#avoid spamming? are they like oh it’s not actually that good let’s just quietly read the rest to be polite?

[badolmen]

The mortifying ordeal of Blog You Respect and Think is Cool reblogging your Self Indulgent AU with tag comments on every chapter

[tarosin]

the great adventures of y/n ranboo, tommy tubbo and jack - just come home

this is an extra part to the great adventures series

summary: part three to the happier imagine (the great adventures of y/n and ranboo) this is where the group reunites

content warning: angst to fluff, small mention of creepy fan,swearing

please read what’s written in bold

this is an “alternative ending” around 16-18 years into the future this doesn’t mean this is actually how the series is going to end im writing it now and including it as part of series as their friendship is already established i can confirm y/n and the group are going to have a happy ending when the series eventually comes to an end this also does not mean the series is anywhere near the end i plan on continuing the series as vlogs come out, i feel the need to confirm this now love between y/n and the others (especially ranboo) in this imagine is completely platonic

so turns out moving house didn’t stop the creepy fan from contacting you neither did blocking every account they made as they began contacting your mods, your business email, they even started spamming ranboos dms, mods and business email and now you had the stress of Tommy trying to contact you. at this point neither you nor ranboo knew what to do, you were both convinced it was a troll trying to scare you both with jokes but the joke wasn’t funny. it never was, to say the least, it was horrifying. you stood with ranboo who was now changing the locks just to keep you safe, it was clear the fan didn’t know your new address as rather than sending you your address (as though you had suddenly forgotten where you lived) like last time it was just random messages trying to psych you both out. your phone buzzed again making ranboo jump you dreaded looking at the notification but you did it anyway

Tommy: y/n I’m serious please can we talk..tubbo and jack aren’t the same without you. I miss you

“anything important y/n?”

“no nothing to worry about”

“you’ve not been acting like yourself since the last stream are you sure you’re okay you know It's not your fault don’t blame yourself for whatever’s upsetting you I’m here for you I love you”

“I know boo I know, i love you too”

later that night you had to quickly end your stream despite to fact you had only been streaming 30 minutes as ranboo was arguing with someone the only reason you knew it was serious was because he was shouting back at the person, you had never heard him so angry and you’ve been friends with him for at least 16 years.

“okay chat that’s gonna be the stream for today…I forgot I have something to do I’m not going to raid anyone on here however tech is live on youtube for the first time in ages so I do recommend you go and check out what he’s doing good morning or good night I’ll see you soon”

as soon as you ended the stream you made your way to the room ranboo was in that's when you overheard tubbo arguing with ranboo

“oh good for you ranboo you're getting everything you want I mean you and y/n moved on easily the two of you bought a new house you both look happy and don't get me started on your career's taking off”

“goodbye tubbo”

ranboo left the call and opened the door

“oh boo”

you instantly pulled him into a hug, it was an extremely stressful time for the pair of you and you understood how painful it is arguing with someone who was once your best friend. every night the memory of Tommy blaming you for things that were out of your control and jack telling you to get out of the car haunted you however nothing compared to the way tubbo looked at you when you finally got home that night. he looked at you as though he never cared about the friendship the pair of you shared. of course, you never told ranboo about it keeping you up at night but he wasn’t stupid he knows you were still hurting even if it had been years since the fallouts happened

“why..why are they trying to get in contact again I was starting to feel like myself again”

“I don’t know…come lie with me on the couch for a while we can talk about anything you want”

the pair of you laid on the couch talking about what was going on and reasons why it was happening. ranboo decided he’d forgive the others if they contact him again however you were not as forgiving as they hurt you and your friend. eventually, his crying came to an end and he fell asleep holding onto you. you were falling asleep yourself until your phone buzzed.

Tommy: look y/n why don’t we all meet again, just come home

y/n: I am home I moved into a lovely house with ranboo and I sold the ‘home’ you’re talking about, now please stop contacting me tom I don’t want in my life anymore not only did you hurt me but you also hurt ranboo

Tommy: fine talk to tubbo

y/n: don’t add him...

*tubbo has been added to the group*

tubbo: hi y/n

y/n: you have 5 minutes to explain why you made ranboo cry.

tubbo: I don’t know what you mean

y/n: do you think you’re funny because oh boy do I have news for you.

Tommy: please just meet us one last time you can even bring ranboo

y/n: I was bringing ranboo anyway

tubbo: can I bring jack

Tommy: yes, see you where we always used to meet

y/n: ight see you Saturday

tubbo: see you Saturday I love you

y/n: please don’t say you love me tubbo. if you did we wouldn’t be in this situation.

you spent the rest of the night messing with ranboos hair you ended up accidentally waking him up however he pretended to be asleep before you could notice he was no longer asleep as he didn’t want this moment to end. however, you did occasionally hear him laugh quietly to himself

“Are you awake or am I hearing things”

he decided there was no point in lying as you were already questioning if he was awake and he was struggling to hold back his laughter so responded by tapping your waist signalling to you he was awake

“great..bad news we have to meet Tommy jack and tubbo on Saturday”

you watched as he quickly opened his eyes looking at you as though you had told him the best news ever

“heh?! actually? are you actually being serious right now”

“Unfortunately I am”

noticing you were unhappy about it he pulled you closer to him and spent the rest of the night explaining why it won’t be as bad as you’re expecting it to be and how it might actually be a good thing after all. a couple of hours later you fell asleep feeling a lot more comfortable with what was happening on Saturday ranboo fell asleep not long after, proud of his achievement. the days flew by, it was finally Saturday and you had mixed feelings about it, on one hand, you were somewhat excited about meeting them but on the other hand, you weren’t sure you were ready for them to enter your life again.

“I'm ill sorry ranboo you’ll have to go on your own”

“wowww real mature making me go all on my own…I thought we were best friends”

“I know you’re joking but I’d feel bad making you go alone give me five minutes and then I’ll be ready to go”

“here”

ranboo decided to throw one of his hoodies at you so you had something to wear that made you feel safe as he understood how overwhelming it’ll be to meet them again, five minutes later you got into the passenger's seat next to ranboo

“not feeling like driving hey”

“I will purposely drive around in circles to avoid meeting them”

“heh…are you okay are you actually okay seeing them, I don’t mind letting you stay home”

“I'm fine boo honestly now let’s go”

once you made it and began walking to meet them ranboo grabbed your hand. the only reason he ended up letting go was to talk to the others since Tommy pulled you into a tight hug not wanting to let you go the moment he saw the pair of you

“y/n I’m so sorry”

“I'm sorry too..”

Tommy spent a good few minutes frantically apologising to you for what happened and how he didn’t mean any of it. he was halfway through his speech about how he’s learned from his mistakes when tubbo spoke up.

“Tommy doesn’t keep y/n to yourself”

“sorry tubso”

you looked at tubbo not knowing what to say, it was evident that the pair of you were still hurt, he reached into his pocket grabbing a rock he found on the beach the other day

“here I found it the other day it reminded me of you”

“thank you I love it”

ranboo stood behind you wrapping an arm around you as he noticed you were starting to get upset. tubbo couldn’t believe how much you and ranboo had changed over the past years and it hurt him how close the pair of you had grown and the promise rings you and ranboo were currently wearing left him questioning whether that could have been him if he didn’t leave you both when it was clear you both needed him. jack spoke up next.

