#and i hear her over the phone saying what very flatly

[moeblob]

OK I swear the reason I'm showing you this will have context in a couple days! But also, the fact B&N has a section dedicated to "well he may be a ten buuuuut" and included my current crime of "he's blonde" is like. Dang. Called out.

Didn't help I saw this with a guy and I said "oh no, my blonde enjoyer crimes called out!" and he said "better than redheads" and I'm like. "Sir, I have to inform you of my previous crime." and he was not pleased as he said "Fish... why....."

[whatsk-poppinhomies]

Pairing : Dad!Yang Jeongin x F!Reader TW : kidnapping ; arguing ; angst ; happy ending ; slightly suggestive at the end as well ; Word Count : 4.2k Request : nope, but I really wanted to write a part 2 for Innie! A/N : this is the last last one (aside from Hyunjin and Jisung who will get a part 3 at some point, but like, the actual series ends with my fav.)

“You said it was my day to pick Jeongsoo up from school, right?” Jeongin asked as he stood outside of the building, waiting for his daughter to run up to him like she usually would whenever she saw him in the crowd of other parents. It was his favorite part of the day, finally being able to see his daughter after working so hard. Today was supposed to be no different, but in the sea of other children, his daughter was nowhere to be found. “Did you already get her? Maybe you just forgot to tell me but-” 

“I didn’t get her. It’s your day. Is she still in the building? It’s cold outside so… Maybe she just decided to stay in and wait?” He could already hear the panic in your voice, and he wanted nothing more than to ease your worried mind, but he himself was beginning to panic as well. “I’m heading up there now, I’ll meet you in like, 5 minutes.” You said before ending the call, and now Jeongin was left to swim in his own thoughts, at least until you got there. 

The crowd slowly began to thin as parents took their children home, but Jeongin still stood there, hoping to see his baby girl standing there. She wasn’t though, and the sound of children laughing and playing faded out until all Jeongin heard was the wind whistling through the empty branches of the trees. “Excuse me!” He called when he saw Jeongsoos teacher start to lock up the classroom door. She turned with a smile, although she looked slightly confused. “Where is Jeongsoo? I’m here to pick her up and she’s not here…” 

She tilted her head, even more confused now. “Jeongsoos aunt picked her up. She said that Y/N wasn’t able to pick her up today. I thought that Y/N would have let you know.” Her teacher said, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. “I’m very sorry for the confusion.” But Jeongin was left even more worried than before as he shook his head, stepping in front of the teacher as she started to walk off. 

“N-No, no… Jeongsoos aunt doesn’t live here. There’s no way that she could have been picked up by her.” Jeongin stammered, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone so that he could call you just to be sure. “Did you even check her ID? Did you even verify what she was saying? How could you have been sure that she was actually Jeongsoos aunt? Do you just let kids go off with anyone who says they’re related?” 

The teacher's eyes widened as she began to stutter, unable to even form a coherent sentence as her head shook rapidly. Thankfully you pulled up just at that moment, rushing out of your car to run over to Jeongin. “What’s… What’s going on? What happened? Where’s my baby?” You asked breathlessly, and now the teacher looked even more upset, even more scared than she had been before. 

“I’m… I’m so sorry. I’ll call the authorities, I’ll… I’ll do whatever I can to help. I’m-” She was crying, and with the lack of information that you had been given, you were more worried than before, looking to Jeongin for answers that you so desperately needed. 

“We have to go.” He said flatly, his heavy breaths were coming out shaky, but you didn’t have time to ask any questions as he ushered you back to your own car, although he opened the passenger door for you instead of letting you get in the driver's side. “I need you to call the security team, I need you to tell them that it’s an emergency. I need you to call management, see if they’ve gotten any calls or anything about Jeongsoo. And then I need you to call the guys to see if they’ve gotten any weird messages. Can you do that?” He asked, fishing his phone out of his back pocket and tossing it onto your lap. 

“Why? What’s going on?” You asked, but you didn’t wait for an answer as you started scrolling through his contacts to find everyone that he had asked you to get in touch with. 

Jeongin shook his head, his fingers gripping the steering wheel as he sped down the streets back towards your house. “This wouldn’t have happened if we were together…” He mumbled, impatiently drumming his fingers on the wheel as he waited for the light to turn green. “You’re so busy going out on your dates, trying to find someone so that you’re not lonely… You don’t even care about her… You’re so fucking selfish you don’t even see that you have someone right fucking here! Now my baby has been fucking stolen from me and… It’s your fucking fault!” 

“Are you seriously gonna try to fucking blame me for this shit?!” You shouted, and deep down you both knew that the last thing that was needed right now was for a major argument to happen, but emotions were running high, you both were terrified, and you were taking it out on each other. “I bet it was one of your crazy ass fucking fans! You’re always posting pictures with her on your Instagram even though I told you not to! Or it could have been one of the multitudes of girls that you sleep around with trying to get closer to you!” 

“For the last fucking time, I don’t do that shit anymore!” He shouted right back, whipping around a corner, and even though he was absolutely furious right now, his arm still flew out to hold you against the seat. Even when he was pissed, he still cared about you way too much for his own good. “You’re the one going out on dates every other fucking night! You’re barely even with her! And then you bring these random ass strangers back to the house and you think I don’t know what’s going on?! How do you know it wasn’t one of those assholes who did it?!” 

“That’s absolutely absurd!” The shouting match continued back and forth until Jeongins phone started to vibrate on your lap, and you immediately answered it, putting it on speaker phone so that he could hear as well. “Hello?” You rushed out the greeting, waiting for someone to say something. 

“Hi mom! Hi dad!” Jeongsoos voice came through the speaker, and you felt your heart sink. The car swerved to the side of the road and Jeongin grabbed his phone off your lap so he could talk directly into it. 

“Hey baby, where are you at right now? Who are you with? Let daddy and mommy talk to them, yeah?” Jeongin said urgently, his hands shaking as he gripped the phone tightly. No matter how angry he made you, no matter how angry you made him, right now all you had was each other, and you reached out to grab his free hand that was shaking nervously, giving it a small squeeze to try to calm him. 

“She say she know you and mom… She gave me ice cream… She’s really nice.” Jeongsoo said, her innocent mind completely unaware of how dangerous this entire situation was, how scared you and Jeongin were. “I wanna go home… I wanna watch a movie with you and mom… Can you come here?” She asked, and Jeongins head fell against the headrest, his eyes squeezed shut and his lips pulled into a thin line. 

“Me and mommy are trying… We’re trying to come get you…” He practically whimpered, sniffling loudly between each sentence. “Tell me… What do you see? Do you see anything outside, baby?” He was pleading, his grip on your hand tightening as he waited for Jeongsoos response, but she didn’t talk again, your daughter’s voice being replaced by someone much older created a pit in both yours and Jeongins stomach. 

“We’ll be in touch later. I can’t wait to meet you, Innie!” A shrill voice rang through the speakers, and while you would have looked at this as a victory in any other circumstance considering you had been right, you were far too worried about your daughter, whose whereabouts were still unknown, and the call had been ended and you couldn’t even redial the number. 

“You can say it…” Jeongin mumbled as he continued driving, one hand on the wheel and the other balled into a fist that was pressed against his temple. “Just say it. I know you want to… You were right… It’s my fault. It’s because of who I am… If you had had her with someone else… Someone normal… You wouldn’t be going through this right now.” The setting sun glistened on the tear that rolled down his cheek, a tear that you quickly wiped away as you shook your head. 

“I wouldn’t have wanted to have her with anyone else. You’re an amazing father… And I know that you love her. You love her more than any father could ever love a child… That’s why I know we’re going to find her, and we’re gonna get her back.” Your palm rested against his cheek for a moment as your thumb brushed along his tear-dampened skin. “We’re gonna bring her home.” 

///

It had been two days since your daughter had been taken. The police were involved, trying to trace every single phone call that came through, but it all seemed to lead back to nowhere. The calls were always untraceable, and every time the number was called back, it would say it was out of service. The only thing giving you and Jeongin hope anymore were the untraceable calls where you’d both get to talk to your daughter, it was the only time that you knew she was still okay. 

“We’re starting to believe that whoever did this, might be someone that she knows.” The cops explained as they listened back to the recording of the phone call. “She doesn’t sound scared, she doesn’t sound like she’s being forced to do or say anything that she’s saying. As crazy as it might sound, this might be someone closer to you both, or one of you… But I don’t think that this person, whoever it may be, I don’t think they plan on hurting her.” And while that was a massive weight lifted off both of your shoulders, it now begged the question of, who the hell was doing this? 

“Are you able to hear if there’s anyone in the background talking? Are you able to isolate the sound? Maybe we can hear someone, or something that would give us a sign of who she’s with or where she’s at?” Jeongin asked, running low on ideas of things to do that would help. He didn’t want to just sit around and wait though, he wanted to help, he wanted to get his little girl home as soon as possible. 

The front door was pushed open as you and Jeongin leaned around the computer that the officer was working at, trying to listen back to the call as the sound was edited and then re-edited to try to pick up any kind of background noise. “What the hell is going on here?” The voice asked from the doorway, and when your head whipped around, you were met with the sight of the guy you had been seeing for the past 2 weeks standing in the corridor with flowers in his hand. 

“Minjae, I told you that right now was not a good time.” You hissed, and from the corner of your eye you saw Jeongin make a face of both annoyance and disgust. “I’m really busy right now, there’s an emergency, and I don’t have the time for this.” You tried to explain as you got up from your chair and went over to stand in front of him. “I’ll explain it all when I have the time to, but… I just really don’t want to talk about it right now.” 

“If it’s so important then why didn’t you tell me? I thought I was your boyfriend… I mean… Why would you tell him and not me?” He motioned to Jeongin who was getting more and more irritated with each passing second, his long fingers drumming on the table top, and you knew that if you didn’t get Minjae out of the house soon, Jeongin would end up going off on him. 

“I really think that you should just go and I’ll talk to you about it later. Please…” You whispered, trying to keep calm, but you were getting more and more upset, especially considering every second wasted on him was a second that could have been put towards finding your daughter. “I need you to go now.” 

“Why? So you can have date night with your baby daddy?” Minjaes voice raised in volume and he threw the bouquet of flowers down at your feet causing you to jump back. “You’re just a bitch! You used me! Well… See if I care! He’ll just use you again! Don’t try to come back to me either! He can have your used up, pathetic, single mom, trashy ass!” 

Behind you, both the officer and Jeongin had stood up from their chairs, ready to move at any second just in case this guy put his hands on you, and for the most part, other than his ranting, things were fine. Jeongin knew well enough that you could hold your own, but when this guy started insulting you, Jeongin didn’t care for the officer that was still in the room, he didn’t care about the charges that might be placed against him. Anger coursed through him as he walked across the room and pushed Minjae up against the door, his forearm pressed against Minjaes throat as he pinned him against the door. 

“You don’t talk about her like that! Never talk about her like that! You don’t know her! You don’t deserve her!” Jeongin screeched into Minjaes face, his arm pressing deeper and deeper into the man’s neck. “You’re not worth the time that’s being wasted on you! You’re not worth anything!” The whole time he was shouting, Jeongins other hand was raised in a fist, and the officer had rushed over to attempt to pull Jeongin away, but it was proving to be pointless. “I don’t want you around her! Don’t come here!” 

Through it all, the man simply laughed in Jeongins face, although the sound came out strained due to the pressure on his throat. “You’ll see me again…” Minjae said, the sneer on his face far more menacing and downright eerie than you had ever seen on anyone before. “I’ve already gotten what I wanted from her anyway, she’s useless to me.” And those words in themselves had Jeongin reaching a point of wanting to commit murder, and the only thing keeping him from actually doing it was the fact that the officer was right there and he wanted to find his daughter. 

When the officer was finally able to pull Jeongin off of Minjae, he was practically pushed out of the door, leaving you and Jeongin alone momentarily as you waited for the officer to come back. “What did he mean by that? Did you fuck him?” He asked, his eyes narrowing at you and if you weren’t so shaken up by the previous interaction between him and Minjae, you would have been defensive, but instead you were just upset at the accusation. 

“No! I’ve never slept with him! I haven’t been with anyone in that way…” You pleaded, trying to declare your innocence, although you weren’t sure why it really mattered to Jeongin in the first place. “I thought he was trying too hard… He would always bring gifts over for Jeongsoo… And he’d tell me that he was really excited to be her dad one day…” Your head shook, but Jeongin was deep in his thoughts, weirded out beyond belief by what he was hearing. 

Before Jeongin could even respond though, the officer returned, motioning for the both of you to follow him over to the computer. “I have officers following him to wherever he’s going right now.” He said, and you wondered if it was because he heard what you had told Jeongin, but then he pulled the headphones out of the port so the three of you could listen to the audio file from the very last phone call you had gotten. “The voice in the background… There’s two, but listen… It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” He asked, and then he started playing the file, and you felt your heart drop as you listened to the conversation that sounded so faint, but so clear through the laptop speakers. 

“You said that he’d come here to get her! Why is it taking so long?! Where’s the money at? When are we supposed to get it!?” The female voice that came first was screaming, although during the phone call you hadn’t heard it at all, and it seemed like Jeongsoo wasn’t phased by it either. You could only suspect that it was happening from a couple rooms over and Jeongsoo wasn’t too worried about it. 

“Well I can’t tell them to just bring the money here! Do you want to go to jail?! Cause’ I sure as hell don’t!” The man shouted back, and it didn’t take more than a second for you to place the voice, to envision a face with it, especially after what had just happened. Your eyes widened as you looked to Jeongin who seemed to be going through the five stages of anger and grief all at the same time. 

“Well you’re the one pretending to date the bitch, and it’s been two nights since we took the spoiled brat and you haven’t even attempted anything. You haven’t even gone over to see her! At least pretend like you’re interested still. Maybe you can help them find the kid!” The woman continued, and you felt sick, physically sick. You pushed yourself away from the table, running to the kitchen sink and practically flinging yourself over it. You hadn’t eaten much the past two days, so you just heaved, and it was the most painful thing. 

“It’s not your fault…” Jeongin whispered, his sudden appearance beside you had gone unheard, but he was rubbing your back soothingly as he held your hair away from your face. “I don’t… I’ll never blame you for this… No one would have thought this would happen…” He continued to murmur to you as you tried to catch your breath, and once you did, you fell against him. His arms wrapped around you tightly and his lips ghosted across the top of your head as he continued. “We need to go now though… We need to get our baby back…” 

Both you and Jeongin were far too worked up to drive, so you had opted to ride in the back of the officer's car as he raced through the streets to get to where your daughter was found. The ones that had been sent to follow Minjae had been led straight to the house where she was being held. The radio in the car had constant updates crackling through the speakers, and while you were just barely listening, focusing more on the thought that you’d soon be reunited with your daughter, you had heard them say that Minjae and a female had been placed into custody. 

When the car pulled up, you were practically blinded by the lights of the multitude of other police cars on the street, but through the lights, you spotted the silhouette of a man holding a little girl, and you knew that it was your little girl. Jeongins hand that had been holding yours the entire car ride was pulled away as he jumped out of the car before it had even come to a complete stop, and you did the same, both of you running to the officer to see your daughter. 

“Daddy! Momma!” Jeongsoos voice was filled with excitement as she wiggled free from the officers arms and ran across the sidewalk towards you and Jeongin, and the only reason you didn’t pick her up was because Jeongin had reached her first, and now she was being held tightly to his chest and spun around by him. “Why you take so long?” She asked, and Jeongin simply shook his head, refusing to put her down as he looked at you, his smile both sad and relieved at the same time. 

“I’m so sorry, sweetie…” You whispered, running your hand over her hair, trying your best to hold it together in front of her. “We’re gonna go home, and everything is gonna be okay… You’re okay now, sweetie.” You continued, and as if you were the one who needed to be comforted, Jeongsoo held out one of her arms and pulled you closer to her and Jeongin. 

“It’s okay, Momma… You not have to cry. I’m okay.” She reassured you, patting your shoulder and sighing softly. She didn’t know how scared you and Jeongin had been, she probably didn’t even know what was going on at all. She was sassy, she had a fiery attitude when she needed to, but she was also selfless and sweet, she was an angel in the eyes of you and Jeongin.

The officer that had been with you and Jeongin almost the entire time finally came over to where the three of you were after the other patrol cars drove off, carrying with them the two people that had stolen your entire world. “There’s going to be a court date, we do not expect Jeongsoo to be there, we don’t expect the both of you to be there, but at least one of you have to show up. Jeongsoo already very kindly told one of the other officers everything that happened, and I want you to know that she is okay. This was simply a scheme to make money, which is awful, but it could have been far worse.” You and Jeongin nodded your heads, but neither of you wanted to think about what you knew he was talking about. “I’ll get the three of you back home, and I’ll be in touch with you to let you know when the court date will be, okay?” 

///

Jeongsoo was fast asleep in her room, and you and Jeongin stood in the hallway just outside her door, neither of you wanting to have her out of your sights. The fear of losing her would stay with the both of you forever, but for now, it was like you needed that constant visual reminder that she was home, that you did get her back. 

“I know… It’s not my place to tell you that you can’t date anyone.” Jeongin mumbled, leaning against the wall of the hallway, his head hung low as he crossed his arms over his chest. “But, at least let me meet him or something… Before he meets Jeongsoo. I can’t handle something like this happening again… I just can’t.” 

You swallowed thickly, nodding your head. “I don’t want to date anyone else… I don’t want to be with anyone else… I can’t go through something like this again either and… and you don’t deserve to go through this again just because of me.” Sniffles sounded out so softly they almost got lost in the drifting sound of Jeongsoos quiet snores, but Jeongin heard it, Jeongin heard you. 

“It’s not your fault, baby…” He cooed, but the pet name had you slowly lifting your head to look at him, and usually he’d back track, say you misheard him, or he’d just change the subject completely as his entire face turns a bright shade of red. Not this time though, he was tired of losing you, and he had gone through this entire shit show because he was too much of a coward to ask you before. Not again. “I love you, and I love the perfect little girl that we made together. I don’t want to lose her again, and I don’t want to lose you to someone else. I know I made mistakes, I know that I’ve been the biggest piece of shit in the past… But seeing you with those other guys… Seeing you walk out that door to go out on those stupid dates… I can’t take it anymore. So just… Kiss me once and maybe you’ll feel something. Maybe you’ll feel the way I’m feeling. But if you don’t, we can forget about it and everything that I’ve said and-“ 

Your fingers gripped his shirt as you pulled him towards you, your lips crashing together in a kiss that it felt like you had been waiting forever to have. “You talk too much…” You murmured against his lips, the corners of yours pulling up into a little smirk. “So is this you asking me out or…?” 

Jeongin rolled his eyes, his hands roaming along your curves until he stopped at your hips, giving them a light squeeze that had you wiggling and your body burning up. “If I had a ring I’d be asking you to marry me right now, so yes… I am asking you out…” He stepped closer, his body pressing against yours and basically pinning you against the wall. “Are you saying yes?” 

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[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

A Chance - Part 2^

Part 2 of this fic where Harry and Y/N are co-workers and he's trying to win her over but she doesn't really like him.

Series Master List

Warnings: argument, gossiping, insecurity, alcohol consumption. It's angsty to start but ends super fluffy!

WC: 7.6K

After your impromptu sleep over with Harry you were feeling a little self-conscious. You’d never really been bold like you had been with him, but he seemed to be acting quite normally. He wasn’t being overly affectionate or trying to remind you of what had happened the night before, so maybe he just wanted to forget it. So you made no mention of it either as you drove him back to his car on your way to work. You were so in your head about everything at the moment, you hadn’t even greeted Adam when you got into your cubicle. After about 20 minutes of only hearing the satisfying little clacks of you typing away and the occasional clearing of your throat, he got a little worried and decided to check on you. You could be grouchy some of the mornings but you were never discourteous.

“Hey, are you alright?” Adam asked as he peered over the divider between your cubicles. You were hunched over your desk as you typed into your document with a concentrated furrow in your brow, your eyes dead as they stayed fixed on the screen. There was a second too long of silence before you responded.

“What did you say?” You asked as you sat up straight all of a sudden looking back to normal as your gaze met his.

“I asked if you’re alright.” He repeated.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” You asked.

“You just haven’t said anything since you got here like 20 minutes ago. Was looking forward to your gripe of the morning.” He said with a friendly smile and you tossed your head back as you let out the most genuine laugh he had ever seen you have. You looked happy, dare he say. And you wore your joy very well. He admired the way your eyes were crinkled in a way he’d never seen before and he was suddenly very aware of how beautiful you were.

“My gripe of the morning means that much to you?” You asked through your laughter and he nodded.

“It really does, Y/N.” He said honestly and you smiled.

“Well, it’s…” you paused as you recalled how perfectly pedestrian things had been between you and Harry this morning. As if you hadn’t spent hours of your night flirting with each other. As if he hadn’t asked you what would happen if he kissed you? The way it messed with her head was her gripe of the morning. “…it’s this. My brain is being kind of weird today.” You explained and he hummed.

“I might have a solution.” He said.

“Go on…”

“Caffeine.” He stated with a smile and you rolled your eyes playfully, “Let’s walk to the cafe? My treat.” He offered and you narrowed your eyes at him in suspicion.

“What’s going on? Now you’re being weird.”

“Nothing I’m just…suddenly in a really good mood.” He shrugged.

“Alright.” You agreed and stood from your desk. You both moved out of your cubicles and you grabbed your ‘on break’ magnet and pasted it on the metal part of the door. You two started walking off and made some small talk as you got into the lift. Just as you made it out onto the lobby Harry was walking into the building.

“Do you mind if I invite him along?” He asked and you just shook your head and he smiled, “Harry!” Adam called out and he glanced up from his phone.

“Hey mate!” He greeted him with a smile.

“You just getting in?”

“Yeah, I had some car trouble.” He explained and Adam frowned, “Nothing too complicated thankfully.”

“Good, good. Well we’re just heading to the cafe if you want to tag along.” He offered.

“Might as well, I said I’d be an hour late…” he chuckled and Adam laughed along and you smiled. He then turned to you and smiled timidly, “Morning, Y/N. It’s nice to see you today.” He said ultra politely and your eyebrows creased at how odd he was being.

“What the fuck?” Adam chuckled.

“Hi Harry.” You said flatly, “Let’s just get coffee.” You mumbled and led the way. You could hear Adam teasing Harry about the oddly formal greeting he’d given you. When you got in Adam ordered with you to pay. After that you waited a few minutes for your drinks and Harry asked Adam about the basketball game he’d gone to last night. They were talking about that until you all got back to your building. 

“We should all go out together!” Adam suggested as you all settled into the elevator.

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” Harry agreed as he spared a glance to you and you smiled bashfully.

“W-would that be alright, Y/N?” Adam asked.

“Yeah, sure.” You agreed easily, which surprised him a bit.

“Well, lets plan something for this coming Friday, after work?” Adam asked.

“Yeah, that works for me! I can invite a few others.” Harry suggested and Adam immediately agreed.

“Y/N, does Friday work for you?” Adam suddenly asked and you nodded.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” You agreed and soon the doors opened up on your floor and they let you go ahead before following after you and through the editing floor. 

“Adam, can I steal for a moment?” Someone asked and he nodded and veered off to go talk to the person who called him and you and Harry continued on towards the area where your offices were. 

“Everything okay with your car?”

“Yeah, thankfully.” Harry smiled.

“Good.” You hummed.

“You look very nice today, by the way. Was thinking it this morning but I forgot to mention it in the rush of getting out.” He explained and you bit your lip nervously as you glanced around.

“Ummm…maybe don’t say stuff like that here.” You said quietly and he smiled a bit.

“Right…so ummm…are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah.” You nodded. “It’s just that…” you sighed and then glanced around to ensure no one was coming, “Last night. We like…it was nothing right?” You asked him and he frowned immediately, you could see the hurt in his eyes. “Harry, that’s not-”

“You’re right, it wasn’t.” He said as he started to walk around you and you groaned and grabbed him by the sleeve. “I have a deadline.” He said as he kept going until you let go. You huffed and then trudged over to your office. Once again, you were sitting in complete silence as you stared at your screen. You’d maybe read the same sentence three times already when Adam returned and once again, he confronted you over the fact that you were still acting weird.

“I’m just having a weird day okay.” You muttered back, avoiding form meeting his intent gaze. 

“Fine.” He said before retreating back to his seat.

You decided to skip lunch since you felt a little queasy over Harry being upset at you. You really wanted to explain yourself. You looked for him but he had gone out for lunch apparently. You tried to catch him after work but he walked out with a couple others and refused to give you a morsel of his attention. It was like this for the rest of the week. Harry was just being extremely cordial with you but no more than that. You could’ve texted him, but you were scared that he’d just leave you on read, which would be extremely mortifying. So when Friday evening came along you were debating on whether you should go meet everyone at the bar as planned or just bail at the last minute, like you normally would. And just as you were reaching for your pajama’s your phone lit up with an incoming text from Adam.

Adam:

You better not bail like you always do. If anything just show up for me. Harry invited Destiny over lunch and you know how she can be…

You frowned down at your screen, fighting off the feeling of hurt and jealousy brewing in your stomach upon learning this information. You locked your phone and immediately got to searching for an outfit that would wow. You did enjoy getting dolled up on occasion, but those seemed so few and far between and it was never anything you really did for work. You were quite basic. But now, you wanted to put in a little extra effort, you were telling yourself it wasn’t to get Harry’s attention, but it was. And it infuriated you that you even cared that much, but you had felt a connection with him that night. You’d show him your vulnerable side! And you truly hadn’t meant to offend him earlier in the week, you were just scared to be more vulnerable when it seemed like the interaction you’d had the night you ran into each other was commonplace for him. If you did anything tonight, it would be to clear the air between you two at the very least.

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

You were feeling a little nervous as you made your way into the bar. Granted, you were about 15 minutes late from the time you’d agreed upon previously, but that was bound to happen since you’d gotten a late start on getting ready to go out. You saw everyone sitting on the high tables against the far wall of the bar. Destiny saw you first ands literally leaned back in her seat to see past the person at the end. Her eyes literally grew wide as you approached. Then Adam looked and he smiled wide as you approached the table. 

“Hey.” You greeted the small group before you a bit bashfully as you reached the table and upon hearing your voice everyone else turned towards you, all of them looking equally shocked as Destiny. 

Well, except Harry. He’d seen you done up earlier in the week as well, you really couldn’t tell how expression because you skipped over looking at him due to your nerves over having to spend this whole night in his presence while he flirted with another girl. You were hurt and a little angry over it still, but when you finally made it to Destiny and took her in again you  weren’t as upset. She was far more beautiful than you were, or at least by your standards and it just made sense for him to take an interest in her. Or maybe you’d been right about him all along and Harry was just a shallow dick after all and his kind and flowery facade was just used to his convenience. Like to let you buy his drinks and have you take him in for the night.

“Sorry, I’m late.” You added as you looked back to Adam, the most familiar face out of them all.

“You’re actually just in time! Saved you a spot.” He said as he raised his jacket from the chair at the end, the one up against the wall. It was perfect because that’s the seat you would’ve chosen for yourself if you’d arrived on time. Well except that across from you was Harry, but you didn’t have to engage if you didn’t want. You were certain he’d be flirting with Destiny the entire time.

