#and chapter 4 of couples counseling au

[tennessoui]

Hayyyy now that the foolproof foolhardy chapter is done (very very much looking forward to that) what’s brewing next?

a vacation 🥵

[fayes-fics]

When The World Is Free: Chapter 4 - Le Rideau Tombe Avant La Fin

MASTERPOST PREV | NEXT

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader, WW2 AU.

Warnings: none.

Word Count: 2.6k

Author’s Note: Multi-chapter fic based on a request by the lovely @amillcitygirl! Please see the masterpost for a synopsis of this story. This is reader and Eloise's farewell to Paris. Thanks to @colettebronte for beta reading. Enjoy!

Paris, September 1939

The next three days are a blur, fleeting but at once memorable, lived on borrowed time. 

Knowing the inevitable is happening - that you will need to leave Paris soon - you give notice at work; so sad to have only been there for a matter of weeks rather than the planned months. On a brighter note, however, you are able to spend the days with Benedict, showing him all you have learned about art in the city in the short time you have had. Many a happy hour is spent in galleries. Both of you tripping over your words to share what you know about the art and the artists in a breathless, excited fashion. Kindred spirits in your appreciation of the works. Sometimes lost in a reverie as you stand in front of a canvas as large as your entire living room, the scale and complexity literally dumbfounding. 

And, of course, a little of your heart is stolen with each moment together - the first person you have ever met who truly seems as enthused as you about the subject matter. That it's all wrapped up in that handsome face adds more complexity and confusion. You can't deny the skip in your pulse when he looks at you, weighted, a touch of reverence, so focused as you speak passionately on the subject you love. And you are certain your face is a picture of devotion as he waxes lyrical, too. You know you are getting swept up into the almost cliched romance of it all - the city of love, a handsome stranger, the no doubt impending invasion giving a sense of urgency and finality to every hour- it's a powder keg that feels dangerous as it is intoxicating. 

—

Early evening of the second day, as you wander back from the Louvre, you pass by the offices of the cruise company you came from America with. 

“Oh! I should speak to them about swapping my return ticket,” you comment, seeing the men standing outside in the smart red livery of the company, speaking in English to crowds of people inquiring about escaping France.

“See if you can move it to the day after tomorrow,” Benedict counsels. “That is the day we are due to set sail. We can all go to the coast together on the train.”

“That would be nice,” you admit, realising it will be lovely to have someone to wave farewell to, even if there is a little stab in your chest at the idea you may never see Benedict again. Or, of course, darling Eloise.

So, a couple of hours later, after an early dinner, you are back on this same street, your ticket in hand, waiting patiently to speak to one of the young men in uniform. 

“Mademoiselle?” he beckons you forward.

“Good evening. I have a ticket to New York for eleven months, hence, 12th August 1940. I am hoping I can swap to a sailing in a few days? Ideally, the day after tomorrow?”

The men exchange glances, and there seems to be a swirl of excitement as they crowd around you.

“A real ticket?” one of them pipes up, an excitement in their tone which strikes you as rather odd.

With a nod, you hand it over, and they all seem to confer, then grab a pad of tickets and transfer some details. 

“Not a problem at all, Mademoiselle. Here, this is for a sailing two days hence. Thank you for travelling with us!”

They seem inordinately pleased as you walk away clutching your new ticket, a mix of emotions swirling. The finality of your time in Paris suddenly so real, the date on the newly issued ticket, ink still drying, sinking in.

—

When you push open the door to your apartment, still with a tinge of melancholy, you are taken aback by the whirlwind you encounter.

“How did I amass this many mugs?” Eloise decries, standing amidst a complete bomb of possessions scattered all over the surfaces of your apartment.

“Well, you can't take them all home,’ Benedict points out wearily, “you have your case, and that trunk there, Eloise, and that is all.”

Eloise rolls her eyes. “Well aware of that brother…” holding a blue and red mug in each hand, assessing which she likes more.

“I suppose I'm lucky I've only been here a matter of weeks,” you pipe up as they both turn to look at you, Benedict shooting you a lopsided grin as Eloise barges forward and loops your arm in hers, dragging you across the room.

“Just the person I need!” she declares. “Help me! What mug screams, ‘I had a life in Paris once, and it was amazing’?” She gestures to the array of drinking vessels she has pulled out to the cupboard.

You ponder the question with a thoughtful pout. “Why not just leave them all for the next tenant? I'm sure Solene would appreciate the ability to rent out the apartment with kitchen supplies?” you try to be diplomatic.

“Yes, I know that,” Eloise sighs, “there were mugs when I got here. That, of course, got mysteriously broken after a few days, which is a blessing as they were all hideous…”

“You broke some perfectly good mugs?” Benedict frowns disapprovingly.

“Do you live here?” she shoots back pointedly, raising an eyebrow, “I am only seeking the counsel of those who live here… not a squatter,” she sniffs.

You share a look with Benedict -  yours contrite, his bemused - as if this is just another day with Eloise. Which, to be fair, it sort of is.

“If I had to choose one…” you point to the cherry red earthenware mug that looks French in a way you can’t quantify; it just does.

“You’re right as always,” Eloise grins, seizing it. “Much better help than that one,” she adds, sticking her tongue out at Benedict as she wraps the chosen item in yesterday's newspaper.

“Packing going well?” you breeze, your eye again meeting Benedict’s as he pulls a face that makes you giggle hard.

“You try cramming nine months of freedom into a teeny trunk,” Eloise grumbles, heading towards her bedroom.

“I am just taking my clothes…” you admit. You only have a few additional items you purchased since you arrived in Paris that should all fit if you pack smart enough.

“That’s yours, by the way…” Eloise gestures to Benedict’s painting on the wall before she disappears out of sight. “I have no room for it, and it seems strange to carry a picture of a house I'm headed to…” she calls out down the corridor.

“I would love it…” you inhale, looking at the artist imploringly as if somehow you need his permission.

“Y-you want it?” Hesitant, disbelieving almost. 

“If you will permit me,” you confess, clasping a hand over your heart.

“It is yours,” he replies, his face a mixture of pleasant surprise and humble acceptance.

You rush forward and take the painting off the wall, reverentially cradling it between your hands. 

“Thank you, Benedict,” you sigh, a little fizz in your stomach at the idea he wants you to have it. Like you will always have a piece of him with you once you are apart.

“I can paint you others...” he offers quickly, in a rush of exhaled breath. “Whatever you want…”

Something in the tumbling sincerity of his words has your heart beating fast.

“I can think of nothing more appealing than a wall full of your works…” you confess while trying not to think that room would be thousands of miles away.

He blushes adorably, casting his eyes down until suddenly, his head jerks up again. “Wait I…I have something I want to give you, actually,” He scurries across the room and gathers a sketchbook. “I'm sorry it's not framed, but here…”

He carefully tears out the page from his pad. And your heart stops.

It's you from two days ago. Sitting on a bench overlooking the Seine, the Eiffel Tower over your shoulder as you read a book. You wondered what he was doing sitting a few feet away that day as you took a lunch break. Now you know. It's a perfect pencil rendering of the scene, each sketched line a wondrous recreation of that sun-soaked afternoon.

“Benedict….” all other words fail. 

“I want you to have it,” he murmurs, “your time in Paris may have been unexpectedly brief, but you deserve a memento of the happiness you found here, however fleeting it had to be.”

Tears prickle in the corner of your eyes; you want to rush to him, to throw your arms around him, thank him profusely, but you are scared to. Scared that in the moment you would get carried away, press your lips to his…

“Thank you...” is all you can struggle out, inadequate and awkward.  

“De rein…” Again, that perfect accent has you practically swaying

But the spell is broken when Eloise reappears, complaining loudly about the size of her trunk, and part of you is grateful for it. Guilt floods your being as you think how bad of a person you must be to covet your best friend’s brother when you have a fiance back home. One you will, in fact, likely see in a matter of days now… tamping down that disquiet, you excuse yourself to your room, placing your ticket on the mantel and refusing to look at it as you pick up a book to read.

—

Solene’s hug is so tight you feel like she is crushing your ribs. Or perhaps it's that you feel a little too fragile today.

“I shall miss you, ma cherie,” she mumbles into your hair before pulling back and seizing your jaw. “You will come back when this is all over, oui?”

“Oui,” you agree, knowing it’s more of a wish than a promise.

Once again, she pulls you in for a tight hug before turning to Eloise and clinging to her just the same, lingering longer.

“Souviens-toi, ma sœur,” she reminds Eloise, having told you the previous night that her sister lives just outside the port city of Le Havre should you need a place to stay for any reason.

It's two days later, the day of your departure, and your eyes ping around the now-tidy apartment, only furniture left where once there was a jumble of life. It looks much less like home, making handing over your key a little less painful. One final wistful glance at the Eiffel Tower out of the window is all you can manage before picking up your case and walking out, scared to look back.

Benedict is loitering in the corridor outside and shoots you a sympathetic glance as you exit, eyes glassy.

“You will return,” he offers solemnly, even as you both know it's just a platitude, before turning his attention to the apartment door. “Hurry up, Eloise, we need to get to the train…” he calls.

You start to move towards the sweeping staircase, preferring a long amble down its winding loop than the lift, your case feeling much heavier than when you arrived mere weeks ago…

—

You watch the puffs of steam float past the window as the train picks up pace, pulling out of Gare Saint-Lazare. Perhaps aptly, it begins raining soon after, streaks of water lashing the glass as you rest your head back into the seat.

“I can't bear to look at it,” Eloise sighs, closing her eyes so as not to see Paris slipping away.

You reach over the table between you and grasp her hand, and her eyes open to give you a nod of thanks before closing again. 

“Why do you have to be American?” she whines. “I would do anything to have you come to England. We could get a little place together in London…” She winds her feet around yours like a vine, needing the connection in your last few hours together.

“If only…” you agree, a weight akin to a heavy boulder settling in your stomach at the idea you will soon be back on Long Island, a world that seems so…. staid to you now.

Benedict shoots you a sympathetic look across from his seat next to Eloise on the aisle but says nothing, going back to reading his book as it's your turn to sigh, the city now a blur outside the window as you speed towards the end of your time in France.

–

Half an hour later, Eloise is sleeping, her head lolling lightly on the glass with the gentle rocking motion of the train, now following the meander of the Seine just outside Poissy.

“She didn't sleep well last night,” Benedict observes, looking up from his book and following your line of sight. “I don't think she wanted her last night in Paris to ever end.”.

His words take you back to just hours ago, a rousing evening in your favourite local bistro filled with wine, camaraderie and song. Benedict didn't accompany you and Eloise, preferring to stay home and read, he said, but part of you wishes he was there to help commiserate and toast your final night chez Paris.

“You should have come out,” you opine with a slight pout, which makes him chuckle.

“It's not me who had to have the fitting farewell,” he points out with a sympathetic smile.

“Still, it would have been nice if you were there…” The idle thought is out of your lips before you can think about how that might sound, and you know you are blushing when his mouth opens a fraction in surprise, a dot of colour on his cheeks, too.

“I'm sure you still had a wonderful time,” he placates demurely.

You smile and nod, feeling a little twinge in your ankle from all the dancing you have done.

“Are you excited?” he asks, changing the subject.

You frown. “Why would I be excited to leave Paris?”

To be reunited with your fiance?” he answers slowly, a look of puzzlement on his face that it had not occurred to you.

“Oh…” you pause, your mind recalling Stanley’s smile, although somehow it seems faded now, like an out-of-focus photograph, as if you cannot wholly remember it now.  “I… I suppose…”

His face is a picture of concern again. “You do not sound certain…” he hedges.

“I am not, to be honest,” you sigh for what seems like the hundredth time today. “These few weeks have… shown me so much of the world,” you explain, “I have had so many novel experiences, met so many wonderful new people…” you can't help but let your gaze meet his as you say it. “It makes my life before seem… small? Parochial?” you are clutching for the right words as his hazy eyes track your every facial move.

“Like an old shoe that used to be comfortable but now suddenly feels too tight?” he offers a metaphor that is so apt you can't help but nod.

“Exactly!’ you agree, enthusiastically waving your hand. 

There is a quiet moment where your eyes meet again, a tingle over your skin, a pulse of energy so enlivening.

“Do you feel there is perhaps something out there better for you?” his ask feels loaded, a quiet murmur that carries so much hidden meaning but is nearly lost in the rhythmic sound of the train clattering over the tracks. So much so you could likely pretend you didn't hear, but you don't. 

“I just might…” you answer softly, even as you are unable to look away. Something about this man makes you daring, unwilling to do anything but be bold.

Long, elegant fingers reach out over the table and are about to brush the back of your hand when Eloise suddenly startles awake between you. His hand disappears rapidly, pulling back as if burned. All you can concentrate on is the ashy taste of regret at your best friend’s timing.

Benedict taglist: @foreverlonginguniverse @aintnuthinbutahounddog @severewobblerlightdragon @writergirl-2001 @heeyyyou @enichole445 @enchantedbytomandhenry @ambitionspassionscoffee @chaoticcalzoneranchsports @nikaprincessofkattegat @baebee35 @crowleysqueenofhell @fiction-is-life @lilacbeesworld @broooookiecrisp @queen-of-the-misfit-toys @eleanor-bradstreet @divaanya @musicismyoxygen84 @benedictspaintbrush @miindfucked @sorryallonsy @cayt0123 @hottytoddyhistory @truly-dionysus @fictionalmenloversblog @zinzysstuff @malpalgalz @panhoeofmanyfandoms @kinokomoonshine @causeimissu @delehosies @m-rae23 @last-sheep @kmc1989 @desert-fern @starkeylover @corpseoftrees-queen @magical-spit @bunnyweasley23 @how-many-stars-in-the-sky @amygdtjhddzvb @sya-skies @balladynaaa

[kyeomniscient]

seventeen ao3 fic recs (pt. 2)

creating a new post for the mid-length fics bc the original post was getting too long - enjoy!

pt. 1 (completed fics, >50k words)

pt. 3 (completed shorter fics, <10k words)

pt. 4 (incomplete fics)

in order of descending word count, last updated 13/12/2024

Cherry Tree Inn (jicheol, 45k, completed)

obsessed with the plot twist in this one! the damsel in distress!hoon x hero!cheol dynamic never fails

The Times We Fell (minwon, 46k, completed)

this one definitely did things to my heart :"") loved the visuals of hockeyplayer!mingyu x figureskater!wonwoo, the development of their enemies(?)-to-friends-to-lovers arc, how their relationship remained strong and steady throughout despite being met with various obstacles and external pressures along the way, how Mingyu rekindled Wonwoo's love for skating not once but twice, just them being a healthy and supportive couple - a beautiful read!

Access Granted (jicheol, 45k, completed)

the jicheol banter was golden in this one

divine pain, pain divine (gyucheol, 44k, completed)

the enemies-to-lovers-to-exes-to-lovers pipeline i never knew i needed

cut to the feeling (soonwoo, 44k, completed)

this was a character study on emotional self-torture and every chapter was an absolute sucker punch to the gut - loved the sadness and pining for the drama but i also felt like plot-wise the events didn't really justify the intensity of it all as much as the author's other piece :"/ writing was still amazing though!!

gold fever (seokgyu, 43k words, completed)

archer!seokmin x weightlifter!mingyu in a college au - really liked the vibes and writing in this fic :) seokgyu fics are rare and i feel like it's bc their dynamics on-camera mostly revolve around teasing/bickering it's hard to picture anything else, but the slow-burn element brought smth fresh and new to their dynamics and it was such an enjoyable read!

