#and getting far away shots of him smiling fondly when his friends sorry coworkers have a good time with these people | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

palettepainter · 3 years ago

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A friend for Shizen

(tried a new drawing style for Ecto and honestly super proud how it came out! I wanna draw this dork as best I can so we really fun to try drawing how he looks in cannon) Shizen doesn’t like socialising. She doesn’t like talking. She doesn’t like people. She prefers the company of animals over most of her coworkers, with the exception of a few UA students who she has become fond of, and so - like a good friend - Ectoplasm drags her to teachers karaoke night against her will. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Why am I here again?” Shizen asked aloud, boredly “Because you need to learn how to have some fun” Ectoplasm answered as though it was obvious, Shizen replied with a not so subtle eye role and a groan. “Who knows, you may actually enjoy it” Ectoplasm said hopefully, turning to Shizen with a smile. She met his joyful expression with a flat frown “..With all due respect, you are one of the few people I can tolerate. Secondly, I’m not looking forward to hearing Hizashi sing, he’s already obnoxiously loud enough on the daily. Thirdly, I don’t sing. And finally-“ she pointed a finger towards him, scowling “The only reason I’m here is because you forced me to” Ectoplasm hummed and nodded “True..” he didn’t seem upset, which made Shizen scowl more. For how smart and polite Ectoplasm could be she sometimes wondered if he was deep down just as much as gremlin as her cousin. She let out a long sigh “Why would you lot want to come here of all places anyway?” Shizen regarded the small building with a look It was tucked away in the side of a alley way, hardly noticeable it if wasn’t for the giant karaoke sign hanging above the door. It looked dingy and suspicious with the location it was in, not somewhere you’d expect pro heroes to spend their Friday nights. Certainly not somewhere she would spend a Friday night. She wanted to be at home. “I know some of the workers” Ectoplasm answered “Plus it’s not as crowded as some of the more popular karaoke places, it’s nice to not be interrupted by the public sometimes.” “Hm..Yeah, that makes sense I guess” Shizen answered, the last thing she needed from this evening was the public. It wasn’t that she had any bad experience with the press or some of the occasional fans that would bombarded UA’s gates - but her social battery was already run down from the counselling sessions she had to do that day, especially since the last and longest session had been for Bakugo Katsuki, not popular for the good reasons in her books. “If you really don’t want to stay you can always leave early” Ectoplasm proposed, Shizen peered up to him through the corner of her eye “At leash stay an hour or two? It’d be nice to see you have some fun with everyone - we always have a good laugh!” Ectoplasm suddenly chuckled, remembering something “Last Christmas we came here Aizawa actually got himself drunk! Don’t tell him I told you that” he whispered that last part quickly Admittedly that got a tiny smile to her face, but as the two began to get closer to the door it fell And no sooner then when they opened the door did Shizen feel her hopes for a peaceful evening slip away. “Hey hey hey!!” Mic cheered with his signature grin, throwing two finger guns smoothly in Ecto’s and her’s direction as they stepped inside. “Here’s our main microphone master himself! Bout time you showed you Ecto! Would hate for you to be a no show!” Ectoplasm chuckled in good nature, walking over to the little reception desk where the Friday evening worker he knew well was already preparing keys to their booked booths for the evening. “Would hate to be a killjoy” Ecto joked back as the man behind the counter handed him the keys. The main reception area plus the front desk was barely big enough to hold all of the group inside, the miniature bar towards the left was full to the brim, lest forget the obvious drunks that where lurking in the corners or the ones who where laying face first on the bar in their spilt drinks. The music from the already booked rooms was just barely being muffled by the heavy doors, and of course, her enthusiastic coworker Hizashi who looked far too hyped already and the singing hadn’t even started - she could already sense an on coming headache While Ecto sorted out his share of the payment Shizen stood off to the side, arms crossed, brows slightly furrowed, scuffing her shoe on the floor. This was dumb. Why did Ecto drag her into this?? Shizen didn’t hate her coworkers, but they where just so..different then from what she was used to. She was a private person with little to say unless she felt as though she had something to bring to the table, someone who didn’t like big lengthy conversations or talking about how hot the weather had been. She didn’t like being interrupted from her work with someone reminding her to get lunch on time, or the constant gossiping from Midnight and Mic just next to her at their desks. Shizen’s idea of happy was different from theres In short: Shizen didn’t fit it. She would have at least felt a little better if Higari or Hounddog could have come along. Alas the two where fortunate enough to escape such an evening, though she had a feeling Higari would have jumped at the opportunity of a night out rather then cleaning up the clutter in the lab. Hounddog on the other hand, now that she was thinking of him, she didn’t think she’d be all that pleased if he was here either. After all: instead of defending her like she thought he would, he actually encouraged Ectoplasm’s plan to bring her along! The traitor. A voice suddenly chimed in her ear “Looks like Ecto really did hold up his word. Ready for a fun night out?~” With effort, Shizen turned her head slowly to the side. Midnight was giving her her trademark half open eyed smirk, her brow cocked. “...You want the honest answer?” Shizen grumbled “Or the nice one?” “Oh don’t be such a grump!” Midnight patted Shizen’s back fondly, causing the smaller women to look back at her. “For once pretend that legendary stick isn’t up your rear end, this isn’t work. It’s a fun night out!” Midnight tried to encourage and then giggled at the unimpressed face Shizen had. Shizen scowled “I don’t care if it’s a night out. I don’t like karaoke” “How do you know you don’t like it if you haven’t even tried it?” Midnight reasoned cooly, pushing Shizen forward while she had no choice but to go along. “I don’t like singing” Shizen reasoned, growing more uncomfortable the closer the group got to their karaoke booth. “No ones going to make you sign your name in blood if you don’t sing! Just enjoy the evening!~ Loosen up!” there was a pause and for a moment, Shizen was convinced - until.. “All that scowling and glaring will give you wrinkles~” Shizen heaved a sigh “And you where just starting to win me over..” Two hours later and Shizen was sure she had seen more chaos happen in that one karaoke room then her entire time working at UA. Hizashi was the first to get drunk then followed shortly after by Nemuri, multiple rounds of shots left the two wobbly on their feet. Aizawa, though not as drunk, was easily persuaded by Mic who he then quick left the room with, only after Midnight had wolf whistled and yelled a saucy comment after them. They had disappeared into the men’s bathroom down the hall twenty minutes ago, and..Shizen didn’t want to imagine what they where doing. Then Midnight had walked her way over to Snipe with a hazy glossy look in her eyes, giggling away at nothing - Shizen was grateful he hadn’t been drinking because he would have defiantly spat all over the table and ergo herself after Midnighr whispered something dirty in his ear. Not as subtly or as quite as Midnight thought. Bursting back into the room returned Mic and Aizawa, their shirt collars undone Shizen noted, and then the singing and partying resumed. While everyone else was having a lovely time grooving to the music and singing horribly out of tune, Shizen’s sober rump was off in the corner with a glass of water, rubbing her temples. “Here” A frothy beer was placed in front of her “On me, I thought you might like something better then water” Shizen looked up to Ectoplasm standing next to her, holding his own cup of beer. Shizen eyed the drink briefly before she looked back up “I don’t really drink” she said with a shrug. “...Really?” Ectoplasm asked. “Why are you so surprised at that?” Shizen rose a brow and then shuffled along to allow Ectoplasm some space to sit “I didn’t mean anything rude. It just wasn’t what I expected. Higari and his siblings all drink so..” he trailed off, seeming emabressed “..Sorry, that does sound pretty rude..I should have asked” “Don’t worry about it” Shizen brushed it off and then took an unhurried sip of her water “It’s not that I have a zero alcohol policy, I just don’t drink a lot that’s all” she placed her cup back down on the table “I didn’t really drink all that much before UA anyway so..never broke the habit I guess” “Just not fond of it?” Ectoplasm asked curiously “Hm..” Shizen hummed, thinking, head in her hand “...Not exactly.” She finally answered “My dad wasn’t a big drinker either so, when I was old enough to buy alcohol I just never did. Sometimes I would on birthdays or celebrations but I wouldn’t every time” “Oh” A moment of silence passed over them, a true miracle with how they where sitting in a karaoke room. It seemed Hizashi and Nemuri where struggling to find a new song to sing to and where lightly squabbling with Aizawa laying with his cheek pressed into one of the room’s leather sofa’s and Snipe seeming to eagerly agree with whatever it was that was being said by the other two, placing his cowboy hat playfully atop of Mic’s head “...It’s been a while since I had a beer” Shizen said aloud, pulling the drink closer, the glass wet from the chilled beverage. She swirled it around, watching as the frothy bubbles popped with the motion. Curiously, she brought the mug to her lips- and then gagged Ectoplasm snickered into his drink and then quickly turned away to wipe his mouth “Hey.” Shizen snapped at him, embaressed “Like I said, it’s been a while! Alright?!” “Sorry sorry!” Ectoplasm waved his hand in a feeble attempt to resolve the conflict, but his snickering and the amused glint in his eye didn’t convince Shizen. Her eyes narrowed, cheeks hot “Oh yeah har har, laugh it up essay-plasm” “Essay-plasm?” Ectoplasm blinked, tilting his head “What? I think it’s a fitting name” “Shizen having a sense of humour?? Someone call the papers” In that very moment Shizen’s lips twitched upwards into a small smile, and Ectoplasm caught it “It seems I am capable of moving boulders with my humour” He praised with a hand on his chest, Shizen rolled her eyes. “And you ruined it” She deadpanned. Shizen looked back to her beer and hummed, the flavour had shocked her, it really had a while since she’d had a good drink. Sure she’d had a coffee or other beverage with a small splash of alcohol with it, but honestly she didn’t keep a whole lot of alcohol at the teacher dorms anyway. She slowly brought the mug back to her lips and, not wanting to be seen as a coward in front of her coworker, took a big gulp. And then gagged again. “Bleh..” Shizen stuck her tongue out “Did beer always taste like this?..” She drawled, wiping the beer that had dribbled down her chin with the back of her hand. With ease Ectoplasm brought his own glass to his mouth and took a smooth gulp - the show off, Shizen thought “It’s a required taste” he said, clearly amused at Shizen’s suffering. “God if Higari could see me now he’d laugh in my face” Shizen’s brows furrowed in annoyance at the very thought. Her cousin had a knack for being especially frustrating when he desired to be “I don’t doubt that” Ectoplasm agreed, he could certainly remember the way Higari hollered at him when he tried his first shot. He’d joked about it for days! “Still...” Shizen voice became quite, the combined sound of the muffled chatter from Hizashi, Nemuri and Snipe combined with the purring of the air fan made for a pleasant atmosphere. Ectoplasm was certainly making for a good conversation partner, then again he’d always been good at keeping things from getting boring. Perhaps she was..enjoying it a little. “I guess this is...nice” She admitted, giving Ectoplasm a sideways glance to catch his reaction. Ectoplasm was giving her what had to be the most smuggest look she’d seen from him. Head in his head with one brow cocked, the other slowly swirling his beer as he slowly nodded “Mhm - not as bad as you thought then?” He teased, bringing his beer up to his mouth to take a slow sip. Shizen snickered at the bubbly moustache it left below the area his nose would have been “Don’t get ahead of yourself, it’s..okay. But don’t expect me to sing anytime soon” “One day it’ll happen” Ectoplasm reassured calmly with a light shrug “Pft, keep dreaming” ///time skip/// What had happened between their conversation and now had been a bit of a blur. Ectoplasm wasn’t drunk, he figured they’d need at least one functioning adult to make sure everyone got home safely. He’d had a few drinks and was feeling a bit more light on his feet then usual, but he wasn’t tripping on air. Shizen on the other hand.. “There there..” Ectoplasm patted her back as Shizen groaned into the toilet of the cramped cubical in the ladies bathroom, Ectoplasm hunched at her side holding what hair had fallen loosen from her bun out of the way as the other rubbed her upper back. Ectoplasm wasn’t sure when Shizen had gotten drunk, and he had no idea why she called him of all people to come and help. Maybe it was because he was the only one still sober? He wasn’t sure. As far as he knew Shizen only had the beer he’d gotten her and maybe a shot or two, he didn’t think it’d take that much to turn Shizen to this - puking up her dinner pathetically into the toilet, and it seemed that with the way things had been going, Shizen and drunk nausea where going to be well acquainted after this night. Shizen had up and left all wobbly, and then five minutes later called him by his cell. Though obviously unsure if he should even enter the ladies room, he reasoned that Shizen would have only called him if it was something serious - so he went in, and that’s how he’d gotten there “Uuuughhh..” Shizen let out a long groan “..UUUUGHHH” and then a louder groan after that, her hands that clung to the toilet as if it was a life support gripping tighter “Blergh...Everything is...thing is..spinnin’..” “When did you even start to get drunk!” Ectoplasm asked, quickly turning to peer out of the cubical to see if anyone else had come in “I thought you said you didn’t like drinking” “I don’t!..Ugh-HRCK!-“ Shizen heaved a drag gag into the toilet and groaned again “Bleh.. “ “Then why would you have more drinks?” Ectoplasm asked, trying to find reason in this confusing situation. Shizen went quite and seemed to want to curl in on herself, pulling herself closer to the toilet, almost whimpering with guilt. Thinking he’d upset her or made her embarrassed Ectoplasm went to apologise- “I’m a..” Shizen’s slurred drunk tone echoed into the toilet, grateful she had something to hide her sickly red face in “I-I’m a......lightweight..” “...Pardon?” Ectoplasm blinked “Urgh!” Shizen groaned in annoyance, pulling her head up from the toilet to turn to him “I said I’m a light-!!!” Shizen’s hand flew to her mouth, her face paling as she felt the icky crawl up her throat. She whirled back round to the toilet clumsily and then emptied out what was left in her stomach. “W-Why didn’t you say anything!” Ectoplasm, recovering from his surprise, quickly reached over to hold her hair out of her way again as Shizen breathed deeply through her nose. “Cuz-“ she heaved again and then gasped for air “Ugh...Nemuri ‘n’ the others wouldn’t shut up bout it if they...t-they-oh no..” Ectoplasm cringed at more sickly noises and then splashing as Shizen hurled once again, the smell not making things any better. Shizen groaned, hands that had been death hugging the toilet dropping to her sides like sand bags. Humiliated, sick, and defeated Shizen let out a feeble groan into the toilet A truly sad sight, Shizen of all people - one of if not the most serious person from Higari’s family Ecto knew, puking up their lunch into a stingy karoke toilet. There truly was a first time for everything “...Come on-“ Ecto picked you Shizen’s arm and looped it round his shoulder, heaving her as gently as he could to her feet “On your feet!” Shizen tried to pathetically push him away, muttering weak protests, but she was honestly too weak in her sickly drunken state so in the end reluctantly allowed Ectoplasm to help. “Sit here” Ectoplasm carefully sat her down after flipping down the toilet lid. Shizen slurred something illegible but did so “Hm..” Ecto glanced to his watch “It’s late anyway, we should all start heading back soon-“ “N-No!” Shizen threw her hands out, and then pushed them against either side of the toilet cubical walls to steady herself. “Shizen please be careful!” Ectoplasm said, having thrown his arms out ready to catch her if she fell forward off the toilet. Shizen groaned, hand on her head. “N-No...No” Shizen sniffled “Don’t want...others to..t-to-Ugh..t-to see..” In defeat, Shizen pathetically gestured to herself, looking away Ectoplasm hummed again understanding what Shizen meant “..I’ll just let them know we’ll be leaving early.” He looked back to Shizen who merely nodded in agreement. After making sure Shizen would be okay Ectoplasm quickly slipped out of the bathroom and into the karaoke room they had booked to grab his coat. “Aaayyyy! Ecto!