#ah well. I think I should head to sleep since Ive been so sleepy but I might stay up a bit more and maybe rb some stuff.

[writingwhimsey]

Married to The Enemy- Shingen Ch. 31

Chapter 31

I woke up the next morning to the sound of my alarm on my phone. I let out a groan as I turned it off. I don’t think I had gotten much sleep at all. But now that I had a new day, that meant I could see my love soon.

I climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. I splashed some water on my face to help wake up before heading into the kitchen. I dug through the cabinets, happy to find some coffee. I brewed the coffee and poured myself a cup. Just the smell was already starting to perk me up a bit.

“Oooh, coffee, how I have missed you.” I spoke to my cup before taking a drink, feeling that first sip in my soul. “When we get back to the Sengoku, I’m going to have to talk to Sasuke and see if we can find a way to get the importing process of coffee started earlier.”

I drank my coffee, finishing off the entire pot before finishing getting ready. I didn’t have the choice but to get back into my kimono. I grabbed the purse Sasuke and his professor had prepared for me and pulled out the prepaid bank card. There was a number on the back to call and check the balance.

I called the number and went through the automated prompts. My eyes were practically bulging out of my head when I heard the number. That was WAY too much. There was NO WAY I was spending all of that. I made the plan to just buy a few basic pieces for myself and Shingen. Who knew how long we would be here? Depending on how things went, perhaps I would find a small office job like I once had before. That way I wouldn’t have to rely on this money.

“Alright, time to go shopping.” I told myself once I had finished getting ready. I headed out on the town, hitting a few clothing stores and just buying myself the basics. Simple pieces that could be used to make multiple outfits so long as you mixed and matched. Also with it being summer I did pick up a couple of sundresses. I went ahead and picked up a few things for Shingen as well. Though I didn’t know how long we would have in the modern day…I had to admit I was looking forward to when he got out of the hospital and getting to dress him up in various modern styles.

Once I had finished my shopping I returned to the apartment to put away the clothes and change. I decided to put on one of the sundresses. It was a simple and cute dress with spaghetti straps and came down to just above my knee. White flowers patterned the dress and the skirt was so flowy and breezy.

I couldn’t help but to smile as I thought about Shingen seeing me in modern clothes for the first time. Since we’d arrived he’d only seen the doctors and nurses, so he hadn’t really seen the full array of clothing that was worn now. 

I grabbed my phone and looked up the nearest breakfast places and what they had to offer. “Hmm…donuts should be a good first sweet treat breakfast for Shingen to try.” I muttered to myself.

I left the apartment and headed to the restaurant and ordered the donuts to go. By the time I had finished, it was finally visiting hours at the hospital once again. I couldn’t wait to see Shingen again. I hope he was able to sleep well last night. I thought as I walked the sidewalks to the hospital. I was so happy Sasuke and his professor had been able to set me up in an apartment so close. I’ll have to do something really nice for them.

Once at the hospital, I made my way to the floor Shingen was on and to his room. The door was slightly ajar so I pushed it open further to peak my head in. Shingen was sitting up in his bed looking a bit groggy as a nurse was checking his vitals and making sure his IV was all set.

Shingen’s sleepy eyes turned to me as I came in and a smile spread across his face, making my heart melt. “There’s my angel.” He said.

The nurse looked up. “Ah, you must be Mrs. Takahashi.” She greeted me.

Takahashi…oh right Shingen’s alias here! I thought to myself. I smiled. “Yes, I am the lucky woman.” I replied.

The nurse smiled. “You must be very special. Even in his sleep after I gave him some medicine he wouldn’t stop talking about you.” She said. “I’ll leave you two alone for a bit. You’ll be having more tests done today.”

The nurse then left and I was making my way over to Shingen’s bedside. “How are you feeling?” I asked him.

“Better now that you’re here.” He answered, his arms reaching for me and pulling me into the bed with him before I even had a chance to sit down in the chair.

I giggled. “Careful or you’ll make me squish our breakfast treats.” I said, holding up the box of donuts, though I was happy to be in his arms.

“I thought you were my treat.” Shingen replied, kissing my forehead. “Especially when you’re looking so cute.”

I felt my cheeks heating up, but I couldn’t deny that I was happy right where I was…or how much I enjoyed Shingen’s flirting. “Well this is a bonus then, I guess.” 

“So, what is it?” Shingen asked.

I smiled as I flipped open the box. “They’re called donuts. A deep-fried sweet dough covered in other various and delectable sweets.”

Shingen’s eyes widened as he looked at the donuts…I honestly thought I might see some sparkles in those gray eyes. “They all look so good…”

I had picked up a variety of donuts so that Shingen would have some options to try. “You really can’t go wrong with any of these. However THIS is my personal favorite.” I said, reaching into the box and pulling out a chocolate eclair donut. “This icing on top is chocolate…my absolute favorite sweet and the inside has a delicious sweet filling.”

“I don’t want to take it if it’s your favorite.” Shingen replied.

“That is why I got two of every flavor in this box.” I informed him with a proud smile.

Shingen grinned. “My goddess is brilliant and beautiful.” 

I held the donut to his lips. “Come on now, try it. I know you’re gonna love it.”

Shingen parted his lips and then bit into the donut. His face…he was like a little kid who had just been introduced to sweets for the first time. “That is delicious.” He said after swallowing the bite before going in for another. He was then reaching into the box and grabbing out the other eclair donut for me and holding it to my lips.

I smiled before taking a bite. I must have had stars in my eyes too…it had been SOOO LONG since I’d had a donut. I forgot just how much I loved them. “Mmm…” I hummed as I closed my eyes, smiling in contentment.

“Should I be jealous of this donut?” Shingen asked, a teasing smile on his face.

My eyes popped open and instantly my cheeks reddened. “No…it’s just been so long since I’ve had a donut.”

Shingen smiled and hugged me closer. “It is a rather tasty treat.”

I smiled as I nestled into his embrace. “While we’re here I’ll have to bring you all kinds of sweet treats to try. We have waffles and pancakes…those are also breakfast foods. Then there’s ice cream, slushies, cookies, all kinds of cakes, and a HUGE array of candy.”

“And when we go back we don’t say a word to Yuki.” Shingen replied.

I giggled and nodded. “Agreed. We’d never hear the end of it.”

We continued to enjoy the donuts together. “How did you sleep last night, my love?” Shingen asked me as we continued to cuddle up even after finishing the donuts. 

“Okay…once I got to sleep.” I replied. “I missed you.” There was no point in trying to lie or hide it.

Shingen couldn’t hide his smile. “I’m glad to know the feeling is mutual.”

“I set my alarm early so I could get up in time to get here as soon as visiting hours started.” I confessed.

“You’re so cute.” Shingen told me.

I felt my cheeks redden. “I just wanted to see you as soon as possible.”

“That makes me happy to hear.” He said. “I’m also happy to see this…new kimono you are wearing.” His fingers were trailing over my bare arms and exposed legs.

I felt myself warming under his touch. “It’s called a sundress.” I replied. “And I had hoped you would like it.”

“Very much.” Shingen replied. “Is this…normal attire for this time?”

I nodded. “Very much so. Especially for the hot summers.”

“I like it.” Shingen replied, his hands still roaming over me.

“You know, being like this is going to be when the doctor or a nurse walks in.” I told him. “We should behave ourselves.”

“I am behaving.” Shingen replied. “If I weren’t my hands would have already wandered under this… dress.”

I laughed and shook my head. I reached for his hands, bidding them to stay still. “You are here to get better.” I reminded him. “I don’t want them kicking you out before they cure you.”

Shingen chuckled. “Alright, I’ll behave myself.” He said, settling his hands in more appropriate places. “But once I am cured and out of here, I don’t have to, right?”

“You’re shameless…but it’s one of the many things I love about you.”

“That wasn’t a no.”

I giggled again. “As long as the doctor releases you and says you have made a complete recovery, then no, you won’t have to.”

“Well, now I have even more motivation to listen to what the doctor says.”

It was then as if on cue, there was a knock on the door and the doctor was coming in. “Good morning, Mr. Takahashi….Mrs. Takahashi, I see you arrived as soon as visiting hours started.”

I felt my cheeks flushing. “Yes…”

The doctor gave us a smile. “It’s good to see Mr. Takahashi has such a loving and supportive wife. Patients always do better when they have a strong support.” He said.

“My angel is truly my greatest blessing.” Shingen said, causing me to turn redder.

“Well, today we will be running some more tests on you. I want to get a chest X-ray, a CT scan, and an MRI.” The doctor said. He then rattled off a few more tests that he would be conducting as well. “Mrs. Takahashi, if there are any errands you need to run, you might want to do that while we are conducting these tests.”

“I…I can’t just wait here?” I asked.

“You can, but it is going to be an all day thing.” The doctor said. “We have your contact information should we need to get a hold of you. Though we should be finished by dinner time.”

“I’ll be alright, Ava.” Shingen assured me. 

“I’ll be sending someone in to start the tests in about fifteen minutes.” The doctor said.

Shingen and I nodded as the doctor walked out the door. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?” I asked.

Shingen smiled. “Isn’t this the best place for me to be?” He asked.

“Okay, that’s fair.” I replied.

“Is there something you need to do?” Shingen asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. My Oba-san…I need to see her.”

“Then you should go.” Shingen told me. “I will be fine here.”

I nodded. “Alright, but I am staying here till they come get you for the tests.”

Shingen chuckled as he hugged me tighter. “I can accept that.” He said, pecking me lightly on the lips. “You were close with your grandmother?”

I nodded. “For a time after my father left, my mother and I lived with her.” I explained. “She can be a bit…eccentric, but she is a lovely woman.”

“What makes you say eccentric?” He asked.

I pursed my lips in thought. “It can be a bit hard to explain. But…for example when my mom disappeared, she said she knew she was okay and that she’d found some place she was happy.”

“How did she know this?” Shingen asked.

I shrugged. “Not sure. She claimed she could just feel it that my mom was fine.”

“And you didn’t agree?” Shingen asked.

“No.” I answered. “But I’ve come to realize that maybe it was just her way of coping with the loss of her daughter, especially in such an odd way.”

“I can understand that.” Shingen replied.

It was a few minutes later, a couple of orderlies were coming into take Shingen for his tests. We shared another hug and kiss before I was climbing out of the bed and they were wheeling him out the door. Hopefully soon we would find out what was going on with Shingen…and hopefully I would be able to have a good talk with my grandmother.

Taglist: @limonzu @zulablaise @oda-princess @kisara-16 @tele86 @lovely-bubb1es @lucyw260 @selenacosmic

[jeo9n]

Majesty Pt 7 || JJK

Pairing : Jeon Jungkook x Reader

Genre : Slow burn,Angst,fluff,virgin reader,King JK,futur smut.

Warnings : jungkook and y/n get in a little fight.

Wordcount : 4.8k

previous | next

You woke up the next day in the same position you fell asleep in. It was honestly really comfortable, cuddling with him like this, you didn’t want to get up. But you had to pee really bad, so you slowly started to remove his arms from your waist, hoping he doesn’t wake up.

You sat up once your were free from his grasp, removing the blanket from your legs and slowly getting out of bed. Both of your feet were already touching the carpet when you tried to get up. "Where are you going?" The King asked you in his raspy morning voice, while grabbing your wrist.

He looked so cute like this. Sleepy eyes, his hair all over the place, with a slightly puffy face. He had a small pout on his lips as he looked at you. You wanted to kiss the pout of off his face.

Wait! What’s wrong with you, why are you thinking like this, Y/n.

He squeezed your wrist, interrupting your thoughts. Catching you staring at him. "Uh I have to use to toilet." You answer awkwardly, cheeks turning red. He smirked, letting go of your wrist.

"Alright."

You quickly went to the bathroom. Getting yourself ready for the day and got dressed. Deciding for a light pink dress for today.

As you headed back in the bedroom, the King was sitting at the end of the bed, already dressed and looking at you. You walked past him to get to your side of the bed, to quickly tidy it up a bit. But he stopped you before you even gotten the chance to walk past him, he grabbed your hand on pulled you towards him, making you gasp. You were standing in front of him awkwardly. "What are your plans for today?" He asked you, putting his hands your hips and pulling you even closer so you would stand in between his legs.

"I don’t have any plans for today, your highness." You tell him, picking at your nails nervously. You could feel the heat of his palms burning trough your dress, making your head spin.

He looks up at you, removing his hands from your hips and putting them on your hands instead. "Spend some time with me today." He says, caressing your hands softly.

"Okay." You nod. Spending some time with him again might won’t be that bad. I mean, he’s your husband. You should spend time with him, right?

You were on walk trough the castle with the King. He showed you all kinds of rooms that the castle had to offer, but one stood out to you the most. It was the library. You always loved books. They made you feel safe, they made you feel like you could escape reality, even just for a short while.

So, that’s where you found both of you right now. You’re walking around, admiring all the beautiful and old books that were standing on the dark wood shelves. The library was huge, you’ve never seen a library this big. You loved it here. The King was standing behind you, just looking at you, loving the way your face lights up whenever you see a book you like.

"You love it here, don’t you?" He asks you with smile on his face, leaning against one of the tables that stand in the middle of the room, with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Yes!" You turn around quickly with a big smile on your face. Before turning around again to look at the shelves full of books once again. "You should’ve showed me this place sooner." You say, making him laugh. "I would’ve, if I knew you loved books this much." He answers, walking towards you.

You can feel the warmth of his body against your back. You turn around, already knowing he’s standing behind you. "I can’t believe you’ve kept this beautiful place hidden from me - what else do you keep hidden from me, your highness?" You tell him jokingly.

He laughs, showing you his cute bunny smile that you haven’t seen before. He looks cute this way, nose scrunching up while he laughs, showing you his beautiful smile. You feel your heart beating faster at the sight.

"Nothing." He says as he stopped laughing. "Come on, let’s sit down for a bit." Grabbing your hand, and leading you both to one of the tables.

You both sit down. The King sitting in front of you, never looking away from you. You can feel your cheeks staring to blush, so you look away. You can’t handle eye contact very well.

"You know." He starts, making you look back at him again. "Back at the competition, you said you’ve never been with a man before, right?" He asks you and you nod. "What do you mean by that?" He asks you once again. You look away again.

He knows exactly what that means, judging by look on his face. "I think.. you know what that means, your highness." You tell him, without looking at him.

"No, I don’t. Tell me, Y/n, tell me what you mean." He tells you with a smirk on his face.

You bite your lip nervously. You don’t know how you should tell him. I mean, this is nothing to be ashamed of, don’t get me wrong. But he obviously knows, so why is he asking you to explain? "It means," you huff. "It means that I’ve never done something with a man, your highness. The only thing I’ve ever done, was holding hands with a boy once! And that was when I was like 5 or something." You tell him, avoiding eye contact once again.

"Not even Kissing?" He asks you and you shake your head. "How come?"

This time you look at him. "Ive always wanted my first kiss to be with someone I love. Not with just anyone." You shrug. "A kiss for me is more than just kissing, it’s being intimate with another person, it’s sharing your feelings for one another. Sharing it with just anyone wouldn’t be as special as with the person you love, you know?"

He nods. "Would you kiss me?" He asks, tilting his head to the side.

Your eyes widen. Your face suddenly turning red. "Uh I don’t know." You laugh awkwardly.

"Have you ever had any sexual thoughts before?" He asks you suddenly with a serious face. Completely ignoring his other question. "I mean, your not a little girl anymore. You had to have some thoughts about sex at one point." If your face was red before that, than your face must be on fire right now. His question startled you, not expecting him to ask you something like this.

Of course you thought about sex before, everyone does. That was a stupid question.

But why is he suddenly asking you all of this.

"Uh, yeah... sometimes. But don’t worry! Im not a pervert or something." You chuckle awkwardly. Embarrassed that you even told him this. He looks you straight in the eyes, his eyes holding something you cannot read.

He smirks at you once again. "Oh, I’m sure you’re not the perverted one here, Y/n." You furrow your eyebrows at that, not knowing what he means. "Have you ever touched yourself before?" He continues.

You almost choke on your own spit. You weren’t expecting him to ask you someone like this - Why does he keep asking you all these sexual questions? You really don’t want to answer this question. You try to come up with something different, to ask him something different instead. But you see that he’s still waiting for your answer, arching his perfect eyebrow at you. "Have you?" He asks again.

"Uh- I... i haven’t, your highness." Lying him straight in the face. You have touched yourself before, yes. But that’s something you don’t like to talk about, you never talked with anyone about this kind of stuff. That’s something too intimate for you. You’re sure he wouldn’t want to talk about wether he touches himself or not either.

He hums, obviously not believing your lie. "Does that bother you, your highness? That i don’t have any experiences?" You ask him worriedly. Your question makes him furrow his eyebrows at you. "Why would that bother me? Because your a virgin?" He shakes his head. "I like that you’re a virgin - I like that you’re untouched, Y/n. I like it more than I like to admit." He tells you, seeing something shift in his eyes again.

His words Relief you. You thought, maybe he wanted a experienced girl, someone that knows what to do in bed. But he chose you. So, it clearly doesn’t bother him. "Okay."

"Do you have any questions for me?" He asks you this time. You don’t really have any questions to ask him right now - no, wait! You do.

"I noticed that your parents weren’t at our wedding, were they busy?" You ask. You wanted to ask him this right after the wedding, but you forgot about it.

"Ah no, they weren’t busy, Y/n. They’re dead." He says, looking at you. You feel your heart shutter at his words. You did not know this! If you knew, then you wouldn’t have brought this up. "My parents died in an accident when I was very young."

This breaks your heart. You feel so sorry for him, knowing that he lost his parents at a young age. That must’ve been so hard for him. You wouldn’t know what you would do if you lost your mother, and he lost both of his parents at once, that’s so sad. "I am so sorry for you loss, your highness! I shouldn’t have brought this up. Please forgive me." You quickly apologize.

"It’s okay. It’s not your fault, You don’t have to apologize." He tells you honestly, which makes you relax. "Also, stop calling me your highness. We’re married, Y/n. You don’t have to keep calling me that."

"Oh, then what should I call you?" You ask him.

"Jungkook, You can call me Jungkook. Or what ever you prefer." He says, while reaching out and grabbing your hand. "What I prefer? What would you like me, to call you?" You ask him as he caresses your hand.

He grabs your hand a little tighter, making you look down at both of your hands. "We’ll talk about another time." He smirks. "For now, you can call me Jungkook."

You smile. "Okay... Jungkook." You tell him, and he smiles back at you, showing his pretty bunny smile again.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

It’s been a few days since the day at the library. Ever since then, Jungkook has been really nice to you. Always asking how your day was, if you ate enough or if you got enough sleep. He also tries to spend as much time with you as possible whenever he wasn’t busy.

Right now your having breakfast with him. Maria baked some delicious food for you both to eat. You were eating your food slowly, trying t enjoy the food as much as you can. Jungkook seemed to be in a hurry tho. He ate his food quite fast, you were scared he was going to choke on it. "Slow down. Why are you eating so fast?"

His fork was inches away from his opened mouth, about to shove his last piece of food into it. But he stopped, once he heard you speak. He removed the fork from his mouth and looked at you. "I need to hurry up. I have some important things to do today!" He tells, shoving his fork right into his mouth.

His cheeks were stuffed with food. The sight reminded you of a bunny once again, cute. His wide doe eyes sparkled under the chandelier that was hanging above you two. He looked so innocent, he looked like an eager child that tried to eat all their candy before they get caught by their mother, not like a King.

"What kind of important things?" You ask him, putting down your glass of orange juice.

"I have to get some things done, things that I should’ve done a lot sooner." He answers you, while he wipes his mouth with a napkin.

"Oh, okay." You murmur. "Can I come with you? - You said I wasn’t allowed to leave the castle alone again. And... I don’t really have anything to do here. Can I please come along with you?" You ask carefully. He shakes his head right away before he speaks up. "No. Those are things that I have to do alone!"

You huff, letting your shoulders fall. Disappointed with his answers. "But why? I’m fine with just coming along. I won’t talk, I promise! I won’t do anything to bother you. Please let me come with you. Im so bored here all the time." You pout, and he smiles at your reaction. "No, Y/n. You stay home! I’m sure you wouldn’t want to see those things that are gonna happen today."

His answer confuses you. It’s just work. What does he mean you don’t want to see it? "What do you mean?" You ask him, confused look on your face.

He looks at you amused. Not understand why you want to come along so bad. "Hmm how should I explain." He says, tapping his finger against his chin. "These things... they’re a little dangerous, you see. I don’t want my beautiful wife to get hurt during those things. That’s why you should stay home!" He explains to you, saying those last words a little more clearer. But your still confused. But you don’t question him any further, accepting that he doesn’t want you there with him.

"I understand." You nodd. "I’m sorry for asking, your highness." He raises his eyebrows at you. "Hey! I told you to stop calling me that." He tells you in a serious tone, but still having a smile on his lips.

"Right! Im sorry, Jungkook." You laugh.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Jungkook left for work 30 minutes after you both were done with breakfast. He said, he wouldn’t be out for long, telling you not to miss him too much when he left. You rolled your eyes at, which earned you a laugh from him.

You literally had nothing to do today. You were in your room most of the time, waiting for Jungkook to come home. You even took a nap, hoping the time would go by faster. But he still wasn’t home when you woke up. You decided to get out of bed, not wanting to fall asleep again. You walked towards the library, wanting to read a book that you saw there a few days ago, when you were in there with Jungkook. But you found out the doors were locked when you tried to open them. Weird.

Since the library was locked, you decided to walk down, smelling something delicious coming from the kitchen. "What Are you cooking?" You asked Maria when you reached the kitchen. She jumped a little when she heard you coming from behind her. "Dear, you almost gave me a heart attack." She says, rubbing her hand over her chest.

You felt sorry, it wasn’t your intention to startle her. But you couldn’t help a little laugh to come out of your mouth. "I’m sorry, Maria. I thought you heard me coming down." You laugh, giving her a small hug to apologize. She glanced at you jokingly. "I didn’t. I was focused on cooking, my dear." She explains. "But, to answer your question. Im cooking kimchi stew, it’s the King’s favorite." She says with a smile on her face, showing you the food she just made.

Your mouth started to water, once she took the lid off the pot. It looked as amazing as it smelled. It probably tasted amazing as well. "That looks so good!" You tell her, before she quickly put the lid back on. "Does that mean the King will be home soon? I mean, since your preparing the food already."

She looks at you and smiles, nodding her head. "Yes! He should be home soon - Why? Are you missing him already?" She jokes, and you laugh, shaking your head at her. "No, it’s not that. It’s just really boring without him here." You quickly explain. "Doesn’t it ever get boring for you?"

She points her finger at her chest. "For me? No, no. I have a lot of stuff to do everyday. It never gets boring for me. If it ever gets boring for me, it just means I’m doing my job right." She shrugs. She’s right. Of course it doesn’t get boring for her. If you worked here, it probably wouldn’t get boring for you either.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

You went out into garden, wanting to get some fresh air to wake you up a bit, since you were still a little tired from your nap. You sat on the bench, the one were you had to sleep on a few weeks ago.

You were enjoying slight breeze against your skin, while the sun was shining down on you. A perfect mixture of both, hot and cold. You heard some rustling behind you, making you turn your head around to look where it came from. Your eyes scanned around the garden, before they landed on a bush. There you saw some movement, and then the rustling. You got from the bench and walked towards it, curious about what could be hiding in the bush. Crouching down, once you were in front of it. You reached out your hand to push back back the branches that were blocking your sight. The movement stopped right always, once you touched one of the branches. Whatever it was, probably scared of you. You kept pushing back a few branches, until you found what you were looking for.

There was a small grey bunny with floppy ears, in a corner far away from you, hiding from you. You gasped in excitement, you weren’t expecting it to be a bunny. It looked so cute, so small with its floppy ears that were a little too big for their head. You reached out your hands trying to pick the bunny up. But it pushed itself deeper in the corner once you did. Poor bunny, it was probably scared to death. You didn’t want to harm it. You reached out your hands again, trying to pick it up before it could run away from you.

You tried to comfort the bunny, once it was in your arms. Patting it, trying to calm it down. You could feel their heart beating really fast, you felt sorry. You didn’t want to scare it. The bunny looked really small, it was probably still a baby. You wonder how it got here. It should be with their mother, not alone in some garden.

You walked back inside with the bunny still in your arms, not wanting to let it down so it could run away again. You grabbed some carrots and some water for it, once you were inside. You went to your room to feed the bunny, without having to fear it will run away from you. You put the bunny down and held the carrot out for it, checking if it was hungry. The bunny took a few sniffs of the carrot immediately started eating away. "Aw poor you. You were probably looking for something to eat." You say when you saw how eagerly it ate. It almost ate the whole thing, before finally taking a sip of the water you had put into a bowl for it.

You suddenly panicked. Not wanting the bunny to pee or poo on the carpet. Not wanting to get in trouble with Jungkook. You quickly took it and brought it to the bathroom. It wouldn’t be too bad if he peed on the tiles, you could clean those easier. You left the bunny alone for a bit, to get some more carrots and other vegetables for it.

