#but then yesterday as i was falling asleep i think. it occured to me

[larluce]

Ok, to celebrate the Merlin is trend yet again. I'll share a Merthur prompt that occured to me yesterday.

I've read a couple of fics where Merlin is deaf, like he was born deaf or lost his hearing at a very young age, which leads to Arthur learning sign language to be able to comunicate with him. I love this concept, mostly cause I'm a big fan of sign language I think it's beautiful.

But what if Arthur was the deaf one and not Merlin?

Think about it. Royalty wasn't allowed to be nothing but perfect. Left handed princes were forced to learn to write with their right hand, because that was consider "defective". Now imagine having a dishability! It was disastrous!

I imagine Uther forcing Arthur to learn how to read lips and talk with a normal voice so nobody knows he's deaf. The King makes almost a requirement that people must be infront of the prince when they talk to him and never talk to him when his back is turned, saying this is to show their respect properly. Also Uther makes Arthur only speak with other people when strictly necessary. This, of course, makes Arthur feel miserable and lonely.

Years go by and Merlin arrives in Camelot. Their first meeting and later confrontation on the street happens mostly the same, just adding Merlin constantly turning his back on Arthur, despite Arthur telling him to speak to him to his face (this annoys Arthur particularly for obvious reasons).

Then Merlin saves his life, but this time Arthur isn't affected by lady Helen singing because he can't hear her. And he is way more observant thanks to his lack of hearing, so he clearly notices Merlin was in the other side of the room one second and next to him in the next when Merlin pulls him away of the direction of the knife.

So when Uther is about to reward Merlin, Arthur says just that.

Arthur: How is that you came here in time? You were on the other side of the room! Weren't you affected by the echantament?

Merlin: (nervous) I... Well...

Uther: (suspicious) Couldn't it be you are an ally of this witch boy?

Gaius: (to Merlin's rescue) Is not that, my lord. Merlin could safe the prince in time because he couldn't be affected by the singing at all. He's deaf.

This is a lie, Merlin is not deaf, but his mother is. Gaius is saying this just to save him and Merlin gets it inmediatly so he plays along.

Uther: (to Merlin) Is this true?

Merlin: (speaks in a "deaf voice" as he signs at the same time) Yes, your majesty.

Uther: I see...

Arthur: (looks what Merlin did with his hands with curiosity)

Uther: Well, as I was saying. Your act today merits something quite especial. From now on you'll be the Prince's manservant!

Later. When Arthur and Merlin are alone in Arthur's chambers.

Arthur: How did you do it?

Merlin: What?

Arthur: Get to me in time.

Merlin: Gaius explained. I'm deaf.

Arthur: Is not just that you didn't hear the singing. You were too far!

Merlin: I run fast.

Arthur: That's not true! I didn't see you running, you just appeared at my side.

Merlin: Well, how could you know? You were asleep, weren't you?

Arthur: (thinking) Fuck... (Says) You're right...It just... seemed like it because I fell asleep. (Sits on his desk and starts reading some scrolls) You are not needed now. Leave.

Merlin: (puts himself on Arthur's line of vision) I know... about you.

Arthur: (nervous) I don't know what you mean.

Merlin: You are deaf (makes the sign of "deaf")

Arthur: (laughs) I'm not.

Merlin: You weren't affected by the singing.

Arthur: That's not true. (Thinking) I was careful to pretend to fall asleep like the others.

Merlin: I also called you ungrateful royal ass when we were heading here and you had your back turned at me like ten times and you never once answered.

Arthur: ...

Merlin: I must say your speaking voice is quite impressive-

Arthur: (stands up abruptly and points at Merlin's throat with his sword)

Merlin: (lifts his hands) Wow! This is what I get for saving your life? A very ungrateful ass indeed.

Arthur: (afraid he's secret will come out) I will kill you right there.

Merlin: There's no need for this! I won't tell anyone!

Arthur: (more panic mode) Nobody can't know! If you dare to say something-

Merlin: (shouts) I HAVE MAGIC!

Arthur: ...

Arthur: (thinking maybe he didn't read Merlin's lips correctly) What?

Merlin: I have magic. That's why I wasn't affected by the singing and that's how I got to you in time. I also dropped the chandelier on her. I used magic. See? Now you know a secret of mine that could get me killed. So I'm not going to give you away

Arthur: (puts down his sword slowly) So... you are not really deaf? (Kind of dissapointed cause he though he finally find a person like him that could understand him)

Merlin: (surprised Arthur puts more attention to this fact than the fact that he is a sorcerer) No, but my mom is. That's partly how I figured you out. You remind me of her.

Arthur: (remembering the sign language) You did something with your hands before, while speaking.

Merlin: Oh, that's a language my mother tought me to be able to comunicate with her better 😊! We have a hand gesture for every letter, a, b, c, d, e (shows the sign as he mentions the letters) And also a sign for every word like table, run, angry, prince (does the last sign pointing at Arthur) It's easier for her like this. I know reading lips is exhausting. I translated her what other people were saying most of the time.

Arthur: (gets a bittersweet feeling, thinking on how this woman wasn't force to fit the standar and rather her son adapted himself to her needs) That's really nice. You are a good son. (smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes). I won't tell anybody about you either. You don't have to worry.

Merlin: (relieved, but also notices his sadness) I could teach you if you like. My mom's language.

Arthur: (shakes his head) I can't be seen learning a deaf language.

Merlin: They don't have to know is for you. As far as everyone knows I'm the one who is deaf, remember? You can tell them you're learning it for me so you can comunicate with your deaf servant better.

Arthur: And would they buy it?

Merlin: I mean you are not precisly known for being kind to your servants, but it's worth a try. What do you say?

Arthur: (smiles genuinely this time) I would like to.

So Merlin teaches Arthur the language and his life gets better from then on. Merlin is always with Arthur in every meeting or interaction with other nobels and translates him what he didn't catch. It becomes a common occurrence seeing the prince and his servant comunicating in this particular way in the halls. Then Morgana (one of the few that knew about Arthur's secret) and Gwen start learning it too, bringing even more attention from outside view.

