#also I scrolled through pictures for like 5 minutes trying to narrow it down to only 9

[wavebf]

tagged by @bewilderedmoth to post my fave jellycat plushies ! 🧸

in return, tagging: @pompeiimp3 , @delwatergaps , @only2love , @apostake , @arcticberryredbull , @gigginox , @janeeyresparknotes , @falseprophetgf , @prophetbf , @ricke , @reigensboyfriend , @suhaylahs , @boysaints @transdilfs , @bliindferret , @itsvs , @poetx , @postmoderncaricatures + anyone that i’ve forgotten!

[ah-ga-seven]

No More Pain | Jung Jaehyun

Pairing: Jung Jaehyun x Fem!reader 

Synopsis: The lingering wounds of your miscarriage have reopened. Now that you are broken up, an unforseen change in Jaehyun’s life has brought him back to your doorstep. Will he be able to fix you this time? Or will he fail just the same as before?

Genre: Angst, One Shot. 

Warnings: mentions of the reader having a miscarriage, depression, alcohol addiction and heartbreak.

Word Count: 2.8k

A/N: Probably one of the heaviest angsts I’ve written. I know the subject is rough but the idea came from a dream so I just had to write it down.

This was a different kind of pang to your heart.

You’ve had your fair share of tragedies, heartbreaks and disappointments, but this…

This feeling was nothing like anything you’ve ever felt before and quite frankly, you wouldn’t wish this upon your greatest enemy.  

It was a Thursday night, one like many where you decided to stay in and recharge from a busy day at your demanding job.

You were seated on your couch with a hot cup of tea as you mindlessly scrolled through your Instagram feed. Completely wrapped in the warmth of your favorite fleece blanket. But even the thick fluffy material couldn’t protect you from the cold shivers that ran down your spine.

You blankly stare at the post your best friend forwarded to you via dm and stiffened.  

Memories of the night you miscarried 4 months into your pregnancy flood back to you as you stare at his comment.

You remembered how broken he looked when the doctor couldn’t find the baby's heartbeat anymore.  

You remembered how he held you as you cried in his arms, promising that he’d love you just the same as he tried to console you to his best ability while suffering himself.

You remembered the pain and the relief of having Jaehyun by your side through it all. Glad that even though your life was about to change forever, he’d be the one constant thing you could rely on.

You remembered all of these moments like they happened yesterday, wishing future you could mentally prepare past you for what was going to be the hardest time in your life.  

The man who swore never to leave you did just that, and not even 6 months into his new relationship, your biggest insecurity was made into a reality.  

He had moved on for good, and even though you have no ill feelings towards him, you can’t help but feel anger over sadness right now.  

It was that easy to replace you. And that easy for him to find someone that could give him what you couldn’t.

Even though your miscarriage wasn’t the direct cause of why he left, the effects of the incidence on your mental health dragged him down with you. So both of you felt it’d be better to part ways for the sake of not wanting to hate or resent each other in the end.  

But God…you hated and resented him now more than ever.  

It didn’t matter to you that both of you started to date new people, because a part of you always held on to the fact that you’d somehow find your way back to each other, though the probability of that ever happening again turned to ash.

Your miscarriage broke you.  

No appetite for weeks, no motivation to get yourself out of bed and no cure for the monsters in your head who told you that Jaehyun was only sticking around out of pity for your broken state.

That same insecurity is what drove him into the arms of the women he told you not to worry about, and now they’re having a fucking child together.  

Knowing that that should’ve been you was a thought that was just too much to bear right now. You suddenly feel sick to your stomach, tears prickling your eyes as you rub the spot on your belly where the mini bump used to be 8 months ago.

You were finally doing better, thriving in your job and social life. Meeting new people and dating a few loose ends here and there, but you can already feel yourself spiraling back into old depressional habits as you stare at the picture once more.  

You pettily decide to like it, hoping it would spark interest from none other than your ex, and much to your surprise, it did.

Not even 20 minutes later your phone started to buzz on the counter as you poured yourself a glass of wine. You mindlessly retrieve it, expecting it to be your best friend but when you see his name as you take a sip you almost choke.

Is he serious?

You try to come up with what to say for the next 3 to 5 minutes but nothing in your head seems to translate your exact feelings to your fingertips.

You sigh in agony while leaning over on your kitchen counter with your phone still in your hands, reading his messages over and over again. You subconsciously start to bite your lip in deep thought, getting startled by your ringtone as your phone starts to ring in your grasp.

“Fuck,” you mumble to yourself, taking a big chug of the alcoholic beverage in front of you, putting on the bravest face and straightest posture to make yourself feel better before accepting the call.  

You knew you didn’t have to answer, but you were dying to hear what he had to say under these circumstances.  

“Y/N? Is that you?” His voice was unchanged. You didn’t know why, but you expected him to sound different, be different. Yet the same worry he’s always had for you was evident in his tone this time as well.

You clear your throat to avoid a voice crack and sigh. “Congratulations,” you tried to sound as genuine as you could, but you knew you sounded like shit.  

You start to play with the ends of your hair out of anxious anticipation, waiting for him to respond on the other end of the line.  

“I meant to tell you,” he starts. “I just…I didn’t know how and Chaeyoung suddenly uploaded the picture and-”

“Jae…please spare me the details,” you interrupt him. Saying his name like you used to felt like speaking a foreign language. He stayed quiet upon hearing your voice again and let out a frustrated sigh.

“Do you still live in the same apartment in Itaewon?” he suddenly asks, immediately alerting you to stand up straight because he could only be asking for one reason and one reason only.

“Y-yes.”

“Good, I’m on my way.”

Just like that, he hung up and just like that your heart rate starts to race uncontrollably.  

You down the remnants of your wine glass and hope he’s isn’t too close because your place looked far from neat. For the next 15 minutes, you run around, shoving things into random cabinets. Whether those items belonged there or not was the least of your concern and just as you fluff the last pillow on your couch, your doorbell rings.

You take a deep breath, calming your nerves as you walk up to your front door, taking it off the lock before you open it with a dramatic swing.

There he was. Jung Jaehyun.

As beautiful and put together as he always looked, no matter the circumstance. You forget how to breathe when you lay eyes on him and gulp. It’s actually him.

His big dark orbs widened as he laid eyes on you after months of not seeing you. His facial expression softened, slowly parting his lips to speak but you beat him to it when you broke out of your trance.  

“What are you doing here?” your shoulders fall as you look into his eyes for answers. The same eyes that once looked at you with so much love and adoration, but right now his pupils were stressfully darting back and forth, trying to read you like he used to be able to but he had no idea what you were feeling right now.

“Because I feel like shit y/n. Please let me in and let me explain,” he pleaded with a defeated tone.

You scoff, rolling your eyes. “What is there to explain? You knocked up your girlfriend and finally got what you wanted. Why bother coming here? To rub it into my face?”  

Your plan of staying calm and collected went completely out the window just now and you could tell by the shock on his face that he did not expect you to be angry with him.

He took a step forward, backing you into your own hallway. His height towered over you when you stepped back and without looking back he closed the door behind him.

“Y/n. I would never purposely do that to you. Ever.” You ignore his statement, narrowing your eyes at him.

“I don’t remember inviting you in Jaehyun. Does she even know you’re here?”

You hold your ground, crossing your arms over your chest as you wait for him to counter your attack, but he simply shook his head. Knowing damn well that you’re acting tough just so you won’t get emotional.  

As he’s scanning the premises, his eyes linger on the red wine bottle on your kitchen counter and with a look of utter disbelief, he averts his attention back on you.

“You’re drinking again?” he asks with an almost condescending tone.  

“Did you come here to practice your parenting skills because no thanks Jae, please leave,” you bite back as coldly as you could, but he wasn’t having it.

“That shit almost killed you and you’re just casually drinking again?” He runs his hand through his locks out of pure frustration, not knowing what to do with the misplaced feeling of still caring for you just the same, while also knowing he has no business to tell you how to live your life.

The truth is, Jaehyun had no idea what he was doing here. Everything about the situation felt wrong and he couldn’t lie to himself any longer. Ever since Chaeyoung told him she was pregnant; he couldn’t be fully happy about it. He couldn’t commit to fatherhood knowing how much it broke your relationship. How much it broke the women he loved most to this day.

“A little red wine didn’t hurt anyone,” you mumble under your breath and that comment alone send Jaehyun’s emotions into overdrive, unable to hide his disappointment and worry for you any longer.

“IT HURT YOU Y/N. DAMN IT!” He raised his voice at you as he roughly grabbed your arm to make you look at him, which is the last thing you expected. He wasn’t mad at you. He was mad at himself. Mad at the fact that he wasn’t there when you needed him most and mad at the fact that this is what your lives had come to.

You might have previously dealt with your pain by drinking, and you might have mindlessly mixed your anti-depressants with your drink once, which…just might have earned you a trip to the hospital, but that was your lowest low and you made sure it’d never happen again.

You beat your demons by yourself when he had already moved on, so he had no place to waltz back into your life when he felt like it, just to judge you.

You’re absolutely fuming by now because of that same reason and much to your dismay you feel new tears well up in your eyes.  

“NO, YOU HURT ME!” you yell back at him as you smack his chest, the salty droplets streaming down your face as you kept hitting his chest to make him feel your pain. “YOU LEFT ME.”

Your knees got weak and you knew you looked absolutely pathetic as you crouched down in front of him. Shock took over his features as he got down on his own knees just as quickly, pulling you into the comfort of his arms. The warmth that you used to call home and the warmth that always seemed to calm you down engulfed you completely, a feeling your favorite fleece blanket from before could hardly imitate.  

He patted your head with assuring strokes, whispering sweet nothings to you as he held you on the floor of your apartment. Letting you sob the pain away in his black shirt. “Shhh, it’s okay…” he kissed the top of your head, caressing your cheek as he wiped away your tears.

You calmed down slowly, ignoring the suffocating ache in your head and heart while he made you feel safe and sound like he always did. You sat there like that for God knows how long, letting your minds go into overdrive as silence comforted the both of you.  

Ironically enough, this scenery was the exact same as the one in the hospital 8 months ago. You cried in his arms just like this when you had lost your child, but now you were crying because you had lost him. For good now.  

“I would never purposely plan to have a baby this quickly y/n, you have to believe me. Chae was on birth control but it just…happened,” he whispers, finally breaking the agonizing silence.

You stay quiet, closing your eyes to the sound of his low voice, letting his words register. “I was going to tell you. I was planning to ask you out for a coffee but as soon as she passed her first trimester, she was just so excited and made the announcement…it was just bad timing.”

“All of this is bad timing,” you mumble, which made him nod in agreement. He sighed into your hair as he continued to explain. “Y/n, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care for you anymore. I wish things were different, but they simply aren’t and I’m sorry.”

You sniff, dabbing your tears and your nose with the sleeves of your blouse before looking up at him through your lashes.

“You don’t have to apologize for moving on and being happy Jaehyun. It’s all I ever wanted for you.” You wipe the single tear that remained on the corner of his eye, not having realized that he shed a few tears himself too.

He leaned into your touch as he looked into your eyes before closing them, leaning his forehead onto yours while taking a deep breath.  

“I just want you to be ok.” He says suppressing a sob. “I can’t live this picture-perfect life knowing that you’re in pain y/n. It makes no sense; you deserve so much more it’s not fair.”  

Your lip starts to quiver as his words hit you, and you build up the courage to look at him again.  

He stared at you longingly and lovingly for the first time since forever and you knew a mistake was about to be made when he inched his face closer to you, but it was too late.

His lips made contact with yours and you completely gave in. Letting him lead you into a slow yet passionate kiss that took both of your breaths away.  Before things could get more heated, you realize what was happening and froze.

You take a hold of his wrists as you pull away, your eyes staring into his equally electrified ones as you recompose yourselves.

“I-I’m sorry,” he started. “I should’ve never confused you like that. Fuck. What the fuck am I doing.” He covers his mouth as he got up. Frustrated with his own behavior, he digs his fingernails into the palms of his hands to suppress the urge to swing at your door or any other object in sight for that matter.

You get up just as quickly as well. Straightening out your clothes before shaking off the nerves of what just happened.  

You take a deep breath followed by a shaky exhale as you opened your front door, turning around on your heels to look at an equally distressed Jaehyun.

He was about to speak; about to confess that he still loved you, but you stopped him by raising your hand, motioning for him to keep whatever he was about to say to himself.

Your eyes find his own and you take one last glance at the man that was supposed to be the pillar to your family. The man you used to call yours, and the man that you had hoped to still have a future with, despite everything.  

But you knew better.

You knew what was right and you knew what you had to do before things would start to spiral out of control again.

You stepped aside so he could pass by you, trying to avoid eye contact all while you could still feel his burning stare lingering on your fragile state.

You swallow harshly, licking your lips before you spoke as clearly and steadily as you could.

“For the sake of your family, please leave Jae…and never come back.”  

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

A Miraculous TikTok Account

Part 15

First

Previous

Next

Ladybug woke up the next morning to her phone going off like an alarm. She groaned and slowly reached to her bedside table, gently nudging away fabrics in search of her phone. She found it, eventually, and tapped her finger on the screen repeatedly in search of the snooze button, but it didn’t seem to be working.

She grumbled to herself, snatching the phone off the table and looking to turn it off…

Only to realize that it was a good hour before she’d set her alarm to go off for her meeting with Audrey Bourgeois. She rubbed her eyes tiredly as she watched another round of notifications come in.

Ugh. That’s what she gets for turning her ringer on at night in case her friends had nightmares. She silenced her phone and fell back in her bed.

After ten minutes of staring at the ceiling and attempting to trick her brain into thinking she was asleep, she reluctantly pushed herself out of her bed. Phone in hand and blanket around her shoulders, she shuffled downstairs for a cup of coffee.

She waved to Chloe absently when she saw her in the kitchen making a bowl of cereal and got a hum in response. That was their entire conversation, though. Chloe always seemed to know when exactly it was a good time to tease her or not without Ladybug ever saying a word.

Maybe she should have figured out that Chloe was some kind of minor telepath.

Whatever.

She scrolled through her phone as she waited for her pot of coffee to finish.

The Parisians on TikTok were going wild.

There was a group freaking out about Chat’s account (because it was cute, but also because he might actually be a dog person considering that was the first thing he’d uploaded). Carapace’s video was full of comments analyzing their group dynamic or pitying the people who had been on shift at the time. Rena’s account had thousands of people screaming about having actual information on the miraculous holder’s daily lives for once and people attempting to use the footage to figure out where they were living. Chloe’s video had people speculating on what she would be doing or commenting on their day-to-day outfits.

And Ladybug’s…

It was full of people saying things along the lines of “of course Ladybug would have a lifestyle account”.

Part of her was kind of offended. Sure, her persona was definitely different than her and if she knew a person like ‘Ladybug’ in real life she probably wouldn’t be all that close to them, she’d made it that way on purpose… but still. It kind of hurt.

Then again, there was another part of her that was tempted to sing. Her ruse was working! She had accurately guessed what would be in character for her persona! Nice!

She poured herself a cup of her quickly cooling coffee and headed up to get properly dressed for the day.

Ladybug couldn’t help but be a little anxious as she changed from her red and black pajamas into a completely different red and black ensemble. Her mind wandered to all the messages she was getting about how consistent her persona was.

If she didn’t give her persona any kind of depth, how long would people keep falling for it?

She didn’t know. She was out the door in minutes and heading off to the park where Audrey had wanted to meet, the prototype of the dress she’d made for a ball in the United States in her hands. She had to remind herself constantly that, even if the stuff she’d used for the prototype was just there to simulate the real thing and wasn’t all that expensive, she still needed everything to be intact when she gave it to Audrey.

She was a little distracted during the meeting, her mind on what to do about her persona, so it was a good thing that Audrey’s only complaint was that the prototype fabric was a little coarse. That could be fixed.

The persona thing…? Not so much.

Rena was already suspicious, Ladybug could see it in the way her eyes narrowed ever so slightly whenever she let little things slip through.

(Thanks for telling her that everyone has personas, Carapace, now she had to be even more careful.)

She forced herself to relax. There wasn’t anything to gain from worrying about people figuring out just how fake she was outside of a possible akumatization.

No. Instead she would concentrate on something she could fix: Hawkmoth. If she figured out his identity they could beat him, and then she would never have to worry about personas ever again.

The moment she got home she walked over to the conspiracy board. She glared at the millions of closeups of every part of Hawkmoth’s body.

~Want to skip some calculations? Here’s your chance! I nerded out a little, sorry~

Hawkmoth was about 230cm tall in costume. That’s what Rena had found out through calculating his height in comparison to some of Nino’s plates in the photo, but Ladybug had (stupidly) offered to do the math to see how tall he would be without the miraculous stuff...

She knew the man’s shoes gave him a little extra height than most normal shoes would; she’d seen them up close, they were practically heels.

She spent literal hours sitting down with her computer at the kitchen table, a cold look on her face.

(Thank the kwamis for Chloe, because every time someone came near she would quickly come up to play interference. Ladybug didn’t know if she was doing this for their sake or hers, but either way it was appreciated.)

She scrolled through page after page of shoes, trying to find a model that looked close to the fashion disaster Hawkmoth was wearing.

Did she have a theory for the type of shoe they were? Yes. Was she going to just go with that? Of course not. She was Ladybug! Ladybug doesn’t GUESS --!

Maybe she’d been pretending to be Ladybug for too long. She made a mental note to go out with friends as a civilian sometime.

Still, it took until midnight to find a model that was similar enough for her to feel comfortable using it as a base. She printed out the picture and put it beside the picture of Hawkmoth’s shoes and nodded to herself. Great. His shoes added about 3 centimeters to his height.

Now onto the next part of height calculations.

Miraculi gave everyone extra height.

She didn’t know for sure if it was a flat rate or proportional, so she went out on the town, looking for some kind of measuring tape -- the type she used for work wasn’t long enough for a person’s actual height. She managed to find a place unfortunate enough to be open past midnight and she and the person checking out her item shared ‘I wish I was dead’ expressions.

It was here that she dragged everyone out of bed to measure their heights as civilians versus as heroes (without shoes, obviously).

They were clearly very annoyed by this, but it was nearing three o’clock at this point and she had spent an entire day looking at shoes. The look on her face was absolutely murderous. They opted to just quietly do what she said so they could go back to sleep as soon as possible.

5 centimeters. Everyone grew by 5 centimeters.

She wasn’t quite sure why this happened, nor did she really care. It was just important for her calculations.

~Calculations over~

So he was anywhere from 215 to 225 centimeters. Unreasonably tall, really. There could only be a few people of that height in Paris.

After doing some searching she figured out that there were probably about 5 people in all of Paris that were that height.

She just had to… find them? Somehow?

Whatever. She should also do some quick things to distinguish Hawkmoth from the others. She grabbed an extra sheet of printer paper and started writing things down.

A semi-muscular build, possibly bald, stupidhead, terrible fashion sense...

She fell back on the couch for a quick breather.

She was getting a headache. What was it from? The caffeine? Dehydration? Was she clenching her teeth? Who knows.

Ladybug pulled her phone out and checked the time…

Four-thirty.

She had time to finish that sketch for Jagged Stone before their eight o’clock appointment. It would be close, though.

She changed while she waited for her coffee to brew (How many pots had she had since yesterday? Four? Five? Whatever, it was probably fine) and then got to work.

She looked up a while later when Chloe walked down for breakfast. It was seven now, then. She would need to leave soon…

“Kwami, Ladybug, you look awful!”

“Thanks,” she said, her eyes falling back to the sketch. It didn’t have enough… yeah, that was the end of the sentence. It was too plain, but she couldn’t seem to --.

She felt hands rest over her cheeks and she looked up to see Chloe standing over her. “You need to sleep.”

“I need to get to an appointment.”

“I WILL use Sticky Situation if I have to.”

Ladybug wasn’t impressed.

“Pollen, buzz on.”

Ladybug blinked at the miraculous holder in front of her and then gasped. Of course! She’d forgotten accessories! No wonder it felt empty!

Kwami, she really was tired, huh?

She put some quick accessories down, careful to make all the items kind of tiny so Jagged wouldn’t be able to tell the ideas weren’t fully fleshed out yet, and then smiled at Chloe as she got up to leave. “Thanks, Queenie. I gotta go, I’ll sleep later.”

“But --!”

She was already gone.

The meeting went well. Yay. She kept her job.

She walked home, happy to just be done with that really long day --.

She randomly chanced a look in the window as she passed and winced when she saw Chloe waiting for her on the couch. She was far too tired to deal with a lecture. She transformed and flew into her room through the window.

… now what? Should she sleep?

Nah. She had patrols that night. Might as well just stay up through it all.

She yawned into her hand and headed down to Rena’s room. She might as well tell her what she’d figured out.

She knocked her head against the wooden door instead of her fist in an attempt to wake herself up a little and smiled when it opened.

“You look…”

“I’ve been told. Anyways, I’ve finished doing math and stuff. Come look.”

Ladybug grabbed Rena’s arm before the other could even say anything and pulled her down to the kitchen where she’d done the calculations.

Rena looked over everything for a few moments before her eyes widened.

“... hey, quick question, why does it say he has a ‘condom-head’?”

That got Ladybug awake. Her eyes found their way to the list of attributes she’d written while sleep-deprived.

Her eyes went wide with horror.

Because there, in handwriting that was definitely hers, were the words ‘stupid-looking condom-head’.

