#and while the weather is nice see if i can jog to the park nearby with

[passengerpigeons]

need to get back on my home workout routine, possibly improve it a little bit

[only-lonely-stars]

Reminiscence

Oneshot – (FFN) (AO3)

Summary:

Skylor never really talked much about her childhood. It just wasn't important. Who wants to hear about that? However, a day off with Kai was probably the right time to tell him about the history she's been carrying around… right?

Phone in hand, Skylor walked out of her noodle shop through the back door, latching it behind her. She finally had a day off, and not too soon at all; she hadn't seen Kai in ages. She pulled up her messaging app with a smile.

FROM: Copycat (10:03 AM) TO: Hair Gel Hey, are you free? I managed to have a day off

FROM: Hair Gel (10:05 AM) TO: Copycat yeah, greenie gave us the day off yesterday he worked us until 7 wanna go do something ?

FROM: Copycat (10:06 AM) TO: Hair Gel You want to meat up at the park? *meet The weather's great today

FROM: Hair Gel (10:06 AM) TO: Copycat definitely! I'll see you in a few minutes?

FROM: Copycat (10:07 AM) TO: Hair Gel Copy that.

Skylor put away her phone with a smile. It would be a nice change to see him again; despite being engaged, they had spent little time together recently (of course, it was the noodle shop's fault, having several employees on holiday, but no matter). She rolled her shoulders back and set off on a quick jog, only taking a few minutes to reach the park. As she got to the entrance gate, she spotted a figure in a red hoodie waving to her from across the park. She smiled, waved back, and jogged up to meet him, giving him a big hug in greeting. "Hi, Kai."

"Hey, Sky!" Kai replied, warmly enveloping her in his arms. He kissed her temple, then let her go and smiled. "Long time no see."

"No kidding," Skylor laughed. "Sorry I've been so busy."

"Lots of business?"

"Oh yeah. We've had a lot of people on holiday recently. Plus, those new apartment buildings had a lot of Serpentine moving in." Skylor shrugged. "We had a lot of busy days."

"Makes sense." Kai took her hand. "Are you okay, being around so many Serpentine? I know you haven't exactly had a good experience with them." He gestured to a nearby bench, and they sat. "They've been starting to really come back to Ninjago this past few months."

Skylor sighed. "It's been weird, but I haven't had to deal with too many of them. How's training been for you?"

"Brutal. Lloyd keeps making up weirder and weirder exercises. Who comes up with one-handed burpees while wearing weights?" Kai laughed briefly. "It's working pretty well, though."

"Oh yeah? Your spinjitzu must be getting better." Skylor nudged his shoulder. "It would be nice to be able to do that; just in case any old cultists show up, you know."

"That would be great! It's an amazing skill. But… aren't all those guys in Kryptarium Prison or the Cursed Realm?" Kai's face fell.

Skylor's eyes fell. "There are still some stragglers. They're not really that nice to see– some of them are still really attached to the island." She sighed deeply. "Once, a gang of them tried to take me back. That wasn't fun."

"What? When was that?" Kai exclaimed.

Skylor shrugged. "I think it was last Friday? I'd just closed up the shop for the night."

"And you didn't tell any of us, because…"

"It wasn't an issue! I handled it. There wasn't a reason to bother you about it." She gave him a weak smile.

"Sky, almost being kidnapped and dragged back to the island isn't a bother," Kai responded, giving her an uncharacteristically soft look. A shiver ran up Skylor's spine. Since when was he good with this sort of thing?

"Exactly! It's just– whatever, you know? It wasn't even the first time." Skylor shook her head, combined with another shrug. "I just thought spinjitzu might help me next time." Was it just her, or did the wind feel colder?

"Skylor…" Kai breathed, taking her hand in his. Skylor felt the warmth of his hands, radiating up her body. "You can tell us about this kind of thing. You can trust us– you can trust me."

"I do trust you! I just thought it wasn't important. It's not like someone tried to burglarize the shop or anything."

"Of course it's important! You're important!"

"So? It doesn't matter. I can take care of myself, Kai."

"I know you can," Kai conceded, rubbing her hand comfortingly, "but you don't have to any more. Your safety matters, Skylor."

Skylor looked away, unable to meet his eyes. "I know, and I appreciate that, really. It's just… hard to believe that sometimes, you know? I still feel like I need to escape sometimes, just to be free. I didn't have that for a long time."

Kai nodded. "I get that." He paused, looking unsure. "Do you want to talk about it? Not that you have to."

Skylor chuckled and met his eyes again, managing to smile. "Are you really in the mood to hear about my issues?"

Kai laughed. "I live with Lloyd Garmadon. Not to mention the fact that all the rest of us have our own. It's not so unusual."

"Heh, fair enough. There's a lot to tell, though." She shifted on the bench, inching closer to him.

"That's fine. Do you feel safe? We could go back to your place, if that helps," Kai offered.

Skylor smiled, squeezing his hand. "Even if I felt like I was in danger, it wouldn't be a problem. After all, I have Ninjago's strongest ninja here to protect me." She winked at him, enjoying how he perked up at her comment. "Besides, it's about time I told you." She shifted in her seat.

-----

"My childhood was pretty weird, honestly. Being a kid on the island wasn't exactly terrible, but it wasn't fun either. Lots of adults, not many kids, and near-total isolation from the outside world tend not to be good elements when it comes to mental health." She shook her head. "One of the worst things was how much everyone believed in my father. It was like they thought he was their savior, you know? They hated how much attention I got in public– not that I got much in private, but they didn't know that."

Kai frowned. "They shouldn't have treated you like that. Especially your dad."

Skylor's eyes fell, a tiny smile on her face. "I know, but it's okay. At least he told me some stories about when I was pretty young. He liked to talk about my mother. He always said she believed in me."

-----

Skylor, only a baby, cried very loudly. It wasn't just because she had needs; she announced her presence. As she grasped at the air with her tiny hands, her father smiled uneasily down at her.

"I'm not so sure about this, dear. It's a bit… loud, isn't it?" Chen muttered, trying to soothe her.

"Chen, Skylor's not an it. She's our daughter. You can't just turn off her crying," Skylor's mother said with a smile. She toyed with Skylor's hair, tiredly drinking in the image of her husband and newborn daughter.

"Yes, right, darling. She's very pretty," Chen backtracked, gently rocking Skylor.

"She's not just pretty," Skylor's mother said with a smile. "I have a feeling she will be someone extraordinary."

"I'm afraid I'm going to drop her. What will happen if I drop her? Will that break her?"

"Just be gentle," his wife reprimanded, amused.

Skylor cooed, grasping at Chen's beard. "Ahh, I think she got her lack of hair from me! She wants my beard," Chen laughed. "Dearest, please let go!"

Skylor laughed and let go, happily laying her arms back down and yawning, while conveniently covering her mother's quietly labored breathing. "Be careful with your father, Skylor…" her mother commented.

Chen's face fell. "Are you all right dear? Do you need me to call the doctor?" He knelt by his wife's bedside.

"No, I'm fine. Really," his wife placated, waving her hand. "I'm just tired."

"If you say so," Chen relented, before smiling at Skylor again. "Our daughter will want for nothing. She's a daddy's girl, don't you think?"

"Yes, she is," her mother replied, smiling as her daughter fell asleep in Chen's arms. "I think she's going to be someone very special."

"Yes, she'll be special," Chen repeated. "She will be powerful..."

-----

"Of course, it's not like that lasted. My mother wasn't healthy, and my father knew it. He always said he wished he'd known she was dying earlier..." Skylor laughed quietly.

"That's… dark," Kai commented.

"Yeah, but it's just how it was." She shrugged. "It's not a long story; life on the island got repetitive pretty fast."

-----

Now four years old, Skylor lived a life of happiness, shielded from the bitter truths she would later know. She ran through the hallways of Chen's castle, laughing and playing with a makeshift sword made from two sticks and some rope as she fought off invisible ninja enemies. Panting from her exercise, she ran into her mother's room. "Mommy! Did you see me! I defeated the ninja!"

"Yes you did, darling," her mother said with a smile, before devolving into a coughing fit.

Skylor's grin fell off her face, fear taking root in her eyes. "Are you okay, Mommy?"

"I'm fine, dear," her mother got out between coughs. "Can you go get your father to come here, please?"

Skylor nodded, all thoughts of games gone. "Yes, Mommy…" She ran out of the room, almost ramming into Clouse on the way.

"Be careful where you're going," Clouse sneered.

"I'm sorry Mr. Clouse," Skylor said hastily. "Do you know where my daddy is?"

Clouse sniffed. "Master Chen is currently in a business meeting with an important man from the mainland. He does not have time to be disturbed by children."

Skylor pouted. "Mommy said she needs to see him. She was coughing again."

Clouse rolled his eyes. "He is in his study." Upon seeing her beaming face, he turned and walked away, while Skylor ran towards the study.

Skylor knocked loudly on the door. "Daddy!"

"Is that my Skylor I hear?" Chen called from behind it, opening the door.

"Daddy, there you are!" Skylor ran in, hugging his legs tightly. "Mommy wants to see you."

Chen smiled, picking her up. "Well, let's go see her then!" He turned to the man in his study– a dark, tall man with a curly brown beard, dressed in clothing decorated with feathers and leaves. "If you'll excuse me, I have other business to attend to. Enjoy your trip home! I'm sure your son is anxious to see you again– what was his name, Bolobo?" He grinned widely, giggling quietly. "It would be a shame to keep you from him any longer."

The man nodded and left the room, seemingly frightened. Skylor hugged her father tightly. "Daddy? Mommy was coughing again. Is she going to be okay?" She looked up at him, uncertainty clear on her face.

Chen's smile faltered, no longer reaching his eyes. "Yes, darling, she will be okay. Now, where is she?" He walked out of the office, looking around. "I just can't find the way around this place like you can, Skylor!"

Skylor laughed, pointing down the hallway. "She's there, Daddy! You remember!"

"Ah, yes, there she is! You're quite the wayfinder," he said to his daughter, smiling again. "It's not so easy for an old, old, old man like me." He pushed open the door to his wife's room. "Hello, dear. How are you feeling?"

His wife smiled weakly. "As well as I can." She coughed weakly into her sleeve. "It's getting harder to breathe."

Chen's face fell, mirroring his little daughter's. "I'm calling the doctor again. There must be something we can do."

His wife smiled, shaking her head. "Darling, we've tried everything. Not even mainland doctors would be able to help me. It's almost time for me to go– I can't keep the spirits waiting. The next generation has to have the world and make it theirs."

Skylor sniffed, tearing up. "What do you mean, Mommy? Where are you going?" Chen frowned as she climbed out of Chen's arms and curled up into the crook of her mother's elbow. "We need you."

Her mother sighed, smiling sadly as she cuddled her daughter close to her. "The First Spinjitzu Master needs me too. I have to go meet him. When I do, I promise I'll watch over you. You'll never be alone– I'll love you forever." She kissed the top of Skylor's head, before turning away to cough into her arm. "I love you so much."

Skylor nodded, now fully crying into her side as her father watched, her mother slowly slipping away.

-----

Kai entwined his hand with hers. "Sky… I don't know what to say. I'm sorry– not that that really helps…"

Skylor squeezed his hand, smiling a little. "It's okay. We're kind of the same that way, huh? You found your parents again, though."

"I guess. Do you miss her?"

"...I can't really tell." She shrugged, leaning against Kai. "After she was gone, my father sank into a deep depression, so Clouse took over running the island. That also meant helping train me to be the perfect pawn, all the while taking my father's attention for himself and away from me. Most of all, he wanted a title. All the while, my father started just… going nuts."

"Like how he was when we were there?" Kai asked.

"Yeah. At first it was his war meetings, and then his business with the noodle company. Eventually, even just me snagging some fortune cookies without permission was enough to make him ballistic."

-----

Fifteen-year-old Skylor panted heavily, drenched in sweat as she tossed away a blunt training sword. She pushed her bangs back, hoping to alleviate the heat. "Stupid snakes…"

Above her, Clouse sneered at her from an observation deck. "Sloppy form as always. Name-calling is hardly professional, miss Skylor. If I were anyone else, I might think you didn't care what your father thought of you."

Skylor scoffed. "That was my fastest time yet! He'd be proud of me, unlike you." She shook her head, muttering to herself. "Who does he think he is?"

Clouse crossed his arms. "I am your father's most trusted advisor, and more unbiased than him. It is my duty to make sure his daughter does not make him out to be a fool."

Skylor sighed heavily. "Of course. Can I be done? Michael said he wanted to show me something cool he got during his trip to the mainland." She wiped her forehead again. "It's hotter than a crucible out here..."

Clouse rolled his eyes. "Fine, go on. Don't do anything dishonorable; it would be a shame if you were found doing something… compromising."

Skylor shuddered. "Yeah, okay." She ran out of the training ground, only to stop short as she saw her father, waiting in the hallway. She hastily stopped and bowed. "Father!"

Chen smiled. "Oh, Skylor! There you are. I've been hearing about your training sessions from Clouse."

Skylor's eyes widened. "Yes, Father? I've been working hard, I promise–"

"This can't keep happening," Chen said, cutting her off. "You need to concentrate! From what I've been told, your form and technique have been abysmal lately."

"But Father, I defeated three of your lieutenants today! Isn't that proof that I'm doing well?"

"Top form, Skylor. Top form! You need to work harder!" Chen snapped.

Skylor sighed, hanging her head. "...yes, Father."

"Good, good," Chen replied. "There's also the matter of some rumors I've been hearing. Is it true that you are able to use the power of our guest from a few days ago?"

Skylor blinked. "You mean that man from the mainland?"

"Who else would I mean?" Chen snapped. "Is it true or not?"

Skylor nodded quickly. "Yes, Father. Can I show you?"

"Yes, yes, please do!" Chen responded, clapping his hands with glee. "I'm eager to see if you can do what your mother could, Skylor."

Skylor smiled, scrunching her face in concentration. After a moment, she opened her eyes to see a flower, having sprung to life in her hand. "...I can grow flowers so far."

Chen's smile widened. "Oh, this is lovely! Just like your mother." His smile briefly fell, before he resumed his dramatic gesturing. "It would appear you are an elemental master, Skylor. We can use this!" He plucked the flower from Skylor's hand. "Daughter, I will tell Clouse to start going a bit easier on you, but only if you promise to work very hand and not slack off. You must learn how to use these powers."

Skylor nodded, beaming. "Of course, I promise! I'll work harder than ever."

"Good, good. That's what I like to hear!" Chen sniffed the flower, then dropped it on the floor and walked off. "Make sure to keep your word, daughter!"

-----

Skylor shook her head. "I wish things had been different."

Kai nudged her gently. "Did something happen?"

She nodded. "Lots of things. Over the years, life on the island got worse and worse. I should have realized something was wrong. I should have said something, but I was too afraid to do anything." She shook her head, squeezing Kai's hand and making her free hand into a fist. "Nothing I did was good enough. If I made a mistake, he cheered me on one minute, while threatening me the next. It got to the point where I couldn't meet his astronomical standards."

Skylor growled quietly. "No matter what, I was wrong, and it was always my fault."

-----

Several years later, Skylor panted heavily as she stood at the end of a rigourous obstacle course. She glared at it, shaded her eyes, and looked up a hill at Clouse and Chen. "How was that? Good enough?"

Chen shook his head. "Try again, Skylor. You barely beat your record! You must be the best of the best. Remember the creed of the Anacondrai?"

Skylor groaned quietly. "Only one can remain…"

Chen nodded. "That's right, Skylor. Now, try it again! And Clouse, have someone bring me some noodles! I'm starving up here!"

Skylor scoffed quietly. "Yes, Father." She trudged to the start of the course and launched herself into it again, only to stumble on a ledge and cry out in pain.

Skylor winced as interference rang out through a megaphone. "Skylor, if you will not do this the right way, I won't allow you to participate in the tournament! Try again, or I won't see you for the rest of the day," Chen ordered.

Skylor nodded, blinking away tears, but stumbled as she walked back to the start. Chen shook his head as he saw her bend over in pain. "Skylor, get out of my sight. You're too tired to continue today. We have two weeks left before the tournament begins– I hope you will be able to continue before then." He waved her away, and she nodded meekly before limping away. As she walked away, Clouse met her in a hallway.

"Well, it seems you now realize exactly how disappointed he is. Do you know how much he has bet on your success?" He sneered at her. "Of course, I'm not all that surprised. You've never seemed to amount to much."

Skylor glared at him, putting her foot down fully and wincing at the pain. "You say that, yet he still loves me. You're just a henchman– you don't even have a title of lordship! He'll always choose me first."

"Ah, but that's where you go wrong. I worked my way to this position. All you had to do was be born. Would Master Chen really choose a sniveling little girl over his most proven, most loyal advisor?" He paused for a moment. "I think not."

Skylor laughed briefly before coughing from her heavy breathing. "As if he'd betray his own daughter. If there's anyone he's ever loved, it's me and my mother– not you."

-----

Skylor smiled, pushing the memories to the back of her mind as she refocused on the present. "Seeing you on that ferry was the best and worst thing to ever happen to me, Kai."

Kai blushed. "Uh, what exactly do you mean by 'worst?'"

Skylor laughed faintly. "You turned my world upside down! I had all these new feelings and didn't even understand them– not to mention that you were my enemy. I was supposed to steal your powers and become a snake so I could help take over Ninjago, not help take down my father and defend an entire country." Her smile fell. "When my father suspected I had feelings for you, he was furious at first. And once he calmed down, he told me I needed to use you to win the tournament. He made me spy on the Alliance, with you as my in."

Kai smirked and nudged her. "Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

Skylor nodded. "Yeah. It's okay now, I think. I don't always feel good about it now, but it's at least better." She let go of Kai's hand and crossed her arms. "Besides, it's not like I hate him, even though my life was horrible. He's dead. It doesn't matter." She glared at the ground.

Kai put an arm around her back. "Sky, it's okay to not think he's a good person. He manipulated you, he… Zane told me once that victims of abuse don't always know what's going on when it's happening. I don't want to label it or anything– I don't know anything about this stuff– but could it have been that?"

Skylor shook her head. "Yeah, it could've. It was abuse, or something like it; no use trying to deny it. He made me a pawn and said he loved me, promising that my mother would have wanted it or that it could get us to the mainland. He dangled that freedom over my head for years; it was all I ever wanted." She growled in frustration. "In hindsight, it seems like it couldn't have been that bad, but it was! And I just can't get over it. Shouldn't I be over it?"

Kai shook his head, murmuring to her. "You don't need to 'get over it,' Sky. It's not going to go away completely, but that's okay. It'll stop hurting eventually, I promise."

"And if it doesn't?" Skylor murmured, pressing up against him.

"It will." Kai pulled her close. "Lloyd always says he feels better after talking about stuff like this. If you need to talk about this again, just call me, okay?"

Skylor nodded, smiling faintly. "Okay. Thanks for listening."

"Anytime, Sky." Kai kissed her hair.

Skylor took a deep breath, stabilizing herself. "Do you want to go back to my apartment? I really don't feel like being out in the city today. We could watch a movie…?"

Kai smiled. "I'd like that. Come on." He helped her up from the bench, and together they walked back to Skylor's apartment hand-in-hand under the midday sun, with lighter yet wearier hearts.

-----

FROM: Copycat (9:47 PM) TO: Hair Gel Hey Thanks for listening to me today. it really helped.

FROM: Hair Gel (9:51 PM) TO: Copycat anytime, Sky goodnight xx

FROM: Copycat (9:51 PM) TO: Hair Gel Good night. X

[triple-7-heaven]

It Pours

a/n: you know what they say; when it rains... continuation of a previous reader x Gowon story. this time, reader insert hits her up for a date, and bad weather strikes again, revealing a secret fear Gowon has; reader insert comforts her, but nothing more. i'm in love with her these days... she shined so brightly on queendom <3 pairing: reader x gowon; words: 1.9k ; categories: loona, gowon, reader insert, fluff

A week or two passed and you carried on with your life, but Chaewon didn't leave your head. You looked more into her group, watching fancams, even spotting them on network television performing. One night after coming home from a long day, you shot her a text on the elevator.

She sent you a time and place, and you saved it so you could head there on Friday. You thought about what you'd do, where you'd take her. You settled on taking her on a walk through a park nearby and getting some Chinese food; it was all you could afford at the time since you got your paycheck the next Monday. You hoped it'd be okay with her.

That Friday, you got home from work early and started nervously preparing. You made sure your apartment was clean, even though you didn't really expect to bring her home. You showered, picked your most treasured outfit to wear, and even put on cologne. You looked in the mirror and took a deep breath.

What am I to her?

You headed to the address she'd sent you, and sure enough, you saw a small blonde girl standing on a corner, shuffling her feet and twirling her hair. You waved, and Chaewon smiled and jogged towards you. You were a little surprised when she knocked the wind out of you with a hug. That scent hit you again, the sweet smell floating from her hair. You gave her a little squeeze and then let go, and she beamed up at you.

"Ready to go?" you asked.

"Oh, where are we going?" she responded.

"You'll see," you said and started walking. She walked beside you with her little bouncy steps. It was about four in the afternoon, and the weather was crisp. The sun shone on you two as you walked, but you could see clouds in the far distance. You hoped it wouldn't end up in a repeat of last time. Eventually, you made it to the park, where you slowed your pace and took hold of Chaewon's hand. She giggled a little, placing her other hand on your arm. You drew close to a bench, where you looked to her to ask if she wanted to sit down. She nodded silently and you two sat together on the bench in front of the water.

"How was your week?" you asked her.

"Mm, pretty tiring... Lot going on for us lately," she laughed softly.

"Yeah, I saw you guys on MNET. You... You looked really incredible," you said. She giggled and pushed her hair back.

"Ah, you keep up with us now huh?" she teased.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you, had to see what you were up to," you said nervously. You shouldn't have said that... Right?

"R-really? I thought about you a lot, too. It's fascinating how strangers can, uh, come together like we have," she said. She crossed her legs on the bench and faced you. "How was your week?"

"Tiring, too. It's nice to finally relax," you answered. You looked at her with intensity, almost studying her, taking in every feature of her face. You covered your face with your hands, embarrassed, and Chaewon rubbed your arm. You both turned to the lake and talked for a little over an hour about anything from video games to music to travel. You loved her voice, her light, airy voice. You loved the words and phrases she made a habit of using. Mostly, you just loved being around her. It felt so freeing and comforting to just sit with her and talk about inconsequential nothings. Eventually, you turned to her.

"You hungry?" you asked. She nodded, and you stood to lead her to the Chinese place across the street. The both of you ordered and then sat at a booth in the corner; Chaewon across from you. You'd kind of hoped she would sit next to you, but you rolled with it. After eating, you talked for a little while longer.

"What should we do now?" she asked.

"Do you wanna hang out at mine? We can watch TV or something, or, I dunno," you rambled. Was it too soon to actually invite her over?

"Oh, sure!" she responded.

"I-if you're not comfortable with coming over I understand, I just kind of said that without thinking, I-"

"I've already been over, silly... Why would I be uncomfortable? It's okay, let's head to yours," she cut you off and smiled. You stood and started the walk to your place. She held your hand, interlacing her fingers with yours and giving you reassuring strokes with her thumb every now and then. You cracked stupid jokes about traffic and pedestrians, and for some reason she laughed; she pointed out her favorite trees and bushes, and you listened attentively. You passed by a churro stand, and stopped to get her one. She was giddy in the way a child would be at a theme park. Eventually, you and Chaewon were on the elevator together again. She repeated the gesture from the last time and held onto your arm. You took a deep, shaky breath, and she noticed.

"You okay?" she asked.

"It's nothing," you laughed. You headed down the hallway and unlocked your apartment. She kicked her shoes off by the door, and you followed suit. You waved her to the couch and she sat a little awkwardly.

"Want some water or anything?" you asked.

"You, uh... You got soju?" Chaewon asked, and you raised an eyebrow.

"I don't really drink, but..." you dug around in your fridge. "I have one bottle."

"Oh, I don't wanna drink your last one," she started, but you waved her off.

"Like I said, don't really drink. You're welcome to it. How do you take it?" you asked. She told you, and you fixed up the drink for her while she surfed channels on your TV. You brought it over and set it on the coffee table, and before sitting, you wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. She looked down at her lap and smiled, and you sat next to her. She'd picked a Pokémon cartoon, and leaned back into the couch to hit the soju. You watched her drink it, the way her throat moved, the way her eyes shut. She caught you staring.

"You want some?" she asked. You shook your head and forced yourself to look at the TV. After a few minutes, she set the glass on the table, and got up to walk to the kitchen, blanket still around her. She returned with the bottle in hand. You snuck glances at her, and eventually she set the bottle on the table next to the glass, a little loudly. Next thing you knew, she was pressed up next to you. You looked at her and tilted your head to the side. She hummed and lifted up your arm to snuggle into your torso, and you let her. You sat like that for a while, your arm around her, and when her eyes were shut, you changed the channel to watch something else. After maybe half an hour, she stirred.

"Hey... This is boring," she said through a yawn.

"Hey... Apparently Pokémon was boring enough to put you to sleep," you teased. She didn't seem drunk at all when she sat up and stretched; thank God. She faced the TV and watched for a few moments before a loud crack of thunder shook your windows. She flinched and returned to her previous position huddled against you, this time pulling your arm around her tightly.

"I... Are you scared of thunder, Chaewon?" you asked.

"N-nope. Just doing this for fun," she said in a sarcastic tone.

"Chaewon..." you started, but she shushed you. She tugged on your arm until you started to squeeze her against you with more force. Her face leaned against your chest and her breaths were slightly quickened. The storm continued outside with great intensity. The thunder kept shaking the windows, the lightning kept flashing through the room, and the rain kept assaulting the roof. You thought she must've been pretty spooked as she started to tremble slightly. You brought your other hand to her head and stroked her hair gently. She exhaled deeply with your touch. The thunder and lightning stopped after a bit, but the rain continued.

"Are you alright?" you asked.

"Yeah... Sorry for... Yeah," she said slowly. You reassured her wordlessly, giving her another squeeze.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" you asked.

"Walk me home..?" she seemed confused.

"I... Oh..? Did you... Want to stay..?" you stammered.

"Do you want me to?" she asked.

"Yes. I mean, if you want to," you said. You said 'yes' a little too quickly.

Are we friends?

"Here, I'll get my bed set up for you, okay?" you said and stood up. She grumbled and pulled the blanket around her. You peeled down the sheets and made sure there were enough pillows, adding an extra blanket, too. You turned on the lamp next to the bed and returned to the living room.

"Do you wanna borrow some clothes to sleep in?" you asked.

"Mm, sure," she looked up from her phone and smiled. She followed you into your bedroom with the blanket around her and her phone in hand. You dug around looking for sweatpants that wouldn't fall off of her small frame, and eventually found some with a drawstring that might work. You handed them to her along with another t-shirt, and directed her to your bathroom, where she changed. You changed, too, and after a few minutes she stepped out in your clothes. She looked so adorable and tiny.

"Will you be okay on the couch?" Chaewon asked and cast her eyes to the floor.

"Yeah! I sleep there by accident all the time," you answered.

"Mm, goodnight..." she said and hopped onto your bed. You gave a little nod and headed to the couch. The storm continued for hours, and you found it hard to sleep with the windows rattling. You played some video games on the TV for a while before falling asleep with the TV still on.

A couple hours later, a particularly strong thunderclap jolted you awake. It jolted you, and the small figure huddled to your chest. You rubbed your eyes and squinted at the idle television before gently draping an arm around Chaewon. She was trembling again, but sound asleep. You rubbed her back until she lay still, then let yourself fall asleep, too.

The sunlight warmed your face and your eyes flitted open. The light weight of Chaewon was still on your chest, and you smiled a little. She shifted and grumbled quietly.

"Sleep okay?" you asked. She looked at you incredulously.

"O-oh, yeah... I thought I'd wake up before you," she chuckled.

"And sneak back to my bed, right?" you said and poked her.

"I... Hey... I sleepwalked," she said.

"Mhmm, I'm sure you did... I didn't know somebody could be so scared of thunder," you said.

"Yeah... It's my, um, embarrassing secret," she said sheepishly.

"It's... Not storming anymore," you said and looked down at her. She didn't move.

"So what?" she said. You shook your head and pulled her closer. The two of you drifted off again on the couch to take advantage of the quiet Saturday morning.

[annaofthenorthernlights]

Are you still doing the prompts? If yes how about

20. Excuse me, can I borrow you tonight?

Funny, this ask came in twice.

Thank you anon for your ask! ❤️

Also by @hiptoff: Hey, my friend!! How amazing to see you participate in this!The prompt that struck me was number 20: "Excuse me, can I borrow you tonight?".I leave the world and stuff to you. Thanks!

So, I hope the two of you like this little weird, helplessly awkward kristanna thing... in modern AU setting.

The truth was, he had no girlfriend, nor any real friend in human ways that was.

Kristoff believed that dogs were better than people and so, his Labrador Sven was his best buddy. The golden furred animal was loyal, funny, quiet – well, most of the time – and he was always listening when Kristoff was telling him how he felt. The young man appreciated this sort of company, for it was enough to deal with his working colleagues, who were sometimes just babbling superficial nonsense.

Otherwise, he enjoyed his quiet life, which included long walks through the park and nearby forest with Sven. And on hot summer days they´d hike along the hills, in autumn it was a pleasure to watch the dog sprinting through the heaps of coloured leaves on the forest ground. Funny though that people tended to stay inside when the weather changed, and when temperature began dropping to cooler terms, he found himself more and more alone outside. Not that he would mind…

But then, there was this girl who crossed them jogging by regularly on the morning round. No matter how bad the weather was, she came running along with her music earplugs in, smiling, and then, Sven skipped up and down upon spotting her. She crouched down, patted his head, said something cute to him, gave Kristoff a friendly nod and went on jogging.

And after a while, this had become the ritual ever since they had crossed their ways the first time a few weeks ago. But then, he had never talked to her, nor even asked her name, and neither had she done. They crossed their paths like on a mute agreement.

Kristoff had to admit, that she was rather a cute one to look at, with her red mass of hair, that was either stuck in a messy bun, or braided into two plaids that dangled before her shoulders with her jogging tact. And her eyes were the bluest he had ever seen in his life. And she seemed a friendly person, the way Sven reacted upon her daily appearing routine. Other than that, he wouldn´t know anything about her, nor had he any interest of getting into closer contact with anyone more than necessary.

------

And he got this new job. It was nearly too perfect, and his new boss was about to host a party for his jubilee year. Kristoff didn´t like parties per se because he was forced to interact with people that he would not know yet and the prospect of not liking them neither was to be expected. But then, if he wanted to make a good figure to start out his new working progress, he´d better show up. He gritted his teeth to the thought, while he was getting ready for his morning walk with Sven already waiting impatiently at that door, waggling his tale excitingly.

“Right buddy, we´re going.” Kristoff sighed, “you don´t seem to bother the fact that I will have to look a fool tonight, right?” The dog yelped encouragingly and skipped up and down when Kristoff attired the walking leash to his neckband.

"And to make things even worse they ask me to bring a plus one, not even questioning if there was somebody to bring… I wish I´d asked to bring my dog.” Kristoff grunted bad tempered by now.

The walk along the park was nice, though the autumn mist was by now creeping into any spare crack of his coat and boots. Kristoff pulled his collar closer around his throat, wondering if he could probably call his section leader and apologise for not coming… When Sven yelped in high tones and running off since he was detached from the leash, just to wriggle around the legs of redhaired jogging girl, who cuddled his head enthusiastically as always.

Kristoff stared at the scene, and the thought hit him like a striking blow… maybe he was insane and she´d call the police…. But the idea was catapulting him into a sort of trance… Why so, he could not really tell. And then, before he could get to his senses, he stepped up to the girl, running nervously a hand along his neck.

“Excuse me, can I borrow you tonight?”

The jogging girl stopped patting Sven mid-air and the look he got was a mixture of surprise and amusement. She didn´t seem to be alarmed nor shocked, and that was more than irritating. Why was she not punching a fist into his face…?

No, she straightened and pulled the pads out of her ears.

She hadn´t even heard what you´ve said, idiot….

“Sorry, what was that?”

“Nothing!”

“Oh, sorry, I thought you said something…”

She seemed disappointed… Did she look disappointed?

Sven yelped, ran around them and brushed against Kristoff´s legs hard enough that he stumbled out of balance and almost bumped into the lady in front of him, which made her giggling.

“Sorry, Sven is a bit out of control today, it seems.”

“Oh, his name is Sven, then? Nice to meet you Sven!” She chirped jovially just to pat his head again, while the dog sat neatly by her feet.

“I like your dog. He´s so nice.”

“Thank you.”

“So, what were you saying?”

“Em….”

She waited, smiling up at him, but then started to triple on the spot, shaking her arms.

“Sorry. It´s getting chilly when standing still.”

“Oh, yes, of course. Sorry for the interruption.”

“Oh no, please, after all I had stopped to cuddle Sven. Thanks, by the way you always allow me to do so. Most dog owners scold me when I touch the pet.”

“That´s alright.”

“Hm. So, then, see you tomorrow?” She sing-sang, lifting a hand to wave her goodbye.

“Hm.”

And she fiddled with her earplugs to get going when Kristoff got hit by the earlier thought, harder than Sven had done before.

“Wait!” Kristoff exclaimed, which had the girl flinch for a second.

“Yes?” She beamed at him.

Why was she beaming at him?

“Want to be my girlfriend tonight?”

Could you not think of a more subtle way to ask…?

She blinked at him and then started looking around as if there was someone she could ask for help, or perhaps then to make sure nobody had heard that?

“Sorry, what´s that?”

“I´m sorry, I´m not that used to talk to… people that much.”

She raised an eyebrow, embracing her upper body and running hands along her upper arms. Of course, she started to be freezing, but then apparently waiting for an explanation, too. Why, he could not comprehend, after all he was acting weird, more than weird… What if she was weird, too, well then, they would match perfectly, no?

Stop being weird and just tell her already…

“I need a plus one tonight for a party at work, my new boss asked me to. And you seem to be the only female off work crossing my path every day, so that makes you my daily meeting girl, like, you know, the only girl I could say I´m seeing every day…”

Wait, what?

She smiled, though her lips seemed to be quivering with cold, and her voice shook a bit by now.

“Would you mind if I walk with you and Sven this morning?”

“Uh?”

Now, she laughed and did a little warming up dance on the spot, while Sven had started running through the leaves again, like on command, by her offer to join them on their morning round.

“Well, since I will be your girl tonight, don´t you think we should get to know each other at least a little bit?”

“Oh… yeah, sure.”

“Hi, I´m Anna.” She held out a delicate hand with a sparkling glint in her eyes.

“Nice to meet you, Anna. I´m Kristoff.”

-----

No doubt, she was sweet and cute, and talkative, very much talkative to say the least. But that was a good thing, because like that he would not have to make the talking, she could do that. Obviously, Anna didn´t have problems with interaction, and when Kristoff had awkwardly asked her why she had never spoken up to him before, she had stated pleasantly that he didn´t seem to be wanting to be addressed, and she had no meaning in bothering him.

