#The Day The Megaphone Stood Stupid

[a-love-that-transcends-all]

Great shipper minds think alike

I made this too, as soon as I saw the new episode drop I knew it had to be done

They were made for each other

[lousypotatoes]

Red Wine

"So we back in the club

With our bodies rockin' from side to side, side-side to side, uh

Thank God the week is done

I feel like a zombie gone back to life, back-back to life~"

DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love - USHER, Pitbull

Previous Next

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine

You guys are on my mind

You asked me what I wanted to be

And I think the answer is plain to see

I wanna be famous

I wanna live close to the sun

So pack your bags 'cause I've already won

Nothing to do, nothing in my way

I'll get there one day

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na

I wanna be

I wanna be

I wanna be famous

I wanna be

I wanna be

I wanna be famous~

Y/N was sleeping soundly in her bed, her pajamas snug to her skin, and the warm blanket covering her body.

All was well, until stupid Chris decided to wake everyone with that stupid horn.

Y/N, and all the other girls in the cabin woke with a start, freaked out by the sound.

"Is he seriously going to wake us up this early in the morning?" Y/N groaned.

"I hate him so much," Bridgette sighed, getting down from the top bunk.

"Campers!" Chris shouted from the megaphone. "I want all your butts outside in ten minutes!"

"I'm lighting myself on fire," Y/N mumbled, as she started to get ready for the day.

All of the team members stood outside the cabin, waiting for Chris' instructions.

"Morning!" Chris said in a way too chipper voice. "Hope you slept well."

"Hi, Chris, you look really buff in those shorts," Heather said, making Y/N want to gag.

"I know," Chris winked. "Okay, I hope you're all ready, because your next challenge begins in exactly one minute!"

"Um what do you mean in one minute?" Y/N spoke up.

"I don't know if that's enough time to eat breakfast," Owen sheepishly said.

"Oh, you'll get breakfast, Owen," Chris smirked. "Right after you complete your twenty-kilometer run around the lake!"

"Oh, so you're funny now?" Eva remarked, walking up to Chris.

"You know what I think would be funny?" Eva asked, Duncan and Geoff trying to hold her back.

"Eva, please try to control your temper," Y/N reasoned.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Eva snarled at Chris.

"A little," Chris smiled. "You have thirty seconds."

~Confessionals~

"Okay, Eva is actually kinda cool, but seriously she needs to learn how to control herself," Y/N explained. "She's already thrown her suitcase out the window and broken the lock on one of the bathroom doors."

--

"Okay runners!" Chris called out.

Most of the campers were in position to start running. Y/N decided that she was going to run the first half of it, and walk the other half, not wanting to tire herself out too much.

"On your marks, get set, go!"

People like Y/N and Trent immediately began to sprint, but then there were people like Harold and Heather who opted to walk instead.

~Confessionals~

"I don't run," Heather said. "And I definitely don't run in high heeled wedges."

--

After about an hour, Y/N decided to slow down, stopping for a moment to catch her breath.

"Chris should have given us water," Y/N panted. "Holy shit, that was a lot."

"I didn't know you could run like that," Duncan said out of nowhere, making Y/N jump. "Seeing you run makes me feel a little bit self-conscience."

"Duncan!" Y/N exclaimed. "You scared me!"

"My bad, sweetheart," Duncan laughed.

"How the hell did you catch up with me?" Y/N asked, the two of them walking. "I'm like, one of the farthest ahead."

"It's not that hard to run, you know," Duncan playfully scoffed. "Are you calling me fat, Y/N?"

"Sure, whatever you wanna believe," Y/N said, too tired to defend herself.

"Not even gonna try to deny it?" Duncan asked. "I like that in a girl."

"That makes no sense at all," Y/N said.

"Woah, Y/N!" Chris said, driving buy the two of them on a mini motorcycle. "You're the farthest ahead, I'm impressed."

"Uh, thanks?" Y/N said.

"Surprised to see you here, Duncan," Chris said. "Thought you would of been all the way in the back."

"Eat shit, McLain!" Duncan snapped.

"There's no need to get so vulgar," Chris chuckled. "Anyways, if you're not back by dinner time, you don't eat! So you two might want to pick up the pace."

And with that, Chris drove away.

"Ugh, I hate that guy so much," Duncan frowned.

"I think everyone here does," Y/N said. "How many piercings do you have?"

"Why you asking?" Duncan asked.

"Cause I want to tear them all out," Y/N sad bluntly. "You dumbass, I'm bored and I want to get to know you. Is that allowed?"

"Sorry," Duncan laughed. "No one's ever asked me that, it caught me off guard, my bad."

"So?"

"Oh, right," Duncan sheepishly said. "I have one on my lip, two on my both my ears, and one eyebrow."

"So, five in total?"

"Yup,"

"Cool,"

"I guess,"

There was an awkward silence for a moment, the two of the continuing to walk.

"How long have you had your nose ring?" Duncan asked.

"Only a couple of months," Y/N said. "It was my birthday gift from my dad."

"Did you do it yourself?"

"Nah, I was too scared to,"

"Lame,"

"Go fuck yourself,"

After about an hour and a half, Duncan and Y/N finally made it to the mess hall.

"Chris," Y/N snapped as they walked in. "If I don't get something to drink, I'm setting this whole island on fire."

"Calm down," Chris said. "Since you two are the first ones here, you guys get the privilege of water."

"Water isn't a privilege, but thanks, I guess," Y/N took a water bottle from Chris and handing one to Duncan.

"It is in Africa," Duncan said.

Y/N hit Duncan over the head with her water bottle.

Y/N laid her head down on one of the tables, watching the rest of the campers arrive.

Each one looked more tired than the last, all of them looking like they were going to pass out.

"Clear a table, stat!" Owen suddenly said, barging in.

He was carrying a passed-out Noah and set him down on the other table.

"Oh, God, is he okay?" Y/N asked as Owen started doing CPR on Noah.

"What took you so long?" Courtney whined as Harold arrived. "We just lost the challenge!"

"I think I'm having heart palpitations," Harold said, clutching his chest.

"Hey, wait a minute," Gwen said. "If they lost, that means we won the challenge.

Everyone on the Screaming Gophers started cheering, even Noah who had mysteriously just now woken up.

"Woah there, hold your horses, guys," Chris laughed. "That wasn't the challenge."

"What did you just say?" Gwen asked.

"Who's hungry?" Chris asked as purple curtain opened up, revealing a buffet of delicious food.

Y/N almost burst into tears at the sight of all that food.

There was turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy, pie, sausage, bacon, and all of Y/N's favorites.

~Confessionals~

"No joke, when I saw that, I was literally about to start bawling," Y/N said. "It was better than other buffet I've been too."

--

~Confessionals~

"And then I saw it!" Owen said. "The buffet table! It was beautiful. There was turkey, and baked beans, and maple syrup. Can I have a minute?"

Owen then started to cry

--

Y/N groaned in pain, clutching her bloated stomach. She was now beginning to regret eating all that food.

But at the same time, she wished she ate more.

"Okay campers!" Chris said with the megaphone. "Time for part two of your challenge!"

"I thought eating was the second part," Owen said, his mouth full.

"What more do you want from us?" Gwen asked.

"Weird goth girl is right," Heather agreed, making Gwen glare at her. "Haven't we been through enough?"

"Um, let me think about that," Chris said. "No!"

"It's time for the Awake-a-thon!"

"The what-a-thon?" Owen asked.

"Don't worry," Chris said. "This is an easy one. The team with the last camper standing wins invincibility."

"So, what you're saying is that the twenty-kilometer run that we did, and all that food we just ate was to make it harder for us to stay awake?" Y/N asked.

"That's right Y/N!" Chris smiled.

"Damn, he's good," Y/N frowned.

"Move! Move! Move!" Chris exclaimed.

"How long do you think it'll be before everyone's out cold?" Duncan said as him and Y/N walked out the mess hall.

"Mhm maybe an hour," Y/N answered, but then she saw Owen already looking like he was about to pass out.

"Maybe less,"

Twelve hours later, and Y/N already felt like she was dying.

All of the campers, including her, had dark circles under their eyes.

"Woohoo!" Owen said. "I can do this in my sleep!"

Owen then passed out, falling asleep.

"I knew he was going to be the first one to go," Y/N mumbled.

~Confessionals~

"The Awake-a-thon was definitely the most brutal thing I've ever done in my life," Gwen said

--

"This is the most boring thing I've ever done in my life," Y/N heard Gwen say.

"Could be way worse," Trent yawned.

"Oh yeah?" Gwen asked. "How?"

"Well, I could be stuck here without you to talk to," Trent smiled.

Y/N and Duncan fake gagged.

~Confessionals~

"So, my strategy is to get two other campers to form an alliance with me and take to the final three," Heather smirked. "The only question is who can I find that is either desperate or dumb enough to do whatever I say?"

--

"Duncan," Y/N said. "If I die because of this stupid challenge, promise me you'll play Britney Spears at my funeral."

"You like Britney Spears?" Duncan laughed. "I should of know you'd be into white girl music."

"I don't know whether to be offended or to laugh," Y/N scoffed. "What do you listen to then?"

"Green Day or Avril Lavigne," Duncan yawned.

"You listen to Avril Lavigne?" Y/N laughed.

"Did I say that?" Duncan corrected himself. "Nah, I like uh, blink-182."

"You can't make fun of me for liking Britney when you like Avril," Y/N giggled.

"Fine," Duncan sighed. "I like Avril Lavigne, a lot. But you gotta promise not to tell anyone."

"Your secret's safe with me," Y/N smiled.

"Good,"

"So what's your favorite song from her?"

They had just now passed the twenty-four-hour mark, Y/N and Duncan were still awake, but barely.

The one's who fell asleep on the Killer Bass Team were Harold, Bridgette, Katie, and Sadie.

"Favorite snack?" Y/N asked.

"Probably pretzels," Duncan replied. "What about you?"

"Umm F/S," Y/N said.

"Good choice," Duncan nodded. "Uh, favorite drink?"

"Probably-"

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of Tyler screaming.

"What the hell?" Y/N giggled.

"Congratulations campers!" Chris said. "You've made it to the twenty-four-hour mark. Time to take things up a notch!"

Chris took a white sheet off of a big lump, revealing a big pile of books.

"Fairytales," Chris smirked.

"Oh, he's not serious," Gwen frowned.

Y/N had to cover up her mouth to keep from laughing when she saw Chef dressed in a pink sheep suit, holding a harp.

Chris cleared his throat before he started to read.

"Once upon a time," he said very slowly. "There was, inside this boring kingdom, a boring village. And inside this boring, sleepy village, filled with very boring children, who did very boring things...."

"I have died and gone to Hell," Y/N mumbled. "That is the only explanation for this."

"At least we're in Hell together," Duncan smirked.

"You wish," Y/N scoffed.

Out of nowhere, Chef appeared again, but this time, he was wearing a pink ballerina outfit.

Y/N could only stare in shock and in amusement.

He started dancing, throwing sparkles at the campers, which made them yawn.

"What the hell did I sign up for?" Y/N yawned.

It had now been officially forty hours since the challenge started.

Y/N didn't even know how she was still awake.

"Uhhh, favorite movie?" she asked.

"Die Hard, all the way," Duncan answered.

"Ugh, of course you like Die Hard," Y/N scoffed.

"What's not to like?" Duncan said. "There's action, and guns, and people die."

"I know, I've seen the movie,"

"What's your favorite movie then since you wanna judge so much, huh?"

"You promise not to laugh?" she yawned.

"Cross my heart and hope to die," he also yawned.

"Beauty and the Beast," Y/N said.

"I knew you would be into the cheesy love stories," Duncan laughed.

"I think it's romantic," Y/N said, hitting Duncan's arm. "And besides, you can't beat the classics."

"Die Hard is a classic,"

"Beauty and the Beast is more of a classic,"

"No it's not,"

"Literally yes it is,"

"No it is-"

Y/N and Duncan's bickering got cut of by the sight of Owen sleep walking.

Now normally, this wouldn't of of bothered them, and they would of went back to bickering over Die Hard and Beauty and the Beast.

But Owen was completely naked.

Y/N's eyed widened as she saw his clothes strewn on the ground a few feet away from her and Duncan.

Y/N and Duncan looked at each other, looks of disbelief and disgust on their face.

"I think I might barf,"

~Confessionals~

"Did I mention that I ate the entire dish of baked beans and maple syrup?" Owen said. "Funny thing about baked beans they make me sleepwalk."

--

Duncan and Y/N were leaning their backs on each other.

She felt like her eyebags were burning themselves into her skin.

"You still awake?" Duncan asked.

"Unfortunately," Y/N said. "It's like I'm so tired that I'm not tired anymore. Does that make sense?"

"I have no idea, sweetheart," Duncan asked. "Favorite TV show?"

"Friends," she replied. "Favorite color?"

"Neon green, obviously,"

"Oh, don't be a smartass,"

"You like it, I know you do,"

"Uh-huh, I like it so much,"

The two of them sat there without saying a word. Y/N looked up at the dark starry sky.

"I can't wait for this challenge to be over," she finally said.

"You and me both," Duncan yawned. "At least I have you to talk to,"

"Keep all that mushy stuff to yourself," Y/N slightly giggled.

"You know what I meant," Duncan scoffed, lightly punching her arm.

It had been fifty one hours since the challenge started.

Y/N felt like she was getting ready to go crazy.

"Look at him," she heard Gwen say. "He's like a statue!"

Y/N looked up and saw that Gwen was talking about Justin

He was standing upright and his eyes were completely open, not blinking once.

Y/N raised hey eyebrows in doubt.

"He hasn't moved in over fifty hours!"

Gwen and Trent then started to make noises, hoping that Justin would blink or acknowledge them.

He didn't.

"Amazing, look at the concentration," Gwen said.

Y/N, smelling the bullshit, stood up and walked over to where Justin was. She poked him in the face, and he stirred.

He opened his eyes

Turns out his eyelids were painted.

Gwen gasped, while Y/N smirked in satisfaction.

"His eyelids are painted I saw it!" Eva yelled.

"Get out!" Chris said in disbelief. "Oh, I've got to see this."

Chris walked over to where Justin was standing and started to inspect his face.

"That is so crazy incredible!" Chris exclaimed. "But, you're still out dude."

Eighty five hours.

It had been eighty five hours.

Is this what Hell is like?

Is this karma for some of the bad things Y/N did?

Y/N didn't even know if she was alive.

The only people that were awake were Heather, Trent, Gwen, Y/N, Duncan, and Eva.

Y/N sat on a log, watching as Duncan put a sleeping Harold's hand in a cup of warm water.

"Oh, gross it works!" Duncan exclaimed. "Dude peed his pants."

Y/N wanted to laugh, but felt like she didn't have the energy to.

Harold gasped when he woke up, trying to cover himself up.

She looked around and saw everyone who was out of the challenge begin to wake up.

If this were any other circumstance, she would have peed her pants from laughing so hard when she saw Noah cuddling Cody and kissing his earlobe.

"I'd kill for a coffee right now," Gwen yawned.

"Literally same," Y/N smiled, getting a small smile from Gwen in return.

"What is the matter with you people?" Chris sipped on his coffee. "Come on, fall asleep already!"

"You gotta hook me up, man!" Gwen said, pulling on Chris' leg. "I'll even eat the grinds! Anything!"

Chris shook Gwen off him.

"Alright, you six stay with me," Chris said to the people who stayed awake. "The rest of you go and get a shower for Heaven's sake! You stink!"

Y/N rubbed her eyes as all the other campers walked off.

"I didn't want it to come to this. I said that to Chef Hatchet last night," Chris said. "I said 'Chef, I don't want it to come to this, but damn it, these campers are tough' and so I've come up with the most boring sleep inducing activity I can find."

~Confessionals~

"Oh come on, what now?" Gwen said. "Okay you know what? Bring it on!"

--

~Confessionals~"

"There's nothing more boring than trying to stay awake for eighty hours," Y/N grumbled. "Whatever he thinks of is going to be a piece of cake."

--

Chris pulled out a large, thick, red book.

"The history of Canada," he smugly said. "A pop-up book. Chapter one, the beaver. National symbol, and a 'real' fine hat."

Everyone groaned and grumbled.

"Whatever you do, don't fall asleep," Duncan mumbled, sitting next to her as Chris droned on and on about a dumb beaver.

"You too," Y/N whispered, staring at the ground.

Now there were only four people left.

Gwen, Trent, Duncan, and Y/N.

Y/N smirked when she saw that Chris was also getting tired.

"Trent!" Gwen said suddenly.

Y/N looked and saw that Trent collapsed on the ground, fast asleep.

"Don't leave me!" she said.

"Time for a bathroom break!" Chris suddenly said. "Any takers?"

"I've held it for this long, I can go all day!"

Duncan looked like he about to burst.

"Yea, but can you hold it for another ten chapters?" Gwen smirked.

"You've got five minutes," Chris said. "As long as you don't mind a little company."

Gwen sighed.

"Y'know, you and Trent would be cute together," Y/N smiled.

"Really? You think so?" Gwen asked.

"Totally,"

"Thanks," Gwen smiled. "You and Duncan look cute together, too."

"Not my type," Y/N scoffed.

"Uh-huh, whatever you tell yourself."

Y/N closed her eyes for a second, only a second, but didn't want to open them back up.

So she didn't.

Before she knew it, Y/N was being woken up to vote who she wanted to go home.

Y/N didn't really know who to vote for, so she chose someone random.

She didn't remember who though, since she was on the brink of death.

Everyone on the Killer Bass looked like they wanted to sleep for the next month.

Y/N felt the same way, except she wanted to sleep for the rest of her life.

She sat on a stump next to Duncan. She had to force herself to keep her eyes open, because she knew that if she closed them, even for a second, she was going to collapse.

"You've all cast your votes and made your decision," Chris said. "There are only nine marshmallows on this plate. When I call your name, come up and claim your marshmallow. The camper who does not receive a marshmallow must immediately return to the Dock of Shame, catch the Boat of Losers and leave. And you can never come back. Ever."

"The first marshmallow goes to Y/N,"

Y/N very slowly walked up and claimed her marshmallow.

"Duncan,"

"Bridgette,"

"Courtney,"

"Katie and Sadie,"

Both of the squealed making Y/N cringe.

"Tyler,"

"DJ,"

"Geoff,"

The last two that were left without a marshmallow was Eva and Harold.

"Campers, this is the final marshmallow of the evening," Chris said, staying silent for a few moments for the dramatic effect.

Y/N ate her marshmallow, not really caring in that moment who stayed and who went home.

All she really focused on was how good this marshmallow was.

Were marshmallows always this delicious?

"Harold," Chris finally said.

Harold smiled and claimed his marshmallow.

"Eva, the Dock of Shame awaits,"

"Nice," Eva seethed. "Really nice. Who needs this stupid fucking TV show anyway?"

As Eva stomped away, she stopped and kicked Chris in the shin.

"Ow!" Chris yelled. "Have a good night's sleep tonight, you're all safe."

~Confessionals~

"I feel bad for Eva, but not really," Y/N said. "From what I heard from Bridgette, she was acting totally crazy. You can't act like raging psycho and then get mad at people when they don't forgive you."

--

~Confessionals~

"So Eva was one of their strongest players," Heather smirked. "And now she's gone. I am so running this game."

--

Y/N trudged off back to her bunk, not even bothering to say goodnight to Duncan or anyone else.

She would explain to him another time, but for now, all she really cared about was getting some sleep.

Without putting her pajamas on, she fell asleep as soon as her hit the pillow.

She hoped that the next challenge wasn't as brutal as this one.

if i had to stay awake for eighty hours straight, i would probably commit a felony tbh

AINT NO WAY IM STAYIN UP FOR THAT LONG

stay safe and drink lots of water <33

xoxo, Issy

[gatitties]

Chaotic

─ Karasuno (sligh Aoba Josai) x fem!reader

─ Summary: You have a club job to do and you choose your favorite team to do it

─ Warnings: oikawa

"We are all, who are we waiting for?"

Daichi was in charge of counting that no one was missing, however Kiyoko told him that someone was missing, it took him a second to understand who the remaining person was until he saw your figure running closer, you smiled innocently shouting.

"HEEEY, how long Daichi?! Good morning Kiyoko beautiful!"

The girl nodded at your greeting getting on the bus, laughing at your silly compliments to her while the Karasuno captain rubbed his temples, why? Why of all the people traveling with him today was it you?

"Do you have at least one good reason, or do I have to kick you out like when you interrupt our practices?"

"Aww, your words offend me Dadchi, I have a justification to be here!"

You cooed, hopping onto the bus, ignoring the vein that grew on your friend's forehead. You had business with your club, the photography club made you do photo sessions on the subject you chose from time to time and what better session than a practice game with your two best friends.

"Noya, Tanaka! Guess what!?"

The others were startled to hear you scream and settle into a seat near the chaotic second-year duo, you were also a second year and you found yourself attached to this pair of idiots because well… you also shared half a neuron with them, as if you were the missing part to make things more chaotic, of course, you were also in Kiyoko's fan group, but you were much smooth, you know, privileges that those two couldn't have, wink~ wink~.

The whole Karasuno team knew you, somehow they always ended up calling you to the principal's room through the megaphones for having broken something, whether accidentally or not, it was funny that the first years knew your name before your person, the first time you came into the gym with the Rugby kit to run over Noya, everyone yelled your name for you not to do it and the four first years stood there like, oh, so she's the famous girl they keep calling for megaphone.

If Ennoshita was the one who usually kept Nishinoya and Tanaka at bay when Daichi couldn't, it was Narita and Kinosita's job to take care of you when you entered the gym, because one, if you were there it's because you had a lot of free time and two, you were going to do the biggest stupid thing your brain could think of. Yes, it's not that you have very good ideas and many times you worry Sugawara about your physical integrity, he has seen you more times than he would like to admit with some part of your body in a cast, it didn't help that Noya and Tanaka helped by sharing collective idiocy together to you.

Tsukishima hated you so much my god, most of the time you didn't understand his hints or salty comments towards you, but what irritated him the most without a doubt was that you connected so well with Hinata on some occasions that you both made fun of him or spent him some jokes. Yamaguchi was always there to smooth things over, and since you loved this little cinnamon roll, he was the only one you couldn't play tricks on.

Kageyama didn't understand how you had such good grades, as far as possible, compared to the stupid things you said, he secretly admired you and considered that some of your ─absurd─ thoughts made some sense if you stopped to reflect on them.

"Yo yisus, I found out that you tried to offer drugs to a girl the other day, I didn't know you were that kind of person."

And poor Asahi… you loved making fun of him for all the absurd rumors about him, seeing him nervously denying having done such things was too funny for you, but poor person spreading those rumors, oh boy, the last time you heard a guy talking shit about Asahi you bit his arm and kicked him in the balls.

The trip to Aoba's institute was not calm as expected, Noya, Tanaka and you just laughed so loud and so much to the point of crying with laughter for God knows what nonsense, at least Daichi was grateful that you were just noisy and don't even think of sticking your head out of the roof window of the bus… like last time.

At least they knew that when you were concentrating on your hobby, you were a completely calm and focused person, so they weren't going to have the problem of you showing up with a hockey stick to block a good spike in the middle of the game, because you already had done it before. So you were allowed to stand on the bench next to Kiyoko to do your job and take as many photos as you wanted, catching the curious eyes of the Aoba Josai students because they didn't understand what the hell you were doing there just taking photos.

Oikawa really wanted to approach you and ask you to take photos of him too because they were going to be much better than those of your friends, Iwaizumi saw his intentions and a simple look made him tremble, no asking you anything for now. It's not like you haven't taken photos of the blue and white team anyway.

Before halfway through the match you finished the reel you were asked to deliver so… you started to get a bit bored, a stupid smile grew on your face as you watched as in one of the breaks the guys seemed really concerned about the outcome of the simple practice match, you used your half neuron to stop them from making those serious expressions.

"What's up with you guys? You are more tense than Doraemon in a customs control! Come on! Pose like French whores for me!"

Your camera flash went off, grabbing the attention of all the players—opposing team included—even though they had already been paying attention to you since you started speaking. You laughed at the captured image, Daichi staring at the camera with the most serious expression in the world, Suga with a small goofy smile, Asahi holding back his laughter just like Yamaguchi, Noya choking on the water and splashing Tanaka, Hinata letting go a laugh while Tsuki had a grimace that you couldn't tell if he was irritated or amused and Kageyama had this creepy smile on his face.

"Geez…everything would be perfect if Daichi didn't have that resting bitch face- EEEK-" you ducked just as one of the balls flew towards you, the throbbing vein on the captain's forehead told you enough to get you start to pray because he had heard you, you began to run dodging the balls. "Jesus Christ, forgive my life! I didn't mean to say that you have the face of a bitch- although yes-, but not like that! OWW-"

Finally one of the balls hit your neck, almost making you stumble, luckily instead of finding yourself on the ground, you found yourself with a frown and completely angry look.

