#also my dream notebooks tell me i have a lot of running and flying dreams??

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

i'm up to two and a half dreamscapes (of the five i need for nano), and it occurs to me that my own dream notes are not, in fact, the Best Fit for this project, which i discovered by reading through them and cackling last night.

so. back to the whiteboard, huh

[fangirlingfromdownunder]

A Sweet Mishap - Chapter 29

Pairing - Jensen Ackles x Reader 

A/N: I just want to start by thanking everyone for all the love on this story so far. Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list. Please read the TW below and only read on if you feel comfortable doing so.

Potential Trigger Warnings: mentions of violence, rape, therapy, depression

A Sweet Mishap Masterlist | Main Masterlist

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Mary’s family emergency ended up turning into a funeral for her grandad, which keeps her away from the theatre for the rest of the week. This means I have to attempt to fill her shoes for the remaining days. Thankfully, the therapy appointment I hastily booked, comes at just the right time. Stella drives me to the appointment on her way into the office and it truly is the best decision I’ve made in a long time. 

My therapist ends up being a lovely middle-aged woman who is super easy to talk to and understanding of everything I tell her. During the session, she encourages me to share only what I can without delving into the trauma. She says that our first session is mainly to get to know each other and to work out what help or guidance I may need. I start by briefly explaining everything that happened with the guys in my life, my financial struggles and currently overloaded schedule. While she encourages me to make sure to leave some time for rest and to protect my mental health, she doesn’t push too hard for me to drop any particular thing. All too soon, she closes her notebook and tells me that out time is out for the day. She gives me some homework to practice self-care and then I make another appointment for the same time next week. As I walk down to the subway, I feel utterly drained, but I force myself to keep going. I still need to get back to the cafe in time for my shift and then over to the theatre for tonight’s show. I don’t have time to relax yet, her homework will have to wait. 

On Friday night, I take my final bow as Sandy. Mary guaranteed our stage manager that she would be back by the weekend and I for one cannot wait to see her. While being the lead is my dream, with so much else on my plate and so little time to prepare it has just been a shock. But despite my anxiety I can’t help but feel a little sad as I hang the costume back up in Mary’s section and wipe off my make up. As I walk out of the dressing room I say goodnight to a few of the lingering cast and crew until I run into something –or someone–solid. I look up and almost instantly burst into tears as I’m wrapped up in a pair of strong arms.

“You were amazing, Sandy!” an all too familiar and comforting voice says into my hair.

I look up to meet his beautiful green eyes and ask, “How long this time?”

“The weekend. I fly out Sunday night.”

“You got a hotel?”

“Yeah, but I was thinking we could go out somewhere first. Get a bite to eat? Take it back to your place or mine?”

“I’d be down for that. Texan?”

“Hell, you know I’m in.” I pull apart from him as I hear the door swing open behind us. Obviously noticing my nerves he offers me his hand. “Come on then, let’s get outta here.”

I let him lead us out into the parking lot and towards a black car, but to my surprise it’s empty. Jensen opens the passenger door for me before getting in the driver’s seat and starting the engine. 

“Where’s Clif?” I ask.

“I just wanted it to be you and me this time. I know you probably feel safer with him around but also I can’t ask him to follow me everywhere, he has a family too.”

“I don’t mind, just surprised is all.” 

As we sit in the parking lot Jensen pulls out his phone. “I’m thinking we call in our order this time. Don’t wanna get swarmed again. I love that the fans love Dean but tonight I just want to be with you.” I nod and then we go through the menu together on his phone as we pick what is likely way too much food again. He places the order and then pulls out of the now dark lot. The car falls quiet despite us having so much that we need to talk about. Instead of pushing though, Jensen hands me his phone. “What’s your favourite song? You can play whatever you want.”

I consider for a little while before searching for the song that he sung during our last dance at the wedding: Heaven. It’s not my favourite song of all time but it now has a very special place. As the first notes fill the car Jensen begins to sing along quietly. I smile as I watch him navigate the busy streets, he looks so at home behind the wheel eventhough it’s the first time I’ve actually seen him drive apart from on TV. He expertly finds the restaurant and I get out. We decide it’s best if I just slip in and pick up the order to avoid a repeat of last time he was here. As I hoped, I’m in and out in less than 10 minutes. As he navigates out of the city centre we discuss where to go. In the end he agrees that it should be safe enough to go back to my place since he’s with me and the new security guard started last night. 

My apartment feels terribly unlived in since I’ve been avoiding it, but with Jensen by my side it’s slightly more bearable. Since Texan BBQ tends to be messy, we eat at the counter, but when Jensen suggests that we retire to the lounge and watch a movie I can’t help but hesitate. He notices then that it’s still the same couch, so instead he pivots.

“You have a laptop, right?” I nod. “Okay, I’m gonna suggest something but remember our word,” he says nodding at the empty takeaway containers. When I nod he continues, “We could lay together in your bed and watch something on your laptop. Or you can get some stuff together and we can go back to my hotel. Or I can go and leave you be if that’s what you want too…You let me know your boundaries.”

I look back over at the couch and shake my head. Then I look back over at him in tight jeans, a white button-up shirt and boots. As he notices me looking at him he says, “I can see those cogs turning. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be comfortable with whatever you want.” When I don’t answer he walks closer to me and softly cups my face in his hands to make me look at him. “Alright, Darlin’, I’m gonna take some pressure off of you. Let’s just go lay down for a bit, put on a movie and if you get uncomfortable or if it’s too much too soon, we re-evaluate.”

When I finally nod I can see the relief in his eyes. He glances quickly at my lips but pulls back and reaches for my hand instead to lead us into my bedroom. He leaves the sliding doors open to make it feel more casual and then toes off his boots. 

As I look around for my laptop I realize I left it at Stella’s place from when I’ve been studying and living there. I look over at Jensen as he stands slightly awkwardly in the corner of my room beside the bed waiting for me to make the next move. “I uh…my laptop’s not here. It’s at Stella’s.”

My smiles as he lets out a dry chuckle. “That’s alright. Can we just talk then? Or we can watch something on my phone? Really all I want is to spend time with you.”

I look at my bed, and I want nothing more than to lay there and cuddle with him, but with the underwire of my cheap bra digging into my ribs and my tight jeans strangling my thighs I feel anything but relaxed. But I also feel bad changing into comfy clothes when he’s stuck in his day clothes.

He pushes off the wall he’s leaning on and rounds the bed to my side and sits down while patting the spot beside him. “Alright, Darlin’...I need to know exactly what’s going on inside that head of yours. If this is all too much, I can go. I just need to know what you’re thinking. You’re not going to upset or disappoint me, regardless of what it is.”

I reluctantly sit down but I don’t face him. “I…” He doesn’t rush me, he just gives me time to arrange my thoughts and open up. I finally glance up at him and let myself be vulnerable. “I want to cuddle, but I’m uncomfortable…my bra’s digging into my chest and my jeans are chafing my thighs but I feel bad because you can’t be comfortable either. And I’m scared of being with someone without layers…I can’t…” As my breath quickens he takes my hand and rubs soft patterns on the back of it.

“That’s what’s bothering you?”

I try to pull away. “I know it’s stupid and I’m overthinking-”

“Hey…Hey…Y/N, Sweetheart. It’s not. You’re not. I’m perfectly comfortable, these jeans aren’t that tight and I’ve slept in worse. I’m okay. I can wait out on the couch or something while you shower and change, that’s no problem. I want you to be comfortable. And as for the layers…you’re concerned that I want sex? Is that it?” He lifts my chin so he can meet my eyes before continuing, “That’s not even in the realm of where my head’s at. I’ll be the luckiest man in the world if you ever choose to go that far with me, but I don’t expect it, and honestly I don’t really even want it, because I know you’re not ready. If it ever happens, it will only be once we’re in a stable relationship, are both on the same page about everything and are both comfortable, not a second before.”

I can’t help myself when I close the small gap between us to lightly press a kiss to his lips. It’s quick and he doesn’t have time to respond before I pull back, but I hope he gets the message. I stand up but he keeps a grip on my hand, not so strong that I can’t pull free but firm enough to show that he’s there. “You can stay here…I’ll just,” I point over my shoulder at the bathroom.

“Take your time,” he says as he pulls out his phone and frees my hand. I quickly go to my drawers and pull out a sports bra that’s well stretched and comfortable, an oversized T-shirt, a pair of black leggings and clean pair of underwear. I slip into the ensuite and change, but as I look in the mirror I can’t help but feel underdressed, especially to present myself to a movie star and model. As I brush my teeth, I try to talk myself down; I know he’s seen me in worse and never judged. I force myself to open the door.

As I emerge, I find Jensen casually sitting propped up against my headboard and pillows with his long bow-legs stretched out over the comforter. He looks me up and down before patting the space beside him. “That looks much more comfy, com’ere.”

I leave the bathroom light on but turn off the bedroom light before climbing onto the bed beside him. He opens his arms out to give me to option to snuggle close, which I take. I lean against him and rest my head on his chest. His arms wrap around me, settling on my waist. We settle into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Jensen breaks it. “My last girlfriend cheated on me. It was a short lived thing, we kept it under wraps so the press never knew. But we met on set, she was a guest star, and she refused to give us a label or come out as a couple, and I later found out it was because she was sleeping with some guy she met on another show she guested on. It wasn’t love or anything, so she didn’t get the chance to break my heart but it sucked. It’s no excuse, but that’s probably part of why I said what I did on Valentines. I’d never push you to label us, I’m content with just seeing where things go, but that’s why I got insecure. And then I took it out on you, and I’m sorry.”

I run my hand over his chest feeling the soft fabric of his shirt. “I’m sorry you went through that…”

“You’ve been through worse…”

“Still…” Our comfortable silence returns briefly before I add, “Thanks for telling me.”

“You deserved to know. Plus, I don’t want secrets from you, hence throwing out the NDA. I want to be an open book…ask me anything.”

I think for a minute before asking, “Have you ever been in love?” His hand that had started to rub my back stills and I instantly regret asking. “You don’t have to-”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just thinking.” After a moment I feel him shake his head. “Not truly. I’ve had my fair share of flings, even in high school and then once I got into acting, and there’s been a few girls I thought I loved, but I don’t think I’ve ever truly been in love…But I hope to, one day, with the right girl…when she’s ready.”

I look up at him and he tilts down so our lips can meet. As we get lost in the passion and emotions he attempts to deepen the kiss, running his tongue along my bottom lip, as I give his permission, I roll myself so I’m straddling his waist. It all feels so natural in the moment but then he cups my chin and pulls back. “Y/N…Darlin’...” He shakes his head and lifts me back off of him and onto my side of the bed. “I should go…I’m sorry.”

As he tries to push out of the bed I grip his arm. “Stay…please?”

He refuses to meet my eyes but I can see the pain in his. His normally beautiful bright green eyes are dark and watery. “I’m sorry…I meant what I said. I’ll wait for you…No pressure. I don’t want to fuck you, God I don’t even want to have sex with you…” My heart sinks, but then he finally meet my eyes and continues, “When or if we ever do it, I want to make love to you. Show and give you everything your deserve and more…and show you how special you are. But I know you’re not ready, even if you think you are, I know you’re not and then we’ll both regret it.”

I let go of his arm, but I can tell he’s still tense. Both of us are now on the brink of tears. “I’d never pressure or force you to stay, just I know you’d never force me to either. So, if this is too hard for you, you can go back to your hotel…but don’t go because you think it’s what I want…Go because it’s what you need.”

“I just don’t wanna pressure you…” he says, his voice more sullen and hoarse. “Especially after what that monster did…I don’t-”

I slide over closer and encourage him to get comfortable again. I place my hand softly on his stubble-covered cheek and make him look at me. “I don’t feel pressured here. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt comfortable like this, but with you I do. But you are right, I know I’m not ready…It’s just been so long since I’ve even wanted to…We both got carried away.” He nods and a tear slips down and onto my hand. I lean forward and kiss him softly. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close as he scoots down the bed to lay down flat. I rest my head back on his chest as he rubs my back. As we lay there in the heavy silence, I can’t help but reflect over everything. I know I’m falling hard and fast for the man under me and I can’t stop, but I’m still terrified of being hurt again. But knowing he’s just as scared of hurting me reassures me that he won’t. Despite his light and comforting movements, I know he’s overthinking as much as me, so I try to lighten the mood, “What’s your favorite color?”

“So, you haven’t Googled me then.”

“I’d rather hear it from you.”

“Blue, and as a fun fact it’s my mark color on set.”

I roll a little so I can look up at him. “Com’on you gotta get more specific than that, there’s a hundred different shades of blue. For example, mine is green, but not just any green, the deep forest green of the leaves of trees in the middle of spring when everything’s alive and blooming brightly. I loved running my fingers over the fresh buds and leaves as I rode between the trees towards the look out in Cinco Range.”

He chuckles softly, the sound vibrating through his chest. “That’s beautiful. Fine, sky blue like the sky on a clear summer day, but especially the Texas sky. The sky always feels slightly more bleak in Vancouver, it’s probably the cold weather.”

“So, basically, we’re both missing home…Your turn.”

“Okay, ummm…Favorite animal. Mine’s basic but I like dogs, and before you ask me to elaborate, it’s because they’re loyal and good company.”

“Good answer,” I say as I lay back down on his chest comfortably. “Horses, specifically my Snowy, but all horses for a similar reason.”

“You wanna go riding again tomorrow?”

“I’d love to, but I actually have to open the cafe, then I have two shows…”

“You have to open?! Why are we still talking? Get some sleep!”

“I’m not tired.”

“Yes you are. Your adrenaline’s just high. Come on.” He gets up and pulls down the comforter. I reluctantly crawl under it and then he tries to tuck me in and I frown.

“You’re leaving?”

“You want me to stay? I don’t want to keep you up, you need sleep, you’ve got a big day tomorrow. I never intended to be a distraction, I just wanted to support you.”

“I’ll sleep better if you stay…”Then quietly I add, “I don’t like being alone anymore. I’m scared.”

He instantly kneels on the bed and brushes back my hair from my face. “Okay, Darlin’, I’ll stay. Want me sleep on the couch?”

I hold up the comforter and shake my head. He rubs his hands on his denim covered thighs. “If I’m gonna stay, can I? And feel free to say no, I’ll manage.”

I nod. “It’s okay. You need to be comfy too.”

He turns around as he undoes his belt and pulls down his tight jeans. I feel like a perv but I can’t help but sneak a glance at his ass. But the longer I allow myself to watch the more my heartrate rises, the images of Todd pushing down his pants flash through my mind. I instantly look away and sit up as I start to hyperventilate. Jensen’s at my side in a second rubbing up and down my arms and pulling my close. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. It was too much. You’re okay, you’re safe. I’m not gonna do anything to you.” I can’t help but try to squirm out of his grasp, and he lets me. He holds his hands up in surrender. “Y/N, Darlin’, you’re safe. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

He just sits on the edge of the bed and gives me time to calm down after pulling he jeans back up. After a while I finally calm my heart and breathing enough to lay back down. He tucks me in and then goes to get me a glass of water. When he comes back he perches on the side of the bed as I drink. Once he takes the glass and put it on the bedside table he says, “Get some sleep, Baby, I’ll be right here.”

I lay back down under the blanket and get comfortable and he scoots over and lays ontop of the blanket. He rubs his hand over my arm comfortingly and he even starts to sing very softly. I let his voice wash over me as the exhaustion of the day and from my panic attack finally take over.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Taglist: @stoneyggirl2 @hobby27, @n-o-p-e-never, @deansimpalababy,

@winchesterwild78, @kr804573, @chriszgirl92, @smoothdogsgirl

@speakinvain, @deans-baby-momma, @1967winchesterimpala

@lmg14, @superrey, @kamisobsessed

[mistaeq]

One scoop of Bucci gang HCs for the first time quiet reader bursts out laughing in front of them please!

Bucciarati Gang: with a Quiet s/o who Bursts out Laughing

TW // none

Thank you for your request! Bucciarati Gang, my favourite dorky compatriots <3 hope you enjoy, I had fun writing these!

Bucciarati Gang with a quiet s/o who bursts out laughing in front of them, neutral!s/o

WORD COUNT: 1.9k

GIORNO GIOVANNA

You first burst out laughing in front of Giorno when nature itself betrays him and he can't stop sneezing because of the pollen coming from a flower he had grown himself. Karma? An unlucky day? You may never know.

Having been with Giorno a lot, you learnt that plant's effect isn't dangerous, so you can look at your boyfriend getting mad over sneezes, and he's absolutely hilarious. You're sorry that this is happening to him, don't get it twisted, but seeing his chill behavior get lost for this mess is priceless.

He's not only pissed off because he keeps on sneezing, but he's also pissed off because he'd totally like to hear that unexpected laughter of yours clearly, without his sneezes covering it every now and then. He doesn't know when this chance might ever come back, and he wants to clearly hear you.

His frantic and clumsy moves while his nose keeps on betraying him cause his perfectly donut shaped hairstyle to ruin, golden locks falling on his forehead and his braid becoming a messy load of fluffy hair covering his neck.

"Y/n... will you..." sneeze. "..w-will you stop staring..." sneeze. "..it's kinda embarrassing... m-mamma mia..." sneeze. "..but no... no, don't stop laughing... p-plea.. a.." s n e e z e.

After he manages to stop sneezing, his shocked look and his red cheeks let a last giggle come from you, as you hold him tight and leave a sweet peck on his nose. You caress his hair, you find him so attractive even without his signature hairstyle, and that's worth some sneezes, isn't it.

LEONE ABBACCHIO

You first burst out laughing in front of Leone when you hear him curse in front of his mirror because his clothes won't fit him anymore. His chest was too broad.

Abbacchio chose not to use curse words in front of you, that's why when you catch him red handed, swearing and cursing at his clothes, you can't help finding him funny. As soon as he hears you laughing, he winces and turns around.

"Fuck... come on... why won't this fit..." he was pulling the irremovable fabric on his shoulder. "Maybe my chest is now too big... what the hell, come on... mamm ro Carmn... [Neapolitan dialect for: Carmine's mom. Not a cute thing to say. It's an angry neapolitan "mamma mia".]" then, he heard you laughing, and winced.

When he sees the big smile on your face when you lovingly laugh at him, he's petrified. He hates hearing this type of laughing, because it's the exact thing Mista and Narancia do all the time. But on you? You sound so happy and relieved, and Leone likes it. For real.

He just stands there, half his chest and a shoulder being naked, looking like a disheveled princess. Too funny. He huffs and ignores you, to make you think he's annoyed. But you know him too well, and know that if he's hiding his face, it's because he's actually smiling, too.

You hug him from behind, looking at your reflection in the mirror still in front of him. Abbacchio looks over his naked shoulder, right where you are, leaving a tender kiss on his skin, before giggling once again. He turns around, and kisses you, leaving his purple lipstick all over your cute mouth. He likes your laughter better, like this.

GUIDO MISTA

You first burst out laughing in front of Guido when you're practising together with cooking. And he just can't believe it, when you laugh so hard just for a pun of his. You are baking some good bread to share it with the gang.

He takes your hand and smiled. "Are you a garden, y/n?" Guido asks you, before throwing a handful of flour on you. "Because I feel like my love for you is FLOURishing!" you burst out laughing, holding onto him, spreading flour on his apron, too.

That genuine, happy laugh really warms his heart, he feels his knees get weaker and his negative thoughts fly away. He could listen to that forever. Mista is just so shocked. It takes for him a couple of seconds to realize what happened, before he finally holds you back.

Seeing you silent all day makes him kinda sad, and one of his dreams was making you laugh like that. He has been putting a lot of effort for that, but manages to do it only when he's his actual self, with a simple pun.

"My love for you is FLOURishing too, Guido..." you manage to answer, your cheeks obtaining a cute, irresistible red color, as you get on tiptoe and peck his beautiful lips. He's totally enamored, he's under your spell and can't believe you answered his pun so well.

When you get back to your work, he sometimes still hears you giggle, thinking of how bad yet cheesy that pun was. But it made you unwillingly burst out laughing, so you guess it's okay just the way it is.

FUGO PANNACOTTA

You first burst out laughing in front of Fugo when you see him getting angry over Narancia not knowing maths. Fugo promised himself and Bruno not to physically hurt Narancia again like what happened with the fork in his cheek.

This being said, the only way for Fugo to express his anger is screeching on his chair. When you hear that sound coming from your boyfriend, you can't hold back your laughter. It was so unexpected and someway unbelievably cute. Narancia is just scared.

Fugo hears the angelic bells of love in his heart, as if God himself came down from the paradise and graced his ears with your laughing voice. It immediately calms him down. But if he calms down, you stop laughing.

"Why isn't 8 ÷2 = 3? If I split an 8 in half I get a three!" after hearing Narancia mumbling those words, Fugo screeches again, and you giggle even louder. But you understand the poor boy can't keep on getting angry just to hear you laugh.

That's why you soon stop, approaching Fugo and resting your magical hands on his shoulders, giving him a massage because he's a great teacher and he's doing his best. His moans while you help him relaxing his shoulders make you shyly giggle too.

"Why does this sound sexual?" Fugo wishes he could kill Narancia. But he's too focused on your hands working on his shoulders to care, and quietly screeches as you giggle again.

NARANCIA GHIRGA

You first burst out laughing in front of Narancia when you see Fugo getting angry over him not knowing maths. Narancia is shook, kinda confused on why what he wrote isn't correct.

Fugo screeches on his chair, he promised not to hurt your boyfriend, who shows you his paper, looking at you with a questioning look, probably asking you why what he wrote is wrong. You burst out laughing as you read. Narancia is a complete mess.

As soon as he hears you, he completely forgets about maths for a second, focusing on the sound of your beautiful laughter. Narancia is baby, if the person he loves the most laughs, he doesn't care what's the reason, he laughs with you. Then, he kinda remembers why you started giggling in first place.

"For real though. Y/n, why isn't 8 ÷ 2 = 3? If I split an 8 in half I get a three!" after hearing Narancia mumbling those words, you laugh even harder, desperate Fugo witnessing your boyfriend throwing away his maths notebook and run into your arms.

You're usually so silent and he may never know when he's gonna hear you again like that. You two laugh together so much that you start panting, your faces red with big smiles and almost sweating.

"Why does this look sexual?" Narancia wishes he could kill Fugo. But he's too focused on your little giggles and your cute smile as you lean on his shoulder and kiss his cheek. He might be not so perfect in maths, but he's perfect in making you so happy.

TRISH UNA

You first burst out laughing in front of Trish after you trip on a piece of furniture and risk falling on the ground. But as soon as your body touches the ground, you feel it jiggly and soft, bouncing a little on it.

Just a moment before you thought you were gonna get a few bruises after falling on the ground, but now you're just there, happily bouncing on Spicy Lady's brand new jiggly floor and laughing out loud, staring at your girlfriend's surprised expression.

You've never laughed like that before, and Trish is pleasantly surprise to see that her stand's work has such a good effect on your mood and on you, in general. She might consider making more objects jiggly, if this is what you like. All she cares about is seeing you happy and amused.

"Tell me, y/n..." she gets closer to your figure jumping and loudly giggling, and stares at you with loving eyes. "Would you mind it, if I jumped with you too? You look like you're having fun..."

You couldn't ask for anything more. You moved a little to let Trish join you, grabbing both your hands and jumping along with you, finally laughing so you can see her beautiful smile, even though she's the one who cares about seeing yours. Your girlfriend would do anything for you... even disobey Bucciarati.

"You... you two had to clean the house while we were away... it was your turn, this morning!" the capo's jaw fell as soon as he saw the mess Spicy Lady had done. Nothing that couldn't be fixed, but what matters is that afterwards, you and her laugh together remembering Bucciarati's expression. Then, she kisses your smile in case it would take a lot for it to come back.

BRUNO BUCCIARATI

You first burst out laughing in front of Bruno when his stand disobeys him and opens a zipper through a wall to reach for your room and cuddle with you.

His shocked face and Sticky Fingers's cute, happy sounds are too hilarious for you to keep a serious expression. You're so used to see Bucciarati as the authoritarian type of person who has everything under his control, but now he doesn't and he's quite panicking.

Even more shocking for Bruno is seeing how you actually let his stand cuddle with you, a warm laughter coming from your sweet lips, he loves so much. Music for his tired capo ears.

He can't help staring at you with a loving smile. Moments like these don't happen that much, and God knows when you're gonna do that beautiful sound again. He secretly thanks Sticky Fingers for doing all of this, but since it's his soul, there's no need to say it out loud.

"Your laugh is one of the best sounds my ears ever witnessed, tesoro. I might want Sticky Fingers to disobey me more, if this is the result..." then, he'd bring a hand of yours to his lips and kiss it, kiss your smile, kiss your precious laughter.

Even if you stop laughing, Bruno enjoys your little giggles while his stand strokes your hair and purrs when you caress its head. As the user feels what the stand feels, your hand caressing Sticky Fingers caresses Bruno too, and he'll eventually giggle with you.

[quokkacore]

with great power I [lee jeno]

summary: there are two things jeno loves most about his life. one being spiderman, the other being you, his best friend. there’s just one issue: after your father’s death, you decide you hate both spiderman and yourself.

pairing: lee jeno x reader

genre: superhero au, high school au, coming of age, best friends to strangers(ish) to lovers, fluff, ANGST, minor crack

warnings (for this chapter): language, violence, gun violence, the mafia, parental death, police presence, sexual references, bullying (ily san im sorry), the dreamies being dicks to each other, police corruption, towards the end jeno experiences something similar to sensory overload, americanized names, pop culture references, VERY jeno centric

song rec: we go up - nct dream // any song - zico // 21 questions - waterparks // talk (remix feat. megan thee stallion & yo gotti) - khalid // sunrise - ateez // i really like you - carly rae jepsen // dare - gorillaz // stray kids - the tortoise and the hare

word count: 10.5k

a/n: this is so late...... i blame attack on titan. but hey!! better late than never :] a huge thanks to @doderyscoffee​ for beta reading <3

main masterlist // story masterlist

chapter one: jeno and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week

Jeno despised Tuesdays. He was pretty sure that Tuesdays despised Jeno as well because all of his worst days just so happen to be Tuesdays. He was 96% sure that, if there was a god, his day off was on Tuesdays, or that the planets aligned in such a manner on Tuesdays that it caused universal despair and misery. If he was to take Donghyuck's word for it, his chakra attracted negative energy the most on Tuesdays.

When Jeno was 5, his goldfish Pippin had died on a Tuesday. When he had his ass handed to him on the playground by San Choi in the third grade, it was a Tuesday. And in the seventh grade, he'd failed his Spanish test, missed his bus and walked home in the rain only to find out that his Aunt Sunny was at work, he'd left his keys in his locker and that had to wait an hour before she got home to unlock it for him, all on a Tuesday. 

And wouldn't you know it, here he was, late for the first day of senior year, which was, of all days, a godforsaken Tuesday.

In his eternal wisdom, he'd stayed up gaming with Renjun until two in the morning, and because of it, slept through his three alarms, one set at six-thirty, the other at 6:45, the last one at 7:00. 

He'd woken up at 7:17, to the sound of his elderly neighbor's pet chihuahua barking at a pigeon, checked the time, immediately panicked, sped into the shower, gotten dressed in a haste, grabbed a few granola bars from the pantry, and ran out the door while trying to jam his backpack closed, and managed to catch the train at 7:40, which took about twenty minutes to get to his stop, plus a ten-minute walk to school, and class started at 8:10. Not to mention he’d have to stop by the office and pick up his schedule. At best, he’d be five minutes late to his first class. But tardies were tardies, regardless, and the last thing he needed was to lose his perfect attendance streak. 

He fished out his phone while standing on the train, waiting for his stop, scrolling through Instagram, and liking random pictures. A ping! from his phone caught his attention, then two, then a third. He smiled softly when your name popped up on his screen.

[7:48 AM]

y/n: pssst

y/n: shithead

y/n: where r u ????

[7:49 AM] 

y/n: i can sEE u online on ig u know

jeno: …… i'm on the train

jeno: woke up late

y/n: YOURE GONNA BE LATR

y/n: LATE*

y/n: ON THE FIRST DAY OF SENIOR YEAR

[7:50]

jeno: probably, yeah

jeno: it's the school district's fault, why would they make the first day of school on a fkn TUESDAY 

y/n: ohhh yeahh its terrible tuesday

y/n: [sent an attachment!]

[7:51 AM]

jeno: SHUT UP

jeno: you're not funny >:(

jeno: how dare you laugh at my misfortune

y/n: au contraire im hilarious

jeno: meanie :(

jeno: im gonna be late i hate it here

jeno: it'll end up on my permanent record and i'm not gonna get into college and then i'm gonna die,,,

[7:52 AM] 

y/n: sometimes ur worse than hyuck i swear 

y/n: FIRST OF ALL permanent records dont even exist !!!!!! its propaganda duh

y/n: also ur literally never late 

y/n: im sure o n e tardy wont do anything chill

y/n: dont be stupid youll be fine

Don’t be stupid. Too little, too late, he thought, already having got off the train at a previous stop. Now, he was looking for an unoccupied street or alleyway, which, for once, was easy, taking a deep breath before he did the exact opposite of what you’d told him not to do. Don’t be stupid. 

The buildings are low, he thought to himself, it’ll be easier to see me. 

Don’t be stupid.

Too late!

Thwip!

Jeno didn’t hesitate to use the web fluid to pull himself up onto the wall, climbing in a haste, before running and jumping onto the next building. He quickly built up a quick pace, using the web fluid occasionally to swing onto a building slightly out of jumping range. 

Signs in English, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish flew past him as he seemingly flew over the Queens traffic, leaving Flushing behind and crossing quickly into College Point quicker than he would if he took the train. He glanced to his left and caught a view of the bay, and far across it, the LaGuardia airport watchtower.

Jeno had lived in New York City his entire life. He knew Queens like the back of his hand, knew every dingy alleyway, every sketchy street, which restaurants to avoid if you didn’t want to get food poisoning, which convenience store aunties were the nicest and didn’t pinch his cheeks too hard. It was his home, and most likely would be for the rest of his life. 

But seeing it like this, flying past him below as he glided with ease from building to building would never cease to be a sight to him. It was like watching from the perspective of an outsider, seeing people in their cars, walking along the street gave him a brand new perspective. A Jeno’s eye view, he called it, since he was pretty sure he was the only one in New York City.

Another noise from his phone brought him back to reality. He shook his head, stopping briefly to catch his breath and fish out his phone briefly. 

[7:57 AM] 

y/n: let me know when u get here !!!

No time to respond, he put away the phone and continued his trek to school. He had less than ten minutes to get there. But he knew he was already at least five minutes away, much quicker than he would be if he had decided to stick to the train. He smiled a bit to himself, feeling ever so slightly smug.

The hustle and bustle of the city definitely proved challenging to find a place to land without many eyes, but he figured it out eventually, landing behind a dumpster in an alleyway behind a restaurant that he knew was about three or four blocks from the school. He figured it would be a lot better to take it on foot from here. The notebooks he was carrying in his backpack bounced up and down with every step he took. 