“hey, y/n..”

“nice to see you’re still bald manifold”

“Nice to see you haven’t changed. I’m sorry for what happened it hurt to see you go I was kind of hoping that you'd stay”

“oh jack it’s okay you were just trying to lighten up the situation I'm sorry I was so harsh”

a few months later the five of you were slowly but surely mending your friendship you all knew it would be difficult and take a long time to get back to how it was in the past but it would all be worth it

around a year since you met up again the five of you were closer than ever you were all streaming together again, constantly filming vlogs as a group. safe to say the wait was worth it, however, you and ranboo always wearing the promise rings you got for each still hurt tubbo

taglist

@milkydisaster @dumb-chaotic-bi-energy @uselesssapphickitten @l0ver0fj0y @etheriaaly @xx-smiley-xx @hawarun @kylobensgirl @cawcaw-pretty-thing @reverse-iak @renleicrashed @augustine-is-joy @c1loudee

[arolla-pine]

Not so oblivious anymore - p.11

Adrien knew it would be a hard day. After yesterday school trip, amnesia, kisses (those proven on the picture and those alleged) and the mysterious e-mail from himself he barely had fallen asleep.

What could it mean? And why Plagg chortled every time when Adrien started wondering aloud why he’d encouraged himself to date Marinette? That was totally illogical! Especially when his dream had finally come true – Ladybug had fallen in love with him and she kissed him! On the other hand… Was it possible that he’d kissed Marinette as well? Could it happen that he’d got wild, as Plagg joked?

He had no idea what he should think about it, so before he went to school he decided to stop thinking about it at all. Easier to decide than to do… He totally failed.

Because of Marinette.

When he saw her standing next to Alya and Nino at the school courtyard, he felt a strange sensation in his stomach and a flush on his cheeks. He couldn’t control it at all! At first, he wanted to hide in a bathroom until a school bell would force him to join the class. But he wasn’t so lucky – he was noticed by Nino, who greeted him from a distance. Adrien had no choice – reluctantly he came closer to the group of his friends.

“Hi…” he muttered.

“Hey…” Alya and Nino replied embarrassed. Marinette murmured something under her breath, avoiding his eyes.

He could explain why Alya and Nino acted that way – probably if he became a supervillain, he wouldn’t want to face his colleagues the next day – but he was clueless in case of Marinette. It occurred to him that maybe she remembered something from yesterday, maybe he’d done something inappropriate? What if he had kissed her? What if the e-mail wasn’t just a joke of someone who had took his phone? In that case Marinette had many reasons to feel uncomfortable in his company.

Yet there was something more… When he was standing so close to her, he couldn’t help glancing at her lips from time to time. There was something familiar in their shape, in the smell of her lip gloss and that got him more and more worried.

He felt his hands became sweaty immediately, and his blush darkened. It was like a torture!

“I wish this day ended already…” Alya muttered.

“It hasn’t begun for good yet…” Adrien replied under his breath.

“Some remorse for yesterday, dude?” Nino asked.

“What?” Adrien jumped in surprise. “No, not at all! Why- Why would I have any? No, no remorse. Why do you ask?”

Nino chuckled. He had never seen Adrien in such a mood before! It had to be something that had happened yesterday, and that made this sunshine boy uncomfortable. They didn’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to know that it was related to Marinette somehow. She was more embarrassed than usual, Adrien acted like his nerves were all on edge. And Nino really wanted to focus on anything but his own remorse.

“Actually, what were you doing yesterday, dude?” he asked curious.

“Me?” Adrien replied in a defensive tone. “I… I don’t remember… You shot me with your oblivion bullet.”

“I don’t remember we shot you…” Nino said slowly, winking at his girlfriend. “Do you, babe?”

“Same…” Alya smiled playfully. “We shot only those people at the door. And then only Ladybug and Cat Noir. No more victims, I guess…”

“I was at the door!” Adrien confirmed too quickly.

“Well…” Alya and Nino exchanged their glances.

Adrien felt like he was out of his depth. It was like a nightmare!

“How is it possible that you remember anything?” Marinette asked suddenly, distracting her friends. “Isn’t it like after purifying akumas supervillains don’t remember what they were doing when they were akumatised?”

“Have you ever been akumatised?” Alya asked immediately.

“Or seen Ladybug purifying akumas?” Nino added.

Marinette bit her lips not to smile. Oh, if only they knew! Fortunately her friend misunderstood her expression and noticed with satisfaction:

“Exactly! Besides… You haven’t told us either, what did you do yesterday.”

“I… don’t remember…” Marinette answered. “My mom told me that I’d come back home, but it’s impossible. It was a joke, I’m sure …” she added so quietly, that they barely heard her.

They were so focused on their conversation that they didn’t notice Miss Bustier approaching. She put her hands on Alya and Nino’s shoulders and said with a warm smile:

“I would like to talk to you before we begin our classes.”

They both blushed with embarrassment. If they thought that a short explanation in the bus yesterday had been enough, they’re were mistaken. Their teacher seemed to prepare something extra for them. Before they followed Miss Bustier, Alya glanced quickly at her best friend. Marinette could only smile compassionately and rose her thumb as if she wanted to say ‘Don’t worry, everything will be OK!’

Adrien was watching this from sideways. He felt like all those gestures were so familiar to him. Suddenly he noticed how Marinette looked like when she expressed the empathy to Alya. That was surprising to him to see her this way. Of course, he had known she was always a huge support for all her friends – he’d even called her once ‘everyday Ladybug’! Yet, he had judged her by her actions. He’d never watched her face expression or body language when she was doing that. He’d never noticed before how much warmth and positive emotions were in her eyes! He’d never realised how much he relied on her warmth and heartiness… Until now…

That made him concerned. Why being so close to her made him uncomfortable? Why did he feel…? Well… He didn’t even know what he could name those feelings! Did he let the mysterious e-mail influence his perception? Even though he had already decided to treat it as a joke or a spam, he suddenly felt an impulse to check if he was wrong.

“Er… Marinette?” he asked in a whisper.

She jumped embarrassed and glanced at him blushed.

“Y-Yes?”

“Uh… Just wondering… Do you remember anything during Oblivio?”

“No, actually.” She shook her head. “My parents told me I came back home and I brought a really good friend with me. But it’s a nonsense, right?” she chuckled nervously, and Adrien thought that his heart would beat right out of his chest!

“Haha! Right! Totally a nonsense…” he laughed uneasily.

Suddenly they both looked at each other in concern. As if they had no idea what the other knew. And how to collect all the puzzles of the past, that evidently had taken place, in a logic whole.

Just wanted to apologise you had to wait for so long, but I was on the business trip all the week, and had no time for writing... Thank you for your patience!

A.

P.S. Just checked Adrinette April 2019 and it looks like it fits Day:3 Embarrassing, Day 21: Nightmare and Day 26: Civilian Heroes... @adrinetteapril :-)

Not so oblivious anymore p.10  <-  Previous part  |  Next part  ->  Not so oblivious anymore p.12 

Start reading from the beginning

[daeguverse]

Look up at the stars, I’m one of them.

