabbed some rope and threw it around, trapping her to the stairs as Anatis disarmed the captain and grabbed her necklace.

 "Lady Noir! Destroy the swords!" He shouted, tossing Little Sister's as well. She grabbed both swords before summoning her cataclysm, destroying them both. The akuma fluttered out as Little Sister and Big Momma turned back to Juleka and Anarka, causing them to look around as Anatis caught the akuma before running up to the wheel, just as Adrien came out of the lower deck. Lady Noir gave him a puzzling look before rushing over to Anatis, who looked at Adrien. "Adrien! Help the captain free Miss Couffaine!"

 "Aye, aye, Captain Anatis!" He grinned before rushing over to her and beginning to help.

 "What's the plan?" She asked as he held the necklace.

 "We need to land this thing before we catch the amok," He replied, spinning the wheel. The ship jolted forward and began to move as Anatis steered it, driving it down to the Seine. "Hold on!!"

 Everyone grabbed onto something as it crashed into the water, destroying a bridge before Anatis steered the wheel. Finally it came to a stop and a plank appeared from it, allowing everyone to climb off. Anatis ran his hand over the side of the ship, smiling a little as Lady Noir dragged Lila off the ship before she looked around.

 "Where's Luka?!" She gasped as Lila tried to get out of her grip. However, she ran straight over to Juleka, who pulled back her fist and punched her, making Lila fall to the ground as she glared at her as her nose bleed.

 "That's for my brother," She stated before looking to Anatis. "Is he safe?"

 "Yes. I got him off the ship beforehand," He replied before looking to the Sentimonster ship. He gently placed his hand on it before crushing the necklace in his hand, releasing the amok. He caught it in his yoyo before catching the lucky charm as it fell towards him. He released the butterfly and feather before throwing the hose up in the air. "Miraculous Ladybugs!"

 It burst into the cure and moved around them, fixing all the damage that been done and returning them to the Liberty before disappearing once everything was back to normal. Anatis turned to Lila, who's nose was still bleeding.

 "Why didn't your cure fix me?!" She screamed. "I was punched twice! Once by that mangy cat and then by her! The cure should have fixed it!"

 "Well, it's quite simple, Miss Rossi," He stated, making everyone turn to him. "That wasn't caused by the akuma so the cure won't fix it. Besides, you're lucky that's all they did to you. If I had Lady Noir's power, I wouldn't have hesitated to cataclysm you,"

 "I am the victim here!" She screeched, making him shake his head.

 "No, the victims here is Luka and his family," He stated, making her look at him. "That's right, Miss Rossi. I saw that picture and Luka told me about how to tried to forcefully kiss him. I advised him to take legal action against you as that is attempted assault,"

 "Not to mention that you made a deal with Little Sister to leave Luka alone if she tried to get rid of Anatis for you!" Lady Noir shouted, making everyone glare at her. 

 "I... I was afraid!" She gasped with tears in her eyes before she pointed at Juleka, who let out a little growl. "She was stalking me all over Paris! I was terrified for my life!"

 "So you sold me out?" Anatis growled, making her gulp. "I know you hate me but that's low. Even for you, Lila,"

 "I don't have to listen to this!" She gasped, turning on her heel but before she could even get off the ship, Officer Roger turned up and took her by the arm. "Hey! Get of me!!"

 "I just got a phone call that you assaulted a young man," He stated, taking her away from the ship as Anatis and Lady Noir's earrings beeped. She tried to pull away but soon she was in his car and driving off. Anatis turned to the others and gave them a salute before jumping off as Lady Noir said goodbye to everyone else. Once he found an alleyway, he detransformed and caught Tikki, handing her a cookie before helping her into his pocket and running back over to the Liberty, just as Marinette also ran towards there. 

 "Luka!" She gasped, rushing over to him and pulling him into a hug. "Oh my god! I was so worried! Are you ok?! Oh!"

 She quickly pulled away.

 "I'm so sorry!" She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "I should have asked if I can hug you!"

 "Marinette, I don't mind you hugging me," He mumbled, making her blush. "I know your intentions are not bad,"

 "Of course not," She gasped. "You're my friend,"

 "And you're mine," He smiled, opening his arms. She smiled and hugged him before they pulled away from each other. "I should get back to the Liberty..."

 She nodded and the two of them walked over. Almost instantly, Juleka rushed over to him and hugged him as soon as she saw him, crying as she did. Luka hugged her back before Anarka joined in with the hug. 

 "I'm glad you're ok, Lad,"

 "I'm fine," He smiled before looking at them. "But please never get akumatized like that again,"

 "We'll try," Juleka muttered, making him nod. "But what should we do about Lila?"

 "Well... I heard you punched her..." Luka grinned, making them look at him as he shrugged. "Anatis told me when he came to let me know it was safe to come home,"

 ~The Police Station~

 "You're lucky that they're only giving you a warning, Lila!" Her mother gasped as they walked out. "That poor boy and his family must have been so upset!"

 "I didn't realize that it was unwelcome, Mama!" She gasped as they walked over to the car but to their surprise, Nathalie was waiting by it. 

 "Can we help you?" Mrs Rossi asked, looking at her.

 "I'm Nathalie Sancoeur. I work for Mr Agreste," She explained, making both of them. "He's been looking for a new model to work with his new clothing line for teenagers and he was sent your daughter's portfolio from Vincent Aza,"

 "Oh yes I remember Vincent," Mrs Rossi stated, nodding. He had worked with Lila a couple of times in Italy.

 "Mr Agreste feels Lila has exactly what he is looking for in a model and wishes to hire her,"

 "Really?" Lila gasped, surprised. "Oh that is wonderful! Mama! Please can I do it?"

 "Well..." She frowned. "What about school?"

 "It won't interfere with her school and we are willing to paid for her time," Nathalie explained, pushing up her glares. "It would be excellent for her career too,"

 "Please Mama!!"

 "Well... ok,"

 ~Back at the Couffaine's Boat~

 "Dad, I'm fine," Luka sighed as he sat on the phone to Jagged, who was panicking about him. Penny was trying to calm him down but it wasn't helping. "Dad, calm down.,"

 "You were nearly kidnapped!" He gasped, making Luka. "I'm getting you a bodyguard,"

 "Dad, I don't need one," He gasped, shaking his head. "Issac hasn't turned back up and the press are finally leaving me alone. Giving me a bodyguard will draw more attention,"

 "But that Lila girl..."

 "Will have to go through Juleka to get to me,"

 "At least have a taser!" Jagged gasped, making Luka sigh. "Or a crocodile!"

 "Dad, I don't need a crocodile or a taser," He gasped, pinching his nose before shaking his head. "But if it makes you stop going on about it, I'll invest in some pepper spray and bring that with me wherever I go ok?"

 "Alright," Jagged sighed. "But we're adding endangerment to the case again Bob Roth,"

 "Fine by me," Luka replied before looking as Juleka popped her through. "I have to go. Movie night is about to begin,"

 "Alright," Jagged replied. "Be careful,"

 "I will," Luka replied, smiling a little. "Good night, Dad,"

 "Good night, Luka,"

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

Next Chapter: Coming Soon

[cosplayinamerica]

Princess Daisy : pencils_and_pincushions // photo: that_fedora_photographer

I’m a Canadian cosplayer who has been cosplaying since 2007. I’ve had a love for Victorian fashion since I very young age (my little kid brain basically made the connection that Victorian dresses = women dressing like Disney princesses IRL), but the thing that kickstarted my desire to learn sewing was going to a fabric store with my mother when I was in my senior year of high school and seeing a Butterick pattern catalogue that had Victorian-inspired costumes. Almost instantly I had a lightbulb moment that if I learned to sew, I could actually wear those big fancy gowns I loved.   

I entered university and, over the next few years, spent my free time reading and learning everything I could about sewing. In 2007, my best friend invited me to Anime North - she was going as a gothic lolita-inspired version of the Queen of Hearts, so I decided I would make a Mad Hatter to accompany her.

I was so excited that I jumped in completely head-first, and it ended up being my first foray into both sewing and pattern drafting. In hindsight it was wildly ambitious for a first project (and I’m still a little surprised that I actually pulled it off!), but I’m so glad that my enthusiasm made me persevere and psh through the challenges, because I learned a ton from that experience and ended up with a cosplay I was thrilled with.

I remember seeing myself in the mirror the first time and being so happy when I realized I’d been able to bring something to life from my imagination. When my friend and I got to the con, things only got better from there - the atmosphere was so energetic and colourful thanks to all the amazing cosplays, and it was filled with so many fun, enthusiastic, and friendly people. From that day I was officially hooked on cosplay.

I’m part of the Toronto Steampunk Society and, each year at Fan Expo Canada, we hold an Annual Costume Challenge where we pick a theme and encourage people to make a costume based on the theme. A couple of years ago, the theme was ‘steampunk video game characters’ and one of my friends in the TSS, Modern Myths Cosplay, thought it would be cute to do Princess Peach and Princess Daisy.

I loved the idea and, after more discussion, we decided to do a steampunk twist on the Super Smash Bros Brawl version since it was fancier and seemed to lend itself well to a steampunk interpretation. Though Daisy isn’t officially in Brawl, my friend was fortunately able to dig up some fan edits of Peach in Daisy’s colours, so with that we were set.

I usually make my outfits myself, but since my friend and I wanted to ensure our cosplays matched, we decided to work collaboratively and divide things: I would create the bodices and accessories for both gowns, and she would create the skirts and crinolines.

I started off by drafting the base bodice patterns. Since I draft all my costumes, I used my existing bodice block/master patterns for myself and drafted a bodice block from scratch for my friend based on her measurements. One neat thing about working this way was that it basically turned into a girls’ weekend where I was able to teach my friend more about pattern drafting, which ended up making the process unexpectedly fun and memorable.

After I finished fitting my friend’s bodice block, I got to work drafting our bodice patterns based on the reference pics we had collected. Being able to tackle both bodices ended up working well since it enabled me to draft them in a way that made them visually match identical while taking our respective body shapes into account.

A couple of mockups and fittings later, we had an idea of how much fabric we needed, so we went fabric shopping. My friend suggested that we go with richer, more regal-looking tones instead of strictly game-accurate colours, so when we found a place selling gorgeous peau de soie and sparkle organza, I was instantly sold on a gold and burnt orange colour scheme.

We split the fabric based on our respective portions and worked on them separately. I cut and sewed the bodices, which was fairly straight forward but time-consuming! The part that sticks in my mind the most was the center front panel because it had so many pieces and layers - two types of satin, two types of organza (including one that had to be ruched to the base panel in multiple places), five rows of lace, interfacing...and that doesn’t even include the lining!

I also created our jewelry and crowns. The brooches and earrings were made from filigree settings that I painted, glued gems, and attached pin backs and earring hooks to, and the crowns are made from craft foam painted in gold acrylic, with embellishments assembled from painted filigree stampings and gems.

My friend created our cage skirts from 1/4 PEX pipe and brown grosgrain ribbon, which ended up being the perfect hoop skirt material since it was cheap, lightweight, and strong enough to support the huge, heavy skirts. She cut and sewed our skirts (including attaching meters and meters of trim that I’d painted white to better match the game colours) and she also made our bloomers.

The gowns were a huge undertaking and, thanks to work and general real life eating up time, we did end up engaging in the dreaded con crunch, but fortunately in the end we were able to get them to a state where they were pretty and wearable!

The response at the convention was absolutely amazing - I don’t think I’ve ever had a costume elicit the reactions that Princess Daisy did. We figured that, since we were cosplaying the princesses from Mario, there was a good chance we might be recognized, but the thing I wasn’t prepared for was how genuinely happy and excited people were, especially when they saw us together. We literally had kids waving at us from across the street when they spotted us.

Even grown-ups loved it - we were frequently stopped for pictures, and even a couple of the folks in the dealer’s room who were running booths would break into huge smiles and ask for pictures. Plus, people loved the steampunk twist and were delighted when they realized how much our costumes matched.

The best, most heartwarming response to my Princess Daisy cosplay happened when I met up with some other friends and one tapped me on the shoulder, pointed behind me and said, “I think she wants a picture with the princess.” I turned around and, standing a few feet away, was this adorable, super shy little black girl who was staring in my direction. My heart instantly melted and I went over to her and had a little chat and took a picture with her.

As a black cosplayer who has run several panels on BIPOC cosplay and spoken about the importance of diversity and representation in cosplay, being able to show that sweet little girl that someone who looks like her can be a princess - and showing kids of other races that Princess Daisy can be black - was a vivid reminder that representation does matter.

Since I got into the hobby, cosplay has been a big part of my life and has positively impacted me in so many ways. It has been an incredible creative outlet that has given me the chance to express myself, and it has allowed me to meet so many wonderful people - many of whom are now among my closest friends. However, I think one of the most rewarding things about cosplay has been how it has allowed me to provide BIPOC cosplay representation and visibility within my local cosplay community. I often do Afro-steampunk cosplay, and one of the most unexpectedly moving things I’ve experienced has been other BIPOC saying to me that seeing my outfits make them feel like they can cosplay.

It has been humbling and has motivated me to get more involved in the cons I attend. For the past several years I’ve run panels on diversity in cosplay/steampunk as well as sewing and cosplay construction, which has enabled me to share the knowledge and skills I’ve learned. I also lead the steampunk section of the Anime North Fashion Show, and I’ve made a point to recruit as diverse a roster of models as possible. I’m happy that we’ve been able to showcase steampunk looks inspired by various cultures including Chinese, Indian, and Morrocan.

Another plus is that the sewing skills I’ve learned from cosplay have come in handy in other areas of my life. It has been fun - and surprisingly empowering - to be at a point where I can use my sewing ability to create one-of-a-kind outfits for formal work events (like office holiday parties) that make me feel pretty and confident.

Something I’ve frequently mentioned during my BIPOC cosplay/steampunk panels is that the simple act of showing up to a con or event in cosplay can have an impact because you never know how much that visibility can inspire other BIPOC to get into the hobby, so my advice to anyone wanting to get into cosplay is to do it! Overall I have found it to be a fun, creative, energizing experience.

While I’ve been extremely fortunate to have had overwhelmingly positive experiences while cosplaying, I recognize that, unfortunately, BIPOC do sometimes face harassment and outright racist comments (especially online) that can make getting into the hobby seem scary. Finding welcoming, supportive spaces in person and online can be a big help (the POC Cosplay group on Facebook is great for this) - plus, thanks to things like #28DaysOfBlackCosplay, there is more visibility and inspiration out there than ever before.

The other thing I’d add is to treat each cosplay as a learning experience. Being able to work so closely with my friend on creating a cosplay was a completely different creation process than I’m used to, and it was really cool to be able to learn from each other’s different working styles and experience. It was great to teach her pattern drafting and see how happy she was to learn skills she could apply to future cosplays, and I was so excited when she showed me her PEX pipe hoop skirt method. Looking back on my Princess Daisy cosplay makes me smile because it’s almost like a physical representation of the fun we have cosplaying together.

[zaph1337]

Monster Hunter Rating 21: Khezu, the Blank Stare

When I reviewed Basarios, I made a joke about how the devs likely gave it human teeth over sharp teeth because the latter might not give children nightmares, but I don’t actually think that the devs ever intended Basarios to be more terrifying than any other monster in the game. This monster, however, is literally the stuff of nightmares, and I’m not misusing “literally” here. This may be the longest review I’ve written yet, so buckle up. Time to get spooky with Khezu!

(How it appears in Monster Hunter 1)

(How it appears in Monster Hunter Rise)

Appearance: I think there’s been a mistake here; last I checked, Capcom wasn’t making Silent Hill games. Seriously, this thing would fit right into that series, and not just ‘cause its phallic neck lends itself well to metaphors. The pale, veiny skin, the leech-like mouth, the complete lack of eyes...Khezu’s unlike any other monster in the series because it’s the only monster that’s meant to be horrifying to look at. It’s got flabby, tattered wings and gecko-like feet, but its main characteristic (other than the head) is its tail, the tip of which can open up into a suction cup that allows Khezu to stick to ceilings.

Obviously, Khezu’s an abomination that came from a really dark place in someone’s mind, but that’s just it: Khezu is a monster that appeared in an MH developer’s nightmare either before or during the production of the first Monster Hunter game, and said developer (I don’t actually remember who) decided to put it in the game. I learned of this from the Twitch streams of a streamer called DuncanCan’tDie, who’s a huge MH fan that’s on great terms with Capcom. Unfortunately, I can’t find any other sources for this claim, but I don’t think he’s lying for a few reasons; firstly, like I said, he’s on great terms with Capcom. He’s friends with some people who work there, and he even has a tattoo designed by someone on the MH team he called “Kaname-san” (who didn’t actually give him the tattoo, but drew the design that a tattoo artist used) and the only person who could go by that name is Kaname Fujioka, the man who literally directed several MH games, including the first one, and who was the art director for Monster Hunter World. So yeah. Duncan and Capcom get along great, and if he was spreading false rumors, they’d probably know about it.

The second reason I believe Duncan about Khezu’s origin is that someone once came into one of his streams (and I was there at the time) and started spouting “lore” about two monsters that looked like they could be related, but actually weren’t. Duncan flat out told this person that what they were claiming wasn’t mentioned anywhere and asked for sources...which the loregiver did not provide. In fact, after Duncan started getting on their case, I don’t think they said a word for the rest of the stream. Duncan believes that this person was just making stuff up to sound like they knew a lot about MH and weren’t aware that he was an MH expert, and I doubt that someone who would call someone out on that would do the same thing, especially if he had a reputation to uphold.

I apologize if I spent a lot of time talking about that, but I didn’t want people getting on my case because they couldn’t find anything to support my claims. But in conclusion, I believe that Khezu truly was born of a nightmare, and that’s awesome. It makes the Silent Hill comparison even more fitting since the enemies in those games are basically projections of the protagonists’ psyches. Disturbing enemies are much more effective if they scare(d) the people who created them, and Khezu is certainly disturbing. Because of that, as well as its ominous origin, I’m giving it a 9/10.

Behavior: Khezu mostly inhabit caves, jungles, and swamps due to the need for their skin to be moisturized, though they usually only leave caves to hunt, which they don’t have to do very often due to the plentiful fat beneath their skin, which also keeps them warm. Their favorite hunting strategy is to ambush their prey from a location usually concealed by darkness, which is made easier by their extendable necks. However, their reliance on darkness, as well as their preference to dwell in caves, has made them completely blind and reliant on their other senses; despite not having visible nostrils or ears, Khezu have great hearing and a very good sense of smell. Back to hunting, while they need to subdue larger prey, smaller ones, like Kelbi, are slowly swallowed whole...which is apparently something you can actually witness in the games, according to TV Tropes (I normally stick to the wiki and what I already know for resources, but I went to the “Monster Hunter / Nightmare Fuel” page while searching for another source for Khezu’s origin as a nightmare). As if this thing needed to be more disturbing, it doesn’t always kill its prey before it tries to swallow it, so the Kelbi you can see it eat is constantly struggling as the Khezu swallows it bottom-first. That’s...that’s messed up. But it gets worse.

Practically every monster in this series isn’t any more intelligent than what we consider a normal animal to be. Aside from Lynians, which are people, the smartest monster I’ve talked about is the Velociprey, which might not be as smart as, say, an irl crow, which is very intelligent by the standards of nonhuman animals. What I’m getting at here is that most of the monsters in this series don’t really take any sadistic pleasure in killing and eating prey; they just do it to survive. But Khezu is different. In several MH games, including Rise, the first time you go on a quest to kill a specific monster, the gameplay is preceded by a cutscene that shows off how powerful or intimidating that monster is (and in Rise’s case, you also get a poem). Here’s Khezu’s intro, and I want you to pay attention to what Khezu does from 0:24-0:30:

That’s right: this thing “looked” right at the monster it was going to eat, and smiled. That isn’t just me anthropomorphizing it, either; I’ve seen what Khezu looks like outside of that cutscene, and even with its mouth closed it has a neutral expression, so it smiling actually means something, and considering the context, it’s obvious what the devs wanted us to take from it: Khezu likes killing. It enjoyed the prospect of swallowing that monster whole while it was still alive and struggling, which means that this is the first monster I’ve talked about that we can definitively say is evil rather than just an animal. Rather fitting for a living nightmare, I would say. And if you thought all that was disturbing, I have some...unfortunate news. I hope you aren’t eating anything right now, ‘cause this next part is just gross.

Y’know how some wasps lay their eggs inside other bugs so the eggs have incubation they can eat when they hatch? Well, uh...Khezu do that, too. And they’re hermaphrodites that, from what I can gather, don’t need to mate, so any adult Khezu is capable of injecting another monster with its “whelps” (not saying that Khezu are always “pregnant,” just saying that any of them can be). And you know the really crazy part? After everything I said about Khezu, there are still people in the MH world that tame them and keep them as pets. Why would you want to have a slimy, flabby, sadistic, parasitoid, 14-to-40-foot abomination as a pet!? God, people are so freaking weird.

EDIT (05/07/2021): My older brother reminded me that I forgot about one of the odder aspects of Khezu; when you enter a fight with a Main Monster, its battle theme plays (don’t know if every monster has a unique theme, but several do, to my knowledge), but Khezu has no theme to speak of. I don’t know if this is true in every game, or even if it was intentional at first, but it’s still both funny and eerie at the same time. There’s no background music until you get in a fight, so if you somehow tick off a Khezu without seeing it, then it can sneak up on you. “But Zaph, the moment a monster enters ‘fight mode,’ it roars! So the Khezu will give away its position!” See, you’d be right about that if it wasn’t for the fact that, according to TV Tropes at least, Khezu’s roar sounds just like wind--howling wind, yes, but wind all the same. I don’t know if there’s any howling wind SFX in the areas where Khezu live, so for all I know you’ll still be able to identify it in a hurry, but just imagine what that’s like in-universe! Imagine that you’re walking around in the Frost Islands or something and hear a chilling wind from out of nowhere. Unless you’re an experienced hunter, you’d likely have no idea if that was a Khezu or not, so you wouldn’t know if it’s too late to run or not, or even if you should run at all. Going back out of universe, the details I just described are very nice touches to a monster that was already horrifying in behavior, so I’m bumping the score here up from the 7 I initially gave it to 8/10.

Abilities: All of the “Flying Wyverns” I’ve talked about so far have had a lot of trouble with the whole “flying” part, and Khezu are no exception; they’re better at it than Diablos and Gravios, but they still need to flap really frantically to stay in the air. They’re great at jumping, though, and their gecko-like feet allow them to scale walls and stick to ceilings, something that their tails also allow them to do. Khezu are Thunder-element monsters capable of discharging electricity in a manner of ways, including shooting balls of it from their mouths and emitting it all around their bodies. Since Khezu like to spend time around water, their attacks are even more dangerous, as everything near them will likely be wet and therefore more conductive. This also applies to Khezu themselves, which may be why they stick their tails onto the ground before discharging electricity; they ground themselves so that they don’t shock themselves. Finally, Khezu saliva is very dangerous; we don’t know if it’s electric or acidic, but anything that gives off smoke when it touches something probably isn’t good for your health, which is why owning a pet Khezu is so dangerous; their drool can literally kill you. 7/10.

Equipment: Most Khezu weapons are as interesting as you’d expect them to be, considering the monster they’re made from. Most of them have a horror aesthetic, like this Great Sword called the Khezu Shock Sword:

I just noticed that the skin is actually stretched over the blade, rather than being what the blade’s attached to. Gross, but I never expected Khezu weapons to look pretty. There are also weapons which emphasize the monster’s electric aspect, like this Gunlance called the Full Voltage:

It still has Silent Hill vibes due to its “rusty hospital” aesthetic, and looking at it long enough reveals little details it inherited from Khezu. Speaking of hospitals, there are a couple of weapons based off of syringes, such as the Khezu Syringe, which is a Light Bowgun, and a Lance from MHFG that’s literally a giant hypodermic needle, but I didn’t want to show those off in case they triggered anyone with needle phobia. The last weapon I’m gonna show will be very familiar to those of us who’ve played the Rise demo a lot: the Insect Glaive known as the Bolt Chamber!

I like the green tube running from the sac between the blade and the shaft of the glaive; according to the Bolt Chamber’s in-game description, it uses that “pulsating device” to steal energy from its targets. If you mentioned that to me before I grabbed its image for this review, I probably would have asked how it did that. If you then pointed out the mouth at the glaive’s end, I would have thanked you for cursing me with the knowledge of its existence. Seriously, I’ve used this thing probably more than 20 times, and until I saw this render, I never noticed that. As for the armor, here’s the Blademaster Khezu Armor from MHGU:

The male armor here is almost identical to the one from Rise--which sadly doesn’t have any pictures on the wiki yet--and yes, it does look like the main character from Assassin’s Creed. The female armor, on the other hand, looks almost like a nurse’s outfit, especially with that metal thing on the woman’s head with the cross. The more I look at this equipment, the more I feel like they wanted people to think of Silent Hill, and if so, that’s pretty cool. I’ve got another armor set to show you; the Gunner version of the Khezu R Armor from MHGU:

Jesus, is this an armor set or a medical emergency? I can’t imagine bandages are very effective at protecting your body from physical damage, but thankfully it looks like most of them are just covering actual armor...meaning that the people who designed this stuff in-universe wanted the people wearing it to look like they were in an accident. Not sure I get why, but I’m not here to--actually, I am here to judge, so never mind; it’s gross. Also the female set has Khezu mouths as arm coverings, which is someone’s fetish, I’m sure. The equipment as a whole is macabrely interesting (TIL that macabrely is a real word) and calls to mind a fascinating horror game franchise, so 8/10.

Final Thoughts and Tally: I figured that Khezu was gonna be interesting, but I didn’t know how far the devs would take the horror theming. Everything about this monster is creepy; it looks disturbing, it acts even worse, and its equipment makes me feel like I need a tetanus shot just from looking at it. But that’s not at all a bad thing...unless you’re really squeamish, in which case you were likely cringing this whole review. I’d apologize, but you made the choice to stick through ‘till the end. 8/10.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

Yurtle's 2021 Writing Projects

COSMIC: Will Byers x Reader - MALE READER + NON BINARY READER VERSIONS -> plot, dialogue, and love interest will remain the same, but I will finally be fulfilling a promise I made after far too long of making two more copies of this series that will allow readers of he/him pronouns to hopefully feel more represented, as well as readers who prefer they/them pronouns. You deserve an escape just as much as anyone else and im truly sorry its taken me this long. These versions are already in development as I type this out. This will include all seasons, and is something I am working out for Scars That Heal, and all my other stories as well.

AN UNFORTUNATE REWRITE: ASOUE x Reader - Love Interest Change -> Previously Klaus Baudelaire x Reader will now be a Violet Baudelaire x Reader. I asked you guys about this a while ago and I was met with a lot of enthusiasm. And honestly I'm getting worried about my lack of enthusiasm for this series and I don't want to give up on it, not when I've barely given the series a try. And truthfully, exploring Violet as an LI intrigues me more than Klaus. And the deciding factor in all this was Klaus Baudelaire has a small handful of x readers available whereas Violet doesn't have any. Not that I've found. I'm very sorry if this upsets you, but this is a decision I've thought a lot about for months actually and I think it will help get me through to the next season which is where Reader's backstory really starts to kick in. Thank you guys for understanding and I'd be more than happy to talk about it with you guys more if you'd like 💞

I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH HER: IANOWT x Reader -> okay. So this one has really been eating at me all year. I wanna write this one SO BAD. but I just... don't have any ideas. So, if you don't mind, I'd love to brainstorm with you guys if any of you have time. I really really want to make it a Syd x Reader or a Dina x Reader. I love both with all my heart. Don't get me wrong, I love Stanley Barber with all I am, but I just. I can't do a rewrite with him. I'm sorry. All I've got so far for ideas is Syd being in love with Dina as it is in the show and Reader being in love with Syd. I'm thinking Reader has a little brother or sister that is Goob's age that is best friends with Goob, and that this is how Syd and Reader know one another but everything I try to go over the plot in my head I can't find a way to bring them together? I really thought I'd get more ideas with even a hint of what they had planned for season 2 but 😤😡 yeah. Now I have to smush it all together and wrap it up in a bow, or at least I feel pressured to. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, those are my only solid ideas, and I am ALWAYS open to literally whatever ideas you have and more than happy to hear them, whether they're half baked ideas that came to you from some random shit post or some fully fleshed out power point presentation 😂 all my ideas are one or the other anyway, no in between lol. Point is, help is always appreciated as I do NOT want to give up on this beautiful, well crafted story and its wonderful characters 🥰💞

THE STOLEN UMBRELLA: Diego Hargreeves x Reader -> As I've mentioned before, season one has left the planning stage and is now currently ready to be written. All I need to do is finish planning season 2. Currently, I am on episode 3, The Swedish Job. There's not much I can tell you about this series that I haven't already shared but I can say what makes this rewrite an AU [if it wasn't already clear]; Vanya Hargreeves was never lied to and grew up as the seventh Umbrella Academy member. And yet, her siblings have still shut her out leaving them all with the same dynamic from the show... This book will feature my very first OC! I will explain more later, but the "faceclaim" is none other than the talented Ewan McGregor. I am very much excited for you guys to meet G.R.E.G.O.R.Y. 😇

And finally...

