#and I'm doubting of the information and some of my own words to complete the dialogue | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

babygirlwritessmut · 3 months ago

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♡︎ part9. last time you wore that dress, it caused us some problems

・❥・pairing: vi (arcane) x fem!reader

・❥・ summary: Vi introduced you to her friends, you`ve spend a great evening and now you want to fulfill that promise you made.

・❥・ genre: smut + grumpy x sunshine

・❥・ word count: 3.4k

✎ warnings: 18+, SMUT, dom!vi, rough sex, fingering, strap-on, swearing, alcohol.

MINORS DNI!

RIDE ON ME masterlist

“cupcake?” - Vi called out to you while you were in the shower. “can you come to the kitchen when you're done?”

“give me a few minutes, please,” - you shouted back.

this morning, you woke up feeling a bit anxious. between work, studies, and your relationship, you barely had any time left for rest or for yourself. you couldn't even remember the last time you just lazed on the couch in silence or cooked in the kitchen. plus, today was exam day. you'd been studying all weekend, even your friends came over to study with you. passing the exams meant one thing - holidays. the very thought of it made you breathe a sigh of relief. that's why getting a high grade meant so much to you.

dressed in your robe and slippers, you made your way to the kitchen where Vi was making breakfast for the two of you, for which you were incredibly grateful, as you’d probably forget to eat without her. watching your girlfriend as she cooked, you smiled warmly. "I’m so lucky," - you thought.

“oh, cupcake! good morning, how are you feeling about the exam?” - Vi asked while the food sizzled deliciously in the pan.

“I'm alright, I think. I’m nervous, of course, but I can't fit any more information into my brain. whatever happens, happens today,” - you said, feeling overwhelmed by all the material you'd studied over the past few days.

“no matter what, I’m proud of you. you're so smart and hardworking, you've come such a long way this semester, and I have no doubt in you,” - Vi's words brought you comfort. it was nice to hear such encouragement from someone so important to you.

you hugged her from behind and murmured, - “you know you're the best in the world, right?” - burying your nose in her hair. Vi chuckled softly.

you stood there like that for a few minutes, not wanting to let go, but you had to leave in 20 minutes, and you were still in your robe. so, after kissing your girlfriend's amazing pink hair, you went to get ready. you put on your usual university outfit, tied your hair up in a bun, and came back out of the room.

while you were having breakfast with Vi, she mentioned that an old friend of hers was coming to town to celebrate their birthday, so she planned to go out.

“that sounds great, I’m glad you’ll be seeing your friends,” - you said as you finished your meal and started clearing your dishes.

“I was thinking, maybe you'd like to come with me? I'd love to introduce you to my friends,” - Vi said, taking your hand. “unless, of course, you’re planning to celebrate the end of the semester with your own friends.”

"meeting her friends is a big step, and if they are coming from another city just to see the group on their birthday, they must be really close," - you thought.

“of course,” - you said, squeezing her hand tighter. “honestly, we haven’t planned anything with my classmates. we're so exhausted that no one even mentioned celebrating.”

“maybe that’s a good thing, because that means you'll be all mine tonight,” - she said, kissing your forehead and helping you clean up. after that, you said goodbye to Vi and left the apartment.

two hours later, the university was buzzing with chatter. after a long wait for the results, you were finally gathered in the auditorium and congratulated on completing the semester. the dean's speech was short but meaningful, he announced that he was proud of his students because everyone had passed. you and your classmates exchanged satisfied glances. the results would arrive in a week via email, but the most important thing was that you passed. you were so proud of yourself.

at the entrance of the university, you and your friends were enthusiastically discussing plans for the holidays, but the main thing you all agreed on was that you needed to celebrate. since everyone was tired and overwhelmed from the day, you decided to meet up tomorrow. your conversation was interrupted by your phone ringing - it was Vi calling. your face must have changed because all your friends started laughing, saying, - “ooooh, look who’s in love!”

“shut up,” - you laughed in response.

"hey, Vi," - you said calmly into the phone.

"cupcake, I can't take it anymore, tell me," - she said, sounding anxious on the other end.

"I passed!!!"

"yes! I'm not even surprised, I never expected anything less. I'm so proud of you."

"thanks, Vi, I..." - you stopped yourself. "thank you for your support. I'll be home soon, bye," - you said, hanging up and taking a deep breath.

“trouble in paradise?” - one of your friends asked.

“no, it's just... I don't know how to...” - you started mumbling to yourself while your friends watched you in confusion. “how to tell her that I love her?” - their faces lit up with smiles as they hugged you tightly.

back at home, you started getting ready. Vi showed you the gift she’d picked out, and after approving it, you went to your room to get dressed.

“absolutely not,” - Vi said firmly.

“what? why?" - you asked, surprised.

“last time you wore that dress, it caused us some problems, I’d like to remind you,” - Vi said, glancing at the dress and clearly recalling what happened between the two of you last time.

“I’d say it worked to our advantage. just look where we are now,” - you laughed.

Vi rolled her eyes. “okay, sorry, I have no right to tell you what to wear. honestly, I’m just a little nervous.”

“nervous?” - you asked, not understanding what she meant.

“yeah, it’s silly, but... you're stunning, and I know that in that outfit, everyone’s going to be looking at you,” - she said, lowering her eyes.

you walked over to Vi and hugged her. “you don’t need to worry about that, I only need you,” - you said.

she hugged you tighter. “sorry.”

you just smiled. “thank you for sharing that with me.” you kissed Vi on the lips.

“just promise no more jokes about dancing without panties. I can’t handle that again,” - you laughed, covering your face with your hands as you leaned against the kitchen counter.

“I promise, from now on, only you get to take them off,” - you said, biting your lip and giving Vi a playful look.

“cupcake, don't do that, we'll be late,” - Vi said as she closed the distance between you, running her hands through your hair.

you sat up on the kitchen counter behind you and spread your legs. “what exactly should I not do?” - you asked teasingly.

Vi looked at you, then moved as close as she could. she ran her hands up your legs to the spot that the dress barely covered. in response, you wrapped your legs around her and leaned back slightly.

“is it just me, or does this dress have a strange effect on you?” - Vi said, slowly taking in the sight of your body. “maybe I should take it off you so you'll behave,” - she teased.

“try me,” - you said playfully, running your fingers over her lips, slightly parting them. Vi licked your finger, causing you to let out a soft moan. she pulled you closer by the waist and almost kissed you but suddenly said, - “I don’t want to ruin your makeup.”

she lowered herself to the level of your underwear, and the sight of her there made you even more excited, every part of your body begging for her touch. she brought your hips closer to her face and gently ran her tongue over your panties.

“Vi...” - you said as you tangled your hand in her hair, but she moved it away and stood back up, smiling at you.

“why did you stop?” - you asked, slightly frustrated.

“I was just checking to see if you had any underwear on. we can go now,” - Vi said, laughing and teasing you.

“I hate you,” - you said, jumping off the counter and heading for the door.

“I think it’s the opposite,” - Vi said, her eyes never leaving you as you walked away.

at the club, you finally met her friends. for some reason, they were just as you had imagined them: all different, yet somehow the same. Vi introduced you to them, and it seemed like she took extra pride in mentioning that you were her girlfriend. each of them gave you a warm smile and introduced themselves in return. finally, you and Vi greeted the birthday person, and everyone handed over their gifts. they were genuinely happy, thanked everyone for coming, and even welcomed you as the newest member of their crew. it felt good to be seen as more than just Vi's plus-one.

a few cocktails later, you were all on the dance floor. the music was great, your girlfriend was by your side, and you felt truly happy. her appearance was irresistibly attractive to you, and you were using all the willpower you had not to drag her to the bathroom with you. Vi probably understood this too, as her light touches on your body and gentle kisses on your neck kept your excitement simmering.

when you both returned to the table, you ordered one last round of cocktails. "good, because I'm already having too much fun," - you thought to yourself.

Vi’s hand rested on your leg under the table, and as the conversation went on, you felt it start to move higher up the inside of your thigh. your legs instinctively began to close, but Vi's hand didn't let that happen. just as her fingers got close to your panties, the birthday person suddenly said, - “thank you all for coming.” Vi quickly withdrew her hand, and you shot her an angry look, to which she barely managed to hold back a laugh and winked at you.

the way home was... tipsy. it seemed like Vi had good self-control, but you were in a good mood and feeling very turned on. this was the second time tonight that Vi had teased you, so you decided that once you got home, you would come up with a way to get back at her.

when you entered the apartment, you bent over in front of her to take off your shoes in a way that was anything but subtle. Vi's gaze fixed on your butt.

“can you help me with the zipper?” - you asked, your tone innocent. at first, Vi didn't even realize you were talking to her, but she slowly unzipped the back of your dress, her eyes trailing down your bare back, stopping when she saw your red lingerie peeking out.

you felt Vi's fingers tracing down your spine. “you think I don't know what you're doing?” - she asked, her voice low. you leaned forward slightly, steadying yourself with a hand on the wall, and she let out a small growl.

“and what about you? those touches under the table?” - you teased, feeling her hands on your hips, pulling you back against her. she lifted your dress, caressing your thighs, her gaze devouring the sight of you in that lingerie.

“I've never seen you in this position before. you never cease to amaze me, cupcake,” - she murmured as she slid her hand between your legs, into your panties. “so wet already, is this all for me?”

you could only moan in response as she began to massage your clit, your back arching more and more in front of her.

“Vi, please, take me,” - you begged, desperation in your voice.

“I thought you liked it when I teased you,” - she said with a smirk.

“I do, but... I can't take it anymore, I need you. please,” - you whispered, your desire almost overwhelming.

in one quick move, Vi turned you around and pinned you against the wall. “I think I've seen this scene before. i guess one hand was on your hip, and the other...”. she lightly wrapped her hand around your neck, and you let out a moan. “good to know you still enjoy this,” - she added with a grin.

“so much,” - you said, tilting your head back as you wrapped one leg around her, which she held tightly, pressing herself even closer to you. “do you think you can finish what you didn't that night?” - you whispered.

Vi's grip on your neck tightened slightly as she caressed your leg. “tell me exactly how you want it, cupcake,” - she said in that low, intoxicating voice.

“you're really going to make me say it out loud?” - you gave her a pleading look.

“yes, I love hearing you talk about what you want,” - Vi replied with a mischievous smile.

“fine, I want you to take me rougher, I want to scream your name, and I want...” - you bit your lip, - “I want to fulfill that promise I made.”

suddenly, Vi's hold on you grew stronger, and she bit down on your neck, making you cry out in pleasure.

“my girl loves it when I use my force, huh?”

releasing her hold slightly, she lifted you by your hips and kissed you passionately as you wrapped your legs around her. Vi carried you to the bedroom and threw you onto the bed. you barely noticed when your dress ended up in the far corner of the room. discarding her own clothes, Vi leaned down to you and said, - “get on your knees, cupcake.”

the moment Vi's words reached your ears, your stomach tightened even more. obediently, you did as she told you. without warning, Vi pulled your panties to the side and sucked on your clit. you moaned so loudly that your head started to spin. you could feel her tongue and lips devouring you hungrily, and you moaned even louder when you felt her tongue slip inside you.

pulling away from you for a moment, she said, - “cupcake, you need to be quieter. we don't want everyone to hear how dirty you are, do we?” - you nodded in response. “good, but if you're too loud, I'll have to do something about it,” - her voice sent shivers through your entire body, making it harder to stay on your knees.

Vi's tongue licked your wetness again, and she quickly thrust two fingers inside you, making you bite down on your hand to stop from screaming.

“that's it, good girl,” - her words were melting your entire being.

Vi's fingers started pumping harder into you. “you like it when I fuck you with my fingers, don’t you?” - you moaned and nodded in response.

“in order to fulfill that promise of yours, I need to get you ready. how does that feel?” - Vi said as she stretched you from the inside with her fingers, making you collapse onto your elbows.

“oh God, yes, I love it, Vi,” - you moaned louder. the obscene sounds coming from between your legs were shameless, but you loved how she made you lose control. her fingers began to move faster again, and you cried out.

“yes, Vi, please, I'm ready,” - you begged for more.

“you, cupcake, are such a dirty little thing, you know that?” - she withdrew her fingers and gave you another lick, making you throw your head back in pleasure.

behind you, you heard Vi open a box and take out her strap-on. as she put it on, she came up and pressed the tip against your entrance. your hips bucked in response, begging her to fill you.

“I want you to tap twice on the bed if it gets too much, okay, cupcake?”

lost in pleasure, you blurted out something that made Vi growl, - “afraid you won't be able to handle it?”

“that was a very, very bad idea,” - she said, and with those words, she thrust into you. your scream echoed through the room, as the sensation of being stretched and filled overwhelmed you, making your vision go dark from the intensity.

“I thought I told you to be quiet,” - Vi said, and suddenly your butt stung from a sharp slap, making you cry out. “there you go again. now I'll have to take measures, won't I?” - you nodded in response.

Vi's hand grabbed your hair and pulled you back up onto your hands, drawing a hoarse moan from your lips. she clamped her hand over your mouth and whispered in your ear, “ready to take the other half?” "THE OTHER HALF?!"

with one swift motion, Vi buried the rest of the strap-on deep inside you, making your ears ring and your eyes fill with tears.

“you said something about me not handling it - what about you?” - Vi's eyes flicked to your hand, checking if you'd tapped out, but you hadn't.

“good girl,” - she praised, squeezing your thigh tighter and starting to drive you onto her strap-on. your mind couldn't keep up with the intensity, you were breathless, but it felt so good. your whole body responded to every thrust, and the wet sounds coming from you were so filthy that you couldn't believe it was happening. after a few strokes, you began to match her rhythm, and Vi's smile grew even wider. her movements became faster and harder, slamming into your body so forcefully that your knees gave out beneath you. if she hadn't been holding you in her firm grip, you'd have collapsed by now. you kept moaning into her hand, clutching the sheets with your fist, but you didn't tap out. you loved it. you wanted more.

after a moment, you felt Vi pull the strap-on out of you and release her hold, causing you to collapse onto the bed, moaning.

“lie on your back. I want to see your pretty face,” - she ordered. you did as she said, spreading your legs like an obedient girl. Vi's smile grew wide at your compliance. “just look at her. tears on her cheeks, barely holding on, but still begging for more.”

Vi lifted your legs and draped them over her shoulders, thrusting back inside you in one smooth motion, making you scream.

“no, no, no. how many times do I have to tell you?” - she dropped your legs and covered you with her body, driving the strap-on even deeper, making your eyes roll back in pleasure. once again, she covered your mouth with her hand and began thrusting into you with force, holding onto the bed for leverage. each thrust felt like a wave of intense bliss, tears streaming down your face, yet you kept moving your hips, pushing yourself harder onto her. when Vi's pace quickened, you felt the overwhelming sensation that you were about to come. catching your eyes, she understood immediately, and when she pressed her finger against your clit, you started to whimper from the pleasure. your back arched, and stars danced in your vision as your body shook with the force of your orgasm.

slowly, Vi removed her hand from your mouth, still staying inside you. “if only you could see yourself right now, cupcake.” after a few seconds of looking into your eyes, she pulled out the strap-on, leaving you feeling empty inside. tossing it aside, Vi leaned down to you and gently wiped away the tears from your cheek. you were still catching your breath, your head still buzzing slightly.

you spent a few minutes in her arms, and when you finally managed to speak, you whispered, - “I've never felt this kind of pleasure with anyone but you.” Vi kissed you tenderly, - “the feeling is mutual, cupcake.”

#vi arcane #vi #vi arcane smut #vi fanfic #vi smut #vi arcane x reader #vi arcane x reader smut #vi from arcane #vi x reader #ride on me

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konaharts · 11 months ago

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RadioStatic Week 2024

First Meeting

[I'm probably not going to do all the days due to work, but I wanted to draw at least this one!

I know they most likely met while Vox was building a video/tv empire in Hell, but I couldn't get this one scenario out of my head of Alastor finding Vox shortly after he arrives in Hell. Enjoy this mini-fic I wrote about it!]

The sinner was scrawny, a picture box laying on his shoulders, the glass having been broken in by the demons Alastor had just chased away. What looked like a face occasionally flashed on the screen.

The Radio Host's eyes scrunched up in disgust, his very personal feelings and opinions about televisions flooding into him. He should have passed on by.

Whoever this sinner was, he was possibly one of the most pathetic-looking sinners Alastor had ever laid his eyes upon.

Even so, a sinner down on his luck was another opportunity for a deal and another avenue to grow his power.

"My, my. You look like you've seen better days! Welcome to Hell, my good fellow!"

At the sound of the Radio Demon's voice, the newest arrival to Hell turned his head, the broken screen flashing, occasionally illuminating Alastor's face. A distorted, filtered voice with uneven volume emanates from the picture box, words occasionally repeating and stuttering due to the damage.

"H-H-Hell? W-W-Wał₮…I. I. I. I. Kn-Know th-th-₮Ⱨ₳₮ voł₵Ɇ."

Alastor paused.

"Oh?"

"A-A-Al₳₴₮ØⱤ ████████. ₣ⱤØ₥ ₮ⱧɆ ███ ███████ RadĐłØ ₴ⱧØ₩. I-I-It's beɆ₦ ɎɆ₳Ɽ₴, b-b-but I re₵Ø₲₦łⱫɆ th₳₮ vØł₵Ɇ."

This was unexpected. With the wave of his cane, Alastor's powers begin to turn the clock on the sinner's face, repairing it, piece by piece.

"You've heard of me?"

"Ⱨ₳ve I?" The last bit of machinery and glass push themselves in, the cracks instantly healing. A flash, and a now-complete face graces the screen. The distorted voice disappears, replaced by the voice of an enthusiastic man with a filter similar to Alastor's own. "Why, you're my inspiration!" The sinner's face beams with excitement.

Finally, some proper recognition in this hellhole. Alastor's grin turns into a wide smile. Dare he say, genuine, for once?

"Well, well, well! What a surprise! It's not everyday I come across someone who's heard of me before falling into the pits of Hell! Tell me,"

Alastor helps up the television man and straightens his antenna.

"What do they call you, ol' chum?"

The sinner hesitates. No doubt someone or something had informed him about how sinners tend to change their names upon arriving in Hell.

"…Vox."

A peculiar name.

"Well, Voxy, I know a place with the best drinks this side of town! Let's have a chat and get you settled in, hm?"

With an arm around his shoulder, Alastor leads Vox away. Despite his reservations with the...asset...Hell had so graciously gifted this poor soul as a head, maybe having someone with knowledge about television that he could manipulate wouldn't be so bad.

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generalsdiary · 7 months ago

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Dr. Ratio x Aventurine

warnings: none

word count: 1.1k

a/n: inspired by this artwork here, done by @kimeoshi

description: Ratio creating an Aventurine sculpture, fluff

the statue's pose was nothing if not an intricate one, but he wasn't fully incapable.

the life-size statue, needed, simply some finishing details. using cold tools in his hand to shape the fingers, add details to the hair... the tool flipping to sit between his fingers when he decides to press his fingertips into the statue's face, his eyes closing… drawing from his memories. Ratio finds himself yearning, forefinger smoothing out the bridge of the nose, thumb shaping the lips. in any other situation, it would feel illegal to stare at those lips for so long. his plaster covered fingers tracing the curve of the lips he likes so much, wishing the statue could depart them at his touch like the human version of it does. he is but a spectator enveloped by his own work.

satisfied with his work, and knowing he needs to step away, perfection doesn't exist, Ratio walks off, leaving the statue to dry.

an acceptable time later, Ratio's hands are clean from the plaster, his step firm, walking into the room full of statues... of himself mainly. except for the one in the middle, the one that looks like it is dancing, freshly completed. Ratio stands, extending his arm to hold the statue's extended one, the other one moving to the back. is this how it would feel like to dance with him? his posture returns to normal. Ratio steps closer... he needs to know if he got it right, gazing at the plaster lips. thump, thump, light sound informing him someone is approaching. like a flash of lighting, Ratio covers the statue with a plain white sheet and turns to face the person about to knock on the door. ... there is no knock, the door opens without a warning.

"it is polite to knock," Ratio says not even looking at the person entering, his gaze on the book he quickly fetched.

"indeed, but in the room of clay models, I doubt you'd be doing something in need of knocking" the blond man jests and flashes him a bright smile. his relaxed steps echo in the room, mentally reminding Ratio to place some rugs on the floor. Aventurine gestures to the sheet covered model, "this is the new one?"

Ratio quickly attempts to make a convincing excuse. "I'm unsatisfied with it, it is not for your eyes, dear gambler."

"you, unsatisfied? I assure you it is perfect, may I see?" Aventurine's hand resting on the sheet ready to tug it. Ratio reached out, putting his own hand over his. "don't"

Aventurine's eyes sparkle, smirking, "oh... you made something that isn't... appropriate~"

Ratio shakes his head, keeping his cool, despite the gambler getting under his skin immediately. "it is perfectly appropriate, the statue isn't nude."

Aventurine steps closer to him, ignoring the clay man under the white sheet, "this makes it even more interesting, who would you make out of clay and marble, that would make you this defensive?"

Ratio blinks, gulps, can he not just drop the topic? by instinct, from observing the lips for so long on the grey-white man, his eyes drop to Aventurine's lips, scanning if he got it all right.

"... weak attempt at a distraction, doc" Ratio's ears barely register the words.

"it's you." he settles, coming clean, in the simplest terminology.

Aventurine tilts his head, Aeons he is so pretty, "I'm the distraction? or are you..."

Ratio moves past the statue, so he doesn't block Kakavasha's view, and in a swift movement pulls off the sheet.

Aventurine observes his likeness in silence. "I was told my eyes are the money piece, in this form, you don't get to enunciate them." his arms crossed across his chest as he looked over the details.

"I'm unsure if I got your lips right."

"ahh, so that's why you're not satisfied" Aventurine turns to face the taller man. "why not test?"

"I am not kissing my statue." Ratio coldly replies. in his mind that is true at this moment. yet, in a desperate time such as ten minutes ago, he'd happily press his lips against the cold unfeeling sculpture.

"who said kiss?" Aventurine gently takes Ratio's hands and presses his thumb against his lips. He takes the other hand and presses the thumb to the statue's lips, "go on. test."

Ratio is once again reminded of how human he is, and how human this man treats him. he can feel the flush in his cheeks, and despite it, he does trace... both lips with his thumbs. similar, almost there... "your softness, warmth... could never be replicated." his hand falling off of the statue.

Aventurine's voice turns softer, "is that so?" speaking against the thumb on his bottom lip. "also~ if you wanted to dance, you should've just asked."

subconsciously, Ratio steps closer, he cannot control being drawn to the brightness of Aventurine, like a moth to a flame... the most beautiful flame this moth has ever seen. the moth wishing this could be the only flame for him.

Aventurine's eyes soften, "is anything bothering your mind, Veritas?"

"I really..." Ratio seems distracted, focused, lost, and determined, his moth form jumping around the flame, "I really want to kiss you right now."

Aventurine smiles, stepping closer, "allow me to fulfill that wish" the smaller hand cups his cheek, pulling him down, the height difference painfully obvious as Ratio leans in. once their lips meet, it is no longer just about the kiss. Ratio's arms embrace him, and pull him closer, Aventurine's hand gingerly caresses his cheek, and the other hand seeks Ratio's hand on his back, taking it in his own. it becomes about holding each other, enjoying the intimate proximity.

how could he be so lost? his wings flapping around the bright form of heat. his mind fills with useless, obviously untrue thoughts, such as; I could die in this moment and I would never regret it, this is what perfection feels like, oh he is mine, please be mine. it isn't until the kiss ends that he realizes how much of his mind was preoccupied, he looks sad, feeling it was too short.

"don't pout," Kakavasha whispers.

"I fear I could never come up with enough words to describe you, no word could ever be enough. no word would dare to match the exquisite depths of your eyes, the lingering song of your laughter, the melody of you saying my name, the softer than cotton feeling of your skin under my fingertips, the way I can barely keep standing when you look at me like this after we kiss. although it will never stop me from trying, dear gambler"

"your poetic, romantic side outmatches me, doc." the blond man smiles, pulling the taller man in for another kiss. before their lips meet, he exhales, "I'm insanely fond of you too if it wasn't obvious already" he smirks and tilts his head up to meet the taller man's lips.

a/n: this beautiful artwork (linked in the beginning) had me writing this piece while I was still in bed and barely awake.

#hsr #honkai star rail #dr ratio #aventurine #veritas ratio #aventio #ratiorine #raturine #golden ratio #ratio x aventurine #fluff

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cry-stars · 2 months ago

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Komaeda and Dementia: Part 1 of 5: Introduction and Overview of FTD

Hi everyone!

I’m an aspiring Komaedologist with an interest in dementia. I often see people doubting Komaeda’s stated diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, since it presents differently in him than in the common portrayal of dementia in the media. While his portrayal may not be completely accurate, there is a lot of truth to it, and there are many symptoms visible in-game. I wanted to share a few posts about dementia symptoms that we do see canonically in Komaeda’s portrayals in SDR2 and DR:AE, and share some information regarding his specific diagnosis as opposed to Alzheimers, for example.

I work with people living with dementia as a recreation worker. This means that I see them living their daily lives, and know about difficulties they might have with recreational or day to day activities. There are a lot of observations that I might make that can’t be backed up scientifically yet, but do make sense in a practical way. Everyone with dementia is different, and since I work with seniors for the most part, some observations won’t transfer onto Komaeda. However, I’ll do my best to back up whatever I can with sources.

This post is just for fun and to give people ideas. It means a lot to me to see a fascinating and endearing character like Komaeda portrayed with dementia, since it is a sad and terminal disease, and I usually see it end badly in my job, so I hope to give people ideas on how to portray it, or just to notice things in a different way they might not have before!

My main sources for this post and the following ones include “Dementia Diaries,” which is a really cool project where people with dementia talk about their experiences, National Institute on Aging, Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Society, and my own work experience. I plan on doing more posts about specific symptoms that we see in Komaeda later, but I would be happy to hear from other people who have dementia knowledge, or to answer any questions that I can.

For the most part, I'm only going to be talking about SDR2 and a little bit of DR:AE. I haven't finished watching the anime yet and have not read any of the manga. If anyone has ideas from any of those sources, I would love to hear about them!

Overview of FTD: Which Variant does Komaeda Have?

There are two major forms of frontotemporal dementia. The first, which Komaeda likely has, is the behavioural variant (BvFTD), which is also the most likely for young people to develop. This variant of FTD mainly affects behaviour, empathy, judgement, and planning.

Komaeda is less likely to have the other variant of FTD, primary progressive aphasia. This form of FTD mainly affects language skills, including speech and comprehension.

Komaeda doesn’t seem to have very much trouble with understanding the concrete content of what people say to him, but he does occasionally seem to have trouble fully comprehending hidden meanings behind statements (for example, taking statements literally rather than as sarcastic). To me though, this is less connected to him not being able to understand the words or content of statements, and more not picking up on the emotions hidden in the statements (which I’ll address more in the behavior post). He does seem to have some trouble with word-finding in the Japanese version of the game, but again, it doesn't inhibit his ability to express himself given enough time to speak.

Another thing to note about FTD is that, in its early stages, it mainly affects behaviour and language processing, as stated above, rather than memory. In later stages, memory does start to be affected as well, but it’s different from Alzheimers (probably the most well-known form of dementia) in that memory loss isn’t the main symptom.

FTD’s prognosis is about 6-8 years. Komaeda states in his fifth free time event that his life expectancy is between half a year and one year. However, he is also referring to his lymphoma diagnosis, meaning he expected to die from a combination of both illnesses within that time frame. In SDR2, Komaeda is probably in the early to middle stages of FTD, since he was diagnosed right before entering Hope’s Peak, and was a Remnant of Despair for some time without treatment, so while we can see evidence of memory issues (which I will address in another post), it’s something he’s able to cope with and isn’t a debilitating symptom yet.

One more observation: while dementia as a whole is usually seen in elderly people, Komaeda’s specific frontotemporal dementia diagnosis has an earlier age of onset, usually between ages 40-65, and is rarely seen in elderly people. Even though being diagnosed in high school seems unlikely, it is not impossible. According to Alzheimer Society Canada, early-onset or young-onset dementia (between ages 18 and 65) accounts for 2-8% of all dementia cases.

Thank you for reading! I plan on making five posts total. The other post topics will be Outward Behaviour, Judgement/Thought Processes, Other Symptoms, and Writing Ideas.

#nagito komaeda #danganronpa #sdr2 #komaedology #danganronpa analysis #i'm really excited to do these #they might take me forever (even just this one took me a million years dfjkhfdfd)#but i hope they can be interesting or useful to someone #thank you to windcarvedlyre for the encouragement to post these #and for the help looking for sensory overstimulation moments in the game #i feel a bit shy tagging someone in the body of the post but i want to acknowledge you here hehe

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pjmmania · 1 month ago

Text

If Snow Decides to Fall

5. "No more simple."

Chapter Warnings: Heavy angst, pregnancy, explicit language, profanity, misogynistic language

Taglist (open): @marihoneywk

Back to Chapter Index

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He looked at himself in the mirror, listening to the water running in the bathroom. He had put his robe back on and tied it more securely around his waist than normal. With a numbed expression, he studied his features, analyzing his own character.