Summary:

“Namjoon.”

“What?”

“You broke the transmitter again.”

“What?!”

“Yeah you screwed us and the couple hundred people who were tuning in to us.”

Namjoon stood up. “We don’t have any spare parts?”

“Dipshit we used up the spare parts from the last time you broke the transmitter!”

“Oh.”

**

Basically a post-apocalyptic AU where the boys try to survive.

———————————

Chapter 1

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Today consisted of scattered acid rain throughout the day, which is expected to continue well into the night. We recommend staying in shelter to avoid the weather. Remember, the water is not safe. If anyone is listening, our coordinates are at 37.5° North, 127° East. As always, wander safely. Now, about bomb safety...

Jungkook rummaged through the wooden desk. A couple of souvenirs, some papers from God knows when, and a hell of a lot of dust. He sighed as he glanced around lazily, taking note of the upturned furniture and broken glass littering the floor. He figured some other wanderers had already beaten him to this house, had taken all of the food and water. Great. He opened the last drawer and rummaged some more.

“Huh. Who knew I was gonna find this today.”

Jungkook smiled softly. Cassette tapes filled the drawer to the brim. He grabbed one and held it up to his lips, blowing the dust away. Some of the tapes looked homemade while others looked more professional, but it didn’t matter to Jungkook. He grabbed a handful, placed them in his rucksack, stood up, took the small radio off the floor, and placed it on top of the desk.

“And remember, ladies and gentlemen, if you see a bright flash of light, duck and cover!”

He paused the radio and placed the cassette inside. After a couple seconds of silence, a few singing voices echoed throughout the building. Jungkook grinned. He turned the volume up, grabbed the radio, and walked towards the entrance of the house. The only sounds being the women’s calm voices and Jungkook’s footsteps. He reached the door and turned the knob.

“...then tell him that his lonesome nights are over. Sandman, I'm so alone...“

~~~~~

Jimin rubbed the stick between his palms faster, causing a thin trail of smoke to form. The friction between his hands hurt, but he could smell the dry grass burning. He didn’t think this was going to work, granted he was never taught how to make a fire in school, but from the smoke forming and the smell, he had a pretty good feeling about it. He just needed to keep going, just a little faster until—

A flame.

“Woah, Taehyung! Bring the paper, quickly!”

The other boy dropped the rocks he had been carrying and disappeared into a small hut, only to reapper with a handful of papers. He ran up to Jimin, who was blowing softly against the flame.

“Oh my gosh, you actually did it!” Taehyung exclaimed. He dropped a small sheet into the fire, and immediately it grew bigger. The two boys grinned.

“Finally,” Taehyung said, “we can actually heat up our food and water.” He grabbed the rocks that he dropped previously and circled them around the fire while Jimin opened a black backpack.

“Which one do you want?”

Taehyung peered into the bag, pursed his lips, and reached inside to grab a can labeled “SPAM”.

“Aww I wanted that one!”

“Too bad I already picked it out.”

“But I told you when we got it that I was gonna save it for myself!”

Taehyung grabbed the backpack from Jimin, and took out a small skillet.

“We’ll split it in half then, okay?”

Taehyung fed sticks into the fire. He then placed the skillet in between the rock formation and opened the can of spam. He plopped it onto the skillet.

“Taehyung! You have to cut it first! You can’t just cook it like that.”

“Well why not? It’s gonna have to cook either way!”

Jimin grabbed his pocket knife and stuck it into the fire a few seconds before pulling it out and cutting the spam into thin strips.

“Listen, if you’re going to do something, do it right. Go get some water while this starts to cook,” ordered Jimin.

Taehyung pouted. “We’re the same age, but you’re bossing me around. Why can’t you go get the water this time?”

Jimin sighed and stopped cutting. “You know what?” Jimin stood up. “Fine. I’ll go get the water and you’ll cook the spam. If it burns or turns out bad, it’s not my fault, okay?”

Before giving Taehyung a chance to speak, Jimin turned around, grabbed their water bucket, and walked towards the lake. It wasn’t far, about a two minute walk from their set up. But that didn’t stop Jimin from mumbling under his breath with gritted teeth. Why didn’t Taehyung know how to do anything? Jimin was the one who built the hut, who started the fire, who cooked, and Taehyung just stands there, doing nothing productive. Jimin arrived at the lake, and he dipped the bucket into the water, immediately filling it up. The lake was clear, to the point where the rocks at the very bottom could be seen. But he knew that it wasn’t safe. Radiation clings to water like a magnet, or so he was told. But he didn’t tell Taehyung that. He didn’t want Taehyung to worry. Because even though Tae might be a pain in the neck and not know how to do much, that boy sure does know how to worry. And, Jimin thought, Taehyung shouldn’t have to worry about more things. He’s already worried about whether there‘d be enough food for the week, and is terrified of letting Jimin down, not to mention his fear of finding rogue wanderers. Honestly all Jimin wanted was for the boy to feel at least some peace. He deserved it, even if he was annoying sometimes. Jimin took a deep breath and listened. No noise other than rustling of leaves.

Wait.

No noise other than leaves? Usually the faint cries of insects could be heard in the background. But not now. Jimin’s stomach dropped. Carefully, he lowered the bucket onto the ground, and got on all fours, careful not to make a sound. The grass was tall, which was not exactly bad, but not good either. He won’t be seen, but he wouldn’t be able to see that far either. Shit. He wanted to run, everything in his body burned for him to run away, to get out of this space. But Jimin knew he needed to control himself. Running meant motion, noise. Creating noise... no. He needed to do the opposite of that. Go quietly.

So, Jimin did just that. On all fours, he crawled.

~~~~~

The only sounds Seokjin heard came from under the soles of his shoes as he walked, leaves crunching with each step he took. His grip tightened around the compass he held as he walked. It felt like he would never stop walking. He couldn’t. Not when he knew his older brother was out there somewhere, fighting to stay alive. They promised they would meet in Seoul, and Seokjoong never breaks his promises. But it was difficult for Seokjin being alone. Getting food and water was important, yes, but those things weren’t priorities. Finding Seokjoong came first. That was a given, especially after what happened when he and his brother separated.

They had been crammed into a bus, practically on each other’s laps, confused, and surrounded by other people equally cramped. Seokjin felt like he was suffocating. It reaked of sweat and dirt, and a child screamed somewhere in the back. Luckily he and Seokjoong were sitting down, unlike those unfortunate enough to have to stand. Seokjin glanced at his brother.

“Seokjoong, why do you keep looking at that?”

“I think,” Seokjoong hesitated, “we’re going to Osan...”

“Osan?”

Seokjin knew his brother. From the way he studied the map and compass, looking out the window every couple of minutes, then back at the map, he sensed his brother’s anxiety. Seokjoong rubbed the back of his head.

“You know they said we’re being taken to Seoul, right?” Seokjin replied, with a nervous laugh at the end. Seokjoong didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked forward at the bus driver, lips forming a straight line.

“Seokjoong?”

