#better furries coming to u soon. hopefully | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong · 5 years ago

Text

Sweet Dreams Chapter Six

Lucid dreaming: The process of being aware that one is dreaming. Some researchers believe that in lucid dreaming, the individual may be able to change the outcome of the dream or control their degree of participation in the imaginary (dream) environment.

Description: Lee Eunbyul has been plagued with hellish nightmares since she was a child. Not the sort of nightmares you may be familiar with. There are no monsters to evade, no serial killers to outrun, no auditoriums of classmates in front of whom to stand naked. Instead there is just…darkness. Endless darkness. With professional help, the dreams come less frequently. But after moving away from home to live with her sister, Eunbyul’s nightmare returns, only this time it’s different. This time…she’s not alone.

What would you do if you had the chance to change the outcome of not only your dreams, but your life?

Genre: Romance, Drama, Fluff, Angst, Slow Burn

Pairing: Namjoon x (f) OC

Word Count: 7.2k

Tags: Non-Idol!Au, Producer!Namjoon, Bookstore Clerk!Seokjin, Potter!Jimin, Producer!Yoongi, Dancer!Hoseok

Warnings: Frequent mentions of mental illness, infrequent swearing and mentions of alcohol

A/N: Hey guys! Here’s the newest chapter~ I hope you guys are enjoying this series! I’m really enjoying writing it. This chapter in particular was v fun to write. Anyway, I hope everybody is resting enough these days! Please don’t be shy and send feedback, critique, questions, theories, and comments my way. I’ll be sure to respond to all asks I receive within a day of receiving them!

And again, if you want to follow my Twitter, my username is @/plzpunchmebts. I’m super active over there and hopefully in the future I’ll do some livestreams/chats with you all!

- Mercury

Previous Chapter – Next Chapter

Masterlist

Weekly updates: Sunday, 1PM (PST)

Namjoon

“K-i-m-N-a-m-j-o-o-n-.”

I startled a little and rubbed my eyes, squinting at the person who’d roused my attention. Jisoo stood beside my desk, furry brows raised. It had been a few days since he’d bothered to check on me, and seeing the look on his face now I was sure he regretted not coming sooner.

“Been trying to get you to notice for a minute, dude,” he said, patting my shoulder as he raised a mug of hot coffee to his lips. He stared over my shoulder at the monitor before me. “You making good progress with the commercial soundtrack?”

I swallowed hard and stared at the half-finished track on Cubase. Uninspired. The project window was home to several presets from the preloaded packs on the software, nothing like what I’d use at home on my own. It sounded fine so far, or as fine as it could. But there was no heart in it, not really. Instead, it sounded as hollow as it did commercial. I was sure the client would like it. What concerned me, really, was finding the strength to finish it.

“Uh, yeah. Should be done by tomorrow,” I said, and even my voice was lackluster. I pinched my nose bridge and rubbed circles, squeezing my eyes shut.

“You okay?” asked Jisoo, but it was clear from his tone that he was only halfway interested.

“Yeah, fine,” I said, waving a hand. “I’m cool. Just…tired I guess.”

He hummed. “Gotta sleep well if you wanna be a producer.”

I nodded, but couldn’t help but think of Yoongi. He was working as a real producer, and there wasn’t a single night in recent memory when I could remember him going to sleep before the sun rose.

“Thanks, Boss,” I said, offering a smile.

He patted my shoulder. “Take care of yourself, okay? We can’t afford to lose you,” he said with a laugh. It was the uneasy sort of chuckle you give someone when you want them to reassure you.

I nodded. “I don’t have anywhere else to go anyway,” I said as he smiled and walked back out to the floor. I sighed and again pinched my nose bridge.

“Hey,” said Jungkook from his desk, staring at me with knitted brows. “You really don’t look so good.”

I smiled and waved my hand. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Saying that makes me more worried,” he said, resting a round cheek in his hand. “What’s going on with you? For real?”

I inhaled sharply and sighed, shutting my eyes. “Just…I dunno, I feel kinda sick today I guess. Haven’t been sleeping well, and I woke up…forget it, alright? I’m fine.”

“No, keep going,” said Jungkook, and coming from anyone else I might have thought he was teasing me. But this was Jungkook anyway, and he only seemed to know how to be sincere. He kept his eyes on me.

I shrugged. “Woke up kinda sad.”

Jungkook raised his brows. “Huh?”

“Forget it.”

He shook his head. “No reason for it?”

I thought a moment, puzzled. “Well…it’s not like usual, you know? Like when you just feel sad and you can’t really diagnose it,” I said, nodding. “It feels like there’s something really important that I’m missing.”

Jungkook hummed. “Maybe it has to do with work?” he offered, tilting his head with a sigh. “We all know working here isn’t your number one choice.”

I quieted down, staring at the project on my screen with furrowed brow. While I was sure it wasn’t something so simple, that the real cause was still evading me, his words unsettled me. “Maybe…,” I said, shaking my head.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, typing a message as quickly as I could before returning to the track.

Namjoon: Hey, Hoseok. Haven’t seen you in a few weeks. Wanna go to the beach?

Hoseok: huhuhu…u gonna collect crabs the whole time?

Namjoon: …

Namjoon: Crabs are fascinating…

Hoseok: looooooooooooool

Hoseok: nerd

Hoseok: i’m in either way :-D

I sat crouched on the shore, poking my index finger into the little holes I saw along the sand. Every now and then, something would bulge and shift beneath the sand’s surface, a sign of life. Smiling, I worked my thumb beneath one of the bumps.

“I thought I said no crabs,” grumbled Hoseok as he licked his popsicle. The thing was already staining his tongue and lips violet.

I hummed as I grabbed a small crab from under the wet sand. “You did say that,” I said with a chuckle as I smoothed the pad of my finger along the crab’s back. I flipped it over in my hand and presented it to Hoseok. “See this plate right here?” I asked, pointing to the smooth shell of the crab’s stomach. “That means it’s a female!”

“I don’t care,” said Hoseok with a heavy sigh.

He leaned back on his palms, three separate leashes hooked around his wrists. The dogs themselves were behaving well enough. The golden retriever was resting his blonde head against his paw, eyebrows shifting as he looked around the beach. The collie panted beneath the unrelenting sun, laying on her stomach with her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth. And the pug simply sat on Hoseok’s lap, eyes shut.

I set the crab back down and crawled over to where Hoseok sat with his legs extended in front of him, taking up an entire blanket by himself. I smiled and collapsed beside his thigh. “Feels good to get out.”

Hoseok sighed and, with his free hand, gave my upper arm a firm smack. “Because you never get out to begin with,” he scolded.

I laughed. “Not all of us can be dog walkers.”

He rolled his eyes. “You don’t have what it takes,” he said with a sigh, biting off a chunk from his melting popsicle. “Endurance, perseverance, patience, understanding-,”

“Are you saying you have all of those things?” I teased, glancing at him over my shoulder. I laughed as he reached a hand out to hit me again. “Sorry!”

As my laughter died down, I felt Hoseok’s gaze boring into my skin and, uneasy, I turned to face him properly. His narrow eyes seized on me, scrutinizing. “You seem weird,” he remarked with a cocked brow.

I inhaled quick, ready to refute him, but as soon as I met his inquiring eyes my breath escaped in a sigh end I rubbed my forehead. “I’m…not myself lately.”

He patted my back with an open palm. “Anything I can do?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so,” I said. “It’s been building for a few days. Things just…aren’t settling right for some reason. In my head, I mean.”

“Hm…,” began Hoseok, chomping down on his popsicle as he gazed out at the waves. “I wonder if there’s one cause.”

“Probably not,” I said with a soft smile. “Never is just one thing.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m fine,” I said, nodding once as I swept my eyes out across the glittering ocean horizon. “Honestly.”

“Mhm,” said Hoseok as the pug on his lap stretched, letting out a yawn. He rubbed its back, a fond smile on his face. “You know, dogs are pretty clever.”

“Huh?” I asked, turning to face him.

He chuckled and nodded. “Might not look like it right now,” he said with a pointed look at the panting collie. “But they’ve got shit figured out.”

I smiled. “How so?”

“Well…for one thing, they understand the value of a pack. A close circle to watch their backs,” he said, nodding. “They’re loyal, won’t ever intentionally hurt someone they love.”

“I guess.”

“They’re honest.”

I raised my brows, eyeing him. “Hm?”

He was still stroking the sleepy pug’s back, smiling gently. “They don’t know how to be any other way. They don’t know how to pretend.” He lifted only his eyes to meet mine. “When they’re upset, they can’t lie and say they aren’t.”

I stiffened. “Well…they can’t speak.”

He laughed. “That’s not what I mean,” he said, easily leaning back on his palm once more, watching as sugary purple syrup began trailing down his forearm. “They can’t put on a brave face and go about their day like nothing’s wrong. When a dog’s upset, they howl. And they keep howling until they feel better.”

I exhaled slowly. His words weren’t lost on me. I knew well what he was trying to say. And as I took a look at him over my shoulder, I could see from the way his eyes implored me how deeply he wanted me to understand. I gave a smile and nodded.

“Sometimes you gotta just let yourself howl, Joon,” he said, lifting the dripping remains of his popsicle to his mouth and biting it whole. He pocketed the messy stick — much to my dismay — and patted his legs, moving the pug so he could stand. “What do you say I show you someplace cool?”

Me, Hoseok, and three panting dogs enter a pottery store, I thought to myself as Hoseok began calling for the quaint shop’s owner, like bulls in a china shop. The dogs took to sniffing every crevice and corner they could reach, pushing damp noses against delicate pots, pawing at shelf legs, scratching the many ornate rugs on the floor. I watched with a cringe as the golden retriever began jumping beside one of the organized shelves, likely trying to explore the higher levels.

Hoseok corrected the dog with a soft jerk of the leash and continued calling. “Jimin! Park Jimin!”

“Jesus!” called someone from the back of the shop. From the doorway there emerged a young, wide-eyed, flushed guy with a messy apron and knitted brows. He scanned the floor and saw the pups wandering about, immediately wincing. “Jung Hoseok! I told you to stop bringing the dogs!”

Hoseok laughed and shortened the retriever’s leash, wrapping it around his wrist once more. “They’re behaving!”

“Behaving — my ass,” said the young boy, grumbling as he rubbed his forehead. “If any one of them puts their cute little snouts into any of my vases and knocks it over, you’re paying double.”

Hoseok smirked. “Don’t act like you aren’t happy to see them,” he teased.

Jimin opened his eyes with a sigh, brows still furrowed. “I’d be happier if I saw them outside.”

“Heh,” breathed Hoseok, petting the collie on her head. “Anyway, Jimin this is my friend Namjoon.”

Jimin’s eyes slid over to meet mine and he blinked a few times. “That’s a tall friend,” he remarked. He wiped his right hand on his apron a few times and took a half step toward me to shake hands. I took it with a smile. “Nice to meet you,” he said gently.

I nodded. “Likewise.”

“Now you,” said Jimin, pointing a small, accusing finger at Hoseok. “Didn’t I tell you to warn me when you decide to come over?”

Hoseok rolled his eyes. “Do we have to do that among friends?”

“Shut up,” said Jimin, crossing his arms. “I was in the middle of glazing and now my employee’s gotta do it on her own.”

“You got an employee?” asked Hoseok, clearly surprised.

Jimin paused for a moment before smirking. “Mhm,” he said, smug. “And she’s pretty good too. Really interested in pottery.”

Hoseok scoffed. “Don’t tell me…,” he began.

Jimin raised his brows. “Hm?”

“You didn’t hire her because she’s cute, did you?”

Jimin laughed and patted his leg. “Ah, well…it’s not like she’s not cute,” he began, then sighed and shook his head. “Nah. I just…wanted to give her something to do, I guess.”

The words hit me strangely. Was this employee wandering too? Curiosity began to grow in my stomach. “Anyway,” continued Jimin. “How do you two know each other? I’ve been stuck with you since diapers and I’ve never met your tall friend,” he said, eyeing me sidelong with a smirk.

I cleared my throat. “Uh, I had extended family out here, so I visited often as a kid. He lived near my grandma’s house, so we played as kids.”

“He moved here in elementary school. We were in the same year, so we hung out more,” said Hoseok, waving his hands. “Anyway, if you’d gone to our school instead you would’ve known before.”

Jimin laughed. “I also wouldn’t have been bullied,” he joked. I stiffened. Was that something he could be so nonchalant about? “Gotta laugh so you don’t cry, right?” he asked me once he noticed my reaction. He chuckled. “Ah, but what did you want anyway, Hoseok? I can’t really leave my employee by herself too long.”

“Cheeky,” said Hoseok and Jimin only rolled his eyes. “I figured you could show Namjoon how you make pottery.”

“You want a demo?” asked Jimin, dry.

Hoseok nodded. “Mhm.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah.”

“With no warning?”

Hoseok pursed his lips. “I figured a great potter like you could do it on the spot…”

“Ugh,” mumbled Jimin, running a messy hand through his hair. He glanced between me and Hoseok a few times, jaw locked, before sighing. “Alright, let me tell Eunbyul first.”

“Eunbyul?” I asked, and the name fell off my tongue in a way that felt…familiar.

He nodded. “My employee. She can handle it on her own, but I don’t know if she knows that,” he said with a laugh. “Just give me a second.”

Jimin turned on his heel and jogged back through the doorway in the back and, unable to deny my curiosity, I followed behind and peeked my head in. Although the place was big and fairly organized, there were large pieces of machinery blocking my view of Jimin. But nonetheless I could see the back of a girl’s head, slightly shorter than him, waving dark hair restrained with an old newspaper rubber band. She nodded once and glanced down at the tray of freshly glazed cups in her hands. I couldn’t hear her, but Jimin smiled and gave her shoulder a squeeze. She seemed to sigh before turning and walking quickly to the kiln. With her back still facing me, she set the tray down and grabbed cups in both hands, placing them in the kiln. It took her all of thirty seconds to get all two dozen in, and as she turned and strode toward the vat beside the massive kiln, I watched a few stray strands of hair loose themselves from her rubber band.

I glanced down at my wrist, at the hair elastic I’d nearly forgotten about, and briefly considered offering it to her. But she seemed busy as she dipped chalky cups into the glaze, pulling them out shiny. She set them aside one by one, and there was something oddly confident and precise about her motions. Even the way she used the front of her wrist to push the locks of waving hair behind her ear seemed exact, focused.

Strangely, I found myself envying her.

And, as I watched her back, I felt the unmistakable sensation of an under-the-skin kind of itch, the kind you can’t scratch, even if you try your hardest.

Jimin approached and grinned at me. “Checking out my employee?” he teased.

I flushed and turned away quickly. “I didn’t even see her face,” I said, pouting a little.

He laughed and clapped my shoulder. “Let’s do this demo.”

And it hit me as Jimin began setting up the potter’s wheel and clay. Wordlessly, I sat down on the stool beside Hoseok and the dogs and fished around in my pocket for my phone. I yanked it out and pulled up my photos, scanning them. Sure enough, that photo I snapped at Hyejin’s the other day. The girl with the baseball cap. I saw her, sandy skin barely visible beneath the brim of her hat, Somi’s shoulder in the foreground, the girl drowning in clothes several sizes too big.

“That girl…,” I said, thinking aloud as I stared down at the photo.

Jimin turned his eyes to me and smiled. “Hm?”

“I…I’ve been seeing her everywhere lately,” I said, chuckling.

Hoseok sighed and leaned over his lap to get a better look at the shapeless clay Jimin was beginning to mold. “Make it into Justin Trudeau.”

