#Tumblr---even with the bad experiences and the hiccups---has been one of the best though and y'all are unfortunately stuck with me

[constellationcrowned]

ooc: When did you join Tumblr & what drew you to roleplaying?

Munday meme

((My original blog where I used to do everything was made back in 2012. (Yes I'm old, shut up.)

As far as my getting into rp it's been a part of my life since I was very young. I'm not going to go into detail because I like to keep my private life.....well, private lol, but when I was around 9 I used to exchange handwritten stories with my best friend every week and just went from there.))

[starkatana]

Everything Must Go

Jason Todd x Female Reader // Peter Parker x Female Reader

Yeah, it’s a Marvel cross-over in a DC universe! Because I can.

Summary:

After deciding to leave Gotham, you need to say one last good-bye.

Warning: Light swearing, death (nothing graphic – just mentions)

Before Reading Background:

You and Jason were dating for four years before Joker ‘killed’ him.

Now you are dating Peter Parker (Spider-Man)

Selina is your godmother. You are the child of Selina’s childhood friends. There is no family relationship between you and Jason even though you live in Wayne Manor

You are also a vigilante in the Batfam as Black Cat

Author’s Note:

So, here begins my various one-shots of Jason Todd/Red Hood x Reader//y/n AKA my current obsession. I may compile all of them into chronological order once everything is done. I just really wanted to write and post something. I just have too many WIP’s right now that I need to focus on.

Sorry I didn’t want to put the year of birth and the death year on Jason’s tombstone since I changed all their ages. I’ll deal with it on a different day.

They aren’t exact ages. This is just a world that I made using these characters because I can. In this story, Jason has ‘died’ at 21 and you and peter are visiting his grave a year later. The three of you are 22

This Peter Parker is more based off of the Playstation 4 Spiderman game.

Sorry if it's a little out of character, this is just based on my knowledge that Tumblr has given me.

Also! Thank you for all your likes and reblogs! It really helps my self-esteem in continuing to write and share this story! <3

Enjoy!

After you had decided to leave Gotham, you immediately made the preparations to go back home with your mom. You told Selina and Bruce and as much as they’d miss having you around they understood your choice.

“About your suit.” Bruce brought up.

You shake your head no. You hadn’t even thought about taking it with you. “I don’t need it where I’m going.”

He nods. “You will always have a place here,” Bruce reassured.

“I’m going to miss you, KitKat.” Selina hugged you.

Gotham was about three hours away from home by train. You just knew you didn’t want to come back for a long time.

As for the rest of your ‘family,' they had some choice words for you and refused to let you leave. Damian threw a tantrum and ignored you for a few hours before coming to terms and quietly hanging around you, as Damien does. Cass, Steph, and Babs forced a sleepover with you every night. You went out to eat at your must-have locations with Duke and Tim, rotating with the others. Dick went around with you from place to place, to not only keep an eye on you but so you wouldn’t be alone. Occasionally, trading places with Roy when Dick had to go to work. You knew they were babysitting, but enjoyed your time with each of them anyway. Eventually, everyone came to terms with you leaving and reluctantly supported your decision.

Today was your last day in Gotham. Peter came down from New York to help you pack the finishing touches and spend your last day in Gotham. He had the weekend off and was going to go to your hometown with you. You were going to show him around and introduce him to your mom. After packing your belongings and moving the boxes from your room to the main entrance hall, you went through your list to make sure you didn’t forget anything.

“There’s only one thing left.”

“What’s up?”

You pause and fidget with your fingers before you take a deep breath to respond.

“I want to visit Jason’s grave.”

Peter nods. “When do you want to go?”

You shrug. “Today’s the only day I have. I don’t know when I’ll be in Gotham again. I just know I have to go and I don’t think I can go alone…I haven’t been there since…” your voice trails off. “Is that weird? Asking you to go with me to my dead boyfriend’s grave? It’s a little weird. You can say no.”

Peter lets out a light chuckle and gently grabs your arms to stop you from rambling, “No, it’s not weird. I’m more than happy to go with you.”

You place a soft kiss on his cheek. “Thanks, Peter.”

You two take a car to the flower shop, buying some of –your favorite flowers-, for Jason’s grave. Next was a train ride to the city suburb, finally following a short walk to the church graveyard. This was where Bruce’s parents are buried, along with Jason. It was all a very somber experience.

The day of Jason’s funeral was not the kind of weather you felt. It was a sunny day in Gotham. Light breeze, mid to lower 80’s, it was good weather. Abnormal for Gotham and abnormal for a funeral.

You hung your head low and cried the entire time at the funeral. Damien held your hand and Cass rested her head on your shoulder. You tried to be strong, but you were shaking. From sadness and anger. It wasn’t fair.

When the funeral ended, you went for a walk through the flower garden and Dick joined you.

When you two were far enough away from any people and crowds. You started bawling like a baby. Dick held you and you cried into his jacket.

“It’s okay.” He reassured.

“No!” you snapped up, “I hate the weather.”

Dick tilts his head slightly confused.

“It’s not fair! It rains any other godforsaken day in Gotham but when it’s Jason’s funeral and I’m sad! And I think the world should be sad! But it’s fucking sunny.” You try wiping away your tears that keep coming. “It’s stupid and it’s not fair!”

Dick nods giving you another hug. “You’re right, it’s not fair.”

“The sun is dumb and this is dumb and Jason should be alive.”

Dick caresses your head as he rocks you back and forth.

“And it’s all my fault!” you sob into Dick’s coat hugging him tightly.

“Y/n.” Dick grabs your shoulders to have you look at him. “It’s not your fault. What happened to Jay is not your fault.”

You hiccup between your sobs. “If I didn’t stop him from being on time, he would’ve been with you.”

Dick pulls you in for another hug. “Shhh.”

“Y/n?”

You came back from your thoughts at the sound of Peter’s voice. You two stood outside of the graveyard gates. You look at Peter, tears in your eyes.

“I’m sorry,” you apologize wiping your tears away. “I’m sad.”

He smiles and squeezes your hand, “That’s okay. You’re allowed to be sad.”

You sniffle, holding your tears back, return his hand squeeze, and take a deep breath.

“How long has it been?”

“Its been a little over a year,” You pause, “I still miss him.” You realize what you said. You look at Peter expecting to see some sort of reaction that you had told him you still miss your dead ex. He didn’t have one. He just watched you lovingly and listened contently. “I’m sorry, that was weird.” You hang your head trying to hide your face.

“Y/n.” He steps in front of you and tilts your face up to look at him. Gently he caresses your cheek. You stare into his brown eyes, the warmest brown that glowed like warm honey on a summer’s day. And with the sun shining in eyes, they glowed even more. So warm and kind it’s been a while since you felt like this and you felt a smile grow on your lips. He tucks a piece of your hair behind your ear.

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m here to support you. You can miss Jason all you want. I don’t it’s weird. I don’t expect you to just replace him with me either. This is normal. What you’re feeling is normal. You don’t need to apologize for missing someone you love.”

You two share a hug. “Thank you, Peter.”

He places a kiss on the top of your head. “Let's go in.”

You lead him towards the flower field in the graveyard. You stop a few feet away, being able to read his gravestone in the distance.

Jason Peter Todd

Son Brother

“You okay?” Peter asks.

“Yeah.” You two continue forward, stepping up to the gravestone. You crouch down in front of his tombstone wiping off the debris that was collecting on it from the year, but other than that it was in good shape.

“Hi Jaybird.” You greet the grave like an old friend. “Sorry, it’s been so long. This is Peter.” You put the flowers down next to the grave, “He’s the guy I’ve been telling you about. He came out with me because,” You pause to collect your thoughts and find your words. “Because I wasn’t sure I could come out here by myself. I still feel bad and I still feel like this is all my fault.”

Peter puts a hand on your shoulder giving you a small squeeze.

You touch Peter’s hang before continuing. “I’m working through it though. I’ve been seeing a counselor, keeping a journal, talking to family and friends.” You pause and smile at the grave. It felt therapeutic. “I wanted to say good-bye before I left Gotham. I….” You pause feeling Peter’s eyes on you and your mouth gets dry, “miss you.” You turn to face Peter. “This is weird isn’t it?”

“No.” Peter responds crouching next to you, “He was your best friend and first love. Of course, you’d miss him.”

You put on a smile. “I feel like you two would get along in another life. You guys have a lot of the same interests.” You stop again, “Oh, that felt weird.” You cringe.

Peter puts a hand on your knee to reassure you, “It’s not weird. I’m flattered. I heard great things about him.” You smile at him, no matter what you did, and said, Peter, is nothing but supportive of you. This is was what you loved about Peter, always so positive. That and so much more. This entire process was hard, but with Peter by your side supporting you, it made you feel less alone.

“I’d like to think that the night on the balcony, when we met, Jason guided you into my life.”

“Yeah?”

“Is this getting too weird for you yet? Me talking about my dead boyfriend who I’m clearly not over?”

Peter rolls his eyes at you and smiles at you. “Stop it, y/n. No, I don’t think it’s weird. I think it’s normal and I want you to know that I’m here for you through everything. I know you care about me and I know Jason will always have a place in your heart. I don’t want to take his place, I just want to make you happy.” He kisses your forehead. “We both just want you to be happy.”

You lean against Peter with a lighthearted smile.

“Now quit asking me if it’s weird. Cause I think you’re weird.” He playfully bumps into you causing you to lose your balance, but he catches you before you can fall over. “But that’s why I like you.”

You chuckle and lean into him, “I like you too.” You say while he puts his arm around you. “Thank you, Peter, for everything.”

He nods. “Thank you for introducing us.” He faces Jason’s grave, “I promise I’ll take care of her.”

[minstrophywife]

Seven Tears

⇢Pairing: Selkie!Seokjin x Reader ⇢Genre: Selkie!AU, Soulmate?!AU        ↳[mostly fluff][some angst][some smut] ⇢Word Count: 22,455  ⇢Warnings: A very slow burn, a lot of vignettes, smut (soft sex, oral-female receiving, angry sex- nothing crazy), tropes galore, corny rhymes, sappy romance, fluff that will rot your teeth, occasional swearing   ⇢Masterlist

Your heart calls you to the sea, ever since your fateful encounter at the age of seven with a boy who whispers these words to you:

Seven tears into the sea,

In seven years I’ll come to thee.

The longing in your heart my dear,

Beckons me closer every year.

Inspired by the book Seven Tears into the Sea by Terri Farley. 

⇢A/N: This fic is self-edited, so read at your own risk.  Here’s to my first fic on Tumblr! Better to start with a bang, and a whopping 22K word count (holy shit- I’m dead). I guess I wanted to make an impression!  Buckle your seatbelts folks, and get ready for super sappy romance with Seokjin. Lol.

SEVEN

You’re excited because your parents are finally bringing you to the beach- you’ve been waiting ever since they told you they bought a small vacation house that the whole family could enjoy.  Ever since they told you all you look at are picture books filled with images of sky, sea and sand.

The drive feels like forever, and you keep your eyes plastered to the window- even your brother Taehyung, who would usually be shoving action figures into your hand to play can’t help but watch the landscape outside the car turn from city into the coast.

By the time you reach the cute white beach house that faces the sea, Taehyung is pulling your hand to help him find your bathing suits amongst the luggage. 

You wander from your parents over to the tide pools amongst the rocks, because what sort of cool creatures are waiting for you there? Taehyung is too busy building a sandcastle to want to go with you, so you make the trek to the large rocks yourself. You do know that mom and dad told you to be careful, especially since the rocks are sharp.  The pull of your curiosity is ultimately outweighs their warnings and you scramble up the dark, rough rocks that contrast the white softness of the sand your that your toes just left.  

The tide pools are full of cute crabs that hide in the recesses of the rocks when your shadow passes over them.  The waves splash splash splash against the rocks, creating a steady song.  The cool mist of the water sprays against your sun-kissed face. It’s a really nice feeling, an experience that your picture books do not provide you. You get a little caught up in the moment, and thats when a particularly big wave comes splashing down, causing yourself to squeak and twist your body away.  You end up a bit off balance though (Taehyung was always commenting about how clumsy you were) and you fall backwards, the force of the fall coming to an impact against your right leg. Ouch. Mom and dad did say the rocks were sharp. Looking at the scrape, you see it turn an angry red, blood beginning to form.  At the sight of your leg, and the initial shock of the impact gone, you couldn’t help the large tears that form- sliding off your cheeks and into the sea in front of you.  

Your cries must have been heard from the sandy beach as Taehyung quickly stands up from his sandcastle to move towards you- mom and dad quickly in pursuit.  Trying to brush your tears off your face (Taehyung would definitely call you a crybaby and now that you were seven this year there was no way that was going to happen), you don’t notice a shadow that dances along your crying figure. 

You felt a soft tap tap tap of a cool hand on your shoulder, causing your face to look upwards in confusion.  

Your eyes met with a pair of dark ones, belonging to a young boy who couldn’t be too different in age to you.  His eyes began to crinkle along the edges, smiling.  Your crying turns into hiccups, immediately mesmerized by the way his dark hair stuck wetly against his forehead, his figure looking otherworldly, and the water that is on his body seems to shimmer in the sunlight, against the backdrop of the blue sky behind him. He must have been swimming nearby you think, and heard your cries.  Offering a hand, he pulls you up- the coolness of his touch making you forget about the slight twinge of your right leg. 

“Y/N!” “Are you alright?” The flurry of your parents shouts and your brother’s yelps causing you to turn your head over your shoulder.       

A cool breath sneaks its way to your ear, causing you to shudder, even under the heat of the sun. Suddenly you hear a voice whisper sweetly, passing by like a summer breeze.

Seven tears into the sea,

In seven years I’ll come to thee.

The longing in your heart my dear,

Beckons me closer every year.

And with that the cool hand that held your own is released.  Turning back around, you hear a splash, and the boy is gone. You couldn’t think long about your strange encounter though, because just then mom has a towel around your shoulders, and your father holds your hand while your brother who is nervously bouncing at the edge of the rocks. Your parents take you back to the white beach house, deciding that there was enough activity for one day. 

That night your father treated you to your favorite ice cream, and your mother brushed your hair before you slept.  Taehyung even read your favorite picture books to you that night, without you even asking him to, like you usually do.

Your eyes feel heavy after the long day, your brothers voice becoming your lullaby.  As your eyes began to close you couldn’t help but see two dark eyes, which pull you into the depths of your dreams.

FOURTEEN

It’s the beach house again this year, and you feel a pull in your heart as you pack your duffel for the summer.  There has always been a strange magnetism you feel whenever the sea and the coast appear.  The feelings overwhelms you so much so that going to the sea during the summer makes you anxious- there is an emptiness and longing, as if it’s whispering to you every time the waves crash against the shore.  You almost said yes to go camping with your best friend Yerin and her family, just so that you wouldn’t feel this way every time your parents mentioned the beach house.  But the feeling of longing is stronger this year, and when Yerin is invited to come to the beach instead, because Taehyung really wanted to show Jimin, his best friend, his awesome beach house - you know you have to go.

“You know Y/N, I much prefer relaxing on the beach versus the forest.” Yerin giggles, as she slides into the seat next to you. “Plus, the view is much better on the beach.” She waggles her eyebrows while giving you a knowing smile. Being fourteen means yeah, boys have started to get your attention, although you really only have the guts to eye cute boys from afar.  You definitely feel too awkward to actually flirt, since you don’t really get the opportunity to. Whatever flirting actually is.    

“I agree, the beachside view is really nice,” you hear Taehyung say behind you, “and the water is always really refreshing!” You roll your eyes at your brother and Yerin lets out a sigh, while Jimin stifles a laugh to Taehyung’s confused “Huh? What’s wrong with what I said?”      

Yeah… too bad all the boys you know are friends of Taehyung and the boys in your class.  Even though Taehyung is just a year older than you, he sure doesn’t get girls yet. Or at least he doesn’t show it to you openly. To be honest, you don’t understand the subtleties of flirting with the opposite sex, but you know that boys around your age are definitely aren’t worth your time due to how awkward they are, just like you.

Your parents are the last to get settled into the car, and they look pretty happy to finally get some time away from work. “Ready?” Your mom says kindly, twisting in the seat to smile back at the four of you.

Already you feel something- the anticipation of that something bubbles inside of you, getting ready to cascade outwards like a fountain.

You and Yerin find yourself hiding in the shade on the porch, partially booted out of the house due to the fact Taehyung and Jimin wanted to play video games in the living room.  So you fill your time lazily, listening to music and looking at magazines of the latest dreamy boyband, while comparing horoscopes. After a couple of hours however, the heat is stifling, hanging thickly in the air, with no summer breeze to remedy it.  The feeling of one large sweat drop fall into your eyes is the last bit of motivation to move- it’s time for some iced tea to cool you off.  “Iced tea?” You ask Yerin as you slowly stand up, grimacing at the sweat that sticks to your shorts and tank. Yerin nods her head with as much energy as she can gather at the moment.  “You’re a lifesaver.”  

Back inside, you hear a mix of shouting voices escaping the living room, and the shouts sound more than just Taehyung and Jimin.  You roll your eyes.  Great.  More dumb, noisy boys means you can’t come back inside anytime soon.  The kitchen oversees the living room, which means you want to get the iced tea and leave before Taehyung begins to whine at you to bring him snacks or something.

   “Who is that?“ You raise your head up from your current task of pouring the iced tea in alarm. Crap! You’ve been spotted. You see five heads turn to you slowly, to match the two other boys who noticed your presence first.

“Oh that’s just Y/N,” Taehyung says, waving his hand dismissively, turning back to the screen in disinterest. “She’s my younger sister.” Jimin sends you a little wave.

 “Well my name is Hoseok!” His bright voice and infectious good mood travels across the room easily, and it’s impossible to not smile a little in return. “This is Namjoon, Yoongi, Jungkook and Seokjin.”

At the mention of their names, the boys respond in their own way.  Namjoon smiles, dimples forming, Yoongi gives a curt nod and gummy smile, and Jungkook waves enthusiastically.  Seokjin’s lips form into a knowing smile, and he is the first one to speak up. “Hello Y/N. Call me Jin. It’s nice to see you.” 

Nice to see you? That’s a weird way of putting it. But you can’t help the uncanny feeling that you have met him before. Was he in the magazine from before? He sure seems like it- you haven’t met someone that handsome before. “Uhm, nice to meet you too?” You shift from one foot to the next, as your right leg begins to twinge a bit.  You wave back politely, and the other boys turn back to face the video game on the TV. Your eyes linger on Seokjin’s, because he’s still staring directly at you, tilting his head slightly as if he is deciding what to say next.  

You take this as a cue, and you shuffle away, breaking your eye contact to returning to the back porch as swiftly as you can without looking awkward. You try not to think about a set of eyes you know is watching your retreating form. “About time!” Yerin says, grasping for the iced drink, wanting some relief. “Sorry,” you mumble back, plopping back into the oversized chair in the corner. You want to distract yourself, so you begin lazily sketching in your sketchbook. You avoid going back inside until you hear Taehyung’s new friends leave the house, and you exhale- tension releasing from you didn’t know you had until just now.

It seems as if Taehyung and Jimin have found some new steadfast friends, because the next day, the boys are already using the white beach house as their consistent hangout location. It looks like your relaxing summer with Yerin just turned into rowdy and noisy one. 

It’s still a bit earlier in the morning, so the beach is currently at a tolerable heat to relax at. You and Yerin drag your beach towels and large umbrella on the sand. Just as you begin to settle into your towel, you hear Hoseok laughing, and voices of “No fair, that’s cheating!” to, “I want to change teams!”. A small smile tugs on your lips. As much as you want to roll your eyes at their playful antics, it’s impossible not to smile and appreciate how they seem to enjoy every day hanging out with one another. You turn your gaze to Yerin, who is currently reading and listening to music, and smile, grateful for your own friend to keep you company. Soon enough, you find yourself turning to watch their attempt at beach volleyball. You watch from behind your sunglasses, and you observe how the ball lands and hits the sand more than in the air. You stifle a snort as Taehyung serves the ball crooked towards Jungkook, who shouts dramatically as he dives to try and salvage the volley, only for him to fall into the sand while the beach ball flies askew to bounce into Seokjin arm. Yoongi, who is on the sidelines taking score, begins to laugh. You take the moment to rummage around your large tote bag beside you, and take out your small black sketchbook and a pencil. Feeling inspired, you begin to doodle some cute penguins attempt to play some volleyball. 

You have always been the one to doodle in class along your notebooks, and recently this year Yerin suggested for you to put those doodles in a sketchbook rather than the sides of your notes, so you could appreciate them more.  Soon enough, you already filled three by the time summer rolled around, and are currently on your fourth. You become invested into your doodling- and as you get into adding cute sunglasses and swim trunks to your penguins, and you don’t notice a figure leaning over your form, trying to sneak a peek.

“Those are penguins are really cute!” 

You jump slightly in surprise, and your head whips towards the voice. It’s Seokjin who is crouching down next to you, grinning happily at your penguins. 

 “T-thanks.” You say in return, inwardly cringing at your stutter. Not only is it the first time Seokjin has been this close to you, but it is the first time he has come up to you to talk to you while you are alone. Speaking of, where did Yerin go? You hear the trill of her laughter down by the water, along with with Namjoon’s. When did she get up and leave her towel? Your heartbeat begins to pound in your ears, and you can feel a blush begin to settle on your cheeks.   

“Do you mind?” He says, hands outstretched to your sketchbook, politely hesitating. His eyes find yours as he waits for your permission. 

You shrug and hand the notebook to him. “Not at all, thanks for asking first. Not a lot of people do that.” You’re thankful that Seokjin is the one to break eye contact first.

He hums in acknowledgement, and begins to flip through the other pages in your sketchbook, taking a seat to sit cross-legged next to you on your towel.  His knee brushes against your own, but you try not to pay too much attention to that fact.

“You really are talented, you know?” He smiles softly, shoulders bumping against yours. You smile in return, tucking a flyaway hair behind your ear. “You really think so? It’s just a hobby.” “I really think you have a talent for creating cute characters!” He says, making sure you understand to not diminish the talents you have. Seokjin sounds genuine, and you feel a surge of appreciation towards him. 

 The two of you spend a quiet moment sitting together, him looking at your sketchbook, and you of him. You think you are being sneaky, peeking from behind your sunglasses. You get to really appreciate how handsome Seokjin is. There is no sense of a typical awkward teen growth period. His skin is flawless and smooth, unlike others his age- there is no acne in sight, you notice jealously. His chocolate brown hair ruffles slightly in the breeze as you notice his broad shoulders, and his sun-kissed skin which looks striking against his pink cotton t-shirt. His soft smile accentuates his very full lips, which causes you unconsciously begin to nibble on your own. Seokjin definitely makes you feel inferior- and you pull your thin coverup tighter around your body. He’s extremely attractive. You think maybe it’s because he’s a bit older than you- there is always something likable about older guys.

You get caught up appreciating everything that is Kim Seokjin. So much so that you didn’t notice how Seokjin’s sole attention is now on you. His smile turns into a smirk. “I should give you your sketchbook back, that way you can copy down pure art.” Feeling like a kid who has been caught with their hand in the cookie jar, you don’t have the chance to retort to his confident self-appraisal, as you hear Yerin and Jimin calling. “Jin! Y/N! Come on! Let’s get ice cream!” 

Seokjin breaks eye contact with you to stand up, stretching his arms above his head. You pretend that you didn’t try to look at the tiny sliver of his abdomen that peeks out at you when he does so. You feel him ruffle your hair playfully, and set your sketchbook in your lap. “Come on, the ice cream isn’t going to wait for us!” He says, turning to grab the umbrella as he begins to walk up the small hill to the white beach house. You blink, and it takes you a second before you scramble to shove your notebook in your bag and grab the things Yerin has left behind. 

“Seokjin!” You shout, embarrassed, running up behind him, trying to fix the mess of your hair that he created.  All you hear is his laugh. Catching up next to him, he simply says, “I told you to call me Jin.”