“I don’t trust this. I have a bad feeling.”

There wasn’t exactly much that Seokjin, or Seokjoong for that matter, could do. The bus practically overflowed with people, sitting and standing. The two brothers sat towards the front, close to the door, but with this amount of people, actually getting to the door from their position would mean having to trample everyone in front of them. And they sat too far from the emergency exit to have that as an option. Seokjin felt trapped. And if Seokjoong didn’t trust wherever they were being taken, neither did Seokjin.

“Well uh,” Seokjin said, swallowing a lump in his throat, “what do you want to do?”

Seokjin couldn’t read his brother’s expression. Seokjoong’s face looked oddly calm, his brows that were furrowed a couple minutes earlier were now relaxed. His jaw unclenched, the crinkles in his forehead erased. But his lips remained in that straight line. Seokjoong leaned into Seokjin’s ear.

“I’m not saying this to scare you, but I have a bad feeling for when we get off the bus. I feel like wherever we are going won’t be good. Just hold on to me and don’t say a word, okay?”

Seokjin felt his face go cold. He never heard his brother speak that way before, in such a low, serious tone. Seokjoong had always been playful, relaxed, go-with-the-flow. But seeing Seokjoong like this made warning signals go off in Seokjin’s mind. He wondered what made his brother so skeptical about the situation. Yes, they were shoved into a bus, yes maybe the amount if people here might not be considered “ideal,” but they were told they were being taken to Seoul. That it‘s safer there. Seokjin gave his brother a confused face, and his brother sighed.

“If we were actually going to Seoul, we would’ve gotten there already. We’ve been here for half an hour when we should’ve gotten there 15 minutes ago.”

Almost if on cue, the bus stopped.

“Everyone,” the bus driver announced through the speakers, “please exit the bus in an orderly fashion and wait outside for further instructions.”

The bus doors opened and, as expected, people pushed each other to get out first. Seokjin clutched onto his brother’s arm.

“Seokjoong!”

“Just sit here and let them go first.”

People shoved and yelled, each trying to leave before the other. It felt surreal, like a scene out of a movie. But Seokjin held onto his older brother. It didn’t take long for everyone to exit, and Seokjoong stood up and lead Seokjin outside. They had stopped in front of a brick building.

“Seokjoong...”

“Shh, just take this.”

Seokjoong discreetly handed his younger brother the map he held before, along with a small compass. Seokjin scrunched his brows together and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the bus driver again, this time holding up a megaphone.

“Everyone standing here is going to be taken inside for a physical examination, to ensure public health and safety. Please, calmly follow me.”

Seokjin felt his heart pound and glanced at his brother. Seokjoong bit his lips and ran a hand through his hair as they were lead inside the small one-story building.

“I have a feeling,” Seokjin said, hesitating, “that we aren’t going to have physicals in there.”

Seokjoong lowered his voice. “Stand behind me.”

Seokjin felt his breath hitch in his throat. He clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on Seokjoong’s shirt. Seokjoong turned around. “I know you’re scared, but don’t worry. I won’t let anything hurt you.”

“Okay,” Seokjin said, his voice trembling slightly. Seeing Seokjoong’s face go soft for him gave Seokjin comfort. He slowly lessened his grip and let go of his older brother’s shirt.

They were led into the building, the inside being a wide area, taking up the entire space. The lights were dim and yellow, the floors grimey and wooden and creaked under every person’s step. Seokjoong’s eyes widened as he stared at the ceiling. He turned to Seokjin.

“Listen. When I give you the cue, you run out of here, go as fast as you can and don’t look back.” Seokjin opened his mouth to protest, but Seokjoong cut him off. “Run until you can’t anymore, and then make your way to Seoul. We’ll meet there, I promise. Just use the map and the compass.” Seokjin couldn’t even argue, because on that note, Seokjoong turned and sprinted to the front of the crowd. He shoved his way towards the bus driver, and grabbed the man’s shirt and kicked him in his gut, causing him to double over. People gasped, but Seokjoong grabbed the megaphone out of the bus driver’s grip.

“We’re going to die here! Don’t you see above you? They’ll gas us! Run!”

Seokjin’s eyes widened. People ran all around him, and he tried looking for his brother. Seokjin pushed people, making his way to the front. He found Seokjoong and they locked eyes. Other men appeared, wearing gas masks and holding guns. One of them detained Seokjoong. But Seokjoong didn’t protest. Instead, he smiled, and nodded to Seokjin. The cue. That was the cue. Tears welled in his eyes as he turned around, screaming and running out of the building, dodging everyone around him while clutching onto the map and compass. He didn’t know where he was going. He just ran, like Seokjoong told him to. He ran despite having tears blurring his vision, despite hearing shots in the background, despite the burn in his legs. He ran only because of one thing.

Seokjoong never breaks his promises.

[taeguboi]

So Far Away PART 10

Ah, would you look at that! I found the time for another part in this series! Idk I guess I just got more ideas about where the plot was gonna go and sort of wrote on a roll... Hope you guys enjoy and can anticipate a part 11!

Masterlist // 01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08 / 09

“So Yoongs, it’s been a while since we’ve both managed to have a day off at the same time, hasn’t it?” Seokjin poses from the kitchen as he tries to make conversation with his friends who are currently lounging in his living room this cloudy Wednesday afternoon.

“Yeah, I suppose it has been…” responds Yoongi, not really caring for the programme on the TV that the others - Namjoon, Jimin and Taehyung - are watching.

“Trust me Jimin, by the time I’m done with these, the pouty bitch will forgive you in no time!” Seokjin confidently asserts as he puts the tray of raw cookies into the oven.

“A little harsh perhaps but ah… I hope so” sighs Jimin, resting on the shoulder next to him, Taehyung’s. “What's it been, like a week now since anyone has heard from him?”

“Possibly a bit less but yeah, I think we're all a little concerned now” replies Seokjin, pushing the heated door shut and finally throwing off the apron to join his buddies in the living room.

It wasn’t unusual to Seokjin that Jimin and Namjoon would be out of the university building around this time of the week because they’d spam his phone with messages whilst he would be trying to work, or they’d decide it’d be convenient to just show up at the cafe instead, but Yoongi was usually in a college lecture and Seokjin’s shifts just so happened to fall on most Wednesdays. Thankfully, the lecture got cancelled and Seokjin’s rota had been kind on him.

“I don’t believe I’ve tried any of your recipes before Seokjin” Taehyung decides to mention as he spots the elder coming into the room.

Seokjin turns to Taehyung with confusion as he takes a place on the couch next to him. “You ordered food from my cafe the other day, remember?... and then you ordered like three more dishes!”

“Oh yeah! So I did!” Taehyung grins dopily. “... and they were all so delicious!”

“I’ve never seen a man eat so much!” Namjoon comments with a chuckle.

“Wait! YOU made those?!” Taehyung unknowingly asks Seokjin in shock, pinning his hands to the couch as if he's just been given a major life epiphany, causing the other four boys to bow their heads into a facepalm in one what is yet to be many of Taehyung’s “blonde moments”. Of course, the boy's hair wasn't actually blonde, nor has it been dyed at the moment, but… it was certainly a moment.

