#and i'll figure something else out after that.

[dreamsteddie]

There is an AITA out there that I can't find but it's been haunting me for weeks with visions of semi-angsty Steddie that I need to release onto the world. (If anyone happens to know what I'm talking about hit me up and I'll link it)

Edit: @jazzathebunny found the original AITA from Reddit linked Here for anyone who wants to read it. I'm definitely not doing exactly the same premise but this was my jumping off point 😊

Part Two! ------

Modern AU, Eddie and the guys are a moderately successful local band in the Chicago area playing gigs on the weekends and doing small tours whenever they all have the time. Gareth and Jeff are both in college while Eddie and Freak are both working part-time at a game store. Eddie managed to lock down that assistant manager position that lets him work 30 hours a week with weekends off for gigs. All in all, it's a pretty sweet deal and they can't complain.

Eddie had sworn off dating after a small handful of disastrous relationship attempts in their first year in the city. He dismisses any advances from people who attend their shows and tries not to think about how much he wants to make a genuine connection with someone and have something real. He's been burned one too many times to try and make something with someone he met in a bar or at work.

He knows the guys talk about it behind his back sometimes, he catches Jeff and Gareth fervently whispering to each other and stopping when they catch him entering the room one time too many to not suspect they're talking about him and he can't think of anything else going on in his life that they would feel the need to whisper about.

The fervent conversations take a slight uptick one day and about a week and a half after they do, Gareth hits him up and tells him he wants to set Eddie up with a guy from one of his classes. At first, Eddie is skeptical and cites all the reasons why he doesn't want to try with anyone right now but eventually, Jeff jumps in to plea the case and Freak jumps in on top of that and under the combined weight of his best friends he agrees to meet up with this Steve guy.

The guys set up the whole thing and before Eddie knows it it's Saturday night and he's wearing his best black jeans and a gray button-down, untucked, to go on an honest to God blind date like his life is some low-budget romcom.

Steve is not at all what Eddie thought he would be. Not the kind of guy he thought his friends would pick out for him given they know he usually goes for other alternatives like himself. Steve, who is shyly waving him over and getting out of his seat to great him, is the very epitome of prep. Well-fitted polo, light blue chinos, and what Eddie assumes this guy thinks are casual loafers. He's handsome to be sure, a 12/10 at least with perfect hair and defined biceps but Eddie is fairly sure he's being punked.

But, Eddie doesn't want to be rude so he goes to meet Steve at the table, confirming just in case that he's actually here to meet with a guy named Eddie. Steve gives him a bit of a confused look, saying that Gareth showed him a couple pictures of Eddie before he agreed to meet and figured he'd done the same for Eddie off Steve's Instagram. Gareth had, in fact, not done anything of the sort but they both dismiss it and get on with their date.

In all honesty, Eddie is expecting it to be a complete wash, but it turns out that even if Steve is not at all what Eddie would have previously said what his type, Steve is damn near perfect. He's funny, kind, a little bitchy, and even though he proves himself to be every bit the sports nerd he looks like he doesn't turn his nose up at Eddie's own much more classically nerdy interests. By the end of the date, Eddie has a new type and that type is Steve Harrington. He's quick to lock down a second date for the next weekend which Steve happily agrees to. They exchange numbers and Steve gives Eddie a chaste kiss on the cheek that has him floating all the way home.

Steve texted him that next morning letting him now he had a great time and is really looking forward to their next date and Eddie thinks this might be the start of something big for him. When he gets to practice he's clearly still floating on cloud nine and in his own little world designing their marriage invitations and matching tombstones so he doesn't notice the sly grins on his bandmates' faces.

"So...how'd it go last night? Everything you dreamed it would be?" Gareth asks, a strange glint in his eyes that Eddie doesn't clock.

Eddie goes on and on about how nice Steve was and how he might be The One, thanking Gareth profusely. Freak looks pleased for him, giving him a hard pat on the shoulder in congratulations but when Eddie finally tunes back into the real world he's greeted by Gareth's livid expression and Jeff's overly concerned one.

He asks the guys what the fuck is up and it turns out that Gareth and Jeff set this whole thing up as a prank of sorts. Eddie was never supposed to hit it off with Steve who Gareth selected specifically because he's a "totally brain-dead prep" and as far away as someone could get from Eddie's previous relationships. He was supposed to be someone Eddie could go on a date with and not form a connection with without getting completely burned at the end like all his previous relationships in the hopes of getting him out of his slump.

Jeff was in on it as well. He wanted to get Eddie back out there, so when Gareth presented the plan he sat in on a couple of Gareth's general credit business class sessions to help pick the guy out.

After Jeff and Gareth finish explaining he does a complete 180 and just...leaves. In any other situation, he would be raging and verbally tearing his friends a new asshole but instead, he completely disengages and walks out the garage door, ignoring his friends' shouts to come back.

He goes back home, socked and hurt and so very confused about how the hell he found himself in this position when his phone lights up.

New Message: Steve H.

Fuck.

-------

Part two coming soon??? Maybe???? We'll see.

[rnadett]

Here is your Big Fat Hero- Cailtyn 'defender' post

I somehow get that you think Caitlyn went too far, but so did the fandom. A lot of you talk about her as a 'dictator' and compare her use of The Grey to make her sound like Hitler, it seems people forget that she purposely used it only on her targets, not on civilians or all of Zaun. In fact, she even did a bit of a favor for Zaunites in the long term.

So let’s start analyzing the important aspects in a somewhat objective way. (Don’t mind my profile picture—I promise I'll try to be objective… or maybe not, who knows?)

EVEN after her mother died, Caitlyn still tried to protect the innocent in Zaun and tried to convincing the council not to start an invasion.

She even disagreed with Vi’s opinion on using the gauntlet (Hextech as a weapon), which we saw when she discussed it with Jayce.

This was her last scene before the attack on the memorial.

After that, we can clearly see how much it affected her; it fueled her anger (Good job, Ambessa—a true politician! No wonder Mel learned from her - except she is using it for better reasons). Yet, her anger wasn’t directed at civilians or all of Zaun.

Even then, she managed to call off the invasion, which she didn’t support in the first place. And after the attack, Vi talked her down in just two minutes—a point that hasn’t gotten enough credit, especially since it was her mother’s memorial.

This scene is also telling: there’s a storm brewing inside her, and while she wants to do the right thing, like protecting innocents from war, events escalate too quickly for her to reason through them and find a solution alone. Vi staying as her only remaining pillar in all this madness.

But yeah, her anger hasn’t faded just jet, but with Vi, they found an alternative—morally gray, but still better than risking a massacre between Zaun and Piltover.

And this is what they did. In the clip at the beginning of Episode 3, we see that they targeted ONLY gang members, not civilians in Zaun. I need to mention this a few times because there's already a misconception that Caitlyn and Vi are targeting or harming civilians.

But if you look at every frame, you’ll only see them going after gang members responsible for suffering and exploitation—Margot's and Chross's gangs, for example.

Oh, and let’s not forget, these were the people Isha was running from in the first place. A children!

So, Overall, this is just a continuation of what Vi tried to do in Season 1, but now with Caitlyn instead of Jayce (or alone).

So why does Caitlyn get all the blame?

As I see it, these actions were not hers alone; Vi was part of it too. In fact, this was Vi’s original plan (except the Jinx part, of course).

So, the point of my post is this: Yes, Caitlyn is heading in a bad direction, and killing—even gang members— with gas isn’t a good thing. But at this point, she and Vi haven’t harmed innocents. Despite how it looks, at least these actions prevent more innocent children, like Isha, from being harmed. Another question is where things will go now that Caitlyn has pushed Vi away (which I think was her only truly wrong action in Act 1).

Now Ambessa has taken Vi's place (in meaning of influence, not in any other way you little pervert) , and rather than calming her, Ambessa will fuel Caitlyn’s anger, grief, and self-hatred even more.

Oh my god, I love this scene. You can see the micro-expression on Ambessa's face, how satisfied she is, knowing how good she’s pulling the strings so far.

But I think we all feel that this match is far from over.

I also leave this here:

In the end, though, I believe that Caitlyn, no matter who’s currently influencing her, will have to decide her own path and who she truly is—without relying on anyone else. Even if we love her with Vi, this is something she needs to figure out ALONE.

Anyway, I might have written more in detail if Tumblr didn’t have a 10-image/post limit. Maybe I’ll make another post about the things I left out or would have expanded on.

[witchthewriter]

𝐃𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 🐦‍⬛

⤷ gender neutral, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading!

a/n: I've added Victor into this, but I want to have a conversation about if he can be a romantic partner - or he will always be platonic?

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ | ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ ᴵᴵ

You're still in Fromville, not having escaped yet but making the best of it.

𝑩𝒐𝒚𝒅 ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

・Domesticity to Boyd is so much different in this town compared to the 'real' world.

・For example, he would be awake before you, no matter the day just so he could surprise you with your favourite drink and a pastry each morning.

・The chores would be split 50/50, with Boyd usually picking up any slack (he doesn't mind at all)

・He loves doing the laundry, folding your clothes with so much care.

・But here... his actions to show his love are limited and it kinda pisses him off

・But you constantly remind him of all the good he's done here and how he keeps everyone together.

・You celebrate every win, even the small ones.

・Boyd is big on DIY, and loves fixing up things for you. Anything you ask - you want a different type of curtain, or you want part of the window patched up - he does NOT let you do it. That is HIS job.

・Massaging his shoulders at night, feeling how taught he is. This town is so hard on him. It constantly makes you wonder, why him?

・You do have one rule though: last one in bed has to make it!

・Boyd seems like the type of person to keep everything about himself to himself. But that isn't true. He likes telling you things, he enjoys opening up to you.

・One really important factor in your relationship is the challenges of town and its mysteries.

・Many people in town were basically betting how long you two would together.

・But what they didn't know, was that the horrors STRENGTHENED your bond. It made you both rely on each other so deeply.

・Having a partner means so much to him.

・Boyd loves you so much. He would never burden you with what he knows, but he loves when you have random conversations.

・It makes things feel just a bit more normal. It gives him hope.

𝑲𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒚 ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

・Mornings and nights are especially special to you both

・Slow, careful, mindful, warm and cosy.

・Touching each other in some way - hugging each other from behind, pinkies entwined, cheek kisses, forehead kisses, rubbing noses together - if anyone else saw you too they would gag (ITS CALLED LOVE)

・Kenny LOVES tucking you in at night.

"You comfy now?" As he wedges the blanket under the side of your body.

"Yes Kenny! Now get in bed you loser!" You answer laughing.

"Okay, okay, I'm just looking after the most important person in my life thank you very much."

・You love listening to him; to his stories about his childhood up until he came to town.

・One of Kenny's favourite things is when you read to him. Even if you don't have a book in front of you, he just wants you to recount as much as you can from books you have read.

・Might be kind of painful, but you two like talking about how life would be like together outside of this hell.

・Owning two cats, two dogs, maybe some fish.

・Whenever you hear the creatures screeching, you automatically cling to Kenny, you can't help it. You HATE the noises.

・But you always feel safe around Kenny. Always.

"I've got you. I swear to god I'll never let anything happen to you."

𝑱𝒂𝒅𝒆 ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

・Every morning he gives you a kiss on the head and 'tip toes' out of the room, trying not to disturb you.

・You usually yell at him to get back in bed

"My looooooove, I have important business to attend to!"

・The bed is pressed up against the wall, and Jade says if someone/something were to enter the room, he would be the first thing they see

・From then he starts his daily ritual of figuring out how to get the hell home

・Jade teaches you A LOT of stuff. And you're always surprised by how well he does at teaching. He's patient (only with you but you don't know that), and takes his time to teach in ways you'll understand (once again, only for you...)

・He is like a walking computer at times. Really good with dates and great with measurements.

・But one thing he is terrible about is the fact that he's a repeat offender blanket stealer. Absolute criminal.