“Thank you.” You said to him as you pulled out the high chair and settled in. You could feel Harry’s gaze on you but you just finished settling in before immediately reaching for a menu.

“I ordered for you already.” Adam said lowly to you as everyone else started chatting after the initial shock of you joining them wore off.

“Oh, thank you.”

“It’s the one called berries something. It’s basically a modified zipper based on the ingredients I saw.” He explained and your brows furrowed on how he knew what went into that cocktail. “Don’t ask…I spent five years as a bartender. That’s all you need to know.” He chuckled.

“I’ll take your word for it.” You chuckled as you set down the menu and he smiled. 

“You look great, by the way.” Adam said to you lowly.

“Oh…th-thanks.” You responded a bit nervously as you watched as his eyes ran over you once again. Just moments later the waitress walked up with a tray of drinks for everyone and assured she’d be back with the appetizers they had ordered.

You knew that you’d be more of the wallflower on this night. Like you had mentioned to Harry before, it’s wasn’t that you didn’t like your coworkers, you just had vastly different interests. So as they all sat there discussing Grey’s Anatomy season 20, which had most of them in a chokehold, you just listened quietly. They were talking about these characters like they were people they knew personally. It was fascinating to you.

“What did you think of this last season, Y/N?” Carmen, one of the other girl there asked you and you blinked back slowly. You got so nervous as everyone looked at you expectantly.

“Umm…I actually have never watched that before.” You explained and everyone looked shocked once again except Adam and Harry.

“Wait…are you serious? Or are you just saying that?” Destiny asked with a disbelieving smile.

“I’m being completely honest. It’s not something that has ever interested me.” You explained, feeling nervous. “Also, the thought of anything medical just…kinda freaks me out generally, hence why I write and edit for a living. So definitely not something I want to be seeing in my spare time.” You explained and Adam, Harry, and Rama, the other person joining you, laughed at this but the girls took it as an insult.

“So then what kinds of things do you watch?” Rama asked and you bit your lip.

“Ummm…I like comedies more than dramas. Right now I’m a little obsessed with After Life and Shrinking.” You said and they looked at you with blank stares, “After Life is with Ricky Gervais. It’s about a writer coping with life after his wife dies. And Shrinking is about the same thing, just the man is a therapist and he’s coping with grief while treating patients. They’re actually really funny shows.” You said with a bright smile as you felt excited about sharing what it was you were interested in.

“That’s…dark.” Destiny mumbled lowly and Carmen and Rama started to giggle.

“To each their own, I guess…” Rama said and you tightened your smile and nodded.

“Wait, isn’t Ricky Gervais the guy that goes around offending everyone in his bits?” Destiny asked.

“Well, he does have a rather abrasive style of comedy…” you explained.

“He’s the original creator of The Office, isn’t he?” Rama asked in general.

“Actually, yes.” You added, “Another great show…both versions!” You added, “Have you guys watched that?” You asked.

“I couldn’t make it past the second episode, it was just so disgustingly offensive.” Destiny said and you bit your lip. “I can’t believe it was even allowed on TV.” She said to Carmen who nodded in agreement.

“I did like that actually.” Rama shared, “Kelly is my favorite for obvious cultural reasons.” He explained and you smiled, “I think I was born gay because if I were a woman I’d literally be Kelly. A mess over men, a shopaholic, and you’d never get me to shut up about every celebrity’s business.” He joked and you giggled.

“You’re like that now…” Adam chuckled and everyone burst into laughter at this. 

You were thankful that the topic was off of you now as Rama shared a little bit more insight about how it felt to see Hindu traditions being shared like that on TV. Yes, they were tied to a comedic show, but to him that was the first glimpse of representation of his culture that he ever saw. And he continued to share that, though the show was a comedy, it brought up a lot of very real and important topics to light, they just did it through comedy, which made it more palatable for some people. You completely agreed with his opinion. Yes, it could be uncomfortable to watch but that was the reality for many people and comedy just helped to humanize marginalized groups to decrease stigma about them. You’d definitely try to talk to Rama more, you liked how he thought and he seemed like a very open minded person. 

Despite the more positive turn that conversation took, you still decided that you would just be the wallflower tonight, lest you unintentionally offend someone else with your preferences again. But being the wallflower seemed to come with its own unique set of challenges. Adam was being oddly attentive towards you, it was starting to feel a little suffocating. And you had avoided Harry’s gaze long enough that he had started to flirt with Destiny so fucking hard, it was making your mind feel all jumbled with jealousy. You were relieved when she and Carmen decided to get up and dance to a few songs.

“How are you feeling?” Adam asked you lowly, his freshly licked lips made slight contact with the shell of your ear and it made you shiver in a bad way. You knew he hadn’t done so to make you uncomfortable, but the sensation of it was not one you had prepared for.

“Fine. I just need to go the bathroom, be right back!” You announced and scurried off. You wanted to go catch your breath for just a minute, but just your luck, as soon as you made it inside the bathroom you saw that all three stalls were taken and as you waited, a familiar voice caught your attention.

“So you and Harry?” Carmen asked who you assumed to be Destiny in the neighboring stall.

“Look, I don’t care why he invited me but as long as the night ends with him on top of me, we’re good.” She giggled and Carmen laughed.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure I can keep Rama and Adam entertained somehow.” Carmen assured her. “Omg, girl… I can’t believe they invited Y/N and she actually came out!” Carmen exclaimed and Destiny burst into laughter.

“Right! I am surprised she showed up. Honestly…she’s such a freak though. Like what kind of person enjoys watching shit about death?!” She questioned as Carmen cackled. Your eyebrows creased in as you heard them. Wasn’t a medical show also full of death? The ones you liked were more about how to process grief. However, to each their own. You were ready to brush it off and then it got worse. “Okay, but the real crime. Her outfit…”

“Oh god, right…so fucking basic.” Carmen groaned.

  “I bet she thought she ate with that one!” Destiny said before the two started cackling. “I swear, whoever she was trying to impress is running for the hills. And if that weren’t enough every time she opens her mouth we’re all bracing ourselves for whatever condescending bullshit she’s about to say.” Carmen interjected.

“For real! She has zero social cue awareness, it’s sad. And now she’s sitting there like a bump on a log just observing. Like girl, it’s evident that no one likes you, should’ve stayed home, babe…” Destiny said before they started laughing again. 

You were holding back a sob as your eyes welled up with tears. You were done. You decided to just bolt and hurried out of the bathroom, when you glanced back to the table only Harry and Rama were sitting there on their phones. You then glanced around and saw Adam over at the bar, it was the perfect opportunity to leave. You could just request and wait for your Uber outside. You started moving through the crowd and when you reached the table Harry glanced up and saw you grabbing your purse. Your eyes met for just a moment and he frowned.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He immediately asked and it’s almost as if asking was the last bit of pressure that was needed to break the dam. Your vision started to blur as your tears started to spill and you just inhaled sharply before rushing off. 

You started walking, hoping to find a desolate and quite nook for you to cry in peace and get your uber. Just as you reached the alley behind the bar you turned into it and just rested against the wall. Your tears started to fall with so much hurt and frustration and defeat. Moments later you heard your name being called and then you saw Harry rushing past the alley you were holding your breath hoping he just kept going. You pulled out your phone to call for a ride, and after another few moments he was walking back slowly, looking from side to side until finally he saw you nestled in the dim lighting as you typed away into your phone.

“Y/N.” He said and you glanced up to see him approaching, “What’s the matter, what happened?” He asked you with concern and you shook your head.

“Nothing, I’m fine. I just need to get home.” You assured him.

“Don’t do that.” He tutted, “Tell me what happened.” He insisted with concern and your eyes narrowed into angry slits.

“Why do you even care? You’ve been ignoring me all week!” You reminded him and his features furrowed.

“That’s because you hurt my feelings, Y/N! Again!” He responded with frustration, “And despite that I’m still out here. Stupidly, might I add!” He exclaimed and you groaned.

“Listen, about the other day…you didn’t let me explain myself when I was trying to.” You sighed, “I was trying to figure out if it was nothing to you. I just…I got nervous that the vibe we had was just in my head since you were kind of quiet the next day. It’s weird for you.” 

“You were acting weird.” He chuckled, “I wanted to try to talk more but you were kind of in your head so I decided to just…give you space.” He pointed out and you pouted a bit.

“Oh…” You mumbled, “I’m sorry. I was freaking out a little.” You explained and he smiled, “My brain was all mixed up and the question came out weird!” You huffed. “I just…I didn’t want to assume that you felt something too when it could’ve just been the drinks.” You explained and his demeanor softened, “Clearly, you’re an affectionate drunk and I just…I don’t trust you yet. So I was asking in a way that…protected me from being vulnerable.” You explain and his gaze completely softened. He stepped up to you and grabbed your face gently, his thumbs wiping your tears.

“You didn’t imagine it. I felt something with you too.” He confirmed and you sniffled.

“Okay, well that doesn’t matter now because you’re clearly into Destiny…”

“I’m not! I’m into y-”

“Y/N?!” You then heard Adam’s voice and a second later as he peered around the corner and saw Harry’s body right up against yours, holding your face his hands. “Let her go.” He said sternly to Harry who quickly stepped back with his hands up.

“He didn’t do anything, Adam. He was just trying to help.” You assured him and he glanced to Harry.

“I swear, I didn’t do anything to her. I just came to check on her.” He assured.

“Well, I’m here now, you can go back inside. Des was looking for you.” He informed. Harry looked to you and you nodded, he hesitated for a moment and then headed inside. “What’s the matter? Rama said you just bolted and Harry went after you.” Adam asked as soon as Harry was out of sight.

“When I was waiting in line in the bathroom I heard Destiny and Carmen talking shit about me in the stalls.” You explained and your eyes started welling up again. “I know it’s stupid but I was really trying tonight and like…they were making fun of me and the things I like and my clothes. I was feeling so good about myself tonight and then just to hear that everyone thinks it looks bad and that no one likes me…this is why I don’t do things like this, Adam!” You raised your voice out of frustration. “I just don’t fit in!”

“Hey, they’re probably just jealous because the guys and I were saying how good you look.” He said lowly, “You really do look beautiful tonight, Y/N. It’s nice to see you in your street clothes versus the work get up.” He said as he came closer to you. “And I also have never seen Grey’s Anatomy willingly, my roommate watches it so I know things, but it’s awful in my opinion. So don’t worry about that you’re not missing out.” He assured you. Clearly just trying to cheer you up and you smiled slightly. Your phone dinged and you glanced down to see your uber was arriving in a minute.

“My ride is about to be here.” You glanced up at him.

“Don’t go. Stay.” He adjourned.

“Honestly Adam, I don’t feel like it anymore.” You sighed.

“Don’t give them the satisfaction by leaving though.” Adam countered.

“This is not about them, it’s about me and my comfort and my time. I don’t want to give my time to people who don’t deserve it.” You said and he nodded.

“Alright then. Well ummm, maybe next time it could just be…us two?” He asked.

“Yeah, like the usual.” You smiled a bit.

“No, not like the usual.” He said, “Look Y/N, I think that I have a crush on y-” your phone started ringing and interrupted him.

“It’s my driver. I really need to go.” You said and he sighed.

“Yeah, go on then. I’ll see you Monday.”

“See you Monday.” You said and hurried off to the sidewalk to see the car as described waiting with their hazards on. You immediately started to apologize to the driver as you slid into the back seat and you soon took off. 

Your brain was in shambles as you pieced together that both Harry and Adam were about to tell you that they liked you. It felt foreign to you, unreal…it just didn’t make sense!

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

When Adam made it back to the table Harry was just knocking back his drink, looking like he was ready to go.

“Hey, where did everyone else go?”

“I don’t know, they’re around somewhere but I’m gonna head out. I paid the tab already.” He said and Adam nodded. “I-is she alright? Y/N?” He asked and Adam sighed.

“She will be. She just heard Des and Carmen talking shit about her in the bathroom.” He explained and Harry frowned.

“Of course they did…” he sighed, “Now she’s never going to want to go out with us again. I know this was a really big step for her.” He said and Adam nodded.

“Yeah…” he sighed in defeat, “I’m gonna talk to them about it on Monday. What they did wasn’t cool.” He said and Harry bit his lip.

“I get where you’re coming from, mate, but don’t know if Y/N would like that…” Harry said, “Maybe talk to her first, she’s not the kind that likes her battles fought for her, no matter how gallant the intentions might be.” He reasoned.

“How do you know what she’d like? And why do you care all of a sudden? She doesn’t even like you, H.” Adam reminded, starting to feel a little overprotective of you.

“We’re friends now.” Harry said and Adam frowned.

“Since when?” Adam asked.

“We had drinks last Tuesday.”

“Just the two of you?” Adam asked with an unreadable expression and Harry nodded. 

“Yeah. It was kind of serendipitous. She got stood up by her friend and I had run into my ex-girlfriend outside as she was waiting for her new boyfriend. I saw Y/N when I went inside and she was kind enough to pretend to be my date so that my ex wouldn’t humiliate me with her new boyfriend.” Harry explained with a smile, “We talked for a long time and we were able to work out our differences. Well, more clear up why she didn’t like me.” He explained. “I mean, I’ve always tried to get to know her and understand her, you know that. I like her, I always have, but now that she sees that I’m not just a chatty nuisance it’s been better.”

“Oh…” Adam said, “Well, I like her too.”

“Of course, you’re friends.” Harry said.

“Yeah…” Adam trailed off nervously.

Harry then started remembering how he’d been treating you all week and over the night…maybe Adam like-liked you too. That scared him because you already had an established rapport with Adam. If he asked you out then you’d surely choose him over Harry. It made his stomach twist with hurt and envy and nerves. He felt like he needed to pounce on the opportunity, but after spending time with you he knew you’d hate a big gesture. So he needed to work subtly if he wanted to win you over. But he also felt weird about it because Adam was his friend. They weren’t best friends or anything super deep, but at least work-wise they had a good relationship and floated in the same circles when they’d spend time outside of work. Was he obligated to tell him explicitly that he wanted to pursue you romantically? He had no idea…but either way, he felt that he’d be fighting for your attention and affection one way or another.

“Well, I’m going to go. Did you drive yourself?”

“Yeah, but I’m good. So I’ll catch you on Monday.”

“Yeah. Sorry about bringing Destiny along, I didn’t know she was like that.” He explained with a frown.

“Apologize to Y/N, she’s the one who was on the receiving end of Destiny’s crazy.” He said with a chuckle and Harry didn’t know if he meant that sincerely or as a dig. As if he didn’t feel bad enough already.

“Right.” He said with a half-smile before saying goodnight and taking off. 

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

Saturday mornings were your favorite. You tended to sleep in a little later and then head to the gym that your apartment complex had because Saturday seemed to be everyone’s off-day and you were often the only person in there that early. You had just finishing putting on your shoes when your doorbell rang. You looked through the peep hole and saw Harry standing at your door with a bouquet of tulips of all colors. You felt your heart flutter, no one had ever gotten you flowers before. You quickly opened the door and he smiled.

“Hi.” He greeted you.

“Hi.” You responded. “W-what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to apologize.” He said and you frowned, “For what?”

“For bringing Destiny last night and ruining your evening. I didn’t know she was that kind of person.” He explained, “Ummm, I got you these as a-”

“Peace offering?” You asked and he smiled.

“Exactly.” He hummed and you took them. He wished he had the ability to take a photo of how happy you looked when you grabbed them from him. 

“They’re so pretty thank you so much.” You smiled and he nodded.

“It’s nothing.” He smiled bashfully. 

“It’s not nothing. This is very thoughtful of you. And I assure you, no apology is needed. How were you supposed to know she was going to be rude?”

“Well, true. But I invited her because I…wanted to make you jealous when I thought that you had just decided to brush me off. And I mean, she brought Carmen so…if I hadn’t…been stupid then none of that would’ve happened.” He explained.

“Well, I was jealous so…it worked.” You chuckled and he chuckled as well.

“It was still stupid.”

“Can’t argue with that logic.” You grinned and he chuckled.

“Ummm…d-do you wanna come in real quick for a water or the bathroom or anything?” You asked and he smiled.

“That’s alright, I actually was heading to the gym right now. I like to go early on Saturdays because there’s hardly anyone around.” He explained and your eyes lit up.

“Oh, me too!” You giggled, “That’s where I was about to go now.”

“Oh, nice. Where do you go?”

“Just to the one here in the complex. It’s all the way on the other side, so I walk there as my warm up and then just get to it. We have a sauna too, so it beats paying anywhere else.”

“Oh wow, that sounds really nice.”

“It is. Ummm…y-you could join me if you like?” You asked and he smiled.

“Can I really?”

“Yeah.” You nodded quickly and he smiled.

“Okay. Perfect.”

“Yeah.” You smiled a bit and he chuckled.

“Ummm, so are you gonna set those down or take ‘em with you?” He asked as he eyeballed the flowers and you glanced down at the flowers and then bit your lip nervously before glancing up at him.

“Ummm, right.” You said and turned to go back inside and he followed you in. “Are you sure you don’t need the bathroom or anything like that?”

“I’m sure, love.” He chuckled, “You’re gonna want to put those in a tall vase with cool water.” He said as you set them down on your counter and just nodded. 

You felt so embarrassed for some reason, but seeing as you had never been given flowers, you didn’t own a vase. You were scrambling in your mind trying to think if you owned anything that resembled a vase and all that came to mind was a plastic pitcher you hardly ever used, but even that wasn’t tall enough for these flowers. You opened up your cabinets, pretending to search even though you knew you had nothing for these. And it was starting to make you nervous, so you suddenly turned around and decided to just be straight up.

“Ummm, t-this is the first time I have ever received flowers so I actually don’t have anything t-to put these in.” You explained and Harry frowned.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” You bit your lip nervously, “I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t need to apologize.” He assured you, “I’m sorry no one has ever done this for you.”

“S’just flowers.” You shrugged as you shook your head.

“Yeah, but it’s more than that. Flowers mean things, you know?” He said, “The white ones mean you’re sorry, among other things. The yellow ones are for cheer and happiness, the red for passion or love, and the orange ones are significant of friendship and appreciation.” He explained.

“You know a lot about flowers.” You chuckled nervously instead of addressing the symbols of these flowers.

“My mum and dad own a nursery and flower shop back home. I worked there from the ages of 12 to 22, so I picked up a few things.” He explained.

“Oh wow, that’s nice. Seems like it’d be a really peaceful place to work.”

“Definitely was.” He smiled fondly. “But ummm, I mean for now we can just put ‘em somewhere else? Do you have like a pitcher or maybe a bottle?” He asked and you gasped.

“I have a souvenir cup from when I went to Universal Orlando!” You recalled and then went to one of your other cupboards and retrieved the giant Optimus Prime head. Harry immediately laughed as you turned with it and you giggled. “S’what I have.” You mumbled bashfully as you went over to the sink to fill it up.

“You know, I was gonna suggest we go thrifting for one, but I like this better.” He smiled sincerely and you rolled your eyes at him. “I think we’ll still need to trim the stems a bit, do you have any scissors?”

“Yeah, in that drawer over there.” You pointed and he went over and while you filled up the head he busied himself with trimming the stems just a bit more and they ended up fitting perfectly. With that task completed you walked over to the gym. You weren’t huge on working out, you only did it because it was good for you. So you often just did some light weights and then more intense cardio.

“So you’re into working out?”

“Not really.” You chuckled as you neared the gym. “I do it because I must.”

“Ah…”

“You’re a gym nut aren’t you?” You inquired.

“I am…I love it. I love that it’s something to work towards and that I can see results in.”

“Because you’re a guy. You could take up jogging for a few weeks and lose 15 pounds.” 

“I know, but I’m not just trying to be lean. I like to like what I see but I also enjoy feeling and being strong. I like that it requires discipline and consistency. I like that it helps with my mental health too. And I’m not just a strength training person, I truly enjoy other things like yoga and swimming and pilates.”

“All the hard things?” You giggled and he chuckled.

“I was a beginner at those at some point too, you know?” He reminded.

“Yeah, but you strike me as one of those annoying people that is just good at everything you attempt.”

“Kinda…I’m just bad a pottery. I get too excited.” He explained and you giggled, “Do things with me today. Just to see how you like it.”

“Fine. But if I’m sore tomorrow I will be mad at you.” You said and he rolled his eyes.

“What’s the point if you’re not gonna feel it the next day?” He asked and you side-eyed him.

“That’s fine for certain things…not all the time.” You smirked and he smirked back.

“Wow…a little innuendo from little miss grumpy pants? I never would’ve thought!” He teased you.

“Just because I’m crabby doesn’t mean I’m not funny.”

“You are quite funny.” He smiled and you grinned.

“Thank you.” You hummed. 

Once you got inside and Harry took his hoodie off you were quite taken aback at just how strong he was. You really did give it your best effort in terms of following his workout routine and while he pushed you, he wasn’t annoying about it. He didn’t fuss or talk you down when you were over it, he just finished his sets quietly while you just laid on the bench and waited for him to finish up that exercise before you moved on to the next. After an hour and you already feeling like your arms were a bit noodle-ly, you made your way back to your apartment and you were feeling hungry now. You didn’t want him to go yet, so as you made it to your building you decided to ask him to extend his stay.

“W-would you want to maybe go grab food or something?” You asked.

“I would love to but I actually have some late lunch plans for a friend’s birthday, I need to go home and change.” He explained regretfully.

“Oh…”

“How about a rain check? Maybe dinner, next Friday night?” He asked and you bit your lip nervously before you nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I’d like that.” You said softly.

“Okay…ummm, do you like sushi?” He asked and you nodded eagerly.

“Love it! Especially as it gets hotter out.”

“Right, it’s just perfect and refreshing.” He agreed, “I know a good spot that’s actually near here. And they also have a delightful mochi donut.” He added with a smile.

“Ooh…so you have sweet tooth?”

“I do. Especially for chocolates and well fruity things too…sweets in any form really.” He chuckled with a shrug.

“I get it, me too.” You confessed as you made it to your door and then turned to him. “So ummm…I never said anything about last night, so, I accept your apology, thank you for coming by and for…well, you know? T-the flowers…” You mumbled more timidly as you felt your face heating up as you blushed hard, your gaze fluttered down to your shoes. Harry grinned but said nothing about this, he found it endearing, but he wanted to know more because if he could at least refute what had been seen, he wanted to do that too.

“It was the least I could do. But umm…w-what were they saying about you?” He asked and you sighed and shrugged.

“Just that I was a freak and condescending and that I looked bad in my outfit…just childish, high school shit like that. It wasn’t that serious…” you played it down.

“Well based on how upset you were, I beg to differ.” He countered and you glanced down at your shoes again. “Hey, look at me, love.” He insisted and you glanced up at his eyes, “You looked fucking breathtaking. You always do.” He assured and you literally felt your mouth go dry, “And more importantly, I could tell that you were really trying making an effort to engage with everyone. I know that’s not an easy thing for you to do, so I’m proud of you for it. You seemed really excited to share your interests with everyone and it’s awful and very unfortunate that they made fun of you for them. And quite frankly, I’m also sorry for not sticking up for you at the table when they first questioned you for not liking the other show.” He said and you tutted. 

“It’s in the past…You don’t think I’m a freak for liking shows about death and grief.”

“Absolutely not. We all have surprising tastes in certain things. For example, thanks to my sister, my current favorite show is Bridgerton so…” he trailed off as he chuckled.

“What’s that?” You asked and he grinned.

“Oh, you need to watch it. Or at least try to. It’s like a saucy period drama. Not very masculine but it’s quite entertaining.” He smirked.

“You’re just there to watch the sex.” You chuckled.

“So?!” He asked in mock offense and you threw your head back as you laughed, “You should give it a try.”

“I don’t know…I think the sexism of the time period will put me off.”

“I thought so too, until I saw the saucy bits.” He chuckled, “Honestly, I think you’d like it. I mean, you really didn’t like me and then gave me a chance and here we are…” he said smugly.

“I suppose you’re right…I’ll try the first season.”

“Good. We’ll talk about it on our date next week.” He smiled and you nearly choked on your spit as he said this.

“Date…right.” You mumbled nervously.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never been on a date before, Y/N.” he said with disbelief building in his expression and you giggled.

“Of course I’ve been on dates…they’ve just been…few and far between and very casual. And well, obviously the partners not that good given that I’m still single…” you chuckled.

“Well, this one will be good.” He said and you smiled.

“Okay. Well, have fun at your lunch. I’ll see you on Monday.” You said and he nodded.

“See you then, love. Take care.” He hummed and you nodded as you stepped forward and hesitated for a second before just hugging him. 

You wanted to, you had no idea why you struggled with showing your affection like this, but upon doing it, you immediately felt good about your decision. He smiled as he wrapped you up in his arms and then kissed you on the head. You pulled back and he brought a hand to your chin and ran his thumb over your lower lip as his eyes honed in on your lips for just a second before he leaned down and kissed you on the cheek.

“See you soon, love.” He said softly through a smile before pulling back.

“See you.” You said breathlessly as he hurried down the hall.

You felt like you were walking on light and fluffy clouds as you made it inside and to your bathroom to shower off the sweat from the gym. You’d had crushes on people before but not like this. For a long time you wondered if there was something wrong with you because you hadn’t really experienced the feelings other people described, but suddenly you were. It felt like there was all this energy brewing inside of you and just fighting to get out. You hated being proven wrong but somehow, you didn’t mind it coming from Harry. He wasn’t arrogant or smug about it like you could be at times. He had a genuine humility and goodness that emanated from him. Even just in how he was always nice to you when you weren’t nice to him proved his optimism and long-suffering spirit. 

When you emerged from your shower, ready to cook your breakfast your eyes landed on the Optimus Prime head makeshift vase and the gorgeous and colorful bouquet resting in it. You were grinning like a fool as you walked past the counter and to your fridge. But seconds later you were turning back and bringing your phone up to take a picture of the flowers and posted them on your story. You couldn’t shake the excitement buzzing through you. Your heart was moving far faster than your head and as much as you hoped it would catch up, a part of you just wanted it to run wild and free for as long as possible because having these feelings growing for Harry was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to you.

>> Next Part >>

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[itstheimpossibledream]

Finished

Pairing: Henry Cavill x you

Prompt:Henry & y/n invited to his moms for thanksgiving. Mom also invites his ex.His mom is super strict so everyone is supposed to have separate rooms, mostly for his ex to slip into his room but she opens the door to find you sitting on his face.

This one was kind of tough but, ended up being a super fun story to write!Hope you guys enjoy it !Thanks for your ask, hope this lives up to the expectation.

“Are we going?” you ask quietly.

“Do you want to go?”  he says, cocking an eyebrow in your direction.

“I mean….. It’s your mother. We kinda have to.” he pulls you in closer letting out a low hmmm. 

“Yes. but, I don’t visit her often for a reason.” he says quietly. The heft of his arm and the sheets around you calling you to relaxation. 

“And what’s that reas-”

“She’s crazy.” he says bluntly. You laugh,immediately knowing he’s joking . It was very out of character for him to call anyone out of their name. Much less his own mother. You look up at him to notice he isn’t laughing, not even smiling.