After what seemed like forever, the gates to the school appeared in his view, and Jeno felt a joy in his heaving chest, something he would have never thought would happen upon seeing the absolute hellhole that was Samuel Morse High School. 

[8:06 AM]

jeno: just did >:D

Picking up his schedule was both quick and insanely long. He couldn’t stop himself from tapping his left foot while the secretary found his schedule and handed it to him. “Kibum, please hurry,” He muttered, and Kibum raised an eyebrow at him, but his gaze was teasing. “That’s Mr. Kim to you, in school at least.” 

He handed Jeno his schedule a few seconds later. “Tell your Aunt to come pick up her casserole dish, by the way. She left it at my house after my last viewing party.”

“The Bachelor?”

“Please. We’re too classy for that. Drag Race.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Jeno,” Kibum said, staring up at him from his desk, his gaze now much more serious, “Get to class. Happy first day of senior year.”

“Thanks, Mr. Kim.”

He managed to make it to chemistry class at 8:09 with seconds to spare. His eyes quickly scanned the room upon entering, hoping his friends were in the class with him. He caught a few familiar faces, most of which, like San Choi's, he wished to avoid. No one paid him any mind. Everyone was still speaking to the people next to them, no doubt exchanging stories of summer vacation. 

  A hand shot up towards the back, waving at him. A smile stretched across his face as he registered your face, feet not hesitating to carry him towards the empty seat next to you. His heart skipped a beat at seeing your smile, and he tried his best to ignore it.

“Hey,” You greeted, “That was fast. I thought you said you were gonna be late.”

Jeno shrugged, eyes landing on the dark shade of the lab table. “The train was a lot faster than I expected, apparently.”

You wrinkled your nose. “Why do you smell so bad?”

“I, uh… ran a little.” 

You grimaced, and Jeno tried to casually sniff at his slightly sweaty clothes. It’s not that bad. “I still don’t understand why you won’t let me drive you to school. You’re literally next door.”

“I don’t know,” He answered, rolling his eyes, “Maybe it’s because when it comes to that truck, you are absolutely insane. You won’t even let me drink water in that thing.”

The truck in question, a faded red 1998 Chevrolet S-10, had been your gift to yourself for your 17th birthday. You’d spent two summers saving up to buy yourself a truck, and that was what you were able to get for what you had. To say it was a huge piece of junk on wheels was an understatement. 

The thing smelled like mothballs no matter how many air fresheners you bought it, the engine sounded like an old man having a coughing fit, and there was a very suspicious stain in the backseat that wouldn’t go away no matter how many times you scrubbed it. But for some reason, you treated it like it was your own baby. The amount of times you’d yelled at Jaemin for trying to put his feet on the dashboard was too high to count.

You mirrored his movement, eyes rolling as you sighed. “At least let me drive you home after school today. Maybe you can stay and we can finally watch Blade Runner.”

You’d been trying to get him to watch the film for almost a month now, begging and pleading because you insisted that he’d love it. He offered an awkward stare, before opening his backpack and pulling out a notebook. “Can’t,” He mumbled, “I’m headed into Manhattan. I have my internship afterwards.”

“Oh, yeah,” You said nonchalantly, eyebrows shooting up as you remembered, “Park Industries.” 

He was about to reply when Mrs. Baker, the chemistry teacher, finally entered. She’d been working at SMHS for 30 years and had never, apparently, been nice, if his Aunt Sunny’s stories were anything to go by. However, she had apparently always spoken as if she smoked two packs a day. She was rambling about the importance of making the most of senior year academically, adult responsibilities, college, and whatnot. You and Jeno exchanged glances often throughout the monologue, hoping it would end soon. 

“Enough of that,” She said after what seemed like an eternity, “Everyone quiet down, I’m going to call roll.”

Names were quickly called, and Jeno was ready to pull out a pencil and start working with you until Mrs Baker demanded a switch in seats, beginning to call on random names in an effort to deter everyone from speaking. 

"Please not with Choi, please not with Choi," Jeno muttered under his breath, glancing warily at San, who was staring ahead, looking bored. 

San had had it out for Jeno ever since day one, in first grade. For some reason, everything Jeno did seemed to annoy the other boy. He wasn't funny enough, or too nerdy, or too quiet. Jeno was always too much or too little for him. 

You touched his forearm, and he looked towards you. 

“You’ll be fine,” You said softly, trying not to alert the teacher, “You’re not gonna get paired up with him, and you can take it to the office if you need to.” “Yeah, because I’m sure Coach Peralta would be thrilled if someone tried to get his precious midfielder in trouble.”

“Choi, San,” Mrs Baker’s voice rang throughout the room, and Jeno braced himself for the worst, eyebrows furrowing with worry. 

“You’ll be sitting with… L/N, Y/N.” 

Jeno’s shoulders slumped, but your face remained impassive. You picked up your stuff, and pouted silently at Jeno in apology, before making your way to the front. 

“Lee, Jeno,” Mrs Baker called a few minutes later, “You’ll be sitting with Jang, Yeeun.”

He breathed out a sigh of relief. Yeeun is nice, Jeno thought to himself, I could sit with Yeeun. She wasn’t part of his main friend group, but he had tutored her in math during sophomore year in exchange for her helping him with Spanish, and they’d been pretty friendly ever since. 

“Hey,” Yeeun greeted as Jeno sat down, and Jeno smiled at her. 

“Remember, these will be your assigned lab partners for the rest of the semester. No changes, no exceptions.” Mrs. Baker sat down at her desk, before beginning to talk about something Jeno didn’t really pay attention to.

You exchanged glances with Jeno, and he gave you a look of sympathy as you gestured at San with your eyes. San was talking to you about something—probably bragging about some soccer achievement—but you weren’t paying him much attention. Jeno swallowed something growing in his throat as he looked at how your hair looked today. 

It was nothing relatively new, the same hairstyle you used on most days. But still, there was a bit of a shine to it. He wondered vaguely if you had changed your shampoo, the other day you’d been complaining about how itchy your normal shampoo made your scalp—

“You still haven’t told her about how you feel?” Yeeun asked quietly, and Jeno’s head snapped back to look at her, eyes wide.

“W-what? Me. Like Y/N…” He laughed nervously, trying to keep his voice down. He scratched the back of his head, avoiding Yeeun’s accusatory stare. “You’re hilarious, Yeeun. Tell another one.”

Yeeun shook her head. “You’d better hurry before someone else snatches her up, Jen. She’s not gonna wait around for you forever.”

 “I don’t like her, Yeeun.” 

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Hey! Jeno Lee!”

“Hey! Jaemin Na! What do you want!” Jeno answered as he sat down, mimicking Jaemin’s tone next to him.

“Well, for starters, a million dollars, and second, a date with Yiren Wang, but I doubt you can help me with either of those, so...”

Jeno glanced at the rest of the table. Along with Jaemin, Mark,  Renjun, Donghyuck, and you were watching the interaction between the pair. “Where are the munchkins?” Jeno asked, noticing Chenle and Jisung’s absence. No one could really call them munchkins anymore. That nickname dated back to middle school, before the two underclassmen had gone through growth spurts.

“Eh, they should be here soon,” Renjun said, chewing on a french fry, “How’s your day been?”

“Pretty good so far, I guess. I got AP Calc with Mr. Washington later, though. That man wants me dead.”

You rolled your eyes. “He doesn’t want you dead. I’m telling you, you and Hyuck have been spending way too much time together. You’re being more dramatic than usual and Hyuck’s being more… weird than usual.”

“And just what is so weird about being enthusiastic about senior year, Y/N?” Donghyuck asked, shaking his head, “It’s our last year in this hellhole, I’m excited that we’re finally getting out of here. And besides—”

“Please don’t bring up the fact that you’re abandoning us next year.” Chenle seemingly appeared out of nowhere, sitting next to Renjun, Jisung following quickly behind him.

“Hi, Sungie,” You said with a smile, and Jisung smiled back. “Hi, Y/N.”

“What were you saying, Hyuck?” Jaemin looked at Donghyuck, who had taken the quick interaction as an opportunity to take a bite of his sandwich. His wide eyes darted to the slim boy, cheeks stuffed with chicken. 

“Oh,” He replied after swallowing, “This is gonna be my year. I’m getting male lead for the winter musical and no one is gonna stop me.”

“Do you even know what musical you guys are doing yet?” Mark asked, “What if it’s like… Shrek?”

Jisung made a face. “There’s a Shrek musical?”

Mark nodded, and Renjun laughed.

“I don’t know about male lead, if it’s Shrek. You should try out for Donkey,” The Chinese boy joked, “With those front teeth, you’re a shoo-in.”

The entire table was silent for a moment, before snorts and chortles started pouring out from everyone except Donghyuck.

“Fuck you, Huang.” 

Renjun flashed the friendliest smile he could muster. “Not if you paid me a million dollars.”

The subject remained on extracurriculars, everyone in your group except for Chenle and Jisung now wary of college applications. Donghyuck had been in theater ever since middle school, Renjun was in the robotics club and the debate team with Jaemin, who was also in the student council. Mark was on the math team with Jeno, and you had founded the film club. 

"You're not gonna believe who asked to sign up for film," You huffed, looking kind of confused. The rest of the table looked at you expectantly, and you pursed your lips, almost as if you were trying not to laugh.

"San Choi."

Renjun scoffed. Jaemin raised his eyebrows before letting out a single, humorless laugh. Jeno made a face, poking his plastic fork at you. 

"What is San Choi doing asking to sign up for film?"

"Fuck if I know. He said he needed one more extracurricular if he wanted to get into some college in Florida and he liked going to the movies, so he wanted to try out film."

Mark rolled his eyes. "I swear there's nothing in that guy's head but hot gas. It blows my mind."

"He's a dick," Chenle grumbled, "I'm still not over how he and Wooyoung taped Jisung to the flagpole last year."

Jisung scowled. "I thought we agreed to never bring that up again."

“Do you think they’ll finally calm the fuck down this year?” Jaemin wondered, looking wistful.

You took a sip of your coke and shook your head. “Doubt it. They’re not the hateful eight for a reason.”

The mood at the table turned tense, until Jaemin frowned at his french fries, before sighing and clapping his hands together dramatically. “I would like to hear,” He mused, “About the nuance that theatre gives the cinematic masterpiece that is Shrek when converted into musical form.”

Donghyuck beamed. “Oh, it’s amazing. You see…”

If it was difficult to get Donghyuck to stop talking in general, it was impossible when it was about theater.

The conversation continued on until the bell rang, and the eight of you had to go your separate ways. Jaemin and Jeno had the same class, so they both walked together down a relatively calm hallway. Jaemin looked both ways, before finally lowering his voice. 

“So, you’re going to see Mr. Park today?”

Jeno nodded, looking down at his shoes. “He said he wanted to give me an assignment. Says there’s something big going on.”

Jaemin’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Did he say what kind of something?” 

Jeno shook his head, pouting slightly. “I’ll let you know tomorrow.” 

Once school was out, Jeno was getting ready to get onto the subway once again, this time heading towards Midtown. It was only day one and, as Jeno had predicted, Mr. Washington probably was out to get him, because he’d swamped the class with homework.

As he left the school, he spotted you in the parking lot, leaning against your car door, texting someone. He glanced at his phone. He still had plenty of time, he figured. He walked over to you, and when you looked up, you smiled. 

“Hey!” Your voice had that signature tone of enthusiasm to it, and Jeno smiled back immediately. 

“Hello,” He sing-songed. “So, I was thinking… are you free on Friday night?”

You looked somewhere above his head, furrowing your eyebrows before you perked up again and nodded. “Yep! Why?”

“I’m free after nine. Maybe then I could come over to your house? So I can finally get you to stop harassing me about Blade Runner.”

You grinned, pumping your fists enthusiastically. “Hell yes,” You answered, “Do you want me to get like, some frozen pizzas or something?” 

“Pizza sounds good,” He said. “Who are you even waiting for?” 

You made a face that made it seem as if you’d just gotten a whiff of rotten milk. “Well—”

Your response was interrupted when the school doors slammed open, and eight figures poured out, carrying themselves with confidence Jeno both envied and despised. He frowned, trying not to react at their loud whooping and laughing. The Hateful Eight.

“Oh.” Jeno averted his gaze, meeting your eyes again.

“Yeah. If you don’t hear from me later it’s because I jumped out of my truck because I don’t wanna work with—”

“Well, hello, gorgeous!” San’s voice filled the parking lot, and Jeno took a deep breath. Your mouth stretched into a tight-lipped smile at the unwanted ‘compliment’. 

“Hey, San.” Your friendly passive aggressive tone almost made Jeno smile. “I’ve been waiting here for like, fifteen minutes. You could have just given me your number and asked me to send you pictures of my notes, you know.”

He shrugged, turning his body so that his back was turned to Jeno. “Sorry, babe. Coach wanted to talk to us about the upcoming season. When he gets going, it’s hard to get him to stop. And besides, where’s the fun in just asking for pictures when I could come here, talk to you, and take the pictures myself?”

You didn’t respond, but rather pulled out your backpack and began digging through it. When you pulled out your notebook, you handed it to San, who flashed a wink at you. You barely held back a gag. 

“Thanks, Y/N. I’ll just be a minute.” 

He walked over to the hood of your truck, and just as you were about to continue your conversation, two figures slung their arms around both of Jeno’s shoulders, causing him to flinch. 

Out of the fifteen soccer players on the team, San and his best friends—seven of them, to be precise—were the worst. The others were pretty nice. But right now, seeing two of those seven surround your best friend made you uneasy. 

Wooyoung was loud. He was also a temperamental brat. His dad owned three used car dealerships over in Brooklyn, so naturally, he thought he owned the entire world. He wasn’t someone who would get too physical in fights, like San, or Jongho, or Yeosang. But when he was angry, he could easily get you to jump into the stratosphere by yelling at you once. Over the years, he’d made several teaching assistants and substitute teachers cry, only getting let off with a slap on the wrist every time. 

 Yunho was terrifying for completely different reasons. He was friendly, but a little too friendly to the people he wanted to control. He could read people like books and could easily manipulate whoever he wanted. But he wasn’t afraid of getting physical either, especially not when he was built like a goddamn Power Rangers Megazord. 

All in all, they definitely weren't anyone you wanted near you, near your friends. Especially considering how much they had it out for your friends. 

"Hey, buddy," Yunho said, looking down at Jeno with a wide smile. "How was summer vacation?"

Jeno gnawed on the side of his cheek as he considered his answer. "Um, it was okay." He looked at you to catch your eyes darting between San, Yunho and Wooyoung, like you were analyzing the situation. "I kinda stayed in and played video games most of the t—"

"Cool, cool," Yunho answered, carding his free hand through his bleach blond hair. "What about you, Woo?"

"Oh, dude, it was so cool," He bragged, "I went to Brazil for like, a month. I went clubbing with Instagram models and shit, it was wild."

You stared at him as he patted Jeno on the back rather aggressively. "Where did you go? Have you ever even left New York?" 

You knew the answer. Only a few times when the debate team went to compete in different states. Jeno spoke up again. "Well, yeah a few t—"

"Doubt it," Yunho scoffed. He craned his head back. "San, you done yet?"

"Almost!" San answered. Yunho turned to face you, and for some reason his smile seemed genuinely kind. “What about you, Y/N?”

You never understood why it was that the soccer team hated your entire friend group, but seemed to tolerate you. It made no sense.

So you shrugged. “Not a lot, I guess. Did my summer reading. Hung out with my friends.” You flashed a reassuring smile at Jeno. “Right, Jen?”

Immediately, he relaxed a little bit. “Yeah.”

San appeared from behind Yunho, Jeno and Wooyoung. “Thanks, Y/N. I owe you one.”

You waved your hand, wanting them to get rid of them quickly. “Don’t mention it. But next time, just text me for my notes. I have to get to work, so…”

“Oh! My bad,” He answered with fake remorse, before unlocking his phone and handing it over to you. “Here. For next time.”

You stifled a deep sigh, punching in the numbers hesitantly. “Just for homework, got it?”

San took his phone back, holding a hand over his heart and raised his head. “On a gentleman's honor,” He declared, and you bit back a laugh. Jeno looked like he was going to hurl.

“San!” The team captain—Hongjoong—called from a few feet away, “Are you guys done yet or what?”

“Coming!” San yelled back.

“Alright, we’ll let you go,” Wooyoung said, patting Jeno on the back again, a bit too harsh for comfort. “Bye, Y/N! See you around.”

 The three of them stalked off, leaving you and a very frazzled Jeno. “Dicks,” You muttered once they were out of earshot. “You good?”

Jeno shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. “I’ll be fine.”

You tilted your head, frowning. “Jeno—”

“I gotta go,” He said quickly. “I’ll see you later?”

You nodded, offering a lopsided smile. “Yeah. Be careful!” 

Jeno offered a deep bow, fluttering his eyelashes. “On a gentleman’s honor,” He sighed, adding a very bad British accent to it. You burst out laughing, eyes squeezing shut.

You didn’t catch the way Jeno’s shoulders relaxed at the sound.

I want you to know now

Baby, it could go down

I don’t wanna talk about it

Baby, let’s just go now

The train ride into Midtown didn’t take too long. He spent it digging through his backpack for his Park Industries lanyard, listening to music and thinking about you.

When you talk right to me 

You gon’ have to do me

Every time you think you’re leaving 

You running back to me

You’d met Jeno when you were six. Truth be told, he didn’t really remember. For him it was like you weren’t there at one point and by the time you were, you were thicker than thieves. It was a difficult time for him. He had just lost both of his parents, and was moving in with his Aunt Sunny and his Uncle Jinki, who were barely out of college at the time. He’d had to move to a new school and basically restart his entire life. You were the first sense of stability in his life for months. 

Your mom lived next to his aunt and uncle. So naturally, you went to the same school and went on the same bus. And somewhere along the way, you two clicked. You’d introduced him to Renjun, Jaemin and Donghyuck. You were there to comfort him whenever he got pushed off the slide by San or Wooyoung. 

He was there for you when your stepdad and stepbrother moved in when you were nine and you weren’t sure how to deal with it. He was there when your mom died when you were thirteen. He’d introduced you and your friends to Mark, Chenle and Jisung. 

And you were there when his Uncle Jinki got killed when he was fifteen. And because fate had an especially cruel sense of irony, it had happened on a Tuesday. You didn’t know, but at the time, he had just gotten his powers. Your comfort and words unknowingly had a secondary effect: he made the decision to use them for good, and… well. The rest was history. 

Can we just talk? Can we just talk?

Talk about where we're goin'

Before we get lost, lend me your thoughts

Can't get what we want without knowin'

Just like when he met you, he didn’t recall an exact moment where he realized he’d fallen in love with you. He knew there was a world where he loved you, but wasn’t in love with you. And he knew that there was a world here he’d fallen in love with you—he was living in that world now. He realized he was living in that world maybe when he was sixteen, and had been stuck in it ever since. 

You were it for him. He’d had crushes before. But never something like this, where he was so aware of your presence around him. It wasn’t the way he was hyper aware of someone like San, or like Yunho or Jongho. It wasn’t out of anxiety or fear, where a shift in mood activated his fight or flight. He was aware of you in a way that only people who truly know each other do, where he could pick up on subtle changes in your behavior, but not out of fear. Rather, out of a desire to take care of you and to not have you worry about anything. 

I've never felt like this before

I apologize if I'm movin' too far

Can we just talk? Can we just talk?

Figure out where we're goin'...

As the train rolled into the station that was a fifteen minute walk from Park Tower, Jeno put away his headphones and took a deep breath.

The “Jeno Tingle” as his Aunt Sunny called it—Jeno hated the term—had taken him a few years to gain control of. And while he could never truly turn it off, he could at least tune it out enough to be more at ease. The only time he did so was at school or when he was studying, just because he wanted to feel normal, and because being aware of everything going on around him really messed with his concentration. 

Jaemin didn’t understand. “If I was able to tell whenever Seonghwa was behind me because he wanted to scare me into doing his chemistry homework, I’d never turn that shit off,” He’d said once. But truthfully, Jeno didn’t really care. Because while yes, he was still slightly scared of the “hateful eight”, he knew damn well that if things got to be too much, he could kick their asses if he wanted to. 

It was his friends he worried about. He couldn’t be around them 24/7. You, not so much. He knew you knew how to fight. Even worse, he knew that San had the hots for you so you were off limits to the rest of them, be it bullying or flirting. But for everyone else… Well. He couldn’t hover over them like some guardian angel. 

Now that the “Jeno Tingle” was on, it allowed him to sense everyone within a certain range around him. He could zero in on certain sounds with ease, and his reflexes became heightened. Halfway on his walk up Park Avenue, he jumped away from a chihuahua on its leash a second before it started barking at him.

When he entered the first floor lobby of the Park Building, he scoured the crowd of employees and visitors until he landed on one familiar face. 

He'd met Doyoung about a year after his dad started dating your mom. Things between your parents were starting to get serious, and Doyoung was four years older than you were. When they moved into your house, Doyoung as your new stepbrother became the de facto chaperone and babysitter. If you wanted to go to the mall with Jeno, he had to take you. Every time you dragged Jeno to the movies, Doyoung had to go also. 

To an extent, it wasn't that bad. Doyoung was cool, and he was smart—he was the one who got Jeno interested in computers and chemistry. He graduated high school at 16, and finished his bachelor's degree at 19. He'd also interned at Park Industries, and secured a job there almost immediately after college. 

To an extent, he was the whole reason Mr. Park knew who he was, because of one incident. It was relatively soon after he started the whole vigilante thing. Jeno, still figuring out how to maneuver on the webs that shot out of his wrists, had accidentally crashed into your backyard late at night, when only Doyoung was awake. He was standing in the back door while he was waiting for his dog to finish peeing. 

Initially, the older boy had freaked out, thinking that it was a burglar or something. When he yelled out that his dad was a cop and was asleep in the house, Jeno panicked, and pulled off his mask, holding up his hands.

“Woah, woahwoahwoah! Doyoung! It’s me, it’s me!” 

Doyoung’s eyes had widened to the size of saucers, paying no mind to the dog as it sauntered up to Jeno, before turning onto its back in a request for belly rubs.

"You're the spider guy everyone's been talking about!?"

"Spider man," Jeno had answered, voice cracking as he dusted himself off. He cringed at the sound of his voice. "...and yes."

Of course, his cover was blown, and he'd begged Doyoung not to tell anyone, especially not you. And while Doyoung had promised not to tell you, it didn't stop him from telling his boss. 

That had been almost three years ago now. The rest was history, and after that Jeno didn’t have to run around in bright red sweatpants and dollar store swimming goggles. Now, he had a nanotech suit that allowed him to activate protocols of the suit through voice commands using something top-secret Mr. Park called D.R.E.A.M technology. Direct Response Engaged As Machine—yeah, Jeno didn’t get it either. 

Doyoung offered Jeno a smile as he escorted Jeno past security, showing them his employee clearance pass. "Hey. How have you been?"

Jeno shrugged, recounting his day in minor detail as he was led into an elevator labeled authorized personnel only. 

This elevator only went up to the 35th floor, seeing as everything past that was only cleared for a certain list of people approved by Mr. Park and his security team, and everything past the 90th floor were Mr. Park's private living quarters. 

Now, as Doyoung led him to another elevator to head up to the 85th floor, which was always where Jeno got to meet with Mr. Park—which wasn't often, maybe once or twice a year—he wondered where he would be if he hadn’t surprised Doyoung that night. He would probably still be using those ugly red sweatpants as part of his disguise.

"How's Y/N?" Doyoung asked. 

"Oh, she seems okay. That guy who hates me keeps coming onto her though. He's a huge douchebag."

Doyoung frowned. "He's not harassing her, is he? Because if he is—"

"He just won't stop flirting, even though she clearly isn't interested," Jeno said bitterly, "He isn't physical or anything. Trust me, it wouldn't end well for him if he was."

Doyoung wasn't quite sure how to respond to the younger boy's dark tone. He looked down, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“So… how’s the apartment?” Jeno asked. Doyoung perked up instantly.

“Oh, now that Taeyong’s moved in and did his interior design thing, it looks great. He’s really done a great job at it.”

“When am I gonna meet this guy? He sounds cool.”

“He’s really cool,” Doyoung hummed, cheeks heating up. “Things are getting really serious.”

Jeno smiled at how flustered Doyoung, who was normally so level headed and calm, became at the mention of his boyfriend.

“You guys sound like a really good couple,” He said. Doyoung chuckled, waving his hand. “Oh, well—” 

 The elevator dinged, and Doyoung sighed. “I’ll tell you later. C’mon.”

The hallway it opened up to was lined with pictures of the company's history, starting from pictures of black and white of people in vintage clothing, to pictures in sepia tones to finally pictures of the current CEO at locations around the world: Chanyeol Park.

Jeno walked behind Doyoung as he led him down the hallway, before stopping in front of a door, and a friendly looking man in a suit. 

Junmyeon was a part of Chanyeol’s Security and Intelligence team, and often sat in on these meetings with Jeno. The chain of contact also included him. If Jeno couldn’t contact Doyoung (which rarely happened), he’d contact Junmyeon. And if he couldn’t contact either of them, or it was an emergency, only then could he contact Chanyeol. So far, that had only happened once.

"Hey, Junmyeon," Doyoung said, "Mr. Park's 4:30 is here." 

Junmyeon nodded, before smiling at Jeno and giving him a wave. "Hey, kid."

Jeno offered an awkward grin. "Hi, Mr. Kim."

Junmyeon rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Kid, you're making me feel ancient. I've told you a million times, just call me Junmyeon."

Jeno shuffled awkwardly, before nodding at the older man, watching as he pressed a button on his earpiece. "Hey, Yeol. Jeno's here."

The muffled response was barely heard, but Jeno automatically understood what Mr. Park said. Junmyeon turned to open the door, and let the pair inside. The “office”—if it could even be called that—opened up to more of a lounge, than anything. A wall of glass overlooked the Manhattan skyline, but Jeno knew that from the outside it looked only like a wall, due to camouflage technology developed by Mr. Park himself. As Doyoung and Junmyeon stayed back, closer to the door, Jeno took a few steps toward the man in question.

Chanyeol was standing a few feet in front of the glass window, working on a holographic model of a new piece of tech. His face was turned downward in a concentrated frown. He barely spared the teenager a glance as he said fondly, “Hey, kid.”

Jeno was used to this. Chanyeol wasn’t cold per se, but he wasn’t warm at all. He knew that Chanyeol cared about him, even if he didn’t really show it in a conventional way. Chanyeol was a very… eccentric man, so he had his own way of saying and doing things. 

“Hi, Mr. Park. Um… you wanted to talk to me?”

“Yep! Needed some help from the friendly neighborhood Spiderman… A little birdie told me about something going on in Queens.”

“Queens?” Jeno asked, gripping the straps of his backpack. “You mean, other than the usual stuff?”

“Other than the usual stuff,” Chanyeol repeated, nodding. With a wave of his hand, the hologram disappeared, and another one appeared in its place. This time, instead of a 3D model, a few pictures and another, smaller 3D model appeared. Chanyeol turned to face him, frown deepening. He pointed at the model—a long, shiny oval-shaped purple stone. It reminded Jeno of an amethyst, but instead of turning white at the base, it turned to an iridescent jade tone. “You know what this is, right?”

Jeno nodded, remembering seeing the rocks all over the news when he was a kid. “That’s… that’s a Chitauri stone. From the invasion a few years back.”

Chanyeol nodded, standing up straight. “These stones have the potential to power weapons with no need to recharge, or change them out. They’re an infinite, extremely strong power source, Jeno, and in the wrong hands can be very dangerous.”

Jeno took a deep breath, feeling his stomach sink slowly. Chanyeol sighed. “Cleanup of the city after the invasion was long, and difficult, and obviously the government and the company weren’t able to get everything. It caused a black market to pop up. Now, the NYPD has been investigating it for years, but they have their limits… that���s where you come in.”

“M-me, Mr. Park?”

Chanyeol gave him a crooked, reassuring smile. He pointed at one of the pictures, which was of a man who most likely didn’t know he was photographed. He was walking somewhere, face looking angry and stern.

“You don’t know who this is, right?”

Jeno shook his head, and Chanyeol turned his head to nod at Junmyeon. “You’re up, tough guy.”

Junmyeon huffed, before walking up to Jeno. He put his hand on Jeno’s shoulder as if he could tell that he was growing anxious. 

“Jeno, that’s Henry Duke. From what we understand on the intel team, he’s one of the cornerstones of the alien tech black market. He’s one of the top dogs. From what we understand, he likes to be present for all major negotiations that his group makes. A source of ours told us that there’s going to be a negotiation on Friday night not too far away from LaGuardia. We want you to go out there and just get a feel of what’s going on.”

“Just watch them, right?” Jeno looked at Junmyeon, who patted his back reassuringly. “Just watch. Don’t engage unless you absolutely have to.”

“You can do that, right?” Chanyeol said quietly, crossing his arms. “Because if not, then it’s totally—”

“Yeah, of course I can! Friday—shit, Friday. At what time are they supposed to be meeting up?”

Junmyeon furrowed his eyebrows, before answering, “Around eight or nine.”

Jeno bit his lip, thinking about the promise he’d made to you. It would just have to wait, he supposed. Chanyeol rarely asked anything this big of him.

“Alright,” Jeno agreed, “I’ll do it.”

Chanyeol grinned, clapping his hands together. 

“Perfect.” 

They discussed logistics briefly after. Doyoung would be on call with Jeno, his custom made suit allowing them to communicate, letting Doyoung see everything Jeno was seeing via a video feed coming from the ultra thin lenses placed in the white eye sockets of the mask. Doyoung would then report to Junmyeon, who would report to Chanyeol, who would probably report to the FBI. Jeno was only to engage if absolutely necessary.

After that, he set out on patrol. He usually found some discreet place to hide his backpack, and then went all over Queens looking for trouble, quite literally. Around five thirty, he stopped a robbery in Murray Hill. Then, around seven, he stopped a man from stealing a woman’s purse in Elmhurst. Nothing too much.

Around eight, he finally headed home, this time dressed normally, using the train and not web fluid. He walked home, tired, knowing that he’d immediately have to do that cursed AP calc homework. When he got home, he opened his backpack pocket to look for his keys, rummaging between his notebooks and other things. 

Shuffling through his stuff, he furrowed his eyebrows as he couldn’t find them. Thinking back, he remembered this morning, when he’d left in a rush… and had very obviously left his keys on his desk.

“Shit,” He muttered to himself. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, remembering that Aunt Sunny had said she’d be working overtime tonight. He could very easily sneak in through his window, but he was pretty sure he’d locked it the night before, and it was too early. People’s lights were still on—anyone could see him if they just looked up, and then he would be screwed. 

Huffing and zipping his backpack up, he marched up to your house, before ringing the doorbell. He shifted his weight back and forth, from his heels to the balls of his feet, until the door opened up. A familiar man with a face just like Doyoung's, but older, with graying hair and arms scarred and muscled from years of working on the police force stood in the doorway.

“Jeno?” Your dad offered him a warm smile. “Hey, kiddo, what’s up?”

