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juyeonszn · 1 year

Text

SACRIFICE (EAT ME UP)

PAIRING lee hyunjae x f!reader

WORD COUNT 9.17k

GENRES horror ﹒ smut ﹒ angst ﹒ fluff ig?

WARNINGS 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT, mature language, mentions of murder, descriptions of crime scenes, mentions of blood, mentions of knifes, graphic description of stab wounds, mentions of potential mental illness, THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT CONSTITUTE WARNINGS BUT ?!1?1 I DONT WANT TO SPOIL !1!2!2, Lots of Kissing, mutual masturbation (f! receiving fingering & m! receiving hand job), pillow talk ig, big dick hyunjae 😈, um unprotected sex lol be safe u silly geese, car sex, cowgirl position yeehaw, creampie, this entire fic is just a whole fucking roller coaster i stg it’s gonna haunt me forever

SUMMARY with a serial killer running rampant on campus, everyone around you seems to be dropping like flies. but, hey, at least you have hyunjae to protect you.

MORE omg.. my first written work for tbz 🙀 extra super fun fact; this was originally an idea i had for hyunjin from skz on my other blog that i actually started writing the week before halloween last year (the reason it’s a horror fic), but i never finished and sort of felt like there was no point in continuing it after a while— that is until i stumbled upon the draft a few weeks ago and decided to revamp, edit, and complete it 😋 i kept going back and rereading and then blanking when i wanted to add to it until last night when i said fuck it and drank two cups of coffee to power through the end 🙌 anyways.. here u all go, my baby that i never thought would see the light of day and my first time writing a genuine horror piece <3 also special shoutout to rina my soulmate @tsukidou for beta reading 🫶

PLAYLIST sacrifice (eat me up) — enhypen, awake — the boyz, roar — the boyz, fever — enhypen, fate — enhypen, taste — stray kids, wake up — ateez, white noise — pvris, heaven — pvris

“Alright, that’s all for today’s lecture. If this was your last of the day, make sure to find someone to go home with and remember the curfew rules!” Your English professor says, concluding the class.

The students around you rush to pack up their things and get off of campus as soon as possible. You don’t seem to be in a hurry, though, taking your time to put away your notebook and laptop. Your roommates were still in their music production class, so you didn’t want to go home alone, deciding to wait until they were done.

“Y/N, don’t you wanna get home?” Professor Park asks, her voice echoing in the now empty lecture hall. She throws the strap of her bag over her shoulder and pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“I do, but I have to wait for my roommates. They’re in a class right now and I’d rather not go by myself.” You let out an awkward laugh. She nods at your reasoning, giving you a small smile for comfort.

“Okay, you be careful! I’ll see you on Thursday.”

You raise your hand in a silent salutation, watching as she exits the room, leaving you completely alone. Though a public space, in a public building, the fact that there’s no one else nearby leaves you utterly unsettled. Your stomach churns with a twinge of fear and you start to feel a bit claustrophobic despite being in such a spacious area, so you choose this point to hurriedly collect your belongings and get the hell out of there.

The past couple of months have been in this weird state of limbo. You don’t recall exactly when the killings started, but once the police noticed a pattern, everyone knew sooner or later that the presence of a serial murderer would be announced on the local news. Your town enforced a citywide curfew to protect its citizens, but mostly the students at your university.

Every single one of the killer’s victims were university students. You were friends with a bunch of guys and while it was nice having big strong men surrounding you, you knew that could hardly do anything to quell the lingering anxiety you’ve felt ever since the spree began.

The police seemed to be having trouble coming up with any possible suspects, or even gaining any leads, thanks to the killer’s unusual victimology and the cool down time between murders always varying. If the people in charge of protecting you couldn’t do that, how were you supposed to feel safe?

In an attempt to get to the building where Jacob, Kevin, and Eric were as fast as you could, you speed walk out of the lecture hall, accidentally bumping into someone. You bow at a nearly ninety-degree angle and hurl out apology after apology following the collision, not trying to make any enemies in this day and time.

“Watch where you’re going, idiot.” The stranger spits, waiting for you to glance up at him to give you a nasty glare. He looks like the kind of guy who thought he was all that, despite peaking in high school. You feel your bottom lip quiver and you avoid eye contact.

“I—”

“Woah, dude, chill the fuck out. It was an accident, I’m sure she didn’t— wait, N/N, is that you? Hey it’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

There’s a familiar voice in your ears and a hand under your chin, forcing you to stand upright. Whoever you bumped into walks away with a scoff. You meet eyes with Lee Hyunjae, one of your dearest friends. He recognizes that hint of panic in your features and he frowns.

“I’m so sorry, Jae, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going—” Your breath is caught in your throat and you fumble over your words.

“Hey, hey, slow down,” he keeps a hold on your biceps. “It’s alright, I promise. He’s gone. What’s wrong?”

You shut your eyes tightly, feeling pathetic for causing such a scene for no apparent reason. Hyunjae guides you through your breathing, his focus trained on you the whole time. He always made you feel so comfortable.

“With everything that’s been going on, I’m just so paranoid and afraid of being alone. I wanted to go to the music department building and wait for the boys.” You finally explain once you’ve calmed down and the rise of your chest is even.

“How about this? I’ll take you home so you don’t have to stay on campus any longer.” He suggests, bringing up a hand to tuck some hair behind your ear. You nod slowly, gathering your bearings.

Hyunjae leads you to his car that’s parked in the lot closest to the building you were just in and the two of you make your way to your apartment. You’d been friends with your roommates for years now, meeting in eighth grade. You had just moved schools and happened to be put into a class with Eric Sohn, the most rambunctious boy you’d ever met. He thought you seemed really sweet upon first impression and decided to befriend you, introducing you to all of his friends in turn.

Aside from Eric, there was Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, Changmin, Chanhee, Haknyeon, and Sunwoo. While it was a little overwhelming, it was nice going from zero friends to eleven in the span of just a couple days. You were pretty close to all of them, but you and Hyunjae initially hit it off the best. You understood each other on a different level than everyone else and to this day, you still don't know the exact reason why.

Towards the end of high school, your friendship with Hyunjae transformed into something that wasn’t purely platonic. You weren’t entirely sure when it started to change, but your feelings for him grew exponentially. You tried to keep them to yourself, hidden from the world to preserve your fragile teenage heart. Though you’d already been friends with them a few years at that point, you still had that inkling of dread in the pit of your stomach that one day they’d choose to stop talking to you. You especially didn’t want a silly crush to be the cause of that.

After a while, however, the lines began to blur together anyway and everyone could tell you felt for him romantically. Once, Eric had made a comment about it being so painfully obvious that Hyunjae was just as into you and it nearly shook your whole world.

When college time rolled around, you all knew you’d be attending the same university, so picking roommates was a bit of a tricky situation. You chose yours solely based on the fact that you were majoring in similar things, so it’d be easy to fit schedules together. (You also couldn’t handle being roommates with Hyunjae; it’d be too much for your heart.) Hyunjae lived with Juyeon, Changmin, and Sunwoo, while Sangyeon, Younghoon, Chanhee, and Haknyeon lived together.

Hyunjae parks in a spot near the stairs that lead to your unit. The car is still running when you unbuckle your seatbelt and you stare at the steps blankly. Though the close proximity with him has your pulse racing, you want nothing more than some company until your roommates get home. You turn to him shyly, balling up a fistful of your sweater.

“Jae, do you— do you think you could stay with me for a bit before the boys come back? I don’t— I really don’t wanna be alone right now.”

The look he gives you is full of adoration, like you personally put the stars in the sky. He smiles softly and nods, reaching across the center console to place a comforting hand on top of yours. The two of you keep them intertwined as you go inside your apartment, locking all the locks carefully before sitting on your couch.

You don’t make a comment about him not letting go despite already being in the safety of your home. You don’t say anything about him pulling you into his side either, mostly because you want him to.

With all that’s been happening recently, you’ve felt so hollow. There was this indescribable emptiness expanding in you and even though you so desperately wanted to chalk it up to something else, you knew it was due to the fact that there was growing anxiety that you could be next, that any of your friends could be next. You were starting to move like you were in a simulation, doing everything in your daily routine without a single emotion. Sure, you’d laugh when Eric made a stupid joke but that’s about the most anyone could get from you aside from the occasional panic attack.

Hyunjae being here and holding you is exactly what you needed to feel some semblance of warmth again.

There’s a soft knock on your bedroom door around eight that same night, waking you from your slumber. You don’t remember falling asleep or being moved to your bed, so you’re not too sure when Hyunjae left. You rub the sleep from your eyes as you get up to open your door.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to wake you, but we got some takeout if you’re hungry.” Jacob says with an apologetic smile, leaning on the door frame.

You give him a bleary look as you nod, following him into the dining room where your other two roommates were sitting at the table. Eric greets you through a full mouth. A small laugh escapes you when you sit across from him, Kevin adjacent to your seat. The sound of the TV in the living room plays as background noise as the four of you eat.

“So when’d you get home? I thought you were gonna wait for us.” Kevin asks.

“I was, but then I ran into Hyunjae when I was on my way to your building and he offered to bring me home,” you shrug, taking some tteokbokki with your chopsticks. “It was a whole thing, please don’t ask.”

Eric hums to himself, a mischievous grin on his face as he takes a sip of his cola. “Interesting. And you say he’s not into you…”

Heat blooms over your cheeks and you accidentally drop your chopsticks on your plate, their clacking against the ceramic garnering your roommates’ attention. Eric Sohn was now number one on your hit list. Kevin elbows him in the side and tells him to be quiet, despite the tiny upwards curve of his lips.

“If he cares about you as much as he seems like he does, he wouldn’t have left you here alone after you fell asleep,” Jacob mutters, looking at you from his peripherals. “What was the point of escorting you home if—”

“Jacob shut the fuck up,” Eric suddenly blurts, the three of you stare at him as he clambers over to the living room, turning up the volume on the TV. “Look!”

You turn in your chair, your stomach churning at the news report unfolding before you.

“We’re live just outside SNU, where another victim has been found. The body hasn’t been identified yet, but from what we do know, he was a student that attended the school,” the female reporter says into the microphone she’s holding, a glazed over expression in her eyes. “Crime Scene Investigators believe he was murdered at around six this evening, and was assumed to have been making his way home from campus. Updates are expected to come later tonight once we have more information.”

You know that far away, checked out gaze she had all too well. She’s reported on the killings for a while now, no doubt numb to the way things were at this point.

Your appetite spoils immediately and you excuse yourself from the table, making your way back to your room. You sit on your bed and bring your knees to your chest, taking a deep breath in, then covering your mouth when you breathe out to muffle the sob that follows. It was becoming too overwhelming for you and there was nothing you could do about it besides sit back and watch.

It was understandable for anyone in your situation to feel hopeless, how could they not? With someone terrorizing the city in an unpredictable manner, there was no sense of normalcy in anyone’s life. You shudder when you finally bring yourself to stop crying, digging your nails into the fat of your calves.

Through the walls, you can hear the boys talking, voices solemn.

“Why’d you have to put the TV louder, dumbass?”

“Sorry, I just like being up to date on the case, you know? I want to be prepared. What if I need to learn clone jutsu to take out the guy?”

“Eric, you’re such a clown, oh my god.”

“I get that you’re interested and all, but you have to be mindful of Y/N. You know how much this has affected her both emotionally and physically, she doesn’t need the constant reminder that it’s happening. And I’d appreciate if you apologized for telling me to ‘shut the fuck up’.”

There’s a snort in between.

“My bad, I didn’t mean to be rude about it. But while we’re on the topic, I think we both need to admit our mistakes. What you said about Hyunjae to her wasn’t cool either. I know we’re all friends, but it just came across too—”

“It was really snappy, Jacob. And a bit petty.”

“Yeah! What Kevin said.”

“I— you’re right. I just don’t want her getting hurt, in more ways than one.”

You don’t hear much else from the trio and sigh heavily, dragging your hands down your face and wiping your eyes with the heels of your palms. You grab your phone from your nightstand and hesitantly search for Hyunjae’s contact, the line ringing a couple times before he answers.

“Y/N? Is everything okay? Did something happen?”

“N-no, I’m fine. I was just— I wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay,” you mess with your bottom lip. “I heard there was another victim and I didn’t know when you left the apartment, so I just— uh— I just needed to know that you were safe. I called to see if you’d answer.”

You squeeze your eyes shut out of embarrassment, even if he can’t exactly see you. The stuttering was enough to make you go into hiding for the rest of your life if this serial killer didn’t.

“Oh,” you can hear the slight chuckle in his response from the way his breath hits the speaker. “It means a lot that you’d do that, N/N. Really, I appreciate you so much.”

Your lip finds itself between your teeth and your heart is pounding unbearably fast, you think you might be having a heart attack. You bring a hand up to clutch at your chest as a fuzzy feeling courses through your whole being.

Now you were scared for an entirely different reason.

(The main one occupies your mind again later that night when you scroll through your Twitter feed, only to find out the most recent victim was the guy you accidentally bumped into. You feel like some sick version of a guardian angel was looking after you. It makes it hard to fall asleep after that.)

A couple days passed and you found yourself thinking about Lee Hyunjae more than usual.

Not to say that you didn’t already think about him at least once a day, but now it was worse. When you woke up, you wondered if he was still asleep. While you drank your morning coffee, you wondered if it’d taste sweeter had he made it for you. When you had lunch, you wondered if he’d like the spam musubi you made yourself. When you attended your other classes, you wondered which courses he was struggling with this semester.

As you were walking out of your English class, you recalled running into him. Had he not been there, you might’ve driven yourself insane trying to rush over to the music building while diffusing the issue with that stranger.

When you first began to harbor feelings for him, you assumed it would become nothing more than a silly schoolgirl crush. He was attractive and kind to you, but that was just the bare minimum— you thought you’d grow out of it. However, as time went on, what you thought was just puppy love had blossomed into something stronger. It was a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, all of that had been tossed on the back burner with everything that’s going on. Recently you’ve been too afraid for your own safety and well-being to over analyze your interactions with Hyunjae, but now you’re back to square one.

All because he’d done something nice for you.

God, the bar was so low. Was it really too much to ask for someone who was decent? Someone who wasn’t a serial killer?

You were on your way to the music building to wait for Jacob, Kevin, and Eric once again, when you see Hyunjae coming down the hall. He’s on his phone, not paying any mind to his surroundings. You’re about to call out to him when someone stops you, tugging on the sleeve of your sweater gently.

“Hey, Y/N right?” The tall boy asks, a charming smile on his face.

“Uh— yeah,” you nod, tucking some hair behind your ear. “Y-you are?”

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry! I must seem like a total weirdo,” he laughs, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m Mingyu! We have English together.”

“Oh, you’re Mingyu? Professor Park told me about you before class today,” you give him a small comforting smile. “I don’t mind helping you!”

“Ah, that’s great to hear. I was a bit worried you’d be more annoyed about having to tutor someone so late in the semester.” Though he’s much taller than you and approached you first, Mingyu comes across as a little shy in nature. It puts you at ease in a way.

“No, not at all! English isn’t always the easiest, I get that. I wanna help as much as I can before finals. Look,” you pause, pulling your backpack off one shoulder to rip out a sheet of paper. “I’ll give you my number so we can arrange meet up dates! I’d prefer if we met at the library if that’s okay with you?”

Mingyu grins and sports a thumbs up in agreement. “That sounds perfect. Thank you so much, Y/N!”

You scribble your phone number onto the paper and hand it to him before parting ways. With the off guard conversation, you nearly forgot about Hyunjae, who was nowhere to be seen now. You feel your lips droop into a frown, since you were hoping you could talk with him for a second.

As you’re walking across the quad to the music building, a wind chill blows past you, making you wrap your arms around yourself. It was mid November and for some stupid reason, you were only wearing a small cardigan.

When you squint up at the sky, you also realize it’s more overcast than anything. There’s an angry grey cloud right above you and you curse yourself for not having an umbrella or a raincoat. You should've been more prepared, especially because of the inconsistent weather this time of year.