You noticed Jungkook was already home when you walked down the stairs. You did not hear him coming home. Probably because you were too focused on the bunny.

"Hi." He greeted you when you got to the last steps of the stairs. He looked exhausted and out of breath. "Hey!" You greeted him back. "Did you run all the way home, or why are you so out of breath?"

He shakes his head and let’s out a little chuckle. "No. I just brought something heavy up here, that’s why I’m out of breath." He explains himself.

"Okay. Where is it?" You ask him, and he looks at you confused. "The thing that you brought up here." You say. His eyebrows are furrowed, before understanding what you mean. "Ah, I’ll show you later. Let’s have dinner first." He says, grabbing your hand and leading you to the dining room.

I guess the bunny has to wait for his food a little bit.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

After dinner, you were curious about what the King would show you.

You were both walking down a hallway one that you haven’t seen before, one that you didn’t even know existed. It was a little darker than the other ones in the castle, but it didn’t look too different. You stopped in front of an old heavy looking door. Jungkook took the keys, that he was holding in his left hand to his right. Looking trough the many keys before eventually finding the one he was looking for. He pushed the key and unlocked it. Turning his head to look at you once again before opening it. A strange smile on his face.

He opened the door, and you were immediately met with coldness. Pure coldness, it made you shiver instantly. They were stairs that led you down. You saw nothing but darkness. You looked at him confusingly. "What is this, Jungkook?" You ask him a little worried.

He smirks. "You’ll see." Was all he said. Before he started waking down. Dragging you with him. Nothing was heard expect for Jungkook‘s your yours footsteps. That’s how quiet it was down there. It got colder and colder, as you got deeper down. You saw some light, once you were all the way down. Illuminating the dungeon just a little bit. You heard some whining and grunts coming from somewhere. You were about to ask Jungkook what was going on, but he dragged you somewhere before you had the chance to. You stopped, once you reached what Jungkook wanted to show you. You looked around you, trying to see what this place was. And your eyes widened at what you saw in front of you. You saw cells all around you, most of them had people in them, only a few of them being empty. The people in the cells were mostly man. They had no clothes on expect for their underwear, they looked like they hadn’t eaten or slept in days. Their skin was pale, dirty and full of bruises. Their bones were showing. They had no food or water, neither had they a blanket or a bed to warm them. Most of them were laying down, sitting, or either hugging themselves, trying to give themselves some warmth.

You were shocked. You would’ve never expected a place like this in to exist in the castle. Right under you, right under where you lived, right under where you lived happily. You couldn’t believe this. You had expected anything, but not this! Your body starts to shake, either from the cold or from what your seeing in front of you. How could someone to this? This is horrible. "Y/n, look." Jungkook shakes your hand, interrupts your thoughts. You turn your head to look away from these poor people, instead you look at jungkook in shock. "Look who we have here." He tells you, evil smirk on his face. Pointing towards two another’s cells.

You gasp and your eyes widen even more, if that’s even possible. Right in front of you are two man you recognize immediately. How could you not? These two were people you grew up with. They were around you all the time. They even were your neighbors once. "Jungkook, what is this? What is going on?" You ask him in a shaky voice, trying to take your hand out of his grasp, but instead he grabs your hand tighter and pulls you closer to him. "Those are the two man that touched you without consent,right?" He asks you, not taking his eyes off of them.

How did he find them? You never told him their names. "Yes. But why are they here? Let them go!" You tell him, hearing them whine in pain. "I told you not to worry about it! Why did you bring them here?" And he laughs, he actually laughs at you. You furrow your brows, not finding this funny at all! "What? Did you really think I would just forget about it? Forget what you told me about them? Forget what they did to you?" He says, almost yelling at you. "These man deserve nothing but punishment, Y/n! Why did you try protect them? Huh?" He ask you, now looking at you. "I will personally make sure, that they will never touch another woman against her will again! Never!" He yells angrily.

You jump at his tone, not expecting him lash out like this. You take your hand away this time, surprising both you, and him at your strength. "How did you find them? I never told you their names?" You ask him, raising your voice. He has the audacity to laugh again. "Y/n, I’m the King. It’s not hard for me to find out who you were talking about, it wasn’t hard to find them at all." You cannot believe this. Yes, these man touched your without your consent, but what gives him the right to punish them for it? It should’ve been you, not him!

You take one last look at them, before you walk away. You were so mad at him. You did not want to see his face anymore.

Jungkook called out for you but you didn’t care. You quickly walked out of the dungeon, leaving him down there alone.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

You quickly went back to your bedroom. After grabbing some vegetables, remembering why you came down in the first place.

You immediately went to the bathroom when you got back to your bedroom, checking on the bunny right away. You saw that it had peed a little so you quickly clean that up. After that you gave it the veggies that you had grabbed and sat down next to him. You were still in shock at what you saw a few minutes ago. Never in your life would you have thought, that the King would so something like this. Having people down there and torturing them. How is that even allowed? And your still mad at him for getting those man and locking them up down there. You two got along so well these last few days, and he had to fuck it up. And the fact that he looked so proud when he showed them to you, makes even more mad. What did he even think was going to happen, did he think you would jump in his arms and thank him? For that? Ugh you can’t believe him.

You heard him entering the room, calling out for you. You got up and the left the bunny behind, you hope he doesn’t freak out when he sees it. You opened the bathroom door, and there he was, sitting on the bed. Probably already knowing that you were in the bathroom. "Are you serious, why did you leave?" He asks you, when you got out of the bathroom and closing the door behind you. "Are you not even going to thank me, for what I’ve done for you?" Omg you can’t believe him!

You furrow your eyebrows at him. "Are you serious, Jungkook?" You say pointing at him, voice irritated. "I should thank you? For torturing someone?- I did not tell you their names for a reason! If I wanted you know their names, then I would’ve told you!" You tell him, walking towards your side of the bed. "You better let them go."

And he laughs again. His stupid laugh, it’s starting to annoy you. "Let them go? Oh, baby I will. But let me have some fun with them first." He says, the pet name throwing you off guard.

"Ugh I don’t wanna talk with you anymore." You say, rolling your eyes and getting into bed. Just wanting to fall asleep so the day could end. "Are you serious?" He asks you, but you don’t answer him. Instead you turn around and close your eyes. You hear him letting out a annoyed chuckle, before he starts to undress. Judging by the sounds of it. A few minutes later you feel the bed dip behind you, before he lays down.

You two did not cuddle that night.

﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Taglist: @fangirl125reader @min-nicoleee @yzkyzkuniverse @safi4x @zoeshinelove

[whats-rambled-rambled]

Smoke & Mirrors - part 4

Neil x Reader

Chapter 4: Save me

(see chapter 3, 2, 1)

summary: what’s gonna happen if we lock them together for some time...?

warnings: some violence, language and other explicit things, 18+ 

author’s note: 4,8k words, just because I thought I needed to add more plot to it because you wanted 2 shorter chapters instead of a longer one. Who’s laughing now? 

Reading this may cause a slight whiplash. Sorry, not sorry. 

song for this chapter: Aimee Mann - Save me 

Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think, please?

----

The Protagonist’s eyes darted at Ives. 

“And what did she say?”

“Short answer? Nunya,” Ives shrugged, closing the door behind him.

Wheeler giggled and TP looked at her in confusion.

“Long answer,” continued Ives, joining the other two by the coffee machine, “is that as long as they're doing their job, it doesn’t matter who they are fucking in their free time.”

“And are they?”

“What, fucking? I thought we’ve already--”

“No, doing their job,” TP pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “I have a mission for them, but it requires locking them together for a significant amount of time.”

Wheeler took a sip from her cup. “If they don’t bond, they’ll bone, and I’d say it’s better than killing each other.”

Ives snorted, clearly amused, but TP hid his face in his palms and groaned lightly.

“Was that your plan all along?”

Wheeler gave them an innocent smile. “Wasn’t yours?” she asked, and as she caught the exchange of looks, her eyes lit up. “You’re welcome.”

-----

You found the car parked near the front door and you had to admit - that grey-ish sedan was the dullest, most ordinary vehicle you’d seen in a while. And that’s why it was perfect.

Neil tossed you the keys and proceeded to load your bags into the trunk. You went to check the GPS setting. The total route was calculated for a little over 5 hours, which gave you enough time to go over the details of the assignment at least once on the way there.

As your mission partner took the passenger seat, you handed him the tablet with all the documents loaded up and ready to go. He nodded, fortunately sparing you the small talk and unnecessary comments, and started reading through them out loud as you followed the GPS directions to your destination.

What you didn’t expect was an almost insultingly short length of reports from the previous stakeout teams, and even a slightly more detailed operation brief was not enough to keep you occupied for too long. Exhausting all the work-related topics, you tensed, suddenly uncomfortable in the silence between the two of you. Especially since you caught Neil’s stare, because if his furrowed brows could be any indication, you had a feeling he might start asking way too many questions any minute now. 

As the radio crackled again, you groaned in frustration. There were still two hours left of traveling through the middle of nowhere, and you’d appreciate any distraction that wouldn’t make you want to drive into the nearest tree. Unlike talking to your partner. 

Neil opened the glove compartment and searched through its contents. He found a thick CD case and started flipping through pages curiously. With the corner of your eye, you saw a grin lighting his face when he finally picked one. 

As you heard the familiar piano notes, your knuckles on the steering wheel turned white. Oh, fuck no.

You glared at Neil, who was gently swaying his head, eyes closed, fighting himself to keep a straight face. When the lyrics started, he pressed his palms to his chest right over his heart and looked at you as he mouthed the words.

//When I was young

I never needed anyone

And making love was just for fun

Those days are gone//

You gritted your teeth and focused back on the road, trying to keep in check the rising anger already boiling the blood in your veins, as Neil was clearly feeling the song more and more with every line.

Well, at least this time he wasn’t--...

And then just as the chorus was about to hit, Neil mimicked the opening drum sequence and spread his arms wide, singing along:

//All by myself

Don't wanna be

All by myself

Anymore//

“If you don’t change that fucking song in the next 10 seconds, be ready to walk all the way to the city--...”

“Come on, it’s a classic!” he complained, the biggest smile not leaving his face even for a moment.

You smacked your tongue, finding your most casual voice, “...and I’m not gonna be bothered with pulling over.”

Neil turned down the volume so the music was barely audible, and while it was not what you’d asked him to do, he didn’t give you a chance to scold him. 

“I bet you’ve spent at least one evening listening to that song with a big box of ice cream on your lap,” he smirked, closely watching your reaction to his words.

You could feel your ears burning. Fucking hell, you really hated his guts.

“No,” you scoffed, but even you were not convinced by the sound of that. Judging by Neil’s expression, neither was he. You winced and groaned, ”...shut up!” 

“Nothing to be ashamed of,” - he shrugged - “been there, done that.” 

“Of course you have,” you couldn’t help but snicker at the image planted in your head. 

The blue eyes studied you for a while longer before focusing back at the view outside the window. Meanwhile, the song ended, getting replaced by an instrumental track. You turned the volume up and for the next minute or two, you drove in silence. 

When you heard a light chuckle, you glanced at Neil again. There was something peculiar in the look on his face, a soft gaze in contrast to a knowing grin.

You sighed.

“Do I wanna know what you’re grinning about now?”

Neil raised a brow and his lips parted in an even wider smile.

“Probably not.”

You shook your head, drawing a long breath, wondering how you were going to survive the next forty-something hours together. You could just hope that being at the actual location and starting the real work was going to make it easier. 

Grounding yourself, you stared into the darkness stepping back under the car’s headlights as dusk slowly turned into night. You noticed a faint glow of city lights reflecting in the clouds over the horizon and you relaxed slowly, tuning out anything other than the road ahead. 

Just as the CD player jumped back to the first song again and you switched to a local radio station, now clear of static, you realized your companion had been unusually quiet for the last half an hour. You looked at the passenger seat only to find Neil deep in his sleep and your heart started beating a little faster. Suddenly, everything about the sight seemed endearing - the peaceful face under the ruffled blonde hair, the slightly open mouth almost hidden behind the turned-up collar of the dark navy jacket, the way he wrapped his arms around himself in a little self-hug…

Your lips curled into a fond smile and as your chest clenched painfully, you turned the radio down, wishing you could do the same thing to your feelings just as easily.

-----------

The second you pulled over in the alley at the back of the abandoned hotel, two figures emerged from the door and rushed in your direction. You recognized the fellow agents and jumped out of the car to make the exchange as smooth as possible. 

“Ten-minute window until the patrol comes back,” you said to a short brunette, taking your bags out of the trunk and passing her the car keys.

“Got it,” she nodded, handing you the room key in return. “Our report should be ready before we reach HQ, I will send it to you ASAP.” 

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that the lack of an easy escape plan is intentional,” said Neil as he grabbed one of the bags and looked around.

“But it is,” you shrugged, walking into the building and heading to the nearest staircase. “No loose ends. You’re either good enough to make it out undiscovered and alive, or you get revealed and --...”

“...and then even having the cavalry on call is not going to make a difference, I get it,’ he sighed, matching your two-steps-at-once pace up the stairs, “Can’t say I like it, though.” 

“So let’s try not to do anything stupid so we don’t get caught, shall we?”

A corner of your lips twitched as you heard him scoff at your remark, but to your surprise, he didn’t take the bait. Huh.

When you reached the room, you turned the lock and looked around, taking mental note of the location of every piece of equipment left by the previous team - two cameras, night vision binoculars, and a parabolic microphone placed by the windows. Some parts of the blinds on the windows were broken, others were missing, but the remaining parts still provided a decent cover from the curious eyes peeking up from street level. Other than that, the room was exactly what you would expect from a stakeout location - peeled-off wallpapers of an undefined color, a small table with an electric kettle, a couple of chairs, a mini-fridge, and a mattress. 

As you went to check the last few minutes registered by the camera, Neil started unpacking the supplies. Seeing nothing interesting on the feed, you grabbed one of the water bottles he’d just put on the table and took a seat by the window, your usual first-hour-of-stakeout enthusiasm fending off the tiredness you felt after the long drive.

Neil took a laptop and sat on a chair at the other window, alternating glancing outside and typing in a message to TP with a quick update on your situation.

Your main objective was to observe the building on the other side of the street, especially one loft that was suspected to be a meeting place for one of the smuggling cells’ bosses. Snapping photos of the vehicles pulling over, of the visitors, and reporting any odd activity straight ahead. The usual. But it was past midnight already and your targets were having a pretty quiet night, apparently. 

As Neil finished filing in the paperwork, he stretched his arms and groaned.

“Tea?”

You rubbed your eyes, a sudden wave of sleepiness flooded your brain as soon as you lost focus on the mission. 

“Yes, please, there should be a box with a green one somewhere.”

“Ah, pity, I don’t know how well it’s gonna mix with the biscuits,” said Neil in a ridiculous posh accent, making you facepalm in response. 

Partially, to hide an amused smile. 

You really were that tired, huh?

“I take my tea with no sugar, no biscuits, and no snarky comments, thanks,” you huffed as your eyes followed him to the table.

“I, too, don’t like talking over a cuppa.”

“What did I just say--” you groaned, smacking your thigh in frustration.

Neil giggled and rolled his eyes, now lit by a playful twinkle. “All right, one ‘green tea no bullshit’ coming right up.”

“Thank you,” you sighed, glancing up to the ceiling as if it was supposed to help with the alarming level of annoyance in your system.

Less than two hours on-site and you already wanted to strangle him. 

Among other things.

And before you could stop your tired brain, it brought up a memory of that karaoke night. 

His hands roaming through your body. The sound of a belt buckle hitting the floor. Your frantic gasp when you felt him inside you. His firm grip on your hips. The heart racing in your chest. Your longing body pressing itself into him even further. His uneven breath on your neck. The quickening pace of his thrusts. Your eyes squeezing shut. His muffled moan when you tugged at his hair. The cold wall against your cheek. Your fingers interlocked. His arm wrapped around you tightly. The things whispered into your ear---

“Your tea.”

“Hmm?” you mumbled, blinking rapidly and focusing your gaze on a thermal cup in front of your face. “Oh, thanks.”

Neil studied your expression curiously, a sly grin hiding in the corner of his mouth.

“Pleasant daydream?”

“Maybe,” you sent him a smug smile and raised a brow.

His lips parted slightly at the implication. Drinking his tea, he schooled his features and sat back on the chair. 

You spent the next moments enjoying the hot beverages, the silence becoming more comfortable with every sip you took. But as the time went by and you ran out of tea, the peacefulness turned into boredom. 

Finally, Neil shuffled in his seat and turned your way. 

"We should play a game."

Even though it sounded tempting, you didn’t trust those roguish sparks in his eyes. 

“We already had a chance to play ‘yellow car’,” - you shrugged - “not my fault you chose a nap instead.”

His puzzled face gave you a hint he didn’t get the reference. Pity.

“I was thinking about some sort of...questions game,” he said and cleared his throat, shifting in his chair again. "To get to know each other better."

"Why?" you stared at him with your mouth open, suddenly taken aback. 

He gave you a half-smile. "Don't you think it's weird that the only thing I know about you is all the ways to turn you on and piss you off?"

"Wouldn't be so confident about that ‘all’ part…" you huffed and lost a train of thought as you spotted the familiar flare in his gaze.

"You’re sure you wanna challenge me like that right now?"

A cold shiver ran down your spine at the way his voice got lower. You gritted your teeth as your mind started racing to find a way out of the dangerous waters. 

"Aren't you a master of multitasking?" you teased, batting your eyelashes.

"And aren't you scared of having an actual conversation?" Neil narrowed his eyes and grimaced slightly. 

"Fine!” you fumed as you tossed your hands in the air in defeat. “Why don’t you get straight to the point because I have a weird feeling you have a very specific question in mind."

A silence that dropped after your words was heavy and you realized you’d made a mistake.

"Actually, I do,” he said, tilting his head and locking his gaze on you. “What's up with you and kissing?"

...shit, walked right into that one, huh? 

You pulled one leg up on the chair, glancing outside the window to avoid the blue eyes boring into you. "It's nothing."

“Didn’t look like nothing to me.”

Sighing, you rested the chin on your knee and wrapped your arms around it, as if that little bit of comfort was enough to make the conversation easier. Your ears were burning, your heart pounded heavily in the clenched chest, and it all was only adding to your frustration. Because it really was nothing. Or maybe it should have been, and that was the issue.

“If you don’t wanna talk about it--”

Your eyes darted at Neil only to meet his soft look. A shadow of concern on his face wasn’t helping, but you were grateful that he was willing to give you a way out.

Although at that moment, you felt you owed him an explanation. 

“No, it’s just that it’s a bit silly,” you said, wincing. “I’m gonna tell you, but if you laugh, I will murder you in your sleep.”

Neil smiled lightly in encouragement.

“Got it.”

So you took a deep breath and squeezed the first word past the lump in your throat.

“It’s just that kissing to me was always something… special,” you cringed, fully aware that you sounded like a flustered teenager. “Like it really meant something. Do you know where I’m going with this?”

Neil’s brows knitted together.

“I think so, yeah.”

“Good,” you sighed, forcing yourself to breathe again. “And some time ago, I made a mistake and opened up too soon, burning myself. Fuck, it’s pathetic, I know, I just…” you hesitated and looked away, feeling the rising panic. You were exposing yourself, again. “...maybe I’m just wired that way and we should leave it at that. And never talk about it again,” your voice was hollow, the result of your brain’s desperate attempts to keep your emotions bottled up, just to keep you safe. 

And after what felt like forever--

“Okay.”

You shot him a thankful look, too overwhelmed to say anything. 

Neil got up, moving his shoulders in small circles to get rid of the stiffness. As he walked by you on his way to the bathroom, he patted your arm lightly. Reassuringly. The tip of your nose tingled and you bit the inside of your cheek, cursing a sudden wave of softness clouding your mind.  

A few minutes passed and Neil was back. He fell on the chair heavily, slowly massaging his temples with the tips of his fingers. Catching a question in your stare, he shook his head and grinned.

“What?” you asked, squinting suspiciously.

Neil chuckled, leaning back and spreading his legs. “Trying to figure you out is giving me a headache.”

You rolled your eyes and scoffed, focusing on the view outside the window. 

“Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two different things, you know.”

“So it’s all an act?”

You looked back at him, suddenly perplexed. “What is?”

“This,” he gestured vaguely in your direction and shrugged. “Or rather your usual behavior.”

You snorted. “Oh, I am a real ray of sunshine, but somehow being around you makes my inner bitch jump out,” you teased, meeting his amused gaze. A corner of your lips curled and you exhaled slowly. “I don’t know, after some time you learn life is easier that way, and at one point the line blurs,” you stopped for a second and frowned, wondering what had gotten into you tonight. “Does it make any sense to you?”

Something new tainted Neil’s features as he looked away, smiling sadly.

“You have no idea.”

Just as you opened your mouth to ask what was wrong, the blue eyes darted back at you.

“I’ll take the first shift, already had my nap after all,” the little laugh escaping his mouth felt forced. “You must be exhausted. Try to get some sleep.”

Oh you were exhausted, all right. But all of the sudden it felt as if he wanted to get rid of you and you couldn’t help feeling a bit hurt by that. There was something in his presence that gave you a hint that it wasn’t the best idea to pressure him about it now, and you slumped your shoulders, nodding.

“Thank you,” you said quietly, getting up. All that held-back fatigue was going to hit you in full force any minute now, and you really wanted to be laid down by then.

A few moments in the bathroom and you were back in the room again in more comfortable clothes. You rolled out a sleeping bag on the mattress and slipped into it, covering your mouth as you let out a small yawn. 

“Wake me up if anything happens or you need me to take over, will you?”

Neil shot you a quick look from his chair. 

“Sure thing,” he gave you a weak smile. “Goodnight.”

“‘Night,” you mumbled. 

You curled up and closed your eyes, hoping the heaviness you felt in your chest would be gone by the morning.

--------

It took your still half-asleep brain a moment to remember where you were and what was going on. You looked around as much as you could without moving your body to avoid revealing that you were no longer asleep. Oh right, the stakeout. 

You noticed Neil sitting on the floor by the only floor-to-ceiling window near the corner of the room, looking outside. The early morning light seeping through the blinds was reflecting in the disheveled blonde hair, a fitting addition to his overall tired appearance. It seemed like he’d spent most of the night working through whatever bothered him after your last talk, but he seemed more at peace now. You studied him in a little moment of sleep-deprived self-indulgence, musing over the dark quarter zip pullover, those absurdly long legs in khaki pants--...

Okay, enough. You sat up, rubbing your face.

“How’s the mattress?”

Hearing Neil’s raspy voice made you quite tempted to invite him over to check for himself.

“Passable,” you replied instead, stretching your arms and wriggling out of your sleeping bag. You nodded at the cameras. “Anything?” 

“Not really. One visitor, already on the list,” he said as his eyes followed you around the room.

“All right,” you sighed, flipping the switch on the kettle. “I need coffee, you want some?”

“No, thank you, but if you could pass me a bottle of water--”

You grabbed one and tossed it to him, heading to the bathroom. 

When you finally looked and felt like a decent human being again, you went back to finish making coffee. As you walked to the windows with the thermal cup in your hands, you caught Neil’s resigned stare. You sat down on the floor in front of him, leaning your shoulder against the wall. A glimpse of internal battle clouded his features and you tilted your head, waiting for him to speak up first.

“I didn’t want this,” he blurted out, and when nothing else followed the statement, you cleared your throat. 

“You have to be more specific, I’m afraid.”

Neil clenched his jaw. You noticed a hint of frustration in his eyes, but then his shoulders dropped and he let out a nervous chuckle, fastening his gaze on the view outside the window.

“I wanted to do things by the book. When TP recruited me… I thought I’d be just another field agent and I was okay with that,” he sighed and grimaced. “But he insisted on fast-tracking me, even when I told him it wasn’t fair to the rest of you.” Neil shook his head slowly and a corner of his lips twitched. “He promised me one of his best agents’ help on the way though. Imagine my surprise when the agent in question kept snarling at me and shoving me around instead.” 

When Neil looked back at you, you realized the meaning behind his words and your mind went blank. You stared into the blue eyes with your mouth open, trying to process everything you’d just heard and its implications.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you breathed out, feeling light-headed.

“Why?”

“Nobody told you…?” you asked, but his confused expression was his only answer. And you simply couldn’t believe that he hadn’t known all this time. “I’d been working my ass off for that position,” you huffed, studying his reaction to your words closely. “And then you showed up.”

Neil’s face dropped as he finally connected all the dots. “Fuck...I had no idea, I’m sorry.” 

Seeing his sincere look, you sighed, raking fingers through your hair. Fucking hell, what a mess. The impossible mix of emotions swirled inside you and you giggled hysterically, suddenly finding the whole situation absolutely hilarious. 

“And I had no idea I was supposed to babysit you,” you said as you stretched your legs, positioning them alongside Neil’s. 

“Thought we were having a moment here,” he scoffed, smiling lightly.