Today, everyone decides to learn how to fish from Jin- spurned on due to the fact that he couldn’t stop bragging about how good he was at catching them.

 “You think I’m good with a fishing rod, just wait until you see me catch them bare handed.” He says, sticking his nose up with confidence. Yoongi scoffs next to him, while Jungkook glares back playfully. “Challenge accepted. So tell me how to use this thing.”

 You and Yerin aren’t that interested in fishing, but it’s something else to do besides laze around on the beach. That and it’s always fun to hang out with the guys lately. You’re surprised at how much they like hanging out with you (and that Taehyung has let you hang out too), and you with them. You giggle at Hoseok’s apprehension to spearing the live worm on the hook, his face contorting in disgust. Glancing around the fishing boat, Taehyung looks confused at the reel, and Jimin looks wide eyed at Jin who is demonstrating to Namjoon how to cast. Forever chill, Yoongi is already calmly sitting with the fishing line cast, waiting for a bite. Jungkook seems like he has already gotten it, a competitive fire burning in his eyes. You share a fishing rod with Yerin, both of you a little tentative on when to reel back in, getting confused with the natural bob of the sea versus the feeling of a fish looking for a snack.

Fishing sure does require patience. Occasionally, you hear a shout of either frustration or happiness. It’s Yerin’s turn to hold the fishing pole, and during your break your eyes begin to check and see which of your friends were successful. It looks like Yoongi has fallen asleep, black snapback resting over his eyes and arms resting comfortably in his lap, while Hoseok, Jimin and Taehyung have given up on fishing altogether- opting to snack on some sandwiches while listening to music. Jungkook honestly looks like he’s about to give up as well, looking jealously at their meal. He seems satisfied, turning to glance at the three fish he caught in the white bucket next to him, and rests his fishing pole on the side of the boat to join them. Namjoon and Yerin are quietly chatting about something or other, paying more attention to their conversation than to the fishing poles that are in their hands.

 Your gaze finally falls on Jin, as you are unable to keep your eyes away. His neck and ears are turning pink- and you are unsure if he is getting a sunburn, even with the straw hat place on his head. But your attention returns to his face, and you see that once again, he’s staring back- with dark eyes that seem to want to drown you in them.

“Any luck?” You ask, shuffling your chair over to sit next to him. Jin shrugs, lips quirking into a small smirk. “I’ve caught five so far. Like I said, I’m a god at handling a fishing pole.” You roll your eyes. “What are you going to do with the fish now?” You ask, motioning your hand at the bucket of fish in front of Jin. “We're going to eat them, of course. I can make a mad fish stew.” You raise your eyebrows in surprise. “You know how to cook?” “Of course, not just fish, but steak too. It’s a hobby of mine.” Jin nods his head, already thinking of the ingredients he has prepared on the boat. Of course he knows how to cook. Why wouldn’t Jin know how to cook? 

A comfortable silence drifts between you, the sound of the water splashing lightly against the hull of the boat- until it is interrupted by by the particularly loud sound of your stomach gurgling. Your cheeks feel warm, and Jin notices how the pink in your cheeks compliment the sky- the lowering sun painting everything in a rosy hue. “I guess that is my cue- I can’t have empty stomachs when I’m around!” He stands, and his fingers naturally buries into your soft locks to tousle the strands of your hair again, though not quite as messy this time around. The common gesture between the two of you feels tender now. You look at him and pout and Jin, catching him winking at you as he grabs the various buckets that have fish in them.    

The other boys seem to perk up from their naps at the smell that drifts from the tiny kitchen of the small boat to your awaiting nostrils about an hour later. You find that your mouth waters in anticipation. “Time to eat!” Jin says, popping his head outside, and there is a mad scramble that ensues. Annoyingly, Kim Seokjin is not lying when he says he makes a mad fish stew. The spicy tang of the broth mixed with freshly caught fish tastes perfect with the cooling night air. You’re not the only one who enjoys the meal, as the food makes the your usually raucous group of friends silent, enjoying each other’s presence while under the twinkling summer night. Taking another bite of rice, you smile quietly to yourself, happy to discover another facet that makes Kim Seokjin.

You and Yerin are relaxing in your room- the cooler, cloudy day providing the initial tell tale signs of a summer beginning to close. It’s nice to have a girl’s day, just the two of you, painting your nails while listening to a boy band play softly from your speaker. Chatting about nothing and everything, both of you willing for the summer to last just a bit longer.

There is a slight break in the music, as it it switches over to the next track.

“Do you think Jin sees me as a younger sister?” You say quietly, not wanting to sound too eager. Your brow creases as you wait for Yerin’s response.  “I knew you were developing a crush on him!” She exclaims, waggling her eyebrows with a smirk. “You have good taste.” “That’s not it!” You respond, a little too quickly. “Plus, I’ve seen you chatting with Namjoon a lot recently too.” You would shove her playfully, but you just finished painting your nails. You feel victorious when you see a sweet blush blooming across her cheeks.  

Yerin takes her time to respond however, contemplating on what she wants to say. She hesitates slightly before opening her mouth. “To be honest Y/N, I think summer crushes are meant to be that- short and sweet.” Yerin looks at you softy, and it seems like she’s telling the both of you this advice. You know she’s right- Yerin always seems to be more contemplative than she lets on. It’s probably why she gets along with Namjoon so well. 

The next track plays one of your favorites, taking the both of you out of your contemplative spell. Jumping up to dance crazily with Yerin, you ignore the bubbling feelings inside of you, your body reminding yourself to live happily to savor the last few moments of summer that you can.

It’s the end of your summer and your time at the beach house. The boys have gathered in order to say goodbye to their new friends. The five of them line up next to your car, and you feel sad. They may have started as a group of loud and obnoxious boys, but over the last couple of months or so you would even start calling them your friends too- just because they have spent the entire summer hanging out with you too. You have more memories involving them, then without out them this vacation. Taehyung and Jimin have already said their goodbyes, sitting and waiting in the car with your parents. Yerin gives each of the boys big hugs, lingering slightly longer against Namjoon’s. 

“I’ll be back sooner than you think! Y/N can’t keep me away!” Yerin shouts, hopping into the car. “You better come back!” Says Hoseok playfully. When you reach him at the bottom of the steps, he crushes you with an enthusiastic hug.  “Make sure you text us often, okay?” You squeeze Hoseok back, giving him a few soft pats on the shoulder for comfort. “I promise.” Yoongi smiles his typical gummy smile at you and scratches behind his head sheepishly. “I’m seriously going to block anyone who bothers me too much. Have a good year, okay?” He grabs you on the shoulder with one hand while patting your arm. Namjoon smiles at you with a dimpled cheek, looking thoughtful. “We’ll miss you, Taehyung and Jimin. It’s going to be a lot quieter when you guys are gone.” You chuckle at Namjoon, ribbing him with your elbow. “We both know that it will still be loud.” Jungkook looks sad to lose a friend. “You promise to play next year, right?” You are the one to initiate a hug with Jungkook first, giving him a quick hug. “Of course silly.” You say, smiling at him reassuringly. You hesitate slightly, because Jin is the last one you have to say goodbye to. “What about you?” You say, turning to face him. “Will you be back next year?” Jin smiles at you, and it’s only brief, but there is a twinge of sadness. He begins to open his mouth but, Namjoon speaks up. “He lives pretty far away, and I think his parents are pretty strict. Jin doesn’t live here like us. We only met him this summer like you guys.” Jin nods in agreement. You hesitate, deciding whether or not you should embrace Jin. He solves your dilemma for you, opening his arms to envelop you. “Don’t worry though,” he says finally, replacing his somber mood with a brighter one, “Even if you don’t hear from me for a while, I’ll always be thinking of you.” His grip tightens around you until he dips his mouth closer to your ear. Quietly, so quiet you think you are imagining it, he whispers-

Seven tears into the sea,

In Seven years I’ll come to thee.

The longing in your heart my dear,

Beckons me closer every year.

Before you can process his words, he has already released you, ruffling your hair for the last time. You move quickly to get into the car, running away to hide your warm cheeks and to calm your fluttering heart. Your father’s subtle encouragement to get going is reflected in the low rumble of the car engine starting. As the car slowly starts to pull away, Taehyung and Jimin have already rolled down their window, smiling and waving. You lower your own window, just to shout your own goodbyes. “Jin! I’m not a child!”

His iconic laugh is the last thing you hear in your ears, as you are not brave enough to twist around in your seat to look back at your friend’s retreating forms. 

As you drive onwards, you try and tamper the bubbling emotions that have been welling up inside of you this entire summer. Your short and sweet summer crush leaves a bittersweet longing in your heart.

TWENTYONE

It's finally your summer. Earlier this year your parents gave you the freedom to stay at the beach house without supervision - as long as Taehyung was there too. You just finished your senior year, your stressful college life behind you. You want to enjoy this last summer, before facing the inevitability of your upcoming responsibilities as an adult you will face soon enough. 

“Just don’t break anything, okay?” Your mother asks, as you close the trunk of Taehyung’s Jeep. “No promises.” Taehyung smirks in retort, and you slap him in the arm. He rubs his slender arm, wincing dramatically while he makes his way to the driver’s seat. “Don’t worry Mom, Yerin and I will take care of Taehyung.” You say as you try and reassure your mother. Your mother sighs deeply and crosses her arms in front. You hear a snort and you try and refrain the desire to punch Jimin in the arm. Per the usual, Jimin has already claimed the front seat next to Taehyung. 

“What makes you automatically take shotgun?” You whine, joining Yerin in the backseat, making sure you hit Jimin’s headrest on the way in. “When you supply the booze, you get to sit where ever you want.” He smirks, already scrolling through his phone to find the perfect music for a road trip to summer vacation. 

It honestly doesn’t annoy you. Your excitement is barely contained, and you are practically vibrating in your seat. Taehyung is no better, his hands drumming the steering wheel with excitement. Although it’s already been a year since Taehyung has graduated from college, it’s also his first time alone at the beach without your parents. You hate to admit it, but you’re glad that Taehyung and Jimin are coming along- while he’s your brother and your brother’s best friend, you barely have gotten to see them this busy year.  

Luckily, Yerin attended the same school as you. You look to your best friend, who is currently typing away furiously on her phone. “And sent!” She says eagerly. “I just texted the guys that we are on our way.” The four of you wave to your parents, and with a quick “Love you!” from Taehyung, you guys are on your way.

Re-settling into your seat for the long drive, you smile, especially when you feel a buzz from your phone. You can tell immediately it’s a text from Hoseok, especially with the abundance of emoticons. It’s been a while since you and the boys have been able to catch up- the stress of growing up means everyone gets caught up in meeting deadlines, working and cramming for exams. “Man, it’s been forever since we last saw them, hasn’t it?” You say, tilting your head while you try to remember the last time you saw your summer friends. Your mind briefly flashes to a certain handsome someone. It’s been even longer since you’ve seen him. Taehyung nods, glancing at you through the rear-view mirror. “Especially since we haven’t been able to go to the beach for the last couple of summers with summer school and job searching getting in the way.” Jimin hums appreciatively. “I’m just lucky I was able to convince my manager to let me have this time off.” You hear Taehyung groan. “Yeah, don’t remind me how I had to move a couple of engagement shoots around. Bridezillas man.” He shivers, recalling a particularly unpleasant memory. 

“Well, now it’s time to forget about everything and just enjoy this summer!” Yerin shouts, leaning over the center console to turn up the volume. Taehyung and Jimin may have a year of adulting on you, but once again, they sure don’t act like it. The four of you get lost in the music, goofing off- the stress and worries rolling off in waves.

When you arrive at the beach house a couple of hours later, nothing looks different. The feeling of nostalgia washes over you, and that certain feeling of bubbling emotions that you didn’t realize were still there begins to grow once again. 

Taehyung fumbles with the key to the house, while Yerin begins to help Jimin with unloading the car. You stretch, the late afternoon sun revitalizing your worn body, the sea salt tickling your nose when you take in a deep breath. You’re already itching to feel the sand underneath your toes. With a shout of success, Taehyung opens the door and you all push against his back in order to claim your rooms. Yerin claims the guest room first, and Taehyung confidently takes the master bedroom that your parents usually rest in. Jimin naturally goes to Taehyung’s room, and you shuffle to your own. 

It doesn’t take long before the four of you are dressed in swimwear, rushing to the sand. The minute the sand hits your bare feet you relish in the place that you’ve missed for so long. Soon after that, you hear a car parking, and a beep of the lock. The shouts that come from the porch are a dead giveaway with who has just arrived.

Jungkook and Hoseok reach Taehyung and Jimin first, tackling them in a hug. They are quick to envelop you and Yerin too. Namjoon walks with Yoongi in tow, the two of them just as eager to say hello. When they join everyone on the shore, you slyly see the soft smile that passes between Yerin and Namjoon. Amongst the sharing of hugs and laughs, you catch yourself looking upwards to the porch, expecting to see someone else come running down. You feel your smile falter slightly in disappointment when you know he isn’t there. But this isn’t time to be wistful, so you turn your attention to the very handsome men who know stand beside you. You whistle, appreciating how your friends have grown. Their soft features have been replaced with angled jaws and growing muscles for a few years now, but every time you see them shocks you over again. Hoseok wiggles his eyebrows scooting up next to you. “We’ve become even more handsome, haven’t we?” He says playfully, and you shove him slightly in retaliation. Yerin laughs as she hooks her arms around you and mimics Hoseok’s greasy tone. “We’ve become even more sexy, haven’t we?” Namjoon sputters, face growing a bit red. Taehyung gags, shouting a quick, “Gross!” For good measure, Jimin’s laugh filling the air.  Yoongi just smiles, watching with a warm gaze over his friends.  

Everyone spends time on the sand, sitting in a circle, animatedly talking about how the last few years have gone by. Jungkook groans when he realizes he’s the last to graduate. “Don’t remind me.” He says, dejectedly poking the sand. There is a slight lull in the conversation after that, each of you contemplating your own responsibilities that you will have to face soon enough. “You know,” Namjoon says after a while, sounding thoughtful, “this reunion would feel complete if Jin was here. Has anyone talked to him in a while?” Your head shoots up in response to his name being mentioned. You see a series of shaking heads and soft answers of “No.” “I wonder what he’s been up to…” Namjoon continues, “I wonder if his parents will finally let him hang out this summer again.” “We have no way of contacting him though. He has never texted back to our messages after we first met when we were fourteen. How will we invite him down here again?” Jimin muses, his question lingering in the air.   

Hoseok snaps his finger, breaking the sullen silence. “We’ll just have to have a party so huge that he can’t help but hear about it.” Eyes begin to light up, as an excitement buzzes in the air. Taehyung bounces in his seat. “Let’s have it at our place!” Yoongi speaks up, gummy smile appearing. “I’ll supply the music and speakers.” Jimin smirks “Booze accounted for.” Jungkook grins, bunny smile appearing. “I’ll get the hype going.” Namjoon nods in response. “I’ll help.” Yerin turns to you, eyes wordlessly reading yours for approval. You grin at everyone. “There’s no way he won’t come this year.” And with that, everyone scrambles, shouting out ideas to one another. You really hope this works.    

It’s only an hour that the house party has been in full swing, and you can see the steady flow of people arriving. You feel a buzz in your pocket of your shorts, and you groan when you read the text message. It’s Taehyung, and it’s your turn to go get the next round of alcohol from storage in the garage. You unclip the garage keys from your belt loop and go to unlock the door. Inside the garage, you grab a large tote and fill it up with as much bottles of various booze as you can, as well as another packet of red solo cups.

You open the door, and attempt to lock it behind you. Your task didn’t take you longer than five or so minutes, but five or so minutes can change everything. Jungkook and Namjoon must have told what feels like a million people- that or your summer friends must be more popular than you realize- and the small beach house can’t accommodate the amount of people that came inside the house within those five or so minutes. Bodies are spilling onto the wrap-around porch and onto the beach below, as there isn’t enough room. You are glad you hid the breakables in your (thankfully) locked bedroom before the party started. Yoongi is blasting his music mixes from the speakers from somewhere- you can feel the heavy bass vibrate underneath your feet, even from the entrance of the house. You push through with your purchase, and you feel how hot and humid the further you venture inside, your tongue feels heavy in your mouth, signaling to you that It’s time for a beer. You struggle against the crowd, hugging the giant bag of alcohol against your body, and you briefly notice a crowd of people surrounding what looks to be like Hoseok, who is showing some mad popping abilities.

You are thankful for the open floor plan of this house, because otherwise it would have been impossible to make it to your destination. You finally make it to the kitchen, dumping the liquor on the counter and shoving the beer inside an empty cooler. You take the opportunity to plunge your hand into one of the other large coolers. The icy water in the cooler is instant relief, and you refrain from the temptation to dump an entire solo cup of it on your head. Your fingers grasp the neck of a bottle, and you grab, not caring about the contents. At this point, anything to cool you down will satisfy you. You use the counter to effortlessly pop the lid off of your beer. Thank god you learned that trick early on in college, because you’d be one thirsty motherfucker otherwise. You decide to sit on a dry spot on the counter, the cool marble relieving your thighs for just a brief moment. From your elevated position, you manage to spot Jimin’s brightly colored locks, and from the looks of it, he’s currently grinding with a particularly pretty lady. Your eyes continue to scan the room, and eyes rolling at Taehyung who is currently standing on a chair with a red solo cup in each hand. He’s definitely showing off for the couple of scantily clad chicks who are cheering him on to do who know’s what. 

Curious about your other friends, you just manage to spot Jungkook in his signature black bucket hat- smack dab in the middle of dancing bodies. You notice him due to the fact that his phone is attached to a selfie stick as he videos the chaos of bodies that engulf him. Of course the majority of those bodies are female, but you’re sure he’s not complaining at all. 

The humidity and heat doesn’t mix well with the alcohol that you are ingesting, and so you jump off the counter, careful to not let anything spill. You need to get out to the porch for some fresh air. You take a deep breath before you plunge back into the mass of bodies, trying to ignore the grasp of some wandering hands. When you reach the porch, your relief is still yet to be found, but at least there are not as many people. You nudge your way through the bodies, and you briefly notice Yerin and Namjoon sucking face on the porch couch.

When you reach the sand, you remove your flip flops, crouching to hide them amongst the small shrubbery, so they don’t go missing later. The music is just as loud outside the house, and so you don’t notice a figure approaching you to tap you on the shoulder. You jump and spin around, frowning, expecting to see a drunk guy attempting to make a pass at you. What you don’t expect to see however, is a grinning Kim Seokjin.

And this Kim Seokjin is far superior to the Kim Seokjin that you last saw when you were fourteen. His baby fat is gone from his face, and you see the clean cut of his jawline. His once arms now show a hint of muscle, peeking from his T-shirt. There was no way you could’ve imagined Hoseok’s plan working. “J-jin?” Why is it you manage to you stutter at least once, whenever you talk him? 

“It’s nice to see you again Y/N.” Jin says something else, but you tilt your head in confusion- you can’t quite hear him over the blaring music. He feels your hand in his, cool from holding the beer, but there is a heat the blooms between the two of you at your contact. You tug him forward, moving further down the beach towards the waves.

“I can finally hear myself think.” You say, reluctantly dropping his hand to turn to face him. Jin notices your flushed cheeks, and he can feel the heat rush to his ears. “So what were you saying?” You look at Jin directly, a soft smile tugging at the corner of your lips.

“What have you been up to?” He laughs a bit awkwardly, realizing how strange that he doesn’t know what happened to you the last seven years, but recognizing the confident and beautiful woman you have transformed into.

“Where do I start?” You say, quirking an eyebrow. “Seven years is a long time.” He shrugs, just satisfied that he finally sees you again. “Okay then, what are you most proud of?” He says, and his question surprises you a little bit. You think for a moment before you respond. “I graduated with from a Fine Arts school, majoring in illustration.” He smiles at you, pleased with your pursuits. “I’m so happy you did,” he says, “I remember your sketches the last time I saw you.” “From when I was fourteen?” You say incredulously, and crinkle your nose in embarrassment. “I am much better than how I was then- I don’t even know where those old sketchbooks are. I probably lost them somewhere. Good riddance- I would cringe if anyone saw my old stuff now.” He chuckles, looking playfully wounded. “Hey- I remember the penguins- I’m still quite fond of them.” “I’ll show you my recent stuff, just so you can acknowledge my skill now, instead of some penguins from when I was fourteen.” You respond back teasingly. 

Jin just lets you talk, relishing in the sound of your voice. The both of you now sit on the sand, side by side, knees brushing up against one another. It’s just the two of you, caught again in the safe space you both create when the two of you are alone together.

“… And so I think I have decided I want to create children’s books.” You conclude, nodding in spirited determination. “Don’t tell Tae though, I haven’t even mentioned this plan to my parents or Yerin. It’s just a small dream of mine.” Jin shifts slightly, arm moving to settle comfortably behind you. You feel his body heat now that he’s shifted closer. “Well, it already seems like you’ve made up your mind. You’re determined Y/N, I’m sure you’ll be successful in whatever you decide to pursue.” His encouragement makes you blush- Jin always knows the right thing to say, but always genuine in his words. You shiver slightly at the way his breath fans across your burning cheeks, even while looking forward you know his sole attention is on you. 

“Oh!” You exclaim, breaking out of your reverie, turning to face Jin. “Enough about me, what about you? When did you get here?” Jin tilts his head, lips quirking into a knowing smile. “Just today. I finally was able to leave home and come here, and I overheard some people our age talking about a huge party that was happening tonight.” “I can’t believe that Hoseok’s idea worked!” You say, mostly to yourself. He laughs, and you realize really missed the way it sounds, and how it makes you feel inside. “It’s not surprising that it was Hoseok’s idea to throw a party.” He nods, lips quirking into a smirk. “I didn’t think you guys would have a party just to get my attention though. You sure are cute.” He ruffles your hair, just like he used to. The heat that you thought was subsiding from your face comes back in full force. “We’re seven years older now you know, we aren’t kids anymore!” You pout, actions and slight whine to your voice betraying your statement. He laughs again at that. You stretch and stand- while you would like to keep Kim Seokjin to yourself for a little while longer, you know that everyone else wants to see him too. 

“Come on.” You tug at his shirt sleeve, fingers brushing slightly against his arm. He seems to understand you, but before he stands his opposite hand catches your wrist softly. You feel the pad of his thumb brush against your skin, before he tugs on you to stand up. You notice him move his hand to capture your hand in his own. You feel like you can’t keep up, as he’s now tugging you towards the party. “Let’s not keep the kids waiting!” 

   Sure enough, when you enter back into the fray of bodies, it doesn’t take long for people to notice Kim Seokjin. While you see girls ogling him from the minute he walks in, you feel his hand tighten against yours. You think it’s just because he doesn’t want to lose you amongst the grinding bodies, but a small part of you hopes it’s because he wants everyone to know not to approach because he’s already occupied. Even with varying degrees of drunken states, your friends recognize Jin immediately- Hoseok runs and sobs while hugging, Jungkook bounces around excitedly, Yoongi flashes the biggest gummy smile, Taehyung crushes his body against Jin and refuses to let go, Jimin changes from a beast to cute child, and Namjoon and Yerin pause from their making out session to excitedly chat a mile a minute. 

It’s like Jin was never missing from those seven long years.

It’s been a couple days after the massive house party, and everyone decides to go shopping in town, as a break from the house. It’s taken the last couple of days to clean everything- (especially since the first day everyone was nursing massive hangovers) and you make sure that everyone helps return the house to its former state, remaining stubborn even with all the whining from Taehyung and grumbles from the rest of your friends.

A couple hours before the agreed meet-up time, you study your closet for something to wear. You are unconsciously fussy about your outfit, something that Yerin teases you about. Not that she has much to talk about either, as she has changed her outfit a couple times already. “How about this option?” She says, tugging on a cute gingham dress that she has always looked good in. You pinch her cheek. “You look cute as always, just like the last two outfits you put on.” Yerin huffs in surrender. “Well you look good too. I’m sure Jin will like it.” She says, winking at you, celebrating when your cheeks flush in response. As for yourself, you decide to don a simple pink cropped tee and high-waisted distressed jean shorts. It’s not like you chose the pink tee because of Jin’s favorite color or anything.