~” Mic in all his drunken glory, slapped an arm round his shoulders microphone in hand “Where ya been my man!! Parties just gettin’ started and we’re just ‘bout to bust out the duo songs! Howza bout it?!” He eagerly tried to hold the microphone to Ecto’s mouth, but in his intoxicated state he nearly poked him in the eye “Sorry Mic, Higari called, he needs some extra hands moving his hero suit to be cleaned for tomorrow” - Which wasn’t a lie, Higari was going to be cleaning his suit tomorrow. He gently pushed away the microphone from his face as Mic let out a whine. “Already??” Mic frowned, almost pouting as Ecto nodded and pulled on his coat “Sorry Mic, next time I’ll stay longer!” “Bu-bye Ecto!!~” Midnight sang happily with a waggle of her fingers, looking to be enjoying herself as she sat on a very flustered Snipe’s lap. Snipe barely managed a wave before Midnight was on him with kisses. He rolled his eyes with a huff, things like this where just the norm with their karaoke outings. Waking back to the ladies bathrooms Ecto felt a moment of panic when he saw Shizen laying on the floor on her side. He worried she may have fallen - however when Shizen groaned a rather annoyed ‘fuck off’ when Ecto attempted to turn her head to check for injuries he sighed, she was fine. “What are you doing on the floor?..” he asked, kneeling besides her Shizen half turned her head to him, then mushed her cheek back into the cold tiled floor “My head was hurtin’...and standing made it-..it worse..shoo I decided to lay down..” A part of him was chuckling at her slurred speech, but the other part, the majority of him, felt pity at seeing her look so miserable. “I just want this pain to go away..” “..Well-“ Like before Ectoplasm pulled her arm over his shoulder and hauled her to her feet, Shizen groaning in the process “I can’t work miracles and I can’t walk on water..but I can make sure you get back to your dorm safely” Shizen gave him a look of disbelief, her hair frizzy and dis-shelved. She looked ready to argue but Ectoplasm beat her to the punch “With all due respect I doubt you could even open your door without help, considering you where just laying on the floor moments ago.” Ectoplasm reasoned sternly, giving Shizen a cocked brow “And I’ve had my fair share of having to nurse Higari when he got drunk, so it’s not as though this type of situation is new to me” “...Ugh” Shizen groaned, then flopped her head against Ectoplasm as she felt another throb of pain in her head “Just take me back to UA..” Ectoplasm smiled, grateful there wasn’t going to be an argument. Higari could be stubborn when drunk and he feared Shizen could be the same, but it seemed she’d lost the bite to her bark. Walking her to front lobby area - which was thankfully pretty desolate of life besides themselves and those left in the mini bar- called up a cab and then helped Shizen clamber in. All through the drive she was practically leaning on him, groaning the whole way about her headache. It was a stark change to her usual serious, blunt and authoritative front she put up at work. It seemed she knew this as whenever she had to lean against him she would give him a sharp look as if to say “not a word”. Ectoplasm didn’t speak, he figured it was for the best, she was probably embarrassed enough Not to mention how insistent she was on not wanting the others to see her like this Shizen did her best to stay awake, nearly nodding off three times during the ride. When the car came to a halt at UA’s gates her eyes jerked back open. It was dark and the air was bitter cold, the late evening chill settling on the campus with the eerie silence making the place feel deserted. With Ecto as her walking stick Shizen hobbled along beside him, Ecto making sure she didn’t fall or trip on any stones as they slowly made their way to the teacher dorms. A quick check of the ground floor and no one was around, must all be in their rooms “Almost there” Ecto said quietly as the elevator dinged to a stop at Shizen’s floor. Shizen mumbled, showing she’d heard him but was clearly too tired to try and mumble something that made sense. Pushing open her door Shizen instantly made an unsteady bee line for her bed, blissfully sinking her head into her pillow “Sleep on your side” Ecto said as he tried to pull Shizen to roll over. After a bit of coaxing she did so, hair askew over her pillow and face. “..Everything still hurts” She muttered, spitting out the hair that was in her mouth. Ecto reached over and politely brushed it over her shoulder “Yes it will, it’ll be like that for a while” “Mnngghrrr..” Ectoplasm reached over to slide the balcony door closed, the room slightly chilly as he drew the curtains. Shizen muffled a response into her blankets as she lazily tugged them over her and kicked off her boots “...Don’t you want to change into something more comfy?” “..’M drunk” Shizen deadpanned “I couldn’t even take off my sock right like this” “I can always call Higari to come a-“ Shizen had never snapped a glare to him so quick. “NO.” Ectoplasm was quick to hold up his hands, never get on the wrong side of an enraged animal “Alright alright!” He sputtered “I won’t call him” Shizen have a sharp nod, and then flopped her head back down, Ectoplasm sighed. “...Why dont you want people knowing you’re a light weight?” “Please don’t say that..” Shizen murmured pathetically. She tugged the blankets over her head, only parts of her brunette hair still visible “..It’s embarrassin’..” she finally answered, still hiding under her covers “I don’t like bein’ teased...makes me feel..” she didn’t finish her sentence “..Last thing I need is the others pokin’ fun at me for it” Ectoplasm paused, he didn’t think Shizen was one to care for being teased. “...Im sure Nemuri would tease a little, maybe Hizashi too” Shizen muffled a groan from under her blanket and curled up on her side. Ectoplasm moved to pick up Shizen’s shoes that had landed on the floor by her door “But they wouldn’t mean any malice, Nemuri and Mic just like to mess around.” Ectoplasm dropped Shizen’s boots to the side where they wouldn’t be in the way when she woke up, before standing back up straight “I’ve had my fair share of being a victim to their teasing too, they never mean any harm” He said in an attempt to lighten Shizen’s spirits, Shizen shifted under the blankets and peaked her head out just slightly “...For real?” She asked “For real” Ectoplasm repeated with a nod “I had gotten tired of Nemuri’s and Hizashi’s April fools gags, and so I decided it would be a fun idea to give the two a little office surprise with Hizashi’s air horn” “..And?” Shizen asked “I took Hizashi’s air horn and decided it would be extra fun to fill the horn with flour. I planned to wait till the two where relaxing at their lunch break, and sneak up behind them both with it...Turns out-“ Ectoplasm shyly looked away, the memory instantly popping to mind and replying in his head in vivid detail “Hizashi and Nemuri decided it would also be funny to use that same air horn to wake me up” Shizen tried to hard to contain her smile “A-And Uh-...” she cleared her throat, faking seriousness “What happened?” “Oh..” Ectoplasm shrugged “Just about what you’d expect” “Pfft-“ the dams broke as Shizen’s mouth broke open into a grin, honest to god laughter tumbling freely from her mouth at Ecto’s hilarious tale. “Oh god!” Her body relaxed against her mattress, the laughter making her forget almost entirely about her headache “I would’ve gotten so mad if they tried something like that with me” “I don’t doubt that...You know, if you asked them they probably would ease off on the teasing. I’m sure they only tease you because you’re so serious all the time” “Hah..” Shizen’s laughter drowned to an end, her smile now having a more harsh look to it “Yeah.” “...You know-“ Ectoplasm walked to the end of Shizen’s bed, when she didn’t say anything he sat himself down, hands together as he gazed off at the wall “I don’t think you’re as uncaring and mean as you make out to be” Shizen promptly threw her head to him “What?” “You heard me” Ectoplasm said, unthreatened by Shizen’s glare “I actually think deep down you care a lot for your co-workers, despite how you insist otherwise” “I-You-..I’m not-“ Shizen sputtered, failing miserably to come back Ecto’s utter accusation in her still drunk state “I do not.” Shizen hissed, flushing an angry red Ectoplasm failed to cower “Really?” He asked with a sarcastic tone. Ectoplasm gazed back off at Shizen’s bedroom wall to collect his thoughts “...Do you remember what you told me after me and Higari got married?” “...No?” Shizen replied with uncertainty, not sure what Ectoplasm was planning. “After the ceremony you congratulated us, that you where happy I was the one Higari ended up with and...” Though his face was hard to read, it was clear his smile had turned warm, his eyes soft as he looked back on that day, the happiest day of his life “That I made him happy” Ectoplasm smiled wider, turning back to Shizen who had fallen quite, but she was no longer glaring “..I feel like you wanted to say something more judgemental, but you said that instead” “......” Shizen turned away with a huff “..That proves nothing” Her blunt delivery seemed to put a damper on Ectoplasm’s mood, the reminder of his wedding and his happy smile fading as he looked away with a small sigh, shoulders slumped Shizen gave him a glance “...Look-“ Shizen sat up, the blanket lazily wrapped around her shoulders as she scooted a bit closer “Out of everyone here you’re not..the most annoying.” It was obvious Shizen wasn’t used to being this open with her opinions on people, evident in how she refused to look at him, her eyes trained on the floor as Ectoplasm blinked innocently “You’re intelligent, patient, good in a fight..you train your students well, you never half arse things. And..you’re good to Higari. He lived with me and my dad when he was at UA and I see how happy you make him!..You’re clearly passionate about teaching and-...and..” Shizen caught sight of the grateful smile Ectoplasm had on his face and she suddenly felt very embarrassed. “A-And don’t expect any more compliments“ Ecto huffed a small chuckle “Thank you Shizen” “...Thank you too” Shizen replied “For..Well-“ Shizen once again gestured to herself “Helping me out” “You’re welcome” Ectoplasm stood, remembering it was still late and more so that he still had paperwork to finish, even if it was a weekend. “I’ll be back up with a glass of water for you, and leave your phone out on your nightstand. You have mine and Higari’s contacts if you need anything, though I suppose you still won’t want Higari to see you like this so perhaps it’s better you just call me to make things quicker” “Yeah yeah..” Shizen said with an eye role, thought her usual snark wasn’t in her tone. She laid back down, resting the side of her head on her pillows are already feeling the drowsiness of sleep taking affect. “..You tell anyone about this-“ “My metaphorical lips are sealed” Ectoplasm said before Shizen could finish. Shizen gave him a hard look just to make sure he was telling the truth, before she laid back down again, muttering a “good” under her breath as Ectoplasm softly closed the door and slipped back out into the hall. ///One day later/// To no surprises Shizen had spent the whole of Saturday asleep, cursing the world for the head splitting hangover she had to endure. Thankfully she hadn’t called him, yet at least, so it seemed she was able to handle herself just fine without his assistance. He just hoped she was feeling better by the time Monday came around, he had no doubt that Nezu would be understanding of the situation (not impressed, but understanding), but Shizen was as stubborn as a mule, knowing her she’d tried to work regardless of if she still had a hangover. “Still slavin’ away huh?” Higari announced as he walked past the table Ectoplasm was working at. “Ya know a weekend is supposed ta be a break right?” He teased, picking up some of Ecto’s marked papers to briefly scim his eyes over them before returning them back to the table “It’s only a few more” Ectoplasm reached over and picked up a smaller pile of papers to his right “Besides, this means come Monday evening I won’t have any extra work to worry about” “Good” Higari said, casually walking to Ecto’s side to give him a small squeeze “You look way more sexy in bed then markin’ papers” Ectoplasm chuckled, his cheeks tinting pink “Flirting? At this hour??” He pretended to tut and shake his head “Not even gone lunch and you’re already off with your shenanigans” Higari chuckled, a smirk gracing his lips as he shrugged “What can I say? It’s your fault for being too cute” “Are you blaming me?” Ecto asked, resting his chin on the back of his hand, placing his pen down - just what Higari wanted, all his attention on him. Boldly, Higari rested his hand on the back of Ecto’s chair and leaned in “Never said bein’ cute was a bad thing. Yer a real beauty~” Ectoplasm’s cheeks went a bright pink as he huffed a chuckle “..I suppose I am quite a luxury~” Higari’s hand reached up into the back of Ectoplasm’s hair, gently scratching his scalp. Ecto relaxed at the affection, eyes closing - totally missing the mischievous turn in Higari’s smirk “Damn right you are~” In a swift motion Higari tugged Ecto’s head down to him, Ecto expected a kiss - what he got instead was Higari whispering something shamefully dirty into his ear, something that he dare not say out loud. His cheeks burnt crimson, his glasses askew over his face as his gaping white eyes shot open to the size of plates, uncaring of his papers as the one had been marking fell to the floor by his feet. Higari chuckled into his ear, pleased with Ecto’s rather flustered reaction- “You have zero shame” Ecto jumped in his seat and then whirled his head round to the newcomer, feeling a rush of relief when he saw it was only Shizen - God forbid if it had been Midnight, he would never hear the end of it. “Guilty as charged~” Higari said with a mock surrender motion, obviously unashamed at being caught flirting. Shizen narrowed her eyes at him in disgust “Sometimes I question how us two are related” “Love you too” Higari replied back, releasing his hand from Ecto’s hair but not before he threw in a sly wink. Ecto’s entire face and upper neck where a deep red as he clumsily fixed his glasses, Higari’s dirty words causing him to need a reboot. Higari let out one last chuckle before he went off on his way back to his and Ectoplasm’s shared dorm Shizen watched him leave and then looked back to Ecto in all his pink faced state “Ah-Uh-“ Ecto, failing you think of an excuse, cleared his throat and tried to distract himself from Shizen’s gaze by picking up the paper he had dropped earlier “S-Shizen! Glad to see you up, feeling better?” Shizen hummed, making her way over towards Ecto’s table with two cups in hand, steam rising from them indicated both had a hot drink in them. Shizen stopped besides him and then took a sip from one of the cups “Been better” she said “But not as crappy as yesterday” Ecto nodded “Oh, well- t-that’s good to hear” he hoped Shizen wasn’t going to comment on what she had seen. Shizen rose a brow at his red face, apparently that was all that needed to be said on the matter she had unintentionally walked in on. “Hm, looks like you’re having a good morning” Ecto’s face went hot as he choked on air, fumbling with his own before he dropped it. Shizen slowly slurped from her drink, Ecto coughed hard into his hand “W-Well Uh-It has-...Uhm..” Ecto couldn’t answer that question with a straight or calm face, not sure if Shizen was teasing him or if she was genuinely trying to start conversation. “...Itsbeengood..” he finally answered, barely above a mumble “Hm” Shizen nodded “That’s nice” she replied For a moment silence fell over them, for Ecto it was horribly awkward, he had no clue if he should try and say something to change the subject, if he should just suffer silently, or wish for the floor to swallow him into non-existence. Maybe a combo of all three- Clink “Hm?” Ecto peered up as a cup of piping hot coffee was placed before him, the smell already causing him to perk up and realise just how tired he was from all the paperwork he’d done. Ecto peered to Shizen, who looked to be pretending he wasn’t there - slowly, he reached for the cup. “Don’t expect this every morning” Shizen finally spoke, still avoiding eye contact as she swirled her drink in her cup. “...Just see it as a..final thanks, for helping me out...A-And Uh-“ Shizen cleated her throat, fingers awkwardly tugging at her bandana as she half turned around “Let’s just forget all the..Uhm, uncharacteristic things I may have done or said” Ectoplasm nodded humbly, bringing his cup closer towards him to take a drink. His body sunk into his chair, the warmth of the drink pleasant, shaking away the drowsy feeling of an early morning start hanging over him “Hm...you mean like when you where laying on the ladies bathroom floor looking rather sorry for yourself?” Shizen gave him a sharp look “...Yes-“ “Or maybe when you kept nearly falling asleep and then you would stubbornly jerk you’re eyes back open again because you found out you where half falling asleep on me?” Ectoplasm teased, his eyes narrowed Shizen’s brow twitched, face growing red “Ectoplasm I am not above hitting my cousins husband in the teachers dorms” Ectoplasm let out a hearty laugh, Shizen’s threat flying over his head as the smaller women merely narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t worry I’m only teasing! I won’t tell, I promise” Shizen narrowed her eyes one final time, as if to double check he was being truthful. Sensing her doubt Ectoplasm spoke again “Like I said before my lips are sealed, you don’t have to worry about me spreading gossip about the dorms. And being a lightweight is nothing to be ashamed off” “Hm..” Shizen thought for a moment “...Yeah well, next time I’M picking where we go for teachers night out” “Oh?” Ectoplasm rose a brow “Are you implying you enjoy spending time with your coworkers after all?” Despite herself, the tiniest of smiles came to Shizen’s face, she let herself laugh a little “Heh..well, maybe you’re not so bad”