“Oh, thank god a cute guy got me, huh- thanks man."

You patted his blonde head, leaving Aoba's team completely shocked to see the tips of Kyotani's ears turn red, Oikawa losing it in the background because you had called Mad Dog cute boy before him.

After Daichi scolded you for entertaining them, you sat like a scolded dog next to Kiyoko, who just looked amused at your interactions, all it took was a pat on the shoulder as comfort from her and you had already melted right there, luckily the videos on your phone kept you busy enough not to interrupt the game.

Matsukawa and Hanamiaki definitely came up to you after the match ended to ask for your phone number, you shared that weird energy with them, they knew it the moment they saw you laugh at Tsukishima comparing him to Chicken Little and hearing how you called Tanaka 'my favorite bald friend'.

Your boys get a little jealous because you found another duo that shares the same stupidity with you and on top of that they are their rivals, Oikawa is also jealous because you shared the photos you took of them with Mattsun and Makki but not with him.

You assure Tanaka and Noya that they're your favorites as you wink knowingly at the other duo, they chuckle, winking back as they promise Oikawa that they'll pass on all the photos you took, just before you sent them for the new group you had with Makki and Mattsun you gave them a little touch up with Photoshop.

"Pfft-"

Matsukawa laughed reading the message you sent, an attached file with the photos you took that day of his team, Hanamaki accompanies him with a giggle, sending the files through the team's group chat.

"Why am I bald in all the pictures!?"

"Mmm, you have a certain appeal with that glowing skull."

"Iwa-chan you can't be serious! Who edited this?"

"No idea."

The duo shared a look, shrugging at the same time as they watched their captain complain about the images you had 'minimally' retouched.

[just-timewasting]

In the new episode of Futurama, I noticed a lot call backs or references to previous episodes, so I've tried to list them all:

Obviously, the "Avenged!!" opening caption is a call back to the "Avenge Us!" from Meanwhile

In the cold open the Professor says Fry and Leela were "suffering from an extreme case of old", which is similar to when the youth-a-sizer says the professor has a "serious case of old" in Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles. The youth-a-sizer also gives the professor a botulism treatment to tighten face muscles, and in The Impossible Stream The Professor's head explodes after using wrinkle cream, and then he wants to discuss "explosive botulism".

In the opening credits, Bender is stuck to the ship's magnet, a reference to The Series Has Landed, where Amy uses the magnet to save him from the moon.

The calendar which reveals they are in July 3023 has a similar picture to the calendar which reveals they are in July 1947 in Roswell That Ends Well.

Fry's Fulu passcode was 1077. Which, as we know from A Fishful of Dollars , was the price of a cheese pizza and a soda at the pizzeria. Also ,his PIN number.

Humourbot 5.0 also did a stand up show in That's Loberstertainment.

We saw that Slurms MacKenzie is still partying, even after we all assumed he was dead in Fry and the Slurm Factory.

Calculon was still robot hell after dying in both The Thief of Baghead and Calculon 2.0. The robot devil is still very happy to resurrect him as well.

Leela uses her megaphone backwards, much like Fry did in The Day The Earth Stood Stupid. Although unlike her boyfriend/fiancée (Wonder which one it is? Hopefully they address it in a later episode), she corrects her mistake pretty quick.

To get Calculon to redo the final scene, they had to claim it wasn't a second take. He said he never does a second take in Bender Should Not Be Allowed on Television and seemed utterly confused by the concept in Calculon 2.0.

They were the ones I caught (or saw someone post). I hope there are plenty of these across the new season, because it's fun to try and catch them.

[jimbleswrites]

Pantheon 2022

Chapter 10: Leblanc’s Ambush

Our trip to the K+ concert was a success. It had been a few days since then, but we watched with Ongaku as the internet blew up about K+’s complete breakdown on stage. Ongaku was happy that the smaller labels could continue to be independent. And I continued to patrol for Thora and deliver justice on a smaller scale. Vida was going to talk to Arinya about a possible lead, and I was currently on route to Cranberry Kiss, as Dan & Pat wanted to talk.

I walked into the bar, and found the same quiet place as last time. It was comfy, and I pulled up a stool. There were a few other patrons, all quietly drinking. I ordered a Cranberry Kiss, and the bartender silently mixed it together. I sat there for a minute, enjoying the atmosphere. Then Dan & Pat walked in.

“Robert, Buddy!” Pat called out as the door opened. He and Pat walked in, sliding right next to me at the bar. “Great to see you again!”

“I’ll be honest, waking up in a doctor’s office last time we hung out kinda freaked me out, but I've never felt better after that visit! You gotta let me know if he accepts new patients.” Pat chimed in, waving down the bartender.

I thought about the fight with Thora that put them into Ako’s care. But Ako was able to patch them up and make sure they didn’t remember any godly activities. “Hopefully you don’t need him again. I still feel bad that you guys got involved with my work.” I couldn’t say too much, but I genuinely did feel bad for them getting hurt.

“Don’t worry my man, it is what it is” Dan retorted, grabbing two bottles from the bartender as he walked by. “The important thing is we’re all okay and the paper is doing great!” He pulled up his phone and showed me an article. “Hits are up! We might even expand the team and get a real office!”

I looked closer, and noticed my picture and name near the bottom. “I’m on the site?” I questioned.

“Well, yeah. You got us off the ground, so we felt you deserved some recognition. You’re one of the Weekly Eagle’s field reporters!” Dan smiled, tapping my glass with his bottle and taking a swig. “Don’t worry, it’s just for show.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about. It doesn’t worry you?” I didn’t want to have them attacked again, and having my name attached to anything could be bad.

“Nope.” Pat chimed in, “But the cop cars outside are a little concerning.” He pointed to 3 cop cars that were rolling in, almost on queue. Lights blazing, they quickly drifted to a stop, blocking the road on either side of the bar. The patrons of the bar began walking to the windows to see what was happening. The cops began setting up defensive positions behind the cars, and a tall man in a long overcoat stepped forward with a megaphone.

“ROBERT PALADIN!” The man called out. “YOU ARE BEING ARRESTED FOR TREASON  AGAINST AMERICA! COME OUT NOW OR WE WILL RAID THE BUILDING!” The police were pointing various arms at the building, pointed between the apartments above and the bar.

“You two should find a safe spot.” I stood up awkwardly, not sure why I was being arrested. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I don’t want you getting hurt.” The two reporters nodded, and scuttered behind the bar. I slowly walked over to the front door, cracking it a little. “I gotta ask, what did I do to get this response?” I yelled out to the man, still hiding inside.

“You come closer, and I’ll go over the full wrap sheet with you.” The man stepped forward. “But you try anything stupid, and we start firing.”

I could try to make a doorway out, but I didn't want anyone caught in the crossfire if the police deemed me a threat. I could try to fight out with my aura, but it was still risky. I didn’t have much of a choice though. I stepped out fully from the door, hands raised. The cops focused all their aim on me as I stood there.

The man held out a pair of handcuffs in a gloved hand. “I was hoping for a struggle, Rob.” He said, smirking.

“Then you’re gonna love this.” I focused my aura into my hands, now emitting a bright light and noise, effectively flash-banging the entire force as my hands glowed bright gold with a high-pitched screeching. The full force reeled back, and I quickly ran down the road, hopping over the top of the squad car and sprinting down the empty road.

“GOD DAMN IT, SHOOT HIM NOW!” I turned back to see the man in a full sprint running after me, with others aiming their weapons over. I heard gunfire as I ran, bullets whizzing by. I turned a corner just as a pain shot my leg. I toppled over, and saw a ripple in my aura near my calf. I must have gotten hit by a bullet, and my aura automatically shielded it. The man turned the corner, rushing towards me in a feral charge. I tried to get back up, but it felt like someone had smacked my leg with a hammer. The man finally caught up, and slammed my head into the sidewalk. My aura was shielding me but it still hurt, like my brain was being rattled around in my skull. I flipped over to face my attacker, only to see him swinging for my head. He hunched over me, repeatedly punching me as he pinned me to the sidewalk. I felt myself blacking out as he continued to attack.

***

I woke up to a major headache. My eyes focused on a figure in front of me. I tried to jump up, thinking it was that mysterious attacker from before, but found myself strapped down. I thrashed for a second, but couldn’t break the straps. I looked up again to see the figure was myself, reflected in a large mirror next to a door. I also saw a monitor next to me, with my vitals plastered all over it. I followed the cords to see some sensors hooked onto my arm, right next to a metal cuff chained to the bed I was laying in. I looked to my other side to see something hooked into my arm. It looked like an IV drip, but the label had some chemical I didn't recognize. My best guess was that I was captured, but by who? And why is no one watching me?

“Hello?” I called out. I tried to focus on breaking the cuff, but my body felt sluggish. It was like having a 2-second delay on moving anything.

“Anyone there?” I tried calling out again. I sat there awkwardly squirming, until the door finally opened with a whoosh. The mysterious man that attacked me walked through, alongside a smaller man in a lab coat. They walked to the edge of the bed, standing a good distance back.

“Mr. Paladin? How are you feeling?” The smaller man spoke up, with a bit of fear in his voice.

“To be honest? Disoriented, pissed off, and confused.” I responded. “Where am I and who are you two?”

“My name is Dr. Doug Prunty, and this is Commander Leblanc.” The smaller man explained. “I’m afraid you aren’t allowed to know where you are.”

“You are a captive of the United Nations. You are being deemed a threat until we know more about you.” Commander Leblanc spoke with authority. “We have questions for you.”

I scoffed. “You accuse me of treason in the middle of the street, then assault me, kidnap me, and expect me to play nice?”

Leblanc stepped closer. “You were accused of crimes you did commit. Trespassing, stealing, assault to officers and civilians, espionage, and more. While you are extremely good at breaking the law, you didn’t attempt to cover your tracks at all. We have several reports, eyewitnesses, and security footage for several escapades of yours.” He turned to a TV in the corner I hadn’t noticed yet, and it buzzed to life with photos of me. “GIPA HQ in New York, The storage in the Phoenix courthouse, and the K+ concert in Green Bay. We have you clocked at each location.” He turned back to me. “Now, you tell me. Who do you work for?”

I wasn’t telling these people anything. They wouldn’t believe me, and normal humans weren’t supposed to know about gods or champions. I stared Leblanc down, refusing to speak.

“OK then, how about known associates?” The TV flickered to photos of Dan & Pat. “Why are you listed as a field reporter on their site?” I stayed silent. The TV changed again to a photo of me and Mrs. R at the mall shopping. “How about her? You two shopped with a bank card that doesn’t exist, and yet all the charges are fine. Anything you wanna say?”

These guys had done their homework, but didn’t seem to know about Mrs. R. Maybe she was sneakier than I was? The TV changed again, showing me and Caleb buying the car in Phoenix. “How about him?” Leblanc continued to question, “Your accomplice for the Phoenix heist?”

“Is there anything you will tell us?” Doug piped in, trying to help.

I wasn’t sure how much they knew, but I needed to leave here. “I gotta pee.”

Leblanc sighed, turning off the TV. “You are just making this difficult for everyone. But if you don’t want to talk now, i’ll wait.” He grabbed Doug by the shoulder, and led him to the door. “If you try anything, we’ll know.” They went through the door, it loudly clanged behind them, and I was alone again. Suddenly Leblanc’s blared over a speaker. “There is a toilet and sink next to the bed. If you cooperate, we won’t need the cuffs.” I sat up, looking to my left, and found a small toilet and sink attached to the wall. I looked closer at the cuff, and found a small clip to a longer chain. I unhooked it, and now had some more freedom. My other cuff on my left wasn’t attached to anything, but had a small light and beeped occasionally. Probably a tracker or a bomb. Maybe both. I found myself in a set of scrubs, and just realized my stuff was gone. I wasn’t left with any options for now, so I just had to bide my time.

***

Dr. Doug Prunty was not very excited to have this assignment. Normally guard duty on this platform was not bad, but with Leblanc? The commander was known for two things. His impressive record for catching criminals, and his obsessive personality. Doug had just gotten the report, and he was not looking forward to going over it with the commander.

“Commander, his things have been analyzed.” Doug stood next to the commander, looking through the report on his tablet. “The items are normal, except for a yellow jacket and his phone. They have no manufacturer listed and appear to be made by the prisoner himself. The phone also has no response to anything we try, so it may be a while until we can hack in.”

Leblanc didn’t react. He just stared through the one-way mirror at his prisoner. Robert simply sat on his bed, cross-legged, seemingly meditating. “What about the flashbang he used?”

“Nothing found on scene. No body armor either. He doesn’t seem to have any other advanced tech, and the search of the bar and apartments came up with nothing.” Doug continued. “We’re unsure if he has any other tricks up his sleeves, but there’s nothing on him. The body scan showed it was all organic.”

Leblanc turned to Doug. “Of course it did. We just have a person with superhuman powers, with no previous record of existence, that has been actively stealing government secrets, and with no actual leads on how he did any of it.” His voice dripped with sarcasm, clenching his fists tightly.

Doug gulped. “But he’s here! That’s a good thing, right?”

Leblanc pulled up his sleeve, revealing his robotic arm. It was clearly a prototype, with exposed pistons and gears quietly clicking as the arm rose. “The last time we encountered someone like him, I got my entire arm ripped off.”

Doug tried to look away just to have Leblanc move his arm closer. It grinded against Doug’s shirt, tearing the cloth against the unpolished steel. “I was apprehending a simple suspect, when someone TORE my arm off. Not cut. Not dislocated. She pulled it off like I was a god damn toy!”

Leblanc was shouting now, towering over the scientist. He pressed his metal hand into Doug’s shoulder. “MY PLAN WAS TO KILL HIM BEFORE HE COULD HURT MORE PEOPLE. NOW WE HAVE ONE OF THOSE FREAKS, JUST WAITING FOR A CHANCE TO STRIKE! THE MOMENT OUR GUARD DROPS, HE WILL ATTACK AND HE WILL BREAK OUT!” Leblanc breathed heavily, now pinning the poor doctor to the wall.

Doug tried to break away, but was unable to. After a moment of silence, Leblanc lowered him down and stepped back.

“He could have some information for us. I’m sorry.” Doug finally spoke. “We’ll focus on getting info our way. Then you get your way.” Doug timidly snuck away, scuttling out of the door.

Leblanc looked back to the prison cell, watching Robert. He flexed his arm, knowing a fight would be coming. It was only a matter of time before this new threat showed everyone his true colors.

[deansmom]

AND ANOTHER THING —

Literally look at season 10 with the MoC and the way Sam treated him because CHRIST, it will ALWAYS piss me the fuck off. And like yes, I get it, I really, truly do understand why Sam responded that way, but fandom gives him so much grace and dean gets zero so I’m allowed to be pissed about it lmao

Dean’s feelings about the mark are basically never addressed in the whole season, but Sam is immediately treating him like he’s a monster they have to hunt. Which beyond being insulting, sets Dean on edge because he’s trying so hard to be normal. He’s bottling it all in partly because of how he ended up with the Mark (trying to fix what he did to Sam in s9, trying to save cas and Sam, literally trying to kill himself to fix everyone else’s problems!!!) but also because Sam makes it VERY clear VERY quickly that he doesn’t trust Dean and that he feels unsafe. Which again, yeah I get it, what the fuck ever, that’s not the point.

Sam INSISTS on saving Dean no matter what the cost, no matter that Dean told him no, and in doing so gets Charlie killed, Cas hurt and unleashes the Darkness and has the absolute fucking AUDACITY, THE GALL, TO TELL DEAN THAT THIS IS ON BOTH OF THEM. AS IF DEAN HADN’T SPENT THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS WITH THIS ANCIENT BEING LIVING INSIDE OF HIM, BEING KEPT AT BAY, BY DEAN’S SHEER FORCE OF WILL TO NOT HURT ANYONE ELSE. Death told him how he could free himself from the mark, and dean said no! Because he wasn’t going to make anyone else have to live through that!

And because Dean still STILL feels guilty about Ezekiel and is still thinking about how Sam said he wouldn’t do the same thing for Dean, HE JUST ACCEPTS THIS. HE’S LIKE “yeah, no, Sam’s right, this is OUR fault.”

Oh. My. God, few things have irked me more about Sam than the way he treated Jack in s13 and how he talked to Dean about it. He hated him too, but he took every fucking opportunity to make Dean feel bad for not being able to keep his feelings to himself. He was GRIEVING, Jack was a direct product of fucking SATAN, and Dean wasn’t going to waste any energy on protecting his feelings. Yeah he was a dick, but at least Jack knew where the hell he stood with Dean, rather than have to find out later like he did with Sam, that someone he thought was a friend didn’t like or trust him.

Sam and Dean both have a lot of trauma and it manifests itself differently in both of them, but the thing that always gets me is why they’re different, and the way Sam doesn’t seem to ever grasp that. He expects everyone to comfort him and make exceptions for his shit ass attitude and behavior, for his trauma responses, but god fucking forbid Dean have a bad moment or a bad day, make a stupid shitty decision, lest Sam spend the rest of the season needling his brother about it and exacerbating the self flagellation that he had to have known Dean was doing. Like fucking Christ, the fact that he never seems to clue in on how dean is perpetually suicidal is absolutely WILD to me.

In s8 Dean wanting to do the trials and Sam being like “because you only trust yourself” and Dean just stares at him because he’s like “is that seriously how you’re reading this Sammy???” [pulls out a megaphone & presses it to Sam’s ear] HE WANTED TO DIE YOU FUCKING IDIOT NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU

John was so consumed by the part he felt like he played in Mary’s death that his actions having consequences genuinely never seemed to cross his mind. Sam is the same way, but the difference is that he intentionally places himself so the blowback of his decisions lands on Dean. And then when it does, and Dean responds poorly or is upset, he turns it on him and makes Dean the bad guy.

OH MY GOD AND IN S11 THE WAY HE WAS SO FLIPPANT ABOUT CAS’S LIFE TO THE POINT TBAT DEAN HAD TO SAY “HES not an it, Sam, it’s cas” is such a good example of the tunnel vision he got from his father. Fuck all the innocent people in the way, even if they’re one of your good friends and your brother’s best friend outside of you (bc you got all his other friends killed), because he’s got a mission 🤪

Anyways 🤪 if Sam spawned in front of me tomorrow, I would fist fight his annoying ass in the parking lot and I’d win because he’d be like “oh I can’t hit a girl.” That’s fine, I don’t mind beating a bitch ass white boy, it doesn’t have to be a fair fight 😤

listen it’s 2021, nobody can yell at me for my Hot Takes on the w*nchester bros and specifically sam because none of you care about me anymore lmao

and no, I will not be responding to defenses of these things, I just want to yell about this because I can’t stop thinking about it now

Keep reading

[acidiluc]

haikyuu boys giving you signals as their sign of love during a game !!

characs: kuroo tetsurou & kageyama tobio <33

note: my brain randomly came up with this idea while reading the manga,, and now i kinda wanna do other characters as well 😩 tell me what you think!

and saeko supremacy! <33

kuroo tetsurou —

"go, go, nekoma! push it, push it, nekoma!" you cheered loudly with the crowd from where you stood as nekoma scored once again. you smiled proudly as you watched the opposing team call for a time out right after the ball was spiked by your ardent boyfriend— kuroo tetsurou.

despite being there to always watch and support tetsurou in his games, you only recently have taken interest in the players' way of knowing their next attacks, which are: hand signals.

and you smiled softly as you remembered randomly bringing the topic up to your boyfriend.

"hey tetsu, can you teach me those... hand signals you convey to your teammates?" you asked, scrunching up your nose as you looked down at your hand, mimicking the hand signals your boyfriend subtly gave his teammates during the match earlier.

you were always curious as to what the hand signals meant, and you figured out that maybe it has something to do with what attack they were going to initiate next during a match.

kuroo looked over at your direction as he was pulling on a new shirt, chuckling at your curiosity before making his way over to you. "well someone's curious." he smirked as he sat on the space in front of you in bed, demonstrating each hand signal he would convey to his teammates and explained each and every one while you listened carefully.

and after that, he made you explain what attacks each hand signals represent while he demonstrated each signal to you.

"—and that is a back attack!" you smiled widely, happy that you got all hand signals right.

"okay, how about this?" he asks, beating his chest lightly twice before pressing two fingers onto your forehead.

"huh?" you looked up at him in confusion, "you didn't show me this." you said, copying his actions. you beat your chest twice lightly and pressed two fingers on his chest. "what is it?" you asked.

"it's an 'i love you', dummy." kuroo teased, leaning forward to steal a kiss from your lips before laughing as he stood up. "now let's get some dinner!"

"wh— hey!"

you were taken back to reality as you heard the referee's whistle and as well as how the crowd started cheering again as yamamoto served. nekoma was at their set point and the battle was a little intense. you could tell everyone in the crowd was on edge, watching closely on what's happening on the court since it was a close game.

thankfully, kenma still had his calm composure despite the pressure and tension in the atmosphere in the court, still managing to make the right choices. he moved and jumped to perfectly set the ball over to kuroo,

and with that one last spike, nekoma won.

everyone cheered loudly, including you— you were basically jumping up and down while squealing with alisa, who came to support her brother's team. this, by far, is one of the best games you've seen your boyfriend has played. the sets, the tension, the pressure— it was intense, and you felt so proud for all of them, especially of your lover, since all of the hard work they put in training is slowly paying off!

you watched as the players shook each other's hands, then the shook the umpires' and referees', and the coaches'. then the crowd started cheering again as the team made their way to where nekoma's supporters were. you smiled and waved your mini banner while cheering with alisa. you locked eyes with kuroo for a moment, watching him bow with the other members before shouting a "thank you for your support!".

and as he stood back up, kuroo looked up and smiled at the sight of you. despite being all sweaty and tired... seeing you there to always support him in his games made him feel as if he can do several more sets of intense games and win every single one of them. just for you and his passion for volleyball.

kuroo looked back to his teammates as they called his name, ready to get off the court. "yeah, hold on a sec!" he called back.

he then quickly looked back up at you, beating his chest twice before pointing two fingers at you with a smirk. after that, he quickly ran over to his teammates, chatting among themselves about their victory.

alisa cooed at the gesture and turned to look at you. you can't help the butterflies flutter in your stomach, and the blush creeping its way up to your face as the people around you glanced at you, seeing how kuroo pointed at you.

"i love you too, you dumbass. i'm proud of you." you muttered and smiled to yourself as you watched the team make their way off the court, while you made a mental note to say it to kuroo's face later on.

kageyama tobio —

you sighed as you stepped in the massive gymnasium before you, looking around as you listened to the roars and drums of the crowd while walking over to the courtside balcony of karasuno's side. "damn, they're wild today." you muttered to yourself.

you looked over to the scoreboard and gasped softly. karasuno was falling behind by 3 points while the opponent was on their match point.

"oi, why are you so late?!" you flinched as someone shouted from behind you. you whipped your head to see saeko, tanaka's older sister, looking at you with an annoyed expression on her face, making chills run down your back.

you chuckled nervously and scratched the back of your neck, "to be honest, i wasn't really planning to come watch at all." you said.

you may or may not have had a fall out with kageyama the day before the match— the argument was no one's fault though, you were both in the wrong. kageyama was clearly exhausted from all the training he had that day and yet you clinged onto him when he wanted to have some time alone. the argument was stupid, really. he was stupid to let hurtful words slip out of his mouth and you were stupid for not understanding him.

and you weren't planning to watch him play at all because you are one prideful person. but you knew that tobio would still want you to watch him play and support him, so... you got over your pride and went to watch anyway.

saeko quickly made her way over to you, hitting your head with her bachi drumstick (drumsticks used for taiko drums!). "ow!" you exclaimed, moving your hand to rub on the spot to ease the pain. "what was that for?" you asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"did you have a fight with tobio or something?!" she asked, hands resting on her hips. "well... kind of. why do you ask?" you said.

saeko forcefully moved your head to make you look where the team was gathered during a timeout, where you saw your boyfriend with an expression he does when he's too deep in his thoughts. "well, your boyfriend is not in his best play today, which is affecting the whole team, by the way. and the girlfriend who was always there to watch his games is not here to watch him either! hmmm, i wonder why?!" she exclaimed into your ear.

"alright! alright! i'm sorry!" you sighed and distanced yourself from saeko before she does anything else to you.

did the argument affect tobio that much?

now you felt guilty. but you'll make up for it. you looked back to where your boyfriend was again and bit on your lip, thinking of ways to catch his attention. you looked around you and picked up an acoustic megaphone (not caring whose it is) and shouted, "kageyama!"

you grunted as he didn't look in your direction. he probably didn't hear you. you looked over to saeko to tell her to make the drums stop for a minute, but you saw her already instructing the drummers to do so.

you smiled widely and averted your attention, "kageyama!" you shouted, much louder than before. the boy perked up and looked over to the crowds, brightening up as he saw you. "you guys can do it!" you yelled, and as if on cue, the drums started beating again.

the boys almost sighed in relief seeing kageyama regain his composure once he saw you, "ah, love." tsukishima commented, making kageyama turn to him with a scowl. "shut up."