I'm not afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens (jicheol, 40k words, completed)

after reading this i think it's safe to say we all need a cheol during an apocalypse

In The Eye of the Beholder (verkwan, 34k words, completed)

half-demon!vernon x blind!seungkwan - verkwan is the softest ship and no one can say otherwise

Get busy living, or get busy dying. (cheolhoon, 31k words, completed)

absolutely living for the dialogue and banter between these two during the counseling sessions - such a unique setting, a v good fic!

secondhand smoke (gyucheol, 30k words, completed)

this was the start of my spiral down the gyucheol rabbit hole: collegiate sport aus will always be superior

just let me know (i'll be on the floor) (verkwan, 30k words, completed)

soft and sweet friends-to-lovers fic that made my heart so warm!! really loved how their relationship unfolded over time, how they took care of each other as roommates, with seungkwan's obliviousness and denial and vernon being so patient with him throughout - 'twas a lovely slice-of-life read that brought comfort and joy :)

A (Revised Guide to Lab Safety) (soonwoo, 25k words, completed)

askjfsds this was an amazing mix of soonwoo peer dynamics in a college au + science!! their lab partners-to-friends-to-lovers arc was really too cute so i'd highly recommend this to soonwoo enthusiasts

tu me manques (minwon, 26k words, completed)

this really captured the feeling of watching 90s & early 2000s romcoms (think before sunrise, chasing liberty, serendipity etc) and was written so beautifully i might cry :"") really loved the travelling aspect of it, the scenic descriptions of each city made the fic so immersive, like i was there along w them sigh

also wonwoo has slight manic pixie dream boy vibes and mingyu is just there lolol

here kitty kitty (minwon, 26k words, completed)

the ultimate cosy fall read - this fic felt like a sip of warm tea by the fire on a chilly autumn evening :)

snowflake, i'll catch you tonight (minwon, 25k words, completed)

this was really cute!! just soft and fluffy vibes in general and characterisation was super on point bc wonwoo is literally winter personified lmao

i thought that space was mine (jeongcheol, 25k words, completed)

jealous jeonghan sad fics are everything

a mix of sun and clouds (soonwoo, 24k words, completed)

lovelovelove aus with interesting professions, and this time they're both working at a weather station! soonyoung being a weather nerd is such a delight to read, and wonwoo's emotional constipation + little acts of service never gets old hehe geguri is amazing

Paradise Lost (minwon, 24k, completed)

sad fics have a chokehold on me and this one definitely takes the cake... was left in tears and i would risk it all to experience it for the first time again

despite this being a post-apocalyptic au, the development of the romance arc was treated softly and gently, that the moments of tenderness between the mcs shone through the violence and ruin that surrounded them. it was a really refreshing take on domesticity, one that took me by surprise, and it's a pity that the author only has 2 works!! i need MORE

Bend (and Break) (seoksoon, 23k words, completed)

fwb-to-friends-to-lovers seoksoon?? another wholesome fic and i loved the build up in this fic, where the mcs are basically doing all but admitting their feelings for each other UGH so cute

175°C for 60 minutes (seokgyu, 23k words, completed)

vv cute baking rivals au!! love how little clues were sprinkled throughout the story and came together at the end to tie things up nicely hehe

Lie Again (gyuhan, 22k words, completed)

the best gyuhan fic (that i've read so far) !! aka the chronicles of one (1) emotionally-unavailable yoon jeonghan where he learns to embrace the notion of Having Feelings ™ ft some of my other fave ships seoksoo and soonwoo

Jack of all trades... (jicheol, 21k words, completed)

absolutely went down a jicheol rabbit hole after this... their dynamics are one of a kind and i love it so much

stillness and motion (seokhao, 21k words, completed)

give me a fic about emotionally-repressed characters that yearn and do everything but communicate and i'll eat it up!! the tension built up between (former) teammates in sport aus are a different breed and i'm absolutely here for it

For Want of Glory (woncheol, 21k words, completed)

secret agent au! loved woncheol's dynamics here, and it's really endearing to read from coups' pov because i love the way he just PINES

you make me feel good (i like it) (soonwoo, 18k words, completed)

no spoilers but this was an absolute beast of a fic that DESTROYED me the best way possible :"") each chapter was succinct yet packed a punch, loveloveloved how the element of time travel was weaved into the storyline!! op you are a genius for conceiving and writing this

Storm Warning (wonhui, 18k words, completed)

jun as a manic pixie dream type here is everything!! ww's feelings are so valid bc if jun was my neighbour, i too, would fall in love right away HAHA

Cold Hands, Warm Heart (jicheol, 17k words, completed)

apocalypse aus always hit so hard and this fic was no exception - i was expecting a much darker arc based on the blurb, but the author managed to transform such a dire situation into one full of love, warmth and hope :") definitely check this one out!! there's also a (slightly) heart-wrenching (tiny) minwon arc on the side

now i'm covered in you (soonwoo, 16k words, completed)

it's the art of dealing with grief and moving on in a sweet and tender fic - highly recommend!

say you want me (cause I need it, all of the time) (soonwoo, 15k words, completed)

this is wonwoo as everyone's dream high school boyfriend lol

choosing the right place to put it (woncheol, 15k words, completed)

15k words of pure domestic fluff :") wonwoo and cheol are so soft with each other in this fic and cheol being so oblivious throughout really takes the cake HAHA

burning the wick at both ends (jeongcheol, 14k words, completed)

getting back with an ex is never a good idea... unless it's jeongcheol

in the dream where I am an island (jeongcheol, 14k words, completed)

rare jeongcheol fic from cheol's pov

full ten (minwon, 14k words, completed)

super adorable strangers-to-roommates-to-lovers fic!! i really loved that they each had their own lives (preferences, habits, jobs and interests) before they met each other, and coming to live together only made their lives better - there's just something about the intimacy of co-existing in the same space with someone, bonding over simple weeknight dinners, developing a shared routine over time :"")

favorite (minwon, 14k, completed)

this was a v lovely friends-to-lovers fic - really loved the timelapse of small moments between them from both perspectives!

helios (minwon, 13k, completed)

a literal masterpiece - great execution of a cool concept, and wonwoo's persona as an artist was really well-crafted!!

runaway (verkwan, 13k, completed)

this fic highlights an inseparable quality about verkwan, that there'll always be invisible string tugging at both of them, keeping them by side by side - amazing!

day ones all i keep around me (minwon, 12k words, completed)

established (secret) relationship where minwon tries to soft-launch their marriage but their fans are too dense to realise LMAO this was really cute, and i loved the dynamics between streamer!wonwoo x soccerplayer!mingyu hehe

Flowers In My Path, My Love (seokwoo, 12k words, completed)

this was the cutest college meet-cute aka hotpoetryclassguy!wonwoo x cutepoetryclassguy!dk - it really captured the moments of fumbling, awkward shyness when interacting with crushes so well and bonus points for describing dk as sunshine bc he really is the brightest boy!!

put me on a feeling i never had (woncheol, 10k words, completed)

on the inherent romance in tending to the wounds of a lover

i want us both to eat well (gyucheol, 10k words, completed)

light the way home (and i'll follow) (minwon, 10k words, completed)

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, April 18

Buffy: So, what's on tap tonight that's so important? Uprising, prophesied ritual, preordained deathfest? Xander: Ah, the old standards! Giles: A medical transport is delivering the monthly supply of blood to the hospital. Buffy: Mm, vampire Meals-On-Wheels.

~~The Dark Age~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Something To Be Proud Of (Buffy, PG) by badly_knitted

Bad Luck (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by veronyxk84

She kissed me when I told her I loved her (Buffy/Spike, G) by Humanzoul

You do something to me (Crossover with Sex and the City, G) by Julikobold

Buffy tells Spike (Crossover with Fraiser, G) by Julikobold

Not what it looks like (Crossover with 21 Jump Street, G) by Julikobold

Remember Me (Crossover with Suits, G) by Julikobold

Math (Crossover with Numb3rs, G) by Julikobold

Band Aid (Crossover with Scrubs, G) by Julikobold

Storytelling (Crossover with Home Improvement, G) by Julikobold

Costume Party (Crossover with Boston Legal, G) by Julikobold

Fire (Crossover with Doctor Who, G) by Julikobold

now kiss! (Buffy/Cordelia, G) by belledamn

The Last Table (Buffy/Spike, AO) by Maxine Eden

You're Got The Look (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Geliot99

Self-Care (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

Deadly Diamonds (Buffy/Spike, R) by Maxine Eden

[Chaptered Fiction]

An odd Couple of grumpy old Brits, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, G) by Julikobold

Love Lives Here, Chapter 50 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Truth and Consequences, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, R) by JamesMFan

The Boyfriend Swap, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

The Embarrassing Freak Couple Chronicles, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, R) by HappyWhenItRains

Cross Puproses 4, Chapter 81 (Multiple crossings, FR13) by DianeCastle

Blood and dust, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, 18+) by Blackoberst

Coming Through, Chapter 57 (Buffy/Spike, AO) by hulettwyo

What the Drabble? Vol. 2, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

The Blue Eye of the Storm, Chapter 12 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by MaggieLaFey

[Images, Audio & Video]

Comic:Not A Date (PG-13) by Grief Counseling and Dusty

Artwork:Spike by vancruejovi

Artwork:Dawnieeeee by spar1axkilla

Artwork:King of Wands by isevery0nehereverystoned

Gifset:Dead Man's Party by detectivedawnsummers

Gifset:#HER boyfriend #angel wears a tag that says ‘if found return to buffy summers’ by ptieuca

Gifset:4x06 | "Wild at Heart" by clarkgriffon

Video: Buffy, The Vampire Slayer - At The Beginning by Boo Harder

Video: Buffy and Spike | From the Outside by KcchameleonProdz

Video: Buffy & Spike | Too Sweet by KcchameleonProdz

Video: Buffy Characters in Jojo Style (Part 2) by Hannah Williamson

[Reviews & Recaps]

Tough Love • S05E19 • TPN's Buffy Guide by Passion of the Nerd

We Get (very) Physical | Buffy the Vampire Slayer 6x9 "Smashed" | The Normies Group Reaction! by The Normies

As You Were: Buffy 6x15 Reaction by Dakara

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER - S7 EP 1 LESSONS (2002) REACTION VIDEO AND REVIEW! FIRST TIME WATCHING! by Reel Reviews With Jen!

The Re-Watcher's Council | "Halloween" Buffy the Vampire Slayer S02E06 Spoiler Review by LGRN - Entertainment

Podcast: Buffy S7E3: Same Time, Same Place by Booze & Buffy

[Community Announcements]

Call For Banners by Seasonal Spuffy

[Fandom Discussions]

[How Xander/Cordelia should have ended] by nicnacsnonsense

[On the differing effect of souls] by hersterical

[Darla's evolution] by coraniaid

[Gwendolyn Post AU] by coraniaid

by

by

What If: Angelus had bitten Jenny? by multiple authors

Do Vengence Demons Have Souls? by multiple authors

Does anyone think Willow was forgiven too quickly in something blue? [Cont.] by multiple authors

Anyone else wish we got to see the show from Willow's point of view? by multiple authors

Who's a minor character you wish had appeared in more episodes/had a different storyline and how would you have done this? by multiple authors

Dos anyone else wonder how hard was it for David Boreanaz to not get a tan while living in CA shooting Buffy and Angel? by multiple authors

Would Buffy see Angel the same way again if she knew about the events that unfolded in season 2? by multiple authors

What are your criticisms of the show? by multiple authors

Season 4~ Connor… annoying? by multiple authors

What’s your favorite bit of continuity in the Buffyverse? by multiple authors

It’s crazy how buffy never fell off, genuinely every season was so good. by multiple authors

Go Fish by multiple authors

Did anyone else feel like Willow's arc was partly to depower her? by multiple authors

What are some double standards in the universe of the show? by multiple authors

I think Robin should be in the running for male slayer with Gunn and Connor by multiple authors

The first is pretty stupid isn't it by multiple authors

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Join the editor team :)

[movedtodykedvonte]

4 22 31 and 32 fic asks???

4. How do you choose which fics to write?

Whatever feels like I won't lose interest soon. Like I wait a month before writing any fic even if I really want to. If I lose interest in the idea or fandom by that point then I obvi don't write the fic. If I can't dedicate a month to loving something then how can I dedicate the time to a fic? Even then interest could wane.

Usually, the fics have to be well thought out to me first too like I have to constantly think about characterization and plot points or else it's probs not gonna be worth it.

22. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process?  How do you come up with titles?

I title each fic twice actually. The title that gave me the idea and then the title that fits better with the chapter(s) or story. Like if it's an au like CDAP, then the au will be the title for a bit before I decide on a central theme or message that I tend to condense into a fic title. However, occasionally I get bored and make a fic where the title is the vague summary

As for coming up with titles, it depends. Usually, if the fic is super descriptive, the title will be shorter, and vice versa. However, I like titles that are long for no real reason or are like grammatical sentences. It usually will have to do with an event in the story or a play on words to relate to the characters.

31. Do you use a beta reader/editor?

I got three irl beta readers which is pretty wild. Like I sit in front of them and just wait for them to finish reading the draft off my laptop and have to remember they are reading about Spamton and his partners' pseudo-couples counseling.

32. Do you take fic requests?  Why or why not?

I do! I think it's in my pin post what I sorta will and won't write but I think i've made it clear I do in the past! I like requests cause I can still choose to do them, and they help me not feel bored when the ideas for one fic aren't going. Like I feel like I'm neglecting a fic when I try to write another, unrelated one but usually that doesn't happen if someone asks me to write a fic about a certain scenario or headcanon. That way I can convince my brain I'm just elaborating on a pre-existing thing.

Tho, I can't always tell if an ask in my inbox about something is a request for a fic or just a general question so maybe it's good to specify if ur interested o-o...

[hairstevington]

Welcome to my blog!

For those who are new (hiii <3), I’m Frenchie, and I figured I'm official enough now to have an introduction post, so here's some basic info, FAQ, and a Masterlist of my content so far!

I reblog exclusively Stranger Things content here, although surprisingly I DO have other interests :o

I have an Ao3 account under this same username, if that's your thing!

I keep my writing and this blog PG-13 (with language/drug use and mild sexual content), so if you're looking for explicit stuff I am not the writer for you!

Favorite ship is Any Character x Peace and Happiness (also I love writing Steddie and Lumax has my whole heart)

Every time I get a comment, like, reblog, or feedback of any kind, my heart grows three sizes. Seriously, I'm so honored when people enjoy what I write!

