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itsclydebitches · 4 years ago

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I am briefly pausing my normal RWBY content to talk about something completely different: Kang Soo-Jin.

I binged True Beauty recently. As in, “I haven’t managed to watch anything new in half a year, discovered this drama, and promptly marathoned 14+ hours of content,” so to say I’m enjoying it is an understatement. I might do another post sometime about why I think the show works so well, but for now, like many (drama only) viewers, I’m specifically grappling with Soo-Jin’s descent into antagonist territory. At first I was just as shocked and disappointed as others seem to be, but upon reflection I don’t think this is badly written in the way many fans are claiming. To frame this as, “I can’t believe they would make wonderful Soo-Jin suddenly OOC and bully Ju-Kyung over a guy!” is ignoring core parts of her character. I’m as sick of the girl-hates-girl-over-guy plotline as the next viewer, but in the interest of acknowledging that there are exceptions to every rule, I think this is one of the times where that choice makes perfect sense.

Soo-Jin has been abused throughout her life and I’m not simply talking about the fact that her father hits her. Though that’s obviously horrific, what I think is more pertinent to this conversation is the intense competitiveness her parents have instilled in her. The physical abuse comes about because Soo-Jin fails (in their eyes) to be the best, which is where Ju-Kyung comes in. The Soo-Jin we knew in earlier episodes wasn’t faking. She isn’t an inherently evil person who was just waiting for the right time to show her true colors. Rather, at the start of the story Ju-Kyung—crucially—was not in competition with Soo-Jin. Or rather, Soo-Jin did not perceive her as competition. She’s after the best grades in the school and Ju-Kyung is notoriously at the bottom of the class. All she has going for her are her (new) looks and her easy-going personality that makes her popular, two things that Soo-Jin isn’t interested in. Even if she were, those things already come naturally to her too. She’s already friends with Soo-A and, as is commented on multiple times, naturally beautiful without any makeup on. Soo-Jin has been taught—literally had it beaten into her—that she must be the best and in the beginning of the show she pretty much is: popular, mature, confident, smart… just not the smartest in her class. Ju-Kyung doesn’t threaten any of that, so friendship initially comes easily for Soo-Jin, the sort of friendship that allows her to chase perverts off busses or hide her friend’s real face.

This changes once Soo-Jin’s “perfect” mask begins to slip. They’re heading towards college, she’s running out of time, and she still hasn’t managed to take the top spot in the class. Worse, she drops out of the top ten. This exacerbates the abuse to the point where, as we see, she’s constantly in the bathroom trying to cope by washing her hands. Any tiny deviation from that “perfection” — like, say, leaving your tutoring session when you realize your lifelong friend just got devastating news — results in the sort of yelling/physical abuse she can only escape from via a locked door. While things get worse on her end, they get better on Ju-Jyung’s. Her grades go up some and she becomes even more popular, attracting not only school-wide attention, but the attention of the two hottest guys too, including Soo-Ho. For a while this is still fine from Soo-Jin’s perspective, but things really take a turn when Ju-Kyung changes Soo-Ho. Meaning, she helps him come out of his shell and teaches him how to be a kinder person… which includes being a better friend to Soo-Jin. The Soo-Ho who suddenly lies and announces that they have to go study just to get Soo-Jin away from her father’s insults, all of it stemming from a small tick he paid attention to, or comforting her while she sobs over the abuse… that Soo-Ho didn’t exist at the story’s start. He was too wrapped up in his own grief and has been that way for a long time. They may have known each other since childhood, but Soo-Jin and Soo-Ho don’t appear to be particularly close in the past—all Soo-Ho’s flashbacks are with Seo-Joon and Se-Yeon. But that starts to change once Soo-Ho himself changes. Soo-Jin’s ability to keep it together is unraveling, Soo-Ho is opening up and becoming more emotionally available (something Soo-Jin even comments on), then her whole class starts eagerly talking up how good they would be as a couple… so Soo-Jin sees a lifeline. Soo-Ho will care for her even when no one else will. Of course he will. She’s already seen him be that person multiple times.

The problem is that Soo-Ho has his own life and his own problems to grapple with. Between grief over See-Yeon, panic over telling Ju-Kyung how he feels, and the initial rush of dating—what couple doesn’t want to spend all their time together at the start?—he doesn’t have much energy for Soo-Jin. Which from his perspective is fine. They don’t normally hang out together outside of study groups, so yeah, he can put off a conversation with her… not realizing that Soo-Jin is now putting all her emotional eggs in his basket. By the time her feelings are coming to light, Soo-Jin is actively sabotaging her own attempts to get attention and compassion from Soo-Jin. By manipulating them—here’s a new scrunchy to remind you that you’re my best friend and you can’t ever betray me, here I am showing up unannounced at your apartment and guilting you into not spending more time with me, etc.—Soo-Jin has put Soo-Ho (rightfully) on his guard. He’s wary of having a private conversation with her about something she won’t name when he knows Ju-Kyung has been a mess over losing her friendship. He has no desire to listen to her confession of love after she’s just tossed Ju-Kyung’s beloved necklace into the fire. In her efforts to ensure that Soo-Ho pays attention to her, she only succeeds in driving him away.

All of which makes Ju-Kyung the enemy in her eyes. The new competition. To her mind, friendship and love cannot co-exist because Ju-Kyung stands in the way of that love, therefore one has got to go. (In contrast Seo-Joon, coming from a loving family, is in time better able to accept that he can be friends with Soo-Ho even though he likes Ju-Kyung. We can discuss the problems inherent in giving one plot to the girl and the other to the guy, but as they are, these characters have concrete, in-world reasons for their different reactions to what’s essentially the same situation.) And why does love (“love”) win out over friendship? Because Soo-Jin has latched onto Soo-Ho being her boyfriend as the way to finally “win” at life and fix all her problems. It’s fine if she’s not the best provided she’s dating the best, just look at how much Dad fawned over him. Second place academically is suddenly an option provided the top student is on her team, so to speak. The fact that Soo-Ho is also one of the most handsome, a great athlete, super rich, and one of the few people to provide her with feelings of safety certainly doesn’t hurt matters. And the only thing that stands in her way of securing this life-saving “win” is Ju-Kyung. Who is she? No one compared to Soo-Jin. Her grades are terrible. She’s not wealthy. She’s pretty… but oh, only with her makeup on.

Soo-Jin doesn’t need makeup, so why not win this competition by showing the whole school—showing Soo-Ho—what a fraud Ju-Kyung is?

From Soo-Jin’s perspective she’s done the math and come out on top. Everything that (supposedly) matters she either has equal to Ju-Kyung, or is superior, therefore it’s obvious that Soo-Ho would choose her in the end. She says at much: If I had confessed first you would have loved me first, so now that I have confessed you’ll break up with her. Hell, even Ju-Kyung believes this. She has the nightmare about Soo-Ho learning that Soo-Jin has feelings for him and immediately, publicly breaking up with her. After all, if he suddenly has both as an option the winner is obvious, right? It’s all about competition, what they’ve been taught to believe is a competition: Ju-Kyung through her bullying and Soo-Jin through her abuse. The difference is that Ju-Kyung has had the whole series with Soo-Ho (and others) helping her slowly unlearn this mentality. Soo-Jin had the rug pulled out from under her in an instant.

Soo-Ho says no, I wouldn’t have loved you if you had confessed first and I’m not going to date you now. It’s important to realize that this shatters Soo-Jin’s entire world. It’s not about a girl being upset that she can’t get the guy — not even about Soo-Ho as an individual, really — it’s about an abused girl not knowing how to grapple with the fact that she finally did everything “right” and still couldn’t “win,” coupled with losing the last bit of security she had. Soo-Ho broke the unspoken rules Soo-Jin’s father beat into her and she doesn’t know where to go from there. She literally has no one else to turn to. So she falls back on the only way she does know how to handle a situation like this: by still trying to win. If Soo-Ho won’t admit that she’s better, she’ll force him to realize that by plastering Ju-Kyung’s “ugly” face all over social media. Which, to be clear, isn’t an excuse. This isn’t meant to be a way of absolving Soo-Jin of her absolutely horrific actions, only a means of explaining them. Her descent, while shocking to those of us who loved her initial character, is well written because it’s a nuanced look at what can happen when you abuse a kid her whole life and teach her that competition is everything. Oddly enough, she’ll apply a competitive outlook to everything and deal with her stress in unhealthy ways. Ju-Kyung is a victim of Soo-Jin now, but Soo-Jin is a victim too. Her home life has ensured that she does not know how to accept failure—or what true failure even means—so it was inevitable that when things got bad, she’d try to fix it in ways that hurt both her and those around her. It’s all she knows how to do.

So far less “Perfect girl goes ooc and abandons her friend over a boy” and far more “Abused girl falls into a terrible, but predictable cycle that the other stressed high schoolers around her are not equipped to break.” Soo-Jin’s story isn’t bad writing, it’s tragic. Thanks for coming to my three page TED talk ✌️

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2/4/21 FINALE UPDATE!

#abuse tw #true beauty #kang soojin #mymetas #true beauty spoilers

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billnoncipher · 3 years ago

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Losing Time

This story is not in my usual continuity, but was written for Wendip Week 2021, topic "Time Travel."

for Wendip Week 2021

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Mabel faced a hard decision when she called in that favor.

She was nearly thirty, she was a successful clothing designer, she had a steady romantic partner, life was good. But then on a visit to Gravity Falls, she visited the grave of good old Waddles, whose heart had given out the previous winter, while she was off in New York.

And she hadn't been able to say goodbye.

And despite the fact that she was all grown up and everything, it ripped at her heart—that she hadn't said farewell to her most favorite pet of all time. It wasn't that he hadn't been well cared for—Soos saw to that, giving the pig all the comforts and plenty of food. It wasn't that he was cut off in his youth—seventeen is a good long life for a pig. It's just that—

Well, now she knew how Dipper felt.

Speaking of whom.

Dipper and Wendy were coming up on their tenth wedding anniversary, they had adorable twins, age six, names Alexander and Amanda, and they lived in the Mystery Shack. Grunkles Stan and Ford still technically owned the place, and Soos ran it, but over the years he and Melody had expanded it until their own growing family caused Soos to have a separate house built just across the road, and he and his family of six—he, Melody, Benny, Betty, Alma, and little Stanley—had made the short move. Dipper had inherited Grunkle Ford's role as investigator of the weird, Wendy was a nationally-known consultant on forestry issues, and they took over the living space that Soos had left vacant.

Ford, now semi-retired, still came over to work with Dipper down in the secret labs when some project was afoot. Grunkle Stan came over to help when the Shack was swamped with tourists in vacation season, but he spent a lot of his time visiting casinos all over the world, where his odd luck always brought him a steady income.

The attic bedroom had become disused.

"Can I stay?" Mabel asked in a small voice just at sunup that day. "Just for a couple weeks?"

"Sure, Mabes!" Wendy said. "Any time, you know that."

Dipper, now sporting a goatee and wearing glasses to correct mild myopia, said, "Sis, what's wrong?"

With a sad smile, Mabel said, "You can tell, huh? Just getting all sentimental. Missing Waddles."

"Oh," Dipper said. "That. We're sorry you couldn't make it back in January."

"It was so unexpected," Wendy said. "He was OK, you know, kinda slow and sleepy all the time, and then one morning we found him in his stall. He'd passed in his sleep."

"He was comfortable to the end," Dipper said. "The heat was on. He didn't freeze or anything. He looked peaceful."

"We buried him down the hill," Wendy told her. "Come on, we'll walk you down."

The place was pretty, a small clearing off to the right of the Mystery Trail. Grass had greened the mound, dewy now with the dawn, and—Mabel couldn't help sobbing—Dipper and Wendy had put up a marker, one of those you could buy for a cherished dog or cat. It read,

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WADDLES

2012-2029

Always Loved

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"Could you just leave me here for a few minutes?" asked Mabel.

Dipper hugged her. "Sure, Sis," he said. "Take y our time."

Wendy hugged her, too. "You gave him a good life," she said.

When the two had left, Mabel took a deep breath and took something that looked like a thick button from her jeans pocket. She held it between finger and thumb, close to her lips, and said, "OK, Blendin Blandin, you owe me one."

And without fuss, explosions, or special-effects noise, he was there, beside her, in his old uniform. "M-Ma-Mabel," he said, smiling. "Hi. It's be-been a wh-while."

"Yeah," she said. "You're looking—exactly the same. How's Time Baby?"

"Te-te-teething," Blendin said with a grimace. "The ne-next thou-thousand years are go-gonna be hard. I gu-guess you want your fa-favor now?"

"I do," she said. "Waddles passed away last January. I don't want to bring him back to life or anything. I've learned better than that. But I didn't get to see him before he went, and I really want to visit him one last time. So—could I borrow a time tape?"

"I pro-promised," he said. "I always carry a sp-spare these da-days. Here."

"And I also need your advice," Mabel said, accepting the heavy time-travel device. "I want to visit Waddles on the happiest day of his whole life."

"You-you'll have to a-avoid meeting yourself," Blendin warned. "That would be cat-cata-catas—bad."

"Agreed," she said.

"Let me find out how to se-set the co-coordinates, then," he said. "Just a se-second."

He blinked out of existence for just three seconds, then reappeared, slapping at his hair, which was smoldering. "Th-that was two we-weeks of hard wo-work!" he said. "Lucky this-this is m-my va-vacation month. OK, I've reviewed Wa-Waddles' s li-life and this will ta-take you to the ex-exact day when he was happiest. You can ha-have the wh-whole day, or eight hours any-anyway, bu-but remember to a-avoid me-meeting yourself."

"Will do."

Blendin set the time tape, warned, "It will br-bring you ba-back to the present automatically. Ha-have a g-good time-tr-trip."

The strange noiseless explosion, a moment of spinning disorientation, and poof! there she was, at the edge of the woods behind the Shack. The sun was just rising.

"Out you go," she heard a girl's voice say from the back door.

She saw a rectangle of yellow light. Oh, my God, that's me, in my old sleep shirt! I'm twelve! I'm so young!

Her younger self held the door for Waddles—He's so cute and tiny!—and the pig stepped out, sniffed the air, and waddled over close to the woods to take care of his morning business.

Let's see. I always let him out, then had breakfast, then called him back in, so I have about half an hour before I have to duck out of sight.

"Waddles," she called softly.

He heard and galumphed over to her. He knew her. Her different size, her different voice, didn't matter. She scooped him up. "Oh, I love you!" she said as he curled into a ball and nuzzled her cheek. "Let's go for a walk."

She set him down, and they went down the Mystery Trail, past the Bottomless Pit—not yet fenced off—and as far as the bonfire clearing, where she sat on a log and played with him, laughing through tears. "I'm gonna have to say goodbye, later," she whispered. "But remember, no matter what, I'll always love you!"

Too soon she heard her own younger voice calling, probably for the second time and more loudly, "Waddles!"

"Go on," she told the pig, patting his bottom. He trotted back to the other Mabel, his Mabel.

What day is this? Mabel wondered. What day made him happiest?

She sat too long. Someone spoke, startling her. "Whoops, sorry, didn't know anybody was here!"

Wendy.

Mabel stood up. "I was just, uh—I used to come here when I was a girl—" she began.

"Mabel?" Wendy asked, blinking and staring. "Mabel? Is that you?"

"Haven't changed all that much, have I?" she asked. "Oh, my God, you're so young! Can—can I hug you?"

She was a little bit taller than the fifteen-year-old Wendy, who would add a few inches to her height in the next two years. Mabel couldn't help crying again. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to let anyone see me. Time travel. I came back to—to visit Waddles."

"Oh, man," Wendy said. "Dipper's told me about this kind of stuff! Come on back to the Shack and surprise him!"

"No, I can't," Mabel said. "Don't even tell him you met me. That would cause problems with time."

"Oh."

Something in Wendy's voice hit her then. "Uh—what's wrong, Wendy?"

"Just—just the end of summer," Wendy faltered. "I—I hate that you and Dip are goin' home today."

Oh, my God! Of course! Waddles thought I was gonna leave him, and I nearly had to, but Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford made the bus driver take him aboard—of course he was happiest on that day!

"Oh, yeah," Mabel said. "Our birthday was yesterday. We turned thirteen."

"Technical teens," Wendy said with a ghost of a grin. A tear ran down her cheek.

"But you don't have to cry," Mabel said.

"I—I guess I can tell you a secret," Wendy said. She sat on the log, and Mabel sat beside her. "See, Dipper admitted to me a while back that he has a crush on me. I already knew, but I had to let him down. You know, me fifteen, him twelve. But now he's going away, and I'll never see him again, and—I just can't tell him I'm kinda-sorta in love with him, too. It's hard, Mabel."

Mabel bit her lip. "Listen," she said. "I may get in big trouble because of this, but—OK, I'm gonna say it. You gotta give Dipper a note. Have all his friends here sign it. You sign it, too. Here's the most important part—write on it 'See you next summer.' And wait for him. He'll come back. And he'll grow up, Wendy. And if you wait for him—it's gonna happen. I promise. Just stay in touch, and—most important—when the time comes, the age difference won't mean a thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Trust me, I know. OK, I've got a few hours today. I'm gonna stay close to the Shack and get in as much time with Waddles as I can. Then I'm going back to the future, and thirteen-year-old Mabel and Dipper are going back to Piedmont. But he doesn't just have a crush, Wendy. He really and truly loves you. So write the note, give it to him before he gets on the bus, and things will all work out. Promise me?"

"Yeah. I promise."

"Oh—and tell Grunkle Stan that when the time comes for us to leave, to make sure Waddles gets on the bus, too! I—Oh, I love you like a sister, Wendy! You won't believe how happy you're gonna be with Dip."

"That—that means a lot to me, Mabes," Wendy whispered.

"OK, you'd better get back. Don't say anything to anyone about this. Be sure to do the note thing. Oh, and Wendy—do me one more favor?"

"Sure, what?"

"Tell Pacifica that Mabel's waiting—in the future. Don't explain."

"All right," Wendy said with a lopsided smile. "I'll do it." She mimed zipping her lip.

The day passed. Out of her eight hours, Mabel spent about three in Waddles's company as her brother and her younger self got ready to leave Gravity Falls. She spent more time standing out of sight, watching things unfold—finally the kids coming out, glum, with their suitcases, the bus pulling up, Dipper and Mabel and—finally—Waddles climbing aboard. And all their friends running as far as they could to see the twins and the pig off.

She stood alone near the Shack. The flash came. Benjamin stood there. "How d-did it go?"

"It went good," Mabel said, handing over the time tape. "I said goodbye." She sniffled and a tear ran down her cheek. "I'll still miss him but I—I can handle it now. Uh, how much time has gone by while I—?"

"A m-minute," Blendin said. "Well, I-I g-guess we're e-even."

"Thanks, Blendin. Goodbye."

"N-no, I d-don't think it's g-goodbye," he said, smiling. "I'll s-see you again. In time."

He flashed out of existence.

"Aunt Mabel!" It was red-headed Amanda, running down the hill to meet her. "Hi!"

Mabel swept her up in her arms. "Hi, Sweetie! Where's your bro-bro?"

Squirming, Amanda laughed. "He can't find his shoes!"

Carrying the six-year old up the hill to the Shack, Mabel laughed. "When your dad was six, he had the same problem! All the time! Every morning!" She paused and looked back at the green grave. "Hey, let me tell you a story about the most special pig in the whole world," she said, and they went back to join the family.

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The End

#Wendip #Wendip Week #fereality #gravity falls

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marziblogsworld · 4 years ago

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After going through a bunch of emotional rollar coster ride,with bloodshed, gore, screams and tears. I finally finished this beautiful masterpiece and here is my review.

So this story is about a girl who is chosen by the Hidden, has these amazing fey powers and weilds the infamous sword. Is that the whole story NO!,there is more to it than what is shown in the trailer HELL YESSSS!!!!.

As a sucker for Authorian legend, i had an eye on this show and believe me it doesnot dissappoint. I loved the story line, the direction, the characters arc, from the start of nimeu journey to meeting the end was syncronized so beautifully and amazing. You will fell in love with every piece of the forests to the leaves to the feys and the knights except for Father Cardan and Iris.

Gosh watching these two was a torture to my eyes. *drop dead*. *uuugghh go die in a hole you bitch* and much other vivid vocabulary was used whenever they were onscreen and now Iris with 'them, those trinity knights' uggh *eye roll* but i am still excited to see more of this.

This show was owned by Queens after Queens. Morgana, Kazi, Pym and sometimes Nimeu. Let me tell you all , Nimeu is a great person, but is aint a queen nor a leader, i could see her doing blunders after blunders and at time i have seen her go power hungry. I know she was learning and everything was happening so fast but still, she needs alot of practice and training to be a warrior first then to be Queen. Nimeu magic and what is meant to be Summoner wasnt shown much. I guess that would be discuss in S2 (if there is one, PLEASE BE ONE). The story was mostly about the sword, so i would really like to see what NIMEUH actually is without the sword and its power.

