#and really eccentric outfits. hes one of my favourite people and we always smile at each other when we bump into each other.

[valtsv]

btw i think it's so awesome and fun when older people dye their white hair purple or pink or blue or whatever colour they fancy and 'overdress' in bright eye catching ostentatious outfits and have quirky interests and styles. you don't have to be young to have fun and be confident! you can still enjoy life when you're old! who cares what anyone else thinks, you've lived longer than they have and know better than to waste it being miserable just to fit in.

[shadow-scenarios]

Hello~ may I ask for something slightly specific? I wanted to ask about a scenario in which the reader recently obtains the Meta-Nav but instead of the PT finding out first, Goro does. See, the reader and Goro have recently become acquaintances and reader thinks that the Meta-Nav is something related to illegal activity so she goes to consult their detective friend on this mysterious app! Haha, sorry if this is too specific ;-;

Hey there simulationone, this isn’t too specific!! I like creative ideas that change the plot & this has been my favourite request to write so far.

However, I did change the request slightly. I made it so that the Reader awakened to their Persona & gains the MetaNav!! I hope that’s alright with you. If not, feel free to message me again and I can rewrite it.

{ Post Writing Note: Well, I wrote way too much!! Sorry if there’s less Akechi content than you thought, I got hyperfixated on how it would affect the plot. I’d love to write a Part 2 full of angst with this, so feel free to request it!! }

- Nexus.

Dance with Justice | Goro Akechi

Life at Kosei High was predictable. Like a metronome. Constant pressure to be the best & high achievement boundaries, it was a wonder how she was ever accepted without some sort of moonlighting as a prodigy. These stories of mental shutdowns & psychotic breakdowns made the world look grim & everyone seemed desperate to escape it all.

Comfort was found in the Phantom Thieves and how they manipulated hearts. Dancing the line between immoral & illegal, it was a grey area where the who was less significant than the how. Society grasped onto them as miraculous saviours as they solved cases faster than regular forces ever could: Kamoshida, Madarame, Kaneshiro, Medjed. The world was taken by storm, these renegade rogues looking to change the world & it seemed they were no longer an urban legend.

Their downfall was unexpected, to say the least. Okumura was murdered in cold blood, his mental shutdown playing onscreen during an important meeting where he was about to reveal an important factor in solving this buck-wild case. A calling card was found at the residence, the sigil of their misdeeds. Just when the mystery was about to unravel, the threads gave way to a bigger problem: Did the Phantom Thieves cause the very shutdowns everyone was trying to escape?

Swiftly, the media capitalised. Labelling them as criminals, demanding their arrest. Everything shifted so quickly & she was caught up by the egregious claims of both sides. There was one thing for certain: The Phantoms Thieves had killed someone and regardless of their previous deeds, they needed to be brought to justice.

Naturally, the first viable suspect she found was Yusuke Kitagawa.

He was of the eccentric sort, gaining a scholarship through art. Everything the strange man did was usually for the sake of ‘ Finding true beauty! ’, which was slightly melodramatic. Before Madarame’s case, he was fixated on art singularly. Now? He seemed to have other priorities. Whenever someone would discuss the Phantom Thieves in an art lesson, there was a glimmer in his eye & the paintbrush that had been on the canvas stopped in order to listen in.

A victim of Madarame’s plagiarism, which gave a plausible motive. Despite this, nothing was concrete. She thought about her friend, Akechi. Was this how he solved crimes?

Obviously, the next step was to follow Yusuke around. Sneaking around was rather easy, all she had ever been known as by the student populace was ‘ the girl who was friends with Akechi! ’, so standing out was not much of a problem. There was not much abnormal. Despite being somewhat of a social outcast, he had a small circle of friends. Six in total.

Five of them were clearly wearing the Shujin Academy uniform on the day she spotted them. One was tall in stature with fluffy black hair & thick framed glasses. Reserved in nature but he always appeared to have some sort of witty comeback. Soon he became known as Akira.

Another one was a blonde, around the same height. He wore the uniform much like a delinquent alongside a yellow graphic tee. Obnoxiously loud, as it was never difficult to hear what he was saying even from far away. The person closest to him was Ann. She had platinum blonde hair tied back into pigtails & features of an American.

Makoto was next. Clearly more of a calculating type, she wore the uniform immaculately. Wearing her hair in a French-braid styled headband, she had maroon coloured eyes & was around average height. Most of the time, she was commenting on the boy’s behaviour.

Haru Okumura was someone recognisable due to the news about her father’s death, which was saddening. In her uniform, she wore a fluffy pink turtleneck alongside white tights with flower patterns.

Futaba was just as strange as Yusuke. She used a mixture of gamer jargon whenever she spoke and was never seen in a uniform. About middle school age, she carried around a set of headphones everywhere that regularly rested atop her maple coloured hair.

Stuffed inside of Akira’s bag was also a cat that they tried to hide. Key word: Tried. Six of them & a cat.

They frequented a local cafe in Shibuya, LeBlanc. It was a nice location & she had even gone in there once to listen in. Boss was kind, to say the least. He served coffee with a warm smile & the curry combined perfectly enough to encourage a smile out of her.

On a Friday, the cafe was busy. They had gathered at one table & chatted casually. Most of them looked forelorn. Akira eventually gestured for them to take the conversation outside, where they would disturb fewer people.

Following behind them, she paid Boss & followed, attempting to seem casual. They never noticed. Conspicuously trailing into an alleyway, Ryuji pulled out his phone. Listening in was difficult so she opted to pull out her own phone and record. One of them, presumably Akira, simply said “ Mementos. ”.

Mementos. That singular word triggered something & changed everything. As the world began to violently shift in a strange phenomena, hues of vermillion & mauve dotted her vision. It was hypnotic. Eventually, she snapped out of the trance.

Concealed by masks & flashy outfits were the suspicious group she had been following. It was blatantly obvious by their hair colours. However, the animated cat creature was a surprise. It was reminiscent of the cat Akira carried around but even stranger was that it talked. Then it turned into a bus. Which did not seem all that strange.

Inherently familiar with their environment, they sped off down the escalator, leaving her alone with her thoughts. There were so many reds & greys. Thick red veins ran through the sides in mangled forms. The wall behind her was dilapidated & the only way to proceed was the escalator in front of her.

A fatal mistake, really.

Recalling the details of the awakening are fuzzy at best. These lumbering creatures formed entirely out of shadow began to take notice of her unwanted presence. Cornered, desperate and alone. Insurmountable pain; the voice of someone almost familiar; then freedom & rebellion.

With the pact of her Persona, everything was clearer. Life had previously moved in rhetorical patterns, it was now a whimsical dance. Eliminating the so called enemies with a weapon in hand, she eventually found a way back to the surface. The door at the beginning looked to be a way out, so she threw caution to the wind & took the chance.

Fatigue came first in this dingy alleyway. Adrenaline had been fuelling the push to leave alongside her newly granted power and once that was gone, nothing would spare her from raw exhaustion. Checking her phone in the hopes of finding evidence, the video taken was still there, though it cut off as soon as anyone disappeared.

Even without evidence, she knew that this group was doing something illicit. So she texted the one person she trusted with this secret: Goro Akechi. He was a detective, surely he would have answers.

;; I must speak with you in person as soon as possible. It’s regarding the Phantom Thieves, I have some evidence for you. You’re investigating them, correct?

Knowing full well that Akechi lived a busy life, she did not expect a response for a while. After gathering the strength to stand once again, she headed home. It was the most exhausting experience ever, physically & emotionally. A few minutes after returning home, there was a response from Akechi.

I am indeed investigating them. If you have any evidence regarding them, would it not be more convenient for me to receive it via text? ;;

;; Yes, it would be, but I can barely even believe the evidence presented to me. It’s better for you to see it for yourself. Are you attending school tomorrow?

Indeed I am. Pulling away from the public eye has benefits. If you are free during lunch, we can meet on the rooftop and discuss the supposed evidence that you have found. Does that sound like a compromise? ;;

;; Alright. I’ll see you on the rooftop tomorrow.

The next day was filled with trepidation. Everyone seemed to be mulling about & with how slowly the clock was moving, it was if the school was in a state of chronostasis. Although she did not share many classes with Akechi, there had been a moment where she saw a mop of hazelnut brown hair amongst a crowd, so he was likely to be there.

Sitting on the rooftop alone was slightly boring but she understood why he was late. Every time lunch began, Akechi would be surrounded by people who wanted his attention. It must have been rather annoying.

5. 10. 15. Minutes ticked by. During the winter, it was exceptionally cold so not a single soul came up. The chilly winter breeze nipped at her skin & for a moment she wondered if it was Akechi that she had seen. The brown hair easily could have been mistaken—

The creak of the door announced his presence. With a formal apology, he recalled how his teachers were intent on swarming him with catch up work that he would inevitably never complete. Dismissing it all & moving along with the subject, Akechi got straight to the point:

“ What was it you wished to speak to me about? ”, he asked.

“ I believe I have ascertained the identities of the Phantom Thieves, ” was the only reply she gave.

Looking astounded, he shifted his glove via force of habit & looked directly at her.

“ That’s quite the bold claim, ” he returned to a neutral expression as the mask of the Detective Prince slipped back on, “ Do you have any evidence? ”.

Recalling the story to the best of her ability was tedious. From the suspicious behaviour Yusuke had been demonstrating to the video evidence taken from her phone. Throughout the entire story, he maintained a neutral expression so she was never quite sure what to think.

“ Usually, I would disregard such stories as a strange dream or a vision you had & declare your footage as edited. However, I have... also had an encounter in this strange phenomena as well. ”

Everything began to make more sense as it was explained. Akechi rattled off about the cognitive world, Palaces, Personas & even how ‘ stealing someone’s heart ’ was possible. He explained that his plan was to lend the Phantom Thieves a hand in their next assignment & catch them in the very act. Specifically, their leader.

“ That explains a lot. Let me help you. I have a Persona as well & I can fight in that other world. I want to bring the Phantom Thieves to justice. They killed Okumura & many others if they are the ones behind the mental shutdowns. Tampering with the heart of another is wrong... ”

“... Alright. I suppose it will make things easier if it is the two of us. I hope you are a very good actor,” Akechi extended a reluctant hand for her to shake. His gaze was calculated, cold. Much different from his tone of voice. However, she took his hand & shook it.

With that, a contract was signed. Both herself & the detective would bring about the end of the Phantom Thieves.

Word Count: 1.9k

Publish Date: 27.09.20

[whipped-for-kpop-fics]

Together

My first Halloween request! yay! find the request post; here

Thank you for the request @suhdays​, you’re the best, I hope you like it  🥺Request; “ twinning Halloween costumes with yoongi (but it’s like something dorky, like a stapler idk alsjs) and they go to a party where everyone is like “it’s that couple again” and it’s cute and fluffy !! ”

Min Yoongi x reader Genre; Fluff, guess lil humour too because I like the funnies Warnings; Adult language and topics otherwise none Word count; 2.3k

Summary; For the first time in five years, you leave the important task of buying your couple costume to your boyfriend. This is how he turns his mistake into something you’ll always remember

---

It's that time of year again; Halloween and for the first time in your life, you were not ready. You had recently started your own business so your whole life was pretty much full of meetings and interviews and paperwork and spoopy season was at the bottom of your list of priorities. Which is why you left the Halloween prep entirely to Yoongi. Admittedly, you were pretty worried at first and reluctant to allow your boyfriend to take the responsibility of the holiday into his own hands, not because you don't trust him as that's not true at all, you've always trusted Yoongi with everything in you but the fact is; Min Yoongi has always been the type to cheat his way through things that don't have his full attention and Halloween definitely fell under that category. But, the man pulled through and had the house, both interior and exterior decorated a week into October (a week later than you yourself would've had it done but that's beside the point) and had stocked up on sweets for both yourselves and the trick or treaters. So, Yoongi did well in that respect but clearly, one of the most important aspects of celebrating Halloween went straight over his head until the very last moment.

"Yoongi, what...what is this?" You questioned prodding at the plastic packaging in your hands.

"Our costumes." Was his answer from where he stood in your bedroom doorway, shuffling his weight from foot to foot knowing that you were not impressed with him.

"This isn't what we agreed on,"

"Yeah well..." He trailed off not quite knowing what to say to defend his lack of foresight in the costume buying department.

"You forgot and got these on the way home, didn't you?" Just like that, his body slumped and his lips pursed into the pout you knew meant he was going to try and cutely whine his way out of his own problem. And you hated that pout because it was so hard to say no to.

"I meant to order the other ones but kept forgetting and when I remembered I couldn't find them anywhere so I was going to make them but didn't have the time; I have the supplies under the bed so you can't say I wasn't going to! Then next thing I knew Jin caught me on the way out of work to do his yearly speech of him and Joon are going to beat us at the couple costume competition tonight and yeah...it was between those or sexy plug and socket and honestly I would rather just go in normal clothes and give hyung the prize myself than make either of us wear that sorry excuse for a costume." He was off on a rant by that point, eyebrows scrunched together and lips even poutier and so adorable you couldn't resist. Yoongi was too busy in his speech on sexy electrical costumes to even notice that you were closer until your lips were on his ceasing his spiel.

"Why are you so cute, huh?" You cooed upon pulling back far enough to look into his surprised gaze.

"Uh, not the response I expected." Was his response, earning a giggle from you. "So uhm yeah, it's still a couple costume." He murmured a little distractedly as he placed his hand over the two packaged outfits in your hand. "I'll be this one and you that."

"Okay fine, we can still win with this, right?"

"Yeah, Jin-hyung always chooses either some obscure anime characters or a pun that no-one understands, for him and Joonie."

"We got this."

*

When you arrived at the party hand in hand with Yoongi you saw Seokjin and Namjoon across the garden dressed as...something...honestly you couldn't even make a vaguely intelligent guess at what exactly the couple were supposed to me; something with beads and an obnoxious amount of purple feathers. Even though you had expected pretty much exactly that from Seokjin you still felt yourself relax the tiny amount of tension in your shoulders from the thought of not taking home the prize as you and Yoongi had for the past four years since Hoseok started hosting the annual party.

"Are you a stapler and stack of paper?" Jimin questioned as the pair of you approached the drink table where the pink-haired fairy was hanging around to talk to people; Jimin was always seen at the drinks table even if he wasn't drinking purely because he knew people would always be coming and going so he had plenty of chances to make new friends and charm the fishnet stockings off of someone for the night.

"Yes," You confirmed, not really wanting to elaborate and instead focused on pouring drinks out for you and your stack of paper partner.

"Not that you're not cute or anything because you two are the cutest couple and always will be, I voted for you before you even arrived; but like, why? Your costumes are usually really...not this."

"Because she holds me together," Yoongi replied easily as if it had always been the genuine reason for you to be the stapler to his paper that evening, not his incredible ability to forget the one thing you planned literally months ahead of time.

"That was cute, now I want to vote for you." You looked over your shoulder to find Namjoon waiting with the two men behind you, two empty plastic cups in his hands so you held your hands out in a silent offer that he accepted wit a smile. "Don't tell Jin I said that though, he'll do something petty to get back at me and I love him and all but I do not want to not get my dick sucked just because I assisted the enemy."

"Hyung is so dramatic," Jimin giggled. "I love it."

"Mm, try getting vaguely threatening messages from him for the past month in an attempt at getting us to throw the competition." Yoongi snorted.

"Ah, that's why he stopped messaging me, he found out you had to buy them!" You realised with a laugh and capped the bottle in your hand so that you could return Namjoon's then full cups to him then gather your own while Yoongi picked up his with a gentle kiss to your jaw in passing.

"He takes this way too seriously."

"What exactly are you two even supposed to be?" Jimin enquired, tilting his head curiously as he eyed the feathered male from head to toe then back again.

"I have no fucking idea." Namjoon deadpanned before nodding to the three of you and turning to return to his partner's side.

"Poor Joonie," Jimin hummed before giggling which you and Yoongi quickly joined in with. Namjoon dealt with a lot from his boyfriend and his eccentric and shameless ways but they were such a perfect match that you knew Namjoon would never even attempt to change a single thing about Seokjin. They were cute- you could admit that-, even if their Halloween costumes always sucked.

"We should go get our picture taken for the vote table," Yoongi pointed out.

"Most people here already know who you two are," Jimin laughed but you and Yoongi were already heading across the garden to the table beside the temporary stage at the bottom of the garden.

"Just in time!" Jeongguk beamed from where he was perched on his comfortable lawn chair beside the table, camera hanging around his neck ready to take portraits against the spooky backdrop just to the side for whoever wanted the service, for a fee of course. "It's almost time to close the sign up for the competitions," He got to his feet and got into position while you and Yoongi stood ready for your photo to be taken by the cape clad male; vampire again and the only reason Jeongguk had that costume in the first place was that Hoseok said he couldn't work at his party if he didn't dress up. Though the way the seams across his biceps stretched in protest you guessed Jeongguk would have to finally buy a new costume for the following year or quit the gym.

"Many people this year?" You asked once your photos were taken and the best one was being sent to the portable printer on the table to pin on the board showcasing the contestants.

"Not really for the couple one, everyone knows you two win so the only person that really tries to beat you is Jin-hyung. But the individual comp has a lot of entries. Mostly girls hoping to win a date with Hoseokie-hyung." Jeongguk informed with a giggle while pinning your photo on the couples competition board.

"Wait, what?" Yoongi replied. "Hobi is putting himself up as grand prize?"

"Didn't you see the poll he made on Twitter last week? He added a date with him as a joke but it won so he stuck with it. There's also the usual gift hamper prize too so the winner can pick what they'd prefer."

"I hope someone nice wins and Hoseokie gets a kind girlfriend out of it." You commented and they both hummed in agreement.

"Gukkie! Picture please!" Someone you couldn't recall the name of but were certain had been at Jeongguk's birthday party called so you and Yoongi left the photographer to his work and went off to mingle and talk to friends and strangers alike.

*

At midnight Hoseok got up on stage to announce the competition winners. To his own surprise, Taehyung won the individual competition; he hadn't even applied but from the way Jeongguk was hollering from the side you deduced the vampire had pinned his best friend's picture up all the same. It was a good costume; Taehyung was Van Gogh's ghost and had spent the night flitting around with body paints in his hands painting tributes to his favourite artist on the skin of whoever would let him. You yourself had the most famous starry night on your neck and Yoongi was too ticklish to allow the brushes near his sensitive skin.

"Congrats Tae!" Hoseok cooed, pushing back the crown that was slipping down his head yet again so that he could beam at Taehyung as the younger stepped up to collect his prize. "Come get the hamper before you leave tomorrow, yeah?"

"What if I want the date?" He challenged. The crowd "ooh"ed. Hoseok flailed.

"Did not take that into consideration," Yoongi admitted lowly by your side.

"Me either. Has Seok ever been into guys?"

"No, well, not that he's told me,"

"Do you think he could be?"

"I mean, it's Tae, I think everyone's at least a little gay for Tae."

"We know you are." You sniggered and he whined. "What? It's cute."

"Will you ever let me live that down? It was before we even met, babe."

"I can never forget that, babe."

Your teasing bickering distracted from the spectacle on stage long enough for Taehyung to leave with a promise from the host to talk later. Hoseok had even moved onto the couple's competition. That man sure worked fast when he wanted to remove the focus from his flushed features.

"Oh, no surprise here, Y/N and Yoongi!" He called into the microphone causing you both to look forward to the stage with wide eyes having been caught off guard. "Come on you two!" So you both waddled up onto the stage and accepted the winner badges Hoseok pinned to your costumes. "You know what to do about your prize," He joked waving you both off.

"What if we want a date with you too, huh?" You cooed. Hoseok yelled while you skittered off stage after Yoongi who could only smile fondly at your antics.

"Hey! Don't try and steal my date!" Taehyung exclaimed from beside the stage making you laugh before you fell into conversation with him and gained another masterpiece on your skin; this time on the back of your hand.