Always looking for new internet friends!

~~~~~~~~~~

Masterlist:

Note: WIP's are "we can be heroes," “the hardest part is who we are,” and “every city’s got a graveyard." Ficlets won't be linked here but I will have them all tagged under "dailydrabble"

Stranger Things (follows the general canon of the show):

"Back to the Future (Hawkins Edition)" - (OC travels back in time and lives through the canon show, season 4 fix-it, 132K words) this one is my fav you guys go read it on Ao3 here

“i’m counting the days to the rapture” - (all canon characters who died on the show reunite, 40K words) found here and on Ao3

“Every city’s got a graveyard” - (Buffy x Stranger Things crossover) - still in its early stages but the first chapter can be found here!

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington:

“songs that voices never share” - (alternate canon Steve goes deaf after season 3 and meets Eddie, who can sign, 70K words) found here and on Ao3

"we can be heroes" - (Part 2 of the Deaf Steve AU, season 4 rewrite/fix-it in Eddie's POV) found here

“I wanna cut to the feeling” (modern day AU enemies to lovers slow burn feat Rockstar!Eddie and Hairstylist!Steve, 79K words) - Chapter 1-5 found here, the rest found on Ao3!

“I can’t tune you out” - (Rockstar!Eddie/Musician!Steve fake dating enemies to lovers slow burn, 113K words) found here and on Ao3

"Freaky Friday (Steddie's Version)" - (enemies to lovers body swap shenanigans, 36K words) found here and on Ao3

"flowers and ink" - (tattoo artist x flower shop modern day au, 21K words) found here and on Ao3

"Stranger Therapy" - (first date at couples counseling with Dr. Murray, 13K words) found here and on Ao3

“the hardest part is who we are” - (group therapy fic! Enemies to friends to lovers, sorta, lots of angst and dark humor) found here

“Eddie Munson vs the World” - (very camp, in the style of Scott Pilgrim, 20k words) found here

“Call me when you get this” - (one shot, friends to lovers told through voicemails, 3K words) found here and on Ao3

“That ‘90s Fic” (post-canon cute fic for the Valentine’s Day fic exchange 2023! 5.5K words) found here and on Ao3

“Daisies” (requested one shot of Eddie giving his best friend Steve flowers for Valentine’s Day) - found here on Tumblr and here on Ao3

"mysterious ways" - (Steddie week 2023, Kas!Eddie/Steve post canon season 4, 12K words) found here and on Ao3

“The Marriage of Bigfoot and Mothman” found here and on Ao3

"Do I wanna know?" - (modern day AU fluffy one shot) found here and on Ao3

STWG April Fools Day Swap (one shot where Steddie saves a wounded bunny) found here

“Like real people do” - (one shot written for the STWG’s Hozier collection, 1K words) found here

"Well, this is new" found here. The follow-up, "A Different Kind of Nervous," is only on Ao3 (idk why lol). Part 3, “Hands,” found here. Ao3 links for part one, two, and three

Robin Buckley x Nancy Wheeler:

“No Way” (featuring one of my fav lines I've ever written) found here, Ao3 link here

“Best Friends” (another tumblr exclusive!) found here

“I wanted her to look at me” (aka Robin liked Nancy instead of Tammy Thompson) found here, Ao3 link here

The Fruity Four (Robin/Nancy/Steve/Eddie):

“Barb is alive!” (AU request) here, Ao3 link here

"Teleplatonic" (Robin can read Steve's mind, no romance just Stobin) here, Ao3 link here

“Who looks like the better kisser?” - (very short and sweet) found here, Ao3 link here

“This is gonna be fun” (aka the two couples decide to be each other's beards) found here, Ao3 link here

"Steve is NOT Straight" (feat platonic Stobin baybeee) here, Ao3 link here

Misc Content (not fic related):

Steve Harrington (Taylor’s Version) - collab with the Tumblr bestie! Found here

Chaotic Stranger Things Headcanons (part one, part two, part three)

Songs that I associate with the characters

Steeba

Steve Harrington as a cat AU (shitpost collab with my Tumblr bestie, truly a treat and v chaotic, you'll love it)

Cover art for my fic “I can’t tune you out” done by my Tumblr bestie 🥰

How the characters would react to you coming out

Random hair opinions

I still might write this essay on S4 costuming lol

Robin/Nancy parallel with Steve (lowkey sad but also go Ronance) found here

Ronance evidence - found here

My Maya Hawke concert experience!

Byler x Scott Pilgrim meme - found here

Joe Quinn moments - First late night appearance and the falling blooper

List of confirmed JQ improvised moments

Very valid question

Stancy x Taylor Swift (Midnight Rain) found here

Quick Steddie headcanon

Steve is simply A Dad (and I love him)

Theory about season 5, Eddie, and inconsistencies

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inbox is always open for questions, concerns, feedback, hot takes, requests, or literally whatever as long as you're not weird about it.

Love youuuuuu

[ggukkieland]

📕BTS Fic Reads - 2021 July

Sharing all the fics read and loved the month of July! It was a busy month for me and I actually just realized I am so late in posting my usual monthly reading list. I also read more ongoing fics I am subscribed to (which means I reblogged more on 🌹ggukkieland than 🌷ggukkiereads).

If you are a reader like me and you stumbled upon this list, please reblog author’s fics and share these stories too =)

Note: if link doesn’t work, click on author and go to their masterlist

🥕 Ongoing - most recent chapter [as of date this list was posted] 🥕 Completed - completed one shots | series 🥕 S - smut | F - fluff | A - angst

↳ ALL Members listed  (60+ fics)

🥕 [Ongoing Series]

↬ Seokjin

Make it Right @eatjeanjin​ - series [1/?] | 1.6k+ | Time Travel AU, Cursed!OC, feat Taehyung (best friend) | a

↬ Yoongi

Let Me Love You @meanyoongi​ - series [2/?] | 14.9k+ | fwb, secret relationship, kind of enemies to lovers | a, s, f

Monachopsis @personasintro​ - series [2/?] | 8.6k+ | husband’s brother yoongi, OC and husband trying to have a baby, sort of sperm donor!yoongi | s, a

Need to Know @minyfic - series [4/?] | 13.2k+ | CEO AU, Sugar Daddy AU, softdom, age gap | s, f, a

Set Me Free @secretum-scriptor​ - series [4/?] | 27k+ | arranged marriage, heiress!oc, rich au, fake relationship, CEO Yoongi | a, f, s

Stuck @joonscypher​ - two shot [1/2] | 11.2k+ | part of the Sons of Midas Collab, chaebol au, heir au, rich au, arranged marriage | a (so far)

Your Voice @burningupp​ - 📱 SMAU | music au, cafe au, yoongi heard her sing | a, f

↬ Hoseok

Kitsune @kpopsithereasonihavenolife - series [5/?] | 82k+ | demon hunter au, feudal Japan, enemies to lovers, action | a

↬ Jimin

Half-bitten @eureka-its-zico​ - series [5/?] | 30k+ | Vampire AU, Witch!OC, Supernatural AU, eventual poly on Ch 5 (heavy smut this part 🔥💦 - Jungkook x Reader, Namjoon x Reader)

Into It @xpeachesncream​ - series [2/?] | 15k+ | grad school au, idiots to lovers, strangers to lovers, fake dating of some sort (couples counseling but they are strangers) | a, future s

Lose Myself to Find You @jinpanman​ - series [1/?] | 4.4k+ | ex-villain!jimin, fairy tale keeper!oc, enemies to lovers (sort of), fantasy | f, a

The Misadventures List @kimvvantae​ - series [2/?] | 14k+ | convenience store worker!oc, rich/chaebol Jimin, fake dating au, comedy | f, future s

↬ Taehyung

Bloom @1kook - series [1/?] | 4.3k | regency era, historical, princess!oc x knight!taehyung | a, f, future s

Flavours @jjkpls - series [9/?] | 18k+ | coworker au, enemies to lovers (like toxic and they trash talk each other type of enemies), fuckboy!taehyung | s, a

Gossamer @aroseforyoongi - series [6/?] | 63k+ | Hybrid AU, Taehyung is experiment 1230 | a, s (this is a repost/write)

The Island @taestefully-in-luv​ - series [10/?] | 99.4k+ | strangers to lovers, enemies to lovers, soulmate au, roommate au, slow burn, two people thrown in an island for research (according to research they are soulmates) | f, a, s (please go to author’s masterlist for the rest of the chapters)

What The Water Gave Me @snackhobi​ - two shot [1/?] 8k+ | God AU, Fantasy AU, with steampunk elements, vigilante reader

White Lies @yoonia - series [4/?] | 20.6k+ | childhood friends au, best friend au | a, s (I remember reading bits of this years (???) ago and thank you for revamping this =))

↬ Jungkook

All that Glitters @minyfic​ - series [7/?] | 41.4k+ | Fuckboy AU, College AU, Jungkook used to be a sweet dude turned fuckboy, unrequited love (for OC), heavy angst (not expecting nor wanting Jungkook for OC honestly), eventual series sequel for OC!! | s, a

Candy Cane Ache @monvante​ - two shot [1/?] | 4k+ | The Proposal AU, fake dating, boss au, editor au, assistant au | a, eventual s

Code of Conduct @go1denjeon​ - series [8/?] | 38k+ | mafia au, yandere-ish, godfather references (the movie, yes), oc’s brother yoongi  | a

Concentric @gingerpeachtae - series [26/27] | 236k+ | fantasy enemies to lovers, dark fantasy | a, s, f

Devilman @koo1uvr - series [1/?] | 12.7k+ | Devilman AU, Bestfriend AU, Track Runner AU, Horror/Gore | a, s, f (this is part of my past reading list but author reposted in a new blog and I had to re-read =)

In Another Life @lil-meow-meow-goes-rawr - series [8/?] | 28k+ | fantasy, pirate au, time travel, magic | f, a

It Was Always You @namjooningelsewhere​ - series [2/?] | 4.7k+ | College AU, Strangers to Lovers, Exes AU | F, A (no masterpost yet, check part 2 here)

Live Through This @starshapedkookie​ - series [1/?] | 22.5k+ | Exes AU, Enemies to Lovers, Punk AU | A, S

Mean Girls Finish Last @herherteartear​ - 📱 SMAU | fuckboy, stuntman!jungkook x mean girl!oc | f, suggestive pics

Nerve @adonis-koo - series [1/?] | 9.5k+ | thriller, mystery, memory lapse (OC woke up in mysterious room), dark | a, eventual s

Not His Type @writerforkpop - 📱 SMAU | College AU, enemies to lovers, kind of bet au (jungkook is a player and OC/friends made a bet they can make him notice her) | a, eventual f

Nuisance @seokahwrites​ - series [2/?] | 12.8k+ | enemies to lovers, lawyer!oc, lawyer!jungkook, vacation au (they got stuck in the cruise, only one room, thanks to OC’s assistant Seokjin), humor | f, future s (? not really sure)

Only Fools @yonkimint - 📱 SMAU | College OT7, unrequited love (OC), she’s the best friend’s nerdy cousin, costume party, catfish, crack | f

Platinum Panther @arcticmarshmallow​ -  series? [1/?] | 27.4k+ | Rich AU, spoiled!reader, single dad!jungkook, boss jungkook, age gap (but it’s only three years so it’s not really that muchof an age gap) | s, a, f

Puddle of Love @btssmutgalore - series [3/?] | 30.2k+ | Rocker AU, Singer!OC, Band AU, Bad Boy AU, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn | a, future s, future f  02 03

Right Here @shukakoo​ - drabble series [4/?] | 3.9k+ | Best Friend AU, Jungkook recently broke up with GF, kind of slow burn? (JK fell out of love with GF but not exactly in that I’m in love with my best friend yet) | a, f, eventtual s

Risque @mercurygguk​ - series [1/?] | 9.2k+ | Age Gap AU, kinda spoiled/tease OC, Office AU, Jungkook is employer of her dad | s, a

Shadows of Euphoria @cinnabun-faerie​ [5/?] | 9.5k+ | Demon!Jungkook, feat. Taehyung, part of the Your Eyes Tell OT7 series, Soulmate AU | a, f

Stream Simulator @minloop - series [1/?] + drabbles + time stamps | 6.6k+ | streamer au, gamer au, established relationship | f

Superblood Wolfmoon @ironicarmy​ - series [4/?] | 18k+ | werewolf au, a/b/o dynamics, alpha!jungkook, soulmate au, fantasy, mystery | a, future s

Sway Me More @hoseokmylovesworld​ - series [2/3] | 22k+ | enemies to lovers, mafia au, continuation of their story | s, f

Tail as Old as Time @yoonjinkooked - series [1/?] | 4.8k+ | Mermaid AU, Fantasy | f, s, a (note: this was part of previous reading list but author reuploaded the fic since the original link got deleted)

Day by Day @hansolmates​ - drabble series? [4/?] | 6.5k+ |  single dad!jungkook, bestfriend au, baby Haru calls OC ‘mom’, slow burn | a

The Sexual Awakening @xotoosweet​ - drabble series [1/?] | 1.6k | college au, best friends to lovers, compsci!jungkook, economics!reader, oc on a journey of sexual awakening | f, future s

To Build a Home @soft4gguks​ - series [6/?] | 53k+ | single dad!jungkook, ceo au, nanny!oc, strangers to lovers | a, f, s

Waiting Game @tteokggukk​ - 📱 SMAU | soulmate au, ex-friends to lovers, humor, slow burn | f, a  

Yo-ho-hoe And A Bottle Of Rum @yoonjinkooked​ - series [1/?] | 2.8k+ | enemies to lovers, pirate au, fantasy, crack/humor | a, f, s

🥕[Completed Fics/Series]

cliche drabbles: friends at grocer and mistaken as a couple @hueseok - drabble | >1k | friends to lovers, best friend au | f

Open When It’s… @an-exotic-writer​ - one shot | 3.5k | epistolary (some parts), Dad!Namjoon, but he passed away and his son is reading his letters at certain stages of life (example: open when you get into the worst fight ever with your mother) | a

Lesson Learned @silhouetted-beauty - one shot | 10.8k | Married!Seokjin, Teacher!OC, DAD!Seokjin, infidelity, questionable morals | s, a

Puns @heartkook​ - one shot | 1.8k | strangers to lovers, humor, a fic about puns! | f (really cute!)

Sensucht @johobi - one shot | 7.4k | CEO AU, new hire OC (who’s not exactly a model employee yet), dom/sub undertones | S (pwp)

Bitter @heartkook - drabble | 1.9k | Bartender!OC, Yoongi recently got dumped, sort of rebound AU (that isn’t) | a, f

Mic Drop @ve1vetyoongi​ - one shot | 29k | rapper!yoongi, photographer!oc, composer!oc, star-crossed of some sort, rival of her brother, secret relationship, music au | s, a, f

Signed in Black @yoon-kooks - series [7/7] | 21.1k | Soulmate AU, Bad Boy AU, Barista!OC, BTS as Bulletproof Fairies, Fake Dating (sort of but not really?) | F, slight A

Eclipse @baepsaesbae​ - one shot | 3.3k | fantasy, Fae AU, Day Fairy!Hoseok x Night Fairy!OC, summer solstice, idiots to lovers | a, s, f

Love; Always @yeoldontknow - one shot | 7.3k | 100% epistolary, reincarnation au, soulmate au, pen pals, letters au, pining, long distance relationship | f, a, s

Myosotis + Chrysanthemum @03mistress30 - two-shot | 7.8k | demi-god!hoseok, rescued OC from a thief, OC let him stay, reunion in part 2, fantasy | a

Synchronized @idroppedthesope​ - drabble | 900wc | soulmate au (timer), unrequited love with bestfriend!hoseok, but check until the end 🥰 | f

Strip @your-daily-biaswrecking​ - one shot | 7.9k | established relationship au, jealous Hoseok of the female stripper x OC action 😁 | s, f

Blackthorn Creek @randombtsprincessa​ - one shot | 23k | Beauty and the Beast AU (OC is the beast), fantasy, curse au, also shifter au (there’s a part she shifts), fairy tale au | a,f, s

Equinox @crystaljins​ - one shot | 7.2k | King of Spring!Jiming x Queen of Winter!OC, arranged marriage AU, fantasy, royalty, talks of seasons | f

Touched by a Fallen Star @cutaepatootie​ - one shot | 37.2k | Prince Jimin, Fantasy AU, royalty, star-crossed, use of magic, OC is a celestial being | a, s

An Unexpected Kindness @heartkook​ - one shot | 2.1k | creepy guy won’t leave OC alone, Taehyung pretended to be the boyfriend, strangers to lovers | a, f

Catch My Ghost @smaubts​ - 📱 SMAU (short) | supernatural au, ghost hunter!taehyung, crack | f

Drabble: taehyung as brother’s best friend @1kook - drabble | >1k | secret relationship, brother’s best friend au, pwp | s

Louder Than Bombs @moononthejoon - 📱 SMAU (discontinued but with complete outline) | writer!taehyung, fan!oc | f

Peculiar Taste @gashinabts​ - one shot | 2.8k | Roommate AU, OC found out her foot fics on a fetish page 😂, humor | s, f

Pink @ggukcangetit​ - drabble | 511wc | friends to lovers. Prompt: “kissing to prove there’s no chemistry, even though it’s a lie, the kiss proving it” | f

Relentless @alpacaparkaseok - one shot | 5.9k | spin off of the Lost & Found fic (Jimin story), this is Taehyung’s story with the “string cutter” (who isn’t his soulmate, ouch), Soulmate AU | a, f

Rival Heirs drabble @yoonpobs​ - drabble | >1k | enemies to lovers, rich au, ceo au, star-crossed lovers, extra load of angst T_T | a, s

🥕 One-shots | Drabbles

Addicted to You @ughcore - one shot | 5.4k | enemies to lovers, feat clueless Taehyung, went to a bar (jungkook just got back), sexual tension | s, a, f

Can I Sleep in Your Bed @ddaeng-181338 - one shot | 4k | Roommate AU, insomnia AU, best friends who are in college, OC couldn’t sleep and crashed in JK’s bed to help her sleep, talks about love which led to something more 🥰 | s, f

Cherry Glosses N Car Washes @softlyjiminie​ - one shot | 7k | goth!jungkook x cheerleader!oc, college au, established relationship, sorority au, opposites (they don’t like JK for OC even though he’s a nice guy 😢) | s, f

cliche drabble: bar and jungkook saves you @hueseok​ - drabble | >1k | strangers, bar, some knight in shining armor kook, prompt: "a drunk dude tries to seduce you at a bar and you start to feel uncomfortable then a cute stranger, jungkook, saves you by saying she's with me" | f

cliche drabble: dramatic wedding objection @/hueseok - drabble | >1k | wedding au, star-crossed lovers, OC to marry someone else (arranged)  | f

drabble: camping trip with bestfriend!jungkook @rmverse​ - drabble | 1.1k | bestfriend au, oh there’s only one bed trope (only it’s a sleeping bag), camping | s

Drabble: single dad jungkook e2l with kid’s teacher @1kook - drabble | >1k | single dad au, kindergarten teacher!oc, enemies to lovers, really cute | f

Fireflies @impossiblewriter - one shot | 20k | epistolary au, prince!jungkook, princess!reader, best friend AU, childhood friends, war au, fictional country, kinda angsty| a, f

Fuck You, Ana. Sincerely, Jungkook @jamkookies​ - one shot | 30k | Barista!Jungkook, strangers to lovers, hurt/comfort fic, themes of eating disorder/anorexia, humor (OC is actually funny but in a sarcastic way), coworker AU, coffee shop | a, f, implied s

Handwritten @jeonocho - one shot | 2.5k | epistolary, soldier!jungkook, war au, one day Jungkook stopped writing | a, f

I Can’t Wait to Tell You, I Told Ya @moon-write​ - one shot | 16.2k | single dad!jungkook (who is kind of a player), bestfriend!OC, cute relationship between OC and the daughter, unrequited love from OC, idiots to lovers | a, f

I Hate That I’m In Love With You @prkchimins - 📱 SMAU with written parts  | Fuckboy AU, College AU, Enemies to Lovers, Jungkook as a ticket to get invited to parties (Yoongi, Jimin, Taehyung, and OC) |  A, F, implied S

Intense Desires @kookscrescent​ - drabble | 1.2k | boyfriend au, just pwp about kook going feral and just going at it like there’s no tomorrow | s

It Should Be Me @you-know-bts - one shot | 4.3k | brother’s best friend au, overprotective!jungkook (and brother yoongi), abusive boyfriend!Minho | a, f

I’ll Love You Until You Love Yourself @jiminiesfavouritecolourisblue​ - one shot | 3.4k | Exes AU, Noona!OC, OC got called by friends when Jungkook was so drunk, toxic methods of coping with breakup | a

Jeon Husband @breakiebunny​ - one shot | 8.7k | Arranged Marriage or Contract Marriage, CEO AU, OC wants out and Jungkook is suddenly threatened, jealous!jungkook, feat Yoongi | s, f

Knight in Distress @jimilter- drabble | 2.5k | chaebol!jungkook, heir au, enemies to lovers, co-workers, CEO!Jungkook, OC high position too, shirtless jungkook in water | f, a

Liars and Fire @kpopfanfictrash - one shot | 3.1k | Exes AU, ex-husband!jungkook, turned FWB | a, s

Love You Like a Love Song @dat-town - drabble | 1.8k | Best Friend AU, friends since high school, College AU, Jungkook’s birthday, OC baked a cake, fluff ensues 🥰 | f

Not Like You @oureuphoria​ - one shot | 28k | single dad au, boxer!jungkook, enemies to lovers, childhood acquaintance, childhood enemy, slow burn | f, a

Old Friends, Warm Eyes @xiaokoo - drabble | 979 | Hurt/Comfort, both got cheated on 😢, met at the park, ex-classmates | f

Stoic + Redemption @blue-jade​ - one shot | 4.2k | CEO AU, cheater!jungkook, angsty ugh, OC would rather take fake love/gestures than admit he’s cheating  | a, s (there’s a sequel! please check author’s mtl)