“O Henry, come on! She is not crazy, I’m sure she just misses you. That’s why she calls so often.”

He caresses your face “My mother is a tiny, blonde psychopath. I love her with all my heart but, everytime I bring a woman home she gets so attached I- it’s hard to explain.” he trails off.

“Guess I’ll just have to meet her then!” you squeal sleepily into his chest before drifting away in an ocean of plans.

You packed, you brushed your teeth, and were ready early in time for the flight. Henry slept most of the way but, you were too filled with questions of if she would like you, and what he of all people meant by calling his mother an attached psychopath. The hours ticked away and you looked worriedly from the clock on your phone to Henry.

“Maybe she just forgot we were coming today?Should we call?” you ask

“Nooooo. No. She has forgotten nothing. This is what she does. Constantly trying to keep me on my toes, I guarantee you she’s up to something.”

You snort through your nose “Henry I guarantee your mother is not that malicious.”

“Have you met her yet?” he jokes flatly. Just then the car pulls up a decently clean but embarrassingly tiny red kia soul, flying like a bat out of hell. 

You exhale, taking a step off of the curb and waiting for your moment of truth.

She jumps out of the car and runs to her son, jumping into his arms. He smiles for a minute holding her and you see the light of a little boy flicker in him for a moment. He pulls back at the sound of the trunk popping open and begins to load the bags into the back for the weekend. 

“Mrs. Marianne I am just so excited to finally get to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you and I’m really excited to-” She cuts you off turning back to her son.

“And Hen you remember Ellen.”

That’s when you see her, a leggy blonde with a perfect smile stepping out of the car that just makes your heart drop. Ellen fucking Whitaker. Ofcourse, champion show jumping horse rider from a family of professional horse trainers and not to mention gorgeous but, most importantly Henry’s ex- fiance. 

“Cool, cool ,cool ,cool” you can hear yourself muttering under your breath trying not to explode.

“Mum this is y/n! She was very excited to be invited.” he confirms, giving you some comfort that he’s on your side. 

“Mmm. Well that’s darling.” she spins on her heels heading back towards the driver’s side of the car.

You follow Henry as you both hug Ellen and exchange your greetings. She seems to think his mother bringing her here is just as ridiculous as you do and while you still despise her presence that knowledge makes it vaguely reassuring that she hasn’t come to fight for his love. 

“Henry, dear sit up here with me I want to hear all about LA.” he rolls his eyes, making his way to the passenger side while you and Ellen assemble yourselves in the back of the tiny car with the luggage. You flip your phone over in your lap and notice a text from Henry. “I love you.Don’t stress out. She’s just like this.” you text him back a heart emoji but, it’d be a lie to pretend your heart wasn’t still caught in your throat. Not only did his mother refuse to acknowledge you. But, she brought some random ass woman that she obviously plans for Henry to be with instead. Actually , no.Not random, which is even worse! Am I spirialing ? I feel like I’m spiraling. You had completely zoned out of the sweet family reunion happening infront of you an attempted to string some words together in your head that would help you explain how you feel to him when you finally got alone time. You entered the driveway of the estate and his mother handed the keys to the valet , excusing herself and calling Ellen to follow her inside. Being excluded from the girl’s powwow didn’t bother you as much since if gave you a chance to speak to Henry. The Butler offered to help but, he insisted on doing it himself, calling him by name. And you were momentarily reminded of the things you did love about Henry. You followed behind him as he carried things to the room. You tried to make small talk with him as you unzipped your suitcase and began pulling out your necessities for your facewash routine. “O ummmm-” Henry looked at you as if trying to hide back from saying something. More bad information you were sure. 

“You actually have the room down the hall.”he says sheepishly.

“What do you mean?” your eyes widen despite your attempts to quell your emotion. He has to be crazy. There’s no other way to explain.

“My mom doesn’t want me to share a bed in her home unless its with the woman I’ve marrried.” he says , hands up in a defensive position. 

You exhale slowly repacking your things. “Sure. Ofcourse. What wouldn’t she want that.”

You knew it sounded bitter but, you couldn’t help it. 

“Hey -” he grabs your arm as you head towards the door, pulling you in and kissing you .His hand coming to your cheek, fingers resting on the back of your head, giving you the comfort he couldn’t offer with words. 

“Plus” he whispers into your lips “It will be fun to sneak around like kids for a few days.”You roll your eyes at him as his hands make their way to your ass. He gropes you for a bit before you escape his grasp headed to your room or Marianne created dungeon. Actually the room was quite nice. The flowers on the wall paper felt like a bit much but, the room got great sun and wasn’t to far from the bathroom . You liked that the estate had an old-timey feel of walking down the hall to use the toilet. Plus, it allowed you more excuses to be where Henry is. You unpacked your room and then sat on the bed next to your empty suitcase before exhaling,and finding the strength to get dressed for dinner. 

You stepped gently down the stairs ,trying to avoid the steps that creak when your hear the door close behind you. Looking up over the landing you see Henry at the top of the stairs.

“What are you doing?”he asks flatly.

You become aware of your hunched back and your body language from testing the step with your toe.

“I- I just don’t want to go.” you confessed.

He rushes in your direction, “Sweetheart you don’t have to.”

“No I mean I want to I just ….I was so excited to meet your mother and she just-”

“Listen” he leans against the wall scratching the side of his face. “I was trying to protect you. I should have tried to explain her more but it’s- she’s just so embarrassing. If you want, we can cut it short and go home tomorrow.” he seems genuinely saddened that his mom had been so rude. You hadn’t even had the chance to tackle Ellen’s presence before you hear a fumbling downstairs and his mother calling for him. He looks at you silently giving you time to decide. 

“I still want to try and win her over.” you whisper back to him. He laughs a little at your  determination and offers you his arm. You walk to dinner together and his presence gives you comfort.  

At dinner your seats are assigned. Shockingly your seat is not next to Henry’s but one of their family friend’s who was also visiting. You thought it a smart call on Marriane’s part. Had it just been the four of you for dinner the meal was sure to mostly be had in silence. You sat across from Henry and although he and Ellen had a few hushed moments this test actually caused you to feel more confident in your relationship. His mom was being a bitch but, when she did he’d nudge your foot under the table. This nudge eventually turned into a quiet game of footsies but, as adults your were grateful for the reminder that no matter how it seemed he was always prioritizing you. By the time dessert came you decided you wanted to try pushing the boundaries. His mother hadn’t said anything rude to you, she simply had not spoken to you at all. And if she had already decided she hated you  then there wasn’t much left for you to do but, enjoy the sculpture of a man that she had created. You slipped your foot from your shoe and let your footsies progress to you rubbing him through his pants with your foot. His eyes shoot to you across the table,but he doesn’t give you away. You can feel him growing harder under your toes as he melts into his chair. His face looks so small and innocent, looking at you, trying so hard to be in control, to be good. His mother hurls a few rude words but, you are to turned on by the view across from you to care. Once dismissed from the table, the tempered dash to the bedroom is quick. His hand presses into your back as he practically pushes you up the stairs. His room was the closest to the stairs , as you walked past he grabs your arm , pulling you in. 

“Heeeeey hey hey.” you whisper to him as he slips his hand up your dress. “I think your mother will notice if I’m not in my room.” he groans into you. “Shhhh. I’ll come back later” you pull back winking at him. He slowly removes his hand and you turn, switching out of the room. 

You promptly switch into your best lingerie and robe while counting the minutes, listening as the sounds of the house grow softer and softer. When the coast seems clear, you softly make your way to Henry’s room. You push the door open slowly trying to mitigate the creak as much as possible.You can see his figure sitting up in the dark. You drop your robe to the ground as he closes his book. “ I thought you’d never come!” he exhales. He places his book on the nightstand and you jump into bed, straddling him. His hands reach around to cup your ass and your grab him by the wrists. 

“Don’t touch.” you warn. He cocks his head to the side as if to question the change from your usual power exchange. 

“Only with your tongue.” you smile, leaning in to kiss him. He smiles coyly and you move yourself up the headboard of the bed. You grab onto it as he pulls your panties to the side. He hums into you and you are doing your best to keep quiet as you grip down onto the headboard beneath. You reach your other hand down cradling the back of his head while his tongue explores further into you. Biting your bottom lip in an attempt to keep from crying out ,you pull his hair and his hand smack your ass in response.

“Fuck” you exhale into the darkness and just then you hear the door creak open. 

“Oh no!” you turn around to see Ellen, and no sooner than you lock eyes, you grab the duvet pulling it over both of your bodies.Henry is confused and ends up being mostly exposed during the shuffle.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Ummm your mom told me to- I’m sorry I-” She turned , rushing out of the room; a flurry of nerves and embarrassment. The door slammed behind her and you both looked at eachother, momentarily embarrassed too. But, then you both broke into laugher. This entire trip had been absurd, this is almost just on brand. You lift your leg in an attempt to end your straddling of him , when he stops you with a hand to your lower back. Smiling while looking up at you he says 

“I wasn’t finished yet.” and you melt back into him. 

[mybworlds]

CHAPTER 12

status: ongoing

pairing: joel miller x f!reader

summary: your life is full of 'must'. You live with your overprotective mother who controls every aspect of your life. You have a dream, to write romance novels, but love - real love - you haven't found yet. Your mother has even decided what you must do in your free time: play music. One day, however, when you go to your music teacher's house, you will have an unexpected encounter and from that day on things change…

Masterlist

Before to start. . . Please take your time to read 'cause it's quite lenghty. 📖

rating: 18+ explicit (minors, DNI)

Thanks @vase-of-lilies for the banner and thanks @saradika-graphics for the divider.

Taglist: @harriedandharassed

The weekend with Joel unfortunately came to an end. The enchantment is over and everything is back exactly as it was. Or almost, Joel, the night before the two of you went back to your lives, gave you a small set of keys.

"If you want to come here and write, you can. With or without me. There's an important part of you here and it's right that, when you want to, you come. Feel free to do." he told you "If you want to run away and seek refuge, you can do it here."

You are in your room lying on your bed with the small wooden guitar he carved for you a long ago clutched in one hand and the keys to his house in the other. You clutch them tightly to your heart as if to feel Joel close to you. You miss him already.

This makes you realize one thing: there's no longer a place for Jack in your life or in your heart. You want to be with Joel. You want him to be a part of you, you want everyone to know that you don't care that he's older than you, but that you love him. Yes, you love him.

You can't do without him.

Your phone rings.

It's Jack.

"I haven't heard from you once." he says.

"Well, you too." you reply in an icy tone.

"Would you like to talk about what happened a few nights ago?" he asks you.

The truth is that you don't care. You don't want someone like him next to you, someone who makes you feel bad, who doesn't support you, who doesn't understand you. No, thank you.

"There's nothing to say," you reply in the same tone.

"So … are we okay?" he asks.

"No, maybe I wasn't clear. Jack. . . I'm sorry, but I don't want a person who doesn't support me, who doesn't understand what's important to me," you answer.

For a moment you feel like the phone line has gone dead, then he resumes "So, we don't want to see each other again?"

"No." you reply flatly "Bye Jack, have a nice life." you add and then cut off the call.

Your heart beats fast in your chest. You feel as if freed from a burden.

Maybe you were too hard on Jack, but you don’t want continue leading him on, it’s not fair. You don't love him. You never had.

Now you can be with Joel.

But how can you see him if he is no longer in town now?

Simple, you look for something that might convince your mother to let you leave for a few days. You look for an idea, anything to get away, but at the moment you can't think of anything.

You fall asleep looking for an idea.

Your life flows quietly, you go to work at the bar, when you come back you practice your chords, you very rarely go to church with your mother hoping to get some ideas on how you can reach Joel. The man who teaches these classes sees you and approaches you with a big smile. He's a great speaker, has great language property, and you are not surprised that your mother is fascinated by him, but you fear that he is yet another foothold your mother is looking for in the course of her life. The man, a fellow named Mark, will be a few years older than your mother, tells you that he's glad you are there with them, that you too therefore are seeking the salvation of your soul and that only through prayer can this happen.

You lower your head, you don't want to burst out laughing in his face, you don't believe in this, you never had and you won't start now. Everything you hear only increase this your total belief. You are not like your mother who believes whatever she is told. No.

"Boo," your mother says, "have you seen how interesting these classes are?"

Of course.

"Yes, you right. You know, I've been thinking about going deeper," you begin. Your mother's eyes sparkle, she thinks she convinced you and converted you to all this. Not at all.

"You could go for a prayer retreat with Mark and his group." she offers enthusiastically "If I could, I would go too, but I have to work."

You take advantage of it.

"Mom, actually I'd like to go with my friend Kristen and her prayer group, you know, she's also attending. Her group is in the small town near ours, I know they are leaving next week for a prayer retreat, maybe I can go with her so I would have her company."

Kristen is the friend your mother always liked the most, she always saw her as a proper young person, judicious, polite, charitable, in short a perfect friend and girl.

"Fine. But you'll have to let me know then what you think, though, and then next time you and I will go with Mark's group."

Now you just need to let Kristen know.

"We'll talk." you say with a small smile "Would you like a pizza? Shall we eat it at the diner?"

"All right." she replies, taking you under her arm.

The evening unfolds as quietly as possible, you don't talk much, you just make a few sporadic comments about the pizza, the place, the meeting you attended, but nothing more.

Fortunately Joel calls when you returned by now and your mother is in bed. You check to see if you can talk freely and realize that she is soundly asleep. Joel tells you about his day, but more than anything he asks if you have been to his house, he wants to know if you are writing, if you are doing everything to pursue your dream, but you tell him you are going tomorrow.

"I miss you," you tell him, "I wish you were here," you add.

"I can't move, honey." he tells you in a regretful tone "We may not see each other not earlier than three weeks, it's gonna be complicated days for me."

"For me too, Miller. I'll. . ." you stop, you were about to tell him I love you, but then you reconsider, you don't know if your feeling is mutual, and what if he replies he doesn't feel the same way for you? You don't think you can stand such a response from him.

"You, what?" he encourages you, you swallow, afraid, you close your eyes "Baby, are you there?"

"Yes." you answer "I'm very tired, sorry. . ."

"No, no, 's okay. Go to sleep, I wish you good night, baby. A kiss, I hope whatever you dream will come true sooner or later." he says before to hang up the phone.

You open your eyes, he's not here, but your imagination brought you into his arms to come violently.

You will surely dream about him, his dark eyes, his plushy lips smiling at you and kissing you softly, his messy hair falling on his forehead, his arms caging the sides of your face, you dream about him with one hand cupping your face and with the other moving a strand of your hair and smiling at you. You see him on top of you whispering sweet, reassuring words in that sweet, warm voice of his, your hands in his hair as you press yourself against him.

His hand along your bare chest, his large hand caressing your breasts, thumb and forefinger teasing first one nipple and then the other. Your breath breaks.

His bulge pushing against your inner thigh, your breaths getting shorter and shorter, you almost feel him stroking you with a finger first to taste your intimacy then slowly sinking inside you, inch by inch. You gasp.

It feels so good, the rhythm he's giving with his finger that breaks your breath, he then strokes you rhythmically with two fingers, filling you all the way, you swallow squeezing your eyes shut and clutching your sheets in a fist. You mumble his name, bite your lower lip. You feel the blood boil in your veins as he continues to pump in a relentless rhythm inside you, then your mouth opens wide in a dull moan, your lips trembling.

Being in his house without him causes you a strange grip, you feel like you are in a beautiful soulless place. You feel empty, you just look around as if you almost feel a presence around you. You feel ridiculous thinking about this. After all, it's not the first time you've come here, of course it's the first time you're alone here, but you've been with him so many times. There's nothing to be afraid of.

"You recognize this place?" you ask Joel, sending him a message with a photograph of you sitting on his couch.

You turn on the computer he gave you and write, write, write. The words come out spontaneously, effortlessly, when you lift your head from the computer you realize it is almost evening. You stretch, turn off the pc, drink a glass of water, go to the bathroom and then leave.

Joel hasn't answered you, that's not like him, who knows maybe he's just really busy, you tell yourself.

As you're on your way home, you contact Kristen, you absolutely must warn her of your idea: you explain your plan and she tells you that she also has to actually go to a prayer meeting and she has to go to the very town where Joel is working. You explain that you are going to pretend to join them, but that you are actually going to Joel, you want to see him.

You check your phone, but Joel has not answered or displayed yet. You decide to call him, but his phone just rings. That's weird. You text him, but nothing, he doesn't answer or call you. You think about many things, then you decide that since he doesn't answer you, you need to leave, you need to see him now more than ever.

Convincing your mother was as easy as a glass of water, she wanted to talk to Kristen of course who confirmed your prayer meetings, provided many details of arrival and departure, and you, to reassure your mother, promised to call her as soon as you arrived, in the afternoon and evening. You prepare your small luggage and, since your mother won't let you drive, you leave with Kristen. The only problem is that Joel doesn't know you are coming and you don't know where to look for him.

Someone says that doing surprises is never a good thing because you inevitably get surprises, you try to chase that thought away, you don't want to believe that you are the one getting the surprise. You check your phone, Joel hasn't been in touch or answered your texts for almost twenty-four hours, and on the one hand it agitates you, but on the other it leads you to think that maybe he's just really busy.

While you're thinking that you've been foolish in leaving like that without informing him of your arrival, you remember the name of the company he works at and so your field of inquiry narrows; you're not alone, luckily you're accompanied by Kristen and a friend of hers, a guy named Xavier, a tall, muscular, blue-eyed, black-haired handsome guy. You think he's there with you because he cares about your friend, but this is your own thought, you may be wrong.

The places you see are one shabbier than the next, fortunately Xavier is with the two of you. When you arrive at another construction site, you realize you're in the right place, you ask for Joel and at that moment you are approached by a chick all dirty with a chipped protective helmet, she says your name, you turn around "D' you know me?" you ask her puzzled.

"It's like I know you, Joel talks about you all the time. You're here for him, aren't you?" her expression tense, focused "Come with me." she tells you, turning her back to the three of you.

"Uhm, can you wait for me? I'll let you know right away," you tell them.

When you turn around, you see the woman waiting for you with her hands in her uniform pockets, then noticing that you are joining her, she continues. She urges you to be careful several times, climbing flights of semi-dangerous stairs, when you almost reach the top, your heart in your throat with fear, but the idea of seeing him urges you on.

"Don't be frightened, dunno how much he's told you," she says as if you know what she's talking about "It's less worse than it looks." she stops on the landing "He's over there, he fell pretty bad, but other than a few cuts and bruises, he's okay."

You furrow your brow, the woman talks about it almost as if she said he scraped his knee, as if it were obvious. Well, maybe it is, but not to you.

"Didn't he tell you, did he?" she asks noticing your worried expression "You stubborn fool." she says in a sigh "Come." she adds giving you a little pat on your arm.

You follow her worriedly to a semi-closed door, "Wait." she tells you, then enters.

Your heart is pounding in your chest, that's why he didn't write or call you, but when did this happen? Yesterday? Last night? This morning? It doesn't matter when, but how he is, you hope with all your heart that nothing serious happened to him and that it's just a few scratches like the ones you've also seen before.

The door opens, the woman's eyes are downcast as she comes out, then she raises them to you, "He's in a bad mood, but I think with you he's…well, we gave him a painkiller." she tells you as she walks past you.

"But how did that happen?" you ask stopping her.

"That stubborn fellow last night at five o'clock had to knock off, but he wanted to finish a job upstairs at all costs, so he stayed with four other unconscious men like him until eight o'clock. By that time it's dark up here, very dark in spite of the lights, he slipped along with some equipment on the ramp leading upstairs." you pale "The cuts are mostly superficial, except for one on his side. A couple of friends working in the ER stitched him up."

"He needs to be taken to the hospital," you say seriously concerned.

She smiles bitterly and shakes her head "Since that episode happened to his daughter, Miller hasn't set foot in a hospital." the woman looks at you as if she has let a secret slip.

"What happened to his daughter?" you ask her hoping she will talk, but she shakes her head and replies "I can't be the one to tell you about it, he has to. If you're as important to him as it seems. . . well, he'll talk to you about it sooner or later." you lower your gaze "Now go to him."

You swallow, then turn away from the woman and enter, the room is semi-dark and cold, there are dozens of cabinets along two walls and then at the back a window through which only faint glimpses of light enter and a worn sofa on which Joel is lying. You leave your bag at the doorway dropping it and hurry next to him from the side, his face is swollen, you can clearly make out a cut at the level of his left cheekbone and lower lip, his arms are covered with large bloodstained bandages and his work uniform is half-open revealing a gauze on his side below which you imagine are the stitches the woman told you about.

You very gently caress the contour of his face, his face twitching in a small grimace perhaps from pain perhaps from discomfort you don't know, he opens his eyes and when he sees you he hints a pale smile "Is it the painkillers or are you really here?"

"Joel. . ." you tell him in a whisper moving closer to his face "I'm here."

"My beautiful. . . wonderful. . . writer" he mumbles raising an arm toward your face, when his hand brushes your face and then moves your hair you have chills, you place your hand on his, you feel it warm and ruined under your fingers "'m fine." he adds "Don't be impressed, I've been worse."

"Is that why you don't want me to see you naked?" you ask smiling and causing him to smile back.

"Guessed." he replies closing his eyes, for a while you don't speak again, you think he has fallen asleep, but then he says, "I missed feeling your breath against my skin."

"I missed you." you confess, squeezing his hand a little tighter and placing a kiss on the back of his hand "If something happened to you. . ." the words choke in your throat.

"'m right here, honey. 'm not going anywhere." he tells you reassuringly and stroking your cheek with his fingertips in a slow and extremely gentle gesture.

You place your head suddenly between arm and shoulder and he barely jerks, "Sorry!" you exclaim, but he holds you down "No, 's okay, just take it easy. Come on." he tells you moving a little further into the couch. You remain lying on that small and uncomfortable couch, you don't dare to move for fear of hurting him, he's the one looking for your hand, which he occasionally squeezes, but without making a sound. You wonder if he squeezes it to reassure you or because he feels pain.

Joel just turns his face toward yours, "You here alone?"

It's your cell phone vibrating, interrupting that almost perfect silence, Kristen.

You completely forgot about her! You reassure her that everything is fine and that you are with Joel; then, she reminds you to call your mother and tells you she is leaving.

"No," you answer, shaking your head, "I'm with Kristen. She was waiting for me downstairs, you know, afraid that it wasn't the right construction site or that you weren't here," you explain to him.

"If you want to go with your friend, go. I think I'll stay a little longer like this and then go home. Join me later if you want." he tells you in a slightly dizzy voice.

"No." you tell him, "I came for you. If you want me, I'll stay with you," you tell him, looking at him.

He opens and closes his eyes, pulls you gently toward him making your head rest in the crook of his neck, "I want you all the time." he tells you "You know, I've been thinking about you all the time lately. There's not a moment in my day when my thoughts don't go to you." you lift your face slightly toward him "I have three words on the tip of my tongue, but dunno if it's fair to tell you." he adds before breathing deeply.

Your heart pounding in your chest, you close your eyes and inhale his scent.

"I have them too, from the bottom of my heart," you whisper, holding you to him and closing your eyes.

When Joel feels better, the two of you with Tess drive him home. You've reclined the passenger seat to make him lie down or almost lie down, you're sitting in the middle in the back seat. Tess doesn't talk much, she just casts brief glances at you from the rearview mirror and occasionally glances toward Joel who, however, does not look at you or at her.

Once finished, you help him put on a clean T-shirt and invite him to stay there while you prepare a plate of pasta with some tomato sauce, again he rebels initially, but in the face of your firm tone he can only surrender. You hand him the plate by sitting next to him, eating in silence. From time to time he lays his head back against the backrest and closes his eyes holding his breath, "Does it hurt?" he shakes his head, but the expression on his face says otherwise "What can I do?" you ask him.

The little house Joel rented here is much smaller than the one he has in town. In fact, it has a kitchenette, a bedroom and a bathroom. You help him shed his overalls, although he initially rebelled at being treated like he's ill, but you insisted. You sit him down on the worn-out couch in the kitchen and there for the first time you see his completely naked torso and it's huge, but what strikes you most besides his mighty are the many old and new cuts and scars that decorate his arms, his shoulder blades, his back. You are tempted to caress them all, but not now. You try to wash him as best you can without getting too close to the area where the stitches are.

Your eyes constantly cross, when he sees you uncertain he reassures you with a look or a nod.

You stop that thought from your mind, "Come." he says, inviting you to join him. You are wearing a shirt from a few years ago now ruined and three sizes larger, it's so big that it almost reaches your knee. You wear only that one to sleep in and briefs.

He turns to you, "You're here." he tells you causing you to miss a beat and smile.

You enjoy each other's company, he would like to lean toward you and kiss you, but the stitches are pulling and he must not strain. You accompany him to bed, where he wears only a T-shirt and a pair of dark boxers. You swallow, if he wasn't like this. . .

You lie down next to him, he's on his back, you can see him in the semi-darkness of the room, "Who was that woman at the construction site?" you ask, turning to him and gently laying a hand on his chest.

"Tess, a pain in the ass, but she's the only friend I have. The only one who has known me for years. She's a tough cookie."

"I saw. She seems cool," you say.

He nods, then turns to you, "Did you go to my place to write?"

"Once. I wrote. A lot. But without you, it's not the same." you say making squiggles on his chest with your index finger "I would have wanted you around, maybe hugging me and taking a look at what I was writing." you confide, he turns back to you "Next time.'' he tells you, giving you a kiss on your lips.

He takes your hand that was lying on his chest and squeezes it tightly intertwining his fingers with yours, he then runs his fingers down to your forearm and then looking you in the eyes he says "Come." you look at him puzzled "Come on me, I want to kiss you properly." he adds.

Your heart is pounding, you don't know how or, rather, you have a vague idea, but you don't know if it's right. He holds your hand as he guides you by making you lie completely on him. You feel even smaller in this position on him.

"If you have pain or discomfort, tell me," you tell him referring to the stitches, he shakes his head softly and then pulls you closer to him.

You are face to face, Joel barely leans toward you and captures your lips in a kiss that takes your breath away. You think back to how sick you were without him, you think back to the fear you had when you learned he was hurt, as Joel slips a hand through your hair crushing you even more against him.

I love you, you'd like to say, you'd like to let him know, as you too plunge your hands into his hair and your breaths grow shorter and shorter and merge into each other.

You gently stroke his forehead to check that he doesn't have a fever or any other problems; thankfully, everything is fine. He's breathing normally and doing well. You check that the stitches are still intact, once you are satisfied that all is well, you caress his face, his features, you feel under your fingers his unshaven beard, caress in a gesture entirely new to you his neck, his Adam's apple. You see him wrinkle his nose and furrow his brow, then slowly open his eyes finding your eyes at once, you smile at him and he smiles back.

His arms held you close to him all night, you did nothing but exchange long caresses, glances and kisses. And that was enough for you.

You wake up with your head on his chest, your hair partly on his chest and partly on your shoulders, you raise your head slowly and look at Joel's face. His lips parted, his hair tousled - and it's partly your fault too - a serene expression on his face, his wrinkles barely noticeable. The grazes and bruises clash so much with his handsome face.