3 am the next morning you flopped into bed beside Yoongi, both freshly clean of the night's sweat and body paints. "I swear we get home later every year," Yoongi grumbled, already closing his eyes ready to greet sleep with open arms.

"That's because every year he comes up with new games to play and neither of us can so no to that shithead and he knows it." You yawned, head resting on his shoulder and leg laying over his own. He hummed in agreement. "What you said earlier to Jimin about our costumes, was that some of your spur of the moment bullshit or did you think of it when you picked them?"

"Hm? What did I say?"

"That I was the stapler and you paper because I hold you together."

"Oh, yeah, that. It's the truth, you do hold me together, always have. I don't want to even think about the mess I'd be right now if I never met you."

"Huh, maybe next year I should be superglue," You joked tilting your head to grin up at him. He felt your movement so opened his eyes to meet your gaze with a soft smile.

"And I'll be the broken toy that only you have the strength to fix."

"You're not broken."

"Not anymore, you fixed me." You lifted up just enough to press a soft, loving kiss to his lips.

"We did it together; like we do everything else. And we'll keep working like this for a long time, okay?"

"You and me together forever. Cliche but I can live with that."

"Let's get some sleep, I have a feeling we'll have Seok around tomorrow panicking that he agreed to go on a date tonight with Taehyung."

"Ugh, can't I not be here for that?" He groaned rolling over to wrap his limbs around you and bury his face into your neck making you giggle at the cute actions.

"No, we literally just talked about this, Yoonie."

"Mm," He inhaled your clean soft scent deeply before exhaling and leaning back to look at you. "Together?"

"Forever."

[currywaifu]

𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: playing pretend 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: minagi tsuzuru/reader 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: sfw 𝐰𝐜: 3.5k words, 1 image

𝐚𝐧: tysm~ Everyday, my love for this boi increases. Also here’s the thing, I’m a hoe for fake dating. Listen, I can and would write so many fake-dating fics. Watch me apply every trope here lol. enoUGH ABOUT THAT, enjoy :>

He watched you stride over to him, quickly setting your bag down the empty space beside him. Before he could greet you, you slapped what looked to be a flyer in front of him. He was no Kazunari, but the tackiness of the hot pink mixed with crimson made his eyes burn.

“Hn? Did you design this or something?” He asked, turning away from the paper to look at you.

“Tsuzuru!” Watching you pout reminded him a little bit of his younger brothers when they wanted something from him, maybe that was why the brunet couldn’t help but tease you a little bit.

He’s known you for almost two years now, so he can already guess what you’re gonna ask of him. Nevertheless, he patiently waits for you to sit down and begin your business pitch.

“So you remember the cute but affordable cafe we went to two weeks ago right?” When Tsuzuru nods you scoff at yourself, “duh, you’re sleep-deprived not suffering from memory loss. Anyway,”

Tsuzuru intercepts you with a quip of his own, “takes one to know one, right? Who’s the one messaged me at 3 am?”

“It was important!”

“You sent me a TikTok asking if I was a toaster,” he watched the corners of your lips stretch upwards, “because you wanted to take a bath with me… you need help.”

You could only nudge him in retaliation. “It was a 3 am mood, okay? I was going to go to sleep already when I realised I forgot the assigned readings and I went all what the fuck.”

“Good grief… Seriously,” Tsuzuru laughed, shaking his head as he read the flyer more carefully this time, “2 for the price of 1 drink of your choice?”

Your eyes sparkled with excitement, “so the fine print does say it has to either be hot chocolate or milk tea, but like, still!”

“I have a shift 6 pm onwards, but,” well, not spending at all would be optimal, but exams finished two days ago and neither of you had the chance to reward yourselves for the hard work, “as long as we don’t stay that long.”

You giggled, trying to suppress your volume as the door burst open with the professor in tow, “you really are the toaster to my bathtub, the left AirPod to my right Air-“

“I’m regretting everything,” he groaned, “not that I mind getting discounts, but will you ever take someone else?”

“Listen, my fellow stingy boi,” with the most serious tone you could muster, you put your hands over his, “for as long as you don’t start dating, I will exploit you in all my schemes.”

As soon as 4 pm rolled in the two of you were out of the campus. It wasn’t the first time you dragged him into similar endeavours, neither did he have the heart to stop going along with you nor stop you.

Every now and then there would be a special offer or discount for couples, and Tsuzuru was your poor victim. It wasn’t bad, though. The two of you valued affordability and formed some kind of partnership in finding and sharing good deals on all sorts of products.

If that included coincidentally wearing the same outfit colour scheme and walking closer to each other, it wasn’t either of your faults if people assumed you were dating. At least, that’s what he’ll tell himself. If somehow his acting skills and your determination don’t win in the end, he’ll just chide you for bringing him into this and run.

“Looks like we’re not the only ones with the same idea,” you said, the both of you looking at the line just starting to form outside the establishment, “should we get the drinks to go? It’ll be less hassle than trying to get a seat inside.”

Tsuzuru nods, letting you hold onto his arm while falling in line for a special booth specifically for take-outs.

An unfamiliar voice, to Tsuzuru that is, calls out your name; the both of you find the couple directly in front you turned around to face you. When you grip his arm a little tighter, he knows something’s up. For a moment, you stiffen slightly at the sight of your high school ex-boyfriend and the girl beside him who was smiling as awkwardly as you felt. Quickly fixing yourself, you set a grin on your face.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” You replied, stepping a little closer to the boy beside you.

Subconsciously you wrap an arm around Tsuzuru’s waist, and if he’s uncomfortable by that he doesn’t show it. As expected of your favourite actor!

“It really has! You getting the promo too?” With a wide grin, he put his arm around who you presumed to be his girlfriend, “she’s been craving milk tea, so we decided to get some ♡~” Oh? He wants to out-sweet you? Doesn’t matter if it’s intentional or not, he’s gonna get it. You can be petty too!

You pressed the side of your face against Tsuzuru’s shoulder, leaving just enough room for you to be able to reply back.

“Same here~ Tsuzu-kun and I really love the stuff here ♡ we can’t get enough of the flavours- oh, looks like it’s your turn to order?” Gesturing at the front of the booth where the cashier stared at the pair, the female proceeded to order while the guy kept talking. Inwardly, you wished you could tell him to shut the hell up. Was he always this talkative in the past?

“Well, it’s been fun catching up!” Catching up, he says? What the fuck did you guys catch up on? The fact that both of you had dates? Well, not exactly on your case, but he didn’t know that, “I hope you guys enjoy your date ♡!”

Before you could think of the most sickeningly sweet way to phrase a you too, Tsuzuru breaks his silence, “we already are enjoying, thank you.”

Your ex looks slightly shocked, before turning around. Holy shit, your brain.exe isn’t responding, do you close the program or wait for it to respond? Totally forgot that not only was Tsuzuru an actor, but a playwright as well. Of course he’d be good with dialogue.

You weren’t really expecting Tsuzuru to respond. Usually it was you who did the talking, you took responsibility for dragging him along all the time so might as well play the role of the sweet s/o, right?

Still, just one line from him was a pleasant surprise. And to your ex nonetheless!

When it’s your turn to order you quickly slam the payment on the counter, startling both the poor cashier and Tsuzuru. Before he could protest, you wink at him, “let me treat you for your hard work today!”

As the two of you left, your hand hung lightly on his arm, you swore you could feel eyes digging into your skull. You spun around, causing the man beside you to stop his tracks as well, but from what you could tell you didn’t recognise anyone.

“You alright?” Tsuzuru asks, sounding slightly concerned at your sudden action. You looked back to face him, before nodding to reassure him.

“Yep! Let’s go find somewhere to sit before you go to work. We still have some time to hang out.”

Neither of you noticed the two people staring at you from inside the cafe.

“Oi oi, ain’t that Tsuzuru?”

“Haa… looks like we’ve seen something we shouldn’t have?”

Finally sat at a park bench, you found yourself a little bit more conscious of how touchy you were being a while ago. Sure, holding onto his arm here and there when people could see was fine, but if he wasn’t okay with it you had to apologise.

“Sorry, was I too much a while ago?” He sipped onto his drink for a moment, before shaking his head. He looked slightly exasperated, but it didn’t seem to be directed at you.

“Was that your ex? He was kind of annoying.” You chuckled.

“Yeah, but like way back in high school so I’m not pressed or anything. Broke up through text, had the audacity to use text abbreviations plus send a heart emote with his message. Character limit, I guess.”

Tsuzuru’s expression twisted, and you couldn’t tell if what he felt was wry amusement or disgust. Both, perhaps? “That ain’t it, chief. He’s either an insensitive jerk or an, uh… insensitive eccentric… you’re really okay?”

Rolling your eyes, you brought back your hand to his arm to squeeze it to put him at ease. “Obviously! Tsuzuru, you and me, we make a great pair! Plus, your ad-lib totally shook him! Simple but effective, it was a nice touch.”

Just as Tsuzuru was getting used to the added weight on his arm, the pressure lightened up once again. You one-sidedly clink your cups together before you resumed drinking the beverage, “we should do this again sometime.”

Which part?

The two of you always went out to redeem promos and discounts anyway, that much was a given, so did you mean something else?

“Yeah, we should.”

He did not expect to be confronted within a minute of coming back to the dorm. Itaru, Kazunari, Banri, Omi, and Tsumugi all simultaneously looked at him upon his entrance in the living room.

“Good evening?” He greeted them, albeit a little awkwardly. Is he missing out on something? Were they playing some kind of mind fuck prank or psychology game?

“We were just talking about you,” Tsumugi started before quickly retracting his statement, “ah, wait, that sounded kind of weird right? What we’re trying to say is-”

“Tsuzuroon, I totes get why you never wanna go to mixers!” Kazunari interrupted, adding onto Tsuzuru’s confusion.

“Didn’t know you had it in ya,” Banri continues, “when we saw ya outside the cafe a while ago-“

Oh, ohhhhh. That’s what they meant?

For a moment, he feels a smidge of relief from figuring out what he was missing out on, until his stomach plummeted once more. Oh, fuck, that meant at least Banri and some other guy saw him, with you. With your hand dangling on his arm, your arm around his waist, your face pressed up against his shoulder-

He can feel his face start to heat up, though he’s not sure if it’s more getting caught or more recollecting what happened a while ago.

“Can’t believe you’re dating someone now, GJ.” Itaru says with his shit-eating grin, before looking back down towards his phone.

He should really be clearing up the misunderstanding. It was simple- the two of you were just friends, you went together to redeem a promo, that was it.

“Hey, that’s not-“

“Is it someone from Yosei?” Omi interjects, looking a little bit thoughtful as he tried guessing who it could be, “Hmm… the one you’re with a lot, right? What was their name again?”

He prays to the first deity he could think of, which was for naught because Tsuzuru’s ears perk up as soon as the photographer says your first name. At a loss for words for how fast your identity was revealed, Omi’s chuckles get echoed by the other boys.

He didn’t get to deny it. He wouldn’t be surprised if by tomorrow morning, everyone thought the two of you were a thing.

Tsuzuru thinks this should be more of a pain to him, but he can’t will it in himself to be bothered by the assumption they have on his relationship. If for a little while he could avoid Kazunari wanting to bring him to mixers, he could consider this an advantage.

…

When your phone alarm rings you jolt up from your bed, panicking slightly until you realise that you didn’t have class today. Lazily stretching to grab your phone, you notice a text from Tsuzuru.

“Pfft, can’t believe I influenced him this much, lol.” You muttered, setting down your phone to make breakfast.

It’s not until you enter the kitchen that you realise you were smiling the whole time.

Other than a few knowing looks from Omi and a curious gaze here and there from the purple-haired one (you’ve come to learn his name was Juza), nothing really changed between the two of you.

Until Tsuzuru gets hit by the familiar sight of you rushing towards the table he was situated at. Your eyes weren’t brimming with excitement, no visible smile, so he braced himself for what you had to tell him.

“I need a favour. You can refuse if you want, but you’d actually be saving my life so hear me out please,” as if to put further emphasis on your current predicament you placed your hands atop of his.

“Go on,” he urged you.

“Not to be a fanfiction trope, but I need you to be my date at my old homeroom teacher’s wedding,” you groaned, “that my ex is also attending.”

Tsuzuru didn’t know if he should comfort you or laugh at the situation, “and you need me to go because-“

“Because,” you interjected, “that dumbass asked the group chat if he could bring a date, then encouraged me to bring my date too. Then my competitive dumbass was all like, yeah we’ll see you there!”

You hid your face with your arms, resting your head on the table. “Tsuzuruuuu, I messed up huhu. I only wanted to go for the reception, what am I doing with my life, I didn’t even like that teacher so why did I accept?” you whined.

Fake dating to redeem promos was one thing, pretending to be a couple in front of your old classmates is another thing, pretending to be a couple while attending a wedding is another spectrum of things.

“When is it?” You raised your head to respond.

“Next Sunday, 10 am. Reception at noon, probably.”

He’s not too sure why he keeps going along with your whims. It could be because you’re a dear friend to him, or he doesn’t mind all that much whenever you’d drag him along to fake-date to get sweet deals hang-out, but he can’t deny that being with you is a nice feeling lowers his stress levels.

“I’ll be your date,” Your eyes immediately snap up to meet his, still traces of hesitance on your face.

“I could totally just make up an excuse on why you or both of us can’t go, are you sure?”

Nodding his head, Tsuzuru was soothed by your usual, bright smile- spectacular to the point that it made him think of the rainbows that came after spring showers. He felt the corners of his lips being tugged upwards; before he could calm himself you wrapped your arms around him, a spontaneous and affectionate embrace.

“Thank you, thank you! Gosh, I love you!” You squealed, and his plan to calm himself down failed ultimately. He was glad your face was buried against his chest right now, at least you wouldn’t be able to see the rising flush on his face; then again, you probably could detect how his heart writhed and thumped.

“What colour are you wearing?” He finally asked, refusing to acknowledge the slight displeasure as you let him escape your caged arms.

“Green or teal, maybe.”

“We’re in your room exactly why again?” You propped your hands on your hips, giving him a look that said really, now.

“We need to practice touching each- okay, wait let me rephrase, ugh…” trailing off, you sat yourself down on your bed as you covering your face with a pillow, your voice coming out muffled, “casual touching.”

“Don’t we already touch each other?” Lowering your pillow to peek at Tsuzuru, he turned away from you in apparent embarrassment, “you know what I mean!”

Tension was building up in the room, much to your chagrin. Tsuzuru had a point. Even though you initiated affection pretty much all the time, the two of you already had a bunch of pre-planned poses to convince people that you were dating.

“I guess I just wanted to do more…” it was hard for you to admit that to yourself, much more out loud, but it was the truth. You didn’t have any grounds to ask more of him, but selfishly you wanted him to reciprocate your affection.

You could swear up and down that it was just you craving affection, but the truth of the matter was that it was his affection you wanted-  you craved being physically and emotionally close to him.

The line you drew was getting blurry. You didn’t want to ruin anything.

The weight on the bed shifted.

“Hey,” Tsuzuru looped an arm around your waist, gently petting the top of your head, “don’t overthink this. Just be natural, whatever you do I’ll go along with and vice versa. This is just the same as all the other times.”

It didn’t feel like it.

“Thank you,” you replied, releasing the pillow from your death grip and lightly hugging it instead, “I was overthinking it. Can you stay for a while, or do you have to go? I feel like watching Whisper of the Heart.”

Tsuzuru scoffed lightly, “We watched that last time. Laputa: Castle in the Sky or nothing.”

With a laugh you shoved your pillow at Tsuzuru, standing up from the bed. “I’ll get some snacks, brb.”

As soon as you exited the room Tsuzuru buried his face against the fluffy cushion, letting out a noise between ardour and agony. This was just method acting, they’ve done this before. No need to get all worked up about it.

As luck would have it, you and Tsuzuru immediately ran into a bunch of your old classmates.

“Ne? Is this your boyfriend?” One of the girls asked, giving him a quick glance, “your outfit matches his eyes! Love it~”

Tsuzuru coughed lightly.

“Shh, I was waiting for him to notice!” You giggled, looking into Tsuzuru’s eyes before looking away within a few seconds, “his eyes are really beautiful, I doubt I could ever do them justice.”

“Hey, don’t say that,” Tsuzuru swoops in, curling an arm around your waist, “you look really lovely today.”

“Tsuzuru,” you murmured, heart hammering a little faster, wondering if he was being as truthful as you were.

In the eyes of the girls in front of you, they were looking at two bashful lovers, and they were eating it all up.

“Wah! I wish I could get a boyfriend as sweet as him!” With a pout, you situated yourself to stand a little closer to your date.

“Well don’t get any ideas, he’s mine~” you teased them, laughing along with the rest of the group.

…

When the vows of the couple began, you found yourself sniffling.

“I thought you didn’t like that teacher,” Tsuzuru whispered jokingly, but he reached out to hold your hand for comfort, brushing his thumb against your knuckles.

You ignored him, actively listening to the bride’s speech.

“Falling in love with you was like entering a house and finally realising I'm home. When you smile at me, I feel the glow of the sun against my skin. When your eyes are locked on mine, it's like I can see countless of stars instead of just pupils. Having you in my life makes me feel like everything's possible in this world, we simply work together. With you, I’ve discovered so many things, things I’ve come to treasure, but the best discovery of all was love.”

Eyes stuck on the scene in front of you, you failed to notice the look of longing from the man beside you. It was as if the words uttered all applied to you, and yet somehow the words he could write about you wouldn’t be enough to express what he felt.

He settles on retrieving his handkerchief from his pocket and gently dabbing it around your eyes.

…

The whole reception was a bliss that came and went too fast for your liking. There was the plus that your ex miraculously couldn’t attend the reception, as well as the chef’s kiss worthy buffet, but you owed it all to Tsuzuru.

It was the same feeling for Tsuzuru, who didn’t feel awkward or out of place the whole time with you by his side. He kept looking forward to the next thing you would do, regardless if people were even watching the two of you or not.

When you let him feed you a slice of cake.

When he used his thumb to wipe off the crumbs near your lips.

When you rest your head against his shoulder.

When he cheered for you even with an unsuccessful bouquet toss.

Nothing felt faked today.

After saying your goodbyes to everyone, the two of you headed home hand-in-hand in silence. Every time you took a glance at the man beside you, so much feelings burst from within, but words themselves could not escape.

Stopping outside your apartment, you let go of one hand.

“Thank you for today,” you whisper, cupping his face to kiss him right where the corner of his lips ended, barely missing them. Tuning out every noise but yourselves, you heard his breath hitch.

“Are… are we still pretending?” Tsuzuru waited with bated breath for your response.

Mustering up all your courage, you shake your head. “I’m not. Are you?”

Squeezing your hand, he pressed his forehead against yours, “I’m not either,” he said quietly, before softly pressing his lips against yours.

want to order again?

[britishboystm]

For You- Matt *Blinded By The Light (SMUT)

Warnings: Smut, Swearing, Ngl there is a bit of cliche cringe in here so beware👀, super fucking long wtf

A/N: Ok, ok. This one is hella long. Thanks to @blueeyedheizer for the inspo, hope you like it love:)

—-

“I’m telling you Y/N, he speaks to our generation. People like us who want to get out of Luton and see the world!”

“That’s great Javed.” The conversation that was happening while you and Javed walked home from college was less than exciting to you. He seemed super invested however, so you tried your best to let him rave about his new found obsession with Bruce Springsteen, some bloke from America that your dad listens to when fixing the car in the garage. You were more of a Cyndi Lauper and Madonna type.

You felt quite bad for Javed. No one really gave the poor lad the time of day. Not his dad, not the people at the college and most definitely not the community you guys lived in so you were his go to person. You had always been his confidant since you were kids.