Stress Reliever @imaginethisbts​ - one shot | 2.6k | domestic au, established relationship au, boyfriend!jungkook after a very stressful day at work, pwp | s

Sweet Apology @unbeli-bubble​ - drabble | 1.8k | established relationship, domestic au, Jungkook ditched OC for time with friends, soft dom!jungkook | s, f

Which, as They Kiss, Consume @banqdanfnfic​ - one shot | 4k | tattoo artist!jungkook, established relationship, boyfriend au, OC’s first time to get a tattoo and asked boyfriend jungkook to do it (their relationship is not sexual yet so skdjskl the tattoo scene is just full of sexual tension) | s, f

Thank you dear authors for your stories! It was a seriously exhausting month for me with all the changes at work and I’m glad I have these stories to escape to 😢.

posted: 2021 Aug 05

link to other reading lists

other fic rec lists (by theme)

I love to read so feel free to message me about fics! 🌷

[lubdubsworld]

Insatiable  ( Jungkook x Oc ) Chapter 8

Pairing : Jeon Jungkook x OC

Rating 18+

Genre : Vampire Au!!!! , DILF! Jungkook ! Bodyguard AU! Babysitter OC!   Age difference!!!

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3   Chapter 4 Chapter 5   Chapter 6  Chapter 7

Chapter 8

“Heartbreak looks good on you...” My sister commented impishly, watching me slip the teardrop earring into my lobe, the ruby red stone glinting in the dimlight of the bedroom. 

It was a couple of weeks since my uncle had come over and today, all the important clan leaders from around the country would be heading over to pay their respects to him. As one of the oldest surviving vampires, he commanded a lot of respect and no one really wanted to be on his bad side. 

Which just made me love Jungkook all the more because I couldn’t forget how he’d literally thrown himself in between us that day. I wanted to give him  everything  in return but apparently, all i was allowed to give him was space. 

My father had visited me everyday , giving me a very cryptic, ‘ I’ll make sure the two of you get your happy ending, dearest but you need to trust me and stay away for a while. Just a while. ’. 

But it seemed so impossible, so far away and just so unlikely that I was beginning to lose hope. 

It didn’t help that I hadn’t actually seen Jungkook in these two weeks . Namjoon took his place and my only connection to him was Joowon , who told me his father was busy ...that he stayed with Hwasa most evenings . I felt jittery and nervous and even more so today because of the lavish party being hosted in the Grand Ball Room, which was easily the biggest room in the entire estate. The last time it had been opened was for my parent’s wedding a whole two centuries ago.  

For once I couldn’t hide in the daycare in sweats. My uncle apparently insisted that i be present for the party tonight. 

It only made my anxiety skyrocket. 

I was a mess when it came to formal parties with century old vampires. I had all the formal training of course, but still the etiquette lessons were long forgotten and lot of those cranky old bats had very archaic ideas about what was allowed and what wasn’t. 

I  didn’t want some entitled century old vampire pawing at my neck for a drink tonight. I really didn’t. 

But i had done my part. Put on a red dress, the backline dipping all the way down to the base of my spine , let one of the make up artists in the clan have a go at my face and even put on blood red lipstick. 

I grunted , trying to yank the small lace and leather garter up my thigh. It had a holster for a dagger, the small ornate silver one that all the women in the clan carried. The dagger was crafted with the Hwang crest on its handle and I carefully sheathed it in, patting my thigh to make sure it wouldn’t slip down my limb. 

“Don’t make fun of my misery.” I glared at her and she actually laughed. 

“Sera, you feel too much too deeply. Jungkook isn’t going anywhere. He’ll come around. “ She said gently.

I shook my head.

“I don’t want to wait though. I... I don’t know why I hate waiting but I do..”

“He looks like a kinky bastard. Tell me, did you guys try anything ...I don’t know..risky?”

Nothing riskier than getting edged in front of a whole hotel full of guests and then getting fucked in the back of a car. Oh, did I tell you he spit in my mouth? And I loved it.

“Not really.” I lied but I could feel my face heating up as I turned around, back to the mirror as i felt my ears burning.

My sister shrieked so loud I jumped, nearly knocking over the bottle of perfume on the dresser.

“Oh my God, Sera, you naughty little bint! Tell me now!!!” She screeched and i flushed.

Like hell i was telling my sister what we had done.

“It’s private!!” I hissed when she tried to yank me and she laughed. 

“You’re shy... aww that’s cute. But that’s just because you recently got un-virgined . Bet you  can’t wait for him to desecrate your special place again, huh?” She waggled her eyebrows. 

“That is the single most disgusting thing you’ve ever said.” I gagged.

She laughed again. 

“Relax. He was your first. Happens . But like I said, don’t worry about him being serious about this. I think he is. You guys had sex and dad knows that. And yet somehow he’s still walking around with his had attached to his shoulders. Do you really think father would have let him live if he didn’t have feelings for you?”

I frowned.

“That’s not fair. It was consensual. He didn’t force me into anything or tell me he had feelings ....”

She scoffed at that. 

“Please tell me you still don’t think he hasn’t got feelings for you. He went batshit-crazy when you went on that date with Yugyeom. Jimin thought he was having a stroke or something. Dude’s so gone for you it isn’t even funny.”

“ Fat lot of good that does me! ” I snapped. “ If he doesn’t acknowledge those feelings he might as well not have any. And so far he’s made it abundantly clear that he’s not going to act on them. Ever.” 

“Because he’s clearly involved in something dangerous.” She said easily, making me blink.  “I’m not supposed to be telling you this but I’m kind of sick of you moping around like the world is ending and I’m just going to trust you to be smart about it.”

“What do you mean dangerous?” I whirled around to glare at her, pulse racing. 

“I have no clue. Dad and Jungkook are working on something.  But they’ve been huddled in the administrative building for three days now and no one has seen them . So i don’t really know what it is they’re planning. But I’ve always wondered if Jungkook was hiding from something. It would explain why he’d work as a bodyguard...with his skills he could be so much more.  ”

Frustration bloomed,  this time laced with worry. I wanted to know what was going on. God, if i could only see him. A glimpse would be enough. Just to make sure he was okay. Just to hear from him that he was okay. That he was going to be safe. 

“Think he’ll be at the party?”  I asked softly, feeling a whole lot pathetic at the way my heart lurched hopefully. 

My sister gave me a very mischievous smile. 

“Maybe . Maybe not. You look ravishing by the way.  And everyone out there wants you. Literally. Don’t forget that. Don’t be easy. Make him beg a little. ” She winked. 

I frowned. 

“He won’t beg. He’ll turn the tables around and make me cry.” I shuddered.  . Which really wouldn’t be that hard . I felt like I was always on the verge of tears these days. 

The knock on the door made us both look up. 

“Who’s escorting you tonight?” My sister asked gently. 

I shrugged. 

“No one. I’m just gonna walk in there by myself because I hate all of you. ” I grabbed the small bejeweled clutch from the table and hesitated just a second. 

God , I had no strength for tonight but there was a possibility that Jungkook could be there tonight. And I wanted to see him, if for no other reason than to kick him in the teeth. 

 I slipped into the strappy peep toe heels, stumbling a little because i wasn’t used to them. 

Swearing at the sharp pain shooting up my heel and shin, I wrenched the door open. Ignoring the simpering man on the other side, i stalked right past him. 

It was going to be a long , long night 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ballroom looked ....for lack of a better word : overwhelming. 

Whoever was in charge of the decoration had clearly taken the budget, quadrupled it and then pretty much ordered one of everything. I stared at the sheer overdose of satin and gauze and felt myself shuddering. 

Red and black was the theme for the night and I half wished I’d chosen to wear something in turquoise blue just to give my eyes some sort of relief. But there was no denying that it looked especially lavish, the huge hall big enough to fit a dozen foot ball fields, the high ceiling that seemed to stretch right up to the heavens and the million candelabras and chandeliers hung all over the place. 

The carpeted floors felt soft under my foot and it was still early, only a few pople flitting about while the ushers and helpers rushed about, tweaking deatils, rechecking placement charts, placing refreshments on the table. Small bottles of blood arranged neatly on the table and I rolled my shoulders, eyes darting around to find someone familiar. 

Kim Minjae and Kim Mingyu were just entering the hall and I grimaced. God, no. But i watched as they casually posed in front of the blood red backdrop, while cameras flashed and i frowned. Were supernatural tabloids really that starved for material? 

“Sera, go on, you need to get your picture taken too!” My aunt materialized out of nowhere , dressed in a puffy red gown with ruffles and I shook my head. 

“Later... i need a drink.” I said quickly, escaping her clingy fingers and rushing away . 

As the only human in the entire damn place, I would have to walk all the way to the bar on the far corner of the ballroom to beg for a drink. 

I was half way there when a commotion at the door made me look up. My father had arrived with him a majority of his counsel and a bunch of other guests as well. I stared, my eyes zeroing in on a very familiar figure , my father’s arm wrapped around his shoulder.

Jeon Jungkook stood right next to my father dressed to the nines and with a dazzling smile in place. 

I gawked at him. 

Trying to process what it was that I was seeing. 

He was smiling. He had the audacity to smile after ignoring me for two whole weeks. 

I took a deep breath.

“You better have a pretty darn good explanation for the radio silence you treated me to the past two weeks. “ I intoned dully to myself , trying to ignore the way he looked, completely at ease in the spotlight. 

He turned a little to the left and his gaze caught mine. I watched as he smiled and shook hands with the people around him before whispering something to my father. 

I dug my heels into the floor, glaring as he extricated himself from the elite crowd and slowly began walking over. God, i wanted to kick him so bad. 

He stopped in front of me, looking expectant and my anger merely doubled in intensity. 

“Anything you wanna say, Jeon?” I snapped. 

“You’re beautiful. Breathtakingly so. Red is your color, angel. I wanna see you in it more often. “ He answered at once. 

My mind went distressingly blank for a whole thirty second. 

“ Did i fucking offer? ” I demanded , angry. “ I’m not dressing up for you. Ever. You ignored me for two entire weeks Jungkook! i didn’t know where you were...what you were doing...” 

“Sera, I’m sor -” He began but I squawked in disbelief, shoving him away hard. He stumbled, more in surprise than from the impact but he looked surprised .  

I felt myself shaking in anger. How dare he?

“Oh, no. No. You do not get to waltz back in with a simple sorry.... not after treating me like shit the past two weeks...Absolutely not.” I snarled, shoving him again but this time he didn’t budge. Ugh. 

I made to move past him but he grabbed my elbow , yanking me back till I crashed into his chest. It was humiliating , the way my body practically vibrated with pleasure from being near him. His arms around me felt like heaven and I’d spent two whole weeks in purgatory. 

“You need to stay with me Ms. Hwang. I’m your bodyguard, remember?” He whispered, lips pressing against my neck, breathing in my scent  and I glared at his arms.

“No you’re not. Namjoon is!! Where is he?” I asked angrily , but he pulled me closer, hands resting on the bare skin of my back as he hugged me tight, lips latching onto my neck, breathing deep and my knees buckled. i had missed this. So much and even if this was all i got, I wanted to savor it. Savor it even if I hated him for the way he treated me all the fucking time.  

“Missed you.” He whispered, lips wet and wanting , damp on my skin as he pressed kisses along my shoulder. I loved it but I knew he was going to leave me again and that just made me angrier. 

“You’re a liar.” I choked out. 

“No. I’ve lied about a lot of things but never about how you’ve made me feel, Sera. You set me on fire.”

I choked, anger and affection flooding my senses, confounding me because it was like being caught in an endless game of push and pull. 

I trembled, fists punching his shoulder in protest but he didn’t move. I could feel eyes on us and it made me flush. How dare he... How fucking dare he. 

“Let go of me! You said you don’t want me so let me go!” I said petulantly and he made a small noise of protest. 

“That’s not true angel...you know it’s not. I want you... Want you so damn bad , i ache with it.” He whispered the words into my skin and I bristled. 

“Fucking liar, let go of me!” i was going to cry. Actually burst into tears in the middle of the ballroom. 

He didn’t let go of me. 

Instead his fingers fluttered down my bare back, feather light and maddening , tracing a path down my bare skin and I gripped is jacket at the electric contact. 

i trembled, my thighs shaking but I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much I wanted him. I swallowed, shaking my head. 

There was no music and we weren’t even near the dance floor. I couldn’t imagine how we must look to the people around us. But it was hard to think of that when I could feel him all over my body, could feel his heartbeat pulse right against mine and when his arms felt like an anchor , grounding me . 

“You think I need you.” My voice shook a little, “ I really fucking don’t Jungkook and I want you to remember that. I don’t need you. I don’t need to touch you . I’m fine with you never touching me ever again. ” I lied, gripping him harder. 

My words didn’t match my actions at all and he seemed to realize it, chuckling lightly and letting me press myself closer into his warm, solid body. He kept his arms around me, waist pressed into mine and thighs hard and solid against mine.

“I know that... i need you far more than you need me.” He said sweetly, kissing my brow and stroking my hair. He slipped his fingers into the strands, running the silky length between his fingertips , his voice brimming with fondness . It hurt, the fact that I couldn’t have this all the time. 

That somehow I was only offered glimpses of this Jungkook. Little snapshots of a what our life together could be but when I tried to draw closer, he always pulled away. 

I glared at him wanting to demand more answers 

. And then my eyes fell on the small dagger sheathed into his belt. My sister’s words floated into my mind. Was Jungkook running from something? 

“Are you in danger?” I whispered, softly. “ Darling, i need to know if you’re in trouble. I need to know.” 

He trembled a little at the endearment. 

“Baby, I’m going to be fine. Don’t worry about me alright. It’s important that you stay safe. “

The words brought no comfort of any kind. 

I stared at him. 

“What is it with the people around me spewing platitudes in my face without telling me what is going on! Do you just not trust me?” I asked desperately, hurt blooming. 

Jungkook swallowed.

“i trust you with my entire life Sera. But, I just don’t want you to get hurt.” He said gently.

I rolled my eyes. 

“Please....you’re five centuries old , so can you leave the whole cliché knight in shining armor back in the dark ages and just treat me like your equal? I’m not a helpless damsel in distress Jungkook...!!” 

He nodded, reaching for me again but I pulled away, wrapping an arm around myself. He hesitated, hands stretched out to touch but hovering a few inches away . 

“you’re right. I was out of line. But to be fair your father was very firm that I had to stay away from you...no contact of any kind till tonight. “

“And what’s so special about tonight.?” I asked , upset at how little i knew about what was going on. Jungkook’s gaze softened, and he pressed a palm to my cheek, thumb tracing circles on my jaw, before pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. 

“ You’ll see. “ He smiled, “ And as for the rest of it, we’ll talk about this . I promise. We will....tonight after everything ends. I need to go now. Your father’s waiting for me,” 

I clung to him, feeling abandoned all over again. 

“What are you guys upto?” I grabbed his arm but he gently pulled my fingers away. 

“I’ll come find you. “ Was all he said before moving away and I groaned in disbelief. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Uh oh. I can recognize that look. On a scale of one to ten , how much trouble is Jeon Jungkook in?” Namjoon asked gently, watching me glare daggers at the man in question as he hung around near the front of the hall, surrounded by clan leaders.

 He was meeting everyone, apparently a social butterfly and i couldn’t fathom it. The last time we’d had a party he’d sneaked off to get laid with Helena. 

Speaking of who,

“She’s going to castrate him. I can feel it.” The sultry eyed vampire, sat next to me, her long nails tapping the scarlet drape of the table as she watched me, eyes heavy and hot, gaze trained on my neck.

 I’d never felt more like prey. 

“ Nice to meet you Helena.” Namjoon said casually taking the seat next to me. Great.  I was caught between two vampires that knew exactly how gone I was for Jungkook and exactly how ....not gone he was for me.  The night just kept getting better. 

“Always a pleasure daddy.” Helena said , eyes dancing with wicked mischief and Namjoon choked on his wine, spewing it all over the table. I stared at the pair in disgust. 

“Disgusting.” I snapped. “Look at him. He hasn’t looked at me in an hour. How am i supposed to believe that he wants me so much I set his skin on fire.” I demanded shrilly. 

Both of them went quiet. They looked very uncomfortable and i felt myself flush. 

I glared at them , self conscious. 

“What?! Jungkook said so himself.” I protested. 

Both of them began guffawing. 

“I’m never letting him live this down.” Namjoon chuckled and I rolled my eyes. I could feel eyes on me, everywhere. Everyone’s gaze flitted to me every few minutes. Some of the younger vampires hovered a discreet distance away but had their gazes trained on me . 

Everyone looked at me except Jungkook. There really was no justice in this god forsaken world, was there? 

Did he really think I was weak and harmless? I suddenly felt foolish . I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t powerless. 

So , so far from it in fact.

I didn’t use my abilities because of how morally ambiguous they were. My father had drilled it into my head, right from childhood, that I couldn’t use my powers without explicit permission from him and I had listened to him. 

Had played the role of the harmless human who just happened to have really intoxicating blood inside her veins. 

But somehow that had ended up with me being pushed out of the loop with the man I loved. Jungkook thought I was some kind of helpless damsel he needed to keep safe and it just...it irked me. 

It was laughable that he thought something could be dangerous to me. 

It was laughable because I  was  easily the most dangerous creature in this entire room. 

i pulled my phone out, texting furiously.

 I want to see you. 

 I stared at Jungkook waiting for him to see. He pulled his phone out read the screen and to my utter chagrin he slipped the phone back in without answering.