"G' morning." you say smily.

"'Morning." he says with his voice still slurred from sleep "How long have you been awake?"

"A little while." you reply, giving him a kiss on his sternum.

"And what were ya doing?" he asks looking at you with his dark brown eyes.

"I was watching you. Sorry. . . maybe that's creepy for you. . ." you are about to say, but he smiles so you stop.

"Remember when we slept together at my house?" you nod "I watched you sleep, too. You were like a magnet, I couldn't stop doing it." he continues cupping your cheek, you close your eyes for a moment surrendering to his touch and feeling your heart beating fast "You were. . . you're beautiful." he says gently stroking your lower lip with his thumb.

"I wish. . ." you are about to say something you never thought you would have the courage to say out loud considering your lack of knowledge on the subject, in fact to tell the truth you thought you would only ever write it down in your stories and instead. . .

"Would you like to?" he urges you, stroking your hair.

"I would like to. . ." you bite your lower lip softly "I'd like to make love with you." you say all in one breath, now you would like to hide from his huge dark eyes that seem to want to read you inside, you see him swallow and then he caresses the contour of your face with a finger "Sorry, maybe. . . uhm. . . you don't want to, you don't. . ." you don't know how to continue.

"Who told you I don't want to?" he tells you wrinkling his forehead.

You look at him incredulously almost, blinking several times unable to comment on his answer.

"I just don't think you're ready yet."

"I am." you reply, trying to sound firm and tame that unfamiliar fire inside you.

"We should wait a little longer. I don't want you to have even more pain than necessary." he says moving a strand of hair behind your ear "Y' know it's going to hurt the first time, right?" you nod "I don't want you to feel even more pain because I didn't prepare you properly." he adds.

You lower your gaze for a second, "By prepare well. . . what exactly do you mean?" you ask, showing him once again your inexperience.

"When I feel better, we'll talk about it," he replies.

Interrupting that almost awkward moment there's your phone vibrating.

MOM, it appears on the screen.

Shit, you totally forgot.

"Hello?" you say snapping to your phone answering immediately.

"Weren't you supposed to call me as soon as you got here, were you?" she scolds you.

"Sorry, you're right, while we got the room and then settled in, the meetings. . . sorry." you look toward Joel who scrutinizes you with an indecipherable look.

"Is Kristen with you?" she asks.

"She went downstairs, we have a meeting soon and she went to get croissants before to start, I just got out of the shower."

"All right. So, I won't keep you, have a good day. Call me tonight."

"Alright, bye." you say interrupting the call and placing your cell phone on the bedside table.

You sigh and then turn your gaze to Joel, who stares thoughtfully at the ceiling, you stroke his arm and he looks back at you "You had to tell more lies." it's not a question, it's a statement, and his tone of voice is very, very bitter.

"I didn't tell her about-"

"Us?" he asks you "She asked about you and John though!" he retorts, returning to staring at the ceiling with a disappointed, regretful air "Right?" he adds, turning back to you.

"I only told her about Jack because it would have been more acceptable to her," you tell him, but then you regret what you said because you told him that he's no good.

He looks at you, his expression is full of pain "Got it," he only says, but you don't think he understood what you really wanted to say "Can you help me up?" he says, you want to tell him no, but his tone doesn't admit any other answer but yes.

You get up from the bed and go to his side, put your hands on his shoulder blades as he, too, clutches your forearms to give himself that push he needs to sit up; you feel against your hair his warm breath get short, "How's it going sitting up?" you ask him.

"Fine." he answers you, but his tone is icy; he's angry about what you said.

You kneel down in front of him, "Joel," you say laying a hand on his knee, "I'm sorry if you misunderstood, but I didn't mean that you're not good enough. I didn't mean that, sorry if I misspoke. You are everything to me. I've had a lot of firsts with you, you're the only one I trust completely, I've never slept with anyone, I've never allowed anyone to touch me, I've never allowed anyone to get into my heart." you tell him looking straight into his eyes hoping this time not to be misunderstood.

He says nothing, looking down at you with his huge dark eyes, his breath short from the exertion he has just made, "If I should get too much," he says, but you shush him by stepping even closer and telling him, "I don't want to hear it, it won't happen."

"If it should," he resumes, "I want you to tell me and I won't see you again, I won't look for you, I won't put you in a position to lie to be with me, but to be with that other guy. . ."

"Joel," you interrupt him again, "I broke up with Jack. I don't want to be with him, I don't want him. There's only you." you tell him, feeling his breath stop for a moment as well.

"I can't be mad at you," he admits, stroking your lower lip again with a finger "Come," he says making you sit on his lap, "The truth is you drive me crazy." he tells you slipping a hand through your hair making your face come closer to his "I wish you were happy away from me, but I don't want you to go away. I'm so selfish. . ."

You kiss him fleetingly on the lips, "I don't want to be away from you. Got it?" you ask him sinking your hands into his curls, resting your forehead against his causing your breaths to mingle, "Please don't doubt how you feel about me," you tell him, "Because I have no doubt."

He captures your lips in a passionate kiss, your tongues dancing madly and your breaths growing shorter and shorter. He pushes you toward him, slipping his large, warm hands under your T-shirt and sitting you on his intimacy only covered by his boxers.

You never want to break this kiss, but you both need to catch your breath.

He caresses your arms, then looks long into your eyes as if to ask your permission, you nod giving him your silent consent, and he slips his hands under your T-shirt lifting it up and slipping it off with your help. You remain with your torso completely naked on him, feeling exposed and vulnerable, but it feels so erotic, so beautiful, more beautiful than you ever thought.

You thought that feeling his gaze on your chest, on you, would make you strongly uncomfortable, you thought you would even freeze, and instead in a rush, which you didn't think you had, you bring his hands to your bare breasts. You both groan at that contact, "Can I kiss it?" he asks you without breaking eye contact, "Yes." you reply in a trembling voice.

Feeling his lips on your nipple makes you gasp and at the same time close your eyes, you let yourself go completely to his caresses. Feeling his unshaven beard there, his hot breath, his tongue licking you gently and his lips sucking gently your breast, lead you to moan and gently bite your lower lip. You press his head against your chest, perhaps hurting him, but it is a sensation that sends you completely out of the ordinary.

"I'd stay kissing your breast for hours, 's perfect. You are perfect." he tells you, moving from one breast to the other with a little pop.

"J - Joel… please…" you find yourself pleading without even knowing exactly what the next step to take is, your vision blurs, you press yourself harder against him making your intimacies cling together as well, he gasps "Touch me." you say, he pulls his face away from your chest and you, in a bold move, get up from him slipping off your briefs and sit back down on him, on his now clearly evident prominence.

"You drive me crazy." he tells you taking a long moment to observe you, you are completely naked on top of him while he's still wearing his now bulky T-shirt and boxers.

"Take me." you tell him, bringing his hands to your hips.

He smiles as if you have said something particularly funny, "What?" you ask him blinking.

"What have you done with the sweet version of you?" he asks you barely clasping his hands on your hips, you smile at him giving him a kiss first on his lips and then moving down his neck, feeling him hold his breath.

"I'm still the same." you answer him between kisses "Sweet and insecure, but other times I know what I want and you know thanks to who?" you add going up to his chin giving him a very light bite "Thanks to you." you resume looking into his eyes.

"If I could move freely…" he tells you as a small grimace appears on his face, causing him to furrow his brow.

"What would you do?" you ask, looking at him with eyes full of curiosity and lust.

"Joel…" you moan, pressing even harder against his chest eager for more clutch.

He swallows, moves a strand of your hair and then with his hands descends back down to your intimacy, wraps it completely in his hand and caresses your outer lips with a finger. You hold your breath tightening your grip on his shoulders, you look into his eyes as if seeking safety, he kisses the tip of your nose as he continues that exhausting caress.

Your intimacy throbs, you feel yourself on fire as he continues those movements with a slow cadence making you want to be filled completely by his big finger.

Finally, oh finally, his finger sinks inside you, inch by inch, it's a sensation that makes you hold your breath, but you deeply desired, he stays still for a while then slowly begins to pump in and out, the rhythm makes you moan and close your eyes. After a while he stops and you, with blurred vision, look at him puzzled, "Now I will insert another finger, if you have pain tell me and I will stop."

He must have noticed the bewilderment on your face because he reassures you, "Don't worry, I'll go very slowly. I won't do anything that will hurt you, okay?" you nod, "You tell me if you want me to stop, though," he reiterates.

A second finger?

It will never go in, or will it?

A second finger enters you very, very slowly, sinking even more slowly than the first in your throbbing cunt. You feel your walls almost give way to his passage, you groan and close your eyes, it feels. . . strange, but so. . . you are at a loss for words. It's even better than you could have thought!

With the palm of his hand he rubs your clit sending more discharges of pure lust all along your body, you moan shamelessly rubbing yourself against him, "Joel. . . oh. . ." you can't speak, he lays his other hand at the base of your back stroking you with slow gestures, "I'm going to. . . I'm going to. . ."

"'s okay, just let go." his words are enough, his fingers continuing to move in and out of you at an ever-increasing pace, his hand caressing you is enough to make you close your eyes and let out a long resounding moan.

You let go, abandoning your head on his shoulder as he continues to pump gently still in and out of you, then he pulls his fingers away from you and you feel his hands encircling you and moving closer to your torso and then placing a kiss between your shoulder and your neck, "'s okay." he says then giving you another kiss on your neck and moving your hair causing you to shiver.

When you open your eyes again, you notice how visibly aroused he is, how his arousal is. . . big, very big, you have chills. You want to make love with him, but he will never fit that inside you.

"Why don't you want me to touch you like you do with me?" you ask him intentionally settling better on him causing him to close his eyes and part his lips.

He lays a kiss on your forehead, then you look up and meet his eyes, "We were fighting. . . and then. . ." he says with a smile, a smile you return, "then you realized the reason was futile." you complete.

He nods, "You are. . ." he sighs noisily "so important to me, to my life, to my heart." he admits, caressing your face and scrutinizing you for a long time. You press yourself against him wrapping your arms around his neck, he groans. You sat on him completely, you also jerk and lower your gaze, "No." he says almost interpreting your look.

"I think you've already had another first for today. Let's take it slow." he says, "We'll do that too, honey, I promise." he says stroking your bare back in a slow motion that makes you close your eyes.

"I'd like to make you feel as good as you did me," you tell him looking into his eyes, "I don't want to touch you if you don't want to, but now it's your turn. You can't just worry about me, tell me what to do."

"It's… not…" he's about to complain, but you move a little awkwardly on his shaft and he finds himself swallowing, "it's. . . not necessary. . ."

"Joel!" you call back to him, "Really, tell me what to do." you add, this time intentionally touching his intimacy with yours.

"Fuck. . ." he groans closing his eyes, sighing noisily. He places his hands on your hips and moves you back and forth on his bulge, you both moan at that clutch, "Oh, fuck," he groans again gasping as you place your hands on his shoulders continuing to rub against him, "That's so. . . oh, baby, I. . ." his expression is tense, the vein on his neck clearly visible.

"Joel. . . don't stop." you moan as you move closer to him and give him kisses along the vein on his neck, you feel him gasp, move you on him a few more times and then he lets out a long resounding moan that deliciously fills your ears and leads you to encircle his neck with your arms as you too feel you have experienced a second orgasm just in rubbing against his manhood.

You stay like that against each other for a while longer, then you shift and slip on your briefs again, feel his burning gaze follow you, look up and meet his eyes, slip your T-shirt back on and put on a pair of shorts trying to ignore that almost clutching feeling at the pit of your stomach.

"You hungry?" you ask him.

He nods.

"Pancakes? Or ham and eggs?" you offer him.

"Coffee." he replies with a relaxed expression painted on his face.

"You can't have breakfast with just coffee, you know what happens? You get annoying." you look at him with an amused look making him visibly relax "Do you want to wash up first? Shall I give you a hand?"

He looks at you amused, "Nice try."

You blush, "I'm serious. . . I didn't mean anything."

"Then why are ya all flushed?" he asks relaxing completely.

"Because … I'm not used to these allusions, I always hated 'em. Gina, my friend, makes constant allusions to sex, and it always makes me uncomfortable." you confide to him.

"Why?" he asks cocking his head to one side with a small grimace twitching his face.

You sit down next to him, "I always saw sex as something awkward, strange. . . maybe because I didn't know my body, maybe because I never shared a truly intimate moment with another person, and maybe because I looked at sex as something deeply intimate and not to be talked about like that." you confide again "Do you think I'm strange?" you ask turning to him.

"Not at all. I'm a lucky old man." he says "Not everyone approaches sex immediately."

You nod, "Well, would you rather wash first - no innuendo - and then eat?"

"Okay, will you help me?" he asks looking to his side.

"Does it hurt?" you ask as you stand up and help him to his feet.

"A little, I think the painkillers wore off by now," he replies.

"Lean on me," you tell him, encircling his waist with your arm; he smiles at you, "Don't worry."

You help him get to the bathroom, then take off his T-shirt revealing himself in his might, he reveals to you once again his broad torso full of old and new scars and you again stand almost open-mouthed, you are very attracted to that strip of dark hair disappearing into his boxers. You look away feeling yourself flaming again.

"May I ask how you fell and what you were doing in the dark?" you ask as you wash his shoulders paying attention to the recent cuts and bruises present.

"Tess…" he replies with a sigh, shaking his head "she never shuts up." shortly after he adds "I heard that if we didn't complete the work on at least the upstairs by the beginning of next week, we won't going to get paid and I want to get paid because I busted my back on that fucking construction site!" he blurts out "And instead I put my foot wrong and fell with those tools. I'm an old fool." he exclaims with a sigh.

"You're not at all, you wanted to get paid for the hard work! But even if they don't have to pay you this job, though, you'll find another one," you tell him, passing the sponge between his neck and shoulders.

He shakes his head, "I don't know, the truth is maybe I should stop giving myself over to these things and do something else, even though this is what I am." he concludes by lowering his head.

"Joel," you say stopping washing him and squatting down next to him "don't talk like that about yourself, you're 47 years old it's true, but that doesn't mean you have to quit, it's true yours is a dangerous job, but you can still do it. Maybe not open construction sites, you could renovate single-story houses, you could do something a little less dangerous." you tell him abandoning the sponge and stroking his face "Look at me, please" he finally looks up "You're fine like this, you're perfect like this. It happens to everyone to fail, but if for every failure we said I'm not good enough I'd better give up, well we wouldn't live anymore!"

His formerly sad eyes become sweet and serene again, he reaches out a hand to you and caresses one cheek, this contact makes you close your eyes, you surrender to him, as always, whenever you are with him.

"You're sweet, I've always said so."

You smile looking into his eyes, "We need each other, did you see?"

He nods, "I'm taking your advice. Will you take one from me?" you look at him questioningly, "I read that there's in Seattle a contest for new writers, entries are due in June, why don't you sign up?"

A contest for new writers? Oh, it's always been your dream to sign up for a literary contest, but Seattle is so far away. . . so far away from him.

"I know that look," he says making you look up at him, "you don't have to say yes or no right away, think about it. I'd like to know and see you accomplished. I'd like to see a picture of you everywhere that says writer of the year." he says smiley and making you smile "Or maybe see you win the Pulitzer Prize." he adds making you smile nervously as your vision blurs "I don't want you to stay in that ugly, dreary little town, you have so much potential. It would be a shame to waste it over there in a bar or even in a library, I have nothing against people who do those jobs," he tells you, cupping your face and caressing your cheeks with his thumbs, "but I wouldn't want you to do that forever. You have a unique mind, you're brilliant, you're smart, you're too much to be confined only to yourself." you're crying, you can't hold back the tears anymore "Maybe someday someone might come and make some documentary about you and who knows they'll do some interviews around and they'll interview me too and I'll say I know her, I met the wonderful woman who's driving everybody crazy."

"Stop it," you tell him sobbing and hiding your face in your hands.

He calls you gently pulling you to him to hug you, you hide your face in the crook of his neck heedless of getting wet yourself. He holds you tightly to him, his hands caress your back, "'s okay, honey, 's okay." he says kissing your forehead, your cheek, your neck, your lips.

The truth is, you don't want to fulfill your dream if you know you have to leave him.

You surrender into his kisses, into his strong arms holding you to him trying to push that thought away as much as possible because, for you, it's not acceptable.

A/N Thank you for your support, for your likes and reblog, thank you, thank you, thank you ❤️If you enjoyed this, please consider reblogging and leaving comments 🫶 if you don't like it don't be rude and keep going. 😉 Please remember English is not my first language, so please be merciful! 🙏 The girl in the gif has the purpose to represent the situation only 🙂

[pepsiconcoction]

Discounted Cookies | Han Jisung x Reader

pairing: barista!han jisung x gn!reaer

tags: coffee shop au, a little bit of angst, minor language, jisung is a lil flirt, reader doesn't wanna put up with it, fluff, no smut

requested? yes! by anon xox

an: i actually don't know how i feel about this, but it's cute regardless, anon i hope i captured what u meant, i tried my best to get reader to be Annoyed but i love jisung too much, sorry ;-;

wc: 3,890

4 times Jisung flirted with you + 1 time you flirted with him.

The first time you see him.

It’s a few minutes past midnight and you think this might be your end. You’re going to pass out, for sure. You had been studying at the library for the past 7 hours straight for an exam worth 60% of your grade. Studying Law was definitely a choice. Specifically, it was the choice you made two and a half years ago, resulting in you, at this moment, halfway through your third year and on the brink of a breakdown. The breakdown? Partially caused by your ex-boyfriend, who had just broken up with you no more than five days ago. You’re fine. People keep asking. You really wish they would stop.

In the distance, you spot a flood of warm, yellow light flooding out of a shop window. As you get closer, you recognise it’s a coffee shop, you think it may even be the one your friend had told you about, saying it was her favourite place to study as it’s open 24 hours. It seems tonight is the night you’re finally going to check it out.

It’s kind of snowy at your feet, thanks to the early month of the year, but you wish it was more picturesque and not just the grey slush that you think you can feel leaking through your boots. At least it’ll be nice to get some warmth for a few minutes.

You push open the door, a small bell jingling above your head, and the warmth hits you like a wall, suffocating in its intensity. There’s only one other person in here: an old trucker-looking guy, face held over a steaming cup of coffee. 

“I’ll be out in a second!” You hear a man shout from behind the counter, you guess he’s even further in the back than you can see. You hear a small commotion that sounds a bit like someone stamping on a cardboard box. A few seconds later, a guy appears, slightly dishevelled and running his hands through his hair as he exhales. His hair parts in the middle and brushes his eyebrows, slightly longer around the edges, as if gone uncut for a few months. A friendly face with round cheeks looks at you, a grin appearing on his face. He brushes down his apron and makes his way to the counter.

“Sorry about that, what can I get ya?” he asks.

“Just an Americano to go, please,” You smile back at him.

“Can I offer you any discounted sweet treats?” He gestures to an almost empty cake counter. “They’re discounted because it’s so late, not because they’re bad.” He quickly adds on. You spot a singular chocolate cookie looking very lonely.

“Sure, I’ll take the cookie,” you say, gesturing to it. 

“Good choice, madam.” He nods his head, punching it into the register.

“Can I take a name?”

“Do you need it?” You ask, looking around at the empty store.

“Not really, but I’d like it.” He shrugs.

“Y/n,” you sigh. This isn’t what you were looking for at the moment, but you decide to just let it go.

“Not having a good day?” he asks, seemingly concerned.

“Not having a good week,” you say flatly, hoping to communicate your disinterest.

“Well, Y/n, feel free to take a seat and I’ll bring it over to you once it’s done.” He grins again and spins around, getting to work on the coffee machine. God, who even has this much energy this late at night? Crazy people, that’s who.

You sit down at one of the tables, taking out your phone and it reads 12:17am. It feels like it’s mocking you. You scroll through your socials, attempting to keep what small semblance of a social life you think you have together, but a few minutes later, a familiar barista comes into your view. You stand up, accepting the coffee from him and he hands you the cookie which is now in a brown, paper bag.

“One Americano, and one discounted cookie.” He hands you each and you stand up, thanking him. 

“And maybe a little extra something, since you’re having a bad week and all,” he adds quietly, shuffling on his feet slightly. You peek inside the bag and notice a candy bar, something chocolatey. 

“Thank you,” You stutter, not expecting the kind gesture.

“Come back again soon!” He says, already heading back to the counter where he starts to mess with something, in a clear attempt to look busy. You turn and 

leave. Despite the cold air outside, there is an unfamiliar warmth in your body.

The second time you see him.

You wake up the next day, surprisingly on time despite the lack of alarm. It’s only 10am and you mentally prepare yourself for the day ahead of you. The exam is in 5 days. Thankfully you’re studying at home today, not needing the library for today’s subjects. The state of your flat reflects your mind, it’s a mess, dishes in the sink, clothes piling up next to the dryer. After an hour or so of quick chores, it’s in a slightly better state, good enough to study in, you think.

And study, you do. Day turns to night and you find yourself closing the last page of a textbook, letting out a deep breath. You could feel your anxiety beginning to fizzle around your body, not fully convinced you’ve properly ingested all the revision you’ve done. You need some food. The second half of a pizza is sitting untouched from earlier and you kinda feel bad for it, poor thing. Your eyes flicker towards the candy bar sitting on your desk, where it was abandoned last night and you think about the guy from the coffee shop. You throw on a slightly warmer outfit and you definitely don’t spend the walk to the coffee shop thinking about whether he might be working. To your surprise, he is.

You can see him behind the counter from outside, he’s pouring frothed milk into a cup, presumably for the customer standing at the counter. It’s slightly busier at this time, you’re not surprised considering it’s only just coming up to 8pm. You push open the door and the bell jingles like it did the night before. He looks up, looking past the customer in front and his mouth quirks up into a smile, recognising you instantly. You look around him, at the large menu boards, you don’t want to give him an ego. 

The customer in front pays for their drink and leaves, and the man’s smile finally points directly at you.

“Hello again, Y/n, what can I get you today?” He grins at you, eyes crinkling. You’re surprised he remembers your name.

“A latte, please,” you say, glancing up at the menu.

“To go, or sit in?” His eyebrow quirks.

“Oh, uh-”

“You’re sitting in,” he answers for you, already punching it into the register.

“Fine.” Your roll your eyes. 

“Take a seat.” He gestures to the barstool-type seating a little further down the counter. You’re not really sure why you actually sit down.

“Is your week any better?” He looks over his shoulder as he makes your drink.

“Not really, no.” You respond. He pauses in his actions, looking at you expectingly.

“Are you going to tell me what’s up?” 

“We don’t know each other,” you said, eyebrows furrowing.

“Okay, so my name is Jisung, Han Jisung, and today, I’m your barista. Tomorrow, maybe more!” He winks as he turns back to the machine which is spewing out your drink. 

“Well, Han Jisung, if you must know, I’m stressed the fuck out for my exam next Monday, I’ve got a practical in two days, and my boyfriend broke up with me a few days ago because I was too much for him. He was just a pathetic, weak little man, I really don’t know how I lasted that long with him.” You found yourself ranting, releasing some of the pent-up frustration you’ve been feeling for the past few days.

“Well,” Jisung starts. “that’s very fair.” He goes quiet for the remainder of the time he is making the drink, leaving a slightly awkward air around you. You focus your eyes on the counter in front of you in an attempt to ignore the stress coming back to you. All of a sudden a drink is slid across the counter.

“Is that a… squirrel?” You look from the cute latte art to the man standing across the counter from you. He looks sheepishly up at you.

“Yeah, looks like me, doesn’t it?” His grin is back, and you can feel a smile creeping onto your face.

“Sure, whatever you say.” Your eyes linger on his for a few moments, until a group of people enter the small cafe and his attention is brought away from you. You discreetly watch him as he works, greeting the customers with a big smile, and using his charisma to get an extra cake sale. You think maybe you fell for the same charisma yesterday, but you don’t really mind because the cookie was pretty good. A few minutes pass, and you sip on your drink, trying to keep the art as intact as possible. Once the last customer had been served he side steps back towards you.

“How is it? Has it fixed your week yet?” He raises his eyebrows, smirking slightly.

“I’m not sure a drink can fix my week,” you respond, letting out a small sigh.

“Nonsense! Of course, it can. Take a sip.” he gestures to you to lift the mug to your lips. You reluctantly take a sip.

“See? It’s working, no?” he chuckles. You put the cup down and try your best not to laugh.

“There’s that pretty smile!” he grins, earning a roll of your eyes. Your phone buzzes with an incoming email from your university, it’s just a random send-to-all type of email but it does remind you of your looming academic responsibilities.

“Thank you, for the squirrel,” you tell him while standing up from the stool. 

“Leaving so soon?” he asks, round eyes looking suddenly lost. 

“I’ve got work to do, I’ll see you around.”

“You better.” His grin is wide as he watches you leave, hoping you do come back soon.

The third time you see him.

“We crushed it!” You celebrate with your best friend, the two of you have just partaken in a mock legal trial as part of an assessment. Your Professor had wanted to challenge the class, setting up fake suspects and witnesses, and had even arranged for a court stenographer to be present. Your group had won the case, despite the opposing team putting up a pretty tough fight.

“Did you see the look on the judged face when you caught out the lying witness? I was trying so hard not to say something.” Your friend gushes, talking faster than you could keep up with.

“I know!” You laugh but break into a yawn as the previous nights studying catches up with you once the excitement is over.

“Coffee?” She asks.

“Absolutely.” 

You’re so engrossed in the conversation as the two of you walk that you don’t even realise you’ve made it all the way to the familiar coffee shop. You stop in your tracks a few feet from the door.

“Not here,” you groan.

“Why not? This place does the best coffee on campus.” She looks confused as she turns back to you.

“I always see the same barista, and he always hits on me, I just can’t be bothered today.” You whine a little, trying to convince her.

“Well, is he working right now?” 

You take a step further, enough to look through the window and see the counter. There is a man, but it’s not Jisung.

“I don’t see him.” You trail off, scanning the rest of the shop as much as you can see.

“Alright then, we’re getting coffee here.” Your friend grabs you by the hand and practically pulls you into the small cafe. There is a surprising queue, so you continue to just make conversation with her until you’re next at the counter. The barista who serves you has curly, black hair and biceps that honestly look like they’re about to burst his sleeves. He greets both of you with a smile and begins to punch your orders into the register.

“Changbin! Catch!” You hear a familiar voice. Your heart sinks to your ass. The barista serving you, Changbin, turns back and looks towards the door into the back. Peeking around the cake stand, you catch a glimpse of Jisung. He’s hanging onto the door with a container of what looks like soya milk. He throws it, and Changbin catches it.

“Sorry about that, our delivery was late this morning and only just arrived, so it’s a bit crazy right now,” Changbin explains, replacing an empty soya milk container.

“Don’t worry about it. It happens.” You shrug. He finishes taking your order and the two of you move to the side to wait.

“He’s kind of fit,” your friend leans into you to say, once you’re both out of earshot.

“In more ways than one.” you giggle.

Your attention is quickly averted towards the door to the backroom, particularly to Jisung who is rushing out of it and towards the counter, tying his apron at the same time. 

“Sorry Bin, it’s a nightmare back there.” He says, getting to work on coffee orders.