You had dropped a bomb, and he reacted poorly. The two of you were in the middle of a break in what had evolved into an argument. Things got overheated, unexpectedly so. You decided it would be best to pause for a little bit, take a shower, and come back in a calmer state - but this had to be discussed tonight.

Jimin's own face confused him. He hadn't done so much as utter Seoyeon's name in a long time. He was befuddled by how much hurt was apparently still inside him, as he was upset that somehow she'd come back to haunt him, driving a wrench between himself and the woman he adored more. In flashes, he saw all the signs she left while they were together, everything that should have told him what she was all about. The insatiable desire of hers to be known as his, more than happy to suck his wallet dry.

He saw their dates at those expensive restaurants, remembering how he snuck payment to the owners to keep them quiet. He remembered having to pay a nosy photographer off handsomely so that he wouldn't sell photos of them together, and her furious face when she learned he'd done so.

He had already agreed to take your relationship public someday when it became necessary, but so much of that had to do with the baby. Now, to hear you sound so jealous of the things he'd done with Seoyeon, a red alarm was blaring.

When your shower was complete, he was in the living room, sitting on the couch with some mindless television on. Your hair was wet and brushed out of your face, and you were in a hoodie and shorts.

You sat down next to him, playing with the hem of your ankle socks. Neither of you knew what to say at this point.

"So..." you said, "I'm sorry about how that went."

He let out a sigh, scratching his cheek gently, "Yeah, me too. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Seoyeon sooner. She's not really a topic I engage."

"So I can gather." your voice was hushed as you hugged your knees to your chest.

Jimin dug for more words, "I'm also sorry that I haven't shown the side to you that I did to her. You know, the dating side. I understand now that it's probably strange for us to move in together when we haven't even been on a real date. You aren't crazy for wanting that."

You nodded, "And you aren't crazy for wanting to avoid past hurt. I can see why you're hesitant. I'm not mad that you have an ex, but she was serious and you broke up right before we met. That's a lot to digest, Jimin. Either way, I shouldn't have made you feel like you're a bad boyfriend for it. And regarding the dating stuff, I know I shouldn't expect typical boyfriend treatment from you, especially if you've been burned before for trying. It's just, my parents said something to me when they were at my apartment. They pointed out that there has been no real action for us going public. We've said we will, but haven't really moved forward with any plan. Pile you asking me to move in, and then all of this new information on top of it, and I felt the doubt creep in."

"I understand," he said, "I just want you to know it's not because I don't love you. It's because I love you. It's because I love this."

You felt the hurt and anger rise again. A spiteful, petty woman inside you reared her head.

"You love keeping me confined in your apartment?"

You regretted it the second you said it, but it was too late. Now the man next to you had to try to compress his irritation. He looked down, features tight with displeasure, "I told you, I don't relish hiding you."

"You just said you loved this."

Jimin sprung off the couch, making you jolt a little. He put his hands behind his head. Here you both went again.

"I mean our relationship, Y/N. Jesus Christ..."

"Well sorry, but you're sending mixed messages," your tone was sharper now, "You say you don't want to keep us a secret, but you love our relationship as it is. Both can't be true."

He groaned, turning his back to you, "They can, actually."

Your eyes rolled, "How, Jimin?"

"Because I love the relationship that doesn't subject you to scorn and hate. Because I love the relationship where we have privacy and freedom."

You were nearly speechless until you let out a mocking laugh, "Freedom?! This is freedom to you?! Every waking moment of our lives when we are outside this apartment is an act of theater! Did you know that I don't let myself laugh at your jokes at work? I don't even let myself look at you most of the time out of fear that someone will notice and-"

"And what?!" Jimin turned back to face you, eyes daring you to continue down that road, "Catch us? Because you'll get fired if they do? What an excellent point! God, do you have amnesia or something? How have you forgotten about that?!"

"I haven't."

"Well it sure seems like you have," he seethed, "It seems like you've disregarded every good reason to have conducted ourselves the way we have, Y/N. I won't be the bad guy for taking actions we both agreed on when this whole thing started! Actions that protect you!"

Both of you had shreds of self-awareness remaining, and knew deep down that this argument was becoming asinine. Neither of your points was without contradiction. Unfortunately, grown adults could still behave like children, and you dug yourself deeper into the hole.

You were steaming, "What happened to being sorry that you haven't shown me your 'dating side'?!"

"What happened to not expecting me to be able to treat you like a normal girlfriend?!"

You were both quiet for a moment. Your heads were swirling. Everything was muddled and you didn't know if you'd be able to resolve this tonight. Once more, the conversation had taken an ugly turn.

You fought back tears, whispering, "I don't, because I'm more than your girlfriend. I-I'm the mother of your child. That's my point. And if that's not enough for you to let go of this...this reflexive fear you have because of someone else's wrongdoing, then I don't know what else to do."

"But I am going to let go of it someday," his tone also softened, "You're acting like I've gone back on my word."

"No, I know we are still going to go public. We don't have a choice in all of that, as we have said many times before. I guess...I just wish you'd want it a little," you allowed a couple of tears to roll, "I know you didn't want it with Seoyeon either, but at least you were willing to take a risk for her. I'm already going to lose my job and who knows what else. I would feel better if I knew you weren't just doing it for the baby's sake. Do you ever want people to know about me?"

You ached for him to tell you that he loved you and wanted the world to know. That he wasn't embarrassed by you, that he would be glad for everyone to know he was with you. If only words like that would fall from his lips.

Jimin sighed, muscles loosening, "It's not that simple, Y/N."

It felt like a punch to your gut. You licked your lips to cope and prevent the shedding of more tears, drawing a deep breath into your chest, "No more simple. That's been the story of my life lately."

You then turned around, grabbed your purse, and left.

*3 weeks later*

You walked into your office to find a small bunch of pink and blue balloons tied on the back of your chair. On your desk was a card. After putting your things down, you went to read it. A sweet congratulatory message was on the inside and a gift card to a baby store, with signatures from everyone in the office. You told all of your other co-workers recently, and it appeared they got you something to celebrate. It made you smile, putting your hand on your belly, which had just begun to expand past your hips. Your smiles had been few and far between ever since that strange and troubling night, as had communication between the two of you.

His words were barreling through your mind. You and Jimin had never fought before, and clearly, neither of you knew where to begin the patch-up. The notion of moving in together was on hold, and it seemed like everything else was too. He was checking in with you once or twice a week, but you hadn't seen him since. The relationship was shaken, and it felt dreary. You'd grown to realize how big of a gap was left in your week without seeing him, laughing with him, loving with him.

Chaeyoung ducked her head into your office, "Hey! Do you like your surprise?"

You nodded, forcing a wider grin, "It's so sweet, thank you."

"Well, come on," she said, opening your door wider, "I know you're pregnant and all, so you've been getting here a little later than normal, but the guys have an in-house shoot today. And by today, I mean right now."

Your stomach dropped, "Oh, that's today?! Shit, give me a second."

You grabbed your water bottle and took your prenatal vitamin. Your colleague found it amusing, recalling what it was like to be at the stage you were. Pregnancy brain was real.

The two of you wheeled up the garment racks, pushing them into the elevator, as usual. You felt horrible for not only forgetting about the photo shoot but also what looks had been planned for it. You were essentially going in blind.

When you entered the right studio, the guys were already in there. Even Jimin was on-time. The program of events was the same as always. They needed to come to grab their garment bags once out of hair and makeup, and then you and Chaeyoung would take care of the rest.

The camera crew greeted you both, but seemed especially upbeat when they saw you. One of them, a man named Jongsu, came up to you with a bouquet of flowers and a small gift bag.

"Congratulations, Y/N!" he beamed at you. The other members of the crew either applauded or gave some cheers. You looked around at their beaming faces.

Wanting you to enjoy this moment, Chaeyoung took hold of the rack you were pushing and pulled it along behind her, freeing up your hands to receive these gifts.

You smiled and shook your head as both object were placed in your hands, "Thank you all so much. You didn't have to do this, really."

"Open it!" one of them said.

You set the flowers down gently on a folding table behind you. Navigating your hand through the white tissue paper in the bag, you located the object and pulled it, or them, out.

It was a pair of white knitted baby boots, so tiny that it made you gush, "Oh my gosh, these are so cute!"

They were so little. It gave your heart respite, a moment to let go of all stress and simply imagine the feet that would someday fill these shoes. Your winter baby.

The crew laughed at your response, glad that you liked them. Jongsu gestured to the little shoes, "We heard you're due in January. The little guy or girl needs some warm boots."

"Thank you," you giggled, "These are just precious. I love them."

Meanwhile, Chaeyoung approached the members. It appeared like all of them were finished with hair and makeup already, and were good to go and change. She nodded at the group, "Hey guys."

"Morning." they all greeted her back.

Jimin was focused on you, chatting with Jongsu near the door from which you came. He had watched you open the gift. Chaeyoung caught notice of his seemingly puzzled stare, looking back at you as well.

She then turned her head back to the members and smiled. She figured that he was confused by the sight, unaware of your circumstance, "Haven't you all heard? Y/N's pregnant."

For a split second, they looked at each other. Jimin couldn't pull his eyes off you. Once his friends all began to act happily surprised at the news, he followed suit. It felt mind-blowingly stupid to him. That was his child, and now he was having to blatantly pretend it wasn't.

"T-That's wonderful!" Hoseok chuckled, "We should get her a little something too, right guys?"

For once in the past couple of weeks, Namjoon and Jimin were united in something - they both shot him stern looks.

"Uh, yeah!" Jungkook replied enthusiastically, "We should. Maybe a baby-sized Army bomb or something."

Chaeyoung laughed, "Do we even make those?"

"Do we make what?" your voice quickly approached behind her. You couldn't help but lock eyes with Jimin instantly, but you made every effort not to look too long. If you were both being honest, you were the one who had been more standoffish over the past couple of weeks. You were too hurt by the disregard he showed you that night.

If it was up to him, the two of you would have talked it through and hopefully made up by now.

Even though he assumed you didn't feel this way, your appearance was glowy. Your skin was radiant, your hair looked soft and lush, and your eyes were bright.

He'd been reeling since the argument, just as you were, but he had missed you. The words you spoke that night echoed, pricking him like needles. While the comments still upset him, the stint of time without you had taken its toll. He contemplated your points and started to come around to understanding them. Slowly, the fire he felt was disappearing, replacing itself with guilt and a longing to fix this.

Chaeyoung answered your question, snapping him out of his own thoughts, “Oh nothing. I hope you don’t mind, but I was just telling them about your happy news.”

“Yes,” Taehyung gave you a knowing look, persuading you to play along, “Congratulations, Y/N.”

Jin added, “Yeah, congrats. We’re very excited for you.”

The others joined in, including the father of your child.

He looked at you with sullen, troubled eyes. The makeup around them made his expression even more exaggerated, making something inside you begin to hurt, "Congratulations, Y/N..."

You could tell that the guys felt it too. Some of them glanced at their fellow member with concern, while others looked down at the floor. It had always felt bizarre to pretend in front of people at work, but this was on another level.

You feigned a flattered expression, “Thank you all.”

“Oh!” you colleague squealed towards you, eyes fixed on your abdomen, “You’re starting to show!”

Now was not the time for this.

You looked down at your slightly distended belly and put your hand over it. Part of you wished you were wearing something looser or a cardigan so that you could conceal it from their view. You felt Jimin’s eyes burning through you, and this time you couldn’t bear the awkwardness of looking at him. Suddenly you felt a spasm of remorse for not coming around sooner. If only you had, this special moment of seeing your bump for the first time wouldn't have been tainted.

“Y-Yeah," you said, "Just recently."

He felt like he could have thrown up. There it was - the thing he’d been looking forward to seeing for weeks. Your belly had finally popped, and he couldn’t even celebrate it with you.

Chaeyoung clapped her hands once, “Right, well, you boys go get dressed.”

They all went along with it, Jungkook having to nudge Jimin to get him to move. He couldn’t pull his eyes off your belly, as if he was in a trance. The youngest member touched his lower back to urge him forward. Reluctantly, he grabbed his bag off one of the racks and went with the rest of them.

All of the guys wound up in the same private dressing room to strip down. Jimin removed his shirt, while the others cautiously watched him. He looked totally zoned out.

They knew that the two of you had an argument and what it was about. To say the least, it only cemented Namjoon's low opinion of you and the situation. In the minds of the others, they could empathize with both sides. They knew damn well why Jimin was hesitant to make the same mistakes he made with Seoyeon, but they could also understand how it must have felt for you to discover that. Still, they had no idea that he had asked you to move in with him - Jimin wasn't ready to accept even more backlash from the group leader.

"That was weird." Yoongi said, hoping it would get him to talk.

"Yeah," Jimin muttered, "It was."

Most of them had no idea what they could do. They didn't know if this was the time to support their friend or encourage a resolution to this conflict. Namjoon was biting his tongue. He wanted to let his thoughts loose again. What he had thought about you before was only emboldened now that this argument had occurred.

Always one to try to concentrate on the bright side of things, Hoseok offered Jimin a soft grin, "Hey, at least she looks healthy, right? She's popped exactly on schedule."

The others gave him perplexed expressions. Jimin's was the most pronounced, "How in the world would you know that?"

"My sister's been through this," he shrugged, "Plus I have a girlfriend who is childbearing age. Women love to talk about this stuff and I'm a good listener. Sue me."

"And those little boots they gave her," Taehyung put his hands over his chest, "They're so cute."

Jimin scoffed, "How is making comments like that helpful right now?"

The room was quiet now, minus the sound of zippers and fabrics brushing against skin. They knew he had more to say.

Eventually, he went on, "I feel so fucking useless. What kind of a man am I? She's out there having everyone think that she got knocked up by some other guy that no one's ever heard of."

"I mean...No one is treating her poorly because of it." Jungkook said.

"That's not the point," he sighed, "The point is that's my kid. And she's my girlfriend."

"I'm sorry, I can't take this anymore," Jin rolled his eyes as he pulled on his chosen shirt, "The fact that you've gone this long without making up is ridiculous and it's unlike you. If your masculine pride is hurt, then take charge and go fucking talk to her."

The group was surprised by the slight outburst of their oldest brother, but most agreed with the sentiment behind his words. Their patience with this was getting thready, if they were all honest. This cohort of men never enjoyed drama, and lately, nearly all of it was centered around this one relationship.

"She doesn't seem to want to talk to me," Jimin argued back, "She barely gives any response to the texts I've sent her. I won't force her to talk if she doesn't want to."

"Fine." Jin briskly walked up to the younger man and snatched his garment bag right out of his grasp, “Then I will.”

He pulled out Jimin's black button-up, which was supposed to be worn under a burgundy jacket. Holding it up in front of him by the hanger, Jin pinched one of the top buttons between his fingers and snapped it off. The button fell to the floor with a soft tap, the threads hanging.

Jimin was aggravated but lacked the energy to show it in full force. He inhaled and exhaled deeply through his nose, pursing his lips together, “And please tell me what the fuck that was for?”

The oldest member chuckled, bending over to retrieve the button and placing it in his hand, "You'll thank me later. Now hurry up. You have to get that fixed now if we want to start on time."

In a gust of irritation, he took the shirt from his hand. He got the rest of his outfit on and retrieved his burgundy jacket before making his way back into the studio.

Once he was out of the changing room, the rest of the boys shared a laugh.

"Jeez, that was unusually direct of you, hyung." Yoongi smirked, zipping up his black boots.

Jin shrugged, "Needed to be done. They have to get their shit together."

"I feel horrible for the tough circumstances they are facing, but I agree," Jungkook added, zipping up his pants, "She's already in the second trimester. They need to figure out the next steps."

"Maybe it's time for us to step in too," Hoseok mentioned, "I said a while ago that it would be nice for Y/N to get better acquainted with us and the other girlfriends. I think it would help her a lot. Both of them, actually. They need to feel like they have a circle of friends to lean on. As a couple."

The photographer was adjusting the lighting and taking test shots, and the makeup crew was cleaning up their space.

Namjoon was getting his jacket lint rolled by Chaeyoung to ensure everything looked perfect. The man had a knot inside him. He was glancing at you every once in a while. If he didn't think it would ruin his friendship with Jimin and throw their lives into turmoil, he could have outed you there and then.

The stylist took note of his warring expression, "What is it?"

The leader realized he had to compose himself, "Nothing, just surprised about Y/N's news. It's wonderful, though."

"Isn't it?" Chaeyoung giggled, "If I'm being honest, I was slightly concerned at first. As her friend, I want to make sure she's taken care of. I trust that you'll keep this to yourself, but the father isn't necessarily a serious partner as of now. That worried me at first, but then she told me that the father is very affluent. She'll be able to manage, with a nice supply of child support."

The world went red for Namjoon, "Oh she told you that, did she?"

The woman was perplexed, ceasing the lint rolling for a moment, "Yes...is it such a wrong thing?"

"Not at all," he seethed internally, "That's comforting, actually. Y/N shouldn't have to deal with the strain of raising a child on a single income."

Not that he had any doubt before this revelation, but now he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't inform Jimin about this. Now, you were speaking of your relationship to others, behind his back. it didn't matter if you were telling people the truth about this baby's parentage - you were disclosing about wealth. As far as he knew, you would soon let the secret out yourself. Namjoon had to put an end to this.

You were a safe distance away from the two of them. As soon as you heard the door of the changing room open and close, your gaze naturally trained in that direction. Much to your dismay, Jimin was shirtless. Both his shirt and jacket were draped over his forearm as she approached you with a certain diffidence on his face. You were the only one who could fix what Jin had done fast enough.

He stood before you, averting eye contact, "It appears I have a wardrobe malfunction for you to deal with."

Trying to be cordial, you nodded, "What is it?"

"A shirt button."

You hummed in understanding and took his black shirt from him. Jimin could have stayed behind while you walked away to perform your work. He could have simply struck up a conversation with another staff member, but he followed you anyway. Perhaps a small piece of him was grateful for the excuse provided by Jin to speak with you.

You walked to the other end of the spacious room and sat down at one of the folding tables, getting your supplies out from your waist pouch. As you examined the problem area, Jimin stood next to you.

"This was ripped off," you observed, "The thread is broken right here in the middle. Did you...?"

You glanced at him, but then you were given a stark reminder that he was shirtless and looked away. You'd seem all of them shirtless during times like this, but it was different.

Jimin cautiously confirmed your assumption, answering you with a quiet voice, "Yeah, it was done on purpose. But it was Jin, not me."

You casually checked your surroundings. No one was within earshot. You weren't oblivious - you knew why Jin would do that.

"This feels familiar, doesn't it?" you sighed, threading your needle.

He seemed clueless, saying nothing.

You smirked a little with a shake of your head, keeping your eyes on the sewing task, "This is how you and I met. Me re-attaching a button to your shirt. It was in this same studio, at this same table."

Jimin remembered. He was taken back to that day when you'd managed to turn his life anew, after such devastation. Then the past year played in his mind, so many moments with you. All the sneaking around at work, the relentless fucking, the blooming feelings of love, the coffee in the mornings after.

And now, that same woman was here, with a growing belly full of his child. Two people that he couldn't acknowledge in front of the world. It felt criminal now.

He pulled up a chair so he could sit next to you. Careful to use a low volume once more, he offered you his sincerest eyes, "Y/N, I-"

"Hey, Y/N, hurry up with that! We're about ready over here!" Chaeyoung called to you.

You looked back at her, "Okay, one minute!"

Your eyes landed on him before returning to sewing. You weren’t entirely keen on having this conversation here.

“Jimin, not right now.” you mumbled.

His spirits were let down, but he could understand. He cleared his throat and offered you a soft grin, “That’s okay. I just wanted to tell you that…”

You looped your thread through for the last time, fastening the button back in its place, waiting for him to finish his sentence. But he didn’t. He just trailed off. When you looked at him hesitantly, you saw his gaze fixed on your belly again. It was a pained, longing gleam in his eyes.

Before you could ask him to finish, he appeared to snap out of it, “That those little boots you got from the crew are really cute.”

You gave a tiny smile, and his got bigger. At last, an ounce of unity. Then both of you broke into a mutual, subdued laugh. Despite everything, you couldn’t help it. His expression was adorable and, well, he was absolutely right.

“I agree,” you said, lowering your voice even more, “Our baby’s first present.”

Then you handed him his shirt back, good as new. He put it on while you held the jacket. When he was ready for the outer layer, you positioned it behind him, holding it up so all he had to do was slip his arms through.

“Thank you,” he said, giving the lapels a good tug, “Good?”

You gently giggled at how he was extending his arms outward, showcasing the outfit, “I’m satisfied.”

Jimin could have made a dirty joke there, but decided against it. As the two of you began to walk back to the group in the middle of the room, he realized he needed to say something, and fast. Otherwise, he didn’t know the next time he’d see you in person.

He muttered in your ear, “I want to talk.”

You sighed, giving in. You were still offended, but it couldn’t go on like this. Things were progressing inside your belly. It was time to suck it up and come back to the discussion.

“I do too…your place I assume?”

He could have easily agreed to that. It was the only practical option either of you had known thus far, but this conflict proved that things had to change. Not in the months ahead, but now.

“No,” he said, “Give me the rest of the day to make arrangements. I’ll text you the time and come pick you up.”

“What?”

He smirked, walking ahead of you. This conversation had to end now that you were almost back in the circle. Briefly, Jimin turned around and whispered, “Just trust me.”

The shoot was over, and the members were changing back into their everyday clothes. Namjoon was watching Jimin, pacing himself so that he was getting dressed at the same time. He knew that the younger man would be one of the last to leave the room, and he wanted to time it precisely.

Sure enough, things unraveled how he predicted. When Taehyung exited the dressing room, it was just the two of them. Jimin became exponentially less easy. They'd hardly spoken since the leader's harsh reaction to the unexpected.

Namjoon let out a breath and spoke calmly, "I think you and I need to talk."

"I don't want to right now," Jimin spat, "I need to settle things with my girlfriend first. My relationship with her matters a whole lot more than this."

The older of the two closed his eyes. Remaining rational had to be the priority, "I understand and I agree. Your relationship with the mother of your child has to come first...I just want you to have a full view of what that relationship is."

Jimin chuckled out of astoundment. He could only shake his head as he laced up his sneakers, "You're unbelievable."

"I care about you," he pleaded, "That's what this is. I never want to see you hurt."

Jimin's Adam's apple was exposed as he tilted his head up, face directed at the ceiling as he groaned. As ticked off as he was, he k knew Namjoon was well-intended. It didn't amend the words that were exchanged, though. His head then fell frontward to the floor for a moment as he struggled to find the right words.

"I know you care, Joonie," he sighed, "But this isn't the right way to care. You insulted me, and you were way over the line about her. Your words were so hurtful that I haven't dared to even share them with Y/N. It would devastate her."

Namjoon wiped his palms down his face in aggravation, "After this fight you've had with her, you still don't see it? Surely you must."

He was losing the little patience he had, "I might have been more upset with her weeks ago, but I don't feel the same anymore. Her reasons are completely different from Seoyeon's. This whole thing confuses me, Namjoon. You're an empathetic, smart guy. How can you possibly judge this situation to be the same?"

He would regret saying these next words, but Jimin had a right to know everything. As an older brother and a leader, he needed to bite the bullet.

"Y/N has disclosed that the baby's father is rich."

Again, the younger could only chuckle, "What are you talking about?"

Namjoon lowered his voice, approaching the door so he could lock it, "Chaeyoung told me. She said Y/N described the father as a very affluent man, which will help her financially."

"That's...unfortunate."

The lock clicked into place.

"Unfortunate? That's all? It doesn't worry you that she's out there exposing some of the truth? A truth which, lest we all forget, benefits her massively?"

"You know her well enough to know that she wouldn't mean it like that!" Jimin snapped. He couldn't tolerate this narrative of you having nefarious intentions any longer.

"I know you well enough to know that you didn't catch things like this last time!" Namjoon growled, "You might love her, but the record shows that you don't always love what's good for you, Jimin."

He paused. This conversation was over. He had more important matters to attend to, and he wasn't going to commit any more energy to this.

"That may be true," Jimin's tone became much more docile, "And I believe I have learned from my past misjudgments, but you're right. I should be wary of people who bring negativity into my life, under the false guise of love. So now I have no choice but to be wary of you."

Namjoon felt his chest tighten, "No, you need to listen to-"

"Until you come to your senses, our friendship is on hiatus...I guess it's been that way for weeks, but I'm officially drawing a line. I'm done trying to make you see it my way and I can't spend any more energy on it." he started towards the door.

"Jimin, you're going to get hurt again."

Hand on the doorknob, he didn't even look back, "I hope you change your mind."

You stepped out of your apartment complex wearing the attire Jimin suggested you wear. Your stomach in a mixed recipe of thrill and anxiety, you smoothed your hands over the silky printed fabric of your dress. It had a cream and pink floral pattern on it, with thin straps and a cowl neckline. It came down to your knees, cut upward at one side by a slit. This was one of the only dresses in your wardrobe that still fit you comfortably, the material nice and stretchy.

Your feet were a bit swollen, but you had still managed to get yourself into your trusty nude heels. They clicked on the pavement below as a warm August breeze swept the streets.

The sun was setting, creating orange and pink hues on the shiny cars that were driving by. You had been told to look for a large black SUV with blacked-out windows. Indeed, one was parked on the curb. You were almost positive that this was the right one. Then, you received a text from Jimin confirming it.

He was waiting for you in the back seat, as you assumed. Jimin didn't own a car this large, so you predicted that he'd asked one of their drivers to take you. Typically, the driver would exit the car to open the door for you, but tonight obviously called for more discretion.

Your boyfriend was in a white linen button-up, appropriate for the summer heat. In his usual fashion, he left a couple of buttons undone at the top. His pants were navy blue with an athletic cut. You had no idea if it was what he was going for, but he looked like any other boyfriend, taking his woman to dinner. It brought a smile to your face.

"Hi." you said.

"Hey, beautiful." Jimin greeted you.

Once you were situated in the seat, you closed the door.

"This is Wonshik. He drives us frequently," he said, reaching forward to pat the driver on the back playfully, "Wonshik, this is my girlfriend, Y/N."

You were pleasantly shocked and somewhat petrified at his nonchalant recognition of you. He said the words as if he’d said them a million times before.

Wonshik looked back at you and flashed you a warm grin, "I'm delighted to meet you, Y/N."

"You too." you nodded.

Jimin detected your nerves and took your hand as the car pulled away from the curb. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. His toothless smile resting beneath a pair of twinkling brown eyes was so gorgeous that it made some of your apprehension dissipate. Expressions like this were part of Jimin’s language repertoire. He could say such beautiful things nonverbally.

There was still a conversation to be had, but he had already won back a piece of your forgiveness.

You smiled back at him, “Are you going to tell me where we are going all dressed up?”

“Just a quaint little place I know.”

It wasn’t a quaint little place. It turned out to be a one of the most reputable and exclusive restaurants in Seoul, called Cherry Tree. This establishment only took reservations, and was booked months in advance.

When you pulled up to it, you were dumbfounded, “Here?”

He grinned and handed you a face mask, “Put this on. I know it’s not ideal, and I promise you won’t always have to wear one when we do things like this. Just until we get to our room to take it off.”

“Our room?”

Jimin chuckled, “You’ll see. Just put it on, baby.”

You looped the elastic strings around your ears and spread the mask over your face, as wide as it could go.

Jimin put on a beige fedora with a wide brim that shaded over his eyes. With his own mask on, his entire face was nearly concealed.

You laughed, “I’ve never seen you wear a hat like that.”

You couldn’t see his mouth, but his eyes squinted as a sign of his good humor, “It’s Taehyung’s. Being unrecognizable is the whole point, so I couldn’t wear one of my bucket hats.”

You giggled again. It totally looked like something Taehyung would wear.

Then Jimin spoke to Wonshik, “Do they know we’re here?”

“Just texted their private line,” he responded, “The manager should be waiting to escort you.”

“Thanks, I will text you when we are finished,” he then turned to you once more, “Ready?”

You nodded.

He unbuckled himself, “It might sound silly, but walk behind me to the doors. When we get inside, the manager will take us up and we will be free from any prying eyes. Just don’t look around and people will mind their own business.”

You were timid for a moment, “O-Okay…”

You felt so ridiculous. This is what you’d wanted, yet now you were scared.

Jimin pulled down his mask, letting it rest scrunched up on his chin. He brought your hand to his lips and kissed it, “It’s fine. I know Hobi has taken his girlfriend here before and no one batted an eye. I’ll explain more in a bit, but this place is used to idols dining here.”

You put your full trust in him, following shortly behind him out of the car after thanking the driver. It was fully hitting you as you approached the doors - you were on a date with Park Jimin.

Once inside, the bustle of the street was totally drowned out. You were in an illustrious foyer. What appeared to be the main dining room was off to the right, but you were careful not to look too long, as Jimin recommended. The staff walking in and out of the area were all finely dressed, cordial and proper. In the background, lovely live piano music was being performed.

A man in a classic black suit stood slightly to the left of the front desk, approaching as he saw both of you enter.

The men shook hands and graciously bowed to one another. He introduced himself to you before turning and leading you to the left, where a set of marble stairs existed. The railing was trimmed with gold and cool to the touch as you ascended to the next floor.

Jimin heard your heels clicking against the shiny, potentially slippery stairs. To ensure your safety, he positioned himself slightly behind you, hand on the small of your back. It was the first time he had ever touched you like this in a public setting, filling you with a buzz you'd never felt before. You felt like a real girlfriend, simply feeling his hand on you.