Ok to get things cleared up a bit, when the cast was introduced and we met Arthur i saw much opinions and criticism going on towards his appearance (i will not go into that deeply) but all i have to say, whatever his appearance or looks was, this person was ARTHUR THROUGH AND THROUGH from the heart. We all know Arthur as a fair and just person, and he potrayed it so well, he is a kind person, a great swordsman and an amazing and fair leader. Many times he stood up and showed people the way when Nimeu couldn't. He stood and fought for the fey when he himself is human( as both of them are shunned by each other) but this man didnt care, he fought for what is right and that is what we know of Arthur,regardless of what he looks like. I accept him if he is going to be the Once and Future King cuz by heart he is the Arthur we all know and love.

I screamed on the top of my lungs when Morgana made her appearance. You go girl! Also i am scared for you because i donot like what is waiting for you at the end.

I think we can all agree. PYM, SQUIRREL AND KAZI has a separate fan base by now. The best side characters i could ever ask for.

The romance part between Arthur and Nimeu was throwing me off a bit. For me Pym and Dod relationship ruled and it was pretty sweet even though it was for a short while🤧🤧i still liked it, ALSO THAT GIRL DESERVES A MASSIVE RESPECT SHE HAS BEEN THROUGH SOO MUCH. My baby PYM.

CAN I JUST SAY SOMETHING. THIS SHOW WAS OWNED BY THE WEEPING MONK AND MERLIN and whoever disagree can join the ranks of Father Cardan ( just kidding). Anyways when i came to know Daniel Sharman is in this series. I was like, let get yourself on board on his protection squad wagon. This boy was my baby when he was lssac Lahey in Teen wolf. I was protecting him then and i am protecting him now and he made me proud. Yes i will repeat it again MY BABY REDEEM HIMSELF and made me proud and he is a natural father🤧🤧🤧 PERCIVAL AND HIM yesssssss 😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️. My son is going to raise this boy. I already knew there was more to him that meets the eye and i was not wrong and the best part is that he is playing one of my favourite knight LANCELOT DU LAC. YESSSS BITCHES. MY BABY IS LANCELOT. 💕💕💕 And nobody should hurt him i will riot. I will use the sword on them gladly.

Finally finally saw Merlin with some backbone. With some badassry, he was the best, he is the best and he will always be the best and that last scene *chills* *literal chills*

You go my badass Merlin. I am with you. And also Uther and Merlin dynamic was 😂 to my eyes. They were soo awesome together and Uther itself is amazing. I liked him alot.

Look people let's be clear if we can accept bbc merlin for their adaption on the authorain legend with that ending then surely we can accept this too. Everybody has a right to tell the story their way and the way Netflix told through Cursed was thorough and with depthness, from the time when Arthur himself is learning, when we will not only see his journey as king but also how others played into their role of destiny. I really liked this showed and i applaud every single actor for doing such an amazing work.

SEASON 2 PLEASE. I NEED TO SEE MORE OF MY DANIEL SHARMEN AS MY LANCELOT NOW. The best knight and the noblest of them all.😍😍😍

Also for all my bbc merlin fans, there are many scenes, scenarios and dialogues that will give you nostalgia, so brace yourself and enjoy 😁🤗

Follow me for more amazing reviews on books, tv shows and movies. Recommendations are open😉😉

Can you not feel this raw pain on his face. My baby🤧

He owned this entrance. He deserves such an entrance, he rocked in that entrance. He made me scream in that entrance 😍😍

Look at them, he is a natural father. Loooooook how far he came🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

Yes you beauty. Just like that you made our heads turn when you walk. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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pomegranates-and-blood · 4 years ago

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νοσταλγία (Chapter 25)

νοσταλγία Masterlist

Pairing: Ivar/Reader

Word Count: 3.4k (I’m sorry, these two really like arguing)

Warnings: The usual

A/N: Soo, yeah, here we are. I hope you like this one! Thank you for sticking around, and for reading! Love you all!

The previous chapter was also uploaded today and it is right here

Btw, insider’s tip: keep in mind her words from last chapter about what love is 😉

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius @heavenly1927 @toe-vind-ek-jou @xbellaxcarolinax @pieces-by-me @angelofthorr @samsationalwilson @peachyboneless @1950schick @punkrocknpearls @ietss @psych0crybaby

Ivar startles you one night, sitting in the dim light of your shared room and starting to talk as soon as you walk through the door.

“What would you have done? If someone had come and promised they could take…take something from you, what would you have done to stop them?”

“You didn’t have to stop them, Ivar,” You bite out with no little anger in your tone. You take a deep breath before speaking again, in what you hope sounds like certainty. “Unless I agree, no one will take me from here. And I won’t agree, you should know that.”

“Why should I know that, hm? Why do you act like it should me so clear to me that y-…?”

“I promised,” You interrupt softly, ignoring every bit of who you are and walking towards him. “I married you, Ivar.”

“That doesn’t…” He stops himself, a deep breath of anger and frustration and so much more, and then starts again, “It doesn’t mean anything, though, does it?”

“If that doesn’t, then what would?”

He holds your gaze, but eventually shakes his head.

“That’s enough. Go to sleep.”

“No,” You refuse, raising your chin, “Answer me.”

“I said that’s enough!” He snaps back, eyes wide and furious and set on you.

You only curl your lip in anger, and stomp your way to change out of the dress and into your nightclothes. As you wrap the robe over the nightdress, you can sense his eyes on you, you can feel the chaos lurching under the surface of pretend control.

It usually is that way with him. Chaos and fury and fire perilously kept at bay by gritted teeth and cruelty, wildfire waiting but for one crack in the wall to spill and burn it all.

Burn him, too.

You may still flinch when a fire is breathed too much life, you may still have dreams of charred flesh and screams, but the Gods made you a woman that would never accept fearing any man, no matter the kind of fire he wields.

And because you could never keep your mouth shut and the Gods know you won’t start now, you state,

“You hurt me. You wanted to remind me you could, so you did,” You point out, for once not caring how your voice wavers. “And you get the right to be angry?”

“Be angry, I’m not stopping you!” Ivar yells, turning to you with fury burning in his pale eyes, “Be angry, be cruel! Fight me, I don’t care, just…stop this.”

“Stop what? I haven’t done anything.” You insist, frowning.

“Yes, yes you have,” He lifts an accusatory hand to point towards you, before that same hand runs over his hair, settling at the back of his neck. “You are…” His breath leaves parted lips, “You are soft, and good, and it’s driving me mad.”

“How is that my fault?”

“Because you…” His words fail him and it is with an angry snarl that he stands up, limping towards a table and grabbing a horn of mead, drinking before deciding to turn accusing eyes to you. “You said no.”

“To the merchant?” You ask, a furrow of your brows.

“You had a chance to leave, to escape, and you refused it.

You only watch with wide eyes as his gaze searches the nothingness in front of him. A blinded man trying to make sense of the world, frantic and uncertain.

Ivar’s voice is low but unwavering when he continues, certain and still holding that angry edge, “I’m not an idiot, I know this isn’t where you want to be. I see you still shiver when the night falls, you aren’t used to the cold, you were made for warm and sunny places; I notice you still hesitate with many things about our language, our ways; I…I know you don’t feel at home, I know I took you from the people you loved, from where you belonged.

A part of you, a part of you that you sometimes fear is too alike him, wants to bite back he has no right to say where you do or don’t belong, wants to remind him your mother made you strong and the years made you resilient, wants to let him know no cold and no realm of death can make you break.

But he isn’t saying those words to insult you, or attack you, you realize. In the reminder that you are soft and warm and gentle there isn’t the accusation of a fault in you, but rather…rather a fault in him, in what he did.

You realize the edge of regret in his tone, and a part of you curses Fate for making it so that the one time he admits to regretting something he did, is when he shouldn’t.

Because yes, you aren’t used to Kattegat’s cold, even more so now that winter approaches, but it is easy to forget the cold, when you sip sweet drinks and are surrounded with people of loud laughs; it is easy to feel warm when you have Ivar with you.

And yes, you still have much to learn when it comes to these people and their customs, their traditions and their ways; but you revel in the tales and lessons the women at the apothecary share with you as you work, their voices warm and their laughs light; in the moments you can spend with Ivar having him teach you the way of his people, his eyes bright and voice enthralling, with each tale he tells drawing you further in.

This isn’t the place you were born in, this isn’t the place you imagined your life in, but here you have people you trust, people that love you not because of who your legacy says you ought to be, but for who you are; and the Greeks aren’t with you and your heart mourns for them still, but the people of Kattegat are your people as much as they are. This is your home, too.

But you don’t say anything, you only look at Ivar with wide eyes as he moves to the bed, sitting on it, leaning back on the backrest.

“And after all I did to you, after…everything, you are still soft and…and light, and good and I…”

“You are driving yourself mad?” You supply tentatively, a hint of mirth in your voice.

Ivar chuckles, but it is humorless and it sounds like a dying breath.

“You said no,” He repeats, and it sounds like an accusation at you as much as it sounds like a reassurance for himself. “And you look happy here and I…I wonder if you are fooling me or I’m fooling myself into believing…” He stops himself with a twitch of anger in his nose, the clear tell he feels he’s given too much away. But you remain silent, you refuse to ask him to continue but also to give him ground to retreat. Eventually, he sighs, “Believing you would choose to stay, when this is over. Because you are-…you said no, and…Gods, woman, you know you should have said yes to him. A smart woman would have said yes.”

For a moment as long as the blink of your eyes he is just a Viking and you are just a Priestess, in some old hut in a city you will never return to, being the strangers you will never be again.

His words from that first day echo in your head like an old song, “A smart woman would know better than to deny me.”

And your reply is still the same, “I never claimed to be smart.”

He doesn’t reply, fingers making quick work at the iron braces around his legs, with practiced ease. Before long, he takes both of them off -you’ve noticed he takes the left one first, the armored and heavier one- and sets them in their low table by his side of the bed.

He is maneuvering his legs into a comfortable position -though you notice he doesn’t get under the furs yet- when he asks,

“Why? Why did you say no? Why didn’t you leave?”

The answers come easy to you. Your vow to kill Stithulf isn’t fulfilled, he still lives and so does your desire for revenge. You knew those men would fail at helping you escape, four armed merchants against Ivar the Boneless and his army.

You could answer with any of those reasons, and it would be true. But it wouldn’t be the truth.

“I promised,” You reply easily, holding his gaze. After a moment, your heart trembles its beat inside your chest and your breath stutters past parted lips, and you approach him, sitting on the bed. Your heart has always been foolish, and so it robs you of your choice, making the words leave your lips before you can try to stop them, “I am…I am living on borrowed time as much as you are, this feels…it feels like a strange limbo, a state between being dead and alive.

You remember the Abbasid traveler of weathered skin and wise eyes, Aamir, the man you met on the Roads so long ago. You remember the night he looked right through you, making you think that for a man so certain there was only one God he spoke with the wisdom of those blessed by Apollo.

His words when he spoke of those worlds in between, even after so many years, still echo in your head, a lesson you haven’t forgotten, They are filled with opportunity, life or death, past or future, nostalgia or hope.

You lick your lips before continuing, “I don’t know what my choice would be, I don’t…I don’t want to. I know what I should choose, but I don’t…I can’t make that choice, not yet,” Your words taste like pleas, to Fate, to the Gods, to anyone who might hear, that this borrowed time may last a lifetime. But you can’t admit that, that would mean betrayal of everything you ought to be. “Pretending to know what my choice will be is no different than keeping me from choosing. I only ask you let go of that certainty that I will leave.

And the part of you that is angry and raw and hurt refuses to leave you vulnerable to his answer, refuses to give him ground to stand on, refuses to have him believe this is a war he can win.

So, you continue, spiteful and angry, “But you can’t, can you? Because it would imply trusting me, and you can’t trust me.

You nod to yourself, and at the anger that takes over his expression, the contained vitriol at the realization you are right; you only grow more bitter.

“You know, for a man as cunning as you are, for someone so used to observing people, for how perceptive you are to all that makes me…me; you refuse to see what’s right beside you. You refuse to acknowledge that ever since I stepped down from that boat I have been at your side.

Freydis’ promises she would one day help you escape, the countless times you looked at the horizon of the kingdom you were forced to call your own and knew escaping would be easy, the fights with the blonde you call a friend over the fact that if you just were willing to play you’d have all you ever wanted.

“I have had many chances to betray you, to leave you, before and after we were married. This man wasn’t the first to offer me a life without you in it, and he won’t be the last. Each time, I’ve said no. And for all that will come, I will say no.

You gesture with your hands in a sign of helplessness, of defeat.

“And yet you refuse to trust me,” It is helpless and hopeless, the smile you are able to offer, “You trust me with your life, I know this, you wouldn’t sleep each night by my side knowing I could slit your throat while you’re vulnerable if you didn’t trust your life to me. But you don’t trust me with-…”

Your heart.

You stop yourself, and close your eyes with a sigh. Shaking your head at yourself, at how foolish you are, at how soft and lovesick you remain, you stand up from the bed, walking to your side of it and sitting down with your back turned to Ivar.

You start attempting to untie the knot in the robe you wear over the nightclothes, ready to sleep off these nightmarish weeks, but the sound of Ivar rusting behind you, moving closer to youn on the bed, so close you can feel the warmth of his body at your back, stops you.

Hesitant fingers trace your back, grab an uncharacteristically delicate hold of the ends of your loose hair.

“One braid?” Ivar asks, voice low, hoarse.

You nod, ignoring the part of you that demands you let go of this pathetic softness, that presses you to seal off weak spots, that begs you to hold on to the anger.

You feel him start to make slow work of the one braid to go down your back, and you sigh shakily.

“I’m sorry,” He says, voice so quiet you think you’ve imagined it. A part of you begs you to turn around, but you remain still, waiting for him to continue, “I wasn’t thinking and I…I regret it.”

You feel the stupid urge to cry taking over you, but you grit your teeth and focus on breathing. Giving away weakness is not something you’ll allow yourself now.

Even if your voice is hoarse you for once don’t attempt to hide it, “I care not for regret if it isn’t accompanied by the promise to never do something like that again.”

You know you are pushing your luck, you know somewhere in the world Sieghild is getting a headache at your recklessness, you know a smart woman would back down and accept it as a victory.

But you never claimed to be smart.

Ivar takes a deep breath, and his hands still, their work on your hair paused for a moment.

It feels like asking him to promise you freedom when Stithulf dies all over again. A baited breath, a moment where you fear he cannot guarantee the one thing you ask for.

“You have my word.”

And just like then, to your peace and his torment, he offers a promise.

And just like then, for better or worse, you believe him.

You return to silence, but realize your part of the bargain that comes with this arrangement you two have had for weeks regarding your hair being braided isn’t fulfilled.

“Why can’t you trust me, Ivar?” Is the truth you ask in exchange for the braid.

“I do,” He replies certainly, taking you by surprise, “You insist I don’t, but I do trust you. More than anyone.”

“Yet you think I’ll betray you, you…you think I’d choose anything and anyone over you.”

The only answer you get is the crackling of the fire, the rusting of clothing as Ivar’s arms move as he works on the braid. And so you are lulled into safety, into warmth, by the familiar quiet of your room and the -even now- comforting presence of Ivar at your side.

Without prompting, his voice low, he offers, “I…I can’t stand the thought of them having…having more of you than I do.”

“They don’t.” You reply easily, but still quietly, as if not to break the tentative truce that has settled in the air.

Ivar only huffs a breath that tells you he very much doubts it.

A truth of your own, a truth of how no one has ever had as much of you -of your mind, of your heart, of your soul- as he does, is at the tip of your tongue, but pride keeps those words at bay.

What you offer is the closest you can get to the truth without making it the raw and terrifying reality that leaves you vulnerable.

“With you I…I am the most at peace with myself I have been ever since I was no one, just a healer in the Silk Roads,” Your shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath, “I am myself when I am with you, in a way I never could with any other. Never doubt that.

You turn your head towards him when you feel him let go of your hair, and keeping your eyes on his, for once not hiding anything, you whisper,

“Also never doubt that if I felt for you the same way I do for any of the people you so envy, for what you did to those men, to me, I would have killed or left you.”

____

You hold back a sigh and turn around on the bed, careful not to let too much frigid air pierce the warmth around you.

Before you can ponder too long on what may have woken you, you are reminded of one of the first observations you made about the King of Kattegat: he talks in his sleep.

Ivar lays on his back next to you, one of his arms folded over his head and face now turned towards you.

As you let your eyes trace his features as he sleeps, free of the almost permanent tension that coils around his whole body and expression during the day, the cruel smiles and nose curled in anger absent, you have to close your hand into a fist to resist foolish temptations of reaching up and tracing his face with your fingers.

You did horrible things, once. You did cruel things, played twisted games, and said it was necessary.

You looked into a man’s eyes, promised him forever, swore to love him, and then killed him while his heart still beat by making him realize it had all been a lie, a ruse, a game.

And he forgave you. Narses looked at you and all the awful things you did, and chose to forgive you.

You called him weak, you called him a fool.

But now you look at Ivar, you face every horrible thing he has done, to you and to others; you remember every cruel word and every time he put binds on you; and you realize that you can still find it in you to forgive him.

Maybe you are weak, maybe you are a fool. But it doesn’t scare you as much as it should, the realization of the kind of hold the Viking has on your heart.

It doesn’t scare you, you realize, because what his mind tells him to believe and what it is less frightening for you to have him believe are one and the same: that you are counting the days until your vow is fulfilled and you can make the choice you weren’t able to before.

You know he won’t think your heart is foolish enough to have you make the choice to stay; because a smart a man as he might be, he is also uncertain, vulnerable, and, when it comes to matters like this, when it comes to you, surprisingly defenseless.

This particular secret can remain only yours for a while longer, you think as you let yourself fall back asleep.

Dreams of bloodied lips smiling behind a red veil prove no secret is only yours.

Before you can take your leave the next morning, Ivar quickly grabs at your hand and stops you. Turning around with hundreds of questions at the tip of your tongue, you find those turning into thousands as you meet Ivar’s eyes.

He looks at you with what someone that didn’t know him would think is pain, is fear.

He clenches his jaw, takes a slow breath through his nose before he speaks.

“Have you forgiven me?” His voice is quiet, so quiet.

You search his eyes, and a sad smile curves faintly at your lips. Though a part of you wants to for once allow you to only be soft and gentle, like Ivar said last night, you were never only one thing.

And because you are iron and arrogance and pride as much as you are any other thing, you whisper, repeating back to him his words on your wedding night,

“You’ve chained me, but don’t forget I’ve chained you too.”

I can hurt you, just as you can hurt me.

____

Soooooo, whaddya think?

It was supposed to be a bit longer by adding another scene regarding Stithulf, but I decided to put all that in the next chapter, so this one (and the one before) can focus on the consequences of that one big fuckup and what that means for both of them. This is just a lot of words to say chapter 26 is a 5k beast but ok

Thank you for reading lovelies! Love ya!!!

#ivar the boneless x reader #ivar x reader #ivar the boneless imagine #ivar the boneless #ivar #νοσταλγία masterlist

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deanandthephantoms · 4 years ago

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We're a Perfect Harmony PT.3 - Reader x Charlie

This is Chapter 3 of my Perfect Harmony story. You can read Chapter 1 here and Chapter 2 here if you haven't yet. In this chapter we'll see what life after camp is like for y/n and Charlie.. Enjoy!

Missing you more than i should..

When I got home I was overwhelmed by the amount of silence in my home. I used to love being home, curling up on the couch watching a movie or reading a book in silence. I hated loud, crowded places and now I actually missed it? What happened to me? Who am I?! I thought to myself..

“Y/N is that you?” I heard my mom call out from the living room. “Hi mom!” i said while walking up to her and giving her a big hug. “How are you doing honey? How was it?” I hadn’t really spoken to my mom at all during the week, I had let her know once that I was doing alright and that was basically it. “It was incredible mom. I had the best group of people surrounding me..” and so I told her everything about my new group of friends and everything we had done during the week.. “Thanks for making me go mom.” “You’re glowing Y/N! I’m so happy you had such a good time. I honestly felt bad for making you go when I saw how nervous you were.” “yeah.. I kind of hated you for that.. but I guess sometimes mom really does know best.” After talking to my mom I decided to lay down for a bit all those late night chill sessions with Charlie and a night of not sleeping at all was really taking it’s toll, I don’t think I had ever been this tired before. I fell asleep with a smile on my face only to wake up the next freaking day at 10am. I slept for 15 hours I really had been tired.. I picked up my phone to see I was indeed added to the girls group chat, I was also in a chat with our entire camp group and Charlie had , like he promised, sent me a private text. Seeing that put a smile on my face. Now I know what you’re thinking.. but I really just liked him as a friend that’s all. I opened his message.