Then Uther, angry cause he thinks this could lead to Arthur's secret been revealed, tries to send Merlin away. Arthur argues with him for that of course, sometimes signing furiosly as he speaks.

Uther: Stop making those hand movements for godsake! You look like a retarded!

Arthur: (doesn't speak and signs furiously instead) Oh, you don't like when I sign? Well look!

Uther: What was that? Speak.

Arthur: (signs) It doesn't feel good not understanding what someone says, does it?

Uther: I said speak!

Arthur: (shouts) I said it doesn't feel good when you don't understand what someone says, does it?! To have make an extrordinary effort to just get a word right everytime someone as much as opens their mouth!

Uther: ...

Uther: Arthur-

Arthur: I finally found a way to comprehend better the world around me thanks to Merlin. And instead of seing it as an opportunity, you want to take that away from me!

Uther: You were fine before.

Arthur: I wasn't!

Uther: Well, you won't die because you can't do some hand gestures. This is stopping. Now!

Arthur: (takes a deep breath) Alright, I won't do it ever again. But let Merlin stay. (Begs) Please.

Uther: The boy can stay.

Arthur: (with gritted teeth) Thank you, father. (Bows and leaves)

Morgana: (enters the room having heard the whole conversation from outside) You must know this will kill him.

Uther: He's just being dramatic. It'll pass.

Morgana: My lord, you never once wondered... why Arthur didn't move?

Uther: What?

Morgana: When the blade of that witch was flying at him.

Uther: He was enchanted.

Morgana: He wasn't. He can't hear, the voice of Lady Helen couldn't reach him. So why didn't he move when he was completely aware and he had more than enough time to evade it?

Uther: ...

Morgana: Think about it, my lord. (Leaves)

Sometime later. After seeing his son doing his duties depressed, contrasting with how joyful he had been the last months, Uther decides to call Merlin to his chambers.

Merlin: Did you call for me, Sire?

Uther: What are those hand gestures you do that my son seems so obsessed with?

Merlin: My mom calls it "sign language", Sire.

Uther: So it is an actual language.

Merlin: Yes, there is a "hand gesture" for every letter and word.

Uther: (pauses) Could you... Teach it to me?

Merlin: (smiles brightly) Of course, Sire.

So Uther lets Arthur keep signing. One day he surprises him signing back and Arthur almost cries right there.

As time passes. More people learn to sign, first the knights so they can interact in silence during a mission (an idea proposed by Arthur). Then, since the King , the Prince and the King's ward interact like this constantly, it gains popularity as a "language of royals" so nobel families start using it too. Merlin teaches to sign to some of Gaius' pacients who have deaf relatives which leads to the language to spread to the lower town.

And about a decade later sign language is basically the official second language in Camelot.

That's all I got for now. I don't know how merthur would get together in this AU or how events of the series would unfold with this change like Nimueh or Morgause intervation. If you had any ideas, share it in the comments or reblogs. I'll be reading you ;)

[skyburger]

eikichi mishina when i ask him what his favorite christmas movie is but he misremembers the title slightly

[deusfoundry]

i've got no idea if you are writing right now but i would love myself a fem!reader x kageyama. love you xx

U KNOW WHAT NONNIE i would love myself a kageyama x reader too hehe so here u go!!

p.s. i was half asleep when i wrote this literally i was fighting to keep my eyes open so its not my best pls forgive me i tried

you remember the conversation you had with tobio so, so clearly, almost as if it was yesterday. which, you think, isn't entirely untrue considering it occurred barely two weeks ago.

tobio had outright rejected the idea of keeping your relationship a secret.

"why would i want to hide the fact that you're my girlfriend?"

and you try not to melt into a puddle over his bluntness, the way the words my girlfriend rolled off his tongue with ease. he didn't stutter. didn't trip over his words. you were his.

you cite a few reasons why he would consider it, all of which are valid in your eyes. backlash from fans. reduced sponsorships. less guest appearances on evening talk shows. factors that were valuable to his career. but he had told you, with an almost terrifying conviction, that he doesn't care. so long as he still gets to be on the court, the less-athlete and more-celebrity side of his career doesn't matter to him.

so you two agreed on a compromise. you would ease your relationship to the world, slowly letting more and more people know until it's out in the public.

and the first ones to know are the ones closest to you both. your family and his sister. your friends and his old teammates from highschool.

shoyo had been the first person he called when you agreed to be his girlfriend on one of your at-home dates. you can recall peering into your apartment's living room after a quick trip to the bathroom, watching tobio with his back hunched near the corner.

"she said yes." he whispered into his phone, and you could hear shoyo's overexcited screaming even though he's not on speaker.

next, was your boss. though workplace relationships aren't explicitly stated in your contract to be forbidden, it's highly still discouraged. in turn, you two had gotten an almost hour long lecture about policies and rules. about what this could mean for not only your careers, but for everyone else on the team as well. about the public's possible response.

and with a practiced, corporate smile, you reassured your boss that you have it all under control.

the last people in your four-part plan to find out would've been tobio's teammates and coach, before you (when you're both ready) make an announcement on all of schweiden adlers' social media accounts.

it was so easy, and tobio had agreed to follow through with it. you remember because he swore with a kiss on the edge of your lips and a shy smile that he would.

which is why you're equally dumbfounded and shocked when he announced your relationship to the public. during a post-match press conference. on live, national television.

satisfaction began to settle in halfway through the presscon. the team was doing great. they answered every question with ease, behaved as well as they could. there were moments of playful banter between the members that the fans would go crazy over. every reporter followed through the brief you gave them earlier about which questions they could and couldn't ask (heavily emphasizing no questions about kourai's height).

it was going so well.

until one of the reporters asked one particular question. it was done in good faith, you could tell by the small grin on her face and the quiet chuckles from everyone. she was playing off an inside joke from the adlers' fanbase which, to your confusion, seemed to adore you just as much as the members of the team.