"well someone's bitter~" tanaka teased, knowing tsukishima also used to have a crush on you.

"oi! be ready!" daichi said, smacking each boy on his way back to the court as the referee whistled.

you bit on your lip as you watched kageyama walk over to the server's spot with the ball. he looked back up to the crowd again and locked his eyes on you,

he raised the ball with one hand and pointed at you, a growing smirk on his face.

and with this, you already knew the opponent team is about to meet their end. you smirked back and nodded.

kageyama spun the ball in between his hands before crouching to a ready position, pressing his lips against the ball, taking a deep breath.

and once the referee blew the whistle, kageyama threw the ball in the air and jumped, spiking the ball perfectly onto the other side of the court.

a service ace.

the crowd roared loudly with the drums while you smiled widely, "that's my boy!" you cheered before turning to saeko, "did you see that?!" you squealed, and saeko only smirked proudly.

despite having the opponent at their match point— with kageyama's service aces and their infamous 'weirdo attack', karasuno has claimed their victory.

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[wifi-crusader]

Ok, so I got this scar on my right hand. I don't remember how I got it except it was from a surgery. Anyway, so I'm contemplating if I should throw my hat in the villain au- or is the impostor au? Eh whatever, let's just see how my low caffine filled mind will type then.

Implied male reader because that's what I am and I'm comfortable writing that. Also, you have the scar I mentioned at the top because I had a thought 'bout this.

Side note, *grabs a megaphone and turns it on* anyone of any age or whatever can read this. I honestly don't give a fuck! Just don't complain to me about it!

------------ Idk how to make a cut -------------

You just gotten home from an exhausting day of whatever the hell you do. You've made the decision of playing Genshin after a total of 1 hour and 1 minute of looking through your library of games. The game started up and when those doors in the loading screen up, you started to get sucked into the screen along with your phone. When you finally get sucked in, your vision faded to black....

But luckily you didn't die as you landed in a convenient field of flowers.

"Ugh..." you groaned out. You lifted yourself up and saw the beautiful city of Mondstat.

"Nope, I'm going back to sleep. This is a dream" you speaked to yourself and then faceplanted back onto the flower field.

A bit of time passes as you woke back up again to still see the sunsetting over Mondstat.

"Well I'll be, I guess Sagau just came ture..." you spoke to yourself as you got up and headed towards the city. As soon as you got to the gates, the two knights of Favonius standing guard look at you with curiosity and shock.

"Daw shite, don't tell me this is a impostor au..." you thought. A bit of worry kicks in as you might get you family jewels cut off by Jean or possibly Ningguang. The latter if you escaped this place and go to Liyue due to a series of unfortunate events (🎵Look away, look away, look away🎵).

After some time walking around and just taking in the beauty of this world, ignoring the looks of the citizens of course. You were suddenly stopped by one of the top tier waifus, Jean Gunnhildr. Your eyes widen and felt heat on your cheeks because Jean was your first waifu and first five star so you obviously had a little, itty-bitty, tiney tiny crush on her.

"Please tell me as to why your where our gods face, impostor" Jean sternly said to your face.

You looked around then back at her. "You talking to me?" You said back to her as you pointed at your face with your right hand.

Jean looked at your hand and her face turns from serious to shocked. She then gets on her knees and clasped her hands together in a prayer formation.

"I'm so sorry your greatness! I thought you were an impostor! How can I be so stupid!" She pleaded to you as you stared at her with confusion.

"...What?" You questioned. Jean stand back up and grabs your hand and pinted at your scar. "Your mark, you made your the skin on the back of your hand form a heart. You did this to always prove your divinity to us. Along with symbolizing the love you put into crafting our world with your hands!"

"I always thought it looked like a speech bubble..." you said quietly to yourself as Jean was mesmerized by your hand. You soon realized a crowd of people was surrounding you. Jean snapped out of her trance and got her self up. She looked at the crowed began to speak to the people. "Everyone! Rejoice as our God blessed us with their presence!" She then lifts your right hand up to show your scar.

You stood their confused on what the fu- happened. First you were called an impostor and literally one second later, everyone is calling you God. All because of your scar. But during all of this, one singular thought is on your mind. "I wonder where Aether is? Oh wait, I haven't finish Inazuma yet"

<Meanwhile>

"Achoo!" Aether sneezed. "Are you ok?" Paimon asked the sneezing adventurer. "Yeah, I felt that our greatness thought about me". Aether responded to the emergency food. "Huh, well Paimon thinks we should go see about the third guy lady Ayaka told us about" (Yes, I haven't finished this part yet). "I don't know, maybe we should check out Mondstat..." Aether told Paimon as he started to walk in the direction of Mondstat. "Hey! Wait up!" Paimon flew up and followed Aether.

<Back to your scheduled program>

You were following Jean, who still was holding your hand by the way, as she was showing all of Mondstat. During the tour, people started to give you gifts that varied from crops, liquor, the blood of your enemies. Even Amber, who showed up late to the impromptu arrival, gifted you a special baron bunny that's dressed in what she heard you refer as "drip". Almost everyone in Mondstat was there except for Albedo, who's in Dragonspine at the moment. But do not fret, Timaeus is running to get him.

Oh I should mention that a few individuals *cough* Kaeya and Lisa *cough* are gossiping about you and Jean holding hands. If you listen carefully, you can just feel the jealousy in them.

In conclusion, you were at first scared, but now basically everyone wants to be in Jean's position even a certain drunk bard. The rest of your first night in Teyvat was an impromptu festival in your honor.

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

Yo, should I make this into a part series? Like let's say you arrive in Liyue first or just straight up fall on Aether in Inazuma.

[dayenurose]

Writer’s Month Promt (written for @writersmonth and @clerati )

Day 7 - Capture the Flag (Literati)

Jess wasn’t certain how he got talked into joining the town-wide game of capture the flag. He definitely wasn’t the type to join in on the regular Stars Hollow nonsense nor did he enjoy any sort of team sport. So yeah, his participation remained a mystery to him.

Looking up from his book, Jess caught sight of Rory as she joined the milling crowd with her mom. Both women were grinning ear to ear as Rory explained something to her mom. From the use of exuberant hand gestures by the hand not holding her coffee, she was probably telling Lorelai about the time their usual coffee shop had accidentally given her decaf. Rory had been more jittery without the usual boost of caffeine than she was without it.

Oh, right. That’s why he joined. Her bright smile and the way she bounced with unbridled excitement brought an uncynical smile to his lips. Jess would do anything to see that boundless joy in her. Even participate in one of Taylor’s stupid town bonding activities. He remembered when Rory had looked so lost, defeated in a way which didn’t fit with her spirit.

With a last word to her mom, Rory bounded across the square to his side. She dropped down on the bench next to him, her legs thrown over his lap. Jess wrapped an arm around shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temples. She lifted her face in expectation of a better kiss. With a shake of his head Jess pointed towards the gazebo where Taylor stood with megaphone in hand. It wasn’t that he actually wanted to listen to Taylor, but he’d never actually played capture the flag before. He figured he ought to know at least a few of the rules so he could find the fastest way of getting out.  

“Quiet. Quiet please. Everyone if you would please stop talking!” The megaphone squealed as Taylor tried shouting over the still conversing crowd.

Rory pouted. When she looked up at him with wide, soft eyes, he couldn’t resist. Pulling her completely onto his lap. Jess nipped at her lower lip. Rory squealed. Jess pushed loose strands of hair behind her ear and whispered, “Do you want me to kiss it better?”

She whimpered and nodded. So Jess kissed her properly. Distracted by a much pleasanter form of entertainment, they both missed the moment Taylor gave up and handed the megaphone over to Kirk, whose less-than-useful clarifications were only half amplified. Everything was brought to a noisy conclusion when Kirk inadvertently set off the 'siren' feature on the megaphone and nearly deafened those closest to the gazebo.

“—teams. Find your teams!” Giving up, Taylor shouted instructions in short bursts and waved his hands in a futile gesture.

Jess and Rory finally broke apart when Luke sidled up behind them. “Jeeze you two. Can’t you find somewhere more appropriate to do that? Like your room?”

“Okay.” Jess agreed readily, despite knowing he’d never get away with it. Ever since the day he bid on Rory’s picnic basket, Jess was doomed to be wrapped up in all the town’s shenanigans.

“No way mister,” Rory gave Luke a disapproving glare which Jess found more cute than intimidating. She pointed a finger at Luke. “You’re on the other team. You just want us out of the way so it will be easier for you to win.”

Luke shrugged like he didn’t actually care one way or the other. As he wandered off towards the side of green where his team was gathering, Luke was heard muttering, “Don’t know how I always get pulled into this stuff.“

“Shall we?” Rory hopped off Jess' lap and offered him the crook of her arm.

Jess slid his book into his back pocket and slipped his hand around her proffered arm. “We shall.”

——

Jess never did get a complete rundown of the game’s rules. It wasn’t hard to figure out that each team had the goal of capturing the other team’s flag, but that was about as far as he got from the name of the game. From the presence of a ‘jail’ for the opposing team, he figured that there was some sort of tagging/capturing process in the game. Well that made his strategy easy. Get tagged, spend the rest of the game reading in ‘jail.’ Not an entirely unpleasant way to spend the evening.

As half his team scattered, running across town towards the other team’s flag, Jess gave Rory’s hand a tug and took off at a stroll. They ducked in and out of alleys and back ways of the town. During high school, he’d figured all the ways to get across Stars Hollow with the least bit of notice.

“So,” Rory whispered. She tapped at the spine of “Wuthering Heights” in his back pocket. “Did you bring a book for me too?”

“Nope.” He popped his ‘p’. “Thought you were excited to play.”

With a noncommittal shrug, she bumped against his shoulder. “I missed the rules.”

“Ah.” He nodded as if he hadn’t been the cause of the rule missing. “Rule number one, always carry an extra book.”

Rory stuck out her tongue. “Normally I do, but I don’t have my bag with me.”

“Pockets?” He teased, knowing full well that her present lack of reading material was the exception rather than the rule.

With a huff of frustration, Rory began the familiar rant about the inconvenient design of pockets on women’s clothes.

“I can think of at least one nice thing about your pockets,” Jess whispered into her ear as he slipped a hand into her back pocket.

“It’s a good thing I married you,” she muttered under her breath, but didn’t try to remove his hand. Instead, she rested her head against his side. It was an awkward way to walk, but neither of them were complaining.

“You know,” Jess said as they approached the opposite side of town. “I haven’t seen anybody recently. Do you think the game might be over?”

With a vague wave towards the center of town, she shook her head. The movement caused her head to bump against his chest. “No. There’s too much noise over there.”

“Hmm.” So much for his strategy.

As they neared the corner of Miss Patty’s studio, the couple stayed in the shadows as they surveyed the scene.

Kirk ran back and forth across his team’s end of the field like a chicken with its head cut off. Well, a tall, lanky chicken, screaming strategies which even Jess could tell was nonsense. He waved his arms around in a frenetic motion drawing all eyes to his flailing instead of the flag they were supposed to be protecting.

Turning to Rory, Jess placed a finger to his lips. “Shh, I have an idea.”

Silently sneaking out of the ally, Jess made his way to the flag. Without much thought, he cut away at the seam holding the flag to the pole. It was about the size of an average bath towel though made of a cheap polyblend of some sort. If he cared to ask, Lorelai could probably tell what it was made of, but that seemed like too much effort for something he cared less than zero about. Instead he snuck back to Rory where she waited in the shadows.

“You got the flag,” she whispered. A brilliant thousand watt grin lit her face.  He was surprised the whole alley didn’t glow with the force of her smile. “And here I thought you had no competitive spirit.”

“I don’t.” He thrust the opposite end of the flag into her hands. “Help me fold this.”

The made quick work of it, folding the flag into a small, neat rectangle. In its new compact size, he placed it in Rory’s hands and sandwiched his hands around hers. With mock solemnity, he intoned, “Your mission is to keep this safe. Guard it with you life.”

“Aye aye, captain.” She gave a impudent salute, then tucked the rectangle up her sleeve.

With the flag claimed and the opposing team still none the wiser, Jess and Rory looked at each other at a loss about what to do next.

Eventually Rory shrugged. “I guess we bring it back to our zone.”

Turning, they more or less traced the same route back through town. They kept their conversation light. That was, light for them. What began as a discussion about merits of “Wuthering Heights” as read through the lens of a gothic novel soon devolved to a mock argument with them deliberately choosing opposite sides of the ‘Mr. Rochester as a romantic figure’ debate, simply for the exercise of proving their sides from the text.

Debating well worn paths through “Wuthering Heights” kept them busy as they walked. This time it was Rory’s fingers lingering longer than necessary on his backside as she retrieved the book from his pocket in order to look up a quote neither of them could quite remember well enough to prove their side of the argument.

Before they could debate themselves into a standstill, they were back behind their team’s lines. Jess tugged at the corner of the flag sticking out from Rory’s sleeve. “What are we suppose to do with this?”

Rory shrugged. “I dunno.”

“Coffee and pie?” Jess suggested.

“Well, look at you. You know the perfect way to a girl’s heart.” Rory wrapped her arm’s around the back of his neck.

“Not just any girl. My wife.” Jess grinned and kissed her not so briefly.

No one stopped them as Jess escorted Rory to Luke’s. From the diner, they had a front row seat to observe Taylor’s panic and the game fall into the subsequent chaos. Lorelai pouted when she found out she’d missed the drama (being stuck in ‘jail’ at the time). Rory promised her mom a play-by-play the next morning over breakfast. In the meantime, Jess had more interesting (and intimate) plans for his partner-in-crime.

The case of the ‘notorious flag bandit’ was never officially solved. Although Jess was pretty certain his uncle figured out what happened. Especially when the flag was returned three months later with a scrapbook chronicling its adventures while on the lam.

Who would have guessed that a game of capture the flag with the love of his life would be so satisfying? Well, Jess knew. After all, everything was better with Rory at his side.

[shy-peacock]

Au where namaari and raya are this school play, and they both wanted the lead but instead only one of them got the lead and the other got the leads love interest, and they happen to hate eachother. But the two of them have a couple kiss scenes that theyre both dreading…for now…

This could be a college or high hook setting doesn’t matter to me😊

Here y'all go <3 Rated G/T for cursing and kisses UwU

Everyone was staring at them.

I mean-...isn’t this what she wanted?

Main lead in the school play, lights on her, everyone cheering her on as she performed. She knew what this could mean, being just a freshman in college with barely much to show to the upper grades. Yes, she was good at acting and singing and playing the parts from a random villager to the lead role whether male or female. But that was in high school, here she was in the big leagues and had been given the opportunity of a lifetime to surpass the seniors who had worked their whole college career to get where she was starting off.

Yet-...she couldn’t do it.

And all because of Namaari.

“For fucks sake Raya, it’s just a kiss!?” Sisu called from the rows and rows of seats before them. Her, along with the other members of their drama class mumbling as well, agreeing with her blue-haired friend who oversaw the entire play. A ‘director’ of some sorts, even though their Professor was the one who had the final say in everything. Making Raya wonder who was to blame for allowing…’this’....to happen, her best friend who was thriving off the scene they were trying to pull off or the man who had signed off on the play to begin with.

“Yeah, Raya-..don’t be such a chicken shit.” her co-star, Namaari, scoffed. Smug, looking far too pleased with herself as she stood just a few inches away from Raya. Her ‘lover’ in the play, a questionably equal main character. Someone Raya was meant to kiss, several times, throughout the entirety of the play. “It’s just a kiss-” Namaari added, scrunching that stupid nose of hers as she did.

God.

Namaari was SO annoying.

She had the pleasure of knowing Namaari since day one of college, getting the awful luck of having her as a roomie. The unable to get along, it seemed, as they spent most of their time arguing or throwing insults at one another. Raya particularly annoyed that Namaari majored in the same things she had, took the same classes, and now was a part of the same play she would be starring in. Making nearly every day a day full of living, breathing, and Namaari.

Raya couldn’t wait till next year when she would finally have a new living arrangement. But, in the here and now, she was stuck with her. Stuck kissing her for that matter, considering Raya wouldn’t give up this part for the world. Meaning she had to bite through it, get it over and done with the first time so no one could say she had to do it again.

Not at least until opening night…

“She’s just scared she’s going to like it..” Namaari announced, continuing to tease Raya while she had the chance. Seeing her flustered, knowing this was absolutely killing her. Having quite a lot of fun at seeing her so miserable.

“No, I’m just scared you’ll get attached.” Raya shot back, glaring at her.

“As if-..you’re far too annoying to-”

“LADIES!” Sisu yelled, using her megaphone then to get their attention, “continue the scene please so we can all go home!”

A round of annoyed huffs and groaned agreeances followed, clearly all of them over Raya’s hesitation. Especially since it was nearly an hour now that they had been trying to get this scene just perfect. Adding to Raya’s embarrassment.

Still, they ran through the lines.

Once again the stage fell quiet.

All eyes on them.

Raya was meant to pull Namaari into a kiss, her character was meant to at least. But the line came and then it went, a long pause hovered over them, and then Sisu called out again.

“RAYA!”

“Namaari just kiss her!” someone else added.

“No-..the point is Raya’s character has to do it.” Namaari laughed, “I can’t help it that scaredy-pants over here won’t do the scene correctly!”

“I’m not scared!” Raya shot.

“Well, can we get someone else to do it then?” an additional voice called, “Raya’s not willing to do it, so find someone who can.”

“No!” both Raya and Namaari yelled out, pausing no sooner had they done so, turning to look at one another. Both confused why the other said ‘no’ and, even more so, confused why they themselves had said it. A moment, which held the whole theater still in the silence of it, arose and Raya knew her face had gone bright red. Knowing how that looked, how it sounded. Diverting it all with a very loud huff of annoyance.

“Fine!” she snapped, grabbing Namaari then by the back of her neck and tugging her down and into her lips. Kissing her, firmly, for as much as she was worth. She felt Namaari sort of stumble into the kiss, startled by it, only to relax and move into it then. Raya’s lips moving against her, deepening as their bodies pressed against one another. Warm, liquid friction spreading throughout Raya’s body.

It began and then it ended.

Somehow so fast and yet so slow at the same time, Raya moving back to see Namaari slowly opening her eyes. Dazed, taking a steady breath as their eyes stayed locked. Both clearly feeling something from the kiss, Raya herself nearly wanting to slip back into it. Only, she remembered herself just at the last moment. Recalling where they were, amongst at least a dozen people who had waited over an hour for Raya to kiss Namaari and now here she was unable to stop. She took a step back, barely glancing at the class that was their audience. Spotting Sisu in the crowd alone, her eyes wide as if she were surprised to see the whole thing occur despite asking for it again and again.