But now, she liked talking to him and Kristoff had to admit that time appeared to be flying with her, and before he realised it, they needed to part to be on time for work.

Anna was working in one of those boutique stores and Kristoff could well imagine her to be tending lovingly to her customers. Unfortunately, it was an only-ladies shop, so, he could not go and ask her advice for buying the right stuff. Not, that he had ever really needed any assistance when it came to buy clothing, but to find her strolling around the store to collect matching cloths for suggestion, would be worth the visit.

And now, she had agreed to come with him and to play along by acting the fresh in bound girlfriend. Laughingly she had declared that by chance she was free and available and if it meant that she could help the owner of wonderful Sven, she´d have a go.

Anna didn´t even live that far away from his home and he picked her up around 6 o´clock, ringing the doorbell rather nervously. They didn´t know that much about each other and what if the complot was detected? But then, the thought of having her around made him feel safer, for some strange reason. Maybe the talking thing would work and hopefully he could rely on her spontaneity.

She looked radiant in that dark green dress, that ran down to her knees and the black boots giving her a stylish boost. Her hair was pinned into a bit more tamed bun than in the mornings. But what Kristoff liked the most was that she hadn´t put on a great make up plastered to her face. Her freckles were so lovely peeking out to him, and her blue eyes shone brighter than he had memorised from the morning encounter.

----

It had been a delight watching her interact with the people. And at some point, Kristoff was wondering if it was her who was in fact working at that place, or himself at all? For some reason he admired her for communicating so naturally free with others. But Anna didn´t leave him out nor did she make him feel out of place. She was so cute the way she smiled at him, hooked her arm in his when she was talking to one of the ladies from the front desk, nodding and occasionally glancing up to him to make sure he was doing fine with their whatsoever they were talking about.

And when he got her a refreshment from the bar, she laid this delicate hand on his arm, thanking him quietly and beaming up to him through her eyelashes. And each time, she nudged him playfully, or then brushed an imaginary dust from his shirt, he inwardly flinched on her touch, which sent a jolt through his core.

But why that?

She´s just the jogging girl, and tomorrow she will crouch down to pat Sven´s head and will go on with her jogging… Stop staring at her like that!

And because she was so cheerful and pleasant with him, Kristoff felt encouraged to follow her example, and he began to talk to some people, finding the ease of laughing at some jokes or nodding understandingly at some strange tales, being polite and collegial. Anna had stepped up to his side and he felt brave enough to gently place his hand against her lower back and this delicate girl to Kristoff´s astonished bewilderment unobtrusively slid a little further into his hold as she cordially listened to his boss' explanations about mountain hikes and fishing adventures.

She was simply amazing!

---

“Thank you so much.” Kristoff stood with his hands in his pockets at the lower step of Anna´s front porch.

“Oh, it was fun.”

“Really? Well, I enjoyed the evening, too.”

“Oh, I´m glad you did, and I hope your boss got the right impression that was called for.” Anna gnawed on her lips, while she was playing with her key-bound dangling from her fingers.

“I´m sure, he did. You must have been the cutest girl of the night.”

Now, she blushed and bit her lips.

“No wonder, with such a gallant boyfriend on the arm.” She giggled a bit abashed.

Kristoff stared at her with a flattering jingle running through his veins. And feeling bolder after those wonderful hours he had spent with her by his side, he felt braver than he had still been in the morning.

“Would you like to join me for the morning walk sometime? I´m sure, Sven will be delighted upon seeing you longer than just for a few seconds.”

“I´d like that.”

“And if there will be another occasion that calls for a plus one… Can I borrow you again?”

“I´d like that, too.”

“Good night, Anna.”

“Good night, Kristoff.”

“See you…”

“Tomorrow?”

“Uh, yes… I´m sure Sven will like that!”

“Me, too.”

And they stood there for a felt eternity smiling at each other, both secretly hoping that Kristoff´s boss would send out another invitation very soon…

But then, there were the early mornings where they could meet, too…

And when Kristoff walked home with that funny fluff feeling in his stomach, he wondered if he just as well be asking her out for a date…

[write-orflight]

Like Real People Do. Chapter 4

*Gif not mine*

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Rating: M, eventually will be smut.

Words: 2.3k

Warnings: Sexual themes, talk about sex (not NSFW though), fainting, reader just being thirsty in general. 

Request: OPEN/CLOSED

A.N We’re getting into the main crux of the story now! Message to be added to the taglist. thanks for reading! Much love, Cia

                Chapter 4: Why were you digging?  

Months pass and the early spring turns into hot humid D.C summer. You were never a big fan of the summer, you preferred the colder months despite the bad memories you had associated with them. 

Things changed and some things stayed the exact same. You caught bad guys, which was typical, you actually ended up getting tackled by a drunk Unsub once which results in you being out of the field with a broken arm for four weeks. You found a cat in an alley digging through the trash near your apartment one day when you were walking home. You left food out for him since until one day he decided to come up to you. And now you have a cat you affectionately named Garbage. 

You and Ethan (the guy from the bar) had a “situation-ship”, as Garcia liked to call it for about a month and a half. In your opinion, there was no situation-ship, you guys had mediocre sex until he wanted more and was upset you “worked too much”. So when he “broke up” with you, you weren’t really upset. Your heart wasn’t in it anyway. 

You and Spencer never talked about that night at the bar. In fact, you hardly talked at all. Your Saturday’s together stopped, you had no excuse to see each other now you were finished with school. Now that there was no thesis, there was no thesis for him to help with. 

That didn’t stop Spencer from occupying the space in your head rent-free though. You couldn’t help yourself, he was always in the forefront of your mind and frankly it was starting to affect how you worked. It was a paperwork day and everyone was working silently, merely coexisting and since there was nothing really going on your mind couldn’t help but wander. Spencer was sitting across you reading case files, taking occasional notes in a legal pad next to him. Your eyes instantly went to his hands as he traced it down the page as he often did when he was reading. You studied them for a while, long slender fingers resting on massive palms. You never thought you were someone who’d be attracted to hands but the amount of times you thought about them on particularly lonely nights, specifically the things he could do with them. 

Yea, it was enough to make you a cheirophile. 

You went back to watching him when suddenly one of the aforementioned hands were waving in your face. 

“Y/N” he said. “I’ve been calling your name for 3 minutes.” 

“I’m sorry, Spen.” You flush instantly at being caught. “What did you need?” 

“I asked if you had a red pen I could borrow?” 

“Yea.” You rummaged through your drawer, producing the pen in question. His hand brushes yours as he grabs it, you try very hard not to shiver at the contact but you couldn’t help it. “Keep it.” you say. 

“Hey, are you okay?” He says. “You’ve been extremely out of it lately.”

He was right, you have been out of it lately. Spencer was putting you out of it. You hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that night at the bar and your almost kiss. Since then, it was like he was trying to constantly bring your attention to his mouth, whether it was by his habit of stealing lollies from Garcia’s office or the constant biting and licking of his lips whenever he was deep in thought. They had seared their way into your frontal lobe without permission. 

Working with him had become exceptionally hard and an unwelcome distraction, especially out in the field. Last month, the two of you had gone undercover in a nightclub, an unsub had been murdering young couples who were overly affectionate in public, so you had to spend the night practically wrapped around the man you had an insane crush on, breathing in his scent. You sipped your “cocktail” (it was just cranberry juice) as Spencer kept his arm steady around your waist. Eventually, you hear Emily in the earpiece you were wearing. 

“You’ve gotta do more guys if we’re going to draw him out.” She says. 

“Yea and loosen up. If  you guys look uncomfortable, no ones going to believe you’re a couple.” Morgan adds. 

You and Spencer look at each other for a beat.  

“If I do something that makes you uncomfortable, you’ll tell me right?” He whispers to you. You nod instantly. Suddenly Spencer’s arm is tighter around you, pulling you flush to his body. He dips down attaching his lips to your neck and jawline. You gasp, you had not been expecting that at all, you clutch your drink harder other hand moving to his side. He pulls you in tighter somehow, suddenly you feel his hand move downward until he is palming your ass, you bite your lip to keep your composure but his lips suddenly meet that spot behind your earlobe that he couldn’t have possibly known about prior. A quiet moan unintentionally rips through you and you could’ve sworn you felt his fingers twitch, squeezing your ass slightly. Emily and Morgan were right, the Unsub did approach you guys shortly after that and led you into the alley like he did so many couples before only to be met by your badges and guns. 

Then there was the time a couple of months ago when you and Reid had gone to interview a child psychiatrist and discovered that he was a molester. Spencer had been livid talking to the man, making threats that honestly should've been promises to throw the man in jail. You had never seen Spencer angry or at the very least this angry, and for some reason that turned you on beyond belief. 

You decided to close that can of worms and save it for another day. 

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” You say, smiling tightly at him turning back to your stack of files. You couldn’t be mad at Spencer for your inability to keep it in your pants while you were working. So that’s what you did, worked and tried to avoid Spencer as much as you could. And if that night from the club replayed in your head often while you were alone in your bed that night like many nights before, it was no one’s business but your own. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the morning, you woke to the sound of construction equipment being used next to your apartment. D.C’s already so dense. What more could they be building?   You thought as you got up to make yourself a much needed cup of coffee. 

Now without your schoolwork or  standing date with Spencer, Saturdays always felt too long. You drank your coffee, read a book, watched some TV and when you looked at the time it was still only noon. You sighed heavily before getting up to get changed. The weather was nice, you hoped a jog would at the very least tire you out so you could waste a couple hours napping. 

So off you went, down the path of a nearby park. You had been jogging for about 30 minutes when you see a familiar shape in the distance. As you get closer you notice it’s exactly who you wanted it to be. 

“Hey, Spen!” You say excitedly as you slow to a stop in front of him. He looks up from the book he was reading on the bench. He smiles once he sees you. “Y/N, Hey.” He says. 

“What’re you doing in the park alone?” You ask. 

He lifts up his book. “I just came to read, thought a change of scenery would do me better than sitting around my apartment.” He says 

“Same here. Now that I finished school, it feels like I have too much time in the day. Now it just feels like I’m doing stuff just to keep myself busy, hence the jogging.” You say lifting your leg slightly, pointing out the running shoes you were wearing. You felt his eyes slowly trail up your bare legs, taking in your form slowly and diligently as if he thought he would forget it all the second he blinked. His eyes finally stopped at yours and you released the breath you didn’t know you holding. 

“Well, I’ll let you get back to your book. I’ve still got 2 miles to go.” You say, as you start to jog away, you hear Spencer call out to you. You stop and turn back. “Yea?” you ask. 

“Umm…” He says trailing off before taking a breath. “I’m going to see a movie later, I was hoping maybe you’d wanna come? It’s in french, but I can whisper-translate for you.” He says. 

“Yea sure, I’m doing anything else.” You say, a little too excitedly. Calm down, Y/N, he didn’t even say it was a date. You think to yourself. “What time should I meet you there?” 

“7?” He says. 

“Great! See you at 7, Reid!” You say before jogging away. 

------------------------------------------------------------------

You leave your house around 6:45, after spending about an hour and a half trying to find something to wear. Since it wasn’t a date, or since he didn't say it was one, you opted for something casual. A pair of comfortable jean shorts and your favorite band’s t-shirt. You did light makeup, and after an inspection in the mirror you decided you looked the right amount of cute and comfortable. 

Spencer was waiting outside the theater when you arrived. He was dressed casually too, a blazer over a simple t-shirt, cuffed jeans and converse. He smiles brightly at you as you walk up to join him. 

He insists on paying for the movie and you have to fight him to get him to let you at least pay for snacks but soon you are seated in the almost empty theater together. 

He moves close to you as the movie starts, whispering translations in your ear. At some point halfway through the movie, his arm ends up around your back as he continues to translate, your hand falls instinctively to his thigh. 

The movie ends eventually, and the two of you begin to walk outside together. You know a really good ice cream place that’s not a far walk from the theatre so you suggest going Spencer instantly says yes. You guys walk in silence for a while before you open your mouth to say something. 

“Can I confess something to you?” You ask him. 

He turns and looks at you. “Yea, what is it?” 

“Je parle quatre langues, dont une est le français.” (I speak four languages, one of which is french.) You say. 

He looks at you incredulously. “Pourquoi m'avez-vous laissé traduire le film entier pour vous?” (Why did you let me translate the entire movie for you?) He asks 

“Tu veux dire, pourquoi t'ai-je laissé chuchoter à mon oreille pendant deux heures d'affilée?” (You mean, Why did I let you whisper in my ear for two hours straight?) You smile flirtatiously at him. “Je suis sûr que tu peux comprendre celui-là.” (I'm sure you can figure that one out) You nudge him with your arm. “Come on, I believe you owe me ice cream.” 

----------------------------------------------------

You and Spencer, deciding you don’t want the night to end just yet,  take your ice cream and walk to a park. You lick lazily at the cone you opted for opposed to the cup he got. You guys seem to try and catch up on everything the two of you had done since your last coffee shop visit. He tells you about the books and Doctor’s journals he’s read. You explain to him the entire plot of the latest season of Drag race. You talk and talk and talk, to the point you don’t even realize it’s getting late. 

“It’s late.” he says, “We should head back.” 

And so you do, the two of you walk back to your cars parked near the movie theatre in semi-silence. As the two of you approach your driver door, you turn to look at each other. 

“This was fun, to hang out, I mean.” You say. 

“Yea, it was.” He adds. “I’d like to do it more, if you don’t mind.” 

You shake your head. “No, I’d love that.” you say. 

He takes a step closer to you and you do the same. This was it, he was finally going to kiss you. He looks down at your lips and up to your eyes again as if searching for the approval you give a quick tiny nod. He smiles, moving a hand to the side of your head leaning into you--

Your phone rings. He takes a step back. 

Moment ruined.   

You look at your caller ID. “It’s Hotch.” you say, he nods at you while you answer the phone “Y/L/N” you say. 

“Y/N/N, you need to meet me at the office. Right now.” He says. 

“Why sir? Is there a case?” You ask. 

“No case.” He says. “Gabriel Ferguson’s date has been set.” 

That name. 

You tried everyday to forget that name. 

The name of the man who took your family. 

Your innocence. 

Your way of life. 

Gabriel Ferguson. 

The Beechwood Killer. 

You freeze. Spencer is watching you, concerned now. “W-Why do you need me to come in for that?” You stutter. 

“Because… he’s refusing to tell us where he dumped the first bodies.” Hotch pauses. “Until he speaks to you.” 

You drop your phone. 

The last thing you hear is Spencer calling out to you while everything fades to black.

Taglist: @haylaansmi​     @yoruebeautiful​ @kianagilder-blog​ @l0ve-0f-my-life​ @bihoeofmanyfandoms @dreamer7black​ @baby-banana​ @drreidshands​ @blameitonthenight21​ @slyskyeey​ @liaabsurd​ @di-essere-amato​

[cheri-translates]

Headcanon: Weekdays with you

Snippets of life with Kiro, Victor and Gavin

F L U F F

🌻KIRO

[ Morning ]

Waking up is a struggle for your little sunshine

Sets ten alarms on his phone with 1 minute intervals between them

You sympathise with him, knowing that his days are packed with rehearsals, photoshoots, fan-meets, sneaking snacks into his mouth when Savin isn’t looking, running away from Savin when he gets caught, etc.

So you adopt a more encouraging approach:

“You’re going to miss out on breakfast. I made the pancakes extra fluffy today.”

“...”

“If you get up now, I’ll wear your fan t-shirt over the weekend. The yellow one with a hundred Kiro faces printed on it.”

“...”

“Didn’t someone say that it’s been a long time since we last showered together?”

“...!”

When he’s more-or-less conscious, he stares at you with wide puppy eyes and puckers his lips

You give in, responding to his antics with a quick peck on the forehead

“Go brush your teeth. You’ll get your reward later.”

He becomes much chirpier after freshening up and getting his kiss

Beams widely when you set his breakfast plate down in front of him even if it’s just a plain sunny-side up

“Miss Chips, your cooking just keeps getting better! Should we open a restaurant after we retire? You can cook, and I’ll be the mascot.”

Definitely demands for goodbye kisses

[ Afternoon ]

Kiro video calls you during lunchtime because just hearing your voice isn’t enough

He also wants to make sure that you’re actually eating

Cheekily slips in a suggestion for you to include fewer vegetables into his lunchbox next time:

“The vegetables deserve to live.”

On the screen, you see Savin whacking him on the head lightly with some rolled documents on your behalf

Props Apple Box onto his lap to show you its newest outfit

(pretty sure that golden retriever owns more clothes than you do)

The two of you seldom eat out for dinner because of Kiro’s highly-noticeable hair

“And obvious charm,” he adds.

[ Evening ]

Depending on how early you end work, you’d either cook a simple dinner or get takeaway

And also restock the tidbit shrine in the living room

After dinner, you and Kiro play the Wii Fit to aid digestion

But end up with stitches because both of you keep making the other laugh

When you’re unable to sleep, he sings you fractured nursery rhymes while stroking your hair

“Baa baa black sheep have you any chips? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full. One for Kiro and one more for Kiro, and one for the pretty Miss Chips in my arms.”

“Kiro... it doesn’t even rhyme...”

🌹VICTOR

[ Morning ]

Victor’s alarm goes off at 5am

He isn’t worried the sound would wake you up because he shuts it off almost instantly

Knows you wouldn’t stir even if the sky collapses anyway

If the weather is good, he heads out for a morning jog

If it’s raining, he’d grumble resignedly because he knows it’s going to be an even greater challenge than usual to coax you out from under the covers

Since he has a head start to the day, he finds ways to add special touches to breakfast

For example, drawing pictures on the omelette using tomato ketchup, doing latte foam art, etc.

Spends the remnants of his quiet morning reading the business news and answering emails

At around 7.30am, he wakes you up with a string of ‘threats’:

“I’ll cut your company’s funding.”

“Your report is due in 5 minutes.”

“There’s a spider on your arm.”

Would literally carry you out of bed if you refuse to get up

The breakfasts that Victor prepares are divine in both presentation and taste

He tries to vary cuisines every few days so you wouldn’t get bored

He isn’t the type to demand for goodbye kisses

Instead, he sometimes wears his tie slightly slanted so you can fix it for him

He strikes when your guard is down, leaving you a blushing mess

[ Afternoon ]

Most communication is work-related, occurring via email

If you happen to find pictures / videos of cute animals, you’d forward them to him

Victor usually doesn’t reply

But Goldman has witnessed Victor smiling while using his phone on numerous occasions

The sight haunts him.

[ Evening ]

Picks you up from work and takes you out for a nice dinner

Enjoys a cooling evening stroll in the park after dinner to aid digestion

Towels your hair dry after your shower

Not-so-secretly enjoys your shoulder rubs while he works at his desk

“Oh? Is that a smile I see on Mr Victor’s face?”

“No.”

If you have trouble sleeping, he’d tell you bedtime stories

“Or would you prefer if I read you the very first proposal I received from a certain dummy?”

“No thank you, that would just give me nightmares...”

Gives you a goodnight kiss (or two if you insist

Tucks you in tightly so you don’t kick the blankets (or him) off the bed in your sleep

🎐GAVIN

[ Morning ]

Gavin is an early riser

He spends the first 15 minutes of each new day thinking about how fortunate he is to be waking up next to you...

...and also waiting for the numbness in the arm resting beneath your weight to go away

Thinks your light snoring is the most melodious sound in the world (apart from your laughter and the way you say his name)

Once he finally feels his fingers again, he carefully extricates his arm and heads out for a morning run

While he can prepare simple dishes like eggs and cup noodles, it’s his mission to give you the best possible start to the day

So he usually buys your favourites from a nearby cafe

After he returns home with breakfast, he tries to wake you up by shaking your shoulder gently

When he’s done with his shower, he realises you’re still asleep

Finally wakes you up properly after peppering ticklish kisses on your face

Sets up the table with breakfast and coffee while you freshen up

Sends you to work on Sparky

Gets a little pouty if you forget to give him a goodbye kiss

“Thanks for the ride Gavin.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Hmm? Nope, I’ve got my bag.”

“[coughs lightly] ...Sparky says you forgot to say goodbye to his owner.”

[ Afternoon ]

Gives you a call at noon to remind you to have a proper lunch (while eating cup noodles himself)

Gives you a call an hour later to check if you have had lunch

Gives Minor a call right after to verify

(It’s Minor’s favourite part of the day)

[ Evening ]

Picks you up from work and brings you anywhere you want to go

“My evening is all yours.”

Winding down for the two of you involves watching television on the couch

He enjoys pressing random kisses on the top of your head while your head leans on his shoulder

“Mm... I haven’t washed my hair yet.”

“Want me to wash it for you?”

“Yes please.”

If you’re unable to sleep, he’ll count sheep, or talk to you about the future

Whenever he returns home past midnight after a long mission, he’d find you asleep, snuggled comfortably with his pillow in your arms

“Thanks for keeping her company, Softie.”

[2seokfan]

Scarlet & Hazel | Ch. 1

pairings: hoseok x reader x yoongi

genre: fluff, very light angst, smut (future)

word count: 3.6k

chapters: ch.1, ch.2, ch.3, ch.4

summary: 

Just cause you’re living paycheck to paycheck in a tiny apartment even after graduating college doesn’t mean you’re not happy. So what if your best friend is working her dream job making close to six figures every year?  So what if she’s in a loving, committed relationship with her perfect boyfriend that you’re 99% sure is going to propose to her sometime next year? It doesn’t matter that your idea of a perfect relationship is a $9.99 bottle of wine on Friday nights while you binge watch Netflix specials.

Ok so maybe you’re a teensy bit miserable. Maybe you have no idea what you’re doing with your life. Maybe all you need to do is accidentally cross paths with two hybrids who will drastically change that.

Meet “Scarlet” and “Hazel”, two of the most gorgeous hybrid men you have ever laid eyes on. With their help, you learn that life is an adventure, a rollercoaster with ups and downs, and you were too preoccupied with yourself to climb out of your own predicament. And hey, you’re not much of a romantic, but with these two, you just might change your mind.

note: Hi! This is my first fic ever! I don’t even know if anyone’s gonna read this but I’ve had this idea in my head for awhile so fuck it.

You kicked off your shoes and threw your purse on the couch.

“God my back hurts!” 

Honestly with the amount of random bodily aches you experience on a daily business you could pass for being 70 years old. But this time you knew where the pain stemmed from. You just had to fall asleep awkwardly after a night on your phone. And of course today was a work day and you slept past all THREE of your alarms. But you know that feeling when you sleep for a suspiciously long amount of time and something doesn’t feel right? That’s the sixth sense that saved your ass this morning because your internal body clock was like sweetie I think you’re late. 

You only had time to slap on some makeup, hoping it looked semi decent, and throw your greasy hair into a messy, but passable bun because no one wants to see an ugly receptionist. You had to skip your morning Starbucks drive-through routine because you’re about to be LATE, late so you grab your keys and start your car, booking it to work.

You work at a private hybrid clinic which pays a little better than most but that means you also have to deal with a lot of attitude from rich “owners” (you hate that word). And you sat weirdly at work today so that did nOThing to help your back pain. Also how come everybody decided to book an appointment today?? It’s Friday for god's sake why does everyone and their mothers decide it’s time to call the clinic and book a checkup. They get so mad at you when you say this whole month is filled. You can’t change the schedule though?? The calendar’s filled lady either get over it and settle for next month or fuck off (of course you don’t say that out loud cause you’ll get fired). Also someone yelled at you today because they didn’t like the magazine choices in the waiting room.

Anyways your day sucked and you couldn’t be happier being back in your tiny apartment to binge watch netflix stand-up comedies until you collapse. Well you say it’s your apartment but you actually have a roommate. She’s nothing like you though, she’s the epitome of responsibility. You agreed to live with her even though you met her through Craigslist because once you met her in person you deemed her genuine enough, and also found out she’s hardly ever at the apartment but she still pays rent on time?! You really hit the jackpot with her honestly. Cause you can be a little bit messy sometimes but even when she is home she never complains. The only negative side of having her as a roommate is that you never really had time to bond with her cause she’s so busy and over your league that even after a year you two still aren’t anything more than friendly acquaintances.

Alright time to get out of your work clothes and into nothing but your favorite oversized t-shirt with no pants on because that is what you deem home-appropriate attire. But before you turn on netflix your tummy is making “feed me” noises so it’s time to check the fridge. Damn no leftovers. Time to crack open one of those Trader Joe’s frozen meals you have stacked in the freezer. You blindly pick a box. Guess you’re having vegan tikka masala tonight. Not gonna lie though those frozen meals are actually not half bad. Or maybe you’ve been away from good home cooking for so long you’ve become desensitized? Who cares, you’re hungry. Also it’s Friday, so no harm in cracking open a bottle of wine right?

When you’re all settled on the couch with your favorite plush blanket on your legs, a random comedian on tv, and a full tummy, your mind drifts away. It’s Saturday tomorrow and you have the weekends off. Maybe you should do something fun for yourself to make up for the crap you had to deal with today. You text your best friend Karli. You know she’s awake since it’s only 10pm.

You: Hey girl wanna go to the beach or smth tmrw?? <3

Karli: Yaaas ok I don’t work!! What time?

You: and we can walk around all the fancy stores and get coffee from that place we love.

You: hmmm how bout meet there @11??

Karli: Sounds good sweetie want me to pick you up?

You: no its ok ill meet u there i need to buy groceries after

Karli: Kk love ya see you then!!!

You: love ya! night bby

Karli knows that when you say “go to the beach” you really mean walk along the beach and the nearby stores because it’s early June and prime tourist season. That means the sand is packed with people and their kids and the water’s probably filled with pee so you’re not really down for that. Also the expensive shops near the beach are so cute and you love walking around window shopping, pretending like you can actually afford any of the items on display.

The wine is now getting to you cause before you know it you find your eyelids getting heavy. You muster up your last ounce of strength to turn off the tv and force yourself out of the couch cause your poor back doesn’t need another excuse to keep hurting. As much as you don’t want to wash your face and brush your teeth, you have to because you don’t want makeup on your pillowcase tonight. And when you finally crawl into bed you knock out instantly.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

“Oh fuck…”

You forgot that drunk you last night set an alarm today for 9am. Thank you drunk Y/N. 

Why 9am? Because you need to shower and get ready, plus the beach you’re going to is near the north part of the city, which is also the expensive part of the city, meaning it’s a LONG ways from where you live. But the stores are aesthetically pleasing and it contains both you and Karli’s favorite coffee shop so you’re willing to make the 25 minute drive. Karli doesn’t have to worry though because she lives a lot closer than you do. Girl has got her shit together. Honestly you’re just glad she decided to move back after graduate school cause the long distance friend thing sucks balls.

You hop in the shower and rinse yourself awake. The weather is perfect, warm but not too hot. Unlike many people who prefer to dress up for a nice outing, you’re just the opposite. You’ve been forced to dress in nice business attire with a full face of makeup all week. Hell no are you dressing up on your days off too. It’s a sweatpants and tank top kinda day so that’s exactly what you wear. Ever since college you’ve spoiled yourself into only wearing comfy clothes whenever you have the chance and it’s become a minor problem in your life. You have some perfectly nice jeans in the closet but you haven’t worn them in forever. And you’re not gonna wear them today either. And makeup? Who needs makeup? You’ll just go barefaced since you have no one to impress. Actually just kidding maybe a little concealer just to cover up a few rough spots but that’s IT. You’re still a little self conscious and you know you have to work on that but not today.

It’s now 10:15. You grab your purse from the couch, slip on your favorite pair of slides and head to your car. You’re the kind of person who absolutely needs music when you drive so you quickly start blasting your favorite playlist. Before you know it, you’re pulling up to the beach area. Parking is hard to find on the weekend but your lucky ass managed to squeeze into a street parking spot right as someone pulls out. You lock your car and make the trek to Cozy Coffeehouse, your favorite coffee shop hands down.

Karli is already here and she’s hopping up and down, waving at you. She looks super cute today in her little black dress and fishnets. She’s had the same taste since high school and you’re glad that even a Master’s degree hasn’t stopped her from dressing all punk on her days off. You jog over and give her a quick hug.

“Hey girl look at you!! You’re so cute!” You take in her makeup and you swear if she didn’t go the corporate route she definitely should have been a makeup artist. Her eyeshadow is amazing and you’ll never ever have the blending talent that she has, nor could you ever get your eyeliner to look that sharp.

“Aw thanks! You look comfy though I’m kinda jealous now maybe I should’ve dressed down.” 

“No I love your outfits! Besides, someone has to look nice in this relationship.”

You link arms and march into the cafe. It’s located near the fancy designer stores on a large hill overlooking the beach. When you step inside the whole atmosphere screams ‘cozy’, fitting its name perfectly. The interior is littered with mismatched sofas and armchairs but it somehow still looks aesthetically pleasing. Soft piano jazz is playing through speakers and when you step inside the delicious scent of freshly ground coffee beans immediately invades your nostrils.

You glance at their pastry display first. Today must be your lucky day because they have tiramisu and you absolutely love tiramisu but it’s usually sold out. No way in hell are you letting this chance slide, fuck breakfast norms you’re definitely getting a bite of that. Unfortunately you’re not a fan of sugary treats on top of sugary drinks so to balance things out you choose to order their house brew.

After you two order, you find a spot in one of the plush armchairs near the window and sit. You really are lucky today since window seats are usually taken. But not this time! You guys get to enjoy the gorgeous scenery displayed before you. The sun is bright, people are laying on the beach tanning, and kids are splashing each other with water. For the first time in awhile, you feel content with life, if only for a bit. 

Before long your orders are called out and you stand up to retrieve them. Once you’re settled, you break into conversation with Karli, eager to catch up on everything that happened since you two last spoke face-to-face. You talk about work, Karli’s boyfriend Sunny, that new pizza place that opened up near your apartment that actually has really shitty pizza.

“Like seriously how do you fuck up pizza that badly?” you exclaim in between generous bites of tiramisu.

“No I get you,” Karli responds, slurping her iced mocha frappuchino, “everybody knows what pizza is supposed to taste like, I mean it’s gotta take talent to actually fuck it up to the level you’re describing girl.”

“Exactly!!” You wave your arms in the air, wanting to physically demonstrate your frustration at the situation and your passion for good pizza.

“Anyways…” Karli gently sets her drink down and takes on a more serious tone. “How are you though, honestly.”

“Hmm, me?” You swallow your last bite of tiramisu, “I’m doing good. Works ok, life’s ok. You know. Everything’s… ok.”

“I get that everything’s ‘ok’ but you know I want you to be more than ok. I want you to be happy”

You see the genuine concern in her eyes. Bless this girl for being so soft-hearted.

She continues, “And when was the last time you dated? Like, what, 2 years ago??”

Of course she has to mention dating. Karli has always been a romantic. You? Not so much. Your brain tended to err on the logical, practical side, which is not always a good idea since it keeps you away from many potential relationships.

“I date!” You scoff, but you’re not convincing anybody, least of all yourself.

“Oh really?” Her eyes widen in mock surprise, “Tinder one night stands don’t count babe. You know what I mean.”

“Well you didn’t specify…” You mumble, trying to come up with any excuse to defend your pride. You know she’s just being a good friend and that she’s asking because she cares about you, so you don’t let her questions irritate you.

“Sweetie I’m not trying to make you feel bad and I’m sorry if it comes across that way. It’s just… you mean a lot to me and you’re my bestie and I just want to see you be happy.” She takes your hand from across the table and looks you in the eyes. “We don’t get to see each other as much as we used to, so when I do I want to check in on how you’re doing.”

Then she averts her eyes, which you find highly suspicious. “Also I may or may not have found someone who I KNOW will be a perfect match for you.”

“AHA I KNEW you were leading up to something!”

“Wait but hear me out. He’s an accountant and at first I was like hmmm is he too boring for Y/N? But then I realized I was judging him by his job and that’s not cool so I talked to him and he’s, like, actually super cute and super sweet and I think you two will get along so well!” She’s speaking very fast at this point, trying to squeeze out as much information as possible before you can interject. Then she finishes with one of her signature Karli smiles, big and wide and all teeth and she knows you can’t say no to that face.

“Dammit. Fine.” You lost this round. “Alright if he wants to meet up I won’t say no. How bout that?”

“Gee that’s so thoughtful of you Y/N.” Her tone is sarcastic but she’s still smiling so you know she means no harm.

After another half hour of conversation, locked in a heated debate about food again (this time she’s defending her stance that pineapple belongs on pizza), Karli’s phone rings. The sound scares the poor girl half to death, and watching her jump a mile from her couch had you snorting into your coffee mid drink.

She looks at the caller ID, muttering under her breath, “It’s Saturday what do they want?” then glances up with a sad little pout, “Sorry Y/N it’s work gimme a sec…”

From what you can hear on her side of the conversation, something has come up and she has to head to the office right away. 

“Ok I’ll be there in fifteen,” she hangs up and gives an exaggerated “Ughhhhh”. She takes one large gulp, finishing the last of her ultra sweet, ultra whipped frappuccino. “It’s like they can’t do anything when I’m not there.” She looks especially apologetic when her eyes land back on you, “I’m so sorry I have to cut this short…”

“Hey it’s ok! Duty calls ya know,” you give her a reassuring grin, hoping it passes for a smile instead of a grimace. You were really hoping to hang out today.

“No it’s not ok. We didn’t even get to walk around today! And I know how much you like to do that.” She stands up, slipping her purse onto her shoulder, “so next time I’ll plan a day where I guarantee I won’t get interrupted. It’s the least I can do.”

“Mk sounds good babe,” you give her a big hug, “Go get ‘em tiger!”

After she exits the cafe you finish the last bit of your coffee and glance out the window, staring at the people on the beach. Wow it’s really crowded down there today. You zone in on two kids attempting to build a sandcastle, but it’s too close to the water so the waves flatten it in two seconds. But it seems they didn’t learn their lesson because they keep rebuilding the castle in the same spot. Just move it further up little dudes.

You find yourself lost in thought again. Just because Karli’s suddenly busy doesn’t mean you don’t still have a whole day to yourself. You can walk around on your own. Also why not treat yourself to another drink? A fun one this time from their specials menu.

Ten minutes later you find yourself wandering around the various shops, hot hazelnut latte in hand, gazing at display after display of designer clothes and bags. Look, you may not be a huge fashion person, or have any expendable cash, but a girl can still appreciate art, especially when it’s laid out so nicely in front of you. 

Speaking of art, there’s an art gallery coming up that you absolutely love. You’ve always been too afraid to go inside because you’re the type of person who feels obligated to buy something if you enter a local store and you DEFinitely can’t afford anything there. So you opt to loiter outside, like some creep, looking a little too long at the featured art through the window. This time it’s an Impressionist style painting of a ship on hazy waters with a sunset in the background. You’re no artist but you can appreciate good quality work when you see it. The piece is mesmerizing and serene, transfixing you to the spot. Before you know it, you’ve been staring for 15 whole minutes.