Jimin paused a moment and squared his gaze on Hoseok. “The Canadian prime minister?”

Hoseok nodded. “Yeah. Do it.”

Jimin sighed and shook his head, not even bothering to respond, as I took turns looking at the photo on my phone and at Jimin’s deft hands working the clay carefully. It was impossible to explain, but the way he moved was inexplicably similar to that girl. Perhaps because she was his employee…

But that didn’t seem right.

It was more that they were both endowed with the same nameless quality.

A precision that only comes from—

“Passion,” said Hoseok in a whisper, leaning over to me.

I flushed, my attention now entirely on Jimin as he molded the clay into the vague shape of a flowerpot. “Huh?”

“That’s what makes Jimin so…,” he began, then chuckled. “It’s what makes him so Jimin.”

I was quiet for a moment. “I see,” I said. I might have been nervous that Jimin would overhear us talking about him if it weren’t for the unwavering focus captured in his eye. He probably wouldn’t have even heard an earthquake. “It’s mesmerizing.”

Hoseok chuckled. “Mhm,” he said. “Reminds me of when we were in high school.”

I raised a brow with a smirk. “How so?”

He hummed. “I remember during study hall, you’d always have your laptop out,” he said, laughing. “Mr. Kang hated it.”

I smiled softly. “Yeah. Told him it was for class president duties.”

“But all you did was make beats.”

I was quiet for a moment. Again, I understood what he meant. It was hard not to with a guy like Hoseok. As kind as he was, he was equally clever. He knew how to say something without saying it. I turned to him and we locked eyes. Instead of speaking, I just nodded my head and offered a smile. He returned it, patting my knee.

“Thanks,” I said as Jimin finished up with the main body of the pot. It was gorgeous, an elegant, long shape that tapered toward the bottom. Looked like the kind of pot you’d put a bonsai in.

“For what?” asked Hoseok, feigning ignorance with wide eyes.

I chuckled, squeezing his shoulder. “Just thanks.”

Cubase. God it had been a while since I’d used it on my home computer.

I sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, staring at the project as evening slowly became night. Yoongi still wasn’t back from work, likely putting in long hours finishing up that big collaboration he’d been working on for months. He wouldn’t tell me who it was with, but his excitement told me enough to know it was big.

I rested my cheek in my hand and sighed, tapping my fingertips against the coffee table. The song was nice, kind of slow. It felt a bit…melancholy but still hopeful. I shut my eyes and thought a moment. Could use vocals.

Quietly, I flipped through my lyric book and paused on a single word. Everythingoes. Written sloppily in the margins of a song I’d never finished. I cocked a brow. Back when I was younger, going to therapy, the doctor had told me something to that effect. Everything goes. Every moment, every pain, every trauma. I sat up straighter. Something about it rolled nicely, both in English and Korean. The lyrics beside it were meant to go with it. Perhaps if I recorded myself with Yoongi’s mic…

I changed a few things around, added some lines where I felt the words weren’t enough, and stewed over it for a long moment.

Everything has to hurt.

That line stood out to me. Silently, I padded into Yoongi’s room and grabbed the mic he kept hidden in the second drawer of his work table. I’d take the scolding later. I fell in a heap once more before my laptop and plugged in the mic. After a few tests, I cleared my throat and began recording the rap. If nothing else, I could find someone else to sing the chorus.

“Like morning comes after night, if summer comes after spring,” I began, and didn’t stop, didn’t stumble. “And every day I stay, because people and pain all die eventually.” I kept going, and even though I was rusty, I could feel some power in it. In the words. “Pray that this wind will pass like all winds do.”

I stopped to catch my breath, pausing the song and pulling the headphones off my ears with a sigh. I patted my cheeks a little, shook my head, and opened my eyes slowly.

But when I looked around, I saw something that hadn’t been there before. More specifically, a darkly clad someone standing with crossed arms beside the arm of the couch. I screamed before I could stop myself as Yoongi crossed the living room floor and sat on the couch beside my head, hunching over his knees to inspect my project with squinted eyes.

“Sounded good,” he said with a nod. I swallowed hard. Without looking at me, he continued. “Can I hear the beat?”

“Ah, uh, it��s still really rough and-,”

He turned to face me with one cocked brow. “Can I hear it?”

I hinged and unhinged my jaw a few times, but he was scanning me and I couldn’t stall long. I clamped my mouth shut and cleared my throat. “Um…yeah, sure.”

I unplugged the headphones and played what I had from the start. “I…I wanna add vocals here,” I said as the song began. “Something kind of…like a chant. Repeating, I think. Like a mantra.”

“Mm,” said Yoongi with a nod, brow low as he listened. I’d have liked if he didn’t listen quite so intently.

“Um…and then here I think I want the piano to get a little quieter.”

“Mhm.”

I nodded and decided to stay silent. He wasn’t giving me any feedback anyway, just listening. Instead, I just sat there like a kid, awaiting my parent to tell me if I did well or not. The song closed and I glanced over my shoulder at Yoongi who by then had his chin seized between his two palms, almost like he was praying.

“So…?” I hedged, eyeing him.

He nodded. “Really good.”

My eyes went wide and I stared at him like I was seeing him for the first time in the dark living room. I could just barely see his lips tilting in a bare smile. “R-Really?”

“I wouldn’t lie,” he said, leaning back with a nod. “Why haven’t you shared your work with me before?”

I stiffened. “Um…well, when we met you were already almost graduated with your degree, and I was just this young kid following you around. I…kinda figured someone like you wouldn’t want to listen to my shit.”

He cocked a brow. “It’s not shit though.”

“I just…I mean, you were a pro from the start, you know? Just…super confident from the beginning. And by the time I started to get really serious about it, you were already working for the label and I was getting recruited by a contract company,” I said, shaking my head. “I figured that alone was enough to show the difference in our leagues.”

“League?” asked Yoongi, brow furrowed.

I sighed. “I dunno. You’re…you’ve always been great. And I’m just…a sound engineer, really.”

Yoongi shook his head. “I’m telling you this because I mean it, alright?” he asked, crossing his arms. “If you got in with the right label, you’d do well.”

I sat up straighter, twisting to look at him properly. But instead, he was staring at my project, still smiling just barely. “Huh?”

“I’m not just saying that,” he said, nodding. “You could be a really successful producer.”

I was about to respond, perhaps pick his brain, perhaps thank him, but my phone began buzzing on the table and I jumped at the sound. Quickly I grabbed it, ready to silence the phone and return the call later. But I saw the name on the screen and paused. Hani. And at this hour…

Yoongi patted my shoulder. “Take the call,” he said, chuckling. “I know you don’t have a choice.”

I turned to stop him, but he was already striding towards his room. He didn’t even mention me borrowing his mic…

Sighing, I slid the phone open and took the call. “Hey…,” I said, and even I could hear that my voice was glum.

“Hey, uh…,” she said, her tone fragile.

I rubbed my temples. “What’s up?”

“It’s…it’s just Sooyoung. The divorce is almost final and they’re talking about custody and she’s kinda caught in, like, the crossfire or whatever. I’m worried,” she said, speaking too fast for me to keep up with.

“Have you talked to her?”

She sighed. “No, she’s not taking my calls. My parents texted me to look out for her, but she hasn’t even seen my texts,” she said. “I’m worried.”

“I understand,” I said gently. “Maybe go home for a few days and spend time with her, you know? Maybe she needs you there.”

“I know I’m just…I guess I’m kinda scared, you know? Like to go to my childhood home and see everything changing…it’s weird,” she said. “God, can I just come over tonight? Like movies or something?”

I stiffened. “Ah…jeez, Hani. I’m…I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“I know, I know. Joon, I’m so sorry. It’s just…I really don’t wanna be alone right now,” she said, voice breaking.

I felt my chest pinch a little. “Hani, why don’t you go home then?”

She sighed. “I told you-,”

“But if you can’t be alone, the best place is home,” I said, staring at my half-finished song. The one that would surely stay half-finished if she came over.

“I think it would be too hard.”

“Then what about your friends? Joohee lives close by anyway,” I said, desperate.

“Joon…,” she began, letting the word die in the air.

I sighed. “It’s not good for me, Hani. I wish you’d respect that.”

“I know. It’s selfish, and I know that. But…I just need to be with you right now, you know?”

“Don’t say that,” I said, pinching my eyes shut. But, to my surprise, my heart didn’t race like it used to. Instead, only annoyance.

“I mean it-,”

“Hani!” I shouted, slamming a hand on the table. I saw there on my wrist that hair elastic. What was it about that thing? “I’ve told you so many times, haven’t I? I’ve told you it’s not healthy!”

“Don’t yell!”

I shook my head, heart pounding now for an entirely different reason. “I’m not yelling,” I said, leveling my tone. “I…Hani, do you have any idea what it’s been like?”

She was quiet. “I…”

“Do you have any idea how hard it was? When you told me on graduation night. The years after. How you knew I knew you were still messing around on me,” I pinched my nose bridge. “I promised myself I wouldn’t make you feel guilty for it. That you yourself felt bad enough. That that would be enough for me too.”

“Joon…”

“But you can’t keep hurting people and expect them to give you the love you need,” I said. “You can’t keep putting me through the pain of reliving everything. It’s not fair.”

She said nothing. For a long time. But I heard the ambient sound of life on the other side of the phone, and I knew she was still there. Still listening, waiting for me to continue. But I didn’t have it in me. I’d said it. I’d finally howled.

“I…I don’t know what to say, Joon,” she said finally.

I nodded. “Me either.”

“I…can’t we meet up and talk this out in person?”

I exhaled, long and slow, and shook my head, eyes falling to the hair elastic on mu wrist. “No, Hani.”

She sighed. “Namjoon…”

“Go home, okay? Do it for Sooyoung,” I said before ending the call and tossing my phone onto the couch behind me.

Quietly, determined, I pulled my headphones back up around my ears, straightened my sweatshirt, and got back to work on the song.

“Namjoon!” someone called as I opened my eyes.

I didn’t even have a chance to react, because the girl who’d called for me had already wrapped her arms around my waist, burying her head in my shirt. It was familiar, this scene. Looking down at the top of a strange girl’s head in the middle of the darkness. Feeling her arms tighten around me. I might have resisted, might have pulled away, if I didn’t feel that same itch beneath my skin as I had watching that employee earlier today.

“Eun…Eunbyul?” I said, testing the name in my mouth.

She stiffened and pulled away, and once our eyes met the memories returned. Everything. Unwillingly, tears welled in my eyes and everything made sense. That wistfulness I’d been feeling all day, the sense of profound melancholia. After leaving the dream the night before, being so close, seeing something so painful, and having not even a spare second to console her…

Instead of saying anything, I swept her up in my arms again and let my head fall into the crook of her neck. She held tight too, like I might slip away if she didn’t keep her grip strong. She smelled like strawberry shampoo and the faint, barely-there scent of clay.

She breathed a shaky exhale and nodded against me. “I’m so fucking happy to see you,” she said softly.

I nodded, unable to summon words for a moment. “I…I saw you again today. At the pottery place.”

She nodded. “I saw you too. Walking away with Jimin.”

“I wish I would have gotten a good look at you,” I said.

“Me too…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

We stayed that way, embracing, for a moment that felt endless. Eunbyul was the first to break away, adjusting her glasses as she did. She sniffled a little, rubbing beneath her nose, and averted her eyes. Neither of us said anything, but it was clear something had shifted between us. Our relationship…whatever it was…was changing.

“Let’s…let’s do something fun tonight,” I said with a nod.

She smiled softly, pushing her hair from her face. She nodded. “I’d like that.”

Gently, I took her hand and shut my eyes. I tried to remember every detail of the place, every lamppost and vendor’s booth. I tried to conjure the cobbled walkways, the ferris wheel, the lanterns strung up in rows overhead. And when I opened my eyes, it was sunset and we were there.

“An amusement park?” she asked, chuckling. “And…wait, is this in Sangdo-dong?” she asked.

I nodded. “You know it?”

She stared, mystified and wide-eyed, at the park splayed out before her. “Um…yeah, actually. I think I mentioned it before, but…something kind of scary happened to me when I was young. It was pretty nearby here.”

I stiffened. “Shit, I can take us somewhere else-,”

She turned to me and smiled, shaking her head. “Don’t,” she said. “I wanna go on some rides.”

I blinked down at her, at the big sleep shirt with shorts just barely peeking out, at the bed hair, at the flush in her cheeks. And I felt myself flush too. I cleared my throat and began strolling toward one of the coasters.

“Do, uh…do you think the rides will work?” I asked.

She hummed. “I dunno. You’ve never tried?”

I shook my head. “I…also had something scary happen when I was a kid. Here at the amusement park. So I haven’t been back.”

“Oh,” she said, pausing in the walkway. “We can go someplace else.”

I smiled and rubbed circles into her hand. “No, it’s fine. It’s just…the only amusement park I could remember. And I remember it pretty vividly.”

She nodded. “Alright.”

“Here, let’s go on this one,” I said, pointing to the swinging pirate ship.

Her eyes glittered in the sunset as she stared at it. “Whoa,” she said, glancing around. “Who’s gonna operate it?”

I paused a moment and pursed my lips. “You sit down first and I’ll push a button or something.”

“Push a button?” she repeated, laughing.

I rolled my eyes and gave her shoulder a shove with mine. “Maybe two buttons,” I said, shrugging. I released her hand she gestured for her to go ahead onto the ride.

She waved at me over her shoulder and took a seat at the farthest row, the one right by the back of the ship. She bounced a little as she waited for me, smiling in my direction as I examined the control panel. Perhaps because I’d never seen it, I couldn’t quite imagine what it would look like and in its place was just a blank metal podium.

I sighed and rubbed my chin. “I mean…,” I began, talking to myself, “if it’s a dream, I can make the rules, right?”

I shut my eyes and imagined a big red button on the podium, one that would give the start a delay so I could take my seat with Eunbyul. As I opened my eyes, there it was and with a smile I pounded it. Told you, I thought, just one button. I heard the machine whirring up and sprinted as fast as I could toward the entrance of the ship. I bumped my shin on the way down the aisle and Eunbyul suppressed a laugh with her hand. Luckily, just as the thing lurched to life, I fell into the spot beside her with a heavy sigh.

“You ready?” I asked, smiling.

She laughed and nodded. “Been ready.”

I rolled my eyes as the ride began to swing like a pendulum, gradually increasing in speed and height. Soon, we were rocking back and forth, sent high into the air and then hovering, weightless, for a fraction of a second before plummeting back down to earth. Beside me, Eunbyul released a joyful scream, throwing her arms in the air as we swung up and down, back and forth. The wind whipped her hair around, and on each descent she had to squeeze her eyes nearly shut. She laughed as we swung and swung. If she’d let me, I’d liked to have kept sitting there forever, watching her smile and laugh as the pirate ship lurched.

But my brain seemed to know approximately how long a ride should be, and before too long, the ride slowed to a steady stop. Eunbyul, with her hair now windswept and waving and her eyes alight, turned to me with the brightest smile.

“That was so fun,” she said, laughing.

It was the first time I’d seen her with such unbridled happiness, an easy joy in her features. And she was beautiful. I wanted her to stay that way, stay smiling, stay messy, stay joyful.

I smiled. “What next?” I asked.

The two of us traveled through what I remembered of the park. It had been a long time since I’d seen the place, but it seemed the memory was nearly imprinted. After all, it was the last place I’d seen with Dad. I ambled easily by Eunbyul’s side as she explored my memories, and we stopped at nearly every ride. The log ride, the coaster that nearly blew out my eardrums, the haunted house sans actors to play the ghosts.