“Hi, Mr. Kim,” Jeno said, smiling back. He shifted nervously. “I, um… I left my keys in my room this morning, and my aunt’s working late, so… could I… maybe wait here? Y/N’s home, right?” 

The man nodded. “Of course, of course. Come in!” 

Your dad had always been super friendly, even from the day Jeno had first met him. You'd told Jeno once that he was the only real father figure you'd ever had. Once everything settled after him and your mom got married, you started calling him dad altogether. And since you and Jeno were practically glued at the hip, he got along with your dad almost as well as you did.

“Okay.” Jeno stepped in and set down his backpack at the base of the coat rack next to the door, as he’d done a million times before. Jeno stepped into the living room, and sat down on the couch. He folded his hands in his lap and looked up at your dad.

"I think Y/N's in the shower, but she should be done soon. You can just wait here if you want… have you eaten anything yet?”

“Uh, I had a granola bar on the train, but that’s it.”

“We have some leftover pasta here, if you want—”

“Thanks, Mr. Kim, really! I’m fine.”

Your dad nodded, sitting down on his recliner. “So, have you started your college list, yet? Y/N said you wanted to stay here in New York.”

Jeno nodded, pushing some hair out of his face. “Well, yeah. It would make things a lot easier, I think. I might want to apply to NYU, but I think I’ll just go to community college, or something.”

Your dad shook his head. “You’re a pretty smart kid, Jeno. I think you could get into Columbia if you set out to. Plus, Chanyeol Park doesn’t give out internships to anybody. That’s your secret weapon.”

Jeno smiled. “Well, you’ve got a point.” 

Your dad gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder. “Come on, trying won’t hurt!” Your dad made a face, and then rubbed his knuckles. “Have you been working out? Those muscles weren’t there the last time I did that.”

Jeno laughed, trying to think of an excuse. “Oh, a little bit? The house needed some fixing up over the summer, and I wanted to help Aunt Sunny, so…”

“Jeno?” 

He turned immediately, eyes landing on you at the base of the staircase. You’d changed into an old t-shirt and pajama pants. Your hair was slightly damp. “What are you doing here?” You asked, with a curious smile.

His shoulders slumped, and he grinned sheepishly. “Terrible Tuesday strikes again. I forgot my keys.”

You grimaced. “Brutal, dude. You wanna come up?” Your eyes moved to your dad. “Or am I interrupting guy time?”

“Oh, definitely,” Jeno answered, playing along. He took a cocky tone as he rested his hands on the back of his neck. “Your dad was just telling me about how much the NYPD needs me.” 

You stifled a laugh. You dad seemed to be holding back a laugh too. "Hey, you're joking, but if you keep working out like that, and if by some impossible chance, the college thing doesn't work out… We might just be able to catch Spiderman if we finally got some brain cells on the force."

"Ugh, dad," You groaned, unaware of Jeno's gut twisting, "Not again."

"Yeah, Mr. Kim," Jeno said, scratching the back of his head, "He's not that bad."

Your dad shook his head. "Look, I don't hate the guy. In all honesty, crime rates have dropped since he started doing his thing. But he thinks he's above the law, and his methods can be a bit… unorthodox sometimes. He’s been undermining us for years and his tech is state of the art. Makes me wonder about what we should do to modernize the force."

Jeno looked downward, wondering what would happen if your dad knew the truth.

"Well, I guess we may just never find out. Jeno'd make a horrible cop. He couldn't hurt a fly if you paid him a million dollars."

But you came to the rescue as you grabbed his backpack, and soon enough he was up the stairs with you, heading into your bedroom, laughing to yourselves when you heard your dad jokingly call out, "Fifteen inch distance, you two! Door stays open!"

He sat on your desk chair while you lay on your bed, limbs splaying out. 

"So you left your keys."

Jeno groaned. "Don't remind me. I was in such a rush to leave, that I… I forgot. I'm so stupid."

You rolled your eyes, rolling over onto your stomach to look at him. "You're not stupid, Jen. You made an honest mistake because you were in a hurry." 

Standing up, you walked over to him and leaned against the desk. "Seriously, Jeno. What's gotten into you, lately? You freak out about every little thing. It's starting to worry me." 

Jeno shook his head. "I don't know," He admitted. "I think I'm just scared about how after this year, everything changes. Renjun’s headed upstate. Jaemin’s going to Boston. You want to go to LA. I think Hyuck and I are the only ones who want to stay here. I just… I don't want things to change." 

Your expression turned sad as he continued. "Everyone is expecting great things from me. You're smart, Jeno. You can get into an Ivy. Or, you have a Park internship, you'll be fine. What if I don't want things to be fine? What if I want them to just stay the same?"

You stayed silent for a few moments, trying to think of what to say. Jeno was relatively level headed for someone your age, but even he had moments of doubt and panic. It made moments like these difficult.  You sighed before grabbing him by the hand. Wordlessly, you tugged him over to the bed, sitting him down and leaning your head on his shoulder. He could feel the dampness in your hair seeping slowly into his shirt.

"I guess I understand what you mean," You mumbled, trying to reason with him, "But come on. You wouldn't really want everything to stay the same. You can't tell me you want to keep getting AP calc homework. And I definitely doubt that you'd want to have your ass kicked by San for the rest of your life."

Jeno looked at the floor. "You're right. But you know that's not what I mean—"

"I know," You huffed, "I'm just saying. Change… it's inevitable. The longer you fight it, the harder it is."

Jeno nodded. "This sucks."

"It does," You agreed, taking his hand in yours. "But at least we have each other's backs, y'know?"

Something of a smile appeared on his face. You were so close to him, leaning on him, stroking his knuckles with your thumb. He hoped you couldn't hear his heart pounding in his chest. 

"We really do, huh?" His voice turned quiet, with a bit of a sleepy lull to it. He allowed his head to rest on yours. "You're so comfortable. Can I like, use you as a pillow for the rest of my life?"

You giggled. "I'll consider it on two conditions."

"Oh, you'll consider. How generous of you."

"Yes, I'll consider. Now, do you wanna hear my terms or not?" 

Jeno raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead," He said, before putting on his best Marlon Brando voice, "Make me an offer I can't refuse."

Snorting, you lifted your head off of his. "Okay. One, you finish your calculus homework here before Sunny gets home."

He pursed his lips. "Okay, I could probably do that. What's the other one?"

"Let me drive you to school for the rest of the year." 

Jeno stared at you, and you nodded, eyes wide. "Trust me, Jen. You wouldn't need to wake up so early! And plus, you can't text the guy manning the subway asking him to give you five minutes because you need to find your keys."

Jeno gnawed on the inside of his cheek. You did have a point, and to be honest, he could probably refrain from putting his feet up on your dashboard.

"Deal." 

You grinned. "Awesome," You answered, before nodding towards his backpack. "Now get to work, Einstein."

The rest of the week wasn't that bad. Yes, you were absolutely batshit insane about your truck in the morning, but he soon realized he didn't really mind. Not when it allowed you both to spend some twenty extra minutes together in the mornings, and they were spent joking around and listening to your extremely varied playlist. 

On the other hand, he was saddled with more and more homework, greater and greater expectations. The looming threat of Friday's mission rolled around, and it made Jeno feel like time was passing much too slowly but also way too quickly. There was so much on his mind. He had chemistry with you on Thursdays in the afternoon, which also meant that San was there. Which also meant that sometimes, his heightened senses would pick up on San dropping a tacky pick up line which made Jeno want to punch him in the jaw.

Finally, finally, Friday afternoon rolled around. As he bid you goodbye and promised to see you later, he tried to ignore the feeling in his stomach. The feeling that something was about to go very, very wrong. He went out on patrol, ready for Doyoung to set up the call and tell him where he needed to go. It didn’t help that there wasn’t a lot for him to do that day. Crime had seemed to slow down altogether. 

When the time finally came, and the sun was beginning to set, Doyoung rang in at about 7, telling him the location. An old warehouse near LaGuardia airport, hidden from prying eyes. Jeno made his way to the place, avoiding security cameras Doyoung warned him about, and found a place to hide. There was a hole in the warehouse roof, which allowed him to peer right into the building without being seen. It was about thirty feet from the ground.

“Why is it always old, abandoned warehouses?” Jeno grumbled. He heard Doyoung laugh quietly. 

“Beats me,” Doyoung sighed. 

And so they waited. Jeno wondered vaguely if you were still working. He wasn’t sure. They made time talking quietly, until a black SUV rolled into the warehouse. “Woah, Doyoung,” He murmured, “Hold up.”

Jeno leaned forward, but quickly realized he probably wouldn’t be able to hear what was being said. “D.R.E.A.M, activate Heightened Intelligence Protocol.”

Activating Heightened Intelligence Protocol.

The protocol allowed Jeno to use the lenses over his eyes to zoom in on specific targets, as well as use a microphone embedded in the suit to pick up audio from far away and feed it directly into his ears.

He watched as three figures got out of the car, a fourth remaining in the driver’s seat. The trio stood in front of the car, and Jeno recognized the man in the middle as the man Junmyeon had been talking about.

“Alright, there’s Henry Duke,” He said, “The one in the middle.”

 “Got it,” Doyoung replied, sounding satisfied. “Now all we have to do is wait for the other party.”

“Did Junmyeon’s sources say anything about who it would be?”

“No. They weren’t able to find that out. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Jeno’s eyes never left the man. “Do you think it’s something international?”

Doyoung sighed. “I’m not sure. If it is international, then you need to be even more careful.”

“Got it. I think—Wait, here they come.” 

A second vehicle, this one another black SUV, rolled up not too far away from the first car. The lights turned off and the engine sputtered to a stop, and four men stepped out of the vehicle.

Jeno’s stomach dropped, and of its own accord, his mouth let loose a quiet, “What the fuck,” as he registered the person leading them. 

“What?” Doyoung asked, before realizing what—who—he was looking at. “...Is that my dad?”

“I think it is,” Jeno whispered, fingertips suddenly numb. Who was he kidding? They both knew who it was. 

“So,” One of the men next to your dad said, “You show us yours, we’ll show you ours?”

Henry Duke clapped his hands together with an impish grin. “I suppose. Reagan, get the case.”

One of the two men standing beside him started off toward the trunk of the car. “It caught me off guard when I heard that the force wanted to purchase these. Almost made me wonder if this was your attempt at a sting operation.”

“What made you change your mind?” Your dad asked. Jeno swallowed at how cold he sounded. This wasn’t your dad, and it didn’t seem like Officer Kim either. This was someone Jeno had never met before. 

“Honestly, Kim?” Duke raised an eyebrow, shrugging. “It was you. Your cooperativeness and willing to feed us information, as well as your… insurance agreement. And besides, you made a very interesting point when you said that the Avengers Initiative and Park’s alum Spiderman is ruining the way the law operates around here. That type of bitterness… hard to fake.”

Your dad huffed. “We’re fucking tired of it.”

The man leaning against the car your dad had stepped out of scoffed. “If this helps us catch the little asshole, then so be it.”

Jeno frowned. “I’m not little—”

“Jeno, shut up!” Doyoung snapped. 

“—Alright, then.” The man holding the briefcase—Reagan—clicked it open, as if it were a prize reveal on The Price is Right. Five guns, all modified to hold glowing Chitauri stones were placed carefully together side by side.

“You know the basics. No radiation. Keep it away from security scanners and x-rays. They will blow up. And second of all, these are at half the price, along with the promise from the chief of police that my business won’t be touched, and will only be distributed to officers in on the operation and have agreed to turn off their body cameras when they decide to use these weapons. Should this not be a sting operation, we’ll be back here to negotiate.”

Jeno leaned forward, watching anxiously.

“Yes, sir,” Your dad answered, nodding. “We have the money here.”

“Hand it over, then.”

That was when Jeno made his mistake. He leaned forward too much, and proceeded to fall right through the hole, bringing down some scraps of the roof with him. As he tumbled through the air, the zoom on his lenses caused him to grow dizzy as he had no idea what he was looking at. He caught himself before he could fall, clumsily commanding D.R.E.A.M to go back to turn off the current protocol. His vision returned to normal, and he swung up onto a rafter holding the warehouse up.

“So, we have company.” Duke didn’t sound as amused as he had before. His face turned into a sneer. “Get him.”

In less than a second, before Jeno could say anything, five guns were pointed directly at him. He managed to swing away before any bullets could hit him. 

“Jeno, get out of there now,” Doyoung ordered. 

“What about the guns?” Jeno asked, swinging to another rafter. “They know I’m here, I might as well get them before I go—”

“No! Jeno, listen to what I’m telling you. You’ve done more than enough, and you need to let it g—”

Your dad aimed, and a bullet fired right at Jeno’s chest. For a second, he forgot that the chest area of the suit was lined with bulletproof material. While it didn’t shoot into his chest, it ricocheted right off him, and since he was in motion, it somehow caused the bullet to bounce back in the direction in which it came. 

The wind was knocked out of Jeno, but it was nothing compared to watching the bullet land in the middle of your father’s chest. On the other line, he heard Doyoung yell, followed by the sound of something falling. And then, as he made his way back towards the hole he’d fallen out of, he couldn’t rip his eyes away from the body as it crumpled to the ground. 

The others around him scrambled to get back into their respective cars. Jeno was back on the roof now, trying not to hyperventilate. “I’m sorry,” He gasped, “Do—Doyoung, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t want to—”

“Jeno, you need to get out of there, now,” Doyoung said, voice raspy. “GO!” 

So he did, and Doyoung cut off the call once he was out of the vicinity. Jeno didn’t blame him. He swung across buildings, feeling numb as he looked for the apartment complex roof where he’d decided to hide his backpack.

When he finally did, he changed in a hurry, before slumping against the wall and forcing himself to take deep breaths. 

Doyoung’s dad—your dad—was dead. And it was all his fault. 

He cried on the way down the staircase. He cried on his way to the subway. The entire time, he ignored people’s stares. Suddenly everything was too loud, and if he met someone in the eyes he’d just about break down in the middle of the station. 

As he got onto the train, Jeno thought about all of the things your dad had done for you, and for Jeno. All the times he'd taken you both to Coney Island in the summer when you were younger. The year Pokemon Go came out he took the both of you driving around in his car so you and Jeno could catch as many Pokemon as you could. 

He’d formally adopted you when you were thirteen. You were his daughter in nearly every sense of the word, regardless of blood. And now he was dead, because of a stupid mistake that Jeno had made.

What would you say if you knew? He didn’t want to know. Checking the time on his phone, he saw he’d gotten a message from you just three minutes ago.

[8:36 PM]

y/n: lemme know when ur outside!! :)

“Fuck,” He murmured, wiping his eyes. He knew he needed to stop crying before he got to your house, and he had about ten minutes before he got to his stop, and then another five minute walk to the neighborhood. He focused on taking deep breaths and taking long swigs from his water bottle in the meantime, trying to tune out the sound of other people talking and the sound of the train on the rails.

The walk was the longest five minute walk he’d ever taken. The flashing lights of convenience stores did nothing to calm him down. As the stores in his peripheral vision began transitioning into suburban homes, he felt his heart speed up again. The constant movement as he walked meant he missed his phone vibrating in his backpack as you rang his number.

After what seemed like an eternity, two familiar houses came into his line of vision, and his shoulders slumped as he spotted you on your porch, looking small and teary, curled up into a little ball. In one hand, you were clutching your phone.

His stomach twisted as he put on a confused tone, even though he knew damn well that you knew. “...Y/N?”

You stood up, running to him and burying yourself into his chest, crumpling into his arms. You would have fell over if Jeno hadn’t held both of you up. 

“Jeno,” You sobbed, “You’re n-not go-onna believe it.”

He brought a hand up to caress your hair, holding back tears of his own as he asked a question he already knew the answer to.

“Y/N, what happened?”

taglist: @decembermoonskz @itsapapisongo @lenaluvs​ @crescentjen​

[shadowturtlesstuff]

You belong with me

so i decided to post wadsworth first. modern au cressworth- you belong with me taylor swift

Thomas throws his phone down on the bed with frustration swirling around him as he paces. I set down my pen and wait till he turns and spots me. We often find ourselves talking via paper throughout the nights, from questions about our day to helping each other study. It is also often we watch each other be angry at something, yet I've not seen him this bad before. Finally Thomas turns and catches my eye. He stands there for a second before smiling and I quickly move around my various workbooks till I find my notebook I use to talk to him. I take my sharpie and write: ‘Are you okay?’

I watch him shake his head ever so slightly, seemingly baffled at it, but he walks to his window and opens it. The wind brushes his deep brown hair and I can't help but want to reach out and run my hand through it. I curse myself for it as he motions for me to open my window. Moving my books and pens off of me and cursing at my stiff leg as I go and open the window. Somehow I manage to hit my arm in the process and I curse, which makes Thomas laugh slightly so I forgive my body for hurting me. 

“You have a wicked mouth Wadsworth. Did you not learn cursing is unlady-like?” he teases and I relax slightly because of it.

“Fuck you,” I scowl at his smirk and the frigid wind. His eyes light up at my temper. We live across from one another, if we were to reach out we could hold hands. Which we have done. When I got rejected from the specific school I was desperate to go to, Thomas had managed to climb into my room and hold me as I cried. He's only ever needed to climb over twice to cheer me up, the other times have been to study or watch some romance programme he thought was good. I hoped wherever was troubling was something that wouldn't resort to me having to climb over. As much as I would want to, my brain may have a hard time letting me attempt it. 

“I assume dear Wadworth, you want to ask what has made me so irate?” he asks, eyes focused on behind me and fingers tapping his window sill as he sits. I watch as his cat, ridiculously named Sir Isaac Mewton, jumps off his bed and onto his seat next to him. He grabs the cat and kisses the top of his head before holding him in his lap.

“Perhaps,” I say, moving so I rest my head on the wall, “perhaps I merely wanted to ask if Sir Issac was okay.” his eyes shift to mine and despite him still being angry they soften at my attempt at humour. I am not as good as Thomas at using humour to help someone, but he always does it for me. 

“Really? You always refer to him as a little pest, whereas as with me, I am your dearest person, of course you want to know how I am feeling. My son is good though, very energetic today.” he smiles down at his cat. I remember the day he brought him home, he made me go over to his house and we spent all night playing with him. Thomas did, I ended up studying and making notes for the both of us while he gave Sir Isaac a ‘grand tour’ of his new home. The smile vanishes off Thomas's face and once again his gaze goes past me. “I assume you saw the call, well that was William. Yes, awful. Apparently though, there is a rumour that I'm with Miss Whitehall. I don't even remember her first name, but he was convinced of our relation despite my protests. Madness.” I watch him scoff, anger once again taking over his features. His cat nuzzles into him and Thomas leans into his cat. If I wasn't also mad now I'd smile at the sight. 

“Is this the same William that had convinced everyone I was dating him?” 

“Yes.”

“Bitch. Why on earth is he such a problem? Where on earth does he even make this assumptions about us?'' I find myself standing and pacing, trying to quell my own rising anger. A year ago, William had been my lab partner for a few weeks, he was friendly, but people had got it in their head that we were somehow together, and he went with it. Gossiped about me, even Thomas, and then was somehow enraged I dared to stop those rumours and be angry at him. I'd come home one day when it was particularly too much, when my father had found out and lectured me about it, as though I was in the wrong for standing up for myself. He'd cancel my lesson with my uncle out of spite, and I stormed upstairs. Thomas had been at the window, as if he was expecting me. One look at his face made me cry. I managed to open my window and he'd once again climbed in and held me as I cried. Then he made us watch this awful romance film together and held me still as I fell asleep on him. 

“I have never once,” Thomas says, dragging me back from those awful memories, “shown interest in her, nor will I ever.” He drags a hand through his hair. “She's just- a lot.”

I huff a sigh. She is awful. Had been awful to Liza and I for years. With her short skirts, high heels and the most rotten attitude I have ever witnessed. It wasn't often that I'd hate someone like that, someone so different from me in nearly every way, but she has tried to make me feel that I don't belong because of my interest in science and not the traditional girl interests.. “That is the understatement of the year Cresswell. Beside, you wouldn't work, she's too- your,” I have no idea how to explain how excellent Thomas is, how wonderful his mind is and how kind he is. It's not a side he shows to most, yet if he was ever with someone like Whitehall, it would be disastrous. I take my seat again and find him looking at me, suppressing a smirk and raising an eyebrow at me. “What?” I ask. I shrink under his gaze, pulling my hoodie over my legs as I curl in on myself. 

“I’m what? I'd be delighted to know your innermost thoughts of me, Wadsworth.”

“Your absurd but fine I'll elaborate,” I roll my eyes as he shifts so he is fully facing me, eyes completely focused, no sign of the anger he had only moments ago, “your too kind, too witty and clever and Whitehall wouldn’t appreciate you enough. You-” don’t belong with her.

Ever since he mentioned the idea of being with someone else, real or not, I have tried to ignore how much it pained me that he would be with someone else. I never expected to want to be with him, yet lately the premise of dating him has seemed very pleasing to me.

“You forgot to mention how handsome I look, or how charming I am, but I'll take it,” his voice is deeper than normal and his gaze travels over me even though his eyes are on my own. Thomas pats Sir Issac and his cat jumps off behind him with a whine. His hand reaches out for mine and I lean forward, wind making my loose strands of hair fly across my face. His hands are warm as I take them but his smile warms me more. It is small but genuine and filled with the normal Cresswell charm mixed with something I can't quite name. 

“I don’t need to inflate your ego further Thomas.” 

“I know but it would've been nice. I did say the inner most thoughts but we’ll get there. Audrey rose-” he looks down contemplating his words before he once again locks his gaze on mine, his dark brown eyes bright, “I dont belong with her, your right, my heart would never belong to her especially since it already belongs to someone else.” 

I blink at the honesty. I want to scream that you belong with me; but if Thomas is in love with someone else then I suppose I will have to find a way to deal with it. I try to keep the hurt of my face even as he smiles at me. 

“I-” Thomas lets go of my hand and stands. There's a silence between us until he motions for me to move. The idiot is going to climb into my house so he can tell me about his new found love. Like the fool I am, I'm going to let him talk about this girl who makes him look this happy. Even though it hurts that it's not me who is making him look like that. Even though I'm the one who makes him laugh when he is angry or upset. Even though I'm the one who knows his favourite songs, the books beside his bed and all his hopes and dreams.

He climbs over and sets himself on the window sill, giving me room to sit across from him. I do, even as I try to ignore the weight pressing down on my chest. “I hope you are happy with whomever has your heart Cresswell.” I say and mean it. I once again curl into myself, hoodie covering my legs as i watch him continue to smile at me, 

“Of course I'll be happy. She's amazing. Let me tell you all about her. I met her many years back and was instantly smitten with her emerald eyes and her quick witted mind. How she sings to herself every morning and how her dark curls fall across her face whenever she sits on her bed and reads. I adore her curiosity for the dead and how wicked her mouth is and how delightful it is to watch your mind at work. I love when she shows me a note through the window to see if I'm doing okay and-”

“Wait,” I blurt out, my mind catching up, “Thomas, are you talking about me?”

“Yes, finally! I thought I'd have to keep speaking forever till you realized it was you.” He starts laughing at my gaping mouth until I collect myself enough to scowl at him slightly for laughing. Thomas reaches out for my hand, moving closer to me until my back is pressed against the wall, my hoodie no longer over my legs as he rests his other hand on my leg, warmth seeping through me. “Wadsworth, darling, I have been in love with you for some time now.” 

Silence washes over us as we stare, trying to convince ourselves this is really happening. “I have something to show you.” My voice is barely about a whisper and I slide out of his grasp even though I don't want to. I walk to my bed where all my notebooks were left open and my notebooks sits. I open it out and let a piece of paper fall out. Facing Thomas I open the sheet slowly, watch him read the words. His eyes lit up at them.

I love you.

I take my place beside him again, his hands finding their way in mine once again. “I wrote that the night after you came here the second time. Something in me clicked that no matter what you'd find a way to comfort me. Not save me, but work alongside me. I wanted to tell you I just couldn't face it. But I needed to acknowledge it. So I wrote it down, and I look at it every time we use the note system; I try to convince myself to show you.” Thomas just stares at me, eyes flicking down to my lips every now and then. His hands are making circles on my leg, not entirely intentional. Thomas has always shown if he is excited or nervous by either tapping or making shapes on surfaces. The world slows completely as he leans in and presses his lips against mine. He pulls back ever so slightly, resting his head against mine and we are both smiling wildly at each other, pressing kisses until he leans further away. Thomas goes back to his side of the wall, which may as well be across the other side of the world, then he pulls me to him and I twist so that my back is against his. He holds me as we both look out the window, enjoying the freeing feeling of telling each other how we feel. 

“Now would be a perfect time to tell me how handsome I am, my love.” 

@fangirling-again @kittycat2187 @goatahoan @city-of-fae @the-hoofflepooff @padfoot-sirius-black-blog @purplecreatorhorsewagon @boredbookwormgirl @goddess-of-writing-wars @lovecakeandmore ​ @yikesitsmaddie @loveyatopluto​ @throneofsc @bookscressworth​

[lokis-army-77]

If You Please

Chapter eleven

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 3560

This is technically a reader insert but without the (y/n) and all that. She also has no name mentioned so feel free to imagine as you please.

Follow the reader through the events of the Captain America movies and experience her love for Bucky Barnes.

Warnings: none

Note: Honestly, this chapter reads a little weird to me but my friend who helps me edit said it was fine. IDK going from the 40s to 2012 is weird when trying to write.

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Masterlist

Seven months had gone by since Steve and I had been unfrozen. This new world I suddenly woke up in was exhausting. Everything had changed from the simplest thing like manners to complicated things like technology.

Days after waking up, we had been sent to a place called “The Retreat” so we could catch up on the seventy years we had missed out on. There was so much that we took to writing everything down in small notebooks, so we could remember.

I caught onto using the new technology quicker than Steve since I had worked with Howard Stark for several years. Being able to adapt to strange and new tech on the fly was a requirement when working with him.

After those few weeks there, we were both moved into two separate government apartments located in New York. I wish I could say that it got easier with time, but it didn’t. Instead of going to hang out with Steve or actually trying to make acquaintances with anyone, I just stayed in my room, locked away from everything. Coping with being in the future was the easy part, learning to live without everyone I ever knew was hard.

I hadn't known peaceful sleep in a long time. Every time I closed my eyes I am met with nightmares. The softness of the mattress had made it feel like I would fall through at any moment, back into the ice. To try and combat this I pushed my bed into the far corner of the room and made a cot directly under the frame. It felt safer to lay on the hard floor in the dark. The nightmares still came through, sometimes they were battles, sometimes they were of the plane crashing, but most of the time they were about losing Bucky. Every time I woke up in a cold sweat and never went back to bed. I just stared unblinking at the metal that made the bed frame.

One night after a particularly taxing dream I decided to take a walk. It was three in the morning, so I wouldn't have to deal with a lot of people. I changed out of my pajamas into some of the clothes I had been provided. The clothes of the future were tighter than in the forties. It had taken me a while to get used to the feeling of fabric clinging to my legs and upper body. The outside world was quiet except for the occasional car passing by. I kept my eyes to the ground, not really caring where I ended up. I only looked up when I was almost run over by another late-night walker. Peering from left to right, my eyes fixed on an old faded sign hanging above me. The letters were just barely readable and said in large letters ‘Boxing gym’. With another survey of the area, I realized where I was. This was the gym that Bucky used to take Steve when teaching him self-defense. I had tagged along a couple of times before I had joined the SSR, I was surprised it was still here. I smiled weakly and turned to the door. The light inside was on, it couldn’t hurt to see if they were open. The door creaked open and I slipped in quietly. The sound of someone working out came down the long brick hallway. Hesitantly I made my way to the open doors that led to the sparring room.

Stopping just past the threshold, to my surprise, I spotted Steve, who was busy punching the life out of a punching bag. I walked through the small office and around the boxing rings before I stopped again and leaned against one of the columns a few feet away from where Steve stood. I watched him for a while before he landed a hard punch on the bag and it flew off into the distance. I started clapping slowly and he turned around in shock.

“Good job, you broke the bag, but you do know you’re gonna have to pay for that right?”

“Hey kid, I haven’t seen you in a while. I came by your apartment but you didn’t answer.”

“I know Stevie, I just haven't felt up to company since we got back to New York. I hope you can forgive me.” He looked at me with sad eyes and took three long steps in my direction. His arms came out to engulf me in a hug.

“It’s okay, I understand. Promise you’ll tell me if something's wrong, okay?” I nodded into his chest and he squeezed me tighter.

“I couldn't sleep, I guess you couldn't either.”

“No, too many thoughts.” He let go of me and went to get two more punching bags. He hung them up a few feet away from one another before turning to me and asking if I wanted to join. Pretty soon we were both laughing together if it felt almost like we were back home before everything happened. That was until the same dark-skinned man from that day seven months ago showed up. I later learned he was Nick Fury, director of SHIELD.

“I’m glad to find you both here.” He stated.

“Are you here with a mission, Sir?” Steve asked.

“I am.”

“Is this to try and get us back out in the world?” I asked.

“No, I'm trying to save it.” he thrust out an open manila folder. I grabbed it slowly and brought it to where Steve and I could both look at it. The blue cube that had evaporated Johann Schmidt was in the photograph pinned to the first page. In large bold letters beside the pictures spelled out TESSERACT. We slowly walked to a nearby bench and sat down.

“That's HYDRA’s secret weapon. I thought it fell into the ocean that day,” I whispered.

“Howard fished it out of the water when they went looking for you both. He thought what we think, that this cube could be an unlimited sustainable energy source.” Fury informed us.

“Who took it from you?” Steve questioned.

“He’s called Loki, he’s not from around here. We have a lot we're gonna need to catch you both up on if you agree to help. This world has gotten stranger than you already know.”

“I doubt anything could surprise us anymore, right Stevie?”

“Yeah,” he agreed.

“Ten bucks says you’re both wrong.” Fury bet. We both got up from our seats and handed the file back. Steve went and grabbed another bag from the floor and I just headed straight for the door.

“There are debriefing packets at your apartments, read through them and get back to me by tomorrow afternoon. And before you leave, is there anything we should know about the tesseract?”

“You should have left it in the ocean.” Steve and I said at once before walking out of the gym. Once we were outside on the sidewalk we hugged and said our goodbyes for the moment and then went our separate ways.

The walk home felt longer than the walk to the gym, but this gave me time to think about what I wanted to do. Whether I wanted to go on this mission, or if I just wanted to lay low and live my life. By the time I walked through my front door I had almost made my decision, but I was waiting to read the file before I decided for good. With a quick look through the minimal information provided I sighed and threw the papers down onto my kitchen counter. Shaking my head I murmured to myself.

“No, I am not doing this. This cube is not worth it.” Rubbing my eyes I went back to my room and crawled under the bed, not caring that I was still in jeans and a t-shirt. I was not going to walk blindly into anything dealing with that cube again. I lost my fiance and everyone I have ever known because of that stupid blue thing, I'm not going to go anywhere near it again. I laid there quietly for a while before I eventually drifted off into a restless sleep.

The next morning I woke up with a start, almost hitting my head on the bed above me. Furious honking made its way from the street into my room. One thing I definitely missed from the past was how quiet it once was at seven a.m.