・No matter how much you tug and pull, or wrap yourself in it, Jade somehow unravels you in his sleep and takes the blanket.

・When you both wake up, you've practically snuggled underneath him...

"Babe, what are you doing?"

"You stole the blanket again and I got cold," you reply muffled beneath him. He's very warm.

"Oh god, sorry! We ah, we should probably get more blankets then... god why didn't you wake me?"

"Wake you? Ever since we got our own place, you've slept like you've never done so in your life!"

・It was quiet before he replied, and then he wrapped his arms around you.

"That's because I haven't sleep properly before I met you."

𝑹𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒍𝒍 ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

・Your relationship with Randall is one that surprises you. Constantly.

・People don't see him the way you do. At times they start to though.

・But only you get to see his true soft side. The side that moves the hair from your face, kisses your forehead, nudges his nose against your own.

・You are the ONLY person to make him laugh.

・He knows so much about you - the way you like your clothes folded or hung up. He knows which books are your favourite, which song you could listen to on replay.

・Music is a big thing to Randall, and the fact that he can't just randomly play something on his phone gets him really down.

・So one night you guys make a list of every song you like, when you heard it and what it made you feel

・Making each other guess who you were before arriving in hell.

"Hmm... you were ... a ... farmhand on a ranch..."

"What the fuck Y/N."

"What? Were you?"

"Oh yeah sure, you hit the nail straight on the head sweetcheeks," and then he rolled his eyes.

・You laugh, loving when he gets 'annoyed' (you know he can never really be annoyed with you right?)

・You know each other's favourite tv shows, colours, smells, literature and so on. You whisper to each other through the night, trying to take your mind off of the screeching coming from outside.

𝑬𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒔 ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

・Always the last to get up, sometimes he wakes before you but he'll still lay in bed, watching you sleep. Sometimes blowing air on your face when it's been a few hours and he gets bored

・Leaving sweet notes in unexpected places, they range from:

'hey baby, went down to do some work in the greenhouse, love you xx' to 'yo sexy honey see you tonight ;)'

・And you keep every single one of them. You have a sort of time capsule thing underneath the bed in one of your bags. Just small photos, letters written to each other, etc.

・Side note - Ellis is a cheeky man who loves to rile you up. Push your buttons. Make you red in the face.

・But he knows when enough is enough; he's extremely intune with your moods and doesn't have to ask when the days get too much.

・LOVES MAKING UP RANDOM SONGS ABOUT YOU, they are terrible but they make you laugh

・CONSTANTLY setting up spontaneous things for you guys to do. Seeing a smile on your face is the best thing he has ever seen.

・Literally puppy love.

・You guys seem to be able to talk to each other mind to mind. Glances from across the room are easily read by one another.

𝑽𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

PSA: As I said above, I'm not sure if Victor can be a romantic partner - I would love everyone's thoughts on it and maybe we can come to some kind of agreement??? Anyway, read this how you like ⟡☾⚝☽⟡

・Home...this town is the only home that Victor had ever truly known.

・How could you show him that the way he'd been living was not normal? That he should be able to feel safe, he should have gone to school - maybe even his drawing could have evolved into something astonishing

・So, in little ways you introduce this life to him

・He can't remember his birthday (so you help him choose one) and the two of you, along with Ethan, Tabitha and Julie celebrate

・...home decor projects are mostly just Victor's drawings. The really scary ones, you ask to be put away and he obliges <3

・Victor is used to living with other being, but not sleeping in the same room as another person.

・You would also need to get used to his blatant honesty. It isn't like he's trying to hurt you but he can just be brutally honest.

・Picnics in your room where you scavenge whatever food you can and talk about the funniest things you've seen people do

"I saw Jim ... trip over today," Victor says in a hushed voice, a cookie halfway to his mouth.

You burst out laughing, even snorting as you imagine the uppity Jim Matthews take a tumble.

"God, I wish I saw that."

・At first Victor didn't want another friend. He didn't want to get close to someone, he knew something would happen to you. You'd be taken away from him.

・But you swore to him that you would always be there for him.

・In town, and when everyone leaves. You've told him that you can be his home, his family.

[pjmmania]

If Snow Decides to Fall

3. "I hear you now."

Chapter Warnings: Pregnancy, mentions of abortion, explicit language, profanity

Tag List: @marihoneywk

Back to Chapter Index

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

Nine weeks. You’d known about the pregnancy for a full month, and neither of you had told a soul. That is, until last night, two weeks after the ultrasound. You revealed it to your parents via phone call when you got home from work, and they were furious. You couldn’t stop stewing over their words:

"What do you mean you're pregnant?!"

"Park Jimin?! And how does he plan on supporting you?"

"Won't this cost you your job? How could you be so irresponsible?"

"We raised you better than this, young lady."

You tried to explain to them that you were, in fact, in a relationship with him. You tried to tell them how you met him a year ago, not in some sexually charged environment, but at work. And this wasn't just a one-night stand gone awry. You were committed to one another and to having this baby, but it was as if their ears were totally closed to hearing anything outside of what they decided was the truth.

You could have cried that morning, but you were also mightily relieved that it was over. Now they knew, they could digest it on their own, and you could move on with your business.

Getting dressed for work, you dealt with the same fatigue and sickness that had become routine. You had figured out that bananas and plain rice helped soothe your stomach, and you could keep it down, so that’s what you ate for breakfast.

As you consumed your food slowly, you stared at the sonogram photos, which you had magnetized to the refrigerator. It took a few conversations to get there, but you and Jimin were finally able to work out a date and time for the next ultrasound. It would be at the twenty-week mark in August at his place. You smiled to yourself as you daydreamed about it, but there was something else to be excited for in the very near future.

You glanced back into your living room, where there was a gift on the sofa. It was wrapped in neutral light green paper and a simple white bow. You’d gotten a little surprise for Jimin, and planned on giving it to him whenever you were at his apartment next.

Jimin was working out intensely at the studio’s fitness center early that morning, partially because it was necessary to keep up with his job, but also to push out nervous energy.

He knew you told your parents the night before, and he also knew how they reacted. You were reluctant to share it for the sake of sparing his feelings, but he insisted on it. Now that he was fully aware of how your parents felt about him, it stirred him up inside. He wanted the grandparents of his child to at least like him.

Even worse, today was the day he promised he’d tell his own parents. Unsettled and keyed up, he was running on the treadmill much harder than normal. The more he overthought about what his parents would say, the harder he ran. It was beginning to draw attention from Taehyung, Jungkook, and Namjoon, who were all working out at the same time.

Taehyung finished his set on one of the leg machines and got off so he could switch places with the leader, gesturing to Jimin with the quick tilt of his head, "What is he doing? We have a dance practice today. He's going to burn himself out."

Namjoon furrowed his brows, agreeing that this was most unlike him to do something like this. If they had dance practice on a given day, then he made sure he kept his gym activities lighter, more like a warm-up. Right now, it looked like he was training for a marathon. Something had still been a little off about Jimin over the past few weeks. This was just the latest example, and he was becoming more worried by the day.

Jungkook finished a set of pull-ups, "I'll go check on him."

The youngest wiped his dark brown, sweat-clung hair off his forehead and then dabbed off his face with his t-shirt. He made his way over to his panting friend, trying to get his attention.

Jimin took out an earbud when he thought he heard someone calling him. He turned his head to find a humored Jungkook standing there, "What's up?"

"You need to slow the fuck down," Jungkook said, "Don't kill those legs before practice."

"I'm fine," he puffed, "This is light."

"You've been at it for almost thirty minutes. That's double what you typically do before dancing. Come on, Jimin. You'll get all the cardio you desire in a few hours."

He had a point, so he hit the button for the machine to come to a halt. It was only when he became sedentary again that he realized how hard he had pushed his body. It felt like his chest was going to implode. He clutched his shirt over his chest, taking the other earbud out.

Jungkook stepped a bit closer and lowered his voice, "You okay, hyung?"

Jimin said nothing, too desperate to catch his breath. All he could do was nod, but it did little to convince.

The weight was coming down on him. Abruptly, he got off the treadmill and walked out into the hallway, not even stopping to take a drink of water. His heart and mind were both racing. He couldn't take it anymore - he might as well just give them a call now. Rip the bandaid off.

He took the elevator up to the eighth floor, where the private studio rooms were. Yoongi, Jin, and Hoseok might have been in theirs, so he opted for the one that was open for general use. He thanked his lucky stars that this was taking place before work hours, so there was no outside party there to see him looking this distraught. All he had to do was avoid the eyes of the managers, who were likely already in their offices.

He pressed the access code into the pad on the wall with a hasty index finger. Once inside the four soundproof walls, the door locked automatically behind him.

There was a desk set up against the wall with a couple of monitors and a swivel chair. He sank into the chair and took a pause, staring his mother’s contact on the phone. Breathing finally slowing down, he cleared his throat and forced himself to push the button against his own wishes.

He put the phone to his ear and listened to it ring four times, before his mother’s sweet voice.

“Jimin?”

He gulped, “Hey, Mom. How are you?”

“What’s wrong?” she asked him immediately. A mother knew her child, and she certainly could detect the nervousness in his voice, no matter how hard he was trying to sound normal.

There was no point in lying to her, “Nothing’s wrong, per se. But I do need to tell you and Dad something really important. Is he around?”

“Sure, honey. One second.” she said before calling his father’s name in the background.

Jimin’s knee was bouncing up and down as he tapped his foot. The time was fast approaching.

“Hey,” his father’s voice joined in, “How are you, son?”

“I’m alright Dad. I need to tell you guys something and I don’t necessarily know how to do it,” he smiled anxiously, “Um…Yeah, I really have no idea how to do this.”

His mother used a soft, caring tone, “You can tell us. You said it was nothing bad, right?”

“Well, that’s the thing,” Jimin sighed, reclining back in the chair, “To me it’s not, at least not anymore. But it’s probably going to upset you.”

“That’s most unlike you. You know you can tell us anything.” His father said.

He nodded, starting to work up the courage he needed, “I know, I know…Okay, I just have to do it. Do you both remember me telling you about the girl I’ve been seeing, Y/N?”

“Yes,” his father said wearily, “I think I know where this is going. Son, please tell us you didn’t propose to this girl without introducing her to your mother and me first.”

“What? No, it’s not that. But we’ve been seeing each other for a year now and things have gotten pretty serious…really serious actually,” Jimin coerced the words out of his mouth, “She’s pregnant.”

The air went dead. On the other end of the line, his parents were utterly stunned. Their silence was making him writhe. He went from leaning back in the chair to bending forward, doubled over with his elbows on his knees.

He pushed his free hand back into his hair, “I know this comes as a shock. I’m sorry. It just sort of…happened.”

His mother came back instantly with a voice full of worry and sternness, “Babies don’t just happen, Jimin. You weren’t being careful.”

“How long have you known about this? And are you certain it's yours?” his father inquired. Jimin could tell he was fuming.

“About a month,” he admitted, “She’s nine weeks along, and yes, it's mine. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys sooner. We wanted to wait until the first ultrasound to make sure things were okay, plus it’s just been a lot to deal with.”

The concerned and aggravated woman laughed out of bewilderment, “Of course it’s a lot, honey. It’s a baby. I hope you have gotten a plan together by now. Are you going to be able to co-parent with her? How will this all work?”

He wanted to shrink into oblivion, “I honestly have no idea, Mom. And I know that’s not what you want to hear, but Y/N and I will figure it out.”

His father’s tone was the slightest bit gentler, “At the very least, can you tell us you are committed mother of your child?”

He answered quickly, wanting to appease them with something they’d actually want to hear, “We are deeply committed to each other and to being good parents together. I love her. This is the first relationship I’ve had that has grown slowly over time and I think that makes it different. She really knows me, all of me. And I know her.”

His mother sighed, “I’m glad you’ve developed strong relationship and that she makes you happy, but love alone doesn’t make for good parenting. You need a plan, Jimin, especially with your career. Stability is everything for a child.”