“Let’s go on that,” she said, pointing at the ferris wheel as it sat juxtaposed against the forever sunset.

I raised my brows. “Oh, sure.”

She turned to me and smiled. “Hey, Namjoon?” she asked, almost shy.

“Hm?”

“Thank you for…you know, taking me here,” she said, laughing lightly. “Lately, I’ve been feeling a little better and I think it’s because I’ve been able to spend time with you.”

“Eunbyul-,”

“Ugh, let’s go before I get sentimental,” she said, waving her hands with a pinched expression. I laughed as she led the way to the ferris wheel.

Once I’d pressed the identical red button and scrambled to join Eunbyul in the closed ferris wheel box, the two of us fell into a comfortable, easy silence. She gazed out the window as the blurry horizon that my mind couldn’t conjure, the place where all the colors blended together. And I watched her, silhouetted against the violent yellow sun as it descended into reds and oranges.

“So…,” I began, watching her keenly. “How do you know that pottery guy?”

She paused for a moment before pursing her lips and offering a shrug. “I met him recently. I was spying on him through the window.”

“Spying?”

She nodded. “Because it looks so nice when he throws pottery.”

I smiled softly. “It was really mesmerizing.”

She turned to me with a smile. “He’s a nice guy,” she said. “I think he believes in me too much.”

I shook my head. “I saw you working today, Eunbyul. You were…really competent. It was like watching Jimin make pottery. I couldn’t look away.”

Her skin went a little red in the cheeks and she cleared her throat, smoothing her palms over her kneecaps. “Well…”

“You’re better than you think you are.”

She sighed, letting her gaze fall. “Anyway, how do you know him?” she asked, letting my eyes again.

I smiled. “My friend Hoseok took me by today. He was trying to…embolden me, I guess. Get me back into my groove.”

“Your groove has been off?” she asked, brows raised.

I nodded. “For a while. I’m…stifled. In a lot of ways.”

She nodded. “And did it help? Seeing Jimin?”

I smiled softly, remembering that song. “Yeah. I…I made a song. For myself. Something I believe in.”

She smiled at me and reached out across the small space between our legs to pat my knee. “Namjoon! That’s amazing,” she said, chuckling. “That Jimin. He’s good, I’ll give him that.” She paused and glanced at me. “Let me hear the song sometime, okay? When we finally meet in real life.”

I swallowed hard and rubbed my neck. Nervous as I was for her to hear it, the offer was irresistible. I nodded. “And…just Joon is fine.”

She stared at me, blinking, before she chuckles breathily and nodded. “Ah! O-Okay. Then, uh…call me Byul, okay?”

“Byul…”

She went red and cleared her throat, laughing again. “God, it’s embarrassing to hear you say it,” she said.

I smiled. “Do a lot of people call you that?”

“No,” she said softly, watching her hands as the ferris wheel rolled lazily toward the top.

“Does that bookstore guy call you Byul?” I asked, unable to stop myself.

She stiffened. “Who?” she asked, then snapped her fingers. “Ah, Jin?”

I shrugged, pouting. “I dunno. The guy who was flirting with you at the bookstore.”

She laughed. “He wasn’t flirting, just…bored,” she said with a nod. “God, I guess…I guess I have a crush on him?” she said, but the way she furrowed her brow made it seem like she was unsure. “But these days, it feels a little different. Like…maybe I don’t.”

I smiled, just a little relieved, and nodded. “I feel the same way with my ex.” Eunbyul’s eyes snapped up to meet mine, wide and brown. “Um…she called tonight. Hani.”

She inhaled as if to speak, but only let it go and nodded. “Oh.”

“I told her she can’t come over anymore.”

I watched her expression change, like she was relieved too, and she exhaled slow. “Good job,” she said, meeting my eyes again with a smile. “That must have been hard.”

I shook my head. “It’s like you said. Like…the way I feel about her is different now. Even in real life.”

“Wonder why,” she said idly as she glanced out the window at the empty park below.

I felt my heart thundering in my chest and swallowed hard. Say it, Namjoon, I thought. Say it now or regret not saying it forever. “I can…think of a few reasons,” I said slowly, watching her for any sign to stop.

She stiffened a little and turned to me with wide eyes. “Huh?” she asked. Surprised, but not disgusted.

Slowly, I leaned across the small space between us so that our faces were close. “Byul, I…,” I began, chuckling as the nerves made my words catch in my throat. “Sorry, nervous,” I said, unable to stop myself from telling her the truth.

She nodded and gently took my hand. “It’s okay,” she said.

I took a steadying breath and met her warm, dark eyes. “I think I have feelings for you.”

She was still for a moment, still holding my hand, before slowly she let her eyes drop and her fingers slipped between mine. It was small, but the gesture felt intimate. And the space between us was charged, trapped in this small ferris wheel box. I knew it was stupid, that there was no way it could work. I knew it would be nearly impossible to meet her in real life if I couldn’t remember these dreams, and I knew that even meeting, even seeing her properly, might not be enough to make me remember. I knew it all. I knew it was stupid, and that this moment was finite and that in the morning I’d forget it ever happened.

But right then, I needed to kiss her.

And so I tipped my chin just enough for our lips to touch. It wasn’t the sort of kiss you see in movies. Passionate and frantic and desperate, hands clawing at each other, panting. No, it was…softer. Gentler. She jumped a little at the contact, but I watched with half-open eyes as she shut her own eyes and leaned into me, her fingers still laced in mine. Tenderly, I lifted a hand to rest along the line of her jaw, touching her just barely. I felt her tilt her head to the side and took the initiative to deepen the kiss, just enough. Smooth and slow, like butter melting in a pot. Smooth and slow.

I pulled away first, hand still holding her jaw, her hair fluttering against my knuckles, and stared at her with heavy-lidded eyes. “Sorry,” I said in a whisper. Everything felt hot, so hot I thought I might pass out if it weren’t a dream.

She shook her head and tightened her grip on my hand. “Don’t apologize.”

“I know it’s really impossible, but…,” I began, but stopped as I felt the pull once more in my chest. “Fuck,” I breathed, resting my forehead against hers.

“I know,” she said with a nod, shutting her eyes with a shaky exhale. “We…we’ll meet. We have to meet, okay?” she said.

I nodded against her forehead and shut my own eyes. Even though I knew it might be a lie, nonetheless I responded sincerely. “We will.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“You’re right.”

She nodded and sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, Joon.”

“See you tomorrow, Byul.”

And in an instant, she slipped away.

#namjoon fanfiction #namjoon fanfic #namjoon fluff #namjoon angst #namjoon #kim namjoon #namjoon series #namjoon reaction #bts namjoon #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts fluff #bts angst #bts reactions #bts imagines #bts series #bts au fanfic #bts

23 notes · View notes

uraharasandals · 6 years ago

Note

hii i loved ur akutagawa x reader fic! i was wondering if u could write a fluff akutagawa c reader pls!! thank u ur work is so well done :-)

Hi there! Thank you so much you’re so sweet www I’m sorry this is super late >

“Ryunosuke, please.” The tip of a porcelain spoon filled with a thick liquid prodded at the man’s lips gently, but insistently, and you watched with weariness as Akutagawa turned his head away, stubbornly refusing to sip the medicine. Again.

Coaxing Akutagwa to take his medications was like doing the same to a child, except to a very stoic and silent child who was glaring at you with vengeance during the whole time. You sighed, placing the spoon aside and stared at him with a sort of helplessness that would hopefully make him break down a little, just enough to open his mouth and let you pour the syrupy liquid down his throat.

Some tension bled out of his shoulders as Akutagawa, apparently having realised that you wouldn’t be forcing him to take his medicine for some time, turned to look at you carefully, albeit with somewhat of a guarded expression. His lips were drawn tight in a line, hardened as if already tasting the sickeningly sweet liquid, though the stare in his dark gray eyes softened. With the growing amount of time spent around each other, you had started to read and understand his actions, and interpret them. It was easier for the both of you, especially when he wasn’t exactly vocal and you weren’t exactly patient enough to draw an answer from him every single time.

And patience was what you were struggling with now. As you were starting to contemplate whether to actually force it down his throat or not, Akutagawa hesitantly reached out a hand from his mountain of blankets - surely being a furnace what with his raging fever - and placed it on top of yours, folded upon your lap, as if in apology. The tips of his fingers were ice-cold.

“You should take your medicine to get better, Ryunosuke.” You prodded gently, though letting desperation creep into your tone. “It wouldn’t do you any good to die of fever now.” Meaning it as a joke, you had intended it to be light-hearted, but the weariness and tiredness of coaxing Akutagawa for an entire afternoon had worn you out entirely, and honestly, all you wanted to do now was to collapse in bed with him.

Something resembling a snort exploded out of him, and you were glad, at least, that Akutagawa wasn’t sulking under the covers with nothing better to do. “As if I could die of something so trivial.” Fever had clouded his tone, making it weaker than it originally was, what with the amount of coughing he did daily, and it was a mere rasp, but it was enough to set you off chuckling nervously as well.

“You’d better not,” You retorted back, gently easing one hand from the pair clasped on your lap and placing one on top of his, before lacing your fingers between his. “Otherwise I would be very disappointed in you.” A squeeze of your hand told him you were just joking, of course, but there was still a trace of sadness in his eyes at the prospect of death. The first time you met the man, he was the very definition of pushing limits, and until he actually coughed up blood, Akutagawa wasn’t about to stop whatever his mission was. And not even then, until you put a firm stop to it. Which nearly resulted in you getting sliced into a thousand pieces by Rashomon, but nothing better than a potential death at the hands of your future partner, right?

Instead of getting another humorous - or what passed for humour for him - response from him, Akutagawa merely gave you a meaningful stare and sighed silently. Death wasn’t discussed very often, but everytime it came a black cloud hung over the both of you. Quickly, before the mood become too sombre, you changed topics, adding another teasing remark, “But hey, I’m already disappointed in you acting like a child and not taking your medicine properly, so there.”

An irritated look crossed his eyes, and Akutagawa returned back to his somewhat snappish mood whenever he was sick. “I’m not a child.“

"Oh, really? Then prove it to me.” Challenges and dares work well with him, given his competitive edge, but who knew it would work so well that the man himself snatched the spoon up from the bedstand, where you had placed it earlier, and swallowed it in one gulp. Though his features underwent some sort of strangled change - his forehead was creased even more, and the sour look on his face deepened while the thin line of his lips hardened again - Akutagawa did finish the medicine while holding a glare with you, as if daring you to challenge him again. While you were impressed, the whole thing seemed so comical that you burst out laughing at the end of the ordeal.

The glare was once again deepened, and was filled with an amount of annoyance that was rare, even for him. You knew you shouldn’t be doing that, but the peals of laughter erupting from your lips didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon, and Akutagawa opened his mouth to protest again, except before he could get anything out, you found yourself pressing your lips against his feverish ones.

Perhaps it was because you didn’t want to hear his protests and arguments, but you realised, try as you might, that it was an effective way to shut off your laughter as well. Oh well. As your lips molded against his, you could taste a bit of the lingering medicine still on his lips, sickeningly sweet with a twang of bitterness, and you found yourself trying not to wince at its taste, and to pull away to get the disgusting aftertaste off your mouth when a hand reached up and cupped the back of your neck, pressing you closer to his body.

Despite his sickness, Akutagawa was surprisingly strong as he held your waist tightly, easing your body against his. Your hands, amongst the haze, managed to find themselves tangled on the back of his shirt and the hair at the base of his neck, gripping on for dear life as his mouth moved against yours, quick and passionate even thuough his mind was probably slow due to the fever. You tried kissing back, but his lips moved with such insistency that you soon found his tongue in your mouth, and unconsciously let out a moan.

At that, Akutagawa smirked, and pulled away, leaving a trail of saliva connecting your abused lips and his feverish ones. Immediately, a whine escaped you, and you were leaning after him before realising what you were doing, then instantly blush. A satisfied smirk graced his lips as he slowly laid back onto his moutain of pillows, and lifted back a corner of his blankets. A silent invitation. When you raised your eyebrows at him, he merely replied bluntly, “For treatment."

You pretended to grumble, though a smile spread on your lips at that, and you stood. "If I get sick, there’s going to be no one taking care of the both of us, you know."

A soft laugh was the response, again, an extreme rarity coming from the usually stoic Akutagawa, though it immediately resulted in a hacking cough which you sighed at, before climbing into the mountain of blankets and into his fever heat. Spending time wrapped up with a furry blanket perched on a chair next to the sickbed hadn’t made you realise how cold the autumn wind was, and you found yourself snuggling up against his side, before mentally flinching at the chill of his fingers as he wrapped a hand around your waist.

"Damn, you’re cold.”

“Like you’re one to speak."

"At least I wasn’t the one suffering from a fever and refusing to take his medicine.”

“Excuse me?”

“Go to sleep, Ryunosuke~"

#bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd imagines #akutagawa ryunosuke #Akutagawa #Fic #akutagawa imagines #anon

68 notes · View notes

cocomaxley · 6 years ago

Text

Paws for a Cause Part 3

This was a prompt request from @stopforamoment

This is a part of a TRR A/U called Cordonians Gone Wild, a collaborative effort by @ao719 @speedyoperarascalparty @leelee10898 @riseandshinelittleblossom and yours truly. Catch up HERE.

Summary: A furry friend joins the CGW squad which results in another boys vs. girls wager.

Rating: NSFW, mature and very bad decisions

Tag List: @fullbeaumonty @brightpinkpeppercorn @alj4890 @zaffrenotes @annekebbphotography @carabeth @moneyfordiamonds @give-me-ernest-sinclaire @3pawandme @indiacater @ooo-barff-ooo @ownworldresident @tornbetween2loves @perfectprofessorherokid @stopforamoment @editboutique @wannabemc2 @enmchoices @lauradowning29 @lodberg @smalltalk88 @gibbles82 @heatherfilliez @drakesensworld @nikkis1983 @sweetest-marbear @classylady1234 @daniv2278 @jlouise88 @jared2612 @liamxs-world @notoriouscs @blubutterflyy @captain-kingliamsqueen @lynne1993

Paws for a Cause Moodboard

Milo’s Moodboard

The ladies walked into the animal shelter and into the back office. The shelter director greeted them and motioned towards a large box. “I can’t wait to see these!” Anitah squealed.

Stephanie opened the box and handed each of them a calendar. They perused the pictures and smiled at each other, happy with their decision to each have one nice photo and one on their underwear. “Alright, ladies, where should we go to sell these?” Pam asked the group.

“What about outside of a gym? Or maybe a home improvement store?” Alicia suggested. “Oh, I need two of them, Thomas and Christian agreed to support our cause. So I have to mail them their calendars. They already sent their payment,” Genevieve said.

Anitah said with a sly smile, “Actually that’s a good idea, Gen. Maybe we should see if our dates from the auction will buy them too.”

With mischievous smiles on their faces, each of them sent a text. They decided that selling the calendar outside of a home improvement store would be their best bet. Setting up tables and chairs, the ladies set the calendar on display. Pam and Anitah lured people over to the table to look at the calendar.

“All of the money goes to the animal shelter. They’re in need of supplies and money for the animals,” Pam told a group of construction workers. They looked through the calendar and as soon as they say that half of the calendar had the ladies in their underwear, it was an easy sell. “Your queen and the queen of Gordon thanks you,” Anitah said with a laugh. A few hours later Stephanie yelled, “Last one ya’ll!” She closed the lockbox with the money, and the girls got into the waiting SUV.