Then there was Matt. The third of the trio. He took care of Javed. He was Javed’s protector against bullies in school. He himself was an eccentric personality. Very different from you and Javed. He loved girls, parties and synths. Once school was done, he had no desire to continue through to college. He was out of there.

But he finished the friendship puzzle and you relied on him as much as Javed did and vice versa.

It seemed like hours of him rambling and you tuning him out until you finally reached your neighbourhood. You, Javed and Matt all lived in the same cul de sac. It was where the three of you became best friends, then you were all enrolled into the same primary school down the road not long after. You guys became inseparable after that.

Everything was quite pleasant until you caught a glimpse of Matt. There he was, standing in all of his glory, sucking face with his latest fling, one you had not met yet. The image made your stomach churn and Javed noticed right away.

“Y/N, I really think you should tell him.”

“Tell him what?” Your eyes were glued to the car crash happening in front of you. See, you had developed feelings for Matt back in grade school, keeping it a secret to this day. The only person who knew was Javed.

He sighed and patted your back before walking towards the two love birds. The kissing was finally coming to an end and Matt pried himself off of her to notice the two of you.

“Javed, Y/N you muppets! ” His play thing grabbed onto his arm while he met you two half way.

“Hey Matt, how was Ibiza?” Javed asks reluctantly. Matt chuckles slightly, looking over proudly at his new arm candy. A look you had longed to receive from him one day.

“Met Emma over there, she lives nearby actually. It worked out brilliantly.”

You pretend to look happy.

“That sounds amazing Matt. Um, actually I’m going to have to run. My mum needs me home for dinner soon.”

“Leaving so soon?” Matt asked, soundly legitimately disappointed.

“I’ve been gone for weeks and this is all I get from you?” He pries a little further.

“Well some people actually have lives out of shagging girls and playing bar gigs so yeah I’ve got to go.” You didn’t mean to sound so harsh but seeing this Emma girl had your blood boiling. She seemed lovely and deserved no harsh feelings so you felt it best to walk away from the situation which would probably just get out of hand.

“Y/N what’s all this about?” Matt says, hurt evident in his eyes. You sighed deeply trying to contain yourself.

“Nothing, sorry. I’m just super knackered. I’ll catch up with you guys later okay?” You didn’t wait for a response, hoisting yourself on your bike that you had walked home and rolled over to your front door, not as much as a look back and wave.

You were hoping that the day would come when Matt would bring home a girl and it didn’t bother you. But it was just getting worse. After closing the front door, you leaned against it trying to calm yourself before running up to your room to wallow alone.

---

Later that night you laid awake staring at your ceiling. The events from the afternoon had you in a frenzy. He really shouldn’t be affecting you like this, and yet here you were lying awake at the wee hours of the morning. It also didn’t help that there was light streaming into your bedroom window from Matt’s room.

You guys lived right next door to one another and your room windows faced each other, so most nights you would stay up and talk for hours on end from the windows edge.  

You stood up, groaning. It was probably the same situation you had faced so many times before. Because Matt was in a band, there were many nights where he would leave his desk lamp on to work on melodies and lyrics. The light would keep you up, which you absolutely hated but you would never say anything. 

Music was his life and you weren’t going to be the one to get in the way of that. With all the anger you were feeling though, tonight seemed easier to call him out on his bullshit. You approached your window and stood in front of it. But nothing could prepare you for what you would just witness. Straight ahead, stood Matt and Emma in very little clothing. Him in nothing but boxers and her in a matching set of red lace undies and bra. His hands were roaming her waist and landed on her perfect butt. 

You couldn't help but feel self conscious. She had such a bangin body, nothing you thought you could compare too. Without hesitation you shut your blinds, not wanting to subject yourself to that anymore. You shakily laid back in bed and just started sobbing. The image of his lips attached to her neck as he loved every inch of her body made you weep. It had probably been all of the pent up emotions you were feeling. This was your first ever heart break.

 ---

“Y/N! You need to eat before you head to work.” You tossed the sheets off of your body and huffed. The last thing you needed was a long shift at the mall jewelry store. The required outfit all employees had to wear laid in a heap in the corner of your room which you trudged over to and put on.Once you were ready you headed downstairs where your mom was organizing breakfast and your younger brother devoured his cereal.

“Matt dropped by not that long ago.”

 “Oh yeah? What did he want?” You focused on pouring a cup of coffee for yourself while asking.

“Don’t know. Just said he needed to talk to you.” You turned around to look at your mom and sighed.

“I’m actually not really speaking to him at the moment.” Taking a sip of your liquid energy. 

“Why? What happened?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m going to be late so I’ll see ya” You grabbed an apple and gave your mom a kiss on the cheek before running out the door

“Bye love!” You were already gone.

Your trusty bike always stayed locked up at the side of the house so you walked over to go grab it before heading to work.

“Y/N!”

Oh god. Whatever was about to happen, you weren’t in the mood. You turned around to see Matt running down his front yard in nothing but an open button up and pants.

She probably stayed the night, you thought.

You gripped onto your bike harder. Hopefully this won’t take long.

“Y/N, wait I have to talk to you.” He tried to catch his breath.

“What Matt?” Your tone was pointed.

“What’s going on with ya? You were acting all strange yesterday. Did I do something?” He stood there defeated. He had no clue what he had done to piss off the most important girl in his life. His best friend.

You groaned and threw your head back.

“Nothing really. I’m sorry I was being a bitch yesterday but I’ve just been under a lot of stress with school.”

Lies. You were at the top of all your classes.

“So are we good?” He asks, eyes hopeful.

“Always Matt.” You gave a smile. But the hurt was still there. His face lights up and he embraces you into a tight hug.

“Ugh Matt, you need to shower mate. You smell like sweat and regret.”

“Aww, you love it. Don’t pretend my manly musk doesn’t turn you on.” He gives you a wink. He of course was playing around. Why wouldn’t he be? You were his best friend. You couldn’t help but have your breath catch in your throat when he winked at you though.

You pretended to be amused.

“Hah hah Matt, very charming. Anyways I’m off to work so…” The laughs being overly sarcastic.

“Oh actually I wanted to ask you one more thing.” You couldn’t help but feel an excitement bubble in your stomach.

“Yeah?” You ask, eyes sparkling

“I need your help with Javed’s birthday.” Tonight Matt was going to throw a surprise party for Javed.

“Oh.” You were slightly disappointed. You didn’t know what you wanted him to say but it definitely wasn’t that.

“You know how I always want him to come to my parties but it’s impossible to get him there?”

“Yeah?”

“Well his parents trust you more than me by a long shot so I need you to pick him up and tell them your taking him to the library or some stupid shit like that.”

“Javed doesn’t know right?” You ask.

“Yeah, and it has to stay that way okay? Alright thanks love. I appreciate it.”

He comes in for one more hug and a kiss on the head.

“No worries Matt. See you tonight.”

He waves and starts walking back towards his house. Emma is waiting in nothing but one of his shirts (your favourite shirt of his nonetheless) in the doorway, watching the exchange go down.

You sigh and mount your bike, heading to work.

—-

That night you dressed up a tad bit. Of course it would raise suspicion if you showed up to Javed’s front door with what you had on so you snuck into your parents room and grabbed one of your dad’s old trench coats.

You let out a nervous puff of air as you sneaked past the living room where your mom was passed out in front of the tv. East Enders playing loudly on the screen. Your 5 year old brother laid on top of her asleep as well. It was pretty cute but there was no time to waste so you quietly snuck out.

The air was slightly nippy from the April weather. But you knew Javed’s house was just across the road so you didn’t mind.

You knocked on the door, hoping Javed would answer so it would be a quick exchange before getting him out of the house but alas, his father answered.

Shit, new plan.

“Hi Mr Khan. Is Javed around?”

“Why?” Uhhhhhh.

“We planned on going to the library to study.”

“Where are your books?” Fuck.

“I just got off work so I still need to drop by my house first.” Nice save Y/N.

He looked at you suspiciously then called out for Javed.

“Javed, your pretty friend is here.” You couldn’t help but giggle but it was cut short when Javed came down the stairs.

“Dad I told you this morning. Y/N and I are going to the library to study.” He had no clue what he was in for.

“Right well you two be good and get your work done.” He wagged a fatherly finger at you both and you nodded. As much as Javed and his dad has their problems, you could tell he wanted what was best for his son. Javed waved goodbye as the door shut behind him. Three heavy textbooks in his arms

“Where are your books Y/N? And what’s with the coat?”

“Oh Javed. You're so smart and yet so naive. Drop the books.” He gives you a confused look and you smirk, putting a sleeping mask over his eyes.

“What are you doing?” He seemed a little panicked as you grabbed the books from him and placed them behind the bush beside the stairs.

“Just relax.” You chuckle leading him away from the house.

He kept his hands out in front of him, trying to get used to the fact that he couldn’t see. It didn’t take long to approach Matt’s. You knew a bunch of people were already inside hiding, trying to stay quiet but failing miserably, probably already pissed drunk. You opened the door and Javed called out towards you. “Y/N? Where are we? Can I take this thing off?” You gently removed it from his eyes, darkness still filling the room. You quickly turned the light switch on and everyone came jumping out from different objects and doorways.

“Surprise!” Everyone yelled. 

Javed jumped back a little in your arms. The celebration didn’t last long though because after they did what they were instructed to do, they all went back to playing loud music and talking. Most of the people here didn’t even know Javed, but they did know free booze.

“Happy Birthday mate!” Matt approached, slightly tipsy with a drink in his hand.

“Matt, what is all this?” Javed seemed a little upset.

“It’s your surprise party. I thought you would like it.”

“Is it hot in here?” Javed interrupts. 

It seemed as though everything was too overwhelming for him. The smell of weed and beer was heavy and his mind was getting clouded. This was definitely not his scene.

“Shit. Hey, Javed, why don’t we go upstairs for a bit yeah?” You grabbed his arm knowing how to calm him down. Matt looked at you with a sorry look in his eyes.

“It’s okay Matt. Just give us a minute.” You said before pushing Javed upstairs. Matt quickly grabbed your wrist, his eyes looking deep into yours. They were soft and sincere. He felt awful.

 “You going to be okay?” You smile and nod. Out of nowhere Emma shows up, super drunk. She wraps herself around Matt.

“Hey babe? Want to go somewhere a bit more private?” She giggled and nibbled at his ear. He gave you one last look. 

You nodded telling him to go have fun. She giggles again and grabs his face, going straight in for a make out. Matt now seemed a tad bit preoccupied. You turned around trying to block it out, while also trying to get Javed into a quieter space. You open a couple doors, either people making out in them or drunkenly crying about their ex. You huffed and finally opened the door to Matt’s dad's office. Empty since it was off limits but for you and Javed there was an exception.  

Javed let out a big sigh and you rested your head against the wall as you both sat on the carpeted floor.

“You know Matt did all of this for you. He may have missed the mark but it’s his way of showing that he cares.”

Javed looks over and nods.

“No I know, I just get worried about what would happen if I ever got caught up in that type of crowd. What my parents would think.”

“I understand.” You reply. It’s silent for a moment.

“Oh wait. I totally forgot. Happy Birthday mate.” You pull out a couple wrapped gifts from the pocket of the trench coat you had just taken off, handing them off to Javed.

He gives you a wide smile and rips open the wrapping paper to reveal a couple of Bruce Springsteen cassettes.

Writing on the front of one of the cassette said,

To J,

The biggest boss I know

Love, Y/N

He chuckles lightly before awkwardly crawling towards you and giving you a hug.

“I love it Y/N, thank you.” You smile and ruffle his hair.

“No problem at all. I’m always here for you, J you know that.”

“I know. Same here.” He smiles.

Silence filled the room, nothing but Matt’s weird music causing the walls to shake.

“So is tonight the night you are going to tell him?”

You groan and bring your knees into your chest, resting your head between them.

Not this again.

“Javed!” You whine. You really didn’t want to have this conversation right now. It was his party for christ sakes.

You should be celebrating, not venting. And besides, it would be highly inappropriate since he has a girlfriend.

“I know you hate it when I pry but I’m going to be honest with you.” You look up at Javed waiting for him to continue.

“It’s kind of annoying watching you pine over him from afar. I’ve been subjected to it for years. It’s my birthday I think you owe me one.”

You scoff.

“You’re something else you know that?”

He shrugs and smirks.

“You have been head over heels since year 7. Don’t you think you deserve that closure?” You sigh and close your eyes, leaning your head against the wall again.

“I ju-, We are such different people. Yes I may be madly in love with him but… I don’t know. His type is for sure not me. I’ll just have to get used to the fact that he will never feel the same way that I do.”

Tears threaten to spill and Javed is quick to come over and comfort you.

“It’s okay. You never know unless you try.”

“But what if it ruins our friendship. He means too much to me to jeopardize that.”

“I don’t know what to say to you Y/N.”

You sigh and wipe your tears suddenly feeling parched.

“I’ll be right back, just going to go grab a drink. You want anything?”

“I’m good.” His voice laced with sympathy.

You nod and get up, a little wobbly but you find your footing. You turn the nob and open the door only to walk right into someone.

Your eyes meet their chest but you already know who it is. Your eyes slowly look up to meet Matt’s.

He looks as though he has just seen a ghost. You're frozen in place, wondering if it’s worth fleeing or retreating back into the dark office space.

“I was coming to check on you guys. Is it true that you have feelings for me?” He asks suddenly, his face still in shock.

“Are you in love with me?” You bow your head in shame, not wanting to make eye contact with him.

“It’s okay Matt just forget it.” You slip past him and start walking away. You wanted to get the hell out of there but you couldn’t leave Javed alone so instead you keep your word and go find the drinks.

Matt follows you down the stairs and over to the kitchen where you were pretending to be busy finding a drink, your mind actually racing after what had just happened.

“Y/N.” He says beside you. You ignore him. He lightly grabs your face so you have no choice but to look into his blue eyes.

“Talk to me.” You push his hand away.

“There’s nothing to talk about Matt.”

He sighs and grabs your hand, pulling you away from the alcohol and into a quiet corner.

“We can’t just pretend I didn’t hear what you said up there. Y/N, do you have feelings for me? Be honest.”

“I might have some feelings for you.” He sighs and rubs his eyes in aggravation.

“I can’t believe you're making me do this.” You frown in confusion.

“Make you do what?” He doesn’t respond but instead walks away from you. Your heart shatters a bit, knowing deep down he wasn’t going to reciprocate and that you would ruin the friendship.

You can’t help but follow him and try to patch up whatever damage you had just caused. But you are stopped in your tracks. You see Emma and Matt talking. She looks upset and suddenly she slaps him across the face, leaving the party in a state. You flinched at the sound but run over to him.

“Matt what did you just do.”

“Was it not obvious?” He looked a little aggravated.

“What are you talking about.” Now you were getting annoyed. He wasn’t being clear with you. The same way you hadn’t been clear with him since year 7.

Once again he grabs your hand and pulls you upstairs. You thought that you guys would go back to the office but he enters the door beside it. His bedroom.

“Matt you're freaking me ou-“ He pushes you against his bedroom door and presses his lips against yours. Your eyes open wide and before it can go any further you push him off of you.

“Bloody hell Matt. You have a girlfriend!” You yell at him as he breathes heavily.

“What do you think I was doing down there? I was breaking up with her… for you.” You laugh in astonishment.

“You broke up with your girlfriend because I said I had feelings for you? Have you gone mad?”

“You don’t understand Y/N. I’ve been in love with you since we first met. I always thought you were beautiful, smart, funny, fun…. Look I may not have realized it then because I was 6 but still, once I understood what love meant I knew I had always loved you. Every girl I have been with has been a distraction to get over you. Now that I know you feel the same way, I’m all yours.”

You looked at him like he was a crazy person.

“You’re fucking insane.” You scoff.

“Insane about you.” You laugh again.

“Oh wow, you find that one on a bubblegum wrapper?” That line was probably the most cringey thing you have ever heard.

He smiles widely. He had always loved to see you laugh. It brightened his day.

“Y/N I’m serious.” He slowly walks back towards you and lightly pushes you back against his door. His left hand leaning against it beside your head.

Your breathing becomes very prominent as he leans down to leave a kiss on your neck.

“Tell me you love me.” He mumbles into your skin. You can’t help but release a small moan.

“Tell me you love me Y/N.” He sounded a bit desperate and honestly you were just as desperate as he was.

“I love you.” You respond in a breathy tone. He groans in pleasure and the kisses along your neck become deeper and they begin moving to different parts of your face. Soon your lips catch his and he holds your face in his hands while he slips his tongue down your throat.

“I’m so sorry it took this long.”

“Me too.” You gasp as he places his hand over your heat.

“Do you want to do this?” He let’s go and stops everything, looking into your eyes.

“Because I am okay with waiting.” He says, his face all blissed out.

You’ve been pent up for too long for this not to happen so you grab his hand and put it back where it was originally.

“I want you to fuck me Matthew.” His dick twitched in his pants when you said that. You had only ever said his full first name when you were really pissed at him.  Now it had a whole new meaning. He liked it.

“Oh baby.” He smirks hoisting you up and swiping all of his lyrics off his desk and placing you down on top of it. You couldn’t help but laugh at the cheesiness as you held onto his neck. It felt like a stupid rom-com. But you didn’t care because you were with him. You kick your white heeled boots off, hating how they squeezed your feet anyways.

He began attacking your neck while between your legs, leaning you back slightly. You shifted your head to give him better access. You couldn’t help but stare out his window, looking into your room.

You were now one of his girls. So many times had there been glances into his bedroom, a new girl wrapped around him.

Jealousy always took over you. But now knowing he only did it because he couldn’t have you turned you on. You smirk slightly as he begins to remove your jean jacket.

“Maybe we should move this over to the bed.” You whisper in his ear. He nods and leaves you, the cold in the room making you shiver. He goes and jumps on his bed, excited like a little kid on Christmas. Trying to spice things up, you walk over to his record player and begin looking through his music library.

“Y/N!” He whines. He’s already taking down his pants and boxers, getting ready for you. You purposely take your time and evilly smirk at him while he begins to pleasure himself, waiting.

“I’m just finding some music.” You simply state trying not to drool over him stroking himself. You finally find a Led Zeppelin record that probably belonged to his dad and place it on the record player.

He groans and throws his head back on the pillow as he speeds up his movements. You crawl over to him, the music playing softly, his other music downstairs overpowering it.

He is quick to grab and pin you down onto his bed. Your arms held in place above your head

“You are so beautiful.” You smile and lift your head slightly to give him a kiss. He shifts a bit down your body and gives you a look, asking for permission. You nod so he starts to gently pull down the straps of your dress, then pulling the top down exposing your bra. It wasn’t as nice as Emma’s but it was uniquely you. A light purple with butterflies. He smiled down at you.

“So beautiful.” He starts to trickle kisses down your neck, then the exposed part of your breasts.

“Just take the bloody thing off Matt.”

“My pleasure.” He smirks. You arch your back slightly so he can work the clasp. It comes off after a couple of attempts and he throws the material to the side. You lay there complety bare from the waist up.

He bites his lip before dipping his head down and taking a nipple into his mouth. You close your eyes in pleasure, tingles moving down your back as you grip his hair.

“Feels so good.” You sputter out as he continues to suck on your chest. Some hickeys included. His tongue swirls around your nipple making you even more sensitive, a build up occurring in your lower stomach.

He lifts his head up and kisses you before pushing himself further down your body, gripping the sides of your dress and pulling it off of you completely, chucking it beside your bra.

His hands graze over your Saturday undies and he’s about to pull them down. You stop him however, bringing him back up so he’s face to face with you.

“Matt. Do you mean everything you are saying? I don’t want to be another number to your body count. This is real to me.” He smiled softly and lays beside you, giving you a peck on the lips.

“I’m serious about this Y/N.” You sigh and look up at the ceiling, in nothing but your underwear. All the times you had laid on his bed while doing homework over the years, you never thought you would end up like this. You weren’t complaining though.

