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female-overlord-3 · 4 years ago

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Bring Them Home Ch 15 Smash

This fic is slow going with everything but going. Kept this baby as a draft until I wrote the next chapter :D

Alex, Michael, and Isobel bond and talk! Enjoy 💛

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They get their 3 hours and a little bit more until Michael finally becomes the voice of reason.

"As much as I want to spend the rest of the day with you, I need to check in with Sanders and do my actual day job. Plus Izzy is nothing but greedy for all the attention on her."

Alex just gives him a look before dragging Michael back onto the bed and rolling to be on top.

"This is a once in a blue moon lazy day for me Michael. You give me another hour and then I'll be satisfied."

Their first hour was the nap after their call, Michael carrying a dozing Alex to his bed so they'd be more comfortable. The second was Michael thoroughly massaging Alex's full body after Alex does his at home PT routine. The third was them switching between kissing and talking.

Michael wouldn't mind the third hour becoming 2 straight hours of more talking and kissing. He also doesn't think he can move because Alex is pretty much the ideal weight for holding him down.

Then the small touches start. One hand moving to his neck as a thumb swipes up and down his throat slowly before it moves to sink into his curls. Fingers gently digging into his scalp as lips press randomly across his torso and above. Michael is in actual heaven as he loses time to Alex's devoting touches until his left hand cramps and he lets out a hiss from the pain.

Lifting up Alex gives him space to do whatever he needs, his face pinched in worry and flickers of guilt at seeing Michael cradle his hand.

"Do you need a heat compress or acetone for the pain?" Alex quietly asks but Michael shakes his head.

"It'll pass. Give it a minute."

Hesitantly Alex reaches for it and let's the tips of his fingertips rest ever so lightly on the ridges of the scarred skin that Michael barely feels as Alex traces it. Michael lifts his hand up to feel the pressure and warmth of Alex’s hand but Alex snatches it away.

“Doesn’t it-” Alex's voice was quiet and a bit hoarse. “I don’t want you to hurt. I was trying to-” He stops himself again with his words stuck as old guilt starts to consume him.

Sighing Michael sits up but keeps his hands to himself.

“You think we’re ready to talk about this?” He waves his left hand between them.

He gives Alex a good minute to breathe through what he’s feeling right now before slowly inching his right hand to the thigh resting next to his.

“I am but that’s cause I made peace with it a long time ago. If you’re not then we can put it on hold for another time but you didn’t do this to me, you’re not a monster or violent like him. I’m not gonna lie, it reminds me that there’s bad in the world, that it’s cruel and doesn’t care but,” His hand has traveled up and cups Alex’s cheek. “It also reminds me that there are kind people like you who somehow left me a medical kit even though I didn’t see you for a week because you were hurt too. That wanted me to get help and go to the hospital but found an alternative when I kept telling you no.”

Alex’s eyes fall closed as he leans into Michael’s hand.

“You’re lucky your antibodies are immune to human infection and diseases.” Is the only thing he can say.

“Pretty nice that my form of power boost is just 5 bucks a bottle too, though my personal brew is much better.” Michael raises his left and holds it in front of Alex. “You didn’t need to go and make us a matching set but of course you had to one-up me.”

All he gets is a soft noise from Alex who’s finally reached for his left hand, both of his cradling Michael’s like it’s precious as he brings it to his chest to lay right over his heart. The steady thump is a song he’s missed.

“You could’ve healed it but you didn’t want to. You wanted to remember the good and the bad.”

Michael snorts at that. “I mean Max only offered like once but it also would’ve become a thing if people found out. Even though I didn’t know how much your dad was actually watching us, I didn’t want to give him anymore reasons to start snooping around. Hey you think he knew before and that’s why he went psycho?"

He asks it like an actual question, one of pure curiosity because now with everything they know it might actually be true.

"Maybe but I knew regardless he'd do something to anyone I brought home. Sure it was like an open secret but I tamed it down around him, the eyeliner and punk was just the easiest way to be proud but on just the edge. It helped that he hated both."

Michael watches as Alex's face pinches again.

"Would you heal it now or like a partial one?"

Smiling Michael just rubs his thumb against Alex's chest.

"Don't know. Depends really."

He pulls Alex back down and holds him close, soaking up as much comfort and the feeling of safety, love, and peace.

Of course not 10 minutes later there's a honk and a mental nudge from Isobel.

"Nooooo." He groans and buries his face in Alex's hair.

Alex agrees and presses closer as their phones start ringing.

"How is she calling both of us!"

There's a knock at the door then the sound of intentionally loud footsteps that stop at the window of their room.

"I promised lunch."

"We could be having really kinky sex right now Iz."

"Oh that reminds me I need to find a new playmate. Alex we're going to a gay bar. I want to see if me going all obsessed over Rosa was a me thing or his and I need a wingman who gets me."

Michael makes a face and holds onto Alex tighter. He doesn’t want Alex going to any bar without him.

"In my professional opinion it might be too soon and you're technically still married but screw it let’s go have fun." Alex pauses and reconsiders his words. “Actually if anything Kyle might be more game then me. I may be out and proud but I kinda dislike people… and crowds now.”

He gives Michael a deep but short kiss and starts to wiggle free. Michael makes a valiant attempt to keep him in bed which is funny because earlier he was trying to head out for work and be responsible. He flips them over and tries to distract Alex with more kisses and he can feel Alex starting to give in when Isobel knocks on the window.

"We still game to blow up stuff or was that just the land around the cabin? Also will someone please let me in!"

They both groan and finally scramble out of bed to put pants on. Michael turns to face where the front door is and glares at it until it opens.

“It’s open.”

“Lovely. I’ll bring my stuff in.”

Michael slips down to slide on the sleeve then prosthetic for Alex before waddling closer to wrap his arms around Alex’s waist so he can bury his face in a very warm stomach.

“No bar without me. Someone’ll snatch you up.”

The vibrations and sound of Alex’s quiet laugh is nice.

“I was being honest about not really liking bars Michael and I'm only a tiny bit better about people. Have no fear everyone will be flocking to your sister.”

Silently Michael stands before climbing into Alex’s lap and latches onto him like a koala.

“Jesus I forgot how clingy you are.” Alex teases as his hands settle on Michaels sides. “Not that I mind.” He adds.

Leaning back to face each other, Michael gives him a dramatic pout. “You’re hot stuff and people will absolutely flock to you. I can’t stop people from looking but I can at least stop them from touching.” He eyes Alex’s neck hungrily and starts to lean down but a hand in his hair stops him.

“Ah and the marking thing. You sure you’re not a vampire?”

“It won’t be like-”

The unamused look Alex is sporting just makes Michael grin smugly. “You made it go around my whole neck. You gave me an actual hickey necklace Michael and it lasted for a whole week. No hickey necklace.”

“What about like two where everyone can see?” Michael questions and his eyes stare at the perfect spot. “I’ll keep them small.”

They roll over with Alex keeping him pinned down.

“You and I have a very different idea of what small is. No hickeys or marks until we go on another date.” He kisses Michael’s cheek before rolling off and leaving to go see what Isobel’s up to.

Michael mopes and gets dressed slowly. If the hoodie he has on is unusual for him well it’s Alex’s fault for leaving it in the room. In the closet and folded up top but Michael found it so finders-keepers.

“Michael you're staying 20 minutes so you can praise me while I break stuff with my mind." Isobel eyes the sweater and frowns. "Are you having a mental breakdown? That's the only time we wear hoodies." She comments and takes a step closer, ready to bring Michael into a hug for comfort which kinda confuses him.

"Um no. I'm good Iz. Just claiming one of my rights to wear something of Alex's." Michael pauses before taking his own step forward in concern. "Are you good? I know I haven't fully been there for you with everything but if you-"

Isobel rolls her eyes at him.

"I'm a big girl. It's been…. A lot but Alex and the others have helped in their own way. I do know breaking all this stuff will feel good so come on teach me how you do it." She says as she pats his shoulder then heads to Alex's backyard, Michael quickly following her.

"You're sure?" He asks. "I know we all have a tendency to avoid actually talking about our shit so if there's anything you want to then I'm here."

The tight line of Isobel's lips hold for a few seconds before dropping as she sighs.

"I'm still mad and hurt. Also sad because I- this whole mess started with him and I was just a tool he used. I was finally starting to feel like I could be myself but even that's a lie. First it was thinking I was the one who killed everyone and that sucked but finding out the actual truth was worse." Her voice wobbles a bit before she takes a deep breath to steady it. "I know I'm not okay and we're all dealing with our own shit but for once I don't feel totally alone. I'm gonna try and be a better sister to you because you've always been there for me Michael, you carried what happened that night with you for a decade so I wouldn't have too. I've let myself follow whatever Max decided because we got to grow up together and I thought he was right, that he was protecting us and the normal life we had."

She swallows and her eyes dart away.

"And he was but that meant you were left out because you never got our type of normal. So I'm gonna work on being there for you too and making sure you're included. Now let's go break stuff."

Michael grabs onto her hand and squeezes it. Isobel squeezes back and both their eyes are a bit misty but the smiles they wear are bright.

They see Alex a couple yards out, placing items from the box Isobel brought around his open backyard.

“Whatever you break you also clean up so I would suggest a tarp or something.”

Michael swaggers over and latches onto his side, nuzzling into his neck.

"Of course gotta keep the place clean. I'll go grab one." He leans to take a sip from Alex's milkshakes but it's moved away.

"You hate mint."

Michael blinks at him and can't help how big his smile turns.

"I don't mind it when it's from you." His eyes land on Alex's lips in an obvious request.

Michael's curls slap him in the face.

"Ow Iz why!"

"What? I'm just practicing my power." Her sickly sweet voice and eyelashes fluttering says anything but.

Michael rolls his eyes and pecks Alex's check. "You get thirty minutes and then I have to head to Sanders."

A hand slides into the back pocket of his jeans and he's pulled closer to Alex's side.

"Whatever you don't break or wanna leave to burn will be our bonding time."

Isobel's eyes light up at the offer.

"You really weren't lying about getting to explode shit! Like actual explosives?" She grabs onto Alex slowly and starts tugging him back to the house so he can show her.

Michael doesn't let go and they all walk back inside relatively easy for the three of them latched onto each other.

"More like I have the basic materials needed to make bombs which you would be surprised on how easy they are to make." Alex comments as Michael gives an understanding nod.

"Though I do have some minor explosives that are probably closer to fireworks which are easier to clean up after and that can easily be stated as such."

Alex slips out of their arms and goes to the small closet hidden behind the bathroom, the three of them bring all the goods to the living room.

"Does this mean I can use you as an excuse to come here instead of my mother's Fourth of July barbeque? I'm always stuck talking about nothing and everyone keeps expecting me to be pregnant. Do I look like mother material to you?"

She's settled in Michael's lap as they hold each other comfortably. Michael rests his head on her shoulder as he chuckles.

"Hmmm you're more Aunt material. You'd spoil my future kids rotten but also make sure they know how to talk circles around people the second they learn how."

"Their first words will be aunt Izzy or some variation of that. I'm not picky."

Her tone is casual but her eyes don't leave Alex who's gone quiet.

"I'm not saying a hard no to possibly being a surrogate but in a few years ask me again. I'll be back, just need to use the bathroom." She glides off of Michael's lap and out the door.

Michael doesn't pay her any mind and flops back to lay back on the bed.

The thought of having kids have been an off and on thing for him. Sometimes he doesn't because he's not even human and not the stablest person, being in the system didn't do him any favors. There's so much entailed with it that if he ever did he's worried the poor kid will turn out worse than him, that Michael won't have or be able to provide what they'll need. Then there are days he'd love to be that parent for someone who needs it, to be who he needed as a kid. Save at least one kid from a bad situation. Have the type of family he's sometimes let himself dream and barely hope for.

Sometimes it's just him raising a kid alone but other times Alex is there too, both of them sharing the love they have with someone else who might need it. Alex would never be like his father and would give their kid everything they needed no matter what but also make sure they have boundaries and morals and good life lessons.

"Would you want kids Alex?"

Michael voices once he's brought back to the present.

Just because he wants kids doesn't mean he needs them. He knows better than anyone that you gotta be committed and ready for that type of responsibility.

There's always the future but for right now he just wants to get his mom and people free, to deal with Noah, and to be with Alex.

"In another life… yes but I'm not sure about this one." Alex gets this nervous look on his face before sighing. "I'd have to think about it."

That's pretty much on par what Michael knew he'd say.

"Do you- I mean obviously you do but I'm not-"

Michael uses his powers to tug Alex to him. He takes Alex's hands and gives a light squeeze.

"I do but not now or for a while. I want to get my mom out and deal with the insanity of our lives first then enjoy being with you. I would like them in the far far future but I don't need them. I'm not letting some punk take all your attention until I've gotten my fill."

Alex clings to him and nods.

"Okay."

"As of now I love you and my meddling sister. You can come back in Isobel."

She walks in stubbornly with her head held high.

"I didn't mean to bring up future kids. You did that all on your own Michael and I'm sure you'll both be amazing uncles when Max and Liz figure their shit out. Max will finally have a reason to quit the force and stay at home to write like he's always wanted while Liz works on saving the world and all that jazz."

She grabs all the explosives quickly and carefully to do something with her hands.

“I mean who wouldn’t want an adorable hybrid of me though right, the world would all but perish under our reign. I’m sure i’d be a good mom though… with time and everyone else’s kids as a trial but like you guys said, now is a horrible time.” Her voice lowers to something almost hushed. “I’m sure plenty of kids need a home once i’m ready so all we need to do now is learn and be as prepared as possible.”

Michael smiles fondly at her as he stands and wraps an arm around her waist, pressing his forehead to the side of her neck.

“There’d be nothing stopping you once you decide your ready Isobel.”

Alex leans into her other side and they all just take a moment to breathe together.

“When we’re ready.” Alex voices with hope and it brings a smile to all their faces. “Does that mean we’re ready to go blow stuff up now?”

That gets a laugh.

“Come on all this emotional talk is ruining the mood. I’m ready to see how much control I need to learn to beat Michael!”

The three proceed to smash, break, and explode the contents of Isobel's boxes while enjoying their lunch.

Isobel is a bit shocked and proud of how much control Michael has on his power. A bit jealous too but she’s only just started. She finds it sickeningly sweet how awed Alex looks when he looks at Michael but the kind one he gives her makes up for it.

“How did I not see it?” She asks them. Her tone is light with wonder. That she never saw how much love just poured from them. It’s been a decade and she’s only finding out now.

Both Alex and Michael sigh but there’s less of a haunted look in their eyes.

“Shit timing and even worse communication.” Michael voices and then he’s at Alex’s side. “It’s hard to have something when everything’s going against you.”

Alex nods with his face set in a hard look before it clears.

“We kept it to ourselves cause it was safer but now there’s less bullshit to fight against.”

Isobel hurts from even the idea of what they’ve been through, the flashes she’s gotten from Alex flickering before she lets it all go.

“Well you’ve got someone else on your side.” she stands tall again, stronger and more solid with this certain topic worked through. "I'd happily melt anyone who's brain keeps giving you guys trouble. I'm sure I can make it look like an aneurysm."

She’s trying to be reassuring but the pained and overwhelmed look on Michael's face makes her feel unsure, like she's miss stepped somewhere.

It's only when Michael launches at her and holds her in a crushing hug, that his mind is so loud it's screaming at her by being in contact, that she understands.

Michael's always been so strong and never truly had anyone who he felt he could rely on, to truly rely on. Alex probably now with everything known but not really anyone else and that hurts Isobel all over again.

They should've been united from the start. They should've been together, able to rely and trust each other without doubt.

She holds on tight to him and lets out a sigh when Michael’s mind quiets, Alex’s presence closer being the obvious reason why.

Isobel is going to have a talk with Max about Alex and about Michael. Alex is right that they need to all work together to figure this mess out.

#malex #my work #moon writes #BTH #Look I can still write!#malex fic #Alex Manes #Michael Guerin #Isobel Evans

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yastaghr · 5 years ago

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Broken Things Shine Brighter 18

Here’s the next chapter of BTSB. The name thing was getting too hard, so I fixed it! Enjoy!

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13431909/chapters/56179339

Blue didn’t know which felt weirder; the emotions rushing through him that weren’t his own, or the rubbing of the bandages on his newly injured chest. Neither hurt exactly, but Blue knew that was because of the pain medicine he was now on. Apparently enough time had passed for the monsters in Dr. Undyne’s care to mass produce the first aid supplies that had been so lacking when he first arrived.

And hadn’t that been a surprise to the rest of the Underground. Not only had most of those monsters survived, but they had formed a tight-knit community that actually cared about one another. They even cared about the rest of the Underground, and they were slowly teaching them how to love again.

Blue was doing that job, too. He’d been doing that before the Day of Freedom, but now it was much more organized. It had been a few days since then, and he was still working on Sans. The other had some… odd ideas about how this whole soulmate thing was supposed to work.

At first Blue had thought that these were just the standards of his world, but Muffet had set him straight. “I don’t know what he’s thinking,” she had said when Blue had asked her why Sans kept refusing his contact. “Soulmates are supposed to touch and care for one another, even outside the home.”

That had opened Blue up to the realization that Sans was uncomfortable. He’d tried to speak to him about it, but he hadn’t even been able to get past his name before Sans had winced. That had spun around inside of Blue’s head for hours, and he finally had his conclusion.

Blue sat up in his little cot, which Papyrus had helped him move into Sans’ room. He took in the room itself. It reminded him of his brother’s, but it also reminded him of his own. The walls were bare and the floor was strewn with socks, but there was a table with action figures, a computer, and a racecar bed. The bookcase that had been in his brother’s room was replaced with the chest of drawers from his. All in all, it looked lived in and loved.

Sans was currently laying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling instead of sleeping despite the late hour. Blue crawled out of bed and over to his side, carefully not touching him. Sans shifted so he was looking down at him. Blue couldn’t read his expression, but he could feel his curiosity.

“YES? WHAT IS IT?” Sans asked as quietly as he could.

“i think i’ve realized something that could help you. you don’t like your name, do you? you’ve been flinching every time i say it ever since we were bonded.”

Sans froze, his soul radiating startlement and confusion. Blue could see and feel the wheels turning in his head. Then he felt the realization hit Sans. It felt like the truth. “I… I BELIEVE YOU’RE RIGHT. HOW STRANGE. I’VE NEVER HAD PROBLEMS WITH IT BEFORE. WHY WOULD IT HURT ME NOW?”

Blue shrugged. “my guess is that all the times that she said it when she was hurting you have finally added up. and maybe there’s a little bit of… i don’t even know what to call it… but some kind of emotion about the fact that it’s my name, too.”

His soulmate considered this. Then he nodded. “I SUPPOSE THAT MAKES SENSE. AFTER EVERYTHING SHE DID EVEN THE MAGNIFICENT… ME… IS BOUND TO HAVE SOME… WHAT DO THE HUMANS CALL IT? AH, YES. TRIGGERS. HER DAMNED CONTRACT SUPPRESSED THEM UNTIL NOW. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT ONE OF THEM HAS TURNED OUT TO BE MY OWN NAME.”

“yeah, but at least it’s an easy one to fix. all we need to do is find you a nickname, like mine. do you have any ideas?” Blue asked.

“HMM,” Sans considered this, “I DO NOT. MAYBE ANOTHER COLOUR? I’LL ADMIT I WOULD LIKE TO MATCH WITH YOU IN SOME WAY, AND THAT SEEMS THE EASIEST WAY TO DO SO. MAYBE SOMETHING BASED ON MY MAGIC?”

Blue hummed and pulled out his phone. “let me look up some better names than just reddish purple. you’re a magnificent monster. you deserve a magnificent name.”

Sans smiled at him, that giddy little smile that Blue was coming to love. It always accompanied a happy little surge… and a bit of humbleness, which was odd when you realized that the easiest way to make it happen was to compliment him. Blue wondered if his brother had felt the same way. Probably. He knew that both Sans and Blue’s Papyrus shared one thing; they were both autistic. There were a hundred little things that told him so, from their obsession with their favorite outfit to their speech patterns. Some people might read them as arrogant, but he knew better. They just were uncomfortable with their words and tried to hide that by being over the top confident. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. In fact, he thought it was cute.

Speaking of cute, Blue landed on the perfect site to supply him with names. It was a colour matcher from a paint salesman. He held it up triumphantly. “here! this site matches up your magic colour with the names of different paints in the same family. this will be perfect! summon something. uh, please?”

Sans laughed. His laugh was some weird mix of a giggle and a chuckle. It was cute and perfectly him. He summoned a little bone. It burned with raw magic, the kind that was inefficient on purpose to make the room warmer. “WILL THIS SUFFICE?”

Blue nodded and held up his phone, snapping a picture of Sans’ magic. The little wheel of doom spun, then a palette of colors popped up in front of him. He tried them out. “um… how about wine?”

Sans shook his head. “TOO FORMAL. BESIDES, DOCTOR WINE SOUNDS ABOUT AS FAKE AS YOU CAN GET.”

Blue moved on to the next one. “okay then. garnet, maybe?”

“NO,” Sans decided after a moment, “THAT FEELS A LITTLE TOO FEMININE FOR ME. WHAT’S NEXT?”

“raspberry?” Blue said hopefully.

Sans hesitated. He seemed to like it, but… “THAT IS TOO LONG. I’M USED TO JUST ONE SYLLABLE. WHAT IF WE SHORTENED IT TO RAZZ?”

Blue’s face lit up. “that sounds perfect! it’s got a nice ring to it and it matches your magic colour. plus, it’s such a luxury item. raspberries were super rare back home, and they were always expensive. that’s perfect for someone as majestic as you!”

“THE MAGNIFICENT RAZZ,” his soulmate said, “I LIKE IT… THANK YOU, BLUE. YOU SOLVED A PROBLEM I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW I HAD BEFORE IT GOT TOO BIG TO DEAL WITH. FOR THAT, I AM GRATEFUL.”

Blue beamed at him. He knew he could do it. “of course, razz. now, let’s get some actual sleep before we tell everyone in the morning.”

=====

Razz couldn’t be nervous. He was a magnificent skeleton, truly smart, brave, and loyal. So there was no way that he was nervous about this. He was only going to talk to his brother! That wasn’t scary at all! RIght?

Blue sensed his internal conflict and stopped moving. Razz bumped into the back of him. He glared at Blue when the other turned to face him, but his heart wasn’t in it. He just wanted to see Blue’s cheeky smile again. He loved it. It made Blue’s whole face light up with hidden laughter. If there was any expression that Razz wanted to see on his face, it was that smile.

“heh. someone’s eager to get this going. what do you think your brother’s going to say?”

Razz straightened. “WELL, OBVIOUSLY HE IS GOING TO BE IMPRESSED WITH THE PERFECTION OF MY NEW NAME! IT IS TRULY MAGNIFICENT AND WORTHY OF SUCH A GREAT MONSTER AS MYSELF!”