The men picked up their box from the shelter without bothering to look at it first. They made their way to the shopping mall and set up their table at the center where there was a lot of foot traffic. Maxwell played some music and danced to attract customers to their table. Calendar sales were steady but they still had about half of them left.

“We need to get more people over here. Leo, why don’t you walk around and get people as their leaving nearby stores,” Rashad said. Leo nodded his head and walked towards a women’s clothing store. He stopped a group of moms, “Ladies, we are raising money for the local animal shelter. The calendars were selling features each of us and some of the shelter animals. What could possibly be better than some good looking guys and cute furry friends?” He flashed them the signature Rhys smirk and the women were putty in his hands.

Liam stopped a young man who looked shock to see the King talking to him. “Excuse me, can I interest you in a calendar? Proceeds go to the animal shelter.” The man looked uncomfortable, “I already bought one. The queen said that we could only buy one or the other.” He reached into his bag and pulled out the ladies’ calendar. Drake noticed the thumbnails on the back of the calendar, “Can I…can I see that?” He handed Drake the calendar and the other four looked over his shoulder.

They flipped through the first few months. Their eyes went wide as they looked at Anitah’s picture with her laying down on a couch wearing nothing but her bra and panties, Milo laying on her stomach. “Doesn’t she realize what kind of scandal this will cause?” Liam said pinching the bridge of his nose. “Damn, Alicia looks hot,” Leo said admiring his wife. Maxwell nodded, “Heeeeeeeyyyyy, look at Stef!” His mouth fell open, his eyes glued to the picture. Rashad cursed under his breath taking in Genevieve’s photo. While Drake let out a deep growl as he looked at Pam’s calendar page.

“You guys realize that if we are looking at these pictures, it means there are hundreds of other people that will be looking at them right?” Liam pointed out to the others. They all looked at each other and their faces immediately fell into scowls. “Hopefully they haven’t sold that many,” Maxwell said hopefully. “I told you we should have posed shirtless!” Leo said in a frustrated tone. Liam shook his head, “This is your fault, Leo. You don’t get to say what we should or shouldn’t have done.”

“Why are they always one step ahead of us?” Rashad asked. Drake groaned, “Because they all think alike and they’re evil, Rashad.” The young man reached for his calendar, but Drake kept it out of reach. “I don’t think so, kid. Here take one of ours for free.”

He rolled his eyes at Drake, “I want that calendar. No offense, but have you seen the women in there? Why would I want yours?” Rashad stepped up and pulled out his wallet. “You’re not taking the calendar. Name your price.”

“No, seriously, I want to keep the calendar. I don’t want your money,” the guy replied with a shake of his head. Leo came up, “I will beat your ass, do you understand?” The guy held his arms up and retreated from the group of men.

After a long afternoon, the guys went back to the palace. They were happy with their sales having only ten calendars left to sell. The women were waiting for them in the royal chambers chatting and laughing.

“Hey boys! How’d the calendars sell? Took you guys a long time, didn’t it?” Alicia said with a sly grin. Liam stalked directly to a smiling Anitah. His face in an angry scowl as he said, “I can’t believe you would pose in your bra and underwear in a calendar that’s going to be distributed to the public all so you could win a silly bet!” With wide eyes, Anitah’s jaw dropped open. “How’d….How did you find out about that?” Liam held up the calendar that he took from the young man at the mall. “Because you were telling people that they could only buy your calendar or ours! Leo had to threaten him so we could keep it! How many did you guys sell? Because we need to buy them all back.”

The girls roared with laughter. Anitah gave him a coy smile. “Well…my King…we sold all of our calendars. Why would you have to buy them back? That defeats the purpose of the fundraiser.”

“I can’t have everyone in Cordonia staring at their queen…my queen in her underwear!”

“They won’t be staring at me! Milo was in the picture! They’ll be looking at that cute wittle face of his.” Anitah turned to Milo who wagged his tail happily at his mommy. Liam rolled his eyes, “It’s like words come out of my mouth…But no one’s there to listen to it.”

Liam turned to Bastien. “Bastien, please tell my assistant that I need her to put out a press release to recall all of calendars these ladies sold.“

“What is the reason for the recall, sir?” Bastien tried to hide a smile seeing Liam’s vein throbbing on the side of his forehead. Maxwell chimed in, “Oh, I know, tell them the ink is poisonous!” Rashad chuckled, “Instead of poisonous, say they used a lead based ink. That might be more believable.” Bastien left the chambers and each of the men turned to their loves.

“Gen, it’s not that I don’t want people looking at you in your underwear…No, that’s exactly it. I do not want people, especially men, looking at you in your underwear! What in the world would make that seem like a good idea?” Rashad asked his fiancée. She walked over to their cash box and opened it, “It was a really great idea. Not only did we sell all of the calendars, we had to request another batch from the printers. When we ran out, they accepted online orders.” Drake growled at his giggling wife. “This is not funny, Pamela! You guys had them print more?”

“No, absolutely not. Not happening,” Leo said as he turned to Alicia. Maxwell put his arm around Stephanie, “Red, those pictures turned out really great…but I agree with the guys. I’m not ok with random people having you pinned up on their walls.” Alicia laughed, “They aren’t all random. Gen sold some to Thomas and Christian in Chicago. They’re part of the reason we had to reprint. The guys in their office each ordered one. Plus some of the nobles from the auction fundraiser wanted calendars as well.”

All five men’s heads turned to Alicia, their eyes staring daggers at her. “Excuse me? Did you just say that Isaiah bought a calendar that features an almost naked picture of Pam?” Drake asked through gritted teeth. “Christian? As in St. Tropez and Chicago Christian?” Rashad asked with an angry look on his face. Genevieve turned towards Alicia and mouthed, “God dammit, Alicia!”

“Oh Signore Touchy Feely better not have bought one of these!” Liam yelled. Anitah avoided his gaze, her eyes trained on Milo. Maxwell stood there with his mouth hanging open. Stephanie sauntered over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Aww, babe, don’t be angry. It’s for a good cause.” Maxwell pulled her arms off of him, "Oh no, you won’t get out of this that easily…Your voodoo magic is not going to work on me.”

Alicia looked at Leo’s angry face. “Baby, don’t be mad. Stef’s right, it is for a good cause. Just like the auction that didn’t want to do. Just like being on a deserted island, naked, that I didn’t want to do. This is for something I actually believe in.” Leo’s expression softened, “But, Alicia, we’ve had this discussion before. What’s underneath your clothes is only for me. I don’t want to share that part of you with anyone else.” She walked over to him and pulled him into a deep kiss. “Last time, baby. I promise.” Leo said indignantly, “Oh, you’re damn right. We’re getting every single one of those calendars back.” The men all nodded in agreement.

A week later, Liam looked at the small pile of calendars on his desk. The recall notice had gone out, but no one seemed to care if the ink was really lead based or not. After a few attempts at calling the nobles from the date auction, he was able to get Giovanni’s calendar back. When Liam opened it, he noticed that the two months with Anitah’s photos were missing. Liam rubbed his hand over his forehead in aggravation. There was a knock on his study door and in walked Rashad, Drake, Maxwell and Leo.

“Any luck, Li?” Drake asked him. Liam let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s see, I just got Signore Cavvichi’s calendar back, without my wife’s pictures inside. Isaiah and Sebastian flat out refused. Finn sent his back, but Jason Bucannon said and I quote, ‘I don’t plan on licking the the calendar. I think I’ll be fine’. I was able to trade Thomas the girls’ calendar for ours, but…” He avoided Rashad’s eye. “Christian said you can go to Chicago and make him give it back.” Rashad clenched his jaw, “I’m going to fly to Chicago and rip down every calendar in that office. That cocky son of a bitch.”

The night before the car wash, Alicia peeked her head into the bedroom where Leo was taking off his clothes and getting ready for bed. “Hey baaaaby.” Leo cocked his brow, “I know that voice, you did something or you want something. Which is it?” She entered the room, a wide grin in her face, “I bought you something.” She handed him a small bag. He reached into the bag, pulling out a bunched up leopard print speedo.

“What fresh hell is this?” Alicia seductively moved closer to him, her manicured nail tracing his chiseled abs. “I thought it was fitting for bam bam, you know since you lost the bet. Go, try it on.” Leo sighed before going into the bathroom, he came out with a goofy grin on his face. “Ok, I know this is supposed to be torture, but, I look damn good.”

Alicia’s eyes instantly locked on his bulging crotch. “Can we um, tuck him,” she pointed. He arched his brow again, a sly grin spread across his face. “Oh I got somewhere to tuck him. Come here!” He lunged for her. Alicia squealed as he grabbed her and tossed her onto the bed.

The morning of the car wash, Anitah came traipsing into her and Liam’s bedroom with a smirk on her face and Liam gave her a look, “What…what did you do?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes while holding his other hand out. “Let me see it��” She snorted as she handed him the bag and he opened it and looked inside and then snapped his head up to her. “Really?!”

“What? I thought it would be nice to represent your Queen,” she laughed. He pulled out the American Flag print speedo and held it up.

“I am going to murder Leo,” his jaw clenched. He stripped down and pulled the speedo on, adjusting himself as Anitah stifled a laugh. He stood looking at her with his hands on his hips once he was finished. “Well…?”

“You’d put the Naked Cowboy in New York City to shame, my King,” Anitah burst out into a fit of laughter. “Oh!” She squealed. “One more thing….Milo!” She called the pup. He came running into the room and Liam’s eyes went wide. There came Milo sitting at Liam’s feet in a matching speedo with a hole cut out for his tail. Liam looked from Milo back to Anitah just as she snapped a picture on her phone.

“Oh no!” Liam went running after her as she ran from the room laughing.

Genevieve walked into hers and Rashad’s bedroom holding a small paper shopping bag when her phone beeped. She looked at the picture that Anitah sent her and started laughing really hard. Rashad arched his brow at her. She held up her phone so he could see Liam and Milo wearing matching speedos. He burst out laughing while she wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Let me guess? My banana hammock is in there?” Rashad asked with a solemn face. Genevieve handed the bag over and said, “I’m so sorry you have to wear this, honey. Nothing about a speedo is sexy at all…”

He looked at her, waiting for a smartass comment. When she didn’t say anything, he pulled the bathing suit out of the bag. He shook his head before removing his clothes and putting on the gold glittery speedo.

She covered her mouth taking in the sight before her. While trying to contain her laughter, a loud snort escaped instead, which made her double over giggling. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I can't…I think I’m gonna die. Oh my god! I’m crying.”

He looked in the mirror and ran his hand down his face, “Fucking Leo…I’m gonna kill him. This looks ridiculous, and now I have glitter everywhere.”

She held up her phone and snapped a picture, quickly sending it to the other the girls. Pam’s phone chirped when Genevieve’s text came through.

“Oh these keep getting better!” Pam giggled. She walked into their bedroom as Drake stepped out of the bathroom, a towel tied low in his hips. "Hey baby. When did you get back?” He leaned in pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “Just now. How are things at the stable?”

Drake shrugged running his hand through his wet hair. “They’re good.” He stopped abruptly taking in the smirk on his wife’s lips and the small bag hanging from her finger. “What’s that?” Pam’s face lit up in a wide grin, “It’s for you.” Drake sighed, “ I don’t want that, do I?” Pam shrugged, “Probably not, but you need it for the car wash. Go try it on.”

“Oh, Christ. Fine.” He grabbed the bag and stomped into the bathroom. She heard him grumbling from the bathroom, “Why do you hate me?” She giggled, “I could never hate you!” Drake opened the door with a groan, “Pam…you bought me a Speedo covered in cats.”

Pam smirked, “Well to be fair, Gen was there. Once she saw it, I really didn’t have a choice. Besides, I love my furry kitty.” She stalked up to her husband. “In fact, I think it’s time you make me meow.” He smirked before lifting her up and tossing her onto the bed. “MROW.”

Maxwell walked out of the bathroom sporting his black and white zebra striped speedo. Stephanie’s mouth fell open as she watched her husband dancing in front of the mirror. “I make this speedo look good, Red!”

Stephanie couldn’t help but giggle. “At least you’re confident, babe. I’m sure the other guys are not as happy as you are about wearing these man panties.”

She handed him a robe and Maxwell shook his head. “I’m quite comfortable like this. Let’s go to the car wash!” He threw on a pair of sunglasses, slipped on a pair of flip flops and walked out of their quarters.

Bertrand’s eyes widened as he watched his younger brother strutting towards the main entry. “Maxwell, show some decorum! Put on some clothes this instant!”

“No can do, Bertrand. I’ll be ‘working at the car wash. At the car wash, yeah’.” Maxwell sang and swayed to the beat of the song. Stephanie gave Bertrand an apologetic look as she followed her husband out of the estate.

The five men converged together at the car wash in the capitol. Liam, Drake, Rashad, and Leo were still wearing their bathrobes while Maxwell proudly waited in his speedo. A line of cars had already formed waiting for the car wash to open.

“Alright, boys, it’s showtime,” Anitah said. The girls walked up to their men and removed their robes. The four of them adjusted themselves, trying their best to keep their manhood tucked away. The first five cars pulled up and to their dismay, it was the ladies’ dates from the auction. They rolled down their windows and handed over their money.

Isaiah eyed Drake in his cat speedo and laughed. He was about to say something when Drake glared at him. “Before you say anything, Isaiah, how’s your nose? It doesn’t quite look the same since the night of the auction dinner.” Isaiah instinctively reached up and touched his nose. He rolled up his window without saying a word. Drake chuckled at his pained expression.

Giovanni rolled down his window and . “Hello, your majesty. We Italians prefer the speedo to swimming trunks. It is much more comfortable, no?” Liam pinched the bridge of his nose and didn’t respond. Giovanni was about to close his window when Liam stopped him. “By the way…don’t think I didn’t notice that my wife’s calendar photos were missing. Those will come in the mail soon, won’t they? I have a meeting with your uncle next week. I’m sure he would be quite disappointed if the contract doesn’t get signed while he’s here.” Giovanni gulped but nodded his head.

“Genevieve’s still going to marry you after seeing you in that Rashad?” Sebastian asked with a cocky grin. Rashad grabbed the sponge from the bucket and shook it by the open window. Soapy water splashed Sebastian in the face and the interior of the car. Rashad smirked as he said, “Roll up your window before it’s my fist that comes through next, Seb.” Sebastian quickly rolled up his window as Rashad reluctantly started washing his car.

Leo glared at Jason. “Don’t say a fucking word, Bucannon.” Jason held his arms up and shut his window. Finn got out of his car and gave Maxwell a bro hug. The two men exchanged pleasant hellos before Maxwell started washing his car.

The ladies were gathered together talking when a handsome man approached them holding a tray. He was wearing a red and white striped shirt, black pants and a pirate hat. “Hello, ladies, I thought you could use some refreshments.” He held out the tray of cinnamon rolls and the girls each grabbed one. “Mmm, these are delicious, Mr…” Stephanie said. He replied, “I own Cap’n Nick’s Cinna-booty next door. Cap’n Nick, at your service.”

“Well thanks, Nick! These are amazing!” Alicia said. Nick quirked his brow at Alicia, “I prefer to be called Cap’n Nick…” He looked Pam up and down and licked his lips. “But you can call me Cappy and be my first mate.” Anitah, Alicia, Stephanie and Genevieve shared a look and burst out laughing. Pam choked on the pastry. “I’m just going to call you Captain Nick.”

Nick was enamored by Pam, and he moved closer. In his best pirate accent, he said, “Well, yer the finest pirate booty I’ve ever laid me eyes on. Arrrr…ye free Saturday? I’d like to take ye out for a bottle of rum.” Pam took a few steps back, “Umm no, I’m married, Captain.”