#MHA #Ectpplasm #Shizen #MHA OC #OC #Palettes rat #My OC

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staywritten · 4 years ago

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A Love That Last│Bang Chan III

A Love That Lasts │ Chapter ⅠⅠⅠ

Synopsis: You’ve spent the last two years, helping your very handsome next door neighbor raise his adorable daughter. The two of you fell into a routine before you knew it. And now you had this little family. You couldn’t help but fall for him.

Genre: Parent!Au, Dad!Bang Chan, Fluff, Nonidol!Au, smut in a later chapter

Word Count: 2.7k

Part I │Part II │

A night out did you some good. It wasn’t that you ever felt deprived of nights out over the past few years, you just never craved for them. Your way of de-stressing from work was hanging out with Chan and Minseo at a park, watching a movie, going to a cafe with your coworkers, but you haven’t let go and just drank to your heart's content, not since college.

And sure, maybe your broken heart had something to do with, but they didn’t need to know that. As far as they were concerned you were just letting loose.

“Another order of shots please~” you waived down the waiter, signaling for a round for the table.

Minho steadied your swaying body, lowering your glass. “Maybe you should slow down”

“Awww come on, I never drink” you pouted, before tossing back another glass.

“All the more reason to slow down. What happened anyway?” he frowned. “I thought you were going to talk to Lover boy today”

You laughed, a little too loudly covering just how hurt you still were. “Well lover boy has a date tomorrow night Soooooo” you swayed before reaching for his beer, no longer satisfied with your empty glass. “I guess he wasn’t that into me”

“A date isn’t the end of the world you know…”

“He has a date with a young model, and Chris is perfect… he’s handsome and so kind and…” you sniffled as your frown deepened. “Too good for me”

Minho groaned before poring you another shot, rubbing your back gently. “But-”

“Hey what are you two talking about so secretly?” Woojin grinned bringing more shots.

“Nothing important” you gave him a half smile as he clanked his glass against yours. “Cheers” he threw back his shot. “You never drink, we gotta make up for lost times”

Minho watched him warily, but chose not to intervene, deciding that maybe a drunken night could at least distract you.

After a few more hours, most of your co-workers had already tapped out, and you’d been trying to sober up for the past 40 minutes knowing you were going to be leaving soon. “You ready to go, Champ?” Minho reached his hand out to help you up, an had to steady you immediately seeing you stumble. “I told you to take it easy”

“Imightbedrunk~” you slurred, nursing a cup of water to your lips “Mmm...Room keeps spinning” you leaned against the wall.

“Drink all of this” Minho tilted the cup back forcing you to finish the drink. “You’re a mess”

“I can take her home” Woojin walked over to the two of you. “She lives closer to the Itaewon exit right? I pass her to get to my place”

Seungmin sighed holding a passed out Hyunjin on his shoulder. “I gotta get him home, Minho you live near Jihyo right? Can you make sure she and Naeyeon get home safe?”

“I- But...Sure” Minho’s eyes narrowed before poking Woojin’s chest. “You get her home safe and don’t you touch a hair on her head. She’s drunk”

“Minho, I’m a doctor, what do you take me for?”

“I see how you look at her, and I know that you think of her more than a co-worker. And if you so much as touch her, I won’t hesitate to risk my license and personally kick your ass.”

Woojin sighed, shaking his head. “I’ll text you the second she’s inside safe”

“I’ll be checking your location, and making sure you drop her off and take your ass back home”

“I got it Minho.”

“I’m serious Woojin, she’s already going through a lot...and there’s someone she has feelings for so don’t try and confuse her.”

Woojin walked away and helped you up, walking you to his car. “You know I used to think you were a heavy drinker, but now I’m starting to think you’re actually a light weight, and it just hits you too late.”

You groaned leaning your head against the window of car. “Mmm...you might be right” laughing you looked over at him. “Sorry... I’m not usually like this...” You did drink pretty regularly, but it never extended past a glass of wine or a bottle of beer a night. You usually shied away from hard liquor. You suppose you thought a miracle would happen, and suddenly Chan wouldn’t have a date to go on...but here you were just as heartbroken but now with a headache.

He continued driving down the road, occasionally looking over to you. “What’s got you drinking this much? And don’t say it’s because you were excited to spend time with your co-workers” he smirked.

“Heh you’re right, no offense to them” You played with the seatbelt over your chest, trying to fight off how heavy your lids felt. “Hmmm...I got rejected, and it hurts.”

“A beautiful woman like you? It’s their loss.”

“You’re sweet but-”

“No but. You’re seriously amazing. He’ll be kicking himself for rejecting you”

“You barely know me” you sighed, leaning your head against the window, the crash from your drunken buzz upon you.

“I’m pretty observant. You’re so dedicated, you work hard and follow through with your promises.” Your patients adore you... I can’t imagine anyone rejecting you...honestly I’d-” he risked glancing over at you again and chuckled seeing that you’d fallen asleep.

After a few more blocks, he pulled onto your street. Admittedly he did take the scenic route just to extend his time with you. “Wake up Sleeping beauty…” he gently shook your shoulder “You’re home…” He called your name a few more times, but none of them loud enough to actually wake you. He walked over to the passenger side, unbuckling your seatbelt and lifting you in his arms. Luckily Minho did him give your apartment number so he didn’t need your directions.

Woojin walked up the steps of the apartment, only to be met with Chan looking at the stars outside his door. “Is she ok?” his eyes widened in worry. Woojin eyed him warily. “I live right here, I can take her inside, She’s my friend”

“She’s fine, just a little drunk” his eyes narrowed. “And no offense, but I don’t know you and I’m not handing my coworker to some stranger”

“I don’t know you either and you’re holding my very intoxicated friend and I'm pretty sure you don’t have a key.” he crossed his arms over his chest. “And I don’t know how she’d feel about letting a stranger into her house”

Woojin scoffed “A stranger? I’m a colleague, Dr. Kim, maybe she’s mentioned me”

“Never heard of you, and trust me I spend every day with her”

You groaned in Woojin’s arms, shifting in your sleep just slightly. It was so subtle but it was enough to silence their little bickering. “Hmmm?”

“Shh, it’s ok you’re almost home” Woojin cooed softly, rocking you. His grip tightened around your frame, holding you securely to keep you from falling.

“Chris...I’m home...” you mumbled, smiling happily in your sleep. Your hand falling over Woojin’s chest, gripping his shirt as you snuggled into him. “Nnn...Chris…warm...”

Chan gazed at you, his heart fluttering hearing the softness of your voice, the warmth of his name on your lips.

“Whose Chris…?” Woojin looked over at Chan.

“I am…”

Woojin shook his head before walking toward him and gently handing you over to him. “I was warned I was fighting a losing battle” he chuckled. “Just take care of her…”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean” Before Woojin could even make it back to the car he was met with a fussy phone call by Minho yelling at him about taking too long to contact him.

Chan cradled you against his chest before unlocking your door and walking you inside to your bedroom. He slipped off your shoes by the door before setting you on your plush duvet. He’d never seen you so done up before, bolder make up, tighter and sexier clothes. It was very new, but he couldn’t deny just how attractive it was.

Over the past two years he’d seen many sides of you. The work you in light makeup and scrubs. Looking so beautiful as you saved lives. He’d seen the casual you on the weekends dressed lightly in jeans and sneakers when you’d spend time with him and his daughter in the park, running after her and making her laugh. His favorite form of you was domestic you, when you were cozy in pajamas, hair thrown up and out of your face. This was the you he’d come home to after a long day. The you that read stories to Minseo on bed, the you that’d remind him to turn on the stove. He loved that side of you the most.

But he was pretty sure this side of you was a close second.

“Since when do you drink this much?” He gently pushed your hair out of your face, smiling softly before running the make up remover pad over your eyes and cheeks, making sure to clean your face. “I wish I knew why you were crying earlier…” he whispered more so to himself than anything. “Could I be selfish and imagine that you just didn’t want me to go on this date…” you wrapped your hands around his in your sleep, turning on your side and cuddling into his arm. He returned your squeeze. “Tell me not to go...and I’d stay in a heartbeat…” he pressed his lips against your knuckles.

You stirred in your sleep, whispering his name again. Your lips parting as you licked them softly. “Chris…” your eyes fluttered open, looking at him expectantly.

“Yes?” he smiled down at you, fondly. “Did you have fun tonight?” he chuckled seeing how drunk you’d gotten.

“...Nnnn…’hadfun...” you tugged him down, pulling his face closer to yours. “Dream?”

He tried not to laugh, but you just looked so cute and pouty. “No, Sweetheart not a dream” he grinned.

You pouted and nodded trying to understand the situation. Yawning you poked his cheek “‘leepy…”

“You can sleep, I’ll see you in the morning” he smoothed down your hair, easing you back down.

“Kiss…” you huffed holding his face, you leaned in closer to him, your eyes glazed over but pleading.

He wanted nothing more than to kiss you senseless right now. To hold your face between his hands, and to kiss you until he couldn’t breathe. But he couldn’t… Not yet, not when you were this drunk. “You’re drunk…”

“Please” your lower lip stuck out more as you leaned into him, but he steadied you. Pressing his forehead against yours he smiled. “Tell you what..”

“Mm?”

“If you remember this...and you still want to kiss me just tell me”

“Promise?”

“Promise” he chuckled when you stuck your pinky out to him. It was a habit he knew you’d picked up from Minseo and he couldn’t stop the smile forming on his lips.

He wrapped his pinky around yours and pressed his thumb against yours to complete the promise. “Please remember…” he kissed your forehead laying you back into bed, tucking you under the blanket. “Goodnight Sweet girl…” He ran his thumb against the softness of your cheeks one more time before heading out for the night, not wanting to leave Minseo alone for too long.