“Let me take over for a bit yeah?” You say looking over at Matt. He smirks and kisses you once more before you jump up and straddle his waist, helping him take off his blue button up, leaving him stark naked other than his bracelets which you always secretly loved.

You lean down and plant kisses on his lips. Then you moved down to his neck, sucking bright purple hickies into his skin. You had a pattern going. Your lips continued down further his body. His chest, stomach that you always have adored when you guys went swimming throughout your school years. You made your way down to his pubic bone ready to take his dick into your mouth.

“Please love, stop teasing and put it in your mouth.” He almost looked like he was in pain. The back of his hand laid on his forehead while he winced, eyes tightly shut and lips pressed into a thin line.

“My pleasure.” You say softly, lightly gripping his throbbing member into your hand.

You slowly began stroking it. A tight enough grip where every once in a while you grazed your thumb over the tip, his thighs clenching every time you did so. You kept a mental note of that.

“Holy fuck! ” He cried out.

You kept going for a bit, pre cum leaking from the head.

Taking this as a signal you wrapped your lips around the tip and licked a couple swirls clockwise.

Matt wasn’t having it though because his hand shot up and gripped your hair, lightly pushing you deeper down his shaft. Surprised you choked a bit, which he caught right away and lifted you up.

“You okay?” He tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. You smiled and nodded.

“I’m fine, just surprised is all.” He sighs in relief, and lays back down, an arm going under his head.

“Sorry I shouldn’t have forced you.”

“I don’t feel forced love” you reply, adoring the sound of calling him love.

Instead of going back to sucking him off you decide to just go for it.

“Um Matt. You have a condom on you?” He shoots up and leans over to his bedside table, you still in his lap.

“I can’t believe we are doing this.” He says all giddy. You snort and wait for him to get the piece of rubber on his member.

It takes him a second but once he does it he flips you over so you are under him. He helps your shimmy out of your underwear then he brings you into a kiss while he uses his other hand to line himself up with your centre. Once he finds it he slowly enters, a guttural moan leaves his lips. Once he is fully inside you, he leans his forehead against yours, breathing heavily through his nose. A tear slips out from your eye from how tight you are and he notices, wiping it away.

“I’ll move in a second. There is no rush.” You nod, silently thanking him for waiting. Once your body is accustomed to his length you give him a tap and he slowly starts coming out. He then enters again, a steady speed developing. You whimper and let out heavy breaths as he slowly pounds into you.

“Go faster. For fuck sake Matt, go faster.” He speeds up leaving your eyes to roll in the back of your head. It felt so right having him inside of you. You were in pure bliss.

Sweat starts forming on his forehead and his tongue sticks out slightly as he pounds into you relentlessly. You weren’t totally there yet so you let him circle your clit with his index and middle finger helping you build up faster. Once you got there you cried out,

“I’m gonna fucking cum Matt!”

“Look down love.”

You followed his orders and watched as his length moved in and out from your dripping core. That was enough to finish you so you nodded.

“Yup I’m there, I’m there. Cum with me baby.” You try to coherently say. He starts to twitch inside of you and you both let out loud moans of release.

He cums into the condom and crashes onto your chest, still inside of you.

The record had stopped but music from downstairs and yelling could still be heard from all corners of the house.

Inside the room was all pants and heavy breathing,

“That. Was. Fucking. Amazing.” He breathed out while you rubbed his back and played with his hair.

I love you Y/N.” He mumbled into your breasts. You laugh slightly at his childishness.

“I love you too bub.”

“We should have done that so much sooner.” He lifts his head up from your bare chest to say.

“What does this mean for us?” you ask, a slight worry in your voice.

“I want nothing more than to be with you Y/N. I would do anything for you.”

You smile, pushing his head back into your chest. He starts to lull off, listening to your heartbeat and breathing.

“Oh my god Javed!” You were brought out of your dreamland, remembering your best friend you left in that room about half an hour ago.

Matt’s eyes went wide and you both shot up from the bed and began to get dressed. Hopefully he was okay and wasn’t in a corner crying.

Once you were both somewhat collected, other then Matt’s badly done buttoning job of his shirt and both or your disheveled hair, you ran out.

You open the office door beside Matt’s room. He wasn’t in there.

“Shit.” You mutter, running downstairs. Matt close behind you. The party on the main floor stayed alive and well, even with the host's absence.

You look around and notice a group laughing in the living room. You walk in to see Javed, holding a blunt telling a funny story to a group of very interested people. He was the life of the party.

“Matt come here, you won’t believe this!” You call out to your now boyfriend.

He joins you and looks at Javed all surprised.

“J?” He asks. Javed stops his fascinating story and walks over to the two of you.

“Hey guys. I’m sorry for earlier. I’m having a great time. Really thank you for the party Matt.”

“No problem J.” Matt looked dumbfound.

“I’m sorry I left you in the office J, I got caught up.” You try to explain yourself. Javed smirks at the likes of the two of you.

“No worries and by the way thank you for the birthday present. “ You look at him confused.

“Now I don’t have to listen to you whine about Matt anymore. Same with you mate.” Your eyes went wide.

“Wait what? You knew all along Matt liked me back and never said anything.” He shrugs

“It was never my place. Anyways, next time just remember that the walls are thin in this place.” He winks before walking off, starting to talk to some girl from college.

You and Matt stand there dumbfounded.

[wellthatwasaletdown]

“It’s a fake article apparently.” The quotes from the parody account are fake, but there is real article about Harry Lambert in The Times.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/meet-harry-lambert-the-a-lists-secret-style-weapon-8ml3q06jl

Meet Harry Lambert, The A List’s Secret Style Weapon

Whether it’s Harry Styles’s internet‑breaking cardigan or Emma Corrin in head‑to‑toe Miu Miu, he’s the stylist responsible for the hottest celeb looks of the moment. So how did a former River Island shopboy become the man influencing the way we dress today?

In February 2020 Harry Lambert was helping Harry Styles get ready to perform on NBC’s Today show. Lambert, an affable, bright-eyed 34-year-old, had been Styles’s stylist for a good five years by then, helping the One Directioner develop a distinct visual brand — and yet Styles still wasn’t quite sure why Lambert was so insistent that he wear a bright, multicoloured patchwork cardigan by JW Anderson.“I remember him saying, ‘OK, I love it, I just don’t know why we’re wearing it for rehearsals,’” Lambert relays from his east London studio. But the stylist had “a weird feeling”, he says with a little smile. “I was like, ‘Wear it for rehearsal — I promise you.’”The choice of the garment, and the knowledge of when and where to wear it, sums up Lambert’s gifts neatly. Pictures of Styles promptly went viral, so much so that the cardigan became a TikTok craze, with fans trying to replicate the knit at home. By the end of the year the V&A had announced it was buying the original, since it said so much about fashion in 2020. “It makes me a bit giddy, I guess,” says Lambert, to think that this moment he concocted will sit in a national collection for ever.

Right now Lambert can lay claim to being one of the most influential stylists in the world. The Styles collaboration is of course his calling card: a parade of eye-raising and/or mouthwatering outfits that have progressed from a much-memed floral suit at the American Music awards in 2015 to a couple of feather boas at this year’s Grammys and a Gucci women’s handbag at the Brit awards last month. His few other celebrity clients (it’s an elite bunch) include Emma Corrin, who, in the absence of any awards ceremony red carpets to be seen on following her star turn as Princess Diana in The Crown last November, took to Instagram to showcase a series of exciting, adventurous looks; and also her Crown co-star Josh O’Connor. It’s no surprise that, along the way, Lambert has become a name in his own right: his Instagram account boasts more than half a million followers. And to think — the Topman in his hometown of Norwich turned him down for a job as a teenager because “I wasn’t cool enough”, he giggles. He got one instead at River Island, where he was occasionally allowed to style the mannequins in cardigans of a somewhat less avant-garde calibre.Lambert, dressed in shorts, T-shirt and a plaid shirt, is sitting in his whitewashed studio surrounded by clothes racks for each client and mementoes from friends. He was an up-and-coming stylist, with lots of edgy editorial work and a long stint working for Topman’s head office on his CV (the brand did eventually hire him), when industry insiders introduced him to Styles in 2014. The 1D megastar was setting out his solo stall (1D would officially split in 2015) and Lambert brought racks filled with pieces by JW Anderson, Saint Laurent and future long-term collaborator Gucci on the hangers. He got the job the next day.“Harry has always been interested in fashion essentially,” Lambert says. “You could kind of tell already from the way he was dressing and the decisions that he was making with brands. So there’s never been, like, a battle. Everything with Harry is super-collaborative and it’s always been, it sounds cheesy to say, heavenly, but … !”

The two are clearly mates — they call each other Susan and Sue (Lambert is Susan), and a poster from Styles, signed “To Lamby” (his other nickname), has pride of place on Lambert’s desk. From the way he tells it, neither has blinked when it comes to the sexy, campy, gender-twisting work that has made Styles stand out from his peers. Indeed, other boy band veterans — Robbie Williams or Justin Timberlake — never tried anything this visually brave. But Lambert is clear that this isn’t just him dressing a marionette: “I think it’s part of his, you know, part of his character — it’s part of him. I never want it to feel like he’s wearing a costume, I never want to feel like something is wearing him. We’re not doing it for lols — it should feel like part of the performance or part of the whole, you know?”Lambert admits to finding online critique culture overwhelming, but he points out, slightly apologetically, that most them, for him, have been good (no doubt partly thanks to the millions of Styles superfans). “I’m lucky that I have a lot of positive feedback. But when I see something that is negative, you remember that so much more than the positive things. I used to be like, ‘Social media doesn’t bother me,’ but it does kind of f*** with your head.” Still, he’s all for it: “What’s worse — being so boring that nobody talks about you?” As for Corrin, they actually met at a Styles gig and the two became friends before she asked him to work with her for the media blitz for The Crown. “There’s something about her energy that’s just so infectious,” he raves today. Many have loved her appearances in fashion-forward London brands such as Knwls (a stringy black sheer party number, showcased in a lift), or more eccentric insiders like new-era Schiaparelli and Miu Miu. For Lambert, who loves to champion up-and-coming British brands such as Maximilian, SS Daley or his good friend Harris Reed, it was a no-brainer. “There’s a tendency sometimes for young actresses or young talent to make them look older or more ‘mature’. People are trying to hurry them along.” Corrin may be a leading lady already, “but she’s young too, and cool”, he reasons. “We didn’t want it to feel stuffy.”

Being a stylist is a star turn in itself now. In the glory days of the Noughties Rachel Zoe styled the likes of Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan in a very Zoe way (big sunglasses, bigger bags, gladiator sandals and anything boho). She has been followed by the likes of Karla Welch, who has put clients such as Tracee Ellis Ross and Elisabeth Moss in considered yet still fashion-forward choices, and the other current hot favourite Law Roach, who earned the respect of the entire world for decking out Céline Dion in Vetements. Lambert’s contribution is to blur not only genders, a bit, but also the distinction between “editorial” (traditionally edgy, fashy) and “red carpet” (which is to say glossy, a bit staid).Lambert finds most red-carpet dressing fearsomely dull, to be clear: “I really cannot see another black tie! Just no. No, thank you.” The last “iconic” red-carpet moment was, he thinks, Rihanna’s omelette dress at the Met Ball, and that was 2015. In fact what has really got him buzzing is RiRi’s latest series of outfits papped as “she comes out of restaurants, goes up escalators … it looks so good”, he says. “It’s better than most of what’s on the red carpet!” Back in Norwich, Lambert had no clue what a stylist was when he was growing up. The child of a policeman dad and a nurse mum, he had an extensive interest in clothes but no knowledge of fashion per se. It was only when he went to study photography at the University for the Creative Arts Rochester, in Kent, that he was alerted to it. He interned at fashion magazines during his summer holidays, then started working for a senior menswear stylist, and then the position at Topman came up. He speaks fondly of home — he says his dad is quite a “flamboyant” dresser, actually — but admits it took everyone a minute to suss out what he does. “Even up until five years ago my parents would tell people, ‘He’s a stylist,’ and they’d say, ‘Oh, he does hair?’

.

[a-simple-imagine]

Mother of Exiles

Synopsis: Guess it’s time to get the ball rolling on this revolution but first a party

Pairing: Dolores Abernaty x fem!reader

words: 2.6k

A/N - Sorry this is late. I have a lot going on.

Warning: Guns. Mentions of nudity. 

PREV

"Did you find something?"

Her gentle voice draws your eyes from the mirror as she walks towards you joined by another. For your first mission, you had been given the ultra dangerous task of.... going shopping; not exactly what you expected but here you were stood in some overly pristine clothing establishment. It was rather small and didn't appear too busy but just about everything in her cost more than your apartment. You wonder if Dolores knew that when she brought you here. It had been a while so you flash a smile at her return. You weren't sure how much longer you could put up with being here, or Karen who keeps asking if you need any help every five minutes. Although you did appreciate the compliments being thrown your way with every new outfit.

The AR mirror was a particular favourite of your shopping adventure. It made the tedious notion of shopping a tad more bearable. Your reflection wore a black and navy blue peak lapel tuxedo jacket with matching flare pants. It wasn't a bad look, minus the flare.

"Not really," your entire body slumping with a groan. "Nothing looks right,"

With a hand placed delicately over your shoulder, Dolores takes control of the AR menu. You watch as she shifts through the various options; dashing suits, delicate jumpsuits, elegant dresses before finally making her selection. It's always a treat to watch a new outfit unravel across your reflection and this time was no different. The most elegant of black dresses descended, a delicate embroidered flower pattern lines the chest that stopped above the waist. The V-neck plunged deep between the valley of your breast. It reached to the floor and from the shoulder was a cape. It was beautiful and you're almost in awe of her choice however it wasn't the most practical of outfits.

"It looks good on you," You meet her blue eyes in the mirror just before she turns to her companion. "Wouldn't you agree, Caleb?"

So his name was Caleb. You wonder who they are to each other as you await his response. He gives a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, looks good."

The corner of your lips turn up but you're still unsure of the choice. Staring at yourself, all you could focus on was everything possibly wrong with the outfit. Was it too long? Did the v-neck show off too much skin? Should you go for something simpler? Shorter?

"What is this for?"

"A party." Her hand glides off you shoulder as she steps back. "And you need to blend in,"

"I don't think a fancy dress is gonna make anyone believe I'm part of high society."

"It's tribal," Dolores insists. "They use plumage to identify themselves which makes them easily fooled."

"She said the same to me just go with it," Caleb adds, taking a seat off to the side.

"I couldn't possibly afford this," You explain in a hushed tone, twisting your body so you could have a gander at the back. It mimicked a backless dress through its use of see-through material and edged with flora of eccentric lace.

"I think this is a winner," Guess she made up your mind. You didn't mind though, making decisions when it came to spending could be... difficult at times.

"Wouldn't something a little more practical work better if we're on the job," You counter as you step down from the podium almost weirdly relieved to be in your everyday clothes.

"It won't matter," she insists. "We are not doing anything complicated."

"So what are we doing anyway?"

Dolores explained the operation as if she was explaining something very complex to a young child. To summarise you were planning to attend a party of sorts in order to find and detain Liam Demphery Jr, a figurehead of Incite Inc. So as you got ready, you mentally prepared yourself to kidnap a man or more so borrow. You could live with that. It wasn't like you were some corporate bootlicker; you were just new to all this crime business and you didn't exactly have much of a choice. Help Dolores or die w're your options.

Even in an age of speed, you're still surprised by how quickly they altered the dress to your liking. You just wanted it a little shorter so it was easier to walk in and run should the moment arise. Goes to show that money really was power. The dress may not have been the most practical but it did look the part. Dolores was sporting a simple but frankly spectacular jumpsuit that stopped just above her chest. Her beautiful blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. She looked amazing, not that you had been staring as you walked in just a few steps behind her. Meanwhile, Caleb was beside you dressed in a black tuxedo with a black shirt and tie. You had to admit the man cleans up well; he looked very dapper. You all matched in a sense; all in team colours if you will. When Dolores had said party, she meant party. This was in no way you average get together but an almost overly pristine masquerade event full of elites. Women adorned beautiful white dresses while there wasn't a man in sight not in a tuxedo. The walls were covered in artwork of the finest caliber, some of it was even animated. The rich sound of the violinists filled the entire room with an aura of elitism and sophistication. You’re in awe of the world you've stepped into even though it wasn't for long. Heading towards a table decorated with a variety of masks. They had simply ones of one colour to ones with bold designs and feathers. You eye a white one with an intricate gold pattern but Dolores hands you a simple black one.

"What is this?" Caleb asks as he is given one too.

"I thought your world would be so different than mine," Dolores starts, placing the material mask over here head and fitting it against the bridge of her nose. "But there isn't any difference at all."

Dolores heads into the crowd and Caleb trails after. You place on your mask and follow in toe.  Your eyes scanning the crowd for the target but you can't help but take in the sheer size and bizarreness of it all. It was like a different world; one filled with the finest of things but only for those in dresses worth way too much. It was surreal to be surrounded by so much wealth. There were various podiums set up around the room, each had a crystal chandelier of sorts hung above. And on display were tastefully naked individuals being ogled by the wealthy. You didn't feel any particular way towards nudity, you didn't see it as an abomination or indecent. You just didn't quite grasp what they were doing or what this whole event was even about.

"I'll take him when he's alone," Her words break you from you existential crisis over how rich people choose to spend their time. Dolores wore a small but knowing smile. "Wouldn't want to spoil the fun,"

You don't bother asking because if there's one thing you know about Dolores it's that she never answers your questions: and when she does it's usually vague and unhelpful. From the corner of your eye, you notice a server as they pass, quickly grabbing a flute of champagne off their little tray. Two sets of eyes fall to you and you buckle under the pressure. "What? I need something to calm my nerves-" You huff like a child being scolded. "Dolores just said to have fun."

It was true. You were feeling on edge and this would help with your confidence since Dolores insisted that you should stop using limbic tabs. You weren't sure how long you'd last without them but so far so good... kinda. "Stay focused."

"I can multi-task." With a heavy sigh, both of them continue walking. "How long is this gonna take?"

Bringing the glass to your lips, you take a small sip to gauge the taste. Fine bubbles exploded against your tongue in an explosion of dainty flavours. It had a floral taste to it with hints of fresh fruit. Maybe a hint of peach? You couldn't be sure but either way, it tasted expensive. You've had champagne before but it never tasted like this.

"You're not enjoying yourself?" Caleb asks from a few steps ahead.

"Can't say I'm particularly interested in anything here,"  Your shoulders rise in a casual shrug as you narrowly avoid crashing into a couple who had no intention of moving out the way for you. "couldn't afford it either, the champagne is good though."

As your path drifts you find yourself separated from the others. Everything about this place absolutely reeked of privilege and nobody even suspected that you didn't belong. Guess Dolores was right in saying they are easily fooled. All it took was a gorgeous gown and a mask you never imagined yourself wearing. Staring up from the edge of a podium, you admire the man who was so proudly on display. He wore nothing but a Victorian ruffle style collar paired with sleeves. His muscles so defined as he lay his body bare for the world to see. You couldn't imagine being in his position but each their own. You tried not to look but you couldn't help your curiosity as your eyes drifted from his abs down to his rather... large penis and back. Jesus Christ, he could do some damage with that thing; not that you were judging him or choosing to objectify him. It was just an observation. You're unsure of his role at such a high-end event until you overhear someone ask to place a bid and all the little pieces fall into place. You were currently attending a sex auction? What even were rich people. Turning on your heel, you go in search of your companions and they weren't all that hard to find.

"Good, we're ready to intercept him," Dolores declares, turning to you as you approach. "Ready?"