“Oh” Taehyung realizes, noting everyone's reactions to what he just said, slouching back into the couch.

“...What can I say? Nights out work me up a super appetite the next day!” Taehyung informs to divert, throwing an arm around Jimin’s shoulder.

“Yeah, and let’s divert from talking about that night again!” Yoongi chimes in with a nervous laugh followed by silence and expressions of confusion from the others. “Well, you know…” Yoongi begins to explain, feeling extremely awkward as the boys look at him with confusion and he wonders why it was such a good idea to speak up suddenly like that about that night that his friend Jimin is so badly wanting to make amends about. “I guess it was alright that you guys all got laid, but I wound up back home within an hour tending to an injury… and I did not get laid!” he laughs, trying to steer away from a still sore topic… whoops.

“So Seokjin…” Taehyung diverts. “How about letting me try one of those when they come out the oven, huh?” he requests with a huge childlike grin.

“Nuh-uh” Seokjin disagrees. “That entire tray is to give to Jimin only… and has anyone ever taught you manners kid?”

Taehyung tries his best to avoid the gentle clap around the ear that Seokjin is about to give him past Jimin’s head, but fails miserably, getting hit much harder than the elder had planned.

“Okay… ‘suppose that was my fault for flinching” Taehyung says, cowering a little to lean his head on Jimin’s shoulder now instead.

“Oh dear ‘Jin; I hope you’re not planning to be this brutal to my boyfriend when I leave” chuckles Jimin. “I've only had this one for a week! I can’t have you scaring him off, I mean look at him; do you honestly think I’ll ever do any better?”

“True, true… I suppose that’s the best you’re gonna get when I’m already taken” Seokjin jests, winking in Namjoon’s direction.

“So modest(!)” Jimin sarcastically remarks.

“Don’t act like you’ve never thought about it” jokes Seokjin, earning an exasperated sigh from Yoongi.

***

It’s been days since Jeongguk has managed to have a proper conversation with anyone. Yoongi has understandably been way too busy with college work, so once he comes home everyday, Jeongguk can barely get a word in before the elder housemate wants to go to bed. Namjoon and Seokjin have too much on their plates too, and even if they didn’t, they’re probably sick of Jeongguk’s shit anyway. He’s certainly too stubborn to be the first to talk to Jimin after all the drama that went on the other night… Sure, maybe he’s in the wrong for doing what he did, but did Jimin really have to hit him and so hard?

The gym has become Jeongguk’s second home in times of late; it’s the only place whereupon he can release his frustrations - and get away properly. As for uni lectures, they’ve become forgotten and his schedule is on the road to becoming nocturnal. Restless nights overthinking and not falling asleep til daylight the next morning, then waking up at noon for breakfast, eating a fat load of cereal, hitting the gym, returning way after everyone’s working day has ended just for the purpose of avoiding conversations he doesn’t want to have, hitting the shower and then doing it all over again. Jeongguk figures it must be purely the exercise that is stopping him from falling into a deep depression or becoming a complete recluse… Deep depression(!) Yep, I’m fucking ridiculous now, thanks Hoseok!

The time on the clock situated next to Jeongguk’s bed reads 01:07PM - still not quite waking up time for him, in other words. So the young boy is rather startled to hear a sharp knocking on the main door.

Not without a groan, Jeongguk rises hesitantly out of bed, rubbing his heavy eyes and then the stubble he hasn’t bothered to shave off his face. The boy takes a glance at the time and responds with an ‘ugh’.

Gown on to cover the fact that he’s only wearing underwear and hasn’t bothered with clean pyjamas for several days, he exits his room and makes his way to the door, only to find a thick envelope hanging out the letterbox, and upon opening the door, no one on the other side.

“What the fuck?” mutters Jeongguk as he snatches the item out of the letterbox. Inspecting the item, his mood goes from a neutral annoyed to just plain miserable again as he realizes what the package is; some stupid small gift he was going to leave on Hoseok’s pillow one night or something like that. Usually, Jeongguk would probably rip the item out of the envelope and toss it across the room out of pure anger, but he figures it’s not worth it. And besides, it’s not like he’s pented up his frustrations this time like he usually does. He could swear he’s actually trying this time.

“Why the fuck would you knock on the door if you ain’t gonna stay there?” he grumbles, picking up a bunch of mail that seems to have fallen to the floor also.

Flicking through the mail to see if there’s anything for him, he continues to quietly ramble about being woken “Stupid postman…”

What Jeongguk fails to pay attention to though is the quiet, almost silent, opening of the door behind him and the face the peaks cautiously from behind.

“Nothing for me, of course…”

“Actually, I think there’s an order for you that arrived slightly late” the voice courageously speaks up.

That voice. It’s unmistakable. I’m going nuts thinks Jeongguk as he turns around, expecting the voice that resembles Jimin’s to be all in the mind… but it isn’t. There stands the best friend he lost to a meaningless one night stand and Jeongguk’s heart sinks.

“I suppose there’s something you forgot to tell me” is all Jeongguk can say because that’s the only reason in his mind that Jimin would want to come back.

“I suppose there is, kind of” Jimin replies. “I-I… haven’t seen you around lately in class so I er…”

“Just spit it out” Jeongguk demands, followed by a uncharacteristic “Please” voiced quietly.

“I do have stuff to say,” Jimin continues. “But it’s not what you think… besides, if I had nothing nice to say, I’d have probably done it over the phone this time in fear of getting punched back… Dude, I’m really sorry for lashing out at you like that…”

“I’m the one that didn’t listen Chim” admits Jeongguk, head hanging in shame.

Now this surprises Jimin greatly. All Jimin was expecting from Jeongguk is that he’d make Jimin leave the cookies and go because he doesn’t really wanna talk yet at the same time, he’s obviously only been living on whatever is in the house currently over the past couple of days.

Jeongguk turns away from facing Jimin slightly so he can continue but without looking too weak or defeated or whatever appearance or emotion it is that his ego doesn’t want to let through. “I’ve been too involved and wrapped up in my own emotions and I  got selfish and ignorant; you were right to do it… Also, you wouldn’t have been able to call me anyway…”

“Uh, why?” Jimin questions, still amazed at Jeongguk’s use of vocabulary to describe himself. Now there has been many a time that deep down, Jimin could throw a fit at Jeongguk for being selfish and for being ignorant… Last week, though extreme you might say, was the first time Jimin had ever confronted these thoughts that Jeongguk might be selfish and / or ignorant. Yes, the lash out happened only because what Jeongguk did affected Jimin directly and negatively for once, but he wasn't exactly expecting this from his younger friend.

“Why?” responds Jeongguk. “‘Threw my phone in anger the other night and smashed it against the wall, didn’t I?” Jeongguk tells him.

“Ah, of course you did” smiles Jimin, forever aware of Jeongguk’s antics and realizing how much he’s missed hanging out with his mad friend.

“Why are you here?” asks Jeongguk defensively.

“I, erm… Brought this for you…”

“Really?” Jeongguk asks in disbelief, wondering why Jimin is being so kind to him… could this be a trick? Wait, what's in the box?