Along with the decision to not join the mission, I had also made up my mind about leaving New York. This had been a long decision in the making and the talk with Fury last night was enough to make the choice for me. I couldn't live in this city anymore. The places I used to hang out at were still here, but they had been renovated so many times that they were unrecognizable. Everywhere I turned It was like I was walking through a strange alternate reality. I saw glimpses of the past, like ghosts around every corner, it was worse when it was a place Bucky and I frequented.

When I had gotten back from the Retreat I made the mistake of going to mine and Steve’s old apartment. It had been torn down to construct a bookstore, along with several other retail shops. I broke down in the street when I saw it, waves upon waves of emotions crashed into me. All the memories I had there with Steve, mom, and Bucky had no place to live now other than in my mind. The next mistake I made was to go down the next few blocks to Bucky’s apartment he shared with his mom and sister, Rebecca. It was no longer there either, a bakery stood in its place. I turned and left before the onslaught of tears came. After that day I thought it would be best to go somewhere else, somewhere I had no memories.

I crawled out from under the bed and slowly moved to the bathroom to start getting ready for the long day to come. Once I had showered and gotten dressed I sat myself down on the living room sofa, looking wearily at the telephone on the end table. Hesitantly I picked up the receiver and dialed the number that had been in the tesseract briefing file. It rang twice before Nick Fury answered.

“Mr. Fury, I’m calling to tell you that I won’t be joining your team for whatever mission you have going on. I just want to lay low and rebuild my life and live it quietly without interruption.” I let out a long breath.

“Well, that’s unfortunate. Was really hoping to have you fight with us. If you change your mind, you know where to contact me. Goodbye Agent Rogers.” He hung up quickly after that, not giving me a chance to tell him goodbye as well. The next call was going to be the hard one, I had to tell Steve my plans. I dialed his number slowly as I raised the receiver to my ear. It didn’t even have time to get through the first ring before Steve picked up.

“Hello?” He asked on the other end.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“What’s up kid. Have you called Fury about joining the mission? I called about an hour ago letting them know I’d help.” He sounded a little enthusiastic.

“That’s actually what I’m calling about. I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this but I’m not going to help with the mission.”

“Oh,” he sounded surprised. “Why not? I thought you’d want to help get rid of that thing once and for all.”

“It’s not that, I want nothing more than for the tesseract to be gone for good. I just don’t think I can be a part of it, I don’t want this thing to take over my life if we can’t get rid of it. This brings me to another important thing I need to tell you. I can’t stay here in New York, so I’m moving to DC.” He was quiet for a while after I had said that, the only thing I could hear coming from his side was his breath. I grew more anxious by the minute waiting for him to say something.

“What do you mean you’re moving? Why can’t you stay here with me?”

“Don’t be selfish.” I snapped.

“I’m not being selfish, you are.” he raised his voice. I huffed through my nose, getting annoyed.

“I can’t stay here any longer. I have no idea what it is like for you, but for me, being in this city is torture. I see ghosts from the past every time I leave my house. I can’t go anywhere without seeing him, and every time I see him, I break down. I never got to say goodbye and that day plays over and over in my head. Steve, I’m being tormented with nightmares to the point where I have barely gotten five hours of sleep in the past week. I need to get out of here whether you like it or not.” Tears had started to stream down my face as I yelled into the phone.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could have helped you, I still can help you if you let me. If you leave I can’t keep you safe, I can’t protect you like I’m supposed to.” He was using his soft “grown-up” voice he always used with me when I was younger to try and calm me down but the tears kept streaming down my cheeks at a rapid pace.

“I can protect myself, we did take the same serum,” I choked out. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to bother you with my problems, I can deal with them myself. Plus you have your own things to deal with, you don’t need to help me with mine.” My head was starting to hurt now and my cheeks and neck itched with quickly drying tears.

“Fine. The only way I will be okay with you leaving is if you promise to call me at least twice a week and you let me help you move.” I gave a strained laugh and nodded, even if he couldn't see it.

“Okay, it’s a deal. I actually already have an apartment lined up, so you can come over and help me pack everything up whenever you want to. I’m going to try and be out of New York by the end of next week.”

“I’ll be right over.” I laughed as I told him that I’d be waiting. I laid the receiver back down in its spot and stood up to go to the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror, thinking. I was glad my relationship with Steve could handle an argument, understand one another, then go right back to normal, I don’t think we would be this close if it couldn't. I blinked back a few stubborn tears and bent down to grab a rag from the sink cabinet, I dampened it in warm water then wiped the dried tears from my face. The warm water felt wonderful on my skin.

Over the next week and a half, Steve and I boxed up what few belongings I had and packed them and the furniture into a moving truck. I didn’t own a car so the moving truck would be my transportation to DC. One of the many things SHIELD had us do was take a modern driving test, which wasn’t hard, just a few more signs to remember and more gadgets in the car than there used to be, I ended up passing with flying colors.

By Friday morning we had everything ready to go. Steve would follow me on his motorcycle and I would drive the truck the whole three and a half hours to my new apartment.

We stopped several times on the way down, mainly so Steve didn’t have to sit on the bike for the whole three hours straight. We also stopped for lunch. All in all the trip took us about five hours, with traffic added. We made it to my new home just after two and we started moving my belongings in immediately.

Admittedly the apartment was way too big for just me but I liked the extra space, it was different from the tiny two-bedroom apartment I had grown up in. The first thing I made sure to unpack and put up was the bed. I still hadn't told Steve I wasn’t actually sleeping in the bed, but he didn’t need to know that. After that clothes were sorted through and put in their respective places. With our enhanced strength and stamina, we had the whole place relatively furnished in just under two hours. We stopped for dinner when everything had been brought up from the moving truck.

The day went by fast with us talking and laughing like we used to, it was a good change of pace from my usual aimlessly roaming around my apartment alone. But, all good things have to come to an end and Steve had to leave. He pulled me into a tight hug, almost crushing me, and wouldn’t let go until I pinky promised to call him several times a week. I just laughed and promised him I would. I was sad watching him walk down the hallway to the stairs.

I turned back into my apartment and closed the door, locking it behind me. I stared at the box littering the floor and decided to get to work unpacking the rest of what we hadn’t gotten earlier.

Most of my belongings I found in thrift stores and antique shops around the city. It may have been the twenty-first century now, but that wasn’t stopping me from making my home a comfortable, familiar space. If you walked in from the outside world, you would have thought you had been transported to the past with how much authentic 1940s and before things I had littered about. Some things had been saved from the apartment we lived in in the forties. I learned a few weeks before we came back from the retreat that Peggy had been the one to put everything in storage after they had failed to find Steve and me in the ice. I had gone through all of it and took out what I wanted to take with me and Steve had done the same. I was thankful Peggy had done what she did, otherwise, everything would have been lost to time.

That night as I tried to sleep, I realized it was a little easier to relax. DC was a whole lot quieter than New York, there was no honking or yelling every two seconds to keep me awake. I was left alone in almost complete silence, which for others may be worse than being bombarded with noise, but I didn’t mind. I fell asleep almost an hour after laying down for the night and had a restless sleep. I woke up many times in the night covered in sweat, but I couldn't remember the dreams, anything I could remember dissipated as soon as I opened my eyes.

I woke up again very early the next morning, the clock on my wall said it was four forty-five. It was still dark out, but I could hear birds starting to chirp. I crawled out from under the bed frame and went to put on some exercise clothes. Running always helped to clear my mind after not being able to get any sort of rest. The run itself didn’t take long, even though it was seven miles, any normal person would be exhausted but I had barely broken a sweat. I did get to see some nice places, taking a route around the zoo, to the National Cathedral, and then back around to the Dupont Circle neighborhood, where my apartment was. The sun was just starting to come up as I made my way back into my building.

Although I had just moved in the day before, I was ready to start finding some sort of job. The money SHIELD was giving me to help assimilate back into the world comfortably was appreciated, but I wanted to make my own way in life without their help. Finding a job was going to be harder than it used to be, but I did have expertise in several areas. Upon being unfrozen, along with the driving tests, SHIELD created a new resume for me. I had degrees in history pertaining to the 1940s, World War II, and several of the New Deal programs, with a specialty in the SSR. I was also given a Veteran ID, although I don’t really know how that one works because I definitely was not a part of the apparent ongoing fighting in Afghanistan. I still looked twenty-four, I doubt anyone would believe it.

Anyway, I had interviews lined up for today at the Smithsonian, and hopefully, the resume that SHIELD created and my knowledge would be enough to land a job. I had already figured that I would be volunteering at the local VFW. I knew I could find people there to relate to and hopefully be able to make some friends.

Tag List: @ginger-swag-rapunzel @underc0vercryptid-reads @geek-and-proud @intothesoul @leyannrae @starkleila

[sunmoonandeddie]

don’t forget to sing

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

word count: 4,973

summary: You meet someone new in the most unlikely of ways during the quarantine in New York City.  An alley is six feet apart, right?

chapter warnings: swearing, mention of sickness

masterlist

a/n: Let me know what you think!

This was just fucking perfect.

Of course.  Of course you’d move to New York City three weeks before a fucking pandemic.  Cities were a cesspool for illness, and the Big Apple was no exception.

Your dreams of going out and exploring the city and finding little spots that you could call your own now that you were a real New Yorker and not just a tourist anymore were gone.  You’d been so busy unpacking and getting set up at your new job that you’d only gotten to go out for groceries.

And now all of New York City was shut down.  Broadway was closed, for heaven’s sake.  You couldn’t remember a time when that had ever happened in your lifetime.

It was mildly terrifying.  And by mildly, you meant extremely.

Thankfully, your job was primarily online anyway.  You were a playwright and you were basically an intern and assistant for Tony Kushner, possibly one of the greatest playwrights of all time.

But you were lonely.  At least before you were ordered to stay home, you could go out and get a little human interaction at the grocery store, even if the cashier was just telling you your total.  But now, everyone at the grocery store eyed each other warily.  Like you’d infect them with the virus at any second.

Which, it was possible.  It was why you only went late at night in order to avoid most of the crowds.  And also why you’d sewn a mask out of an old t-shirt in order to protect yourself.  And also why you’d stocked up on groceries so you wouldn’t have to go for about two weeks.

“I don’t know,” you said as you held the phone to your ear, wandering back and forth in your tiny little apartment.  Your best friend was on the other side, a thousand miles away.  “It’s getting really bad here.”

And, of course, she could try to understand, but Hope was all the way across the country.  She’d gotten a job in her hometown in California after graduation.  “I think we’re starting to head that way, too.  Are you going to be okay?”

“I think so,” you said, trying to be cheerful as you sat at your desk, pulling your knees up to your chest.  “I’m used to being alone, remember?  I’m a writer.  All I need is coffee and my laptop and I’m ready to hibernate.”

Hope let out a sigh, and you could hear the creak of her bed as she laid down.  “I don’t know.  I just think that maybe you should come out here.”

“I can’t.  I don’t have that kind of money.  And I just got here.  I don’t want to run away at the first sign of trouble,” you said as you opened up your laptop.  “Besides, I’m probably safer here locked away in my apartment by myself than I would be in your big house with you, your parents, and Scott.  Your parents work in a lab with hundreds of other people.  They have no idea if any of them have it.  It’d probably be safer for you to come stay here with me.”

“Me in that shoe box?” She scoffed.  “As if.”

Your laptop whirred to life as you ran your finger back and forth over the mouse pad.  “We talked about this.  You’re a California girl.  I’m New York.”  A smirk settled over your face as you cradled the phone between your ear and your shoulder, typing in your password.  “Two households, both alike in dignity—”

“Jesus, theatre kids are the worst,” she muttered.

You barked out a laugh as you pulled up your latest word document.  “I’m a grown woman, you know.”  You reached over your desk and opened up the curtains, figuring you could use a little change of scenery, even if it was just the apartment building across the alley.  The red brick was illuminated by the setting sun, the sky painted in shades of orange and gold.

There’s a tense pause between the two of you.  There’s a lot of unspoken words.

The both of you know that this is serious.  People are dying and there’s nothing the two of you can really do except hope and stay inside as much as possible and wash your hands.  And this is the first time the two of you have lived apart since your sophomore year of university.  It’s a big change and of course, all this happens right when you’re on your own.

“Are you going to be okay?” Hope asked, her voice cracking.

Taking in a shaky breath, you rest her head in your hand.  “Yeah.  Yeah, I’ll be okay.  You just worry about staying healthy yourself, okay?  And take care of your parents.”

Her parents were both a little older, and they were at risk with everything going around.  They’d become your second family in the years since you’d first met Hope, and had even let you live with them for a while after graduation while you saved up for your move to New York City.  Hell, they’d paid for you to come spend school breaks with them.  They were your family.

And now you were all alone with no way to get to them.  Even if you did want to fly, all incoming and outgoing flights were being canceled.  They hadn’t officially announced that they’d be closing the airports, but it was coming.

A light in the apartment across the alley from yours flicked on, and your eyes were immediately drawn to it.

“Oh…,” you breathed out, accidentally cutting off what Hope was saying.

“What?”

“There’s a…  There’s a man.”

“A man?!  We are in a pandemic!  There’s no dating in a pandemic!”

You went quiet as your elbow rested on your desk, your chin in your hand.  “He’s… gorgeous.”

And gorgeous, he was.  He looked like he’d just gotten out of the shower, with the towel swung low on his hips.  Dark hair was smattered across his broad chest like some hero on the cover of a trashy romance novel.  He ran his fingers through his long, damp hair as he opened up the drawers of his dresser, picking out boxers and sweats.

“God…  He looks like he just walked off a photoshoot with, like… Vogue,” you said quietly.  Drool was starting to drip from the corner of your mouth, you were so entranced.

“Wait…  Really?” Hope said, her voice rising.  “I need details!  Now!”

Brows furrowed, you couldn’t take your eyes off of him.  “You have a boyfriend.”

“Who I haven’t gotten to see in over a week.  Scott is the love of my life, but I need to live vicariously through you,” she said.  “The most romance we have right now is when his internet actually works and we get to FaceTime.”

You were in a trance, just watching him move around his room.  “You know how cute I thought Jimmy Woo was?  He was in my Econ class and then we went on, like… two dates?”

“Yeah.”

“I would feed Jimmy Woo to a pack of hyenas if this man asked me to.”

But of course, nothing good could last.  Your elbow slipped off the edge of the desk and your face slammed down onto the wood.  “Oh, my god,” you groaned as you fell to the ground, clutching your mouth.  “Holy fuck…”

Hope was shouting at you through the phone, demanding to know whether or not you were okay.  She was more frantic than you’d ever heard her.

Pulling your hand away from your face, you winced as you saw the dark red blood.  “Shit. Shit, shit, shit…”  You didn’t think you’d knocked out a tooth, thank god.  You were sure that you’d be able to feel that.  “Yeah…  I think I’m okay.”  You started to pull yourself up, glaring at the blood that was on the edge of the desk.

But when you found the Most Handsome Man in the World staring at you from his window, looking just as worried as Hope sounded in his towel, you quickly ducked back down, willing him to go away.  You don’t think you’d ever been so embarrassed.

“Hope, I’m going to throw myself from the Brooklyn Bridge,” you hissed into the phone as you sat on the floor, leaning against your desk.  “He saw me bust my face open!  Or he heard it!”

There’s a pause, and then a snort.  “You have to admit, it’s kinda funny.  And the type of thing that would only happen to you.”

“Gee, I’m so happy you’re having fun with this,” you said.

You stayed down there for an extraordinarily long time, hoping to whatever god was out there that he’d stop looking.  When you finally emerged from your hiding place, you found that he was watching a movie with his bedroom light off, his eyes completely focused on the television.

And there was a whiteboard leaning against the window, messy scrawl in blue marker.

Hope you didn’t hurt yourself too bad!!  And I’m glad you enjoyed the show ;)

More than a little appalled at how blatant he was, you grabbed a piece of notebook paper and a Sharpie, writing out your reply before sticking it to the window with a piece of tape.

Nothing but a busted lip and broken pride :(

You shut your curtains, carefully cleaning your wound before getting to work on your latest writing assignment.  Though occasionally, you could remember the strange interaction and a smile would creep across your face.

Which would then cause you to wince in pain as the cut on your lip came open again.

Right before you went to bed, you peeked out of your curtains to see if he’d replied again.

Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what I saw :)  Goodnight!

You quickly wrote out a reply, taping it up before heading to bed.

Pinky promise?  Goodnight!

When you woke up, there was already another note left for you, and the man seemed to be gone.

Good morning!  I hope your lips feel better!

You had no idea when he’d be back or why the hell he’d left.  It was a pandemic after all.

Granted, a lot of people still had to work in this whole mess.  It was ridiculous.

Feeling a little bold, you wrote out a message.

You wanna kiss it better?

But you quickly crumbled up the piece of paper and threw it away.  Despite the fact that you’d seen him almost completely naked the night before, you didn’t know him.  He’d only said three sentences to you so far, and they were written out.

It was the quarantine equivalent of sliding into someone’s direct messages on Twitter or Instagram.

Should you even reply?  He was…  He was the kind of guy you saw on Love Island.  Too perfect and too ripped and sweet and mysterious and friendly, all at the same time.

You’d been getting into a lot of shows you wouldn’t have watched before while quarantined.  You’d watched the entire first season of the American version of the show, and you’d probably start the United Kingdom version sometime that day.  It wasn’t like you had anything better to do.

“Have you written back to him?” Hope asked as you set up your laptop on your desk, pulling up Spotify.

“What?” You asked, your phone cradled between your ear and your shoulder.  “No.  It was a one time thing.  It’s done.”  Before she could reply, you said your goodbyes and hung up.  You really needed to clean and that wasn’t going to happen if you chattered away on the phone with Hope like you usually did.

Music blasted from your laptop’s speaker after you hit play, and you threw open the window, letting the late winter air in.  It had started to get really stuffy in your apartment and you needed something to do other than work and binge watching or you’d go insane.

You didn’t even notice that your neighbor that lived across the alley had come home, and was watching you with a delighted smile on his face.

You were half-dancing, half-cleaning, belting out the lyrics without a care as you got more and more into it.  “Didn’t even know it!  No punches left to roll with!  You got to keep me focused!  You want it?  Say so!” You sang, twirling around with your trash can in hand as you picked up all the various little items.  “Let me check my chest, my breath right quick!  He ain’t ever seen it in a dress like this!  He ain’t ever even been impressed like this!”

Unseen by you, the mysterious stranger took a few steps forward, grateful that he’d left his window open.

“Prolly why I got him quiet on the set like zip!  Like it, love it, need it bad!  Take it, own it, steal it fast!  Boy, stop playin!’  Grab my ass!  Why you acting like you—”  You turned around, breaking off with a squeak as you saw him standing there watching you, your trashcan and an empty mug in hand.  You were completely frozen as he stared at you with a slight smile, leaving you a deer in headlights.

Suddenly, you were hyper aware of just how awful you looked.  Your hair hadn’t been washed, or your face.  You were wearing a men’s two XL hoodie that you’d stolen from some guy you’d fucked for a few months in college and a pair of sweatpants that you’d had since you were on the middle school track team that were still too long in the feet.  You’d done shot put and discus.

Why the fuck were you thinking about shot put and discus?  You hadn’t thought about it over twelve years.  It wasn’t like you were ever any good at it.

The Most Handsome Man in the World was staring at you, holding a takeout box at a mug of tea.  But at least he was fully dressed, even if that didn’t awake away from how attractive he was.  “Hey,” he said with an easy smile.

“Hi.”  Your voice cracked as you spoke, and you’d never wanted to slam your head against the wall more.  How could you be this much of a fucking loser?

“I like your music choice.  Who is that?” He asked curiously as he set his food on the bed, kicking off his shoes before sitting down.

Yeah, he was definitely just as attractive fully clothed as he was naked, which was truly a feat in itself.  Surely there was some kind of award for that, right?

You realized you’d been staring at him in silence and coughed, replying, “Doja Cat.”

“How’s your lip?”

“Good.”

“Good.”

The two of you stared at each other, him happily munching on the chicken nuggets he’d picked up.  You hadn’t moved an inch.

“I’m James,” he said after swallowing.  “But my friends call me Bucky.”

You gave him your name as you slowly moved a few steps closer, sitting down in your desk chair and pulling your knees up to your chest.  “What kind of a name is Bucky?”

He chuckled, dipping his next nugget into the sweet and sour sauce.  “My middle name is Buchanan.  My best friend, Steve, started calling me Bucky when we were in kindergarten, and I don’t know… it just stuck.”

“I mean…”  You shrugged, wrapping your arms around her legs.  “‘S alright.  I like James though.”

“You can call me James.”

“Oh.  Okay.”

It felt intimate, somehow.  Calling him by his first name.

The quarantine was forcing people to revert back to Victorian ways of social conduct.  If you were lucky, you’d get your own Mr. Darcy.

But with the sweats you had on, it was more than likely that you’d end up an old spinster.

How did he find it so easy to talk to a complete stranger?  Granted, you were a lot less intimidating than he was.

“How’s your lip?” He asked, his head tilting to the side as he peered over at you.  “You don’t need stitches, right?”

There was an unspoken worry there.  Needing stitches meant you’d probably go without, since all the hospitals were so backed up with those that had fallen ill.  And going to the hospital just meant you’d risk your own health by coming in close contact with those going to get treated for Covid-19.

“If you do, I have a first aid kit I keep here in my apartment with the stuff to do stitches,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.  “But I wouldn’t exactly be able to come over there to help you.  You’d have to do the stitches yourself.”

Your brows furrowed as you looked at him.  “Why do you have the stuff to do stitches in your first aid kit?  I did see this one episode of one of those crime shows where they used safety pins to hold a gash open, but I can’t remember what show it was.”

Mirth sparkled in his eyes as he watched you.  “I’m a nurse.”

“Oh,” you said, relaxing.  But then you remembered, and your heart sank.  “Oh.  I… James.”

James looked rather sheepish as he looked down at his feet.  “It’s nothing really.  But I can’t use the elevator since it would risk someone being in an enclosed space with me.  So… you know.  I don’t really need leg day, right?”  He let out a weak laugh, clearly trying to blow it off.  “I’m not allowed to use the gym anymore.  Not that I would.  I don’t want to risk infecting anyone, even if I don’t have it yet.”

The way he said ‘yet’ hurt your heart.  He knew the position he was in, how dangerous it was.

There was nothing you could really say to him.  What the hell could you say?  Thank you for your service?  Technically, you could, but you remembered how your dad had felt about it.  He’d been a field doctor over in Afghanistan until he’d died on his fifth tour.

“I was just doing what needed to be done, sweetheart,” he’d said to you when you’d asked.  “Trying to save as many people as possible.  I don’t need thanks for that.”

But fuck.  James was going out everyday to fight an opponent that he couldn’t see.

“My lip is fine,” you said eventually, breaking the silence with a weak smile.

“Good,” he said, clearing his throat.  “I’ll let you get back to your solo concert.  I’ve gotta shower.”

Things went on as normally.  Or, at least, as normal as things could be in a time like that.  Only now, you had someone to talk to that wasn’t Hope every night.

He wouldn’t tell you about what it was like at the hospital though.  He’d get this far away look in his eyes and his face would pale.  “Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about, darlin,’” he’d croon, a sad smile on his lips.  “You let me worry, and you just keep yourself safe and inside, okay?”

Sometimes you’d miss him.  He’d be at the hospital for days on end, sleeping in on-call rooms and eating from vending machines.  That’s when you’d leave little notes all over your window for him to read when he got back.

But then one day he came home and you could just tell that he was more worn down that usual.

“James?” You called out softly as you pushed the window open.  You hadn’t seen him in two days.  “Are you okay?”  You leaned half out the window, your elbows resting on the ledge.

He took in a shaky breath, his eyes squeezing shut as he willed himself not to cry.

“James?”  You’re about to repeat your question when he looks up, staring blankly at the wall.

“Steve has it,” he said quietly, his voice cracking.

Your heart stopped inside your chest.  “Oh.  Oh, James…,” you breathed out.

A few tears slipped down his cheeks, his hands clenched at his sides.  “I went into a room in the ER and there he was.”

You’d heard so many stories about his best friend since childhood that you felt like you knew Steve already.  Bucky had met him when they were just five years old, on the first day of kindergarten, and it’d been history from there.  But Steve had been sickly and small up until they were about seventeen, when he’d undergone some revolutionary clinical trial.  Fixing his heart and lungs had kick started his entire system and it was like everything magically went away.

“Not even that stupid treatment prevented him from getting sick,” Bucky said quietly.  “He looked…  He looked like he was on his deathbed.”

You paused, before crawling out of the window and out onto the fire escape.  “James, take my hand.”

You knew it was stupid.  It was really, really stupid.  He was around those with the virus daily, but he needed you.  You’d risk it to give him a little bit of comfort.

“What?” He said, looking at you like you’d grown a second head.  “No.  No.  I can’t.  What if I give it to you?”

“Then we’ll figure it out,” you said, insistently holding your hand out to him.  “Take my hand.”

Sniffling, he reached his hand out of his window and took yours, your fingers intertwining.  He took in a shaky breath, a fresh wave of tears coming on as he squeezed his eyes shut.  “I don’t know what to do,” he admitted after a long moment just holding your hand.  “I’m so fucking scared.  I don’t want to go in there day after day.  I know people need me but I…”  He looked up at you with sea glass eyes.  “I don’t want to die.”

“You’re not going to,” you said firmly, with as much conviction as you could muster up.  “You hear me?  You’re not going to die, and neither is Steve.  We’re going to make it through this.”

“Sometimes I just… hold their hand,” he said, so quiet you could barely hear.  “They’re dying alone.  Their family and friends aren’t allowed in to see them.  So I just… stay with them.  So they have someone there.”  Bucky lets his head fall into his chest, his shoulders slumping.  “And then I have to call the family to let them know.  And I just hope that maybe…  knowing I was there with them helps a little.  But it’s not the same.”

You tighten your grip on his hand, not daring to look down because you’re several stories up and if you lean a little too far, it would result in a trip to the hospital you can’t afford.  You haven’t been outside in days.

You don’t realize that you’re crying right along with him until you taste the salty brine of your tears on your lips.

“We’re going to be okay, James,” you said, though you weren’t sure if you were trying to convince him or yourself.  “This won’t last forever.  And I’m going to be here with you, okay?  No matter what happens.  I’m here.  I’ve got you.”

He squeezed your hand once more before letting go, nodding for you to go back inside.  “Go wash your hands.  Now.”

A smile creeps across your face as you surrender to his wishes, crawling back through your window.  “Yes, sir.”

He’s touch and go the next few days.  Sometimes he seems upbeat, positive even, about the whole situation.  Others…  Well.  He had plenty of reason to be down.

“You know, you’re a pretty good singer,” he commented one night.  He was sitting against the window, leaning his head against the frame.  You had climbed out onto the fire escape again with a blanket wrapped around your shoulders.  “That night that I heard you singing to that song…  The Doja Cat one?  You’re good.”  His head tilted to the side in the way that a puppy might.  “Why don’t you sing more often?”

“I used to,” you said after a deep sigh.  “I used to sing a lot.  I was going to be a musical theatre actress.  But I got told so often that I was better at writing than performing so… I don’t know.  I guess I just decided it’d be better to pursue something I was better at.”

His lower lip was caught between his teeth as he looked at you.

You’d never had someone look at you the way he did.  Like he wanted to see all of you, like he craved it, needed it, even.  It was exhilarating.

“That doesn’t mean you stop singing.”  He moved to rest his chin in his palm.  “Even if you don’t become a performer professionally, you don’t stop singing.  Especially in times like these.”

“What?  Like those fake videos of people in Italy?” You asked with a snort.  A breeze wound through the alley and you tightened the blanket around you.  “The one that Katy Perry retweeted?”

“You know that’s not what I mean,” he said with an eye roll.  “My ma used to sing around the house.  Hearing you…  It made me feel like I was home again.  Just for a little while.”  He smiled slyly.  “And you have pretty sick dance moves.”

Groaning, you climbed back into your window, shooting a glare at him.  “You promised not to talk about my dancing!”

“It was cute!”

“Was not!”

“Was to!”

You took in a deep breath as you stared at him with narrowed eyes.  “No,” you said, pointing a finger at him.  “No, it’s not.”  Before he could reply, you started to shut the window, calling out, “Goodnight, James!”  The window shut with a definitive click and you winked as he flipped you the middle finger.

Steve came home three weeks later, completely clean of the virus.  The quarantine finally ended on May 22nd, 2020, the amount of cases down to maybe a hundred that were contained within the hospital.

In that time, you’d gone outside a total of six times to get groceries.  You’d gained ten pounds, even with the basic exercises you were doing in your apartment to keep you active.  You’d also saved up two thousand dollars, since you weren’t going out and you’d put a parental lock on your laptop and phone so you couldn’t go online shopping until further notice, but you were lucky in that way.  You had an extremely well-paying job that you could do online, and your boss wasn’t an asshole.

Millions of New Yorkers flooded the streets, crying and hugging and touching everyone.

You hadn’t been touched in so long.  The last time had been when you’d held Bucky’s hand on your balcony, and that had been the only time he’d allowed it since he didn’t want to get you sick.

He’d been lucky that he didn’t get it himself.  Most of those that had fallen ill were healthcare workers.  Overworked, tired healthcare workers.

You stepped out of the front doors of your apartment building, feeling an overwhelming sense of elation.  You’d already talked to Hope that morning on FaceTime.  Her and her parents were celebrating by going to their favorite restaurant that was allowing dine-in again.

Tears pricked your eyes as you watched the people around you.  It reminded you a little bit of those pictures of V-Day in New York City at the end of World War II.

But where was Bucky?

He’d been at work yesterday, and since you hadn’t seen him, it probably meant that he’d passed out in an on-call room instead of coming home.

But you needed to see him.  You didn’t care if he was all gross and greasy.  You just needed him.

You loved him.

Your eyes locked in on a familiar head of long, brown hair sticking a little bit above the crowd.  He was awful tall.  When he turned his head, it only confirmed it.  “JAMES!” You shouted, trying to break through the roar of the crowd.  “JAMES!”

His brows furrowed, his head turning a little towards the sound of his voice.  When his eyes landed on you they went wide as saucers, his lips forming your name even though you couldn’t hear him over the people.

The two of you pushed through the hordes of people, trying to reach one another.  When you finally broke through, you threw yourself into his arms, your arms wrapping around his neck as he twirled you around.  The both of you were crying happy tears, wide smiles on your faces.

“We made it,” you whispered, your voice cracking.  “We’re okay.”  You pulled back enough to cup his face, so many words you wanted to say getting caught in your throat.

But before you could say them, he pulled you into a kiss, one hand on the back of your head and the other on your hip.  Grinning against your lips, he dipped you just a little, holding you tight.  To passerby, it was a remnant of the iconic V-Day kiss.  But you couldn’t think about that.  All you could think about was Bucky.

“Hi,” he said softly as he pulled away, breathing heavily.

Your nose nudged against his as your eyes fluttered open.  “Hi.”