You smirked and tapped his thigh with your foot.

“Think again.”

Neil tapped you back, stifling a chuckle. “You’re insufferable.”

“Too bad you can’t do anything about that now, huh,” you teased, wiggling your brows as you nibbled at your bottom lip.

The blue eyes lit up. “Just you wait till we finish the job,” he said slowly and placed a hand on your ankle.

But before you could respond, you heard a phone alert and Neil jumped at his feet.

He read the message quickly. 

“Seems like we are about to see some action after all,” he said, pressing the phone to his ear. You downed your coffee and joined Neil by the table.

“Hold on, I’m gonna put you on speaker… okay, now”

“Hope you two are rested,” TP’s voice filled the room. “We intercepted a phone call. Our target is expecting a delivery in the next hour or so. Significant enough that from this moment on, the mission objective changes.” You exchanged looks with Neil, knowing well what was coming next. You walked back to the windows to keep an eye on the street. “We have a chance to prevent this shipment from spreading to different sellers. I’m sending the cavalry your way. But you’ll need to assess the situation as it progresses.”

“Means we might have to engage early, got it.”

“It’s your call, Neil. And as we have enough intel now… no loose ends. Good luck.” said TP and hung up.

Neil tossed the phone on the table and dashed to the bags to prep the equipment. You noticed movement in the loft across the street and snapped a few pictures before looking back at your partner.

“Are you good to go? You haven’t slept tonight.”

He glanced at you and gave you a smug smile. 

“How nice of you to worry about me.”

You could feel the usual annoyance mixed with a new emotion, but maybe you were just glad to be back on familiar waters.

“Nah, I’m worried about the mission,” you snorted. “Especially if we may end up going in there alone.”

“I’m okay. How does it look out there?”

You looked outside again and tensed as a van appeared at the end of the street. “We’ve got company.”

Neil changed you by the window and you rushed to get ready.

-------

After clearing the back entrance, you found yourselves in the underground garage. 

Splitting up, you took down the guards one by one without raising any alarms. 

Neil checked the van and then you both made your way upstairs. You knew there were at least five more people in the loft, but you had to rely on the element of surprise because the cavalry was still on their way. 

As you got to the door, you cocked your pistol and met Neil’s determined stare. You nodded. 

Bursting through the door, your instincts kicked in, allowing you to put a bullet into two men before they had a chance to realize what was going on. In the next second all hell broke loose. You knew one thing - you somehow underestimated the numbers. And just as you thought that maybe you got lucky and got every last of them, someone grabbed you from behind and you felt something cold and sharp pressed against your neck. Fuck.

You dug your fingers into the arm wrapped around your shoulders, but a stinging pain made you stop any further attempts at breaking free. The blood pounded in your ears and everything seemed to slow down. 

You noticed Neil standing in front of you with a gun pointed right next to your head. 

He secured a grip on his pistol and the man holding you yelled something at him, but you didn’t listen, focusing completely on the blue eyes, now filled with a silent question, looking straight into yours.

You let out a shaky breath and blinked slowly. 

A gunshot echoed through the room.

The pressure on your neck lowered and you heard a thud of a body fitting the floor behind you. 

Neil lowered his gun. 

You stared at each other for what seemed like forever.

“Nice shot,” you said, composing yourself first.

He gave you a weak smile, and just as he opened his mouth to say something, your comms filled with a familiar voice.

“We’ve missed all the fun, eh?”

------

Neither of you said anything on the way back to the HQ, not counting the short answers to the questions asked by Ives, but even he gave up after a while seeing you weren’t in the mood for talking.  

You got your duffel bag out of the trunk and looked around. Neil was standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to the building, talking on the phone. You walked up to him slowly, waiting for him to finish the conversation.

“Do they need us to get in to file a report?” 

“No, I convinced TP to give us the rest of the day off,” he said, hiding the phone in the pocket of his jacket. “We can do that first thing tomorrow, I’m just gonna drop the equipment now.”

“Great, thanks.”

You couldn’t wait to get back to your apartment. You tossed the bag on your arm and smiled at the thought of a long hot shower and crashing in your own bed. 

There was just one thing you needed to do first.

Neil took a step towards the building and without thinking too much about it, you reached out for his hand.

“Neil…?”

He stopped and turned around, puzzled. His eyes dropped to your joined hands and slowly moved up to your face. 

You gave him a nervous smile.

“Thank you.”

His features softened and he squeezed your hand gently.

“Don’t mention it.”

And then he smirked.

...of course.

“Guess that makes us even.”

(next chapter->)

[makknays]

can we try again?

a/n: this is one of my daydreams lol

word count: 1.1k

genre: idk man kinda sad ? kinda not ? its not rlly slice of life tho maybe it is

Life had been going smoothly lately; it was just what you needed after the last year you had been through. You were tired and exhausted; losing person after person, but they were never worth it anyway.

You were out with your friends the day he dm'ed you for the first time in over a year. You had noted prior to that, about a month ago, that he had followed you again and liked a couple of your photos. "That's weird? Maybe, it's mercury retrograde..." you thought to yourself at the time. Now you were faced with his notification; all it read was "hey ___."

[11.48pm] hey ___

seen.

You didn't know if you should respond or if you should ignore him. He had followed you before but you left it alone because you thought you had someone else at the time. That person only ended up hurting you anyway. You'd noticed him watching your stories from time to time when you searched for someone else's name but you quickly forgot him again. You had moved on. Right?

[4.27pm] you: hey

[4.34pm] him: hi. i just wanted to apologise for being a dick to you. you didnt deserve any of it. ive changed a lot since we last knew each other.

[4.58pm] you: oh. i wasnt expecting that

[4.58pm] its okay i dont really remember what you even did...last year was a lot

[5.00pm] him: oh i thought you hated me

[5.03pm] you: i never hated you. just forgot you existed.

[5.03pm] him: oh. thats better i guess? haha

[5.05pm] him: how have you been?

Just like that you fell back into conversation with him. It always felt easy with him and you hated that you felt what you felt before. You realised that you missed him too, but so much had happened to you that you didn't have time to miss him when he was gone. Now he was here. As a friend.

time skip 3 months

Namjoon was in your bed. You weren't sure how, actually that was a lie. Prior to not talking to each other for a year, the two of you had slept together twice. He told you he liked someone and broke it off, but you were in such a fragile state that you didn't understand how to cope and projected onto him. He never held it against you. Months went on and he came back and asked to sleep with you again. You said no because you were seeing someone at the time, yet he was adamant. You didn't talk for another 6 months.

Things fell back into place. The two of you were friends, friends who spoke about fucking each other and made plans to do so. That's why you woke up with him next to you. He had been staying over for the last few nights; him staying over made you rethink your feelings for the person beside you. You weren't sure if it was just nostalgia coming back or if you really did like him again. You didn't want to get hurt.

The night before you had suggested that the two of you wake up early to go on a walk and watch the sunrise by the Han River, so here you were waking up at 5am. "I wanna go back to sleep." "This was your idea. C'mon, let's go." "I don't wanna, I wanna sleep." "___, it's my last day here, c'mon, let's do it." he chuckled as he gently pulled your sleepy body so that you were sitting upright. You were hunched over, rubbing your eyes and pouting at being woken up so early on a day off. "___, stop pouting. This was your idea." he laughed, you always loved the sound of his laugh; it was something that always made you smile. You smiled at him before pulling yourself together and freshening up.

"Do you have a destination in mind?" he asked you as the two of you left the warmth of your apartment. "Nope, just along the river." you told him, leading the way. "Okay. I've missed the river. There's a lot of memories there." "Your fault for moving back to your parents." you teased. "Yeah, but I don't have any reason to be in Seoul anymore. We finished university and my job's all online." "Maybe you just need to find a reason." you shrugged. You hoped he knew what you meant by that.

"Hey, we should sit on this bench. The sun's rising now. It's a nice view too." he smiled as he guided you towards the bench he had targeted. The seat gave you the prefect view of the sun rising above the horizon and the two of you watched as the night faded and hues of pink and red started to blend into blue.

"I missed you, you know?" "Huh?" "When we didn't talk. I thought about you a lot. I know you forgot about me, but you're hard to forget, ___." "You just wanted to fuck me again." "Well, that was a factor." he chuckled. "But, seriously, I did miss you." "Why are you telling me this?" you laughed, not making eye contact with him; you don't know why but you were too scared.

"What if I told you I liked you and wanted to take you on a date?" he asked, looking at you as you stared across the river at the sun. You took a deep breath and sighed, finally turning to him, giving him a weak smile. "Namjoon, I would think you're lying to me." "Why?" "It's not that you ever lied to me. You told me as soon as you liked someone and I was the one that reacted like a monster, but there's a lot of things going on in my head that make it hard for me to trust what you're saying. A lot happened to me in the year we didn't speak to each other. I got really hurt and it's not something I'm ready to do again. I don't want to let what happened to me affect what could be here. I want to say yes, I do, but I'd wanna think about it more too. I feel like that's the right thing to do, since I've always been impulsive when it comes to emotions. I'd like to just be rational." as you told him what you felt your eyes drifted from his face to the river to your fiddling hands; you were so anxious and you didn't want to build a wall between the two of you but you were scared you might.

"Ah, I see. I'm sorry that happened while we were strangers." Namjoon said after reaching for your hand. "So, if I asked you on a date right now, what would you say?" he asked, looking into your eyes for any signs of rejection. "I wanna say yes, but-" "Then say yes, for now. It's okay if you change your mind later, but how about we try? We've known each other for a long time. We can trust each other, right? I won't hurt you again." "Okay." "Okay?" "Okay."

[satan-chillin]

Here, in this moment

Grand gestures of endearment, touches, and honeyed words in public are Wen Kexing's forte, though it doesn't mean Zhou Zishu doesn't have his moments.

(Or, coincidentally, the times Zhou Zishu discovers a couple of ways to shut Wen Kexing up.)

Also available in Ao3

i

Despite the growing population within the Four Seasons Manor, it was a known tradition of a sort for the Manor Lord to leave from time to time with his Second Disciple in tow. As far as the disciples knew, Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing had been on the road for too long before rebuilding the sect and had met under fated circumstances that brought them together—the younger students were wont to sigh in the inherent romanticism of it all—and might not have fully adjusted yet to the life with a stable abode.

If Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing were asked, they’d simply say that it was a continuation of their earlier promise of tasting all the wine while they lived, and, really, they had to escape the manor from time to time to get a breather. They couldn’t afford to leave the sect for a long span of time, not while it was still young and the Head Disciple a child still. It was the closest they would get to having several children, they supposed, and the experience could wear anyone down.

A stroll around the town was the best way to stretch their legs, so to speak, and for a moment, Zhou Zishu was taken to earlier days where Wen Kexing would follow him and appear wherever he went with what little time he initially had. Zhou Zishu was prone to deliberation these days, he realized, and often it was to match Wen Kexing’s pace in all the aspects of their lives. He was a little better in indulging him too, he thought, mildly giving his input here and there which tassel Wen Kexing should pick as gifts for two of their disciples who would have been with them for a year in a couple of days. He had been told that there was someone else about to have their birthday next week as well, and Zhou Zishu couldn’t help the slight smile at the thoughtfulness as he listened.

“Ah, how about this, A-Xu?” Wen Kexing picked up a fan from the stall next to the one Zhou Zishu dragged him from. “Do you think the color will suit—”

“They’ll like whatever you choose,” Zhou Zishu interrupted. It was true anyway. If Zhou Zishu was the strict and formidable master, Wen Kexing, while no less capable, was known more as the fond and doting one. Zhou Zishu wasn’t completely unaware of how Wen Kexing was called the mother—would that make him the father then? “Let me,” he said, taking half of the packages from Wen Kexing to free one of his hands.

“Eh. I can carry them all,” Wen Kexing protested half-heartedly but relented. He grinned, nudging Zhou Zishu’s side mischievously. “You just want my hand free so you can hold it, A-Xu.”

Zhou Zishu leveled him with a flat stare. “Yes, actually.” Reaching for Wen Kexing’s hand with his left, he laced their fingers that fit together seamlessly. He ignored the look of surprise he received in return. “Chengling said the newest recruit doesn’t have shoes that fit him.”

“Ah,” Wen Kexing murmured distractedly without looking away from their joined hands. “He might have mentioned that.”

Zhou Zishu squeezed his hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Thinking about it, there shouldn’t be anything complicated in holding Wen Kexing’s hand in the first place, though perhaps he should have done it a long time ago. He was determined not to let chances slide in his second time, however.

Fondly, Zhou Zishu led him away. “Let’s go then.”

ii

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Zhou Zishu had been drinking less than his usual. It wasn’t the alcohol itself, fine quality as it was and not the watered-down kind. Mainly, he attributed it to wanting to soak in the pleasant mood and the overall levity of the atmosphere; it had been years since the halls of Four Seasons Manor were filled with joyous chatter and laughs after all.

To his side was Wen Kexing regaling the enraptured junior disciples with tales of his escapades, and the lack of stumble and slur in his words made Zhou Zishu mistakenly thought he was unaffected by the alcohol even if he was drinking for just as long as him, if not in quicker successions.

As if feeling eyes on him, Zhou Zishu was met with a slight tilt of the head and a raised eyebrow. He noted the all too bright eyes—not entirely unaffected then. Absently, Zhou Zishu inched closer to him. “Don’t drink anymore if you can’t handle it,” he reminded, reaching for a pitcher of water instead and filling Wen Kexing’s cup. “You don’t want to be embarrassed in front of your disciples.”

“Lord Zhou should be heeding his own advice,” Wen Kexing tutted and drank. He frowned. “This isn’t wine.”

“It’s water. See, you didn’t even notice.”

Wen Kexing blankly stared at the empty cup in his hand. “Huh.”

Amusedly, Zhou Zishu pried the cup away. “You’ve had enough, I think.”

“A-Xu, why are you being stingy now? You never said no to overindulging, and what better time than in the New Year?”

“You forget that we better learn moderation from now on to set a good example.” Zhou Zishu remained unimpressed at the pout directed his way. “Think of the headache tomorrow,” he said. “Besides, aren’t you exhausted already after preparing all these mostly by yourself?”

That earned him a sigh and a weary smile. “Worth it.” He gestured at the lively company.

“It is,” Zhou Zishu agreed easily.

He wasn’t sure if Wen Kexing was aware of himself leaning towards him. He must be, though his heavy eyes and the sleepy grunt said otherwise.

“Want to sleep,” Wen Kexing mumbled. “Will A-Xu carry me?”

Zhou Zishu snorted but, inured to embarrassment at this point, allowed Wen Kexing to fall on his shoulder and was practically against his chest. Gingerly, Zhou Zishu encircled his arm around his waist, and, after some adjusting, pulled him by the underside of his knees. Wen Kexing barely registered the fact that he was being carried.

It wasn’t until the evening breeze met them outdoors did Wen Kexing shifted with a mild jolt and stared at Zhou Zishu blearily. “Did A-Xu just carry me from the hall?” he slurred. “In front of your disciples?”

Zhou Zishu valiantly ignored the dopey grin forming on Wen Kexing’s face. Truly, his drunken state was merely his less eloquent default. “Did you already forget that you asked me to?”

Wen Kexing blinked slowly, gaze dropping down by Zhou Zishu’s throat. In a lower voice, he spoke, “I remember.” Slumping further against Zhou Zishu, his chin hooked by his shoulder as he tightened his arms around his neck.

Wen Kexing was light in his arms and, oddly enough, quiet without completely falling asleep. Zhou Zishu was certain he could make this into a habit if only to silence him when needed.

“Lao Wen,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

Carrying Wen Kexing this way seemed like an inadequate form of recompense when all was said and done, especially not when Zhou Zishu was treated in return to the exquisite sight of a tender, affectionate smile.

iii

With the kitchen up and running with extra hands, it was common for a pleasant smell to waft over the courtyard from the start of the morning through the evening. Coming from his early meditation, Zhou Zishu followed a unique fragrance and wasn’t a bit surprised to find Wen Kexing at the source.

The first eleven additions of disciples were capable helpers, a fact which Wen Kexing was grateful for since their number grew. And while he still handled food preparation, it had been much easier with the assistance of three to five people. Zhou Zishu observed him putter around the kitchen, intermittently giving instructions to one of the disciples taking inventory of their supplies.

Though careful to move about, Zhou Zishu made enough noise that had Wen Kexing’s sudden attention on him with his arms crossed. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Lord Zhou should wait in the dining hall for breakfast.”

It was a wonder how his demeanor would turn strict when it came to cooking but was otherwise lax in far serious affairs. Huffing, Zhou Zishu ambled towards the cook, glancing at the cauldron with rice. He reached for a spoon. “That smells good.”

Wen Kexing batted his hand away. “It’s not ready,” he chided. “It smells good because of the saffron, but the flavor won’t be settling in for another quarter of an hour.”

Zhou Zishu watched his long fingers sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper, almost enraptured at the way Wen Kexing was in his own element. Catching his gaze, Wen Kexing’s eyes softened imperceptibly. “A-Xu gets the first serving, of course.”

Zhou Zishu hummed. In a stroke of inspiration, he flitted behind Wen Kexing and hovered by his shoulder before reaching a hand around his waist, palm splaying over his abdomen. With Wen Kexing startled at the gesture, Zhou Zishu took advantage and swooped in with his spoon.

Some bits of the sticky rice were clumped but the hints of spice were already present. Without extricating himself from his position, Zhou Zishu added half a spoon of chili and tasted. He let out a small noise of approval, and if it happened to be right next to Wen Kexing’s ear and caused a vague shiver, well. “Delicious,” he muttered lowly.

From the far side of the room, someone stifled a cough and the moment was broken as quickly as it began. Zhou Zishu was already at an arm’s length when Wen Kexing rounded on him. Laughing, he dodged a smack to his side. “A-Xu! You—”

Zhou Zishu escaped before he could be properly thrown out of the kitchen, though not without reveling at Wen Kexing’s red ears.

iv

Zhou Zishu was not completely unaware of the appreciative stare that followed him upon entering the establishment. He could pinpoint the exact direction it was coming from: two tables to his right situated at the corner where a woman—highborn, based from her posture and rich robes—was dining with an elderly gentleman in equally luxurious attire who vaguely resembled her.

Pretending not to notice, he went on to hail the server for wine and food. Wen Kexing was taking his sweet time fetching a bag of his precious walnuts that Zhou Zishu couldn’t understand why he liked so much. Once he was served, Zhou Zishu started on the alcohol while he waited.

What he wasn’t expecting, though, was the abrupt presence of the same woman now at the empty seat across him. Zhou Zishu politely inclined his head in confusion and belatedly took note of the absence of her companion. “Guniang.”

“Gongzi.” She smiled handsomely in greeting, smelling faintly of lavender and jasmine. Judging from her features, she looked a year or so younger than him. Pretty, with practiced manners and grace, undeniably someone who could turn heads. “Pardon this one’s forwardness, but I noticed that gongzi is missing a company… and so am I after my father left me for the meantime. Might this one invite you to share mine perhaps?”

Zhou Zishu doubted that she had not heard him asking for a serving for two people and was obviously waiting for someone. Forward, that was for sure. Definitely a woman who had never been refused once she knew what she wanted. Zhou Zishu smiled amiably when he answered, “Thank you for the invitation, guniang, but I’m waiting for my companion.”

A flash of a frown crossed her delicate features before they smoothed over when she opened her pink lips to speak further of her insistence. Then, as if summoned, Zhou Zishu spotted Wen Kexing approaching from behind. Hearing what basically amounted to thundering steps, Zhou Zishu hid a grin behind his cup.

“A-Xu,” Wen Kexing called, tone deceptively beatific with an underlying sharpness that only Zhou Zishu was cognizant of. “I didn’t know we’ll be having a guest.”

“Guniang thought I’m eating alone, and she’s generous to offer her company,” Zhou Zishu supplied happily. Staring up at Wen Kexing, he added, innocuous, “What do you say, niang zi?”

Wen Kexing’s head snapped towards him incredulously, coincidental with the woman repeating the endearment under her breath in disbelief.

“What?” Zhou Zishu said in mock indignation. “Am I not allowed to call you that anymore after I protested with you calling me xiang gong? That was one time. Doesn’t mean I don’t like it.”

Wen Kexing hardly shifted on his feet even as the woman excused herself with all her ounce of dignity once the two ignored everything else but each other. Feeling satisfied, Zhou Zishu stood, grasped Wen Kexing’s shoulders, and pulled him down to the now free seat.

“Food’s getting cold,” was all Zhou Zishu said before digging in.

Halfway, Zhou Zishu discovered that red complementing Wen Kexing nicely wasn’t exclusive to his choice of garb alone.

v

Senior Ye had more white on his hair than the last time Zhou Zishu saw him.

“Old demon, you have more white hair,” Wen Kexing boldly said because, unlike Zhou Zishu, he did not possess a brain-to-mouth filter; that, and he wouldn’t pass up any chance to antagonize Senior Ye.

“And you have more wrinkles,” Senior Ye snarked back, giving as good as he got without putting down his meal. He smirked. “Having trouble handling the sect, I see.”

“We get by,” Zhou Zishu replied, interrupting Wen Kexing’s stewing annoyance. “We have yet to complete the numbers, but managing the household with more than three people can be difficult for one person. He’s been alright so far.”

“‘Alright’?” Wen Kexing scoffed. “I’m doing great.”

“Humble, are you?” Senior Ye snorted, popping a slice of cubed pork. “You’re not built for that kind of task, of course you fare barely.”

“Are you sure you want to tell that to the face of the person who made your food?” Wen Kexing sneered. “Freeloader!”

“I’m an honored guest. I deserve to be honored,” Senior Ye declared, and, fine, Zhou Zishu might have told him that. Shaking his head, Senior Ye turned to Zhou Zishu. “You’re a manor lord and unmarried. Why don’t you find a proper wife to manage your household affairs and serve as a positive influence to your disciples? Don’t let this brat run your sect to the ground.”

If Wen Kexing wasn’t angry before, he was positively fuming now. Zhou Zishu placed himself as a stopgap to a boiling pot and addressed the immortal, “Senior Ye is right. Fortunately, I can forgo the arduous process of searching for one, seeing as someone made a promise of marriage to me some time ago.”

Calmly, Zhou Zishu poured tea and drank before mentally counting down in that brief period of silence.

“Master is promised to someone?” Chengling asked with uncertainty. He looked as if he wasn’t sure whether to be happy at the news or be concerned, given the way he was subtly glancing at Wen Kexing who happened to be staring at his master woodenly. Zhou Zishu honestly felt rather bad that he almost forgot that the boy was also sharing their table and was witnessing this exchange firsthand.

Senior Ye, meanwhile, slowed his chewing and was eyeing Zhou Zishu curiously.

In a snap, Wen Kexing demanded, “A-Xu, who? Who has the gall to—”

It was a battle for Zhou Zishu to keep a straight face as he frowned at Wen Kexing bemusedly. “Didn’t you?” He pointed at the hairpin atop his head. At Wen Kexing’s dumbfounded look, Zhou Zishu made a doleful sigh. “Ah. I must have misunderstood your intention.”

“... A-Xu?”

Zhou Zishu straightened his back, twisting to get a proper look on Wen Kexing. It took all of his strength to not snicker in relish at Chengling’s bated breath and Senior Ye’s show of interest, try as he might hide it.

He was about to rectify a blatant mistake here.

Zhou Zishu tsked affectionately, and in a much softer approach, said, “Lao Wen.” He heard Wen Kexing’s breath hitching before he went in for the attack. “Let’s get married then.”

Someone could have dropped a pin at the hush that ensued; or, someone could have made the loudest of sound and Zhou Zishu wouldn’t have paid it any attention at all, not when he was wholly captivated by Wen Kexing whose stare was akin to memorizing Zhou Zishu’s face and committing it to memory, damn everything else.

“Yes,” he breathed, his voice almost inaudible and yet to Zhou Zishu it was loud and clear as the day, as bright as the blinding smile that bloomed on his face. To think that Zhou Zishu used to believe the beginning of spring around the Four Seasons Manor was the most breath-taking display he had ever seen. “A-Xu, let’s get married.”

If Zhou Zishu was completely lost in his own little world with Wen Kexing in the middle of lunch, amidst Chenling’s triumphant cheer and Senior Ye’s rude grumbling of the manor now having two shameless people living under it, no one could have blamed him.

+i

By fortnight, Zhou Zishu was a wedded man.

And just to be certain that the overwhelming feeling of warmth and happiness that threatened to burst out of his chest wasn’t from a fever-induced dream where he would wake with his heavily-crippled body, drunk and alone, he dipped Wen Kexing, his husband, by his waist and kissed him deeply for good measure.

There was no dream to be woken out of.