Finally, a chance for him to vent, “I know, that’s been the hard part. I feel like I’m failing them both every time I pretend that we aren’t together. No one even knows we’re seeing each other, and if they did, she’d get fired. How can I offer them stability if the options are to either keep it all a secret or to expose it and upheave our whole lives with a scandal?”

“Your life has already been upheaved, son,” his father said, “Becoming a father is the biggest change you will ever undergo, whether you are an idol or not. And it disappoints me to hear you call this a 'scandal'. Your son or daughter is not a scandal. Now I’m not thrilled with this news, but if you are going to make this work, you need to stop that kind of thinking.”

“He’s right,” his mother said, “Both of you must accept the repercussions of this, even though a lot of it will sting. Anything less would be putting yourselves over this child."

As embarrassing as this conversation was, their guidance was something he had been starving for. They had a way of giving clarity amid the disarray.

Deep down, he knew this would have to come to light someday - you'd both acknowledged that multiple times already. But now he had a different perspective:

The inevitable reveal didn't have to be scary if it was seen as a necessity for this baby's wellbeing. It was something that had to be done for the sake of raising a child with as much normalcy and steadiness as possible. Otherwise, his or her life would be nothing but secrecy and isolation. The thought of his child feeling like a burden that needed to be hidden away sent shivers down Jimin's spine. If the way to prevent that turmoil was to face the fire, then he would do it.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I needed to hear that. Thank you, even though I know this news isn't a talk you ever wanted to have with me. I'm sorry this disappoints you."

"We wish you'd been more careful," his mother sighed, "But your father and I love you and we will always do what we can to support you. It seems like you have hard months ahead of you, but being a parent comes with unimaginable sacrifices. If you can face them, it will be worth it."

The middle-aged man concurred before adding to the sentiment, "And we have no doubt that you have it in you to be a wonderful father, Jimin."

Unexpectedly, emotion consumed him. To hear that from his own dad meant more than he could have anticipated. He'd been torn up in a never-ending pendulum swing ever since finding out, going back and forth between excitement and fear. Such assurance from an outside party had been a missing piece.

Choked up but not quite crying, Jimin bit the inside of his cheek and then grunted, "Thanks, Dad. Thank you both. I love you guys and I want you to meet Y/N sometime soon. You'll adore her."

He couldn't see it, but his mother was starting to smile, "You really love her, don't you?"

"She's something else," he cleared the inner corners of his eyes with his thumb and index finger, "You'll see it after a only minute of talking to her...I did."

“And you said there’s already been an ultrasound,” she said, “Is everything going okay so far?”

He found himself unable to hold back a small grin, “Yeah, it’s going well. Y/N's been pretty under the weather lately, but she was told it's all normal."

"We will look forward to meeting her," his father said, "We will work out a day to come by. In the meantime, just bear what we've said in mind and take time to plan the next steps."

"I will.”

Both parties then said their goodbyes and hung up. Jimin set his phone on the desk and put his arms behind his head, inhaling and exhaling deeply. It was over with. He’d made it over that hurdle, and it went better than he thought.

He walked out of that studio room in much better spirits than when he went in. Even though he was due at practice in a couple hours, he went back down to the floor on which he started this morning. There were showers available for use, and he felt like he needed a rinse, feeling cold from the drying sweat.

On his way to the showers, he grabbed his bag, which contained a change of clothes for practice. It was waiting for him along the wall in the workout room. Thankfully, the other members were gone when he re-entered the gym, having finished their warm-ups.

It only took him a few minutes to rinse off, refreshing his mood. He washed his body while leaving his hair dry. When he came out, he changed into cargo sweatpants and a black t-shirt. He felt most comfortable rehearsing in baggy garments, allowing his body the maximum range of motion.

He folded his dirty workout gear and packed it away in the bag, then slipping into some sneakers and heading back upstairs to get something to eat. That’s where he figured he’d find the others, eating one of the private common areas.

On the way back up, he noticed some employees making their way into their respective offices. The workday was beginning. It made him think of you and how you might have been feeling that morning, not just physically, but emotionally in the aftermath of calling your parents. He decided to send you a quick text, asking how you were. He knew he would be seeing you after their rehearsal - you and Chaeyoung were coming in to take the guys' initial measurements for the tour concept.

Right as he hit send and rounded a corner, someone bumped into him. His grip on his phone slipped and it was knocked to the floor screen-down. Luckily, it turned out to be Jungkook.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jimin sighed, "Wasn't looking."

Jungkook chuckled, rubbing his shoulder, "All good. I was just coming to look for you. You don't have to tell me what you're stressing about, but I know there's something and I'm going to make sure you at least eat, so come on."

He appreciated the concern, and it was valid, though he would hate to admit it. Jimin could forget to eat sometimes when experiencing strife.

Then Jungkook's eyes went to the floor, noticing that he'd accidentally caused it to fall. He crouched down to retrieve it, making the older internally panic and rush to get to it first. Unfortunately, his friend beat him to it. Innocently wanting to make sure the screen hadn't cracked, Jungkook turned it over.

The screen hadn't yet locked. He could see the text thread between Jimin and his new girlfriend and it made him smirk as he stood up, prepared to unleash some good-natured teasing.

Jimin’s stomach felt like it could have fallen out of his body. He tried to snatch it back, but it only made matters worse. It only confirmed that there was something to hide. With alarmed eyes, he surveyed their surroundings to make sure no one was seeing this.

Jungkook’s brows became furrowed as he scrolled a bit. It was nosy, sure, but he had to know what his brother was hiding. It was painfully clear that something wasn’t right. What he read made no sense to him, but then he saw a black and white photo.

The millisecond he realized, his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. Jimin went rigid. He could feel his pulse in his throat.

It was nothing less than a blessing that Namjoon suddenly appeared, startling the youngest member into locking the phone and handing it back to its owner.

The two remained stuck in some form of telepathic eye contact. With a baffled gaze, Jungkook’s face was screaming out the question. Jimin had his lips pressed together and jaw tight, eyes begging him not to say anything.

The leader looked back and forth between them, “Hello? Everyone good?”

Jungkook realized his hands were tied. He couldn’t simply obliterate this giant beast of a secret out in this public hallway. He nodded his head, “Y-Yeah, all good.”

The panicking member was caught red handed. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, faking an unperturbed smile, “We’re fine. He just came to see if I was coming to eat.”

Namjoon wasn’t buying it. This was the last straw. Jimin wasn’t okay. There was something he wasn’t being open about. Even so, this wasn’t the time or place, “Yeah, come eat with us. You had a long run.”

As a threesome, they headed into the room that held the other members, all snacking on energy-packed foods to fuel them later on. Jimin joined them, but had no appetite whatsoever. His mind was too preoccupied with trepidation to send hunger signals. Jungkook knew the biggest secret he'd ever kept from any of them. He needed to do whatever he could to ensure he wouldn't divulge.

During the dance practice, he wasn't nearly as focused. He and Jungkook kept making eye contact in the mirror, breaking one another's concentration repeatedly. It made the rehearsal drone on, as they kept messing up the choreography. One wanted a code of silence, while the other felt like he needed to shout.

The physical labor ended after a couple of hours. When it was done, the members had a quick breather to cool off. After about fifteen minutes, you and Chaeyoung entered the room with your measuring tapes draped from your necks. Whenever you and Jimin were in the same room at work, you both made conscious efforts not to pay special attention to each other. The other members took stock of how good the two of you were at hiding your feelings.

However, when Jimin noticed you walking over to Jungkook to take his measurements, he couldn’t stop himself from looking.

You smiled at the man, who looked somewhat perplexed by you, “Hey, Jungkook. How are you?”

His eyes darted from Jimin and then back to you, “Uh, great, Y/N…How are you feeling? I mean, how are you?”

Unbeknownst to you, your boyfriend’s stern gaze shot upon him for that slip of the tongue.

You took the tape measure off your neck and began to wrap it around his torso, “Not too bad. Busy these days. I hardly have time for anything else.”

“I’m sure you are,” he said, well aware that Jimin was listening, “But even if you’re busy, it’s important to still make time for other things in life, like friends. Friends are so important, you know? I bet they’d be able to help you cope with whatever you’re struggling with, but only if you reach out. If you don’t, then what’s the point of even having them?”

It wasn’t a message directed toward you. The intended recipient, however, got the message loud and clear, and it vexed him. What did he think he was doing, using you to prove a point like that?

While making note of his measurements, you looked at him, lost, “Um, yeah. I guess that’s true.”

It was awkward, but there wasn’t much time to ponder about it. You and Chaeyoung had to get this information down quickly, before the guys had to run off somewhere else. She was busy taking Yoongi’s.

When you were done with Jungkook, you moved on to Jimin, only because you had to move quickly and Chaeyoung looked like she was going to do Taehyung’s next. He was the closest to you, so he was the natural next in line.

You grinned at him, “Hi.”

As was routine, he lifted his arms a bit so you could measure his midsection. You were already paying close attention to the tiny numbers on your tape when he greeted you back, shooting Jungkook a glare, “Hey.”

He thought about whispering a warning to you about the current situation, but decided not to. It would only freak you out.

Instead, he asked as you removed the tape from his torso and wrapped it around his biceps, “Did you get my text?”

Even though he kept his voice low, you hesitated to answer, “Yeah. I’m alright, just a little…bummed.”

The look on your face told him you were far more than bummed, “I called mine earlier.”

Your stomach did a flip, but you played it off as if you were having a casual conversation, using a muted voice, “How did that go?”

Jimin shrugged, smiling softly, “Honestly, not bad. I’ll tell you about it later.”

You nodded, recording his updated measurements on your notepad. In light of his parents' wisdom, your unwillingness to indicate that you were involved with him upset him. He wasn't frustrated with you personally, but with the situation itself. It crashed into him like never before - his love, the mother of his child, had to pretend she hardly knew him. And although he knew the reasons, it truly disturbed his conscience for the first time.

When you and Chaeyoung had collected all that you needed, you left. Yoongi and Namjoon went up to their studios to write, Hoseok following suit to record a demo. Taehyung and Jin went to a vocal lesson.

Jimin and Jungkook remained in the room together, much to the dismay of both. The former was firmly planted in one spot with no idea what to say or do. He wanted to rebuke the younger for speaking so candidly and thoughtlessly with you - that was far too hazardous for his comfort. Yet, he was at a loss. How could he be one to talk, when it had just been revealed that he'd been keeping something so enormous from them all?

Jungkook looked around the room, hands on his hips. The quick survey assured him that no one would hear them. He shook his head, tone surprisingly calm, "Hyung, I'm begging you to be honest now. I swear, if you try to squirm your way out of this I will kill you."

The older accepted his fate, but this place was nowhere near secure enough to have this discussion.

"Is Y/N-"

"No," Jimin stopped him, frazzled and alarmed, "Don't finish that question yet. I'll tell you everything, just not here. Please."

His eyes were so desperate that they bent the will of the other man. Jungkook pursed his lips together, annoyed to hell and back but still understanding, "Fine. Your place, then. Now."

Both men tossed their bags by the door once they got into Jimin's apartment, one out of aggravation, and the other with dread.

Not a word was spoken as they naturally gravitated toward the living room. Jimin waited to see where Jungkook was going to sit, so that he could sit opposite of him.

Both men got settled into a seat, wondering how this conversation was going to go. They were silent for a brief moment, collecting themselves so they could speak like adults.

Jungkook leaned forward, letting his forearms rest on his thighs. He was biting his tongue, giving it his all to approach this matter calmly, even though he was irate. He wanted to believe it wasn't true. There was no way Jimin could have done something like this, nevermind keep it from all of them. If this was what had been going on with him all that time, then he had to have known for a while. It would have been weeks of dishonesty - all those times he told them nothing was the matter.

The younger inhaled through his nose, "I feel like I don't even need to ask it now. We both know the topic at hand. Just tell me."