"is your manager single?"

hirugami laughs, toying a bit with the microphone in his hand before he opens his mouth to answer the question in the same lighthearted nature.

except, tobio beats him to it.

"she's not."

the room falls silent. everyone, even his teammates, look at tobio with intrigue.

"r- really, kageyama-san?" she's damn near shaking, the poor lady, when she realizes tobio's eyes are on her. all bright and blue and intense.

he decides to spare her when he takes a moment to look at you, standing near the side of the stage. you're glaring daggers at him, trying to convey with your two eyes multiple warning signs in big, bold, and red letters.

please don't.

and tobio, who has grown to be perceptive when it comes to you, knows exactly what you mean. he just doesn't have it in him to care right now.

"i should know. i'm her boyfriend."

your mouth falls wide open. the only thought that runs through your mind is you two are so fucking screwed. this wasn't part of the plan you meticulously arranged and presented to your boss.

you don't know how long the silence lasts until kourai decides to break it.

"i knew it!" he says, slamming the velvet cloth covering the long panel table. the sound brings you out of your daze. "i knew something was going on between you two."

you think there's no possible way this situation can get worse, but wakatoshi nods in agreement, which brings about an onslaught of hungry reporters asking questions left and right. you take this as your cue to rush in and call off the presscon.

"is it true?"

"how long have you two been dating?"

"did kageyama-san really ask you out?"

you drown them out to the best of your abilities, ignoring the less than kind and backhanded questions directed towards you. tobio looks into your eyes as he passes by you in the line of players you're ushering off the stage, but you quickly avert your gaze.

"we'll talk later." you mouth.

after gathering their belongings from the locker room, the team piles onto the bus to head back to their home court. tobio settles into one of the seats near the back, saving the window seat for you.

he waits, watches in anticipation as you step inside the bus. you catch his pleading eyes right as you're about to take a seat in an empty row on the front.

you try to resist. really, you do. but you've never been the best at denying tobio. for more times than you care to admit had you been the subject of teasing by the team for entertaining each and every request that tobio makes.

so you sigh, before making the long walk to the back of the bus.

tobio allows you to scoot inside after helping you with shoving your backpack inside the overhead compartment. the bus springs to life right as you take your seat, engines silently roaring as it begins the trip back home.

a moment of silence passes before tobio takes your hand in his.

"i'm sorry." he says, dragging his thumb over the lines on your palm with each syllable.

"are you really?"

tobio pauses, almost contemplating. "you'd feel better if i didn't answer that."

a quiet laugh falls off your lips. of course you already knew the answer to that. tobio has always been unapologetically open about what he wants.

screw his old teammates for going with all his demands.

tobio's ministrations on your hand doesn't stop. in fact, it grows more frantic by the second. lazy movements turn into his thumb rushing back and forth against your skin. it means he wants to ask you something, and he's hoping this will silently convey his question.

"i'm not mad." in an instant, his worries are quelled. you move closer to lean your head on his shoulder. he plants his head on top of yours.

your limbs melt into each other until you're not sure where you end and tobio begins.

"but you didn't have to say that, you know. hirugami was handling it." you give him a light nudge.

"they were asking if you were single," tobio scoffs, turning his head so he can nuzzle his face against your hair. he breathes you in. your scent overtakes his senses until the only thing he knows is you. that you are his. "i think i have the right to answer that."

"god your publicist must hate you." you roll your eyes. "our boss must hate us right now too."

"don't care." he pries himself off the crown of your head, leaning down to latch his lips on your jaw.

tobio leaves one kiss, right at the very edge. you tip your head to the side so he can leave another on the flesh of your neck. he's about to plant a kiss just above your collarbone when wakatoshi chimes in from the seat in front of you.

"it's not very appropriate to make out on the bus."

you jump away from each other, cheeks flushing red now that the entire team's attention is on you. but you can't find it in you to care enough to tell them off. the hollering and the teasing matters less than the fact that you have tobio, right by your side.

dividers by @cafekitsune

[lilacsandpetals]

Frozen Blossoms Pt. 4

Bi-Han x F! reader

Tags and notes: Arranged marriage AU, SFW, slow burn, Pre-MK1/MK1 AU

Last part here.

Next part here.

You don’t know what you should do. If you move, you might wake him up.

It’s interesting to see him like this, you haven’t seen him so relaxed before, it always seemed as if he walked around with a scowl on his face or at the very least, a blank expression. His eyebrows were often furrowed, ever in a state of concern or disapproval. It almost caught you off guard not seeing that wrinkle on his forehead. You reach out gently to touch the spot, almost to check if this is real. Some part of you still believed you were dreaming, especially since you don’t remember falling asleep like this.

The second your fingertips are mere centimeters from him, he wakes up and grabs your hand, hard. You gasp and he immediately lets go before sitting up, “do not do that,” he scowls. You rub your hand sheepishly and look at him, ‘there is that familiar facial expression again.’ “I didn’t think you’d wake up,” you groan. 

“Have you forgotten who I am? I’ve been trained to be hyper-aware of my surroundings since I was a child, I am not a light sleeper.” 

“I didn’t think of it like that.” ‘So much for starting off on the right foot today.’

“I am rarely at ease, and you prodding at me does not help.”

So he wasn’t relaxed with you. You’re not totally surprised, you two have still only known each other for a limited time, however, you were beginning to grow fond of him. 

His words do sting a little. 

He watches you rubbing your hand, you appear… sad to him. He didn’t mean to snap like that. He wants to cringe at the guilt that begins to rear its ugly head again.“Give me your hand,” he commands. You place your hand in his and he holds it gently, turning it from one side to the other. It’s cold and there were a few bruises. He felt slightly embarrassed. You weren’t a threat to him, so why did he react like that? Maybe he wasn’t used to the intimacy. He did fall asleep rather close to you. It was uncharted territory for him.