[janekfan]

hi mom. sorry i havent talked with you much recently but ive definitely been following ur stuff (which youve probably noticed). ive been extremely busy with much longer work hours, sometimes needing to find a place to hide so i can plop down and pass out for a few minutes. if you wanna write something regarding that, however you want to, it would bring me a lot of comfort ♡

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26659246

For @flame-cat my child! I’m so very proud of you! I hope this fits :) I can always try again <3 <3 <3

Jon lifted his head, groggy and sore, from the surface of his messy desk, a spare post it stuck to his cheek. He blinked hard, rubbing the sleep from his stinging, burning eyes and peeled away the paper to slip it back into the folder. Ever since his promotion he’d been burning the candle at both ends in an attempt to balance all of the new responsibilities despite not having any of the relevant experience. Sasha would have been a much better choice and for the life of him, Jon couldn’t figure out Elias’ game. How did having a bumbling, idiot Archivist benefit him in any way?

He rubbed his temples, cursing the persistent ache. Barely getting through a statement a week already felt like running a marathon every time, leaving him exhausted and irritable and the worst part about it all was not being able to ask for help. He’d thought. Well. He’d though having Tim and Sasha accompany him would make the whole thing a little more bearable. They were friends. Friends took care of each other and they understood it wasn’t his decision, right? That he’d tried to argue his way out of it, tried to explain that he wasn’t the person for this job.

He was probably being sensitive. They had responsibilities. They were busy.

It’s not all about you, Jon.

But he was so lonely.

Tired.

And it only became worse as the weeks went on though he didn’t know how bad it had gotten until one of the library staff poked him awake at the end of one of the “K” shelves. He’d only sat down for a moment on the bottom rung of a rolling ladder.

“Mr. Sims?”

“Wah--?” So eloquent when the library assistant shook him by the shoulder out of concern.

“Can I help you find something?” They smiled. “Like the door? So that you might go home and get some rest?”

“No, no, I’m alright.” He plucked a book at random. “I was just looking for this.” They didn’t seem convinced and smiled indulgently.

“A book on kinephantoms?” And Jon drew himself up to his full, diminutive height.

“Wha--yes. Yes, or course.” Clearing his throat he turned on his heel and stalked back into the archives.

“Hello? Tim? Um.”

“What can I do you for, boss?” Jon was exceptionally nervous and he didn’t know why but as Tim whirled around in his chair, pen flipping over his fingers, it spiked in his gut, made him sick.

“Ah yes, the, the research I asked for, l’last week.” Deep breath, be the boss, delegate and follow up. “How is it coming along?”

“Oh, yeah! The research. It’s ‘coming along.’ Should have it ready in a few days. How’s after the weekend sound?” Horrible.

If he was being honest.

“Yes, of course.” But he wasn’t. “That would be just fine, thank you, Tim.” He tucked the folder he had brought for him behind his back and left the way he came.

“Jon?”

“Sasha?” He looked up from his reading to find her in his doorway and a cup of cold tea on the corner of his desk. When had that--? “How can I help you?”

“I just had some questions regarding what you needed for that last statement.” Disappointment flooded his tongue with salt. His instructions must have been lacking. He’d have to try better this second time.

It took the rest of the afternoon and Jon, having already worked through lunch, was feeling light headed from lack of sleep and food by the time Sasha was ready to start her research. She. She couldn’t, wouldn’t? Pretend? Not to know would she? All her questions, she was more suited to this job than he was.

No. He was being paranoid. He was just tired.

Disorienting pain lanced through his chin, echoing through his jaw and into his skull and he groaned. He’d fallen asleep propped up on his arm and paid the price for it with a bruised and throbbing face.

“Jon?”

Go’way.

“Jon?”

Lemme sleep.

“Jon?”

“Mmartin?” With difficulty, he was able to pry his eyes open, blinking away the cobwebs, the dust clinging to his lashes.

“What are you doing down here?” Martin was pulling him to his feet and Jon wanted nothing more than to curl back up and drift away.

“Was looking for--oh?” It was in his hand and he lifted it as evidence. “This?”

“You look exhausted.” Automatically Jon was denying it despite knowing the shadows beneath his eyes were like bruises, shaking his head and backing away without even enough stale air in his body to say the right words until he left Martin behind.

It was just a stupid, silly mistake. Nothing tragic or irreversible or cataclysmic, he just dropped a box of organized and neatly filed statements. Just dropped a box representing hours and hours of time and research and missed meals and lost sleep and proof of his incompetence and before he knew it he was on his knees amidst the papers and ink and photos and notes and it was all. Too. Much.

He didn’t even notice the tears at first, not until they hit his hands and he cried more of them in his frustration, wiping them angrily away and only ending up with his face buried in his folded knees because he was just. So. Tired. Jon didn’t know how long he sat there in the hallway, arms tucked around himself and holding all his pieces together, but it was long enough that someone came upon him and he hurried about tidying the pages and stuffing them back into envelopes.

“Boss?” Jon scrubbed his face, turning around with his most dictatorial expression. It wouldn’t do for him to see out how terrible he was at this. How awful.

“Ah, just dropped some files. I’ve got it.”

“Have you been--?”

“No! No.” He began to gather the mess faster, jamming statements into folders, into files, all out of order because if he stayed here any longer under his scrutiny he would end up sobbing.

“Do you need some help?”

“No.” Biting and cold. Drive him away.

“Jon.”

“No, I. I just can’t, I’ll get the hang of it. I just need to work harder.”

“Hey.”

“I’m just. I’m. I’m tired...that’s all.” It didn’t sound convincing to him, let alone to his subordinate. Not to Tim who’d known him before this whole fiasco. He stood, box in hand and staggered into the wall when the hallway tilted sideways, caught by Tim before he could go down again. Defeated, he let him take the statements. Let him leave it on the floor and lead him away.

“Oi, boss. When’s the last time you ate anything?” His hands were trembling in Tim’s and when he went to pull them away, the man held fast, drew him into an awkward hug.

“Oh...uh. I, I can’t, I suppose I can’t remember.” Caught, exposed, Jon let his face fall into Tim’s chest.

“Okay, okay, let’s get you taken care of.”

Suffering Martin’s fussing and fretting, while he didn’t understand it, wasn’t as intolerable as usual. He’d taken one look at Jon and wrapped him up in his well-worn cardigan and sat him at the rickety table with a cup of tea and orders to drink it. With his second mug he handed Jon a packet of biscuits and, not able to escape while sandwiched annoyingly (comfortingly) between Tim and Sasha, he had no choice but to nibble on them. After his third, Sasha tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

“I want to apologize, Jon. I wasn’t doing anything to make this any easier on you.”

“No, you’ve. You’ve been helpful and--” He was horrified that she would think his own shortcomings were any fault of her own.

“Not as helpful as we could have been, boss.” Jon looked between them so quickly it set his head to spinning. “We’re much better at research than we’ve led you to believe.”

“It was frustrating.”

“I’m s’sorry.”

“Not because of you.” He allowed Sasha to tug his head down to her shoulder. “We should have noticed you were running yourself ragged cleaning up after us.” Delightfully cozy and warm, Jon was dozing off and she chuckled. “Okay, okay, let’s get you tucked in. We can make it up to you after your nap.” Jon tried to resist, tried to rattle off all the work he still had left to do but all that came out of his fickle mouth were mumbling, sleepy, embarrassing noises. They set him up on the ratty break room couch and it was the most comfortable he’d been in ages. If he could just manage a coherent sentence…but the pillow was so soft beneath his aching head, the blanket Martin was settling over his shoulders just heavy enough and he tried one more time to say anything at all when Martin lifted the glasses off his face and folded them aside.

“Mhm, of course, yes, boss, whatever you say boss.” Sasha’s fingers running through his hair were his final undoing and between one gentle touch and the next, he let himself go.

[marauder-exe]

Crying and Cuddling- Sirius Black X Reader

Word count: 1,7k

request: Hello, can I request a Sirius Black with the prompts 10, 27 and 44. Ending in fluff, but full of angst. Thank you! 💚

prompts: 10. “I cant do this anymore”

27. “(Y/N), why does your ex have a black eye”

44. “Don't go, stay with me.”

warnings: angsty but a happy ending? Some guy being an asshole

a/n:sorry about the repost!

Sundays where usually spent with you and Sirius cuddled up on the gryffindor couch, sometimes watching James and Remus play wizard chess, or watching peter trying (and failing) to flirt with some 5th years. But today, something had been plaguing your mind. What were you and Sirius? Because you assumed you guys where unofficially official. He never dated anyone else but he had never asked you to be his girlfriend. It had been going on like this for the better part of a year. You'd met in 2nd year and yo instantly became best friends, and since then it just kinda grew. You knew he wasn't one for commitment, given his reputation, but he wasn't like that anymore. He had changed, He had changed for you. But was that enough? It always buried doubt in your head, im not his girlfriend because he doesn't want me enough. Of course that's untrue, but you couldn't help but think. You slowly looked up at him, eyes closed, a peaceful look on his face, you pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, he smiles.

“what's up love?” He had that cute sleepy voice.

“what are we Sirius?” you questioned, big doe eyes looking up at him.

He didn't really have a response, he had never really thought of it, so he said the first thing that came to his mind.

“Were friends, were this” He gestured to the two of you cuddled up.

Those words lit a fire inside of you, Just friends. Honestly. You abruptly shifted off of him and sat up,

“i cant do THIS anymore Sirius”

“what do you mean doll?” You absolutely hated the fact that he couldn't catch on.

“I cant do this, be us anymore, I need more than this, I need to be yours” He just stared at you, not really having a response,

“would you want us to be us?” You question. He just blanked, he didn't really know what he wanted. That was a lie. He knew he wanted you, wholly and fully to be yours and you to be his but he had to keep you at arms length. You couldn't get hurt because of him, it would destroy him. But his silence was enough for you. You got up and turned to walk, he mumbled a small ‘wait’, his heart speaking before his mind could.

“No, Sirius, come find me once you've decided if im good enough or not” You spat. You sprung out of the common room, past the portrait hole, and began wondering around the halls, it was an hour before curfew so you wouldn't get into that much trouble. Sirius sat staring after you looking dumbfounded.

“Padfoot, mate, what the fuck was that?” James chimed in.

“i have absolutely no idea prongs” He huffed and lay his head against the arm of the chair, what was he gonna do.

It felt a though you where wondering the corridor for hours, but you needed it. Maybe you overreacted on Sirius, Maybe he did want to be with you but he hadn't figured out how to ask. No, if he really wanted to be with you, He would've come looking. You leaned against the wall in some random corridor you'd wandered off to, slowly sliding down it, putting your head in your hands. You heard quite footsteps, quickly approaching. Hoping that on the off chance Sirius had decided to come find you, you lifted your head up. Of course it wasn't him. It was some 6th year ass hat from slytherin. When he noticed you where crying, you expected him to make fun of you, but no, he just sat next to you and asked if you where okay.

“Ive seen better days I suppose” You laughed sadly.

“Well I have something that could cheer you up” He said, a glint of mischief in his eye, oh no this couldn't be good.

“and that is?” You questioned. Then within an instant he had his lips on yours. What the fuck. “woah woah Justin man what are you doing?” You pushed him off you in seconds.

“Well word got round you and Sirius are done, so ya know I figured, why not take a chance with you?” he sneered.

“what? Where did you hear that?” You where so utterly confused it had only been, what? An hour or two since your fight. Word travels fast I suppose.

“Some perky gryffindor chick said she was gonna try it on with im since you guys broke up, so I figured the same” He said cockily.

“You cant exactly break up if your not together” You mumbled.

“So what do you say doll? “You cringed at the nickname, it only felt right when Sirius said it to you. You saddened at the thought.

“ah, I appreciate the offer but no thanks” You chuckled nervously. He came closer and backed you up against the wall.

“Come on baby girl, what are you afraid of?” Ugh he practically made your skin crawl.

“i-i said no” You tried to stand your ground but it wasn't working very well.

“Aww come on” He said making a grab for your ass.

“(Y/N)?” Lily’s voice rang through the empty corridor, you rushed over to her, pushing Justin out of the way,

“Oh thank god lils” You gasped breathlessly.

“You alright? Im just on the way back to the common room from prefect rounds, You wanna walk back with me?” Oh praise the lord for Lily Evans.

“yea, yeah lets go” She mumbled a quick bye to Justin, and the rest of the walk to the common room was an uncomfortable silence.

As you where approaching the portrait hole, she spoke. “So you and Sirius are over then?” God you did not want to talk to this after what just happened, you just wanted a shower and your bed.

“please not today lils” You pleaded.

“Fine, ill leave it.” A silence. “He loves you though, you know? He just has a hard time expressing it”

“i beg to differ sometimes” You two walked through the portrait hole, still a bit shaken up from that ass hole Justin, You sat on the couch.

“You alright? What was that guy doing” And that's all it took, those few simple words and you broke down crying, practically word vomiting everything that had happened in those few minutes. You where so caught up in crying and telling lily you filed to realise Sirius was halfway down the stairs, listening intently, fisted balled up. After you and Lily finished talking, he dashed back up stairs, fists white and face, angry. He was going to get that little shit tomorrow for touching his girl. His girl.

The next morning was a bit of a haze, tears blurred your puffy eyes, from all the crying last, because of that ass hole Justin and your potential breakup with Sirius, maybe he didn't want you after all. But, of course, what you didn't see was, at that very moment, Sirius was walking over to the slytherin dungeons, about to knock the living daylights out of Justin. And trust me e did. He got a little beat up in the process but he was willing to take anything for his girl, even a cruciatus curse.

You and Lily had been sat in the great hall for breakfast for about half an hour, you where mostly just pushing your food around the plate and brooding but still. Lily piped up next to you when she heard the great hall doors open, but you didn't bother.

“(Y/N)” You turned your head to her. “ why does your ex have a black eye?” You gave her a questioning look and turned to look towards the great hall door, There you saw Sirius, eye red and bruised, walking over to the marauders who where a few seats down, giving him sympathetic smiles and smirks.

“I don't know but im about to find out” You got up and walked down to where the marauders were, grabbing Sirius by the back of his leather jacket and dragging him down the hall, hearing a chorus of whistles and ‘go Sirius's. You kept a hold of him all the way to the gryffindor common room.

“Whats with the black eye, did you get in a fight?” You asked, tenderly stroking his cheekbone.

“Its nothing honestly” He whispered. You did not believe him for a second.

“right, well if your not gonna tell me, ill leave” You turned until you heard a small ‘wait’ echoing his words from the previous days. You turned back to him. “i-i punched Justin O'Donnell for what he did to you” You where utterly astounded. You honestly didn't know what to say.

“well, I hope your proud of yourself” Why in the world did you say that. You turned to walk away.

“Dont go, stay with me” he whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek “im sorry, I forever want to be with you but I didn't know how to ask you” He stared at the ground.

“I think you just did” You smiled. He lifted his head and broke out in a wide grin.

“is that a yes?” His eyes wide and hopeful.

“ of course you idiot” You jumped and hugged him, legs wrapped round his waist. And you kissed. Just like any other day, but this was full of passion and meaning. As you guy2s broke away, you stared into each others eyes.

“fancy a cuddle?” He said with a classic smirk. You rolled your eyes.

“Always” you smiled.

As the remaining marauders (+lily) returned to the common room after the feast, they caught sight of the lovebirds, cuddled up together on the common room couch, led Zeppelin quietly playing in the background.

“Match made in heaven” Remus cited.

“Should we wake them” Lily asked to no one in particular.

James wrapped his arm around her shoulder “Nah, let em’ sleep for today” They all headed up the stairs to retrieve their books for next lesson.

Sirius whispered a quite “Thank you”.

“No problem, mate” James chuckled.

“I love you” He whispered quietly in your ear.

“AWW! Thanks babe!” James shouted.

“Not you” Sirius grumbled, hearing the rest of the marauders laugh before drifting back into peace.

[liannyeong]

promises are meant to be broken

Summary: "promise?" she asks, her fingers wrapped around the crystal.

jaebum's eyes flick down to her hand. he reaches out and presses his index finger and thumb on hers. "promise."

(or a mafia au in which jaebum breaks his promise and the events that happen afterwards)

Word count: 3198

Pairing: Jaebum X OC

Warning(s): a little bit of angst or tension ^^, lapslock

A/N: here’s a new fic after 2 months... hopefully all of you enjoy this, because it was written on a whim... i’ve been trying to write more since ideas keep coming but i keep getting distracted and so, none of my WIPs are finished lol send help

i.

when she wakes, she finds her limbs tied to the chair, her mouth gagged with a cloth. there's no way she can escape. there's no way anyone from the family can even find her.

"he won't come for me," she spits at her captor. "you think he cares?"

even so, her heart races, blood pounding in her ears. what if jaebum really doesn't come? what if he doesn't care? god, she knew him since they were children. there's no way he would turn his back on his longtime friend... right?

her captors have no mercy. they torture her endlessly, but she bears it all. they want jaebum's secrets, but there's no way she would give it to them. they plunge the blade into her thighs, demanding answers. she lets her tears and blood spill endlessly, but never her words. she will never betray jaebum.

gunshots in the distance break their aggressive interrogation. she lets out a cry of relief, thankful when the yells of men are heard. and she's even more grateful when jaebum barges into the room, eyebrows furrowed, face red in anger. he strides over to her and breaks her free.

she can barely stand on her own, what with her bleeding thighs. so jaebum carries her on his back.

"i thought you wouldn't come," she says faintly.

"i won't leave you behind," jaebum replies between his pants.

it feels nice, to be carried like this. to have a person like this. she smiles, nuzzling closer to his neck. her worries from earlier are nothing but plain worries. jaebum would never break his promise.

"hey, hang in there. keep talking to me," jaebum says.

"feels nice," she murmurs.

"what does?"

"you. carrying me like this. it feels nice."

her eyes start to get heavy, the fatigue slowly creeping in. how long has it been since she last rested properly? even if it's not the most comfortable position, jaebum's broad back provides the warmth she has long craved for. so she wraps her arms around his shoulder, burying her face into the junction between his neck and shoulder.

"jaebum-ah, i'm sleepy..."

"hey, don't go silent on me-- keep talkin--" but she can barely hear him anymore.

---

ii.

jaebum doesn't visit her at the hospital. He doesn't pop by at all. instead, all she ever hears from him is through her fellow members. it isn't uncommon for the don toe be busy, but it is unusual that he is too busy to even visit her. when she had minor bruises and injuries, jaebum would come barging into the room as if there were news of death. something is off, she feels it. but she doesn't question. perhaps jaebum is really occupied with work.

she discards her thoughts and focuses on recovery. she trains hard, doing her best to gain back her strength and control. it isn't easy with her injuries but she manages. her agility is reduced but she doesn't rest. jaebum still hasn't approached her even after she was discharged and considered fit for work. jaebum doesn't summon her to his office either. so she practices harder. after all, she only wishes to meet jaebum when she's fully prepared for her duty.

when jaebum finally calls her into his office, she keeps her chin up. confident to prove her worth again. jaebum has his back turned on her, his hands clasped behind his back as he looks out of the window through the blinds.

"i don't need you anymore," he starts.

she freezes. no way. there's no way she heard that right--

"you're done here," jaebum states plainly.

"jaebum, you don't mean--"

the don turns, his eyes are unrelenting when it meets hers. "i mean: you're fired," he spells out.

no. there's no way-- she couldn't bear the swell in her chest, the lump in her throat at the implications of his words.

"why?" her voice comes out soft, timid.

jaebum's stare doesn't soften. his expression is taut, tensed like a taut string on the verge of snapping.

"what is the use of a crippled member to me?" the don shoots back.

those words stung. but it doesn't hurt as much as the reply he gives later.

"you don't need me at all? even though i know you the best?"

jaebum deadpans. no hint of recollection or whatsoever. "what does that got to do with anything?"

it strikes her then. jaebum has forgotten his promise. if not, he has been nothing but a liar for all the time she has known him.

she swallows the lump in her throat, along with her sorrow and disappointment. she reaches for the crystal around her neck. she hesitates, but the emotions in her drives her to pull it off. she doesn't care about the bruise that will bloom later, nor does she care about the broken chain. she collects them into the palm of her hand, and caresses it for the last time before placing it on the don's table. she doesn't look up to see jaebum's reaction. she takes a step back and bows politely. she tries to maintain a stable voice as she says, "as you wish, mr im."

she stands straight, can no longer bear to look at her friend before leaving the office.

---

iii.

it's the day jaebum gets appointed as the new don of the im family. she stays close, keeps an eye for him. her parents were invited to the party, but she kindly requested that jaebum keep them out of the mafia business. a few hours into the event, she watches the new don heading to the balcony of the mansion. through the massive crowd, jaebum manages to find her and look at her directly in the eyes. he beckons her over.

"i have a gift for you," jaebum says when she comes close. the wind that blows across their faces is cooling to the warmth on her cheeks. he pulls out an object from his pocket, presents it to her.

she gasps. "what--"

sitting on his palm is a crystal encased in silver-plated rods, a silver chain attached to it. she picks it up and examines it. it's beautiful to her eyes that she's mesmerized by it.

"i doubt you'll wear it but i had it crafted for you," jaebum comments.

"why then?" she asks.

jaebum shrugs. "i didn't know a better birthday gift."

she laughs. "maybe a weapon? that would be very useful, you know. especially for my job."

jaebum seems to think about it. but then he shakes his head, "it's too risky for you. you'd probably do whatever it takes to get the weapon back should our enemies snatch them."

she just smiles. "you know me too well."

she glances down at her new accessory, then flicks her eyes back at her friend. she holds it out to him, cheeks warming up from her own request. "can you put this on for me?"

jaebum doesn't refuse. he takes the jewellery willingly. she turns around, letting the male's arms go over her head. she feels the cool metal chain on her neck, the crystal resting on her chest.

she faces jaebum once more, fingers fiddling with the new object around her neck. she must have been wearing a certain kind of expression for the don asks, "what's wrong?"

she lets out a breath. "will you keep me by your side forever?"

jaebum looks at her, amused. "of course."

she keeps her eyes trained on the crystal of her necklace. "even when i can no longer serve you as your right-hand woman?"

jaebum doesn't laugh. it takes him a while to respond, that she nearly thought he didn't hear her question. but when she looks up, he already has his gaze on her, watching the way she fiddles with the new accessory. he shows her the softest smile, the warmest eyes when he says, "always. even if you're no longer able, i will always have you next to me. because you know me the best."

"promise?" she asks, her fingers wrapped around the crystal.

jaebum's eyes flick down to her hand. he reaches out and presses his index finger and thumb on hers. "promise."

---

iv.

it's been three whole years since she left jaebum's side. she goes to her hometown, at the outskirts of the city that jaebum controls. from time to time, she hears news of him but it's always something grueling. recently, there has been news of the don being in danger. still, she hopes jaebum would be safe somewhere. even if she doesn't know the new jaebum, she's certain that her jaebum is in there somewhere. subconsciously, her fingers go to her neck, searching for that familiar crystal. it's a habit she has adopted throughout the years of wearing the jewellery. even though she returned it, she still can't fix the habit.

"noona! it's your turn to take out the trash!" yugyeom shouts from the kitchen.

she obliges, coming out of the laundry room from where she was folding clothes. she drags the trash bag out of the kitchen, through the backdoor and into the bin. she hears a soft rustling and she stays alert. an intruder? a robber? or could it be that someone found her linked to jaebum? she grabs yugyeom's baseball bat left abandoned against the wall and sneaks closer to the source of the sound.

she prepares herself, raises the bat when she pushes the leaves aside. but she finds jaebum, leaning against the brick wall, covered by the shadows of the trees and the piling wood. immediately, she drops the bat to the ground and moves swiftly to tend to the male, bringing him into the house.

"gyeom-ah, help--"

the boy cries out in horror but lends a helping hand. they bring him to the guest room, and yugyeom doesn't object when told to take care of the man. the boy has seen enough injuries on his sister's body to know what to do.

"has he waken yet?" she asks when yugyeom exits the room. the boy shakes his head. "i'll stay with him. go and rest."

she quietly enters the room. it's a mismatch. how can a don like jaebum sleep on a cheap bed of their guestroom? nevertheless, he sleeps soundly and peacefully as if it's the most comfortable bed. she takes a seat next to the bed. she brushes his hair aside, a little too long, a little unkempt from what she remembers. why, she wonders, did jaebum come to this house? perhaps all questions will be answered when he wakes.

---

v.

when she wakes jaebum holds the tip of her hair. she has fallen asleep by his bedside, waiting for him to wake up. alarmed, she sits up straight, and jaebum just lets her hair slip through his fingers.

"you grew it out," jaebum comments. he's definitely stronger than the night before, his skin fuller in color.

"i always thought you didn't like long hair," he says again, eyes warm and soft on her.

"it's a hassle on the field," she replies. "easy for our enemies to grab me too."

jaebum hums, shifting his attention to his lap instead. if the possessive word she used bothers him, he doesn't speak about it.

"you stayed," he comments.

"why did you come here?" she asks, ignoring him.

"i had nowhere to go."

"what happened?"

jaebum sighs, sadness evident in his eyes. he pours everything out: "there was an uproar. the wang family waged war on us. it was well-planned that i--" jaebum pauses, eyes downcast. she reaches out, placing her hand atop of his, hoping it would bring comfort. "i let everyone down. i didn't protect the family."