[working title] Not What You Expected: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader -> This was the big one. For me at least. Doing a Harry Potter rewrite is a big commitment but I honestly just snapped when I didn't see any Hermione x Readers. My goal, the whole vibe im gonna shoot for is wholesome 90s wlw [witches loving witches lol I'm sorry I couldn't resist]. Reader would be adopted by Hagrid as an infant and will have been raised on the grounds by Hagrid cause I'm sorry but he's just SUCH A mum DAD. Another little twist? Veela are supposed to be strictly blonde with "moon bright skin" well since id be the author id say FUCK THAT and bend canon and say anyone of any ethnicity can be Veela, cause yall are beautiful in all shapes, sizes and colors 😍 so basically Reader will be half Veela and just casually charm the pants off of everybody with her veela magic ESPECIALLY Hermione 😉😊. Like im sorry can you just imagine Reader all covered in dirt from helping her dad on the grounds and seeing Hermione and Hermione just 😳 *gay gulp* and then reader opening her mouth an then greeting her with the heavy west country accent and oh no Hermione didn't realize how pretty girls were and for heavens sake, surely this girl knew she had a bowtruckle on her shoulder clinging to her ear and wait. She's ALSO memorized all of Hogwarts a History and- oh no... Like, im sorry but I have NO self control and I just have to write this. Bonus, Harry Potter may or may not but definitely will be Reader's Designated Himbo Friend™ and yes this is what I was asking you guys on your input for earlier. I totally understand and respect putting reader in Gryffindor and Slytherin, both are wonderful choices for story paths for reader. But im gonna do my best to bring as much representation to the table as I can and use the most underrepresented house cause everyone deserves to feel represented as much as they possibly can ☺ i sincerely hope you guys are as excited for this as I am, please let me know what you think about this one as I was pretty nervous to share this idea with you guys. [EDIT: I have a title!! MUDBLOODS & HALF-BREEDS !!]

Thank you guys so much for reading, I know I word vomit a lot 😄 I do promise you my current WIPs have not been neglected and I actually have been working on them a fairly equal amount. Scars That Heal has actually been written for a while but needs to be tied up and I need to find a satisfying way to wrap up the chapter. But anyways, I hope you guys are as excited about these announcements as I am and I can't wait to share them with you! Love you all! 🥰

💕💕💕 - Yurtle

[ellewords]

(not me reading this back and thinking you could make a drinking game out of this ask because of how many times i say “because” lmaooooo)

i’ve never actually seen wgm but i really love the idea of hinata being on the show, because i feel like he would be so starry-eyed the entire time. literal ✨👄✨ at everything because he’s never thought about what being married would be like and now suddenly he gets to experience it??!!?! he fumbles through all of it, and the fans love him for it because a lot of the other participants seem so smooth and suave, but not with hinata! he blurts his thoughts out as they come, he’s clumsy in situations that would normally require him to be put-together, he makes a huge deal out of every little thing. the first time his partner brought him a bouquet of flowers, hinata literally turns bright red and starts rambling so fast the audio just barely picks it up—

“you didn’t have to but that was really nice of you, i’ll get you something next time, hey, the flowers smell sweet, oh no, that’s actually you, you smell so nice, have you always smelt that way, you should definitely tell me what body spray you use because i might just have to get some of that—“

and the fans eat it up. and so does their partner who absolutely adores him even if hinata doesn’t quite get/see it.

i feel like it would also be hilarious if the partner was someone who isn’t necessarily the biggest (by choice, they don’t want to be in the spotlight all that much) but because of a really big project they have out soon, their team thinks they should get some of that pr. maybe a painter or a sculpture? one that has gotten a lot of attention as of late because their art is a little controversial/suggestive but has somehow managed to keep most of the media on the actual art and not on themself. they come off as really shy and recluse, but the second they get on the show, hinata brings them out of their shell, and that makes the fans like them even more. they love getting to see the artist behind everything and they especially love seeing how their artist brain translates into the real world. and just the idea of hinata being the kind of person who would be able to make even the most introverted person go a little crazy is something i think would be hilarious on reality tv.

anyway, hinata gets a lot smoother as they continue on, and it absolutely floors the fans because he’s so different from when he started. he holds his partner’s hand like it’s nothing, he says super sweet things without missing a beat, he holds eye contact without looking like he’s trying to win some unproclaimed competition. but he doesn’t realize he’s doing it, and the partner is too nervous that he’ll get weird about it to say anything.

by the end of their time on the show, fans can see how deflated the partner is even though they’re really good at hiding it still, and hinata is off too, but he can’t tell why. he is still chipper and all over the place, and the partner is still more open and engaging, but their energy is off. hinata chalks it up to them going to miss the time they shared together, but even that doesn’t feel quite right.

after they leave the show, hinata is super excited to see that the partner has started doing more community stuff (charities where they show up in person, giving art classes to people that donate certain amounts to organizations and projects that they support, going out in public and doing sketches/paintings of people on the street for reference later and recording tiny interviews with them as they do it to make a new documentary of the process or something). he gushes about it all over his social medias and anywhere else he can get someone to listen because they don’t have the time to actually ever meet up with the way their schedules are. he even starts posting behind-the-scenes clips that he had taken (with the permission of the partner) to engage with both parts of their fan bases.

and the partner does the same for hinata. they do a bunch of pieces of the jackals and sells them to get both of their communities involved and supporting them even if they can’t go to the actual games. their instagram is flooded with designs of new projects for them and even more of them of just hinata, all of which have captions that target just hinata (“wow, my ex-husband is so fine 🥵” “that’s your man? mhm! look at him! yeah, that’s mine” and other stupid, cheesy ones that make the fans feral because damn, they really have come out of their shell, huh?!)

the internet loves it, and they love even more that hinata seems to become the person at the beginning of the show all over again, flustered and a mess and tripping over his feet. a new hashtag starts because of it about the two of them being in love still (as a joke) and people upload some of their favorite moments of the pair together. when hinata sees it, he tries to play it off (horribly) but when he finally gets to talk to their partner about it, there’s a calmness in their voice that eases him just a little bit, and suddenly he’s aware of why exactly leaving felt so wrong.

this got a little sidetracked, but i don’t even mind, lololol. also, i definitely need to check out the show after this because i love the fake dating/marriage idea. thanks for putting me on to it! make sure to drink water, have a snack if you haven’t eaten in a bit, and take deep breaths! -🌙

— from elle ! okay but hinata and a painter/artist!partner is literally such an amazing idea to dive into, this now lives in my head and i will continue thinking about it for days on end. i absolutely love everything that you’ve sent aaa i’m actually screaming, i had a difficult time picking which part of your hc to focus on bec so many things popped into my head. but i ended up choosing to kind of pick up where you left off for my little addition (under the cut as usual) tysm for this 🌙 anon ! take care <3

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

hinata’s blush grows redder every second he spent staring at his phone, his twitter mentions filled with photos, edits, and even fanmade animations of the two of you. your shipname was trending again, all after you posted a rare photo of yourself in msby merch. you looked cute, that much was evident to hinata. then again, he always thought of you as cute — from the second you walked into set, all shy and nervous, from the minute you left it, your arms wrapped wrapped around his neck. why was he acting like this? filming had ended months ago; he’d grown more confident around you, hadn’t he?

your name flashed across his phone screen, interrupting his train of thought — you were calling him. his heart beat sped up, fingertips immediately moving towards the ‘answer’ button.

“hey shoyo!” you greeted, enthusiasm very much evident in your voice, “did you see the picture i just posted?”

“i did! um...you look great.” he mumbled, unsure if you had heard him, heat continuing to rush towards the apples of his cheeks.

“thanks!” he hears your chuckling from the other end of the line, and a small part of his mind convinces himself that you were somehow teasing him. “you’re coming tomorrow, right?”

“what’s tomorrow?”

“my photo exhibit, silly.”

ah, that. hinata could imagine you shaking your head, biting your lip as you attempt not to burst out into laughter at his cluelessness. the beating of his heart is more rapid now, thinking of how you anticipated his answer, how you wanted him to be there. “i was only kidding, of course i’ll be there.”

“sure,” you replied like you didn’t really believe him, “i’ll see you then.”

—

hinata was the one who convinced you to get into photography. truthfully, you wanted to try and exploring other mediums beside your usual set of paint and pencils.

“maybe i should try taking photos.” you joked, gently nudging his shoulders as the two of you browsed various film cameras. the crew had taken a brief break from filming, but you and hinata still wanted to continue exploring the various antique shops that lined the street.

“go for it!” he replied without missing a single beat, quickly rattling off a list of potential subjects, “you can take photos of plants, or maybe animals, really pretty scenery...it’s not even going to matter because i know you’ll end up taking really amazing photos.”

and when hinata insisted that he pay for the camera you chose, you decide on a subject.

__

the gallery is empty. well, at least the reception area is.

hinata’s dressed in his finest button-down and slacks, black dress shoes clicking against the white granite tiles. the receptionist directs him to the floor where your exhibition is meant to be held — right at the very top.

his brows furrow, there should be more people here. photographers, critics, fans even. he should’ve been greeted by reporters, by the surely hundreds of people all excited to see your work. you had only grown in popularity since your appearance on wgm, the number of people going to your exhibits only ever increasing. he should know, hinata’s been to every single one over the course of the show’s run. he knew what to expect. and it was certainly not this.

the elevator dings, indicating that he had reached the top floor. still, not a single person there. the frown on his face only deepens. hinata catches a glimpse of the exhibition’s title, “beyond the cameras: a retrospective”

the glass door is unlocked, hinata pushes through them only to be greeted with pictures of the last subject he expected: himself.

framed on the white walls of what possibly was tokyo’s most famous gallery were photos of him, glossy and bright, colors vivid and alluring. and they weren’t just any photos too, they were photos taken on the rare occasions wherein cameras weren’t following your every move. there were photos of him from nights he snuck you in the gym to teach you how to play volleyball, ones of him covered in paint taken in your studio, ones of him attempting to make you breakfast. all of which had him looking away from the camera.

that is until he reaches the final photo, the only one that had you in it as well, taken the night before the final day of filming. he was looking at the camera, but you were looking right at him — your gaze soft, the corners of your lips forming the smallest of smiles.

“so maybe i lied,” hinata heard a voice speak from beside him, recognizing it as yours almost immediately, “the exhibition is actually tomorrow. i just wanted you to see it first.”

“but why me?” he asked, biting the inside of his cheek.

“just because.” you shrugged, not even turning to look at him, gazing at your final photo — just like he was.

but hinata feels it, the tightening in his chest, the tension that enveloped your bodies as the two of you continued to stare straight ahead. he hears it, the ringing in his hears, the hammering of his heart, the unevenness of his breath.

you stand next to him, just a few inches separating you. hinata’s hand is drawn like a magnet to yours. at first your knuckles graze, and hinata holds his breath. then his fingertips push in between yours, you bite your lip. finally he he grasps your hand, a quiet exhale escapes you both.

you tear your eyes away from the photograph at the same time he does; your gazes meet. and just like that, you finally reach the same understanding as him, of just why leaving felt so wrong.

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

a question: how would the hq boys (specifically timeskip) act on a variety show like we got married?  |  written on the margins masterlist

taglist : @haikyuutothetop @crystal-lilac @tobioespresso @sushijimawakatoshi @itsmeaudrieee @pantherhappy @jesssobs @mysticstrawberryballoon @cloudedsky_29

join my hq taglist here. <3

[myriadimagines]

End Of The Year Faves 2020!

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 8 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome work!

i was tagged by the lovely @lxncelot & @musicallisto !!!

i’ve only written 10 one shots this year since i stopped taking requests rip. i only ended up picking 5 of them bc i didnt like the rest. also i love talking about the behind the scenes of writing like its just so fun. i literally went through my revision history in my google docs to see how i wrote these akjsdhasjd so literally........... if anyone wants to talk to me about a piece........... just shoot me an ask bc i will gladly tell u all about it

1. Lifetimes (Sebastien le Livre) 

this might be my number one bc it’s the most recent and i havent decided i hate it yet but wrote this as an alternative to therapy lmfaooooooo and it’s been a month but um. it still hurts. but anyway, i started off with the below paragraph:

And Booker has centuries of pain under his belt. Endless years of trauma that he cannot even begin to unpack. But you don’t have centuries. You don’t have lifetimes to reconcile with all the cruelty in the world  —  you just have one, and Booker knows he of all people should know just how much hurt one lifetime can contain.

and just worked around it, bc i was just really obsessed with the concept of having multiple lifetimes and all that, and just the fact that life has so much pain and hurt and it just sucks. i edited the first sentence for the final but otherwise it’s the same. i think i came up with some pretty good lines in this if i do say so myself, and i mentioned it in the a/n, but i intended for it to be longer but didn’t want to push it after i feel like i had written all i wanted to. i just wanted someone to hold me and comfort me clearly. 

2. Cursed Blood (Renfri)

i am obsessed with renfri as a character and her whole story, and the whole concept of her being cursed just felt like something that i really wanted to explore and write about. these were the first lines i wrote for the piece:

But every time you kiss her, you swear that it’s impossible her lips could be poison. Or perhaps you grew so used it, that the poison tasted sweet. 

i ended up editing this a lot for the final version, but a trend in my writing seems to be i always come up with how to end a piece and just work around it. i really enjoyed going into depth into renfri’s character and it kinda felt more like a character study than a reader insert? but eventually i found a way to work the reader in there and i liked where the story went, bc renfri deserves happiness and someone to be there for her.

3. Roadside (Robin Buckley)

still in shock at how many notes this one got and i am forever grateful to everyone who reblogged/left comments!!! this was for lacey’s ( @moonlit-imagines ) writing challenge, and idk why when i saw the prompt i immediately decided to use robin. for this one, i actually started with the beginning, which was the prompt, “Let’s take a walk. Just you and me.”

i mentioned this in the a/n, but i planned it to be a lot more angsty and wasn’t even planning on ending it on a happy note askjdhaksd the original plot i had in mind was that robin and the reader were into each other but were dancing around each other’s feelings. so one night, the reader drunkenly kisses steve at a party to try and make robin jealous, but it ends up just causing a rift between robin and the reader even after they confess their feelings. here is a part i wrote for the original plot before i decided to scrap it and go with the final plot.

“Look, I don’t even care if you and Steve get together.” Robin waves her hand, and you’re not used to seeing such disappointment on your best friend’s face as she lets out a shaky breath. She looks as if she’s struggling to collect herself before she asks, “I just… why did you lie to me?”

“I didn’t.” you desperately blurt, and Robin’s eyebrows furrow. Shaking your head, you take a step towards her as you explain, “I didn’t lie, Robin, I swear. I don’t like Steve. What happened at the party meant nothing—”

Robin scoffs. “Then why—”

“—because I wanted you to see.” you finally confess, and Robin stares at you. You’re shaking, tears welling in your eyes as you continue, “Because I thought I could make you jealous, because I was just too afraid to make a move and wanted you too. And I know that’s silly of me, and I never meant to hurt your feelings—”

i changed the plot because i didn’t think i could pull it off, and i didn’t know how to fully end it. i liked where it ended up going anyway after the change of direction so all good!!

4. Games (Michael Gray)

so this was inspired by a gif imagine request that @fangirlsarah16 sent me, which you can find here!! you can literally see me already plotting for the piece in the tags aksjdha i just loved how angsty the situation was, and i love michael, so i decided to just run with it. i put what i had already written into a document and just pieced everything in around it. this is definitely one of my more dramatic pieces, but i just loved how the story came together and how all the other characters were included. 

i already planned to write a part 2 while i was still writing this piece, but obviously that hasnt happened yet. also i got discouraged bc i thought it would do better in terms of notes but oh well. i wrote around 300 words of where i wanted part 2 to go, and i still have it saved, but i dont want to share it in case i end up writing it. also, i have 2 plots in mind for where i want part 2 to go, and haven’t decided which one i want to go with. we’ll have to wait and see i guess >:)

5. Off Limits (Cassian Andor)

ah yes, the first in my rewrite project that is going along very slowly. basically, im planning on rewriting my super old one shots in hopes that i’ll like them. i swear i’ve got the next one shot in my drafts but i just havent had the time to finish it yet. anyway, the original piece, which i wrote 4 years ago (!!!!), was the piece that really got my blog started and helped me get activity/attention, and it has around 500 notes, which kinda makes the new version look depressing bc it only has 97 and it’s definitely a lot better in my opinion. 

i don’t really have a detailed process for this one, seeing as i was just improving upon an old piece, but one of the main things i did want to change was cassian’s characterisation. i felt like i just made him too mean in my old piece, and i wanted to loosen him up a bit. i managed to bang this one in one day and i just think it’s some cute content and i miss the rogue one squad!!

i’m tagging @moonlit-imagines @emcon-imagines @lotsoffandomimagines @dannyboy-writes @murswrites @randomfandomimagine @sonsofeorl @spxder-mxns & all other content creators that see this!! i’m definitely missing a lot but everyone should share their favorite pieces from this year :’)

[bangtangcorner]

Blueberry Muffins - Kim Namjoon

pairings: idol!kim namjoon x half Italian!half Spanish!reader (lol don’t ask why, I did it for fun)

word count: 2.08k

summary: It’s been a few months since you started dating Namjoon. When he texts you one day that he’s in a bad mood, you pay him a visit with the sacred thing that brought you two together : Blueberry Muffins.

warnings: a few cuss words, FLUFF, Yoongi with his gummy smile and Kookie with his bunny smile, Namjoon just being a WHOLE ASS BABY

a/n: I’ve just begun writing on tumblr so I’m a little nervous about putting my stuff out there. I’ll improve with time I promise and I hope you like this! Feedback and criticism of any kind is always appreciated <3

(Edited)

****

“4 blueberry muffins and 1 hot chocolate to go please.” I smiled at Sinthia. Her eyes crinkled as she grinned and started shuffling behind the counter.

“No chocolate chip cookies today?” She asked as she bent down behind the shelf.

“Nope, he’s not in a good mood today. Blueberry muffins are for turning the sour mood into sweet, they somehow always work.”

“I think we both know why they work sweetheart.” Sinthia said as she came up from behind the counter with a paper bag in her hand. I tilted my head to the side and looked at her with a puzzled face, silently asking her what she meant.

“Don’t you remember the first time you both met in this very cafe?”

I smiled as the fond memory replayed in my head.

“The usual Sinthia, thank you.” I smiled at the little woman behind the counter and moved to the side.

My phone vibrated in the back pocket of my jeans. Pulling it out I saw that it was my mom calling, my fingers immediately swiped across the screen.

“Mama!”

“Come stai mio caro? (How are you my darling?)

“Sto bene mama, come stai?" (I’m doing well mom, how are you?)

“Sono grande dolcezza, come vanno le lezioni? Com'è Y/f/n?” (I’m great my sweetness, how are classes? How’s y/f/n?)

“Le lezioni sono frenetiche mama.”(The classes are hectic mom) A sigh escaped past my lips, “Ma per fortuna ho Y/f/n per superare tutta la merda.” (But luckily I have Y/f/n to get through all the shit.)

“linguaggio!” (Language!) I chuckled as she laughed in return. I could imagine her shaking her head, eyes rolling at my behavior.

“I-”

“Excuse me sweetheart.” I whipped my head around to see Sinthia looking at me.

“Yes Sinthia?” I asked my mom to wait for a second and muted the call.

“That young man over there” She pointed to a man behind me. I turned around to see a man with blond hair sitting in the corner booth, his chin perched on his palm as he stared out at the street.

I turned back to look at Sinthia, “What about him?

“He has ordered a blueberry muffin too. But the problem is that I only have one of those sweet treats left and he looked really upset. Do you mind if I give it to him? I can pack your favorite chocolate scones instead.”

I smiled, “Of course, it’s no big deal.”

Sinthia grinned and patted my shoulder, “You really are a gem, tesoro.(Darling)”

“Y/n? la mia bambina? (My baby girl?)”

“Shit” I muttered as I realized my mom was still on hold.

“Mama, posso richiamarti prima o poi? (Mom, Can I call you back in sometime?)

“Certo baby” (Sure baby)

“Va bene, ciao mama, ti amo!” (Okay, bye mom, I love you!)  

“Ti amo troppo cara!” (Love you too dear!)

Cutting the call, I saw Sinthia circling around the counter, probably going to give the stranger his order.

“Hey Sinthia, wait up!” She spun around to look at me.

“Do you mind if I give it to him?”

“Do you mind if I ask why?”

“Just wanted to see the man who was stealing my favorite food.” A sly smile took over my face and Sinthia giggled, handing the tray to me.

“He’s all yours.”

I looked down at the tray to see a cup of black coffee and the blueberry muffin I had been craving since yesterday. Shaking my head, I made my way to the corner booth.

“Hey, um, excuse me”

He turned around to look at me, “Yes?”

Suddenly, I couldn’t speak. He was gorgeous, absolutely breathtaking. His blond locks were messy on top of his head, mask pulled down to his chin, lips full and red. His eyes bore into mine as I stood there frozen, unable to do anything in front of the Greek-God like human.He also looked awfully familiar.

“Um?” His voice snapped me out my stance as I cleared my throat and let out a breath I’d been holding since the minute my eyes landed on his beautiful face.

“I, uh, I have your order.” I said, placing the tray on the table.

“Oh, thank you, I didn’t see any waitress when I had walked in?”

“Oh no, I’m not a waitress.”

Now I had begun to question my decision of serving him, why did I ask to do this again? This was probably the stupidest decision of my life.

“Oh okay?” He frowned as he looked up at me.

Without thinking, I quickly slid into the seat in front him and began talking.

“I’ve been coming to this cafe for almost 3 years now. I moved here when I got into Seoul National University. This has kind of been my safe place since then, not to mention Sinthia has been a mother like figure for me. She also helps me learn Korean and sometimes gives me yummy treats for free. Anyways, so today we were partnered up for a literature project and I was paired up with this cocky jock who’s so fucking full of myself. Then someone spilled their coffee on my favorite white top. It’s just been a shit day and I really wanted one of Sinthia’s blueberry muffins with the delicious dark roast she makes. But then it turns out you looked upset too so I let you have the last blueberry muffin.”

At the end of my mini rant, I squeezed my eyes shut, face turning red from embarrassment. I had literally just said random shit to a complete stranger who already looked like he wanted to be left alone.

“Here.” His voice made me snap open my eyes.

He was wiping his mouth with a tissue as he passed me the remaining half of the muffin.

“It looks like we both need something to lighten up.” He smiled and I swear I felt my heart skip a beat.

And then suddenly, it clicked.

“Holy shit” I mumbled.

“Is everything okay?”

I looked him dead in the eye, “You’re RM! Oh my god I just said complete nonsense to one of the biggest stars in the world.” I leaned back against the seat and mentally smacked myself for making a fool out of myself in front of one of  the world’s biggest idols.

“Cosa c'è che non va nella tua ragazza!” (What is wrong with you girl!) I muttered to myself.

“Ahh you recognized me, but for now I’m Namjoon.” He took out his hand for me to shake, a small smile still tugged on his lips.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down and took his extended hand in mine.

“Hi Namjoon, I’m Y/n.”

“You’re Italian Y/n? I heard you speak on the phone earlier.”

“You heard me?” I squealed.

He laughed, “Yeah, it’s 1am in the morning and we’re the only ones here.”

“Wait, you know Italian?”

“A little bit, I could catch a few words you spoke.”

“Half Italian, half Spanish actually.”

“That’s interesting.”

“You bet.”

“Oh by the way, I have no clue why I just came and dumped all of my problems on you, I’m really sorry for that.” I sighed and inwardly cringed at my actions.

“Aigo, stop worrying. Tell me more about your literature project and this jock you’re paired up with.”

“Y/n! Earth to Y/n?” Sinthia waved her hands in front of my face. I jumped slightly and laughed, “Sorry, took a little trip down the memory lane.”

Her face beamed at my words as she passed me the bag of muffins and the cup of hot chocolate.I took out my wallet to pay but was stopped by little hands clutching my fingers.

“Don’t, it’s on me tonight.” Sinthia grinned.

“But I-”

“No buts Y/n, go make your superstar boyfriend’s day.”

“You spoil us too much I swear.”

****

“Noona!”

“Jungkookie!”

Our laughter died in the air as we embraced each other. I pulled back and ruffled his black hair as he gave me his famous bunny smile.

“How are you noona?”

“I’m great Kook, is he still in the studio?”

“Yeah, he’s working on some new tracks with Yoongi hyung.”

“And that of course means he must have not eaten for hours.” I sighed, his habits always worried me.

“You got that right.”

“Good thing I come bearing treats.” I said, raising the paper bag in my hand and shaking it with a cheeky smile on my face.

A big smile stretched across his face as he made grabby hands towards me.

“Gimme Gimme Gimme”

I giggled,”Take one Jungkookie, we have to save some for Yoongi and Namjoon hyung.” Jungkook happily retreated one muffin from the bag and released a content ‘hmm’ after taking the first bite.

“I’m gonna go and see him now Kookie.”

He nodded. “He’ll be happy to see you.”

“알아,준비 됐어 “ (I know, I’m prepared)

His eyes widened as his choked on the muffin. I laughed loudly and made my down the hall to the Rkive.

Knocking twice I heard Yoongi shout, “뭐?” (What?)

Without replying, I opened the door, revealing Namjoon and Yoongi hunched over the studio board. Namjoon’s eyes met mine and a big grin stretched across his face.

“Hi Y/n” Yoongi said smiling while getting up.

“Hey” I said and pulled him in for a side hug.

“What’s that?” He asked, looking at the paper bag in my hand. I opened it and tilted it towards him, “Have one”

He looked down and pushed his hand inside it, pulling out a muffin. A gummy smile appeared on his face as he turned around and pointed at Namjoon,”당신은 자신에게 맞는 여자를 얻었다” (You got yourself the right girl.)

Namjoon chuckled and flipped him off. Yoongi stuck his tongue out at him, gave me one last toothy grin and made his way out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

“Hey” He said as I walked towards him, placing the muffins on the side table. Swinging my leg across his thighs, I straddled him, my arms locking behind his shoulders. His hands take a hold of my waist, face nuzzling in my neck. His deep breath hits my skin, making a shiver run down my spine. I took my right hand and massaged his scalp earning a little whine from him. I giggled, the soft boy in my arms making my heart turn to mush.

“You’re too cute.” My soft voice broke the comfortable silence.

He looked up at me and snorted, “I’m sorry, have you looked at yourself in the mirror jagi? You’re literally the definition of cute.”

Now it was my turn to snort, my hands cupped his rosy cheeks as he leaned in my palm, “Stop being cheesy Joonie.”

“Can’t help it when it comes to you.” He placed a very soft kiss on my lips, letting it linger for a few seconds. My heart combusted at the action, senses fogging as I lost myself in the feeling of his soft lips on mine.