“Good morning Nugget! On a scale of 1 to 100% dead.. how tired are you?” I raised my eyebrow at the nugget part, no idea where that was coming from. Without hesitation I replied.. “ Hellllooooo! Nugget? What’s up with that? Very bold of you to assume that I was even tired to begin with by the way.. but to answer your question, I have slept for 15 hours.. that says something doesn’t it?” I was about to put my phone down assuming Charlie would take his sweet time to reply. But no. the 3 dots that told me he was typing appeared almost instantly and seconds later this popped up on my screen; “15 HOURS?! Really? Are you sure you weren’t dead and came back to life or something? I thought I was bad with my 12 hours.. I’m blaming you for the fact I’m so tired by the way.” He’s blaming me?! Excuse me? “Pardon? What? What did I do?!” “You kept me up till at least 3am every night only to be woken up again at 7am.. i’ve never been so tired coming home after camp. So yes I’m blaming you Nugget.” “The nugget again? Really? Anyway. I’m not sorry. You kept ME up actually. I’m blaming you Charlie.” “Yes Nugget. You mentioned once you like nuggets. I’m calling you nugget now. You can’t stop me. Oh and I’m not sorry either 😉” “Riiight. Don’t expect me to start calling you after one of your gross foods.. but all jokes aside, i’m glad you’re not sorry. I mean, all those late nights might be one of my favorite things of last week.” “Really? I genuinely thought I annoyed the shit out of you.” That text made me laugh. “Don’t get your hopes up Gillespie. You sure did. Apparently you’re just the type of guy who gets away with it.” I teased. “Ouch.. that hurt. :( “ is all I got as a reply. Which caused my brain to go in full panic mode, did I just really hurt my new friend? Oh god what if this ruined it all? As fast I could I sent him “I’m sorry! I’m just kidding! You know that right?! You didn’t annoy me at all dude, in fact you did the opposite you made me feel super chill and comfortable..” I stared at my screen for what felt like hours, in reality it was probably more like 5 minutes but I got no reply..

I sighed deciding to ignore my own stupid actions I got up from my bed and went downstairs making myself some breakfast. Sitting down at the table I actually found myself missing the man that had sat opposite of me the entire week. I was missing the man that made me feel sick with his strange food combinations. Missing the man that called me out for looking dead after 3 hours of sleep. Missing the man that annoyed me with how loud he was so early in the morning. Don’t get me wrong I missed the others as well they had all, in their own way, made that week a very good week for me. I had just connected with Charlie in a different way, he seemed to really get me, he understood where I was coming from. He had not once judged me, he made me come out of my comfort zone.. My phone buzzed on the table, my hand flew straight to it and picked it up only to see Charlie had replied. I felt my heart speed up and started feeling very nervous. Why was this happening? why was i scared for his reply? We had been teasing each other right from the start. This could not have been so bad that I ruined everything, right?!

With a deep sigh I opened our chat back up. “Y/N calm down. I know. I was just kidding too! Good to know I made you feel that way though. You do realize you did the same for me right? You made me feel better when I was feeling down. I really appreciate that.” I couldn’t help but let out a big sigh of relief. Thank god everything was alright. Why did I care so much? I had known this man for 8 days. Why was I already so afraid of ruining this friendship? “Charlie, I swear to god, you can never do that to me again! I thought I ruined it all..” I typed, but deleted. I didn’t want him to know a simple joke made me go into full panic mode, he’ll think I’m crazy.. so instead I went with “ha-ha, very funny Gillespie. And hey, cheering each other up, that’s what friends are for right? 😊” “Yeah definitely. You didn’t have to do that though, you barely knew me. Yet seemed to know me better than the people I’ve known for years. You noticed things others didn’t notice or they just decided to ignore it. You didn’t. You’re a good friend Nugget. I’m thankful for getting a chance to meet and know you.”

Reading that made me feel al warm and fuzzy inside I just sat there at the kitchen table with a dumb goofy smile on my face. That’s when my mom walked in. “What are you smiling about?” “ohhh nah it’s nothing.” I simply replied, hoping my mom would buy it. Too bad for me my mom knew me longer than today. “It’s a boy, isn’t it?” “Mom! I.. eeh.. no?.. I mean.. well technically.. Yes. But no. Charlie is just a friend mom.” And I truly believed I felt that way, my mom clearly didn’t though ..”oh alright, well we’ll see.” She replied. Before leaving me once again to get back to her office. I directed my attention back to the screen “You’re a good friend too Charlie. I’m thankful my mom made me go to camp. Thankful I now can call a few amazing people my new friends. I really miss you guys. Is that weird?” “Thank your mom from me for making you go! 😉 And no, that’s not weird. We all feel that way after camp. Don’t worry the feeling will vanish over time and we’ll keep in touch through texts and facetime!” “Facetime huh? Why don’t we facetime later, you can thank my mom yourself haha!” i texted half jokingly but Charlie seemed to think it was a good idea. We kept sending text to each other the rest of day and I noticed I was looking forward to seeing his face again. I missed his bright smile, his facial expressions that said everything for me. His eyes that showed he was fully invested in whatever you’re telling him. I missed his hugs. They really were the best hugs I had ever had. I sighed at the thought of having to miss those for a whole year.. Can’t exactly hug through facetime, can you?

Later that night Charlie called me on facetime, accepting his call I saw his bright smile pop up on my screen. “Nuggeeettt!” he screamed at me sounding all excited. I couldn’t help but instantly feel happy and laugh at him. I refused to get used to that nickname but also decided not to fight him on it tonight. “Gillespieeeeeeee!” I just screamed back at him earning a big smile in return. “Soo, first things first, get me to your mom, I need to thank her.” “Your wish is my command sir!” I reply as I get up from my bed to find my mom. I find her in the livingroom on the couch. “Hey mom, Charlie wants to tell you something” I say while handing her the phone. “Hello Mrs.Y/L/N!” “Ah, so you’re Charlie! I’ve already heard quite a bit about you.” If looks could kill I would have killed my own mom right then and there.. “Yes.. that would be me. I just wanted to thank you for sending your daughter to camp. She has been a good friend to all of us.” My mom laughed “You’re welcome dear. Thank you for doing the same to her” My mom then handed me my phone back. Giving her one last glare I make my way back to my bedroom. “Sorry about that..” I say to Charlie while walking upstairs. “Sorry for what? Your mom seems lovely. No need to be sorry.” Thankful for the fact he apparently did not pick up on the whole ‘heard quite a bit about you.’ I let out big breath I apparently had been holding in.

I sat back down on my bed and luckily for me Charlie had grabbed his guitar “so. How about we continue our little tradition of singing? Name a song and we’ll sing it.” He said with the biggest smile. I was just glad I did not have to explain why I apologized and quickly started thinkin of a song. “Do you know High hopes by Kodaline? It’s not the happiest song, but it’s sooo good!” “I’m kind of offended by the fact you’re even asking me if I know it.. It’s actually one of the first songs I learned to play on this guitar.” And before I could apologize for offending him I heard the first chords of High hopes being played. As if we were still on camp we sang a few songs, granted it didn’t go as smooth thanks to delay in the video and such but still it was nice. After a few songs I heard my mom come up and calling out a good night. “Char.. I think I’m gonna have to go. My mom is going to bed so you know I gotta be quiet now…” “Nooo! don’t hang up just yet. We can still just talk for a bit right?” I was caught of guard by his plea for me to stay. “I, eh. Yeah. Yeah we can. Of course we can. Give me a second though. I’m gonna change into my PJ’s.” and with that I threw my phone on the bed, grabbing my oversized Rush t-shirt that basically functioned as a sleeping dress. “Nice ceiling you’ve got there nugget.” I heard Charlie call out. Giving him a chuckle as response. Once I changed into my PJ’s I picked my phone up and brought Charlie with me to the bathroom. “Loving the house tour Y/N, where are we going now?” “To the bathroom. I need to brush my teeth.” “oh right let me go do the same!” and he sprinted of with me to his own bathroom. About a minute later we were brushing our teeth together. causing us both to giggle at each others charming facial expressions.

After I was done I went back to my bedroom and crawled into bed making myself comfortable. “sooo I assume you don’t want to be here when I go pee right?” “Eeew Charles! No. Either hang up the phone or put me somewhere far away!” He laughed at me “Yeah thought so. I’m not hanging up so let me just put you down on my bed.” “ Oof.. That also sounds a bit strange sir.. But sure. You do that.” “kinda does, doesn’t it?” he laughed “Okay, I’ll be back, don’t go anywhere.” And with that I was staring at Charlie’s ceiling waiting for him to come back.. which he did incredibly quickly.

Crawling into his own bed he picked me up only to instantly put me back down again."You actually waited for me!" He said while I could see him taking off his shirt nothing I had not seen before but still a sight I sure was not mad about. “of course i waited, why would i leave without saying goodbye?” i reply before Charlie fell back down on the bed and picked me back up, trying to get comfortable he was tossing and turning a bit. “You alright there, Charlie?” I said half teasingly. “Yeah, quite comfortable actually. You? I really like your shirt by the way.” Why did I feel myself starting to blush? Acting as if nothing was happening to me I replied in my chillest and coolest way; “Yeah I’m alright. Very comfortable as well actually. Nothing beats sleeping in your own bed right?” “I don’t know about that nugget, I could think of a thing or two I totally would pick over sleeping in my own bed.” “Really like what?” When I see a mischievous smile appear on his face i’m suddenly scared of the answer I’m about to get. “Oh you know..” He falls silent with that same damn smile on his face. When I raise an eyebrow at him he continues; . “You know, Sleeping in a tent at festivals, or just camping with some friends in a beautiful piece of nature or something.” i let out a sigh of relief “oh righttt. Yeah i’m fully on board with all of that.”

Charlie and I talked for another hour while we we’re both laying in our beds. At some point I felt my eyes getting heavier and heavier, and I kept fighting it as hard as I could. I was enjoying this conversation way too much for me to go to sleep now. I totally believed I was hiding it from Charlie as well. I clearly didn’t though..“Hey Y/N?” “Mhhmm?” “You’re about to fall asleep aren’t you?” I’m silent for a while now really almost falling asleep. “Goodnight nugget.” I suddenly hear Charlie say softly. That wakes me back up a bit. “NO!” I clear my throat before continuing “I mean.. no I’m not tired..” “Oh really you’re not tired huh?” Charlie starts to imitate the way I had been acting and reacting the last 20 minutes. “okay okay Fine. Stop it Gillespie. You win, Nighty night Charles.” “night night Y/N. Talk to you again tomo.. well in a few hours,” He gives me one last sweet smile before I close my eyes and I hear Charlie hang up the phone right as I’m about to fall asleep.

Charlie and I kept in contact like that every single day. We didn’t start our day without wishing each other a good morning and refused to go to bed without wishing each other a goodnight and giving each other a virtual hug. During our schooldays we took every free second to text and we made sure to hype each other up when something important had to be done. Late nights were still being made but the few hours of sleep never seemed to bother me. I was basically running on 4 to 5 hours of sleep each day and was doing just fine. i didn’t even come close to feeling tired and was ready to do it all over again the next day. Months passed spending my time just like that..

I had been in contact with all of them on the regular and today i was actually meeting up with Madison who lived somewhat close to me. I was so excited to see her again. We had agreed to meet at a train station and that’s where I was now waiting for her to arrive. Y/N! I hear Madison yell out. I look in the direction the voice was coming from, I see Madison and run up to her to embrace her in a hug. "Madiiiiii! I missed you! How youu doing?" I let go of her and she laughs at me. "How you doin? Charlie, is that you? " Leaving no room for me to defend myself she continues "kidding, I'm great! How are youu giiirl?" while catching up on how life has been we walk to the restaurant where we had made lunch reservations.

“Sooo” Madison said once we were sat at our table. “ Soo.. what?” i asked the girl who was grinning at me. “ Sooo what’s up with you and Charlie?” i give her a confused look.”What do you mean? We’re friends, Mads. You already knew that though..” Madi laughs at me. “ Really Y/N? That’s all you’re giving me? I know you and Charlie have been talking pretty much non-stop..” I can feel the blood flowing to my cheeks when I say “Well yeah, yeah we have. And yes I have enjoyed every minute of that. But that doesn’t mean anything is going on between us. We just get along very well. Besides, he’s still with Emma so I’m sorry to disappoint you but we’re just friends..” Madi just looks at me for a while before a smile spreads on her face.” What?” I ask her. “ You like him.” She simply states with the biggest smile.” What?! Mads I just told you..” I blurt out a little too loud and a little too fast to actually be somewhat convincing.. causing Madison to laugh at me again. “ Girl you soooo do! “

By now I feel like I'm looking like a tomato, bright red, and i don’t even know why. I truly believed I liked Charlie as a friend, nothing more nothing less. Sure he was the sweetest man i had ever met and sure he believed in me like no one had ever done. and yes we had this incredible connection and were on the same wavelength on so many topics. Yes he got me, yes I felt safe enough to fully be myself and fully be honest with him about everything. aaaand yes he was goood looking. But i didn’t like him like that. I Couldn’t. He was with Emma. Me and him were just friends. I would not let myself get a crush on this guy. It would ruin everything. “ Look Mads. I’m not gonna lie. I do miss hanging out with him in real life and Charlie does make me very happy. But i don’t like him like that. He’s just a good friend to me.” Madison clearly was not convinced.”Sure, keep telling yourself that Y/N.”

And I did. In the following weeks I kept telling myself I didn't like him. I just missed him that was all. The more I talked to Charlie and the more the girls teased me about liking him the less I started to believe my own excuses. Untill the day i couldn’t deny it any longer. I totally liked Charlie more than a friend..

- read chapter 4 here

#Charlie gillespie #made by me #written by me #my story #reader #fic #fanfic #fanfiction #Julie and the phantoms #jatp #reader x charlie #charlie x reader #Y/N #Charlie x Y/n #Perfect harmony #Charlie gillespie fic #charlie gillespie story #jatp story #jatp fic

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nataliedanovelist · 4 years ago

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GF - Jolly Sailor Bold

(Spoiler alert: I lied about the “jolly” part.)