Suddenly, the sky is blocked from your view and you furrow your brows, spinning around. Hyunjae stares back at you with a smile ten times warmer than the frigid air surrounding you and a thicker jacket in one hand. The other holds up an umbrella just as tiny droplets begin to fall from above.

His timing couldn’t have been better.

“Heading to the music building?” He asks, skillfully placing the coat on your shoulders.

“Mhm… was gonna wait for the boys.” You respond, a little awestruck by how gorgeous he was. Especially up close. Your eyes fixate on the freckle on his nose rather than his own. He hums, keeping an arm around your shoulders as he leads you in a different direction.

“I can take you home again,” he glances down at you. “I don’t mind one bit.”

“O-okay!”

During the car ride to your apartment, you send a quick text to your roommates about not waiting up. You were happy that your relationship with Hyunjae was evolving. The past couple semesters had been rough, and you hadn’t seen him or any of the other guys nearly as much as Jacob, Kevin, and Eric. (And that was only because you lived with them.)

You toss your keys on to the mini table beside the front door, taking off your shoes with a small groan. The boots were cute, but not very comfortable. Hyunjae follows suit, his sock clad feet shuffling against the floor to sit on the couch.

After switching on the TV, you find a random Hallmark Christmas movie to play in the background, knowing full well that his presence beside you was too distracting. The brunette turns to face you, placing a hand on your thigh gently to get your attention.

“So, who was the dude you were talking to earlier?”

You blink at his question. So he saw you after all. Was he perhaps jealous? The idea shouldn’t make you giddy, but it does. “My professor asked me to tutor him ‘cause he’s struggling with English. Why?”

“Just curious. He seemed a little touchy.” Hyunjae plays with the hem of your sweater.

“O-oh. It’s fine, he wasn’t a random perv, if that’s what you were wondering.”

He scoots a little closer to you, tucking some hair behind your ear. You feel your face flush impossibly hotter. Your heart is racing and your breath is caught in your throat. His body heat radiates off of him with the new proximity.

“Good. It drives me crazy seeing other guys put their hands on you.” He admits bluntly, his hand resting at the junction where your neck meets your shoulder.

You know you look insane, your chest heaving up and down and your eyes widened a little. Like a baby deer caught by a predator. Who knew sweet sweet Hyunjae had a rather risqué side to him? You swallow thickly, not daring to move an inch. His thumb caresses your skin gently, goosebumps littering in its wake.

“Hyunjae…” You breathe, lips parting as you finally make eye contact with him.

“You’re so pretty, Y/N.”

You want to scream into the cushion behind you, your hands clamming up. Hyunjae looks like he could swallow you whole if he wanted to, his bottom lip between his teeth as he leans in a bit more. This moment was something straight out of one of your darkest fantasies. You never thought this would ever happen, that either of you would ever actually make a move on the other.

The sound of the front door unlocking catches both of your attention. Hyunjae pulls away from you faster than your brain can comprehend what exactly just occurred. Jacob is the first to walk in, laughing at something Eric said. The three males pause when they see you’re not alone.

The greetings are quick, Hyunjae dapping up the boys as if nothing. He’s also quick to say goodbye, ensuring them that he’ll make sure you’re safe when they’re not around. He gives you that smile of his, the one where his eyes form crescents, and then he’s gone.

You don’t know how much more of this you could take.

“So, Y/N…” Eric starts in the middle of dinner, side eyeing you as he shovels rice into his mouth. “You and Hyunjae have been together an awful lot lately.”

Kevin snorts, kicking the blonde under the table. You suppose it was going to come up eventually. This ‘Will They, Won’t They’ back and forth shit was starting to tire you out. You weren’t getting any younger. Time was passing you up the longer you waited to just say something. And with all that’s been going on, it was silly to be afraid of admitting your feelings.

“He’s being a good friend, Eric,” Jacob sighs, reaching across to flick him on the forehead. “It’s actually really nice that he watches over Y/N when we’re gone.”

Eric grimaces, rubbing the spot that Jacob assaulted. You frown a bit when you realize that he had a point. Hyunjae was treating you like a child that had to be tended to, babysitting you like you weren’t capable of holding your own. Granted, both times he’s come over, you asked him to. So you couldn’t really blame him for assuming you wanted him around to protect you.

“Do y’all think Hyunjae actually likes me? In a non-platonic way?”

Kevin’s spoon clatters onto the floor and they all pause their banter to look at you. Every time your feelings for Hyunjae were brought up, you chose to ignore them and switch the subject. You can’t keep running away.

“Uh— yeah. Duh. Of course he does. I don’t know anyone else who would go out of their way to stay with someone they saw as just a friend multiple times a week so she felt safe.” Kevin finally answers after a moment.

“Okay.” You settle on, taking a sip of your water.

“What do you mean ‘okay’?” He raises an eyebrow at you, but you just shrug.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

As you’re washing the dishes after dinner, you hear the news broadcast over the faucet. Another victim had just been found behind the campus library. The camera shows the scene behind the reporter, something that would’ve made you queasy a couple days ago, but now you feel nothing— just a dull ache in your chest. It’s messy, almost like the killer was in a hurry to get it over with.

The body is covered with a black tarp, paramedics wheeling it away in the corner of the screen. The reporter still wears that dissociated expression on her face as she goes over the details of this victim. She explains that because the murder was done so haphazardly, they were able to identify the body easily.

Twenty three year old Kim Mingyu, Sports Med Major.

The rest of the news report sounds like static in your ears as you scrub away at the dishes mindlessly. Your fingers have pruned and the water was burning the backs of your hands, but you don’t feel it, too checked out to care. It seemed like the killings were getting closer and closer to you. Part of you thought you’d be next every single time.

You had to tell Hyunjae how you felt. It was now or never.

Fifteen minutes later, he’s waiting outside of your apartment complex, leaning against his car. You take careful steps down the stairs, nearly fainting at the sight of him in a hoodie and grey sweatpants. He runs around the car to open the passenger door for you, only shutting it when you’re all buckled up. It’s not long after that he revs the engine and drives off to nowhere in particular, just like you requested. (Curfew ignored.)

It’s silent at first, save for the low hum of his music, R&B that resonates somewhere within your soul. You can’t help but steal a glance from your peripheral, fisting your sweatshirt when you see how concentrated he looks while driving. He has his right hand resting on the gear shift, the other gripping the wheel. You could’ve had this view all to yourself so long ago had you just spoken up.

“Hyunjae,” your voice is wobbly, but you steel yourself to continue. “I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?” He asks, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Do you think— uh— do you think you could pull over?” If you were going to confess, you wanted him to look at you. Besides, the drive was starting to make you jittery.

He nods and goes a bit further, before pulling into an empty lot. He shifts into park, unbuckling his seatbelt so he could turn his body towards you, giving you his undivided attention. You mirror him, tightening your hold on your sweater when he wets his lips, smiling at you. “Is this what you called me for?”

“Yeah, actually,” you force yourself to keep eye contact, pushing the lump back down your throat. “I’ve wanted to tell you this for years now, if I’m being honest with both of us.”

He chuckles, much like he did the other night over the phone. It drives you just a little crazy. “I’m listening.”

“I— I don’t know how to word this properly…” You wipe your palms on your legs. Come on, Y/N, spit it out already. “Fuck, okay, I like you Hyunjae. Like, really like you. In the way that I sometimes wish you would kiss me until I can’t breathe. I’ve been so afraid of admitting that to myself, but I’ve realized that life is way too short to dwell over the fear of rejection. But please, tell me you feel the same.”

He stares at you with an indecipherable look in his eyes. You feel like throwing up now, you stomach twisting and churning at the thought that you just ruined everything between you. There was no going back after this. He knew.

It’s as if months have passed by in utter silence with Hyunjae just sitting there, no words coming out of his mouth, until finally, he just leans across the center console, cupping your cheek with one of his hands. His vision is trained on your lips, his face close enough that his lashes flutter against your skin. God, he was even more gorgeous from this distance.

Instead of saying anything, he presses his lips to yours, a sweet but desperate kiss that melts away all the worries tucked into your head. They feel so soft on your own, molding together in near perfect timing. It’s like you’d been living for a year without rain and this kiss was the shower that saved you from a drought. It’s all you’ve ever wanted and needed and more.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that,” he breathes when he pulls away slightly. “The real thing is so much better than I imagined it would be.”

For once, time slows down in this moment, almost like the world stopped spinning on its axis. Everything slips from your mind and it’s just you and Hyunjae, here in his car in the middle of an empty parking lot. Nothing else matters. You smile at his confession, a genuine smile that was spurred on by contentment rather than force. You felt light and airy, no longer weighed down by such a trivial problem.

“I think I have an idea,” you giggle, reaching up to brush a stray hair from his face. “I’m not too sure, though, I could be wrong. Could you do that again to help jog my memory?”

Hyunjae laughs, (it’s the most melodic sound you’ve ever heard) but doesn’t hesitate to kiss you. You reciprocate his passion, tangling your fingers in his dark hair. He sighs into the kiss, pulling you on top of him. Your legs straddle his lap as best as they can and he reaches down to recline his seat, scooting it as far as it can go from the wheel. The thin material of your fleece shorts hardly hide the feeling of him under you, a low moan pushing into his mouth.

He nips at your bottom lip, tugging at it with his teeth gently before peppering kisses along your jaw and neck, sucking along the exposed skin from your sweatshirt. You whine, throwing your head back as his tongue soothes over the bruising area. His hands slide under your top, rubbing up and down your sides before moving them down to your thighs, repeating the action.

“You’re so gorgeous on top of me like this, Y/N.” Hyunjae says, just above a whisper like someone else might hear this intimate conversation. He grips your hips and bucks upwards to grind into your clothed core. Your eyes widen and you involuntarily moan at the sensation. This wasn’t what you were expecting when you planned to confess, but you didn’t hate the outcome. He grins at your response, reconnecting your mouths sloppily.

If you were given the choice, you were wholeheartedly satisfied with just this. You would’ve been plenty okay with just making out. Had you been asked years ago that you’d even get this far, you would’ve snorted in your own face, so why should you be greedy and want more than what you had? (That’s not to say that you didn’t.)

“H-Hyunjae,” you stutter, your brain foggy from all of the kissing you just did. “Do you…?”

You trail off, not sure how to word your question. You didn’t want to come off like a sex crazed maniac, but you didn’t want to come off like an amateur virgin either. Truth of the matter is, you were neither, but it had been a while since you indulged yourself in something of this sort. And this time it would be with Hyunjae, the one person you never thought you’d do this with. You were nervous.

All you wanted was to be entwined with him in more ways than one. You wanted all of him— the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the sick, the healthy. He could do no wrong on your eyes and you wanted to show him that.

“Do I…?” Hyunjae trails off, waiting for you to continue.

“Do you want to make love… with me?” This had to be the single most mortifying moment of your life. You cover your face in humiliation, shying away from him when he sits up on his elbows.

“What kind of question is that?” He asks with a chuckle, prying your hands from your face so he could look you in the eyes. “If I could make love to you every hour of the day, for seven days a week, I would. I want you all the time, Y/N. Earlier today, before we got interrupted, I wanted to do unimaginable things to you.”

You hide yourself in the crook of his neck, your skin flushing hotter. Weren't you wearing too many layers? The car was starting to feel stuffy. Hyunjae’s chest rumbles with laughter beneath you, pressing his lips to the shell of your ear. This is probably the gentlest he’d be with you all night, because from what you could infer, he was a manhandler.

“Take care of me,” you breathe, mouth brushing against his pulse point. “Please.”

Hyunjae stops holding himself back. He’d do whatever you asked of him, only hoping you’d be tied to him in every lifetime, just like this one. He kisses you again with an unrivaled fervor, slipping his hands inside your sweatshirt and touching you everywhere physically possible. They’re warm on your skin, palming your breasts over the flimsy fabric of your bralette.

He helps you get rid of your top and shorts, leaving you in just undergarments. The sight of you barely clothed sends him into a frenzy, especially knowing it’s for his eyes only. You aid Hyunjae in pulling off his hoodie and yanking his sweatpants down his long legs. The minute most of your restrictions are gone, Hyunjae brings you closer to him. He hisses at the contact, the warmth of your cunt through your panties putting him under a spell.

You whimper when his touch travels down your front, sneaking into the waistband of your underwear. The pads of his middle and ring fingers apply the lightest amount of pressure onto your clit the second he finds it, circling the sensitive bundle of nerves. Your nails on one hand dig into his shoulder while the other trails down his abdomen, rubbing up and down his length through his boxer briefs.

Hyunjae groans into your kiss and you gasp for air as you tear from him, resting your forehead on his to watch as you get each other off through your clothes. If earlier was something taken from one of your wet dreams, what did this constitute as? You clench around nothing when he pushes up into you, your wrists clashing. Knowing he was just as down bad for you as you were for him just made this all that much more real.

“I need to feel you around me,” he mumbles in your ear, dipping his fingers in and out of you languidly as if to explain what he meant. “Let me stretch you out.”

You nod in response, fumbling with his briefs. Hyunjae lifts his hips enough for you to help him out of them. You groan when he reveals his impressive size, wondering how exactly he expected you to take him. He pushes your panties to the side, mimicking the sound you just made when he sees your bare pussy drooling for him. You eventually get frustrated and line him up with your hole, sinking down in one fluid motion. A voluminous moan escapes from the back of your throat, his dick throbbing achingly inside of you. At first you stay still like that, your pelvises touching as you adjust to his length and girth.

“H-holy shit— you’re s-so deep, Jae,” you cry, resting your forehead against his yet again. He pecks your lips, holding onto your hips to help you bounce on his cock, practically impaling you every single time.

“Fuck, you’re taking me so well. Such a good fucking girl,” Hyunjae grunts, the warmth of your walls drawing him in even further. “So tight, too.”

Your thighs begin to burn and your movements become slower, which he takes note of instantaneously. He bends his knees and forces your upper half impossibly closer to him, thrusting up into you. This new angle allows him to find that one spongy spot that has you seeing stars, fogging up your brain and even your vision.

You cast a downward glance at the minimal space between where the two of you are connected. Your moans and whines grow louder with the view of every thrust of his hips into yours. Hyunjae sneaks his hand in the middle of you, his fingers expertly toying with your clit. Any more stimulation and the band in your stomach is snapping.

You’ve had sex before. You’ve slept with a handful of other guys in the past, but nothing could ever compare to this moment. Your cunt had already memorized his size and every vein, effectively ruining the chances of any other man doing this with you. Lee Hyunjae had you in a chokehold whether he realized it or not. He had you wrapped around his finger without really trying, but you could never complain.

Your walls squeeze his cock and he knows he won’t last much longer, shutting his eyes tightly. “C’mon baby, you gonna cum for me?”

“Mhm,” you whimper, your skin flush on his own. “Wanna cum so bad for you, Hyunjae.”

“Yeah? Me too, sweetheart,” he pants, the thumb on your hip pressing against the bone. “Where do you want me?”

“Inside,” you babble. “Please, please. I want you to cum inside me, Hyunjae.”

He kisses you softly just then, swallowing your pretty moans with something completely opposite of what he’s already given you, and that’s what sends you spiraling, fluttering around him. He groans, spilling into you and letting you milk him dry of everything he has to offer, painting your insides just like you asked him to.

You lay like that for a while, Hyunjae’s dick still buried in you to the hilt. Both of you attempt to catch your breaths and bring yourselves down from the well-anticipated euphoric state you just visited. You giggle at the condensation coating the windows of his car, extending your arm to draw a heart and a smiley face with your finger. He slowly pulls himself out, hissing at the sensitivity, but doesn’t make a move to get you off of his chest.

Where do you go from here? A line had just been crossed and you weren’t entirely sure you knew what he wanted from you. It’s one thing to imagine kissing and fucking someone extensively. But it was another to actually want a tangible, romantic relationship from them, to actually capacitate feelings for them.

“I love you,”

You jolt up and stare at him with widened eyes. Did those words really just come out of his mouth? As if he can read your mind, he nods. There’s a dragged out sigh, followed by him sitting up slightly with you perched on his lap.