“I got you something to eat.” I said pulling away and getting up. Picking up the bag of muffins, I threw them in his lap and sprawled across the small couch.

He opened the bag and whistled,”You know me too well.”

He immediately started munching on the muffins, now looking much more relaxed under the dim lights of his studio.

“You can’t keep doing this you know.”

“Doing what?” His voice came out muffled as he chewed on the delicious muffin.

“Neglecting your health, overworking, stressing too damn much.”

“I don’t do it purposefully.” He grumbled, brows furrowing.

“I know baby.” I turn to my side and fold my arm, plopping my head on my palm.”But you have to take care of yourself Joon, your heath should be the priority.”

He wiped his hands against the back of his sweats and came towards me. In the next second, I was squeezed below Namjoon’s body.

I squealed, “What the fuck are you doing?! Namjoon!”

“Hmm” He mumbled as his arms circled around my figure and pulled me closer to him, if that was even possible.

“Get up Joonie.” I whined from under him.

“No” He grumbled, placing his head on my chest, his long legs draped over mine.

“We’re too big for this couch Namjoon.”

“Doesn’t matter, just wanna be close to you.”

My breath hitched in my throat as I repeated his words in my head. He was too good to me, I didn’t deserve an angel like him. I shifted underneath him and he whined in return.

“닥쳐 (shut up), I’m trying to get comfortable.”

He hummed.

I smiled to myself.

****

Masterlist

[bladekindeyewear]

HS^2 bloggin’ mainline 2020-08-23

More homestuuuuuck

I’m a little tired today so I don’t expect much intelligent analysis out of myself, but if anything classpecty happens I doubt I’ll be able to help myself regardless.

oh, always

(EDITS: added note on horn colors, link to ask on potential Blood powers reference)

> CHAPTER 12. Really Convoluted Metaphorical Horseshit

cuuute

In the bowels of a different ship, at a moment in time that is not pinpointable in either direction from the previous interaction, another Dave raps quietly to himself.

another dave raps quietly to himself.  i am glad that phrase exists it brings me joy

(LATER EDIT: A friend on Discord pointed out that throughout this entire update, Karkat's horns are #FF0000 red. They were normal candy-corn colors in previous glimpses at the ship crew, though they used a dark single-color shortcut typical of old Homestuck at one point... but THIS time it stays STARK red even when we zoom in close later. Is this just artistic liberty? Did Karkat color his horns for fashion? Does this happen to red-bloods like the Sufferer after a certain age? Just how much time has actually passed, here? We might have to wait for the commentary for this one.)

KARKAT: I WAS SAYING I THOUGHT WE MIGHT GO, I DUNNO, ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE ENTIRE SHIP WHILE THE CLOTHES WERE WASHING. KARKAT: SEEING AS THIS DECREPIT MACHINE WE WERE SO BLESSEDLY PROVIDED WITH MAKES A WHIRRING SOUND SO PANCHAFINGLY ARHYTHMIC THAT IT THREATENS TO ERADICATE THE ENTIRE CONCEPT OF TEMPO FROM THE UNIVERSE.

Karkat really has chilled out hasnt he?  like this is surprisingly level for him, and that fact is hilarious.

KARKAT: AND YET SOMEHOW BASICALLY ALL THAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE STARTED THE LOAD IS THAT YOU’VE BEEN USING IT AS A FUCKED UP BEAT TO WHISPER TO YOURSELF ABOUT FLOWERS TO.

oh gosh that’s why he’s rapping

> ==>

DAVE: kanaya was telling me this kids story the other day about this dude who didnt cherish a flower enough until it peaced out to do flower stuff idk its not pertinent to the story DAVE: except the flower was a person DAVE: because it was a metaphor

Oh right, coming back to the Little Prince stuff I was too lazy to metaphor-deep-dive into, and literally asking the same questions we were asking about who the Little Prince’s story applies to mapped here if anyone at all, like Dirk and such, or what biases were in the retelling of it and the way Kanaya phrased it.  So now we’re practically mocking it by deep diving it here, hence the last page’s “DAVE: i was just thinking through some really convoluted metaphorical horseshit”, which means we’re both about to further explore AND shit all over the existence of this story metaphor until it doesn’t mean anything and most of the meaning we drew from it earlier is made a joke~

well, not “we”, cause I was too lazy, so... y’all

DAVE: anyway what goes down in the story is that once the flower lady is out of the picture DAVE: the main character goes around making all these connections between her and everything else in the universe until every damn thing feels like a symbol for how much he fucked up and how much he will never see her again KARKAT: THIS SEEMS PRETTY FUCKING INTENSE FOR A KID'S STORY DAVE: yea thats pretty much what i said

Oh holy shit.  That’s yet another way to put it.  Are we doing a whole moral takedown of the Light aspect today?  cause it sounds like we’re taking a dump on the Light aspect and RoboRose getting too obsessed and immersed in it, which would be excellent

DAVE: but i guess its not so much what the story was technically textually about but more like the version of it kanaya internalized and then told me when we were talkin about how she misses rose

exactly

DAVE: so like now im taking the story she told me she was projecting her feelings onto and projecting my feelings on top of that

yes absolutely, you just rephrased it a different way with that exact same bias

DAVE: this is just one big game of emotional projection telephone so feel free to go paraphrase it to roxy later and make it about whatever fuckin thing youre currently missing

perfect. i need an emoji for that Italian thing for when you pinch your thumb and forefinger together and kiss it

ah this’ll do:

its like the expression “choice” but in nonverbal form

[...] whatever fuckin thing youre currently missing KARKAT: YOUR ABILITY TO GET TO THE POINT DAVE: gotem DAVE: anyway you’re not gonna have to miss that skill of mine for long DAVE: get ready for this shit because i am about to slap you with the point so hard youll fall ass first into the washer DAVE: just scrambling around in there getting all sudsy DAVE: but your brain is gonna be so blasted from the mindfreak of a point im about to make that there wont be anything left to clean

Anytime dave is told to get to the point he is contractually obligated to spend at least 20 seconds talking about how he’ll get to the point in a way that is not getting to the point

DAVE: so its genuinely cool that kanaya can go around creating meaning that may or may not be actually present in every little thing DAVE: connecting every feeling she has to the idea of her wife existing out there DAVE: so i told her she should keep that shit up DAVE: but im having the opposite issue where im struggling to find anything to be that kind of tether because every single thing i could possibly consider about what it is were doing just reminds me of yet another thing to be afraid about

Great examples of Light being good and bad!  Attaching strands of connective meaning to everything.  --though, in Dave’s case AND Kanaya’s case you could argue it’s both bad in terms of effects.  That it’s great for Kanaya to care, but that she should be able to divest herself and live on her own terms without idealizing Rose literally everywhere she looks, personal growth which would be useful in helping bring Rose back to her in the first place.  The struggle they’re looking forward to is largely philosophical, not just physical, and until Rosebot acknowledges that she was wrong it’s not over.

DAVE: everything fuckin sucks huge cosmic donkey sack and im terrified KARKAT: OK, SO I FEEL LIKE YOU SKIPPED A COUPLE NECESSARY STEPS IN YOUR POINT CLARIFICATION PROCESS.

Pretty sure Dave was on the same page as most Epilogue and start-of-HS2 readers.  This situation is pretty bleak to dump our heroes into, no matter how much we believe will be resolved in the long run.

DAVE: ok but were you going with sweet or savory please give me that much at least KARKAT: YEAH IT WAS GOING TO BE SUNDAE-BASED. DAVE: nice KARKAT: YEAH. KARKAT: DO YOU WANNA WATCH MORE GBBO AFTER THIS? DAVE: absolutely

--ah, Great British Bake-Off, can’t say I’ve indulged

do they still have that?? did they save it from old Earth?  or did they go where unflooded Britain used to be and say hey, new show reboot

KARKAT: GREAT. ANYWAY, LIKE I WAS SAYING, FOR THE LOVE OF SWEET HUMAN CHRIST, PLEASE BACK UP TO WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU’RE ACTUALLY SCARED OF. KARKAT: ALSO COME HERE, IDIOT.

That last line is like, exactly as fucking sweet and awesome as we imagined their relationship to be.  :)

> ==>

OH MY GOD THAT’S ADORABLE

DAVE: ok yeah this is a better position to unleash all my inner fears n anxieties from

indisputably.

DAVE: those times its like my mouth was saying words about the situation wherein our friends are AWOL and maybe dead but my brain wasnt fully letting me experience the emotion that goes along with them DAVE: man its like i cant even start genuinely thinking about how afraid i actually am for rose and john without my brain flippin its wad and whiting out DAVE: like haha fuck i hope theyre ok DAVE: now i better make a fuckin joke before i succumb to the gaping mouth of despair waiting for me to fall in it as soon as i look down and acknowledge that its there ogling how juicy my ass looks as it trembles with terror

I really hope that the writers of HS2 know full well that this feeling? the one Dave is describing here? is what many of us who got way overinvested in the well-being of Homestuck’s surviving characters felt reading the Epilogues and Homestuck^2.  So I really hope they’re working through it in a way that will result in a preponderance of GOOD THINGS happening and hope-filled situations.  Cause that “can’t even think about X” feeling is too familiar, and if they understand it as well as it LOOKS like they’re getting to, I’d really like them to give us a helping hand healing.

I think that’s what they’re going for?  Seems hopeful for me to think so, but they HAVE been doing better as HS2 has been going forward, from an emotional standpoint anyway; definitely better than the Epilogues.  And I’ve worked through some of that stuff with the help of that, because it’s MUCH easier nowadays to think about Homestuck without my gut clenching.

DAVE: i guess im just fucked up about how to worry about dirk and be angry at him at the same time DAVE: because if i get as unholy pissed at him as i sometimes wanna be i also gotta admit to myself that maybe i coulda done something different there

Mhmm, Karkat’s potentially a pretty good person to speak with here since he’s done so much work trying not to feel responsible for everything that’s ever gone wrong.

DAVE: also like DAVE: and this by the way adds a whole other layer of guilt on there that i dont really know how to fuckin reckon with but DAVE: even with all the shit hes pulled and the fact that we are more or less heading toward having to take him down DAVE: whatever that is gonna mean and whether or not he planned it like that DAVE: i just DAVE: me and him had come so far with each other and it was really cool for a while to have him and i DAVE: ugh DAVE: i dont WANT to hate him

Yeah, Dirk and Jane’s heel-turns were really shitty for anyone who was a fan of them in the fanbase, as well.

KARKAT: WELL THEN QUIT FUCKING PICKING AT THE SEAM ON MY SHORTS AND SPIT IT OUT. THEY'RE BARELY HANGING ON TO THE DEFINITION OF "SHORTS" AS IT IS.

That is an adorably real boyfriend-laying-in-boyfriend’s-lap thing to do

DAVE: the part i mentioned before about how we really have no goddamn clue how long this trip is even gonna take DAVE: i cant help but feel like its barely getting revved up DAVE: and for me and roxy and jade and callie and kan thats normal shit at best and boring at worst but we all have our immortality to thank for that DAVE: we can just dick around in space for near-eternity waiting to catch up to our friends who may or may not be our enemies now and itll be fine DAVE: i mean no itll be categorically miserable DAVE: but well survive it KARKAT: HOLD THE FUCK ON. DAVE: but you KARKAT: DAVE. DAVE: no lemme say this

Oh god damnit.  Karkat’s limited lifespan.  As if we hadn’t ALREADY covered a nauseatingly extensive gamut of disheartening topics of conversation.  We really have to confront every shred of misery in their past, present and future one after the other after the other in the Epilogues and HS2, don’t we?  >:(

I guess it had to be discussed, though.

DAVE: we dont talk about it much and i got shit to say about it DAVE: its not like i never thought about how youre mortal before but i just thought wed be able to figure it out before it mattered DAVE: come up with some kind of plan DAVE: i was just distracted being happy with you i fucking guess and so i didnt think up a way to fix it DAVE: and now thanks to dirk we have to work it out right the fuck now DAVE: because i cant spend this trip just sitting around watching you get old and die

Jesus.  I mean, WE know(?) that it’s not gonna be THAT many years, but THEY don’t know that.

Unless it really IS going to be that many years and HS2 is going to shamelessly take a fucking sledgehammer to our feelings for no goddamn good reason.  Which it won’t!  Right???  >:T

> ==>

Dishwasher ding

> Dave: Grapple with the clean, soggy consequences of the passage of time.

Hey, don’t make it a metaphor here. --though, fuck.  I suppose we are dealing with everyones dirty laundry.  God damnit.  SURE, deal with it all story but then GET IT OUT OF THE WAY AND PUT SOME SERIOUS FUN AND LAUGHS IN HERE so we don’t feel like we’re wading through an entire garbage dump!!!  *click*

Karkat’s eyebrows-only mouthless frown is really cute.

> ==>

okay Karkat explain the nope you’re lodging

> ==>

*put*

> ==>

*foot*

> ==>

DAVE: ok go on

I mean I at least appreciate the time investment in adorable boyfriends.  That’s definitely something of SOME good value they’re giving us in exchange for this misery

> ==>

That Karkat image makes me wanna do that red-shaky-gif-thing with it

KARKAT: IT'S NOT LIKE I'M NEW TO THE PARTICULAR MOOBEAST WRANGLING EVENT OF SOMEONE I PREVIOUSLY LOVED BRUTALLY TURNING ON ME AND LEAVING ME TO TRY AND CRAM MY FEELINGS ABOUT THE SITUATION BACK TOGETHER ALL ON MY OWN.

True

KARKAT: HE DID THAT ON HIS OWN. AND WE MADE THE CHOICE TO GO AFTER HIM ON OUR OWN.

Yes, and you’ll possibly convince him more of that over time, though not in this short conversation

KARKAT: I WAS FOLLOWING YOUR LITTLE TRAIL OF COOKIE CRUMB FEARS UNTIL IT LEAD TO THE BIG SNACK FINALE OF WORRY ABOUT MY FRAGILE MORTAL MEATSACK. KARKAT: IF I HAVE SOMEHOW NOT BEEN CLEAR ABOUT THIS WITH YOU YET, LET ME GO AHEAD AND RECTIFY THE SITUATION RIGHT THE FUCK NOW. KARKAT: HANGING OUT WITH YOU ON THIS LONG TRIP TO WHO THE SHITTING FUCK KNOWS WHERE IS QUITE LITERALLY THE HAPPIEST I HAVE EVER BEEN IN MY ENTIRE MEAGER EXISTENCE. KARKAT: I'M SO ABSOLUTELY BLISSED THE FUCK OUT OF MY MIND TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT YOUR STUPID IMMORTALLY SMOOTH HUMAN FACE SKIN EVERY DAY AND NOT HAVE A COMPLEX ABOUT IT.

D’AWWW

And with that darkly angry expression too, that’s PERFECT

I mean it’s true.  What exactly would they be doing DIFFERENTLY on Earth C other than enjoying each other like this?  It’s pretty fucking great.

...hm.  Isn’t this journey-not-the-destination stuff pretty Breathy?  Karkat’s proving more balanced by the moment.

KARKAT: AND I'LL BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU. IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVEN'T BEEN EXPERIENCING SOME COMPLICATED GUILT, MYSELF. KARKAT: THE FACT THAT I'M HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE JUST FUCKING CHILLAXING AND BEING IN LOVE IN SPACE IS A CLEARLY INCONGRUOUS WITH THE REASON I'M ACTUALLY HERE CHILLAXING TO BEGIN WITH, AND I'M NOT LETTING MYSELF FORGET THAT, EITHER.

Pff.  He feels guilty for ENJOYING IT so much.  <3

KARKAT: BUT I RESENT THE IMPLICATION THAT MY HAPPINESS IS REGISTERING FOR YOU AS YOU HAVING TO JUST "SIT AROUND AND WATCH ME GET OLD," BECAUSE I KNOW YOU KNOW IT'S MORE THAN THAT.

I’m glad Karkat knows that DAVE knows somewhere in him that it’s more than that, because yeah, if Karkat thought he DIDN’T know that at some level that’d be a reason to take MUCH MORE SERIOUS offense.

KARKAT: LIKE, JESUS, DAVE. YOU KNOW I'M AFRAID FOR YOU, TOO, RIGHT? KARKAT: OR DID YOU FORGET THE WHOLE HEROIC DEATH THING? KARKAT: I WORRY ABOUT LOSING YOU FAIRLY FUCKING REGULARLY.

Hah!!!  Point taken.  Karkat must view Dave as practically more fragile than HIM.

KARKAT: ONE: WE'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH HELLACIOUS PANWARPING TRAUMA THAT I REFUSE TO NOT ENJOY THIS SHIT WHEN I FINALLY FUCKING GET IT, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT MAY OR MAY NOT LAST. KARKAT: TWO: IT'S NOT LIKE WE'RE DOING NOTHING. WE’RE MOVING. WE’RE WORKING. WE’RE HEADED SPECIFICALLY TO A PLACE WHERE WE WILL UNDOUBTLEDLY ENDURE YET MORE FUCKING HELLACIOUS PANWARPING TRAUMA. KARKAT: AND THREE: WE'RE DOING THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE FRIENDS WHO WE CARE ABOUT THAT NEED US. THAT IS OUR FOCUS, HERE. NOT OUR FEAR. IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE WE HAVE TO SAVE. KARKAT: SO DON'T FUCKING WORRY ABOUT ME, DAVE. I'M FINE.

Okay, this is great and wholesome.  I am now retroactively GLAD that this topic got brought up.  :)

> ==>

Dave is still afraid. There is a part of him that will always be, he thinks. He has accepted this about himself. There is another feeling coursing through him too, though. It’s something he's felt before, though never quite so intensely. He looks up at Karkat and understands, viscerally, the simple power his words have. They pump through Dave’s own body, alive and warm and true.

He wonders if Karkat realizes it, or if he’s just, as always, saying what he feels as he feels it. Dave doesn’t attempt to dissect it further. There will be time for that later.

Every really loving moment like this is sort of undercut by the fact that it’s also, in some senses, part of alt!Calliope’s narration and, by extension, her fanfiction.

EDIT 2: There's also either a hint to potential Blood powers or even an explicit Blood power use here that I didn't recognize. I'm leaning towards it's-laying-the-groundwork-for-future-use-of-Blood-powers-but-isnt-magical-in-this-case.

> ==>

Smooooch!

That was nice.  Still gonna wait on doing any commentary til next time or a Bonus update or two, cause I’m beat.  See y’all next time!

[hopetofantasy]

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT - Nona Janssens

Other podcast transcripts: Veerle Dejaeger, Nora Dari, Nona Janssens, Nathan Naenen This is one of the literal transcripts of the wtFOCK cast podcasts by Ender Scholtens (’Gossip Guy’). You can watch it on YouTube with my contributed English subtitles as well. I didn’t put in any of the sounds, movements, hesitations or laughter, just the plain dialogue. Heads up: they never or barely mention the show, because they’re not allowed to (contract restrictions)!

--- “Nona Janssens: Do Tinder relationships work?” ---

Source: Gossip Guy - 1st of May 2020 (Podcast via webcam)