Word count: 1431

~~~~~~~~~~

Stan walked into the town that was much bigger than it was when he first came forty-five years ago. It wasn’t that far of a walk and Sixer had always encouraged exercise, though most people would be opposed to a seventy-two-year-old man walking in woods filled with gnomes, tree-giants, Mantours, and Hawktopuses that could attack. But not every old man could still kick butt like Stan could, so he emerged from the trees sharing his name and joined the sidewalk.

First thing he noticed was a small pine tree outside of town, a bit wilted and weak, a sad excuse for a twig with pointy green leaves. Stan caught sight of an abandoned cup of water, smiled cunningly, and tipped the water over with the end of his eight-ball cane; he didn’t really depend on aid for walking, but it was good to have just in case. Before Stan could think to pick up the litter, a gnome scurried over, pick it up, hissed, and ran back into the woods. The old sailor shrugged, his long gray hair shifting at the movement, and he continued on his tiny journey.

At the grocery store, Stan used a small cart for his trip, tucking his cane in it, and wandering for what he needed. He can remember the first time he met Gideon, in this very store, a spoiled baby screaming and kicking for candy he had dropped, but Stan had picked it up and eaten it right in front of the twerp, being the first person in Gideon’s life to tell him “no”. Today was entirely different.

Stan first noticed an old couple his age, bitter and annoyed. The husband had mumbled, “Back in my day, y’all got a good beatin’ for actin’ like that.” Stan then heard the distant crying, and coincidentally, as he walked in his desired direction, he unintentionally came across the crying child.

With his recent years with toddlers and young kids, Stan had learned the difference between an angry scream from a grumpy toddler and a woeful cry from a sad young heart; this was the latter. A young mom with frazzled hair, who looked far too stretched, was rubbing the back of a three-year-old boy, who held a stuffed soldier that somewhat resembled him. Stan sighed, understanding, as he remembered the war going on in China, and reached into the pocket of his trenchcoat.

The tiny boy hiccuped in surprise by the music. His mother turned and saw an old man approach, playing a harmonica with warm brown eyes. She smiled as her son’s crying slowly went away, until all he could do was sniffle with a runny nose.

Stan made his old knees bend so he could be eye-level with the tyke, playing the old lullaby his Ma used to sing forever ago, and he stretched the last note to make the good times stick around. There was a moment of silence, but then the three-year-old grinned, clapped, and caught sight of some long hair over Stan’s shoulder and grabbed the tugged. Stan yelped comedically, making the boy laugh, and his mother squeezed Stan’s shoulder and thanked him before they parted ways.

In order to get home, Stan had to pass a park they had built ten years ago or so, while he was out sailing. It was nice, with a play area and a big field for soccer and football, and it was surrounded by shops and businesses to make it convenient. When Stan was going to the grocery store, the park had been empty, but now a small band of boys were playing soccer, so he paused to watch them for a second. As these games usually go, the ball was getting closer and closer to a goal, and one kid, whose friends were cheering him on excitedly, gave a powerful kick for the point. Unfortunately it was too powerful and too crooked, and it missed the goal entirely and smashed a window of the shop Stan stood nearby.

“HEY!”

Stan laughed and shook his head as the boys were still with fear. “Y’know, a responsible adult would tell ya to own up to whatcha did.”

The door of the tattoo shop flew open with a bang and a huge buff man with skulls all over his body roared, “WHEN I’M DONE WITH YOU BRATS, THE WINDOW WON’T BE THE ONLY THING THAT’S BROKEN!”

“But not me.” Stan added. “SCATTER!”

They all ran in different directions, Stan going down the sidewalk, closer to the edge of town; all those years of being chased by cops or freaking stuff really paid off sometimes. The old man stopped at a park bench in an alley to rest, huffing and puffing and setting his grocery bag down next to him. He had his eyes closed for a second when he heard a painfully familiar phrase.

“Gimme all your money.”

Stan opened his eyes calmly and looked to his left, deeper into the alley, and saw a skinny guy in all black pointing a gun at him. He should be scared, or at least anxious, but one look at the guy’s awful stance destroyed any fear Stan should have felt. He smiled, stood slowly, and asked like he was talking to an old friend. “What in Moses’ name are ya doin’?”

“Mugging you, duh.” The guy snapped.

“With that stance, kid?” He asked, scratching his red beanie-covered head.

“Wh- Just gimme your money, old man!”

“Bad roots make a bad tree, pal.” Quicker than the young man could register, Stan swooped down and used his eight-ball cane to sweep the robber off his feet and stole his gun, leaving the criminal in the mud to watch the ex-criminal drop the bullets with a twirl of the gun.

To the robber’s surprise, Stan held out a hand to him. He took it shamefully, and was even more surprised when Stan was helping him reposition himself. “With a solid stance, you’re a much better threat… wait, move your… there we go! Much better!” Stan held his square, wrinkly chin, and added, “Uh, no offense, but ya don’t look like the criminal type to me.”

“I… you… I…” The young man slumped and closed his eyes, ready to bolt for it, but Stan popped open a can of Pitt and held it out to him.

A few minutes go by and the two are sitting on the bench, sipping the drinks from Stan’s grocery bag, talking about life and women and goals. Stan did a lot of listening and used his experience to lend some much needed advice, sounding like an average joe and therefore easier to relate to and listen to.

“Hey… thanks.” The young man said when he stood up after an hour of talking.

Stan shrugged. “Some wise old man once said that it’s okay to accept help here and there, cuz it’s not often offered, but we need to fix that.”

The now ex-criminal raised an eyebrow with a smile. “Are you that wise old man?”

Stan gave him a sly look. “That’s a secret, kid.”

Eventually Stan did make it back to the Stan O’ War II, docked at the Gravity Falls lake, giving him a homey place with space but also easy company. Soos, Melody, and Jacob were only a twenty minute walk away and always checked on him. He stepped onto his boat with ease, a bit disturbed at how quiet it was here, but he’d fixed that soon.

Stan turned on the lights and sat his bag on the kitchen table. He pulled out a small half-chocolate, half-strawberry cake, opened it, pulled out two candles, got the lighter from his pocket, and lit the twin candles. He then looked at the wall that faced him, his eyes meeting another pair of eyes that matched his own. Stan made his aching body move to take the framed photograph off the wall and set it on the table, next to the cake.

“Happy Birthday, Sixer.” He croaked when he sat back down, his vision becoming blurry. “Why couldn't I’ve helped ya one last time…”

Stan squeezed his eyes shut in a sad attempt to make the tears go away, but it didn’t work. He pulled out his harmonica again and began to play the old lullaby, wondering if his brother could hear or care or even remember the words their Ma used to sing to them.

“Waves coming, The tide is high, As well as the sparkling moon, Matching the stars.

Little sailor bold, Oh, come with me, Brave sailor bold. Come sailing home.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Jacob belongs to @stephreynaart.

#gravity falls #fanfiction #grunkle stan #angst #nothing but angst #stangst #atla #alta reference

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acciocriativity · 4 years ago

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Helpless||Harry Potter

Pairing: George Weasley x Reader

Summary: You are one of the students of the Beauxbatons commission and like the others you are determined to win the Triwizard Tournament but instead of the Goblet of Fire, you ended this season at Hogwarts with something better .

Word Count: 2,0 k

N / A: This story is based on the Helpless of the musical Hamilton and if you want, I recommend listening to the song along with the lyrics.

Part II

Ooh, I do, I do, I do, I do (hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)

Hey! Ooh, I do, I do, I do, I do (Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey)

I have come to be known for some characteristics over the years. For most of my colleagues, determination and patience, but for my family and especially my sister, I was always going to be a hopeless romantic.

But then we heard about the Tournament and I would have to concentrate fully if my name came out of the Goblet of Fire, so I decided to leave this side of me in France. But that change did not last more than a few hours.

Boy, you got me helpless

Look into your eyes, and the sky's the limit

We were all sitting at the Ravenclaw table while the director finished announcing the Triwizard Tournament formalities and I couldn't be paying any less attention. From the moment I entered that room, a pair of bright brown eyes caught my eye. I couldn't help noticing the incredible amount of redheads on one table, but only one of them left me with a different feeling that I didn't know until now.

Of course, I didn't spend much time looking. My goal here is very specific, I would not have time for distractions as my name could be called up tomorrow.

- Of course, to travel to a swamp on the other side of the world, you're going to have to give up putting your name in the cup, right? - my sister asked in an irritated tone of voice and I had no idea why or what she was saying.

- Oh sure, I think it's a great idea, sis - I replied with a smile as I looked back at the director, but he was no longer standing - has he finished? Has he talked about the Yule Ball too?? - I asked, looking back at the older one.

- Yes, why are you acting like this? Eat a little, I think the trip didn't do you much good - she replied with a worried tone, leaving the anger aside.

I agreed to a nod and concentrated on the French food that had been kindly prepared for our arrival, but my eyes kept looking back at the table where he was one last time.

I'm helpless

Down for the count, and I'm drownin 'in' on

The next day, during the morning there was a circle of students around the Goblet of Fire but as soon as we arrived, they made room and then each one of us put the paper with our name in there. I chose to be the last in line, because I was in no hurry and for a single reason. He was there again.

The same eyes, but now I could see more closely and without having to worry because it was not in my direction that they were. The boy was having a lively conversation with some other students and his own twin.

After my turn passed, I walked over to where a friend was standing because I also wanted to see the rest of the competition, that's not exactly what happened.

I admit it was a funny scene to see the two of them being thrown two meters out of that circle but at the same time, I was a little worried.

I have never been the type to try and grab the spotlight

We were at a revel with some rebels on a hot night

After a few months, we were finally at that ball that promised to be one of the best events of the year and perhaps the decade at Hogwarts. A lot of things changed in the meantime, the first was that I wouldn’t be the champion but I was vehemently rooting for Fleur, the second thing is that a minor had entered the competition and that turned this castle upside down and finally, I had managed to get close to that redhead. To be fair, me and Alexia. We both agreed that only an idiot would voluntarily sign up as a minor, this caught the attention of Harry Potter's friends and himself.

In fact I learned his name, it's George, it's easy to tell when I can see his face. From the back, I don't have much of a guarantee and it's hard to see them standing still somewhere, so it's even more difficult for me that way.

Laughin 'at my sister as she's dazzling the room

Then you walked in and my heart went, "Boom!"

I had been invited by some boys before accepting to come with a student from Durmstrang, I confess that I hoped to be invited by George but I preferred not to risk waiting.

I looked for my sister with my eyes and it was not difficult to find her, she was dancing with her own partner in the middle of the dance floor, impossible not to notice. They were even a beautiful couple, but I knew she was interested in someone else, I just didn't know who. Just as I hadn't told her about my feelings yet.

My attention changed completely when I saw the door to the Great Hall open and the unaccompanied Weasley twins came in. My heart stopped for a second and I could feel it beat faster, some questions crossed my mind. I hadn't seen them before, did they come alone? Hope had returned.

Tryin 'to catch your eye from the side of the ballroom

Everybody's dancin' and the band's top volume

The slow song was over but I only noticed it when I saw the girl in front of me and then I smiled, trying not to lose sight of George but didn't go like that, since I was on the other side of the dance floor.

- You were having fun out there, weren’t you?? - I asked with a smile, giving up looking over her shoulder, so I just focused on her face.

- Yes, and where is your partner? You should be having fun too - she replied leaning against the wall beside me.

- He said he was going to talk to his friends but so far he hasn't returned - I couldn't hide my indifference, because I never had to hide anything with her.

Grind to the rhythm as we wine and dine

Grab my sister and whisper: Yo, this one's mine

- I know he wasn't your first choice, so who is it? I’m willing to know - his gaze left me and scanned the party full of people, looking for who could be right for me.

- I wanted to make sure he was interested in me before I told you. It's George, from the first moment we arrived here for the first time - I didn't try to hide my smile or my passionate look when I finally found the redhead again.

My sister made her way across the room to you (ooh)

And I got nervous thinking

"What's she gonna do?" (Ooh)

In a moment, she was beside me with an expression I didn't recognize and a second later the brunette was walking towards the other side of the dancefloor.

- Alexia, what are you going to do… - I didn't even try to speak out loud, because the music was incredibly loud for anyone but me to hear.

To my horror, she walked towards the Weasleys and I

paralyzed. One of my sister's characteristics comes down to doing basically everything for me, I already knew that nothing bad could be in her intentions but that didn't relieve my nervousness.

She grabs you by the arm

I'm thinkin ', "I'm through" (ooh)

Then you look back at me

And suddenly I'm helpless

I couldn't look away even though I looked crazy to those outside, so the two stepped aside a few meters and I could hear my heartbeat increasing by the second.

Would I like to be able to hear them? Certainly, but before I could think better about it. He looked directly at me.

Oh, look at those eyes (look into your eyes)

And the sky's the limit

I'm helpless (I know)

Down for the count and I'm drownin '

Helpless (I am so into you)

Few things in life have left me so nervous as that moment when George Weasley was walking towards me, with that smile on his face, the kind of smile I hadn't seen yet but perfectly matched his features.

She accompanied him halfway and winked at me before returning to the dancefloor. I didn't know what to expect but I would thank her forever, if that was what my hopeless heart was telling me.

Look into your eyes (I am so into you)

And the sky's the limit

I'm helpless

I know I'm down for the count

And I'm drownin 'in' in

The night ended perfectly and I almost felt like it was fate, because his partner ended up dancing with my partner. So they didn't even care for a second about being "abandoned", not that I was going to let this opportunity just slip through my fingers.

He was cute and kind, we danced and talked a little bit alone before going back to our friends.

But this time it was different because we were never so close to each other, I couldn't help but notice his arm around my shoulder, making me stay even closer to him.

That was my signal, the signal that this night meant something more to him too.

One week later

I'm writin 'a letter nightly

Now my life gets better, every letter that you write me

A week later, I had come to Paris with Ale to spend the Christmas holiday with our parents, but it didn't mean that we would lose contact. At that point it was past midnight when I was replying the letter I just received.

The owl that brought it was barely able to flap its wings when it arrived here and as it was freezing outside, I left it in the cage with mine to rest. She drank some water and practically passed out, poor thing.

- As I was saying, he really cares about you. Who wouldn't want someone like that? - she said after reading the letter I received.

- You will find one of these soon, there is a whole group of boys waiting for the chance of their lives to show you that - I replied with a smile while thinking of the right words to answer, everything had to be extremely perfect.

Laughin 'at my sister 'cause she wants to form a harem

I'm just sayin ', if you really loved me, you would share him

Ha!

- Yes, but still, it is not enough - she replied pouting but then smiled as if an idea had crossed her mind - we shared everything, why not that too? - She completed folding the letter and I just laughed.

- That's the only thing we can't share in this life and you're too jealous to share someone - I replied laughing even more at the expression she made.

- I'm going to sleep, just don't take too long to answer this letter, ok? Tomorrow we will all go out together, in case your little head has forgotten - she gave me one last hug before leaving, but I noticed that the light in her room was on for a while longer.

Many other things happened afterwards, but my hand is hurting and my ink is running out, so I'll leave the rest for later, ok? I promise don't keep you waiting to know what's happens next. See you tomorrow, dear diary.

Harry Potter Masterlist

#harry potter fanfiction #harry potter x you #fred weasley #harry potter #imagine harry potter #harry james potter imagine #george weasley #george weasley x reader #fredweasley #harry potter x reader #Spotify

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jksmoongf · 5 years ago

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Baby’s Breath [pt.8]

Pairing: (idol!dad!) Jungkook x reader Genre: angst / fluff /smut Wordcount: 8.1k Plot: Sometimes one reckless night is all it takes to completely turn your life upside down. But what if you can’t even trust your best friends to keep your secret? Warning pt.8: drama, awkward!jk ( a hard fave), just some baby fluff if you squint. A/N: so it’s been a long time since I last updated BB (I’m kinda nervous tbh) but now that KF is finished, I’m finally getting back to it. I hope someone still reads this but probably not lol. As always, feedback would be nice, my loves! 💕 I wanna thank @struggleofarmy for always helping me :( D. you are angel, without you I’d probably never write anything and ily 💕

The car came to a halt; she watched as Jungkook hastily unbuckled his seatbelt and stumbled out of the car. He felt the need to run - to run as far away from his life as he possibly could but his legs gave out when his feet sank into the sand, falling to his knees. He didn’t even try to get up, cowering down as he hid his face in his hands.

How was he supposed to feel okay again? His whole life took a complete 180; the universe had pulled the carpet from underneath his feet as he had tried to make things right for his little family. Not for one second did he have any bad intentions, he just wanted everyone to be happy but it all backfired.

All this hurt inside his chest really sucked the energy out of him; from day one the other members had looked after him, comforted him when he needed them, he had learned everything he knew from them and for them to betray him like this, was too much for him to handle. His heart was crumbling to pieces, bits floating in his body - and he knew they would never find their way back to repair the cracks.

Why did they have to betray him like that? He always tried his best to make them proud, and although he knew he wasn’t perfect, he was there for them to comfort them, to cheer them on, to listen to their worries. Was it all his fault that they went behind his back? Did they only care about themselves and their career and not at all about his happiness? His right hand balled into a fist, repeatedly hitting the sand.

His stomach churned, when his mind wandered off to the headlines when people eventually found out about him leaving the group, bile forced its way up into his mouth. He didn’t want the fans to hate him for leaving but for the first time in a long time, he had to put himself first. He wanted to see his little girl grow up, he wanted to be there on her first day of kindergarten and school; he wanted to go dance recitals and pick her up from school. He wanted to sing her to sleep and comfort her when she was upset. He wanted to help her blow out her birthday candles and see her eyes light up when unwrapping presents. He just wanted to be there for every important moment in her life; even the small ones that people always tend to forget but he seemed to remember those the most.

The thought of being a father had scared him to death when y/n had confessed to him that she was pregnant but now he would’ve given everything to turn back time, just so he could be there for her; holding her hand through all of it - he had been too weak, too selfish back then. But maybe it wasn’t too late to make things right, he would be there for her, for his daughter, no matter what; even if it meant to give up his dream. He would be okay as long as he could be with them.

“Kookie…” Y/n said softly, her hand rubbing circles on his back. “Baby…hey.” She managed to pull him up, his eyes were puffy and red from crying, lips quivering, she brushed his hair from his face. “It’s cold, we need to get you somewhere warm, okay?”

But Jungkook didn’t feel the ice-cold breeze that was seeping through his clothes, everything inside him was numbed to protect the last bits of his heart from breaking. “No..” He yelped, his voice too weak for any real protest but to his surprise, she sat down next to him. “Okay.” Carefully she wrapped her arm around his torso. “We can just stay here for a bit.”

Shakily he exhaled, as his eyes closed more tears seeped from them without his consent. Her fingers intertwined with his, his head was resting on her shoulder as he listened to the calming ocean waves hitting the shoreline.

At that moment he knew that everything would be okay again; they could start over and be happy together- they would fight all the odds that were against them. No one was going to keep them apart; not his company and not his brothers - he so desperately tried to push them to very back of his mind. If he just stopped thinking about them, they wouldn’t be able to hurt him any further.

With his sleeve, he wiped the tears from his cheeks, eyes still fixated on the ocean. “I-I’m sorry I dragged you out here…” He whispered after a little while. “But we had to go, we couldn’t stay in Seoul. They were going to separate us again.” “Who?” “The others told the boss about you and me and he told me I wasn’t allowed to talk to you ever again because it would ruin my career…” Deeply he sucked in a salty breath of air to stop the hiccuped sobs that were piling up in his chest. “He threatened to stop giving you money if I broke the rules and I just snapped…” He trailed off, trying to find the right words to describe what had happened a few hours ago. “I yelled at them…I pushed Jimin, I didn’t care that I hurt him…I just wanted to know which one of them rammed a knife in my back and wanted to take you away from me again…” Closing his eyes to stop the tears from escaping again, he tightened his fingers around her hand. “I-I just can’t believe they would do this to me, they are my family.” “You know they love you, Kookie. They just wanted to protect you, don’t be too hard on them.”

He pulled away, shaking his head. “No, they don’t deserve it. They wanted me to be miserable again, they wanted me to go through all this pain of losing you again.”

“I don’t think that was their intention, they worry about you and they only want what’s best for you.” She tried again to make him see that others were just looking out for him but he ferociously shook his head once more. “Then why can’t they accept that you’re what’s best for me?”

She didn’t say anything, only taking her bottom lip in between her teeth; not wanting to make him feel pressured when he was so upset, knowing him well enough to be sure that he would come around sooner rather than later. He had to forgive them, after all, they were a big part of his life, one screw up surely wouldn’t ruin the bond between them.

For a little while longer she let him rest, just listening to the ocean, hoping that it would wash away his sorrows. “Kookie…” She mumbled, shifting in her spot trying to suppress the shivers that were about to riddle her body. “Can we go back to the car? We need to check on Soo-Yun…” “Oh, yes. Yes, of course.” Within seconds he had gotten up and also pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go.” She smiled, holding her hand out for him to take. Carefully he intertwined his fingers with hers, following her to the silver SUV.

“Why did you leave her in the car?” The question was burning on the tip of his tongue. “I- it’s too cold for her and she was sleeping, so I didn’t want to wake her up. But I-I also wanted to give you some time alone…before I went to check on you…” She rambled, not looking at him.