While admiring the artist’s use of color on the display piece, you overhear a lady raising her voice not too far away, snapping you out of your trance. It sounds like drama, so being the nosy bitch that you are, you’re definitely gonna check it out, if only to satisfy your curiosity.

“What do you mean ‘no’?! You’ll be perfect for each other!! Where’s your owner I bet he’ll listen!” At this point the lady’s voice is sounding downright aggressive.

As you shuffle closer to the scene of the noise, you spot a middle-aged, blonde lady pointing her finger at two hybrid men, almost jabbing one of them in the chest with her sharp, ruby nails. Behind her stands a gorgeous female arctic fox hybrid who clearly belongs to her as she pats her owner’s shoulders, trying to calm her down.

“I’m sorry miss but we just aren’t interested.” The taller of the two hybrids with orange hair speaks up, gently pushing the lady’s hands away. “Please leave us alone.” He’s being surprisingly calm, even after getting yelled at in public.

“Yeah lady get out of our faces,” the other white and grey haired hybrid is definitely more agitated, crossing his arms as he huffs in annoyance. You don’t blame him since the blonde lady is being ridiculously rude.

You can’t really make out the two males’ faces, since they’re turned away from you, but they are obviously hybrids. Both having incredibly bushy, soft-looking tails and tall, pointy ears sticking out of their heads.

Even if you can’t see their expressions, you can tell they’re uncomfortable with the harassment. Since you’re still somewhat unaware of the context, you stay out of the argument but decide to keep an eye on the situation in case the lady steps out of line. You’re just slightly around the corner, able to stay a safe distance away so that no one, especially the lady, can catch you eavesdropping. Pretending to admire the Gucci purses displayed in front of the shop you’re now standing at, and almost choking at the price, you cautiously side-eye blondie as she refuses to back down from the hybrid boys.

“Listen here you rude little pets, I’m not leaving you alone until I see your owner. My Sylvia here,” she gestures to the fox hybrid behind her, “would make a perfect partner for you.” She pokes the orange haired hybrid again, “I’ve been searching so long for her to find a mate and I’m not giving you up! Now where the hell is your owner!”

What the fuck?! How dare this lady talk to them like that? And in public no less! You now know exactly why she’s yelling at them. Working at a private hybrid clinic has opened your eyes to the harsh world of hybrids, and their selfish, rich owners. It’s not uncommon for owners to negotiate with each other and breed their hybrids. If two pretty hybrids mate, their children can be sold for loads of money. It's cruel and disgusting, with many of the children sold off before they can even get to know their parents. You’re all too familiar with this tradition, often catching owners in the waiting room of your clinic discussing in whispers about buying and selling hybrid children as if they’re livestock.

“Hey what the fuck did you call us?!” The white and grey hybrid is now also raising his voice. “Listen you wrinkly bi…!” He is quickly silenced by the orange hybrid, who abruptly clamps his hand over his buddy’s mouth.

Orange hair clears his throat. “What he means is, we don’t appreciate the tone you’re using with us. Please leave us alone ma’am. We’ll be on our way. Goodbye.” They attempt to brush past her.

“Hey hold on a minute! I’m not done with you!!” This lady even has the balls to grab onto orange hair’s arm. “I demand to speak to your owner!” Then some sort of realization dawns upon her because her eyes go wide, then quickly narrow. “And where are your collars? Aren’t owned hybrids supposed to have collars on? You know I just might have to call Hybrid Services.” 

You can see the boys visibly tense at her words as she sports a satisfied smirk. Poor Sylvia is now gently tugging on her shirt. “Please calm down, miss…” she says desperately trying to remedy the situation.

Before you know it, and without any plan of action, you round the corner and march up to the boys, standing defensively in front of them.

“Um…” You gulp, then clear your throat, speaking in what you hope is a more confident tone. “Sorry I took so long guys! You wouldn’t believe the line at the coffee shop!”

Next

[sombreboy]

Love Maze »12

Previous  » Next Series Masterlist ▎ 18+ ▎ pairing: Taehyung x Jungkook ▎ genre: School AU, crack humor, smut, angst, ETL, slow burn, fluff. ▎ word count: 14.4k ▎ ch.warnings: cursing, just two boys that are dumb for and to each other, fluffy fluff, jealousy, dom!tae, sub!jk, fingering, anal, car sex.

Co-writer: @velvetwicebang​ ♡♡♡

When the next morning arrived, everyone could sense the new grown tension between Jungkook and Taehyung.

It wasn’t like before, where they’d shoot dirty looks at each other from across the room just for the hell of it, adding on to their small feud.

Tae couldn’t even face Jungkook’s direction, much less glare at him for yesterday’s events.

He knew he had some fault in the matter..

But still, Taehyung was one stubborn guy. Part of him was hoping that Kook would reach out to him first.

Of course, that didn’t happen.

The elder sat with Haechan and the others during breakfast, picking out the sugary marshmallows from his cereal, curious eyes occasionally wandering over to his usual table.

Jungkook was just as stubborn, still upset over the words Tae had thrown at him during last night’s argument. It was not something Kook would easily forget... But, a part of him wondered why Taehyung even chose to say it in the first place? He stormed out, and no apology was ever received. It was fucked up.

School sucked, he missed having the elder around. Now, instead, he was back to either lingering among his hyungs, or being all by himself.

Honestly, he just wanted to be left alone for a bit, and after a long struggle with his team they finally gave in to giving the younger space.

Jungkook grabbed his tray as he walked across the dining hall, his eyes quickly found Taehyung sitting with his other friends. The friends that apparently had called him slurs…

Before he'd let Tae notice that he was looking, he sauntered over to his usual table, not bothered by the fact that people definitely were looking at him

One, some simply stared because they knew he's gay.

Two, others stared because usually, he doesn't sit by himself.

Three, because now somebody suddenly thumped down on their ass across from Jungkook, and it was probably the last person Jungkook wanted, or expected to see. Even Taehyung would've been a preferred face than this one.

''Hey, Jungkookie.'' Ash rested his chin on top of his palm, elbow firmly pressing into the table. A small smile creeped on his face, a scar adorning his lower lip as a trophy from Taehyung's fist.

Taehyung was one of the people who was definitely looking at him, furrowed eyes following Jungkook’s every move as if everyone else in the cafeteria was just a speck of dust— irrelevant and unimportant.

The elder brought the small milk carton up to his lips, still keeping an eye on Kook over Kai’s shoulder, wondering why the younger was sitting on his own.

However, because of someone, Tae didn’t wonder about that for long.

As soon as he saw Ash approach Jungkook, the carton in Taehyung’s hand became his enemy.

The boy’s grip tightened around it, and if it wasn’t for Haechan who called him out on his weird behavior, strawberry milk would’ve most likely exploded everywhere.

What the hell was Ash doing?

It was killing Taehyung, not knowing.

Jungkook's eyes met Ash's, the knot of anxiety in the younger's gut was suddenly so tight that his appetite was nonexistent.

''What do you want?'' 

Ash leaned back against his chair with his arms crossed,gaze roaming the younger, falling on the bandaged hand.

''What happened?'' Completely ignoring Jungkook’s question, he seemed concerned.

''Why do you care?'' Jungkook scoffs, now seemingly annoyed. However, he was more uncomfortable and anxious than anything. Just the fact that there's people around was the one thing soothing his nerves.

''Of course I care, Kook...'' Ash sighs, ''You sat here all by yourself, so I wanted to check on you. Where's that.. Taehyung guy, hm? Finally got rid of him?'' 

Jungkook's tongue prodded his cheek, slamming his fist against the table-- startling nearby people. But not Ash, he expected this reaction.

''I suppose I was right.'' Ash shrugged, ''I'm still down if you need to.. relieve some tension.''

''You're sick.'' Kook growled lowly, not bothering to grab his tray before getting up and storming out of there, leaving an amused Ash still seated.

The latters eyes found Taehyung's, a small nod in acknowledgement followed before his wolfish grin grew. Ash was a predator, slowly getting back into the life of its prey. One way or the other, he loved the struggle of getting there.

But they didn't know that.

When Taehyung’s sour gaze clashed with Ash’s devilish stare from across the room, his lips twisted up in the form of a small snarl, wanting nothing more than to punch that unsettling grin off his face.

Whatever it was that Ash said to Jungkook, Tae didn’t like it one bit. And apparently Kook thought the same thing, walking out of the dining hall to god knows where.

Taehyung wanted to go after him, to check in.. but stubborn was his middle name, so he stayed put.

The rest of the day was shit, it consisted of Tae contemplating whether or not to shoot Kook a message. What would it say? He had no fucking clue.

Along with constantly contemplating, Taehyung spent most of his classes just.. thinking. Thinking about what happened, Jungkook’s condition, and what the hell his next move was going to be.

It scared Tae— that their relationship could be over without  him even knowing. For all he knew, Kook might’ve already made up his mind.

When it was finally time to get out of there, Taehyung didn’t bother waiting for the younger in the common area, roughly pushing on the busy doors and walking out to the parking lot, squinting his eyes from the bright sun.

He had to admit, the passenger seat felt a little empty without Jungkook’s butt on it.

It was a bright day, but Tae wasn’t.

Jungkook's mind was flooded as he was walking down the hallway towards the exit. As he reached the common area, he automatically searched for Taehyung's form by the doors, and a piece of him felt his stomach twist when he was nowhere to be seen.

Not that he would've gone with him anyway. Why would he?...

He still wasn't sure what was going on, but this must mean that Taehyung surely meant to leave everything as it was, his last words still sore in Kook's heart.

Now, on top of this entire mess, Ash had resurfaced to bother his mind. What the fuck does he mean, 'relieve some tension' ? He pops up as soon as Jungkook is alone and assumes he's free to fuck? 

Psycho.

Jungkook pushed through the doors with his backpack tightly strapped against his shoulder, the bright sun hitting his eyes.

''Ah..'' It was nice. Perfect running weather, honestly. And what better way to give his mind a break than exercise. He took advantage of the moment, putting the backpack on properly as he started to walk, gradually speeding up into a jog.

Maybe he'd give Jisoo-noona a knock.

~ 

“Yuna.. please? For mommy?”

Jisoo was in the middle of trying to feed the iron-willed girl, attempting to airplane the spoonful of baby food into the sobbing girl’s mouth.

She even added sound effects— knowing how much her daughter loved them— but it was no use.

On any other day, carrots were her favorite. But today, Yuna needed Froot Loops, completely disregarding any other kind of food until she got what she wanted.

“What kind of mom would I be if I just let you eat unhealthy things?”

Jisoo sighed, pulling a handful of her hair away from Yuna’s determined fist.

A second later, and the knocking on her door gave her an excuse to shift her attention from the loud crying, running her fingers through her bird nest of hair before unlocking the door, not looking to see who was on the other side.

“What do— Jungkook?”

Shit. Her worn out expression flushed with color, embarrassed that the younger had to see her like this— baby food adorning her oversized shirt, eye bags under her eyes, hair looking like it hasn’t been combed in years, ‘’Oh, uhm.. come— come in! Sorry, about this.”

Jisoo signaled over her appearance with an exhausted exhale, Yuna’s crying ringing in the background, “It’s been a rough day.” She forced out a chuckle, rubbing at her arm.

“Anyways! How was school?”

The woman walked over to where her daughter was, trying to calm her down.

Jungkook's eyes widen momentarily at her messy state, stepping inside as he shrugs.

''It was, uh, a day. Okay I guess.''

As he makes his way inside, he follows Jisoo towards the sound of the crying child, approaching the little one with a smile, ''Oh, somebody's grumpy!''

Jungkook felt his past worries wash away for a moment when he sees Yuna's expression morph from her stubborn cries to wide doe eyes, a small coo at the sight of Kook.

She was so cute, and feeling that her pure joy was immediate from seeing him, he felt excited too, his childlike bunny-smile evident as he reaches out to ruffle her soft hair,

''Mood swings at this age, huh?''

“You can say that again..” Jisoo tiredly mumbled, sitting down on the floor cross-legged.

While she stirred the small jar of food, she spared the newcomer a quick glance.

“Just okay? Did you and Taehyung talk? Say aah..” The woman guided the spoon into Yuna’s mouth, who happily obliged this time around, big eyes still glued on the guy whom she’s gotten used to seeing. The shift didn’t go unnoticed by Jisoo, who suddenly wished that Jungkook would come over everyday if it meant that her daughter would be less fussy.

Also.. he was nice to talk to.

Jungkook slumped down on the floor next to Jisoo, making small faces at Yuna to keep her happy as she mindlessly accepted every spoonful from her mother at this point.

He glances over at Jisoo, a shake of his head accompanying his response.

''He didn't even look at me, so I.. I didn't either.''

He sighs quietly, but then he shrugs, ''It's whatever, right? How are you?'' His eyes observe her, she looks really tired, ''Are you getting enough rest? I could help with Yuna ..'' He offered without hesitation, a little surprised himself. But in all honesty, he really did enjoy it here-- even if he barely knew either of the girls. It just felt very homey. Caring. And since last night, noona felt like somebody he could lean on, so he wanted to be the same for her.

The woman’s face morphed from serious to surprised.

Serious, because she felt a little bad about the fall out of both boys’ relationship. The understanding part of her wanted them to resolve their conflicts, communicate.

After the short pizza gathering the other day, Jisoo felt like she earned herself some new friends. Even though she only knew them for a short period of time, the woman felt like they were genuine people.

And genuine people belong together, no?

However... She also enjoyed spending alone time with Jungkook, which is why her weary eyes widened after making out the latter’s unexpected offer.

Help with Yuna..?

No guy has ever volunteered to help, all of them would scram the moment they knew she had a daughter. But Jungkook, he was different.

Jisoo’s gaze softened, a sincere smile tugging at her lips.

She momentarily stopped feeding the baby, resting one hand on Jungkook’s thigh.

He’s a sweetheart..

“Don’t worry about me, okay? And don’t be silly. You need to focus on your studies!”

Afterwards, Yuna let out a high-pitched squeal, as if she was agreeing with Jisoo.

Jungkook barely noticed nor put any thought to the hand on his thighs, simply shrugging once more with a smile.

''I have great grades. Besides, it's really not a big deal to me-- if you need some help..'' His eyes find Yuna, his infectious smile appearing again, ''Don't be afraid to ask. You need to take care of yourself too.''

He reaches to gently grab the baby food and spoon from Jisoo's hands, wanting to try it out himself as he scoops a small spoon of food to guide it to the little one's mouth, his own mouth opening wide as he speaks, ''Aaaahh~''

Yuna mimics his movements, happily eating as she giggles at his shenanigans.

He really was good with babies.

Jisoo didn’t say anything else after that, and instead just gazed at the side of Kook’s face as he fed Yuna.

Her heart was beating really fast, this wasn’t good..

With a fond smile, the woman flicked her attention back on her daughter. Her hand had yet to scurry away from Jungkook’s thigh, thumb caressing over the fabric of the boy’s jeans.

“Why is it that she seems to like you more than me?” 

Jisoo pouted, leaning her body weight against the other’s shoulder, huffing out of jealousy.

Jungkook stiffened slightly, suddenly hyper aware of the way she leaned against him. It felt different-- one, it wasn't Taehyung.. Two, it wasn't terrible. It was nice in a way. He felt like Jisoo finally felt comfortable with him, kooks innocent mind only taking it as a friendly touch.

"I doubt that... maybe because I havent had to tell her no yet" he chuckles, shoulders shaking lightly with it as he feeds Yuna the remaining food before he's finished, "You ate it all! Good job!" He grins, clapping his hands in joy, which brings yuna to mimic the movements with a small squee, "Noona, did you have dinner yet? I'm hungry too."

The woman now sat up a little straighter, eyes crinkled as she clapped along with Jungkook, enjoying the sweet feel of it all.

She didn’t think further into it for long, knowing Kook was still caught up on Taehyung— a guy.

In that moment, Jisoo found herself wondering about the boy’s sexuality..

Not that it was any of her business, but, was there a possibility that he was bisexual? You know.. into women?

Kook’s words pulled her out of it, though; her vision coming back to focus.

Jisoo felt awful for even thinking of that. After all, she promised herself no dating.

Caring for Yuna was her top priority.

“I didn’t yet.. would you like me to make you something?” The woman asked, walking into her kitchen only to rummage through her pantry, tiptoeing to reach a packet of noodles.

“How does veggie noodle soup sound? I’ve been told that’s my specialty!”

Jisoo wiggled her eyebrows, waiting for an answer when more knocks made her whip her head in the direction of her front door.

Who else could it be?

Sparing Kook a questioning glance, she hesitantly walked over to the door, peeking through the peephole.

“It’s your friend, Namjoon.” Jisoo looked back at Jungkook, just as equally confused to see him here.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Joon felt like he was about to pee his pants from the nerves. 

He wanted to check in on Jungkook, that was all. Nothing more.

He’d already talked to Taehyung during school today, and it didn’t hurt to see how Kook was doing as well..

The boy tried to convince himself that was the reason— and part of it was— but the truth is, he wanted to see her, Jisoo.

God, he felt like such an idiot..

''Veggie soup sounds good, next time I could--'' Jungkook was interrupted by the knocking, watching Jisoo exchange a just as confused look as he did, waiting for her to check who it is.

Namjoon? What is he doing here?

Well, the obvious, checking on Kook... But he already did yesterday, and today. Namjoon surely is a worried father figure in Jungkook's life.

Namjoon shifted the weight on his feet, anxiously waiting for the door to open, and when it did, he was kind of disappointed to see that it was Jungkook who opened it and not Jisoo.

''Hyung, I'm okay, don't worry too much about me.'' Jungkook attempted a smile to soothe the elders' nerves.

''Ah, well, I had to check... You know me,'' He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his nape as he cranes his neck to catch a glimpse of Jisoo in the back. 

''How's your, uh.. Friend?''

Internally. smacking. himself. 

He really was a sneaky fox when it came to everything; except women.

Jungkook's eyebrows raised in mild surprise, glancing over his shoulder at his noona. He turns  back to Joon, leaning in to whisper his next words.

''She's really exhausted, so I'm helping out.''

Joon nods, a tightness of worry in his gut at the words. He wanted to help too,

''Well....'' Should he offer it? No, it's too weird, isn't it, ''You're kind, Kook. I'm glad you're well.''

Namjoon left it at that, trying to conceal his inner dissatisfaction as he flashed Jungkook a dimpled smile. Nonetheless, he was happy to see the younger less.. out of it. At least something good flourished from his last minute visit.

Joon shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans before walking out of the apartment building; still not knowing a thing about the woman who caught his eye.

“This was so stupid..” He sourly  mumbled to himself, ruffling his own hair out of frustration.

Why must he have a crush?

Namjoon knew that was only a recipe for embarrassment, a lot of stuttering, and a reckless heart.

Joon couldn’t afford to take in all of that, not when there was a big game near.

But.. maybe afterwards, he’ll ask Jisoo out.

The boy nodded to himself, feeling more confident compared to a few seconds ago.

Yeah, that’s what he was going to do.

For now, though, he had to worry about what he’d include in tomorrow’s practice. Namjoon wanted to make sure that all of his guys were confident; him included.

~

The following day, Taehyung strolled into the locker room a little later than everyone else, exhausted.

The boy barely got any sleep last night, and it seemed like every time he’d try to close his eyes, an electric rush of guilt would stream through his veins.

Tae knew he couldn’t sleep it off, confrontation appeared to be the remedy he’s been needing.

His favorite.

Safe to say, Taehyung wasn’t looking forward to speaking to Jungkook today..

For all he knew, Kook would ignore him; disregard the speech he’s practiced in head over and over again— and for a valid reason.

Tae knew he acted like an ass.

The elder anxiously waited until everyone else evacuated the locker room, stealing quick glances at Jungkook before his fingers wrapped around the latter’s wrist, stopping him from leaving like the others.

“Hey..”

His voice came out weaker than he would’ve liked, causing Taehyung to visibly gulp as he shifted his attention from Kook’s bandaged hand to his doe eyes, gaze serious.

“Can we, uh, talk?” Tae added a soft, “please?”

Jungkook raised his eyebrows, a bit surprised. Taehyung hadn't said a single word, not even spared him a look since their argument. Well, that kook knew of..

But he stopped, turning his body towards the elder as he kept his gaze fixed on Tae.

He looked anxious.

But Jungkook did want to hear what he had to say, he would be lying if he claimed anything else.

"Hm..." His eyes flickered over to the way Tae didn't let go of his wrist, "Okay." He nods, anxious for what he'd have to say.

An apology? Or an excuse? Would he officially break up? Kook felt his mind swirl with every possible scenario, he had to sit down.

Taehyung refused to let go of Jungkook’s wrist, the contact easing his stress somewhat.

He took a seat beside Kook on the nearby bench, his grip around Kook loosening along with his stiff shoulders.

“So..”

He looked down at the younger’s hand on his lap, eyes scanning around the bandage as he gathered his messy thoughts, trying to seem less nervous than he actually was.

“About what happened— the fight. I’m.. I’m sorry.”

Taehyung’s jaw clenched down, angry at himself for the hurtful words he mindlessly threw out at Jungkook.

“I didn’t mean any of it. I-I’m not embarrassed to be seen with you, and I know I should work on not giving a fuck about what people think..”

With a heavy sigh, Tae looked up at Jungkook, afraid of his reaction even though he’d just started. He wanted to make sure he was doing this right.

“I said some really fucked up things, Kook, and.. I just, I just need you to understand that not a single ounce of me meant any of it. About your parents... I never should’ve brought that up. I know you don’t blame me for that, I'm just— I’m an asshole, that’s it.”

Taehyung scoffed, taking a moment to blame himself some more.

“What we have, or had.. it’s normal. Our relationship, it’s normal. When we kiss each other, that’s normal! When we hug, fuck— all of it! That was normal.”

The elder let out a shaky breath, squeezing tighter onto Jungkook’s wrist, afraid that it would be the last time.

“I’m fucking sorry. If.. if you want to break up, I-I understand but just know that I regret everything I said.”

Jungkook sat in silence, his gaze fixated on the locker across from him. He stared, blankly as he listened to every single word coming out of Taehyung's mouth.

Slowly, he processed it all, the seconds of silence felt like an eternity for the two of them-- Most likely tortuous for Taehyung.

As the words hit Jungkook, he felt his heart stuck in his throat, this uncomfortable feeling of his emotions crashing on him like a wave once more.

Fuck, he had to be this emotional, didn't he?

''Tae...'' His voice broke when he uttered his name, eyes glazing over with a layer of tears as he turned his gaze to fall on Taehyung, ''I don't want to break up with you... But I don't want to be a secret...''

Kook moved his arm, replacing the grip on his wrist with his own hand, intertwining their fingers. He sighed softly at the familiar feeling, it felt good.

''I don't expect you to... kiss me in front of everyone, or yell out that you're with me, but... I want to be able to just feel normal with you.. Hug you, hold your hand. Talk to you-- without you feeling like you have to step away from me every time somebody looks at us.''

Taehyung’s breath hitched in his throat; eyes looking into Jungkook’s glistening ones, his ears intently listening to what the latter had to say.

His heart? It was no longer drumming against his rib cage. Tae was thankful that Jungkook still wanted to be with him despite everything that went down..

 Truth be told, that was what scared him the most— breaking up.

Taehyung kept quiet, gaze glued on their hands, fingers busied as they played with Kook’s smaller ones.

He took everything that the younger said into consideration, and honestly, most of it scared the shit out of him.

Holding hands.. It was so simple yet frightening. Anyone could tell Jungkook was braver than he was. 

His boyfriend was fearless, and Tae admired that.

“Okay.” Was all he mustered up the courage to say, “I’ll.. I’ll try, for you.”

He smiled, truly wanting to improve for Kook. It was a relationship, Taehyung needed to remember that it wasn’t all about him. He needed to make sacrifices, and that’s what he was planning on doing.

“I missed you, you know.” The elder leaned in, eyeing Jungkook’s pretty eyes, and then his lips.

“Can I kiss you..?”

Jungkook couldn't help but smile, his lips pulling up in a toothy grin that causes his nose to scrunch up in his own cutesy way.

Taehyung would try, and that was enough. More than enough... For now.

"I missed you too," he leans in to close the  small distance between their lips, feeling the warm and familiar taste of him was one of the things he missed more than anything.

And just like that, he knew that his feelings wouldn't just go away. They never did, and at this point, he doesn't think they ever will.

"I really missed you.." he repeated when he momentarily withdrew, only to lean in for another, and another...

It was addicting.

Kook’s hands reached up to cup the elders face, holding him in place to make sure this was real as he wanted nothing else than to just keep feeling Taehyung in soft, slow, and most of all--  needy kisses.

Taehyung beamed in between each messy kiss, sinking further into the younger’s yearning touch on his skin, not minding that Kook was practically squishing his face, causing his lips to jut out. On the spur of the moment, Tae shifted from his spot on the bench, lips still attached to Jungkook’s as he straddled the latter’s lap. There was no trace of lust behind it, Taehyung just.. missed him.

The elder was so into it that he failed to hear the sound of the door opening up, in coming Jimin who was sent to fetch them.

“Taehyung? Jungk— woah, uh..”

The smaller boy was sent into a shock, but not really.

It was weird, because part of Jimin wasn’t surprised by the sight, yet the other half was..

Tae’s eyes widened for that initial second, feeling himself wanting to shrink up from embarrassment. But, he still didn’t budge from his boyfriend’s lap.

“Well.. Joon wanted to know what was taking you guys so long. What— what were you two doing?” Jimin teasingly raised a brow, holding back a little smile.

Taehyung— who wanted to groan at the look his hyung was giving him— let out a soft sigh.

He nervously nibbled on the insides of his cheeks, glancing at Jungkook and then Jimin.

“I was kissing my boyfriend.”

He guessed that was a good start..

Jimin nods as he lightly shrugs, as if it was indeed an acceptable answer.

"Okay, but don't take too long!" His smile was permanently engraved at this point, taking in the sight of the two of them before turning on his heels to leave. 

Jungkook purses his lips and wraps his hands around taes smaller waist to pull his body closer as soon as Jimin leaves. He cranes his neck to reach Taes lips, whining a little when he just needed the elder to bend down just a smidge.

"Remember when I told you that you've grown a lot?" Kook tightens his grasp around Taehyungs waist, fuck, did he miss feeling him underneath his fingertips.

"You did it again. A boyfriend level up~" He grins at the game reference.

Tae shook his head in utter amusement, a lopsided smile begging to be seen by the beautiful boy beneath him.

The elder opted for throwing his arms around Jungkook’s neck, hiding his warm face in the crook of the skin.

“I’m shy..” Taehyung quietly mumbled, scooting up a bit on his boyfriend’s lap so that he could hug him tighter; so that he could feel their chests move against one another with every breath they took.

Gaining the courage to look into Jungkook’s doe eyes, Tae withdrew his embrace.

“You know, it means a lot— to just.. to hear you say how much I’ve grown?” 

The boy smiled, tucking one of Kook’s loose strands of hair behind his ear.

“It makes me feel good, really good.” Taehyung nodded, running his fingers through his boyfriend’s head of fluff, trying to smooth down certain parts.

“Is it just me or is your hair, like, growing. A lot.” 

Taehyung leaned back a bit so as to make sure he was seeing it right.

“I like it.”

''Kim Taehyung is shy...'' Kook giggled, his chest shaking lightly as he does so,

''Ah, you think so...'' He questions, moving his head from side to side to show his overgrown locks off, shaking them lightly until the loose strands fall back on his face.

''I kind of like it too, so I guess I'll keep it growing..''

Jungkook straightens up his posture, keeping his arms wrapped around the elders waist, not ready to let go just yet, craning his neck up to stare up at his boyfriend with doe eyes.

''Doesn't it make me look kind of like a bad boy?'' Another grin pulls on his lips, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Hmm.. kinda.” Taehyung chuckled, fingers once again traveling upwards to swim through Jungkook’s curly locks, brushing the stray strands away from his eyes.

“But you’re the furthest thing from a bad boy.” The elder quickly pecked the little scar on the side of his boyfriend’s cheek, patting Kook’s chest before standing on his feet.

His Jersey slightly rose up as Taehyung outstretched his arms over his head, trying to make up for the stretches he’d most likely missed.

“Come on, before Joon sends anyone else looking after us.” Tae jokes, extending out a hand for Kook to take.

For what felt like the longest time, but in reality wasn't more than a couple days, Jungkook felt like he could genuinely smile again, grabbing Taehyung's hand without any hesitation whatsoever to pull himself up on his feet.

''He really needs a girlfriend,'' Kook whispered with a chuckle, walking up the stairs together with Tae, ''Or whatever.'' Insinuating that he really doesn't know what Joon would be into, shrugging as they make it to the court, greeted by their team that are rocking a mix of confused, excited and surprised looks.

Namjoon was a mix of all three, his hands firmly placed on his hips as he watched the two men walk together as if the previous tension from the past few days never even happened. It warmed his heart, honestly..

''Alright, everyone's here,'' Namjoon claps his hands together.

''We're getting close to the big game now, this is it-- no time to slack around! Let's do warm up, then half of the team will simulate the opponent in a match! Go!'' Joon announces, watching as everyone obliged to his orders, running his hand through his hair with a soft sigh.

The game was so close, it caused him anxiety. But... Now that things were good between his two best players, they had a shot.

~

By the time practice was over, Taehyung had made up his mind.

He wanted to let their friends know about their relationship, figuring that would be a better start than none.

Slowly, he’d let other people know— people whom he felt comfortable with. Which, now that Tae thought about it.. that bunch was very compact.

The big picture was, Taehyung was determined to work through his internal fears. And slowly but surely, he’d get there.

“So, uh.. guys?” The elder cleared his throat, pausing picking out the marshmallows from his cereal, instead now focused on trying to pick apart the right words.

“I have something to admit.”

Taehyung’s deep voice sounded so serious that by the time he looked up from his tray, his hyungs were staring right back at him. Somehow, that made him more anxious.

“Jungkook and I are dating.”

Silence.

Then more silence..

Jin was the first one to break the streak.

“That’s it?”

Curious as to what he meant, Tae furrowed his brows.

“Yeah..?”

“I thought we already knew this.” Hoseok awkwardly chuckled, looking around the table to see if anyone else agreed with him.

“Yeah. Shit, if that’s big news, then my name isn’t Min Yoongi.” The mint-haired boy munched on his toast, unaffected by what was just revealed.

Taehyung, on the other hand, was shocked. They were.. Fine with it?

“If that’s big news, then I wouldn’t have the biggest dick out of everyone here.” Jin joined in, smirking.

“If that’s big news, then that means I didn’t feed my brother’s fish to my cat.” Jimin shrugged.

“Okay, first of all— that’s fucked up.” Hoseok eyed the shorter boy with a grimace. “But if that’s big news, then that means Joon would’ve already had a girlfriend—“

“Alright, cut it out!” Namjoon childishly pleaded, “I had a girlfriend, for your information. She just— why am I telling you this..”

Taehyung blinked, clueless about what he’d just heard.

“So.. you guys are cool with it?”

Had he been worrying over nothing..?

"Of course we are!" Jimin sang out, his smile genuine as he glances over the group, who nods and smiles in agreement.

"Honestly, it took you long enough to tell us, but it was obvious," Yoongi shrugged.

Jungkooks grin grew with every supportive word from his hyungs, happily sipping on his milk as he leaned in a little closer to Taehtung, nudging their shoulders together in a way that would tell Tae 'See?'

"Thanks guys. It means a lot." Kook felt so relieved, his entire being vibrating with joy because he felt like Taehyung was finally admitting something this big. That they were dating.

Together.

In a relationship!

And he wasn't a secret anymore.

He felt important, and it meant the world to Kook.

"You guys are cute together," Jimin continued, leaning his chin against the palm of his hand, a soft sigh escaping his lips while gazing at the two boys in awe.

They really were adorable together, Jungkook was beaming-- and Taehyung looked almost flustered at the support he was given. He must've expected the worst.

In the past, Taehyung was sure those words would’ve made him shrivel up and cringe in his spot, but now that he was experiencing it; that wasn’t how he felt at all. Instead, the elder felt a blanket of ‘pride’ engulf him; ensuring him that there was nothing to regret.

Their friends were very accepting, the deafening worrying was a waste of his time.

Tae perceived the faintest of blushes creeping up his neck, Jimin’s comment looping around in his head.

They were cute together— possibly the cutest.

Taehyung gave Kook the pile of marshmallows he was specifically picking out for him, knowing how much his boyfriend liked them.

At the thoughtful sight, Hoseok swooned even more.

“So, tell me. Who asked who out? Were there fireworks? A bouquet of roses?!”

Jungkook shot a smile towards Taehyung, a silent thank you for his favourite thing to eat; sweets.

Happily indulging, he picks piece by piece between his delicate fingertips to eat them, filling his cheeks up as he chews, the sugar melting in his mouth. 

It was almost as sweet as Taehyung was today.

The wave of questions hurling at them had Jungkook chewing faster, swallowing before opening his mouth to answer.

''It's a secret.'' The shit-eating grin on Jungkook's face grew when his hyungs groaned in disappointment, eager for more information.

''Come ooon! Give us something!'' Hoseok whined.

''I bet it was Jungkook,'' Yoongi adds with a shrug, chewing his food.

''I'm sure it must've been Taehyung, he is full of surprises these days,'' Jin snorts, pointing his fork at the two boys.

''You guys know enough, but-- I wouldn't mind some flowers,'' Jungkook smiled. It might be surprising to some, but he really does love flowers. He even has a secret plan of tattooing his birth flower on his arm, whenever his bank account would allow it.

Just like Jungkook, Taehyung was having a lot of fun messing with his hyungs’ sudden interest about their relationship— especially Hoseok, who seemed like he would combust at any given second.

Of course, Tae knew the answer, evident by the way he blushed whenever he glanced at the younger. He doesn’t think he’d ever forget about that night..

It’s gotten to a point where whenever Taehyung drives by that McDonald’s parking lot, he’s reminded of the little details.

His limp, the twinkling stars, strawberry milkshakes, Kook’s doe eyes glistening under the moonlight..

It’s an image that’s forever embedded in his brain.

“Come on, Tae! Tell us!” Jimin whined, sulking even more when Taehyung responded with a firm shake of his head.

“Nope. That’s only for us to know.” The boy smirked, shrugging his shoulders before dumping his milk into his marshmallow-free cereal, happily bringing a spoonful up to his mouth.

He crunched on the mouthful, slyly listening in to Jungkook’s side comment about flowers; making sure to jot it down on a mental list.

~

The day went by smoother than normal, Jungkook happily got through his classes that were separate from his boyfriends, but not once did the latter leave his giddy mind.

He couldn't wait to see him, anxiously bouncing his leg underneath the table for the bell to ring.

Chewing on the pencil in his hand, he counted down the seconds…

As soon as the bell rang, Jungkook sprung up on his feet to jog towards the common area, eyes searching for the one face he was looking for, and a wide grin adorned his face seeing Taehyung waiting by the entrance.

Everything was back to normal, and Jungkook had never been this excited to get into the crappy car that he grew fond of.