“No worries, we’re not too busy anymore, the rush seems to be over.” You realise that you and your friend were the last in the queue and the cafe has died down a little since you first entered. Jisung also takes a quick glance around, and that’s when he spots you.

“Y/n,” he says. “Back to see me so soon?” His lips turn up into a small smirk.

“You wish.” You roll your eyes. He just laughs and turns back to the coffee machine. You look at your friend and give her a look, the look you get in return translates to 'message received'. 

“He’s kinda cute,” she whispers to you, thankfully you were far away enough for her not to be heard. You sighed. He is kind of cute but that’s not what you’re looking for right now. You’re in a weird enough head space as it is with all the stress of law school and the breakup, not even two weeks ago! You can’t seriously be thinking about dating so soon. Right…?

You’re ripped from your thoughts by the very same man that caused them.

“A white hot chocolate?” Jisung announces to the two of you, but he’s looking at you.

“Yeah, that’s me.” You step up to the counter and begin to take it.

“You’re looking very fancy today, big plans?” he asks, smiling.

“I had a mock trial this morning.” You say and he looks at you with wide eyes, kind of like a deer in headlights.

“You know, like a court trial?” you ask.

“Law! That’s what you’re studying.” He finally realises.

“I didn’t say?” You’re now the one who’s confused.

“No, you never, I’ve been trying to figure it out, trying to guess.” he laughs. Changbin appears next to him and slides an espresso onto the counter, your friend stepping over to take it.

“Bin, they’re a lawyer! Isn’t that cool?” Jisung gushes a little, looking back at you with big eyes. 

“They won their trial this morning.” Your friend interrupts before you can say anything. You shoot her a look.

“Really?” The big, sparkling doe eyes are back as he leans against the counter.

“I, uh, yeah,” you stutter a little.

“Wow, that’s so cool.”

“Sung, I don’t pay you to stand around and flirt with our customers.” Changbin walks back towards the coffee machine and he begins prepping another order. 

“You don’t pay me at all, you’re not even a manager!” Jisung starts whining as he stands up properly. He turns back to you.

“Enjoy your drinks!” He says. You take this as your queue to leave and make a beeline out of the coffee shop, drink in hand. Your friend follows behind you, honestly a little confused.

Once you’re a safe distance from the shop, you finally feel able to breathe again. 

The fourth time you see him.

Beep… beep… beep…

Your alarm. You reach over and turn it off, groaning as you roll back over, the feeling of dread already seeping into your bones. It’s the morning of the exam. The exam you’ve been dreading. The exam that is responsible for 60% of your grade. You groan again.

You feel heavy as you walk around your flat, attempting to get ready for the day ahead of you. It doesn’t help that you broke the fundamental exam rule of getting a good night’s sleep, tossing and turning until eventually passing out. So many textbooks have been haunting your thoughts that you barely noticed you’ve also been thinking about something else. Or rather someone else.

You can’t stop, he keeps popping up in your mind. His round face, and big smile. You feel yourself smiling just thinking about it. But fuck, it feels wrong. You shouldn’t be thinking about him. You don’t have time! You have a big exam, which conveniently starts in just over an hour. 

You need a coffee.

You get to the familiar coffee shop at 11:31am. Your exam starts at noon. It takes 20 minutes to walk to the campus building it’s being held at. You probably don’t have time for this. 

You see him. He’s behind the counter. You think your head hurts.

“Hey,” he greets you with that smile again. You feel sick. “What can I getcha?”

“Just a black coffee, to go.” Your voice croaks a little from its lack of use.

“You’re not staying with me?” He smirks, punching it into the register.

“No.”

You see him falter a little at your cold tone. His eyebrows quirk down a little.

“Are you alright?” he asks as you swipe your phone to pay.

“Stop it, Jisung. Can’t you just leave me alone today, God,” you say exasperated, and step away from the counter. You try to ignore the hurt look in his eye and you really try to ignore the way he shrunk in on himself. A different member of staff you’ve never seen before hands you the drink and you leave the coffee shop without looking back at him. 

The exam goes terribly. At least it feels like it goes terribly. Your head is a mess, the guilt chewing at you the entire time. You do your best, writing everything you recall but by the end of it you have a decent headache and the pit in your gut has grown. You leave the exam and go home, collapsing in your bed and you fall asleep telling yourself you’ll feel better when you wake up.

The fifth time you see him.

You wake up in the afternoon the next day. 

You don’t feel much better. Not after binging on a pizza and your favourite chocolate. Not after watching that movie that makes you cry every time. Not even after you’ve journaled about it. You think that particular journal entry is mostly scrambled nonsense. It probably is.

You decide to go for a walk to clear your head. Maybe the cold, winter air will freshen you up, and make you feel a bit better. With a big coat and a warm scarf wrapped around you, you walk into the evening air, it’s already past 11pm so you mostly see young people out drinking despite the weather. You have no destination but of course, you end up there.

The warm, yellow-toned light pours from the window as usual. The bell above the door is jarring to your fragile little heart. 

He’s there.

He has his back to you, cleaning some sort of container in the sink. 

“Two seconds!” he sing-songs. You don’t respond. A few seconds later he’s done and spins around to you. His eyes widen a little and then drop.

“Hi.” He steps towards the register.

“Hi,” you respond.

“Would you like something to drink?” his tone is passive, despite his words being polite. 

“A hot chocolate, please, to sit in.” You try to smile at him, he focuses on the register. He nudges the card reader towards you as he steps away to get started on your drink. You move towards the bar-stool seating you sat on previously.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” you ask. He looks back to you.

“Go ahead,” he glances back at you. You take a seat and look around, and you realise for the first time that you’re the only person in here, apart from Jisung. You look back towards him just as he put the cup down in front of you.

“Thank you,” you smile again, he gives you a small one but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He turns away and starts fiddling with the coffee machine.

“Jisung, can I talk to you?” you ask.

“I thought you wanted me to leave you alone.” He says without turning around.

“Please.”

 That gets him to turn around at least, even if he is still looking at anything but you. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you yesterday. I was just a mess, and that’s not an excuse but I need you to know I didn’t mean it,” you trail off, picking up your drink and taking a sip, appreciating its sweetness. 

“And to be honest, I kind of miss the flirty Jisung. I was beginning to like him.” You take another sip of your hot chocolate, smirking to yourself when you see his head shoot up toward you.

“You do?” His eyes soften a little when you nod.

“I really am sorry.”

“It’s okay. Well, it’s not okay. But it’s okay. To be honest, I probably was coming on weirdly strong, huh?” He scratches the back of his neck while you chuckle.

There is a moment of silence as you look down at your hot chocolate. Until a thought sparks in your head.

“Why do you flirt with me?” 

“What?” His eyes widen and the poor guy looks like he’s about to shit his pants.

“Why do you flirt with me? Or do you just flirt with anyone?” You raise an eyebrow.

“No! I don’t, it’s really just you, and I don’t know why, I just kinda… liked you? I mean, you seemed cool and nice and definitely my type.” He catches himself rambling. 

“I’m your type?” You ask, smirking.

“Well, yeah.” he chuckles. You laugh too.

“Han Jisung, I think we should go on a date.” You say, definitively. 

“Really?!” He stands up from where he was leaning against the back counter and crosses towards you.

“Actually, never mind.” You roll your eyes, chuckling.

“Do not play with my heart like this, I’m sensitive!” he clutches at his chest dramatically, making you laugh louder.

“Fine, but I get to pick where we’re going.”

“Deal! Just tell me a time and I’ll be there.” His grin tells you that he will live up to that. You fall into another silence as you hold each other’s gaze, just smiling.

“Hey, Y/n, you want a discounted cookie?”

“I’d love one.”

taglist - @lethallyprotected

[diazsdimples]

James' Fic Masterlist!

It was time for an update

A Snapshot In Time (General, 2.2k | Bucktommy)

When Buck and Tommy adopted their children, they didn’t exactly think about the logistics of taking a family photo. But now that their family is complete, Buck had decided that it was time to update the family photo from 3 years ago. And now, his child-wrangling skills are being put to the test. Naturally, the day that they have the photoshoot booked is a bit of a nightmare.

The heat of the moment (Explicit, 9.9k | Buddie)

Tired and frustrated after a long shift, Buck and Eddie take an impromptu trip to the sauna. Only problem is, it's a nude sauna, which Buck didn't notice when he booked them in. Thankfully the boys handle the slip up gracefully, and possibly break a few public sex laws in the process.

We built this family together (General, 6.9k | Buddietommy)

Evan Buckley knows he is one of the luckiest men alive. It’s taken him a long time to get to this point. After years of feeling as though he was stumbling through life, just barely managing to keep up with any blows the universe aimed at him, he finally feels confident about knowing exactly what his place in the world is. He is a firefighter. He is a partner. He is a father. And today, a mild day in the middle of June, he gets to celebrate being the latter. OR Buck, Eddie, and Tommy celebrate their first Father's Day with their babies.

How can this be wrong? (Explicit, 3.8k | Bucktommy)

A 7x09 coda where Tommy feels insecure about his place in Buck's life after the run in with Gerrard, and Buck fucks him in a supply closet to remind him about it.

Sweet child of mine (General, 3.4k | Bucktommy)

Buck and Tommy bring their daughter home from the hospital and enjoy their first few hours alone with a newborn baby. That's it. That's the fic.

For the rest of my life (for the rest of yours) (General, 10.6k | Buddie)

“Hey Buck! Are you doing anything today?” Christopher’s voice is a little tinny through his phone’s speaker, cracking a little. Buck hums, pretending to think. “Hmmmm, my diary looks pretty booked. Says right here that I’ve got to watch three episodes of crappy reality tv and then eat loads of fried chicken. I’m swamped.” “Buck,” Christopher says flatly and Buck laughs, loud and ringing through the loft. ���I’m only kidding. What’s up, kid?” “The baby hippo has finally born at the zoo and we have to go see her! Can you come over today, please?” OR Buck, Eddie and Christopher go to the zoo to see the baby hippo and Eddie gets all up in his feels about it.

You've got me whipped (Explicit, 10.8k | Buddie)

“Make me,” Buck whispers, and although the words might sound like a challenge, Eddie can so clearly hear what Buck isn’t saying. The implicit make me, because I can’t make myself, and then, Eddie gets it. Buck needs him to be in control right now, to make Buck surrender himself to Eddie’s mercy so Buck doesn’t have to do anything, to feel anything more than he already is. Eddie reaches out a hand and runs it up Buck’s jaw, noting with satisfaction the way Buck shudders and leans into his touch. He traces his fingertips over Buck’s cheekbones, runs the pad of his thumb over Buck’s birthmark, before bringing his hand to rest in Buck’s blond curls. He curls his fist, pulling lightly on the strands of hair that slip between his fingers, then leans forward so his lips are brushing Buck’s ear as he exerts a minute amount of pressure to the top of Buck’s head. “I said,” he whispers into Buck’s ear, “on your knees.” OR Buck has a bad call and acts out afterwards in front of their colleagues, and Eddie punishes him when they get home.

In a drought I'll give you water (Explicit, 8.2k | Buddie)

Eddie’s hanging out the washing when he notices it. Just for the record, it’s not like he regularly inspects Buck’s underwear, thank you very much, but he’d felt something tacky on the inside of the flimsy fabric when he’d been about to peg it up, and had investigated like any sane person would do. Eddie’s initial thought is “fucking washing machine, can’t even wash out the laundry powder”, mostly because there’s a white residue under where his thumb was placed moments earlier and there’s been occasions when their black shirts have had clumps of laundry powder still on them despite the tossing about they’ve received in the washer. Or Eddie finds come on Buck's underwear and panics

Kilty Pleasures (Explicit, 8k | Buddie)

“What the hell are these?” Eddie asks with a quirked eyebrow, poking suspiciously at the tartan with his forefinger. Buck flops himself into the chair beside Eddie and steals a sip from his coffee cup. “Kilts!” he says with a grin and he drags one off the table and holds it up to show Eddie. It’s long, and dark, and made out of what looks suspiciously like faux leather, and almost certainly purchased from a sex shop. “I thought we could wear them to the festival tomorrow!” If Buck had a tail, it would be wagging so hard right now. Or Buck and Eddie discover they have kilt kinks.

Play me like a fiddle (Explicit, 34.3k | Buddie)

Eddie plays the French Horn for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and is told about the wonderful new cello soloist playing with them for this concert. He sounds like a pretentious asshole and Eddie vows not to like him. In walks Evan Buckley, cellist from New York and soloist for this concert. Eddie quickly realises he's in trouble as the man immediately casts a spell on him, turning Eddie into a blushing mess. Can he put aside his feelings for Buck long enough to remain a professional and get through this week without making any poor decisions? (Spoiler Alert: he cannot)

Buck's Baby (By Accident) (General, 119k | Buddie)

Buck's life is turned upside down when a newborn baby is placed on his doorstep, with allegations that it is his child. Buck quickly steps into his new role of "dad", with the help from his family and friends. Follow Buck, Aidan, Eddie and Christopher as they navigate new babies, blossoming relationships, illnesses, injuries and making their own little family.

Fucking Finally (Finally Fucking) (Explicit, 3.9k | Buddie)

“God you look so hot” Eddie growled as he took in Buck’s appearance, his hair messy from Eddie’s hands, his hips swollen from the force of their kiss and the bulge in his pants as plain as day as his erection strained against the fabric. Buck’s eyes raked up and down Eddie, finding his boyfriend in a similar state of arousal. “Not too bad yourself, Mr. Diaz” he smirked, wrapping a hand around Eddie’s waist and pulling them together once again, capturing him in another brain-melting kiss. They were interrupted by the comical “ding” of the elevator as it reached their floor and Eddie wasted no time pulling Buck out, dragging him down the hallway to their room. OR Buck and Eddie stay at a hotel after their first date and finally get some time to themselves without crying kids

Burning With Need (Explicit, 3.8k | Buddie)

“Buck, what is going on?” he asked, sitting upright. “You’re fidgeting so much”. Buck looked up quickly, peering at Eddie through one open eye. “Nothing, nothing I’m fine” he replied, his cheeks flushing slightly. “That’s a lie and we both know it” Eddie rolled his eyes and reached over to prod the skin where Buck’s hand had been resting, eliciting a hiss from the younger man. “Okay, fine, I’m busting. I gotta pee so bad”. Buck’s words ignited a fire inside Eddie that he’d almost forgotten about. Or Eddie remembers he has a piss kink and Buck's desperation on a hike is a test of his control

In sickness and in health (but mostly in sickness) (General, 3.7k | Buddie)

Eddie wakes up with a bad case of the flu and Buck is there to nurse him back to health. Buck realises he might be falling for Eddie.

First Words (General, 2k | Buddie)

Buck and Eddie's 10 month old daughter says her first words. Her dads are over the moon. Cue domestic fluff

[loveinhawkins]

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 ao3

Steve gets quiet.

They’re not talking about it, but Eddie can read more than enough into the silence, into the way Steve gets a fixed look in his eyes, keeps going to some place that he cannot follow. His jaw clenches a few times, as if he’s trying to hide how his breath starts to catch every so often; it’s such a subtle movement, but Eddie notices.

He can’t afford to not notice.

It feels too familiar. Feels like a clock ticking.

He slips away when a nurse brings up some dinner—tries to justify his exit as Steve is seemingly distracted, shooting the shit with her. The excuse is weak even in his own head; it doesn’t stop a nasty inner voice from whispering venomously, That’s right, run away. You’re a coward.

But his skin is crawling, and he can’t—He needs—

He presses the phone firmly against the side of his face, so that it feels as if each dial tone reverberates through him. He’s lucky, in the end, that Wayne picks up, caught in a lull between volunteering and his night shifts starting again. Eddie tries to crack a joke about how it didn’t take long for mundane routine to return, but his heart isn’t in it.

And of course Wayne can hear that. “Eddie,” he says, “what’s wrong?”

Eddie swallows. “I—I can’t stop thinking that—that something’s going to happen.” And the phrasing sounds childish out loud, but he can’t think of another way to put it. Can’t stop feeling that a part of him has never left the RV, still on the precipice of knowing…

“Saw that Nancy Wheeler at the trailer park,” Wayne says mildly.

Momentarily thrown, Eddie frowns. “Oh?”

“Mm-hmm. There was a big group of folks cleaning up there—I thought I’d shown up early for it, but she looked like she’d been there for hours.” Before Eddie can even ask how she was, Wayne goes on: “She smiled at me, but she was really quiet. Got her a coffee just so she could hold onto it, you know?”

Eddie smiles. “That’s… thanks, Wayne.”

“I think she was waiting for something to happen, too,” Wayne says, gentle.

Eddie breathes in and out.

“That kinda feeling doesn’t just leave you overnight, Ed. Even if there’s nothing left to—”

“But what if—” Eddie has to cut himself off, frightened suddenly that he will speak it into existence.

“Talk to him, Eddie,” Wayne says.

Eddie stands there holding the phone long after he’s hung up.

-

He moves the couch so it sits flush against the side of the hospital bed. Steve watches him absently; his eyes keep drifting over to Eddie’s guitar.

But Eddie doesn’t pick it up. He sits down on the couch, faces Steve. Tries to be brave.

Steve isn’t looking at him now; he’s staring at some fixed point in the distance. The sight makes Eddie’s stomach clench.

“You have to tell me,” he gets out.

Steve blinks, turns to him. His eyebrows furrow slightly. “…What?”

“If it’s—if it’s not over,” Eddie says. “If you’re… if you’re seeing… fuck.” He shakes his head, his attempt at seeming even remotely calm shattering all at once. “Look, I-I’m sorry, I just—I can’t do it again.”

Steve stares at him.

“Please don’t make me do it again,” Eddie pleads. His voice breaks at the end.

Silence.

“Oh,” Steve whispers. Then, louder: “Oh, shit. No, Eddie, that’s—God, I’m sorry. That’s not it.”

Air leaves Eddie’s lungs in a dizzying rush of relief. “N-no?”

“No. I don’t—he’s gone, I don’t feel… there’s nothing there. Nothing.”

“Okay, that’s… okay.” Eddie nods repeatedly, reaches for the guitar—it doesn’t need tuned but the pattern of it helps to hide the residual shake to his hands. He feels a bit foolish now, but he’s fine with that, honestly. Better that than…

“I’m… I’m really sorry, Eddie,” Steve insists. “You weren’t supposed to see, like, any of it.”

Any relief Eddie might have felt evaporates. He feels suddenly very cold.

“What,” he says flatly. Has to set the guitar aside again. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

The worst thing is that Steve just looks confused, like what he’s said is meant to have been reassuring.

“What do you…? It’s not a riddle, dude, I just meant it wasn’t for you to—I should’ve—”

“Oh my god,” Eddie breathes. “Oh my god.” He feels like he’s just been pushed off a cliff, like he’s in free fall.

He can’t avoid the thought, now: that, if he had fallen asleep in the RV, if Steve was alone when…

Eddie makes an involuntary, despairing noise—not quite a whimper, but close enough to it that Steve’s expression softens despite his lingering frown.

“Eddie,” he says, far too kindly. “I don’t… I’m kinda lost here. I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Tell me,” Eddie manages.

“Tell you what?”

Eddie gives a shaky sigh. “Just—tell me you wouldn’t have—if I hadn’t heard you… Please. Please tell me you wouldn’t have—you wouldn’t have just gone off fucking quietly.”

Steve glances away.

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie says.

Because he can see it now, can imagine blearily waking in the RV along with everyone else; can see the driver’s seat lying empty.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Steve says, and his voice sounds strange—choked with something Eddie can’t truly place.

“Like what?”

“Like it’s some…” Steve exhales, and he sounds almost angry. “I don’t know! Like it’s some big thing.”

Eddie laughs in disbelief. “A thing.”

“Yeah! Like it’s something—fucking noble or—”

“Then what is it?” Eddie counters, heart pounding.

“I—”

“’Cause from where I’m standing, Harrington, it seems like—”

“Look, would you just—”

“—you’re the only one who can play the hero card, is that it?”

“Yeah,” Steve says, and he laughs harshly. “You know what? Yeah, that’s exactly what I—Stop looking like that, you’ve got no fucking right to judge what I—”

“I’m not judging, I’m—”

“Just shut up!” Steve says, eyes wild; and Eddie has the sinking feeling that he’s somehow missed several steps in this conversation. “I don’t care what you think, ’cause even if I’d—no matter what, I’d choose it. I’d choose it fucking gladly.”

“How can you say that?” Eddie says, hushed. “How can you even—”

“Because it had to be me!”

“Why?”

“Because.”

Eddie laughs again, but it barely counts as one; the sound equal parts tired and devastated. “You realise that’s not a fucking answer, right?”

Steve’s hands are clutching the sheets with a vice-like grip. “Because,” Steve says, suddenly very, very quiet, “it couldn’t be anyone else. I… I couldn’t handle it, okay? I’m not… I’d never forgive…”

“Steve—”

“And he knew that,” Steve says. He sounds close to tears. “He knew.”

A long, long moment.

Eddie sighs. “Jesus. I’m—okay, okay. I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Can you just…?” Steve’s jaw clenches again. “Please just play.”

Eddie hesitates. Thinks of when he played the song this morning, Steve’s thousand-yard stare. “Not if it’s hurting you.”

“It helps,” Steve says, and Eddie can’t help thinking that it’s not quite a denial. “Helps me… remember.”

Eddie plays the song, but he doesn’t sing. Instead he searches and searches for something to say. He thinks of Chrissy. Fred. Patrick. How perhaps no-one had ever… noticed. Had never asked them.

But, faced with Steve, he doesn’t know where to start—instinctively feels like a question that’s too open-ended will seem too daunting to even begin to answer. So, he tries to keep it small. One step.

“How long did what?”

Steve blinks back into awareness. “Hmm?”

“This morning,” Eddie says. He slows his tempo until the song sounds almost like a lullaby. “You were gonna ask something, and you stopped yourself. How long…?”

“Oh.” Steve sighs. “Yeah.”

Eddie waits patiently, plays right through another verse until…

“How long did it take?”

Eddie hears the question, but he doesn’t understand. He continues to strum, replies, “How long did what take?”

“In your trailer,” Steve says, “for me to…?” And he must see something in Eddie’s face, because he’s quickly saying, “You don’t need to—Christ, I’m sorry.”

“No, I just—” Eddie drops the guitar, swallows through the sudden light-headedness, the nausea. “Just gimme a second.”

He must not be doing a very good job at collecting himself, because Steve looks stricken. “Eddie, you don’t have to—”

“Just gimme a second,” Eddie repeats, because if Steve withdraws now, he’ll never forgive himself. He covers his mouth with his hand for a moment, then says, “It was really fucking quick, man. Like…” He clicks his fingers, and it seems as if the sound echoes in the silence between them.

“Oh,” Steve says again. He pushes a palm briefly against his forehead, as if he’s the one to now feel light-headed. “That’s… Jesus, that’s really trippy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Felt like I was… Um. Felt like it went on for a… A lot longer.”

Eddie reaches out, slowly, slowly, to where one of Steve’s hands is gripping onto the sheets. He places his own hand on top, squeezes once. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You were…” Steve relaxes his hold, then pushes the back of his hand up against Eddie’s palm, like he’s leaning into the touch. “I remember, you were making me laugh. And then…”

The sight of the white film across Steve’s eyes flashes through Eddie’s mind, as harsh as lightning. He doesn’t allow himself to flinch. Keeps holding Steve’s hand.

And he gets it, suddenly. Because whatever is in Steve’s head is killing him, hurting him deeper than any physical wound ever could.

“Steve,” he says softly. Begging. “Please.”

Tell me.

Eventually, Steve nods. He smiles, of course he does, even through his fear. Takes a deep breath, then lets it out slow. “Okay.”

[runningfrom2am]

achilles heel - I: Ben's Sister

summary:

Grace is the very opposite of her brother in every way. when she finally moves onto campus at UNC Chapel Hill, she feels like she gets to be her own person, make her own friends, and hopefully start a promising career in the museum industry, and maybe, one day, get married to her high school sweetheart and live the American dream for herself. Rafe Cameron however, upon their very first meeting, throws a wrench in her very perfect plan.

tags/warnings:

rafe cameron x fem!oc, rafe is giving very much homewrecker, fanon!rafe (kinda), college!au, friends to lovers, slow-burn (maybe?), minimal oc description, drug and alcohol use, mostly unedited, (these tags are not exhaustive, lmk if i should add anything!)

wc: 2.1k

my master list

series masterlist

requests

January 4th, 2019

B: i'll be at the caf in 10 if you want to grab breakfast before class

Her phone buzzes twice in quick succession as the screen lights up on the table in front of her. She leans over to read it, putting down her coffee mug and rolling her eyes slightly to herself. Grace had already eaten the same thing she always does, being frozen strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast, and is finishing up her first of several cups of coffee for the day when she receives this text from her brother.

g: okay, back table in the corner

She sends her quick reply and goes back to what she was doing, pretending to read her textbook and hoping to absorb at least the key points before her eight am class. So far, this method has worked well for her. Only one semester down so far, but with a 3.91 GPA, Grace is feeling pretty good about her academic career.

Her brother, Ben, on the other hand, got into the same school on a scholarship for soccer, and Grace is pretty positive he's only doing the same degree as her so she can tutor him while he lives in a frat house. Which he very promptly moved into after orientation, leaving Grace on campus alone, and she didn't mind it one bit. Having some space from her brother and her parents for the first time has been amazing.

Grace looks up as her disheveled-looking brother slides into the seat across from her at the table, practically throwing his plate down. She removes her headphones to hear what he's saying. "Huh?" She asks, prompting him to repeat himself.

"I said..." He draws it out, clearly frustrated his sister didn't listen. "You're already reading that? It's only the second class."

"Oh, well yeah, they're assigned readings for a reason." Grace replies, putting in her bookmark and closing the book, shoving it in the bag at her feet before looking back at her twin brother. He looks like he just rolled out of bed, which, of course, he did.

"Right. Give me the summary then, yeah?" He asks through a mouthful of cinnamon and sugar toast.

Grace sighs a little. "So, basically, there's this guy, totally a dick." She begins to explain and Ben nods, but he's already looking down at his phone. "So he shoots this elephant, right, and then someone else shoots him, and then that's how the third world war started."

"Wait, what? Really?" Ben asks, his attention suddenly drawn back to her.

"No. There was no World War III, dumbass." She replied flatly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you even know what this course is about?"

"Not yet but that's why I'm here isn't it?" Ben chuckles, taking another bite of his toast and instantly chasing it down with his orange juice.

Grace cringes a little as she watches that. "Not exactly..." She replies, looking down at her watch. "We have fifteen minutes. We should probably go, we have to get all the way across campus."

Ben nods and shoves the rest of his one piece of toast in his mouth and picks up the other to carry with them while they grab their bags and clean up the table.

No one really knows what it is about the first week of the semester, but Grace, as well as every other girl she's seen so far, has fallen victim to the idea that you need to look put together and organized knowing damn well that by two weeks from now, she'll be showing up in pyjamas. But today, for the time being, she's actually wearing jeans and makeup to class.