“Give me a moment.” He goes to rummage through his drawer and pulls out some sort of ointment. You sit up before he takes your hand. He uses his fingertips to grab some of the ointment and puts it on your hand. He keeps his gaze focused on your hand and carefully massages it. Soon enough your hand begins to feel better. You watch him carefully, he’s concentrated. When he’s done he looks up and you both lock eyes before he looks away. “Does it feel any better?”

“It does,” you reach out your other hand and place it on his. “Thank you.”

“Consider it repaying a favor.” You seem confused for a moment but are reminded of how you tended to his arm. You smile briefly, you didn’t know he had appreciated that after he left so abruptly, but maybe you’d ask about it at a later time. 

“I don’t mean to come off as rude, but I didn’t expect you to be here?” It was certainly well into the morning, practically noon.

‘Neither did I.’ “I am attempting to make amends.”

“Meaning?” His response didn’t quite answer your question. 

“I failed to accompany you at the festivities in the village yesterday, but I will accompany you today.”

Only, if you’d still have him. 

Some semblance of his being still resisted any attempts to get close to you, yet the desire for you had become increasingly evident. He couldn’t quite see ‘loving’ interactions occurring between you two, not now. And he couldn’t grasp the concept of using such interactions or the thought of it to drive him to improve in his endeavors yet. But he aches for your attention, he longs for you to desire him. 

Perhaps he needs to alter his perspective. If he could manage to pursue these actions in a manner akin to a requirement, then it could be seen as a matter of fulfilling another responsibility. Partaking in conversation and activities with you as his wife, it was just another duty for him to maintain. That was manageable. 

But even so, how would he properly associate with you? Prior he had only assumed that the main duty you’d serve as his wife, and him as your husband, was maintaining social etiquettes and producing an heir, eventually. But even when that was all he thought of his role as a husband, you managed to snake your way into his subconscious. 

Your gentle determination to get closer to him, your adamantly kind nature, your beauty, it intrigued him. Did he entice you as well? 

You watch him seem somewhat lost in thought. He was always so reserved when it came to you, it was difficult to pinpoint what he was ever thinking about. You’re pleasantly surprised that he’s brought up an offer of spending time with you. Thinking it over, some petty part of you wants to decline the proposition, but you aren’t going to throw away last night’s progress for the sake of frivolous revenge. 

“Okay, let's get ready and we’ll be on our way.”

—------------------

You had never seen Bi-Han in casual clothing before, it was nearly unsettling. The sleepwear he was in this morning retained a dark shade, you felt like it was fitting for him. So this current informal attire was something to get used to. Yet you couldn’t deny that he appeared rather attractive like this. The tunic was a lighter color, the sleeves were cut just below his shoulders, leaving his muscles available for your eyes to feast over. The pants contrasted with the shirt, being a darker shade of gray. 

Right now you wanted your morning tea. Did your husband even drink tea? You weren’t too knowledgeable on his eating preferences, he just seemed to eat whatever was in front of him at mealtimes. 

He had followed you to the kitchen, leaning up against the wall and watching your every move as you walked about, searching for a teapot. You slid open a cabinet only to be met with the pot sitting on a shelf just out of your reach. You strain to reach the pot before Bi-Han puts a hand on your arm, “Stop struggling, I am able to reach it.” He hands it to you and you thank him. “I’ll make you a cup as well.” 

“Sure.” 

So he does like tea. 

He doesn’t sit at the table but goes back to his spot up against the wall. You boil the water and throw the tea leaves into the pot. “Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“Okay.” You bite your lip, it won’t hurt to ask more questions, right? The conversations between you two tended to end as fast as they started. They were brief in nature. Well, all except that argument last night. Maybe he wouldn’t mind you talking more; he said he’d make the effort to engage with you. So you shall hold him to that. 

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t you get hungry later on then?” 

“If I do, I’ll take care of it.” 

You shrug, “fine.” Pouring the tea into your cups, you make sure to blow on it before setting it on the table. Bi-Han quietly sits across from you. Usually, at dinner, he’d sit by your side so you wouldn’t really look at him much. He’d be in your peripheral vision, sure, but that didn’t count. It’s an entirely different ordeal when he sits directly across from you, his eyes are downturned towards the teacup. Slowly the steam subsides from drifting into the air. 

You push your cups toward him, “can you cool down mine too? Only a bit.” 

He obliges and stares down at his own cup again for what feels like too long. You don’t know what he’s thinking about. He was such a mystery to decipher. It promoted the ever-looming feeling of discomfort. Perhaps today could help remedy that?

“You know, I barely know anything about you.”

“Likewise.” 

“Then let’s get to actually know each other, like you promised. I don’t want to spend my life with a stranger.”

He nods his head, he can understand your sentiment. He’ll fulfill his responsibility. 

“Okay, where were you when you heard the news of our betrothal?”

“Other than whispers of it at clan meetings, I was in my 

bedroom when my parents came in and broke the news to me.”

He takes a small sip of his tea, “and how did you react?”

You pause, “I assume you’re a man who admires honesty. I was nervous.”

He raises an eyebrow, but as if he’s amused at you, “And why is that?” 

You resist the urge to roll your eyes. “As if you don’t know.” 

“Enlighten me.” 

You shoot him an annoyed look while you place your cup down. “Well, future Grandmaster, you must be skilled in reading people. So I’d assume you know why.” 

“A very observant claim. And of course, you found it nerve-wracking at the prospect of spending out your days in the presence of my power.”

You cross your arms, was he teasing you on purpose? “Yes, that’s correct, it wasn’t as If my husband-to-be appeared like he could care less. Then suddenly at the engagement, he looked at me like he wanted to drive a stake through my chest.” 

Memories of betrothal discussions flash through your mind. His indifference would twist into eyes of vile disdain. Anxiety would rise up within you back then for days on end, and a twinge of it emerged now. Why had you blurted all that out? Perhaps you would have spoken on such a topic if you two had reached a higher level of companionship. But the trepidation of what you had just uttered is calmed when your husband does not appear angered. 