As morning came and you were greeted with a throbbing headache, and you were very thankful that you didn’t have a morning shift. Technically it was supposed to be a day off but you’d pop in for a few hours just to check on your patience and make sure they’re recovering nicely.

You rolled onto your side and caught a glance of you in the mirror, your top, and tight jeans evident of why you were so uncomfortable last night. You were surprised to see your face bare and your pillows and sheets not messed up from the eyeliner and mascara you put on last night.

“Minho? Woojin?” you furrowed your brows trying to remember how you got home. Part of you tried to convince yourself that Chan was the last voice you heard. His soothing voice whispering to you. But that had to be your stupid crush acting up again. Trying to force memories you wished existed. “Ugh… dammit Chris…” you flopped back on to the bed, touching your lips softly. “Why can’t I let you go…”

You had a nice and easy morning, recovering from your hangover. Lazing around the house for a few hours before getting ready for work. And doing everything to try and forget that Chan had a date tonight.

Meanwhile next door Chan was agonizing, rubbing his temples. “Felix you didn’t see her… she looked so..” he groaned. “And she kept saying my name… and she tried to kiss me and-”

“And yet you’re sitting here with me complaining to me instead of making a move on her”

“I couldn’t make a move last night, she was drunk”

“She’s probably pretty sober right now, and you know what they say drunk words are sober thoughts and all that.”

“Well I need her to tell me, out right and sober.”

“Why can’t you tell her again?”

“Because I don’t want to sound full of myself and think that she’s actually attracted to me” he sighed. “Do you know how embarrassing that’d be? I can’t accept a confession she didn’t give me… And what if I tell her that I’m into her and she says she’s only interested in helping Minseo...Like she was with a guy last night…”

“You’re literally so irritating. You both are so irritating” Felix groaned, slumping in his chair. “So let’s run through this one more time, you told her you had a date tonight and she suddenly left your apartment visibly upset, she gets drunk and some guy brings her home, but she kept saying your name?”

“Correct” Chan crossed his arms over his chest.

“And you still don’t know if she likes you!?” he groaned, scratching his head in frustration. “You’ve actually lost it haven’t you? I don’t get how you can be so blind”

“Felix I don’t want to assume anything”

“You still seriously going on this date tonight? I can cancel it for you, I’ll just tell Yeji your spending time with your wife” he smirked

“She’s not my wife” he sighed, visibly defeated. “You went through the trouble of setting it up, the least I can do is go”

You opened the door, making your way to the fridge, pouring yourself a glass of orange juice. “Hey Chris, Hey Felix.”

“No one knocks, I swear” Chan smiled it off.

There was something about how he was looking at you. Almost expectantly, pleading even. Something that went beyond his morning banter. He was trying to read you to see if you remembered.

You furrowed your brows before drinking a cup of juice “Then learn to lock your door, it’s not like we don’t have keys” you smiled “Anyway I’m heading into work, I just wanted to confirm that I’m not picking up Minseo today right?”

“Right, Felix is getting her after school”

Your eyed him suspiciously “Don’t forget this time Kid”

“Oh come on guys give me a break, so I left her at school once! I never did it again”

“You did it twice” you and Chan chimed in unison.

“Relax Mom and Dad, I got this, I set an alarm and everything”

“You better” you eyed him. “Alright I’m off-”

“You look good today Doc, no scrubs?” Felix grinned checking you out, his eyes lingering on your bare legs a second too long.

“Nah, I don't’ have any surgeries scheduled, I’m just going to check on some patients and do some paperwork”

“Ya know...I’ve been feeling feverish lately, maybe I should make an appointment with the good doctor?” he leaned on the wall beside you, eyeing you. He gave you that cheesy smirk and a greasy wink.

You rolled your eyes before smirking at him, you mirrored his sultry look whispering lowly between you two. “Felix… I’m a heart surgeon, you’re gonna need an appointment with a pediatrician” you giggle pushing him away shaking your head “See you guys later”

Chan scoffed, staring at Felix in mild offense “You tell me to make a move, but you flirt with her in front of me?”

“You ever think, that maybe I’m trying to encourage you?” he chuckled as Chan playfully smacked his arm. “You afraid of a little competition Bro” he teased before Chan wrapped his strong forearm around his neck putting him in a headlock. “Ow! Ow! C’mon I was just kidding” Felix tapped his arm, as Chan ruffled his hair laugh. “I was kidding!”

To be continued…

Chapter VI

➣Masterlist

Hey Friends! ヾ(��∇＾)

I hope you enjoyed that update! This is what I like to call a guilty pleasure mini series, it appeals to everything that I love writing, admittedly I love having the little cameos in the background <3

ps. it’s hard writing drunk dialogue because it just looked like I was misspelling things lmao

∘Tags List:

@minnieskz @thelustasylum

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crewhonk · 5 years ago

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Sunshine

Cop!Bucky X Reader

In which your best friend, Maria Rambeau goes into labour on your couch and the freeway has other plans to get you to the hospital

Warnings: Swearing, Traffic, labouring mother, fluff, cop!beefy!bucky, im suffering from intense baby fever this is pretty self indulgent, GREYS ANATOMY SPOILERS

Words: 3.5K

@nomadsgrogers i tagged you now you have to name yours and seb’s first daughter after me

Your knuckles were white with the grip you had on the steering wheels of your Jeep, the engine purring louder as you pressed your sneakered foot harder on the gas and passed several cars very illegally. You could feel the sweat beading at your temples and you heart pounding in your ears, blood rushing to them in a roar not loud enough to block out the screaming from your passenger side seat.

Maria Rambeau had come over to your house earlier that day— something not uncommon from one of your best friends, and you greeted her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and a whispered hello to her swollen stomach. You, Maria and Carol, had served in the Airforce in your late teens and early twenties both you and Maria had left to pursue goals which were just a little closer to Earth. She had curled up on your couch, barely hiding her discomfort as you handed her an iced tea— made just the way she liked. She had just been about to lift the glass to her lips when there was a sound of rushing water and she doubled over, pain electrocuting her body so deep it felt like the marrow in her bones was frying.

You had immediately busted into action, quelling your tears of fear as you sprinted to your room for a change of clothes that may fit the very pregnant and soaked woman on your couch while yelling at her to time the spaces between her contractions.

So, you were in the jeep now, racing down the freeway and drumming your fingers over the steering wheel, shushing Maria as she tried once again to apologize for ruining your couch.

“Maria if you apologize once more I’m going to steal the birth certificate and change the name to dark roast coffee. Stop, I can get a new couch.” You bit, clenching your jaw as you swept back into the lane you were supposed to be. You thought you saw a flash of a middle finger but you genuinely couldn’t care less as the screaming woman in your car took precedence over all else.

“Did you call Carol, yet?” You asked, trying to attempt to take your friends mind off the pain rocketing through her body.

“Yeah, when you were in the bedroom. I think she screamed and swore and I’m pretty sure she said she was on her way to Brooklyn General. You know how she gets when she’s excited.” Maria smiled tiredly as the pressure lifted from her stomach. She sat back and patted the swell of her belly and looked down at it fondly. “You better calm down in there, soldier. Mama needs to get to the hospital before you meet her.”

“Yeah, and I already gotta get my couch replaced, I can’t afford to get the bloodstains out of the car.” You joked, winking over to Maria.

“I’m sorry!” She cried, laughing before gasping as the felt another contraction build in her stomach. Instead of replying you just laughed and pressed your foot harder to the gas.

___________________________

It was another five minutes of speeding down the highway when you merged onto the freeway and found yourself at your first problem.

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god this is not normal!” Maria pressed her forehead against the dash and you looked over worriedly before placing your hand on her back and rubbing it in soothing circular motions.

“I’m pretty sure it is.” You hummed, noticing the there were a lot of red tail lights ahead and slowed down the jeep, flinching when you heard a low moan erupt from somewhere in Maria’s throat.

“Shut up yes it is.” She growled, biting her forearm to stifle her keens of pain. There was a moment of silence before the contraction passed and she looked over at you, eyes tired and regretful “Sorry for saying that.”

“Stop apologizing. You’re literally in labour. You could say anything and I wouldn’t be offended.” You hummed, brows furrowing as you tried to see if you could fit in the space between the cars and the blockade to see if you could bypass the traffic.

Nope.

“No, no, no. What is this traffic, are you kidding me?” Maria cried when she looked up. You pressed your lips together and pulled over as far to the side as possible. You clicked the seatbelt and looked at Maria very seriously.

“Do. Not. Leave. This car.” You said, pointing your finger in her face. Maria looked like she would like nothing more than to bite it clean off. Instead of giving your best friend the satisfaction, you opened the door and stepped out of the car.

“Y/N. Bitch! Where the fuck are you— OWWWW!” She keened and you hesitated to leave her alone. Instead of doing so, you kicked on a car door beside you and alerted the car of young adults to your presence. The driver smiled politely and turned down the music before rolling down the window and smiling.

“What’s up, Miss?” He was cute. Young, innocent, perfect for guarding a labouring soon-to-be mother.

“Y/N. Call me Y/N, please.” You dug in your bag and pulled out your wallet, giving them each as much cash as you could before asking them; “Would you mind watching my very best, labouring friend while I go and see if I can get us a ride to the hospital, please?” You begged. His eyes widened and he looked at his round friend and beautiful, but very nerdy friend before stuttering out an affirmation.

“Great, her name is Maria. I’ll be back in five minutes.” You rushed before beginning the short jog up to the front of the jam. There were a few police cars guarding the wreckage and you winced at the sight of crushed metal before running to the nearest cop car and leaning forward to rest your hand on your need and catching your breath.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” A grumbly voice sounded above you and you shot up, hands on your back and a tired smile on your face. All was very well until your eyes landed on his beautiful, gorgeous, almost offensive face. His hair was hidden with a combination of black police hat and bun, a light sprinkling of scruff on his strong jaw and crooked nose between two very intense eyes. There was a gap in his eyebrow due to a scar and his rough appearance had your knees weak.

“I— um. Yeah. I’m fine. How— how are you?” You tried to smirk and lean against the cruiser, remembering why you were there before straightening up.

“I’m fine?” He replied, a smirk on his face and eyes thoroughly amused. Sure, he had been flirted with on the job before, but not in this situation and most certainly not by someone who took his very breath away. “What can I help you with?”

Right.

“I— I have a friend back there and she is trying to stop herself from pushing a watermelon-sized human out of a space which is not watermelon sized.” You blushed as if you were in fifth grade and just hearing about the works of childbirth for the first time again. God, why did the first cop that helped her need to be a walking Adonis? A very, very amused Adonis. No way it was legal to wear a uniform that seemed to be ripping at the seams trying to keep muscles on muscles at bay.

“Jesus.” He swore, looking around and seeing that all of his coworkers were busy. “I— okay, where is she?”

_________________________

You and officer James “Bucky” Barnes, as you learned his name was, jogged back t your parked car, all three teenagers had since piled into the jeep and were trying their very best to quell the pain Maria felt shaking her to her very soul. The tiny kid looked as if he was going to explode if Maria squeezed his hand any tighter. At the sight of you, each teenager relaxed into their seats and smiled at you when you pulled open the passenger side door.

“Hey, soldier.” You smiled, wiping Maria’s curly bangs from her forehead. She looked up slowly, as if in a daze and offered you a weak smile.

“Did you know these kids are going to graduate top of their class at Midtown?” She hummed, looking back fondly at them. The pain was making her delirious and you blinked stupidly as you heard Maria’s giggles turn into a low moan of pain.

“Hey, Maria, shhh. You’re okay, you’re safe.” You pulled her head to rest in the crook of her neck and looked back at Officer Barnes who looked a little too pale to be normal. She clutched your sides, pulling your shirt up to dig her nails into the soft skin of your waist, crying low not the safe crook of your neck. He knew right now really wasn’t the best time, but he’d be damned if the sight of your waist covered in long, dark claw marks make some of the blood drain from his brain to his stomach.

Once the contraction passed, you pulled her chin so she would look at you and you spoke very slowly. The gentleness and care you showed for the people in your life made Bucky’s heart swell and he had to very much remind himself that he was, in fact, at work.

“This if Officer Barnes. He’s going to take us to the hospital, okay?” You hummed, staking her hair and smiling softly when she leaned into your touch. Seeing this side of Maira was rare, but you were living for every minute of it.

“M��kay.” You took her hand and helped her down from the car, the teens taking the hint and exiting the car, all but the small boy climbing into the old beater. Maria’s knees buckled once she tried to put weight on them, and Bucky acted swiftly, catching her and stopping her into his arms as if she weren’t a heavily pregnant woman, and, at the very most, just a toddler throwing a tantrum.

Fuck.

The boy walked to stand next to you as Officer Barnes began walking away, in the same state shock as you were right now.

“He’s like, a real-life Hollywood superhero, huh?” He muttered, patting you on the shoulder. You nodded before turning to him and wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done today. You’re a good kid— whoever raised you did a bang-up job.” You smiled, and he flushed bright red, sheepishly looking down at his feet briefly before pulling his phone from his back pocket.

“I— would it be okay if I gave you my number? I just— I wanna know what happens.” You blinked before a wide smile spread across your face, handing him your own phone and waiting for him to give it back. When he did you looked at the name and smiled.

“I’m sure she’d love to see the brave young man that held her hand in the freeway, Peter. I’ll be in touch, okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

_______________________

You had all piled into the cop car quickly, Officer Barnes going to inform his Captain that he was going to take two women to the hospital before helping you both into the hard plastic seats of the back. You buckled Maria in as she went through another contraction and nodded at Officer Barnes that he was good to go.

“You buckle up, too, Doll. Need you safe.” His gaze through the rearview mirror was intense and he didn’t miss the way you flushed pink at the nickname. He bookmarked that one to use again— there was no way he wouldn’t be seeing you after this day.