"it's not your fault. you didn't know," she tries.

"but i'm the head of the family! i-- it's my job to protect them--"

impulsively, she surges forward, climbing onto the bed. she kneels next to jaebum and  throws her arms around the male, pressing his head close to her body. "it's not your fault, jaebum-ah. don't blame yourself for the inevitable."

jaebum must have been comforted by those words for he relaxes in her hold. she feels his hands creeping up the back of her shirt, feels him nuzzling into her. then she hears the sharp intake of breath, followed by a slow shaky exhale. she shifts her position so that she rests comfortably on the bed; jaebum adjusts accordingly. she runs her hand through his hair in slow but constant tempo.

in this moment, it feels like nothing has changed. as if the three years didn't exist.

---

vi.

she wakes to the sound of water in the bathroom. she's all alone in the bed, flustered at the realization that she had shared the same bed as jaebum. she jumps out of bed, grabs some of her late father's clothes from another room. she comes back to the guestroom, knocking before pushing the door open.

"i brought some clothes to change into--"

jaebum stands by the bed, a towel wrapped around his waist. flustered at the sight of his half-naked body, she looks away. but there is a glimmer on his chest that she can't avoid. she glances at it and realization hits her.

her crystal necklace that she pulled off hangs around his neck, pressed against his skin. the silver chain is gone, replaced by a black cord instead. her feet takes her closer, until all it needs is a stretch of her hand to touch the object. jaebum doesn't budge, doesn't flinch; he just lets her.

"i've been wearing it since the day i fired you," he says softly, almost like a whisper.

"why--"

"it's the only thing that reminds me of you."

she frowns. "then why didn't you let me stay--"

"and what? see you die? see you hurt? i couldn't bear it. you were on the brink of death! how do you think i felt? i was so scared-- i thought i would lose you..." his face crumples in sadness. he lets out a deep exhale. "i lied. i remembered our promise when you mentioned it that day. but i had to. i had to pretend--"

she retracts her hand swiftly, in anger. "and betray me instead? you broke your promise and you're justifying it?" she shakes her head, backing away from the male. her disappointment in him only increases. she pauses at the door, face slightly turned to say, "even if my life is at risk, i rather fight with you than let you do it all alone."

---

vii.

the fifth day when jaebum stays at her place, he learns new things. her parents died a year after she left the mafia service, leaving her to take care of yugyeom, her ten-year-old brother. she becomes a farmer; spends most of her time on the farm for sustenance. additionally, jaebum learns that there's a potential suitor on her tail. the man -- named jinyoung -- is charming, jaebum must admit. he has a deep voice that is soothing to the ears. his body is lean and fit; suitable for farming. he's good with kids too, with the way yugyeom is all smiles and laughter as they play around on the field.

jaebum watches them from the ranch. out of earshot, he asks, "do you like him?" it comes out a little timidly. funny, he has always been brave, cruel and daring in his orders as a don. to sound so small and weak makes him feel incompetent.

she hums. "he's a nice guy. he doesn't judge me for my past."

"do you like him?" he presses, turning his head to look at his friend.

she meets his eyes. "as a friend, yes."

"you don't--  you don't like him more than that?"

she pauses, stares at him. she holds her gaze steady, never faltering. there's something about it that takes his breath away. yet, it makes him quiver. what has the mafia don become?

she lets out a flat "no."

"why?"

she moves, averts her eyes as she answers, "i gave my heart away."

"to who?" jaebum dares himself to ask.

she stops at the steps of the ranch. she turns a little, just enough for their eyes to meet. there's sorrow in her eyes. but the reply she gives has his heart torn into pieces.

"to someone who doesn't need me."

---

viii.

the seventh day is the last day jaebum stays. he's much stronger than the first night she found him at the backyard. she hears the familiar creaking of the front door at the wee hours of morning. she rises up from her bed, looks through the folds of curtain in her room. jaebum is already crossing the grassy field. she draws the curtains apart, slides the window open and climbs out of her room, quick and quiet. she runs after the male barefooted, the morning dew makes it uncomfortable but she bears it no mind.

"stay," she pants when she catches up to the male.

jaebum looks at her sadly. the decision to leave must have pained him.

"i can't," he says weakly. "i shouldn't--"

"my skills are rusty, but i can help you--"

jaebum shakes his head. "yugyeom needs you more than i do."

words die on her tongue. she has no way to argue. no matter how much she desires to follow jaebum, to stay by his side, the circumstances are different now. there's no way she can make a decision selfishly. she has to consider her responsibility for her younger brother.

she resigns. but she takes a step forward, reaching out for his face. her fingertips touch his cheek, and she sees jaebum slightly flinching. she almost retracts her hand but he mimics her action, brushing his knuckles against her cheek.

"where will you go?" her voice is so soft when she asks, almost like a whisper.

jaebum shrugs, smiling weakly as he drags a thumb across her skin. he drops his hand afterwards, stuffing into the pocket of his jacket. "i'll figure it out soon."

she nods. jaebum makes a move, but she stops him by grabbing his elbow. before the man can even react, she places the other hand on his shoulder and then tiptoes. she presses a light kiss onto the corner of his mouth.

"be safe, jaebum-ah," she says after pulling away. she lets their eyes meet, drinking in the sight of jaebum's expression. a mixture of surprise and longing. she smiles weakly. "you're always welcomed here."

she proceeds to take a step back, but jaebum winds an arm around her waist, trapping her. then he cups her face with a hand, gazes into her eyes so softly. he leans forward, eyes closing, as he presses his lips to her forehead. but it's all too fast for her to revel in, for jaebum pulls away after a second, taking all the warmth away. she watches his retreating figure. not once did he look back. it's as if he has already let go of everything. but perhaps this is for the best. if they had given themselves to the temptation, to their hearts, nothing would have worked out.

she could only hope that jaebum will come home, safe and sound. 

[bunnyhanasong]

Broken

Chapter 2 of “Foolish Girl”

Main ship: widowtracer (though Amé isn’t in this one)

Side ships: pharmercy, implied mekamechanic, mentions of Dvamon, platonic mekatracer/HanaxLena

Genre: angst, hurt/comfort, some family fluff uwu

Notes: some swearing, medical talk, Angela is a helicopter mum, Lena is still a dumb lesbian, Hana and Lena are soft sisters, Angie and Fareeha are Best Mums

Cross posted to my Ao3 lesbianlenaoxton

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“LENA OXTON, WHAT THE FUCK.”

“Hana,” A soft voice murmured from across the room, “Volume down please, people are trying to heal.”

“Yeah yeah, sorry, eomma,” Hana waved a hand at Mercy, letting the door close behind her. She crossed the room to the hospital bed, glaring at the tiny woman slumped against the pillows.

“Lena, what the fuck,” Hana repeated at a much lower volume, “What were you thinking?”

“Hana, please don’t pester her,” Fareeha spoke from her seat on the couch, “Angela already reprimanded her enough.”

The blonde tucked protectively under Fareeha’s arm smacked her shoulder lightly in reproach, “She deserved it.”

“She got shot, Habibti,” her girlfriend reminded her gently, “She’s been punished enough for now.”

Lena grumbled something from under her scratchy hospital issued blanket, making everyone turn to her. Her skin was still a sickly pallor, though she did look a bit more alert despite the amount of morphine she was on. Her unruly hair was still that, fluffed up against her pillow.

“I didn’t intend on getting shot, Love,” Tracer rasped lowly, dark eyes apologetic as she looked at her best friend.

“But you did,” Hana concluded, “All because of Widowmaker.”

“No...” Lena frowned, “She saved me. Reyes would have killed me if she’d not been there.”

Hana looked back at Mercy for help but Angela just shook her head, “She has a point... We all heard her over the comm.”

“She... she’s not as bad as you want to believe,” Lena murmured in a way that sounded almost meek, “It seemed like she broke through her programming... at one point she sounded just like Amé.”

Angela hummed and shifted against Fareeha to look at Lena, “She did sound a bit more emotional than in the past. Not to mention her not killing you and also contacting us. That was very odd.”

“She’s still in there, Angie,” Lena’s voice cracked a little as she willed Angela to understand, “She’s not dead.”

Hana saw tears welling in Lena’s eyes and frowned, reaching over to take her hand. Lena gave her a weak smile and slumped back against her pillows when Angela didn’t respond. Hana sat down on the edge of the bed, brushing her friend’s hair out of her eyes before speaking.

“So, aside from the obvious, how are you feeling, Lee?”

Lena shrugged, leaning a bit into Hana’s touch, “Like I got shot.”

Hana rolled her eyes, “No duh, pabo,” stupid, Lena knew what that one meant.

“I don’t know,” Lena lifted her hand to show the IV taped in place, “Good drugs. Can’t move though, then it hurts.”

“What’s the actual diagnosis, Doc?” Hana asked Angela, who’d gotten up from her place in Fareeha’s arms and was over at the counter looking at files.

“Bullet wound to the upper thigh, just missed the femoral artery. No exit wound but unless the bullet begins to cause issues there is no logical reason to remove it.” She looked at Lena pointedly, “You’re lucky, Reaper usually isn’t that kind. In any other instance he would have aimed for your head.”

“Amé... I mean Widowmaker was too close,” Lena replied, “He knew she would have fought him.”

“Acting out to protect the enemy like that is not logical on her part,” Fareeha began, “Especially if she’s breaking through her programming; God knows what Talon might do to her.”

“Angie... is there any way to get her out?”

Mercy’s blue eyes were stern as she spoke again, “Lena, we cannot risk our lives to save her. She’s still a brainwashed assassin, and a very good one at that. We do not need another Gérard situation.”

“But-”

Angela held up a hand, “Süsse, please do not push it. Unless she comes to us willingly and asks for me to reverse their brainwashing, I will not interfere.”

Lena gave Angela a sour face at the pet name, not in the mood to be babied. She sighed and nodded in digression, knowing better than to push the older woman any further.

“Eomma?”

Angela couldn’t help but smile when Hana called her mom, “Yes, Hana?”

“When can Lena come back to the safe house?” They had a safe house in every major city, since Overwatch activity was technically illegal; it was better to stay hidden. Their Paris safe house wasn’t very big, but in an instance like this it wasn’t possible for them to leave for a still operating watchpoint just yet.

“If she doesn’t develop a fever or infection she can go home in the next couple days. No walking though. Wheelchair for the time being and then crutches when you get your strength back, Lena.”

Lena groaned, “You’ve got to be kidding,” she pouted at Mercy, “How long?”

“You will probably be walking in 4-6 weeks. We will need to do physiotherapy to avoid muscle damage and I want to keep a close eye on your progress. No missions or running for a while, I’m afraid.”

“Angie! That’s so long.”

The doctor shrugged, “Maybe you’ll think next time before you go running into danger without backup.”

“Angela,” Fareeha said gently, “Be nice.”

“She deserves to know how utterly stupid that was.”

“And I’m sure she does, darling,” Fareeha has stood and cross the room to her girlfriend, “But you’re not helping.”

Angela just glared up at the taller woman for a moment before sighing. She walked over to Lena, checking her vitals on the monitor and adjusting the morphine drip. When she was finished she glanced down at the younger girl, who was staring at her with apologetic puppy eyes.

“I’m sorry, Lena,” Angela leaned down to drop a kiss to her head, “I will try to speed up your healing as best I can. We can talk about this later, but I’m not angry. You just scared me, I don’t want to lose you.”

Lena smiled in spite of herself at the affection and her honesty, “I’m sorry too, mum. I’ll try to be careful in the future.”

“Please do, for the sake of my poor old heart.”

Hana rolled her eyes, “You’re not old, Angie.”

“Feels like it,” Angela stood up straight and flinched when her back implant pinched at her skin. She went back over to Fareeha, who immediately placed a gentle hand on her back as she sensed her discomfort.

“Why don’t you go rest, Angela? I can take you home and then come back and watch the pup, she will be fine.”

“What is it with all of you and calling me a puppy?” Lena grumbled, a pout on her face as she listened to her teammates.

“I should stay...”

“Habibti, you need sleep. Please, I’ll stay with Lena until she sleeps and then I will come back home, yes? I’ll bring Hana home with me.”

Angela sighed and rubbed her tired eyes, “Alright.”

Fareeha smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple, letting Angela collect her papers and bag before leading her out into the hallway. The younger girls watched them go, Hana sighing when the door shut completely.

“Angie’s been a mess since you got shot,” she explained seriously, “You were out for two days, I’m sure you’re aware.”

Lena nodded, frowning, “Has she slept at all?”

“Not really,” Hana replied, “Fareeha’s coaxed her to take naps on the couch but this is the first time she’ll be going home since. She’s been living at the hospital with you.”

Lena sighed, feeling bad for the stress she’d clearly caused Angela. She rubbed her hand over her face, feeling her own eyes droop with sleep as the morphine hit her again; Mercy must have increased her dosage.

“Sleepy?” Hana’s voice was slightly teasing as she patted Lena’s arm gently.

“Mhm,” Lena nodded, “Meds are strong.”

“Lucky you,” the younger girl laughed and glanced back at the door, “Want me to leave so you can sleep?”

“Nuh-uh,” the small woman stifled a yawn, “Hana?”

“What’s up, Lee?”

“Cuddle?”

Hana scrunched up her face in mock disgust, “Ew, affection? Gross.” When Lena flashed her signature puppy eyes though, Hana dropped the act, “You’re lucky you’re cute, dummy.”

Hana got off the bed and helped Lena move over carefully, trying not to jostle her leg. She pulled back the blankets and climbed up beside her friend, laying down and covering them both up. Once Hana was situated, Lena smiled at her and snuggled as close as she could; though it was difficult since she was stuck laying on her back.

“Better?”

Lena hummed in agreement, “You’re warm.” She leaned her head against Hana’s shoulder, “Who’s all at the safe house?”

“Angie, Fareeha, Jack, and Mei,” Hana replied, “Then me and Brig. And you, in a few days.”

“Ah, how is Brigitte?” Lena’s voice held a teasing edge to it. There was no secret that Hana and the Swedish mechanic-turned-healer were involved, but the extent of their relationship wasn’t as clear.

Hana turned a shade of pink that would put her original meka to shame, “S-she’s fine. We’re good... great actually.”

Lena giggled at her reaction, “You two official yet?”

Knowing she wouldn’t escape this conversation, Hana sighed, “Not yet. I mean, I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?”

The Korean girl shrugged, “We’ve been taking things slow. She knows I’m... apprehensive about relationships, and she respects that.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Lena poked at Hana’s reddened cheek, “Brig is a good person.”

The smile that fell on Hana’s lips was genuine and full of adoration, “She’s lovely and I really do love spending time with her... It’s just hard, Y’know? After Yuna...”

Tracer knew all about Dva’s past relationship with her meka teammate Yuna, code name Dmon. It ended when Hana decided to join Overwatch, which took her away from Korea and her friends in the army. Yuna had been supportive but very firm in her view that Hana was leaving a whole life behind and she might not be around when the other girl returned home. It was really hard on Hana and Lena knew that, especially since finding out that Yuna and Kyungsoo had ended up getting engaged recently.

“I know, love. And I’m sure Brigitte is going to be understanding and patient for you. Just don’t keep the girl waiting too long, yeah? She’s quite the catch.”

“Hands off, Oxton,” Hana joked at Lena’s implication.

Lena raised her hands in mock defence, “She’s all yours, Song.”

Hana laughed and knocked her head lightly against Lena’s, “I miss hanging out with you.”

“I miss you too, love,” the older girl replied sincerely, “Should come visit me back in London when you get the chance. Figure I’ll be on leave for a while once Angie lets me out of her sight.”

“Maybe I will,” Hana agreed happily, “London is nice.”

The room fell into a comfortable silence for a while, save for the beeping of Lena’s heart monitor and the hum the morphine pump. Hana wrapped an arm around Lena as she turned on her side, getting comfy once again. The two had grown a lot closer since Dva joined overwatch, it was a given since Lena was the closest to Hana’s age next to Brigitte. Despite the seven year age different between them, they’d quickly become close friends. Lena has began seeing Hana as a little sister and she would do anything to protect her.

“Lee?”

Lena hummed sleepily, “Yeah?”

Hana’s voice seemed apprehensive, “Can I ask you something?”

Lena raised an eyebrow and turned her head to look at the younger girl, “What’s on your mind, love?”

“Could you tell me about Amélie?” Hana winced at the way Lena’s eyes portrayed her pain, “If it’s not to hard on you.”

Lena put on a brave face, though talking about her best friend who might as well be dead was still painful, “What do you want to know, Hana?”

“What was she like? I never met her but you seemed to be rather fond of her. I’ve heard she was lovely to be around.”

“She was lovely,” Lena began in a soft tone, “So lovely. She seemed a bit snobbish in the beginning but I think that just comes with her being a countess, you know? Once we actually spent time together I realized how sweet she actually was. She was so joyful and her laugh, God, Hana, her laugh was so adorable you just couldn’t help but smile when you heard it.”

Hana smiled sadly at the way Lena’s eyes were melancholic, knowing the memories were all very bittersweet to her now. She patted Lena’s hand lightly, “I’m sure it was pretty. She was very beautiful in the photos I’ve seen.”

Widowmaker may have Amélie’s body but she did not resemble the woman much at all. Amélie hadn’t been as thin, having a nice dancer’s build with a little more meat on her bones. Widowmaker’s blue skin was pulled taunt over bone, clearly due to the fact that she no longer needed to eat. Amélie had the kindest soft grey eyes Lena had even seen as well, which made Widowmaker’s contrasting golden eyes all the more unsettling. Widowmaker’s mannerisms were a little more similar, but her demeanour contrasted so much with Amélie’s that she barely seemed like the same person anymore.

“She was gorgeous,” Lena agreed with a sure nod, “A dancer too. So strong and sure of herself, seeing her dance was absolutely breathtaking.”

“Lena?”

The older girl made a sound in reply, lost I thought now as she remembered her past with Amélie and Gérard.

Taking that as a response, Hana continued cautiously, “Did you...love her?”

“Uh,” Lena was a bit taken aback, “I... well I never admitted it; never really liked to think about it. She was my mentor’s wife, Hana, I couldn’t have feelings for her.”

“But you did,” Hana concluded, knowing the answer already.

“Yeah.”

Hana took her hand and laced their fingers together, giving Lena’s hand a reassuring squeeze, “I’m sorry, Lena.”

“It’s okay,” Lena said even though it really wasn’t and never had been okay, “I miss her but... Angela’s right. Unless Widowmaker comes to us for help, we can’t change what happened. We don’t even know if Mercy could reverse the brainwashing, Talon’s had her for so long now. The other day could have ended a lot differently, I’m just as surprised that she didn’t decide to kill me.”

“It’s okay to hurt over it still, Lena. Your feelings are valid and it’s okay to mourn the loss of your friend. Maybe you should have thought before you acted yes, but Widowmaker didn’t kill you and that’s all that matters right now.” Hana looked at her pointedly, “But please no more running head first into danger like that. I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t lose me, love,” Lena promised, “I’ll be here to be your annoying big sister forever.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Oxton.”

Lena laughed and Hana did too, though her’s was partially interrupted with a yawn.

“Sleepy?” Lena echoed her friend’s earlier question, earning a nod from the younger.

“Yeah,” Hana replied as she threw her arm back across Lena’s waist, “Nap time.”

With a chuckle, Lena wrapped her arms around her best friend, watching as she snuggled closer and closed her eyes. It was times like this where Hana’s true age showed, where she was just a nineteen year old girl and not a soldier or a superstar gamer. She was just Hana Song, a sweet girl who worked too hard and worried too often. This was the Hana that Lena felt drawn to protect, her baby sister who she knew wasn’t always as strong as she forced herself to be.

Hana had fallen asleep quickly, leaving Lena awake and left to her own devices. She was basically immobilized due to her leg and half of Hana’s weight resting on her, so she occupied herself by glancing around the room. It was a normal hospital room, small and all white with the usual equipment. There was a tiny couch and a counter with a sink across the room, and a door that led to the small bathroom across the way. The main door was creaked open, making Lena jump until she realized it was just Fareeha.

“Hey there, little pup,” the Egyptian woman spoke softly when she saw Hana was asleep, “How are you feeling?”

Lena smiled at her, “Sleepy, but not bad, love. How’s Angie?”

“Overworked, but she’ll be fine,” Fareeha replied with a sure nod, “She’s stubborn but she means well.”

Lena was about to answer when a yawn interrupted her, making Fareeha laugh in that charming booming way that made everyone smile.

“Why don’t you rest, little one?”

“Nervous,” Lena admitted quietly, “Don’t like unfamiliar rooms, especially hospitals, reminds me too much of after the accident.”

Fareeha crossed the room and dragged the single chair closer to the bed, “Oh, you poor thing. Hopefully you’ll get home soon, that will make things easier I figure.”

Lena nodded and smiled when Fareeha’s warm hand brushed over her forehead. The older woman was so gentle, contrasting her stern appearance and large, muscular body. She was undeniably handsome, in a way that everyone was so drawn to her. Not to mention her way of speaking was so eloquent and reassuring that her presence soothed Lena almost immediately.

“Would you like me to sing something,” Fareeha questioned nonchalantly, “It used to help keep you calm, no?”

After the slipstream incident, Lena had been contained in a see through glass bubble as Winston and Mercy worked to keep her anchored to this world. As she was drifting in and out of the time frame, the young woman would often have panic attacks. Fareeha was usually there to bear witness to the attacks, since she was almost always around Angela. She had been the one to keep Lena calm, surprisingly, by singing her lullabies in Arabic.

“Sure,” Lena replied with a smile at the other woman, “That’d be nice.”

So Lena snuggled back down into her blankets, Hana’s body heat keeping her warm and feeling safe. Fareeha kept a hand on her hair, running her fingers through it gently as she began to sing a lullaby that had become rather familiar to Lena. It was called Nami Nami, “Sleep sleep” or something along those lines, and it was one of Lena’s favourites. Fareeha’s singing voice was low and pleasant, immediately surrounding Lena in a sense of calm and comfort.

Soon enough Lena began to drift off, letting her eyes flutter closed as Fareeha’s voice lulled her into sleep. She was almost completely asleep when she felt the faintest brush of lips on her forehead.

“Rest well, little one. Heal nice and strong, we need you on our team again.”

[space-------kid]

can’t keep my hands (off you).

Anime/Manga: One Punch Man Pairing: Garou/fem!Reader Additional pairing/characters: platonic Metal Bat/fem!Reader, Zenko, mentions of other heroes such as Saitama, Watchdog Man, etc. Genre: Romance, comedy Warning: Absolute silliness. Language – Garou and reader both ate rainbows for breakfast. Dumbassery. Teeth-rotting fluff, maybe? Reader is hella strong like Saitama. Half-assed spice because you’re good at cockblocking Garou despite being low-key thirsty for him. And LOTS of dumbassery from the reader, most probably. Additional tag: Dream-based fic, canon-divergent, Garou is horny af A/N: This is supposed to be a lengthy one-shot, but I’m a dumbass who can’t keep my word so the supposedly one-shot isn’t a one shot anymore.  Now I have to worry how I should properly divide all those parts (I mean, they’re already divided, but–) 😅 A/N 2: NSFW-ish chapter ahead. Half-assed spice because I don’t know how to properly write one

Contrary to popular belief, Garou drinks “respect women” juice.

Summary:

Your life had its general ups and downs, pros and cons, the good and the bad.

You were admittedly a coward and afraid of being targeted by people for it. Following the advice of your (best) friend you trained hard, like, FUCKING hard, and now you’re blessedly, utterly strong you can take down enemies with just one hit. A good thing, really. Can’t let any bad guy harass you or something.

But-

You were probably cursed with the biggest, baddest of luck. Not only were monsters chasing you, suddenly there was this fucking hot bastard weirdo who kept on calling himself the Hero Hunter. “I’m not a hero, goddamn it!”

i. and ii. | iii. and iv. | v. | vi. | vii. | viii. | [tba]

“i can’t keep my

hands

off…!”

- can’t keep my hands off you/simple plan

ix.

You woke up feeling tired and in someplace you didn’t know.

Still feeling sleepy, you snuggled closer to the warm body under you, letting the steady beat of a heart lull you back into slumber. A contented sigh slipped past your lips when a pair or strong, muscular arms wrapped around your waist and carefully maneuvered you along with them as the person you were sleeping with moved to lie on their side. You could feel yourself between their body and the back of a ratty old couch but you paid the latter no heed.

You were warm and comfortable, and your fight instinct was quiet since you didn’t feel any threat nor malicious intent from the person you were sleeping together with. Sluggishly, you pulled your head back just enough to take a look at the mystery guy through what little light from the moon that filtered through the gaps between metal walls.

Your sleepy gaze was blessed by the image of a peacefully snoozing Garou. He looked… somewhat younger, untroubled, in his sleep. Freed from his constant scrutiny, you took your time fully admiring his face up close and more intimately.