Everyone slowly arrives at the pier, and you notice that Jin is already there chatting with a stranger about something or other. A straw sunhat sits atop his head, and you can’t help but acknowledge how well he suits his simple chambray long sleeve opened to reveal a soft pink tee. His matching denim shorts showcase his long legs. “It looks like you are wearing a couple outfit with Jin.” Yerin smirks, poking at you to break you out of your staring. “It’s almost like you already are dating him.” You fight down a blush, only to have Jin notice you and Yerin from a distance, enthusiastically waving in greeting. 

Jungkook arrives next, donned in all black- black t, black baggy shorts, and of course, his signature black bucket hat. “How are you not sweating buckets?” You ask him, nose scrunching in disbelief. He shrugs dismissively. “I’m comfy.” He slings an arm over Jin’s. “You got taller kid.” Jin says, adjusting himself to account for Jungkook’s weight. Jungkook pinches his arm, causing Jin to yelp. Namjoon and Hoseok arrive next, both looking like quite the trendy pair when they stroll in. Yerin is immediately gone from your side to greet them excitedly. Yoongi joins the group next, looking quite lethargic. “Where is your brother? It’s getting hot waiting for them.” Yoongi grumbles. A few minutes later, and your brother and Jimin are last to arrive. “How is it that you guys are the last to arrive? Didn’t you come from the same place as Y/N and Yerin?” Yoongi mutters, throwing an exasperated sigh their way. Taehyung ignores Yoongi’s complaints and instead pulls him in for a hug. 

Shopping along the pier is an adventure- stalls filled with knick knacks and snacks to discover as the group of you stroll lazily. You even notice a cute grey seal plushie at one of the stalls- and you buy it because for some reason it reminds you of Jin. You notice how your group draws the attention from other women- the seven men that you are with definitely causing stares and whispered giggles- but you notice most of them are eyeing the not so oblivious Jin. He’s egging them on, winking back at few of them and smiling, leaving a trail of enamored women in his wake. You stop for ice cream, pouting at all the attention that Jin is receiving and giving- and you are particularly pouty at the fact that he’s enjoying himself just a little too much. While you mope, you don’t notice Jin order you a cone, until the pink ice cream fills your vision. You blink, taking it from his hand. 

“You didn’t say what flavor you wanted, so I got you the same as me.” “Thanks.” You mumble, the two of you taking a seat at a nearby table, joining your friends. Yerin and Namjoon are sharing a bowl of chocolate, Jungkook happily munches on his cone of mint chocolate, while Yoongi enjoys his lemon sorbet. Jimin is devouring some vanilla, while Taehyung sips his vanilla shake. The cool ice cream takes you out of your mopey mood, as you enjoy the sweet taste of strawberry that hits your tastebuds. You’re happily eating next to Jin, your legs casually brushing against each other under the table. That is until two giggly girls approach your table. “Can we take a picture of you?” You blink, your eyes passing from Jin’s face to theirs. Seriously? He smiles, nodding. “Sure. Can you take one with my camera too?” He grabs the polaroid camera you had set down on the table earlier. 

While to two girls back up and raise their phones, Jin smiles brightly, and you can see them giggle happily at the result. When one of the girls (the particularly pretty one who looks really cute in her floral summer dress, you notice) raises the polaroid camera to peek through the viewfinder, Jin scoots his chair closer to yours in an instant, his arm that has the pink ice cream cone wraps behind you, bringing himself closer to you. The camera lens clicks, and you know that your cheeks match the color of your strawberry ice cream. The girls look a bit embarrassed at the (essentially) couple shot they just took, bowing politely, returning the camera with the polaroid before skittering off. You notice that Jin makes no effort to move, even after the photo is done being taken. He uses his free hand to pick up the developing polaroid. “It’s cute,” he says, his smile transforming into a sly smirk. “We’re matching in pink today so I thought we should take a photo. We can’t forget you and your matching pink cheeks.” With that he stands to join the others who are waiting for the two of you to finish, leaving you to scramble after him, as you make sure to tuck the polaroid into your pocket. 

The gang has decided to have a relaxing swimming day, deciding to travel a bit to find a spot that Namjoon declares is away from the busier part of the beach. As much as you love the convenience of living right on the beach, it can still get pretty full of people- especially during peak tourist season. 

The nine of you decide to cram into two different cars. It seems like Yerin and Namjoon have gotten much closer ever since the party, and so she is already sitting next to him in backseat of Hoseok’s small sedan. Hoseok sits in the drivers seat, Yoongi buckling into the front passenger seat. Taehyung sits behind the wheel of his Jeep, with Jimin naturally finding his spot next to him in the front. You get sandwiched in the middle seat, with Jungkook on your right and Jin on your left. You drive for a fifteen minutes, as Taehyung trails slowly behind the sedan, humming along with the ballad that plays on the speakers, Jimin joining in to sing along softly. Jungkook is already fast asleep, curled against the side of the car. The car ride is a relaxing one, and you find Jimin’s voice also lulling you to sleep. Your head bobs forward, only to be pulled gently to rest on broad shoulders. Your eyes flutter to close fully, appreciating your new pillow when you feel Jin’s hand pulling your own into his lap. 

Jin looks down at your sleeping face, and notices how your hair shimmers in the sun as it drapes over your shoulder blade. He plays with your hand in his, drawing lazy circles with his thumb. Your body rises and falls softly against his, and he honestly doesn’t want the car ride to end- 

But Taehyung pulls to a stop, and he can already feel you stir awake. 

“Are we here?” You say groggily, rubbing the sleep from your eyes with your right hand. You pull on your left for it to mirror the right, only to see it intertwined with Jin’s. He smiles, shaking his head when you tug on your hand in embarrassment. His grip only tightens.

You’re awake now.

Jimin opens the door the holds up Jungkook, and he stirs, rudely awakened. “How long did we drive for?” He asks, stretching his arms in front. Taehyung appears beside him, grinning. “You two are such kids- we only drove for forty minutes!” You shift your body to try to hide your intertwined hands behind you. “Whatever, I was comfy.” You say, and you feel Jin unfasten your seatbelt for you. Jimin chuckles. “Yeah, we saw.” Jin lets your hand free after you move forward to bop Jimin on the head to wipe that smirk off his face.

Once you are out of the car, you can tell Namjoon knew what he was talking about. The small beach cove that fills your vision beckons you. Hoseok whistles. “Damn Namjoon, you really weren’t kidding.” You all stand there for a moment, appreciating the view.

Jungkook is the first to step forward, beach towel and cooler in hand. “Come on, what are we waiting for?” He says impatiently, flashing everyone a bunny smile before continuing onwards. He doesn’t need to speak twice, because soon afterwards, everyone is relaxing, swimming, dozing on the beach. Sitting on your beach towel, you play with the sand, burying your hands underneath the warm surface to find the cooler sand below. You watch ahead of you, the sea winking back at you as the sun causes the water to sparkle. In your peripheral vision, you spot someone taking off their shirt slowly. Your eyes widen from behind your sunglasses, as you are graced with Jin’s bare back- you find your fingers itch to splay your hands against his wide shoulders. Moving forward, Jin enters the water, gracefully dipping his head underneath the small waves. You forget to breath for a second- because what you are seeing is Jin, elegantly parting the water with his body- gliding amongst the top before he disappears. You aren’t sure how long he swims underwater for, but you manage to see his head bobbing amongst the waves far off in the distance. Your brain short circuits- and you feel slightly embarrassed- it feels almost voyeuristic, you watching him- almost like you are peeping at Jin naked.

Feeling self-conscious, you decide to walk back up the small hill with your sketchbook and portable watercolors in hand. You haven’t drawn a landscape in a while, but you feel the need to commit this place into memory. No one disturbs you while to draw, moving on to fill in your sketched lines with watercolors. By the time you do, the sun is slowly starting to fade past the horizon of the sea that stretches before you, and you quickly move to capture as many colors as you can. 

“Y/N!” You hear Yerin calling for you- “I’m almost finished!” You shout back, putting the last wash of purple on the page. You release a satisfied shout when you finish, packing up your supplies so you can quickly join your friends who have created a cozy campfire down below. You can smell steak fill your nostrils, and your stomach grumbles in response. “I’m going to eat Jin’s steak that he grilled for you if you don’t get down here!” Cries Taehyung, and you can see the little shit hovering over a plate that Jin looks like he’s guarding- but only temporarily. You run down the small hill, joining them with haste.

“Don’t worry, they would have to fight me it order to grab a bite of your food.” He smiles at you from his towel. You smile back, grabbing your plate from his hands, your fingertips brushing against his knuckles. You gulp, thinking back to earlier, and you can’t bring yourself to look into his eyes, instead sitting in the open spot on his towel that he has clearly left for you.

Those feelings you thought you kept at bay a long time ago are bubbling up to the surface in your heart, and you are sure that it won’t take long before they spring forth.

The rain drums a steady beat against the beach house, and you find yourself lazily eyeing the growing polaroid collection on your bedroom wall. A soft smile graces your lips as they land on the one of you and Jin and your matching pink ice cream. It’s quiet in the house besides the rain, and you find yourself a bit bored while you sit alone in your room. Last night Yerin spent the night over at Namjoon’s place, and it seems like the rain was a perfect excuse to spend another day with him. Deciding that it’s perfect weather for some hot chocolate, you move towards the kitchen. On your way, you slip into the master bedroom, stealing one of Taehyung’s hoodies that is draped on the bed frame. Sneaking back out, you notice Jimin reading a book on the couch in the living room, and he gives you a quick nod and soft smile of acknowledgment before continuing his solo activity.

You are just about to pull the milk out of the fridge when you hear a knock on the front door. You weren’t expecting anyone today, but you head towards the entrance, and are surprised to see a very drenched Kim Seokjin at your doorstep. The rain caused his sopping hoodie to drape heavily over his shoulders. “Hot chocolate?” You ask, ushering him inside. He shakes his head quickly to rid himself of some water- reminding you of a puppy who has just come back from a swim. “Hold on a sec.” you say, leaving for the bathroom to grab him a towel. He takes it from you thankfully, shivering slightly. “I’ll make the the hot chocolate while you take a warm shower.” You push him gently towards the bathroom. “You can just borrow some of Taehyung’s clothes. Let me go get them really quick.” But Jimin is already beside the two of you, sweatpants and hoodie in hand. He smiles at Jin knowingly before he shuts the door of the bathroom. “If you need me, I’ll be in my room.” He says, leaving you no room to protest.    

You return to the kitchen, pouring in enough milk for two in the small pot that is on the stove. You distract yourself with making the hot chocolate, stirring in the cocoa powder when you see a small rise of steam from the milk. By the time you pour the hot chocolate into two large mugs, Jin shuffles back into the kitchen, scrubbing his hair with the towel that is draped over his shoulders. You hand him a steaming mug. “This really hits the spot.” He says, nodding to you gratefully. “What made you not bring an umbrella?” You say, watching his Adam’s apple bob as he takes another sip of the hot cocoa. He shrugs nonchalantly in return. “I didn’t think I would mind the rain. Turns out a five minute walk in pouring rain really isn’t that fun.” You smile urging him to the living room so the two of you can sit comfortably, and you opt for the sofa that faces the window. Sitting down, you grab a fluffy blanket, and Jin shuffles closer to you naturally, so that you can share. He places the mug on the coffee table in front of him to assist with tucking it around the two of you. The both of you then wordlessly observe the rain that hits the window pane, enjoying the warmth of the hot chocolate and the warmth of the person you huddle amongst the blanket with. 

After a while, Jin turns to you, setting down his empty mug. His arm shifts so it rests on the back of the sofa, hand resting against his cheek. You mirror his movements on the couch to face him, looking him in the eyes. They are dark, his blown out pupils barely show the sliver of brown that surrounds them. Slowly, ever so slowly, his hand moves to tuck some of your hair behind your ear. His fingers brush against your neck, feather light, hesitant. You find your body moving on its own- leaning in closer just so you can feel more of his touch. That one moment stills Jin’s hands on your neck, fingers grabbing the base to pull you gently into him. Your eyes flutter closed, and then you feel his lips that descend upon your own.

His plump lips are soft pillows brushing against yours to gauge your reaction. Your tongue  instinctively dances along the seam of his lips, and he leans further into you. You tilt your head as your tongues begin to brush against each other, exploring, feeling. His mouth is hot, and he tastes of hot chocolate. Jin can’t help but push you down further into the couch when you whimper softly as his tongue massages your own. He breaks away from your kiss for some needed air, only to hover over you, your cheeks the lovely rosy hue that he’s grown to desire to see permanently on your face, eyes misted over and glistening lips,  swollen from kisses with him. He moves to where his nose buries in your hair, and he takes in your lightly floral scent. Feeling spurned on by the breath that hitches in your throat, he presses gentle butterfly kisses starting from the shell of your ear to your neck. And when your hands tighten further onto the fabric of the hoodie he is wearing he lightly suckles your neck, loving when your body arches further into him. 

His kisses against your neck deepen, sucking the tender flesh between his teeth, and he feels your body tremble, a small moan escaping your lips, your fingers leaving his hoodie to weave them into his soft locks. A chuckle escapes his lips and he leans back to look at you, lips hovering above your own. 

“I’d like to continue but I think we’ll have a spectator soon.” He says huskily, righting himself on the couch. Taehyungs sleepy voice is soon heard, breaking you out of your reverie. “Jin? Y/N? Why didn’t you tell me he was coming over?” You hear Jimin not soon after, chuckling at Jin’s and your equally messy hair. Jin casually straightens his hair back into place, but finds your hand underneath the blanket as he envelopes your hand in his own. “Movie?” He says casually, and you awkwardly bury yourself deeper in the blankets. Taehyung gleefully jumps over the couch adjacent to the one you share with Jimin to chose a movie to rent and stream, while Jimin follows suit. 

Loud crashes and explosions fill the living room- Taehyung decided that he wanted to watch the Avengers movie- but you really aren’t paying attention, with Jin’s hand tracing nondescript patterns on your knee. Your eyes watch the TV in front of you blankly, until you feel Jin’s lips against your ear.

“I like you Y/N.” He whispers, and you shudder slightly while he pulls away. You turn to him to whisper back. “I like you too.”  

It’s been a couple of weeks now since you have been dating Kim Seokjin, your days filled laughter as you spend the summer with your friends- the polaroids that fill your bedroom walls as evidence. Ever since his kisses on the couch, you really haven’t had another chance to spend some alone time with Jin- just quick chaste kisses, and the soft holding of hands, when you don’t hear the teasing of your friends that is. 

“I’m taking you out tomorrow.” Jin says, as you sit side by side on the porch of the house, people watching. “I think we need to get away for a bit.” You nod excitedly. “Where are we going?” You say, pouting when he ruffles your hair. “Patience was never your strong suit huh?” And he stands to leave- not before tapping on your nose when you try to convince him to stay. “I’m preparing- I have to make the date perfect for a perfect person.” “Make sure you bring an overnight bag if you want to stay over.” And with that he’s gone, leaving you to yourself for the rest of the day.

The next afternoon you bug Yerin to help you pack your overnight back, and she smirks at you when you put on your nicer lingerie, before donning a simple cute polka-dotted sun dress. “You’re over-worrying once again you know.” Yerin smiles, as you dump your toiletries in the bag. “Unlike you,” you say brushing her past her body as she leans in your bathroom doorway, “I haven’t been sleeping at my boyfriend’s every other night.” “Hey!” She growls playfully, tackling you to your bed as you laugh. “You’ll be fine. Jin’s a wonderful person, and so are you. What’s there to stress about?” You laugh subsides to a grateful smile. “I know. I just really like him- and I don’t want to mess things up. He’s only been a gentleman towards me, so I’m nervous that I’ll screw up my first overnight with him.” Yerin shakes her head gently, give you a light squeeze. “You won’t.” You lay next to Yerin for a while, enjoying her company, since you haven’t seen her around as much the last couple of days. 

“Y/N! You’re boyfriend’s here!” Taehyung shouts from the entrance, and Yerin jumps from the bed. You stand yourself, grabbing your overnight bag from the floor. “Wait-” Yerin says as she rummages in the pocket of her shorts to grab something. “For later.” She says, and you notice the shiny square packets drop into your bag. 

“Yerin!” You shout as she dashes out of your room, her giggling laugh trailing behind her. By the time you meet Jin at the entrance, your blush has mostly subsided, but that doesn’t escape Jin from raising a brow questioningly. “Ready?” He says, reaching to grab your bag. You furiously zip it closed before you hand it over. “As I’ll ever be.”

After your initial fumbling, the two of you walk comfortably, hand-in-hand. You notice Jin is walking you towards the pier, and you find yourself getting closer to the boat docks. “Are you going to tell me where we are going now?” You say, curiosity getting the best of you. Jin chuckles walking a bit further before he stops. “We’re going to my place.” And with that you look at the quaint houseboat in front of you, currently tethered to the dock. “I didn’t know you lived on a houseboat!” You say, eyes widening excitedly. His ears begin to redden at your enthusiasm. “It’s nothing special.” He mutters, as he continues to hold your hand to assist you onto the boat. 

He untangles his hand from yours momentarily, handing your bag over to you. “I’ll just be a sec- I have to tell the marina that I won’t be back until tomorrow.” When he walks away, you take the chance to poke around, opening your door to the main living quarters. You notice the many windows that make the living quarters feel more spacious. Inside you see a small living room area, with a comfortable beanbags on the floor and a TV, game controllers strewn about. Past the living room you notice a small and narrow table with booth seating on one side.  The kitchen is a lot more spacious, allowing for a full sized refrigerator, and four coil stove. There seems to be plenty of countertop and a full sized sink. You feel a smile tug at the corners of your lips- Jin would have a good sized kitchen. 

You continue forward, reaching what seems to be his bedroom. A modest bathroom is tucked away in the corner and you notice his neatly made bed facing the bow of the boat, the large window allowing for a full view of the sea. You place your bag on the side of the bed, and notice a staircase leading upwards. You begin to walk forward, only to hear the sound of Jin clearing his throat. “You were just so curious you couldn’t wait out on the deck huh? I wanted to give you a tour.” You look sheepishly back at him- standing with his arms crossed and head cocked, smirk plastered on his face. 

“Well, at least I can show you this section.” He walks past, grabbing your hand in his as walks toward the stairs. He walks up the steps slowly, allowing yourself to follow right behind him while still holding his hand. When your head reaches the upper deck, you realize where you are. The wheel of the boat stands is before you, and Jin moves quickly, letting go of your hand in order to turn on the motor. His left hand grasp the wheel while his right rests on what you assume is throttle. The boat purrs to life, as he pushes the throttle to slowly pull out of the marina with ease.

“We won’t be going out far- but I just wanted to go somewhere where we could be surrounded by the sea.” You shuffle up next to Jin, eyes taking in all of the new things you see. “Namjoon wasn’t kidding when he said your place is awesome.” You say eyes never leaving the horizon and the stretch of blue in front of you. “You literally live in the middle of the sea.” Jin laughs. “I guess I never really told you where I go back every night. You never expected a houseboat huh?” You shake your head. “Is it okay if I go to the deck?” You ask, wanting to feel the breeze through your hair. “Be my guest.” Jin motions towards the door with his head, but you are already pushing the handle down to open it. When you step outside, the salty sea air wafts around you, and you smile, reaching for the railing. From behind the glass, Jin watches how your hair trails behind you, your dress flapping gently against your legs. His eyes soften, and he knows.

You travel amongst the waves for about thirty minutes before Jin decides this would be the best place to stop. The boat slows to a stop, and Jin presses the button to drop anchor. You return back inside, slightly disappointed that you couldn’t keep going forever. “This should be good enough,“ he says thoughtfully, stepping away from the wheel to kiss the pout that has formed on your lips. “Come on, it’s time I make you some dinner.”

You twirl the carbonara on your fork, Jin watching you intently as you eagerly stuff the homemade meal into your mouth. He’s been pretty quiet, enjoying watching you eat the meal he made for you, but he looks as if he is hesitating to speak. You raise an eyebrow and swallow. “Jin? What’s up?” You frown when he takes a moment to respond.   

“You know, I really think you should create that children’s book.” He says slowly, eyes searching for your own. So that’s all it was? Your eyes soften, as you look down shyly at your plate.  “You really think I can do it?” You play with your hands in front of you, until Jin’s larger hand grabs yours to comfort you. “You sounded determined when you mentioned making the children’s book the first night I came back. I know this summer is fun and relaxing, and I enjoy spending all my time with you, but I want to see you embracing your dreams.” You nod softly, feeling shy towards his praise. “I do have a couple ideas in mind.” 

To your words, a smile spreads throughout his face, genuine happiness towards your own success. It’s a warm, fluttering, feeling, the feeling of love and being loved in return- the crescendo of your emotions bursting forth. You wonder if Jin feels the same way. His thumb grazes against your knuckles, and you shiver, you feel sensitive all of a sudden to the slight movement. Emboldened by your response, his eyes do not dare to leave your face, as he lowers his lips to brush gently where his fingers once were. Your embarrassment only increases ten-fold, and you attempt to pull your fingers away, but the grip on your hand tightens ever so slightly, and Jin leans forward to tilt your chin with his opposite hand. And he’s got you trapped, in his silken web, eyes dark and smoldering as they reflect the candle light off of them. Soft lips descend upon yours, and its a slow and slightly hesitant, but you can feel him say, “yes, I love you too.” 

It seems like a dance, as he gently guides you through the houseboat, lips never leaving yours, and soon your back nestles against the covers of his bed. He hovers over you, hesitating- and your hands play with the soft hairs on the nape of his neck in silent permission, pulling him closer so you can feel his warmth once again.

And before Jin succumbs to the desire that is building within him, he takes a moment to appreciate everything that is you- the hair that frames you like a halo, your flushed face, glossy eyes, and body shuddering slightly in anticipation with each breath that escapes your swollen lips. It’s when he sees you take your lower lip between your teeth, eyes pleading, he descends, lips finding their way to your neck. His hands edge their way behind your back, fumbling for the zipper of your dress. You help him out, lifting upon your elbows, and you feel the tug of your zipper before the straps fall down your shoulders. Jin continues his way down, suckling on the junction of your neck and shoulder and you vaguely notice your bra soon follows. 

His kisses are soft and teasing, never staying too long in one place, dancing along your collarbone to move lower to hover over your exposed chest. He’s teasing you because he’s figured out he wants you like this for as long as possible- body seeking for his touch. 

You squeeze your hands tighter against his, and Jin chuckles lowly against your heart in response. He presses an ear against your chest to hear your heartbeat that flutters like the wings of a hummingbird.  His warm breath tickles your breast as your nipples begin to harden, preening under his attention, seeking contact with his lips that are oh so close. Your own breath hitches in your throat when he finally closes the distance, encasing your nipple between the plump pillows of lips to tease you further with his tongue, flicking the hardened bud, which causes your hips to thrust upwards into his. 

His right hand shifts from beside you as he leaves your nipple with a pop to search for your lips again, indulging in the softness of your hips as he moves lower to rest his hand on your thigh, massaging in slow circles. You feel yourself become emboldened by his actions, noticing your state of dress in comparison to his own- fingers slipping between your bodies for the buttons of his shirt. As each button becomes undone, you are able to feel the hard plane of his chest against the palm of your hand, and your fingers rake down the taught muscles of his abdomen, enjoying how they tense under your ministrations. Traveling lower, you grasp for his belt- but you pause, feeling his fingers that have wandered to rest against the hem of your panties. You feel his lips smirk against your own, only to then feel fabric pushed aside to have fingers trace against your core. You shudder in response. 