The car pulled out, sirens and lights blaring as Bucky pulled out of the middle of the freeway, engine roaring as he sped his way to the hospital bay doors. Maria's contraction subsided and she slimed over to you, grabbing your hand and intertwining your fingers together.

“You’re a real life genius, you know that? In another life, I’m pretty sure you were a superhero.” You rolled your eyes at her compliment and physical affection, smiling widely and letting your eyes flicker to the rearview mirror, meeting those same blue, intense eyes once more. He seemed to smile at MAria’s comment, agreeing with her.

“I cannot wait to tell the little baby that this is how she got her way to the hospital.” You laughed, placing your hand on her belly and rubbing. Maria hummed.

“She’ll be sick of it by the time we tell it at her graduation.” Maria laughed, and you heard Bucky let out an amused huff of air through his nose.

“And her wedding.”

“And her wedding.” She replied, eyes welling up with tears. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”

“You’re gonna be a mama.” You whispered, a new kind of excitement in your eyes.

“And you’re gonna be a godmother.” She replied, the same excitement lacing her tone. Bucky’s heart damn well swelled in the front seat at the interaction. There was a pause before Maria jut her chin in the officer's direction.

“I’m pretty close to revoking Sam’s title as Godfather and giving it to this guy. He’s the real hero of the day.” She smirked, winking at you and wiggling her eyebrows.

“I don’t think he or Riley would be too happy about that— you know how much they want a little one in their house.” You laughed, nudging her shoulder but keeping her close.

“Oh, I’m sure they can wait for the next one. I’m pretty sure I’m in a little bit love with this guy.” Maria smiled at the bashful laugh she pulled from the officer. The warm smile and flustered pink on his cheeks making his hard exterior nothing more than a soft teddy bear. Or a street mutt that everyone adores.

“Me too.” You agreed quietly, winking at the man and blushing when he wiggled his eyebrows. Before you could get caught in your own feelings once more, Maria began rocking back and forth, breathing heavily and clutching your shoulder tightly as another contraction ripped her in half.

Bucky pressed his foot harder on the gas.

____________________

The cop car careened into the ER bay, and a very familiar face runs out, worry deep get in his brow at the sight of two of his closest friends in the back of a cop car. Tony Stark meets the car as it stops, opening the door to see Maria Rambeau keening in pain and you with tired, worried eyes. He nods towards the familiar officer and pulls Maria from the car and into a wheelchair. Bruce runs outside at the sight of two familiar faces and immediately starts asking questions.

“What the hell happened?” He half-shouts, meeting you and looking back at Maria who is now surrounded but the best team of doctors. Helen Cho breaks through the crowd with a smile and a wink and immediately sweeps her up further into the hospital.

“She came over and went into labour all over my couch and then we got stuck in traffic and I managed to find this Officer to help us.” You rushed, eyes darting anxiously to see if you could see Maria or Carol or anyone at all. Bruce looks back at Officer Barnes and smiles, jutting out a hand for Barnes to shake.

“Thank you, Officer. Maria is one of our people, and you helping her and Y/N means more than you know.” Bucky blushed and smiled, stepping away and watching as Bruce turned to walk back into his ER.

“Thank you, for everything, Officer.” You say, voice quiet. The toll of the day has already made your shoulders slouch and your blinks slow, but you know you have so many more hours to go before baby is here. There was no way that you would be missing your Godbaby’s birth.

“Bucky. Please, it’s Bucky.” He smiled, leaning casually on his car and crossing his arms. You lick your lips at the sight of the bulging muscles, and he subtly flexes at your reaction to him.

“You tell all the girls to call you Bucky or somethin’?” You joke, swaying up on your tip toes and back down.

‘Only the pretty ones who care too much about their pregnant friends screaming in my backseat.” He said, his voice low and rumbly and making your core tighten. You flush and your eyes dart around the ambulance bay nervously before settling back on him.

“I uh— I should go. Make sure her wife is okay, and everything.” You say, voice sad and regretful and you relish in the way his shoulders drop in disappointment.

“Yeah, you should. I’ll see you around, though okay?” He asks, watching you start to back away to the sliding doors. You smirk.

“I’ll drive a little bit faster these days then. Maybe you can give me a ticket or somethin’.” You smile and he threw his head back to let out a roaring laugh that echoes against the buildings around you. God, what you would give to drown in that sound.

“I’ll be lookin’ forward to it, Doll.” His voice is low and you can feel your face heat up under his intense stare and nickname.

“Me too, Officer.”

_____________________

It’s almost six hours later when Monica Lawson Danvers-Rambeau is brought into the world, Carol on the left side of Maria and you on the right. Monica is six pounds, 9 ounces of pure squealing baby and she is immediately the centre of the group's lives. The first baby to be born in the friend group warrants a few life-altering feelings one would think.

It’s almost midnight, and you’re curled up in one of the armchairs pressed into the corner by the window, Monica asleep in your arms. Her eyelids flutter with her very first dream and your heart feels like it's going to explode with love when you let one gentle knuckle brush her cheek as light as a feather. You could have stared at her forever, and would have too if it wasn’t for the son knock from the open door only a few feet away.

Officer Barnes stands there, a grey sweater and dark jeans adorning his body, his hair loose and tucked behind his ears and he has a pair of sunglasses to keep the rest of the strands from falling into his face. There's a large, colourful bouquet of tulips and sunflowers and babies breath in his arms and you nod your head to the table beside the bed holding the sleeping wives. You stand and walk over to him, Monica making a tiny, squeaking noise in your arms before settling back in, nuzzling her face deeper into your chest. Bucky’s heart swells at the sight.

“How’re you?” He mumbles, eyes never leaving Monica. To think she was inside his car only a few hours ago trying to escape blew his mind. She was so quiet. So peaceful now.

“I’m the best I’ve been in a long time.” You replied honestly. Life had always given you a rough hand, but this-this made everything worth it.

“That’s great to hear.” He whispered, leaning against the doorframe. You turn your head to yawn and your eyes look impossibly heavy.

“This is little Monica. You probably saved her life, you know. You got us here safe and sound. Thank you, Officer Barnes.” You hum, smiling softly, and Bucky can feel his heart rate double in pace. He clenches his jaw nervously before looking at you hopefully. The sight of his puppy dog eyes peeking through his long, dark lashes has your knees weak.

“What d’you say I wait around for as long as you need and I drive you home. We can stop at some 24-hour diner and get coffee and breakfast— I haven’t eaten in a few hours and I would like to see you some more.”

You sucked in a breath through your nose and let it out of your mouth quickly. God, he really went for the kill, didn’t he? You’d be lying to yourself if you said coffee and a beautiful date didn’t sound like the best thing in the world right now.

“The nurses are due to check up on us in a few minutes if you want to wait? I don’t wanna just leave them.” You mumble, blushing, nervous gaze softening when you look at the little pink bundle in your arms.

“She loves you already.” He smiles, gently brushing one long, thick finger over the small tuft of curly hair. She looked so much like her mother.

You smile up at him— a smile of mischief and confidence. “Well, what’s not to love, huh?”

Buckys eyes flick up to your own and your breath catches at the intensity of his stare. His moist, plump lips are turned into a small smile when he says “I can’t find anything that anyone wouldn’t.”

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apriorisea · 5 years ago

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When He Falls Asleep While Waiting for You - Namjoon

“You guys, seriously, I’ve got to go!” you say with a smile, playfully shoving your friend’s arm out of the way. “I’m already super late.” You glance down at your watch and feel an immediate shot of guilt---almost 97 minutes late.

“Oh, let her go,” one of your coworkers says drunkenly. “She’s got to run home to that boyfriend of hers!” The guilt intensifies, but so does the smile on your face. “That’s exactly right. Make good choices, everyone.” With a final wave, you escape the restaurant at last, stepping out into the cold night air and shivering a little. You check the time once again, then, groaning internally, reach for your phone, certain that you’ll have a barrage of worried or upset text messages from Namjoon. You’re surprised when you don’t find any. You were supposed to meet him at the studio 100 minutes ago---had he decided to go home early? Hesitating just a moment longer, you dial his number, hoping he wasn’t too unhappy with your tardiness. It rings and rings and rings, and when you get sent to voicemail, the first bit of worry streaks across your mind. You open your messages: I’m SO sorry! are you still at work? You don’t wait for a response, heading instead in the direction of the company building, which isn’t too far from the restaurant where your coworker had insisted on celebrating his birthday. You really hadn’t intended to stay that long, knowing he was waiting for you and that the two of you would get to spend a precious “night off” together, but it had taken a while for your coworkers to assemble and you hadn’t been able to make your escape until much later than planned. You walk a little quicker. The building is relatively quiet for this time at night, and you reach his studio quickly. Pushing open the door, the first thing you see is him, passed out in his cushy work chair. Exhaling softly, you shut the door behind you and move towards him, a smile crossing your lips as you hear him snoring softly: he must be really tired. You sneak a peek at his computer monitor---and feel your heart grow 11 sizes when you realize he had been looking at a file of pictures of the two of you together. “Joonie,” you whisper, climbing carefully onto his lap, “I’m here.” You stroke his face softly, too much in love with this man to put into words. You smile as his eyelids flutter open at your careful touch. “Hi, baby.” There’s a moment of confusion, followed by utter joy as he recognizes you, and he immediately wraps his arm around you, pulling you against him. “My love,” he says sleepily. “Yes, you’re here.” He can’t stop himself from pressing a tired barrage of kisses to your collarbone, ignoring your soft laugh. “All right.” You pull back after a moment, brushing his hair back from his forehead fondly. “We need to get home. Are you ready?” He nods, but his eyes are still half-closed. “Mmm,” he agrees, his arms still around you. You grin and lean in to kiss his cheek. “Let’s go.” You wriggle out of his hold, and watch as he slowly shuts down his computer. When he gets to his feet, he spends a full minute looking for his favorite black beanie before realizing it’s sitting on the desk right next to his hand. “You okay?” “Mmm,” he says, but now he’s looking for his jacket and you realize it’s going to take him an eternity to notice that it’s hanging on the back of the chair. You reach out and put a hand on the side of his face. “It’s okay, I’ve got it.” Before grabbing his jacket, you finish shutting down the computer, feeling your heart swell again as you carefully close down the file of pictures. He lets you guide his arms into the jacket, watching you with exhausted eyes as you zip it all the way up to his chin. “I’m sorry I’m late, babe,” you say contritely, reaching up to kiss him softly. “The party started way later than I thought it would.” He locks his arms around your waist, holding you tight even through his zombie-like movements. “I figured it was something like that,” he says, resting his forehead heavily against yours. “Don’t worry, love, I’m just glad you’re here now.” He kisses your lips once, softly, then sighs happily and lets his eyes close all the way as he kisses you again, this time more intensely. You kiss him back, but break away when you feel his body start to relax too much. “Namjoon-ah,” you say quietly, waiting until his opens his eyes again. “Let’s get you home, okay? You’re about to fall asleep on your feet.” He gives you a lazy grin. “No way. I’m pretty comfortable here,” he leans in and pecks your lips, “just like---” He kisses you again, “---this.” “It’ll be more comfortable at home,” you promise, smiling up at him. When he relents, you reach out and adjust his face mask for him, then slip your hand into his. “Come on, baby. I won’t make you wait that much longer.”

#bts imagines #bts scenarios #bts clean imagines #bts #non-smut #bts fluffy imagines #fluffy #bts imagine namjoon #namjoon #RM

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springday-aus · 5 years ago

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Untold Mermaid Tales: Sunmi’s Story

Fic Piece Written By: Admin Grandma of @springday-aus

Moodboard Link Created By: Admin Grandpa

Main Character: Lee Sunmi (formally known from Wonder Girls)

Additional Characters: (in order of mention) Kim Yubin, Park Jonghyun, Yoon Junyoung

Genre: historical, fantasy, mermaid!au, revenge story

Type: one-shot writing piece

Word Count: approx. 6.3k

Plot Summary: Sunmi dreams of leaving home to be a sailor. Her opportunity comes when her brother is sick and she’s sent to care for him overseas. However, the journey goes sour as the real implications of her presence are revealed and feelings get hurt.

Warnings: [lots of sexism] - sexual harassment, rape is implied, murder mentions.

For centuries, humans have believed that mermaids are nothing more than mythical creatures of the sea. It started from folklore and fairytales, like The Little Mermaid leading to their current portrayals in the media, such as Aquamarine or Ocean Girl. This is what essentially feeds humans the illusion of mermaids as beautiful beings who do nothing more than sing and swim, leading sailors astray from their paths.

While it’s true that these creatures are magical, in no way are they as enchanting as they seem. Mermaids may seem to be carefree and gentle because they don’t have a human life on land to worry about. However, they are beings filled with spite, fueled by revenge and bitterness. To understand why is too complex to explain, but they have one goal: to avenge themselves by dragging down the men who dared to have them thrown overboard.

Along the pier on the edge of Busan sits a young woman closely observing the sea. The waves crash lightly underneath her, the small mists of water spritzed itself into the air, splashing her every once in a while. The salty sea shimmers as it sways from a distance, sparkling against the limited light the sun provides. Just where the horizon starts to fully set lies the clothes of faded pinks, blending within the mix of pale yellows and light scarlet-orange. Despite the darkening sky, incoming ships continue to arrive in the docks, just a couple of blocks short from the pier.

Sumni sits upright and cross-legged, staring out into the never-ending waters—watching the fluttering sails continuously cut through the sunset with its’ shapes getting gradually bigger as time passes. Each one seems the same for everyone else, but to her, each is just as mesmerizing as the next.

As her thoughts lost themselves within the sea, another’s footsteps lightly taps on the pier’s wood, getting closer to her with each step. She doesn’t budge.

“Take a seat, Yubin.” She taps the empty spot next to her. “You and I both know I’m not going anywhere for a while.”

With a shake of her head, Yubin chuckles but takes the seat regardless. “At this point, you should sleep here,” she says. “You practically live on this pier.”