''Tae!'' he cooed, snaking his hand around the bicep of the elder.

“Hey, you seem excited to see me.” Tae gently nudged Jungkook’s shoulder with his, ruffling his boyfriend’s soft mop of hair before pushing on the doors, stepping out into another sea of students. With the way Kook had his arm wrapped around his, others’ invasive stares didn’t overlooked by Taehyung; who simply picked up his pace, kept his head down, and tried not to let people’s gazes get to him.

Truthfully, Tae was aching to withdraw himself from Jungkook’s hold, but that only resulted in internal guilt.

The elder was going to tackle this fear day by day; that was a promise.

Once they got in his car, Tae sighed and threw his head back against the headrest, hating having to wait for the string of cars already in line to merely get out of the parking lot. 

He should’ve known better— just a minute after the bell and it was packed. 

It was expected, school was exhausting as fuck; everyone walked around half-dead.

However, Taehyung didn’t have it that bad. 

The view at his side surely kept him entertained.

“You look pretty— well, prettier than usual.” A hand snuck down to Jungkook’s thigh, giving it a playful squeeze.

His sharp eyes fell on his boyfriend’s doe ones, which were now a shade lighter from the sunlight bouncing off of them.

Fuck.. it was during moments like these where Tae wanted to kiss him.

“I missed you, a lot.”

He repeated himself, a needy sigh leaving his parted lips.

It was also during moments like these— when Jungkook’s beauty compared to no one else’s— that Taehyung wanted to paint the latter’s neck a shade of purple..

The elder’s bigger hand traveled further up, close to his boyfriend’s crotch as he spoke.

“Guess who got a ninety-percent on his Geometry test?”

He asked, gaze flickering up to Kook’s face.

“Me. Your boyfriend. Don’t you think he deserves a special reward for his hard work..?”

Jungkooks breath hitched underneath Taehyung's touch, doe eyes growing larger as their eyes met.

They've done so many things to each other at this point, and somehow it always feels like the first time, in some weird way...

"Yeah? I think he does..." Kook plays along, enjoying this much more than he thought, the initial surprise and shyness washing away as soon as he felt Tae's hand inching up his thigh.

Fuck, Taehyung was so hot when he spoke that way...

Kook's own hand would greedily move to squeeze Taehyung's thigh, the soft yet incredibly firm flesh felt amazing between his fingers. He squeezed harder, the veins underneath his skin prominent as he did so.

"What kind of reward would he like?"

An airy chuckle snuck past Taehyung’s moistened lips, who was more than pleased to find out Jungkook was down for fulfilling his lustful thirst.

Just one day without his boyfriend and Tae turned into a horn dog— he couldn’t help it. Not when the younger one looked so delicious..

His hand crept closer to Jungkook’s bulge, “Shit, there’s a lot of rewards he’d like..”

The elder’s tongue swiped over his lips, massaging at the space close to his boyfriend’s crotch.

“But, there is one that stands out to him..”

Taehyung reached for the younger’s hand, placing it on his clothed cock. Not once did he divert his strong gaze from Jungkook’s face.

“One that makes him really fuckin’ hard.”

Taehyung forcefully pressed down on his boyfriend’s hand, silently urging Jungkook to cup him with all his might— harder, just the way he liked it.

As a response, the elder felt himself begin to harden in the other’s grip.

“You.” He heavily breathed out, black fringe streaming over his eyes.

“You in this car, on your back.. all spread out ‘n pretty for him. His fat cock stuffed so deep inside of you..”

A small grunt emitted from the back of Taehyung’s throat at the mere thought.

“He’d fuck your insides until all you’re able to see is stars, baby. Until slobber is running down your chin— ah fuck..”

The elder wanted to take him right here, right now.

“Shit, that’s what he wants— that’s what he wants and more.”

Taehyung’s teeth clamped down on his bottom lip.

“So what do you say, pretty? Does that reward sound good enough for you?”

Jungkook allowed a quiet groan of his own to escape his lips at Tae’s words, nibbling on his lower lip at the mere thought of being fucked in his car.

He remembers exactly how fucking good it felt to have Taehyungs cock inside of him... shit, did he need it.

"Please..." is all he could muster to say, his eyes glazed over with the pure lust overtaking his senses, his hand cupping and massaging Taes bulge, feeling it grow harder underneath his palm.

"I want you so bad..." his voice grew needier, letting his lips part to allow another heavy breath push through. He felt greed overcome him, not hesitating to fumble with the button of his boyfriend's pants to grant him access to the one thing he wanted the most at this moment. 

Normally, Jungkook would be one to tease... but not today. He missed this too much, undoing the zipper of taes pants to instead snake his hand underneath the fabrics to pull Taehyung's cock out, mouth watering at the mere sight as his gaze broke from the elders to admire the view.

Taehyung was breathy, filled with primal lust just for him. A sense of pride hits kook at the way he was also able to affect his boyfriend just as much as he affected the younger.

Taehyung’s eyebrow twitched, hands gripping at the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. With his mouth slightly agape, Taehyung felt himself quiver in Jungkook’s hand.

His rock hard dick was throbbing and lacking the proper attention it needed— which was the worst possible combination.

“Fuck.” Tae whipped his head around, looking to see if the line of cars had gone down.

He didn’t know just how much longer he could take it..

“Touch it, pretty.”

The elder instructed, hungry for even the smallest of friction.

It was better than nothing until he could drive away to somewhere a little more.. private.

“Get a feel of what your plump ass has been missing,” Taehyung’s head fell against the headrest, trying to seem unbothered as a group of students walked by his car, clueless as to what was happening just a few glances down.

Jungkook pressed his back against the cushion of his backrest, head turned towards Taehyung with a gaze fixed at the elders heaving chest, his face-- his everything.

''I've missed your cock, Tae..shit..'' He whispers with a low voice, bringing his hand to his mouth to let spit drip into his palm before bringing it back to spread the wetness across the elders tip, slowly bringing it down his length. The way the smooth skin glistened from Kook's spit was a gorgeous sight.

''Good?'' He asks with a crooked smile, now providing the friction Taehyung so desperately needed, fingers firmly wrapped around his fat cock as  he uses his fully palmed grasp to stroke the entirety of it.

“Mhm..” Taehyung’s face scrunched up into one of pleasure, visibly a mess under the other’s touch as his own hands gripped tighter onto the steering wheel; imagining it were his boyfriend’s hips. His toes curled in his shoes, heavy breaths evident by the way his broad chest heaved up and down. 

“Just like that,” he praised, slowly grinding into Jungkook’s busied hand, unable to stay still for a second longer— not when Kook was jerking him off so wonderfully..

“Fuck..!” Taehyung huffed, looking over his shoulder once more, his frown morphing into a smirk when he saw there weren't as many people blocking the exit.

Shit, he’s been waiting for this moment.

With one hand on the steering wheel, the elder backed out of his spot. He glanced at Jungkook with a look that read, ‘get ready’ before he sped out of there, trying so hard to focus on his driving and not the way his boyfriend’s hand was working on him.

Taehyung drove around until he found a secluded area close to a forest trail, noticing there weren’t any cars or people around to disrupt them.

It was perfect.

He turned off the engine, unbuckling himself before he reached over for Jungkook’s face, pressing their lips together into a needy, messy kiss.

As if on cue, the second Taehyung turned the engine off Kook had already snapped his belt off, meeting the elder halfway in a kiss. His hand never faltered, continuously pumping Taehyung with one ad the other settles on his knee in a tight grasp,

''I..missed...you'' He mumbled between the kisses, giving up on trying to speak at all-- instead indulging in tasting Tae's tongue with his own, small whines caught in the younger's throat.

If the definition of needy had a face, it would definitely be in the form of Jungkook.

Taehyung kissed Jungkook back with just as much passion— just as much want. The warmth of their tongues gliding again one another was almost enough to throw Taehyung over the edge; not to mention, the way his boyfriend’s fingers wrapped so smugly around his cock had a deep moan yearning to be acknowledged.

However, it was muffled against Kook’s lips.

“I fucking missed you too..” The elder pulled away, staring at Jungkook through his eyelashes.

In a desperate manner, Tae shimmied out of his jeans and boxers, letting them pool at his ankles before tugging at the fabrics attached to Kook’s skin.

In a way, he was jealous of them.

Taehyung was jealous that they got to feel Jungkook before he did.

The elder pulled his shirt over his head, kicking off his shoes and everything else that was stopping him from showing off his naked body.

“Come on, baby.”

Taehyung led the both of them to the backseats. He hovered over Jungkook, not wasting any time before splashing his neck with some color, sucking and nipping at the skin.

Jungkook allowed himself to be guided, relishing in the fact that he barely had to think, simply just feel the elder lead his own needs for the younger.

Kook had done an awful lot of thinking lately, and being nothing but in this very moment was everything he could focus on.

He had tunnel vision for the man above him, doe eyes screwed shut in pleasure.

''Fuck, yes...'' His voice was whiny, a tone he hadn't used in quite a while..

Kook spread his legs, giving Taehyung enough space to position himself between the youngers legs as he hovered above him, JK snaking his hands around Tae's torso to smooth his palms over the skin of his back, feeling the muscles flex and tense-- a guilty pleasure of Kook's.

This time, Kook had no care in the world about having his skin covered in purple, this time, he didn't have to care about who would see it.

Taehyung’s lips dragged themselves down to the younger’s chest, the tip of his nose faintly grazing against the naked skin as heavy puffs of air clashed against it.

As he tackled Jungkook’s pants, trying to undo the zipper; the elder’s mouth latched on to a spot near the boy’s collarbones, looking up at Kook through his fringe whilst he sucked on the skin, gently tugging at it with his teeth.

Once Taehyung was pleased with the way it looked, he switched over to a new spot— thinking of it as a free canvas, until he came along and claimed it as his.

By now, Jungkook’s lower clothing was tossed to the side, and Tae’s bigger hand was stuck massaging the younger’s milky thighs.

“So beautiful..” Another splash of color.

“The prettiest baby..” And another, until most of Jungkook’s chest and neck were littered with fresh hickeys.

Serves him right. Whoever tried hitting on his boyfriend would be reminded of who he belonged to, Kim Taehyung.

He no longer hovered over him, instead he let his body rest by Kook’s side, an elbow propping him up so he could take a proper look at his boyfriend’s face.

Tae’s free hand snaked down Jungkook’s body, stopping at his needy entrance.

“Gonna push it in, okay?”

He bit down on his lip as a response to feeling the younger’s warm insides, still keeping a sharp eye on Kook’s expressions.

“Baby, think you can take in all five~?”

Taehyung leaned down to lowly whisper in the boy’s ear, his middle and index fingers making scissoring motions, trying to stretch Jungkook to his full potential.

Seconds later, and the elder squeezed in another finger until it was knuckle deep.

“Want another one?” He breathed out, his own erection pressing against his boyfriend’s hip.

Jungkook loved this part almost as much as the actual fucking. Feeling Taehyungs long, strong fingers stretching his ass has him a whimpering mess already-- holy fuck did that guy know how to use his hands.

His chest heaved up and down as he was focusing on his heavy breathing, a series of cries and gasps in pleasure rolling off his lips.

"Please," his eyes quiver as they find Taehyungs, "More-- shit.... a-another one, /please/!"

“So desperate..” Taehyung amusingly breathed out through his nose, nonetheless following through with the boy’s consistent pleads. He pushed in another finger past the initial tight ring of muscle, his thumb the only one left to get wet.

From the way Jungkook seemed to be behaving, Tae knew he enjoyed it just as much.

“Still so tight. Just for me, huh?”

With the leg closest to his boyfriend’s, Tae’s knee nudged at the space in between the younger’s calf and back of his thigh, urging him to raise it up a bit so he had more access to his hole.

The elder’s set of slender fingers slammed in and out of him, the squelching noises taking over Taehyung’s senses, who wanted nothing more than to stuff Jungkook with his hand.

“Ready for the last one?”

Jungkooks head snapped from side to side, it was already an overwhelming feeling-- his body ever so responsive to the elders fingers. He doesn't know what to do with himself, so he did the one thing he could to keep himself somewhat grounded; staring up at Taehyung.

Kooks doe eyes were glazed over with a layer of tears, pupils so dilated in lust that they were almost entirely blackened out.

Seeing Taehyung this focused on making the younger feel this good... it amplified the feeling by a tenfold.

Jungkook got greedy, he wanted everything that Tae could give, nodding desperately as his body twitched when the elders fingers slammed his most sensitive spot, drawing out louder moans and a series of breathy 'yes's from kook.

With a small smirk lingering on his lips, Taehyung stared down at Jungkook, meeting the younger’s gaze as he worked his fingers inside of him.

The elder swiftly leaned down to catch Kook’s lips with his own, attempting to shush the cries of initial pain as he pushed in his last finger— shoving them in until almost all of his knuckles were engulfed by his boyfriend’s tight entrance.

Jungkook's muffled moans vibrated in his throat, eyes screwing shut from the slight pain of having all of Taehyung's fingers knuckle deep inside of him.

His body was squirming underneath the elder, skin burning with lust, just like his entire being felt like he would melt any second. He felt so full...

But not as full as he could be...Would be.

Taehyung’s mouth watered at the sinful sight from under him, his throbbing cock only awakening furthermore from the way Jungkook’s body couldn’t seem to sit still.

“Fuck.. you’re taking them in so well,” He leaned down to whisper against the younger’s mouth, his lips grazing against Jungkook’s softer ones as his fingers sank in deeper, harder.

The elder continued to pump his dripping digits inside of his boyfriend, repeatedly rubbing at the sweet spot he’d become so familiar with; his hand digging in just past his knuckles.

When Taehyung felt that was enough, he pulled his fingers out; the warmth no longer squeezing around them.

“Shit..” The boy licked over his lips, bringing his veiny hand up to his face for closer inspection.

It was drenched in Jungkook’s juices, a thick layer of clear liquid catching the light.

A proud, crooked smile appeared on Taehyung’s face, who showed it off to the younger like it was some sort of trophy.

Damn, he couldn’t take it anymore.

Sitting up, the elder used the same hand to thoroughly spread Kook’s juices along his length, the middle of his brows scrunched up in concentration.

In one quick motion, he flipped Jungkook’s body around so that the latter’s stomach laid against the backseat, his perky ass facing Tae as he spread the younger’s reddened cheeks, using one hand to guide his cock into his hole.

“F-fuck..”

The elder’s body collapsed on top of Jungkook’s, gradually pushing his dick into him until his sweaty chest met the younger’s back.

With his pelvis pressed up against his boyfriend’s ass, Taehyung began moving his hips, soulfully grinding against Jungkook as he breathed out into the boy’s nape, one hand tightly gripping at his hip while the other rested by Kook’s head.

A drawn out, breathy moan pushed through Jungkook’s lips when he finally felt Taehyung's cock sink into him,

''Oh--'' He couldn't hold himself up, the weight of the elder forcing his chest to press flat against the carseat, hands seeking leverage against the door, muscles dancing underneath his skin on his arms and back, ''G-god...your cock feels so good.. I fucking missed i-it.'' His voice broke into a whimper when Taehyung moved his hips, Kook's teeth gnashing together-- shit, it felt amazing.

Jungkook's ring of muscle automatically tightened around Tae's length, his own cock throbbing and desperately seeking friction-- and getting a slight feel of it through every small movement of his body grinding against the carseat due to Taehyung's thrusts.

Taehyung didn’t waste any time in increasing his rhythm; initially pulling out until only his mushroom tip stayed inside of Jungkook before slamming his wet cock into him once again.

He repeated the same movements a few more times— pace slow but harsh, his pelvis roughly clashing into Kook’s ass; feeling the boy’s cheeks slightly bounce from the contact.

“A-ah yeah?” He breathed out, trailing some open-mouthed kisses along Jungkook’s shoulder.

“Well your ass feels so fucking good— fuck..”

Taehyung felt himself twitch inside of the younger, the sudden tightness catching him off guard.

The elder’s upper body sank into the dip of Kook’s back, face nuzzled into the latter’s neck as he began to thrust into him at a greater speed; grunts and groans pouring out of his mouth.

Afraid that his boyfriend would hit his head against the door, Taehyung gripped harder at his hip, nails sinking into the flesh as he allowed himself to lose control.

Whoever passed by would think that his car was possessed; it moved along with every push and pull of Tae’s hips.

The vague squeaking of the car seats went unnoticed by the younger, broken cries in pleasure continuously escaping his throat.

As if his entire being had tunnel vision, all he could think about was how much he loved this, how much he loved feeling, and hearing him. No, he couldn't even think, just indulging in the moment completely, his own hips desperately trying to meet the elders thrusts to no avail, his body was completely under Tae's control,

''H-harder...please..''

Being ever the masochist for Taehyung's cock, he always pleaded for more, for it to be harder, faster.. He knows his boyfriend could let himself lose control, his strength one of the things Jungkook absolutely adores about him. He craved to feel him, hear the aggressive thrusts of the man on top of him, his body jolting, however held tightly in place by the elder.

Kook felt his cock rub against the fabrics of the carseat, providing friction that amplified his satisfaction, the greed to chase his high rising,

''F-fuck me harder!''

The elder only growled as a response, fucking into Jungkook like his life depended on it.

The sound of sticky skin whipping against one another filled the inside of Taehyung’s car; the windows lightly fogged up from the bundle of breathy moans that emitted from both boys’ throat.

“A-ahh, fuuuck!” He yelled out, panting whilst drilling his cock deeper into Jungkook’s ass, never once stopping to catch his breath although the mere thought of it was tempting.

“You. Are. Mine.” With every pause in between each airy word, Taehyung’s dick slammed into his boyfriend’s prostate.

The squeaking of the car seats became more noticeable, as well as the rocking of the elder’s car with every aggressive hump from Taehyung.

“Shit— I-I’m gonna cum, baby..!”

The elder’s clammy forehead fell on top of Jungkook’s shoulder, switching between jagged thrusting and gyrating his hips, each one just as fast.

“A-are you close?”

Jungkook attempted to nod, but the way his body was rocking back and forth made it impossible to point out, so he opted to attempt at using his hoarse voice.

"Yes!" He cried out in a high pitched, breathy tone, "So close, so close-- don't stop!" He begged, letting his sweaty cheek press against the carseat, the skin rubbing on it with every thrust, just like his cock-- pathetically rubbing against the surface below him.. god, he was about to explode and make a mess beneath him, all he needed was that last push over the edge, to feel Taehyung's cock grow harder inside of him and fill him up with his cum.

"I'm gonna c-cum..fuck fuck f-fuck!" Jungkook’s voice breaks into a loud moan, his breath caught in his throat as he tightly shuts his eyes, toes curling up.

Kook's body reacted before he even could, tensing up and muscles flexing as he felt his orgasm hit him like a wave of white pleasure, a feeling that had his eyes roll back into his skull. As Jungkook came harder than he's ever done before, his ass tightly squeezed Taehyung's cock, desperate for the elder to cum with him-- the feeling becoming too overwhelming.

From the way Jungkook’s walls seemed to grasp around his volcanic cock, a stream of Taehyung’s cum squirted into the boy’s loose insides; his body stiffening up in the midst of it.

“Fuck!” The elder cursed out loud, throwing his head back with a shout, his grip on Jungkook’s hip tightening for a mere moment before his fingers relaxed.

He panted from the loss of breath, beads of sweat seem trickling down his chest and onto his boyfriend’s back.

Taehyung found the sight in front of him breathtaking...

After a few tranquil seconds of making sure that he’d spilled all he had to offer into Jungkook, that’s when Tae pulled out, falling limp at the younger boy’s side.

One hand patted Kook’s butt, massaging at the skin whilst the other rested behind his head, a lazy smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

He peeked one eye open, coming face to face with a worn out Jungkook.

“Ready for round two?” Taehyung joked, playfully pinching his ass before swinging an arm across his boyfriend’s back, pulling him closer.

“This was the best reward, ever.” He chuckled breathlessly, pressing a chaste kiss to Jungkook’s rosy cheek.

“I would’ve actually tried on all my other tests if I knew this was the outcome..”

Jungkook smiled through his heavy breathing at the joke, letting Tae pull his exhausted body closer.

"Don't get too smart on me now, my ass is gonna be permanently damaged." He wraps an arm over Taes body, a small whine escaping him as he feels the mixture of the elders cum & his own juices leaking.

"Fuck... that was so good though.. actually, keep getting good grades, permanent ass damage sounds worth it." He joked, placing a few kisses alongside Taehyung's jawline until they finally landed on his lips.

Kook's eyes admire Taehyung so much at this very moment...

He wants to say it.. the three words that continuously linger on the tip of his tongue.

“Oh, yeah?” A cheeky grin formed on Taehyung’s face, who deliberately gave himself up to his boyfriend’s kisses; humming in pure content once Jungkook’s lips fell on his.

“Just for the record,” Tae shifted on to his side, his arm propping him up. “I’d still love your ass— permanently damaged or not.”

Right after the words left his mouth, the elder’s back dropped back down to the carseat with an embarrassed groan, ruffling his sweaty hair so that his outgrown fringe fell over his eyes.

Taehyung had a loose tongue whenever he was around Jungkook; he couldn’t help it.

Once he’d gotten the balls to gaze into his boyfriend’s doe eyes once again, Tae pushed his sweaty fringe back, prominent brows furrowing at the look Jungkook was showering him with.

“What.” His eyes had seemed to crinkle up, the corners of his lips curling upwards into a boxy smile.

“I know, it was stupid.”

Taehyung ran a hand down his face, thinking Kook was secretly judging him for the ass comment.

Taehyung would love his ass....

What about... simply love Jungkook? Was that really too hard, or too much? Surely by now, they've been through enough to comfortably say it, right?

Jungkooks even said it before.

But the reaction he got last time was nothing short of unsatisfying, and it did make him a bit more nervous about using the words.

So Kook didn't.. he let his affectionate stare do the work, his eyes quivering with the love he felt for this man-- and finally just taking another moment to truly take in his features.

'I love you', he kept repeating the words in his mind, his lips almost mimicking the movements-- but never uttering a sound.

"You're not stupid, you got a ninety percent on your test..." Jungkook smiles, trying to avert the attention from his long stare just seconds earlier, reaching out to run his hand through taes hair, "Next time... let me do the same to you."

A small smirk pulled on his lips, a crooked eyebrow following. He'd love to see how many fingers the elder could take as well.

Taehyung’s previously dimmed gaze lit up at the unexpected invite, now staring into Jungkook’s daring eyes as the latter’s hand soothingly smoothed over his hair.

“Kook, that’s gonna hurt!” The elder whined, “also, you’re fucking smart. You’re gonna get good grades on everything!” Tae childishly exclaimed, internally worried about the future conditions of his ass once his buff boyfriend got his strong hands on it— or in it.

He was also incredibly turned on, but the snippet of fear overruled that.

''Hey, don't you trust my abilities? I'd never hurt you..'' Jungkook smile was wide, tone of his voice playful, ''And yes, I would have perfect grades-- deserving of rewards.'' He presses his lips together to kill the smile on his lips, but to no avail.

He relaxed his body, leaning his cheek against Taehyung with a soft sigh.

''Alright....I'm tired... Wanna come back to my place?''

After a few lingering seconds of Taehyung’s figure spread out across the backseats; contemplating whether or not it was even worth it to move, he managed to give in to Jungkook’s words, mumbling a low, “If I must..”

The elder slowly sat up in his spot, stretching his aching muscles before reaching for their discarded clothing, slipping his shirt on.

Tae visibly grimaced at the bitter odor coming from his armpits, and in that moment he knew, he was in need of some deep cleaning. By the looks of it, so did his crappy car..

The seats were covered in cum, and it reeked of sex.

Taehyung shrugged it off, though. It wasn’t like anyone else other than Jungkook got rides from him. He’d take care of it later.

Once they’d finally parked out front of Kook’s building, Taehyung took some time to just.. Gaze.

One day.

Who would’ve thought that one day could feel like an eternity?

Definitely not the elder, but as he stood there with his hands stuffed in his pockets, he found himself smiling. He was glad to be back to the one place he considered ‘home’.

“Can you still walk, Kook?” Taehyung giggled as he teased his boyfriend, not even passing Jisoo’s apartment when the door busted open, revealing a grinning woman.

“Jungkook-ah! How was school? I made this for— oh..”

Her smile twitched at the sight of Taehyung, but she was quick to pick it back up.

“Taehyung.. you’re back!” Jisoo beamed, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Tae could only nod, rubbing at his nape whilst he stared at Yuna, who was in a carrier attached to her mother’s chest. Then, his gaze fell on the plastic container in Jisoo’s hands.

Awkwardly shifting on her feet, the older woman looked back at Jungkook, chest slightly tightening at the hickeys that ran along his skin.

“I made you some more of the veggie noodle soup? I know how much you liked it last time, so..”

Jisoo forced out a small chuckle, extending out the container for Kook to take, refusing to let her eyes travel down to his neck.

God, she despised herself for feeling jealous..

She should be happy.

As if Yuna could sense her mother’s discomfort, she cooed at Jungkook, immediately enlightening the situation.

Jungkook froze on the spot, startled by Jisoo's sudden appearance. His eyes travel from her face, to Yuna, to the container in her hands...

She made him food?

''Ah, noona!'' He smiled, unaware of her sudden drop in mood, hiding it just well enough from the oblivious boy, ''You made this for me?''

He stepped closer, reaching out to take it from her hands with one of his, using the other to poke Yuna on her cheek, drawing another giggle from the baby.

Jungkook's eyes travel back up to his noona, his smile softer, ''Thank you.. uh, school's been good!''

Suddenly he felt oddly aware of the hickeys on his neck. Why-- he wasn't sure why it mattered, but his hand awkwardly reached up to rub his neck, an attempt to possibly hide them from her, knowing it was of no use.

''Ah, uh, yeah.. Taehyung's back!'' Jungkook genuinely smiled this time, stepping back to stand next to his boyfriend.

“That’s..” She quickly tried rummaging around in her brain for the right words, “That’s great! And you’re welcome, I know it can be hard— living alone and not having enough money for food. So I thought, ah! Better make Jungkookie something to eat..”

Jisoo drifted off by clearing her throat, noticing she was up and rambling about useless things no one ever wanted to hear.

Taehyung— who was just as clueless— flashed her a simple smile, thanking her for taking care of Kook when shit hit the fan.

“But, anyways, we’re good now.” He concluded, turning his head to look at his boyfriend as his hand discretely caressed his lower back, feeling like things were finally back to normal.

Jisoo glued on a smile at the sight, sad eyes flickering between the two. With a soft exhale past her tinted lips, the older woman forced herself together, shoving the sour feelings to the side.

“Well, Jungkook,” she treaded carefully, “I was going to ask you if you wanted to help me move some things..?”

Jisoo glanced down at Yuna, running her delicate fingers over her daughter’s fluff of hair.

“I was going to drop off the little one at my sister’s place, then go back to my old apartment to get the rest of my things. I mean, my car isn’t the biggest but after a few trips we’ll be good!”

She reassured, patiently waiting for what the younger boy had to say.

Taehyung was the one who opened his mouth, however, hesitant about whether to intervene or not.

“Noona.. If you’d like, I can call one of my friends? He has a truck, so. His name’s Joon, and all he does is study, so he shouldn’t be busy.”

Tae deliberately threw that out there, shrugging his shoulders.

Jisoo, who thought about it for a few seconds, answered Taehyung with a nod of her head.

Why the hell not? It’ll definitely make things easier on her end.

He pulled his phone out of the back pocket of his pants, tapping on Namjoon’s contact before ringing him up.

To Joon: Hyung, you busy? Kook’s neighbor needs help moving in some things.

~

Namjoon reached over for his phone, chewing a mouthful of snacks as he tapped the screen to open the conversation. As he read the text, he almost choked.

Kook's neighbour?!

J-jisoo?!

Abruptly, he tapped away to send his reply;

To Tae: Not busy, I'll be on my way.

Namjoon was nervous, yet excited. It was as if the gods had blessed him with a chance to see the girl once more. Without any second thought, he tripped over his shoes to grab his jacket and head over.

~

Jungkook mimicked Taehyung's shrug, a small smile on his lips. He wouldn't have had any issue with helping his noona, but honestly... He just wanted to spend the evening with his boyfriend-- he'd missed him so much.

“I’m here! I’m— shit..!” Namjoon made his grand entrance by nearly tripping over his undone shoelaces, startling Taehyung and the others. Yuna’s doe eyes went wide from the sudden intrusion, small fists clinging onto Jisoo’s shirt as she gawked at the newcomer.

Tae thought it would be weird if they’d just left Jisoo with a guy she’d never met.

The least he could do is introduce them to one another and reassure her that Namjoon wasn’t a serial killer before disappearing into Jungkook’s apartment, probably off to cuddle or, firstly, take a much needed shower. He smelled like old socks.

“Uh, okay well.. Joon, this is Jisoo. Jisoo noona, this is Joon.”

Taehyung kept it brief, shoving his hands into the warmth of his pockets before his eyes awkwardly bounced between the pair, not knowing what else to say.

“We’ve met!” The both of them chimed at the same time, turning Namjoon into a flustered mess.

Tae cocked a brow, noticing how his hyung was acting more lame than usual. He didn’t question it, Namjoon was Namjoon.

“Your uhm.. your baby sister is cute!”

The eldest boy said, gaze drawn to Yuna, unaware of the pleading look Jisoo was flashing at Taehyung and Jungkook.

Jisoo smiled awkwardly, her thumbs caught in Yuna's smaller hands as she plays with them,

''Actually, it's my daughter!''

Namjoon's eyes widen, the heated blush of embarrassment and guilt showering over him as he bows deeply.

''I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean.. I mean, youre just so young and-- it's completely normal to be a young mother-- ah..'' he facepalmed, noting that he should just shut the fuck up instead.

Jisoo laughs, a bright smile instead adorning her face, ''No, no, its okay!''

What a dork. As expected from a friend of Jungkook's, in all honesty. She sees why the younger likes him so much.

Jungkook smiles, rubbing his nape as he nudges at Taehyung.

''Then, we will leave you guys to it... We uh, we'll see you guys tomorrow.''

With one last look at Namjoon and Jisoo’s direction, the elder followed Kook into the apartment, shutting the door behind him before kicking off his shoes and jumping onto the couch.

“Think Joon will talk her to death?” Taehyung mumbled with his face planted on the cushion, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.

As pleasurable as car sex was, it was also tiring. They had little to no space to.. explore each other’s bodies to their full potential.

Also, there were only so many positions they could do.

“Actually, I think he already talked her to death.”

But despite the difficulties that came with having car sex, Tae craved for more.

The obvious answer was, if it was sex with Jungkook, he wouldn’t mind if they fucked on top of a mountain— actually, that thought intrigued Taehyung.

He’ll have to bring it up sometime.

Tae slowly sat up, his hands rubbing at his eyes.

“A shower sounds really good right now, you in?”

''Unless she did it first, they both are blabbermouths,'' Jungkook chuckles, walking over to stand by Taehyung's side next to the couch.

''And yes, a shower would be amazing. I'll go heat up the water.'' He bends down to place a soft, affectionate kiss on Tae's forehead before he turns to stroll towards the bathroom, turning the shower on as he prepared two towels hanging on the wall. He started to take his clothes off, pulling the shirt over his head, ''Shower's readyyyyyyy!''

Taehyung practically leaped onto his feet the second he heard Jungkook’s voice, already disregarding his shirt on his way to the bathroom, letting it drop down to the tiled floor along with his underwear and jeans.

“Ah.. I really needed this.”

He hummed in pure content, allowing the warm water to cleanse him free of the sweat from before, a relaxing stream trickling down his hair and back.

Tae turned around to face Kook, smiling at the boy.

“You think Joon likes Jisoo? He was acting really weird— well, weirder than usual.”

The elder’s lips came together into a thin line, brows crunching up in thought.

“Kook, I feel like a dad that just sent his son on his first date.”

Date..

At the sound of the word, Tae now glanced over at his boyfriend.

Now that he thought about it.. they’ve never had a proper date themselves.

Shit, should Taehyung ask Jungkook out on a date?

If he says yes, what should he wear? Where would he take him?

''I think Joon is absolutely a dork for noona,'' Jungkook hums, his hands reaching out to move tae's wet hair away from his face.

''It is weird, isn't it?'' Regarding Joon and Jisoo, in his own mind, ''They are kind of cute together.''

Jungkook stepped closer to get some of the water to hit him as well, feeling the soreness in his behind as he clenched his jaw.

Now that he thought of it, he also wanted to go on a date.... With his boyfriend.

A proper one.

Would Taehyung find it too cheesy?

“Yeah..” The muscles underneath Taehyung’s neck bobbed after the visible gulp he’d taken, swallowing down an uncomfortable lump in his throat as his gaze flickered down to the colorful hickeys on Jungkook’s upper chest, index finger carefully tracing over them.

A burning question hung on for dear life at the tip of his tongue, wanting to be heard— to finally be addressed, because God knows how long the words have been itching to drop.

“Kook?”

Taehyung bit down on his lip, arms snaking around the other boy’s waist. The other boy whom he was sure he wanted to take out on a date, “Let me take you out.”

It sounded far from a question, but the elder hoped Jungkook got the memo.

''Hm? What?'' Jungkook didn't fully process the words coming out of Taehyung's mouth, pressing his body close to his.

Slowly, the words sank in.

'Let me take you out.'

It wasn't a question per se, but coming from his boyfriend's mouth, it would be weird if it came out any other way.

He wanted to... take him out? On a date?

Kook's doe eyes lifted to look Tae in the eye, finding the elder so adorable.. 

''Are you asking me out?'' He raises an eyebrow, a pouty smile on his lips, ''Because I'll say yes.''

“Yes, I’m asking you out!” Taehyung laughed, embarrassed about the situation he found himself tangled in.

Nevertheless, he was just as happy.

Jungkook agreed to go out with him, for fucks sake! If this wasn’t something to internally celebrate, then he didn’t know what was.

“Cool.” The elder tried to seem unfazed, but the way the corners of his lips moved up on their own was a big give away.

Tae leaned in to press a soft kiss to his boyfriend’s neck, meeting the same eyes that caught his attention.

“So.. tomorrow? After school. You and me.”

By now, Taehyung doubted he possessed the common ability to form sentences longer than three words. But that was the ‘Jungkook effect’, and he’d fallen victim to it a long time ago.

“Leave it up to me, alright? I’ll get everything ready.”

Jungkook tilted his head to the side.

''Surprise date?'' He felt giddy, and didn't even attempt to hide it, a toothy bunny grin on his lips, wrinkles in the corners of his eyes appearing. His body almost vibrated in excitement,

''I wanna know, tell me!'' He held his hand up, ''Actually, no, don't tell me! It's a surprise...aahh''

Kook finished off washing his hair, deeming himself clean enough as he stepped out to dry himself with the towel. He was excited now. Last time--and the only time he's ever been on a date was with Ash... and that memory clearly needed to be replaced.