He stole another kiss, your heart skipping a beat inside your chest.  “You better not stop singing now that this is over,” he said quietly as he held you to him, refusing to let go.  “Can’t go a day without hearing your pretty voice.”

“You’re a sap.”

“Your sap.”

“My sap?!”

He had a cheeky smile as he looked at you, cupping your cheeks.  “Does this mean I can take you on a date now?”

You were lucky.  You knew people who got the virus, but none of them had died.  Others didn’t have the same luck unfortunately, and it was a tragedy.  But you don’t stop singing during dark times.  You just sing a little louder.

[cattles-bians]

exes au part 12

post directory

obsetress: don’t ask why i had this thought because i couldn’t tell you but

obsetress: jamie wakes up in the middle of the night one night and is like “i... had a dream. about vi”

obsetress: and dani’s like “ok baby” and just nuzzles deeper into her pillow and jamie’s like

obsetress: “no, dani, a... a dream”

obsetress: and dani’s like “oh. oh” and is immediately wide awake and bright eyed

obsetress: and is like “was it any good?” and jamie is just. already flushed so red and flushed deeper and dani just hums

em: sighs wistfully

em: i also love that something compels jamie to tell dani Immediately

em: oh the perils of begrudgingly being friends w ur gfs ex

em: jamies like um. no see i can see all these different things my brain mashed together and WHY i had this dream and danis like ok but that wasn’t my question....

obsetress: jamie finally throws up her hands “of course it was”

em: jamie: And You Can’t Tell Vi She’ll Be Insufferable

obsetress: dani, very plainly, at brunch the next morning: so vi

obsetress: jamie looks like she’s going to have a heart attack and dani lets her sweat and then just smiles sweetly “i like those sunglasses. are they new?”

em: jamie what’s the problem (nothin. indigestion)

obsetress: dani very smug n thinks she’s very funny

obsetress: (she is a little funny)

em: one of jamies many ‘oh that’s why they dated’ moments

obsetress: “fookin sick, the both of ya”

em: idk why you had this thought but i’m GREATLY amused

obsetress: skskksksks right

obsetress: jamie explaining her dream to dani in great detail afterwards

obsetress: dani sitting there nodding and hmming “oh that sounds like her. no, she wouldn’t do that. now THAT she would be very good at, you’d like it”

em: i need a moment

em: jamie thinks the dark hides her massive fucken blush but it Doesn’t

em: dani can feel her heating up

obsetress: jamie “i don’t ask you to do this” dani “you’re not stopping me”

em: dani critiquing jamies sex dream is such a fucken funny concept sjdhdkhdkdhdkc

obsetress: RIGHT

obsetress: i’m dying

em: dani: oh no that’s OOC

obsetress: she wouldn’t have a riding crop jamie, it’s 2021, not 16—

em: jamie: it’s a wet dream do u really think it’s gonna have beta readers and a three act structure

em: dani hums

obsetress: dani: well did you enjoy it

obsetress: jamie: i— dani: did you?

obsetress: jamie mumbling yeah

em: jamies like i’m gonna interrogate dani next time, see how she feels- but she forgets dani is incapable of feeling shame

obsetress: like dani wouldn’t just launch into a ramble

---

em: viola

obsetress: fuck

obsetress: yeah

obsetress: to jamie, specifically,

em: to jamie specifically andhdjhdjd

em: once again ironic jamvi has turned, in my brain, into ‘yes and....’ jamvi

—-

obsetress:

obsetress: jamie sending this to viola n vi's like

obsetress: she doesn't get it because she's convinced her taste is immaculate

---

em: anyway this is ooc even for exes au but i keep thinking abt like. jamie tryna crack how old viola is (she cant be 34 im 30 it doesnt make sense) and going through her fb timeline like. 'aha! motivational quotes. gotta be late 30s' and danis either like

em: danis either like 'you have a notebook where you write down all the quotes you like baby' OR shes like haha ok thats fair (posts another motivational quote on her fb)

obsetress: god i love that so much

obsetress: both of those dani responses are

obsetress: honestly porque no los dos if we're already going ooc

obsetress: i do think the first bit "gotta crack it she can't be 34 i'm 30 it doesn't make sense" is in character fwiw

em: obviously i was inspired by ur post in the milf channel abt viola always saying shes 35

em: big brain

—-

obsetress: this is literally just. exes au rebecca

obsetress: down to the caption

obsetress: vi and rebecca patiently staging like full photoshoots for each other every time one of them wants a pic otp: i'm not high maintenance, you're just low effort

---

em: bold 2 say that we don’t think about jamie and vi tho

em: gotta keep some sorta. presentation of respectability

em: they absolutely couldn’t date tho

obsetress: lmao ikr

obsetress: yeah no they'd kill each other

obsetress: now just thinking of silly circumstances and um

obsetress: rebecca's out of town and dani's flying back from some iowa thing jamie couldn't get away for to go with

obsetress: and viola's like "oh, just stay at ours, it's closer and i'll get you a car"

obsetress: and just like

obsetress: imagining the two of them cohabitating at vi's for a night

em: jamie sneaking around at night tryna find the bathroom and runs straight into vi in a face mask and a dangerously low dressing gown Again

obsetress: the parallels to canon

obsetress: im giggling

obsetress: walks straight into her path

em: opens a door. sees something she doesn’t want to see. immediately turns and walks away

em: god the face mask would make her look like the lady in the lake

obsetress: yeah

obsetress: vi wants to go out to dinner, jamie's just like "i'm already getting up early to go to the airport, can't we just have an easy night in"

em: what did i say before. that thing abt if ur friends w damie you will inevitably walk in on them

obsetress: god yeah

em: flip of that.

obsetress: oh GOD

em: god they would argue about dinner

em: bicker about EVERYTHING

em: dani and rebecca both make the married couple joke

em: jamie goes pale

obsetress: wait sorry i just went back to tahirahs insta post and like

obsetress: katie parker commented and was like "i love these shots of you" and she was like "thanks luv " and i'm like

obsetress: why does this....... still track........... with exes au...............

em: perdy is always a little too flirty w vis paramours

obsetress: always! except dani for whatever reason

obsetress: she's just scared of dani

em: Please

obsetress: rebecca's like "i don't see what the problem is. she can do what she wants, but you trust me, don't you?" "of course i trust you" rebecca shrugs "that's it then, isn't it?"

obsetress: anyway vi huffs n crosses her arms n pouts a little bit and is like "well i don't want her to"

obsetress: rebecca is endeared and uses the opportunity to her advantage like the top leaning switch she is

em: dani rebecca parallels: always dtf

obsetress: perdi and vi fighting and vi's like "are you even gay? or do you just want what i have?" and perdi is like "does it matter?"

em: are you even gay perdi nahdkdhdkdhd

em: perdi is like you KNOW about jamie and viola crinkles her nose bc she forgot about that and she’s starting to respect jamie as a person

obsetress: djflakdkfjldkadjLDJFLSKDFJLSDKFJx

obsetress: i screeched

em: viola: you only MET jamie because i hired her for landscaping you fucking-

obsetress: just thinking about perdita watching jamie working on some property sweating in a tank top and Deciding

em: bringing out some lemonade etc

em: haha you look parched

obsetress: smiling widely, turning on the charm

obsetress: jamie is very attractive and very swoonworthy, but perdita 100% only goes for it because she refuses to let viola have one (1) thing

obsetress: and that extends to lesbianism

em: viola's like no this is normal right. siblings competing. rivalries etc and danis like uh i’m an only child and jamies like uh i raised my brother

em: they don’t know how to tell her sure it happens but it’s also extremely fucken weird vi

obsetress: jamie: you have to tell her dani: why do i have to tell her jamie: you tell her everything dani: i don't tell her–– ok, i tell her most things. i'm not sure i want to tell her this though jamie: why not dani: she's not... she's not gonna like it jamie: So You Might Be A People Pleaser,

em: jamie: i can’t tell her. she’s only just forgotten the perdi thing. what if she remembers i’ve

em: in depth character study of viola and perdi’s fucked up rivalry

em: violas like goddamn it do i have to fuck jamie to get even

obsetress: i––

em: she decides against it

em: jamie is none the wiser

obsetress: she Considers it tho

em: jamie would die on the spot if she knew

obsetress: weighs the pros and cons

obsetress: the best part is like

obsetress: this is all post-danvi and pre-damie right so when dani n jamie see rebecca and vi at that video store

obsetress: viola's like wait.

obsetress: wait

obsetress: dani ending up with the hot gardener her sister fucked because she has bizarre jealousy and possession issues is really just the cherry on top of a shit sundae

em: the funniest part of all our very tangled lore is like

em: none of it contradicts bc it’s even funnier when it’s Extremely Ugly And Messy

em: because lesbians are just... like that

---

obsetress: exes au au where viola did fuck jamie, the video rental shop scene is 100 times more awkward

em: don’t think about it don’t think about it dont

em: i am thinking about it

em: jamie has to deal with having been railed by all three of them instead of just the two

em: it feels very uneven to her bc rebeccas a doll, dani, u don’t understand, and ur only running into one ex,

obsetress: talk about the mortifying ordeal of being known

obsetress: "wait, that's your ex?" "yeah" "dani" "what" "dani" "what" jamie's voice is hushed but a lil pitchy and a lot panicky "i think i fucked your ex" "you think?" "i fucked your ex" "you fucked her or she fucked you? because i'm sorry, baby, but i really don't think––"

em: sorry, baby, but i really don’t think-

em: SCREAMED

obsetress: that might be my fave lil bit i've ever written adlfkjasdklf

em: dani being a little too interested in jamie getting railed is like. everything to me

obsetress: jamie's already big blushing

em: a little secret between hannah obsetress and em cowlesbian but i am So thinking abt it

em: patreon exclusive exes au au

[em edit: you can imagine how long this lasted]

obsetress: no one is happy about this situation except dani, who is delighted

em: after, jamie's like. what did u mean by u don’t think that...

em: puffs out her chest

em: i could have-

em: danis like yeah but i know u didn’t did u

obsetress: dani clayton ilu

em: danis like um

em: completely unprompted bc dani ‘finishes a conversation 5 hours later’ is really funny to me

em: danis like i did tho

em: jamies like can you DROP IT

em: she’s SMUG

em: she’s so pleased w herself

obsetress: in bed with the lights off jamie's pulling the sheets up and closing her eyes afterthought

obsetress: just a happy lil hum and an "i did, though"

obsetress: and jamie knows IMMEDIATELY what she's talking about

em: dani never lets jamie live it down

obsetress: never!

obsetress: they'll be washing dishes one day "hey baby?" "hmm" "you slept with a landlord"

em: oh um. flipping the whole ‘experienced jamie virginal dani’ trope everyone loves but

em: i love the idea of dani being like hey jamie did u ever- and jamies like (grumbles) does it matter

em: dani is mentally applying a gold star to her chart

obsetress: ksdljfskdfjlsdjflksdjaf

obsetress: the gold star

em: at this point dani is absolute just tryna tease jamie so she’s like oh well when- and jamies like ok i get it

em: jamie Pretends not to be a little interested

obsetress: meanwhile vi and rebecca very matter of factly swapped stories the first day they Realized

obsetress: vibecca swapping stories and their stories complimenting each other so well that they're like well. hmm

obsetress: glad those two found each other

em: two praise kinks u say

em: ok sorry one more thought i’m thinking abt like

em: jamie staying over (idk if this is before or during damie) and viola and perdi are having yet another spat on the phone and violas like

em: no you ALWAYS do this, whatever you think you’re doing with rebecca-‘ and she barely hears some muffled sorta ‘oh, sorry, remember jamie-

em: and jamies doing the maths. hmm

em: jamies like actually i refuse to examine this further. self care

em: brings it up with dani later and dani LOSES her shit laughing

em: haha jamie you got willoughby’ed

obsetress: SCREAMS

obsetress: you got willoughby'd

obsetress: how does one get willoughbyd asking for a friend

em: yeah same asking for a friend

obsetress: dani, gigglesnorting: wait, you hooked up with... with perdi?

obsetress: (dani hates perdita because viola hates perdita and it is a deep seated hatred she refuses to unlearn)

obsetress: a loyalty strange and enduring, despite it all

em: to be fair perdi is the Worst

em: all of these characters i love to make sympathetic and then perdi is where i draw the line akdhdkhd

em: it’s funnier if she’s awful

em: like a viola that never gets therapy

obsetress: lldjfkaskldfj god same

obsetress: it's too good

em: danis like wait hold on. lemme get a pen

em: makes a silly little chart

em: if the fandom tries to make jamie into a shane the l word character i will simply take that and make jamie mortified abt her uh. well! a pretty girl is nice to her and she forgets how to behave

em: jamie's like oh sure like u don’t have embarrassing flings- and danis like yeah but i don’t interact w them on a daily basis jamie

em: also i didn’t fuck perdi

obsetress: skskskflsdflks

obsetress: "you did fuck perdi though, right? because that just be embarrassing, jamie, if she had been the one who..."

em: skgsdjhdkdhdk

em: jamie grumbles something abt pillow princesses and dani like

em: CLAPS her hands in glee

obsetress: jlsdjflkJSDFKJSDFJ

obsetress: GOD

obsetress: she's immediately pulling out her phone to text vi

em: jamies like why would u message her sister that u freak n danis like oh no theyre very open with each other it’s uh. hmm. anyway

[flooffybits]

Fly High

Memories can never be altered, but they can be retained and shared no matter how long.

Back || Next

After a long shower and getting dressed, you head to the living room, notebook, phone, and pocket watch all sitting on the table as you carefully wrap your burnt hand, also covering the one on your arm after applying a bit of medicine on them.

While you did that, you tried to think and make sense of everything that's happened thus far. The dreams were becoming a little more sensible with what the girls told you, it was only a matter of believing everything they said and will say later on.

You're just not sure how much you can take.

You're broken out of your thoughts by the ringing of your phone. Finishing up the bandages, you grab the device and answer, though a bit hesitant. "Hey… I was just about to call." There's a bit of silence, almost as though she were thinking of what to properly say. "Dami is going to walk with you. She's waiting for you in the lobby."

The information makes you pause, glancing around the room, and your eyes land on the windows and mirror. "I… see. I was just getting ready." Why Yubin needed to walk with you was beyond you. As far as you knew, she disliked you just as much as Yoohyeon did. 

But with what Yoohyeon said last night, maybe there was just too much you were missing and there were a lot more things they weren't ready to tell you the way you weren't ready to hear them.

The man that was chasing after you was still a mystery. What the girls wanted, why you had to rescue Yoohyeon in the first place, everything still lacked answers.

“Y/n.” Minji’s gentle voice cuts you out of your train of thoughts. “I don’t know if you’re ready to know everything or not, but in the event that it all becomes overwhelming, we’ll stop. We can give you time - to think, to breathe, whatever it is you need.” She assures you with so much confidence and conviction that you believe her right away. "Okay." You mumble quietly, staring at your hand, the pocket watch resting on the palm of it. "I'll see you soon."

"See you."

When the line cuts, you put the watch in your pocket and then sling your bag over your shoulder before heading out, locking the door as you left and then headed down to meet up with Yubin, not wanting to keep her waiting long.

It's easy to spot her with the few people coming in and out of the building and she smiles lightly in greeting, but her eyes flit over to your arm and hand. "You're hurt." Even with how little she's spoken, the worry was there, along with the way her forehead creased together. "It's alright, not as painful as it looks." You say softly before gesturing to the entrance. "Let's go?"

Nodding, you both depart from the apartment complex and head for the direction of Minji's house where most of the girls were probably already present.

"Yoohyeon went ahead this morning. She said that there were some things she wanted to finish before talking with you." The short haired woman explained and you hum in reply. Yubin glances at you while walking and adjusts her jacket around herself. "You have something on your mind - aside from everything that's going on." She comments and you almost smile at her observation before shrugging your shoulders.

"I'm just confused is all. I always thought Yoohyeon hated me since I accidentally bumped into her." You answer and Yubin chuckles before shaking her head. "Yoohyeon doesn't hate you. Quite the contrary, she loves you a whole lot more than I can even imagine." She says when you enter the park.

You raise a brow at the younger girl, but she continues to speak without looking back at you. "She sees you so much like an older sister, ever since we all met at the house. You were the first she's gotten comfortable with and there was barely a time you were apart that it made me a bit jealous before Yoohyeon and I started dating."

"I… can imagine that happening." With how she described your and Yoohyeon’s supposed relationship, it did make sense that Yubin would have been jealous of you.

Her smile is reminiscent when she turns back to you. "To be honest, I was never able to properly thank you when you helped us get together. I was so blinded with the idea that you and Yoohyeon were more than just friends. Aside from that, I was scared that my feelings would have ruined my friendship with not only Yoohyeon, but you, too. But you knocked some sense into me after finding out." She said with a little laugh and the story intrigues you.

"That sounds like quite the story." You comment and she nods instantly. "Do you want to make a little detour while I tell you?" There's a spark of happiness in her eyes that you find it impossible to decline, so Yubin leads you to a different path, somewhere that was more filled with trees and closer to the lake.

"We weren't the closest." She begins. "I was much more quiet before, especially around you and Yoohyeon. Handong unnie was the person I always talked to, but I never told her about my crush, either." She explained. "When it came to it, Siyeon unnie and Gahyeon said I was acting weird, and I admit that it was childish of me." She laughed, making you smile as you listen, the events popping in your head as though her memory was being transmitted to you.

"We were all supposed to go out and just look for a village or anything farther than our safe zone. But they decided that we weren't allowed to come until we fixed whatever argument we had going on." She says with an embarrassed laugh. 

The little pout on the quiet teen's lips was hard to miss as she sat beside Handong while she watched you and Yoohyeon running around the large garden, both covered in a bit of dirt that Bora would surely scold you for.

Your laughter mixed together and the girls were all enjoying the time they had together.

"Y/n! Yoohyeon!"

The loud voice caused the two of you to stop as you tripped and crashed against the younger girl when you came to an abrupt pause, both landing to the ground and further ruining your clothes as the older girl pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in exasperation.

"I told you not to get your clothes dirty! You just got changed!" The second eldest scolded as the two of you sat down with matching pouts on your faces. "But unnie! You were taking too long and we got bored." You retorted, Yoohyeon nodding in agreement while she clung to your arm. "We were having fun and we can clean up after!" She added, making Bora groan while rubbing her temples. "You need to get changed so we can go. Put your clothes in the wash and hurry up."

Your face lights up at the remark and you quickly grabbed Yoohyeon’s hand to lead her back inside the house.

"Oh, give them a break. You know that they're only having fun." Minji patted her friend's arm as they watched your figures disappearing into the house. "Now, we have to wait even longer though." Yubin grumbled quietly and Siyeon rose a brow at her sulky expression before she had nudged her younger sister's arm.

The youngest looked up from her book and blinked before she realized what her sister was gesturing to and then jumped up. "Actually, I think you and Y/n unnie should stay home today, unnie."

Everyone's head snapped to the two sisters while Siyeon nodded her head quickly. "Why all of a sudden?" Handong inquired, voicing out everyone's question. "Dami and Y/n have been really weird lately. I just think they should talk and fix whatever issue they have between them before they can come with all of us."

"I don't have a problem with Y/n unnie." Yubin immediately defended, making Siyeon's statement seem even more sensible when the rest of the girls realized that there had been some sort of tension between you.

"Did you two get into a fight or something?" Minji asked worriedly, and the younger girl frantically shook her head. “Of course not! I could never fight with unnie.” She huffed, arms crossed over her chest. “I mean, they do have a point. You always sulk whenever Y/n is around.” Handong pointed out and the girl felt her face flush. “Do not!”

“Oh, come on, Dami. If you do have a problem with Y/n, just talk to her. I’m sure, whatever it is, she’ll help fix it with you.” Bora waved her hand dismissively while the said girl could only sigh when she realized that no one would be listening to her nor would she be getting out of this.

In the end, after informing the two of you when you returned, Yubin felt just a tad bit guilty when she saw your and Yoohyeon’s excitement be replaced by confusion and then sadness with having to be apart from the whole group.

“Yoohyeon, let’s go!” The poor girl could only pout as Gahyeon took the tallest’s hand and started to lead her out of the gates of the mansion while she looked back at you as you offered the younger girl a small smile and waved your hand. “Just come back home safe! I’ll be waiting!”

Yubin ended up watching you as you sat by the window, legs swinging underneath you with Pie snuggling on your lap as you waited for everyone to come home from their trip. Since you had given her to Yoohyeon as a gift a few years back, it made sense how she was also more clingy with you than just her owner.

"Do you think they'll be out long?" Your sudden question catches her by surprise, but the younger girl keeps her calm expression on as she glances at the clock, seeing that it has been over two hours since the rest of the girls have left. "I'm not sure. They did say they wanted to find a safe village or at least something else in the forest." Yubin replied as she turned her eyes back to her book. 

You pout when you finally leave the window, opting to just lay on the floor with Pie walking around your body, only to settle with her head on your shoulder, breathing out as you scratched between her ears.

Another silence hangs over the air and Yubin had trouble focusing on her book as her eyes kept shifting to you. The silence is only once again broken by you, asking a question that leaves the younger girl stunned.

"Dami-ah, did I do something to anger you?"

This time, she completely ignores the book on her lap and she looks at you, a frown on her face as she shifted so her body was facing you. "Of course not. I could never be angry with you, unnie." She reasons and you turn your head a bit to look at her. "But you don't like talking to me anymore. Siyeon unnie even pointed out that you look at me funny."

Hearing that caused the younger girl to groan before shaking her head. As much as she would like to tell you her actual reasoning, she just couldn't seem to reveal how she was crushing on someone who could possibly already be in a relationship.

But with your abilities being a bit unstable, still, you were able to catch snippets of her thoughts.

'... jealous of… Yoohyeo… like… you.'

Your eyes widened a bit as you sat up, causing Pie to bark slightly before she ran off somewhere in the house, probably looking for Cherry to play as you looked at the younger girl.

"I- uh…" Flustered, you shake your head before looking around awkwardly. "Dami… if there's something you want to tell me…" Her brows furrow a bit in confusion, but when she sees the look on your face, it doesn’t take her long to figure what you had done and her face flushed red.

“W-Wait! It isn’t- unnie, I promise I’m not… I don’t-”

But you were already standing and walking over to join her on the couch. “Dami, relax, just take a deep breath and breathe.” You were afraid she’d go into a panic so you did your best to calm her down. “I… don’t know how to talk about all of this.” You gesture around. “But, I know we can figure something out.”

“But you and Yoohyeon?” You blink confusedly at the younger girl and shake your head. “Look, Yoohyeon is like a little sister to me, but I can’t do that to her. While I do appreciate your feelings, I can only see you as a sister, too. But Yoohyeon really likes you and-”

“Wait, what?” Yubin’s eyes went wide, a mortified look on her face as she forcefully shook her head. “I-I don’t like you!” She managed to stop your rambling and you look at her as she begins to feel her anxiety shoot up. “No, wait, that’s not what I meant.” Her book had been discarded on the couch as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I do like you, but not as if I like you!”

You kept your mouth shut as the younger girl had a short mental breakdown and you began to realize that what you had heard wasn’t exactly the entirety of what she wanted to say.

So, with a sigh of relief, you smile and place a hand over hers. “Dami, I think I get it.”

You don’t realize how far you’ve walked until Yubin stopped walking and looked around, letting a bird land on her finger. “Right after that, you helped me finally tell Yoohyeon how I felt no matter how skeptical I was about her liking me back.”

Yubin gently pets its head before letting the bird go, watching as it soars to the sky whilst you pause in your stop and blink rapidly, rubbing your forehead as the images seemed to grow vividly in your mind as though they were your own and Yubin smiled when she realized.

“You saw it?” You look over at her confusedly, but nod your head slowly. “What was…” She hums while looking at the shining water. “That was exactly what happened. Maybe it was your abilities acting up, and you saw my memories.” She says and you’re puzzled. “My abilities?”

She nods, but says nothing more while leading you further down the path. “We’ll tell you everything at the house. I’m sure Jiu unnie won’t appreciate it if I tell you everything instead.” You frown slightly before asking. “Does Minji make the rules for everyone?”

But she shakes her head with a smile on her face. “No, unnie just gives advice on what we should do since she’s the eldest. It was natural for her to take on the role as the leader. But I think it’s better if she told you this, herself.” She states and you can’t quite pinpoint the meaning behind her smile.

A little after, you arrive at the house, only this time, you were at the back and Gahyeon was already there with an amused look on her face. “You sure took your time, unnie.” She commented before turning to you. “Everyone else is here, Dong unnie is just grabbing some stuff, but she’ll be here in a while.” She explained while opening the door.

“Where have you been and why did you come in through the back?” Bora asked confusedly while Yubin passed the kitchen to find her girlfriend. “We took a detour. Dami was just telling me some stuff.” You say while watching as she joined her girlfriend, picking Pie up when the latter seemed to have trouble getting her.

Bora raised a brow and Gahyeon handed you a glass of water. “Like what?” She inquired while taking a seat and you stare at the glass. “Just… how her and Yoohyeon got together. It was an interesting story.” You smile and Siyeon crinkled her nose at the memory. “God, that was frustrating to see. But who knew Dami would ever be jealous?” She teased, earning a light smack on the arm by her girlfriend.

“Leave her alone. You and Gahyeon got what was coming to you when you wouldn’t stop pestering her.” Bora reminded as the two sisters pouted. “We were trying to help.” They reasoned before you giggle and take a sip of your water.

Heading to the living room, you look around in search of the owner of the house, only for Handong to come down from the second floor. “Jiu unnie is preparing everything, so don’t worry.” You’re surprised by her sudden arrival but know enough not to question how she arrived.

“You’re hurt.” Looking up, you see Yoohyeon staring at the bandages on your hand and arm before nodding your head. “One of the, uh, things last night wouldn’t let go so I got a bit burned.” You explain and Siyeon frowns apologetically when Yoohyeon moves to grab a first aid kit.

Bora was already at your side and had her hand out, silently asking to see your injuries before you place your hand over hers. She carefully undoes the loose bandages before inspecting the burns. “I can see that, at least, your medical skills are improving.” She says with a smile before taking the kit from Yoohyeon and then opening it.

The taller woman doesn’t move as she watches, worry clear in her eyes when she sees the burns. “Do you need anything else?” She asks and Bora shakes her head. “No, it’s alright. They aren’t that serious.” She states before moving to your forearm and then fixing the bandages as well.

Yoohyeon purses her lips but takes a step back before feeling a hand slip into her own. Looking beside her, Yubin gives her an encouraging smile before leading her to sit as everyone waits for Minji to finish up.

A few minutes pass with you just observing as the girls talk amongst themselves. What happened with Yubin ran through your head, wondering about the ability you apparently had. But you don’t delve too deep when the eldest of the group finally let herself come down, arms filled with candles and some other items that you can’t exactly make out.

Gahyeon moves to help her and they all take one candle, each. Blinking, you watch them all forming a circle before Siyeon flicked her wrist and each candle lit up. After doing so, they set it on the floor after Handong set the carpet aside and Yoohyeon pushed the coffee table away from the center to give them space.

“Wai- what are you doing?” You ask nervously, recognizing the circle from the mansion. “It’s necessary to show you everything you need to know.” Yoohyeon says softly when she gestures for the two dogs to go upstairs.

Yubin places an open book and dreamcatcher at the center of the circle before stepping back out. Handong takes the little container before sprinkling some sort of powder around the circle.

“This is looking more and more like a ritual.” You muttered while taking a step back, but Bora gently gripped your shoulder to keep you from moving. “Stay still and be calm.” She instructs and you look back as Minji looks at you while biting her lip.

Bora gives her a nod before the older woman walks over to take your hand as the rest finish up. “I know this is all weird, but I need you to keep trusting me.” She tells you in a gentle tone and you anxiously stare at her. “... I do.”

She cracks a small smile, squeezing your hand before nodding her head. “Okay.” When she turns back, she brings you closer to the circle, only to stop outside the candles. She stares at it for a second before reluctantly releasing your hand. “Step inside, and everything will go from there.”

You look at the book, the pages starting to turn on their own as though being blown by an unknown wind, and the dreamcatcher’s feathers do the same. The more you stare at it, the more you’re compelled to come closer.

When you’re finally inside, you don’t even realize it as the centerpiece and strings of the dreamcatcher begin to glow only for you.

At the same time, something in your pocket begins to grow heavy, and when you reach inside, you grab onto the pocket watch before bringing it out, surprising the girls as they all see it for the first time.

The design on the watch begins glowing as well, much like the first time, and when you turn it around, the hands begin to move. You don’t hear the sound of any of the girls speaking outside the circle, almost as though you were under water.

Everything spins, making you dizzy that it forces your eyes to close and for you to hold your head. Outside, Minji and Yoohyeon nearly move from their place, but a quick look from the others has them halting as they all continue to watch until everything eventually fades away.

Opening your eyes, you find yourself back in the mansion. But this time, you weren’t alone. All of the girls were still there, but their clothes have changed into the ones you saw them wearing in your dreams.

Minji wore the same suit, her hair tied, leaving some out to frame her face. Bora wore a white long sleeve blouse under a checkered blazer with a black bow tie and then a black skirt, her hair let down in waves. Siyeon had on a purple off shoulder and black leggings. Handong wore a seemingly knitted black and white dress, the black being fishnets and Yoohyeon had a laced black dress that reached just above her ankles while Yubin wore a black and red suit with the black being the majority of its color. Lastly, you see Gahyeon wearing a beige colored top with zippers across the chest and a denim skirt designed with various belts across it.

“I guess this isn't exactly the most appropriate time to say welcome home.” Handong tells you and you looked around the large garden, seeing all the greenery and various statues that littered the lawn. “Home?” You echo while looking at the whole house, this being the first time you’ve seen it in the light.

Minji steps forward and lets out a breath. “We all lived here ever since we were children.” She informs you while tucking her hair behind her ear. “We were all dropped off here at such a young age when our parents found out we were different.” She looks at you to find the troubled look once again on your face, knowing that you can’t recall any memory about a family member.

“I was here the longest. I think I was four at the time and then Jiu came a few months after.” Bora muttered when she looked at the large mansion, each girl having a somber look on their faces as you tried to understand why you would all be left at such a place.

“No one looked after us, we were just… left here to fend for ourselves.” Yubin shrugged her shoulders and you could feel the sadness creeping up your chest. “But why? How are we so different?” You question and Yoohyeon purses her lips. “We’re gifted, but everyone else said we were cursed.” She explains and Siyeon sighed while rubbing Gahyeon’s arm. “Some of us... didn’t have a choice. Mine and Gahyeon’s abilities were too risky especially when we had no idea of controlling it. I set things on fire and she freezes whatever she comes in contact with.” There’s a frown on Gahyeon’s usually smiling face and you can’t even imagine being casted out at such a young age.

“People were afraid of us, so they only did what they could do; get rid of the source of their fears." You blink when figures appear before you, each girl looking transparent, young.

You recognize them from the pictures inside the mansion and it doesn't take long to figure out who these children were.

Walking closer, you observe as each one gazes back, outside the gates and then back to the large building. There's reluctance and fear on each of their faces and you feel your heart ache when you see two girls struggling to enter the vicinity.