The next voice that spoke wasn’t one he expected. “what kind of perfection? physical? auditory? emotional?”

Razz spun around. Coming down the stairs behind him with a very familiar grin on his skull was his brother, Papyrus. He looked unnaturally tense for someone who was usually so relaxed. Seeing his brother like that made Razz’s own defences rise. He swallowed his nerves and said, “HAVEN’T I TOLD YOU NOT TO SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT?”

Papyrus smiled cheekily at him. Razz couldn’t help but compare it to Blue’s smile. They were similar, yet oh so different. Blue’s smile had a softer edge to it, and his eyes looked so mischievous, like a little kid pulling a prank on an adult. Papyrus’ smile was harder, sharper, and much more cynical. It was more how Razz pictured a real imp or a demon would look when contemplating doing… something. Exactly what that was, Razz had never really understood.

That smile surrounded Razz on both sides. He ignored it, waiting for his brother’s response. “you never told me not to sneak up on you on the way down the stairs, sa-”

“don’t say it! please!” Blue almost screamed. Papyrus stared at him like he was crazy.

Razz quickly jumped to his soulmate’s defense. “HE’S RIGHT. MY NAME HAS… UNFORTUNATE EFFECTS ON ME, NOW. IT SEEMS TO HAVE BECOME A TRIGGER. BLUE NOTICED, AND HE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF GOING BY A DIFFERENT NAME. I’VE SETTLED ON RAZZ, AS IN RASPBERRY. WHAT DO YOU THINK?”

The second smallest skeleton in the Underground wasn’t even aware how scared he was until Papyrus shrugged. Then a trainload of relief got dumped on his head. “sounds cool to me, bro. the name’s about razz good razz it gets.”

Razz glared at his brother. Really, puns? at a time like this?

Papyrus chuckled. “heh, yeah. no, but seriously, i don’t see a problem with it, s- razz. i know it’ll take a while to get everyone on board… say. how would you feel if i changed my name, too? then you could say you changed your name when i did and not have to tell people why. i don’t want anyone to deliberately try and trigger you because they’re an asshole.”

Surprise, respect, and pleasure came flooding down the bond Razz shared with Blue. He could feel it matched in his own face. “THANK YOU, BROTHER. THAT… WOULD BE APPRECIATED. WHAT DO YOU PLAN ON CALLING YOURSELF?”

Blue cleared his throat. “you could call yourself breaks. you know, like-”

He stopped when Papyrus burst into laughter. He doubled over with his arms wrapped around his lanky torso. Eventually he ended up sitting on the stairs. When he caught his breath, he said, “like what i wanted to name you? thanks, but no. i think i’ll go for my old nickname. muffler used to call me slim, cause i got so tall way faster than i got wide. hell, i’m still a beansprout. i already answer to it, so why not go with that?”

“It’s true,” Razz spun again to see Muffet, who was standing in the front door. “He’s always been the tall and thin type. Razz and Slim both have nice rings to them. I’ll send out a message so as few people have to be directly told as possible.”

Another boatload of relief filled Razz’s soul. He had not been looking forward to facing this same conversation hundreds of times over. It felt nice to know he wouldn’t have to. “THANK YOU, MUFFET. THAT MEANS A LOT.”

Her face softened. “You’re welcome, Razz. Now, I need to steal your new soulmate. You can come if you want, too. We’re going to dismantle those awful dresses of the Queen’s and make something new out of them. Maybe a wall quilt? Anything is better than rotting away and never being worn.”

=====

This time Slim was much closer when his phone’s alarm went off. He was actually sitting at his sentry station. The alarm was connected to the cameras he had placed along the path into Snowdin, so that meant something had triggered them. He pulled up the app he had built and stared at the image it had captured. A thrill shot through him as he realized what it was. It was a human.

Slim jumped up and ran towards the Ruins door. He didn’t get far. The human had made it further this time. She was shorter than the last one, with paler skin and golden hair. She was wearing a very pretty blue dress that was stained with mud. It looked like something a princess might wear., with ruffles, puffy sleeves, and a long train. The bottom was ripped enough that Slim could see her shoes - or, rather, her lack thereof. Muddy feet with a few bleeding cuts peeked out. When she saw him she stopped and waved. “Hello, monster! My name is Patience. What is yours?”

Slim stopped moving, a little bit shocked at the friendliness. “i’m, uh, papy- no. i’m slim now. slim.”

Patience tilted her head curiously. “Did you just change your name, Slim?”

Slim nodded slowly. He might as well tell her. It was good practice for talking with everyone else. “i did. my brother… had some really bad things happen to him, and his name turned out to be a trigger for the bad memories, so he changed his name to razz. i decided to change my name to make him feel like he wasn’t alone. that was this morning.”

The human smiled at him. “It’ll get better, I promise. I used to have a different name that hurt to hear, but the nice monster behind the door said I could change it. Now my name is Patience! He helped me get used to it, and now I am!”

Slim gulped. So she did know the monster behind the door. “if… if you were happy living with him, why’d you come out here? you’re… not going to last for very long.”

“I know,” Patience said with a smile. Seriously. A smile. What was with this kid? “That’s why I’m here. I didn’t know about you monsters, but the man behind the door told me how long you’ve been down here. You’ve been waiting patiently for so long to be free, and… I have no one waiting for me up there. I might as well help you achieve your goal, right?”

Slim summoned his weapon, sadness in his heart. Patience seemed like a cool kid. He wished he could get to know them more, but… he didn’t want to make Razz wait. “well… i guess i just have to say thanks, then, patience.”

Patience knelt down on the snowy ground with her hands in her lap. “You’re welcome, Slim. I hope you and your brother really get to enjoy seeing the stars.”

#rottenjoke #sanscest #swapfell sans #swapfell papyrus #sans #muffet #swapfell #broken things shine brighter #yastaghr

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just-another-obsessed-fangirl · 5 years ago

Text

Lover (2019) Sentence Prompts

feel free to change pronouns and other specific details

How many days did I spend thinking ‘bout how you did me wrong?

Lived in the shade you were throwing ‘til all of my sunshine was gone

I couldn’t get away from you

In my feelings more than Drake

Your name on my lips, tongue-tied

Free rent, living in my mind

But then something happened one magical night

I forgot that you existed

I thought that it would kill me, but it didn’t

It isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference

Got out some popcorn as soon as my rep started going down

Laughed on the schoolyard as soon as I tripped up and hit the ground

I would’ve stuck around for you, would’ve fought the whole town

Would’ve been right there, front row, even if nobody came to your show

But you showed who you are

Sent me a clear message

Taught me some hard lessons, I just forget what they were

Fever dream high in the quiet of the night

Bad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price

You know that I bought it

I’m always waiting for you to be waiting below

Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes

What doesn’t kill me makes me want you more

It’s new, the shape of your body

It’s blue, the feeling I’ve got

It’s a cruel summer

It’s cool, that’s what I tell ‘em

No rules in breakable heaven

Hang your head low in the glow of the vending machine

We say that we’ll just screw it up in these trying times

We’re not trying

Cut the headlights

Summer’s a knife

I’m always waiting for you just to cut to the bone

If I bleed, you’ll be the last to know

I’m drunk in the back of the car

I cried like a baby coming home from the bar

Said, “I’m fine,” but it wasn’t true

I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you

I snuck in through the garden gate every night that summer

Just to seal my fate

I love you, ain’t that the worst thing you ever heard?

He looks up grinning like a devil

We could leave the Christmas lights up ‘til January

This is our place, we make the rules

There’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear

Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years?

Can I go where you go?

Can we always be this close?

Take me out and take me home

You’re my lover

We could let our friends crash in the living room

I’m highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you

I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, but I want ‘em all

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?

With every guitar string scar on my hand

I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover

My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue

All’s well that ends well to end up with you

Swear to be overdramatic and true

You’ll save all your dirtiest jokes for me

At every table, I’ll save you a seat

I would be complex

I would be cool

They’d say I played the field before I found someone to commit to

That would be okay for me to do

Every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you

I’d be a fearless leader, I’d be an alpha type

When everyone believes you, what’s that like?

I’m so sick of running as fast as I can

I’d get there quicker if I was a man

I’m so sick of them coming at me again

If I was a man

I’d be the man

I hustled, put in the work

Shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve

And they would toast to me

What’s it like to brag about raking in dollars and getting bitches and models?

It’s all good if you’re bad and it’s okay if you’re mad

I’d be a bitch, not a baller

They paint me out to be bad

It’s okay that I’m mad

I’m ready for combat

I don’t want that, but what if I do?

Cruelty wins in the movies

I’ve got a hundred thrown out speeches I almost said to you

I jump from the train, I ride off alone

I never grew up, it’s getting so old

Help me hold on to you

I’ve been the archer, I’ve been the prey

Who could ever leave me, darling, but who could stay?

I search for your dark side

What if I’m alright right here?

I cut off my nose just to spite my face

I hate my reflection for years and years

I pace like a ghost

The room is on fire, invisible smoke

All of my heroes die all alone

They see right through me

Can you see right through me?

I see right through me

All the king’s horses, all the king’s men, couldn’t put me together again

All of my enemies started out friends

His footprints on the sidewalk lead to where I can’t stop

His hands around a cold glass make me wanna know that body like it’s mine

He got that boyish look that I like in a man

I am an architect, I’m drawing up the plans

It’s like I’m seventeen, nobody understands

He got my heartbeat skipping down 16th Avenue

Wanna see what’s under that attitude

I want you, bless my soul

I ain’t gotta tell him, I think he knows

I’ll make myself at home and he’ll want me to stay

He’d better lock it down or I won’t stick around

Good ones never wait

He’s so obsessed with me and, boy, I understand

Lyrical smile, indigo eyes, hand on my thigh

We could follow the sparks

I’ll drive

Where we gonna go?

You know I adore you

I’m crazier for you than I was at sixteen

I’m lost in the lights

Ripped up my prom dress

Running through rose thorns

I saw the scoreboard and ran for my life

No cameras catch my pageant smile

I counted days, I counted miles

It’s you and me, that’s my whole world

They whisper in the hallway, “She’s a bad, bad girl”

The whole school is rolling fake dice

You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes

We’re so sad, we paint the town blue

Voted most likely to run away with you

My team is losing, battered and bruising

I see the high fives between the bad guys

You are the only one who seems to care

The damsels are depressed

Boys will be boys, then where are the wise me?

Darling, I’m scared

No cameras catch my muffled cries

I don’t really wanna fight, ‘cause nobody’s gonna win

I think you should come home

I’ll never let you go, ‘cause I know this is a fight that someday we’re gonna win

She’s a bad, bad girl

High, like your friends were the night that we first met

Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet

I’ve read all of the books beside your bed

Cold, like the shoulder that I gave you in the street

Cat and mouse for a month or two or three

Now I wake up in the night and watch you breathe

Kiss me once ‘cause you know I had a long night

Kiss me twice ‘cause it’s gonna be alright

Three times ‘cause I waited my whole life

I like shiny things, but I’d marry you with paper rings

I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this

You’re the one I want in paper rings, in picture frames, in dirty dreams

In the icy outdoor pool, when you jumped in first, I went in too

I’m with you even if it makes blue

Takes me back to the color that we painted your brother’s wall

Without all the exes, fights, and flaws

We wouldn’t be standing here so tall

I want to drive away with you

I want your complications too

I want your dreary Mondays

Wrap your arms around me, baby boy

Drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar

I rent a place on Cornelia Street

We were a fresh page on the desk, filling in the blanks as we go

As if the street lights pointed in an arrow head leading us home

I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends

I’d never walk Cornelia Street again

That’s the kinda heartbreak time could never mend

I get mystified by how this city screams your name

I’m so terrified of it you ever walk away

Jacket ‘round my shoulders is yours

Memorize the creaks in the floor

Back when we were card sharks

I thought you were leading me on

I packed my bags, left Cornelia Street, before you even knew I was gone

You called, showed your hand

I turned around before I hit the tunnel

Sat on the roof, you and I

You hold my hand on the street

Walk me back to that apartment years ago

We were just inside barefoot in the kitchen

Sacred new beginnings that became my religion

Saying goodbye is death by a thousand cuts

Flashbacks waking me up

I get drunk but it’s not enough

The morning comes and you’re not my baby

I look through the windows of this love even though we boarded them up

Chandelier’s still flickering here

I can’t pretend it’s okay when it’s not

I dress to kill my time

I take the long way home

I ask the traffic lights if it’ll be alright, they say, “I don’t know”

What once was ours is no one’s now

The only thing we share is this small town

It was a great love, one for the ages

If the story’s over, why am I still writing pages?

My heart, my hips, my body, my love

Tryna find a part of me that you didn’t touch

Gave up on me like I was a bad drug

Now I’m searching for signs in a haunted club

Our songs, our films, united we stand

Our country, guess it was a lawless land

Quiet my fears with a touch of your hand

Paper cut stings from out paper-thin plans

My time, my wine, my spirit, my trust

Tryna find a part of me you didn’t take up

Gave you so much, but it wasn’t enough

But I’ll be alright, it’s just a thousand cuts

I love my hometown as much as Motown

Something happened, I heard him laughing

I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent

They say home is where the heart is, but that’s not where mine lives

You know I love a London boy

He likes my American smile

Like a child when our eyes meet

Darling, I fancy you

I guess all the rumors are true

Boy, I fancy you

Now I love high tea

You can find me in the pub

We are watching rugby with his school friends

Show me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride

Babes, don’t threaten me with a good time

God, I love the English

Doesn’t have to be Louis V up on Bond Street

Stick with me, I’m your queen

The buttons of my coat were tangled in my hair

I didn’t tell you I was scared

That was the first time we were there

Holy orange bottles, each night I pray to you

Desperate people find faith

Now I pray to Jesus too

Soon you’ll get better

You’ll get better soon ‘cause you have to

I know delusion when I see it in the mirror

You like the nicer nurses

You make the best of a bad deal

I just pretend it isn’t real

I’ll paint the kitchen neon

I’ll brighten up the sky

I know I’ll never get it, there’s not a day that I won’t try

I hate to make this all about me, but who am I supposed to talk to?

What am I supposed to do if there’s no you?

This won’t go back to normal, if it ever was

It’s been years of hoping

I keep saying it because I have to

You’ll get better

We were crazy to think that this could work

Remember how I said I’d die for you?

We were stupid to jump in the ocean separating us

Remember how I’d fly to you?

I can’t talk to you when you’re like this

Staring out the window like I’m not your favorite town

I’m New York City

I still do it for you, babe

They all warned us about times like this

The road gets hard and you get lost when you’re led by blind faith

We might just get away with it

Religion’s in your lips

Even if it’s a false god, we’d still worship

The altar is my hips

We’d still worship this love

I know heaven’s a thing, I go there when you touch me, honey

Hell is when I fight with you

We can patch it up good

Make confessions and we’re begging for forgiveness

Got the wine for you

You can’t talk to me when I’m like this

Daring you to leave me just so I can try and scare you

You’re the West Village

You still do it for me, babe

You are somebody that I don’t know

Taking shots at me like it’s Patrón

Damn, it’s 7 AM

Say it in the street, that’s a knock-out

Say it in a Tweet, that’s a cop-out

I ain’t tryna mess with your self-expression

I’ve learned a lesson that stressing and obsessing ‘bout somebody else is no fun

Snakes and stones never broke my bones

You need to calm down

You’re being too loud

Can you just not step on my gown?

You’re coming at my friends like a missile

Why are you mad when you could be glad?

Sunshine on the street at the parade

You would rather be in the dark ages

Making that sign must’ve taken all night

You just need to take several seats

Try to restore the peace

Control your urges to scream about all the people you hate

Shade never made anybody less gay

We see you over there on the internet

Comparing all the girls who are killing it

We figured you out

We all know now we all got crowns

I blew things out of proportion, now you’re blue

Put you in jail for something you didn’t do

I pinned your hands behind your back

Thought I had reason to attack, but no

Fighting with a true love is boxing with no gloves

Chemistry ‘til it blows up, ‘til there’s no us

Why’d I have to break what I love so much?

It’s on your face and I’m to blame

It’s all me in my head

I’m the one who burned us down

It’s not what I meant

Sorry that I hurt you

I don’t wanna do this to you

I don’t wanna lose this with you

It’s all me, just don’t go

Meet me in the afterglow

It’s so excruciating to see you low

Just wanna lift you up and not let you go

This ultraviolet morning light below tells me this love is worth the fight

I lived like an island, punished you with silence

Went off like sirens

Tell me that you’re still mine

Tell me that we’ll be just fine even when I lose my mind

Tell me that it’s not my fault

Tell me that I’m all you want even when I break my heart

I promise that you’ll never find another like me

I know that I’m a handful

I know I never think before I jump

You’re the kind of guy the ladies want

There’s a lot of cool chicks out there

I know that I went psycho on the phone

I never leave well enough alone

Trouble’s gonna follow where I go

One of these things is not like the others

When it comes to a lover

I’m the only one of me

Baby, that’s the fun of me

You’re the only one of you

Baby, that’s the fun of you

I promise that nobody’s gonna love you like me

I know I tend to make it about me

I know you never get just what you see

I will never bore you, baby

There’s a lot of lame guys out there

We had that fight out in the rain

You ran after me and called my name

I never wanna see you walk away

Living in winter, I am your summer

Hey kids, spelling is fun!

There ain’t no I in “team”, but you know there is a “me”

You can’t spell “awesome” without “me”

School bell rings, walk me home

Sidewalk chalk covered in snow

Lost my gloves, you give me one

“Wanna hang out?” Yeah, sounds like fun

Video games, you pass me a note, sleeping in tents

It’s nice to have a friend

Light pink sky, up on the roof

Sun sinks down, no curfew

20 questions, we tell the truth

You’ve been stressed out lately, yeah, me too

Something gave you the nerve to touch my hand

Church bells ring, carry me home

Rice on the ground looks like snow

Call my bluff, call you “Babe”

Have my back every day

Stay in bed the whole weekend

My love was as cruel as the cities I lived in

Everyone looked worse in the light

There are so many lines that I’ve crossed unforgiven

I’ll tell you the truth, but never goodbye

I don’t wanna look at anything else now that I saw you

I don’t wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you

I’ve been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night

Now I see daylight

Luck of the draw only draws the unlucky

I became the butt of the joke

I wounded the good and I trusted the wicked

Clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke

Maybe you ran with the wolves and refused to settle down

Maybe I’ve stormed out of every single room in this town

Threw out our cloaks and our daggers

Because it’s morning now

It’s brighter now

I can still see it all in my mind

All of you, all of me, intertwined

I once believed love would be black and white (but it’s golden)

I can still see it all in my head

Back and forth from New York, sneaking in your bed

I once believed love would be burning red

It’s golden like daylight

You gotta step into the daylight and let it go

I wanna be defined by the things that I love

Not the things I hate

Not the things I’m afraid of

The things that haunt me in the middle of the might

You are what you love

#rp meme #rp sentence starters #sentence structure #rp prompts #lover #taylor swift #ts #my posts

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side-effect-of-the-meds · 5 years ago

Note

Can you write Erin with OCD (like intrusive thoughts, obsessive fears, compulsions)? and her and Matt (since you said they’re friends) having a convo about it? (Matt forces the conversation ofc lol)

And here it is!!!!!!!!!! Disclaimer time: I’ve had like three people read this. The first one didn’t talk to me for a few days after it and kind of retreated into herself bc it hit too close to home for her. The second couldn’t make it past the first few paragraphs bc it was too painful for him. The last was shook bc he knew I wrote to escape some of my own pain. As desensitized as our fandom is to the phrase “I’m fine”, I really am fine. I’ve gotten a lot better than I used to be and am well on my own road to recovery so don’t worry.

Trigger warnings: extreme descriptions of blood + self harm, violent thoughts, suicidal thoughts, generally heavy themes including vague allusions to homophobia and rape and body-shaming, substance abuse, pain and angst beyond compare. If you survive all that, you can see Matt taking care of Erin at the end.

Blood runs in rivers down Erin’s forearms, thick and hot pouring slowly but steadily from the freshly parted flesh. Glass bottles are lined up on the counter, waiting for their turn. Every person has their coping mechanisms. Kevin’s was drinking and Erin’s was cutting. It was the worst symbiotic relationship in the world. Every time Kevin finished a bottle, Erin had a new one to slit her wrists with.

A shaky breath left Erin’s lips as she leaned heavily on the sink. Pressing her forehead to the cool marble counter, a savage smile tinged her lips. It hurt. The stinging of her cuts sliced through the emptiness that has consumed her for so long. More, she thought. I want more.

Pain was the easiest thing for Erin to feel. Most days it was the only thing she could feel. Day in and day out, Erin found her drugged haze parted by bouts of immense anguish. Laying alone in her bed, she found herself assaulted by memories of lecherous old men making her bed frame creak. Seated beside Aaron as he hisses at her in sharp German, she can practically feel the savage yank of a woman’s hand in her hair. Changing out in the locker room she hears the laughter and banter of the other girls and has to force back memories of girls jeering as they forced her face into another girl’s chest.

Pain was the easiest thing for Erin to feel. Most days it was the only thing she felt but emotional pain wasn’t something she knew how to deal with. It wasn’t until Drake that she’d found this sinful pleasure. Just like Kevin, Drake drank like his life depended on it. Collecting the empty beer cans littered around her room, she carted them to the bathroom. Ripping one open, she rolled her sleeves up and brought the jagged edge to her skin. Screwing her eyes shut, she ran it against her skin, forcefully down the length of her forearm. The first time was the worst. The first time was the best. Pain and pleasure flooded her systems. Her eyes blew wide at the ecstasy rushing to her head. She hissed a breath through her teeth. It hurt so, so fucking good.

From there, Erin only got worse. Kitchen knives danced across her skin. Lighter flames burned away the lingering weight of Drake’s rough hands on her hips. Walking home from school one day, Erin passed a trash can brimming with broken bottles. Her heart pounded in her chest as a smile split her face. With every step she took, she could feel the euphoric rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Her veins soon to be split open. Maybe one day Drake would find her bleeding out.

“Tell me what you’ll do then, brother dear?” she cooed to herself. Sucking in a shaky breath she tossed the trash can lid away. Sunlight glinted off the jagged bottles. Erin plunged both her arms into the bin. A groan tore from her throat. For a few blissful seconds Erin was alone, swaddled in the blinding pain of glass parting the delicate skin on her arms to reveal the red sea. Pain and pleasure wound themselves together until Erin could no longer discern where one started and the other stopped.