The mention of a husband didn’t deter the confident captain. “Ye should leave yer land lubber…so ye can see what me third leg is made of. Me cannon’s primed and loaded. I just need help with me cannon balls.”

Drake turned and noticed the pastry pirate hitting on his wife. He walked up and put his arm around Pam’s waist. Drake looked Cap’n Nick square in the eye as he said, “I already drop the anchor in this lagoon, you’ll have to find a new first mate. Now get out of here before I shove my foot up your poopeck.” Knowing that Drake was serious, Cap’n Nick backed away and went back to his bakery.

A black SUV pulled into the car wash. It was the last car in line. All four windows rolled down and the ladies hung out of the windows. Anitah was in the driver seat, Pam in the front passenger seat, Stephanie and Alicia in the two rear seats, while Genevieve stood up through the sunroof.

“Make it rain, ladies!” Genevieve yelled. The girls each held a stack of bills in their hands as they continuously swiped their other hand over the top of the pile. The bills floated into the air one by one at their defeated husbands and fiancé. Once the car was washed and dried, Anitah peeled out of the car wash parking lot leaving the boys behind.

“Fucking great! None of us have our phones, Liam!” Drake growled. Liam yelled out, “That’s it! She’s cut off until further notice.”

“Oh they’re cut off alright,” Rashad grumbled. Maxwell and Leo nodded in agreement.

Cap'n Nick

#capn nick #capn nicks cinna-booty #arrrrrgh #cordonians gone wild #cordoniansgonewild #cgw #liam x anitah #drake x pam #maxwell x stephanie #leo x alicia #rashad x genevieve #squad goals #cgw squad #cgw fur babies #fur baby squad

48 notes · View notes

draw-you-coward · 6 years ago

Text

ao3

Ikael is getting yelled at over a bear.

Although perhaps “yelled at” is stretching it a bit. “Scolded” would suit the situation better—scolded by a quite irate Tataru, it seems. Irate enough that Thancred can hear nearly her every word, even though he is patiently waiting outside the archway.

“And what am I going to do now? Oh, what am I going to tell Minfilia?!” Tataru’s voice sharpens in pitch. “That’s a lot of money, Ikael! And you spent it on a bear!”

Thancred tilts his head, leaning closer to listen in despite himself. Ikael bought a wild animal? This is new. He simply kidnapped the last one.

“I-I-I’m sorry.” Ikael’s voice is trembling. “I-i-it was a—i-it was a mistake. I-I didn’t m-mean to—mean to charge the Scions. I-I-I’m sorry.”

Poor fellow. He’s had a few rough days as of late—apparently he still hasn’t gotten over them.

“Yes, well.” Tataru’s voice gentles somewhat as she, too, seems to realize he is taking this badly. “That won’t get our money back! You have to go and tell whoever you bought it from to switch the transaction to your personal account.”

Thancred hears a shuffling sound. Then, in a small voice:

“I-I-I know. ‘m sorry.”

“It’s alright, as long as I get my—our money, okay?” The short scratch of a chair as Tataru settles into it once more.

“I-I’ll… I’ll just return him.” Ikael sounds quiet, but miserable. “m sorry.”

“Now, you don’t have to return it.” Tataru seems to have regained at least some of her cheer. “I don’t know why you’re buying giant children’s toys, but feel free to spend your own money however you want!”

A pause.

“I’ll return him.” Ikael’s voice is an almost indecipherable mumble, already retreating. “I-it’s okay.”

Thancred hears footsteps heading towards the archway, and steps back just in time to avoid colliding with Ikael. He is about to make a good-natured joke to save face, but stops when their eyes meet.

Ikael looks like he is about to cry. His gaze skitters down nearly as quickly as it had darted to Thancred's, and then he abruptly walks past, tail tucked between his legs.

Thancred blinks after him, his own imminent dealing with Tataru momentarily forgotten. Poor fellow indeed.

Ikael has been quieter than usual these past few days. There had been a small incident earlier in the week involving him admitting to breaking an item of Thancred's (and thus ruining a prospective courtship), but that had been easy enough to forgive, especially once Thancred had realized that Ikael was taking the blame to (badly) cover for the true perpetrator. Nothing too out of the ordinary for the Waking Sands, to be honest. Although Thancred is quite curious to know where Alphinaud has since mysteriously disappeared to.

Perhaps Ikael’s mind is still on the matter. Or perhaps Thancred's thinking is too narcissistic and it is something else. Ah well; Ikael will get over it eventually, whatever it is.

~*~

Thancred traipses to the kitchen the next morning to find breakfast non-existent. Ikael must be pausing in his newly-adapted routine, then. No matter; he makes better eggs than Thancred does, Thancred will admit, but it is only a small luxury to miss.

Thancred is in the middle of scraping the blasted sticking yolk off his frying pan when Ikael passes by, backpacking a rather large mound of woolly, red-brown fur. Thancred pauses in his rigorous egg-scratching to stare.

One look at the downturn to Ikael’s face shows that he is still rather miserable; indeed, it seems as if this is the last thing he wants to be doing. Thancred considers Ikael's temperament (poor), considers his accounting skills (also poor), considers Tataru’s reaction if this goes wrong again, and makes a split-second decision. Just for… insurance. Perhaps literally.

It is not difficult to tail Ikael in general, and even less so when he is lugging a giant stuffed bear on his back. Or perhaps “hugging” would be a more accurate term—Ikael has its arms wrapped around him as if he is giving a ride to a particularly delicate child.

Thancred follows him—stopping to snag a muffin from a traveling baker to eat in lieu of his burnt eggs—to the merchant plaza of Vesper Bay, where he stops. Thancred stops as well, feeling oddly guilty for spying even as he ducks behind a cart.

Ikael unwraps the bear’s arms from his neck with care. He gives it a long, tight hug.

“I’ll miss you, Bigsy,” he mumbles in a tight voice. Thancred hears a sniff, and watches as Ikael buries his face into the bear’s shoulder. He stays like that for a minute, and then reluctantly lifts his head, pressing a kiss to Bigs—the bear’s furry cheek and giving him one final squeeze. Thancred shakes off the strange sense that he is witnessing some tear-jerking farewell. Rubbish. The bear isn’t even alive. Yet…

“I love you,” Ikael mutters, voice breaking. “I-I’ll never forget you. Ever.”

Oh, come on. That isn’t even fair.

Finally, Thancred watches as Ikael goes over to who seems to be a children’s toy vendor, and begins to mumble about a return and “undoing the money check.” It is painfully obvious he has no idea how the process actually works (he seems to have written out a check from the Scions instead of himself, from what Thancred can gather), but the vendor seems to understand that a charge has to be withdrawn. They give the bear—which Ikael does not seem to want to let go of, if how desperately he is clinging to it is any indication—a onceover, and nod when they are satisfied that it is undamaged.

“Just your name, please, sir,” they say, reaching for a small book and beginning to rifle through it.

“U-um,” Ikael stutters, “Ik—Ikael?”

The vendor pauses before giving him a polite smile. “The name under which the check was made,” they clarify, not unkindly.

“O-oh. Scions of the Seventh… Dawn,” Ikael mumbles, turning red at the reminder of his mishap. “U-um. We live by the—by—over… there?”

He points. Thancred lets his head drop against a wall. Yes, perhaps it is a bit much to presume that they are still a secret organization, but they can at least pretend.

The vendor finds the check, and the return proceeds smoothly. Ikael wanders away looking absolutely devastated, but at least he does not cause any more monetary problems.

As soon as he is out of earshot, Thancred smoothly steps in, giving the vendor his most charming smile.

“What a lovely assortment of toys you have here, my dear,” he wheedles. “Say, that giant bear—how much for it?”

The vendor glances in the direction Ikael left, something like pity flitting across their face. But Thancred is a willing buyer, and of course they will not turn him down. They rattle off a price, Thancred barters with a smile and a few honeyed words, and a few minutes later Thancred is the owner of an only-slightly-overpriced Bigsy. Paid for directly, this time.

Ikael does not seem to have returned to the Waking Sands, so it is little issue to drop the bear off in his room. Thancred sets him—it; Thancred sets it—down on Ikael’s bed, giving its stomach a little pat before leaving. Hopefully, Ikael will return ere long. Thancred fancies that Bigsy will feel his absence if he does not.

~*~

Thancred is just about dozing off when he hears a timid rap on his door. He allows himself a smile before schooling his expression and getting up.

Surely enough, it is Ikael. But something is wrong; his face is twisted, and although he will not meet Thancred's eyes, there is a set to his own that makes Thancred think the avoidance is not out of shyness.

“Can I—can I speak with you?” Ikael requests in a soft voice. Thancred nods, stepping back, but Ikael instead turns on his heel and totters off. Thancred closes his door and follows him.

They go to Ikael’s room. Thancred sees Bigsy, lying on the bed, blankets lovingly tucked around him. He has to smile at the sight. He turns to Ikael to make a comment, only to find sharp eyes watching his expression intently.

“It was you,” Ikael blurts before Thancred can say anything.

Thancred smiles once more, even as Ikael’s expression twists. “Yes, it was me,” he says. “But do not worry ab—”

“Why would you—why would you do that?” Ikael demands, voice wet. “I-I-I—was it to get me in trouble with—with Tataru?” He smears a wrist across his eyes. “I-is it to—I-I don’t know how to—I can’t—I…”

He takes a slow, shuddering breath, closing his eyes. Thancred frowns, fearing that he has greatly misunderstood something. “Ikael,” he begins.

Ikael shakes his head vigorously. “No!” he says. “No—stop. I-I… I can give you the money, and then you go back and pay, alright? Or—or…” His face creases. “I-I’ll have to go return him again. Did you—did you want me to get arrested? I-is that it?”

This time, Thancred looks at him in some shock. “You think I stole him?” he exclaims, any momentary sympathetic thought fleeing at that presumption.

Ikael looks at Bigsy, and what is left of his expression crumples. He stumbles his way over, climbing onto the bed and curling up against Bigsy’s woolen torso. He wraps himself in his arms.

“I don’t know,” he cries, voice muffled. “Didn’t you? To—to—make me get into trouble?”

Thancred sits on the bed. “Whyever would I do such a horrid thing?” he says. Ikael peeks at him. Thancred's deep frown seems to be indication enough that he is perhaps jumping to at least one conclusion, if not many, because he untenses somewhat.

“So you… you didn’t steal him?” Ikael ventures. He sounds incredibly hesitant.

Thancred's mouth twinges. “No,” he says shortly. “And I dread to imagine why you would think me willing to do such a thing.”

It stings a little, to be quite honest. But perhaps it has been a rougher week for Ikael than Thancred had guessed, and the assumption is owed more to that than his character. Hopefully, at least.

Ikael straightens up, ever-so-slowly. “Because you… still hate me because of the vase thing,” he says in a small voice.

It is because of that, then. Thank the Twelve.

“I would not hold such a trifling incident against you,” Thancred says, lessening his frown a little.

Ikael says nothing in direct response, apparently rendered momentarily speechless. He shifts Bigsy’s arms to hug himself tighter.

“Besides,” Thancred continues, “It would be remiss of me to hold you accountable for a crime you did not even commit.”

Ikael immediately stills. “U-uh,” he stammers, “What do you—what—what do you mean?”

Even now, he is bad at this. Thancred gives him a pointed look, raising his eyebrows. “Really, Ikael,” he says, “You are a terrible liar. And if you are going to cover for someone, at least have a solid alibi. Or one at all.”

Ikael opens and closes his mouth uselessly for a few seconds, as if the possibility that Thancred had easily seen through his flimsy lie is unfathomable to him. He probably does not even know what an alibi is.

“So you… don’t hate me?” he manages after an awkwardly long minute. “You—you—why did you… why did you steal Bigsy, then?”

“I didn’t steal him,” Thancred gently reminds him. He reaches forward to pet Bigsy’s soft arm. To his mild amusement, Ikael takes Bigsy’s other arm and pets him back. “You seemed very attached to him. It seemed a shame to break up such a strong relationship, so I bought him back for you.”

Ikael’s already teary eyes become shinier. He squeezes Bigsy tightly, much like he had earlier that day in the market.

“Today’s been such a—such a—horrid week,” he sobs. Thancred makes a sympathetic noise, politely not pointing out how little sense that makes. “And—and… you hated me because of the vase and then Bigsy was my only friend and then he left and…”

Thancred pats Ikael on the leg, offering what compassion he can give. Bigsy seems better-equipped to handle a crying Ikael than he is.

Thankfully, Ikael seems to get over himself before too long. He pulls Bigsy over, sniffling only a little, and drapes them both over a surprised Thancred.

“Thank you,” he murmurs, squeezing very gently. Thancred feels a touch of wetness on his neck.

“You are very welcome, my dear friend,” he replies, slowly hugging back. He feels an unbidden smile tug at his lips and allows it, only lightly rolling his eyes at himself. Gods forbid he is surprised at a sincere hug from Ikael of all people.

But he supposes a good deed does, as they say, eventually return to those who perform it.

~*~

#ikael #thancred #writing #drabble #hello hello!#it is i with a Writing

12 notes · View notes

credulouscanidae · 6 years ago

Text

guess i should do a bit of an update cuz ive disappeared off tumblr basically and i apologize

i just come here to look at cute dogs and invader zim tbh

but anyway

i saw evren from nov2018-jan2019 and we were super gay and it was lovely ;;w;; but having to go home was fucked. we’re hoping to see each other again this year, which will be possible hopefully!

as soon as i got home i suddenly became an impromptu bird rescue lmao we got 2 birds come into our care, a male cockatiel and a male eclectus parrot named mr pickles. the cockatiel (we named ghostdrop) was just found struggling in the wild, but is obviously a pet. we’ve been unsuccessful in finding the owner, and hes taken a huge liking to one of our other tiels. ;~; as for mr pickles, he came from a very neglected situation with a very unstable and unreliable owner and while we’re back in contact with her, she has not been communicating whatsoever, has shown very little care for the poor thing, and is just stringing us along about whether or not she’ll take him back. but i personally dont want her to take him back as he was in a tiny carrier cage, only fed SUNFLOWER SEEDS (which for any parrot is awful but for an ECLECTUS????) and his only toy was a rusty tin lid hung up by rusty chains. what’s more is his enzymes are all over the place, his feathers and beak were very dull, and he looked very lame in gait. he also has liver and kidney damage, and has to be on 100% fresh food diet for possibly his entire life. these circumstances tell me that he is not okay to go back to that place. and while the cage he’s in with us now isnt the most appropriate, it is still so much more than what he used to be in. this was all emergency, sudden rescue and we have been dragged along for over a month now trying to find out if the owner can take him back (she has “promised” to improve her care ://///) or to have her [do the right thing] and say “sorry im very mentally unstable rn and cant care for him, i’ll surrender him” because long story short the police are involved (she was a missing person) and we cant just give the bird to someone else, but she hasnt arranged to take him back.....its..........messy........but he loves me a lot, and i only wish for the best for him. ;-; NEXT THING is im moving house! ive been humouring the idea for a few months now, before i left for england, but then i decided to dive into it and got a house much quicker than i expected??? it took me a bit by surprise. so me and one of my brothers are moving back to our hometown/the town we spent most time in. we’re very close to our old house before we were homeless/had a family breakdown so its given me lotsa mixed emotions. but yeah! im excited

AND i started a course in disability but dropped out cuz i couldnt afford it and wanted to job seek. i did finish my animal course last year thought which im proud about!