“Cookies for Gukkie?” Jimin smiles, as if he can read Jeongguk’s though process. The elder hands forward the box of sugary treats and it feels to him as though his arms are hanging there for minutes longer than they in fact are.

“For real?” Jeongguk asks with anticipation inside, now failing to believe those thoughts that Jimin might be pranking him.

“For real, brother” Jimin assures as Jeongguk takes the box from his hands.

Slowly but surely, Jeongguk opens the box to have a taste of one of the biscuits.

“How are they?” asks Jimin hopefully.

“‘Seokjin make these?”

“Yeah… I would’ve done something myself but we all know how useless I am at making things” sighs Jimin.

“Dude, this is gay” Jeongguk states, trying not to let an appreciative and relieved crumb filled smile come out.

“So that means we’re good?”

In a sigh of defeat from trying to keep up some sort of fight, Jeongguk puts the cookies down to rest on the arm of the sofa nearby and approaches Jimin. The big hug that follows tells Jimin everything he needs to know without a single word being spoken by his friend.

***

“Well that went miserably,” Namjoon comments as he and Yoongi take a walk down to a store nearby Seokjin’s.

“Tell me about it” huffs Yoongi, throwing his hood over his head despite the alright weather.

“You need to tell the guys at some point Yoongs, or those two are only gonna get encouraged to get back together or do whatever it is they do…”

“I know, I know… but it's like, how? I stayed quiet for so long to help them with… actually, why was I doing it?”

“Because you care…”

“Ah, don't remind me”

***

An unknowing Hoseok makes his way back to the dorm after attending his second class of the week. He is determined to get back on track with his life goals, and some boy shouldn't have even gotten in the way of that in the first place, he figures.

To be honest, the other night, if he hadn't have already had a big enough realization, the program in the background on the tv he was relaxing in front of whilst catching up with paperwork certainly did, or rather, it certainly helped.

Ceasing to type away furiously at his laptop to meet that one deadline he'd previously forgotten about, the story-line in the soap drama towards the end of the week had caught his attention. See, there was a girl telling her dad she didn't want to go to a university because of the boy she's in love with. Hoseok hadn't really been paying attention to anything before that but from the bit of context he was given as he began to gradually gain an awareness of the background noise, it seemed that the boy whom the young girl was after had little or no interest in her. In other words, he didn't care, not really.

Hoseok found himself quietly yelling at the screen as the girl rejects the pamphlet for a prestigious place of learning which her dad tries to give her and runs off upstairs to her bedroom though she must be well into her early twenties.

“You're gonna just waste your potential like that?!? What the actual fuck?”

“Alright mate?” questioned Yoongi, who was just coming in to the dorm, laptop bag in hand of course and appearing as knackered as ever.

Hoseok sat himself up straight to face his pending document and replied with a contented sigh. “Yeah… Everything is fantastic” he told a confused Yoongi as he began to type away again with confidence.

He'd done so much with himself that to Hoseok the past several days since seemed to have passed in just hours. So when Hoseok pushes down that door handle to calmly enter the dorm now, his mood changes from that laid back and collected mode to something a bit more anxious as he registers his first sight inside the place; one he wasn’t at all expecting.

“So yeah,” Jimin begins to Jeongguk. “Basically I woke up, and….” Jimin takes one look at who has just entered to dorm and he can't seem to find it in him to finish his sentence.

“I see you guys made up” Hoseok comments at the obvious, noting the takeaway order and playing cards on the table. “That's nice” he continues.

“Uh, yeah…” replies Jimin nervously, suddenly having a small flashback of being wasted that night last week and treating Hoseok as though he were Jimin’s best mate. This was never true however, purely because of all the angst that continued to go down between Jeongguk and Hoseok, and the thought sends a small feeling of guilt to Jimin as though he betrayed Jeongguk in some way despite the events prior that night.

“Oh come on, what's your point?” Jeongguk aggressively questions, just wanting to ground to either swallow himself or Hoseok up. This is really bad timing to Jeongguk. Why the fuck did Hoseok have to come back just as amends are being made between himself and Jimin? Jeongguk swears it's almost like the elder has done this on purpose…

“I dunno.... I haven't seen you around much…” Hoseok begins with uncertainty.

“What d’ya want?” interrupts Jeongguk, clearly still unimpressed with Hoseok’s appearance… even though they both live here.

“To be friends, actually” Hoseok eventually speaks out. “It might sound like a stupid idea, but the point is…”

“There's no point... ‘actually’” Jeongguk asserts. “Save it, because… I'm moving out.”

“Huh?” both Jimin and Hoseok ask in surprise.

“Yeah, I'm moving in… with Jiminie here!” Jeongguk decides - in that very moment… without even discussing it with or asking Jimin.

“‘Guk!” exclaims Jimin quietly with gritted teeth. ‘What the fuck are you doing Jeongguk?’ is what’s running inside Jimin’s mind.

“Yeah yeah I know, we weren't going to say anything until I was certain but it's definitely what I want now” Jeongguk continues.

“W-well…” Hoseok stutters, still in surprise. “If that's what you want then… I'm glad for you…”

“Hang on a minute!” Jimin butts in. Trying his best not to expose Jeongguk for his bullshitting, Jimin attempts to divert Jeongguk away from this whimsical decision; he loves his friend, but he could never for the life of him live with Jeongguk… “This idea about being friends, Jeongguk!” he continues, jaw still stiff from gritting his teeth. “I thought we were going to try and make amends first before you make any rash decisions!”

Jimin’s look of disapproval goes ignored by Jeongguk who is still set on what he believes is only a little idea. “Nope! I've made my choice. I don't trust that his intentions are to just be civil…”

“Jeongguk, just hear me out…” Hoseok suggests.

“Come on Guk, you should at least listen to him…” agrees Jimin, desperate to get this so called arrangement forgotten about.

“Fine” huffs Jeongguk, only giving Hoseok the time of day because Jimin said so. “Though I can't imagine there's anything left to say.”

“Will you just quit being stubborn for one minute so we can resolve this?” Hoseok enquires, finally allowing himself to get worked up again.

“See? He just came back to have a go…” sulks Jeongguk.

“Right” Jimin asserts, leaving his seat. “I'm off to the shop to get a few things. I'll be fifteen minutes; sort it!”

It's a big risk, but Jimin practically storms out the front door, leaving Jeongguk and Hoseok to their own devices.

A silence fills the air but Hoseok eventually manages to speak, determined.

“I'm not going to go out of my way to convince you otherwise because you have your own mind but I can assure you there's no need to move out”

“What's it to you?” asks Jeongguk, resting back onto the couch, arms crossed, awaiting explanation.

“Well, it shouldn't have to come to this…” Hoseok begins. “Come on, the only issue - which can easily be solved - is that we were never just friends.”

“Where's this coming from?” asks Jeongguk, leaning forward again and becoming rather restless as he faces downwards to the rug on the floor. “I know you Hoseok… you would never usually want to be so… so… open?”