Neither her departure from the Spear’s nor the love of her cousin and the attempts of her brother to bond with her changed things for her. In fact, they only made it worse. All her life, there’d been a part of Erin hellbent on her survival. It was the part of her that always seemed to get her in the most trouble. Any time someone brushed past her it screamed for her to shove them away. Every time someone smiled at her it urged her to claw it right off their face. These thoughts made sense when it came to Tilda and Luther but Nicky? Aaron? It took every ounce of Erin’s willpower not to throw them down on the floor and close her hands around their throats. Every day as she passed Aaron in the halls at school she stared straight ahead. The very sight of him sent fire coursing through her veins. She feared that one day she’d snap and break his neck in front of everyone.

Her instincts had made sense long ago. Back in California, Erin had always had to watch her back. Far too many innocent touches had gone too far. Far too many sweet smiles had twisted into wicked things that sent shivers racing down her spine. Deep down, she knew that Nicky would never hurt her. He was just a big, dopey puppy that had spent its whole life getting kicked but was too stupid to learn. Aaron was too. He wasn’t quite as stupid as Nicky but Erin never missed the desperation in his eyes as they tracked Tilda moving across the room. She never missed the softening of his frame when Tilda dragged an idle hand through his hair or pressed a kiss to his temple. Aaron and Nicky’s blind loyalty to their parents were their only faults.

That alone didn’t justify the vicious violent thoughts plaguing Erin as she lay awake, staring up at the mattress above her. More than once she’d climbed the ladder to Aaron’s bunk and watched him sleep, her hands hovering around his throat. Unlike Drake, Aaron was far smaller. His muscles had just started gaining some definition as his exy training grew more and more rigorous. Aaron also couldn’t fight if his life depended on it. Often, it did. Erin had had to bail her brother out of more than one scrape in the six months they’d lived together. One night as her fingers brushed up against his throat a single thought cut through her paranoia. Unlike Drake, Aaron was her brother. Her real brother. Alone before the mirror in the bathroom, she traced the planes of her own face, so reminiscent of her brother’s.

Maybe that was why she hated him so much. All her life there had been another little voice chanting alongside the other. Much like Erin and her brother, they were the exact same and yet nothing alike. Where one was hellbent on her survival, the other raged against it. Erin stared deep into the eyes of the girl in the mirror. She blinked and the reflection shifted. Dark circles rimmed blood shot eyes. Chapped lips pressed together into a hard line until they had almost entirely disappeared. A far more sickly frame replaced Erin’s own. Track marks raced up and down the exposed arms.

Lifting her own arm, she saw the reflection mirroring her. Bringing a shard of glass to her skin, the reflection brought a needle to his. Viciously, she tore her arms open with the little sliver of glass. Feeling flooded Erin’s sense for the first time in months and she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. As the feelings began to ebb away, she peeled her eyes open. In the mirror the reflection smiled savagely at her. A needle was embedded neatly into the crook of its arms.

“Aaron, no,” she begged. Tears ran like rivers down her face. Laughter filled her head, echoing through her skull. “Aaron,” she pleaded. She collapsed on the floor, clawing at the cabinets and smearing blood over them. Every person has their coping mechanisms. Erin’s was cutting and Aaron’s was getting high. If Erin wanted to save her brother, she’d have to save herself first.

Erin swept the shards of glass into a dustpan and emptied them into a bag to throw out the next morning. She scrubbed every drop of blood off the counter, cabinets, and floor. Winding bandages around her arm, she made a mental note to invest in more long-sleeved shirts. A lot of Nicky’s clothes were long sleeved. They were perfect for hiding Erin’s scars from her brother and, more importantly, her body from men.

Erin’s body was hers. She wasn’t ashamed of it but she certainly wasn’t proud of it either. Everyone she’d ever met faulted her for not taking pride in her beauty. Every one of them had been told to fuck off. Erin’s body had gotten her into far more trouble than it was worth. Hiding it seemed like the logical thing to do.

Nicky was elated when Erin came to see him of her own volition. When she’d asked for his old clothes, he’d been overjoyed, babbling about how he’d always wanted a younger sibling to hand his clothes down to. His eyes grew wide as if he’d just realized something. From the bright shine of his eyes, Erin knew it couldn’t be anything good. It wasn’t.

“We could go shopping!” Nicky exclaimed. “Oh my god, we could go to the mall and take Aaron-” The scathing look Erin sent him had him cut him off. “Or you could just pick out whatever you want,” he said, softly. Watching Nicky curl into his shoulders, sent a pang through Erin’s chest that she squashed quickly. Skirting around him, she threw open his closet to examine the contents. Up until Nicky’s disastrous attempt at coming out, Luther had been the one picking out his clothes. All of them were incredibly conservative pieces in dark, muted shades. They were exactly what Erin needed. With her scars out of sight, Erin hoped they’d stay out of mind as well. They didn’t.

The self-destructive voice in her head began whispering soft, sweet lies to her. It told her if she did it just one more time everything would be okay. It’ll make you feel so good, it cooed. Don’t you want to feel good? Don’t you want to feel something- anything! Don’t you want to feel again? When that failed, the voice took a darker turn. You aren’t worth shit. You think you’re something great now that you’re Erin Minyard? Wrong. You’ll never be a Minyard. All you’ll ever be is Erin Doe, a little slut from San Jose. You’re not even a good whore either. Who’s going to want a girl covered in scars? No one was ever going to love you. At least you could have sold you’re body but now? There isn’t a soul on the face of the Earth that would touch you with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole much less pay to do so. There’s no point. Just do it. Just slit those little wrists and let yourself bleed out. Maybe it’ll earn Aaron a sympathy vote and he’ll get into college with it. Maybe you’ll finally be of some use. It wasn’t until Aaron had gone sober that the voices got too much for Erin to bear. The timing couldn’t have been better.

All the pieces of Erin’s plan had fallen into place. Buckling her seatbelt, she sat beside her mother as they sped down the highway. Do it. Kill her. Kill yourself, the voice chanted. Steeling her nerves, Erin reached across her mother and yanked the wheel as hard as she could. Tires screeched. Tilda screamed. Erin’s pulse pounded in her ears. Adrenaline flooded her system. She felt the savage curve of her smile and leaned back into her seat, basking in the familiar high that preceded the pain as the car careened towards the barrier. Glass shattered and flew, embedding itself in Erin’s skin. A gasp escaped her lips. It felt so, so fucking good. Bathed in blood with her brain swimming in ecstasy, Erin barely registered the arrival of the paramedics. Her time at the hospital passed in a foggy haze on account of the pain meds. The only thing she remembered with any clarity was Aaron’s sobs. She was certain everyone in the hospital could hear his drunken wailing but the hospital staff had long ago given up trying to quiet him. Keeping him out entirely hadn’t worked either. He’d scaled the drain pipe and broken into Erin’s room. A small part of her was impressed by his tenacity. The rest was angered by his stupidity. What would have happened if he had fallen? He’d have died, is what.

The hospital couldn’t have his death on their hands so they simply moved Erin to a secluded ward so her brother wouldn’t bother the rest of the patients. Everyday after school, Aaron came to the hospital and did his homework on the floor beside Erin’s bed. Whenever he thought she was asleep, he’d crawl into her tiny hospital bed and wrap his arms around her, crying into the crook of her neck. The first time it happened, every one of Erin’s survival instincts kicked in. For once, all the voices in her head agreed. They screamed for her to throw him off of her and shatter his skull on the too white walls of the hospital. Aaron’s voice cut through her drugged haze, silencing all of them.

“Don’t go, Erin. Please, don’t go,” he had whispered, smoothing her hair down. “Don’t leave me here alone.” He isn’t like the others, Erin thought. Learning to love Aaron wasn’t going to be easy and Erin knew it. Baby steps, she told herself. Pain coursed through her body as she lifted her arm, winding it around her brother’s shoulders. Threading her fingers through his hair, she lay her head atop his and waited for him to cry himself to sleep.

Once Erin was discharged, Aaron retreated back into his shell and Erin’s heart sank. Communication wasn’t Erin’s forte. As if seemed, it wasn’t her brother’s either. She wanted things to work between the two of them. She really did but if Aaron wouldn’t talk to her, they weren’t going to get through this. Despite Nicky’s relentless effort, the twins’ relationship deteriorated exponentially. Not a single word passed between the two of them. Not unless Aaron was drunk anyway. That Aaron didn’t count. People always said stupid things when they were intoxicated. Knowing that only made everything so much worse. After tucking her brother back into his own bed, Erin would retreat to the bathroom. Locked away all alone, Erin fell back to old habits. It was Erin’s only indulgence, her only reward for all she did to protect her family.

It was a habit she kept up until she met him. Matt. Mother. Fucking. Boyd. At six feet, seven inches, he towered over Erin. She didn’t even reach his shoulders. Appearance aside, Matt wasn’t like anyone Erin had ever met before. He was quiet and kind and awkward and incredibly genuine. She hated him immediately.

As wary as she was off the lanky bastard, she couldn’t help but wonder what secrets lurked beneath his own sleeves. She’d seen him take his shirt off to wipe the sweat off his body, only to reveal armbands stretched from mid-bicep to mid-forearm. None of the upperclassmen ever questioned him about it. Erin had a hunch it was because they knew something she didn’t. Swallowing her pride, Erin sought out Renee for some answers. Of all the upperclassmen, Erin liked Renee best. She couldn’t quite place why, though. It definitely had nothing to do with the delicate beauty that threaded through her solid frame or the fact that Erin had once seen Renee crush a watermelon with her thighs. Nope. Not at all.

Whatever the reason, Erin decided it didn’t matter so long as she got the answers she needed. Cornering Renee in the locker room, Erin sorted through her drugged haze. No matter the answer, Erin knew she needed her full attention for it. A somber look overtook Renee’s features as she told Erin what she knew of Matt’s tale. Erin felt her heart clench. She told herself it was just a side effect of the drugs but she couldn’t quite shake it. Some small part of her wondered what would have happened to Aaron if she hadn’t forced him through withdrawal. Would he have ended up the same shy and fearful creature as Matt? There was nothing wrong with being quiet. Erin herself hardly ever spoke while off her meds, but something about Matt’s reservedness wasn’t quite right. There was so much light and life just waiting to burst out of him but something was holding him back. Erin theorized that it may have been growing fear of falling back into old patterns. Unlike Erin, Matt had managed to keep his urges chained down. But at what cost?

Matt rarely ventured far from Dan, Allison, and Renee. There was nothing wrong with maintaining a close circle but Matt’s dire longing for friends was bright as day. Erin would never knock her own bad habits and she knew why. No one had ever cared for her. No one had ever been there to help her and no one ever would. Matt’s father was a dick and his mother was at wit’s end.

Erin groaned and let her head fall onto her desk. She picked it and let it drop again and again as if the action could physically dislodge the thoughts from her brain. Eventually, she gave up and dug her phone out of her pocket, along with a slip of paper Renee has given her. Erin dialed the number on it. Matt’s mother picked up on the second ring. Her voice was bright and cheery, exactly as Erin hoped Matt’s would be if he survived what she had planned for him.

Convincing her of Erin’s plan was unsettlingly easy. She had severely underestimated his mother’s desperation. Regardless, she invited Matt to Eden’s with his mother’s blessing. Leaving Aaron at Fox Tower, Erin pulled out all the stops for Matt’s party. Cracker dust, pills, and a wide selection of syringes were laid out for him like a feast fit for a king. Erin, Nicky, and Kevin watched as Matt trashed himself. About an hour later, they found him dangerously close to meeting his maker on the floor of the men’s bathroom. Squatting down beside him, Erin gave him a sharp smile.

“Oh, Matthew,” she said, shaking her head. “If only your mother could see you now. What would she say if she saw you like this?” Erin watched as Matt’s eyes grew impossibly wider.

“Mom,” he croaked. Tears rushed down his face.

“Guess you’ll just have to hope you’ll see her again in the next life. Good luck with that,” Erin said as she straightened. She left Matt alone in a pool of his own vomit to mull over her words. The Monsters crashed at Eden’s for the night so that they wouldn’t have to move Matt or leave him behind. A massive weight dropped off her chest when she saw Matt hobbling around the next morning. Matt spent the next few months keeping his distance from Erin and The Monsters. It wasn’t until he found Erin shadowboxing alongside a video of his mother that the rift between the two of them began to heal.

“You’re putting too much weight on your front foot,” he said as he stood at the base of the basement stairs. Erin whirled around, knife out. Matt raised his hands in surrender, a quiet calm had settled over him, a bored look in his eyes. It wasn’t the Matt that Erin had come to know these last few months. This Matt was something else. Something monstrous. He stared emptily at her until she lowered the knife. A small, sharp smile tugged at the edge of his lips. He knew he’d won. Dropping his hands, he strode past Erin to her laptop. He rewound the video until he found whatever it was he was looking for. “Here it is,” he said as he turned the laptop for her to see. “You’re balance is off and it’s skewing the rest of your footwork.” Erin turned a steely gaze at him. He set the laptop back on the table Erin had found. “Watch.” He stood beside her, leaving a healthy space between the two of them. He took up a fighting stance and waited for Erin to copy it. He threw a punch at the empty air in front of him. Erin mimicked it and he shook his head. “You’re throwing your body forward. If you lose your balance, you’re done.” Matt spent the better part of an hour unteaching all of Erin’s misconceptions of fighting. When Erin came down to the basement the next night, she found Matt waiting for her. It soon became apparent to Erin that their post-practice lessons would now be a nightly occurrence. To her surprise, she didn't quite mind it. In fact, she sort of... enjoyed them?

Night after night, Erin channeled her frustrations from the day into punching punching bags across the room. It soon evolved into sparring matches between her and Matt. He was far bigger and far more experienced than she was but that only made her small victories all that more satisfying. Above all else, Erin found herself inexplicably drawn to this Matt. It wasn’t a mask he pulled out just for her. No, it was like looking through a diamond in which each image was just slightly distorted and none in the same way. This Matt was rough and mean and he fought dirty. He was just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing. At the end of each night, that Matt slipped away. In his place was the one everyone else knew. It took Erin a while but, gradually, she started to grow fond of that Matt too. Sitting side by side, she watched him ramble on and on about Dan.

“She’s just so amazing, ya know?” he said, starry-eyed.

“She’s pretty badass,” Erin admitted softly.

“Hey, mind if I ask you something?” Matt asked, snapping his gaze back to Erin.

“You just did.” Matt returned her empty stare with a wry smile.

“What exactly is up with you and Kevin?” he asked. Erin let her eyes fall shut and leaned her head back against the wall. Of course he’d ask about that. She really didn’t want to talk about Kevin that night. Just a few hours ago, he’d been getting on her about her diet. He’d accounted her recent weight gain to her sudden increase in ice cream intake. He wasn’t wrong but that didn’t mean he should say it, especially in front of Seth. Erin took more than enough of his shit without Kevin handing over more fuel for his fire.

“He’s not my type,” Erin said finally.

“Oh? Not into snobby rich guys?” he teased.

“I’m not into guys,” Erin replied. She peeled her eyes open to watch her words register across his face. His eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open. Light danced in his eyes as a smile began to curve his lips.

“Does that mean you and Renee-”

“I’m not fucking Renee,” Erin said.

“Not yet you’re not,” Matt said. “We’ll see if I can change that for you.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Erin glared at him.

“No.” End of conversation.

“Why?” Erin sighed, dropping her head into her hands. Why did he have to be like this.

“Because I said so.” It was Matt’s turn to sigh. He finished unwrapping his hands in silence and let the conversation drop. Until late Sunday night.

“Why?” he asked again. Erin already knew what he was talking about but she feigned ignorance. “Erin.” She didn’t answer. “Jude.” She dragged her gaze up to meet his. “Why?

“No one wants a girl covered in scars,” she replied.

“Scars?” She watched his brows knit together. Erin took in a breath to brace herself. Keeping her eyes glued to Matt’s face, she pushed the sleeves of her sweatshirt up to her elbows. She heard the strangled cry escape his throat and watched him clasp a hand over his mouth. Tears flooded his face as he reached a hand out to her arms. He stopped just before he could touch them. “Oh, Erin. What have you done?” he whispered. With her permission, he wrapped his hands around her forearms, swiping his thumbs across the ruined skin. He kept his head bent, studying Erin’s scars. She couldn’t see it but she knew he was still crying because every few seconds, another tear would slip down his face and fall onto her own skin.

“I’m going to bed,” Erin said finally, yanking her arms out of his grasp. As she left the basement, she could feel his eyes on her but she refused to look back. She didn’t think she’d survive seeing the anguish painted across his features again.

Laying in bed that night, Erin stared up at Renee’s bunk. Sleeping in a room with three other women took a serious toll on Erin’s mental stability. Changing in the locker room alongside them was hard enough but to constantly contend with them walking around without bras or pants drove her mad. As such, Erin spent as little time in her dorm as she could get away with. Much of her day was whiled away in class, on the court, or in her brother’s room. Night was the only time she couldn’t find a legitimate excuse to avoid them. It was her lack of hiding places so late at night that resulted in her discovery of the roof access. Slipping silently out of bed, Erin grabbed her pack of cigarettes and her lighter from the nightstand. Making sure she locked the door behind her, she padded down the hall to the stairwell. Erin’s eidetic memory easily recalled which steps squeaked and she hopped easily over them. The cool metal felt nice pressed against her bare feet. Not as good as what she had planned for herself. At the top of the stairs, she spent a moment jimmying the lock open before stepping into the cool fall air. Venturing towards the unguarded edge, Erin felt the adrenaline rushing through her. Seated at the edge, her breath caught in her lungs every time she peered down. It hurt. Not quite the same as cutting did but it did the job just as well.

Lighting a cigarette, she took a drag from it. She sang softly to herself, a trick she’d learned to calm herself when she was five. The combination of her own voice and the nicotine soothed her fraying nerves. All her hard work crumbled to nothing as she stood up, glimpsing the fall.

“Fuck,” she muttered. Turning her back on the dizzying drop, she trudged back to the door, singing to herself once more. Her body craved release. She stubbed her cigarette out on one of her arms, hissing at the pain. Discarding the butt, she pulled her lighter out of the other pocket and set to work on the other. Once she’d satisfied her urges, she trailed back down to her room. This time, when her head hit the pillow, sleep dragged her under.

The next morning, Matt refused to look her in the eye. Instead, he settled down in the bleachers away from the others and waved Erin towards Renee. As she ran laps with Renee, Erin couldn’t help glancing over at Matt in his lonely seat halfway up the bleachers. She wondered if they still had their late-night sparring session. God, she needed that sparring session. Kevin’s anxiety had been slowly but surely infecting her. If she couldn’t get rid of all the stress that had built up before she had to drive him out to another midnight practice, she might just kill him herself.

Fortunately, Matt was waiting for her in the basement that night. However, his usual smile was gone. Instead, his lips were pressed into a hard line. “We need to talk,” he said.

“Sounds like my cue to leave,” Erin said as she turned back towards the stairs.

“Erin, please,” he called.

“I don’t like that word,” Erin could feel the sharp edge to her words.

“Come here, Erin.” Erin let her shoulders sag as she turned to face Matt again. He beckoned her forward and she went. He took a seat on the floor. Erin sat down on the table.

“What did you use?” he asked.

“Knives. Glass. Lighters,” she replied. She kept her face as blank and her voice as disinterested as she could but it couldn’t stop the roiling of her stomach. Abby and Bee were the only people who ever asked her about her scars. Of course they did. It was their job. It wasn’t Matt’s, though. Why did he care what she did to herself?

“How long?” Matt pressed on.

“Since, I was thirteen so… going on six years?”

“Why? What does it do for you?” Erin stared at the floor. The weight of Matt’s gaze forced the answer out of her.

“Sometimes, I want to hurt people. I have these thoughts that happen at the worst of times. Last week, I saw a little kid walking her dog and my first thought is to rip it open and smear it’s blood all over her. I don’t know why. I just did. I didn’t want to hurt her. Or the dog. It was so small. So fluffy. Neither of them had even done anything to me. I think I just wanted to see blood. So I thought mine would be enough.”

“Was it?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“And what does your family have to say? What did Nicky and Aaron say?” A beat of silence passed.

“They don’t know,” Erin said.

“What do you mean they don’t know?” Matt exploded. “How the fuck can they not know?”

“Because I didn’t tell them.”

“Why not?” he demanded. Erin could feel facade cracking. Her hands curled into fists and she shoved them into her pockets.

“What if-” she stopped. “What if they don’t care?” Her voice trailed off. Angry tears welled in her eyes. Why was she telling him this?

“Erin,” Matt said, his voice cracking.

“Stop it!” she screamed. She slammed her hands over her ears as if they could block out his voice. “I don’t want your pity.” She screwed her eyes shut, trying to will the tears away.

“Does that mean Dan won’t love me?” Erin’s eyes shot open. “If no one wants a person covered in scars, does that mean Dan won’t love me?” Matt asked again. Erin dropped her hands as she watched him tug the armbands off his arms. Track marks raced up into the crook of his elbow. “Aaron’s got track marks, too. Does that mean no one will love him either? I’ve seen Nicky’s scars. He’s covered in them. That hasn’t stopped Erik from loving him. Wymack’s got scars. That’s why he got the tattoos; to cover them. Abby still loves him.”

“I said no one wants a girl covered in scars,” Erin snapped.

“Has that girl from Eden’s seen them? The one that served our drinks, I mean.”

“Ronnie? Yeah. What about her?”

“Well,” Matt said, his cheeks turning a little pink. “I heard her talking to one of the other servers and it kinda sounded like she might want you.” The words knocked the air from Erin’s lungs. Ronnie… wanted her? Ronnie had gone to school with Erin. She’d seen all of Erin’s scars, not just the ones on her arms. She knew where Erin had gotten them and why. But… she still wanted her?

“Oh,” was all Erin could manage.

Reaching a hand out, Matt stopped half an inch from Erin’s cheek. “Let me help,” he whispered. Matt wasn’t like anyone Erin had ever met before. He was kind and awkward and incredibly genuine. It was the reason she had hated him so much.

“I don’t need your help.”

“Never said you did. Erin, you saved my life. Let me save your body.” A tear trickled down Erin’s cheek. A finger brushed it away.

“I hate you,” she hissed at Matt. A soft smile tugged at his lips. He knew he’d won.

“I can live with that.”

In the following weeks, Matt begins devoting a portion of his time with Erin to teaching her coping methods. He teaches her to mix fake blood and sits with her, watching her paint it across her skin. It soothes her cravings and, as it turns out, she’d quite the artist. She paints artful swirls that slowly but surely turn into vines and chains and flowers and birds. Matt is in awe. Some days, he even lets her paint across his back and over his track marks. At some point, he gives up his armbands.

“I’ve already won my war,” he said, sliding the bands up over Erin’s arms. “You have not. Don’t you dare be ashamed of your scars, Erin. One day, you’re going to win your war. When you do, either you're going to give these to someone else or you’ll bring them back to me, alright?”He waited for her to nod, before smiling at her.

“Ronnie doesn’t love me,” Erin said.