 All right, That’s it.  

I stood up slowly, Namjoon stiffening next to me. 

“Where are you going? “ He asked warily. 

“To mingle.” I said casually. “ you can stay here, daddy. I’ll be fine by myself. “

He spluttered again and Helena laughed lowly. 

“I like her. “ Her voice rang out and i smirked, making a beeline to wards the front of the room, where Jungkook stood with a few other vampires around the same age as him. They all straightened at the sight of me, lust evident in their eyes and I saw Jungkook go a little stiff when he noticed I was alone.

“Where’s Namjoon?” He said shortly. 

“With Helena.” i said with a shrug.” Evening gentlemen.” I smiled softly, parting my lips lightly, letting my tongue dart out and wet them before leaving them parted, tongue peeking out. 

Jungkook pressed in closer, arm darting to wrap around my waist but he seemed to think better of it, pulling away again. 

“Sera...” He began warningly but i cut him off. Jungkook didn’t know what he had. 

And I was too fucking beautiful to be ignored tonight. 

“Isn’t someone starting the music? What a terrible bore this party has been...” I said loudly and the men scrambled closer, almost tripping over each other. 

Pathetic really but at least they served their purpose. 

“Should we get you another drink, Sera?” One of them said. 

“Let me go find that Dj...” The tallest of the lot wandered off. 

“You’re right..are you hungry..? Where’s that waiter?” The one right next to me lifted a hand, waving the nearest uniformed helped and I smirked at Jungkook. 

“Having fun?” I asked. 

“You need to go stay with Namjoon.” He said stiffly.

“where’s the fun in that? “ I hesitated, locking my eyes with him and lightly lifting my heel up to rest on the chair right next to him. The slit in my dress fell open, exposing the entire length of my leg, especially the red lace of my garter. 

Jungkook’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the dagger strapped to my thigh, the red and gold stark against the milky white flesh. I rand a forefinger up from my knee to the top of the garter belt, lightly circling the tip over the sharp edge of the dagger. 

“Don’t...” He growled. I smirked.

“Don’t what?” I whispered. 

“Don’t fucking do it, baby... I’ll be really , really mad if you do. “ He was almost shaking with the effort to not grab me and i could feel it. Feel the urge to put me in my place, simmering beneath his skin but he was helpless. 

Any wrong move on me and he would have a dozen daggers in his heart within the next second. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about .” I feigned ignorance, purposefully pressing the thick of my finger into the edge of the dagger, gasping as it broke skin, tearing my flesh and drawing out my blood. 

A collective gasp ran through the crowd around us and it was quite the sight, an entire group of century old Vampires going stiff as boards,  nostrils flared pupils blown wide open as they all stared at me .

 I smiled wide, trying to inject a note of contrition into my voice. 

“Oops. That was clumsy of me. .” I giggled, holding my finger up. the blood beaded over and spilled , trickling down my wrist and I locked my gaze with Jungkook’s, bringing my arm up, licking the scarlet fluid up, tracing its path with my tongue all the way to where the dagger had nicked me before sticking the finger into my mouth with a lewd pop. 

A vampire, about three feet away from me was breathing heavily , grabbing the chair next to him and sinking into it. His fangs were out and his breathing was erratic. i watched his eyes flash red and I laughed.

“I’m sorry. “ I said sweetly and he gave me a blank smile.

“That’s alright, my lady . “ He was almost choking from the effort to stay composed. Poor thing. I let my gaze flit back to Jungkook who had a terrifyingly blank look on his face. 

“You little whore.” Jungkook whispered softly and i lurched. 

“Yours . If you want me. But if you don’t...then anyone’s really.” I shrugged unrepentant. 

“Really? You think any of the vampires here’s gonna want you after the stunt you just pulled? No one wants a needy little slut.” He said casually but I could see him shaking a little. There was a teeny tiny crack in that cocky attitude and I’d never wanted to stick my fingers in something so bad. 

I felt myself grin in anticipation. 

“It’s not about what I think, Jungkook. Its about what I  know.” 

He stared at me. 

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You think I’m helpless, Jungkookie.... But the truth is... I can turn every single person here into my own personal  marionette if i wanted to. “ I shrugged. 

Jungkook’s eyebrows lifted, lips parting in surprise. 

“I’m listening.” 

I moved to the table in the corner, patting the chair next to me. He took the seat next to me and I smiled. 

“Now watch....” I snapped my fingers, signaling the waiter with the glass jar of lemon soda  and vodka in his tray. 

“Can you let my father know I want to leave the party early with Jungkook here?” I asked gently. The waiter flushed, but nodded and I casually slipped my finger into the lemonade jar, dipping lightly in the fluid.

Jungkook grimaced . 

“That’s disgusting.” 

I laughed. 

“Now let’s see who gets to drink it.” I followed the waiter as he moved around stopping in front of a group of very young vampires, about four or five of them. Two girls and three guys. They all took glasses of vodka from the waiter and i sighed.

“You know what makes my blood so powerful Jungkookie? “ I said softly. “ It’s the fact that it is  sentient.” 

Jungkook went stock still still next to me, lips parting in shock.

“What?” He croaked. 

I nodded.

“My blood is sentient. It can feel and see and control. If my blood mixes with yours, it will dominate your thoughts and feelings. I will literally take over you. But it also needs my instruction. So it’ll put you in a trance..... Leave you feeling boneless and disoriented , easier to manipulate. People think its because it tastes so good and they enjoy the feeling. They don’t know what the fuck they’re opening themselves up to...by letting me inside. “ I wrapped my arms around myself. 

“I’m painted as the beautiful, kind and precious human who needs to be protected....only because I am anything  but. In this room, Jungkook....I’m probably the one capable of wrecking the most havoc.” 

“Sera...”

“Nobody knows except for my father and I because...well... just the scent of it makes people chase me down. Can you imagine what they’d do to me if they knew the true extent of my powers.” I said bitterly. I let my gaze shift back to the kids with the drinks. The drinks that were tainted with my life essence.  

I watched them take sips of their drink and felt the mild tingling in the back of my head. Like a gossamer thread forming and wrapping around me and I swallowed. It was easy to ignore and I never had any trouble ignoring it when I let my family feed from me. Because I trusted them. 

But these kids though. My body thrummed, focusing on one person. 

The girl in the red halter top. 

“See the girl with the red top and black skirt....” I swallowed. “ She slit the throat of an old woman on her way here.” 

Jungkook swore next to me. 

“I can see the woman... she’s on her knees , begging for her life. She’s really old.” 

That wasn’t all. i could feel the grip of the dagger, the push of the blade against skin, the pull as the flesh gave in, the blood spurting out onto my fingers the scent of death as she bled out. 

I felt nausea bubble and I severed the connection forcibly. The girl’s pretty face didn’t match her filthy insides. i couldn’t stay in her head. The tendrils began wrapping around my head as  the four of them took more sips. 

“When I want... i can influence their thoughts. It takes more effort but it’s possible. it’s why my father wanted to make sure you actually wanted to be with me. He thought I’d coerced you . which I can . if I want. But I didn’t. I don’t do that ever. ” I shook my head. 

Jungkook’s brows raised. 

“By coerce you mean....”

“It can be as simple as influence your decision... but if I really put in the effort, i can make people physically do what I wanted. “ 

“Physically?”

I smiled.

“Remember the boys from my college ? the ones who nearly drained me out?” 

He nodded. 

“My father didn’t have them defanged. They did it to themselves. Literally stuck their own hand into their mouth and ripped their fangs out . Because I wanted them too.” 

Jungkook looked like he’d stopped breathing. 

I swallowed.

“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to tell you that if you’re trying to protect me by withholding information, its kind of unnecessary. I can take care of myself.” 

“Alright. What do you want to know?”

“Just tell me what’s going on  “ I sighed.  Jungkook gave me a piercing look. 

“Remember Joo Won’s mother?” 

“The witch you killed?”

“Her father’s out for my blood. He doesn’t know where I am as of now. Your father thinks one of his lackeys must be in attendance today so he’ll know where I am.... and  he’ll come for me. And when he does... I’m going to end it .”

I stared at him.

“ Okay. “ I swallowed. “ How dangerous is he?” 

Jungkook laughed without mirth. 

“I’m not sure if I’m coming out of this alive.” 

Blood rushed to my ears, so fast I felt momentarily lightheaded. My entire body rejected the mere idea of Jungkook getting hurt. And to hear him talk of it so lightly, it messed me up badly. The fragile hold I had on my mind snapped. 

“No.” I said angrily. 

Across the room, the girl in the red halter stumbled,  clutching her head .

  Anger and the urge to hurt clawed up inside me and I tried to get it under control. 

Fuck, I had to sever the connection fully before i did something terrible to her..

 But it wasn’t happening, 

In fact the more i tried to get away the more her conscience seemed to be wrapping around mine., 

 Distance. I had to put distance between us. 

I need to leave now,  I pushed the thought in through the connection and  i watched her as she stumbled away from her friends, hands buried in her hair.

“Sera what the fuck... “ Jungkook grabbed my arm, eyes wide and panicked and I trembled. 

I felt guilty and scared because there was a reason i didn’t do this and the reason was quite simple. This power...or whatever you wanted to call it, It was bigger than me. I couldn’t control it . 

My blood was sentient and sometimes it could control me , just as easily as it controlled others. 

“She’s just leaving... I just made her leave because I’m not .. I can’t. ...fuck...” My head swam as I tried to get my bearings. 

“ okay that’s it...we’re getting out of here.... ” Jungkook stood up, reaching for me and I blinked, disoriented and dizzy. “Come here, baby I got you...” 

I let him wrap his hand around my waist, half lifting , half dragging me out of the ballroom and into the hallway. I gripped his chest, stumbling. I wasn’t tired, just struggling to get my head on straight . 

But the scent of him calmed me. 

“I need you.” I whispered. “ I need you to be safe Jungkook. I’ve spent too long pretending to be something I’m not but with you... I’m.. You... You make me feel human. Truly human. “ 

“Fuck... hang on. I’m gonna take you to my cottage.”

I blinked

“your what?”

“My cottage. Hang on...”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Jungkook opened the door to the cottage, I felt a little like myself again. But my body thrummed , my skin on fire, my fingers trembling with adrenaline. 

“you look like you need to lie down.” He said gently.

I glared at him. 

“The last thing I need is to lie down.” I snapped.

He held his hands up.

“Alright. Calm down, baby..... Why are you so upset?” He asked soothingly and I scoffed.

“ You fucked me in public and the next day  you looked like you’d been handed a death sentence, when my father suggested that you court me and then... you disappeared for two whole weeks....and now you turn up and tell me that your life is in danger. You do all this shit and I’m  not allowed to be upset? ” I said angrily.

He hesitated. 

“I merely meant it would be dangerous. I am not actively trying to die.” He said softly.

“As for the rest of it.... I’m not the same person I was a month ago Sera.... You.. You’ve managed to claw you way into my heart and the only reason I didn’t want to court you was because of what I was involved in. I told you that...the baggage I’m carrying is too much for me to even think about being with you.... That’s the only reason. “

I stared at him. 

“Are you telling me you fell for me too?”

Jungkook smirked a little.

“You were fucking me all the time without touching me. How could I not fall for that utterly shameless gaze of yours. You were your heart on your sleeve and your heart is always filled with filthy thoughts about me Sera. You make it way too obvious. “ He said teasingly. 

“I don’t want you to die.” I said petulantly. 

“That makes two of us. “ He smiled. “ What do you want, Sera?” 

“Want you.” I said automatically, too raw and upset to think too much about it.

“You have me.” He stepped closer, hands resting on my shoulder, eyes earnest and i hated how much I wanted to believe him . But heartbreak after heartbreak after heartbreak had taught me that it was all a lie. I didn’t have him and now ....there was a possibility I could never have him. 

“No, I don’t.” I shook my head, angry. “ Don’t lie to me. I don’t have you.” 

Jungkook made to touch me again but I shoved him away, hard.

“you’re angry. “ He said thoughtfully. “ I understand that. You have every right to be angry. And I’m sorry I can’t tell you what you want to hear right now...Not until this whole debacle ends. But Sera...look at me...”

I bit my lips staring at him.

“I’m here. Now. I’m not going anywhere. It’s just us. You and I. Don’t worry about what happens next. Don’t. Let’s not worry about any of that. I’m here and I’m telling you I’m yours. You have me now.” 

I stared at him, tilting my head as I took him in. 

He didn’t move , merely staring at me evenly.

“You know.... you aren’t the only one who hates being ignored.” I said softly. 

I felt weird. 

Different. 

None of the usual nervousness or anticipation but instead a sort of burning need to  take. To reach out and pin him down , force him to follow through on his promise that I  had him. 

“ I’ve been giving too much of myself to you, Jungkook ...for way too long. I think it’s time I get something back.” I whispered. 

His lips curled in a small, impish smile and he looked a decade younger. His eyes flashed with mischief and anticipation. He looked eager....desperate even and I wondered if this is what I looked like all the time with him. 

“And what would that be...my queen?” he whispered meekly. 

“You. “ I said simply. “ All of you. Your words... your pain...your pleasure... your moans and your very breath. I want to take all of it.” 

I could see his pupils dilating even from the distance between us. 

“Its yours, sweetheart” Jungkook  bowed his head gently, holding his arms out. “Tell me where you want me...how you want me...” 

I glanced around the room. Not the bed. Not yet. 

There was a very sturdy looking chair in front of the small table in the corner. 

“Put that in the middle of the room and sit down.” I pointed at the chair. 

He smiled.

“You want me to stay dressed?” He asked carefully and I nodded. 

“Very well.” He moved to get the chair, placing it in  front of the bed. He sat down carefully. 

“Anything else?” He asked gently.

I narrowed my eyes at him 

“Yes. Keep your mouth shut unless I ask you something.” I said with a smile. His eyes widened in surprise. But he didn’t protest. 

I took in the sight of him on the chair, dressed in his perfectly fitted tux , legs spread and hands on his knees, eyes wide and alert as he stared at me. Pretty red mouth shut obediently. 

I moved closer till I was standing right between his thighs. His hands came up to grip my waists instinctively and I glared.

“Hands’ to yourself Jungkook. You don’t just get to treat me as you fucking like and then touch me without my permission.” I snapped. 

He lowered his hands , letting them rest on his knees again.

“Do you want to touch me , baby?” I whispered pressed my palm to his face before letting my fingers trail up to his hair. it was soft and silky to the touch, the strands like fine silk. 

“Yes.” He answered simply. 

“Then you need to earn it.” I threaded my fingers' into his raven locks, gripping hard and yanking his head back . i stared, fascinated by the ivory length of his neck, the little mole there and i pressed a kiss to his skin. I let my teeth sink in , just a little and then a little bit more. When he shifted, I pulled back, licking the skin to soothe the sting.  His breath caught and he gasped, eyes widening a bit and a small, ‘ fuck’ leaving his lips. 

I pulled back , keeping my fingers in his hair , gripping lightly, before reaching down with my free hand. 

“You have such a pretty neck and it make me wonder what it feels for your kind...sinking your teeth into people and feeding from them. Too bad I don’t have fangs. But you know what I do have?” I winked . 

I brought my leg up, the front end of my shoe resting on the small empty space on the chair , right in the V if his legs. If he moved even a little, my toes would brush the straining length of his cock visible even through the black of his slacks. He was so hard I knew it must’ve hurt. 

I gripped his hair harder and tilted his head down to he could stare at my thighs, specifically the dagger in my garter. 

“I want a taste . Of you. Can I?” I asked gently staring at him, fingers fiddling with the dagger and unsheathing it. 

He nodded. 

“Words. Please.” I smiled.

“Yes...fuck yes.....please...Sera...” 

“Good boy.” I winked, bringing the dagger up to his neck. It was really sharp and I used the tip to lightly draw a small dash, an inch below his ear. I watched the blade tear through the flesh, light and delicate, the skin cleaving and scarlet liquid bubbling up. I chased the flow with my tongue, licking it into my mouth and Jungkook trembled in the chair, jerking forward.

The movement jolted my foot onto his crotch and he grunted, grabbing my ankle when I made to move it away, keeping my heeled foot on his clothed cock. I swallowed,  little out of my league but i stared at him, at the sheer intensity of the desperation in his eyes and I inhaled ....before gently bringing my toes down to press into his cock. 

He moaned, thighs trembling and I  dropped the dagger to the floor.

I slipped both my hands into his hair, holding his head in place as i bent low to capture his lips with mine, sticking my tongue inside his mouth while grinding my foot down into his cock. I licked into his mouth, chasing the warm heady taste of him, my fingers tightening in his hair for leverage and I wondered if he was wet.... If his cock was weeping precum, dribbling into his slacks .

I pulled back to stare into his eyes but he had them shut.

“Look at me.!” i demanded,”  wanna see you...” 

His eyes fluttered open, doe- like and warm and swimming with pleasure and I’d never felt more powerful in my life. I moved my foot slowly, in small controlled circles for a few seconds. 

“You wanna cum in your pants like this? Rutting on my foot like a little mutt? Or do you want to get on the bed and touch me like you wanted to...?” I whispered softly. 

Jungkook swallowed and his fingers tightened on my ankle. . 

“Wanna cum like this.” He said taking me by surprise. I raised an eyebrow. 

“Really... then what about me...?  I want to get fucked too Jungkook ..? How’re you gonna do that if you cum so fast.....” I snapped, gripping his hair harder and he groaned. 

“I... I’ll fuck you again... i promise.. I’ll fuck you hard and make you feel good... just..let me cum...please.. It fucking hurts...” The way his voice cracked a bit on the last few words made my heart jerk inside my ribs. I found myself fighting the urge to give him everything. 