Fuck.

~~~

Taglist

@nathleigh @mialuvscats @sassakitty @th1s-1s-my-aesthet1c @blueslushgueen @woe-is-me0 @ladybug-182 @cas-and-their-refusal-to-write

[themusicplayedherlife]

Some Sugar

5. it’s just manners to pretend

pairing: sugar daddy!steve rogers x reader characters: reader, steve rogers, others word count: 7k+ warnings: fluff, dom!steve?, mild smut, 18+ situations, exhibition kink?, dirty talk summary: everything has been perfect for you and Steve; on the night of gala things get a little steamy, but the bliss doesn’t last as long as you had hoped. a/n: yikes. It’s been half a year since I’ve updated and i apologize. 2020 hasn’t been the kindest to me or my family and I’m still reeling from everything that happened and is happening. i hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I’m sorry for any mistakes, will be revising it again soon just to make sure I got all of them out of the way! warning: there is mild smut near the end!

Esmeralda watches you from her place on the sofa, the remote in her hand jiggling and occasionally hitting her lips. It’s unnerving how intensely she’s staring at you.

Lifting your eyes momentarily from the daal you’re preparing for your mom, you ask, “What?”

“Nothing,” she says with a shrug, a little smile on her face.

You taste the tomato and the seasoning, finding it blander than you usually make it, but it’ll be perfect for your mom’s current taste-buds. “I know that look and that look doesn’t mean nothing.”

She sits up and makes her way over to you. “It’s just—I’m happy.”

You glance up at her and find her standing behind you. “Yeah?”

Her arms wrap around you and she nods into your back. “Having you and mom home, having a new place, it’s surreal.”

You exhale softly, the warm spices and the vegetables lingering in your nostrils as you maneuver Esmeralda to your side instead of having her cling to your back. “I know what you mean.”

“I hope it lasts.”

“It will.” You squeeze her, pressing a kiss to the top of her curls. “I promise it will.”

“I believe you.” She looks up at you, eyes narrowing, pout forming. “Just promise you won’t do anything stupid to keep it.”

You grin toothily, making another promise that she accepts by digging deeper into your side.

The sounds of the kitchen fill the air, Esmeralda sticking to your side, never leaving it even when you need to drain the lentils.

Your mom pads into the kitchen and upon seeing you two, she also presses herself against your other side; the three of you laugh and argue as they try to steal bites before you can even add the lemon juice into the dish. 

It’s normalcy; a normalcy you haven’t been able to experience in such a long time. And you wouldn’t let anyone take that away from you, not anymore.

“Are you sure you can be out here?” you ask Steve, keeping a, what you hope is inconspicuous, eye out as the escalator takes you downward onto the second floor. 

The mall is full of people shopping and taking advantage of the current sales, something you were also hoping to take advantage of, but now with Steve’s hand in yours, his warmth pressed to your side, you’re not sure it was such a good idea.

“We’ll be fine, sweetheart,” he promises softly into your ear, leaning down to press a kiss to the tip of it. 

You look up at him and he smiles down at you, beautiful blue eyes still obstructed by stupid sunglasses. “We check out one store and then we leave okay?”

The corner of his pretty pink lips pull down into frown. “Don’t you want to take your time?”

Maybe in other circumstances you would’ve, but the thought of Steve being recognized while being with you, it has your little hairs on edge, practically standing with a life of their own.

“No,” you squeeze his hand, “I’ve got a dress in mind.” You had seen it online as you casually scrolled through the options Selena had helped you find, it was also the only one she added a message to—easy access? Just kidding! But seriously, isn’t this dress gorgeous? I think you’ll look lovely ❤️

The price was a little steep and a little out of your budget, but your mind wouldn’t stop picturing you in it—seeing that the store was having a sale only solidified your decision.

Stepping away from the escalator, he tugs you as close as he can get you, eyes ever vigilant like the soldier he is. It’s something you’ve noticed whenever you’re outside of the safety of his car, and you guess it comes with being an Avenger. But you’re starting to think it might be—more often than not—for your benefit, because any time someone so happens to take a candid picture of him with one of the other Avengers, he doesn’t seem to be this alert.

You squeeze his hand and when he glances down at you, his mouth relaxes into a soft smile, one that makes you push up on your toes and press a light kiss to. He chases after you when you pull away, pouting when you teasingly refuse to meet his lips once more.

“Baby,” he whines, soft and sweet and all you do is smile, tugging him towards your destination. 

The store you chose is more of a boutique, less of a chain store. A lot of their dresses are unique to them, carrying only a few name brand items like Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Dior and a few other names you don’t recognize such as Bouchra Jarrar.

Unlike the surrounding area, the store is quiet with a low hum of music playing from their speakers. Strong perfume attacks your nostrils the very moment Steve opens the door for you, and you’re not sure whether you like the smell or not. It’s not sweet like the ones you’d usually smell at a Macy’s or JCPenny, but it’s not dry either—jasmine, maybe?

“Welcome,” a woman dressed in black immediately greets you, a practiced polite smile already in place over her smooth skin. “Is there anything I could help you with?”

It’s a little intimidating the way she seems to stare into you, as if she knows you’re not the type of person to usually walk into stores like this one, but you push that thought away, instead taking on a smile to mirror hers. “Yes, thank you. I’m actually looking for a blue dress—lantern sleeves and tulle gown?”

“We may have the dress you’re looking for.” Her eyes light up with recognition and she leads you further in where there are a few lingering customers and employees. Steve pays them no mind, ignoring the blatant stares to his physique as he removes and pockets his sunglasses and instead keeps close to you and occasionally surveying the store and it’s wares.

She asks you your size, and once you give her your measurements, asks you and Steve to wait for a moment, disappearing into the back where you assume they keep their dresses not on display and their variety of sizes.

Wrapping an arm around Steve, you find him glancing around still, a little stiff, only relaxing when his eyes settle on yours.

“Mind taking the dress home with you?”

“Why?” He frowns, curious as to why you wouldn’t want to take it with you.

You reach up to run your thumb over a corner of his lips, saying, “Esme has a tendency to go through my things.”

“Trying to steal your clothes?” he asks, lips lifting into a half smirk.

“She’s too tiny to fit into my clothes.” You laugh and shake your head. “She’s just used to having to go through my things to find hers. It’s a habit that comes with having to share a space.”

His gaze softens and he cups your jaw. “What about now?”

“She sometimes sneaks into my bed in the middle of the night.” You sigh with exasperated fondness. “But I can’t say I mind. It’s weird having so much space to myself now.”

His thumb brushes over your cheekbone. “A good weird?”

“A good weird,” you assure him, leaning into his touch.

“Good.”

Someone clears their throat and you and Steve are slow to detach yourselves from one another, in no complete hurry to face the saleswoman. It’s a little embarrassing having been caught in such an intimate position, but looking around the store, it makes you realize that you might’ve been caught a long time ago and neither of you noticed.

Steve just makes it so easy to forget your surroundings when he looks at you, makes you feel like you’re in a space of your own. It’s such a weird thing to say about someone you met only a few weeks ago, but it’s true. Whether you’re at the bar, or in his car, or even talking on the phone, it’s as if you’re the only two people in the room.

That’s a little dangerous when you think about it, but it doesn’t really matter to you. You like feeling like you’re the center of his universe and he probably likes being the center of yours too, if the way he squeezed you to him is of any indication.

“May this be the dress you’re looking for?”

Your eyes widen as she brandishes the gown, holding it up for you to see it. “Yes!”

Steve chuckles and you look up at him in question, finding him looking down at you with delight. 

“You’re vibrating,” he teases you. “It’s cute.”

Light embarrassment overcomes you, but you still face the lady. “May I try it on?”

“Of course! This way, ma’am.”

You’re quick to follow her, excusing yourself from Steve and he lets you go reluctantly, promising to wait by the loveseats. You don’t leave without a quick kiss to his cheek.

It takes a minute to get on the dress and you absolutely adore it! It looks amazing on you! There’s some changes that need to be done to the bodice, but other than that—

“You look phenomenal,” the sales lady gushes as soon as you step out. 

But you don’t really care what she thinks, instead you focus on Steve, and your heart just about does somersaults at the way his gaze drinks you in—shades of blue glowing bright as they take down the length of your body, the tips of his ears turning red, and pretty pink lips smacking together.

“What do you think?” you murmur, unsure if he’d heard you, but he does, of course he does.

“Beautiful,” is his one word reply, said in one breath and you practically melt. “So beautiful.”

“Yeah?” You shyly duck your head, grabbing the tulle skirt and pulling slightly to show off the slit a bit more. “Not too much?”

“It’s just right, baby,” he says, soft and sweet. “Let me get it for you?”

“No,” you respond with a shake of your head, already heading into the dressing room to change. “I��m paying for it! Besides they’ll probably need to do some alterations first.”

“We may need to adjust the bodice,” the lady helping you informs him, slipping into the room with you, measuring tape in hand and is quick to have you stand still and write down your measurements. “And the length of the sleeve.”

She steps out and you change into your day wear hastily when you hear Steve and the lady murmuring behind the closed door.

“Steve,” you start, barging out of the room to find him standing alone, flashing you a shit eating grin. You groan internally, narrowing your eyes in his direction.

“Oh, sweetheart, don’t give me that look.”

“You paid for it.” Not a question, but a fact, one he doesn’t deny. 

“Paid a little extra to have the dress done on time and to have it delivered to my place, too.” And he says it so proudly.

“Steve!”

“It’ll be easier this way.” He shushes you, collecting you into his arms and leads you to the front of the store where the lady is ringing him up. “We can get ready at my place, maybe have a bit of dinner and then head out.”

You sigh, knowing there’s no point in arguing with him; the deed’s done and he’s not about to change his mind. “Fine,” you relent, leaning into him and smiling up at him, “but only if I get to make dinner.”

“We’ll both make dinner,” he says, pressing a kiss to your temple, lacing his fingers with yours.

“I can’t believe you’re going to a gala,” Selena says, her voice filtering through your earphones as you climb up the stairs of the station and out into the streets of Brooklyn. “A Stark gala no less! Remember when we thought that was impossible?”

“Still is, Sel.”

“For me maybe, not for you.” She snorts.

“Yeah, but for how long?” You sigh heavily. “You overestimate this arrangement.”

“Oh, shut it! You’re not already thinking of ending it with Steve, are you?” 

“Of course not,” you sputter, ignoring the glare a bald man with a scar on his lip sends you after bumping into you. Seriously, why get mad at you when he’s the one that bumped in to you?

“I would surely hope not, my love.” There's some shifting on her end and her voice lowers, “You need this. And according to what you’ve told me, he needs this too.”

“I know,” you agree, keeping your voice low. “This has been good, I think.”

“Not you think, it definitely has been.” She sighs dreamily. “I’m so happy for you. Things are starting to look up!”

A siren suddenly whirls to life, a cop car zooming by you in the opposite direction.

“Heads up, though—” you hum in response, checking the address Steve sent you again—“Esme is a little suspicious.”

That makes you pause, lifting your gaze from your phone. “What do you mean?”

“She doesn’t believe your story about the house.”

Your heart drops to your stomach. “Are you sure?” You thought she had bought it! But you should’ve known Esme would catch on. Everything about the move was too smooth and sudden. You let out a frustrated groan. “Please tell me—“

She doesn’t need to let you finish to know what you’re asking. “Who do you think I am? Of course I didn’t.” You know she wouldn’t, but Esmeralda can be pretty relentless when she wants to be. “I doubled down and backed you up.”

You let out a sigh of relief. “God, I love you.”

“I love you too.” She laughs, but it dies down with a sigh of her own. “But be careful. Esme is smart, ridiculously smart. She’s not going to let this go. She’s bound to find out and I still think you should tell her before she does.”

“I—I know. I just… I don’t want her to think badly of me.”

“Darl’, that little girl has always looked up to you,” she coos. “Nothing you do will ever change that. You could probably murder someone and she’d help you get rid of the body and destroy any evidence that could possibly convict you without you needing to ask.”

You laugh and bite your lip. “She would, wouldn’t she?”

“Of course! And besides, being a sugar baby is nothing to be ashamed of. She’d probably be cheering you on with me!”

You really hope so.

“She loves her family.” That’s… not entirely true.

“JC?” You mostly say it out of jest, but there’s truth in you questioning her affections towards JC. She has strong feelings towards him, not exactly the kind that are positive. When she found out JC was gone, seven year old Esme called him a coward and told you not to cry for him, that you didn’t need him when you had her.

God. No seven year old should feel the need to say that or even feel that way to begin with. Not about their big brother who should be protecting her.

She sighs. “Your brother is an asshole and your sister never really knew him, not like you.” She’s right, but you can’t help but worry still. You don’t want to disappoint her. Not like he did. “Speaking of him… has your aunt mentioned him again? Have you seen her?”

“No to both,” you admit. Thankfully. “Not since I paid off mom’s loan. Probably doesn’t even know we moved.”

“Good. Let's hope it stays that way.”

“Do you—do you think she could’ve been lying?”

She’s silent for a moment, enough to make you think the connection might’ve dropped. “From what you’ve told me about her, your aunt would do anything to rile you up. That’s probably why your dad kept her at arm's length.”

“Yeah…” 

You turn into a quiet neighborhood of beautiful brownstones, like the ones you’d see on TV or in random searches on Zillow worth over millions of dollars. It’s like being hit by whiplash walking through this neighborhood—too clean, too quiet, too nice, so many trees too.

It’s almost eerie. 

You scoff silently at yourself—it’s just a neighborhood. Sure, a quiet one and nothing like your old bustling neighborhood full of yells and laughter, smells of platano frito, pan dulce, costilla de puerco en salsa verde, and all types of cuisine filling the air, but Steve wouldn’t live around this area if he didn’t think it were secure.

“Why don’t we change the subject, huh? Are you ready for tonight?”

“Nervous,” you admit, fiddling with the cord of your earphones.

This is a huge event, one full of Avengers and many other influential people. Any wrong move on your part will put not only you, but Steve under scrutiny. But Steve had assured you that you’ll do fine. He’ll be by your side all evening and if it becomes too much, you’ll both leave. 

“We’re a team,” he had said after you opposed leaving just because you weren’t comfortable. “The moment something or someone makes you feel uncomfortable, you let me know and we’ll get out of there—no questions asked.”

“But also excited,” you whisper, almost afraid of the fact that you are excited. There’s been a bubbling in your chest since the moment you woke up that you couldn’t quite distinguish as nerves, excitement, or both.

When Selena mentioned how you and her used to talk about attending a Stark event as big as a gala one day, she was putting it lightly. 

You both used to spend hours scrolling through the university computers and dream of what you’d wear, make jokes about how you’ll talk and walk and try to fit in for a night—until you’d both get warned by one of the computer lab workers that you were being too loud. 

But they were just that, dreams. Now, here you were, about to get ready for one and not only that, you were going to attend the event with one of the most eligible bachelors known to man. And you’d be lying to yourself if you’d say you weren’t excited.

“I bet!” She laughs and she suddenly grows quiet on her end, barely heard murmuring reaching your ears. She sighs. “Unfortunately, I have to go, but you will update me tomorrow!”

“I promise.”

“Enjoy the night for the both of us, please! Love you!”

Laughing, you wish her a good evening and “love you, too,” before hanging up. It doesn’t take you long to find Steve’s place soon after that.

His brownstone home is identical to the others except for maybe being a darker shade of brick. Climbing up the steps, you dig out the key Steve had given you the other day and let yourself in.

Immediately you’re hit by the smell of seasoned chicken and the sounds of sizzling—of course he started cooking without you. Always wanting to take care of you.

“Steve?” You call for him, removing your belongings and hanging them up on the mounted coat rack.

“Kitchen, sweetheart!

You shake your head and eye the foyer, noticing the rack of shoes by the bay window and place your own shoes next to Steve’s. Your sock covered feet pad against the light wood flooring.

“You started without me?”

“Just the chicken!” He calls back as you move past the living room and dining room—they're simple and modern, sleek designs that compliment each other. The walls, however, are empty.

It hardly looks lived in. There’s nothing out of place, except for maybe the jacket hanging over the back of the sofa, but that’s it. Reminds you a little bit of those Architectural Digest home tours you see on YouTube or like a staged home for sale.

You frown. Maybe Steve just likes it all very clean?

Steve’s back is to you, keeping an eye on the chicken on the pan. He only turns his head when you wrap your arms around him. 

“Hey, sweetheart, find the place all right?”

“Yep!” You hum, leaning slightly to get a peek of the chicken—golden and with little specks of Italian seasoning. Looks so good! “Your place is really nice.”

“It’s okay.” He chuckles, doing his best to press a kiss to the top of your head, and you help him by standing on your toes. “Most of the furniture was picked out by Natasha and Tony.” Ah, well that makes sense. “Guess I should thank them for it.”

“You should.” Untangling yourself from him, you walk over to the kitchen’s island where the sink is and wash your hands. “What do you need help with?”

“Salad.” He motions to the veggies placed on the countertop. “The pasta can wait for a bit longer.”

“Yea, sir.” You nod and dry your hands with his light blue hand towel. 

You both work in tandem and dinner is served in no time, the two of you sitting at the island instead of the dining table.

“Bucky and Sam live here part time,” Steve tells you after a leisure sip of his wine. “Well, Bucky does. Sam is slowly starting to move into Sharon’s. The house was too big for me when I first got it and Bucky and Sam jumped in to be roommates.”

“That’s pretty sweet.” You crack a smile. 

He chuckles, eyes falling to his clean plate, having eaten more than one serving. “It’s not much different from living on the compound.”

“Wait, you live there too?”

He nods. “It’s easier, more practical. Sometimes a mission takes too much time and can be pretty tiring.” That also makes sense. “I guess I also only live here part time.

“I was actually going to offer you and your family to live here, but I thought since it might be a little weird to explain to your family two Avengers coming and going at random intervals wouldn’t be ideal,” he admits, rubbing his neck sheepishly. “Sam actually helped find the place you’re currently living in. The owner is an old friend of his, who was looking to rent.”

You watch him carefully, the way his eyes waver from you to the plate, the tip of his ears burning—not able to keep his gaze on you for long.

“What if I told Esme?”

He finally meets your gaze, eyebrow raised.

“About you—us—our arrangement,” you stumble over your words, trying to pick them correctly, but you’re not very good at it. “I know you’re okay with it, but we did agree not to tell anyone. Then again, Selena knows.”

He nods slowly, already aware that your best friend knows. “And most of the team knows, too.” Which is still completely wild to you.

“It’s a little odd explaining this.” You push your empty plate away and bite your lip, gesturing to him and you. “I wouldn’t know how to tell my mom, but Esme…”

“If it’s what you want, I think you should.” He smiles reassuringly, his large hand settling on top of yours on the marble top and covering it completely with his warmth.

“It is.” You turn your palm over to intertwine your fingers with his. “And—and I think she’d like you.”

You know she would. All Esme has ever wanted for you is the best and your happiness, so you know she would.

“And I’m sure I’ll like her.” He grins. 

Steve’s shower is amazing. It’s basically a warm waterfall drenching you fully as you wash away the day’s grime. Steve had told you it was his favorite part of the master bathroom and you now know why. Your plan to spend a short amount of time cleaning up is completely thrown out the window the moment you turned it on.

But you force yourself to hurry—you have plans, and although you would like to spend hours in the shower, it’s best to start getting ready for the night.

You wrap yourself up in the fluffy towel Steve set out for you and promptly dry yourself. 

Steve makes noise as he moves around in the other room, the hallway walk-in-closet, as you first called it when Steve led you through it from the master bedroom to the bathroom.

You do your best to get ready in a timely manner, drying your hair and doing something quick, easy, but still elegant enough that no one will notice you were in a rush. As for makeup, you also go with something easy. You do your usual routine, but add in a bit more color to your lids and lips, and even dramatic, fake lashes to make your eyes pop. With a few spritz of setting spray, you deem yourself almost presentable.

Slipping on your dress, you reach as best as you can and try to zip yourself up, but it’s futile, you need help.

“Steve!” He answers you with a loud, “yeah?” “Can you come here for a minute?” The door opens and he walks in, completely focused on fiddling with his cuff link. “Do you mind—“ your question trails off when his gaze lifts to your form and comes to a sudden halt. 

But you hardly notice his gawking, your own eyes trailing over his dressed form—Fuck. He looks good. Too good. Can’t keep my hands to myself, good. His royal blue dress shirt matches your dress and it absolutely looks delicious on his toned body. And those dress pants? God, they’re clinging to his thighs.

“You look like an absolute dream, baby.” Arms wrap around your form and he slowly zips you up, his eyes trapping you in place. 

“So do you.” Your breath hitches when his eyes drop to your lips and back up to your eyes. 

“If I told you we should stay in and have our own party—“ his forehead falls to yours—“what would you say?”

“We have plans, soldier.” You wrap your arms around his neck and laugh under your breath. “Can’t just drop them.”

He groans and the sound punches you in the ovaries, a little mewl escaping your lips and he pulls you closer to him—chest to chest. “Can I at least kiss you before we leave?”

“You can kiss me anytime, Cap.”

He does and it’s mind blowing, a mess of teeth and tongues and he makes it so hard to breathe, but you don’t want to pull away, instead you sink your hands into his hair, his once perfectly well done hair, and tug firmly. He groans into the kiss, chest rumbling against yours and he pulls away, leaving you chasing him in disappointment.

“Sorry, honey.” He doesn’t sound sorry at all, in fact, he sounds pleased. That little shit, he’s enjoying teasing you! His fingers trace your bottom lip and you refuse to open your eyes. You have a feeling if you catch sigh of him, you won’t want to let him go. “I’d love to kiss you all night, but you’re right, we have plans.”

“Is it too late to change my answer?” you joke as his thumb leaves your lip and you finally open your eyes only to regret it. His lips look so pretty swollen and red, eyes absolutely dark and delicious—blues of his eyes only a thin ring. Would he mind if you just tackled him to the ground and took him right there and then?

“The car should be here any minute now.” He chuckles, slowly stepping away from you. 

And although you’re both getting ready to leave, you can’t help but think tonight might be the night.

Your leg bounces as the Compound comes into view. Your eyes are practically glued to the window, watching the line of cars and all the glamorous people that step out of each one. They all look so sophisticated and well put together, and here you are, a sugar baby trying to fit in.

Shit. Maybe you’re more nervous than you thought you were. Is it too late to turn the car around now?

Warmth wraps around your hand and lifts it, surprising you and finally pulling you away from the window.

Lines are apparent on his forehead, but there’s a reassuring smile on his lips as he kisses the back of your hand. “You’ll do fine, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry,” you whisper, your shoulders sagging. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”

“Do you want to head back?” His lips tug down into a frown and he squeezes your hand. “I can ask the driver to—“

“No, no!” You quickly shake your head. “I’m fine—I’ll be fine,” you correct when he raises an eyebrow. “I just—don’t let go of my hand?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he tells you softly, pressing another kiss to your hand. “Remember, if at any moment you feel uncomfortable, we can leave.”

“I know.” You smile and kiss him tenderly, pulling away with a soft smack. “And I will, promise.”

He studies you for a moment and then nods. He keeps you preoccupied until you’re at the front, playing with your fingers and tugging at them as he asks you questions about your family. It puts you at ease enough that when he’s helping you out of the car, you don’t recoil away from the flash of the mandatory picture of each guest.

He leads you into the sleek, large building, hooking your arm in his and resting his other arm over your hand. You follow closely, but he makes it easy by keeping his strides short and easy for you.

The main room is full of people milling about and seemingly flashing their checkbooks around with how they’re dressed to the nines in brand names.

Compared to what they’re wearing, the decorations are pretty simple—elegant, but simple: golds, oranges and yellows with silvers and blues—all warm colors to make people more at ease and enjoy their time with a hint of cold colors to contrast.

You let Steve maneuver you around, eyes on you the moment you step into their line of vision—you can almost see the questions on the tip of their tongue as their eyes follow you. But Steve ignores them and so do you.

“Captain Rogers!” A man calls out and Steve squeezes your hand before letting go and shaking the hand of the approaching man.

“Secretary Ross,” Steve greets him stiffly.

“Ah, I see you brought a date,” he says, as if noticing you for the first time and you smile at him, ready to introduce yourself but he continues, “And here I was hoping I could finally convince you to take my daughter out on a date.”

Your eyebrows furrow—what is that supposed to mean? It’s a subtle jab, that much is obvious, but for what reason?

Steve’s arm flexes under your hand and his jaw ticks as he introduces you since the douche didn’t even allow you to do so yourself. “As you can see, Secretary, I’m in very good company.” 

“We do hope you find the perfect date for your daughter by the end of the night, Secretary Ross.” You smile placidly—at least, you hope you do. 

He frowns as if you’ve just insulted him and his next of kin, but you just continue to smile. “Yes, well, I do hope you enjoy the night.” He excuses himself, probably to bother a different guest.

“What was that about?” you wait until he’s gone to ask, keeping your voice low.

“His daughter Betty is with Bruce—Hulk, I mean,” he explains softly. “He’s never approved and is constantly trying to push her onto someone else.”

“That someone else being you?” What a dick of a father. Shouldn't he be glad his daughter is with someone she loves and loves her in return?

“Unfortunately.”

“And that man is our Secretary of State?” You ask with distaste. “How does he even handle foreign affairs?”

“Not very well,” Steve answers without missing a beat. “He's made many questionable decisions in the past and continues to do so.” He leads you further into the room. “He drafted the Sokovia Accords and almost divided the team, even wanted to lock up Wanda, deeming her too dangerous.” He sighs heavily. “It was an ordeal, but thanks to T’Challa we were somehow able to stand united.”

“You took a stand.” You can’t say you know much about the Accords, you were too busy watching your grade slip and debating on whether or not to focus on work and drop out of school. “Giving government's power over controlling super powered humans and trained assassins is always a spell for disaster.”

“You have no idea,” he mutters. “I’m sorry about the way he acted.”

“It’s fine.” You wave it away, not wanting to dwell too long on it.

“It’s not fine, but this probably won’t be the last exchange like this.”

“I figured.” You sigh. “I can handle it, Steve, I’ve worked customer service for years. If I can deal with a few self-entitled customers, I can deal with self-entitled rich people for a night.”