You knew yourself that Garou was a handsome – devastatingly so – young man. You couldn’t even pick which part of his face you liked the most. His eyes with their golden gaze, sharp nose that crinkled when he smiled or laughed, or his lips and how they curled up in a wicked smile?

Feeling bashful about your train of thought, you ducked your head and was met with the wonderful sight of his naked, broad chest.

Naked?

You looked down at your own chest and breathed a sigh of relief when you saw yourself still clothed, albeit with Garou’s long-sleeved turtleneck.

Wait a minute. Why were you in his clothes? Did you-? Or did he-?

Thoroughly embarrassed but too tired to even question why you were wearing Garou’s top, you just shyly buried your face on his neck, still feeling tired and sleepy from whatever your fight instinct had done earlier (or was it yesterday? You had no idea).

As if on cue, Garou’s hands squeezed your waist and nuzzled your hair. He shifted against you and yawned, stirring from his own slumber.

You timidly looked up and saw one of his eyes open, peeking down at you.

“You awake, [Name]?”

You could only nod in response, not trusting yourself to communicate with him verbally at the moment.

“Are you still tired? Were you hurt?”

You shook your head no.

Garou breathed a sigh of relief, moving to lie on his back and pulling you on top of him. He must’ve been half-asleep or something because he sounded as if he was dreaming judging from what he told you next.

“Good. You look so hot in your matching underwear by the way, but even better with my top. Hnn… should wear it more often, and preferably with nothing underneath…”

Face beet red from his words, you half-heartedly pulled yourself away from him, struggling feebly against his hold on you.

“I had to change your clothes for you, don’t want you gettin’ sick or something. You were so hot drenched in monster blood earlier, you know,” he continued sleepily, eyes shut while his arms around you tightened to prevent you from escaping. “Wouldn’t mind getting beaten by you again, just-“ here, one of his hands lazily moved down, palm tracing the curve of your ass and finally found its way to your left thigh and giving it a soft squeeze “-crush my head between these killers, huh…”

Oh, god. Never had you wanted to be struck by lightning in your damn life, and yet you couldn’t deny that his sleepy rambling and lazy ministrations were turning you on.

Fuck on a stick, why were you just accepting the fact right now that you have also harboured a thing for him?

“Um, G-Garou,” you softly called him, gently poking his cheek with your finger. God, he was making you feel one hundred kinds of tingly, but you would damn yourself to hell if you let him continue. “W-Wake up, you p-p-pervert, and s-stop touching m-me lewdly!”

Not one to disappoint you, Garou opened his eyes and stared openly at you, gaze smoldering as his hand remained squeezing your thigh.

“Really? That’s what you’re gonna tell me?” he scoffed at you. The corners of his lips quirked up in a devilish smirk. “Hell no, [Name]. I’ve waited long enough for this and don’t have much patience left any longer.”

With that, Garou sat up and braced you against his chest, your legs straddling him. Both his hands were now on your thighs each, fingers digging greedily on your exposed skin. You bit back a moan when he nudged your forehead with his, making you look up at him. He pressed his open mouth to yours, stifling the surprised squeak that slipped past your lips.

“This is your fault, you know,” he told you between kisses, “beating me up twice and seducing me with these fucking thighs.” Garou kneaded the soft flesh of your thighs roughly, chuckling at the soft moan you let out. “How dare you make me feel horny every damn time I’m around you, little lady. Think I’ll always let you get away with it? Think I’m just teasing you for the fun of it? No, no, no…”

He yanked the collar of his sweater with his teeth and his searching mouth quickly found your neck, nibbling and sucking on your skin hard enough to leave a mark. Your moans and whimpers turned him on even further, egging him on to continue what he was doing.

“Dumbass [Name]… think your fucking blush have no effect on me?” he grumbled against your skin.

“A-Ah, Garou…” you moaned breathlessly, eyes closed tight they hurt. Your hands gripped his shoulders hard enough to hurt, fingernails digging on his skin. Garou let out a pleased hum against your throat, dragging his teeth and tongue on your skin. You were just sleeping next to each other. How the hell did it escalate to this?

But you would be fucking lying if you said you didn’t want this. It might have been a long time coming, even.

Garou was being high-key thirsty for you, that you knew because he was being blatant about it. But he didn’t know that you were low-key having the hots for him.

That didn’t mean, however, that you would let him get to your pants easily.

Garou’s lips found yours again, and he was quick to slip his tongue inside your mouth when you gasped as he slipped one of his hands under his sweater you were wearing. Almost abandoning all common sense, you returned his kisses shyly but just as fervently, carding your fingers through his wild hair. He groaned delightedly against your mouth when you raked your nails against his scalp.

He shifted you on his lap and that was when you felt something poking your inner thigh.

You were loathe to stop this little romp he started, but you would be damned if you were continuing this without a proper label between the two of you, more so marriage prospects!

(Yeah, you were old-fashioned like that.)

You parents would be mortified and proud at the same time. They raised you a prude, for fuck’s sake after all. And Badd teasing you should he see the mark on your neck would just fucking kill you with embarrassment. Also, he might get a tiny bit infuriated should he find out that the one who gave it to you was the infamous Hero Hunter-

Garou let out a startled yelp when you covered his face with your hands and moved to plant your knees on his thighs.

“[Name]-?!”

Face bright red not from being turned on but from sheer mortification (well, you’re still proud of yourself from making him feel pretty excited), you removed your hands from his face and scrambled to get on your feet. You stumbled gracelessly on the wooden floor and tugged the hem of his sweater down to fully cover your still-exposed thighs.

“T-Take– Take your r-raging d-dick elsewhere, Garou!” you screeched at him with pure embarrassment flooding your face.

“I am taking it elsewhere!” he yelled back at you childishly. “I’m taking it to you, idiot!”

“Oh, my god! D-Don’t say it like that!”

“The fuck are you acting like this for, now? Just when we’re getting at the good part…” Garou complained, pouting – actually pouting! – at you. Suddenly, his eyes widened with realization and he stared at you in astonishment. “Don’t tell me… Are you a fuckin’ virgin, [Name]?”

If only the ground could swallow you or you either die from utter humiliation. Before you knew it, you had crossed the short distance between the two of you and shoved your fists weakly against his chest.

“S-S-S-So what if I-I am?!”

Much to your consternation, Garou only laughed uproariously at your confirmation. You shrieked wordlessly at him, weakly hitting his chest as he continued guffawing at you.

“S-Stop laughing, asshole!” you yelled, tears of embarrassment pooling on the corners of your eyes. “W-What’s so b-bad about being a v-virgin?”

Garou, trying his best to contain his laughter, looked at you rather proudly and shrugged. “Nothin’ bad about it, really. I just can’t believe that hot stuff like ya ain’t even gotten laid yet.”

You knew it wasn’t possible, but you could feel your face getting redder and hotter at being called hot by a stupidly, terribly attractive hunk. You asked him for confirmation, slightly hoping that you didn’t mishear, “I-I’m… hot?”

“Lady, I won’t even try to think about getting into your pants if I think you’re not,” he deadpanned, brow raised as if you had said something idiotic. Garou grabbed you by the waist and attempted to pull you back to his lap, but you braced your hands against his chest and opted to stand between his legs. He complained, “I just want you to sit here, dumbass! What now?”

“I don’t want to! Not with t-that- that thing poking my butt!” you protested, still blushing heavily.

“Fucking damn it, woman,” Garou groaned, sounding pained. “I get you’re a virgin and may not want to continue since it’s understandably your first time or something, and I respect that even if I wanna bone you so fuckin’ bad right now. We’ll stop, okay? I’ll stop. I just wanna hold you close! Sit on my thigh or beside me, for fuck’s sake!”

Warmth filled your chest, the wholesome kind, at Garou being respectful and mustering every ounce of self-restraint for you. You heeded him and sat on his right thigh, although mindful of the raging boner he was still sporting. Shyly, you looked at him and saw that he wasn’t even a bit embarrassed about it. Garou returned your stare, golden gaze softening as he planted a kiss on your temple.

“Have I told you already that you’re damn hot?” he asked you quietly, eyes roaming your body earnestly. He placed a hand on one of your thighs and ran his thumb on the exposed skin.

You bit the inside of your cheek when he looked back at your face, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

“B-But I’m not-“ you griped, averting your gaze meekly.

“Hell, you are. Covered in monster blood or not.”

You covered your face with your hands in embarrassment.

“S-Stop it. You just wanna continue…”

“I told you already, we don’t have to if you’re not ready,” Garou fussed at you. “Haven’t ya been listening?”

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Tch. You should be.”

You peeked at him through your fingers and saw the tender way he was looking at you. Huh. What’s with that expression just now?

Garou scooped you in his arms and settled you on the couch. He stood up and repositioned himself on the floor, his back to you.

“Go back to sleep,” he told you.

“Um… what about you?”

He titled his head to look at you, brow raised again. “I’m taking the floor,” he told you. “Not unless you want me up there with you, and I’m tellin’ you: I get to touch you again, and there’s no stopping me anymore. You want that?”

You swooped forward and kissed his cheek thoughtlessly, loving the way his eyes widened at you like a puppy’s and cheeks dusted pink. You shot him a grateful smile and ruffled his messy hair.

“T-Thank you, Garou,” you told him sincerely. “For doing this… and for looking out for me. I… I must’ve passed out earlier, huh? There were lots of monsters around, and, I-I got really scared when… um…”

“You’re looking out for me, too, [Name],” he replied. “You didn’t really have to continue being friends with me after all these, but… you get my drift.”

He had a point, to be honest. But you liked him for who he was, anyway. Liked him as a friend, you meant.

Are you sticking with just friends, though? After what happened, you idiot?  You asked yourself as you laid down on your side, facing Garou. He was facing forward now, shoulders relaxing and his breathing evening out.

You had to admit that you might be harbouring a little crush on the guy despite all the teasing he was raining down on you. Garou might be the Hero Hunter, but he was always so nice – kind – to you. Hell, he might’ve laughed at you for being a virgin, but he had respected you and stopped himself when he caught on your panic earlier.

“I get you’re a virgin and may not want to continue since it’s understandably your first time or something, and I respect that even if I wanna bone you so fuckin ’bad right now. We’ll stop, okay? I’ll stop.”

You couldn’t stop the smile on your face as you closed your eyes, hopefully dreaming of a gentlemanly Garou wooing you in your dreams.

“[Name].”

“Hmm?” you hummed sleepily.

“You better be ready next time, ‘coz you ain’t gonna cockblock me anymore.”

You smacked him hard on the head, telling yourself that he deserved to get knocked out for being such a fucking pervert.

---

to be continued

[icklemissmayhem]

BTS Fic - Stones Thrown - Chapter 3

(Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) AO3

T/W: Shooting at a concert, Injury, Angst, Hurt/Comfort.

The first thing he’s aware of is something pressing on his face. It’s cold, tickly, and it’s making it hard to breathe properly. It’s annoying. All he wants to do is sleep some more. He’s tired. Sleepy. He tries to brush away whatever it is on his face, and that’s when he realises he can’t move his arm. And that’s when he starts to panic, struggling to move, feeling like he’s trapped. “Seokjin, it’s ok” it’s not a voice he recognises, and it’s NOT okay, why is he trapped, why- “Seokjin, you’re alright, you’re just waking up. Can you open your eyes for me?” No. He doesn’t want to. He wants to get whatever this is off his face, and he wants to sleep, to be left alone, he- He’s panicking now, fighting to get free even though it hurts, he’s coughing, and suddenly the thing on his face is gone as he retches and- The voice is back, it’s telling him to calm down, to relax. Maybe it’s not so bad. Someone’s trying to help him, they’re wiping his face, and the voice sounds nice, it’s… relaxing, almost. Telling him if he relaxes and keeps still he’ll feel better soon. He does already. Though he can’t move his arm, whatever was on his face is gone, and he can breathe better now. He lies still, and just drifts for a while. Some time later, the voice comes back, this time he tries to open his eyes when asked. It’s a bit blurry, but after blinking a few times, he finds that he’s looking up at a blank ceiling, and there’s a smiling nurse stood next to him, talking to him quietly. “...should help with the pain, so just stay nice and relaxed and you’ll be all right for now, ok?” Is what he catches when he concentrates on what she’s saying, and that’s right. He’s in the hospital after- after surgery. “Good..?” He manages to croak, after screwing up his face, fighting through the lingering wooziness he feels. “Yes, everything went really well Seokjin” she replies, still smiling. “You’ll need time to heal and recover, but the surgeons were happy with how everything went.” He nods, after deciphering what she’s said, and she continues; “So we’ll be taking you up to a ward in a little while, you’ll be able to see your family and your… friends… once you’re settled upstairs, so just relax and rest here until then, all right?” The pause in her explanation suggest it’s his bandmates and presumably the staff no doubt also at the hospital she’s talking about, so he nods once more to indicate he’s understood. But there’s been no mention of- “Yoongi..? Taehyung?” He queries, looking around what he can see of the room he’s in, in case they’re there. “Both still in surgery.” She tells him. And that’s- well, not bad, and not exactly unexpected, though he remembers Seijin being allowed in to see him well before he was taken to the operating theatre, and he said that they’d both already been taken for surgery. He knows he’s the one least badly injured, and so he shouldn’t be surprised that they went into surgery before him, or that he’s out before them, but… it’s still worrying. She smiles at him again, as she checks the IV line that’s connected to his hand, before disappearing from view. Looking around as much as he can whilst lying flat, he quickly realises he’s the only patient in the room. For now at least. Curiosity somewhat sated, he closes his eyes, surrendering to the still-lingering tiredness he feels. The next thing that happens is a loud eruption of noise. The door slams open suddenly, and a trolley is wheeled in at speed, the people surrounding it… well, they’re not shouting, but there’s an undercurrent of concern that makes their conversation more jarring to Jin than the sudden volume increase in the room does. “He’s awake, he- oh hell-!” Jin can hear the nice nurse trying to calm the patient, reassuring whoever they are the same way she did him - they’re fine, they’re ok, but her attempts seem pointless from what he can hear, she’s barely a hum underpinning her colleagues’ urgent loud commands. “No, just lie still! You’re- No, DON’T-!” “He wants it out, don’t prevent…!” The rest of the almost-shouted sentence is lost under a horrendous coughing, choking noise. Jin can’t see what’s happening, what’s causing the patient to make such awful noises, but he winces sympathetically, wishing he could cover his ears, so he didn’t have to listen to any more. Once it stops, the voices calm down a little too, Jin can hear the nurse clearly, reassuring the patient, advising them to lie still and relax, they’re ok now, they’re out of surgery… Jin smiles, realising that this is obviously something she tells everyone who wakes up in (or just outside, seemingly) this room, but the smile slides right off his face when she calls the patient by name. It’s Yoongi. Yoongi was the one making those noises, the one who had the hospital staff surrounding him so worried, who was brought in at a run- Almost without thinking, he’s heaving himself upright to try and get a better view of his bandmate, but he immediately feels dizzy, collapsing backwards onto one elbow, earning a sharp rebuke from the nurse from Yoongi’s bedside. “Seokjin-ssi, lie back please. Yoongi is fine, he’s alright now, just let me get him settled here and you can talk to him whilst he wakes up fully. I said lie back-!” That last part is almost shouted as he tries to sit up once more, determined, but his second attempt as unsuccessful as the first. He groans, partly in frustration, partly in pain as he gives up, lying back down. “Yoongi-yah” he calls, hoping he’ll be heard. “Hyung’s here- you’re in the hospital, just relax, ok? Listen to the nurse, she’s nice, she’ll look after you-” “High praise from a patient who won’t listen..!” She jokes in response, and Jin smiles, unabashed, turning his head to keep Yoongi and the nurse in sight as much as possible. She’s fussing around him, much the same as she did Jin himself, adjusting his IV lines, checking the monitor screen, straightening the sheet across Yoongi’s hips and legs, murmuring to his eldest dongsaeng the entire time, before she steps back, apparently satisfied. “He’s ok, really?” He asks in response, humming contentedly when she responds affirmatively, even as she approaches him. “Shall we try sitting you up a little?” she asks, smiling when he nods eagerly. “OK, Well lie still, let the bed do the work” she counsels, Jin obediently relaxing as she raises his head, so he can see around him better. Next thing he knows, she is wheeling his bed across the room single-handed, moving him so he’s next to Yoongi, can see him clearly. He smiles and babbles genuine thanks, relieved beyond words to finally be able to see him for the first time since- “Let him sleep a little longer, or I’ll separate you again.” She mock-threatens, and he acquiesces immediately, as eagerly as a small child making a promise. And he does leave Yoongi in peace, he’s sleeping - or lying peacefully with his eyes closed at least, a mask obscuring his nose and mouth, Jin keeping watch over him, observing every twitch of his fingers, hands lying above the sheet at his sides, every flicker of his eyelids. He’s still watching him when Yoongi frowns, screwing up his face, before cracking open his eyes slightly. Not wanting him to be confused let alone scared as he comes round, Jin starts talking to him reassuringly as the nurse approaches, watching closely. “Yoongi-yah, we’re in the hospital. It’s ok, you’re- we’re all ok.” At a nod from the nurse, Jin keeps repeating the words in a low voice, saying anything really to keep talking as Yoongi seems to continue waking up, until- “Hyung..?”  It’s barely a whisper, but Jin seizes it, speaking a little bit louder, knowing Yoongi’s awake properly now. What comes out of his mouth next, along with an expression that’s part irritated, part-doped up, but fully Min Yoongi is- “Told you hyung… no watch sleep. Weird.” His speech is slurred, and he closes his eyes after that, obviously dozing still, as Jin, temporarily rendered silent with embarrassment stares at him, studiously ignoring the nurse as she covers up an amused grin with her hand. “Well… He’s awake enough to recognise your voice, I suppose.” she murmurs just loudly enough for Jin to flush scarlet as she turns away, heading back to her desk at the end of the room. “Ma! You- you… Yoongi-ssi, I can’t believe you sometimes.” Jin berates his ex-roomate quietly, still embarrassed. “I was worried about you, and the first thing you do is come out with something like that?! In public too?!” He doesn’t get a response to his tirade, Yoongi’s obviously drifting again, so after a dramatic huff, Jin settles back and relaxes too. “Jin-hyung..?” It’s a while later, they’ve both been lying quietly on their trolleys, occasionally being fussed over by the nurse, but when Yoongi speaks, Jin immediately looks over to him. “How are you feeling?” he asks in return. “Never mind me, what are you doing here?” Yoongi demands, and there’s more of an edge to his voice now. Jin cocks an eyebrow at him, not responding verbally, but it’s enough of a response for Yoongi to swear quietly to himself. “I’m - I’ll… no one told me you’d been hurt too” he mutters, clearly upset. “Not… Namjoon-ah, Jimin-ah, they- I knew Tae had been hurt but not… not you.” He breaks off, frowning. “Yoongi-yah..” Jin goes to explain, but is interrupted. “No, don’t make up an excuse, they should- They shouldn’t have-” “Listen. Don’t interrupt.” Jin can’t prevent his lips from quirking, it’s an oft-repeated line between the two of them, he does normally tease Yoongi, him barely any younger than him, it’s a running joke between them these days. Yoongi clearly isn’t up for teasing right now though, he seems genuinely upset, angry at what he clearly perceives as their dongsaengs keeping information from him deliberately. “I didn’t even realise I’d been hurt at first. That whole time I- when I was with Taehyung-ah out on the stage- No, I said listen-” That last part as Yoongi scoffs dismissively. “I didn’t even realise I was- Taehyung was so badly hurt and you were being brought here by the time anyone came to help us and I-” Jin trails off, starting to get upset himself as the memory threatens to overwhelm him. “You… hyung, you really didn’t know you’d been shot?!” Yoongi turns his head as Jin shakes his head silently, eyes screwed shut tight as he fights to keep calm. He’s not expecting the reaction his denial gets - Yoongi laughs. “Hyung, I… You… that’s- HOW?!” Yoongi manages between giggles, and he’s not sure if it’s because he’s so jumbled up emotionally, whether it’s the pain medication or the lingering effects of the anaesthesia, the sheer ridiculousness of the fact that he had actually been shot and genuinely hadn’t realised, had insisted he was fine, unhurt, until he’d blacked out-  but Jin suddenly joins him in his laughter. He rarely manages to keep a straight face when Yoongi’s laughing, and it’s downright impossible now, even in their current circumstances. “Alright. Fine. Joon and Jiminie get a pass because I’m kind of mad at you instead now.” Yoongi jokes as they calm down, though the occasional chuckle still escapes. “That’s going to be an insane story to tell in interviews when we get out of here.” Jin huffs out a wordless agreement as they both settle. It’s not like he can argue with any of what Yoongi’s said, after all, even if he’s not thinking of anything much beyond the present. “I wonder how much longer Taehyung-ah will be” he muses, loudly enough for both Yoongi and the nurse both hear. She smiles and shrugs non-committally, whereas Yoongi’s suddenly frowning. “You said he- how bad was he?” he asks, so quietly Jin struggles to hear him. “Worse than us?” Jin sighs before he responds, knowing Yoongi will know if he tries to sugarcoat it, let alone lie to alleviate his concerns about their bandmate. “Worse than us. Combined.” He confirms, shortly. Yoongi grimaces, but gestures for him to continue. “He was hit in- in his leg, and his che- his body, here.” He points to where he remembers pressing his shirt desperately against Tae’s wounds, before dropping his hand back down to his side, sighing once more. “It was bad. I- I was so-” Suddenly it’s Yoongi doing the consoling, as Jin fights back tears, as he sniffs harshly, fighting to regain his composure. “We all made it this far.” he says, fiercely, glaring across the room, past Jin towards the double doors. “And Tae’s - we both know he’s stubborn as- as fuck.” Jin automatically verbalises displeasure at the cursing, but Yoongi just as habitually ignores him completely, like always when he’s mid-flow- “-and he’ll get better. We’ll all be- we’ll make sure we’re all fine. Even Namjoon-ah’s nose.” he finishes, with a small chuckle. “You saw that?” Jin queries, feeling slightly guilty even as his lips quirk at the change in topic. “Couldn’t miss it.” Yoongi says with a grin. “He wouldn’t say how it happened, but Seok-ah looked like-” “Jungkook-ah’s elbow” Jin interrupts. “They both had to wrestle him offstage.” he continues. Yoongi nods. “Our maknae’s pretty strong.” Jin hums in agreement. “He was trying to get to Taehyung and I.” Yoongi nods once more, obviously thinking about something else. “I hope he’s out of surgery soon.” “Me too.” Neither of them notice as a few more hospital staff members enter the room, they’re focussed on each other, on their conversation and their own thoughts, up until the nurse, having finished a phonecall, approaches. “Seokjin-ssi?” Jin startles slightly, as they’re interrupted. “It’s time for you to go up to the ward.” She ignores both their protests, neither wishing to be separated, and Jin especially unwilling to leave before Taehyung gets out of surgery. “These men will take you upstairs, you are all going to the same place, and you’ll be able to see your family and friends when you get there. They’re waiting for you.” She smiles reassuringly. “Yoongi-yah, if you see Tae-” he starts, as two porters move to either end of his trolley, the nurse swiftly transferring his IVs and the monitors he’s connected to from their stands to his bed, as two more men, whose appearance and demeanour practically scream “security” move towards the doors, opening them and scanning the space beyond. “I’ll look after him hyung. See you later, I guess.” Yoongi promises. “See you upstairs. Tell Taehyung- tell him-” “I will.” Yoongi promises, and Jin smiles and nods as Yoongi lifts a hand in goodbye as he’s wheeled away.

[metaphoricallyroger]

With Love, From Me to You - i of iv [R.T.]

Summary: One-hundred ways to say ‘I love you’ over twenty-seven years.

Words: 2,891

Warnings: Language.

Note: This follows both Bohemian Rhapsody’s and real-life events (generally for dates, minor plot etc.), picture whichever Roger you fancy! The title is taken from ‘From Me To You’ by The Beatles.

--

1. (1964):

“I like your laugh.”

It’s funny to you, that after such a simple sentence on Roger’s behalf you become fast and close friends almost instantly.

--

2. (1964):

It’s the first time you’re allowed to go to a dance and even then, it was on the stipulation that Roger goes with you. It took a lot of arm-twisting from the stubborn teenager, but he eventually agreed. Only after you promised to go to some rock concert with him.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?”

“You look nice, that’s all.” Roger thinks you look just as good when you’re wearing your school uniform, but he knows tonight is an important night for you.

“Sweet talker,” you laugh.

Your eyes glimmer with the compliment and you feel your cheeks warm as he leads you out of your house.

--

3. (1964):

“We’ll be best friends for life, right?” It’s an odd time to ask, at a party for someone in your school class, but you’re both bored out of your minds, and it seemed as good a time as any to ask.

“Forever,” Roger swears. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

--

4. (1965):

Typically, your house phone didn’t ring in the early hours of a school day.

“Want to go for a walk?”

“What? Roger?” Your eyes still half closed, you struggle to work out who’s calling so late.

“Shit, sorry,” he sighs, “did I wake you?”