They walk across the beautiful campus that overlooks the city from a hill. It's January, but the sun is rising and there's hardly any snow left on the ground, not that there ever was much to begin with at UNC. Grace grips her coffee cup with both hands to try and warm them- it was probably an oversight to leave her gloves back in her dorm.

They make it inside and find their classroom, walking in and looking around, scanning to see open seats. Grace's eye lands on a table with two seats that no one is sitting at, and makes a beeline for it, placing her bag down before realizing her brother isn't at her side anymore.

"Hey, man, how's it going?" She hears as she looks back over her shoulder, seeing her brother grabbing the hand of a boy sitting in the back row. She sighs and sits down as he sits in the back with someone she's assuming he knows from his frat or soccer or something,

"I'm pretty good. Don't know why I took an eight am but here I am I guess." Ben's friend, Rafe, says as Ben takes a seat next to him.

"Honestly, same." Ben laughs slightly, pulling his laptop out of his bag and placing it on the desk.

"Hey, uh..." Rafe starts, leaning closer to his friend and lowering his voice. "Who's that girl you came in with?"

"Why?" Ben asks, taking on a defensive tone as he digs around in his bag, looking for his textbook.

Rafe instantly shakes his head, leaning back in his seat. "Just wondering." He says quickly, looking forward at the long-haired girl sitting a few rows in front of them. "I didn't know you had a girl- I just thought you would have told the team."

"What? I don't." Ben looks up at him to see his friend staring at his sister. "That's just Grace. My sister." He admits, leaning back in his chair as well.

Oh, his sister. Rafe thinks to himself, nodding slightly in response to his friend, that was now watching him, watching his sister. Time to look away. "You have a sister?"

"Uh, yeah, dude."

"You never talk about her," Rafe says, glancing back at her.

"Not much to say I guess." Ben shrugs in response. "Uh, we're twins, I don't know she likes to read apparently. She's a history major, she lives here on campus. I don't know what really there is to add."

"Oh, really? I was thinking of doing history."

Ben laughs. "Dude, as if Ward would ever let you even think about taking anything other than business. Pretty much the only thing you can do with history is write or teach, that's boring as hell."

Rafe sighs, he knows Ben is probably right. "I mean, like, I wouldn't hate that. At least it would be my choice."

"Yeah, I mean, whatever you want man. Why not, right? Being a prof makes bangin money too. People respect you and shit-" Ben rambles on but Rafe isn't really listening. His eyes are trained again on the girl sitting closer to the front of the room, as her hair cascades over her shoulders when she leans forward more, writing something down in a notebook.

"Right?" His thoughts are interrupted.

"Oh, yeah, totally." Rafe nods, completely unaware of what his friend was talking about by now.

"Okay, so we've got some new faces in here today." A man who Rafe assumes to be the prof says, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention as the room quiets down. "You, in the back there. You missed introductions on Monday, so basically we all shared our names, our majors, and what year we're in if you'd like to share as well."

He's looking dead on at Rafe in the back, and everyone's heads turn to look at him. "I, yeah, sure. I'm Rafe, uh, this is my first year, so I haven't made any big decisions yet, but I'm thinking about majoring in history." He says, making eye contact with Grace and giving her a slight smile.

"Right, yes, Rafe Cameron. You're on the soccer team with Ben here. Your dad is Ward, right?" The prof asks and Rafe nods.

"Yes sir."

"I've met your father, he's a really nice man, hey?" He grins and Rafe nods again slightly in response, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Anyway, let's get started, shall we? Did everyone get the readings done?"

——

Grace gets up at the end of class, placing everything in her bag and her headphones back in, assuming that her brother would take off with his friend.

"Shouldn't we wait for Grace?" Rafe asks Ben as his friend turns to the door.

"Nah, I'll talk to her later." He shrugs in response. "Come on- we've got practice this afternoon and I want to have a nap first."

"Hold on one sec," Rafe replies, holding his hand up at his friend signaling for him to wait, and watching as Grace turns around evidently surprised to see them still standing there looking at her- waiting.

"Oh, hi." She says, removing one of her headphones.

"What did you think of the first real lecture? Did you write down every word?" Ben asks her and she laughs a little.

"No, but I'm glad we're getting into something interesting at least." She replies, avoiding eye contact with his friend, who's watching her intently.

"Hey, uh, I'm Rafe, by the way." He says to her before Ben can get a word in.

Grace looks briefly at her brother, who is staring at Rafe with an indecipherable look on his face. "I'm Grace." She says, looking back at her brother's friend and smiling politely. "You said you want to take history? That's my plan too." She adds, making an effort to move the conversation along so they don't just all stand there staring at each other.

"Yeah, I mean, maybe. My dad wants me to take business because he owns a company and I'll have to take it over eventually and all that crap." Rafe shrugs as the three of them head for the door.

Grace nods at that, shoving her hands in her pockets as they walk out the door and down the hall. "My boyfriend was supposed to take business too, or that was originally his plan in high school. He decided to go into chemical and electrical engineering instead and he's loving it, but I guess it's a bit different than your situation but I still think it's important to do what you want, not what other people want you to do." She shrugs, as Rafe looks at her brother, giving him a 'what the fuck, man?' expression.

Ben raises an eyebrow at him, the silent exchange finished with his confusion, and Rafe quickly continues his conversation with the girl who wasn't watching them, eyes straight ahead as she walked. "Yeah, I guess you're right. My plan right now is to sell it as soon as my name's on it, so my degree won't really matter."

"Yeah, you probably don't need a degree in business for that." She agrees, laughing slightly as she shakes her head.

As the three approach the end of the hall, Rafe takes a few quick steps forward to grab the door, and Ben smiles at him, laughing slightly and patting him on the shoulder as he walks through. "Thanks, bro." He steps outside, leaving Rafe to stare at the girl who took a turn down the hall instead of following them out. 

"Not going back to dorms?" He asks her, making her turn as she continues to walk backward staying with the flow of other students.

"I have a class in C building in ten minutes- this way is much faster. It was nice meeting you!" Grace smiles with a slight wave, popping her headphone back in as she turns around and continues down the hall. Rafe smiles back and raises his hand in a quick wave, sighing as he's stuck holding the door for a few more people before he can follow Ben.

"Dude, you didn't think to tell me she has a boyfriend?" Rafe asks, jogging slightly to catch up with his friend.

"Sorry, didn't think you'd be into my sister. Didn't think it mattered- that's not like, the most important thing about her, you know." Ben scoffs, shaking his head.

"Well, of course not. Would've been nice to know, though." Rafe grumbles, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.

"You're not hooking up with my sister. Listen, even if she wasn't dating that loser I wouldn't let you. That's like, fucked up." Ben says sternly. "What would you say if I said I was into Sarah, huh?"

"Dude- gross. She's like, seventeen." Rafe shakes his head, scrunching up his nose at the thought.

"Exactly." Ben agrees. 

"Okay, well, that's different."

"You're digging yourself deeper and deeper man- you've just got to let it go." Ben insists, turning to walk towards his car on the opposite side of the parking lot from where Rafe parked his bike. "I'll see you at home!" He shouts back.

"See ya'," Rafe replies, walking in the opposite direction. He pulls the other side of his backpack over his shoulder, holding tightly onto the straps as he makes his way back to where he parked his bike- completely unaware that he was being watched through an upstairs window in C building by his friend's sister.

ahhh finally part one!! i’ve been working on this one for a hot minute so lmk all your thoughts and everything- i don’t have the whole thing planned out so also if anyone has any requests on where this should go, pls lmk!!

taglist: @madelynie @slut4drudy (message me or reply to this to be added!)

[sephirthoughts]

Vincent Got a Phone

Vincent got a phone and then Aerith adopted him as her friend, and all kinds of other shit started happening and he's very tired.

ships: valenwind, background sefikura, background aerti

rating: not explicit yet but soooooooo close

Chapter 5: Shut the fuck up, Sephiroth!

“Wait, wait! Everyone calm down! He’s not here to fight! I asked him to come!”

This elicited stunned silence from the group, in which the sound of Cerberus’ hammer clicking back rang out very clearly, followed by Vincent’s deep voice.

“Care to elaborate?”

“Of course I’m going to explain,” Cloud said, trying not to stare directly into the triple barrel, that was now trained on him. “Sephiroth and I have been…talking. He wants to turn over a new leaf. He doesn’t want to be our enemy, anymore.”

“What the hell do you mean, he doesn’t want to be our enemy!” Tifa demanded. “Like that’s something he gets to decide?!”

“I know things have been complicated between us and him, in the past. That’s why he has something he’d like to say to everyone. Go ahead, Seph.”

The angelic, silver haired, six-foot seven-inch tall, black leather clad man stepped forward. “I am very…” He glanced discreetly down at a slip of paper concealed in his gloved palm. “Sony.”

“No—sorry!” Cloud whispered, elbowing him in the side. “You’re sorry!”

“Sorry,” Sephiroth corrected.

Tifa stared at him. “You’re…sorry. After everything you’ve done, you’re just fucking sorry?! You killed my father! Cloud, he killed your mother!!”

“Tifa, please, just hear me out,” Cloud said, in a conciliatory tone. “I know better than anyone what he’s done. That’s why you’ve got to trust me. It’s complicated, and I know it’s hard to understand, right now, but it really wasn’t his fault. He’s just as much a victim in all this as we are.”

“Oh, he’s a victim, is he?” she retorted. “Then who the fuck is the culprit!”

“Shinra.” Everyone turned to look, in surprise, because it was the normally reticent Vincent, who had now spoken for a record-breaking third time, in a single conversation. “When Hojo did this to us—made us into monsters—Shinra not only allowed it, they condoned it. They knew he was committing atrocities, and they stood by and watched, just like they always do. Because they will do anything to grasp more power. No matter who they have to destroy, to do it.”

“Exactly,” Cloud nodded. “The rest of you haven’t been in that place. You can’t imagine what it’s like. And what they did to me, doesn’t even compare to the torture they put Vincent and Sephiroth through. That’s why…I’m going with him.”

“Going with him, where?” Aerith asked. “What do you mean?”  

“First, we’re going to make Hojo pay for what he’s done. He’s responsible for destroying countless lives. But at the end of the day, he’s still just a cog in the machine. After we deal with him, we’re going to take Shinra apart, piece by piece, till not a single brick is left standing. I know this is sudden, and probably seems totally out of the blue, so I don’t expect anyone to help us. But…if any of you want to come with us, I’d be grateful for it.”

Vincent lowered his arm and holstered Cerberus. “I am willing put aside past grievances and cooperate with you, for now. Shinra owes us a debt of blood. I will see it repaid.”

“Well, shit. If Vinnie’s in I’m in,” Cid sighed. “If you’re lookin to take down Shinra, y’all are gonna need a ride.”

“Thank you, guys,” Cloud said. “I knew I could count on you.”

Sephiroth dipped his chin, to Vincent. “Thank you, father.”

Vincent silently returned the salutation.

“Father??!!” exclaimed everyone else except Aerith, who said, “Ohhh. I totally see it.”

“Uh…Vinnie?” Cid asked, uneasily. “Why’s Sephiroth callin’ you father?”

“Because he’s my son,” Vincent replied flatly, still looking across the table at Sephiroth. “But I didn’t know he knew that.”

Yuffie made a face. “So you…with his mother?”

“No. They used my genetic material, without my knowledge. Sephiroth was told his parents were dead. He was raised in a lab, like a specimen. Systematically isolated and tortured, brainwashed into a living weapon, and set loose to commit war crimes, at the age of fourteen. When he learned the truth about his origins, he had a psychotic break, and under the influence of Jenova, defaulted to the only thing he’d ever known: violence.” Vincent turned his crimson eyes on Tifa, one flashing with a hint of gold. “Given that context, Ms. Lockhart, would it not be fair to say that perhaps, he is not entirely culpable for what he has done?”

Tifa lowered her head, biting her lip in anger and frustration, and Yuffie wrapped comforting arms around her.

“Look, I don’t expect anyone to process all of this, instantly,” Cloud spoke up. “I know it’ll take time to accept. But I asked you all here tonight, because I didn’t want to keep hiding this part of my life from the people I care most about.” He slipped his hand into Sephiroth’s and they interlaced their fingers. “I’m not asking for your blessing, but it’s important to me that you all know where I stand. Because Sephiroth and I are—uh. We’re…together.”

“Oh, ho ho!” Aerith chortled, whipping out her phone to type something on it.

“Ah-ha! That’s why I seen ya goin’ into that love hotel!” Cid asserted, swaying in his tipsy vehemence, but finding himself immediately steadied by a gauntleted hand on the small of his back. “You two musta been meetin’ up, on the sly!”

Cloud looked his way, unhappily. “You were spying on us, Cid?”

“Tch. Hell naw. I don’t have time for that shit. I was mindin’ my own business and I saw ya standin’ right there on the street, out fronta the place. Y’ain’t exactly easy to miss.”

“Tell me one thing,” Vincent said sternly (with his arm still around Cid’s waist). “That night at the Mega Karaoke. You didn’t fall into the door, at all, did you?”

Cloud laughed sheepishly. “Uh. About that. We thought that was our room. Seph was being kind of…playful and pushed me inside. When he saw you guys he poofed, so you didn’t see him.”

“Wow, you two were in such a hurry to get down, that you mixed up the rooms?” Aerith smirked.

“It’s not like it was our fault! That karaoke place should be prosecuted, what kind of assholes have a room 8B and a room B8? What is your numbering system, even?”

“Well, damn,” Yuffie remarked, raising her eyebrows. “Cloud really recruited a world-class supervillain for team good-guys, just like that. How good is that bussy?”

“How good is what?” Vincent asked, looking alarmed.

Aerith giggled gleefully and kept tapping her phone screen.

Tifa was still glaring at Sephiroth, who didn’t appear to notice, likely because his serpentine eyes hardly ever left Cloud.

Cid was rubbing his stubble, thoughtfully. “Does this mean Cloud’s gotta call Vinnie father-in-law now?”

“Never,” Cloud said.

“Please do not,” Vincent said at the exact same time.

“This is fucked!” Tifa shouted, giving everyone a second jolt. “You’re fucking mentally ill, Cloud! This guy is a mass-murderer!”

“Why are you acting so shocked about it?” Cloud asked, frowning. “You’re the one who said you already knew all about us.”

Tifa faltered, taken aback. “I what?”

“That day I ran into you and Yuffie, hiding behind the flower cart. Don’t you remember? You pretended it was a hypothetical, but you said your friend was dating someone who was bad for them and might get hurt. You told me you saw us together, and everything.”

“I wasn’t talking about you!” Tifa said, practically beside herself with exasperation. “I was talking about Aeri and Mr. Valentine!”

Aerith looked up from her phone, wide-eyed. “Eh? Who and who??”

“There’s no use pretending anymore, Aeri!” Yuffie said, pointing a righteous finger at her. “We saw you with Mr. Valentine at the Mega Karaoke.”

“Uh…huh,” Aerith replied drily. “Well, to be fair, you actually saw me with Cloud and Vincent.”

“I saw you and my father alone, together,” Sephiroth interjected. “You were embracing one another.”

“Shut the fuck up, Sephiroth! This doesn’t concern you!” Tifa fired back.

“Yeah, and stop calling Vincent your father, it’s weird,” Yuffie poked her head out to add, then ducked back behind Tifa.

Vincent, meanwhile, had withdrawn his arm from around Cid, and was standing there looking stricken. “You…you all thought that Aerith and I were…together? Cid? You too?”

Cid scratched his head. “Uh. Well, ain’t ya?”

“I confessed my feelings to you, three nights ago,” Vincent said, lowering his voice. “Do you believe I’d have done such a thing, if I were attached to another person? What kind of man do you think I am?”

Now it was Cid’s turn to look gobsmacked. “Y’did what, now?”

“I told you how I feel.”

“Well…yeah. About Ms. Aerith. Didn’t ya?”

“About you! You rejected me. You told me you’d support me but you needed time. You seemed upset and you left rather abruptly.”

“That’s cause I thought you were talkin’ about bein’ soul mates with that little girl!” Cid said, throwing his hands up in vexation. “No offense, Ms. Aerith.”

“Well, offense taken! A lot of offense taken!” Aerith returned, planting her hands on her hips. “You all thought Vincent and I had something romantic going on? And no one even bothered to ask us about it??” She turned her flashing green eyes on Tifa and Yuffie, who flinched visibly. “And I bet it’s all because you two troublemakers started meddling, and confused everyone.”

“In our defense, it was all Tifa’s idea,” Yuffie declared. “She bullied me and made me go along with her crazy scheme.”

Tifa looked theatrically offended. “What?! You shitty brat, I barely bullied you at all!”

“So, thanks to you two and your little witch hunt, Cid and Vincent think they’ve been rejected by each other,” Aerith continued. “And along the way, you managed to scare Cloud into coming clean about his actual secret affair, so now we all have to sit here, watching him be lovey-dovey with mommy-issues mcdoomsday, right in front of our salads! No offense, Sephiroth.”

“None taken,” the heretofore extremely volatile superhuman replied, causing everyone to turn and look at him in disbelief. He straightened up and crossed his arms on his impressive chest. “I thought it was funny. Also, a fairly accurate characterization.”

“Aeri, um…about the Mr. Valentine thing,” Tifa ventured. “We didn’t just pull that out of thin air. You two have been in each other’s rooms a lot, lately.”

“And going out together in public a lot, too,” Yuffie concurred.

“And, again, I did see you embracing in the karaoke room,” Sephiroth put in helpfully.

“Shut! Up!” several people said to him, in unison.

“Yes. I admit it. I was hugging my friend. Fucking sue me!” Aerith retorted, growing surprisingly heated, to the point where her eyes began to glisten and turn pink at the rims. “Girls who are just friends can hang all over each other, all day long, but people suddenly become such puritans, when it’s a man and woman! And just for your information, Ti-chan, you should be more concerned about me going into your room, than Vincent’s! Because I AM A LESBIAN!”

With that, Aerith kicked a chair out of her way and stormed off.

“I’ll…go talk to her,” Tifa said, and hurried after her friend.

“I think we, as a group, need to work on our communication,” Cait Sith said sagely, from the chair beside Cid’s.

“Gah!!” Cid yelped. “What the—where the hell’d you come from?!”

“I’ve been here the entire time,” the feline automaton said, sounding wounded. “The rest of you noticed me, didn’t you?”

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, in which everyone (except Sephiroth) suddenly developed an engrossing interest in the carpet or the ceiling tiles. It was into this bewildering atmosphere that the waitress descended, like a suspenders and bow-tie clad angel of mercy, with her notebook and a jaunty smile. “So, how are we all feeling about entrees, this evening?”

Thus it happened that our motely assortment of weirdos (minus Aerith and Tifa) sat down to an awkward, but relatively congenial supper, with the man who’d been the primary antagonist in most of their lives, for the past several years, at least.

If they had any suspicions, however, regarding their erstwhile arch-enemy’s real motives, they were at least somewhat allayed by the disgustingly adoring way he focused on Cloud, as if the young man were his sun and moon, and he could see nothing else.

Cid and Vincent, meanwhile, mostly drank in silence (whiskey based cocktails and red wine, respectively), because whenever they did speak, they kept bumbling and being over-polite to one another, in their mutual discomfiture. Pretty much everyone was relieved when dinner was over. Except Sephiroth and the cat, who seemed entirely immune to embarrassment.

“So, Sephiroth,” Yuffie said, eyeing the monumental man cagily, as the party strolled out of the restaurant. “Are you still, like, batshit insane?”

“Yes,” Sephiroth replied. “But I am…working on that.”

“Are you planning on killing any of us?”

“No.”

“Bearing in mind that destroying the world counts as killing us.”

“I have given up global genocide,” Sephiroth said, glancing at Cloud. “My lover is rather attached to this world, as it turns out.”

“Welp, good enough for me. As long as I never have to hear you say the word lover again, welcome to the team,” she pronounced. “With you on our side, we can totally rail Rufus Shinra’s ass!”

“Seriously, work on your phrasing, Yuff,” Cloud groaned. “It’s getting ridiculous.”

“Huh? What did I say? Cloud! Get back here!!”

“So, uh. We probably oughta talk,” Cid said to Vincent, after they separated from the others.

“I suppose we should,” Vincent agreed, casting a sidelong glance at him. “Shall we go to the hotel garden?”

“Or we could, uh…we could go to my room,” Cid mumbled. “Y’know. Have a cup of coffee, or whatever.”

Vincent paused, scrutinizing him closely. “Are you still drunk?”

“Yeah, kinda,” Cid admitted, flushing pink, under his crimson gaze. “That’s the only reason I got the balls to be talkin’ to ya, right now.”

Vincent arched a black eyebrow. “I trust you are aware what asking a gentleman back to your room for coffee implies.”

“Tch. We’ve shared rooms about a hundred times, Vinnie. Am I supposed to be worried you’ll think I’m a slut?”

Vincent’s crimson eyes glowed a little more intensely, but he looked away quickly, to conceal it. “Coffee it is, then.”

They were already at the walkway intersection, between their two rooms, so Cid led the way, as casually as he could pretend to be—which was to say, not very. Vincent was always just his buddy Vinnie, to him. He fit in the Vinnie category and did Vinnie things, and that’s how it was.

Now that he was looking at his friend from a different perspective, he was suddenly, keenly aware of Vincent as a whole entity, outside their friendship. As it turned out, Vincent Valentine was an extremely intimidating man.

Before he became an actual monster, Vincent had already been a highly trained killing machine. Underlying his general aura of somnolent malaise, Cid was aware of the cold calculation and hyper-competence of the Turk.

Physically, he was a superior specimen. Tall and slender, but agile and astonishingly fast. Despite his ostensible indifference, and tendency to fall asleep standing up, Vincent’s whole being was suffused with quiet ferocity. Cid had seen the man snap out of his apparent ruminant state into decisive and deadly action, enough times to know that Vincent’s languor was a predator’s grace. Like a panther in repose.

And all of that was before one took into account the literal demon under his skin, looking out from that gold ring in his crimson eye, awaiting its moment to burst loose its bonds and drown the world in darkness (which idea Cid found a lot sexier than he probably should have).

His hands shook with nervousness as he unlocked the door, so much that he fumbled and almost dropped the key. But miraculously, he managed to recover, and they got into the room without him making any more excessively embarrassing blunders.

Cid’s room had a sort of steam-punk aesthetic, somewhat like the inside of an airship. It featured exposed brass pipes and other unnecessary but interesting embellishments, and the bedframe had been constructed from the actual fuselage of an old plane.

It had those awful, modern, overhead lights, too, but at the moment, it was lit only by the two lantern-style gas lamps on the wall, on either side of the headboard, so the illumination was warm and diffuse, and not troublesome to Vincent’s eyes.

Vincent took a seat on the distressed leather sofa, in front of the steamer trunk, that served as a coffee table, while Cid set about brewing a packet of hotel-provided coffee in the almost laughably small hotel-provided pot.

“So, uh. About the other night,” Cid began, after he’d placed their mugs on the steamer trunk, and sat down beside Vincent. “I said it already, but I’m sorry for actin’ like a jackass. I misunderstood about as bad as it’s possible to.”

“It was an understandable error, given that there were outside parties interfering,” Vincent replied charitably, blowing the steam off his mug.

Cid shook his head. “It’d be easy to say I had everything all wrong on account of them girls tellin’ me a whole lotta nonsense, but that’s a cop-out. There ain’t no changin’ the fact I made assumptions and didn’t ask ya myself. It’s my own fault. Also, I didn’t know you were…I mean. I never thought to ask, and you never told me. About the, uh. The umbrella.”

“No more umbrellas, please,” Vincent said, with a grimace. “Euphemizing and speaking obliquely is what caused all of this mess, in the first place.” He set his mug back down and looked Cid in the eye. “Cid…I like you. I like you in a romantic, non-platonic way. I’ve never felt this way about a man, and I have no idea how to label or define it. I only know that it is. And it is not a short-lived infatuation, or the impulse of a moment. I have felt this way for quite some time.”

“So…when ya said all that stuff about a person bein’ the missin’ part of ya, and how y’could spend every day with ‘em and never get tired of ‘em…”

“I was talking about you.”

Blood roared in Cid’s ears. He felt his heart pounding and his throat was suddenly dry. He’d thought what Vincent said had sounded a little dramatic and overwrought, the other night, but it struck the ear very differently, now he knew it was about himself. He yanked his goggles off his forehead and tossed them on the trunk-table, then pushed his hands back through his hair.

“You seem troubled by the idea,” Vincent said quietly, from where he’d receded into his cloak, concealing all of his face inside his high collar, except for his scarlet eyes.

Cid scratched his head. “I just…uh. Hoo, boy. I can’t help thinkin’ there’s still some kinda mixup. Y’sure ya like me? Like, wouldn’t you be happier with some fella your own age?”

“Ah. You did mention the age difference as an obstacle, before.”

“I ain’t sayin’ a obstacle per se,” Cid attempted. “I’m just thinkin’ about a few years from now, when you’re a little older. Y’might change your mind about what ya want, and start havin’ regrets.”

Vincent’s black brows knit in confusion. “When I’m older?”

“Well, cause like, I’m in my late thirties. That’s the settlin’ down with a long-term partner phase of life, y’know? You’ll understand once you get to be my age.”

“Cid. I’m fifty-seven.”

“Right, like I was sayin’, when you—” Cid blinked. “Ah…ha ha. I think I’m goin’ deaf, you said twenty-seven, right?”

“I said fifty-seven.”

“What the high-flyin’ fuck you mean fifty-seven?!” Cid sputtered, gesturing wildly with his coffee and nearly splashing it all over himself.

“I mean I’m fifty-seven years old.” Vincent tilted his head questioningly. “You do understand that Sephiroth is in his thirties, correct? And that he is my biological son?”

“Listen, I’m gonna be honest…I figured they grew him up super fast in one of those pods, like in the movies.”

“No, he grew up at the usual speed. Which does mean that I have a son who is nearly your age. The idea of age differences seems to bother you, quite a bit.”

“Oh, that?” Cid waved his hand dismissively. “Nah, I was talkin’ about kids in their twenties, all fresh-faced and dumb as shit, just startin’ out in the world. Who gives a fuck about a couple decades, between old-ass men like us?”

Vincent very nearly smiled. “You only call yourself old because you enjoy thinking of yourself that way. Whereas, I am quite literally an old man.”

“Come on, Vinnie,” Cid chuckled. “Ya can’t say you’re an old man, with that face, and expect me to take ya seriously.”

“Then…you like my face?” Vincent asked pointedly.

“Tch. You kiddin’ me? You’re so fuckin’ gorgeous I can’t believe you’re real, sometimes,” Cid said staunchly, then realized he’d revealed more than he intended, and became shy (and suddenly understood the appeal of having a cloak to hide in).

Vincent scooted closer, his leather armor squeaking against the leather on the couch. Eyes like scarlet embers glowed in the dim light of the gas lamps, regarding Cid with bloodthirsty intent.

Cid rubbed his hands together and chuckled nervously. “You’re…ha ha. You’re lookin’ at me like a hungry wolf, Vinnie.”

“Cid,” Vincent’s deep voice said softly. “I’m going to kiss you.”

Cid swallowed hard. “O—ok.”