“There’s no point if I’m leaving tomorrow.”

“Are you excited? You’re going to be an official sailor.”

“Of course, I’m excited—slightly nervous, but I’ve been waiting for this since I was ten.” Sunmi leans back on her hands, taking in the scene once more. “I need to see more than just what I’ve read. I can’t just stay here for all of my life.”

Yubin hums in response, nodding along to Sunmi’s words.

“Don’t be mistaken,” Sumni says. “I’ll miss you and my family.”

“But?”

“Something tells me this is my one chance—another opportunity like this won’t come.”

Yubin smiles fondly at her, before giving her a small nudge. “Well, at least you’re taking it. You’re lucky. You get to be more than just a housewife or school teacher. Nothing’s wrong with it, but…” She pauses, looking down at her lap. “You got a chance to do more.”

Sunmi huffs in response. Glancing around, she continues to speak, but with a lowered tone. “I have to confess though. It doesn’t feel right.”

“What are you talking about?” Yubin asks. “You’ll get to achieve your dreams to see the world beyond Busan, and who knows? Maybe, even meet a nice man, like your captain!”

“That’s just it though,” Sunmi says. “Captain Park... something feels off about him.”

Speak of the devil and he shall appear—as if on cue, Park Jonghyun makes his way over from his ship on the docks and along the pier. He jumps onto the sandy shore, breathing in the fresh, foreign air, since he and his crew just arrived from Japan. They’re on their way to Montréal to meet up with St. Laurent, but made a pit stop in the south for additional supplies and shipmates.

With his black boots thudding against the ground below him, his tall silhouette moves swiftly to gather some equipment to prepare themselves for their journey tomorrow morning. However, he stops in his tracks once he spots the two women nearby. Without a word to his crew, he heads over towards them in long strides.

His presence doesn’t go unnoticed. The ladies take notice of the man in uniform with the broad shoulders and firm thighs heading their way. The wind picks up, sweeping his dark hair back with grace—his eyes never wavering from them. Dear lord, he’s attractive, but it would’ve been better if he wasn’t aware of it.

“Ladies.” He bows his head down as if he’s tipping an imaginary hat. “Are you lost?”

Yubin looks enchanted. Whereas, Sunmi easily get sup from her spot, dusting off her pants. Straightening her shoulders back, she looks up to him with crossed arms. “No, but we were just about to head back.”

“It’s getting a bit dark, ladies—seems dangerous to be walking alone. Would you like an escort back?”

“No, thank you…” She quickly scans him from head to toe. “It’s more dangerous to get strangers involved.”

He simply smiles at her. “Captain Park Jonghyun.” He bows his head once more. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Yubin visibly perks up, suddenly realizing who he is. “You’re Captain Park?”

“Yes, miss. You are?”

“Kim Yubin, but you would be much more interest in my friend.”

Sunmi resists the urge to roll her eyes at Yubin’s side comment. “Lee Sunmi. I’ll be part of your crew as of tomorrow. It’s a pleasure to properly meet you.”

“The Sunmi?”

“Yes.”

“Ah,” he says. He looks off into the distance, brushing his hair out of the way. “I knew you were familiar. You’ve got a face that can’t be forgotten.”

It’s really amazing what connections can do for a woman in the ‘60s. When Sunmi’s older brother, Junho, fell ill, her father nearly collapsed from the news and her mother cried for days. Both parents feared the worst illness imaginable. Both parents were, and still are, always far more concerned for their son than their daughter. Granted, Junho was drafted into the war, but, in Sunmi’s defense, he came back in one piece. When he permanently moved to California, their parents acted as if he was off to war all over again.

Anyways, their parents insisted on having someone go to care for him and Sunmi was set to leave. It’s not like she has any complaints—she’ll get to see Junho and the beautiful places she’s only read about in her books. Once it was decided Sunmi would leave, her father pulled a couple of strings and called in favor to arrange for her departure.

Turns out, her father’s coworker’s cousin knew someone who happened to work for the Park’s family estate—a very high-profiled family with an incredible lineage of sailors who knew their way around the seas. Fortunately, Jonghyun was generous enough to let Sunmi come along.

“It’d be good for a woman to see the world,” he had said.

Since Jonghyun’s decision, her father had been directly contacted, which resulted with many letters from Mr. Lee to thank the Park family for letting his irrepressible daughter along Jonghyun’s trip.

Sunmi had also made contact with him, once he’d accepted her to be part of his crew. (Thank God for those English books.) They exchanged letters and pictures to keep one another updated as to how long the journey would take, where they would be stopping, when they would arrive, etc. Between the letter exchanges, she couldn’t help but feel a bit thrown off from Jonghyun’s manners. Even though she hasn’t met him before, there was a growing suspicion towards him—she couldn’t pinpoint what it is about him that makes him so... odd. Maybe it was how quick he’d accepted her onboard, or the way he complimented her on having a classy chassis when he’d first gotten her first photo—something was just off...

But, despite her apprehension towards him, she’s grateful for him—she’s had nothing else to look forward to until the past year, fearing that she would be stuck as some sexist’s wife. The 20th century has been progressive so far, but it’s not progressive enough for women to stop being passed as someone’s wife or sister—she isn’t getting much younger and her father would not stop stressing it. She knows had it not been for Jonghyun, she wouldn’t be allowed on a ship until another’s century passed.

“You’ve gotten by photographs,” Sunmi says.

“They don’t do you justice.” He takes her hand and kisses the back of it. “Lovely to meet you, little miss. I look forward to working with you. What brings you to the pier?”

“I’m always here—”

“And I’ve forgotten that you’re always here.” Jonghyun lowers himself to really look at her. “I was told by your father that you can be found in two places: an ocean or the river. Always drawn to the water, huh?”

She gives him a tight-lipped smile, feeling slightly put-off from the close proximity of his face. “That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”

“That’ll certainly be handy when you’re actually out on the seas. It’s a dangerous journey, do you think you’re ready?”

“Of course I am, Captain.”

“Sorry to interrupt.” Yubin glances between them, before turning her full attention to Jonghyun. “But we should be heading back. Dinner’s ready and we all need some time to say goodbye to her.”

“Of course.” Jonghyun raises an eyebrow at the both of them. “Are you sure you don’t need a man to take you back?”

“No, thank you,” Sunmi says. “We’ll get back just fine.” She turns away from him, without waiting for a reply, and promptly yanks on Yubin’s arm to drag her along.

As the distance between them grows, she shouts back to him. “See you tomorrow morning, Captain!”

“He seems nice,” Yubin says.

“I guess,” Sunmi mumbles. It’s more towards herself than Yubin, who continues to babble on about what a dreamboat he is, but nothing seems to settle the nerves in Sunmi’s stomach.

Within a span of eleven hours, Sunmi’s dreams are finally going somewhere. At first, it doesn’t really settle in—even with her parents’ tearful goodbyes, as well as their stern warnings to not cause any trouble, and Yubin’s bone-crushing hug. It doesn’t set in until she stands at the edge of the pier at the break of dawn, with nothing more than her bag in hand, in front of the vessel known as ‘SUNRISE’. The adrenaline rushes through her veins. She can’t feel anything else but her heartbeat that continuously pounds in her chest with anxiety and excitement.

“Excuse me?”

She turns around, facing an unfamiliar man in uniform—almost the same as Jonghyun’s. However, she notes, he doesn’t have the captain’s tags and carries fewer metals. He stands nearly a head taller than her and his brown hair is haphazardly brushed away from his face with eyes that give her an almost-bored look.

Sunmi snaps herself out of her thoughts and manages to respond in time. “Yes?”

“You can’t be here, we’re just about to leave.” He waves his hand away, dismissing her as if he’s swatting away a fly. “Go back to your husband.”

She smiles at him, the brightest and fakest she can muster, despite the anger bubbling inside her chest. “Actually, I’m here with Captain Park. I’m supposed to meet him here at five.”

He scans her appearance, before returning the fake smile with his own. “I’m sure you were.”

A sudden arm wraps around the young man’s shoulder stops him from saying more. Jonghyun arrives in full uniform—unnoticeably breaking the brawl about to occur. Sunmi lets out a small sigh of relief from his presence; for once, she’s thankful for a man’s help.

“Junyoung,” Jonghyun says. “That’s how we treat ladies.” He turns back to look at Sunmi. “My apologies, he tends to be a bit rude to everyone.” He gives her a wink.

She gives another tight smile. “I understand.”

Without a response, Junyoung removes himself from Jonghyun’s hold and trudges back to the boat, mumbling curses under his breath. Sunmi secretly glares at his retreating back and asks Jonghyun. “Who’s he?”

“Co-captain Yoon—he’s a bit rough on the edges, but he knows how to handle a ship.”

She almost growls, holding back as much as she can, yet her irritation is dismissed. Jonghyun smiles at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Now, why don’t you let me show you the way around the ship,” he says. “Just to be sure you don’t get lost.”

Sunmi gives him a weird look, startled from the sudden touch, but he doesn’t seem to notice as he guides her towards the ship and make their way up to the bow.

“So there’s all sorts of different ships. Sunrise, here, is a vessel, which operates differently from a sailing ship. It’s essentially built for cargo, as well as passenger transportation. It might be smaller, but it’s equally as powerful as the others.” He winks at her once more. “Now, we are currently on the bow, which means the front of the vessel. The opposite end—right over there—is called the stern…”

Sunmi can only sigh, hoping he realizes she knows more than he thinks, as Jonghyun continues to talk. Oh, this is going to be an interesting month.

A week in and Sunrise has had nothing but smooth sailing—for the ship itself at least. Throughout the week and into the following week, the waters remain calm, the wind continue to steer them, and no damages have occurred. Unfortunately, Sunmi has had no such luck with the crew. It’s hard enough for her to adjust as the only woman onboard; she has gotten used to life on the sea, but the other shipmates still haven’t gotten used to her.

On top of all this, she still hasn’t learned anything on actually handling the ship, like Jonghyun promised she would be able to do—which is why she finds herself a couple of feet away from Junyoung, practically peaking over his shoulder, in hopes of getting a glimpse as to what he’s doing. Despite how openly sexist he is towards her, she oddly prefers him over Jonghyun because Junyoung just ignores her (for the most part). On the other hand, while Jonghyun’s clearly nicer, he has a certain aura that alludes whenever she gets close—it’s all smiles with him and his hand always finds a place on her body, whether it’s grabbing her hand or placing an arm around her shoulders. It’s disturbing.

Sunmi shudders at the thought of him and his behavior for the past few days. No, she needs to focus. Right now, Junyoung is readjusting some of the ropes tied to the lookout point. She takes a couple of notes into her notebook, from his movements to the aftermath of his actions.

Junyoung might not explain to her what he’s doing or why he does it, but she knows she’s smart enough to figure it out—she’s red enough books to figure it out on her own. The other sailors often laugh at her—telling her all those little notes are nothing more than useless memos and there’s no point in recording such mundane tasks. She doesn’t bother listening to their little jabs at her because, who knows, maybe later in her life, she’ll be able to use this information on one of her own future expeditions.

At least, that’s what she hopes.

Junyoung has already moved to something else, chatting away with another sailor—Eddy. Sunmi makes herself busy and double-checks her notes, not noticing the shadow that lures behind her.

“What’s this, doll?” Jonghyun asks.

She flinches, clutching a hand over her chest. “You scared me!”

He ignores her and takes the notebook out of her hands. He asks again. “What’s this?”

“My notes.”

“Why have notes when you have me?”

She lets out a long sigh, already drained from his presence and this conversation. She grabs the notebook from his hand. “Captain, you haven’t taught me anything new.”

He takes it right back and taps it on her head, as if she’s a puppy. “I teach you new things all the time.”

“With all due respect, sir, I would much prefer it if you would just let me—”

“A-okay, it’s set. If you have anymore questions, you can ask me directly.” He smiles at her once again, placing the notebook into his inner jacket pocket. “If you want this back, you come to me.”

She gives up quickly, knowing he’ll just continue to push himself onto her like this—as he has been for the entire week. “Of course, Captain.”

He smiles down at her. “How many times have I told you?”

She lets out another long sigh, but Jonghyun ignores it.

“Call me Jonghyun.” He places an arm on her shoulder. “We’re closer than that.”

She gives him a short, forced smile and removes herself from Jonghyun’s hold. She walks off to cool down by finding something else to reoccupy herself with. He’s the captain and she knows better than to walk into uncharted territory with him.

Just as Sunmi walks off, Junyoung comes back around, swigging an arm around Jonghyun’s shoulders. “Oh, Jong, Jong, Jong,” he says with a singing tone. “Just what are you planning?”

Jonghyun smirks. “Don’t be such a wet rag, Jun. I’m just having some fun.” His eyes easily find Sunmi’s figure from a distance. “She’s not easy…” His eyes roam her curves once more. “And I like a challenge.”

“And how do you plan on conquering this one?”

“With this,” Jonghyun says. He takes out Sunmi’s notebook with a tight grip, but lightly waves it in Junyoung’s face. “She’ll come for it sooner or later.”

Unfortunately for Sunmi, she comes sooner rather than later. It’s been about two days after, when Sunmi is in Jonghyun’s cabins, but she’s not alone. Junyoung stands next to her, clearly agitated from the whole situation. Jonghyun stands in front of them, slightly amused from Sunmi. According to the other shipmates, an incident happened—resulting with a handprint on Junyoung’s face from Sunmi.

“Okay,” Jonghyun says. “What happened?”

“Your crew is led by a big. That’s what happened.”

“That is not what happened,” Junyoung says.

Sunmi scoffs at his remark. “What a nosebleed,” she mutters.

“What did you call me?”

“Okay!” Jonghyun says. He steps between the two of them, patting Junyoung’s shoulder. “Yoon, you can leave. I’ll talk to Sunmi.”

“What?!”

Junyoung smirks at her, making her feel like smacking him up once more. He heads to the door and, before he closes it, he mouths to Jonghyun: “I’ll be back.”