One of them was most probably older, looking to be around six while the other was no older than three years old. Both girls were crying, but the older one was doing her best to assure the younger girl that they would be okay.

"I never wanted to tell Gahyeon the truth about our parents being afraid of us. She was too young to understand anything, just afraid of the things she could do." Siyeon spoke from next to you, her eyes distant as she stared at the fading figure of her younger self.

Looking back, you see another figure all alone. It was easy for you to tell that this was you. Your younger self looked so… terrified, clothes torn and dirty, almost as though someone had dragged you along the forest floor just to bring you where you were.

You stare at each other for a long while before a hand pulls you back. "We never knew what you were running from." Minji tells you as she watches your past self move to shut the gate and then hurry into the house. "You just ran, asking for help, and passed out. By the time you woke up, we couldn't get you to talk, the only time I realized why you came was when you let me hear your thoughts."

"My thoughts?" You echo, even more confused as she let out a sigh. "Just like us, you have an ability of your own, Y/n." She tells you and Handong nodded her head. "Telepathy. You can hear other people's thoughts and share your own to whoever you allow to hear them." She explains carefully, slowly, for you to properly take in. "Aside from that, you're capable of delving into people's memories, too, though that took you a little while longer to figure out." Bora added with a smile.

You look back at the house and the others nod their head before leading you inside. "Come on."

If you were capable of doing all of this, then why couldn't you recall any of this nor were you able to do anything they had told you? You couldn't telepathically communicate with anyone, but on the other hand, you were able to see Yubin's memory of how you had supposedly helped her and Yoohyeon get together.

Yoohyeon opened the door and allowed everyone inside, you coming in last as you slowly took a step in.

With everything finally lit up, you were able to get a good look inside, marveling at the various paintings and decorations that lined the walls. Everything looked much more beautiful when you could see it and it even felt oddly… nostalgic.

Arriving at the room you quickly recognized from Yubin's memory, the younger girl smiled at you when you looked over at her, nodding before she gestured around. You take in every detail of the rooms, reaching out to gently touch some of the ornaments that were hanging around and the pictures and paintings that lined the walls. 

You were able to identify the girls' faces when they were younger and you find it very odd yet comforting to see your own younger self smiling with them. Pictures of what looked like birthdays or just random everyday occurrences were set everywhere and you can't help smiling as you see one of all of you in, what appeared to be, the garden and having a picnic.

There are voices again when you stare at it, the familiar giggles and shouting as you gently pick up the photo whilst the others watch you from behind.

Gahyeon squeezes Minji's hand when she sees the eldest staring longingly whilst you tried to recall everything they were able to retain.

"I… don't remember any of these. But I can hear…" When you look back, they smile at you and Minji sucks in a deep breath. "Maybe that's your memory kicking in, or ours and your abilities are just subconsciously working." She offers and you nod slowly while setting the photo back in its place.

"Come on, there's a room I think you should see the most." Handong ushers you up the stairs and you obediently follow after her, the others not too far behind.

If she were taking you to the same place you had woken from a few nights ago, then you could only assume which room she was talking about.

"The place is big, but eventually we all settled with the bedrooms on the second floor." Yoohyeon informs you without looking your way. "Mine and Jiu unnie are over here." Siyeon points to the doors on the left side of the left corridor. "And then Sua unnie and Yoohyeon are across ours." She added while pointing to each door.

"Gahyeon's and Dongie's are over here." Bora gestured to the right before pointing to the one's across the two rooms. "And over here are-" 

"Mine and Dami’s?" You finish for her, eyes already set on the door farthest to the right. "Well, it looks like you remembered that from the other night." Handong chuckled before leading you to your previous room, opening the door and letting you step inside.

As soon as you set foot inside the room, it looked nothing like when you first woke there.

The whole place was bright and full of color. Trinkets were placed on the shelves and desk, a few notebooks and doodles sitting on top of it. There were various other things, almost a collection, and Bora grinned before she stepped over to you.

"Mind if I borrowed that watch of yours?"

You look at her and reach for the said item, carefully turning it over before carefully handing it over, almost as though you were reluctant to part from it. "Oh, relax. I'm just going to fix it." The older woman chuckled before she laid the watch on the palm of her hand, letting you watch as the hands suddenly began working and the glass started to slowly mend itself back together.

Your eyes widened in awe as the watch was finally restored to its former glory before the brunette handed it back to you with a giggle. "I know how much you like your gifts." She tells you and you stare at the watch, the thinner hand ticking away and you thank her without even thinking.

"This is mine?" You ask for clarification, unsure if this was another trick, but Yoohyeon nods her head. "It was something we gave you as a birthday present." But Yubin gave her a small nudge before shaking her head and taking over. "Yoohyeon got that for you."

A light blush appeared on her girlfriend's cheeks as she turned her head away while the others laughed at her antics. "You always talked about how pocket watches amaze you, so during one of our outings, she went and found one for you with the help of a few friends."

"We have other friends who don't live here?" You ask confusedly but Siyeon laughs before she points to the silver haired female. "By friends, she means the animals Yoohyeon talks to."

"Animals?" You're even more confused and Yoohyeon rolls her eyes while crossing her arms. "I can communicate and summon animals. It's not that hard to understand." She muttered and your mouth formed a small o while Gahyeon rolled her eyes. "Don't mind her, she's just still a little sensitive."

"Okay, but wait. Everyone has an ability right? Reflections, dimensions, telekinesis, animals, fire, ice-"

"Ice and water." Gahyeon corrects with a cheeky grin and you pause before shaking your head. "Yeah, that." You then look to the eldest. "What's yours?" You ask curiously and the woman smiles as Handong covers her mouth to hide her chuckle.

"It's something like mental manipulation. I can make others feel what I want them to." She says simply and you stare at her for a while before your shoulders slowly lower. "So that time in the bathroom, when I was having a panic attack?"

She nods her head, though with a grimace this time as the others looked worried at the mention of the incident. "As much as I didn't want to use my abilities on you, that was the only thing I thought of to help you calm down. I was afraid you would hurt yourself, so I sort of panicked myself." She explains.

"Don't blame unnie for that one. Anyone in your shoes would have been terrified with the things you've seen and experienced." Yubin cut in and the rest nodded in agreement. "It is kind of amazing how you didn't freak out on the spot when you saw both Dami and Handong." Bora commented.

"Either you didn't want to embarrass yourself or, deep down, there was still some form of familiarity." Yoohyeon stated casually, but looking at her eyes, there was a hidden hope in them as she watched you and you aren't sure how to properly react.

Luckily, something catches your attention when you notice the picture right beside the tall woman. Cautiously, you step closer and she moves aside, both a bit taken aback and surprised by your sudden action. But when she sees what you're looking at, a soft 'oh' passes from her lips.

The sound of a music box rings in your ears before the giggling comes back and soon enough, feathers fill your vision just like the last time. They rain down on you, filling the entire room and you're merely engulfed in warmth.

"Got you!" The sound of Minji's voice rang in your ears before the laughter ensued.

"Yah! That was my face!" Siyeon laughed loudly, followed by the sound of the pillow ripping.

"Unnie, help!" Yoohyeon squealed and you soon saw everything unveil before you.

All eight of you were in this very room, throwing and hitting each other with pillows until they burst and the feathers scattered everywhere.

When you blink, you're in front of the picture again. Eight smiling faces, hands joined together, each radiating their own happiness and it makes you feel so much; it was as though there had been a void in your chest all this time and you didn't know until this very moment.

"That's... me?" Gahyeon nods solemnly as they all look at the picture. "We weren't lying when we told you about our past. We lived and grew in this house, looking out for each other and learning everything that we know."

"But why can't I remember then? Why can't I do anything you've told me or why don't I know a single thing about you before you introduced yourselves to me?"

Yoohyeon grimaces at your question and Minji inhales deeply when their expressions begin to drop.

Whilst the silver haired woman struggled with how to speak, the eldest stepped in for her. "The man you saw in the forest - the one who was chasing you - he was trying to get to all of us."

One of the pictures, you were able to spot your face again along with the seven women in the room with you. Picking it up, you let your thumb run along the side of the cool surface of the glass before a hand landed on your arm.

Looking over, you were mildly surprised to see Yoohyeon’s pensive expression and the girls each had encouraging smiles on their own faces. “Would you mind if we talked… in private? There’s some things I’d like to clear up.” Blinking, you saw as Yubin gave you a smile and Minji nodded her head to you, almost to assure you that it wouldn’t be a problem, before you found yourself nodding to the younger girl.

One by one, the girls exited the room, leaving the two of you alone and Yoohyeon bit her lip nervously as she took a few steps back to gather her thoughts. “I don’t… hate you.” She started and you stare as she fumbles with her fingers.

“Everyone’s been telling me how you think I do and I could see it whenever I refused to talk or interact with you.” She sighs while taking a seat near the desk, picking up one of the few trinkets and running her fingers over it. “I never hated you. I could never, especially when you were the first person to ever look after me.” She mumbled before meeting your curious eyes.

A lump formed in her throat, but she did her best to keep her voice steady. “I did something stupid when we were younger, and it got me in trouble.” She tells you, grimacing as she recalled the events. “I didn’t realize that I was playing around with something stronger than we could handle, especially not at that age and with how we barely had proper control of our abilities.” 

“You all tried to rescue me, but we lacked knowledge. There was too much we didn’t know and our time was limited.” She clenched her hand around the figurine she had picked up. “You went in after me, but…”

Seeing how she was struggling to get her words out, you slowly approached the younger girl, carefully touching her shoulder, comforting her the best you can. When she looks at you, tears have already formed in her eyes. “You didn’t make it.” She choked out as she let the figurine fall back on the desk and fully faced you. “You pushed me out of there before the portal closed and w-we…”

Seeing just how badly she was affected by this, your body moved on instinct as you wrapped your arms around her shoulder, her head resting on your chest as you shushed her when she began to sob. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” She cried against your chest and you held her closer while running your fingers through her hair. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault, you didn’t mean it.”

You took your time comforting Yoohyeon as she finally managed to tell just why she had been acting so hostile towards you. You were able to understand where she was coming from right off the bat and you forgave her in a heartbeat.

By the time she finally calmed down, you slowly pulled away as she wiped her face and you offered her a small smile. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it. If there was anything I could have done to help you, I'm sure I would have done it no matter what the consequences." Yoohyeon nodded at that with a small huff of air. "I know. You were always stubborn like that."

Glad that she was feeling a bit better now that she's gotten the weight off her chest, you offer a smile before she finally stood up. "I have a lot to make up for, to Jiu unnie especially. But I hope we can finally get you out of here."

"Minji?"

As though her name was a means of summoning her, the dark haired woman came back into the room with a small smile on her face, assessing the two of you before she fully stepped in. "I'm making the assumption that you're good?" She asks softly and Yoohyeon quickly wipes her face before nodding her head. "You're going to have a longer talk." She muttered before heading to the door.

Looking back, Yoohyeon's eyes met your own as you watched her leave and you could tell that there was something she wanted to say, but something was holding her back.

Was it the guilt? Or was it her own fears? For now, you wouldn't know as you watch her silently leave the room.

There's a silence that hangs over the air between you and your friend and she shuffles a bit before walking closer to the bed. You watch when she takes a seat and slips a hand under the pillows, only to pull out a letter and another photo.

"This is all crazy, isn't it?" She suddenly asks you and you crack a small grin while shrugging your shoulders. “Nightmares turning out to be reality and finding out my past life contained witchcraft and other supernatural things, I would have checked myself into an asylum.” You joke to ease the tension, and it helps that she cracks a smile and laughs at the attempt.

But Yoohyeon’s words linger in the back of your head before you rub your arms and look at the older girl. “Yoohyeon said after losing me, she had to make it up to you more than anyone.” You murmur, watching as the woman’s shoulders fell. “... What does she mean by that? And why is it that you have to deliver the rest to me?”

Minji pursed her lips together, inhaling deeply before she looked at the photo in her hands again. “I’m not sure if you’re going to believe me this time around.” She chuckles, but it isn’t one of amusement or entertainment. It sounded sadder, like something was anchoring down her emotions before she handed the photo over to you.

Curiously, you accepted it and looked down to see the contents of the photo. You expected another group picture that could possibly jump start your memories, but instead you were shown a picture of just you and the older girl, smiling happily to the camera with her arms wrapped around you, her back against a tall tree somewhere in the garden as you marveled at the little things that Bora most probably had floating around the two of you.

At the back, there was a date written, January 13th and a little heart right next to it.

Looking back, you see the wistful smile on Minji’s face as she holds the note in her hands. “While I do take responsibility over everyone because I’m the eldest, I’ve always been more particular when it came to you.” She says softly that it makes a knot appear in your throat. “You were always such a curious thing. Wondering about the world around you while being a mystery in itself.” She muses as her eyes slowly scan over the contents of the letter, her fingers running over her letter - each word, and remembering the butterflies in her stomach when she was writing it for you.

“I want to be by your side.”

You stare at the picture, the look Minji had as her younger self looked at you made you understand just what she was getting at. And you could understand just why she was so hesitant about telling you.

The woman’s brown eyes shifted to you, seeing how you concentrated on the picture in your hands and her heart both ached and longed to have the same security she had long ago before you were all thrown into this never ending nightmare.

“I didn’t realize it at first because I assumed it was just my protectiveness over all of you, but when the whole thing with Siyeon and Sua saying that you and Yoohyeon were together, it didn’t sit well with me.” She sees as the corner of your lips quirk up and she leans forward, her elbows against her knees when she sees the light flash in your eyes, a smile of her own creeping up her face.

“What are we doing here, unnie?” You ask while looking around the hidden area of the garden and Minji giggles while tugging your hand. “I wanted to show you something.” She says vaguely, confusing you further before she stopped under the tree and pointed upwards.

A gasp escaped your lips when you saw the various cutout butterflies floating around, almost looking as though they were real ones flying around you. One landed on the tip of your nose and Minji cooed as you smiled brightly before gently taking it off you.

“This is so cool! Did you ask Sua unnie to do this?” You asked while looking around in search of the other girl, but Minji just giggled before she took your hand and gave it a squeeze. “Maybe, but there’s something really important I want to ask, and please be honest with me.” She pleads and you blink before nodding cluelessly to her request.

The brunette stared at you for a good second before she nodded her head. “Okay… so, I know that you and Yoohyeon are really close and the girls like to mess with you. But I just want to know, are you really dating her?” Her question caught you by surprise and a bright blush coated your cheeks before you frantically shook your head.

“Of course not! Yoohyeon is like the little sister I never had, I wouldn’t see her as anything else.” You tell her. “Plus, I just helped her and Dami talk about their little crushes, so I don’t think Dami would appreciate it if I did steal Yoohyeon away.” You laughed and Minji felt her shoulders grow less tense and her smile became a bit more relaxed.

“Was that… all?” You ask hesitantly and the older girl watched as you fidgeted in front of her. Always becoming so shy in front of her, she giggles before pecking your forehead. “Well, there was another thing, but I just wanted to clear that one up, first.”

She mentally awws at the way your red cheeks puff up before pulling you into a hug, her light and melodious laughter filling the air, the familiar comforting smell of lavender filling your nose as you bury your face to the crook of her neck and wrap your arms around her waist.

“I just want to keep you close to me, even just for a while.” She whispers and you feel your heart rate double at her words and the way she holds you. “I’m always going to be close to you though.” You respond and she smiles even more while stroking your hair. “I know. But I want to be with you more than anyone else. It worried me when the girls were saying that you liked Yoohyeon because I felt like I was too late to tell you how I felt about you.”

Surprised, you lifted your head, distancing yourself a bit from the older girl as she stared anxiously at your wide eyes. “Unnie, I-” She gives you another dazzling smile and you can only choke out a few words but they were enough to ease her worries and her heart.

“But I like you.”

Minji waits until you’re back from the memory and you blink rapidly before looking up at her. “I-I was… you were…” Seeing as you couldn’t properly formulate any proper sentences, she decided to do so for you.

“We were together, up to when you disappeared.” She nodded in confirmation. “While I wanted to save Yoohyeon just as bad, knowing the risks led to an argument until I eventually caved in because I knew how important she was to you. And if the roles were ever reversed and it was you in there, I think I would have done the same.” She explains while crossing her arms and letting out a breath. “That’s why Yoohyeon feels more guilt towards me than the rest of the girls. You’ve always been my curious little cub and losing you… it’s taken a toll on all of us.”

There’s a ding somewhere in the house and Minji smiles before rising to her feet as a knock comes from the door. “It’s time to head back. We’ve been here too long.” She tells you as Handong opened the door, smiling at you as Minji walked over, slipping the piece of paper she had into your hands.

“You always took care of it. I believe I can still trust that you do.” She smiles before stepping back and then gesturing you out of the room.

[nbrook29]

11 goofy kiss pls<33

4, 7 for Sobbe omg👀💫👀💫 your talent kgnfjfnlfkf ...

Can you do 15 or 20? Or both for sobbe

Sooo this isn't really on the list of prompts but maybe you could write something about Robbe being totally obsessed with Sander's pouty bottom lip - whenever he sees it he has to pounce on it and kisses/bites/touches/pulls on it. Sander is either turned into a wreck or he teasingly indulges Robbe's obsession 

Hi! :)

based on But do you REALLY want the K?

Goofy kiss + Eyelid kiss + Distract kiss + Shut up kiss + Asker’s Choice

In hindsight, Robbe should have seen it coming.

When his school announced that they had received funding to organize free 6-month workshops for their students and local college students after hours, it got his interest right away. Especially when it turned out that the offered courses focused on more niche subjects.

Robbe has always felt some inexplicable fascination with Scandi culture, Norwegian in particular. In fact, ever since he discovered the multiverse theory he’s been half-convinced there must be a Norwegian version of him existing somewhere out there, which would explain this unusual interest of his. 

So when he was scanning the list of available courses and his eyes caught Norwegian 101, his heart beat a little faster and he giddily signed up right away.

And then Sander signed up too, claiming that a) if there’s a Norwegian version of Robbe there must be a Norwegian version of Sander too, thank you very much, so it is his duty to learn a little bit of his alter ego’s language, and b) it’s going to be a perfect opportunity for them to make up for the fact that they didn’t experience being in high school together. He’s always all pouty when he talks about it, mourning all those lost opportunities of them making out against a window sill in biology classroom or having secret meetings in the bathroom during class and demands compensation in the form of extra long makeout sessions in Robbe’s bed. 

Robbe doesn’t exactly mind, neither the joint classes nor kissing the pout away, which always effectively shuts him up. Quite the contrary actually. Ever since Sander texted him a screenshot of the participants list with DRIESEN SANDER under D, he’s been all hyped up at the prospect of the two of them studying together. 

His friends don’t exactly understand why he’s willing to spend his free time in their school building but at least Yasmina shows interest in the workshops as well, signing up for a few, Norwegian included.

He and Sander are the first ones to arrive to the Monday session, and when Sander notices that the classroom is still empty he wiggles his eyebrows grinning at Robbe cheekily, spins him around in a swift move and pins him to the window sill, his hands going around his thighs to make him sit down on it. 

“Is this everything you dreamed about and more?” Robbe chuckles at the delighted look on Sander’s face, legs snaking around his waist to hold him tighter.

“Yes, I got you right where I want you,” he replies smugly and doesn’t wait another second before pressing a tiny kiss to his lips, then another one, and another, until Robbe makes a soft noise of protest making Sander finally give in and kiss him properly, dipping his tongue past his lips in no time. Robbe lets one of his hands slip down, making his path down his back over the black denim jacket, stopping barely above Sander’s belt, and then without second-guessing himself goes down even lower to give his butt a firm squeeze, because it’s just so... deliciously squeezable.

They only break apart when they hear someone clearing their throat and when Robbe catches the sight of Yasmina regarding them with amusement, he quickly disentangles himself from Sander, wiping at his mouth with poorly hidden embarrassment. Sander is unfazed, as always, turning around with a swagger and shooting Yasmina one of his most charming smiles. She’s not a sucker for it though, contrary to Robbe, so she just fondly rolls her eyes shaking her head at their antics.

The classroom starts to fill in quickly after and before they realize the only empty seats left are placed in the back. Only Yasmina manages to snatch herself one closer to the front. Sander graciously allows Robbe to take the only unoccupied spot in the sixth row and he himself marches over to row eight.

The first hour and a half flies by and Robbe is having more fun than he anticipated. The teacher, Vilde, is young, she’s quirky in that positive way and her approach to the subject differs from what Robbe is used to during his regular classes. 

He takes notes diligently and tries to participate as much as possible but he struggles with pronunciation when asked for reading a few words out loud. When Vilde asks Sander to read them, he does it with flying colors, the jerk, and the girl is so impressed that she calls him a natural, praising his perfect pronunciation of “engelsk” and “kjole” while smiling a bit too much and too wide at him. In Robbe’s humble opinion. 

Once she goes back to writing on the board, he turns around to see Sander giving him a shit-eating grin so he does the only right thing in this situation and sticks his tongue out at him.

They are two hours in when Robbe gets hit in the ear with a small paper ball which then lands perfectly in the middle of his notebook. He throws a glance at the obvious suspect but Sander seems to be deep into copying the grammar rules from the board to his MacBook. 

His elegant handwriting gives him away though.

Du er digg 🖤

Vilde mentioned that last word just five minutes ago, more as a fun fact than anything else but of course Sander caught and remembered it.

He’s fighting against the beaming smile that threatens to take over his face because he doesn’t want to look like a lunatic to everybody around. Sander isn’t bothered by things like that though so when Robbe looks at him again he’s resting his chin on his hand, staring at him unabashedly with a grin of his own as he notices the flush on Robbe’s cheeks.  

He tells him as quietly as he can to quit distracting him to which Sander raises his arms in surrender and with a feigned-serious expression busies himself with the given exercise. If Robbe then tucks the note into the back of his notebook no one needs to know.

Not even a full five minutes pass when another paper ball lands on his desk. Robbe heaves a long-suffering sigh and raises his eyes to the heavens because yes, now he has to deal with a rebel of a boyfriend.

When he straightens out the note, he snorts.

Do you like me? 

Circle YES or NO

🖤

Seems like Sander is having lots of fun acting out this high school romance fantasy. 

He decides to indulge him and reaches for a red ink pen to circle YES. Then, he adds a bunch of crooked hearts (because he’s not the artist in this relationship) on a whim. Once he makes sure Vilde isn’t looking in their direction, he throws the note back to Sander, but not without catching the disapproving look from Yasmina who rolls her eyes so hard Robbe is surprised they aren’t stuck. He just shrugs at her without remorse. 

Sander opens the paper ball as delighted as a child opening their Christmas gift and when he sees the answer he pretends to swoon in his chair, blowing him a long kiss from above his notes.

“Sander, I think you should be paying attention.” Vilde’s reproach pulls Robbe from gazing at his boyfriend like a love-struck puppy and he immediately shoots him a cheeky grin because it’s just really satisfying to watch him being scolded by a teacher.  

“Yes, yes, you’re right,” Sander clears his throat as he straightens on his chair before he glances at his laptop and adds with a smirk, “Or, rather, Du har rett, Vilde.”

Then he winks at her and his confident demeanor clearly succeeds to appease her because she starts to wax lyrical about his oh so amazing pronunciation again.

Ugh. What a show off.

Though, Robbe has to admit that it sounds kinda hot when he speaks Norwegian but it’s not like he’s going to go and tell him that. Instead, he reaches for his phone to shoot him a quick text.

R: You’re such a teacher’s pet oh my god

R: Also stop flirting with her, she’s seconds away from swooning 

S: Are we jealous?

R: Yes, very, I’m worried you’re gonna run away to norway with her and have viking children together 🤭

S: 😘

There is no bell signaling the end of the class but at 17:15 Vilde thanks them for today’s lesson and everybody starts to pack and gradually leave. Robbe is shoving his stuff into his backpack when he feels fingers in his hair pulling his head back without real force to angle it better. Then, Sander places a big loud smooch on his lips making him giggle and swipe at him lightly.

“You’re such a dork.”

He reaches to put the strands hanging over his forehead back in their place, scratching at his scalp a little and when Sander leans into the touch, closing his eyes with a pleased purr, he stands on his tiptoes and presses a tiny kiss to his left eyelid, which earns him one of Sander’s sweetest smiles. 

Once his bag is packed, they leave the classroom with their index fingers entwined, swaying their hands a little as they walk. “So, did you like that class?” 

Sander nods. “Yeah, it was cool. You?”

“You know, I thought those three hours are gonna be a bitch but it was actually pretty fucking nice.”

Sander pushes his tongue in his cheek, wiggling his eyebrows at him. “And did you like my notes?”

Robbe pretends to scrunch up his face, trying not to laugh at Sander’s offended huff. “Hey! Well, okay then, if you’re like that I’m not gonna send you any next time.”

He juts out his bottom lip and honestly, it’s Robbe’s kryptonite, and he’s long made peace with a fact that he’s weirdly obsessed with it; it’s just so plush and enticing and he has spent hours upon hours kissing and biting it, the fact that it made Sander go weak in the knees for him an additional bonus.

So Robbe uses it against him to distract him from pouting, and this time it’s him who pushes Sander against the wall close to the school exit. He pulls their bodies together, delighted at the surprised hitch in Sander’s breath when he sticks out his tongue to drag it along his bottom lip, pulling it with his teeth to nip it a little, to then soothe the sting with his tongue again. He can feel his ministrations are starting to work and with each second Sander is turning into a pile of goo in his arms. 

A voice in the back of his head tells him the school corridor is probably not the best place for this so he eventually pulls back and drags him away from the wall to the school yard. Sander follows him but not without half-hearted protests that stop only when Robbe kisses him hard to shut him up in the middle of the school yard.

“Come on, there’s a bed in my room with our names on it and my mom works until 20 tonight.”

“Is there a shower with our names on it too?”

“If you’re good,” Robbe pretends to think about it, “then I guess that can be arranged.”

[venusinmyrrh]

@shimmerge​ asked:

What are some ways you chose to honor or work with Jupiter if you do? I'm limited in my ability to do rituals and wanted to try to do smth for this Thursday since Jupiter is in my sign that day

Doing work on Thursday is a great idea, since that’s Jupiter’s day! Jupiter is the planet of expansion, prosperity, and abundance - many people think of Venus as the money planet, but Jupiter is actually the most ideal for bringing in a steady flow of ever-increasing cash. And while Mercury may be the perfect road-opener to create new opportunities, Jupiter is the one that will make sure those opportunities keep paying off.

Some basic stuff: Jupiter’s color is blue, its traditional number is 4, and its glyph looks like this. Some herbs associated with Jupiter that might be easy to find depending on where you live are dandelion, honeysuckle, and sage. Jupiterian stones are anything blue (especially sugilite and sapphire) so even if you have glass beads or fake stones, as long as they’re blue, go for it! No need for fancy rocks that cost a fortune or take up space.

Things to Do (under the cut)

Wear blue: Jupiter is known for his kingship, and what better way to honor the king than to wear his colors? If you don’t have any blue clothes, then blue nail polish, blue jewelry, or even blue lipstick can be a great way to carry his power around with you all day. For maximum effect, combine it with gold for wealth, green for money, or orange for opportunity (associated with Mercury!)

Light a blue or white candle: This is a pretty easy one as well, if you have access to both candles and fire. Carve something into it, rub it down with oil, roll it in herbs, whatever you like - or just sit gazing into the flames, the way humans have done for hundreds of thousands of years. (We are all part of something bigger than ourselves.)

Meditate: This would be a great thing to do while your candle is lit, especially if you don’t want to leave it unattended (which you should never do anyway unless it’s in a jar AND you’ve taken extra precautions!) Sit quietly somewhere you won’t be disturbed and visualize yourself having everything you want as if you already have it. What is your life like? What do you do each day? How does it make you feel? Now backtrack: visualize how you got there. See how one thing led to another which led to another, taking you all the way from where you are now to where you want to be. Feel proud of yourself! Allow yourself to be sure that things will happen just this way.

Draw a sigil: My sigil formula is symbol that reminds me what I’m trying to achieve + symbol of a thing that can help me achieve it. Trying to get more money? Doodle the glyph for Jupiter combined with a dollar sign until you come up with a design that looks nice, and there you are. Draw it in a notebook, tear it out, and hang it up. Carve it into a candle with a penknife or a paper clip. Draw it in black sharpie on something that is also black. Paint it with water on a window or a door. Draw it on an index card to put in your wallet (very appropriate for Jupiter!) Don’t like designing? Just use the symbol linked above - the important thing is that you’re making a mark with intention.

Write a petition: Write down what you want in the present tense, as if you already have it. “I am wealthy, with no financial worries for the future. I have more than enough money to buy clothes and go to restaurants. I fly first class when I travel, which I do often.” Get into detail! Be descriptive and passionate. Many people become so overwhelmed with emotion at this part that they start to cry, and that’s a good thing. When you’re finished, take the paper and burn it, bury it, throw it into running water, tear it up and throw it off a cliff, whatever. Just put it out into the universe and out of your mind, so it can do its work.

Make a vision board: Jupiter is a big, big thinker, so make something that depicts your long-term goals and your wildest dreams. It’s best to do this with your hands, as in a physical collage, but pinterest boards and tumblr aesthetics work too! The important thing is that you don’t limit yourself in your vision. Your goals are more realistic than you think.

Make big plans: You know that thing you’ve always said you were going to do? Commit to it now! Buy the guitar you’ve always been meaning to learn to play, make that big painting you’ve been thinking of for a while now, or call up your old college friend and tell them you’re planning on visiting next year. The first step is often the biggest and hardest one to take, so once that’s out of the way, the rest of the details will become a lot easier to sort out.

Do something generous: True kingship is stewardship. If there is something you have an abundance of, whether it’s time, knowledge, patience, or skill, consider giving some to a person who could use it, just to help them out. When we are generous with the world around us, we express our trust that the world will be generous with us in return.

Cook with butter or eat something deliciously fatty: Be generous with yourself too! Jupiter is not stingy with the good stuff, so don’t hold out in the name of discipline. Some great foods to incorporate would be fruit, cheese, nuts, meats, bread, pie, cake, or champagne. The king doesn’t need a reason to throw a feast, and neither do you!

For more information, check out:

Betwixt the Shadows on Youtube, run by my boss at the occult shop and the head tarot reader who is also an accomplished astrologer. They take questions every week!

@salvatore_modern_witch, my boss’s instagram, where he posts lecture videos based in his forty years of experience in planetary and ceremonial magic. (It is not very fancy, because he is an old man, but it is super informative!)

Sphere and Sundry, which combines the most potent planetary magical materia with the most incredibly comprehensive product descriptions I have ever seen. Even if you don’t feel like shopping, their website is worth ransacking for the information alone.

Austin Coppock’s online almanac and just in general everything that @adapembroke has going on.

Go forth and be merry in your power!