Jin groans at how slick you have become, his fingers becoming sticky just from the light brushing against your folds. You’re becoming desperate for more, pelvis pushing against his palm to alleviate the pulsing of your core. Hands that were once playful against his belt now become more urgent, slipping the leather from its clasp to tug against the enclosure of his pants. Your actions cause Jin’s teasing fingers to still, and a low cry of frustration leaves your lips. You feel his silken locks tickle against your stomach as you watch him leave a burning trail down your body with his tongue. Hands grasp your dress to pull it fully off, along with your soaked panties, and you lay, legs open in anticipation, thighs quivering to his warm breaths that brush against your dripping core.

Your eyes screw shut when you finally feel his plump lips against your pussy, tongue tasting your unique flavor. He’s becoming addicted to you, especially when his fingers join his tongue to thrust against your aching walls, thumb rubbing against the bundle of nerves that causes you thread your fingers into his hair, moans of pleasure slipping past your lips. You begin to feel the coil of heat in your belly threatening to release, but you tug on his hair pulling him up and away. Your sudden action causes a worried grunt from Jin, and he pulls his fingers out to make sure you are okay. You feel yourself clamp around the loss of his fingers. “Did I hurt you? Do I need to stop?” His voice is husky and whispered, anxious that he did something to cause you harm when it seemed like you were close to your release. 

You shake your head and manage a shaky smile- he’s more seductive than ever, hair tousled, pupils dilated, mouth that shines with your own slick. Your hands leave his hair to wrap behind his neck. “I want you.” It takes a second for Jin to process your words, but the tension that was pinching his eyebrows relaxes, and he stands slowly, opening his pants to push his briefs down with his pants. Your eyes don’t get a chance to look at him before he turns to fumble for your overnight bag that you forgot you put there earlier. You briefly register that he has one of the foil packets that Yerin placed in your bag, before he rolls the condom over his weeping length, hissing at the touch. 

Jin leans over you once again, the head of his cock nestled against your folds, and you can feel him hesitate making sure one final time- that is until you wrap your legs around his waist and pull him towards you, filling you up in an instant. A deep moan escapes Jin’s lips, and you can’t help but shudder at the low vibrations that ripple through your body. “Y/N.” He says, and your name feels like a chant of longing, desire, and love. And then he begins to move his hips forward, mouth seeking yours to drink in the sounds that escape your lips. Each thrust is deep and slow, your bodies becoming one, as Jin revels in the first time with you- the way your hips meet each thrust, your hands that lightly scratch his back. He can feel the pressure increasing both of you wanting more. Untangling his lips from yours, Jin leans backwards, pushing your knees upwards in order to reach deeper in this new position. His thrusts become more erratic, hips snapping forward as the sound of your combined moans fill the houseboat, spilling out into the open sea. 

And just like how it began, Jin is the cause of your undoing- his name is the only thing that escapes your lips as he thumbs your swollen clit, his jaw clenching in restraint in order to last so that you can enjoy your orgasm. The tight clamping of your walls against his dick is too much, and he soon he follows suit, hips shuddering and he falls forward, nose burying into your neck. Your harsh breaths slowly even out, and Jin makes no rush to untangle your limbs from each other.  

The pressure on your knees from Jin’s weight becomes a bit much, and so you poke his side playfully. “Enjoy yourself?” You laugh, and Jin proceeds to pepper your face with kisses. “I enjoyed you.” He says, eyebrows waggling, before rising to pull out slowly before tossing the used condom in the small trashcan at the edge of the bed. He leaves briefly, while you lay on the bed, satiated and boneless, only for him to return to wipe the inside of your thighs gently with a damp, warm towel. 

Once you feel clean, you still his hands to pull his wrists, and he flops down next to you, encasing you in his arms. Your face buries into him as you feel blankets surround your bodies. Your eyelids suddenly feel heavy and you are aware of how sleepy you feel- the combination of being surrounded by the smell of Kim Seokjin, the rise and fall of his bare chest and the slow lazy circles he draws on your lower back.

“Thank you.” He whispers, and your world becomes a place of sea and stars reflecting back to you from the large glass window of Jin’s houseboat and your heart is at peace while you descend into your dreams.

Ever since your night on Jin’s houseboat, you decide to fully commit to creating your very first children’s book for publication, working on your project at for at least a couple of hours a day. You know you’re more nervous than ever, as Jin has had to pick up many discarded sketches and brainstorms of ideas more than once, encouraging you as he usually does. 

You are currently working on the illustration of your children’s book at your desk, and Jin is reading a comic book on your bed. 

“Y/N”, he says, eyes searching for your own and you can tell he is struggling to recall his internal monologue that he has prepared for you. Jin sounds serious, so you turn from your current page to look at him. “There’s something you need to know about me. I’m not like other men.” He studies you to see your reaction. 

“I know,” you say, rolling your eyes, “You’re the world’s most handsome man. You remind me whenever you can.” You hesitate to turn back to your work though, because you begin to see Jin’s eyes furrow in slight frustration. “That’s not what I’m trying to say- yes, I am the world’s most handsome man, but the point is, I’m not a man.” You raise an eyebrow. “So you’re telling me you are walking art.” Jin lets out an exasperated groan. “Y/N, you’re cute when you’re dense, but please, please just let me talk.”

“Do you know anything about selkies?” He says, imploring you to try his second attempt at explaining himself. “Sure…” you say, feeling a bit hesitant, resting your brush against the palette to fully pay attention to him. “The creatures who shed their seal skin in order to transform into human form?” Jin nods slowly. “The creatures who are devastatingly attractive,” Jin motions his hands towards his face, “so they can woo and bed ‘unsatisfied’ lovers?” You find yourself frowning a bit at the last statement. 

Jin notices your pout, standing from the bed in order to walk towards you. “I get that you’re attractive Jin, but I don’t see how that makes you a selkie.” Jin sighs, reaching to hold your hand in his. “That’s not completely wrong, but you forget- we are called to the shore by human’s tears. We become paired with the one who’s cries we answer to.” Your eyebrows furrow, your brain tries to shuffle through your catalogue of memories. Jin huffs in response. “You don’t remember? You called for me when you were seven.” A picture of a boy drying your tears flashes in front of your eyes. Recognition flashes through your eyes, and Jin smiles back at you. You stand from your seat, finger pointing at Jin. “I knew you were real! My parents and Taehyung kept saying no one else was there that day after I scraped my leg.”  You hear a chuckle, and Jin pulls you into a hug. Leaning down, he repeats a poem that you finally understand.

Seven tears into the sea,

In Seven years I’ll come to thee.

The longing in your heart my dear,

Beckons me closer every year.

Your eyes widen as everything begins to make sense. Why Jin is so attractive, causing everyone to be entranced by him, why he’s so good at swimming, why he’s good at catching fish. Why he only appears every seven years, only to vanish once the summer is done.

“Seven years?” You say against his chest, your voice slightly muffled. Jin speaks, his voice low. “The sea is my home, so I have to return. The transformation process takes a lot out of us, so it takes seven years before we can transform again.” You stand in silence, his hug is warm and enveloping. 

But you can’t escape the niggling feeling of worry that begins to creep into your consciousness.  

You become more clingy towards Jin the next couple of days, hands always searching for his own- worried that he’s going to be here one day, but disappear into sea foam the next. You don’t want to be alone- not after he subtly mentioned that you were the one to call him to shore, his heart only searching for you. You become distracted by your thoughts, not feeling like working towards your progress towards the book you had been making up until a couple of days ago. Jin senses something is wrong, and to be honest, he’s been trying to find a way to talk to you and reassure you. That evening he appears at your doorstep, insisting on cooking dinner for you, Taehyung and Jimin that evening- Yerin has yet another date night with Namjoon. Taehyung and Jimin practically drag him into the kitchen to get started, the idea of pizza delivery long gone. 

He cooks four large steaks with a side of mashed potatoes and broccoli- Taehyung and Jimin drooling while they hover nearby, stomachs growling. You smile from the kitchen counter, the domestic scene making you feel nostalgic, until you feel it falter slightly- remembering that Jin might not be with you much longer. Summer is beginning to draw to a close, and you are getting anxious about your time that you have left with Jin.

You enjoy the full plate of food when he places it in front of you- but is this one of the last meals that you’ll get to enjoy from Jin? Each bite tastes a little more bitter as you push away that thought, trying to enjoy another evening with Jin. “Is the steak overcooked?” Jin asks, eyes wandering over your still very full plate. “Jin, this is the most perfect steak I have ever had the pleasure of eating.” Taehyung says in all seriousness, hand clasping over his heart. Jimin follows suit, grabbing his heart in a dramatic flourish- which looks entirely goofy while he nods with his full cheeks. He swallows enthusiastically. “Can you just cook for us everyday for the rest of the summer?” Your hand stills, and Jin notices your reaction, but he decides to not bring it to the attention of your brother and Jimin. Smirking cockily, Jin opens his mouth. “I guess I’ll just have to become your brother in law Taehyung.” Jimin sputters, while Taehyung whips his head towards you, pointing a finger at you accusingly. “Don’t screw this up Y/N. My stomach and tastebuds demand it.” You roll your eyes in response, picking up some broccoli to flick it at your annoying brother.  

After dinner, you and Jin leave Taehyung and Jimin to the dishes so that you can spend some alone time together. Jin insisted on it, and for once the two boys just smile and thank Jin for blessing their stomachs with dinner. The two of you decide to sit on the porch to enjoy the evening breeze, the sound of the waves calming your nerves slightly.

“I have something to give you.” Jin looks shy, his usual confidence are nowhere to be seen as evidenced by his ears and neck turning red. His arms shift behind him, and you notice something shimmering in the moonlight. “Open your arms.” And you feel something heavy weighing down your outstretched arms. You look down, and notice a neatly folded pelt. Your eyes widen in recognition. “Is this…?” He nods, looking down to gauge your reaction. “This is my seal skin.” He says, hand reaching behind his head to scratch awkwardly. “You’re silly you know- you didn’t even give me a chance to explain how selkie’s stay with the one they love.” You stir a bit at that word, and Jin clears his throat at it in embarrassment. 

“I’m not leaving you Y/N - not when you have the key to whether or not I return back to the sea. I’m yours.” Your eyes begin to water as you realize what this means. “You mean you want to stay with me?” Jin pulls you close, and you bury your nose into his shirt. “I’m not going to leave you. I love you.” With those words your tears escape, along with all of the anxiety from the last couple of days- absorbing into the fabric of his shirt. “I love you too.”

After a while, when Jin notices your sniffles subside, he pulls away so he can ruffle your hair, smiling when you finally return one back to him. “Just make sure you hide the skin well okay? If I find it my natural instincts kick in and I return back to the sea. You must never tell me where it is.” You nod, already an idea of a hiding spot floating into your mind. You don’t ever want to feel the aching in your heart like you have felt the last couple of days ever again.

TWENTYTWO

With the end of the summer and much convincing to your parents, you decided to stay behind at the beach house with Jin at your side. Your parents were extremely hesitant at first, especially when you told them that you had met someone and he was going to be living with you. They changed their minds however when Taehyung let it slip that you had finished your first children’s book and you were waiting for the publisher’s response. The following phone call was a very long one to say the least. You remember when you first told Yerin about your decision to stay.

“Why aren’t you packing Y/N? We are leaving in the next couple of days.” Yerin looks at your empty bag quizzically, hands on her hips. Oh right. You still needed to tell your best friend in the world about your future plans. You say your attention and stress of finishing your children’s book is what distracted you from telling her and Tae and Jimin, but in reality its because you are scared of their opinions. What if they don’t think you could do this? 

You bite your lip in worry, unsure how to tell Yerin. She sighs, her perceptive eyes can obviously tell you want to say something. “It’s not like you to keep things away from me- what’s bothering you?” You look away, feeling even more guilty than before. Yerin has always been supportive, and yet you still don’t have the guts to tell her directly. 

“Don’t judge me too much, okay?” You start, looking at the floor. “I’m not leaving this summer. I’m going to stay here.” Her eyes widen at your statement. “Is this because of Kim Seokjin? Look Y/N, he’s a great boyfriend and all but I thought you were going to look for illustration jobs with me back in the city? Didn’t you have an internship lined up and everything?” You put your palm up, stopping her flow of speech. “It’s not because of Jin. I’m doing it because I finally decided to pursue my dream of becoming a children’s book author. I already sent in the first draft for evaluation last night.” Yerin is unbearably quiet, and you find yourself stammering to fill in the silence. “Although Jin said he was willing to live with Namjoon back in the city with all of us, I realized that the city is really stifling to my creativity, and I love how the beach calms and inspires me.” You now are wringing your hands. “Please say something.”

“Congratulations!” Yerin grabs to capture you in a huge hug. “You don’t hate me for not telling you?” You say hesitantly. “Just a tiny bit.” She pinches your cheek when you begin to pout. “In all seriousness though, I’m so happy you have decided to publish your work. I guess I didn’t notice you working on your book this summer.” You smirk. “That’s because you were sucking face with Namjoon every other day.” Yerin shoves you back. “Like you can say anything.” “Are you excited that Namjoon is going to the city with you?” Yerin blushes a bit, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. A habit. “I guess it’s turning a bit serious, huh?” She smiles shyly back at you. “I really like him Y/N.” “Me too Yerin.”     

Taehyung and Jimin were a bit easier than Yerin.

“You’re not coming back with us?” Jimin looks at you quizzically with an arched eyebrow. Taehyung’s eyes open wide. “Wait, did you tie him down Y/N? Is Jin going to be cooking for us everyday now? Am I going to have a brother-in-law?!” You smack your brother in the shoulder. Hard. He winces upon impact. “Don’t be silly. I’ve decided to work from home at the beach house. It’s way better than the city.” Both of the boys look at you warily. Taehyung is about to open his mouth in retort, but you get your words in first. “Oh, by the way, I recently submitted a children’s book that I illustrated and wrote to a publisher for review. I’m supposed to hear back from them in a couple of weeks.” It takes them a second to process the information that you just provided them, but Jimin is the first to understand, smiling in response. “I’m jealous that you get to stay here to follow your dreams Y/N.” You return the smile back to Jimin, grateful for his support. Taehyung hums in thought. “How are you going to tell mom and dad?” Oh. Oops. That was probably important. Especially since the house was theirs. “You forgot that you needed to tell mom and dad?” Taehyung face palms in response. “Well, good thing I’m already dialing them on my phone, because you’re going to need the help from your older brother.” For once you agree with his statement.

Seeing your family and friends drive away was a bit unnerving. Yerin and Namjoon seemed nervous to leave you behind, and you felt your heart sink a bit in your chest knowing how far Yerin would be. “Just text if you need anything.” She says measuredly, and you smile back weakly. You’ll really miss being able to see her every day. Taehyung and Jimin provided big hugs, Taehyung making sure you were all set. “Mom and Dad will swing by with your stuff- including your car.” You nod in appreciation. “Thanks Tae.” It’s a simple exchange, but you really are grateful for how supportive and caring your brother is at the end of the day. The car leaves the driveway, but he makes sure to flip you off before he leaves. “This is for telling Yerin before me.” He shouts, needing the last word. Well, most of the time you’re grateful for him.  

Each good bye felt a little sad, like one chapter of your life was starting to close- and you felt it even more so when your Dad and Mom kindly made a trip back to the house to deliver your car to you. “We’re always a call away.” Your mom says, releasing you from a hug. “I know Mom. I promise to call at every couple of days.” Your dad turns to kiss you on the head next. “Make sure you eat healthy and focus on your work. And that Jin doesn’t distract you from completing your illustration work.” His eyes shift slightly to a nervous Jin who waits on the porch. You huff in response. “I’m not a kid Dad- trust me just a little, okay?” His silent exchange with Jin is done, ending with a smile. “Okay kiddo. We’ll be on our way.”

After much fuss, they finally leave, and the house feels a bit too quiet for your liking. But Jin is by your side, and he lets out a sigh in relief when your parents drive away. You watch from the porch until you can’t see the car any longer, and with newfound determination you push your sadness away to face Jin with a smile. 

You wake up, stretching lazily. Surprisingly, Jin is still sleeping in bed, face buried into the pillows. He shifts slowly at your absence, moving his arms to grab a pillow to squeeze as a replacement for your form. You slip into a fluffy bath robe, as it’s getting colder now, and you are still getting used to staying at the beach house past the summer season. You make your way to your computer in the small office, still half awake. It’s been a couple of weeks since you have sent off your initial draft of your book, and there is still no response. The wait has been killing you- at this point you would rather have an answer of rejection over this long of a wait. Patience never was your strong suit. You wake the computer up, and lazily drag the mouse over your email. At first you don’t notice it- because you looking at another incoming illustration request- and then you see it. The shock of the email sitting in your inbox startles you awake, stronger than any coffee that you have managed to eat before. You hover your mouse over the message for a few minutes, contemplating whether or not you do want to read it. Closing your eyes, you muster all the courage you have within you at the moment and hold your breath when you click the mouse. 

Feeling brave, you open your eyes to see a very happy email typed by your new editor, who’s name is Jisoo. They are extremely excited for your wonderful illustrations and story, and are happy to get a new author who can both write and illustrate. They have a few suggestions for edits that need to be made before you publish, but… in short terms, your book is going to be published, and they hope to have it on bookshelves by the end of the year. 

Your. Book. Is. Going. To. Be. Published.  

You jump from your chair, running as fast as you can to the still sleeping form in bed. “Jin! Seokjin! Kim Seokjin!” You shout, excitedly shaking his shoulder to rouse said Kim Seokjin awake from his slumber. His body stirs as he grumbles awake. “Y/N?” He mumbles, all too confused with your enthusiasm. 

Your mouth can’t keep up with how fast your brain is traveling at the moment, your words tripping over themselves to get out of your mouth. “My book! Publish!” You manage to squeak out, bouncing excitedly on your knees. It takes Jin a second to process your words through his sleep addled brain, but once it does, his eyes grow wide, a grin spreading to the rest of his face. “Your book has been accepted? You’re book is going to be published?” His voice raises in excitement as you nod your head in earnest. 

“You’re an author now! It calls for a celebration today!” He says, hugging you tightly. You don’t think you could be much happier- you are basking in the warmth of Jin’s arms around you, and your heart feels full with the prospect of your dreams finally being fulfilled- all next to the person who you love. 

You are hard at work on your edits that Jisoo suggested- you need to get the work done before the weekend because you have to make a trip down to the city to drop off the hard copies and sign the final paper work if everything is an acceptable standard. You are concentrating very hard- never leaving your desk for longer than an hour, unless Jin begs you to take a break every once in a while. After day two of your intense illustrating session, Jin seems to have let you be, leaving your house to go take his houseboat for a drive, or to swim, or to fish. By day four, you finally finish- just in time because you have to leave tomorrow morning, you stretch from your desk and make your way to the kitchen where Jin is cooking something delicious for dinner as always, the smell of grilled fish filling your nostrils. 

You walk out into the living room, intending to surprise him, to see his flustered face. What you don’t expect is his eyes, which look lost in thought as they gaze from the kitchen to the sea as he absentmindedly waits for the rice to finish cooking. His eyes are unfocused and glazed over- he must be thinking about memories of his home underwater- a place you’ll never be able to go to. A place he must be missing. Your mind thinks back to the past couple of days, trying to recall what Jin had been doing while you had been focusing on your work.

His daily swims and fishing trips stretch into hours, and while he is always happy to see you everyday when he returns- always giving you all his attention and love, peppering you with kisses when he walks in the door to wander into the kitchen to start cooking up the fish he caught during the day- And then it hits you. What is Jin doing while you are busy? When your friends, his friends too, are all working during the day? Is he lonely?

You bite your lip, hesitating to approach him and instead you slink back into your office- deciding to wait until he comes to get you.

It takes Jin another fifteen minutes to finish dinner, but those fifteen minutes were enough time to make you quite resolute in your decision. You’re quite scared to bring it up to him, and you jump slightly in your chair when you hear a polite knock on the door. Jin’s head pokes through, soft smile gracing his lips. “You reach a good stopping point? Dinner is ready!” You stand, flashing him a hesitant smile- and Jin notices is doesn’t reach your eyes. He holds your hand, pulling you towards the food. “After you get food in your belly, I’m sure whatever you’re worried about will be lessened- food tends a troubled soul you know.” 

The dinner is a quiet one, and you eat quickly, working up the resolve to approach Jin. Your heart feels heavy in your chest. You thank him for the meal, and begin to play with your hands as he sighs. “What’s on your mind? Please tell me Y/N- you always play with your hands when you have something you want to say.” You still- Jin knows you too well now for you to keep beating around the bush.

“Are you happy Jin?” You say, not willing to look into his eyes- finding the empty plate in front of you very interesting. “What?” You can hear the confusion in his voice, barely a whisper. “What do you mean am I happy? I’m here with you.” His voice begins to raise in worry. “I see you when you look towards the sea.” You can’t find the strength in your voice to match his rising one. “What are you talking about? When was I staring off into the sea?” He’s starting to get annoyed, the anger creeping into the tone of his voice. You haven’t heard Jin get angry at you before. Not like this. “You need to go home Jin.” Your head hangs in shame, heart tearing at the suggestion that just escaped your lips. It seems to have a similar effect to Jin, because you hear the sound of the chair scraping against the floor, and he’s pulling your chin up so you are forced to look into his eyes.

“Tell me you’re joking Y/N. Right now. I’m serious.” His eyes are pleading as they stare down into your own, piercing you through to your heart.   

“I’m not. You need to return to where you are from Jin.” You stand, pushing him away slightly as you cross the room to get away. From him. “How dare you say that.” He says, voice tumbling into a low growl. “How dare you say that to me, saying you have seen me look at the sea longingly. Not when you have barely spared me a glance the past few days!” His words bite harshly, leaving a burn. You feel tears prick against your eyes.      

Jin’s anger is palpable. His brows crease, face pinching. His ears and neck are red. “Don’t you understand?” He’s quiet, and the effort to repress his anger causes his body to shake. “You are my home now.” He crosses the living room, approaching your form- standing defensive with your arms crossed in front.  He grasps for your shoulder, unfurling a clenched fist. You wince slightly at his touch. Your response is not what Jin wants. Whatever force that was keeping his control has now broken, and so instead of talking, his hand on your shoulder pushes you toward the wall. You don’t have a chance to retort, his larger frame pushes against you, and his left arm rests near your head, caging you and preventing any form of escape. His mouth crashes against yours- but instead of the typical soft and teasing brush of lips its a kiss of acknowledgement, a kiss full of irritation, a kiss full of teeth and tongue. His forceful attitude riles you up- causing you to respond with just as much pressure- you want him to feel your own frustrations too. This kiss continues until feel yourself becoming dizzy, and you pull his bottom lip between yours, biting down harshly to as your lungs are begging for some air. A growl escapes from deep within Jin’s chest- a sound you haven’t heard come from him before. His eyes are impossibly dark, clouded over with lust and anger.

His lips move to claim your neck, and Jin feels the sudden desire to be the cause of your undoing. How dare you force him to leave you, after offering his pelt and his heart to you and only you. How can you not see that it is you who is his world? How could you? Teeth scrape against the supple crook of your neck, and he feels enflamed by desire to prove himself to you. If his words fall on empty ears, perhaps you will understand through pure desire instead. He paints his own masterpiece along your neck and collarbone, applying swatches of purple and red. He feels proud of his work, especially when your hands are grabbing onto his shirt for support. He trails the hand that was on your shoulder down to the edge of your hoodie, which he wastes no time to slide under. His hands are desperate to grab onto you- you who threatens to leave him empty and alone.

You find yourself wanting to challenge him- not willing to become soft and submissive under his anger. As his hand grabs your breast, you take the opportunity to grind your throbbing core against his pelvis, wanting to provoke him even further. You bite back a moan, not realizing just how satisfyingly hard Jin is against your own needy pussy. You groan, realizing just how slick you have become, your soiled panties squishing uncomfortably against your folds. Your challenge works however, and he grinds his pelvis into yours harshly before stepping back. His hand on the wall rushes down to yank your pajama bottoms and your cotton panties in one movement. You respond in kind, grabbing him by the hem of his sweatpants, only to yank them down with his briefs. There is no teasing, no foreplay. Jin wants to remind you that he is present, here, now. With you. 