He chuckles, eyes brightening. “You won’t be handling it alone, I’m right here with you.”

“And I appreciate it.” You beam up at him and lean your head on his shoulder.

“Steve,” another voice calls out, but this one is much more raspier and feminine.

“Natasha,” Steve greets her with a friendly smile, “this is—“

“I know.” Natasha is one word: intimidating. Her eyes are studying you, taking you in—sizing you up. Not that you blame her. 

You’re a complete stranger, someone outside of their world, and here you are, in her space while clinging to the arm of a man she most likely considers a brother.

“You handled Secretary Ross well.” Her analyzing breaks with a smile, and somehow, that’s even more nerve wrecking. “Most people would have been intimidated by a man with his influence.”

“You aren’t,” you find yourself muttering and she quirks an eyebrow up in amusement. 

“No, no I’m not.” She turns to Steve. “I like her.” She then turns to you with narrowed eyes full of amusement. “I like you.”

“Thank you?” That’s surprising, but you’ll take it. 

Steve chuckles, squeezing your hand resting on his bicep.

“Tony and Pepper are by the stage with the others, they’re all waiting to meet you,” she informs you with a crooked smile. “Steve hasn’t stopped talking about you for weeks now, so everyone's a little curious about you.”

“Oh.” You blink. “Should we go over then?”

By the end of the night, you’re already making plans for a girl’s night with the women of the Team. They’re all so kind to you, especially Wanda, who just radiates warmth. She becomes your favorite Avenger, aside from Steve, of course. You just don’t understand how someone would want to lock her up, brand her as a danger to society.

She smiles shyly at you as she tells you about her current culinary adventures. It’s sweet, she’s sweet.

Clint and Sam are an absolute hoot, making you cramp up in laughter and Bucky is a little guarded, but he also makes you laugh with a couple insults he throws their way.

He raises his eyebrows at you and makes a motion to Clint and Sam, mouthing, “Idiots.”

Tony, however, surprises you. Your dad used to tell you stories about him, how he hardly ever spent time at either branches of Stark Industries and if he were ever present, he always seemed to be bored and in his own world. But seeing him here, with his arm around Pepper, a beautiful engagement ring on her finger, he doesn’t match the description he gave you. Tony watches over the group with an almost father-like gaze, completely relaxed by their presence even if he cracks a few jokes at their expense.

“Welcome to the circus,” he had told you, deadpanned, but his eyes danced with joy and a calm you don’t think he would ever be equated to.

When you had called them Steve’s family, you hadn’t realized how deep their bonds truly went. There’s no denying they care for each other and view one another as a large family that just keeps growing bigger with every new addition. You admire and envy them for that, being able to stay together no matter what. 

Most of the guests are gone midnight—thank god because you were tired of having to smile at them and listen to their judgmental tones as they took you in—and your group retires to the commons area by their residential—or so Steve tells you. By this point, after two glasses of champagne and walking around greeting guests, you’re completely lost and tired.

“Want to rest?” Steve asks you, when your eyes flutter close multiple times, your breath evening out steadily. And you nod, both of you excusing yourselves for the night.

His room is dark, the city lights barely filtering in through the thin, white curtains. He doesn’t close the door behind him as he steps in after you, he doesn’t even say anything, just allows you to take in his room—large king bed low enough to touch the floor covered by a blue and grey duvet and different pillows of navy blue and white; light, wooden headboard matching the two night stands on either side and simple dresser to your right across from the bed and next to a door that most likely leads to a private bathroom; large, white rug, covering the floor and muting the clinking of your heels; blue armchair next to a standing lamp and a small bookcase drilled into the wall in the corner of the room—almost identical to the one back in Brooklyn, just a little more personal and lived in.

You’re much more awake now as you sit on the navy blue ottoman pressed against the end of the bed. “It’s simple,” you murmur. Much more lived in than his Brooklyn home, however.

“What were you expecting?” He asks, amusement laced into his words as your eyes drift over to him still standing by the door, watching you fondly.

“I don’t know? American flags, memorabilia, you know, the usual for an old man like you,” you tease and he chuckles, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. You watch him as the room falls into silence and he just stands there, eyes never staying on you for too long. The grip on your clutch tightens and you feel the question you’ve been wanting to ask build up in your throat, blood pumping as you try to push it out. “Do you—are we—“

You feel like an idiot, an awkward teen about to have sex for the first time with their long time crush.

“We don’t have to,” he says, gentle and firm. It’s reassurance, he’s trying to reassure you like he did when he first came to you with this whole proposition—sex is optional. “I, ah, I had a room prepared for you just in case.”

“You didn’t have to,” you whisper, gaze dropping to your black heels.

“I wanted to,” he tells you, your eyes lifting to meet his as he walks over to you. “I want you to feel comfortable with… this—with me. I know none of this is easy—“

You’re aware that if it weren’t for the prospects of being able to give Esme a better chance at life, of telling your aunt off, of being able to pay for your mom’s medical bills, you wouldn’t have accepted any of this. 

But you did sign up for this, you’re being paid for this.

Now, however, it’s become much more than that. If it hadn't been for Steve—sweet and willing Steve—trying to make this worthwhile for you, never pressuring you to do things that might make you uncomfortable, protecting you and defending you in lieu of jealous gossip and snarky comments, you would have crumbled under the pressure already.

Would sleeping with Captain America be the worst thing to happen to you? No. No, it wouldn’t. Not when it’s Steve Rogers behind the cowl.

He stands in front of you now, gaze soft and full of assurance that has your breath stalling in your throat. “—that I’m asking a lot out of you, but you’ve been nothing but patient, and I—I want you to know that your safety, your feelings, are important—“

“I want to sleep with you,” you breathe out as you stand, words coming out jumbled and pressed together.

His eyebrows knit together, weaving in confusion and he pauses, trying to process and make sense of what you’ve just babbled. It takes a minute, but soon his expression clears and he just stares down at you, breath fanning over your lips and eyes searching for something in yours. “Are you sure?” he asks, voice low and heavy, unsure and wanton. 

Your eyes lower to his pink lips and back up, his blue eyes hazy and dark now, the light streaming into the room lighting them in a way that has heat pooling in your stomach and rising to your chest and cheeks. “Yes.”

He cups your jaw in his hand, thumb caressing your cheeks gingerly. “Tell me what you want, darlin’.”

“You. I want you, Steve. I want all of you.”

And that’s all it takes for his lips to descend on yours hungrily, arms falling to wrap around your waist and tug you impossibly close to his chest, hips snug against his. His large hand smooths up and down your bare back, no longer teasing you like earlier. His fingertips warm as they trail over your exposed back and you take hold of the lapels of his jacket.

He drinks your blissful sigh, responding with a groan of his own as the hand that held your hips to his slips down to the curve of your ass, kneading and caressing as his hip juts forward.

You gasp at the feel of his growing bulge grinding against you and you pull away from his kiss to throw your head back in a quiet moan. His lips latch onto your chin, trailing down to your neck and nibbling—his hips, his hands, they’re all too much and yet too little. You want more. You want to feel more of him—see more of him. 

Your hands slip under his jacket and he understands, briefly pulling away to shrug the article of clothing off swiftly, before pressing himself against you again. You make quick work of his belt, clumsy fingers untucking his shirt and undoing buttons. Teeth clash and tongues dance as he slips the straps of your dress down your shoulders.

Noise coming from outside registers in your mind between the moaning and groaning, and you’re suddenly acutely aware of the open door and your disheveled appearance. “Door,” you rasp out, lips brushing against his.

“Why not keep it open?” he teases and chuckles when your eyes widen, your already heated skin getting hotter. 

He’s a fucking menace.

His lips trail to your earlobe and you suppress a squeal as he presses kisses and nibbles on it. “Imagine someone passing by and just hearing those cute little moans you make when I touch you just right.” He bunches the skirt of your dress over your ass, hand slipping into your panties and gripping your flesh tightly. “Their curiosity getting the better of them right at the moment you come undone by my fingers.”

“Steve,” you mewl. Who knew Captain America was so dirty?

His thumb smooths over your swollen lip as his fingers gripping your ass dip lower. You let out a whimper and grip his open shirt tightly in your fists as they tease at your entrance. 

“But then again, you make the sexiest expressions and I don’t want anyone other than me to see them,” he murmurs. A long, thick finger slips in and you just about keel over, his arm quickly wraps around your waist to hold you in place as he chuckles darkly. He nudges your cheek with his nose to make you look up at him, and shy eyes meet his heated ones. Sucking in a breath, he kisses you softly, and whispers, “Definitely not letting anyone see.”

You groan, rolling over and searching for the warmth that had been encasing you into the late hours of the night. But it’s gone, and that has you sitting up urgently, your breath coming out ragged as you try to blink through your sleepy haze.  

Steve is nowhere to be found, room abnormally quiet without his light snores. You call for him softly. When you get no answer, you call for him again, louder this time.

“If you’re looking for Captain Rogers, he is in the commons area.”

“Fuck!” You startle almost rolling off the bed, hands flying to your racing heart to steady yourself. “You scared me Friday.”

“I’m sorry, Miss, it was not my intention.”

“No, uh, you’re good,” you tell the AI, a little awkwardly and unsure of how to speak to it—her? “Thank you for letting me know—about Steve, I mean.”

“Of course.”

Your bare feet touch the ground and pad against the cold flooring of the Compound, the sweet ache between your legs making you move slowly. You find a random hoodie in his closet and throw it on along with a pair of his boxers. You look ridiculous, but you’re not about to wear your dress from last night.

You slip out of his room, following the path that Steve led you through last night. You’re pretty sure this was the way to the commons area from last—you pause, eyes landing on Steve’s back and the other members of the Avengers surrounding a blue light.

“And you’re sure these schematics aren’t familiar to you?”

“Hate to break it to you, Capsicle. But I’m not the only one who's dealt with weapons dealing,” Tony moves away from the table, grumbling.

Oh, shit. Are they having a meeting? Friday did not tell you the Avengers were having a secret meeting that you should probably not be eavesdropping on, maybe it’s best to—wait. Those blueprints—they can’t be—

Steve quickly turns around at the small gasp that escapes your lips and approaches you, ready to turn you around. “Sweetheart? What are you doing—“

You ignore Steve, sidestepping him to stand right in front of the hologram of the hovering weapon, spinning in place, blue light illuminating your face. Your eyes rove over the equations and the break down of each part and—no, it can’t be! “Where did you get these?”

“Uh, mission?” Clint answers, looking around the room.

“You’ve seen ‘em before?” Bucky asks, calculating blue eyes on you, watching every minuscule gesture you make and any emotion that might flash over your face.

You swallow harshly, eyes never leaving the familiar blueprints—the ones your dad spent hours pouring over. But they’re different, the kinetic energy intake and output, the trigger—a bomb? “They were my father’s.”

[kkaebsongtypo]

preview | m.l | next

why wont you love me // hrj [01]

pairing: renjun x reader

genre: friends to lovers, slow burn, fluff, slight angst

wanings/notes: alcohol consumption (all parties are of legal age, drink responsibly!), mentions/symptoms of anxiety, mentions/signs of abandonment issues (very brief), jealousy (also very brief), inspired by the song Why Won't You Love Me by 5sos

(warnings/notes are subject to change and updates if needed.)

word count: 2.86k

Renjun and y/n are an inseparable pair; they know each other like the back of their own hands. For the most part. Renjun keeps his true feelings hidden; y/n refuses to acknowledge their own. Both hold the fear of losing each other. But will one night out and a little too much to drink change everything?

a/n: here's part oneeee! this will likely be posted in 4 or 5 parts im not 100% sure yet but yeah ! also im so sorry about that summary kashfslkd- lmk if you want to be in a taglist ^-^

You walked through the airport doors with Renjun at your side, Jisung and Chenle following close behind. You were pulling Renjun’s suitcase (despite his multiple protests) behind you as you met up with Jeno, Jaemin, and Donghyuck. Renjun took his suitcase from you and thanked you before following the group towards the luggage check-in line.

You waited for the boys at the end of the check-in area as they all put their luggage on the conveyor belt. Jisung was the first to come towards you and engulf you in a tight hug. Though the boy was excited for their trip, he had been pouting the whole drive to the airport about how he wished you were going with them. Unfortunately, you didn’t have the time to leave town for too long. Jisung had grown very fond of you soon after you met and vice versa; he had a habit of clinging to you, especially at times like these. You hugged the boy equally as tight, letting him know that you’d miss him too. When you pulled away, you patted his shoulder gently before Chenle shoved him out of the way with a wide smile and pulled you into his own arms. Each of your friends gave you a parting hug, saying their temporary farewells. Renjun was the last to approach you, immediately wrapping his arms around you.

“Don’t miss me too much.” You moved your arms from around your best friend's neck and rested your hands on his shoulders. He had a small smile on his lips as his gaze shifted between your eyes. You hummed gently at his words and plastered a mock-thinking face before meeting his gaze once more and responding.

“Hm, I think I should be the one saying that to you, mister. We both know that you’re the clingy one~” Renjun rolled his eyes at you and wrapped his arms back around your waist, pulling you into a final hug.

“Right right, because you totally weren’t clinging to me like a koala to a tree over the last few days while I was packing.” You smacked his back at this comment and tried to push him away, but ultimately failed when he tightened his hold around you.

“I’ll pick you up when you get back. Have fun and text me when you land.” Renjun closed his eyes and hummed softly into your shoulder.

“Only two weeks and a couple days, but I’ll miss you.” His voice was just above a whisper, not wanting the other boys to hear him. You smiled slightly at the lack of sarcasm in his voice. A soft sigh fell from your lips and you shook your head slightly.

“...I’ll miss you too dummy.” Renjun chuckled and pulled away, a soft smile on his lips to match your own.

“Oh my GOD, let’s GO Renjun. We still have to get through security.” Renjun bowed his head and exhaled deeply at the voice. You peeked around him to see Donghyuck swinging his bag back and forth impatiently, an over exaggerated look of annoyance displayed over his features. His face lit up with his signature bright smile when he caught your eye. He stopped swinging his bag and stood up straight before waving to you, almost as if he was trying to pretend he wasn’t just groaning in annoyance at your best friend. You giggled softly and waved back.

“You better get going before Hyuck throws his backpack at your skull.” Renjun laughed quietly at your warning and grabbed his suitcase.

“Alright, don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone.” He narrowed his eyes at you as he started making his way into the security screening line with the others.

“Don’t worry about me, I’d never do anything stupid without you~” You smiled innocently and Renjun rolled his eyes for the hundredth time in the last hour, his smile remaining on his lips. He waved to you one last time before disappearing farther into the line for the bag check. Once he was out of sight, you crossed your arms over your chest and turned towards the exit of the airport. You pulled out your phone when you got into your car and sent Renjun a quick text before pulling out of your parking space.

Renjun walked alongside Jeno ahead of the others after going through security. A small squeak echoed from Renjun’s pocket and he swiftly pulled out his phone, knowing it was you from the text tone. A simple “Have a safe flight!” flashed across the screen accompanied by an airplane and blue heart emoji. He scanned the message over his lockscreen, a faint warmth crept onto his cheeks and the same small smile frome before found his lips.

“Okay lover boy, we got a long flight ahead of us. Don’t want to run out of battery too fast.” He looked up from his phone and met Jeno’s eyes that were bent into crescent shapes from the smile he wore. Renjun’s blush deepened at the nickname Jeno started calling him months ago. He scratched the back of his neck and sighed.

“Two weeks dude. You two can facetime all you want because we all know you can’t go more than 5 hours without talking to each other; plus it’s not a huge time difference. You’ll be fine.” He nodded at Jeno’s words.

“Honestly though, why aren’t you together yet? You spend 95% of your time together, you basically live at each other’s places, everyone already thinks you’re together. You’re both clearly into each other-” Renjun sighed loudly and threw his head back, looking up at the ceiling.

“No, Jeno. We’re not ‘clearly into each other.’ We’ve acted like this for years, it’s nothing new. Yeah, maybe I caught feelings but that’s it. It’s one sided. It always will be.” Jeno shook his head and subtly rolled his eyes at his friend's attitude.

“Fine man, if that’s what you want to believe then I won’t argue any further. But just hear me out, the guys and I know both of you well enough to see things that you both always seem to miss. But you keep on doubting it if you really want to, I won’t stop you.” Renjun looked straight ahead, refusing to meet Jeno’s brief glance.

The group gathered together once again at the terminal; they discussed their seating for the plane, what the rough plan would be after arrival, and all the other random questions that popped up. The six boys sat in the chairs and on the floor, playing video games or mindlessly scrolling through their feeds. They boarded their flight in no time and quickly got settled in their seats as the other passengers filed in.

Renjun glanced out the window; the now setting sun painted the sky like a canvas in warm colours. He reached for his phone and snapped a picture before opening your contact. “About to take off, I’ll text you in a few hours when we land.” He sent the message along with the photo before switching his phone to airplane mode.

He pressed his head to the cabin wall and looked down at his home screen. His gaze rested on your smiling face, and he smiled at the memory. A photo of the two of you from a road trip you had taken together with Jaemin and Jeno the previous summer was displayed in front of him. You were sitting on the wide edge of a stone wall with Renjun directly in front of you. You had your arms draped over his shoulders and your head resting against his. His hands covered yours, holding them together over his chest.

His smile quickly faded as the conversation he had with Jeno played through his head again. ‘...keep on doubting it if you really want to, I won’t stop you.’ He locked his phone and placed it face down in his lap. He fought back tears of frustration. He knew you didn’t have any feelings for him. Right? Or, did he only tell himself that to avoid the heartbreak he believed to be inevitable?

‘...the guys and I know both of you well enough to see things that you both always seem to miss.’ Jeno’s words were causing a frenzy of questions and feelings that quickly overwhelmed Renjun. He did his best to shake everything from his thoughts as the safety instructions sounded throughout the cabin. He focused on the colours in the sky as the plane started lifting off the ground. As the ground disappeared beneath the clouds, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the one, lingering question that always seemed to sit at the back of his mind, “Why won’t you love me?”

Despite Renjun’s protests, Donghyuck insisted on watching a cheesy romcom with him. Renjun tried to drown out the swarm of thoughts that continued circling his mind with the movie but it only made him yearn for you more. A typical story of love at first sight with the cutest and fluffiest meetings, the leads parting ways, but ultimately coming back to each other for a happy ending. Renjun could hardly handle watching such a relationship bloom on the small screen, the ache he was feeling in his heart only got worse with every loving smile the characters shared.

Part of him despised that Jeno had chosen to point out his feelings for you right before a rather long flight. He had nowhere to go, almost no way to escape his own thoughts. The idea of unrequited love was eating away at him with each passing minute. He was frustrated. Frustrated with Donghyuck for picking a movie that mocked him. Frustrated with Jeno for kick starting his overthinking. Frustrated with you for being so incredible and making him fall for you. Most of all, he was frustrated with himself for falling in love with his best friend.

It wasn’t long until he grabbed his ipad to draw. If there was one way he could get his emotions out, it was through art. He peeked out the window and observed the fluffy clouds passing by, illuminated by a soft orange glow from the setting sun. There was his reference. The movie served as background noise as he immersed himself in his craft. His stress poured through his pencil, the overwhelming thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind. The only remaining thoughts he had were about how much he wished you could see the sunset from above the clouds like he was.

As he finished his first sketch, he snapped a quick photo with his phone to send to you once they landed. There you were again. The thought of you alone made his heart flutter and a smile appear on his lips. The feeling in his chest was almost unbearable; he felt like he could explode. Opening a blank canvas, he pulled up a photo of the two of you for reference and started sketching.

Donghyuck had fallen asleep by the time the credits of the movie rolled, so Renjun took the opportunity to choose something else to watch. He threw on an old Disney film and continued his portrait.

The completed piece caused a warm feeling to bubble in Renjuns chest. His colour pallet felt comforting and cozy; like a reflection of how he felt with you. Not wanting to get too caught up in his feelings again, he opened another fresh canvas and turned his attention to the movie. He settled on making his own interpretation of the scene and what the characters were saying, wanting to exercise his skills and creativity.

He created one, and then another, yawning softly with the last couple details. Fatigue had been creeping up on Renjun as the Disney film neared its end. He tucked his ipad back into his small carry-on and pulled the shade over the window. Sleeping for the last hour and a half of the flight wouldn’t hurt. After putting some music on, he shifted into a relatively comfortable sleeping position and began to doze off.

Slight turbulence jolted Renjun awake as the plane began its descent. He gently rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and lifted the blind to peek out the window. The sky was a deep blue and the stars sparkled throughout. The city below was bright with lights as they cascaded closer to the runway. Renjun carefully shook Donghyuck awake, making sure the other boy was prepared for arrival.

Renjun fiddled with the edges of his phone case, waiting for the go-ahead to turn off airplane mode as the plane taxied towards the terminal. When the approval came through the intercom, he was quick to switch it off and text you that they had landed safely.

: Hey, we just landed!

y/nieeee: That’s great!! How was the flight?

: Pretty good

: Watched a few movies with hyuck and did

some drawing

: I slept for the last bit of the flight also

A bright smile found his lips and he selected the photos he took of his creations, skipping over the portrait, and hit send.

y/nieeee: Oooohh can i see ur drawings?

: [3 attachments]

y/nieeee: Ouuuu the sunset one is really

pretty

: Thank youuuuu

:We’re about to start getting off the plane,

wanna vc while we wait for our luggage?

Renjun threw his bag over his shoulder and followed Donghyuck into the aisle. Jeno and Jaemin handed the group their few larger carry-ons from the overhead compartments before Jeno led the way out of the plane. Renjun’s phone vibrated in his hand, a short text from you popping up on the screen, “ready when you are :)” The second they stepped off the plane, Renjun pressed the call button.

grab my earbuds!

You smiled at the sight of your best friend on your phone screen, his brown hair was slightly tousled from sleeping, you assumed. His brown cardigan was draped over his tee-shirt, and his smile was soft but his eyes still sparkled. Even after a 6 hour flight, he somehow still managed to look so handsome. What?

y/nieeee: Sureeee just give me a sec to

“Hey, y/n!” You shook your head slightly to silence your thoughts and laughed when Jisung hopped into frame when he heard Renjun say your name. You waved back with a sweet smile.

“Jun, let Jisungie into frame more, I want to talk to him too!” Jisung moved closer into view when Renjun motioned for him and waved to you excitedly. Renjun repeated your questions to Jisung (due to the fact that only Renjun could hear you through his earbuds) as they walked through the airport.

The other boys moved in and out of frame to say their hellos when they reached the luggage carousel. You rested your chin in your palm as you continued conversing with Renjun.

"How was the rest of your night? What did you get up to after dropping us off?" Renjun moved to lean against a wall, glancing at the carousel for a second before looking back at you. You hummed in thought for a second.

"Hmm, it was good, I guess? I didn't do much really." You fiddled with the cord of your earbuds, threading it between your fingers before elaborating.

"I got bubble tea on the way home and then I just watched a couple movies; just a lazy night."

"Ooh, bubble tea sounds amazing. Maybe I'll convince the guys to get some tomorrow or something." Renjun’s eyes lit up slightly when you giggled.

"That shouldn't be hard at all." You said with a smile. Renjun chuckled and nodded his head.

"Oh totally, they’ll agree in a split second- oh shoot,” His sentence was cut short and his eyes widened when he noticed you yawn softly.

“Isn't it like 1am now??” He furrowed his eyebrows as you checked the little alarm clock on your bedside table, seeing that it was in fact 1 in the morning.

“Yeah, just a little past 1.” Another yawn slipped through your lips as you laid back onto your pillows. You saw Renjun frown slightly and you sent him a tired smile.

“You should get to sleep, we’re going to head to the hotel right away anyway. I can call you again tomorrow!” Just as he said that, Donghyuck came by with Renjun’s suitcase and patted his back, informing him that their ride was outside. The lights outside of the airport contrasted with the night sky behind him.

“Are you sure?” You asked, raising your eyebrows for a second. Renjun nodded as they piled into the van.

“Yes, 100%! Here, say bye to the guys.” When they all got settled into their seats, Renjun held his phone up higher to get everyone in frame and removed his earbuds. You sat up again and waved at the camera.

“Good night everyone, have a good rest!”

The replies were a mess of ‘good night’s, ‘miss you’s, and wishes of sweet dreams. You bid one final farewell to Renjun before hanging up and plugging your phone in. A quiet huff left your lips after tucking yourself under the blanket and laying down, a deep slumber quickly washing over you.

Taglist: @lolibaaae @currentlyraisinghell

a/n: let me know if you want to be part of a tag list ^-^

disclaimer: i will try to update every 1-2 weeks but updates could potentially be stagnant. thank you for understanding :)

[rainofaugustsith]

Rain Plays SWTOR: False Emperor

As we continue the "play it before 7.0" theme, I'm going to talk about False Emperor, the second of the two flashpoints at the end of the Ilum story arc. The Ilum flashpoints are long. As in, Suvia (Sith Inquisitor Assassin, level 75 with 306 gear and a companion at level 50 influence,) stealthed her way through, watched all cut scenes, made steady progress and had no deaths, and False Emperor took her more than 30 minutes. If you are actually fighting the mobs, count on being there for far longer. This flashpoint and Battle of Ilum the predecessors to Spirit of Vengeance: long, tedious and boring. It's mob after mob. I only do this flashpoint now as part of the story on Viri's clones (my main) or stealthers. Quite frankly there are IMHO only probable five reasons you'd want to play this: 1. You haven't and want the achievement. 2. You really want the deco offered at the end (a large statue of a hooded man - could be the Emperor but also could be headcanoned as another Sith) 3. You want your main to do all the story content. 4. You are doing the HK-51 quest. There is a component in this flashpoint you need and cannot get anywhere else 5. You have a stealther who can skip most of the enemies and walk through Have I scared you off? No? You need to do this for the story? Here we go. Where do I pick this up? If you're doing the story quest that began with "Crystal Ball" (it was granted to you at the end of the class story) this flashpoint is the culmination. It will be granted automatically when you complete "Battle of Ilum" in the story AND the subsequent cut scene. If you are doing this as a standalone, go to your activities tab -> solo -> scroll down to flashpoints and choose "The False Emperor." The mobs are mobs. They're there. They are large in numbers and tedious. There isn't much I can tell you about them, so we'll concentrate on the bosses. Like Battle of Ilum and Directive 7, this has a lot of mini-bosses you cannot skip. This flashpoint also has a lot of platforms. With one exception all the bosses and mini-bosses you will fight will be in areas where you can get yeeted over the edge, and so will most of the mobs. Mind your step.