"Careful, sweetheart." he muttered ever so gently in your ear.

You felt like a fool, blushing at the most basic gestures and words, when you should have been holding a grudge against him for the things he had yet to apologize for. At least no one could see how flushed you were.

Once at the top of the stairs, the manager led you through a hallway unlike anything you'd ever seen at a restaurant. There was no common dining floor filled with people - only doors with numbers on them. They were all private dining rooms.

The manager came upon the number eight, "Your reserved space. Please enjoy."

You both smiled and thanked him as he opened the door for you both. He let you know that your dinner would be served in a little while, before closing the door behind you.

The room was intimate, perfectly sized for a party of two yet not cramped. The lighting was dim over a square table, the surface of which was overlayed with a white cloth. A couple of tealights were aglow on the table.

Jimin removed his hat and mask, so you did the same. You were smiling back and forth between him and the setting. The emblem of a romantic dinner.

He kissed your cheek and chuckled, "Did I do well?"

"It's beautiful," you said, "I have no idea how you pulled it off. This place gets booked out months ahead, doesn't it?"

"It does, but there are strings that can be pulled. Like I said, they are used to hosting idols here."

You continued to walk about the room, running your fingers on the back of one of the chairs, "Then how come there aren't photographers? If I was a member of the press, I'd probably stake out front, waiting to catch someone."

He smirked, making his way over to you with a sauntering gait. That look in his eye was all too familiar, all too melting. You set both hands on the back of the chair now, haphazardly gliding them over the smooth wood side to side, gaze fixed downward. You didn't want to become putty in his hands right now. You were here to have an adult discussion.

Jimin was behind you now, resting his chin on your shoulder, "There aren't photographers because the owners of the restaurant take care of people like me. Like us. They go above and beyond to make sure it's all private, for a certain price of course. And they never sell us out to the media."

"Because they know they can keep making a ton of money if they continue hosting idols discreetly." you said.

He hummed and kissed your cheek again, "Exactly."

You turned your head to one side, dodging any further pecks. Though you were grateful for this huge gesture, you still needed to talk.

"Aren't you going to be a gentleman and pull my chair out for me?"

Jimin chuckled, "Only if you do me one quick favor."

"What's that?"

"Let me feel my baby."

You halted. As much as you wanted to keep some pragmatism, you recalled being in the studio earlier, and how badly he looked like he wanted to feel your tiny bump. He had told you multiple times how much he was anticipating it, eager to see the physical signs of his child growing. You weren't about to deny this innocent and wholesome request.

With a soft smile, you turned around. Your faces were inches apart, both of you looking down at your abdomen. Jimin adored this dress on you. The cut of it was straight, accentuating your assets without suffocating your frame. The sheeny fabric showed off the swell beautifully.

His grin was endearing, "Look at that."

You giggled, "I thought you wanted to feel it."

"I do," he chuckled softly, "But now for some reason I'm nervous."

"Why? You’ve felt it before.”

"Yeah, but now it’s…there.”

Your lips pursed for a moment as you sighed through your nose. Then, they formed a gentle smile again. Your hand wrapped around his wrist below, slowly guiding it towards its destination. He had no idea why, but his heart was thumping. It was a bigger deal to him than he could have foreseen.

First his knuckle brushed against your tummy, then his veiny hand fanned out. His palm cupped the area. You were warm, your belly soft and pliable.

Jimin’s smile broke out all at once. He laughed a little bit, coming up with no words to say. You soaked in the moment.

"It's so strange but so amazing," he said, voice hushed in an awestruck state, "A person is being made in there."

Then there was a series of two knocks on the door, startling you both into immediate separation. Although the point of being here was so that you wouldn’t have to pretend, neither of you were willing to risk anyone suspecting anything about this pregnancy.

In came a waiter, carting two dishes. It was then that Jimin pulled out your chair for you, saying, “A deal’s a deal.”

A lovely dinner was placed in front of you. You had no idea that the food was ordered ahead of time, but you didn’t mind in the least. Your boyfriend knew your appetite very well, and you had no complaints. He ordered galbijjim for both of you, and it was the best you’d ever tasted.

Shortly, it was just the two of you again, eating contently.

“This is all so nice, Jimin,” you said in between bites, “Thank you…But when we fought, you seemed against the notion of something like this. What changed your mind?”

He refreshed himself with a swig of water, “Honestly, I was slowly coming around to it over the past few weeks. And then this morning when we had to put on the show for everyone, it killed me. For the first time, it was actually unbearable."

"I agree," your tone was downtrodden, "I know we will likely need to keep doing that for a while, but it was so strange. And I'm so sorry you had to find out about my bump the way you did. I could tell it pained you."

Jimin's face fell, "That wasn't your fault, but it did. Not as much as having to congratulate you, though. It felt like a betrayal of you and the baby, like I was disowning you or something. I'm sorry."

You offered him a weak, sad smile, "That wasn't your fault. It was both of ours. All of it. That's why we need to figure this out, for real this time."

He took his napkin and dabbed his lips a few times, "Right. If it's okay, I want to start by explaining something I said during our fight."

You nodded.

"When you asked if I ever want people to know about you, I said it isn't that simple," he began, "Let me tell you why."

Again, you gave him a feeble grin, "In my reflection, I know what you meant by that. You love me and don't want me to get hurt. I get it."

"No," Jimin's expression was frank, "No, I don't think you do, Y/N. I don't want to scare you, but it will be beyond your imagination. There will be many who accept you, but we as people can't help but focus on the ones who don't. It will feel like the entire world is against you. Millions of people you don't know will suddenly have an opinion of you. Rumors of all kinds will fly around and you won't be able to control them. It's unfathomable to anyone who hasn't been through it. I have, and I don't want to put you through that, let alone our child."

He paused for a moment after mentioning the baby. You let the sentiment absorb. It was heavy.

"That's not to say we shouldn't because ultimately it's best for all of us," he continued, "But that's the reasoning. I can't handle the idea of you suffering what I've suffered over the years."

“Thank you for saying that. I know you want to protect me…us. I know that’s what underlies all of the points you were making during our argument, but please don’t deny that there’s another reason, Jimin.” you sighed, rehashing the topic that started it all.

Much to your pleasant surprise, he addressed it right away, “I don’t deny it. Seoyeon hurt me badly and when you brought her up so suddenly I was alarmed. You were echoing some of the same things she’d say.”

“I know I was,” you admitted, “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize. You don’t have the same bad intentions she did and I was wrong to draw that parallel. I think I was just shocked we were even talking about her.”

“Well…you could have told me yourself.”

He nodded, “I know. I should have, because I can see how my lack of transparency left a bad taste in your mouth. I don’t have an excuse for that. And in the spirit of transparency, there’s something I think you ought to know.”

Your heart dipped low. You assumed it had something to do with his ex, and goodness knows another revelation in that regard wouldn’t be pleasant.

“Oh no, what is it?”

“It’s nothing I want you to be concerned with, but at the same time, this conversation has made me feel like you deserve to know,” he said, clearing this throat, “Well, it’s about Namjoon. He’s, um, not particularly keen on all of this.”

You put your utensils down. The look on your face took a piece of his resolve away.

“I see…” you muttered, looking anywhere but his eyes, “And would his opposition have anything to do with the things we just talked about?”

You weren’t clueless. You could put the pieces together. He thought you were just another version of her.

Reluctantly, Jimin nodded, “I think it’s a part of the reason why I reacted so strongly to you bringing up Seoyeon. His words were in my head in a moment of weakness. But he doesn’t know anything, and I’ve distanced myself from him for the time being.”

“Wow…okay...” you drifted, “Does he think I’m after money and fame?”

He recalled his skirmish with him earlier, and scowled, “He doesn’t know anything.”

His non-answer was all the confirmation you needed. You were bothered, to say the least. To know that one of his closest friends had such a low view of you was a tough pill to swallow.

“Well then,” you took a sip of water, attempting to spackle on a brave face, “I hope you guys are able to patch things up. Maybe I can talk to him.”

Jimin shook his head, crossing his arms, “Like I said, it’s nothing you need to concern yourself with. Just focus on your own wellbeing. That matters more to me than anything he has to say or think.”

You laid the issue to rest for the time being, accepting it quietly. It was clearly going to put your boyfriend in a tizzy and it wasn’t the topic meant to be discussed thus evening.

“Then I won’t worry about it.”

He seemed satisfied, “Good. Now onto the main issue, the announcement. I know it’s taken a while to get to this point, but I’ve had some ideas.”

#angst #jimin x reader #bts #fanfic #jimin #park jimin #romance #bts fanfic #bts fic #jimin fluff #jimin bts #jimin fanfic #bangtan

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roosterforme · 1 year ago

Text

Adult Education Part 4 | Hangman x OC

Summary: Jake gets some more insider information about Jessica, and he decides to let her know exactly what he intends to do next. The heated moments in her office are about to boil over, until Jessica is hit with the feeling that Jake is starting to run cold.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, swearing, eventually 18+

Length: 4100 words

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Female OC

This story is part of the Beer Boy and Sugar universe but can be read on its own! Adult Education masterlist

Seriously, who let Jake on my masterlist!? Banner by @mak-32

"Did you get her number yet?" Bradley asked in the locker room on Monday morning while Jake was changing into his flight suit.

Very begrudgingly, he said, "No, I did not." It had been almost a full day since he emailed Jessica, and all he got in return was radio silence.

"Damn... I've been messing around with my wife all over campus. I got a blowjob in a lecture hall last week, and you still don't have a phone number?"

Jake just rolled his eyes and said, "I'm hoping I'll see her again tomorrow."

"Sugar was right," Bradley said, shaking his head as he zipped up his own flight suit. "You're losing your touch."

Jake slammed his locker closed. "It's not like she's some random tag chaser from the Hard Deck, okay?" he growled. "She's smart, and she's gorgeous. And I doubt she's handing her phone number out to anyone who looks at her. I'm not in a rush for once."

Bradley smirked and held his fist out. Jake very slowly hit it with his own fist. "What is this?" he asked cautiously after the fist bump. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Sugar said she'd eat lunch with Dr. Reed today and try to see what's up, but only if I could determine if you really liked her and weren't just trying to fuck her."

Jake stopped the smart response on his lips before the words came out. He still wasn't sure what kind of rumors were circulating about Jessica, and he definitely didn't want to add to anything by coming on too strong or being an ass. Part of him was convinced he needed Bradshaw's wife on his side to make it to the next step. So he said, "I've been spending the vast majority of my time thinking about cooking dinner for her while she reads to me from a scientific journal. Not sure if that's the kind of information your wife is looking for."

Bradley looked shocked and his face paled. "Huh. If she has a titty tattoo, you're screwed, man. Completely fucked." But he was reaching for his phone now. "I'll text my wife and let her know."

"Thanks," Jake grunted, checking his email app one last time before closing his locker and heading out toward the hangar. As he looked over his jet and filled in the safety protocol sheets, he kept thinking about her. She would be fascinated by this, seeing all of her mathematical knowledge playing out. He could take her up in the air with him, and she would be delighted the entire time.

Jake would have already taken Jessica out to dinner last night and dropped her off at home with a kiss. But this wasn't playing out the way he imagined it would. If Bradshaw's wife didn't help clue him in on what was going on here, then tomorrow would be his last attempt. He was on the verge of getting his hopes up. He couldn't even look at the patch on his flight suit the same way anymore. Not after her elegant fingers had skimmed along the golden threads.

But he pushed everything from his mind the best he could, and he got up in the air for the training exercises with Phoenix and Bob. But when he got back to his locker around five o'clock, he saw an email from Jessica that had been sent eight hours ago. Jake nearly dropped his phone as he tried to open the app.

Dear Lieutenant Seresin,

I'm so pleased to hear that you enjoy the journals as much as I do. If you keep reading them from front cover to back cover, I'm sure you'll be rewarded with the knowledge that you're craving. I might even have to pull some of my own published articles for you to read... if you think you can handle that sort of thing.

My equations are not for the faint of heart. Bring your pencil on Tuesday but leave your skateboard. I wouldn't want to have to lecture you about skating in the academic buildings. We could be there all night.

Perpetually looking forward to my office hours now,

Dr. Jessica Reed, Ph.D

P.S.- If you liked that photo and are well behaved, maybe you can have more. Ones that aren't listed on the university website.

Jake had to juggle his phone again as he read the post script. "Holy shit," he drawled, his eyes skimming along the words a second and third time. He was in. He had to be? This was sent before any sort of lunch could have happened between his favorite physics professor and his favorite math professor. "Shit, shit, shit. Bradshaw!" Jake ran back past the lockers and toward the showers. "Bradshaw!"

"What?" Bradley called back from one of the stalls where steam was rising from the top, voice echoing loudly.

"What did your wife say?" Jake asked impatiently.

"Jesus, Hangman. I don't know. I haven't checked my phone yet."

Jake sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "Well, how much longer are you going to be?"

"For fuck's sake! I don't know! I'm literally taking a shower. Is nothing sacred?"

Jake muttered, "I really need your wife's phone number," as he wandered back to sit on the bench in front of his locker and read the email again.

A few minutes later, a glaring Bradley strolled back over in his towel, reached into his locker and tapped his passcode into his phone. "Here, knock yourself out," he said, handing it to Jake. But then he snatched it back quickly with a look of panic. "Actually, let me just scroll and make sure she didn't send a dirty picture," he mumbled, swiping along his phone screen. "Nah, you're good."

Jake quickly found the one long message at the bottom of the thread and started to read it.

Thanks for packing my lunch today. I feel ridiculously spoiled when everyone else has to eat a sad looking microwave meal or grab something from that horrifying food truck next to Chippy's. You're the absolute best.

Jake glanced to where Bradshaw was getting dressed and fixing his hair. You might not immediately know it by interacting with him, but the man clearly loved his wife.

I shared some of the veggies and hummus with Jessica. I still don't know what went down with her and Brian Conley, but it's creepy the way he looks at her. But anyway, lunch was nice. I think I made a new friend? Because she's not annoying or old or a man, and she doesn't try to talk over everyone else. Oh, and she's definitely into Jake. She started to fidget and adjust her glasses when I told her that I saw him at the Hard Deck over the weekend and he asked about her. She's cute as a button. Tell Jake to just Keep Truckin' (that's a Grateful Dead reference for you, Beer Boy. Reward me later.)

"Truly, the two of you are disgusting," Jake said as he reached for his own phone. "I'm saving your wife's phone number." Once he had it saved in his contacts, he gave Bradley his phone back. "Thanks."

"Sure," Bradley grunted. "She get you what you were hoping for?"

Jake just smirked. "Dr. Tits never lets me down."

----------------------------

Jessica tried not to let her hesitancy show when she was invited to have lunch with the only female with tenure in the math department. This wasn't even the first time recently that she thought she might be able to make a friend at work, but she didn't want to get ahead of herself. One small step at a time with these things. She still wasn't exactly sure who to trust around here.

But when the other woman knocked on her door promptly at noon, Jessica opened her door and smiled. "Do you want to eat in here?" she asked, noting the lunchbox the other woman was holding which had a funky tie dye print.

"Sure, AP," she replied with a smile. Jessica's heart swelled with happiness; they actually had nicknames for each other. Advanced Physics and Advanced Calculus.

"Have a seat, AC," she said, gesturing to the chair opposite her desk. Jessica knew her husband worked with Jake, and she really wanted to ask about him. But out of extreme caution, she kept her mouth shut as far as he was concerned. The last thing Jessica wanted was to make this kind female who was close to her own age and who seemed really cool thinking she was only interested in talking about the aviator she was crushing on. Instead she said, "So, tell me more about the mythical math department where they give tenure to women."

Then as she opened up the meal that her husband packed, she regaled Jessica with tales of fair treatment and an office with a view. And then she offered to share her lunch as Jessica ate a hot pocket. And while Jessica was munching on a carrot stick, the other woman said, "I was at this naval hangout over the weekend with my husband, and Jake was there. He asked me about you."

Jessica sat up straighter in her seat. There was still no response to her email from this morning, but she doubted Jake was allowed to just play around on his phone while operating a seventy million dollar aircraft. She slid her glasses a little further up her nose and said, "In an effort not to sound completely boy crazy... what did he want to know?"

She snorted. "Everything."

And that's when Jessica started to panic. Everyone in this part of San Diego State University had surely heard some rumors about her and Brian. She was mortified that this woman might have told Jake the truth. If she even knew the truth. But one of the lies or rumors would be just as bad. She wanted to hide under her desk now, and all she could manage to say was, "Oh."

But she just kept going. "Between you and me, Jake's going a little crazy that you apparently won't let him have your phone number? Which I think is absolutely what that man needs. So keep up the good work. He's too handsome, and he knows it. I don't think he's ever encountered someone like you before."

Jessica looked at her with wide eyes. "Be honest with me. How soon is he going to lose interest in a nerd who collects journals and does math problems for fun?"

But she just shook her head. "Lose interest? Probably never. Get frustrated and think you're not interested? Hmmm. I'm not sure."

But Jessica could feel her neck growing warm. She'd been pretty forward in her email to him earlier, and she knew exactly what she wanted to do. "Nobody could lose interest in Jake," she murmured, helping herself to some more carrot sticks.

"Listen," the other woman said. "This is just from Advanced Calculus to Advanced Physics, okay?"

"Okay," Jessica replied with a laugh.

"Jake could probably get any woman he wanted, but he hasn't had much exposure to anyone except hardass military officers and tag chasers. I'd say you fall somewhere in between. Just be careful, okay?"

Jessica nodded in agreement, unsure exactly what she was agreeing to. But she found she liked the idea of falling somewhere in between for Jake. In her mind, it made her more unique than she actually felt.

On Tuesday morning, she dressed in a matching set of lingerie just like she always did. But she chose a deep wine red, because it made her feel bold. And if Jake followed through with what he said, then he would be stopping by her office later today. Bold might be a necessity.

She was running her finger along the strap of her bra before tucking it into her lightweight sweater as her computer booted up. She had her coffee on her desk, but she didn't need it. She was so excited and filled with adrenaline, she felt like she might bounce around her small office. Then she gasped; there was a new email from jake.seresin waiting for her.

Dear Dr. Reed,

I'm hoping you'll have some time for me later today. I'm also thinking that one of these visits, my luck will run out. Will somebody else skateboard off with your heart? Will I have to compete with a whole line of aviators with detailed physics notes and sharpened pencils?

I won't be able to stand the heartache, so I wanted to let you know now that I'm going to ask you out tonight. I'm going to try to persuade you to join me at Chippy's for more beer and peanuts on Wednesday. I want you to have some time to think about your answer. Because if that's not something you want to do, then I'm going to need you to let me down very gently, Jessica.

See you when I report to your office hours,

Jake

P.S.- If there actually is a whole line of aviators, I wouldn't be surprised in the least.

Oh, he was so smooth. And funny. And he was giving her the whole day to decide what she wanted to do. Jessica squeaked and smiled behind her coffee cup. He must have sensed her hesitance, but he didn't seem annoyed. Rather he seemed like going to Chippy's with her again would make him really happy. Chippy's of all places. Her of all women.

With a few minutes until her schedule really started for the day, she stood and knelt in her dress pants in front of her bookshelf. There was a specific journal with a specific article that would be just perfect for what she had planned. Once she located it, she tucked it away in her top drawer, and then she went back for a few more journals that she could send home with Jake.

And as far as Chippy's went, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. Last time they were there, she'd had the best time talking to him, and they hadn't even gotten into many personal topics. Of course she did run away terrified that he was trying to two time his wife or girlfriend. But this time around would be different.

She snatched up her folders and lecture notes and locked her door behind her, knowing she would have to contend with Luca and all of her other students before she would get to see Jake at all. So she buckled down and got to work. Three lectures, one lab class and one recitation later, she wandered back up to her office, absolutely starving and exhausted.

The sad salad she pulled out of her mini fridge and the thermos of lemonade would just have to do. It was already after three o'clock, and she had exams to grade. The fact that she had the worst schedule out of everyone in the physics department was not lost on her as she forced her salad down and dreamed about something homemade. It was ridiculous how jealous she was of the packed lunches that her calculus counterpart always had.

Two huge stacks of exams later, Jessica made note that she had five students who were failing their classes. Gently, she removed her glasses and let her forehead come to rest on her desk. Her office hours were about to begin, and as excited as she had been to see Jake earlier this morning, she kind of wished more of her students would visit her. It was early in the term, and they had time to turn their grades around, but still.

At 5:30 she propped her door open and waited. As long as Dr. Leeland didn't stop by today, she'd call it a win. She gave extra practice problems to Nia, and she helped Benji correct his mistakes on his lab calculations, and then she waited. After she checked the time on her computer, she turned off the monitor. It was 6:45. She'd been on campus since 8:00. She was hungry again. And she was starting to feel like an idiot.

"Reedy."

Her eyes met his pretty green ones instantly. Perched in her open doorway with his notebook in hand, he looked like everything she wanted. Jeans and a black tee replaced his uniform today, and he was just stupidly handsome.

"Jake."

He nodded toward the hallway, and she saw a sharpened pencil tucked behind his ear. "Would you like me to close the door?"

"Please," she replied softly as she stood behind her desk. When the door clicked into place, she imagined herself locking it and doing the dirtiest things in her office with Jake Seresin. These same thoughts circulated her brain as she tried to fall asleep every night now. She'd have him pushed up against the wall with her lips on his neck. Or she'd push him down onto her chair and straddle one thick thigh.

She was jarred back to reality as he made his way over to her desk with a soft smile. "I tried my hand at some of these equations," he drawled. "Can't quite figure them out. Don't seem to have the right numbers."

Then he reached up, and Jessica watched him take that pencil into his hand. "Would you like me to show you how it's done?" she asked with a smirk.

"Oh, you know I would." Hungry eyes roamed over her face as he handed the pencil over to her. His fingers felt rough when they brushed hers, and she had to fight to keep her mind focused on the math in his notebook.

"Have a seat," she told him, and she knew the fun was just about to begin.

-------------------------

Jake eased himself down into the chair opposite Jessica's desk, and he looked up at her where she stood. She had his pencil in her hand, and as she reached into her drawer to retrieve her calculator, he watched her pretty, red sweater slide a few inches down her shoulder revealing her bra strap. It was a darker shade of red. It looked beautiful against her skin.

"You're using the wrong formulas," she said with a smirk. "You can't expect the physics problems to respond to the wrong math."

"Show me how it's done, Jessica."

She bit her lip, and when she bent at the waist, Jake couldn't fathom how her students were able to pay attention in her classes. Her body was absolutely sinful looking. And when the tip of his pencil pressed against the notebook page, Jake's eyes drifted to the front of her sweater. That bra was even prettier than he imagined. His cock pulsed in his snug jeans. Lace. Just lace and her gorgeous cleavage.

He grunted and her eyes met his. Was she doing this on purpose? Did she know how good she looked to him right now? Did she have any fucking clue how crazy she was making him? No. He could tell she had no idea how much she was messing him up.

Then she wrote out the set of formulas that he would need to use before spinning the notebook around so it was facing him. "Give it a try," she said, setting her calculator and his pencil next to it.

As Jake leaned closer to her desk to take a look, Jessica walked around to the other side. She perched herself next to where he was working, his fingers just inches away from her thigh as he desperately tried to remember the difference between thrust and propulsion.

"Are you distracting me on purpose?" he asked without looking away from the notebook.

"Do you find me distracting?" she asked softly, and Jake chuckled.

"You know I do," he said before dropping the pencil and standing. He towered over her as he gingerly placed his hands on the desk, bracketing her in. "You know I do, Jessica."

His face was close to hers, but she didn't shy away at all. The devilish grin that found its way to her lips was begging to be kissed away until she was moaning his name. But he didn't move an inch.

"I thought you had something you wanted to ask me tonight," she whispered as one high heeled foot met his calf, and the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention.

He jerked his chin up an inch. "Baby, if you won't go to Chippy's with me tomorrow, it's gonna break my heart."

As soon as her teeth pressed into her plush lip, Jake could see that grin return to her face. When he moved a fraction of an inch closer, she gasped and said, "I couldn't possibly go out with a guy who can't get his thrust equation down correctly."

Jake smirked and pushed off from the desk, leaving her and returning to his vacant seat. Then he read through the formulas she had written for him. And then he worked out his constants and entered his variables. When he punched everything into her calculator, he came up with an answer. And then he double checked it. Because the last thing he wanted Jessica to be concerned about was him knowing all about the power of thrust.

When he handed her the notebook, he eased himself further back into the seat. She adjusted her glasses with the backs of her fingers and then started to skim the page to check his math. But that pretty smile was still present, and soon she closed the notebook and then set it down next to her thigh.

She met his gaze and held it. "I would love to go back to Chippy's with you."

That meant his math was correct. It probably also meant that she made her mind up earlier today but just wanted to toy with him. And he could become fucking addicted to that.

"Just tell me what time, and I'll meet you there," he promised, heart thudding in anticipation of another evening spent with her.

"Seven?" she asked softly.

"It's a date."

---------------------------------

Jessica stopped home between her last class and the beginning of her date at Chippy's. Every time she thought about it, she started laughing. A college dive bar was hardly the most romantic place in San Diego to grab a drink, but somehow it was exactly perfect. She ate dinner quickly and then changed out of her pantsuit.

The mirror in her walk in closet caught her attention, and she spun to inspect her body in the royal blue bra and thong. Not bad. But she wasn't sure how to dress. And she wasn't planning on letting Jake see this pretty set. Yet. They hadn't even kissed. He still didn't have her phone number. But that made her giggle as she tried on a few different pairs of jeans before settling on ones that were high waisted and hugged her body.

She chose a cute blouse and then slid on a pair of high heels before heading back to campus. As she parked near the bar, she checked her makeup one last time in the mirror on the back of the sun visor. She looked good. Better than good. Then she grabbed the journals and her purse from the front seat and headed inside.

The peanut shells that littered the floor stuck to the bottoms of her shoes, and the crowd of students was a little loud. But she liked it here anyway. When Chippy himself looked up from the bar, he smiled at her.

"Reedy," he said with a wave. "A beer?"

But she shook her head. "Not yet. I'm meeting someone. He should be here soon."

His brow scrunched up. "That same one? In the uniform?" When she nodded, he said, "Careful with those ones, Reedy."

And his words hung in the air as she found an empty high top with two stools. For the past year she'd kept to herself. Kept her nose clean. Stayed away from not only the bad guys, but really guys altogether. Was she making a mistake here?

She checked the time on her phone. 7:04. Then she skimmed the journal she brought with her which contained her very own recent publication. Then she checked her phone again. 7:17. Chippy dropped off a bowl of peanuts, and she cracked one open as her brain started to tell her that she was being stood up. Because suddenly it was after 7:30 and there was no sign of Jake.

-----------------------

Jake, what the hell, man? You're only going to get one chance here. Loving the Beer Boy and Sugar moments. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 5

@blahehblah

@sotalife

@desert-fern

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@rosiahills22

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@je-suis-prest-rachel

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@xoxabs88xox

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the-final-sif · 10 months ago

Note

what is your opinion on the situation?

I've been at work all day so I haven't been able to sit down with stuff fully, it also seems like Caiti is planning to release a statement later today with more information I think? So I'd like to get her response there, but based on what I've seen so far I think I fall more on the side of "people made some dumb choices and should learn from them" than anything else.

Consent is messy and it gets messier when people start lying or are drunk. In this case, both Caiti and George were drunk. From what I understand, either Caiti had a 21+ wristband from the vidcon party, or her friend group did and assumed since she was drinking with them, she was also 21+.

Honestly, when it comes to the matter of underage drinking, I don't think it's even remotely fair to place blame on Dream/George for that. The blame there lies with Caiti deciding to drink while under 21, and on her friends, Ghostie and the other person present who were both over 21. Unlike Dream/George, both of them knew Caiti and knew exactly how old she was and were letting her drink. They were also letting her drink with no one sober and no one making sure she got home.

Now, Caiti is 18 and also I'm not a goddamn square, I'm not gonna stand here and be like "oh no drinking at 18 clutch my pearls" but like, if people are going to blame other people for that situation, that very much lies with Caiti's friends who knew they had an underage person drinking with them. I feel like people are weirdly assigning blame to Dream/George for not like, iding every person they hang out with (particularly if she had a 21+ bracelet at vidcon, which would mean she already got IDed). While completely avoiding placing any blame on the people who 100% knew they were taking an 18 year old drinking without a doubt.

Putting that aside, from my understanding George's side is he believed at the time that she was having fun, and the most they did was cuddle on a couch with other people there. He believed at the time that everything was cool, and that she later decided she was uncomfortable with what happened.

Honestly, I don't really think that's an unfair reading. At this same party, her best friend was there and from Ghostie's own words, she also didn't realize Caiti was uncomfortable until several months later when Caiti told her. If her best friend didn't notice she was uncomfortable or see anything wrong, then I find it hard to think anyone else would pick up on it.

There's certainly risks taken here that I wouldn't have taken. I think that George needs to do better with checking for consent and maybe vetting the people you're hanging out with. Although I also understand that doing a full background check on everyone you ever meet is an absurd requirement and if, at the time, they trusted the person that they actually invited, I get how that shit happens. Per consent, given that he was also drunk, I get how it may've appeared to him that he had consent. I do think it's still something to work on, but I'm also perfectly aware that in real life, people are often going off vibes and social cues, and sometimes those don't mash.