His lips descend to meet yours again, greedy and hungry for your taste. In a wordless command for you to jump, he grabs your thighs as he uses the wall behind you as leverage, pushing you up so your folds become flush with his erect member. And then he enters, rough and quick. 

His lips devour your moans, just like how you devour his. As he continues to piston against you, you find yourself breaking your lips from Jin’s in order to bury your face into his neck. His arms begin to shake with exertion, and his thrusts still momentarily. He uses a burst of energy to carry you into your bedroom, and when his legs hit the mattress, he uses his weight to push the both of you onto the blankets. In that moment, he stills, hovering above you, and you see the cloud of anger begin to dissipate. 

“I love you.” 

And with that declaration,  he surges forward again, this time his eyes watch you unflinchingly. And you feel him, all of him. His thrusts are less frantic, and are now deeper and precise. Looking up, you see dark pupils that engulf his brown irises- and they look down at you with lust, desperation, and most importantly, love. A tear slips down your cheek, and he uses the pad of his fingertip to brush the tear away. “I love you.” He repeats, choking back a moan when your walls clench around him. Your body doesn’t want him to leave, why couldn’t you realize that he doesn’t have to?  

The sound of your combined moans become louder, and you begin to beg. “Please Jin.” you say, pleading with him to provide you a release to the coil that is tightening in your stomach, pleading with him to understand your heartache and guilt, pleading with him to know that you love him too. 

He snakes a hand between the two of you to rub your neglected clit. The combination of his precise thrusts and rough fingers are too much, and you feel the tension in your body snap, the coil beginning to unfurl, a deep moan escaping your lips. At the sight of your undoing, Jin does not last, his thrusts becoming sloppy as he chases after his own release. “I love you.” He groans out for the last time into your ear, as he reaches his high, releasing into you, the warm strings of his cum coating your insides.

“I love you too.” You say to him softly, your breaths mingling together in the afterglow.

An hour later, Seokjin’s rhythmic breaths indicate to you that he’s fallen asleep. His arms grip you tight, like he knows what you are about to do. You fight against your instincts to relax and mold yourself into him. You have already made your decision- tonight he has to go home. 

You can’t be the reason he doesn’t return home any longer. As much as your heart longs for Jin, you know the amount of guilt would be suffocating. You quietly remove his arms, wiggling out from his vice-like grip, placing a pillow in his arms as a surrogate. It seems to work, as he buries his face into the pillow. You slip on his over-sized pink hoodie, and it smells like him.  You walk to the back porch, and it’s dark outside.  The clouds cover the moonlight- not even the moon is here to give you much comfort. It mirrors your gloomy heart.  You crouch near the the chair in the corner, and move it as silently as you can. Underneath a loose board lies his pelt, sitting there innocently even after all this time. You grasp it between your fingers, pulling it out. It still shines in the moonlight, forever a reminder of what Jin is.

You feet pad against the floor softly, and you return to where Jin lies in deep slumber. You tuck the blankets back around his form for the last time, and place his pelt by his feet.

You don’t hesitate long after that, quickly packing your things away in your luggage, as quietly as you can. Before you zip up your belongings, you stop- your fingers brushing along the bottom of his pink hoodie. You hook your hands on the bottom of it, about to pull it off, but you hesitate. 

You decide to keep his favorite pink hoodie on. It’s being a bit selfish, and you know it is, but a tiny part of you knows you have to keep something from him, because you are afraid that pieces of him will be forgotten, because deep down you know your memories will become shattered, fragments that will slowly disappear with time. You’ll forget the exact pitch of his laugh, or the taste of his cooking.  You’ll forget just exactly how soft his kisses are- against your cheeks, your neck, your chest, your stomach, your legs, your core. 

You bring all of your stuff to your car- and you are glad Jin is still sleeping. You know you would come right back into the house if he woke up and caught you slipping away, you, the selfish person that had to be with him, craving for him so much that you remove him from his home and people. The guilt would eat at you for the rest of your life. It already hangs heavy on your shoulders. There is no way you can deal with it any longer.

You start the car, and back out of the driveway.  You don’t spare a glance backwards as you make your way to the city. When dawn breaks, you realize you have been driving all night, and you pull in front of Yerin’s apartment.  She’s already there and awake- greeting you with open arms. There are no words, only broken sobs as Yerin envelops you in a hug, rubbing slow circles on your back.

The next day after sleeping in, you wake up with puffy eyes and a pounding headache. Yerin surprises you with a new phone and new number.  You don’t ask where she hid your old one. You’re grateful that Namjoon and Yerin don’t ask any questions- they simply take turns, keeping you company. The first week is hard- you want to hop in your car and drive back- but you can’t keep hovering around Namjoon and Yerin forever, an interruption on their own love life. 

So you busy yourself with finding a new apartment. Soon enough, just like Jin predicted, your first children’s book sells really well, and the same publisher has already requested for another one. You focus all your energy on brainstorming new ideas for your next children’s book, while taking on the most amount of illustration requests you have ever done so in your life. Each new task for yourself eases the the longing in your heart.

Your memories begin to fade, as time eats them away. Days turn to weeks, and weeks into months, and months into years.

TWENTYEIGHT

You need a break.  You’ve been working on this particular page of the children’s book for a couple hours now, and you are getting a headache.  Looking outside of your window of your office, you notice the sun is setting.  No wonder you got a headache, you’ve been painting and sketching under lowlight conditions.  The drawing of a merman smiles back at you, and you look at the sea you have yet to paint with your watercolors. You dip your paintbrush in the water jar, and set it to the side. You stand and stretch-your back cracks in appreciation at your break. 

You have decided to try finishing your own rendition of The Little Mermaid this year, but it’s hard to complete.  This book has been in the works now for several years- a personal side project of yours that you work on from time to time. To be honest, it’s hard to work on it. The project brings back memories of summer at the beach, and a man waiting for you on the porch. You remember him listening to the song of the sea, the waves softly hitting the sides of the shore in a sweet lullaby.  There is a soft smile that graces his lips.  Lips that will upon yours momentarily, large and full and greedy.  Those lips will kiss you softly to begin with as a greeting, but will become more desperate and deep.

You miss him.

You have gotten really good at forgetting about Kim Seokjin over the years, but this year in particular you have been thinking about him a lot. No matter how many dates you’ve tried and nights of passion you let yourself indulge in once in a while, your mind creeps back to him and it makes things awkward between you and your different suitors.  It’s been at least six months since you have last indulged yourself, now that you think about it.

Your cellphone rings, providing you relief from drowning in your own thoughts. ‘My Bro Tae’ flashes across the screen, along with an unflattering picture you have of him since your college years, no matter how many times he whines at you to change it.  You answer immediately.

“Y/N?” Taehyung asks, and you can hear shrieks of laughter from your niece and nephew in the background. “Yes Tae?” You can’t help a smile that begins to form on your lips when you hear your brother attempt to shush his children. “Now that Chaeyong and Mingyu are old enough, Jisoo and I want to go to the beach house with everyone!” “And?” You say in response, eyebrow quirking up to his enthusiasm. “You need a vacation.” You sigh. “Tae, you know I don’t go there anymore.” He pauses in thought for a moment and you hear his voice lower.  “I think it’s about time you return,” he says slowly, giving you a second to process his information, “and before you say no, your niece and nephew insist.” Great. He’s playing his strongest card. He knows its impossible to say no to Chae and Mingyu. You groan in frustration.  “Plus,” he continues in a singsong voice— “don’t you want to see your favorite brother, the one you will love and cherish forever?” “Fine,” you relent, gripping the phone when you hear his cheer in victory, “but remember you’re my only brother.”  You quickly hang up with a smile.

Taehyung and Jisoo want to leave that weekend. You decide to drive down yourself (though Taehyung initially insisted he drive you there with the rest of his family, because he was so sure you would skip out).  You decide to bring the children’s book and your art supplies with you anyways, as the sea air could perhaps help you finally finish the darn thing. As you drive along, you can’t help the butterflies begin to form in your stomach.  Rolling down the windows, you take in a long breath of salty air that you forgot how much you used to love.

Soon enough you see the white beach house greeting you, and you smile as a wave of nostalgia crashes into you. Chaeyong and Mingyu are already scrambling to your car door, pulling on your hands while you squat down to envelop them in a bear hug. You wonder how Taehyung could pull off two perfect beings right in front of you. It has to be Jisoo. 

Speaking of Taehyung, he’s already pulling your bags out of the trunk, (the faster he gets your luggage in the house you won’t have time to escape), while Jisoo is apologizing for Chaeyong and Mingyu’s enthusiastic energy.

“How are you?” Jisoo manages to finally give you a hug, while the kids are helping drag your stuff into your bedroom. “I’m doing better now that I get to spend time with the family again,” you smile into her hair. “It’s always too long.” she grins in return, walking you through the front door.

You walk to your old room, and there is a slight hesitance to go inside.  It doesn’t last long however, because Chae is dragging you inside. It’s like time ceases to exist here, because you’ve stepped into a vault, preserving everything inside. Your old desk sits by the window, an empty mason jar and watercolor palette holding down some old sketches. The setting sunlight filters through the white curtain, which is drawn closed. You see your bed, made, with fluffy sheets and pillows, as well as the seal plushie that sits between your pillows. Your closet still hangs some large hoodies and you spy a pink shirt.  Polaroids of your early twenties line the walls, and you see him everywhere. Jin with a goofy face, Jin winking, Jin giving a hand kiss.  Jin kissing your cheek, Jin sleeping, Jin eating some fish. Jin cooking, Jin strumming his guitar, Jin laughing. 

It’s so overwhelming that you close your eyes and you turn around, your instincts telling you to run. You are about to leave a very confused Chaeyong when a comforting hand stops you in place, bringing you back to reality. You look up and it’s Taehyung, a knowing and comforting smile gracing his lips. You breathe. Chaeyong skirts past the both of you, feeling the awkward tension. 

Taehyung leads you to your bed, sitting next to you and hugs you. And he sits and holds and you close your eyes.

You must have fallen asleep because you are tucked in under your covers when you wake up to a soft knock on the door and Taehyungs face pops into view.  “Just to let you know, so you aren’t surprised- we are having a party tonight. I want to have a reunion and see all of our friends again. I think it will be good for you.” You simply nod your head in response. You must have  slept through the entire night. You see Chaeyong and Mingyu pop their heads in soon after. “Do you feel better auntie?” Mingyu asks, and you notice their worried faces.

You stretch your limbs out, wincing when you hear multiple pops and cracks. You aren’t a child anymore, you can’t have kids worrying because of you. You smile back at them. “What’s for breakfast?” You ask, and their faces light up as you follow them into the kitchen.

Jisoo looks worried, and places a large helping of pancakes in front of you. “I’m sorry I’m behaving like a moody teenager.” You say, you hold your head low because you feel so ashamed. “There’s nothing to apologize for.” Jisoo says, sliding a cup of steaming coffee into your right hand. You have never felt more love for your family. 

After washing up and changing into a white and flowy summer dress, you help Jisoo set up for the party. With how helpless Taehyung is at cooking, he is in charge of keeping the kids entertained at the beach. Setting up for the party and chatting to Jisoo keeps your mind off things, and you begin to feel excited for the guests to arrive.

When they do, your heart fills with happiness when you see Jimin walk in, and he gives you a peck on the top of your head. You haven’t seen him in a while, not since he became quite a popular singer. “Nice hair” you comment, tugging at his bleached blonde hair.  He laughs, moon eyes beaming at you whilst flicking you lightly in the forehead.  “Nice to see you too, dork.” Jimin wanders to go find Taehyung.  Next comes Jungkook, in his clean cut attire, who you realize has another lady in tow- different from the one you saw the last time you saw him at his film event. You smirk at him while he approaches the door. His confident demeanor changes when he see you, breaking out into a huge bunny grin, and closes the gap between the two of you to give you an affectionate squeeze. “Hiya Kook,” you greet, ruffling his hair, “and hello…?” You peer over his shoulder at his plus one, who is surprised by his affection towards you. “This is Jieun” he says bashfully, and you realize his blush creeping along his cheeks.  “Hello Jieun” you say, and she returns a bright smile back to you. You might be seeing more of her, with how honest Jungkook’s reactions are.

You wander back to the kitchen, and grab yourself a beer. You barely have one sip slide down your throat when you hear- “Y/N!” And you are picked up and twirled around. You laugh at Hoseok, who’s bright demeanor fills your vision, as always. “Hobi! I haven’t seen you in forever. How is it going Mr. Choreography Director?” Hoseok is all cheeks, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m having a lot of fun- it’s a different challenge from dancing on the main stage myself, but I’m really enjoying it.” “You promise to show me some videos later?” You always have loved Hoseok’s dancing- it’s art, especially since you were never able to move the way he does, even after all these years.

“Surprise!” You turn around you feel the arms of your best friend throughout your life, Yerin. You whip around, and see Namjoon’s own dimpled cheeks from behind. “I can’t believe you didn’t think to invite me, Y/N- especially since we saw each other earlier this week for lunch!” You roll your eyes. “I think she has separation anxiety.” Namjoon speaks up, chuckling while tugging her shoulder gently. “I see you and Namjoon all the time Yerin.” You continue, responding to Yerin’s playful pouting. “I’m still deeply offended.” She says dramatically, grabbing your beer from your hand in order to take a sip in retaliation for your ‘mistake’.

During this interaction, Yoongi approaches, giving Namjoon a warm hug. “Yoongi!” You shout- since he’s become a famous music producer, You haven’t seen Yoongi in a very long time- the longest out of everyone. Yoongi flashes you his classic gummy smile, bringing you into to a hug. “It’s good to see you Y/N, I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve talked to my childhood friends.” 

After reuniting with all of your old summer friends, you realize you have drunk just a teensy bit too much and you need a breath of fresh air. You leave you shoes on the back porch and make your way to the water.  It’s quite bright out tonight- the moon is full overhead. The water looks is dark, and it looks like a giant pool of black ink.  You approach the water, and you whistle slightly, not expecting the water to feel so cold as it licks your toes.  

It must be the alcohol, because you suddenly feel all the self restraint you have held for the last few years bubble from the deep recesses inside of you- and you begin to cry. Your thoughts are completely full of him and only him. Your tears leave a salty tracks down your cheeks, dropping into the water below. You hear your heartbeat ramming into your chest, and it’s calling out his name with every beat- Kim Seokjin. Seokjin. Jin.

You sink down into yourself for comfort, hugging your knees to your chest. You don’t care that the waves are splashing around your legs. It’s as if being in the water is the only way to be closer to him. 

You aren’t sure how long you stay there, but your legs begin to cramp, and you need to stand up. You straighten your back, and begin the process of standing up, hands plunging into the water to push yourself up for leverage- but now there is a set of hands enveloping your wrists, pulling you upwards. You don’t get much time to process anything, because now there are lips on yours, a bit cold and they taste of saltwater- and there is water dripping down onto your face, replacing your tear stained cheeks.  Hands release your wrists  to grapple for your neck and waist, grip tightening when you open your mouth along with his.  It is a kiss of longing, and of remembering.  Your shattered memories slowly piece back together- because with his lips currently devouring yours, you remember. You remember now how his lips feel, you remember his scent, and when he groans to you biting on his lower plump lip you remember his voice.

You begin to pull away just enough so to crane your neck up at him- because you need to make sure this isn’t just a drunken memory- and you see him.  Your eyes drink in his appearance, as if he’ll disappear the moment you blink.  

Jin’s pupils are dark and round as he looks down at you with hooded eyes, swollen lips, wet hair sticking to the sides of his face, water dripping down his bangs. In these seven years, you notice time has only made him more handsome, if that was even possible. You see his neck and ears begin to turn red, and he drops his lips to your neck.  Your breath hitches as he begins to suckle the sensitive part where your neck meets your shoulder, and he languidly kisses up to his destination. You feel his breath puff against the shell of your ear, and he takes an earlobe into his mouth when you shudder.

“I’m home.” you whisper. 

“I’m home.” He repeats back to you, and it’s like you never left.

Seven tears into the sea,

And in seven years you came back to me.

To ease the longing in my heart,

Now we will never be apart.

©minstrophywife

[thechildoflightning]

JKSF Jobs

I got asked awhile ago by the lovely @mewithanie if I could write about everyone’s jobs in jksf if it sparked my interest. It did spark my interest, but I couldn’t figure out how to make it into a one-shot or story, so take a tumblr post bullet-style explanation instead!

Read on to find out all about the jobs Patton, Roman, Logan, and Virgil hold in just keep stumbling forward (baby im waiting for you)

tw: suicide (oc), PTSD and trauma (mentioned only), mentions of drugs, alcohol, and school shootings.

Patton

Runs a non-profit

Non-Profit pairs up with schools

Non-Profit is an art therapy center focused on increasing connection within teenagers and allowing them an appropriate outlet for emotional turmoil

Patton’s group generally gets placed on ‘high-risk’ campuses or campuses that have incidents happen at them

‘High-risk’ in this case is defined by higher than normal suicide rates, low attendance rates, high-levels of illegal activity (generally drug and alcohol use), high rate of poor mental health, more than average amounts of cheating, etc

Instances involve things like excessive inappropriate school-wide behavior (ie. all the kids getting drunk and disorderly at a school event) as well as shocking incidents (student death from suicide, overdose, drunk driving, or things such as school shootings)

Some kids come by choice, others are referred through a suspension exchange program

Pretty much, a kid gets suspended but can choose to go to the group’s meetings instead of facing suspension

Kids get referred for suspensions that deal with violence, drug use, alcohol use, excessive absences, and so forth

The idea behind it is that suspended the kid will only negatively impact the kids record and give no reason to change behavior, while the group can help get to the root of the issue and work towards solving/improving that instead

Other kids go by choice bc they’re looking for extra support, a healthy outlet, advice, etc

They have weekly after school meetings (per each district, with one focal school in each one. The program is currently seven districts wide)

They also have lunch drop-ins were you can come make art, chill, get a snack, pet a therapy dog, and other stuff

One of Patton’s first schools was the same school Virgil works at

Patton generally leads the entire non-profit and has delegates to deal with the different districts

He handles the school/district that Virgil is at, though he attempts to go to as many things at the other districts as he can

Does a lot of outside work promoting the program to school and school boards, but is starting to delegate a lot of that work to others so he can focus on the kids instead of the bureaucratic shit

Has had to cut back on individual involvement and delegate more as the work and stress from running an entire non-profit has taken a large toll on his health related to chronic illness

He is Not Happy about this fact, but it’s for his health and he needs it. His spouses help support in any ways that they can.

Roman

Theater Boi

He is a director for a local theater company that is actually not half-bad

Enjoys the heck out of it

Went into college planning to become an actor

And boy does he love acting and the truth is? He was good enough. He could have become an actor. 

But somehow he finds it even more magical running everything behind the acting (and so so much more work, god he never realized how much Work This Was)

So he joins a theater company and he slowly works his way up

At first he comes in as assistant choreographer 

He’s young and they don’t think much of it, but the show genuinely improves by his individual suggestions and work and wait, who the fuck is this kid and how do we hang onto him?

He makes his way up quite quickly, sliding his way into assistant directly and then co-director and then suddenly the director’s leaving and now he’s the director

It happens fast and it’s very very exciting but he’s also honestly a little overwhelming and he’s never been good at managing large tasks without procrastinating bc executive dysfunction (see this post and this one about Roman and ADHD)

And now he is The Director and an entire production is depending on him. Everything. All of it. And it was what he was looking for but it’s a lot.

The first time he’s on his own, it goes okay

It’s by far not the best the company has done, but it’s also not the worst and the company is pretty supportive of his jump to director and the people who have been there longer help him learn to delegate tasks

And so he tries again, and he does better, and he just continues to get better from there

There’s just one hiccup: the scenographer

Basically the scenographer Does Not Like Roman and it creates Conflict

(In my head I sorta imagine the boss character Joan played when they were playing Thomas as Roman as Joan as the boss character in that one part of “Can LYING Be Good?”)

Luckily, Deceit later takes that position, and him and Roman work way better together and pull off some pretty bomb ass productions

Roman has been asked to join other companies before- specifically travelling companies and work on Specific Productions- which is very cool and very exciting but he decides he’d rather do what he’s doing now bc 

a) he enjoys the rhythm of his work. b) larger productions are more stress. c) he doesn’t want to be gone from his spouses. And d) he gets a lot of positivity and meaning out of what he does now and doesn’t see a reason to change that

Every summer he also runs the local chapter of Shakespeare in the park. 

He does act in these as well bc it’s completely volunteer based. Deceit also acts in these with him and these two theater dorks have way to much fun together

They may or may not of kidnapped Trixie for one of the productions (with Virgil’s consent of course)

Logan

Logan works for a company that considers themselves as a “research and problem-solving team for the improvement of marine environments”

Basically, Logan researches issues that negatively impact marine life and helps come up solutions to improve or solve these issues

Most of what he does is cycle through data that other researchers collect and figure out what that data means and how it connects

He looks at a lot of abstract numbers and pulls them together to state exactly what the numbers are reporting 

From there he brings that research to a board that forms a hypothesis and then comes up with potential solutions

These solutions are often considered very progressive and liberal and as such cause a lot of debate

Solutions range from legal changes (laws reducing companies waste, laws to prevent oil spills, protection laws around certain species/habitats, etc) to inventions (boats that clean the ocean, replication of habits to help support species that can’t live outside of a certain ecosystem, etc)

The company Logan works for has had numerous very successful projects and many of these projects were successful bc of Logan’s involvement

Logan’s spouses are very very proud of this fact

Logan is modest af and brushed it off

Logan’s had quite a few articles published in scientific journals and his findings/theories/work have also made it to national news in the past

Logan himself has actually been asked to present some of his stuff on the news multiple times. He refuses each time and someone else goes in his place.

Does this mean that person gets a lot of credit that should be assigned to Logan? Yes. Does that person feel bad? They do and try to give credit to Logan. Does Logan care? No, no he does not. 

Logan could care less about credit, he just cares about marine ecosystems and That’s Literally It

Seriously, people ask him things like “does he understand the ‘political implications’ of his job” or “Are you okay with your team constantly stealing your work” and he’s just like “Fish are cool. Leave me the fuck alone.”

Logan has also done more hands-on experience which has included cool adventures that included scuba diving trips to study coral reef damage, spending days in heavy wetlands, and swimming with sharks

His spouses think that this is the coolest thing and Logan agrees a 1000%

He usually works on research because that’s Where He’s Comfortable, but the occasional planned (it has to be planned) research trip is always exciting

Logan also has so much passion for his job. So much passion. It’s sort of an agreed upon deal in the house that when Logan comes home he will generally Need To Infodump because his job is The Coolest

Because of this, a time period between him getting off work and them eating dinner is designated Logan Infodumping Time

Generally this happens while they cook (because as mentioned a few times, Logan is the best cook)

Even if his spouse aren’t helping w/ dinner, they usually try to stick around and listen because a) Logan is Cute when talking about things he enjoys. b) he talks about interesting stuff. c) even if they don’t find it interesting, Logan’s enthusiasm is infectious and they just Have To Listen

Virgil

Virgil is a high school English teacher

He generally teaches sophomore regular English and junior AP English

Classes can shift slightly depending on the year

Virgil was at first a very distant teacher and didn’t connect with his students

Like his students thought he was a fine teacher bc he wasn’t too strict and didn’t assign a bunch of hw, but no one really liked him either

About his fourth year teaching, a kid at Virgil’s school got suicide baited and ended up taking their own life

It was a Big Deal (and is also how Patton found his way to Virgil’s campus)

After the event, there were lots of discussions and groups at the school, and each teacher talked to their classes

Virgil’s discussion was,, impactful to say the least

He talked to the students frankly about the issue and opened discussion to the topic while making sure to keep it respectful and calling students out on shit while at the same time helping support everyone who was struggling

He ended it with a small speech about self-worth, what it meant, and the struggle to achieve it, especially when everyone around you is pulling you down

It spreads like wildfire throughout the school and suddenly Virgil is a very well-liked teacher because He Gets It, y’know

(to clarify- his student’s do not know about his suicide attempts or personally history regarding his PTSD and experiences, that said, they all know there’s something different about this teacher. Something that makes him understand in a way others don’t)

He also has just this snark that students fall in love with

(One of his class’ learning targets for an entire week was just “We’re going to stick it to The Man. How you ask? Well we’ll find out!”