Without giving it any thought, he stopped in his tracks, pulling her back to face him. His shaking hands cupped her face, thumbs gently caressing her cheeks before he crashed his lips onto hers; the tingling sensation of her warmth making his heart flutter. He knew it would be too soon to say those three words that held so much meaning but he needed her to know that he was still in love with her - hoping she would feel the desperation that had been caged up in his chest. She pulled away, cherishing the warmth his hands provided on her cold skin. “What was that for?” “I’m just happy to have you back in my life. I really missed you.” He knew, he’d be able to blame the cold air for tinting his cheeks and ears red in embarrassment.

Clutching his sweater, she got on her toes to peck his lips once more. “You’ll have such a hard time getting rid off me now…” He puffed up his cheeks, letting out a grunt. “Can’t believe you’re making me say those things…” “What things?” “Cheesy things…” He tilted his head. “You know I’m not good at that.” “It’s okay, you can always just text them to me if that’s easier for you.” She winked, before turning around to open the car door. “She’s still asleep, thank goodness.”

Jungkook peeked over her shoulder; Soo-Yun was still sound asleep, the tiniest snores he had ever heard, leaving her mouth. ��Can you believe we made her?” He said in awe, still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that he took part in creating the most beautiful little girl he had ever laid his eyes on.

“Well, yeah she was inside my stomach for 9 months and gave me a really hard time sleeping. She was a night owl just like you…” His hands subconsciously wandered to her shoulders, gently applying pressure. “I should’ve been there for you, I’m sorry.” “You’re here now, that’s all that matters.” Her hand closed around his on her shoulder. “Kookie, please stop feeling guilty, you didn’t know.” “If I- I should’ve reacted differently and none of this would’ve happened.”

She turned around, now cupping his face. “Listen, I’m not mad at you and I’ll never hold it against you so please stop apologizing. You’re going to be a part of her life and that’s all I ever wanted for her.” He nodded, feeling tears brimming in his eyes - hoping that eventually, the overwhelming feeling of guilt would subside.

“Okay, the tank is filled up.” Jungkook shivered as he got back into the driver’s seat, rubbing his hands together for warmth. “Where do you want to go?” “I don’t know, I was thinking we could go to my place in Jeonju but…” She trailed off, tracing the rim of the window to her right. “We shouldn’t. I’m sure that’s where they’re going to look for us first.” “I mean, my parents’ house is not too far from here…” He muttered, finally revealing to her what he had wanted to do ever since he had left the dorm. “It’s only a little over an hour to Busan…” “Don’t you think they’ll come looking for you there too?” “Probably yeah but do you have a better idea? At least my parents can help us and it would be easier to take care of Soo-Yun there instead of hotel rooms and they could meet you…finally”

She scrunched up her nose. “Okay, yeah…let’s go to Busan.” Not able to bring herself to crush his newfound sense of positivity, she agreed. Jungkook leaned over the middle console to kiss her cheek. “I’m just going to let my brother know that we’re coming.”

Forcing a smile onto her face, she nodded. It didn’t feel good; she didn’t want to burden his family with her presence and surprise them with a grandchild they didn’t know about. It made her stomach feel queasy as her leg bobbed up and down nervously. She knew his parents had known about their relationship but they had never met and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to meet them under these circumstances.

“Ah, I hope my mom has some food for us, I’m so hungry.” He beamed as he started the car up again - it was almost like he had forgotten all his troubles at the prospect of seeing his family and she couldn’t help but softly smile at his excitement.

Every now and again her eyes drifted off to Naver Maps on Jungkook’s phone on the dashboard, focusing in on the small timestamp that disclosed their time of arrival at his parents’ house; the nauseous feeling still swimming in her stomach, was slowly rising up in her throat.

“Is everything okay? You’re awfully quiet…” He muttered, not averting his gaze from the road. She wanted to lie and tell him that she was fine but her mouth betrayed her before she could bite her tongue. “I’m nervous.” “Why?” Judging by the tone of his voice, it didn’t occur to him that it was a weird situation and that everything that had happened on that day felt simply overwhelming. “I’ve never met your family…and under these circumstances - it’s just making me nervous.”

“Ah, they’ll love you, my parents are really cool. You don’t have to worry about anything. They will be so happy to finally meet you and Soo-Yun and Junghyun is really excited that we’re coming.” For a brief second, he smiled at her, his right hand leaving the steering wheel to give hers an encouraging squeeze.

“Okay…” She mumbled, forcing a smile onto her face. Maybe Jungkook wasn’t aware of the implications of him bringing her and their daughter to meet his parents; maybe he was in over his head and he couldn’t think straight. “I’m being serious! Please don’t be worried, I know my parents will be over the moon when they meet you.” “Sure yeah…” But before Jungkook could try to calm her down, even more, Soo-Yun started whining in her car seat. She turned around, simultaneously sending a prayer up to the gods for the distraction. “I think she’s hungry.” “How do you know?” “I can just tell from the way she cries…” Shrugging her shoulders, she fished the small box of crackers from her bag that Jungkook had bought at the gas station. “Really? Do you think I’ll be able to do that too?” He wondered, watching his daughter munch on one of the wheat crackers in her hands in the rearview-mirror. “Probably, yes.” Turning back around, she offered the box to Jungkook. “Do you want one?” He nodded his head, and she held one up to his mouth so he wouldn’t get distracted from driving. “I’ll have to feed her when we get there…” Jungkook handed her his phone without warning. “Text my brother that we’ll be there in 15 minutes and let him know that we’re hungry.”

She gulped down the lump in her throat when she quickly read the Kakao chat, even in writing he sounded really excited to go home and although he only mentioned a surprise to his older brother, he seemed just as happy that his little brother was coming home for a little while.

Jimin let out a disgruntled noise when he sat up in bed, his back was still sore from when Jungkook had pushed him. His hand automatically flew to apply pressure to the bruise that decorated his skin next to his spine.

“Jungkookie…” He mumbled to himself, as he got up, his face scrunched up in pain and he slowly waddled down the hallway to the youngest room. He had locked himself in and wouldn’t come out or make any noise, even after Jin had told him that there were leftovers in the fridge for him if he wanted something to eat, Jungkook had stayed quiet. Jimin knew he was hurt; someone had stabbed him in the back but he couldn’t help it - his heart felt heavy for his little brother. He just wanted him to be happy and so did the other members but to Jimin’s dismay, Jungkook’s behavior had left a sour taste in their mouths. He had stayed up until the early hours of the morning in hopes of catching Jungkook sneaking into the kitchen which would have given him the perfect chance to talk to him and maybe straighten things out, but it never happened. His feelings must have been seriously hurt if he shut them all out completely.

Carefully Jimin knocked on the door. “Hey Jungkook-ah, are you awake? Can we talk?” He asked his voice piping up in hopes that some sleep would’ve helped to calm things down and make the youngest act more rationally and maybe he would be willing to listen. But he got no response, so instead, he pressed his ear to the wooden door, trying to hear if he was awake yet.

“Screw it…” His hand slowly pushed down the door handle and to his surprise, it actually swung open. “Jungkook-ah?” He asked again, taking a few steps into the room, his eyes looking for the raven-haired boy but his bed was still made and he was nowhere to be found. The first thought that popped into his head was that Jungkook might have gone to the gym to release his anger lifting weights but his gym shoes were still lying on the floor next to the black backpack he always carried around.

“Something’s not right…” Jimin crossed the room, inspecting the wide-open closet. A few hangers were sticking out, others were scattered on the floor. It was very unlike Jungkook to make a mess of his closet, yes his room was always a little messy but he kept his closet remarkably tidy, even color-coding his shirts.

“Jimin-ah, what are you doing?” Hoseok’s voice made him spin around, only to see his roommate standing right behind him, a coffee mug in hand. “Where’s Jungkookie?”

“I don’t know, I wanted to check on him but he wasn’t in here…”

“Maybe he went to the gym?” Hoseok suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

“That’s what I thought too but something is very off…” Jimin let his eyes wander around the room. “You see all the hangers?” He mumbled absentmindedly when his eyes fell on the small collection of backpacks in the corner. “His army backpack is gone…”

“What? How do you know?” Hoseok peeked over his shoulder.

“He always keeps his bags there and it’s the only one missing…” Jimin’s mind was racing, making his heart rate speed up. “I think…hyung...I think he left…”

“Maybe he just needed to get out for a bit to clear his head? I’m sure he will be back soon.”

Jimin nodded, not wanting to worry the older boy but a bad feeling was stirring up in the pit of his stomach. No matter how bad their fights had been in the past, Jungkook had never left, not like this at least - making him feel sick.

“Look, that’s where my friend Kangdae from school lives. We used to go to Taekwondo together.” Jungkook pointed at a house as they drove past it in the dark. “And that’s where I fell because I was wearing Junghyun’s skates and they were too big and I scraped my knee pretty badly.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at how happy he was to be back home and to share a part of his life with her that she had only ever heard him mention a handful of times. He always said that he didn’t have a lot of memories from home and that his life as a trainee was more memorable to him but it was heartwarming to hear his little recollections of his childhood in Busan. Fondly she ran her fingers through his hair. “You’re so cute…maybe you can show me around and tell me more stories…” She suggested, earning an enthusiastic nod from him. “I’d love to, we can take Soo-Yun with us…you know so she knows where I grew up.” “Oh! I-we didn’t take the stroller with us.” She gasped, wanting to slap herself for forgetting one of the most important things. “Don’t worry, we’ll just buy one.” Even in the dark car, his eyes twinkled like stars in the night sky and everything seemed okay for just one moment.

Jungkook turned the engine off. “That’s my house…” He proudly announced, gesturing to the modest house on the right side. “Oh, I gotta text my brother…” Quickly he grabbed his phone when the door opened.

In a daze, she watched Jungkook getting out of the car as fast as he could and running up to his brother. After unbuckling her seatbelt, she slowly got out of the car but hesitantly stayed still next to it, wanting to give him and his family a moment of happiness before she had a chance to ruin it. “Mom! Dad! Come here!” His brother called over his shoulder before ruffling Jungkook’s hair. “I haven’t told them you’re coming.”

Moments later his parents appeared in the doorway and his mother let out a squeal, pulling her son into a bone-crushing hug. “You look so thin.” She scolded him lovingly, cupping his cheeks in her hands before her eyes narrowed and she could feel goosebumps travel down her skin when their eyes met for the first time.

“Ah, right. I-…” Jungkook paused, rushing to her side. “Come on, they won’t bite you.” He mumbled, only holding her hand a second before he let go. “I want you to meet y/n.” He grinned, gently nudging her to take a step forward to properly meet his family but he immediately left her side again.

“It’s very nice to meet you.” Forcing the corners of her mouth upwards before she bowed, her legs wanting to run in the opposite direction. “Y/n…” The resenting tone of his mother’s voice was petrifying - she knew that she had broken her son’s heart into a million pieces over a year ago. “Nice to finally meet you.” Junghyun smiled, the all too familiar crinkles around his eyes forming but before he could say anything else, his mother stood in front of her, hands on her hips, a stern look on her face. “I don’t want a dirty girl like you around my son. Leave.”

Y/n’s eyes darted from Junghyun to Jungkook’s father who was silently pressing his lips together, perhaps he didn’t want to argue with his wife or maybe, he wanted her to leave as well - it was posing more than difficult to read his facial expressions. She felt awful, her heart falling from her chest down to her stomach; she knew that coming here was a bad idea - why did Jungkook think that his family would welcome her, the girl that hurt him so badly, with open arms? “Mom, I think it’s a little too late for that…” Her older son chuckled when footsteps were heard right behind them.

“I’m assuming you don’t want to meet your granddaughter then…” Jungkook slowly walked up to them, Soo-Yun propped upon his arm, the other tightly wrapped around her as she held onto his neck. Her big eyes wearily evaluating the tense situation. “We can go somewhere else, all three of us need to be welcome, mom.”

“Gr-granddaughter?” His father repeated in disbelief, staring at the small child in his youngest son’s arms. “Yes, this is your granddaughter.” “Aw, she’s so cute.” Junghyun made grabby hands at his niece, waiting for his brother to let him hold her. “She surely gets her beauty from her uncle!” He made cooing noises at her. “Yes, you do. Ah, she’s so cute, my heart.” Soo-Yun giggled, as he held her closer to his face to get a good look at her and her hand grabbed a chunk of his hair. “You are the prettiest little girl.”

His mother cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure; still not fully able to wrap her head around what was happening. “Are you even sure she’s yours?” She addressed Jungkook while side-eying the baby, who was happily babbling along to the cooing and kissy-faces.

“Mom, just look at her. She looks just like Jungkookie!” Junghyun held his niece up to his mother’s face and her expression softened immediately. Although she was hellbent on disliking the girl that broke her son’s heart, she couldn’t deny the fact that this little girl looked so much like him when he was a baby - from the little button nose down to the big brown eyes that she had always adored on her son.

“I know, I hurt Jungkook when I broke up with him and I understand that you don’t like me but…”

“Y/n, don’t.” Jungkook interrupted her. “Mom, she’s mine and if you can’t accept y/n or Soo-Yun then we’ll leave. I thought you’d be more understanding but I guess, I was wrong.” Without waiting for an answer, he took his daughter from his brother before turning around to go back to the car. “Let’s go.”

“Mom!” Junghyun’s tone was pressing, fearing that once Jungkook left, he would never come back. “Wait!” His mother called out. “You can stay here.” “Are you sure?” He raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out if his mother was being sincere or not. “Because if you’re not then we’ll…” “I am. You’re all welcome to stay.” She cut him off, an ounce of panic straining her hoarse voice.

Almost immediately, Junghyun took his niece back into his arms before disappearing in the house. “You know, you should forget about those uncles back in Seoul. I’m your real uncle…” “Thank you.” Jungkook mumbled, pecking his mother’s cheek before his dad wrapped his arm around his shoulders and led him inside. Hesitantly she followed them, making eye contact with his mother in passing - she still didn’t look happy but she forced a smile onto her face.

It was awkward to be at his parents’ house, she just didn’t feel like she belonged; she had anticipated his mother’s reaction but seeing his brother and father playing with her daughter on the couch made her feel a little less on edge. Maybe his mother would eventually warm up to her; she could only try to imagine how shocked and overwhelmed she felt.

“Can she talk?” “No, not yet, still waiting for her first word.” “Soo-Yun can you say Halbi…Hal-bi…” Jungkook’s dad tried to encourage her to call him grandpa but the little girl just eyed him curiously before he started tickling her and her cute giggles echoed from the walls.

“Come on, I’ll show you around.” Jungkook whispered, taking her hand as he pulled her out into the hallway and up the stairs. “I’ll start making dinner for you.” His mother called from the kitchen, where the rattling of pots and pans could be heard. “If you need help, let me know.”

But she didn’t respond and as they reached the top of the stairs he came to a halt. “This is my parents’ bedroom…” He pointed to the left. “Next to it, is the bathroom and that’s Junghyun’s room, which leaves us with my room..” He opened the door last door on the right that had a few paint chips missing.

“Cute…” She commented, trying to suppress a giggle as she walked around the room. It still very much looked like a kids room, posters on the wall, ribbons from sporting competitions and comic books filled the two small shelves on the left wall. “I’m never really here, so they just left it like this. Last time I was here, I wanted to change it but I never got around to it…” He sat down on the bed that was clearly only fit for one person. “Plus if I changed it, it just wouldn’t feel like my room, you know?” “I get it.” She sat down next to him. “Are you okay?” Feeling his eyes on her, she turned her head. “Yeah, it’s just a little much but I can handle it, don’t worry.” “I know but we’re safe here and my mom will come around. She’s just…she knows I had a really hard time after we broke up, she’s worried.” “I understand, if I were in her shoes I’d probably react the same way.”

He nodded, pinching his bottom lip between his index finger and thumb. “I’ll talk to her, I want you to feel comfortable here.” “Thank you.” She smiled weakly and out of the blue he pressed her down into the pillows, innocently planting little kisses to her lips that she wished would last a little longer each time. His hand softly traveled up and down her waist, slowly disappearing underneath her shirt when his lips left hers to trail down her neck, the tip of his nose brushing against her skin. “Kookie it tickles…” She whined, kicking her legs lightly but he didn’t care, covering every inch in butterfly kisses. Someone coughed, making them pull away from each other.

“Hyung.” Jungkook felt his ears heat up; he let himself get carried away - it wasn’t easy to stop when he felt like he had to make up for all those months they were apart. “Mom says dinner will be ready in half an hour or so but I can just tell her you’re busy…” He winked, making his brother jump to his feet. “No, hyung! No, don’t tell her, please.” “Calm down.” He patted his shoulder. “But - I never thought I’d see you with a girl in here, dreams do come true.” He wiped away a fake tear, earning a slap to his arm from Jungkook. “Stop teasing me.” He pouted, stomping his foot just like he would when they were kids.

“Where’s Soo-Yun?” She interrupted their bickering after checking her watch. “Downstairs with dad, he’s playing peek-a-boo with her.” She nodded. “Would it be okay if I took a shower?” “Of course, I’ll go get our stuff from the car and Soo-Yun.” “Thanks.” Smiling at both of them, she excused herself to the bathroom.

Junghyun followed his little brother downstairs to the car. “Is everything okay? The other day you told me that you were really busy with practice and now you’re here…” He trailed off while lifting the suitcase from the trunk.

Jungkook wanted to lie and pretend like everything was fine and that his heart wasn’t painfully contracting in his chest every time he thought about his other brothers back in Seoul but he couldn’t. “Not really, hyung. Something happened, something really bad happened…” “What’s going on?” He wanted to tell him that they betrayed him, that he yelled at them and that he hurt Jimin but the words got caught in his throat; he wouldn’t believe him anyway. “I-I don’t want to talk about it right now…”

Junghyun watched him as he got the purple plush puppy and the car seat from the backseat; he knew his baby brother was deeply hurt, his eyes drooping in sadness but he didn’t want to press the issue. Jungkook would talk when he was ready. “Let’s go free your baby from dad’s grasp.” “Is it that bad?” His eyes widened. “No, it’s actually really cute how he plays with her.” “To be honest, I thought mom would be the one to…” “Give her some time, she’ll get used to it. You know, when we heard how upset you were from Jin…” He paused when he noticed the tortured expression on Jungkook’s face at the mention of his member’s name. “Mom was really upset as well, she wanted to go to Seoul to take care of you, you’re still her baby and now you have a baby, I think she just needs to process everything.”

He nodded, pressing the button on the car key to lock it. “I hope so, I really want mom to like y/n and Soo-Yun…” “I’m sure she will, don’t worry. When did you find out anyway? You haven’t been with her in over a year.” “A couple of days ago…” Jungkook’s voice was really quiet, almost inaudible when he followed him back inside. Slowly but surely the sinking feeling in his stomach told him that what had happened back in Seoul must have been a result of Y/n being back in his life.

She wrapped the dark blue towel around her body before she took a closer look into the mirror - she was a tired mess, even a steaming hot shower wasn’t able to hide the bags under her eyes. Faintly she heard Jungkook’s voice coming from his room when she walked back, it was a higher pitch than usual when he sweetly talked to Soo-Yun. “Are you sleepy? Oh right, your mommy said you were hungry earlier. I’ll get the crackers, wait.” She watched how he clumsily reached for her bag and rummaged through it to find the small carton.

“It’s okay, I’ll feed her now. It’s almost time for her to go to bed anyway.” She announced herself, crossing the short distance from the door to the bed. “Ah, perfect. Would it be okay if I jumped in the shower real quick? I feel like I have stand stuck everywhere from earlier.” “Sure.” Pressing his lips to her forehead, before he grabbed clean clothes and disappeared in the bathroom.

“Are you hungry?” She sat down, picking her daughter up to place her on her lap. “You’ve been such a good girl today but it’s almost bedtime, princess.” Soo-Yun usually demanded to always be fed on time, she just loved to eat and snack all day, although she was a bit fussy when it came to vegetables, cucumber being her favorite by far but before bed and once during the night, she still wanted milk. Naturally, her chubby little hands reached for the towel that was standing in the way of her dinner, once she had cradled her in arms like she usually would.

“I can’t wait for you to only eat solids.” She cooed, gently pushing her daughter’s hair from her forehead when the familiar sucking noises started.

For a moment she watched her drink, the little eyelashes fluttering shut before she busied herself on her phone. Three messages from Jihoon and two missed calls were amongst the messages from her sister and brother in law wondering where she was. Quickly she replied to the latter, not wanting them to worry but Jihoon was a different story. They weren’t dating- they had kissed a handful of times but only ever after she had cried to him about her struggles with Soo-Yun and to her they were just good friends; maybe she was trying to fill the void in her heart that Jungkook left but to him, they were clearly more than friends. Before she could type out a reply to yet another ‘I miss you’ message, she heard a gasp.

Looking up from her phone, she saw Jungkook standing in the doorway, staring at her with his mouth open, only in his underwear and a t-shirt. “I’m so sorry, I’ll go…” He covered his eyes quickly, wanting to give her some privacy but his body had turned to stone. There were too many thoughts rushing through his head to sort through them. To say that he was embarrassed was an understatement, he could feel himself starting to sweat profusely, his cheeks burning up in a crimson red.

“You don’t have to go, you can stay…I don’t mind.” “No, no…I’ll go…” He wanted to turn around. “Kook, are you embarrassed?” She raised her eyebrows, not fully able to banish the amused tone from her voice. “I-I…” He stuttered, still not looking at her, just wanting to hide somewhere until she was done. “You don’t have to be, it’s normal. Babies have to eat too.” “I know that…” He mumbled, dragging his feet over to the chair by the small desk. “I just thought…she was eating food and you didn’t have to…" Ungracefully he gestured towards her, not wanting to say the word breastfeeding out-loud. “For the most part, she eats regular food, yes, but she still likes her milk in the evening and at night…just like you, you love milk, so that’s something you have in common.”

Jungkook scrunched up his nose, his ears were on fire and he still couldn’t bring himself to look at her. “If you have questions, just ask…” He didn't even have to think twice, there was one question predominantly pushing its way forward in his brain. “Uhm, you know…the other day when we, you know…I did that too and nothing came out…” She burst out laughing, earning a disgruntled noise the baby in her arms. “I guess, you were just lucky. I should’ve warned you, I’m sorry.”

Throwing his head back, he let out a whiny cry. “Yes, you should have. That would’ve been weird.” Suddenly his head snapped back and he was directly looking at her, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. “You know, I was wondering why your boobs were a little lopsided” “Just like your balls.” She shrugged, shifting her focus back to her daughter. “What? Are you serious? Is one really bigger than the other?” He leaned forward, trying to inspect his lower region through the black fabric of his briefs. “You’re an idiot.” Rolling her eyes, she reached for a pillow, aiming it directly at his head.