Jonghyun nods at him, then turns to Sunmi once the door’s shut. He lets out a little laugh, then turns back to what he was originally doing. He stands over to a table, where a large map of the Atlantic lies.

Sunmi stays rooted in her spot, watching Jonghyun move around. “Captain? Can I explain?”

He finally looks at her, nodding to himself, then takes a seat. “Sure.”

She lets out a small breath of relief. “Thank you, Captain. Now, as I was going to explain—”

“Why don’t you grab a seat?”

She looks around, spotting a nearby stool and sits herself a couple of feet away from him. She takes a deep breath, trying to collect herself. There’s so much that had unfolded in so little time that she hasn’t had a moment to herself.

Jonghyun still hasn’t taught her anything throughout the time span that she has been here. How is she supposed to understand what should be tied to which knots and where? How is she supposed to know which direction they’re going in? What the hell did “jibe” mean? There’s so much she’s read to learn about, yet it doesn’t matter if she’s not actually getting the hands-on experience she wants—but trust Sunmi to know she wasn’t about to stay put and do nothing.

She made it a mission for herself to learn, since no one was willing to teach her how to actually operate the ship. That resulted with her to floating around, observing each sailor and the tasks they were assigned to do—to make mental notes as to what they were doing. Since Henry took away her notebook, she’s been trying to remember purely through memory rather than record. It’s the only notebook she brought with her.

On the other hand, the other shipmates originally thought she was there to care for them. For a while, she did—until she realized they were just ordering her around as if she was the maid. When she asked for an explanation as to why, Junyoung merely shrugged. “Boys will be boys,” he said.

She was originally planning on just ignoring him, knowing he was going to say something among those lines. But then, she’d heard him say to another sailor. “She needs to work from the bottom first. She’s already on her knees for the captain.”

Before she knew it, her anger had gotten the best of her and she slapped him. She doesn’t regret it. Enough is enough; it’s time for her to step up.

She’s taking this opportunity to bring up one of her bigger concerns. She doesn’t need to explain herself to some man who probably thinks she’s just being temperamental.

She sits straight with her arms crossed over her chest. She stares at Jonghyun, trying to figure him out before saying anything else. Eventually, after a few moments of silence, she finally speaks. “Captain, I am having trouble understanding something.”

He isn’t even looking at her. His eyes remain trained on the map in front of him. “What exactly are you referring to?”

“Sir, I’m here to learn. I want to learn how to sail, but I can’t do that if you aren’t teaching me anything.”

She’s gotten his attention now. He looks up to her, before straightening up to look down at her. “I teach you new things all the time. Remember when I let you ring the bell? That was a big responsibility.”

“I haven’t learned anything new, sir. I want to sail. I can’t just watch everyone on the sidelines. If you would let me pair up with Hyunsuk to help lookout, or even with Roy in the engine room—”

Jonghyun shakes his head at her. “If you get too involved, it could get messy and things would get harder—”

“Captain, please just let me—”

“—just stay put for now. Once we’ve settled, we’ll show you around on how things work, okay?” He gives her another pearly white smile, but her frustration is overpowering. She finds herself more annoyed than when she originally came in. If one complaint is going to be filed as trash, might as well add in another. Her shoulders loosen up and her arms are released to her sides—the displeasure from over the past week has officially caught up to her.

“What about Junyoung?” She asks.

“What’s wrong with Co-captain Yoon?”

Sunmi almost laughs. “He’s been spreading rumors about me for the entire past week and the other shipmates are just egging him on. I think something should be done about him.”

“He’s just joking. He does it to everyone—he doesn’t mean any harm.”

“Then what are you going to do about the rumors? Or about how the way the rest of the crew is treating me? They all think I’m some easy gal you got fast with.”

At this, Jonghyun walks over to him, causing Sunmi to follow as well. He stands close, but far enough to lower himself to her eye level, grabbing her shoulders lightly. “Doll, don’t worry about it.” His hand slowly trails along her arm and plays with her fingers, without breaking eye contact. “We can take care of those rumors right now, if you’d like. We can make a bit more true than false.”

She untangles her hand from him and smacks him away. “Forget it, I’ll deal with them myself.”

He reaches out to her once more. “Baby, I can take care of you.”

She shakes her head and steps back further from him. “I don’t need you to take care of me. I don’t need you closer to me.”

He grabs her wrist once more, except it’s a rougher touch than before. “Doll, you said you wanted to sail.”

“I do.” She yanks her wrist out of his hand once more. “But not like this. I don’t need you closer.”

Jonghyun goes silent for a while—his shiny pearls starting to shine a little less. “Now, Sunmi,” he says slowly. “Don’t get so emotional. I’ll give you some time to cool it. But…”

He scans her once more, his eyes lingering a bit longer on her body a it more than she would’ve liked and chooses to ignore. “You know where I’ll be if you change your mind.” He gives her another wink, insinuating exactly what she fears.

She blinks at him, not believing what she just heard, trying to shake his words out of her system. Turning around on her heel, she heads for the door at a leisurely pace. “Don’t get your hopes up, Captain. This over-emotional lady will be in her cabin. I want to be clear. That is not an invitation.” She looks to the side. “I need to be alone.”

She slams the door shut and he stands for a while, staring at nothing, before chuckling at her antics. Oh, her father’s wrong—she’s more than just a troublemaker. She’s pretty, which is worth bringing on the trip, but it’s not worth the inconvenience she’s bringing.

He walks towards his previous set up. His jacket is tossed somewhere in the room and his hair is messily tousled. He sits on his chair, resting his feet on the table. A couple of knocks on his door breaks his train of thought.

Junyoung enters a fresh case of glass bottled beers in hand. “I have returned.” He sets a bottle on the table. “I figured you would need this after talking to the ship’s mooncalf.”

Without hesitation, Jonghyun grabs a bottle and takes a swig. “And this is why you’re the co-captain.”

The two sit back and chat, figuring out some additional notes for the journey ahead—sorting out the food supply, the stop in California (and possibly a couple of islands), and all the other little details that can be worked out later. Eventually, they do address the source of their headaches. However, it was only after drowning down all the beers and a couple of bottles from Jonghyun’s oh-so special liquor cabinet.

“If she keeps this up for the rest of the month,” Junyoung says. “I might just toss her to the sharks.”

Jonghyun squints at him, trying to realign his vision to somewhat focus on the other man. “She’s really something man. She just—just… just insults me on my own god—goddamned ship.”

“She should consider herself lucky to even be here.”

“You see,” Jonghyun says. “That—I thought the same thing.”

Junyoung huffs. “She needs to be reminded where her place is.”

Jonghyun silently thinks for a moment. The gears start to shift, but with a sudden familiar gleam in his eyes and another shiny smile, he speaks again. “Say, Yoon. What shall we do if she does just fall off the ship?”

Sunmi tosses and turns in her small mattress as the boat continues to rock through the night. Granted, the smooth sailing wasn’t going to continue forever, as they continue on with the journey, but it shouldn’t be this bad. It’s the third sleepless night in a row, a couple of nights after being in Jonghyun’s cabin making it worse for her sleep needs.

Since the conversation, she’s been avoiding him like the plague, but he always seems to find her. She knows she can’t avoid him on a ship, but she just needs her space from him. With the lack of sleep, it’s clear she’s becoming more and more fed-up—at both the captains and the crew. It’s almost as if their behavior has gotten worse: something she did not think was possible. Jonghyun’s smiles have got slimier and Junyoung’s scowls are becoming a more permanent fixture on his face.

She groans loudly, not bothering to hide her annoyance, and attempts to calm herself down from her thoughts. Something that was supposed to be so beautiful has gone downhill so fast; she’s never missed home as much as now. Maybe instead, once she gets home, she’ll read up some more about sailing, study more on shipbuilding, and she’ll be able to construct her own boat with an all-female crew.

Oh, how she longs to be on her own—but, for now, she’ll keep these men on their toes with her rebellion and, what Henry calls, emotional outbursts.

In order to get some decent amount of rest, she closes her eyes, listening closely to the waters. She can see the pier once more, with its beautiful horizon and Asta by her side. She sees the ocean and its never-ending waves—she sees the opportunity to explore. And with that, she finally sleeps.

On the other side of the ship, a small bash for the captains is taking place. Jonghyun and Junyoung wanted to celebrate a full successful week of sailing. So, they gathered some of their most trusted crew members for a couple of drinks. They all came together at the stern near the starboard; the captains figured the open air would be better than one of the stuffy cabins.

The stars are out, light wind blew, and the waters rocks the boat at a calm pace. There are chairs set up for them to rest their aching feet and a bunch of drinks spread out for them to grab. It’s relatively calm, each chatting away about this and that. However, one sailor from the group spots the thunder clouds rolling in from the distance; it’s coming slowly, but surely.

“Oh, shit,” Roy says. “That storm’s comin’ in soon.”

“How bad is it?” Jonghyun manages to ask, feeling a bit tipsy from the drinks.

Junyoung waves it off, clearly drunk. “Let it come, it’s Sunmi’s goddamn fault anyways.”

“Yeah,” Hyunsuk says. “Who the hell let her on anyways? That girl isn’t good for anything but bashing ears.”

Eddy laughs, then speaks. “Capt’n here probably wanted a quick route.” He takes another sip of his whiskey. “He’s fast, but she ain’t easy.”

Jonghyun frowns, nearly throwing an empty bottle at him, feeling the sting of being rejected once more. Who knew this woman would cause so much trouble for them?

Junyoung laughs along with Eddy. “He isn’t wrong.” He looks over at Jonghyun. “This is what happens when a woman gets involved. Everything goes wrong.”

“Don’t remind me,” Jonghyun says, with a groan. “Jesus, this is harder than I thought.”

“You talking about her or your dick?”

Everyone laughs and this time Henry does throw something, but it’s an empty beer can that can do no physical harm. Jonghyun misses entirely, the can is flung into the ocean with a soft plop. Junyoung finishes his drink at that time, tossing it into the water as well.

The other guys start to toss their empty glasses and cans into the water as well, laughing as if it’s the most hilarious thing they’ve ever seen. However, their laughter is cut short as they spot the storm rolling closer, lightning flashing against the dark sky and harsh thunder claps following afterwards.

“We’re fucked,” Roy says.

The rest of the boys sigh, but it’s Jonghyun who speaks up. “This is all her fault.”

Junyoung’s eyebrows furrow. “You’re right.”

“It’s because we have a woman on board,” Roy says. “The seas are upset.”

“We were fine before,” Eddy says. “Now, she causes a ruckus and now, a storm’s coming.”

Junyoung turns to Jonghyun. “So, Captain. What are you going to do about it?”

Captain Park smirks.

Not long after, Junyoung sneaks into Sunmi’s room with a few shipmates. They move in a quick-paced manner at his order.

“Tape her damned mouth shut, then get her legs,” Junyoung whisper-shouts. “We need her out of here.”

Hyunsuk wraps the rope around her ankles, tugging it harshly against her skin. Roy grabs her wrists, tying them together as well as her elbows. As the rope begins to burn against her skin, she wakes up at once. Started at the intruders, she tries to shout, only to be muffled by the duct tape wrapped securely around her mouth. She isn’t able to make out who was who due to the dark, but she is able to recognize the asswipe who’s been after her since day one.

Getting closer to her face, Junyoung smirks at her. “Sorry sweetheart. Captain’s orders.”

With her eyes growing wide, she finally realizes how much of a candy ass Jonghyun is, getting others to do his dirty work. She attempts to fight them off, but seeing as they’ve decided to gang up against her, she starts to tear up. She thinks about her family, Yubin, and the dreams that’ll never be accomplished—all because of some stupid men and their stupid pride and their misogynistic, androcentricism views.

Even with her struggling against them, they successfully move her from her cabin to the edge of the ship. The waters got rougher, splashing harshly against Sunrise—the winds blow more viciously, dark clouds roll closer as each moment passes and the lightning flashes behind them.

Junyoung steps back as the man of the house has finally arrived. With those black boots thudding against the wood, Jonghyun stands proud and tall, with another shiny, slimy smile as he looks down at her.

“Sunmi,” he says. “You should have just stayed in your place. Maybe then, neither of us would have to be put in this situation.”

She holds her head high, refusing to show an ounce of fear for this coward. She would have given him a couple of choice words if it weren’t for the tape.

He shifts his weight, placing his hands on his belt loops, before moving uncomfortably close to her. “Oh, doll. Such a waste of a pretty face.” He looks up to the other shipmates and nods at them. “You know what to do.”

He and Junyoung walk off without another word and they throw her off. She hits the water immediately, her body breaking through the top layer with the sound of a smack. As she sinks further into the depths of the Atlantic, she wiggles in an attempt to get the ropes off. But no such luck occurs as she moves her body along, trying to fight the current. She continues to struggle; the ropes continuing to burn against her skin and the current pushing her left and right. She wants to scream and cry for help that she knows won’t come.

She begins to give up; her body feels tired from the fight—her eyes begin to close and her lungs quickly fill up with water. She can no longer breathe; she can feel her heart beginning to slow down and she accepts her death, praying it’s as painless as possible. She has suffered enough.

Just when all hope seems lost, a bright light shines down on her. The water around her swirls, as if she’s the eye of a hurricane. From her peripheral vision, she can see different colors spinning around her—as if it’s protecting her. Her arms are freed, but aqua-purple blended colored scales shimmer against her skin to replace the rope burns.

Her eyes widen from the sudden colors appearing onto her skin. Her ankles remain locked together, but newfound finds replace her feet and her legs glow with that same bright light, as her skin becomes layered with the same colored scales from her arms. Her neck lines split, allowing her to breathe easily in the water. Her nails grow quickly and are sharpened to a point, whereas more teeth grows in, as if to feed on flesh.

Even as she fully transforms, the water continues to circle around her and the hurricane only grows stronger.