“You’ll find someone, man. I promise you will and she’s going to be kind and pretty and she’s going to love you, scars and all.” Matt hesitated for a second. “Not that it’s much conciliation but I love you. No hetero, though.”

A bark of laughter escaped Erin before she could stop it. “No hetero,” she replied, returning his shy smile with a sharp one of her own.

#just a pipe dream #fem!andreil #erin minyard #erin jude minyard #matt boyd #the foxhole court au #the foxes #all for the game au #all for the gay #all for the game #aftg au #aftg hc #aftg #tfc au #tfc hc #tfc #musings of a sad bananna #reveal to me your deepest desires

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theblueskyphoenix · 5 years ago

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Grid Ghost Chapter 7: Damage Control

"Time of death, 6:45 PM. Cause, cardiac arrest."

Shaylin sighed as she looked at the monitors as they read out flatlines. It was painful to look at… even if she knew it was fake.

She looked down at the young man who laid on the OR table. While he looked pale and was still she could still hear his shallow breathing just barely over the blare of the monitors.

It'll be over soon. Just hang in there a little longer.

Shaylin and the doctors brought the sheet over the young man's head.

"I'll… go tell Ms. Amara the news."

Shaylin exited the OR.

Outside, Liv was waiting, the woman sitting on a bench with her arms folded, her assistant sitting next to her, looking at something on a tablet.

Liv stood up as soon as Shaylin came close.

"What's the status of the patient?" she asked.

Shaylin frowned, a grim look in her eyes.

"Tadashi Hamada died of cardiac arrest due to unexpected complications of burn damage and his… unusual condition."

Liv frowned at this.

"I see… Shame. It would've been wonderful to look further into his abilities." She sighed. "I guess pyrokinesis is just not something meant for humans."

"I'm afraid not. The body just can't handle it."

Liv nodded.

"I would like to at least help with the autopsy. I feel I owe it to you since I promised I could help him but… seeing as he's dead, I can't in how I originally intended."

"That won't be necessary." Shaylin's eyes narrowed.

Liv's frown faded as she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Shaylin leaned in, whispering into Liv's ear.

"You have been asked to vacate the premises immediately. We do not welcome people with god complexes like yours at our hospital."

Liv's look turned dark.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm not going to ask again." Shaylin pulled back. "There's nothing of interest here for you. Leave or you will be escorted out by security. That would be such a lovely look for a CEO, wouldn't it?"

Liv scoffed, signalling for her assistant to stand.

"Such an ungrateful hospital. I was only trying to help."

"You only came because it was a unique condition. You didn't care for the boy like I did. He was someone with a life that he wasn't sure he could return to. Now, that's never going to happen."

"And who's to blame for that?" Liv smirked, turning away. "Come along, Chris. We're done with this riff raff of a hospital."

Chris nodded, following after his boss.

Shaylin waited a few long minutes before returning to the OR.

Shaylin approached Tadashi quietly, shaking him gently.

"She's gone."

He opened his eyes, sitting up slowly.

"She is?"

"Yeah. And she's never coming back. You're safe now."

Tadashi sighed in relief, lowering his head.

"Yet… things are still going to be complicated, aren't they? If not more than they were before?"

Shaylin brought her arms around him, stroking his hair.

"They are… but I promise… some how, some way, we'll get you home to your family."

Tadashi buried his face into her shoulder.

"Thank you…"

Shaylin kept him close.

"Anytime, Tadashi."

Anytime.

oooooo

A freak accident… powers that developed because of said freak accident… and can't go home to family due to circumstances related to Liv Amara…

… Sheesh, is it just a hobby of hers to make everyone's life miserable?

Obake frowned as Takashi finished telling his story.

"And so… I took up a new identity, came here to Saga and have been living here ever since… The Phoenix thing didn't come till later. Never thought to do it till something happened that sparked the idea… erm, no pun intended."

"Yeah, which involved running into a fire to save the chief of the fire department." Eboni elbowed Takashi a little. "Way to make and impression AND scare the daylights out of me."

"H-Hey, it all worked out!"

"Yeah, yeah, you're an idiot but you're MY idiot." Eboni smirked. "But yeah, blah blah, hero stuff in between, he and Trina became the epic duo of Saga and I'm just their woman in the chair who keeps their tech up to snuff and make sure they ain't killing themselves."

"I see…" Obake looked to his daughter. "Anything else I should know?"

"That's pretty much it." Trina shrugged. "Not really much to add to me and Takashi meeting. It was all just stuff that fell into place with transferring him to Saga and my mom and I helping in hiding him from Liv since we're not fans either."

"Then where does this Dragoness fit in?" Obake asked.

"She just kind of came out of nowhere." Eboni held up her hands. "And that's all we got. We don't know where she came from and why, we just knew she was obsessed with Takashi's powers. Now though… seems we have a lead on the why." Eboni brought a hand to her face. "It only figures she's in cahoots with that crazy devil woman."

"And now she knows where Takashi is…" Kim lowered her head. "Which means…"

Takashi lowered his head as well.

"Liv will know too, soon…" He brought his hands to his face. "Great… just great…"

Eboni brought a hand to his back.

"Taka…"

Obake frowned at this.

He knew what that was like. He knew all too well. While it wasn't a perfect mirror… everything that was just explained to him about Takashi reminded him all too much of what happened to him.

Obake's hands gripped at his blanket.

I can't let her ruin another life. Not like this.

And especially not this one if this is who I think it is.

Obake looked to everyone in the room.

"May I have a moment alone with Takashi?"

Everyone looked at each other confused but nodded, filing out, leaving the two alone.

Takashi gave Obake a perplexed look as they stared each other down.

Obake was silent for a moment before he spoke.

"Tadashi Hamada. Robotics prodigy. Inventor of the robot, Baymax. Loving and caring older brother to Hiro Hamada. Wanted nothing but the best for his brother, knowing he could be way more than what he was before he enrolled at SFIT. Tragically passed away in an attempt to save a professor who turned out to be the one who caused the fire he died in… or so people thought."

Takashi's eyes were wide at this.

"W-What?"

"I know it's you." Obake's look was firm. "You may have omitted your old name and details but with all you said, it didn't take me long to realize who you actually were with the information I have on you. I know a lot more about you than I should but that aside…" Obake's look turned gentle. "I want to help you in dealing with this problem. I just wanted to get secret reveals out of the way."

Takashi… Tadashi was unsure what to make of what just happened.

"I… What?"

"I want to help you." Obake repeated. "I stated all that I did just as a means of getting the tension of keeping a secret out of the way. If we're going to take care of this issue it's key that we're transparent with each other. A bond of trust, if you will."

Tadashi gave a baffled look.

"Wait, wait, back up. Why do you know so much about me? Do I WANT to know?"

Obake sighed.

"I'll keep it at I was trying to manipulate your brother by any means possible to be my student, even if it meant using you somehow. Didn't work since he's too smart. Can we move on to helping you with your situation, now?"

Tadashi crossed his arms before taking a seat in the chair next to his bed.

"Yeah, though I got questions for later." He replied, before raising an eyebrow. "Got any ideas for dealing with the Dragon Lady?"

"Liv is currently too occupied with things in San Fransokyo right now, which means it'll take some time before Dragoness can get information to her. If we can intercept before she sends her anything, we can prevent Liv from discovering you're here in Saga." Obake smiled. "All we have to do is locate her hideout, capture her and destroy the evidence."

Tadashi hummed in thought.

"That could work, but she's smart. She's not gonna just show up outta nowhere… slippery too. When she's shown up at fires, she manages to get away before I can do anything." He frowned. "It'd have to be a trap basically… and it'd have to be strong bait-" He trailed off. "... No-"

"It may be the only option we have, Tadashi." Obake cut in. "However, I don't intend to throw you to the sharks without a safety net. I may not be able to do much at the moment physically but I have something back in San Fransokyo that could help, I just need someone to fetch it for me so I can make adjustments."

"If I go with Eboni into the city, we could keep under wraps and get it. I'd just need a good idea of what it is." He smiled. "Then we could bring it back here."

"I'll give those details in a moment. The main plan is this: You'll act as the bait, Dragoness will no doubt take you back to her lab, thus, we can use you as a tracker. We'll follow her back and before anything can be done, we'll apprehend her, delete the data and turn her over to the police. Simple as that."

Tadashi was still unsure… but the plan seemed airtight as far as he could tell.

And… I don't want Liv getting her claws on either one of us.

Someone has to help right?

He took a deep breath, before nodding.

"Alright… I'm in." He held up a finger. "But if I wind up dissected, I'm haunting you. Deal?"

"Deal." Obake chuckled. "I shall do my best to ensure that doesn't happen."

"Good… So… What's the thing you need?"

Obake smiled

"A robot."

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wonderlustlucas · 7 years ago

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warmth - wong yukhei

⇢ prompt It’s like a breath of fresh air on the first day of spring, filling you to the brim with new life and you can't get enough. ⇢ pairing yukhei x female reader ⇢ word count 16k ⇢ genre fluff & slight smut ⇢ warnings oh my GOD the fluff in this killed me, resuscitated me, & then hit me with a car. if you squint really hard there is like a teaspoon of smut & implied s e x ⇢ summary Meeting NCT was definitely not something you or your best friend ever imagined would actually happen on your road to stardom, but Wong Yukhei falling for you never once crossed your mind. Lucky for you, a touch of jealousy, fifteen rounds of Fortnite, impromptu snuggling, and a splash of soju is the perfect recipe for falling in love. ⇢ a/n ok FIRST OF ALL since this is my first actual fic im posting i feel like i should warn u all & apologize for my use of italics, im a little obsessed cuz when i go over & read what ive typed i always put emphasis on specific words so ya just roll w that. secondly i tried sosososo hard to include every member but obviously some got more spotlight than others thats just how the cookie crumbled BUT I TRIED. and lastly the beginning to this is a little rough but i swear it gets better trust me on this, warmth is my bby rn & im proud cuz it gets real good as u keep reading. enjoy:)

“Kim Mina and ___ ___, welcome! Take a seat! How are you?”

Yuna’s greeting is welcoming but it barely calms your nerves. Your grip on Mina’s hand is like iron, but you finally have to let go and give your best smile before shimmying onto the high stool. Mina starts the small talk with the two anchors and you can’t help but silently thank her. Lord knows small talk was not your thing.

Meanwhile, you glance around the large room, taking it all in—from the brightness of all the screens to the professional video cameras facing in your direction and all the way to the small crowd of fans cheering outside. How did you end up here?

“So, tell me, what started this amazing journey the two of you have gotten yourselves into?” Seojun, the second anchor, asks with a beaming grin. You look to Mina and she nods to you in approval. Deep breathe. Don’t panic.

“Well, Mina and I have been best friends, if you’d like to put it that simply, since we were freshmen,” the three chuckle at your comment, “we both shared and bonded over our love for BTS, actually, and then Seventeen, NCT, Red Velvet, and so on.”

You pause to lick your lips and take a deep gulp of air.

“We both weren’t very active nor athletic. First, we played volleyball, then lacrosse, and we even tried golf but sports just wasn’t really our thing. So, we eventually settled for a gym membership and spent a lot of time there together, and over time we really got into shape,” you stop again to laugh when Yuna reaches out to poke at Mina’s very prominent bicep muscle.

“And so one-day junior year we were jamming to, uh, I don't know,” you laugh, glancing to Mina. “BBoom BBoom,” she says, “by MOMOLAND.”

You smile to yourself at the fond memory. “Anyway, Mina randomly suggested that we should learn the full choreography and not just random parts. At first, I laughed at her ‘cause I thought there was no way either of us was bright enough to remember the full thing. But she was so serious about it that I eventually just agreed to it to humor her, and we actually learned it by ourselves.”

“It wasn’t as easy as I thought, though,” Mina interrupts, “it took a really, really long time just to get the footwork and so many times I knew ___ wanted to shoot herself for agreeing to do this,” she laughs and the three of you join her. “But once we got it, we recorded it, and we were just amazed. Like, ‘Wow, we did that! That’s us!’ and we showed everyone we knew. The sense of pride motivated us to do it again. So we did Mic Drop by BTS, and when we uploaded it on YouTube it really blew up within our school,” Mina stops and looks at you to continue.

“Our friends and family really started spreading the word about us after the fourth or fifth video we uploaded. In the meantime, a lot of kids thought we were really weird for, you know, putting ourselves out there like that. But it was just so fun to dance that we really didn’t care about both the positive or negative feedback we were getting. After all, we were only seventeen, you know. But things really started getting serious about two months ago when we uploaded Baby Don’t Stop from NCT U and CLAP from Seventeen. Someone big must have stumbled upon our account because a week later we were in the newspaper. Something about ‘arising local stars,’ I think,” you pause when Yuna shuffles through her papers to pull out the exact article you were talking about.

“Yep,” she pauses to flip through the papers, “‘___ ___ and Kim Mina: Small-town Seniors to Stardom,’ wow, so you two really caught someone’s eye,” she comments as Seojun nods in agreement.

“So yeah, that’s basically it. We still plan to graduate high school and all, but right now we’re not sure if we want to go to college at this point. We have a steady income as of right now and hopefully, we can really make this into a career. It’s kind of our passion at this point, not just a hobby,” you finish, fixing the collar of the rather fitting romper you were wearing.

“Wow,” Seojun comments and brings his hands up to clap, “talk about an inspiring story.”

“Hopefully. We tell our followers that even if you may feel really lost in the world right now, you will find something that you’re passionate about, it’ll just take time and probably some stupid idea,” Mina concludes with a beaming smile and an arm around your neck, tugging you in close.

Yuna and Seojun coo in unison at the affectionate act and you can’t help but squeeze Mina back.

“So, we have a few more questions,” Yuna finally says after you pull away from your best friend. You sit up straighter in your seat and nod excitedly.

“This one’s easy. Who is your favorite group?” Seojun asks once he’s done flipping through the pile of note cards in his hands.

“NCT, for the both of us,” Mina replies easily, and you nod in agreement. “And do you have a bias, as I’ve heard you call it, in the group?” Yuna asks and you immediately feel the heat rush to your cheeks. It wasn’t that you’re embarrassed, you just don’t want to talk about it.

So, yeah, maybe you’re embarrassed.

“Uh-oh, ___ is red,” Seojun catches on and you squawk in embarrassment, having to hide your face from the cameras just so those watching wouldn’t be able to see you flush so badly. “Well, my bias is Taeyong,” Mina replies while soothingly patting your arm to get you to look back up.

“Yukhei,” you eventually squeak out after sitting up.

“Which choreography so far has been you’re favorite?” Yuna moves on instead of picking on your red-hot embarrassment anymore and you quietly thank the gods.

“Oh geez, I can’t choose one. CLAP, HIGHLIGHT, Burning Up, DNA, Cherry Bomb, 7th Sense, Baby Don’t Stop, Boss... all favorites. No way we could simplify it to one,” Mina laughs after naming off a few.

“Alright, last question before the surprise,” Yuna says, winking at the camera mischievously, “if you could go back in time, would you have started this journey earlier than you had?”

You glance at Mina and pause to think for a moment. Would you? Mina opens her mouth to say something but closes it again, clearly stumped by the question.

“No,” you speak up, “I think the way we did it worked out in the best way possible. It started as a joke for us, but the music we love turned it into something we’re passionate about. If we started this when we were any younger, we wouldn’t have been as mature and probably wouldn’t have gotten as much attention as we have. We would’ve looked like even more idiots to the public. It all happened for a reason, and I wouldn’t want to change it one bit, you know?” You rant, picking at your nails as you do so. Was that too much? Too little? Hopefully I didn't sound cocky.

“There you have it, folks! Wise words from eighteen-year olds ___ ___ and Kim Mina!” Seojun cheers and Yuna claps. Mina bows and you smile appreciatively. “Don’t leave just yet! After this commercial break, Mina and ___ will be performing live before the show ends! Stay tuned everybody!” Yuna finally announces and you can finally breathe again now that the cameras are off.

“Go on and get changed, kiddos. Don’t wanna miss your own performance,” Seojun smiles. “Thank you. And thank you for having us. This was amazing,” you reply, hopping off the seat and giving him and Yuna firm handshakes before storming backstage with Mina.

“You spoke so well! What the fuck? What happened to little ol’ ___ stuttering and dying when she has to present?” Mina exclaims excitedly, spinning you into a hug in the dressing room. “I don't know! I just—I have no idea! I felt so, so... proud, you know? Look how far we’ve gotten,” You speak hurriedly, peeling everything off your body.

“I know, this is crazy. I feel like I’m gonna shit myself,” Mina replies as you both unclasp each other’s bras to replace them with sports bras. “Me too. I don’t know why I’m so nervous to perform, we could do this choreo asleep, with our eyes closed, and our legs cut off,” you exaggerate, tugging up your ripped black skinny jeans and hopping around to get them up.

“With our legs cut off?” Mina laughs as she pulls up her denim shorts. “But no, I feel you. It’s because it’s live, we usually have the comfort of knowing that we can mess up without anyone knowing,” she explains as you push your arms through the sleeves of the cropped white tank you decided on.

The two of you finish getting dressed, quickly stretch, and hurry back out before you actually are late. “Good luck, don’t mess up,” Mina whispers, fixing your braids and giving your hands a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “Thanks, asshole. You too.”

Baby Don’t Stop starts from the speakers, extremely loud but too quiet and exhilarating but soothing all at the same time. It’s a natural habit now—the way your body moves to Ten’s absolutely panty-dropping voice and Taeyong’s aggressive rapping—arms twisting in ways that used to hurt and legs reaching new angles every second.

But it’s happening all too quickly—you want it to slow down so you can bask in the feeling of doing what you love for everyone to see.

You find yourself singing along like you usually do, and start to worry that it could be heard. What if you sound like a crow, squawking Ten and Taeyong’s beautiful lyrics? Focus. You mentally slap yourself when you lean over a minute and a half in to scratch Mina’s chin and head. So you keep going.

You always dance Ten’s role—it was something you begged Mina when you chose Baby Don’t Stop as the next choreography you two would learn. Mina had no problem with it, considering she wanted to dance her own bias’ moves.

Two minutes in and you were officially breathing heavier after the last few complicated moves you had to do. Then the transition to Cherry Bomb started and you took a couple much needs breathes before continuing.

These last two minutes of Cherry Bomb you performed were always the hardest, especially since it was mainly beats rather than actual singing or rapping. There were so many movements that needed perfecting, so many angles that needed to be reached, and so many changes that had to be done quickly all had your head spinning.

Your legs are burning. God, they hurt. You can feel the sweat dripping across your neck, down your spine, and into the waistline of your jeans like a waterfall. However, you receive an adrenaline rush sent by the heavens after the first time you have to fall back onto the floor only to quickly lean back up and do a few more grueling flips and tumbles.

After your very difficult part on the floor, you finally rejoin Mina for the last forty seconds to begin your descent to an almost-split before jumping back up and finishing the song.

The loud music is cut off and you are left with only you and Mina’s heavy breathing, blood rushing in your ears, and the loud applause coming from the crew, anchors, and friends and family off to the side.

Oh my God. We did it. You quickly turn to Mina and engulf her into the tightest hug of your life, not caring about the slick layer of perspiration between you. “I’m so proud of you,” you mumble into her neck, giving her one last squeeze. “Of us,” she quips as Seojun and Yuna stop next to her.

“Kim Mina and ___ ___, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you all for watching and have a wonderful night!”

You wave tiredly at the camera and give a weak smile, but all you can focus on is how heavy your breathing is and an annoying bead of sweat rolling down into your asscrack. Seojun and Yuna say something about relaxing for a while in the private lounge upstairs and as soon as you hear water and brownies you’re off, racing Mina up the stairs no matter how badly your legs scream at you not to.

“I can’t believe we did that!” Mina screams, spinning around and making a bee-line for the table full of beverages and food. You quickly yank your sweaty tank off your body, crumble it up in a ball, and toss it at her head. “Oh my God, you’re a disgusting, repulsive, ugly, sickening rat,” she hisses, swatting your outreaching hand away.

You chuckle to yourself as you grab a water bottle, pausing for a moment to grimace at the copious amount of sweat in your cleavage before cracking the cap off of the bottle and nearly inhaling the delightfully cold, refreshing liquid.

“You know, maybe we should just forget about this. I’m so tired of the way you treat me,” you start, finishing the bottle before cracking open another one without even glancing her way.

“___,” she starts to interrupt, but you don’t let her. “Like, the amount of disrespect I get is nauseating,” you continue while reaching for a brownie and basically shoving the whole thing in your mouth. “___,” she says again.

“I just don’t understand. I do nothing but love and support you, clean the house, nurse our children,” you pause to chew on a chocolate chip cookie, “pick up the dog’s shit, for crying out loud! And this is what I get back?” You finally end your sarcastic rant, popping pieces of cut fruit into your mouth before breaking into a fit of giggles.

“___!” she shouts this, and you finally look at her, wondering if you’ve somehow offended her. You follow her gaze once you realize she’s not even paying any mind to you or your shenanigans.

And there they are.

All eighteen of them.

Right across the room.

The water bottle doesn’t make it to your mouth this time but instead falls from your grip and onto the floor. You don’t even notice it, considering all eighteen fucking members of NCT are sitting only a few yards away, their mouths slightly agape and a shocked expression mirroring your own.

You don’t know how long it takes for one of you to finally say something. “Am I hallucinating or is NCT in our room?” Mina whispers.

You blink hard. Rub your eyes. Pinch your skin. “No. They’re there.”

And then you sob. You don’t know what happened, but something within you snaps and a choke sounds from your lips and tears swell from your eyes.

“Oh my God, don’t cry,” someone says and seconds later engulfs you in a hug.

They were here. In the same room as you. Had they watched you perform? Were they invited, or did they coincidentally have an interview here as well? You sob into the jacket of whoever is holding you, your knees buckling beneath you as they hold you.

“Why are you crying?” None other than Nakamoto Yuta asks quietly, his hand placed gently on your head rubbing soothing circles.

You finally pull away and wipe underneath your eyes. When you look up at him you nearly choke again. He’s so beautiful. “I—how? I just—where did you? What the fuck?” You cry again and nearly melt into a pathetic puddle when he wipes the tears from your eyes.

“Should we leave?” Yuta laughs, his hands resting on your bare shoulders. “No!” You shout, too loudly. You look down in embarrassment. “Okay, good. I was beginning to wonder you actually didn’t like us,” he chuckles again, and this time you look at his face and nearly faint when you see his gorgeous smile you’ve spent hours gawking over.

“No, never. I’m just... confused? How—who? How did you guys get here?” You stutter, shaking under his gaze.

“Well, we were kind of notified that you two would be performing our songs and thought it would be pretty cool to surprise you,” a new voice appears. You feel like throwing up when Mark Lee comes into view.