“There, everyone can go home now!” Raya stated, her voice an octave higher than usual as she marched off the stage.

~~~~~~~~

Later, Raya waited outside the building for Sisu. Plans for dinner already made hours ago, despite the gross weather outside as it rained heavily. Raya standing just under the roofing, preparing for the mad dash across campus with her bestie to get warm food. Hoping her clothes wouldn’t get too wet, however knowing it would more than likely be drenched.

The door opened and she turned, expecting Sisu, only to see it was Namaari. Her co-star, roomie and someone she had just locked lips with a few minutes ago; coming towards the steps as she was no doubtedly about to make her way back to the dorm with an umbrella in her hand.

Raya quickly turned her attention forward, face heating, praying Namaari didn’t have it in her today to approach her about the kiss, the energy between them. Knowing something was felt between them from it, yet Raya was not ready to acknowledge it. Not now, not here in the open at least!

Namaari stopped alright, stepping directly at Raya’s side. Quiet at first and then, with a rustle at her side, Raya watched as Namaari lifted the large umbrella up. Not over herself, but over Raya. The long-haired woman turning to see Namaari’s eyes pointed ahead, yet her arm was outstretched towards her, holding the umbrella for her to take.

Raya stared at it, unsure what was happening, until Namaari spoke.

“You and Sisu are going out to eat, right?” she commented, “I’m just going back to our dorm…so I don’t mind getting wet.”

Raya stood there, silently, so Namaari continued.

“It should keep you both dry-..just make sure you bring it back.”

Raya still hadn’t taken it, so Namaari moved it closer to her hand until Raya’s brain finally caught up and had the sense to take it. Grasping it, watching as the stray drips of water that tickled her nose or shoes slide down over the umbrella and away from her. Namaari smirking, nodding, more content now that Raya had taken the umbrella.

“See you.” she said, stepping out into the rain.

She took a few steps before Raya, again, finally caught up.

“T-thank you!” she yelled, “I…thanks..Namaari…”

Namaari turned, her smile warmer then, before she waved her off.

Raya waving back with her free hand, feeling her heart warm then. Her hand grasping the umbrella tighter, feeling a wave of-

“Awww…” a voice cooed behind her and when she turned she saw Sisu approaching then, giving her a cheerful little grin. Seeing the entire exchange, unable to help herself then as she found the whole thing quite adorable. Much to Raya’s dismay as Sisu walked up to her side and gave her a knowing look, matched with a large grin.

“Don’t give me that look-..” Raya huffed.

“Uh-huh..” Sisu chirped, delighted.

“That was nothing, Sisu…don’t read into it.”

“Mhm, I won’t~”

“Seriously.” Raya reiterated, “let it go.”

But even as Raya said this, she couldn’t help but think about the kind gesture Namaari had done for her. As well as that kiss they had shared.

[talatomaz]

kidnapped | hailey upton x fem!reader

a/n: of course, I have to make everything angsty since hurt-comfort is my fave genre 😁

this is based off 5x16 (chicago med) but instead of nat being kidnapped, it’s the reader.

requested by anon: “a hailey upton x female reader. where the reader works at 51 or med and both hailey and the reader have hidden their relationship from everyone.”

warnings: mentions of blood/guns. kidnapping (past and present). sexual references

word count: 2.4k

masterlist | navigation | request rules

after reader gets kidnapped by a murderer, hailey finds herself losing her mind because, though nobody else knows, her and reader have been in a relationship for almost a year and she is the love of her life

i do not give you permission to repost or translate my fics on any platform - likes/reblogs are okay and are much appreciated

“Okay, I’m at work now. Have a great day, love.”

“You too, baby. Bye.”

You smiled as your girlfriend disconnected the call.

You had been dating Hailey for just under a year and you couldn’t help but be a bit pleased that the two of you had managed to keep it a secret this long.

With you working in Chicago Med and Hailey working in Intelligence, there was a lot of overlap with your work and considering you all spent your free time at Molly’s, it was a surprise that no one knew of your relationship.

You’d met Hailey almost two years ago. She had brought in a young teenager who’d been a victim of a home invasion - her parents had been brutally murdered leaving her as the sole survivor.

Hailey had remained by her side the entire time and you couldn’t help but appreciate that. Many detectives tended to just leave the injured with you or your fellow colleagues and then go off to work their respective cases.

Not that there was anything wrong with that, mind you. But there was something about the way that Hailey cared for this child that had just captivated your heart.

And since that day, you’d found yourself pining, for lack of a better word, over the blonde. But what you hadn’t realised was that she had felt the exact same way about you.

For several months, the two of you found yourself dancing around your feelings, both on the precipice of revealing your feelings before relenting at the last second. It was only until Ruzek had hit on you one night at Molly’s that had Hailey finally revealing how she felt about you.

You remembered how she stood there, cheeks red from the cold, eyes full of jealousy and black with lust. Suffice it to say, you couldn’t help but mentally thank Adam for unwittingly hitting on you because it had allowed you to finally be with the detective. And almost a year down the line, you were stronger than ever.

“Morning, Dr L/N!”

Blinking, you gathered your thoughts and turned to see Dr Marcel walking towards you. Furrowing your brows, you spoke, “Didn’t your shift start an hour ago?”

“Forgot my badge in my car. I should superglue it to my forehead.”

Returning his laugh, you spoke, “Think a stapler might work better.”

As you were about to walk away, your head whipped around to face a man running up the two of you. You immediately noticed the blood staining his hands and before you could speak, his voice came out in a frantic and rapid pants. Partly because he was running but mostly, you assumed, because of fear.

“Help! My wife. She’s in labour. She’s bleeding real bad.”

Glancing over at Crockett, you saw that his expression mirrored yours and, without hesitation, the two of you ran after the man, following him to his car to help his wife.

You were shocked, however, when upon approaching the van, you saw a man lay bleeding on the floor. His hand raised, a gun in his palm. Though it was winter, the sun still beamed and the light glistened off the metal, threatening to blind you.

“Give me your phones and get in.” The man, who’d come running up to you just moments before, said harshly.

“You don’t have to do this.” You said calmly, obeying his orders.

You weren’t sure how your voice came out so steady when it felt like your heart was beating out of your chest, the lump in your throat threatening to choke you before his gun would surely kill you.

“I’m the surgeon, alright. Let her go.”

Crockett’s attempts to reason with the two men were futile as they shouted for the two of you to get in.

Holding your breath, you willed yourself to calm down, needing to believe that Hailey would soon be looking for you.

God, please let Hailey find you.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

“Get up.”

Turning to look behind you, the man, who’d tricked you this morning, opened the van doors and you fought to hide a shiver as the cold Chicago air blasted through you.

You looked over at Marcel who tried to sit up as best he could, “I’m the surgeon. Let me go. I know what to get.”

“Cuff him. Do it.”

Catching the set of handcuffs that had been thrown in your face, you followed the man’s orders and, with a solemn look, you cuffed your friend to the bar above his head.

“Come on.”

You bit your tongue to prevent a curse leaving your lips as the man, what could only be described as, yanked you out of the van and held you tight to his side.

“Make any stupid moves and you and your friend both die.”

After picking up some supplies, you approached the checkout and silently pleaded at the cashier with your eyes, wishing that he could see the panic in your eyes and alarm someone to your predicament.

When it became obvious that that wasn’t going to happen, you began to lose hope before catching a glimpse of a security camera in the corner of your eye. Glancing up at your kidnapper, you saw he was preoccupied with paying, giving you a brief moment of reprieve to remove your hospital badge, letting it fall to the marble ground.

“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go.” The man said, feigning a nurturing tone as he spoke to you through clenched teeth.

You winced at his harsh grip and followed him back to the van where you helped Marcel perform surgery to repair the bullet wound in the man’s leg, whom you assumed to be the brother of the driver.

Hailey frowned as she looked at the text she had sent you a few hours earlier; the one tick indicating that you hadn’t read it yet.

Where were you?

She tried to reason with herself, believing that maybe you were busy in the ER but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad had happened.

And Jay and Voight’s secrecy only seemed to add to her panic.

For the past few hours, her partner had been leaving the district and then coming back with a schooled look on his face that Hailey knew he used to conceal his worry.

And it didn’t help that whenever his phone rang, he left to privately answer it and immediately went to Voight’s office, closing the door which people only did in serious situations.

When Jay left Voight’s office, Hailey got up from her chair and grabbed Jay’s arm, dragging him into the dingy break room.

“What’s going on?”

“What?” Halstead crossed his arms, his attempts to feign confusion failing miserably.

“Never play poker, Jay. What’s going on?” Hailey repeated.

Jay sighed, “Dr L/N and Marcel have been kidnapped.”

The blood drained from Hailey’s face as she grew visibly pale. Trying to keep her voice as steady as she could, she spoke, “What?”

“Maggie found their phones in the car park. There was blood on them and we lifted a partial print and matched it to Tyler Clemons. A convicted murderer.”

Hailey leaned against the table when she felt her knees buckle beneath her.

Halstead stared at her in concern but before he could question it, his phone rang.

Hailey watched silently as he hummed in response to the other person on the line. When he disconnected, he looked at the blonde, his eyes filled with unbridled relief.

“I think we’ve found them. Gear up. I’ll tell Voight.”

Without hesitation, Hailey immediately rushed out the door and ran downstairs to get ready.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

“This is Detective Jay Halstead with the Chicago Police Department.”

Your shoulders slumped in relief as you heard your friend’s voice be projected through, what you assumed was, a megaphone.

The two men had taken you to their mother’s home where you gained clarity on the reasoning for their actions.

The injured man, who you learned was called Tyler, had a young son diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything you or Marcel could do, and instead, you’d been forced to restrain yourself to the wooden chairs you were currently sitting on.

You listened as Halstead announced that the house was surrounded, hoping that Hailey was outside but simultaneously wishing that she wasn’t in fear of it going sideways - you didn’t want her to see your dead body.

“Here. Uncuff her.”

You held your breath as Tyler threw the keys at Crockett, not wanting to say a word in case he ended up changing his mind.

After he freed you, you rubbed your wrists, slightly wincing at the red marks that had risen on your tanned skin. Then you began to protest when Tyler made it obvious that he was only letting you go but after some persuasion from your friend, you reluctantly left Crockett in the house.

Opening the front door to the suburban home, you felt another wave of cold air run through you and you raised your hands in a surrendering gesture.

“Patrol, stand down. Friendly coming out.” Jay had yelled and then you found yourself being hurried behind shields to where Jay stood.

And Hailey.

The moment you laid eyes on the blonde, you fell into her arms as she held you fiercely against her.

Her arms wrapped tightly around you before she pulled you back. Her eyes roamed over you, trying to look for any injuries.

“I’m okay.” You whispered, your hands on hers.

Her eyes filled with tears as she tugged you back towards her and kissed you. The kiss was passionate, laced with the ferocity that often came with almost losing someone you love.

Pulling away once more, you rested your forehead against hers and breathed out, your breath coming out in harsh pants.

“I think the cat’s out of the bag now.”

You laughed dryly as you glanced up, noticing Halstead, Maggie, Natalie and April staring at you both with wide eyes.

“I don’t care.”

And you could tell she truly didn’t when she kissed you again, more tender this time.

“God, I thought I’d lost you. I was so worried.”

“I’m okay, baby. I’m right here.”

You reassured your girlfriend as you embraced her once more, wanting nothing more than to feel her bare skin on yours, devoid of the winter clothing she was currently wearing.

“I love you so much, y/n. I never want to be without you again.” Hailey whispered harshly, gently rocking you in her arms, her hand cradling your head against her chest.

                ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

“I’m glad to see you’re okay, y/n.”

“Thanks, Kev.”

Almost everyone had gathered at Molly’s despite it being past midnight. You’d all collectively decided that, after the day you’d had, you needed a drink. Marcel had stayed for a while and you thanked him for looking after you whilst you were taken. Hailey also expressed her gratitude to the surgeon which he accepted graciously before deciding to turn in for the night.

You were currently sitting in a booth, cuddled up against Hailey, her arm wrapped comfortably around your waist.

Since the house, she hadn’t left your side once, not when you were getting checked out by the paramedics nor when you were giving your statement to the police.

And whilst being by your side, she also never let her hands leave you. Whether it be a hand on yours or her arm around your waist, she was never not touching you.

To be truthful, you were grateful because her touch grounded you and made you feel safe in a situation where your sense of security had been shattered.

“That was a smart move, dropping your badge on the gas station’s floor.” Halstead commented, sipping his beer.

“Did what I had to do. Speaking of which, Maggie, I’m gonna need that back so I can go to work tomorrow.”

Just as Maggie was about to hand the badge over to you, she snatched it out of your reach.

“Um, I don’t think so. You are taking a few days off, at the minimum.”

You raised your brows, challenging her when she spoke again.

“L/N, if I see you in my ER tomorrow, I’m gonna cuff you to your bed.” Maggie said, making everyone else around you laugh.

“Hey, if anyone’s cuffing y/n to the bed, it’s gonna be me.”

You blushed profusely at Hailey’s comment, the redness of your cheeks contrasting with your tanned skin.

“Kinky.” Jay commented before abruptly closing his mouth when Hailey stared at him.

“Now, how the hell did you manage to keep this a secret for a year?”

“Yeah, aren’t you supposed to be detectives?” Natalie joked, looking at Burgess, Atwater and Halstead.

“Guess we’re just great at keeping secrets. And it became kinda fun, I guess.” You shrugged, glancing up into Hailey’s eyes and she smiled at you.

“Yeah, it became like a game to us. To see how long we could keep it secret.”

“Probably could have kept it secret much longer if you hadn’t kissed me like that.” You chuckled, planting a soft kiss on Hailey’s lips when she playfully frowned.

“Says the one who got kidnapped.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault I got kidnapped again.”

“Again?!”

Everyone except Hailey stilled as they all stared at you.

“It’s a long story.” You stated.

It wasn’t that difficult to talk about now but it still left you uncomfortable and you wished you could will the words back into your mouth.

Sensing your discomfort, Hailey answered for you.

“A story for another day. Come on, let’s get you home.”

Nodding, you stood up and hugged your friends goodbye and then left the bar, your hand clutched tightly in Hailey’s.

“Are you okay?” She leant down slightly to kiss your cheek and then whispered in your ear.

Not wanting to lie but not able to find the right words either, you ended up shrugging instead. At that, Hailey brought your joined hands up to her lips where she gently placed a kiss on yours.

“I’m here for you, baby. Tonight and every other night.” Hailey said, alluding to the bad memories that would surely plague your sleep.

Since being with Hailey, the night terrors you’d once had about your past had become more infrequent.

Though, you were sure you wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. The trauma of almost dying coupled with your previous abduction would ensure your lack of sleep.

But you would have Hailey next to you, so it wasn’t that much of a bother.

You may not feel safe in the world but you did feel safe in her arms and that was enough for you.

[borhap-au]

Your villain. Rami Malek au

You really tried to keep your cool, but the sexual tension between you two was undeniable. It was the scene where you stood in a room of an old castle, and he circled around you, saying his monologue. With every step, he got a bit closer and closer to you. You took a few deep breaths to contain yourself and not kiss him right there and then, in front of everyone.

You never saw a hotter villain. He was dressed in all black, his hair was styled in a fancy way and he had that smirk on his face that just screamed “trouble!” You, on the other hand, were dressed in a long green dress. Your hair was curly and loose, with a simple tiara keeping it all together. It was a fantasy movie, but that kind which was not suitable for young audiences. Rami’s character was ruthless and cruel, and your character had to do anything in her power to stop him. But in truth, if it was up to you, you would just stop him by keeping him in your bedroom, tied to your bed.

You both had supernatural powers. You were like light and darkness and because of him, you really wanted to join the dark side. You heard the word “cut!” and the main lights went back on. Everyone loosened up and Rami finally smiled his natural, heartwarming smile.

“I think it was quite good, don’t you think? It really worked this time.” He said, approaching you.

“Oh, yes, absolutely. I think it was our best shot so far. I totally felt it.” You agreed. He smiled, being proud of both of you.

“I hope the director will think the same.” He added, and you chuckled quietly.

“If not, tell him to discuss that matter with your Oscar.” You advised him, and he chuckled as well.

Thankfully, the director liked the scene as well, so after lunch, you could move on to a different sequence. This time it was after you both had been fighting with each other, and now you were on him, holding his hands down with all the supernatural energy power you had, disabling him from using his sword. You were both breathing heavily because the fight sequence was really difficult, it was almost like a very energetic dance routine. You held his hands down with all your strength, trying to make it look believable. You leaned over him and you were supposed to say your lines right to his face, but the longer you looked into his eyes, the further your lines escaped from your mind. You looked down at his mouth. He looked at your lips as well. None of the lines mattered to either of you anymore. You knew Rami thought the same, you felt it. You started lining forward…

“You’re going to like it in hell!” Someone shouted your line to you, to help you out. But at that moment, it was no help at all. It was a simple distraction. You moved your head back, suddenly very aware of yourself and your surroundings. And all the people around you. You felt stupid for doing that, so you asked for a little break, and the director granted it to you, but also warned you to better rehearse your lines. You nodded and went back to your trailer.

You closed your eyes and leaned on the wall. What were you even thinking? And around all those people… You sighed, mad at yourself for your lack of discretion, but you weren’t left alone with your thoughts for long. You heard knocking on your trailer door and rolled your eyes. Of course, somebody wanted something from you. You couldn’t have a minute of freedom in this damn-

“Oh, hey, Rami…” You gave him a fainted smile. He asked if he could come in. “Sure,” you opened the door wider so that he could get in. When he walked right next to you, your heartbeat started to rise. You closed to the door behind him.

“So, I was thinking whether you’d like to practice a few lines from that next scene,” he suggested, and you smiled apologetically in return.

“I’m sorry, I know I was completely rubbish out there, but I promise, I learned my lines. I just… They just… Poof,” you tried to explain, but he shook his head.

“I meant that I had trouble learning my own lines and I’d like to practice so that we don’t have to take another break and piss the director off,” he smiled and you chuckled quietly.

“Yeah, no problem,” you nodded your head and took your script to check your lines for the last time. After that, you began the scene. You pretended to fight, but in a very calm way, so more like showing each other what you would do rather than actually doing it. You didn’t want to break anything in the trailer and get tired during the break that was supposed to serve as a moment to take a breath.

“You’re going to like it in hell,” you said, and it sounded exactly like you wanted it to sound – as if you two were fighting for years and this time it finally came to an end. You sounded as if you were exhausted from trying to bring him to justice; as if that was the only thing you thought about since you started doing witchcraft and after today, you could finally rest. Even Rami was impressed with how you managed to squeeze so much meaning into a single sentence.

“I’m sure I will, after all, I’ve always liked a good company, and you, my dear, are certainly a company worth keeping,” he pretended to break free from you as well as put a knife through your heart and you, with your last breath cumulated all the power to destroy him. And in that last scene, you died, embraced, after years of fighting. You were finally free, not the way your character anticipated, but free nevertheless.

It was weird how easy everything was around Rami when it was just the two of you having fun. When there were no cameras and no eyes judging your every movement.

“Well, if we do it like this, on your next movie people will discuss their artistic differences with your Oscar,” he praised you, and you immediately blushed, because nobody’s compliments counted like his. Thankfully, due to your heavy make-up and bad lighting, he didn’t really see that.

“Thank you. It means a lot,” you admitted, and he smiled at you, at which you smiled back. He looked at your lips again and you involuntarily checked his. Your heart started racing. He leaned forward and… The break was over, as your director shouted through a megaphone.

“Oh, um… Thank you so much for your help with the lines,” you added before you both left your trailer.

“No problem. You were a huge help as well,” he smiled at you, and you loved his smile more every time you saw it.

You did the scene and you did it fantastically. You even got a standing ovation from the crowd around you. After that, you were almost done for the day, you just had to repeat one scene, because the director hoped for such intense emotions as he saw in this last scene. So you did the other scene one last time.

It was your first scene together in the movie, where you two meet for the first time after a long time. He’s heard stories about you being gone, killed fighting evil so he was sure he’s safe from you. You, on the other hand, heard only stories about his atrocities, but him being very much alive, so you decided to come and change that. He spoke your fictional name and you felt shivers going down your spine.

“What an unpleasant surprise,” his character admitted, and your character, technically still a newbie in her profession, held her breath, because for the first time in her life she had to face evil on her own. You looked him directly in the eyes, and he grabbed you by your shirt, initially to shout his character’s opinion of your character’s kind in your face, but this time, it was different and you were surprised with yourself that you didn’t notice it immediately while he planned it.

After he grabbed you by your shirt, for which you were prepared, because that was in the script, came something unexpected, but much more pleasant. He kissed you. Finally, after weeks of you praying for his lips to touch yours, it really happened. Despite none of it being in the script, the director didn’t stop you. He allowed for it, because everybody on set felt the sexual tension rising between the two of you and it was rather annoying, so everybody hoped you could resolve it somehow. The screenwriter considered even making changes to the script to make you lovers in the past, so you can have that kissing scene you two needed so much.

When his lips touched yours, you immediately kissed him back. You put your hands on his cheeks, bringing him closer and he put his hands around you and did the same. The world around you two didn’t matter, because it didn’t exist at that moment. You focused on the kiss and the amazing taste of his lips, how soft and sweet they were. It was passionate, and it finally let some of the tension between the two of you go away, leaving only a nice, warm feeling of happiness. When you unwillingly let go of each other, he smiled at you, petting your cheek with his thumb.

“Thank you, for being the best partner I ever had the pleasure to work with,” he said, and you replied with a smile.

“Thank you for making this movie the nicest adventure I’ve ever been on.”

[theonetheycallhannah]

The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Chapter 20: Second Assist

Characters: Captain Logan “Sy” Syverson, Shane Benton (OFC), various other original supporting/secondary characters

Summary: Shane reunites with friends and family, hashes out some feelings, and gets real with Sy. Can their relationship survive her trauma? And the threat that still looms above them?

Romance and Smut Abound HERE!

Word Count: 4500

Warnings: Mention of rape, alcoholic beverages, violent imagery…feels out the butt.

Author’s Note: You guys are so splendid and beautiful! I can’t thank you enough for your support and encouragement to finish this piece. First, welcome to new readers! I know poor Henry’s injury and subsequent physiotherapy has driven some of you here, and while I’m sorry for him, I’m glad I can consider myself something of a pioneer in this particular genre and provide you some help for your newfound thirst. To my OG readers, it is to you I owe this entire work, parts written and incomplete, and I hope an eventual book deal. I mean to mention you in my acknowledgements, should this ever reach a willing publisher. You’ve inspired me so supremely that I cannot quantify it, even with the words I hold so dear.

Since my last chapter was posted, we’ve said a relieved goodbye to 2020 and a tentative hello to 2021. To be honest, this year has started out worse than last year. Lots of bad weather in my area this winter, my sister is currently on her way to a new life in another state, and my grandmother, the last grandparent I had, passed away in February. Those last two things have been especially difficult to shake off and recover from, both coming to fruition pretty suddenly. Amongst all that, I’ve been pretty distracted by my other fandoms, especially Marvel, and I’ve been reading a killer book series that I’m utterly in love with. (The Throne of Glass novels by Sarah J. Maas. 10/10 recommend.) But I knew I needed to get back into Shane and Sy’s story, especially given the new and rekindled interest in the subject matter. In all honesty, I’ve had most of it written for months. It’s just been a matter of finishing it off to set up the rest of the story.

I really hope you all enjoy Chapter 20, Second Assist, and would love your feedback and notes. You are all so important to this story, and your notes, reblogs, and comments are cherished. Thank you so much for reading! Love from Hannah!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism. This is an original work by me, Hannah. Please reblog if you wish to share. Please do not repost either in whole or part, as the work of anyone but myself. Thanks so much for reading!

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If you want to be notified when I post a new chapter or work, I’ll be happy to add you to my tag list! Stricken blogs are getting personal messages from me when a new chapter is uploaded because Tumblr’s faulty tagging system will not stand in the way of me delivering what the people want!(?) lol! (Although…their lackadaisical notification system might…sorry for that. I have no control. lol!)

X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@X@

Shane woke in her warm bed, late morning sun streaming in through her sheer curtains, the heavier drapes parted to let in the light. She wished she'd remembered to close them before now. She really was not ready to be awake.

She was sore. Achy. Her sleep had been fitful and full of shadowy nightmares and muffled screams. Beyond that, she didn't try to remember images or events. She knew the general premise of the dreams. It would take a lot of time, effort, or a miracle to make her forget those traumas she'd been through in the last week. Not even forget. She knew she never would. But move on from them. Accept them. And heal from them…even that seemed a mighty obstacle. One she was not sure she could surmount.

Through the open bedroom door, she could hear Lynyrd Skynyrd and the clanging and sizzling of pans, and she could smell bacon and freshly brewed coffee. Sy had left the room, but had not, it seemed, gone far. She gingerly sat up, stood from the bed, and donned her robe as she walked out into the hall and down the corridor to the kitchen.

The sight before her warmed her heart. There was Sy. In only his boxers, daringly frying the notoriously dangerous breakfast meat. Upon her entry to the kitchen, she could also smell pancakes, and she thought syrup, as well. He seemed to be warming a bottle of the maple unction in a pot of hot water. He turned as she stepped on a squeaky floorboard, and grinned widely at her.

"Mornin' sunshine." And she was struck by the irony of someone with such a radiant smile calling her sunshine. Especially when she didn't feel much like beaming. But she couldn't help return the expression, even through her pain.

"Mornin' bear. Did you go to the store?" She knew she couldn't have any bacon in her fridge, and she doubted her eggs and milk were still good at this point. But she also couldn't think that he would leave her for any reason.

"Nah, some of the guys brought over some provisions. Matt worked on your car all night, too, and filled up the tank. It's as good as new. He and Nate brought ‘er over as well as the groceries. I just had ‘em get stuff I knew your family wouldn't be bringing later. They've had tons of food given to them this week, and they're ready to share. You should have seen your mom loading me down with sandwiches and chips and whatnot when I visited them."

"I still can't believe you met them. I really wanted to introduce you personally." Shane's face fell. She would never be able to get that back. She wanted to cry. Sy had poured her a cup of coffee and sat it in front of her with her favorite creamer.

"Darlin' I’m so sorry. I had to talk to them."

"I know." she sniffed. "I'm not mad. Not at you. Just…"she didn't want to say Elliott's name. "I'm disappointed that the experience was stolen from me." That so many things had been stolen from her. By that monster. There was no other way to describe him. Sy growled. As if he could read her mind. He really just knew her well enough and shared her thoughts.

"Well, don't worry, we'll have a nice dinner with them one of these days, and we can pretend. Sound good?"

"Yeah, and I can feign nervousness." she laughed.

"And I'll pretend too. That I'm scared to meet your dad." he chuckled. "What if he threatens me with his shotgun?"

"I'll pull the ol' 'Daddy, no, I loooooove him!' line, as I throw myself between you!"

"That oughta work." he laughed and kissed her on the forehead as he stepped toward the stove and flipped a pancake.

As they sat eating their late breakfast, Shane's mind wandered. Nothing had changed on the surface, but everything was different now. This cozily mundane breakfast with her boyfriend felt like an out of body experience. As delicious as it was, as wonderful and comforting as it should feel, her guard was up. Even through her amiable façade. She was not the person she was two weeks ago. She was not the same woman who said goodbye to Sy at the base. Maybe that was the real transformation. Maybe that was why nothing felt normal. It wasn't the world, but her own self coming back into it.

"Shane?" Sy asked, gently, but it felt like he was speaking through a megaphone directly into her ear. She was so startled, she nearly dropped the half full mug of coffee that was paused midway to her lips. A bit sloshed out onto the table and splashed her shirt.

"Shit!" she chided herself. It wasn't a big deal, but she felt stupid jumping at the sound of her own name.

Sy reached for the closest towel, hanging from the oven handle, grabbed it and started for her clothes with it. She stopped him. But she couldn't think about why the intimate act made her uncomfortable.

"No, don't, it's fine. These clothes have seen better days, anyway." She pulled the towel from him and began to mop up the small puddles of coffee around her plate.

Sy seemed to note the stains already present on the shirt, as if trying to divine their history. She was something of a messy eater, so the battle wounds of many a barbecue, spaghetti dinner, and hurried breakfast peppered the now off-white SATB club tee she'd gotten her second or third year in college choir. She thought back to a huge room with high ceilings. White, cinder block walls, flecked tile floors, a beautiful, glossy, black baby grand in front of a long whiteboard with black lines to resemble sheet music. She thought about the mnemonic device she'd learned to help her remember what notes appeared on each line, and in the spaces between them. She pondered the deeper meanings and implications of these devices. EGBDF…every good boy does fine. She thought about the "good boys" in her life. She knew many. Her dad, her brother Ethan, Sy, obviously, her many male coworkers and friends…and honestly they did far better than "fine." They were wonderful. But she was letting the "bad boys" she'd encountered dictate her mood. Permeate her psyche. Tear her down. She didn't want to be like this. Then FACE came to mind, and above their purpose of indicating the notes between the lines on the staff, they called her to action. To face these newly minted demons with all the strength she knew she possessed, and she too would "do fine." But as with almost all actions, this was easier said than done.

She felt a warm presence on her left hand which had paused it's torture of the now coffee-infused kitchen towel. Sy's hand was squeezing hers gently.

"Shane." he uttered, barely above a whisper this time. She looked at him through tears that she had not realized had formed. He continued.

"Shane, what can I do, darlin'? I'll do anything."

"Babe, you're doing everything you can, and more. This…this is all going to have to come from me. I…don't know when I'll be myself again…" she paused, tears streaming now. "I'm…I'm different."

"You're not though." he reached for her face, but she pulled away.

"I am, damn it! Sy, I was…" Words had power. And the one she was thinking of had more power than she thought was warranted. She knew that uttering it would take away it's power…and yet mustering the courage and strength to actually do so…seemed impossible. She took a deep breath, and disassociated herself from the statement, even though it was about her own past.

"I was raped." She refused to cry. She felt it all again. She had never said the words. She had never thought it necessary. Everyone understood. Sy, his friends, and she was sure her own loved ones had made the connection. But she knew she needed to say it now to drive home the points she was about to make.

Sy, looked at the table, nodding, not needing to be told in so many words something he already had surmised from the clear evidence. He remained silent. She went on.

"I love you, Sy. I have since the day we met, on one level or another, and I believe that I always will. But I…right now I can't be a proper girlfriend to you. I can't…be with you, touch you, be touched by you, in the way we used to be. In the way you deserve…and I don't know when…or even if…I ever will. Not that I don't want to. That's ALL I want in the world. To go back. To be the woman who fell in love with this…incredible man. To make love with you, but…I can't."

Sy's eyes were full of tears, their predecessors already descending his round cheeks and disappearing into his thick, dark beard.

"Sy, I don't want to lead you on and keep you tied to a relationship with no life in it. You deserve someone who's whole. Someone who can be a fully invested partner for you, and not this broken, damaged--"

"You stop that, Shane. I won't hear no more of this kinda talk. Y'hear? You're my girl. My woman. My person. No matter what. You gotta know I'd never leave ya just cuz you aren't ready for sex again. You don't think that I would, do ya?"

"Well, you went to Virginia…you took that job…knowing the distance it would put between us. Literally and figuratively."

"Biggest mistake of my life." Shane raised her eyebrows in surprise as Sy elaborated. "I couldn't focus on my classes without wishing you were there. Wishing I could team up with you for discussions and hand to hand combat training…that thought got me a little too excited, if you catch my drift." He smirked, pulling a sheepish smile from Shane. "Then in that forest. I dreamt about you every night. I thought of you constantly. I could barely breath sometimes, I missed ya so damned much. I was an idiot. I was insane to think that I needed anything other than you. Any MORE. There IS no more. You're it. You're the MOST! The most important thing in my life."

The declaration hung like vapors in the air, more felt than seen. Tangible yet ethereal.

"And when I found out that you were missing…I was…well, I think I looked like death…and not warmed over. You can ask the program director I met with after I got the news. She could tell I was just sick over it. And as I thought about it on the way home, pieced things together, started thinking about who'd taken you, I got murderous. Shane, I have been in dozens of battles, skirmishes, firefights, you name it. War. But…the sheer bloodlust I felt thinking about what you could be going through…I've never experienced anything like it. Everything was red. Everything. For days. Until I saw you, alive. And then it went red again when I saw the fear and damage on your face." she could tell he was doing his best not to talk about the farmhouse and that basement, but she still flashed back to the moments before and after his appearance there. The moments when she simultaneously prayed to live and hoped to die.

"You don't owe me anything, Shane. I just want you in my life, and I don't care what your presence looks like. Romantic, platonic, or somewhere in between. I'm here for you. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Shane felt the urge to wrap her arms around her boyfriend, but could not seem to move more than one arm to place her other hand on top of his. She hoped the gratitude and love behind the small, but heartfelt gesture landed. It was all she had in that moment, no matter how abundant her affection.