I smiled instead, kissing his lips again.

“Thank God for fast refractory periods huh, my big bad vampire?” I bit his lips, tugging it between my teeth , before reaching between us and slipping the shoe off my foot. Jungkook trembled, gripping me for support when I pulled my foot away and I let him cling to me for a second, before dropping the shoe down and pressing my bare foot on his erection. I spread my toes over the head, pressing down just a little and he inhaled sharply when i circled my toe on the wet patch . 

“Go on them. Make yourself cum.” I whispered, leaning down and kissing him again. He grabbed my ankle with both hands, rutting up into the balls of my feet, hips thrusting up and I let him lick into my mouth, messy and wet as he chased his pleasure. 

I felt him stiffen underneath me, followed by a wash of dampness under my sole and I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close and letting him bury his face into my neck as he trembled through the aftershocks. He gripped my waist, hands shaking as he held me and i waited, worried if I should take my foot off or not. I could feel my legs beginning to cramp and I swallowed.

“You okay?” i whispered.

“Yeah.” He grunted. “ Fuck..that was...” he laughed a little. 

“We’re not done.” I said pressing a kiss to his cheeks and stroking his hair back gently. 

He hummed, gently gripping my ankle and lifting my foot off his crotch. I brought my leg down, wincing a bit. 

“Should we get on the bed?” He whispered. 

I nodded, yelping when he stood up with me still in his arms, he carried me over to the bed, dropping me lightly. 

“Strip.” I said quickly. “ All of it. Want you naked and stretched out on this bed for me.” 

He moved quickly, stepping out of his clothes with ease and I sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing the black tie he discarded. I took off my panties, leaving my dress and the garter belt on. 

 Jungkook naked was a sight i could never tire off and I watched as he climbed into the bed, lying down in the center, legs splayed slightly and hands by his side. 

“Bring your wrists together up over your head” I said quickly and he moved his wrists up , letting me tie them to the head board with his tie as i sat straddled on his chest. I was wet, sopping wet and I felt the trail of dampness I left on his rock hard abs. 

“I’m gonna sit on your face and you’re gonna make me cum. And then , I’m gonna ride you .” I whispered. 

“Fuck.” 

“That’s the plan.”

I scooted forward, resting one knee close to either shoulder before gripping the head board with one hand and the hair on top of his head with the other. Tugging him closer, I lowered my pussy onto his mouth, groaning when i felt soft pressure of his tongue against my center, licking tentatively. 

Jungkook knew what he was doing, and he licked into me with practiced ease tongue slipping into my slit, curling against the walls, before tracing circles around my clit. He used his lips to suckled on the hardened nub , following it up with quick little licks and i slipped a hand between my legs, stuffing three fingers into my cunt to get myself off faster. 

“Oh...fuck... I want... “ I could feel myself shaking and he sped up his movement, licking my lit in quick little strokes and my orgasm hit me like a wave, drowning me in pleasure. I scooted down before losing my strength, collapsing on top of him. The orgasm having knocked me right out of my headspace. I was trembling and shaking, lethargic and completely out of it. 

”Baby...you okay?” Jungkook’s concerned voice came from above and I whimpered. 

“I’m... I’m sorry.... I’m so tired... I...” 

“Don’t worry baby .. i got you. “

I heard the sound of wood splintering and blinked, glancing up. Jungkook had tugged his hands free from the restraint, breaking the headboard in the process. 

I gawked at the scene in disbelief. 

“Did you just....?”

He grabbed the hem of my dress, ripping it up and off me quickly. 

“Fuck..... want to pound you into the fucking mattress my little princess... Such a little tiger aren’t you kitten... so fierce and hot... i loved it baby...you were so good to me ...made me feel so fucking good...” He maneuvered me onto my back and i felt myself blushing at the praise, face heating up as i gripped his shoulders. 

He grabbed the back of my thigh, spreading my legs before lining himself up against my pussy. 

“Fuck...” He slid right in , knocking the breath out of me and i clung to him, whimpering as he pounded into me, hips working so fact I was sure I was going to have trouble walking for a week after this. 

I could feel my orgasm build from the sheer intensity of the thrusts, the hard thick length of his cock pounding into my cunt till i felt swollen and bruised and tender and when it finally tore through me , i was drooling a little, eyes damp with tears and fingers numb from gripping him too hard. 

Jungkook fucked me through the orgasm and chased his own each push of his hips leaving me battered and I bit my lips to stay conscious . When he finally stilled, his cock throbbing as he came for the second time, filling my insides with the wet warmth of his cum, I felt myself shake like a leaf caught in a  storm, my entire body ice cold and trembling. A thin layer of sweat coated my body and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t recover from this for a really long time

“My pretty pretty queen....” He whispered , pressing kisses all over my face as he hugged me closer and I mewled at the warmth of him. 

“Don’t leave me .” i whispered, unable to fight the tug of sleep and exhaustion. 

“I’m right here, baby.” His voice was soothing against my ear as he held me closer. 

Maybe I could have him after all. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s note : okay. well. that happened.  if you don’t give me feedback this will be the last smut scene. 

jk

but please do give me feedback . i love hearing from you guys. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taglist. : @ladyartemesia        @veronawrites   @alpaca1612     @bonyg    @unseejuice21  @sppvjj     @ggukkieland     @tae-by-tae      @blr1004      @yoongichild    @stussyjeon  @jellybearo  @sumzysworld   @carolsummerlove@bunniechoon  @unicornbabylover @preciouschimine    @baekhyunatthehaunted-house @craztextae@nikkiordonez12 

@jiminiscricket​  @yeotan07​

@chimchimmy95bts  @jinscharms​

@danietoww04​

[strungcheese]

Some beachside destiel fics that I absolutely love. Aka fics set by the coastside/on some island/near the harbour, lighthouses etc. There's just such a calming vibe to them. If you have more recommendations or if you have other specific tags you want recs on lmk, especially sci fi fics (dystopia, cyberpunk, NASA space fics)

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

All completed works!

In no particular order w/ tags:

1. ❤ *Find Me In The Light by allmystars

AU. Major Character Death. AU. Baker Cas. Musician Dean. Cancer. (89k. Rated E.)

*All time favourite! Had me crying like 5 chapters in. Cannot recommend this enough.

2. A Place Where Nothing Moves by imogenbynight

AU. Veterinarian Cas. Boat mechanic Dean. Supernatural elements. (49k. Rated E.)

3. ❤ A Complete Kingdom by komodobits

Major Character Death. Canonverse post s8. Horror. Violence. (85k. Rated E.)

This one kept me up at night. Such a unique fic. But please do heed the tags!

4. Riptide by Capzi

AU. Surfer Cas. Lifeguard + mechanic Dean. (53k. Rated E.)

5. Never Not Fantastic by thestoryinsideme

AU. Café owner Cas. Actor/celebrity Dean. (76k. Rated M.)

6. Autumn Hollow by shotgunsinlace

AU. Writer Cas. Siren Dean. Supernatural elements. (98k. Rated E.)

7. ❤ The House on the Ocean Road by coffeeandcas

AU. Writer Cas. Dean-centric. Parent fic! (111k. Rated E.)

8. Find You in the Next by Glitterinchaos

AU. California setting. (58k. Rated M.)

9. Everybody Needs the Light by opal_bullets

AU. Motel owner Cas. Hunter Dean. Supernatural elements. (46k. Rated M.)

10. Tangled up in You by Idontknowahhh

AU. Dean goes on a somewhat forced vacation to Honolulu and meets Cas. This is cute. (11k. Rated E.)

Bonus! -> any port in the storm by microcomets

I won't really classify this as beachside because they're actually on a couples counseling cruise for a hunt. But it's a lovely fic and ig oceans are kinda close to beaches??? so here you go. Canonverse. (52k. Rated M.)

[ripappreciationweek]

RipFic Round-up

Rip Hunter Appreciation Week 2021 has produced a huge number of new RipFics and I’m so impressed with the Rip Fans this year. 

As always, let me know if I’ve missed anything.

Day 1 - Time Wants to Happen

Time Masters and Amazons by @singledarkshade -  Rip is sent to Thermiscrya to retrieve a suspicious pod released by Time Pirates. Time Wants to Happen by @kitkatt0430 -  The first lesson Time Masters in training are taught is 'time wants to happen'. Made in China by @theadrogna -  Rip heads to Bronze Age China to deal an anomaly and finds rather more than he bargained for, including a female General and some old enemies. Untitled by @yesmissbzzz & @riphuntertimemasterlegend​ -  the most difficult, dangerous, and important mission of all time.

Day 2 - Have You Two Considered Couple Counselling?

Forgotten Memories by @incendiaglacies & @riphuntertimemasterlegend -  When a presumed dead Rip Hunter shows up alive, he finds out Gideon is human and missing. Two Weeks, Three Days... by @kitkatt0430 - Rip can count the amount of time Leonard Snart’s been alive again down to the minute. Stuck Together by @singledarkshade - When a mission goes wrong, Rip and John need some help to break a curse leading them to Miranda. Non Quoque Hic Asylum Est by @theadrogna -  It’s tough when your husband is a time traveller, but at least he can protect your past self if necessary.

Day 3 - I’ve Seen Darker Days

Alone by @singledarkshade -  He hoped Gideon had been listening when the signal went out, as brief as it had been, and it reached her otherwise he would probably die here. But as the last of the Time Masters, maybe it was time. For Victory! by @kitkatt0430 - “We can still do this. We can come together and win. I’ve seen darker days than this.” The Fight in the Dog by @theadrogna -  Rip and Jax find themselves fighting for their lives when they’re captured and thrown into an alien gladiatorial arena. Untitled by @riphuntertimemasterlegend -  He couldn’t move his legs, that was the first thing he noticed as he sluggishly awoke. Are You Afraid of the Darkness? by @promptsforyourwhumpfic - 

Day 4 - One Person Acting Alone Can’t Save the World

Home is Where Your Family Lives by @kitkatt0430 -  Rip Hunter wakes up in a hospital. No idea who he is. Which should probably worry him a lot more than it does, but it turns out he’s got family here in the early twenty-first century to look after him. Life Lessons by @singledarkshade - “There are times when it will be required for you to work with your fellow Time Masters to complete your mission.” Sullen and Sarcastic by @theadrogna -  When Rip has an accident with the timedrive, the crew of the Waverider have a seriously difficult teenager to deal with.

Day 5 - Time Changes, People Don’t

Guiding Force by @incendiaglacies - A Flash AU where Barry has Rip Hunter to mentor him. Edge of a Blade by @singledarkshade - A year after losing Miranda, Rip is trying to help his son with his grief. He hopes ice hockey will bring Jonas back out his shell but it also may help Rip as an old friend is the assistant coach. Untitled by @slothsareeverything - Short fic The Lost Centurion (chapter 15) by @theadrogna -  Roman AU in which Rip is a Roman Centurion, captured by the Waverider tribe. Midnight by @incendiaglacies & @riphuntertimemasterlegend -  The door of Midnight opened and another beautiful woman walked in.

Day 6 - Live the Next Day

Muscle Memory by @oasis-wasteland -  For Joe West, a strange man appearing out of no-where in the middle of Central City, is almost a normal week day. The Director by @incendiaglacies & @riphuntertimemasterlegend - The Waverider was the crown jewel of the Time Museum. Ghosts and Demonologists by @theadrogna -  Rip awakes on the Waverider following his decision to overload the time drive. The only problem is that no one but John Constantine can see or hear him. Lost in Time by @singledarkshade -  Reappearing in the world many years after he faced a Time Demon, Rip is surprised by how things have changed but where is Gideon and the Waverider?

Day 7 - Free Day

Back to the Beginning by @singledarkshade -  Overwhelmed by the new world he's in and all that is expected of him, Michael is surprised to find a familiar man injured near his hiding place. Legends of Lego - Tertiary Phase by @theadrogna - The Lego Legends struggle with weird anomalies.

[tennessoui]

I think the therapy questions at the end of the chapters are what really twist the knife for me. Their feelings are so close but their reactions are so differentand they are blind to the other and themselves. Are we going to see Sheari's reaction to the question packet or have her bring up their answers in a session, might be a good way to shake out some rational thought from The Team

the questions at the end are probably like one of my favorite formatting/storytelling decisions i've ever made for a fic ever, so im glad that people are really enjoying them too -- they're a great way to cut through the bullshit of what obi-wan and anakin are saying to each other or those around them (even when they're trying to be honest) and get right down to the very, very, vulnerable truth of the matter that they would never actually say aloud

(from a writing perspective, sure, they could say it out loud - after all, there have been moments of pure honesty between obi-wan and anakin already during fights or during reconciliations, but even that honesty pales in comparison to what the questionnaire says. the answers to the questionnaire are like. unspeakable levels of honesty. you write that shit in a diary levels of honesty. having one of them try to share it in a conversation out loud would, imo, sound clunky and overly dramatic like grandiose declarations that don't fit into natural dialogue......but adding them at the end of each chapter forces the reader into the pov of the counselor for a few paragraphs, reading it for the first time and getting only the absolute, vulnerable truth from the two clients and going damn these guys are sorta insane)

i'm not sure yet what role i want their answers to have in the actual sessions they attend - i don't know how i'd write obi-wan or anakin really actually sitting through and allowing sheari to read their answers out loud in a room that contains the guy they were thinking about. i think it would feel like some sort of betrayal at first. but maybe after they've had many sessions? or maybe if she only read out a bit or asked them to expand on a few points they made?

i'm torn because you're right it would be a good way to cut through their bullshit and show them both that 'hey, this is how he feels about you when he's just alone with his thoughts and being completely honest. how does that make you feel?'

but at the same time would that burn more bridges than it built?

i imagine sheari asked for a second copy from each of them with more detail because she wanted to read through and take notes on 'problem areas' that she could then bring up separately (ie, they have problems in their sex life, let's have a whole session revolving around sexual and romantic intimacy)

but then she probably just highlighted like. every question lol good luck sheari my beloved

[maatryoshkaa]

young god | chapter 1

serial killer!han jisung au

chapters: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | epilogue |

genre: angst, thriller, romance

pairing: han jisung ( stray kids) x reader

word count: 1.9k

warnings: mild language, mature themes + violence

description: when your best friend Felix sets you up on a blind date with adorable medical student Han Jisung, you find yourself falling for his sweet words and dark eyes, and the even darker secrets he hides behind his charming, angelic smile.

watch the trailer here!

1 | blind date

You were beginning to wonder if you’d been stood up.

Mia’s Diner was usually busy, bustling with students and townspeople alike, but today it was nearly deserted: just you, two students studying in a booth across the room, and an old man reading what seemed to be a newspaper upside-down in the corner. A lone waitress was stacking clean milkshake glasses behind the counter.

It was raining hard outside, the drops sounding like impatient fingers tapping at the window beside you. As you peered through the glass, you caught a glimpse of a boy on a rusty bike, waiting to cross the street. Yang Jeongin, you recognized -- the delivery boy. A silver Walkman was tucked into the back pocket of his jeans, his lips mouthing the words to a song, a halo of dripping blonde hair sticking out from underneath his hood. He was smiling, despite the fact that it was pouring buckets, and he’d likely been up doing deliveries since 6 in the morning. Yang Jeongin was always smiling.

The light flashed red, traffic halted, and the delivery boy sped away. 

Turning your attention back to the empty seat in front of you, you sighed.

Your date was thirty minutes late.

Your mind was running over all the ways you were going to give Felix hell when you saw him in class tomorrow; how you were going to explain to him that you’d been stood up on the blind date he’d arranged for you. 

“You know what they call me? The Matchmaker of Miroh Heights. Has a nice ring to it, huh?”

You’d groaned as your best friend wiggled his eyebrows. Felix loved playing wingman. As the school photographer and a talented journalism major, he was the one who came up with the “Cutest Couples” section in the campus newspaper -- photoshoots and candid shots of pairings, most of which he’d set up. Still, you’d never thought that his...work...would extend to you.

It had been a while since you’d entertained the notion of love. You’d had your fair share of unrequited crushes and relationships that had not-so-pleasant endings, so the moment you’d enrolled into college and the workload had swept up your entire schedule, you’d left love on the backburner. You kept telling yourself that the right person would come at the right time -- but Felix seemed to have other ideas.

“Let’s see...Hyojong? Ah, no, I forgot -- he’s taken by that pretty senior. Lucky bastard.” He huffed. “Or...Seungcheol? Nah, doesn’t seem your type. Ah!” He snapped his fingers, making you jump. “I know!”

“Felix, for the last damn time -- I don’t need a boyfriend right now.”

“Just one date? Please?” The blond boy hung up the last photo, a mischievous glint in his eyes visible even in the dark room. “I know a great guy -- health sciences major and everything. You two are practically made for each other.”

“I’m a psychology major, ‘Lix. I don’t know -- you know I’m no good at blind dates--” you caught sight of his puppy-dog expression, and sighed in defeat. “Fine! Fine. What’s his name, then?”

The school journalist flashed an impish grin. “Han Jisung.”

Han Jisung.

He was the reason why you were here, sat in a near-empty diner on a rainy Sunday afternoon, waiting for a date to show up while a pile of psychology coursework waited for you back at home. 

Maybe he couldn’t make it, you told yourself -- it was pouring buckets outside. Maybe it was better to swallow your hopes and head back. Biting your lip, you pulled out your phone, tapping on Jisung’s contact (courtesy of Felix) and typing. 

New Message

Hey, I’m y/n! I’m really sorry, but I had to leave.

Your finger hovered over the Send button, hesitating. What if he was on his way? Or got caught in traffic? Still, it had been over thirty minutes…

You were so caught up in your dilemma that you barely registered the sound of the diner door swinging open, and the sound of wet footsteps squeaking until they stopped at your booth.