“I don’t—I literally don’t know how to talk anymore. How is this happening?” You whisper to yourself, hoping they don’t hear you but by their chuckles they apparently do. “Sorry we surprised you to the point you practically shit yourself,” another someone laughs.

Lee Je No has joined your little circle now too, and you reach out to the table next to you to stand properly. “Sorry, give me a moment,” you chuckle, not because you find it funny, but because you’re so entirely wound up you think death is quite possible.

After a moment or so of you controlling your breath and the three awkwardly standing there, you finally lean up and look over them again. Calm down, idiot. They’re people. People that you have read smut about way too many times and have cried your heart out over. But still people.

“Hi, I’m ___,” you eventually opt for, reaching out to whoever. Yuta takes your hand first, then Jeno, and finally Mark. They introduce themselves as if it was totally normal. Mina!

“One second,” you quip, shuffling over to see Mina in her own little circle of Park Ji Sung, Kim Jungwoo, Kim Dong Young, and Lee Tae Yong.

She was with Taeyong!

You scan over the rest of NCT some who are in their conversations or awkwardly standing there. After all, it was eighteen meeting two. Your eyes don’t stay on one person for too long, just because your excitement is so overwhelming and you need to see everyone.

Wong Yukhei. There he was. Six feet tall in all his glory, rocking on his heels as he laughed loudly with Qian Kun. “Lucas is here,” you say suddenly and to no one in particular.

Your statement comes off more as a question and the trio laugh. “Well, he is part of NCT, is he not?” Mark asks with a grin. “Shush, she’s going through a midlife crisis over here. You heard her earlier,” Yuta retorts with an elbow to Mark’s side.

“Oh God, did he hear me say that he’s my bias?” You hiss, slapping yourself on the forehead. “Well, we were all watching, so I’d say so by the way he blushed about a hundred shades red,” Jeno says, giving your shoulder a squeeze. He blushed?

“C’mon, you should meet everyone,” Marks luckily saves the day and changes the subject. He reaches for your hand and you take it gently, looking down in hot embarrassment. You aren’t wearing your shirt! You’re mouth forms an ‘o’ as recognition hits you like a train and you let go of his hand to pick up the crumpled shirt on the floor.

Even after you pull the damp tank back on you still feel incredibly embarrassed for having been so exposed to the boys and can’t seem to shake it from your mind until you start meeting everyone.

It’s awkward at first, but they’re all incredibly sweet—sweeter than they are online—and you fit right in. After thirty minutes or so, you’re finally led to the last few members.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Lucas. What do I say? Act normal? Pretend he isn’t my lock screen or the reason I’ve been up until four in the morning on so many nights? You have yet another midlife crisis and opt to just smile at him.

But you can’t look away. The tall, beautiful, genuine, hilarious, pure, wonderful boy you never in a million years thought would be so close. You can barely breath when his eyes lock with yours and every working brain cell disintegrates.

His lips. They were even plusher and poutier in person and you wanted nothing more than to touch them. His dark hair fell messily over his forehead while a few blonde strands brushed his long eyelashes and you nearly cried at how soft and fluffy it looked. Defined eyebrows, darkdarkdark brown eyes, sharp jaw, and the soft slope of his nose were the only things you were focused on and yet you couldn’t find yourself to care despite the incredibly long staring contest the two of you were having.

“I was just telling everyone that you’re my mini-me,” Ten giggles and it finally brings you back to reality. You look away from Lucas to quirk an eyebrow at Ten’s statement. Just how long were you staring? Long enough to not know what they’re talking about, clearly. “You know,” he elbows you, “you dance my part in Baby Don’t Stop.”

“Oh,” you laugh, curling into him when his arm drapes over your shoulder, “I wouldn’t say I’m a mini you. Nowhere’s close.”

“You’re lying,” Lucas interjects and it takes everything in you to look at him again. “I think you dance it even better than Ten,” he teases and when he laughs something deep within the confines of your heart sparks—it’s a loud, hearty laugh that you swear on your life is the best sound you have ever heard. Your mouth falls open at his compliment and can’t help the hotness that rushes up your neck and onto your cheeks.

“Ouch,” Ten fakes to cry, finally removing his arm to place his hand over his heart. What were you to say? You simply could not form a coherent reply and instead stood there like an idiot, completely starstruck.

Eventually, conversations start to slow down and everyone is sitting, either on their phone or piling junk food onto plants and chowing down. You find yourself gravitating to the empty seat next to Mina and as soon as you sit down, she grins at you.

“What have we gotten ourselves into?” You laugh, toying with rips in your jeans. “I don’t know. All I do know is that I don’t ever want them to leave,” she sighs, and the realization hits you.

They were going to have to go eventually, and no matter how close they lived to you or not, the chances of ever being able to see them were incredibly low. It was like a dagger to the heart, twisting and digging into you as the disappointment settled in. “At least we got to meet them,” you whisper, trying to be optimistic.

“I know, but now that I’ve had a taste, I want the full platter,” she mumbles and you feel like smacking her for having to sound so wise.

Before you can reply, Chenle appears next to Mina and leans on his elbows, wisps of blonde hair falling into his eyes. “Hey, so, would you guys want to come back to the dorms with us? We’re doing a vLive and thought it would be cool to have you guys in it. It’ll be a truth or dare kind of thing with all of us. You guys should come.”

You gape up at him. Go back to the dorms with them? “Could we take a shower?” Mina asks.

“Yeah, of course. vLive can wait,” he laughs, the high pitch of it makes you laugh as well. Mina looks at you, silently pleading to agree.

“I’ll have to ask my mom.”

It took a lot of pleading and begging and fake crying for both you and Mina’s parents to finally agree. After a whole lecture about boys only wanting to get into girls’ pants, arguing that they aren't like that, and making you promise to never leave each other’s sides, you were finally at the dorms.

After Jaehyun guided you both to the bathrooms, you finally got the shower you desperately needed. After shampoo and conditioner, you scrubbed the layer of dried sweat off your skin and simply stood under the warmth of the water. Your muscles were so damn sore, and you were so incredibly exhausted that you feared you would be knocked out and miss out on the fun.

When someone knocked on the door and teased you about taking forever, you started to feel bad and eventually turned the water off. You dried, brushed your damp hair, and swapped your towel for leggings and a black t-shirt that stopped mid-thigh all under fifteen minutes before finally exiting the bathroom.

You hear laughter coming from down the hall and aimlessly follow in that direction, hoping to find your newfound... friends and not walk into some important meeting. Although, who would be meeting at seven o'clock at night?

“___, we got pizza!” Johnny calls from across the room, being the first to notice your entrance. Wow. The dance practice room is even bigger in person? Your fingers trace the mirrors on every wall as you make your way over, completely entranced with the large room.

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Win Win asks, clearly catching onto your awe. “Yeah, I can’t believe how... how big it is,” you gape, spinning on your heels to take it all in again. Imagine how awesome it would be to have all this space!

“That’s what she said,” someone comments, and you look over to see Jaehyun smirking and can't help but laugh at his stupid line. “How original,” you snort while the rest of the boys roar in laughter.

“How did you manage to finish before me?”

You’re surprised when Mina appears by your side but also relieved that she’s finally here. “’Dunno, a lot of weird things have happened today.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Are you guys going to eat or did we order four boxes for nothing?” Taeyong asks and you roll your eyes while Mina mumbles something along the lines of ‘so damn aggressive’ in your ear.

You skip over to the table and grab at a slice while discerning where to sit. Were you to just sit anywhere randomly? By yourself? With someone in particular? This is awkward. Jaemin must have read your mind since he calls you over and pats the open spot on the windowsill next to him.

“Thanks,” you smile, pulling your legs up and sitting crisscross. “So,” he starts, and you glance up at him.

Damn.

Jaemin always had a special place in your heart, so having him right here in front of you made concentrating on one part of his face rather difficult. “So.”

“I thought you and Mina’s whole story was really cool. Since it started as a joke and such,” he says, casually leaning back against the window. “Aw, thank you! As much as it would be super cool to be able to tell people dancing has been our passion our whole life, that’s just not the case. We just lucked out, I guess.”

“Heck yeah, you did. I mean, look at you! It’s a shame you don't sing too—you’d really be a knock-out,” he compliments rather smoothly, crisscrossing his own legs so that your knees were now touching. You couldn’t tell if he was flirting or not, not that you minded, but quickly brushed it off.

“Nana, are you flirting with a girl older than you?”

You look up and nearly shit yourself when Lucas leans against the wall next to you, his muscular thighs just barely pressing gently against your bent knee. “That’s exactly what I’m doing,” Jaemin replies, clearly not fazed by Lucas’ sudden bossy front.

“Anyway, I’m off. Catch me later, yeah?” Jaemin beams, playfully bumping into your shoulder before hopping off the sill and walking away. Leaving you by yourself. With Yukhei.

“Hello,” he greets, his voice deep and his grin wide, making his big eyes scrunch up in delight. “Hi,” you squeak, voice quiet and rather pathetic. “I’m starting to think you don’t like me, ___, and I’m really hurt,” he sighs from his position still next to the wall. Very intimidating for such a soft boy. You take a deep breath. Act normal.

You scoff. “Ah, yes, Yukhei, I’m sorry to break it to you, but I don’t like you.”

“You know you can call me Lucas.”

“I’m aware,” you laugh, suddenly hyper-aware of the sudden lack of space when he leans even closer. “Then why do you call me Yukhei?”

You swallow the thump in your throat and force yourself to look at the boy you have once claimed your undying love for. “’Dunno. I’ll start calling you Lucas if you really want me to.”

“No! No—I didn’t mean it like that. I just—never mind.” Bingo. Finally broke his little facade. “Gosh, Yukhei, you shouldn’t be flirting with a younger girl,” you use his words to Jaemin somewhat against him, and the sudden confidence has you grinning up at him. His mouth hangs open a bit.

Before he replies, Taeyong claps and everyone’s attention is on him. “We’re starting the vLive so if everyone could somehow come over here that would be fantastic.”

You shift off the windowsill after popping the last piece of pizza in your mouth and look up at Lucas, who’s still looking at you with his jaw slack. “Sorry, I’ll go back to being nervous around you,” you tease before bouncing back over to the two sofas.

Despite everyone’s pleas for you and Mina to sit on the couch, you opt for the floor and sit next to Jaehyun who greets you with a heartwarming smile. “Have you ever done a vLive before?” He asks once you’re comfortably settled next to him.

“Oh yeah, we’ve done a few. It’s kind of hard when you’re still a senior and have a shit ton of homework. Plus trying to learn new choreography takes a lot of free time,” you laugh. “I mean, you would know,” you add, hoping to not sound cocky.

“I feel that,” he smiles, moving his arm from between you to rest around your shoulders. You can’t help but smile at it.

“And... we’re on!” Jungwoo cheers, finally moving away from the phone set up on a tripod a few feet away. Everyone cheers and waves so you awkwardly join in, hoping to somewhat seem as if you aren’t freaking out internally.

Taeil, Mark, and Renjun go back and forth asking everyone watching to drop questions along with ‘good dares because we’re not pussies in this bitch,’ as Haechan whispered from behind you. It doesn’t take long for the comments to start flooding in, and you watch from Mina’s phone that a lot of them are mainly asking who you and she are.

“Guys, this is Kim Mina,” Taeyong finally announces, patting her head from his spot on the floor next to her.

“And this is my best friend ___ ___!” Jaehyun shouts, pulling you into his chest. “Woo!” You cheer, your heart ready to burst at his outburst of affection. “If you guys didn’t catch their performance today, definitely check out their YouTube channel. Super talented gals,” Taeyong finishes.

“Except they don’t sing!” Jaemin shouts and you glance back to give him a playful glare.

“Actually, I heard ___ singing my part in Baby Don’t Stop today,” Ten interjects and you want to die. The boys break into a chorus of ‘oooh’s, turning their attention to him. “She’s pretty good, not gonna lie. Not as good as me, of course,” he giggles.

You laugh, more thankful that you apparently don’t sound like a toad from Hell itself when you absentmindedly sing along during performances.

“I found a question!” Yuta hoots. “Mina and ___, are you dating anybody?”

You glance at Mina and break into a fit of laughter. “If we were dating anybody we definitely would not be here right now. Plus no one in our school wants to date us, we’re losers. So no, we’re not dating anyone,” Mina laughs.

“Way to lighten the mood,” Chenle cackles like a dolphin somewhere behind you.

“Oh, I got a dare. Jungwoo, you have been dared to slap Doyoung’s booty,” Jaehyun calls from next to you. Ah, yes. You’d finally get to see Dowoo in action.

After a few moments the two get up and stand right in front of you, and Jungwoo gives the most aggressive slap he could have done that has the whole room roaring in laughter while Doyoung basically cries.

“Mina, someone asked you to marry them, what do you say?” Ten shouts. “Sure! I’ll marry you!” The pretty girl next to you says to the phone, adding a charming wink that has them laughing again.

“Wow, I feel left out on this one. But someone asked that Mina, ___, and everyone from the Firetruck music video perform the first minute of the choreo,” Jeno reads and your eyes nearly bug out of your head. More dancing? “I don't think my legs can take any more moving,” Mina sighs.

“I’m with you on that one.”

“Do you know this?” Mark asks, walking with you to push the tripod back so everyone could fit within the frame.

“Yeah, might be a little dusty though,” you laugh. “That’s okay, so are we,” Yuta reassures before getting into his position. The song begins and luckily it only takes you a few moments for it to come back to you, but the song is paused after at the minute mark even before you can really get into it or break a sweat.

“That was fun,” you comment, sitting back down next to Mina and Jaehyun. His arm goes back around your shoulders and you’re left thinking way too far into it, your heart beating wildly at the older boy’s sudden attachment.

“Truth for Mina again: how are you so gorgeous?” Chenle reads and you watch as her face turns a deep shade of red that has you all cooing at her. “I’m not. But thank you,” she rushes and you smack the back of her head.

“I got a dare! Ha. Jisung, you have to eat a raw egg,” Jungwoo giggles and everyone cries ‘eww’ in unison. “I hate you all,” he grumbles, getting up and jogging out of the room. Moments later the blue-headed boy returns, glass in hand.

“You’re all going to burn in Hell for this,” he says before bringing the glass to his lips and chugging the egg down like a shot.

“Ehhhhhhh, ew, oh gosh, ewww,” he whines second later, his tongue wiggling out of his mouth and his face contorting into a disgusted grimace.

“Dare for ___ and Mina! You guys have to do splits,” Johnny reads, glancing up from his phone to wiggle his eyebrows at you.

“I can’t do a split,” you grumble, stumbling up to your feet. You move away a little and suddenly feel incredibly self-conscious when Mina goes down once and gets it perfectly. Your mouth hangs open. “Yeah, I don’t do that.”

“Try!” Someone hoots and you opt for a straddle since you almost have that during Cherry Bomb. You start to spread your legs, going lower and lower until the muscles in your thighs are screaming. “You got it!” Mina cheers you on, “helping” you by pushing your back lightly.

Instead, you lose your balance and stumble over, groaning when your chin hits the hard floor. “Thanks, stupidhead,” you mumble, your face red in embarrassment because you just face planted in front of NCT and their fan base.

You stand back up and brush yourself off with a smile, trying to seem unbothered, especially when Jaehyun shoots you a sympathetic smile from the floor. You make your way to the table and pour yourself a cup of soda despite the fact that Lucas was right there, ignoring him altogether to avoid another awkward encounter.

But, unfortunately yet somewhat, fortunately, he has a different idea. Before you can manage to walk away, his large hands reach out, attach to your waist, and pull you down until your sitting rigidly on his lap, perfectly set within the space of his chest and the arm of the sofa.

You attempt to not think too far into it, reminding yourself of all the times members randomly pull one another into each other’s laps. But this was Lucas, pulling you onto his lap. Your heart is beating sporadically now, all the blood rushing to your head and goosebumps rising along your skin.

He clearly notices it, too, since his one hand still on your waist squeezes while the fingers on his other trace the bumps on your forearm. You twist your head to look at him. “What are you doing?” You hiss after it finally hits you—people were watching.

“Am I still you’re favorite?” He grins, obviously mocking the question posed by Yuta. “Not right now you aren’t,” you retort, eyes wide when he laughs loud and incredibly obnoxious. Now everyone was really looking.

“Sorry! ___ is just super funny!” He laughs again and your eyes go wide as everyone takes in the scene before them. After they all get over it and go back to the vLive, you look at him again.

“Are you on drugs? What’s up with you? You’re even crazier in person,” you whisper, your voice clearly shrinking when his hands go back to wrap snugly across your stomach. “Not crazy.” Is all he says.

“What, then? Are you suddenly super clingy or something? Or just drunk out of your mind?” You keep egging him on—you need to know what’s going through his damn head. “First Jaemin, then Jaehyun, and then everyone’s whispering about you,” he replies, his voice deep and raspy in your ear.

“Excuse me?”

“Gotta make sure I’m still you’re favorite,” he whispers, smiling innocently against your shoulder. Your mouth falls agape. What the fuck was going on? Since when? How? When did this all happen?

As the vLive dragged on, there wasn’t many dares or questions posed anymore, and everyone was just joking around and talking. At times when both you and Lucas were laughing, you thought you could make an escape but his long fingers became an iron grip on your ribs if you even tried moving. And he was acting so normal; still cracking jokes and making faces and acting like an idiot as if you weren’t even there.

So, you eventually give up and decide you might as well get comfortable, moving around so his hip bone wasn’t uncomfortably digging into you or that you weren’t awkwardly just plopped on his lap. After all, it’s not like your making out with him or doing anything bad. Sitting on laps was a fairly normal thing, right?

And oh God, did he smell like heaven. It was as if sandalwood and peppermint were clouding your brain, and every time you glanced up you got a little peek at his gentle features you had found yourself so in love with when he first debuted. How did you find yourself so close to someone that nearly fills up half of your camera roll?

“Anyway, guys, I think we’re gonna log out for tonight.”

You turn your attention back to the original reason you were even here, heart thumping against your chest and whole body on fire. You cannot concentrate with Yukhei’s body heat warming you head to toe and his breathing against your neck or his occasional laugh, let alone his long fingers spread across the dips of your waist and his thighs beneath your own. You blink until you refocus, quickly realizing everyone was waving and shouting goodbye. With an apprehensive and rather awkward wave, you watch in relief as Taeyong finally ends the live.

You hold your breath—what now? As soon as his grip loosens you’re up, moving a few feet away to stretch and simply breath. Lucas follows after a few seconds, raising his long arms over his head and stretching them with a yawn.

“That was fun,” he says with a smile plastered on his face. You glare at him, not entirely too sure what to say. What was there to even say? ‘Hey man, what the fuck was that?’ or were you to just act normal about it? And what were the NCTzens going to say or do, and how many questions were going to be asked? Hopefully, people wouldn't delve that far into it.

“You guys should always come over when we go live,” he says, rocking on his heels. Oh, was this what we were going to do? Act normal? “I don’t think your fans would like that very much,” you laugh awkwardly.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“I mean, or we could always use more members for NCT. Make it twenty,” he jokes and you truly laugh this time. “Yeah, no. I’m holding out until NCT Antarctica.”

“That would be exciting, you could impress everyone with your almost-there-but-not-really split,” he teases, laughing loudly again. There you go being embarrassed again, face burning red. “Shut up.”

“I’m kidding, I certainly can’t do that,” he says. “Gee, that makes me feel better,” you scoff playfully, rolling your eyes. He gasps. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Hey, I hate to say this, but are you ready to go? I’m so knocked.”

Before you can reply Mina is next to you, pressing her body weight onto your side. “Uh, yeah, I’m ready if you are,” you smile to her sympathetically. “Thank the heavens, I could sleep for a year.”

“Mina and ___ are leaving, guys!” Lucas suddenly shouts and everyone breaks into a chorus of ‘aww’s. Ignoring the painfully obvious disappointment, you and Mina say goodbye to each member, offering a hug and quick exchange of appreciative pleasantries.

“What’s your numbers? We’re adding you to a group chat,” Ten says after releasing you from a hug. “What?”

He beams at you and you stutter your number out, Mina doing the same, and watch in complete astonishment as Ten types them into his phone. “Thanks,” he grins again, bringing you into another quick hug. He and Lucas walk the two of you to the door, and when Lucas wraps his arms around your waist after hugging Mina you feel as if you’re literally flying—physically and emotionally—as he lifts your feet up off the ground.

“Bye, ___,” he mumbles after setting you back down. “’Night, Yukhei.”

“Am I still your favorite?”

“Yeah, don’t you worry.”

Forty-eight hours later when you’re in the middle of studying AP Chemistry vocabulary, you receive a text from a number not saved. When you swipe it open, it’s a group chat full of exactly twenty people, and the only name in there is Mina.

Seventy-two hours later you have plans for Saturday night.

Forty-four hours later, you are sitting on the same sofas from last week, watching NCT U practice Boss while the backup dancers give you and Mina the rundown.

You’re nervous. You’ve done this choreography before, basically have it memorized like the back road you take on the way home, but you never did it as a group. The version with just two people was significantly different; plus having to do it with NCT? You would’ve never dreamt of this in a million—trillion—years.

You spent way too much time watching the dance practice on their channel and practicing it with Mina. Both Jaehyun and Win Win were feeling ill, and although the live could have just been pushed back, Taeyong insisted the two of you came and joined in for ‘shits and giggles,’ as Mark texted.

Thankfully it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing and it wouldn't be uploaded anywhere. But it would be live, which meant absolutely zero mistakes.

Mina squeezes your hand when the two of you finally move to the boys and get in your respective positions, the live already started a few minutes ago. “You ready?” Lucas turns around from in front of you, offering a reassuring smile. You nod quickly, swallowing the lump in the back of your throat and focusing on the positives.

Hey, maybe this would help your future career. Being with NCT for the second time may shine some light on you and Mina and could possibly give you major popularity. Nothing but good could come out of this, you tell yourself.

The song starts and your mind completely goes into business mode, your brain remembering twists and turns correctly until you’re following each part spotlessly, especially Jaehyun’s solo part, no matter how awkward it is looking into the phone all to yourself.

And you can’t help but feel as if your pushing yourself harder simply because Lucas is there with you. Sure, you’re scared shitless of messing up, but knowing he might be watching most definitely gives you a push, even if you don't want to admit it.

But you mess up.

It’s minor—incredibly minuscule that no one besides you probably notices it. Your ankle twists in an awkward angle and a searing pain shoots up your Achilles tendon that has you breathless for a moment. You dance through it though, and the song ends before you even know it.

The only sound throughout the large room is the heavy breathing from everyone followed by a joyous cheer. “That was so fun, holy shit. Dancing with a group is so... so empowering,” Mina stammers with her hands on her hips, breath heavy. You simply nod in agreement, your mind too caught up in how much your foot burns. Fuck.

“Showers and pizza, yeah?” Doyoung asks, running a hand through his dampened hair. Everyone nods in silent agreement before splitting up in different directions in search of a free bathroom.