Jimin nodded for a moment without saying anything, looking anywhere but in his friend's eyes, "She's pregnant."

It was one thing to have seen the sonogram, but it was quite another to actually hear it come from his mouth. Jungkook pinched the bridge of his nose, "How far along is she?"

"Nine weeks," he replied, "I found out the night before we went to Jin's."

"So you have known for a while," Jungkook's suspicion was confirmed, "Why didn't you tell us sooner, hyung? God, this is...this is fucking huge."

The older huffed, throwing his hands up in irritation, "I don't know, maybe because this has been a crazy time for me and Y/N. I mean, put yourself in my shoes. Would your first priority be telling everyone? We have been literally just trying to make it through each day."

Jungkook took a deep breath, collecting his emotions. If the situation was reversed, Jimin would be nothing but supportive. He had to be smart about how he reacted to this news.

"Look," he said with a softening tone, "I didn't mean it that to come off like a judgment. I'm sorry. It's just, as your friend, I wish you'd have come to us sooner. We've been watching you struggle for the past weeks, wondering what was wrong with you. You had us convinced for a few days after telling us that you and Y/N were official, but then your strange behavior didn't go away. And to learn that this is the reason...it's a lot to take in."

Jimin dropped the defensiveness, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his stomach in some sort of self-embrace, "Believe me, I know."

"How are you doing with it?"

He shook his head a bit and let a minuscule smile break onto his face, "That's the thing I can't figure out. I don't think there's a general feeling. There have just been moments. When I'm with Y/N, I'm mostly happy about it. I feel like I wouldn't want to have a kid with anyone else. The fear creeps in when I think about everything else - our careers as BTS, the fact that she will probably get fired over this. The thought of becoming a dad doesn't scare me nearly as much as the consequences that will come from this."

For the second time that day, he became emotional. He tried to keep it concealed, but the crack of his choked voice gave it away, "I'm terrified that she will lose it all because of this. I hate that having my baby might ruin her career. I hate that for now, I have to convince the world that I'm not in love with the woman who is carrying my child. I-I can't be there for her like a real partner. I had to miss the ultrasound, and I didn't get to hear my kid's heartbeat, because I had to be at work. And I hate that when this all eventually comes to light, there will be a media frenzy on her, on me, and probably on all of you too."

A few tears started to roll down his cheeks and he buried his face in his hands, sniffling. Jungkook reflexively stood up and went over to him. He sat on the very corner of the chair and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "Let it out. It's okay."

Jimin broke, "Everything negative in this situation has to do with me! It all traces back to the career I worked so hard to have! They always say there's a cost to fame, and we've all experienced that, but I don't know. I just never thought about this cost."

Jungkook rubbed his back, "I agree that it's your career, but don't equate that to you personally."

"How? I'm the one that chose it."

"But you just said it yourself - you never thought about this cost. That's no reason to beat yourself up," He said, "No one ever fully grasps the downsides to fame until they have it."

Jimin was settling down now, removing his hands from his wet face and drying it with his t-shirt, "It's hurting Y/N. She's been trying so hard to tell me that she's accepted the reality, but I can see it behind her eyes, Jungkook. She'll grieve the loss of her job, and I don't even want to think about her enduring all the scrutiny she will have to face."

"She has you," Jungkook offered a reassuring grin, "Now, I don't know about her family, but I know yours. They will support both of you wholeheartedly. And you'll have all of us too. You just need to tell the rest of the members."

Jimin nodded, "I know, you're right. Both of our families know now. There's no reason not to tell them. Just give me a few days to work it out with Y/N. I can't break the news without letting her know."

The younger man concurred, "That's understandable, but for your own good, consider doing it soon. I think it will take a lot of the pressure off your back, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the support."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you're our brother. We will help you make it work. And you're going to be a dad. That makes us uncles, doesn't it?" Jungkook chuckled, "There's a cause for excitement in all of this."

Jimin broke into a small laugh, "I didn't think about you all being uncles. Don't know whether it's heartwarming or concerning."

"Only time will tell," Jungkook smirked, "So when's this little Park coming?"

There was a flutter in his chest at the nickname, "The doctor said January eighth."

"And everything's looking healthy so far?"

He hummed, "Yeah. Apparently, the heartbeat was unusually strong for his or her age. That made me oddly proud."

Jungkook nudged him playfully, "I mean, it only makes sense, considering how fit you are. Your sperm's probably the healthiest known to man."

He laughed harder this time, turning to give him a jestful smack on the arm. Jimin felt better now. Not great, but better. When the laughter died down, he breathed in deeply and let it out, “God, I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. When I said our parents know, I meant we’ve only just told them. Mine found out this morning.”

“Shit,” the other patted him twice on the back, “How did they take it?”

“You know my mom and dad - they weren’t leaping for joy, but it wasn’t awful. It ended on a good note,” he shrugged, “I just feel like this day is giving me whiplash.”

You got into the elevator in your apartment complex, letting your head rest against the back wall as it carried you up to your floor. You had a headache and had used up the last of your over the counter painkillers. Jimin likely had some, so you figured you’d eat dinner and then go to his place.

You felt like a towel that had been wrung out, twisted and squeezed of all energy and substance. You were desperately spent. The only thing keeping you fully present, ironically, were your mood swings.

If something didn’t go according to plan at work, you felt like you wanted to punch a hole in the wall, or cry, or both. Those were the lows. On the other end of the spectrum were short bursts of sexual urges. You prayed that you’d hidden it well enough while you were measuring Jimin earlier. Getting to touch him and examine his body like that didn’t do you your raging hormones any favors.

You put your key into the lock of your door and turned it, hearing the latch open up. Then you got inside and immediately wanted to vomit, not as a side effect, but out of shock.

The lights were on, and there were two faces sitting in your living room that you hadn’t seen in a while.

Speechless for a moment, you dropped your bag and froze in your tracks, “M-Mom? Dad?”

They got up from the couch while you remained rooted in place. Your mother was the first to give you a hug, but you barely embraced her back, far too confused.

“Hi, sweetie,” she sighed, “How are you feeling today?”

Your father hugged you next, “It’s been forever since we’ve seen you.”

You were shocked. Not even twenty four hours prior, these people were scolding you and telling you how disappointed they were in you. You stared at them, totally discombobulated. Your head was pounding so hard that you felt it in the back of your eyeballs.

“What are you both doing here?” You asked, brushing past them both and going into your quaint little living room. You needed to sit.

Your parents turned around and followed you back to their original places on your sofa. You were tucked into an armchair that was perpendicular to it.

Your mother leaned on the arm of the sofa towards you, eyes full of a lukewarm concern, “We came to have a much calmer discussion about this.”

Bringing your knees up to your chest, you asked, “You came all the way here just for that? How did you even get in?”

“You gave us a copy of your key when you moved in, remember?” your father replied, “Anyway, we aren’t happy with how we reacted to the news yesterday. We’re sorry we resorted to anger.”

Your mother sighed, “We love you, Y/N. And we realize that you are a grown woman now who can make her own choices. But as your parents, we ask that you please listen to what we have to say.”

You nodded hesitantly, “O-Okay…”

She continued, “We are worried that you aren’t considering the enormity of this, and the risk you are taking by placing so much trust in this man.”

You felt a twinge of exasperation, having had a sneaking suspicion that it was going down this route.

It must have shown on your face, because your father looked a little indignant, “Your mother is right. It appears as though you aren’t thinking this through. We don’t want to see you get hurt. Park Jimin is one of the most famous men in the world. He took advantage of you, as his type often does.”

You felt like you could have spat, “He did not take advantage of me in any way. Neither of you know him well enough to assume that about him. Jimin is a good man.”

“You are a stylist at his agency,” your mother scowled, “He knew that your position would make it impossible to disclose your relationship without putting your career on the line. He used you for his own pleasures, knowing you’d never say anything to anyone.”

Your father cleared his throat and looked down, unable to imagine his daughter fornicating with anyone, let alone a member of a global sensation like BTS. A man who had women practically falling at his feet wherever he went.

Your hormones made your reaction sharper. They were talking about the man you loved, the father of your child - denigrating him to the level of a scumbag and a womanizer, "You're both so wrong about him...I don't even know what to say. I told you already, we've been together for a year. If he'd had enough of me at any point, it would have been easy for him to toss me aside, but he hasn't. I know it's not what anyone would have envisioned, but he...he loves me. And I love him."

"We aren't here to argue over whether he loves you, Y/N," he said, "Our point is that he knows damn well how his job works. He's been perfectly willing to hide you away like some impropriety all this time. What makes you so sure he won't do the same thing with you and this baby?"

"Because he-"

You paused and closed your eyes, not wanting to finish your sentence for the sake of not sounding naive. They had you cornered and you hated it.

"Because he what?" your mother looked at you with sympathy, like you were some poor foolish girl, "Because he told you so? What good are words without action?"

You were so upset and exhausted that you felt tears prick your eyes. You looked down, "It's not that simple, Mom. In this case, action will cost me my job and who knows what else. We haven't figured much out yet, but I think we both deserve some credit for being committed to this anyway. We could have easily decided not to go through with this, but we did because we are dedicated to each other."

Your father put his hands on his knees, "And even if that is true, how will he ever be able to be there for you? I won't have my little girl stuck raising a baby alone while he galivants around the world and across every red carpet that would have him."

An angry tear rolled down your cheek, "He's not like that. I don't know how else I can convince you guys. Jimin understands the importance of being present."

"He missed the ultrasound." he said.

You shook your head, eyes closed, "Only because it was right after we found out and it was too late to change plans."

"Then will he plan on being at the next one?" your mother asked, crossing her arms.

You hugged your knees to your chest, "Yes, he will. We have a date scheduled in August."

She raised her brows, "You're telling us he will show up to a public doctor's office and risk exposing this?"

"W-Well, no. It's going to be at his apartment."

Your father scoffed, "You see? He's going to keep you and this baby a secret."

You were seething, "You know what? Yes, we are going to keep this a secret for as long as we can, because neither of us needs the media storming us while we're still trying to figure out our lives. Who would want to put themselves through that? But we've already agreed that it can't last forever - we just haven't worked out when we will take the step to tell the company and make an announcement."

Your mother reached out and put her hand on your knee, "Sweetie, we're trying to look after you, and our grandchild. We want you both to have a stable home environment."

"Well then what do you suggest we do?!" you shook out of her touch by standing up out of the chair, "It's clear that you guys won't be satisfied either way. We could keep it a secret forever or we could go public today - you'll continue to believe that he won't be there for me and that this is all a bad idea. So what? Would you rather me get an abortion or something?"

They were silent, looking at each other. You were a horrible mix of furious and embarrassed. It wasn't your intention to get so heated. You stubbornly defended your relationship, but you couldn't deny that their concerns were valid. You thought about the child in your belly. If you were standing in your parents' shoes, you'd probably have reservations too.

Then your mother looked back at you. She stood up and placed her hands on your upper arms, tone subdued, "We want you to move back home."

You were wiping tears from your eyes as you drove. It was dark outside now. Your parents got back on the road, and you followed suit. As you passed under every traffic light, you kept telling yourself to hold out just a little longer. You'd be there soon.

After pulling into the lot and parking your car, you glanced to your left, where the green-wrapped present sat in the passenger seat. Sniffling, you dried your eyes one last time and grabbed it, taking it with you into the building. You were walking with a quick gait, anguished and itching for some comfort. Fortunately, the gift in the box had the potential to bring you the solace you needed.

You took the same elevator as normal. When you reached the door, you fumbled in your pocket for the key, balancing the gift box on your thigh momentarily.

The door opened, and you heard something in the kitchen. He typically ate dinner around this time. When you appeared, he seemed delighted, but then he noticed the slight puffiness of your eyes. It was a confusing sight - you standing there upset while holding a gift.