~~~~~~~~~~

Shane's family's arrival was a complete blur to her. It was joyous, tearful, and the happiest she'd been in a long time. The moment she opened the front door for them, she was surrounded, engulfed with hugs from her parents and siblings. They stood in their affectionate huddle for several moments before Peg waved Sy over with marked insistence. He'd been standing by, observing happily, but not wanting to intrude on the familial reunion.

When they finally dispersed, John asked the two younger men to help him bring in groceries. The women headed into Shane's bedroom for a more private setting in which to talk. Shane filled her mother and sister in the best she could given the rawness of the wounds left on her mind by the events.

She leaned against the headboard cuddling with Gabby while her mom rubbed her feet. She had insisted on doing this thing that had always comforted her children, and made them feel much better when they were younger.

"Well, I'm very proud of you, pumpkin." The girls both looked at their mother, who rather uncharacteristically hadn't spoken in some time. Shane was nonplussed. Peg elaborated.

"You survived something that many women don't. You're talking about it now, which even more women don't. You may think you're broken, but you're just a tree damaged by a storm, but standing stronger than ever." Trust her mom to lay such wisdom on her. When she felt like giving up. When she just wanted pity. When she could only see defeat. Her mother had always found a way to encourage and buoy her and show her the victory.

"Mom's right." Gabby affirmed, and it was Peg's turn to be nonplussed, as the two women, though similar in so many ways, never seemed to see eye to eye. "It's true. Shane I've seen a lot of women come into the clinic in shoes very much like yours. And trust me…some of them…they don't make it to this point. You've got a long way to go before you're fully recovered, don't get me wrong, but you'll get there. You have us. And you have Sy."

"And then there's Sy." She diverted. "How am I supposed to plan any sort of future with him when…" She looked at her mom, and hesitated. Peg rolled her eyes.

"Shane, I know what the two of you get up to when you're alone. You don't have to be shy with me."

"Still…" she took a breath and spoke. "When I can't bring myself to…sleep with him?"

"Look at him, you're kidding, right?" Gabby chided, insensitively, but recanted at the pained expression on Shane's face. "Sorry, sis. Trying to lighten the mood a touch. Too soon. But seriously, I don't think this reluctance you feel will be permanent."

"And even if it is," Peg took over, "that man is out-of-his-mind in love with you, Shaney." She kissed Shane's toe before putting a sock on her foot. "He almost seems to worship you. Now, you know how I feel about using that term outside of religious context, but that is exactly the kind of love I want for you. Devout, and unconditional."

"But, mom, I can't--"

"Did you hear me? I said 'unconditional,' sweetie." Peg interrupted. "No matter what. No matter the obstacle. No matter the distance. No matter the circumstances. Love unwavering. That's what Sy has for you. I've seen it in him. Trust the momma."

The insistence her mother placed on trust had always ruffled Shane's feathers. Gabby's too, who she could feel stiffen slightly beside her. But Shane, for once, really wanted to trust her mother, hoping against hope that she was right. And that she, herself  wouldn't screw up the best relationship she had ever been in or was likely to ever be in again.

The girls had begun talking about some of the coworkers who'd brought food in the past week, and Peg couldn't resist remarking on the character of her favorites and judging the ones she didn't care for…oddly enough, getting more or less, the correct measure of them, as Shane saw it.

After what must have been an hour from the time they'd arrived, they heard a knock on the slightly ajar bedroom door. John poked his head in.

"Ladies, we've put a casserole in the oven, and completed various manly projects around the house--"

"Oh, daddy, what projects?" She cringed. She hated that the men had felt the need to "fix" things.

"Babe, your guest bathroom had not one, but two leaky faucets, your kitchen table seemed to be more of a teeter-totter, and half the light bulbs in the living room were out. Among other tiny things. You're welcome." he smirked his crooked smirk so similar to her own, and she returned it as if he was looking in a mirror.

"Thanks, dad."

"Anyway, lunch is almost ready. So, when you've finished your confab, let's eat."

Dinner passed amiably, Shane found a reserve within herself to allow some quasi-normal behavior, as long as you didn’t look too closely. She was talking animatedly with her siblings, making their parents and Sy laugh riotously. Shane noticed some odd looks passing between Sy and her father, but chalked it up to paranoia. She wished at least Gabby and Ethan could stay, but Heather would be over soon, and she deserved her own dedicated time. Shane wanted to give that to her.

She said her farewells to her family with promises to visit them the next day, and at least one more time before her siblings went back home, if she could work it out.

Sy was so wonderful the whole time. Standing by her, a hand resting lightly on her shoulder as they waved goodbye to the departing vehicle. He made her feel so safe. They went into the kitchen and cleaned up from lunch. Well, Sy cleaned. Shane was texting Heather about when she'd be over.

"Heather says she'll be here in about a half hour. She's picking up wine and pizza." Shane told Sy without looking up from her phone. She could see out of the corner of her eye, though, that he had just closed the dishwasher and was selecting a cycle.

"Sounds great. Do you want me to get out of here? Give you guys some time, one on one?" He asked as he dried his hands, wet from preparing dishes for the machine.

She thought about it, and shuddered. She played a scene in her head that startled her. In her mind's eye, she saw Sy leave and then moments later heard a knock on the door. Presuming it was Heather, she opened the door with abandon, only to see Elliott standing there under a flickering porch light, smirking maliciously at her and ready to overpower and abduct her again. She shook the thought from her head, but remained uneasy as she answered his question.

"Uh, no. Thanks. I'm sure she'll want to talk to both of us. She likes you." Shane grinned softly at Sy in an attempt to mask her trepidation over the thought of him leaving her alone for any period of time. She thought it had worked.

"Okay, well, whatever you think, sunshine. I don't wanna get in the way." He was wiping down the countertops. She felt so impossibly full of love for him, she was starting to wonder how she hadn't yet burst with it. She couldn't bear the thought of holding him back from a fulfilling relationship. He deserved everything she couldn't give him right now. And she knew she should make him leave her. Cut him loose. But she was, as she'd been since she'd met him, a weak woman. She couldn't stand the thought of being without him. Of him no longer being hers. And somehow worse, of not being his, herself. She would always need him for so many reasons, not least of which being her love for him. Maybe one day, she'd recover from this trauma, and be able to be who he deserved. To give him what he needed.

"You're never in the way, bear." She walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed him as tight as she could. He placed a loving hand over hers, sighing and smiling, though she had no visual proof of the latter. It was just a feeling.

Heather's greeting was no less exuberant than that of Shane's family, but it was more joyful and less emotional, even though she was immensely relieved to see her best friend after so long. They talked as if no time had passed, and Shane mustered up the dregs of her former self to have one more interaction for the day. Thank God it was Heather and not someone who would require more. She wouldn't have it to give.

"I am so glad you're okay, Shane! Things around the clinic have been bleak as fuck. Susan is loosing her mind, Anita is beside herself with concern, and the rest of us just plain ol' miss the hell out of you. And not just because of all of the overtime everyone has been pulling to get your patients seen."

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize…wow, I'm awful. I didn't even think---"

"That you'd be missed? Think again, sister. The place would fall apart if you ever really left. But don't feel guilty. It's the least everyone can do, and they've all said it themselves. We all love you, and know that you'd do the same for any of us if you could at all. Hopefully you won't have to, though!"

Shane nodded, eyes wide in agreement. She wouldn't wish the last week of her life on her worst enemy. On the worst person in the world. Except maybe the people responsible. Tit for tat.

"Well, I'm sorry my absence has caused extra work for all of you." Shane looked into the deep glass of Chardonnay Sy had poured her from the bottle Heather had brought. She felt about as small as the air bubble making it's way up the sloping curve of the stemless vessel. She felt a guilt that she knew was fully void of logic. It made no sense for her to feel guilt for being kidnapped. But she had always had this notion, this nagging voice in her head that told her that her misfortunes were a direct result of her decisions. That she'd inadvertently stepped on the butterfly that resulted in the monsoon she was currently experiencing, and whatever cataclysmic events she would face next.

"Why in God's name are you apologizing for this, Shay?" Heather's tone was kind, but still mildly scolding.

"If I'd never been with Elliott, none of this would have--"

"Bitch, are you a fortune teller?"

"No, but--"

"Soothsayer?"

"No."

"Time traveler?"

"I wish!" Shane chuckled. But she really did wish.

"Have you any real and proven success at consistently predicting the future?"

"I don't, but--"

"No. No buts. No howevers. You had no idea what becoming involved with Elliott could have done. Were there signs, sure. But you can't look on the past as a rubric to judge the quality of your decisions. You know that. You can only learn from your mistakes. And you have."

"Heather's right, sunshine. You really have learned. You look for Elliott's behaviors in mine and shut me down quick if you see 'em. You're not going to let yourself go down that road again. And I'm proud of you for it."

Shane silently worried her wine glass. It was hard to argue with such truth. But it was hard to agree when her own feelings were in such stark opposition. So she did neither.

"Well, I've preached my sermon for the day." she laughed. "I've taken up enough of your time. Oh, your phone. It's in my purse. I think it's fully charged, but I turned it off."

Shane thanked her friend, then Heather hugged them both and took her leave.

"Y'okay, bug?" Sy asked her after what she surmised was several minutes of silence. Minutes she didn't notice as they passed.

"Mmm…" she trailed off.

"Can I do something for ya?" And she really thought about the question. He could probably do a lot of things for her. He could make love to her until she felt whole again, even if it hurt her at first. Not an ideal option. He could probably get them both some new identities and enough money to spirit her away to somewhere her past wouldn't follow. If she became someone new, literally, would she have to bring that old baggage, those old scars, with her? Again, suboptimal. But he could definitely take the source of all grief and turmoil in her life far into the Missouri back country, somewhere not even the hunters would venture, some fallow field or forgotten cistern, and end him. Snuff out his spark of life like a candle caught in a tornado. Spill a fatal amount of his monstrous blood onto the unforgiving earth and send him to the Hell to which he was undoubtedly destined. But did she want that? Did she want another soul as a scar on that of the man she so deeply cherished? He'd say it was worth it. He'd say he'd take a thousand more for her. A million. That was Sy.

"Nothing comes to mind." She lied. And he knew it was a lie, but didn't push it. She was so grateful that he respected her, not for the lie itself, but for the reason she wasn't giving him the whole truth just now.

His phone went off and he picked it up as he stood from his seat at the table. She could only hear that it was Matt, the guy she thought she understood had the car place, before she heard tension in Sy's voice. Even from the next room, she could tell something was wrong, though he was talking too quietly for her to make out words.

She heard him suddenly shout a stream of profanities that he rarely said at all around her, at least, let alone together. There was a bang, and the walls of her kitchen quaked like the tectonic plates beneath them were shifting.

Sy walked back in, his face was red, as were his knuckles. He was shaking an injury out of his hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked, deep concern at his appearance and demeanor, suddenly ominous.

"I need to fix your wall in there." he grumbled, evading, without success. She'd be doing therapy on his hand, next.

"What's really wrong?" she repeated, sternly.

"That was Matt. Elliott's…escaped, somehow. He's in the wind."

Shane's heart became so heavy, she could almost feel it smashing through the kitchen floor and burying itself deep in the cement floor of her basement.

"Oh, God! No! What if he goes to the police!?"

"Fuck that, I'm more concerned about him coming after you!"

The two stared, faces full of equal measures of concern for the other.

Up Next: Chapter 21-Patient Education

[hanniiesuckle17]

Watching the Bay

A/n: lowkey a baywatch au........really just wanted to write 3RACHA as Baywatch.......guys there is so much jisung on my m.list........oh well I'm whipped. enjoy lots of shirtless jisung. (not thoroughly edited. I will come back and edit it) ALSO THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR 2K FOLLOWERS WTFFF!!!!! 

Tag List: @distrikt9​ @mini-meanhoe​ @poeticallyspaghetti​ @hanstagrams​ @desertofdessert​  @yangomangos​ @jisungsjheekies​ @straycozy​ @hoes4hoseok​  @jeonqqin​ @geminirules​ @crscendoforsung​ @mrsunshine999​ @multi-net​ (Tag List is Open!)  (Some are specifically for this fic tho lol)

Warnings: cussing, shirtless 3RACHA, 18+ themes/suggestive, drugs, violence

Word Count: 14.1K

Summary: Based on the hit Tv show and movie Baywatch. Y/n and her friends Jeongin and Hyunjin have been coming to Cheonsa Beach every summer since they met. This summer the steamy lifeguard Y/n has had a crush on convinces them to join the watch. As the new guards of the Baywatch join the force their lives are skyrocketed into a world of chaos, crime, sex, and lots of good ol’ beach vibes.

Genre: romance, minor crack, comedy, lil bit of angst, Baywatch!au, lifeguard!au, college!au?

❖

Three years. Every summer I would come back to this same beach and spend the long hot days on the sand with my two best friends. This summer would be no different. Hyunjin, Jeongin, and I were about to be college sophomores and we were on top of the world. Well, two of us were anyway.

“Yoo-hoo. Head out of the clouds, Y/n.” Hyunjin said, waving his hand in front of my face. Shaking my head I brought myself out of the dreamy summer trance I was in. Hyunjin took the basket from hands and set down all our beach stuff. 

“Sorry, just dazed off for a second.” 

“Well, Ms. Space Cadet, you wanna help us set up, or are you just gonna stand there?” Hyunjin elbowed me, with a smirk. Scoffing, I picked up the beach chair and unfolded it before laying out the towels on the sand.

“Uhhh...guys! A little help here!”

Turning around we saw Jeongin struggling to carry a huge pile of stuff from my beat-up old blue jeep. Scurrying over, I lightened my other best friend’s load. “Come on, guys! We have tanning to do!” Hyunjin called already stripping himself of his shirt.

“More like burns to be received,” Jeongin said to me with a smile. Laughing the two of us joined Hyunjin after finishing out beach set up. Soft tunes played from the speaker Hyunjin brought as the three of us lounged on beach towels in the sun. Jeongin lay on his back, white sunglasses shielding him from the sun. Hyunjin and I lay on our stomachs, feeling the rays on our backs. 

“Guard alert,” Hyunjin said, causing all three of our heads to pop up. “Damn...” He whispered under his breath. Like he said, coming our direction down the waterline were three of  Cheonsa Beach’s finest lifeguards. And quite frankly...all three were hotter than the sun itself.

I pushed my shades down my nose and watched as the three boys- no...three men ran down the beach. Hyunjin did the same.

First on the closest side, Seo Changbin. The shortest of the group, but he was not lacking in form. The boy was built like He-Man on steroids, with a smile that could melt any strong resolved woman- or man. There were rumors he played for both teams.

Falling center was Bang Chan, the oldest of the trio. His light blonde hair bounced with each step. He was not only the kindest man you would ever meet, but he could send the most innocent girl begging for him to show him his dark side. He was the perfect piece of eye candy for any girl to dream about on the beach.

The third ran on the farthest side, water splashing under his feet sending droplets onto his tan and muscular stomach. The ocean drops slid over the scripted tattoo on his right ribcage and splashed against the black dragon like ink across his opposite thigh. Han Jisung, my personal summer daydream. He was almost perfect. His only flaw was that he tended to get cocky at the worst times. It didn’t stop him from physically driving me crazy, his shaggy brown hair blowing in the wind. 

My eyes trailed over every line on his body, studying it like a work of art. The red life guard’s swim trunks hung low on his hips, making my mouth water.

The three of them seemed to move as if time stopped. “How do they do that?” I said, still ogling Jisung. “It’s like they move in slow motion,” I said licking my lips. 

“Oh, you see it too?” Hyunjin said watching Changbin with the same look in his eyes as mine.

Jeongin sat up and took off his sunglasses. His eyes went from Hyunjin to where Hyunjin’s stare was locked on; Changbin’s ass. “Dude...you have a girlfriend....” Hyunjin shrugged and continued to watch his part of the trio as I did mine. 

The whistle around Jisung’s neck swung in rhythm with his steps, bouncing against his chest. He turned our way and I could have sworn he smiled at me, his bright teeth reflecting the sun's rays. Before I could smile back, he disappeared from sight.

“Did Jisung just-” I said hearing a splash. Jeongin laughed, seeing Jisung fall face first into the water. The other two kept running leaving Jisung behind. 

“There’s no way he can recover from that!” Jeongin said rolling around in a fit of laughter.

“Um...think again Innie,” I whispered, watching the scene before me.

Again, it seemed as if he moved in slow motion. Jisung emerged from the water shaking out his wet strands of hair. I took off my glasses fully, the tip of the frames catching between my teeth. I watched the droplets of water catch on the grooves of his stomach sliding over the tattoo on his side. His hand raked through his hair pushing it back away from his face. The water threatened to tug his trunks down even further, making a small line of slightly paler skin show on his hips. He truly was an Adonis. An Adonis that was coming...right...this...way...

Fuck.

Jeongin jabbed my stomach breaking my trance. “Your boyfriend is coming over.”

“Thank you, Innie I can see that,” I said through gritted teeth. I put on a smile seeing Jisung only a few feet away. He smirked, eyes raking over my body. 

“Welcome back, L/n,” Jisung said, pushing his fingers through his wet brown hair. His eyebrow quirked up, noticing the trail of my eyes, up his torso to his face. “You back for another summer?”

“What’s it to you, Han?” I asked looking up at him. He shrugged, a droplet of water falling from his jaw onto the sand. 

“Figured you might have the balls to try out for the watch this year.” I laughed, pushing myself off the towel. Han smirked, now getting a full view of me in my new swimsuit, which I had specifically bought with him in mind. Not that I would ever tell him that. “There’s uh...two spots-...sorry...three spots open this summer,” I smirked knowing exactly the two spots which tripped him up, his eyes still lingering on my chest.

“I don’t know. Hyunjin, Innie? Does that sound fun? I mean, it would take away our time from enjoying the gorgeous beach scenery.” I said motioning to the waves that were rolling in. But, that wasn’t what I was referring to.

“I’m always down for extra cash,” Hyunjin said, bringing his attention to the conversation and away from Changbin who was now just a hot muscular spec in the distance.

“I’m sure Aiya, would love a gift every now and again from her boyfriend,” Jeongin said with a smirk. 

“Aiya....OH! Yeah! She would.”

Jisung was not paying attention to the exchange. Instead, he and I were having a slightly heated staring contest. “So, Jisung,” Hyunjin started, pushing himself into a seated position, long blonde hair, falling into his eyes. “When are tryouts?”

His eyes widened hearing his name and he turned to my friend. “Sorry- what?” Jeongin rolled his eyes and put his sunglasses back on before reaching into our cooler and pulling out a soda. “Uh..tryouts? Tomorrow at noon. The rest of the guys and I will be running them.”

“Well maybe you’ll see us there and maybe you won’t.”

“Here’s hoping,” Jisung said, with a smirk. He shot me a sultry wink before turning on his heel and running off down the beach. Jeongin scoffed watching me shamelessly check out the muscles in his back. 

“So, you guys busy tomorrow?” I asked with a smirk.

❖

My fingers pulled on the straps of the bathing suit top I had chosen to wear. My only one piece I had brought with me. I would not have my tits bouncing all over the place running the stupid obstacle course the boys had set up. It felt weird wearing shorts on the beach for so long. Usually, by this time I would be in the water. 

A whistle blew, calling my attention as well as the attention of the two nitwits beside me to the start of the course. Jisung stood, whistle in his mouth, hands on his hips. The signature red trunks hanging dangerously low in the best way. Chan and Changbin stood next time waiting to address the crowd of about twenty participants.

Changbin stood on top of one of the obstacles, red swim trunks highlighting his tan skin in the sunlight. I turned to find Hyunjin staring lustfully at Changbin’s washboard abs. My elbow jabbed into his stomach earning an annoyed look from my best friend. “What?”

“Aiya?” 

“Aiya.....OH! She’s fine. Ai won’t care.” 

Another shrill sound came from Jisung’s whistle and he let the metal instrument drop from his lips and let it fall against his bare chest. “Alright!” Chan said into a megaphone, addressing the crowd. “We set up a course this morning to test your abilities. Complete the course in under four minutes if you can, which is the standing record set by our current top guard, Jisung, and you move onto new recruit training.”

Changbin motioned for the speaker. My eyes fell back onto Jisung who seemed to have spotted me in the crowd. He crossed his arms, obviously flexing his muscles and shooting a wink my way. Convinced not to give him any sort of satisfaction, I turned back to Changbin. Jisung was obviously frustrated at my lack of reaction. 

“We only have three spots so give it your all! You’ll go do the course in groups of three so get in groups. Try to find some people you don’t know.”

Hyunjin and Jeongin both groaned at the last part of Changbin’s statement. “But what if I don’t like people?” Hyunjin whined. Jeongin let his head hang down, chin touching his tank top clad chest. 

“Hyunjin, I don’t like people either. Suck it up. Extra money. Happy girlfriend?” I said looking around the crowd of participants. Two girls wearing very small swimsuits waved me over. I let out a sigh and began walking over. “Good luck boys!” I called over my shoulder.

I scoffed watching some of the other groups go through the course. The ‘Inies’, as I called them, did fine. Hyunjin and Jeongin completed the course only thirty seconds shy of beating Jisung’s record. My group was the last to go. The three of us lined up at the start of the course and waited for Chan to give us the start.

Jisung leaned against one of the setup poles, clearly watching me with a heated stare. “GO!” Chan yelled. Setting my nerves aside I raced onto the course. First I vaulted onto the metal pole and pulled myself over. My feet flew across the sand as soon as they touched the ground. The crowd cheered and I sensed the other two girls hot on my heels. With a burst of energy I sped through the next two obstacles and then ran into the water.

All that was left to do was swim to the buoy and the crawl under the barbed wire. The sand was sticking to every inch of my wet body, the grains scratching against my skin. Ignoring how uncomfortable it felt I pushed myself out from under the barbed wire and sprinted to the bell the boys told us to ring once we finished the course. 

Clang!

“That’s time!” Chan called pressing the stopwatch in his hand. I doubled over to catch my breath and Hyunjin and Jeongin came over and clapped their hands on my back. Jisung came to look over Chan’s shoulder and the two exchanged hushed words.

“Listen up folks! Someone has beaten Han’s record. With a time of three minutes and forty-two seconds, and the first member of the new Baywatch recruits: Y/n L/n!” The crowd clapped and Jisung rolled his eyes before sending me a cheeky smirk. 