“Hello!”

You nearly threw your phone into the face of the boy who had spoken, his hand shooting out to catch it before it fell to the floor. Drenched from head to toe from the rain -- cheeks flushed and breathing hard as if he’d been running, dark hair falling in his wide eyes, lips spread in a breathless smile -- was your date. 

His other hand was hidden behind his back as he handed your phone back to you, cool fingers grazing yours as your eyes met. 

Well, shit.

He was absolutely, devastatingly, adorable.

“O-oh, hi!” You stammered. “You’re…”

“Jisung,” he finished for you. “Han Jisung.” He glanced at the empty seat in front of you. “May I…”

“Yeah, of course!” Your heart rate was steadily increasing, and you wanted to slap yourself. It’s just a blind date, y/n, stop getting your hopes up--

Your gaze fell on the hand he was still hiding behind his back as he slid into the booth. Noticing your stare, Jisung slowly and sheepishly pulled out a small bouquet of roses.They were an unusual colour -- a faint, peachy pink rather than the conventional ruby red. 

They were also falling apart, clusters of wrinkled petals dripping and blown askew from the wind and rain, no doubt. 

“They’re for you. I mean, I completely understand if you don’t want them, it’s just--I passed a florist’s on the way here, but it started raining, and--”

“I love them,” you blurted, and, seeing Jisung raise an eyebrow, you giggled. “I really do.” 

You gingerly took the misshapen bouquet from his hands, bringing the flowers to your face and breathing in softly. They smelled pleasantly of petrichor, and something else faint yet sweet.

Jisung watched you, a smile playing on his lips. “You’re -- really pretty.”

You felt the blood rush to your face, your tongue tying into knots and betraying you oncemore. “O-oh,” you squeaked, “th-thank you?”

He chuckled as the waitress came to take your orders for drinks and food.

As she left, Jisung’s gaze wandered around the vintage movie posters, records, and other retro paraphernalia that decorated the diner’s interior. “This place is something else.” 

“Right? Every time I come here, I think I’ve stepped into a movie. Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Dirty Dancing--” you blushed. “Sorry. I probably sound like a nerd.” 

Jisung turned back to you. “Don’t apologize. What’s your favourite kind of movie? Rom-coms?”

“Psychological thrillers, actually,” you admitted shyly. Good gosh, that intense stare in Han Jisung’s eyes was making your heart do somersaults in your chest. “But romcoms are not far behind.”

He hummed in approval, an odd glint in his eyes. “So you’re into psychology?”

“Well, I’m majoring in psychology, so I kind of have to be -- although it’s been pretty hard on me as of late.” You sighed, suddenly remembering the mountain of final assignments weighing on your shoulders.

Jisung leaned in closer, resting his chin on his hands. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just--my final project.They’re testing our ability to communicate with and analyze a patient,” you explained. “Kind of like a therapist simulation. We’re supposed to find someone and, like, apply psychological concepts by giving them mock counselling over the course of a few months. And by the end of it, we have to write a conclusive report on their mental state. I can’t find anyone who’s willing to be my patient, which honestly makes sense -- it’s such an invasive topic.”

Jisung was silent for a long moment, dark eyes unreadable. Finally, he sat up a little straighter, cocking his head to the side. “I could be your patient.”

You blinked, mouth falling open. “Wha--are you sure? I mean, you really don’t have to--and it might take up a lot of your time--”

“I wouldn’t mind spending more time with you,” he replied, eyes glinting, and your heart skipped a beat. 

“R-really?” You could already feel an incredulous, relieved smile spreading on your blushing face.

Jisung chuckled. “Just to see you smile like that, trust me -- I’d do anything.”

You were infinitely grateful that at that moment, the waitress arrived with your food. You weren’t sure your face could get any redder. You knew you were a hopeless romantic at heart, and had told yourself time and time again not to be swayed by sweet talk, but this was...different. There was something genuinely sweet in Jisung’s words -- he said them so honestly, with an almost childlike simplicity. 

You sipped your drink in a feeble attempt to regain composure. “My turn to ask the questions. What’s your favourite food?”

“Cheesecake,” Jisung replied instinctively. You watched him bite into his burger and giggled at the way his round eyes widened even more before he practically inhaled the rest.

“Favourite season?”

“Winter.”

“Least favourite colour?”

Jisung froze, a weighted silence falling over the table. He swallowed, hard, before replying quietly, “Red.”

When you peered at his face, you felt an icy chill trickle down your spine. His warm brown eyes had darkened and grown impossibly wide, and the colour had drained from his cheeks. Had you said something wrong? You looked down at your clothes -- a soft, oversized beige cardigan and light blue jeans.

“W-well, it’s a good thing I’m not wearing red, then, huh?”

“No.” Jisung shook his head slowly, and his shaky gaze met yours. You felt your mouth go dry at how lost his eyes seemed -- bottomless pools of pitch black. “No, I’m sure you would still look pretty in red.”

As if on cue, your cheeks turned a bright cherry hue.

Deciding to change the topic, you cleared your throat. “What about dogs? Do you like dogs?”

Almost as quickly as it had come, the dark look vanished from his face. “I love dogs!”

By the time the waitress brought the bill, Jisung had you in stitches over a joke he’d made, and you’d long forgotten about the whole ordeal.

The rain had stopped when you two stepped outside. Behind the knitted clouds, the sun was setting, its rays of light seeping through the stormy sky like veins in marble. Jisung’s features were painted a soft gold, warm eyes sparkling as he turned around to face you. His hair was a strange colour, you noted -- under the dim lights of the diner, it had appeared a light brown, but now that you were in the sunlight, it looked more blond. It had also been dripping wet, soaked from sweat or rain or both after running all the way to you, but it had dried off now, the ends curling in his eyes.

Maybe you’d had one dose of sugar too many in your drink, because you suddenly found yourself wanting to touch it. So you did just that, fingers reaching for the soft, fluffy golden locks and ruffling them playfully. Jisung’s eyes held yours the entire time, his gaze questioning. 

You huffed. “You’re cute, okay?”

He broke into a smile that made your heart flutter. “Okay.” 

Cheeks blazing at your own sudden boldness, you quickly pulled your hand away, fingers lightly grazing the side of his cheek before you stepped back. “I--I’m gonna get going now. Thanks for a great time!”

“Of course. See you next time?” Jisung winked, handing you the bouquet of peach roses.

“S-see you!” With that, you turned and practically ran across the street, heart still threatening to leap out of your chest as you fought the butterflies in your stomach and the smile sneaking onto your face.

Behind you, Jisung’s face darkened, smile slipping from his lips as you disappeared from his sight.

[fanfic-corner]

Slow Burn

You ever want to read a fic that is probably as long (or longer) than a book series, but not have the main love interests kiss until chapter 300? Then you probably have some issues, but I'm not a therapist, so here we go.

Stand By Me by whelvenwings on AO3. (31,252 words).

Tags: Zombie Apocalypse AU, Post-Apocalypse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Sharing a Bed, Slow Dancing, Smut, First Kiss, Canon-Typical Violence, Touch-Starved Dean, Love Confessions.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Dean Winchester has been alone for a long, long time. When he and Castiel happen to find each other - a couple of survivors in a world that’s been all but wiped clean - Dean’s looking for his brother; Castiel is looking for something to look for. They stick together, because neither of them much wants to be alone. They hate each other at first, of course. Dean hates Castiel for being weird and quiet and ironic and antagonistic and proud. Castiel hates Dean for being blunt and reckless and coarse, for drinking, for refusing to talk about how he feels and just pretending everything is fine. Most of all, they hate themselves and each other just for being alive. What right do they have to be alive? No one else seems to be. But against his own will, Dean starts to notice things about Castiel that he likes. Starts to hope that Castiel might like him, too. And together, they start to fight for a world where they're both alive - and that's a good thing.

Notes: One of the first fics I ever read, and one of my faves! The ending was slightly unsatisfying, but not so much that I would drop a star.

Angel's Wild by LimonadeGaby and riseofthefallenone on AO3. (389,271 words).

Tags: Alternate Universe, Wingfic, Hurt/Comfort, Wing Kink, Slow Build, Slow Burn.

My Rating: 5 stars. (If I could give it more, I would).

Description: But that’s the whole reason he’s here, isn’t it? He’s not out here hunting Humans. He’s not even hunting deer, or bears, or anything else that featured in Bambi. He’s out here, freezing his nuts off every night, because he’s hunting Angels. Sometimes Dean wishes that Angels were like how they’re described in the Bible. How people from time too old for him to care much about thought Angels were messengers and warriors of God, protectors of Humans. He knows that how they’re really described in the Bible is actually pretty terrifying, but at least they were told by God that they’re supposed to love Humans, right? That’s a thousand times better than what Angels really turned out to be.

Notes: I would be lying if I said I didn’t read all these slow burn fics just so I could rec this. I would also be lying if I said this wasn’t my favourite fic of all time. The pining is so intense it is practically unbearable to read. Honestly, I don’t care if you think it is too long or it isn’t really your thing; I would rec this to anyone with ears. I will still be reccing this in Hell. It is absolutely phenomenal.

a turn of the earth by mishcollin on AO3. (95,274 words).

Tags: Time Travel, Slow Burn, Canon Divergence, POV Dean Winchester, Alteration of s10 lore, Homophobic Language, Smut, Pining Dean, Preseries Dean, Mutual Pining.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Dean’s your typical half-orphaned, monster-killing 22-year-old until a trenchcoated stranger crashes into his back windshield one September night, claiming he’s an angel that knows him from the future and that he’s on the run. Frigging fantastic.

Notes: An absolutely excellent plot, which is excellently written, and is somehow simultaneously angsty and adorable.

Forget-Me-Not Blues by noangelsinthegarrison on AO3. (68,689 words).

Tags: Romantic Comedy, Firefighter Dean, Professor Castiel, Weddings, Misunderstandings, High School AU, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Angst, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: Sam and Jess are getting married and Dean couldn’t be any happier for them. Honestly, they’re kind of disgustingly perfect for each other and Dean’s pretty damn excited about staying with them the week before the wedding. He’s Sam’s best man, of course, and he doesn’t even mind that Jess has her own best man to share in all the organisational duties. The more the merrier, right?Except Dean must have done something to epically piss off the universe because Jess’s best man just happens to be Castiel friggin’ Novak. He’s got even hotter since High School, but apparently no friendlier and if Cas wants to spend the week pretending like they’ve never met before? Fine. Two can play at that game.

Notes: Jesus Christ, I have not read a single fic which sums up exactly how stupid Dean and Cas can be sometimes. I loved it.

the cost of a thing by quiettewandering on AO3. (74,198 words).

Tags: Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fake Marriage, Human Castiel, Protective Dean Winchester, Touch-Starved Castiel, Mutual Pining, Jealous Dean Winchester, Slow Burn, Depressed Castiel, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Sharing a Bed.

My Rating: 5 stars.

Description: 16 months ago, Cas became human.12 months ago, Cas left the bunker and a broken-hearted Dean behind. Now they must work a case together, where married couples are dying mysterious deaths and the only way to earn the neighbors' trust is by pretending to be married. Slowly, Dean finds that he loves being in a relationship with Cas, fake or not, and Cas finds his loneliness retreating, despite the harsh reality looming right around the corner. As Dean and Cas navigate this fake, but all too real, relationship, can they find the monster that is on a mysteriously motivated killing spree before it’s too late?

Notes: So cute! All the angst! My favourite trope! (So many exclamation marks!)

In All Your Borrowed Finery by vanishingact on AO3. (67,950 words).

Tags: Winged Dean Winchester, Winged Sam Winchester, Winged Castiel, Winged Gabriel, Spells & Enchantments, Hunters & Hunting, Case Fic, Harpies, Canon-Typical Violence, Major Character Injury, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor and Smut and Angst, Wingfic, Fanart. My Rating: 5 stars. Description: Dean finds an interesting symbol in Kevin's angel tablet notes and, against Sam's counselling, uses it in the heat of battle with a pair of angelic assassins. Side effects include pain, disorientation, and uncontrollable new appendages for the Winchesters. A disgruntled Castiel and a delighted Gabriel show up to help. Hunting (and life) gets interesting when wings are involved.  Notes: Okay this was literally adorable and you can not convince me otherwise. Every time I read a fic with everyone’s favourite archangel, I miss him just a bit more. (This fic is slightly more Sabriel than Destiel, but only by a little).

In This Secluded Spot I Respond As I Wouldn't Elsewhere by RhymePhile on AO3. (33,953 words).

Tags: Modern Setting AU, Teenage AU, High Scool AU, Romance, Best Friends, First Love, First Kiss, Slow Build, Minor Violence, Bullying, Homophobia, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Protective Dean Winchester, Texas, Slow Burn, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, No Sex, Dean Winchester and Sam Winchester are Raised Separately, Mary Winchester Lives, Artist Castiel, Nerd Castiel, Grieving Castiel, Jock Dean Winchester.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: It's 1995, and Castiel's high school years are destined to be difficult: home-schooled until eighth grade, he is awkward, shy, and socially inept. The weird kid with the funny name would rather isolate himself and draw in his sketchbook than deal with the constant bullying he faces every day. Things only get worse in his junior year when he excels in home economics class, leading the captain of the baseball team, Alastair, to start taunting him for being gay.Then new student Dean Winchester arrives at Flour Bluff High School, sharing many of Castiel's classes. Castiel has seen his type before -- handsome, athletic, arrogant, and sure to be the most popular kid in school. But Castiel eventually learns that he and Dean have more in common than he thought, and they form an unlikely friendship.

Notes: Pretty cute, and I did enjoy reading it. Not sure why like half the slow burn fics are set in a high school, but hey.

'Star Wars is Overrated' by leftdragonpainter on AO3. (38,186 words).

Tags: Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Pining, Drinking, Writer Castiel, Mechanic Dean, Neighbours, Swearing, Winchester Logic, Big Brother Gabriel, Clueless Dean, College Student Sam, Awkward Dates, Slow Burn, Injured Sam, Emotional Constipation, Angst, Confessions, Smut, Drunk Texting, Love Confessions, Temporary Amnesia, Angst and Humor.

My Rating: 4 stars.

Description: When Dean Winchester turned sixteen he was disappointed by the words that appeared on his chest. He never expected that it would take so much to find his soulmate. He never expected to not remember meeting them...

Notes: Every time I thought I knew what was gonna happen in this fic, something completely different happened. I think I have whiplash (but I love it!).

The Elysium High by EllenOfOz on AO3. (44,768 words).

Tags: Post-Apocalypse AU, Los Angeles, Dystopia AU, Angels are Dicks, Addict Sam Winchester, Recreational Drug Use, Witch Sam Winchester, Detective AU, Confused Castiel, Drugged Sex, Slow Burn, Cyborg Castiel.

My Rating: 3 stars.

Description: In the not-too-distant future, climate change has wreaked havoc on the city of Los Angeles. When sea levels rose, and the Los Angeles Basin began to flood regularly like many coastal areas around the world, the population of the city moved up, off the ground and into the scrapers. Many years later, the city is divided into three rough zones: the Topzone, where the very wealthy live in the sunlight; the Midzone, where those of the less-well-off population live amid the flying traffic, the smog and their coffee addictions; and the Groundzone, what's left at close to ground level—dim, grimy and occasionally very wet. Sam and Dean Winchester are drug investigators in the LAPD. During a bust, Dean is saved by Castiel, one of the mysterious Angels, the elite fighting unit of the LA City Council. When Castiel insists on taking Dean to Paradise because he says they have work for him, Dean has little choice but to go along. But when a new drug, “Elysium”, hits the scene, people all over the city start dying. The brothers and Castiel must work out where the drug is coming from and stop its spread before it's too late.

Notes: There was nothing wrong about this fic, it just wasn’t really my cup of tea. I found the fic that it reminded me of though; I Know A Place by whelvenwings. It is fairly similar, but in my opinion a tad better.

So there we go: slow burns! And if you’re thinking, ‘Lina, where are all the ridiculously long ones? I want them to have their first kiss 300 chapters in?’ just know that I do not have the patience or the time for that. Mostly the patience. Okay, maybe I avoided them because they make me want to smash my phone. Whatever. Another day, maybe.

[ao3animal]

Blind Owls - Chap.4: “A promise and a gift”

(Arranged marriage AU)

Summary:  

After having informally ostracised him from the village for fifteen years, the elders decide Reuben will marry a second time.

Chap.1: “Going home with a fish”

Chap.2: “The dark hour’s son will take a second wife”

Chap.3: “Spirits clinging to his back”

Chap.4: “A promise and a gift”

Excerpt Chap.4:

“ Husband and wife most commonly meet an entire week before their union, if they haven’t met. Many times, they’re inseparable well before anyone decide they'll marry each other.

Elders never fight an affection born naturally between two souls, and with young people being eager to play their part, more often than not regardless of who they do it with, a match is rarely hard to make. The two families, the elders and the community are all expected to guide young couples who show signs of frustration during their first obstacles, if there are any.

Refusal to lie with your spouse is the only disagreement that can be ground for separation; however separation will only be allowed at the request of the rejected spouse.  

Everything is done to solve whatever is at the source of the rejection, and if it can’t be helped despite the families and elders’ meddling, the union is broken by the elder who formed it.