I also think that Caiti's friends have been pretty shitty throughout this. They take no responsibility for having let an 18 year old drink and then ditching her. They are absolutely milking drama out of this shit and they have a weird obsession with blaming Dream for shit he had no fault in.

As for Dream, I don't think he did anything wrong here. Full stop. If Caiti's best friend didn't notice that she was uncomfortable or unhappy, it's insanely unreasonable to expect Dream to have managed that. He was also drunk and hanging out with people, and he had no way of knowing Caiti was underage. None of that shit was his fault, and his statement seems very measured and reasonable. People are trying to blame him for things that he had absolutely no part in, and the UK group are absolutely trying to pull that shit.

Overall, sounds like several people involved made dumb choices, I hope they learn and grow. Otherwise all of this honestly sounds like shit that should've been talked out privately and not tossed to the internet for speculation. Human beings are messy and will fuck up sometimes. This feels like a case of miscommunication and people making risky choices that left people with some hurt.

Again, I may change my mind with further evidence presented, but that's how it feels to me.

#dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #discourse #sif speaks #sif answers #idk man I think I just have more irl experience with these sorts of situations #like #shit happens in real life #and I think maybe part of the problem with like twitter #is you have a lot of 15 year olds that have never been drunk or fucked in their lives #who are totally sure they know exactly how consent works and how sex goes in real life #I really liked the greendot talk I got about it back in college #I should find a recording of that sometime for people #It laid it out really well that consent is not an on-off switch #It's a door that you're opening #and depending on the circumstances you take risks with how you're opening it #0 risk is like the two of you have a formal plan #and have signed contracts #and then you start to move up through situations that can be more risky that something goes wrong #and someone gets hurt #And honestly for irl consent I found that was so much more of a valuable framework to look at things through

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innerwriterwonderland · 6 months ago

Text

My girl only breaks her favorite toys ☆

Avox!Coryo x Reader

Summary: Just as you're about to give up on finding Coriolanus Snow, your school nemesis, he falls right in your lap, in quite the condition.

Warnings: Canon level violence, threats, non sexual choking, attempted drowning, mention of bruises, cuts and other injuries, mentions of masturbation, the reader exhibits predatory behaviors, mentions of past bullying, homophobia and prostitution (pls feel free to tell me if i missed anything).

Author's note: this is a based on this small headcanon i made some time ago, but it can be read alone. It isn't meant to be a series, but i'm thinking of a part 2 in the future.

Word count: 2843 words.

It was your 18th birthday. A weird thing if you were asked. You got the prize, a way to University, all the honors of top student, despite not being picked as a mentor for the games, and still it didn't sit right with you. All these things were never yours, at least you never thought they would be.

They were Coriolanus Snow propriety. He set his claim on it all a long time ago, maybe even before he was conscious of it. But weirdly, the Snow heir had vanished into thin air after the 10th Hunger Games. Disappeared from the Capital's streets completely. No one knew where he went, or why he went, or even when exactly he left.

All that was said was that one day Coriolanus was celebrating his tributee's victory, and then the next one, he just couldn't be found anywhere. And the strangest thing was the lack of cover up story. How no one bothered masquerading his absence.

But, alas, here you were. Exhausted from the longest, fanciest, loudest party your parents could throw. Feet sore from the high heels you wore all night, and head buzzing from all the noise. It was nice how happy they were for you, but sadly, you felt too lost in your party to enjoy it.

There was one more gift according to your parents, waiting in your room. "To end the night on a high note!" your mother said, "It must be expensive!" you replied. Your mother had certainly acquired a taste for Capital opulence, and so had you. The heels, and clothes, and jewels in your bedroom accounted for that.

The double doors opened silently, and you went through in a mess stumbling feet, and energetic laughter. You might also be a bit tipsy, too much champagne for a night.

Then your body turned cold and rigid, eyes wild like you'd seen a ghost. Well, maybe you did.

Coriolanus Snow stood not a meter away from you, with sunken cheeks, and dirty platinum curls, and eyes too blue to be real. And, strangest of all, in a rose Avox tunic, looking sick and beaten.

Most certainly this was some illusion, you were hallucinating!

Coriolanus Snow, who – despite not having a coin to his name – walked through the Academy halls like he owned the place, and everyone inside it, was standing in front of your very eyes in a servant's clothing. Not any servant, an Avox, a criminal without his tongue, forced to do labor to atone for his crimes.

You were clearly losing your marbles! That's the only logical conclusion.

Yet, a gargled sound came out of the Coriolanus shaped thing in your bedroom, and it's eyes were the very blue you couldn't erase from your mind. It was him! By some heavenly miracle, of whatever this was, that was him.

"Snow?" You whispered almost scared as you reach your hand to him. Months of gathering whatever littlest information you could find on him, of using every last favor you had to look for clues on where the hell he was – just for Coriolanus to fall right into your lap.

He shrinks away from you, one step after another as you get closer. Now you could smell the foul scent that glued itsetf to him, disgust!

His back hit you vanity as your hand connects itself to his swollen cheek. Had they hit him before bringing him here? You doubted the Snow heir would come quietly to serve you, what he called "a district whore". Well, not like he had any choice now. A mean smile painted your lips at that.

"Snow, dear" You purred, getting closer to him, something he clearly didn't enjoy. "Looks like you were roughed up!" Sharp manicured nail traced the purple bruise close to his eye, and you watched as his eyebrows drew in on pain. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you now!"

It was twisted, what you felt for him. You couldn't hate him more, yet he was your longer lasting obsession. Maybe it was some underdog complex, as a born district girl, envying the Capital pure breed boy might be natural. But in your opinion it was more than that.

Coriolanus had chosen to haunt your life for as long as you've known him, no mercy to spare after letting the Plinth boy walk free of judgment it seemed. His insults and acid jokes echoing behind your back anywhere you went.

But now he seemed so weak, and fragile.

Snow had always been a bit short for his age, too skinny, pale and underdeveloped, but all the boys in his generation were. But he had a regal posture to compensate, as graceful as a lynx, Snow was quite easy on the eye, if you were honest. Attractive, but intimidating, in equal parts.

Your nails graze the recent cut on his forehead as you brushed his curls away from it.

"Poor, poor Snow" Soft as feathers, your hands trailed down his temple, and came down to hold his face between your palms "Let's get you bathed, huh? Wash all this dirt away?" You talked to him like a child, condescending.

With his wrist tightly enveloped by your hand, you pulled him into your bathroom. A spacious and luxurious room, with a delicate porcelain tub in the middle. "Undress" You ordered, with a stern voice Snow had never heard, before leaving him there and going to change yourself.

Snow thought for a moment after undressing that he should thank you for giving him such privacy, but only lasted 'till you came back into the room. In a short baby pink slip dress and a silk robe on top, hands working on tying up a bow to close it. Your eyes ran over his body, taking notice of the many bruises.

"They really hurted you, didn't they?" You asked, putting your hair up with a claw clip, and opening the faucet to fill the tub "But the real question should be why? What did you do to deserve this, huh?" Snow fumed at that, knowing he could not answer "Cat got your tongue? Oh, no, the peacekeepers did!" Your laughter echoed in the ample space.

Once the tub was full, you mentioned for him to get in and he obeyed. Just that simple act of submission made your skin tiggle. The Snow you knew would rather die than follow your command, he couldn't even handle to be beneath you in anything. Once, at the Academy he had choked and threatened you after you got a grade higher than his.

You never forgot the feeling of his cold fingers on your skin, his blue eyes looking right into yours, his breath fanning over your face. You went back to that moment many, many times, late at night, when you were alone and needy. As said before, your feelings around him were never so simple.

Snow sinked down slowly into the warm waters, humiliated to be following your commands. How ironic that he's pride was to blame for this. If he hadn't cheated for Lucy Gray to win, he wouldn't be at your mercy, if you had any. His eyes burned you as you knelt down beside the tub and began to bathe him.

Smiling up at him, all sickly sweetness, you brought the sponge up to rub his back "You know, I used to watch you, back at the Academy. So smart and bright, always around those rich, influential friends of yours. Always leaving me behind, look where that got you" The faux pity in your voice made his skin crawl, the rough sponge brushing against his bruises making him wince in discomfort "But it's okay, I'll take care of you now, as long as you obey me."

Your hands let go of the sponge to grab the shampoo and scrub it into his dirty platinum curls. Fingers trailing down to hold his shoulders, so he couldn't move away, as you nuzzled into his neck.

"Your skin's still soft, smells like lavender" You whispered into his neck, then pulled away to look into his baby blue eyes "I know you prefer roses, but all I have right now are my own products. We'll buy you some rose scented ones soon. You will smell like a girl, Snow!" You couldn't help but giggle girlishly at your own teasing.

Snow stiffen under your hold, as the insinuation sank in. Oh, how hated you. And the feel of your warm breath on his neck, and your hand moving down his body, across his chest, towards his stomach, and your soft voice as your said:

"You know I like those, right? Girls. 'Course you do! Used to tease me about it. Call me dyke. Say I ogle at the girls in the changing rooms." You sank your nails into his bruised skin, scratching bright red lines across his blue and purple belly. Despite the pain, he couldn't say he regretted the words now, if he could, he would do it all again. "But I like boys too, Snow, I'll prove you that in time." The smile showed him now was all teeth.

Snow's blood ran cold at the threat in your words. He wanted to curse you. Tell you what a disgusting whore you were, but his lack of vocal chords stopped him. Only a grunted sound of protest left his plump lips. He'd never been touched like that, all his romantic experience resumed to the quick kiss Lucy Gray gave him before the games.

As horror took over him, your hand went back to his shoulders. "Underwater, go, need to rinse your hair." Before he could even process the words you pushed him into the water, holding him down for the pleasure of watching him squirm.

His eyes went wide as he sank. Hands gripping the edges of the tub to try to pull himself back up. His mouth opened and you watched as the water filled and he grew panicked with his lack of breath, as air in his chest was being sucked away in the water, frantically trying to push your hands away. You wait until he begins to lose his energy to bring him up, with a hand on his throat and the other on his forehead.

"Shh, shh, calm down" You said in a soothing tone. Keeping him pressed to your chest as he coughed out water, breath heavy and labored as the panic slowly went away. Fucking psycho, Snow thought you were. "You're okay, just let me wash your hair." You brushed the damped curl away from his forehead before letting go get the conditioner to finish washing him.

Disregarding the horror of his situation, it almost felt nice to have your soft hand run through his hair to apply the other products. He barely had anyone take care of him these days. It made him miss Tigris, she always cared for him, despite all her own pains.

"Okay, go down again" You lightly patted him, but that was enough to bring the fear back, and Snow tense as he waited for another drowning.

But it never came, so he went down, quickly, coming back soon before you tried to suffocate him again. The smirk in your face made him want to choke you.

You stood up after that, telling him to finish his bath as you went to grab him a change of clothes. Snow almost felt grateful as you left. He washed his body and grabbed one of the soft white towels of the rack to dry himself, pleased with it's texture against his bruised skin. Looking in one of the many mirrors, he found himself unrecognizable, thin and frail like a ghost. A twisted reflection of who he used to be.

"Still so pretty" He heard your breathy voice before he saw through the mirror.

You had a piled of male clothing in your hands - a white formal shirt, a pair of crimson pants and some underwear - that you extended to him. "Here. These are my boyfriend's, not sure if they'll fit, but try it."

With a small nod he took the clothes from you and began changing. Uncomfortable with how you stared at him, eyes trailing his body as he got dressed. The clothes' fit was barely good, the pants' legs were too short, and so were the cuffs of the shirt. This was just another way of humiliating him, as if he wasn't degraded enough already.

You thought it was good enough. "That's enough for now, I'll buy you some more fitted ones in the future."

Snow kept his eyes downcasted as he left the bathroom behind you. The new clothes felt nicer on his skin, expensive and softer, and he felt clean for the first time in a while. Yet, Snow never felt more dirty and loathsome. Even the size of clothes seemed to mock him. Dean Highbottom was right, snow was falling, and now he felt like he'd hitted rock bottom.

But you? You have never been happier! Snow was all yours, and he was broken down enough to follow your every word. Enough to be your own little toy to play with however you wanted. You couldn't help but appreciate his new state. Delicate little thing was he, ghastly almost. Yet those blue eyes and blond hair could never be anything but beautiful.

"Think I'll ask for some cake to celebrate! It's my birthday, you know?" You looked at him with too bright a smile and sparkling eyes, that wided as you heard his stomach groan "You hungry, Snow?" Even with his hunger you played.

What pitiful excuse of a life Snow had now. You toyed with his needs, but made sure he was always dolled up before. He only nodded before you called the maid to bring you something from the party buffet.

"You're used to it, aren't you? The hunger" You mused quietly watching as he sat down on the floor, head bowed "Heard your cousin used to sell her body to feed you, so you must be used to going hungry longer than most." He contemplated ripping your neck to shreds at that.

How dare you insult Tigris like that, even if it was true. You found out about that when you were searching for him. It seemed the Snow's had quite a few secrets since the war ended. He only hummed in response, not even looking at you.

"The Snow household was left in shambles after your disappearance, you know?" You prod hoping for a reaction from him "Your cousin, Tigris, became a stylist for the next hunger games - they are trying to follow your legacy of creating a show it seems - but cutted all her connection to the Snow name. And that old woman in your house, no one has seen her since, the penthouse is completely abandoned." You let the poison drip from your tongues and analyzed how his jaw clenched "It's for sale now. Maybe I'll buy it for you."

You knelt down beside him and took his face in your hands "But you don't have to worry about any of it anymore! Now, you have me to take care of you." As soon as you finished talking his hand wrapped around your throat.

Snow pushed you down on the ground, choking you as his weight caged you. You had to concentrate to not moan. His baby blue eyes now burned with pure unfiltered hatred, just as you remembered. Slender fingers gripping tightly, knuckles white. You hoped it would leave a mark.

Your hands held onto his wrists. He wouldn't kill you, Snow didn't have it in him to be a murderer. Or at least, that's what you thought.

Snow, on the other hand, was ready to end this here. To end your spoiled bratty ass and his humiliation. He sank his fingers into your flesh and watched you turn purple. Disgusted by the glint in your eyes and the smirk in your lips. Your lack of fight was weird, but he blamed it on you trusting the security of your home.

Vision blurred from the lack of oxygen, you forced a laughter out of your swollen lips, but no words came out thanks to his grip. You let go of his hands, wondering if Snow really thought he could kill you in own house. Poor foolish Snow. Your hands pushed at his waist to get his body off the top of yours. And when you failed you sank your nails into his bruises.

He winces in pain and falters his hold on your neck, letting you get away from under him. Bending over coughing. "Oh, that was fun!" You giggled between heaving breaths "That was really fun!"

The look of shock in his face was priceless. You prayed for more chances of seeing it again. Little did Snow know the game he had just got into with you. It would be so fun to break and build him up, again and again and again. Snow was now your new favorite toy to break.

#coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus snow #coriolanus x reader #coryo snow #coryo x reader #tbosas fic

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dronebiscuitbat · 3 months ago

Text

Me debating with myself to post this or to let it fester in my computer until the end of creation

Me: It's essentially PwP I can't post that.

Also Me: But it's so good! Your practice works are never usually this good!

Me: ...

Okay yeah, here's some Tera and Kiara smut.

This is NOT CANNON

It is a practice fic that ended up being really good and I peer pressured myself into posting it.

I repeat this is NOT CANNON.

Experimentation

(An Exploration on What If?)

Kiara was over at Tera's house again, she nearly lived there at this point, not even bothering to put away the extra cot anymore and just leaving it set up.

There was a reason for that though, it was probably a dumb reason, but it was a reason.

She was confused, so confused on how she felt about… everything. It was making her sleepless, frustrated. There was something different about her, something that was becoming more and more obvious.

And she'd… thought about something to confirm it.

“Tera.” She started, and the word was so quiet and nervous she was almost certain she'd have to say it again, but Tera heard it, turning from the movie they were watching to her, they were both curled up under the covers, Kiara leaning slightly on her best friend so that they could both see that laptop.

“Hm? Yeah? What's up?” Was the response, purple eyelights turning thier full attention onto white, Kiara felt the nerves build… this was a terrible idea…

“C-can you… show me what it's l-like to-to…” What kind of question was this?! This asinine plan would completely ruin their friendship, for what? To find out of she was really into girls?

“To what? Hey, don't be nervous, you can ask me anything.” Tera smiled, her hand coming down to lightly rest on her shoulder. “Nothing’s gonna make me think you're weird or anything."

Kiara somewhat doubted that.

“To be with… a girl?” She murmurs out, and she's so lucky Tera has great hearing, or maybe unlucky.

Because she blinks and immediately turns the movie off, setting the laptop somewhere on the floor. Her face looking serious.

“What?”

Kiara wants to freeze up or backtrack, maybe even run home and pray Tera would think this was some weird dream.

But she doesn't.

“I-I just. I've been so….c-confused, and-and you're the only one I trust to… do this with. And understand why…” She stammers, her core feeling like it's pounding she's so nervous.

“Confused? About?” The expression painted on Tera's face is not one of disgust, but of concern, her hand reaches down to hold and squeeze her own, butterflies flutter in her chest.

“Dad says I'm… supposed to like boys.” She's never said this out loud before, it feels… good, to let it out.

“You like Rad, don't you?” Tera offers, and Kiara appreciates what she's trying to do.

“I… do. But I-I… I think I feel that way about girls too…” She blushes, it feels so much more real now that it's not just a thought in her head.

“Oh…” Tera smiles, however she feels about it, she doesn't let it show externally. “That's okay, you can feel that way. There's nothing wrong with that.”

Kiara feels herself relax a little at those words, like she needed permission from someone that it was okay. But she wasn't done.

“B-but I'm not s-sure if I do! that's why… I wanna do this.” She explains slowly. “If I… experience it with a girl. With you, then I'll know…”

At this, her best friend gulps.

“There are less… extreme ways to figure yourself out.” She points out softly, it's not judgmental, and she does move closer.

“I know! It's just… I think it's gonna be the thing I need to understand. I don't think just a k-kiss is going to help me…”

She watches her best freind parse this information, taking a shaky breath.

“I'm not- I'm not saying no. I'm just…this is really intimate… and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me if… if you decide it's not what you want.” She replies, it's like she's forcing the words out.

“That's why I came to you… I trust you. And I know no matter w-what… you'll always be my best freind.”

“Of course I will be.” Tera nods softly, and there's a moment of silence.

“Okay.” It's almost a whisper. “We can.”

Kiara feels her core jump at that, she'd almost expected the answer to be no. For the first time in almost the entire conversation, they make eye contact, Tera pulls her up to embrace her.

“But you need to tell me if you start to feel uncomfortable, okay? We can use the color system…” She hums, she's carding through platinum blonde hair and it's such a nice feeling Kiara closes her eyes.

“Color s-system?”

“Mmhm, Green means keep going, Yellow means pause, Red means stop entirely.” Tera explains, she's adjusting them, laying her down softly while she sits near her legs.

“How do you know that?” Kiara asks, and Tera chuckles nervously as she comes to straddle her hips. “I'm… stronger then every other worker drone here, I wanted my partner to be safe with me… if I ever got one.”

“Oh…”

This was literally what Kiara had asked for… Tera above her, sitting straddled over her hips as she's held down by her best freinds strong, scarred hands. Her tail already slinking up to wrap around her leg.

Her expression was focused, nervous- but mostly determined. Her grip was steadying, like it always was.

“Are you sure you want to do this? There are other ways to… find out.” She asks, she's making sure Kiara is comfortable, she's always doing that. And Tera's hand runs lovingly down the rungs of her leg, she feels her chest tighten in response and an almost dizzying feeling invade her processors.

“Y-yeah. I wanna-I wanna know. I want to know what it's l-like.”

“It doesn't have to be with me.” Tera's voice is nearly a whisper, rough and grating- but soothing, Kiara smiles.

“I want it to be…”

Tera nods slowly, her tail tightens around her leg, and her hands begin moving, exploring her lower body, scraping the tips of her claws across the emaculate metal.

Her core pounds, it's like a live wire hooked directly into her inputs, something completely breathless escapes her throat, and Tera looks surprised, before she smiles softly.

“I'm not sure anyone else is going to have claws Kia.” She hums, leaning down farther, her weight pressing down on her, she's trapped; but it's where she wants to be.

And she can't bring herself to respond either, not with that warmth and those eyes peircing into her, like Tera could see into her very core. All she can do instead is whine softly when the sensation suddenly stops.

“Color.” Tera hums, hands falling to squeeze lightly at her hips- and she feels lightheaded.

“G-Green. K-keep going.” It takes everything in her for that not to sound like begging.

And so she continues, claws now lightly scraping up and down her arms, as she hears the girl purr gently above her, shivers of delight climb up every rung until they make contact with her core; another, muted breathy noise is dragged out of her mouth.

Her best freind grabs her hand, thumbing a circle into it as she leans down, hot breath tickling her neck that had her swallowing in anticipation, Tera was close enough now to feel her radiating body heat, to hear her breaths that were shaky yet steady and grounding.

Lips make contact with the metal, and immediately something warm blooms from the area, Tera's hand in hers interlock with her fingers as chaste kisses are placed up and down her neck and jaw, the subtle feeling of fangs brushing against thin tubing- and she can't keep her eyes open anymore, her eyes close as a blistering tounge is pressed against her cold plating.

“Mmh~” She squirms, heat beginning to bloom out from her core in a way she was unfamiliar with, And the breathy laugh that escapes the woman on top of her only made it hotter.

“You're so sensitive…” She murmurs, and then she's right back to it, kissing and licking up and down the metal, until her fangs are scraping down her neck and she shudders at the way electricity seemed to spark between every contact.

When she pulls back she's breathing more heavily, chest rising and falling as the lungs she's been given by the solver supplemented her overworked fans.

She's hovering over Kia's face, hesitant to close the gap between them. It made sense… they had never kissed before.

It was probably extremely weird that they were in this moment without having done that before. But until about a hour ago, doing anything like this had seemed completely impossible. To both of them.

“K-kiss me… please.” Kiara mouths, and it surprises the both of them. Tera gains a violet fluster that's so… so cute, her hand rises to cup her cheek, thumbing over the seam of her visor and then- licks her lips.

Watching it takes her breath away, and takes everything else when their lips meet.

She tastes vaguely of oil, which was to be expected, but Kiara found it strangly addicting. Tera's lips moved against her own in ways that had her breathing coming out in pants. She tried to keep up- to copy her movements; and she got louder purring in response.

After a moment, Tera pulls back, head resting on her forehead with a glazed over look in her eyes, Kiara's hand moves to her chest, she can feel Tera's core beating almost out of her chest.

She wants more…

Kiara leans forward to press their lips together again and she can feel the woman above her tense before melting, pressing deeper into her. A tongue swipes at her lip, requesting entrance, and Kiara doesn't even hesitate for a moment before opening her mouth to accept the intrusion.

Tera holds her tighter as her long tongue invades her mouth, she's genuinely caught off gaurd with how long it is, but can't help the groan that leaves her when it presses and pulls against her own tongue. Kiara buries one of her hands in soft black locks, bringing her in deeper.

Tera makes a low groan when she accidentally pulls on her hair; and so she does it again slightly harder, in response, she feels sharp fangs prick her lip and a low growl escape from her best freind. and they pull back again.

They're both panting, a string of saliva leaves breaks between them and Kiara feels the heat in her visor increase at the sight of her best freind looking over her hungerly, fangs bared as her mouth was slightly open.

When she leans back in, the kiss is different, desperate and sloppy as she feels hands begin to slide down the back of her dress, trying to find a zipper. Kiara flushes, something hot beginning to burn through her as she pulls off flannel and throws it to the floor. She feels Tera's tail coil and vibrate around her leg as it attempted to wag but had nowhere to go.

Tera finds the zipper and pulls, and she feels her dress loosen around her figure, her breath hitches as she goes from her lips being assaulted to her neck again, transforming from kisses to nipping and sucking.

“Tera~” She moans when she bites particularly hard, sending embarrassed butterflies and burning heat into her core as she feels Tera react to her name, a low groan leaves the solver drones mouth and she shudders.

“C-color?” Tera breaths against sensitive plating, and Kiara feels the room spin.

“Green, please~”

Her dress begins to come off, Tera pushing it down farther and farther until it's down around her ankles and hitting the floor… Kiara attempts to cover herself out of habit, but Tera is smiling down at her.

“Don't hide yourself… you're beautiful.” She hums and pins both her hands back above her head, the free hand tracing down the slight raise of her chest and down the rubber midsection before she begins another round of searing kisses all over her exposed body, savoring every single moment, every sound and every taste.

Kiara can't breathe, all she can feel are the little shocks of pleasure every time those lips make contact with a different part of her body, the lingering thought that this was only a way to prove her sexuality was tossed squarely out the window- this was for them, both of them.

Kiara struggles to pull the last peice of clothing off Tera, the tank top tight fitting. But she eventually manages with a little help from the girl herself; it exposes the patchwork of scars that litter her body, some only hairline, others garish black marks that went down along porcelain white.

With them both exposed, there's a lull in movement as they took each other in, Kiara knew Tera had a lot of scars, but she had more then she had anticipated, she reached for one that swiped across her core, scraping her finger against blackened silicone.

Tera whimpered and twitched as the scar was handled, something that had been entirely foreign so far, emboldened, Kiara's hands began to roam over all of them, tracing the marks in reverence.

“Kia~” Her name falls out of her mouth like she was sitting in church, and Kiara feels her mouth go entirely dry, a smile making it's way to her face.

“You're… sensitive too.” Kiara hums, hand resting on her shoulders as she laughs, she doesn't expect Tera to pull her up into her lap, hands running across her back and through her hair.

Tera starts by softly pressing the glass covering of her core with her own, and both of them buck their hips at once at the contact, the friction amplifying the feeling.

“Oh god~ hah~” Kiara really didn’t expect the feeling to be that overwhelming. Her body trembled as Tera rolled her hips so that there cores would make contact again, the jolt was just as dizzying the second time.

“F-fuck…” Tera moaned, the strength and confidence she'd displayed thus far melting away into vulnerability, she buried her head into Kiara's shoulder as Kiara did the same.

“More~ please~ ah-” Kiara begged, her core was throbbing with need, mouth stuck open as gasps escaped them.

“Mm~ Yeah…” Tera mumbled back, setting a gentle rhythm with her hips as they clacked together, cores glowing brighter and brighter each time they rubbed together. It felt so good.

Kiara found her hand grabbing at the base of Tera's tail, pulling it firmly and stroking it in time with every grind of their hips.

“Oh*!*~ F-fuck Kia! Mmph!~ N-not there! ah~”

But she didn't stop her, instead her head went back as she gasped and moaned in pleasure as Kiara played with her tail, the rhythm beginning to be lost for the sake of more friction.

All she could think about was more more, oh god please more.

She felt Tera reach behind her, trembling with ecstasy as a particularly loud moan broke through the cacophony of pleasured sounds, along with a small click of a hatch opening. A port being exposed above Tera's core.

With another few sloppy grinds, Kiara yelped out in pleasure and her hatch opened as well, and Tera finally stopped with a shudder.

Clasped in Tera's hand was a linking cable, stiff from never being used before, her breath came out in pants.

“Color?” She asks breathlessly, hand trembling as she barely holds herself back.

Kiara grabbed the receiver end, running her hand along the cable before she plugged it into herself.

“So Green. I need you~”

Tera shivers at that, groaning as she hesitates for only a moment, a settings menu being visible on her visor.

“W-what-?”

“Firewall… we don't want to risk… you know.” Tera breathed out, a reassuring smile on her face. “I'm just updating them quickly… I never thought this would happen so their outdated…”

Kiara smiled, Tera was always thinking ahead no matter what. The update finished quickly, and Tera breathed out a shaky nervous breath. “Brace yourself.”

She plugged the donor end into herself, and they both froze as code mixed and sensations bled together, Kiara fell backwards and Tera fell with her, the sensation of melding systems being almost enough to send them both into reboot.

Kiara was hit with the most powerful feeling of love she'd ever felt. It was like the bulk of Tera's code was made of it. Tears came into her eyes as she finally- finally understood, it was like everything perfectly clicked into place.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

It was being written in the empty spaces of her code, being felt in her processors, being proven in her core.

I love you, I love you, I love you

It was being streamed from the universe, from the ocean of purple code, from the core of her best freind.

I love you too.

She wrote back, not just once, but over and over and over again, hands interlocked and lips made contact as every internal and external feeling was amplified to it's utter maximum.

“Kia… Kia! KIA! AHG~!” Tera’s voice broke through independently from their conjoined systems, working up to an overload that would undoubtedly bring them both into a soft reboot.

“Tera!~” Kiara felt an explosion of junk data enter her core, broken up by the firewall to be rendered unusable by her own system, but that didn't matter, it was still an intense amount of data that she simply couldn't deal with.

With a shuddering final moan, she shut off, Tera following a split second after as they both collapsed in a heap.

Tera was the first to come back online, groaning as her limbs felt fuzzy and her head felt like lead, she was laying on something cool and smelled like fresh linens.

She sat up as much as she could before a wire trapped her in, and she blinked.

Oh. Oh that wasn't a dream, that really just happened.

“Kiara?” She asked, lifting up the girls visor to see the overload error. She sighed in relief and slowly unhooked them, throwing the linking cable haphazardly back into her nightstand drawer.