He felt the cold claws of a metal gauntlet, as Vincent’s fingertips rested lightly on his cheek, turning his head. Vincent leaned in closer. So close his black hair brushed against Cid’s forehead. He paused. There was a bit of muffled jingling, as he awkwardly unbuckled his high collar. Then lips softer than any woman’s could’ve ever been were pressed against Cid’s.

Whatever he’d thought it would be like, to be kissed by a man—and his best friend, at that—all his preconceived notions were blown right out the window, when those lips pushed his apart, and Vincent’s tongue slid forward to caress his.

Sage-smoke and leather, and a hint of old books. That’s what he smelled like. He tasted like whatever heaven’s made out of. His tongue was domineering and devastatingly skilled, licking and thrusting and rolling over Cid’s, till he was clinging helplessly to Vincent and gasping for breath, between intense barrages.

He felt more like a chaste woman being ravished by a pirate captain in a romance novel, than he’d have liked to admit, but it felt so fucking good. How come no one ever told him how amazing it was to be on the receiving end of a man’s unrestrained desire?

It occurred to him then, that he could touch Vincent, too. Not that he hadn’t wanted to, it was just that, to lay entirely unworthy mortal hands on this divinity seemed almost blasphemous, so he hadn’t yet worked up the courage.

Steeling himself, he slipped a hand around Vincent’s narrow waist and kneaded the small of his back. To his utter astonishment, Vincent threw a knee over and straddled him, settling his weight on his lap, decisively closing any remaining space between their bodies.

Emboldened by this spectacular result, Cid worked his fingers into Vincent’s heavy, silky hair and tugged gently. Vincent moaned into the kiss and let his head move easily, at Cid’s direction.

Cid’s brain short-circuited, unable to process a reality in which Vincent might like to have his hair pulled. He tried again, a little harder, and was rewarded a breathy gasp, along with feeling that lithe body shudder against his.

The tables turned, then, and Cid was the aggressor, holding Vincent by his hair, invading his mouth, licking and sucking his perfect, pale lips, kissing him like the world was ending.

At long last, Vincent broke the kiss, leaving Cid overheated and dizzy—and so hard he could barely think. A clear thread of saliva stretched out between their lips and snapped, as they drew back, just enough to look at one another.

Vincent’s long, almond-shaped eyes were hazy and heavy-lidded, and his crimson irises were glowing, nearly all gold. His parted lips were wet and swollen, and very slightly flushed. The tip of his tongue traced over his elongated fangs.

“Ha…holy fuck, you’re beautiful,” Cid panted, sliding his hands up onto Vincent’s hips. “The hell you doin’ fuckin’ around with a scruffy bastard like me?”

“Beautiful,” Vincent murmured. Then he stiffened, staring into the middle-distance. The golden embers in his eyes dimmed and darkened. Seeming disoriented, he pushed himself up from Cid’s lap and stumbled back a step, nearly tripping over the steamer trunk, and upsetting a mug of coffee, in the process.

“Vinnie? What’s wrong?” Cid asked, confused and alarmed by this abrupt reversal.

“I—I can’t,” he said hoarsely. His eyes darted around manically, but didn’t seem to focus on anything. “It’s not your fault. I thought I could, but…I just can’t. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Wait, wait, Vinnie hang on,” Cid said hastily, jumping up to stop him. “Don’t run off, let’s talk—”

It was too late. Vincent had already dispersed into a whirl of crimson and vanished.

“—about it.” Cid gave a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. “God…fuckin’ damn it.”

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY cat cameo!

one more chapter to go!!!!!!!!! will our intrepid heroes resolve their problems and go to pound town???? (yes they will)

link to prev. chapter

[tziporarosen]

FLIP A COIN

CHAPTER II

Smacking your hand over your phone, you drag it towards you with your eyes closed before opening one eye to switch off the alarm ringing through your ear drums. Your eyes do a double take as you catch a glimpse of the time, shooting you straight into immediate panic as you jump out of bed, quickly tossing on a t-shirt that is laid out at the foot of your bed. “Fuck, fuck, fuck” you mumble to yourself as you pull your hair into a high ponytail, quickly wiping the mascara off your under-eyes. Zipping up your pants, you run over to your kitchen, grabbing your belt along with your radio and weapon, snapping them into place as you open the front door, only to speed back into the bedroom to grab your forgotten phone. 

Walking into the office felt like a scene out of a movie, eyes gawking at you from every direction as you walked in, the other officers creating a path for you. What the fuck? Smiling in confusion and discomfort, you make your way to your glass office, your sergeant and watch commander standing with their arms crossed, waiting for you to shut the door behind you. 

“So sorry, I overslept, Sir” you apologize awkwardly as you take your leather jacket off. 

“You being late isn't why we are here” your watch commander stated sternly, his eyes panned in disappointment. Double what the fuck? 

“Oh- whats, uh, what's going on?” you inquire with a broken voice, your senses rising to a hundred. You swallowed down, hard, as your sergeant walked to the glass cabinet at the side of your desk, scanning your framed awards and trophies for the work you've done. 

“I thought giving you this case would be simple, a quick case opened and closed, but no.” he insinuated flatly, his back turned to you as his arms rested on his lower back. 

“Sir, I'm so close, it's been a little harder than expected” you admit in defense, completely confused by the tension sitting in your chair, admiring the scene as you fall apart in anxiety. 

“At what cost?” your watch commander chipped in, his eyes trained on your tired face, your eyes dark from insomnia. 

“What? Sir I’m confused by what's going-” 

“When was the last time you spoke to Officer Lanes?” he interrogated calmly as the sergeant rounded his way back to you, standing side by side with your watch commander. 

“Last night? Why? Is something wrong?” you asked with concern slipping through, your gut telling you there's something they're not telling you, something is terribly wrong. You can feel it.

“Nothing is wrong, Officer Lanes is perfectly okay, but you not so much” the sergeant joined back in, watching you like a hawk. 

You tilt your head back, taken aback by how they're jumping around what's wrong, speaking in riddles, almost as if they're waiting for you to spill. Confess. “Am I in trouble for something?” you interrogate in response, unwilling to jump around in circles and waste more time, or worse, incriminate yourself. You knew exactly what their ‘innocent’ questions meant, they think you've done something, you know that because it's what you do all day, it's your job. 

Your watch commander exhales harshly before he throws a glance to the sergeant before he nodded at him, allowing the watch commander to explain. “We wanted to hear what you have to say before we do this, we trust you, and frankly we're both very disappointed in you” he expressed as you spiraled, your heart in your mind beating in echoes, muffling his words as he continued. “Officer Lanes came to us this morning, told us about last night, how you've been inappropriate to her, harassing her after work, showing up to her place and even persuading her into.. Uh, sleeping with you” he finished, the last part falling in a croak at how uncomfortable he was by having to be the one to say it out loud. 

You couldn't help but burst into a loud chuckle of disbelief, completely nonplussed by the things you were hearing. “Do you think this is funny, detective?” the sergeant spoke up, his tone searching for amusement. Goosebumps spread over your skin, realizing this is real, you're being accused of abusing your inferior. Fuck. You couldn't feel your pulse, you felt as if you're floating into space, your mind and body numb from the shit you've dug yourself in. She's the victim, and you're the predator. 

“I- that's not true.. She wanted it to-” you gulp the remainder of your sentence down with your courage as you look at their faces, knowing you've just made it worse. You just shot yourself in the foot, and there's no way out. 

“I'm going to need your gun and badge, I am hereby placing you under administrative leave effective immediately. You are not to leave town, you are not to act as detective or any form of enforcement in any capacity, including court. We will let you know of any changes once the investigation is no longer pending” the watch commander asserted as he opened his arm to take your gun as you paused for a moment. “Detective,” he warned gently. 

“Sorry” you mumbled as you took the badge off your belt, passing it to him with your eyes pinned to the badge in his palm, your hands trembling as you processed what had just happened. “What now?” you whispered, your eyes blurring ever so slightly as you glanced up at them both. 

“You go home, think over your defense” your commander advised, a faint crack in his voice seeping under his stoicism, confirming to you it wasn’t a decision either of them wanted. Clenching your jaw to hold the tears desperate to escape, you nod in understanding as your chin tremors. 

A stillness that can only be described as a frozen moment in time takes over before they separate from one another, creating an opening for you to exit your office. Swallowing your pride, you step out in silence, the whispers dancing around you as they gaze at the consequence of negligence and emotions. You expected to feel angry, but all you felt was betrayal, not only by her, but by yourself as well, allowing yourself to end up in this position. Now you've lost it all, in a flash of a second, you've lost your career, your dream, and Sevika. 

Your feet formed a mind of their own as you walked to your car, your head ringing profusely as the heel of your foot hit the concrete beneath you with every footstep. You had no idea what's next. Leaning on the little voice in your head, you drove down to the little bar hiding a block away, welcoming all the walking dead men and women, every degenerate and drunk, keeping eachother company. 

Locking the door behind you, you take a deep breath before pulling the door open, walking into the somber bar and sitting down in the corner, away from any form of life. “I'll have a Johnnie, neat. Please” you murmur as you rest your head on your palm, your elbows keeping you up. 

“Tough day at the office?” the bar man inquired as he poured your whiskey glass, sliding it over to you as he walked up to you. 

“You could say that” you replied with an audible scoff, still in disbelief at the turn of events. 

“You stuck on a case?” he suggested as he turned his back to you, placing clean glasses on the shelf, preparing for the afternoon rush while it was quiet. You furrow your brows as you look up at him, taken aback by his knowledge of you being a cop. 

“How did you-?”

“It's obvious you're a cop, jeans with a t-shirt and a leather jacket? Seriously? You couldn't be a more stereotypical cop.” he pointed out as he turned back around to face you, one brow raised as he scanned your attire. 

You let out a little chuckle as you down your drink, amused by his judgemental analysis. “You should be a detective yourself, Mr Sherlock” you rebuke playfully as you slide your glass back to him, indicating for a second pour. 

“I should, shouldn't I?” he remarked with a warm little laugh of his own, pouring your glass before he pulled his attention to the man at the other side of the bar calling him over. You grab your second glass, allowing the whiskey to burn its way down your throat, getting rid of the lump hidden in it. You let your head back down to the bar as your arms shield your face, your foot tapping against the bar rod along with the slow beat of the music playing in the background. An oncoming shuffle of a person approaches before they sit down beside you, their leg slightly brushing against yours as you shift back slightly, not bothered to pay any attention to their presence. 

“Do you usually start drinking at 11 AM?” your heart falls to your gut at the voice, the owner of it being only one possible person, and here they are, delivering themselves to you. In reflex, you slide your hand to your gun holster as you lift your head, only to be met with her brow raised, amusement lingering in her stone eyes. “Tsk, they took your gun, remember?” she taunted as she slid her jacket slightly, revealing the pistol in her holster. “They didn't take mine. stay” she asserted, her tone flat, almost as if she's bored, routined. 

“W-what? What are you doing here?” you ask as you lower your leg to the ground, preparing yourself for an easy escape. Her words were so contradictive with how calm she was, there were no nerves in her, she was confident. Her arms looked as though she didn't need her gun to kill you, a simple wrap around them and she'd crush you, her build was hunched over the thin bar stool, her shoulders leaned forward as she relaxed. 

“Do you usually stutter when you investigate someone?” she pondered, her eyes now turned to her glass as she raised it before pinning her attention back to you. “Cheers?” she offered, a thin smile forming for the first time since you met. 

“Cheers? To what?” you questioned cautiously, your body frozen at a loss of escape, or defense for that matter, and her aura was making you extremely unnerved. 

“To freedom” Sevika answered, her features sharp as she waited for you to obey. 

For some reason, her words, mixed in with the smug grin plastered on her beautiful face pulled a rage only the fool would act on, and it looked like you were a fool, with a death wish. You didn't have a weapon, but you had a fair amount of skill, not enough to beat her, but enough to let your adrenaline convince you that you can. Lifting your glass to feign a cheer, you pull the most convincing smile you can muster as you watch her cling her glass against yours. Catching your opportunity, you shift your arm forward and smash the glass onto her head, causing her to grunt heavily as she loses her posture, giving you just enough time to gain a head start. 

The lungs in your chest clamped together, ready to keep you afloat for this escape, hoping to put those running skills to good use. Slamming the bar door open, you let your feet take charge, running as fast as you can, each breath counting down as you made it further and further. You didn't dare look back, knowing if you do, it'll be a lost cause, it always is. All you knew was that she was behind you, you could see her shadow against the hot day, the sun reflecting on the pavement. She was getting closer. You strategize as you keep going, scanning for the best route to take, knowing the area like the back of your hand finally came useful, pointing you to the perfect alleyway. 

Sudden silence takes over, her shadow disappearing like a faded imagination, leaving you to lower your guard, slowing down as your run shifts into a jog as you enter the alley way. You find a wall to lean on, using it as a reinforcement to catch your lost breath, your chest heaving as you shut your eyes. 

You open your eyes back slowly before they go wide as you stand before her, her body shading you from the sun as she stood there and watched you, her breath far more recollected than yours. “I win” 

You let out a little shriek as you jump up slightly, comepletey taken aback by her presence. How did she beat you here? 

“We're quite alike if you really think about it. You know every creek and corner of every street, so does someone like me. You know how to operate a weapon, so do I. And best of all, you know how to lie and convince anyone to do whatever you want them to, and guess what? So do I. So tell me detective, what makes you so different from me?” she interrogated, her words clear and distinct as she scanned every shift in your pupils. Your stomach was in circles at how nervous and scared you were, there was no way out now. You knew you'd either leave here in a stretcher, or in a body bag. She didn't have her physique for show, she was strong and you could tell, her forearms showed her weight capacities, her legs looked like she could suffocate you with them in no effort. You needed a plan B, maybe it was time to stand up for yourself, hoping that will throw her off. 

“I dont kill for my own benefit” you spit as you take a step forward, not ready to let her win just yet, you can’t let her scare you. 

“Oh, you're a brave one aren't you?” Sevika cooed as she took the challenge, stepping forward as well, your chest ghosting on her shirt. 

“It's not bravery, I would need to be scared to be brave, and you don’t scare me” you lie, hoping your locked jaw will convince her otherwise. With your heart on pause, you watch time slow into a still quietude as she glared down at you, attempting to figure out your game, because you both knew this was a dangerous game. You couldn't tell if she was plotting or simply waiting for you to fold, but the tension was quickly melting you to speak up. “I deal with dirt like you everyday, you'll have to do a little more than that to make me scared of you” you scorned. 

A little smirk grows on her dark lips, taken aback by your words. “Okay detective, let me see you catch me without the security of a gun and badge, you think you can do that?” Sevika jibed as she lifted the leather hook over her pistol. Grabbing her gun, you back up immediately, only to watch her lower it to the ground, her eyes not leaving yours for an instant. 

Fuck.

You watched her stand back up before tossing the gun back a little more with her foot as she crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for your response. Both of you knew sevika would win, there was no question about it. You had your skills of course, but without your badge and gun, you were at a severe disadvantage. It was a game you couldn't win, and deep down, you knew it.

“Show me what you got princess”

[sofiiel]

A Soul to Share

Robin panicking to Steve because she just bolted, leaving a very confused you in the middle of the parking lot.

"I told her I'd give her my soul." She groans with her face shoved in her hands.

"....why?" Steve squints, "Like what's the context, might not be too bad."

"She said I was cute. Like casually, 'you're cute' like that." resting on the counter Robin sighs, "It's because she did the laugh and I'm so weak for the laugh." she said resting her chin in her hand.

Steve laughs, "Oh god, well...maybe she thinks it was cute too?" he tries to cheer up his sulking friend. "What'd she say after?"

"I don't know." Robin groaned.

"What do you mean you do- you left her in the parking lot, didn't you," Steve asks flatly.

Robin just nods.

"That's her out there looking in the window, isn't it?" He questions.

"Shit!" Robin curses, turning around and waving with a strained smile, "What do I do? She's coming in..." she begs through her teeth.

But Steve doesn't reply.

"Steve?" Robin asked.

Turning around, Robin yelps in a whispering hiss "Steve!"

But it's too late, he's fled to the back.

You ding the service bell, a piece of paper in your hand, on it a whisp-like thing drawn in highlighter.

When Robin turns around, you slide it across to her, and turn in the movie you rented a few days ago.

"What's this?" Robin asks, plucking up the paper scrap.

"My soul." you hummed, turning on your heel to walk out.

Robin is speechless, though she wants to call out "Wait!"

Steve rushes out of the back room as he hears the door close.

"What are you doing, that was your chance!" he nearly shouts.

Robin's eyes flutter as she turns the piece of paper over to find a tiny scrawled phone number.

Both she and Steve just look at each other, surprised.

Steve then pulls out a familiar tally board and draws under "You Win"

[smittenbyvillainsmasterlist]

I need someone to hold me

Warnings: angsty turned fluff, self hate

You weren't very liked by your friends anymore. They didn't trust you as much after Valtor took control of you and things were spoken about. Bloom was the most upset. You understand her but for the others, it was uncalled for. Yes, you said hurtful things but that wasn't you. You weren't dark.

They were forced to take you to earth to fight against the Wizards of the Black Circle. You ended up mostly staying away unless there was a fight even then you were pushed away. Every time you wanted to cry but you didn't. At least until you got home that wasn't with them. You had gotten your own apartment although Bloom's adoptive parents offered for you to stay since you were the one left out. You denied that offer.

You started to enjoy the simple life. You kept in contact with Faragonda yourself only. After this one battle, you noticed Ogron watching you leave and clearly not with the others.

Ogron had noticed how you clearly were left out of those girl's group. That really made him mad. For faires claiming to be good, they did not act like it. He remembered the first time he met them you had gotten hurt and they didn't even try to help you. He always helped his men even if they made him mad. They did that for each other.

You were sobbing in your bed at the small apartment you rented out. You hadn't detransformed. Ironically you didn't believe in yourself anymore. You were a fuck up.

"I'm just useless and I don't deserve to be this fairy Faragonda says I am." you cried. You just hugged your stuff bear. The winx doesn't know that you are planning on staying even after this mission is done.

"I don't think you're useless. I think you are strong." A voice said. It sounded familiar. You didn't look to see.

"Yes, I am. I don't have friends all because I let someone control me." You muttered.

"I would have never thought they were your friends before. They don't even seem to include you in anything." He said. You nodded and laughed bitterly.

"They aren't my friends anymore. In fact, they are strangers I'm forced to work with."

"No one is forced to work with people." He concluded. The person had sat at the end of your bed and was rubbing your back. "Honestly, there are better things you could use your abilities with." He added.

"Like what? Protect fairies who don't even want their guardian." She scoffed.

"Join me and my men." He said flatly. "We will make sure you are useful and cared for." You looked up hearing that. It was Ogron. You didn't even want to fight and didn't even seem like he wanted to.

"Don't you hate fairies?" You asked. He chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I just want to try to get revenge on earth fairies for what the queen did." He sighed. "Killed my men and stole my kid away."

"You had a child?"

"Yes, they are here somewhere on Gardenia. I don't want to harm them."

"I will help on one condition..."

"Anything you want we can do." He smiled and gently rubbed your tears away.

"I want to stay here and have a life." You included. He nodded.

"Anything for you my dear." He called you.

He ended up staying with you for the night and holding you. You just let your emotions out. You had passed out sleeping after an hour. You woke up with a note left.

'I wish I could have stayed but the girls were finding my daughter first. Meet me here my dear.' He said. You looked at your phone. No messages from them and you weren't surprised. You got yourself of bed and got dressed. You grabbed an apple and headed to the address. When you arrived the Winx girls didn't even notice. Ogron did.

"Hello dear, I see you saw the note." He said smiling at you. You blushed at the nickname and nodded.

"Yeah, I did." You replied going over to him. The girls watched in shock. You didn't even look at them.

"What are you doing?" Bloom asked you bitterly. You just laughed.

"Helping those who need it." You said blankly.

"But w-" Flora started and you stopped her.

"You NEVER needed me anymore. You can't forgive me for what happened and just will treat me like trash? Does that sound like you need me?" You asked. They just narrowed their eyes at you.

'Fine be like that." Stella said. You just stayed close to Ogron.

"Did you find your daughter?" You asked him. He nodded.

"Yes, I did. Roxy is her name and she is going to meet us soon."

"Us?"

"Of course, you can be a mother to her. After all, you are now a part of the family." He said. You just hugged him.

"Thank you," you whispered.

[interlagosed]

As per your request i humbly remind you to post your massage table hc

The first time it happens, Lando doesn't expect it. In fact, he doesn't expect to see Carlos in his driver's room when he opens the door at all. He screams, hand over his heart, and says, "Carlos, what the fuck-"

"Mind your language," Carlos replies, his voice muffled. That's when Lando realizes Carlos isn't just in his driver's room, he's on Lando's massage table, facedown, lanky arms draping off either side of the table. His polo shirt is slightly hiked up in the back, exposing a sliver of hairy back. Lando gawps for a moment, before regaining control of himself.

"Why are you here?" Lando demands, scowling. "You've got your own massage table, mate."

"I was looking for you," Carlos says, voice still muffled, though Lando can hear the smile on his face. Fucker.

"What for?" Lando grumbles, and then adds, "I was on the phone with my mum."

He doesn't know why he adds that. Carlos doesn't need to know. But then Carlos says, "Oh, how is she?" and Lando's glad he brought it up.

"She's good, yeah. She says hi."

That makes Carlos lift his face up from the table, and Lando's heart skips a beat at how stupid handsome he is. Carlos smiles.

"Good. Hello to her, also."

Why does he have to be nice on top of everything?

"A-anyway, don't change the subject," Lando says, trying to force steel into his voice. "Why were you looking for me?"

"I wanted to show you a video."

"You wanted to- we have texting powers," Lando says, laughing, but Carlos is already shaking his head.

"No, no. I have to see you seeing this. Lando, please. I must," he says, and rather than sitting up like a normal fucking human being, he scoots back, his eyes big and pleading, and turns onto his side. He pats the narrow space beside himself on the massage table.

Realization dawns. Flatly, willing his tone not to betray his anxiety, his- his- his stupid crush, on his stupid teammate, Lando explains, "I won't fit."

"You are very small," Carlos says, as though it were no matter.

Lando scowls, his heart beating faster. And then Carlos has the audacity to add, "And I will not let you fall."

Fuck. Son of a- fuck.

"Won't let me- you'll push me off!" Lando laughs, incredulous, but Carlos is shaking his head again.

"Me? Push you off? Never," he replies, aghast, but the effect is ruined when he wiggles his eyebrows and says, "except if you deserve it."

"Bye."

"Lando! Wait!" Carlos says, laughing, his hand reaching towards Lando. Lando rolls his eyes and steps closer, and then Carlos' hand is on his side briefly, then in his shirt, and Lando is frozen in place. "Please. Please. Just for a little bit, eh? I promise, I will not push you. Promise."

His hand. Why is it so warm, even through Lando's shirt?

Lando looks at Carlos' big, hairy hand. He follows the hair up Carlos' arm, where it disappears under the sleeve of his polo, stretched as it is by Carlos' bicep, and then he sees Carlos' face: open, good-natured, hopeful, god, so handsome.

He sighs and slips onto the massage table, and Carlos grins. "Thank you," he says, as though he has the right. He doesn't touch Lando as Lando lays down on his side. It's a tight fit, as Lando expected, and he nearly teeters over the edge-

But then Carlos' arm is around his waist in a flash, pulling him close. Lando gasps, and Carlos says, his voice gentle, "I told you, no? I won't let you fall."

Lando lets Carlos believe the gasp was about him almost falling. He hopes Carlos attributes the wild, certainly audible beating of Lando's heart to that, rather than to the proximity between them. There is no gap between their bodies. He feels Carlos' stomach, his chest, against his back. He can feel Carlos' chin just grazing the top of his head. He feels Carlos' fingers, steady, on his shirt; his pinky is just on Lando's skin, where his own polo hiked up slightly. The touch is searing, it's unbearable, it's-

The whole thing is perfect.

Then Carlos hands Lando his phone, commands him to hit play on the video he had been nursing for apparently nearly twenty minutes, and Lando can't help it: he laughs hysterically. Yes, the video's funny, but he laughs at all of it.

Before they know it, they've been watching stupid videos on Carlos' Instagram feed for nearly half an hour, tears in their eyes, laughing until their sides hurt, then laughing even harder as they both try to keep each other from falling off the massage table. There's one particularly precarious moment where the whole table seems at threat of tipping over, but Carlos pulls Lando half onto himself, trying to rebalance everything, and it works. Their giggles subside, then; Carlos seems to realize at the same time as Lando just how...how they are. And they look at each other, residual mirth still carved into their faces, and it's a long moment. Then, then, Carlos' eyes crinkle as he begins to quote a stupid line from the first stupid video he showed Lando, and they're laughing all over again, loud and outrageous.

That's how Charlotte finds them, and even the annoyance and frustration on her face as she tells them how late they are for what they were meant to be doing isn't enough to make them stop laughing.

So, the next time Lando sees Carlos on his massage table, he just grins, closes the door behind himself, and says, "How long have we got?" before hopping up onto the table to let Carlos take his waist again.

For safety, of course.

[teaberrii]

Chapter 19: Something to Hide

After ending a five-year relationship, you pour all your energy into work. Your latest assignment? Staying at a popular bed-and-breakfast to gather information. It should be a piece of cake... If only the owner isn't the man you scolded on the street.

Jing Yuan/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

“Sounds like now isn’t a good time.”

He must've heard the overlapping conversations. You look over your shoulder where Yanqing is eating with the rest of the kids. You face forward and walk to a quieter part of the yard.

“What do you want?”

"A chat. One that will work to your advantage. I know all about your little detective games, but you should stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. It won't do you any good."

"I don't know how much you know," you say flatly. "But, it sure sounds like you're scared of us finding out more, which means you have a lot to hide, don't you?"

He quietly scoffs. "As I said, let's have a chat… and you'll see why. It's about your dear 'ol Jing Yuan. Tell me... How much has he really told you about himself?"

This man’s bluffing. He’ll say anything and everything just to get the upper hand. You should know after all that you found out.

“You haven’t known each other for very long,” he continues. 

Someone tugs at your shirt, and you look down and see Yanqing.

“...I'll give you until tonight to think about it.”

Then, the line goes dead.

You lift the phone away from your ear, and then Yanqing asks:

“Who was that?”

You give him a small, tight smile as you slip your phone into your pocket. “No one. Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh… Okay. Well, I saved you some food!”

You follow Yanqing back to the table, determined not to let the conversation get the best of you. But you can still hear that man’s voice in the back of your mind:

“...Tell me... How much has he really told you about himself?”

You’re eating the food Yanqing got you when one of the moms comes up beside you. “I’ve never seen you around here before… Where are you from?”

“The city.”

You’re about to take a bite of a mini bread roll when she asks, “Is that where you met Jing Yuan?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Oh, well, it’s just… he met his ex-wife in the city through a mutual friend. I was so shocked it didn’t work out. They were such a loving couple, and—”

“You seem to be very interested in his life.”

"Ah, well…" You know she's uncomfortable when she breaks the awkward eye contact. "He seems like a great guy, and—"

"He is."