You wobble behind Mina and it doesn't take her long to realize something’s up.

“You're hurt,” she notes, watching the way you limp. “Yeah. It’s fine. I’ll be okay,” you mumble, shooting her a smile and ignoring the rise of her perfectly sculpted right eyebrow.

But it still hurts, even after your shower.

Simply trying to pull your cotton shorts up your leg is an ordeal and you’re left out of breath once you have them on. Instead of heading back to where everyone else is, you wander through the corridors for the kitchen and once you’re there, you open the freezer in search for an icepack.

“Whatcha looking for?” You practically jump out of your skin at Lucas’ sudden appearance, leaning on the counter. “An ice pack,” you grumble, shoving an ice-cream carton out of the way.

“Yo, yo, yo, no need to get aggressive with the Rocky Road, man. What do you need an icepack for?”

“Foot. Ankle. Tendon. That area,” you reply, lifting your foot and pointing to the now swollen area. “Foot-ankle-tendon, that’s new.”

“Shut up,” you laugh, lightly smacking his hand. “Sorry, sorry,” he laughs freely now, the loud, angelic sound filling the room. He scoots you out of the way and continues digging through the freezer until moments later, he comes up with a beloved icepack. You beam at him in appreciation.

“C’mon, follow me,” he says, linking his arm through yours and leading you down a different hallway. Once he opens the door and flicks the light switch on, you realize it’s his and Kun’s room and your mouth slightly falls open. “Sit.”

You do so quietly, watching from his bed as the tall boy rummages through a dresser and seconds later whips out an ace bandage. “I can do that, you know,” you laugh awkwardly, ogling at how his beautiful face scrunches up in concentration as he kneels down and begins to snugly wrap the whole area.

“You can also call me Lucas,” he retorts, pinning the bandage in place and kicking his door closed. Your heart beats faster now. “Oh my God, what’s wrong with calling you Yukhei? Unless you truly don’t like being called that,” you laugh as he plops down beside you and turns the television on. Your heart settles.

“No, I don’t mind. I’m just not used to people I’m not super close with calling me Yukhei,” he admits while flipping through channels. “Oh. I’m being honest, I’ll call you Lucas from now on if you want.”

“I’m teasing, you can call me anytime,” he looks over with a wink, but then his face falls, “wait.”

You genuinely laugh at him this time, watching as he frowns. “How did you forget the whole beginning to that pun?”

“I don’t know. Shut up,” he snickers, then tosses the remote down next to your leg with a huff. He quickly turns to you and you look expectedly at him. “Have you ever played Fortnite?”

You laugh again. “I’ve played mobile but never Xbox or PlayStation,” you admit, watching joyfully as his eyes light up. “Can I show you how to play? We can do duos. We have two TVs, Kun and I usually play together. I mean, only if you want, you don’t have to, but—”

“Yes, I’ll play!” You interrupt, your mouth truly hurting from laughing as the beautiful boy in front of you rambled on. “Really?” He beams.

“Really.”

“Oh my gosh, this is probably the best day ever. I’ve never been able to teach anyone how to play, it’s really so fun, well you said you’ve played before so you know, but still. I feel so bad for all the girlfriends in the world who don’t play and just get annoyed ‘cause they're really missing out, you know? I’m so happy you’re somewhat experienced though, that kind of makes this a little easier. But, ah! This will really be fun,” the tall boy goes on and on, and you simply listen with a smile on your face as he sets up the two screens.

“Oh, gosh, I’m sorry, I got super excited. I promise I’m not that weird,” he chuckles uncomfortably, looking at his feet while the Fortnite screen loads. “Pfft, don’t be sorry. And that wasn’t weird at all; super cute, actually,” you smile, surprising even yourself with your blunt honesty. The pink hue of his cheeks darken and your stomach leaps—you did that!

“Okay, this is just the lobby so I can show you some stuff before it actually starts,” Lucas says, sitting back on his bed and scooting to lay back against the wall. He passes you a PlayStation controller and cups your hands in his. “Okay, this is to move,” he demonstrates and you look up to your screen and back to his fingers.

He goes on and on from explaining the simple goal of the game to shooting, jumping, crouching, and so on, but in all honesty, all you can focus on is his soft hands on yours. Luckily once the game starts you sit in comfortable silence aside from random comments about finding a chest or ‘there’s a shield over here,’ until, alas, there are only twenty people left and you encounter another duo.

The two of you break into a chorus of shouts, warning each other and groaning when you mess up. Your aim isn’t horrific, but definitely not amazing, and you’re wasting ammo terribly. When you have to reload, the opponent shoots you dead and you drop your controller with an annoyed sigh. Seconds later, he dies as well.

“Sorry, that was my fault,” you grumble, wiping your now sweaty hands on your t-shirt. “Don’t worry, eighteenth place isn’t too shabby for your first duo,” he reassures you and sets his controller down.

“Are we going to play another?” You inquire and he raises a thick brow in response. “Do you want to?”

“Um, yeah!”

You play fourteen more rounds, ranging from fiftieth, seventeenth, sixth, and sometimes even fourth place. On your last round, however, Lucas dies and leaves you to battle the last duo.

With a clever jump while reloading, you’re able to quickly kill one player and when the last player hides behind a tree, you find the perfect angle and come in first place.

“Oh my God, we won! You won!” Lucas hoots, shaking you by your shoulders until you’re cheering with him. “Yes, yes, yes!” You shout, grinning ear to ear. “I’m so proud, now you can tell everyone I’m the best Fortnite tutor ever,” he brags, running his hand through his hair and you have to keep yourself from drooling.

You check your phone. 9:47 PM. You’ve been in here for two hours. “I think we’ve played enough for tonight,” he chuckles, turning one television off and switching the other to cable. Now what? Should I leave?

“Holy shit, Zootopia is on,” he suddenly gasps and you look over to see him wide-eyed. “I thought guys weren’t supposed to like stuff like this?”

“We’re not supposed to,” he shrugs, looking over at you with a wide grin, “but I can’t help myself.” You don’t reply and instead sink lower into the mattress, fixing the pillow behind your head in order to get comfier. You keep going back and forth from watching the movie and sneaking glances at Yukhei in his red sweatshirt, hood up and hiding most of his face. Regardless, you can still see strands of his soft hair falling into his eyes and the outline of his lips and begin to feel dizzy by something so incredibly simple but still so breathtaking.

Your eyes begin to grow heavy and burn from the brightness of the television compared to the darkness of the rest of his room and you force yourself to blink hard a few times to keep them from fluttering closed. Don't fall asleep now, he's so close. He was leaning his weight on you, slightly slumping on his side with his arm and thigh pressing against yours and you could feel him breathing.

You blink again, but you don’t open them right away this time just to give them a rest. A few minutes won’t hurt, right?

You quickly fall asleep to Nick Wilde telling Officer Judy Hopps that she needs to give him that pen.

Warmth.

That’s exactly what you wake up to—you can feel warm sunlight dancing on your bare arm and face as it shines shamelessly through the curtains, the white duvet tucked up to your neck engulfs you like a hug, and overall warmth surrounds you on this lovely morning.

Never getting up, you think to yourself, or maybe you even grumble it, you don’t know. You sigh softly and curl your arms and legs tighter around your body pillow, pressing your face against it and breathing in the familiar scent—

Wait.

You inhale deeply again. Sandalwood and peppermint.

Sandalwood and peppermint?

Your eyes are open in a millisecond, but you quickly squeeze them shut in fear of that what you think you saw isn't what’s actually there. You force yourself to peel an eye open again and nearly vomit at how breathtaking the view before you is.

“Yukhei,” you finally breath, barely audible, testing to see if he was up. He doesn’t budge or flinch or sigh—nothing. He stays asleep, his breath softly fanning over your chest from where he lies. The same soothing sunlight warming your skin makes his honey skin gold, and his eyelashes cast soft shadows across his cheekbones while his lips are just so pouty you aren't even thinking when your hand leaves his side to trace his Cupid’s bow.

If your phone was in reach you’d take a picture right then and there and selfishly keep it to yourself, something no one else could have because it’s your memory to keep. But you can’t seem to move. Instead, you stay still, memorizing every plane and curve of his face because you know nothing will ever be as ethereal as what you see right now.

One, five, ten minutes later, you have no idea nor do you care, you realize you should leave. This wasn't right, as much as you hated to admit it. Your heart was completely on the line here and you weren't prepared to be utterly heartbroken in the long run.

You start to shift, slowly, barely an inch at a time, further from the comforting warmth radiating off his body. You’re closer to the window now, and once you detach his remaining hand, you can easily lean up and make your escape.

You shakily reach for his long fingers spread across the small of your back and gently slide it off and lay it on his pillow.

Yukhei groans into his soft pillow and you freeze, hoping he’ll just turn away but no—both hands come back this time, reaching for your body. And once they find your waist you’re being pulled back even closer now.

He sighs against your collarbone and you start to melt. “Don't go. You’re so warm,” he breathes, turning his face so that his cheek lies flat on the center of your chest. “I think I should.”

“No, shut up,” he mumbles back, completely locking his muscular arms around your back.

You huff in defeat and rest your hands around his shoulders. He seems to already be back asleep, so you absentmindedly run your fingers through his hair you've been dying to touch and practically cry when he hums in response. So you continue to, gently scratching his scalp and untangling the ends until he's softly snoring against your collarbone once more.

Your heart genuinely aches—you can feel it in your chest, months and weeks and days and hours of adoration for the boy clinging to you swelling from inside and out and you cannot comprehend that you're even here with him. What did this mean? Friends who have only met twice and randomly texted throughout a single week did not share a bed, let alone spend the morning like this.

You sigh, mainly out of guilt but also sadness—you wanted to wake up like this every morning, stay up every day the way you had, fall asleep with him beside you every night. But would it happen? It was incredibly unlikely and you wanted to sob.

You huff again, pushing your thoughts into another corner of your brain and deciding to just relish in the moment now. You wiggle further down until finally, you’re face to face with perfection himself, his nose just barely brushing your own.

You close your eyes again, hoping maybe you’d fall back asleep and when you wake up again he wouldn’t be there anymore.

“I knew you wouldn’t leave.”

Your eyes are open in a flash, widening at his words and at the fact his own were staring at you intently. “Only because you asked. And you’re very comfy,” you admit, hoping he wouldn’t see right through you. “So I’ve been told.”

“Oh, yeah? By who?” You can't help but ask, not only were you curious but you genuinely wanted to hear his raspy morning voice again. “Oh, you know...” He trails off, and you’re not aware of his hands on your waist until they start tapping against your skin.

“Jungwoo?”

“Yeah, Jungwoo,” he breathes, nuzzling his face back into the crook of your neck and you can’t help but notice that he inhales deeply. “You alright?” You ask gingerly, placing your free hand back on his head and playing with an oddly darker strand of hair.

“Mhm,” he hums against your skin, “comfy. And you smell good.”

Your heart jumps over hurdles at his words and you’re so entirely grateful that he can't see the way your cheeks burn. You stare at the wall for the next few minutes in silence, your mind blank until he starts to breathe heavily and you can only assume he’s fallen asleep once more.

You must have fallen back asleep as well because when you open your eyes again the tall boy isn’t next to you, but sitting on the edge of the bed and prodding you awake. And by prodding, you mean attacking your sides and tickling you until your mind registers the dull pain.

“Stop, stop, stop!” You cry, leaning up and tearing his hands away. “I’m up, I’m up. Jesus,” you hiss, leaning against the wall and smoothing your hair.

He’s grinning so big you fear his face might break. “Sorry, you wouldn’t wake up so I had to do it the hard way,” he laughs.

“Did you try saying my name?”

“Yeah.”

“Poking me?”

“Yep.”

“Oh,” you sigh, “sorry. I guess I was really knocked.” He laughs. “Don’t worry about it. I would’ve let you just stay there all day but your phone was blowing up,” he explains, standing up and stretching. He’s already dressed, so when you check the time you aren't surprised to see that it’s noon.

Mina has texted you nineteen times. Some are from last night simply asking where you were, then calling you out for leaving her alone with Jeno, followed by texts from this morning calling you ‘such a thot and you know why’ and ending with something along the lines of ‘Taeyong isn’t my bias anymore;)’ and you’re laughing.

“What?” Lucas asks and you just show him, watching his expression grow until he’s laughing too. “I feel bad, I stole you from her,” he chuckles, running a hand through his hair. How were you supposed to reply to that? “That’s okay, she’s left me all by myself at parties plenty of times, this isn’t a big deal.” You notice the way his face falls but brush it off when he smiles softly and sits down beside you. “Good. How’s the foot feel?”

“Uh, better, I think. I haven’t walked it yet so I’m not sure.”

Goosebumps rise along your limbs the second he reaches for the white blanket and his knuckles brush your skin and you just pray he doesn’t notice. You watch silently as he unwraps the bandage and presses the skin around your ankle. “Well, it’s not nearly as swollen so that should be a good sign, right?”

“I suppose so,” you laugh, twisting your ankle in his gentle hold. Luckily there’s no major pain so you shimmy off the bed (as much as you don’t want to) and stand up, testing your weight as he watches on. “I think it’ll be okay.”

“Phew, thank Jesus,” he smiles, getting up as well and swinging the door open. “There’s still some leftovers from breakfast if you want some,” Lucas says as you walk down the corridor to the kitchen. Jisung and Haechan pass you on the way and when they wiggle their eyebrows, all you do is smile and look down at your feet.

“Breakfast sounds amazing.”

When you enter the kitchen only Mina and Jeno are in there, sitting on high top chairs at the counter. Mina sees you first and her eyes light up. “___! Look who decided to wake up!”

“Sorry,” you laugh, “I was super tired I suppose.”

“Mhm, I wonder why,” Jeno smirks and your mouth falls open. “NO!” You and Lucas shout at the same time and Mina and Jeno break into a fit of giggles. “We played Fortnite all night. And watched Zootopia,” you grumble, smiling appreciatively when Lucas passes you a plate.

“Is Fortnite a new code for f—”

Lucas glares at Jeno angrily and he quickly shuts up, turning to Mina with a grin. “When did that happen?” You scoff, pointing between them. If they were going to play like that, so would you.

“Well, when you two disappeared she was all alone so we hung out and even practiced Go,” Jeno retorts back. You roll your eyes in defeat and hold your plate out as Lucas spoons what’s left of scrambled eggs and toast on your plate. “Thank you,” you beam at him.

You eat in relative silence except for the occasional snicker when Lucas leans over to show you a meme on his phone. After helping to clean up, you and Mina finally deem that it’s time to leave and say goodbye to whoever is out and about in the dorms.

You find yourself wrapped in Lucas’ muscular arms once again and you can't help but feel at home in his warm embrace. Discreetly as possible, you scrunch his sweatshirt in your palms and breath in his alluring scent, praying, hoping that this won't be the last time you’ll ever be so close. “Text me, okay?” He mumbles in your hair.

“Yeah, sounds good,” you smile, finally pulling away from his hold.

And so you do. You’re lying in bed, fresh out of the shower on Tuesday night with all homework complete and Mina on FaceTime.

“Jesus Christ ___, just send it. You slept in the same bed for crying out loud,” she hisses and your face flushes at the recent memory. “Okay, okay. I’m sending it.”

9:53 PM - To Lucas: hey yukhei!!

“Oh gosh, I sent it,” you gasp, tossing your phone onto the floor and smacking your face. Mina looks at you with a raised eyebrow from the screen of your laptop. “I have to tell you something.”

Now, this makes you look up, completely forgetting about the text. “I hate that sentence,” you say, but luckily she doesn't seem too fazed. “No, it’s not bad. Well, kind of. I don’t know,” she sighs, worrying you, “remember when I texted you saying Taeyong isn’t my bias anymore?”

“I’m guessing you weren't just joking around?” You ask slowly.

“I wish. Well, when me and Jeno were hanging out all night I hadn't really realized until he was talking all philosophical to me just how cute he was. And once I did, I noticed how hardcore he was flirting,” she rambles, never looking directly at the camera, “so while you were sleeping in the same bed as Lucas I was, you know, flirting back, and we uh—we kissed. And then he apologized for rushing and I said that I was sorry too and, well, now we’re going on a date tomorrow!”

Your mouth falls open. Mina and Jeno? “I—wow. I don't know what to say,” you laugh, “that’s amazing!”

“You think so?” She’s beaming like a little girl on Christmas morning now. “Yes! While Taeyong is a god, he’s way too old for you while Jeno is our age. Plus, he’s a sweetie so I support.”

“Oh, gosh. He’s such an angel. He’s so adorable and so funny but if he thinks a joke is rude he always apologizes and God, he’s so sweet,” she goes on and you can't help but smile for her. Your phone dings from the floor and Mina stops to smirk at you. “That might be him!”

You squeal, leaning off your bed and picking up your phone.

9:57 PM - To You: Hello ___ !!!

“Oh my God, he replied,” you squeak excitedly, bouncing excitedly. “Yes!” Mina shouts and you can’t help but laugh. “Ask him how he is.”

9:58 PM - To Lucas: how are youuuu

“So yeah, I guess we’re going to have to double date now,” she giggles and if she was next to you, you would have smacked her. “I don’t want to mess this up, you know? It’s still so unreal to me,” you sigh.

“I mean, you’re already pretty good friends with him and you had a major snuggle session, plus I think you’re both whipped and should just marry now,” Mina says and you laugh at her honesty. “Ah, yes. Marriage is always the answer.

10:01 PM - To You: Im doing better now, how are u?:))

You can’t help but squeal again. “Anyway, I’m going to go. I still have to do these god-forsaken note cards,” she sighs, waving her blank cards dramatically, “have fun talking to your boyfriend. Text me if anything juicy happens.”

“Okay, I will. Goodnight sweaty, love you.”

“Love you too shithead,” she giggles before hanging up and you close your laptop to finally head to bed. Or, lie in bed while on your phone.

10:03 PM - To Lucas: im swell. school SUX tho

10:03 PM - To You: Aww I’m sorry, is something wrong?

10:04 PM - To Lucas: no, i just want to be out of there and live my life u kno?

10:04 PM- To You: Yeah, I understand:(

10:04 PM - To You: I have a question

10:05 PM - To Lucas: sure

10:05 PM - To You: Is my bed comfier than urs

The butterflies in your stomach are becoming painful now, stirring such emotions within you that you feel as if you might just explode. You’re grinning like an idiot, too, typing back quickly just so the conversation doesn’t die.

10:06 PM - To Lucas: it depends. theres a few factors that could change my answer

10:06 PM - To You: Such as?

10:06 PM - To Lucas: whether you would be there or not

You have to bite your lip to hold back another squeal of excitement. Where did this confidence come from and how did you just say that? You can’t believe you actually texted it and hope it’s as smooth as it sounded in your head. You could only pray he would flirt back.

10:07 PM - To You: Idk how to reply back smoothly but I hope u know Im smiling like a dork rn and Kun is making fun of me

10:07 PM - To You: How do you do that???

10:08 PM - To Lucas: <33

10:08 PM - To Lucas: do what?

10:09 PM - To You: Everything you say or do makes me smile. And idk why like even when u told me to shut up I couldn't stop grinning. Or when you pretend to be disinterested and lie so I can't see how u actually feel. It makes me smile and I feel weird when Im around u

You can't breathe at his text. Your head is spinning and you have to read it three times to actually comprehend that Wong Yukhei sent that to you.

10:10 PM - To Lucas: i could say the same ab you. you make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

10:10 PM - To Lucas: gosh, was that too much? sorry

10:11 PM - To Lucas: sorry for always being a mess around u. u still make me nervous

10:11 PM - To You: Yeah. Me too

10:11 PM - To Lucas: really?? u hide it really well

10:12 PM - To You: Yeah man. U make me really anxious. In a good way. I know you won't but I always get scared you'll think im a weirdo

10:12 PM - To Lucas: i could never

10:13 PM - To You: I don't know how to end this conversation now Im too happy but Im super tired and I have practice tmrw

10:13 PM - To Lucas: hm. well. how bout one of us says goodnight and then the other says it back ?

10:14 PM - To You: Clever

10:14 PM - To You: Goodnight ___💗💗

10:14 PM - To Lucas: gnight lucas❤️

You don't fall asleep for another half an hour, your mind buzzing with excitement and affection for the boy who still is your lock screen.

Saturday evening Ten calls you. “___!” He shouts, nearly deafening you.

“Hello!” You shout back.

“I know it’s last minute but I have an invitation for you and Mina,” he’s still talking excessively loud but you find yourself not minding but just grinning at his clear excitement. “Ooh, an invitation for what?”

“If I’m being honest, an invitation for a terrible hangover and quite possibly things you’ll regret. But no, seriously, a friend of Johnny’s friend is having a big ol’ party in his disgustingly large frat house for the end of the semester and it’s open invite. So,” Ten explains, “some of us are going and thought, ‘Hey! Let’s invite our bestest pals Mina and ___!’”

A frat house? A party in a frat house? This would be a precursor to every party ahead of you if you do in fact go to college.

“We’ll be there.”

You should have mentally prepared yourself for this kind of party. You aren’t a very big high school party-goer to begin with, so when you entered the large house with Mina at your side you couldn't get over the sheer magnitude of it all.

Everything was extra—from the extravagant chandeliers and metal railing along the marble stairs to the large rooms seemingly bigger than your own home, to the swarm of sweaty students bouncing to the incredibly loud music, and even to the amount of liquor on counters and tables and the intense smell of hormones.

It was quite suffocating at first and you found yourself clinging to Mina, the extrovert between the two of you, and followed her around like a puppy. Eventually, you warm up after two drinks she passes to you, starting to feel more relaxed in Mina’s navy bodycon dress she forced upon you.

“I think I see Jaehyun!” She shouts in your ear even though you can hear completely fine. You watch against the counter as she jumps up and down like an idiot, waving her arm to catch his attention.

You’re even more surprised when it works. You can tell the gears are short-circuiting in his brain until recognition finally lights up his features and he smiles brightly. He turns for a moment, but then looks back and waves you over.

“Oh, sweet Jesus,” you sigh, downing your fourth shot in a weak attempt to wash all your insecurities away. You slowly follow behind Mina, hopping along to take your heels off so you don't end up embarrassing yourself.

“I didn’t know you guys were here yet!” Is the first thing you hear and it’s Yuta, standing up and grinning beautifully before enveloping you in a hug.

“Surprise?” You draw out once he pulls away.

“C’mon, everyone’s downstairs,” he continues, intertwining his fingers with yours and leading you through the crowd. “Who’s everyone?” You ask on your descent down the steps. “Ugh, well. Me, of course. Taeil, Johnny, Tae, uh...” he trails off, “everyone but Dream members.”