"Hey," he put his wooden spatula down and turned down the heat on the stove so that his fried rice wouldn't burn, "What happened, sweetheart?"

He gave you a kiss on the cheek and searched the features of your face as you sighed, "Hi. I just had the longest, weirdest day."

You placed the gift down on a nearby stool and finally let yourself melt into his arms. Jimin kissed the top of your head repeatedly, "I did too."

You pulled your head off of his chest so you could look at his eyes. He was giving you an assured smile, but you still wanted to know what went on, "How come?"

His lips found your forehead before he brought you into his loving hold again, "Well, as you know, I told my parents about the baby, and then Jungkook found out by accident."

This time, you drew away from the hug completely, "Wait, say that again?”

Jimin scratched the back of his neck, “Yeah. I dropped my phone and he saw the sonogram photo.”

He saw how worried you looked and smiled, taking your hands loosely, “Don’t worry, he’s not going to tell the others. But this probably means we need to come clean soon.

You nodded, “Yeah, we should. I know it’s been hard for you keep it from them.”

“It has, but that’s a conversation for later. Tell me what’s wrong. You’ve been crying.” His eyes were plagued with distress.

“I…” you didn’t know how to start, “I got home from work and my parents were there.”

He dropped your hands, “What?”

You put you hand to your forehead, “Ugh, my head is killing me. Yeah, I walked in the door and they were just sitting waiting for me.”

Without you having to ask, Jimin turned around and headed to one of the cabinets, where he kept any medicines. As he prepared a glass of water for you to take the pills, he felt a pit in his stomach. This didn’t sound good.

“Were they that upset about yesterday?” he asked.

You took the glass of water when he offered it to you, holding out your hand to receive the capsules, “Not exactly. They came to have a better discussion about it…Only it didn’t really go that way.”

“Ah,” the hurt on his face was clear, “They still think it’s a bad idea, huh?”

There was no way you were going to elaborate on all that they said. You didn’t want to damage his feelings any further. You merely nodded, “I’m afraid so, but it’s more than that. They want me to move back home.”

He had only just started to stir his dinner on the stove again when he ceased any movement. The pit in his stomach deepened into an abyss, eyes leaking with dread as he looked at you, “But they live on the other side of the country, right?”

He couldn’t lose you. If you left, you’d be taking his child with you. And then what? How would you be able to stay together as a couple with that amount of distance? Everything you’d built over the past twelve months could crumble.

You saw how alarmed he was by the prospect and put him to ease immediately, “Yes, but I’m not going of course.”

He put his hand over his heart and exhaled, shaking his head a little, “God, please open with that next time instead of letting me think the worst.”

“Sorry,” you smiled softly before recounting their reasoning, “They say it would be best for me and the baby. I’d quit my job and live with them for a while. They think it’s the only way to guarantee a secure home environment.”

His expression could have broken your heart, and it was only scratching the surface of what your parents had said to you. Jimin kept stirring the rice, turning the heat back up a little bit. You knew him well enough to see that his avoidance of eye contact was due to a wound.

You took off your shoes and tossed them back by the door before coming to wrap your arms around him. Your cheek made its home on his sturdy back, "I'm sorry. They just don't know you yet. They haven't seen what this really is."

He sighed, his shoulders slouching. "I know. That's why I want to meet them and you to meet mine. I understand why your parents feel the way they do. And I know you're leaving a lot out to spare my feelings. That doesn't make it fun to hear, but I get it."

You held him tighter, "Then we'll find a time to meet each other's. Maybe even at the same time."

Jimin let out a subtle chuckle at the notion, and then went back to serious, "And you? Do you still believe that I can provide a secure home environment?"

You stopped hugging him, instead joining him at his side, leaning against the counter so that you could look him in his eyes, "I've had a little while to think about it. I think that the environment this baby enters will never be a normal one. You could quit BTS right now and the fame will always follow you. That automatically makes for an abnormal upbringing. But that doesn't mean we can't do things to mitigate that, and that doesn't mean we can't raise a healthy, happy child. Above all, it doesn't mean he or she will lack security. Jimin, you're one of the most loving people I've ever known."

A hint of a grin began to form on his lips. You put your hand on your still flat tummy, "Whoever is in here will feel your love and support every day. Because that's just who you are."

His smile became a little bigger, "'Who I am' feels more complete whenever you're around. Thank you."

You pushed yourself from the counter and craned your neck upward so you could kiss him, "You're welcome. Now did you make any extra for me? I haven't eaten yet."

He smirked and pecked your lips once more, "Yes, there will be enough. Grab a couple bowls, it's about done."

He dished out the meal for two and you ate in the living room, sitting on the floor and using the coffee table as the surface. It tasted like heaven to you, but you were mindful to eat it slowly for the good of your gut.

"Mm," Jimin's eyes went wide suddenly, "I didn't tell you about my parents."

You swallowed, "Oh, right. How was that?"

"Like I said earlier, not bad. They were shocked and I got chided a little bit, but I hung up feeling a deeper sense of purpose," he explained, "And I want to share it with you if it's alright."

You were intrigued by the uptick in his mood, "Yeah, please."

"They made me realize that I, and possibly the two of us together, have been so terrified to tell the company because of the consequences to ourselves. But those consequences are necessary if we want what's best for our child, so we don't have to see it as some horrible doom coming our way," he studied your face to see if it was making sense, "All I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't see it as this awful storm cloud hanging over our heads. That doesn't mean it won't be hard or painful for us, but we can at least take comfort in that we'll be doing right by our little one."

You smiled, "I like that way of thinking. You know, after seeing the ultrasound, I felt something of a bond form. I'd do anything if it meant he or she was saved from hurt, and I know we both agree that the secrecy would hurt."

Jimin nodded, "Exactly. You're such an incredible mother already, baby. I can't wait to have Doctor Yoon come here for the next scan. I hope I feel the same thing you did."

That reminded you - the gift.

"Oh!" you stood up, "One second."

He was puzzled for a moment, but then you re-entered the living room with the green present in your arms and an eager look on your face. When you first got here, he'd been so caught up trying to figure out what was wrong that he'd totally forgotten about this.

He grinned curiously, "Oh yeah, what's this for?"

You sat beside him on the floor and put it between the two of you, "For you."

He laughed, "But why?"

You shrugged, "You'll see when you open it."

He took one last bite of fried rice and then set his bowl aside. He removed the white bow first and then began to rip the paper off the box. His brows knit together as the item inside gradually became visible. You were pressing your lips together in anticipation.

When the wrapping was fully removed, Jimin read the outside of the box. Shortly, he was looking at you again, eyes spilling over with exuberance. You couldn't hold back the same expression.

You giggled at his speechlessness, "A fetal doppler, so you can hear the heartbeat."

"Y/N," he was beaming down at the box, "I don't even know what to say. Thank you."

You nodded, "I know you felt like you were missing out. With this, you can listen whenever you want. No need to wait for a doctor's appointment."

"Can we try it now?"

You grinned, "That's what I was hoping you'd say."

He shot up, taking the box and your hand with him. You laughed as you were tugged along into his bedroom. You both sat on the bed and he flipped his nightstand lamp on, giving the space adequate yet dim lighting.

You worked together to free the small machine from its encasing, discarding any extra wrappings. It came with a small monitor that would show the heart rate and had a button panel for volume control. It was attached to a cord with a wand at the other end. Separately was a tube of gel, similar to what Doctor Yoon used at your appointment.

It came with the right batteries inside, so all you had to do was turn it on and go for it.

You laid back on the bed, adjusting your pants so the wand could access the right location. You smiled and pointed at the tube of gel, "Okay, take a little bit of the gel and put it right here."

Jimin couldn't believe he was doing this, but he couldn't be more excited. He carefully squirted a good amount of the substance on your skin, "Now what?"

You giggled, "Just turn it on and use the wand to spread it around."

He found the power button on the side of the monitor and pushed it, making the small screen light up. Before placing the wand on your belly, he made sure the volume was turned up. Then he laid on his side next you you, head propped up resting in his palm.

When the wand first made contact with your skin, there was hardly any sound. Thankfully, it only took a few seconds of spreading the gel around to start to hear something.

Jimin's features were fully alert instantly. He found the right spot and held it there, enthralled by the pulsing sound. His lips parted slightly as he stayed in a state of motionless elation. When it finally began to register, he broke into a joyous smile, "Oh my God, there it is!"

You laughed, basking in his happiness, "It sounds just as strong as it was before."

The immense weight of the day was lifted from him. He leaned closer to your belly, keeping the wand in place, "H-Hi, baby. It's Daddy. I hear you now."

You were overflowing with adoration for this man. Once you saw his brown eyes glisten with gleeful tears, you began to get choked up as well. He couldn't help it. In fact, he didn't even realize it was happening until one streak came down his face. All that you'd both been through in the past month, and all that you would go through in the months to come - it would all be unimaginably rewarded when the owner of this precious heartbeat came into the world.

Jimin wiped the tear from his cheek and sniffled, turning his focus to you now, "Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you so much. This is…it means everything to me.”

You grinned contentedly, “It does for me too.”

The two of you listened some more. The thumping was persistent and even. You daydreamed in your own minds, alleviating yourselves of any stress, even if it was just for this one moment.

He laughed, “I can’t believe we made this little heart together. You might come to regret giving me this.”

“You love it that much, huh?” you giggled.

“I wont be able to get enough of it.”

“That’s okay,” you said, “It gives me an excuse to come over more often.”

He hummed at the idea, still intently focused on the sight of your exposed abdomen and the sound coming through the monitor. You then watched as his blissful smile faded, and his eyes fell into a contemplative state.

His voice sounded distant as the gears were turning in his mind, “Baby?”

“Yeah?”

“When is the lease on your apartment up?”

[saddled-on-stars]

Hellooo, may I request something Keatlejuice x reader ?

I was thinking of something inspired from the “do you think I’m qualified” scene from the first movie and basically the idea is: Beetlejuice keeps flirting with reader, which hasn’t been very successful so far… But at some point his voice switches back to his “normal” one and reader pauses because since when does he sound so good??

He notices the reaction and kind of uses it to his advantage to make reader swoon hehe

Thank youu :))

okay- don't mess this up, don't mess this up, don't mess this up... HI THERE MY LITTLE LOVELY CONSTELLATION! Okay, full disclosure, I've never watched either of the Beetlejuice movies. I don't really know how the model exactly works, so I'll make it to similar to the musical; where you just find him on the roof. (I HOPE THAT'S OKAY, DARLING) So yeah, I've never watched either of the movies... I KNOW THE PLOT OF THE FIRST ONE THOUGH, AND I WILL EVENTUALLY WATCH THEM BOTH I SWEA- As far as Keatlejuice goes, I don't know a thing about that scene, and nothing came up when I looked it up, so I'm just going to go off of what you typed. 😀 Please feel free to criticize if it's inaccurate. OKAY, HERE YA GO, LOVELY <3 Happy reading! - Star ★ -★-★-★-★-★-★-★- Trigger Warnings: Explicit Language, Suggestive Themes, Mentions of Break-Up -★-★-★-★-★-★-★- Key: ★ (Y/N) = Your Name ★ (L/N) = Last Name -★-★-★-★-★-★-★- - ★ - Spooky Smooth - ★ - Lying on your bed, listening to some music, it's about 2am. You have your earbuds in, connected to your phone, and are wearing some comfortable shorts and your favorite hoodie. You begin fiddling with the drawstrings, thinking of who gave it to you, then you frown in sadness. It was given to you by your now ex-partner, and they were a jerk. A TOTAL JERK. It all ended at dinner last night. But you hung on, and you still can't figure out why. But that's not why you're sad. You're angry and upset and heartbroken all at the same time, for letting yourself believe that they loved you. It crushed your heart into billions of pieces when they repeated to you that you just weren't good enough. They weren't the first ex, definitely not, and so, as usual, you thought they were the one. You poured your heart and soul into that relationship, only to have your heart shattered. You saw them in the bed with that fucking chick from some cheap-ass bar. You were so angry that you did things to them that you weren't proud of. You impaled all four tires on their small old Nissan Versa, to be specific. You wanted to do so much more, but your heart couldn't take it, and it crushed you in the most tragic way possib-