Nona Janssens: Hello! Ender Scholtens: Hey! Everything okay? Nona: Yes, you? E: Excellent, even. Nona: Should I sit somewhere else? E: You really don't have to. But do you have earbuds with a good mic? There is a bit of an echo. Nona: I always lose everything, I lost all my earbuds. I have some, I'll try them. E: Suspense... Nona: No, doesn't work, right? E: It actually does. Shall we get started? There are a bunch of fun questions. Nona: Exciting! E: Really exciting, even. Alright. Waddup people, welcome to a new episode of 'Gossip Guy’ podcast. My name is Ender Scholtens and today I’m here with Nona Janssens. Waddup, Nona, everything alright? Nona: Hallo, yes, yes. And you? E: Certainly, I'm happy you're in the podcast. For the people who don’t know you, could you introduce yourself? Where could they know you from? Nona: I play in a tv series for young people, whose name I cannot say. E: And we're not gonna talk about today. Nona: Exciting. No, yeah. But I don't think you know me from something else. E: Yeah, okay. No. Cool. I guess it's good summary, indeed. Nona: Yeah. E: So, I asked the people on Insta for some questions about you- or rather, for you. Nona: I'm very curious... E: Yes, you thought we wouldn't get a lot of them? Nona: No! I was seriously thinking: people are going to laugh at me, when he doesn't receive any questions. E: There are *still* some laughing at you, though.  Nona: Ah, yeah. E: No, no, no! But why did you think that? Nona: Yeah, I don't know. No, I'm curious. I think- Yeah... I don't know which questions they would- E: The kind of questions they would ask you? Nona: No. E: Now, I received- Around 200 questions. A lot about topics we're not gonna discuss. The C-word... And a tv series... Nona: Yes. Yes. E: Anyways, someone asked - since you're clearly an actress: 'Did you get any drama education'? Nona: No.  E: No? Nona: I've always done 'Diction' at the music school and stuff like that. E: Ok, cool. Nona: And in high school, I studied Modern- I mean, General Education. There I could pick four optional hours of theatre per week. So I did that. But I never went a 'real' drama school. Even though, I was very much interested, I did choose a different 'direction'. Just to have certainty. Although, I want to act for real in the future. E: Okay, okay, cool, I get that. Which 'direction' did you study in high school? Nona: Human sciences. With cultural education as an option. E: Okay. And 'Diction & drama', I did that too. All through high school. Loved it.  Nona: That's fun, right? E: Yeah, had a blast! Nona: Yeah, it's nice. E: Do you have any hobbies beside that? Since I received questions about youth movements? I think some people of *your* youth movement asked me questions? Is that possible?  Nona: I don't know, tell me their names. E: I'm not going to. But you're in a youth movement? Nona: Yes, yes. I'm in the 'Chiro'. E: Okay. Apparently you're playing a 'De Mol' (= 'The Mole') game at the moment? Nona: Ah, yes, we're playing 'De Mol' right now. [A popular reality game tv show]. I've seen * and she wanted to know who my 'mole' was. E: Okay! Nona: I'm not... going to say that... That wouldn't be good... If I already revealed my 'mole'. E: Sounds very logical. Ah, here. Let's ask this question to be done with it, it's been asked a lot: 'Are you single?' Nona: No, no, I have- I have a partner. E: Okay. Is this something that can be revealed to the public, otherwise I'll cut this part out? Nona: Yeah, of course, that's totally okay. Doesn't matter that much. E: No, that's usually something I ask beforehand. But I forgot. Not everyone likes to talk about relationships. Which I get. Been with your boyfriend for a long time? Nona: Yes, almost two years now. E: Wow, solid! Cool. Nona: Great, huh? We're doing well, right? E: Yeah, you go! Fantastic! Here, other people who are interested in your hobbies: 'Did you ever dance?' Nona: Yes, I did. I've done a lot- a lot in my life. I did dance, Chiro... Now not much extra... E: Dance, Chiro, music school... Were you one of those kids in primary school, whose week was filled to the brim? Nona: Yes, indeed. I did some sports too. Yet, every two years, I got bored and changed to something else. E: I'm laughing, but I was exactly the same. I've done- What did I- Tennis, hockey, volleyball, golf. I did a lot. Nona: Same, every time something different. E: What's your favorite? The one you really loved doing? Nona: Dancing, I did the longest. Still love doing it. I don't really do it anymore in a fitness or something... Always been the most fun. But I did every sport you'd ever imagine. For example, horseback riding. After a few weeks, I thought 'no'. 'No thanks!' At least I tried it. Oh god... I don't even know why. I don't like horses anyways. Still... Wanted to do it. Probably since my friends did it. E: Just checking where the hype of typical 'horseback girls' came from? Nona: Exactly. Didn't get it! E: Honestly... I don't get it. In movies, it always looks so cool. A man on a horse. Yet, in real life? People laugh if you say: "I do horseback riding". Nona: A 'horseback girl'. E: Although, it's fucking cool in movies. At least I think so. Nona: I think so too. Yet, it's not my thing. E: Prince Charming on his white horse, must've said the same thing, right? "I'm going to my riding lessons". People laugh. Still, everyone wants a Prince Charming. Nona: Yes! E: You said you wanted to be- You didn't get any drama education, but you want to act in the future? Do you have international ambitions, something in foreign countries? Hollywood, for example? Is that the dream? Or do you want to stay in Belgium? Nona: I would be happy already if I ever succeeded in Belgium. E: Yeah, I thought- My question was all over the place. Since everyone would like to succeed here, right? Nona: Yes, but- I'm not that fluent in a lot of languages! Not my greatest strength. I might be able to do it, but then I'll probably keep thinking: 'Is this correct?' or 'How should I say this?' I would get sick due to stressing too much! So I don't know if that's in my future. E: And are there any productions in Belgium, where you thought: 'Cool, I want to act in that?' Because I- There have been recent movies like 'Patser' and all that. I was really impressed. 'That's from Belgium?! That's fucking cool! So good!' Nona: Yes... E: Has there been a recent project, where you wanted to say the same thing? 'Wow, that's really cool to join'? Nona: Yes, right now, for instance 'De Dag', 'De Twaalf', ... Those kind of shows are great. If I could play in a series like that, I would be super happy. Yeah, those things certainly interest me... Super fun. E: Funny coincidence, I've interviewed one of the actors of 'De Dag' - Nabil - for a new Netflix series. Nona: Really? E: Yeah. Honestly, I was a bit starstruck in the beginning. My first question was really... bleh! I stumbled over my words. I hope they'll edit it to make it seem more spontaneous. Exceptionally friendly dude, by the way! Seriously.  Nona: Yeah? E: Every time- That's- For example, we're seeing each other for the first time. We're 'meeting'. In a way. It's a risk every time. Because you don't know... How someone really is. You never know. You see an online persona, someone in a series, or whatever, it's always... Hard to tell... how they'll be in real life. Nona: Certainly in a- You know their character isn't real, but still, if you meet them in real life, you keep thinking that they'll be somewhat similar. E: That's- Nona: It is. E: Indeed, indeed. Nona: Weird, huh? Yes. E: Do you think it's difficult for a lot of actors? Like, for instance, Game Of Thrones. Have you seen that? I don't know if you did. But the actor playing King Joffrey, a boy who's gotten hate in the show from episode one, received a lot of hate *in real life* too. Nona: That's weird, huh? E: Do you think that happens a lot? Nona: With 'Thuis' too, if they do something in the soap, I've heard that they get verbally attacked on the street. I didn't get that. My character gets a lot of hate, but I haven't gotten any of that, fortunately. E: Not in real life? Nona: No, but it happens often, you know, people really think you're like that... I've struggled with it, though. That if I go somewhere, I want to show *even more* that I'm different from my character. E: Okay. So you're faking a personality right now? That you-  Nona: Oh, no! No, no, no, I'm not doing that. But yeah... E: I'm just joking. Nona: Imagine. No. E: I know that. Do you experience difficulties in separating the art from the artist? Not only acting, but music too? For example, 'Justin Bieber is awesome' and then every bit of his music is awesome? Or 'I don't really like that artist, so his music is bad'?  Nona: No... E: No? Nona: No, I don't have that... It's not because they put out a bad song... If they produce a bad song, even if it's a good artist, I'll still say it. Then, then... Yeah... E: No, okay, alright. Are you a 'Belieber', by the way? Nona: No! E: No?  Nona: No, not really no. E: I am, that's why I'm asking. Or actually, I was more of a 'Belieber' during 'Purpose' and now with the new album... That's why I asked you, because I really *wanted* the album to be good. And then- Nona: Do you have that experience? Or do you separate it? E: The moment I heard the question for the first time - I've used it multiple times in my podcasts, it's an interesting question - I actually had to think... 'Am I listening to the music or the artist?' Am I- As... With someone like 'Russ' - a rapper that gets plenty of hate, the rap world hates the dude or idk - it might be easy to say "Fuck him and his music", while you could still hate the artist and like his music. Or love a song. So I never said 'Fuck that dude', but it made me think: 'Okay, do I listen to the music or the artist?' Nona: I don't have that. E: No? Nona: No. Great right?  E: Cool. Super, even. Nona: But I really don't have an artist that I'm crazy about. I listen to various genres, so I've never experienced that. E: Even better! Nona: Great, huh? E: Nice, nice. Someone asked to talk about social media. A topic I often explore in my podcasts. But... I don't want to drag it out. Since people made me aware of that fact. However, it's still an interesting topic and certainly for someone in a position like yours. Who gets a lot of attention on the socials. How do you deal with that? Do you feel like there are a lot of eyes on you? 'I should be careful of what I post'? How do you feel about it? Nona: I have... mostly... I'm like... There are people who always take good pics,  everything they post is amazing, and I'm like: 'I can't!" I want to try, but I don't know how! Someone told me I should do more with my social media, ask more questions, stuff like- E: Engagement with your audience? Nona: Yes! Things like that. But most of the time, I'll think of the people in my small town, who will laugh at me if I try to do that! Even if I do it as fancy as the others. I- I- I want to, but I don't seem to succeed! E: I get that. I have- What I personally- Last time, I saw on your profile that you sometimes - since I put it in my story for the questions - have beautiful, serious pictures. The one in black-and-white? Fucking cool! Because of you, I've posted a similar picture.  Nona: Really?! E: Yeah, it's *really* difficult for me. Sorry, I can't keep my face straight. I laugh all the time. If the photographer asks me: 'Give me a serious look.' I can't! Nona: Yeah. E: Do you have the same? Can you keep a straight face in front of the camera? Nona: I try to, because I keep thinking about how the pictures might turn out. E: So you have the goal in mind? Nona: I do. I laugh too, though, but I try to stop it. E: What you said about the people in your town: they might think it's weird if you're into social media... But it's not a secret anymore that you've... acquired some level of fame, right? So isn't posting on your socials considered normal? More accepted? Nona: Yeah, maybe... Yet, I still don't know what to do. I'm not good at that! I don't know *what* to post. Or something. Yeah, I should research that... E: Searching what you want to do. Nona: Yes. E: Okay, nah. Okay! A deep question... You don't have to have an answer. I wouldn't even know how to answer this myself. 'If you could turn back time, is there something you would change? What you did?' Heavy, huh?! Nona: Yes, never thought about that. E: Maybe to this morning, then I could ask Nabil the first question without stuttering. That's it. Nona: But yeah... What could I change? No, actually... If you do something wrong, I still think you learned a lesson. I couldn't think of something. Maybe later, when this is done. Not now. E: Like 'Ah, shit, shouldn't have said that'? Nona: Yes, indeed. E: I have the same feeling with a tv program that will be released soon. I totally forgot I filmed that. It's about... It'll be clear, when it appears online. But I totally forgot that I filmed it. I wasn't thinking then about the things I said and what they'll do with it. Not that I said mean things, but personal stuff. And then suddenly, you realize that it'll appear online. Literally everyone could see this. That's crazy. Maybe I shouldn't have said this now, but when it gets released. In a clear way. But I get what you mean. Like 'shit...' Nona: I have that *often*. Or when you were little, during fights, not knowing what to say until you're done. "Ooooh, I could have said that!" E: That moment. That moment! When you're in your bed and think: "Shit! That's it!" Nona: And it's a good one!? "Oooooh, I should have said this!" E: Usually the comebacks you see in movies. "If I had said this, it would've been a movie scene". Some time ago, I saw an online video about a so-called UFO. Every so often, there is always a video circulating.Always fucking vague, I don't know why we still don't have high quality cameras to capture a UFO in detail. But someone here is asking: 'Do you think there's life beyond Earth?' Nona: On the one hand, I don't think it's possible. On the other hand, we can't be the only living things that exist. E: Why do you think it's *not* possible? Nona: Yeah... yeah, I don't know.  E: Because we haven't seen it?! Nona: Yes, it would be a coincidence if we're the only living things, but on the other side I think- I mean, I don't believe the vague UFO images. I *really* don't believe that. But I mean... Some other life forms, not aliens or stuff like that. E: Rather some kind of microbes that live somewhere? Nona: Yes. E: Okay. Nona: Yeah, things like that. You? E: So... not something with the same brain capacity as us? Living the same way?  Nona: I think it's- I think- Yeah, not at the moment. If it does exist, then I would- Ah yeah. I don't know. Difficult. What do you think? E: Of course, it's all speculation! I can't say: you're wrong! What the fuck do I know? Nona: Yeah, nah. E: That's why I think it's interesting! But it's weird to assume that we- Do you know those videos were they start with 'the Earth' and then zoom out? The Earth compared to the sun. The sun compared to this, this and this. When you realize: 'WTF, how fucking small is Earth, how fucking small are we?' Then I can't imagine that in the whole entire universe, we're the only ones. Nona: It can't be. E: With the same intellectual level as we are. Nona: Ah, yeah... E: Crazy to think about it. Weird, right? Only two o'clock and we're already theorizing. I think it would be cool if... That's something I want to experience:  the first interaction with extraterrestrial life. If that ever happens, that would be phenomenal.  Nona: That would be... wow... E: That's probably something that would bring together humanity. Realizing that we, as humans, are one. We have to- There are others out there. I don't know...it's... By the way, there are a lot of compliments in here. About you. About your acting. I'll send them to you. They're adorable. Nona: Aaawww... Thank you! E: Something I forgot to ask you: you said you've done Human Sciences? So follow-up question: What are you studying right now? Are you a student? Nona: Yes, I study 'Remedial Education'. E: Okay, why that choice? Nona: I studied 'Criminology' last year in Leuven. But... Yeah, I think it's a shame, but I simply... Don't. Study. E: Okay. Nona: Seriously, I can get really angry at myself, but I don't do anything for school. If I get an assignment, then I'll start it at the due date. I want to change, but I can't. So I didn't do anything that year, still had loads of fun. E: As you should! Nona: So now I do 'Remedial Education'... And there... I have the end trajectory of 'Applied Juvenile Criminology'. Still in the same field and yet, the studies are far more interesting. I think it's - I'm *so* happy I changed. Oh yeah, really, I am. I need that, knowing what I'm studying for. I didn't have that in 'Criminology'. Now, in 'Remedial Education', everything we learn there, I know why. There are goals, why we learn it. I can remember the materials better. E: So, what's the goal exactly? Do you have an idea what you want to be later on? Nona: No.  E: No? Nona: I still want to be an actress. If it doesn't happen, then I don't know what... E: Yes, yes. Nona: Actually, within the 'direction' I study, almost every job is... somewhat interesting. I could be happy in a lot of jobs, I guess. E: Okay. Yeah, I'm asking in detail, because there are people listening to this podcast, who will have to make a choice in one or two years about what to study. That's why it's always interesting to ask a student- Nona: I would like to say something! For me, the exams are easier now, but you'll have way more work in university college than university. Since it seems easy, the way I told- E: No, no. Nona: You'll have to work harder in university college, more assignments, but for me, the exams are just easier now. My study has a six-week-system. [New modules with finals every six weeks]. So less tough. That's better for me. I can remember more. In short, I'm working harder for school. Not to minimize- E: No, no, no. Nona: As if I don't do anything... E: What you said about the purpose, why you study those topics. What the goal is of a certain class. Is it because they are less abstract graphs or something? Or literally: 'this class is named...' I don't know which classes you take, but that it's... Nona: No, there are similar classes to those I had last year,  but... Just... What we learn, is way more specific. Less 'general'. In uni, we had 'History’. I get the importance, but you don't do anything with that, later on. Now, when we have 'Psychology', those are exactly the things we'll apply. Useful for the future. E: Okay, super. Super. Now a question, that could piggy back onto the previous topic. A girl - also an actress - asks: 'Would you drop out, if you got a role,  where the combination studying-acting isn't possible?' Nona: Yeah, I thought about that.  E: Thought about it? Nona: I got lucky before, I was able to combine both. I don't always have to be in class. Self study is achievable. On my own. If attendance is not required, naturally. So yeah... I've thought... That's really... You have to think long and hard about that. Then I might think: 'That's my dream!'. But afterwards, when the series or project is done, I've got nothing. I didn't do drama school either. I wouldn't have a diploma. E: You have to have a back-up, right? Nona: Hopefully, you can keep going. If not too much time passed by, I think you can go back to school? I hope so. I think I would, if I know I can come back to where I left off. I would. E: Okay, nah, cool. I guess people our age, who do something creative, might think a lot about dilemmas like that. Nona: Yes. E: They say the same thing. That they would like to finish their studies, but if the opportunity of a lifetime arises... I get that. I had a good question, but I scrolled past it. Quite a few people are asking the same thing. I once posed this question to someone during a podcast and now it keeps coming back. They ask: "If you had to describe yourself in one word..." "What would that word be?" One word is not much. Someone else is asking three words. Let's say three words. That's such a yearbook question. Nona: Questions you need to answer often and I still don't know the answer to them. E: You should have it ready in your head. Nona: Always be prepared. E: That's like: "What's your positive and negative quality?" I never know! Nona: Yes, honestly, negative - no problem. But positive? E: Really bad, right? Quite a few people feel that way. "I'm bad at this, at this." "And now something positive?" Nona: "Euh, yeah..." Nah, I am... I think... Usually... Spontaneous. E: That was very spontaneous of you! Nona: Should it be a deep answer? No, right? E: No. Nona: Friendly. And... Two, is that enough? Or still going for three? E: Thats... You may stop at two, for me. Nona: I can say a lot of negative stuff. E: We'll try and keep it positive. Nona: Lazy... E: Nah, let's be positive! Some questions make me wonder... Funny, though! "What do you think 'week animals' (= mollusca) do in the weekend?" Okay... The same person as the funny question, but this one is important for me. I often have a discussion about the topic, with my mom. "What's your favorite chips flavor?" Nona: Super bad, but I only like paprika chips. E: Paprika, I can live with that. Salt is the most boring variant there is. Sorry to those who prefer salt... Nona: Yeah... E: You like that too? Nona: I could eat it. Yet, if I have had to choose, of course I'll go with paprika!  E: How can I stop this podcast... ? No, no. Nona: Paprika, no doubt about it! And you? E: I like plenty of variants. There aren't many I don't like. That's why I think: there are so much flavors. A world of choices. Large shelves. Filled with options. And then you go for salt?! Nona: Yeah... But I meant, not- At parties, for example, you can't go wrong? E: Fact. Big chance that people go for any chips, if they wanted to. Most of them will. Nona: That's important. E: True. My tactic in the past, when going on a bus trip or camp or school trip - I don't know what, I took chips with me that nobody would like, so I could eat it all by myself. Nona: You liked them yourself? Otherwise, that's not clever. E: I'm not a picky eater. I could eat salt chips. I just think if you have the choice, then why go for that? Yet, there are still people who go for basic. I get that. That happens. So, Pringles - Sour cream and onion. The smell alone, people hate it. I love it. Your face! Nona: Never tried it, but I don't know if I want to. E: Yeah, I love it, it's great. Quite a few who hate it. Nona: With so many flavors, once you open the bag, I'll... It can smell *so* bad. E: When I was little and tried to hide my chips from my parents, I would put the bag behind the sofa. Then my parents would enter: "Are you eating chips?" Nona: Chips is one of the hardest foods to hide. E: The crunch is too loud. Nona: Opening the bag... Yeah, then it'll be too late. E: Exactly. Again, hobby questions. I don't know... How many do you have? Did you put pics of it online? You seem to like skiing? Nona: Yeah, yeah, yes, the most fun one. E: Okay.  Nona: It's amazing.  E: How long have you been doing it? Every year... ? Nona: From age four. E: Cool! Me too. Same. Nona: Yes, fun. E: Did you ever do Austrian skiing school? Or with- Nona: No, always Flemish instructors. E: Okay. Nona: I think it's- If you ever feel bad about yourself, go skiing! You can't think about anything else, because you have focus on so many other things:  not falling, not crashing, following the right path. You can't concentrate on anything else. The perfect solution when feeling bad. E: I agree completely. Why I asked about the Austrian ski school... As a three or four-year-old little guy, in a ski school filled with all German speaking children... Nona: I did it once when I was little. Bad, huh? E: I couldn't handle it. E & Nona: I cried so much! [said at the same time] Nona: Yes! Bad right?! E: Yeah. But It's just- I mean, you can't ski, can't talk to others who can't ski either. Everyone is talking, you don't know what they're saying, 'are they talking about me?' Nona: You go to the lessons to learn things, but you can't understand what they're teaching you! E: Exactly! Then they suddenly said: "Go into a pizza shape! Let your skis touch like this!" First, I was just copying it with my hands. Then he skied backwards to show the shape, but backwards. Just a point! So I turn, go backwards too. The instructors go ballistic, they were angry at me. What do you do, as a small child? Nona: Fortunately, I just did it once. You don't really learn from them, right? E: Good for you. Indeed. I've got another question. Separately. You've got a boyfriend, so maybe it doesn't apply to you. But I've had fun on Tinder, recently. I get some funny pick up lines on the regular. Did you have a Tinder profile?  Were you ever active on it? Nona: No, never. E: Okay. Nona: I saw my friends' profile, just for laughs. But I really don't know how it works. E: The funny thing is, everyone does it for the laughs. They'll send a message, because 'it's just a Tinder match'. If everyone does it for fun, then we're still going about it in a serious way? Nona: Yeah... Do you have it? E: I have it. I just don't send a lot, just here for the pick up lines. I'm exactly the person I bitched about before: doing it for the fun. Nona: Do you start or the other person? E: I've never send anything myself. I would want to, though, since it's a good topic for a video or something. Just recently, I asked for pick up lines, so I could use them. But I haven't gotten the time to do it. In the meantime, I just answer to the messages they send me. Still nice. So you weren't a fanatic Tinder user, before? Nona: No, really, never. I wouldn't know how to use it. I've seen the process on a video, or something. Yet... E: Do you believe that... relationships formed through Tinder, could be good? Nona: Yes, I do. I think so. E: I think so too! There is always such a stigma surrounding it. Nona: That's not true, because if you go on a date, you still get to know each other? E: See? That's the answer I would say too. Nona: It's still a thing: 'Where did you guys meet?' 'Tinder'. Then everyone laughs at you. I think a lot of people make up stories. E: Make up different things. 'Yes, in the library.' Nona: 'What should we say?' E: See? Like that! Where did you met your boyfriend? Nona: We've been classmates since primary school. But I didn't really know him. Now- No, I mean, two years ago, he was also a 'Chiro' leader... E: So... Tinder? No, no. Okay, we've been talking for a while now. Is there something you would like to - Wow, my voice. Stuff you'd like to say? What you thought about recently? Something people should know? What people should know... About you or about life? Wisdom to share? Nona: No, don't have that. E: 'I don't have wisdom'. Nona: No, but I was- Before this conversation, I thought about how awkward I was going to be. E: No, of course not. Nona: Honestly, it takes a while. Fortunately, you're alone. But in group? I'm very uncomfortable, very quickly. It takes a while before I can be myself. I get so angry at myself. "Just be yourself" and then it doesn't happen. It takes so much time. I really get annoyed at that. E: Were you able to be yourself now? Nona: Yes, yes. If it's one person, I can. With a group, however... E: Can I be honest? I never told this. I'm exactly the same. People always think I'm super smooth. I'm only outgoing when I can talk one-on-one. It's easier. Nona: Right? E: Yes. Put me in a group and I certainly don't stand out. I'll wait and see. I'll try to read people. Who would laugh with this and that? And then I might talk. I won't be the loudest screamer. Nona: No, that's... Yeah... It might even happen that, in a group, I'll never be truly myself. Then I think- I don't know- It's not the people- No, probably is, but I don't know what's stopping me. That's really super... crazy, actually. When I finally can be myself, I think people think: 'I want to be the same. Speak my mind.' It has to develop, though. E: I feel you. Completely the same. It still happens with the people I know. I've had great one-on-one conversations with them. Yet, when they're together in a loud group, I still struggle. 'I know these people, they're my friends. I can talk to them.' Then trying to shout something in that group? Still... 'I'll keep quiet'. Nona: So crazy. Especially when they're all immediately themselves, from the first second. Loud and all that. Respect. I would love to be the same. But that makes it harder. 'Shit, I wouldn't dare to...' 'I don't know what to say' E: Indeed. Indeed. I feel you. I think a lot of people have this, we're not the only ones. Nona: No, and I think that, when you get older, it will probably pass. E: I think so too. You'll care less and less about what people think, after a while. Focussing more on people where you truly can be yourself. Okay, what a nice touch, to end the podcast on. Nona: Right? E: Super. I would like to thank you for stopping by. Is there-  'Stopping by', I say. Quotation marks. Are there accounts where they can follow you? Something you're doing? Where you'll post stuff? Nona: No, I'm not doing anything. I'm mostly focussing on school. E: As you should. Nona: And, yeah... the rest, not really... Bad, right? E: Instagram @nonajanssens? Nona: Yes! E: TikTok? Nona: No! E: No TikTok? Nona: I have it, but I don't use it. I've posted one video, where people- I'm in it too. I've got a lot of videos in which people fall. Coincidentally, I'm always the one filming it. E: Okay. Nona: And I've mixed them together. Everyone's falling. That's not really me. No dance video or something. E: No TikTok dancing? Nona: But I love watching stuff. E: Yeah, no, there are- Nona: So much fun stuff. E: The hours fly by if you scroll, that's crazy. Nona: Indeed. Sometimes I think 'Oof', but sometimes things are so funny. I have so much fun with that. E: Sometimes you think: 'People share too much on this app'. I feel you. Nona: That's true. E: I've said it too many times in a short period of time: 'I feel you'. I never say that. But 'I feel you', so... So, Nona Janssens, on Instagram and Twitter? You use that? Nona: Yes. E: Perfect. Thank you very much. Oh shit, I forgot, I have to give a Twitter shoutout! I'll do this quickly. You've probably seen it. So, one of the retweets. Follow and retweet the tweets @gossipguypodcast, if you ever want a shout out. The shout out of this week is 'Astrid', '@Houdjou'. Thank you for listening, Astrid. Thanks for talking to me, Nona! Nona: You're welcome! E: Until next Monday! Peace! Nona: Bye! E: Now I can stop the recording.

[jtrbluv]

need(y) | jjk

pairing: jungkook x reader

genre: angst/fluff

word count: 3.6k

warnings: swearing

request: Hello!! Could I get a jungkook angst/fluff imagine where you guys are becoming distant and you leave for some space and he doesn’t know and thinks that you left him?? Sorry if it’s confusing, thank youuuu :)

a/n: sheesh! this was not supposed to be this long HAHA. sorry this took so long to write school just started and it’s fr kicking my ass. i’ve already gotten so much hw for the first week grrrr. i rushes the ending a bit so i’m not quite satisfied and i didn’t edit it either so um sorry about it LOL. anyways thanks for requesting this anon!! in honor of his bday too ig haha, hope u enjoy it :)

☏ ☏ ☏

Missed Calls:

y/n <3 (11)

6:45- lmk when ur coming home i can’t wait to see you <33

8:30- u must be busy at the studio it’s okay i’ll wait

9:47- hey it’s okay if ur coming late but could u just give me a heads up

11:02- jungkook?

12:17- happy belated anniversary to you too ig

1:56- i needa stop getting my hopes up huh

Being in a relationship with a worldwide famous idol is never easy. Learning to understand and appreciate the value of the relationship regardless of its limited-time came easy to you. That’s one of the reasons why he became interested in you in the first place. You never came off as overbearing and clingy and you always understood why things had to be different. And that added to the list of things he already absolutely adored about you.

It had been a year since Jungkook had confessed to you backstage that night, asking you to be his lover and promising that he would cherish you like no one ever will. And you can confidently say he very much did at the beginning, commonly known as the honeymoon stage. Things only started to fizzle out and go downhill a few months ago. His group was scheduled for a new comeback. He was promoting and traveling around the world while you were on the sidelines and comfort of your home, cheering him and his group on. Daily texts and calls kept both of you grounded and steady, but as time passed by, those texts and calls ceased to exist. You had been constantly ignored and you didn’t think much of it at first, after all, he was a busy man with a busy schedule. The tour had finally been coming to an end and he’d have the opportunity to come home to you, just in time for your one year anniversary. He had flown in 2 weeks precedent to your anniversary, and fuck, you were so happy to be with him again.

He had made a promise to you that you two would get to spend a lot more time together as he was coming back. You two had finally been living together again after what seemed like years as his group had gotten a break after such a hectic year. He would go to his company need to work on future projects and such and it didn’t bother you at first. He would typically come back home late while you were sleeping and leave early in the morning before you would wake up. As it occurred more frequently, you started to become more concerned. He was finally home for once and he wasn’t even making time to see you. You didn’t want to seem annoying and clingy so you decided to push these thoughts to the back of your head and keep them to yourself.

-

You had agreed to have a celebration at home, figuring all the restaurants in the vicinity would be closed by the time he’d get home. You patiently waited in the living room, coffee table filled with his favorite foods and snacks you were able to pick up at the local convenience store. He had told you the night before he’d be coming home at 9, a little later than you liked, but you let it slide nonetheless. You essentially cherished all the time you had with him anyway, whether it be a minute, an hour, or a month.

You mindlessly sat in the living room, not paying attention to whatever was playing on the TV. Your ears were constantly alert and peeled, waiting for a familiar car to pull up to your driveway. Your eyes constantly shifted back to your front window, scanning the neighborhood to see if he was back yet or not.

Time ticked by like molasses, your patience and tolerance wavering as it went on. There were no signs of him and he wasn’t answering any of your calls and texts. You were in complete disbelief at the fact that he didn’t have the decency to spend time with you on your first anniversary. Everything you had been holding in was starting to seep out of you, anger and sadness fuming from your system as you ask yourself the same question: Why do you constantly put yourself in this situation? Being hopeful for something just to let it get torn down again. Is that what your relationship has turned into? An insurmountable lost hope?

For the first time, you realized all you’ve been doing his abiding by him, waiting for his cues, going off of his beck and call. You were being walked all over, and you didn’t realize until that moment. For the first time, you were fed up.

You groan in frustration as you snatch your phone from the coffee table. It was 2:34 AM. You furrow your brows as you see how late it is, and how many hours it’s been since he was supposed to come home. Your emotions took control of you as you hastily shut off the TV, charging into your room as you recklessly grab one of your backpacks and stuff random clothes into it.  You grab the nearest hoodie you could find and slipped it on as you grabbed your wallet, keys, and phone. You abruptly halt at the doorway, deciding to write a small note for him before you left. What were the chances he would see it anyway?

I need some time alone to think. Please do not contact me during this time. -Y/N

You stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut behind you. You quickly started your car and pulled out of your driveway and into the streets. You didn’t know where you were going, but you just didn’t want to stay in that house any longer. The streets were empty and the sky was dull and overcast. You let the streets guide you, taking whatever twist and turn you happened to encounter. Your hands were gripped tightly along the steering wheel as tears slipped out of your eyes. You quickly wipe them away as you recalibrate your focus on the road ahead of you. You decided it’d be best to stay at a hotel for now, until you could think of a better solution to all of this. You were able to find a hotel that had lower rates since you literally bought it on the spot.

You checked into the hotel and quickly escaped to your room. You throw your backpack to the floor as you lower yourself into the cold, unfamiliar sheets of the bed. You contemplate your options. As much as you didn’t want to admit, all your actions leading up to that moment had been caused by pent up rage and frustration in the heat of the moment. In spite of that, you didn’t regret what you had done. It felt as if time had frozen and it would only continue once Jungkook became aware of what you had done. So you were going to wait.

-

Jungkook stumbled into the home, hair disheveled and vision blurry from his near sleepless night. While working at the studio he had unknowingly fallen asleep while working on a track. All of his members had already gone back home so there was no one to wake him up or remind him of his girlfriend that was waiting patiently back home for him, ready to celebrate a long-awaited and special day.

All traces of the anniversary had slipped his mind as soon as he slid into a deep slumber back at the studio. He trudges around the house and his eyes land on the organized display of snacks on the coffee table. His eyes shift to the blanket and pillow that you two tended to share was all crumpled on the couch. The lightbulb immediately lit in his mind as he put the pieces together and his eyes widen in absolute horror. He had forgotten your anniversary.

“Oh my god, I’m so fucking stupid!” he exclaims, the tone of disbelief in his voice increasing as he realizes his mistake.

“Y/N!” he cries out to you as he runs around the house, searching in all the rooms to see if you were there. He almost forgets the phone that laid in his back pocket until he takes it out, hoping to call you in hopes that you would respond. His phone lights up only to show how indecently late he was, 5:43 a.m, and the amount of missed calls and texts from you, the disappointment and dejection he sensed from you increasing as he read each text you sent to him. His jaw dropping incredulously as he shuts his eyes and takes a deep exhale.

“Fuck, what have I done?” he huffs out, his voice small and full of somber. The fact that he had forgotten a day as important as this was already encompassing his mind but more so, he couldn’t find you and it deeply startled him, he didn’t know where you were and where you could be at this hour. He walks back into the living room where he assumes you had been waiting and his focus shifts to the kitchen where he notices a small notepad and pen along with a torn piece of paper that seemed to have something inscribed on it. He squints as he walks towards the kitchen. He took the paper in his hands as he immediately recognizes your handwriting and his breath hitches as he reads your name. His feet stay rooted to the wooden tile of the kitchen as he freezes there with the paper in his hands. Dumbfounded was an understatement to whatever Jungkook had felt at that moment in time. A tear had involuntarily slid down his cheek. Was this it? Was this the end? Were you going to leave him and never come back? These were only a few out of the heap of questions that were running through his head. All he knew was that he needed to find you. And he needed to fix the mess he had just made.

Similar to you he had bolted out of the house and drove off, unaware of where you actually were but he figured if he had searched for long enough, he would be able to find you.

You had slept deep into the day, finally getting up only because you started to notice the consistent vibrations that came from your bedside table. Naturally, you figured it was Jungkook, you didn’t tell anyone else of your whereabouts since it was so sporadic and you certainly didn’t feel like conversing or informing anyone of your situation. Out of curiosity and the annoying blare of your phone, you decide to see who it is anyway. Much to your surprise, your best friend Seulgi’s beaming smile flashed on your phone screen as you pick up.

“Seulgi, hi,” your voice manages to croak out as you adjust to the sunlight peeking out of your window.

“Y/N, where the hell are you?” she immediately asks, you can basically hear the frown lines etched into her forehead.

You groan into the mic of your phone as you speak back, “Seulgi, I can explain-”

“Jungkook’s been looking for you all night and asking everyone where you are,” she cuts you off.

“Seulgi,” you exhale, trying to suppress your anger, “he forgot our anniversary.”

“Oh my god.” she gasps, “you’re joking.”

“Did he not tell anyone?!” you shriek into the phone.

“No! He just said you left and he was looking for you and he was really scared and he even sounded like he was on the verge of tears and once I said I didn’t know where you were he just hung up!” she rambles on and on.

“Okay, yeah, he forgot and I got mad and I left,” you reveal, voice barely over a whisper.

“Y/N, I don’t blame you,” she reassures you, voice softening, “but, I think you should confront him about this.”

“Yeah, I know. I just needed some time to cool off and think.”

“Well, do you plan on breaking up with him?” she speaks timidly.

“I- I don’t know. I mean, I don’t want to. I want to hear what he has to say.” you stutter, your mind in a complete frenzy.

“Hasn’t he been paying less attention to you these last couple of months?” she asks, “I rarely see you two go out anymore.”

“Yeah cuz we really don’t,” you confirm. “He’s been so focused on his career which I understand but, sometimes it just feels like he doesn’t even acknowledge the fact that he has a girlfriend.”

“Then why haven’t you told him that.”

“I don’t want to seem like the type of girlfriend to hold him back from doing what he loves. He’s invested so much time into his career.”

“Y/N, obviously not telling him how you feel has resulted in this mess. And okay, before you attack me, if he doesn’t have the decency to spend time with his girlfriend every once in a while then he doesn’t deserve your time and energy in the first place,” she advises you.