I GOT A JOB YESTERDAY and i started today lmao. so moving out isnt going to be too scary to afford now. i’m doing a customer service job where i take call centre type stuff and handle complaints for a pretty big aussie company. its fulltime so im pretty stoked!

aaaaand i also tabled at a furry convention the weekend just gone! so ive been a very busy boy to say the least lmao

i am swamped with commissions, all the while moving out (its been a smooth but slow process), and starting fulltime work. goshhhhhh

i’ll be taking all the cockatiels to my new place while my roommate keeps the conures and mr pickles (until we can find him a forever home). and i’ll be taking maple too!

so yeah my life has completely flipped (for the better???) and im just working as hard as i can, juggling my new job and commissions and moving. so im sorry if im a bit MIA for the next while. every bit of down time will be spent moving and doing art!

if youre still reading this thank u for caring enough to catch up on my weird busy life lmao and i hope yall are going well xx

#life of doge #im moving up in the world #im feeling like a real adult rn and i miss the teen years #of just being on tumblr and being lazy #but i love my job already its an office job WITH MY OWN DESK OMG!!#like in the movies lmfaoooo #im stoked dudes

7 notes · View notes

noonachronicles · 6 years ago

Text

A Little Red (Final)

Kim Hanbin (B.I.)/ Kim Jiwon (Bobby)/ Koo Junhoe (June) X Reader

Genre - Werewolf A/U

Word Count - 4.7K

Warnings - Violence.

A/N - I guess this is it. I hope that at almost 5k all the questions are finally answered. Finishing a series is always so bittersweet. I’m going to miss this one a lot. I’m grateful that it turned out the way it did, and I hope that everyone else is too!

Moodboard by bae @memoiresofaneternaldreamer

It had only been a couple of days since you’d found out the truth, but it felt like years and you were becoming impatient for a resolution. Hours passed by like days and you spent every second in discomfort and fear. You and Jiwon were no closer to devising a plan as Junhoe made it nearly impossible. Never letting you stray too far away from him. Suddenly his actions, which you had believed before were out of protection and concern, you realized now were out of obsession and possession. You had become certain you’d never get another minute alone with Jiwon.

It was another day, just like many of the others the two of you had been spending recently. You sitting in the doorway of the blacksmiths shop, a bit of sewing in your lap and Junhoe working over the fire. Down the road you could see Jiwon headed back from the well, a yoke was stretched across his shoulders as he carried several buckets home. Elisa and Luka trailed at his feet.

The snow had mostly been cleared, melted away or been moved to the sides of the road so that people could get on with their days. Luka pounced happily in the patches of snow, and in your mind you could just hear Elisa chattering away. Your heart ached a little as you sat in your personal prison. Still watching you saw Jiwon nod towards you and say something. Elisa turned towards the shop with a happy smile and skipped her way over, a tiny wicker basket swinging in her hand.

“I’ll be right back.” you said pushing your sewing into the basket at your feet.

“Where are you going?” Junhoe asked cooley, looking over his shoulder at you.

“Just to the gate, I wanted to say hi to Elisa. Thank her for the berries from the other day.”

You watched as he turned a little more, when his eye caught sight of the little girl he seemed to relax. “Oh.”

You nearly skipped yourself as you made your way out of the shop and towards your neighbor. She waved happily at you as her furry companion wagged his tail excitedly at the sight of you.

“Good afternoon, sweetheart.” you said giving her a kiss on the top of her head. You knelt down in the dirt and ran your hands through the shepherd's thick coat. “How have you been?”

“Okay, I miss spending time together. I wish it were warmer so we could play outside, but mother makes me stay inside and read.”

“Reading is good for you! Don’t you like when I read to you?” you asked as Luka started to nuzzle into your hand for more pets.

“Yes, but that’s different.” she shrugged. “Did you find it?”

You furrowed your brow. “Find what?”

Elisa looked over at the shop and waved cheerfully, “Hello Junhoe!”

You looked back over your shoulder and saw Junhoe leaning against the doorway, he gave Elisa a small smile and wave before turning back inside.

“Luka likes his neck scratched.” Elisa said quietly. She watched you as you began to scratch around the dog’s neck.

You stayed quiet when you felt the string tied loosely around it. Moving your fingers along the string you found a piece of paper coiled tightly around the string and pulled it. As you looked down at the note Elisa went on and on about a book she’d been reading, just in case anyone was eavesdropping. And you knew that he was.

The well, tomorrow at dawn. Be careful of the full moon.

You looked up at Elisa, trying to think of where you could keep the note. She nodded down to her basket and you smiled gratefully before tucking it inside and pushing yourself up to your feet.

“I’d better get back to work. I think your mother is waiting on something from me.” you smiled, “Thank you… for coming to talk to me.”

Elisa gave you a small knowing smile and took off down the road. Reluctantly you made your way back to the shop, there was a little bit of light, a little bit of hope in your step as you thought about Jiwon’s note. Maybe he’d worked something out with Hanbin, a way to keep Junhoe busy after he transitioned back. Back in the shop you realized your stuff had been moved.

“Jun…” you said looking for your basket.

“I moved your things.” he admitted easily, “I don’t want you getting sick out in the cold all day.”

You nodded, “Oh, okay.”

The both of you were quiet for sometime. You did so much reflecting in your moments of silence. Mindlessly sewing together holes in work pants, made it easy for you to wander elsewhere in your head. It’s how you’d come to the realization that the picture Junhoe said was of you, by the lake, was your sister. It had to have been. He’d never spent time with you in the springtime, you’d never been by the lake with him.

“I love you. Don’t you love me?” You looked up from your lap to see his charming smile. A smile that now made your stomach churn.

“Of course.” You smiled weakly.

He turned back to the fire and you watched him closely. He was strong, his shoulders broad and muscular. You imagined he could have killed her like this, in his human form, but he didn’t. He couldn’t contain his anger towards her so her death had to be even more brutal. Your eyes widened as they passed over his back and saw the scar over his shoulder. It looked more fresh than any of the others. It would have been right where your blade had entered the white muzzled wolf. You didn’t understand how you could have been so blind before. He wasn’t the wolf with the brown muzzle, he was the one with the white. You hadn’t even stopped to consider that, head too overwhelmed with all the information you’d been receiving lately.

“Your heart is beating so fast.” Junhoe said without turning around this time.

“I guess that just what love does.” You looked down at your sewing, trying to calm your nerves. You’d forgotten that his senses would be heightened, that something like a heartbeat wouldn’t be terribly hard for him to concentrate on.

“You reek of fear. You have ever since you returned home the other night.” He sighed, “Fear and Jiwon. Is that love too?”

You stood up from your stool, maybe it wasn’t the smartest move, but you were afraid you couldn’t wait any longer, “Where did you get that scar on your shoulder?”

“You.” He said simply. His honesty stopped you in your tracks.

He knew you knew. Somehow his sense of absolute calm was more unnerving than if he’d started screaming at you. You made a dash towards the door but his hand was slamming it shut before you could get your hands around the handle.

“You thought you could outrun me, little lamb?” His lips were so close to your neck you could feel his breath seeping inside of you. “I don’t want to hurt you. I love you.”

“Then do-don’t hurt me.” You stuttered through sheer terror. His lips met your skin just briefly before he pulled away to look at you. His eyes were dark and emotionless as they looked back at you. You wondered if they were always that way and you’d just been blind.

His free arm wrapped around your waist. “Take a walk with me.”

“Where?”

“To the forest. We’re better when we’re away from this town. It’s poison for us. It’s making you hate me. I can feel it. It did the same thing to your sister.” He sniffed your hair, sucking in a deep breath of it. A blanket of shivers covered your body.

“Yes, of course.” You complied. “We should do that.”

“Put on your cloak while I shut down the shop. If you try to run I’ll have to break your legs.” He said nonchalantly. “But please, remember, I would rather not.”

Once the two of you were outside you thought he’d take the path to the tree but he didn’t. His arm wrapped tight around your waist, the two of walked you in the opposite direction. Down the road and passed the well. He led you through a part of the forest with no visible path. It wasn’t long before you realized you had no idea which direction was which and that you’d not be able to make it back to the village without help. Either Junhoe’s or, hopefully, someone else’s.

“We’re not going to the tree?” You asked quietly as he dragged you along.

“No, that’s the first place they’ll look for us.”

“Are you going to kill me?” You sniffled.

“Kill you? Little lamb, never. I love you. You love me.” He said finally stopping. He turned your face towards his. He frowned at the fear written all over it, “You will love me again, like you did before…once we’re our own pack. I’ll be the alpha and you’ll need me.”

“A pack?” You asked as a chill passed over you. “What do you- what do you mean?”

“Tonight’s the full moon.” He smiled happily, “if you’re bitten or scratched by a werewolf on a full moon you turn. Or you’re supposed to. If Hanbin hadn’t healed your last wound with his wolfsbane concoction you would have already transitioned.”

“Oh my god.” You whispered behind a shaking palm.

“That’s why I attacked you that night, little lamb, not to hurt you. I wanted to sire you, to strengthen our bond. You can still feel me on the full moon can’t you?” He asked with some sick sense of hope. “Even though they stopped the transition, I still flow through you.”

You thought about the searing pain in your shoulder upon his arrival the last full moon.

“Jiwon…” you muttered to yourself, he’d been your protector. Hanbin was the the commanding white wolf, the leader, which meant Jiwon had been the one to sit outside your door like a centurion. You could see the flame in Junhoe’s eyes as soon as the other man's name left your lips. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why not?!” He hissed. Tightening his grip around your arm he pulled you forward angrily. “Hanbin gets to be leader, Hanbin gets Louisa. Jiwon steals Kiha from me, he almost stole you. I had to fake a letter from him for Kiha to even speak to me alone again. Imagine how that made me feel. When she saw me she acted like I was a true monster. You, you’re my chance for happiness. You’re my win.”

You stumbled along beside him as the forest grew darker. You stayed quiet, feeling too sick for any more of his confessions. Soon the sun was no longer visible through the dense trees. You wondered when he would turn. If it was the full moon you didn’t imagine you had long. Your heartbeat quickened, unable to help the fear coursing through you that you may die this night.

Junhoe would have to bite you or scratch you again but he had no restraint. Last time nearly killed you, surely the way his emotions were driving him this time would certainly mean death.

“I’m scared, Jun.” You confessed, hoping that part of him truly cared for you and wanting to try and play off of that emotion.

He stopped in his tracks. The two of you stood in an unfamiliar clearing. An endless army of trees surrounded you. The wind was brisque, there were patches of snow all over, but beneath your feet the ground was soft and wet. “Of what, of me?”

“A little. You’re too strong, Jun. What if it goes wrong? Let’s just wait, okay?” As you kept talking you realized he was softening. If you played this game well enough, you might actually make it back home. “Now that I know your plan, we can talk about it. We can make sure that we do it so I’m safe, that you’re in control.”

He was nodding subconsciously, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I know. I know that now, Jun. I believe you.” you said convincingly enough. “Take me home. It’s going to be too late soon. It’s not safe with the moon tonight.”

Junhoe looked up, you wondered if he could really see anything worthwhile through the thick of the trees. He looked back down at you with a small shrug. “It’s already too late, little lamb.”

“What?” you gasped.

“We’ll never make it back in time. I only have minutes.” He looked at your surroundings for a moment before clutching your hand. He dragged you forward several yards. There were large boulders piled up and covered in moss and snow. He released your hand for a moment, circling the large rocks. “Here. Hide here.”

You went around the pile to where his voice was and saw that there was an opening that you’d fit through. “What will you do?”

“I’ll run.” he said kissing your forehead and cheeks. “I can’t promise I won’t come back to try and find you. So stay tucked in here. Otherwise I’ll catch your scent and...I want you, little lamb. I want you bad. You’re mine now and I’ll always want you. Stay hidden. It’ll be cold, but you’ll be safe.”

“Okay,” You gulped as you nodded in understanding.

You backed yourself into the crevice as far as you could go. There were actually a few good feet between you and the opening. Though your view of the outside was only a sliver. You heard Junhoe tell you once more to stay safe, that he loved you, before you heard the muted sounds of his departure.

In the small crevice you felt so cramped and uncomfortable. A little time had passed before you felt the dull burn from the scar on your back. He’d transitioned. The clearing outside your hiding place stayed quiet and still. You hoped for a while that he wouldn’t come back. After some time your teeth began to chatter with cold and your legs and back ached from being crouched so awkwardly you.

You thought perhaps that it would be okay for you to just stretch your limbs, maybe the movement would even warm you a bit. Once the idea had entered your mind you waited just a few minutes before inching towards the entrance. The clearing the two of you had been standing in before was still empty. There was nothing around you but trees and you could only hear the sounds of night birds and insects. Your heart was pounding, but you couldn’t help but think that this could be your one chance.

Stepping out completely into the clearing you had a choice to make. You weren’t entirely sure it was the right decision but you turned to your right and started to run as fast as you could. There was nothing but the sound of twigs snapping beneath your feet and the pounding of your heart in your ears. You ran and you ran until pain shot up your shins and your thighs trembled and ached for rest.

Once you felt like you’d gone far enough you went even further. Hoping and praying that you’d see the light of the village before you. Suddenly an unexpected pain shot through your scar. The toe of your boot clipped a trunk you’d been stepping over and you flew forward, slamming down on your elbows with a thud.

You’d lost all the air in your lungs in the fall and gasped several times, hoping to get the strength to pull yourself back up. As your breathing steadied you stayed down on the ground and listened. It was quiet, but something was wrong. Before where quiet had meant night birds and crickets, now it meant nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Your lips trembled, he was near. The forest was silent because he was near. Your scar burned because he was near. You tried to keep your breathing silent and steady. Looking around you tried to find a place to hide. About four yards away there was a huge hollowed tree trunk that had fallen against another tree. You knew if you could get to it, you’d be well hidden.

As you pushed yourself up into crouched position you heard the snap of a branch behind you. You turned your head over your shoulder to see him there a few yards away, in his wolf form. His yellow eyes narrowed on you and his pink tongue swiped along his chops.

I can make it. You thought to yourself. I can do this.

You counted to three and then burst out of your crouched position and began to run. You were still a yard away when you felt the heat of his breath on the backs of your legs. You looked up to see how far away you were still when the brown muzzled wolf appeared. Jiwon. The furry figure had jumped over the fallen trunk and over your sprinting form landing on top of Junhoe.

There was an immediate yelp from the junior of the two. You kept running until you reached the hollowed log before turning back. They were standing apart from each other. Jiwon placed himself between you and Junhoe. It was dark, but when Junhoe shook out his coat you could see the dark splatter against the pile of snow that was near him. You felt both bad, and relief, knowing Jiwon must have gotten him good if it was enough to make him bleed like that.

Junhoe let out a howl that sounded more like a roar, even after he’d stopped you could hear it echo through the trees around you. Jiwon dug his front paws into the dirt before him and released a snarl that vibrated the ground beneath you. Only seconds passed but it felt like forever until Junhoe, unable to stand the distance between you, made his attack.

What you saw before you was difficult to decipher. It was a clash of fur with flashes of teeth and glassy eyes. Little yelps escaped one or the other as well as growls and snarls. What was worse was the hard snapping of jaws. Teeth grinding on teeth, the tearing of skin. You shook like a leaf under the trunk as they battled, unable to tell who was doing better, unable to even tell who was who at this point.