Mini Boss #1: Tregg the Destroyer

You're on a very narrow bridge here, and Tregg's got a knockback. One part of the bridge (shown above) has walls on both sides. Try to stay in there so Tregg can't send you flying to your doom. Otherwise, no tricks.

Boss #1: Jindo Krey Jindo Krey is a Mandalorian and he will get increasingly more damage as the fight goes on. As the screencap here shows, there's also a ship that looks like the bounty hunter's ship (IT ISN'T, AFAIK!) that will be firing missiles at you to complicate things. Run up to the console pictured in the second screencap and click it to temporarily send that ship away. Other than that: once again, you're on a platform with open sides so mind your step.

Mini-Boss(es) 2: Prototype B-16 and Prototype A-14

Eh. Droids. Just kill B and then A. That's how it usually shakes out for me. No major tricks. You're on a platform again. Boss #2: HK-47

If you are doing the HK-51 quest, HK-47 will drop a part you need when you defeat him. He should have a yellow loot "ray." YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO THIS FLASHPOINT ON VETERAN OR NiM TO GET THE PART! I can personally vouch that it drops from HK-47 in story mode. HK-47 is not quite as lethal as he was when you faced him in The Foundry, if you did. He doesn't have the insta-kill or any panels to frantically click. He mostly stays in the center for this entire fight. Just stay out of his line of fire and keep moving around him. And guess what? You're on a platform! Surprise! When HK-47's health gets low he will vanish and reappear to hit your character with a very long stun. This is his most formidable trick in this flashpoint. Mini-Boss #4: Chondrus Berani

This is the only boss/mini-boss you will fight in this flashpoint who is NOT on a platform where you're in danger of falling over the edge. Enjoy it while it lasts. Chondrus does have a knockback but the most he can do here is throw you around the hallway Final Boss: Darth Malgus

BUG: If the fight goes on too long, or you get too far away from Malgus, he has been known to reset. He will return to the bottom of the stairs and reset himself back to 100% HP. That's not fun. So make sure you stay close.

Malgus has a nasty knockback that will toss you right into the air shaft if you are unlucky. He also throws Inquisitor skills like Force Storm as well as single lightsaber skills. There are a few on-screen announcements about how you will have to face Malgus alone or whatever - just keep fighting. The trick for this fight is to anchor yourselves on the stairs, with your back to the wall, so that Malgus cannot throw you anywhere. He will actively try to do that. He will also sometimes end up fighting your companion and the combat assistance droid at the bottom for the stairs, so taunt him or put your companion on passive to pull him back to you. Remember: when Malgus is defeated the loot will not be on his person. It will be in this box that appears at the bottom of the stairs.

Make sure you click that little blue console at the bottom of the stairs to wrap things up. You're done! Yay! Press "exit area" and escape. If you are continuing the story arc, you will have a cut scene in the instanced area when you are back on the Ilum base.

[jenonctcity]

No Nut November - Jeno

Lee Jeno – Smut, Crack, Fluff

Warnings: Explicit content, a lot of mentions of penis’s, dirty talk, unprotected sex (be safe everyone!).

Word Count: 3.3k

Summary: 00’s line take part in No Nut November.

The Rules of No Nut November:

You cannot have sex, masturbate, or nut in any way, shape, or form.

Watching pornography and having boners are allowed, but you can’t nut.

You are only allowed one wet dream. If you have more than one, then consider yourself out.

You do not have 3 strikes; you only have one shot at it. If you miss it, you’re out.

 If you have passed the month with a total of 0 nuts, you are a victor and you shall qualify for Destroy Dick December (Not Recommended).

Look man, just don’t nut in 30 days. 

Series

 As you scrolled through twitter, you came across a hashtag that confused you at first. But upon exploring the hashtag, you came to an understanding of what #NoNutNovember was. You also ended up cackling at the memes you’d found. Jeno sat beside you in your apartment and didn’t even bat an eyelid at your laughing, used to you finding random things on the internet that would spur on giggle fits.

“Babe look at this!” You elbowed him to gain his attention, thrusting your phone into his face with a grin still etched on your own.

“No Nut November...?” He raised an eyebrow, taking your phone from you and scrolling down the hashtag’s contents himself. “I could do that.” He shrugged, passing your phone back. You furrowed your eyebrows at him and let out a bark of a laugh.

“No you couldn’t.” You were 99.9% sure that your boyfriend wouldn’t even make it 3 days without trying to stick his penis inside of you.

“I could!” He sounded offended that you didn’t believe in his will power to not orgasm in 30 days. You both stared at each other, waiting to see who was going to cave and speak first. You smirked at him, biting your bottom lip and giggling almost evilly at him.

“Do it then.” You challenged him, raising your eyebrows once at him and continuing to smirk. His face fell momentarily, he didn’t actually think you’d have the balls to challenge him, so he was shocked and also worrying slightly about not having sex for the next month.

“Fine.” He said through clenched teeth, forcing a smile to mirror your own. “Easy.”

“Good luck Mr Lee.” You leaned over and kissed his cheek, letting your lips linger on his soft skin. You thought about not having sex for a month and sighed, realising you stitched yourself up with this because not having Jeno’s dick for a month was a disappointing thought, but the competitiveness you felt spurred on your next words. “I can do it to.” You shrugged like it was nothing, leading him to smirk back at you.

“Whoever lasts longer wins.” He held his hand out to you and you shook it firmly. “Loser has to give the winner oral and do whatever they want in bed.”

“Deal. May the best person win.”

 Day 3:

You and Jeno laid beside each other on the bed, both of you on your backs and staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. You let out a sigh, bored out of your mind as you stared at the same discoloured mark on the ceiling, you furrowed your eyebrows as you thought, how did that get there and what the hell even is it? Jeno sighed beside you, just as equally bored as you.

“Is that a cum stain?” You asked suddenly, no longer being able to stay silent in your curiosity.

“Is what a cum stain?” He glanced at you, following your train of eyesight back to the ceiling, but not noticing the mark.

“That mark.” You pointed up at the ceiling lazily. “There.” He tilted his head, letting out a sound of acknowledgement as he noticed the mark, humming as he thought about it.

“Could be, I’m not sure.” He shrugged. “Most the time I cum on you or in you so I don’t know how it got there if it is cum.”

“Good point…” That marked the end of your conversation, silence ensuing for another 10 minutes before Jeno piped up.

“We could be having sex right now you know…” He followed his words with a bored, fed up sigh.

“We could be yeah…but we aren’t going to…are we?” You both looked at each other, him giving you a smirk and raking his eyes down your body and back up to give you a sultry look. You narrowed your eyes at him, turning to look away before you caved in and mounted him.

“Not unless you give in, because I’m not going be the first to initiate it!” He leaned over, getting closer to you and letting his breath wash over your neck, a shiver shooting down your spine.

“Well neither am I!” You rolled away from him quickly, putting distance between you both and frowning at him. “I guess we could make out though?” You suggested, immediately missing the contact with him. He grinned, nodding fast and you were sure if he had a tail it would be wagging faster than an eager puppy about to go for a walk. You wasted no time in jumping into his arms, connecting your lips to his and moving them in perfect time together. The sweet kissing lasted for about 2 minutes before it turned filthy and desperate, tongues pushing together and his hands wondering down your back to grip at your ass. You purposely moaned into his mouth, knowing it’s something that really gets him going. Without hesitation you trailed your palms up his chest, your fingers tickling him over his t-shirt causing him to feel giddy, his stomach releasing a puff of butterflies through his bloodstream right down to his dick. You drew away from the kiss, letting him messily kiss down to your jaw and neck, his teeth nipping at your skin that felt a thousand times more sensitive than usual.

“Jeno we need to stop, remember our commitment to not nutting!” He groaned like he was about to start sobbing, resting his head back on the pillow and squeezing his eyes shut.

“I hate life.” He mumbled, rolling over onto his front and burying his head into his pillow in a sulk.

“Me too big boy.” You patted his back and giggled. “Only 27 days to go…”

 Day 8:

“Right I can’t take it anymore (Y/N)!” Jeno burst into your bedroom, tearing his shirt off in haste as he made his way over to you on the bed. You stopped in your tracks, your mouth open and sandwich nearly at your lips. “I need to have an orgasm; I think my balls are about to fall off!” You didn’t know that not orgasming in 8 days would make Jeno as dramatic as what it had, but he looked flustered and desperate.

“Erm…I don’t know if that’s even possible baby.” You shrugged, taking a bite of your sandwich as he plopped himself down on the bed beside you. His lips found their way to your neck, not wasting time in sucking tender bruises to your delicate skin.

“I don’t care.” He mumbled against you, licking a stripe up your neck to your jaw, a hand gripping at your thigh tightly in his desperation. “I need to be inside of you and if I’m not within the next 5 minutes, I might die.” You laughed loudly, shaking your head and batting his face away from you.

“Back off.” He whimpered at your rejection, a pout resting on his face making him resemble a kicked puppy.

“Why? This whole thing is stupid! What do we even gain from it?” He whined, hoping if he pushed you enough, you’d just get fed up of his begging and just spread your legs, giving him full access to your precious goods.

“Firstly, I am committed to this cause, and I’m stubborn, and competitive…and too proud to quit!” He rolled his eyes, tutting and giving you a dirty look. “Secondly, I’m on my period and my sheets are white.” He stayed silent, flopping onto his back on your bed and groaning.

“My poor penis…”

“Jeno Junior will live.” You very gently patted the bulge in his jeans.

“No, he won’t. Him and the twins are lonely.” You nearly spat your sandwich out at his analogy, finding it hilarious that he referred to his dick and balls as people.

“They have each other for company!” You laughed, slapping a hand down onto his naked chest in your amusement, not being able to control your giggles as you tried to swallow the mouthful of sandwich.

 Day 14:

“How are you holding up baby?” You ghosted your fingertip over his bare chest, your fingernail leaving a subtle red trail in its wake. You laid half on his chest; his arm wrapped securely around your waist as you stared at each other. Sometimes you couldn’t believe how lucky you were to be the one in his arms, your mind spinning at how beautiful his smize was, your brain completely in awe at him. He sleepily grinned at you, snuggling into your warmth and finding comfort in the fact you had on Disney pyjamas covering your chest, it being hard for him to get an erection over that.

“I’m okay, you know I actually think that we can last until day 30, I am proud of us.” He stared at your lips through half mooned eyes, wanting nothing more than to have his cock lodged between them. But he quickly steered his thoughts away from that, instead imagining his lips on your own.

“What are you staring at Lee Jeno?” You giggled, completely in love with him. He made your world light up, whenever the looming fear of negative emotions begin to pull you into a depressive mindset, he would be there pulling you out with his unfunny jokes and strong, loving hold. He felt the same way about you, his love for you a stronger feeling than anything he’d ever felt for anyone before.

“Kiss me…” He whispered lowly, his eyes still half open and his lips forming into a soft smirk.

“Are you trying to seduce me?” You giggled, a hand coming up to stroke his cheek, eyes following every pattern on his face, taking in every single detail enough for you to paint the most perfect picture of him.

“No.” With a shake of his head he cupped your hand with his own. “I’m just so in love with you.” You saw his eyes glisten over as the words left his pink lips, a gulp following as he looked up to try and deter the tears from forming in his eyes. You giggled, leaning your forehead to his quickly before pulling away to look at him again.

“It’s a good thing I’m so in love with you too then isn’t it.” At that, he let out a sob, feeling slightly embarrassed at his reaction to you both admitting your love for each other, despite having done it so many times before. “Aww Jeno don’t cry!” His hands came up to cover his eyes, soft sobs falling into the palms of his hands. Tears came to your own eyes as you watched him fall apart in front of you, you didn’t know what to do other than sit up and try to pull at his hands.

“I’m sorry.” With a shaky breath he let you take his hands into your own. A tear trailed down your cheek, his hand coming up and resting on your cheek, his thumb catching the tear and discarding it before it could roll off of your chin. He gulped to clear his throat of his emotions, his bottom lip shaking as he breathed in deeply, trying to recuperate and get a hold of himself. “I don’t know where that came from.” He chuckled bashfully, his cheeks a vibrant red.

“I think I know…” You leaned in slowly, hesitating with your lips a hairs width away from his own. Slowly brushing your lips against his, you smiled, before placing them gently on his own in a closed mouth kiss. His hands came up to rest on your back as you swung your leg over his hips, your hands laying on his chest as you slowly made the kiss more heated. You stayed like this for a while, just kissing and enjoying being in each other’s embrace, until you gently started to rock your hips against his. His hands slowly cascaded down to rest on your ass over your pyjamas, his big palms massaging the soft flesh and forcing your hips to grind into his. His cock started to grow hard, his mind buzzing from the tingling feeling you left behind on his skin with every touch, and his muscles wanting nothing more than to flip you over. You reluctantly sat back, hurrying to pull your pyjama shirt over your head and leaving your half naked. Jeno used this as an opportunity to roll you onto your back, his strong form covering your body and sending prickles of pleasure rippling to your clit when he bumped his hard bulge to your heat.

Jeno attached his lips to one of your nipples, giving it a strong suck before flicking his tongue against it. He stared up at you as he rolled his tongue over the hard nub, your hands lacing through his thick dark hair, tugging it as he caught your nipple between his teeth with a husky growl. He moved up to lick his tongue into your mouth, using one of his hands to hold himself up above you, and the other to push down his boxers. After that, he pushed down your pyjamas pants and hiked your legs up over his waist. He smiled down at you, kissing your cheek as gently as a butterfly would dare to touch you.

“Make love to me Jeno…” You gasped in a breathy moan as he very slowly lined his cock up, sliding it inside of your wet hole in a timid manner to avoid hurting you. A very fine spark of pain took your breath away momentarily, the stretch of his cock almost feeling foreign after not having experienced it in over 2 weeks.

“Am I hurting you honey?” He didn’t make a move after he’d filled you to the brim with his cock, your reaction scaring him to be frozen.

“A little, it’s been 2 weeks and nothing of a significant size has been up there.” You giggled nervously, trying to calm him and not wanting him to freak out and refuse to fuck you without taking ages to prep you first. You rubbed your hands over his back, smiling up at him before leaning up and pecking the tip of his nose with your warm lips. “I’m okay now.” You wiggled your hips and relaxed back against the plush pillows. He kissed your lips one more time before wrapped his arms around your body, lifting you from the bed slightly as he started to roll his hips into yours. “Mm just like that.” Soft whimpers left your lips as Jeno slowly started to make love to you. It felt different from all the times you’d both gone feral and fucked until one of you had at least ten bruises and once even mild concussion. The love you both felt for each other circled the air above your heads, almost suffocating you in it in the best way possible. You wanted to stay in his arms forever, being rocked into and feeling the igniting flames of pleasure coursing through your veins to set the fire alight in your stomach. He kept the perfect pace, tucking his head into the crook of your neck and gently biting onto the soft where your neck and shoulder met.  

“You’re so beautiful…I’m the luckiest man on earth.” It was rare that Jeno ever said anything sweet during sex. Usually he would say the filthiest words, knowing how it brought you closer to orgasm and would cause a flush of wetness to gush from you when he’d call you dirty names. But during this tender moment, his sweet words had the same effect on your body, the rush of butterflies you felt got singed in your stomach from the euphoric fire burning within. The sound of his skin slapping against yours got louder as he picked up the pace, keeping his thrusts hard and not letting his chest leave contact your own, the lower half of his body doing all the work.

“Jeno right there!” You gasped, his cock doing wonders inside your tight, soaking heat. You knew it wouldn’t be long before everything came crashing down onto you, all your thoughts being washed away with the fire.

“Wait hold on baby.” He grunted, sweat glistening on his forehead as he moved his arms to frame either side of your head, peeling his chest away from your own. You noticed how quick his chest was rising and falling and the way his abs flexed from working overtime to bring himself to the edge with you. “Cum with me.” He sat back onto his knees, dragging you by the thighs so you were as close to him as he could get, your head being pulled from the pillow onto the mattress. He gave it his all, thrusting his cock into your pussy as quickly as he could, reaching a new angle inside of you. The fire inside of you spark a huge flame throughout your body, your orgasm causing your eyes to close and mouth to hang open.

“Jeno!” You moaned loudly, reaching out for him with your eyes closed and feeling around blindly for him. He came inside of you after his hips became sloppy, stilling completely and screwing his face up with a hiss. His white cum painting your walls, which was something you didn’t let him do often, he always found it to be a treat when you’d let him cum inside you. He panted loudly, laying down over you and cuddling into you as he very slowly rocked his hips into yours a few more times to ride out his orgasm as your walls pulsed around him. You both laid still and in silence, basking in the afterglow even if it was unbearably hot with him on top of you. He chuckled quietly, turning his head to kiss your cheek with his lips lingering on your warm, flushed cheeks.

“I love you so much.” He whispered, smiling against your clammy skin. You could feel his heart beating through his chest, it very gradually slowing down as his breaths shallowed.

“I love you more.” You giggled, bringing your arms around his neck and turning your face to catch his lips with you own. “So…” You pulled away from his lips to smirk at him. “I won.”

“You did not!” You’d never seen him pulled away from your grip as quick as what he did in that moment, using his intimidating stare to look down at you as he sat back on his knees. “You instigated this! You kissed me first.”

“Because you were crying! Maybe you planned this out and used my soft, sensitive, caring nature to make me feel sympathy towards you!!” You sat up and folded your arms over your chest.

“As if I’d plan something as intricate as that out!” He laughed, sitting with his legs crossed on the bed, a shine on his skin from the sweat still lingering behind even after your intimate workout was finished. “Call it a draw? We both lost anyway.” He shrugged, finding your hand and lacing his fingers with yours, playing with your fingers as he waited for you to answer him. You sighed with a roll of your eyes, biting your bottom lip to supress a snigger from escaping.

“Fine!”

 No Nut November: Lee Jeno – Fail.

[ggukcangetit]

Dreamcatchers 4

Pairing: jungkook x oc

Synopsis: DI Jeon didn’t need a new partner. Unfortunately, his superiors felt otherwise; especially considering the extremely high-profile murder that had just taken place in the port city. Recent transfer, DI Choi Yuri finds herself confronted with a new cityscape, unfamiliar people, a hostile partner, and a homicide that is certain to bring back unpleasant memories.

Genre/AU: fluff/action/mystery | detective! au | police!jungkook, police!oc

Word Count: 4.4k

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: mentions of violence, alcohol, blood, drugs, death. Basically stuff you’d associate with a murder mystery/crime drama

Previous: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Acknowledgement: shoutout to @stutterfly​ for designing this beautiful banner which i am completely in love with and stare at for no particular reason throughout the day. also a big thank you to @kinktae​ for helping get through a really tricky bit in this chapter :*

A/N:  reminding everyone that this story features a named oc because i’m still very unfamiliar with writing second person reader inserts. i’m not aiming for strict accuracy in this story, and all criminal investigation/forensics knowledge i have has been gathered by watching crime drama/procedural dramas! my knowledge of geography is also not totally accurate so apologies for that. once again, one thing right by @hobios​ prompted me to write a police inspector! jungkook story. would highly recommend reading that because it’s probably one of my most favorite pieces of writing!

Time: 4.37 am

Yuri had spent the entire night researching Park Jimin. Right from where he went to school up to all the scandalous newspaper articles recounting every aspect of his personal life. Priding herself on being able to maintain a professional outlook in her investigations, Yuri couldn’t help but feel appalled by what she had found. Park Jimin appeared to be arrogant, sleazy, manipulative, privileged, and everything that she despised in a person. Yoongi’s words rang in her head as she contemplated dropping the idea of acquiring a blood sample from the prodigal son of Park. No, this wasn’t because of her last case in Seoul. That was not why she was backing off. This was simply because she had no patience to deal with the self-absorbed antics of a privileged 20-something man.

Closing one of the last tabs, she caught sight of a familiar face. Not familiar in the way that you recognise an old friend, but familiar like a phrase you hear and cannot for the life of you remember where it was from. Park Jimin was seen exiting a famous restaurant in downtown Busan and beside him was another young man, so extraordinarily eye-catching in his loose trousers and green cardigan in a way that only an exquisite piece of art is.

An exquisite piece of art…

That was it. That was the phrase that made it click in her head.

“He’s literally a piece of art!”

“I mean, yes, he’s definitely conventionally attractive,” conceded Ahreum, a little annoyed that her photography was almost completely being ignored. “But what do you think of the pictures?”

“‘Conventionally attractive’? Is that the best you can do with your Literature & Creative Writing degree?”

Of course! This was Ahreum’s friend and Instagram muse.

Yuri snatched her phone from it’s charging spot and quickly scrolled through her friend’s Instagram. Sure enough, Park Jimin’s friend in loose trousers and green cardigan stared back at her from various parts of Busan, his expressions varying only slightly but creating completely different moods throughout Ahreum’s profile.

Kim Taehyung…

xxx

Yuri checked her phone for the fifth time in the last 3 minutes. Ahreum was supposed to pick her up at 8 am. It was currently 8.02 am. Not that it really made much of a difference, but she was raring to go ahead with her plan. A plan she had no doubt could easily blow up in her face, but weeks of fitful sleep coupled with shots of sugary coffee had given her a weird adrenaline rush which she didn’t want to lose.

A couple of minutes later, Ahreum pulled up outside her apartment, her large bike contrasting heavily with her petite person.

“Still don’t see why I couldn’t drive to the place,” muttered Yuri, putting on the large helmet with artistic paint splatters all over.

“The plan was to corner Jimin, and you can’t do that in your car which has a fucking police sticker right at the back.”

Yuri frowned. “Your plan was to corner Jimin. I just wanted to talk to him. And -” she fixed her bag across her body and put both hands on Ahreum’s shoulders - “I kept the sticker for parking privileges. I can take it off whenever.”

“Whatever. Just hold on tight,” said Ahreum, revving up the bike.

4.5 minutes later, they had reached their destination. Yuri knew that it had been 4.5 minutes because she had been fervently counting the seconds to distract herself from falling off the vehicle

“WHO drives like that? Are you totally insane?” she managed to get out, her hands fumbling on the straps of the helmet.

Ahreum gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry, timing is essential in this case. Tae had texted me that they had reached just before I left from my place. We don’t have a lot of time. So I ugh-”

“Whatever. Let’s just get on with it.” Yuri tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear, and mentally rehearsed everything she was going to tell Jimin.

Unfortunately, fate had other things in mind, because as soon as they opened the door to the diner, a familiar face (which most definitely should not have been there) spotted them and came over.

“Fuck.” Ahreum pulled out her phone and frantically sent Taehyung a text before the entire plan went down the drain.

“Yuri? Ahreum? What are you two doing here?” asked Seulgi, her long brown hair looked freshly washed and smelt of flowers.

A: why didnt u warn me that s was here fuck fuck fuck

T: i didnt see her… look it wont be that big a problem will it

A: pls tae the last time she saw ur boy they almost set fire to the library

T: shit ur right… umm maybe she-

Ahreum paused her frantic texting as soon as Seulgi came over to them. She gave Yuri a quick nod and decided to wing the situation as best as she could.

“Seulgi! This is incredible! I can’t believe we ran into you like this!” Ahreum hugged the taller girl. “I wanted Yuri to try the breakfast here so we decided to drop by before she had to get to the station. This is really incredible, I was planning to call you today actually. It’s almost time for me to choose my specialization and I wanted to-”

Yuri took this chance to slip off, as Ahreum steered Seulgi outside the diner. She didn’t really know why Ahreum was so intent on Seulgi and Jimin not meeting, but she trusted her best friend’s reasons.

Looking around, she saw that the large table near the window was occupied by the people she had been looking for. Kim Taehyung and his best friend Park Jimin. The latter had his back towards her, and as she approached she saw Taehyung’s eyes fall on her. She gave him a small wave, gesturing towards her phone’s lockscreen - a picture of her and Ahreum.

His face lit up in recognition as he stood up to greet her. “Hello! I’m Kim Taehyung. I thought Ahreum would be with you.”

“She’s umm…” Yuri glanced towards the doors of the diner through which Ahreum had led Seulgi out. “She’ll be here in a bit.”

“DI Choi, that’s not really true,” Jimin turned towards her, his eyes cold and alert. “Taehyung, your friend is diverting dear Dr. Ahn before she could see us and sabotage their poorly constructed ambush of me.”

Taehyung’s mouth hung open slightly, not really sure what was going on. “DI Choi? As in Choi Yuri? As in Ahreum’s best friend from school?”

“Yes,” said Yuri, feeling extremely awkward. She had expected to get two words in before Jimin caught on, but it seemed like she had severely underestimated him. “I’m sorry Ahreum didn’t tell you what this meeting was about. These aren’t the most favorable circumstances for us to meet. Nonetheless, I’ve heard a lot about you and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Taehyung bowed in response, but his expression was still uncertain.

“What brings you here, DI Choi?” asked Jimin. “I doubt it was because you were dying to see me again. But -” he stood up and leaned towards her ever so slightly - “I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea if that were really the case.”

Not for the first time, Yuri realized how powerful Park Jimin’s presence was. She could see him becoming a very successful CEO with how he commanded people’s attention. However, she couldn’t shake off the uncomfortable feeling his gaze elicited. It was like she couldn’t predict what he was going to do next, much less fathom what was going on inside his head.