You want to ask if Lucas was there, of course, but you also don’t want to seem clingy and instead kept your mouth shut. After all, you had been texting quite a lot and he never mentioned if he was going tonight. Poor Mina, you think, Jeno won’t be here and their date went well.

“God, he’s already staring and we just got down here,” Yuta mutters, and it takes you way too long to process what he means. “Who?”

“Yukhei. He hasn't stopped talking about you since last week, and now you’re here when he’s been drinking? You’re in for a ride,” Yuta explains as you near the group, but you already feel the anxiety blooming inside your gut. “What does that mean? What do I do?” You hiss, walking slower now.

“I dunno. That’s something you gotta figure out,” he says with a shrug, tapping your forehead with his free hand. You swallow the lump in your throat and just nod, your head suddenly throbbing and you’re not sure if it’s from the soju or what Yuta just told you. Or the fact that Yukhei looks like a whole meal and he’s staring at you just the same way.

Your stomach flips as he scans you head to toe and back again, from your bare legs, up to where the navy lace stops at the expanse of your thighs, to the way the dark material hugs deliciously at your waist and dips sinfully to reveal cleavage that could give a nun a heart attack.

And you can't take your eyes off him. Why did he always have to look so... so good? He could wear a trash bag and still look like a model.

He’s in regular denim skinny jeans that, although he’s sitting, show off his thick thighs and leave absolutely nothing to the imagination. The white, long sleeve tee he’s wearing has a low collar and you can see his collarbones and the way his Adam’s apple bobs. His fluffy hair is messily parted down the middle to show off his forehead and his eyes are so dark you feel as if you suddenly can't breathe oxygen and can only survive off him.

You don’t know how long you’re staring at him until Mina accidentally bumps into you on her way to sit down on the carpet, shaking you from your thoughts. “You good?” You ask each other at the same time. She laughs obnoxiously, the alcohol in her system already in effect.

“I’m good, but are you good?” She asks knowingly, twitching her head in the direction you were just entranced by. “Yeah, just peachy.”

You don't know if you really are good, but what you do know is that that was the hottest checking out experience you had ever shared and can't shake the feeling of excitement setting fire to your nerves.

“C’mon, sit. I’ll get you a drink?” Yuta speaks up again, finally letting go of your hand and moving it to your back to walk you over to an open spot on the couch. “Um, yeah. Sure,” you smile, trying to brush away the feeling that Lucas is still staring, “thank you.”

He only beams back in return before he’s off, and you’re left sitting between Taeil and Kun. “How’s the party so far?” Taeil shouts from beside you and you’re fairly surprised that he initiates small talk, considering you haven’t spoken with him much. “I don’t know, to be honest,” you answer, realizing your throat is going to be dead by the end of the night with how you have to shout, “I’ve only been here like, fifteen minutes. And I’ve never been to a place so big!”

“Really?” He asks, clearly surprised.

“Yeah, not really a party person. High school parties are always in smelly basements and all there is is cringey rounds of truth or dare, spin the bottle, or seven minutes of heaven.”

“Still happens in grown-up parties, sorry to tell you,” he laughs, pausing to take a sip of whatever’s in his cup, “it’s okay though, it’s always fun no matter what we do.”

“I can tell. Except I feel like I’m going to go deaf,” you exaggerate, spinning to look at the monstrous speaker on the wall. “At least they play good music,” Taeil replies and you shrug, “I guess. It’s probably better when your dancing, though,” you say, turning back to him.

Yuta returns moments after that, holding out a cup and you take it and smile appreciatively. When you take a sip, you practically choke on how strong it is but swallow it anyway with a grimace. Once the burn goes away you take another sip and deem it’s not as bad as you initially thought.

“Jesus, slow down before you give him a heart attack,” Kun hisses in your ear, and you glance at him with widened eyes. “Who? And what about me? What if I have a heart attack?” You joke.

“I swear you’re clueless, but I’m hoping that it’s just alcohol shutting down your brain,” he sighs in defeat, “Lucas, of course. He looks away for one second and then when he turns back you’re doing something that surprises him.”

You roll your eyes. “What, am I not allowed to drink?”

“Well, you are underage. But no, seriously. I can tell he thinks it’s hot. Plus, I can practically smell his jealousness from here,” Kun replies, side glancing for barely a second before looking back at you. “You should have seen him when you walked down holding Yuta’s hand.”

You swallow, suddenly feeling guilty.

“Don’t worry about it, he’s not one to stay pissed. He’s obsessed with you already,” Kun smiles, but hides it by taking a sip from his cup, “but hey, next time you sleepover, warn me? Please? I walked into our bedroom the other night and nearly shit myself when I saw you wrapped around him.”

“Sorry, I probably would’ve shit myself too,” you giggle and when something moves out of the corner of your eye, you frown to see Lucas walking away. “He’s getting away,” Kun sings and you look back to him in a panic. “If I follow him I don’t know what could happen,” you sigh honestly.

Of course, you want to go after him just to talk to him privately, but Lord knows what could happen when you have liquor in your system.

“Bullshit! Don’t let that stop you,” Kun smiles, slipping his hands to your back and shoving you to your feet. You sigh, finally standing up and chugging the rest of your drink. “Do I look alright?”

“You look stunning, stop worrying. He went upstairs, probably to piss. Go get ‘em, tiger,” he replies, and you smile and lean back down to squeeze him in a hug. “Thank you,” you whisper, and then you’re off.

You don’t know if it’s the sudden buzz in your brain or not, but going up two flights of stairs leaves you way too winded and dizzy then it normally does. You lean against the wall to catch some air while scanning over the crowd from a higher view. C’mon, where are you?

“___?”

You practically jump out of your skin when he says your name and slides his hands around your waist, tugging you around to face him. “Ha. Hi Yukhei. I was just looking for you,” you gulp, suddenly losing brain cells with him being so close again.

“You were?”

“Yeah, I thought we could, um, catch up. Or something,” you chuckle awkwardly, mentally slapping yourself for being so nervous again.

“Actually, I have something to tell you,” he suddenly says, standing taller and you feel so small when he does that. “You do?” You squeak, afraid it would be something terribly disappointing or terribly heartwarming.

“Yeah, c’mon,” he says, reaching for your hand and guiding you to an open door. Luckily it’s not a spare bedroom but just the bathroom and you can’t help but sigh in relief once he’s locked the door and flicked the light switch up.

“So, we recently had a meeting with our managers and stuff,” he starts, and you can’t help the quiet ‘oh’ that slips from your lips. That was not what you thought he would be talking about.

“What?” He stops, a look of worry crossing his face.

“Oh, oh. It’s nothing. I was just, ugh,” you pause, racking your brain to say the right thing, “expecting you to say something else.”

“I’ll get there in a bit, don’t worry,” he smiles softly, bumping into you until you’re pressed against the sink and straining to look directly up at him now, “just listen to this first, yeah?”

You nod quickly, your throat completely dry and brain on fire with his body so flush against your own. “Anyway, we were talking about backup dancers, for the most part. And it occurred to me that we don’t have any female backup dancers. So I asked why and they kind of just... ‘I don’t know’ed it, you know?” He explains, and you genuinely have zero clue where this is going. You nod anyway.

“So Taeyong asked what they thought about hiring some female backup dancers. Like, long-term jobs, not just a one-song-and-done. And they kind of did a little manager huddle and said why not and to let them know of anyone we know so they can do auditions and stuff,” he goes on, and by now you can’t think straight. He hasn’t said it yet, but what if?

“We all thought the same thing, but I said it first and, so, I told them about these two girls I know and how talented they are and how, well, sweet and smart and genuinely amazing they are. And pretty, but that’s beside the point. So I showed them some videos and stuff. Anyway, that’s not important,” he pauses to lick his plump lips, looking at you directly now, “and so they said that if you and Mina came in and auditioned it would be a delight to have you on the team. If you want, of course.”

You don’t know what to say, do, or think. You’re hyper-aware of his large hands cupping your face, index fingers rubbing soft circles beneath your ears but also still have the weight of what he just said sinking into your brain. You don’t know whether it’s the alcohol or simply shock but no words come out, your lips staying parted in complete and utter surprise at such a bombshell.

“I don't—I can’t,” you stammer, shaking hands gripping his shirt to steady yourself, “thank you. Fuck. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Holy shit. Oh my God. I don’t know what to say, holy fucking shit.”

You’re breathless, slumped against the granite and nearly pulling the lanky boy down with you. “I have more to say,” he says, quieter this time. You gulp, eyes searching his face. Still, you can’t comprehend anything besides you and Mina may have just fallen into one of the best opportunities of your life.

“Okay,” he sighs softly, his large hands still cradling your face. “My first thought last weekend when I woke up with you beside me was ‘Fuck, what did I just get myself into?’ but when you said something about never getting up and whispered my name in that scared little voice I nearly lost it,” he goes on, eventually looking away from your face and fiddling with the lace material on the neckline of your dress. He suddenly looked incredibly innocent and you wanted nothing more than to hold him once more.

“And then you didn’t leave, even though I know you wanted to. But it suddenly felt so right, you know? Like everything that had happened that night ended with such a perfect morning,” he sighs, glancing up for a second to check how you were taking it all so far. When you offer him a warm smile, heart beating wildly against your chest, he returns it with pink blush adorning his cheeks.

“I thought you felt it too, but then later when I woke you up you had said it wasn’t a big deal, and I was so sad because I thought it was. I mean, how often do you play fifteen rounds of Fortnite, share the same bed, and wake up cuddling with someone you don’t have feelings for? And then I got even more confused when you texted me during the week, and fuck, everything you said had me smiling at my phone and Kun was making fun of me,” Lucas goes on, never stopping to breath until now.

“So, my question is, what are you thinking? Because I know I was your bias, or whatever the heck you guys call it before we met, and you still act nervous around me. And those texts and even this is not something just friends do. And you look so damn kissable right now, and while I want nothing more than to kiss you, I won’t in case that’s not what you want,” he finishes, his voice noticeably lowering as he tentatively leaned closer, his face and nose and lips only mere centimeters away.

You swallow once more, finally letting the reality of his words hit you. You swipe your tongue over your lips once, just in case, and he glances down just in time to catch it.

And that’s it.

He quickly surges forward, and the cord holding you together suddenly snaps when his lips are finally on yours. It’s like a breath of fresh air on the first day of spring, filling you to the brim with new life and you can't get enough. You both are doing nothing but everything at the same time, hands not knowing where to go but stinging skin in their wake. His lips make it impeccably wet and messy, teeth and tongue, but you don’t care, and your hands finally find the collar of his shirt and yank him to come closer, allowing his tongue to finally swirl with yours and you feel as if you’re drowning in him and the way he tastes and feels. It’s like sunlight in the morning, washing over your skin until it’s warmed all the way to your very being.

After what feels like an eternity you pull away, your head swimming with the fact he just kissed you. He leans back, breathless but seemingly more alert now, blunt fingernails digging into your bare thighs. His eyes scan your face again, searching for any trace of regret and when he finds none he comes back for more, kissing you softer this time. It’s so raw that it hurts, adoration and admiration flowing from the depths of your heart and you can’t fight it anymore.

You’re practically limp against him when his warm lips move from your lips to your jaw, down the column of your throat and to your bare chest. “God,” he breathes, moving back up to suck the delicate skin on the side of your neck between his teeth before going back with his tongue to sooth the pleasant pain, “I didn’t know if I’d be able to wait any longer to kiss you.”

Your head lolls to side as he continues his ministrations against your throat, completely lost in his touch. Your grip on his shirt finally slackens and you finally find the confidence to slide your hands under the fabric, leaning into him so you can further trace the expanse of his torso.

“Stop,” he suddenly hisses, pulling away to grab your wrist, “you’re going to give me a terrible boner and I’m not fucking you in this dingy house.”

His words made your stomach squirm even at the possibility and he clearly notices, lips quickly finding yours and hands holding your waist once more. You’re almost too busy trying to slip your tongue within the confines of his mouth to notice his right hand slowly descend until it’s resting between your thighs, pushing them apart and you gasp into his mouth.

You feel his mouth quirk into a sly smirk and can’t help but smile too, that is until his fingers slip past the hem of your dress and brush against the cotton of your underwear.

He breaks away and laughs at you when you whimper at the loss of contact. “Don’t frown,” he mumbles, keeping eye contact even as his fingers drag agonizingly slow along your clothed folds and it’s the most sensual thing you might ever experience.

A loud knock on the door quickly interrupts your faintest of moans and you suddenly feel incredibly exposed. “I swear to God, if you two don’t get out of there soon, we’re leaving without you. We’re going home, they ran out of Malibu and that’s apparently the only thing Jaehyun likes!”

You swallow, looking away from the door and back to the panting boy leaning on you, irises blown out and lips pink and plump.

“Do you want to have another sleepover?” He asks quietly and you can’t fight the smile that tugs at your lips.

"Oh my God,” you wake up with a low groan escaping your lips, a headache throbbing painfully in the refines of your skull as soon as you gain consciousness. Is this what a hangover felt like? You sigh, squeezing your eyes to shut out the sunlight. You turn away from that direction only to not-so-gracefully bump into something.

By the entanglement of limbs and bare skin pressed flush against yours, you can only assume something is actually someone and everything from last night crashes back, your headache increasing tenfold. Your eyes are open in a flash, not because you're scared or regretful, but just to make sure you were correct. And safe, not in some stranger’s bed.

Just like last week, Wong Yukhei is beside you, cheeks flushed pink against his warm honey skin and lips pouty as always. Except, this time, he’s awake, lying on his side and staring at you with wide eyes full of something you could only pinpoint as adoration.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” he replies, and not until now do you notice his hand on your very, very bare hip. “Do you want something for your headache?” He asks, voice low before leaning inches closer and pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead. “Yeah, but I can wait—”

You don’t get to finish because he’s already rolling out of bed, taking most of the sheets off of you and you’re left completely naked, forcing you to grasp for the white duvet crumpled at your feet to cover your body.

Except, not that it matters, because he’s incredibly naked too, and you’re amazed at how tall he is when he’s like this, no matter the circumstances. You quickly look away in fear he’d catch you staring, a blush working its way up your cheeks as you suddenly become aware of the pleasantly dull ache throbbing in your abdomen.

He’s back at your side moments later, this time with pineapple print boxers on, holding out a half-full water bottle and two Advil’s. “Thanks,” you sigh, swallowing them quickly.

“This wasn’t just a one and done thing, right?” He asks suddenly, and you look up at him where he’s leaned against his dresser, fingers tapping the edge. You could quite literally cut the tension between the two of you and suddenly want nothing more than going back to sleeping in his arms.

“No! No, I hope not. I mean, unless you want it to, in that case, I’ll go n—”

“No, please don’t go! I just wanted to make sure, in case... in case I completely misread this whole situation,” he sighs in relief, finally moving away from his dresser and rolling back into bed beside you. “Did you mean everything you said last night?” You say quietly once he’s settled and pulled you back against him.

“Of course.”

“Okay,” you let out a sigh of relief, reaching up to play with a strand of his caramel hair. “I’m sorry, too. For when I said this wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t realize that you—you felt something. For me. Which is dumb, because it was kind of obvious. But it’s kind of scary assuming things when it comes to someone who didn't know who you were when you’ve been in love with them for months,” you talk absentmindedly now, not realizing the words are spilling out of your mouth until they’re already out. After all, you were a NCTzen before any of this and there was no way to avoid that when it came to your love for not only him, but the rest of the group.

“I knew who you were,” he laughs above you and you glance up in confusion, quirking an eyebrow. “One of your videos came up on my recommended one day and I was kind of obsessed with you guys since,” he admits and it’s by far the cutest thing you have ever seen.

“No way.”

“I swear on my life,” he grins brightly, wrapping his muscular arms around your back and pulling you up beside him so you were face-to-face. It’s quiet again, and you find yourself once again tracing the outline of his face; his defined eyebrows, big doe eyes, his cheekbones, his chin, his lips—everything.

“What now?”

“Well, we probably should have gone on a few dates first and fallen in love, even though I’m already full of adoration for you already, and then I would’ve asked you to be my girlfriend and then we would’ve had mind-blowing sex. But we kind of went backward and already had the mind-blowing sex, so how about grabbing lunch as our first date? I mean, even though you’re a younger girl.”

You’re grinning like an idiot now and can’t help but kiss him. It’s soft and gentle and sweet and makes everything inside of you warm and fuzzy only because it’s him.

“Okay, I like the sound of that,” you whisper against him, kissing his cheeks, his nose, his forehead and finally his velvety lips again, “only because I’m full of adoration for you too.”

After all, Wong Yukhei was the warmth you so desperately craved for and needed in your life.

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getalittlecountry · 8 years ago

Text

First Time Again (4)

okay so this beast was spilt a few times. So you’ll have to be held over with this GIANT chapter that was super fun to write. I cannot wait for their journey to evolve. Gosh I just love Nesta and Cassian so much.

One Two Three

Chapter 4

"So I haven't met everyone yet, but uncle Luc promised they wouldn't terrorize you. They just really want to know you," Cassian tried to ease my apprehension as we walked down my road, "I promise I won't let them get to be too much. I won't let them take you from my side."

I nodded, "thanks. I just don't like meeting new people. I don't think I ever met your uncle."

Cassian smiled, "I remember sweetheart. Don't worry I'll be the buffer."

I bit my lip as we turned towards the center of town. "So your dad. You're going to talk to him today?"

"I decided last night it wasn't entirely his fault that I got sent away. It was my mom's and he did try to find me. So I'll give him a chance. Especially because I need to understand whatever it is this is. I need him to uh. Guide me in learning how to take it slow with you."

I blushed, "yeah. It's like the only thing I can think about when we're together."

We were both embarrassed and yet totally at ease with how much we needed each other. I couldn't believe how much I craved Cassian even though we barely knew this version of ourselves. I mean twenty two year old Cassian was a hell of a lot different than seven year old Cassian. And yet I still felt like I knew him. Like he had been in my life for so long I didn't need to wonder if he would walk away from me.

I had never felt so safe, so cared for before.

"What's your favorite color?" He asked softly, his hand finding mine.

I laughed, wondering why he didn't just try and figure it out. I knew there was something in the bond that let him inside of my head. And whatever that was it was getting stronger. At least for him.

"I want to hear you tell me," he answered, his smile crooked.

"Green," I whispered softly, "like the green grass in the summer. Or the leaves before they turn in the fall. What about you?"

"Blue," he smiled, "steel blue like the eyes of the girl I had to leave behind."

I blushed slightly then changed the subject. He was so different from seven year old Cassian and yet some things were exactly the same, "favorite movie?"

"I didn't watch a lot of movies growing up. I guess I'd say Jaws?"

I laughed, "we watched that when we were six and it scared me senseless. I refused to go into any body of water. And then you thought it would be funny to push me in!

Cassian laughed along with me, "I know and you were the cutest scaredy cat I ever did see. What about you?"

"I guess I'd say Sweet Home Alabama. Do you like to read?"

"I read everything. Fantasy, science fiction, medical books. I have read so many books traveling because they're easy to carry, easy to give away."

"So what's your favorite?"

"Well fiction wise, On the Road. But fantasy wise? I'd say The Hobbit. You? I remember little Nesta teaching her sisters to read. Or at least trying."

I laughed, that had been an endeavor. "I love fantasy. Anything that gets me out of this world and into another. My list of favorites is too long to share."

"Give me one."

"Rebel of the Sands. It's kinda like a play on Aladdin."

"A girl after my own heart," he pulled me closer, as if he needed to fit me into him, "I'm really glad it's you. I mean. I don't think anyone else would be so understanding. So at ease with this new life they've been handed."

I chewed the inside of my lip, "well I mean. I'm a little nervous because of my sisters. I've never had to hide anything like this from them. But I know I can't tell them and I don't like that. But I don't want to put you in danger either. It's just. Hard."

Cassian pressed his lips against my temple, "I know. But it will get easier."

I swallowed the lump on my throat, "yeah I know. Feyre is leaving for school soon and Elain has been looking for somewhere she fits. I have a feeling it isn't with me anymore. She needs to get out and see the world, we all do."

"That means you did a good job. You raised them to know they could always come home. But they're also free to spread their wings. You don't have to be responsible for them anymore Nesta."

Tears filled my eyes, "I don't remember who I was before I had to take care of them. It terrifies me Cass, to know I don't have a purpose, I don't have to keep up with my sisters now. I don't... I'm not sure what to do."

He pulled me to a stop right outside of his uncles house. He framed my face with his big hands and leaned in close. His lips were so close to mine I swore he was about to kiss me. My heart hammered inside my chest, his doing the same. But his eyes held mine and I felt his determination seep into me.

"You are strong. You are your own person. Nesta you gave up fifteen years of your life for your younger siblings. And now it's your turn to be selfish, your turn to find your way. And now you've got me again. I won't let you fall. I won't let you forget who you are. I promise."

I leaned into him, my forehead touching his, "I know. It's just a lot. My emotions are everywhere ever since this bond, imprint, since you came back. You probably think I'm a mess."

He laughed, "no sweetheart. I think you're beautiful."

He kissed my forehead as I sighed, "stop being so perfect."

I stuck my tongue out at him before he pulled away and then laced his fingers through mine. He took in a deep breath and then so did I.

"Everyone is out back. They're dying to meet you," he pulled me through the house and I stayed close to his back when I saw Tomas. He was glaring, watching us. Cassian held my hand tighter when he felt the spike in my heart.

"I will never understand why he's obsessed with me," I whispered as we got to the back door.

"Well I have a few guesses," Cassian spun around and pushed a piece of hair behind my ear, "alright pretty girl. They're going to be loud and ask you a lot of questions. Are you ready?"

"Just don't let go of my hand," I whispered softly, "please."

"I will never let go of your hand," he smiled and then leaned in, pressing a kiss to my cheek. I was startled, for a moment wishing he would just kiss me already. When he pulled back he laughed, his eyes glancing down to my lips and then back up again. The door opened and our moment was lost.

"Cassian! Please don't hog all the time with our newest addition. Bring her out here," lucien's voice was sickly sweet and I blushed as Cassian pulled me closer, away from his uncles hands, "you two have all the time in the world to be together. Let us get to know our new girl."

"I was getting there uncle Luc."

I stayed against his side as everyone turned to look at us. I didn't even know how many pairs of eyes were suddenly staring at me, but my hands started to shake. I hated big crowds. I hate being the center of attention, especially in a room full of people I didn't know.

"Oh my gosh," a blonde girl came sauntering forward, "she's the cutest thing. I'm Morrgian. But everyone calls me Mor. I'm the long lost other cousin."

She touched my hair and I blushed. She was gorgeous. As if she had been carved by angels herself. She looked like someone worthy of Cassian, someone more beautiful than me. Cassian squeezed me tighter and shook his head, answering the thoughts I hadn't voiced.