Tae parted his lips, about to recite to his boyfriend what the meaning of a surprise was in a smart-ass tone when Jungkook caught himself, only appearing all the more adorable in Taehyung’s eyes.

“It’s kinda last minute, though.” The elder sheepishly reminded, ruffling at his wet hair with the towel, wishing he could’ve put more time into planning out their date.

“I probably won’t be able to get us any fancy dinner reservations..” Tae sighed, knowing he was horrible at taking the lead— in some aspects.

Maybe he’d force a suggestion or two out of Jimin. He knew how much the elder drooled over romance; further highlighting his title of a hopeless romantic.

Plus, last Tae remembered, Jimin watched the Twilight franchise five times. If that didn’t speak ultimate hopeless romantic level, then Taehyung didn’t know what did.

“But honestly, anywhere with you is okay.”

The boy playfully scrunched up his nose, tugging Jungkook close by the waist, not caring that he’d get his boyfriend wet, “More than okay, actually.”

"Ahh, you've been such a sweet talker lately..." Jungkook mirrors the nose scrunch, grimacing at the fact that Tae wasn't dry, but easily gave in to be held close,

"I like it... I like you." Kook gave the elder a pouty smile as he cupped Taehyung's face, drawing him in to guide their lips together in a sweet kiss.

He took a moment to just.. feel Taehyung. Softly kissing his lips again, and again, a little hum of satisfaction rumbling in Kooks chest.

“You like me? Well that’s a relief..” Taehyung playfully added in between their kisses, pecking his boyfriend’s needy lips one last time before putting the towel in his grip to work, afterwards slipping on his briefs as well as the rest of his clothing.

He was excited, a little nervous. But most of all excited to take his boyfriend out on a proper date.

Finally, Jungkook’s words seemed to make a little more sense.

Taehyung could see it; he has matured.

“What do you say we finish that anime? I forgot what it’s called.”

Jungkook followed, getting dressed in sweatpants and a baggy t shirt as he headed towards the living room with his boyfriend, instantly sprinting to crouch by the tv to find the exact movie he was talking about.

''Spirited away! Only the best movie ever...'' He glanced over at Taehyung as he put the movie on, hurriedly making his way over to jump into the couch, beckoning for Taehyung to come sit next to him, ''I swear I will cry though. So you better be prepared to hold me.''

The elder outstretched his arms along the backrest of the couch, one of them circling around Jungkook’s shoulders as he pulled the younger boy closer to his chest, getting ready for what’s to come.

“Ah, really?” Taehyung’s shoulders vibrated as he laughed quietly, “I’m already holding you, so feel free to cry whenever you want~”

He teasingly sang, nevertheless craning his neck to press a quick kiss to the crown of Kook’s head, “I doubt it’s gonna be that sad, though.”

~

By the time the credits came around, Taehyung’s sharp eyes burned with tears. He tried blinking them away, but it was no use.

“It— It’s just allergies!” 

The elder initially tried to reason with Jungkook; all the while he rocked a pink nose, glassy eyes, and obvious proof that it was definitely not due to allergies.

Taehyung silently cursed out that one scene.

Jungkook was snuggled up against Taehyung's side, pressing his cheek against his warm, firm chest, one arm clinging to the elder in a hug.

Kook was a crybaby when it came to anime, and he did nothing to hold back his tears as they soaked tae's shirt,

"Gooooddd, I've seen it a hundred times and it's just as heart wrenching every time!" He whined, withdrawing when the ending credits rolled to look up at his boyfriend.

"Sure. Allergies." He scrunched his nose, leaning in to place kisses over the elders cheek. It wasn't even pollen season.

Jungkook leaned back in the couch, satisfied with his day, a long drawn out sigh pushing through his lips, "Aah, my heart...."

His heart was full with all kinds of emotions. The pain from the movie--- his favorite kind of pain. And with love, for the man next to him, "Are you tired?"

Taehyung hadn’t even realized the day’s own credits had also rolled around in the form of darkness until his boyfriend asked him if he was tired.

He picked up his phone from his lap, brows quirking at the time. 

It was definitely time to get some sleep, and if Taehyung wanted their date to be far from excruciatingly bad, he’d need some rest.

The elder already had a blurry vision of where he was planning to take Jungkook. Also, what he was going to surprise him with at his doorstep.

Although Taehyung was feeling pretty confident in himself, he wouldn’t be able to truly relax until he knew what Kook thought of it.

“Yeah, I’m tired..” He spoke in the midst of a loud yawn, stretching his arms over his head.

Pushing himself from up the couch, Tae followed his boyfriend into his room, slipping off the shirt that was stained with Jungkook’s tears before snuggling up to the younger.

Now that he laid in bed.. sleep seemed unreachable.

Taehyung was much too giddy about tomorrow’s events, and he hoped that Jungkook was just as excited. Hell, he hoped it met his boyfriend’s expectations.

The moment he closed his eyes, Tae’s phone chimed from the bedside table, it was a text from Namjoon.

“Joon just texted me,” The elder said in confusion, showing the long text to his boyfriend.

From Joon: Heyy guysss! I’m sending this to Tae but Kook I know you’re with him so that’s why I said hey guys.. i told jisoo how i felt today adn it was like a big huge rock was lifteed of my chest??

“Is he drunk?” Taehyung chuckled, flashing Jungkook an amused glance.

From Joon: she didn’t seem too scared, so that’s good :()))) you know I’m just kinda wingin it these days and im tryng to be more honest with myself anf honestly, you guys should too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i wanted to send more exclmation marks but my fingers got tirred. anyways, el fin, that’s the end in spanish. just...... live your life to the fullest and stop douting yourself fbecayde that’s what i did today and it felt good. night

“Did you understand any of that?” Tae raised a brow, putting his phone to the side.

As silly as it all was.. the elder was going to listen to Namjoon and stop doubting himself.

Who knows, perhaps tomorrow’s date was going to be far better than he expected.

''Kinda winging it?... Kim Namjoon was winging it?'' Jungkook snorted, crawling into bed after getting undressed, laying on his back as he stretched out his body, joints popping as he does so, ''Sounds like he really likes noona, don't you think?''

Kook shrugs at his own question as he glances over at Taehyung, hands behind his head.

He was still amazed by the fact that they had been away from eachother for one fucking day, and somehow it felt like they were separated for..well, weeks?

At least.

But now, with his boyfriend next to him in bed, he felt content. How was he ever able to get through every other year of his life without him? Sleeping alone would feel weird at  this point.

''I'm excited for tomorrow...'' Jungkook rolls over to his side, pulling Tae closer to press their bodies together, ''But don't stress too much about it, okay? I promise you I will love it.''

“Me too..” A relaxed smile took over Taehyung’s lips, who was more calm now with Jungkook’s reassurance, paired with the latter’s warmth radiating off his skin.

Yeah, by now he was sure that tomorrow was going to be special. 

He was going to make sure of it.

© sombreboy 2020. Do not repost, edit or translate.

[simonxriley]

Fall Family Fun

Pairing: Alexsandr “Tachanka” Senaviev x Skylar “Phoenix” Jackson 

Summary: Tachanka, Skylar, the kids and some of the family go out to an orchard for some much needed fall family bonding time. 

Words: 4,501

Russian: Kotyonok = kitten. Moya sladost’ = My sweetness. Da = yes. Printessa = Princess

Ao3

The air was crisp, the weather was perfect and Skylar was looking forward to this much needed family trip to Treworgy Family Orchards. It was only an eighteen minute drive from Bangor and she was looking forward to seeing the twins explore the orchard and pick out pumpkins since they were now almost two and much more alert and less scared than they were last year. Last year's pumpkin picking was a mix of fun and a disaster.  

“Did you really go here every year?”

Skylar looked into the rearview mirror seeing Grace sitting in the middle between her younger siblings. “I did, it was a family tradition even before I was born.”

“Cool. Are there any animals?”

“Yes there is.” She laughed. “There’s also a corn maze, and you can pick your own fruits and veggies along with cutting your own flowers.”

“Can we do that? Are we going to do that?”

“Absolutely, I’ll see if anyone can take the twins for a bit so we can pick the flowers in peace.”

“Yay!”

Skylar chuckled and glanced over at Alex who was driving, giving him a small smile. This was their first Halloween back in Maine since the twins were born, last year work was too hectic to find time to fly out so this year they decided to take a few weeks off and spend some time with her family and for her parents to spend more time with their grandkids. And she knows her sisters’ would love to spend time with their nieces and nephews.

Both of them were actually happy with how well the twins were doing in the car, surprisingly not getting restless and instead looking out the window at the colorful trees passing by. Maybe it was a good idea to have Grace sit in the middle, so the twins couldn’t try to fight one another sitting side by side. They never really fought until you placed them next to each other in their carseats. Neither Skylar nor Alex understood why.

It also just felt nice to be back in Maine for a little bit, seeing her family again and catching up, as much as she loved living in England and making a home with Alex she still missed Bangor from time to time.

Another ten minutes passed by and they finally made it to the orchard. Skylar got out of the car and stretched, hearing her shoulders crack in the process then went to go get Konstantin out of his carseat while Alex got Marianna out of hers.

“There’s my handsome lil man.” Konstantin smiled and leaned forward so she could pick him up. “Are you ready to pick a pumpkin?”

He nodded his head and she placed him on her hip as she shut the door, walking over to the other side of the car where Alex and the other two kids were. Just in time to see her parents pull into the parking lot, followed by her sisters Chloe and her husband Jack, unfortunately her other sister Valary and her husband Evan couldn’t make it due to work, but she’ll see them tomorrow. They all waved over at them, minus the twins who were too busy giving each other funny faces and laughing.

“Hi mom and dad!” She walked over to their car, followed by Grace, Alex and Marianna. “It’s nice to be doing this again. It seems like forever ago.”

“It has, the last time you were here you were sixteen and now look at you, married and have a family of your own.” said her dad “And oh Grace I have a present for you!”

“Really?”

Grace walked over to where Carl was on the other side of the car so Skylar nor Alex could see what he was giving her.

“Hi Sarah, it’s nice to see you again!”

“It’s nice to see you again too Alex.” She went in for a hug and couldn’t help but smile. “My how the kids have grown.”

“I know, the last few years have flown by.”

Alex handed Marianna over to Sarah with a smile. Skylar loved watching her parents be grandparents and how much love they gave the kids. She never thought she would have children first, expecting at least Chloe to have one before she did, but the universe had other plans for her and she’s grateful for that.

“Oh my God, look how big they’ve gotten.” said Chloe as she walked over to them, her husband Jack trailing close behind. “Okay you were right, Marianna is a spitting image of her dad.”

“Da, she is!”

Chloe scoffed and went to hug Skylar. “I missed you, I’m glad you could get some time off.”

“I am too, it was much needed anyways.”

Konstantin was looking up at his aunt with his stuffed bunny in his hands, not being too sure of who she was. Skylar looked down to see him in a daze and laughed. “That’s your aunt Konstantin. I know, it’s been a while since you’ve seen her.”

Chloe held out her hands to see if he wanted her to hold him, when he turned away from her, clinging more to his mom she let her hands drop to the side. “It’s okay, I’ll let him warm up to me first.”

“It shouldn’t take long, he is the more shy of the two but he does warm up to people quite quickly.”

“Mom, look what grandpa got me.” Grace jogged over to the other side of the car showing her the brand new skateboard she has. It was the ATM Galaxy Wing one that she’s been dying for since she broke her other one a few months ago. “I love it!”

Skylar and Alex were planning on taking Grace to the nearby sporting goods store for her to buy it but work always got in the way. That she hated, she knew work could potentially get in the way, that was something she was expecting. She wasn’t expecting to be called or for Alex to be called for work almost every time there was a mission. Rainbow is filled with plenty of other operators, why couldn’t Six call them? She was just happy that her dad bought the skateboard for her.

“I knew you would love it! Since Alex and I couldn’t take you ourselves to buy it due to work, we thought we’d surprise you here.” She gave Grace a smile, glancing down at the skateboarding deck that fit her personality well. “At least you’ll have some time to use it before winter gets here.”

“Seriously? Thank you!” She went to hug Skylar, a smile spreading across her face, then she went to go hug Alex and thanked him as well. “Can we put the wheels on when we get home?”

“Of course! Now why don’t you put it in the car and we go pick some pumpkins?”

                                                        xXx

All nine of them were walking through the pumpkin patch looking for the perfect pumpkin. Grace was with her aunt and uncle talking about her skateboarding mishaps that happened over the summer and the twins were with their grandparents not too far up ahead. Skylar and Alex were slowly strolling behind everyone hand-in-hand, taking in the view of the family being together.

“I’m glad we took the time to come out here, the kids seem happy.”

“I am too, and your parents deserve to see them anyways.”

She looked up at him with a small smile, the sun shining perfectly behind him in the pumpkin patch. “Yes they do.” she chuckled. “It’s nice to come back here anyways, brings back a lot of memories.”

“What kind of memories, kotyonok?”

Skylar let go of his hand to link their arms together, pulling herself a tad closer to him. In the distance she could see Grace and Chloe laughing and the twins climbing on a big pumpkin, it made her smile.

“Running down this same pumpkin patch, climbing on the biggest one I could find, like what our children are doing right now. Picking flowers with my mom, apples with my dad. This place holds a lot of good memories.”

Alex chuckled, a smile spreading across his face. “It’s cute picturing a little kotyonok running down these pumpkin patches.”

“I’m sure there’s pictures.” she laughs. “As much as I love the old memories, I’m more excited for the new ones moya sladost’!”

“As am I, kotyonok!”

They walked over to where her parents and the twins were, just watching them in silence as they climbed on a pretty massive pumpkin. Skylar was only waiting for them to ask to bring it home with them, in their limited speaking voices. For nearing two years old they could talk in short sentences, but they did always find a way to make what they wanted understandable. Even if it was by pointing.

“Mama, cunkin!”

“Yeah it is a pumpkin. A big one.”

“Like me.” Marianna gave a big smile and began climbing on it again, making everyone laugh.

“No printsessa, I think the pumpkin is a bit bigger than you.”

“No papa, I bigger.”

Alex laughed at the mad look on Marianna’s face and her arms crossed against her chest. “Okay, da printessa you are bigger than the pumpkin.”

Her demeanor changed and she let her arms fall to her side. “Da, I am.”

Skylar chuckled, turning to him. “Please don’t make her upset, I don’t need her throwing a tantrum.”

“Sorry kotyonok, she’s just so cute when she’s mad.”

“No argument there. It’s a good thing she can’t stay mad long.”

Alex wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, a small chuckle coming from his lips. “That’s true. I’m positive she forgets a few moments later, such an easy life being a toddler.”

“Oh yeah, they get to be carried, they have nap time. No responsibilities, just fun.”

Skylar watched the twins in silence, they were both joined at the hip and never left each other’s side. It’s been that way since the day they were born, they couldn’t even keep them in different cribs because one or both would cry if they were separated. Now their cribs are side by side in their shared room, and when either her or Alex goes to get them in the morning they are always in the same crib together. She would be lying if she didn’t say she loved it.

This was one of the things she was looking forward to once she had kids, doing all the family traditions she did as a kid with hers. And knowing the more the kids grow the more stuff they’ll be able to do in the future.

“I found a pumpkin.”

Skylar and Alex turned towards Grace who was holding a medium sized pumpkin that looked quite perfect. No bumps or bruises, she has a keen eye for things like that.

“That’s a nice looking one.”

“I think so too Alex, I’m going to carve a scary face into it or maybe a cat. I don’t know yet.” She placed the pumpkin into the wheelbarrow nearby and sighed. “Chloe and Jack wanted to know if they could take the twins for ice cream?”

“Yeah I’m fine with that.” She looked up at Alex to see what he thought, and all he did was nod in agreement. “I think it’ll be good for them to spend some time with their aunt and uncle.”

Not a moment later Chloe and Jack came over to them with their pumpkins, placing them into the wheelbarrow. Chloe walked over to Skylar’s side, linking their arms together.

“Grace said you wanted to take the twins for ice cream?”

“If that’s alright with you guys? We could take them for some ice cream while you, Alex and Grace go pick out some flowers.”

“I’m fine with it. Alex?”

“Same. I’m sure they’ll enjoy it.”

“Oh yeah, they do love ice cream. Chocolate is their favorite.”

Chloe let go of Skylar’s arm, watching the twins play around the pumpkins. After all that her little sister has gone through she was abundantly happy that she found happiness and a man that truly loves her. Skylar deserved every single ounce of happiness she could get, and she has a beautiful family to show for it.

“I’m proud of you!”

“Huh?” She looked up at her sister, slightly confused. “Why are you proud of me?”

“That you’re a good mother and a good person! Grace wouldn’t have this life right now if you didn’t adopt her. You took her in because you didn’t want to see her go into the foster care system, knowing you and Alex could give her a good and loving home. The twins are sweet and caring, well behaved most of the time. That tells a lot Skylar. After everything you’ve been through, I’m happy about the woman you’ve become!”

Skylar wiped a few tears from her eyes and laughed. “Thanks Chloe, but don’t make me cry.”

“Da, please don’t make my kotyonok cry. I do agree with your sister, I’m proud of the woman you’ve become after the horrors we dealt with. Not that I wasn’t proud of you beforehand, it just shows how strong you are.”

“Okay both of you, I don’t want to cry.” She chuckled as she wiped more tears from her eyes. “Thank you though, both of you!”

They both chuckled and squashed Skylar in a hug, making her laugh. “I love you guys!”

“We love you too!” said Chloe.

They both let her go and she felt quite happy and content, more so than she was when she got there. She just felt happy.

“Hey Grace, do you want to go pick some flowers?”  

“Yes please.”

Skylar nodded and turned her head back to Chloe. “The twins are all yours.”

                                                                  xXx

After they got their vases and clippers they went out into the field of flowers. There were sunflowers, amaranthus, cosmos, bachelor buttons, snapdragons, zinnias, and even eucalyptus and wheat. Skylar already knew what she was going to make. A few sunflowers in the middle with a bunch of cosmos and bachelor buttons surrounding them.

“Are you sure you want to get some flowers, kotyonok? You’re not that good at taking care of plants.”

She gasped. “I may not be good at taking care of plants, but they’re pretty. What do you have against flowers Alexsandr?”

“Nothing.” he laughed. “You’re the one that gets sad when they die.”

“God you’re such a married couple.” said Grace from nearby.

Skylar and Alex looked at each other, both of their mouths going into a thin line. She chuckled and walked over to where Grace was. “That’s because we are a married couple, Grace. You know that.”

“Really? I never knew.” she laughed. “It never crossed my mind that the ring on your left hand was a wedding ring.”

Skylar laughed and shook her head. “Sometimes I think you’re too sarcastic for your own good.”

“I know!”

She chuckled, a smile spreading across her face. “I’ll be in the sunflowers.”

“Okay.”

Skylar walked over to the sunflowers with Alex trailing behind her. He wasn’t much for flower picking but he’ll take anything to spend time with her.

She looked through the sunflowers, trying to spot the perfect one. “When do you want to carve the pumpkins?”

“Whenever you want.”

“I was thinking about tomorrow.” She clipped one of the sunflowers and placed it in the vase. “Grace will want to play around with her skateboard and the pumpkins will last a bit longer.”

“That seems good. The twins will forget about their pumpkins once they’re out of sight anyways.”

“Oh yeah.” She chuckled, clipping another flower. “They’ll forget about the pumpkins but they won’t forget about the chocolate we keep hidden on top of the cupboards after they’ve had enough.”

“That’s because it’s chocolate, kotyonok. Every kid loves chocolate.”

“That’s very true.”

She went back to picking her flowers, moving from the sunflowers over to the bachelor buttons. She loved how pretty they looked, the lighter purple mixed with the darker purple, wishing she could plant some back home. The next were the cosmos. They were a light pink flower with a yellow middle, she used to find them when riding her horse Midnight through her aunt's farm. She always thought they were pretty and would pick some on the way back.

“Oooh those are pretty. I’m done.” said Grace

Skylar glanced over at her as she placed the last two cosmos into the vase, finishing her bouquet. “Thank you! And so are yours, I see you even added a bit of greenery.”

Grace made a beautiful bouquet of most of the flowers, on the rim were a bunch of equalyptus, and filled in the middle was a bunch of snapdragon’s, amaranthus and zinnias. With a touch of bachelor buttons and cosmos for more color.

“Thanks! Yeah I thought the greenery would look nice with it.”

“It does!”

“Kotyonok, can I use those clippers for a second?”

“Yeah.”

She handed him the clippers and they both watched him walk away for a moment, back towards where the bachelor buttons were. He looked over them for a moment until he clipped one, jogging back to them and placed the flower in Skylar’s top knot she was wearing.

She chuckled and smiled up at him, even though she knows it won’t stay in her hair much longer once Marianna sees it. “Thank you, moya sladost’!”

“You’re welcome, kotyonok!”

They began to make their way back to the café where the rest of the family was, Grace occasionally sniffing her flowers with a proud smile on her face. For Skylar she was just happy to have the family together and make memories.

As they walked to the café they could see the twins by the window, eating their ice cream. They walked up, placing the flowers on the table and sat down with a sigh.

Marianna pointed at her mama, ice cream covering her face. “Flower.”

“It is a flower, your papa put it there.”

“Why?”

Skylar shrugged her shoulders and looked over at Alex. “That’s a good question, why did you put a flower in my hair?”

“I just wanted to!”

“Fair point.” she laughs. “Are you guys hungry?”

“I’m starving.” said Grace

“Me too.” She glanced over to her family, seeing that they’ve already eaten. “We’ll be back.”

All three of them got up and headed towards the line of other people trying to get their food. As they stood in line, reading the menu up on the board Skylar glanced over at the pizza’s hoping they had what she wanted on display since she didn’t want to buy a whole pizza just yet.

“Apple bacon barbeque, have you had that? It sounds interesting.” asked Grace

“That’s what I’m getting, it sounds odd but it’s good.” She looked up at Alex who was still looking at the menu. “What are you getting moya sladost’?”

“Probably pepperoni, unless there’s a meat one available?” He glanced over to where the pizza display was. “Okay there is one, I’m getting that.”

The line was pretty long and moving at a snail's pace, that didn’t bother them. It was lunch time after all and walking around a big orchard can make anyone hungry.

After looking at the menu some more Grace turned around to face them. “I know what I’m getting, plain cheese. I can’t wait until I can break in that new skateboard.”

Alex chuckled, a small smile spreading across his face. “I’m sure you are milaya, now try not to break this one.”

“I will. And hey it wasn’t my fault I broke the first one, I wasn’t the one to run over my own skateboard.”

He went quiet for a moment, looking down at the floor, it made both of them laugh. The whole incident was an accident, Konstantin was playing with it in the front yard and decided to push it right at the moment Alex drove into the driveway, running right over it. It did freak him out for a moment until he realized what he ran over.

“Technically it was Konstantin, but he’s a baby and didn’t know better.” said Skylar “To him he was just playing. However, someone should have been watching the road a bit better.”

“Da, kotyonok. To be fair I didn’t see it go in front of the car.”

“I’m aware, you were busy waving at Marianna.”

They finally got to the front and ordered their food, returning to the table with the rest of the family. The twins were still eating away at their ice cream, with some of their own pieces of pizza nearby.

Skylar took a bite of hers, satisfying her growling stomach. “I’m surprised you got them to eat before giving them the ice cream. What’d you bribe them with?”

She chuckled when she saw the blank stairs looking back at her. She knows her children and knows that if there’s ice cream in play they’ll need a lot of bribing to make them eat their normal food beforehand.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Sky, we would never do such a thing.”

“Sure Chloe.” She chuckled. “I know my kids, it takes us a few bribes just for them to eat before dessert is served.”

“She bribed them with buying them a new toy.” said Evan

“Ah.”

Chloe gave Evan a glaring stair, making everyone chuckle. It wouldn’t be the first time Alex had to bribe them with a new toy to make them do something or eat something. For the most part all they have to do is tell them they have to eat their food before they can have dessert, sometimes it might be a toy if it’s important.

“Thanks Evan.”

“Hey it’s alright, wouldn’t be the first time we had to bribe them with a toy. However it was for that one appointment to make sure Konstantin wasn’t deaf and he wasn’t having it. Mostly we just tell them they have to eat their food or they don’t get dessert.”

“You never mentioned that, Sky.” said Sarah.

“There wasn’t much to mention.” She took a bit of her pizza, speaking a moment later. “We all know he’s a bit shyer than his sister and doesn’t talk that much. His doctor thought he might be deaf and wanted to run a few tests.”

Skylar glanced over at Konstantin eating a piece of his pizza, ignoring everything around him at the table. They all knew he could hear because he would look over if someone dropped something or if his name was mentioned. All because he was a little bit underdeveloped than his sister.

“All of that was a load of crap, he could hear us whenever we said his name or he looked over when something was dropped. No matter how much we told them they still wanted to do the tests.” said Alex

She reached over to grab his hand, giving it a small squeeze. “At least the tests weren’t bad, he just needed to sit in a room and look over at the speaker that made a sound. Being alone was the thing that made him cry and freak out. After talking with the doctor I could go in there with him.”

“What did you get him?”

“A horse he could ride in the house.”

She grabbed her phone from the table, searching through her videos until she found what she was looking for, then handed it to her mom. The video shows Konstantin on his horse, powered by him to make it move. The feet of the horse instead of hooves were wheels, making for a fun activity. It was also easy for him to navigate and use even for his young age.

“Awe that’s so cute!” said Chloe

“If only they had them when you were a child.” said her mom as she handed back the phone. “You would’ve loved that.”

“I’m sure I would have!”

                                                                  xXx

A few hours passed and they were now home, with a few hours of daylight to spare so Grace could break in her new skateboard. And while Grace placed the wheels on the new skateboarding deck in the living room, Skylar was in the kitchen putting the apples that they picked into the fruit bowl, minus a few she was going to use to make some apple pie.

She was happy the day went well, the twins never had a tantrum and they got to spend some much needed time with the family.

A tug on her pant leg forced her to look down, seeing Marianna standing beside her. “Apple?”

“You want an apple?”

Marianna nodded her head and let go of her pant leg.

“Okay, I’ll get you an apple.”

Marianna ran back into the living room while she grabbed an apple and a knife. From her peripheral she could see Alex walk into the kitchen and over to her, leaning against the counter. She looked up, giving him a soft smile that he mirrored.

“I think today went rather well.”

“I do too, kotyonok.”

She began to cut the apple, placing it on a plate. “I was thinking we should go costume shopping tomorrow for the kids, it’s already pretty close to Halloween and they need costumes.”

“Okay, what were you thinking for the twins?”

He grabbed the plate with the apples on it for Marianna, waiting for Skylar to throw away the pit and place the knife in the sink before heading back into the living room with everyone else.

“I’m not sure yet. Do you have any ideas?”

“Ideas for what?”

“What costume the twins should wear for Halloween.”

Grace placed the screwdriver on the coffee table, finally done with putting the wheels on her skateboard. “Since Konstantin has the horse he should dress up as a cowboy, maybe Woody from Toy Story?”

Skylar sat down on the couch next to her with a sigh. “That is a good idea. Konstantin do you want to be Woody for Halloween?”

He looked up from the car he was playing with and nodded his head. Toy Story was one of his favorite movies, it would only be right for him to dress up as Woody.

“Well we figured out one, what about the other?”

They all went quiet for a moment, thinking up what to dress Marianna as. She was a bit more tricky on picking out a costume for, being much more picky on what she likes. One moment she can like something, and another she hates it. But the one thing she’ll always like are butterflies.

“What about a butterfly, kotyonok?”

“Oh, good idea moya sladost’. She does love butterflies.”

The rest of the night was followed by watching Grace break in her skateboard, followed by watching a few horror movies with some popcorn after the twins went to bed. All in all it was a good day!

[studiopoprocks]

Oh gosh fluff alphabets are the best!! Could I have one for best boi Midoriya pretty please??? :'D

Midoriya Izuku Fluff Alphabet

I’m currently working on a overhaul x reader, but since two requests came in for broccoli head canons, might as well 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

A - Affection (How do they show how much they care in their day to day lives)

Midoriya is a lot more hands on when showing his affection. When talking he’s a stuttering mess, so he prefers to let his actions speak for him. Whenever he sees you, he’ll come up and give your hand a small squeeze, just letting you know that he’s there for you, and always thinking about you. He also says small complements every once and a while if he’s just passing you in the hall or something because then he can hide his blushing face

B - Before (How did they act before the relationship/ what was the relationship like?)

You honestly didn’t realize he liked you. Deku is a very kind person so you thought he treated you the exact same as everyone. Of course you thought nothing of it whenever he’d always come to you in a villain fight and back you up. Or constantly asked you questions on your quirk and complained it. Okay, maybe you’re just a little dense, or he needs better flirting skills.

C - Comfort (How they act when their S/O is sad)

He’s dealt with his far share of sadness, so of course he’s going to be good at comforting you. His first response is to figure out a way that counteracts the sadness. Your favourite character died on a show? Hey look they are staring in this new show you two can watch together! Someone said something mean about you? We’ll he’s going to make an alphabetic list of all the reasons you’re amazing.

D - Dawn (What are mornings like?)

Izuku has gotten into the habit of training in the mornings. If you decide to join him, you’d train together, then ending it with a light jog to a breakfast place or nearby park. If you decide to sleep in, that’s okay too. He’ll make sure you’re comfortable before leaving, then come straight back to bed after his workout for more of your world famous cuddles.

E - Embarrassed (How does their S/O make them flustered? How do they return the favour?)

Let’s get this straight, all you have to do is exist to make your boyfriend flustered. Say hi? He’s flustered. Of course that won’t last forever, but that same ‘butterflies in his stomach’ feeling will never truly fade. But whenever he gets into his hero mindset, get ready to be the blushing one. He says things that he doesn’t realize are smooth, while also doing everything in his power to protect you.

F - First date (Were did you go and what did you do for your first date together)

You never really had an official first date. You went over to his house to study for exams soon after you two finally started dating, and it just kinda dawned on you, ‘Hey, this is like our first date!’ You smiled. ‘O-oh ya I guesss it is!’ He managed to say as he kept his gaze on his textbook. You had also met his mother for the first time that night, and she kept gushing about how adorable you two were together.

G - Gentle (How Gentle are they with their S/O? Or do they like to rough house with them?)

As we all know, Izuku cant always control the intensity of his quirk. Thus there is always a lingering thought of him accidentally going to hard on you. Yes he’s happy to train with you, but he won’t go all out. Not even 75% of what he normally does.

H - Habit (What do they repeatally do in the relationship?)

Poor boy doesn’t even realize that he’s analyzing you’re intire relationship. It’s good around Christmas time when he has to get gifts for you, but normal days can be a bit much. Somethings he will come up to you and ask about something weeks ago, like you would be able to tell him exactly what you meant when you said that you and him were matching (aka your uniforms)

I - Intreating (What do they find fascinating about their S/O? And vise versa?)

He’s a fan boy, and thus he will be your fan boy. He finds almost everything you do to be interesting, but he mostly finds you’re smile and kind heart to be his favourites. He loves how you’re exactly what he loves in a hero, and honestly just in a person. And if you ever need reminding, just ask to borrow his hero note book. You have you’re own chapter.

J - Jealousy (How easily do they get jealous, and how do they deal with it)

Midoriya turns into another person when he’s jealous. No more stutters, no more embarrassment, he’ll just walk up to you and blaintantly show everyone that you’re his. He’s always a little self conscious about why you’d date him, so he can get jealous easy even if it may not seem like it. Either way he’s still nice about it, just more touchy and affectionate around someone who’s hitting on you, and maybe the occasional dead eyed smile.

K - Knick Knack (A random momento they still have from their S/O)

With all his All Might merchandise, it’s not surprising that his little momento is also All Might related. It’s a picture that he keeps on his nightstand. When you had started dating, you didn’t keep it a secret but you didn’t go around telling everyone. So somehow it was Midoriya’s fault All Might found out and quickly rushed to confirm this news with you and Izuku. ‘We need to document this!’ He shouted as he pulled out his phone and picked the two of you up onto his shoulders. You have a matching picture on your nightstand as well.

L - Location (Favourite place to go on dates)

Study dates or movie nights after grabbing a quick coffee from some new cafe. They are simple, and it’s nice just to be around eachother without having to be surrounded by other people. Plus during movie nights one of you always falls asleep, so it’s always a good excuse to stay the night although you don’t really need an excuse

M - Movie (What cliché movie trope has actually happened in the relationship?)

There’s this cliche where basically the two people who like eachother, think the other is dating someone else. So with Midoriya and you being clueless, you kept your mouths shut about your crush. That is until he told Todoroki about you, and was promptly told by the half-half boy that you were infact single, and you did seem to like him.

N - Nickname (What do they call their S/O?)

What he calls his S/O:

*incert the 10000+ nicknames he uses, which are usually some sort of play on from your name*

‘Princess/prince’

‘Mine’ uses it sparingly cuz his face will look like a tomato

What his S/O calls him:

‘My number 1/ my hero’

‘Broccoli boi’

‘One for me’ you only uses it after you find out about one for all

O - On Cloud Nine (How they act when they are in love/ Is it obvious to everyone around them?)

Honestly there isn’t much of a change unless you’re around him. If you are it’s completely obvious to everyone in a ten mile radius. This boy has the puppy love look plastered all over his face, as he just loves being around you. If someone calls him out on it, he’ll denie it, but from the way he was smiling when you explained how your day was makes it pretty obvious

P - PDA (Do they like showing off their s/o, or are a little shy to kiss in public)

Nothing too extreme, but definitely PDA. It’s the simple vanilla kind, mostly just hand holding where he’ll rub his thumb over your knuckles. Occasionally he will give you a forehead kiss, or a large hug, but it can embarrass him so don’t expect them to happen everyday. But seriously give this boy affection and he will never let you go.

Q - Quirk (A random ability they have, that’s helpful in a relationship)

Izuku is very observant, so lying to him is a big no no. He’ll always be able to tell if you’re upset, even if you’re trying your best to hide it. Plus he’s also good at reading the situation. He knows exactly what to do to make you feel better, and sometimes he knows when you just need to get it out. Above all else he’s just caring, and wants the best for you because this boi is a little ray of sunshine.

R - Rearly (Something they love to do, but it doesn’t happen often)

Since you two are always making the most of your time together, you often don’t get days to just relax with eachother. Days where you wake up at noon and just binge watch hero’s on YouTube for the next few hours as you eat breakfast more like lunch in bed. Letting the worries and the soreness of your muscles fade as the butterflies appear from all the wonderful cuddling. Is there any better way to spend a day?

S - Special (Something that only them and their S/O do together)

(This may not apply exactly to this but I really wanted to include it) it’s obviously that you’re boyfriend wants to keep you safe at all times, and what better way to do that then hire you at his agency once he becomes a full pro. Weather it be as a fellow pro, or as a support staff, he wants you beside and fight crime as a couple. Out of all the other pros, he can trust you the most, and know that you have his back above all else. So I see him almost never working with anyone in your department aside from you. Which is probably why you’re the top hero couple in Japan... soon, in the world!