He grabbed the clipboard from Chan’s hands and flipped up a piece of paper. After scanning through the names he tucked the clipboard under his arm, bicep contracting, making my mouth water. “The remaining two spots will be filled by the next highest times; Hwang Hyunjin and Yang Jeongin.”

My boys high fived each other before running over and wrapping me up in a big group hug. “Congrats you guys!” Chan said coming over and joining our hug. It was a little awkward, but we got over it. “Here are your whistles and if you follow us to the Hut we can get you some uniforms!” Chan cheerfully said. 

We followed his bobbing head of blonde hair to a raised lifeguard station that was four times as large as the others. “Welcome to the Hut,” Jisung said from behind me. His hand ghosted over my waist as he moved past me and to a row of lockers in the makeshift office. He opened the farthest locker, filled with lots of red garments. He tossed the Inies two pairs each of red swim trunks much like the ones he was wearing.

Jisung then handed me three pieces of red and white fabric. One was a standard one piece and the other was a red bikini I had seen some of the other female lifeguards wearing. “Either are acceptable in the workplace,” He said with a wink.

“The three lockers empty lockers on the end are yours. Go get changed and we’ll start training.” Changbin said. I caught him eyeing Hyunjin as my friend turned around to go change in the small backroom. “Jisung, you and I will take the Inies and Chan can train Y/n.”

“What if I wanna train Y/n?” I heard Jisung whine as I made my way to the backroom.

“Oh please. Like anything would get done then.”

Chuckling I pushed the door open and began changing in the dark supply closet. My elbows knocked against a broom leaning up against the wall as I tied the strap of the red bikini top. “Oh shit-” With fumbling hands, I grabbed at the broom and tried to stand it back in its place.

“Y/n, you okay?” A smooth voice asked from outside the closet door. Jisung wrapped his knuckles against the door. He probably heard me falling over the cleaning supplies. 

“Yeah! I’m fine, Han.” I could hear him chuckle from the outside the closet. “You try standing still and putting on this tiny swimsuit!” My ears picked up on Jisung’s quiet laugh. I could see his bright blinding smile in my mind.

“Trust me, I know.”

“What?”

“What-” He cleared his throat and I heard his feet shuffle on the wood floor of the hut. “Uh....listen. Chan is out on the deck waiting when you finish. I’m taking Jeongin out for training.” After a few seconds of awkward silence, I watched the shadow of his feet retreat from the door.

Peeking my head out from the closet I looked to find the office empty. The huge windows let in warm light basking over the white floorboards. My bare feet padded across the floor and I stuffed my clothes in my new locker and grabbed my whistle tossing it around my neck.

Through the big window, I saw Chan leaning on the rail surveying the beach through a pair of binoculars.  As I walked outside, I realized he wasn’t watching the waves but rather a certain umbrella down the beach. “Whatcha looking at?” 

“AHHH!” Chan jumped almost four feet in the air, screaming his head off. He pressed a hand to his chest and closed his eyes. “Y/n, you gave me a fucking heart attack!” Chan grasped at his chest and gave me a pointed look.

“Sorry!” I patted him on the back and took the binoculars from his hands. My eyes turned to where Chan was previously looking. Under a pink beach umbrella sat a girl with wavy hair wearing a baggy shirt over a swimsuit. She was contently reading a very thick book and sipping on a purple smoothie. “Oh....Now I see what you were looking at.” 

Chan blushed next to me and took his binoculars back. Crossing my arms I looked him up and down. “Who would have thought the Bang Chan, Dreamboat of the Beach, would have a crush on a beach bunny?” Chan’s ears turned a dark shade of red. “So, what’s her name?” I said nudging him, giving him a gentle smile. 

“Cecilia,” He said shyly rubbing the back of his neck.

“What’s she like?” 

He shrugged and looked to where she was lying under the beach umbrella. “We’ve only talked a few times, but-... she’s the sweetest. She’s very wholesome, and a little shy, but... I don’t know. She just makes me crazy in the best way possible.” Chan played with the bracelet on his wrist and timidly looked over at the girl, Cecilia. “She gets a little uncomfortable because I’m always with the guys.”

“Why don’t you go talk to her right now?” 

His eyes widened and Chan practically turned into a little blonde puppy. “I get really nervous around her. Do you think she’d like me?” I turned back to the girl to find her already looking this way. When she saw me watching she quickly turned back to her book, shielding her face. 

“Trust me. Go talk to her.” After a light shove down the wooden stairs, Chan started venturing towards Cecilia only to double back a second later.

“Oh! All the guards are throwing a bonfire party tonight. Even the ones from the north side of the beach. You and the boys should come!” I smiled from above on the deck.

“Then the Inies and I will be there. No doubt about it.” Chan grinned and gave me a thumbs up before jogging over to the pink umbrella. I turned back into the office and sat at the big desk. A huge binder lay on top of it. “Guess I better educate myself then,” I mumbled, taking the heavy folder and laying it in my lap.

❖

The door of my jeep slammed shut as Hyunjin jumped out of the backseat. The three of us had gone back to our beach rental to shower and change before returning to the bash. Also, Changbin asked us to stop by the store and pick up a keg. Jeongin helped me lift the metal cask down from my car and carry it down the huge bonfire that was lit down on the sand. Music could be heard even from the parking lot.

Hyunjin carried the two lightweight beach bags we brought with us while once again, Innie and I were left with the heavy stuff. “ALCOHOL!” Someone screamed pointing in our direction. Two shirtless boys came running up to us pushing passed Hyunjin. 

As they got closer I saw it was Changbin and Jisung. The two skidded to a stop in front of us, their toes burying in the sand. “Wow. This really is the whole package. Hot girl. Beer. What more could a man ask for?” Jisung said throwing an arm around my shoulder.

Jeongin huffed beside me adjusting his hold on the metal container. “What am I? Chopped liver?” I laughed and nudged Jisung’s side.

 “Give me hand with this?” 

“Sure.” Instead of taking my side of the keg, Jisung walked over to Innie and patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve got it from here, bro.” Jeongin looked from me to the brunette beside him. Before I could say anything, he shrugged and handed the keg to Jisung. I blew a piece of hair out of my face and continued to walk down the beach with Jisung. 

The two of us set the keg down near the bonfire. There was a small crowd nearby dancing to the music. By dancing...I meant severely, ferociously grinding. It was an almost laughable sight. “Y/n! You made it!” A voice called. Turning I saw Chan walking towards us, his arm wrapped around the girl from earlier today.

“I did! I see you grew a pair.” He blushed as I motioned to the pretty girl next to him. She was wearing shorts and a baggy t-shirt unlike the rest of us. It seemed everyone else was bikini clad or in swim trunks. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked, pointedly at Chan. He nervously laughed and gave me the cut it out signal. 

“Nothing, baby girl. Guys this is Cecilia.” Everyone shook her hand and welcomed Chan’s apparent new girlfriend. Boy, the rest of the daydreaming beach bunnies were going to be sad to hear about this. I saw Cecilia get noticeably uncomfortable when she shook hands with Jisung and Changbin. Oddly Chan was also wearing a hoodie. 

Never a day in my life had I seen the man not shirtless. “Are you okay, love?” I asked trying to reassure her. She timidly nodded, playing with the ends of her loose braid. 

“Yeah...I’m just a little uncomfortable with the whole....man chests out and about. I’m barely comfortable with myself in a swimsuit.” I smiled and playfully covered up Jisung’s chest with my hands since he was standing next to me. 

“Better?”

“Yes. Very.” Jisung said with a smirk. 

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “I wasn’t talking to you, Han.” He scoffed looking towards Cahn who had his head in his hands. Most likely in shame. Or embarrassment. Before my hands could leave even an inch from his chest, he grabbed my wrists and put my hands back. Cecilia chuckled and held Chan’s hand in hers.

“So, are you two like a thing? Chan said you’re both on the watch as well?” She asked pointing between the two of us. 

“No.” 

“Yes.” 

I looked to Jisung with wide eyes. He let out a flustered laugh, looking between me and Cecilia. “What she means, is that we aren’t a thing...yet.” His hand wrapped around my waist pulling me into his side. This was shocking news to me. I was under the impression Jisung was a player who flirted with everyone.

When no one responded to his awkward answer, Jisung ran an apprehensive hand through his hair. “Umm...well....Y/n how about we save me from this awkward conversation and go for a swim down the beach?” Cecilia and I laughed.

“Sure, why not.”He smiled at my answer. Cecilia turned back to Chan and the two started to wander off on their own. Jisung let me shed my shorts and shoes before dragging me by the hand down the beach a little ways away from the party. Once we were waist deep into the water Jisung let go of my hand only to reach for my waist. Before I knew it I was over his shoulder, his laugh ringing out into the clear night. “Jisung, don’t you fucking dar-” 

He didn’t let me finish. Without a second thought, he tossed me into the waves. Instead of popping up right away, I chose to stay under the water. Though it was dark, I could still make out the shape of Jisung’s legs. His muffled voice was calling out my name, concern lacing in his voice. Being careful to avoid touching him, I swam behind him and resurfaced. I pushed my hair out of my face and launched myself onto his back making him scream like a little girl.

“WHAT THE FUCK????!?!?!”

“Gotcha!” 

He grinned, twisting his arms behind him and reaching for me. His smile was lighting up the dark. I had never seen him this happy. “Why have we never hung out like this before?” He asked looking over his shoulder at me. His skin radiated warmth in the cool ocean water. “Like, you’ve been coming here every summer. Why haven’t we spent time together?” 

I shrugged, casually resting my arms around him. “I don’t know. You’re usually on duty or surrounded by hot girls. Or both.” He scoffed and turned around facing me. “I figured you didn’t even have time to look at someone like me.” 

“You cannot be serious.” He laughed when I nodded. “Do you know how many times I was scolded for watching you from the tower? Or going outside my zone just to run past you and the Inies a couple times hoping you would come up and talk to me?” 

A heat flooded my cheeks and I was suddenly very aware of how close Jisung was to me. I could practically see the stars reflecting in his big doe eyes. A wind blew across the water hitting my bare shoulders. The waves pushed us closer to shore, but I was captivated by the way Jisung was looking at me.  His long fingers brushed away a strand of wet hair that was stuck to my cheek.

His eyes skimmed over my lips, thumb brushing over my cheek. He leaned in only the slightest bit. The air shared between us was warm and electric. I could feel Jisung’s heart hammering in his chest. 

Just when I was sure he was about to kiss me, a wave crashed into the back of his head pulling us both underwater. Jisung held tightly onto my waist swimming us both back up to the surface. Our laughs lifted into the night. “Well...I wasn’t expecting that.” Jisung said wading back to shore. He helped me up and took my hand as we trudged onto the beach, sand catching between our toes in a familiar way. “We drifted pretty far from the party. We should head back.”

He kept his hand wrapped around mine as I watched him guide me back to the party, water lapping at our feet. Little pieces of sand were stuck to his tan skin. Instinctively I brushed them away from his back. He turned at the unexpected touch. “Sorry,” 

“No...It’s fine.” 

Jisung looked down at his feet as we continued walking. My mind started to run wild. What if that wave hadn’t knocked us over? Would he have kissed me? My body knocked into Jisung’s shoulder as he stopped suddenly. “What is it?” Jisung stared down at the sand, his brows furrowed. He bent down and brushed some sand off a bag about the size of my palm. White powder filled half of it. “Ji?”

He had a serious expression I had never seen before. Jisung scanned the horizon and the way we had just come down the beach. “Ji, talk to me. What is it?” He looked back down the bag in his hands. 

“We’ve got a problem.” His fingers brushed over mine as he handed me the bag. “It’s C17H21NO4.” I looked up at him brows drawn together.

“Can’t you be a normal person and say cocaine?” 

❖

A few days had passed and working on the watch was turning out to make the best summer ever. You got to hang out more with the boys. You discovered that Changbin, Jisung, and Chan were all music majors at the college about an hour away from yours. They were even in a group together called 3RACHA. Chan tended to play their music in the Hut. Hyunjin and I particularly loved a song on Chan’s laptop we found called ‘Wow’. 

Jeongin, Hyunjin, and I were all jamming to the song as we waited for the boys to finally come into the hut. We had all woken up early and gotten there early to our shift. “WOW! SHE’S HOT!” We all screamed as the door to the hut opened and the three boys walked into the room. They all grimaced hearing the song.

“IRON MAN IN THE STREETS, BUT I’M BETTER THAN TONY!” We sang just as Chan lunged for the speaker turning it off. “Awwwww! We were having fun!” Changbin grimaced at us and yanked open his locker. Changbin ripped off the tank top he wore and shoved it on the top shelf. Jisung moved to his and did the same. Hyunjin elbowed me in the stomach when he saw me drooling over Jisung’s toned back, eyes wandering once again to the words inked on his side. 

“You’re leaking from the mouth.” He said with a smirk. 

“Am not.” Just in case, I swiped my hand across my lips. He laughed and grabbed a white cap from his bag covering his blonde hair. “So, Chan, what are we doing today?” Chan shredded his lifeguard hoodie before grabbing a clipboard on the desk. 

Jisung and Changbin’s whispering was silenced by Chan throwing a shoe at them. “Ay! Bro! Don’t throw the Nikes!” Changbin said walking over rubbing his head. With an aggravated grumble, Changbin grabbed the clipboard out of Chan’s hands.

Before Changbin could even read the first station, the door to the hut opened and a familiar head of wavy blonde hair walked through the door. “CELI!” Chan screamed. He scrambled to the window and pulled the curtain over his chest. She blushed walking into the room. “Y/n...could you do me a favor...” Chan asked shyly pointing to his discarded hoodie on the floor. 

Rolling my eyes with a smile, I picked up his red hoodie and handed it to him. Chan covered himself before emerging from the billowing curtain. Cecilia came to stand next to Jisung. Her eyes glanced over and her ears turned as red as a tomato. Chan immediately took notice and his hands flew to Jisung’s chest.

“Dude. What the fuck are you doing?” 

“Censoring your nipples. Duh.”

“......” Jisung looked down at Chan’s hands, to me, then back up to his friend. “This has never been an issue before-”

“WELL, IT IS NOW!”

Hyunjin and I were doing our best not to laugh at Chan’s freakout. “Chan, it’s fine. I can handle it. Yeah...sure.” Cecilia gave a  sweet smile and inched farther away from the still shirtless Jisung, who rolled his eyes. 

Changbin cleared his throat and tapped the clipboard, annoyance in his eyes. “Can we get back to our jobs people?” After a series of grumbles, Changbin looked down and begin reading off our assignments for the day. “Jeongin, you are working the west tower solo today. Chan, you have the east tower.” He rolled his eyes as Chan whispered something to Celi with a big grin.

“Moving on,” He said pointedly. “Hyunjin you’re with me on Southeast ground patrol. Y/n, you’re with Han covering the southwest near the docks.” He tossed the clipboard on the desk and grabbed his whistle.

“YES!” Jisung cheered, punching the air in joy. 

Everyone gave him weird looks. Chan shook his head. “Jisung, you’re the one who made the schedule.” 

Jisung’s eyes flicked from me to Chan before he rubbed the back of his neck. His confident smile was now fueled by awkwardness and embarrassment. “Yeah...I remembered that...Come on, Y/n. Let’s go!” As we left Changbin turned the beach speakers on to the playlist for the day. A happy song blasted through the speakers all across the beach as people started to arrive. I think it was by a singer named Jessi. It made me feel confident about the day ahead of us. 

Jisung and I ran down the beach to the sector we were covering for the day, waving at pedestrians who called out to us. “We haven’t really gotten a chance to talk since the bonfire,” Jisung said whistle bouncing against his chest as we ran. 

The bonfire. Where he almost kissed me. Where he maybe...could have...kissed me. My chest swelled and I decided playing it cool was the best option. “Yeah, what about?” We were nearing the docks so we slowed down to a walk. Jisung seemed more focused on me than on observing and watching the safety of the beachgoers. 

“Umm...Why don’t we take our break?”

“Jisung our shift started twenty minutes ago.” 

“Let’s just talk under the docks okay?” He said a wild smile lighting up his face. Taking my hand he led me under the sturdy wooded structure. Once again water lapped at my toes, a cooling sensation flowing over the skin on my feet. 

My back pressed against one of the wide wooden poles holding up the wharf above. Jisung stood in front of me, hands behind his back, and stare aimed firmly on the watery bay. “Is this about the bag we found on the beach that night?”

“The C17H21NO4?”

“For fuck’s sake just say cocaine, Ji.” 

“How do you even know that means cocaine?” 

“Ji, I took chemistry. I’m not stupid.”I said with a laugh. He smiled feeling my hand brushed over his arm. Jisung let his gaze wander over me. He smiled taking a step closer. Soon his chest was brushing up against mine.

“No more Han? I’m Ji now?” He smirked. Jisung’s brown shaggy hair fell in front of his eyes. I watched his teeth drag tantalizingly across his bottom lip. His tan skin felt warm under the palm of my hand. Just like the night of the bonfire, there was an electric air between us. It was amazing to feel him so close to me.

Far away music drifted under the dock, but all my focus stayed on the man in front of me. His left hand rested just below my hip. “There are many names I could start calling you.” He rose his brow in interest.

“Like what?”

He leaned down and placed a kiss just above my jaw. He smirked against my skin hearing me let out a small sigh. “I don’t know,” All the nerves in my body were firing off like rockets. “Idiot, knucklehead...my personal favorite is dumbass.” Jisung laughed, his teeth nibbling gently on my ear lobe. 

“I can’t take this anymore,” He whispered, in a labored breath. I stared into his brown eyes. The way he was looking at me made my knees go weak. 

“What?”

“I’ve got to kiss you or I’m going to go crazy.” He didn’t wait for my answer. Jisung’s lips smashed against mine. He kissed me like he had eaten in days and I was his first taste of succulent delicious food. I let my fingers tangle in his dark brown hair pulling him closer to me. I would have fallen had the pole and Jisung not been holding me up. 

Kissing Jisung felt like music. Not one moment was the same but it all flowed as if it was made for one purpose. I felt his hand start to move below my waist, pulling me closer against him, as if there was any space left to begin with. 

“Hey, guys.” The walkie-talkie crackled to life. Changbin’s voice had me pulling away from Jisung. He sighed ignoring the call, moving to continue our little makeout session. 

“You should pick up; what if it’s important.”

Jisung shook his head kissing me again. “I trust them. Plus they’ve got the Inies.” I smiled, reaching behind Jisung. He smirked feeling my hand on the back of his swim trunks. “Oh really?” He asked, our noses brushing together. He let out a breathy laugh as I bit my lip. His smile fell when I pulled the walkie talkie from its place and pressed it against his chest. 

“Pick up the call.”

He sighed, pressing his forehead against mine. “This is SW Patrol; Jisung. What the fuck do you want Changbin?” Jisung backed away only far enough that he could talk on the radio. I smiled watching him all pent up. 

“We got a complaint about some serious PDA on the beach. Could you check it out?” Changbin’s voice crackled through the channel. Jisung sighed, but he had a knowing smirk on the corner of his lips. 

Another channel crackled to life before he could respond. “Actually that might have been us,” Chan said over the channel. Jisung and I both laughed. 

His long slender fingers pressed down opening up the channel for him to speak. “Yeah. It was Chan and Celi. Totally no one in our sector.” Changbin sighed over the radio. 

“Both of you quit making out and do your jobs.” 

The radio went silent and Jisung returned to his previous position. “Now where were we?” He asked, his hands wondering lower than publicly appropriate. You laughed and kissed him again. “Please just be my girlfriend already?” The boy whispered against my lips. 

I opened my eyes to look at him, but something in the distance caught my attention. Out on the water, there was a billowing trail of black smoke. My eyes widened realizing what it was. “Fire.”

“I believe the correct answer is ‘yes’.”

“No, Jisung. Fire. Out on the water.” I exclaimed harshly turning his head out to the bay.

“Oh fuck!” He hastily grabbed the walkie-talkie and tuned into an open channel. “All guards! We have a 10-73! There’s a boat on fire to the southwest. Prepare to go for first response.” 

The two of us sprinted out from under the docks. I looked frantically around before my eyes landed on a jetski by the pier. “Ji, let’s go!” I said making a run for it.

I reached the vehicle first and strapped on the emergency belt. “Move. I’ll drive!” Jisung said motioning for me to scoot back. 

“Jisung just get on! We have no time for this.”

“But the guy always drives-”

“GET THE FUCK ON YOU LITTLE BITCH WE HAVE PEOPLE TO SAVE!”

 Without another word, Jisung threw his leg over the back and we took off out on the waves. The wind blew through our hair as we raced to the sight of the fire. In the corner of my eye, I saw the rescue boat coming from the south with the rest of the boys on it. With one arm, he held onto my waist as I drove the water vehicle and with the other, he reached down and readied some rope and a buoy for survivors in the water. “So,” He said over the roar of the waves. “You didn’t answer my question!” 

Unbelievable. “Ji, there’s a fire! Are you sure this is the time?” 

“There couldn’t be a better one in my opinion.” I heard him laugh behind me and I couldn’t help but smile. The fire was getting closer now. There were flames burning on top of the water and I could now see that the burning vessel was a yacht. 

“Yes. I will be your girlfriend! Let’s do our job now!” 

The rescue boat pulled up alongside us, Chan at the helm. “We need to send a team aboard to get survivors!” He called down as I shut off the engine a couple yards away from the flames. 

“Don’t worry! I’ve got it!” Before we could say anything Jisung dove into the water and under the flames. 

“JISUNG!” I screamed. Without hesitation, I dove in after him.

❖

The heat of the flames brushed above my back through the ocean water. I swam to avoid pieces of falling firey debris. Just as my chest started to burn I resurfaced on the other side of the flames. Frantically I looked around for any sign of Jisung. 

The first twenty minutes of us dating and he decides to literally jump into a wall of fire. “Jisung I’m going to fucking kill you when I find you!” A head popped out of the water, shaking out his dark hair. “HAN JISUNG!” I screeched watching him tread water. 

He turned,  a cheeky smile on his face. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?” I swam over just to whack him upside the head. He rubbed the back of his head before swimming towards the yacht. “You can hit me later. Let’s save some people.”

Together we swam to the side of the ship. The muscles in Jisung’s back flexed as he pulled himself over the side. His hand reached for mine, lifting me over the side of the white boat. Black smoke filled the air and Jisung and I looked for a way into the cabin of the burning vessel. 

“Help me!” A girl screamed. I turned seeing a hand reaching out from around the corner. 

“There!” 

Jisung and I rushed to the woman. She was stuck under a piece of fallen equipment. “Ah! You, sexy water man! You are here to save me, yes?” Somehow despite her dire situation the young woman still managed to push her large breasts forward like a peacock showing off its plumage. 

“Y/n, can you get that side and I’ll pull her out?” Nodding I positioned my hands under the heavy equipment and lifted on Jisung’s count. With a grunt I let the heavy object fall back down once the girl was clear. “Signal Chan to come around port side.” 

While Jisung busied himself with grabbing an intact life vest for the woman, I ran to the helm sending Chan the signal to come around to the right. When I turned the woman was trying to throw herself all over my new boyfriend. He carried her in his arms, life jacket around her neck. They stood on the port side waiting for Chan. 

“Okay, handsome! If you want me you can have me, But, quickly cause the boat is on fire.” She exclaimed, wrapping her long painted fingers around his neck.

She leaned in to kiss him, but before she got close I grabbed her from Jisung’s arms and tossed her into the water where Chan was swimming to the boat to help. 

“He’s got a girlfriend too! So don’t try anything!” 

Jisung laughed before tapping my shoulder. “That was hot.” Rolling my eyes, I moved back to the cabin which was still very much on fire. 

“IN HERE!” Another voice called. Jisung looked for a break in the fire near the door. I watched him ram his shoulder against the wood several times before it broke. The two of us searched the rooms looking for the voice. 

I burst through the bedroom door, pain shooting through my shoulder. How the hell did Jisung do it so effortlessly? Probably his Herculean broad shoulders, I thought scowling. The frown fell when my eyes fell to the center of the room. A man maybe in his late forties lay dead on the floor. A bullet hole centered perfectly in his forehead. 

All the drawers and closets were spilled open and a trail over white powder stained the carpet. “Shit.” I looked around for any other survivors. “Jisung! Dead body.” 

“What do you mean dead bod-” He said walking into the room with a girl, soot covering her face. “Oh...that dead body.” He started stuttering, brown hair falling in front of his round eyes. “Uh....take her. She’s the last one. I checked.” Nodding, I took the girl by the hand and pulled her through the burning boat. 

“You’re leaving that lifeguard? What about Councilman Kang?” The skinny woman whined in my arms. 