Someone pulled Cassian’s attention away as Mor continued to stare at me. Her smile was beautiful, she was radiant really. I couldn’t believe how beautiful she was, it was almost as if she was crafted by god himself. She bit her lip, looking me up and down as if she had finally found something she had lost long ago.

Then as if she sensed by nerves she smiled, "I remember that. The newness always wanting your mate. I was even worse with Selene. It'll get easier Nesta. Don’t worry, you’ll find yourself again, eve if you always feel a pull for Cassian.”

I nodded. If I didn’t think about how much I wanted him beside me, it wasn’t as hard to stand there with her. So I took in a breath and changed the subject, remembering what Lucien had told me last night about imprinted couples, "so I um. Do you have a power?"

There was a ring on her finger which meant she had a mate. She also understood my need for Cassian, comparing it to her own. If my thoughts weren’t all over the place I would’ve realized how easy this conversation could be. But I was too busy fighting myself for being so clingy that I could barely remember this cousin’s name. Mor laughed as she pushed her hair behind her ear.

“As with all imprinted couples I do have an ability. I can blend into my surroundings. Want to see?” her eyes flashed once and then she was gone. I gasped, watching as she reappeared, her form refiguring right in front of me, "it was really fun in the beginning. I used to terrorize Selene in the mornings."

I laughed, feeling a little better knowing no one here thought they were freaks. I didn’t know how to feel about supernatural things, things that I used to read stories about. Things my sisters used to be afraid of, were suddenly real and this was their world. This was my world. It was still crazy, I could barely wrap my head around it. And yet Mor was making it a little easier. She felt like a friend, she felt like someone I could confide in.

I knew I would always have Cassian. But it was nice to feel like I had a friend who wasn’t tethered to me by an imprint too.

As Mor and I talked, time seemed to move on. My nerves started to ease and my eyes didn’t constantly search the crowd for Cassian. Then a dark haired woman came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Mor's waist. She giggled as the woman kissed her neck, "Nesta this is my mate. My wife, Selene. Selene this is Cassian’s mate, Nesta."

Selene smiled at me, "it's nice to meet you. I only met Cassian a few days ago, but he is so lucky to have found you again. He's already so taken with you."

"Wife." I whispered suddenly realizing that everyone here was either single or married. My blood rang in my ears, I barely heard the rest of her sentence.

Mor was watching me closely. She stepped out of her wife's arms, coming closer to me. "Yes. Typically mates get married after imprinting."

I swallowed, my heart going crazy, "married," I laughed, "wow. I um. Yeah. Married."

Mor reached out and touched my arm, "hey are you okay? You look a little pale, should I get Cassian?"

"No," I tried to breathe but it was getting harder, "I just. Didn't realize that this was all so serious. I never considered getting married and now I have a mate. I'm just. Taking it all in."

Mor's hands framed my face, "breathe Nesta. You're calling Cassian to you with your panic. Just breathe. It's not like we've organized the wedding just yet. Normally we mate within the clans. It's rare that we imprint with a human. But you and Cassian have always been.... stubborn."

I nodded, my heart still beating erratically, "it's weird, that you all know I had another life before this one. And that I don't remember any of it."

Mor flashed me a brilliant smile, "you and me were always best friends in your other lives. I've missed you."

The blonde girl hugged me tightly my body still panicking. I tried to breathe through it, but it was getting harder. Just when I thought I would fall apart a pair of big hands grabbed my waist and pulled me away from her. I let out a sigh of relief, my panic subsiding as Cassian pulled me into his chest. I closed my eyes as Mor watched us together.

"What the hell Mor? I can feel her panic a mile away," he wrapped his arms around my waist and I leaned into him.

Cassian listened to my panic and realized why Mor had scared me. He shook his head and pulled me away from his cousins, to the dark corner where none of his family was waiting to bombard us with more information.

"Nesta, sweetheart," he framed my face with his hands, his hair tickled my skin, "I am not going to force you into marriage. I will not make you do something or be someone you're not. Do I want to marry you? Hell I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to. I've wanted to marry you since we first touched. But this is new, we're new. I told you slow, which means you're in control."

His fingers ran down my cheek as I felt his calmness seep into me. I offered him a smile as I felt my heartbeat slow down, "thanks," I whispered leaning my forehead against his, "I um. Never really thought of marriage and Mor said mates marry really fast."

"Well usually try to. Lucien told me Mor and Selene didn't even wait a full day. Trust me, Nesta. I won't be that guy. I know you, I can feel your heart. I know this still scares you. And I'd never make you do something you aren't ready for."

I couldn't help but smile more as I leaned into him. I pressed my forehead against his and took in his scent. I knew now exactly why my imprint had taken with him, why we always found each other. Because he knew me inside and out. Because he was my soul, my heart made flesh. I had gotten lucky to have him as a best friend, but even luckier to have him as my mate.

"I'm okay," I opened my eyes and looked up at him, "I'm okay. Thank you. For coming when I panicked."

"Always. I will always find you."

He kissed my forehead and rubbed his hands up and down my arms. I took in a deep breath and then there were hands pulling us away from each other.

"Nesta! I want you to meet the family, not converse with Cassian all afternoon. Come come, there's more people who want to meet you."

Lucien pulled me away from my mate, his eyes following us as we were swallowed up once again by the crowd. Lucien pulled me away as fast as he could, "come, come. You and my nephew don't need to be attached at the hip. I want to introduce you to the important people here."

My eyes were wide and he drug me away from Cassian. My body protested, my heart went crazy. Cassian tried to follow, but got swallowed up by the crowd. Apparently his family was just as anxious to meet him as they were to meet me. I swallowed my panic and tried to ease my crazy heart beat.

It pained Cassian when he couldn't get to me.

I hooked my arm through Lucien's and he tapped it gently, "Nesta this is Helion, Cassian's other uncle. He's a little, eccentric but I know he's been dying to meet you. His ability is a seer which means he's always known you would come. Well not you exactly, but he knew someone was going to imprint soon."

Helion smiled brightly and offered me his hand, "well you're just as beautiful as you were the first time we met, my love. Cassian always did choose pretty things."

"Wait. So you all know who I was in another life?"

Lucien shook his head, "we remember bits and pieces. No one truly knows who we used to be. You'll get a few memories too, when you and Cassian finally rise."

I bit my lip, this was even more than yesterday. I wasn't sure how to handle myself because Cassian wasn't here to save me. I felt like a drug addict, waiting for their next hit. I wanted his fingers to come in contact with mine, I needed his skin to press against mine.

God I was that girl. The girl I always hated. Less than twenty four hours had passed and I was borderline clingy already.

I forced myself to stop wondering where Cassian was and to focus on the men in front of me. I looked at Lucien, "Cassian's father. He's here?"

"Of course. My brother wouldn't miss this. He's the champion, he's the leader. And he's been looking for Cassian for as long as you have I'm sure."

"No one would ever tell me where they took him," part of my heart broke remembering the little girl I had been. How much it hurt me to miss him. How much I wanted him to come home, "it took me so long to get over losing him. I feel incredibly lucky to have him back."

Helion smiled, touching my cheek, "and my nephew is so lucky to have you. I can see this isn't just the bond, he imprint speaking. You two truly fell before it all even took place. Before you were even old enough for the bond to wake. They're stronger this time, Luc. They'll survive."

Lucien narrowed his eyes, "let's not bring that up brother. I don't want to ruin our perfectly happy celebration with talk of the past."

Helion lifted his eyebrows, "so you haven't told them," he whistled, "well the plot thickens."

I was about to ask what this was all about, but I didn't get the chance to. My chest tightened, my body flooded with fear and nerves. It was ghost feelings, I realized as they spread down my spine. They felt almost like phantom pains.

It took me a moment to realize where they were coming from. Cassian's heart was going crazy. This was what he felt when Mor had scared me. It why he came running and I my eyes searched for him once again. I glanced up and saw a male looking at him, his mouth set in a straight line as he gazed back. I looked at Helion and then at Lucien and excused myself.

I walked over to him and brushed my hand along the small of his back, my fingers finding their way under his shirt. He let out a sigh of relief as he relaxed into me.

"And this beauty must be my newest daughter in law."

So this was Cassian's father. My eyes went wide and I took him in. They looked nothing alike. Except in the way they held themselves. I leaned into Cassian, hoping he would loosen up as I smiled at his father.

"I'm Nesta." He took my hand and kissed it, "it's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure," his eyes sparkled and I saw where Cassian got his charm, "is all mine. You have no idea how long I've waited for you. For both of you. Call me Beron please, none of this Mr. Vanserra stuff.”

I blushed as Cassian wrapped his arm around my waist. There were two boys off to the side, they stood watching as we stood talking to Beron. Something about the way they watched us took me off guard. I let out a slow breath as my mate’s arms wrapped around me. Cassian's fingers were tight on my waist. He was full of emotions. I tried to pull some away.

"Cassian this is Rhysand," his heart was going crazy. I stayed close as he swallowed and looked at the violet eyed boy, "and Azriel. They're your brothers."

His mouth fell open as the two, who couldn't be much older than him, smiled. They all three looked so different and yet something similar sparkled in their eyes. Cassian looked at me and I let his hand go as he stepped forward.

"I have brothers," he said softly as his dad stood watching. Rhys stepped forward first and grabbed Cassian away from me. He tousled his hair.

“Yeah I’m older than you too,” he laughed as Cassian didn’t struggle against his hold. When he let him go Az came over and lightly punched his shoulder, “you’re younger than both of us. So watch out.”

His eyes were wide as he looked at the two boys who were similar in height to him. I had to look up at all three of them, but Cassian was looking right in their eyes. I watched as he reached out and touched my mate’s shoulder and then I saw him try and control the emotions that were soaring through him. He was confused, happy and yet sad because he didn’t get to grow up with these boys. There was so much happening inside his body I took a step forward and touched his arm. The moment my skin was one his his mind stopped swirling.

Cassian looked back at his father. His voice broke on his next question, "why didn't you stop them? Why did you let them take me away?"

Beron blew out a breath, "because your mother never put me on the birth certificate. I had no way of claiming you and by the time I figured it all out they already sent you away. She never wanted you to know this family, because of the imprints. Because she was disgusted with the idea of you being supernatural. Because I never loved her," he looked at Cassian and there was sorrow in his eyes, "because I imprinted the day before she told me she was pregnant with you."

His mouth fell open and I stepped forward before his anger, his frustration, could crush him. My hand on his arm wasn’t enough, I wanted to protect him, to push him behind me and shield him from his father’s words. But I didn’t, instead I slipped my hands under his shirt and pressed my fingers against his back. He relaxed under my touch, letting me soothe him before he got too carried away.

"Thanks," he said quietly as his brothers watched. He turned his head halfway to face me, his eyes closed as he let me help him through this intense moment. I nodded, my heart letting him know I wasn’t going to let him go through this alone.

"Wow," Rhys smiled. I looked at him, his eyes wide as he watched us together, "he's so affected by Nesta. This is crazy, I’ve never seen it in person before. I’ve heard so many stories, but seeing it makes it real. This is wow. Maybe we'll imprint soon."

Cassian turned back and looked at his brothers. He was still trying to sort out what he felt. I closed my eyes and laid my head against his back, "Cass I'm here okay?”

Someone was clapping. I opened my eyes and Tomas stood there watching us. He wore the worst smile I had ever seen, "well if it isn't the cutest couple in all of Velaris. Here to show us how they have yet again found yet each."

I squeezed Cassian's hips as he spun around to stand in front of me, blocking me from Tomas’s view, "leave her alone, Tomas."

"What is he doing?" Rhys whispered into my ear. I didn’t realize he was standing so close to me until he was right there. Until I felt both him and Az get ready to protect me the way their brother already was.

I sighed, "he's obsessed with me. He has been ever since Cassian left. I've turned him down time and time again."

Azriel's hand formed a fist, "well then. Let us show him Cassian isn't a bastard anymore. And that you don't mess with our family."

They both stepped around us and went towards their cousin. Tomas stepped around them and looked at me, “why him, Nesta? I was the one who tried for years, I took you out. I thought this time you’d pick me.”

I shook my head, “I would never pick you Tomas. Just like I stopped Elain from choosing Grayson. From what I understand this isn’t something you choose anyways,” Lucien and Beron were coming over to see what the noise was as Tomas tried to get closer to me. Cassian was my shield, he growled as his cousin tried to get around him.

“It’s always this way. You choose Cassian and then he gets you killed. If you chose me, if we were together, you wouldn’t die, Nesta.”

“Stop,” Cassian shouted at his cousin as his brothers formed a circle around him. Their uncle kept watching as Cassian blocked me from view, “stop. This is between me and you Tomas. Leave Nesta out of it.”

Tomas didn’t even blink as he stepped forward and threw the first punch. I screamed as Rhys took action, Az coming to help as well. Cassian stumbled, holding his nose as they all three ganged up on Tomas. I stumbled, trying to get in between them, but someone grabbed me and pulled me out of the circle.

Mor shook her head, her grip firm on my arm, “don’t. You’ll only get hurt trying to get them off each other.”

“We can’t just let them beat each other up!” I saw Beron grab Rhys and Lucien went for Tomas. Cassian was on the ground and my heart stopped. There was blood on his fist and blood on his face. I pulled out of Mor’s hold and ran to my mate.

“That’s enough boys,” Lucien all but growled the words, “I told you to behave Tomas. This is a family affair, we are all happy to have Nesta here. Don’t start with this jealousy, don’t start with your crazy talk of choosing bonds. Imprints aren’t chosen, they’re given. They’ve been working since before you were even a thought in my head. So stop it son.”

Tomas spit blood on the ground. He ignored his father and looked at me. I knelt down on the ground beside my mate and touched his arm, “don’t worry Nes, I’ll find a way for us to be together. You belong with me.”

“No I belong with Cassian,” he started to sit up as I glared at Tomas, “I think I always have.”

“Yeah well when I break that bond, I’ll come to you. I’ll heal you and we’ll be together.”

My blood ran cold at the thought of Tomas breaking the bond I shared with Cassian. I let out a breath and suddenly Cassian’s hand was on my cheek. He soothed me, instead of me taking care of the bruises on his face. Cassian stood up and then pulled me with him.

He took me into the garage, away from the eyes of his family. I let out a slow breath and then he sat down on the counter. I shook my head, pulling myself out of my head and focusing on him. His face was bruising and there was a large cut along his cheek, right under his eye.

“I’m okay,” his deep voice was soft as I came to stand between his legs. His brown eyes were searching mine, as if I held the answer in them. As if I could tell him everything I was feeling without touching him.

"Are you sure?” I asked running my finger close to the cut from Tomas's ring.

He sighed, his fingers brushing against my bracelets as he touched my wrist, "I'm fine Nesta. I was more worried he'd go after you."

I rolled my eyes, "let me clean it at least please."

He nodded as I dabbed the wet cloth against his skin. I stood between his legs and when I was finished his brown eyes found mine. He laced our fingers together and looked down at my wrist. His thumb brushed against the leather bracelet I had gotten all those years ago with my sisters. I started to talk, trying to break the tension of whatever had just happened between us.

"My sisters and I all got together and got these for each other. We thought it was so cute to have our initials together."

He smiled, "you really care about them."

"They're my little sisters. Of course I do," I bit my lip and a feeling of wanting to give Cassian something of mine overwhelmed me.

I pulled my hand away from him and pulled the chords that kept it together. I loosened the bracelet, the one I never ever took off, and then took his wrist in my hand. I smiled as I set the leather against his warm skin, “there. Now you have a piece of me with you always."

He blushed, "Nesta."

I put my finger over his lips, "you've always been my best friend, Cass. Even during these last fifteen years of silence. No one else ever knew me the way you did," I pressed my hand against his chest, "as you do."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and slipped his fingers into the back pockets of my jeans. He pulled me closer and my eyes went from his down to his lips and back again. There was so much static between us, so much I could feel happening between us my heart skipped a beat. It was now or never, I knew this was my move to make. Before I could over think it, before I could scare myself I leaned in and pressed my lips to his.

He tasted like home. Like the childhood I had been forced to give up. His lips were soft and warm, his fingers digging into my backside as he kissed me slowly. My arms wrapped around his neck and I couldn't move if I wanted to. Because this was my home. He was my forever home.

My fingers slipped into his hair as I opened my mouth and took him in deeper. I could feel him in every single part of my body, my heart hammering inside my chest. We weren't two different souls in that moment. His mouth moving with mine we became one. My hips moved closer to him, his hands holding me tightly against his chest.

I gasped as his heartbeat mimicked mine.

Someone cleared their throat before either of us could gain our breath. I jumped, Cassian pulling back slowly and running his thumb along my cheek. His eyes were on mine, he didn't look at whoever had interrupted our moment.

"Can I help you?" He asked, his hand warm against my cheek. His bruise looked better.

"Lucien is looking for you," Rhys's voice was filled with wonder and jealousy. If I turned around I was more than sure he was smirking, "he wants to make sure you're alright. Should I tell him Nesta took care of everything?"

Cassian broke my gaze and then glared at his brother, "tell him we'll be right there."

I laughed, leaning my head against his shoulder as Rhys walked away, "I wanted to kiss you ever since you touched me."

"I've wanted to kiss you ever since we were seven. So I think we're even."

I blushed and then pulled back, "Cass. Will you. Stay with me tonight? After what Tomas said, I just don't want to be alone with my sisters."

He smiled and it was crooked and beautiful, "of course. I'll stay. Let's go see what my uncle wants.”

Cassian and I went back to the backyard, his hand holding mine. He wasn’t letting me go this time, and I wasn’t going to let anyone take me away from him either. I took in a deep breath as we found his uncle talking with his father. Azriel and Rhys were off talking to other family members. But I noticed them watching us as we came to stand with the red haired man.

“Nesta I apologize for my son’s behavior. I never knew he was so, well I never knew he was looking at you. He talked about a girl, but he knows the rules. We don’t allow dating, not since the imprinting stopped. I am sorry.”

I nodded, “it’s fine. I was just upset he hit Cassian,” I leaned into my mate and let out a slow breath.

“Are you hogging our beautiful new girl?” A woman came over and tapped Lucien’s arm. She was beautiful, her hair so blonde it was almost white. She grabbed my chin, forcing my eyes to find hers. She looked me over, seemingly pleased with what she found as she smiled brightly at me, “well I’ll be damned. You look exactly the same as you did all those years ago.”

I swallowed, glancing at Cassian before looking back at her. She let me go and I let out a breath of relief, “um. Thanks I think?”

She laughed and it sounded like tiny bells ringing, “I’m sorry. I am Olivia. Beron’s mate,” she looked at Cassian’s father and smiled. The way she looked at him made me wonder how foolish I looked whenever I glanced at Cassian. It was full of love and so much more, “I am so happy his son found you again, Nesta. I’m so glad we found you both again. It seems like this world wants to keep you two apart and to keep you two from us.”

I bit my bottom lip as Cassian found his way back to me. He was right at my back, his hands grabbing my waist and holding me against him, “forgive me if we aren’t as excited as you are to meet us. We’re just taking it all in. Why do you remember more than we do?”

Olivia sighed as Beron pulled her closer to him, “because you two are the ones who are meant to free us from the shadow’s spell. You’re to bring back the imprints, to stop the darkness that is coming. The darkness that threatens to take us all away from each other.”

“Well. That’s a lot of pressure,” Cassian muttered as his father laughed.

“What your step mother meant is that you two are the key to stopping the curse that has fallen on us. The one that took away our imprints, the one that will bring the darkness from their world into ours.”

“Why us?” I asked slightly breathless. This was a tall order.

Beron shrugged, “it’s always been you two. You and Cassian love deeper, harder, than the rest of us. Maybe it’s because it takes you the longest to find each other. Or because your soul was specifically crafted for him. I’m not sure. But whatever the reason, you two are the key to finally stopping the cycle that the shadows have been pushing you through for the last hundred years.”

“What cycle?” Cassian’s chest tightened and so did mine. We knew this had to do with whatever his other uncle had mentioned earlier.

“That’s a conversation for another day,” Lucien stepped up, “I will tell you everything, when you’re ready. Right now you and Nesta need to get to know each other again. You need to be kids and find each other. I don’t want to scare you, to put even more pressure on you.”

I wanted to know what he was talking about, but something told me I wasn’t ready. I leaned into Cassian and I accepted his uncle’s answer. And because I did, Cassian did too.

“Okay,” I turned and looked at my mate, “I want to know too, but right now I want to pretend like this is all a dream. I don’t want to talk about supernaturals and shadow worlds. I want to get to know your family, to get to know you again. We can force him to tell us later.”

He nodded, leaning his forehead against mine, “have I mentioned how amazing you are? Because you really are.”

I laughed as he kissed my cheek, “I like hearing you tell me that I’m amazing,” I answered.

"May I have this dance?" Cassian pulled me away from his family, his hand touching my waist as the music started. I smiled at him as his fingers found mine and he spun me around before I had a chance to answer. The song was slow and it was one I had always loved.

“People fall in love in mysterious ways…” I sang along as we danced together, I had no idea what I was doing, but I moved with him. Cassian couldn’t stop smiling as I sang the words to him, and I felt them deep inside my soul. This moment, it was real. And it was perfect.

“Maybe just the touch of a hand… with me, I fall in love with you every single day…” Cassian’s deep voice sang the words to me as he smiled. I shook my head, thinking about that moment almost twenty four hours ago when he brushed his hand against mine.

Even with all the crazy things that are happening I wouldn’t change that moment for anything in the world.

It suddenly didn’t matter to me that everyone was watching us. My heart thrummed loudly in time with the song that played. The song changed then and a new one came on. It was still slow, I still held onto his arms. It was an old country song, one about first love, new love. I blushed as he danced as if he had been trained to push a girl around the dance floor.

"You're the only girl I ever wanted to push around a dance floor," he whispered softly as his family watched us. No one else was dancing, "they like you. They really like us."

I smiled, leaning in and kissing his lips softly, "good. Because I really like you too."

He held me closer as a few others decided to join us, "Nesta. I know you were forced into whatever the hell this is, but did I mention that I'm so glad it was you?"

I smiled as I brushed my nose with his, "no. But I'm glad it was me too. I can't even imagine being fake happy for you if you ended up with someone else. It's like I've known you my whole life. As if this moment is the one I've been waiting for."

His hands slipped to my waist, "I've been waiting forever for you, pretty girl. And I don't plan on ever letting you go again."

He kissed me, the same way he had kissed me in the garage, in front of his entire family. We stopped dancing, the music faded into background noise as his lips moved with mine. I smiled in the middle of the kiss as I heard his family sigh with happiness.

If every moment in this new life was spent this way, I was pretty sure I would die happy. If I got to kiss him whenever I wanted, for as long as I lived, I would be forever grateful to whatever god had given me half his soul to keep.

"You're mine," he whispered softly, "and I'll forever be yours."

He pressed his hand over my heart and I knew no matter what evil was waiting for us we would find our way to the other side together.

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