You nod a little too eagerly. Your adrenaline was pumping. You could do this. There was no turning back now. It was a simple job just grab the target and leave, right? The blonde has you following her out of the ballroom and up the stairs. Readying a gun you didn't even know she brought with her. Where exactly had she been hiding it?

"Where did she get that from?" Your voice but a whisper as you speak to Caleb. The target, Liam, was being guided by two others. Dolores fired three rounds; each one an assault to the ears even with a silencer. You weren't used to it. It made the hair on the back of your neck stand up. The taller of the two gentlemen came charging towards you all, Dolores strikes him first. Knocking the wind clean out of him. Looking to you two, Dolores holds out the gun. "Stay on Liam, I'll handle him."

"You sure?" There was uncertainty in his voice and you couldn't really blame him.

"Take it, I won't need it."

Caleb looks between the two of you before running off down the stairs. "You should go too,."

You don't want to leave her but you nod just once. Hesitating at the stairs; you glance back at her. Was she going to be okay? You've seen her shoot two men before your very eyes but this was an entirely different ball game. Whatever they were talking about, you were too far away to hear but for a second your eyes meet and it was enough to put your mind at rest or at least to send you chasing after Caleb.

Deep breathes as you finally break out into the cold night air, hunched over as you calm yourself down. You're pretty good in heels but apparently not when you need to be because you almost slipped down the stairs. Luckily nobody was around to see you but it was still embarrassing. After a moment, you stand up straight and walk up beside the man. He had the gun held up at Liam's surprise guest. Seemed like everything was under control.

"You're helping her aren't you- Dolores," The stranger spoke slowly and clearly; a little cautiously if you will. "are you one of us?"

"One of us?" You repeat looking to Caleb with furrowed brows. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," He growls. "Just give me the asshole and I will let you walk out of here."

With a nudge of his head, you take the hint but before you can even grab Liam he's calling out to someone. "Connells- the fuck took you so long."

Twisting around, you spy yet another gun; you were feeling very unprepared for this battle. Unsure of who he was pointing at, you back away a little in surrender. Flinching at the sound of gunfire but when your eyes open, it's to see him shoot the rest of his men. What was going on? The plan had changed so drastically.

"What the hell are you doing?" You know it's Liam. He's the only voice you weren't familiar with now but you don't dare to look. Focused in on the man with the gun.

"Don't you fucking twitch," The silver-haired Scott spat with a firm grip of his weapon. It was pointed in the same direction as Caleb's. You exchange a confused look with Caleb. Who were all these people? As the Scott drifts to Liam, you're quick to move out of the way.

"Run." Liam stumbles against the side of the vehicle; the rest of you too stunned to make a move. "Run, before I put a bullet in your pointy little head." His Scottish accent was thick which made him sound a little harsher than expected. Liam was hesitant, a little surprising for how cowardly he seemed, "fucking run!"

The fear was clear as Liam ran for his life; you were half expecting to witness a shooting but thankfully it never happened. Instead, his attention is drawn between you and Caleb. Guess he was on Liam's side after all.

"You better go after him," Or not. Caleb watches him and then turns to you; your shoulders rising up in the smallest of shrugs. You didn't need to be asked twice. Caleb is faster but you put that down to the fact he didn't have to put up with wearing heels all night as you jog along. You couldn't wait to trade them for a comfortable pair of boots.

"Leave me alone, I- I'll pay whatever you want." Rounding the corner, Caleb has Liam shoved up against the wall. The gun Dolores gave him being put to good use in front of his face.

"Oh yeah? Pay me with what, Huh, I have all your money."

"You do?" You question, Dolores had only filled you in on the plan but you were beginning to realise she had left a lot out.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm with her," Caleb spoke, his gun falling to the side as he lets the poor guy relax. You'd be questioning him if it weren't for the whisk of blond that just sauntered past you. Dolores.

"Hello, lover."

Wait... lover?

NEXT

[crzynighta]

A small angst Drabble for Yusuke’s lupin third verse that I kept to myself I think. also I hate how I wrote Goemon but fight me it works maybe.

Under read more for mentions of abuse

Both hands failed to stop their shaking as they gripped onto the owner’s frail body as the young boy kept crying to himself , seated in the corner of his locked up room. The family always treated him like dirt on the bottom of their shoe’s. That his very existence had caused so many problems that were far from the youngest Ishikawa’s fault. But it is not like a small child could understand what their parents were saying and doing were incredibly wrong whilst far from being how other parents treated their own children. He always believed everything they said and did was correct , even when nothing truly bad had been done beforehand to warrant such a reaction.

Yusuke whimpered lowly , tucking both knees further up to his chest as the tears started to leave darker patches on the hakama. Almost begging that either mother or father would change their minds and pick him up , giving him hugs whilst repeating they were sorry for always being so harsh for no real reason. Yet the voices could be heard even from where his empty cold room was located. Always so angry and full of hate towards their own flesh and blood. Though very rarely , or rare for the boy to have overheard it , a somewhat softer ( despite the actual tone ) voice could be heard. It belonged to the singular good family member he’d met so far , the apparent uncle Goemon Ishikawa Xiii. Granted the older man focused on training and jobs a lot it appeared than being there whilst also not looking like the most approachable person at times , but Yusuke preferred to be around him than anyone else. In a way like a second much better father.   As the boy remained silent in crying and trying to focus on anything else , the sliding door slowly opened as whoever it was entered to kneel beside the small child. A hand gently petted the top of his head making him look up slowly and through eyes blurred with tears he was still able to recognise who it was based on rough outfit alone. The Ishikawa by normal standards would be rather eccentric yet naturally there would always be a member of that family that was even worse than the other.

“ Oigo, it is good to know you are alright. “ despite the obvious signs that everything was extremely far from alright  Goemon wanted to allow his nephew to ignore all the pain occurring. It was sickening , even in the view of someone in other ways stronger , that so called caring parents could be so cold , uncaring and down right mistreat a child of their own. The complete opposite of their ancestor who’d saved his own son for the trade of his own life. Goemon struggled with how this attitude came about but there was nothing he could do except attempt to look out for Yusuke whenever possible. The corners of his lips tugged up into a loose smile as the boy was gently picked up and placed on his knee.

“ hmn … I okay. But daddy and mommy are angry at me. I broke my clothes so got in trouble again. “ Yusuke spoke between sniffles and deep breaths still greatly upset over what had happened hours ago. Whilst damaging clothes by a small amount was never a big deal and almost expected from children he had been forced to believe it was one of the worst things anyone could do. His gaze shifted towards the floor in a way scared that even the uncle would be angry at him for it. But there was no anger. Barely a word from Goemon as the man just silently stared down purely in shock by it all. Killing such people seemed like an option yet that would inevitably cause a great amount of stress as well as fear for the family member. In the end his actions would be the exact same as the ones who originally caused all this pain.

    “ no need to be upset over that now. Eventually all clothing sustains tears or just gets dirty at some point. Even I am not free from that never occurring. “ Whether he was lying or not Goemon wanted the child , that deserved much better than the hell he had been forced to live in , to not be crying or shivering in fear for at the bare minimum the week he’s currently back within the household. If that included making himself seem like a complete idiot at times or that perhaps he was not as strong as Yusuke believed him to be then that would happen. Slowly he got onto his feet still holding onto the other with an arm , keeping them as close as possible before heading out the small room to stand almost immediately within the garden. Why the child was almost forced to remain away from everyone was a great mystery that in no way made sense no matter how he tried to look at it. A cold room with only a bed , clothing and required basics to not really be an issue to some but that was it. Nothing to aid a child to learn , to have fun like others his age. Sometimes the question of if there was any good type of human contact for Yusuke was on the man’s mind. It just felt like only when he rarely was able to visit that there was actual good treatment in his life.

“ come on. Let us get some food outside this place. Then we can have a little walk for a while. “ Yusuke had perked up , looking at the samurai with the smallest of smiles and gently with the palm of his hands attempted to wipe a few of the tears. Spending time with just Goemon even if it was a short amount always would be his favourite thing.

[readyplayerhobi]

Papillon

; Taehyung x Reader

; Childhood best friends to lovers/Pregnancy!AU

; Genre: Fluff, light angst

; Word Count: 15k

; Synopsis: Kim Taehyung has been a constant presence in your life for the last 25 years. The bestest friend a girl could ever want; he’s been there for you through all the good times and the bad. What happens though when you find yourself pregnant and abandoned? What happens when your best friend steps up in ways you never imagined?

; A/N: Behold! My first Tae fic...FINALLY. I struggle to write him so...I really...really hope everyone enjoys this!

-

Sitting on the floor with your back to the couch, you let out a deep and troubled sigh as your fingers grasp at your hair. A slight tug makes your scalp smart, but you find that it’s a lot better to focus on that pain than the thoughts that are racing through your head right now.

What were you going to do? You’d finally managed to stabilise your life, with no student loans anymore and your job finally on the up. It had taken 6 years to finally get to the position of manager in your marketing team, being the ripe age of 30. Not that there was anything wrong with 30.

And you’d felt that it was all coming together, with a great job, a great family, wonderful friends and a boyfriend that you felt could possibly be the one. You’d only been dating Jin for six months, but you’d felt that the whip smart lawyer could be the one you’d finally tie the knot with.

Finally get your parents off your back about marriage and possibly work on providing them with the grandkids they so desperately wanted.

Leaning your head back against the cushions, you stare up at the white ceiling with a dull gaze as you consider that it’s probably for the best you hadn’t gotten too in depth when planning out your future. Because who would have seen this coming?

The door opening lets you know that your roommate has finally come back from his own place of work, and the rustling of bags tells you that he’s likely brought your favourite takeout from the Chinese down the street.

“Honey! I’m hoooome!” Taehyung calls out cheerfully, his tall and broad frame walking through the door animatedly as he places the bag of food down on the coffee table in front of you. He works as an art curator in the biggest art museum in the city, and his outfits are usually pieces of art themselves.

Today, he’s wearing a pair of black slacks alongside a uniquely patterned shirt that seems to be a few sizes too big for him with floaty sleeves, yet he works it elegantly. It’s probably the fact that Taehyung has the face of a god and the body of a model that he gets away with his eccentric fashion choices.

That and the fact he’s actually really good at his job too, with an eye for art that will not only sell well, but is likely to be worth millions in the future.

Anyone that sees you together often wonders how on earth you became friends with each other. Taehyung is loud and boisterous with a bright, boxy smile that enamours everyone alongside a magnetic personality that means he makes friends wherever he goes. You, on the other hand, generally stick to jeans and a cute shirt along with being more comfortable at home than anywhere else.

You like to say that your social battery runs out during the work hours, when you’re expected to socialise and play nice with other people and businesses to bring in the big bucks. There’s no way on earth you’d be caught out with even more people after work, particularly when you live with Taehyung!

But your friendship with Taehyung is actually decades old, matured like a fine wine. You had first made friends with him when you were only four years old. He’d moved in next door when his dad had got a new job, and the boisterous young boy had demanded to be your friend when he saw your awesome princess castle.

He’d stuck by your side during all your years of school, protecting you from bullies by attracting their attention instead. And when it had come to college, it had been a natural progression that you both attend the same college whereupon you’d developed a group of mutual friends that you could lean on when necessary.

Living together after college had finished had also been a no-brainer, particularly given that you had both found jobs in the same city. For two years, Jimin had lived with you both as well. The sweet guy had been a friend Tae had made during college, who had become pretty close with you as well.

You’d even dated him for a hot minute, before realising quickly that you both worked better as friends than anything else. But the threesome of best friends had meant that there had been no hard feelings, which you were thankful for.

Out of all of your friends though, you would always proclaim Taehyung to be your closest friend. The ultimate best friend. Now and forever. He’d been the reason a few of your relationships had broken down, and vice versa in terms of him. It turns out that some people don’t like the idea of their partner having a best friend of the opposite gender, never mind living with them.

But Taehyung and you had refused to give up your friendship over the prospect of a partner. In your opinion, if they couldn’t accept the wonderful, if slightly odd, man who had been at all your most important life events, then they weren’t going to get you either.

You watch quietly as he goes into the kitchen to grab your chopsticks, preferring the use of the ones you’d both bought years ago to the ones the store gives you. He comes back over and sits down next to you on the floorboards, crossing his legs as he hands you the box of lo mein while he takes a box of kung pao shrimp, placing a sharing bag of prawn crackers between the two of you.

“Is there a particular reason we’re sat on the floor and not the perfectly good couch we saved up while sacrificing good food?” He asks, brow raising underneath his straight hair while he shoves a pile of lo mein into his mouth. In peek Tae behaviour, he’d dyed his hair platinum blonde the other week and was particularly enjoying the use of non-permanent dye to bring all sorts of colours to life on his head.

Currently, it was bubblegum pink and you watched him in silence for a few moments. His presence was unbelievably comforting, and suddenly the emotion that you’d been holding in for the last few hours came bubbling to the surface.

A sniffle is the only sound that lets Taehyung know something is wrong, and he freezes in place with his chopsticks in his mouth. Turning slowly, he looks at you in confusion, his beautiful brown eyes going wide when he sees yours beginning to fill with tears.

Immediately he’s placing his chopsticks on top of his box, which promptly goes onto the table while he wiggles around until he’s facing you completely. Reaching out, he cups your face gently as worry paints over his own at the sight of you so upset.

“Hey, hey! What’s wrong? Eevee, come on. Tell me.” His voice, so deep and calming normally is lowered even further as he attempts to soothe your frayed emotions. The nickname is decades old as well, stemming from when you’d both discovered Pokemon and become obsessed. Eevee was, and still is, your favourite Pokemon and your love for it had let to him using it as a nickname.

Leaning forward, you let your face smush his neck as you breathe in the oh so pleasant scent of your best friend, the base smell unchanging since he was a kid. Despite Taehyung’s obsession with expensive art and clothing, he was surprisingly simple when it came to himself.

Wrapping your arms around his lean waist, you contemplate for a few moments how to tell him. It shouldn’t be this hard to admit this to your best friend, particularly given it should have been much harder to tell your boyfriend. But then again, you were more worried about Taehyung’s opinion than Jin’s, which should say everything about that relationship honestly.

“I’m pregnant.”

Taehyung freezes in places, his muscles stiffening as the words penetrate and compute into his mind before he slowly pulls away from you, face carefully blank as he looks at you. “Pregnant? Are you sure? It’s not like last time right?”

He’s talking about the incident in college, when you’d been afraid that you were pregnant as your period had come late. For a young guy, he’d been surprisingly calm about the whole thing and had been the one to buy the pregnancy test for you.

It had been negative, but you’d forever appreciate how Taehyung had become your rock of stability when the waters of your life had become rough and unstable. And right now, he was doing it again by speaking carefully and logically.

Wiping at your eyes, you nod slowly before glancing down at your hands which play in your lap. “I took a pregnant test this morning. I keep being sick in the mornings so I called in today, got the day off. Took the test. It was positive.”

Taehyung is quiet before he takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, your nose wrinkling as his lo mein smelling breath hits your face. “Did you take more than one? I don’t want this to sound callous but...it might be one of those false positives right?”

“I took three to be sure. All positive. And given the morning sickness, I’m pretty positive myself.” He licks his lips as his eyes flick all over the places, his mind evidently working at a few hundreds miles a minute.

“Okay...it’s Jin’s right? I mean, you’re not the kind to cheat but I just want to-” Reaching over, you place your fingertips over his lips and he falls silent underneath your touch. Giving him a tremulous smile, you let out a shaky breath of your own.

“Yeah it’s Jin’s. That’s why I...I mean the tears...I told him. He came over on his lunch break and...I just blurted it out. Probably not the best way.” Taehyung runs his fingers through his hair, making the carefully arranged strands fly into a mess as he does so.

“He didn’t take it well.” His voice is flat, and you can tell that he’s trying to control his emotions as carefully as he can. Taehyung hadn’t liked Jin, and he hadn’t understood why you liked him. He’d thought the lawyer was too cold and vain for someone like you, who seemed to be more interested in himself than with his own girlfriend.

You wished that you could turn round and tell him that he was wrong, but after your boyfriend, or rather ex, had coldly dumped you after giving him the news, you could only admit he was right.

“No, he didn’t. He said that someone like him couldn’t be seen to be having a child out of wedlock, because that matters in today’s world you know. And that kids were not part of his life plan yet. He said that he’d pay for an abortion if I wanted it, or if I chose to keep it then he’d pay child support. Jin’s not exactly a catch, but he’s not an idiot. He knows the law.” You say wryly, snorting attractively as you feel your nose running.

Taehyung says nothing though, simply wiping away your tears as they fall with flattened lips. “He’s an ass. A giant dick. I’m gonna kick him in his dick if I see him again. What a prick. Who goes and gets a girl pregnant after only six months then says that? God, I’m gonna call him Elsa whenever I see him because what an ice queen.”

Your best friend continues to grumble on, his anger over how your ex has treated you igniting the more he talks until you lay your own hands over his. Giving him a tentative smile, you shake your head.

“No, it’s okay Tae. As much as I’d like to cry and rage about it, I’m a fully grown woman who knew the risks of sex. I’m guessing we were the unlikely percentage where a condom breaks and my birth control fails, so this pregnancy must really have been supposed to be, huh?” You joke lightly, watching as his brows fall.

“How can you joke?” He whispers, confusion laced through every word as he leans forward and rests his head against yours. “He abandoned you Eevee, sweetheart. It’s not like he left you with a dog, it’s a baby. Lifelong commitment. Why is it fair that he gets to walk away and you’re stuck?”

You appreciate that he doesn’t even question whether you’ll get rid of it, as it’s not something you’d ever consider. If you’d been younger, then sure. But you were financially stable and had already discussed the fact that you wanted kids at some point to Tae when you’d started dating Jin.

At 30, you weren’t getting younger and while it may sound a little ridiculous to think that, it was the 21st century and there were plenty of capable single mothers out there. You didn’t particularly want to be a single mom, but you would be if you had to be. It’s be fine, right?

“It’s not fair, but what can I do about it? I already had my cry earlier. Now I just...I need my best friend please. I need to...to plan. I need to plan because...well he’s made it clear he’s not staying around. I mean...god Tae, what do I do?” You almost whine at him, a sliver of panic finally appearing to break through your calm.

“Hey, come on Eevee. You’ve been calm. You’ve been so calm. You’re an adult woman and you’re not alone.” Your bravado falters at that as tears begin to fall once more, slowly tracking down your face as you finally begin to face what you’d been so strenuously avoiding. In the space of only a few hours, your relationship had fallen apart and you were going to bring a baby into the world in only a few months.

“I am. I was. It’s just...this isn’t how I imagined it TaeTae,” You whisper, pressing your forehead to his shoulder firmly as the tears drip onto his slacks. “I just...maybe I was an idiot but I always imagined having kids with the man I love standing at my side. Watching him cry when the baby is born and seeing our child grow up in his arms. But now...it’s just me.”

Tae wraps his arms around your shoulders even tighter as he begins to rock you calmingly, pressing a gentle kiss to your hair as he does so. “I’m sorry. But...you’re not alone okay? It’s not going to go how you imagined it but...life rarely does. And you are, probably the most capable person I’ve ever met.”

He pushes you until you can see his face and gives you one of his heart warming, endearing smiles that make his eyes almost disappear as his cheeks rise. It’s only then that you can see the sheen of tears in his own eyes, letting you see how much he cares for you.

“You are going to be a great mom. And you’re not going to be alone. I can’t be that guy you talked about, but I’m damn well going to be your best friend who will do anything you need. I’ll be here for you, I’ll take you to your appointments, I’ll go to those...nasal classes or whatever they’re called,” You snort at that and interrupt with ante-natal. “Whatever. The point is. I’m here for you. I will be the best damn...non dad-dad there could ever be because I do not want my best friend to flounder, not when I can help.”

Your crying even harder at that, at the earnest expression on his face and the sincere words that fall from his lips. Shaking your head, you give him a shaky smile as you try to dissuade him, despite the sheer warmth his words make you feel.