She’s confused. She doesn’t understand what’s happening to her own body—it feels new and foreign, yet it feels so right. Everything becomes clear; the water continues the ongoing storm, but the colors have stopped and she can see the figures of others. Her eyes grow even wider: there are others who are just like her. The mermaids surrounding her don’t say anything; they’re perfectly still. She locks her eyes on the one in front of her. That’s when she hears it—a voice that isn’t her own telling her: you must go.

Amidst all of this, Sunrise isn’t far off from where they dropped her, evidently getting caught in the tropical cyclone—moving gradually closer to the center. Some shipmates have been tossed off from the winds, while others have drowned from trying to escape. With a dozen already dead men, Jonghyun and Junyoung remain alive, but not for long. Both are still onboard with a death grip on the ship and screaming out of desperation for some god to help them.

Sunmi arises from the water, cackling as she sees the ship hurtling towards her direction—with her teeth bared, nails ready to stab, and her revenge as encouragement. Even with the storm, she couldn’t see anything but the rage that blinds her. The fire in her eyes say it all: they are going to pay.

#admin grandma #grandma writings #writings #historical #fantasy #revenge story #wonder girls #sunmi #sunmi fanfics #sunmi imagines #sunmi scenarios #lee sunmi #lee sunmi fanfics #lee sunmi imagines #lee sunmi scenarios #mermaid!au #mermaid!sunmi #member: sunmi

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vitamin-writes-blog · 7 years ago

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Hypothermal Courage (Jesse McCree x Reader)

(You’ll pry this cliche from my cold dead hands (Get it? Because hypothermia? Well at least I make myself laugh :P ))

Am I blind, or can I just not open my eyes?

I whimpered, wailed, but I could barely hear myself. It was as if an old artic frost had slithered into my ears and frozen the eardrums solid. My head lolled to the side, hitting a hard, metallic surface. Through the thin skin of my cheek, its last wisps of warmth seeped into me. My mind began to teeter into the abyss, but something urgent, a primal, yellow fear streaked through my consciousness, jerking me back from the edge. I had to stay awake. If I wanted to survive, I had to stay absolutely, painfully awake.

A moan wrenched itself from my belly, and I summoned all the willpower left within me just to peel back my eyelids a sliver, groaning at the effort. The first image that greeted my wakeful gaze were the big, block letters O-R-C-A, the O halfway buried in the permafrost. A memory was scratching at my skull. Where was I? What was I doing before waking up here? With much headache, I managed barely to recall flashing red lights, yelling, plastic cushions pushing into my back and breast, someone’s hand gripping mine.

Oh God.

We were shot down somewhere over Russia. After the Gibraltar ambush, Jack rounded up the last surviving agents on base and put us all on a one-way flight to some remote Chinese watchpoint. Where was he now? Who else was with us? I think it was… me, Jack, Tracer… Genji… Jesse…? Was Angela with us? Or Winston? Fighting against my creaking spine, I lifted my head to scan the debris. Nobody to see on top of the snow, but so much of the ship had sunken beneath the white dunes that there was no way to tell for sure if we’d suffered any casualties.

I wanted to stay, to search for my companions, but if I didn’t spend what little reserved energy I had to search for help, I would be dead by nightfall.

Once the crash-site faded into the distant mist, stunningly white fields stretched infinitely away from me in all directions, causing me to strain my eyes, and all the while I felt as if I had wandered into another plane of existence. Travel was slow-going, and the only reason I didn’t collapse after the first aches rattled through my femurs was because my brain convinced itself it would take more effort halt the inertia of my legs than to just let them trudge on. Figured I would just keep going until my legs disagreed with my head.

Eventually the hours bled together. It had been daylight for so long, but the sun continued to glare down on me, regardless of my insistence that it shouldn’t. The scenery was just as changeless, and I doubted I could navigate my way anywhere even if Polaris himself were shining like big, bright beacon above my head instead of that suffering sun. At that point, someone could have probably convinced me that, if I made an about face and started walking, I would be heading in the same direction I was before.

God, I just wanted it to end. Even death seemed preferable to this brand of purgatory. I tried desperately to distract myself by piecing together the jigsaw memories from the crash, yet I could only make it as far as the emergency harnesses clamping down over us, and it kept repeating in my head: a preamble for a preamble.

…

I’m going to die.

Sometime after my limbs went numb, I’d accepted it. Death at that point would’ve been an honest relief. It was the getting buried, forlorn and forgotten, in the middle of a Siberian wasteland as fruitless as my life, that I refused to accept. There were so many things I’d intended to do: see more of the world, do some good, but out of everything left unfinished, there was nothing I regretted more than not telling Jesse how I felt about him. The void it left, black and vast and oceanic, churned in the deep trenches of my gut.

In that moment, I promised myself: no more timidity, no more cowardice. The next time I found Jesse, I would tell him how I felt.

I faded in and out for a while I’m pretty sure. I only assume because a house appeared on the horizon not too long after I formed that pact with myself. More of a shack than a house really. It sat, sunken and depressed under a roof-full of snow. The walk to its modest front porch was the longest of my life, but finally I moaned, dropping to my knees a few feet from the door. I think I knocked, but it might’ve been my head slamming against the wood.

The very next moment, a pair of broad hands scooped me up by the arms.

“Oh my God! Darlin’?! Sweetheart, are you okay?! Look at me sweet pea! C’mon, let me see those pretty eyes!”

“Jesse? Jesse, I’m- I’m gonna die Jesse.” I wept. Everything was fuzzy. My eyes strained from rolling back into my skull.

“Hush darlin’, shh, I can’t understand a word you’re sayin’. Save your energy okay? C’mere, let’s get you inside.”

Suddenly the ceiling spun above me, moving without me. Jesse and I changed rooms, and without the agency to move or speak, I simply slouched my head back as Jesse carried me into what looked like a living room. A blessed fire crackled in an ancient fireplace across from a ratty green couch. Gently, Jesse sat me on the scratchy fabric and began unzipping my suit. I made a noise in protest.

“Sorry darlin’. Not tryin’ to be immodest, but if I don’t getcha outta these clothes, I’m afraid you’ll freeze that cute little ass off.” He chuckled nervously. Now that I was warming up, I could feel myself shivering, quite violently. Vexed by the sensation, I tried to calm my nerves, but I kept hopelessly knocking against McCree’s hands as he peeled the leather away.

Eventually everything but my underwear was slopped onto the wooden floor. Quickly, Jesse unraveled the serape from his shoulders and wrapped me up tight enough that my chest had trouble expanding. He then leaned over me, grabbing a blanket draped over the back of the couch, and scooped me up once more. He swaddled me like a baby and pressed me into his chest as he sat down. His warm hands slithered below the blankets to rub my arms and back, his body hunched over me and burning like a furnace. I felt the butt of his chin dig into my crown, pulling my head nose first into his neck.

My breathing remained labored for a good while, but my wits started returning to me, and the more self-aware I became, the more I shivered: partly from the bone-deep chill and partly from the closeness to Jesse. My nerves jittered beneath my skin, and I could finally process how close I was to dying out there. I could’ve burned alive in the crash; I could’ve been buried in ice. My fight or flight instincts suddenly kicked it into overdrive, and I gripped onto Jesse’s shoulder, tense, heart beating fast.

“Jesse! Jesse I-“ I blurted.

“Woah now, It’s okay! You’re okay. Relax darlin’ please. Your nails are diggin’ into me like cat claws.” Jesse jostled me in his arms, but it didn’t stop me. It was now or never; without this adrenaline rush, I may never have the courage again.

“No, Jesse. I gotta tell you something.” I choked. He paused for a moment, giving me a contemplative look. I watched his brown eyes flicker as he stared at me. I cleared my throat.

“Jesse I… Out there, in the snow, I realized that there was a lot in my life that I regretted not doing. I wanted to travel more, do some good for the world with Overwatch, be a better friend to my coworkers, be a better person in general. But there was one thing that I regretted the most. Jesse… we’ve been friends for years now, and… and I understand if you don’t feel the same way but… I’m not so sure I want to be just friends anymore. Jesse I, I love you. And I had to tell you while I still had the courage to.”

Jesse swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing. I could see his lips twitch. Then he…

He laughed.

Laughed!

Wow, I knew Jesse could be an asshole at times, but I didn’t expect him to just- rub my feelings in the dirt. All that pent-up energy came gushing forth all at once when I let out an ugly sob. Reflexively I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop the crying, but big fat tears still rolled incessantly down my cheeks. Jesse stopped his laughing, grabbing onto my face to wipe the tears away with his thumb. A smile still struggled on his face as his eyebrows drew up in concern.

“Sweet pea, why’re you cryin’?” He asked. I shoved his hands away.

“If-If you didn’t l-like me like that, a-all you had t-to do was say so! Instead of laughing like some- some stupid asshole!” The last few words were breathless, unable to carry the force with which I felt them.

“No, no no darlin’ that’s- that’s not why I’m laughin’.” Jesse began chuckling again, and I just kept hiccupping, no longer having the energy to push him away when he clung me to his chest, rocking me back and forth.

“It’s just, I didn’t expect to be confessed to twice in one day!”

What?

“What?” I asked into his flannel shirt. Jesse’s chest rumbled with the last few of his laughs before he held me out to face him. His eyes sparkled with a familiar mischievousness that I found so charming in the first place. He smiled fondly at me and ran his knuckles down my face.

“You don’t remember, do you? The ORCA was goin’ down. You and I sat next to each other in the emergency seats. I remember everything bein’ so loud: the engines, the siren, the missles. But even over all that I heard your voice, crystal-clear.” He let out an airy laugh. “You turned to me and said, ‘Jesse, if we make it out of this alive, you’re taking me out to dinner.’ I remember my heart beatin’ so fast. I grabbed your hand and I said, ‘like a date?’ and you said, ‘Not like a date. It is a date.’ And hell if I’ve never been more turned on in my life. Didn’t know you had such an assertive streak in you darlin’. And I got to see it twice today. Lucky me.” He laughed again and pulled me close, nuzzling his nose to mine. I huffed humorlessly with a grin on my face, wiping around Jesse to get at the tear tracks on my skin. After a few moments, Jesse’s beard dragged lazily down my jaw and neck until his forehead was buried in my shoulder.

“Been wantin’ to do this for a while now.” He said, his voice muffled by my skin. “Jus’ never seemed like the right time to tell you.” He admitted. “Figured I’d get blown to pieces one day and never have to worry about it at all, iffi’n I’m bein’ honest.”

“Heh, yeah… I really didn’t think I would ever tell you how I felt either. You never seemed to be interested in me like that.” I admitted as well. He scoffed.

“The hell’re you talkin’ about? I’m pretty sure I was flirtin’ with you hardcore back in Gibraltar.”

“Aw, c’mon. You do that with everyone Jesse.”

He seemed offended.

“Hey now, I do not. I don’t know where you got that notion from, but in case you’re as thick as those pretty eyelashes of yours, all of my attention was on you.” He said matter-of-factly. “Maybe you just didn’t want to admit it. Always were a little shy. Took me eons, felt like, just to get you to open up to me. ‘S alright though; always thought it was kinda cute.” He smiled and tucked some hair behind my ear. I sighed, also smiling, running a hand over my face. I didn’t tell him he was wrong because he wasn’t, and he knew he wasn’t too. What a smartass.

We fell silent for a moment. The fireplace washed us in warm hues, leaving the quiet corners of the room blanketed in a homey darkness. I looked around from my spot in Jesse’s lap and discovered that night had finally, mercifully fallen. The frosted cottage window let me see into the world, into its bright stars and navy sky that seemed so far away from Jesse and me. Vibrations hummed through my ribs as Jesse quietly sang an old country song, a habit he indulged in whenever he found himself particularly content with a situation. The smell of his tobacco and vanilla scent mingling with the char from the fire, the feeling of his fingers lovingly threaded through mine: these sensations together lulled me halfway to sleep. In a quiet voice, Jesse started talking.

“Genji was the only other person I could find in that crash. His metal enhancements make him a little hardier than us plain ol’ flesh and blood people, which means he left me to warm up in this cabin while he took off towards a village about two miles north of here. Found it on a map in the kitchen. He should be back soon with help. Then we’ll go dig through the crash site for the others.” He said quietly. His free hand kept idly petting my hair. I’d always known Jesse to be rough and a little crass, so it genuinely surprised me at how gentle he could be.

“I looked for you y’know.” He whispered. “It scared me damn near to death when I couldn’t find you. I flipped over every piece of shrapnel that wasn’t bigger than I could possibly budge, but I couldn’t find you. And then when you showed up at the door, looking like you were holdin’ death’s hand… It made me wish I’d looked harder.”

“You did what you could Jesse. I don’t-“

“Hush. Hush now. I ain’t sayin’ this to start a pity party. What I’m sayin’ is, this whole thing made me realize that I don’t want to waste any more of my time without you. So from now own, would you mind keepin’ this old cowboy company?” He asked. I smiled.

“Of course Jesse. Nothing would make me happier.”

Jesse grinned at me and leaned down. His forehead rested against mine, both of our eyes closed, and I felt his heavy breath heat my lips. My breathing hitched as his lips barely brushed mine. He gently swept them side to side, making my lips tingle before finally pressing all the way in. It was smooth and wet and warm, and he lingered there, letting us enjoy each other for the first time. Pulling away made a soft sucking sound that caused my face to flush. Jesse chuckled and kissed my cheek.

“And I love you too, by the way.” He whispered.

Sighing, I reached my arms to wrap around his neck, the blanket falling off my bare skin and pooling around our waists.

The door slammed open.

It was Genji.

“Jesse! I have returned with good news! I found the others! They made it to that village a few hours before I did, but unfortunately we still need to go back and look for- oh! She’s here. And, she’s naked?!”

Yeah, we never lived that one down.

#mccree x reader #jesse mccree x reader #mccree #jesse mccree #overwatch #overwatch imagines #mccree imagine #overwatch fanfic

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