“I really do, Y/N. I’ve felt this way for years and I’m willing to do anything for you.” He admits, tucking some of your hair behind your ear. You kiss him gently, the pad of your thumb swiping across his cheekbone.

“I love you, too.”

The Saturday after your night in Hyunjae’s car brought everything into perspective for you.

You hadn’t spoken to him since he dropped you off at your apartment and it was beginning to worry you. Even though you made sure he reciprocated your emotions, there still could’ve been a misunderstanding. Had you been too forward? Did you scare him away? Did something happen to him? Whatever the explanation was, you didn’t like the eerie feeling it started brewing in your stomach— it was foreboding.

In spite of not talking to them at all in what seemed to be a month or so, you tried calling each of your mutual friends to see if you could get some answers. Not even his roommates picked up their phones and this made you much more uneasy. You pace back and forth in your living room, nicking at your bottom lip with your nails. Why did he choose now of all times to ghost you? What went wrong?

Kevin comes out of his bedroom a couple minutes later, expecting to grab his morning coffee as usual. When he finds you nearly on the brink of insanity instead, he decides to intervene. He supposed his caffeine could wait until his best friend was calmed down. You jump in surprise, holding a fist to your chest. He raises his hands in mock surrender.

“Didn’t mean to startle you, my bad. What’s up? Why do you look like you’re going through a quarter life crisis?” Kevin asks you, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Is everything okay?”

“I—“ you pause and take a deep breath. “I don’t know…”

His eyebrows furrow and he guides you to the sofa so you could sit down. “What do you mean ‘you don’t know’?”

“Hyunjae hasn’t talked to me since Thursday night, after he brought me back here,” your voice is hoarser than you’d like it to be. “I-I texted and called him a bunch but he hasn’t replied. I even— I even tried Juyo, Sunwoo, and Changmin. No luck with them either. I’m concerned, Kev.”

Kevin combs through his hair, pursing his lips in thought. “Yeah, okay, I would be too. It's a little weird that none of them are responding. Have you thought of just showing up at his place to check in on him?”

You shake your head. “No, I didn’t want him to think I’m clingy and annoying in case he was there. What if he just wants to get me off of his back and he’s telling them to ignore me?”

“I don’t think that’s the case at all, Y/N,” your friend sighs, putting his glasses on top of his head and running a hand down his face. “Hyunjae has never been that kind of person in all the years we’ve known him. I highly doubt he’d switch up now. Plus, he’s literally crazy about you. I’m pretty sure the guy would move heaven and earth for you if he could. I think there’s a very real and genuine possibility that something is seriously wrong. It’s like— it’s just a gut feeling, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.” If Kevin felt this way, too, that would only mean one thing, right? You had to get to the bottom of this. There was a chance that lives depended on it. A quick roll of your neck and you’re standing. “I’m gonna go over there. I can’t leave things unanswered. I can’t wait for a fucking news report.”

The ravenette pats the top of your head. “Be careful, N/N. Please.”

You give him a nod before you’re slipping into your shoes and grabbing his car keys. You’re not exactly dressed for a confrontation if there is one— clad in a pair of sweatpants, an oversized sweatshirt with your university’s crest on it, and socks with sandals— but you were too preoccupied to care.

The drive itself was mentally taxing, your brain dissociating most of the ride. You’re not sure how many of the lights you passed were actually green. The closer you got to Hyunjae’s apartment, the more that trepidation settling in your lower abdomen grew. Throughout your life, you’d never been the type of person who acted on instinct or had a nagging voice in the rear of your head warning you about situations you got into. You usually went with the flow and if you made a mistake, you allowed yourself to learn from it.

However, that was prior to being thrown into a period of uncertainty like this one. Now, all you could do was act on instinct. All you could do was listen to the stupid nagging voice in the rear of your head yelling at you. All you could do was follow the blaring alarms and caution signs in your field of vision. And this time they were almost deafening.

Kevin’s car rolls to a stop outside of Hyunjae’s building, occupying an empty spot three away from the front of the stairs. Your pulse races when you step out of the vehicle and immediately recognize the cars in the spaces beside yours. Hyunjae’s, Juyeon’s, and Changmin’s. You notice a thin layer of dirt caking Juyeon and Changmin’s, as if they’d remained unmoved for a long time. Perturbed wasn’t a big enough word to describe what was going through your mind.

Half of you was terrified to take a step towards the stairs, let alone ascend them to Hyunjae’s floor. What would go down when you reached his apartment? What would happen the moment that door opened?

You ball your hands into fists, the edges of your nails jabbing the skin of your palms. The pain steels you enough to move forward, walking up the stairs slowly. There’s a chill tiptoeing along your spine the whole trip up, like your body knew what you were getting yourself into before you did. Maybe you were stupid. Only an idiot would lead themselves blindly into a scenario without knowing the outcome.

It’s been minutes of you staring at the slightly rusted numbers on Hyunjae’s door before you register that you’re standing in front of it. If you're being honest, you have no idea what you’re doing. You were acting on autopilot— progressing without a thought of what’s coming next. A shuddered breath leaves your lips and you raise your knuckles to the door.

The first knock is too soft to hear if the inhabitants were in their bedrooms, so you apply more force the second time. The sound reverberates through the hall, a wince appearing on your features. If someone was inside, surely they had to have heard that one. You wait a little longer for the door to swing open and reveal one of your friends looking perfectly fine. For Juyeon to showcase that grin of his that reaches his eyes and ask what you were doing here. For Changmin to give you that sweet smile that puffed up his cheeks and ask what you needed. For Sunwoo to blow a raspberry before he laughed at how silly you were for stressing over them. For Hyunjae to reassure you that it was all going to be okay, that he loved you. You were praying for that.

But no one showed up on the other end of that doorway and you were stuck glaring at that same painted board of wood.

That’s what sends your instincts into overdrive. Your hand grabs the knob, twisting it just in case. It makes a full rotation, pushing open the door the tiniest bit. You peek inside carefully and find all the lights in the living room and kitchen off. Your teeth bite down on your lip as you enter the apartment. One of the things you hated about it, was the annoying buzz of the fluorescent lights in their bathroom. And for some reason, that was all that infiltrated your ears.

The door for said bathroom was cracked just a tad at the end of the hallway, but what caught your attention was the room closest to you— also cracked the most miniscule amount. You see light filtering through, an almost orange glow like that of a desk lamp. Your stupidity would be your downfall, you conclude, your feet gravitating to the room. It’s Hyunjae’s you recall when you’re outside of it. They always say curiosity killed the cat, and you couldn’t help but revert to a feline and nudge it open with your foot.

You really wished that saying was just that— a saying.

Eric sits ahead of you, tied to a chair in the middle of the room. There’s a piece of fabric gagging his mouth and his clothes are tattered, blood staining nearly every inch. A long gash runs along his left bicep and a myriad of smaller cuts litter his face and arms. What your focus lands on first are the several deep stab wounds on his thighs.

A hand comes up to cup your mouth to keep yourself from screaming at the sight of your best friend in this position. He struggles against his restraints, muffled cries for your assistance shattering your heart into a thousand pieces like broken shards of glass. Tear streaks mixed with dried blood cover the apples of his cheeks.

“Oh my god, Eric,” your voice wobbles as you scramble to free him. “Oh my god…”

You pull down the fabric in his mouth first and he gasps for air. His eyes widen at something behind you and he warns, “Y/N—!” before he’s interrupted by your yelp. The person pressed into your back has their arm around your neck with a hold tight enough that you can’t escape, but loose enough that you can breathe, the blunt edge of a knife grazing the column of your throat.

“Tsk tsk, Youngjae. You should know that making so much noise when your killer’s not in the room just alerts them of suspicious activity. That’s survival 101, my friend. Isn’t that right, sweet sweet Y/N?”

No.

No. No. No. No. No.

This wasn’t happening.

This couldn’t be happening.

“Please, let her go, Hyunjae.” Eric begs. Hyunjae hums, nuzzling his nose in your hair. He rolls his eyes and scoffs after inhaling your scent, resting his chin on your shoulder.

“God, you’re a mouthy one. Not even Juyeon and Sunwoo were this chatty when I slit their throats— then again, it's not like they could talk much anyway.” He snorts.

You felt sick. You were lightheaded now, just at the thought of your friends gone. “W-why are you doing this?”

Hyunjae grumbles, pouting his lips. “Time for me to unravel my evil villain monologue, huh?” He slips a hand under your sweatshirt and pinches the side of your waist. “Well here it is; what you’re dying to know. The first incident was by complete accident, we were simply having a discussion about why he shouldn’t have been staring at your ass while his girlfriend was next to him at Jeong Jaehyun’s end of summer bonfire. The dude got pissed off that I called him out and tried to start a fight, but I shoved him so hard, he fell and hit his head on a rock. I just couldn’t find it in myself to feel bad about it so I left him there like nothing. From then on, anyone who came between us or remotely hurt you in any way wound up on the receiving end of this knife. Funny isn’t it? How you’re the one beneath it this time?”

It all began to fall into place once he laid the cards out on the table for you to read. The guy you ran into Tuesday after class. Poor Kim Mingyu, who just wanted to pass his English final. Your friends not picking up their phones. And supposedly it was all in the name of love.

“Y-you did that for me?”

“Of course, baby,” Hyunjae mutters into the shell of your ear. “I said I’d protect you didn’t I? I just want you all to myself.”

“What the fuck does that possessive bullshit have to do with me? What did it have to do with Juyo or Changmin or Sunwoo?” Eric cries. “Oh god, what about—?”

“Sangyeon, Hoon, Chanhee, Hak? Yeah, those four were taken care of way before my own roommates. You, obviously, were the chosen one this go around. Then it would be Kevin and lastly, Jacob. I planned on stopping after you three unless absolutely necessary.”

“How is any of this fucking necessary? You’re psychotic,” the blonde exclaims, still wriggling in his restraints. “Why would Y/N want you after all of this? Did you really believe she’d never find out about what you’ve done?”

Hyunjae glides the smooth edge of the blade against your skin and releases you from his grip, but takes a hold of your wrist, placing the handle in your grasp. He urges you forward, closer to Eric. “If she was scared of me, don’t you think she would’ve tried harder to escape me? Didn’t even blink when I held the knife to her neck.”

The brunette kisses your temple and you watch the fear in Eric’s eyes morph into defeat. “After everything we’ve been through? I’ve known you since eighth grade, Y/N. Eighth fucking grade. And this is how it ends?”

“H-he loves me,” you stutter, glancing at Hyunjae. “Don’t you?”

“You don’t kill your best friends out of love, Y/N! He’s insane! Please, don’t let him get into your head. You’re not that kind of person.” Eric attempts to reason.

Maybe you weren’t. Maybe you were. Who knows? That didn’t matter. What mattered was the fact that Hyunjae loved you. He loved you so much that he’d kill for you. Over and over and over again.

It was kind of comical that you loved him all the same. You, too, would kill for him. Over and over and over again.

#the boyz #the boyz x reader #the boyz smut #the boyz hyunjae #tbz #tbz x reader #tbz smut #tbz hyunjae #lee hyunjae #lee hyunjae x reader #lee hyunjae smut #hyunjae #hyunjae x reader #hyunjae smut #juyeonszn

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httpknjoon · 1 year

Text

(re)starting over again | kth; 11

plot | Your four-year relationship with Taehyung was going well and strong. Until he was involved in a car accident, resulting to him losing some memories. By some, it means everything that happened five years ago. Things he remember? His friends, his bakeshop, and his ex girlfriend from the past. With that, you tried to keep up, restarting over again.

words | 2.8k

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | -

note | AAAAND WE'RE BACK! it's been a month since the last update! consider this as a new season for mc and tae :)) u might find this chapter a little fast-paced or not idk.. let me know ur thoughts! enjoy reading <;3 ps. sorry for the errors!

main masterlist | series masterlist

A couple of years passed, two to be exact, and a lot of things happened. The bakery became more crowded. It was renovated and had a larger space instead of moving the entire bakery to another place. They began hiring extra help, usually part-time working students who used to be customers in the shop too.

Also, turns out that Jimin has a kid. Taehyung met Jihoon just a week after his best friend learned about his existence. Jihoon is a carbon copy of his dad, Taehyung thought. His eyes disappear when he smiles. Now, they have a little baker running around the kitchen usually on weekends.

Aside from those changes, Taehyung now lives in a studio apartment just a five-minute walk away from the bakery. He moved in just weeks after you left. The said apartment is not that big, just enough for him to rest in after work. Jimin commented that he treats that place like a hotel since Taehyung didn’t really personalize it to make the ambiance like a home. The whole place was plain, not even considered minimalist. Just plain. The walls were untouched. It was off-white when Taehyung came and it remains the same now. He didn’t really bother to invest anything in the place.

The house you two bought and lived in is still being taken care of. By him. Taehyung cleans up there once a week, just in case you reach out to visit home again and maybe talk about what to do with it. And when he feels like it, which is almost rare, he sleeps on the couch in the living room. He never really entered the guest room, which became your bedroom after the accident, except the time he got home after Jisoo and Namjoon’s wedding. That room was spotless, just like how you left it. The only things you left that night were on your vanity table; your house keys, the vintage pearl ring he bought you back in the flea market, and a folded paper.

The letter says, “Feel at home, this house is yours too. Paint the walls with the colors you like, buy new furniture, and fill the frames with new memories. Just please don’t sell it. I’ll try to reach out as soon as I can. For now, live the last years you missed.”

He never painted the walls with another color as he found the shade of blue that spreads around the house perfect. He never bought any furniture and still kept the same ones you had. He thought it fit the theme of the house and his preference. And yes, the picture frames show the same photos they originally had. It felt home that way for him. But he chose to move to the apartment because he always felt like he was missing something. The house is cozy and comfortable. But whenever he tries to lie on supposedly his bed, it feels empty. Once, he tried playing jazz music around the house, but it just got lonelier so he turned it off and just continued cleaning.

But he did try to keep up and look back at the things he forgot through his friends and the things he found at the house. Jimin, Namjoon, and sometimes Jisoo were patient with his questions. Jisoo, your best friend, was understandably distant from him at first after you went away. But she adds details to the stories Namjoon tells and later, became amiable with him. Jimin’s mom still looks after him and brings him food when she visits the city. There were a few times she mentioned Taehyung’s mother but he didn’t really care about her. So he ignores it.

“You know, you’re a handsome man. Don’t you have any lady?”

One of their common customer, a man in his seventies once asked him. It was not the first time someone asked him such a thing. He always shakes his head with a smile as an answer. It would lead later with an offer to meet someone they know. Taehyung would shyly and kindly decline these offers, saying he really doesn’t feel like dating for now. It’s true. The idea of him dating someone else felt wrong. It was like his own body rejected the idea as he felt uneasy with that thought.

“So, it’s that time of the year.”

Taehyung was pulling his third pan of cheesecake out of the hot oven with his oven gloves when he heard Ava, their longtime part-time staff, say that. She sounded amused but not surprised. He looked up and saw her leaning on the door frame with her arms crossed. She had a smug smile on her face.

“I swear, you should just declare this particular day as Cheesecake and Banana Bread Day just to make it official,” she added, teasing.

Taehyung looked at her, unimpressed, “It’s selling. In fact, my cheesecakes are one of our best sellers here… What are you doing here anyway? Go back to the front.”

He scolds her, she just rolled her eyes, unbothered. Ava was one of the students who knew Taehyung even before his accident. She went from being a loyal customer to a reliable staff of the shop. She has been enjoying the pastries in the shop ever since she was twelve and now, sixteen, she also enjoys getting into small banters with her older bosses. She is usually candid, and not shy to share her thoughts. Taehyung sees her as a little sister most time.

Given that she began working here after you left, Ava doesn’t really have an idea why Taehyung bakes a few batches of cheesecake and banana loaves on this specific date. She doesn’t know you and that you are celebrating your birthday today. Taehyung learned about that fact after his phone notified him weeks after you went. Since then, he has baked your favorites on your special day.