You drift back to reality as you hear something shuffling above you. It sounds like it's coming from the attic or the roof. You assume it's some sort of critter, and almost fix your earbuds back into your ear, until you hear something... sobbing, perhaps? Sniffling? Letting your curiosity get the best of you, you push your earbuds back in, still listening to the sad, yet comforting music, and you climb out of your window onto the roof. You climb up to the top, and quickly find yourself captivated by the stars. It seems to ground you for the first time you've felt content in a while. You pause your music, hearing something else. It's the sound of a small flyer blowing in front of you. Curiously, you grab it, wondering what it might say. Betelguese - The Bio-Exorcist. Speak my name three times. Betelguese? Like the star? Eh, sounds strange, and this flyer seems pretty aged and old. But how'd it get up high on the roof? You consider calling whoever this 'Betelguese' person is. If they're a bio-exorcist, then they could get rid of your nasty ex. After all, that bitch has some shit comin'. "Bettle-goose, Bettle-goose, Bettle-goose." You close your eyes, expecting something crazy to happen, but the only movement and sound are the stars twinkling and the crickets below chirping. You suddenly see another flyer blow by, and you pick that one up as well. Beetlejuice - The Bio-Exorcist. Speak my name three times. Now you understood. Whoever this person is, they must be here, and so, you put your earbuds back in their designated case, preparing for what's to come. You hold your hoodie in a self-hug, bracing yourself and you begin: "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice." You close your eyes once again, fearing that something large might happen that might spook you, but instead you hear a raspy voice say, "It's showtime~" Suddenly, a giant puff of green smoke appears in front of you, and you're slightly startled, but your curiosity overpowers your fear. Standing there before you is some sort of creature? No, this must be the Beetlejuice guy. He's in a black-and-white striped tuxedo, complete with some typical black shoes. Though, it's all dirty, covered in green spots from here to there. His hair is a pale green, sticking out in all different directions, and his eyes are surrounded by black circles, and you can't tell if it's a fashion choice or not. "Hiya, Babes!", he says, his voice still raspy and rough. "H-Hello..", you reply, slightly still startled. He comes over and sits on the roof in front of you. "So, I heard ya' called m'name three times! Tre!", he says as he's holding up three fingers, his fingernails looking a little overgrown. 'He knows Italian? How strange...', you think. He puts his elbows on his knees, and lays his head on his hand, in a relaxed position. "So what's a pretty lil' thing like YOU doing, callin' a bio-exorcist?", he says, his eyes filled with flirtation. Damn. Straight to the point, you guess. "I-I've had my heart broken by some bitch, and I need you to get rid of them...", you say, while trying to avoid eye contact, as you can feel your eyes show your anger. His other hand comes up to his face as well, until he's resting in both of his hands. "Well then, who's the bastard, and we can make a deal, Babes! Don't worry, I don't bite-", he says as his hands come back to his knees and he leans closer.

"Unless... if you're into that sort of thing, Babes..", he says as he winks, his voice suddenly changed. It's no longer raspy and rough, but DAMN, it's smooth and gentle. You feel your cheeks flush, definitely flustered from his flirtatious remark. "I- uh, uhm-...", you stutter, trying to find the words to respond. He chuckles at your reaction, and he replies to you stuttering, "So, what do ya say, Babes? Wanna make a deal with the devilishly sexy?”.

He's so close to your face now, it's almost burning with electricity. You nod slowly, not knowing how else to respond. You've been holding your breath for a long time now, but your lungs are far from their limit. He winks, and brushes your thigh with his hand, and snaps his fingers. You release the breath you've been holding, as you realize that he's dissappeared into a cloud of smoke, leaving you breathless. "Damn, that voice..."

- ★ - Written by Saddled_On_Stars - ★ -

[freestyle-crocodile-trashpile]

Jimmy!

Summary;Anya told you about Jimmy, the least sane on the ship

Type:Scenario:Horror(?):Crewmembers & M!Reader, Anya X M!Reader(alittle)

Version:Mouthwashing

⚠️THERE ARE SPOILERS!! READ WITH CATION!!⚠️

~

It was a mystery why you came on the ship, with the countless therapist telling you not to, and your parol officer trying to stop you. But the law seemed to let you go, hiding the crimes you committed after realizing what you could do with ease, and letting you go. Why you joined- Nonone knew, all Anya knew was that you seemed to like her- in what why? She's unsure.

Everyday you'd say hi to her, finishing your tasks early to sit by her when she's alone. Everything was alright. You kept Jimmy at bay for abit, gave her time before he got to her.

She was quiet after that, not speaking as much, staring blankly. You've seen it so many times to know something was wrong, she couldn't convince you otherwise. She'd flinch around you, tense around Jimmy, and preferred to have Curly around. It was frustrating. All your hardwork was going out the window, sucking into space with nothing but a star to use up.

When you saw her sitting alone, now was your chance. To finally achieve your hardwork back, to have her back with you.

"Anya? What's wrong. Your so...distant now"

You sat next to her, keeping some distance to keep her in her comfort zone. Your head tilted, she wasn't looking at you. Your hands itched to tilt her head to you, to make her look at you with those eyes that always had you captivated.

"Its...it's nothing, really."

Her voice was holding on by a thread, she was scared. You knew she hadn't figured out about your past, it was all hidden years ago. Besides the ankle bracelet that they never took off before you got onto the ship. But she didn't know what you did, only had your doctor and therapist notes. So why? Why was she so scared.

"Anya..."

You moved closer, hand reaching out. But you didn't grab her, a light touch of your finger to her shoulder- making her jolt and look at you. Your hand was hovering, looking at her with a look she knew that you wouldn't leave until you knew the problem. She always thought you were stubborn. With a sigh she leaned back, rubbing her arm as she stared off again, blankly.

"...It's Jimmy. He....he's just...too much"

She didn't see the anger flash in your eyes, wasn't looking at you to see the darkness in your eyes. The same darkness that got you arrested. Anya had glossy eyes, clearly holding back tears that threatened to call her out.

"...did he hurt you?"

Anya looked at you shocked, gulping as she saw the anger. After a moment she looked down, her shaky hands gripping her pants as tears started to flow.

"Not...not necessarily."

It took a moment before it clicked in your head, eyes narrowing as you stared at her. You got it, you'll deal with him.

"Anya. I'll deal with him. I'll make sure he won't bother you."

Before Anya could react you walked out, looking for Jimmy. She knew she messed up when your voice boomed through the ship, shouting for Jimmy like you were hunting him.

After your...chat, with Jimmy, it got quieter. He wouldn't even look at Anya now, didn't show his face. But, Curly didn't like the chat you had with him, coming to chat with you but couldn't bring himself to mention it. Anya was confused, looking between you and Curly with a puzzled look. Curly had to get you away from get Anya. It took until you fell asleep to get to talk to her.

"Anya... he.. he didn't talk to Jimmy"

Anya looked puzzled, she knew you talked to him. You told him, she why else would Jimmy be avoiding her, you did seem mad.

"What? I watched him go to talk to Jimmy."

Curly sighed, rubbing his neck as he looked off. He didn't want to break the news like this, but it had to be said.

"Anya.. he, hurt Jimmy. Badly. H-...Jimmy's face its...it's bad Anya"

Anya was stunned, staring at Curly in disbelief. Her mouth opened but no words came out. Her throat was dry.

"I don't think He's sane Anya, Jimmy was so badly hurt i-i don't know what to do. I know I'm captain, but he won't listen to me."

Anya was silent, not wanting to believe it was real. But..maybe it was a good thing. Anyas hand found her stomach, an uncomfortable cramp starting up... but no blood was coming out.

"I'm sorry Curly..i-i have to go"

Anya stood up and walked out before Curly could continue. Leaving Curly there in silence. Curly head dropped into his hands, letting out a shaky breath.

Anya didn't look at you the same, there was so much conflict and confusion in her mind. It scared her to see you around the others- you seemed to like the others at least. Jimmy didn't look at you, but Swansea found it hilarious. Jimmy pissed him off so much, it was about time someone put him in his place. When Anya finally saw Jimmy's face again, it was when she was telling him about her pregnancy. She saw the bansages, the beaten face. And the anger, so much anger on one man's face.

Then the crash happened. And everything changed.

Jimmy became captain, you got angry, and Swansea was frustrated. Diasuke didn't change much.

Anya couldn't do it, her pregnancy was devastating, especially when it's a man she didn't want who's the father. When you came to the client, looking at Curly blankly, but at her with sympathy, she broke. She didn't know why, but you had that effect on her. She cried and cried into your chest- her legs couldn't even hold her, making you both sit on the floor as she sobbed and told you everything. Your arms were around her,letting her sob and let out all out until she fell asleep. Curly watched in horror as you flexed your hands. He couldn't do anything, not even able warn anyone. You'd hurt him again, and again until someone was dead. Either you, or him.

When Anya woke, she was in the client wrapped in a blanket alone with Curly. He was groaning, thrashing around while staring at her. He wanted to warn her, but she just sighed, getting his pain meds and gave it to him.

It was silent in the ship, Swansea and Diasuke were sitting at the table silently. It's been about a month since the crash, and suddenly... there wasn't a Jimmy yelling at them. And no axe. Anya walked around, a bad feeling in her gut as she looked for you. Her voice cracked as she called out for you. When she found you, there was no Jimmy, no axe, and... no uniform. You were in a white shirt and some spare pants.

"There you are! What happened? Everything's so quiet- and i...I have a bad feeling"

Your face was blank, staring at her before smiling, shaking your head with a chuckle.

"Your overthinking it, nothing happened."

You pulled her away from the cockpit, not wanting her to see the mess. The axe wasn't needed anyway.

Later that day while she was lying down, she looked at you, growing nervous as you sat next to her. There was something..wrong, very wrong. Your hand touched her stomach, staring at it before smiling.

"I'll help you, Anya"

She didn't like the look on your face, slowly sitting up. Your hand moved away, now resting on your knee.

"Where's Jimmy?"

Your face faltered, suddenly becoming blank. You stared, sighing as you shifted to sit across from her, putting some distance between you two.

"In the cockpit, where the captain always is."

She didn't like that answer and slowly stood up. You followed her, the blank look. When she got to the cockpit she hesitated, staring at the door with nervousness before you reached around and opened the door. The chair was turned to you two, but Jimmy was there. She could see his arm resting on the armrest and his head from over the chair.

"See? He's being a captain"

Anya sighed, rubbing her face as she turned away. Not noticing the handle of the axe sticking out from the side of the chair

"Maybe you were right...I must've been overthinking"

When the door closed there was a small thud, that Anya did notice. But thinking it was just Jimmy- technically, she's not wrong.

"Come on, let's go to bed"

~

[A/N: I've been wanting to write something about mouthwashing but never had any ideas. I hope you enjoyed]

[hades--baby]

It Will Come Back || Chapter 2

Content Warning: Canon-typical violence, swearing, allusions to alcoholism

Note: Second chapter of the series! I have a lot of content written for this story already, just haven't made a posting schedule for it. I'll get around to posting on a regular schedule soon enough. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

(This work was also cross-posted on my ao3 account under the name hades_baby)

Word Count: 4628

previous part || next part

A knock on Frost’s door made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. 

She wasn’t expecting any company. 

She never was. 

After silently slipping into her bedroom and grabbing the compact Smith & Wesson that she kept safely stashed in the nightstand beside her bed, she headed to the front door. She stepped over the creaky spot in the hallway, making sure to stay completely silent as she stopped at the door and peeked through the curtains to see who was standing on the front porch. 