“Don’t worry about Jisung. He’ll take care of it.” The girl screamed as I tossed her overboard to where Chan was waiting below. Not looking back, I dove into the water and swam with Chan and the girl back to the boat. 

“Where’s Han?” Chan said as we pulled ourselves aboard the lifeguard's vessel.

The speedboat started moving around the yacht. “He’s towards the front. There was a body.” Chan nodded and looked back at the burning boat. Through the thick black smoke, I saw Jisung at the bow of the yacht carrying the dead man. The flames surrounded the boat giving him no clear place to escape. 

Changbin steered the boat as close as he could, but couldn’t get to him. “He can’t go under the flames. Not even Jisung could swim that far carrying that much weight.” The boy said.

“JISUNG!” Chan called, hands cupping around his mouth. The man turned at his hyung’s voice and strained to hear what he had to say. “Move to the back! We’ll come get you!” 

“There’s no time!” 

“JISUNG DON’T-”

Again, Jisung ignored Chan, diving under the water with the dead Councilman. “JISUNG!” I screamed. We raced into action. Jeongin and Chan jumped on the jet skis attached to our boat and I grabbed a preserver before diving in after him. I was seriously going to kill him if he didn’t die first. 

The fire cast a bright orange glow under the water. Spotting Jisung, his body limp and still holding onto the dead man, I started swimming deeper. He must have hit his head on some hidden debris. 

Working with fast fingers, I pried his strong grip from the Councilman and pushed the body away from us to the service. Chan would pick it up. I panicked seeing Jisung’s unconscious face. Wrapping an arm securely around his chest I began swimming upwards, the task eight times harder while carrying Jisung’s weight against gravity. 

I gasped breaking through the ocean surface. My legs pumped through the water trying to keep both of us afloat as I waved down Jeongin. “Innie! Over here!” My friend steered the jet ski over to us, his black hair flying in the wind. 

“He’s unconscious. Help me lift him up.” 

Jeongin groaned, trying to lift Jisung onto the ski. I did my best to push him from the other side. “How can he be this heavy? His waist is fucking tiny!” I said pushing my most likely concussed boyfriend across the ski. Changbin was already steering the boat away from the burning yacht as the Coastguard approached. “Let’s go. Jisung needs attention.” 

“What else is new?” Innie mumbled before driving the ski towards the boat. I held onto Jisung making sure he didn’t fall off. My hand wrapped securely on his shoulder and thigh, rubbing over the intricate design of the dragon on his skin. 

Changbin stopped the boat letting us pull up alongside. Chan and Jeongin carried Jisung laying him on the floor. I crawled over him, checking his mouth to make sure his airway was clear. My hands pressed to his chest starting compressions. After a minute he coughed spewing water up at my face. 

Jisung gasped, rolling over but not going far with my ontop of him. The first thing he looked at was me. “You fucking idiot!” I yelled, slapping him across the cheek. 

“OW!” 

“You could have died, Ji!” 

“Dude, she’s right. That was really stupid.” Changbin said starting the boat again. With tired arms, Jisung pushed himself up to a sitting position and wrapped me up in a hug. I heard the girl from before huff and saw her cross her arms watching Jisung hold me so tightly. 

I stuck my tongue out at her which earned me a slap on the head from Hyunjin. “Let’s just get back to shore so we can give the police our report,” Chan said handing the girls some towels. 

“Anybody have some aspirin?” Jisung asked, rubbing the top of his head.

❖

“Is this what dating you is going to be like?” I asked. Jisung sat on his kitchen counter holding an ice pack to his head. He shrugged and watched me open the first aid kit. Chan sent him home since he had used all his stupid passes for the day. 

I drove Jisung to the beach house he rented and was now searching through his inadequately stocked medical supplies. 

“Yeah, but I was quite the hero today wasn’t I?”

“You would have been a dead hero had I not gone in after you.” The shirt Jisung lent me brushed over my thighs as I walked back over to him. Delicately, I cleaned the cut on his forehead, ignoring the whines from Jisung. “You saw the drugs in the cabin, right?” I asked hesitantly. 

Jisung nodded, looking into my eyes. “Just like we found on the beach the other night.” He looked out the window staring at the sea. Working for the Baywatch must have given him a huge discount because the house was right on the waterfront. “Chan and I have been trying to get the police involved, but they won’t take us seriously.” He laughed and took the supplies from my hands. “They said we were just a bunch of goofy lifeguards probably getting high on the stash we found anyway.”

His hands wrapped mine, playing with my fingers. “Speaking of high,” I said, playing with the bottom of Jisung’s tank top. “Changbin texted me. He said the girls we rescued were high as kites. They were partying below deck so they have no clue how the Councilman ended up with a bullet in his head.” 

“They probably got it from the stash on the yacht.” Jisung hopped down from the counter and stood in front of me, his chest brushing against mine. “Also, that was badass what you did to that girl.” With an embarrassed laugh, I buried my face in his chest. “If you want me you can have me, but quickly because the boat is on fire!” Jisung mocked in a high voice. 

“Don’t tease her!” My hand softly smacked against his chest. “She was high and you were hot.”

“Were? Past tense?” 

“Well, you do have on more clothes now.”

“So, you’re saying I have circumstantial hotness. I see. So, you are only with me because of my abs and tattoos and general lifeguard sexiness?” Jisung smiled, watching me laugh. 

“Tell me I’m wrong. If we weren’t dating you would have taken that girl home with you.” Jisung sighed, pulling me closer to him. “That isn’t a no,” I said with a small laugh.

“But, I brought you home.” Jisung’s hands fell below my waist, a smirk playing at the corning of his mouth. He walked me backwards until I was pressed against the kitchen wall, a position he seemed to like me in. 

The air had changed between us, now charged with sexual tension. “I would have you right here until you begged for mercy twice,” Jisung whispered, staring into my eyes. My brow quirked up, watching him hungrily gaze down at my lips. 

“I’ve never begged in my life.”

“Twice.” 

My stomach began to twist itself in knots, making me squeeze my legs together. Never before had I imagined Jisung would be like this. Never in my wildest dreams, which were getting wilder by the second. He exuded dominance pressing his hands firmly into my hips. “Twice?” He nodded leaning closer than I thought possible. His warm breath fanned over my lips. 

Just the way he was looking at me was almost enough to push me over the edge and take him right on his kitchen counter. “Bedroom. Now.” My voice was muffled and came out more like a whine feeling his thigh push between my legs. His head dipped letting his lips drag just below my ear. 

“Are you sure? Once we start, I might not be able to stop.” All it took was for him to feel me nod before he pulled away and kissed my lips deeply. “Bedroom is that way.” Jisung jerked his head towards the hall pulling his hips against mine. 

“Well, you’ll just have to catch me then,” I said cheekily slipping from his grasp and slapping his ass as I ran down the hall. He laughed, the sound of his steps thundering down the hall after me. 

I screamed feeling his arms wrap around me and lift me into the air. Setting me down, Jisung enveloped me into a kiss letting his fingers tug my shirt over my head. He tossed me onto his bed, leaving me to watch as he ripped off his shirt. My eyes hungrily dragged over his torso eyeing the tattoo on his side and the way his muscles flexed and contracted as he let out shaky happy breaths.

“You keep staring at me like that and I’ll have to ruin you.” Jisung’s shoulders dropped watching my tongue whip over my bottom lip.  “You naughty, naughty girl.” Grabbing my ankles, he tugged me across the bed before sliding my shorts down and flinging them across the bedroom. 

Jisung hovered over me, hands traveling anywhere he could reach. I was growing impatient not being able to touch him the way I wanted. My hands pushed against his strong shoulders, flipping him back onto the bed. His arms wrapped around my waist, letting my legs fall on either side of his hips. 

I sighed against his lips, feeling his hips press up against mine. Letting my lips guide my actions I moved down his neck and chest. I looked up to see Jisung’s hands covering his face, attempting to silence how I was making him feel. Seeing his reaction, I let my tongue slide over his toned stomach and graze across the inked skin on his right side. A heavenly moan left his lips. My hand fell down further and ghosted over the growling bulge beneath his shorts.

“Ah...fuck-” He moaned as my tongue licked down his torso, inching dangerously close to the low hanging waistband. His head lifted up when I pulled away. “Shit- why’d you stop?”

Smirking, I started playing with the band of his shorts. “Oh, don’t mind me. Just enjoying the view.” As my fingers hooked around the fabric he pulled me back up to his lips and helped me pull them down. “Do you have...you know?” I asked between heated kisses. 

Jisung nodded, hands groping my ass and grinding up against my core. “In the drawer.” With quick impatient hands, I reached over to the nightstand yanked open the drawer. “You’re on the pill right? Just in case.” 

“Yeah, of course.” Finding a strip of condoms I tore one off, and returned to Jisung’s lips. My eyes closed, letting myself fall into the blissful daze Jisung was sending me into. Letting him wreck and ravish my body was the only thing on my mind. 

❖ 

Almost a month later I found myself in the same place. Jisung’s bed. A light sheen of sweat lay on my skin and his. His sheets did a lousy job of covering anything but my hips resting over his. My head rested on his chest, letting his fingers play with my hair. 

His legs were tangled with mine around and under the covers. The art on his side drew my attention. Jisung watched my fingers trace over the words on his ribcage. I had watched him for so long and been with him more than a few times and I had yet to ask him about his tattoos.

Delicately, I traced each line of the words on his ribs; ‘I See’. “What does it mean?” Jisung looked down at me, watching my hand move over the ink.

“It’s the first song I ever seriously wrote.”

“Can I hear it?”

A cool breeze floated through the open windows in his bedroom. The stars reflected on the rolling waves. Jisung shook his head. “It’s nothing much.” He nuzzled into my hair, letting me draw over the natural and drawn lines on his body. 

“I doubt that if it is physically inked on your skin.” A laugh rumbled through his chest. My touch wandered down to the dark ink on his thigh. “What about these?” 

He looked down and laughed. “Oh- I just like dragons.” Among the black lines and shading of the large dragon wrapped around his thigh were other gorgeous drawings like out of an ancient Japanese text. A symbol caught my eye.

“Is that the Chinese character for soup?” 

“No. It means perseverance.”

“No. It means soup.” 

Jisung laid his head back on the pillow, eyes wide. “That would explain why the guy was laughing so much when he did the tattoo.” He rolled over on top of me, adjusting the sheets to shield us more from the night wind. His head nuzzled into my neck. “Where do the Inies think you are?” Jisung questioned. 

I shrugged. “Hyunjin could care less. He spends most of his nights facetiming his girlfriend, Aiya.” 

“Can’t relate. Mine has been in my bed every night.” 

Scoffing, my fingers began threading through his dark hair. “Innie is a little suspicious. But, usually, I just buy him boba the next day and he doesn’t care.” Jisung nodded and held onto me like a teddy bear. His warm skin acted like my own personal sun.

“Noted. Jeongin can be bribed with boba.”Jisung’s head lifted hearing a yawn slip past my lips. “You tired, baby? I nodded, cuddling further into him. “Get some sleep. We both have shifts tomorrow.” Jisung leaned over pressing his lips gently against mine. I fell asleep with my arms wrapped around him and his lips sleepily trailing down my neck and shoulder. 

❖

“Every night?” My dark haired friend asked in disbelief. Jeongin walked beside me as we made our way back to the Hut. The sunset cast a gold and red glow over the beach.  Our shift would be over soon and I could not wait. This had been a long day and I wanted nothing more than to go home and collapse in bed. “You guys are procreating like rabbits.” I laughed at his word choice. “I’m sorry, but I do not need mini Y/ns and Jisungs running around.”

Jeongin climbed the creaky wooden steps up to the Hut. Rough outlines of his feet in sand followed his steps to the door. Through the windows, I could see Hyunjin, Changbin, and my boyfriend inside. “Where’s Chan?” I asked seeing him missing as we entered the base.

Changbin sighed, flipping through the day’s log. “He took Celi down to the dock to watch the sunset.” I caught Jisung eyeing me from across the room. He stuck out his tongue and shook his head at me, eliciting a laugh.  

“So, Inies,” Changbin started. The blonde and brunette raised their heads waiting for what Changbin had to say. “Looks like it’s your turn to do the night walk.” They groaned and whined. The night walk was done by two lifeguards after the beach closed. It was typically a long cold walk with flashlights making sure no one was on the beach. It usually took an extra two hours that you did not get paid for. 

“But, Aiya is waiting for me to call!”

“I just want to go home!”

Jisung shot me a look standing near his open locker. He crossed his arms, tan shoulders leaning against the cool metal. Despite my tired feet and my urge to sleep for a week I smiled, knowing what he was thinking. 

“Y/n and I can do it.” The Inies quickly stopped their pleading turning to my boyfriend.

“No argument from me. They can do it.” Hyunjin said grabbing his stuff and racing out the door. Jeongin quickly followed. Changbin shrugged, tossing the clipboard on the desk. 

“Y/n, you might want a jacket. It’s going to get cold.” Changbin said, patting my shoulder. He turned to the boy with tousled brown hair and threw him the ring of metal keys. “Jisung, don’t forget to lock up when you’re done.” 

With a final wave, Changbin grabbed his bag and shut the door behind him, descending the stairs. “You’re buying me dinner,” I said wrapping my arms around his waist. “Pizza sounds good.” 

“That’s fair. I’ll get you pizza.” Jisung cupped my cheeks before pecking my lips. He turned back to his open locker, pulling out a grey unzipped hoodie. “Here.” The fabric swallowed me as he sweetly helped me slip my arms into the jacket. Listing his head, he smiled, cheeks filling and eyes turning into crescent moons. “You look too cute.”

I smiled watching him lean down and capture my lips in a kiss. My stomach twisted in knots only he could tie. “We should get going. I want my pizza sooner than later.” He nodded and grabbed two flashlights. Slipping my phone into the jacket pocket I followed Jisung down onto the beach. 

Time always seemed to pass quickly with him. It felt like this summer had only started yesterday, so by the time we reached the end of the beach hand in hand my tiredness was long forgotten. 

“Yeah, so then Changbin-” Jisung interrupted his own story. His eyes strained against the dark. “Do you see that?” Further down the shore, my eyes pushed past the darkness to see the outline of a speedboat beached on the sand. Several men were loading packages onto the vessel. 

“Yeah,” I latched onto Jisung’s arm looking up at him. “You want me to call it in?” 

He shook his head continuing to watch from afar. “No, Changbin already left. Stay here. I’ll go check it out.” Turning on his flashlight, he kissed my cheek before walking down the beach. 

A chilling breeze blew over the sand. Shoving my hands in my pockets I watched Jisung approach the four men. The beam from his light fanned over the wrapped cargo. My skin crawled. Something felt off. I couldn’t hear anything from where I stood, but I could tell the men were getting more than angry at Jisung for walking into whatever they were doing. 

The muscles in Jisung’s back rippled as he pointed up the beach, most likely telling them to leave. My body froze. Under the moonlight, I thought I saw the glint of a gun being pulled from a jacket. All I could do was try not to scream hearing the sound of a round being fired and watching Jisung fall to the ground. 

“Jisung!”

Ignoring the man they just shot, the men pushed the boat out into the water. The sand beneath my feet made it hard to run. I slipped and fell but scrambled to my feet racing over to Jisung. He clutched his stomach, labored breaths struggling to escape. 

“Jisung!” He looked up at me as I kneeled next to him. Moving his hands I saw blood seeping out of the bullet wound. Jisung struggled to keep his eyes open. “Ji, baby, stay with me.” He cried out in pain feeling me put pressure on the wound. Hands shaking, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. 

Dialing emergency services, I waited for someone to answer as Jisung still bled out beside me. “Yes? Hello! I’m at Cheonsa Beach! It’s an emergency. We need an ambulance.”

“Okay, calm down Miss.”

“Calm down? My boyfriend was just shot!”

The sound of her typing carried through the phone. “The ambulance is three minutes out.” Nodding, I looked back at Jisung.  “Just keep pressure on the bullet wound and make sure your boyfriend stays awake.” In the distance, I heard the sound of sirens. 

“Over here!” Several EMTs ran towards us with a gurney. “We’re over here!” More sirens approached, flashing red and blue. 

“What happened?”

“We were making sure everyone had left the beach. We saw some guys loading packages into a boat and he told me to wait while he went to check it out. The next thing I know they shot him and sailed off.” They nodded and lifted Jisung onto the gurney. Running alongside them, they asked me questions about Jisung, most of which I couldn’t answer. “Sorry, I don’t know.”

“Okay. You can ride with us to the hospital. You’ll have to give a statement to the police and you’re boyfriend will most likely need surgery.”

Hoisting myself up into the ambulance I sat next to the gurney, holding onto Jisung’s hand. The EMT with us tried to keep him awake by asking him questions. “Is he going to be okay?” 

“He just in shock right now. We’ll have to do more tests when we get to the hospital.” She gave me a less than an optimistic smile. “Just in case- we tell most everyone this. You should call someone to be with you.” Not letting go of Jisung’s hand I reached once more for my phone. My heart stopped seeing the dark red stains on my hand. Shakily I called the first person I thought of who I wanted with me. They picked up on the second ring.

“Y/n, what’s up. I’m not-”

“Jeongin...something happened.”

❖

The bright lights of the hospital hallways were still hurting my eyes despite the many hours I had spent here. Jisung’s blood stained hoodie still hung on my shoulders. Jeongin had grabbed some board shorts from his bag so I was a little more covered standing in a passageway teaming with medical professionals.

Apparently, he and Hyunjin had just gotten back to our rental house so they raced back over still in their beachwear. Jeongin called the other boys and Chan left Celi to meet us at the hospital. It was almost eighteen hours since Jisung had been admitted and I had been talking to the police for the last three. Changbin stepped out of the room an hour ago letting me know that he Jisung had woken up. 

My mind was elsewhere, thinking about nothing but seeing my boyfriend. “Thank you so much for your statement. We will be in contact later about the investigation.” Nodding I bowed to the officer, desperately wanting to go back into the hospital room. “An officer will be back in a few days to take your boyfriend’s statement as well. I hope he makes a quick recovery.” 

The officer shook my hand and then bid me farewell. The click of the door was an announcement of my entrance. All five pairs of eyes stared at me as I closed it behind me. I was first drawn to the dark round set sitting in the bed. Wasting no time I rushed to Jisung. It took all of my strength not to cry feeling him hold onto me so tightly.

“You’re okay,” I whispered into his neck.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby. You’re stuck with me.” Jisung pulled me to sit on the bed so he could hug me even tighter. The second I felt him pull away I was prepared to let him go, instead, he pulled me down kissing me deeply. 

“Guys- get a room.”

Jisung pulled away, eyes wide and a shy smile on his face. “Hey! This is technically my room! I’ll kiss my girlfriend if I want to.” 

Jeongin rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his bare chest. “That’s my best friend your kissing. Watch your hands, assface.” Jisung removed his hands from well below my waist seeing the death inducing glare the youngest Inie was sending his way.

“How are you guys not cold?” I asked noticing all of them had come still in their beachwear. None of them seemed to find the time to put on a shirt. Changbin shrugged and flexed next to Chan. “No shirt, no shoes, no problem.” He said slapping his bicep. 

“I don’t think that applies to a hospital,” I whispered, lacing my fingers with Jisung’s. He chuckled, but winced clutching his side. 

Chan sighed and motioned me over. Reluctantly I left Jisung to talk to him. “The doctor said he’ll have to stay here for at least a week. Maybe a couple days more.” My fingers raked through my hair as I watched Jisung swat away Hyunjin’s hands from a box of chocolates someone had left for him. “We’re going to have to keep a close eye on him when he gets discharged.”

I nodded. “Look I’ll stay here tonight with him. When he gets discharged, I’ll stay at his place and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” 

“Y/n,” Chan started, gently holding onto my arm. The action felt brotherly, like he was taking care of me. “You’ve been awake for over thirty-six hours. I can stay here tonight. Celi said she would drop by later anyway.” 

“Chan, I’m not leaving him.”

He opened his mouth about to say something but was interrupted by the door swinging open and a cheery brunette waltzing in. She carried a plate covered in a clear wrap. “Knock, knock! I- oh....this is uh...” Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red seeing all but Jisung standing around shirtless. Eyes bulging, Chan lept for the curtains covering himself. Jeongin grabbed an extra blanket form Jisung’s bed and Changbin hid behind me. Hyunjin grabbed the nearest object to him which happened to be a bedpan. 

“EEEEKK!” He screeched realizing what it was, the metal object crashing onto the floor. 

“Celi! Uhh... I thought you were coming later?” Chan stuttered from behind the somewhat sheer curtain over him. He seemed drawn to curtains in these situations. 

Doing her best to suppress the blush on her cheeks she set the plate down on a table and pulled a hoodie out of the bag she had with her, tossing it to her boyfriend. “Well, I made cookies and thought it would make Jisung feel better.” She motioned to the platter filled with homemade baked goods. 

Jisung’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “I got shot. How are cookies supposed to help?” 

A fire lit in Chan’s eyes and I sent an equally chilling glare his way. “Jisung!” I scolded through my teeth. 

“THANK YOU FOR THE COOKIES! I LOVE THEM VERY MUCH!” He screeched in higher register than I thought possible as he slid down the headboard, hiding from the combined power of Chan and my glares.

Thanking Cecilia again on my boyfriend’s behalf I took the cookies and brought them over to his bedside table. Like second nature, Jisung pulled me next to him on the bed and watched me unwrap the plate. He opened his mouth, expecting me to feed him a still warm and gooey cookie. 

Jisung whined when I bit into it instead. “Y/n, baby, I got shot. Please!” Rolling my eyes I placed a cookie in his mouth and watched his cheeks fill up with the sweet goodness Celi had made. He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. “Thank you, gorgeous.” He said kissing my cheek. I shrugged and fought the smile edging its way onto my face. 

“You get shot again, and I’ll have to kill you, Han.” 

Jisung smiled, eyes crinkling up before he nodded. “I promise I won’t get shot by drug traffickers.” I leaned down kissing him again. His familiar long fingers brushed over my cheek. 

“Y/N L/N!”

My name was screamed from the doorway. Jumping away from Jisung I saw my parents standing there, fury the only expression on their faces. “Mom?”  Jisung looked from me to my mother, eyes wide and most likely more afraid of her than he was of me earlier. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” My father yelled. Even Changbin flinched at his tone. Hyunjin and Jeongin were used to situations like these and slowly decided to hide behind the closet. The tension in the room couldn’t be cut with a knife it was so thick.

“Who the hell is he? Is he the one who almost got you shot?” My mother screeched, pointing at Jisung. I stood at a loss for words. The man in the bed looked up at me with soft doe eyes, clearly confused. 

“Mom, you don’t understand. It wasn’t Jisung’s fault. He did nothing wrong-”

“You could have died because of him!”

“Mom!” 

My father sighed stepping in. The rest of the room watched the exchange quietly. “Your mother is right. You are coming home with us. We let you come to the beach one last time to spend the summer with your friends. Instead, we get a call in the middle of the night saying your little boy toy has you involved in a drug investigation.” Jisung threw his legs out of the bed but I stopped him from getting up. 

“Dad, Jisung is-”

“I don’t care if Jisung is Gandhi. You are coming home with us and you are never coming back to Cheonsa.” Not letting me say another word, my father grabbed my wrist and began dragging me out the door. I heard Jisung clamber out of the hospital bed and the others attempt to stop him. Looking back I saw him tearing out IVs and pushing past the boys as my parents dragged me away. 

“Dad, please!” 

“Sir! Mr. L/n! Please!” Jisung ran after us down the hall nurses staring as he clutched his side. “Please! Mr. L/n! I love your daughter. Please, let me explain!”  I turned back with wide eyes, but all I could see was Jisung and the heartbroken look on his face as my parents pulled me into a closing elevator. 

He loved me.

❖

Jisung’s POV

I sat staring at my phone. Nothing. I had heard nothing from Y/n in the past twelve days. The Inies reassured me that she was fine, but her parents had confiscated her phone and basically put her under house arrest. 

This was all my fault. 

It felt like a part of me was missing. My thumb hovered over my gallery wanting to look at her pictures again. Unable to resist the urge I opened the app and smiled seeing her face. In only two months my camera roll had become full of her. 

Just as I was about to click on a photo my phone was snatched out of my hand. “You packed, bro?” Hyunjin asked tossing my phone onto the bed. I nodded towards the bag in the chair. I was being discharged in an hour. Yesterday I passed the physical saying I was good to go home. But, home wasn’t home without Y/n. Jeongin entered the room and gave me a pity smile. With one last check-in from the doctor, I was released. 

“Is this really necessary?” I questioned the nurse as Jeongin pushed me through the lobby in a wheelchair. Hyunjin was taking photos of me a giant grin on his face. 