Bi-Han can’t help himself. He is slightly satisfied that he was able to evoke a sense of fear within you when you two had first met. Yet that sense of satisfaction derives itself from a point in time where he did not care for you, you had been akin to an inconvenience in his mind and the fact that you had looked upon him as if he were some sort of beast only drove his ego. However, had you felt that way about him currently, well, he would be displeased. 

Your husband appears contemplative to you, tapping his finger against the table, miniscule shards of ice emerge where his finger hits the table. “And what am I in your eyes now?”

You take a moment to think it over, “I think I’ll have a concrete answer at the end of the day. My turn to ask the questions.” Thoughts run through your mind as you debate on what to bring up. Maybe it would be helpful to start at the beginning. 

“What was life like growing up? From what I’ve heard and seen, I assume it was intense.”

Bi-Han tilted his head. “Perhaps, yes. I didn’t like it when I was very young, but I consider it a blessing now.”

You rest your head in the palm of your hand and take in the sight of his well-sculpted arms and broad shoulders. “It must’ve been a lot of hard work, I wouldn’t know if I’d be able to maintain that.” 

“Discipline from a young age is essential and the work required of any Lin Keui, anything less is unworthy of the title.” You frown slightly, but quickly catch yourself. 

His childhood was laden with heavy burdens: strict schedules, relentless training, and endless lessons. It helped refine him. He’d never admit it, but it was exhausting at times. he’d take solace in the moments he’d be able to elude it all. Fleeting memories dance within his mind. Memories of a time when perhaps he was a bit happier, when he was kinder, when his view of the realm wasn’t so cold. 

But that was long ago, things were different now. 

“You acknowledge that our child will endure a similar upbringing.” His face seems serious when he says it. To be honest, since the wedding night, you haven’t even thought about producing an heir. The idea of it always felt like a distant afterthought, something you could push off thinking about. 

Your childhood was not as strenuous as your husband’s, so the thought that your own child would have to deal with such burdens frightened you.

Your husband’s face appears analytical and you sigh “I understand how a child would be raised here, but surely there were moments of rest or enjoyment? I feel as if that’d be a concern of mine, it would be for any mother, correct?”

Bi-Han’s jaw tenses slightly and you fear you may have struck a nerve. You’ve never heard him mention his mother. You are aware that she passed many years ago, but nothing more than that. You are about to change the subject when your husband speaks up once more. 

“My mother gave me the pleasure of tending to me when I needed her. You will be allowed to do the same.”

You nod your head slowly. He was quite vague, so you decide it may be best to halt your questioning about the subject. Just then your stomach grumbles and you clear your throat, slightly embarrassed. Bi-Han leans forward onto the table, “If you’re hungry, go eat. Do not wait for my sake.” You pick a piece of fruit from the bowl sitting on the table and take a small bite. “I was going to make soup for myself later since it’s been getting colder.” 

His interest is piqued.“Which kind?” 

You rest your chin on your hand, “I’m not sure yet.”

He appears contemplative, “chicken and mushroom is satiating.”

You smile, “I can make that.”

—------------------

You needed some ingredients, and you had informed your husband of that. He offered to retrieve them while you remained at home, but you reminded him of his vow today. So here you are, walking about in the village with him. It’s oddly domestic. You make sure to savor this moment. The village is still lively today, reeling down from the prior festivities. 

Bi-Han’s hand is wrapped around yours while you two walk into the marketplace, you move your hand and it feels as if your husband held on for a moment too long. “I only need a few things.” “Go ahead,” and so you begin your search. You stop at different vendors, weaving through the marketplace to acquire your needed Ingredients. Your husband follows closely behind, paying for whatever you happen to grab. 

Bi-Han likes watching you operate. These tasks are simple, yet you seem entirely focused. Your eyebrows furrow and you slightly purse your lips when you examine a vegetable before happily tossing it into your bag. He found it somewhat endearing. Since when did he think of you like that? He shakes his head to himself and looks back up to keep an eye on you. You were moving through the shops with ease, and he was keen on not losing you in the crowd. His eyes narrow when a man comes up to you to speak. 

It’s easy to decipher when an individual comes up to you for genuine inquiries, versus when they would have ulterior intentions. A few of them were nervous, he could tell by the way they failed to maintain eye contact or tripped over their words. On the other hand, some seemed all too confident in their approach. 

He didn’t know if you acted so kindly just to get a rise out of him or if you truly were oblivious. The desire to rip those men apart was present, but he could maintain his cool. So instead he would hover closer to you and shoot a distasteful glare at anyone whom he deemed a nuisance. His hand would hover over the small of your back. He longed to move his hand only an inch closer but the realization that he’s never touched you there before keeps such an act at bay. 

You can practically feel his eyes starting a hole through the back of your head whenever those types of interactions occur. Yet you pretend not to notice.

Your bags fill up quickly and keep both of your hands occupied. Suddenly, Bi-Han takes them out of your hands.“Thank you,” you respond, only to hear a grunt in response. “I think I have everything, we may head back.” He nods and leads you back, keeping a small pace ahead of you. You quietly follow along, glancing at his form again before keeping your eyes trained on the path ahead. The trip itself was brief and unimportant, but even so, you appreciated his company. 

—------------------

You were decent, but you were not an accomplished cook. You had merely helped your mother in making the soup on occasion, so you prayed that you remembered the recipe well enough. 

Bi-Han hovered nearby as you set the ingredients out in front of you. You looked at him and then back at the needed items. He seemed so focused on your every move. Cooking for yourself was one thing, but preparing food for another was an uncertain affair. You hoped you would not disappoint. 

Your knife slices through the meat, “you’re making me nervous.”

Bi-Han crossed his arms, “how?”

“You’re watching me like you’re about to tally points for an exam.” 

“I’m curious as to how you prepare it, I’m simply observing.”

You motion over to the rest of the ingredients on the table, “doing triumphs observing.” 