There was also a situation one year when one of Logan’s articles turned up in a multiple choice quiz and No One, including Virgil knew the answers (Virgil did have the answer key but it Did Not Make Sense)

He had to actually call Logan to figure it out

Turns out, most of them was the quiz maker’s mistake because he was asking questions about “author’s tone” and “author’s purpose” and Logan’s just like,, I didn’t meant to have any tone? I don’t understand tone? My purpose was I like fish? Why are they saying it’s to educate the average person??

(pretty much they analyze Logan’s article from a neurotypical standpoint, which Logan Is Not, so it doesn’t work. Virgil scraps the quiz.)

[peterparkercuddles]

Brothers in Training : Second Half

Since Tumblr loves ruining my format and not letting me post everything at once, my previous one shot had to be divided into two parts! So here we are

“I didn’t mean to ruin our sleepover.” Clint chuckled. “It’s alright, kid; you didn’t ruin anything. I just want you to get a good nights sleep.”

Peter nodded with another sniffle, and the elevator dinged as the doors opened on Tony’s floor.

Walking into the penthouse, Clint wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulder, guiding him into the living room where they could hear a movie playing. Once they’d reached the doorway, they saw Tony with his head turned around, obviously waiting on whoever’d come in. “Hey, guys, what happened?” Tony asked, getting up off the couch and walking over to the pair, Peter’s breath hitching as he finally saw Tony.

“Kid got a little anxious,” Clint answered just as Tony engulfed the boy into a hug. “Just needed his dad.”

Tony frowned. “Alright, well thanks for bringing him back, and looking after him today.”

“Any time.”

Once Clint was gone, Tony had pulled Peter to sit on his lap on the couch. In his angst, Peter had nearly forgotten Harley was even there. So when he caught the boys eye after he’d been pulled into Tony’s lap, legs thrown over the mans, face buried in his chest, he didn’t even flinch. Instead, he just turned his head away, content to rest his eyes and sleep.

If only it were that easy every day.

+

Three days later, after endless torture from Harley, things finally came to a head. Peter had been extra emotional that day, all of Harley’s glares and insults hurting more than they usually did. He’d only have to endure it for four more days, but it was getting harder and harder.

As the day went on, it became harder and harder to keep his emotions in check, scurrying off to the bathroom more than once to relieve some of the pressure behind his eyes and shed a few tears. That’s why, around ten o’clock, Peter had hurried off to bed, leaving a confused Tony in his wake.

“Kid, you know you don’t have to go to bed; it’s summer,” he’d said, and Peter had only nodded along, supplying a short, “I’m just tired tonight.”

The man had frowned, but still invited Peter in for his usual goodnight hug, holding the boy a little longer that night. He’d noticed the teariness throughout the day, but chose not to say anything, just chalking it up to missing May.

Oh, how wrong he was. Peter was off to his room and under the covers as soon as Tony had told him goodnight, not even sparing a glance at Harley on his way out. He didn’t need the boy ruining his bedtime either. After that, things were relatively calm for the next couple hours. Tony and Harley stayed up watching movies, the two of them adding commentary every so often. The two were on their third movie of the night when F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted, her Irish voice ringing through the room.

“Mister Stark, I would like to inform you that one of your protocols for Mister Parker has been activated. However, I am not sure you would like me to disclose the information in front of Mister Keener. Shall I send the information to your cell phone?”

Sometimes Tony swore that F.R.I.D.A.Y. cared as much about Peter as he did, the AI seeming almost parental when it came to the boy, as parental as the computer could be. “Uh, yeah, sure F.R.I.D.A.Y. . Send it over.”

As soon as he said that, his phone vibrated with a message from the AI, letting him know that the protocol he’d put in place for Peter’s occasional bedwetting had been activated. The boy didn’t experience it often, but accidents weren’t so uncommon, and Tony felt he needed a plan for when it did happen. So, he got up out of seat, shooting Harley a quick, “Be right back,” before beginning to walk towards the hallway. What he was not expecting was for Harley to quip back with an almost angry, “Seriously?” He turned around at that, the kids face softening up a little as he saw the look on Tony’s face. “I need to go check on him. I’ll be back in no more than half an hour. You can finish the movie if you want.” With that, he turned around and made his way towards his kids room, opening the door to peek inside at the still sleeping boy.

Good, Tony thought. At least it wasn’t a bad nightmare.With that in mind, he walked quietly over to the bed and squatted down to be level with Peter, placing a gentle hand on his back. “Hey, kiddo, wake up for me,” the man whispered, his hand making circles in the boys back. “We gotta get cleaned up.”

It didn’t take long for Peter to stir, the boy opening his eyes with a look of confusion on his face, before shifting and realizing what was wrong. Immediately, his facial expression changed to one of embarrassment, cheeks heating up so red Tony could see them even in the dark. “It’s fine, kiddo, we just gotta get cleaned up. Up and at em,” Tony murmured, watching as the boy grimaced as he stood from the bed. “There we go. It’s okay.”

Once the boy was out of the sticky bed, Tony put a hand on his lower back and led him towards the connected bathroom. As Peter worried his lower lip, Tony told him, “Don’t worry about it kiddo, you know I’m not mad.”

Starting the bath, Tony kept his back turned as the boy undressed behind him. He waited for the water to get warm enough before he put the stopper in, Peter climbing in not long after. He drew his knees up to his chest and tried to wipe his tears away, but Tony could still see them flowing. “Kiddo, don’t cry. You know I’m not upset; it’s no big deal,” Tony tried to console, but the kid only continued to cry, a hiccup escaping his lips.

“P-lease don’t tell H-Harley,” he hiccuped, and Tony’s eyes shone with confusion.

“I wouldn’t tell Harley, kiddo, this is your business. But Harley wouldn’t care; he wouldn’t make fun of you.” That only upset Peter further, a sob tearing out of him before he could stop it. “Y-Yes he would!”

“Pete, I don’t understand. What are you so upset for?”

He didn’t answer.

“Did I do something?”

Peter shook his head.

“Did Harley?”

Peter nodded. Finally, after all this time, he was admitting the truth. Tony didn’t respond for a moment, just staring as Peter cried, making him feel even more self conscious than he already did. He was a snitch now; he’d hurt Tony. “Kiddo, what’s he been doing?”

Yet again, Peter shook his head. Maybe if he didn’t tell Tony, it would all go away. He would forget Peter even said anything and could spend his last few days with Harley in ignorant bliss. But Tony was nothing without his ability to coax information, especially out of Peter. So for the next fifteen minutes, Peter finally told Tony the truth, about everything. From Harley’s glares and insults to his shoves and threats, Peter didn’t hold back, and the look on Tony’s face at the end of it made him want to cry all over again.

“I’m sorry,” he sniffled.

“No, Peter, I’m sorry. I should have watched you guys more; I never even realized something was up,” Tony replied, now helping the boy get dressed in some new pajamas.

“It’s not your fault,” Peter murmured, and leaned into Tony for a hug. As Tony hugged Peter back, he took comfort in his smell. It was almost as if he’d never outgrown his baby smell, still sweet and so, so young. Planting a kiss on the top of his head, Tony told him, “Don’t worry, kiddo, I’ll fix this.”

Peter only hummed.

So after checking in on Harley, who’d fallen asleep on the couch, Tony led Peter back to his suite where he helped the boy settle into what he always called ‘the big bed.’ Tucking the covers around him, Tony planted another kiss to the boys forehead. He couldn’t help it. “I love you, kiddo.”

“I love you too.”

+

The next morning, as soon as F.R.I.D.A.Y. alerted Tony that Harley had woken up, he told the AI to send the boy an alert that they were going out. Once Harley had told him he was ready, Tony got them into a car and onto the streets, headed to one of his favorite cafes. Peter had been taken down to hang out with Steve and Natasha while Tony was out confronting Harley, and Tony hoped the boy was going to have a better day than he was going to. The drive was quiet and tense on Tony’s part, and by the time they’d arrived at the cafe, he was sure Harley sensed the tension as well. They ordered when they sat down, and once they got their coffee, Tony set in on his original mission.

“So,” he began. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“What is it?” Harley asked, and Tony took a sip of coffee to calm down before answering. It wasn’t whiskey, but it would do.

“Peter told me,” he paused. “Everything.”

“W-What do you mean?” Harley visibly paled. For such a smart kid, he was a terrible actor.

“I think you know what I mean, Harley.” Once that was out there, Tony really laid in.

“Kid, I know you and Peter are different, and I know things aren’t always easy for you. I know that you’re like me in the way we like to hide our emotions. You know, we like to act all tough and hard, man up, or whatever. But Peter’s not like that; he’s sensitive and he’s one of the best damn people I’ve ever met, even after everything he’s been through,” Tony took a sip of his coffee and sighed.

“It’s not my place to tell you his life story, so I won’t, but trust me when I say that kids been through more than a lot of people I know. He’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, and to see him in tears over everything you’ve put him through the last week really got under my skin. I brought you here thinking you’d be like a brother to him, and instead you made him afraid to be in his own home.” Tony waited for the words to sink in.

“I’m sorry,” Harley finally said, quietly.

“Yeah? Well sorry doesn’t cut it.” Harley flinched. Tony closed his eyes and held his hands in fists, trying to keep his frustration inside.

“You don’t owe me an apology. You owe Peter one. What you do owe me, though, is an explanation. I would really like to know why you did all this.”

“I-I guess I was jealous,” the boy admitted. “It was weird coming here and seeing you with him; I-I didn’t want to hurt him. I just wanted your attention.”

Again, Tony sighed. “You had my attention. I wouldn’t have invited you here if you didn’t. But Peter has my attention too; he always will. I wanted you two to get along, to be like brothers, so that you both had another friend and so that you could co exist under my roof. I had so many plans and this was not one of them.”

“I’m sorry.”

Tony scrubbed his face with his hands. “Tell that to Peter. He’s the most forgiving person I know, so you’ve still got a real shot at being his friend here. But the minute I hear you’ve so much as looked at him the wrong way, it’s straight home. You got me?”

“Yes, sir,” Harley sniffled, and Tony knew he’d gotten through to the boy.

“Alright then, let’s go home and talk to Peter.”

Harley nodded, the two leaving the cafe and heading back to the tower to hopefully spark a brotherhood.

+

Upon returning home, Tony retrieved Peter and sat in on the apology session. As Harley explained his side of the story, Peter listened along and eventually reassured him that all was forgiven. Of course, everything wasn’t perfect at first, but Tony took it upon himself to extend Harley’s trip by another week, giving the boy more time to redeem himself, and he did.

As the two weeks blew by, he could see the relationship developing between the boys, the brotherhood forming. It had started small, chatting that eventually turned to banter, movie nights which turned into pillow wars with Tony, and eventually, “sleepover” between the two, which was really just camping out on each other’s bedroom floors. It was as if nothing had ever happened. When it was time for Harley to go home, Peter and Tony saw him off, the two boys exchanging a long hug before the older one left to meet his flight. As soon as he was gone, Peter’s phone had lit up with a Snapchat from him, a silly face with an even sillier filter on. Peter had sent one back, and the relationship went on from there. The two were constantly chatting online, be it through social media or FaceTime, and planning their next visits. Harley had visited for Peter’s birthday, and again at Christmas, Peter and Tony in turn making their way to Rose Hill for New Years. Tony observed with love as the two grew to be best friends, and eventually, brothers. Peter needed all the support he could get, and Tony was immensely grateful he got it from his other son.

Things weren’t always great, but with a family like theirs, anything was possible.

[klaineanummel]

unexpected 18/24

Blaine Anderson was just about the last thing Professor Kurt Hummel expected out of a TA.

Sorry once again for the wait!! This chapter is a bit longer, though, so hopefully that makes up for it? Thank you to everyone for your kind comments <3 I hope you continue to enjoy this fic. We're getting into the final quarter!

A small note -- tumblr has made it so that now when posts include links they won’t appear in the tags. I’m a little conflicted between my desire to always have things be uniform (and easier to navigate) and my desire for people to actually be able to see these updates. For now, I’m not going to include links to AO3 or the previous chapter, but just know that this fic is definitely on AO3 (link in my sidebar) and from now on i will be tagging all the updates (and going back and tagging past updates) with “unexpected” so that you can go into the tag and find all the chapters for this fic. Let me know if you have any ideas about how to deal with this new situation, though, because let me tell you, I’m very frustrated and this is about as good a solution as I can think of (and it’s not super good haha)

All that aside, I hope you enjoy this update anyway :)

Dates three, four, and five are far less heavy than dates one and two had been. There’s no talk of their situation at the university. No talk of exes. No talk of awkward situations with children. Just two people connecting over good food and deepening their mutual attraction.

Date three finds them in Blaine’s apartment watching Moulin Rouge! and spawns an hours long discussion of their favorite musicals of all time. They have so much in common that Kurt can hardly believe it.

The only awkward hiccup is when Blaine admits to seeing a show that Kurt missed seeing because he was, well, five years old when the run ended. Kurt is quick to assure Blaine that all he feels at that knowledge is jealous that Blaine got to see it live in his teenage years, and Blaine seems to relax a little.

Kurt makes a note to work harder at showing Blaine just how little he cares about their age difference.

Date four is in Kurt’s apartment and involves a rather competitive round of Crazy Eights. They keep demanding re-matches until late into the night, and Kurt almost doesn’t let Blaine go when he chooses to leave exactly when he’s ahead.

Of course, as he tries to get him to stay for just one more round (once he evens things out he knows he can get Blaine to stay for another, which will allow him to scoop the lead), Blaine distracts him with kisses and touches, and then Kurt almost doesn’t let him leave for a totally different reason.

Date five they’re back at Kurt’s apartment, this time for another movie and pizza. Blaine has brought some horror movie that his son has been raving about on Facebook. Kurt admits that he usually doesn’t do horror, but that he’s in as long as Blaine offers his (very sturdy and broad) shoulder for Kurt to cuddle when he gets scared.

It turns out to be not so bad, though at one point a jump scare causes Kurt to dump their bowl of popcorn all over his couch. Blaine helps him clean it up later, laughing all the while. Kurt would be annoyed if Blaine wasn’t so damn cute when he laughs.

When he’s ready to go, Blaine hovers at the door. “So,” he says, and even though it’s not followed by a ‘hey’, Kurt immediately assumes that something serious will follow. “This was date five.”

“And it was great,” Kurt says, grinning up at him.

“It was,” Blaine leans down and presses a soft kiss to Kurt’s lips. “I’m… I’m having an amazing time with you, Kurt.”

“Me, too,” Kurt says. He leans closer into Blaine, though doesn’t reconnect their lips.

“I, uh.” Blaine turns away from Kurt briefly, clearing his throat a little. “I got a text from Sebastian today.”

Kurt bites down on his bottom lip, falling back on the balls of his feet and moving a little away from Blaine through the action. “Oh?”

“He asked if we’d be free next Friday. So that you guys can meet.”

This is something Kurt has been trying to be okay with. He keeps telling himself that clearly him meeting Sebastian is something that’s important to Blaine. He knows that his desire to refuse is purely selfish and, also, a little rooted in jealousy. Which is gross, and an emotion Kurt has tried to weed out of his life as much as possible.

Still, despite trying to feel okay about it and wanting to eliminate any jealousy regarding Blaine’s past relationship, he can’t help but hesitate.

Blaine, clearly sensing it, says, “It doesn’t have to be next Friday. It can be—”

“Blaine,” Kurt stops him, putting a hand on Blaine’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m just… trying to wrap my mind around the fact that our sixth date will be dinner with your ex-husband.” He tilts his head a little, wincing as he says, “It’s not something I’ve ever really done.”

“Had dinner with a boyfriend’s ex?”

Kurt smiles a little at that. “Yeah,” he says. “I mean, usually the guys I date don’t want anything to do with their exes. I know I don’t want anything to do with mine.”

Blaine’s face falls a little. He reaches up to grab the hand that Kurt placed on his shoulder, interlacing their fingers.

“I know it’s unusual,” Blaine says. “But Sebastian and I still have a really strong friendship. Can you…” he trails off, looking down at their hands, then glances back up, eyes cautious. “Is there any way you could just see it as you meeting a close friend of mine, not my ex-husband?”

Kurt sighs, but leans forward and kisses Blaine gently. “I can try,” he says. “But I… I don’t know if I’ll fully be able to separate that. Because yes, I’m meeting a close friend, but that close friend is still your ex-husband.” And how you two are still close friends is beyond me. I can’t even stand the thought of most of the men I’ve dated.

“I know,” Blaine replies. “Look, if this is too much…”

Kurt squeezes his fingers. “Honestly? It is,” he says. “But,” he continues before Blaine can say anything, “I also know how much this means to you. So, yes Blaine, I am free next Friday to meet Sebastian.”

Blaine smiles up at him in that way that makes Kurt feel weak at the knees. “Really?”

“Yes, Blaine, really.” When Blaine hops a little on his feet, Kurt teases, “You better give me a good teacher evaluation for this.”

Blaine chuckles, shaking his head. “Oh, yes, the best! Professor Hummel went above and beyond in making my TA experience memorable. Not only was he willing to meet my ex-husband and comfort me on the anniversary of my father’s death, but he also made out with my face.”

Kurt laughs, throwing his head back at that. “Stop it,” he says, shaking his head.

Blaine laughs a little, too, then pulls Kurt close and whispers, “Seriously, Kurt. This means a lot to me.”

Kurt smiles down at him and tells himself to remember this feeling of happiness at making Blaine so happy for when he’s meeting Sebastian. “I know,” he replies, pulling Blaine in for a long kiss.

Friday comes sooner than expected. They’ve decided to meet at a restaurant closer to Sebastian’s apartment, since it’s the farthest from campus. Not that it would be that unusual for a professor to be getting dinner with a TA and their family (Kurt actually met Mercedes’s parents last year, and the four of them had dinner together as well), but Kurt still worries.

Blaine and Kurt travel to the restaurant together, keeping a safe distance all the while. It practically hurts not to be able to reach down and hold Blaine’s hand, not to cuddle up to him on the subway. New York is huge, and Kurt knows there’s a small chance they’ll bump into somebody from the university, but you never know. He’d rather be safe than sorry.

Sebastian is waiting for them at the restaurant, looking just as handsome and intimidating as the last time Kurt saw him. Except this time, he can also see that he’s tall, and in incredible shape for his age.

Jealousy creeps up his spine, but Kurt shoves it away. He tells himself Blaine and Sebastian are divorced. Sebastian is dating another man over and over again as they walk up to Sebastian, who gives them a kind smile.

“Hey, Blaine,” he says, patting Blaine lightly on the shoulder. He turns to Kurt and holds out a hand. “And Kurt, wonderful to meet you again.”

Kurt takes his hand and shakes it as firmly as he can without appearing too aggressive. “Likewise. It’s nice to officially meet you.”

“Should we go in?” Blaine asks, and all three men make their way into the restaurant.

“I’m sorry Marco couldn’t make it,” Sebastian says as they’re shown to their seats. “He’s very interested in meeting you, Kurt, but he just couldn’t get away from this work commitment.”

“It’s okay,” Kurt says, trying not to show just how okay it is through his voice. Meeting Sebastian is intimidating enough; having to sit through a dinner with not only his boyfriend’s ex-husband, but also said ex-husband’s new boyfriend as well? That might have been a little too much for him. “I’m sure we’ll meet eventually.”

“If you plan on sticking around this one any longer, you definitely will,” Sebastian says.

Kurt eyes him suspiciously, then grabs Blaine’s hand and says, “Well, that’s the current plan, so a meeting is in our future.”

Sebastian smiles, though there’s something behind it that Kurt can’t quite place.

Once they’re seated and the waiter brings their menus, things begin to feel a little more comfortable. Blaine leads the conversation, and Kurt is more than happy to follow him in this.

Sebastian is a pleasant conversationalist. He asks questions about Kurt’s life, but not in an overtly interrogatory way. In fact, he often will tell stories of his own when Kurt answers his questions, instead of ignoring Kurt’s answer and simply forging ahead with the next question. He seems genuinely interested in getting to know Kurt, which for some reason surprises him.

There are two topics of conversation, though, that are conspicuously avoided: Blaine and Sebastian’s past marriage, and Kurt’s job.

It feels odd. Blaine and Sebastian don’t have the kind of relationship that Kurt would associate with divorce. They finish some of each other’s stories, and have inside jokes that they can barely explain to Kurt without dissolving into fits of laughter. The longer he’s at the table, the more Kurt understands why Blaine asked him to see meeting Sebastian as just meeting his close friend, not his ex-husband.

Because, really, that’s what this feels like. It feels like he’s meeting Blaine’s childhood best friend, not the man he was married to for almost thirty years.

The thing is, though, they were married. For three-quarter’s of Kurt’s life, in fact. Even though it really just feels like Kurt is getting to know his new boyfriend’s friend, he still can’t force the thought out of his mind.

Which means the jealousy? Is not gone, even though Kurt desperately wants it to be.

Even when Blaine’s stories revolve around him. Blaine���s told Sebastian about what an amazing cook Kurt is, how wonderfully he’s decorated his apartment, and how much he’s loved the few times they’ve goofed off singing together. As much as Kurt knows these stories should make him happy, all they really do is remind Kurt that his relationship with Blaine is less than a month old.

It doesn’t even hold a candle to Blaine’s relationship with Sebastian.

As they finish up their food, Blaine and Sebastian start to get caught up in a story from when they were in college. Kurt, needing some air (hopefully enough to rid himself of the nasty jealousy crawling up his throat), excuses himself to the bathroom. Blaine gives him the absolute sweetest smile as Kurt walks away, and Kurt tells himself to focus on that.

He does end up going to the bathroom, able to rationalize his situation a lot better now that he isn’t actually in the midst of it.

Despite their close friendship and their long romantic past, Blaine and Sebastian got divorced. Blaine hasn’t told him much about it, but Kurt knows enough about relationships to know that people don’t just get divorced willy-nilly. And he knows enough about Blaine to know that he would never divorce someone willy-nilly.

So, Blaine and Sebastian are divorced, and Kurt is sure they have a good reason for staying that way. Sebastian has a boyfriend, and Blaine does, too. Blaine is dating Kurt now, even though it’s crazy, and complicated, and some days Kurt still thinks he’s out of his damn mind for doing this. But, he needs to remind himself, Blaine wants Kurt. He approached Kurt, he kissed him first, he initiated their relationship.

Why would he do that if he was still in love with his ex?

Satisfied and feeling far more relaxed, Kurt heads back to their table.

He stops, though, as he approaches and hears Sebastian and Blaine talking.

About him.

“—really that serious with Kurt?”

That’s Sebastian’s voice, and Kurt’s breath catches in his throat.

“Yes, they are,” comes Blaine’s voice. “You’ve just spent an hour with us as a couple, how can you even say that?”

“Well, Blaine, it’s just…” his voice trails off, and Kurt’s heart jumps in anticipation. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t realize you were that serious about this.”

“Of course I am. I wouldn’t have told you about him if I wasn’t, forget having you meet him.” They’re both silent for a moment, then Blaine asks, “Okay, what? What’s with the face?”

“God, Blaine, I don’t know.” More silence. Then, “You can tell me to fuck off if I’m overstepping, okay?”

“Go on,” Blaine replies, and Kurt feels a chill at the ice in his voice. He doesn’t think he’s ever heard Blaine sound like that.

“It’s just… are you sure this isn’t some… mid-life crisis thing?”

“What?” Kurt’s voice could cut glass.