“Tae, you can’t. I mean...you’re my best friend and we live together yeah but...I can find somewhere new. Your relationships already hate me, imagine them finding out I’m pregnant and you’re doing all this? Or you trying to bring a girl home and the baby is just screaming. You have a life too TaeTae, I can’t ruin that.” You beg, not wanting to make his life harder than it is.

He’s shaking his head in turn though, wagging his finger at you sternly. “Do not. Do not do that. Don’t isolate yourself already. You are not moving out of here, and I’m not moving out. Neither of us want to, nor do we need to. If you really think I’m going to abandon my best friend just for some pussy or dick, you’re wrong.”

Tae runs his fingers through your hair lovingly before he gives you a sweet smile. “There’s not a chance on earth I’m abandoning you now. I’ve been your best friend for 25 years. Now it’s time for me to prove that and stand by your side. You don’t have Jin, but you have Taehyung and I hope he’s just as good for you. Besides, you know I love kids and a baby, in my arms??.”

He grips his chest comically while making a funny face, trying to diffuse the moment. Letting out a choked laugh, you let him before you wrap your arms around his neck and squeeze tightly as the fear of what the future will hold and the sheer love you have for your best friend combine in an odd mix. “You’re the bestest TaeTae.”

-

The next few weeks pass by in a bizarre mix, parts of it zooming by whereas others feel like you’re stuck wading through syrup. You’d made an appointment with your doctor the very next day and Taehyung stuck to his word, attending that appointment and every one after it.

You’d been almost bombarded with information about pregnancy and the various tests and screenings that would be required. It had been a revelation to you that you’d be asked to be tested for certain diseases and other tests that were all aimed at ensuring your baby would be born in the best health possible.

There had also been plenty of advise on your lifestyle and what would change or what would need to be changed. Dietary advice and nutritional advice for what would bring the most benefit to you and your baby, along with the supplements that would keep you going.

The nerves of going to the doctor had been a little surprising, but Taehyung had been a calming presence next to you the whole time. While your mind had been jumping onto the panic button at all the information being given to you, he had been the rational one who had asked questions you wouldn’t have even considered.

What would you be advised to give up during your pregnancy? Alcohol and caffeine were no brainers - though apparently a little caffeine was okay -, but you’d been surprised to discover that it was recommended for you to give up certain cheeses along with random things like paté and liver.

It had been a little awkward when the doctor had given a smile to you both when he’d said that sex was still okay. You hadn’t even had to look at Taehyung to see the grin that he was sporting at that, and you’d half felt like pushing him off the chair.

That would have looked just a little immature though, and you’d been hoping to paint the image of someone who was totally prepared to have a baby. Because you totally weren’t, but the doctor hadn’t needed to know that.

The appointment had been rudimentary, yet it had seemed to be eye opening to Taehyung. That weekend, you’d come back from visiting your parents to break the news to find him sat on the couch with his nose firmly in a book.

Taehyung wasn’t particularly fond of reading normal books, he enjoyed his comics and manga but felt that fiction books took too much time. So it had been a surprise to find him reading what looked to be a whole tome, but a little bending over had let you see the cover.

He’d been reading a book about pregnancy, which had thrown you for a loop. It was such an expectant dad thing to do, causing you to go into the kitchen with a fuzzy feeling in your stomach at the knowledge he was genuinely trying.

As a result of the book, Taehyung had become a fountain of pregnancy related knowledge. He’d taken to cooking meals that were filled with all the nutrition you needed, which had you sitting and watching him with amusement as he wasn’t the greatest cook in the world.

His enthusiasm was adorable, but you were pretty positive he’d get tired of putting in so much effort quicker rather than later. But you’d enjoy it for now and you’d be the first to admit that his excitement was infectious.

It was purely thanks to him that you were actually kind of looking forward to this baby being born, if only to see his bright grin of happiness at getting to hold his nephew. Because Taehyung was totally going to be uncle number one.

Right now, you’re at week 9 in your pregnancy and about to have your first ultrasound. Your work was okay with your pregnancy, though they had no choice really, and you’d managed to get the afternoon off to head to your scan with relatively little fight.

You’re currently laid back in the couch thing they use, with your shirt lifted up and the top of your jeans pushed down. The sonographer is sat in the chair next to you while Taehyung sits on the other side, holding your hand tightly.

It’s stupid to worry, but you’ve been anxious that the scan might find something wrong. Or what if your baby had stopped growing? There was so many things that had run through your mind that you’d spent the night not sleeping until you’d finally got up to get into bed with Tae.

He’d been both tired and confused, but when you’d blurted out all your worries to him about what could be wrong, he’d simply wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you in tight. The comforting smell of your best friend had overwhelmed you while his hands had run along your back in gentle and soothing movements.

Taehyung had been half asleep, but he’d still managed to tell you that there probably wouldn’t be anything wrong but that it was likely natural to worry. Though your fears hadn’t vanished, just the comfort of being in his arms and his calming nature had been enough to allow you to drift into a, thankfully, dreamless sleep.

As such, his hand in yours right now is yet another balm to your soul. It’s easy to see how he manages to deal in art that is worth thousands, sometimes millions, right now with his placid nature.

The sonographer gives you an amiable smile as he turns on the machine, explaining what the scan should show along with what he’ll be checking for. “I’m going to put some ultrasound gel on your stomach now okay? It might be a little cold and ticklish, but that’s okay.”

You nod and watch as he squirts the gel onto your belly before grabbing the probe and pressing it down firmly. Eye flicking to the screen, you both watch with baited breath as it flickers and shows some odd images. Until suddenly, there’s a shape you vaguely recognise from seeing other people’s ultrasounds.

Immediately, you go numb for a moment before reaching out and looking at the sonographer with wide eyes. He smiles brightly as he nods. “Yep, that’s your baby. Looking pretty healthy too. Baby has everything it should have at this point and I can’t see anything that might be a cause for worry. Do you want to hear the heartbeat too?”

You’re nodding before he’s even finished, suddenly desperate to hear that your baby is alive. It’s good being told that it’s okay, but a heartbeat says that it’s alive and here. He smiles before pressing something on the screen and shifting the probe around more before a rapid beat echoes in the room, the tiny thumps making you think of the fluttering of a hummingbird's wings bizarrely.

Pressing your hand to your mouth, a film of tears appears in your eyes as you listen to the sound of your baby living. Growing happily and safely inside your stomach. Even though you’d logically known that you’re growing a life inside you, it apparently had never properly clicked until this moment.

Looking at Taehyung, you note with fascination the tears in his own eyes as well. When his gaze catches yours, he gives you his brilliant smile before reaching out and wiping away your own tears. “Wow. My best friend is really going to be a mommy.”

The sheer love and adoration on his face and in his voice makes you choke up, causing you to look at the sonographer instead. He smiles at the two of you before going on to explain some more things to you and you listen intently.

Once he’s about to finish, you finally get the courage to ask shyly. “Can I get a picture?” He nods and presses a button on the screen, letting you know that you can pick it up at the reception desk.

After that, it’s simply a case of wiping your belly clean before making yourself look presentable again. You thank the sonographer once more before leaving to the reception, stopping by the desk where the happy receptionist brings out your picture.

She hands it to you, letting you see the black and white representation of your child and you hold it like the world’s most important treasure. It’s only from the corner of your eye that you notice her give Taehyung one as well, and his raised brows say the question for him.

“One for mommy and one for daddy.” She says with a bright, customer friendly smile. Taehyung opens his mouth to correct her but you rest your hand on his elbow, shaking your head slightly. He frowns in confusion before acknowledging your request.

As you leave, he looks at you quizzically and you just give him a soft smile. “I think the guy who’s taking on such an important role should get to keep a picture right?” Pushing away from him, you head towards your car and unlock it. You completely miss the way he grips the picture tighter and takes a shaky breath.

-

At week 15, you’ve developed a small bump that is beginning to become visible to everyone. Taehyung had been beyond excited when he realised, and you found it strange to see your stomach slowly expanding. The tightness of your jeans was particularly unwanted though, and you dreaded having to buy a whole new wardrobe just to accommodate your pregnant body.

Today, you’d gone grocery shopping to fill the cupboards that were becoming rapidly depleted. Taehyung had come along to make sure you were getting the right stuff, he meant well truly, and he’d dragged Jimin along, ruining their weekly gaming night.

Jimin had been shocked at finding out about your unplanned pregnancy, but had shown his own best friend colours by telling you that he’d be there for you if needed. It made you want to cry sometimes when you thought about how lucky you were to have such phenomenal friends.

But right now, Jimin was kind of being a bad friend by trying to convince you to buy junk food. Normally, you ate pretty healthily and only indulged in things on the odd occasion. However you currently had Jimin wrapped around your frame to point out the bags of chips that lined the shelves, or the bars of chocolate opposite.

“Come on. You’re eating for two right? So what does it matter?” He whines at you, making you wonder whether he was wanting you to buy the snacks for yourself or so he could steal them. Raising a brow at him, you shake your head with a smile as you grab a jumbo bag of Doritos and place it into the cart.

“For you, greedy. I’m not at the stage of craving things yet. At least I think.” You muse, wondering when exactly that is supposed to start. As far as you were aware, you hadn’t experienced any but you were almost hoping to later on. What’s a pregnancy without getting some sort of craving right?

Jimin snickers however, following along with that loping swagger of his. It’s almost unfair how beautiful Taehyung and him are, and you eye him for a moment. Skin tight black jeans adorn his defined thighs while a stylish black leather jacket is draped over his shoulders, topping a white shirt while a maroon beanie is placed over his dark hair.

He’s always been the most stylish mother fucker in the room, and you desperately wish you could have his fashion sense. Unfortunately, it comes with a few thousand dollar price tag and you most definitely can’t afford that. Particularly now.

Turning around the aisle, you stop as you spy Taehyung stood further down as he looks between the two bottles in his hand. The sign above says that this is the nutrition aisle, and you watch with a fond smile at the frown of concentration on his brow.

Jimin pauses next to you, dumping the bag of gummy bears he’d picked up into the cart before looking at Taehyung as well. Smiling softly, he lets out a breathy laugh as he slings an arm over your shoulders.

“You know, he’s really excited about all this. More excited than I think he should be.” He murmurs quietly, so as not to bring attention to the both of you. Looking up at him, your brows dip together questioningly.

“What do you mean?” His face becomes serious and you feel your stomach flip at the sight. Jimin is the person who knows Taehyung the best outside of you, and in ways that only guys can know. Despite being best friends for so long, there’s some things that you and Tae have never discussed.

“Just...be careful with him okay? You know Taehyung. He feels strongly in ways people normally don’t. He’s...you know he’s going to get attached. Hell, he keeps that ultrasound picture in his wallet.” Running your hand over your stomach, you stroke the bump that contains your teeny, tiny baby and ruminate over Jimin’s words.

Taehyung has always loved deeply and strongly. It’s what makes him the perfect best friend as he’s so unbelievably loyal, but it also means he gets hurt so easily. You’ve lost count of the partners he’s fallen for that have broken this special soul.

“I’m not...I’m not going to leave him or anything. I mean...not that we’re in a relationship,” You flush at that, even though it’s a question you both deflect often. But it feels a bit awkward now. “He’s my best friend Jimin, I’m not just going to abandon him. Especially not now. I...god I hate to admit it, but I need him.”

Jimin smiles brightly before pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I know. But...be careful okay? You deserve happiness, and if a guy comes along and makes you happy then I’ll support that. But Tae...it’ll be hard for him to let you and the baby go in that case. Look at him. He’s acting like a dad, not a BFF.”

You stand in shocked silence at that, turning back to Tae who finally spots you both. Immediately, a brilliant smile takes over his face as he holds up the bottles. “Which one do you think you should have? Both have all the nutrients you need…”

He continues on and you simply watch him, feeling Jimin’s warmth next to you and anchoring you in the present. “I get what you mean Jimin, but he’s not stupid. He knows the lines. Maybe I’m being selfish but...I guess I’m glad someone is willing to act like a dad, you know?”

Walking forwards, you leave Jimin to watch you both as you take both bottles from Taehyung’s hands and read the labels yourself. You don’t see the way Jimin’s gaze trains on the both of you, focusing on the way Taehyung’s hand rests on your lower back while you almost lean into him.

He’s well aware that the two of you harbour no romantic feelings towards each other right now, and yet if anyone looked right now, they’d think exactly that. A boyfriend, being caring and supportive towards his pregnant girlfriend. “Oh Tae. Please don’t get too hurt.”

-

Looking over the ante-natal class acceptance email, you carefully input the class details into your shared calendar with Taehyung. He’d found a whole list of classes that would suit you and were at times that both you and he could attend. It had taken a quick query to get some dates confirmed, but you were pleased that you’d sorted that out before it would become impossible.

You seemed to have pregnancy brain lately, which often meant you’d forget the simplest things. It was incredibly annoying, even if it made Taehyung chuckle.

The classes weren’t going to be until towards the latter half of your pregnancy, giving you plenty of time to get prepared and research on what you could expect from them. Leaning back in your chair, you let out a deep breath and wince while rubbing your lower back slowly, hating the backache you seem to be plagued with lately.

The nausea had vanished a few weeks ago, but now you seemed to be reaping the bad sides of growing another human inside you with the almost constant backache. Not to mention your boobs that were growing. Some guys might think that’s great, but it just seemed to be adding to the aches and pains you were getting.

And you were going to have to buy new bras dammit!

But overall, things were going pretty well. You’d had another ultrasound last week at 16 weeks and had been given the all clear once more. Taehyung had wondered if you would try to find out the sex, but you were determined for it to be a surprise. What if they told you and it turned out to be wrong?

The door slamming closed distracts you from your laptop and you roll your head on the back of the couch to watch for Taehyung walking in. He does so quickly, with a bag in his hands and you’re momentarily reminded of when you’d told him. This time, he’s actually wearing a pair of jeans along with a white button up shirt but it’s the carton of ice cream in his hands that you care about most.

Reaching out, you perform grabby hands and he chuckles lightly as he flops onto the cushion next to you, one leg curled up under the other. Holding it in front of your face, he dances it for a few moments before placing it into your hands with the spoon he’d grabbed from the kitchen.

“You’re lucky. That’s the last Chunky Monkey they had in the store.” He says, a boyish smile taking over his face while his eyes crinkle in happiness as you delve into it. Leaning into your space, you watch as his blonde locks take up your field of vision while he takes a look at your laptop screen.

“Oooh, the classes are booked?” He takes the laptop from you and scrolls through the calendar before clicking onto the email. You shuffle closer to him and lean against his solid arm, resting your head on his warm shoulder while you continue to spoon ice cream into your mouth.

“This is good, I can work around these for you. Oh, and your mom called me because apparently someone’s phone died?” He teases, wrapping an arm around your own shoulders before he pokes at your ribs gently. You wriggle and pout, eyes flickering to the black screen of your smartphone on the coffee table.

“She wants to know if we’re going to theirs for dinner on Sunday. I think they want to get baby updates too or something, I don’t know. Or maybe she just wants to see my handsome face. And we can see my parents too!” He grins cheekily, placing one hand on his face in half a flowerboy pose.

Laughing, you nod in acknowledgement and watch as he begins to text your mom one handed. Your parents love Taehyung, and they’d been both happy and unbelievably choked up when they’d found out he was stepping up where Jin had failed. His own parents had been an odd mix of pride that he was such a good person and trepidation at the fact he was willingly giving up a lot for you. Which was understandable.

Given they still lived next to each other, it was only logical that you could both see your parents while giving them baby updates. You knew that Tae had excitedly sent pictures of the ultrasound to his parents.

Jimin’s words from weeks ago pass through your mind as you watch him play on his phone quietly and a hint of a frown touches your brows. Given how close Taehyung was being to this pregnancy, were his parents confused as to whether they should feel closer to you and the baby? Or were they just ignoring it and hoping their son wouldn’t throw his life away too?

“We should decide on the nursery by the way. I mean...we don’t have actually have space in this place for one. We’ve only got our bedrooms so...what do we do? Do you want to look for somewhere new?” He asks suddenly, dropping his phone into his lap while shifting slightly to look at you.

He’s close at this point, with his warm, chocolate eyes focused firmly on you. His wispy blonde hair covers the dark, serious brows and without even thinking you move his hair away to let them free. Taehyung’s always had a strong brow, and it’s almost frightening how he changes from cute with a fringe to walking sex when his forehead is free.

It was his go to look when he was going out and there’s a bizarre moment where you wonder what Taehyung’s child would look like. He has a superior bone structure, and you wondered if his kids would inherit it as well. There’s almost a slight pang in your heart at the knowledge your baby won’t have it.

Shaking your head, you look away from his serious gaze and rest your palm against your racing heart, wondering why you’re getting those weird thoughts and feelings.

“Err...no. We can’t afford a place with three rooms. Not without getting another job. And I’m going to be on maternity so we’ll be earning even less. I think this is probably the most we can afford. I can just...put the crib in my room.” Taehyung looks at your closely with raised brows.

“Really? Your baby is going to need space on its own at some point. Kids need their own space. And parents definitely need their own. You can take my room, I’ll just...use the couch until we can get a bigger place.” He offers and you recoil, appalled that he could be okay with the idea of sleeping on the couch for months on end.

“No way! You can’t give up your room Tae! How is that fair?” You pout at him, nuzzling your head into his neck. He laughs quietly and rubs your shoulder gently, pressing his nose into your hair.

“Okay...compromise then. We get rid of my bed, we put two singles in my room. And we try to save money so that we can get a bigger place. No one sleeps on the couch. Sound good?” You stay quiet for a moment as the carton of ice cream makes your thigh almost numb from the cold, but you’re too busy drawing silly patterns on his own thigh.

“What about your love life? I’m sure they’re going to be real happy coming back to find another woman in your room and a baby in the apartment.” Taehyung snorts at that and lifts up your chin with the tips of his fingers, giving you a sardonic look.

“Do you genuinely think I’m going to get my dick wet in this apartment when your baby is here? No way. Eww…this is your baby’s home just as much as yours and mine. I’d never do that to you.” You scan his face and note how completely earnest his expression is. Whether that means he’s just not going to get laid, or he’s just not bringing them back, you feel an odd sense of gratitude towards him.

“Okay. We turn my room into a nursery. But we’ll sort your room out at a later point okay? I don’t think we really have the money to buy two single beds right now.” You murmur and he nods slowly, his fingers finding your own and twining with them slowly. Smiling, you bump your head against his shoulder as you admire his long and elegant fingers that dance with your own.

“Awesome. Can I decorate it?” Taehyung’s voice is quiet and deep, yet you can practically hear the excitement vibrating in it. Laughing lightly you nod, wondering what he’d be planning. He knew that you wanted it gender neutral, but that could encompass anything and Taehyung was a phenomenal artist himself.

Watching him as he begins to become even more animated than normal as he explains his ideas, hand gesturing while his eyes light up with inspiration. A soft smile paints itself onto your lips as you feel a completely sense of contentment and happiness wash over you.

Taehyung is always handsome, but when he talks about something he’s passionate about he becomes quite possibly the most beautiful man in the world.

A sudden influx of emotion tightens your lungs as you watch him and you frown, rubbing at your chest slowly before you feel little bubbles erupt in your stomach. Your hand moves down to your stomach idly until it happens again and you suddenly jerk in Taehyung’s arm, causing him to stop and look at you with an anxious frown.

“What is it? What’s wrong? Is it the baby?” The questions come thick and fast, peppered into the conversation like tiny bullets of worry and you shake your head slowly. Running your hand over your bump, you smile as you feel the slightest movement in your tummy and immediately grab his own to place it over your firm stomach.