He wants to counter your claim, but something within him quiets the retort. He grabs some of the vegetables you’ve put aside and creates a precise blade of ice. He finds himself enjoying slicing through the needed components. The precision in maintaining a consistent width is something he’s keen on.

The atmosphere in the kitchen is calm. And you again take silent delight at the domestic feel. Soon enough you’ve thrown every ingredient into the pot on the stove and you both quietly clean up. “It’ll take a while to cook.” You catch sight of an exit to the kitchen that leads out into a quaint veranda. Bi-Han follows your gaze and starts towards it, you follow him and sit down on the bench. Dusk has already arrived and you close your eyes, taking in a deep breath. Your husband is leaning up against a wooden beam so you gently pat the open spot next to you. Not a word leaves his mouth but he obliges to your request. You want to hold his hand, but instead, you hook your arm around his. You can feel him tense up. You try to drown out the sense of slight disappointment, was he still so opposed to your touch? Still, he hasn’t pulled away so you don’t breach the topic. 

He wants to wrap an arm around you, draw you nearer to him, but you beat him to it when your arm wraps around his, and before he knows it your head is resting against his shoulder. 

Your fingertips gently trace up his forearm to his bicep. His arm tenses just enough for you to notice but the more time that passes, the more relaxed he becomes. You don’t know how long you repeat the motion, lost in the serene ambiance that accompanies you both this evening. 

Bi-Han has rarely allowed himself a simple pleasure like this. Your effortless touch has indulged an unspoken desire of his. 

“You’re strong.” 

He glances down towards you, you seem so small compared to him. “Of course I am.” 

You let out a small laugh “Yes, but I am increasingly reminded of it when I look at your physique.” Your nails gently run down his arm and he feels the hair on the back of his neck rise. You turn your face to look up at him, you’re both rather close. He is inclined to look away, turn from the object of his temptations, but you draw him in nonetheless. For once, he wants to lean forward ever so slightly, but the opportunity evades him when you turn away. 

Your heart is beating fast, you haven’t gotten this close to him before. “I have to go to check the soup.” You stand up quickly. And although he mourns the loss of your touch, he lets you go.

You return to the kitchen, stirring the pot while attempting to cool yourself down. 

‘What was that?’ Both of you are left slightly surprised at the sense of longing that has seeped into the two of you, unbeknownst to the other. 

—------------------

He remained outside. Against his own perceived notions, he had enjoyed today.

You continued the task of preparing the soup, carefully pouring it into a bowl for each of you before placing it on the table. The chill in the air reaches you as you venture out to retrieve your husband. He hasn’t spoken since you went back to the kitchen, keeping his eyes trained on the sky above.

“Bi-Han, the soup is done.”

He turns back to look at you, the moonlight is illuminating your face. Your eyes hold a softness within them that he finds himself yearning for. “I’ll be there.” He turns his back towards you again. You could nag him, but you find yourself placing a hand on his shoulder instead, “Come on.” Something unspoken lays between you two, but he doesn’t utter a word. His hand just barely brushes up against yours as if he meant to pat it. He gets up and sits at the table. You resume your place across from him.“Try it. I’m not promising anything amazing, but something decent.” You push the bowl towards him and cross your arms on the table, anticipating his response. 

He takes a sip, it’s somewhat bitter, more savory. It reminds him of his mother’s meals. She wasn’t the best cook. Yet when it came to him and his brother, she wanted to ensure at least one meal of the day was of her hands. His mother was strict, and dedicated to the stern and rigorous ways of Lin Keui. 

But still, she loved him in her own way. Whether it was ensuring he ate well, binding up his wounds from training, or staying by his side as he fell asleep. The loss of his mother and its repercussions haunted him. No matter how many days, weeks, or years went by, there would always be something rendering his life incomplete. But here, even if it’s just for a moment, the burden of evading her memory is lifted. He allows himself to be taken back to a simpler time. 

You eat the soup in silence with him. Any attempt to obtain feedback on your cooking lies unspoken on your tongue. You are eager to ask, but something about him seems relaxed. Genuinely relaxed. So you decide you’ll wait for him to voice his opinions, but that never comes. 

He finishes the meal quietly. 

“Y/N?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

—------------------

To be honest, you don’t even like chicken and mushroom soup that much. You wouldn’t have chosen to make it, but you decide that he doesn’t need to know that. It’ll remain your secret. 

—------------------

You both retire to your quarters soon after, taking solace in a newfound sense of familiarity.

You both are yet to change in front of one another, but that’s not at the forefront of your mind. You’re content with the fact that you’ve chipped away at part of the invisible wall that resides between you both. 

The bed seems softer today, and more welcoming. And you know it’s because your husband has finally come to bed with you. Under the comforting veil of night, you dare to lay facing him and he returns the sentiment. For now, he allows himself the quaint pleasure of being able to look at you without loathsome yearning. 

You made him feel odd, dragging him out of his usual state of being to the point where it slightly unnerved him. The realization clawed its way to the forefront of his brain; that as the day went on, he didn’t find being in your company as a responsibility to be fulfilled. Your presence was comforting. 

You were tired. Your eyes start to feel heavy before a knock sounds at the door. “Who is that?”

Bi-Han gets up, ignoring your question, and goes off to speak to someone in the hallway. You can barely make out the words being exchanged, but suddenly you’re watching your husband move about the room. You avert your eyes when he gets changed, although you do sneak a glance this time. You snap out of it when he’s grabbing his mask. Your feet scramble to get out of bed and catch him when he gets to the door. Your hand grasps his forearm. 

“Wait! You have to leave now?”

“Yes.” You intake a sharp breath of air, and he seems to notice your startled state. “What?” He says in a more lighthearted tone than you’re used to, “Did you foolishly assume the Lin Keui only operated in the morning?”

“No…” You took a deep breath. You’d expect him to pull away from you and leave, but he didn’t. It seemed like he was waiting for you to lift your hand. You’ve never seen him off like this. You knew this was part of what he did, what their clan did, and still a part of you felt worried. You looked up to meet his gaze, his eyes expressed more than his mouth ever could. When you first met him, you found his eyes to be cold and calculating, but something was different now. 