“Mr. Park,” she said, sitting down on one of the sofas in the booth. Taehyung and Jimin followed suit, but this time, they were both seated on the same side. “I’m afraid this isn’t a social call. I’ve come to talk to you about the ongoing investigation regarding the death of Kang Eunwoo.”

“I believe I answered all of your questions last time,” said Jimin, narrowing his eyes. “In fact, I believe I answered all of DI Jeon’s questions. You didn’t have much to say, as I recall.”

Taehyung’s head snapped towards his friend. "Jeongguk? You were at the station? Why didn’t you tell me, Jimin? What’s going on?”

“You and I both know that you didn’t provide much information. But that’s not what-”

"I don't think I was really required to answer any of your questions, DI Choi. Linking me to a rival company heir's death without a shred of evidence - " he leaned forward once again, his silver bangs falling over his forehead - "Some would consider that harassment. That would mean my lawyer would have to become involved. And neither of us want that, now do we?"

This is harassment. You really don't want to know how I deal with any kind of harassment, DI Choi.

Yuri took a deep breath, trying to ignore the words that kept her up almost every night.

"Your cooperation is highly appreciated, Mr Park," she continued, placing her hands on the table. "However, in order to save you from any further harassment, there is something you could help us out with."

Jimin did not respond immediately, giving Yuri the time to continue her, frankly, insane idea.

"We would require you to provide a blood sample. Which would help us eliminate you from the investigation. It shouldn't take up too much of your time - just a short visit to the station, and you'd be free of us."

Yuri waited for a response - anger, disbelief, frustration - anything really. What she didn't expect was laughter. Full on hysterical laughter. In fact, Taehyung was probably not expecting it either because he kept glancing at his friend worriedly.

"You are truly remarkable, DI Choi," said Jimin, once he had calmed down. He wiped a lone tear from his left eye, the many rings on his fingers glinting in the sunlight. "After everything that you've witnessed, you really thought you could somehow convince me to provide a blood sample? Sweetheart, I have 10 years worth of DNA that the police have been trying to get a hold off. Do you really think you'd be able to convince me when you weren't even able to get an alibi out of me?"

Yuri's face fell slightly, her mind grappling with ways in which the situation could be salvaged. It was at this point that Ahreum came over, looking distinctly more worn out than when they had arrived at the diner.

"Ahreum." Jimin turned his attention to the other girl. "You have such an interesting friend. Are you sure she's from Seoul? I didn't think such naivety could survive in the capital. Much less in law enforcement."

Ahreum frowned, snatching up the glass of water in front of Taehyung and gulping down the entire contents. "Stop being a dick for once in your life, Jimin."

"I love when you talk dirty to me." Jimin winked at her.

"Cool it, Jimin," said Taehyung, his expression no longer confused and worried. "Ahreum, what the fuck is going on?"

Ahreum looked at Yuri, not sure how she could help with the situation. Apparently, things hadn't gone well while she had been diverting Seulgi. "I'm sorry, Tae. I don't know anything other than Yuri wanting to meet Jimin."

"But you knew it had something to do with an investigation," said Taehyung, his handsome features creasing. "Why didn't you tell me that your best friend Yuri was a detective? That doesn't seem like information to just leave out."

Ahreum looked at him guiltily. In Taehyung's eyes, he was the only one who had no idea what was going on, and he felt both hurt and betrayed by her. This entire plan had been a train-wreck and to make matters worse, Seulgi had returned to the diner because she had dropped her keys inside.

"What the hell?" Seulgi stood at their table, her eyes narrowing disapprovingly. "What're you doing here, Park?"

"Hello to you too, darling," said Jimin, leaning back into the sofa lazily. "It's been so long since I've seen that beautiful face of yours."

"So." Seulgi turned towards Ahreum. "Are you really interested in going into forensics? Or was it just a way to distract me so that I wouldn't run into him?"

"Seulgi, I-"

"Darling, they were just trying to convince me to provide a blood sample," interrupted Jimin, his face curling into a smirk. "Was that your idea? You know I would've said yes in a heartbeat if you had asked nicely."

"Fuck you, Park!" spat Seulgi. She turned to Yuri and shook her head. "This isn't how I thought you'd get things done. I can't believe you're bargaining with a murder suspect!"

"Now that's a bit harsh, isn't it darling?" Jimin was enjoying the situation immensely.

"Jimin, don't." Taehyung warned his friend.

"Seulgi, please, this isn't what you think-" Ahreum ran out after the taller girl, the diner eerily quiet after the blowout.

"Jimin, you can find your way home yourself, right?" asked Taehyung, getting up to swipe his credit card at the counter. "I have to go."

Jimin nodded, his fingers lazily running through his silver hair. It was a wonder all the rings didn’t get caught in his hair.

"And Yuri - " Taehyung paused, his long fingers clenching around the plastic of the card - "It was nice meeting you, I guess."

"I think that went rather well, DI Choi" said Jimin, once they were the only two left at the table. "I was thoroughly entertained."

Yuri pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. "My apologies for wasting your time, Mr. Park. Have a good rest of the day."

Once outside, she realised that Ahreum had left. Her mode of transportation had left. Without letting her know. She sighed and unlocked her phone, trying to figure out if it would be easier to walk back home or to the station.

"Were you abandoned as well?"

Yuri took a deep breath, preparing herself before facing Jimin once again.

"Friends these days aren't what they used to be."

"I don't know you, Mr. Park." Yuri crossed her arms and tilted her head to one side. "I have no preconceived notions, and I have no affiliations in this place. I am merely doing my job - trying to find out how Kang Eunwoo died. I don't really understand why you're trying your damned best to make things difficult for us. But let me tell you one thing- I'm not going to stop until I get to the truth."

Jimin seemed at a loss for words for the first time since she had met him.

"If you didn't have anything to do with Eunwoo's death, providing the blood sample should be nothing more than a formality for you. But by declining to assist us, you're pushing us into thinking you do have something to hide. I don't know about you, Mr. Park, but if I were involved in a murder investigation, I'd like my name cleared as soon as possible. All personal conflicts aside."

xxx

Back at the station, Yuri felt her head was going to explode. She hadn't eaten anything the entire day, her morning coffee forgotten in the chaos of the diner mission. On top of that, her desk had a large pile of papers waiting to be read.

"Goh dropped these off when he came in," said Jeon, noticing how she was staring at the pile. "Just procedural stuff - it's pretty much the same everywhere in the country. But each station requires anyone who joins to read through them and sign."

"Oh, I see -" Yuri stopped abruptly, her head spinning towards her partner. He had never managed to go two words without snapping at her, much less initiate a civil conversation. Why was he suddenly behaving like this? Was this some kind of trap? Was he baiting her?

Jeon seemed completely unaware of Yuri's internal dilemma, and continued typing on his work laptop until his phone pinged with a message. He quickly closed the laptop and walked towards the exit, already speaking to someone on the phone.

Yuri glared at his desk, trying to figure out what he was playing at. Gradually, her eyes landed on that wretched file. The 2nd Nov case file. The file that seemed to be Jeon's purpose of existence.

The 2nd November case that Jeongguk’s been overseeing - I want you to go over it. You might be able to help

Yoongi's words rang in her head. She began reaching over the partition that divided her desk from Jeon's, her hand was just a few centimeters from the file-

"Need some help?"

Yuri jumped in astonishment, Jeon's voice startling her into knocking her knee into the desk. She ignored the throbbing sensation, and focused on trying to explain herself.

"Need a pen to sign the papers. Mine's out of ink."

Jeon seemed to buy this reason, and picked up a pen from the large stack sitting inside a pale red mug on his desk.

"Anything else?" he asked, when her eyes kept flitting back to his desk.

"N-no." Yuri sat down hurriedly, sifting through the papers she hadn't looked over even once.

The next hour went by without much incident. Yuri had managed to grab a dodgy looking sandwich from the break room, and somehow finished it off in between large gulps of water. Never again was she leaving the house without eating.

Her texts to Ahreum had gone unanswered so far, which was hardly surprising. Yuri was pretty sure she was trying to explain things to Taehyung. It was best to give her some space at this point - she'd call and check on her later at night.

Jeon's phone rang again causing him to rush out once more, and from the fragments that Yuri managed to catch, it was Chief Inspector Goh on the other line.

"DI Choi?"

Yuri was stunned to see Park Jimin standing by her desk.

"How can I help you, Mr. Park?" she asked, after a moment's pause.

"I'm here to... cooperate."

"You're agreeing to the blood sample?" she asked, incredulously.

"Yes."

Yuri cursed under her breath. It was lunchtime, which meant that Seulgi and most of her team would be off.

Suho happened to be passing by at just that moment. "DI Choi, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"S-sure. Mr. Park, please wait here for a moment."

"You managed to convince Jimin to provide a blood sample?" asked Suho, lowering his voice.

"I guess so..."

"The labs are closed for lunch right now."

"I know." Yuri bit her lip in frustration. "I don't know how long he'll be willing to wait. It's already a miracle that he's showed up."

"I think I saw one of the junior lab technicians come back early," Suho wondered out loud. "Let me call him and ask."

Yuri waited as Suho dialed the number on his phone. In the meantime, Jeon had returned, his eyes catching sight of Jimin and temporarily halting him in his tracks.

What followed next was one of the most stressful 3 minutes of Yuri's life. Jeon was speaking to Jimin, when Suho informed her that the junior technician was available to draw a blood sample but would not be able to stay long enough for the sample to be handed over to either his senior or Seulgi herself. This was a definite issue because according to the station's protocol, junior lab technicians were not allowed to officially check in anything related to an ongoing investigation. It seemed like Yuri would have to wait at the lab until Seulgi or a senior technician came back, so that the sample would not be left alone until it had been properly entered into the system. The only problem was, Jeon appeared to be packing his stuff and Yuri's window to grab the 2nd Nov file was closing. This would've been the perfect moment, given that he was slightly distracted due to his conversation with Jimin. Suho seemed to sense the conflict raging within her, and offered to wait at the lab instead.

"Are you sure?" asked Yuri, her attention fixed on the file still on Jeon's desk.

"Yes," said Suho. "But I think you should tell Jimin that I'll be taking him to the lab instead of you. He'll probably take it better if it’s coming from you."

Yuri nodded and walked over to where the two men were having a conversation.

"- a bit annoyed that he didn't know I had been down here." Jimin chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.

"Why didn't you tell him, then?" asked Jeon, frowning. Yuri took this opportunity to swipe the file from his desk.

"Ah! DI Choi, I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me," said Jimin, his eyes falling on Yuri.

"Sorry for making you wait. Unfortunately, I have some urgent matters to attend to. DS Lim will take you to the lab and make sure everything is alright." She hid the file under her coat, and beckoned for Suho to come over. "Thank you once again for your cooperation, Mr. Park."

Jeon raised his eyebrow questioningly, but Yuri was out of the station before he could get a word in. She didn't have much time before he realised his precious file was missing.

Once inside her car, Yuri opened the file and read through every single inch of it. It was a grim case no doubt - a single mother had been stabbed to death by a homeless drunk, who was assumed to be the father of her three year old daughter. The girl had been missing since then, while the man awaited his trial in jail.

The pictures were quite awful. The small nook where she had been living told a rather tragic, almost pathetic, story. A young woman without many choices. Her pale, lifeless body only added to the sense of despair. Yuri wondered why Jeon was so obsessed with this case. Sure, it was terribly sad, but not unlike many other drunken brawls resulting in an unfortunate death. She wondered who was in charge of looking for the girl at this point. According to the file, no body had turned up in over a month. Which meant that she was either alive or her body would probably never be found. If the former was true, there was a high probability that this was a kidnapping. It didn't make much sense. Maybe there was something she was missing...

Staring at the picture of the woman's corpse, her eyes caught sight of a small detail - a ring. A ring which looked very familiar.

Sifting through the pictures, she found a close up of the ring in question. It had been lying near the body and it was assumed that the ring had fallen from her person at some point during the struggle.

Only...

Yuri took out her phone and quickly snapped a shot of the picture of the ring. This was absolutely against protocol, but she was desperate at this point.

It had been 20 minutes since she had run out of the station, and after making sure that Jeon had left, she made her way back in and dropped the file at his desk.

xxx

"Did you clear things up with Taehyung?" asked Yuri, sitting down at the table.

Ahreum picked up some pasta with her tongs and placed it on Yuri's plate. Tonight's dinner was in honor of Namjoon making it home before the clock struck midnight.

"Yeah, he's not one to hold grudges. He was just a little upset that I had lied to him."

"He looked quite betrayed when he realised that we had set them up like that."

"Don't worry about it." Ahreum shrugged while pouring wine into the glasses. "He's fine now."

"Tae can't stay mad at Ahreum for too long." The deep voice sounded familiar yet strange to Yuri, who had barely interacted with Ahreum's older brother when they had all been living in the same city.

"Namjoon!" she stood up, giving him a hug. He was still awkward with any kind of physical affection, though he had grown into his limbs and no longer resembled a gangly teenager. "Took me 4 days but I finally managed to get a glimpse of you."

"Ah," he said, pushing his black-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Sorry about that, Yuri. I had a major project due last night so I was basically living at the library doing research."

"Well, I hope it's not going to be as difficult to meet you from now on. You and Ahreum are the only people I know here."

"No new friends yet?" asked Namjoon, digging into the pasta. "Ahreum, this is delicious! We should've called Seokjin over. He always appreciates good food."

"Seokjin? As in the guy who runs The Moon's Post Office?" asked Yuri.

"The one and the same. How do you know him?" asked Namjoon.

"Happened to visit the bakery on my first day here. He's got quite a way with shortcrust pastry."

Namjoon laughed at this. "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that. That place is Seokjin's pride."

"But back to the friends question," he continued, grabbing another helping of pasta. "Detective work not leaving you much time to socialize?"

"Sort of..."

"She's been having trouble with her new partner," piped up Ahreum, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Maybe you can help her out on that front."

"Oh? Who's your partner?"

"Jeon Jeongguk."

"You're not getting along with Jeongguk?!" Namjoon nearly spilled the wine on himself.

"Namjoon, please calm down. It's not that serious," said Ahreum, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry," her brother murmured, placing the glass back on the table. "It's just... I know you both. There's no reason for you to not get along."

"He's being a dick," supplied Ahreum, helpfully. "Not sure why. Doesn't sound like the guy you're always gushing about."

"I don't think 'gushing' is the right word... but I get your point. Has he said anything to you, Yuri?" asked Namjoon.

Yuri didn't hear what Namjoon had said. Her attention was fixed on her phone, specifically on an email from Seulgi. The blood on Eunwoo's sleeve was a match for the sample taken from Park Jimin earlier that day.

xxx

another chapter done!

[pine-inserts]

Unwind

Alright, this is my first time posting and I'm so hella anxious shsjsjsjs I didn't polish the grammar so I apologize, i just knew if i took anymore time on it I'd never have the guts to actually post

TW: mention of rape / pedophilia

Fluff/Slice of Life

Pairings: Batman x Reader Bruce Wayne x Reader

she/her pronouns, no character description

"5 minutes until sunrise." The modulated voice spoke, breaking concentration. Batman releasing a criminal from his iron grip and letting him drop in a bloodied heap, the robotic voice in his head drumming and repeating the words until his heart rate had slowed and his blood calmed.

His gloves had begun chafing the ridges of his fingers, finally breaking them in with his excessive force on the man unconscious beneath him.

He had witnessed the man attempt to break into the apartment beside them, home to a young girl and her parents.

A rapist. Child rapist. Pedophile. His eyes narrowed again to the man and he felt his blood begin to drum again.

He let go of his baited breath and pulled the handcuffs from his belt. Hooking them onto the mans wrist as he set him upright to the alley wall. Batman looked over and saw the battered camera had skidded near the street and he reached to grab it.

Bringing it closer to his face, he observed the digital camera as the lens had cracked in the center. The paint chipped on the edges, but when he held the on button down it turned on easily with the pictures readily available. He shut it back off.

The evidence was enough for Gordon to know why the man was in his state. He set the camera in the mans lap when the roar of sirens echoed down the empty street.

Batman stood, grabbing his grappling gun and shooting it off to the nearest building. As he did, he looked up to see a young girl in the window. Her sleepy, bleary eyes widening when she made eye contact with him and he simply pressed a gloved finger to his lip, and released the gun as he shot up in the remaining night sky.

By the time he reached the garage with the batmobile hidden inside, the sun had just barely begun to peek over the morning clouds. He walked over to the batmobile, sliding into the drivers seat. He releasing a deep sigh once he was settled, knowing by the time he returned home it would be morning.

Y/N might even be awake when he returned.

He pulled the gloves off, letting the bare skin cool against the steering wheel as the chafed, redness of his hands were relieved from the confines of the thick leather. Just the barest hint of humanity brought back to him and Bruce felt the entirety of the night replay in his head like he was in a theater.

The batmobile roared to life beneath his palms, and he tore out of the garage.

East end, he was near Robinson Park where an underground tunnel to the batcave was. His hands rolling the steering wheel to turn on Burbaker street and straight to the tunnel. The growing daylight chasing the batmobile as he drove through the underground road and headlights blaring on the cavern walls.

The light had faded soon after, he was much too quick for the daylight to catch him. Now, he was left in the dark until the tunnel opened up to the batcave.

Preparing the full stop, he pressed the break and drove right into the mobiles natural spot. The inorganic lights turning on within his presence and he turned the batmobile off before getting out.

The sharp breath he made brought in the metallic and murky scent, the scent of home. His steps echoing as he walked to the computer as the screen lit up with the face of the man he had just left in the alley.

"Gerrick Tiller. 43, divorced with restraining order. Registered class 2 sex offender." He read. Knowing Gordon, Tiller would be class 3 by breakfast with possession of child pornography and charged with trespassing.

Gordon didn't fuck around with sex offenders, and whatever Batman could do to them Gordon did ten fold. Legally of course.

The computer went black, he stepping towards the suits as saw his reflection in the glass and pulled the cowl off.

Sweat. It just dripped down his neck as the rush of cold, murky air hit his face and he closed his eyes to feel it all.

This was the most human he felt, taking each piece off and letting the shell fall off as if he was shedding the skin of the Batman to be Bruce again.

Just Bruce. Not the billionaire Bruce Wayne. Just. Bruce.

When the suit was off, he reapplied it to the mannequin and was left in his briefs. His eyes scanning at the bruises on his side as he clenched his stomach to feel how sore he might be.

Not bad this time around, he was getting better at fending off multiple offenders at once. His eyes turning to the purple mark on his chest that he lightly prodded before smiling.

Not a bruise, a remnant of his evening before on parole. Maybe Y/N wasn't up yet, it was a Saturday. The office would be closed today.

Bruce's bare feet patted on the metal flooring as he stepped into the enclosed bathroom he had implemented. The sight of the toilet alone made his lower stomach ache and he was reminded it had been 5 hours since his last relief.

He made quick work, toilet and shower. Not exactly enjoying the shower since the plumbing wasn't at the best in the cave. The water was ice cold, yet also grounded him better than hot water could.

His mind jumped from one point to the next, the shower needed to be figured out and he'd look into the manual he bought.

There wasn't exactly a good plumber who could keep a secret about the cave, he'd begun learning for himself. Y/N helped, reading through the more confusing parts of the book to make sense of what the author was trying to teach.

But then again, she was better at tinkering and figuring her way around it. He relied on the book. Until she figured out how to reattach the water line for the toilet and he just about returned the book after he tried 4 times without result.

Now all that was left was the cold water, and he was still planning out the new modulator. Then the batarangs needed updating since Penguin began hoarding the ones he left behind to sell the tech inside of them.

Combustable batarangs, his trial one had combusted in his previous belt and without the fireproof fabric in his suit he would've lit his ass up. Lost the belt though, but that was easier to replace.

Suddenly, Bruce groaned and pressed his head to the shower wall. So much to do, so little time. He hadn't even processed half of his day and he was back to the little things he needed to accomplish.

"Bruce?"

"Shit-" he jumped. Bruce turning fast when he saw Y/N at the door to the bathroom.

Her eyes on the glass shower door as he let his heart rate calm down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." She said, voice somewhat groggy.

"... did I wake you?" He asked, turning the water off as she leaned against the wall and shook her head.

"No... I woke up and realized you hadn't come home yet." She said, her tone softening and suddenly all the worry and the nagging in his head silenced.

Bruce opened the shower door and grabbed his towel to wrap around his waist, all while his eyes met hers and he visibly relaxed.

She could see it, the weary tiredness in his eyes. The sudden quiet in his voice, and she gently stepped closer to wrap her arms around his waist. His skin firm and colder than ice, her warmth spreading within him as she kept her eyes on his.

"Come to bed... I've missed you." She said gently, Bruce holding her softly as he closed his eyes and slid a hand against her cheek. His nose burying into her hair and inhaling the familiar warm scent of her.

"Me too..." he whispered, Y/N sighing and they stood for a simple moment like that.

Until her pajama shirt started soaking from his wet form and she shivered.

"Cold water still..." she sighed, chuckling lightly as he broke a small smile.

"I'll meet you upstairs." He said, Y/N hesitantly parting from him with a slight nod.

"Don't distract yourself." She said, heading out of the room and he smiled while grabbing the extra clothes he had in a small metal drawer.

"Not today..." he said quietly, drying off before changing. The warmth of her had lingered and his mind was on one thing. Her. That's it.

Once he had finished, he moved out to get on the elevator as it closed and raised up to the second floor library. He pressing against one of the backs of the book shelves as it parted and brought him into the room. Closing it, he walking out to the hallway and straight towards their bedroom.

The sitting room had a tray on the table. Crumbs in a plate as Alfred must had served Y/N breakfast. She had left a blueberry scone on the hot plate and he took it to bite into and let the warm bread and melted blueberry envelop his palate.

In seconds, he was left with the remaining crumbs and wiped his hand with a napkin. He heard the door open as he saw Alfred stand in the door way with another tray.

Their eyes met and Alfred raised an eyebrow. "I have more scones, master Bruce." He said, Bruce stepping out of his way as Alfred set the second tray down.

"I can see that. Thank you." He said, seeing the poached eggs on avocado toast with a side of bacon, and another hot plate of three blueberry scones. Alfred grabbed the empty one and looked at Bruce again.

"After food, you are to sleep. You're growing paler by the minute." Alfred mumbled, Bruce hiding his smile from his nagging.

"Of course Alfred. I appreciate the concern." He retorted, grabbing the tray before heading into the bedroom and saw Y/N in bed scrolling on the ipad.

"Is that the news?" He asked, she hardly looking up.

"Unfortunately. But nothing about you thankfully." She looked up as he placed the tray on the bed. "Either of you." She corrected, Bruce sliding onto his side as the cold sheets suddenly brought an ache through his whole body that he groaned.

Y/N setting the iPad down and sat up a bit.

"... I'm sure Alfred has already demanded you to sleep. Which I'm his echo." She said, pulling the tray closer as he slowly sat up.

"Batman can handle 5 gang members with weapons, but I'm powerless against the both of you." He said with a sigh, Y/N chuckling softly.

"There's some battles we can't always win." She handed the plate over as he took it gently and pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

"It humbles me to lose once in a while. Especially when it comes to you." He spoke softly, turning to the eggs as she smiled with a slight blush on her cheeks. She turned to the side table and grabbed her coffee, sipping it as she returned to the iPad.

The silence that eased between them was a comfort. The small stereo on the side table quietly playing classic harp and violin that she loved, and everything else a soft silence. The more food he ate, the further he brought himself into comfort until it was all gone.

He pushed the tray to the end of the bed, noticing her attention was still on the device and he gently grasped her waist as she was brought to reality. Bruce suddenly pulling her further into the bed with him and his head settled on her chest as he could hear the sweet, steady beat of her heart.

Y/N gently slid her fingers through his thick hair and smiled softly. "My sweet Bruce..." she said gently, kissing against his head and letting him curl closer to her.

The alluring scent of her, the intoxicating warmth, her soft hands in his hair as she talked to him with her soothing tone. He felt everything in him quiet as his breathing evened out and he was fast asleep in mere minutes.

Y/N watched in serenity as he slept on her chest, his breath fanning against her collarbone and her fingers continued to caress his hair until the repeated action began to lull her back to sleep.

[yoonguurt]

For the grade

Genre: enemies to lovers

Warnings: smut; fingering

Word count: 5,506

Y/N and Jaebum hate each other. What happens when they''re forced to work together for a school project?

You liked to life with as little negativity as possible. Sure, you had bad days, but you went through those knowing that it was simply a bad day and the next would likely be better. You really didn't have anything to complain about.Your friends were great, supportive people, your family as well. You had just one rainy cloud in your sunshine life. Lim Jaebum. 

It's not like you wanted to hate Jaebum, you didn't. In fact, you really wanted to like him, you had tried to like him. He just made that near impossible. He was rude and cold. When you first met him, you wondered how someone you had just met could already hate you so much. You had met last year at your best friend Mark's end of the year party. Mark had moved into an off campus apartment and he and his roommate had decided to through the party this year. You got there early to help Mark set everything up. When you knocked on the door, Jaebum answered, scowl on his face. He merely grunted at your presence and moved aside to let you in. Throughout the night, he either acted upset at your being around or ignored you completely. 

So here you were, beginning of your senior year of college, still dealing with Jaebum's shitty attitude. You had long since given up on trying to be civil and treated him as he treated you. You were supposed to meet up with Mark for coffee today, but he texted you this morning saying he felt ill. Being the good friend you were, and not trusting him to take care of himself, you decided to head to his apartment with medicine, soup and juice to take care of your best friend. The fact that Jaebum had classes all day today, made your decision that much easier. Mark had given you a spare key for emergencies, so once you arrived, you just went ahead and let yourself in. 