“You did what?” Hoseok whispered yelled, although it was just him, Yoongi, Namjoon and Jin who were at the dorm, while the two youngest were out looking for the maknae. Jin nervously hid his hands inside his pink sweater when he ever so lightly nodded. “I can’t believe you two were the ones that told on Jungkookie.” Hobi’s face was pulled into a grimace of contempt. “So he was right. Unbelievable…” “Well, it was mainly Namjoon who did the talking, I didn’t say much….I couldn’t….” Jin tried to defend himself, still feeling the heavyweight of guilt resting on his shoulders. “Doesn’t matter, you were his accomplice!” “I thought, I was doing the right thing.” Namjoon covered his face with his hands. “He was so happy but I knew that if management found out later, it would be a lot worse for him, them…all of us.” “That was not your decision to make. You did stab him in the back.”

“Hoseok-ah, he just wanted to help and it won’t do any good or change anything if you keep scolding him now.” Yoongi crossed his arms. “I don’t condone what you did but I get it. We all worked too hard to have this potentially ruin everything. You had good intentions but it blew up in your face.” “You should’ve talked to Jungkook first, I’m sure, he would’ve understood what’s at stake here.” Hoseok lowered his gaze. “I-I really only wanted to do what’s right. I didn’t think he would listen to me and I thought, he would understand if the boss told him that he’s making a mistake.” “But he always listens to you, you should’ve been the one to knock some sense into him.”

Namjoon let out a heart-wrenching sigh. “I know that now…” They fell silent for a moment, where they all succumbed to their thoughts. It was the first time that a fight between the members had gotten so out of hand that one of them ran away and didn’t come home. “We have to make sure Jimin and Taehyung don’t find out what you two did, they will take it to heart.” Yoongi muttered, his thumb pressed against his bottom lip before he sunk his teeth into the already tortured skin - if things didn’t start to look up again soon, he’d never be able to break this terrible habit.

Dinner had been awkward, to say the least; not once had Jungkook felt this strange and out of place in his parents’ house, even the light-hearted conversations his brother had tried so hard to hold, faded into silence very quickly.

Y/n was sitting on the floor in his room, watching as Soo-Yun peacefully let out little snores in the car seat. “Do you think she’ll be comfortable enough in this thing the whole night?” He wondered, carefully eyeing his daughter, feeling bad that it was too late to get a proper bed for her to sleep in. “Maybe we should have stayed at a hotel for the night…” “It’s not ideal but it should be okay for one night, don’t worry too much.” She turned around, now kneeling in front of him. “How’s your hand?” She inspected his knuckles, that had slowly started to bruise. “It’s a little sore.” “What did you do anyway?” “I might have punched a wall…” He trailed off, watching her mouth open in shock. “Jungkook, what? Are you serious?” “I was angry, they were still lying to me. I-I just needed to do something and it was better than hitting one of them.” “You know there’s pillows or punching bags for that so you don’t end up with a bloody hand.”

Letting out an airy chuckle, he cupped her face and moved in closer. “Thank you, what would I do without you?” She smiled against his lips before they connected sweetly when suddenly the door opened. Quickly they pulled away from each other, his mother scrunched up her nose, holding extra bedding in her arms.

Crudely she walked over to the bed. “Here, help me put this on. Your father is bringing the air mattress in a few minutes.” “Air mattress?” He repeated with a dumbfounded look on his face. “But we don’t need it, we can just sleep in my bed.” She let out a sardonic chuckle through her pursed lips. “You two are not sharing a bed. Evidently nothing good comes from that.”

“Mom!” He protested, feeling a sting in his heart from the snide remark aimed to hurt his and y/n’s feelings. “Jungkook-ah, I don’t want to hear another word.” Silently he nodded his head as he started helping his mother with the bedding. “Is there anything I can do to help?” Y/n offered, when his father walked in, carrying the old air mattress. “No, I think you’ve done enough already.” Quickly Jungkook looked at her, mouthing ‘sorry’ before stuffing a pillow into its designated pillowcase. “Honey, where do you want me to put it?” “Hm, over there, in front of the bookshelf.” His mother instructed her husband after making sure there would be enough space between the mattress and the bed. “Here’s a fitted sheet for you.” Coldly she handed it to y/n, shooing her husband to the door. “Don’t stay up too late.” “We won’t. Goodnight.” Jungkook wanted to close the door behind her but instantly his mother pushed it back open. “The door stays open!” “But mom.” He whaled, feeling like a little kid again that was being treated unfairly. “If you insist on closing it, you can sleep in your brother’s room, then y/n can have your room all to herself and close the door if she pleases.” She smiled sweetly, her eyes drilling into her son’s, letting him know that she didn’t appreciate his behavior. “Fine.” He mumbled, just pushing the door a little so it wasn’t fully open. “Is that okay?” “No.” “But mom, y/n has to feed the baby later, please…” “Just for tonight.” She caved, turning to leave. Impatiently Jungkook waited for his parents’ bedroom door to close before he sat down on his bed again.

“That’s unbelievable. I’m not a kid anymore.” “It’s okay, at least you don’t have to sleep in Junghyun’s room.” After finishing putting the fitted sheet on the air mattress, she sat down on it. “But still, we’re not teenagers anymore. We’ve already done it, there’s no need to keep us apart.” Groaning, he let himself fall back, hitting his head on the wall. “Ouch, I forgot how small his bed is.” “See, maybe it’s good that I’m sleeping over here.” “You’re not sleeping on that old thing. You can have my bed and I’ll sleep on the floor.” “I don’t mind, you can really sleep in your bed.”

But Jungkook wouldn’t budge, he got up and grabbed the end of the air mattress, dragging it over, right next to his bed before he lifted her up with ease to make her sit on the bed. “Ah, much better.” He smiled, sitting down cross-legged. “You know, your mom will be mad if she sees this.” “I don’t care, I want you to be comfortable and I can sleep pretty much anywhere.” He pulled the duvet over his legs. “Do you need me to set an alarm for when you have to feed her?” “No, my body now wakes up by itself at 2:30 am…fun, right?” “That’s usually my bedtime.” Jungkook watched her, as she tried to get comfortable in his bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin. “We can stay up if you want.” She yawned, her eyes already hooded with sleep.

He simply shook his head, reaching for the light switch of his desk lamp. “No, it was a long day. I’m glad when it’s finally over.” Rolling onto his side, he closed his eyes. Maybe tomorrow would be different, maybe tomorrow would be a better day where he didn’t have to think about his brothers at all; his priorities had shifted so fast that maybe he would be able to forget about them just as quickly. “Kookie?” “Hm?” He hummed drowsily, wanting to open his eyes when she didn’t reply but then he felt her hand underneath his duvet, searching for his; their fingers intertwined. His body relaxed instantly into the mattress, and although he couldn’t sleep in the same bed, it was more than enough to know that she was there, holding onto his hand - and heart like she always did. *

Namjoon was pacing up and down in front of the sofa; his hands were clammy so he repeatedly wiped them on his sweat pants. “Can you please sit down? You’re making us all nervous.” Hoseok’s eyes were glued to the clock on the wall, his pupils moving rapidly as they kept up with the seconds that passed. “Sorry, I’m just…” The leader was cut off when the two youngest members hurried into the room. “Did you find him?”

Taehyung shook his head. “He’s not at the gym, nor is he with any of his friends…” “They could be lying and are covering for him.” “I doubt it, hyung, most of them said that they haven’t heard from him in a while.”

Jimin slumped down on the floor. “He’s not responding to messages and when I try calling him, it goes straight to voicemail. Have any of you tried calling him?” All of them pulled their phones out but every call ended with a disappointed sigh. “Voicemail.” Jin mumbled, dropping his phone to massage his temples.

“He’s just mad and needs to clear his head, he’s probably with y/n.” Yoongi tried to reassure his members but even he couldn’t entirely ignore the uneasy feeling inside of him.

“I tried calling her too earlier but the same thing happened.” “Well then we know that he told her what happened, that’s something.” “It’s not, we still don’t know where he is and if he’s okay.” Taehyung sat down next to his best friend. “I’m sure he’s fine and will be home soon.” Yoongi tried his best to sound hopeful, only to earn a sad look from both boys on the floor.”

“Maybe we should call the police. It’s been over 24 hours…” “But Jungkookie is not missing…” “Yes, he is! We don’t know where he is and that makes him a missing person!” Jimin protested, determined to find the youngest. Namjoon cleared his throat. “We can’t call the police, but we can tell one of the managers what’s going on. They have to know.” “And what are they gonna do about it? If we can’t find him, they won’t either.” Jimin threw his hands up in despair. If only Jungkook would have talked to him; he was sure that he would’ve been able to calm him down and make him stay. Was this just part of a plan to make them all feel bad or had the youngest been so heartbroken, so upset that he couldn’t stand living with them anymore? They would never turn their backs on him but Jungkook had just walked out of their lives.

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aurorapillar · 4 years ago

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Title: I'm a Fox, not a Cat

Fandom: Trash of the Count's Family

Characters: Cale Henituse, On, Hong, Raon Miru, Alberu Crossman

Summary: Waking up in the body of a minor villian from a novel he'd read was something Kim Rok Soo could deal with, inheriting the memories of the body's original owner was fine too.

He had to admit though, finding out the original Cale had secretly been beast tribe, had come as a surprise.

For TCF Week day 6

Free choice instead of the prompt

For most people suddenly waking up in the body of another person would no doubt be quite a shock, even more so when it was the body of a minor villain from a novel they had read; they'd likely panic, causing a fuss and drawing unnecessary attention to themselves, that would end up causing trouble in the long run. Kim Rok Soo however, was not most people, life had long ago forced him to become an adaptable person. He'd had to learn to roll with whatever came his way if he wanted to survive.

And so upon waking up in the body of one Cale Henituse, the starter villain from a novel he had read the night before and finding his head filled with memories that did not belong to him, his first reaction was to simply go through the motions. There were plenty of questions turning around in his head, and what seemed to be eighteen years worth of the original Cale’s memories to go through, but he'd known that the current moment was not the time to be worrying about those things. Though he knew from the novel that Cale was by no means close to his family, let alone their employees, he was also aware that most people wouldn't take kindly to a stranger suddenly replacing someone they'd known. It was best to save worrying about what had happened until he had the chance to be alone.

And so Kim Rok Soo, who had become Cale Henituse, had headed off to have breakfast with what was now his family. It was quite frankly the best meal he'd had in a long time, perhaps even in his entire life, and he hadn't been able to keep from smiling as he ate. He’d of course noticed his new family staring at him, and with the help of the memories that slowly seem to come to the forefront as he needed them, had realized that smiling while eating wasn’t something the real Cale would have done; however he didn't particularly care. It wasn't something that would really cause suspicion, and quite frankly he wasn't planning on sticking to the way Cale had used to act. He was Cale now, and while he by no means planned to be a saint, he wasn't going to stay as the trash that ended up beaten up by the hero either.

From what he could tell there were enough similarities between his personality and that of the original Cale’s, that as long as he was careful and didn't make too many changes at once, he could easily avoid suspicion. Of course, even if someone did get suspicious of the changes he made, they certainly weren't going to jump to the conclusion that he was a transmigrator. He'd avoid getting beaten to a pulp by Choi Han, fix up his relationship with his family some, make sure his younger brother Basen was set up to be the heir, and then he could finally live the slacker lifestyle he'd used to tell his teammates he dreamed of.

Of course to be successful in that endeavor, he first needed to not only try and recall everything he could about what happened in Birth of a Hero, but also finish merging all of the original Cale’s memories with his, which was why after breakfast was finished he'd excuse himself to the study and locked the door. Even when he hadn't used his ability, his memory was very good, so it didn't take much effort for him to be called the key points of the novel and make a list of what he needed to do. After finishing that and burning the list so that no one else could find it, he'd then turned his attention going through the memories that were swirling around in his head.

Cale Henituse had only been a minor villain in Birth of a Hero, his whole purpose had been to make the main character mad and get beaten up, before never really being mentioned again. As such there naturally hadn't been much information given about him; his mother had died when he was still very young and his father had sooner remarried and had another son, followed by a daughter some years later. Cale had begun acting trashy at eight and started drinking at fifteen, soon earning a reputation for causing trouble and being spoiled. Despite that though he'd always been careful not to directly cause trouble for his family, and had never been known to attack or try to force himself on women.

That was the limit to information given about him in the novel, and there was nothing in Cale's memories that contradicted that, there was however a lot more details and the reasoning behind his actions. Cale had been purposefully trying to create a persona that would get him easily dismissed by others, he'd wanted people to think he was spoiled and bratty and just generally not worth their time; it was actually a pretty clever plan, once people had decided you were scum they usually didn't try to dig any deeper or figure you out.

Of course, the reason that the real Cale Henituse had gone to all that effort had thrown the new one off guard. It was because he was part of a beast tribe.

Cale Henituse's mother had been from the Eastern continent, as a young girl she had been the sole survivor of a massacre that wiped out all the rest of the Fox Tribe, forcing her to flee to another continent to find safety. There she'd met and fallen in love with Deruth Henituse, resulting in the birth of Cale; their happiness have been short-lived however, as she had grown sick and died while her son was still young. Before she passed on through, she had imparted all the knowledge she could have of their people and their fate to her small son, no doubt hoping to ensure that it was not forgotten and that he would know his heritage.

Cale had been a mere toddler though, too young to truly understand what he’d been told and as he'd gotten older and finally began to comprehend it, he was then too scared to appreciate it. Perhaps it was simply the instinct of a fox to run and hide, because that was exactly what Cale had done, he built a mask to disguise himself so that no one could find the real him.

Kim Rok Soo didn't know what had happened to the real Cale now that he had taken over, but he hoped that Cale had found peace at last, far away from the fear that had gripped him for so long.

As for Kim, no Cale, for he'd already accepted his new identity; he wasn't particularly worried. It had been almost 30 years since the Fox Tribe was massacred, and his mother had changed her name and identity when she'd fled, leaving little to track her with. And those who knew of her past and Cale's heritage could almost be counted on one hand, so he wasn't particularly worried about it getting out.

His plan was to lead a calm slacker life, he wouldn't be doing anything that would draw attention to himself, so there was no real need to worry about danger. He'd live a nice normal life and no one would ever be any the wiser to the fact that he wasn't human.

"You're like us!" It was an excited but innocently meant proclamation from the small red kitten, but it still managed to freeze Cale in place for a moment upon hearing it. Quickly he'd glanced at the door to his room, knowing already that it was shut and he and the kittens were the only ones there, but still feeling the need to check.

Such an action did not go unnoticed by the two children of course, who tilted their heads to the side and stared at him with undisguised curiosity.

"I'm not a cat," Cale told them, starting to regret having brought them home a little bit. They'd looked so tired and hungry that as someone who'd experienced what that was like in his previous life, Cale just hadn't been able to leave them there when he knew he was capable of helping. He really hadn't counted on them being so perceptive though.

The silver kitten’s eyes narrowed in suspicion at Cale's words, all beast tribes had sharp senses, so it was highly possible she could tell he wasn't human, just like he'd known she and her brother were Cat Tribe despite the form they'd been taking.

"I'm really not," Cale assured her. He was careful not to say he was human despite how much he wanted to claim so; if he was right about the two of them being able to smell what he was, then it would only get him caught in a lie.

"But you are beast tribe," the kitten, who had previously claimed her name to be On, firmly stated.

Cale couldn't help but flinch at how sure sounding a pronouncement that was, the kid couldn't be more than ten but she'd already mastered the 'I know I'm right and don't you dare try and argue with me' tone. Though perhaps as an older sister that was a necessary tone to master.

"Is it a secret?" Hong, the red kitten asked, looking slightly nervous at the way Cale had flinched. It seemed like he was perhaps worried about getting in trouble for asking questions, and that was a fear which Cale remembered all too well, so he let out a soft sigh and smiled gently at the kitten.

"Kind of," he admitted. It wasn't as big a secret for him as it had been for the original Cale, but he still didn't want it being spread around. He supposed the kittens probably wouldn't want it spread around that they were Cat Tribe either though, so he could most likely trust them to keep quiet. "I'm Fox Tribe," he continued, deciding to get answering the question over with before they even ask it.

"Fox tribe?" Hong repeated, before glancing at his sister to see if she'd ever heard of them. On shook her head no however, it wasn't a tribe she was familiar with, though she'd readily admit that didn't mean much. Because of their status as mutants, she and her brother had been isolated from the rest of the tribe and missed out on the normal education most cat tribe children received.

“They don’t exist anymore.” Cale told in response to their unasked question, “As far as I know there aren’t any left besides me.”

Both On and Hong were silent after hearing that, identical looks of sadness on their faces. Neither of them were ignorant to the fact that the world wasn’t always fair or kind, but it didn’t make hearing about sad things any easier. After a moment On reached out a paw to gently pat Cale on the leg. “We’ll just make our own tribe then.”

“Hey human?” The small black dragon called out to Cale from around a mouthful of steak. Because up to that point he’d been following them invisibly, he’d never gotten the chance to try Beacrox’s cooking before, but now that they were at the manor in the capital he was going at it with a gusto that made Cale worried he would choke. Especially now that he had started talking at the same time as well.

“What is it?” Cale asked, watching Hong out of the corner of his eye as the kitten attempted to subtly push all the vegetables closer to his sister.

“Why don’t you smell like other humans?” Cale froze slightly at the question, before letting out a sigh. First it had been the kittens, and now the dragon, was it really that easy to figure out what he was? Maybe the original Cale had been right to act like trash, so that no one would want to get close to him.

"That's because he's like us!" Hong exclaimed excitedly, before being lightly smacked on the back by his sister.

"You're not supposed to tell people that," She scolded and a guilty expression appeared on Hong's face.

"....Oops. He's family now though so he would have found out anyway," he pointed out a bit defensively, and Cale found himself sighing once again.

"It's fine, just be more careful," he told the kitten. Hong did have a point after all, it was inevitable that the dragon would find out, especially after he had asked directly.

"You're a cat?" The dragon asked, feeling somewhat confused. Now that he was actively comparing them, he realized that the human (or rather not human, he supposed) did smell somewhat similar to On and Hong. There was still some difference between them though.

Cale shook his head. "Fox."

"Oh." The dragon frowned slightly, as he thought something over. " I won’t tell," he finally said.

Cale was no stranger to nightmares, he'd had them since he was a child and they'd only gotten worse after the monsters had appeared in Korea, he had it been the only one of course and thanks to that he was very good at noting the signs of them in someone else. Therefore when he was woken in the middle of the night by soft whimpering sounds coming from the black dragon, it had only taken him a second to figure out what was happening.

The two kittens had also been woken by the sounds, and were looking at Cale with concern, unsure what they should do. For a moment Cale hesitated, trying to decide what the best option would be; he could wake the dragon up but that might only offer a temporary reprieve. After debating over other choices for a few seconds, Cale made a decision and quickly changed into his fox form, before curling up around the dragon.

He wasn't really worried about anyone finding them in the morning, the only person who might be rude enough to enter without knocking who'd be Hans, and as Cale’s personal butler he already knew he was a fox. Plus Cale needed to get around to telling him about the dragon anyway.

The kittens sooner joined him, purring softly as they snuggled up against their little brother.

Surrounded by warm fur, the dragon's cries soon faded and he fell into a peaceful sleep.

Alberu stared suspiciously at the red headed man in front of him, trying to figure out just how Cale could have known about his dark elf heritage. The Crown Prince and his relatives from his mother's side had been very careful to make sure there was no evidence that would allow people to find out, and yet somehow Cale had managed to do just that.

Even if there had been evidence that had been somehow left unhidden, as a mere Court's son who'd never been to the capital even until recently, Cale Henituse shouldn't have even been in any position to find it. The most logical conclusion for it was that Cale himself was dark elf, and had been able to sense the dead mana on Alberu because of it.

Of course even if that was the most logical answer it still didn't make much sense because Alberu couldn't feel any dead mana on Cale.

"Are you really not one of us?" He finally just asked, unable to figure out any other way to get the answers he wanted.

For a moment Cale just stared at him, his head tilted to the side as he seemed to examine Alberu, though what he was trying to determine would remain a mystery to all but the redhead himself. Finally, he let out what seemed to be a very tired sigh and pointed towards the bottle of dead mana he had brought, before speaking. "Drinking that would kill someone from a beast tribe just as easily as it would a human."

To most people such a sentence would have seemed completely disconnected from the question Cale had been asked, but Alberu hadn't managed to make it to adulthood without learning to read between the lines.

Cale was responding in the negative to Alberu's question about whether he had any dark elf heritage, by going a step further than what he'd been asked and indirectly revealing what he actually was.

A beast tribe member; that hadn't been something Alberu was expecting, and it did nothing to answer the prince's question about how Cale had known he was a dark elf, but it hadn't been meant to. It was a show of trust, a secret for a secret.

Briefly Alberu found himself mentally going over everything he knew about the Henituse family. He'd looked into them following the terrorist incident at the capitol, it was always smart to gather as much information about anyone you planned to use after all, and it seems likely to him that Cale was probably the only beast tribe member among them. If the whole Henituse family was beast tribe, then it would have been hard to completely hide, but if it was only the oldest son…