It was a pleasant surprise to see a certain Captain John Price waiting patiently with a tempting looking bottle of whiskey set in his hands. She sighed, clicked the safety on, and tucked the gun into the waistband of her pants before opening the door. 

“Price?” she greeted with a tinge of confusion in her voice as her eyes flicked around the porch to see if anyone else was with him. Silently, she had hoped that Kate had accompanied him, but from the look of it, he was alone on this mission. 

“You remember me,” he said, giving her a jolly smile. 

“Hard to forget a face that broke into my house in the middle of the night,” she jested dryly. 

“Well, technically speaking, Kate had a key and let herself in. I just happened to follow,” he said, pinching the neck of the bottle between his thumb and pointer finger as he held both of his hands up in faux surrender. She worried that the bottle of amber liquid would slip from his fingers and her porch would smell like liquor for the next week no matter how hard she tried to wash it out. 

“Same difference, John,” she said, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. 

He hadn’t realized that they were on a first name basis.

He quite liked the way his name sounded rolling off her tongue.

It was addictive. 

Almost better than the taste of his best cigar. 

“What’re you doing here?” she asked, breaking him from the trance that her lips had put him in. 

“Just thought I’d stop by for a bit of a chat and drop this off,” he said, his smile remaining as he properly presented the bottle to her. She made it a note to not look at the bottle for too long before humming a quick acknowledgement and walking back inside, leaving the door wide open behind her. 

“Well, don’t let all the cold air in,” she called out as she disappeared into the kitchen.

Price made quick work of stepping inside and shutting the door, letting the warm air of the house encapsulate him. He promptly slipped his boots off and made sure to place them against the wall by the door, noticing how all of her shoes were lined up neatly with each other. He figured she wouldn’t want him dirtying the nice hardwood flooring of her cabin.

“Hungry?” she asked as he stepped into the kitchen. 

It was much warmer in the kitchen compared to the foyer, which he was ever-thankful for. The trek from his truck to her house had rendered his fingers freezing and he could feel little specs of snow hiding in his beard. He took a deep breath through his nose, taking in the hearty smell that was wafting from the pot on the stove.  

“Always,” he said as he set the bottle of whiskey on the counter and subtly rocked onto his toes in an attempt to take a gander at whatever was in the pot without looking overly curious. 

Whatever it was, it smelled absolutely amazing. 

Frost had glanced at the bottle of whiskey again as the glass clinked against the counter. She barely paid it any mind before focusing back on the food. Price was almost a little dejected. He had picked out a nice bottle, something he figured that any person who had gone through the fits of war would appreciate. He went on to assume that perhaps whiskey just wasn’t her liquor of choice. 

“Fancy a bowl of stew?” she asked. 

“Only if you’re offering,” he said, nodding his head with a polite smile. 

She grabbed two bowls and started serving them up. He watched as a sense of domesticity took over her persona. He wouldn’t mind coming home to something sweet like this. A gorgeous woman wrapped in pure comfort, doing whatever it was she loved to do throughout her day, and greeting him at the door with an amazing meal ready for the both of them to share when he would come home from work. 

Frost then casually pulled a pistol from her waistband and set it on the counter beside the stove. 

And that was just about enough to yank Price from the domestic daydream he had set himself in. 

She turned around with a bowl in each hand while the gun stayed stagnant on the counter. He wondered if she always walked around her own home with a firearm on her person even when she was alone. 

“Care if we eat in the living room? I’m not really feeling the whole wooden chair thing as of right now. Joints are feeling a little achy today,” she said, nodding her head in the direction of the small dining table that was set against the wall of the kitchen. 

In reality, her joints were always feeling achy nowadays. Her knees and hips had been killing her all day and she didn’t have the means to fix the pain. The cold weather really never did her body any good thanks to the wear and tear of all her years in the military, but she loved the freezing temperatures nonetheless. 

“It’s your home, ma’am. We do as you wish,” he said. 

She huffed out a breathy scoff of a laugh and handed him his bowl of food. 

Being called “ma’am” felt so odd to her now.

She glanced at the bottle of whiskey on the counter one last time before making her way into the living room.  

It had been a long time since a bottle had graced her home. 

It was a sight that she wasn’t quite accustomed to anymore. 

She tried not to let it bother her too much. 

John followed her into the living room where she took a seat in the same dark green armchair as last time and he did the same, sitting right across from her with the fireplace set between them. The fire was already crackling, fed well, and stoked gently.

“I hope the stew’s alright. I haven’t cooked anything for anyone other than myself in a long while. Meat should be tender saying it’s been sitting on the stove all morning,” she said before taking her first bite. Price did the same and nearly melted into his seat. A content hum escaped him.  

“Trust me, it’s more than alright,” he said, taking another hefty bite.

They ate in silence for a bit, the two of them making it halfway through their bowls before Frost decided to speak. 

“What’re you doing here, John?” she asked, not looking up from her bowl as she broke the metaphorical ice. 

“I told you at the door. Just thought I’d stop by for a little chat. I was in the area,” he said, giving her the same jolly smile that he had greeted her with at the door. 

He knew that his reasoning was weak and that it would never fly with her, but he didn’t exactly know how to word his reasoning without being overtly forward. He was almost afraid of saying the wrong thing, which was new to him. He hadn’t become a Captain by being soft spoken or by coddling the people around him, yet here he was, his words attempting to be slow and soft in hopes of putting her at ease. 

“It takes an hour to get here from the nearest town. I doubt that you were in the area ,” she said, rolling her eyes. 

She liked to do that a lot, he noticed. Roll her eyes with some sort of quick quip. Usually something like that would annoy him to all wits end, but it seemed justifiable every time she did it. 

“Fine. I just wanted to talk to you,” he admitted. 

He had hoped to warm up to her a little more, but he should have known better. 

“About?” 

“What do you think?” 

Frost was aware of why he was there. It had only been two days since he and Laswell had first popped in, so she was sure that they were still awaiting a phone call from her, but she hadn’t cared to even look at her phone. 

“It doesn’t matter what I think. It matters what you’re here to talk about,” she said. 

John huffed. 

“Laswell thinks you’d be a good addition to my task force,” he said, finally using his words to explain the true meaning of his visit. “Actually, she swears that you’d be a good addition.”

Frost didn’t say anything. 

“You know, I quite like the way that my team is as of right now, but if Kate thinks that you’re worth the trouble, then I’m inclined to reconsider,” he continued.

Price knew his boys and he knew them well. If they were going to be taking on something as important as Makarov, he wanted to be working as a tight-knit group that already had a sense of trust established with each other. Bringing in a new face at this stage would be… unideal in his eyes, but he knew Laswell typically had their best interest in mind, so if she said that Frost was someone worth having on their side of the fight, then he believed it. 

“Now, what really bothered me the other night was how quickly you said no and how easily Kate accepted your answer. She would’ve haggled anyone else to get them to get them onboard, but she just let it go when it came to you. Why is that?” he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as his eyes narrowed. He kept the warm bowl of food in his hands, moving around the few pieces of meat and potatoes that remained. 

“It’s because she knows how I work,” she answered easily. John didn’t say anything, waiting for her to continue. She figured that meant that her answer wasn’t good enough. “Look, when it comes to a military based operation, I’m willing to adapt to get the results that I want. But when it comes to personal matters, I know what is and isn’t right for me.”

“And what makes you so sure about what you think is right?” he probed. 

“I’ve made enough decisions in my life where second guessing what I thought was right got people killed. I’m not trying to repeat history as much as it already likes to repeat itself,” she said, shaking her head. 

John hummed and slowly sat back in his seat. 

“I did some research on you, you know,” he said, trying to clear the air of awkwardness. 

“Did you now?” she said, taking another spoonful of stew. “Find anything fun?” 

“Lieutenant Colonel Mira “Frost” Grant—”

“Pretty sure it was Laswell who told you my name, not my file,” she cut in smartly. 

“—went into the military straight out of school. Climbed the ranks until she decided to join the Parachute Regiment. Got into the SAS a little after that. Led her own task force for a long while until… She disbanded the task force for unknown reasons. Retired not long after,” he listed out from memory. He wasn’t going to let her know just yet that he knew about her deceased team. He wasn’t sure if it was common knowledge and he didn’t want to accidentally out Laswell for telling him anything. 

“Is that what my file says?” she asked rhetorically, sounding bored by the life story he had just recited. Frost had practically memorized the personal file report that Laswell had typed out for the public military database. The file that held all the true unredacted information was locked away somewhere in a cabinet in Laswell’s office. “Sounds boring.”

“Maybe to you.” 

They kept eating. 

“Want seconds?” she asked. 

“Only if you’re offering,” he said. 

He hadn’t had a home cooked meal in ages. 

At least, not one this good. 

He almost felt selfish saying yes to seconds. 

She stood and took his empty bowl, making her way back into the kitchen. He stayed seated in his chair, unsure if he should follow her. Instead, he took the time to look around her living room. 

Just above the fireplace were a few framed photos. One was of a happy looking german shepherd, staring right at the camera. The one beside it was a group photo. Frost was placed right in the middle, a bright smile shining on her face with a small task force of nine surrounding her. The woman in the photo looked so different from the woman currently standing in the kitchen. Well, they physically looked the same, but there was a certain charm in her eye that she didn’t care to hold anymore. And the last one was of her, Laswell, and Laswell’s wife. They looked younger, but still hardened. Frost and Laswell had cigarettes and smiles on their lips while Kate’s wife looked happy but a little disgruntled with the smoke wisping in the air. 

He wondered how such a smile seemed to become so foreign to her. 

Then again, he knew what war did to people. 

“Here you go.”

Frost was standing beside him, holding his bowl out to him. He took it and muttered a polite thanks, watching her settling back in her seat with a small second portion in her own bowl. 

He felt less guilty knowing that she had snagged seconds as well. 

“So did you come around just to recite my own file to me, or were you planning on trying something else to win me over?” she asked, looking up at him. 

The way she was curled up in her arm chair did something to John’s heart. Her legs were tucked in front of her, bowl resting against her hand and knee, body leaning against the plush arm rest. 

“I realized that I’ve actually heard a lot about you, Frost,” he said, stretching his legs out and crossing them at his ankles. Frost perked a curious brow. “The SAS folks never properly put a name to you, but they used to tell stories to pass the time.”

“Anything good?”

“A lot of good,” he said before taking another bite. Christ, her cooking might have been enough to make him retire. “Almost too much good, actually. Half the operatives started to believe that you were just some sort of field folktale.”

“There’s lots of bad in that file too, if you cared to look hard enough,” she muttered, looking away from his kind face. “Plus all of those stories were either from my prime or were shot out of proportion. I’d bet on the latter for most of them.”

Frost had always found herself falling uncomfortable when people started to speak highly of her. The tall tales that were told at bases around the world had always left far too much room for people to set unreasonable expectations. Expectations she might not be able to meet, especially at this age. She’d be the first to admit that she was damn good at her job, but she would also be the first to admit that she wasn’t in her prime anymore and she had just as many failures in the bag to match her successes. 

“Tea?” she asked, hoping to change the subject. 

She was deflecting. 

He wouldn’t let her do that. 

“Only if you let me make it,” he said, trying to offer his services so she couldn’t escape his line of reasoning. She stared him down for a few moments before conceding with a nod. “I’ll put the kettle on then.”

He stood from his seat, finishing off the last bites of his stew as he made his way into the kitchen. He placed the bowl in the sink, having every intention to watch it once he put the kettle on. He filled the metal contraption with water and set it on the stove, leaving it alone to come to a boil. He peeked his head back into the living room for a moment. 

“Are you done with that?” he asked, looking down at the bowl in her hand. She hummed in confirmation, letting her legs down from their tucked position to get up, but he made it across her living room in a few strides and gently took the bowl from her grasp. She muttered a quiet thanks, watching as he disappeared back into the kitchen. She stared at the empty doorway, head ticking in surprise when she heard the water from the sink running. 