Setting your supplies on the counter, you turned to the cabinet and grabbed a bowl and a glass. You set those on the counter, and turned back around to grab the soup. Reaching for the can, you looked up when you heard a voice. "How did you get in here?" Standing before you, stood a shirtless Jaebum. Without even meaning to, your eyes scanned down his chiseled form. You had never realized just how cut the man was. You hated to admit it, but he looked good. "You gonna stare all day or are you gonna give me an answer?" his voice snapped you out of your thoughts. "Mark gave me a key" you replied, voice laced with annoyance, "and for Pete's sake go put some clothes on." You turned around to continue your tasks, not noticing the smirk on Jaebum's face as he walked away. 

When you finished heating the soup, you knocked in Mark's bedroom door, only to be met with some form of groan. Taking that as permission, you opened the door only to see a Mark size lump on the bed. Yanking the blanket off of his head, he let out another whine before turning to face you. "What the hell, Y/N?" Why are you here?" his voice was rough, either from sleep or sickness. You chuckled lightly before replying "Well, I know you and I knew you wouldn't take care of yourself so here I am." He gave you a small smile and you made him sit up so he could eat. 

"I'm just saying that he didn't have to act like I broke in or something. Why is he even here, doesn't he have classes all day? And does he always walk around half naked? I mean-" your rant was interrupted by an obviously annoyed Mark. "Y/N, don't take this the wrong way but I'm sick and I really don't want to hear about the crush denial you have for JB." You actually reeled back as if you had been slapped. You? Crush? Jaebum?  Absolutely not. No way. Not if he was the last man on Earth. Turning to Mark, you narrowed your eyes. "I do not have a crush on him." You were met with Mark's stupid smirk, the one he gets when he thinks he's right. "I mean it. I hate him." you continued only to still see that smirk. "Sure, Y/N. Whatever you say". 

For the next week, you were at Mark and Jaebum's every day taking care of Mark. By the fourth day, you were pretty sure he was faking so you'd keep taking care of him, but you did it anyway. What are best friends for, right? On day five, Jaebum was home all day and that was an annoyance. The day was filled with snide comments and looks of dislike from the both of you. Mark had tried to get you two to at least be civil to no avail. He had even yelled once, something about both of your actions being a sham, but neither of you paid attention. You both just told him to hush and go lie back down. Finally, your time playing nurse was over and you could focus on yourself and your classes. 

As a photography major, you took your classes very seriously. You had always had an eye for pictures. You could look at the most mundane things and immediately find a way to make them look beautiful through a lens. You knew all the right angles to turn any random thing into art. Being in a college where you could learn better ways to use those talents, was something you considered a great honor. You even shared a class with some film majors, which you were excited about. Getting to learn about video editing was going to be really neat. Until you got to said class and saw a familiar face. Lim Jaebum. Was there any escaping this man? 

Ignoring the empty seat next to the smirking man, you walked to the other side of the room and found a seat there. Sure, you couldn't see the board very well and this particular area smelled odd, but you were far enough away from the thorn in your side that was Jaebum. Your professor introduced himself and began the class as you took as many notes as you could. As the lecture ended, he announced that the class would be divided into pairs and work through the semester on a project. You would receive your partner in an email. The project itself was up to the two of you. The only requirement was it had to be a 5 minute video about something you were both equally passionate about. You were slightly thrown off at being assigned a project on the first day, but excited. 

You had been checking your email religiously for two days. You wanted to know who you were partnered with. The thought of getting to know someone new was nice, but you really wanted to start brainstorming on ideas. There was also a little nervousness. What if you and your partner had no common interests? How were you going to complete your project then? Mark had gotten tired of you staying planted by your computer, so he forced you out to get lunch with him. He even took your phone, which you thoroughly protested. "Staring at your screen isn't going to make the email come any faster, Y/N. Take a break and enjoy lunch with me." Realizing he was right, you let the project drift to the back of your mind and just enjoyed yourself. 

A couple of hours later, you were returned to your home. You grabbed your laptop, thinking you'd check one more time before you set off to do something else for a while. Clicking your email tab, you noticed the notification for a new email in your inbox. You quickly clicked it, seeing it was indeed from your professor. Taking a breath and calming your nerves, you opened it. Your mind fluttered through so many thoughts before you read through the message. You still really hoped you and your partner had at least one thing in common, but you were determined to make it work regardless. You eyes scanned through the words to find your partner's name. Shit. Fuck. This was not good. There at the bottom was the name of your partner. Lim Jaebum. This was bad. Very, very bad. 

Grabbing your phone, you immediately hit Mark's name and pressed the phone to your ear. After a few rings, Mark's voice comes through the speaker. You don't even let him finish his sentence before you launch into your rant. "Mark, this is bad. I just got my email and my partner is Jaebum. What am I supposed to do? We have nothing in common! We hate each other. We have months to work on this and we aren't going to be able to get anywhere I'm gonna fail." When you stopped to take a breath, Mark took the opportunity to start speaking. "You need to stop being so dramatic, Y/N. I'm positive you guys have something in common, you just have to stop being assholes to each other long enough to figure out what that is." As much as you HATED to admit it, he was right. This was an issue you would have to set aside for your grade. With a huff, you prepared your reply "Tell him to meet me at the campus cafe in 20 minutes." You hung up and sighed again. This was going to be a long semester. 

You arrived at the cafe 10 minutes early. You just wanted to get the concept down, get a plan together and get out. You ordered a coffee, sat down and scrolled through your phone until a figure slid into the seat across from you. Expecting it to be Jaebum, you looked up with a scowl already on your face. Instead, you found a man you didn't know facing you. "Sup. I'm BamBam. You looked lonely over here all by yourself." Oh crap. This was the exact opposite of what you wanted. You politely thanked him for the thought, but you were waiting for someone. "Aw come on, baby, don't be like that." he started before a hand roughly on his shoulder. "You heard her, kid. Beat it." Looking up to see who your savior was, you were a bit shocked. Jaebum had never done a nice thing for you before, but there's a first for everything. 

After your unwanted guest had left, Jaebum sat in the chair across from you. You were briefly distracted by the way his hair fell in his face in such a beautiful way, you wouldn't even have to mess with the angle that much to make a wonderful picture. You quickly shook your head to rid yourself of such ridiculous thoughts and cleared your throat to get Jaebum's attention. "Look, I know neither of us are happy with this arrangement, but I don't plan on getting a failing grade so we need to try to work around our dislike for each other. As of now, I know nothing about you or your interests, so why don't you tell me a little bit about what you like?" He sat there for a brief moment before sliding you a small piece of paper with a number written on it. He looked at you as his lips parted to speak, "I'll go along with whatever you want. Just call me when you decide" then he stood up and left. Yepp. This was going to be a real shitty semester. 

As you walked back to your apartment, you pulled out your phone, dialing Mark's number. He answered with sass, as he always did. "If you called to bitch about JB, save your breath. I'm not listening to it." Of course, that had been what you were going to do, points to Mark on that one. You raced through topics to talk about as quickly as possible before settling on a way to find out Jaebum's interests. "Actually, he didn't give me much information, but I still want to try to make this work, so I called you. What are some of the things he's really passionate about?" You felt silly asking Mark this, but you needed to figure out how to incorporate both of your interests, pride be damned. Mark was silent for a while before you finally asked if he was still there. "Yeah. Thinking. He likes, uh, his cats?" You instantly frowned. Cats? Really? You loved cats but is that the best he could come up with? "Oh! And music! He's really into making music." Music, huh?  That's something you could work with. 

You hung up with Mark as you walked through your apartment door. You set your phone down and sat down at your laptop, pulled up a word document and began to type an outline for your project. Your plan as of now was to have a music video of sorts. Jaebum could use one of his songs as the music and the video could have some beautiful shots from your photographer's eye. You would each have something you were passionate about in the video. In your mind, it was perfect. Now, you just had to run it by Jaebum. Despite what he said at the cafe, a big part of you felt like he would shoot it down just because it was your idea. Making up your mind that sooner was better than later, you sent him a text explaining your idea. Almost immediately, your phoned dinged with a new message telling you to meet him back at the cafe in 10 minutes. Sighing at having to go right back out, you grabbed your keys and walked out of the door. 

Opening the cafe door, you scanned the room, finding Jaebum already there. That was a bit surprising, but you made your way over and took a seat. Before you had even fully sat, he spoke in a harsh tone, "How do you know about my music?" Really? You had to come back to the cafe just to answer a question he could have asked you in a message?  "I wanted to make something that had both of our passions in it, not just mine. So, I called Mark and the options he gave me were music and cats. I love cats, but I don't really want to make this video about just cats" you replied with an emotionless tone. He sat and thought about your words for a moment. "Ok, but if we do this, we're doing it my way. You get say, it's your grade too, but this is my music and I want it done right." You agreed that as long as your input was taken into consideration and it wasn't all about him, that this could work. 

One week later, you were on your way to Mark and Jaebum's place to give input on song options for the video. You didn't really like the thought of being in their apartment without Mark, but you were excited about starting on the project. Knocking on the door, you felt a sudden urge to run, and you weren't sure why. It was just Jaebum. Sure, you didn't like the guy, but you had no reason to be nervous around him. You pushed the nervous feeling away just in time for him to open the door. He stepped aside to let you in, and gestured to the kitchen counter where there was a whole buffet's worth of food. "I asked Mark what you liked and he gave me a big list so I just got it all" he said rubbing the back of his neck as if he were nervous or embarrassed. You just stood there for a moment, a little shocked, before thanking him. Was Jaebum being nice to you? 

You grabbed a small plate of food and the two of you ate in silence. It wasn't as awkward as you had thought it would be, it was actually strangely comfortable. When you were finished, Jaebum led you to the spare bedroom. Well, what you thought was the spare bedroom. Once he opened the door, you realized that he had a small studio set up there. He went straight to his laptop as you sat on the couch. He informed you he had two songs he was thinking of for the video. The first was a more upbeat song, the second being a slower, love type song. As you listened to the latter, you felt your heart ache in the most beautiful way. It was about love not being reciprocated, and your mind was already flooded with ideas. When it was finished, you gave him a sincere compliment on how amazing it was and told him that you would really like that to be the video song. He gave you the first genuine smile you had seen from him, and your heart fluttered. 

You very quickly dismissed that flutter, no way you were gonna take that seriously. After some discussion, you agreed to meet at a nearby park the next day to do some location scoping. The leaves would be starting to fall soon and you had an idea for a shot and you wanted to find the perfect place for it. Saying a small, polite goodbye, he followed you to the door saying he'd see you the next day, and sending you off with some of the food he'd ordered. Mark called a few hours later, asking if you wanted to grab some coffee, which you readily agreed to. Making your way to your usual cafe, your mind wandered through all the ideas you had for the project. 

"So, how'd it go?" were Mark's first words to you as you sat across from him. "You know, not that bad. We decided on a song and we're going to the park tomorrow to scout and see if it fits what I have in mind." you replied with a small smile. Mark's stupid smirk was prominent on his face as he raised one eyebrow. "You and JB? Getting along? It's almost like someone knew this wouldn't be so bad." You threw the paper from your straw at him, telling him to shut up. "I still don't like him, Mark. This is just for the project. It's important." The smirk didn't leave his face, but he didn't push you anymore on it. And you sure as hell didn't tell him about the heart flutter. 

You met Jaebum at around noon the next day. It was a weekday, so the park wasn't overly crowded and the temperature was near perfect. You had your camera handy so you could check lighting and he had brought a tripod and video camera, just in case. Walking along the sidewalk, you came across a group of trees, leaves falling from them. You grabbed a quick picture before setting the strap back across your shoulder and walking to the middle of the trees. You just stood there for a few moments, leaves falling all around you and just looked up at the branches, admiring the beauty of nature. By the time you had turned back around, Jaebum had set the camera up, facing you. "Thought it would be a good idea to get the leaves falling" he spoke quietly, rubbing his neck again. You quickly moved out of the shot so he could get it the way he wanted. You pulled your camera out to snap a few more photos, then noticed Jaebum looking over your shoulder at the screen of your camera. "Those are really good" he half whispered before going back to his own camera. 

After the day at the park, you both decided the park would be your primary location. The idea of mostly nature shots coupled with the slow song sounded very appealing to you, and Jaebum agreed. Things went surprisingly well for about a week. You had gotten multiple shots of the leaves, and a few of some children playing in the leaves. You had even convinced Jaebum to have a leaf throwing war with you. Today was a completely different story, though. You had gone to the park and gotten a few nature shots, but in the midst of shooting, it began to rain. You were immediately struck with a desire to get some shots of the downpour. Rain had always been beautiful to you. Jaebum did not agree, however. Sure, your cameras could both withstand some water, but he simply did not want to stay. This led to a slightly heated argument. 

"Come on, this could make a really great shot if you'd just LISTEN" your voice slightly louder than normal. He had been very cooperative up until now, but this was something you were not willing to back down on. "Excuse me for not wanting to stand in the rain and get sick!" his voice louder than your own. "Fine, then go! I'll get the shots on my phone and you can deal with the crappy quality!" this time you were actually yelling. He threw his hands up, and walked away to gather his equipment. Not wanting to let him ruin your mood, you did a twirl in the rain, enjoying how the drops felt on your face, before turning around to get a better shot of the park at a distance. You found Jaebum still standing there, camera still on the tripod. "I thought you were leaving?" You spoke with an eyebrow quirked up. "I am. Had one more shot I wanted to get." And with that he packed up and left. 

After the rainy day at the park, things were back to being strained between you and Jaebum. You were having more and more arguments, often forgetting to turn the camera off during, which led to more arguments about the amount of footage that would have to be sorted through. You wanted to shoot from this angle, Jaebum wanted to shoot from the opposite angle. It was like he went out of his way to disagree with any suggestions you had. You had been working on the project for over a month, half of which you had spent arguing. You had finally had enough. You were going to confront him about this. Picking up your phone, you typed out a message giving him your address and telling him to meet you there. 

An hour later, he was at your door, camera in hand, thinking you had something you wanted to shoot. You invited him in, and he set up his camera to get it out of his hands and not just placed on your table. You gestured for him to sit on the couch, and you sat next to him. Steeling yourself, you finally set into what was on your mind. "What is your problem? We've done nothing but fight for weeks. I say something, you immediately disagree. We were getting along great there for a while, and now we're back to where we started. Speaking of, why do you hate me so much? I tried to be nice to you, I tried to be your friend. You weren't having it. What did I ever do to you, Jaebum? You were a jerk to me the first time I met you and I just don't understan-" you were suddenly cut off by his lips on yours. And even more suddenly, you were kissing him back. 

He pulled back after a moment, just for you to pull him back in. He eagerly chased your lips once more. His tongue swiped at your bottom lip, and you opened your mouth for him. Before you realized, he was leaning you back on the couch. He pulled back again, slightly out of breath. "Tell me to stop, and I will." You replied by pulling him to you again and a small "don't " against his lips. He moved his mouth to your neck as his hand traveled down your body, stopping to squeeze your breast. You let out a small moan, encouraging him and you felt a smirk against your neck. His hand continued to trail down your body until he reached the bottom of your shirt. Pausing, he lifted his head to give you a questioning look. You gave a simple nod, and his hand slipped under the cloth and traveled back up. 

He moved under your bra, as he squeezed again. He took your nipple between his thumb and forefinger, enticing another moan from you as he nibbled at your neck. As your arousal grew, you began to buck your hips, a silent plea for more. With a throaty chuckle, he whispered against your neck. "Patience, baby." With a whine, you picked up the pace of your hips, needing some kind of relief. At an excruciating speed, his hand began to slide down your body. As he reached the button of your jeans, he gave you another questioning look. "Are you sure?" His face was serious, wanting to make sure you were absolutely certain this was what you wanted. Breathless, you muttered out, "Please." 

He let out a small growl at your neediness, as he undid the button of your jeans. Sliding his hand further down, he kept his eyes on your face. When he finally reached your dripping heat, he gave you a smirk. "So wet already." As he guided a finger through your folds, you let out a moan slightly longer than before. He kept up his teasing, simply running his finger through your wetness. His dark eyes still glued to your face, he teased your entrance, before slowly pushing inside of you. He kept his movements slow, wanting to tease. All at once, he picked up the pace as he added a finger. The sudden addition caused you to cry out in pleasure, earning another growl from Jaebum. His thumb rose to find your sensitive bud, staring in slow circles before picking up speed. Your release was building up fast and he picked up the pace once again. Just as the knot in your stomach unraveled, he learned down to whisper in your ear, "Just let go.I've got you." He gave you one last nibble before leaning up to see your face. His words were all you needed for the knot to completely break, causing a cry of his name. 

Jaebum helped you ride out your high before planting a kiss to your forehead. He buttoned your jeans for you before getting up to get you a glass of water. He sat back down, and you could see the obvious bulge in his jeans. "What about you?" you managed to get out between gulps of water. He just laughed and shook his head. "Another time if that's something you want. I have some things to say first." You heart stopped briefly. Did he already regret this? All kinds of negative thoughts ran through your mind. As if he could sense your thoughts, he shook his head again.

"It's nothing bad, and I definitely don't regret anything that just happened. You asked me why I hated you. I have never hated you. I'm not good with people, I can come off cold and distant for a while before warming up. After a while, we just got into the routine of arguing and being distant with each other and I just didn't know how to go about changing that. I always wanted to, always wanted to be your friend. As for why things took a turn recently, we were becoming friends and I realized something, " he paused a moment as if to think, "I realized I didn't want to be your friend. I wanted more, but you still hated me so I went back to what I knew. I'm sorry for making you think I hated you." He finished his thoughts and looked away from you. 

You sat there trying to process all of the information you were just given. Jaebum had feelings for you. That was not something you expected to hear. He hadn't hated you, but you sure hadn't liked him. When did that change? When did you go from not wanting to be in the same room as him, to laying on your couch with his hand down your pants? Thinking back, you tried to find the moment it changed. Was it the smile? Or maybe him ordering everything he knew you liked to eat? That may have been the start, but you realized the big moment. The leaf fight. 

It had taken you quite a while to convince him, but when you finally had, he gave you that beautiful smile again. You took off running into a pile of leaves, him closely behind you. You picked up a handle full of leaves and tossed them directly in his face, letting out a loud laugh. His smile never left his face as he picked up and even bigger handful and retaliated. You spent an hour together just throwing leaves. That was the moment. That was when everything changed. 

Realizing you had been in thought for a while, you reached over and grabbed Jaebum's hand. "I'm not going to tell you that I didn't dislike you. I did. I thought you were an ass. But, I no longer feel that way. You can still be an ass, but it isn't all the time. Things changed for me, too. Even through all the arguing we've done lately, I didn't want to argue. I didn't want to go back to how we were. I wanted to move past that. So, " you took a deep breath, "Let's see where things go, yeah?"

Two months later, and it was time to turn in your project. Jaebum had done all the editing and he hadn't let you see it yet. The night before you were set to turn it in, he asked you to come by his apartment to see the final product. You knocked on the door and Mark answered. "Y/N! Are you here to see me today or are you here to see your b-" you cut him off with a shove. "Move, I get to see the video today." He laughed as you shoved by him and made your way to Jeabum's studio. You gave a slight knock before letting yourself in.

He was sitting at his laptop with his headphones on, taking them off when he noticed your presence. You sat in the chair beside him, practically bouncing. He let out a chuckle and turned to his computer, and handed you the headphones. Putting them on as he pressed play, you focused on the screen. You were expecting the familiar melody of his song, but were met with your voice instead. "Come on, this could make a really great shot if you'd just LISTEN" on the screen was a clip of you and Jaebum. It was the rainy day in the park where you argued about shooting in the rain. Confusion washed over you, why was he showing you outtakes of your fight? That clip was followed by more clips of the two of you fighting. After a moment, the music started. The screen was filled with clips you had never seen before. You staring at the leaves, you twirling in the rain, the leaf fight, all things you didn't realize had been captured. 

The video played through more clips of you and Jaebum between shots. The music stopped and your voice played again, "Why do you hate me so much?" you winced at the words, not wanting to remember them. The screen transitioned to you and Jaebum on your couch as he grabbed your face and kissed you. As your voice faded out, Jaebum's replaced it. "Passion is different for every person. For most, it is taken as something they enjoy. For me, passion started as an argument, only to grow into something amazing. See, love and hate are two sides of the same coin. A very passionate coin, for you cannot have love or hate without passion." With that, the screen faded to black. 

You sat there for a few beats looking at the blank screen. Jaebum carefully lifted the headphones from your head and wiped the tears you hadn't realized had begun to fall. "You hate it. Don't worry I made the original plan, we can still submit that." He moved to exit out of the video, and you grabbed his hand to stop him. "I don't hate it. It was just beautiful and I wasn't expecting it. He wiped more tears as they fell. "Do you want to see the other one?" You shook your head and pulled him in for a kiss. "No. This one is perfect." He gave you a deep kiss before barely pulling back. "I love you" he whispered against your lips. Smiling wide, you replied "I love you too, Lim Jaebum."

[pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles]

Colour Me In (part 2)

In case you missed Part 1

Eliza walked into their shared apartment her hands flying in a flurry of explanation.

“I'm sorry I'm so late, let me feed Oliver and we'll get going,” she told her sister.

Maggie was having none of it. “Where were you? You were supposed to be here an hour ago. You told me you were taking Oliver you the park. Wait why are you smiling like that? What happened? You'd better tell me,” her sister was equal parts furious and curious.

“Okay okay calm down, have you ever heard of 5 seconds of summer?” Eliza asked her.

“The band? Yes of course, what's that got to do with anything?” Maggie was confused.

“The guy I told you about the other day, hot guy who gave me his number, turns out his name is Calum Hood,” she continued but her sister cut her off

“You're full of shit,” Maggie signed shaking her head.

Eliza pulled out her phone pulling up pictures and Maggie grabbed it in disbelief. Scrolling through she recognized the handsome man smiling next to her sister in the pictures, she even recognized his dog.

“You not only met Calum fucking Hood but you hung out with Duke too? Know that I completely understand why you were late but also what the fuck Ez?” Maggie was shocked and grinning like a madman.

“I want to know everything you know about him and his band. I'm meeting up with him again next week and I want to be prepared,” Eliza pleaded with her sister.

“I'll help you when we get back but just know I'm gonna hit on his friend Luke. I seriously can't believe you right now.”

After shopping the two of them settled in with some chai and Maggie made Eliza give her every detail going back to the first sighting at the cafe. Maggie was being overly dramatic with her reactions and Eliza was beaming and giggling. In the middle of all of this Calum texted her telling her she'd left behind Oliver's rope toy.

My sister refuses to believe I met someone as famous as Duke Hood.

Calum texted back quickly. A picture of him sitting next to Duke on the couch. Duke was chewing Oliver's toy and Calum held a post it that had Hi Maggie scribbled on it.

Maggie squealed throwing herself back on the couch almost spilling her iced tea. They were laughing so hard and carrying on they didn't notice their mother coming into the apartment until she was standing in front of them.

“GIRLS what is going on here. I can hear you ALL the way in my kitchen,” Beatriz was remarkable how she managed to speak louder with her hands than her voice.

Eliza took the lead, their mom was tougher on her sister, and she could usually deflect some of it.

“I'm sorry Mama but when I took Oliver to the park I met someone famous. I was telling Mags about it and we got carried away. Esp when I was showing her pictures of his dog. We'll be quiet,” Eliza watched her mom's curiosity win over her annoyance.

“Let me see this boy. Is it someone I know? How is he famous,” she took Eliza's phone scrolling through the pictures smiling at the dozen or so shots of Duke and Oliver. Her eyebrows shot up and Eliza knew she was looking at Calum the way her eyes glanced at Eliza's face.

“The dog is adorable and he's quite handsome. Maggie do you know who he is?”

Maggie nodded and she turned back to Eliza.

“Will you be seeing him again?”

Eliza shrugged “Well I'm gonna keep going to that park and he did give me his phone number. He's really nice but I'm sure he's busy enough being a rock star and all.”

Beatriz narrowed her eyes and looked back and forth between her girls. “I have a feeling you two are up to something. Be careful, now Maggie did you get what you needed today for your tournament?”