It’s the third time now. It’s probably a slim chance but he hoped to see you around the bakeshop, enjoying pastries. But so far, he hasn’t seen you around. In fact, he hadn’t even heard from you ever since that night. He thought he saw you a year ago in the subway when he came to Incheon to go sightseeing, but he lost you before he could take a second glance. He didn’t know where you moved since he respects your space but he wondered if you really moved that far. He wonders about you every now and then.

Jisoo posted a short clip in her Instagram Stories months ago. It’s just a clip of a long trail and he swore he heard you in the background noise of that clip, telling your best friend how tired you are from hiking. Then, the clip ended.

“Not because it’s best selling you would make a ton of it. It’s something about demand and supply– I don’t know,” she conceded, breaking Taehyung’s train of thought. “Anyway, I’m here because someone called on the phone, asking for you.”

Taehyung’s heart stopped for a second. His hopes almost blasted out of his soul but he tried to stay calm before asking Ava, “Who is it?”

“I don’t know. But it’s a woman. They said they want to specifically talk to you.” she replied, unaware that the man in front of him was holding his breath. She continued, “They are actually waiting on call right now.”

Taehyung almost sprinted to the front desk of the shop. Still in his mint green oven gloves, he reached for the telephone. His heart is beating fast while his gut is twisting tight. He paused when he realized he had nothing to say. He doesn’t know what to say if it’s you. Are you going to talk about the house? Should he greet you with Happy Birthday first and offer you your favorite cheesecake? Maybe you won’t like– Stop.

Taehyung took a deep breath before exhaling. He spoke, “Hello, this is Kim Taehyung, co-owner of The Sweet Spot. How can I help you?”

“Oh, hi.”

His heart dropped. Okay, relax. He told himself. It’s not you.

There were nights when Taehyung would find himself awake. And tonight is one of those nights. He just lay on his bed, staring at the blank ceiling. He always had trouble falling asleep, maybe a side effect of his accident. He doesn’t know anymore. But he knows that it makes his head go crazy with random thoughts when times like this happen. And now, he thought of something.

That’s when he picked up his phone and keys, along with his coat. He drove away from his apartment.

The bell above the door rang when he entered the convenience store to pick up a few beers and chips. His cold hands stayed in his coat’s pockets as he looked around the store, waiting for the clerk to scan his stuff. Just when the worker was about to say the prince, the bell clung again.

“No, wait. I’m just really hungry. Wait for me… Yes, I have money here.”

Everything went quiet and suddenly all that he could hear was that voice. Your voice. He’s sure of that. He looked back and saw a woman’s back going into one of the aisles. His heart raced once again. You’re here?

“Dude, you okay?” the tired clerk asked, looking at him with heavy bags under his eyes.

Taehyung looked at him, and broke out of his headspace, “Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry.”

He pulled out his cash and paid. He can still hear your voice like you were talking with someone on your phone.

“Do you want anything– Oh, the honey-butter chips I want ran out of stock.”

Taehyung looked at the chips in his hand. He looked at the clerk who also looked at him like they understood each other without saying anything. Taehyung placed the chip back on the counter.

“Just give this to the girl,” he whispered before turning his back.

He didn’t look back. A cool blow of wind brushed on his face when he walked out the door. For a second, he inhaled and exhaled again to calm his nerves. He got in his car, putting the pack of beer on the other seat. As he started the car, his eyes landed on the side mirror.

Yes, it’s you. Definitely.

You just walked out of the same store, still on your phone, as you walked away grinning with your honey butter chips. You walked on the other end of the pathwalk. Taehyung pursed his lips and drove away.

His lips remained sealed but his head was exploding with questions. That was the closest he had seen you since the night you said goodbye. How are you? Why are you in the city? Did you live around here? It can’t be. Jisoo told him you left the hospital you used to work at.

Instead of driving back to his apartment, Taehyung ended up parking in front of your deserted house. He had his beer with him as he turned the key on the doorknob. He stepped into the said home feeling colder even though he still hadn’t removed his coat. He placed the drink on the center table in the living room and plugged in the TV for background noise. He put on a random show, which happens to be FRIENDS.

Opening a can, he sat on the couch, pulling a couple of books he left under the same table. Photo albums and scrapbooks. You never told him such things exist in here, he just found them after cleaning around the house. It was personalized by you and him. He could tell by the design and handwritten captions.

Almost everything was documented through photos and other knick knacks like receipts from a movie you two saw together. Browsing through the pages of it, it felt like looking at other people’s relationships even though he was in the photos himself. In one of the photos, he saw himself with a camera. He didn’t even know he had one. He tried searching around the house for it but he never found it.

You had more solo portraits in the said books than him. He figured out why. Maybe he really loved capturing you as his subject. You looked the same in every picture: happy and in love. Most of your pictures were candid, taken without you knowing. Then, a handwritten date by him will be seen below it. Each photo was adorable. Some are just random ones. You were brushing your teeth or showing off your colorful scrubs (which was written in the caption: BOUGHT HER YELLOW DUCKIES SCRUBS I THINK SHE LIKES IT).

Taehyung spend his sleepless nights like this, looking back at what he missed. He read through articles before that the possibility of getting his memories back is a hit or miss. So he learned to just go on and maybe accept how things became. He tries to move forward at the same time he tries to look back. It’s quite confusing sometimes.

IT’S HER… I’M SURE

That was the caption in one photo of you dating just weeks after you two moved into this house. In the picture, your back was turned as you sat in front of your vanity table. You can be seen fixing your hair while looking at your reflection. Taehyung’s eyebrow raised with the caption. He wondered what it meant. He turned the page to the next one but was greeted with nothing but a blank page. Turns out, that was the most recent one.

“The main branch of their restaurant is somewhere in Incheon. I’ll send you the address after the call.”

Taehyung listened to Jimin through a loudspeaker call. His hair is still damp from a shower. Standing in front of the mirror, he compares two coats that would suit the rest of his outfit. He felt the need to look presentable tonight.

“You will meet the owner herself, Ashley. She said you can just introduce yourself to the host and he’ll lead you to your table… Ava kept the samples in the shop. She said she put them in different Tupperware so you can spot it right away.” Jimin instructed.

“Okay, okay.”

He heard his best friend sigh on the other line, “I’m sorry for the short notice, Tae. I totally forgot Jihoon will be staying with me tonight.”

Tonight, Taehyung will be meeting a special client. It’s the one who called a couple of weeks ago, during your birthday. it‘s a big restaurant that is planning to put the bakeshop’s products on their menu for dessert. Specifically, the cakes. The head chef was the one who brought up their product to the owner, whom he will meet now. Jimin initially agreed to meet the said client but his co-parenting schedule had some shifts. Just an hour ago, Taehyung learned he’d be the one meeting the client. It’s not like he had plans anyway. So, he immediately prepared himself.

After picking the clothes, Taehyung blow-dried and brushed his hair. His best friend sent the main address minutes later and so he left his apartment. He first drove by the shop, which closed a little earlier today. A lot of cakes were made for sample. It includes Jimin’s Carrot Cake, his own cheesecake, and six other more. Taehyung left with a brown bag of the samples.

His fingers tapped with the beat of the song playing on the radio as he drove his way to the restaurant. It was a peaceful night on the road.

This will be the first time Taehyung will be going back to Incheon since that time he went sightseeing. He stayed there for just three days before, it was days after his phone notified him about your supposedly fifth anniversary. His emotions were all over the place because of the aftermath and the demanding work in the bakeshop around that time. So he asked Jimin for a very short break. He still hasn’t got a car then so he took the subway throughout the whole time. It was during his last day there when he saw a glimpse of you in the crowded subways of that city. He remembered you were in your scrubs, your hair was cleanly kept in a low bun, and you were walking opposite of his direction. Then, he blinked. You were gone in the crowded place.

“Good evening, sir.”

Almost forty minutes later, Taehyung arrived at the restaurant, Starry Night. He was greeted by the host as he entered the elegant place. It has a great ambiance, romantic. It is a fine-dining restaurant and seems like a perfect spot for dinner dates.

He said his name when he was asked. And while the man looked down at his guest list, Taehyung’s eyes traveled around the place. And not even a minute in, his eyes stopped at someone who he felt had been staring at him.

His eyes widened at the sight. A stunning woman, clad in a black dress, stares back at him with surprise. His mouth ran dry, he had to gulp. Now, he’s sure. He’s sure.

It’s you.

taglist rules

RESTARTING OVER AGAIN TAGLIST [🔧🔨 ]

@iamkookiesforyou @aianloveseven @hoodalmighty @taebangtanbabe @kthsmoon @nooojaaam @hiimnothing @hiqhkey @annenakamura @taebangtanbabe @shin-ie @prlan @zzztaegizz @starlight-night0 @teddybeartaetae @http-fayeradise @kiwuki @tannies-luv @fuckthinking @betysotelo18 @honsoolgloss @aurorathi @paulaaa97 @satisfied18

PERMANENT TAGLIST

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#bts angst #bts x reader #bts series #taehyung angst #taehyung fluff #taehyung x reader #taehyung au #taehyung series #bts amnesia #taehyung amnesia #bts established relationship au #taehyung established relationship #restarting over again kth

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hollandorks · 1 year

Text

haven

battinson! bruce wayne x f! reader

chapter eleven

Summary: After the sudden deaths of your mother and grandmother, you’re forced to return home to Gotham…and to the man who broke your heart three years ago. Back in Bruce Wayne’s inescapable orbit, you vow to get to the bottom of your former best friend’s new cold personality. But Bruce’s secrets aren’t what you’re expecting. a

a/n: I'd like to say week was crazy and that's the reason the update took a little longer than usual, but actually I had the week off and I was just taking a break! Anyways, things are starting to get a little crazy now...oops

Series Masterlist

word count: 2.3k

How many more women would die?

And how much time did that buy her before she was next?

Two nights after the second murder–another woman who eerily resembled y/n–she finally got a text from that same unknown number.

11 tonight, same place.

She was almost giddy. She had been hiding in her room for two days like a good girl, trying not to bug Gordon or even Martinez as they investigated the second murder. But she’d be damned if she wasn’t going crazy again already.

The news was calling it a potential serial killer, but she knew better. They all knew better.

It was the Gallo family hunting her down.

She dressed in warm, dark clothes again and texted Alfred where she was going. She wanted to leave early, but knew it was a bad idea. She waited until a couple of minutes after eleven to go downstairs, just to be sure the Batman was out there. As she stepped into the elevator his one word text came through. Outside.

She was excited to see him. She finally had something to look forward to, and it was talking to a vigilante, of all things.

And there he was, leaning against the motorcycle without a care in the world. She let her eyes trail from his legs crossed at the ankle to his crossed arms to his masked face. Despite the fact he was literally covered head to toe, a thrill went through her.

“Hi,” she said lamely when she was close enough.

He simply handed her the helmet and got back on the bike.

Some of the excitement went out of her like a balloon deflating. “No hello?” she said, her voice light and teasing.

“Hello. Ready?” he asked when her arms were around his waist. She rolled her eyes.

“Ready.”

They sped off into the night. She let her eyes close. She was almost at peace for the first time in weeks, and it was in the wake of another murder and on the back of a motorcycle with a vigilante she barely knew.

But she had not been made to be idle. Sitting at home, hiding from mobsters, was doing her in. Add to that not only boredom, but grief and painful memories from all sides, and she was surprised she really hadn’t jumped out of a window yet. It was the reason she and Bruce were constantly sneaking out as kids, the reason she had taken extra classes for fun in college, the reason she did things that were objectively stupid. The reason she was an investigative reporter and not in a more steady, safe job.

The motorcycle jolted to a stop.

She opened her eyes and slid off, tucking the helmet under her arm.

Even though she knew what to expect, the fear still stole her breath. She really, really hated heights, and yet she was willingly going up onto rooftops. Stupid. She muttered to herself as the soft noise of the grappling hook split the quiet air.

Y/n tried really hard not to embarrass herself by clinging to Batman, but it didn’t work. At least this time, she let go quickly and didn’t fall on her ass.

She cleared her throat as she stepped away and murmured a thanks. She inched carefully towards the center of the rooftop to get her bearings. It was a different roof this time, next door to the one they’d been on that first night.

“Thanks for doing this,” she said quietly as she set up her camera. The pub below was twice as busy now that it was the weekend.

“Is it so bad at home?” he asked after she had taken several pictures, startling her. She glanced over at him, but he was busy studying the street below. His gloved fingers tapped an idle rhythm on his leg.

“Yes,” she said without thinking. She looked through the camera’s viewfinder and adjusted another setting for the low light and the distance. “I mean–sort of. It’s complicated.”

“Complicated?”

The camera shutter was the only sound between them for a minute. “I told you my grandmother and my mother died.” A soft noise of assent. “And to start with, Wayne Tower, as nice as it is, is full of memories of my grandmother. She raised me. Every time I walk around a corner I–” The words stuck in her throat as the grief rose unbidden within her. “–I have no idea if something is going to remind me of her and then I have to remember that she’s gone. It’s like getting punched every time. Or having the breath knocked out of you.”

“I understand,” he said softly, and she knew that he had lost someone too.

She blinked back tears and nodded. She focused on the pictures to distract herself. “On top of that–” She couldn’t admit it. Because how pitiful would it sound? How stupid, how childish, would it sound to say, On top of that, I told Bruce Wayne that I loved him three years ago and he broke my heart and I still can’t stand to be around him. “It’s complicated,” she finally said again. “Someone broke my heart, and I haven’t gotten over it. I’m not sure I ever will.” Her voice lowered until the last words were almost a whisper, choking her until she could barely speak.

There was a sharp intake of breath next to her.

She faced him but he was staring below.

She frowned and tried to see what she had missed that made him make that noise, but she couldn’t see anything.

They lapsed into silence.

“Got any snacks in that fun belt of yours?” she asked a while later. Her voice was falsely light to her own ears. But what else was she supposed to do? She had basically trauma dumped on a virtual stranger. It was awkward, too awkward. She grit her teeth and silently cursed her mouth for running away from her, like usual.

A huff that might have been a laugh. “No. No snacks.”

She faced him fully this time, one hand on her hip while the other still held the camera. “No snacks? What kind of vigilante are you if you aren’t prepared for everything?”

He shrugged but he was smiling. “A bad one, I guess.”

“I’m making my own belt for next time and filling it with snacks,” she muttered.

Things were a little easier after that. Batman still didn’t talk much, but she did come to learn that he made most of his gadgets too–like the gauntlets that held a grappling hook–and most of those things he had added after bad experiences.

“One time I fell in the sewer because I didn’t have a flashlight,” he said in a low voice. She had to smother her laugh so as not to draw attention. “Now I have two.”

She was also able to elicit an answer about his favorite snacks, learning that he had a surprising sweet tooth. She asked if he ate healthy in order to stay in shape for being a vigilante, and he answered that his diet focused on strength and stamina. She made a joke about protein shakes that had him turning a cough into a laugh.

It was nearly one in the morning when she saw him.

They had been chatting quietly, the music coming from the perpetually open pub door drowning most of it out, when a man stepped outside.

Y/n almost dropped the camera.

“He’s here,” she said in a whisper. She quickly snapped pictures.

She hadn’t expected to recognize the man who had escaped.

But there he was, standing below her, talking to one of the women smoking as she leaned against the bricks by the front door.

“You’re sure?” Batman asked.

She could feel her pulse pounding in her throat. Her hands shook so badly she had to fight to steady them so as to get a good picture.

He had been closest to her that night. His face in the most light.

He had been holding the gun.

It played in her mind again, the noise drawing their attention, the almost slow-motion turn of four heads.

“Fuck,” she whispered.

And, somehow, it was like the man heard her.

He looked up, across the street and to the roof, and met her eyes.

Y/n scrambled back away from the edge.

“He saw me,” she whispered. “He saw me.”

Batman was crouched next to her, hidden by the low wall that ran around the entire edge of the building.

“You’re sure?” he said again, but his eyes were on her face this time. It was too dark to tell what color they were. Probably not brown–they were too light.

She mentally shook herself to focus. “I’m positive.”

It was his turn to curse. “Fuck,” he muttered. He grabbed his phone and texted something quickly. He was actually good at texting–she had expected him to text like an old man with just his pointer finger.