[thewildomega]

Second Chance Ch.12

Looking up at the giant ship with the blue whale as the figure head you tilted your own head. Ed had told you that his own main ship had been sunken during the war so you guessed this was one of his other ones. Seeing how big this one was made you wonder how large the actual Moby Dick had been. It seemed to be made up of mid-colored wood with the white and navy blue trim. The many sails were up since it was docked but the Whitebeard flag flew proudly at the top of the mast. Seeing all the ropes and stuff you could only imagine how many people it took to run a ship like this even more so with the paddlewheels on the back. Swinging your feet you looked back down to the drawing you had made of the ship. Humming along to the music as you added in details and such.

"Of course, why would she sit where it was safe..." he grumbled to himself as he finally caught sight of the woman who held his heart. Looking out to where she sat on he sighed. Somehow or another she had managed to get herself out onto one of the larger rocks in the sea that was the closest to the whaleship. She was just sitting there, her feet swinging idly and doing something that he couldn't really make out. "Y/n!" he called but she wouldn't look his way. Trying twice more she still didn't hear him. He wondered if the waves crashing against the rocks were the cause of it. Sighing out he started to jump across the rocks towards her. Finally getting to the one she was on he moved to stand right behind her, looking down to see she had her headphones in. 'Well that explained her not hearing him.' Seeing something in her lap he leaned forward some and peeked over her shoulder.

A sudden shadow coming over you made you knit your brows and look up to the sky, was it clouding up? Seeing a face you let out a yelp and lost hold of your book. Panicking when you thought it would fall into the water you saw a large hand come out to grab it just in time and sighed. Snatching your headphones from your ears you turned around to give him a small glare. "Stop sneaking up on me." you scowlded, smacking one of his large legs that was beside you.

Huffing out in amusement he smirked and looked down at her, noticing that when she was sitting she only came up to his knee. "You're the one that makes it so easy darling." When she stuck her tongue out at him in reply he chuckled and lifted her notebook. "What were you doing out here anyway?

Seeing him go to look through your notebook you quickly stood and moved to take it from him. "Just doodling and stuff."

Holding it out of her reach when he saw the slight blush on her cheeks he grinned. "Doodling what lass?"

"Just little things, now give it back." you grunted. Wrapping your arms around his large biceps you attempted to haul yourself up or pull his arm down but neither happened as he just held you in the air like you weighed nothing more than a bag of flour.

"I want to see what some of the other dreams are on your list." he smiled.

"No." Jumping up to try and grab it he only held it above his head, even further out of your reach.

Humming he rose one of his brows, "Why not?"

"B..because there mostly stupid things... most of them are places back in my world I wanted to see."

"A person's dreams are never stupid. Most may be places but not all so I'm still curious." Seeing her go to try and grab it again he moved out of the way and jumped to the next rock then the next and back towards shore.

"Edward Newgate! You give me back my notebook right now or so help me I will kick your old ass!" you yelled as you picked up your phone and headphones, jumping after him at a slower pace than he was going. Hearing his loud laugh you narrowed your eyes and growled. By the time you got back to shore he was gone and you were trying to figure out which way he went. "So much for acting your age." you grumbled. Feeling a pull in your chest you decided to follow it and ran as fast as you could.

He had been running for a short time before he slowed down into a walk, moving towards the small patch of trees and shrubs to hide behind. Sitting down in the grass he opened the small notebook up to the first page to see a quote,

A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. Sail out to sea and do new things. ~Grace Hopper

Smiling at that he flipped through the first couple dozen pages to see small things written out, lists of things she needed to do with some things crossed off, recipes, dates to remember, a list of books. Opening the book to the next page he felt this one heavier than the other and opened it to see a small picture taped sideways to the page. Turning the book so he could see it better he saw it was a picture of a man and woman with five small children sitting all around them. Knitting his brows he looked to the couple and noticed they looked a lot like y/n. The picture looked a little old and he noticed it had a few blotches here and there. Looking back to the family he frowned, were they her parents? She said she didn't know where they were, that she hadn't ever met them, had she lied to him? Feeling the next page heavy as well he turned it and saw a pressed daffodil, written at the bottom was 'Ed'. She had wanted to remember the flowers he had given her. A few more little things went on for a while again until he came to a sketch. A sketch of the whaleship. She had done a pretty good job of drawing the ship out, she had even drew his flag beneath it. Still hung up on the fact that she may had lied to him he only felt his lip lift up a little. Going to the next section in the back of the book he found what he had been looking for.

Bucket List

Meet my parents. (Almost illegible)

Climb a mountain.

Fly in a plane.

Ride on a ship.

Canno the Smith River.

Make a friend.

See a shooting star.

Visit the Grand Canyon.

See the Niagara falls.

See the ocean.

Jump off a waterfall.

Take an art class.

Read The Great Gatsby.

Watch Dances with Wolves without falling asleep.

Go on a date.

Find a four leaf clover.

Touch a cloud.

See a shark/dolphin.

Get my first kiss.

WHAT?! She has never been kissed?! They had almost... last week. Wait, if she has never even been kissed has she never... Swallowing hard he rubbed his face. He would have to come back to that.

Mean something to someone.

That made him frown, his brows furrowing down and his heart ache.

Be apart of a family.

Sighing he dropped his head. He knew what that felt like, knew what it was like to have no one. Going to lift his head up to read again he was knocked to the ground suddenly, letting out a small 'ooff' on the way.

"Ha! Got you!" you hummed. Grabbing hold of your notebook you went to pull it from his hand, "I'll take that thank you..." When he still didn't let go you groaned but didn't get time to protest anymore before a large arm wrapped around you and pulled you to the ground beside him. "Eddddd." you whined. Trying to wiggle out of his hold to no avail you looked to see his face serious.

Laying beside her he held her still as he flipped to the page with the picture on it. He had to know, had to know if she had lied to him. "Who is this?" He asked in a firm voice. Seeing her face fall and her eyes quickly look away from the picture he frowned. "Are they your parents?"

"Yes." you whispered.

"You told me you had never met them." he said confused. He didn't want to seem angry at her but he also didn't like the idea of that she had lied to him either.

Hearing how deep his voice was you knit your brows, "I.. I haven't."

"Then how did you get their picture?" Seeing her frame curl inward some he took a deep breath, he would get nothing out of her if he didn't calm down. "I don't mean to sound angry lass I just... I don't understand."

Glancing back to the picture you felt a lump in your throat grow but quickly swallowed it down. "I looked them up..." when he knit his brows you licked your lips. "Remember that thing I was using, my laptop. I told you about the internet and how it had all this information on it." Seeing him nod you looked to him, "Well a few years ago I got up the courage to look up my parents. I didn't know anything but their names but after a while I managed to track them down. I don't know where they are exactly, just a general location. Anyways I saw that picture there and I got so happy, they were still together and I had brothers and sisters. I sent them a message telling them who I was and how I wanted to meet them, I told them how long I had been hoping to find them." Stopping to get ahold of your emotions you looked away from him, "It took a few days and I remember losing hope but then when I got home one night I had a message from them, my mother." taking a deep breath you looked down to his blond hair that was laying across his arm and onto yours some. "She told me that she was sorry but they had moved on from that time in their lives. They had started a new life with their children and they didn't want me to intrude on that. They apparently hadn't told any of my siblings about me and never wanted them to know. She said that if I really cared about them I would be happy for them and respect their wishes, that I would never try to contact them or anyone else in that family again." Feeling your lip try to tremble you bit down on it. "I printed out their picture because... well I don't really know why..." you huffed sadly. "I guess because even if they could forget me, that that didn't mean I could forget them."

He felt like such an asshole. She hadn't lied to him, she had never lied to him. She just didn't want to be reminded of more pain. His own parents had died, he hadn't been orphaned by choice, she had. He couldn't imagine ever doing that to a child. To make them feel what his lass felt, unwanted, even by her parents. The thought alone angered him and he wished he was back in her world just so he could hunt down all of the people that had ever hurt his darling.

Sniffling you took a deep breath and grabbed the book from him, closing it. Looking up into his warm yellow eyes you slowly felt your pain go away and a sense of ease come over you. Wanting to break this sad moment you grinned a little and stood, feeling his arm loosen to allow it this time. Stepping over him you looked down his wide, toned back and hummed, swinging your foot you turned it and kicked him square in his no doubt muscled ass.

Feeling her kick him, not hard enough to actually hurt but hard enough that he could feel it he felt his eyes go wide and snapped his eyes up to her. "Wha.."

"I told you I was going to kick your old ass." you huffed, crossing your arms over your chest.

"You sure you want to challenge Whitebeard darling?"

"Won't be much of a challenge with you loosing and all..." When the great Capitan only narrowed his eyes, a playful but dangerous look coming over his face you smiled and quickly ran for it. Only getting a few meters away before a light tremor shook the ground and put you off balance. Going to fall you were swept up and tossed over the massive man's shoulder like a bag of rice.

"What was that about me loosing?" He asked with a smirk.

"I was talking about swimming." you giggled but only heard him hum before laughing.

.........................

"What are you looking at hun?" Zella asked her husband who was looking down towards the valley with a soft smile on his face.

Chuckling lightly the phoenix smiled, "Nothing." Turning away from the playing man and woman by the trees, giving his pops some privacy.

............................................

Waking up suddenly he snapped his eyes open and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom. Something felt off, knowing that usually that feeling meant something involving his soulmate he got up from bed and quietly walked from the room. Seeing the bathroom door open he knew she wasn't in there. Making his way across the living room he looked down to the couch and found it empty. Quickly looking to the kitchen and dining room he saw them both empty as well and felt his brows lower. Snapping his eyes to the door he saw it unlocked, she had left the house. With a deep breath he made his way out to find her, letting his heart guide him to her.

Having woke up covered in a cold sweat and panting for air you shakingly stood from where you were sleeping and hurried outside. You didn't exactly know where you were going you just knew you had to walk, had to get away to clear your mind. Before long you had made your way down to the beach and sank down to sit in the cool sand. Pulling your knees up to your chest and hugging them you rested your chin on them and closed your eyes. Taking a deep breath you let it out in a long sigh. Thinking back to your dream you swallowed hard.

Sitting on the cold wooden floor in the middle of the dark room you breathed heavily and looked around, "Hello? Is anyone there?" No one answered at first and you licked your lips. Looking down you saw you wearing old threadbare clothes like the ones you wore when you were living on the streets for those two years. Moving to push yourself up to stand you were suddenly struck across the left cheek and fell back to the floor, your hand flying up to your burning face.

"Despicable girl."

Snapping your eyes up to the familiar female voice you saw your grandmother standing there in her usual red dress, a deep scowl on her wrinkled face. Shaking your head a little you turned to move away from her when you were stuck again, this time the hand a little larger, rougher.

"Worthless."

Your grandfather, a look of distaste in his eyes as he looked down his nose at you.

"You should have never been born." your grandmother snapped.

"No one wants her, she's so ugly."

Seeing your great aunt had joined them you swallowed hard.

"What a waste of life." Your cousin spoke.

"Stupid."

"Loser."

"...going to grow up to be a common harlot, just like her mother."

"Unsightly."

"Useless."

One by one more people crowded around you, striking you and calling out insults. Everytime you tried to get up you were hit back down to the floor until soon you could do nothing but curl up into a ball, your hands over your ears and your eyes shut tight as you tried to drown out what they were saying. When their voices got louder you felt tears fill your eyes and you started to scream.

"They're right you know."

Gasping you heard all of the other voices stop and opened your eyes to see them all gone. Turning your head you looked around the dark room until you saw him. Watching as he crouched down in front of you you stared up into those yellow eyes. Something wasn't right, why did they look so cold? Swallowing hard you parted your lips to speak, "E..ed..."

"They're right."

Furrowing your brows you licked your dry, cracked lips and started to shake your head. Before you could speak he started laughing.

"Did you really think I would ever want you?"

That wasn't his normal laugh, wasn't the one you had heard so many times before, the one that made your heartbeat a little harder in your chest. Feeling tears well up in your eyes you blinked and felt them roll down your burning cheeks.

"You're so pathetic. No one wants you, you don't mean anything to anyone, especially me." he huffed.

Feeling the lump in your throat burn you let out a little sob.

"Why would I want someone as ugly as you by my side?"

"P..plea..sssse ssstop..." you cried. Feeling him curl his finger under your chin and lift your eyes to his you looked up at him through your tears.

"I will never love you."

It felt like someone had stuck a knife straight through your heart. Feeling his finger slip from you, you dropped your head to the wooden floor and curled up as tight as possible as sobs wracked your body. You heard his deep chuckle and then the sound of his boots walking away before you were left alone in the cold darkness.

Feeling something wet land on your cheek you opened your heavy eyes and stared out at the sea, the moon reflecting off of the dark surface. Curling up tighter if possible you sniffled, another tear rolling down. It felt so real, all of it. The clenching in your heart as well. As much as you hated it you couldn't help but wonder if this was a warning of some kind. There was no doubt in your mind that you were falling for Edward, never in your life had you felt this connection with anyone, this longing, this happiness. But what if it was all too good to be true? What if he didn't feel the same? Would he grow tired of you soon as well? Would he throw you away like everyone else had? Then you would be alone again. You didn't want to be alone anymore. You didn't want to hurt anymore.

Looking out to the moonlit shore he saw her and started walking forward. What the hell was she doing out here? It was the middle of the night and she was in nothing but his damn shirt. Getting closer he went to call out for her but stopped when he saw the shining tears rolling down her cheeks. He had only seen her cry that once, when he had stopped that man from raping her. Just the sight alone made his heart ache. She looked so fragile to him in that moment with her body curled up as tight as she could, clad only in his button up shirt that was too big on her. Her hair was blowing wildly around her with tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn't look hurt to him, not physically but she was hurting that much was clear. Slowly walking over to her he saw her glossy eyes stay on the dark sea before snapping to him once he got close enough.

"E..ed..." your voice was nothing more than a broken whisper. Quickly remembering that you were crying you looked away when you saw him looking down at you with concern clear on his face. Wiping at your cheeks and eyes you mentally started cursing yourself for no doubt looking so incredibly pathetic. Here you were crying on the beach in the middle of the night, STUPID!

Not saying anything at first he crouched down beside her, placing his hand on her back. Hearing her start apologizing for waking him and telling him to go back to his home in a soft, saddened voice he furrowed his brows. When she still refused to look at him he tilted his head. "Lass, look at me."

His voice sounded so deep and low, you knew he wasn't asking. That was the voice of a captain giving an order, just maybe a little softer that he would have been with his crew. Screwing your eyes shut you tried to force away your previous emotions, not wanting to look weak.

"Y/n."

Swallowing hard at the way he said your name you slowly moved your eyes out from where you had hid them in your knees to look up at the giant of a man. You thought he might be angry, that he might be annoyed but that wasn't the case. Those weren't the cold eyes from your dream, those were warm and kind and caring. Just one look made you feel so much, his touch, his smell, his... everything. Never before had you felt so alive than you did when you were with him. How could one man, one person cause so many feelings inside of you? He made you want to smile, want to laugh and cry and... love. You loved him. YOU LOVED HIM! It was like someone had hit you with a ton of bricks and all too soon you were crying again. No, no you couldn't love him because if you loved him there was no going back. If you loved him and he didn't love you then it would break you. If you loved him and he tossed you away then it would kill you. Oh God it hurt, just the thought alone hurt, it hurt so bad.

Seeing her start crying again, her body curling up and her fingers dig into her arm he felt his heart throb. "What's wrong? Y/n, darling tell me what's wrong." he spoke in a deep voice, kneeling down to place both of his hands on her, trying to comfort her.

His touch was like a warm blanket and his voice a light shining at you from the darkness. "I'mmm afffraid." you cried without looking up at him. There were so many emotions hitting you all at once. Shame, embarrassment, fear, uncertainty, sure, delightled, doubtful...love."

Afraid. First thing that popped in his head was him, was she afraid of him? Many people were. He was sure he had never given her reason to be though, he was careful around her. "Of what, afraid of what?" She didn't answer him for sometime and he feared it was him but then she spoke one quiet word that made it all clear.

"Feeling."

He knew her past, knew what she had been through. The past was hard, it was for most and some never recovered from things that happened to them. It could make people bitter, angry and afraid. His lass had been hurt time and time again. She had been tossed aside, given away and never given the chance to develop any real relationships in her life. Everyone she had ever trusted had hurt her and so she had shut herself off. She didn't have any friends, didn't try and make friends because she was scared of being hurt again. Now though he assumed she was feeling the same thing as him and that scared her. Taking a deep breath he gently lifted her up into his arms, feeling her not even fight him. Holding her close he dipped his head down and closed his eyes, "I know you've been hurt before and this scares you but Y/n you have my word that I will never make you feel what they did. I will never leave you. I will never hurt you." he promised her in a low, deep voice.

You wanted to believe him, you really, really did but you were still afraid. Still unsure. People had made you promises before and never kept them, were his just empty words as well. Would he grow tired of you or change his mind?

Feeling her body remain tense he turned his face to her head, touching his lips and chin to her forehead. Letting out a sigh he stroked her thigh with his thumb. "There's nothing wrong with being afraid lass. Just means I'm going to have to work on making those fears go away. I'm going to spend the the rest of my days proving to you how wonderful you truly are."

"Wwwhy? Why would you... why do you c...care?" you asked in a broken cry.

Smiling he breathed in the scent of her hair, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close. "Because lass, I love you."

Gasping you opened your eyes, looking at the skin over his hard chest, feeling his heart thumping in your ear. A tear rolled down your cheek at his confession, the words you never thought you would hear anyone say to you. "Yo....uuu...mmmee?"

"Need me to say it again darling? I'll tell you everyday." he grinned. "I love you."

Fresh tears poured form your eyes but these were not from the sadness or loneliness you were so accustomed to crying about, no for the first time in your life, these were tears of pure joy.

He hadn't been expecting her arms to wrap around his neck, nor her face to nuzzle into his neck as she cried but he wouldn't complain.  Wrapping his own arms around her he hugged her as tight as he could without crushing her.

Swallowing thickly you felt a burst of courage come over you and smiled, you couldn't exactly leave him hanging."I love you."

Smiling from ear to ear he turned his face to press a kiss to her head. "You really do know how to make this old man feel young again lass." he chuckled and heard her hum softly.  When she nuzzled into his neck more, her arms still latched onto him with no signs of letting go he grinned and stood, holding her to him with one arm under her ass and the other over her back. Walking back to his home he carried her inside and locked the door. Passing by the couch he felt her head perk up some and grinned but said nothing as he walked back to his room... their room.

"Ed..."

"No more sleeping on the damn couch." he told her in a firm voice, moving into the dark room and over to the bed. Laying her down on the side closest to the wall he got in beside her and pulled the covers over the both of them. He could tell she was a little apprehensive so he got comfortable on his side, facing her, gently pushing her down to lay beside him. "Go ta sleep darling." he told her in a gentle voice.

With his arm wrapped around you, holding you to his chest you slowly relaxed, letting out a sigh. Closing your eyes you listened to the sound of his beating heart, felt the warmth of his body seep into yours.

Listening as her breathing turned deep, her body going limp against him he grinned softly. Placing a gentle kiss to her temple he felt her face nuzzle into his chest. "Goodnight my darlin'."

[planetjisungie]

lucky charms- h.rj

characters; ravenclaw! renjun x hufflepuff! reader ft. gryffindor! mark and gryffindor! jeno (sigh)

summary; with the exams coming up, you need a little help with your charms. well you dont, you just needed an excuse to talk to your long time crush, huang renjun

an; i literally changed this on the spot 🤡 plot holes here i come- (also id like to think jeno is more of a hufflepuff but idk man)

sigh okay this is a long boi

end of year exams were in just a few weeks

yay, your absolute favourite !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sarcasm

now, charms

in room 99, classroom 2E in the south tower

i did my research

you were pretty good at charms, not nearly as good as you were in the care of magical creatures and herbology though

still above averagely good

you know who else was good at charms?

huang renjun

the star ravenclaw prince boy, the pride of the house and a very beautiful boy

best boi renjun

if jeno was being quite honest he was SICK AND TIRED of hearing you two pine over eachother

jeno met you in first year, and you quickly became best friends and even ended up in the same house as eachother

despite having different friend groups (your friend group consisted of you and eunji), you stayed best friends until now aka 5th year

just go with it okay

so as he was saying before i digressed, jeno physically is pained as he watched the longing glances both you and renjun throw when the other isnt looking

but it isnt his business to meddle with your lack of relationship problems

best boi part 2

BUT! but! he will give you both a tiny! eensy! little! minuscule! nudge

that nudge being forming a plan with you

you were slightly reluctant when jenos very enthusiastic face greeted you at the table saying he had ‘a totally brilliant, spectacular, show stopping, wonderful, flawless plan’

this was jeno we were talking about

the same boy who planned the failed midnight snack run a few weeks before

and as soon as he mentioned renjun your eyes narrowed

"proceed."

the plan was for jeno to ask renjun to tutor his friend who was falling behind in charms

said friend was you

and you were ahead of the class

bUT!! you agreed because he wasnt in your class, so there was no way he could know that right?

wrong.

who was in your class?

mark lee. one of renjuns best friends.

also the boyfriend of eunji and the reason you wanted to gauge your eyeballs out everytime you turned around to talk to them

thats right eunji ditched you to sit next to her little markie. bitch.

nonetheless, you agreed because your dumb, spontaneous ass forgot that renjun even knew mark, because if someone said ‘whos mark?’ you would go ‘eunjis boyfriend’

so of course, when all the students were making their way to their class, jeno caught up with renjun seeing as they both had muggle studdies

"hey man, i have a favour to ask"

stage one of operation: stop the oblivious fuckers from pining over eachother (that name may need some revamping) was a-go

"depends what said favour is"

smart boi™️

"is it possible to tutor one of my friends in charms for the upcoming OWLs?"

oh? this piqued china pretty boys interest

"i mean, sure, i could do with some revision too. tell them to meet me at the library after school"

and so jeno walked away with a smug smirk, victorious

and when jeno told you he had agreed later in potions, you were yet you werent surprised

so of you trotted after last period, kinda nervous because youre about to be in the literal breathing proximity of renjun

like obviously youve talked to him before but this time it was just you and him

alone

no get those thoughts out of your head

n e ways u perv

renjun sat at the back table, textbooks and notebooks with his neat writing in both chinese and korean all over the pages

smart boi part 2

so seeing him not looking at you

attention whore

wow why am i so mean today

you sat down and cleared your throat, placing your blank notebooks on the table so the boy wouldnt get suspicious

you had to pray to whatever gods were listening for your cheeks not to flare up the colour of the strawberries you had for breakfast

healthy girl™️

and the gods apparently answered your prayers

because as soon as renjun looked up and into your eyes you swore you were too distracted for your blood cells to even think about moving towards your face

and renjun nearly had a heart attack (by aoa)

poor boy

jeno had NOT told him that he would be tutoring you

he was going to be choked later

"sorry im late"

renjun was nearly offended that you would even apologise to him for being late by

2 minutes and 48 seconds

"no no its okay i havent been here long"

that was a lie he had study period last and has been sat in the same goddamn chair for an hour already but your presence made his ass cheeks ache less

so he started teaching you, but ???

you seemed to fully grasp the concepts

confused boi

excuse me ma’am/sir/señor/señorita whatever you prefer to go by-

you need to brush up on your acting skills dude

appalling smh your drama teacher back from your muggle school would be completely distraught

so for the next hour renjun ‘tutored’ you

things you already knew but this was a dream-

and actually he was a funny guy

he was also muggle born, so you could both relate over things you experienced as a kid

this lead to a raging debate over dora the explorer

that bitch was shaded in said debate, fully annihilated

hola soy dora your asshole

but,, it was fun. because jeno was pureblood and grew up knowing about all his magicky stuff so he was kinda boring sometimes

no tea no shade

but you ended the session with smiles on both your faces, cheeks literally aching with how hard youd been laughing and smiling

so lads

the next day at breakfast renjun was all happy, plonking himself next to mark at the gryffindor table because

man does not give a SHIT about the looks he was getting. he is huang renjun.

"why are you so smiley this morning? and why didn’t you come to my common room last night"

the gryffindor common room was the dreamie hang out

no one dared tell THE mark lee to go somewhere else with his friends

"sorry, last night i was tutoring y/n in charms" smiley boy still

mark seagull eyebrows: activated

excuse him?? charms?? you?? the one who got an outstanding in your report card??

something smells fishy here

"renjun... y/n got an outstanding on her charms"

eunji who had magically appeared next to mark basically said what he was just thinking

confused boi part ??

"wait what?"

but later on he didnt question you about it

he silently observed you

he told himself that anyway

quite honestly if you were spending time with him he was not about to complain

he was staring at you, simply put

my leng bby (thats you, youre my leng bby)

so for the next 2 weeks every day after school you would meet up to ‘catch up’ on your charms

that being said it literally always, every time, ended up with you two talking about something unrelated

like the 5th day you had a conversation about which series of power rangers was better

"SPD, obviously"

AM I THAT OLD?? on god i hate it here

"no, y/n, we all know that dino force is better"

i agree with y/n on this one pal

on the 7th day you talked about muggle sports that you both enjoyed

"i played a lot of cricket"

"cricket? okay tory"

"i am NOT a tory"

on the last day when you should have been, you know, LEARNING

you were having a lovely old chinwag about the x factor

"simon cowell is a king"

"i agree"

legend behaviour if you ask me

wait does chinwag exist in other countries??? translation: chat

so of course the exams came up

but you were dreading them for a different reason

this meant the end of tutoring with renjun

this was super bittersweet, you wanted to spend more time with eachother

you literally could it wasn’t that deep both of you are so dumb smh aint nothing stopping you

jeno agrees with me too, mans pulling out his hair still as you had somehow not gotten together yet

it was like watching snails race, incredibly frustrating but you know that there is the finish line somwhere over the horizon

so you took your exams and both of you passed with flying colours, obviously

smart kids

and you ran right to renjun to celebrate

seeing as he had

not really helped you but you thought that he thought he helped you

oh no honey he knew that you didnt need help

but he didnt know whether to confront you about it?

rip your guilty conscience

so after a long discussion with mark, our china boy decided to ask why the heck you wanted his help when you were absolutely fully capable

unlike mark

and when you saw him approach you first in the halls your heart went

NYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

that was the sound of a fast motorbike

"hi y/n"

‘damn renjun, couldnt have thought of anything better than that?’

"uhh hi renjun"

awkward silence by stray kids

"i just wanted to know why you asked for my help"

okay where is the nearest shovel and what is the most efficient way to dig a large hole-

as if renjun sensed your panic radiating off you in waves

which he did

"not that it was an issue! i enjoyed spending time with you, it was just, you didnt really need help"

he was a pure boy

so you puffed your cheeks and decided to just come clean

somewhere, jeno felt his senses tingling

"genuinely i just wanted to spend some time with you because i really like you"

renjun froze and wanted to smack his head into a wall

bruh

you noticed his expression and panicked yet again

stop panicking man its okay i gotchu

"it was jenos idea"

blame jeno is always a fool-proof plan b

unless you get pregnant, that would not be a good idea

so i guess its not fool proof

BUT I DIGRESS

renjun face palms and groans

"youre kidding me! all this time we wasted doing boringass charms work when we couldve gone on dates"

confusion™️

but?? you felt hopeful??

"i dont think im on the same wavelength"

"i like you too dumbass"

oH so YOURE the dumbass??

yes, yes you are renjun is best boi, accept the L which is really a W bc renjun likes you back

jeno who had found his way to you, listening from around the corner sighed in happiness

"fucking finally!!"

[jessie-sam-and-ash]

I've had a pretty bad fever and slept for quite some time. Now i just woke up and checked my phone.

2DAYS?!!? I slept 2whole days???? What the hell?!?

Why didn't mom wake me up? This isn't like her at all. Did sje give me my meds in my sleep? Ugh who cares now. I'm feeling better. 48hours of total black out was just what i needed. But god am i hungry now....

Wtf why won't the door open? C'mon it can't be seriously locked!!

*shuffling and grunting in the hallway*

Hooooooooold up. What's that??

*i peep through the keyhole* *terrified gasp as i stumble backwards* *outside, in the hallway, there's this ugly decomposing WALKING corpse* its a prank its a prank its gotta be a prank

*but the stench tells otherwise*

I need to get to the kitchen else imma starve here.....the door's clearly locked. The window! Imma sneak out the window!

*carefully i stand on the outer window still. The street looks awful, cars abandoned in the middle of the road, some even turned upside down. And lots of those....things walking around* they can't be zombies could they? Zombies aren't real....

*i climb down the water spout as quietly as possible* *luckily the kitchen window is open and no one seems to be inside*

Alright. First lemme close the door then eat something. Need to make a list of what i have and how long it'll last..... where's mom and dad? Hope they're safe. *I stop a sniff*

*after closing the door i find some milk and cereal. It seems electricity hasn't gone out yet since the fridge works* *as im about to take a seat, my foot hits something, sending it across the room* *its a phone. Mom's phone* *i turn it on. Messenger is open. She didn't get to send a last text....to me: 'pls be safe and don't open the door. You got t survive for us. We hold thm off as good as we cdkxfkflldk '*

They......they....no way. No no no no no!!! Could they be.....the zombie i saw in the hallway. I need to get a better look. But then what? What if it's them? Can i really...? I have to. It's not a matter of 'can' or 'cant'. They wanted me to live. This is what i will do. But first, provisions.

*i count some cans of food, an unopened pack of cereal, some veggies and what's left of mom's chicken soup* *it should keep me going for a few days until i make a plan to go out* *got several water bottles and a pack of beer*

*i take the small axe mom uses for chopping bones for soup* *i take a deep breath and slowly open the door*

*i look left and right: front door is wide open, will have to close it. The hallway seems empty for now, need to check the living room* *i quickly close the door and head towards the only other room*

Shit. SHIT!!! NOT dad! No no no nooo.....

*i struggle to not scream at the sight: dad, one arm missing, is sluggishly walking through the room, grunting to himself. Face mauled so bad i can barely recognize it, slowly decomposing. The smell is unbearable*

I can't do it. I can't do it. Dammit! I can't! No you bitch, you must!! That's not your dad anymore. The dead are supposed to stay dead. You gotta do it. You got this. Just get the head, smash it as hard as you can.

*i slowly make my way across the room, careful to not make any noise, need the moment of surprise* *im close enough. I raise the axe and...............strike* *the sickening sound of bones breaking fills my ears, the wet slosh of the axe leaving the skull makes me sick to the stomach* *the zombie falls to the ground* *i nudge it with my foot. It doesn't move. I killed it*

*shaking i tiptoe my way upstairs* *time to deal with the other one*

*it saw me! It runs towards me, still slower then a normal human* *i shriek and in the last second swing the axe* *the head tumbles to the ground, soon followed by the body* *im shaking terribly at this point* *fall to my knees and start crying*

Im sorry im sorry im sorry!!!! Mom dad im sorry!! I had to, i have to live for you. Forgive me! Im sorry! Im sorry! Please oh please let this be all nothing but one of my sick dreams!!

*sobbing and exhausted i fall asleep on the now blood soaked carpet*

.

.

.

.

It's been a week. Im outta food officially. Can still eat what's in the fridge but it'll go bad soon. I shouldn't go too far into the city before i have better weapons and know more about these shits. Hmmmmmm🤔 neighbor's house it is.