"Oh, I didn't mean that he wasn't! We were classmates, you know. We pretty much grew up together. And I just..." She gets the hint when you go back to eating your food without even looking at her anymore. You hear her walk away, and then you take a bite of your food.

“Hey.” Seels walks up to you with a small plate of her own. “Hope you still have some of your sanity left.”

“I’d rather deal with the kids than the parents if I’m being honest,” you mutter.

Seele chuckles. “Pros and cons to both.” She subtly nods at the woman who has just spoken to you. “Was she asking you about Jing Yuan?”

“How did you know?”

"She likes to brag that she was classmates with him. Weird flex, considering he's not a celebrity, and all of us pretty much know him."

“Yeah, well, it’s cause he’s rich.” You turn to the other side and see Bronya sipping orange juice from a wine glass. “Don’t judge.”

“Where can I get one?”

Bronya chuckles. “Comin’ right up.” She puts her glass on the counter.

"I want one, too," Seele says.

Just then, you feel your phone buzz inside your pocket.

General: I’m on my way.

"Jing Yuan's coming?" Seele asks just as Bronya returns with two wine glasses and a tub of orange juice.

“Yeah.”

“Well, the man’s got fifteen minutes before the party’s officially over,” Bronya says, filling the glasses.

Once she passes you a glass, you ask, “Do you mind if I ask how the two of you met?”

"We were at the same orphanage." Well, you aren't expecting that. "We met when we were like… seven in Xianzhou. Got adopted by different families."

"We went our separate ways for years before we somehow ended up working at the same company together," Seele says.

“That definitely sounds like fate,” you say.

“We didn’t know at first,” Bronya says, chuckling. “We even got off on the wrong foot.”

"She accused me of the one stealing snacks from the lounge." Seele rolls her eyes. "Proved my innocence later by presenting evidence."

“How did you two end up back here?”

"We were caught up in the massive layoffs that one year." Bronya finishes her orange juice. "The job market was hell on earth, and after months of looking we just… stopped."

“To clarify, we thought that taking a mental break would help us get our energy back,” Seele says. “So, we came up here for vacation. Loved it. And thought…”

“Hey, why don’t we start a business together?”

“And that’s how we started a mechanic business.”

“Just like that?" you ask. "Wow. What a jump! From corporate to mechanic.”

"I work on the vehicles," Bronya says. Then, she nods toward Seele. "She does all the business and administrative stuff. It really was an interesting jump," Bronya says, "but it was related. Our last job was with a company producing electric cars."

“Still…” You and Bronya turn to Seele who’s looking at the counter. “There are times when I miss the corporate life though.”

“I called her crazy,” Bronya whispers to you. “There’s so much freedom in running your own business and doing your own thing.”

"I never said it was bad," Seele says. "Just… It felt pretty daunting in the beginning. But after things settled down, we adopted Clara, and continued hustling from there."

"Um… How did you cope with that, if I may ask? You know... the insecurity and uncertainty in the beginning?"

Bronya looks at you curiously, but it's Seele who asks, "Is this just out of curiosity or are you looking for advice?"

The sound of the doorbell echoes throughout the house.

"That must be our guest of honour," Bronya says loudly. "Didn't all you people want to see Jing Yuan?"

Some kids and parents follow Seele to the door.

As soon as she opens the door, she says, “Good to see you, Jing Yuan.”

“I hope I’m not too late.” He holds up a small present. “I thought Clara might like this.”

“Dad!”

“Hi, Jing Yuan!”

You watch as some kids surround him like he’s a celebrity. He affectionately ruffles Yanqing's hair and politely greets everyone else before his eyes land on you.

Seele gestures for Clara to come up. "Come look at what Uncle Jing Yuan got you, Clara."

Jing Yuan crouches as Clara shyly walks up to him. “U-Um, hello.”

“Happy birthday, Clara.”

She takes the gift with both hands and says, “T-Thank you.”

"Why are you suddenly so shy?" Seele asks, putting her hand on Clara's shoulder. "You've seen him plenty of times."

Clara looks up at her mom and quietly says, “...But not this close.”

Seele laughs. “And what does he look like up close?”

Clara is looking down when she quietly says, “...Handsome.” Then, she quickly runs off with some of the kids, including Yanqing, running after her.

Jing Yuan stands as Seele says, “Thanks for the gift.” She laughs. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Everyone else starts walking back into the living room, but Jing Yuan walks with you. You’re itching to bring up what Caelus’s uncle said to you, but now isn’t the time nor the place. So, you do your best to shrug off the thought before it eats you alive.

◆◆◆

“He wouldn’t kill someone.” March scrolls to the next page and continues her dramatic reading of Welt’s manuscript. “I’ve known him far longer than you have, my dear. The detective that you’ve grown to love… Has a dark side eating away at him every. Single. Day…” She looks up. “The periods really give it that extra oomph.”

The trio are sitting in their cabin living room, taking a rest day as it's forecasted to rain. Almost thirty minutes ago, it had been just March and Dan Feng. They were playing a board game as their friends were holed up in their rooms. Welt—with his laptop—was the first to emerge from his den and had asked his friends to read the latest plot twist in his novel.

"So, what comes next?" Dan Feng asks. "Don't tell me our Ms. Femme Fatale is just going to leave our ace detective after all they've been through."

“Yeah, don’t leave us hanging, Welt!”

Welt takes his laptop from March and puts it on the table. “The story will get there.”

Dan Feng has a little smile when he asks, "Is that code for 'Sorry, guys. I have no idea what's next. Still figuring that out?"

“No spoilers.”

"Whatever it is… I just need a happy ending!" Then, March sees Dan Heng coming downstairs. "Look who decided to come out of hibernation. What have you been doing all morning?"

“...Researching schools.”

Welt and March glance at each other before looking at Dan Feng. Ever since lunch with you and Jing Yuan, March hasn’t seen the brothers talk. When Welt noticed something was wrong, March explained what had happened.

"Have you decided on one?" Then, Dan Heng says the name of the most prestigious university in the nation. "Why am I not surprised?" March asks.

“Go big or go home,” Welt adds. “But, they’d be crazy not to take you.”

"I've already started my application," Dan Heng says, opening the fridge to grab a bottle of water. "Hopefully, I can make it for their winter semester."

Dan Heng has just closed the fridge when his brother asks:

"How long is the program?"

Silence.

He looks around the room. "What? Everyone else is allowed to ask questions but me?"

“Two years, part-time. One year, full-time.” Dan Heng walks over. “...Is there a date for your surgery?”

“It’d be around the same time you start your semester… if you get in.”

March sighs. “Why can’t you two just hug it out like real men?”

“Oh, I don’t know, March. Maybe it’s cause my brother has cooties.”

Dan Heng sits next to Welt. “...What’s going on between you two?”

March and Dan Feng look at each other. “What do you mean?” she asks.

Welt closes his laptop. "I sensed it, too. Something seems… different about you two."

“Oh, I get it.” March’s quick laugh turns into a deadpan look. “I might’ve gotten a few wrinkles because this guy”—she hits Dan Feng’s leg—”is like an adult child who can’t take care of himself.”

“Me? Are you sure you’re not talking about yourself?”

Dan Heng sighs. “Why can’t you two just hug it out like a real couple?”

March and Dan Feng turn to him with an appalled look.

“Why is your face turning red, March?” Welt asks.

"It's not!"

Dan Heng and Welt smile at each other.

Then, March quickly stands. "...I'm going out to buy some drinks before it really starts to pour." She walks beside Welt. "Come with me."

“Me? Uh, okay.” Welt stands and looks at the brothers. “Want us to get you anything?”

“Skittles frappucinno.”

March looks slightly disgusted at Dan Feng's request. "What in the world is that? Sounds like diabetes in a cup."

“It’s you if you were a drink.”

“...Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Welt asks quietly.

“Anything for the cooler brother?” March asks, looking at Dan Heng and Dan Feng almost rolls his eyes.

“I’m good.”

“Well, shoot a text if you want us to get you anything.”

Then, Welt and March are out the door.

After a short silence, Dan Heng says, “...I understand why you’re upset. I would be, too, but—”

“I get it.” Dan Feng isn’t looking at his brother. “I’d hate it if you forced yourself to do something you don’t want to do. Everyone suffers that way.” A small pause. “...I’ll cheer you on.”

“...And I’ll do the same for you.”

“Cheer me on for what? Recovery?” Dan Feng waves his hand dismissively. “If you’re going to do that, might as well be my butler while I recover.”

“Are you sure you don’t want that job to go to March?”

“Listen, that girl will probably be flying to a different country this same time next year.”

“...Is that why you want to stay friends with her?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about,” Dan Heng says as his brother looks away. Then, Dan Heng stands. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”  He walks to the kitchen but stops halfway and looks over his shoulder. “...I know you aren’t looking for advice, but I’m going to say it for March’s sake. Talk to her. At least, there’ll be no misunderstandings.”

Dan Heng knows his brother likes to poke fun at his advice, but this time he remains silent.

◆◆◆

Yanqing is asleep in the backseat when Jing Yuan is driving back to the bed and breakfast.

“...Caelus’s uncle called me today,” you say, after making sure Yanqing’s still asleep.

“What did he want?”

“A chat. He didn’t go into details… No surprise there. But, he mentioned you.” A small pause. “...He asked me how well I really knew you, and how much you told me about yourself.”

You don’t know, but there’s a quiet anger that’s bubbling beneath Jing Yuan’s calm exterior. Maybe he shouldn’t be surprised that Caelus’s uncle is trying to interfere with his relationship.

“I obviously know better than to just believe him, but I admit it’s been bothering me and…”

“...It’s what he wants.” Jing Yuan takes your hand that’s resting on your lap. “...And, I think I know what he’s going to say.”

You turn to him, surprised. Hang on. Does this mean there is a secret? Neither of you gets a chance to say anything when Yanqing yawns.

“What did I miss?” he asks sleepily.

“Nothing.”

Yanqing looks from you to Jing Yuan but doesn’t say anything and looks out the window. Then, your phone buzzes, and you pull it out.

Have you decided?

You glance at Jing Yuan, and then another message comes.

Time's ticking.

You had to resist blocking this number.

“This is getting fucking ridiculous,” you mutter.

“What is it?”

Jing Yuan pulls up to the bed and breakfast, and Yanqing asks, “Are we walking Mom back?”

You turn around and put on your best smile. “Shall we go?”

Once Jing Yuan parks the car and all of you step out, Yanqing goes on ahead. You quickly show Jing Yuan the ominous text, and he says:

“...I’m going to call him.”

There’s an anger in his voice that you cannot explain. A lion ready to pounce. A dragon awakening. Whatever it is, it’s reflected in his glare.

It doesn’t take long for the line to go through.

“What’s taking so long?” You quickly walk up to Yanqing, preventing him from getting close enough to hear the heated conversation. “...Why does Dad look so angry?”

You crouch and gently turn Yanqing’s head toward you. “Don’t worry. He’s dealing with a customer.”

“O-Oh…”

“Everything will be fine. Trust Mom, okay?”

Yanqing slowly nods and hugs you.

When you hear footsteps approaching you, you turn and see Jing Yuan. But, another voice comes:

“Yanqing.”

You stand upright as Jing Yuan’s ex and her fianceé walk up to you. Yanqing looks from his birth mother to you and back to her.

Her fianceé looks at Jing Yuan. “...Wasn't expecting to see you here, but thanks for taking care of that problem earlier.”

Problem?

You turn to him, and Jing Yuan says, “A guest was causing issues for everyone else.”

Then, his ex looks at you. “...Has he contacted you yet?”

"So, you were the one who gave him my number," you say flatly. 

“Wow. What’s going on?” March and Welt are walking together, and as they get closer, you see Welt carrying a small bag of drinks. “This can’t be a family outing, right?”

"What did he want with you?" Jing Yuan asks his ex. "...Just her number?"

March and Welt glance at each other, and then she leans over. “Hey, Yanqing, let’s leave them with the boring adult talk.” She reaches into the bag and pulls out a snack. “Let’s eat on our way back.”

Yanqing runs to March and says, “Oh, but I’m not hungry. I just came from a birthday party.” “A birthday party? Whose?”

March and Yanqing start walking ahead, and Welt follows close behind.

Jing Yuan’s ex looks at him. “Yes. That was all he asked about.”

“...Why are you asking?”

Her fianceé had just come out of the bathroom, and he saw her on the phone.

“We’re on the same side,” Caelus’s uncle said.

She knew it was a dumb question, but she still had to ask:

“What are you going to do?”

“Is it just me, or does it sound like you’re worried about your ex’s girlfriend? That’s a rare sight amongst women.” Then, a soft chuckle. “I’m not going to do anything to her if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m going to put an end to this once and for all.”

By turning you against Jing Yuan?

Jing Yuan has the same thoughts when he says, "He's threatening me and aiming to put her in a difficult position." Then, his sharp gaze lands on his ex. “He’s also going to get you involved.”

“Me…? With what? What could he possibly threaten you with? Don’t tell me it has something to do with Yanqing.”

“No.” Jing Yuan looks at her. “And for Yanqing’s sake, you won’t go along with whatever he says because it’ll end up destroying all of us.”

You slide your hand in his, and Jing Yuan turns to you. It’s written all over your face. Worry. Frustration. Confusion. Only he has the answers, and as much as he doesn’t want to hide anything from you, a part of him is afraid of what you will think after he tells you more about his past. Will you blame him just like he once blamed himself? Will you turn your back on him and walk away?

“I heard my name.”

“Geez, Yanqing,” you hear March say as she runs towards the group. “Don’t go running off like that!” Welt is walking behind her.

“They're too slow!” Yanqing turns toward his dad. “What are you talking about?”

You and Jing Yuan glance at each other, and then you say, “We... were talking about how we’re going to take you on vacation with us. March was the one who suggested it.”

March points to herself with mild confusion.

Jing Yuan nods. “It got postponed because Dan Feng went to see Luocha about his shoulder.”

“Ah!" March makes a fist and hits it against her palm. "Yeah, that’s right.”

Yanqing looks from March to Jing Yuan and then to you. “...A vacation? Really?”

“You don’t believe us?” you ask.

“It didn’t sound like you were talking about a vacation.”

The fianceé sighs. “It’s because we wanted to spend time with you.”

You and Jing Yuan turn to him, surprised that he’s playing along.

“...That’s right,” the ex adds. She crouches and puts her hands on her son’s shoulders. “...I miss you, Yanqing. I miss spending time with you.”

He steps back, and the hurt is obvious on her face. But, it’s only for a moment.

“...You're just saying that to get me to go back to the city. But, I don’t want to go back,” he says, not looking at her. “Not forever.”

She exhales softly and asks, “...Are you happy, Yanqing? Are you happy with Jing Yuan and…” She looks at you. “...Her?”

"Yes!" A small pause. “You keep saying that you want to keep me in the city because of my future… but I’m happy right now.”

“...While it’s important to think about the future, it’s just as if not more important to cherish the present.”

March gently nudges Welt. “Stop trynna act all philosophical.”

Jing Yuan’s ex sighs. “...Alright. I understand. But, if you ever change your mind… you know that Mom’s door is always open." A small pause. "Can I get a hug?”

Yanqing takes one step forward, hesitates for a moment, but then walks up and hugs her.

“Is it just me, or did this turn in a direction we never saw coming?” March asks quietly.

“...Just let it be,” you whisper, and Jing Yuan nods.

Eventually, you, Jing Yuan, and Yanqing are walking together towards your cabin. Occasionally, Yanqing runs ahead, leaving you and Jing Yuan at the back.

Jing Yuan’s hand finds yours, and as you turn to him, he says:

“...About what I said earlier, Caelus’s uncle wants you to pick a side."

Your breath gets caught in your throat, and you tighten your grip around his hand. “About that… You said earlier that he’s going to try to put me in a difficult position. What… What did you mean? What’s going on?”

“...Before I left my position as Director, I had a friend interested in taking over my position.”

Jing Yuan and his friend from university were finally catching up on life. His friend had invited him over, and the two men were currently seated adjacent to each other. But what Jing Yuan thought was a reunion between two friends quickly turned into a conversation that would haunt him.

“...So, you’re leaving your company,” he said.

“That’s right.”

His friend cleared his throat. “Have they decided on who’s going to take your place?” He awkwardly scratched his head. " I’m actually looking for another job, and, well…” He didn’t need to go on for Jing Yuan to know where this was going. “...Okay, I’m just going to say it. Could you, well, could you refer and put in a good word for me? That’s allowed, right? Because…”

The rest fell on deaf ears as his friend rambled on and on about how he needed this job, but Jing Yuan didn’t need to hear more because…

“You wouldn’t want to be there.”

His friend stopped talking. “Why not?”

Jing Yuan sighed. “It’s… not as clean as you’d think if you know what I mean.”

“...Are people making up numbers or something?” Then, he lowered his voice. “Is the company losing money? Is that the real reason why you’re leaving?”

“No,” Jing Yuan answered flatly. “There are practices that you wouldn’t want to abide by.”

“...Please, Jing Yuan.” This was a response that Jing Yuan wasn’t expecting. “I… could really use the help.”

Your heart is slowly sinking to your stomach as you listen.

“...I told him the consequences,” Jing Yuan says. “But, he was desperate because of his family’s financial situation.”

“Did you refer him?”

Your phone buzzes. You and Jing Yuan glance at each other before you take out your phone. It buzzes again. Now, you have a message from Kafka and Herta with the same worrying content:

CEO of The Knights B&B accused of ruining a man’s life nearly a decade later

Chapter 20

End notes:

We've finally reached the climax. I was going to end this with a cute little scene where Jing Yuan asks Yanqing if he wants to give you a goodnight kiss. But I decided on this instead.

I think I should just make the grand finalé with someone giving Caelus's uncle a good 'ol punch to the face. Man gets arrested and call it a day LOL

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @lxry-chxn @seirenspinel @immahuman @queencybow @nqctre @grimreapersscythe @winterpein @asakenajustexistshere @sunsethw4

[shrenvents]

Pattern

Chapter Seven of the Miracle Aligner Series

Alex's POV

"Last night got a hold of me, I can't wrestle free from my head."

"Sunlight banging on the wall, begging me for more."

"Jesus man, at least give us a name of the miracle worker behind these lyrics." Zach boasts and I scoff.

"Leave him be mate," Miles lightly reprimands, smiling from ear to ear. I shake my head at both of them and Miles smacks my back. His hand remains where it hit as he leans towards my ear. "But really, give her our thanks," Miles whispers suggestively and I instantly recoil. He guffaws.

I slide the guitar strap from my shoulder and stroll into the studio's break room. 

Truthfully, I can't blame the boys for prying. Considering that the music we've been producing as of late has been some of my best. Something about it is just different, and it's becoming rather ominous...

As I sip on my coffee, I contemplate all the ways I could've said goodnight to Jennie yesterday, that would've been far more charming than snogging at her doorstep. 

"Mr. Turner!" A perky voice interrupts my obsessive thoughts. I shift towards the voice, which belongs to a fairly tall woman. "Hello?"

"Sorry," she giggles softly, raising her hand apologetically, then extending it to me for a handshake, which I awkwardly accept. "Amy Winslow, I'm one of the owners of this establishment." My mouth opens in an 'ah,' and I nod in acknowledgement. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Winslow." "No, please call me Amy." She smiles brightly and I squint at her overlined, hot-pink lipstick.  She continues, "Zach let me in to hear your work, I'm very impressed!" She claps her hands, "It must be difficult for you to write a bad song." I quirk my head slightly at her comment, befuddled. "Oh! That was a compliment, Alex." My mouth makes another 'ah,' and I choose to ignore her suddenly addressing me by my first name. 

"Ah, sorry," I shake my head, "I'm a little out of it today."

"That's alright," she says beaming. "I was hoping we could discuss your new record over lunch?" My gaze moves from my mug back to her. "Of course, the others were invited, but they resigned to continue working," Amy exclaims without a hint of sadness, pausing momentarily in thought. "But I believe their lead should take a well-deserved break," she announces decidedly, leaving no room for disagreement. Reluctantly, I respond, "Um, where to?"

...

Jennie's POV

"Jennie! Hoe!" "Excuse me?" My brows furrow and I rise from my desk. As I open my bedroom door, Maggie appears, front and center. "What the fuck," she states flatly, and my brow knit together. "What now Magpie?" I sigh, "Whatever it is, I gotta do the itinerary for-"

Being cut off by Maggie is nothing new, but the picture she shoves in my face certainly is. "What the fuck." I snatch her phone with both hands, bringing it so close to my eyes that it nearly presses against my nose.

There he is, side by side with a tall, in my opinion, flashy, blond woman. "Was he not with you, like, yesterday?" Maggie practically shouts in her confusion. "He's not with her, with her -- is he?" I ask, betraying my typical nonchalantness.

Analyzing the paparazzi photo, I relax slightly when I see the distance between them, and their lack of physical contact. "No way!" Maggie shouts again, "I read your texts, he's way too into you." "You read our texts?" Maggie ignores my question as she begins to pace. "Oh, but you know how rockstars are man..."

"Maggie." I huff and she whirls around the room, mumbling nonsense. "Maggie!" "There's no way! But god! Look at the caption." I scroll up and read aloud, "Frontman Alex Turner seen out on a date with beautiful philanthropist, Amy Winslow."

"ORGGDH!" Maggie's overly dramatic gags are the last straw, and I whip her phone at her. "Owie!" She whimpers, then grumbles, "I'm just saying girl, 'beautiful' is a stretch." I shake my head disapprovingly, "Just shut it, Mag's. It doesn't matter." I turn away to hide my visible disappointment. "It was one date, and it's not like we're exclusive."

"Doesn't matter?" She huffs. "Doesn't matter?!" I compose myself before spinning to look at Maggie. Her wild eyes carry both anger and pity, and I hate it. 

"We have to call him." "What?" Now it's my turn to shout. "Just ask him if they're-" "No way!" I practically whine like a kid. "Oh come on Jen! Communication is key babes!"

I know she's right, and I know she can tell exactly what I'm thinking. How vulnerable it would be to ask him, what I would be admitting to him by doing so, and how that's something I would never do.

"Where's your phone." Maggie's deadpan makes my blood run cold. "No." Disregarding my reply, she begins moving around my room, slowly building an aggressive search for my phone. "M, stop! Oh my god, you psycho!" I holler, completely panicked.

"I'm not letting you fuck this up!" Maggie yells hysterically, "You like him Jen!" "I barely know him!" "Don't give me that bullshit, Jennie, give me the damn phone, for fucks sake." Her eyes trail away from my heated stare, and I follow as they focus on my bedside table, regarding the black object underneath my book. Her eyes then pop back to mine, and we freeze in unison, unmoving.

After a beat, we both leap at my bedside table, flopping on my bed, tossing around, fighting one another, trying to stop each other from reaching my phone.

"Mag's, I swear to god!"

"Ah HA!" She takes hold of it, whilst making my pillows, and my books go flying. As she scrambles as far away from me as possible, tapping on my phone, I fall flat on my back.

Then she abruptly goes immobile, face dropping in horror.

"Shit."

"What? What!" I scatter to my feet, dread filling my entire being.

"I accidentally sent..."

"Sent what Mag's?" Voicelessly, she looks up while turning the phone screen towards me. I nearly scream.

Maggie accidentally sent the paparazzi photo of Alex and the blond, to him.

"What the actual fuckkkk!" I shout, "How do you just accidentally do that?" "I know, I know, I can fix it!" Maggie exclaims, with her fake, optimistic smile, not quite meeting her eyes. "I'll just unsend the message!" She pauses, "Except, he's already seen it." "What?" "Just now, he saw it." Maggie states flatly. "I'm sorry Jen, I'm such an idiot."

I look away from her, observing my blank wall. "Well, it's done now." I yell as adrenaline racks through my body, shifting to look at her sorrowful expression again. Her shaky hands clasp onto the phone again. "He's typing."

I shove my palms into my knotted hair, almost ripping it out at the roots. "Anything yet?" I ask after a moment. "N-not yet." Maggie stammers. "Not yet?" I next to growl. Grabbing the phone from her hands, I watch those three dots taunt me. Maggie moves to my side in the meantime. "What's taking him so long." She mumbles, still seemingly afraid of the potential repercussions of her actions.

7:47 p.m. Alex Alexander: She's the owner of the studio I'm recording at. She asked to grab lunch to discuss work.That's all. I swear it.

Maggie lets out a hefty breath of relief, but I continue to read his message over and over.

Suddenly my phone lets out a ring and buzzes in my hands, which makes me and Maggie jump. We gasp at Alex's caller ID as it consumes my screen. "Are you gonna answer the call?" Maggie mutters, eyes training on me.

"I don't know." I bite my lip. "Why's he calling anyways, I saw the damn message." "Cause you haven't responded, and it's been almost ten minutes since he's sent it." Maggie watches me intently. "Jen, are you good?" I shrug her concern away, "I'm fine. I just..." "Like him, and that's okay." She finishes, "He couldn't wait a second longer for you to respond, because he likes you too." My eyes shoot to Maggie's. "Pick it up, take a chance."

Though her words are vague, I know what she's trying to say. "But, you know my pattern M. It won't end well." "In my book, patterns are meant to be broken," is all she says before leaving my room.

8:02 p.m. Alex Alexander: Believe me Jennie. I'm not seeing anybody else, and I don't want to see anyone but you. Please talk to me.

I inhale deeply before clicking the call button. He instantly picks up and my heart pounds. "Jennie?" I listen to his irregular intake of breath. "Jennie, love, say something." "I'm not jealous," is all I can muster, and I wanna die. He sighs. "Of course, I would never assume you were." "Course." Silence envelops the call, and I almost draw blood from my bottom lip.

"Jennie, if you were jealous - as amazing as that would be - I still wouldn't want that, because there is absolutely nothing to be jealous of. We just met today and-" "Well, I'm not so -- whatever," I snap. "Good," He mutters, and his dark tone so close to my ear makes me shudder. I look to the ceiling as I take a seat on the edge of my bed. "Good." A low chuckle echoes through the speaker. "Welp, I'm hanging up now," I declare.

"Wait don't!" Alex stammers out while my finger hovers over the red button. "Why?" "Why?" He quietly laughs again, "Because Red, I want to talk to you." "What?" He lets out an exasperated chuckle. "Don't sound so alarmed, darling. I had a lovely time yesterday." "Hmm, I'm sure you did." I grin, "Player." "Wow, I'm a player now?" I can hear his smile through the phone now. "I do prefer that statement, than the reality where I'm a blabbering fool." "That makes one of us." I retort. Shit. "Oh really? You like it when I'm all over you huh?" "Duh." Double shit. The line goes quiet, and my body floats backwards, dissolving into my mattress.

"Jennie... Can I come over?" I jolt upright. "No! Manwhore!" My fingers slam down on my phone, ending the call. I gasp at my hasty action, dropping my phone, and clasping my right hand over my gaping mouth.

A familiar buzz makes me release my lips and peer down to see Alex's caller ID. "Hello?" I say nervously as I answer the call. "Darling, may I come see you." After a long beat of silence, I exhale loudly, "Sure, but we aren't sleeping together."

"Of course."

Chapter Eight