He put the phone away and crept closer to the edge of the building. He peeked his head over the wall, barely clearing it, but it was enough. He ducked back down as a shout rang out.

“Oh God,” y/n said. The fear threatened to overwhelm her. If the pub was a hangout for the Gallo family–and at this point, she was certain it was–that meant a lot of armed men and maybe women were right there.

They were trapped there, the motorcycle hidden next to a dumpster down below.

Next to a very convenient fire escape that led straight to where the two of them were currently crouched.

“Listen to me,” Batman said, drawing her focus. He was crouched over her where she was still splayed in a half-crouch from her mad dash to get out of sight. He touched her chin. “Do exactly as I say. We’re going to have to move fast. The priority is getting you and that camera out of here and not leading them home, do you understand?”

She nodded frantically. “Yes,” she said on a breath. “What do we do? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to–”

“It’s not your fault.” He was grabbing something off of his belt and texting at the same time. “Gordon’s on the way but it’ll be too late. If they’re smart, they’re going to surround the building. Someone will be sent to the roof from inside, someone up the fire escape.” He held three small flat disks in his hand and pocketed the phone again. “When they’re distracted, we’re going to make a break for it. Can you drive the motorcycle if you have to?”

She stared at him, openmouthed. “Yes,” she said after a second. “Bruce taught me, years ago. I can figure it out.”

“Good. I’ll stay to fight if–”

“No!” she said, the word too loud in the darkness. Below, it had gone quiet. Too quiet.

Batman seemed to realize it at the same time, his head tilted. “The music’s off,” he murmured. “We’re going to have to move.”

He crept to the edge of the wall and peered over.

A gunshot echoed through the night. A chunk of brick exploded close to Batman’s head. She squeaked and covered her mouth to hide the sound. Her eyes were wide as he came back to her side.

“Hold on tight. Run if I say run. Do you understand?”

She nodded. She had never been so afraid, even that first night she had met him. She hadn’t been surrounded then. She hadn’t had to do anything but run and now–now there was so much more on the line.

“If you have to leave me behind, do not go straight home. Ride around as much as you can, as randomly as you can, and try to meet Gordon somewhere. Got it?”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her, still crouched, to the spot closest to where the motorcycle was.

He was giving her so many instructions she could barely keep up. Run, stay alive, get to Gordon. Leave him behind if she had to.

She didn’t want to leave him behind. She didn’t know if she could.

He let go of her long enough to throw each of the three flat disks in a separate direction. Two landed in the alley below, one at each end.

“Ready?” he asked, an echo of the start of their night. He held something out to her. The motorcycle key.

She shook her head but he was grabbing her anyway. There were three small explosions. Smoke poured out of the ground. There was shouting, gunfire.

She realized her face was wet with terrified tears.

Batman leapt.

The ground rushed up at them fast, too fast, and she fought against the instinct to hold on tighter, to close her eyes. She needed them wide open, needed to be ready to run.

With a yank, he pulled up right before they hit the pavement, and landed impossibly softly on his feet.

There was smoke everywhere now. She could barely make out the dumpster the motorcycle was hidden behind.

“Go,” he whispered in her ear and gave her a shove.

She ran.

There was more gunfire behind her and she ducked on instinct. Her hands smacked against the side of the dumpster as she lost her balance.

“Over here!” she heard from somewhere in the smoke. There was a loud grunt and more gunshots. Her heart was pounding so loud it echoed the gunfire in her ears.

She sobbed through her teeth as she ran the last few feet to the motorcycle. She could see nothing in the smoke other than shadows and the vaguest outlines of the streetlights at either end of the alley.

She almost dropped the key but managed to slide it into the ignition. She waited to start it, waiting for one shadow in particular to materialize into a familiar form. Where was he? He hadn’t told her to leave without him, but what if–

She screamed as hands grabbed her and yanked her off of the motorcycle.

Next Chapter

taglist:

@ktficworld @grunge-n-roses5 @anon-cat-posts @projectdreamwalker @warsaur @lachillona02 @crazyunsexycool @doetic @alexiris @that-girl-named-alex @harry-bowie-mercury @vaniasagitaa @widows-writings @missing-loki @exactlyelegantwizard @miriamnox @mavenmoon @eclipsedplanet

#the batman x reader #battinson x reader #batman x reader #bruce wayne x reader #the batman 2022 #battinson #the batman #bruce wayne #haven #haven fic

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winterspiderpurrs · 3 days

Text

The post was getting a little long BUT @illogicalkat and @smidnite are so amazing for this!

Previous posts from the last addition done here:

And cause I loved it.... imma add a little more :D

*********************************************************

Steve went to get Sarah; his mom on the phone. She was always a voice of reason with him. He was hopefully she could shed some positive light in this situation.

"-That child has known you practically his whole life. You're his papa. Doesn’t matter what some... DNA test says A leanbh. " her Irish accent became more prominent, the more she talked.

" But a man has a right to his child. I know it's going to be hard. And poor Peter! Having to face that man again! I woulda hit him!"

Steve coughed a little and rubbed the back of his neck.

" Well, uuhh.. no problem there."

" Steve Grant Rogers Barnes! That temper of yours is always getting you in trouble!"

" Ma!"

" Could be making the situation worse."

" I know, Ma, I know..."

Steve could hear her sigh on the other side of the phone.

" Well. Was it at least a good hit?"

Steve laughs and moves back toward the dining room where Peter and Matt are still at.

" Yeah, it was a -"

Clatter.

The phone slipped from Steve's hand as he stared at Peter.

While Steve had wondered off to speak to him mom, Bucky had gone back up stares to check on Harley and May after seeing that Tony had gotten in the car and was a long ways away from the house.

Peter gathered up the paper they had, scanning it over to Matt's office for him so he could review it again in Braille once he got it to his special machine.

" I uuhh... have another question since it's just us."

" Of course. What is it?"

Matt tilted his head toward Peter, sensing that he was nervous again.

" I umm read before that you cannot uhh get divorced if your... pregnant?"

Matt blinks.

" Oh,"

Peter nervously gathers the papers and puts the extra copies in Matt's briefcase for him.

" It's not his. Obviously, but umm, I just wanted to be sure."

Matt smiles and shakes his head.

" You're fine. The state of New York lets you. And as he has no rights to you anymore... you're safe. Congratulations."

Peter smiled in relief and pressed a hand to his stomach. Laughing a little.

" Yeah... I just found out last week. Was gonna wait a few more weeks. Before saying anything to Steve and Bucky. This one definitely was an oops surprise pregnancy."

Clatter.

Peter and Matt turn toward the door to see Steve standing there staring. Cell phone on the floor.

" You're pregnant?!?"

Meanwhile, upstairs, Harley is pacing his room. Why would THE Tony Stark be here? Was it for Dads metal arm that Mom helped create? Was it the scholarship program his school had?

Was he coming to expand his art collection with one of Papa's paintings? Mom had gone back to school and gotten his degree and had written a couple of papers. But would that be enough to get Tony Stark's attention?

He looks at the magazines cut out he had of Tony Stark from a few years ago when he was on the cover of Time magazine. Dad had bought it for him while they were in line at the store. He frowns a little. Now recalling the wide-eyed stare his Mom had when he came into the room and saw it the first time. He seemed oddly nervous when he asked where that came from and why he had it.

The look on Tony Stark's face downstairs, he seemed scared, nervous, and hopeful?

He pulled his laptop up and hesitated a moment. Then he started typing away.

' Young Tony Stark photos'

The more he looked, the bigger the pit in his stomach grew.

He felt like he was going to throw up.

Across town, Tony was once again looking through the paperwork and looked at the copy of the birth certificate.

Father spot was blank on it.

But when he saw the name on the certificate, he rushed towards the trash can and threw up. It all just became too much. Everything that he was robbed of. And how much at least at the time of Harley birth that Peter obviously cared for him deeply.

Harley Edwin Anthony Parker.

#writing prompt #winterspidershield #stucky plus peter #past starker #omegaverse au #omega peter parker #alpha tony stark #alpha bucky barnes #alpha steve rogers #yes i had harley's middle name be edwin #edwin who was a father line figure to tony #someone who he created jarvis after #and it would have meant the world to him in my opinion #A leaubh is “irish” for my child/term of endearment #I want May to be Bucky's kid #and I want this new one to be Steve's

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woniverse-writes · 1 year

Text

“Backfired Birthday”

bada lee x reader

summary: trying to surprise bada for her birthday with a cake and decorations, but it goes horribly wrong

word count: 2.2k

warnings: uhm they shower together but it's cute and wholesome, slight angst?? reader lowkey has a breakdown, not proofread

notes: I FINALLY MANAGED TO WRITE A SHORT FIC LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO- also, the other Bada birthday fic will be posted later, seeing as it's technically ready to post now, but I wanna add a little more spice to it lol

The week leading up to Bada’s birthday had gone really well- you would even say it was perfect! You had everything set in stone and were determined to give her the best birthday ever, especially since it was the first one you were celebrating as a couple. You two had been friends for the last few years, having met through dance. You were both choreographers and instructors for Just Jerk Academy and got to know each other through another dancer from the studio. When Howl had said he wanted to introduce you two to each other, neither really knew what to expect, you assuming that Bada and him were a thing, and her assuming the same of you and him. So it came as a shock when he set you two up on a date and claimed he was trying to help his girls stop being single. And here you are years later, happier than ever, preparing for your now girlfriend's birthday.

When you woke up that morning, you made sure to get up a little earlier than usual to prepare an extra special breakfast for your lovely girlfriend. it was storming severely outside and it eventually got so bad that the power went out- cutting the line for your toaster, your fridge, your microwave, and your electric stove. You were so disappointed in your failed breakfast that you ended up just going to lay back in bed with Bada, who gladly accepted your warmth as you snuggled your way back into her arms.

The two of you woke up again, together this time, about an hour later. The power had seemed to come back on at some point, although it was still raining pretty hard outside. You ended up making a simple breakfast and ate together quickly before Bada had to head off to the studio for some lessons today. You made sure not to take on any classes in order to prepare all the festivities and gifts for your girlfriend, in order for her to have the most relaxing and satisfying birthday when she got off work.

The first thing you did was head to the store to pick up some ingredients for a cake, as well as look for a nice champagne or wine that would make the evening even more romantic. After getting the basic ingredients, you spent the next 45 minutes stressing over whether you should get champagne or wine, reeling you knew nothing about your girlfriend’s more refined drinking preferences. Eventually, you decided just to skip the alcohol (even though you definitely felt like you needed some right about now) and move on to the checkout.

After the unnecessarily long shopping trip, you made your way to the floral shop to pick up the arrangement you had ordered a week ago. When you arrived, an older lady who seemed to have been working there a long time was working the front register. You went up to her and let her know you were there to pick up an order. She scanned through her system and looked confused briefly before asking if it could be under a different name. After you shook your head, she asked for your phone number and email address to track your receipt, but nothing came up again.

You were beginning to panic until a younger-looking girl walked about from the back and the older lady flagged her down.

“Marcia, do you remember if you took this young lady’s order any time recently?” the older woman asked turning stiffly toward the younger worker, who tensed up and flitted her eyes back and forth between you and her manager.

“Uhm… I think so…” The older woman sighed shortly and asked

“Well did you give her any sort of receipt?” to which the younger girl shook her head and looked like she was about to cry, but to be honest you were too. Things were quickly starting to fall apart and you could feel it. After about 30 minutes of searching, they ended up not being able to find any sort of receipt to show your order was taken, but the younger employee admitted to having taken your order earlier that week and not giving you a receipt, so the older lady, who you assumed to be the shop owner, offered to whip something up for you at a discounted price of what you would've originally paid, to which you accepted, then had to immediately decline after hse told you it would be ready after Bada would've already gotten home.

Leaving the flower shop and heading back home, you tried to focus on the tasks at hand, which were decorating and baking Bada’s birthday cake. As you pulled into the driveway, the rain picked up again, soaking you as you got out of your car and grabbed all the groceries from the back of your trunk. While you were trying to walk as fast as possible, a stray cat ran out from one of the bushes in front of your house, startling you so badly, that you dropped the bag with all the decorations in it, spilling them onto the concrete, causing them to get soaked in the rain and some covered in mud, leaving them unusable. You tried to pick them up and quickly make your way inside to assess the damage and hopefully still be able to use some of the decorations, but you had no luck seeing as they were so damp and stained with dirt that there was barely anything left from what could've been saved anyways.

You let out the biggest sigh ever and threw your head back with a groan. You told yourself it was okay, seeing as you still had about three and a half hours until Bada would be home, and in that time all you had to do was bake a cake, seeing as you had no champagne or decorations to prepare. But that also made you realize you hadn’t gotten her a present or even a card.

In a state of absolute panic, you slipped your shoes on and ran back out to your, starting the engine and swiftly backing out of your driveway. You ran to the nearest store, which happened to be the one you had already visited today for the cake ingredients, and picked up a birthday card. Soon after that, you ran to the mall and spent the next 45 minutes trying to decide between getting Bada a new jersey or a new pair of sneakers. You didn’t feel as if either was enough to showcase how much you loved her, so you just bought both, not even worrying about your bank account at the moment.

Once you made it back home for the second time, you immediately set the oven to pre-heat while you began preparing the batter. You have an hour and a half now before Bada gets home, so it’s crunch time. You still wanted to shower and change into a cute outfit so you’d be all ready for when she got home, but thought that was a bad idea since you were in the middle of baking. The cake batter was coming together nicely until the power suddenly went out again in the middle of you mixing the batter. You let out a mix of a scream and a groan in frustration.

The power suddenly turned back on a few moments later, which you weren’t prepared for- especially since your mixer decided to turn back on as well while didn’t have a grip on it, sending the bowl flying off the counter and batter to splatter everywhere- all over the walls, the counters, and covering you as well. You let out a shocked scream as it happened and immediately reached to unplug the mixer, frozen in shock afterwards.

You felt like such a terrible girlfriend as you stood in the messy kitchen, wondering how you were gonna clean up the chaos and yourself before Bada got home. She had no cake, no decorations, and You couldn’t even get her the proper flowers. Everything just felt like a disaster, and you couldn’t help but tear up as you surveyed the mess around you.

You didn’t even hear the door unlock, only noticing your girlfriend swinging the door open and walking through after she had already closed the door and locked it behind her.

“Hi baby- woah, what’s going on?” the tall girl giggled and smiled lovingly at you from across the kitchen as she took off her hoodie and threw it on the back of one of the chairs. You looked around in a daze and once you made eye contact with her, you felt your lip quiver as you tried to put on a smile.

“Happy birthday my love” is what you tried to say but couldn’t even finish as you burst into tears. You felt pathetic, covered in cake batter, crying in your messy kitchen in front of Bada on her birthday. It made you cry even harder when you became self-aware and felt you were being selfish since your girlfriend probably had a long day and now here you are trying to take the attention away from her on her day.

Bada wasn’t thinking that at all though. She immediately made her way to the other side of the kitchen to wrap you in a hug and kiss your head, ignoring your protests (“You’re gonna get batter all over you-” you cried into her shoulder. “Shhh it’s okay” she shook her head and pulled you closer). You stayed that way for a while until you calmed down for the most part. When you pulled away slightly you looked up at Bada with puffy eyes and a pout, which she smiled enedaringly at and pressed a soft kiss to your lips. You began to tear up again, so disappointed in yourself for not being able to pull off something so simple. But Bada put a stop to it once again immediately.

“Princess- it’s okay” she giggled sweetly, wiping away your tears and caressing your cheek. She tucked a piece of hair behind your ear and began slowly leading you towards the bathroom.

“Why don’t we take a nice shower together, yeah?” the tall girl asked softly, still not letting go of you, making sure to have some sort of physical contact at all times while the two of you made your way around. Neither of you even bothered to grab clean clothes, heading straight for the bathroom. Bada started the shower, holding your hand and softly looking over her shoulder every few seconds to smile at you reassuringly. Once she was satisfied with the water temperature, Bada took her shirt off first, leaving her in a sports bra and cargo pants. then she proceeded to help fully undress you before taking off the rest of her clothes and ushering you both into the shower.