“I know that Seulgi, that’s all I’ve been thinking about all night.”

“Then talk to him Y/N,” she softly mutters, “for the sake of your relationship with him.”

You hum in agreement but as you’re about to hang up she interjects, “Okay, but just remember, I’ll support whatever decision you make next. I know you’re wise enough to know what you deserve and what’s best for the two of you. Always here for you Y/N.”

“I don’t know where I’d be without you Seulgi. I’ll update you. I’ll head out now.” you smile into the phone.

“You got this Y/N!” she cheers as you hang up.

You had clear intentions on your mind but you couldn’t help but feel anxious and uncertain about what was to happen between you and Jungkook.

jungkook, i’m in sunset central hotel. if you want to talk, come here as soon as you can. Thanks.

Jungkook’s eyes widen to the size of saucers as soon as he saw your name flash onto his screen. He redirects his GPS to the hotel you were at, a 45-minute drive. He didn’t care, he just needed to find you.

-

You waited at the foot of your bed, feeling extremely uneasy about the whole confrontation. Your foot was constantly tapping on the wooden floors, as you played with your hands and glance back at your phone to check the time.

-

Jungkook finally reaches his destination as he surges through the front doors of the hotel, asking the front desk if you were still staying over. The front desk had called you and informed you that someone had come to see you and if it was okay for them to come over. You hesitantly obliged, cowering every time you heard Jungkook answering whatever questions he was required to answer.

It never really registered through Jungkook’s mind that he was supposed to talk to you. He just planned on spilling his heart out and hoping it would be enough for your forgiveness and just being able to hold you in his arms again.

He takes his time getting to your room. His movements are lethargic and hesitant, taking the time to gather his thoughts. He reaches the floor your room is on as he steps out of the elevator and scans the area to find where your room would be. He slowly walks as he sees your room number, he knocks softly at the door, staring at his shoes.

Your head snaps to the sound of his knocks, you take a deep breath as you stand up and slowly creak open the door. You don’t even bother to try to share any eye contact as you widen the door and motion him to come in.

“Y/N,” he begins, eyes still focused on the floor, “I’m,” he exhales, “I’m so sorry.” He slowly tilts his head up, analyzing your body language. Your hands were clasped in front of you as your eyes shifted back and forth to everything but Jungkook. You could feel his stare burning into you but dismissed it.

“Is that-,” you mutter, “is that all you came here to say to me?

“No!” he interrupts, causing you to flinch. His face softens at your reaction, “I- I fell asleep while working on a song and lost track of time.”

Your jaw clenches at his statement as you take a moment to let what he had told you sink in,  “And that makes it all okay?”

“No, of course, it doesn’t-”

“Jungkook, we were supposed to spend this time together with each other. You’re on an actual break for once and you’d still rather dedicate all your time to it instead of spending time with me. All your other members have been going on trips, seeing family, hanging out with friends,” you huff out, glaring at him as he looks at his shoes, “do I not matter to you anymore?”

Your last statement almost made him meltdown right there on the spot. The fact that he had made you believe that he didn’t care about you at all was already bad enough as it is.

He takes a step towards you and looks you straight in the eye, “No, Y/N,” he sighs in exasperation, trying to piece together what he was going to say, “we’ve just been getting so much publicity and gaining so much popularity and fame, I feel like they expect so much from us. And from me. I’m the Golden Maknae, I have to be good at everything and be able to do anything, but in reality, nothing’s working out and I’ve just been stressed as hell and wanting to see you.”

“I’ve never left Jungkook until yesterday, I’ve always been there waiting,” you reveal slowly, “and I really always want to be here for you. Ever since the tour, you stopped contacting me and I just thought you were busy but in the back of my mind, I started thinking that you just didn’t care anymore.”

“But I do, I always did.” he says, taking a step towards you.

“You haven’t proven otherwise, and I don’t want to reach this breaking point just so we can be happy and go through this all over again.” your voice cracks.

“I know, I don’t want that either, but, if this was bothering you for so long, why couldn’t you tell me earlier?”

“Do I really have to remind my own boyfriend to spend time with me?” you scoff as you shake your head in disbelief.

“Y/N, I didn’t mean that, I mean we’ve never had any problems in our relationship up until now, and now that I’m thinking about it, you could’ve told me off and broke up with me a long time ago, but you never told me when you had any problems with me. Yes, I know the things I did were stupid as fuck but Y/N, being in a relationship while balancing my career is still new to me. I’m absolutely clueless and stupid and I need you to guide me so I can be there for you.”

“I-,” you sighed heavily, “I didn’t want to intrude. You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are and I didn’t want to fuck it up.”

“Hey, I’m always willing to give up time for you.” his responds as his eyes soften, “I know it sure as hell may not seem like it, but you shouldn’t prioritize my needs or whatever you think my needs are over yours. Now I’ve just been taking advantage of your leniency. How did I not notice? Fuck, I’m such a dumbass.”

You honestly didn’t know how to respond to that, you knew what you were doing was selfless and you were extremely patient about it all, “I just figured that was the last thing you wanted you know, another thing to worry about on top of your career.”

“I thought about that at first too,” he agreed, biting his lip, “I realized later on that it really shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. I care about you too much to let that happen and the more I got to know you, I realized that, well, you were worth it.”

You could feel his intense glare without even sparing him a glance, “Am I still worth it to you?”

You feel his hand envelop your own as steps towards you once again, “You always will be.”

“You’re making it really hard for me to keep being mad at you,” you huff, tightening your grip around his hand.

He noticed the fact that you were still avoiding eye contact and you remained distant. He tugs on your hand and pulls you close to him, breaking your personal barrier. He pulls you into a warm hug, something you both had craved for so long. The longing and acceptance for one another was mutual, but where were you two supposed to do from there on out?

He loosens his hold on you and pulls away slightly, “Are we okay?”

For the first time that day your eyes met his as you replied, “Yeah, we’re okay.”

Only time would tell.

-

-

-

MASTERLIST

[jamaisjoons]

everythingoes | kth & jjk

Summary: He is all the things you feel when fireworks light up the night sky. But everything is momentary and everything fades, just like those very same fireworks.

Pairing: Fuckboy!Taehyung x Reader; Jungkook x Reader

Genre: ANGST, so much fucking angst, smut, (barely there) fluff

Word Count: 24k

Warnings: cheating, sweet taehyung being a dick (I’m sorry tiger cub, I love you), a toxic relationship, possessive Taehyung, sex while semi-intoxicated (they can still consent), oral (fem and male receiving), panty play? I think, taehyung with a monster schlong, deep throating, face fucking, dirty talk, breast play, very slight cock/body worship, face sitting/riding, squirting, cum eating, riding, taehyung having a crazy amount of stamina, hair pulling, multiple orgasms, spanking, forced orgasm, creampie, slight breeding kink

A/N: Highkey, I was listening to mono when I came up with this plot and then when I was typing a certain scene. I wonder if you can guess exactly what scene that is lmao. In other news, this AU fried my last remaining brain cell and honestly I just want to rest for three years. My fingers are practically number from typing. UNEDITED because I’m DONE with it (for now). I’ll edit when my brain cells regenerate

You sat in the corner of the lecture room, trying your hardest to focus on the reading material in front of you. Usually, you barely paid attention in lectures, preferring to scroll through social media. It wasn’t that you were a bad student, in most classes, you would pay attention. The sole reason for your lack of attention in this one class was due to the professor reading off the slides, word for word. She never explained anything further and therefore her lectures were as boring as boring could get. But it also meant that you could do what you want and not miss a single thing.

So why was it that you were trying so hard to pay attention, this particular lecture?

You heard a small giggle and stiffened in your seat, the sound causing the hairs on the back of your neck to stand up. You grit your teeth and slid further down into your seat, trying to make yourself as small as possible. Thatwas the reason for your sudden attention to the Professor’s material. You glared at the screen, trying your hardest to keep your eyes from wandering away from your screen. However, when a deep chuckle followed, you couldn’t help but chance a glance. It was almost as if you were drawn to the sound, completely ensnared by the deep throaty laugh. Almost like the temptation of a siren’s song.

And then it was as if you couldn’t look away.

Try as you might, you can’t seem to break your gaze away from him. No, instead you take in the sight of from your seat. You’re currently at the back of the lecturer room, as far into the corner as you could be and your seat gives you the perfect view of him. Or well, technically a perfect view of the back of his head and side profile. With a slight wave of nostalgia, you realise he’s growing out his hair again and there are signs of the cutest mullet. The locks by the nape of his neck stick out in different directions and for a brief moment you get irresistible urge to run your fingers through them. His hair, unlike two weeks ago, was bleached to a light shade of blonde and while you love his natural hair best, you can’t help but think he looks devilishly handsome.

You had met Kim Taehyung six years ago, when the both of you were sixteen. Of course, you had known of Taehyung throughout the entirety of your high school career. He was the highschool heartthrob, the most beautiful boy to walk the halls of Busan High. He had broken more hearts than you could count on your hands. Of course, that was more due to the sheer number of girls who were in love with him. It was almost impossible to not know who Kim Taehyung was. Despite his status, he was still loved by everyone and anyone. He was as charismatic and friendly as they come; traits that leant to his ‘heartthrob’ persona and sometimes you wondered how a sweetheart such as Taehyung had even managed to break hearts. The boy was a dork and as sweet as cotton candy.

You had never thought much of Taehyung, even in school. However, that had all changed one faithful day.

{Flashback: March 2013}

You were sitting in your art and photography class, staring out the window as you waited class to start. It was the middle of Spring and the plum blossoms had already bloomed, the roads completely littered with the petals. Even with the light wind, you could see the rustling of the branches, with each movement, more and more blush pink, delicate petals scattering in the air. You lose yourself in the scenic landscape for a couple more minutes. That is, until you’re cut out of your daydream by a series of giggles and you turn your attention to the girls sitting at the front of the class.

Their eyes are solely fixated on the boy walking through the door, a large boxy smile on his face, framed either side by his chubby cheeks. His large brown eyes are sparkling, uneven lids just adding to the subtle beauty that surrounds him. Kim Taehyung was the school heartthrob and for good reasons. He was even best friends with the school council president Park Jimin, the two as thick as thieves ever since Taehyung moved from Daegu to Busan. The girls continued giggling as they stared dreamily at Taehyung, their faces flushed lightly as they sent him their brightest smile.

Taehyung sent them both flirtatious winks, causing both of them to fluster, one even dropping her books. Taehyung let out a small chuckle before he bent over to pick them up, squatting down until he’s face to face with the girl. You watched as he slowly gathers the books into his hand before rising back to his full height. You keep your attention trained at him, eyes narrowed on his figure, watching as he hands the books over to the girl, fingertips brushing against hers before smiling at her cheekily. The girl lets out a small squeak, her hot red before she turns and quickly runs away. You roll your eyes at the cheesy exchange, sneering slightly at the girls before turning your attention back out the window.

Soon enough, class begins and your teacher drones on and on about still life drawings and the depth of emotion you can capture with them. He continues monotonously monologuing the ‘true’ nature of still art and it takes every single ounce of your control to resist the urge to scream. This was practically all he spoke about, and you understood it stemmed from his passion for still life (despite the complete lack of emotion in his voice); but at the same time, you’d rather learn about something else. Especially considering this was your fifth class about still life drawing.

Therefore, instead of paying attention, you continue ignoring the teacher; choosing to daydream as you stare out the window instead. You imagine yourself being somewhere far away from here, quite literally anywherebut here and before you know it, your teacher is dismissing you. You let out a sigh of relief as you begin packing up, shoving your books back into your bag before getting up to leave. However, as soon as you stood up, you come face to chest with someone. You tilt your head, eyebrow shooting into your hairline as you were met with Taehyung’s smiling face.

You reel back slightly, trying to put in some distance between you and the man, wondering what on earthhe could want with you. You look around the room slightly, confused by the baffling glares of all the girls who were also in your class. You sent them a sneer, causing them to let out a scoff before walking away, muttering something about how something or the other wasn’t fair. You briefly recognise the girl who had dropped her books earlier looking slightly disheartened, sending a longing glance towards Taehyung before looking at you with jealousy. You turn your attention back to Taehyung, raising your eyebrow once against.

“Is there something you need, Taehyung-ssi?” You asked and Taehyung’s face morphed into one of confusion.

“Were you paying attention ____-ssi? We’re partners” Taehyung replies and you almost choke, spluttering at him.

“What? Partners for what?” You splutter and Taehyung laughs at you, the noise deep and baritone and you wonder whatsixteen-year old’s voice is so deep. He sounds more like a man than anything.

“Miss Ahn partnered us up for the end of term project. We have two weeks to come up with what we want to do, art or photography wise” Taehyung replies cheerily and you nod along, finally understanding why the girls were angry at you. You let out a small sigh, this was surely going to cause problems. How were you and Taehyung supposed to work on a project for two weeks without you being murdered by his fan club? You silently pray to whatever god is out there, because you were sure you were going to need it.

“Alright, drop me your number and we can figure out when we need to meet and work on it. Have you thought of something you want to work on?” You ask and Taehyung nods eagerly as he punches his number into your phone.

“I’ve got a few ideas, one of them inspired by Van Gogh. However, I also want to do something photography related. But we can speak more about another day” Taehyung says and you nod swiftly.

“Alright perfect. I look forward to working with you Taehyung-ssi” You say more out of obligation and societal politeness than anything else and Taehyung’s only response is a large grin, a cheeky wink following as he turns to leave.

{End of Flashback}

That’s the first time you meet Taehyung. You had been expecting to work on a simple project and then both move on to your separate ways. What you didn’t expect is to genuinely enjoy his company over the next two weeks. Sure, his flirting was borderline excessive and ridiculous. But Taehyung was still fun to work with, especially when you realised how serious he was and how much he loved art. You didn’t expect to somehow grow attached and you especially didn’t expect for Taehyung to become your best friend. But, throughout working with him, you had realised that everyone was right. It was physically impossible to hate Taehyung; he was entirely too sweet. Suddenly, you understood exactly why all the girls would swoon over him.

Your lecturer continued droning on and on and you resisted the urge to face plant your desk out of misery. You were both in Art History, it was your minor and the only reason you had taken it was because you needed to make up the credits. You had always had a vagueinterest in art, but it could never measure up to Taehyung’s love for all things old, classic and artsy. You however, preferred academics and your major was chemistry. Why you had to take Art History to complete your Chemistry degree, you had no idea. But it was either Art History or Politics and you would ratherdiethan spend a single minute surrounded by pretentious conservatives who thought they knew how the world worked despite daddy’s money paying for everything.

The lecturer cracked a joke and you rolled your eyes from the back of the lecture hall, wishing the torture would just end. However, your attention is once again drawn by a deep chuckle, a sound that you could recognise anywhere. You watch Taehyung laugh with the rest of the class, his eyes sparkling with happiness and his lips pulled into a huge grin. His face fills you with nostalgia and you’re thrown back to the first time you questioned your previously platonic feelings for Taehyung.

{June 2014}

“____! Come on, just get in. I promise nothing will happen. You knowyou’re safest when with me” Taehyung pleads and you scoff at him, arms crossed around your chest as you eye him wearily. It’s been a good year since you befriended Taehyung. It had been a rocky start, especially considering Taehyung had tried to flirt with you constantly, despite you refusing his advances time and time again. However, eventually he had realised that you weren’t going to give in and had toned it down. Despite your art project ending, you had still kept in touch. But you could never have imagined that somehow, he’d have ended up as your best and closest friend. You trust Taehyung with your entire life. Figuratively. But as he stands there in front of you, a pout on his lips and his eyes pleading as he holds out car keys, his newly gifted car behind him, you wonder if you couldquite literallytrust Taehyung with your life.

You’re still seventeen, but Taehyung is older than you and he’s just completed his eighteenth birthday, which means that legallyTaehyung is allowed to drive. And with that, comes a test of how much you actuallytrust him. On a good day, he has your complete, unfaltering trust. But today, you’re not so sure. Because he’sjustpassed his test and you aren’t sure whether you want to get in a car with him, where he’s behind the wheel. Especially at night time, when the roads are dark and barely lit.

But Taehyung is insistent. He wants the first person he drives to be you and it has to be now, at night, because he’s driving his mother to the airport the next day. He continuously pleads and when he lets out a small whine; you give in, throwing your hands in the air. Taehyung yelps in victory, fist pumping through the air before opening your door like the gentleman he is. As soon as you get in, you buckle up; Taehyung getting into his own seat, grinning at you widely. He’s entirely too giddy and you wonder what you’re getting into. He’s got something planned and you know it as well as you know the back of your own hand.

“What?” You ask, and Taehyung lets out a little giggle. He reaches over you and rummages through the glove box before pulling something out.

“Okay, so you know, how the other day, RM dropped his new mixtape Mono? And how we said it’d be perfect to listen to on a night drive?” Taehyung says and you quirk an eyebrow, nodding slightly. He lifts up the album he pulled out and your eyebrows shoot up. So, he hadbeen planning something.

“God damn it, I should have known you were planning something. You don’thave to drop your mother to the airport, tomorrow do you? This is all just some elaborate plan for you to rope me into doing dumb shit with you at midnight” You whine, pointing an accusatory finger at Taehyung and you internally cheer victoriously when Taehyung throws his hands up in defeat, a sheepish smile on his face.

“Okay, okay, you caught me! But I didwant you to be the first person I drove. Also, today is a beautiful night and I want to show this with you. Come on, ____ pretty please? For me?” Taehyung pouts and as soon as his lip quivers you know you are done for. You let out an infuriated scream, tugging your hair in frustration before smacking the dashboard. Taehyung watches you with an amused smile and you resist the urge to lean over and throttle him. Because both of you know exactlywhat Taehyung’s puppy dog look does to you. How was anyonesupposed to resist him when he was flashing his wide brown eyes, plush lips pulled into a perfected pout?

“Fuck! Fine! Fine, just fucking drive. But I just want you to know, if we die, I’m haunting your ass forever” You threaten and Taehyung grins brightly before turning the key and starting the ignition. A small sense of dread fills you when Taehyung slightly revs the engine, one hand on the gear stick. You dotrust Taehyung to keep you safe, because he was right, you weresafest when with him. However, Taehyung was known to be slightly reckless and you didn’t put it past him to suddenly speed down the motorway.

“Alright babe, get ready for the best night of your life” Taehyung says with a wink and you jokingly gag at his words. Even though you were both best friends, Taehyung still threw his lame pickup lines or ‘smooth’ moves on you every now and then ‘To keep you on your toes’ he claimed, but you both knew he just enjoyed riling you up. Plus, it was more out of habit than anything, because at 18, Taehyung is somehow a bigger flirt than he was at 17. You theorise that perhaps it’s to do with his newfound growth spurt, making his already tall stature even taller.

Taehyung shifts the gear and slowly begins reversing, one hand around the back of your seat as he turns around, making sure the space behind him his clear through the rear window. Once you’re out of the drive, Taehyung shifts gears once again and presses down on the accelerator and suddenly the two of you are driving down the empty roads of Busan.

“Come on Iris, play the CD” Taehyung says and you hope Taehyung doesn’t hear the sharp intake of breath. He had begun calling you Iris three months into your friendship, the nickname solely reserved for you. You had questioned him many times as to why he called you that, but each time the explanation changed. The first was because according to him, ‘Irises’ was his favourite painting by Vincent Van Gogh; however, you knew that to be false because his favourite painting was ‘Starry Night over the Rhône’. The second time you asked, he had said it was because irises were a beautiful flower and somehow, they just suited you, even ifyour favourite flower were chrysanthemums. The third time you ask, he finally admits it’s because Iris is the god of Rainbows and irises are purple. The last colour of the rainbow. He says the colour signifies how you’d be together forever. Just you and him. You liked that idea.

“Iris? ____? You okay?” Taehyung asks and you blink owlishly as he pulls you out of your reverie. You shake your head slightly, smiling sheepishly as you slot the CD into the player. You turn the volume up slightly and you hear the soft sound of a car driving on the road begin before the loud chiming as ‘Tokyo’ starts playing, the soft sound of the piano filling the car. RM’s deep, but low husky voice begins and you’re slowly plunged into the calm of the atmosphere.

It’s completely dark outside as it’s nearing 1am, and neither you nor Taehyung speak as he navigates expertly through the streets of Busan. You lean your head against the window, condensation slightly blurring your view. But even then, you can still make out the dim lights of the stars and moon as they shine above you, the city lights drowning them out. However, the further you drive, the more you notice them as they slowly become brighter and brighter, and suddenly; when you can see them clearly, you realise that Taehyung has driven you far from the city.

The two of you are on a road by the beachside, the lights of the city now faint and behind you. You can faintly hear the crashing of the ocean waves on the beach as you race through empty roads. You startle slightly as you breathe in the crisp, slightly salted air, wondering when Taehyung had rolled down the windows. A part of you wonders how long you were staring out the window, completely lost in your thoughts. ‘uhgood’ is currently playing and with a startling realisation, you recognize it being the fourth time it’s been played, which means you’ve been driving for more than an hour. You glance at the clock in the car, eyes widening at the display. How was it already nearing 2am? The drive barelyfelt like twenty minutes, how had a complete two hours passed?

You turn back to Taehyung, opening your mouth to say something about turning back but instead you’re utterly floored by the view you’re met with. Taehyung is completely focused on the road, his grip on the steering wheel loose. He looks at ease, a soft smile on his face as the mixtape continues playing in the background. The wind slowly rustles through his hair, the susurrus noises only adding to the stillness of the atmosphere surrounding you. You’re almost captivated by how beautiful he is. He always has been. You know this. It is not an opinion but a mere fact. Because Taehyung isbeautiful. But seeing him now, you’re almost pulled into a trance.

Taehyung has grown up the last year, he’s lost some of his chubbiness, but you can still see hints around his cheekbones. His jaw is slightly more angled now and his features sharp, especially his eyes as they twinkle with mischief. The soft glow of the moonlight highlights his high cheekbones, his tan skin softly glowing, the darkness completely encasing him; almost as if it’s highlighting him in the low light. His hair is softly blowing in the wind, the dark locks slightly ruffled and simply adding to his charm. From your angle, you can see his long thick eyelashes brush against his cheeks every time he blinks. Right here, right now, Taehyung is the most gorgeous creature you have ever seen or could ever know. You don’t think he could get anymore stunning.

And then he turns to you.

And he smiles.

Your breath hitches slightly, the large grin pushing up his cheeks and emphasizing the slight chubbiness he still has with him, thanks to his grandmother’s constant mission to keep him well fed and healthy. His boxy smile stirs something in you and then he winks and applies more pressure onto the accelerator, speeding up. You know you should be slightly worried; it’s dark and Taehyung is speeding. But you’re so caught up in how breath-taking he looks that you fail to reprimand him. Instead, you drown further into him.

“You alright Iris?” Taehyung asks, his voice deep and husky and you have no idea why, but your heart achesat his words.

“I’m fine Tae, just fine” You breathe out, hoping he doesn’t notice the slight breathlessness to your voice. Especially when he moves his hand from the back of your seat to take your hand in his, squeezing it slightly.

{End of Flashback}

You scoff at your past self, wishing desperately that you could go back in time and rewind everything. That was the day you began falling for your best friend. A huge cliché, you were aware. But how could you notfall for Taehyung? He was almost perfect. However, Taehyung didn’t date. He was a flirt and a fuckboy through and through. You knew this better than anyone. You had always thought you’d be immune to it, but how the mighty have fallen. You smiled bitterly as you pondered your very much unrequited love for your best friend. Best friend. You continue perusing Taehyung, your heart plummeting in your chest.

Sometimes it hurt just looking at him.

You could still clearly remember the day you had the startling realisation that you were in love with your best friend. It was almost four years ago, when the two of you had just graduated from highschool.

{Flashback July 2015}

“Iris, come on sweet, it’s our last night as highschool students! We can’tmiss this” Taehyung whines and you ignore the way your heartbeat slightly speeds up at his nickname.

“God Taehyung, why are you dragging me along? It’s not as if you’ll actually be with me the night anyway” You glare at him and Taehyung looks at you in both surprise and confusion.

“____, why would I not be with you?” Taehyung asks and you let out a little scoff. You knew Taehyung like the back of your hand. You had been best friends for almost two years now and you’d like to think you knew exactly what would happen at the celebratory bonfire for seniors. Taehyung would spend twenty minutes with you, keeping you company and making sure you were alright. But then, he’d find himself a girl and chase after her and then he’d disappear. Like he always did.

“Tae come on, we both know you’re going to leave the minute you find a girl you want to fuck” You sneer and as soon as the words are out, you wonder why they leave a bad taste in your mouth. Or why your stomach churns at the thought of Taehyung with another girl.

“God ____, I know I’m usually like that, but I’m not going to ditch you tonight of all nights. If I promise to stay with you, will you come?” Taehyung pouts and you narrow your eyes at him slightly. Taehyung only deepens his pout and you let out a sigh of defeat, Taehyung grinning when he hears it. You silently berated yourself, wondering why he had so much power over you. Why was it that a singlepout always had you doing his bidding? It was as if he did it and cast a spell on you, making sure you always bent to his whims.

“Fuck, fine! But if you leave me Kim Taehyung, I swear to any god out there, I willfind you and castrate you. Whether you’re balls deep in the girl or not” You threatened, Taehyung wincing slightly before wrapping his arms around you, hugging you tight to his body.

“Gods Iris, I promise not to leave you. I just wanna spend the night having fun with my best friend” Taehyung promises, placing a soft kiss onto your temple and silently you wonder just what you’ve gotten yourself into.

A couple hours later, you find yourself sitting beside a bonfire, surrounded by various other people in your year who are graduating with you. True to his word, Taehyung has refused to leave your side; even when girls come over to try and lure him from you. Taehyung, however, obediently stays by your side. Which is why, you find yourself seated on the grass, Taehyung sitting behind you on one of the makeshift seats. Your back is pressed tightly against his chest, one of his arms is loosely thrown around your body and this you’re completely encompassed by his warmth. You’re so close to Taehyung that you can feel the deep rumbles of his laughter more than you can hear it.

“I can’t believe we’re finally graduating from this hell hole of a school. I honestly didn’t even think we’d make it this far” Park Jimin, Taehyung’s other best friend and self-proclaimed soulmate laments and you roll your eyes at him, throwing some grass at him.

“Agreed on the hell hole, but didn’t you love school? You were one of the best students in our year, not to mention school president ever since you set foot in Busan High” You teased and Jimin looks at you with wide eyes, full of shock and mock betrayal.

“Hey! Just because I excelled at school, doesn’t mean I didn’t think it was a hell hole. I can’t wait to go to university and study dance. Goodbye maths, goodbye science” Jimin cheers victoriously and you snort at him.

“Weren’t you top of the class in maths and science?” You snicker and Jimin slams the ground with his small palms in mock rage, pointing at you accusatorily.

“YAH! Stop pocking holes in my story and let me whine in peace” Jimin yells and you snicker.

“Sorry Jiminie, please Mr. School President, tell us all about how much you hated school and are glad to be moving onto university” You tease and this time Jimin turns to Taehyung.

“Yah, Taehyung, control your girl” Jimin complains and you immediately freeze, wondering why your heart skips a beat and begins racing at the speed of hummingbird wings. You except Taehyung to rebuff and correct Jimin, but all he does is chuckle and you can feel the deep baritone sound against your back; the feeling only serving to speed up your heartbeat further.

“Iris does whatever she wants Jiminie, if I can’t stop her teasing me, I don’t know how I’m supposed to stop her teasing you” Taehyung chortles and you wince slightly, your skin suddenly feeling very flushed.

“Hey! It’s started!” Someone calls out, pointing up at the sky. All your attention is drawn towards the sky and this time, your breath is taken away by the beautiful display of sparks lighting up the sky. The intense kaleidoscopic display fills up the entire night sky, loud booms and high whistling filling the night air as they continuously go off. Hues of every shade fill your vision, blues, greens, oranges, reds, golds and so many more and you completely lose yourself in this sight of it all.