Separations have been so rare that they’re considered to be oddities; marriages are to hold no matter what , but everyone knows about that one exception -including Reuben.

Because of it, Reuben knows that whether or not his wife-to-be lies with him, his tie to her won’t be broken if he doesn’t want it to be, and this is all he thinks about during the three days he has left before meeting her.

Although he can’t pretend to the privilege of having his questions answered, he still asks Yili about the wife she’s chosen for him, when they’re both out of the temple and away from the others -but all she says before dismissing him with a wave of her hand is that his second wife is from the smaller village all the way south on the other side of the lake, that herself has never met her and he’ll know about her soon enough .

All of this naturally keeps him up at night, and leaves him with hardly any appetite.

In the early morning hours of the day he’s meant to meet her, there is only one thing Reuben is certain of, and it is that he cannot afford to reject that woman, no matter her looks, attitude or tastes, when this marriage could mean he’ll be accepted back among those who used to be his people.

He was never meant to get a second chance; and although nothing terrifies him more than cause another woman to be with child, he’ll lie with her if she wants him to. If she refuses him, he’ll gladly allow it and keep her, as long as a marriage is enough to be allowed to die in the village he was born in.

To not die alone, like his father did.

Whoever she is, the decision to marry them was as easily made as snapping one’s fingers; surely it was made before the counsel, maybe even before he saved that four-year-old from drowning.

Reuben would like it to not be so, but he suspects he’s a punishment of some sort, even if it’s unclear to him why someone would be punished that way. To anyone who still believes he’s cursed, sending a woman in bed with him would be like sending her to death.

Another possibility is that no one wants her.

That morning, Reuben performs the same plain routine he has for years, his spirit floating out of his body, faintly buzzing with doubt and unease ever since Yili has announced he would marry again.

She could be missing a limb , he speculates, tying his pants on. Folks from every village say a missing limb is the sign of a dark spirit feeding on you. This alone could be enough to explain why she has to marry him.”

✨  ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

If you like this story and would like to tip me, you can do so here. Thank you all so much for reading, see you for the next chapter.

✨  ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, August 8

Angel: Faith. Faith: Angel. I got nowhere else to go. Look, I hate asking for help, but I'm asking, cause, uh, I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble. The real bad kind. Angel: It's okay. Faith: No, it's a couple of county lines over from okay, believe me. Angel: Look, just talk. Come on. Start from the beginning. Faith: Mind if I skip past the 'mom never loved me' part and get right to it? I'm scaring myself. Angel: I know the feeling.

~~Buffy Episode #51: "Enemies"~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor! Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Devil's Suite (Xander, Giles, T, The Case Files of Young Kindaichi xover) by madimpossibledreamer

Out Among the Breakers (Ensemble, G) by ifonlyiwaswittier

Love at First Fight (Buffy, T, MCU xover) by mmooch

On the Matter of Illyria… (Ensemble, G, LotR xover) by Luna_delCielo

Dawn Rising (Ensemble, T, LotR xover) by Luna_delCielo

Awakening (Spike/OC, G) by JayyVon699

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Don't cry sweet childe of mine Ch. 4 (Spike, multiple pairings, E) by Animenut18

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The First Apocalypse (Book Three of the Reunion Trilogy) Ch. 22/27 (Ensemble, M) by MCorey1317

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[Fandom Discussions]

faith/buffy and jackie/shauna are similar by buffyjackets

Anya somewhat(?) blaming Buffy for the whole R*ley fiasco should have been a red flag. by nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather

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Lie To Me by coraniaid

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30 Days of Spike Day 2 by spangelmybeloved

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In Doppelgangland the vampire Willow's want to be bad scene by ILLYRIAN

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[allie1804-fan]

Ile de Re (Chapter 1)

I wrote this fic  last year, mostly while on holiday on this lovely island.  If you are on Archive of Our Own, you may have seen it before. Written before Matrix 4 was announced and before Covid so sorry that the timelines are no longer realistic!

Summary

Keanu meets a chef to help him prepare for a movie role. Events conspire for them to spend even more time together than they planned and despite the large age gap, romance ensues.

1 2 3 4 5  6 7 8

April 2020

Keanu hung up the phone and quietly fist pumped to himself. He’d just had news that a new project had been green lit. It was one he’d been collaborating on for some time - where he’d play an American chef, somewhat down on his luck who was establishing a new restaurant in a rural French town. The thing that thrilled him most was that the project afforded him the chance to finally learn how to cook – at least a bit - because he’d need to demonstrate some skill in the film itself and to ‘find’ his character he wanted to understand more about the craft of being a chef – especially the passion that drove them.

He went to his office and pulled out his laptop, opening a file holding details of some chefs who Erwin’s team had tracked down that fit the bill in terms of the knowledge they had and their personal experiences. He dropped an e mail first to a chef names Yves Le Gouhier and another to a woman called Claire Bonnevin. They each had restaurants in LA but were French natives who had trained at home before heading to America to open restaurants of their own. He hoped that the guy would say yes since he felt he’d probably relate better to his experience however he checked out both of their bios and looked at restaurant reviews on line.

A few days later, the decision was made for him as to who would give him the coaching as Mr Le Gouhier was out of town for at least a couple of months, establishing a new restaurant whereas Ms Bonnevin was able to fit him in for some daily ‘classes’ starting the following week. Whilst mildly disappointed, he also recalled that he’d actually eaten at Ms Bonnevin’s place once and had really rated the cooking which mixed homespun flavours with Gallic finesse - the seafood there was to die for.  He responded quickly in the affirmative, and ever the perfectionist, asked if there was anything he needed to bring or any preparatory work he could do before Monday. Claire replied that if he could let her have a working copy of the script and tell her what his favourite meal was before the weekend – they could work on the skills he’d need to demonstrate in the film and, depending on what the meal was, also aim to make his favourite meal to a good standard by the end of the week. If he had some friends who’d like to eat what he made, then he should ask them if they were free.

“What a question!” he pondered, thinking about what his favourite meal was. Keanu was a man who liked to eat - so much so that he needed the counsel of his trainer Denise to keep off the pounds in between films! Would it be a good steak with garlicky greens and crushed potatoes?, veal with a cream and mushroom sauce, roast lamb with flageolets and dauphinois potatoes – this task was just making him hungry!  He decided on the latter thinking it would be a challenge and fitted with the style of cooking they had at “Le Chat Botte” which was Claire’s restaurant. The pressure of feeding something he’d made that wasn’t bacon and eggs or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was both thrilling and unnerving. He messaged his sister Kim, his mother and friends Rob, Alex and Josh who were all pleased to be free although they joked that they might need to go to Macdonald’s to fill up afterwards!

Monday came around and Keanu pulled up at “Le Chat Botte” at 9am prompt. Entering via the service entrance as instructed, he walked into a spotless kitchen with gleaming stainless steel work stations, hobs and ovens  ranged along one wall and a large wooden kitchen table in the centre which had 2 sets of chopping boards in different colours along with a variety of knives, spatulas and other cooking implements arranged side by side in the centre of the table. No-one was in sight though Keanu could hear the sound of a voice coming from an adjoining room. Walking across the kitchen he stuck his head round the door of what turned out to be an office where he saw a petite, dark haired woman he recognised (from her bio) as Claire Bonnevin  - she was speaking to someone on the phone in French. She raised her hand to him in greeting, mouthing sorry and hurried to complete the call.

“Oui, Oui, je te rapellerai demain  - mon nouvel client vient d’arriver, oui oui c’est lui, donc il faut que j’accroche.  D’accord d’accord, je sais. Au revoir”

Claire turned to Keanu blushing - she had the distinct impression that he’d understood that she’d just referred to him in her conversation.

“so sorry about that – that was my restaurant manager back home in France just giving me an update on my dad  - he’s not been too well recently so we’ve been talking every day” Her English accent was excellent with only a slight gallic note.

Keanu stuck out his hand

“Nice to meet you Ms Bonnevin and no problem – you didn’t need to rush them off the line on my account”

Claire smiled and shook his hand, “I heard you were impossibly polite! – of course I did, I was eating into your paid time – nice to meet you too by the way. Keanu grinned - Claire could feel the colour rising in her cheeks again  - she wasn’t exactly sure why - maybe it was the directness of his gaze or the brilliance of his smile.

“So, are you ready for your training?”

Keanu chuckled and responded with what he thought was the expected reply “hell yeah” but Claire didn’t react, “maybe the Matrix reference was unintentional” he thought – she was pretty young after all, (her bio said she was 35) so maybe she was one of the few whom it had passed by!

“So let’s go through to the kitchen and get started” she said leading the way back to the room where Keanu had entered earlier.

For the next 4 hours they talked through and tried out some of the particular skills that would be needed in kitchen scenes. Whilst they worked, they got to know each other a little with Claire wanting to find out about Keanu’s food knowledge and experience and Keanu quizzing her about her beginnings in the industry. He discovered that she grew up on a tiny west coast island in France called L’Ile de Re” where her Dad still owned a restaurant called, like hers in LA, “Le Chat Botte”.  He no longer worked as a chef there but lived in the little village where it was, hence the manager being able to keep Claire appraised of his health.  She’d learned her craft there and then moved on to train in Paris, New York and then LA to establish her namesake restaurant in the US.

For her part, from what Keanu said, she could see that despite not having grown up in a house where people had a passion for cooking, he nevertheless clearly had a passion for food  - from the humble sandwich to fine foods from around the globe. He was also a quick study, picking up the knife skills needed to finely chop onions and garlic on film that he’d need. She was a patient teacher, though she would occasionally break into French when she was struggling to communicate the exact technique such as when at first he couldn’t master the rotation of the knife needed to chop finely:

“tient tient, comme ca” she said, placing her hand over his to show how the blade needed to rock back and forth over the garlic.

At 12 they broke for lunch at which point Claire challenged Keanu to make her his best sandwich from the ingredients on hand. He asked her what she liked and created a layered club sandwich which she declared excellent. By the time he left at 1pm, Keanu was convinced that she was an excellent choice of teacher and one he’d enjoy learning from. He could hardly wait for the next day when they were going to study cuts of meat by going to Claire’s favourite butcher.

The week progressed with a mix of hands on cooking classes and continued trips to suppliers which served to explain the importance of provenance and quality ingredients. They also worked on timings  and started to plan the stages of creating the menu Keanu had planned for Friday’s lunch.

On Thursday Keanu tried out the dauphinois potatoes and was thrilled with the result - he was really starting to enjoy cooking and his rapid growth in skill. Claire praised him warmly and suggested he try a dessert as well for the next day.

“You could try something simple like a mousse au chocolat but I think you’re ready to really wow them”

“Oh yeah?” Keanu grinned “With what?”

“A tarte Tatin”

“What!, are you sure?”

“Absolutely – you’re an excellent student - let’s do one today together, you’ll master it I’m sure”

She showed him how to prepare the sugar and butter in a special tin that could go on the stove and then in the oven to finish. They prepped the apples placing them rounded side down in the tin and proceeded to caramelise the butter and sugar until it was a gorgeous molten mahogany. Then he learned how to make the shortcrust pastry using cool hands to rub the butter into the flour then bring it together to a dough which rested in the fridge. Once rolled out, he placed it onto the cooled apples, tucking in the edges round the sides. The result when they turned the tarte out (upside down to reveal the apples) was amazing – sweet, tender apples with the sugary caramel cut a little by freshly grated lemon rind and a melt in the mouth pastry to top it off.

“See!” she smiled, “I knew you could do it”

“No, you did it!” he grinned

“Well, OK so today we both did it but tomorrow it will all be down to you”

Friday came and Keanu got to the restaurant at 8am wanting to have as much time as possible to get everything perfect.

By 11.30 the lamb was resting, his gratin and tarte were in the oven and the beans were simmering gently.

The meal was beginning with a simple salade aux lardons  - it was time to dress it with the vinaigrette he’d made earlier. He started to toss it gently but some lettuce flipped out over the side

“Watch out you don’t drop too many said Claire – unless you want lots of children’ she laughed!

“What?” Keanu asked, shooting her a quizzical look.

“it’s a saying we have in France that the number of leaves you drop when you’re tossing the salad tells you the number of kids you’ll have.

“Oh right” he chuckled, “that’s cute, but it’s way too late for that”

“What do you mean?, you’d have time to have them if you wanted, surely”

“I’m too old Claire”

“What, you must only be what?”, she paused to look at him and consider his face “…. About 45”

“Ha ha” Keanu laughed heartily.

“No, I’m fifty five”

“Merde” she exclaimed “ce n’est pas possible!”

Keanu shook his head and smiled - he loved how she reverted to French when she was reacting spontaneously to something.  

“I’m afraid it’s true, so even if I had a wife or even a girlfriend, I still think it’s too late to be having babies. I might be dead before they’re 20 or 30.

Claire’s face clouded over

“Sorry I didn’t mean to be all maudlin” he said

“Don’t worry, it’s just my mother died when I was 25 so I know that’s hard – but people die all the time, young and old.

“Ain’t that the truth” Keanu agreed quietly, remembering his own past.

“and lots of guys have babies when they’re older. Maybe you shouldn’t rule it out”

“Maybe maybe, anyway, enough serious talk, we should raise a toast before our guests arrive”

He poured himself and Claire a glass of wine.

“Here’s to satisfied customers!” she said

“and here’s to you for being such an amazing teacher – I can’t believe you’ve got me this far so fast”

“well that’s really down to you” she replied, smiling, “you work so hard and learn so quickly, it’s very impressive”

“I don’t know about that!” he said blushing, “Anyway, let’s not get ahead ourselves, I haven’t served it yet!!

They put down their glasses and Claire went to see if the guests had arrived at the table they had set aside in the restaurant. Meanwhile Keanu busied himself with finishing the salad and carving the lamb which he was happy to see was just the right shade of pink. He put it in the warming oven and also took out the tarte Tatin praying that it would be as good as the one yesterday when he turned it out later. Finally, with the main course as ready as it could be, he took the salad and some French bread through to the dining room.

The meal went down a storm - at the end Keanu stood and raised a toast to Claire

“Thank you for all your kind words folks but we really need to toast this amazing lady who has taught this old meat head some cooking skill. He took her hand and placed it over his heart

“ thank you, thank you, merci beaucoups, I’ll be forever grateful!”

Claire laughed and blushed.

“Just wait until next week when we’ll have you working in the restaurant kitchen, then you might not be such a fan!”

He laughed

“That may be!”

They said their goodbyes to Keanu’s amazed guests and went to clean down the kitchen.

“How’s your dad by the way?”

“Oh about the same apparently – no better, but no worse, he just needs to take it easy and stay off his damn bike”

“Oh, a pushbike or a motorbike?” Keanu asked, his interest peaked

“A push bike – he’s not a racer guy like you!” Claire saw Keanu pull up each day often on different bikes so she knew about his passion for them.

“everyone goes everywhere on bikes on the Ile de Re” she continued - it’s a cyclist’s paradise with cycle paths across the salt marshes and oyster beds and through the forests. But he had a heart attack last year and whilst he is supposed to exercise, he just pushes himself too much and that worries me”

“Do you have any other family there to keep an eye on him?”

“No, I’m an only child and there are no aunts or uncles either.

“Is your father still alive? She asked.

“Yeah – well at least I haven’t heard otherwise! He left my mother when I was three and I haven’t seen him since I was 13.”

“Mon dieu that must have been tough growing up without a dad”

“Yeah well I had my mum and my sister - he wouldn’t have been a good role model anyway”

“I could see today that you adore Kim and your mother”

“Yeah, yeah  I do - family and friends are my rocks to come back to  - after every project that’s what I look forward to”

“You know you’re not at all what I expected!” Claire stated.

“Oh, how so?” he asked

“Well, a couple of people I mentioned you to said they heard you were a nice guy and very polite but I guess I just expected someone more ………..starry, you know!”

Keanu burst out laughing.

“Well I’ll take that as a complement” he said

“you should – you’ve made it a very easy first week of teaching” she smiled

“Well thanks” he said the colour rising in his cheeks.

They finished up in the kitchen and Keanu took his leave saying he’d see her at 9am prompt on Monday for his week in the working kitchen.  He’d enjoyed her company so much that he’d almost asked her to dinner but held himself in check. She was so much younger than him and he knew his feelings weren’t entirely platonic. She was very cute with olive skin, beautiful eyes and a slender yet not too skinny figure – he didn’t really have a type but she hit the spot with him. He’d just have to quash those thoughts, focus on the learning and keep things on a friendly footing.

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