You relaxed slightly under the warm water and closed your eyes, letting the droplets soak your hair and skin, already slightly cleaning you off. Bada reached behind you to grab the shampoo off one of the shelves and squirted some out into the palms of her hands before lathering it in your hair. She stood in front of you, gently tilting your head back as she continued to wash your hair, you standing with your arms wrapped around her waist, eyes still closed, finally feeling at peace for the first time that day.

After taking a little longer than expected due to getting distracted by some innocent shower kisses, you both finished helping each other clean up and hopped out from under the water which had gotten a little colder than what it was before. You playfully dry each other off, giggling and pressing sweet kisses to random areas on each other’s face, neck, and shoulder; you head back to your shared bedroom wrapped up in your fluffy towels. You sleepily pick out some clean clothes to wear, both of you only grabbing an oversized shirt and a clean pair of undergarments to sleep in.

After getting dressed and hanging the towels back up, Bada turns off the bedside lamps, and you both snuggle up under your covers.

“I’m really sorry I couldn’t give you an amazing birthday, and that I cried the second you got home” you apologized, staring up at Bada in the dim light with sad puppy eyes. You could barely make out the loving smile on her face as she pressed a kiss to your forehead, then a couple to your cheeks, and then one to your lips.

“Don’t apologize for anything. I had an amazing birthday, simply because I got to spend even a sliver of it with you…” Bada reassured in a hushed voice, pulling you in closer to intertwin her legs with yours under the covers. She kissed you once again softly on the lips before resting her forehead against yours.

“I love you so much, and any moment I get to spend with you is already such a gift, so thank you, my sweet girl.” her sentiment and sweet words made you tear up again, but you were able to swallow it down this time.

“I love you too. Happy birthday, my love.” and you both fell asleep happily cuddled into each other, with the sound of the rain pouring outside.

permanent taglist: @uwulyn

#bada lee #street woman fighter 2 #bada lee x reader #street woman fighter x reader #bada x reader

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akirakirxaa · 1 month

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UPDATE: I am closing my commissions for the time being, I will be starting my day job next week along with FFXIVWrite being next week. Rest assured that all commissions I currently have will be completed, but until I'm out of training for my day job I don't feel comfortable taking more and ending up with longer wait times. Thank you. <3

Hey everyone. I am really struggling right now. As many of you that have been around know, I made a big move to another state a couple of months ago. I'm so excited to be here, but my husband only just got a new job and I'm still out of a traditional job, and between us we currently have eight dollars to our name until we get paid next month. For full transparency, the most urgent bills are:

Car insurance: $180 Cat food: $25 Dog food: $25

If you would like to donate to help out, my p@ypal is @/LauraWrites without the slash, or if you're not comfortable sending directly through paypal, you can reach out to my Kofi [link], though I do ask if you do to please use paypal there too, as it processes payments much more quickly. The animal food money I need within the next couple of days, and the car insurance needs to be paid by the 17th or my husband won't be able to get to said new job.

However, I'm not here to only beg for money for nothing in return, but to offer some new commission slots for a few different things. So, let's get into it! Beta Reading/Editing:

I do indeed have a degree in writing (particularly journalism but between you and me? Almost the same thing just with some extra media related classes) and I would love to help you with your project! If you'd like me to look over your transcript, my rates are as follows:

Proofreading (grammar only): $15 per 1000 words Content editing (grammar + feedback and editing on content): $40 per 1000 words

Gear Upscales

Frustrated cause your favorite niche piece of gear doesn't match the body you normally use? I can help with that! I can also apply the Chocochomps teeth resource to your head of choice if your favorite hasn't been ported yet publicly. At this time I will only offer upscales on chest pieces as they are both what I have the most experience with and what I've had the most success with. I will also not port anything to the Eve body. Sorry. No IVCS/Skelomae conversions either, as I do not currently know how to do that.

Chestpiece Gear Upscale: $20-$40 depending on the complexity of the piece, contact for more details Chocochomps Application: $10, please have in mind how sharp or dull you want the various teeth. Additional teeth options on the same head will add an extra $5 per teeth set (eg, you got flat teeth but you also want vampire teeth, that would be $15)

Single Pose Gpose:

The classic and my most popular commission choice is back! For ease due to my new variety of commissions possibly taking up more time, I will now require a .chara or a .mcdf file in order to pose your character. If you are console or do not want to run the crime tools, a friend can also grab .chara files for you using a software such as Anamnesis. Please keep in mind that any NPC that didn't appear in DT did not get the new face bones, so facial posing for other NPCs will be limited.

GIF set:

My most popular unofficial option, I am finally codifying making a GIF with your very own characters! Like the single pose, I will require an .mcdf or a .chara file, so please have that ready. Due to the limitations of some tools still being offline, I will be at the mercy of vanilla animations + whatever exists as a working mod.

Single Character, 1 GIF: $20 Single Character, 3 GIFs: $50 Additional Characters: +$10

You can find my commission section on Kofi [here] or you can also message me directly either on Kofi or here on Tumblr. (Or if you're in one of the discords I frequent, you're welcome to send me a discord message.) Due to the subjective nature of upscales you will always have to message me first for that, since I'll have to look at the piece in question to determine the price.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to hear from you soon! <3

#ffxiv #commissions #commissions open #and urgently so #this is my only job right now so I need to make some magic happen #gpose #reshade #gifs #editing

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hotnbloodied · 11 months

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Yandere!Kaeya X Reader

Hello! It's been a while I'll admit. But I've still been active here even if that means I'm more of a reader these days! :D But I can only read for so long before I attempt to write my own yandere short yet again so I hope you enjoy this Yandere Kaeya short! Stay safe out there and happy Halloween! ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚HB˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

!Warning! This post contains yandere themes and topics that may be uncomfortable to people who are sensitive to the topic, read at your own discretion.

Setting: You're a graduate of Akademiya working at Angel's Share.

He thought you were cute, the way you lectured him about how he drank.

He was the Cavalry Captain and you were one of the staff at Angel’s Share he often frequents.

You started working there a couple of months ago after you graduated from the Sumeru Akademiya and moved back home.

“Sorry Mr. Kaeya, it’s been your third bottle. I’ve been told to cut you off.” “Aww, don’t be a party pooper~.”

He thought what the two of you had was cute, how the two of you would banter with each other while he hits up the Angel’s Share. The way your face gets flustered when he says something slightly suggestive. Your laugh when he tells a joke.

He thought the two of you had something special…that was, until he saw how you acted towards his brother.

The soft gentle smile that he’s never seen before, the sparkles in your eyes when you look at the redhead, the slightly higher pitched way you’re speaking and airy laughter. It should have all been his.

Maybe it wouldn’t have hurt as much if he didn’t realize that Diluc was visibly softer to you, it ate at him. So much so that he wanted to tear the two of you apart right when he saw it.

You notice him, “Oh hello Mr. Kaeya!” you said in a way that he normally would have relished in but today, it felt extra bitter. He left the tavern in a huff without sticking around for a drink.

“Wait! Mr. Kaeya!” Your voice called out to him. Surprised he turned around to see you straining to keep up with him. “Are you feeling okay? You don’t normally just leave the tavern like that without a drink.”

He was about to brush you off but realized something. “Oh my, it’s a bit embarrassing but my stomach started hurting something fierce. I was actually on my way home to lay down to see if that would help.” Your face scrunched with concern. “Then let me assist you home!” “Oh no, how could I?” “Please, I insist.”

A ghost of a smile quickly flashed through his face. “Well, if you insist.”

Weeks passed since your disappearance. Apparently, you left a letter to your parents saying that they had a big project at the Akademiya they wanted you to be a part of. Something felt fishy about it but your parents brushed it off considering you were an adult now and could make your own decisions. Diluc looked at your ‘letter of resignation’ with a frown before crumpling it up. Something didn’t add up.

Somewhere else, you were deep underground locked in a room. Your eyes were red from crying and your throat was sore from all the screaming you did. It felt like that man wasn’t the same Kaeya that you thought you knew. The more you tried to talk and reason with him the more it felt like your words just weren't getting through. You screamed, kicked and punched him but it seemed like nothing got through. And when you tired yourself out he carried you to the bed and snuggled you until you cried yourself to sleep.

“Nothing will stand in our way now…I feel at home when I’m with you. You’re mine.”

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justanothercmblog · 1 year

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One Last Chance?

This was written for the wonderful @imagining-in-the-margins family challenge for the months of April and May. I know I'm a little late but I only recently read this prompt that's also the summary and it really spoke to me! While writing I got really invested in the characters so I might write a couple more parts in the future!

Summary: Spencer and his wife have decided to foster a teenager.

Content Warning: foster care, neglect, foster sibling separation, minor mention of drugs, food & food insecurities. Please let me know if I missed something and I will add what's missing!

Word Count : 5.8k

_____

“Spencer, have you checked if the heater is on in their room, it’s freezing outside!” “Y/N, I have already told you, it’s warm in the guest bedroom, the thermostat is on too!” “It’s THEIR room, Spence, you need to check what you’re saying, if we want them to feel at home, we need to adjust our language too!”, Y/N chastised while she was running around their house trying to make everything look perfect, although there was nothing left to do.

“Y/N, can you come here for a second?”, Spencer called out for his wife, softly catching her hand and tugging her closer to him, finally stopping her pacing. He took her other hand into his own and gently squeezed her hands. She looked up at him in confusion. “What is it? Did I forget something?” Spencer just smiled down at his beautiful wife. He knew she just wanted to be prepared for this new person who would join their little family any minute, but he also knew she’d run herself crazy trying to make everything right.

“Y/N, everything is perfectly prepared for whoever will step through that door in the next hour. We are ready for them, we’ve got their room ready, your chilli is on the stove, we’ve put toiletries, extra clothes and towels out and got them more snacks than even I could devour in a week”, he listed and Y/N slowly but surely relaxed a little. “And most importantly my love, we are ready to support whoever will be joining us. You have so much love to give, anyone would be lucky to be on the receiving end of it. Whoever this kid is that will join us, they will feel that love and comfort just like I do whenever you’re with me.”

Y/N had tears in her eyes now. “I just want them to feel welcome, who knows what they have been through”, she got out and Spencer pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back. “I know my love. But all we can do now is take it one step at a time, okay? We’re prepared and it will be fine.” Y/N nodded into his embrace.

She knew he was right, they were prepared. After having a lengthy talk, the two of them had decided that fostering was the right decision for them to expand their family. They both felt deeply that bringing a new life into this world when there were so many kids without homes, seemed like the wrong way to go for them. They both felt that family was so much more than genetics and biological relations, they knew that love made family and that they had so much love to give.

The decision to welcome older kids into their home wasn’t as easy to make. Spencer had some apprehensions, finally telling Y/N that he felt like older kids and teens might not respond well to him and his quirks. It took him a while to see that his own experiences with teenagers from when he was a kid were entirely different from how they would respond to him now. Y/N had acknowledged and listened to his fears and after seeing the statistics on how many older kids never found a safe home and tended to age out of the system, Spencer felt entirely wrong for not giving these kids a chance of a safe haven with them. Given their work schedule, they even decided that they wouldn’t be able to take smaller kids and so now they were awaiting their first placement. The social worker had called half an hour ago and only told them that they had a 14-year-old in need of a new placement and that they were going to be there within the next two hours. They didn’t even know their pronouns nor their background but they already felt for the teen.

The two of them only parted from their embrace when there was a knock on the door. Y/N’s eyes went wide as she stared up at Spencer. “Oh my god, they are here! Spencer, they are here!!!” “Let’s go meet them”, he smiled calmly although inside he was anything but calm.

They opened the door together to find a middle-aged woman and, standing next to her, clutching a plastic bag, a girl with deep-green eyes, long unruly brown curls and a scared look on her face. Y/N quickly caught herself and stopped what she was sure was staring, at the girl.

“Hi! Come in, come in, it’s so cold outside!”, she ushered the two to step into their home. “Thank you Mr and Mrs Reid for taking such a last-minute placement! Maggie is really happy to be here, aren’t you Maggie?”, the social worker gushed and Spencer could see the girl anxiously tightening her grip on her bag before she nodded. “Well why don’t we go to the kitchen and we’ll talk a little more!”, Y/N tried to ease the tension, but the social worker had other plans.

“I’m really sorry, but I actually have to go run by another case of mine. Maggie should be fine with you for now, I will check back in tomorrow or one of these days if there are any more questions and send you an E-Mail with any information you might need, it’s the weekend so the school won’t be an issue until Monday!”, she rattled off leaving Spencer and Y/N to stare at her for a second before Spencer was the one to find his voice first.

“Let me walk you to the door, I do have a couple of questions”, he said, stunned and led the woman to the door, leaving Y/N with the teenage girl in their kitchen. She watched her husband leave the room, stunned as well, before snapping out of it and taking a good look at the girl that was just dropped off at their house like it was nothing.

“I’m sorry Maggie, let me do this again: I’m Y/N and that dorky guy with me is my husband Spencer. We’re really happy to have you here with us. Do you want something to drink? I’ve also got chilli on the stove if you’re hungry”, the woman explained but the girl just stared at her for a second before looking back at where Spencer and the case worker had disappeared to. “I know this is all but ideal right now, you deserve a better start than this, I’m sorry honey”, Y/N said softly and before the girl could react to her words they could hear the door shut and Spencer stepping back into the kitchen.

“Sooo, why don’t we show Maggie her room, hm?”, he said encouragingly but Y/N could tell that he was angry. Clearly, the caseworker had not made the best impression on him. “Come on, Maggie, we’ll give you a house tour”, Y/N agreed and smiled at the girl encouragingly. The girl had yet to say a word but followed the couple up the set of stairs to the first story of their townhome. Spencer and Y/N let her look into each room up there, their bedroom, the bathroom in the hall which would be the teen’s and finally, they opened a door and let her step in first.

Maggie found herself in a beautiful and warmly lit bedroom with a queen bed, a desk, a sideboard with a TV and a big basket filled with all sorts of stuff. The teen’s eyes grew wide as she took it all in while still clutching onto the trash bag in her hands. “This.. this is where I get to stay?”, she asked carefully with a slight stutter, looking back at the couple that was now standing in the doorway together watching her taking it all in. “Yes, of course! Help yourself to anything you want, there’s a couple of snacks and drinks and I have some stationery on the desk if you’d like to draw or write, oh and I have a couple of clothes in the closet too, I didn’t know what you liked of course so it’s just basics”, Y/N rambled along while Spencer watched the teen, clearly a little overwhelmed with it all.

“I also got you this blanket”, Y/N ended her monologue, holding out a soft yellow blanket, still in its bow from buying it. She had heard that it meant a lot for foster kids to have new things that they could keep and Y/N thought there was nothing more comforting than a fuzzy blanket. Maggie just stared at the blanket for a second, still holding her bag with two hands, before she carefully let the bag down beside her and took the blanket that Y/N was holding out for her. “Thank you”, she breathed out quietly, feeling the soft fabric against her palm as she held the gift. A silence settled in between the three and it was Spencer who decided to give the teen a little room to process all of her emotions. He knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed like that and had also learned the circumstances of the girl’s emergency placement tonight.

“I think we’ll leave you to settle in now. We will be right downstairs in the kitchen and you’re welcome to join us and have a bite to eat any time. You can go take a shower if you want to, there are towels in the bathroom, or you can just stay in here if you want to be alone, whatever you decide is fine, okay Maggie?”, he spoke softly and watched the girl pressing her lips together and nodding. “Yes sir”, she uttered and Y/N’s brows furrowed in worry at that. “Oh no need for the formalities, I’m just Spencer and this is just Y/N”, he continued with his soft voice and the girl nodded again. “Okay, Spencer. Thank you.”

—--

Downstairs Y/N immediately turned around to Spencer and rushed him to tell her what the social worker had said. “You seemed mad, what did she say? How is she just going to drop a kid off at night and just leave like that? We don’t even know what the circumstances are! And all her belongings are in a plastic bag, what the fuck Spencer!”, Y/N burst out and whisper shouted at her husband. Spencer eyed the stairs nervous that the girl could hear them. “I know, I told the social worker the same thing but it seemed like she was overworked too and had a call for another kid that was in trouble, it’s bad, I know, but at least now she’s safe with us.” “Did she tell you if the placement would be for longer? Where did Maggie even come from?” Spencer nodded carefully.