*i put my black hoodie on and some sneakers* *armed with the axe and a backpack im ready to head out* *the street seems empty. Yesterday a car's alarm started blaring somewhere down the road, attracting the zombies. I wrote about this in my little notebook: sensitive to sound*

*i bolt out the door and only stop in front of Jim's house* hope he's not dead in there too.

*i find the door unlocked and slip inside* *silence. No sign of zombies roaming* *i head to the kitchen and start searching*

*nothing useful* guess he managed to leave and took everything he could.

*i look around the house some more. I manage to find a bigger axe*

*getting out. Halfway back i stop in my tracks. A zombie's walking nearby. According to mom's behavior they also are attracted by movement* *BUT NO ONE COULD'VE GUESSED THEY ARE ATTRACTED BY SMELL TOO HOLLY SHIT* *he smelled me and charged* *i ran all the way home and slammed the door shut*

*panting* fuck fuck fuckkk. Gosh that was close.

*i go to the living room where i layed mom amd dad's corpses* *the stench is terrible. Im keeping the windows half open all the time* guess you two don't have any ideas on how to keep these fuckers away huh? They see me, they charge. They smell me, they charge. What the hell should i do? God you guys stink, i should bury you some time.

Or maybe..........? Hmmm might work. Let's test it.

*i take mom's head by the remaining hair and go to the front door where i can hear the zombie scratching at it* *i open it ajar and put the putrefying head in front of the gap* *i hear the zombie sniffing then grunting, then it goes away* interesting...

*i close the door again and throw the head on the couch* *i run upstairs to my room and grab the notebook: 'zombies are attracted by sound, movement and smell. They recognize eachother by the smell of decay. Using enough of their blood or flesh etc can keep them away. Need to see if you need to act like them too' *

.

.

.

Today i ate the last of that salad. Need to search for more food. Most neighbors either left and took everything good or didn't have anything canned and is now spoiled. I should try to make my way towards one of the stores. I should prepare.

*i go downstairs. Take dads large coat off the clothes rack*

Hey mom, dad. Im sorry but need a favor from you two.......

*i take the big axe next to the couch and start butchering one of the corpses* *blood and chunks of flesh fly all over the place* *when im done, im left with a bloody paste of guts and rotten meat* *using a glove i then smear the coat with the smelly paste* *i feel like gagging* this should do..

*i put the coat on, take the axe and my trusty backpack*

*with shaky hands i open the front door and step out into the blazing sun*

It's time to head out.

[denkimystery]

Denki Mystery Series - 2nd Episode: 『Character*』

ー Akashika Station Platform, Noon

Hajime: It’s so hot. You said you didn’t want to see me off. … Will the store be ok?

Takashi: Well, I’m free. So. You know.

Hajime: Oh, I see.

Takashi: Business is fluctuating tho~uugh.

Hajime: Ah… Sorry. Can you handle it? I’m not good at worrying about people.

Takashi: Well, it’s so-so. I have an aunt you know. She wants me to keep the store running.

Hajime: I see, so it’s all good then. I’m glad you have an aunt, that’s good to hear.

Takashi: The resident police officer comes by to eat some donuts. They’re just pancake mix that I fried up though, hehe!

Hajime: I didn’t know they were made with pancake mix. They tasted so good. … So, will I be able to fly?

Takashi: Hey, the officer being able to fly has nothing to do with my donuts!

Takashi: Seriously, Shisaka-san you were making a joke with such a straight face? … Fufufu.

Hajime: Just Hajime is fine.

Takashi: Alright, hehehe.

Karatsugu: Phew, … most of the vending machines here are sold out. Here, have one. It’s hot.

[[Karatsugu hands Takashi a can, it’s started to sweat.]]

Takashi: Eh, me? Th-thank you. … Eh!? Beer!?

Karatsugu: It was the only one they had left. Here, you too.

Karatsugu opens the other can of beer and hands it to Hajime.

Hajime: Ah, thanks.

Karatsugu opens his own can,

Karatsugu: Ah, bubbles!

And takes a big gulp.

Karatsugu: Phew!

Takashi follows suite and takes a gulp

Takashi: Phew~! Delicious!

Hajime: Mm, it’s cold and delicious.

Karatsugu: It’s coming.

Hajime: … Ah… the train.

The sound of the train riding the tracks fill the station as the train approaches the platform.

Takashi: Well, have a safe trip big brothers. Thanks for the beer.

Karatsugu: See you soon.

Hajime: Yeah, see ya.

The doors close after Karatsugu and Hajime step into the train.

Karatsugu: …….

Hajime: …….

Karatsugu: …… What a peaceful landscape. I can’t believe we went through a horrible experience, it’s like a dream.

Hajime: … You’re right. Ah… Look. … A paper bag waving in the fields.

…… -chimatsu-niisan!……

…… -ramatsu-niisan!……

…… -ye-bye!……

Karatsugu: Heh. Are you alright? I heard somebody shout matsu, matsu.

Hajime: …….

Karatsugu: Ah, a tunnel.

ー

[[The idyllic view of the countryside is replaced by darkness.]]

Hajime: ...Taboos can be seen as a kind of rules that occurs naturally in a group as a result of their faith.

Hajime: Bad things don't always happen. It could be that they avoid something, like a song of magic incantation.

Karatsugu: Well, that’s just superstition.

Karatsugu takes a swig from his can of beer.

Karatsugu: Fuu…. … But whether it’s legit or not…

Karatsugu: Even if a good thing comes out of it... it's not a good thing that it's forbidden because some people don't want it to happen.

Karatsugu: I don’t like it. [he says as he takes another sip of his beer.]

Hajime: …… Eldest son, you didn't come. I was expecting you to come.

Karatsugu: No, he was there.

Hajime: … Eh? Really?

Karatsugu: When you were waving, a taxi stopped on the other side of the road. I couldn't see the inside, but I’m pretty sure it was him.

Hajime: … so that’s what happened.

Karatsugu: … swallow Hm? … You’re not drinking your beer. If you don’t want to finish it, let me drink it. Here, give it to me.

Hajime: Ah, sorry. I’ll drink it.

Hajime downs the rest of his beer.

Hajime: Phew… Thanks for the drink.

Karatsugu: … Ahh, that’s right! I have to return your notebook, remember?

Karatsugu rummages through his blue messenger bag. He pulls out a notebook and hands it to Hajime.

Karatsugu: Thanks for lending it to me.

Hajime: I know you haven’t fixed your voice recorder. It’s a spare. Use it, when you need to take notes in the case of an emergency.

Karatsugu: I know. The Editor-in-Chief also scolds me a lot for not using a notebook. I get it, excuse me.

Hajime: Take it, take it. … Wait, eh? It’s not that you didn’t lose it but you really don’t have one with you? … Eh. Don’t you need a notebook to have something to write on?

Karatsugu: This voice recorder is my partner-in-crime.

Hajime: Wait, I mean. Your “partner-in-crime” broke at a crucial moment and didn’t work. Did you not worry about that at all?

Karatsugu: Up until now, this is the first time I’ve done an interview alone.

Hajime: Eh. So it’s true that you’re really a newbie? If so, then you should always carry a notebook. As a regular member of society, it’s not my place to say this either.

Karatsugu: Heh! That’s what the Chief told me too. He’s always been a memo-man just like you. But I'm sticking to my own style, with my partner-in-crime.

Hajime: I mean, it’s not like your partner, broke and didn’t work at a crucial moment. This is the second time I’m saying this.

Kurukurukuru…! Gaga...

Hajime: Hm? What was that?

Hajime looks at the source of the sound. Karatsugu’s bag. The reporter digs through his bag, looking for what made the noise.

Karatsugu: Aah! Partner! You’ve come back to life!

Hajime: It’s back to normal… Is it rewinding by itself or moving in a strange way? Strange.

Karatsugu: Yeah, it is. But it's strange. It shouldn't have moved at all, but it's like it's recording...

Karatsugu plays the tape on the voice recorder.

《...gaga. pi.. O×△O… matsuno… tsumo. bassho~mu~tsu….. pipi...��

Hajime: .... What was that. Ah. We’re almost there…. the station.

ー

ー Station Platform

Karatsugu: Phew, … I didn’t notice that time had passed!

Hajime: ... Humans, too many.

Karatsugu: ... what to do, I'm going to stop by the editorial office for a bit and then go home, but if you want to eat…

Hajime: …….

[[The lack of reply catches Karatsugu’s attention. He sees Hajime blank faced staring at something.]]

Karatsugu: Hey, what’s wrong? … You okay?

Hajime: Huh? … I thought there was an elevator over here, but...*

[[Karatsugu follows Hajime’s gaze. There’s nothing.]]

Karatsugu: You tired? The stairs are this way, come on.

[[Karatsugu pauses, looking at Hajime’s face.]]

Karatsugu: … what’s wrong? You’re sleepy.

Hajime: Huh?

[[Hajime feels wet pooling in his eyes, threatening to break and fall.]]

Hajime: Tears are…

[[Hajime quickly wipes them away.]]

Hajime: Let’s take the stairs.

Karatsugu: You must be hungry. Sorry, I need to stop by the editorial office first.

Hajime: Mm. I’m fine. … You think your editor-in-chief would get mad if I come along?

Karatsugu: Heh. Bingo. You’re sharp. But that's not all. You love books, so I thought you'd be interested.

Hajime: Mm. I’m interested. … I hope he doesn’t get mad at you.

ー

ー “Matsuzo Monthly**” Editorial Department, Night

Karatsugu: Chief! I’m back from the interview. … Heh! Wouldn’t it be a topic of conversation over here, too? … the gruesome and mysterious incident in the mountain village!

Karatsugu: What is the secret of the villagers with the same face!? A report written by one of the parties involved in the case! This is... sure to be an intensive serialization!

Hajime: Eh... you’re writing about it?... Do you need money right now?

Editor-in-Chief: What are you going on about? Where did you go to cover this? You, I’m talking to you***.

[[Karatsugu wilts from his original enthusiasm, his voice smaller than when he first entered.]]

Karatsugu: Akatsuka Village… A village in the mountains…

Editor-in-Chief: EHH!! … YOU IDIOOOT****!! WHO GOES TO DO AN INTERVIEW WITHOUT TELLING THEIR CHIEF THEIR DESTINATION!!

Karatsugu: Wow! You’re mad!?

Hajime: He suddenly got angry.

Editor-in-Chief: Mmmmmm... What’s wrong...? I told you that I lost one of my men. That's where he went missing!

Karatsugu: Eh....

Editor-in-Chief: Phew, but it's good to see you back. It's quite chilling…. Hm? And you are....

[[Hajime shies away from the attention looking down, bowing.]]

Hajime: Uhhh, my name’s Shisaka.

Editor-in-Chief: You, let me see your face properly….

[[Hajime lifts his head from staring down.]]

Editor-in-Chief: Ah… You’re.... What in the-!?

Karatsugu: I knew it, didn't I? Heh! Chief! This is Hajime, my brother.

Editor-in-Chief: Mmmmmm... I don't know where to start.... Are you being chased? You with the same face. I'll give you my business card. I'm the editor in chief here.

[[The chief hands his business card to Hajime.]]

Editor-in-Chief: I'm Matsuno Matsuzou. I am your father.

Hajime: Uwah, it’s got two “Matsu"***** characters in it.

Karatsugu: Defeating taboo with another taboo, even demons would run away from such a name. Come to think of it, chief, you have such a name.

Editor-in-Chief Matsuzo: You, you really don’t listen, do you.

ーThe Endー

Original Event

Summer Arc: 1 | 2 | 3

Mod note: The title is originally 字母(じぼ), can be translated to either letter or alphabet. The title is a reference to David Lynch's 1968 work "The Alphabet". But to make the title make sense to the story and it's climax, i opted for "Character", which could be interpreted as a character of the Japanese writing system (like Kanji, since technically kanji aren't letters. They're logograms.).

*This could be a prolonged side-effect from the mushrooms. The elevator he's seeing could be a reference to the enemy base from the Angel event. The background used for the station Hajime and Karatsugu are at is the same train station background which was introduced in that event. The elevator is in the middle of a busy crowd and has HELL written on the screen.

***** Matsu as in 松 the taboo from Akatsuka Village.

**It doesn’t use the Matsu Pine Kanji, 松, opting for the Katakana writing instead, マツソ.

***The editor in chief specifically says “Omae.” which is a very rude way to refer to someone. I added a few words so it reads as scolding from a superior.

****Chief uses the term Bakamon, which is a reference to a very old joke in Japan.

also there's a part here where they talk about Ozo, I think what happened was that Toshio rode in Ozo's Taxi following the train, as he put his head out the window to say goodbye, his paper bag must have flown in the wind, that lead to Hajime noticing it in the first place. a little bit later Karatsugu notices the taxi outside the window. I'm not sure though, those might be two different moments. I've posted the transcript if you'd like to make heads or tails with that moment.

[my-happy-little-bean]

Patton and the Fantasy Fair (It Is The Nature of Dreams To End)

pairings: LAMP/CALM (platonic/familial) words: 3543 warnings: mild swearing, nostalgia/dwelling too hard on the past, crying, mention of blood, angst  summary: 

virgil had mentioned the fantasy fair once, in a conversation that was meant to go nowhere, and patton had said the following:

“ ‘it is the nature of dreams to end’. "

or: the one where they all remember that weird amusement park in the middle of a park; and also, patton is missing.

a/n- hello! here's another addition to everyone's favourite series, ‘let’s indulge bean in their slightly low quality, very personal fics’ — aka the series i write for when i am exclusively procrastinating on writing anything else :p

today's story is brought to you by a rather haunting return to 'fantasy fair'; a real place i used to go to as a kid (if you search of fantasy fair and woodbine, you'll probably find pictures of what i'm talking about :')) ). it gave me a crisis, so naturally i had to write about it. also this is kind of a response to one of my earliest one shots in this fandom called "a light in every patch of darkness". it just feels a bit related to it, not sure why :')

finally, this story was inspired by two songs: "julia" by reeder and a cover of "never never land" by adam melchor. both are great, i would highly recommend listening to them :")

i hope you find some enjoyment in this weird, midnight ramble of a story. it's rough in a lot of places, but hey! at least it's in this place with you :')

[read on ao3]

---

“I know a place where dreams are born and time is never planned. 

It’s not any chart, you must find it with your heart;

Never Never Land.”

-*-

“Has anyone seen Patton today?”

Roman lolled his head back against the arm rest he laid against, lowering the book he was reading and giving Virgil an upside-down smirk. 

“He’s probably in his room,” he announced, as if he was the know-it-all. Virgil raised an eyebrow and Roman huffed, flipping over onto his stomach and pressing his elbow into the arm rest. 

“Logan?” he called. He pressed his chin in his hand coyly. “Where’s Pat?”

“Well considering there are not many places where we are able to go,” Logan replied from the kitchen, “it is statistically probable that he is in his room.” 

Roman waved his hand at Virgil, as if he was using the gesture to say “told you so!”. He flipped onto his back, head once again on the arm rest, and stretched his arms to lift the book above him. Virgil sighed as Roman resumed his reading, tugging on the strings of his hoodie. 

“I dunno, it just seems unlike him to stay up there for so long.”

Logan crossed in front of him as Virgil rambled, as if his words intrigued him enough to leave whatever task he was finishing in the kitchen.  

“I’m just worried, okay?” He scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly. “Are we really just cool with brushing this off as ‘normal’? Like, usually he’s awake before all of us — this morning he wasn’t even here.”

Roman’s snide smirk dropped slightly, and he brought his book to his chest. “He wasn’t?” 

“Dude.” 

“What?” Roman sat up slowly, throwing his arms up in an exaggerated defense. Virgil fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Look, everything Patton does is laced with some sort of muscle memory. Plus, it’s not like I’m the observant one or anything.”

Virgil looked over at Logan, silently pleading. Logan crossed his arms and pushed up his glasses. 

“You are both right.” Virgil and Roman exchanged glances as Logan spoke. “Perhaps it would be of our best interests to visit him. Even if he is in there, as our suspicions assume, we can at least reaffirm our knowledge.”

“We’re going on an adventure then!” Roman sprung from the seat and immediately bounced his way to lead the group towards Patton’s room. “You should’ve just said so, Captain Books!” 

Logan rolled his eyes, but followed Roman nonetheless. Before he could leave the living room, he turned around and faced Virgil, who was awkwardly standing in the same place. Logan frowned. 

“Virgil? Is everything alright?” 

No. That was the answer, plain and simple. Virgil couldn’t help but stare past Logan and towards Roman, still marching down the hall behind him.

Virgil knew the others couldn’t see it, but Roman was prancing across inky shadows, the trail to Patton’s whereabouts clouded with something he could only describe as a bad feeling. It sent chills down Virgil’s spine as Roman’s feet pressed into each blotch of black smoke, tainting his determined path.

He slipped his hood on and dug his hands in his sweater pockets. 

“M’fine.” He spoke carefully, as to not let any echoes crack through his voice. “Let’s just get this over with.” 

---

They stepped into Patton’s room one by one; only because they were each so awestruck by Patton’s room. 

Fairy lights draped his walls as hazy curtains, woven between picture frames of varying sizes. Each happy face Thomas knew and love was illuminated by the gaze of the lights, each seemingly staring at every memory with a special kind of fondness only Patton truly understood. Stuffed animals and stacks of photo albums were scattered around every surface of his room, which glowed with the same kind of wonder that each Side was in some way familiar with.

“Ah, I am already loving this.” Roman clapped his hands together with a smile so dreamy, it made Virgil dizzy. “Padré’s room is the best.” 

“Try and stay focused, Roman,” Logan mumbled, though he was even enthralled by some notebooks sitting on the coffee table he passed through Patton’s room– enough to pick one up and absentmindedly flip through it

Virgil, however, wanted to do nothing but stay focused. He felt like a strained camera lens, trying to focus too sharply on something, anything. 

But nothing could draw his attention away from the door on the other side of the room.

It was cracked slightly open, and was seemingly the destination for the secret shadows he followed. They pooled around the floor beneath the door, as if beckoning anyone who noticed it to come inside.

Virgil had noticed the door before, but never under such a blatant spotlight — and certainly never left open. During the many sleepovers he had spent in Patton’s room, that door was merely a closet; stuffed and silent in the back of his mind and the back of the room. He always assumed it was as messy as Patton’s room already was, so it didn't really matter what kind of mess was inside it. Plus, Patton had reassured Virgil that it was nothing special; that it was just a door.

Just a door my ass, Virgil thought, taking any semblance of courage he had and pressing to his chest as he dared to march against the current of shadow against his feet. 

Virgil passed by Logan on his way, who briefly glanced up from the notebook.

“Virgil? Where are you–” 

He stopped right beside Virgil, who stood in front of the door that seemed much taller than he remembered, casting patches of darkness across the floor. Logan frowned.

“Strange,” Logan hummed. “I do not believe I have seen this door open before.” 

“Samesies…” Roman drawled, walking up to Virgil’s side as well. Logan didn’t even seem fazed by Roman’s diction. Virgil narrowed his eyes at the door.

“Not to be dramatic or anything–”

“Hey! What’s wrong with–” 

“–but if we’re looking for answers–” Virgil cleared his throat nervously– ”I think we’re going to find it in here.”

Logan and Roman looked at each other as Virgil slowly stepped forward. The shadows on the floor crawled up along the surface of the wood, chasing Virgil’s hand that slowly reached for the door handle. As soon as he made contact with the brass, the shadows squealed, making Virgil tense up as he watched them scatter off. 

“Come on, Emo,” Virgil heard Roman say from behind him. “Thought you weren’t leaning into the dramatics today?” 

Virgil gulped, and twisted the door handle, pulling the door open with a loud, eerie creak.

---

When Thomas was a kid, his parents used to take him to the Fantasy Fair; a strange, not-so-hidden park on the second floor of a shopping mall they visited every now and then. No one– not even Logan– had ever questioned why there would be a small amusement park inside a shopping mall; all that mattered was that it was there, and that it was awesome.

Every time Thomas had run under the arch leading to Fantasy Fair, Roman had twisted images in Thomas’ mind of stepping into another world. There were signs just about everywhere, pointing in every direction with that distinct carnival font – the one that reminded Thomas of the font he’d use to write essays, but with playful twists and curls at its ends. 

The aesthetics of the Fantasy Fair varied in every spot. The makeshift “streets” that weaved their way around the park were lined with mini street lamps, fake trees, and...dinosaurs, for some reason. Hung from the ceiling were large stars, strung comically from different heights; as well as large, model aircraft—one plane and one rocket ship—that made Thomas and Logan wonder how cool it’d be to fly them. The walls that hugged the whole park were painted as the fronts of colourful houses, with balconies that spilled vibrant flowers and vines from its rails. Between these walls were many small attractions; a carousel ride, small booths with carnival games, the biggest jungle gym he had ever seen– and a ferris wheel. 

The ferris wheel was Thomas’ favourite, even if he and Virgil were afraid of heights. Thomas had never understood why he was so drawn to it, but it felt like every corner he turned led to the ferris wheel; as if the world was telling him that the ferris wheel was the most important part, and that he had to follow the path it laid out for him to show him why.

It was probably his favourite because it was so bright. Each cabin of the ferris wheel was painted with bright colours, creating a makeshift rainbow as it spun around. There were lights screwed into the metal bars that made up its frame, with its cheerful music reaching every corner of the space and looping so many times, much to Thomas’ (and Roman’s) excitement. It became their favourite song. 

But the coolest part, in Thomas’ opinion, was that it not only took up the most space on this floor, but on both floors of the mall. It was as if someone had carved a hole through the floors of the mall, just wide enough for the ferris wheel to fit in — as if every exception was made for it to be there. 

Thomas loved the feeling of floating to the top in the red cabin—always the red cabin—so he could almost touch the skylight, which let light flood into the artificial lights of the indoor park. He loved the feeling of floating down just as much, going beneath the surface of the park and to the first floor, where the world’s creators had installed a small pond, surrounded by animatronic animals and a small waterfall near the front. He always marvelled at how odd it was, stuck smack-dab in the middle of the shoppers’ path, who would stop by and peer over the fence that surrounded the pond to marvel at him back. His nose would be pressed against the cabin’s windows, just trying to get a look at everything. 

Because the park, however small it truly was, seemed so big, with so many things begging to be seen and admired. Thomas filled in the gaps of this world’s story; and in return, it seemed to make every part of his brain happy. 

Especially Patton. It made Patton so happy.

---

“Holy...shit…”

Virgil didn’t even notice that Roman and Logan entered behind him, each walking up to meet his side. 

Logan rubbed his eyes from behind his glasses, staring up at disbelief. “Is this…”

“Fantasy Fair,” Virgil finished for him. The name left his tongue as a breathy sigh, an empty rush of starstruck filling his chest. “Wow.” 

Roman frowned, and Virgil noticed him discreetly grasp the hilt of his sword. 

“I dunno if it’s me or if it’s ‘cause we are technically in Patton’s closet,” Roman said slowly, “but does it seem like...a lot more different than how I remember it.” 

Virgil didn’t even have to respond to show that he agreed. Each of their memories of Fantasy Fair faded in their irises, now a smoke screen reflecting an unfamiliar space. 

Maybe it was because they haven’t because they haven’t visited Fantasy Fair since Thomas was 12, but it looked like every friendly spark of joy had abandoned the park; just as Thomas did. The faux-street lamps lining the fake streets lost their glow, and dead moths who were waiting for that light to return were now laying still around its rims. Each bright bulb of light they vaguely remembered were replaced by beams of flickering fluorescent lights, revealing the artificial aura of every attraction. The paint on the walls of fake house-fronts were peeling, and the inviting carnival font was scratched and faded, with cobwebs of now-visible shadows hanging from the bottom edge of each sign. 

It was as if nostalgia’s double edged sword slashed across the picturesque memory of Fantasy Fair; and used the blood to paint the image of a ghost over it.

“Remind me to talk to Pat about reconsidering his interior decorating choices,” Roman murmured, slowly walking past Virgil and Logan not letting go of his sword, still bound dutifully to his side. Virgil couldn’t help but pull Logan closer to him as they followed Roman further into the park. 

Logan, rather than pulling his arm back, leaned into his touch. 

“You know, I was always rather unsettled by the fact that such a fanciful place was just...in the middle of a shopping mall.”

Unsettled by a fact. Virgil winced at the tell-tale sign of danger.

As they continued down what they assumed was a familiar path, Virgil dared to look around him and wondered why Patton would hide such a grim version of the world they all loved so dearly. Surely it wasn’t hard to love this park enough that the same memory could exist; yet it was tainted in every corner, a brush of darkness sweeping across every spot. The stars Virgil marvelled at were falling at his feet, shadows chasing the spot of its descent and eating it up before he could even check for any semblance of its past glow. 

Floating in the dead air of the world they used to love, was a familiar song; now a distorted and slowed ballad through the static of the speakers:

“It might be miles beyond the moon, or right there where you stand.

Just keep an open mind, and then suddenly you'll find

Never Never Land

/

“You’ll have a treasure if you stay there,  more precious far than gold.

For once you have found your way there,  you never, never grow old.” 

To Virgil’s surprise, Roman humming along did not make it any better. 

“I do not understand,” Logan mumbled, still closely tethered to Virgil’s side. “How could all of this exist without us knowing? Better yet, how does it exist like this?”

Virgil, for a brief moment, thought about his room; how these shadows had come to be his haunted friends, whether he liked it or not. Perhaps ‘friends’ wasn’t even the right word; they were just simply there, in an existence that ran parallel to his own. He thought of the corners Patton found inviting, ones that Logan found fascinating– even the ones Roman simply just enjoyed. None of those corners would exist without darkness.

Maybe that was the case here. 

For better or for worse, they had ended up at the front of the ferris wheel. Of course. Logan cleared his throat. 

“Patton?” he called out, his voice a sharp echo in the midst of the slow, out-of-tune piano that filled the space. Virgil’s grasp on Logan’s arm tightened. 

And then, the ferris wheel came to life. 

Slowly but surely, its rusted wheel began to spin. The light bulbs lining its frame flickered, hazy remnants of a familiar glow. Virgil could hear the animatronic animals he used to find comfort in moan; a sound that seemingly came from the hole that the ferris wheel broke through, which was now filled with a pit of black. 

Lifted out of the darkness were the ferris wheel cabins; once coloured all shades of the rainbow, now darkened and saturated to an unrecognizable extent. 

And in one of these cabins was Patton,  who peered out his window

with tears of glitter and gold streaming down his cheeks.

---

Virgil had mentioned the Fantasy Fair once, in a conversation that was meant to go nowhere,

and Patton had said the following:

“ ‘It is the nature of dreams to end’. Logan told me that once, after I started having these nightmares of Fantasy Fair. I think they started after the mall security cop dressed as a clown for Halloween, and we ran into him near the carousel. Remember how much it freaked you out?”

Surprisingly, Virgil did not. 

“Ah, I guess that proves my point then,” Patton laughed sadly when he told him. “We never went back to Fantasy Fair after that, and the life that existed before we left got stuck there; all frozen in an ice cube that would never melt.” 

He averted his glance from Virgil.

“I say that the nightmares started after that clown, but I actually think they started a few months before that,” Patton admitted. “Thomas had just turned 12, and his parents offered to take him to Fantasy Fair for his birthday. You know what he said?”

Yes. Guilt clawed at Virgil’s chest.

“He said no.” Patton shook his head. “Said he was ‘too old’ for things like that.” In a more hushed voice, he added, “Whatever that means.”

He stared at the plastic stars on his ceiling. 

“We used to dream of Fantasy Fair, every night,” Patton murmured. “The lights, the song, the ferris wheel– I used to be able to build an exact replica of the park in my mind. And in this park we dreamt of, there were no lines for the ferris wheel, and the park extended far above the skylight.”

Virgil frowned at the way the words left his lips in a strangely bittersweet way. Patton, on the other hand, smiled, rolling his head to the side, away from Virgil’s sight; towards his closet door.

“I don’t think I remember it the same way now,” Patton murmured, his eyes—from Virgil’s point of view—still fixated on who knows what. “The lights aren’t as bright, and the song is not as wonderful.”

Patton sighed. “I saw a flash of the colourful life Thomas had grown in, and…”

Virgil watched as Patton rolled his head over to face him once more, his eyes now twinkling with a soft, golden shine. Patton sadly smiled.

“And then the dream ended.”

--- 

There were a lot of things Virgil could say to Patton. In fact, Patton had probably already heard a majority of those things before.

“The past is never coming back.” 

“You can only live in the present.”

“Everything is changing.”

But in this strange, abandoned park—in this strange, abandoned dream—it suddenly made sense why Patton had clung so desperately to the past, and why he refused to let go. The present was merely a skeleton for the past, which harboured the light and life within it. And without at least acknowledging it, all you really have is a dead, empty shell. 

Patton so desperately wanted to animate the skeleton by using the only thing he had: memories. Memories of when his family was so close, where every part of Thomas was loved for a specific and obvious reason. There was no darkness, and there were no greys; just bright, sunny skies. 

However, there was truth to the familiar attempts of reassurance. Everything was changing. Virgil could feel it shifting in his bones; Thomas was growing. And with growth, there was abandonment. 

The dream Patton built was a desperate attempt to cling onto the bright memories of his family. 

But with all of them so frequently divided,  the dream had ended.

Virgil met Patton’s golden stare, and then at the absence of light behind it. 

And he pushed past Roman and Logan, using all his might to leap towards Patton’s cabin and grabbing the long, metal handle of his door with both hands.

“Virgil!” Logan exclaimed, chasing after him as Virgil was lifted off the ground slowly, his heart racing as his grasp on the cabin door handle tightened. The added weight of Logan now holding onto his ankle certainly didn’t help, and he could imagine Roman would not hesitate to add to this chain. Virgil tightened his grasp even more; he couldn’t afford to be the weak link now, 

He focused his attention to Patton, with sparkling tears lining his now-widened eyes. He was silent, and afraid. 

“Please,”  Virgil pleaded, finding his voice beneath layers of the same fear. “It’s not over yet.”

Patton brought his hands to his mouth and let out a sob so loud, Virgil could hear it from behind the door. 

And then suddenly, the door swung open, Virgil nearly swinging with it. However, he managed to let go just in time for Patton to grab his hand, pulling him and Logan and Roman with an impossible amount of strength. Virgil didn’t question it, though; it made sense that Patton could carry them all. 

They all poured onto the floors of the cabin, the door now closed and the song muffled behind it. They each gasped for breath, filling in the silence in the air.

And Virgil waited. He waited for the right words to come from Logan, or the reassuring serenade that Roman would, with no hesitation, deliver. 

But when none of that came, he simply stood up,  and sat beside Patton.

Eventually, they all found a seat in the cramped ferris wheel cabin, quietly tearing up at the sight outside their window that they forgot they even shared.

And as they were lifted into the air, they grazed the surface of skylight; now letting in a small droplet of sun.

 -*-

“So come with me where dreams are born,  and time is never planned. 

Just think of lovely things and your heart will fly on wings, 

forever in Never Never land.”

---

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