She wrapped herself around the smaller figure, pulling her into her chest and resting her head on tip of hers, she had a feeling that when she woke up, they would be having another conversation, but for now it was best to enjoy this moment.

Tera kissed the top of her Forehead, purring in contentment, she knew why…

Her mate was in her arms… where she belonged.

#i'm not maintagging this #oil is thicker then blood #tera doorman #jellydoughnut #kiara von roth #tera x kiara #wlw smut #do not judge me #blame all the questions in the ask blog

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wooahaeruby · 1 month ago

Text

Chapter 37: A Very SVT Christmas

Chapter Word Count: 10,612

None! This is the peace we needed c:

Author's note: HI, I'VE HAD THE WORST LUCK RECENTLY, 2 BROKEN PHONES, 1 KNEW PHONE, A BROKEN WASHING MACHINE, AND I WAS DYING. Anyways, I'm working hard on this, please be patient with me :D <3

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“So…” You took a long sips from the milkshake you ordered from the diner, raising a brow at Seokmin who sat close to you on the couch. “Christmas makes everyone…nice?”

“Okay, well, I wouldn’t say nice.” Seokmin munched on some of his fries, kicking his sock covered feet up on the coffee table. “More like…everyone kinda agreed years ago that the holidays are off limits for any turf wars, gang on gang violence, and mob shit. So no drug pushing, cartel product moving, nothing until January second. After that, it’s all fair game again.”

“You know, Min, the more and more you feed me mafia information, the more I believe I’m in some sorta coma and my mind is making shit up.” You used a chicken tender to point at him. “You mafia people are weird as fuck.”

“ Us mafia people, Mouse. Stop acting like you aren’t in on all this. You are friends with the 99 line for fuck sake.”

“I feel if I am to accept the fact I am part of the mafia then I might turn crazy and start killing people.”

Seokmin threw his head back in laughter, shoulders shaking and a wide smile spread on his face. “Honestly, you are so right and I can’t deny that. Though, we wouldn’t let you go on a killing spree. Promise.”

“Um, excuse me,” Clicking your tongue, you took a bite of chicken. “You completely underestimate my affinity for crazy, Seokmin.”

“I definitely do, but I’d like to give you the benefit of the doubt. I don’t see you as some big shot street crawler, but you are currently dating and sleeping with two of the bosses here.”

Nodding, you could agree on that. “Yeah, you're right. I’m too much of a homebody to be a vigilante. Only in my dreams I guess.”

“Oh!” Seokmin wiggled in his spot beside you, shifting to better face you. “Are you ready for a SVT Christmas?”

“Dear god, no.” You slouched down, hugging yourself. “I got all the presents but Chan said you guys go all out.”

“It isn’t that bad.” He reassured, “The guys just get all excited. Plus…nice gifts are fun. We really try to keep it a secret from each other about what we get unless people team up.”

“Excited,” You snorted, frowning. “Joshua said the presents get open at six in the morning, big breakfast, and everyone spends the whole day together.”

“Eh. Cheol said no more six in the morning presents, but Mingyu likes cooking and making desserts. It’s a big family affair. He really wants to cook with you.”

You smiled, sighing quietly. “You know, this will be the first Christmas since I started college that I’ll be spending with people.”

Seokmin leaned forward and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his chest for a tight hug. “Don’t worry, honey, we will make it a Christmas you won’t forget.”

“This better be, I’m nervous you guys won’t like the gifts I got.” You let him hug you, even returning it just as tightly.

“It’s always the thought that counts, no matter what.”

Earlier in the morning, earlier than Jeonghan really wanted to be awake, Mouse crawled out of bed much to his disdain. Joshua ended up being his own heat source but he was too much of a light sleeper to curl back up and go back to sleep. She quietly and quickly scurried back into the room and went directly into the closet. He raised his head when the closet door was shut then opened a few minutes later, seeing her in multiple layers before rushing back out, boots in hand. He, rightfully confused, got up and stepped down the hall towards the living room, seeing the thick blanket of snow that started late the previous night.

Mouse was out by herself, shuffling through the snow in a mix of his, Joshua’s, and her clothes. She looked so happy standing under the still falling snow, stunning really – even if the layers looked a little ridiculous. He grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and dragged a chair by the glass door. Jeonghan gladly sat and watched her play in the snow, smiling to himself at how ecstatic she looked.

Mingyu emerged from his room, half dressed and half asleep, perking up when he noticed Jeonghan, a sound of question leaving him. He simply nodded his head towards the backyard where his girlfriend started to make a snowman to the best of her abilities. The taller man nearly skipped back to his room and Jeonghan could hear Mingyu bothering Chan to get dressed to go out in the snow with her.

The pitter-patter of socked feet had him looking away from Mouse, finding Mingyu and Chan dressed for the freezing weather.

“That was fast.” Jeonghan clicked his tongue, wrapping the blanket snugly around himself.

Chan slid on the boots in his hands, grinning from ear to ear. “This is the most snow we’ve had in ages! Plus, I wanna play in the snow with Mouse.”

“And everyone is still knocked out.” Mingyu rushed out the door, calling out to the woman.

Jeonghan simply sat, returning to his observation, sighing with a smile. Mingyu started a snowball fight the moment Mouse was in range. There was an unspoken conversation between Chan and his girlfriend, something evil behind their bright eyes when their gazes met. When whatever communication ended, they both turned on Mingyu. Snowball after snowball, the two youngest pelted the taller man despite his attempts to fight back against them.

By the time Jeonghan got up to make himself a cup of coffee and settled back down in his seat, Mingyu had given up, hands raised in surrender as he retreated towards the backdoor though the snowball assault didn’t end. The attack stopped the moment the sliding door cracked open and Mouse sent a beaming smile Jeonghan’s way.

“Those two are brutal.” Mingyu huffed out a breath he was trying to catch. “They teamed up and everything.”

Jeonghan let out a silent, breathy laugh through his nose, raising his mug to take a sip of his drink. “They are living their childhood dreams and you were the perfect, easy target. I would’ve been surprised if they didn’t team up against you.”

Mingyu stripped out of his shoes and heavy jacket, shivering violently. He quickly made himself a cup of coffee, turning to the sound of a yawn coming from the hallway. Seokmin trudged into the living room, clothes wrinkled and hair sticking up in a thousand different directions. He barely muttered a good morning as he joined Mingyu for a cup of coffee.

“Pancakes?” Jeonghan questioned, peering over and watching Mingyu start to pull out bowls and pans, along with his favorite countertop griddle to make the usually large morning meal.

“With bacon, eggs, and those little breakfast sausages that Cheol likes since he bought them.”

“Mornin’.” Joshua grumbled, leaning himself over the kitchen island tiredly. He stretched out his arms and legs before moving to silently help the other two in the prep and cooking.

Looking back out the doors, Chan was tackled into the snow by Mouse, almost entirely covered by the white fluff on the ground. Jeonghan let out an oof, cringing at the wrestling that started between the two of them, seeing her press snow into his face before he managed to shove snow down the back of her jacket. Mouse screamed out a curse as Chan chuckled in victory.

“They are going to catch a cold.” Seokmin giggled, placing the eggs in a pan to cook, looking out the window over the sink.

“Ah, they’ll be fine.” Standing from his seat, Jeonghan started to grab dishes needed to set the table, knowing it wouldn’t be too long before everything was finished.

When everything was placed to his satisfaction, Jeonghan slid back into the kitchen, keeping to the corner where the warm drink mixes were usually kept; tea, coffee, etcetera. He got two mugs out to make Mouse’s hot chocolate for her and Chan. Humming to himself, he tried his best to make it exactly like she did but it never came out the same. Mouse always said his attempts were perfect but he also knew her versions were top tier, the absolute best.

Carefully he walked the mugs over to Chan and Mouse’s usual seats to cool just enough to not burn their tongues. He huffed as he opened the sliding glass door, the chill sending a shiver down his spine.

“Chan, Mouse, breakfast soon!”

Both their heads whipped over, snow in hand to throw but it was quickly dropped and they stumbled through the snow towards the door. He stepped aside to let them in, helping with their coats and handing them up while they removed their shows. Chan cheered out a thanks, skipping off to warm up his bones. Mouse wrapped herself around Jeonghan’s waist, sapping his warmth.

“Good morning.” Her teeth chattered together quietly as she warmed up.

Jeonghan wrapped his arms around her snugly, running his hands up and down her back. “Good morning, my love.”

“ ‘m sorry if I woke you and Shua.”

“Me, yes, always. Him? I don’t know how he can sleep so deeply at times.” He chuckled, kissing her head. “I tried to make your hot chocolate for you and Chan.”

She lit up, bright eyes looking up at him before pulling away. “Thank you, babe!”

Jeonghan shrugged it off, just content seeing her happy any chance he could. He had been hoping the holidays would help lift her spirits even if it was a smidge.

“Mouse, do you wanna do something later for me?” Joshua asked, placing one of the many plates down on the table.

Mingyu gasped and Joshua snickered, seeing him nod. She frowned at the two of them, sipping the drink Jeonghan made for her. She raised a brow at him curiously but Jeonghan shrugged. Of course he knew what Joshua was going to ask but wasn’t going to ruin anything for the other man.

Jeonghan watched as his counterpart rounded the table and wrapped his arms loosely around Mouse’s waist.

“So we usually have Chan do it, but…” Joshua smiled sweetly down at her. “Chan gave up his job willingly so you could place the star on the top of the Christmas tree.”

Leaning over the back of Seungcheol’s chair, Jeonghan watched as their girlfriend peeked over to the large Christmas tree placed in the living room near the front windows, beside the TV. It was missing the usual large star that sat on top. The last few years, Chan would climb up the ladder and place it, but he suggested that Mouse do it as her first Christmas with them. Joshua and Mingyu thought it was a great idea knowing she hadn’t done much for the holidays.

“The star…?” She stared over at the tree but looked back at Joshua with a nod. “I’d love to do that.”

There was this…gooey, warm and fuzzy feeling in Jeonghan’s chest, a smile spreading on his lips. She gave a kiss to Joshua’s lips before he was breaking off to finish helping with breakfast. Seokmin asked Chan to start getting everyone up to eat, leaving Mouse to slide her way under Jeonghan’s arm once more.

“Why are you smiling like that?” She whispered, peering up curiously.

Jeonghan pulled her close, tightly wrapping his long arms around her so she couldn’t easily escape. “I dunno, baby, maybe I’m just in love with you.”

Her cheeks flushed a dark pink and he swore he could see stars in her eyes.

“Get a room~” Seokmin said in a sing-song voice and both Jeonghan and Mouse rolled their eyes.

“Oh trust me, we can and will get a room.” He smirked as Mouse hit him on the chest.

“Jeonghan!”

“No, Mingyu- Do not pick me up-” Mingyu’s hands were already on you, easily lifting you as you struggled in his hold.

You were just about to climb up the ladder when he grabbed you as a joke and lifted you up. He had been a little annoying all day, following you around as he wished the evening would come sooner so the star could be placed on top and the tree could be lit.

“Put me down!” You hollered out, wiggling in his grasp. “I will kick you!”

Chan laughed along with the giant, even a few others in the group joining in.

“No you won-”

You accidentally kicked back and hit him right in the groin and Mingyu crumbled. The loud uproar of laughter nearly overshadowed his pained groan. Once your feet hit the ground, you turned to Mingyu, seeing him on the floor, hands covering his crotch.

“Note to self,” He wheezed out a breath, trying to collect himself. “Don’t pick up Mouse.”

“That should have been obvious, dude.” Vernon chuckled, wiping tears from the corner of his eyes. “I don’t know what you expected to happen.”

“I am so sorry.” You kneeled down, panic in your eyes since you never intended to kick him there.

“Don’t feel sorry, he deserved it.” Seungcheol shuffled in, grabbing two decently wrapped presents on the couch to place under the tree.

“I just wanted to help you get the star up.” Mingyu pouted, sitting back on his feet.

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “That is what the ladder is for!”

“Don’t yell at me! You kicked me in the balls!”

“Keep talking and I’ll kick you in the face!”

“You are a menace to society!”

“Good!” You crossed your arms, star still in hand and you stood tall. “Don’t forget it.”

“Come on, up the ladder.” Joshua defused the situation quickly, guiding you towards the four-step ladder.

You childishly stuck your tongue out as Mingyu now that he mostly recovered from your kick, letting your boyfriend usher you. Joshua held the ladder steady as you climbed, getting to the top and balanced yourself as you stood at the top. Reaching up, you ever so gently placed the star atop the artificial tree. When you were satisfied with how it was placed, making sure it was straight, you descended, looking up at your handy work. With a curt nod, you turned to look at all the guys.

“Ta-da!” You Will Smith memed the tree, noticing Seungkwan’s phone raised and aimed at you.

You gave him a little shimmy of your shoulders to make him and Vernon laugh as Chan bounded over towards the light switches and Jun was up and ready to plug in the tree. When the lights were flicked off and in the dark of the living room, the Christmas tree came to life when Joshua pushed a button on the small remote.

From bottom to top, the lights ingrained in the tree went on in a straight white pattern before Joshua pushed another button and they transitioned to a rainbow spiritual starting at the base. You watched with wide eyes at the different effects it had, never having a tree as nice to see such a fancy display.

Joshua placed his arm over your shoulder and pulled you into his side, kissing the top of your head. You took a deep breath, smiling pleasantly as the lights went solid white once more and the lights flickered back on.

“Hmm, maybe I am feeling some holiday spirit.” You admitted, leaning your head against your boyfriend’s chest, staring at the tree.

“Good, I want you to have a good Christmas, sweetheart.” He tilted your chin up and kissed you sweetly, feeling him smile against your lips.

“Right in front of my salad?” Seungkwan asked and you raised your hand to flip him the middle finger.

“Do your mushy couple shit somewhere else.”

There was a devious glint in Joshua’s eyes that you didn’t like. It was only a second before you were dipped back, hand on your ass, and he was kissing you again, this time rougher. If you could, you would have been laughing but up until this point, a majority of Joshua’s affection was slow, sensual even when things got heated.

You noted the sounds of complaint and retching from your friends, but a laugh came from Jeonghan. Joshua pulled your back up, moving away some to throw a smirk as some boos were also thrown out. Your cheeks were flushed and you turned your head away, not wanting them to see how flustered you were.

“You guys are nasty.” Jihoon griped and one peek at Joshua showed his eyes lighting up once more.

“Nope, no, do not-” You escaped his arms and ran straight into Soonyoung’s waiting ones.

“Who are you and what have you done with my Shua?” You gasped as Soonyoung bundled you up close to his chest. “Demon.”

Mingyu jumped into your other side, holding you along with the other. “We’ll protect you, Mouse!”

You stuck your tongue out at your boyfriend and Seungcheol cleared his throat, breaking the moment.

“Make sure presents are under the tree before Christmas day, by the way.” He sent a glare to Vernon then Jun, both avoiding his gaze. “Last year some people nearly lost some of their gifts because they weren’t placed in the living room to not lose them.”

“Oh come on.” Vernon crossed his arms and Jun only grinned and snickered.

“Don’t ‘come on’ me. Soonyoung at least can follow the simple instructions and his room is a minefield of shit.”

“Okay, he isn’t wrong…” Soonyoung muttered and you covered your mouth to hold in a laugh. “I’ll admit that I’m messy.”

“I’m hiding the mistletoe!” Mingyu parked up, grinning wide. “Been thinking of hiding spots all year.”

“Oh god.” You cringed, shaking your head with a smile. “Why mistletoe?”

“Because everyone deserves a kiss!” Seokmin chuckled, biting on the tip of his tongue.

Mingyu placed a sloppy, wet kiss to your cheek and you pushed him away with a squeak. Wiping his spit off with his sleeve, you whined at how gross he was.

“There will be a lot more of that where those came from. Whoever has got the most mistletoe kisses by the end of the night gets another gift and this year Cheol gets to provide it.”

“First year we did this, Minghao had to provide it, then last year it was Wonwoo.” Soonyoung filled you in thankfully, still keeping you wrapped up in his arms.

“And I’m keeping it a secret until then.” Seungcheol spoke smugly, a smirk on his lips.

“You rang?” Sona stepped into your apartment, stopping as she noticed the mess you were working on cleaning before Chan would pick you up. “Did a baking tornado rip through here?”

“No, uh, sorry.” You placed some mixing bowls in the dishwasher, along with some measuring cups and spatulas. “I was baking seven batches of brownies, some for 99 line Christmas to take home with them for everyone else. Lost track of time but they are all in my ovens.”

Quickly rinsing off your hands and dusting your apron of any flour, you moved towards her with a small hop in your step. Sona raised a brow and tilted her head to the side in curiosity.

“Okay, so I know you said I shouldn’t have to, but I got you a gift for Christmas.” You smiled at her, hearing a scoff and shaking her head.

“You are ridiculous, but I…did do the same.” Her features broke into a smile, dropping her head with a huff. “Let me go grab it.”

You cheered as she hurried out and you sprinted down the hall to get the recently wrapped gift box. It was placed atop the pile of presents you needed to take up to the house, along with your small suitcase since Seokmin and you would be heading here from the house to work through the week between Christmas and New Years.

It was, in fact, the day before Christmas either way. In a little while you’d pack everything into Chan’s car, head to the 99 line party, then head up to the house. You were so lucky that the 99 line settled on a Secret Santa rather than getting everyone present for the gift exchange. You’d have enough time to place everything under the tree at the house with the rest of the gifts then crash before the festivities started.

Over a week ago, a sealed envelope was given to you by one of SVT’s men who stated it had been delivered by one of ATZ’s people. It was a note that told you who your gift was for, which ended up being Yeosang, and that there was a five hundred dollar spending limit. Wooyoung had texted the groupchat to start gift hunting and they could figure out a day to chill another time and exchange.

You sat at the kitchen island as your pans of brownies baked, drumming your fingers over the box until your door opened once more. Sona walked in with a simple gift bag, tissue paper sticking out along with an envelope.

“I want to admit that one part of this gift here is for both of us on my dime.” She commented and you chuckled, motioning her over.

“Not a problem.” You slid the box over to her once she sat down and she placed the bag in front of you. “You first, Sona.”

Sona huffed, smiling gently as she tore off the purple wrapping paper and opened the box, letting out a laugh at the contents. One after another, she pulled out five large makeup pallets you had ordered. They were new releases, you stayed up a few nights on their drop dates and spent a good bit on them. Thankfully, for once, you weren’t overly worried about the cost you spent.

“Damn, how did you know?” She opened each of them, loving over the wide variety of colors and shimmers she could use.

You grinned, resting your elbow on the table and your head in your hand. “When you did my makeup for the gala and the ball, you always had the newest pallets in your case from these brands so…ta-da!”

Sona closed the pallets, stacking them nearly and nodding her head towards the gift bag. You took the envelope out first and placed it down, digging to pull out the bottle of wine. Your eyes ran over it, seeing the date, an older, definitely expensive bottle from France from what you could tell. Once you were content with the wine, eyes having looked over every inch, you reached for the envelope, practically vibrating in your spot.

“No way!” You read over the papers, beaming from ear to ear. “You did not.”

“Oh I did.” Sona giggled, watching you continue to read. “I think after all this shit, we both need it.”

“Three days, two nights, all inclusive spa resort for four- Wait. Four?”

“So, it was mainly for you and I, but there was a deal for four people and I thought you could bring Gahyeon or one of the other girls and I could bring Lex, all on me.”

“That sounds…” You paused, narrowing your eyes as a mischievous grin spreading on your face. “Lex, Huh?”

“Not this again, Mouse, we are just friends.” Sona groaned, dropping her head. “Nothing is going on between us.”

“Mhmm, nothing. Keep telling yourself that, babes. Nothing yet.” You winked but opened your arms for a hug.

Sona pulled you into a hug, resting her head on your shoulder, holding you tightly. “Thanks, Mouse, and Merry Christmas.”

You sighed happily, rubbing her back. “Merry Christmas, Sona. I’ll see you after New Years.”

She moved back, holding onto your forearms gently, looking at you almost with a hint of melancholy in her eyes. “First vacation in a while. I dunno, I might miss hanging out with you.”

“You’ll make me blush.” You swooned dramatically. “Enjoy your vacation and your new makeup pallets…Tell Lex I said Hi.”

She rolled her eyes. “We’ll schedule the weekend for the spa trip after the holidays.”

“Oh for sure.”

Sona gathered the bow into her arms and bid you a goodbye before leaving. One glance at the timer for the brownies told you that there was plenty of time to change and throw on a little makeup. You were pulling the brownies out of the oven when Chan came in. With haste, you placed them aside to cool and hurried over to greet him gleefully. He explained that he borrowed Minghao’s SUV since he was already home to take whatever you had to the party to the house. When he ended up seeing just how many assorted boxes needed to be brought, Chan asked a few of their men downstairs to help. You were so glad you baked more than just brownies recently, offering them a whole batch of cookies when they took the last of the boxes. The men took the container at your insistence and you could see their barely there smiles as you wished them a happy holidays.

The moment the brownies seemed cool enough to transfer, you divided them into the extra containers you bought and set off towards the small restaurant Changbin chose for the evening, or well – he booked the entire place. Main reason you brought the brownies was for them to take home to their groups since you couldn’t do anything else for them.

You grabbed the present for Yeosang out of the back, grinning to yourself at the item inside. It took a few minutes to simply find the item, surprisingly, but two weeks to arrive at your doorstep. You received it in the mail the previous night and scrambled to get a box and wrapping paper together to wrap it.

“You good?” Chan pulled his own simple box from the car, an unknown gift for an unknown Secret Santa.

Giving a nod, you stood beside him with the brownies in a bag and the present. “You’ll be okay to drive later?”

“Mhmm. I’m not drinking tonight.” He bumped his hip against yours, locking the car as you both strided into the restaurant.

“Merry Christmas!” Wooyoung nearly barreled into the two of you, placing a sweet kiss to your cheek and a gross wet one to Chan’s.

“Ew! Fuck off.” Chan wiped his cheek off, cringing and frowning. “You kissed her all nice and kissed my cheek like you are a dog.”

“Because I treat women well.”

“That is a lie.” Gahyeon strided over, dressed down in a sweater half tucked into light jeans. “You treat Mouse like a lady sometimes and me like you are an annoying little brother.”

“And I still treat you better than I do the rest of these idiots.” Wooyoung hummed, nodding his head back towards the others. “Come on, let's sit since food is gonna be ready soon.”

You happily greeted the rest of the 99 line, giving hugs and big squeezes. You placed your present on the wall behind you, taking a seat between Yeosang and Yeonjun, teasing the former for his bright dyed orange hair. He explained that he lost a bet but even then it did look good, which Yeonjun appreciated.

The food was amazing, the minimal staff was amazing and attentive, and you were glad to have a simple night. Chan had informed you in the car that they had security watching the perimeter of the building, the ground understanding the anxiety you had being in public, even if all of them were more than able to protect you. Some were drinking, you agreed on a glass of wine as you ate and Chan kept his word that he wasn’t drinking, along with San, Mingi, and Wooyoung.

San and Yunho were on a tangent about some event in League of Legends, specifically the TFT side, and it was getting loud. Wooyoung joined the conversation and Yeosang sighed, shaking his head at their over the top behavior. You chose to stay quiet since you hadn’t used your computer to play any games in a while, leaning into Yeosang’s space when Yeonjun got involved, wanting to preserve your hearing. They went on for a while as dinner was eating. Wooyoung almost threw a piece of bread, which Changbin stopped, and you were glad they were mostly sober, minus a drink or two.

“Okay, you guys are getting overly rambunctious.” Chan spoke up, grinning despite their lively, weird banter. “Presents before dessert?”

With the questions posed, the main course was quickly finished and plates were taken away. Everyone grabbed their presents, eyeing each other to make guesses at who was whose Secret Santa.

“Whose first?” Mingi gazed about, leg bouncing with pent up energy.

“Youngest or oldest?”

“So Gahyeon or Wooyoung?”

“Oh, I wanna go!” Gahyeon placed the small, square Swarovski box on the table, smiling wide. She handed the bow closed box across the table to you. “I was lucky enough to get Mouse for this.”

You laughed through your nose, taking the present and undid the bow, gingerly opening it. Inside, you laid your eyes on a cuff bracelet, silver in an infinite style band design. You lifted it from the box, letting out a small hum of amazement, examining the crystals in their settings. You undid the hinge clasp and slid it around your wrist.

“ ‘Hyeon.” You pouted, lifting your eyes to meet her wide, bright gaze. “It’s so pretty, thank you.”

The woman continued to smile across the table, eyes shining in the lights. She lifted her arm and pushed her sleeve up, revealing the same bracelet in gold around her wrist. You whined, bringing your hand up to your heart and pouted even more.

“Now you can never escape me.” She winked. “Your turn to give your gift.”

“Oh, yeah.” You lifted the rectangular box from your lap and handed it over to Yeosang beside you. “This is for you.”

His eyebrows raised in surprise but a shy smile made its way onto his lips. He tore the paper and balled it up before lifting the lid on the box. You watched as his eyes widened at the limited edition skateboard with black and red designs all over it with matching grip tape. Yeosang took it into his hands and you moved the box to let him examine it thoroughly, flipping it over in his hands.

“How did-”

“At karaoke you said that you like to collect them and ride skateboards so…” You shrugged. “I had Channie help with the colors.”

He thanked you, a breathy chuckle leaving him and a wide, timid smile continued to spread on his lips. “I’ll make sure it gets good use.”

Yeosang’s gift ended up being for Wooyoung, who had a few people eyeing the latter as he snickered but was thankful for the large designer duffle bag within the packaging. Yeosang said that his old one was getting messed up since he needed to travel a lot. Changbin was next to receive a gift. Wooyoung’s present to him was a thin but large box and Changbin was confused as he unwrapped it. Once the top was off, he scoffed but smiled broadly, pulling a nicely framed, signed horror movie posted. Wooyoung went on to say that he knew it wasn’t a part of the already existing collection so…

Changbin’s Secret Santa was Yeonjun, who was gifted a pair of simple diamond earrings since the latter lost his first pair when traveling and was bummed since they were a gift from Soobin. San was given his gift from Yeonjun, a three piece suit, designer of course, in a lovely dark purple color since he looked good in said style and color.

San was given Mingi to give a gift to, which came in the form of a matching ring and chain necklace set due to his love for jewelry. Mingi didn’t hesitate to slide them on happily as he thanked San, grinning wide. The aforementioned man passed his present over to Chan who tore into it with childlike fervor to reveal a pair of shoes, ones you knew he was looking to pre order but decided against it.

Chan was Yunho’s Secret Santa, handing the present over to the grabby hand man. He pulled off the ribbon around it, along with the top, and Yunho took hold of the jacket inside, humming excitedly as the long silhouette came into view. Chan snickers that Yunho’s last long jacket got ruined in a shoot out so it was necessary to get another.

Since Gahyeon was first, she was last to obtain a gift, having waited patiently. Yunho handed the box over and she opened it with hand, gently moving the tissue paper aside to pull out the designer handbag. She thanked him and ran her gaze over it as Yunho spoke up, stating that her old favorite bag fell to pieces from how much she used it, the hand strap even frayed to bits, and he wanted her to have another she liked.

With gift exchanging done and more gratitude passed around (along with many hugs), the staff on duty brought out dessert; chocolate lava cakes with vanilla ice cream. Yeosang asked you where you found the skateboard which you gladly explained, even pulling you your phone to show him. You hadn’t stopped smiling, laughing at jokes that were said, a light, warm feeling in your soul.

Goodbyes weren’t far behind dessert, all wanting to get home since it was getting late, with a big exchange of hugs, cheek kisses, and a promise for a meet up once the New Year started. You gave Gahyeon a tight hug, hearing her giggle as she squeezed you close to her body. She asked one of the others to take a picture of the two of you, to which Yunho took her phone and snapped a few happily. Chanbin asked a member of the restaurant staff to take a group shot, all of you scrunching together to fit into the frame well. All vibrant smiles spread on your faces.

Before you left, you handed out the containers of brownies, warning them that you were going to text other members of their group so the treats were shared, which made a few groan in disappointment.

Between you and Chan, it was loud the entire ride home, which wasn’t a big surprise. Despite how late it was, Chan continued to keep you smiling, through stories and horribly tuned karaoke. You did end up giving him a brownie when he started to beg, laughing as he almost dropped it, twice, while driving. He pulled into the garage to Minghao’s spot, peeking inside to find it quiet and most of the lights off.

He helped you as quietly as possible to take all the presents from the car, almost tripping over other gifts in the living room. You gave Chan a hug, whispering to sleep well and that you’d see him in the morning. He trailed you to Jeonghan’s room before wandering off towards his room.

Slipping into the room, you could hear the soft breathing from Joshua but saw the dimmed light of Jeonghan’s phone. His head shot up at the click of the door and you padded over to the closet with a wave at him. You changed quickly then disappeared into the bathroom to clean off your face and brush your hair. There was a quiet grumble of your name, you rolled your eyes as you flicked the light off and made your way over to where your boyfriends laid.

“Welcome home.” Jeonghan muttered, pulling you into his hold, letting you climb over him to the spot in between.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” You slipped under the covers, feeling him snuggle into your side.

“Was worried about you. You didn’t answer my texts.”

Placing a kiss to his forehead, you sighed and ran your fingers through his hair. “Sorry… Chan and I were having fun bullshitting. You can go to sleep now.”