T - Together (How often do they spend time with their S/O?)

With how hectic his life is, he doesn’t get that much time to spend with you. He will however make up for it by being the literal best person ever whenever you two are hanging out. It’s less about quantity and more about quality. He of course wishes it was both, but he’ll make do with what he can for now. One day he will be the top hero and he has to work for that, but when that day comes, he will make sure to spend as much time together as you wish.

U - United (In which way does the relationship become a whole? Marriage?)

Probably once you’re lives have calmed down a bit, and you two are able to fully focus on your relationship more. With Izuku’s goal of being the top hero and the goals you have for yourself, it’s hard for your relationship to be the center of attention. So once he’s a full hero, and you’re goals are completed, then you two will likely feel your relationship finally come to it’s final emotional stage.

V - Value (What do they treasure the most in their relationship?)

With how everything in this life is going right now, he’s happy that you are strong enough to deal with all of this with him. You are always there to help take off some of his burden, even if he doesn’t think he has any. You stay strong and planted by his side, and honestly he couldn’t ask for more.

W - Wish (What do they hope will come from the relationship?)

Midoriya is just a hopeful little kid at heart, and he might not always say it out loud but he thinks of his mother as a hero. His mother is so kind to him, and he hopes that you two can have a similar loving relationship, and maybe one day have a kid that you can share that relationship with.

X - XOXO (Favourite types of kisses and hugs)

Definitely likes cheek kisses. Just kinda peppering them on whenever you see eachother, or suggling close and having a quick kiss before you fall asleep. Hugs are more like cuddles. Either you’re full on cuddling him or he just has his arm around your shoulder. No inbetween.

Y - Yearning (How do they cope when they're missing their partner?)

Usually, he’ll just throw himself into hero studies. If he can’t be with you right now, he can sure as hell study your quirk and ways to enhance your fighting style and equipment. He’ll act like an excited puppy when you return, and you’ll probably have to scold him for not eating anything, but hey, at least you have some good ideas for modifications to your costume.

Z - Zeal (Will they go great lengths for the sake of the relationship? What kind?)

If nessissary he would give up one for all for you. As much as he wants to help people and follow his dream, his new dream is to be with you, and that will overrule the previous ones. Of course it would have to be after you were 100% never going to leave eachother, like full on family life and shit. But still, he loves you, and doesn’t know what he would do if something ever happened to you.

[mxflo]

River Park - Part 1

The sun warms your skin as you step outside for an afternoon jog. You shuffle your playlist as you walk towards the river park nearby. Jogging by the riverside has always been one of your favorite places. The water calms you and the view is always beautiful. Once you enter the park you pick up your jog and find your pace. Letting your thoughts wonder as you make your way down the concrete path closest to the river. Luckily the park doesn’t seem to be crowded today.

Half lost in thought you people watch as you make your way down the river. The older man sitting on the bench watching the ripples of water dance with the reflection of the sun, the mother and child sharing an ice cream as you jog past, the sounds of giggles from the child make you smile. Further a head was another jogger heading towards you. You pass with a slight nod in exchange and then your eyes catch glimpse of someone sitting on the wall that signifies the outer limits of the park. You slow down to a walk, wanting more time to observe them. 

He’s sitting with his arm hooked around one knee. Wearing all black, has a black choker, brown hair, with an undercut that suits him perfectly. You notice your heart is racing and it’s not from jogging anymore. He’s looking out along the park, scanning the area, looking to be people watching himself. His skin glowing under the warmth of the sun. He is truly stunning and it makes you wonder who he is. No average person looks that good.

You notice a water fountain near by him so you detour to get a quick drink, conveniently. Walking by him he glaces at you and smiles, his eyes warm and friendly. You blush and smile back before looking away. Shocked by how easily he flustered you, you take a deep breath and focus on the water fountain. Bending over so your lips can meet the water, you glance over his way to find him watching you. He doesn’t look away but give you a slight wave with his hand. You look away while you take a quick drink and stand back up. Wiping the water from your mouth you start to head back to continue your jog.

“Hey.” The man says as you near him again. His voice is even perfect.

“Hi.” You respond shyly. 

“Beautiful park, it really is the perfect place to go for a run. I should start coming here to run.” His tone of voice seems like he’s speaking to an old friend, though you don’t even know each others name.

“Yeah, I try to make it out here every afternoon if the weather is nice, is this your first time to this area?” You try to avoid eye contact and scan the area like he was earlier. He notices you avoiding his gaze and clears his throat, which grants him exactly what he wished and you look back at him. His eyes locking onto yours.

“I wouldn’t mind to join you for a run sometime.” He invites himself.

“Umm, sure.” You hesitate.

“What’s wrong? Don’t trust me? I’m nice.” He grins.

“I don’t even know your name.” You laugh.

“Kihyun.” He says, and shakes your hand with a small bow when you tell him yours.

“Well, Kihyun. I guess I’ll get back to my run. It’s been nice chatting.” You say as you start to walk away.

“Meet me here tomorrow, same time?” He jumps down from the wall. Him standing right in front of you makes you catch your breath. He’s taller than you expected him to be. His slender build made him look deceptively small sitting on the wall.

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” You agree, feeling your face heat up again. Your unsure of why you were so quick to agree to meet up with this stranger so easily. With a smile you part ways. You jog the rest of the way back home, thinking of Kihyun the entire time. There’s something about him that you just can’t shake.

River Park - Part 2

[atc74]

Ocean Blue

Square(s) Filled: Biker Au for @spnfluffbingo2019, Ocean for @spngenrebingo

Warnings: feelings of sadness, loss, general overwhelmedness (whatever you might be feeling right now), someone to make it better

Summary: Y/N goes to the beach daily looking for answers, and he is always there, just waiting to help

Pairing: Rob x Reader

Word Count: 571

Written for: @spnfluffbingo2019, @spngenrebingo

Beta’d by: @amanda-teaches, thank you for the idea and for the beta. I heart you. 

A/N: When Amanda threw an idea at me, just Rob and the ocean, I think we both had something totally different in mind, but my muse has been a picky little bitch lately, so this is what happened. I hope you enjoy it. 

As a reminder, this is a work of fiction and should be regarded as such. No harm is intended toward the actor(s) or their families.

His motorcycle rumbled into the small parking lot just off the beach. Removing his helmet, he spotted her, almost like he knew she’d be there. He slowly walked in her direction. 

She sat alone on the weathered bench. Her toes buried in the sand, shoes nearby. She looked worried, tense, sad and a thousand other emotions that he didn’t care to name. He’d seen that look before and knew it all too well. He watched her for another moment before taking a few steps forward, sliding onto the other end of the bench. 

“Nice day,” he commented nonchalantly, knowing she probably didn’t want to talk anyway. 

She hummed her agreement before slipping her shoes and socks back on. She glanced his direction, giving a halfhearted smile before running down the jogging path. His eyes followed her until she disappeared from view. She’ll be back, he thought as he walked toward his bike in the parking lot. 

For a week, each day at the same time, as was his habit, he returned to the same spot. Each day for a week, she occupied the other side of the bench. Most days he simply smiled at her while they each took in the view. 

“When does it stop?” she turned and asked abruptly.

“It doesn’t,” he shrugged. He knew it was rhetorical and she wasn’t looking for an answer. Maybe she was. Maybe that was why she came here each day, looking for answers. 

“Does it ever get better?” she sniffed, turning back toward the ocean. 

“I don’t know if it gets better, but each day gets less bad, in my experience,” he offered with a kind smile. 

Shyly, she smiled back, but returned her gaze to the waves crashing against the shore. 

“If you think about it, nothing really stops. The sun, the moon, the tide, time. But, it all serves a purpose,” he pondered out loud. 

“Yeah, what’s that purpose?” she turned her head, a quizzical look on her face. 

“Well, take the ocean for instance,” he waved his hand in front of them. “The way I see it, we can’t stop the waves, but we can learn to surf.” 

A small laugh escaped her open mouth. “You know you’re a pretty wise man.” 

“A beautiful girl told me that once,” he chuckled, winking at her. 

“She must be smart, too,” she commented. 

“I married her, so I like to think I’m the smart and lucky one. She’s still beautiful, though,” he slid closer to her on the bench. 

“Thank you,” she moved closer, resting her head on his shoulder. 

“What do you say we get out of here, take a ride up the coast?�� he suggested. 

“Just a few more minutes,” she replied, gazing up into his eyes. “You know what I like most?” 

“Hmm? What’s that?” he asked. 

“The ocean reminds me of your eyes and your eyes remind me of the ocean,” she commented. “Ocean blue, Robby.” 

“Come on, sweet girl. Let’s take that ride,” he stood, pulling her to her feet in front of him. “We’ll have a nice view the entire ride.” 

“My man, his motorcycle and the ocean blue,” she summarized. “Sounds like just what I need. Thanks for making this a less bad day.” 

“Anything for my girl,” he kissed the top of her head, before placing her helmet on and securing the straps. “I’ll always be here to make the bad days better.”

Did you like it? The nicest thing you can do for a writer is reblog their work and tell them, and others, how much you like it!

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[steves-on-a-plane]

Missed Connections

Avengers Endgame Challenge  Words: 1912 Pairing: Steve Rogers X Reader  Requested by: Anon Prompt: Steve Rogers & #21: “Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same.” 

The first time you bumped into Steve Rogers you did just that, bumped into him. You were carrying an overflowing basket of laundry to the basement of your apartment building, so that it could be washed. When out of nowhere someone else came charging up the stairs. The two of you collided causing the basket to fall and your clothing to tumble downward. You would have rolled down the stairs yourself if a strong pair of hands hadn’t braced your fall.

“I’m so sorry ma’am.” The owner of the hands apologized immediately. Bewildered, you looked upwards at your attacker. He was not what you expected at all. Standing probably six feet tall and decorated in muscles the man looked down at you with his ice blue eyes. His eyebrows were drawn together with concern. “Are you alright? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No.” You groaned at last. “Not unless you count my dignity.” You added, looking at your dirty shirts, socks and underwear that had been spilled down the flights below. The man followed your gaze and his cheeks flushed.

“I’m so sorry!” He apologized. “Here let me help you.” He jogged down and collected your now empty laundry basket. He started collecting safe items like pants or shirts and tossing them into the basket.

“No, no.” You began gathering any clothing items near you, working your way towards the stranger. “I’ll get them, just hold the basket.” He stopped reaching for a nearby pair of shorts at your order and instead held the basket out to you.

“What were you doing running up the steps anyway?” You demanded.

“Cardio.” He admitted, almost embarrassed.

“Ever heard of the gym?” You huffed.

“Yes ma’am. Problem is I’m new to the area. I just moved in last week. Third floor.” He explained pointing up the stairs.

“That’s no good.” You shook your head. “I live on the third floor.” By now you’d collected the last of the laundry and deposited it into the basket. “[Y/N] [Y/L/N], 3C.” You offered out a hand for him to shake.

“I’m right across the hall from you.” He smiled. “3A, Steve Rogers. I’d shake your hand but…” He indicated the full basket in his hands.  

“Here, let me take that.” You attempted to unload the basket from Steve’s arms but he waved you off.

“Please, it’s the least I can do.” He insisted. “Besides, what kind of a man would I be if I let a gal carry her laundry and the way to the basement when she can barely see over the top of it?”

“Well you should ask my boyfriend if you ever see him.” You shrugged. “He’s upstairs sleeping.”

“Sleeping? It’s two PM on a Wednesday.” Steve pointed out.

“Well that’s Nick for ya.” You sighed. “It’s 2011 and chivalry is dead.”

“Not for everyone, Ma’am.” Steve disagreed. You’d reached the basement now and he placed your laundry basket on top of a vacant washing machine.

“I guess not.” You said, recognizing the fact that he’d very kindly carried your laundry for you. “Thanks for the help. It was nice to meet you, Steve.”

“It was no trouble.” He insisted with a smile. “Well, I suppose I’ll leave you to your chores, but I’ll see you around, [Y/N].”  

“See you around.” You agreed.

At the time you really thought that you’d see Steve again. After all he only lived across the hall. As it turned out your new neighbor was rather elusive. He was an early riser. You knew this because he was almost always gone before you left for work at eight AM every day. You would catch a glimpse of him here or there on the weekends but being your only days off you needed that time to run errands.

As fate would have it you wouldn’t live in that apartment building much longer anyway. You started to realize, after that initial meeting with Steve, just how lazy your boyfriend Nick was. Not only was he lazy but he was a total slob. He worked a part time job, which normally wouldn’t bother you except for the fact that he didn’t contribute anything to your living together. He flat out refused to cook, clean or contribute financially in any way.

When you broached the subject of Nick’s laziness it unsurprisingly didn’t go well. So you packed your things and moved to a new apartment across town. While you packed the last of the boxes into your car, you couldn’t help but wonder about the kind man across the hall who’d once seen your dirty laundry scattered down the main staircase.

Two years passed and you all but forgot about your former Neighbor. You were doing well. You were single but you didn’t mind. You were taking time to get to know yourself again. Plus, your hectic work schedule didn’t exactly leave a lot of time for dating.

“Ah.” You sighed with satisfaction as you sipped your tea from a travel mug. You were visiting Washington D.C. for the week on a business trip, but you were taking advantage of some down time to see the sights. It was a crisp fall day. There was a slight breeze twisting through the air, but the temperature was mild. It was the kind of morning that poets wrote about, until a certain super solider ruined it.

You’d been strolling around near the reflection pond, taking in the nation’s capital, when you were suddenly alerted to the sound of shoes aggressively slamming against the pavement. You turned wildly trying to identify the source of the noise. You found it. Two men, charging close to you at a dangerously fast pace.

“On your left!” One of them called out to you, but it was too late. One of the runners collided with you, knocking you off your feet. You fell to the ground hard and the oxygen was forcibly exhaled from your lungs. You laid quietly on the ground, saturated in warm tea, trying to catch your breath.

“Hello, 911, I’d like to report a murder.” One of the runners joked.

“Knock it off, Sam!” The man who bumped into you insisted. “She could be seriously injured.” He crouched down beside you. “Miss are you alright?” A few seconds had passed, and you were almost able to breath normally, so you turned your head in his direction.

“You look familiar.” You said with certainty.

“You know, so you do. I’m sorry I can’t place the face.” He apologized. The man helped you sit up. “I’m Steve.” He supplied.

“Steve?” You repeated. The suddenly it clicked. “Steve Rogers?”

“Yeah.” He smirked. “That’d be me. Any chance you remember how we know each other?”

“Sure.” You nodded. Steve and Sam helped you to your feet. “We met a few years ago. You lived across the hall from me and my boyfriend at the time. [Y/N] [Y/L/N], apartment 3C.”

“Oh yeah!” He nodded, now also remembering. “It was right after I’d come out of the ice.”

“The ice?” You remarked with concern.

“Wait, you don’t know who he is?” Sam seemed surprise. “Shoot I thought everyone did after what happened in New York.”

“It never really came up.” Steve explained, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

“He’s just being modest!” Sam insisted. “This man right here is Captain America! You might have heard of a little thing called the battle of New York.”

“Captain America, like The Avengers, Captain America?” You asked. Steve didn’t say anything, but you got your answer as a sleek dark car pulled up to the curb a few feet away. An intimidating redhead stepped out of the vehicle, calling out to your group as she did so.

“Hey, can any of you point in me the direction of the Smithsonian? I’m here to pick up a fossil.” She smirked.

“Ha ha, very funny.” Steve rolled his eyes. “[Y/N] it was nice to see you again. Sam, I’ll catch you later.” Steve said his goodbyes before getting into the car with the red head.

“Tell me you have his number.” Sam said, now that the two of you were alone.

“Uh, no.” You confessed. “We only met the one time, so…”

“So nothing! Where’s your cellphone?” He demanded. You nervously fished your phone out of your pocket as Sam insisted that you add Steve Rogers to your contacts. You were glad to see that Steve had upgraded his cardio routine from running up and down his apartment building stairs, to at least running outside. And as much as you wanted to know what he was doing in Washington D.C., you decided against calling him. It didn’t seem right since Sam was technically the one who’d given you his phone number.

The third time you bumped into Steve was a summer afternoon. You’d decided to dig your old roller skates out and give them a whirl in Central Park. You hadn’t worn them since college, so you were slightly surprised that they still fit. Of course, you couldn’t have picked a worse day to dredge them out. It was the first day of good weather in weeks and it felt like all of New York was out in the park that day. For the most part you’d been able to maneuver around the tourist and locals alike, but you couldn’t believe your eyes when you saw two familiar face in the crowd.

“Steve Rogers?” You excitedly skated over to a group of three guys for confirmation, but as you neared Steve, Sam and their friend you began to lose your balance. Luckily someone caught you by the elbows in time to stop you from falling. You looked up at the ever-smiling face of Captain America.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” He insisted with a smile.

“It is you!” You smiled back. “Sam nice to see you again.” You nodded at the man you’d met on your chance encounter in D.C.

“[Y/N]!” Sam surprised you by remembering your name. “Have you met metal man yet?” He patted his friend on the back. Luckily Steve was kind enough to give you a proper introduction.

“[Y/N], this is Bucky.” He said. “Buck this is, [Y/N]. The gal I keep telling you about.”

“So, you’re Rogers’ mystery woman. I was convinced that you didn’t exist.” Bucky chuckled. “I’m honored to finally meet you. Now, please, do Wilson and I a favor and take this guy on a date will ya?”

This time Bucky was patting Steve on the back. At the mention of a date you and Steve were suddenly acutely aware that he was still holding you by the elbows. You separated immediately, both of your faces flushing red.

“Destiny does seem to have a way of pulling us back together.” You said.

“Dread it, run from it. Destiny arrived all the same.” Steve agreed. “We were about to have lunch, would you like to join us?”

“Well, I mean I wouldn’t want to intrude…”

“You know, Cap. I just remembered Bucky and I have that thing we have to get going to.” Sam chimed in.

“What…Oh right. The thing.” Bucky nodded. “Yeah, we’ll catch you later, Rogers. Nice to meet you, [Y/N].”

“Your friends are very subtle.” You laughed as Sam and Bucky walked away.

“Yeah, it’s not one of their finer skill sets.” He supposed. “But the lunch invitation still stands. I think it’s about time we get to know each other better.”

*Please feel free to play along and send me some Endgame Challenge Requests!*

[urdbell18]

A Seed Hidden in the Heart Chapter 19: The One With the Dog

Wow I'm shocked that I was able to finish this chapter but I did! Yay me! But speaking up as you guys know two of the busiest retail holidays are coming up, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It means that I'm not going to have as much time as before to write my chapters so if my updates are a little slow that's why and I apologize. I just wanted to give you guys fair warning and thanks for understanding. Enjoy!

In the summer months Zelda took a job at the local college. The position was temporary, ending just before regular school started once again but it gave her something to do and a little more money over the summer than the packet that she got when school ended. When she collected her last paycheck Mr. Hawthorne said in so many words that she was getting a little bonus because of the several high scores that her students received. It turned out making her students taking that college level test paid off for her in the end. Mr. Hawthorne took all the credit of course. Zelda couldn’t bring herself to care anymore. Her work schedule was Monday and Friday mornings and Monday and Wednesday afternoon so the earliest she’s ever had to go in was nine and the latest she’d be there was almost 5. It worked well enough for her.

The time that she was at the school Vida was with Mary. Together she and Mary came up with activities that they could do with Vida over the summer. The aquarium and the zoo were on the list because they were things that Vida did and loved and wanted to do again but there were others like some crafts, swimming, and a small local theme park, Vida was excited about that one the most. Bust most of the time Mary kept it simple, spending time at home reading or going to the park. They spent a lot of time at the park. Sometimes Zelda would join them for lunch, usually on Mondays or Fridays but she could pull it off on Wednesdays if she wanted to. Wednesdays were usually the days that Mary and Vida went to Zelda, they would have lunch in the cafe before Zelda had to go to her next class.

It was during one park outing where Vida and Mary met him.

It was early June. The weather was nice but not stifling like July and August would be. Everything was still vibrant with color, the grass, the trees, and the flowers, all brightly colorful swaying in the gentle summer breeze. With it still being nice Mary and Vida took a walk.

There was a jogging path right next to the park and when it was nice like it was that day they walked the path. Vida liked looking at the flowers and Mary just like the soft exercise and time with Vida. Vida was curious about everything, Mary told her what she could like what a certain flower or tree was called and Mary loved how Vida would stop and watch the movements of the current bug or small creature, mostly squirrels, that caught her attention. On that day they were halfway through the walking path when a rustling of leaves from a nearby shrub caught their attention. Out of fear Vida moved behind Mary as the rustling grew louder until a dog appeared out  into the open.

The dog was between medium and small. It was long like a dachshund or a corgi but just slightly taller than either of those breeds. The dog had all the markings of the hound breed, short fur with a white belly, muzzle, and paws and brown and black patches all along its body but Mary couldn’t tell if it was a beagle or a basset hound. The dogs muzzle was too short for either of those breeds but its ears were very beagle-ish. The dog saw them and its tail starts wagging, causing his whole body to wiggle, mouth open to let its tongue roll out to one side.

“It’s a puppy!” Before Mary could stop her Vida was running to the dog. Though it seemed friendly Mary knew that could change in a snap but this dog stayed friendly. It ran in circles around Vida before standing on its hind legs licking anywhere he can reach. Vida giggled even as the dog knocked her to the ground. Mary approached the dog with caution, the dog looked at her and sniffed her legs when she was close enough. He craned his neck hoping for some head pats. “Can we keep him Mamma!?”

“We don’t know where he came from.” Taking advantage of the dog butting his head against her hand Mary felt the dog's neck hoping to feel for a collar. She didn’t find one, which didn’t really mean anything but it just meant that it would be harder to get the dog to follow them. Mary took the belt from her jeans and the ribbon from Vida’s dress to fashion a leash and make shift collar. The dog allowed Mary to wrap the belt around its middle, the belt was too thick to hold in place around the dogs short neck. After securing the ribbon to the collar Mary took two tentative steps to see if the dog would follow. He just stood there, wagging his tail like nothing was wrong. “Come here boy.” Mary tried to coax the dog but he didn’t budge. After a few minutes Vida took the slices of watermelon she was saving to lure the dog. It worked, the dogs nose twitched as it tried to keep up with the scent of the watermelon that was in Vida’s hands. Sometimes when the dog was close Vida would let the dog take a bite before moving more away. When she was down to her last slice they made it back to the main opening of the park. What was going on in the large side field gave Mary a good feeling on where the dog came from.

In a field that was sometimes used for soccer was currently holding what looked like a little fair. It was an adoption fair for a local animal shelter. There were dogs of various kinds and sizes in pens and a board with pictures of other animals, like cats and rabbits, that couldn’t be at the event but were also available for adoption. Naturally people flocked the fair, surrounding the pens to awe over the dogs. In the sea of people Mary located a volunteer for the shelter due to the light blue shirts they wore with the shelter name on one side and volunteer on the other. Mary approached a girl who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties with long black hair that she tied back in a ponytail.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?” The girl turned around and before Mary could ask her next question the girls green eyes lit up at the sight of the dog that was still trying to get the last few bites of watermelon from Vida. “Vinegar Tom! You found him! Thank you so much. He got loose when we were setting up. Bad boy.” Taking a slip leash the volunteer slipped it over the dog’s neck so that Mary could detach the belt.

“Vinegar Tom? That’s an interesting name.”

“Yeah. Sometimes we rename the animals when they come in. I’m a history major and I reviewed the play for a paper I was doing at the time. Vinegar Tom came in on my first day almost a year ago and I don’t know something just felt right about the name.” There was an empty pen not that far away so the volunteer placed Vinegar Tom inside, scratching his head in comfort. “Thank you again for bringing him back. We have a new volunteer who’s never done an adoption fair before and he kind of lost control over a few of the dogs and he slipped away. Actually, now that I think about it Vinegar Tom has never done that before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Tom’s really sweet but he’s usually not so energetic like this. I always think that he would fit in so well with a single person or a small family but whenever he’s considered for adoption he just… stands there or lays there not doing anything. It’s why he keeps getting turned down every time. It’s kind of depressing.” Vinegar Tom was pressed against the wire of the pen licking Vida’s fingers.

“We best be going. Vida.” Vida turned to her, she looked reluctant to move away from her new friend.

“Bye Vinegar Tom.” That’s when Vinegar Tom started to whine. He sat down on his hind legs and looked at both Mary and Vida with his big brown eyes. Vida in turn looked at Mary, jutting her lip out in a quivering pout. Between the pathetic whines of the dog and the look that Vida fixed her Mary could feel her resolve slowly dissolving away.

“What do we do to adopt?” The soft look that the volunteer gave Mary was matched with the squeal that came from Vida and the happy barks of Vinegar Tom. As Mary filled out the form Vida and Vinegar Tom played, mostly Tom rolling on his stomach while Vida gave him belly rubs. Though Mary loved to make Vida happy and Vinegar Tom was cute a cold feeling tickled in the back of her mind.

Zelda was going to kill her.

_____________________

Zelda arrived home a little after five. She had a staff meeting where all seasonal staff members were given some general info about the short semester. This wasn’t anything new to Zelda but it was necessary. In the end she couldn’t really complain because she got out the same time Hilda got off work that day so she swung by to pick her sister and niece, Sabrina saw some movie with her friends, before heading home. Everything seemed normal, Zelda had just enough time to place her keys on the table before Vida ran into her.

“Mommy! Mommy! Guess what!?” Zelda smiled at her daughter’s enthusiasm. Vida took so much joy out of anything that it truly was a guess on what made her so happy this time.

“What Vida?”

“We got a puppy!”

“You what?” Zelda might not have wanted it to come out so harshly, but out of everything that she expected that wasn’t one of them. As if on cue a dog came bounding into the entrance hall. He lost his footing on the hardwood floors, slipping and half flopping onto the floor, but it didn’t stop him. He came to a full stop in front of Zelda, sitting almost at her feet and wagging his tail so hard his whole body was wiggling. Though Zelda looked at the dog dumbfounded Hilda and Sabrina awed and surrounded the creature to shower him with affection. “Vida where’s you Mamma.” Vida pointed in the general direction of the kitchen before returning her attention back to the dog. Zelda stormed off not giving the scene before her a second glance, Mary had some serious explaining to do. “You got a dog!?” Mary’s shoulders hunched over and she turned around to face Zelda, whipping her lips from of excess tea. Apparently Zelda surprised her mid sip. Mary placed her cup in the sink before placing them on the counter.

“Don’t be mad.”

“I have every right to be mad. You got a dog without consulting me first.”

“You weren’t there. Vida fixed me with this look.” Mary mimicked the look before continuing. “How was I supposed to say no to that?”

“You’re going to have to because the last thing that I want is for this house to become a glorified petting zoo.”

“It’s not. I doubt something like this is going to happen again. It might sound cliche but I think Vinegar Tom chose us.”

“The dogs name is Vinegar Tom?”

“One of the volunteers is a history major. Anyway, the one day that the dog went against his usual behavior is the day that Vida and I were in the park. The volunteer even said that he showed no interest in anyone except Vida. So here we are.” Zelda sighed through her nose. She really didn’t want the dog but Vida was attached she couldn’t say no now.

“He’s your responsibility.” With that Zelda turned on her heel out of the kitchen. Hilda, Sabrina, and Vida were still in the entryway with the dog. They were throwing some kind of soft toy for the dog to fetch. Zelda just rolled her eyes and went up the stairs to her room. She refused to have any part of this.

___________________________

It has been about a week since Vinegar Tom joined his new family and he could safely say that he’s never been happier. He yawned and stretched before stepping out of his basket. His madam got him his basket along with his toys when he first came and he genuinely loved them. He always made sure that he kept his ball next to his basket and his lamb close to him. He went to his water bowl for a small drink and then rang the small bell that was attached to the door. He didn’t need to go out, he just liked ringing the bell. Satisfied, he left the kitchen to the stairs. There was a lot of them and he climbed them as best as he could. He wasn’t used to stairs but anything to be close to his people. Still learning his way around he used the scent of his people to find their location. When he reached the door he gently pushed it open with his nose. In one bed there was his madam and mistress, he tried to climb up but it was too high. In another bed was his little miss, he went over to her and started to nudge her with his nose. His little miss moved and murmured before she sat up, rubbing one eye.

“Tom!” Taking that as an invitation he climbed into his little miss’ bed. Well, tried, he wasn’t very good at climbing. Little miss got out and helped him, she struggled a little under his weight but it was enough to get him on. Once he was in little miss joined him, laying down. Vinegar Tom did the same, laying his head near the pillow and a stuffed octopus. He gave a contented sigh and fell asleep.

_______________________

Though most of the family was smitten with Vinegar Tom there was one family member he hadn’t won over.

Zelda.

Zelda wanted nothing to do with the dog. She didn’t feed him and refused to walk him or acknowledge his presence. The only thing that she has ever done for the dog was let him out when he was ringing the bell and it was only that one time. All other duties and needs were regulated to Mary. She was the one who agreed to getting the dog she was going to do the brunt of the work. Though she must say she was impressed with the amount of responsibility that Vida showed. She helped Mary feed, walk, and bathe the dog and even learned some commands to help train him. Despite her disinterest Zelda recognized that Vinegar Tom was a good dog. He was fully house trained so they never woke up to any accidents in the house, Hilda even trained him to ring the bell that she tied on the door in the kitchen to be let out. Didn’t chew anything but his own toys, he liked rolling around his ball and squeaking his lamb toy. He listened to what they told him not that he misbehaved often. His only crime in Zelda’s eyes was that he kept trying to climb onto the sofa when she was on it. She didn’t know why he looked at her for attention but she was consistent and kept kicking him off. Keeping herself at arms length worked until one fateful day.

Everyone in her family was busy. Hilda had to work, Sabrina had plans with her friends, and Mary and Vida had a scheduled activity that they would enjoy but Zelda necessarily wouldn’t. Hence why they scheduled it when Zelda had to work. This was of course before they got the dog.

Vinegar Tom had been with them only a couple of days. It was why they, mainly Mary and Hilda, didn’t feel comfortable in leaving him on his own for so long. And with his veterinary check up not for another week they couldn’t enroll him in doggy daycare. There was only one viable option that was available and it was that he went with Zelda.

“Absolutely not!” Zelda abruptly got up from her chair and looked between Mary and Hilda. Apparently, Mary felt like she couldn’t ask Zelda on her own and called for reinforcements. Zelda couldn’t really blame her, she and Mary weren’t fighting but Zelda was adamant in proving her point. Mary wanted the dog she was going to take care of it.

“Zelda it’s just for one day.” Her sister pleaded in that soft tone of her, the one that she uses to try to calm her down with. It worked about 70% of the time. Zelda ranged in her anger a little but she wasn’t backing down.

“No.”

“Come on Zelda what’s the harm?”

“For one it’s against the rules. Animals aren’t allowed unless they are a service animal and I’m not about to commit a criminal offense just because there is no one to watch the dog that I didn’t even want. And before you even ask no I am not going to cancel my class.”

“Zelda it’s just one time. Do this for me and not only would I not ask this of you again but next date night is on me. Please? I would do it myself but the plans that I made with Vida can’t be changed.” Zelda turned her glare onto her girlfriend. Mary was being extremely unfair at that moment. Her expression was soft and her tone was pleading. It was a rare combination and it made Zelda cave in every time. And Vida was thrown in, it was dirty move and sadly, it worked.

“Fine.” Mary smirked and got up to give her a kiss on the check. It was supposed to be on the lips but Zelda turned her head to the side. Mary has not earned that privilege back yet.

And thus here she was now, driving to work with Vinegar Tom in the back seat. Though Zelda couldn’t stop thinking about everything that could go wrong, she could get fired, claw marks in her seats, dog hair EVERYWHERE, the mutt was having the time of his life. After dropping of Hilda at work he got up on his hind legs to look out the window. His breath fogged up the windows, his muzzle was that close to the glass, and his tail was wagging up a storm. There was even drool on the glass when Zelda went to let him out. Sneaking the dog into the building wasn’t that hard, the office that she used was on the first floor and the other teacher that she shared it with taught not only on days that she didn’t work but evenings as well. She had the whole space to herself but to make sure that Vinegar Tom didn’t get into anything he shouldn’t she brought a portable crate to create a temporary pen. Vinegar Tom circled his enclosure but he seemed content with the small water bowl and pillow that Zelda gave him. He was happiest with his lamb, he wiggled in eagerness when Zelda pulled it from the bag that Mary set up for her. He squeaked it a little before settling down near the pillow. The last thing that Zelda set up in Vinegar Tom’s pen was a pee pad, Mary walked him before she left but it was better safe than sorry. By the time that Zelda finished setting everything up it was time for her to head to her lecture. Before leaving she took one last look at the dog. He looked up at her with his big brown eyes and his goofy expression that had everyone in her family in love with but gave Zelda a slight jagged feeling in her stomach.

“Don’t get me fired.” With that Zelda left and acted like nothing was wrong.

________________________

When his mistress returned to her office Vinegar Tom was sleeping peacefully. He woke up when she closed the door behind her. He yawned and stretched before watching his mistress. She set down something before coming over to him. His tail started to wag, he was hoping for some treats or a belly rub for being such a good dog. He was slightly disappointed when all she did was take away the barrier that kept him in one corner of the room. It wasn’t quite what he wanted but he was free! It was something. He explored the best way he knew, by smell. He let his nose guide him but after a while of not finding anything he turned back to his mistress. She was sitting behind something big and wooden. She was looking at something but he couldn’t tell what. Her head was bowed, was she sad? Tom couldn’t let that happen. His lamb made him happy so maybe it would make his mistress happy.

Picking up his lamb he brought it over to his mistress. She didn’t appear to notice him so he got up on his hind legs, using the side of the desk for support. When she still hadn’t noticed him he squeaked his lamb. That got her attention.

“What?” He squeaked his lamb again and wagged his tail. He wanted her to know that it was okay to take it. She just looked at him funny. “What?” This time she turned slightly in her chair giving him a space to place the lamb. He dropped it in her lap. However, instead of being happy she looked even more funny and threw his lamb to some corner. Oh! She was playing with him! She must love fetch too! As fast as his legs could go he went to get his lamb and then brought it back, squeaking it twice so she knew that he got it. She threw it two more times, when he came back the third time she ignored him completely. Oh, she was done playing. That’s okay, he was a bit tired so he’ll take a little rest. He dropped his lamb on the floor and then rested his head next to it. He gave a soft sigh in contentment.

______________________

By the time that Zelda was done  she still had half an hour before Hilda got off work, great. Gathering everything that belonged to the dog she clipped his leash onto his harness and out they went. The dog still showed the same enthusiasm as before though Zelda wished he didn’t, she just cleaned her windows of his drool and there he was fogging and slobbering them up again. With twenty minutes still on her hands Zelda had to figure out what to do about the dog. It was pointless to drive all the way home when she would have to drive right back into town to pick up her sister, it wasted both time and gas, both of which she loathed. She decided to take the dog to the park. She didn’t know how tired Mary was going to be and she had the time so why not suck it up and walk the dog once.