“Look, I’m not trying to be an asshole, I promise. This just isn’t like you at all, Blaine. Yeah, he seems like a wonderful guy, and I can tell you’re very infatuated with him, but he’s…”

After a beat, Blaine asks, “He’s what, Sebastian?”

“Young, Blaine. He’s fucking young.”

“He’s almost forty,” Blaine says, and it sounds as though he’s speaking through his teeth. “I wouldn’t call that young.”

“Young for you. You’re fifty, Blaine, and he isn’t even forty. What are you doing?”

“What do you mean what am I doing? I’m going out with a guy I really like. The first guy I’ve really liked in years. What the hell are you even talking about right now?”

“You just never seemed the type to me, Blaine. You know, you and I, we’re the same age. You always told me you loved that, that we could experience our life together at the same time. Now you’re—”

“Listen,” Blaine says. “That was before. You were my first boyfriend, my first love, so of course I wanted us to go at the same speed. I don’t feel that desire with Kurt.”

“Yeah, but Blaine—”

“And yeah, maybe he’s younger than me, but he’s lived things I never lived, in the same way that I’ve lived things he hasn’t. Our life experiences are different, but they compliment each other as well. This works for us, Sebastian. I like him.”

More silence.

“And,” Sebastian begins, “you’re sure that what you like about him isn’t that he’s a young, hot teacher who also happens to be in a position of authority?”

“Excuse me?” the ice is back.

“Oh, come on, Blaine. Let’s not pretend like I don’t know you like the back of my hand. I know how into authority you are. You fucking loved it when I—”

“Do not go there,” Blaine says. “Get to the point.”

“I’m just saying. You’ve always appreciated someone who is more in control than you, and he just happens to be over a decade younger and hot as sin? You just, you have to see how this looks to me.”

Kurt hears Blaine take in a deep breath. “I’m not attracted to Kurt because he’s the professor I’m TAing for, or because he’s young and hot. I’m attracted to Kurt because he has so much life in him. He loves what he does, and he’s not afraid to show that. He’s amazing with his students, and the way he deconstructs modern music absolutely astounds me. He has one of the kindest hearts I’ve ever seen, and a selfless one, too. And yes, of course I think he’s gorgeous, but that’s not what this is.”

“Okay, I get it. I’m sorry, Blaine, I didn’t mean to offend.”

“Well, you did. And what was it you said? I could tell you to fuck off if you were overstepping? Well, you are. So, fuck off.”

“Jeez, Blaine, I said I was sorry.”

“I know. And logically I also know that you’re only saying this because you’re worried about me. So, this is me saying that you don’t need to be. It’s not your job to protect my heart anymore, Sebastian.”

Kurt’s heart has been beating faster and faster as the conversation has worn on, both out of the insecurities rushing to the surface at Sebastian’s words, and the sweetness of Blaine’s words (despite them being spoken like razors).

He can’t quite take it anymore, so he hurries around the corner. He sees that Sebastian has his mouth open, and his cheeks are bright red. Sebastian shuts his mouth when he sees Kurt, though.

“Hey,” Kurt says, slipping back into the chair next to Blaine.

“Hey,” Blaine replies, bringing his hand down to take Kurt’s. “Are you okay to go soon? I’m suddenly feeling tired.”

Kurt nods quickly, beyond thankful.

“Blaine…” Sebastian trails off, eyeing them both wearily.

“Just let me know how much it was, okay?” Blaine says to Sebastian. “I’ll Venmo you our half.”

“Blaine, come on.”

“Sorry, I just can’t right now,” Blaine says, standing up. “We’ll talk later.”

He then begins walking away, Kurt’s hand firmly in his. He’s walking so fast that Kurt barely has time to politely tell Sebastian what a pleasure it was to meet him.

Though, honestly, he’s not entirely sure if that’s true.

Chapter Nineteen

[gcvalas-blog]

hi babes! i’m syd (or squid, you with the face, you know, whatever, i’m not a picky cephalopod) and i’m hella excited to be here! i’m very new to the whole, structured group rp concept on tumblr thing, so this is all basically a series of new experiences that i’m pumped to have with you all! anywho, if you wanna plot, come slide into my dms, either just in general or to get my discord i’m a paranoid cephalopod so i don’t wanna like, just have that sitting out where just anyone can find it !! without further ado, i give you jack!

[ michael vlamis, cisgender male, he/him, 27 ] FREEDOM by DOROTHY? whenever i hear that song, it reminds me of JACKSON “JACK” GAVALAS. maybe because they’re FREE-SPIRITED but also RECKLESS. they’ve been living at mulberry apartments since OCTOBER of 2018 in APARTMENT 507 and have 1 ROOMMATE**. ( LANDSLIDE, COME OUT AND PLAY) [ syd, they/them, 18+, pst ]

BASICS:

Name: Jackson Bennett Gavalas Nickname(s): Jack, Gavalas Age: 27 Birthday: July 7, 1991

BACKGROUND:

he spent most of his early years an only child, growing up outside of baltimore

his mom was never really in the picture. he doesn't know too much about what went down between her and his dad, but she gave full custody of him to his dad and vanished when he was just a few years old

his dad remarried, and jack found himself with a brand new baby sister (@ftspcncer) he absolutely adores to this day

he wasn't a bad kid, though he could be a little hotheaded, and chasing the next adrenaline rush sometimes had him returning home sporting some new scrape or bruise

he was and is a total nerd, though. he was on the robotics team in high school, and if his family had had the money to send him straight to university, he'd have been a mechanical engineering major

as it stands, he did well enough in school that he got scholarships from the colleges he applied to—they just weren't enough to offset the cost, and he wasn't going to put their family into debt if he could help it

instead, at eighteen, fresh out of high school, he enlisted in the navy—at first a five-year commitment as an engineman, which he then re-upped for another three years—and remained until he felt it was time to do something else with his life, upon which point he moved to baltimore proper

if you asked him why he enlisted, he'd say it was a way to jump-start his life without having to worry so much about the cost of it all, which would be true, but he also did it seeking adventure

he went out of his way to keep in contact with his family, sending emails, letters, postcards, and the occasional trinket from his travels, as well as doing his best to fit in regular skype and phone calls. and if he had more than a few days leave, you bet your butt he was coming home to spend time with his family

he's had some hiccups in adjusting to civilian life, still less than a year out of the navy. he's up at odd hours, sometimes, and the loose structure of day-to-day life (even with him taking community college classes as a full-time student) without specific checklists of duties can get daunting. those especially are the days he'll disappear into the gym or spend all day just driving so he can get out of his own head for a bit

PERSONALITY:

he's a thrill-seeker (always has been) and a fan of just being outside. he was the kind of kid who climbed trees and just kind of laughed it off if he fell out, and shrugged off most injuries. he's also the kind of guy who got his motorcycle license very shortly after his regular driver's license, had worked his ass off saving up for his own bike, and very happily used it as his preferred mode of transportation

he likes having other people around, even if he's not talking to them. jack and quiet spaces don't mix well—he'd rather go to a crowded park or a bar to do work for class than sit in a library

don't get me wrong, though, he's the grumpiest mofo without his coffee, or if he doesn't get at least three or four hours of sleep (or a combination thereof). he's a morning person out of force of habit, not of his own volition, and it's glaringly apparent when his equilibrium is thrown off

he can also get irritable if he's having a particularly bad tinnitus day. he hates having to ask people to repeat themselves, but sometimes he has to, and it puts him in a bad mood

he tries very hard to be an optimist with a positive outlook on life, which is absolutely hilarious when coupled with his foul mouth. he does his best to keep it to a minimum (or, rather, he tries to keep it on the tamer end of things, at least) but sometimes an f-bomb slips out in the middle of a perfectly good sentence in what might be considered 'polite company'

he can be a goof. he loves life and wants to just have fun with it. he is absolutely your best bet if you're trying to find a friend to go on a 2 am trip through the city for ice cream, or if you want to drag someone along to hit up every thrift store in the city (but also like, never play pool against him. he will hustle you, and he might not give you your money back once you realize he's actually really good)

he also has a huge heart. he makes friends easily and tries to make time for anyone who needs him around

that being said though he's kind of a commitmophobe. he draws the line at anything beyond fwb, especially after opening his heart to a guy he thought he really had something with who never called him back (who is one of his connection songs ;3)

on a related note, he has a heavy preference for dating men, though he's equal opportunity when it comes to bedfellows

he's just a huge puppy you guys (a friendly german shepherd puppy who cannot be left unsupervised because he'll get himself into some kind of mischief) 

ADDITIONAL (random) FACTS:

for a smart guy, he can be kinda dumb when it comes to technology, especially social media. he only has facebook down because he joined not too long after he enlisted, because it was the best way of keeping in touch with people coming and going with their deployments and stationings (someone pls teach him what twitter and instagram are)

he's still not quite used to cooking for himself. tv dinners and other microwavable goodies all the way, with the occasional boil-able frozen food thrown in (he'll get there eventually, he just doesn't often remember he has to make food until he's too hungry to go through the work of preparing a meal from scratch)

he has both the best and worst fashion sense. he's perfectly at home in steel-toed boots, snug jeans and a leather jacket, but he's also regularly wearing truly gaudy, loud print button-ups. it's kind of a signature look, at this point

he’s a baseball fan. he played club most of the way through school, and still kept up with the world series while he was deployed

he has days where he desperately misses being at sea. he has a hammock hung by the window in his room for the days he really needs to feel something similar to the sway of a ship on the waves, but other times he has to be down in the harbor, feeling the wind on his face and listening to the sounds of a busy port

he’ll answer to gavalas about as fast as if not faster than he will jack, and will answer to either a hell of a lot faster than he’ll answer to jackson

he picked up an infrequent smoking habit while in the navy. if you ask him, he'll say he's “pretty much” kicked it, especially now that he's out, as he was mostly a social smoker, but if you searched his room, you'd probably manage to find either a few loose cigarettes or part of a pack, which he's usually gotten off of someone else

[howtodrawyourdragon]

TAGGED BY: @hello-em75

last

drink: A nice glass of orange juice!

phone call: Idk? I answered the phone and they hung up after I said 'hello' twice!

text message: My mom. :)

song you listened to: I think that may be a Linkin Park song.

time you cried: Somewhere early August. Was having a bit of a troubling night.

ever

dated someone twice: I have never dated before, so no.

kissed someone and regretted it: I have never kissed before either! Haha!

been cheated on: Well, it's hard to get cheated on if you've never dated before in the first place!

lost someone special: Don't we all lose someone at some point? I have lost contact with a dear friend of mine. I hope to talk to her soon and I wish her well.

been depressed: I had a very difficult year when I was 16, but I'm 22 now. I'm doing a lot better and am in a better place in life now.

gotten drunk and thrown up: Due to certain events in my life, I have decided not to consume any alcohol. Now when it just so happens to be in desserts like tiramisu? That I do not mind! But you can't get drunk on those, so no!

fave color: That has always been red and blue!

in the last year have you

made new friends: I have!!! And they are absolutely awesome!!!

fallen out of love: Like actual love? As in 'fallen out of love with someone'? No, I haven't.

laughed until you cried: Oh, several times. And either I'm playing a video game with my brother and/or mom, having a fun random talk with the Discord Squad or watching a Httyd 3 countdown stream. Those are the moments I can remember.

found out someone was talking about you: Several times in school. And they were never subtle about it. They wanted me to know.

met someone who changed you: I'm looking at you @ Discord Squad! I know I still have a lot to learn, but you guys have helped me find confidence in my skills.

found out who your friends are: I have stated before that I come from the Sonic fandom. Even though I am now in the Httyd fandom, there are still people from that fandom that I talk to. I think that counts.

kissed someone on your facebook friends list: I am a virgin in every way. Kissing included.

how many of your facebook friends do you know irl: Should mention that I don't have facebook.

do you have any pets: Two dogs, two turtles, a cat and two aquariums. One of which is my brother's.

do you want to change your name: I didn't really care much for my name. Now my nickname is 'Mel' and I am kind of glad!

what did you do for your last birthday: Got up, cared for my dog, got on my laptop, got amazing gifts from my Discord Squad, mom made me a pie (it was delicious), had a minor fight with my stepfather, stayed on my laptop for the rest of the evening and that was my day. :'D I feel like I am forgetting something.

what time did you wake up today: Woke up around 9:30am, got up at 10:15am. I keep a close eye on the time, haha.

what were you doing at midnight last night: Waiting for my little brother to finally come downstairs, so someone could keep our good girl company at night since it's no longer healthy for her to go upstairs anymore. She has a bad back, poor girl.

what is something you can’t wait for: Httyd 3, Rescue Riders and for school to be over!

what are you listening to right now: A Youtube video. A Dead by Daylight let's play video. Garuku Bluemoon is playing a giggle Michael and I am living for it.

have you ever talked to a person named tom: Yes, back in elementary school! Had two of them in my class at some point! Met them in kindergarten.

something that gets on your nerves: OmT, so many things I could list! But something I find myself sighing at the most is judgemental people.

most visited website: YouTube, Tumblr, FF.Net, Ao3.

hair color: Idk? Someone once called my hair brown, but mom insists that it's dark blond. And to be fair, that person claimed my hair was brown when it was Winter, which is when my hair is naturally darker than it is in Summer.

long or short hair: Used to have it down to almost my butt. Then I had a haircut because it would make me 'look more like an adult' and now it's a little bit beneath my shoulders. I miss my long ass hair.

what do you like about yourself: Physically or...? Physically It used to be my hair. Otherwise it is my ability to write. And my patience. Makes it a lot easier when you miss the bus and have to wait an hour for the next one.

want any piercings: I have earrings, but other than those I have no need for piercings.

blood type: A positive.

nicknames: Mel!

relationship status: Single. I don't mind being single, but at the same time I want to experience what it's like to be in a relationship! :'D

zodiac: Leo

pronouns: she/her

fave tv shows: Race to the Edge, Trollhunters, Grimm, Bones, B-99, Ghost Adventures, Destination Truth, I feel like I am forgetting some.

tattoos: I have none, not planning on getting one either. But I do like them.

right or left handed: right-handed

ever had surgery: I haven't! And I hope I will never need one!

piercings: Earrings

sport: I don't do any sports. I swim often and I dance every week, but no sports. I have hypermobile joints, so I really can't do a lot of sports.

I have practiced: We have a guitar. We don't know how to play it, but we do have one!

vacation: No, I haven't! But I want to go to Canada and Scotland. Both for the nature.

trainers: I'm not sure what this one is supposed to mean?

more general

eating: Nothing right now.

drinking: Chocolate milk! :D

about to watch: Might either watch another Dead by Daylight video or an episode of RttE.

waiting for: Still waiting for Httyd 3 and RR.

want: Httyd 3, RR and my first novel to write itself and do it professionally.

want to get married: I like the idea of spending the rest of my life together with the love of my life, but weddings are expensive, the uncertainty after a divorce is scary and I don't think I will ever be able to find someone who can put up with me. Being in a relationship with me will most likely mean giving Httyd, Atla/Lok and FmaB a try.

career: Hopefully one in writing and childcare soon.

which is better

hugs or kisses: hugs

lips or eyes: eyes

shorter or taller: Depends. I would like my significant other to be taller than me, but my fave characters can be either. Hiccup Haddock has been both, for example.

older or younger: Idk? I wouldn't mind a few years older or a year younger.

nice arms or stomach: Nice arms

hookup or relationship: A relationship

troublemaker or hesitant: Mostly hesitant.

have you ever

kissed a stranger: Never

drunk hard liquor: I don't drink, so no.

lost glasses: I haven't had any need for glasses. So far.

turned someone down: I have had two people confess to me online. Two girls, actually. But I have never even seen their faces before, you know? Luckily I managed to stay friends with one of them. The other just stopped talking to me at some point.

sex on first date: Haha, no. Never.

broken someone’s heart: I hope not...

had your heart broken: Several times, but not in the context of love.

been arrested: Not yet!

cried when someone died: Yes, I have. For real life people and for animated people.

fallen for a friend: Nope.

do you believe in

yourself: I believe in my writing skills.

miracles: I kind of do. They do sometimes happen.

love at first sight: I do. It's the oldest trope in the book and I love it. I will stan the couple if they actually get to know each other, though.

santa claus: Haha, probably!

kiss on a first date: It will probably depend on the date.

angels: No.

others

best friend’s name: I know their name.

eye color: Blueish/greenish?

fave movie: The Httyd movies, Spider-man: Homecoming, the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, the Jurassic Park/World movies, FmA: Sacred Star of Milos, Ookami Kodomo No Ame To Yuki

fave actors: Jay Baruchel, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr.

TAGGING: @bitter-feat-dragons @eynvie @evilwriter37 @ashleybenlove @luxblackarts @frejaboisen @we-are-not-the-losechesters @dragon-girl-laughing @coneygoil

[astridthevalkyrie]

Axe to the Heart: Chapter 12

Astrid Hofferson/Steve Harrington. “Maybe I hate a lot of things here in Hawkins but I suppose you’re not one of them.”

Chapter 11: Talking and Coping

Our Very Own Babysitters’ Club

Requested by @naadestiel on Tumblr and ChrisFlannery on Fanfiction.Net. I hope you guys like it!

The snow wasn’t all gone yet, but it was getting there. Astrid’s shoes made small prints as she walked to the Wheelers’ door, shivering with her arms around herself.

And the main thing on her mind was that she was definitely not the babysitter type.

She was more responsible and more forward thinking than most people her age, but that just meant that she stopped them from doing stupid things (especially when it came to Snotlout and the twins), not that she was ready for kids to count on her.

Then again, it wasn’t five year olds. She was watching over kids who would be in high school next year. But after meeting Jane, she was still wary. These children had clearly gone through hell and back. Maybe not as bad as Jane, but still. Did she really have the capacity to deal with that?

And...Steve really liked these kids. If they didn’t like her...

Karen Wheeler answered the door and smiled widely. “Hi! You must be Astrid!”

She shook the woman’s hand and nodded, plastering on a pleasant smile as though she wasn’t nervous. “I am. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Wheeler.”

Her hand must have been freezing, because Mrs. Wheeler ushered her inside and closed the door. Astrid walked in and saw the stairs first, and the kitchen to the left.

It was a normal house with normal parents and not so normal kids.

“So, the kids are in the basement. Nancy is upstairs, she’s leaving in a few minutes. My husband should be back in about two hours. I’m going out for some me time.” Astrid laughed politely as Mrs. Wheeler winked. “Help yourself to anything in the fridge, and please ask Mike if you don’t know where something is. I trust them to behave.” She straightened and called out, “Mike! Babysitter’s here!”

“Alright!” came a boy’s voice from the basement. It was definitely a middle schooler. Astrid ran a hand through her hair and smiled encouragingly at Mrs. Wheeler.

“I’m sure we’ll be fine. Thank you, Mrs. Wheeler.” She waved goodbye to the woman, who smiled before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Astrid took a deep breath. Alright. She just had to go downstairs and hang out with them. They already knew she knew about the Upside Down, so they wouldn’t feel like they had to hide something from her. It would be natural. It would be cool.

She was about to go when Nancy came down the stairs, with her jacket on and her hair over her shoulder. She paused when she saw Astrid.

“Oh. Hey.”

“Hey,” she offered awkwardly, “um...I’m here to -”

“Babysit. Yeah. I know, Mom said Steve couldn’t make it.” She came downstairs and the two girls looked at each other before Astrid spoke up.

“You look nice.”

Nancy smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Damn, if it got any more awkward, people would think there was some sexual tension going on. “Thanks.”

There was a honk outside and Nancy straightened. “There’s Ally. Thanks for doing this, I know my mom really appreciates it.”

She turned towards the door and was reaching out for the knob when Astrid blurted, “Hey, Nancy?”

Nancy looked at her, blinking in surprise. “Yeah?”

“I never thanked you for saving my ass a month ago.” Astrid swallowed, taking a deep breath. “So thanks. Um...I’m pretty sure I would have died if not for you and Byers. Tell him I said thanks too. Of course, I’ll say it if I see him, but I mean, you’ll probably see him first. Not that I won’t still say it to him -”

“I’ll tell him,” Nancy cut her off with a laugh, and a smile that reached her eyes. “And thank you, too.”

She frowned slightly, racking her head. She didn’t remember doing anything for Nancy, but the girl had opened the door and left before she could ask.

So, anxiously, Astrid made her way downstairs.

There were five kids. Trying to piece together the information from Hopper and Steve together, she tried to identify them.

By their hair.

The boy with the shortest hair was Lucas, the boy with the curly hair was Dustin, and the redheaded girl was Max. She was fairly sure that Will was the one with the...mushroom haircut, for lack of better words, and Mike had curly-but-not-as-curly-as-Dustin hair.

Max was the one who greeted her first. She was sitting back with her arms crossed as she nodded to their babysiiter.

“Hey. Are you Astrid?”

“That’s me,” she answered, slinging off her bag, “hey, if I mix you guys up, correct me, okay? Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max?” she tried, pointing to all of them.

“You got us all right. Congratulations.” Dustin smiled widely at her, and then looked down at the monopoly board in front of him. “I own that already, Mike. Hey, is it true you hit a demogorgon with an axe?”

Astrid felt a smile grow on her face as she leaned against the wall. “I did. Is it true that you guys name all these monsters after Dungeons and Dragons terminology?”

Max and Will laughed, and the boy said with a smile, “Not me and Max. When these guys named the demogorgon, I wasn’t...there.”

There was a thick silence in the air after that, probably because everyone’s minds had jumped to where Will had actually been. Astrid saw Mike’s brows furrow in concern, and then he frowned.

“So…” Astrid began, trying to break the silence. “Where’s Jane?”

That was the wrong thing to say, apparently.

All the kids looked at Mike, who was now scowling. “Jane isn’t allowed out of her house unless it’s a special occasion. Monopoly isn’t special.”

Astrid opened her mouth to say that she had seen Jane the night she went to the hospital, but then closed it, realizing that Hopper had only brought her out because it was really late at night and he didn’t want her to be alone. And she didn’t want to make the kid upset.

So she sat down and watched them play.

After a few minutes, Lucas turned to her and said, “You wanna join in, Astrid?”

“Oh, no, I’m no good at monopoly.” That was true. That had definitely been Fishlegs’ and Snotlout’s game. She was more of a Sorry! girl, or even Candyland (even if it was entirely based on luck, yadda yadda yadda). Dungeons and Dragons was great too, but that was only because that was what she had grown up with, being friends with the nerdiest people on the planet. Steve had said the kids played it a lot. Was it because of her that they weren’t playing it now?

Another few minutes of just the kids talking, and then Dustin stood up with a bored look. “Guys, this is never gonna end. Let’s just do something else.”

“Like what?” Mike said, giving him a deadpanned look. “Seven up? There’s nothing to do.”

“Let’s talk to Steve’s girlfriend, then,” Max suggested with a shrug, and before Astrid could speak that she was in no world Steve’s girlfriend, Mike snapped back.

“You just wanna talk to her cause she can use an axe!”

“I mean, is that not cool? How many people do you know that know how to use axes?”

“I’m sure there’s plenty of people!”

“You’re just mad that she brought up El -”

And they kept shouting at each other, back and forth. Astrid exchanged a bewildered look with Will, who grimaced and gave her an apologetic look. Dustin started shouting, trying to get them to calm down, and Lucas was pinching the bridge of his nose.

Despite the fact that it was kids arguing - and that she might have a part in it - it reminded her so much of home that she smiled, ducking her head. Hiccup would be nursing a headache while Fishlegs tried to break up a fight between her and Snotlout, with the twins chanted on for them to let go of their words and fight with their fists instead.

“Alright, hey, stop it!” She stood up and clapped a few times until they looked at her. “You guys realize you don’t need to do everything as a group? This is a group gathering, yeah, but even best friends -”

“She is not my best friend,” Mike cut in, crossing his arms.

She went on as though she hadn’t heard him. “Even best friends need some time apart sometimes. So if you’re getting sick of each other, do your own things. I’d love to talk about my axe,” she said to Max with a small smile, “but, to set the record straight, I’m not dating your adopted big brother, guys. We’re just friends.”