He huffed, planting a kiss on your jawline. “Can I be the big spoon?”

“You wanna-?” You snickered and nodded, feeling his arms loosen so you could turn over.

He tugged you to his chest and you reached out to pull Joshua into the pile. The second man made an unknown sound but his body easily shifted to curl up with the two of you.

“Merry Christmas.” You muttered into Joshua’s hair and knocked out not long after.

“Wake up! It’s Christmas!”

You, Joshua, and Jeonghan were violently startled awake by Jun yelling into the room. When your groans of disapproval started, he jumped into bed across all of you. Jeonghan hit his back weakly while Jun laughed with childlike enjoyment but whined. Joshua pushed him away and you struggled under his (light) weight crushing you.

“Everyone got to sleep-in this year, wake up!” He rolled over and off the bed, checking his phone. “Almost nine in the morning, get up!”

Through the door, you could make out Soonyoung cheerfully yelling into someone’s room. Jun grinned once more before he scurried out, leaving the door wide open.

“I’m gonna kill ‘em.” Jeonghan pressed his face into the pillow. “Violently. Murder.”

“He’ll enjoy it too much.” Joshua replied, an arm over his eyes as he continued to wake up.

“I hate that you’re right.”

Reluctantly you sat up, brushing some hair out of your face and flattening the rest down. You contemplated whether you’d change but looked down at your (Jeonghan’s) flannel pajama pants and t-shirt (Joshua’s) and only decided on throwing a sweatshirt over it. Both of your boyfriends followed out with Joshua dragging blankets off the bed and trudging out to the living room, stealing the loveseat for the three of you. Seungkwan, Vernon, and Chan were huddled together on the couch, bleary eyed but awake enough to be coherent. You sat half on each of your significant other’s laps, both cuddling into your sides.

“Mouse,” Chan pouted. “Can you make hot chocolate?”

Giving a pat to both Joshua’s and Jeonghan’s heads, you gleefully stood despite their whines and set off to the kitchen on a mission. You set up quickly to make everyone a cup of something, keeping in mind who liked theirs extra sweet or didn’t want it at all. Chan did end up helping you pass out the wide assortment of mugs, even helping toss some mini-marshmallows into them. Members were still emerging from their rooms but accepted the sweet drinks to warm their bones before the massive stack of gifts were open.

“Merry Christmas!” Mingyu skipped over, a devious smile on his face, throwing an arm over your shoulder.

He pulled you close to his side, opening a different cabinet beside the mugs. “Would you look at that! Mistletoe!”

Not giving you a moment to react, Mingyu pressed a big, wet smooch to your cheek. You squealed when he didn’t let up, laughing when Seokmin appeared at your other side, doing the same.

“Ridiculous!” Swatting both away, they simply grinned.

“Two Mistletoe kisses for Mouse!”

“Take your drinks and stop being nasty.”

You forced mugs (carefully) into their hands, but you didn’t stop smiling at their antics. Chan took the two for Jeonghan and Joshua while you walked over to the half awake, pouty leader, handing him a mug. He thanked you with a lazy side hug and a grumble, plopping down on the couch. You joined your boyfriends with your drink, humming at their warmth and the mug in hand.

“Alright, teach me a very SVT Christmas.” You motioned aimlessly at the tree and gifts.

“Typically…” Minghao yawned, taking a sip of the tea you made him instead of hot chocolate. “It’s a free-for-all thing but since it's your first major holiday with us, I think we are going easy.”

“Mouse should open all her gifts first!” Seungkwan smiled wide, resting his head on Vernon’s shoulder.

“Mmm, if we do that, you all need to open your presents from me then you can have your wild free for all.”

“Deal!” Sooyoung beamed.

“He is the worst of all,” Joshua complained, groaning. “Last year he fucking bit me.”

“Huh?” You looked at Soonyoung in disbelief but he didn’t deny it. “No biting for fuck sake!”

Soonyoung almost looked…disappointed. Weirdo.

“Okay!” Jun interrupted, clapping his hands together. “Mouse’s presents.”

He grabbed each of your gifts with called-out help from the others saying which were for you, an almost scary sized cluster of boxes. Jihoon laughed at your shocked expression, pointing like a child.

“The fuck, guys…” You said, slipping onto the floor in front of the pile, taking in the plethora of boxes.

“Open them~” Jeonghan encouraged and with smiles all facing you, you reached for a gift.

You tore off the (slightly) janky wrapped paper after finding the name, the first from Wonwoo. It wasn’t heavy as you opened the inconspicuous brown cardboard box, snorting as you pulled out the fancy digital camera and the accessory box.

“Once everything…settles down, maybe we could go out and take pictures together.” The low, tired rumble of his voice had you nodding in agreement, having seen his camera before.

You set your eyes on the smallest of the stack, a smile square box with a bow holding it together. There wasn’t a giver name, but you were able to see the Cartie etched across the top.

“Holy shit.” You whispered, seeing the gold, diamond bracelet staring back at you. It was thin, dainty, but the metaphorical weight was a lot. You’ve seen them before, expensive, and a dream if you were a millionaire.

You gazed around the room and the moment your eyes met with Seungcheol’s, you knew. There was a subtle shake to his head, almost asking not to point it out as you slid it around your wrist.

“Damn, okay, I’m glad I didn’t go with that.” Mingyu snickered as you moved along to a medium sized, rectangular box.

“I’m terrified of this big square box.” You gave it a light kick and Jun’s shoulder shook with silent laughter.

Minghao panicked when you were a little harsh in peeling off the wrapping paper. “It’s fragile-”

You instantly were gentler, hearing a deep breath leave him. Pulling off the top, you squeaked. It was a gorgeous tea set in a very pale blue-green, mint colored glaze and a seemingly hand painted cherry blossom pattern. Another squeak left you when you found the matching designed cups. Mingaho let out a giggle and you found pouches of hand labeled tea bags of ones he had made for you previously.

“I’m gonna drink the fuck out of these, Hao.”

“Good, I know where to get more.”

The boxes were getting bigger, minus a singular smaller one. You saw a neatly wrapped present with the youngest three’s initials scrapped across it. You dragged it over, noticing the three perk up as you tore off the ribbon and popped off the top.

You bulked at the three, crisply packaged designer bags in three different styles. You really tell who picked out which one based on the varying colors and style. Seungkwan definitely got you the lavender purse with a regular hand strap and a detachable shoulder strap. Vernon’s was a simple black shoulder bag with silver accents. Chan’s was a chrome silver with matching metal chain hand strap to hold it.

“Between this and the clothes in my closet, I’m getting the feeling you don’t like my style.” You snarked, looking over each bag lovingly.

“It could use some help.” Seungkwan teased back and you scoffed, flipping him off.

“Jackass.” You placed the box aside and picked up a sparkly wrapped small gift. “I hope you all know that I know some of you can’t wrap gifts.”

“Team effort.”

“I feel like a kid on Christmas morning with all the aunties and uncles here to spoil their only niece.” You got the paper off, hating the glitter that now stuck to your hands and clothes, but coming face to face with a pair of noise canceling headphones. “I need these with how loud you guys can get.”

“See, I told you!” Seokmin hit Mingyu’s arm, cackling. “Twenty bucks, please.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get it later…”

You moved onto the next gift, turning it about to see Santa Jun scrawled across the side. It was the second largest box in the pile left and you were laughing when you saw the contents. The squished, vacuum sealed face of Gengar staring back at you.

“A giant plushie!?”

“Bean bag chair!” Jun vibrated in his seat, hands shaking happily. “It’s huge, like five feet by five feet.”

You stared at him blankly, slow blinking. “I will never leave it. It’s my new home.”

He grinned, nose scrunching up in a snicker. “Good, that was the plan.”

“Okay, biggest one.” You stood to open it and Mingyu was bustling with excitement.

It was a large entertainment speaker system similar to the ones at the house with a note saying ‘ Movie Night?’.

“Yeah, I think that can be arranged. Another big movie night.”

There was a cheer from some as you reached for a bulky square-ish box. It was heavy and you heard something shift inside. There was a messily drawn tiger and cat face that made you chuckle. There was a lovely record player inside with a very thick stack of vinyls of multiple artists you knew or some you haven’t heard of. The one that stuck out to you at the very bottom of the stack, however, had you on the floor laughing.

“DJ-” You wheezed, “DJ Leaf Blower’s Greatest Hits-”

“Read the number one song.” Jihoon called out.

Flipping the vinyl over, you screamed and laughed harder. “ Ram Ranch Remix?! ” Gasping for air, you held your sides. “I’m gonna pee.”

“ Barbie Girl 4.0?” Minghao raised a brow, reading it once you handed it over.

“Don’t worry about it.” Vernon snorted, a wide grin on his face.

“Come on, one more before ours.” Mingyu hummed, shimmying in place.

Collecting yourself enough to catch your breath and wiping your face, you pulled the last gift close, a black and gold rectangular box. J&J was written on the card and you quickly opened it.

There was an assortment of items inside that you sorted through. Perfumes, clothes, shoes, and so much more. You smelled each new perfume, happy that were similar to your much cheaper ones. The clothes and shoes were matching and you found a note insinuating they were for a night out with them. There was even a new clutch and jewelry to go with said outfits.

“You know, I can’t hug all of you at once-”

“Wrong!” Mingyu yelled while Seokmin cheered, diving at you and talking you to the floor.

A few more joined, mainly Seungkwan, Chan, Jun, and Soonyoung, leaving you squished against the tallest and your best friend. You struggled, clawing at the carpet to try and flee, but you gave up as they started to get up and off of you.

An exasperated huff left you, tired and unable to fight back. “I can’t believe you heathens.”

You stood, ignoring their beaming smiles and chuckles in order to retrieve and hand out each of their gifts. Some were large while others were small, handing them out to some grabby handed adults. Jun helped you move all your things aside as they started one by one opening their gifts starting with Chan.

You had found a humongous otter plushie on sale, knowing he looked like the animal, and a new leather jacket. He laughed loudly as he unpacked the stuffed animal, keeping it tuck under his arm as he took the jacket out. Chan thanked you as Vernon started to open his two packages of similar size tied together with a ribbon, one thin and the other relatively thick box. You had many text conversations with Seungkwan to find something, deciding on a new DJ turntable and a rare, signed David Bowie poster that you got help from Changbin to find. He let out a surprised sound, eyes wide and a grin in disbelief.

Seungkwan opened his gift next, a nice, reliable shoulder bag he didn’t have. Totally didn’t snoop in his room to find out, and a new pair of running shoes since his current ones were falling apart. Mingyu tore into his gift the moment a thank you left the younger man’s mouth, meeting the cheesy Kiss The Chef apron, resting on top of a custom tailored dark green suit. Siyeon had given you a list of all the colors the giant looked good in and you picked the color you hadn’t seen him in a lot. He was ready to strip, standing up to throw the jacket over his black sleep t-shirt, rambling at how much he liked it.

Seokmin opened the box in his lap, gasping dramatically as he lifted the papers in the air.

“Divorce papers?! How could you?” He waved them around before tossing the faked papers on the floor. “I thought you and I were soulmates!”

“I’m sorry,” You placed a hand to your chest, sighing. “But I have found another- two others.”

He fake cried as he rifled through the box more, pulling out the bottles of cologne you found similar to his common ones. He thanked you with a playful kiss to the cheek.

Minghao was next, giggling at the gift you got him. Just as he had given you, a custom tea set rested in the box with little cute, painted frogs on it. Each of the four cups had cartoon frogs with different expressions on them, and it came with a handcrafted frog tea pet. You went on to explain that Jun told you about his love for animated frogs and had a great idea. He thanked you and curled in on himself to take the pottery in.

Jihoon’s gift was harder to find, but the moment you did, you bought it without looking at the price tag (you did later and you died a little inside). It was a limited edition, dark red Ibenez guitar. His eyes lit up as he lifted it from the case, an excited, random sound leaving him as he gazed upon it. He mumbled a thank you a moment before Soonyoung unwrapped his present, laughing loudly at the three piece tiger print pants, shirt, and suit jacket set you bought. He, without a single care, kicked off his pajama bottoms and tugged the new pants on. You made a sound of complaint at his stripping but glad that he enjoyed it.

Wonwoo’s presents were bundled in one, three (four technically) items to add to his computer setup. You were originally going to get him a new graphics card but you walked in on him a few weeks ago taking his tower apart to install…a new graphics card. In the end, you settled on a large, wireless charging mouse pad, a new mouse with a lot of side buttons, and a clicky-clacky keyboard. You matched the brands to ones you knew he had in his current set up, but got a second keycap set if he wanted to change the style out.

Jun’s present was kind of similar to what he got you, funny enough. He got you a huge ass Gengar bean bag…you got him a four foot long Mareep Pokemon plushie. He wheezed in excitement, ripping the plastic off to hold it comfortably to his chest, making a comment that he would cuddle it forever.

Joshua’s and Jeonghan’s presents were quite large, however you added a small gift to match something you had made. Based on their taste, you got Jeonghan a chain bracelet while Joshua got a necklace of similar design. You got yourself a necklace with a mix between both styles to match, but you’d tell them later.

Along with the jewelry, you got Jeonghan a huge lego set to work on during the holiday. He expressed wanting to build one again and not knowing what to do with his time when you went to work during the week with Seokmin. For Joshua…you got a life sized model of Ichigo’s first sword from Bleach, one of his favorite anime. Both looked thankful but overjoyed admiring their gift.

Last but certainly not least, Seungcheol held the box in hand, larger than his palm but still small. You, with the encouragement from Jeonghan, snuck into his room to find a decent gift idea for the leader. He had a large collection of watches of varying brands, styles, and types, you took as much time as you could to find something online before rushing out.

Seungcheol’s gummy smile could be seen as he popped the lid open, removing the rose gold Rolex watch. He looked it over with quiet enjoyment, hastily sliding it around his wrist, surprised it fit well since links usually needed to be table off. You…won’t tell him you took one of his and returned it to its original place with the help from Chan.

You asked everyone if they liked their gifts and the chorus of affirmation and thank yous followed. Soonyoung got up, still sporting the tiger pants, and quickly started to pass out presents. You moved out of the way, dodging a box tossed Jeonghan’s way. Sitting with your back to the foot of the love seat, you watched as chaos ensued.

Wrapping paper, bags, and box tops littered the living room. Excited screams and loud conversation filled the space as more presents were thrown. You wanted to help in some way, taking on the duty of collecting the trash, making a neat pile for easy clean up once everything was done.

It was outrageous but also so heartwarming to see the happiness shared. While Jihoon wasn’t physically affectionate, he let Mingyu give him a tight hug and Jun to ruffle his hair. Seokmin practically jumped into Seungcheol’s lap when he opened the present from the leader. Jeonghan and Joshua nudged shoulders at their own exchange. You hugged your knees, continued to watch them, your… family, living in the simple pleasures of a normal life moment.

When gifts were finished, Mingyu and Minghao took charge in fully cleaning up, which became a group effort. You snuck into the kitchen to start on the even larger breakfast, finding Joshua at your hip not long after. Between breakfast and dinner later, you didn’t mind the thought of spending the whole day in the kitchen. You even had something…special up your sleeve for dinner.

“Why is there mistletoe down here?!” Joshua asked, opening a bottom cabinet. You sprinted around the kitchen, sliding on your socks to plant a kiss to his cheek.

“Joshua one!” You sprung up, calling out to Mingyu who whooped loudly.

Joshua rolled his eyes but stole a kiss from you when he stood before letting you get back to cooking. With help from Seokmin and Chan, breakfast was a mix of food from pancakes to hashbrowns. Despite the time, everything ended up being more brunch items, but everyone looked satisfied with the spread of sweet and savory.

Some gifts were moved from the living room to make space for the full bellied bodies and movie watching. Jihoon sat with the guitar you got him, tuning it with practiced precision. Seungkwan was sitting on the couch with Jeonghan, snickering over the gifts they got each other; a nice set of jackets for the younger man and two sets of imported wine for your boyfriend. Everything was calm and domestic.

You could hear an annoyed shout from Minghao as Soonyoung and Jun pecked him on the cheek when mistletoe was found in the linen closet. They both shouted the count then ran from the assassin. You, on the other hand, started prepping items for dinner, chopping many vegetables, positioning out so much chicken, and making some (a lot ) of dough. Their background noise was comforting, hearing them laugh and chatter. After being on your own for a while, this was a change you knew you needed.

“Mouse, come join us.” Jeonghan called, peering over the back of the couch, pouting.

“I’m almost done here.” You hummed over your shoulder, placing the prepped items in different containers.

“Mouse-” He whined and you shot him a playful glare, moving to wash your hands.

He was grinning at you with a gaze full of love and infatuation as he watched you move about. You shook your head and moved over to him once you were finished. Seungkwan ran off somewhere else, leaving a space next to Jeonghan that you were going to fill, but he pulled you into his lap, kissing your cheek a few times.

“Are you having a good Christmas?” He whispered, watching as you looked around the room.

You took in a deep breath, smiling with a nod as your eyes settled back on him, taking in his features. “I am.”

Once more, you looked around, seeing the holiday joy, bright vibes, and the love between everyone.

“I’m glad that I ended up tangled with you guys, Hannie.”

Dinner was a much bigger affair than you had previously thought. You were kinda warned that you needed to dress up a little, but you laughed, seeing some of them in some of their best outfits, recognizing some from the gala. You did throw on a dress Joshua got when you moved into your new home, long and classy but not long enough you needed shoes. Soonyoung had the tiger suit jacket that you got him and Mingyu wore the lovely dark green suit with lots of ostentatious jewelry. The entire scene was comical the more you looked them over head to toe.

The only explanation you were given as to why this dinner needed nice outfits was that someone had made a joke once that everyone should dress up extra nice just to have a home cooked meal and hang out. Some took it to the extreme with Seokmin and Chan walking out in brightly colored outfits and horribly clashing patterns, making everyone die laughing. They looked like eyesores. Joshua decided to go similar to Mingyu, hands and neck littered with lots of over the top jewelry.

You were happy the dress you brought wasn’t bothersome to keep cooking, quickly tossing on an apron to assemble the individual chicken pot pies and getting them in the oven. Minghao, Jun, and Seokmin were finishing up their own dishes that wouldn’t clash too much with what you were making.

Pulling open the cabinet with the serving dishes you opened earlier in the day, you gasped, cursing under your breath. You tried to close the cabinet quickly but Minghao’s hand stopped you. He giggled but placed a gentle kiss on your cheek, only for Seokmin to dive in and kiss your other one.

“Mouse two!”

You grumbled and turned to find Mingyu’s playful gaze. “How did you manage to change the spot?!”

“Dumb question, I changed more and hid more so everyone be prepared.” He grinned. “So far, Mouse has four, Hao has two, and Joshua has one.”

“How the fuck…” You whispered, huffing as you went back to cooking, exasperated, “Someone set the table!”

Jihoon, Vernon, and Wonwoo worked on setting the table, happy to help since they were…pretty useless when cooking. Working with Jun, you got everyone’s ramekin out of the oven and to the table. You gave a warning that it was scolding hot so on one should touch them right away. Hao and Seokmin got the rest of the dishes plated and to the table and soon you were sitting down to eat with everyone.

Seungcheol took a peek at the dish before him then to you, raising a brow since he knew exactly what it was. You only gave him a wink as everyone started to grab more food and dug into the meal. Seeing the satisfaction on everyone’s face was enough to get you all giddy and a fuzzy feeling settled in your chest. Your grandmother would be over the moon to see more people enjoying her recipes. You knew you were happy for her.

“Can we do a big family picture after?” Seungkwan looked down the table, addressing everyone. “I think we all look amazing enough.”

“Ostentatious, you mean?”

“Oh yeah. I want this framed for my memories. Plus we had stupid matching pajamas last year thanks to Jeonghan. And we have Mouse with us.”

“I want a picture of all of us.” You hummed, chiming in as you smiled to yourself. “My first Christmas with all of you.”

“We can take it by the Christmas tree!” Soonyoung was excited, hummed with joy.

“That would be great.”

Those who didn’t cook, cleaned, leaving Minghao, Jun, Seokmin, and you to relax. Seungcheol opened the fridge, yelling out at Minghao as Chan kissed his cheek dramatically. You shouted out his couch, laughing as the leader wiped his face. With time, you moved any presents laying around away from the tree to make room for everyone. Seokmin scurried off to get his camera and tripod to take the picture.

Everyone piled in, tallest of course in the back and you secured a place standing in front of Joshua with Jeonghan and Seungcheol on either side of him. Seokmin called out that he was setting a timer, wanting everyone to post while he ran to his spot. It took three tries and two poses later for the group of you to be satisfied with the effort. You snickered, asking to have them printed and framed to keep with you at home.

“I’m getting out of my suit and getting back into my pajamas.” Jeonghan complained, already almost out of the living room. “Are we watching bad Christmas movies still?”

“Oh yeah.” Vernon followed, heading towards his own room.

“Bring your pillows and blankets I guess.” Wonwoo hummed out a chuckle.

You stayed behind to finish and clean up, watching everyone go to their rooms. Joshua joined you despite his gaudy jewelry and a look that he definitely wanted to change.

“Shua, you can go change, I’ll be there soon.”

“No, no, I want to help.” He stepped close, taking the rings off his hands and pocketed them. “Plus, I get to have a moment alone, in peace, with you.”

You grinned, wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him flush against your body. His hands were on your waist, gently swaying with you to an unheard tune as he lovely smiled down at you.

“I’m happy you got to spend the holiday with us, and that you are going to spend new years with us, Mouse. Having you here with all of us…God, the guys love you, I love you-” He stopped with his mouth agape, sputtering. “Wait fuck, I didn’t mean to-”

Gently you pulled him down for a kiss, sweet and slow, hoping it began to express the feelings bubbling in your chest. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach when he returned with fervor, feeling him smile against your lips. One of his hands came up to gingerly hold your face, his thumb ghosting over your cheek. He pulled away first, only to chase back to give you a singular small peck to your lips before he bashfully grinned down at you.

“I love you, sweetheart.” Joshua whispered, as if the statement was a secret between the two of you, but you cleared your throat, taking his face into both hands.

“Joshua Hong, I love you too.”

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dean-winchester-is-a-warrior · 11 months ago

Text

The Dangers of Hope Ch. 2

Series Summary: When Y/N shows up at Camp Chitaqua with her little girl in tow, her bloodshot eyes leave no doubt that she's infected. Or is she? Everything Dean has come to know for certain over the last five hellish years, is about to be challenged.

Pairings/Characters in the series: Endverse!Dean x Reader, Emma (OFC), Castiel, Sam Winchester, Lucifer, Michael, Zachariah, Risa, Johnston (OMC), Patrick (OMC), Theresa (OFC),other survivors and soldiers.

Series Explicit 18 +/Warnings: Show level violence, some gore, angst, smut, fluff all the usual for a series of mine. ❤️ Endverse!Dean (that's a warning for his anger and callousness as well as his extreme hotness. 😁) Each chapter will have their own specific warnings.

Chapter Warnings: Not too much. A mention of recurring nightmares, some talk of fears.

Word Count: 4,240

A/N: So, I've had this idea for quite a while. Basically since I watched The Last of Us. I loved Pedro in the role of Joel, but I kept thinking how incredible Jensen would have been. Which then made me think of how amazing he was as Endverse!Dean which then led me to this idea. Lol! I've stolen the premise of Ellie's storyline from TLOU, but made her a grown up, a reader insert, and a love interest for Dean.

If you've never seen TLOU, don't worry - you don't need to have seen it to understand this story. 😊

I've taken some liberties with the Endverse in my story, changed a few things from canon, but kept lots of things too.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the story. It will be ten chapters and I will do my very best to post one chapter every weekend. ❤️

A/N 2: Thank you SO much to everyone who was so kind and gave such a lovely reception to the first chapter of the series. I hope you enjoy this new chapter too! ❤️

Series Master List || Tag Lists

The dividers used here were created by @saradika .

The big, wide log cabin seemed so completely empty after Dean Winchester left, as though his presence alone was what had filled it.

The blue-eyed man - Castiel - ran after him quickly, shouting an order to a guard outside to let no one go in.

So Y/N sat completely still, listening to the muffled sounds of camp life happening on the other side of the pine walls. Her exhausted brain was trying to comprehend what had happened, trying to piece it all together.

The first person she'd encountered had been the woman, Risa. She and another soldier had been guarding the border of the camp when Y/N and Emma finally stumbled out of the forest.

Y/N was fairly certain she would have been shot on site if Emma hadn't been there. Instead, their hesitation gave her the chance to swear up and down that, despite appearances, she wasn't a Croat.

The two soldiers had eye-balled each other and Risa had finally told the other guard to stay at the outpost.

“The Boss is still out on the raid. I'm taking them to Castiel.”

She'd pulled the heavy chains and manacles out of the guard post shack, and brought Y/N, cuffed and bound, to see Castiel. She’d met with him in the big cabin, tying Y/N to the table and then explaining things to him. He'd seemed a bit out of it at first, but then seemed to sober up quickly when Risa explained the situation to him a second time. Then he examined Y/N and made her tell him the story again. His face got progressively more dumbstruck as she spoke.

When he was informed that the Boss was back, he'd told Risa to take Emma away somewhere safe while they all talked.

Now, in the big, lonely cabin Y/N had to shake her head. She’d been so certain, in the end, that she was going to die. But Dean had walked away and left her breathing.

Just another miracle that somehow kept her alive for one more day.

The evening wore on and the light began to disappear, leaving only a dusky blue twilight inside the cabin. She didn't like the night time and the dark. It was a fear that had started with the poltergeist when she was sixteen - when every time she turned off the light and closed her eyes, something evil emerged to cause her pain and terrorize her in the dark.

Before long, the very last of the twilight left the room, and unknown, unkind darkness loomed all around her, and she began to feel the panic rising. But suddenly, just before it could take hold completely, Dean strode through the door, carrying a bright lantern that banished the dark. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to see him in spite of everything.

He moved to stand directly in front of her, almost exactly where he stood when he’d elected not to shoot her. She looked up at him and gave a slight smile, not knowing what else she could do. Then she thought to ask the question foremost on her mind.

“Can I see Emma? I'd like her to know I'm safe.”

“No.” He said, shooting down the request without hesitation. He moved over to a metal folding chair that sat at the end of one of the tables and pointed at it.

“I'm gonna sit right here, all night, not sleeping. And if you so much as twitch? I promise I'll put you down.”

Y/N still couldn't help but appreciate the light he'd brought in for her, and the fact that she was still breathing, so she gave another half smile. “Okey dokey.”

He looked briefly taken aback by her response before his scowl returned. He plunked himself down on the chair and folded his arms across his chest, sitting up ramrod straight. It didn't look very comfortable.

But then, her spot on the hard floor, chained to the table, wasn't all that comfy either. But she decided she was grateful that the length of the chain allowed her to comfortably move her arms around. That was something.

She leaned back against the wide metal leg of the table and tried to relax. But soon her active mind was wandering and she stole a glance at Dean, wondering about how very different he was now. Of course twelve years was a long time in the best of circumstances. Twelve years spent fighting monsters and battling through an apocalypse was bound to change a person.

As she stared at him he turned his head and caught her at it outright. She blushed slightly and decided to cover with a question. “Can I see Emma tomorrow?”

“No.” Dean said before going back to staring at the far wall.

His outright refusal was frustrating. But she worried that arguing with him might be considered “twitching”, so she kept her mouth closed.

The silence stretched out again and made Y/N antsy. She was used to Emma’s little-girl-babbling, her singing, and just her general five-year-old noisiness. The camp was mostly silent on the other side of the wall as well, only the crickets could be heard, playing their creaky songs.

Her eyes once again settled on the only interesting thing in the room, Dean. She tried to be less obvious about staring this time, but realized she’d failed when he spoke harshly without looking in her direction.

“Why are you staring at me?” His voice was full of annoyance.

“I’m not.” She said quickly and unconvincingly.

He finally looked at her and his face was cold and angry. She remembered that he used to have a really bright, beautiful smile.

“Why can’t I see Emma?” She asked, aware she was probably pushing buttons she shouldn't.

Dean ignored her and slowly looked away again. Y/N huffed out an angry puff of air and despite her worries about riling him, decided to argue. “She’s my daughter. I just want to make sure she’s okay, and let her know that I’m okay too.”

He remained silent and Y/N’s voice became desperate. “Please!”

Dean swung his head back to look at her angrily. “Look, I’m probably going to end up shooting you. When that happens, do you want her to have to go through all of it again? Or worse, have her sitting in the room when you turn and I have to take you out?”

Y/N felt a lump form in her throat, but she shook her head. “No.” She said softly.

Dean lifted his hand and then dropped it, looking away again. “So okay. Then shut up about it.”

Y/N was only a little offended and sighed slowly. After being quiet for a minute she spoke with another frustrated sigh.

“Okay, but do we just have to sit here? This is boring.” Her eyes lit up slightly. “We could play twenty questions.”

Dean looked back at her and his expression was finally registering as something other than angry or blank. He obviously thought she was nuts.

She shrugged. “Just to pass the time.” When he just continued to stare, she shook her head. “No? How ‘bout the alphabet game?”