“____, look! It’s so beautiful! Hey, that one was purple and yellow, those are our favourite colours!” Taehyung says, bouncing with delight. Your face softens slightly. No matter how old he got, Taehyung never lost his childlike innocence and playfulness. You feel his giddiness course through your veins and it only causes your heart to flutter more. You try and focus on the lights, aweing and oohing along with everyone else. But then, Taehyung wraps his arms tighter around your body, pulling you closer into his embrace and briefly you feel him nuzzle his nose in your hair; breathing in your scent, but you’re positiveyou’ve made it up. And  then, he says something that has you breaking out of your stupor.

“I’m glad you’re here with me. I wouldn’t want to share this with anyone else” Taehyung whispers into your hair and you snap your head to face him, almost giving yourself whiplash. However, when you come face to face with him, his attention is already back on the sky. But now, your attention is solely focused on him.

His skin glows in the dim amber flames of the bonfire, and every now the flashes of the fireworks illume him even more. For the second time in your life, you’re completely floored by how trulybeautifulKim Taehyung is. Once again, your heart aches but this time you know exactly how you feel. Because for an entire year now you’ve questioned whether your feelings were completely platonic. And now, in this very moment, with the prismatic explosion of colour in the background, you sincerely understand the depth of the emotions you feel for your best friend. Taehyung is all the things you feel when fireworks illuminate the sky.

You finally realise, that you are completely, utterly and irrevocably in love with Kim Taehyung.

{End of Flashback}

After that day, your relationship with Taehyung had somewhat changed. Not on his end obviously, but more on yours. Every time he did something sweet, your heart would cinch. Every compliment, every flirtatious comment, every term of endearment, drove you wild. There were times you wanted to scream and run, there were times when you wanted to grab him by the collar and kiss him senseless, confessing your love for him. But instead, you kept everything bottled up and loved him from far.

There is very little you wouldn’t give to go back in time to that very moment and yell at yourself to not do it. To not fall in love with him. Taehyung had never had a relationship. He was always a lone fuckboy who spent more time running from commitment than he did between girls’ legs. Which, considering just howmany people he’d bedded, was a lotof time running from commitment. There was a time, when Taehyung was a hopeless romantic. A time when he dreamt about meeting the one and falling in love. A time when he spent dreaming about a marriage, children and a white picket fence. That had all changed when his parents had split up and his entire world had crashed around him, leaving a disillusioned boy with major commitment and trust issues.

Taehyung never being in a relationship had made life so much easier for you. Sure, you had to deal with him sleeping around, but you never had to deal with him being in love or seeing someone else. For a very long time, the only constant female in Taehyung’s life was you. Secretly, you had loved it because it meant, that in a weird twisted way, Taehyung was yours and only yours. The girl he ran to with problems, the girl he took on ‘dates’, the girl he spent valentines with. Every important moment was spent with you. You were the one he always ran to at the end of the day and you had loved it, cherished it. Held it close to your heart.

But nothing lasted forever. Everything was fleeting and a couple years after falling in love with him, you soon realised that Taehyung’s solo career was also temporary.

{Flashback November 2017}

You sit on the sofa, casually flicking through the different films and series on Netflix, looking for something, anythingto watch and cure your boredom as you slurp on ramen aka your very nutritious and filling dinner for the night. Note your sarcasm. But, it’s what student life was like and you were entirely too poor to complain about it. You’re in your shared flat with Jimin and Taehyung but both boys have made themselves scarce. Jimin had left for dance practice twenty minutes ago and Taehyung had been out the entire day.

Deadline season was quickly approaching, which meant that Taehyung had become desperate to find a model for his photography project, especially after putting off the assignment for a month. You had offered and he’d almost taken you up on your offer, until someone finally responded to his flyer. He had quickly apologised for almost ‘forcing’ you into working with him, kissed your forehead and had then run out. A part of you had felt dejected but you quickly brushed those feelings off. And now here you were, all by your lonesome, scrolling endlessly through Netflix. Ten minutes later, you’re ready to give up and head to bed, when the door bursts open and Taehyung enters.

You regard him with weariness, wondering why he looks so happy. His eyes are sparkling and his lips are pulled into a wide smile. His shoulders are shaking, he’s giddy, and full of that childlike exuberance you love so much and despite yourself, somehow, he manages to cause you to fall in love all over again. A feat you thought completely impossible. And yet, there he was proving you wrong all over again. He walks up to you and throws himself on the sofa next to you. You raise an eyebrow at him and briefly wonder why he’s so happy.

“The best thing happened to me. I think I’m cured” Taehyung says cheerily and now you’re definitely intrigued. What could have happened in the few hours that he was gone to get him so happy? You hadn’t ever seen him like this, at least, not since the divorce.

“I take it, your photography project went well? Got all the shots you needed?” You ask and Taehyung nods enthusiastically, but you sense it’s more than that.

“Oh, what is it? Why are you so excited? And cured of what?” You ask, but now, looking back, you wished you had left. You wished you had gone to bed earlier. You wished you had been his model because nothingcould have prepared you for the words that spilled out his mouth next.

“It went more than well. There’s a girl in our Art History class, I don’t know if you’ve heard of her, but her name is Choi Hyorin. She’s the one that answered my ad” Taehyung begins and dread begins pooling in your stomach. You want to wave it off because Taehyung’s always been surrounded by girls, but they’ve never lasted more than a one-night stand. You want to think that the dread is because he’s about to go into detail about his little rendezvous but deep down, you know it’s more than that.

“I think I’ve heard of her; she’s the one with the small face, big eyes and long black hair, right?” You ask and Taehyung nods enthusiastically.

“Yes! So, we did a few shots, and I don’t know how I never noticed how cute she was. We spent the entire day going around looking for the best place to take the photos. We went to parks, graffitied buildings, rooftops. Anywhere with aesthetic shots and I shit you not, everypicture was beautiful. And she’sso beautiful, not to mention funny and oh my gods, ____, we have the exact same interests! I’ve never met anyone like her, we just clickedand never once did I even think of fucking and ditching her. We click on so many things, she loves blues, RnB and jazz, her favourite artist is Van Gogh and she loves H.E.R. as well. I loved spending every moment with her and we’re even meeting again in a couple days to head to that jazz night in the karaoke bar” Taehyung gushes and rants and each and every word is like a dagger to your quickly plummeting heart. You feel like your entire world is falling apart and you want nothing more than to run into your room and cocoon yourself in your sheets and never come out again, but Taehyung continues ranting and raving about how amazing she was and how she has the cutest laugh, and the way her eyes sparkle in the setting sun and the way she feels against him. He goes on and on for what feels like hours and you can do nothing more than smile and nod, despite how much your heart is breaking; because you are nothingbut his best friend and it’s your job to listen to him.

He doesn’t know what you feel for him.

He doesn’t know how much he owns your heart.

He doesn’t know that his next words break that very same heart.

“____, I’m telling you. I’ve never felt like this about anyone in my entire life. I… I honestly believe she’s the one. I think she’s the girl of my dreams. I know I’ve sworn of love and relationships because of my parents… but I think she’s the girl to heal those wounds. I think, if it’s her, I can truly love again. Am I crazy?” Taehyung asks, looking at you in wide eyed wonder and you take in a shuddering deep breath. You bottle all your feelings for him and give him your best, brightest smile despite how much it feels like an elephant has stomped all over your chest and you hug him.

“Of course, not Taehyung. If you honestly feel like that, then I’m sure you’re not crazy. I’m glad you found someone that makes you happy” You choke out, internally cheering at how level your voice is. Despite everything, you’re not lying. You areglad he’s found someone. Because even if you were in love with him, at the end of the day, you were his best friend.

And Taehyung’s happiness always comes first.

{End of flashback}

The giggle you heard before once again fills the room and you sink further into your seat. You try hard to block out Hyorin’s giggles, especially since she’s the reason you’re trying to focus on the dreaded lecture notes but it’s hard to do so, especially when it’s followed by Taehyung’s deep chuckles. It’s been fifteen months since Hyorin and Taehyung became a couple. Fifteen whole months of nothing but heartbreak, fake smiles and unrequited love. You had tried so very hard to get over Taehyung, you had dated, fallen into your own trysts of one-night stands, hell you even tried Tinder in a desperate attempt. But no one had ever compared to Taehyung. None of them were as exciting or stole your breath like he did. And so, after ten months, you had given up all hope of ever moving on and instead accepted your condemned fate of forever being in love with your best friend.

However, it had become slightly easier. Despite the tumultuous love you felt for Taehyung, it had become easier. But not because you were accepting of his love for Hyorin. It had become easier because ever since they had gotten together, you and Taehyung had become distant. You had once been the only constant female in Taehyung’s life, but that had changed when he and Hyorin became exclusive. Suddenly, that position was no longer reserved for you, but for her.

Now he spent valentine’s day with her, he took her on dates, he bought her meaningful Christmas gifts, spent his birthday with her and only her. She was the girl he now ran to and the girl who dealt with his problems. It hadn’t started out like that, he had made a lot of time for you. Promised things would never change and that you’d always be the number one girl in his life. But that was the thing about relationships. When a new person was added, it always changed. There was no way it couldn’t. He had tried. He really had and you couldn’t fault him for it. Because he hadtried to balance you both, but at the end of the day, she always took precedence and slowly, you began drifting.

He spent less time with you, and spent more time with her. He spent less time speaking and texting you, and spent more time texting and speaking to her. And now, he spent more time at her apartment than he spent in the home he shared with you and Jimin. You lived with Taehyung and yet the most you’d seen him was in your shared Art History class. And yet, you couldn’t fault him for anything because she’s the one. You watch as he throws his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in closer to him. You see the way he smiles at her, his eyes filled with nothing but adoration. You see it all.

Taehyung is completely, utterly and irrevocably in love.

But not with you.

“Gods, are you okay, ____? You look a right mess” Jimin says as he enters your room and you glare at him.

“I’m fine Jimin, what do you want?” You ask and Jimin shrugs, entering your room and sitting on your bed. Ever since you moved in with him and Taehyung, you and Jimin had grown a lot closer. Sure, your friendship never matched the one you had with Taehyung, but you were close nevertheless.

“Nothing really, Taehyung is out with Hyorin and I’m bored. That’s like the fifth time this month he’s ditched me for her” Jimin pouts and you wince slightly because the last thing you want right now, especially since Taehyung hadn’t even madeplans with you for over three weeks.

You quieten down and become maudlin. Distance with Taehyung is something you have become awfully familiar with. Something you never thought you’d have to become familiar with. But you’re feeling particularly morose today and you’re plunged into the ‘what ifs’. What if you had confessed to Taehyung, what if youhad modelled for his art project instead of Hyorin. What if you had never met him?These are the thoughts that fill your head currently. What ifs are dangerous territory and your thoughts only serve in causing you to sink further into heartbreak. You miss Taehyung. You miss the friendship dates, you miss visits to cafes and museums, you miss his stupid pickup lines and flirtatious comments. But most of all, you miss him. You miss your best friend more than anything.

“You look like you’re about to cry” Jimin says, breaking you out of your thoughts and you suck in a sharp breath, blinking away the tears in your eyes. When had you even began welling up?

“Should I call Taehyung?” Jimin asks and you quickly shake your head, curling your fists around your sheets are you tried to get your emotions back in check.

“Please don’t” You whisper and Jimin hums in thought.

“Because he’s the reason you’re crying?” Jimin asks and you snap your head towards him. Your breath hitches in fear as you stare at him in wide eyed panic but Jimin just shrugs nonchalantly, sending you a knowing look.

“Please, I know how you feel about him. Everyone knows it. You know it, I know it, the entire campus knows it. The only person who doesn’t is Taehyung” Jimin says and you let out a choked sound, trying to find the words to deny his claims.

“Please don’t try and deny it. Don’t insult my intelligence like that. Everyone knows.And yes, that everyone includes Hyorin” Jimin replies and your eyebrows furrow.

“What do you mean?” You ask and Jimin lets out a bemused chuckle.

“Why do you think you and Taehyung have barely been spending time together? She knew and she was jealous. She knew you loved him and she knew that Taehyung and your friendship was something special. So, she tried to monopolise his time as much as possible. And surprise, surprise it worked. There were times he wanted to hang out with you, but she asked him on those days and he said yes. It only worked because you were so willing to let him go. Because at some point, you stopped fighting her for his time and attention” Jimin said and you stammer, unsure of what to make of things.

“Y-You mean he chose her? Over me? As in, there were days when he wanted to spend time with me, but chose to spend time with her instead?” You ask, fearing his answer.

“I guess you could see it like that yeah” Jimin says and despair fills your ever fibre. You had always assumed that Taehyung’s distance had been because he was consumed by Hyorin. You had never once thought that Taehyung if given the option to spend time with you, Taehyung would still choose her. Mainly because you thought you meant more to him than that. You let out a small sob, tears welling in your eyes and Jimin looks at you sadly.

“I’m sorry ____. But I have watched you be in love with my idiot of a best friend for years. And he was too stupid to realise he loved you too” Jimin says sadly and you snort,  looking at him in cynicism.

“Oh yeah, Taehyung in love with me. Please Jimin, next joke” You sneer out and Jimin lets out a humourless laugh.

“Please. He did. I know he did. Every time you’d sleep with someone, or date someone, he’d get angry and overprotective. There were times when he even threatened guys to stay away from you. You don’t do that for justa best friend. He loved you. He loves you. He’s just too much of an idiot to see it but when he and Hyorin break up, he’ll realise how much he loves you and what he lost. Trust me” Jimin says and you shake your head, sneering once again.

“Please don’t lie to me Jimin, he never loved me and never could. I’m not her” You reply, your tone full of defeat and Jimin lets out a shriek of frustration.

“Stop that! I know Taehyung. I know him better than anyone and that may not include you, but your judgement is clouded by your feelings. I have watched you idiots be in love with each other for so long. But Hyorin comes and Taehyung being theidiothe is decides to think with his dick and convince himself he’s in love with her when he’s not. I have watched you love him this entire time, I have watched him break your heart. I have watched him slowly destroy you and turn you into the shell of a person you once were. And I’m tired. I love him but I’m sorry to say that your love is wasted on him. He doesn’t deserve it. You are a beautiful, vibrant girl. A girl whose love is better spent on someone else. It’s time you moved on” Jimin rants and you scoff at him.

“Easy for you to say that. I’ve tried that and it didn’t work” You sneer and Jimin shakes his head. He get up and heads to your closet; you watch in confusion as he pulls out an outfit and lays it on your bed.

“Well you’re going to try again. Get up and shower, we’re going out. I’m not going to sit by and watch you slowly break apart anymore. I care about you too much for that” Jimin says and you let out a small sigh.

“Jimin it’s not going to work. I’ve tried the getting under someone else approach” You say and he looks at you in annoyance.

“Well you’re going to try harder. I’m not taking no for an answer. Get up and shower. Now” Jimin’s tone is final and you know him well enough to know that you’re not winning this battle. So, you let out a small groan and grab the clothes he’d laid out, grumbling to yourself as you pop into the shower.

“Cheers!” Jimin says, clinking his shot glass against yours before you wrap your lips around the rim and down it in one go. You wince slightly at the taste of tequila searing down your throat before shaking your head. You were already four shots deep and the alcohol was blurring your mind, the haze surrounding you and making you feel happier and lighter than you had in a while. You still have your wits about you and you’re nowhere close to being drunk but it’s enough to take off the nervous edge. The music was pounding in your ear drums and you could feel the bass vibrate through your entire body, your hips moving slowly to the rhythm despite yourself.

“Alright, let’s find you someone to go home with” Jimin says, the two of you turning around to scout the different guys.

“What about him?” You point out and Jimin shakes his head.

“That’s Jung Hoseok, he’s a year above me and in my dance classes. He’s seeing someone called Sooyun or something” Jimin says and you sigh before you continue looking around.

“How about him?” You ask pointing out another guy.

“Yoongi-hyung? No, he’s gay and probably dragged here by Hoseokie-hyung. Why do we know so many people who are here?” Jimin asks with a sigh and you giggle.

“Because this club is popular in our university. Hey, how about that guy?” You say, pointing out to someone else.

“Ah, Kim Yugyeom. He’s also in my dance class but he’s single and loves to sleep around. No strings attached and from what I’ve heard a good lay. Go for it” Jimin says and you smile brightly at him before looking swigging your next shot. You begin walking towards him and soon he spots you walking towards him. He gives you a wide grin and winks, and before you know it, you’re face to chest with the tall boy. Yugyeom immediately grips you by the waist and begins moving his hips, body rolling against you.

The way he moves is sinful and you throw caution to the wind. You close your eyes and grind against him, head thrown just under his shoulder as you move your ass against his hips. Yugyeom’s hands move to your hips and his fingertips grip onto them, fingers bruising. He swirls his hips particularly hard, pressing his crotch against your ass as his lips trail along your neck, pressing soft kisses against it. You let out a moan that gets lost in the noise of the club but Yugyeom feels the vibration. He spins you around, arm wrapping around your back as he continues grinding against you. His lips slowly begin descending on yours and just when they meet, you’re roughly pulled apart.

You turn around in shock and your eyes widen when you’re met face to face with a very angry Taehyung. He’s glaring at the slightly taller man before pushing Yugyeom off of you. You splutter, unsure what to say and frantically look around for Jimin but he’s nowhere to be seen. Taehyung grabs you by the wrist and begins pulling you out of the club. You try to break free but Taehyung turns around and glares at you and immediately you feel weak and dejected. You allow him to slowly drag him out of the club. He hails a taxi and puts you in before getting in on the other side. The entire drive is tense and you have so many questions. But instead, you sit in silence, stewing over the events. The more time passes and the more time you have to think about it, only serves to make you angry. You were so ready to move on and he just had to ruin it. Where did he even come from? Wasn’t he with Hyorin in the first place?

You soon reach your apartment building and the two of you get out. Taehyung walks ahead of you, stalking into the building, simply expecting you to follow him. You glare at his back in anger, stomping after him and with each step to your shared flat, your anger rises. Soon, you’re stood in front of your flat door, glaring daggers into Taehyung’s back as you seethe. If looks could kill, he’d be dead thrice over. He unlocks the door and opens it with a slam, beckoning you in with a look. You stomp inside throwing your purse onto the table before turning around and pointing at him.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing Kim Taehyung?” You seethe, your voice barely above a whisper. The shots are taking more effect and you’re feeling bold enough to fight with him.

“Saving you. What the fuck were you doing there? I went out with some friends, I didn’t expect you to be there. Why were you dancing with Yugyeom? Do you not know he’s a fuckboy?” Taehyung asks and you scoff.

“Yes I did! I was tryingto fuck him! What is it to you?” You shriek and Taehyung sneers at you.

“That’s not who you are. You don’t just fuck around” Taehyung jeers and you have the irresistible urge to throttle him.

“That’s fucking rich coming from you. You used to do it all the fucking time. Suddenly, I’m not allowed to sleep around?” You throw back and Taehyung reels, his eyes turning into slits.

“Don’t you dare. It was different with me. You don’t get to sleep around” Taehyung says and your eyes widen, body shaking with rage.

“Excuse me? Who the fuck do you think you are? You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do. If I want to sleep with the next fifty guys I see, I damn well will. Who the fuck are you to tell me no?” You scream and Taehyung slams his fist on a table.

“I’m your best fucking friend! I can’t stand seeing you with others. Especially when they don’t fucking deserve you” Taehyung shouts and you sneer.

“Abest friend. Justa best friend Kim Taehyung. So news flash, that means you don’t get to decide who is good for me or not. I decide that. You being my best friend doesn’t mean you get to tell me who I fuck. And you can’t keep boys away from me forever. If I want to fuck Yugyeom I will. Hell, Jimin knows him. I could still ask him for Yugyeom’s number” You say with a mocking tone, daring him to challenge you.

“Oh, I don’t fucking think so. Not if I have any say in it” Taehyung says, stalking towards you, his eyes glinting in the low light.

“Well, you don’tfucking have a say in it. Now move out of my way” You say, and Taehyung growls at you.

“I said no. You’re not fucking Yugyeom” Taehyung grits out, teeth clenched.

“WHY THE FUCK NOT?” You scream and Taehyung pushes you up against the wall, his breathing heavy as he glares down at you.

“Because you’re fucking mine” Taehyung growls and you freeze in shock but you don’t have enough time to process his words because the next moments, his lips are locked against yours. Taehyung’s hands pinned yours against the wall his other hand wandering all over your body as he kissed you fervently. You moan in response, breaking out of his grasp as his other hand moves to hold your cheek, your own hands tangling into Taehyung’s hair and tugging on it, pulling him closer towards you.

This was wrong. You knew this was wrong, but Jimin’s previous words about Taehyung being in love with you and his possessiveness had given you a small inkling of hope; and with every kiss and soft moan, that small inkling was building into a raging fire. He tasted of soju and coffee, the taste almost intoxicating. You know that alcohol was most likely clouding both your judgement, and that Taehyung was very much in a relationship. But with every passing moment locked in his embrace, those doubts and warnings disappeared, leaving you with nothing but a racing heart and a stomach full of heat. You pressed your body against Taehyung’s, pressed your lips harder against his as you poured out all your feelings into the kiss.

Taehyung let out a soft growl before reaching behind your back and unzipping your dress. He let it fall to the ground, the dress pooling around your feet, leaving you in your semi-soaked panties and no bra. You attempted to kick off your heels but Taehyung growled his disagreement and you let out a small giggle. You jumped up slightly, Taehyung easily catching you as you wrapped your legs around his waist, grinding your cloth-covered core against his own hardened cock. Taehyung let out a soft whine before he carried you towards your bedroom; your lips quickly breaking apart as he trailed kisses down your neck.

He tossed you onto the bed, before kneeling beside you. He stared down at you with intense dark eyes, eyes flitting over your body. You were flushed underneath him, your chest heaving as you breathed heavily, attempting to get your breathing under check. His eyes traced your body, from your collarbones, across your chest, groaning when your nipples hardened under his stare, forming twin peaks. He continued his perusal off your body, down your stomach and towards your hips and thighs. Your knees are slightly spread, giving him a hint of the arousal-soaked panties clinging to your core and leaving nothing to imagination. Taehyung licked his lips before he descended back down, picking your leg up.

He placed a small kiss on your ankle before trailing his lips up your leg, placing another kiss on your knee then your inner thigh. His lips trailed across your hips, his tongue tracing the bone before he kissed his way up to your belly button, circling and dipping hi wet appendage into it, causing you to arch your back and moan, begging him to stop teasing you. With every one of his ministrations, your heart ached. You briefly wondered if he fucked Hyorin like this, if we paid this much attention to her. You slightly shook your head, trying to push those damning thoughts out of your mind as you focused on Taehyung’s attention on your body.

Taehyung smirked against your skin. He continued up your body nuzzling the valley of your breasts and placing a tender kiss on your sternum. Continuing his worship of you, he brushed his lips against your collarbones, sucking on them slightly before running his nose up the length of your neck, placing soft kisses along your throat. Finally, he reached your lips, bending down and capturing your mouth once again with his. You gasped as one of his hands brushed up from your leg to grip your hip tightly. Taehyung used your gasp to his advantage, forcing his tongue into your mouth and massaging your own tongue with his. You moaned at the taste that was wholly him, pushing your lip even harder against his, trying to meld both of you into one being.

"Gods ____, you're so beautiful, " Taehyung whispered against your ear, biting the shell and tugging it slightly. Your heart plummets in your chest because it’s been sovery long since you’ve heard those words come out of his mouth and his tone is filled with so much emotion. Instead of responding you shake your head and pull him against you once more. If this was the only time, if this was your only chance with him, you didn’t want to waste it with meaningless words that would disappear when the sun rose and he returned to her.

“Stop talking Taehyung and just fuck me” You whisper, your tone pleading and filled with desperation as you stare into his lust filled eyes. Taehyung lets out a lazy boxy smile and you ignore the small lurch in your heart as he regards you with pure love. Once again, you wonder how many times Hyorin has seen this exact sight.

“Gladly Iris” Taehyung responds and you take in a shuddering breath, hoping it passes off for lust and not for the heartache you were really feeling. He bent his head forward and struck out his tongue, flicking your hardened nipple. You shuddered against his lips, this time with lust, causing him to smile before he pulled the nipple into his mouth, rolling it between his teeth while sucking on it. His hand moved from your hip to your other breast, kneading the mound in his hands before pinching and pulling your nipple, you moaned at the slight pain and Taehyung let out a wicked grin against your breast before once again tugging harshly again on the sensitive nipple. His lips moaned against your other breast and you felt the vibrations rush through your nerves and straight to your core, making your wetter. You brought your hands up to his head, your nails scratching his scalp as you hissed at him in pleasure. Taehyung let go off your nipple with a pop before attaching onto the next one and resuming his actions.

"Taehyung please, more. I need more. I need your mouth on me" You groaned, arching your back.

“You’re such a sin, a beautiful sin that belongs to no one else but me” Taehyung whispers before kissing down your stomach. You spread your legs wider, causing him to grin as he took in the sight of the darkened material clinging to your slit. The smell of your arousal was so strong he was almost lost himself further into the intoxication of alcohol and your scent, the combination driving him crazy with need. His member leaked against his boxers, his trousers becoming entirely too tight.

He leaned forward, licking your covered slit, making you whimper in pleasure. Taehyung smirked before repeating himself over and over again, teasing you endlessly, until you were thrashing around, grinding your core against his face, lashing, gyrating, doing anything that would stop his hellish teasing and cause more friction. Taehyung finally relented sucking your panty covered clit into his mouth, you let out a strangled scream as your bundle of nerves were finally stimulated. You screamed his name as Taehyung repeatedly sucked and lashed at your clit with his tongue until you finally came. You let out another incoherent scream as your hips lifted of the bed. Taehyung attached himself to your clit again sucking and drawing out your orgasm as he watched your eyes roll back. Taehyung sat up as you came down from your high, grinning down at you wickedly.

“Did I just make you cum from having your panties licked?” Taehyung teased and you let out a small whine when he pressed his thumb against your covered slit, rubbing up and down and spreading your wetness even more. You were almost positive you could never wear these again, they were wellpassed ruin.

"Great, now my panties are completely soaked" You pouted and Taehyung let out a small giggle, kisses the corner of your mouth as he tried to push your pout away. Once again, your heart cinches and you almost turn away, trying to blink away the tears. He far too attentive, too soft and too loving. Every action is filled with love and adoration and it both drives you wild and making you want to break down into a fit of sobs, because you know that as soon as daylight strikes, he’ll be far gone from you.

"Just how I like them," He replied with a wicked grin, drawing you back from your impending breakdown. You push away the thoughts once again and your eyes darkened with lust as you watched him slowly strip above you. Long, dextrous fingers move smoothly as he unbuttons and divests himself off his shirt, leaving nothing but a smooth expanse of tanned skin. Your eyes trail over his wide shoulders, before tracing down his body, dark nipples hard in the cold of his room and soft belly with small rolls making your heart hurt. You always loved Taehyung’s soft belly, so completely different from most guys with hard abs. So completely him.

You need to stop these treacherous thoughts. You can’t fall more in love with him and you need to somehow distract yourself. So, you use what little strength you have and flip him over. Taehyung lets out a choked yelp of surprise and quickly moves to push you until you begin trailing down his body. You press small kisses against the waistband of his trousers. You slowly unbutton them before pulling them down his legs, along with his boxers. His cock spring up and you jerk backwards, eyes wide at the sheer size of it.

It's beautiful. Long and so very thick, something you definitely were not expecting. His cock is smooth and tan, perfectly veined and his purple cockhead is angry and weeping with precum. He leaks down his own tip and cock and your mouth waters at the sheer sight of it all. You smiled at the large member, licking your lips as you imagined the way it would fill your mouth and the way it’ll no doubt stretch your pussy later. You kissed the base before kissing up the length until you reached the tip, licking the leaking head and almost moaning at the salted, tangy taste of him on your lips. You’re addicted. You know you are.