They chatted for a minute before their mom told them she was getting pizza and wanted them over for dinner.  She left and Maggie tapped Eliza to get her full attention.

“She's right about being careful. He could be a total fuckboy.”

Eliza's mouth dropped open and she looked hurt before bursting into giggles “of course he could be a fuckboy but if he is so WHAT? How much fun would that be?”

Maggie laughed along with her but quickly shushed them both. “True true, damn you're one lucky bitch. Now pull yourself together we gotta go deal with Mama.

That evening Calum declined Natasha's invitation to come out. He was still a bit annoyed about the hickey. More annoyed that he hadn't spotted it but he'd been in such a rush to get out of the house. He wanted to text Eliza but she'd left him on read and he didn't want to seem too eager. He'd managed to work out the alphabet, signing through his abc's. His mind was buzzing replaying the entire day in his head. It wasn't just that she was hot, although Calum definitely wanted to explore her curves and roam those hills. It wasn't just that she was different, he couldn't pretend her being deaf wouldn't present challenges if this progressed. That she wasn't impressed with him or have an agenda was something Calum hadn't experienced in a long time.

His phone buzzed just as he was making dinner.

My sister is incredibly jealous. Apparently you know somebody named Luke Hemmings and your band is kind of a big deal.

Calum chuckled looking at his phone.

Well Luke is quite pretty and I could see where your sister would be jealous of Luke. Hell, I'm jealous of Luke. He's really that pretty.

Eliza practically had Maggie trying to crawl into her lap trying to read Calum's texts.

“You sold me out to give yourself an excuse to text Calum” Maggie protested

“What if you get to make out with Luke” Eliza asked

“I'll take one for the team” Maggie grinned at her sister.

Almost as pretty as you

Eliza held her phone up and Maggie took and and laughed.

“If that's not a fuckboy move I don't know what is” Maggie signed and Eliza responded “I know right, give it back.”

You're decent looking yourself but we all know Duke is the superior Hood

Calum smirked at the message, she had sass, he liked that.

I'd be hurt by that statement but when you're right, you're right. Speaking of which he needs a bath. I'll talk to you soon.

Maggie and Eliza shared a look. This was gonna be interesting.

Eliza skipped the cafe Monday for a work meeting because one of their clients had acted a fool over the weekend and damage control was needed. Tuesday she got up extra early to spend a little more time getting ready just in case. She popped into Marian's for coffee and half a dozen muffins on her way to work, three white chocolate lemon and three butter toffee pecan.

Marian slid her a quick note with her change as she waited for her order.

Someone was in here looking for you yesterday

She shook her head as Marian handed her a large box and grinned nodding towards the door. Eliza saw Calum walking in, his face lighting up into a smile when he saw her.

She stepped to the side so that Calum could order and so she could set her stuff down out of the way and pull out her phone.

“Hello how are you” Calum signed and she thought she might faint right there.

“I'm good how are you” she replied.

“Good” he stopped and pulled out his phone

Sorry that's all I know so far

Eliza was over the moon, but tried to keep it together. He ordered quickly while she replied.

No that's fine. That's incredibly sweet. I'm just on my way to work. Damage control for a client.

Calum looked around the place was busy and they were a bit in the way. His order was ready so he walked her to her car.  She checked her phone.

Dinner sometime this week?

Eliza looked up at him he looked hopeful, and so ridiculously handsome.

I'm helping Maggie practice every evening to get ready, and I'm on call for work in case my client does something stupid. How about lunch Friday?

Calum was surprised but agreed instantly,

Of course just text me where and when, or just text me

He winked at her and bent down to give her a little hug he walked to his car and Eliza held it together until he'd pulled out of the parking lot. She fumbled for her phone and put it into the dash mount. Pulling up snapchat she freaked out telling Maggie about running into Calum, their upcoming lunch date, that he had used sign language.

“Mags I am shitting myself WTF is even happening? What do I do? Help ME,” Eliza got herself somewhat calmed down after sending it. Ignoring the strange looks from some passersby who probably thought she'd lost her mind she got settled and headed out to work. She set her phone to the side and spent several hours on social media going in through ghost accounts trying to change the conversation about their client and Eliza could see they were starting to turn things around. Now if their client could stop Snapchatting his balls to random females that would be awesome.

Eliza couldn't sleep Thursday night, the anticipation was making her jumpy. She told herself she was being ridiculous. Yes he was gorgeous, famous and charming but a fuckboy is a fuckboy. The sooner she got romance out of her head and back to reality the better.  She decided against trying to straighten her hair and Maggie helped her fashion two loose braids and then pinning them at the nape of her neck to give her a loose casual bun. She eyed her sister's dark waves with envy. Eliza's curls had a mind of their own but today they seemed to be cooperating. She decided on a burgundy wrap tunic with cream colored leggings and her favorite tan boots.

Calum was early and badly wanted a smoke to calm his nerves. He knew Eliza disliked the smell so he resisted and ordered a beer while he waited. Seeing her walk in did not help his nerves but he was thrilled to see her. After greetings they pulled out their phones, it was a little strange to have these quiet text dates, but Eliza didn't seem phased.

Eliza waved to the cook and server when she spotted them behind the line. She came here as often as she could. Not only was it known for its soups and sandwiches it was family owned. The owner/cook was deaf so most of the staff could sign. The server came over and greeted them and they both signed back but then the server asked Calum his name and he froze unsure of the question.

She asked what's your name, She can hear btw so you can just tell her.

“Oh ok” Calum said out loud, surprising the lady waiting on them. He opened his mouth to answer but paused,” that's the sign for name?” He repeated the gesture he'd just seem and both women nodded. He thought for a second then pointed to himself, signed “name” and then finger spelled C-a-l-u-m looking to Eliza to see if he'd done it correctly.

“Very good” she signed with a smile.

They each ordered a combo. Cal got a Monte Cristo and vegetable soup, while she got a Philly cheese steak with tomato bisque. Eliza insisted he try the iced green tea with mint and lime.

Waiting for their food he raised his eyebrows at her before hitting send

Should I be insulted that you gave me the same sign you give Oliver when he's done a trick. At least he gets a treat

Eliza grinned and reached in her purse,

You want me to balance it on your nose first?

Calum looked up from his phone to see her holding up a piece of candy between her fingers and rotating it in a circle the way she did for her dog.

He had to laugh at the smirk on her face she caught him up on the fallout from her client's antics.

So it's bad enough he was wanking on Snapchat but then he goes off on Twitter. Evie says I'm to monitor all his social media and clean out his DMs blocking any and all girls who sent him nudes. The kid is not only a massive knob but now the world knows he has one as well.

Calum just stared at her for a minute

Hold on, you work for Eve Rhodes AND You guys represent Zachary James? That kid is a fucking nightmare. I've also met your boss, she's terrifying.

Eliza nodded

Fair enough but once you get to know her she's slightly less terrifying. Here comes our food I'm starving

Calum turned to look

Omg that looks amazing. I wish I'd gotten a cheese steak. Can we trade bites?

Eliza looked at his food

You can have a bite but yours has ham and I don't eat pork.

Calum looked surprised but nodded as she set her phone down to pick up her sandwich.

Eliza had never hesitated to eat in front of guys. Her mother believed in good food and lots of it and without her sister's manic energy most of the women in her family were pleasantly plump. Sometimes she didn't want to talk or deal with anyone else, she just wanted to have a moment with her food.

Calum was distracted from his own meal watching the expressions on Eliza's face as she lost herself in enjoyment. It didn't help the sandwich was messy and she kept licking her fingers, making it difficult for him to swallow. The little sighs and mmmmms as she ate were getting him hard despite himself.

Eliza opened her eyes to offer him a bite and caught him staring at her so blatantly she almost choked. “Maybe he's ready to make a move,” Eliza thought but her heart sank as she noticed a pair of unmistakably pink COMME des GARÇONS x Nike Air Max 180 sneakers headed her way.

Kevin, her best friend, fashion diva, and drama queen was standing at her table seriously annoyed with her.

“Bitch  are you serious right now? Who is this man you are out with right now and why does he look so familiar?” Kevin signed, completely ignoring Calum.

“Can you not right now? His name is Calum I told you about him remember? You're being rude?” Eliza signed back.

“Ask me if I care? So this is dog boy from the park? He's almost cute” Kevin told her.

“Don't call him dog boy, it's Calum now I love you but kindly fuck off right now” Eliza was getting angry now.

“Fine” he signed before turning to Calum. “Nice to meet you Calum, I'm Kevin, Eliza's best friend, and you look very familiar for some reason,” he spoke to him quickly before walking off leaving Calum very confused. Calum watched him walk back to his own table. This Kevin guy DID look familiar.  They were about equal in height but Kevin was broader and more muscled. Strikingly handsome with light green eyes that contrasted with his deep golden tan skin tone, and dark hair straightened high into a quiff. Calum would be lying if he said he didn't feel a tiny bit threatened.

Apologies for that, I've known Kevin for years. He's like a protective older brother. He thinks he might know you.

Calum was trying not to glance back at the man he could feel staring at him he focused back on his food and trying to enjoy Eliza's company.

Don't apologize, it's fine. He does look familiar...does he work for a publicist or maybe in music?

Eliza laughed and shook her head.

Kevin? His most stylish highness the KVN? LOL Nooo he's a model but he works the door at a few bars between jobs.

Calum slowly raised his eyes from his phone meeting hers to see if she was teasing or maybe setting him up somehow.

Which bars? Do you and Maggie get out much?

Eliza finished the last of her sandwich before giving up on the spoon and just sipping the last soup

Emerald City is one so that's a NO

Calum laughed Emerald City was a notoriously pricey strip club

He also works at Lucky's and The Chelsea. We don't drink, and I hate crowds. Clubs aren't my thing, but Maggie loves live music so she gets out some.

Calum nodded but his mind wasn't on their conversation any longer.

“Lucky's?” Calum thought chewing slowly trying to think how to handle this. “Looks like I'm totally fucked.”

@wildhearthood @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @biba3434 @cal-puddies @grittyisathot @angelbabylu @itstheholls @irwinkitten @5sos-ficssmut @cal-pal-cuddles @calumh-excess @1dthewantedlove @you-of-ghost @babygirlcashton @5-secondsofcolor

[sadienita]

Step 5: Find the Dress

Mingyu x Reader

Word Count: 1.2k

Planning a wedding ins 13 easy steps.

It was… slightly unorthodox, and a little different, but that was alright with you. You knew that normally the groom-to-be would steer clear of the dress shopping so as not to spoil the surprise, but he was your best friend and you couldn’t imagine no having him there for at least part of the appointment.

Plus Mingyu was paying for the dress.

This was your first time dress shopping. You had spent hours looking at bridal magazines and scrolling through pinterest and so far you liked almost every dress you had seen. You hoped that you would at least have some idea from all of your online searching but you were still at a lose for what you really wanted. You knew your bridesmaids all had some ideas for what you would look good in, and of course Mingyu had good taste so you hoped with their help you would finish today with some clear idea of what you did and didn’t like.

As exciting as it was to go dress shopping you reminded yourself that you wouldn’t be leaving with a dress today. You expected to go a few different places and continue to narrow things down before you found the dress.

Which also meant it was totally okay for your fiance to be here today. He would see you in a few dresses and help you figure out what you wanted from your dress. But the danger of him seeing you in your actual wedding dress today was extremely low. So you’d invited him and even though he was initially a little unsure your best pout was enough to convince him to join you and your bridesmaids for the appointment.

You felt like a kid on christmas morning walking into the bridal boutique. It was filled to the brim with beautiful dresses. It was all you could do to hold yourself back from tearing through the store to start searching through the dresses.

“Hello, I’m Sarah and I’ll be helping you today. Who’s the bride?” The perky saleswoman asked.

You shot your hand up in the air and wiggled your fingers, causing your bridesmaids to giggle. Mingyu pulled you a little closer into his side, chuckling.

“Perfect!” she laughed. She started to lead you into the boutique and ask about your entourage.

“Well I brought my bridesmaids, and my fiance.” You caught the look of slight surprise on her face. “I know it’s a little uncommon but he is paying for the dress. And his opinion is important to me.”

“Of course,” she hummed, stopping your group by a rack or dresses. “Alright, so is this your first time dress shopping?” You nodded. “And what sort of style are you looking for?”

You bit your lip as your bridesmaids erupted into ideas. They all had plenty of thoughts on what might look good but you were still so unsure of what you wanted.

“Girls, while I love your enthusiasm, I need to hear from the bride too.”

“I’m not really sure,” you mumbled uneasily. “I’ve looked at lots of pictures but I really don’t know what style I like yet, or what will look good.”

She nodded, thinking. “And what does the groom think?”

“Oh she’ll look good in anything.” he smiled and you hit him in the arm.

“That’s not very helpful,” you pouted.

“It’s true, though.” he hummed, pressing a kiss to your temple.

You rolled your eyes as Sarah chuckled. “Alright then, let’s get your entourage seated and you to the dressing room.”

You followed her back to the dressing rooms.

“So, no ideas on what you like yet?” she asked.

“I really don’t know. All of the dresses are beautiful but I don’t know what will look good on me or what will make me feel like a bride.”

“Hmm, then it looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.” she smiled. She gave you a robe to change into and left to do some searching.

You waited patiently, wondering what she would bring for you first. You tried to think if there was a style you really liked, or anything you hated, but you were really willing to try on anything. You knew that clothes looked different on the hanger then they did on a person so you would be open-minded.

Before too long she came back with a few picks. One very poofy one with lots of sparkle immediately caught your eye and you chuckled.

“What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that I should try the sparkly one. I don’t know if I’ll like it when it’s on but it’s very pretty.”

She pulled the dress off the hanger and helped you into it. It was large and would probably be difficult to move in but it was pretty and you liked it when you turned to look in the mirror.

But you didn’t love it.

You still decided to show everyone and see what they thought.

All of your bridesmaids gave small “oos” when they saw you and Mingyu got a soft smile on his face. They began into all of the things they liked about it and all of the things they didn’t and armed with those thoughts it was back to the dressing room.

By the third dress you felt you were really getting somewhere. It wasn’t perfect but you liked it a lot, the most of any you had tried so far.

Your bridesmaids all gasped when they saw you but Mingyu didn’t make a sound.

“Mingyu honey, what do you think?”

“You look beautiful.” he choked out and you spun around. Mingyu had his hand covering his mouth and was trying not to cry.

“Oh Mingyu.”

He sniffed. “You just… you look so beautiful.”

“Honey,” you cooed. “You’re gonna be such a mess on our wedding day, aren’t you?”

That made him laugh as he wiped away his tears.

As you made your way back to the room you wondered if this should be your dress if it made your fiance cry. But you still weren’t totally convinced.

You had one last dress to try on. It was similar to the one you had just tried but not the same.

You couldn’t hold in your gasp as you turned towards the mirror. You felt your eyes well up with tears as you stared at your reflection. You hadn’t planned to find the dress today but this feeling was unmistakable.

This was your dress.

“You like it?”

You nodded, and then your face immediately fell.

“Oh shoot! Mingyu cannot see me in this!”

She smiled. “I’m sure if I tell your bridesmaids they’ll shoe him away so you can show them the dress.” You nodded and followed her into the hallway and then waited. You hear excited squeals and Mingyu laughing while being shoved off the couch and into an area where he couldn’t see you.

As you made your way out you heard the gasps of your bridesmaids as they affirmed that this was indeed the dress and within minutes you were saying yes to it.

As much as you would have kept it on forever you went back to the room to get changed and on your way out booked you dress fitting.

As you left the shop Mingyu pulled you close to his side.

“So, am I going to be wowed on the big day?”

You hummed. “The dress is beautiful, it’s going to make you cry all over again.”

He chuckled. “I have a feeling I’ll be emotional no matter what, my love.”

[robinrunsfiction]

Best Laid Plans (Ryan Seaman x Reader)

Pairing: Ryan Seaman x Reader Rating: General Requested By: scrolling-my-life-away “Ok so either with frank or Ryan S (bc there are not enough of him) where band members keep trying to awkwardly get y’all together but it’s super cute and just lots of fluff!” Word Count: 1,700 Author’s Note: Wrote it with Ryan Seaman because there really needs to be more of him! Also what is with me and cute old people in Ryan stories?

"I can't stand it any longer," Dallon announced. "I refuse to sit by idly any longer, I have to do something."

"Babe, they're adults, they'll figure it out soon enough, don't worry about it." Dallon paced around the front of the bus as Breezy looked on, slightly exasperated.

"No, this is getting excruciating, I'm taking action." With that Dallon marched over to where you and Ryan were talking.

"Hey guys," he said with a sweet tone. “I'm bored, and I was just talking to Breezy and we've never been to this next city before, so we're thinking we can pair off and do a photo scavenger hunt.”

“Oh fun!” You replied. “Boys versus girls?”

“No!” Dallon quickly snapped and both you and Ryan looked at him surprised. “I just wanna spend some time with my wife, why don't you guys team up. I’ll send out the lists when we get there.”

You had been traveling with the band photographing all their shows and backstage moments. You considered yourself to be the documentarian of the beginning of the rise of IDKHow. When you were first hired on, you clicked with the band immediately, but more so with Ryan. You always kept it professional, but you somehow ended up with more shots of the drummer than what you could reasonably use. Ryan always seemed to gravitate to you whenever he had a free moment, such as during the long hauls between cities, looking for any excuse to talk to you.

~

When you arrived in town Dallon had found, and then specifically edited, the scavenger hunt list, to make it so you were most likely to end up in a flirtatious situation of two.

“Sound check is at 5:30, so that’s the cut off. We will see you losers when we get back.”

“Yea right,” you retorted as you started to skim over the list. Breezy and Dallon hurried out of the bus as Ryan peered over your shoulder at the list on your phone.

“A flyer for a local event, we could use the concert tonight! A red door, a kissing couple, oh they’re just gonna take a selfie for that one, aren’t they?”

“That’s what we get for letting Dallon plan the list, I guess. Ready to go?”

“Let’s do this!”

You and Ryan wandered around the city center looking for options. The town they were playing was a university town and luckily the school colors were red and white, so red doors were plentiful. You took photos of the items, and Ryan posted updates to his Instagram stories.

“Hey guys, I’m out here hanging with (YN) and we are currently beating Dallon and Breezy at this scavenger hunt,” he said into the phone as you attempted to take a photo of some baby ducks. He watched you fondly as you made noises to get the ducks to look your way. “Hey (YN), wanna really mess up Dallon's game?”

“Obviously,” you replied, your competitive side taking over.

“Come here,” you sat down next to him as he started the next video. “Alright guys, if you’re coming to our show tonight, know that Dallon is wandering out down here, and if you like me and (YN) at all, you'll go get in their way, thanks!” He signed off with a laugh. You couldn't hide your surprise at the dirty trick he just played on them. “See how well their unfair advantage works now!” Ryan said getting up.

“We only have like 2 more left,” you said looking over the list. “A kissing couple,” you felt your cheeks turn a little pink thinking it would be so fun to lean up and kiss Ryan right then, but you weren’t a couple, and that’s what you needed. You scanned the park and saw an old couple getting ice cream for the grandson. “Bingo!” you said as you started over toward them.

“Excuse me, are you two married?” You asked politely as you approached.

“45 years!” the old man exclaimed with a smile that put a smile on Ryan and your faces as well.

“We're doing a photo scavenger hunt and we need a photo of a couple kissing; can we take your photo?” Ryan asked.

“We won't put it up on the internet or anything, it’s just for us to show the other team.”

“I suppose that would be fine,” the old lady said before turning to her husband with her lips puckered. They kissed long enough for you to get a great photo of them with their grandson looking slightly disgusted off to the side. It was funny and cute.

“This turned out great, thank you so much for your help,” you said before walking away with Ryan.

“Why didn't they just kiss each other!” The old woman asked her husband when you were out of earshot.

“I thought they were going to ask me to take their picture with one of those smartphones, I’m glad they didn't, I probably would have deleted everything!”

~

You reconvened with Dallon and Breezy to review the photos you took. As you scrolled through your phones, comparing what they got versus your team, they got to a photo of them kissing.

“I knew that’s what you would do,” Ryan commented.

“Yea well, what did you guys do?” Dallon retorted.

“We met the cutest old couple, they’ve been married for 45 years!” You said pulling up the photo. Breezy aww'ed at the photo but Dallon threw up his hands, exasperated. You glanced at Ryan, who shot you a confused look as well as you continued comparing the results of the scavenger hunt.

~

A couple days later you were in another new town with an extra day before the show. These types of days were pretty rare on the tour, so everyone was excited. Dallon decided that it was time to try another way to get you and Ryan together.

"A bunch of us are going out to dinner tonight, you wanna come along?" Dallon asked you and Ryan casually that morning.

"Yea, sure sounds great," you said.

"Yea I'm in," Ryan replied.

"Perfect, the reservation will be under my name in case we're running like," Dallon said as he walked away.

"Why would he be late to his own dinner plans?" You asked.

"I dunno, but he's been acting weird lately."

You watched through narrowed eyes as Dallon went back over by his wife and started saying something to her. “Very suspicious.”

Ryan just shrugged. "I'm just excited to eat something on this tour besides fast food."

"Same," you replied.

~

You arrived at the restaurant a little early. You gave the hostess Dallon's name and you were led to a table for two secluded from the rest of the tables, lit warmly with a few small candles.

“I think there’s a mistake-” you started as the hostess sat you at the table.

“We were told you might say that, but no, this is for you,” she said before walking away.

You sat there for a few minutes feeling anxious, even more so when you saw who the hostess was bringing over.

“Hi Ryan,” you said when he sat down.

“(YN), wow, you look stunning.” You wear wearing the nicest dress you had brought with you on tour. It was short, black, and had an open back.

“Thanks, you look really nice as well. So, umm, I think I know what’s going on and why Dallon was acting so weird. We're being set up.”

“Definitely a set up,” Ryan replied with a laugh.

“I don't mind,” you said quietly.

Ryan raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really? ‘Cause I don't either.”

You smiled warmly at Ryan, not sure what to say, but you were rescued by the waiter arriving at the table.

“Good evening, my name is Michael and I will be taking care of you tonight. I have been given specific instructions that Mr. Weekes will be taking care of the bill, so please do not hesitate when making your choices. Can I suggest a bottle of wine to get started?”

You were grinning by now, both because of the absurdity that Dallon wanted this to happen so badly, but also because you knew you were about to cut loose on that menu. “I think that sounds like a great idea, Michael.”

After a bottle of wine, almost too much food, and a lot of great conversation, you found Ryan holding your hand in his and he was smiling at you like he could hardly believe this was happening.

You and Ryan walked out of the restaurant hand in hand and down the street toward the hotel where you were all staying.

“Isn't there a park on the other side of the building?” you asked.

“Yea, I think I saw that, wanna check it out?”

“Yea,” you replied giving his hand a squeeze. You didn't want the night to end.

You walked along the path through the park, illuminated by old fashioned street lamps. Eventually you found a bench and sat down.

“Like I said before, I’m actually glad Dallon did this for us. I didn't really realize that you might have feelings for me,” you mumbled.

“I was thinking the same thing. And I didn't know if I should say anything before the tour ended, in case you didn't feel the same.”

“I’m glad this is working out,” you smiled. Ryan took the opportunity to place his hand on your cheek and leaned in, placing a sweet kiss on your lips and you kissed back. After a moment you pulled back and you were both smiling. Ryan wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you snugly against him and you rested your head on his shoulder.

“I was thinking,” you started. Ryan mmhmm'ed to let you know he was listening. “What if we play it off like this didn't work and we're still totally clueless to our feelings, just to see if we can get some more free meals put of it.”

Ryan laughed heartily at your suggestion. “That would drive him nuts! Maybe we should. Although I don't know if I can go back to not kissing you every time I want to.”

You looked up at him. “I agree, this is better.”

Masterlist

[agustdef]

Here & Now - Chapter 9

Pairing: Yoongi x OC

Genre: Fluff; Chill romance

Word Count: 2,436

Warning: None.

Banner Marker: @dee-ehn​

I’d washed my hair a day earlier than I planned to and I had so many regrets. I was rocking a wash n’ go and the hair in front of my face hadn’t been trimmed enough when I got it done; not having cut it in its natural state was a mistake. So when my curls blocked my eye one too many times I ended up groaning and forcing all of it into a ponytail holder.

“I swear I’m just going to shave it all off,” I muttered to myself.

A scoff drew my attention to Namjoon, who was sitting beside Yoongi at his computer. “You’ve been threatening that for two years. Not happening.”

Glaring at him I faked like I was going to throw a pillow at him, which caused him to dodge and hit his leg on the table - hard.

I laughed so hard that it became hard to breathe, his groan of pain and curses making it worse.

“That’s what you get for not letting me lie to myself in peace,” I choked out between wheezing.

When I finally reined myself in Joon was still rubbing his thigh and muttering under his breath. Yoongi seemed to be back with us and not absorbed in his work with headphones on. He was shaking his head and looking between us.

Over the hours we’d been in his studio he’d been forced to endure my antics and then when Joon appeared it gotten worse. We tended to bicker like siblings and though we knew when to stop, we also knew how far we could go and get away with it.

He’d only threatened to kick us both out once. Joon had received the warning about three times and had been forcibly removed once.

Even though Joon hitting his thigh again almost sent me into another fit I refrained, Yoongi’s screen drawing my attention.

“So, can we hear it now?” I asked.

“You can’t,” Namjoon muttered.

That time I actually threw the pillow at him, but he caught it. It left both of us surprised and him, looking a little more smug than he had been before.

Rolling my eyes I turned my attention back to Yoongi. He shook his head and pointed to Joon. “What he said.”

“Why is this the only song that I’m not allowed to hear? I’ve heard and worked on all the others.”

Both of the jerks looked at each other, having some silent conversation before turning back to me.

“Because it wasn’t going to be there before and it’s almost perfect how it is. Plus I want it to be a surprise. I don’t know why you keep asking me when I’ll say no.”

I yawned halfway through his little speech.

“See, you don’t even have the energy to argue with me. Just let it go,” he said, wearing a smirk I’d started to hate.