“Let’s just say I spoke to a friend...” Hoseok explains, thinking back to that day at the cafe with Taehyung. “That’s partly it... And I think I know why I used to refuse to loosen up…” he continues, taking a place on the couch next to one Jeongguk is sat on. “I didn't wanna let my guard down completely ever so I guess I almost became a different person.”

“I still don't know why you got so angry at me and stormed out like that the last time we… saw each other.” Jeongguk tells the elder, gradually looking up and managing to face him.

“Look, I have things I'm annoyed about, but I'm starting to think they were mostly misunderstandings…” Hoseok continues, shuffling along the couch to get nearer in the hope that it might encourage a connection in this uncertain topic of conversation. “I've become an extremely defensive guy, particularly around you, meaning this whole ‘having fun’ thing clearly wasn't meant to be… I think you’ll agree that we both changed too much for our own good...”

“Will you at least explain, out of all the arguments we've had, what the last one was about?” Jeongguk questions with a frustrated hand flung in the air and back down.

“I don't think I can… not completely anyway. I think you can agree that we've both screwed each other over a lot and messed with each other's heads…”

“Got that right!” sasses Jeongguk, still annoyed at the thought of that morning last week when Hoseok left him hanging and stormed out without explanation.

“So... let's start anew” Hoseok requests, drawing closer to Jeongguk once more until they boys are face to face and on the edges of their respective couches.

Jeongguk can't help but disregard most of what Hoseok is saying as he gets a look into the eyes that he hates to admit he's missed looking into. He kind of wants to consider the whole friendship idea but sometimes the heart speaks over the mind and the only thing he can think about is those lips.

***

Exiting the convenience store, Jimin is nothing but frustrated. How could Jeongguk just announce that without even speaking a word to him about t first? Moving out? To Jimin’s place? How would that even work? There'd be so much to sort out, and although it might not be so for Jeongguk, this would change Jimin’s everyday life completely!

Though Jimin may not want to admit it, Guk can be a bit of a handful at times, being the restless muscle pig he is… taking the boy in would definitely prove to be a challenge. Yes, they do have much in common but at the same time, they're opposites; Jimin wants to settle down now and spend nights in getting to know more about his new love interest, whereas Jeongguk in this rough patch is definitely gonna want to be out ripping it up every night… and who else is fool enough to take it upon themselves to look after him?

To: Tae Tae

You still at Seokjin’s?

‘I can’t be bothered to go back’

***

“You know what?” Yoongi rhetorically asks Namjoon. “I can’t be arsed with it anymore” he announces, flicking the ash from his fag onto the pavement as he and Namjoon lounge about outside of Seokjin’s house.

“I think you might need a night out then, in that case” Namjoon encourages.

“Right. How’s tonight for you?” asks Yoongi.

“Fine…” sighs Namjoon despite his schedule tomorrow.

“But just… just a few of us” Yoongi adds.

“Sure” Namjon assures. “Four’s a good number, right?”

Yoongi nods at the suggestions, finally finishing his cigarette and stomping on the end.

The two head back into Seokjin’s place and Namjoon continues “Right. A friend each; I’ll bring ‘Jin and you bring whoever you want?”

“Sounds good”

***

“How about… I compromise” suggests Jeongguk to Hoseok, reaching out a hand to rest on his with what could be read as affection.

“Huh?” Hoseok questions with confusion, yet he doesn't move his hand away.

“I'm still gonna move out, but… Let's start anew tomorrow…”

“I’m lost” Hoseok tells Jeongguk.

“There's a few hours left today; that's enough time for me to pack some things, and…” Jeongguk confidently leans forward to plant a gentle kiss on Hoseok’s loose lips that still part open a little from confusion “... It's enough time to maybe… have one last time?”

“I don't think that's a good idea, Guk…”

“Come on… You won't have to face me the next morning… I'll even let you be a big boy and you can be my…”

“For a start, I don't want any of that weird shit we used to do; that's where the confusion partly lies…”

“So… that wasn't a no… I mean, you know, about the rest?” Jeongguk asks, hiding the smile that wants to emerge on his face.

“I don't know…”

“It'll be a positive end of a chapter… if you make it positive?” Jeongguk smiles,  rubbing his thumb over Hoseok’s limp hand which responds upon this movement to grip the youngers hand.

Hoseok doesn't reply with words. Instead, he lets a silence come between them again as he ponders for a few seconds before deciding he'd probably shoot himself for not taking this last opportunity to be intimate with Jeongguk one last time. With a sting in his eyes, he plants a kiss on a responsive Jeongguk’s lips, figuring he'd only be wondering what could have happened if he doesn't do this - there might even be a regret.

Unable to take the distance that the arms of the couches have between them, Jeongguk moves over to Hoseok, hovering over the elder as he remains standing to engage in another kiss. Jeongguk pulls Hoseok up towards him as their lips are planted together and the make out that follows is their most passionate and tender yet.

Hoseok softly places a hand onto Jeongguk’s chest as the latter runs his tongue between the former’s lips to indicate he wants to go further with this kissing session. Both boys are smiling into the kisses, and gradually, they begin to explore each other's bodies, signalling that they should move on and out of the sitting room.

Jeongguk takes Hoseok’s hand, leading him to his (Jeongguk’s) bedroom, Jimin is completely forgotten about and Jeongguk slams the door shut.

PART 11 here

Again, I really want to thank any new followers [which I somehow seem to still be acquiring] for hitting that button and thank you to anyone who might have only recently discovered some of my older reaction posts and liked those too!

Additionally, I apologize if this feels like another filler part but I promise this is a build up to something more interesting [I think, I hope lmao]

[mx-writer]

Alfred (America) x Kiku (Japan)

WARNING(S): fluff and some sexual tension

You Should Know: I don't exactly ship this personally, but this is too cute not to write about it.

Prompt(s): Okay, so a really cute idea popped into my head... I went to Washington DC a few years ago, and I was talking with one of my friends that went with me. The famous cherry blossoms were mentioned, and we were sad that we didn't get to see them. Then, it hit me: Japan gifted those trees to America. So I imagined how that scene would go down with the personified countries. Also, I'm setting this on White Day, because that sounds freaking adorable.

If these themes and ideas make you uncomfortable in anyway, you really do not have to read.

Thank you!

   Kiku carefully set the sapling into the small, delicate pink pot. He smiled down at the plant nervously as he packed in the soil and fed it some water. He was worried about what Alfred would think of him after this.

   He removed his gloves, picking up the pot, taking a deep breath. I can't believe I'm doing this.

   Alfred had been visiting him for a few days now, and he planned on staying until the next world meeting, in about a month. Kiku really liked his visits, even though he could be pretty annoying at times.

   They're good friends, and with the recent... encounter with Ivan, Kiku felt he owed Alfred for all he had done, and, as selfish as it seemed, he wanted to keep Alfred all to himself. He wanted him really badly.

   Peeking his head around the corner into the lounge, he spotted Alfred resting on the sofa. This was his chance. Slowly, he stepped into the room, and approached the couch.

   "Alfred?" His thick accent was quite apparent, even with him speaking so quietly.

   The man on the sofa turned his head to face Kiku, flashing him a smile, "Yeah, Kiku?" His eyes flicked down to the pot in his hands, "What's that?"