“What are yo-...” He stops suddenly, eyes widening almost comically while his jaw drops. He obviously can’t feel it but you can tell that he understands what you’re feeling, as the little smattering of bubbles ignites in your stomach again. “Oh my god. Is that...is it moving?” Taehyung whispers reverently, looking at your expanding belly with a sense of wonder and awe.

You nod slowly, the smile spreading on your own face when he’s suddenly laughing out loud and his own grin taking over his whole face. “Oh my god! That’s so...I mean it...sweetheart that’s...oh my god!” He can’t even get his words out as he fingers stroke the soft skin of your hardened belly.

Anything you might say vanishes when he suddenly cups your face and begins to kiss all over, his soft lips pressing to your cheeks, your forehead, your temples and even your eyes in his excitement. The giggles you let out are high pitched and full of cheer as he does so, the two of you experiencing something intimate and heart warming.

As he wraps his arms around your neck and hugs you tightly, even more kisses being pressed to your hair, you feel a warm feeling of bliss take over your body as his embrace. At least you never have to worry about your baby being loved.

-

A ruckus by the door interrupts your sleep from where you’d been dozing on the couch and you jerk slightly, sluggishly pushing yourself up onto your elbow while rubbing at your eyes. At 30 weeks pregnant, you felt tired a lot and often end up napping wherever you were, which was exactly what had happened when you’d sat down to rest for a few moments.

Loud voices soon follow and you blink blearily as Taehyung enters the room, holding a big box while Jungkook and Jimin follow soon after with their arms laden with boxes and bags. For a moment, your eyes track their bulging biceps with intrigue, noting that they’re just wearing plain t-shirts today.

It’s only then that you realise they both look remarkably casual which has you frowning slightly. Running a hand over your stomach, you see that even Jimin is just wearing a pair of grey sweats that pair with his white shirt nicely. But it’s Taehyung’s exceptionally lazy look that has your brows raising in surprise.

“What are you doing?” You ask, pushing yourself up off the couch and heading over to them. A tiny little tapping in your belly lets you know that your baby currently has hiccups and you tap in response happily, giving a soft, secretive smile.

Glancing back up, you note Taehyung’s eyes focused on you intently for a moment, gaze on your hand before it flickers back up to your eyes. Immediately he’s beaming at you as he holds up the box in his hand.

“The crib arrived! I got the email this morning so I asked if these two were free so we can do the nursery now if that’s okay?” He asks, a brow quirking in question as his head tilts endearingly. Smiling at him, you nod happily.

Immediately, the three head into your room and you stand in the doorway as you watch. You’d cleared out your room a few days ago with Taehyung’s help. Okay, it was mainly Taehyung clearing it out for you while you directed him but still. It was pretty much empty and ready to be turned into the room for your baby.

For now, you were sharing a bed with Taehyung until you both scrounged up the money to buy single beds. You’d both done it plenty enough over the years that it wasn’t too weird, but he got a little squirmy at the idea of accidentally hurting the baby or something in his sleep.

If anything, all he’d done was end up wrapped around your body tightly as he slept. Every morning, you’d woken up to him touching you in some way. Whether it was curled around you, his front to your chest or simply with his hand resting on your stomach while he slept on his side. It was adorable and you spent a few minutes every morning, just enjoying the peaceful and calming experience.

“Okay, let’s build the crib first and then we’ll move it into the centre of the room and paint the walls yeah?” Jimin says, a hand on his hip as he looks around. Jungkook produces a bunch of painting tools from one of the bags before pulling out a tin of paint. Heading over, you take the tin and turn it in your hands, a pleased smile taking over at the soft yellow colour.

You’d both discussed what colour the nursery should be and it was pleasant to note he’d managed to pick the perfect colour that would be perfect for either a baby boy or a baby girl. Suddenly, Taehyung is bounding up to you and gently pushing you out, his hand running along the small of your back with soft movements.

“You need to leave, I don’t know what paint fumes will do to you or something. You keep getting sick from random smells so...maybe you could go take a walk or something?” Considering him for a moment, you sigh barely nodding and heading over to the entranceway. He goes with you and helps you into your shoes, tying up the laces before looking up at you with a big, gummy smile. “Be careful. I’ll text when we’re done.”

Taehyung closes the door behind you carefully and you stare at it for a moment before heading out, wondering where you could go for a few hours. Somewhere where there’s plenty of places to sit, as you often find yourself getting a little tired lately and you decide on the local farmers market.

It’s a small place that you’d both discovered a few months after moving in and it had been a true haven of cheap, yet good quality, vegetables and fruit that were cheaper than the supermarkets surprisingly. There were also stalls that sold handmade items of various styles, and it’s here that you discover an adorable fluffy blanket that you know would look perfect in the baby’s crib.

It’s a soft yellow with tiny fluffy kittens and puppies bounding around while little stars and moons dot the spaces inbetween them. You have basically zero willpower when you see it and find yourself handing over money immediately while the stall owner folds it and places it into a bag for you.

Another stall finds you buying a bunch of tiny kitten and puppy figurines that are stylised from wood and painted so carefully, figuring that you could decorate a dresser with them and another produces a cute mobile that will hang carefully. It’s a bunch of tiny planets and stars, and you like the idea of your baby being able to see stars when they wake up.

It’s only when you realise that your shoulders are aching from the weight of the bags that you wonder if you should head back. It’d taken you half an hour to walk here, and the prospect of walking back is daunting.

Glancing over to the food stalls, you bite your lip and decide that you’ll make the guys your famous tomato chilli pasta and garlic bread. You seemed to have avoided the heartburn that spicy food could apparently cause in pregnant women, and you had a sudden craving for the delicious looking, fresh chillies on display.

A quick visit to all the different stalls found you with even more bags, full of fresh vegetables and meat. With a satisfied smile, you walk back to your apartment with slow steps and an aching back. In fact, by the time you finally place the bags on the kitchen counter, you’re pressing on your back firmly with a wince.

“What are you doing! Oh my god! Did you walk the whole way here with those bags? Why didn’t you call me? Or call a taxi?!” Taehyung frets over you, his hands fluttering along your stomach before he’s rubbing at your back. You can’t even find it in yourself to get annoyed at his fussing when his hands feel so good and when he presses on a particular spot, you let out a soft moan as you lean back into him.

“I thought I’d be okay. But look! I got stuff for chilli pasta and look at all the cute baby things I bought.” You gush, pulling out the items one after another carefully. Immediately Taehyung is looking them all over, running his fingers over the soft blanket while he looks at the figures closely with an excited smile.

Wrapping his arms around your waist, he grins brightly as presses a kiss to your hair. “Oh my god! This is gonna match the nursery perfectly. Come and look! We’ve almost finished painting it and then Jungkook and I are gonna paint a mural or something on it.”

He tugs you over to the room by your hand, his fingers entwined with your own and you gape at the room with incredulous eyes. The once cream coloured walls are now a soft yellow that is cheerful and calming while the white crib Taehyung and you had picked out is fully built in the centre.

Running back to the kitchen, you come back and carefully place it onto the tiny mattress while Taehyung sets up the mobile at the edge. Once finished, you both step back while his arm wraps around your waist once more, the edges of his fingers rubbing along your bump lovingly as your heart clenches with emotion.

“It looks perfect Tae!” You whisper, hugging him as tightly as your belly will let you. The room stinks of paint and it makes you feel the slightest bit nauseous while you watch Jungkook put the finishing touches on the wall he’s painting.

The younger man has an endearing blob of yellow paint on his cheek and you giggle lightly at it before noting the prim and proper Jimin is currently daubed in paint all over his body. He stands up from where he’d been crouched before coming over and taking your hand with a friendly smile.

“Let’s go cook yeah? It stinks in here and I have no artistic skill.” He teases, sticking his tongue out at the other two as Jungkook gives him a sarcastic salute. In the kitchen, Jimin begins to take all the pots and pans that you’ll need to cook out from their hiding places before pulling the ingredients out of the bags.

You take over cutting the vegetables to make the sauce while he begins to cook the minced beef, turning it over to ensure it’s browning nicely. The atmosphere is quiet, yet you can feel a little tension in him for some reason.

“Is something wrong?” You ask quietly, voice a little unsure as to what his reaction is going to be. While he’d been nothing but supportive of you during your pregnancy, there had always been something about Jimin that made it feel like he wasn’t being approving.

He turns over the meat in silence before letting out a sigh so deep, his shoulders physically fall as he grips either side of the stove. “Yes. And no.” Is all he says and you frown in confusion, wondering what’s wrong with him.

Placing the knife in your hands down, you head over and placed a hand against his arm in worry, running your fingers along him reassuringly. “Is it anything I can help with?”

Jimin stays silent for a moment before letting out a slightly strained laugh, shaking his head until his hair falls into his eyes. You’re not sure what to say until he tips his head back, the lean column of his neck all you can see for a moment as he showcases an expanse of golden skin.

“You’re going to destroy him. You know that?” It’s said so quietly that you almost don’t hear and you have to lean forward, until you register the words. Stilling, you note that he looks at you with a combination of love and exasperation.

Jimin points at your stomach before his eyes track back up to yours, holding your gaze firmly. “That is something we are all excited for. Jungkook, me, your parents, your friends. But Taehyung especially. But that is not his child. And the more that you continue to let this happen, the more it is going to hurt him when something happens.”

You step back away from him in shock at that, a hand placed over your stomach protectively as your brows almost meet in your befuddlement. “What do you mean? Why? What would happen?”

He laughs lightly and shakes his head once more, turning to face you. “I saw you both. In here. The way he holds you. The way he looks at you. That is more than someone should be feeling for their friend, and it scares me for him. You’re not treating him like your best friend anymore. You’re treating him like the father of your child. You even let him pick the name for god’s sake.”

An instant flashback to the night that you’d presented him with the list of boy and girl names you’d decided on runs through your head. You’d spent weeks on the list, finally coming up with five each that could be used, but you were stuck after that.

“Here. What do you think about these names?” You ask, thrusting your phone screen in Taehyung’s face abruptly. He lets out a noise of disgruntlement when you interrupt his game but pauses amiably, taking the phone from you to read through them.

Once done, he looks at you with barely contained excitement, his eyes practically sparkling with happiness. “You’ve got a short list? Already?!”

At that, you playfully slap his arm. “What do you mean, already? I’m 29 weeks! There’s like...11 weeks left until the baby arrives, as long as it arrives on time and not early! Anyway, I can’t pick one out of those. I like them all. I could have any of them.” You mumble, leaning your head against his shoulder while you wrap your arms around his own arm.

The rumble of his laugh vibrates through to you and you can’t help but smile at the lovely sound. “Okay? So what do you want me to do?” He asks jovially, scrolling back to the top of the list of names and reading through them again.

For a moment, you say nothing and bite your lip as you let the background music of his game fill the silence between you both. Inhaling, you finally decide to just ask. “I want you to pick.”

Immediately, he stiffens in your arms before looking at you with eyes that are like plates. “What? You want me...to pick the name of your baby??” He asks, his voice laced with more than just a little incredulousness.

“Yeah. I mean. I know I’m going to be a single mom but...you’ve been with me through it all. Normally, it would be me deciding with the dad. But the dad doesn’t want to be here so...I want you to decide with me.” Taehyung is thrown for a loop as he looks back at the phone, staring at the names with new eyes.

“Eevee, sweetheart. That’s...that’s a big thing.” He sounds almost choked with emotion, the knowledge that you’d let him do something as big as choosing the name of your child. The name your child would likely have for its entire life.

Nuzzling your face into his neck, you press a gentle kiss to the soft skin there before smiling to yourself. “Yes it is. And I can’t think of anyone better than you, Kim Taehyung.”

You can’t see him, but you feel him swallowing thickly and you have no doubt that he’s probably got tears about to fall at your words. Your best friend has always been the sentimental type, and something like this is sure to get his waterworks going.

“Okay then...I pick…”

“Well...yeah. He’s been a huge help Jimin. That’s the least I could have done to thank him for being here for me.” You mutter, arms wrapping around yourself protectively. He notes your stance and sighs, reaching forward to bring you into his arms gently.

“I get that. I do. And he really is. But you...the two of have always been so close. Like, there’s no surprise that every relationship had issues because of your friendship. But this? This is a whole new level. You’re not acting like best friends anymore. You’re acting like two people who are very much in love with each other.” Recoiling at his words, you try to pull out of his arms only to find his hands resting on your shoulders firmly.

“Think. Think hard on this. Please. You need to decide if you’re in love with him because you genuinely love Kim Taehyung. And by that, I mean that you want to be with him romantically, build a life together because it sure as hell looks like you are now. Or...you need to decide if you just love the idea of a having a father for your child.” You succeed at breaking free from him at that point, moving away from him with a conflicted expression.

Opening your mouth to speak, he shakes his head firmly and points at you. “No. You need to listen. Someone needs to say something before it gets too much. I understand if you’re wanting a father. Jin abandoned you, and you’ve never really wanted to raise a kid alone. And Taehyung will be more than willing to be that father if you need him to be. But you have to consider him too. That man has feelings for you, that are not platonic and they are not sympathetic. Not anymore. He has feelings that have nothing to do with that baby.”

Turning to the vegetables you’re cutting, you frown deeply as tears slowly begin to fall down your face. The silence is almost deafening and your hand presses to your chest firmly, rubbing at the space where your heart clenches in a combination of pain and panic.

The warm presence of Jimin suddenly presses to your back as he wraps his arms around your front, resting his head against your own in a manner that’s surprisingly comforting despite his words. “Hey. I’m not saying it to hurt you. I’m saying it to make you realise. Taehyung has never wanted to date you, but I’m 99% positive he would’ve never said no either.”

Placing a hand over one of Jimin’s own, you rub at the soft skin quietly as your mind races to catch up with everything. Finally you speak, letting your voice crack slightly with emotion. “What if you’re wrong though? And he just wants to be a dad without the relationship drama?”

Jimin laughs behind you, his body jerking against your own while your hair blows from his breath. “Believe me. With the way he looks at you now, that’s not an issue. I just...need you to know. To think. What happens if he thinks of himself as the father of your child, only for you to find some guy who takes that position? He’s setting himself up for hurt, and I don’t want that. Just as much as I don’t want you to get hurt either. You both need to sort this out, before the baby arrives.”

Anything you might say after that vanishes as you hear the outraged yell of Jungkook from the nursery, followed quickly by the mischievous laughter of Taehyung. Your stomach bubbles slightly, the feeling nothing to do with your baby for once as you consider Jimin’s words.

Maybe it’s because you didn’t want to look at it, but you’d purposefully avoided the way you’d both become more intimate over the previous months. The way platonic, quick touches slowly became more and friendly gazes became longing glances. The way you’d become more intimate with each other without even realising, the cuddles and the innocent kisses on arms, hands, necks and temples.

Becoming friends with Taehyung had been incredibly easy, sliding into the best friend role with Taehyung had been the simplest thing in the world. You shouldn’t have been surprised that crossing that romantic line had also been as straightforward as everything else in your relationship.

Now, you just had to decide if you wanted to try and cross that finally boundary officially. To see if Taehyung really did have these feelings that Jimin thought he did. To see if he wanted to have you as more than just a friend. Even though you were pregnant with another man’s child, you had to find out if he wanted you and your child.

Ironically, even though you were preparing to bring a child into the world in a few weeks, you found that this was perhaps the scariest thing you would ever do.

-

It’s two weeks later that you finally pluck the courage to ask Taehyung on a date. But you’re so nervy and worried about his reaction, the possible reaction making you feel as queasy as you had during your morning sickness, that you’re half tempted to call it off.

To make it even worse, you were pretty sure that he had no idea that this was even a date. Which was probably because you’d just mumbled out a request for him to go to the movies with you and then have dinner. It felt unbelievably childish for someone who was 30, but you couldn’t think of anything better.

If anything, the movie would at least let you have a solid two hours to build up the courage to ask. Which is exactly what you’d done, letting him eat the entire bag of popcorn to himself. It couldn’t be that hard to confess you were in love with someone, surely?

‘Hey Tae, I know I’m knocked up with another man’s child, but do you want to be my boyfriend?’ No that’s dumb.

‘So, I think I’m in love with you and was wondering if you are too?’ Wow, presumptuous much?

‘Would you be my boyfriend?’ Jesus, what were you? Twelve?

“Hellooooo? Are we leaving? I’m pretty sure this film has no after-credits scenes.” Taehyung says, waving his hand in front of your face. It’s only then that you realise the film has finished and you’d been staring blankly at the screen as the credits roll up.

“Oh, err...sorry. Pregnancy brain.” You smile, waving a hand in the air as you thank the baby in your belly for the excuse. Following him out of the theatre, you have to work hard to regulate your breathing as your hands shake when you enter the restaurant you’d both decided on.

There’s a bit of a wait, and you sit on the complimentary couch while Taehyung goes to grab you both drinks. It’s a nice restaurant, not too fancy, and you’re pleased that no one seems to be judging you by the lack of wedding band and prominent bump.

Still though, you’re deep in your mind as you contemplate what to say to your best friend to possibly move your relationship forward, you’re paralysed by the fear that you could be wrong. What if he didn’t want to be with you? What if you make a fool of yourself so badly that he decides to move out?

What if it all goes wrong?

You’re so in your own head that you don’t even notice the person sitting next to you until he suddenly waves a hand in your face. It reminds you so much of Taehyung that you look up with a smile until you register the face with a slight curdling feeling in your stomach.

“Jin.” Is all you can say, as it’s all you can get out right then. You never expected to see him again, much less in this random restaurant. A hand rests protectively on your stomach as you lean away from him while you look for Taehyung a little desperately, wanting to get away from your ex as quickly as possible.

“Yeah. Wow, I didn’t expect to see you here. I’m here with a few work colleagues and just saw you. I mean...you’re pretty big now.” Immediately you’re scowling and he’s holding his hands up, cringing slightly. “I didn’t mean it badly. I just...you look good.”

You don’t respond and simply stay silent as you stare at him, wanting him to just go away and leave you alone. Jin had his chance, and he lost it. Even just the sight of him makes your stomach turn with anger, though part of you tracks over his face and wonders what part of him your child will get.

“I’m not looking to suddenly push myself into your life. I still...don’t want kids. And I know, I’m a dick.” He pauses and looks at you seriously. “I’ll pay my child support, just let me know when it’s born.”

Standing up abruptly, you look at him with a carefully blank expression despite the fire bubbling inside you. “I’m sorry Jin, I can’t do this right now. I just...not now.” You whisper, conflicted as to how you were supposed to feel. How on earth had you ever found this man attractive?

He was attractive, yes. But so was Taehyung. And Taehyung had the sweetest, most beautiful soul in the world to match it. Jin was just...he was wrong. Laughing slightly, you ignore Jin’s raised brow as you realise that you had almost walked blindly into a bad situation with Jin.

Once, you’d thought he might be the one. Now you knew that he wasn’t even on the list. You weren’t interested in causing an incident here with him though, and instead you turn round to find Taehyung.

To find him staring at you with wide eyes, and oddly hurt look on his face as his gaze flickers between you and the man sat behind you. Stepping forwards towards him for a moment, you reach out and watch as he places the drinks in his hands on a random table before moving over to you.

“Can we just leave? Let’s order takeout.” He mutters, taking your hand and leaving the restaurant quickly. You don’t even get chance to say anything to him as you follow him out, turning your head to watch as Jin follows your movements with a curiously satisfied expression.

“Tae...what’s wrong?” You ask, confusion riddled in your voice at his actions. You’ve not been his best friend for over 26 years for no reason, and you can tell that he’s upset over something. Though what, you have no idea.

He gives you no response until you’re both safely in your apartment again, you toeing off your shoes before sitting on the couch with a heavy exhale. Taehyung stands at the entrance and watches you quietly as your head hits the back, eyes closing as a wave of tiredness suddenly takes over.