The dog seemed happy about it. His tail wouldn’t stop wagging and he sniffed every tree that he got close to. He wasn’t that much different than Vida in that regard. Now that she thought about it he and Vida were a lot alike. They knew how to listen, could entertain themselves, didn’t get into much trouble, and were very loving and sweet with people they liked and a bit closed off with people they necessarily didn’t like. Maybe that’s why Vida fell head over heels with the dog because Zelda would have known if Vida wanted a pet. Yes, she wasn’t exactly forthcoming with Telling Zelda what she wanted but there were signs that as her mother she was able to pick up. There was nothing. Getting the dog was a completely last minute, spontaneous thing. Maybe that’s why Zelda was fighting so hard. She didn’t like spontaneous change. Yet that explained her relationship with Mary perfectly. She didn’t plan on falling in love with Mary, or moving their relationship so fast that they were living together in such a short time. There was no rational reason other than it just felt right. It’s what Mary felt when she agreed to get the dog, so maybe Zelda could work on changing her attitude towards the dog.

She knew just where to start. Since Vinegar Tom behaved himself so well at her work she decided to get him a special treat. There was a small dog boutique not far from where Hilda worked so Zelda took him inside to let him pick out a treat. She held her breath because there was a possibility that the dog could stick his head in a container and either destroy it or eat everything and take every last dime that she had. But as he sniffed through the selection of treats he didn’t seem interested in any of them until he found one he liked. He pawed at it and then turned to her with that same goofy expression and wagging tail. Zelda paid for it and tucked the trat in her purse, he could have it later after his dinner.

Home was very peaceful. Well, more normal than peaceful, and for that Zelda was grateful. As chaotic and as crowded as their household could be it was theirs and Zelda loved it. Vida wouldn’t stop talking about what she did that afternoon with Mary and they all sat around the table for dinner. That night it was Mary’s turns to wash the dishes, they tried to rotate who did what kind of cleaning. Zelda stuck around, she was finishing the last little bit of wine and it was the first time she could talk to Mary alone. Vinegar Tom was circling her, he barked softly and wiggled as he looked up at her. Zelda instantly knew what he wanted.

“Okay fine.” Zelda tossed him his treat. It was some kind of bone thing that smelled vaguely like barbeque. It was what he wanted and was safe for him so Zelda didn’t give it much thought. Vinegar Tom happily took his treat over to his basket and started to chomp away. Finishing up the last of her wine Zelda placed her glass with the rest of the dishes that haven’t been washed yet which was when she noticed Mary looking at her with a smirk and a gleam in her eye. “Not a word.”

“Well your attitude has certainly changed.” Zelda just huffed and walked out. Mary shook her head and went back to the dishes. Zelda would never say out loud if someone was right, she would stay silent and if she could walk out of the room. Mary smirked and looked at Vinegar Tom, he was halfway through his treat. “She’s warming up to you big guy.” He woofed lightly and went back to his treat.

Later that night Vinegar Tom padded into the living room where Hilda sat in an armchair knitting, and Mary and Zelda sitting on the couch reading. He went over to the couch and climbed up on it. Every other time he did that Zelda instantly kicked him off but instead she, without looking away from her book, took one hand and gave him a few head pats. Mary saw this out of the corner of her eye and smirked. It looked like Vinegar Tom was staying for good.

[artificialqueens]

Can I Order A 'Sex On The Beach'? (Rajilaskam) - Albatross

AN: Here’s my final entry for the rare pair fic challenge; 11K+ of the lovely foursome known as Rajilaskam! A special thanks to @VeronicaSanders, @KitschyPixel, and @MissChimKi for inspiring the idea and of course, @PinkGrapefruit for supplying the title because I suck at them.

Tropes used are:

Coffee shop AU

A and B are best friends who are secretly in love with each other AU

Lesbian AU

It was a little before 7 AM when Alaska and Willam pulled into the single non-chain restaurant that was open in the vaguely suburban area. It was a cute little cafe that opens its doors promptly at 6 AM on weekdays and Saturdays and then 7 on Sundays. There wasn’t much in the area to begin with so finding something aside from fast food that was already open by the time they arrived was like a god-send. In truth, they would have made due with either a Dunkin Donuts or even McDonald’s but something about a home-styled cafe seemed much more appealing so early in the morning, especially for Alaska as she stifled yet another yawn while she exited the car.

This whole mini trip had been Willam’s idea and after almost two weeks of goading, she managed to convince Alaska to join her for a full day at the beach. The younger blonde had been agreeable to the proposition of relaxing in the warm weather but where she had her reservations was of course with the time Willam had suggested they leave…a lovely 6 AM before the sun was even truly up and shining in the sky.

“Why does it have to be so early?” Alaska had whined repeatedly at every thought of her losing precious sleeping time, especially on the weekend.

“The beach gets packed sometimes,” the dirty blonde argued in a very limited sense. She knew Alaska would give in before long and just wanted to be annoyed about the situation to save face without seeming too passive. “And besides, it’s going to be a nice day, I wanna stay out and enjoy it as long as possible.”

“But 6 AM?” Alaska stressed once more.

This discussion had gone back and forth, almost always with the same dialogue before Alaska finally agreed once Willam pulled out the rare and incredibly unfair advantage of using that special cooing tone she saved just for the younger woman. It was completely a low blow; Willam knew she’d do just about anything that was asked of her so long as she used that voice. It was as though once the first syllable passed from the dirty blonde’s lips, Alaska suddenly became willing to anything and everything to make Willam happy…even sacrificing something very near and dear to her heart; her lazy weekend mornings.

But here she was, struggling to stay fully awake as they made the 40 minute trek to a cute little beach Willam had discovered late last year. The dirty blonde had already made a few trips out by herself, usually whenever she took a day off work to fix her tan lines, but this would be the first time that Alaska would join her. And Willam certainly had her routine down to a science; leave her house by 6, stop at the cafe for a quick pick-me-up and bathroom break, then onto the beach until at least mid-afternoon. She even brought a packed lunch with her so as not to give up any valuable time in the sun…or her premium parking spot. Alaska had to admit, she was dedicated though she wished her friend would be more negotiable with the departure time.

Nevertheless, they made it to the cafe for some much needed coffee and as Alaska browsed over the house brews available for selection, Willam quickly rushed off to the bathroom. Alaska took her time pondering over the selection of no less than seven different flavors that had already been set out in their own self-contained dispensers. She had almost been tempted to order a specialty drink but that would have been a little bit pricier. Instead, she just order two bagels and two cups of the cheaper pre-made coffee. But now the time came to decide on what flavor…

Her choice was a bit more obvious; the red-eye mix would be far too strong for her and she already had a preference for the sweeter blends…French Vanilla seemed to be the obvious match…But for Willam? That was a little more difficult. ‘Jamaican Me Crazy’ was probably a ‘no’, as would be the ‘Sugar Cookie’…The ‘Breakfast Blend’ smelled a bit too weak for what the dirty blonde liked to drink early in the morning, so that was out as well…

Finally, Alaska’s eyes drifted to the second-to-last pot that had been placed out so far; ‘Irish Hazelnut’. Perfect!

Just to Willam’s taste.

With a slight victorious grin, Alaska quickly filled her cups and moved onto the cream and sugar. Willam’s coffee, no matter the blend, was always predictable; two creamers, or glugs of it, and three packs of sugar, preferably the raw kind if available. She hated the chemical taste of most artificial sweeteners, often finding it left an unpleasant after-taste; an opinion Alaska shared wholeheartedly. As for her own coffee, Alaska tailored her add-ins to each flavor. French Vanilla was already sweet, so two sugars and one creamer ought to be just fine.

She had just begun to reach for the bottle of creamer when her hand met with another woman’s quite unexpectedly. Alaska had hardly been aware that other customers were in the shop, much less that one was right next to her. The grazing of their fingers as they both made to grab the bottle quickly served to startle her into a much more conscious state. Before she even had a chance to properly think about the situation she found that she was already apologizing and retracting her hand, a gesture that was immediately reciprocated by the other person.

Alaska’s gaze drifted to the woman that was now beside her and for just a second she felt her breath hitch in her throat. The stranger had obviously just been out jogging; her long jet black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail while the bangs stuck just slightly to her damp forehead. Her outfit was undeniably fashionable but still sporty, even including a few strips of reflective fabric down the sides of the jacket and shorts, and then finally her shoes had remained mostly clean but a light sheen from the early morning dew could still be found pooling on the plastic tips. Despite all of this, she still looked absolutely stunning in an entirely effortless way that Alaska was inclined to feel jealous of. And then when you threw in the friendly, apologetic smile that the woman was currently throwing Alaska’s way?

It was the perfect combination to inspire a small, fleeting crush towards the stranger.

“Sorry,” Alaska repeated once she was finally able to take control of her thoughts, “Go ahead.”

The woman shook her head, smile still in place as she replied in a gentle tone, “No, you were here first. You should.”

Alaska faltered, they seemed to be at an impasse and quite honestly, she was inclined to let the woman go first just as an excuse to keep her nearby for a few seconds longer. Seeing her hesitation, the woman’s eyes soften considerably, as she encouraged once more, “Go on. I’ll wait my turn, I’m not in a rush.”

Her voice had dipped just short of cooing and immediately Alaska felt her stomach beginning to twist…she really was a sucker when beautiful women used that tone with her it seems.

To keep herself from acting like any more of an idiot than she probably already looked like, she mumbled an appreciative word of gratitude and began filling her cups with the appropriate amount of creamer. She could feel the woman’s eyes on her even as she slid down the counter towards the sugar and tore open the packets so roughly that they almost spilled out. Finally replacing the lids on the cups, she grabbed the To-Go bag with the bagels, shot the woman a small grateful smile, and scurried on towards an empty table near the doors to wait for Willam.

Her heart felt like it was racing in her chest as she took a few cautious sips of her coffee in an effort to calm herself down. She knew Willam would be out shortly and that’d be the end of this ordeal but when she saw the woman sitting down in a booth almost parallel to her, it felt like a spot-light the strength of the sun was shining down on her. Alaska tried to keep her sight from falling back to the woman but every so often when it felt safe to do so, she stole a few glances at the unknown jogger. At the times when she didn’t quite dare to look over, she could have sworn she felt a set of eyes on her as well.

A few minutes later after Willam still had not emerged from whatever the hell she was doing in the bathroom, a sudden burst of movement from the stranger’s table caught her eye. Glancing up in as discreet a manner as she could muster, she saw the woman’s smile growing ever brighter as she seemed to be waving to someone just passing through the entrance.

“Raja!” she called out just loud enough to be heard across the room, “Over here!”

Footsteps were heard to be shuffling but Alaska was unable to sneak a peek at the other person without seeming too obvious. But as it turned out all she had to do was wait just a few more seconds and swiftly she felt her heart hammering in her chest once more. Almost as soon as the two women were in a close enough distance to one another, they shared a brief kiss before both repositioned themselves in the booth. There was a look of pure admiration in the jogger’s eyes as she welcomed her companion and began chatting away with evident enthusiasm.

Alaska knew she was now being utterly obvious as she stared at the pair but it seemed like a helpless cause to try and tear her eyes away. They were both gorgeous in their own unique ways. The jogger, whose name Alaska still had yet to hear, was like a casual beauty; fun and approachable, one you felt yourself drawn to just by her energy alone. As for the other woman, Raja; she radiated an aura that seemed to draw your eyes to her but still kept you at a safe, respectable distance. She seemed like someone you couldn’t just approach without a valid reason for calling on her; you had to be worthy of taking up her time even if you just wanted to give up every minute in your day if only to look at her.

Unlike her partner, she was the only one of them to be wearing any trace of makeup at this time and though it was very light, it looked expertly applied…like she had years of perfecting her skill and matching it to suit her face. Her lips especially were the most striking feature, having been painted just a few shades darker than her already honey colored skin. Out of self-consciousness for her own mostly bare face, Alaska began biting her gloss covered lip, the one feature aside from a bit of mascara that had any trace of additional product.

As her eyes fell back to her cup, Alaska could have sworn that once more she was being watched. Before she dared to look up to confirm those suspicions, Willam came bouncing up next to her with a slight grin that seemed rather out of place for her so early in the morning.

Motioning towards the coffee on the table, she asked, “Which one’s mine?”

Even before Alaska had opened her mouth to reply, Willam was already reaching for one and somehow missing the smudged traces of lip gloss around lid, selected Alaska’s French Vanilla and took a shallow sip of it.

Rolling her eyes with a patient smile, Alaska pulled the cup out of Willam’s hands and mockingly informed her, “This is mine…Yours is sitting next to the bag.”

For her part, Willam gave her a vaguely apologetic smile and made to grab the correct cup. Unlike when she had tasted Alaska’s coffee, which earned a slight grimace at the overly sweet flavor, Willam’s proper drink drew forth a pleased grin and content sigh as she drained almost a third of the contents in one gulp. She gave Alaska a truly sincere word of thanks and asked if she was ready to leave.

Nodding her head, Alaska agreed, almost tempted as she followed her friend past the door to look back one final time at the stunning couple she was leaving behind. Though she ultimately denied herself of that opportunity, she still felt like if she had, her line of sight would have connected with one or both of the women. She pondered over what that could have possibly meant or resulted in ('nothing’ being the answer she was inclined to give for both questions) and by the time she and Willam arrived at the empty beach, she forced herself to push any further thought of it out of her mind.

Instead she was determined to focus her attention on Willam, who now wasted little time in stripping down to her bathing suit. Even before Alaska had laid out the blanket and towels she brought for both of them, Willam had already slathered herself in sunscreen and was ready to dive into the ocean. She asked if Alaska would be joining her but the blonde politely refused, citing it was still a bit too cold for her but perhaps in the afternoon she would take her up on the offer.

In truth, the temperature was only about half of the answer. Alaska would be taking advantage of the separation to just watch Willam without any worry of getting caught. Even when they were together, she was always nervous that focusing her sight too long on her friends would tip her off to the less than PG thoughts Alaska sometimes harbored towards her long-time companion. She always kept their interactions respectful but she could never find the courage to confess to Willam how she felt…its not as though it would amount to anything and Willam certainly wouldn’t abandon her if she discovered the truth but even thought of the dirty blonde finally knowing about Alaska’s hidden crush was absolutely mortifying. So she just consoled herself with stealing glances here and there and reveling in the time they spent together. It was something she wouldn’t change for anything in the world.

For most of the morning, Alaska spent her time divided between reading a book she had brought and discreetly watching over her friend as she swam up and down the beach. Over the course of three hours, the foot traffic had picked up quite a bit and in every direction Alaska looked, there seemed to be a newcomer setting their belongings down onto the sand. The background noise had risen just slightly but thankfully not enough to be too distracting whenever she tried to focus herself on reading the words on the page and not on Willam’s skimpy but flattering bikini.

Alaska managed to make it through two chapters before she heard a friendly voice just a few feet beside her, “Excuse me. Mind if we set up next to you?”

Alaska’s head turned up to see one half of that beautiful couple from the coffee shop glancing down at her with a bright smile as she patiently waited for an answer. Try as she might, Alaska’s mind seemed to have been wiped completely blank as she stared almost helpless at the one woman whose name she had inadvertently learned; Raja. Despite her gawking, the older woman didn’t seem inclined to acknowledge it other than a slight tilt of her head as her lips curled ever so slightly into a teasing grin.

Finally after what felt like hours had escaped, Alaska managed to plaster a smile on her slightly burning face and replied back, “Not at all. Go ahead.”

The older woman gave her a quick word of thanks and proceeded to drop her belongings just a few feet away from Alaska and Willam’s own outstretched blanket. While the blonde tried to divert her sight back to her book in an attempt to save what little dignity she still possessed, she found she had to curse the universe just slightly as the jogger from earlier came sprinting up to join her companion with yet another bundle of items.

Alaska was watching the scene in a helpless, 'why me?’ state of mind when suddenly the stranger’s eyes fell to hers and shining grin stretched across her face. She had immediately recognized and remembered Alaska from their brief encounter in the shop and commented cheerfully, “Seems we’re meant to spend the day together.”

“Guess so,” Alaska agreed as a shy undertone worked its way into her voice. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears at the thought of spending at least a few more hours with this gorgeous couple so close by. It seemed as though the universe loved to both reward and torture her.

As the couple continued to unpack their bags, Alaska’s gaze drifted to Raja as she careless striped away her loose shirt. The art covering most of the skin on her arms caught Alaska’s attention until her gaze was raking down every inch of exposed ink that she could see. It didn’t take long for the other woman to become aware of the blatant staring and trying her best to immediately cover for herself, Alaska apologized sheepishly, “Sorry. Was just admiring your tattoos.”

A cocky but proud grin grew across Raja’s lips as she put forth an enticing offer of, “Want a closer look?”

The final syllable had barely slipped out before the blonde was nodding her head eagerly. Dropping to her knees next to Alaska’s blanket, Raja extended her arm in order for the younger woman to take in the details more clearly. As her eyes followed each of the lines, Alaska felt like she was slowly slipping into a trance and without even thinking, her hand had slowly begun to reach out to run her fingers over the frilly edges. Coming to her senses and stopping herself just inches short of actually making contact, Alaska tore her gaze back to meet Raja’s and apologized for what she had almost done.

“Don’t worry about it,” Raja assured her as her voice dipped towards a low, consoling level, “You can touch them.”

If Alaska had been standing she was sure she would have gone weak in the knees but to her relief, she kept her voice steady as she accepted the offer and carefully traced her fingertips across some of the patterns.

Her mind had gone into an almost fully distracted state as she mentioned in a daze, “The lines are so smooth…”

“Had them for a few years now,” Raja informed her politely, “They’re only really raised while they’re still healing.”

Pulling her hand away and reconnecting their gazes, Alaska admitted in a somewhat embarrassed fashion, “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

“I take it you don’t have any yourself?” Raja asked after having already guessed the answer, if one had to judge by the playful look in her eyes.

Shaking her head modestly, Alaska had to confess that she didn’t, only Willam had any permanent ink added to her body.

Almost as if on cue, the dirty blonde in question had come strolling up to the pair. A tense smile was to be seen on her face as she asked who Alaska’s new friend was.

At once the older woman flashed her a charming smile, and as she held out her hand, stated that her name was, “Raja.”

“Willam,” the dirty blonde replied with a polite but stony smile as she reciprocated the gesture.

From a few feet away, Alaska could hear the jogger finally introducing herself as “Manila” with a cheerful grin and soon Alaska was mirroring it as she provided her own name to the pair. Upon hearing the blonde speaking, Manila turned her attention to the youngest of them and if anything Alaska would swear the smile grew even wider. As if to confirm those suspicions, Willam’s eyes were darting between the two with a silent question, or rather a near demand, to know what was going on with the pair’s shared knowing gaze.

“We kinda met at the coffee shop for like five seconds,” Alaska informed the older woman with an air of sheepishness.

Despite the blonde’s attempt to stay vague, Manila couldn’t seem to keep a flirtatious undertone from penetrating her voice as she added in, “I’d say it was at least ten.”

Raja only seemed to be amused by the comment but Willam’s sentiments sharply contradicted that feeling. Though to everyone’s relief, instead of raising a scene, she gave a quiet musing of, “Mm.”

Alaska was more than ready to change the subject, if only just to keep the beautiful couple engaged with her, but the dirty blonde seemed to have other plans for the time being. Setting herself down on the blanket, putting a barrier between Raja and her friend in the process, Willam proceeded to dig around in the bag they had brought containing their beach accessories and asked innocently, “'Lask, could you put some more sunscreen on my back? Wanna lay out here for a little bit.”

Like a pet eager to please, Alaska was nodding her head with an immediate agreement of, “Sure.”

After Willam handed her the almost new bottle of lotion, Alaska wasted little time in assisting her friend. Though her heart had a tendency to race any time she made physical contact with the dirty blonde, today of course being no exception, she remained respectful of Willam’s person and made quick work of applying the latest layer of sunscreen.

Once finished she promptly handed the bottle back to Willam but instead of moving on to add the lotion anywhere else on her body, the dirty blonde instead offered, “Let me get you, too.”

If Alaska had any desire not to accept, that notion was largely missed by Willam. She was already squeezing the sunscreen out before the final word had passed from her lips. Not that Alaska would have refused anyway. Even tossing aside her affection for the older woman, it was still a good idea in the growing heat of the day to keep up with reapplying the sunscreen. The last thing she wanted was to end up burnt for a week.

Turning around so that her back was to her friend, Alaska piled up her long hair into a makeshift bun as she awaited to feel the touch of Willam’s bare skin on hers. What she hadn’t expected was for the lotion to feel so cool still. A small gasp at the contact escaped her which to her mortification almost turned into a whine as the dirty blonde’s voice dipped with a soft apology of, “Sorry, baby.”

Alaska could have swore her heart skipped a beat in her chest at the barely used pet name and mumbled that it was fine. However, despite her words, she was decidedly feeling anything less than fine as Willam’s hands slipped beneath the strings of her bikini. Despite herself, she could feel her cheeks growing hot as the nimble fingers traced everywhere across her back under the pretext of wanting to thoroughly rub in the lotion. Alaska honestly just chalked it up to Willam probably pouring out too much into her hand as was now trying to use it as much as possible. But that thought did little to calm her twisting stomach as Willam’s hands traveled ever lower. It was just when she was beginning to bite her lower lip that Willam retreated and moved to lay down on the blanket.

Alaska didn’t know whether to feel relieved…or cheated.

So instead she just turned her attention back to the couple and began to inquire with some innocent and polite questions. Willam would pipe up every now and then as the conversation quickly consumed the other three but in large part she stayed unusually quiet. It was thanks to the generic small talk that Alaska was able to learn just a little bit more about her new friends. They actually lived pretty close by and even came to the beach nearly every weekend as the weather allowed. The amount of time they spent here varied, whether it was a full day or just a walk up and down the tide line but it was clear this spot had a special place in their heart. The three eventually turned to more probing questions such as one’s occupation, what they did for fun and various stories of miscellaneous adventures with one another.

It seemed at first that Willam was well on her way to becoming annoyed with the three but after catching a glimpse of the couple exchanging a kiss, her disposition had softened considerably. Though she was far from the usually outgoing and boisterous life of the party that Alaska knew her as, it was clear that slowly but surely she was warming up to the pair and soon would be back to her normal self. However one trait that Alaska did make a note of was how Willam utterly refused to move from her spot by the blonde’s side. She wasn’t sure if Willam was simply done swimming for the day or if she just wanted to stay in the company of their new friends but in a strange way she was glad.

Watching the pair, who clearly held an enormous amount of affection towards one another, left her feeling a bit lonely somewhere deep in her heart. She longed to have a relationship like that; one where she was so comfortable with the other person it was almost second nature to remain at each other’s side even if the only thing they engaged in was small talk. Manila’s gaze was one of absolute adoration for the older woman while Raja’s was one of utter devotion. A very different set of emotions yet so complementary towards one another.

Alaska found that she was actually…jealous.

As for Willam, those shared looks of mutual appreciation seemed to quell her discontent with the attention they seemed to be lavishing on Alaska when she first spotted them. Though she still didn’t care for the mildly flirty comments or wandering eye that each of the other women spared for the blonde, they at least seemed to respect the distance that Willam wanted them to keep.

The rest of the day up to late afternoon was filled with light chatter. Eventually they slipped off for a walk down the beach while Willam and Alaska decided to take their leave in order to keep their dinner plans for that night. Before they parted ways, Manila had asked if the pair would be returning the following week. Alaska felt her stomach tying itself into knots as she glanced over to Willam for confirmation. They hadn’t made any plans beyond today to come back together but if it meant seeing Raja and Manila again, Alaska would have gladly woken up every day in the wee hours of the morning for the rest of her life.

Though usually Willam was always eager to return to the beach, this time there was a strong hint of hesitation before she muttered an agreement. Alaska could have sworn that her smile would have rivaled the strength of the sun…at least until she heard Raja murmur, “See you then,” to the dirty blonde, along with a very light grazing of her fingertips across Willam’s upper arm as she and Manila set off on their walk towards the shoreline.

Even such a tiny, perhaps innocent, perhaps not, gesture had given Willam reason to pause and Alaska would have bet anything the dirty blonde’s breath caught in her throat. A flash of envy gripped her heart as she longed to be able to elicit the same kind of reaction from her friend on her own. It seems that even with her initial reluctance to welcome the couple, Willam was not immune to the charms of at least one of them. And there was no denying that after they left, there was a trace of a vaguely impressed smile resting on Willam’s lips that lasted almost the whole duration of their ride home.

*****

As promised, the pair returned again the following Saturday and set up their blanket in almost the same spot as they had the previous week. Willam spent a majority of their time alone swimming in the ocean once more while Alaska waited anxiously on shore keeping a close eye on both her friend and their belongings. Though this week Alaska had actually joined her in walking along the shoreline, she utterly refused to go into the water any further than ankle deep. In her opinion it was still far too cold to be going in, even if the sun was promised to shine exceptionally bright later that day.

Eventually Willam gave in after swimming alone for an hour and opted to walk beside Alaska as she explored the beach in a way she hadn’t been able to last Saturday. The entrance onto the sand from the parking lot was very close to one end of the beach that brushed against the edges of the wooded cliffs. Due to the nature of the cliffs suddenly collapsing, particularly after heavy rainfall, the county had posted a notice forbidding people from wandering too close. Not that it stopped anyone anyhow…

But since Alaska wasn’t looking to risk her neck at this point in time, she instead walked in the opposite direction towards the boardwalk she saw extending off into the distance. Though the beach was admittedly a bit small, especially when compared to more commercial locations, it still held a certain charm. It felt more natural and welcoming to be surrounded by nature, even if the bugs associated with it were a bit annoying at times.

By the time the two had doubled back, they spotted Manila and Raja making their way onto the beach with their towels and bags in hand. Immediately Alaska perked up with a wide smile and began calling out a warm welcome to the women. Willam was less ecstatic but Alaska hardly noticed as she grabbed the dirty blonde’s hand and forced her to speed walk in order to meet the pair halfway. She felt almost like a kid in high school after spotting their crush the moment she laid eyes on the couple once more.

For their part, they greeted Willam and Alaska with matching grins and asked where they ought to drop their belongings. Alaska had begun to withdraw her hand from Willam’s in order to point out the direction but to her surprise the older woman seemed reluctant to let go. Or perhaps she hadn’t noticed, Alaska thought. Willam’s expression hardly seemed to change as the blonde’s hand left hers so mostly likely she hadn’t realized right away that Alaska was trying to disentangle them.

Disregarding that thought for now, Alaska opted instead to direct the pair over to where she had laid out her and Willam’s blanket. As they began to unpack, their conversation from last week picked up again in earnest. It was almost as if no time had passed at all since they last saw one another. Even Willam was joining in as an equal participant. Though she was still a bit more reserved than how Alaska typically knew her, she had taken a liking to the couple and seemed to be genuinely intrigued by the two.

Again, by the time the pair began to depart for a walk down the beach, towards the cliffs Alaska noticed, the four exchanged another promise to meet up again the following week. Slowly but surely this mutual agreement turned into a predictable routine as the weeks slipped into months with only rain or bad weather keeping the two pairs apart. Alaska and Willam would always arrive at the beach early, sometimes spotting Manila, Raja or both at the coffee shop beforehand, but always spending at least one hour together before the couple made their way over to join them. They’d all spend the majority of the day together, sometimes sunbathing, sometimes swimming or other times just walking up and down the shoreline but by late afternoon, the couple would always excuse themselves in direction of the cliffs.

There were times when Willam and Alaska would not always leave right away but once the pair had slipped off, they would not be seen again for at least for another half hour. Willam used the time to catch up on missed texts or even eating a quick snack but Alaska’s curiosity continued to grow with each passing week. She’d never really seen that part of the beach due in large part to the fallen trees that hid most of the landscape but she couldn’t help but wonder just what was so interesting over there that Raja and Manila would want to disappear to find every week.

Finally on one exceedingly warm day, Alaska dared to follow after them. The couple had gotten a head start a few minutes prior and Willam was off swimming in the ocean once more. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to trail behind and see just why Manila and Raja wandered off so habitually every week. The terrain past the lonely warning sign had grown much more dense and leaf-littered as she darted between the fallen trees and rocks. It was a bit inconvenient for anyone wishing to take a relaxing stroll so there must have been some additional motivating factor for why the couple would want to come out here together.

Past the first major blockade of overturned foliage, the area did open up, but not very much Alaska had to admit. Upon inspecting the walls of the cliff at a much closer distance, Alaska could see where several parts had collapsed in recent months though exactly how recent was difficult to say. Yet still no matter how thoroughly she searched the area, she could not see nor hear any trace of Raja and Manila. She wandered on much closer to the cliffs until she came up on a curved corner that had jutted into the water and still there was no sign of the couple even with the new vantage point…Unless perhaps they had gone into the woods itself but that option seemed unlikely…they had no shoes on after all.

She was at a loss and considering going back to wait for their return and simply ask them…but another idea struck her.

The water near the cliff didn’t seem too deep, perhaps only thigh high for most people of average height. Maybe they had pushed onward into another area. It was worth a shot to investigate at least.

Braving the lukewarm water, Alaska steadied herself on the slightly rocky, sand-filled bottom, and carefully made her way around the cliff. Whatever she was expecting, it certainly was not what she found.

After rounding the corner of the cliff, the landscape quickly opened up into a small miniature bay. It looked surprisingly clean yet still rather wild when compared to the area she had just passed though. But as she was taking in the natural beauty something else quickly caught her attention.

Off a good 20 yards away at the very edge of the shoreline, Alaska spotted the couple in a more intimate moment than she ever thought she’d witness. There was little doubt as to what the pair was doing, what with Raja’s hand tucked between Manila’s legs and the latter’s head thrown back just slightly. She was biting her bottom lip in effort to keep from becoming too loud but every so often Alaska could hear a soft call of Raja’s name mixed in with the sound of the surf. Her breathing looked labored and heavy if the heaving of her chest was anything to go by as she clawed at Raja’s back desperate for something to hold on to. If Raja was bothered by the light scratches, she showed no outward sign of it. Instead she seemed to be solely focus on her task of giving Manila as much pleasure as the younger woman could handle.

Even from her limited angle Alaska would bet anything that Raja’s fingers were skillfully working their way in and out in a manner Raja would have come to perfect during their time together. Aside from all of that, she was dusting several kisses up and down the side of Manila’s neck as the grip on her backside tightened even further. There was no doubt that younger woman was getting dangerously close.

Raja was just starting to work her way down to a spot between Manila’s collarbone when Alaska felt a pair of warm hands gripping her bare waist and soft chest pressed against her backside. She barely even registered the presence of another person before she heard a teasing whisper in her ear, “Whatcha watching?”

Completely startled, Alaska jumped in place and quickly spun around to find her friend standing just a little too close for comfort. Trying her best to keep them from being caught, she scolded her friend in hushed, firm tone, “Fuck, Willam!”

Not even daring to look back at the pair, Alaska quickly began trying to push Willam back around the other side of the cliff but the dirty blonde was having none of it. Firmly standing her ground, Willam dug her feet in and refused to move. As she had suspected when she first spotted Alaska on her own, she knew the blonde was up to something sneaky and definitely wanted in on it. She darted her way around the younger woman in an effort to see what she was spying on as her voice rose in pitch with a taunting question of, “Ooh, what’s going on-”

However she intended to finish that sentence quickly died on her lips as Willam took in the sight that laid before her. Very much amused, she continued to tease the nervous young woman, “'Laska, I didn’t know you were such a perv!”

“Shut up!” Alaska all but yelled as her voice cracked in embarrassment. Before either of them could truly be caught by their new friends, Alaska grabbed Willam’s arm and swiftly pulled her away from the scene, all the while she kept up her adamant statement of, “I didn’t know that’s what they were doing-”

“Uh-huh, right,” Willam interrupted with eye roll of disbelief. This little incident would definitely be material to tease Alaska with for years to come.

“I didn’t!” the blonde insisted as she kept up a brisk pace back to a safe distance away from the edge of the cliff, “Not at first.”

“Oh, but after?” the dirty blonde challenged with an arched brow.

Feeling her cheeks continuing to grow hot in embarrassment, the blonde squeaked out, “Shut up! I only realized like a second before you showed up!”

Stopping the younger woman in her tracks, Willam stepped closer until there were almost touching and dared her answer, “And how long would you have stayed if I hadn’t?”

As she thought, Alaska remained silent while her cheeks burned a bright red. It almost could have been mistaken for the early stages of sunburn if someone hadn’t known better. But Willam certainly did and felt a smug smirk stretching across her lips as she affirmed, “Mh-mm. Perv.”

“We’re done talking about this,” Alaska declared as she set off once more towards their blanket.

There was no way she could face the couple after they returned and with a lightning quick speed, she hastily packed up all the belongings she and Willam had brought and ushered the protesting dirty blonde towards the car. Even long after the beach and town were out of sight, Alaska could still feel the humiliated heat emanating from her face…one that seemed to double every time she met Willam’s knowing gaze.

That night after retiring to her own apartment she finally allowed herself to replay the scene after having faithfully pushed it from her mind for the better part of the afternoon. Whether it had been real or imagined, Alaska did her best to focus on all the little micro-expressions she believed Manila would have held. From the biting of her lower lip, the heavy panting, soft mewls for more, eyes clenched tight as she tried to hold on for just a little longer…

Startled, Alaska quickly shook those thoughts from her mind. It just felt…dirty to be thinking of her new friends in that manner. As far as she knew, they hadn’t even realized they’d been caught, much less actively watched for well over a minute. And then for her to be playing out the scene again as a very familiar burning built up in the pit of her stomach?

It was too much.

No matter how enticing that mental image had been, Alaska refused to dwell on it. The guilt just wasn’t worth it.

Even when she and Willam set off again the following Saturday morning, Alaska still had reservations about seeing the couple again so soon. She knew her heart would be fluttering even more than it usually did but Willam was insistent on returning to the beach. Their stop at the coffee shop was unusually quick as Willam rushed them in and out after a quick restroom and breakfast break. Seems she just couldn’t wait to spend another day in the sun.

Once on the sand, Alaska barely had time to lay out their blanket and towels before the dirty blonde was grabbing her hand and leading her off towards the shoreline. Somewhat impatiently, she urged, “C'mon!”

“Where are we going?” Alaska asked reluctantly as she struggled to fully wake herself up and mentally prepare for the cold water that was soon to be hitting her feet.

A devilish smirk soon found its way to Willam’s lips as she turned back to Alaska and asked rhetorically, “Where do you think?”

The realization of Willam’s intended destination startled Alaska into full consciousness and her heels began to dig in as she sputtered out, “Wha-Why-”

“I want to check it out,” the dirty blonde reasoned as she continued to pull Alaska towards the wooded end of the beach. Despite her being a good few inches shorter than younger woman, Willam could be surprisingly persistent and strong once motivated…and right now, she certainly had the necessary motivation.