You grabbed the middle of his shaft gently and rubbed the tip along your lips, almost as if applying lipstick. Taehyung groans as you pleasured his frenulum before letting out a shark breath of air as you sucked on the tip, the tongue flicking against the tip over and over again. You slowly took the head in until the cockhead was completely in your mouth and then you began sucking. Hard. Taehyung gasped out, his fingers twisting into your long hair and trying to push your further down. However, you held still, sucking on the tip as you swirled your tongue around the tip causing Taehyung to buck his hips.

"Fuck, ____" Taehyung hissed, and you smiled at the begging, pleading tone that occupies his voice. You decide to have some sort of mercy on him and begin taking the rest of his thick, long cock in your mouth. Your jaw aches and you’ve barely taken any of his cock and he’s already hitting the back of your throat, but you refuse to give up. Inch by inch, you continue swallowing him down your throat and when he hits your gag reflex to choke slightly and hold still. Tears pull in your eyes but you calm down, breath as much as you can through your nose before you swallow. Taehyung let’s out a choked groan, bucking slightly into you as slowly swallow him whole. You internally cheer victoriously when your nose hits against the wiry dark hair around his crotch, trimmed neatly.

"God yes, take that cock in," Taehyung moaned, holding your head as you gagged on his engorged dick. You started bobbing up and down, Taehyung helping as he thrust up and into your mouth, you smiled against his dick before moving one hand down to his balls, raking your long fingers along the tender flesh.

"Shit yes" Taehyung murmured in pleasure. While sucking on his dick, you ran your hot tongue along the base of his dick, right in the middle causing Taehyung to shudder and hiss once again as your teeth raked against the base all the way to his tip. Taehyung was elated from the feeling of your hot, warm and silky mouth around his dick. He felt the coil in his abdomen winding tighter and tighter as his orgasm approached.

"I'm coming baby, that's it. Yes! Make me cum" Taehyung groaned, bucking his hips erratically and fucking your mouth while you continued bobbing your head up and down, gagging every now and then. You felt his dick swell and let his cock go with a pop before sucking one of his balls into your mouth, Taehyung yelling in pleasure as your fist pumped his dick up and down.

"Cumming. Fuck I'm cumming. Fuck, sweetheart swallow my cum" Taehyung orders and you quickly released his balls from your mouth to wrap around the tip of his dick, taking it all in once again as his cum rushed out of his dick and down your throat. You moaned at the slightly salty taste of his cum, drinking it down as he continued to spill it into your throat while you continued lightly massaging his balls. Several pumps later, Taehyung was finally done and you came of his dick, licking your lips and grinning up at him. Taehyung stared at you through lidded eyes before beckoning you up.

"F-face. Sit on my face" Taehyung gasped out as he came down from his orgasm induced high. You quickly shimmied out of your underwear before crawling over him, not needing to be told twice. You swung one of your knees over his head being careful not to accidentally hit him until your legs were spread over his face, Taehyung stared at your folds, licking his lips at the completely soaked lips and your quivering pussy, almost dripping on his face.

"God are you always this wet? You tasted so sweet before, I wonder whether you taste better straight from that sweet, sweet cunt" Taehyung whispered against your pussy before tugging your slit into his mouth.

"Only for you Taehyung. Always for you" You confessed into the night, your voice low, before you bent backwards, placing one of your hands on his chest, the other moving up to play with your breasts. You didn’t think you were loud enough for him to hear you. But he does.

"You're damn right. No one else will ever see you like this. You're mine" Taehyung growled possessively against your slit, and you close your eyes, glad that he can’t see the pain etched onto your face. You stare up at the ceiling, blinking out the tears of despair, something you shouldn’t be doing when Taehyung is buried face deep between your legs. But you can’t control it. You swallow thickly and bite your lips.

“Just make me cum” You choke out, you want to walk away. But Taehyung is like a drug and instead you find yourself falling deeper and deeper into him. The small part of you wonders and hopes, that maybe after all this is done, maybe he may stay. Maybe Jimin was right and Taehyung really loved you, and was too blind to see it. Maybe you could show him, you were the one for him.

“Don’t worry Iris, you’ll be coming so many times you’ll be begging me to stop by the end of the night” Taehyung promises ominously from under your folds, swatting your ass as he did so.

He pointed his tongue and licked it up and down your slit, parting your folds slightly. You ground your hips, trying to get him to enter your as you rolled your nipples between your fingers. Taehyung moved his hands to hold your hips still as he continued teasing you. He pulled your folds into his mouth, teeth raking over the sensitive flesh causing you to shriek in pleasure and increase your efforts in moving your hips. Taehyung nuzzled your clit with his nose before parting your lips slightly and harshly licking a line from your core to your clit before sucking on the bundle of nerves. You were dripping all over his face, your pussy quivering as your best friend worked his sinful magic with his tongue. He lapped at your clit over and over again causing before nibbling slowly on the bundle and you let out a small shriek as you begin cumming all over his tongue.

"Taehyung!" You screamed, Taehyung let go of your hips causing you to buck wildly into his mouth.

As you were coming down from your orgasm, he moved his hands and used his thumbs to spread your lips and stuck his tongue into your core, swirling his tongue before thrusting it in and out, tasting your sweet nectar as the thick juices coated his tongue. You tasted so sweet, almost like the forbidden nectar of the gods. He groaned against you, your pussy clamping around his tongue from your orgasm. Taehyung moved one of his hands to your clit, pinching and pulling on it as he tried to get your to cum again. You screamed as he tugged harshly on your little pearl, falling forward and gripping tightly onto the headboard.

“Stop, oh gods Taehyung please stop” You beg, but Taehyung just thrusts two fingers into you. You wince slightly at the stretch but begin losing yourself into your third, almost painful orgasm from your still sensitive quivering lips as Taehyung thrusts his fingers in wildly, angling them to hit your g-spot with each thrust.

“Beg” Taehyung demands and you fall forward, gripping onto the bed frame as you shake violently over him, thighs quaking on either side of his head. Your eyes roll back into your skull and you try to move away, but one of Taehyung’s hand grips you ass tightly, holding you near him.

“I said beg” Taehyung once against demands, lips vibrating and causing you to shriek in pleasure once again. He pinches your clit with his thumb and forefinger and its more than you can take.

“FUCK! Taehyung! Taehyung make me cum, please. Please I can’t. I need you to make me cum” You sob and Taehyung smirks against your folds at your words.

Taehyung moved his lips to your clit, thrusting his two fingers into your core with newfound energy, twisting and pumping them in. He felt the spongy tissue of your g-spot and grinned before biting down lightly on your clit as he rubbed your g-spot. You stilled above him, your knuckles white as you clenched the headboard. Then with a loud, incoherent scream you gushed all over his tongue, the pain of him biting your clit, the over sensitisation of your sex and pleasure of his fingers against your g-spot making your squirt all over his mouth. Taehyung groaned, moving his mouth over your lips and sucking them as you flooded his mouth. You breathed heavily before falling down and rolling off of him, being careful not to suffocate him with your dripping slit. Although Taehyung couldn't think of a better way to die. You hit your head on the pillow, chest heaving, breasts jiggling slightly as the waves of pleasure continued to rush through your body. Your body convulsed and you shut your thighs as tears dripped down your cheeks.

"We're not done yet baby" Taehyung said softly, brushing the matted hair out of your eyes, taking in the sight of you glistening from sweat and still in the aftershocks of your orgasm. His hands wandered up your knees and spread them before he crawled in between.

"I love you, so much" Taehyung whispers quietly and your heart races and soars at his admission. Hope once against ignites in your chest, especially when he kissed your forehead before slowly entering you. He rubs his cockhead against your entrance and slowly begins pushing in. You let out a small whimper when his sheer girth begins stretching you out. You wince, but lay still, letting him slowly fuck you open with his massive cock. When he’s finally buried deep inside you, you almost feel sick, he’s so deep he’s buried in your guts but you would have it no other way. You feel more connected to him than you ever have and you know after this, you’re completely ruined for anyone else. Taehyung moans in pleasure as your velvety walls wrapped around him.

"I love you too Taehyung. Always. It’s always been you" You confessed back, a tear slipping down your cheek as you wrap your arms around his neck. Taehyung buried his face into the crook between your throat and collarbones, breathing in your scent, eyes rolling back as your pussy clamped around him and then he begins thrusting. He slowly pulls out, whining when he feels your walls grip around each and every inch before thrusting all the way back in.

"Harder Taehyung, give it to me" You begged, Taehyung smirking as he began to thrust harder and faster. You screamed his name as he moved his arms so they were on either side of your head, bracing all his weight on them. He moved his head so that it was on top of yours, watching as you looked up at him, through half lidded eyes, your face contorted in pleasure as he thrust his cock into your, his pelvic bone brushing against your clit with every thrust.

"I'm going to cum again Taehyung" You whispered hoarsely, throat dry and strained from all your screaming. Taehyung lifted one of your legs and placed it on his shoulder, allowing him to go deeper into you. You hissed in pain; you didn’t think it was possible for him to go any deeper and yet there he was. Your legs were spread wide and he was thrusting so hard and deep that there were hints of pain entangled with the pleasure but you could do nothing except just lay and take it.

"Cum around my cock baby" Taehyung urged, speeding up his thrusts before angling them so he hit your g-spot with every plunge of his cock.

"Fuck" You hissed, arching your back as you came. Taehyung latched onto your breast, sucking and teasing your nipple as you milked his cock. Taehyung flipped you over so you were on top of him, dick still buried deep in your pussy. He placed his hands behind his head, watching your breasts sway as you breathed, completely entranced by the way them moved with every breath.

"Ride me babe" Taehyung urged, you moving your hips slowly, grinding lazily against his dick as you lacked enough energy to do anything else. After a few minutes of the slow pace Taehyung grew impatient and moved his hands to your hips. He lifted you up before pulling your down as he thrust up, plunging his dick as deep as he could. You let out a small yelp as he continued his harsh thrusting. You could feel your orgasm approaching fast, your sensitive walls rubbing against Taehyung' dick, the friction almost too much. The sound of sweaty skin slapping filled the bedroom along with your soft whines and Taehyung’s deep, raspy breaths.

"Are you cumming again baby?" Taehyung questioned as your face twisted, your eyelids closing completely as you threw your head back in pleasure. You fell down, your palms on the bed on either side of his head as you struggled to stay up.

"Yes! I'm cumming again" You moaned, Taehyung smiling as he moved one hand to play with your clit roughly before lifting his neck and suckling on the breast that was dangling in front of his face. His other hand manipulated your hips so that you continued moving. You convulsed on top of him again, your voice cracking as you groaned out his name. Taehyung, however wasn’t finished yet. You hoped to the gods above that he was close because you were running out of fumes at this point. No wonder he had a reputation, his stamina was almost unmatched. Taehyung turned you over so you were on your knees. Even he could tell you were nearing your end, both from your heavy breathing and the way your head was resting against the pillow, your ass sticking up into the air. Taehyung grabbed your hips and entered again, you letting out a soft moan, both in pain and pleasure as your swollen pussy gripped and rippled against him uncontrollably.

"Taehyung… last one?" You gasped out, letting him know that you couldn't go on after this.

"Yeah baby, don't worry this is the last I promise" Taehyung said as he began to thrust into you quickly. You weren’t expecting it and with how wet both you and he were, he slid in so easily that he immediately hit the back of your cervix. You let out a small scream as he began a brutal, punishing pace.

Taehyung reached down and grabbed your hair, pulling your head up causing your back to arch downwards as he continued to thrust into you. He watched your fleshy ass bounce and shake as he thrust into you. He moved his other hand across your back before smacking your ass. You screamed out his name, your walls clamping around his cock causing him to groan at the feeling. Taehyung smirked before he spanked your again. He increased the speed of his thrusts, spanking your ass until it was deep red, you bucking your hips in both pain and pleasure. Taehyung kept his grip on your hair, pulling it as he continued to spank you. He felt his orgasm approaching and knew he wouldn't last long. He let go of your hair before bending over you, the speed of his thrusts decreasing, instead plunging into you with long powerful strokes. He moved his hand to between your thighs, rubbing your clit. You let out a shriek as he thrust in particularly deep. One of his hands moved to rub against your stomach and he groaned low into your ear.

“I’m going to cum soon baby. I’m going to cum and fill this belly with all my cum and you’re going to take it aren’t you? Like my good little cum dump, you’re going to let me breed you. Aren’t you baby?” Taehyung asked, his huge hands splayed across your lower belly as his thumb continued brushing against your clit. His words caused your cunt to grip around him once again as you imagined the feeling of him shooting his cum so deep within you.

“Yes, god yes Taehyung fill me up. I want nothing more” You plead and Taehyung chuckles against your ear.

“Whatever you want sweetheart. I’m going to fill you up so good and watch that pretty little pussy drip with my cum” Taehyung promises before he resumes his brutal pace, pinching and rubbing your clit in hard circles. You stilled once again before you arched off the bed, your whole-body shuddering as you squirted once again, all over Taehyung' dick. Taehyung felt your gush around him and couldn't help himself, the speed and power of his thrusts increased, going as fast as he can while you continued to gush.

"Please! Taehyung please cum in me! I can't take it anymore! Please cum in me! Please just cum" You sob, your voice strained and raspy as you plead. Taehyung presses his chest against hard against your back and thrusts in deep, hitting your cervix once again before cumming in you. His palms grip your hips harshly as he pulls you to him, trying to get in as deep as he can go. He lets out a strained roar as he begins filling you up. His cock spurts out his seed, coating your walls in his cum and filling you up completely. He stays in you for the duration of his orgasm, his dick pulsing and twitching as he rides of the aftershocks of his orgasm. When he’s finally finished, Taehyung pulls out his flaccid dick before falling onto the bed, completely spent. You moaned at the feeling of Taehyung' cum dripping out of your before you rolled onto your side, pressed up against his sweaty body.

A small part of you wants to speak about what just happened, but you’re far too exhausted to care at this point so instead, you give into your heavy lids and allow sleep to take you. Taehyung is right next to you as you fall asleep, completely spent and equally passed out. However, your last thought before succumbing to exhaustion is how much you’re dreading what will happen when the sun cums up and the alcohol is out both your systems.

“Oh fuck. Oh, fucking fuck” You hear a voice and you’re immediately roused from sleep. You groan and open your eyes, hissing slightly at the bright light. You sit up and immediately regret your decision as every single one of your muscles protests the movement. You feel stickiness between your legs along with the ache and soreness and immediately you’re wide awake. Last night’s memories come crashing down and you snap your head to the panicking boy, who’s staring at you with horror and regret.

“What the fuck happened last night?” Taehyung rages and you wince at his loud voice. You knewthe alcohol had clouded your judgement and now you were paying the consequences. Of course, it wasn’t all your fault. Taehyung had equally, if not, more of the blame considering he started it from what you recalled. But you were still hoping for something, anythingespecially after his confession last night.

“Well we obviously fucked. Do you not remember?” You ask and Taehyung growls and your heartbeat increases as you remember how he growled at you last night.

“Obviously I fucking remember. God, ____ this is such a mess, what am I going to do?” Taehyung asks and you wonder what he means.

“What do you mean?” You ask stupidly and Taehyung send you a ‘are you serious’ look.

“About Hyorin, ____? What am I supposed to do about Hyorin?” Taehyung asks and you wince.

“Well, you’re going to tell her and break up with her, aren’t you?” You ask and Taehyung scoffs, looking at you as if you had two heads.

“Why would I break up with her? I love her! She can’t know this happened. You can’t tell her. This has to stay between us” Taehyung pleads and you stiffen. Your blood runs cold and you can do nothing but look at him in a completely new light. What did he mean he loved her? Didn’t he confess his love for you yesterday? Was it all just a lie? You can feel the tears well up in your eyes as your heartbreaks for the countless time, all because of Taehyung.

“You… Taehyung how am I supposed to keep this between us? You cheated on your girlfriend. With me. How am I supposed to act as if nothing has changed?” You ask and Taehyung sighs.

“___, it was just sex. Meaningless sex. I love Hyorin. She’s the one I want to marry” Taehyung says and your heart immediately plummets in your chest and suddenly it feels like your chest is caving in and it hurts.Your heart hurtsso much that it’s hard to breathe.

“Mean- Meaningless sex? Taehyung, you told me you loved me” You reply with a broken, almost emotionless voice as your brain tries to comprehend his words.

“I didn’t mean it. At least not in that sense. ____, I’m sorry but last night was a mistake. We were both drinking and we didn’t make the right decisions. I don’t love you. Last night meant nothing” Taehyung says and your worst fears are confirmed.

“But Taehyung, it meant something to me.I love you. I wasn’t lying when I told you I loved you. I loveyou” You heartbrokenly confess and Taehyung lets out a deep sigh.

“I know” Taehyung whispers and your head snaps to him, staring at him with bewilderment and fear.

“What? What did you say? You knew? How did you know?” You ask, your voice louder than before. This could not be happening. Within the space of a few words your life was slowly falling apart.

“I knew. At least, I had an idea. Hyorin told me. I didn’t believe her at first but she was convinced and worried about how I would leave her for you. It’s why we haven’t been spending as much time together. I didn’t want to lead you on and… I love Hyorin” Taehyung confesses and despite how much you want to break down and cry, you grit your teeth.

“Excuse me? Did you… did you just admit that you chose Hyorin over me? Because she was fucking worried about me taking you away from her? And you agreed? I was your best fucking friend Taehyung. Despite how long I have loved you, I have never once stood in the way of your happiness and I would never, neverjeopardise your relationship. How could you? I thought you knew me better than that” You seethe, your voice full of dismay and disbelief.

“Yes, well last night definitely jeopardised my relationship, don’t you think” Taehyung sneers and you find yourself reeling.

“Don’t. Don’t fucking put this all on me. I wasn’t even looking to sleep with you yesterday. You, you fucking did this. I was happily going to go home with Yugyeom until you pulled me away. You have just as much blame in this as me” You fume, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

“Fuck. Okay listen, last night never fucking happened. I’m sorry. I know you love me, but I don’t… I can’tlove you like that. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry and I hope somehow, we can recover from this. But last night was a mistake. I love Hyorin, I’m so fucking in love with her. Last night may have given you hope, but I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean any of my words and I’m so sorry but I regret it all. I don’t want to hurt you, but… I could never love you the way I love her” Taehyung confesses and the last word ring loudly in your head over and over again.

‘I could never love you the way I love her’.

Ten words. Ten whole words strung together with so much meaning. You could never comprehend how much words could rip your life apart. That was until today. Suddenly, you felt completely numb and the ache in your heart simply grows larger and stronger until it is all you can feel. Taehyung is still rambling, but you hear none of it. Instead, all you can hear are those ten words ringing deep in your mind. You need to leave. You need to somehow get out of here or make him leave. You need something, you need space. But most importantly you need him gone.

“Get out” You whisper and Taehyung stops mid rant, looking at you in panic and wide eyed. He notices the blank expression on your face and immediately walks towards you, trying to comfort you. But when his touch once used to soothe the demons in your soul, his touch now simply burns and you can’t help but cowering away. Taehyung’s jerks his hand back, looking at you in fear. You had never once shrunk away from him but here you were, staring at him with an expressionless face and cowering from him and suddenly, he felt as if he were the worst person on this planet. He never wanted to hurt you.

“Iris, I’m sorry” Taehyung begins, but you cut him off with a scoff, blinking away the hot tears.

“Don’t. Don’t call me that. I’m not your Iris, I’m not your anything. Please just leave” You say and your words burn into Taehyung’s being. His eyes are wide and suddenly he wants to cry beside you.

“No, please. Don’t say that. Don’t fucking say that. You’re my Iris, my best friend. ____ please, please don’t run away from me” Taehyung pleads, he wants to reach out and touch you but he knows it’s the last thing you want. You notice your state of undress and suddenly you feel sick and dirty and all you want to do is shower and remove the scent and feel of him off of your skin. You pick up your sheets and cling them tightly to you, as if they are your last line of defence.

“No. No I’m not. Not anymore. I can’t be your best friend anymore, I can’t be your Iris. I don’t think you understand Taehyung. I have been in love with you for six years now. You have owned every inch of my heart for six years and I’m tired. I’m emotionally exhausted and completely drained. I’m tired of you breaking my heart. I thought… I thought I could deal with it, but after yesterday after your words today, I can’t. I love you, but I love myself more. And I need you gone, out of my room and out of my life. Please” You plead and Taehyung feels a sharp pain in his chest at the completely exhaustion and defeat in your voice and the way tears simply fall from your eyes. But you don’t notice them, instead you’re simply staring blankly at him. Except you’re not looking at him, but through him. It’s as if you can’t see him, that he’s completely removed from your life.

“I… I’ll go. But I’m not leaving your life. I’ll leave your room but please. You’re my best friend, I need you. Please don’t leave me” Taehyung pleads but you don’t respond. You’re too tired to respond, so you choose to not say anything. You vaguely register him gathering his clothes before walking towards your bedroom door.

“I need to go see Hyorin… but this conversation isn’t over. I don’t want to lose you” Taehyung says, conviction in his voice and then he leaves. He disappears through the door and it may not seem like it for him, but for you, that’s your final goodbye. By the time you respond, he’s long gone and far from ear shot and your words fall on deaf ears in the silence of your bedroom.

“You’ve already lost me”

In a way, you think you’re lucky that whatever happened, happened at the time it did. You had slept with Taehyung a few days before your university broke up for the holidays. But considering it had happened during the second term, it also meant that you were officially done with classes and all that was left was for you to sit your exams and then graduate. Which consequently meant, that if you played it right, you’d never have to see Taehyung ever again. The decision was hard to make. But as you sat in the quiet of your room, the day Taehyung had walked out after your one-night stand; you decided that you were too tired, too drained to continue loving him. Especially when it was unrequited.

So, you used your newfound heartache and directed it to something productive. You pushed Taehyung and your feelings as far out of your mind as you could and instead you directed all your energy into revising for your finals. You barely spent any time in your apartment, instead choosing to practically live in the library. The only time you were home was to shower and catch some quick sleep but then you were gone. Before anyone noticed you were home. Before Taehyung could find you. You spent the past few months doing nothing but revising and studied and it had all paid off. You had just finished your final exam and it was like a huge weight had been lifted off of your shoulders.

But now that you were done with your exams, you had nothing else to focus on. You had nothing else to run to in order to distract you from your woeful unrequited love. But that didn’t mean you couldn’t run away. You thanked your lucky star that Taehyung’s art and photography exam was about to start, just as you finished, which meant that the house was most likely empty unless Jimin was home. Subsequently, that also meant you had a couple of hours to pack up all your things and move out before anyone could stop you. Sure, you’d have to be back in a few months for the graduation ceremony and then once again to complete your Masters, but for now it was enough time to begin getting over Taehyung. To put even more distance between the two of you. A vacation was exactly what you needed.

You quickly rushed back to your apartment, letting out a breath of relief when you found the home empty. You quickly gathered some boxes and your suitcases, packing everything as quick as you could. Mainly the essentials; you figured you could get the rest of it some other time. Or even have Jimin send them to you. A couple hours later you had packed everything you’d need for a long vacation away and the rest of the stuff were in boxes for you to collect when you were ready. Your flight was booked, even if it had decimated the entirety of your bank account but you figured you could find a job at Jeju Island to get you by. Plus, you had some savings that you could make use of for a few weeks. You grabbed your suitcase and opened your bedroom door but only came face to chest with someone. You steeled yourself and looked up before letting out a shriek of relief.

“Fucking hell! Park Jimin, don’t you ever scare me like that again!” You scream, smacking him in the middle of the chest. Jimin however doesn’t move, instead he’s looking at you with a sad smile.

“You were really going to leave without saying goodbye?” He asks quietly and you feel the pang of guilt in your chest. Jimin was a good man. And an even better friend. He had tried to help you and while you may have not been as close to him as you had been with Taehyung; he was still a friend you cherished. And you’d miss him. You knew you would.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t take any chances” You say apologetically and Jimin nods before entering. He looks around at the empty room littered with boxes before sitting down on your completely stripped bed.

“I never realised how big and empty this room could be. It looks… dead without all your stuff” Jimin says quietly and you bite your lip, unsure what to say. You need to get out as soon as possible or risk Taehyung coming back and catching you. You assume Jimin notices your shiftiness and restlessness because he lets out a small, humourless chuckle.

“He’s not going to be back for a while don’t worry. He’s out with Hyorin” Jimin says and he spits her name with so much venom that even youwince.

“Jimin… I’m sorry” You whisper and Jimin shakes his head, his shoulders shaking with rage before he explodes.

“No! You’re not the one at fault! It’s Taehyung and that stupid bitch who’s turning him against all his friends. She’s manipulative. So, fucking manipulative and he doesn’t even see it. You know she stopped him from seeing me? I’m a bad influence apparently, just because I bring home a lot of women. It’s not as if he sleeps with them. God, I hate her and now you’re leaving because of her and him and I hate them even more” Jimin fumes and you put your bag down and approach him, hugging him tightly.

“Don’t say that. He’s your best friend and he’s going to need you. I need you to look out for him Jimin. Please, for me” You ask and Jimin shakes his head, fists clenched at his sides.

“No! I don’t want to! He’s pushed you away and he’s going to regret it so fucking much. I know you slept together and I know exactly what happened the next day. I heard it all. These walls are so fucking thin and I fucking heard how he confessed his love and I was so fucking happy. But then I heard what that idiotsaid the next day and how he said it and I know… I fucking knowhow much he broke your heart and he’s a fucking coward. He loves you. I fucking know he does but he’s so far up her ass he can’t even see it. But he’s going to fucking regret it. I know he is. Right now, he thinks he can still make it up with you despite it being three fucking months but he can’t. And now you’re leaving and he’s going to see just how much he fucked up and I’m glad. He’s such a fucking coward and I don’t fucking know who he is anymore.” Jimin seethes, mouth practically foaming in rage and you have no words to calm him down.

“I know. I know this all Jimin but I’m leaving and no matter what he’s done he’s still our best friend and he needs us. He needs youbecause I can’t be here for him anymore. I can’t do it without losing my sanity. But despite it all, I still fucking love him and it hurts. It hurts so much and I need to go away but I can’t if I know he’s alone. So please, Park Jimin, promise me you’ll look after him even if it’s from afar. I know him and I know he’ll try and run after me and he’ll look for me and feel so guilty he won’t be able to sleep or eat, but I needyou to look after him. Make sure he eats, make sure he sleeps, make sure he doesn’t break down. I need you to do that for me, please” You beg, your tone laced with desperation and Jimin sighs before pulling you in for a hug.

“You are a beautiful human being and if there was one thing Taehyung got right, it was that no one deserves you. Not even him. But fine, for you, I’ll look after him. Just make sure you keep in touch? If not with him, with me. It doesn’t have to be often. Just every now and then drop me a text that lets me know you’re alright. Please” Jimin pleads and you nod against his chest, hugging him tighter to you.

“I promise. I have to go now, I’ve got a flight to catch. Take care of Taehyung and please take care of yourself” You say and Jimin nods from above your head.

“Take care of yourself too. And find someone else. Find someone better and fall in love again and make sure they love you back. You deserve that and so much more. So please, just find someone. Don’t close yourself to love” Jimin advises and you take his words to heart, silently promising yourself to move on and find someone worth your time. Someone who won’t break your heart.

“I promise. Now I really have to go or I’m going to miss my flight. Goodbye Jimin” You call out, waving bye before leaving. Jimin watches you walk out of the apartment once and for all and he can’t help but feel as if he’s lost a part of home. Even if you weren’t super close, he knew he’d miss coming home to you doing yoga, or returning to you watching the most random TV series on Netflix. Despite everything, you were still a piece of his home and now that you were gone, the house felt emptier than it should have.