“It’s okay, I couldn’t sleep anyway.” You both recognise the lie, but don’t acknowledge it as you plan where to meet.

--

5. (1965):

You sit in the driver’s seat of Roger’s father’s car, while he sits in the passenger seat, attempting to teach you to drive. Why his father had allowed you to take his car into the paddock next to their house unsupervised is beyond you.

“I’m going to stall, Roger,” you fret.

“Yeah, so? If you do, just try again, you’ll get the hang of it.”

“What if we crash?” Although you are in a very flat, cleared paddock, with you at the wheel for the first time, anything could go wrong.

“It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Okay,” you breathe out and turn the key in the ignition.

--

6. (1965):

“Y/N!” You turn your head in the busy classroom to see Roger gesturing wildly where he’s sat, books spread across two desks.

“I saved you a seat,” he pulls out the one next to him and you give him a grateful sigh.

--

7. (1966):

You and Roger are currently en route to a The Who concert in Watford, four hours away from Cornwall.

He has been driving the majority of the time and you were surprised that he hadn’t pulled over the first time he yawned. Roger offered to drive first and you agreed, making sure he promised to pull over if he’s tired.

“Are you going to finally admit that it is time for me to drive?”

“I’m not tired, Y/N.”

“I think you are, considering one of your eyes is shut.” You watch as he wrenches a tired eye open and you smile softly, placing your hand on his shoulder.

“I’m really not that sleepy.” He punctuates his sentence with a bold yawn.

“Pull over. Let me drive for a while.”

“Yeah, alright.” He pulls off the side of the road and jogs to your side of the car, opening the door for you.

You clamber out and switch seats and adjust yours to sit closer to the steering wheel and put the car back into gear.

“See, now you can have a-” The boy next to you has fallen asleep, hair blowing out with each deep exhale, making you smile softly.

--

8. (1966):

You’ve never had your heart broken, but your first boyfriend has broken up with you and you aren’t heartbroken, you’re angry. From the way you’ve been influenced by your female friends, you thought you would’ve been crying all the time. But you’re too busy trying not to kick a hole in the wall.

“Who does that twat think he is? Running around like he’s the Lord’s gift to ladies. I can’t believe I ever slept with him.”

Roger doesn’t want to say he feels happy about this (because this is you who’s been broken up with), but your boyfriend was an absolute twat in his eyes, and he’s happy you’re rid of him. He’s also happy that you aren’t sad about it, but that’s beside the point.

“Want to go egg his car?” He suggests with eyebrows raised.

“You read my mind.”

--

9. (1966):

“What are you doing?” Finding Roger in your house wasn’t rare, but finding Roger in your house holding a bunch of flowers and your coat was.

“I am taking you out to show you how a real date should be done. Not what that tosser was trying to pass off one as.”

“You really don’t have to do this to make me feel better. The eggs worked, truly.” You nod along with your thoughts, trying to persuade Roger out of his latest idea.

“I know. But I want to. Now, go and get your shoes on, we’ll be late otherwise.”

Knowing better than to argue, you do as he says and allow him to lead you to his car.

--

10. (1967):

“I got in!” You run into Roger’s arms excitedly and he catches you and spins you around, laughing.

“So did I!”

“I’m so proud of you,” you pull back to look at his sparkling eyes.

“You’re proud of me? I’m proud of you!”

You’re both overjoyed and hug again, even tighter than before.

“Don’t know how’d I’d survive uni without you nearby.” He finally places you back on your feet and you both exchange letters, looking at the separate places you’ll be attending university in London.

--

11. (1967):

You have never been this drunk before. In fact, if you could think straight, you’re sure in your life you have never been drunk.

It’s your eighteenth birthday and to say you weren’t well on your way to seeing three of everything was an understatement. Your fingers feel numb and one side of your body has become a dead weight, too tired to pull yourself up you begin to slip off the stool.

“I’ll walk you home,” Roger grasps your elbow.

“Um,” you pause and wiggle your feet, “I can’t remember how to walk.”

Roger restrains a grin at your expense and squats, gesturing for you to climb on his back.

“If you throw up in my hair, we’re going to have words.”

Roger makes it back to your dorm hall with minimal accidents and pulls open the door thanks to the key he blindly fished from your back pocket.

“You’re going to get in trouble if my RA finds you in my dorm. Ooh,” you hiccup, “I can tell everyone I’ve had the Roger Taylor in my room.”

“You’re oddly coherent in talking for someone who’s drunk their weight in pints and scotch.”

“I give good mouth,” you smack your lips together as if trying to prove your point.

“Ah, there’s the drunk in you.”

--

12. ( Same night - 1967):

“Mmhm, no, stay.” You drowsily reach out and weakly grip the hand resting on your forehead.

“Do you mind if I do? Just to make sure you’re alright in the mornin’?”

“Okay,” you grin and sigh contentedly, allowing Roger to place pillows along your back where you lie on your side.

“I’m going to get you some water and paracetamol, don’t go anywhere without me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Your grip releases from his hand and he places it under your chin gently.

--

13. (1967):

The train station is busy, people are getting jostled on all sides by rushing travellers like dominos fall one after the other. Despite the frigid temperatures of the outside world, the number of people underground have made the heat swell.

“You call me once you get back to Cornwall, okay? Tell me how everyone is?” You tuck Roger’s scarf into his fur coat and he rolls his eyes playfully at your care.

“I will. Have a good holiday.” You both hug each other and the pair of you savour it, knowing this will be the last until school starts again.  

--

14. (1968):

You haven’t seen Roger since before the winter holidays in which you both travelled to your respective sides of England. You did want to go back to Cornwall with him but it was agreed upon (without your knowledge), that this year's holidays would be a family reunion in God-knows-where, Kent.

Having become fast friends after meeting at your orientation day of sixth form, you both knew that your friendship would be able to survive not seeing each other over the uni break. You both agree over the phone on your first night of holidays that a train ride from Kent to Cornwall and vice versa would be too much travel and not enough visiting.

“It was mine as a child.”

“You’re giving me a used, toy lion?”

“Look,” you sigh, “if you don’t want it-”

“No,” he cuts you off, “just wonderin’ why you would give me something important to you.”

“It reminded me of you.” You gesture towards his growing shaggy hair, not dissimilar to your old lion’s mane.

Roger grips the little lion’s paw and brings it under his chin, and doesn’t let it out of his sight.

--

15. (1968):

“You ready for today?”

“Think so,” he passes the cigarette you’re sharing back to you.

“Just wish I’d ignored my mum and brought my kit with me,” he continues, exhaling smoke.

“What’re they called again?”

“Smile.”

“That suits a dental student,” you quip and turn to face him.

“But don’t worry,” you place a hand on his shoulder, “they’ll see how good you are, even if you are auditioning on bongos.”

“Shit,” he pauses, “I’ll be late if I don’t go now.”

“Good luck!” You call and stub the cigarette out on the side of the dorm building before disappearing back inside.

--

16. (1968):

“I cannot believe you just opened for Pink Floyd.” You nudge Roger on the shoulder playfully.

“Neither can I.” He has this far-off look in his eyes, that can’t quite focus on anything except for the poster of the headliner as if he’s still trying to convince himself this moment actually happened.

“Well, tell me more about it! What was it like up on stage?”

There’s something wonderful about the look in Roger’s eyes that he gets when he’s talking about music, it almost paints a picture with the movement of his hands.

--

17. (1969):

You and Roger are the only two left from your group still studying and you haven’t had any time to go and get refreshments. Yearly exams for your universities were hurrying around the corner and you’re stressed, Roger, on the other hand, seems to be coasting by despite hardly ever attending his own classes.

You thought he would’ve bailed hours ago when everyone else did, but he’s been studying vigorously and you’re honestly quite surprised.

“Here, eat.” A wrapped sandwich lands in your lap and you look up at Roger who’s also holding two bottles of water.

“No,” you refuse, pushing the sandwich back, “you need to eat too, though.”

“That’s okay, I bought two.” He draws the other out of his pocket and sits back down, eagerly tucking into his food quietly without alerting the librarian.

--

18. (1969):

“It’s way too late for you to get the Tube back, just stay here.” You, Roger, Brian and their new friend Freddie just got back from a party and while Brian and Freddie have both made their way back to their accommodations, Roger hasn’t.

“Your flatmate won’t mind?”

“She’ll be gone before we wake up,” you whisper, “some people have normal jobs.”

“How are we going to fit?”

“There’s enough room for both of us.” Enough room means practically sleeping on one another, which usually means Roger on your chest or stomach, with a leg wedged in between your own and the other wrapped over your body.

“Alright then,” that seems to elicit yawns from you. You both collapse on the bed and fall asleep on top of the covers, still clothed.

--

19. (1969):

You stare down at the dress in your hand and its price tag, before looking back up at Freddie and Roger, not quite believing they aren’t having a laugh. You knew that most of their items at the stall were vintage, but you didn’t assume they came from somewhere high-end.

“You ripping me off for a particular reason?”

“I can give it to you for free?” Roger sheepishly grins. You reach into your handbag for your purse and get out the required money.

“Absolutely not,” you state, “I’m paying full price.

--

20. (1970):

“Need help with that?” Roger comes to stand at the open doors of his van and watches you struggle to place the hardware of his drum kit gently on the concrete.

You, Roger, Brian and Tim were all setting up for Smile’s latest gig at the pub they frequent.

“It’s not that heavy. I’m stronger than I look.”

To prove your point, you pick up the bass drum with ease and walk away, a slight waddle to your step as it bumps into your side with every second stride. You hear Roger laugh behind you as he slams the doors of the van shut and the pleasant sound follows you through the back entrance to the stage.

--

21. (1970):

“‘Humpy Bong’. Who calls their band ‘Humpy Bong’?” Roger has been complaining about the name of a band more than the fact that their own lead singer just quit. Granted, the name sounds ridiculous to you, but the principle of the matter still stands.

“His loss, he’s the one joining a band about humping a bong.”

You try to change the conversation but Roger launches into another tirade.

“I think he’s right. That show was a load of bollocks.”

“Well, there was room for improvement, yeah,” Brian suggests, attempting to be the optimist.

“I’ve got better things to do with my Saturday nights. I could give you their names.” You and Brian exchange an eye roll as Roger smirks to himself.

“Don’t be vile,” he receives a playful tap on the arm, “besides, I think you’ll find a new singer.”

The men look at you and shrug.

--

22. (1970):

“I’m never eating meat again. Tell Brian I’m joining his club.” You complain as Roger finishes securing another band in your hair to make the mess more secure.

“Now you’re being dramatic, Y/N.”

“My stomach feels like it’s about to leave my body.” You relax against the cool tile wall and accept the glass of water he’s been cyclically passing you since this fiasco started.

“That’s generally what happens when you throw up every hour.”

“You should go to bed, leave me to die in peace,” you moan. It was embarrassing, to get sick at your friend’s house, but you and Roger have been through most things in life with each other, and that eases some of the pressure you’re feeling.

“Sorry, you’re my best friend. I’d stay up all night with you if I had to.”

The hand he rubs across your back is comforting as you hunch yourself forward over the toilet bowl once again.

--

23. (1970):

Roger almost jumps out of his skin as cold hands press against the flat of his stomach beneath his shirt.

“Y/N!”

“I’m cold!” You whine. The flat the Christmas party was held in is cold, you weren’t aware that the idea of this party was to actually emulate outdoor conditions inside and Roger was always warm, so why not use him like a hot water bottle?

“I’m not a heater!”

You lean over, slightly intoxicated, and whisper in his ear, “no, you’re way hotter.”

He grumbles under his breath and you laugh as you stumble away.

--

24. (1971):

“Oh, Roger,” your eyes bug out, “come here. Let me help.”

Roger is trying to wrestle with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol across his bloody knuckles and blistered palms, hissing everytime they pass over sensitive skin from drumming.

“Thanks, love.”

“You must really be in need of help if you’re calling me that,” you lilt and grab a fresh cotton ball.

You blanch as you study his hands.

“You’ve rubbed all the skin off!” He only nods. You gently wipe the blood away and wrap his fingers with band-aids, giving him a respite everytime he winces.

He flexes his fingers gingerly once you finish.

“Thanks again,” he repeats.

Your lips create a smacking noise as they make contact with the calluses on his palm.

--

25. (1971):

The three members of Queen and you stand around Roger’s van after another mediocre performance with their latest bass player, who once again, didn’t live up to the standards Roger, Brian and Freddie all have.

“That’s the millionth bass player we’ve been through since we became Queen!” Roger complains, flinging open the back doors of the van.  

“Bit of an exaggeration, don’t you think?”

“Well I don’t see you offering any suggestions,” he glares at you.

“I might know of a bass player.”

“You do?” Brian pipes up, trying not to become too hopeful.

“I’m friends with his girlfriend. I’ll introduce you at the disco we’re going to later this week. His name’s John Deacon, by the way.”

“If this works out you’re brilliant, and the best friend anyone could ask for.” Roger presses a sloppy kiss to your cheek.

“Yeah, yeah,” you wave him off.

[distractedhistotech]

Before MSA +1:  The Surprise Pepper

Lewis’ first memory was following a dead man down a street.  He didn’t know how he knew the man was dead.  He just knew, but he also knew that the dead man wasn’t dangerous. It was incredibly confusing to his young mind.

The dead man took him over to a house porch.  “This is a good family.  They’ll help you.”

“Okay…?”

The dead man left. Lewis watched him leave, suddenly feeling scared.  He had no idea who that was, but he had been the only person Lewis had known in his very brief life.  What was Lewis supposed to do now?

Lewis decided he was tired and curled up on the welcome mat to go to sleep.

Several hours later, Mr. Friggitello ‘Frig’ Pepper opened the door to get the morning paper and nearly tripped over Lewis.  He stared, mouth open in shock for several moments.  “Savina?”

“Hm?”

“There is a child sleeping on our welcome mat.”

“What?”  Mrs. Savina Pepper walked over to the front door and got a good look at Lewis.  “…Is that blood?”

“Urm…”  Frig took a closer look.  “I, uh, I think it is.”  He swallowed.  “Why does he have blood on his clothes?”

“Let’s ask him.” Savina knelt down and shook the boy. “Hey, wake up, you can’t be comfortable.”

Lewis made a sound that indicated that he didn’t want to wake up, but he did open his eyes after Mrs. Pepper shook him for a couple of moments.  He blinked up at the Peppers with sleepy eyes.  “Good morning?”

“Good morning,” greeted Savina.  “Who are you and why are you sleeping on our doormat?”

“I’m Lewis.  It’s softer than the wood,” said Lewis as that made perfect sense to him.

“It’s nice to meet you Lewis,” said Frigg.  “I’m Frigg, and this is Savina.”

“Were you separated from your parents?” asked Savina as she looked around for anyone who might look like Lewis.

Lewis thought. He had parents.  He wasn’t sure where they were…or who they were.  He decided to settle for a shrug.

“Should we call the police?” asked Frigg.

A jolt of fear shot through Lewis.  “Did I do something wrong?”

Frigg shook his head. “No, no, no!  I just…You’re in trouble, and police help people who are in trouble.”  He looked to Savina.  “But I guess maybe we don’t have to?”

Savina made a considering sound.  “Maybe if we can find Lewis’ parents ourselves.  What’s your last name?”

“I don’t know,” Lewis said slowly.  That struck him as being rather odd.

Mr. and Mrs. Pepper frowned.  “Where did this blood come from?” asked Frigg.  “You don’t seem to be injured.”

Lewis looked own at his clothes in surprise.  He’d honestly forgotten about the blood.  “I don’t hurt…”

“I’d still like to take you to the hospital.  Or at least a clinic,” said Frigg.

Savina suddenly thought of something.  “Lewis, why did you decide to rest at our hourse?”

Lewis tilted his head. “Huh?”

“There’s a cemetery behind our house.  The nearby church seems more preferable,” explained Savina.

Lewis lit up. “Oh, is that where the nice dead man came from?”

Mr. and Mrs. Pepper stared.  “Nice dead man?”

Lewis nodded. “Yeah.  He brought me here.  He said you were nice.”

While Mr. and Mrs. Pepper were rational adults and initially thought that Lewis might have imagined ‘the nice dead man’, they’d seen enough weird stuff in their house to consider that there really had been a dead man, especially since Lewis didn’t seem bothered by the idea.

Then again he was still pretty young.  Maybe he didn’t completely understand what death meant.

“I’ll call the restaurant and let them know we’re taking the day off,” decided Savina. “I’ll grab something for Lewis to eat too.”

Lewis’ stomach growled at the promise of food.  Frigg chuckled a bit as Savina walked back inside their home.  “I hope you like spicy food.  There’s not a lot in our house that isn’t.”

“I’m too hungry to care,” Lewis said.

“I can believe that,” said Frigg.  He studied Lewis for a moment.  “Hey, how old would you say you are?”

Lewis thought for a moment before shrugging.

Frigg sighed.  “Don’t know that either, huh?  What do you remember?”

“Um…The nice dead man brought me here.”

“And?”

“And, uh, the nice dead man brought me here,” repeated Lewis, looking very confused.

Oh, this was starting to look bad.  “Do you know where you’re from?”  Lewis shook his head.  “Do you have any pets?”  A shrug. “Brothers or sisters?”  A shrug.  “Where you got these clothes?”

Lewis glanced down as his simple green t-shirt and pants.  Nothing special besides the blood on them.  He shrugged again.

Frigg bit his lip. Did Lewis have amnesia?  Before he could try and figure out a way to tell, Savina returned with a plate of toast that she’d put some jam on.  “Here you go.”

Lewis lit up.  “Thank you!”  he immediately dug in.

Savina turned to Frigg.  “I called the restaurant to let them know we probably won’t be coming in today.  Let’s get Lewis to the hospital.”

“All right.”  Frigg wasn’t sure he should tell Savina about Lewis’ possible amnesia in front of Lewis.  Lewis was calm now, and Frigg wanted him to stay that way as long as possible.

It took around 15 minutes to get to the hospital.  Lewis had finished his toast by then, so they wiped off some of the jam with a towel so he wouldn’t be too sticky when they went in.  The emergency department had a few other people present, but the counter was free when they got up to it.  “Ah, hello?”

The nurse on duty looked up with a tired smile.  “Yes? I can help you?”

“My wife and I found this boy,” explained Frigg as Savina picked up Lewis and put him on her hip.  “He says his name is Lewis.  He doesn’t know who his parents are.”

That got a startled look from Savina and a concerned look from the nurse.  “I see.  Uh, Lewis, are you hurt?”  She’d noticed the blood by then.

Lewis shook his head. “Nope.”

“Do you know any adults I can contact?” asked the nurse.  Lewis shook his head.  “If that’s the case, I’ll have to contact child services and the police.”

“We understand,” said Savina.  “Do we wait or is there an open bay?”

“Well, we’re a bit short-staffed, and Lewis doesn’t seem to be in any danger, so I’ll have to ask you to wait.”

So the three sat in a group of chairs not too far from the counter.  Lewis occasionally saw people in hospital gowns walking out of the doors. No one else seemed to notice them, much to his confusion.

After a little while, a man in a police uniform came in.  His eyes swept across the room before landing on the Peppers.  He made his way over to them.  “Hello, I got a call about a missing child being found.”

“Is he missing?” asked Frigg.

“Well, I haven’t heard of any missing children matching Lewis’ description, but if you found him he must have been missing at some point,” reasoned the officer, who clearly had some odd logic going on.

Frigg sweatdropped. “Uh, I see…”

The officer took out a notebook.  “So, would you mind telling me the events leading up to your trip to the hospital?”

The story was told mostly by Mr. and Mrs. Pepper with occasional input from Lewis. Unfortunately, this meant he mentioned the nice dead man.  Fortunately, the officer seemed to think this was a living person and asked Lewis to describe him up until Lewis mentioned that part of his neck was missing.  Then he figured this was someone Lewis saw die or something along those lines.

“Excuse me, but what is going to happen to Lewis?” asked Frigg.

The officer closed his notebook.  “Lewis will be taken into the care of child services until his legal guardians are found. If they cannot be found, I suppose he’ll be placed in a foster family, maybe adopted.”

“Can’t I stay with Mr. Frigg and Mrs. Savina?” asked Lewis.  “They’re nice, and I like them!”

“You’ll have to ask the child services representative.  They’ll know more about that than I do.”  The officer frowned.  “Actually, I’m surprised they haven’t shown up yet.  I wonder if they’re having a busy day.  And these two will have to be okay with it of course.”

Lewis turned and looked at the Peppers with big, hopeful eyes.  It reminded Frigg of the time he found a box of abandoned kittens that he took in even though he was allergic.  Savina simply had bad experiences with the foster system.  “We have room.  He could stay,” she said.

“Ye-yeah!  I know this isn’t exactly how we were planning on having kids, but this feels…important?  Special? I just feel like this was meant to be and we should do this,” agreed Frigg.

“Well, that would depend on us not finding Lewis’ family,” said the officer.  “You seem like a nice couple though.  Oh, hey, I think that’s the child services officer.”

The person he was talking about was a tired looking, middle-aged woman.  She caught sight of them and hurried over, putting on a smile. “Hello there.  I’m sorry I took so long.  There was an…incident that I had to take care of.”  She knelt down so she was at the same level as Lewis.  “Hello Lewis.  I’m Catherine.  How are you today?”

“Hungry,” Lewis answered promptly.  “I ate all the toast.”

“I see.  Maybe we can go get you something to eat once the doctors have looked you over,” suggested Catherine.  “But can you tell me where your parents are first?”

“I don’t know,” said Lewis, starting to get annoyed at how the grown ups were asking him questions he just didn’t know the answer to.  “I don’t know who they are.”

“I see.  I’m sorry.  Can you tell me who you were staying with?”

“I don’t know.”

The police officer cleared his throat.  “Lewis may have some sort of amnesia,” he whispered.

Catherine winced. “Oh dear.  Well, what can you tell me about yourself?”

“My name is Lewis. I like Mr. Frigg and Mrs. Savina! And toast with jam!”  Lewis tried to think of something else to say.

“Can you tell me how old you are?” prodded Catherine.

“No.”  Lewis wasn’t trying to be difficult, but he was certainly making it difficult.

“Peppers?” called a nurse.

They moved to a hospital bay where a doctor started taking some vitals.  “A bit dehydrated, but I don’t think we need to put him on an IV,” said the doctor.  “Maybe get him some juice.”  The doctor started feeling around Lewis’ head.

“Ow!”

“Looks like you’ve got a pretty bad bump on your head.”

“Is that why he’s having trouble remembering things?” asked Frigg.

“Probably not.  Amnesia caused by head injuries is pretty rare, at least to this extent.  It’s much more likely to be psychological,” explained the doctor.  “He might remember.  He might not. You might have results if he sees a child psychologist.  However, all in all, I’d say he’s a healthy boy.  I can’t say for sure how old Lewis is, but I’d his development would be in the range of 5-6 years old.”  He paused. “I’d say 6 given your size.”

“Oh…”  Lewis made a note.  It felt a bit better to know how old he was.

“There are no signs of abuse?” asked Catherine.

The doctor shook his head.  “No, his parents took care of him, whoever they are.”

Lewis suddenly wondered who his Mom and Dad were.

“Now, I understand you two were interested in looking after Lewis?”  Mr. and Mrs. Pepper nodded.  “That’s excellent!  But as we may be able to locate his parents, you won’t be able to adopt him at first. Also, I will have to do a house check, and I’ll need to know who will be taking care of Lewis while you’re at work.”

“I think we can hire a babysitter until Lewis can go to school.  Then we can take turns taking weekends off to stay with him,” suggested Frigg.

Savina nodded.  “It might require hiring another chef or sous chef, but I think it could work.  Perhaps if he makes some friends at school, he can spend time with them.”

“I wanna make friends!” agreed Lewis.

Catherine nodded. “Good, good.  I’ll check on you three weekly for the first month, and after that we can stick to monthly visits until it an adoption is possible.”

As the small group started to walk out of the hospital, Lewis happily grabbed Mr. and Mrs. Pepper’s hands.  Despite only knowing them for a few hours, Lewis felt safe and happy around them.

Lewis hoped he’d be able to stay with them.

[seduceme-lovestruck-thearcana]

The Secrets Chapter 3

The children

**3 years later**

Me and Anita were walking along a path in the woods. It was fall and the leaves were turning a bit orange and looked beautiful. Anita seemed to be happy and liked to look at all the children being happy. And speaking of children, I can’t wait until my child is born. Anita and I had gotten married and I gotten her pregnant. Anita’s stomach was starting to show and it made me realize how much closer we are to having children. Hopefully, more than one. I remember how happy I was when I found out she was pregnant. My mother told me because Anita didn’t even know it herself yet. My mother just couldn’t wait. Anita sighed and rubbed her back. “My back hurts. Can we sit down?” “We’re almost home. Can you walk that far?” Ive gotten more worried of her ever since she gotten pregnant. Never knew when she was needing to rest, needed food, or anything to keep the baby safe. She nodded and grabbed my hand and walked home.