She was grateful that they all took seemed to take it to heart. Dustin, Mike, and Lucas went upstairs, while Max and surprisingly, Will, plopped down in front of her, joining her on the floor.

“So, an axe? That’s so cool!”  Max grinned, biting her lip, and Astrid smiled at her.

“Yeah. I got it back when I was living in Berk.” She sat back and leaned against the wall. “We were given weapon training there, we’re really...into Norse mythology and vikings, y’know?” She leaned forward. “One of my friends, he was never good at any fighting when he was younger. But he was really good at making the weapons, even if he couldn’t use them. He made me this.”

Will’s brows furrowed. “If....everyone learned how to fight...and your friend couldn’t...didn’t people make fun of him? Because he was different?”

He was speaking from full personal experience. Poor boy. She wasn’t the babysitting type, but even she was ready to pull Will Byers into a hug if he needed it. “Well, yeah, they did. A lot, actually.” She hummed softly, thinking of the small brunette eagerly telling her about his day before being shoved against the wall by some brute. “But he stuck with what he could do, what he was a natural at, and he got some recognition eventually. Lost a leg on the way...but that’s a story for another time.” She grinned, seeing both kids’ eyes widen in astonishment. “It’s alright, we make...we used to make fun of him a lot over it. Heck, he joked about it too. It was a running joke between all of us.”

Will smiled, sitting back with his hands supporting himself. “So he...he got to be someone, finally.”

Astrid nodded. “Yeah. But don’t think it has to happen. Sometimes it’s okay if you’re not someone. My friend, he became someone by being himself. Be yourself before anything else.” She let out a small laugh. “I know that sounds ridiculously cheesy, but it worked for him.”

And Will reminded her a lot of her Hiccup in his younger, awkward years.

While Max reminded her a lot of herself.

Damn, was she getting old?

“Thanks, Astrid.” Will grinned at her and she grinned back, crossing her arms.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“You’re so cool,” Max breathed, leaning forward, “can you...teach me? How to use the axe?”

“Me too!”

Astrid smirked, resting her head in her hands. She was bonding with them! Well, not all of them, but two fifths of them! That was real progress! She was definitely going to proclaim this proudly to Steve. “If you can teach me to skateboard and you can take over my drawing lessons, sure.”

They both laughed - and she was really thankful that she had asked for the lowdown on them before coming here.

The rest of the time passed, for the most part, uneventfully. They all got together to watch Star Wars - which Astrid had zero interest in, but that was when she took the time to relax, so it was okay - and there was no arguing.

Mike still had yet to warm up to her, but Dustin and Lucas were trying their best (which she was grateful for). And Max and Will had seemed to have accepted her, which made her beyond elated.

By the time Ted Wheeler came back, Astrid was really looking forward to seeing these guys again. Maybe she could get on Mike’s good side by convince Hopper to let him and Jane see each other…

“Thanks again, Astoria,” Mr. Wheeler said, taking out his wallet.

She bit her tongue - that was the third time he’d gotten her name wrong - and then raised a hand. “Steve said he didn’t take any money.”

“Yes, you’re not Steve, though, are you?” he asked, chuckling at his own joke.

He didn’t take no for an answer (he’d probably been put up to it by his wife) so Astrid took the five dollars and left the house after saying goodbye to the kids.

They liked her, for the most part. It was a victory.

It felt significantly less colder, now that she was walking home.

Next chapter: Astrid just wants to focus on what the teacher is saying, but that’s difficult when Steve Harrington is pressing a note into her hand every minute.

Please send in requests!

[anneapocalypse]

random question that you don't really need to reply to but hey i need to vent: do you ever get tired by fandom these days? like, more than you used to? 'cause fandom used to be a much more pleasant space for me, and now it just gives me awful, awful anxiety, generally because of the turn the tumblr "discourse" took

I’m exhausted.

I’ve been in this fandom for five years, and there have been a few times I came close to walking out, but it’s a long time since I gave any serious thought to that. Years. Though my interests can make me feel pretty lonely at times (and, if I’m being honest, I’ve had some pretty intense bouts of that loneliness in the past year), I also feel comfortable here. I feel like I’ve carved out a corner for myself, even if sometimes I’m the only one in it.

I haven’t really thought about just packing up and moving on since probably season 11. And even now, I’m not seriously considering it beyond a few moments of what if I just left?, but I am feeling deeply exhausted, especially with the inexcusable bullying that’s been perpetrated by certain corners of the fandom, but also with other small cumulative things about the general fandom culture that the increasing polarization makes me feel less and less free to even talk about.

I’m nervous to even vent on my own blog about feeling isolated in my fandom interests (not expecting anyone to change, just to get the feeling out) for fear of being seen as contributing to the problems of popular ship backlash, for fear of even of a whiff of appearing to support those who think bullying is acceptable response to similar feelings.

There have definitely been some bright spots lately. Season 15 for all its hiccups has given me some real meat to sink my analytical teeth into and believe me, I couldn’t be happier about that, and I’ve had a lot of fun following this season. There have been a few really sweet comments about my meta made in reblogs and tags and such that I haven’t responded to directly, but know that I’ve seen them, and appreciate them deeply. There are some people who’ve been a true ray of sunshine to me, and some conversations that have helped pull me out of that sense of isolation.

But I am tired, and frankly I’m scared, based largely on bad experiences in another fandom, about where this increasingly polarized fandom culture is heading. Backlash against popular ships may be inevitable, but bullying is inexcusable. You can’t simultaneously claim to be addressing a widespread issue and relentlessly target one individual. The issue becomes a smokescreen, and the disingenuous motives become apparent very quickly. And from there, a genuine good faith discussion becomes near-impossible.

And when discussion becomes impossible, when people are just focused on trying to defend their friends and themselves from attack, the war’s already over and we’ve all lost.

I’ve made my mistakes too, in my time in this fandom–I’m not perfect either and I know I’ve spoken where I shouldn’t have, in ways I shouldn’t have. I’ve given in to biting sarcasm where thoughtful diplomacy might’ve actually accomplished something. I’ve hyperfocused on an issue and lost my sense of proportion. It’s not as though I don’t understand how that happens. I’m passionate. I’m a hothead. These days I’m a hothead fighting my hothead impulses daily, striving for thoughtfulness and clarity and perspective over reactionary snark. I can only do my best, and that’s all any of us can do.

But I won’t deny I’m tired, and I won’t pretend I know what the answer is, or how to try and help to set things right.

[hello-em75]

Tagged by the wonderful @angies-team , @travelerchrisedward , @wilderwestqueen , @nightfurylover1112 , and @crazy4dragons ! Thanks so much guys! These were so fun to do!

Rules:

1. Always post the rules.

2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you.

3. Write 11 questions of your own.

4. Tag 11 people.

My Questions:

1. Best memory from the HTTYD fandom?

2. What are you hoping to see in RTTE S5 & 6 / HTTYD 3?

3. Who in the HTTYD fandom is the reason your heart beats (to quote the famous words of sleep-deprived Snotlout Jorgenson) ?

4. Have you been mistaken for someone else?

5. Any guilty pleasures?

6. Live action or animation?

7. Who do you think you would connect with the least if you were a Dragon Rider?

8. How many times have you binge-watched a TV show?

9. If you were able to choose to return to any point you wanted in your life, where would you go?

10. Have you ever met anyone in real life who’s reminded you of one of the Dragon Riders (I know this girl who has the last name Jorgenson and it’s pretty crazy) ?

11. Favorite snack food?

I tag @chiefhiccstrid , @drchee5e , @dragonlovertr , @fanaticfangirl2602 , @astridthevalkyrie, @fangirling1998 , @fanwriter02 , @lutavero , @spacekeet , @astrxd , and @dragontails89 !

Angie’s Questions:

1. What is your absolute favorite song?

I always jam out to Let Her Go by Passenger but I really love a whole bunch of songs and just happen to be very indecisive in choosing a favorite :)

2. Favorite form of physical activity?

What physical activity  When I’m not being pressured to do it, I enjoy running. Just don’t get any bright ideas and sign me up for any marathons or anything.

3. Favorite 5 fanfics?

Okay, the fact that this was hard for me means I’ve definitely read too many:

1) Chasing Thunderstorms series by @tysonrunningfox . This was the first full-length fanfiction that I read when I joined the fandom a couple years ago and it totally blew me away how real and well-written the characters seemed when she wrote them. I haven’t reread the whole series in full IN AGES but sometimes I reread some of my favorite chapters  and fall in love with it all over again!

2) Young God by @oh--you--pretty--things. If there was a fanfic that forged its own trail, this one would do just that. It’s so incredibly different from any other Hiccstrid or HTTYD fanfics out there in its plot and universe, but still manages to remain true to the characters and their personalities --even if its hidden somewhat under Punkcup’s incredibly hot exterior.

3) The Quest by @funkytoes. I love how unique the story is how characters like Astrid, Hiccup, and Eret are portrayed in such an exciting and new way! Plus, anything where my queen is rocking it as a resident badass always gets good marks in my book. 

4) You’re Everything I Want (and Nothing I Can Keep) by @wilderwestqueen. The story is so fun and engaging to read and I’m SUCH a sucker for friends to couple AUs. Hiccup and Astrid are also both complete cuties in this fanfic so that’s always enjoyable to read.

5) I Knew You Were Trouble by @astridthevalkyrie. I really enjoy how this story humanizes Astrid: she’s not just a fierce and tough as nails badass, but she has a soft spot for kids and cares deeply about her friends. Not to mention that Jerkcup is actually an undercover cutie that I love to pieces.

4. Ice cream or warm, home baked, fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies? >:)

GIVE ME THOSE COOKIES RIGHT NOW.

5. What inspires you to be creative?

My friends and family. If I know my friends and family are behind me, then I’ll have the will and the mindset to unlock my more creative side and actively express myself rather than just give a passive effort.

6. Does music influence how you act while it’s playing?

Definitely. Once Romantic Flight comes on, I’m a hot fangirl mess of emotions.

7. How do you express yourself creatively?

I really like wearing different kinds of clothes to express myself. Something about mixing and matching accessories and clothes to make an outfit I’m proud of gives me a sense of satisfaction.

8. Do you think Jar Jar Binks is a waste of a character? 

I’m not a hard core Star Wars fan so I don’t really have an opinion.

9. What would cheer you up if you’re having a bad day?

Anyone just taking the initiative to even ask and sit down to listen always makes me feel better whenever I’m down. But sometimes I appreciate little gifts too, like when my mom brings me a drink from Starbucks on her way home from work if she knows I’ve been stressed.

10. Where have you traveled that you would love to travel to again? (or) Where would you like to travel to?]

I’d love to travel to Europe and explore all of those cliché tourist spots like Paris and London and Rome and all that, especially since I’ve never been out of the USA before.

11. Who is your Tumblr crush?

There’s actually way too many to count for me to just say them here but I’ll let you know that you’re on the list @angies-team ;)))

Chris’s Questions:

1. Favorite villain in TV series / movie?

Viggo Grimborn (whether dead or alive) will always be remembered as one of my favorites (but also one my most hated) villains because of how different he is from the typical villain mold in the Dragons series. He runs on his intellect rather than his physical strength; a quality to be appreciated whether you’re the protagonist or the antagonist.

2. Have you been abroad before?

I’ve never been outside of the USA, so unfortunately no :(

3. Favorite class at school?

I love studying history! Learning about the past of the world strangely always makes me feel more in touch and connected with what’s happening in the present.

4. What’s your preferred lifestyle?

I don’t like moving around too much, so I’d prefer to live a more sedentary and constant lifestyle rather than always be jumping around from place to place.

5. Are you afraid of anything?

If we’re talking material things, than not really. But if we’re discussing more abstractly, then definitely things like failure and being isolated and not wanted.

6. Describe your Tumblr dashboard in three words?

Informative, fun, and crowded :)

7. What’s your eye color?

Hazel

8. Favorite musician / band?

I’m pretty mercurial as far as music preferences go, but right now I’m hardcore rocking out to Ed Sheeran.

9. When did you get into your biggest fandom?

I think I joined the HTTYD fandom almost three years ago? I look back on some of my posts I made when I first came onto Tumblr and can’t help but cringe.

10. If you could be a new, original character in your favorite TV series / movie, what would you be like, and what would you do?

I’d like to think that I’d be the sarcastic and friendly Dragon Rider that people enjoy spending time with but who knows?

11. Favorite dragon?

The Night Fury is absolutely amazing! But if I wasn’t able to choose the obvious, probably the Triple Stryke or the Deathsong.

Wilderwestqueen’s Questions:

1. What one thing never fails to make you smile?

Listening to music always has a way of making my mood improve, no matter how horrible life can feel sometimes.

2. If you had to make your own Awesome Mix (Guardians of the Galaxy style), what tracks would be on it? 

The entire soundtrack of HTTYD and HTTYD 2, plus probably a bunch of random pop songs that I like (hopefully there’s no song limit).

3. Biggest celebrity crush?

I actually have the biggest girl-crush on America Ferrera. But why wouldn’t I? She’s an activist, a talented actress, and immensely successful. Sounds pretty much like a person that I’d want to get to know.

4. What’s your favorite book and why does it mean a lot to you?

It’s been forever since I’ve actually sat down and read a book just for the sake of enjoyment, but I really enjoy The Book Thief because of how meaningful the story is. It has so much depth to it that not many other books can claim to have.

5. What song makes you want to get up and dance?

Right now, I’m the One by DJ Khaled, Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, and Lil Wayne is my favorite dance jam!

6. If you had to make a superhero team out of any fictional characters, who would you choose?

Astrid Hofferson, because she’s an amazing and intelligent warrior; Black Widow, since she has so much spy training and I can imagine would get along great with Astrid; and Allura, because she’s also an accomplished fighter as well as another strong leader.

7. What fictional world would you choose to live in?

B E R K BECAUSE I APPARENTLY THINK I CAN MAKE IT IN THE CLASSICAL ERA ARCTIC CIRCLE AS A VIKING.

8. Dream job?

Teaching has always been something that I’ve had at the forefront of my mind as far as careers are concerned, but if I was more musically inclined or dramatic I would probably want to be a musician or an actress.

9. If it was your last day on Earth, and you had to pick one last meal, what would you have?

I’d devour all of the Indian food I can. Bring on the samosas.

10. Least favorite movie? Why?

I don’t know what possessed me to see the Peanuts movie, but let’s just say I almost fell asleep three times.

11. What kind of fictional character is your type?

Pretty much anyone that’s anything like Hiccup would be my type. Humble, smart, funny, caring, and fiercely loyal.

Nightfurylover1112′s Questions:

1. What is your hair color?

I have dark brown hair, but it looks pretty black if you’re looking at it from a distance.

2. Who is your favorite animated character?

G E N E R A L  H O F F  ALL THE WAY.

3. iPhone or Android?

iPhone! But my iPhone is staring to show signs of age after about a year and half of having it unfortunately.

4. Have you ever been on a plane?

I have! Can’t say I enjoy the experience though.

5. Where do you want to be right now?

Exactly where I am is pretty nice -- sitting in my living room in a HTTYD blanket typing answers to asks is fun!

6. You have one wish. What would you do?

World peace is where it’s at y’all.

7. Do you have your ears pierced?

Yep! I kind of want to get another piercing in my ears (I only have one right now) but my parents would definitely go against that.

8. Are you tall or short?

I’m short and proud of it, thank you very much.

9. Why do you like your followers?

Because you’re all so friendly and supportive of each other! I’ve found so many great friends in you guys!

10. What do you mostly like to do at home?

Besides sleeping, being able to binge watch Netflix and go on my phone and scroll through Tumblr is pretty fun for me.

11. Do you like dragons?

Nope, I hate those useless reptiles more than words can describe. Such a nuisance LOL.

Crazy4Dragons’s Questions:

1. Favorite movie?

I count the series as one thing for the sake of this question so HTTYD/HTTYD 2!

2. Are you a fan of any sports?

Not too hardcore. I’ll root for home teams (anyone from California) for any sport but I won’t be too broken up if something doesn't go my way and they don't win.

3. Would you rather be stuck in a library or stuck in a movie theater?

I’d probably be okay with either, but more so in a movie theater.

4. If you could marry any fictional character, who would it be?

Hiccup is the only man for me everyone so HANDS OFF (jk).

5. Coffee or tea?

I like both, but I actually need coffee to function normally so COFFEE

6. What’s the furthest you’ve been from home?

Without my parents, the furthest I’ve been from home was when I was in Pennsylvania for my 8th grade trip. Probably would have been more exciting if I had actual friends to talk to that whole week.

7. Do you/did you like school?

Right now, school and I aren’t on speaking terms.

8. Favorite dessert?

I love pies. But not like creamy ones, the ones full of fruit filling that are warm from the oven and have vanilla bean ice cream just oozing down the sides (crap now I’m hungry).

9. Do you have any pets?

Nope, but I have two younger siblings if that counts.

10. Have you ever seen the ocean?

I live in California, so I’ve had my fair share of ocean-viewing lol.

11. What’s your least favorite food?

I’m not that picky when it comes to food, but I can’t bring myself to eat hardboiled eggs; the smell is WAY too strong for me.

[idolizerp]

[ LOADING INFORMATION ON MSG TRAINEE EUNJU…. ]

DETAILS

CURRENT AGE: 20 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 15  SKILL POINTS: 04 VOCAL | 03 DANCE | 03 RAP | 05 PERFORMANCE

INTERVIEW

her trainers poke and prod and evaluate her every other week, with keen eyes and a familiarity with every aspect of her existence that she both fears and admires, and realize that what you see is what you get. it’s not a bad thing.

she learns her greatest gift is her charisma. she’s a beagle: naturally funny and generally easy to like and get along with - infectious. she’s upbeat and relatable, hip to fan culture and aware of what it’s like to be someone cheering in a sea of thousands of others, so they figure she’ll be well-suited for fan service and variety shows, a natural at aegyo and quick-witted to boot amidst her whimsy and coltish inconsistency. making people happy makes her happy and her stubborn temperament makes her eager to succeed - a rascal with a fighting spirit and an unshakable optimism. she’s youthful and approachable, nerdy and boyish but also bashful and feminine; paradoxical in her lack of poise and natural grace. visually, she promises conceptual versatility, but is generally consistent in her brightness during performances.

off-stage, they fear that her weakness is her sincerity, her reactions too authentic and raw, her emotions clear as day in any given situation. she can’t help but be herself and that’s dangerous. she practices, trains herself to be a closed book and only partially succeeds - she’ll do better, she tells herself, knowing all too well the backlash that idols get for breathing the wrong way in the public eye. she’s not quite poised and polite enough, perpetually the fifteen-year-old girl that walked through the doors those years ago. her parents warn her early on not to give too much of herself away.

it’s hard to look at herself critically, the way other people might interpret her; her only fear is coming off the wrong way.

BIOGRAPHY

one. she grows up in downtown buk-gu, gwangju, the first and only child born to a scrappy boy from seoul and a country girl who’d been born and raised in south jeolla. it’s fate, really, that brings them together or - rather, the fall semester at le cordon bleu, sookmyung academy. they fall in love over fine dining and the course of six months that are spent in bliss. they’re are engaged, young and dumb and expecting, before they graduate that same year. it’s fate.

she’s born a month early, just shy of the new year, frail as anything but loud. when the nurse checks her vitals, her dad sleeplessly jokes that she’d been sick of missing out on all the fun. her parents name her eunju and she falls in line as their pride and joy, a happy accident. oh eunju is a healthy baby, despite being premature, and save for a few allergies, her lungs are strong. she screams her way through infancy and comes out on the other side, spoiled rotten and utterly loved.

two. as a child, eunju thinks she’ll become a chef like her parents but they all quickly learn through trial and error that she’s much better with crayons and paper than she is with sharp knives and fire. she creates, with a passion matched only by her restlessness, shaky masterpieces that hang proudly on the entrance walls of her family’s restaurant. her grandma commissions paintings for pocket change and eunju glows, validated. she’s young but she flourishes, already a glutton for praise.

she’s raised on sunny summer afternoons shooting baskets with her older cousins, getting hoisted up on her dad’s shoulders to dunk balls into the ten foot hoop that had once upon a time seemed so impossibly high up while her mother and aunties titter over buckets of kimchi - red paste up to their elbows as they call her back inside to help with dinner; cold winters spent at the ice rink that quickly turn into every-other-week days where she gets lost in the sound of her skates on ice weaving through the candied beats of the stale pop music that plays on the speakers overhead. she sings along, remembers hearing stories about her aunt’s failed attempts at getting picked up by agencies in seoul in her prime. she boasts with little modesty that she’d been too much: too big, too loud, too imperfect to make it in a world like that. she’s proud of it, her failure. eunju thinks she suits nursing better anyway.

still, she watches music shows and buys merch and watches the idols glow and wonders what it’s like, mostly wonders what it’d be like to lock eyes with kim heechul.

three. things have a funny way of working out. it happens at a convention.

aside from being talented chefs, her parents have a passion for fan culture that eunju inherits. for her father, it’s his extensive collection of old foreign funk records, groups like the condors and the spinners that served as the soundtrack to her upbringing alongside the likes of kim nam mi and min hae-kyung; for her mother, it’s an extensive knowledge of male actors in dramas that eunju’s never even heard of. for eunju, it’s idols - and anime. she goes to fan meetings and cries over new hair colors and comebacks and learns the lyrics to ensemble anime openings, cosplays and does covers at school talent shows with little shame.

by now, she’s taken her passion for art and honed it into making fan content for the internet. she posts her tablet drawings and animations on tumblr, twitter and youtube under the pseudonym jubean_17 and gains a modest following for it, basks in the praise of strangers and builds a portfolio. her hard work comes to a head when she gets a table in the artist alley of an upcoming convention. she accepts the opportunity with the mindset that it’d look good on college applications; her eyes are set on seoul national university. (it’s a longshot.)

still, she’s anxious. eunju had made it a point to maintain her anonymity online, save voice acting in some of her original mini-projects, not just to keep her content as the focal point of her social media activities but to shield herself from the negativity that comes with having a public presence regardless of how small and to hopefully avoid the prying judgmental eyes of her schoolmates. she’s a young and insecure fifteen year old - and despite her ambition to make a living doing what she loves, she’s hesitant to put a face to the art. she’s personable but she’s shy and she frets over making conversation with strangers the entire trip.

regardless, the convention happens without any real hiccups. her best friend tags along for moral support and her mom comes along as a chaperone, hesitant to let her teenage daughter take a trip into the big city for the weekend on her own, and she does alright. they decide to celebrate a job well done with beef and it’s on the way to the restaurant that she’s scouted by a company recruiter.

eunju auditions with her friend on a whim when the convention comes to a close, waits in line for hours just to see if they could even make it. they do. it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. things change.

four. she’s sure belting songs in the car with her friends and learning the dances from popular kpop groups doesn’t count as experience and it shows in the way she performs in her early days as a trainee. she’s sloppy and unrefined, a pretty face with pretty eyes and a personality with little else in the way of actual indisputable talent. her nights are spent with tireless rehearsals spent to catch up with her peers, she cries her eyes out but pushes forward determined to prove that she was worth the opportunity despite not working toward it her entire life. years on, she tries to find a balance but art takes a spot on the backburner while she works to become a better, more marketable version of herself, though she tries to maintain her abilities. it’s nice when she finds the time for both.

she wonders if it’s worth it.

the friend she’d come into the company with has long since parted ways, not fit for the critical evaluations, the diets, the deconstruction of old habits. it becomes expensive in more ways than one and eunju has to ask herself why she’s doing it all. life changes, she grows up quickly but hardly at all. it’s worse than she’d thought it’d be, but not impossible. she wonders a lot, but mostly if her stubbornness is the only thing keeping her here or, naively, if it’s fate. she wonders but then she gets her answer when she sings and dances and gets nods of approval when she shows growth, potential to be more than a sub member. her confidence grows with every bound she leaps and she’s learned by now how to make them like her. she’s mostly herself.

better, she loves who she’s becoming.