   Kiku's face flushed as he stepped closer. He sat on the sofa with Alfred, a few feet away. He held out the pot to him, turning head to avoid looking at him, "H-Happy White Day."

   Alfred furrowed his eyebrows, "What's White Day?"

   Oh no. Kiku suddenly felt so stupid, face reddening even more, "I-It's, ah - " he retracted the pot, clutching it in his lap as he hung his head, voice softer than before, "It is a h-holiday celebrated a month a-a-after Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day, females give chocolates to wh-who they like, and on White Day, males return th-the favor."

   Alfred sits there quietly. Is he really...? Did he just...? He scoots a bit closer to Kiku, causing him to flinch. Kiku looked so vulnerable in this moment. "Kiku? Is this your way of asking me out?" He spoke bluntly.

   Kiku snapped his head to look at Alfred, face a deep scarlet, "I-I - " he panicked, "I'm sorry! Forget this ever happened!" He went to stand up, but Alfred pulled him back down into his seat, now sitting right beside him.

   Kiku's breath hitched, avoiding eye contact. Alfred smiled at him, slinging his arm around his shoulders. He was tempted to say something stupid and make a joke out of the situation, but he knew better than to mess with Kiku right now.

   He placed his hand over Kiku's on the side of the pot, "What kind of plant is this?"

   Hesitantly, he responded, "Ch-Cherry blossom tree."

   Alfred's eyes widened, excitement filling his voice, "You mean those really pretty trees with the pink flowers that bloom in the spring?"

   Kiku nodded, a small smile on his lips as he stared down at the plant.

   Alfred leaned into Kiku's shoulder, "Thank you! This is really nice of you!" A long pause stretched between his words, "I don't have anything for you, though."

   Kiku shook his head, "There is no need. If you don't return the sentiment, then you shouldn't - "

   "What about a kiss?"

   Now it was Kiku's eyes that widened. He turned his head back to the man next to him, "W-What?"

   "A kiss." Alfred repeated, "Would a kiss do for a gift?"

   Kiku stared at him, steam practically radiating off of his face with how hot it has gotten.

   Alfred quickly averted his eyes, now embarrassed, "I know your customs are a lot different here than back home, so I get if you don't want that. Sorry that I mentioned it." He pulled his arms away from Kiku, resting his hands back into his lap.

   The initial shock finally wore off, and Kiku snapped back to reality, "You want to kiss me?"

   Alfred rubbed at the back of his neck, letting out a nervous chuckle, "Well, yeah."

   With a newfound courage, Kiku slid his hand over the back of Alfred's as it rested on his thigh. He lifted the hand to interlace their fingers. He mumbled out a quiet, "Then why don't you?"

   It may have been very quiet, but Alfred managed to hear it. His confidence suddenly returned, and he removed his glove from the unoccupied hand. He lifted it to Kiku's cheek, eagerly leaning in to press their lips together.

   Kiku sighed through his nose, shivering at the contact. When Alfred swiped his tongue over Kiku's lips, he stiffened, goosebumps forming down his arms.

   Alfred immediately drew back, "Sorry, Kiku, I - "

   Kiku pulled his hand out of Alfred's grasp, snaking both of his arms around his neck to pull him closer. This time, Kiku initiated the kiss, pressing a little firmer into him.

   Alfred's eyes fluttered shut again, moving to wrap his arms around his waist, fingers brushing against the potted plant. Smoothly, he moved the plant to a nearby table, quickly returning to Kiku's side to resume the kiss. He pulled Kiku closer to him. This time, as he swiped his tongue over Kiku's lips, they parted, and the kiss deepened.

   Kiku let out an embarrassing squeak into the kiss, now pulling away to hide his face in his hands.

   Alfred 'aww'd, grabbing at Kiku's wrists, "C'mon, don't hide. That was super cute!"

   Kiku muttered something in Japanese, refusing to remove his hands.

   Alfred chuckled, pulling at his wrists to wrap them back around his own neck. Their faces were really close again, noses almost brushing against each other. Kiku looked everywhere but Alfred's face, while the other only smiled, watching his eyes.

   With a mischievous glint in his eye, Alfred decided this would be a good time to mess with Kiku. He first leaned in to kiss him again, then, at the last moment, shifted to kiss his cheek instead. Kiku frowned at that. Slowly, Alfred trailed light kisses down to Kiku's jaw, then down his neck.

   Kiku tensed up, gripping at Alfred's arms, "What a-are you doing?"

   Alfred only hummed in response, now licking up the side of his neck. Kiku's breath hitched and he pulled away from him, placing his hand over his now tingling flesh, "Y-You - !" He didn't really know what to say he was so flustered.

   Alfred laughed, smiling proudly back at the red-faced man in front of him.

   They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Alfred's smile started to falter, "I didn't cross any lines, did I?"

   Kiku vigorously shook his head, "No, no, no! It's okay!"

   Alfred let out a sigh of relief, "Oh, good. I was worried there for a minute."

   Forcing some more courage into himself, Kiku leaned forward, grabbing at the base of Alfred's neck, and kissing the other side of it.

   Alfred chuckled, placing his hands on Kiku's hips, stretching out his neck to expose more skin to Kiku. Kiku placed soft, light kisses down his neck, then back up. Slowly, he started to leave wet, open-mouth kisses, making Alfred shudder. Kiku lightly sucked on the skin of his neck, a hushed moan slipping between Alfred's lips. Kiku smiled to himself proudly, kisses becoming a bit harsher.

   Alfred bit his lip and gently pushed Kiku back. He then pulled the smaller man into his lap, chuckling at the shocked and embarrassed expression on his face, "This is okay, right?"

   Kiku nervously nodded, pulling at his kimono to get more comfortable on his lap. He felt really awkward, straddling Alfred like this, but he also kind of liked it.

   Alfred pulled Kiku back into another kiss, this one more heated and passionate. Kiku moaned, holding onto Alfred's shoulders a little more tightly. Alfred slid his hands down his back, but flinched when he worried he had gone too far. So, instead, he placed his hands on Kiku's hips, to avoid the temptation of wandering any further. Kiku huffed, shifting his hips. He let himself indulge in the moment, perverted thoughts swimming through his head. He tried to reel them back, but couldn't help himself.

   Kiku pulled out of the heated kiss, instantly hiding his face in the crook of Alfred's neck. He knows he shouldn't think like that; it's far too early for anything like that to happen yet.

   Alfred wraps his arms around Kiku's smaller frame to pull him closer, chests pressed together. He could barely feel it, but he noticed a rapid heartbeat slam against Kiku's ribcage, as if his heart was trying to bust out to get closer to Alfred's own heart. He smiled at that thought, kissing the side of Kiku's head, "You're mine now, right?"

   Kiku nodded, "H-Hai... as long as you're mine."

   Alfred's smile widened, "Deal."

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, or have any critiques, please let me know! If you want a continuation, spam me until I write it. I actually kind of want to continue this, set it farther into the future, and write some smut, haha. Like I said at the top, I don't exactly ship them, but this was a lot of fun to write, and I think it turned out pretty cute. If you have any requests, please feel free to contact me!