“How you feeling so far, honey?” Anita shrugged as she answered my mom. My mom had made her some tea and was talking with her. “Are you ready to be a parent?” My father had asked me. I shrugged. “We won’t find out until they come now will we?” My father let out a chuckle and smiled. “Now that’s the truth dear boy.” “Have you thought of names?” Anita and I both looked at each other. We looked away and shook our heads. “I guess we just haven’t had the time to think about it,” I answered. “Well, we should start thinking,” Anita joined in. I nodded and started to head off to our room to think of some names. “John, can I talk to you for a second?” My father had rarely used my name. He usually used a nickname like “boy” or “son”. He only used my name when it was something important or I was in trouble. “Yes sir.”

He walked me to the outside and walked me to the lake that was near our house. He stood there with me for a few seconds before he began to speak. “When you have your children, I want you to be very careful,” he said. “You know that we are angels, correct?” I nodded. “And see, we have an enemy and you already know who this is.” “Lucifer,” I replied. Lucifer, or the Devil, has been our enemy. “He made a deal with one of our ancestors and that has changed our generations. We don’t know when he will come back for one of us.” That statement threw me off and made my heart quicken a bit. “Come for one of us? What do you mean?” My father sighed and seemed very sad. “He tried to come for Alexia. But, me and your mother fought back hard and didn’t lose her. So, he didn’t come back,” he explained. “Why did he come in the first place?” He sighed once more and turned to look at me. “He takes one of us to hell and uses us against our own family. He makes us forget about our past and makes us be reborn. But not reborn for the right purpose. He will come and find you and do something horrible to you, John,” he paused, “I want you to be prepared for that,” he finished. I nodded and stared back out into the lake. “That was a rough bomb to drop on you, son. But, it needed to be done. It wasn’t easy for me to hear it either,” he confessed. I let out a little laugh. “I don’t think it’d be easier for anyone.” My father let out a laugh as well and nodded. “Yes yes. It never gets easier. Now,” he said, “let’s head on back home and you can think of those names with Anita.” I nodded and we started to head back to the house.

“Hmmm,” I heard Anita hum. “What names could we do if it’s a girl?” Anita was sitting on the bed and had a piece of paper in her hand. We were thinking of good names and names that we liked the most. “Amy?” Anita shook her head. “Janice?” Anita shook her head once more. “Sarah?” Anita looked at me and wrote that down. “I want that one,” she said. I titled my head and was confused. “Why that name?” Anita smiled and looked down at her hands. “Doesn’t the name Sarah mean princess? If I named her that, then I’d have a reason to call her princess,” she said. I smiled and nodded. “It seems like a fair name. Now, what happens if it’s a boy,” I questioned her. She laid her head on her fist and huffed. “Boys are too hard to name,” she said annoyed. I laughed and sat beside her. “Well, it’ll be worth it,” I started, “because once we find a name, the next best thing happens.” Anita seemed to brighten up st that. “We would be parents,” she said with a smile. I nodded and kissed her forehead. “You’ll be the best mom.” “And you’ll be the best dad.” We both smiled at each other and laid down for a few hours. I let her rest. She seems to be much more tired recently. Is she close? Am I going to be a father soon? I can’t even remember how long it has been. Maybe 8 months? I can’t remember. But, it doesn’t matter. I’ll wait however long it does take for me to have my child.

“John!” I could feel Anita shaking me awake. I moan and groan at first. It was too early for this. But, she was my wife and I was concerned. “ITS TIME,” I heard her yell. This immediately woke me up. I sat up and looked over at her. Her eyebrows were pinched together and she was grunting with pants in between. “Stay here, I’ll go get my mom,” I said with a shake in my voice. I got up and ran to her bedroom. I could feel my legs shaking. Was I ready for this? I’ve always wanted to be a parent. But was I truly ready for it? I opened the door without a knock. My mom was still sleeping. I ran over to her and shook her awake. “MOM! IT’S TIME!” She woke up confused and sleepy. She rubbed her eyes and stared at my panicked look. “It’s Anita! It’s time!” Her eyes widened and she woke my father up and catched him up on everything. My dad went to get some water and towels and me and my mom went to get everything ready. Me and her walked back to her and I held her hand as my mom worked her through the steps. Honestly, I felt sick. And I wasn’t the one giving birth. “Breathe, Anita, breathe,” I kept repeating. She was squeezing my hand as hard as she could and was screaming. I didn’t know how to calm her down. What are you supposed to say to a screaming woman?? I just held her hand and rubbed circles into her back to calm her down. It would be over soon and we would be parents. That was the light at the end of this tunnel.

About two hours later, I looked down into my arms at the bundle of joy. It was our little girl. I looked over to see Anita still sitting down in the bed, but had our little boy in her arms. We had twins and we were blessed. The girl had her mothers eyes, my nose, and her mothers freckles. The little boy had my eyes, his mothers nose, and a little mark beside his right eyebrow. I guess it was a birthmark. “Anita,” I whispered to her as I sat next to her. “The names?” She looked down at the girl and little boy in her arms. “Jacob and Sarah,” she told me. I smiled and nodded and looked at both of them. “Jacob and Sarah.”

A few months after the children’s birth, a shadow of a man stood outside of their home, looking into the window, and smiling. Smiling so wide that too many teeth were showing. The man let out a deep laugh. “It’s time. Time for me to get a new servant,” he said. His tongue ran across his lips as he rubbed his hands together. He soon took a step forward and turned into a shadow. Next moment, he appeared into their bedroom. He looked around and noticed the sleeping married couple. “Such a shame this has to happen,” he said as he walked over to the sleeping woman. “Anita Mishoe,” he said. “Such innocence.” He started to stroke her cheek and tilted her head upwards. “Well, such a shame this has to happen, but I don’t care.” He let go of her chin and chuckled and turned towards the children. “You will suffer,” the voice growled. He walked over to the children and could sense their power. Their mere newborn bodies seemed to glow in the moonlight. He hummed and tapped his chin. “Which one should it be?” He reached out his hand towards Jacob. But, before he could reach the newborns head, he heard, “STOP SATAN.”

The man turned around while laughing at that name. “Ah, yes. It is me. Coming to take what’s mine,” he said as he saw who was there. John was standing there, wings all drawn out, and his sister was there. Their eyes were glowing and they seemed ready to do whatever it took to save the children. Anita, however, wasn’t awake. He smiled at their eagerness of fighting. Johns eyes turned toward the children and Alexias eyes turned toward Anita. They both had people to save. This would be difficult but they would do anything to save them. Satans eyes followed Alexias eyes. He walked over to her and saw Alexia and Johns eyes follow him. Satan touched her cheek and sighed. “DON’T TOUCH HER,” John yelled. Anita started to move and groan. Satan laughed and put his hand around her neck and began to squeeze. “NO!” Anita woke up and started to struggle. John heard her chokes and went lunging towards her. However, that was the plan. He hit Satans hand with his power and he heard a ‘hiss’ noise as it burned his skin. Instead of get angry, he smiled. Alexia screamed. John and Anita turned around and gasped. Satan was holding her in the air by her throat. He threw her against the wall and walked back towards the cribs. John tried to move but Satan raised his hand and pushed him towards the wall and stuck him there. Satan walked over and saw the two babies crying. He grabbed one of them. Satan has Jacob in his hands. He rocked him and looked at everyone. He put his hands around Jacobs throat and began to squeeze. But then, he stopped. “No, no, no. I will use you for another time,” he said. John looked over and saw the little girl still crying in the crib by herself. Her little hands were reaching out for someone or something. John struggles and struggled. He couldn’t move and tears started streaming down his face. “Take me instead!” He looked up and laughed. “I don’t need you,” he said. He began to walk away before, “WAIT!” He turned around and noticed Anita crying but with her hand out. “Let me say goodbye,” she whispered. It seemed like he didn’t hear her, but everyone knew he did. Sarah and Jacob were both crying. Satan walked towards Anita and held out Jacob. “Say your first and last goodbye.”

Anita took Jacob with shaking hands. She looked into his blue eyes. They were shining with tears. “Shh, shh, baby, it’s okay,” she whispered to him as she wiped his tears off his face. She looked at the birthmark on his right eyebrow. Every child of this bloodline had a Star of David on their body somewhere. She stared at the birthmark and realize that’s where it was. It was right there. She kissed right on that spot. “You will find your sister one day, and don’t leave her, follow your heart, and you will be reunited,” she whispered to him. She looked over at Satan and saw him inspecting his fingernails, uninterested at everything. Anita pulled back and stroked his cheek one last time. “Times up,” he said. He took Jacob forecefully and disappeared before anything else could be said. Alexia was still passed out on the floor and John was released from the wall and fell to the floor. He stood up and heard a door being banged open. His mother and father came running in with tears. His mother walked over to Alexia and his father went to the crib. “Father, I’m sorry,” John said with tears.

“I failed to save him.”

[icytatribe]

Timebound Companions III: 

Karma (League of Legends)’s Biography: 

Emeri and Karma 

A job’s always well done when patients ask for their favorite nurse, especially in this case for Karma. And it’s always a thrill to see her favorite patient at Starhill Hospital. 

As soon as Karma came in for work, she visits Emeri who’s on treatment and medication for a strange illness that makes Emeri unable to breathe. 

Emeri exclaimed as soon as she noticed Karma coming in, dropping her pencil from drawing, “Miss Karma! I think I’m getting better. When do I get to see the stars in the night sky?” 

Karma checked her vitals and treatment outlook. Emeri was stable within hospital walls but the unknown that lies outside is still dangerous for her fragile lungs. “Do you want to try it again?” 

“I’m not afraid! Emeri is strong. Miss Karma makes me strong.” 

Karma smiled at her optimistic enthusiasm, even though she was still worried if they tried it again. She took out the wheelchair and lifted Emeri onto it, “Are you comfortable, dear?” Karma also placed some of her treatment medications within a banana bag and injected an IV within Emeri’s arm, so it will be a safeguard when she’s not on the bed. 

Emeri seemed ecstatic by the swinging of her legs as she sat in the wheelchair as usual. Karma asked, “Are you ready again, Emeri?” 

“To the stars!” Emeri giggled. 

Karma and Emeri traversed up the elevator to the highest balcony on the hospital. It was midnight, so the stars should be out by then. 

Before heading out the door that connects to the outside balcony, Karma insisted gently, “Alright, Emeri, take a deep breath.” 

Emeri took the deepest of breaths and closed her eyes. Once they passed the doorway, it was very chilly up there. Emeri released her breath and opened her eyes, “I feel the wind! Is this what the outside feels like?” 

Karma smiled as she gently put her violet lab coat on Emeri to keep her warm, “It’s usually warm in Starhill Falls. But tonight’s a cool day.” 

Emeri gazed up and gasped, “The stars! There are so many. It feels like I’ve been one before.” 

Karma giggled, “You, a star? Inside your heart, yes. But right now, you’re a normal girl named Emeri.” 

Emeri hugged Karma, “Thank you for being with me, Miss Karma. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t even be here. 

30 minutes have passed since Karma and Emeri stayed on the balcony, admiring the stars. Apparently, Emeri knew so much about the each star’s story she could see, even inquiring that one of them was her friend up there. Karma was skeptical of her stories, but to Emeri being 10 years old, it made her happy to tell them. Emeri even said that one day when she’s older, she explore so many worlds, and it would be wonderful if Karma joined along.

It seemed the medications that Karma placed as her IV worked for Emeri to stay for so long outside. 

Suddenly, a rushing wind froze the air. A mysterious shadow appeared, forming itself into a man. 

“Well, well. Is there where the another Star resides?” The man stood from a distance, looming. 

“Who are you?” Karma commanded, placing herself in front of Emeri. 

“Why don’t you hand me the Star, and I’ll let you go?” The man slowly walked closer. 

“What Star are you talking about?” Karma said, “Back away.” 

“Miss Karma, I’m scared. He feels scary.” Emeri held onto Karma’s hand, “He looks like my nightmare I’ve been having.”  

When the man started to get closer, Emeri felt weaker and trying to grasp a single breath. Karma noticed and decided to lift Emeri and run from balcony downstairs. Emeri was starting to get a fever when she starts to feel unbearable, so Karma had to rush down to her hospital room to stabilize her. 

Before Karma could reach the room, the Starhill Plaza with the largest tree began to glow. Karma stopped and went closer to the scene. Once it stopped glowing, the tree opened its door, and there was a red-haired fellow. 

“Ah, did I land properly, MARLE?” He fluffed his jacket, “Is this where a Star in Distress is around?” 

He suddenly turned around and noticed Karma holding Emeri, breathing weakly. He asked before attempting to walk closer, “Hello, I won’t hurt you guys, but it seems you were running from something.” 

“You’re not the same man up there, right?” Karma stepped back. 

“I’ve never been ‘up there’ if you’re wondering. Luckily, I got the coordinates and this place has a tree. Pretty cool to have such a plaza. Also, my name’s Jacoby Ridington.” 

Karma told her name to him, easing her nerves because she could feel Jacoby was alright. Jacoby noticed Emeri and asked if he can touch her forehead. 

When Karma allowed him, he touched Emeri’s forehead, and the wonders that dazzled in her mind astounded him. Emeri’s mind was full of starlight protected by the thought that she was a human girl. 

“No wonder she’s weak. No star is able to withstand by itself in a human body. But I’m surprised she lasted for so long and for years.” 

Karma grew confused of his words, “What do you mean? Emeri isn’t human?” 

“Technically, she isn’t. The more she knows of her starlight and the dangers that want her, it can stress her human body. I’ve seen this before. I can make a crystal that resonates with her starlight. But we have to head into the Tree there. That’s where my lab is in. MARLE can help.” 

Karma looked at the tree in the plaza, “It seems a bit small for the three of us. Will this crystal cure Emeri?” 

“Don’t worry. You have to wait and see. Just come along. And I do hope so.” 

Karma followed Jacoby into the tree, and inside, a luxurious yet loud laboratory expanded into view. Karma peeked out and in, “Wait...there’s a whole room in here. How?” 

“That’s a story for another time.” Jacoby said, “Let’s see if I can make this crystal. Feel free to make yourself at home. You can place Emeri on the bed there.” 

Jacoby called onto MARLE and asked her for a singular star crystal. He began to fixate all sorts of science into building the Star Crystal for Emeri. MARLE analyzed Emeri and told him who Emeri truly is, besides being a star. Minutes later, Jacoby finished the crystal and walked over to Emeri’s bedside. Karma stood by, worried. He placed the crystal on top of Emeri’s heart, and her starlight began to flow into it, disappearing her human body along with it. 

“Where did she go?” Karma asked. 

“A proper home where she’s truly herself, and she can become whoever she wishes to be. And I’m sure she’ll still have the memories with you. So this crystal will definitely be attuned to you when she wakes up.” 

Jacoby handed Karma Emeri’s crystal, and it feels alive and warm. Karma looked into the crystal and heard Emeri’s voice once more. 

Hello, Miss Karma! I feel so alive and bouncing. I am as bright as a star like those in the night sky! I still feel so sleepy. Once I wake up, we can go travelling together. There’s so much to see along the starlight trail. 

Karma smiled, “Emeri...” 

Jacoby noticed their connection and spoke, “Emeri’s starlight might be unstable since she’s so young. Her starlight is similar to MARLE where they can undergo time-travelling. She’ll have to stay with me for a while until she gets older. MARLE can accompany her.” 

“Time travel?” Karma said with a bit of confusion. 

“The wonders of time travel. I’ve done my fair share. Do you want to experience? Or would you rather just stay in Starhill Falls and just continue working?” 

“My life has always been taking care of Emeri as a nurse. And now that I learned new things about her and you, I realize the one thing that makes life brighter is having a companion to enjoy with.” Karma said, “I was in a bad time until she showed up as a patient.” 

Jacoby heard her words carefully and almost remembered about his past with Sayuri Tsukiko. He realized, even though he has MARLE to accompany him, that having such a companion does make things brighter, especially when there are there to help him make the right decisions. 

“I would like to follow Emeri’s journey. And I’m sure she would want me alongside her, too. You said her starlight was unstable and might cause havoc with her time-travelling everywhere, but whenever she used to sleep in the hospital bed when I’m around, Emeri was always stable.” 

Jacoby smiled, “I always needed another companion.” 

Karma then remembered about the mysterious man that attempted to kidnap Emeri and described the scene to Jacoby. 

He explained, “Must be ‘him’ again. Every time a star’s in distress, he tends to be there to do all sorts of bad things. Fortunately, I found you and Emeri before he could close in. If we travelled together, it may be dangerous. So are you willing to face those dangers?” 

“If it’s to protect Emeri, then there are no dangers worth solving.” 

“Well then, where shall we start first? Past, present, or future?” 

[namariea]

Hello, Neighbor | IV

Since moving in you have compiled a comprehensive list on your mysterious neighbor across the way.

Do Kyungsoo, otherwise known as Asian Bobby Flay and apparently Bruno Mars’ protégé.

Pairing: Kyungsoo x Reader

Words: 1.9 k

Genre: Fluff

Previous: I II III

Today was a good day.

The sun was shining, fluffy white clouds dusting the sky like a painting. With all the windows wide open, you could hear the beauty of nature around you. Birds chirping, children laughing…

Your brain cells screaming in anguish as they were destroyed by a miasma of paint fumes.

Ah, what a time to be alive.

You wasted no time once you saw the sun begin to peak through your curtains, all but flying out of bed and getting ready to make the trip to the hardware store. You made the trip brief, grabbing rollers and various brushes while the paint was being mixed. Taping the edges went by fairly quickly and after pushing all your furniture to the middle of your room, you covered everything with a clear plastic sheet, your living room now looking very much like an episode of Dexter.

I knew I should have chosen red.

Taking down your curtains once again, you stepped back as your apartment reverted back to its fishbowl glory. Glancing over, you saw dark curtains still firmly closed. It made sense, it was the weekend after all and he was probably sleeping in. You faintly wondered what he would do once he pulled those curtains back and saw what you were doing. It should not come as a surprise since he was the one who picked out the colour, thus getting the ball rolling on your home renovation. You almost entertained the idea of asking him whether he would like to help, but you almost slapped yourself at the absurdness.

Putting on some music you had a pretty good pace going, by the time it was just past noon you were two-thirds done, humming along to the melody and swaying to the beat. As more and more paint covered the walls, washing the bland white away with deep blue you found yourself becoming more and more pleased as everything started coming together. Your neighbor had an eye for interior design, that much was certain. What a talented little thing he was.

Speak of the devil, as you swiped the roller along the corner wall beside the window, you saw familiar curtains slowly being pulled back and you almost dropped the roller as you felt your body go slack.

What the actual f-

Earlier you had assumed the reason for your neighbor’s absence was due to simply him sleeping in with it being the weekend and whatnot, doing what any rational person would do. Well, it appeared that you were half-right in your assumptions, he indeed was sleeping in… however your reasoning could not have been farther from the truth.

Once you saw the curtains being pulled back, you were expecting to be presented with a sleepy variation of the reserved man, dressed in crinkled pajamas and probably rubbing his bleary eyes or something along those lines.

But instead, you were greeted by a bloody harlot.   

Dressed in a tight black button down shirt and matching blazer, you saw an expanse of smooth pale skin as the top buttons were left undone. You took in how his usually limp black hair was fashionably styled up and tousled oh so nicely with sleep. Holding himself with an air of confidence even in his groggy state, you gaped at just how different he looked. So much more disheveled, so much more manly, you couldn’t comprehend how someone that was always so reserved could pull a 180 and look like that. 

He had yet to notice your presence, you watched as his face instantly twisted with distaste as the sun shone into his eyes, wincing away and bringing his hands up to massage his temples.

Was he wearing eyeliner-

Suddenly a charcoal rimmed eye cracked open, sights set on your general direction.

You literally threw yourself at the wall.

Feeling wet paint coat the entire left side of your body, you were not concerned in the slightest with the fact that you had just ruined your hard work. Instead, you were trying to focus on your heart, which seemed to be trying to burst out of your chest. Peeling yourself from the wall quite literally, you lowered into a crouch, keeping out of sight and held your hands out in front of you.

Gesturing with your left hand you imagined your neighbor – sheepish and kept, with his floppy bowl-cut looking hair and mild manners. Now with your right hand, you pictured…whatever it was you just saw. Maybe he has a twin? An evil twin that leads a life completely opposite of the man you had familiarized with for the past month.

There was just no way.

How could you not have noticed him dress like that before? You had admitted to yourself that he was a good-looking person sure; he had nice enough features and even wondered if he did modeling, but this. It was one thing to have an imagination, but to have fantasy become something of reality was making your head spin.

Actually, that might just be from the fumes again.

You should really get a fan in here to help with that.

Still trying to come to terms with the sick, twisted curveball your life had thrown at you, you began to think deliberately. So your squeaky clean looking neighbor was not so squeaky clean after all, where was he last night to be dressed like that. A party? Clubbing? Oh, what if he is part of a Host Club. You always prided yourself on being a good judge of character, acutely observant and silently assessing the world around you accurately.

But oh no, you have never been more wrong in your entire life.

Mentally reviewing the list you had put together about the mysterious man, you were coming to the very obvious conclusion that there was so much that you clearly did not know about him. Of course, you do not actually know anything about him, all preconceived notions you had were solely based on your own observations. You did not know anything about his personality other than what you assumed he was like by your chance encounters.

You didn’t even know his name for crying out loud.

A deep frown took residence on your face as you thought about this. You knew you weren’t exactly friends, far from it actually. You were simply two people who happened to live across one another and greeted each other cordially when the situation called for it. There was nothing special about your encounters, however, the fact that you only seemed to have said encounters with the dark haired man and no one else made it somewhat… special? Like there was a silent understanding between the two of you, one that no one in any of the other units was part of.

Did he also think about your encounters the same way? Did he share the odd sense of familiarity you felt towards him? Did you want him to think anything of you?

Because you sure as hell were going to do a whole lot of thinking about him now.

Oh boy.

Putting your head in your hands you grimaced at the slimy feel of paint in your hair, you also became aware of the left side of your face becoming stiff as the paint started to dry, pulling your skin taught as you moved it. Casting a forlorn glance at the unfinished wall, and a wary one at your window, you turned and started crawling down the hall.

You had to wash all of this paint off first. 

You will admit that you probably did not have to stay in the shower for as long as you did, but thought of leaving the confines of your bathroom and going out there, where he will probably be lounging in his living room, it was enough for you to just continue standing there in nervous contemplation. Eventually you had to cut your losses when you started resembling a human prune and dressing in paint free clothes you pulled your hair up into a bun and walked out of the bathroom.

Creeping down the corridor, you half-registered that there was no reason for you to be acting stealthily in your hallway, but nevertheless, you slowly peered into your living room. Not seeing any sign of the cause of your current strife, you quickly picked up your paint roller and began to hastily resume painting, suddenly wanting nothing more than to have it over and done with.

You had gotten back into your lull of painting, doing one final pass along the trim of your ceiling, you let out a satisfied hum, pulling back the brush and slowly climbing down the ladder-

“That colour ended up suiting really well didn’t it?”

You slipped on the last step, falling forward and slamming your arm down on the bone that isn’t actually all that funny.

A string of curses left you and dropping the paintbrush you grabbed your arm, wondering why the universe hated you today.

Turning you saw his body quickly make way to the side of the window closest to you, eyes wide with concern and arms out as if he were going to grab you for support.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you,” he hurriedly offered, looking instantly guilty at your pain-streaked face. He continued to fret, asking if you were ok but you weren’t listening, you were staring dumbstruck at him.

Long gone was the Host Club prince, and you were met with the sight of your sheepish neighbor.

What.

Did he not see you earlier? He must not have, and in the time you were in the shower, he also took the time to change, losing the provocative black ensemble and opting for a bright yellow hoodie. His face was also bare of any cosmetics, hair falling limply across his forehead.

What sorcery was this?

You could not believe you were looking at the same person. The difference is so jarring that you were beginning to wonder if you dreamt the other version. Why would he have such completely different types of styles, it was almost as if he was wearing a costume earlier and just forgot to take it off.

You belatedly noticed he had stopped talking and was now hesitantly waving a hand in your line of sight. Shaking your head slightly you looked at him properly, offering a slight smile, trying desperately to hide the flush that was creeping up your neck.

“Don’t worry about it, it was only a matter of time before gravity had its way with me” you bent down and picked up the paintbrush from the floor in a desperate attempt to hide from his eyes “Thanks again for the colour choice, I never did thank you, I think it turned out really great”

Glancing briefly at him as you placed the brush in the paint tray, you saw him nod, brows creasing slightly he opened his mouth to say something but before he could a faint ringing was heard. You watched him stall, before nodding slightly again.

“Yeah.. it was no problem, happy to have helped” with that, he excused himself and traversed deeper into his apartment, you faintly heard the ringing stop, meaning he probably went to go answer whoever was calling.

Letting out the breath didn’t realize you were holding in, you stared at the ceiling helplessly.

Why am I like this?

Chapter V