“Yeah, is this necessary?” Jeongin groaned from behind me. The nurse nodded and opened the door for us. Jeongin noticed my, for lack of a better descriptor, depressed as fuck face. “Dude, if you miss her this much go get her.” 

Jeongin stopped just outside the hospital doors, making me turn my head. “I can’t even protect myself from thugs on the beach. How am I supposed to take care of her? How am I supposed to prove myself to them? I’m a music production major. Her parents aren’t going to take me seriously.”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes coming to stand in front of me. “Okay, first of all, you were attacked with a gun. You aren’t fucking Superman. No matter how much you work out your abs will not stop a bullet.” I looked down at my hands, taking in everything the blonde said. “You’ve just got to seize the day. If you want her, go and get her.”

“Seize the day? Really?” Jeongin asked, brows raised. 

“I watched Dead Poets Society last night. Sue Me. Robin Williams is a fucking genius.” 

As the two of them argued about Robin Williams, I thought more about what Hyunjin said. I was never going to get her back if I didn’t try. If I didn’t believe I could convince her parents, then I wouldn’t be able to. I would do anything to be with Y/n. “You’re right,” I said standing up from the wheelchair, stopping the Inies’ argument. “I am gonna seize the day!” 

It was Jeongin’s turn to roll his eyes and he pushed me back down into the chair. “Seize the day when there is less of a hole in your stomach.” With a huff, I sat back down as Innie pushed the chair forward towards the car. “Also,” The young black haired boy started. “Seize your wallet. There’s a taco truck down the street and I’m hungry.”

Reluctantly, I pulled my wallet from my bag to pay for Jeongin and his tacos. I wasn’t about to wait on Y/n though. The second I was able, I was going to get her back.

❖

Y/n’s POV

“Y/n, are you sure you don’t want to eat?” My mom called from downstairs. I laid on my bed staring up at the ceiling. Subconsciously I lifted the black shirt I was wearing up to my nose and breathed in the scent. My parents were kind enough to let me go back to the beach house the Inies and I shared and let me pack.

Wearing Jisung’s shirt gave me a little bit of comfort. That was until I thought about the fact my parents never wanted me to see him again. The shirt smelled like rain on the beach. A very certain scent. A scent that seemed to follow Jisung no matter where he went. 

“No. I’m not eating,” I shouted back. 

Rolling over my bed, I turned to see a stuffed octopus staring back at me. “What are you looking at?” It did nothing but keep its sewn smile on its purple face. Downstairs I heard the doorbell ring. Not taking the plush octopus’s shit, I threw it across the room in anger. Faintly I heard the sound of the door opening and a familiar voice floated through the house. Great, now I was imagining his voice. 

Wait. No. That was him. That was Jisung’s voice. Falling off the bed, I scrambled to my feet swinging my bedroom door open. Hiding behind the stair banister, I watched my mother reluctantly let Jisung into the house. His dark hair was neatly styled and pushed away from his forehead. Simple silver earrings dangled and bounced against his skin. He wore a navy suit jacket and a simple white shirt, tucked into the matching dress pants. The pants were cropped making him look a little taller and revealing the tan skin of his ankles. 

Jisung respectfully bowed as my father entered the room and looked around, eyes turning to the staircase. I ducked down, hitting my head on the railing in the process. “Ow-shit,” I whispered rubbing the top of my head. 

Peaking around the corner I saw my parents lead Jisung into the living room. He sat down on the couch, still in my view. My parents sat across from him, their backs to me. Just seeing his face made my heartrate shift to lightspeed. 

“I would like to reintroduce myself,” He started, deep voice bouncing off the walls and carrying to my hiding place. “My name is Han Jisung. I’m twenty years old. I’m a music production major at Seoul University....and your daughter is the love of my life.” 

I could already see my mother shaking her head. She wouldn’t except less than a rich doctor with a terrible personality for me. Let me tell you, most of the medical students don't have time to date. I could tell Jisung was starting to get nervous by the way his leg shook and he began anxiously turning the ring on his left hand round his finger.

“Let’s just push away the fact that you nearly got my daughter shot.” Jisung winced and looked away, before meeting my father’s eyes once more. “What are your intentions with my daughter, Y/n?” 

Jisung sighed, wringing his hands together. What were his intentions with me? I knew that he was serious about our relationship, but past that I was clueless. With an unwavering gaze, he looked back to my father. “I intend to marry her, sir. Not any time soon, but I do want to marry her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I love Y/n.” 

It was impossible to keep the smile from spreading over my face. My parents shared a look, but from their body language, I already knew what their answer was. “Mr. Han,”

“Please, Jisung is just fine.” 

“Jisung,” My mother continued in a cold tone. “We want you nowhere near our daughter. She has a bright future in front of her and you will only hinder it. You are just a constant reminder of her days prancing around on the beach. We cannot allow this relationship to continue, especially with her safety involved.”

His eyes visibly saddened and his shoulders sunk. “But-”

“If you know what’s best for you...what’s best for Y/n...you will let her go. You will walk out that door and never see her again.”

“What if I say no?”

My mother straightened her posture and smoothed out her dress. “If we find out you are seeing Y/n...we’ll withdraw her tuition payment and disown her. She’ll be kicked out onto the street. Can you live with that?” 

I watched the gears turn in Jisung’s head. I wanted him to stand up and say that he didn’t care. To say that he just wanted to be with me. I would choose him in a heartbeat. 

Instead, his head hung low and he ran his long fingers through his dark locks. “No, I couldn’t.” 

My mother, obviously pleased, stood up a clear smile was heard in her voice. “Then your business here is done.” Jisung watched my mother move towards the entryway, clearly wearing his heart on his sleeve. He made no attempt at hiding how heartbroken he was.

“Will you at least let me say goodbye to her?” He pleaded, round doe eyes turned down and expecting a bad answer. My father sighed, before looking upstairs. 

“Make it quick.”

Jisung’s head shot up, eyes filling with hope. He looked to the stairs before hesitantly walking towards them. I sprinted to my room leaving the door open just a crack. As I turned, I face-planted onto my carpet. Looking back I glared once again at the purple octopus that had caused my fall. Angrily chucking it somewhere else in the room I stood up and waited for Jisung to come in. 

A hesitant knock filled my bedroom. He did not wait to enter. Jisung looked around before his eyes finally settled on me. I wasted no time in rushing to him. Wrapping my arms around his neck I crashed my lips onto his. My heart broke feeling him hold onto me so tightly. Jisung pulled away with sorrow filled eyes. 

“I came to say goodbye.” 

“I know. I heard everything.” Jisung rested his forehead against mine, eyes closing. “Jisung this isn’t your choice.” He shook his head still not looking at me. His lips pressed against mine softly once more.

“I’m not letting you throw away your life for me.”

“What if I want to?” Jisung looked me in the eyes. I could tell he was searching for any hesitance. “You love me.” It wasn’t a question and he knew it. Silently, he nodded still searching my face. 

“Let’s run away. Screw my parents. I have enough in my savings to finish my degree.”  

“Baby, I can’t do that to you. There’s no guarantee in my future. I might not be able to provide for you. I love you enough to understand that letting you go while it kills me...is what is best for you.” Our voices had moved to hushed whispers. 

The back of my hand brushed over his cheek. “That’s not your decision to make.” He chuckled, still wincing a little from his healing wound. “I love you, Jisung. I’m asking you to run away with me.”

Once again I saw the gears begin to turn in his brain. He took more time thinking this through than he did downstairs. My heart hammered in my chest waiting for his answer. It stopped when his lips pressed against mine in a slow sensual kiss. 

“Pack your bags,” Jisung whispered against my lips. 

❖

A year had passed. My legs rested on either side of the surfboard floating on the water. The waves swayed them beneath the surface and I watched the slim form of Jisung ride a wave closer to where my board floated. I smiled watching him wipe out, disappearing beneath the blue water. Turning back, I saw the beach house on the shore, lights on, and waiting for us to return home from our sunset surf.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Jisung said popping up beside my board. His long fingers were wrapped around the tip of his own surfboard keeping it from floating away. His other arm rested on top of mine and lacing our fingers together. He smiled watching the glint on my left hand shine in the setting sun. 

My eyes fell to his chest, most of it submerged. Through the water, I saw his newest tattoo and smiled. My name right over his heart. “Nice wipeout.” Jisung rolled his eyes before letting go of my hands and swimming over to his board and pushing himself up. We let the slowly decreasing waves push them next to each other, our legs brushing through the cold clear water. 

“You don’t regret leaving with me do you?” Jisung asked, looking at the sunset. 

I shook my head, staring at the red and orange glow of the disappearing sun. “Not one bit.” Jisung turned, grabbing my hand. With a smile, our lips connected just as the sun sunk beneath the waves. This was only the beginning of my life with Jisung.

❖

Requests are Temporarily Closed!

Masterlist

[shipmistress9]

8 -hiccstrid 😊💜

HICCSTRID

8. Interrupting with a kiss

This is actually a story idea I was pondering over for a good while now. But it fits this prompt, so I had a great excuse to finally write it down. ^^

Fateful Heights

Speak of the devil and he shall appear…

Hiccup couldn’t help but marvel about this saying as he threw a cautious glance down into the gaping abyss below his dangling feet. Or, well, the rest of the funfair, but it certainly felt like a gaping abyss…

Earlier, when they'd waited in line to get onto the Drop Tower, they’d all joked about how scary it would be to get stuck at the top. Then, when Snot, Legs, and the twins were getting onto the first ride while he and Astrid had to wait for the next round, he’d joked about how it would actually be funny to watch them get stuck and get sick now. It had been mainly to interrupt the awkward silence between him and Astrid, the girl he’d had a crush on since forever. But she’d laughed and agreed that it would be hilarious to watch.

Now, however? Now, it was him and Astrid being stuck on this stupid tower. For ten minutes now, the thing hadn’t moved even one inch. Every now and then, the operator called up instructions or reassurances over a megaphone, but in all honestly, that didn’t help the feeling of dread in his guts one bit.

It wasn’t even the height per se that bothered him. He absolutely loved heights. Snot had even jokingly commented before that Hiccup got high on heights, and, well… he wasn’t so far off. Of all the rides they’d planned to go on today, this one was the one he’d been looking forward to the most.

No, it wasn’t the height that made him feel queasy. It was the sense of helplessness. To be out of control and at the mercy of someone else, something else.

The wind, usually a highly welcome sensation when blowing around his face, now made him clutch so tightly at the handle that his knuckles stood out white. One person a few seats to his right had dropped their shoe, and it had taken a disturbingly long time to reach the ground.

And it was no exaggeration when he thought that the only thing keeping him sane was Astrid sitting next to him.

“Hey, look over there,” she now said, her hand awkwardly pointing to a spot on the horizon. “There’s a ship coming in. I bet the people on the ground can’t see it yet, not even those right at the harbour.”

His eyes followed her finger and his quick mind did the calculation without him even having to think about it. “That’s a bet you would win,” he said, trying to sound as casual as possible, to not show how scared he truly was. “My guess would be, that it’ll still be up to three hours before that ship is visible from the pier.”

Next to him, Astrid shifted in her seat and somehow managed to peer past the safety harness to throw him a bemused look. “You’re such a nerd,” she eventually chuckled.

Hiccup blushed, but wasn’t too bothered by her comment. He was a nerd; no point in pretending otherwise. And as long as she said it like this—with the undertone of teasing affection instead of as an insult—she could call him whatever she wanted, anyway.

A few minutes passed in relative silence. Around them, people were chatting, crying, one even screaming, but Hiccup did his best to blend them all out. Instead, he focused on Astrid who was humming to herself. It was a little off-tune but somehow still the most relaxing noise he’d ever heard.

“Hey, look!” she suddenly exclaimed. “I found the other’s.”

Hiccup glanced down in the direction she indicated.

“Over there, between that building with the red roof and the yellow-and-blue-striped tent.”

“Ah, yes, I see them.” Hiccup thought for a moment, the map of the funfair before his mental eye. “They probably got themselves an early dinner. The building is the pizzeria, I think.”

“Huh...” Astrid grunted, and even though he couldn’t see her face, he could imagine how she would narrow her eyes right now. “Yeah, you’re right. We’re locked up here, possibly about to fall to our death, and these idiots are eating!”

“At least, they didn’t get popcorn,” Hiccup muttered. He liked his friends, but at least Tuff wasn’t beyond finding their situation entertaining. Snot probably too.

Astrid snorted. “They know better than to risk that. I’d haunt them for the rest of eternity. Hey, do you think I can spit onto their pizza if I aim well enough?”

Again, Hiccup’s mind did some quick calculation out of reflex before he shook his head. “I’d say you can’t,” he said regretfully. “Not to insult your aim, but from this height and with the wind, it would be all but impossible to predict where your spit lands, if it reaches the ground at all. And as much as I’d pay to see Snot’s face when you ruin his pizza like that, I wouldn’t wish the same fate on anyone else.”

Astrid sighed. “Fair enough. But if he gives me the slightest reason, I will hit him.

“I won’t stop you,” Hiccup chuckled. He was unable to fully put his feelings into words, not even inside his head. But he knew that without Astrid, he would have gone insane. How she managed to be so lighthearted in their current situation was beyond him, but her jokes and generally good mood were all that kept his own despair at bay.

Their rescue didn’t take too long after that. Maybe it had just been an error in the software, but from one moment to the other, they were moving again. Initially, there was even more screaming, some surely fearing they were all going to crash to their death now. But their decent was slow, gentle, and only a few minutes later, they were all back on solid ground.

On shaky legs, he and Astrid were ushered to the side, to a hastily erected tent where medics were waiting for them to make sure everyone was physically unharmed. Mentally might be another question, though.

Once he and Astrid were allowed to leave, Hiccup let out a deep breath. “Oh, what a trip. I always loved these Drop Towers, but now, I’m not sure I’ll ever want to—”

He broke off when Astrid suddenly grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss. It wasn’t a gentle one, teeth digging into his lips from how hard she pressed herself against him.

Hiccup was stunned, unable to react other than let his hands land on her waist. Of all the things he’d expected from this day, Astrid kissing him had been even further down the list than getting stuck on a ride. But here she was, clinging to him, and he even thought he could feel her heart pounding against his chest.

The kiss ended as abruptly as it had started. Hiccup was still trying to comprehend when she released his mouth and instead buried her face against his shoulder, arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

“Oh, Gods,” she gasped, voice nearly breaking. “I thought we would surely die here.” She was shaking he now noticed, and so he wrapped his arms more firmly around her, holding her in a comforting embrace. Did this still count as comforting, though? It was meant to be comforting, at least.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he tried to soothe her. “We made it. Nothing happened, we got off with no more than a fright.”

Astrid’s grasp grew even tighter. “How did you do it?” she gasped. “How did you manage to keep so calm up there? I was so scared that my brain stopped working completely. I think I was babbling the entire time but can’t remember a thing I said. But you? You even did math up there. I…” She trailed off, took a deep breath, and calmed down at least a little again. “Without you staying so calm, I would have gone insane.

Hiccup, still caught in how surreal this situation was, awkwardly patted her back. “Honestly, I was just as scared. Only coped because of all the jokes you made.”

Laughing a little shakily, she eventually pulled back. “Looks like we both helped each other then.”

She turned and made a step toward the exit, but Hiccup couldn’t let her go now. Not with like this, with this one moment hanging between them. “Astri?” he called her back, picking up all his courage as she glanced back at him. “Why did you kiss me?”

She blushed and, ducking her head, swiped a strand of loose hair out of her face before she answered. “You… didn’t miss that, huh? Of course, you didn’t.” She let out a weak chuckle. “It’s… I—I wanted to ask you for a long time and promised myself that, should we get off that tower alive, I’d do it. But I guess my mind skipped a few steps there. I-I’m sorry, we can pretend it never happened if you—”

She didn’t get the chance to say any more. Hiccup bridged the distance between them with one step, cupped her face with both hands, and pressed his lips to her mouth. This kiss wasn’t as harsh as the other had been, soft and gentle. Astrid didn’t need long to catch up, her lips twitching into a grin before she kissed him back. It was a chaste kiss, sweet with only lips. But as her arms slid around his waist, Hiccup felt as if this had to be the best kiss of his life so far.

When they parted, Hiccup let his forehead rest against hers, unwilling to part just yet. “I don’t want to pretend it didn’t happen,” he murmured. “I’m glad it did.”

Astrid nodded, then pulled away and threw him a warm smile. “Okay. So… should we go back to the others now? But I warn you, I stand by what I said. Or at least I think I said something like this. If your cousin makes even one stupid comment, I’ll hit him.”

Chuckling, Hiccup reached for her hand, inwardly rejoicing when her fingers closed around his without hesitation. “Again, I won’t stop you.”

[deejadabbles]

Parkside Confessions (Yami x Reader drabble)

Due to upheavals in my personal life I’ve been unable to write much of anything for several months, so, to help get back into the swing of things I figured I’d make some presents for some people I appreciate here on tumblr. You could also say these are very very, very, very late Christmas gifts. The first one is for @readerinsertfanfiction​ who is not only an amazing writer and someone I admire, but also someone who wrote me a couple fantastic drabbles not long ago.

I know it’s February but I set this during spring time because I’m desperate for winter to be over before I break my ankle on ice while walking to work bc why not. I also kinda tried to give this a Not Quite Unrequited vibe while still making it it’s own thing, so hopefully you like it, Rif <3

Yugi took note of the way his brother was holding himself; arms crossed tight over his chest, eyes locked firmly on the ground, and lips pursed in a pout unlike any he had seen on Yami before. Yugi was struggling between wanting to laugh and actually feeling sympathy for his big brother.

Instead, the younger man put a comforting hand on Yami’s shoulder, “Hey, you don’t have to be so nervous! Just think of it like any other conversation, you guys have talked a million times before!”

He was glad to feel Yami’s muscles relax a little under his hand, though it only really served to make Yami start shifting his feet in a one-step dance of restlessness. Fidgeting was rare sign in Yami and Yugi fully started to appreciate how shot his nerves must be.

“But this isn’t just any other conversation, Aibou,” Yami muttered and if the sounds of nature in the park were any louder, Yugi might not have heard him. “I’ve practiced what I might say in my mind for over a week, yet I still feel no more prepared to say it face to face than I did two weeks ago.”

That made sense, Yami always did his best thinking on his feet. He was amazing at plans and strategies, but this wasn’t exactly the same as putting good card combinations in your Duel Monster’s deck.

Yugi felt his lips curl into a frown as he turned and peeked out from behind the line of trees they were conveniently settled behind. As always when the weekend weather was nice (and the gang had no plans to hang out) you were there, enjoying the outdoors as you worked on your tablet. Your usual bench was a bit isolated from the main part of the park, set off in the grass some ways away from the play ground and flat field others frolicked through. It was also surrounded by a spattering of trees, so a thick umbrella of leaves protected you from the sun, though your favorite hat did that job well enough. This was the third time Yami had passed through the park when you were here- only to powerwalk passed you without so much as a wave or awkward hello, despite his previous intentions of stealing some one-on-one time with you. 

Living up to the ‘ray of positivity’ title his friend’s bestowed upon him, Yugi quickly though of a solution to get Yami over there and under those trees with you. “Okay, new plan. What ever you’ve been practicing in your head- forget it, throw it out!”

Yami finally lifted his eyes from the uneven grass to blink at him, “What?”

Yugi grabbed his brother by the arm and started tugging, “You always come up with your best plans in the spur of the moment, so stop overthinking what you’re going to say and just go over there! It’ll come to you when you need it, I’m sure!” Yami’s eyes went wide as Yugi actually started (gently) shoving him in the direction of your spot. 

“Aibou, I-”

“No buts!”

“I didn’t say but!”

“Just get over there!”

Another shove with surprising strength behind it and Yami was stumbling out into the open. You hadn’t noticed, him being too far away and you too engrossed in your tablet. Yami stood frozen, like a cat caught climbing the curtains, until he let out a breath and stood straighter. That literal push was helpful, and just like other points in his life, Yami found strength in his brother’s encouragement. He could do this, it wasn’t like talking to you was anything new! It would be fine if he could forget the fact that this was the only time you two had spent alone...and push exactly why he was wanting to talk with you alone to the back of his mind.

Yami watched your bench for a moment, felt himself smile at how at peace you looked. When the breeze picked up and swept through the park, he saw the way it caught and lifted the strands of your hair. Your eyes closed against nature’s intrusion as you tucked some flowing strands behind your ear and Yami felt something warm and fluttering swell in his chest at the almost cinematic sight. That bubbly heat wasn’t new to him, he had actually grown quite accustomed to it the last few weeks. Warmth clawing up his neck and face when you smiled at him, head feeling light and stupid the few times he managed to get a laugh from you, how he wanted bury himself in the moments where you talked about your passions with that look in your eyes. All of these were signs even he couldn’t ignore. 

He had tried, gods had he tried, but he hadn’t managed it for long, he couldn’t. Couldn’t deny the way his eyes followed you like a smitten school boy, or how he scowled in disappointment (and perhaps a drop of jealousy) when he couldn’t snatch the seat next to you, nor how he longed for you to look back at him with similar feelings hidden in your gaze.

With another deep breath, Yami finally moved his feet in something other than nervous fidgeting. He could practically feel Yugi’s eyes on his back as he took strong and sure strides towards you. He passed a young couple on a walk as his mind worked through encouraging words. He tucked his hand in his pockets for a bit of security when he thought of how you would look up at him and greet him in your usually fashion. He took more calming breaths as even that mild imagery made his face heat up. He was closing in on you now, all he had to do was call out and wave and he would be one step closer to everything he had been planning and-

And without breaking stride Yami spun on his heel in a sharp U turn, stormed for a few hot-faced paces, and planted his butt firmly on a bench that was definitely not yours.

He was staring forcefully at the ground again, lips tight in annoyance, and fists clenched over his knees so tight the knuckles were already whitening. He knew he heard Yugi’s voice carried to him on the wind, but at the moment his mind was too busy scolding his love-struck cowardice.

Back in their hiding spot, Yugi huffed, wishing his beloved brother was in reach for a good shaking. “For the love of...”

Now, Yugi was not usually one for acting on impulse, but seeing his brother look so frustratingly hesitant made him act on the first plan that came to mind. Yami just needed a little push, that’s all.

Yugi ran out into the field, put his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, and in the best possible impersonation of his brother’s baritone he could muster, he yelled your name.

On the lonely bench, Yami’s heart sank when he heard a voice (trying to sound like his??) shout your name so loudly it carried across he park. His head snapped up in time to see Yugi retreating back to their previous hiding spot, darting out of sight- but not before the young man flashed him a thumbs up.

A few choice words to hurl at his brother ran through his mind, before Yami heard the voice that made a fresh wave of bubbly heat start in his chest.

“Yami? Is that you?”

Taking an almost audible gulp, Yami turned his head towards you sitting not far across the field. He prayed his dark skin would hide the blush he knew was scorching his face.

“Hello,” the tone was flat and awkward as he lifted his hand in an equally awkward gesture. 

You didn’t seem to mind, or maybe you did and were trying to spare him further embarrassment, because you nodded in greeting with a half smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“I was- I” Yami cleared his throat in a hurry, “I was just taking a walk.” Somehow through the haze of panic and mortification he managed to stand up and start walking towards you. Of course he noted how his legs felt like jelly and his stride was likely very odd looking as he closed the distance. “I see you’re enjoying the nice day,” he observed, scrambling for any start to a conversation.

You nodded, “Just until it gets too hot anyway, we won’t have many more cool day like this with summer getting closer.”

“Right. I’m sure Anzu will try to get us to go to the water park when it gets hot.”

When you huffed in bemused laughter he felt some of his tension ease, especially when you said, “Probably, so I’m definitely going to enjoy the spring days while I can. Hey, you want to sit down?”

He found his lips lifting in a smile as you scooted over a bit and patted the newly freed spot beside you. He took it, glad to give his jelly legs a rest, though they were getting better with every passing moment.

“What are you working on? If you don’t mind me asking.”

And just like that you two fell into easy conversation. It didn’t take long for Yami to forget that he was alone with you for the first time, in a nice private setting. Rather it felt like any other day: you and the rest of the gang coming over for an anime marathon, all of you going to the arcade, or playing Monster World at Ryou’s house. It was...simple. Well, almost, but it was getting easier with every word and sentence. 

Of course, he eventually realized that the words to tell you the deeper things in his heart weren’t coming, like Yugi thought they would. Yami wasn’t even able to conjure up the speech he had planned when he took a second to think about it.

Then again, maybe it just wasn’t the right time. Maybe this was all he needed for now. Some time between the two of you, one on one. Something simple, though no less special. Something to help ease him into the things he wanted to say someday.

Yes, this was more than enough right now. He could tell you those deeper feelings held in his heart another day, right now he was more than content to sit by your side and enjoy your smile, your voice, and your company.