You had once assumed you’d always be in love with Taehyung. But the longer you spend in Jeju, away from him and with his callous words still ringing in your mind, the easier you find it to slowly move on. Taehyung’s words hurt, but the more nights you spend awake at three am thinking about them, the more you realise it would probably never work. The more you realise all he did was take you for granted. You didn’t care that Taehyung didn’t love you back, at least not anymore. What bothered you so much was how he handled everything, the way he threw his words heartlessly, without any thought you how you felt. The more you thought back to your relationship, the more you realised that was often the case. Taehyung was one to speak first and think and apologise later. Of course, he had never meant it to be malicious and he couldn’t intentionally hurt a fly. But that didn’t mean it was excusable, especially when his words and tone were cruel enough to completely dismiss your feelings.

You sigh in fatigue before checking your phone; 1:18am it read and you curse Taehyung for another sleepless night. You were practically nocturnal at this point, staying up all night surrounded by thoughts of the entire Taehyung dilemma. You rubbed your face and got out of bed, deciding to take a walk down the beach pier. Not that anyone really used it so late at night bar a few stragglers. You quickly get dressed before leaving the safety of your Airbnb. You made your way down towards the beach, the walk almost second nature to you. You had found a job working at the pier; considering it was summer it meant that the place was packed with tourists and businesses were more than happy for the extra help.

You walk along the pier, looking at the various arcades, all shut and completely dark. It’s completely different to the usual scene you’re met when you work nights, with bright prismatic lights illuminating the pier from the various attractions. But then again, it’s nearing 4am so why would they be on or even open currently. You’re about to turn back when a very familiar noise draws your attention. It’s the arcade-restaurant you work at and for some reason, the lights of the games are all flashing and on. The sight is particularly peculiar considering the rest of the pier is completely dead and silent. Curiosity wins you over and you decide to investigate.

You enter the arcade and come face to side with a boy who looks roughly the same age as you. He’s giggling to himself as he plays the first-person shooter game, drawing up more points than you’ve ever seen. You assume he’s going for the record and can’t help but think that with his skills, he definitely will break it. He’s got dark chocolate hair that falls into his eyes softly and wide, round almond almost doe like eyes. His ears are pierced multiple times, at least from the angle you see him at and he’s got soft pink, albeit slightly thin lips. His jaw is strong and defined and from the thin t-shirt you can tell his arms are completely muscular and packed with muscle. His chest looks well defined and his thighs even more so, the muscles bulging and rippling in his tight trousers. He giggles, his face scrunching adorably and he’s got the cutest, almost rabbit-esque smile and you wonder if it was possible to be enchanted by teeth.

All in all, he’s completely opposite to Taehyung.

“What are you doing here? Don’t you know this place is closed” He says, looking at you with a slight mischievous look, his game awaiting him to place in some more tokens before he can continue. You raise an eyebrow and shrug.

“Of course, I do. I work in the restaurant in the day time. I was merely curious as to why the lights were on and why the music was playing. So, tell me, don’t youknow this place is closed? So technically, aren’t you breaking and entering?” You question and he laughs once again, the sound rings in your head and your brain goes blank. It’s a wonderful sound, soft and sweet, yet with a lower note to it that has you completely enthralled.

“I don’t think it’s possible for me to break and enter into my own restaurant or arcade. Well technically, my dad owns it. But you catch me drift” He says with a wink and you roll your eyes; you approach him with less caution, watching as he inserts the token and resumes his game.

“Ah, the owner’s son. Why didn’tI guess that? So, you any good?” You ask and he throws you a lopsided grin.

“I’ll have you know, I’m the seventh-year reigning champion. I come down here every summer to just chill out and play games. Every record in the arcade belongs to me. All I have to do is beat myself each year to ensure I remain reigning champion” he boasts and you scoff at his misplaced sense of achievement. Then again, holding a record for seven years is definitely something impressive. Especially a record for every single game. You guess his sense of achievement isn’t so misplaced after all.

“So, what are you doing here? It’s unusual for women to be walking alone so late at night. Not that you shouldn’t. I’m sure you can defend yourself perfect and wait, not that you should haveto defend yourself but you knowsome people are pricks. You know what, I’m just going to shut up” he rambles and suddenly all his bravado is gone and you’re left with an adorably shy guy, his lips slightly pouting and his cheeks flushed.

“Cute” You whisper without meaning to and you quickly clamp your hands over your mouth, but he hears it and all he does is laugh.

“So, you think I’m cute?” He asks and giggling when you shake your head in panic.

“I could say the same about you. I’m Jungkook by the way. Jeon Jungkook” Jungkook introduces and you not to him.

“____. Kim ____. Nice to meet you Jungkook-ssi” You greet back and he sends you a bright smile, eyes crinkling in the corner.

“So, you wanna join? Perks of being the owner’s son is I get all the free, unlimited tokens I want” Jungkook says, wiggling his eyebrows and despite yourself, you let out a small snort.

“Of course, you do and sure why not, I have nothing better to be doing” You accept, taking him up on his offer and Jungkook immediately stops shooting, bringing a quick end to his game. The screen counts down before the dramatic ‘You Died’ screen pops up.

“I hope you feel special, I don’t just selfishly sacrifice myself for just anyone” Jungkook teases and you stick your tongue out at him.

“I didn’t askyou to do that, though did I?” You mock and Jungkook rolls his eyes before he enters some more tokens, this time for both of you.

“Is this how my kindness is repaid? With mockery? Oh, my poor wounded heart” Jungkook jests, a dramatic hand on his heart as he scrunches up his face in mock pain. You once again stick your tongue out at him before gesturing to the game.

“Oh, come on Bun Boy, let’s just play” You joke and Jungkook throws a fake affronted look.

“Bun Boy? Now you’re really going to get it Kim. I refuse to go easy on you” Jungkook threatens and you let out a small laugh.

“Alright, bring it on Jeon” You challenge and soon the two of you begin playing your game.

You spend the entire night laughing and playing various different arcade games before Jungkook offers you a walk on the beach just because. You talk about nothing and yet you talk about everything. Each conversation is completely meaningless and yet that in itself has meaning. You don’t tell him about Taehyung, you don’t tell him anything of true substance and yet by the end, you feel you know Jungkook almost as well as you know Taehyung and you feel he knows you just as well. You don’t think you’ve felt so carefree in years, it’s like all your problems have disappeared for a night. Jungkook is like a breath of fresh air, full of life and jokes and his slightly weirdtendencies have you cracking up, like the way he randomly screeches some inhumane noises, or how he randomly dances or twerks. Not once do you think of Kim Taehyung. There is not a single moment where he even crosses your mind. It’s early into the morning when you find yourself sitting on the beach with him, facing the sunrise.

Jungkook has long since crashed, his body curled up next to you, hair full of sand as he lets out small high-pitched snores. You however, still aren’t able to sleep. But not for any other reason than that for the first time in months, you’ve felt completely alive. It’s as if the one night with Jungkook has completely recharged your battery. You know longer feel restless or emotionally drained. All the small meaningless conversations with Jungkook puts everything into perspective. Everything passes. Everything goes. And you finally realise that Taehyung too will pass. You close your eyes and breathe in deeply, smelling the refreshing salted air. You feel the warmth of the sun and you open your eyes, smiling at the amber lit sky, the colours of dawn painted across the sky.

You can’t help but feel as if this is a new beginning.

“Where is she?” Taehyung asks and Jimin simply rolls his eyes.

“Jimin please, you have to tell me. I have to find her! She’s been gone for weeks. I haveto find her” Taehyung pleads and Jimin scoffs at him.

“Why? Haven’t hurt her enough?” Jimin taunts and Taehyung flinches at the harsh tone of his best friend’s voice.

“I know. I know I made some mistakes, but I have to find her and make things right. Please… I can’t… I can’t lose her” Taehyung says dejectedly and Jimin’s ire once again rises.

“Fuck you Taehyung. Fuck you and your god damn role of playing the victim. It was youractions that forced her to run away. You were so fucking awful to her and don’t think I don’t fucking know” Jimin begins and Taehyung’s eyes widen slightly.

“Jimin-“ Taehyung tries to cut him off but Jimin shakes his head.

“No. No! You willfucking listen to me and only when I’m done will you speak” Jimin seethes and Taehyung immediately shuts up, knowing that Jimin is the last person you’d want to anger when already angry.

“I was there. I was fucking there when I watched you drag her away from Yugyeom and I thought, finally. Finally,he realises just exactly what he feels but just in case I followed you home and when I got here, I heardyou fuck her. I heardyou tell her you loved her and I heard her finally confess her love for you and once again I thought, finally. Maybe I won’t have to watch you slowly break that poor girl apart with your dumb one-night stands and then even more with your relationship with Hyorin. I thought that finally, ____ would get the happiness she deserves. I have watchedher be in love with you for almost as long as she’s known you. I have watched you break her apart with every one-night stand and then I watched her break apart every time, every single fucking timeyou ditched her for Hyorin. And you know what?” Jimin stop his tirade and takes in a deep breath before he continues.

“She never fucking complained. She just took all the hurt you dished out and she never once demanded anything from you. She nevercomplained and the gods know she was well within her fucking right to do so. Youabandoned her. You chose Hyorin, Hyorinof all people over her, the girl who has stood by your side no matter what, who has loved you unconditionally for as long as she’s known what love is. And you threwit all aside for Hyorin. And then how do you repay her? By sleeping with her and then trying to blame it all on her so that you can save your farce of a relationship. Just like I heard you fuck her, I heard you tell her you could neverlove her the next day. How the fuck do you think that made her feel? When you so recklessly threw aside her own feelings and used your words so callously to make her feel so small. She ran away to get away from you. To get away from all the pain you caused her. You didn’t fucking see her the day she left. How tired she looked, how fucking exhausted and lifeless she was. But I did. I fucking saw it and my heart broke her for all over again. So fucking tell me Kim Taehyung, do you deserve to even think about losing her?” Jimin finally spat out, ending his rant and Taehyung looked so lost and broken that Jimin almostregretted his words. But then he remembered you and the shell of a person you had become and he was angry all over again.

“I know. I know what I did. I know what I said. You don’t have to remind me because I know. It haunts me every night that I could have hurt her like that. I… that night was the best night of my life but I was so convinced Hyorin was the one that I hurt the only girl I have ever cared about. And I regret it. I regret is so fucking much Jimin. I… I love her and I know, I know I don’t get to say that now. It shouldn’t have taken me losing her to find out just how much she means to me but I miss her. I miss her so fucking much and it hurts. It fucking hurts. But I need to find her, I need to tell her what I feel and I need to at least try and make amends because not having her here is making me lose my fucking mind. I can’t be without her. I can’t fucking lose her Jimin” Taehyung rants, his voice is filled with need and desperation but Jimin simply shakes his head.

“I’m sorry Taehyung, but I still can’t tell you where she is. Mainly because she hasn’t told me. I’m sorry it took you all this to finally realise what you feel, but it may be too late. You’ve already lost her” Jimin says, his tone final and then he walks away.

By the time you return from Jeju Island, you’ve spent slightly more than two happy, carefree months with Jungkook. There was not a single night or day where you hadn’t spent some semblance of time with him. During afternoons, he’d join you and help wait tables in his father’s restaurant and then once you were both off of work, he’d whisk you away on some new adventure that would leave you completely exhilarated and breathless. There were days when he’d take you hiking through the woods or on other days he’d take you fishing at night. It seemed that every day was a new experience with Jungkook and you were deeply enjoying your time with him.

A month into your holiday, Jungkook had done something you had both anticipated and dreaded.

{Flashback – A month ago}

You’re lying in a small meadow, just off the roadside, overlooking the mountains and sea that surround Jeju. It’s not exactly the most ideal spot considering you’re just opposite a road, but the cars that drive past are so scarce that it doesn’t even register in your mind. Jungkook had parked his car somewhere of the side and now you two were simply laying on the grass, surrounded by beautiful purple blossoms. You breathe in the fresh air, so reminiscent of the sea salted air of Busan and yet so different from the place you called home in Seoul. The scent of grass accompanied by the scent of the sea has you feeling nostalgic and maudlin. Back to the days when life had been easier, when Taehyung hadn’t hurt you so deeply and when you were just friends, nothing more.

It’s been so long since you’ve thought of Taehyung. The hurt is still there but it’s no longer as fresh or raw. His words don’t stab at your heart anymore. Instead, they’ve left a dull ache of a wound that is slowly healing. Thoughts of Taehyung don’t send you plummeting into despair anymore. Instead, they leave you with a weird sense of nostalgia and ache. An ache for the feelings that you’ve lost, an ache for your best friend. Nothing more. You’ve long since accepted that you and Taehyung were not meant to be, nor could you ever be. There was too much bad blood, too much hurt. You were willing to forgive, but you could never forget.

“Wanna tell me what’s occupying that pretty little head of yours?” Jungkook asks, breaking you out of your inner musings. You send him a wistful smile and he notices the expression, one you’ve worn very often but have refused to divulge your secrets. Jungkook recognises the signs of someone running away from their problem, but he’s also noticed you slowly become more open with him, slowly become livelier and so he’s left it. He trusts that you know what’s best for you and that you’re dealing with your problems in your own way.

“Just stuff from home. Every now and then I think about it and it still hurts, but each day it gets better. It hurts less. It certainly hurts less than it did when I got here” You say, a genuine bright smile on your face and Jungkook smiles at your cheeriness.

“Have I been any help?” He asks, more so in a teasing tone because he would never presume that he was the answer to all your problems. But your expression once again turns reflective and there’s a certain bliss to your features that there wasn’t before, a certain lightness to your eyes.

“You’re joking, but yes. You’ve helped a lot. Thank you” You reply, genuine gratitude lacing your voice and Jungkook is instantly floored, unable to say anything. He doesn’t think he’s done anything great; all he knows is that he loves spending time with you. All he knows is that he wants to continue spending time with you, whether it was watching you attempt to break his arcade records, or sharing leftovers from the restaurant, or even if it was laying on some grass by the roadside. He wanted many more adventures with you, many more late nights and many more days spent doing anything and everything under the sun.

“Let’s go out” Jungkook says suddenly and you raise your eyebrow at him before giggling.

“We areout. But where do you want to go?” You ask curiously and he shakes his head.

“No, I mean. Let’s date. I want to take you out. On a real date. With romantic intentions” Jungkook elaborate and you stiffen, looking at him with wide eyes.

Your feelings were in complete chaos, a part of you, the broken part, wanted to run; because no matter how much you’ve forgiven him and how much you want to be over him, Taehyung has left his scars on you. Scars that will never heal. Scars tell you that you won’t ever be loved the way you want to. And you dread that. You dread falling in love with someone, giving someone everything you have only for them to leave. You somehow survived Taehyung, you doubt you’ll survive someone else leaving. You doubt you’ll survive Jungkook leaving.

But another part of you, the bigger part of you that is healed; the part that heeds Jimin’s advice, wants you to dive straight into him. It wants you to experience a love with is completely reciprocated. It wants you to experience happiness, and joy and most of all it wants you to experience love. Even if Jungkook doesn’t end up being the one, that part of you wants to try. To move on once and for all. Not everyone is Taehyung. Not everyone is going to hurt you so deeply. You rationalise that. You know that. And yet, a part of you still fears; still holds you back.

Another part of you feels guilty. You’re not completely over Taehyung. There are still residual feelings and this part of you, doesn’t want to use Jungkook as a rebound. This part of you understands that Jungkook’s feelings are pure and this part doesn’t want you taking advantage of those feelings in order to move on. It’s wrong and Jungkook doesn’t deserve that. He’s sweet, still full of life and so, somuch stronger than you. He’s experienced his own disillusionment of love; his last girlfriend cheated. And yet here he was, so ready and willing to dive head first into you, someone who was still haunted by her past love. He was stronger than you could ever be.

“You’re not saying anything. If you don’t want to, just say so. It’s not that big a deal” Jungkook says with a shrug but you can see the slight nervousness in his eyes. It is a big deal. It’s bigger than he could ever know. Were you willing to put yourself in that position again? You had no idea. But… maybe you just owed it to yourself to try. To explain why you’re so wary and why you both want to and don’t want to date him. So, you do. Explain that is.

You come clean about everything. You tell him about Taehyung, you tell him about how you fell in love and how you were always just the best friend. You tell him about the day he gets a girlfriend, and then all the times he’s left you for her. You tell him about the night you fuck and then the huge blow up the day after. You tell him about how you ran away to Jeju and then met him. You tell him about how much he unknowingly healed you and why you’re so reluctant to date him, even if you want to. You don’t want to hurt him and you don’t want to use him. You tell him everything and Jungkook just listens. He listens and listens and then when you’re done he pulls you close and hugs you until the tears are all dried and you’re left with nothing but feelings of safety and comfort, wrapped up in Jungkook’s embrace.

“I don’t want to be hurt anymore” You confess with a sniffer and Jungkook nods, his chin resting on the top of your head. He holds you tighter and presses a soft kiss against your temple.

“I know. I know baby. I’m sorry you went through that. I’m sorry he was too much of an idiot to realise how amazing you are. But his loss, is still my gain. I want to date you. I want you to be mine. I want to show you what it means to love and be loved; I want to show you the joys of being in love. I can’t promise you it’ll all be sunshine and rainbows. But my god ____, I can promise that I won’t everhurt you the way he did. So, forget everything else and tell me what you want. If you want to try, I’m here. If you don’t feel ready, then I’ll still be here; I’ll wait until you’re ready. Because I want you. I want everything about you. I want your smile, your tears, your heartache but most importantly your love. I want it all” Jungkook says and you have no idea how he does it, but once again it’s like a huge burden is lifted off your shoulders. Jungkook is far stronger than you could ever hope to be. But a part of you wonders, that maybe, just maybeif you stick by him, he’ll lend you some of that strength.

So, you say yes.

And he kisses you.

{End of Flashback}

Now it’s been almost two and a half months since you’ve been in Jeju and it’s time you went back. Graduation was in a week; you had gotten your results two week before hand and surprisingly, you’d passed all your modules. You were getting a degree. You had immediately run to Jungkook and the two of you had celebrated with a quick picnic on the beach, Jungkook snatching a bottle of wine from the restaurant’s wine cellar. You had packed up all your things and were finally ready to head back to Seoul and face real life. You couldn’t run from your life; something Jungkook had reminded you of everyday.

“Ready to go?” Jungkook asked, his own bag packed with him. You smiled at him and nodded. You turned to the flat once again, smiling nostalgically before you turned off all the lights and deposited the keys where they were supposed to be. He grabbed your bag and carried it towards the taxi waiting for the two of you. Jungkook was returning with you for two reasons. The first being, to your great surprise, was that he too attended university in Seoul and therefore, he too had to return back to everyday life. The second being, that he really wanted to watch you graduate.

There was very little you could refuse Jungkook and so you had accepted, more than happy to be returning with him. You had worried about needed to return to Seoul. You had come to develop a deep fondness for Jungkook. It wasn’t love yet, you were still wary and Jungkook understood. He was in a similar position. But that didn’t mean you weren’t particularly fond of each other. For now, it was more than enough. There was no way to say what the future entailed, but you had some hope that you’d somehow last.

Your feelings for Jungkook were day and night in comparison to your feelings for Taehyung. You weren’t consumed with a burning want like you had for Taehyung; instead you were filled with a small need for him. The need to tell him how your day went, to the need to touch him whether it be a small brush of your hands or his arms around you in bed. You were filled with the need to see him smile and to see him flourish and you were assured the feelings were reciprocated. Being with Jungkook was one of the best things to ever happen to you and you were soglad you had run away and found him.

But now, it was time to go home.

A small part of you dreaded returning. You had no idea what was happening; sure, you’d kept in touch with Jimin, dropping him texts every now and then but you never asked about Taehyung and he never bothered telling you. You were going back blind and it filled you with nervousness. You’d messaged Jimin, letting him know you’d be moving back in. Jimin was ecstatic, but he questioned whether it was wise. You weren’t entirely sure yourself. But you were done running, that was your home as much as it was Taehyung’s and you were not giving it up. Besides, you sincerely hoped that you and Taehyung could move on and continue being friends. Of course, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem once he realised you’d moved on and he could happily be with Hyorin.

However, only time would tell.

“I can’t believe you’re back! I missed you so much! Tell me everything, how was Jeju?” Jimin bounces over to you, happiness radiating off of him as he greets you with a hug. You let out a small laugh and hug him back once you place your bags down.

“I can’t believe I’m back either. I missed you too! Can I unpack first? My room is still available right. I didn’t even ask before dropping you a text telling you I was moving back in” You say apologetically and Jimin shakes his head.

“We rented out your room for a bit, but your stuff is still there and your name is still on the lease so it’s all good. Do you need any… help unpacking?” Jimin trails off when Jungkook enters your shared apartment. He gives Jimin a shy smile and Jimin’s eyes widen to the size of saucers. He turns to look at you, gaping like a fish as he flicks between you and Jungkook.

“Babe, where do you want this?” Jungkook asks and Jimin splutters. You send him a weird look before pointing your room out to Jungkook.

“Down there, Kook. I’ll come help in a bit” You say and Jungkook nods as he grabs your stuff and his before taking it into your room. Once he’s out of earshot, Jimin rounds on you.

“Who is that? Is he staying here? Whatthe fuck happened in Jeju? Are you over Taehyung?” Jimin rapidly questions and you reel back slightly before laughing at him as you pat his shoulder, trying to calm him down.

“That Jungkook… my boyfriend I guess. He’s staying for a short while; his apartment is still being room is still being rented to some summer tenants so he has to wait it out. So much happened in Jeju but the main thing was that I started seeing Jungkook. And I don’t think I’ll everbe over Taehyung, but I’m better. Definitely much better” You say with a soft smile and Jimin raises his eyebrow.

“Does Jungkook know?” Jimin asks and you send him an agitated look.

“Of course, he knows. I wouldn’t keep such a big thing from him. He knows all about Taehyung and he’s super understanding. It’s more that I deserve” You reply and Jimin scowls at you.

“Don’t do that. You deserve more than you think you do. But damn, all hell is going to break loose when Taehyung returns” Jimin says and you frown, eyebrows furrowed as you ponder his words.

“What do you mean? Why would all hell break loose?” You ask but before he could answer, the front door clicks open and Taehyung enters holding grocery bags.

“Hey Jimin, the store didn’t have your favourite ramen so I got another type-“ Taehyung begins but he stops short when his head lifts up and he meets your gaze. Time seems to stand still as the two of you look at each other. Taehyung’s is one of shock while a small unsure smile is painted upon your lips. It’s been almost half a year since you’ve seen Taehyung. You avoided him like the plague during exam season and then you disappeared to Jeju Island. He’s still as beautiful as the day he walked out of your room. Except now, his mullet is gone and in place a shorter version; and his hair is no longer blonde but back to its natural dark colouring.

“Is… is that really you?” Taehyung asks and you not shyly, unsure why you’re so unnerved. Taehyung immediately drops his bags and stalks over to you and before you know it, his arms are wrapped around you, pulling you close to his chest and encasing you in his embrace. You breathe out a sigh of relief and hug back. Maybe this would be easier than you imagined.

“Surprise!” You say quietly but Taehyung ignored it, instead he holds you at arm’s length and takes in every inch of your appearance.

“I can’t believe it’s you. I can’t believe you’re back. I missed you. I missed you so much, please don’t ever leave me again. I love you” Taehyung confesses and you freeze, your brain short circuiting for a bit but before you can respond, Taehyung’s lips are locked against yours. Your eyes widen in shock and you stand stock-still for a couple moments before your brain registers exactly what is happen. You quickly struggle against his hold and finally managed to break away, pushing him off of you. Taehyung looks at you in shock and you regard him in disbelief and anger.

“What do you think you’re doing? You can’t just kiss me like that Kim Taehyung! What made you think that was okay?” You cry, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

“What? Why not? I love you. I’m sorry, I was such an idiot before and it took you leaving for me to realise just what I feel for you. I know it sounds like a cop out and you have no reason to believe me after what I said, but I dolove you. And I’m willing to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you” Taehyung says and you scoff in incredulity.

“Are you fucking kidding me Kim Taehyung? You’re right I don’t believe you. I don’t want to believe you. You told me you could neverlove me the way you love Hyorin. Speaking of, where is she? We made the mistake of cheating once, I won’t do it again” You spit out, ire rising with each passing moment. How could he do this to you? You were finallymoving on and here he was, throwing a wrench in your work. Well you wouldn’t allow it, you refuseto be a part of his game anymore.

“I broke up with her. I was an idiot. Such an idiot, I never should have ditched you. I never should have distanced myself from you. I love you. I love you so much and I know you love me. So please, just give me a chance” Taehyung pleads, reaching one hand out to grab yours. You pull it away and shake your head at him.

“Yeah, you were. But that’s in the past. I can’t give you a chance anymore. I’m sorry, you lost that the minute you walked out of my door that day. You left me completely broken. You hurt me, in a way I never expected you to. I’m fine now, I got over it. But I’m sorry to say Taehyung… I don’t love you anymore” You whisper and you yourself are startled by the truth of your words. But it’s true. You don’tlove him anymore. All those feelings are replaced by placid feelings of fondness for your best friend and nothing else.

“No. No, you don’t mean that. You love me. You’ve loved me for years. You can’t be over me so easily. It’s only been half a year. You love me. Please tell me you love me” Taehyung begs, tears pooling in his eyes and a part of you aches for him. You know exactly what he’s feeling; the desperation to be loved by the one you love. But you couldn’t offer him that solace anymore.

“I can’t. I can’t say that, because it’s not true. I love you Taehyung, but not in that way. Not anymore. That’s what happens when you’re hurt that muchby the person you love. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry to do this and I hope one day we can go back to being friends. But any romantic notion of me and you, died that day Taehyung” You say with a small sob, you hadn’t even registered you were crying. But these tears aren’t for yourself. These are for Taehyung. These tears are for the heart you know you’re breaking with your words. But you can’t lead him on. You can’t do what he did to you for so long.

“NO! No! Please, I love you” Taehyung implores and you desperately wish he had done this months ago. But it’s too late now. His confession is far too delayed and you can’t help but wonder if you and Taehyung were cursed with nothing but missed opportunities and incorrect timing. In another world, in another life, you could see yourself with Taehyung. But not in this life. Not in this world. You were happy with Jungkook and you weren’t going to give that up.

“Is everything okay?” Jungkook asks as he walks our wearily, he regards Taehyung with a guarded expression before his eyes fall onto you. His eyes widen in panic at your tear streaked face; he quickly walks over to you and pull you into him. His hand cups your cheek and lifts your chin up to look at him.

“____? Are you okay baby? What’s wrong?” Jungkook ask and the concern etched onto his face only makes you cry harder. You’re convinced you don’t deserve him, but you’d be damned if you were letting him go. So, you do the only thing you can. You pull him into a kiss and pour out all your emotions into it. It’s not love and Jungkook knows it, but right now it’s the closest thing to it and he’ll take it.

“Take me away. We can unpack later, but right now. I just want to watch the sunset with you” You whisper and Jungkook immediately nods. He runs into your room and grabs both your jacket before he grabs your hand and tugs you along with him. He waves Jimin goodbye and regards Taehyung with an apologetic look before leading you out of your flat. You stop briefly and turn to Taehyung.

“I’m sorry Taehyung. I really am” You whisper and then Jungkook shuts the door.

This time, Taehyung watches you leave. His chest feels likes its being caved in and he’s filled with despair. He watches you leave with Jungkook, your hands entwined and he wants nothing more than to be in his place. But he saw the hint of love in your eyes when you looked at Jungkook. It’s not as strong as how you used to look at him, but it’s there and his heart shatters. When he finally hears the door shut, he knows that this is the end. You’ve walked out of his life, once and for all. There’s no more you and Taehyung. He lost that right a while ago. Doubt clouds his mind and he ponders the what ifs. What if he realised his feelings sooner, what if he ran after you? What if he’d never walked out that day? Maybe, just maybe he’d have you in his arms right now.

But he can’t change the past.

He can’t change the inkling of love you have for Jungkook.

He can’t make you love him again.

And Taehyung briefly wonders, how do you cope with losing something you both had and didn’t have?

A/N: This AU took everything out of me. So I hope you enjoyed that!

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