“Police busted her prior foster family’s home for drug manufacturing just a couple of hours ago. They found her and another kid in one of the rooms while they had a makeshift drug lab in the basement.” Y/N’s jaw dropped. “WHAT?”, she whisper shouted once again not believing a word she was hearing. “How did those people get a foster licence to begin with? Was she exposed to these drugs?” Then another thought hit her. “Are you okay?”, she asked softly and Spencer nodded quickly.

“I am, truly I’m just as shocked as you are. Apparently, they had the drugs and equipment in the basement while the upstairs was relatively clear of any signs of drugs and stuff, still a messed up home though. She needs a permanent place to stay, the case worker didn’t say much but her biological family seems to be out of the picture.“ “God I feel so bad for her, the way she called you Sir? I hope she’ll come down to eat something later.” Spencer nodded and pulled his wife into his arms, pressing a kiss on top of her head and rocking them both back and forth for a minute. “We’ll help her through this”, he assured.

____

Upstairs, Maggie finally got a moment to sit down and process what the last couple of hours had looked like. She had gotten the fright of a lifetime when suddenly there were people shouting everywhere and her and Lila’s door was kicked in, revealing two policemen with their guns drawn at the two of them. Maggie had pulled Lila into her bed, pushing themselves into the corner and holding the younger child safely, whispering affirmations into her ears. After the policemen had lowered their guns they escorted them out of the house, putting them in a car and asking loads of questions while Maggie watched the house being torn apart and their foster parents being detained.

It wasn’t like Maggie liked them or living there but at least they didn’t hit them, at least they had a bed to sleep there. Now where would they go? She had been worrying about what they were doing in the basement for ages, watching the sketchy people turn up all the time, really deep down she knew that one of these days it would have to turn bad. After it all calmed down a little they were given trash bags and asked to collect their belongings.

Maggie helped Lila in packing everything that might be helpful and grabbed the few things she had that belonged to her in a way. Lila’s grip on her hand was tight and it only reminded Maggie that they were incredibly likely to be split up. They weren’t bio siblings, just both ended up at the same home. Lila was only 9, Maggie honestly didn’t know how she hadn’t gotten a better family than that so she had tried to make it a home for Lila for the past year and a half. There was no way that a family that would be interested in taking Lila would also want a teenager, she knew that. She was all too familiar with the system, the older she got the slimmer the chances for a safe, comfortable home.

Maggie had given up all hope for adoption a long time ago, but for Lila, there was still a chance. So when Nadine came to take Lila, telling her she had found a nice family, Maggie had encouraged the crying child that refused to let go of her.

“Lila, baby I’ll always always always be here for you okay? You have to be strong now okay? Nadine found really nice people, it won’t be like it was here, okay? You will have a really good time, Li, I promise I will try and visit okay?”, she had tried to make her voice sound steady but couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her own cheeks. “What about you?”, Lila asked desperately. “I will be fine, I can look out for myself and I’ll get a safe place to stay too”, the teen encouraged but didn’t believe a word she was saying. Lila did though and that was most important. Before Nadine could take the girl away she hugged her tight again and then kissed the girl’s forehead. “I love you Lila, you remember my phone number right? I made you memorise it”, she said and the kid nodded vehemently. “I remember Mags, I can call you?”, she asked and Maggie nodded trying to hold back the tears. “Please call me when you need me, I will always answer, I promise Li. Love you.”, she said again before the girl was led away, turning around once more and calling back: “Love you too Mags!”

And here Maggie was, alone again. Something she was very used to, so she pulled herself together, wiped away the tears and put up her guard again. Whatever was going to happen in the next couple of hours would decide where her life was going or what it would look like. She was at an age now where a group home was honestly the most likely option and it scared the living crap out of her to be in a home with older teenagers. Maggie could fend for herself but she wasn’t as tough as others in the system. She was an easy target, she knew that and she had to prepare herself for that. She was taken back to the police station where she stayed for another hour before a middle-aged woman introduced herself to her as Tanya. Nadine was still busy so she was handed over Maggie’s case for now. Great, now she didn’t even know her case worker anymore.

“I made a few calls and found a place for you to stay, come on we’re going there now”, Tanya had said and Maggie just followed her along. “Is it a group home?”, she finally asked after they had been in the car for a couple minutes without the woman saying more. Maggie missed Nadine, at least she had attempted to make her feel better. “No, it’s not, you’re lucky, there’s been a new couple in the area opening up for older kids like you. Mr and Mrs Reid are expecting us any minute now.”

____

And that had been all the girl knew before these two strangers opened up their home to her. Here she was now sitting in a perfect room in a perfect townhouse. She looked down at the blanket in her lap. It felt soft against her palm and the softness in addition to the softness of the bed beneath her made her feel weird. Like it was all fake, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. This was all too soft. The blanket, the bed, the light, the warmth, their voices. It was all too soft. This wasn’t real. This wasn’t how life went for her. She didn’t trust the peace.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was pacing. Trying to make sense of what it was that was happening here. She didn’t want to cry, not again, it would only make it worse, she would only miss Lila worse and the people downstairs could hear her. There wasn’t even anything to cry over. This placement was the best place she had probably ever been put in, but that made it feel so wrong, like there was a bomb waiting to go off any minute. That bomb seemed to be her though, she felt like she was going to combust from the pressure that was building up inside of her, threatening to spill over. She had to let it all out somehow.

Her eyes fell on the blanket and before she knew what she was doing she grabbed the soft piece of fabric that was supposed to bring her comfort and threw it across the room. It landed against the closet door with a small *thump* sound and then just plummeted to the ground. Maggie’s teeth were clenched together as she watched it do nothing with how she was feeling and quickly she grabbed another pillow off the bed, launching it through the room similarly. Others followed until finally one of the pillows landed against a framed picture on the wall, causing it to come off the hook and fall to the ground with a loud clatter. It was only then that the girl seemed to come to her senses.

Wide-eyed she looked around herself, seeing the damage she had done, pillows and blankets were scattered all around the room, the frame was broken and the glass littered the floor between her and the door to the room. Before the girl could do anything to tidy it all up she could hear hurried steps on the stairs and a knock on the door. Shit. “Maggie, we heard a noise, is it okay for us to come in?”, she could hear the woman’s, worried voice. Had she already messed up this chance of a home? She couldn’t get a word out, just stood there and stared. “Maggie, I’m sorry but if you don’t answer me I will have to come in, okay?”, she heard the woman say and it made her snap out of it. “No!”, she shrieked out but it was too late, the door had already been opened and Y/N carefully peered in, stopping when she saw the damage on the floor and then quickly looking up at Maggie. The teen's lip began to quiver immediately. “I …. I … I didn’t mean to”, she panickedly got out. “I’m SO sorry, I promise I will clean it up, I’m sorry I just … I …”, she couldn’t find words for what was happening.

The whole reason for her even beginning to throw stuff around, not wanting to cry, was now senseless because as soon as she realised what she had done, the tears came streaming down her face. She didn’t want to leave again already. This couldn’t be happening, how did she already blow it up?

She didn’t notice Y/N ushering Spencer to go and get something to clean the glass off the floor, nor that the woman was carefully stepping around the shards trying to get close to her. “Maggie, Maggie, it’s okay. It’s all good, it’s just a cheap decoration from Target, it’s okay!”, she tried to calm the girl down. Her voice was steady and soft. Maggie was violently shaking her head and backing away into the other corner of the room, now clutching her mouth with her hands as she stared at the broken frame.

“I didn’t mean to, please I’m so sorry”, she kept saying when she hit the wall behind her. Y/N stopped her attempt to get closer. Clearly, she was scaring the girl, backing her in. So instead the agent kept her distance, holding up her hands to show her she wasn’t a threat. “I know you didn’t mean to, Maggie, I know and it’s okay, you’re not in trouble, it’s all okay", she said softly. “Can you look up at me please?” Maggie had her eyes shut since she had backed against the wall. She now forced herself to cast her eyes up at the woman standing across from her, she didn’t look like she was mad, maybe she was saying the truth.

“Are you hurt? Did you get glass somewhere?”, she asked softly and the teen looked down on herself before shaking her head. “Okay, that’s good. Spencer is bringing up a broom and the vacuum and it will be all good”, Y/N smiled at the teen encouragingly just as Spencer appeared again. “I can do it”, Maggie protested, stepping forward a little. “We don’t want you to hurt yourself, it’s okay, I’ve got it!”, Spencer said with a soft smile on his face as he began to clean away the mess.

Y/N looked back from her husband to the teen that was now standing beside the bed, cheeks still damp from tears and arms crossed in front of herself. Y/N chose to sit down on the bed. She softly tapped the bed beside her. “Why don’t you sit with me for a minute, huh?”, she asked and to her surprise, Maggie immediately followed the request. “I want you to know that you are safe here with us and that we understand that you have a lot of feelings going on for you right now. Today must have been a lot and this is all new to you so we get that you might be feeling sad or angry or confused”, Y/N said with a steady and soft voice, smiling at the girl and giving her room to take it in.

Maggie listened to the woman speak, not knowing what to say. Only after a couple of minutes did a few words slip out. “It was all too soft”, she finally heard herself speak and she knew in saying that that it didn’t make any sense whatsoever. But Y/N didn’t question it. “Okay”, she simply said. “What can we do to make it better for you?” Maggie was stunned at the question. What could they do? They already gave her a room and snacks and didn’t yell at her after trashing the room. “I… I don’t know”, she said and Y/N nodded. “That’s okay too. Do you think you got it out a little bit?” The teen nodded. “How would you like something to eat and a glass of water?” Again, Maggie nodded and Y/N felt a rush of relief that they had finally made a little progress. She looked back at Spencer who had since cleaned up the mess and stood there awkwardly. This had been an eventful first hour.

—--

Together, the three of them went downstairs. Y/N pulled out three bowls and scooped the chilli into them while Spencer got some spoons and glasses and put them out on the table. “You can sit in whatever spot you want”, Y/N explained to the teen who pulled out one of the chairs and sat down watching the two adults carefully. They worked around each other so seamlessly, like a well-oiled machine and somehow they both just radiated calmness and comfort. The girl was still a little shaken up about what she did up in the room, but mostly now she just felt tired and hungry, really hungry.

It had been one of those days where they couldn’t find anything good to eat in the house and Maggie had given the last of the bread with a little butter and sugar to Lila when they got back from school. Now the room smelled like actually good, warm food and just then Y/N placed a full bowl in front of her while Spencer put a basket with bread on the table too. The two of them sat down too, Spencer filling up all of their glasses with water.

“I hope you like chilli, I didn’t make it too spicy, Spencer is sensitive like that and I didn’t know how you’d like it”, Y/N explained, but Maggie could already feel her mouth watering just looking at the food in front of her. She quickly looked up at Y/N. “Thank you, this looks really delicious”, she said politely and as the two adults picked up their spoons she finally started shovelling the comforting, hearty food into her mouth too. She couldn’t remember the last time she had had such a good meal. Y/N and Spencer shared the same sombre look watching the girl eat so fast and hectic. It was abundantly clear that she hadn’t been getting proper meals for a while now and had arrived hungry.

“Is there anything you don’t like eating or you’re allergic to Maggie? Just so I know when I do the food shop and meal prep. I thought I could take you with me for the food run tomorrow and you could pick out a few things you like”, Y/N started a conversation when Maggie had slowed down a little. The girl perked up at that, surprised by the sentiment. “I … I’m not allergic to anything I think.”, she said softly, just thankful to eat anything really. “Okay that’s good to know, and anything you don’t like?”, Y/N pushed further. “I for one hate anything with fish or seafood in general, Spencer doesn’t like mushrooms, he says they’re too slimy”, she chuckled and watched the teen’s lips curve into a small smile.

“I don’t like mushrooms either, they feel funny, but I’ll eat them, I don’t want to be a bother!”, she quickly backtracked. “No way, you will never have to eat mushrooms here, I will personally make sure of it!”, Spencer now interjected and Maggie chuckled a little at the man’s childish antics. “Okay”, she said softly. “I also don’t really like green beans”, she added quietly and Y/N beamed at the teen speaking freely. “Oh don’t worry we’re not the biggest fans of those either”, she assured. “Do you want a second bowl? I think I’ll go for seconds”, Spencer now interjected seeing the girl’s empty bowl. She nodded. “Thank you, that would be nice”, turning to Y/N she added. “It tastes really good. You’re a good cook.” “Oh thank you, honey, I don’t get to cook that often, so I’ll take the compliment”, Y/N thanked the girl while Spencer placed their full bowö back in front of them.

“So you probably have a lot of questions for us, I imagine it’s a bit scary suddenly living with two strangers, so how about we tell you a little about ourselves and then you can ask us anything?” Maggie looked between the two adults and then nodded before continuing to eat. “Okay, so Spencer and I have been married for a year now and we’ve been together for 2 before that. We met at our job. We are both working at the FBI, we’re both agents.” Maggie’s head snapped up at that, and with wide eyes, she looked at the two of them again. THEY were FBI agents? They looked so.. so soft. He was wearing a sweater vest with a funny pattern and she wore fuzzy socks and sweats.

“I know we don’t look stereotypical FBI right now”, Y/N chuckled. “We’re profilers so really we analyse the minds of criminals in order to catch them”, she explained and Maggie nodded. “We usually travel a lot for our job but our boss was okay with one of us staying back with each case so that we can be here for you. We both don’t have a lot of family, but we see our colleagues at the BAU as our family and you will meet them too when you’re ready.”

Maggie nodded along, taking it all in for now. Spencer continued after that. “We both love to read, we have left a few books in your room too, but you’re welcome to help yourself to any book in the house and if you see one you’d like when we’re out just tell one of us we’ll get it for you. Y/N also knits while watching her TV shows, I’m too clumsy for that and I also feel like if you’re gonna watch something you should watch it and not just listen.” That earned him a scoff from Y/N. “It’s called multitasking I've told you before Spencer!”, she defended herself and Maggie smirked at their interaction, they really did seem like nice people. “I can teach you how to knit! I’ve made Spencer a lot of scarves already!”, Y/N now excitedly addressed the girl who bit her lip nervously now that she had finished her food.

Maggie shrugged nervously, unsure about what to say to that. “If I can stay here that might be nice”, she said softly and Spencer and Y/N’s faces dropped significantly. The girl had just arrived and was already thinking about having to move on, it made sense, they knew how often that happened, but they weren’t gonna let that happen.

“If we get any say in it you stay here as long as you want to, I promise you that, Maggie”, Y/N said. “Why?”, the teen asked bluntly. “Sorry, what do you mean why?”, Y/N asked, taken aback by the question. “Why do you want me to stay longer? You could easily foster one of the little ones, they’re really cute and aren’t problems like … like big kids and … and teens..“, she explained herself while stirring in the remnants of her chilli. She couldn’t see the cautious and dumbfounded looks Spencer and Y/N gave themselves. Instead, she continued on with her rant.

“I just trashed your upstairs bedroom, was really impolite and also, supplies and food are more expensive for bigger kids, teens get into trouble at school a lot more often than little kids and most foster teens above the age of 12 will not find a foster family and live in group homes where they’re prepared to age out of the system and be self-sufficient and even then 20% of us end up homeless when we turn 18. Older foster kids don’t get a chance like this, people like you don’t take us, they take the cute ones without trouble, people like me go into group homes or into families that just want to cash their checks. So why would you want me to stay here?” Maggie finally finished her rant leaving Spencer and Y/N speechless.