“Be safe.” You said softly. Your hand gently finds its way down to his before you pull away. He gives you a small nod and moves to go out the door. You see him pause and think that maybe he’s forgotten something. But before you can ask he returns to you, grabbing your wrist and pulling you forward. He leans down and hastily places a kiss on your forehead, “I’ll return soon.” And like that, he’s off. 

You watch him leave and wonder how such a simple interaction could evoke so much warmth within you. 

—------------------

Thanks for reading 💙

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

Taglist: @jjmoonjj @ailujsenutna @weepingwillowswilly @sadsackssss @isa-gami @leonkennedy27 @darkraven01 @violetisdabest @tazahan @ackersolace @glitterywastelandwasteland @cassiecasluciluce @ghastlyrider @mmeerraa @diormnce

Some of the tags aren't working

[dear-sigyn]

THUNDER

𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕: 1.4k 𝒂/𝒏: starting to write this during my exam period wasn't my brightest idea, nor was finishing it at 2am, but hey, better inspiration always comes late at night ;) 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: none (that I think of)

You knew it was getting late, very late, and a quick glance at your watch confirmed that it was indeed already past 4am. The storm that showed up earlier in the evening was still raging outside, and each thunderclap resonated like a drum in your heart, preventing you from falling asleep.

At first, you told yourself that it was just the excessively loud noise keeping you awake, but the way your breath caught every time lightning tore through the sky told a different story: you were scared. Worse yet, you were terrified, and there was no use pretending otherwise - you wouldn’t find sleep tonight.

With a long sigh, you dragged yourself out of bed, moving around your room in search of the notebook where all your notes from yesterday are written. ‘If I have to pull an all-nighter, it might as well be a productive one,’ you thought.

However, as you turned your room upside down for your precious writings, you quickly realized they were nowhere to be found. Anxiety slowly began to grow in your chest, and suddenly, felt the weight of your worries about the upcoming heist bearing down on your shoulders.

In reality, it’s been a few days since you’ve started to dwell on everything that could go wrong. Even though the Professor's plan seems perfectly laid out, there are always external factors that we can't predict, right? But now is not the right time to worry about that.

Taking a deep breath and refocusing your thoughts, it only took 2 seconds to remember where they were, or rather, who had them.

And it was quite simple, really. After another ‘lesson’ with the Professor, Berlin asked you - not without adding a few inappropriate remarks throughout the conversation - if you could lend him your notes.

Despite his peculiar character, you got along quite well at your first encounter, and you quickly grew closer over the weeks spent together - perhaps a bit more than you should have knowing the rules - so you didn’t think too much before handing him your notebook. You had planned to pick it up later in the evening, but with the storm intensifying, you promptly retreated to your room without a word, hiding your head beneath your pillow to drown out the unsettling rumblings. It would certainly be very rude to disturb him in the middle of the night just to come pick them up, but that was the least of your concern at the moment, and the lack of sleep wasn’t making you think rationally anyway.   

So without thinking too much about the consequences that your next decision might entail if you were ever caught, you decided to leave your room, quietly closing the door behind you, and tiptoed across the hallway. 

As you arrived at his door, doubts began to form in your mind, but before they could consume you entirely you softly knocked on his door, being careful to make as little noise as possible to avoid waking others, while already anticipating his remarks about why you had come to see him this late at night.

And sure enough, when he finally opened the door the first thing you saw was a mischievous - and  tired - smile forming on his lip as his eyes met yours, “Well, who do we have here? To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit at such a late hour, cariño?”

You took a breath to pull yourself together and smiled weakly back at him “Well, you see I’m sorry to bother you at this hour but it occurred to me that you have something of mine in your possession”. He raised an eyebrow, amused, “Is that so? And what could be so important that you must come knocking at my door at …” he glanced at his watch, “... almost 5 in the morning?”

His subtle sarcastic tone didn’t escape you; he knew exactly what you were talking about. Usually, you weren’t opposed to playing along with his little games, but the thunder that continued to rumble outside and the looming threat of another lightning strike approaching made your patience wear thin, “My notebook Berlin, I need my notebook now”, at that you saw his eyebrows furrowed, maybe your tone was a little too harsh, “... please.”

“Oh, you wound me, nena. Why the rush?” he said, feigning offense. But realizing that you were definitely not in the mood, he sighed and continued in a dramatic tone. “For your information, cariño, I had planned to return it to you last night. But that was before you dashed to your room like a flash, without even saying goodnight.”, he said, raising his hand to his heart. “Are you aware of the pain it caused me?”

At that, you scoffed, “Don’t you think you’re exaggerating? Don’t tell me you’re sulking because I didn’t say goodnight; that doesn’t sound like something you would do.” He shrugged and replied, “Maybe I am.”

You were about to retort when suddenly a particularly loud thunder was heard, making you jump and utter a cry. Feeling panic starting to overtake you, you were about to glance down the hallway to check if your reaction had woken anyone up, but you didn’t get the time. With a firm grip on your shoulders, he ushered you into his room, closing the door behind you. 

You're unsure of what caused you to break down first—the sound of thunder that led to a completely ridiculous reaction in front of Berlin, his reluctance to return your notebook, the sleep deprivation, or the near-miss of being caught standing in the hallway in the middle of the night just to retrieve some notes. But you felt the first tear roll down your cheek, followed by a second, then a third, until cascades were flowing from your eyes.

When he realized the distress you were in, he tightened his arm around your shoulders, the other coming around your waist, enveloping you in a tight embrace. It was just what you needed to fully let go and release all your pent-up emotions.

While your cries increased, he gently hushed you, running his fingers through your hair. And after taking a few minutes to calm down, you finally spoke again, your voice muffled against his chest. “ … I don’t like storms,” you murmured, to which he responded with a low chuckle, “You don’t say, cariño.”