I wanted to wipe the smugness of both of their faces, but then I released another yawn. Tired was setting in and when I glanced at the clock on the wall I knew why. It was almost 1:30 am. We’d been in the studio since 5 pm.

Getting up sounded horrible, but I knew I had things to do tomorrow. I’d be running around a lot for work and for things with friends I had in South Korea. Some sleep was a must.

Joon followed my eyes to the clock and cursed, getting up.

“We have schedules tomorrow and recording to do. We need to sleep,” he said.

Yoongi looked like he was going to argue, but his mouth closed as quickly as he opened. Turning back to the screen he continued to fiddle with whatever he was doing, which just made Joon roll his eyes.

Another yawn pushed through and I knew that I’d have to leave or I’d end up asleep on his studio. Carefully I rose up, giving my legs the time to adjust after being under me for so long. My stretching produced many cracking sounds, which made Joon cringe and brought Yoongi’s attention back to us.

As I gathered my things he looked at me with a raised brow.

“I have too much to do tomorrow to pull an all-nighter. So I’m going to go,” I said.

For a moment he continues to stare, but then suddenly turns back to his computer. Joon was already halfway out the door, waving to me as he took his leave.

With my bookbag on I turn towards Yoongi, who is staring me down.

“Are you staying here?” I asked.

His lips purse for a moment and then he yet again turns to his computer without a word. Instead of working though I watch him save his work - to several things - and then shut everything down.

A few minutes later we both have all of our stuff and are heading to the entrance. Whipping out my phone I go to request a taxi, but before I can get far he takes the phone from my hand and exits the app.

Brow raised I let him lead me out front to the one van left for the evening. Then before I could ask anything he was helping me inside and getting in behind me.

When a minute had passed with just staring at him he stared back and gestured towards the driver. Snapping out of my trance I relayed the address of my apartment and buckled in just as we started moving.

“A taxi would have sufficed.”

“You’re going the same way as me, it wasn’t a problem,” he responded nonchalantly.

There was no reason to argue with him, plus it saved me having to wait and endure and an awkward taxi ride. I wasn’t in the mood to possibly deal with someone who was talkative.

The entire twenty-minute ride we stayed in silence, both messing with our phones. As we got closer I went to put my phone down and noticed Yoongi angle his away from me. Turning my head I narrowed my eyes on him, but he didn’t glance my way and tilted the screen so I couldn’t see it.

“Did you just take a picture of me?”

“No.”

Rolling my eyes I drop it and unbuckle, we’d pulled upfront. I slide my bag back on and hop out of the car. Waving to him as I go.

“Bye dork.”

Once inside I stripped down and jumped into the shower. I didn’t feel like wasting time, just wanted to get into my bed. Once dried and dressed with a bonnet atop my freshly twisted hair I threw myself on the bed.

My eyes fluttered closed and I felt like I was going under, but thirty minutes later they were upon and I was very awake. The tiredness from earlier was gone, but also still lingered; teasing me about the sleep I wasn’t getting.

Again I tried to sleep, but another half an hour and I gave up. Grabbing my phone from where it sat on my dresser I unlocked it and went to Twitter. My “business” one was lacking, even though most people I knew were very awake and posting. Switching to my stan account I was bombarded with a flurry of comeback announcements and photos of groups I stanned or at least liked.

I scrolled through the feed, liking things, retweeting a few and removing all the posts arguing against someone trying to start another dumb fan war. They were always stupid, because they were between the fans and trying to bring down artists or pit them against their own friends and/or fellow artists who had no ill will towards each other.

The night was riddled with claims of copying and I was having none of it.

Not wanting to feed into it I stumbled upon a comeback announcement for 1Team that I’d been waiting for and quote tweeted it with an all caps caption about my excitement.

Two minutes after the post my phone dinged and a text from Yoongi came through.

Thought you had too much to do?

For a moment I was confused, but then I remembered that he had a secret Twitter account. I’d only found out about it when he’d brought something up in conversation that I’d only posted on my stan Twitter account.

Why are you lurking on my account?

A few seconds passed and then in came a response. I’m not. I just got the notification.

Oh… you have my notifs on? I sent, actually shocked.

Minutes pass and nothing, so I assume he’s fallen asleep or refusing to deal with me. The second I went to sit my phone down a call came through, a glance at the screen told me it was Yoongi and that it was a video call.

Answering it I roll onto my stomach and use the ring on the back to prop it up on my phone. It being overtly firm working to keep it stable.

“Yes, I have them on.” They’re the first words he says before he comes into view. His hair slightly wet, probably from a shower and his face bare.

“Aw, that’s so cute. Trying to make sure you’re the only one I’m gushing about online?” I teased.

He rolled his eyes, using his free hand to push his hair out of his face. There was some shuffling and then he was lying back on a pillow, free arm behind his head.

“Why are you up?” he asked.

A yawn escaped the moment I tried to talk, which made him look at me weird.

“Contrary to the sound I just made, I can’t sleep. I’ve been laying here for over an hour trying.” Sighing, I ran a hand over my face in frustration. “Why are you up?”

“Had an idea before I got to bed,” he admitted.

Without a thought, I felt my face shift and a look of disapproval form. Before I could say anything though he cut me off.

“I know. I should have gone straight to sleep. I couldn’t risk forgetting though. You know that feeling?”

He made a valid point, and since I knew all too well that I spent three hours writing two nights ago I let him have that one.

Another sigh and I laid on my back, staring at the ceiling and hoping to sleep. Sleep felt so close, but every time I felt I’d finally slip away it left me. I wanted to scream.

“Why Sailor V?” Yoongi asked.

“Hm?” I asked, feeling momentarily dazed. Shaking my head I collected myself and recalled the question. “Oh. Sailor Moon was the first anime I saw as a kid and my favorite TV show. And most think the V is because Sailor Venus is my favorite, which is completely false. Mercury owns my heart.”

“So what is the V for?”

“My mother almost named me Vanessa.”

Yoongi laughed and I turned my head so I could see him.

“Vanessa,” he said carefully as if testing it out. “What changed?”

Pursing my lips I abruptly shifted positions again, turning on my side and propping my head up with my hand. “Hmm… she held me and as my grandpa was about to tell the nurse my predetermined name she called me Kendall instead. Said it felt right.”

Yoongi’s face didn’t change much, but I could see the usual look of curiosity that peaked in people. I knew what question he was going to ask next.

“You’re other parent just accepted that?”

That phrasing made me pause. No one usually asked it like that, they always implied the father role. It was interesting to hear the acknowledgment of possibly having not a father. He was still wrong though.

“I’m the sole daughter of a woman who didn’t want a relationship. She didn’t want to be with anyone, she dated but didn’t truly care for it. But she wanted a kid and could afford to go to a clinic to make it happen. It’s the kind of life that made her happy.”

Again Yoongi’s face didn’t change much, he just nodded his head and pursed his lips. After a second or two he spoke up again.

“What’s that like? I assume you still had a normal childhood,” he said.

“Yup. Pretty much. Mom, my three uncles and then her two best friends who were also basically family. They all alternated the father-daughter events or my mom would come. It felt normal. Even though others would swear not having an actual dad must have made it such a lacking childhood.” Sarcasm dripped from my every word as I got to the last bit.

“They’re idiots.”

“Agreed.”

We just stared at each other, neither breaking eye contact. And for once I didn’t feel like panicking and looking away quickly as I usually did with prolonged staring; it made me uncomfortable most of the time.

“Favorite color?” he asked.

“Dark gray and cyan.”

“Cyan?”

“It’s a shade of blue.”

“Ah. Food?”

“Steak, something you know already.”

“Movie?”

“Between Sailor Moon SuperS and Fast Five.”

“Anime.”

“Sailor Moon… and Hellsing Ultimate.”

“Cartoon?”

“Scooby-Doo.”

“TV show?”

“Veronica Mars.”

He paused for a second, brow raised. “What is that?”

The offense that overtook my body was strong even though I knew it wasn’t a show that he would have seen growing up.

“Alexa,” I called out, waiting for the little noise to happen. “Add Veronica Mars to the ‘Yoongi needs to watch’ list.”

“Adding Veronica Mars to ‘Yoongi need to watch’ list,” she parroted back.

When I glanced back and Yoongi he looked shocked, but the smirk he wore told me he was amused. “A list?”

“Yes, there are many things that need to be rectified with you movie and television wise.” I shrugged, a smile threatening the corners of my lips.

The longer we just looked at each other, the harder it was not to smile. Eventually, we both gave in and it was nice a calm and comfortable silence.

“Okay. I get to ask the questions now,” I said after a few minutes passed.

Yoongi groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Hey! Don’t be rude, you just bombarded me with questions.”

He took one look at my face and sighed. “Okay, okay. Stop pouting and ask.”

“Good. So, I’d like to discuss seventeen-year-old audition tape Yoongi’s sense of style and hairstyling choices.”

He groaned, throwing his head back and I hold in my laughter.

After he finally justified his life choices we spent way too much time just asking random questions. When we woke up in the morning, I couldn’t recall when exactly we’d fallen asleep.

[familyiswhoyouchoose]

Lights, Camera, Act Right (CH 1)

Most men in Hanzo's line of work lived glamorously if not gaudy lives adorned with drugs, jewels, cars, and their personal preference of company to keep the lonely nights at bay. While it was undeniable that they might've had a passion for their art - he couldn't find it in himself to respect someone who blatantly threw their wealth around as if it contributed even an inch to their acting ability. Which led him to the predicament that he was in now. Staring into the eyes of a harpy who'd yelled herself hoarse and red-faced after he made it explicitly clear that no matter how much of a tantrum she threw or how many zeros she put in her offer, he would not be her eye candy to the premiere that evening. It wasn't her fault really, she was a lovely woman before all of the screaming and ranting, and Hanzo figured any man would've been happy to be on her arm. However, he wasn't just any man and he certainly wasn't interested in someone who wanted to pay for his company. The very thought sent shivers down his spine. After all, he made enough money from the use of his likeness and the movies that he'd starred in along with the TV show cameos and other media outlets. And with the way the paparazzi were flashing their cameras, he could only assume that this would be another "cash cow" so to speak but also a headache for another time. His phone vibrated in his pocket, dragging his attention away from the fuming woman whose agent had scurried over to try and help her save face by calming her down. The man's pleas fell on deaf ears as Hanzo took the call, plugging one of his ears with a knuckle to better hear the person on the other line. "Hoho, you are in trouble, anija!" Genji said in a sing-song voice, the smug satisfaction practically dripping from his words. "The news spread that quickly?" Hanzo asked, turning on his heel and ignoring the irate cry of 'Get back here!' as he left the lobby area of the hotel, making a beeline for the elevator. "Yup," Genji replied, popping the 'p' in the way that Hanzo knew the situation was steadily going from bad to worse. "Says that you told her off and she was going to give you a piece of her mind." Hanzo sighed, thankful that he was alone in the elevator. The commotion from outside paired with security hindered most of the traffic flow into the building allowing him to slip away unnoticed for the time being. With his own security guarding the entrance, a lack of people flooding the halls and the elevators, Genji’s voice was all he had to listen to.

Though that meant his plans for going out to get food were shot even if he was wearing a disguise. "She offered to give me a small fortune, Genji." "Oooh, wrong move," Genji tutted. "You know you're priceless, anija." Hanzo rolled his eyes. While his fame and wealth had brought him a considerable amount of prestige, little brothers would always be little brothers. The elevator’s chime alerted him to reaching the uppermost level and he stepped off with a cursory glance down either side of the hall. Fishing his key card from his pocket, he headed to his room, listening to Genji chatter on about his day and the progress he’d made with editing and posting up his videos.

“Comments on YouTube are the funniest thing in the world, brother, I’m telling you,” Genji cackled, the clacking of keys carrying over the phone’s receiver.

Hanzo unlocked his room door and slipped inside, pulling off his shoes while balancing his phone between his shoulder and ear. “When they aren’t fighting against each other for ‘first’ or insulting one another’s mother?”

Stumbling forward after getting them off, he set them neatly by the door and made way for his bed, undoing his top knot as he went.

“Well, at least it’s a lot easier to get comments on YouTube than it is on fanfiction,” Genji answered, Hanzo’s sharp gasp eliciting raucous laughter, loud enough that he had to move the phone away from his ear.

If looks could kill, his phone would’ve been dead ten times over as he glared at the receiver as if it offended his entire family just by existing to relay such a horrendous message. “You swore to never mention that again,” he hissed, sitting down and slowly bringing it back to his ear. “Youswore Genji.”

“Yeah, well, all is fair in love and validation,” Genji said, not sounding sorry in the slightest.

Hanzo huffed and laid back on the duvet with a heavy thump, bouncing slightly as the mattress shifted beneath his weight. One hand combing through his hair while the other settled the phone between his shoulder and head again, he set to taking off his watch and wrist bracelet, pausing when he caught sight of the time. Genji’s laughter and chatter faded away as Hanzo sat up abruptly, knocking the phone across the bed. His head on a swivel towards the digital clock on his bedside table, 5:45 PM flashing at him in bright white letters.

Keeping his gaze on the clock, he slowly lifted up the phone to his ear and caught the tailwind of another of Genji’s stories about opening fan letters. There wasn’t any sound beyond his little brother’s ranting — as if he was home alone. Hanzo’s eyes narrowed.

“Genji,” Hanzo interrupted, voice eerily calm and quiet. “What time is it for you?”

“Uh.. about two forty-five, wh—” Genji paused mid sentence and Hanzo felt the other shoe drop when a muffled noise and sharp cry of ‘fuck’ came through on the other side.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Hanzo groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling another raging headache coming on. “Genji, tell me you remembered to pick up the boys from school,” he pleaded, hoping that his little brother was just in his work room rather than home alone at 2:45 in the afternoon… on a school day.

“What was that…?” Genji asked, muffled crackling noises coming through and Hanzo held the phone a little ways from his ear, glaring at it with disdain. “Sorry Hanzo, I wasn’t.. Oh no, the connection is breaking… I…”

There was absolutely no way the connection could be breaking. Genji prided himself on his data and uploading speed, if even one of his videos or calls lagged, he would throw a fit. And Hanzo would never hear the end of it. Eyebrow twitching, Hanzo breathed in deeply and counted backwards from ten before exhaling.

“Genji, I swear to you,” he began, praying to the heavens for patience.

“Relax, brother,” Genji chided, although he sounded slightly out of breath, from running to the car if Hanzo’s guess was right. “I’m only… fifteen minutes late.”

Hanzo pursed his lips, sucking his teeth as a thought came to mind. “Do you remember that ‘Worlds Best Uncle’ mug I got for you?”

“Use it everyday,” Genji chirped.

Hanzo smiled thinly, whispering ominously. “I’m breaking it into pieces.”

“No, brother please, anything but the mug!”

“Then your face,” Hanzo said dryly, scowling at the wall. “I’m breaking your face.”

Genji sighed. “Well, the mug was nice while it lasted.”

It was moments like this that Hanzo wished he’d gotten the dog that he asked for instead of the screaming pink-faced raisin that was Genji Shimada. Alas, thirty-five years later, he was still stuck with him for better or worse. Right now though, it was worse.

“ Genji .”

“My face is what makes me money, brother!” Genji shouted, the sound of a car door unlocking making Hanzo roll his eyes. “And you know what they say about your money maker.”

“If you don’t pick up your nephews in the next ten minutes, your older brother will smash it?”

A beat of silence passed between them, only the sounds of Genji clicking his seatbelt to Hanzo’s relief filling the void before his brother spoke again with a deadpan tone. “....That was terribly literal.”

“The clock is ticking, Genji,” Hano replied, making a ‘tick tock’ noise, biting back laughter at Genji’s exaggerated groan.

“Okay, okay. I’ll call you back when I get them, Dadzo .”

Seizing up at the nickname, Hanzo shouted indiginantly,  “Gen—” before three soft beeps punctuated the end of the call leaving him alone in his hotel room staring at the obnoxious display picture of his brother when he’d dyed his hair an eye-gouging shade of green. Sliding through his apps, Hanzo opened up one of his photo albums and shuffled backwards onto the bed until his back pressed against the headboard, thumbing through the photos until he found one of two boys smiling at the camera and waving.

The caption beneath it reading ‘Shingen and Hayao stole your phone - Genji’. Hanzo snorted, shaking his head as he switched from the photo album to his voice mails, scrolling through to one of the most recent saved ones. Pressing it, he waited for it to start playing, smiling as two young voices laughing and yelling filled the background with Genji’s trying to talk over them.

“Hanzo! Answer your phone! Ugh, hey guys, could you come here real fast?”

Dogs barking and loud footsteps followed, the noise muffled on the other end, Genji’s voice further away and hard to make out.

“On the count of three… real loud… home early…”

Hanzo knew what was coming and held his phone further from his ear when two loud voices yelled, “Dad, we miss you!”, at the same time. It nearly blew his eardrum the first time he listened in — afraid that something might’ve happened. Only to find that it was one of his brother’s pranks but also a heartfelt message. Genji’s laughter coming through as he said, “Come home soon, brother! And call me back, you do know how a phone works right?”

Hanzo rolled his eyes heavenward but his smile fell. The room seemed… so much bigger in the absence of voices or other persons. It was strange.

“Maybe I have been away from home too long,” he muttered, rewinding the message and laying his phone beside him, letting it play out again.

His eyes fluttered shut and he breathed in deeply. Perhaps if he just imagined it, it would feel like he was at home.

[formerlyrunephoenix6769]

North for Winter.

Summary:

The Heir to the SDC is missing and Winter is frantic with worry. What will happen if she ever sees her baby sister again?

 --- xxxx --

Winter has heard that the Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is missing. She has also heard about a train that is coming in hot after it was attacked by Grimm. Helping with aid and relief after it arrives, she hears whispers from the passengers about a bunch of young student Huntsmen and Huntresses from Beacon and the daring heroic choice by some to sacrifice themselves. They whisper about witnessing a girl with rose petals, a blonde with rockets on her arms and the Heiress to the SDC.. She is hardly unrecognisable.

At the station, Winter recognises ‘blond and scraggiliy’ the annoying electric girl and the collected boy she has always secretly approved of.. In her depths of worry, she harshly grabs the Arc boy demanding to know if Weiss was with them..

Her knuckles going white as she grips his hoodie, pinning him to a wall, her eyes burning like a thousand suns, a mixture of hope, desperation, concern, fear. You would almost call her frantic is it wasn’t for the sound of gravel in a blender as she ground her teeth together so hard, the tendons in her jaw bulged and popped.

“Is it true, Weiss was with you?”

“Yes. She was.”

Winter almost shakes the boy,

“Was? Is she alive?”

“I don’t know!..” Jaune stammers, “We got separated.”

“Hey! Lady!” The electric girl, growls menacingly, holding her hefty hammer as if ready to swing, “Let go of him.”

The collected boy, Lie Ren she thinks he is called, lays a calming hand on Winter’s arm, parting reassuring words,

“I am sure she is fine. She is with her team who are very capable and Qrow.”

Her eyes narrowed,

“Did you say Qrow? Qrow Branwen?”

The youngsters nodded causing her to release the blond boy. Qrow, that could either be a blessing in disguise or a burden. Granted, credit given, he was a good fighter…. But, could that drunken buffoon really be trusted with the care of a group of teenagers in the Grimm infested wilderness?

“You three, come with me!”

–x–

She begs for a search and rescue mission to be approved. But it is denied. All hands are needed on deck as the influx of ships, airships and passengers flood the already bustling trading city. They cant afford to waste a ship and resources on a handful of Huntsmen in training who chose to do their job.

Winter immediately calls her father. She asks for his help but he refuses. Weiss believes she can stand on her own two feet then she will have to learn what standing on her own two feet truly entails. He has washed his hands of her, until she realises her lesson that apparently can only be learned the hard way. Besides, the borders are closed. He couldn’t send ships over into Northern Mistral, even if he wanted to.

Maybe Winter should ask her precious General instead.

Security is tight and check points spring up every where. Everyone is hyper vigilant and fear ripples off the residents in waves. International terrorists are on the loose. No one knows where they might strike next.

And all the while Winter waits, apprehensively, for news or a check point to flag her sister, she pours over every report of every rumour of a Grimm attack or fight. Every mention of a group of huntresses. Whispers of a white haired girl are investigated the best she can with the limited resources at her disposal.

Attracted by the chaos and the simmering negative emotion, the Grimm are relentless. And more refugees from the surrounding villages pour in, each seeking safe harbour, only making it worse.

Winter has had many disappointing mis-starts, there are far more white haired girls than she ever imagined.. Some natural, others dyed. It is a weird trend, to look more like the Schnees, and it rears it’s ugly head every few years especially after a new story breaks.

It’s a few weeks later when the check points finally bear fruit. The bubbly blond’s atlas tech serial number pings. Winter watches the footage of the blond suffering the indignity of having to remove her arm as its scanned.

General Ironwood had told the Specialist of the sacrifice the young woman had made. The bravery she had shown was something to aspire to. If she had attended Atlas Academy or been part of the Atlesian Military she would have no doubt earned the Medal of Valour, yet here the two low ranking soldiers where refusing to give back her much needed prosthetic. The motions of an argument ensues and Winter flinches as she watches Yang break the guard's nose, guns are pulled as the blond is surrounded, before a flash of white hair and distinctive body language, the cock of the hip, the tip of the head fill the screen .

Winter lets go of a breath she hadn’t realised she had been holding when Weiss finally turns and her face comes into view. Winter checks the time stamp. 5 minutes ago. She was really here, in Argus!! The check point wasnt far…. If she hurries she could make it in 5.. She could catch up.

Activating her scroll, she contacts the next check point. Sending them the footage and demanding that the whole party be detained if they try to pass.

She rips open the doors to the barracks where team JNR have been staying for the duration of their visit.

“Come on you, boobs, they have spotted them.”

Winter commandeers a jeep with Nora’s supportive encouragement.

“Yeah! Move it! We have places to be.”

With a squeal of tires and burnt rubber they careen out of the base and out onto the streets..

The military personnel at the check point are sloppy and unhelpful. One, a corporal, is sporting a nicely blossoming pair of black eyes and splint across his nose.. Winter stands back erect and intimidating as she demands,

“When confronted with the missing Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company what did you do?.”

The other soldier, a private, quicker on the up take, stood to attention. Chest out, eyes fixed on a point far off. His companion had chuckled..

“You know how many times people claim to be famous? If we believed everyone..”

Winter leaned down menacingly.

“Do you know who I am?”

The soldier beside him nudged him.. The corporal took in her uniform, her white hair.. His brow slowly knit like continents crashing together, his eyes became trembling saucers..

“You’re… You’re..”

Winter grinned like a shark.

“I am Specialist Schnee and I am her big sister!”

His voice took on a timbre as he reluctantly parted,

“We sent them with the rest of the refugees.”

“You .. sent .. my sister to a refugee centre?”

The private, in a bid for self preservation, brought up a manifest..

“The Marigold Arena… To be exact.”

Glaring, she elbowed the man out of the way, committing the address to memory..

Grateful she was one step closer, she addressed them both,

“Pull yourselves together. Next time I might not be so lenient.”

Both pulled off a sharp salute but Winter, with a whirl of her jacket, was already gone..

—xx–

Haphazardly, she left the jeep parked at an awkward angle, the key still in the ignition. Leaping out of the vehicle she rushed up the steps taking them two at a time nearly ripping the doors off its hinges in her haste.

She swiftly marched down a wide and bustling corridor. Spying a volunteer, made apparent with his florescent orange bib, she barked,

“You there, where do I find people who have just arrived?”

The volunteer looked exhausted and gave the reply with a voice that has repeated it a thousand times.

“All new people are in the main arena. Second door on your left..”

In the wide corridors, lines of cots were against the walls. People and faunus alike sat together, comforting each other or sharing what little they had.. One woman was helping a young and exhausted rabbit faunus mother with her brood.

Winter rushed head long out into the arena floor and the crowd. The noise was almost deafening. Rows up on rows of cots in lines of military precision. She began to comb through them, moving with purpose, showing people a picture of Weiss on her scroll,

“Please, have you seen this girl?” She was met with sad shakes of their heads. Others refused to look, no doubt not needing to feel the hurt of yet the potential loss of another young life. “Please!! Look… Just a moment.!”

A sudden flash of white caught out of the corner of her eye. She turned towards it craning to see over the heads and round the throng of people..

“Weiss! Weiss!” She desperately called over the din. Pushing people out of the way, a sense of relief flooded her as she reached out a hand onto the shoulder of the girl. Turning, a much younger face with frightened eyes looked up,

“Get off me!”

Winter let go, as if burned,

“I’m so sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

Frantically, she resumed her search trying to ignore the rising panic. If she let go it would engulf her, like the waves of the ocean in a vengeful tempest. Maybe she had seen wrong? Maybe it wasn’t Weiss at the check point? Maybe she had imagined it? Maybe she was still out there in the cold and dark of the Mistral tundra. Maybe she was hurt somewhere. Calling out for her..

“Winter!…. Winter???”

It sounded so real..

“Winter!!!!”

She looked up.. Ten feet away, Weiss stood, disheveled and dirty but alive.. Winter blinked, relief, happiness flooding her, swelling over the panicky flames. Both of them began to move through the crowd towards each other, Weiss weaving and bobbing, Winter nudging people out of her way so as not to lose sight of her sibling…. Weiss crashed into her, leaping and wrapping her arms round her neck.. Her voice breaking,

“Oh Winter!”

Winter hugged her round the middle, picking her up off the floor and squeezing her protectively tight.

“Weiss, oh god. Thank god, you’re alive,, you’re OK.. I was so worried.”

Weiss felt so slender and frail in her arms, feeling light as she dangled there. Winter felt her self shake and wetness on her cheeks.. Her voice came out thick and choked,

“I heard you were missing. I heard you had gone to Mistral looking for me. I tried to come back. I tried to come look for you… The borders..... And Father..... I’m so sorry..”

“I missed you too, Winter.” Weiss buried herself in further. “Are you crying?”

Yes, Winter Schnee, the Ice Queen was sobbing. As she pressed her younger sibling closer, she found she didn't really care who saw, she was too over joyed and relieved

“Shut up you boob,” Winter said loaded with affection.. “I’m just glad that you’re safe.”

(All RWBY fanfiction tagged under  formerlyrunephoenix6769 rwby fanfiction,  in reply to a post over @northforwinter​  Saved from my old blog)

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