Was he washing the dishes?

He was quick about it, cleaning the dishes to perfection before stepping back into the living room. She assumed that he’d take his seat as they waited for the kettle to be ready, but he didn’t. Instead, he slowly stepped over to the fireplace, eyes settling on the few framed pictures. 

Frost fidgeted. 

John noticed. 

“Your file didn’t mention everything, so I had to do a little digging myself. Even then, I didn’t find much. Laswell did a good job at redacting the important shit,” he said as he picked up the picture of her and her task force. 

Frost watched him with a hardened stare. Her eyes dug into him, practically staring daggers into his head. He knew that he was treading into dangerous waters, but he wanted to see how far he could push before she gave in. 

“I’m sorry about what Makarov did to you and your team.”

She didn’t say anything. 

“Knew some of them myself. You had good people under your command,” he continued, nodding his head as his eyes fell over each person in the photo. Regardless of how many times his eyes trailed away, they seemed to always come back to her standing right in the middle of the group. He didn’t know why, but that bright smile was something he hoped to witness with his own eyes one day. 

The kettle started to whistle. 

Price set the frame down gently, taking a quick look at her before heading back into the kitchen.

Frost quietly stood from her seat, stepping over to the fireplace where John had been standing moments before. The heat from the fire burned her legs as she stared at the photo of her old task force. Her old family. She never really took the time to look at the photo all that much anymore. It always brought back the memories she wished she could forget. The memories that haunted her mind every time she shut her eyes in hopes of getting some semblance of sleep. 

Mugs clinked in the kitchen and she could only assume that he remembered where they were held from when he had first come around with Laswell. Kate knew where everything was in the house. She wondered if Price would soon know too. 

He returned with two cuppas, passing one off to her. 

“Who’s that?” he asked, pointing at the photo of the dog before taking a sip. Frost smiled softly, something that Price had learned to be a rare sight. 

“Want to meet him?” she asked, looking over to him with a caring look in her eyes. The soft glint of a smile was enough to make Price say yes to absolutely anything she might have to say. 

“I’d love to,” he said, nodding his head. 

She walked into the kitchen and to the back door, cradling the cup of tea to her chest as she opened the door and looked out the back porch. She whistled loudly, eyes searching the big forest. 

“Riley!” she called out. “Come here, boy!”

“Riley?” he questioned, looking down at her as she kept looking for her furry companion in the trees. 

Simon was either going to absolutely love that or it might be enough to make him despise her. 

He hoped for the former. 

A big german shepherd came dashing toward her in seconds. He hopped up the porch and ran around her legs, weaving in between before finally stopping right beneath her. 

“This is Riley. I’ve had him for a good while. Got me through a lot of missions back in the day,” she said, rubbing his head a few times before looking back up at Price. Riley was a kind dog, but he never did well with strangers. She wondered how he’d act with Price being a new presence.

John slowly lowered himself to a crouch, coming face to face with the stoic german shepherd that had been staring him down. He waited, not making any move to rile the pup up. He knew that it was always best to let a beast come to you first if you intended to tame it. Riley growled a little before whining and stepping politely into John’s space. The dog sniffed him a bit before licking the side of his face and wagging his tail. Frost perked a brow while John gave Riley a good rub and pat, gently playing with the war-trained dog. 

Frost had never seen Riley warm up so quickly to someone. 

Well, other than Kate and her wife. 

After a good minute or so, Riley grew bored of the attention and weaved through Frost’s legs before dashing back into the forest. 

“Not too far!” she shouted after the riled dog, watching as he disappeared into the trees. “Damn thing always worries me that he’s not going to come back one of these days. It is a wild forest and all.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Price said, standing back up to his full height as he thought about the things Riley could have possibly seen out in the field. The forest was nothing compared to the acts of warfare. He was sure the little beast would be fine nonetheless. 

Frost silently took note of how tall he truly was now that she was standing beside him. She hadn’t noticed it properly before, but he was quite a bit taller than her. His head almost skimmed the top of the doorframe and his broad shoulders took up the space of the door with ease. He was a burly man, but in all the right ways. She could tell that he was solid, but there were still softer parts of him. 

The military had shaped him well and she didn’t mind letting her mind wander for a moment. 

“Best get back inside. Fireplace can’t heat the entire forest on its own,” she said, ushering him back inside and closing the door behind them. She glanced out the window of the door, catching one last glance of Riley chasing a rabbit before heading back into the living room with Price following close behind. “How’d you meet Laswell?”

“Football game,” he answered. “And you?” 

“Pub. Long time ago when we were much younger,” she answered in return. 

They looked at the last photo on the top of the fireplace. The one of the three young women laughing and smiling about something Frost had long forgotten. 

Price’s heart felt warm by the sight of her unabashed grin in the photo. 

He found himself absolutely allured by her smile. 

“You know, I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, Mira, but I think I agree with Laswell on this one. You should come along to catch Makarov with me and my team. I think it would do you some good and I think it would do my team so good,” he said, looking away from the photo to look at her. 

It had taken her aback, hearing him use her actual name.

She had become so accustomed to being called by her callsign all the time that she had forgotten that people could actually call her by her name. 

She liked how it sounded on his lips and she wouldn’t mind hearing it again. 

Price glanced back at the group photo of her and her old task force. 

“Think it would do them some good too.”

Frost wanted to bite back and snap that he didn’t know what they’d want, but she secretly knew that he was right. If any of her team were still standing, they’d be jumping at the opportunity to take that Russian son of a bitch out. 

“Just give it some thought,” he said, looking back to her with a kind smile. “Thank you for the stew and for the tea. It’ll keep me warm on my way back to base.” 

“You could take some with you, if you’d like. I made a lot and Riley doesn’t much appreciate my cooking unless it’s a steak,” she said, ticking her head in the direction of the kitchen. 

“I appreciate that, but it’s alright,” he said, shaking his head with a polite smile. He held his hand out to her. “Gives me an excuse to come back and have another meal with you. And maybe a glass of that whiskey I brought by.”

Frost tried not to react, but she couldn’t help but feel a little heat rise in her cheeks. 

“Thanks for stopping by,” she said, taking his hand in hers. They both held each other’s hands in a comfortable firm squeeze before slowly letting go.

Something inside Frost didn’t want him to leave. 

Price could admit that he didn’t really want to leave either. 

But he had to. 

He slipped his boots on, opened the door, and took one last polite glance at her before nodding his head in farewell and shutting the door.  

The house was quiet again, nothing but the crackling fire to keep Frost company. She stared at the closed door for a long while, standing there in complete stillness, burning flames kissing her skin. Her gaze slowly made its way back to the group photo of her task force and something tugged aggressively at her heartstrings. Her eyes glazed over each and every one of their faces. Tears threatened to slip down her face, but they never did. 

Loud whining soon sounded out near the back door. 

“I’m comin’, Riley. I’m comin’,” she called out, taking one last glance before rushing to the back door to let her only companion inside.

It was late. 

Really fucking late. 

Too late for John’s phone to be ringing this many times in a row. 

He rolled onto his stomach, groggily grabbed his phone from the nightstand beside his bed, and fiddled with it as the bright screen blinded him. He pressed the green button in the bottom right corner of his phone and put it to his ear. 

“Hello?” he said, voice deeper and rougher thanks to the laced effects of sleep. 

“What did you do?”

“Kate? Do you know how late it is?” he said, propping himself on his elbows. 

“What did you do?” she repeated, enunciating each word with enough vigor to make him perk up and pay attention a little more.

“What are you going on about?” he asked, furrowing his brows. It was too late for him to be dealing with this shit. He could barely keep his eyes open. 

“Frost gave me a call. Said that she changed her mind and that she was in,” Kate said. While she didn’t necessarily sound mad, there was a bite in her tone that made John a little nervous. “And I know you had something to do with it.”

[fa113nm00n]

My brain decided to come up with the outline of a quest/questline related to this... XD The WoL hears a small whisper from their Azem Crystal. A voice begging for oblivion. Moments later, the WoL gets engulfed in light and when they come to, they at first don't understand what happened. However, it doesn't take long for them to realize they're in another world. A world just like their own, but with a difference... they aren't this world's Warrior of Light. Not knowing what else to do, the WoL gets in contact with the Scions of this world. Hoping they would be willing to help. And lucky for WoL, they are. So they start to try figuring out why WoL came to this parallel world and how to send them back to their own. But as the WoL continues to interract with the Scions, they realize something... Something horrible had happened to this world's Warrior of Light. With time, WoL learns that this world's WoL had become a primal and were currently sealed away where the Mothercrystal used to be. Something WoL couldn't ignore. So getting back home was no longer as important. Now WoL tried to learn as much as possible about the WoL Primal. In the process coming face to face with a Avatar of Light and a Avatar of Darkness. Born from the WoL Primal's Reaper Avatar. After bringing those 2 down, the WoL, together with the Scions, faces the WoL Primal, who broke free of the seal. (I have ideas for the fight as well... but I'll leave that for another time) At the end of the fight, everything became engulfed in light, in which they can hear the former WoL thanking them. The Primal dissipates with a peaceful expression. Yet the victory felt hollow. For they knew it was for the better that all forgot about the former WoL. After the fight, the Azem Crystal starts to glow, ready to send the WoL back to their own world. The Scions gets to bid goodbye, smiles on their lips yet with heavy hearts. Making WoL promise that they would do anything in their power to avoid giving their own companions the same experience. WoL returns to their own world, glad that they still remember the parallel world and tells the Scions of their world about it. The Scions reassuring that they would never let it happen. That WoL burdens were for them all to carry.

Bad endings? Bad endings anyone?

What if they got consumed by the light? What if they became a primal? Any and all bad endings!

I think mine most likely would've become a lightwarden because she didn't get to Emet-Selch fast enough. "Obsession" would be its name, due to the fact it would be obsessed with the idea of saving others and changing the world, probably leading to either the Scions killing her or to her consuming the First in Light.

.

[orcelito]

Oh, how I have missed them

[torchstelechos]

Loop's such an unreliable narrator that I find it hard to believe that the Party didn't recognize them at least a lil bit. It was just soooo not the time to have a snack break breakdown about two (2) Siffrin's and what that means metaphysically and theoretically (and for Isabeau, relationship wise)

[cuttledreams-bugs]

me trying to hype myself up to posting online again despite The Horror

[mcalhenwrites]

Still alive, writing and editing a lot and even drawing (mostly dragon sketches at work). Seasons has some new chapters now... I saw something earlier about writing being something you can hone by doing lots of reading and writing. I wonder when that will apply to me. I've read a lot of books this year. I have almost hit my goal of 90 books, and while a couple are nonfiction and half are comics, the rest are novels. I expect that to increase again, now that I'm going back to the library. (I stopped with the bed bug scare.) Then I'm setting aside time each week to write. I work on stories at work, even if it's mostly just planning. (My laptop is falling apart so I just gave up taking it to work.) Yet here I am, still the same idiot who doesn't have anything appealing enough for most people to read. I can't get 99% of my followers interested. Sales of Geckos have dropped to next-to-nothing. Nothing else I put out there matters either. The fault lies with me. I'm not good enough. After having this stupid blog for 12 years, I want to delete it. I want to delete my twitter account. I want to delete every single account and shut up for good. There is nothing I can offer. My writing is a good hobby for me. I can get pats on the head for doing a little thing for myself. Aww, look at the cute little dumbass adult doing wittle storwies!!! Isn't that silly!!! They're not good, but he's having fun during the process. Too bad he hasn't figured out that not even 39 more years of practice can save what he's handing out.

[ja3yun]

i was planning to write today but i cant figure out if i'm still too deep into tdh or i don't like how this new story is progressing bc i cannot concentrate

[tanicus-caesareth]

guarana drama, damage control

[jonathanbyersphd]

Something about Jonathan and Will building Castle Byers and that being the place where he hides in the Upside Down.

[eyesoftxmorrow]

uh