The girl seemed to be shocked by her own words now as her head snapped up suddenly, looking up at the two adults and turning red in embarrassment. She quickly looked down at the table again. not bearing to meet their eyes. They sat there in silence for a moment before Spencer spoke up. “Believe me, Maggie, I know all the statistics and that is exactly why Y/N and I decided to open our home to older kids like you. You deserve a chance just like the younger kids do, there are safe homes for them but as you said there are significantly fewer for kids above the age of 12 which just isn’t fair to any of you. We knew that we didn’t like the idea of teens ending up in group homes and ageing out to become homeless. We want to provide a safe and loving home, especially to kids who didn’t get the chance before”, Spencer said calmly.

“What Spencer is saying is true, Maggie. We wanted to expand our family and we knew we didn’t want to bring a new baby into this world when there are so many kids who need a safe and loving home. We love kids, don’t get us wrong, but you’re still a kid too and what you’re saying isn’t entirely right, little kids come with a lot of work too, that’s not me saying we wouldn’t put in all of the work to accommodate whatever anyone staying with us needs, but with little ones, there is a lot of guessing whereas you can talk to us, tell us what you need, what you feel like. It can be a lot of fun to have a teenager in the house, we can talk about books and shows and Spencer and I get to feel young again”, she joked to ease the tension. “And with one of us being on their own from time to time because of our jobs, we also felt like it just made sense to take in older kids and teens like you because you would understand why one of us had to go from time to time, you know?”

Maggie was taking in what the two of them were saying, embarrassed about what she had laid off on them. She never usually spoke up like that, people didn’t tend to listen to her anyways but apparently, Spencer and Y/N had listened and Maggie had to admit that what they were saying now sounded sincere. Nevertheless, she couldn’t let herself trust this yet. She could still be whisked away any second because of some stupid reason. For now, though she nodded and gathered all of her courage to look up at the two of them and smiled softly. “Okay", she said, deciding at that moment that she would try and hope one more time that this could be it. That maybe these people could be something like family one day.

#mentioningmargins #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid #criminal minds #cm #spencer x fem!reader #dr spencer reid #fostercare #family #chosen family #criminal minds fanfiction

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cal-daisies-and-briars · 14 days

Note

☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️☠️

LAST ONE OF THE WEEK!

129 for☠️:

---

It does feel a little weird to be celebrating, given the reason for his reinstatement. But everyone is clearly relieved to have him back.

Bobby cooks an orange-ginger chicken dish that Athena personally loves. She swears his cooking has an extra special flavor to it, now that he’s back. There was just something missing about it, while he was away from his team. Athena sits between her husband and Hen, pleased with the food and the company.

Down the table, she notices Buck and Eddie sitting very close together. Like shoulders touching, even as they eat. Eddie is saying something quietly to Buck, making him laugh boisterously. Really? Is it that funny, Buck? They’re normally strange, but this seems a little excessive, even for them.

Hmm.

Athena remembers what Eddie said during that first night of police interviews.

He hasn’t liked me since he and Buck started dating, I don’t know why. We used to be friends.

She doesn’t know why she’s focusing on it. It’s probably nothing.

After the meal, Bobby packs up leftovers.

“Hen, you want me to put a container aside for school lunches?” Bobby asks. “It reheats well.”

“Oh, no thank you,” Hen replies. “I can’t actually. Mara is really allergic to sesame.”

Hen and Karen only got Mara back a few weeks ago. It was a long and hard fight. Only made easier by the hospitalization and subsequent resignation of Olivia Ortiz after an event the city has dubbed “Bee-Nado.” Athena didn’t know a woman could survive so many bee stings. Evidently, there were some long term consequences. Athena would feel worse if she hadn’t made her friends’ lives hell, fighting for their daughter.

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Bobby says.

“Yeah,” Hen sighs. “Guess she almost died in her group home, a couple of weeks in. She didn’t tell anyone because she wouldn’t talk, and… It was bad.”

“That’s so scary,” Athena frowns. “Poor little girl.”

Hen nods. “Luckily someone had an epipen.”

Athena can’t help but think of Gerrard. About the epipen that could have saved his life.

“Right,” she replies. “Luckily.”

▪️▪️▪️

The final thing that happens is silly, really. It doesn’t mean anything. Not really.

Except Athena thinks it probably means quite a lot.

A few days after her dinner at the firehouse, she’s grocery shopping. Usually Bobby’s chore, but he’s busy getting back into the swing of things. Still, he insists she go to his special supermarket. The one with the better bakery bread! So that’s where she goes.

She is walking towards said bakery section, when she sees them. Or, scratch that. First, she hears them. Giggling like a couple of damn school girls.

“We don’t have any good reason to get whipped cream!”

“I can think of three fantastic reasons to get whipped cream.”

Athena turns towards the sound of their familiar voices and sees it. The very thing she had wondered about the other night. Buck and Eddie, walking hand in hand, lost in a sickeningly honeymoon phase-like bubble. It has been less than two weeks since Buck dumped Tommy. But these two seem awfully coupley.

They freeze when they see her. Drop each other’s hands. As if they can deny it. And why should they, right? They haven’t done anything wrong. They’re allowed to date each other. Sure, Athena hadn’t known Eddie was interested in dating men at all, but that’s not a problem. And she suspects that’s not why Eddie looks caught red-handed.

“Hi, Eddie. Hi, Buck,” she greets them. She’s not going to pretend she’s not thinking about what she’s looking at.

“Oh, hey, A-Athena,” Buck stammers, cheeks going a little red.

“Hey,” Eddie adds.

“And how long has this been going on?” She asks them.

“Not long!” Buck insists.

“Very new,” Eddie agrees.

Those aren’t answers. At least not specific ones.

“Mhm,” Athena nods. “Well, congratulations. I’m happy for you both. And happy you’re not taking that breakup too hard, Buck.”

Buck’s expression goes a little slack.

That’s when Athena knows for sure. Something is wrong here.

It would be easy to let a normal frame-job story play out in her head. So easy, in fact, that she’s surprised no one else has even considered it. Really, if they did do it, they did such a good job that they avoided all suspicion. If only they’d held out a little longer on the PDA.

It would be easy to convince herself this was all Buck and Eddie.

They were both miserable under Gerrard’s captaincy. They were in love with each other, but Buck had a boyfriend. Buck had access to Tommy’s kitchen. He could have swapped the pitchers. He could have lied about his knowledge of Gerrard’s allergy. He could have read the murder mystery party planning document as his boyfriend put together the event. He has his own allergy - naproxen. He could have had an epipen, an expired one. Buck could have done a lot of this.

And that thought terrifies Athena.

If Bobby’s reaction to Jonah and Tommy being killers had been bad? How will he take Buck? And Eddie as his willing accomplice? He won’t. Simply, it will destroy him. Break his already fragile heart. Athena knows that.

Maybe it’s with that in mind that she pokes holes in her own story.

For one thing, why frame Tommy? Killing Gerrard and getting Tommy out of the picture seem like separate issues. Buck may have good reasons to hate Gerrard, but he’s not senselessly cruel. Why frame an innocent man he could have just dumped?

#daisies and briars writes

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letsquestjess · 1 year

Text

Books and Roses - Part 1 (Hunter x GN!Reader)

Summary: A usual day at your job in the library turns into a fateful meeting with Pabu's newest resident.

Word count: 1.9K

Warnings: None.

A/N: This one absolutely ran away with me but I finally got it finished. I'm not sure when it will be posted, but I plan on doing a part 2.

-- -- -- -- --

Singing softly to yourself, you cautiously ascended the stepladder and arranged the books in your arms, sliding another into its home on the shelves and rearranging the ones that had been misplaced. Many of the mid-afternoon patrons stopped and smiled to greet you as they searched for their next read. A few lingered, chatting away about the delightful weather and asking if there had been any new arrivals they might like.

An excited hum of conversation echoed from the far bench as a group of schoolchildren eagerly discussed their work. Their whispered chatter grew into a rumble of voices clamouring to be heard until the head librarian hushed them with stern warnings about the library’s rules. Some of them stifled their snickers, but the others extended their apologies and promised to be quiet.

Months ago, you had suggested allocating specific hours after school for those studying for exams and projects so that they could exchange ideas and work together without worrying about the noise, but your boss dismissed the idea with an irritated scoff. “Libraries are houses of silence and order,” he had asserted. “They will learn that or find some place else to study.” No matter how hard you tried to make your case afterwards, he remained unmoved and bluntly told you to not bring the subject up again.

With your arms empty, you climbed down the ladders and scooped another set of returns from the tray. You flicked through them as the doors squeaked open, and you spared a brief glimpse at the man stepping in. He adjusted his crimson bandana, tucking the stray midnight strands from in front of his face, and scoured the library. Like a whirlwind, a blonde girl from the group of school students flew to him and clung to his waist. He chuckled and ruffled her short hair.

They whispered in muffled voices before she pointed in your direction and walked towards you. As they got closer, you realised he was one of the clones who had recently settled on the island with his siblings. You had noticed them a few times in town, but you never managed to summon enough courage to appease your curiosity by speaking to them.

“Anything you need help with?” you asked, welcoming them with a smile.

“Omega is looking for some books on Pabu folklore,” the man replied. “We were wondering if you could tell us where they are.”

“I’ll do better than that, I’ll show you.” With a wave of your hand, you invited them to join you as you walked to the back of the building, through the wedges of sunlight gleaming in from the gardens outside and past the wall of bulletins advertising local businesses and upcoming events. “Folklore is my speciality,” you told them, “so if you’re looking for anything specific, I can point you in the right direction.”

“Oh, stuff with sea monsters,” Omega said. “And magical birds.”

You meandered the aisles dedicated to the island’s myths and paused at a sapphire-bound volume, its cover adorned with bronze foil ripples and faded, swirling clouds. “This one contains a collection of stories about the water and air elementals. You know the pillars out by the docks?”

“Yeah.”

“It is believed that a sea king built his palace on the top of them. It stretched all the way out to ocean, almost touching the horizon, but it was destroyed by a giant bird after he nearly shot it down.”

The girl listened captivated, and you retrieved more books. All the while, her guardian followed, his smile pushing at the crinkles by his eyes as you shared your stories and piled up the reading material.

Once she had as many as she could carry, you led them back to the desk. “I’ll add a couple of extra weeks onto them so you can enjoy them without having to rush.”

“That’s kind of you,” the man said.

“No problem, um…” You racked your brain trying to remember if he had introduced himself, but he quickly spared you from your dilemma.

“Hunter.”

He extended his hand to you and you shook it, introducing yourself. “You moved here recently with your family, right? How are you finding it?”

“It’s… different.”

“A good different, I hope.” Scanning the last book into the system, you typed in the extra data and handed it to Omega. “You’ll have to let me know what you think once you’ve finished them.”

“I will,” she promised. “Thank you for helping me.”

With a friendly wave, she hurried to the door with her brother trailing behind her, urging her to slow and taking on the burden of some of the books she was carrying.

* * *

Your day began as usual. You arrived, stored your belongings in the staff room locker and got to work organising the extensive stack of returns and finding spots for the new arrivals. A few sparked your interest, and you decided to take a look at them during your lunch break.

Not long after the afternoon regulars, the local students shuffled in and settled at the far desks. Glum faces stared at notepads and flipped through their assignments. Another librarian offered her assistance, and the confused expressions gradually turned into ones of understanding.

The bell on the countertop chimed. “Omega,” you said to the girl patiently waiting for your attention. “How can I help you?”

“I finished the books,” she declared, hoisting the hefty pile and setting them onto the desk with a muted thud.

“I see someone is an avid reader,” you said, surprised. “You’ve only had them a week.”

“They’re really interesting. Especially the one with the wizard and glass dragon.”

“Ah, if it’s magic you like there is a brilliant story about a woman who harnessed the power of an ancient cave to bring back the sun after it disappeared.”

“What happened?” she asked.

The weight of the returned texts in your arms brought back a flood of memories as you began to recount the wondrous legends you had absorbed as a child. Tales of sparkling, celestial-born creatures, and renowned figures who formed the island. Magic spilled from your words and Omega clung to them, occasionally helping you by handing you books to place on the topmost shelves while you balanced on the stepladders. Before long, you had checked in and replaced all the returns and you were nowhere near done with your stories.

As the door hinges let out a protesting groan, Hunter strolled in and spotted you both talking, Omega perched on the reception desk sipping on a fruit juice carton and you with a steaming cup of caf in your hands.

“Hunter,” she called, waving him over. “There’s a cave close by that has magic in it. Can we check it out?”

“I suppose, if it’s safe to get there,” Hunter replied, glancing at you questioningly.

“It’s not that far along the coast and it’s perfectly safe,” you assured him. “It gets fairly cool in there in the warmer months, so people stick close to it when they go to the beach.”

Hunter noticed a fresh selection of tales by Omega, almost as tall as the last lot. “You’ve made quite the impression,” he said to you as his sister hopped down from the countertop and bundled the volumes into her backpack.

“Any chance I get to talk about the folklore of this place, I’ll take it,” you chuckled.

“Perhaps you might tell me about them sometime.”

Heat crept into your cheeks at the sincerity in his tone and you stared at the warm tendrils escaping your mug. “Well, you know where to find me.”

His gaze lingered on yours before he shifted to Omega. “Come on, little adventurer,” he said. “Let’s get you home.”

* * *

You exhaled a breath of relief as you sank into the plush cushion of the desk chair, feeling the pressure of another overburdened morning lift off your aching feet. The past few weeks had been a monotonous slog of reorganising, double-checking and triple-checking systems until you could recite the lists in your sleep. But now it was completed. Catalogued. Authorised. Done.

Hunter’s regular visits had made the workload a little more bearable. He had taken to showing up earlier to catch you on your break, asking about the myths and legends of Pabu before conversation and curiosity prompted him to ask you about yourself. During the hours you’d spent either cooped up in a private corner of the library or basking in the sun on the bench outside, he’d told you about his own past and his brothers.

As the weeks proceeded and your meetings became a daily occurrence, you felt the stirrings of admiration. You noticed how the faded detail on his facial tattoo crinkled when he smiled, the faint highlights in his hair that drank the sunlight and deepened the midnight shades, the rhythmic tap of his fingers when he got lost in contemplation. And the way that his eyes brushed across your face when he thought you weren’t looking. You’d caught his reflection many times in the window, captivated like a stargazer enthralled by the night sky in the seconds before he regained his composure.

But you silenced the hopeful whispers of your heart. He’s probably grateful for the non-judgmental attention you give him, you thought to yourself, struggling to ignore the pondering in your mind that asked if he shared your feelings.

“Working hard as always,” a low, jovial voice said, tenderly pulling you from your daydreams.

You swivelled in the chair and pushed yourself up, checking the chronometer on the computer screen. “I didn’t realise it was that time. Did you want to sit outside today?”

“Sure. But before we do.”

He slowly withdrew his hands from behind his back and a fresh floral perfume drifted from the basket of lilac and gold roses he placed on the counter. “For you,” he clarified at the puzzled lift of your eyebrows. “I saw these, and they reminded me of the story you told me about the purple sea and the warriors who turned the droplets into petals at sunrise, and I thought that maybe you’d… Sorry, I’m rambling. Maker, it’s usually Tech doing that.” He attempted to stifle his anxiety with a cough, but it only intensified his trembling, his mind racing, and his fingers running through his hair as he desperately sought to find the right words to say.

“Thank you, Hunter,” you breathed, trying not to let your smile betray how endearing you found him when he was flustered. “I wasn’t expecting… you didn’t have to…” You paused and collected your thoughts. “They’re perfect.”

At a nearby table, Omega shifted her gaze away from her homework book, carefully watching your exchange before quickly looking back down when her brother caught her.

“There’s a really nice cafe near the beach,” you said, running the pad of your thumb over a satiny petal. “They make their own pastries every morning and the caf is delicious. I’m planning on heading there for breakfast tomorrow before going for a walk along the coastline. You’re more than welcome to join me.”

Hunter’s hand glided across the desk and grazed over yours on the side of the flower basket. His fingertips fluttering against your skin, he waited for you to pull away, to flinch or recoil, but you didn’t, and his adoring gaze met yours. “I would love to.”

“Shall I meet you here in the morning and we can walk down together?” you asked, heart pounding and a tiny flame of hope burning inside you.

With the slightest shuffle and the sweetest smile, he nodded. “It’s a date.”

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@skellymom

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