Adding to his theory was the fact that from what he recalled, Cale's mother had not been a noble, and little was known about her life prior to marrying Deruth Henituse; it was just the kind of history one would expect if a person was trying to hide what they were and where they were from. Alberu’s own mother had done the exact same thing.

What tribe was Cale from though? Alberu honestly didn’t know too much about the different beast tribes, though he certainly knew more than most people, but he could eliminate at least a few tribes from his mental list. It couldn’t be the wolf tribe, Cale would be taller and more muscular if that was the case, the same went for the Bear and Tiger tribes.

“Cat Tribe?” Alberu asked after a few more moments of thought, it seemed like the most likely choice.

Cale shook his head in response to Alberu’s guess, feeling a little annoyed; why did everyone assume he was a cat? He didn’t offer the Crown Prince the correct answer though, Cale had already given away part of his secret in a show of faith that he’d keep Alberu’s secret, if he wanted to know more details he’d have to ask directly and offer something up in exchange. Perhaps someday farther down the line when there was more trust between them, he’d be willing to tell him for free, but for now it was a business partnership and not a friendship.

Alberu seemed to understand Cale’s intent without him having to spell it out, and didn’t ask anymore questions. Instead he simply smiled, “Thank you for the present.”

#tcfweek #trash of the count's family #cale henituse #on #hong #raon miru #alberu crossman #my writing

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tardis-stowaway · 5 years ago

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Ten years after the Not-pocalypse, Adam Young, age 21 and recently graduated from university:

-Works in a crappy retail job and lives in a tiny, crappy flat in London

-The crappy flat has no sound insulation, so he’s always hearing the absurd amount of movement from the people in the flat above and the really loud but not quite intelligible conversations from the people in the flat next door. It’s a long way to the nearest public park, and he misses the green of home.

-Is not all that good at his customer service job, with the exception that if a customer is irrationally angry about something, he says he wants to make sure he understands the problem and repeats their complaint back to them with this look in his eyes, and they universally back down and often apologize. His coworkers love him for it. Everything else is just drudgery.

-Single, despite his best efforts. Okay, maybe not his best efforts, but some efforts.

-Knows that his childhood was uncommonly idyllic at least partly due to his powers. He’s not entirely sure how his life went quite so off the rails lately.

-Maybe his powers have faded gradually since he rejected his destiny, or maybe it’s just that on some level he absorbed the expectation that being in one’s early 20’s means being broke and a little lost, and the expectation made it happen whether he wanted it or not.

-Or maybe he just should’ve chosen a more employable course of study at uni instead of comparative religion. In his defense, it seemed relevant to his life.

-Spends much of his free time on climate crisis activism. He’ll be damned (ha) if he stood against the forces of Heaven and Hell, the Four Horsepeople of the Apocalypse, and his own birthright to preserve the continuing existence of humanity on the Earth only for humans to blunder into destroying themselves unintentionally through greed and shortsighted decisions.

-He’s been doing this since he was twelve, when Brian sent the Them’s group text an article about the group Extinction Rebellion with the caption “named for us?? :)” Adam had laughed, then actually read the article. Within a week he’d convinced the Them and a dozen of their classmates to show up at the next town council meeting with a list of sustainability demands.

-No matter how many civil disobedience events he takes part in, he never seems to get arrested. Adam suspects it’s his supernatural entity privilege. Pepper says it’s probably mostly that he’s white and great at charming his way out of trouble.

-He’s still friends with all of the Them, but they don’t live especially close together. He does have a flatmate, an American who Adam met at uni.

-At this point you, a genre-savvy reader of much Good Omens fic and meta, are probably seeing the word “American” and thinking that Adam is flatmates with Warlock Dowling. For once, you are wrong.

-Adam’s flatmate is Jesus.

-Not Jesus Christ, but a young man named Jesus Dominguez, pronounced the Spanish way (like hay-soos).

-Jesus is from Southern California, and he talks more than a little bit like a surfer stereotype. He’s got warm brown skin, shoulder-length dark hair in perpetually-mussed waves, and a little beard. He’s kinda leaning into the look to mess with people, but it’s also the same style found on at least a third of the other male-presenting hipsters in London.

-When he learned that he was going to share a flat with someone named Jesus, Adam called Crowley and Aziraphale. He’s never been gladder that he stayed in touch with them, because he NEEDED someone who understood how the Antichrist and Jesus sharing a flat sounded like the setup for a joke or a sitcom. Crowley did indeed laugh out loud, then told Adam that as a fellow lapsed member of the forces of Hell, he could personally recommend sharing quarters with a heavenly adversary. Aziraphale just muttered “oh, stop” at Crowley.

-Adam moved to London because it was easier to get to the important protests there, and because he was curious. He spent the first six months desperately homesick for Tadfield. The city was so crowded but somehow he still felt so alone, other than Jesus.

-Then a midnight fire-alarm in their building sent him and Jesus into the streets along with dozens of their neighbors. Adam finally met the people in the flat above theirs who made all that moving around noise. They were an older couple who took ballroom dancing lessons at the senior center and liked to practice at home. Mrs. Kapoor tried to teach Adam how to foxtrot right there on the pavement in the middle of the night. He stepped on her feet, but since he was in bare feet and she’d actually taken the time to find shoes it wasn’t a big deal.

-Meanwhile Jesus was finally talking to the loud young men from next door. By the time Adam wandered over, Jesus had learned their names (Leon, Seamus, and Nazim) and secured an invitation for the two of them to come over to watch Saturday’s football match, and to join their next D&D campaign (“just no more paladins,” said Nazim). Adam looked forward to finding out whether it was the D&D or the football that was the cause of more yelling.

-As the evacuation stretched on with no hint of either actual fire or clearance to go back inside, the building’s children began to get fussy. Adam found a coin on the ground (successfully picking it up, because Crowley didn’t make it to this neighborhood very often) and proceeded to distract them with stage magic.

-He initially learned stage magic from Aziraphale, but he’s better at it than the angel ever was. He hardly cheats physical reality at all. The kids love it.

-When the fire department finally gives them the clearance to go back inside, Adam’s stomach rumbles. “Is anyone else hungry?,” he asks, to a chorus of agreement. It’s too late for any nearby takeout, but Jesus chats with their neighbors about options.

-Jesus enlists Adam’s help in going from flat to flat gathering ingredients from everyone, and before long they’re serving fish tacos and grilled cheese sandwiches to a small crowd of pajama-clad people. It’s 2 am, but everyone is smiling, or at least has contentment at the edge of their yawns.

-The next day, Mrs. Kapoor brings Adam and Jesus a spider plant cutting, because she thought their flat looked too bare. Adam texts a picture of it to Crowley and receives back lengthy instructions on watering, pot size, soil, and the most effective threats for the species.

-Five months later, the local planning council has an intense debate about why crime rates in one neighborhood have dropped by 75% since their last meeting. They each try to claim credit for their pet civic projects. Actually, it’s because Adam Young has started to love London, or at least his nook of it.

-Buskers soon realize that certain tube stops are generating far more tips than they ever have before, with no obvious demographic shift accounting for the change. The common ground is that these are the stops on Adam’s commutes to work and his activist meetings. He can only occasionally spare a tip himself, but his enjoyment of the music is contagious.

-Even after the breakthrough, not every day is good. On a late summer day that just happens to be the anniversary of the day the world didn’t end, Adam comes home from a protest fuming.

-“Dude, you okay?” asks Jesus, looking up from his guitar. (Jesus sometimes goes to protests with Adam, but not usually the ones where they’re planning on breaking laws. “I’m a brown-skinned foreigner, man. Do you think I’ll get away with what you get away with? I’m not ready for that yet,” he says, and Adam can’t argue.)

-“The media barely showed up at our event, probably because it was about a million degrees and even though that’s exactly what we’re protesting, nobody wants to be out in it. Six of our people passed out from the heat and three got arrested. They still didn’t arrest me, but I got pushed over and cracked my phone screen. On my way home, some drunk on the tube vomited on my shoes. Our green jobs bill still doesn’t have the votes in Parliament, and have you seen the latest news on the Antarctic ice sheets?” Adam kicks off his shoes, then collapses dramatically onto the futon and groans.

-“Sounds rough,” says Jesus.

-“I should’ve just ended the damn world when I was eleven and I had the chance. Would’ve been quicker,” Adam mutters.

-Jesus gets up and goes to the kitchen. He brings Adam a beer. “You don’t mean that, bro,” he says.

-Adam sighs, accepting the beer. “I suppose not.”

-He drinks his beer. Dog, now grey-muzzled and slow, shuffles over to curl up at his feet. Adam pulls out his phone, which is cracked but still seems functional. He’s got a text from Aziraphale.

-“Dear Adam,” the text begins, because Aziraphale might have finally deigned to learn to text but he steadfastly refused to adopt its stylistic conventions, “I hope that you have returned safely from today’s protest. I’m very proud of your continuing efforts, and though he won’t admit it I know that Crowley feels the same. Please write back at your earliest convenience. Fondly, Aziraphale”

-Adam texts back to reassure the angel, who will doubtless pass it on to Crowley, then he texts similar reassurances to his parents and to Mrs. Kapoor upstairs. He’s still figuring out this adulthood thing, but he’s got a lot of parental figures looking out for him. His Infernal Bio-Dad isn’t one of them, and that’s the way Adam likes it.

-Through the open window comes the sound of music blasting from a car stuck in traffic below. Freddie Mercury and David Bowie are singing:

And love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night, And love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves.

-He turned down the chance to rule the world, and he’d make the same choice again, but he still feels a certain proprietary responsibility towards the planet and its inhabitants. His father—his real, earthly father—didn’t raise him to shirk responsibility, and he’s not one to cave under pressure.

-Life is hard, people are mostly idiots, and the world is coming apart at the seams, but it’s his messed up life and his idiotic people and his beautiful, half-broken world.

#good omens #adam young #good omens headcanons #fanfic #post-canon #please excuse any errors and americanisms #long post #tardis-stowaway's writing & stuff

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angeltreasure · 4 years ago

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At the risk of being nosy, what's going on with your nun thing? Are you still doing this? Why'd you stop? What order did you choose? Have you chosen one? Thanks!

Hi anon! Don’t worry I actually love any questions posed here. There was a time where I felt that information was sensitive in my discernment process. For that, we must time travel back to 2020. Very early 2020, before the end of January, I had my mind quite made up. I was going to enter a convent, feeling at peace (though I wanted to work a lot on my weight before entering). As a birthday present to myself (my birthday in February) I wanted to give myself one last present. I had the idea in 2019 to buy backstage meet and greet tickets. I love rock n roll, as strange as that may seem for a girl wanting to be a nun but that’s just who I am. I was never allowed to go to many concerts but this one was ok. I went, and when I did, I fell in love. It felt like no other before because it was the love I had always prayed about to get. However, even though God answered that old prayer word for word, I was not very bright enough to tell God to have this man be respectful of me. I fell for it, of course, so I stopped the discernment blinded by my emotions. We connected on such a level I never even realized this one person had difficult learning disabilities and other things. He became too controlling of me, and I went out of control in a few ways from it. He was always paranoid that I was cheating on him constantly, and I couldn’t go to sleep without saying I was going to bed, or he’d freak out for the worst. I was making this whole plan to help him out of a part time job into full time so we could someday get a place together after getting married and the whole deal. I didn’t realize until after he broke up with me, how his disabilities greatly affected him and explained by his mother to me, which put the pieces of the puzzle together. It explained his behaviors, how he acted around others around me, how he treated his mother, how he wasn’t good with money, had difficulty learning. I was off put by his attraction to black metal and Satanic things (which he lied about before). I researched the disabilities myself afterwards on my own and I cried in such sorrow for this man. How did I even connect with him on such a level, with how hard a life he had? Hearing to me is normal but his was underwater. And yet, he was the greatest metalhead fan I ever met. I cried because I felt like I was the problem, that it was somehow my fault for praying what I asked for, a chance at love. But that’s what you get when you pray to God. We need to be very careful for what we pray for because it can come true. I’ve moved on in my mind but because of covid happening I dearly wait to go to confession to repent and be forgiven for all of it, so I can learn and move on. I thought about discernment again, after I can get confession again someday when it’s safe for me and my family to go back. I felt a bit lost. I was already living the single vocation before so it’s a solace for me now. As for the future, 2021 came with a new surprise. My parents want to retire soon, always looking to move away from here. They said I could stay behind with a place of my own, if I wanted, OR, I could go move with them, gaining title on the house. I thought, even though I’ve always wanted to live on my own, I would be honored to help take care of my parents instead in a house we all can call home, my inheritance, if you will. We prayed about it long and hard. It was at the end of January this year, right around the same time I went to that concert last year, that we found an opportunity for a new build in the place we dreamed of together. It’s being built now and I look forward to taking care of them with all my heart, whether I am single or married. I’m also working on my health. Soo.. This is the new me. (The convent I would have asked to be brought into was Our Lady of Solitude Monastery in Arizona. I also thought of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, if I were not accepted into the first. They both hold a dear piece of my heart. I will surly support them in my lifetime.) I am sorry this answer is so long winded! Lol

#asks #long post #sorry #lol #I ran out of characters #I will not post their name here #there is more to it but you can get the basic story from this #this is why I had hiatus #no regrets

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orangeoctopi7 · 4 years ago

Text

A Time for Every Purpose

: Part 1 : Part 2 :

Mabel stormed up the stairs, tears streaming down her face. It seemed like every time she tried to take her mind off her troubles, every time she tried to cheer up, something came along and made things more complicated. Had it really only been two days ago that she’d been excited about turning 13 and planning their birthday party? Now she had much bigger concerns, like Bill threatening her family, and Ford extending the apprenticeship offer to Dipper and her.

What with the tears in her eyes and the thoughts swirling around in her head, Mabel didn’t see her brother coming, and collided with him as she scurried up the stairs.

“Oh, Mabel, have you seen Great Uncle Ford this morning? I need to ask him…” Dipper trailed off when he realized his sister was trying to hold back tears. “What’s wrong? Did Bill come back? Is someone hurt!?”

Mabel shook her head, wiping her face on the sleeve of her pajama shirt she still hadn’t changed out of.

“I did see Grunkle Ford this morning. He told me I could stay in Gravity Falls too, if I wanted.”

Dipper’s face lit up. Sure, he’d have to completely redo his pros and cons list now, but this took care of the biggest negative on it! “That’s great!” But then he remembered she’d come up here in tears. “...isn’t it?”

“No!” Mabel cried, trying not to break down again. “Now I have to choose between staying here with you in Gravity Falls or going home to mom and dad!”

“Well, now you know how I feel.” Dipper pointed out. “Isn’t this what you wanted, though? This way you don’t have to leave Gravity Falls behind. You get more time with your friends, a little more summer.”

“Maybe. I dunno.” Mabel sighed and sat down on the steps, very close to pulling herself back into sweater town. “That was mostly just wistful thinking because I was afraid that everything was gonna change. I didn’t think it would actually become reality!”

“Hey, I get it. This is a really big, scary decision.” Dipper sat down beside her. “But you don’t have to make it alone. I can help you make a Pros and Cons list if you want.”

Mabel turned to look at her brother. “Dipper, I know last night you said we had to talk about this when we were calm and not super emotional, but I don’t know if I’m ever gonna not be super emotional about this whole mess!”

“Well, maybe making a list will help.”

The colorful girl scrunched up her face. List making was more her brother’s thing, but maybe it would help for her to get on his level for a bit.

“Ok. As long as I get to use glitter gel pens to write it.”

* * *

Stanford stood in the empty kitchen, the phone in his hand blaring a dull dial tone now that Debbs had hung up. It slipped out of his hand and bounced against the counter door on its curly cord. The old inventor was reeling. What had just happened? True, he probably should have anticipated at least a little apprehension from the kids’ mother, but surely, after explaining the advantages and benefits of his apprenticeship, any parent would have been happy to give their children the opportunity to learn at the feet of an accomplished scientist? And not just any scientist, but a family member who loved and cared dearly for those kids! Instead, she’d acted like he was threatening to kidnap them!

Oh you fool, you’ve done it again. The negative part of Ford’s brain chided him.

The old researcher pushed the thought to the back of his mind, instead trying to justify his own reasoning. It was a pattern he’d seen again and again throughout his life. People left. It always happened sooner or later. Sometimes because they found someone or something more important. Sometimes because they realized the relationship was bad for them. Whatever the case, the outcome was always the same. Deborah was simply trying to delay the inevitable.

“Sooner or later”, yes, and you’re asking the children to leave too soon. That’s what Stanley was trying to tell you, but of course you didn’t listen.

“No. No, I’m not the one being unreasonable here…” He muttered to himself.

Wasn’t he? Stan, Mabel, Debbs, they’d all acted as though Ford’s desire to keep the children here was wrong. Even Dipper had been unsure about it.

But you wouldn’t listen to any of them. You’ve only ever hear what you want to hear. Just like with Fiddleford, just like with Bill!

Perhaps the pattern of people leaving didn’t apply to everyone. Only to him.

“What is wrong with me?” He groaned as he slid down to sit on the floor.

What’s wrong with you? You’re disgusting! Of course no one wants you! The freakish hands are only the tip of the iceberg. You push away anyone with the misfortune to actually get close enough to care about you, but not without doing some serious damage first. Because you don’t understand people and their emotions and relationships. You don’t even understand your own species.

Ford dug his fingers into his hair and closed his eyes tight, trying to steady his breathing. It was true! That was why he’d felt so at home in Gravity Falls, studying supernatural beings. That was how he’d survived thirty years in the multiverse, hopping from one alien society to the next.

The only ones who’ve ever really wanted you just wanted to use you. Bill, the Dean at Backupsmore, your father… Stan…

Stan… Ford wasn’t sure if he believed that anymore. Surely his brother wouldn’t have spent thirty years trying to fix the portal just to use Ford.

No, he was just fine using your identity to make a cozy little life for himself in Gravity Falls while you were gone.

That just raised further questions, though. Stan had a stable life here. He had to have known Ford’s return would mean giving up the identity he’d been living under for thirty years. Even if Stan hadn’t expected his brother to insist he shut his phony business down, he at least had to have known his livelihood would be endangered. Wouldn’t it have been easier not to risk it all and just leave Ford to his fate? The only possible explanation was that Stan cared enough, or at least felt guilty enough, to motivate him to continue trying for thirty years.

Still, as noble as Stan’s intentions may have been, he still put the whole world, no, the whole universe, in danger by reactivating the portal. How could he have ever expected Ford to be ok with that?

A small part of Ford couldn’t help but wonder if he would have done the same, had their roles been reversed.

Then of course, there was Stan’s horrible timing. Ford had been this close to destroying Bill, to finally fixing his mistakes, when he was whisked back to Gravity Falls. It seemed like every time Ford got close to making a decisive strike against Bill, something went wrong. He only had himself to blame for the glue situation, but if Stan hadn’t...

It wasn’t like he had known.

He still shouldn’t have done it. It was far too dangerous.

If Stan hadn’t brought him back, he never would have met Dipper and Mabel.

Stan had put the children in danger on top of everything else.

If it hadn’t happened when it did, Ford would have died trying to take Bill down with him.

Ford had known the risks and had been prepared to make whatever sacrifice was necessary to bring Bill down. Stan had ruined his chance… hadn’t he?

You heard what Bill said. He hates you. Why can’t you just hate him back?

Bill always lies.

There was an abundance of evidence that Stan didn’t hate him. That he actually cared quite a lot.

Ford curled in on himself, the warring thoughts swirling in his head blocking out the rest of the world around him. He didn’t hear his brother coming until the old conman appeared in the doorway, eyes blazing with fury.

“Ford!” Stan shouted, his voice charged with anger.

He hates you.

Ford’s fight or flight instincts took over, and this time they favored flight. He had to get out of there. He darted out of the room as fast as he could.

* * *

Dipper was glad that Mabel had accepted his help to put together her own Pros and Cons list. Not only was it helping him redo his list, she also came up with several negative points he hadn’t considered, like the fact that he’d be leaving behind his friends back at Piedmont Junior High. While Mabel definitely had more friends at school, there were still a couple of classmates that Dipper would consider his friends, although he wasn’t nearly as close with them as he had become with Soos and Wendy.

Besides, he did kinda feel like he’d been neglecting Mabel over the past couple of days. He was just trying to figure all of this out, the rift, Ford’s apprenticeship, and Bill. Trying to comfort Mabel on top of all that just seemed like too much. Once he had the time to sit down and organize his thoughts, to really think things out, it became much less overwhelming. He trusted his Great Uncle to deal with the rift and Bill for now, and he was figuring out the apprenticeship thing.

It was interesting to see Mabel’s thought process as she put together her own list. She liked Dipper’s point value system, but they both scored the same things very differently. She thought getting to explore the caves behind the falls was only worth three points, tops, and she classified continuing to work at the Mystery Shack as a pro, not a con.

Dipper decided not to share his doubts on whether Ford would allow Stan to continue running the Shack out of his home. Mabel already had enough on her mind.

"So, once you finish your list, you add up the points on both sides and whichever has the most points wins." Dipper explained.

"How do you know when it's finished?"

Dipper shrugged. “Just… whenever you can’t think of any more pros or cons, I guess.”

“But what if I forget something important?”

“Well, I mean, it can’t be that important if you forgot it.”

Mabel sighed and started adding up her totals. Dipper did the same. Pros won out on both lists, although Mabel’s was by a slimmer margin. The boy laughed excitedly and beamed at his sister. She gulped. Despite what the numbers said, this still didn’t sit right with her.