Dean’s perplexed expression fell back into his usual scowl but Y/N trudged on anyway. “The alphabet game is where you pick a subject, like countries of the world, or 80s action movies or something, and then go back and forth, each having to come up with something that matches the next letter. Like if I said ‘Action Jackson’, you’d say…’Beverly Hills Cop’, then I’d say-”

“Shut. Up.” Dean said succinctly. His mossy green eyes were dark, and quiet frustration oozed out of him.

Y/N slumped back against the table leg. “Sorry. I talk when I'm nervous, and when I’m bored. So, it’s a double whammy here. Hence the motor mouth.”

“Go to sleep.” Dean said in a clipped tone.

“I have too much adrenaline for sleep. I WAS almost shot today, after all.”

Dean’s jaw clenched before he looked away from her again and leaned back slightly in the chair. “If you don’t shut up and go to sleep I may change my mind about the ‘almost’ part.”

Y/N bit her lip trying to suppress a giggle as exhaustion and adrenaline combined with her twisted sense of humor. The result was a loud snort that had Dean once again looking at her like she was nuts.

She smiled at him, wishing he’d smile back, and shared the movie quote that was tickling her funny bone.

“Good night, Westley. Good work, sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.”

When Dean just stared at her silently, she shook her head. “Princess Bride? No? It’s a classic.”

She swore she saw his hand move towards the holster on his thigh and she raised her hands in surrender. “Okay. Sorry. I’ll be quiet now.”

Dean stared a while longer at her and she wondered if he really was contemplating shooting her, until he finally looked away and settled himself more comfortably in the chair.

She sighed. It was gonna be a long night.

***

Y/N was floating down a river in a little canoe. Emma was sitting across from her and talking to her, though she was still a baby.

“We’re lost, Mommy.” She said and Y/N shook her head. She had to keep her baby safe and that included keeping her safe from the truth.

“No we’re okay, baby.” Y/N said as the river got choppy and sharp rocks jutted out, waiting for them around every bend. They careened straight towards one, and Y/N could do nothing to steer the canoe around it; the one oar she had was mostly turning her in circles. They smashed into the rocks and the boat began filling with water.

“Mommy, the water is coming up.” Said Baby Emma. “We’re gonna drown.”

“No, we won’t baby. I won’t let us.”

Y/N tried to scoop the water out with her hands, but it was just too fast. They were sinking. Y/N grabbed for Emma but the baby began to float away.

“Emma!” Y/N called out to her daughter as she floated farther and farther away. But even though she was almost a mile away, Y/N could still hear her little voice right in her ear.

“You lost me, mommy. I can’t come back, I’m lost.”

“No! I didn’t!” Y/N cried out, jerking awake.

The cabin had sunshine pouring in through the east-facing windows. It was morning, she was alive, and so was Emma, she reassured herself, she was just out somewhere in the camp. Her recurring nightmare could be left in the shadows. She took a deep breath and looked over at Dean. He was staring intensely at her. She raised her hands.

“Sorry, not ‘twitching’, just a bad dream.”

Dean still didn’t blink. It was unnerving. “Did you really not sleep at all?” Y/N asked.

“Said I wouldn’t.”

Y/N took in his posture in the chair, straight and alert; he’d barely moved an inch all night. It made her smile and shake her head.

“Huh.”

Dean’s scowl was firmly in place. “What?” He questioned.

Y/N shrugged. “No, nothing. It’s just good to see that things haven’t changed much, after all.”

Dean scoffed. “Woman, everything in the world has changed.” He looked away from her. “And it just keeps changing every day.”

“Maybe,” Y/N conceded. “But yet here you are, all these years later, and you’re still protecting people.”

His head swung back towards her and he seemed offended. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Y/N lifted a manacled wrist and gestured beyond the cabin. “You sat up all night, in what I can only assume to be the world’s most uncomfortable chair, to make sure that everyone in the camp was safe from a potential monster.” She shrugged again. “Because you’re still protecting people.”

“That is not what this is.” Dean said angrily, and Y/N raised an eyebrow.

“No?”

“No.” Dean reiterated. “I am the leader of this camp, and leaders do their own dirty work. If you turn, I’m gonna be the one to shoot you.”

“To save your soldiers having to do it.” Y/N said with a nod.

“No!” Dean barked. It surprised her that he was so angry about what she was saying. It was obvious to her. The hunter she’d known may have turned into a soldier, may have gotten a little harder, but from everything she’d seen, he was still Dean Winchester underneath.

His face was a snarl now, though. “Look, I don’t want you thinking I’m some kind of benevolent nursemaid here.” Dean tried to explain. “Everyone in camp has jobs, has their roles. It’s how we’ve all survived so far. My role is to keep the camp guarded. And I do that so everyone else can perform their roles. It’s simply a matter of survival. If you turn into a Croat and start killing folks, that lowers our numbers, makes us all more vulnerable. That’s all this is. So don’t go thinking I’m some kind of bleeding heart. When the time comes, I will take you down.”

Y/N nodded slowly. “Okay.” She said calmly. She didn’t really believe a word of it. But she wouldn’t argue with his need to make her see him as deadly.

“I mean it. I won’t hesitate.” Dean said coldly.

“But,” Y/N looked at him and gave a small smile, “you already did. Hesitate, I mean.”

Dean’s jaw ticked. “Are you taunting me?” His voice was low and very menacing.

Y/N raised her hands, making the chains rattle. “No!” She denied vehemently. “I’m not taunting you, I’m thanking you. That hesitation saved my life.”

Dean’s glare was hot and angry. “Well, like I told you, things change real quick these days, so don’t tempt me.”

He turned away from her again and Y/N lowered her hands. His attitude was not what she’d expected. He honestly seemed insulted that she’d implied that he was a good man who made it his mission to keep people safe.

Silence descended again, until Y/N began shifting around, noisily rattling her chains.

“Stay still.” Dean barked without looking at her.

“I can’t.” Y/N said, slightly embarrassed. “I…I have to…pee.”

Dean turned to look at her for a moment and then shrugged. “Go ahead.”

Y/N’s face scrunched up in disgust. “Ew.” When Dean made no move to rectify the situation, she let out an annoyed huff. “Do you at least have a bucket?”

Dean continued to stare at her for a long time, before calling out. “Johnston!”

A thin man holding a rifle stepped in the door. He’d clearly been standing just outside. “Yes sir?”

“I need your help with the latrine.”

“Sir?” The young man’s face was confused and Y/N snorted out a laugh.

Dean shot her a dirty look. “Shut up.” He ordered. She bit her lip to stifle her smile.

He turned back to the soldier. “With her, Johnston.” He said, pointing at Y/N. “I need help taking her to the latrines. I’m gonna hold her chains, so I need you to keep a gun on her.”

“Oh!” The man was clearly very relieved. “Yes sir.”

Dean stood up and took a key from the inside pocket of his green canvas jacket, bending to unlock the padlock that kept Y/N attached to the table. He pulled her to her feet and she stumbled into him, her legs being slightly wobbly and asleep from her uncomfortable position.

“Sorry.” She said, suddenly shy as she stood so near him. She looked up into his face and was slightly mesmerized by his shining emerald eyes and the dusting of freckles on his cheeks. He really was remarkably beautiful, moreso today than when he’d come to save her all those years ago.

Dean just grunted and stepped back, holding her thick chains in his big hand easily. He took the lead, his long strides forcing her to jog along behind him or risk being dragged all the way.

The camp was still just waking up and she could smell coffee brewing around the campfires where people sat sleepily rubbing their eyes and then popping them wide open as the strange procession passed by them. She tried to smile at them, but the fear on their faces made her remember her bloodshot eyes, and she lowered her head. They probably thought their leader had gone crazy, dragging a Croat around on a leash.

After a few minutes of walking they reached a row of outhouses, plain but well built. Dean pointed to the one on the end of the row and Y/N went in. She stopped just inside the door, looking back at Dean.

“Are you going to let go of the chain?”

“No.”

She frowned and waved her hand at the wooden door. “I can’t close the door if the chain is in the way.”

Dean just shrugged in answer.

Y/N’s face was imploring. “Come on.”

Dean said nothing.

Y/N gritted her teeth. “Well could you at least look the other way?”

“No.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and let out a little growl of frustration. “For pete’s sake, I am in chains, and you’re holding on to them! Where the hell am I gonna go if you look away for a minute?”

Dean stared at her a moment longer before finally, begrudgingly, turning his head.

“Thanks.” Y/N mumbled, trying to pull the door over as far as it would go with the chain stopping it.

When she was finished, she came out with pink cheeks. There was no way both men hadn’t heard her peeing. There were definitely some real indignities involved in people thinking you were a monster.

When they got back to the cabin, Dean was locking Y/N back up to the table, crouched down beside her, when her stomach rumbled from hunger. He ignored it, double checking her manacles before walking out and leaving Johnston watching over her with his rifle.

A few minutes later though, a young girl, probably no more than thirteen, came in with a bowl of oatmeal and some canned oranges. She also had a cold glass of water on the tray and Y/N groaned out loud. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until she saw it there. Her groan seemed to startle the girl who was approaching Y/N with considerable trepidation.

Y/N tried smiling again, knowing there was nothing she could do to change her bloodshot eyes, but hoping she could still show kindness in them.

“Hi.” She said softly. “My name is Y/N, what’s yours?”

“Theresa.” The girl said, as she came a little closer. “Boss told mom to make you some breakfast and she sent me to bring it.”

Y/N nodded. “Thank you so much. It smells delicious. Tell your mother I said thank you as well.”

Theresa nodded back and finally came up beside her to set the tray within reach on the floor. Then she scuttled away quickly and Y/N tucked into the food. The oatmeal was slightly stale and plain with nothing to go in it, but it was warm and filling and the oranges were sweet and juicy despite their slightly tinny taste. It was the best meal she’d had in well over a week and she was grateful to Dean, the man who didn’t care about anyone, for providing it for her.

She hoped Emma was eating well this morning too, and that she was somehow coping with everything. She closed her eyes and tried to send her daughter strength.

The next few days passed much in the same way. Dean would watch her every night, assuring her that he was watching for any signs she was turning. But a couple days in, she woke up in the night to see his head slumped onto his chest, exhaustion finally winning out over any remaining fears he had of her changing.

On her fifth morning, Dean was locking her back up to the table after a visit to the latrines (during which he now allowed her to take the chain in with her and shut the door), when he swore and grabbed onto her right hand. He pushed the manacle up further on her arm and examined her wrist where it had been rubbed raw on the underside.

“What the fuck? Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”

Y/N shrugged. “Didn’t hurt that much, and I figured you wouldn’t care, you know, if you were still figuring on shooting me.” She said with a teasing smile.

Dean gave her his usual dirty look. “Yeah well, I wouldn’t want you to die of sepsis before I get the chance.”

He called to Patrick whose turn it was to guard the cabin for that morning. When the red-headed man stepped inside, Dean told him to bring a first aid kit from the medical tent. When Patrick left, Dean pulled another key from inside his jacket and unlocked the manacle on Y/N’s right hand.

Her arm felt strange without the extra weight of the manacle and chain. Dean checked her other wrist, satisfied that she only had the one wound. When Patrick returned with the first aid kit, Dean began cleaning the raw spot on Y/N’s grubby skin.

As he worked, Theresa came in with Y/N’s breakfast. She pulled up short when she saw Dean there, since he was usually gone by the time she came in. Y/N tried to encourage her forward.

“Thank you, Theresa. Don’t worry, your boss is just fixing up a scratch on my wrist. You can still bring breakfast over.”

The girl hesitated before moving over to Y/N and setting the tray on the floor. “Have you seen Emma today?” Y/N asked.

Most of the time, she tried desperately not to think about what her daughter was going through. If she were to dwell on it too long it would drive her mad. As it was, the nightmare of watching Emma float away from her, was coming two or three times a night now.

The girl looked afraid to answer with Dean there and kept glancing over at him, clearly nervous. “It’s okay.” Y/N reassured her again. “Please, how is she?” Y/N asked, aware that desperation laced her voice.

Theresa looked up at Y/N, her big brown eyes far too wise for a thirteen year old girl.

“Sad.” She said simply before standing and scurrying out of the room.

Y/N felt like a knife was twisting in her gut. She closed her eyes and tried to stop her tears from falling, but simply couldn’t. Two fat tears fell down her cheeks as she stared into her lap. Without saying anything, Dean tied a bandage around her injured wrist before tying more gauze around her uninjured left wrist, protecting it from the rough metal.

He cleaned up the first aid kit and left without a word. It was a few minutes before Y/N realized he hadn’t re-manacled her right wrist.

All that day it felt as though a heavy stone sat in her stomach. She barely touched her breakfast (an egg and some sliced fried potatoes) and didn’t have a bite of lunch. She felt terrible wasting the food and insisted Patrick eat it. It tasted like ash to her and she simply couldn’t swallow. All she could think about was Emma and how she was hurting.

Her ability to compartmentalize her pain and fear was breaking down as worry and heartbreak took over everything.

That evening, Dean showed up earlier than usual. He walked right up to her and, kneeling beside her, unlocked her other manacle so that she was free of the chains at last. She gave him a quizzical look.

“What are you doing?”

Dean shrugged. “It’s been nearly a week that you’ve been here and almost two weeks since you got bit.” His usual scowl was highlighted by confusion in his green gaze. “I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but it seems increasingly unlikely that you’re gonna start foaming at the mouth any time soon, so…”

He stood up and moved away, nodding to someone outside. Risa stepped through the door and behind her, holding her hand, was Emma.

Y/N gave out a loud cry of surprise, too many emotions flooding her at once to articulate any actual words. She tried to leap to her feet, but ended up stumbling back to her knees as Emma launched herself at her.

“Mommy!” Emma’s tears and sobs soon choked anymore words out of her as well.

Y/N wrapped her daughter up tightly in her arms. “Oh, baby, baby!” She buried her face in her daughter's long hair, squeezing her too hard, she knew, but she couldn’t help it. She’d been so terrified she’d never get a chance to hold her again, so she savored the moment briefly before turning her head to where Dean was standing by the door.

Her throat was choked, but she pushed the words out. “Thank you. Thank you.” It was all she could say.

Dean didn’t respond and just walked out the door.

Jensen RPF and Any/All Characters: @lyarr24 @lacilou @deans-spinster-witch @globetrotter28 @suckitands33 @akshi8278 @evznackles @jackles010378 @impala67rollingthroughtown @krazykelly @candy-coated-misery0731 @envyaurora95 @spnwoman @deans-baby-momma

Dean Fics Only: @roonthelittlespoon920 @slamminmine @zepskies @deangirl96

Any/All Fics Regardless of Character or Fandom: @kazsrm67 @slut-for-evans-stan @sexyvixen7 @nancymcl @waywardcheshire

Everything Incl. Fan Edits: @k-slla @leigh70 @eevvvaa @kickingitwithkirk @foxyjwls007 @notinthislife50 @roseblue373 @mishkatelwarriorgoddess @avanatural @mrsjenniferwinchester @all-alone-he-turns-to-stone

#dean winchester #endverse!dean #endverse!dean x reader #dean x reader #dean winchester fan fic #dean winchester fan fic series #spn fan fic #endverse

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jovialmoonprincess · 1 year ago

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AU: Journey to Redemption (Part 5)

The Storm Within

Coriolanus Snow x Fem!reader

First Part. / The Winter Ball / Champagne Problems / Frost and Thorns / The Storm Within

Summary: Y/N, a young idealist in Panem, dreams of making a difference in a post-war society. As the winner of the prestigious Plinth Prize is about to be announced, a mysterious woman unveils a grim fate for Coriolanus Snow, Y/N's nemesis. Offered a chance to alter destiny, Y/N must navigate her conflicting emotions and intervene in pivotal moments to prevent Snow's descent into darkness. The story unfolds against the backdrop of complex relationships, past connections, and the challenges of a changing world, as Y/N grapples with the responsibility of shaping an unexpected destiny and challenging the very fabric of fate.

Warning(s): None, enemy to lovers, back in time, destiny, Snow being in love, Snow being Snow, possible grammar and spelling mistakes

A/N: I'm on Wattpad now too, click here to read and vote there: WATTPAD

Y/N was furious; each accelerated beat of her heart echoed her indignation. The news of betting on tributes, Arachne being beheaded on camera, the snakebites on Clemensia, and the final blow was the information that they had bombed the arena with Coriolanus inside. Determined to confront Coriolanus, she relentlessly sought him, even reaching the boy's apartment, a place she had never visited before.

The boy opened the door with wet hair, his chest still exposed with bandages. Y/N couldn't help but notice, especially because Snow was much taller than her. His hair dripped, and droplets ran down his torso. She couldn't help but notice his imposing height and the sight of his wet body. That only made her angrier because, despite everything, he still exerted some kind of attraction over her.

"I've been looking for you," Y/N exclaimed, her voice laden with anger.

"I just came back from the hospital, I'm alive," Coriolanus spoke as if everything were under control, trying to maintain composure but failing to completely hide his anxiety. "I'm getting ready to see Lucy Gray shortly. If you could excuse me…" He was about to close the door when Y/N stopped him, entering his apartment.

Without hesitation, Y/N lunged at Coriolanus, her weak blows against his chest unable to affect the boy but revealing the intensity of her frustration. His warm skin matched Y/N's fury.

"You idiot!" Tears glistened in her eyes. "I can't believe you have the nerve to tell me this! Arachne is dead, Clemensia is poisoned, and when I saw the explosion live, I thought the worst had happened. And you dare to keep thinking about the games? You have no soul?" She was furious with the boy. "Why do you still participate in this?" Y/N demanded, her voice laden with disappointment.

Coriolanus laughed in denial, spitting out words full of resentment. "Y/N, I'm not Sejanus, okay? I know you wanted me to be, and I would too, but I'm not. Arachne is dead, Clemensia is poisoned, and Lucy Gray… well, that's another horrible story. I doubt she'll make it to the Games, and maybe it's even better."

"I don't want you to be like him, Coriolanus. In fact, I don't know why you have this fixation on the boy. He's lost, he's afraid just like you."

"If you came here to talk about him, Y/N, you can leave." He pointed to the door.

"You need to get over this one-sided rivalry with him, Coriolanus."

"Sejanus usurped my position, inheritance, clothes, food, and the privilege due to a Snow. Now he's trying to take my apartment, my place at the University, my own future, and had the audacity to resent his luck in getting the best tribute. I even believe he wants to date you." This thought he had never shared with anyone. It was very intimate.

Y/N was astounded, shocked by the information spilled by the boy. Despite having the height and appearance of a man, he had feelings as petty and low as a child.

"Corio, I know you've never shared this with anyone. But these thoughts and this anxiety don't suit you. I won't judge how you feel, but I want to reassure you that these feelings are unfounded. You need to think better, calmly. About what is real or not."

"Stop with the therapy, Y/N. You're making me feel like garbage." The boy tried in every way to avoid the girl's gaze.

"Maybe because you're acting like a jerk."

"You just assaulted me, came to my house to hit me, and you're still offending me with words. I could call the police." My God, this boy was 10 years old.

"Darling, I used all my strength, and you didn't even feel it." He laughed for a moment, but soon his serious demeanor returned. "If I wanted something with Sejanus, I would have had it already. Also, because I'm single." She spoke sincerely, showing her hand with no ring. "But I don't like him that way." The girl approached him.

"Don't go, I don't know what to do for you not to go." She felt a tightness in her chest, and tears returned to illuminate her eyes. "You can't win the Games, Coriolanus. You can't."

He was afraid, didn't know who he could trust. He could have been stung if Clemensia had written the proposal in his place, and if Lucy Gray hadn't come back to help, he would have died in the arena fire. He hid his head in his hands, confused, angry, and, more than anything, afraid. Afraid of Dr. Gaul. Afraid of the Capitol. Afraid of everything. If the people who should protect him played so easily with his life, how was it possible to survive? Not by trusting them, that was for sure. And if you couldn't trust them, who could you trust? Impossible to know.

"Don't you see, Y/N? Lucy Gray saved my life, and I need to help her win. She needs me. My family needs me. This is an opportunity for us, a chance to get out of this difficult life. I can't ignore that." For the first time, real emotions appeared on Coriolanus's face, as if he were, indeed, fearing the consequences of his actions.

Coriolanus ran his hand through his blond hair, frustrated. "I can't change the system alone. But maybe, if I'm in there, close to the power, I can make a difference. I can change things."

"Promise me that when you win the games, you'll protect Sejanus. Please. Promise me."

The boy was confused; what did Sejanus have to do with the story?

"It seems like you're sure I'm going to win the games," he said irritably. "Because you're so concerned about Sejanus? Doesn't my life matter?" It was never about him, Coryo.

"The problem, Coryo, is that you were the only person who appeared in all the visions, alive, well. Not Sejanus, not me, not even Lucy Gray. It was never about Sejanus, it was about you. I don't want you to become someone despicable." Y/N thought.

"I trust in your ability to survive; you're a Snow above all else. Sejanus is your friend; there has never been a reason to worry about him. Don't think of him as your rival; think of him as a loyal friend." Y/N was so close to the boy she could smell the roses and mint from his toothpaste. "I don't want to lose you, Coryo." She rested her forehead against his. "It's not about Sejanus; it's about you. It has always been about you." Her lips touched his. This kiss was more urgent, like a last kiss. It seemed that both would waste time if they stopped to breathe. Coryo's large hands guided the kiss, and their bodies pressed together as if struggling to be in the same place. Y/N placed her hands on the boy's bare chest and could feel his heart beating at an impossible speed. She didn't want to stop the kiss, didn't want to leave, didn't want to let him go. She wanted to keep him there forever. With her.

Coryo gradually guided Y/N to the sofa, lying on top of her. The kiss was more than just a meeting of lips; it was a fusion of souls, a desperate search for comfort amid the chaos. He didn't intend to do anything beyond the kiss, but he wanted more and more. The girl messed up Coryo's hair with her fingers and made sounds of approval during the kiss. It was as if the two of them fit together like two pieces in a puzzle.

Y/N's body was on fire. Coryo didn't even remember there was a war outside. He could only think about how small and defenseless the girl seemed in his arms, completely surrendered to him.

"You're mine," he whispered in her ear, making her whole body shiver.

"Come back to me, Coryo. Fight, struggle, but in the end, come back to me."

With another kiss, Coriolanus silenced Y/N, and after a few seconds, they separated. Y/N returned to her apartment, hoping that her words and the heat of the moment had touched Coriolanus, prompting a profound reflection on his actions and choices.

_____________________________

Just wanted to drop a quick note to say a massive thank you for all the love, likes and comments on my story. <3

THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE CHAPTER

Taglist: @shari-berri @h-l-vlovesvintage @tea-bobba @daenerysqueenofhearts @commanderfreethatdust @glxzillx

TAGLIST AND REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!!!!

#the hunger games #tbosas #angst #angst with a happy ending #coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus x reader #coriolanus x you #enemy to lovers #fem reader #president snow #tom blyth #coryo snow #lucy gray baird #tbosbas #ballad of songbirds and snakes #josh andres rivera #snow #tigris snow

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mapileonxputellas · 2 years ago

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Jealousy (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

I think this might have been my favourite one so far! I hope the ending was suitable, I hate writing things in the future, I just feel like I'm pre-empting things so I couldn't include the final. Request can be found here. 4.7k words. Quite a long one!

Leaving Lyon was a tough decision to make. You were captain there for just over three years and more importantly they were your family. But you’d won all there was to win at the club and when Barcelona came with an offer it felt like fate was calling you.

You were billed as the star signing, the one who could fill the void by their own captain’s absence. You never wanted to be labelled as this replacement for Alexia, though you both played in the same position you were very different players. When news of her injury reached you during the Euro’s you couldn’t help but feel gutted you wouldn’t get to play alongside her.

The previous season has been kind to you, finishing the club season with a Champions League medal and going on to win the Euro’s, but as soon as you stepped foot into the Barcelona training centre you couldn’t help but feel different, in some ways complete. Thankfully the players were all very professional and only a few joking comments were made about your goal against Barcelona in the Champions League final.

You weren’t expecting to get the captain’s armband but Alexia’s absence as well as a few niggling injuries left you with the armband and your leadership was undeniable by the coaching staff.

Alexia herself had been a mystery to you, you’d seen her around the facility and at a few games but you never had the chance to speak to her.

But today that would change as today you were informed would be her first day back in group training, she had a long way to go to be back playing but you knew how big a step this was. Just over four years ago you had been subject to those three little letters, three letters which changed your life. You were excited for Alexia, the recovery process was so long and you were determined to make her first session back a good one.

You arrived at the training ground hours before anyone else was meant to be there to add some little changes. You bought a little welcome back sign to hang on her locker, sourced her favourite wine and chocolates for her to take home after and got all the girls to sign a card on their way in.

You watched on as she came in to get changed before training, letting all her friends shower her with congratulations as you got changed with Claudia one side of you and Patri the other.

“Have you met Alexia yet?” Claudia asked as you tied your shoelaces.

“No, well not properly. I don’t think being opposing captains counts.”

“She’s lovely, you’ll both get along.” Patri reassured you. “You’re both very similar.”

“I hope so.”

There was never a better time than the present and you waited back at the end as people flooded out to get the chance to speak to her alone and introduce yourself. Only when you locked eyes on her, instead of waiting for you to finish she made her way out of the dressing room.

You always gave people the benefit of the doubt and presumed maybe she thought you weren’t heading out, instead leaving you running after her. “Hey.” You started once you were level with the Spaniard, a single glance sent your way before she carried on walking. “I don’t think we’ve met before, well properly. I’m Y/N.”

“I know.” Ok you weren’t exactly expecting that, her lack of words was cold but her the tone made it all the colder. But sometimes to your downfall you were a painful optimist and maybe she was just having a bad day.

“Erm, how are you feeling? The team really misses you out there, everyone always talks about you and-“

“Listen OK?” She whisper aggressively, her fingers reaching out to grip your wrist. “I don’t need you to give me a debrief about my own team. I know them more than you ever will and things will change now.”

“Alexia I-“

“Stay out of my way and I’ll stay out of yours.”

It shocked you how much her words hurt. You dealt with anger all the time on the pitch, getting equally angry when defending your team but this felt different. This felt like a personal attack.

You tried to hide the hurt in your face as you reached the rest of the group in the gym, all stood in a circle waiting for their captain.

“I want to say a few words.” Jona said as you stood between Alexia and Ana. “Ale we can’t wait to have you back in the team. You’ve worked so hard up until now, one final push and you’ll be back out there in no time. Let’s finish this season strongly, I want a medal around all our necks at the end of the season.”

“We’ve captured the enemy now, of course we will.” Ana teased wrapping her arm around your shoulder. “The final piece of the puzzle.”

You stole a glance at the woman beside you and almost cowered back at cold eyes watching you and Ana. You tried to give her a reassuring smile as the rest of the group started chanting her name but that didn’t stop the frown on her face. When Jona brought out the presents you had bought on behalf of the group with the signed card you couldn’t help but notice you was the only one she didn’t thank, the only one who didn’t receive a hug. Not even a glance when you heard her asking Sandra about it.

“Oh Y/N sorted it out, she likes organising things like that.” Sandra commented not noticing the anger growing on Alexia’ face.

“Oh really.”

“Yeah that’s why she’s a leader.” The look that comment made could have turned you into stone.

One thing was for sure, this was definitely the biggest hurdle you’d encountered in Barcelona.

…..

The following day was the first time you got to witness the full La Reina effect on the pitch. But from minute one it felt like she was going out of her way to make your day horrible.

When you walked into the canteen that morning and lined up alongside her you hoped maybe yesterday had just been a bad day for her however as you found the frown on her face you knew that was not the case.

But whatever was going on you weren’t going to rise to her level and gave her the smile people often described as charming. “Alexia how are you this morning?”

“Fine.”

Wow the chat was scintillating. “I’m glad there’s one apple left I can’t start my day without one.” You said noticing the one apple left as you firstly got your scrambled eggs on toast. “What about you? Any traditions?”

“No.”

It shouldn’t have really been a surprise to you when you got to the end of the breakfast bar and found the fruit bowl lacking any apples and it really shouldn’t have surprised you when you turned around and found one sat on the tray in front of Alexia, a smirk on her face as she sat down.

“Ale I thought you never had an apple in the morning?” Jana questioned. “You never start the day without an orange.”

“It’s always worth a change.” Of course it was, not at all because of the comment you’d made.

“No apple this morning?” Claudia questioned when you sat down, the smirk only growing on Alexia’s face as she looked up at you.

“No there were none left.”

“Here have mine.” Frido pushed hers down the table, being received with a thankful smile from you. “Can’t have our little superstar without her favourite breakfast.” If looks could kill…..

It didn’t stop there.

During just the warm-up of the training session it felt like she was everywhere. The occasional shoulder barge into your side during the drills, the little nicks under your feet during the rondos, you were half surprised she hadn’t two footed you during the five-a-side match.

“Do you think it will be weird playing against Vicky?” Bruna asked Alexia during the water break referencing the former Barcelona captain now playing for Roma who you’d just been drawn against for the Champions League.

“It will be weird but you should all be confident. There’s no-one left who we shouldn’t believe we can beat. We were unfairly beat in that final but this year is different, none of those players would get anywhere near us when we’re at our best.”

Usually you would assume a comment like that would be made forgetting your link to that team but you knew Alexia’s game and you knew she made that comment directed at you.

“And now with Salma, Lucy, Geyse, Nuria we’re a better team.”