Then the most pained yelp yet tore through the trees. You looked up and saw a large flurry of fur being flung through the air and slamming against the trunk of a large tree. The wolf fell limp in a pile of snow at the base of the tree with a small whimper. You watched wide eyed as the large wolf transitioned back into its human form. It was Jiwon. When you looked back at Junhoe his eyes were wild, narrowed on Jiwon. His prey was weakened but he was prepared for the kill. Not really knowing what you were doing you sprinted out into the cleaning.

“Leave him, Junhoe!” You screamed, grabbing his attention. His yellow eyes locked onto your figure. “Please.”

His white teeth were smeared with dark red blood. The fur around his mouth matted and dripping. Your heart crashed against your ribcage as he stepped towards you and away from Jiwon. He stood in front of you, his panting blowing the hair from your face. The scar on your back throbbed with a searing pain. Your whole body shook in fear, tears streamed down your cheeks.

“I don’t want to die.” You whispered.

You’d almost squeezed your eyes shut when you saw a flash of white through the trees. A gasp had barely passed your lips when Junhoe turned to see what had interested you.

Everything from there had started to happen in slow motion. A blur of white fur plowing through the trees, clipping Junhoe’s hind legs. For a second you saw his yellow eyes grow large with fear. Then, as his body was being ripped away from you, he reached out his front paw and grazed your hip, knocking you to the ground. He tumbled onto the cold dirt a few yards away, Hanbin’s white wolf form standing above him.

Junhoe scrambled onto all fours. He had a choice. He could cower now in defeat before his alpha or he could fight. Hanbin snarled, you could almost imagine how angry he would look in his human form. It looked for a moment like Junhoe would concede, then he looked at you and his confidence grew. He emitted a low growl, flashing his still bloodstained teeth.

Hanbin eyed you for a moment and then Jiwon. Junhoe lunged forward to attack his senior. Hanbin deflected the attack and you watched as he maneuvered Junhoe away from you and Jiwon. Before you or Junhoe realized what was happening you could barely see the brawling pair. He’d given you the chance to go to Jiwon.

Naked and bleeding, Jiwon was curled up on a pile of snow. It was melting beneath him quickly. He wasn’t shivering from cold, but he was definitely in pain.

“Let me see.” You said crouching at his side. He shook his head, pressing both hands against the weeping wound on his side. “Don’t be this way, Jiwon. Show me.”

He winced and removed a hand, “It’s not good. It’s too deep.”

He wasn’t wrong. You had to cover your mouth with your hand to hide your gag. There was a huge chunk removed. Flesh and muscle torn viciously and covered in blood which oozed from him. You untied the cloak from your neck and pressed it into the wound to slow some of the blood loss.

“Hanbin will be back soon.” You assured him, “Just talk to me okay? Until he gets back. Try not to think about the pain.”

Jiwon nodded, “okay.”

“It was you all along, I know now.” You whispered by his side. “You were the one protecting me. You were the wolf with the brown muzzle.”

“I’d do anything for you.” He said, clearly in pain.

“How could you just sacrifice yourself for me?” You asked, “Look at you now, all of this for me? I’d don’t understand. I’m no one”

“It’s okay.” He said placing his hand over yours, “l…”

“It’s not. It’s not okay.” you said almost angrily. “Everything Junhoe told me...was a lie and I just believed him. You must hate me.”

Jiwon laughed lightly, “I don’t. It’s not your fault.”

“What I don’t understand is why you took me to him. In the snowstorm…you saved me. Why didn’t you just take me home then?”

“I’d hoped that he’d keep you safe. I never expected that he’d confess everything. That he’d lie about everything.”

“I’m so sorry.” You sputtered suddenly overwhelmed with tears as your hands continued to put pressure on his wound.

“This is fine.” Jiwon said quietly moving his hand to run it over your cheek. “I will gladly perish knowing that my sacrifice kept you safe.”

“Don’t say that.” You whimpered. “We can fix you, can’t we? Hanbin will fix you like he fixed me. I was such a fool. Please, don’t let this be goodbye.”

“Will you kiss me?” He asked taking in your face with every second he had left, “just once. I’ve wanted to know what it would be like for so long now. This could be my last chance.”

“If you wanted to, why didn’t you kiss me before...before he did?”

Jiwon gave you a small smile, “I guess I was a fool too.”

You lowered your lips to his and pressed them gently together. The warmth of him spread through your veins, you felt a joy flow through you that you’d never felt before. Your heart broke at the thought that you might never get that joy again. Then you tasted the copper on your lips.

Opening your eyes you saw the stream of fresh blood drip from his mouth. He was getting worse and you couldn’t see or hear Hanbin and Junhoe. You wished Hanbin would come back soon, you feared it would be Junhoe that you saw instead. Looking back down after surveying the empty forest you saw Jiwons eyes drifting closed.

“Stay awake!” You pleaded. “If you open your eyes I’ll give you another kiss.”

He chuckled lightly before wincing as he opened an eye for you. “I love you.”

You knew right then that in your whole life you’d never hear those words spoken more genuinely by anyone else.

“So live.” You whispered, kissing his cheek, his forehead, his nose. “I’ll let you cut all the wood and carry all the water, and I’ll never complain.”

“Oh, but you’ll complain.” He smiled and though his eyes were closed they showed a smile as well. “You always do.”

“I will.” You admitted, “I’ll complain every time if you want.”

“Dawn is here.” He said so quietly you almost didn’t hear it. You watched his nostrils flare slightly and he asked, eyes still closed, “I can’t tell, which one is it?”

You could hear the cracking of fallen branches before you looked up. The man who returned was too far away. It looked like it could be either Hanbin or Junhoe. The forest now too dark to determine who was who if you had tell from beyond your outreached hand. So you waited, watching as the silhouette of the man came closer and closer with every step.

“Y/n, are you okay?” The voice asked, still shaded by darkness.

“Hanbin.” You said with such relief. “Jiwon, he needs your help.”

“Are you okay?” He asked finally beside the pair of you.

“I’m fine! Hanbin, please!” You begged, “Just save him. He’s really hurt.”

Hanbin used your cloak to better wrap Jiwon’s wound before picking up his brother in his arms. Your adrenaline was too high for you to acknowledge the cold as he led you out of the forest. As you walked you kept your eyes on his shoulders and back, trying to avoid looking at his complete nakedness. He had several deep cuts along his neck and arms, but the stoic way he kept moving through the trees made it look like he didn’t feel a single ounce of pain. You didn’t ask about Junhoe, you didn’t have to. The pain from your scar had faded completely some time ago, you knew he was gone, and you weren’t sure you wanted to know the how of it.

You stayed with Jiwon as Hanbin helped to heal him. It was a nasty process but you did everything you could to help. Often that meant getting Hanbin supplies but mostly it meant sitting at Jiwon’s side and holding his hand. Hanbin assured you Jiwon would be fine as werewolves had accelerated healing. It was only a couple of days before the massive gash in his side had closed into a thin scar. You wished you’d had that ability when you’d been healing from your wound.

After a few days, once Jiwon was awake, you felt comfortable going home to clean up and rest. Something Hanbin had been unable to talk you into, barely getting you to eat much as you waited through Jiwon’s recovery. You stripped yourself of the clothes you’d been in for too long, wanting to burn them more than anything.

There was something pleasurable about watching the dirt and blood get rinsed off of your skin as you dragged a wet, warm rag over your body. Your arms and legs had taken the brunt of the mess, you’d needed two bowls of fresh warm water for those alone. The rag moved easily over your chest and breasts and abdomen. Your forehead creased at a bit of dirt at your hip, not remembering how it could have gotten there. Once the dirt was rinsed you noticed a light pink scar across your skin, there were plenty of those over your arms and legs from when you’d been running through the forest so you thought nothing of it. Of everything that had happened you could hardly concern yourself with a little scar. Hanbin was safe, Jiwon was safe, you were safe. It was probably nothing more than a scratch from a tree branch...

#kpopwritingnet #kim jiwon scenarios #kim hanbin scenario #koo junhoe scenario #ikon scenarios #kpop scenario #a little red

61 notes · View notes

luckyfaeth · 6 years ago

Text

2018 fic roundup

tagged by @chloebeale! thank u cole

ficlist under the cut this got long i didnt realize how much ive done whoops

Total 2018 Word Count: 125,140

Total 2018 Hits: 33,367

Other 2018 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 2,410 Comment Threads: 237 Bookmarks: 300 Subscriptions: 287

Links & Titles to 2018 Works:

talk about your taste in women (triple treble coffee shop au) (7000 words)

in the middle; (triple treble drabbles) (6213 words)

we're spinning with the stars above (triple treble good place au) (14560 words)

what a beautiful wedding (bemily week: fake dating) (1608 words)

I've been here the whole time, I'm just small (bemily week: height difference) (1024 words)

open up my eager eyes (bemily week: love triangle polyship) (662 words)

we're not bruised (they're just party tattoos) (bemily week: soulmate au) (1950 words)

I think that I found myself a cheerleader (she's always right there when I need her) (bemily week: marching band/cheerleader au) (3170 words)

hey honey you could be my drug (...all this trash talk make me itchin') (bemily week: free choice/competing acapalla teams au) (4168 words)

across fields full of lilies (mitchsen flower shop au) (10555 words) (WIP)

family matters (rare pair week (junksen): meet the parents) (2778 words)

we are one of a kind, irreplaceable (steca fluff) (835 words)

you were out of my league (got my heartbeat racing) (sk8er au: steca) (16333 words)

am i still on her mind? (i've been undone) (sk8er au: junksen pov) (6576 words)

every night, I live and die (meet somebody take 'em home) (mitchsen princess? au) (1265 words)

pynk like your tongue going round, baby (chemily fluff/smut) (1898 words)

think we kissed, but I forgot (b99 gina/amy smut that canonically happened) (1441 words)

in those rare moments you and I were brilliant (we were gonna be alright) (staubremily fluff/smut) (1767 words)

there's something lonesome about you (something so wholesome about you) (bemily soft angst) (4301 words)

maybe I should stop and start confessing (stemily week: fake dating) (1548 words)

now all I see is colour (like a rainbow in the sky) (stemily week: soulmate au) (1325 words)

have you no idea that you're in deep? (stemily week: fwb) (7121 words)

scared of pretty girls and starting conversations (junksen week: fwb) (3241 words)

can't stop my heart (when you're shinin' in my eyes) (junksen week: hogwarts au) (1750 words)

couldn't hide from the thunder (in a sky full of song) (junksen week: royal au (knight/princess au)) (8839 words)

the electronics of your heart (see how fast they fall apart) (junksen abducted au) (11476 words) (WIP)

standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset (tswift series: chacie + wildest dreams) (1736 words)

Favorite Fic: god, i feel like sk8er au is the obvious choice because that’s my baby, but i’d also say abducted au (26), stemily fwb (22), junksen royal au (25), and the bemily soft angst (19) would be in my top faves

Hardest Fic: definitely abducted au or junksen royal au because they required the most like outlining and stuff because they’re more plot than character driven which is something i tend to not do as much (which is why, even tho sk8er au is the longest it’s not here because there is virtually no plot its just me having a good time)

Do you plan on taking prompts in 2019? maybe? i already have so many stuff in progress that im working on sjdlkfjsldjf hopefully later in the year ill take prompts again?

What was the best thing about 2018? well i only really got back into writing this year so uh, that! but seriously, coming back into being a content creator for a fandom has been such a good experience for me, and I hope that i dont lose that motivation to again because I’ve met so many awesome friends through the fandom this year

What was the worst thing about 2018? a lot of big writing slumps because of my mental health fluctuating

Any last thoughts for 2018? no

Goals for 2019:

finish abducted au, or at least make decent progress with it

finish junksen week lmao

finally write bellas inc. !!! still haven’t done that even tho it was my first big au!!! fuck!!!!!

put out more in the tswift series! i enjoy writing them and i have one in the works rn that i hope to get out in the next week or so

get at least one chapter of my chaubrey gravity falls au publishes lmao i forgot i even had this started i hate me

pup perfect @emilyjunk 👀👀 (i hate us) (this is not furry content dont @ me)

rewrite/finish mitchsen flower shop au; i started rewriting it a while ago and liked the feel of it a lot better so we’ll uh see

write junksen girl next door au! i love it so much and literally all of it is planned im just terrible!

i literally have so many things on my to write list sjdlfkjsdlkfj

ive been wanting to write stuff outside of pitch perfect so maybe more b99 stuff? i have a sort of idea for a dianetti fic that i might try soon idk

work on original stuff!!! develop your OCs, dumbass!!!!!!!

not tagging anyone bc anyone id tag has already been tagged i think lmao but i love u all and this has been a great year of writing for me and seeing the progress i made and meeting so many great people!! i love u all little bumblebees and i’m sorry i haven’t been as active creating stuff in the past few months of 2018 but that will CHANGE! mark my worms

#writer tag #sylvie writes #27 fics!!! im proud of myself i didnt think i had that many!!#i would have MORE if i ever FINISHED ANYTHING

3 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 3 years ago

Text

15 Best Nintendo Franchises Ranked

https://ift.tt/3zxRWMm

Sony and Microsoft super fans will have a hard time admitting it, but Nintendo has created the most incredible catalog of properties in the history of gaming. They may get made fun of for their slow development time and occasionally repetitive entries within their biggest franchises, but people just can’t get enough of that feeling they get when they re-discover Mario jumping on Goombas or Kirby transforming into his nemeses.

With nearly four decades of game creation to explore, it’s hard to rank the absolute best franchises from Nintendo’s considerable history, but that’s exactly what we’ve set out to do. To clear up any confusion, this isn’t a list of the best characters in Nintendo’s history, so you may see Mario starring in multiple entries in this hierarchy (he’s dipped his gloves into just about everything). This also isn’t a ranking of individual Nintendo games, though the overall quality of the individual games within these franchises obviously influenced their ranking.

From sci-fi foxes and pink puffs to mascot brawlers and pocket monsters, these are the 15 best Nintendo franchises ever:

15. Mario Party

Board games have sometimes struggled to battle the popular perception that they’re an outdated form of entertainment. People (sometimes falsely) believe kids don’t have the attention span required to sit still and enjoy them for more than a few minutes, and adults sometimes get tired of trying to get enough people together to play one. Of course, before Mario Party, few people realized how strong the relationship between video games and board games could be.

For over two decades, Mario Party has been delighting families (and driving them crazy) with its wild hijinks, creative minigames, and whimsical board designs associated with the Mushroom Kingdom and its colorful inhabitants. Some entries are obviously more memorable than others (Mario Party 2 is the arguable high point of the franchise), but all of them have the same objective: to encourage in-person multiplayer gaming with people you care about.

14. F-Zero

Before he was known as a Super Smash Bros. staple, Captain Falcon and his iconic Blue Falcon racer led a franchise that many racing fans still call one of the most intense ever. The franchise combines strong gameplay with revolutionary characterization and world-building in a genre that typically isn’t known for either of those qualities.

Sadly, it’s hard to talk about F-Zero without eventually addressing the fact that it is a mostly defunct relic from Nintendo’s past. There still hasn’t been a mainstream series release since the critically acclaimed F-Zero GX for the Gamecube in 2003, but the fire that fans have for this series’ unique futuristic environments, blazing speed, and racer backstories still burns bright in 2021.

13. WarioWare

Humor is sometimes severely lacking in gaming, especially at a time when so many violent and cinematic franchises command the attention of the masses. Thankfully, Wario has always had enough fart jokes, snarky comments, and crude companions to make up for the dearth of humor on the gaming market. Of course, WarioWare is so much more than a few laughs and the five-second microgames that compose the core gameplay of the series.