Alaska only struggled for another few seconds before ultimately giving in and allowing Willam to guide her ever closer to the cliffs. Though she wouldn’t quite dare to say it out loud, the phrase 'This is a bad idea’ looped in her mind during their entire journey.

As expected, the water they had to traverse through was far too cold for Alaska to find enjoyable but it would have been pointless for her to try to resist. She honestly didn’t put it past Willam to splash her if she showed any sign of discomfort for the cool waves pooling around them. By some bit of luck it was closer to low tide than high so there wasn’t as much water to wade through as the previous week but with the sun so low in the sky, the majority of the area was still left in the shade.

A shiver ran up her spine as Willam forced her to brave the depths and follow the knee deep water until they reached the opposite shoreline. The nearer they got, it became increasingly obvious that this part of the beach had a much more rocky bottom than where they usually occupied. The clay made the footing a bit slippery if they neared the edge of the cliff too much but thankfully there was just enough sand to ensure that they maintained a steady grip.

With a single-minded determinedness that Alaska was usually one to admire, Willam marched right up to almost the exact spot she and the blonde had seen Raja and Manila in the midst of their liaison. Alaska was initially intending to avoid the area but at Willam’s insistence, or rather pulling, she soon found herself sitting quite near the same area Manila had been laying the previous Saturday.

The pair sat side by side in silence for almost a full minute as they watched the waves lapping at tide line in front of them, but Willam soon took to contemplating out loud, “Mm, so this is it…it’s kinda cold in the shade.”

Another shiver ran through Alaska’s body as she distractedly agreed, “Yeah.”

More than anything she was hoping they’d leave soon as it was becoming increasingly difficult not to begin replaying the events of their last visit to the beach. Already a desperate ache was starting to burn in the pit of her stomach but with every ounce of willpower she had, she tried her best to steer her thoughts away from that accidental case of voyeurism. Willam however, apparently felt no such shame as she further commented, “Not exactly comfortable here but…”

The blonde was silently praying that would be the end of it but those prayers went unanswered as the older woman scooted closer until she was very nearly brushing against Alaska. There was hardly an inch of space between their bodies as Willam cocked her head to the side and asked, “Don'tcha wonder what it’d be like?”

Alaska was fighting with every last bit of strength she had not to let herself do something stupid in response to Willam’s innocent question. Even trying to keep her eyes from drifting to the dirty blonde’s lips or down the curves of her body required a conscious effort to resist. Nothing however could be done to stop the faint pink she felt rising to her cheeks.

Certainly not trusting herself to say anything that wouldn’t be self-incriminating or embarrassing, Alaska opted to simply shrug her shoulders as though the thought had never crossed her mind…much less that it involved the person right next to her.

Despite her attempt to appear neutral and unaffected by the question, Willam seemed to be utterly let down by her answer, or rather, lack of one. Her eyes flashed between frustration and hopelessness as if she weren’t sure which she ought to be feeling more strongly at that moment. Alaska was nearly about to question the odd expression until Willam shook her head in disbelief. She sounded quite beaten as she let out a helpless laugh of, “'Lask…I really don’t get you.”

“What do you mean?” she inquired at once as her head tilted in confusion.

Brushing it off, Willam simply stood up and replied, “Never mind. Let’s head back.”

*******

Their return journey was again quiet but this time it felt more like an awkward tension rather than a comfortable, friendly silence. Almost the moment they had rounded the corner of the cliff and began walking towards the wooded section, Willam decided to instead run off and swim alone. Alaska was left to watch helplessly as her friend stormed away and promptly disappeared between the waves as she seemed to try her best to put as much distance between them as possible.

Her hands were shaking as she stood shuddering in the cool shade and somewhere in the back of her mind, she had the sense that somehow she had fucked up big time. She racked her brain trying to figure out what it could have been but every possibility she came up with seemed too far-fetched. There was no way that Willam could return her affections so perhaps, Alaska reasoned, she had finally discovered the secret that she had tried so hard to keep hidden. Either way, Alaska remained sure of two things; one, that Willam does not feel the same as she does and two, Alaska had no desire to be around anyone else at this particular moment. Instead she decided to sequester herself to this isolated area and suffer in solitude as she came to terms with the likely fact Willam now knew about her long-kept crush.

Setting herself down on one of the larger overturned trees, Alaska sat in dejection and watched the waves as they washed over the shoreline and slowly began to recede back into a proper low tide. She was unsure of how long she had been there but by the time she heard a break in the normal background noise, the sun had risen much higher in the sky and the shadows that had shielded her had begun to retreat further down the beach. She almost disregarded the noise as being too far off in the distance to warrant any special attention but as she began to slip back into her misery again, she was jolted from her thoughts by a very familiar voice.

“Hey, 'Laska! Where’s Willam?” Manila called out cheerfully as she and Raja made their way closer to Alaska’s spot of self-imposed isolation.

“Oh, um, she’s around…somewhere,” Alaska replied with a slightly pained smile as she tried her best to appear friendly. There was a slight shrug of her shoulders as she admitted, “Not sure where exactly.”

“Hm,” Raja murmured as she made her way round Alaska’s side to sit down next to her.

While the older woman made herself comfortable looking out onto the beach, Manila opted to remain on the blonde’s opposite side while straddling the width of the tree as she scooted a bit closer than what most friends would dare to call 'casual’. Raja kept up her air of a polite yet respectful nature but Manila was much more brazen and to the point as she took the opportunity to finally ask the burning question that she and her partner both had, “We always see you two together, are you two dating?”

Startled, Alaska’s eyes darted to the ground as an all too noticeable blush rose to her face. Trying to find her voice and keep it level at the unexpected inquiry, Alaska replied uncomfortable, “Uh, um…no, just…no.”

Her fingers were toying with a lock of hair as she tried to distract herself from the queasy feeling growing in her stomach. It made quite a difference to admit that sad fact out loud instead of just in her head. Perhaps noticing the blonde’s discomfort or maybe just musing the topic on her own, Raja chimed in, “Shame. You two would make a cute couple.”

“How’s that?” Alaska asked with a helpless laugh in her voice, “I’m like…a head taller than her and we’re total opposites.”

“Opposites but still complementary, at least from what I’ve seen,” the older woman mentioned as she turned her gaze away from the ocean to focus solely on the pair beside her.

Immediately agreeing, Manila made a further comment of, “And you always look so happy together. Like when you make each other laugh…it looks like your smiles were meant just for the other.”

“Oh, um, thank you,” the blonde muttered as her cheeks grew even hotter with the mention of the couple’s observation.

Taking a more pointed tone, Raja questioned the younger woman, “Isn’t that something you’ve thought about before?”

Although Alaska was inclined to deny it, she felt unable to follow through with the notion, at least in the presence of these particular two. There was a hint of reluctance in the undertone of her voice as she quietly admitted, “Maybe.”

“But you’ve never made a move?” Raja inquired with an arched brow. Though her demeanor wasn’t meant to be judging she still seemed to disapprove, even if only slightly, of the lack of initiate on either woman’s part.

Picking up on the reproach in the older woman’s voice, Alaska continued to fiddle nervously with the lock of hair tangled in her fingers as she tried to defend herself with, “No, I…I can’t. She’s…we really are opposites. It couldn’t really last.”

“Never know,” Raja disagreed, “Manila and I are pretty different but we make it work.”

Piping up, the younger woman placed a comforting hand on Alaska’s thigh and added in consolingly, “There’s always a way when you find some common ground.”

Alaska politely nodded her head, understanding the meaning behind the words yet still skeptical at how likely they were to be true in real life. Over and over throughout her friendship with Willam, she had reinforced to herself that things hardly ever worked out the way they do Hollywood movies. Personality differences come into play very quickly and could drive a couple apart no matter how attracted they were to one another. Though in this instance, it was clearly a case of one-sided attraction.

Trying to take the focus off of herself, Alaska chose to ask, “How’d you two end up together?”

Each looked at each other to ask who ought to tell the story and with a few seconds of silent conversation, Raja chose to answer for the both of them, “Well, it was right around here actually…rather, a little bit up a ways, but just one day we were out here swimming, having a good time together and somehow we ended up against the rocks just finally…showing each other how we really felt.”

“Yeah, somehow,” Manila muttered with an eye-roll thrown in to boot.

A smirk made its way to Raja’s lips as she replied innocently (and sounded as though she had used the excuse multiple times before), “I slipped.”

“Uh huh,” the younger woman noted sarcastically, “Slipped your tongue right into my mouth.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining…” Raja shot back with a taunting grin, “Then or now.”

Another eye-roll was provided as Manila gave in and brought the commentary back to its original purpose with a gentle declaration of, “Point is, we just kind of took a chance and saw where it led us and I’d say we’re doing pretty well.”

Nodding her head in complete agreement, the brunette added, “No matter how busy we get, we always find our way back here.”

“Our special spot,” Manila affirmed with a nostalgic tone as she gazed at her partner in mutual adoration.

Now more than ever, Alaska felt mortifyingly embarrassed that she had seen them in such an intimate moment, accidental or otherwise. Her voice was starting to shake as she hurriedly apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it meant-”

“It’s okay,” Raja cut in with an understanding looking in her eyes, “I’m sure it’s not just ours.”

“And we don’t mind sharing…” Manila noted thoughtfully as her hand inched its way up in a lazy manner to meet the outer hem of Alaska’s bikini bottom. “Not if you don’t.”

The brushing of Manila’s fingertips against Alaska’s skin left her head feeling dizzy and her heart pounding in her chest. Unlike most times when the blonde usually remained unaware of someone’s flirting until she was smacked in the face with it, this time it was hard to call the risque behavior as anything but. Just barely she noticed that Manila was drawing thoughtless patterns against her thigh as she waited to see if the younger woman was having any objects to her open invitation. Finding nothing other than a growing shade of pink in Alaska’s face, Manila moved closer one final time until she had almost trapped the blonde between herself and her partner.

Alaska was trying to search the depths of her mind for anything to say or do but the addition of another firmer hand resting on her opposite hip made it almost impossible to come up with any coherent thought. Her eyes dropped to the ground in an attempt to keep them from drifting down Manila’s chest but a gentle hand lifting her chin up quickly brought her gaze back to the jet haired girl in front of her. In a sharp contrast to Alaska’s timid nature, Manila made no effort to hide the growing lust in her eyes. She focused her attention almost solely on Alaska’s lips but to the surprise of the younger woman, the first place she actually felt them was as they grazed against her cheek.

Her breath hitched in her throat as Manila placed a light trail of kisses from the edge of Alaska’s cheekbone, down to the corner of her mouth and then continued on to trace the curve of her jawline. There was slight whine at the denial but Manila remained unconcerned as she placed several kisses down the front and sides of the young woman’s neck. Alaska had been so focused on the woman directly in front of her that she had almost forgotten about Raja…at least until she felt the older woman’s free hand pushing back the long loose locks to leave her own series of kisses across Alaska’s back and shoulder.

The blonde’s mind felt like it was slowly falling into an endless abyss as the women of either side of her seemed determined to leave no area untouched by their lips. A yearning ache was being to build in her chest and stomach as Manila proceed to the leave the beginnings of a love bite above Alaska’s clavicle and Raja slowly made her way up to the shell of Alaska’s ear. She felt the hand formerly woven into her hair drop to brush against her lower back before steadily curling around the contour of her waist.

She barely felt able to breath normally as she heard a husky whisper of, “She’s watching, you know.”

Alaska was almost about to question what Raja had meant but suddenly her mind flashed with a realization of the obvious answer. Even if she had tried, Alaska couldn’t push away the mental image of Willam watching them nor the desperate desire to let the other women do as they pleased even as the dirty blonde engaged in her own voyeurism.

Raja’s fingers started to toy with the top hem of Alaska’s swim bottoms as she continued to drive the point home with, “She’s waiting to see what you do.”

A nod was all the acknowledgement Alaska felt confident to give. There was very little coherent thought left in her head as Manila’s tongue dragged itself across her skin and a few fingers pulled aside the straps of her top so that her lips could continue dusting the entirety of Alaska’s exposed skin.

The blonde felt her hand clenching and nails digging into the bark beneath her as she tried to resist the temptation to pull one of the other women in even closer. Her mind almost went completely blank as she heard Raja suggest, “Why don’t you invite her over?”

Hardly a second passed after Alaska heard the question before she was calling out softly, “Willam.”

Her voice was low and broken, barely able to get it above her normal volume as she tried to fight back another whine while Manila’s hand began to explore the curves of her lower body. Raja still remained the most level headed of the three as she encouraged the blonde in a gentle, cooing tone, “A little louder baby, so she can hear you.”

Immediately reacting to the seductive dip in the older woman’s voice, Alaska called out even louder for her friend, “Willam.”

This time it seems she had been heard and soon there was a soft scrapping of feet as Willam emerged from near a cluster of tangled trees, branches and weeds to walk purposefully towards the three. It was hard to say anything definitive about the expression Willam wore. At first glance it would appear that she were stone-faced, almost pissed off by what she saw but just beneath that there was a definitive look of possessiveness and jealousy and it was then Alaska finally seemed to grasp why Raja called out the fact that the dirty blonde had been watching them.

As Willam drew nearer, Alaska shakily stood up to meet her. Her body felt like it was buzzing wildly from electricity running through every synapse as she tried to maintain her balance on increasingly unsteady legs. Every step made it feel like her knees would give out beneath her but finally she was face to face with the dirty blonde. Alaska’s eyes roamed over every inch of her face as she desperately searched for some kind of answer or indication of how to proceed. Though Willam still had yet to say a word one way or another, Alaska knew what she wanted to do even if it might only be just this once. Her breathing was labored as her hands trembled in anticipation but it was when Willam finally opened her mouth to say something that Alaska’s willpower broke.

Even before the first syllable had slipped out, Alaska’s hands found their way to cup the dirty blonde’s face and pull her close as she pressed their lips together for the kiss she had been waiting years to give to Willam. Almost the second their lips had touched, Willam’s hands were clutching at her waist as though she were daring the world to try and pull Alaska away even for a second as she succumbed to the unspoken passion she and her friend shared for one another.

It was hard to say how long the kiss had actually lasted but each agreed on two points; one, that it was long overdue and two, that it still wasn’t enough. When they actually managed to pull away Alaska felt sure that every ounce of air in her lungs had been depleted during the duration of their lip-lock yet still Alaska wanted it to continue for as long as possible. Willam looked no better off but she was at least able to hide her panting. Her eyes however gave everything away as her pupils grew dark with the desire to pull Alaska back in for another round.

They would have begun again almost immediately had not the other couple stepped up beside them. Willam’s head turned just in time to see Raja’s hint of a smirk as she replaced Alaska’s hands with her own and turned Willam’s face up to capture her lips for their own kiss. Alaska’s jaw dropped at the sight in front of her but soon she found herself having to bite her lip to keep a soft moan from escaping.

Manila’s chest was pressed to Alaska’s back as her hands traveled over the contours and curves of Alaska’s body. Unlike before when she kept her wandering fingers strictly below the belt, this time they ran everywhere they could reach, seemingly intent on teasing the younger woman with as little effort as possible.

“'Nila,” Alaska murmured softly as a pair of lips placed a series of kisses from one shoulder blade to the next.

She wasn’t sure what she was asking for but Manila seemed to know well enough for her. Descending at a snail’s pace, Manila’s fingers worked their way down Alaska’s chest, past her rib cage and stomach until they met the hem of Alaska’s bikini bottoms. She was toying with the skin just above that area as Alaska’s attention fell back to the pair in front of her.

Willam and Raja’s lip-lock looked almost like a sparring battle for dominance as each refused to back down and play a more passive role. Raja maintained her usual calm and collected style throughout their make-out session while Willam poured every bit of her fiery personality into each passing of their lips. Even with the sharp contrast in styles, it was still one of the hottest things Alaska could ever recall seeing. She wanted to see just how far the two would go in their efforts to one-up each other but neither had anything on Manila’s forwardness.

A single hand snuck its way past the elastic of the swim bottoms and moved further down until she was just about to meet Alaska’s outer lips. Her breath was coming out sporadically as she awaited the first contact and for the life of her nothing could be done to stop the needy whine from escaping from deep within her throat. The sound quickly caught Willam’s ear and breaking the kiss with Raja she found an equally enticing sight waiting for her.

Her expression seemed to fluctuate between encouraging them to continue or wanting to rip Manila’s hands away and replace them with her own. Raja picked up on the conflicting desires and wrapped her arms around Willam’s waist as she placed a brief collection of kisses up the side of her neck. A final peck was pressed to Willam’s cheek, as the older woman called out in vaguely reproachful manner, “'Nila…”

Understanding immediately what Raja was hinting at, Manila withdrew her traveling fingers and relented, “Fine…I’ll wait my turn.”

Alaska’s stomach flipped at the statement and her eyes immediately darted to meet Willam’s and then onto Raja’s. Even the dirty blonde had turned around slightly in order to look at the older woman in confusion. With a patient, welcoming tone, Raja offered, “We are still on a public beach after all but if you want…we could move this back to our house.”

“Its only about 15 minutes away,” Manila added in persuasively.

Willam’s gaze immediately shot over to connect with Alaska’s and with little more than a few seconds of consideration the pair were nodding their heads in mutual agreement. In a lightning quick frenzy, each of the couples packed up their belongings and hightailed it back to the parking lot. Though the sun wasn’t even midway in the sky at this point, no one found the energy to care about a day not spent at the beach for once.

To Raja and Manila’s credit the estimated travel time proved to be just about accurate and within the 30 minutes of leaving the beach behind, the four had arrived back at the house and found their way to the bedroom. Admittedly it was too easy for them to pair off for the first round, particularly since Willam had no intention of sharing Alaska during their first time together. As eagerly as Willam crowded Alaska onto the mattress, Raja had done the same with Manila. She knew just how to work her partner up until she squirming with impatience beneath the older woman.

As for Willam, her interest lie solely with exploring the body she could finally claim for her own. She reveled in the drawn out moans and gasps as she drug her fingertips and tongue over every inch of newly exposed skin. Alaska’s cheeks were soon flushed from both the actions of the dirty blonde and the knowledge that she was being watched by the other couple. A few times she had tried to switch their positions, to return the favor and finally touch her friend in manner that she’d only dream of before…but Willam was having none of that.

As if to prove a point, she maintained her place above Alaska and reaffirmed that at least for this session, the blonde would have to be content with being a pillow princess. Though she certainly wouldn’t admit it out loud, Alaska’s heart and stomach fluttered at the statement and all too easily she gave in to Willam’s demand. She didn’t bother to hide the growing volume in her voice but more than anything she still wanted to see or hear the other couple next to her. After catching a glimpse at the beach and now having the opportunity to fully indulge in their offer; it was too much to pass up even for a minute. Through her broken pants she begged them to continue, to just doing something so she could watch.

The pair shared a knowing looked and promised with a small smirk that they knew just how to accommodate her. Placing a delicate kiss to Manila’s cheek, Raja asked softly, “Do you want to tonight?”

Manila nodded in the affirmative but it still gave neither of the other women any clue what to expect. Willam hardly seemed to care any way and promptly returned all of her attention back to recapturing the blonde’s lips. They ignored the couple slipping off the side of the bed and pushed away the curiosity growing in the back of their minds as they heard one of them rifling around in one of the nightstand drawers. However, at the sound of clothing being shed and thrown about, Alaska’s interest was piqued and she opened her eyes steal a quick peak.

Her jaw actually dropped as she took notice of Manila casually slipping into the harness containing a strap on while Raja stood at the ready removing the very last articles of clothing still clinging to her body. The blonde’s eyes grew wide as she raked her gaze over both of the other women’s exposed bodies while they disrobed or prepared themselves. There was such an air of routine that even Willam had to wonder just how often they had done this, either by themselves or in front of other people.

Both of the women lying on the bed were blatantly staring by the time Raja and Manila were ready to move forward. It hardly seemed to surprise the pair to turn around and discover that they were being watched, they almost seemed to enjoy it in fact.

Jokingly Manila asked if the other two would be stripping as well and all too quickly Willam realized that she and Alaska were still wearing too many clothes for her taste. Deciding to remedy the situation herself, Willam took charge of relieving the younger woman of any clothing that had not already been tossed over the edge to bed.

Finally gazing upon each other for the first time in such an intimate moment, the two took their time letting their eyes roam over the other’s body. Alaska was starting to reach a hand out towards Willam and trace along the curves she’d been denied before, but the dirty blonde swiftly caught her hand and forced her back to hit the mattress once again.

“Not yet,” she warned with a sly grin.

Unhappy, Alaska simply pouted and nodded in understanding as Raja slid onto the bed beside her. Balancing herself on her hands and knees, she promised, “Don’t worry, this’ll make up for it.”

There was barely time for the younger woman to swallow before she found Raja’s face beginning to contort in pleasure as Manila carefully guided in the shaft of the prosthetic penis. Alaska looked beyond the clouding gaze of Raja to find Manila biting her lip in anticipation as she waited for a signal to begin moving. Not once did she seem tempted to proceed any further until her partner was entirely comfortable with the new feeling.

The blonde again allowed her eyes to slowly travel down the bodies of both women as an all too familiar ache began to pool in her core. With every passing second she seemed to discover a detail, something that made her want to touch and be touched by them. She’d almost forgotten about her own partner as she studied the pair in fascination until a finger began tracing along her outer folds. The ease at which Willam was able slide against her was almost embarrassing but considering what she was watching? Who could blame her?

Just for a bit fun, Willam leant close to the shell of her ear and teased, “You’re so wet 'Laska…does watching them really turn you on that much?”

It was hard for Alaska to even breathe between the question, the tone, the finger gliding along her entrance and of course, the couple waiting for her answer. Her mouth tripped over her words as she tried to come up with a response but with lazy brushing of Willam’s index against her clit, her mind felt like it had been put through a blender.

Still the dirty blonde tried to encourage her, even after she became partially distracted by the growing movement beside her as Raja gave the approval for her partner to set up slow pace.

“C'mon, baby, I know you can answer me,” Willam taunted as she slipped in the first digit. “You like watching them, don’t you?”

Try as she might, it still took Alaska well over a minute to muster enough thought power to answer shakily, “Y-yes.”

As a reward, another finger was carefully guided in as Willam claimed her lips for a searing lip-lock that left the blonde breathless and panting. There was so little being done to her but she felt close to losing it. She very nearly did once she felt Raja turning her face for their own long overdue kiss. There was passion in everything that Raja did as Alaska soon discovered. Despite the calm exterior she knew how to express her emotions effectively even through just kiss. Between her heated make out session, Willam expertly working her fingers and kissing her way down her body, it was no wonder that Alaska already felt on edge. Even the moments when she had to pull away to breathe offered little relief. Always waiting for her was Manila’s hungry gaze. It was as if she were saying, 'I’m next.’

Perhaps catching on to that thought or simply from just knowing how to read Alaska better than anyone else, Willam asked, “You want her inside you, huh?”

Alaska could only whine in response as the thought alone had her nearly begging for a turn and willing to promise anything just to get it. The dirty blonde above her let out a little laugh as she confirmed, “She’ll get her chance…only after I’m done with you.”

It was with that possessive statement that Alaska finally lost it and pulled Willam close as she rode out her orgasm. She wished she could have held out a bit longer but there was plenty of opportunity for that later in the day. For now she would simply enjoy the fact that she was here with Willam after so many years of silent pining, with another cute couple to boot. True to her word, Willam was not one to share, not so quickly but by the end of their session all of their bodies had been pressed so close together it was difficult to tell just where one person ended and another began. Each took their turn having attention lavished upon them and returned it in equal measure throughout the day. Before any of them had realized, the natural daylight in the room was starting to dwindle and bodies were threatening to give out completely for the night.

They had all but collapsed into a sweaty, panting mess huddled together as they decided to call it quits for the time being. Willam and Alaska ended up staying the night and well into the next day at the insistence of Raja and Manila. Much as they had done in previous weeks, there was a promise exchanged between the four to meet again the following Saturday. Eventually spending Saturdays together turned into entire weekends up until there came a point in time where Alaska and Willam would simply leave directly from work on Friday and return home the following Monday in order to squeeze in every last minute they could with Raja and Manila. Each wanted to make their situation a bit more permanent but still it felt too soon to broach such a heavy topic. For now they were content to share as much time together as they could before deciding on any other major steps. But despite the increase in time spent in their more or less shared house, they never forgot to return to the beach where it had all started for them.

[lemonietrinket]

Always Find Me, Yeah? ||| Stray Kids, Soft Apocalypse AU ||| Chapter One

Summary: The anniversary of The Change, a surge in natural disasters caused by climate change that knocked the modern world back into the dark ages, is nearing. After losing contact with the rest of the group who remained stranded on the mainland, Chan and Felix are offered an opportunity to get them back. Now, they’ve just got to find them.

Genres: Dystopia/Utopia, Adventure, slight Angst (moreso at the beginning)

Warnings: It is an apocalypse scenario, things might be a little bleak for some?

Word Count: 2.1K

Other Chapters:   Chapter One Chapter Two 

AN: This is not only my first fanfic on Tumblr, but also my first fanfic in years, so I may be a lil’ rusty. My apologies if it’s trash. It’s also a multiparter, so oops. Thanks for reading!

The day the world ended turned out to be September 10th; a Tuesday, despite everyone’s expectations. Thursday had always been a popular contender, the 14th for having the audacity to include the number four, and November simply for being the ‘Thursday of months’.

Needless to say, on Wednesday the 4th, there were very few celebrations being prepared for the following week. This wasn’t particularly unexpected, life in the remnants of Australia hadn’t exactly been the most enticing. There hadn’t been any new arrivals since The Change, and the weather was positively overwhelming. The first summer in the new world had been unbearable, with the electricity shut down, there was no air conditioning, no lights, no frozen food.  Even if people had wanted to celebrate, there was little to make of a barbeque - though the old supermarkets no doubt would have still had confetti, as who in the aftermath of an apocalypse would want confetti?

Except someone did want confetti, and that someone was Felix. Because Felix was never one to look on the dark side of things, and he wanted to have a small celebration. Why? Chan wasn’t sure, but by the natural order of things, he found himself standing in front of the local corner store. He shrugged the door open, praising that in its past life it wasn’t automatic, and steeled himself for the heaving thick air that followed entering the shop. 

He winced at the aridity and subconsciously swatted at the dust, not that it made much of a difference. No one had been in here for months, it had remained unlocked yet untouched - at first glance, that is. Something had clearly been wandering around because there were crumbs all over the linoleum in one corner of the room. He expected it to be warmer, a welcome respite from the slight chill outside, but under the sound of his breathing, he could hear the hush of the wind whistling through some gaps in the window panes and quickly connected the dots. He didn’t remember when silence became the norm, it had been a gradual transition, as even when the power grid went out, the cars still grumbled along the streets - in fact, more people went outside, as there wasn’t much to do indoors, so the chattering late at night had become more of an ear-sore. Now, even the sudden sounds of manual generators kicking into gear made the adrenaline lurch.

He stepped past the till, grinning in its direction with eyes downturned, as if a cashier was waiting there. Some habits take longer to die, after all. He turned to the five rows of shelving, all of which practically empty. The frozen food had obviously been the first to go, no one wanted it going to waste, though a part of him still found it strange seeing the empty white boxes with ice long melted. It didn’t take long for the only slightly more robust meals to go after. Cans of food next, though some people had the stashing-idea from the start - he remembered his dad muttering to himself that almost all of them had been taken by the time he’d gotten to the grocery store. To no surprise, all the chocolates were missing, but there were still a couple of packets of sweets hanging on the plasticine racks. He didn’t know what made him pick one up. In all honesty, they would likely have still been in date, but that didn’t make them worth eating, and he inevitably cringed when he felt that they were hard and had melded to the plastic wrapping

Eventually, he came across the little cards aisle, still full of Happy Birthdays and Get Well Soons, all a year too late. Next to them, he was certain, would be the small boxes of gimmicky decorations, but the shelving was empty there too. No confetti. He exhaled, scratching the back of his neck, as he slowly sauntered back towards the entrance. “Who even buys confetti these days?”

.

.

Swinging out of the store, Chan was smacked with a gust of brisk wind. He grimaced, pressing himself further into his hoodie. To make matters worse, a tiny spatter of rain landed on his shoulder, ushering him to hurry and walk up the empty street. Despite the clouds congregating above his head, it was still surprisingly bright for the evening, and his only worry was that Felix would be able to string up the rugged sheet of tarpaulin this time around, before the ground became too sodden to sit on.

Adjusting his rucksack straps, he avoided a pothole as he crossed the road. He couldn’t bring himself not to check both ways before setting foot on the tarmac, even if he would be able to hear an engine from a mile away. Soon enough though, the pavement began to become less speckled and more coated with dark grey as the shower picked up slightly, and he readjusted his cap as he broke into a jog down the street.

It wasn’t far, but the journey was long enough for his hoodie to become cold to the touch. Dragging the bar across the gate causing a horrific screech to emanate probably halfway across the neighbourhood, he entered the park, brushing his rucksack against the leaves of the nearest bush. After closing the gate once again with a clang, he abandoned the path to weave between the trees, listening to the sound of the rain soften as it found its home amongst the grass.

Soon, he spotted the dash of red that marked his destination. It appeared the tarp had been fixed before the rain had properly begun, as Felix was sat cross-legged rather than crouched.

He called out when he drew nearer, “Hey! I’m back!”

Felix already saw him coming, flashing a dazzling smile as he sought refuge under the blustering red cover. “Chan! I did it this time, do you see? All by myself.”

“Yeah, and not bad,” he nodded, taking off his backpack as soon as he reached the floor, “I brought snacks.”

Felix continued, “I put it up as soon as I saw it started raining, so the ground isn’t soaked this time either- oh my gosh, thank you!” He immediately took the small container of rice, whilst Chan rummaged for spoons.

“Remember that’s for both of us!”

“Don’t worry, I couldn’t eat it all anyways.”

Chan shot him an exaggerated look of disbelief. “Admit that that’s a lie and you can have the spoon.”

“Fine!” Felix playfully rolled his eyes, giggling as he attempted to get into the box. The lid seemed fastened to the plastic, and it took a minute for the two of them to yank it open. Eventually, they were able to take a spoonful of the plain white rice.

“Who closed that in the first place?” Felix asked incredulously.

“I did.”

“Strong leader!” the younger exclaimed, but his enthusiasm faltered when he saw Chan’s expression dip.

.

.

The two ate in silence, watching the sky slowly darken further, grey twisting upon the freshly green crests of the treetops. It looked like it was going to be a longer downpour, one that would likely last all night. They used to be more frequent, in the early days after The Change, but luckily they’d tapered in regularity and severity, but that didn’t mean they were incapable of causing issues. 

Felix wondered if the community garden would be ok. It was where not only his family but many others nearby got their food supply, and though it was run by the elderly members of the community hall who were easily the best people for the job, that didn’t mean they could fix everything. Especially with little equipment - the area was far from being an agricultural powerhouse before times changed, that was for sure, and despite best attempts, little had changed now.

It didn’t take long for them to finish the rice. Chan nudged the container towards Felix as he stuffed his spoon back in his bag.

“Chan, there’s still some left.”

“You have it, don’t worry.”

Felix lowered his gaze towards the final scraps, scooping them up guiltily. He wished he could force Chan to have the final pieces, but he already knew he’d lose that battle if he tried. “Thank you,” he said, picking up the lid and his spoon and handing them back.

“I’m sorry that it wasn’t a lot,” he clipped the lid in place, storing it and the spoon back in his rucksack, “and that it was plain.” 

“No, thank you! It was really nice!” Felix insisted, but seeing that it did little to brighten his face, he changed the subject. “Did you get the confetti?”

Chan shook his head. “No, they didn’t have any.”

“They didn’t have any confetti?” Felix echoed, rising into laughter. “Who’s been buying the confetti?!”

“I don’t know, that’s what I thought.” He smiled, though he didn’t look up from staring at the grass.

“Looks to me, Chan, that we have a confetti-thief in the wilds of the Outback!” he dramatically suggested.

Chan didn’t play along, however. “Why did you want confetti anyway?” he enquired, looking up at last.

“Oh, yeah, it’s actually super cool!” Suddenly, Felix shifted from sitting to kneeling, meanwhile a big smile crept onto his cheeks. “And it is going to make you so happy! While I was at the community garden, I overheard Julie and Pete getting really hyped about something so I went over and-”

“Wait, who’s… you talk to Peter Richards?” Chan interrupted, frowning.

“Well, not on the regular, no, but I figured if those two were getting along all of a sudden, then there must be something big going on.  “Anyways, I went over and asked them, and they squished my cheeks again - which is really annoying by the way, I don’t even know them - but they said that there was a government patrol coming here, to take some people to a plane, which will take them to the mainland to look for family and friends and loved ones that they’ve lost contact with!”

“And you believe Julie and Peter because…?” Chan asked, a slight smile of bemusement playing on his features.

“I know, I know! I didn’t believe it then either Chan, but then Lynette - you know, the really nice lady who grows succulents - she came over and confirmed it! She heard the report on her windup radio!”  Then, it was as if Felix burst. “Chan! Chan, this might be our chance to find the others!”

The rain began to hammer against the tarp, and the wind had changed angle so that it forced some of the icy droplets to intrude beneath the cover. Felix winced, shuffling further beneath the scarlet cover, but Chan remained frozen, silent. He reached out. “Chan… we could find Changbinnie and Woojin-hyung and, and all of the others again! Surely even if it turns out to not be true… it’s worth a try? Right?”

Chan swallowed thickly, his eyes drawing to the ground where the rain was beginning to speckle. Old guilt had risen up in his throat again, shaky and sickening like bile. He knew his words would falter if he tried to speak. Instead, he breathed into the wind, opening his body into the onslaught of cold.

“I mean, we don’t have to,” Felix shrunk back, hands mushing together awkwardly, “I just don’t think I could go alone, and, well, I already told my mum that I’m going but, it…”

Chan sighed.  If he could find them, then everything would be restored. He could apologise properly, for everything he did, for his bad decisions, and could bring them back to his home where they would be safe.  But if it turned out to be a hoax, he would waste his hours torturing himself by staying near the roads and taking the long route home just so he could catch the first glimpse of a military vehicle that would never come. Or if they did arrive, but they didn’t let them go because they weren’t looking for family, even though his groupmates were family to him, he would spend another week shut inside again. Or they got beyond that but something went wrong and they got trapped on the mainland forever and they never found them because they were no longer there… Or worse, if something had happened to them… he wouldn’t know what he’d do then. But, could he live with himself if the opportunity arose, where everything then went to plan, and all seven of them came home - but he didn’t go?

Chan cleared his throat, throwing his head over his shoulder. “When will the patrol get here and where will they be?”

Felix went from kicked puppy to beaming sun in a matter of seconds. “Oh. Oh! Um… I don’t know but I’ll ask tomorrow!”

“Thanks, mate,” he grinned, scooting backwards into the cover and out of the downpour. “We’ll go find the others.”

“Yes,” Felix nodded, his serious tone still edged with glee, “we’ll bring everyone home, don’t worry.”