She was being horrible, malicious and it was all directed at you but you had no reason why. You’d been wracking your brains all night trying to find some kind of reasoning for her seemingly hating you. The two of you had never had a run in before, well at least that was memorable enough to have some kind of grudge. The two of you had been up for awards together but she’d always won, including this year’s Ballon d’or but even then on the flight there she must have already had some ill feelings towards you.

“Come on captain.” Vicky came up beside you tugging your arm. “Let’s win this match.”

Football has and probably always will be the out you have for your emotions. Feeling happy: go and pick up a ball. Feeling sad: go and pick up a ball. Right now with the mixture of sadness and anger running through your veins you picked up that ball and gave the small, sided game your all.

You weren’t a malicious player but you got stuck into every tackling, winning most and always being clean and fair.

Maybe that meant it was fair game in her eyes, fair game to give it her all as well. Make sure she left a mark on you, never going so far as to injure you but you knew tomorrow morning you would be covered in bruises from her tight marking on you.

“That was some battle.” Jona wrapped his arms around the pair of you as you walked off the pitch. “I don’t think we can play the both of you at the same time, it just wouldn’t be fair on the opposition.”

“Yeah.” You feigned an agreement knowing how much you wanted to play with Alexia before this all happened, now you weren’t so sure.

“Go and practice your free-kicks.”

The two of you joined Mapi at the far goal posts, Caro and Salma also staying back as the others did some rondos.

It was stupid you’d played in front of millions before, you’d lifted the biggest trophy in club football and yet you’d never felt nerves like practicing free kicks in front of the Queen herself. Thankfully you thrived under pressure and all three balls found their way to the back of the net.

“Way to go princesa.” Mapi found her nickname for you soon after you’d arrived thanks to your healthy addiction to a good beauty treatment. When you weren’t playing football on a Sunday you would more than likely be found in the local spa facilities.

Mapi and Caro made their way over to the corner flag to practice corner kicks leaving the two of you watching Salma line the ball up. “Maybe if you didn’t spend so much time getting ready you could spend some time on your shooting. Any good goalkeeper would have saved all three of them.” Alexia whispered in your ear.

“They were top bins Alexia.”

“Keep telling yourself that. We don’t settle for mediocracy here, remember that.”

“It’s a good thing the manager doesn’t think that. There’s a reason I’ve been sharing the duties with Mapi.”

“You two good?” Salma asked raising her eyebrows at our hushed voices.

“We’re fine thanks.” You assured the young girl. “I was just asking about the plans for travelling tomorrow.”

“Good.”

If she was going to act like this you could take it, you were big enough to deal with someone not liking you. The problem came with the team dynamics, you weren’t about to let some vendetta affect the rest of the team.

“This won’t work if you can’t even look me in the eye.” You whispered as you made your way inside at the end of training. “Whether you like it or not we’re on the same team, when we’re on the pitch forget about it.”

“Fine.”

“Sure?”

“Yes.”

…..

Things didn’t get better, they just got manageable. You grew to ignore the glares, ignore the little comments made, ignore the fact that every morning just in case there was always an apple on her plate and yet it never got touched.

She kept her promise, no matter what she thought of you off the field, which you still hadn’t worked out, it always stopped the moment you stepped foot on the pitch. That didn’t mean you were best friends on the pitch but you could share a few tactical words and miraculously the two of you worked well together.

Maybe it shouldn’t have been as much of a surprise to you, you had spent a lot of time reading her game both for Lyon to play against her and for Barcelona to play with her. You knew all the moves she made, the way she liked to push forward and when she held back. So you adapted your game to suit that, you knew if Barcelona had to choose they would pick her and you knew you could play alongside her with a few subtle changes rather than just you or her. When she would push on you stayed back, when she moved into one area you placed yourself where you knew she liked to lay the ball back.

Today you would be pushing those limits even further as Alexia prepared to make her return in the league. Alexia had admitted herself that Chelsea in the Champion’s League wasn’t the right time to return in a match with so much at stake but today you had the chance to win the league and by half time you were already 1-0 up, Jana soon making it two in the second half.

Jona gave you the decision of when you felt it was comfortable enough to get Alexia back on the pitch and when you got that two-goal cushion you knew you would be able to control the game from here so you made the signal and waited for them to make the change. At this point you were beginning to tire having played 90 minutes just three days prior and now another 65 minutes.

When the board came up with your number on it as well as the number 11 you made your way over to the touchline, unstrapping the band from around your forearm and held it out so Alexia could put her arm through it. Without looking her in the eye you made a point of strapping it up for her and then brought her in for the usual interchange hug before making your way to the bench.

You took your seat on the edge of the bench next to Mapi, the player handing you a water bottle and allowing you to catch your breath.

“Was she alright?” You questioned knowing Alexia was in your seat only a few moments prior.

“She’s ready, bit nervous but she wants to be there for this moment.”

The final 20 minutes went by very quickly Assisat scoring the final goal to seal the league title win. On the final whistle you all made your way onto the pitch, one of your biggest ‘superstitions’ if you would call it that was to always go around and shake all the opponents’ hands before you celebrated any cup or trophy win and this came into that category. You shook all the hands of the Huelva players and their coaching staff before joining your teammates.

Ana was the first one to spot you and the Swiss giant opened her arms up for you to jump into as she twirled you around in the air. “We did it.” You shouted down her ear as you felt further arms wrap around you.

“You did it.” She put you down on the floor and put her hands on your shoulders to meet your eye. “Take a bit of credit, you’re an incredible player.”

“Thanks Ana.”

So far you were thankful no-one had noticed, or at least commented, on a rift between you and Alexia and you weren’t about to let them see it now. You joined the rest of the girls in the traditional celebration for a player returning by throwing them up in the air for three cheers before you all made your way over to the front for the trophy presentation.

“Alexia if you could follow me.” An official came down to guide Alexia up into the stands for the trophy collection. You could see the glances that came your way but in your mind Alexia was always the captain and she should have this moment so you watched on, a smile etched on your face as you saw the joy in her face at lifting the trophy.

“Y/N come on.” Before you had the chance to protest Marta grabbed your hand leading you to the front of the pack as Alexia came down with the trophy.

“This is for you two, you’re the captains.” You tried to get through to Marta as you knew Alexia wouldn’t like this.

“You’ve led this team for the past eight months. You deserve this moment as much as we do.”

You could see there was no room for manoeuvre in her tone and in her face, simply staying put where you were. When Alexia clocked you standing amongst Marta you could see the distain on her face hidden by one of the fakest smiles you’d seen in a long time. You allowed yourself this moment, tucking into one side of Alexia and wrapping your hand around the metal trophy to lift it together as one.

“You two deserve this.” Marta whispered wrapping you both in a hug and pressing a kiss to both of your foreheads. “This team wouldn’t work without the both of you.”

“I don’t think-“

“It’s true, everyone thinks it. We all love you both.”

“Thank you.”

……

After the league win it was fair to say both you and Alexia were observers of the main celebrations, both of you knowing that the Champions League was the main aim this season. You both drove the standards in training knowing what a stern task Wolfsburg would be. The games leading up to the final all had major rotation so Alexia and yourself were yet to play more than twenty minutes in the dying embers of the game together, the captaincy always with Alexia.

The day before the final it was decided both you and Alexia would be part of the pre-match press conference in Eindhoven taking your placed behind the podium with Jonaton.

Jonaton of course covered all the tactic and personnel questions before you were both in the spotlight.

“Y/N it’s hard to believe this is still your first season in Barcelona. How much would it mean for you to lift that trophy tomorrow?”

“Yeah the time has definitely flown by. I came from a team of winners and I’ve joined a team of winners and we won’t settle for anything less than perfection tomorrow. I want more than anything to feel that joy I felt last year.”

“How would you assess your first year? Did you expect to be as integral to the side as you have been both in playing and in your captaincy?”

“It’s been a bit of a crazy year. I have high standards for myself and I hope both the club and fans can see that. I came here because I believed I could add something to the team and I hope they can see what I bring to the plate. In terms of the captaincy that is simply a role I have been sharing with many members of the team even if I sometimes have the armband. Alexia may not have been on the pitch for a long time this season but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the leadership in training and before matches.”

“We’ve yet to see much of you two together on the pitch. Does that excite you?”

“Of course, I’ve watched Alexia for a long time now and I hope we can work together on the pitch soon, will that be tomorrow? I guess only Jona knows that.”

“Alexia how much would it mean to you winning the trophy tomorrow after the year you’ve had?”

“Yes it would be very special. I’ve worked hard behind the scenes but more importantly this team has got us to this point and I hope I can be a part of the final push tomorrow.”

“You’ve probably watched a lot of this team over that past 12 months. How have you improved since last year?”

“That final taught us a lot about ourselves and of course the improvements we have to make both in terms of our play but also our mindset. Of course we improved in personnel, Y/N has been a massive part of that and answering a previous question I can’t wait to play with her.”

Wow, you weren’t quite sure if she was being fully truthful or if this was all a show but it had to be worth something, right?

Unbeknownst to the two of you, the rest of the team were watching the interview in the other room. A light murmur of chatter amongst everyone as they watched the two people they considered their captains complimenting each other.

“Have you ever noticed that weird tension between those two? I’ve never really seen them talk but they just work on the pitch, they’re different when they’re playing together.” Ingrid asked Mapi, the two of them sat on one of the beanbags. “Is it just sexual tension that neither of them will give into?”

“How can you miss it? I’ve tried asking Alexia about it but she just dismisses it. Maybe they’re hiding something, I’ve never even seen them interact more than a glare at each other.”

“Ten euros they’re together by next season.”

“Ten euros they’re together by the world cup.”

…..

Alexia didn’t say a word to you after the conference, the both of you separately making your way up to your rooms. Thankfully the club had given you all single rooms so you didn’t have anyone disturbing you as you tried to work out Alexia. She had been nothing but horrible to you since you first met each other and yet she said all that in the press conference. It just wasn’t adding up.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a quiet knock on your door if you weren’t completely silent you probably wouldn’t have heard it but you did. It was only eight o’clock but you were about to try and get an early night.

Presuming it was one of the younger ones who had forgot something you went to answer the door but instead of seeing Bruna or Jana at the door, your heart started racing when you came face to face with Alexia.

“Hi.” Her whispers were barely audible as your mind spiralled as to what she could be here for. “Can I come in?”

“Of course.” Her voice knocked you out of your daydream as you opened the door wider for Alexia. “Take a seat.”

Alexia sat herself down on the vanity chair as you took a seat on the bed, wondering what was going on with the woman as she started at her hands, picking her fingernails.

“Are you alright?” You questioned breaking the silence.

“I um, I-“ You’d never seen Alexia like this, nervously fumbling over her words and a hesitant look on her face. “I want to apologise before tomorrow.”

You hoped you knew what she was apologising for but you wanted the full clarification. “Apologise about what?”

“When I first found out I’d done my ACL I was worried about how this injury would change me, how I would never be the same after it and how different things would be when I’m gone. When I heard Barcelona were signing you I knew that would jeopardise my place on the squad, I heard everyone talk about what an amazing player you were and of course I knew that myself. Then you got the captaincy armband and it just felt like you were my replacement.”

“Ale-“

“So when I came back I had this almost anger to you that you’d got to be a part of this team, that you’d got to lead them out at Camp Nou and seen those wins. I was jealous, I admit that and I heard someone mention it once that the only way to settle this was for one of us to leave.”

“So you did all this so I would leave?”

“I thought the only way to push you to leave was to be horrible to you. I can’t believe how horrible I was to you when you didn’t deserve any of it. I’m so sorry Y/N, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a few weeks but I can’t go in tomorrow with any tension between us. We’ve got to work together.”

“Thank you, but Ale it was never you or I.” You assured her. “I came on this team to work with you not instead of you. When you came back into training I genuinely just wanted to play with you and then you seemed to be trying to make my life a living hell, it was like you were going out of your way to disrupt my day.”

“I tried to hate you but it’s just impossible, you’ve got this smile that everyone seems to love and you always give everything 100%. Plus the team love you, I’m sick of hearing Jana talk about your dancing or Mapi talking about your tattoos. I want to see that side of you.”

“Hug it out?”

“Come here.” You wrapped your arms around the Spaniard, her own arms coming up around your neck as you settled into the hug.

You could never hate Alexia no matter how much she almost pushed you to it, you could never do it, you knew what injuries could do to people and this was no different. You were sadly just the one who got the rough end of it.

“Do you reckon Jonaton will play us together tomorrow?” You asked separating from the hug, a smile on both of your faces.

“I hope so. I really hope so.”

If it weren’t the night before the final you would have been up till the early hours getting to know Alexia but instead you both went for the early night option, your dedication to the sport the biggest thing you admired about each other.

It wasn’t lost on you the few glances you got the next morning as you both walked into the canteen together laughing and joking about a story Alexia was telling you about Nala. The both of you ignoring them as you sat down, a little comment made about the lack of an apple on Alexia’s plate instead just an orange next to her avocado on toast. “I need you on top form for tonight.” Alexia had commented back.

“You’re seeing that right?” Ingrid whispered to Mapi. “Yesterday they wouldn’t speak two words together and now they’re laughing and joking like this.”

“Loud and clear. Maybe now we can see the true La Reina and Princesa on the pitch together.”

#alexia putellas x reader #alexia putellas imagine #alexia putellas #woso x reader #woso imagine #woso imagines #woso #espwnt x reader #espwnt imagine #espwnt #barcelona femeni imagine #barcelona femeni

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girlygguk · 2 years ago

Text

fame - jjk (three)

pairing ; idol!jk x idol!oc.

synopsis ; aera; the main dancer in one of the biggest k-pop groups in the world, Siren. debuting in 2014, it was nothing but immense hard work and perseverance (and being on the absolute verge of disbandment), but she and the four girls that grew to become her sisters pulled through. they did it. now they're performing at some of the most significant arenas and stadiums worldwide. meeting a cheeky, flirtatious and annoyingly gorgeous fellow idol that threatens to break down every wall of protection she's built around herself was not part of the plan. her career has always come first, having sacrificed and jeopardised many relationships and friendships in her journey to debut. so why does this time feel different?

story warnings ; smut, explicit language, violent & possibly triggering scenes.

chapter warnings ; explicit language, fluff, flirty jk

word count ; 3.2k

a/n: thank you sm for liking and commenting even reblogging its SO SWEEETTTT THANK YOU! first jk x oc interaction of the story finallyy

previous chapters ; prologue | one | two | drabble1 | three | four | ...

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

📅 July 22, 2015 — A year ago...

📍 PARK ENTERTAINMENT BUILDING

» Aera's point of view «

• • •

"—Sarang ha neun Aera-shiiiii," my sisters chorused as they clapped to the beat of their out-of-tune serenade.

"Saeng il chuk ha ham ni da!" They cheered, the flats of their palms slapping against the table while they waited for me to extinguish the burning sticks of wax stuffed into the swamp-green-coloured cake before me. I was informed earlier that Ha-Joon led the baking ensemble this morning, so I'm pretty sure it's ninety percent icing. The way the candles were at a thirty-degree angle, almost completely submerged in the desert, only furthers my suspicions.

With a cheesy grin, my eyes flutter closed as I put an end to the candles' lives. Little clouds of smoke whisp towards the ceiling when the flames die out, and I lean back a little to avoid inhaling the fume. "What'd you wish for?" Asami teased, swatting at Joonie's hand when the youngest tried to scrape her finger along the cake's side in hopes of retrieving some icing.

"I can't tell you, or it won't come true." I clichéd, pulling the candles out of the mountain of icing before they sunk like an injured battleship. Dumping the burnt sticks into the garbage can behind us, I turn to our leader as she scrolls through the comments of our current V-Live.

"Can you pass the knife, please, Unnie?" My request snaps her out of her daze, and she leans back from her phone like she didn't even realize she was so close to it. Then, grabbing the knife on the table's edge, she placed the handle in my direction and slid it across to me.

"We're at a thousand viewers!" Hanna screeched, her hand smacking at her knee in glee, and I joined in with the rest of the girls as we giggled at her excitement.

My jaw dropped in disgust and amusement as my assumptions about this cake's ingredients were correct. The knife dragged into the mush, slicing down an alp of icing before hitting a thin layer of cake far later than it should've. My eyes snapped straight to Joon as she bit her lip, her cheeks pink and puffed, no doubt trying to harbour a loud cackle at the look on my face.

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I let out a breathy chuckle, continuing, or more so attempting, to cut the desert into presentable slices. Slapping each piece onto a paper plate, the girls pull a serving towards themselves as I go, waiting for me to dish up my own before they indulge. I lift the board that the remaining cake is melting on as we speak and put it out of the camera's view before sitting back in my chair with a huff.

Joonie's fork dug into her portion the moment I sat back in my seat, scooping a mouthful of pure icing and consuming it like somebody was trying to take it away from her. I snicker before doing the same, and a slight hum of approval escapes my lips when the fork hits my tongue, the icing surprisingly better and much tastier than I thought. I blame the shitty diet we're on. Cat food would taste good at this point.

Lifting my head, I browse the comments flooding through on our live, and my eyes widen at all the birthday wishes that dominated the comment section. "Thank you guys for the happy birthdays; you're so sweet." I gush, swirling my fork around my plate to try and find a chunk of actual cake and hopefully stop the tears I feel burning at my lower lash line.

I could feel the gaze of Nali on me, and I was failing to find a piece of solid food on my plate of pure topping, which was only making me more frustrated and almost losing the battle with the water pooling in my waterline.

"We couldn't afford two cakes." Nali blurted, and the sound of forks scraping against paper plates pulled to a halt, four heads turning to stare at the blonde.

A few moments of silence passed, and I didn't fight it anymore, my grip on my plate loosening, and I rested it on the table before bursting into a fit of laughter. I seem to have broken the dam because the rest of the girls were heaving over, a chorus of laughs and howls bouncing off the walls of our shitty little cramped office that we cleared out for the v-live.

"It was our first anniversary a few days ago, and if we made a cake for that, we would've blown our allowance then and not had enough for Aera's birthday. So it's sort of a conjoined celebration." Hanna explained to the viewers, wiping at the corners of her eyes to rid the stray tears gathering there from laughing.

Hanna, Asami, and Joon continued breezing through the comments pouring in from the fans on our live, spotting a few familiar usernames and greeting them like they were our own members. Our sweet yet disturbing maknae had finished her cake, her gaze dropping to the left when she saw Asami's unfinished plate pushed to the side, indicating she didn't want anymore.

I felt my eyebrows crinkle slightly, watching my roommate, one spoonful of icing away from a stomach ache and never-ending whining when we try to sleep later tonight, grab Asami's plate, and devour the remnants. You would think we don't feed this girl.

Brushing the hair that had fallen in front of my eye, my gaze fell to the blonde on my right to see her attention was already on me. I give her a small, thankful smile, grateful for how she had drawn the attention away from me for a moment to compose myself. Nali nodded in understanding, her hand finding mine under the table and delivering a soft squeeze that sent a wave of comfort through my body.

It had been an hour or so since we started the live stream, and we still had choreo to work on later tonight, so we responded to as many questions and messages as possible before wrapping up the celebration. Our leader, Hanna, took a screenshot of the viewer count, still giddy at the fact that we hit 1,100, which beat our personal record by far. We thanked our Allures profusely, big gummy grins covering our faces as we sent waves and kisses toward Hanna's phone as she ended the stream.

The sound of my phone vibrating on the table's edge caught my attention as we tidied up the area. Asami took the remaining cake to the kitchen and informed us she'd wrap it and put it in the refrigerator. Ha-Joon finished stacking the used paper plates and all but sprinted out the office door, muttering a quick "I'll help!" that earned a chorus of scoffs and eye-rolls from her unnies.

"That girl will return with a permanent green upper lip," Hanna grumbled, halfway through a thank-you post on our Instagram account with the statistics from today's live.

She pulled me over to get approval for the photos of me she was using for my birthday post, and I set my phone back down before getting a chance to check my notifications. She was scrolling through today's pictures, Nali's phone becoming our camera as we were streaming from Hanna's. I chuckled at how Hanna literally took a hundred photos, my face invading Nali's camera roll; you'd think it was my phone.

Settling on a few, I suggested she use the candid of Joonie wiping the green icing on my nose as the first slide. She nodded ecstatically, murmuring a quaint "yes! i thought so too" before returning to social media manager mode.

Hanna sent the chosen pictures to herself, handing Nali's phone back with a kissy noise causing the visual to retaliate with a playful scowl that paparazzi would pay thousands to capture. They both started to head towards the door, Nali with the full bin liner and Hanna with her phone clad in their hands, before the eldest turned back towards me. "Practice in 15," she announced, not looking up from her phone but her words flying in my direction.

"Okay, unnie." I smiled, and she glanced up from her device, a smirk gracing her lips as she waited for me to face the other direction before delivering a hearty slap to my ass. Winded, I spin around to return the favour but only catch sight of the raven-haired girl sprinting down the hall to catch up with Nali.

"Freak," I mutter, my laugh fizzing out in the room that now only contains me. My abandoned phone remains face-down on the table, and I trudge over, tapping the screen to bring it back to life. Staring at the notification perched at the top of my cracked phone screen, it glares back at me before my phone fades out due to inactivity. I continue bringing the phone back to life, each time staring at the same notification for thirty seconds before the screen goes black again.

15:34 JUNGKOOK FROM BANGTAN SONYEONDAN

Happy birthday Aera 🎂

I click on the notification, and my screen reacts to my demand, transitioning to the messages app. As I think of a response, my nail begins to tap against the side of my phone case in angst, and I almost put my phone away altogether.

It's just a happy birthday message, not a fucking proposal. My inner thoughts are demonic, taunting me as I discover five characters is apparently my limit before I delete everything and start over.

15:38 ME

thank you jungkook

Poetic. You truly have a way with words, Aera. My thumb scrambled to the side of my case, resting against the lock button, so close to ending my misery, before I saw the word 'delivered' change to 'seen' at the bottom of my message. He's fast to reply, almost as if staring at the text waiting for a response.

15:38 JUNGKOOK FROM BANGTAN SONYEONDAN

How are you?

Rolling my eyes at the basic pleasantries, I consider leaving him on read and heading towards the practice room with the rest of my members. Then, against my better judgment, I concede.

15:39 ME

i'm okay, you?

15:39 JUNGKOOK FROM BANGTAN SONYEONDAN

Just okay? It's your birthday, you should be happy! 🥳

15:39 ME

i am happy. today has been great 🥳

15:40 JUNGKOOK FROM BANGTAN SONYEONDAN

You know, mirroring the actions of someone else can often be misinterpreted as a show of affection

15:41 ME

aaaaand you fucking ruined it. i have to go practice

15:41 JUNGKOOK FROM BANGTAN SONYEONDAN

Wait Aera

Can we

Video call later tonight

My heart skips a beat, or six, as I stare at his text. He's so fucking blunt. So forward. It drives me mad. So mad that I find myself sending back a thumbs-up emoji before shoving my phone into my pocket and leaving the office that, I swear, has increased by five degrees in the last few minutes.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

The squeak of my reusable water bottle wrung in my ears as I squeezed the life out of the canister, the chilled liquid it holds trying its hardest to fight the internal burning temperature of my body. I run my hand through my damp hair in an attempt to incorporate air into the strands and allow my scalp a chance to breathe.

We wrapped up practice a few minutes ago; the rest of the girls had scrambled out of the burning suite when we unanimously agreed that we physically couldn't continue today. Hanna led the eager troops to the kitchen to prepare our dinner, and I secured the lid of my bottle shut before tailing the train down our company's hall. Stopping at my dorm once they had just entered the kitchen's quarter, I threw out a quick "i'll be there in a sec, just need to use the bathroom" before ducking into my room.

Snatching my hoodie that I threw on my bed carelessly earlier today, I flip it inside out at lightning speed, shoving my head and arms through the holes in what I'm sure is a personal best. Leaning over my bed with a huff, I grunt in triumph when I feel my phone in my grasp after a few failed attempts to grab it off my bedside table. Shoving it into the pocket of my sweatshirt, I make my way out of the dorm, looking in the direction of the kitchen before turning the opposite way and heading for the exit of our building.

A sigh of ecstasy leaves my lips as the chilled night air envelopes my frame once I push through the bulky door of our building and make my way toward the stony path that lines the structure. My butt hits the pavement with a thud, and I fish my phone out of my pocket; the device's light illuminating a ray of yellow in the darkness of the night as it comes to life.

Clicking on the familiar contact in my list, I hit the video icon and listen to the low hum of the outgoing tone as it attempts to connect me to the desired recipient. No more than five seconds pass before the loading symbol appears on the screen, the background black as the device works to load the picture of the awaiting parties.

I'm staring at the box in the bottom right corner that mirrors my appearance, halfway through pulling the hood of my jacket over my head to shield my matted hair before his bunny smile stately renders onto my phone screen.

My action is pulled to a halt, my hand releasing my shirt's hood as I take in the picture being shamelessly displayed by my busted phone. Jungkook leans against his headboard, clad in a black shirt that accentuates the shape of his arms. Speaking of arms, the one of his that isn't currently busy holding his device up runs through his woolly, fluffed hair before resting behind his head against the board.

"Saeng il chuk—" Jungkook started once my camera connected and displayed my face on the screen. A cringed scowl overtook me as I hushed him, shaking my head rapidly and begging him to stop the birthday anthem.

His cheeky giggle blew through my speaker when I cut off his song, eyebrows raised in amusement, "How's the big 19? Feel any different?"

"Days don't even feel like days right now, so no, I don't feel that different." My response is honest, eyes trailing down to the heel of my sneaker, currently scraping against the gravel beneath me that I'm sure is staining my sweatpants.

He nods in understanding, knowing exactly how I feel at the moment, having been in a similar situation in his rookie days. "Do you want me to call you Noona now?" He quips with a smirk, reminding me that I am, in fact, two months older than him.

My eyes widen as his question catches me off guard, and I do not bother to stop my eyes from rolling to the back of my head while he chuckles hoarsely at my reaction. "I will fucking kill you."

My response only seems to amuse him more, his eyes wide in faux fear, and I feel a smile breaking through onto my face, forcing me to look away from my phone for a moment. The smell of spices invades my nostrils, bringing me back to consciousness, and I glance up at the time displayed on my device.

"I have to go eat dinner," I say, watching his plump bottom lip purse into a pout.

My team probably thinks I am having abhorrent bowel movements right now. However, Jungkook's question pulls me out of my thoughts, his big bug eyes curious as he quizzes, "Why are you eating dinner at 11 pm?"

"The kitchen doesn't close until 12 on weekends, so we usually train later on Saturdays and Sundays." I shrug, shuffling a little until my back is flush against the side of the building. His eyebrows furrow, seemingly taken aback by my answer, and I'm unsure why.

"The kitchen closes at certain times?" His question is low and soft, and I can't decipher the look on his face as he says those words. This had become my reality that I adapted to so quickly since becoming a trainee. I often forget to filter out certain things before sharing with people.

"Do you want me to get you something delivered?" He asks; the tone of his voice is gasoline on the burning flame in my lower stomach.

"Oh yeah? Are you gonna supply food for five people?"

"Yes." His answer is instant, and I admit defeat to the battle with my mouth as my lips curve into a soft smile.

"Don't do that," I shake my head, pulling my knees closer to my chest as the wind picks up, and I hope it blows the phone out of my hand and into the local lake.

"Do what?" His tone is innocent though his features are anything but.

"Don't say shit like that."

"Shit like what?" The corner of his mouth upturns as he senses my frustration, my displeasure only seeming to egg him on.

The loud chatter and laughter of my members pull me back to my reality, and I let the laugh trapped in my throat escape before clambering to my feet, glaring at the boy leaning against his headboard once I steady myself, "I have to go."

Jungkook nods in understanding, looking like he didn't expect to get me for this long anyway. Just as I'm about to say goodbye, he leans up a little, the muscle in his arm tensing as it adjusts behind his head. "Wait, are you guys attending MAMA?"

I knew he meant well, but it didn't stop the unsettling feeling brewing in my stomach, the possibility of being unable to break through in our career despite the work my sisters and I put in daily glooming over my head like a heavy, grey cloud.

"Don't be ridiculous; we could never get an invite to a show like that."

"You will one day." He responds, his tone sure and confident, and I almost believe him.

"Maybe one day." I nod, a grateful smile finding its way to my lips, and he returns the gesture, his bunny teeth peeking out slightly in a cheesy grin.

"Have a good dinner, Noona. Happy birthday," he wishes, and my finger instantly dashes to the disconnect button in reflex. Giving him one final glance, I poke my tongue out teasingly, clicking the red icon that ends both the call and my suffering.

Letting out a heavy breath, I walk back to the entrance of our building, swinging the door open and flicking the lock once it shuts behind me. My head falls forward onto the glass, and I have to stop myself from lifting it and slamming it back down a few more times.

Shoving my phone back into my hoodie pocket, I finally make my way toward my members in the kitchen. The smell that wafts from the kitchen tickles the aggressive hunger in my stomach, distracting my thoughts from other things. Halfway down the hallway, my eyes fall to the back of my head for the umpteenth time this night alone as I grind to a halt. Now I actually have to pee.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

taglist ; @0anodite0

#jeon jungkook #jungkook #jungkook fic #jungkook imagine #jungkook x oc #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook fanfiction #bts #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #jungkook fluff #jungkook smut #jungkook angst #idol oc #bts idol au #jungguk #jeon jungguk

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