“So we’ll both stay in Gravity Falls, together!” Dipper exclaimed. “I can’t believe it, this is like a dream come true!”

Mabel gasped. “Wait, that’s it!”

“What?”

“I think I finally figured out why I feel so wrong about this apprenticeship thing!” Mabel grabbed her brother by the shoulders. “You said you can’t believe it! Why?”

Dipper’s smile faltered. “Mabel, it’s just a figure of speech…”

“Yeah, but you used it now for a reason. Why?”

“Because…” Dipper stopped and thought about it for a moment. “Because if you’d told me two months ago that I was going to stay in Gravity Falls and work with the Author of the Journals, and that he was a long-lost relative, I’d think you were crazy.”

“Exactly. And I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Gravity Falls. I wanted more time with my friends.” Mabel agreed. “You said it yourself. Taking Grunkle Ford’s offer is a dream come true. Because staying in Gravity Falls is like living in a dream, or a fairy tale!”

“...What are you getting at here?” Dipper asked apprehensively.

“If we stay here, that’s not preparing us for the real world! We need to grow up in the real world first!”

“Are you implying that Gravity Falls isn’t real? That we’ve just dreamed up this whole summer?” Dipper asked incredulously.

“No, of course not!” Mabel scoffed. “Sorry, maybe I’m not explaining this very well. Obviously, Gravity Falls is real. We’ve got real family and real friends here. And we’ve both grown up a lot over this past summer here. But would we keep on growing if we just stayed here all the time? Would we learn the things we need to grow up if we stay in a place where most of the grown-ups still act like kids? This is the kind of place where a nine-year-old can claim to be a child psychic and everyone believes him. This is the kind of place where the local kooky hobo is a genius inventor who builds death robots. This is the kind of place where a long-lost Grunkle can come out of a mysterious portal. This is the kind of place where a sad journalist like Toby Determined can have his own newspaper. Does that sound like the real world to you?”

Dipper grimaced. “Yeah, I guess I see your point. But… I thought you didn’t want to grow up?”

Mabel frowned and rubbed her arm sheepishly. “You’re right, I don’t want to…” She then looked up with renewed determination in her eyes. “But I know that I need to.”

The boy gave his sister a proud smile “You’re a lot more mature than most people give you credit for.”

“Thanks, Dip.”

“But…” His face fell. “I do feel like there’s so much more to learn about Gravity Falls… and I don’t want to disappoint Great Uncle Ford. I know he’d really love us to stay. I get the feeling he’s really lonely. The apprenticeship is everything I’ve wanted all summer… how can I just walk away from it?”

Mabel patted her brother on the shoulder. “Well, even if it’s not the right time to stay in Gravity Falls now, maybe someday when we are a little more grown up, we could move out here all year. So don’t think of it as walking away. Just think of it as saying ‘Not now’. And don’t worry about Grunkle Ford. He’s our family and he loves us! I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Dipper sighed and nodded. “I hope you’re right. Ever since Ford offered me the apprenticeship, I haven’t felt ready. He said I shouldn’t worry, because I’ve already accomplished so much, but I guess it’s not really about doubting my own abilities. It’s just not the right time in my life.”

“Guess we should go tell him, then, huh?”

“Oh yeah!” Dipper smacked his head. “I was heading downstairs to ask him to help Wendy with Bill-proofing her house. Maybe we can talk to him about it after that?”

Mabel nodded. “Yeah, making sure Wendy and her family are safe is more important. And it’s like Grunkle Ford keeps saying, we’ve got all week!”

* * *

After leaving Soos to look after the giftshop, Stan made a beeline for the kitchen where he knew his brother had been using the phone just moments ago. That nerd was about to get the talking-to of his life!

“Ford!” Stan called as he stormed down the hall. No response.

He pushed the door open brusquely. The kitchen appeared empty, and the phone was hanging off its hook.

“Ford?” He called again. Suddenly, a figure shot out from behind the table. Stan barely had time to register that it was his brother before Ford dashed out of the room. What the heck had he been doing hiding practically under the table?

“Oh no, you’re not gettin’ off that easy!” Stan grumbled under his breath as he followed his brother. Sure, he wasn’t as fast as Ford, but the nerd had scrambled away so frantically that it wasn’t hard to follow his trail.

Unsurprisingly, the string of jostled furniture and scuffed floors led straight to Ford’s room. Also unsurprisingly, the door was locked. Stan rolled his eyes and slid a bobby pin out of his sleeve. What was even the point of locking a door that was so easy to pick?

Stan’s frustration with his brother evaporated as soon as he opened the door and got a good look. Ford was sitting in the corner of the sectional couch, curled up on himself. It wasn’t too far off from Mabel’s “Sweater Town”. The old researcher’s breaths came in short, shallow gasps, and he was eyeing his brother with the sort of caution a normal person would give an angry moose.

Was Ford… having a panic attack?

“Hey…” Stan said softly, approaching his brother with caution. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Ford took a deep breath, and Stan could practically see his brother bottling up his emotions as the old nerd’s face became blank.

“Nothing. Nothing is wrong.” Ford said stoicly.

“Sure. And you bolted out of the kitchen just now because you saw a spider.”

Ford's blank expression flickered for a moment as annoyance crept in. "You startled me."

"Obviously." Stan rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I called Debbs back after she hung up on you."

"You were eavesdropping on me?" Ford accused coldly.

"Yeah, and it's a good thing too! I managed to smooth things over with her so the kids can still come back here next year, and you're still allowed to spend time with them!"

Ford didn't reply. He just kept staring straight ahead, stoney-faced.

"She just wanted me to have a talk with you. About you and the kids."

“She doesn’t have to worry. I doubt either of the children will want to spend time with me once they hear about this.”

Stan scoffed. “This isn’t gonna make the kids wanna stop spendin’ time with you, not by a long shot.”

“Perhaps not.” Ford agreed. “They’re still children, quick to forgive and forget. I’ll have to separate myself from them for their own good.”

“Wait, what?”

“Your original assessment was correct. I need to stay away from the kids. If not to protect them from the physical danger that comes with my line of work, then to protect them from the emotional danger of growing attached to a damaged man who doesn’t understand the simplest of human interactions.” He explained in a detached tone.

"Ohno you don't!" Stan retorted. "I didn't just stick my neck out for you, just so you could push the kids away! Those kids love your guts, and it'd hurt 'em a lot more if you just suddenly cut them off!"

"This is exactly what I'm talking about." Ford said clinically, as though he was explaining the problem with one of his experiments and not his own insecurities. "I have no understanding of the thoughts and feelings of others. The fact that you had to talk their mother into allowing me to continue spending time with the children confirms it.”

Stan heaved a sigh. "You still don't really understand why Debbs said no, do you?"

"I understand perfectly."

"I don't think you do." The old conman shook his head. "It's like I keep telling you, they're just kids. They still need their mom, and she still needs them."

"Yes, you were right and I didn't listen to you. Just one of many signs that I'm unable to properly interact with other human beings."

"I'm not finished! The thing you're not getting is just because you can't wedge your way into their parents' place, doesn't mean you can't be in the kids' lives at all! You're still a part of this family."

"And yet Deborah took my offer as a threat."

"Debbs doesn't know you from Adam, Ford! Of course she freaked out! I couldn’t explain the whole situation to her, but I did tell her those kids are the best thing that’s happened to you in 30 years.”

Ford couldn’t deny Stan’s statement. “I can’t do it again!” His prior panic finally burst out of its bottles. “I can’t stand to hurt another person I care about because I don’t even realize what I’m doing wrong until it’s too late! And I don’t even listen when someone tries to explain it to me!” His flare of anger died down, and he curled back in on himself again. “What is wrong with me?” He moaned.

Stan cautiously took a seat on the other end of the couch. “Nothin’s wrong with you.”

The old researcher scoffed. “A lifetime of my experience says otherwise.”

“Look, just because you’re not good with people doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you. Not everyone’s a people person.”

“This goes far beyond not being a people person. I’ve hurt everyone I’ve ever come into contact with.”

“Wow, exaggeration much?”

“How can you joke about this when you’re one of the people I’ve hurt the most!?”

The two brothers froze as Ford’s words hung in the air. Stan was at a loss. Since when did Ford feel like he hurt Stan instead of the other way around?

“See, you can’t even deny it.” Ford continued when Stan didn’t have a response. “It’s just eas-- It’s just safer if I just stay out of everyone’s lives.”

“You can’t just cut yourself off from the world, genius.” The old conman finally found his words again. “You’re the one who was sayin’ you don’t wanna be alone anymore.”

“...I don’t want anyone else to get hurt either.”

Stan paused as he tried to think of how to handle this. “We still gotta stop Bill, right? That’s not something you can do alone.”

“I’ve been doing it alone for thirty years.”

“Yeah, and that’s worked real well, hasn’t it?”

“I was about to end him!” Ford shouted. “I was seconds away from taking the shot, when you opened the portal again and whisked me away!”

“...Oh.” Stan squeaked. He didn’t know how else to respond to that. So he just moved on with the conversation. “Listen, even you’ve gotta admit, you’ve had more success with those kids' help. Dipper helped you get that alien stuff you needed. Mabel pointed out the glue problem you never even realized. If we’re gonna take down this Bill guy, your best bet is to work with us, whether you like it or not. And yeah, maybe it’s risky, but isn’t it riskier to just sit around waitin’ for Bill to make his move?”

Ford just stared coldly back at his brother. “You’re not going to apologize?”

Stan rolled his eyes. “I’m not gonna apologize for saving your life, no.”

The old researcher frowned and furrowed his brow, but he didn’t seem surprised by Stan’s response. He sat there thinking for a few moments before finally speaking again.

“I can see the logic in needing to work together to stop Bill. The children have proven to be incredibly resourceful in that department. And in less than a week, they’ll be returning to California. I suppose it won’t matter after that.”

Stan pinched the bridge of his nose. “For cryin’ out loud, they’re just one state over, not on a different planet. All those arguments you were makin’ about the kids still bein’ able to stay in touch over the computer? That applies to you too, genius. You can even drive down and visit if you want.”

“It’s not about what I want. It’s about what’s best for Dipper and Mabel.”

“Heh, well, good to see we’re finally on the same page there at least. But I’m tellin’ ya, being their mad-scientist uncle is what’s best for them. And what’s best for you too.”

Ford was torn. He wanted to believe Stan’s words, but it was hard to ignore that negative part of his brain, telling him that Stan was a liar, and digging up all the times he had hurt people before. He pushed it to the back of his head for now. Better to focus on stopping Bill and protecting the rift. Speaking of which….

“If we’re both here, who’s guarding the lab entrance!?”

“Relax, I left Soos to keep an eye on things.”

Stan’s reassurance was immediately undermined by the sound of a fight breaking out in the giftshop.

* * *

“Hey Soos, you seen Stan anywhere?” Wendy asked as she reentered the gift shop.

Soos was clearing out the old inventory. After Mr. Pines’ Mystery Science Brother came in and asked Wendy questions about her dream, it had been a quiet day at the Mystery Shack.

“He was here a minute ago, but he said he had to have another talk with his brother.”

Wendy rolled her eyes. “Of course. Well, I’m just gonna take off then. I gotta take care of some stuff. Let him know I decided to take the day off after all if you see him.”

“You got it, dude.” He assured her as she left.

Soos had been wanting a word with his boss himself, but whenever the handyman was about to ask Mr. Pines a question, Mr. Mystery was suddenly busy, giving a tour for just two people, yelling at his brother, or listening in on an important phone call.

It was clear that Mr. Pines was hiding something, and not the usual somethings Mr. Pines would hide, like incriminating evidence or suggestion cards. No, Soos got the impression that Mr. Pines was hiding something specifically from him. It wasn’t all that strange for Stan to avoid talking about anything that even remotely resembled feelings. But it was strange for Stan to avoid talking about what they were going to do for the off season. And even stranger for him to refuse free labor. True, there was a bunch of major drama going down in the Pines family right now, but it wasn’t like Mr. Pines to let it affect how he ran his business.

“The Mystery Shack has needed to be rebuilt like four times in the last two months. Maybe Stan’s just worried because all this reconstruction is costing too much money.” Soos reasoned to himself as he worked alone in the giftshop. But he didn’t quite believe himself.

The bell over the giftshop door jingled, distracting Soos from his thoughts. He quickly ran to the cash register, ready to serve another customer. “Welcome to the Mystery Shack dude!”

“Hello.” A short man with a grotesque face and a tiny 1930’s style reporter’s hat replied.

“Oh, hey Toby! I see you got away from that griffin!”

“I was indigestible!” Toby Determined said as if he was proudly proclaiming he got a new haircut.

“That’s cool. What brings you here?”

“I’m here to interview you, actually!” the reporter explained. “Rumor has it that Mr. Mystery has a long lost twin, and you’re the man with the inside scoop!”

“I mean, it’s kinda supposed to be a secret.” Soos hesitated. “I’ve only told Wendy, and my abuelita, and the mailman, and everyone who was at Greasy's Diner during the lunch rush last Saturday…”

“You’d get to be on the front page of the Gravity Falls Gossiper!” Toby enticed in a sing-song voice, holding up today’s issue for good measure.

“I’ll do it!” Soos declared.

“Perfect! Now, to start off, I’ll need to take your photo!”

“Oh hey, when’d you get a real camera?” Soos asked as Toby pulled out a large camera with an even larger flashbulb.

“Oh, uh, just recently.” Toby chuckled nervously. “Now, you stand right over there, next to that display of bright, shiny, reflective crystals. And I’ll stand right here, next to this clearly out of order vending machine.”

Soos struck a pose where Toby had told him to stand. “Oh, dude, wait--” He remembered he was supposed to be guarding the vending machine just as the reporter snapped the photo. The camera’s flash reflected and refracted through the crystals, blinding the handyman.

“Ah! My eyes!”

“Ah! Also my eyes!”

Unfortunately for Toby, he hadn’t stopped to think that maybe he should protect himself from the flash.

“Uh, dude, could you do me a favor and not touch that vending machine until my eyes adjust back to normal?”

“Never!” The determined reporter declared. “The man in the color-changing clothes and funny goggles told me I could be with Shandra Jimenez forever if I brought him the magic sticky ball hidden in the secret basement!”

Toby felt around blindly for the machine’s key-pad and started pressing buttons randomly. Soos followed the beeping sound and tackled the little man to the ground.

“Not cool, dude! You are officially banned from our FCLORP team!”

“No!” Toby whined. “You guys are the only people who tolerate me!”

“Well, you should’ve thought of that before you tried to break into Dr. Pines’ secret lab, dude! Which, uh, which he totally doesn’t have. That… that’s not a real thing.”

Toby obviously didn’t believe him, as he continued to struggle against Soos for access to the vending machine. Soos easily stopped him by just sitting on top of him.

“Y’know.” the handyman mused as his eyes began to adjust back to normal. “Dipper and Mabel put up a much harder fight than you. I’m just sayin’ you might wanna start doin’ more exercise and stuff. I know a place at the mall that teaches karate! I’ve been goin’ there since I was ten.”

“Let me go!” Toby demanded as he flailed his arms and legs uselessly.

“No can do, dawg. I promised Mr. Pines I’d hold down the fort while he’s busy taking care of family junk.”

Soos didn’t have to keep Toby at bay for much longer. For the second time that day, Dr. Pines burst out of the Employees Only door. He had his blaster drawn, and Stan wasn’t far behind him.

“What happened!?” Ford barked, aiming his blaster down at Toby’s wriggling form. “What is that thing?”

“Uh, I think Bill got to Toby.” Soos explained.

The old researcher grimaced. “Bill must have used some sort of magical artefact to mutate him!”

“What? No, he’s always been like that.” Stan corrected him. “What’d the triangle promise you, Toby?”

“Triangle?” The reporter asked in confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“He said a dude in color-changing clothes and funny goggles told him he could be with Shandra Jimenez forever if he got the magic sticky ball in the secret basement.” Soos recounted.

“And nothing about that seemed suspicious to you?” Stan asked.

“Well, not particularly…”

“Why am I not surprised.” The old conman rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Somebody’s pullin’ a prank on you, Toby. The Mystery Shack doesn’t have a basement.”

“Oh, but he was so convincing!” Toby whined.

“He is very convincing.” Ford said gravely. “Where were you when he found you? Do you know where he is now?”

“He just came into the printing room while I was finishing off this morning’s publication. He told me to bring the ball to the dump.”

Ford scratched his chin thoughtfully, considering all the information before him. “It’s probably a trap. I doubt Bill expected this attempt to work.”

“Really, what gave you that idea?” Stan asked sarcastically. “Hey Toby, if you leave now and promise not to come back, I won’t press charges.”

“Hooray!”

“Oh, and gimme a call if you see that, uh, prankster again.”

The reporter agreed and left. Ford immediately began pacing.

“This was almost a disaster! If Bill had sent a competent pawn instead of this distraction, the rift would be broken by now!” He rounded on Stan “Why did you leave the secret entrance unguarded!?”

“I didn’t leave it unguarded, I left Soos.” Stan defended. “And yeah, he’s a goofus, but he got the job done, so I don’t see what you’re complaining about.”

“Aw, thanks Mr. Pines.”

“Don’t get mushy on me, kid.”

“Everything turned out alright this time, yes.” Ford admitted. “But what if Bill sends someone or something more dangerous than a tiny goblin man?”

“I can totally handle it, dude.” Soos assured him. “I’ve fought puhterodactyls, haunted animatronics, and ate my way out of a creepy monster made of candy.”

“Really?” Ford looked at the handyman like he was just seeing Soos properly for the first time.

The conversation paused when Dipper and Mabel entered the room.

“Here’s everybody. Hey Great Uncle Ford, can I ask you a favor for Wendy?” Dipper asked. He then took in Ford’s frantic pacing and Soos’s rumpled clothes. “What’s going on?”

“Toby Determined just tried to break into the lab.” Stan replied nonchalantly, like he was commenting on finding gnomes in the trash again.

“What?” The young twins cried in unison.

“Was it Bill?” Mabel asked in concern.

“It couldn’t have been, the barrier spell is still up.” Dipper reasoned. “Right?”

“The barrier is still intact, yes.” Ford assured them. “It appears Bill convinced Toby to find the rift while possessing the same time travel agent as before.”

“Poor Blendin.” Mabel worried.

“I can’t believe Bill actually tried to use Toby.” Dipper said incredulously. “I mean, he can’t have gotten very far.”

“He didn’t.” Stan said simply.

“I sat on him.” Soos added.

“It seems like Bill is trying to set some sort of trap.” Ford explained. “Bill told Toby to bring the rift to the dump. I suspect he shared that information knowing that Toby would get caught, and that we would interrogate him.”

“That’s weird. Why would Bill want us to go to the dump?” Dipper wondered. “Unless…” the boy’s eyes widened and as he glanced at his sister, he knew the same awful realization was dawning on her. Neither of them had heard from McGucket since the party at Northwest Manor, the day before the portal reopened.

“Unless what?” Ford asked eagerly.

“Uhhh…” the young twins hemmed. They’d purposely forgotten to tell Ford about what happened to his old friend. How do you tell someone their best friend had driven himself insane and was now a homeless coot living in the dump? Although, considering Ford read Dipper’s entries in the Journal, the old researcher probably at least had an idea of how far McGucket had fallen.

“You remember your old research buddy, right?” Mabel asked awkwardly.

“...What does Fiddleford have to do with this situation?”

“He… kinda lives in the dump now.” Dipper’s reply pitched up at the end, almost like it was a question.

Ford stared at them agape for a moment. “I’d gathered that his mental state had deteriorated since I left, but… from what Dipper had written, it seemed like he was still working in robotics. How--why is he living in the dump!?”

“I think he’s just really bad with money.” Mabel shrugged. “He won a sweepstakes earlier this summer and he’s already spent it all on junky cars from Gleeful’s Auto Sales.”

“Yeah, I think he just used them for parts to build the Gideon-bot.” Dipper added.

“And you both believe he’s still at the dump?” Ford asked, distraught.

“Well, that’s where he’s lived all summer.” Dipper said slowly. “But… neither of us have seen him since the night before you got here.”

The old researcher finally stopped pacing and sat down heavily in the chair behind the cash register, running his fingers anxiously through his hair.

“Even if it is most likely a trap, that’s bait I can’t ignore…”

“We have to go find him and make sure he’s ok!” Mabel insisted.

“Yeah, but we can’t just walk right into an obvious trap!” Dipper exclaimed.

“So just sneak in.” Stan suggested. “It’s the dump, not the State Penitentiary.”

Ford shook his head. “Bill can’t be snuck up on, he has eyes everywhere. Our best hope is to take a direct approach and be prepared for anything.”

Stan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, of course you would wanna go in guns ablazing.”

“Says the man who thinks every problem can be solved by punching it!”

“Ok, ok.” Dipper held up his hands, hoping his Grunkles would be able to stop fighting long enough to come up with a plan. “But launching a full-scale rescue mission is probably exactly what Bill wants. We can’t leave the Shack and the Rift unguarded.”

“Eh, Soos can probably watch it again.” Stan said.

“Sure thing, Mr. Pines.”

“Actually, I think Soos’s abilities might be better suited for our rescue mission.” Ford suggested. “We’ll need an unpredictable element. Someone who Bill is likely to underestimate. I think you’d be better to stay and guard the lab, Stanley.”

“Fine by me.” Stan shrugged. “I honestly couldn’t care less what happens to Old Man McGucket.”

Ford scowled at his brother, but held his tongue for now.

“I think we’ll need more than just Stan to watch the Shack.” Dipper reasoned.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, kid.” Stan said sarcastically.

“It’s not like I doubt your skills, I’ve seen you punch dinosaurs and fight zombies, but Bill is really dangerous, and we can’t afford to take any risks.” The boy looked around the giftshop. “Where’s Wendy?”

“Oh yeah, she took the rest of the day off.” Soos remembered. “She said she had to take care of some stuff.”

“Aw man.” Dipper groaned. The lumberjack’s daughter would have been the perfect person to help Stan guard the Shack. She was cunning and resourceful and could bury a hatchet’s blade three inches into a tree from ten feet away.

Mabel tugged on her brother’s vest. “Dipper, you should stay here with Stan.”

“What? But I wanna go with Great Uncle Ford! And, uh, I was the last one who saw McGucket at the party!” The boy protested, trying to throw some weak logic behind his desire.

“I know, but… but…” The girl threw her arms around her brother as she failed to keep her voice from trembling. “I’m so scared that Bill is gonna hurt you again! Please, can’t you just stay here where you’re safe from him?”

Dipper returned her hug. “I don’t want him to hurt you either. Maybe both of us should stay?”

Mabel shook her head. “No, somone’s gotta go make sure McGucket’s alright, and if it is a trap, Grunkle Ford’s gonna need all the help he can get.”

“Just promise you’ll be careful.”

“Don’t worry, brobro, I’ve always got my secret weapon!” Mabel assured him, pulling out her grappling hook.

“I’ll make sure she’s safe.” Ford promised, making pointed eye contact first with Dipper, then with Stan.

“Yeah, you better. Otherwise it’s your funeral when her mom finds out.” Stan grunted.

“Does everyone have what you need to defend yourselves?” Ford asked. Mabel held up her grappling hook, and Soos grabbed a shovel out of the Shack’s utility closet. “Then let’s go! We’ll discuss a plan on the way there.”

#Gravity Falls #Fanfiction #Mabel Pines #Dipper Pines #Stanford Pines #Stanley Pines #My Writing

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