You don’t hear him as he pads over, his sock laden feet ghosting over the floorboard, but you do feel him as the couch dips next to you. The atmosphere is oddly tense, and you recognise that it has nothing to do with your anxious, hopeful feelings. It has everything to do with whatever has annoyed Taehyung.

And it normally takes a lot to annoy Taehyung.

Opening your eyes slowly, you blink bearily before looking over at your best friend. He’d dyed his hair back to black a few weeks ago and it’s almost strange to see him with his natural hair now, the colouring making his skin glow even more.

In the soft lighting of the lamp that you’d turned on next to the couch, you look over his face with interest. He’d always been a handsome boy when you were younger, but he’d been gangly. It had only been in his late teen years that he’d finally filled into his face, and only in his twenties that he’d developed the manlier face he has now.

With an elegant, straight nose and astonishingly delicate facial structure, you often wonder in amazement how such a beautiful man could possibly be your best friend. Unsurprisingly, he’s had men and women lusting over him for years, and yet those soft, crescent eyes are always filled with such friendliness that they practically sparkle with personality.

For years, you’d acknowledged your best friends attractiveness with a detached sense, almost as if you could see his beauty but didn’t feel anything for him. You’d watch the guys and girls drool over him with amusement, feeling pride that he was desired by so many.

And yet, there had still remained a tiny part of you that had been intrigued by him. You’d never touched it, nor had you ever even considered it, as pursuing Taehyung would have meant the possibility of losing his friendship. What if you started dating and then it all went to crap?

No, Tae had remained in the friendzone and he’d kept you there too.

But maybe...maybe Jimin was right. And Taehyung would be open to a relationship with you. You were already so close, it wouldn’t take a huge amount to shuffle over that line. If the last few months had taught you anything, it was that you could rely on Taehyung when times were tough, and you wanted him to know that he could rely on you too.

Which was why you needed to help resolve whatever issue was upsetting him now. There was no way you could broach that you wanted to move further when he wasn’t happy.

Reaching forward, you take his hand gently between your own and rub at his fingers soothingly. He looks down at the movement blankly for a moment before a tiny smile takes over, almost sad, and it makes your heart hurt.

Shuffling over, you cuddle up to his shoulder while you massage the joints of his long fingers, the feel of his smooth skin pleasant underneath your fingertips. “What’s wrong TaeTae?” You kept your voice soft, with just a hint of cajoling underneath it to get him to answer, letting him know that you’re willing to be serious but just as playful if necessary.

He’s holding himself stiffly and he doesn’t respond, simply staring at your hands before letting out a sigh that sounds like he’s been holding the woes of the world on his shoulders. “It’s stupid.” He mumbles, shaking his head before running his hand over his face tiredly.

“Hey, if it’s worrying you then it’s not stupid. Tell me. You know that you can tell me anything.” Tae looks at you for a moment, his warm brown eyes focused firmly on you and you can see the conflict as he fights with himself. Hesitantly, he licks his lips before placing his other hand on yours.

“I’m sorry. I just...I ruined our night and I mean...it’s dumb. You don’t need this stress this late.” He eyes your stomach before returning his gaze to his hands, stroking his thumb over your fingers gently. Thankfully, you’re not too bloated today.

Shaking your own head, you pull a hand free to cup his cheeks, providing him with physical support. Looking deep into your eyes, he sighs before letting his head dip forward and you watch as his fringe hides his eyes.

“I’m sorry, again. I turned round and saw Jin and it was like...it was like...like I was watching everything I’d built up in my mind slip through my fingers.” His words are so quiet that you can barely hear, the deep timbre of his voice almost just a vibration underneath your touch.

Frowning deeply, you lean even closer into his space as you lift up his head, catching his gaze closely. “What do you mean? I don’t understand Tae…” You trail off, bewildered as to what he was talking about.

He watches you quietly before laughing almost sarcastically, moving a hand to rest against your firm stomach. Almost immediately, your baby kicks out and you watch as Taehyung’s hand moves with the tiny movement.

A happy smile takes over his face as he lets his fingers run over your stomach but you note the tears in his eyes. “When I said that I’d be there for you when Jin left...I meant it. But I meant it as a best friend. I didn’t want you to be alone. And I still think that. But it...I...my feeli-...”

Frustrated, he tugs at his hair as he leans forward, elbows resting on his knees and you simply watch for a moment, his silk shirt straining over his broad shoulders. A choked laugh leaves him before he turns back, irritation at things you can’t even understand etched into his face before he lifts one of your hands to his lips, kissing the back sweetly.

“Jimin was right. I’m an idiot. I didn’t mean to, but over these weeks with you...I’ve felt closer to you than I ever have. And this baby...god sweetheart...in my head, I feel like I’m the daddy. But seeing you with Jin tonight...made me realise I was wrong. That was just my fantasy and the reality is that I’m just your best friend.” Looking at you with earnest eyes, he ignores the tear that tracks down his cheek slowly.

“I’m not leaving you, and I’m not abandoning you. Not this close. I’m here for you in any way you need me. But...I have to take a step back Eevee, I do. Because I don’t feel like your best friend anymore, and I don’t think I want to be just your best friend anymore either. I want to be the guy you wake up with every day, not just now. I want to be the guy you hold hands with, hug and kiss. I want to be this baby’s daddy very much. But I’m not.” His voice cracks and you get the strongest urge to wrap your arms around him tightly.

“And seeing Jin. It made me realise how fragile this dumb fantasy is. Because it’s all just in my head. It’s not real. And some guy is going to come along, and love you and you will love them and they’ll take you and this baby. I’ll be left behind, and I can’t say a thing. I can’t do that sweetheart, I don’t think my heart could take losing you both like that. Not now. Not when I love you so much.” He looks down, avoiding your eyes as his lips quiver and you sit in stunned silence for a moment.

Taehyung...loves you? “You love me? Like...not as a best friend?” You whisper, nerves causing your leg to jump repeatedly. His cheeks flush in response as he nods his head.

“I mean I do, but...more. And it’s not because you’re pregnant. I’d have dated you at any time if you’d asked, but you never seemed interested. But now...god. You’re perfect you know? The way you smile when you’re reading a book you like, the way your eyes almost wrinkle when you’re laughing at the TV, the little snores you do while you sleep. How brave you’ve been during this whole pregnancy and how strong you are. It’s felt I’m falling in love with a goddess...untouchable.” He snorts slightly, running his fingers through his hair.

You stare at him for a moment, taking in the way his shoulders hunch almost protectively as he waits for the blow to both his ego and his feelings. And yet you feel like a weight has been lifted off yours, in fact for the first time in months you feel genuinely happy. Almost giddy with excitement.

Wiggling in your seat slightly, you note his incredulous look as he scans over your body before you’re cupping his cheeks and squishing until he looks 10 years younger. His strong brows come together as he gives you a ‘wtf?’ look but you can’t help yourself as you give him the biggest and brightest smile.

“You silly, beautiful, adorable, funny, charming and loveable man. I’ve spent two weeks fretting over how to tell you that I love you and ask you if you’d want to try a relationship with me and then you blurt this all out because you’re jealous! Oh TaeTae, baby, there’s been no one but you for the last few months. Probably the last few years if we’re being realistic but neither of us realised. I mean...I’m not exactly a great catch right now but...I’m more than happy to have you if you’re willing to have me and the interloper on board?” You say, starting out bold before ending shyly as you glance down at your expanded stomach.

Taehyung is silent beneath your hands, his mouth open between his smooshed cheeks while his eyes are as big as you’ve ever seen them. Taking your hands in his own, he gently tugs them off before leaning closer to you, his breath shaking.

“Seriously? Are you...you’re being serious right now? You’re not joking with me? You’re being 100% serious? Please don’t joke with me about this. Please.” He begs quietly, the words filled with longing and more than just a little want.

Nodding slowly, you sniffle through your tears and curse your damn hormones as his expression slowly morphs into one of shocked excitement. For a few seconds, neither of you moves before he’s grinning that oh so familiar boxy smile that’s been making your heart skip frantically lately.

His hands are shaking as they trail along your cheeks slowly, moving until he’s cupping you with such tenderness that you almost cry even harder. Moving closer, his nose brushes against yours gently before he whispers. “Is it okay if I kiss you?”

A tiny nod from you is all it takes for him to press his lips to yours lightly, the soft skin dancing over your own before he’s pulling away. You’d worried that kissing him might ruin the image you’d had in your head, that you might discover that you don’t love him and it was all just pregnancy filled hormones.

But kissing Taehyung feels like everything in the world has shifted ever so slightly and clicked into place. Tiny sparks of excitement fizzle in your veins at him and you want to sob at how much you love the feeling of kissing him. How it felt like every relationship up until now was just a starter and Taehyung was the comforting meal you’d been waiting for.

“That...felt really good. Right? It felt good for you too right?” He asks, slightly unsure of himself as tiny micro-expressions flitter over his face. Nodding at him, you bite your own lip before pushing forward and pressing a second kiss to his lips. He giggles at the sensation and you feel butterflies in your stomach, whether it’s from the emotion or your baby moving you don’t know, but you feel happy.

Slowly, carefully, as if you’re afraid that the slightest wrong move might break the connection that you’ve both made, you wrap your arms around his neck and pull his closer. He smells like Tae; like home, like happiness and you want him.

You want him as a friend, you want him as a father for your child, you want him as a romantic partner and you want him as a lover.

At the thought, a spark of desire sets alight in you and you squirm slightly from where Taehyung almost hovers over you on the couch. You haven’t had sex since Jin, and you haven’t felt very sexy but now you want Taehyung in ways you’d never thought you would.

Running your fingers along his neck and jawline, you nip at his lower lip teasingly as you pull away. Giving yourself enough space to speak, you stare deep into his chocolate eyes and watch as careful desire is reflected there, giving you the courage to make the next move.

Dragging your hands down his front, you reach the waistband of his trousers and press another kiss to his lips. “Do you want to…” You whisper, voice quiet with lust and thick with want. He hesitates for a moment, and sudden insecurity flashes through you.

Instantly, you’re pulling back and clenching your fists as your head shakes. “I’m sorry, I mean. I can wait, we can wait. I understand. I mean, you wouldn’t want to...with me. Now. With this, I mean...it’s another man’s baby and I’m big and it’s not attractive an-”

He presses a finger to your lips firmly, giving you a loving smile that’s just a tiny bit exasperated. “Please. Stop. I find you just as beautiful as I did before before you were pregnant. I don’t care that this baby isn’t mine, because it’s mine in my heart. And please, don’t think I ever find you unattractive. You are perfect and I love you. If you’ll let me, I would very much like to show you, how much I love you. Now, and for a long time in the future.”

Staring at him intently, you scan over the expression on his face to see if he’s being serious. And he is. You know Taehyung, you know when he’s lying. And he’s not. He’s being completely, 100% serious and your veins fizz with love for him.

“Okay. I trust you.”

-

5 Years Later

A loud shriek of boyish laughter followed by a deeper rumble lets you know that there’s fun being had in the house without you. Closing the door behind you slowly, a smile spreads over your lips involuntarily at that happy sound of your son and husband having fun.

Heading inside, you pass through the hallway and take note of the wedding photograph of Taehyung and you. He’d proposed two years ago and you’d accepted with excitement. It hadn’t been hugely romantic, in fact Jae-Chan had only just fallen asleep after a huge temper tantrum and the both of you had been exhausted.

Yet it had been romantic to you, the way he’d pulled you into his arms and cuddled up with you on the couch, his hand running along your back slowly as you’d both lay there shell shocked from yet another stinker of a tantrum. And then he’d just asked, plainly and honestly, if you would marry him. Of course, you’d said yes.

Smiling at the picture, you let your fingers trail over the frame lightly as you admired the tuxedo clad figure of Kim Taehyung as he grinned brightly, love written all over his face like an epic story that would be treasured thousands of years from now and the beautiful, ivory dress you’d chosen for your special day.

This photograph didn’t have Jae-Chan in, but the one in his bedroom did. As usual, that photo was chaotic with Jae-Chan shrieking with toddler excitement while Taehyung laughs and you smile at them both. It had been perfect, and you’d never wish for anything better.

Entering the living room, you lean against the door and simply watch them both for a moment. Jae-Chan was a bubbly and rambunctious five year old, with a love of animals that meant you kept getting asked for a dog every ten minutes. That wasn’t helped by Taehyung’s equally adorable puppy eyes, but you were restraining well. For now.

You were told frequently that he looked like you, and to the uninitiated they also commented on his resemblance to Taehyung. That amused you both, given that physically he reflected nothing of his daddy. If anything, he was bizarrely the spitting image of Jin.

But no one would ever guess that Taehyung was not Jae-Chan’s father when they got to know your son and his wonderful personality. He was caring, kind and loyal to a fault and even had a bunch of Taehyung’s cute quirks.

Right now, they were both painting on the floor, the floorboards covered in an old sheet, and your little boy giggled every time he painted on Taehyung. Currently, your husband was daubed in vibrant paint all over his body, and you sighed quietly as you wondered how long that would take to wash off.

Still, as you watched them both you found your heart clenching. Taehyung might not be Jae-Chan’s biological father, but he was his father in every way that mattered. And that was all that mattered to you.

Heading over, you knelt down next to Tae while ruffling Jae-Chan’s dark hair, grinning as he whined out a complaint. Pressing a kiss to Taehyung’s own head, you looked down at what they were painting.

Taehyung had some weird, abstract thing going on and you weren’t even attempting to guess what it was. He’d long ago stopped asking anyway. Sometimes, you just really couldn’t fake interest in stuff.

Jae-Chan however, had drawn a whole scene with your house and three figures outside. Giving him an overly exaggerated look of interest, you point to it with widened eyes. “Is that us Jae-Channie?”

He grins gummily, nodding his head as he adds the finishing touches on a dog. Taehyung looks up at you with amusement, pointing to the dog with a cute pout. “Mommy, he drew a dog as part of our family so I think we need one.”

Eyeing him, you kiss his forehead gently before grabbing the paintbrush that’s lying on the floor. “How about, instead of a dog. We have this?” You muse softly, painting a tiny fourth figure that you draw wrapped in a green blanket.

Taehyung stares at it confused before pointing. “You have terrible painting skills. Are you buying a gecko or something?” Chuckling, you shake your head before gesturing to the painting with a soft smile.

“No dog, but perhaps a fourth member might be good enough for you?” You stroke your flat stomach gently and watch as his confused eyes flicker down to your hand. He’s still for a moment before his expression opens up into one of pure shock.

“Oh my god. Are you? Are we? I’m gonna…” He trails off, unable to speak and you simply nod with a toothy grin.

The next thing you know, you’re tackled to the floor gently as Taehyung kisses all over your face happily while Jae-Chan squeals with laughter at his parents excitement.

Being friends with Kim Taehyung had been easy, becoming best friends had been simple and a natural progression. But becoming a family with Taehyung had been the best decision of your life, easily.

[intothewickedwood]

Once Upon A Time Rewatch: 1x05 That Still Small Voice

Here we go!

Jiminy & his eccentric parents. He turned out so different than them.

Archie’s office looks soooo peaceful, especially in the late evening.

Oh yeah! Archie was part of operation cobra too! That’s cool!

Henry really knows a lot about the curse.

Oh man, Regina, you gotta let Archie do his job, girl. Poor Archie, always having to do things he doesn't want to do for others when he just wants to do the right thing.

Okay I kinda like Archie’s parents a lot. They’re so much fun! But they’re pretty darn terrible people.

Poor Archie, he feels so trapped by his parents.  

Listening to the crickets sounds fun! I wanna do it! Do they have crickets in England? I don’t think I’ve ever heard them. Oh snap! Maybe my town is cursed!

Henry, don’t go down there!

Poor Henry! I know Archie felt forced to say those things but omg poor bby!

Snowing! My heart just leaps all the way out my chest when these two are on my screen oh my god. And he used her name for the game because he’s thinking of her! Usgyidadgh my heart!

Why are they both always so gorgeous like this?? Is this legal??

“You’re making new memories just fine.” “Maybe I’ll like these better.” What a flirt. Look at Mary Margaret’s precious smile! They’re so cute.

Oh shiiiiiiiii-iitake mushrooms! I nearly forgot he was *married* to Kathryn! Omg she doesn’t deserve to be caught up in this. She’s such a cinnamon roll. Look at her smile when she says “Good day Miss Blanchard.”

David just staring at MM from a far and Mary Margaret’s face when she sees David remember his dog.

Never in my life have I eaten a smore. I can’t eat marshmallows because I’m a vegetarian but those ones look yum.

Has Emma been involved with a married guy? I mean, the way she says “It’s not worth the heartache, trust me.” Or maybe she’s just talking about heartache in general.

Oh my God poor Henry! Nooooo! Someone hug him!!

Henry, don’t you go down there!

I like that blue Rumple outfit. I think it’s one of my favourite’s of his.

Why does Rumple want to keep those godforsaken creepy ass dolls!!

That coffin’s glass shards really scattered everywhere.

Henry get back! I’ll tell your mother! This is so dangerous.

That poor couple. They were so nice! If only there was a way to turn them back. I mean, there could be.

I can’t believe these are Archie’s parents. They’re so wild!

Man, surely that couple got suspicious after being robbed blind like that.  

AAAAAAAAH!! Creepy-ass dolls!!

Aww Geppetto. I can’t even imagine.

David be smooth. And MM is so adorably nervous around him. And her smile when he’s around. She’s so in love!  

What a beautiful view of the water. I wanna swim in it xD.

David, my boy, you did wake up in some strange land. That’s gotta be scary, waking up in a new land with no memories of who you are.  

MM’s coat is so nice!  

Look at them on a walk together! If I just pretend he’s not *married*. Okay, but we needed more simple, cute Snowing moments like this in later seasons. Especially walks around that area, because that river is gorgeous.

When he says she’s the only thing that feels real, her face just lights up. I wonder if in a way, she feels the same about him. She’s been so alone and now here her prince charming comes.  

MM is like me, she totally forgets he’s married when she’s caught in the moment.  

Oh my god. Kathryn brought him cranberry muffins!! What an adorable sweetie!! David has a type.

My poor baby sounds like she wants to cry when she says “I should leave you two.”

Henry practically gave Archie a therapy session there. Archie just wants to do the right thing in the past and present.  

That shared understanding between Emma and Regina. This is one of the one times Regina is willing to trust Emma with Henry in the first season. It just shows how desperate she is to have her son home & safe.

“Why do you think its so important that your fairytale theory is true?” “’Cause this can’t be all there is.” I relate to that on a spiritual level. I’m still waiting on the saviour to break my town’s curse. And for my Hogwarts letter.

Awww. Henry ended up helping Archie find who he is

The way Henry’s pulled away from poor Emma. She just wanted to share that happy moment with him and Henry keeps looking back for her.

Archie standing up for his beliefs <3. He’s being the man he wants to be!

It seems the Blue Fairy can hear wishes that are inside people’s heads. How come she didn’t help him when he was a boy. I’m watching you, shady lady.

I’m not sure I’d want to be a cricket. There are so many ways she could have helped him help Geppetto other than turning him into a cricket but maybe she wanted him to be one for her own reasons. Maybe she just wanted a way to keep him alive for a long time, for when she needed him. I read a theory about that once. I’m sorry, I get so paranoid when it comes to Blue.

Oh yeah, I forgot Emma gets to spend time with Henry later. Look at them chilling on a rock.

And the crickets have returned, I guess to symbolize Archie embracing the person he wants to be; the crickets (the conscience) are/is back.

I love this music and Henry’s so happy things are changing.

Gold why? Why you gotta keep those things in your shop? They freak me out!

Don’t you resign Mary Margaret! Nooooooo!

Sneaky Regina is sneaky with that glass shard. I’ve forgotten whether Maleficent was down there or somewhere else in her dragon form as well as the coffin. And now I’m wondering why Regina brought the coffin over with the curse. Maybe I’ve forgotten something.

I do like this episode a lot!