The franchise has been a pioneer in creative character building, multiplayer functionality, and innovative game design since 2003. Up until the Wii U, audiences could expect Wario, Jimmy T, Mona, and Dr. Crygor to showcase the technological potential of a new Nintendo console. We’ll all be treated to that zaniness again when WarioWare: Get It Together! launches on September 10 for the Switch.

12. Star Fox

It’s hard to emulate the sci-fi/fantasy mix of Star Wars with anthropomorphic animals and not have the whole thing feel corny, but Shigeru Miyamoto pulled it off when he created the Star Fox franchise in the early 1990s. Fox McCloud and his ragtag cohort of pilots introduced sharp-as-nails on-rails shooting to the Nintendo universe, and the gameplay of the first two (officially released) titles in this series has been hard to beat in the decades since.

This franchise briefly attempted to explore third-person action gameplay with Star Fox Adventure and Star Fox Assault, but the series sadly fell into the abyss in the 2010s. Despite those recent shortcomings, the furry friends that fly through space will always hold a special place in Nintendo gamers’ hearts for as long as people can access a SNES and Nintendo 64. Do a barrel roll!

11. Pikmin

The Pikmin series is one of Nintendo’s most daring ventures. It’s essentially a mish-mash of genres that ultimately feels like a strategy/adventure/platform/puzzle/collect-a-thon game. Against all odds, the series combines all of those unique elements rather well and even adds a surprising amount of emotional baggage to the equation. There’s nothing quite like the horror of watching the nickel-sized Captain Olimar and his resilient Pikmin soldiers get snuffed out in a second by a Red Bulborb (shudders).

The franchise has only had four true entries (three on consoles, one on handheld), but that just keeps everyone hungry for more. The third title was also re-released for the Switch in 2020, and there have been rumors of a fourth console entry in the works since 2015. Hopefully, that sequel becomes a reality soon, because few games in the Big N canon offer so much variety.

10. Donkey Kong

This franchise essentially gave birth to the entire Nintendo empire as we know it today. After all, the original Donkey Kong arcade game gave Nintendo the financial resources it needed to go on to do even bigger and better things. Better yet, DK became a charismatic fan-favorite character in his own right who has been severely disrespected and forgotten about in recent years.

Always in the shadow of the Mario platformers, and even occasionally demoted to sports and party game fodder, the Donkey Kong franchise still features some of the best games in Nintendo history. Donkey Kong Country and its sequels on the SNES revolutionized 2.5-dimensional graphics, Donkey Kong 64 was a peak 3D experience on the Nintendo 64, and Donkey Konga forced millions of parents to buy plastic bongo drums for their living rooms. It’s too bad we didn’t get anything good for this series’ 40th anniversary this past summer.

9. Kirby

The “Super Tuff Pink Puff” and his large library of games have an enormous following largely because they can lay claim to being the ultimate representation of what gaming should be: flat-out fun. Kirby’s joyful exterior pairs with a fierce interior to create the perfect balance of a cuddly badass. His trademark mechanic (acquiring the abilities of his enemies on the fly) was revolutionary in the 1990s though it admittedly grew a little stale in the three decades since.

Nintendo seemed to eventually realize that the franchise was growing repetitive and has since tried to spice things up with entries like 2010’s Kirby’s Epic Yarn (an artsy alternative to the typical platforming in the series) and several brawling-style games (i.e. Kirby Fighters Deluxe and Kirby Fighters 2). No matter the genre, this franchise remains one of the most accessible properties in Nintendo’s portfolio.

8. Animal Crossing

There’s no way Nintendo could have known that was initially seen as their spin on The Sims would turn into such a phenomenon. That title effectively introduced many of the hallmark traits of this series that both casual and hardcore fans have come to adore, such as a real-time internal clock and the ability to interact with animals of all kinds as a curious villager in a town that you get to mold and watch grow.

Most recently, Animal Crossing: New Horizons demonstrated gaming’s ability to bring the world together even when they’re separated by thousands of miles and incredible circumstances. The coronavirus pandemic destroyed lives, careers, and economies, but 32 million copies of that title circulated the planet and even provided a little bit of carefree immersion amongst some very dark days. There’s really no greater feat that a video game can possibly accomplish.

Games

15 Best SNES RPGs Ever Made

By Chris Freiberg

Games

15 Rarest and Most Valuable SNES Games

By Matthew Byrd

7. Mario Kart

The racing genre is hard to get right, but sticking Mario and all of his friends into some wonky karts and letting the items fly has been simultaneously fun and infuriating for decades now. The franchise has brilliantly found ways to tweak and improve a tried and true formula with each new installment, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe may just be the perfect racing game.

We all know that Nintendo has had a difficult time competing with the other major players in the industry when it comes to online play, but Mario Kart 8 is one of the only examples of the Big N creating a truly great experience in that department. Ruining someone’s morning with a blue shell halfway across the world right before you go to bed is something that can’t be replicated in any other game series.

6. Fire Emblem

Long before Marth and Roy joined the Super Smash Bros roster, the Fire Emblem franchise became the pinnacle of tough-as-nails strategy gaming in Japan. As the strategy series started to trickle into the homes of more gamers, the entire Western world finally got to experience its brilliantly designed character development, storytelling, and tactical game boards set in visually creative fantasy lands.

Fire Emblem Awakening essentially saved the entire property when it exploded in sales for the 3DS in 2013, and it’s only been up from there. Fire Emblem: Three Houses expanded the series’ secondary and tertiary elements to great success, but we all know that the foundational reason for the fun is always the chess match between the gamer’s army and the CPU’s enemy faction. This franchise has one of the brightest futures in the industry.

5. Super Smash Bros.

When Masahiro Sakurai led development on the original Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 he probably had no idea he was working on the ultimate fighting event in gaming history. Every sequel that has followed has expanded on the original’s revolutionary mechanics and style that quickly broke the boundaries of what many believed multiplayer fighting games could be.

By the time we got to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it became clear to everyone that this series is now a celebration of not only Nintendo as a company but characters previously outside of the conglomerate’s giant grasp. The franchise’s inclusion of Sonic the Hedgehog, Solid Snake, Cloud Strife, and many others demonstrate the power of Smash‘s orbit to bring the entire industry together for one very special gaming experience.

4. Metroid

Nintendo’s incredible catalog lacks atmospheric, dark, science-fiction properties. Thankfully, Samus Aran’s three-decade-long struggle to take down Space Pirates and battle Ridley has always filled the void. There’s nothing else in gaming that quite challenges Metroid’s ability to combine adventuring, platforming, and puzzle-solving into one incredible entity.

The series features multiple games that are in the running for the best of their generation, and the anticipation for Metroid Dread shows that fans desperately want to explore the moody depths of Brinstar, Zebes, and Tallon IV for as long as Nintendo will allow them to.

3. Pokémon

We’ve finally hit the big three Nintendo properties. If you account for all the Pokémon apparel, TV series, movies, trading cards, and more that have spawned from the video games, it’s certainly easy to argue that this franchise is worthy of the top spot on the list. Honestly, though, this series is worthy of at least the third spot on this list based purely on the brilliance of its original adventure.

Pokémon is special because it focuses on the relationship between humans and animals. Even though the pocket monsters you capture aren’t technically your pets, they sure feel like it after you’ve formed a connection with them after hours and hours of play. This franchise will continue to flourish for as long as Nintendo can think of new types of Pokémon for us to catch in each new generation of games.

2. Super Mario

Nintendo’s mascot has expanded into so many different waters that we sometimes forget just how brilliant his main franchise is. The Super Mario platformers have grown gaming’s potential with nearly every new release, and they have made millions fall in love with the medium for 35 years now.

It would be easy for Nintendo to rest on Super Mario’s laurels and pump out the same thing year after year, but that almost feels sacrilegious. Instead, every new entry has its own signature style that is ultimately duplicated and admired for years to come. Super Mario continues to open up countless possibilities for platforming and the rest of the gaming industry.

1. The Legend of Zelda

Link’s adventures in Hyrule get the slight edge over Mario’s adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom because no other franchise in gaming has demonstrated that videogames are art on the same level as literature, film, or television as consistently or for as long as much of The Legend of Zelda has. This franchise is more than a game; it’s an experience.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Boss battles, weapon upgrades, niche characters you meet along the way, and complex dungeons that double as playgrounds for the mind are all trademarks of this series that will never grow old. With this series’ recent evolution into an open-world experience that is changing the ways we think of that genre, there’s no telling how many more incredible gaming experiences we will ultimately owe this franchise in the coming years.

The post 15 Best Nintendo Franchises Ranked appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3gLMn5X

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

0 notes

fyrapartnersearch · 7 years ago

Text

Seeking Literate and Active Partners

Introduction

Hello there, my name is Serenity, but feel free to call me Ren. Okay, so here are the basics and all that, no fun but very much so needed. I am a female in the central time zone and I am 18. I am currently a student but even so I'm on and reply daily (if I won't be able to I will tell you ahead of time I promise). I have been writing for about six years and over time I have come to prefer literate partners, I'm able to write maybe up to six or seven paragraphs, I ask for one minimum and unless I have an exceptional muse I match length because that's likely what I can only go off of. Now, I understand sometimes posts will be shorter, just MOSTLY I want one paragraph minimum. I strongly prefer MxF couplings, but I am open to try MxM and FxF, I promise I won't be any good at it and I'll be shy about it at first but hopefully I'll come around, I need to broaden my horizons anyway. I like my smut when I'm in the mood so I ask that my partner is also 18+, thank you. I absolutely love to double up, doubling adds more options and variety to an rp as far as I'm concerned. I am able to play up to four major characters no problem and still add in side characters, though if I'm doing that much I promise I expect the same from you. I'm perfectly fine with playing male or female, but if we're doing more than one character each I don't want to play ONLY the males. I like using POC in my roleplays just as much as the stereotypical beautiful blonde, I like a little variety. When it comes to fandoms I only ever do OC's in the fandom world, personal preference.

Fandoms

- Maximum Ride

- Shadowhunters/The Mortal Instruments

- Percy Jackson (Anything I freaking love this man)

- Wolves of the Beyond

- Warriors

- Guardians of Ga'Hoole

- Hunger Games

Interests

- Romance in general

- Fantasy

- Boarding School

- Pregnancy

- Realistic Wolf Pack

- Medieval Kingdom

- Furry

- Brothel

- Vampires, Werewolves, anything really

- Arranged Marriage

Iffy But Open To

- Incest

- Animal play?

- Age play

Limits

- Scat

- Watersports

Pet Peeves

- Bad Grammar (Like just competently blatantly horrible, a little comma missing or something is fine but do not rp with me like "r u sure?" unless it's a text a character is sending)

My Prompts: Inquire for more.

Tearmunn:

A beautiful, large, and magical kingdom known as Tearmunn is nestled along the coastline of the sea of Tamron. This amazing kingdom is led by tyrannical King Johnathon O'Dair. The king is very conservative and does not approve of all the supernaturals in his kingdom. He wants them all gone, even going through the trouble to send guards out to murder them. Little does the evil king know his son and daughter, Ansel and Arabella, are both not human. His late wife, Queen Isadora, was a wolf shifter. She passed only a few years ago, the death took a great toll on the young Prince and Princess. The King issued a period of mourning for the entire kingdom, which in that time is when the young royals started to go against their father. The duo loved their father, that was undeniable, but they both hated how he ruled. They knew something had to be done about it. Ansel and Arabella started harbouring 'Undesireables' on their private island of Theo first and soon after began helping them out by finding jobs and homes for them on the mainland. The young royals have continued to help the 'Undesireables' in their land and now Tearmunn is even more rich than it was before, although the king still wants them gone. Lately, more and more 'Undesireables' have been coming up dead or missing. The very beings Ansel and Arabella invited, promising safety, were now dying off. What are they to do? It's not only their father now, there is something worse…something darker out there at work. How will they ever find out? Will it be too late? Come join us all in the amazing, magical land of Tearmunn and find out for yourself.

Into the Wild:

As a pampered, city dog could you survive out in the wild? Could you find your own food, keep yourself warm without the comfortable heat of a home, remain alive in the forest? Could you live peacefully alongside the wolves you’ve heard so many terrifying things about? With recent changes you've been forced to do just those things. Will you remain a stray or will you join this dog pack that has risen? The choice is yours, Into the Wild you go.

Wild, fierce, and cunning. You as a wolf have lived in this forest and with this pack since your birth. You're loyal to your pack and defend it with your life if necessary. With the new threat to your prey the dogs are how will you be towards them? Most wolves in the pack hate the dogs, but do you? The choice is yours, but remember to keep your head low and never disobey the alpha.

This is WAR:

In the forest of Oudéteros the two packs Nekrá and Anésti have resided beside one another at an uneasy peace for many, many moons. The territories were not always peaceful, though. Generations back the two had war, blood was spilled, relentless murders for no reason, all this and more, but, one small group of wolves came along and decided constant battle and war were not the answers. The group of four, two from each pack of varying ranks, received a message from the alphas of the past, the message was carved in a slab of stone and it read:

You four, the Healer, the Negotiator, the Dauntless, and the Leader. It will be you four to end this war. The war must end for if not, all of wolf kind in the amazing land will cease to exist. Of course the four wolves found this insane, not only were they paired with enemies, but how would THEY end the war? They were only ordinary wolves. The four parted, two heading to one pack and the other two to the other. None would admit it, but the words hung heavy on their hearts for nights to come. The leader will lead, not only you four, but the new world as well. That wolf will become known as the chieftain after the war. He or she will reset order, deal out punishments, and declare the new packs and the new alphas. The Dauntless, is the brawn of the operation. This wolf is the strongest of you four and will be the lead warrior in any battle that comes your way, because, as we all know…this will not be an easy trek to peace. The Negotiator, or the peacemaking brains of the operation. It is up to this wolf to try and talk some sense into the wolves of each pack. Warn them, tell them that if peace does not come death for all will. This wolf, though they may seem unimportant is VERY vital. This wolf will not only calm the packs but he or she will bring the four of you together. The Negotiator has a kind heart, a happy attitude, and will always bring happiness in suit of wherever he or she goes. This wolf is the sticky sap used to hold you together. And finally, the healer. But, aha! Not only is this wolf trained in healing cuts and bruises, this loveless medicine wolf will heal the rivalry, while they search for their love, though it is forbidden. This wolf will mend the broken bones and spirits of everything that is to come. There will be heartbreak, betrayal, death, and much more that will take its toll on the wolves. The question is…Who Will Support The Right Cause? And Who Will Die? All That Is Up To You Four, You Must Fix It All.

This message was sent to those wolves millennia ago, now the packs' alliance is shaking…shifting even. The Nekrá and the Anésti are both forgetting the ways the world was. Dark and chaotic with death around every bend. No one remembers those days any longer and the wolves that saved them? Long gone and long forgotten. Both alphas are head strong and want more land. The wolves slip over borders daily, stealing prey and causing conflict. This went on for a while, a long while indeed, but…the prey started dropping and the day grew warmer and the rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes grew smaller. Now, with the oncoming drought the wolves are even snappier and angrier. Blood is spilled at nearly every watering hole over drinking water, the boundaries remain still, but the Anésti, always having had better prey, land, and water are currently better off than the dark, ruthless, Nekrá. Both packs suffer, both packs break laws, but it takes only four wolves to fix a world, and everywolf knows history repeats itself.

Contact

Tumblr: sparklebix666-blog

Email: [email protected]

Discord: sink.tink#2325

Other: I would LOVE to make a rp group on discord if anyone would be interested in one for any of my plots or prompts!

#oc rp #multiple paragraph #para #semipara #long term #email #tumblr #smut rp #submission

1 note · View note