He loosened his grip to observe your face, but still feeling a bit embarrassed by the whole situation, you kept your head tucked against him. “Hey …” his hand delicately rested on your cheek, guiding your gaze toward his. “That’s it, look at me.”

“It’s not only the storm, is it?,” his fingers tenderly brushed away the remnants of your tears in a soothing gesture. You nodded slowly and tried once again to speak, but your throat tightened, preventing you from doing so, no sound coming out.

“Oh no, you don't have to tell me right now, but please don't shut yourself off from me or even the others like that anymore, hm ?”, he brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen over your eyes, “It’s not good for you.” You nodded once again, leaning your head gently against his chest as you closed your eyes, lulled by the rhythm of his breathing. You then felt your own breathing becoming steadier and the tension gradually leaving your body.

You stayed in this position, in the middle of his room, for a moment, and as you were miraculously beginning to fall asleep, the sound of his voice snapped you out of your reverie. "You can stay and sleep here, if you want”, his suggestion was made in a quiet voice, as if he didn't want to rush you.

It was certainly a bad idea, but at the moment, it was the least of your worries. You felt so relaxed, so peaceful, that you murmured a nearly inaudible 'yes' to him but due to your proximity he heard it. Berlin carefuly guided you to his bed, settling you in, and pulled the covers up to your shoulders before settling in on the other side.Finally, you felt sleep starting to kick in. But before fully succumbing to it, you sensed arms embracing you, a soft kiss tenderly placed in your hair and a hand covering your ear blocking the sounds of the thunder outside. A faint smile appeared on your lips, for the first time since the storm began, you felt safe.

first writing done!! english is not my first langage so my sincere apologies for any mistakes I tried to be careful <3

[pablitogavii]

I have a slightly strange idea, since in Spain it is hot in the summer it has occurred to me that Gavi is with his partner and that if the girl refuses to give him a hug because of the heat and the next day Pablo put the air conditioner on full (so it would be cold) for the girl to hug him. I don't know if you could do something with this

No more excuses!

"Joder! Es demasiado caliente!" you said while you were sitting on the balcony of your and Pablo's shared apartment drinking some cold lemonade trying to answer you emails.

You just had to come back inside but after collecting so much heat from the outside, you were still sweating despite the AC being turned on.

"I'm home amor!" Pablo walked in with Ale returning from the daily run. You were still confused how he could run during weather like this! That's an athlete for you haha!

He reached to hug you but you pulled back asking him to shower and he groaned giving his friend his car keys and he left before Pablo went to the bathroom to shower.

You really could care less if he was sweaty and smelly but you were just way too hot to hug anybody right now! You just needed to cool down for a few minutes.

You were sitting on the couch reading emails when he came back wanting to pull you to cuddle but you pulled back again.

"Are you mad at me or something amor?" he asked and you shook your head groaning that you were still too hot to even think straight.

"No cariño..I'm just hot!" you say closing the lap top and leaving to take a cold shower yourself hoping that would help. Pablo was left there pouting and watching some random game wishing you would just let him hug you anyways!

Even during the night, you refused to get too close sleeping in your panties and his old shirt still feeling so freaking hot. This summer was really a killer in Barcelona!

Since you knew you both needed physical contact to fall asleep you still held his hand but that's all the contact Pablo got and that wasn't what he wanted!

When he woke up the next morning, he rushed to lower the temperature so much so that you were woken up with a goosebumps all over your skin.

"Joder!" he heard rushing into the bedroom with a smug on his face while you were freaking out looking yourself fin the mirror.

"What's wrong mi amor??" he asked and you turned around with a worried face making him furrow his eyebrows.

"I think I am entering menopause amor! I was so hot yesterday and I'm too cold right now..and what if I can't have kids anymore!?" you were mumbling until Pablo bursted out in laughter.

"That's not funny cabrón! I wanted to be a mom!" you hit his shoulder quite hard but of course it didn't hurt at all and he grabbed your body pulling you close.

"And you will be in the future princesa.." he smirked and you rolled your eyes not thinking this was the time for him to be dirty.

"You're barely 20 years old amorcito, you're not entering menopause..I lowered the temperature in the apartment" he explained and you quickly calmed down now laughing at yourself realizing how absurd your conclusion was.

"Shut up! I was so scared! Cabrón! Why did you lower the temperature so much!?" you say and he chuckled kissing your head and pulling you even closer so that your hands were resting on his strong chest.

"So that you can hug me finally! And cuddle me! And sleep in my arms! I miss you amor!" he pouts and you giggle leaning in and kissing his lips lovingly giving him the biggest hug possible.

"Awe cariño..tu eres tan precioso!" you coo and he blushes while still hugging you refusing to let go.

"Menopause? Really amor!?" he teases and you both burst out in laugher while being in each other's embrace.

[urf1lterr]

lovesick | pedro pascal [1]

"and on this night and in this light i think im falling, im falling for you."

next chapter: [2] series masterlist

summary: in which a 1975-obsessed film student accidentally falls in love with an older man she can't have.

pairing: actor!pedro x intern!reader

genre: acting world!au, big age-gap!, strangers to friends- maybe lovers?? au | angst, mature, awkward, love- eventually

word count: 7.4k

status: in progress

author's note: this was supposed to only be an introduction but i ended up with a chapter lol. im sorry if its lame, i wrote this half asleep and for fun. not edited btw

"So like...are we gonna keep staring at the door or do you mind if I open it and walk inside?"

Swiftly turning your neck, you glared at your friend who was patiently waiting for your reply- probably begging on the inside to go in by how badly cold it was outside on this tuesday, new york morning.

"Just go inside by yourself!" you rolled your eyes as she shook her head.

"Uh no, for one- I can't let you be out here alone, some man could just push you in a van and sell you to the black market," Jules declared. "then I would lose one birthday gift from you-"

"I will push you in the van myself if you keep talking," you groaned, her constant rambling within the hours making your nerves worsen.

Today was the day Jules, your best friend, and you began your internship on a film set. Actually, it was yesterday, but nobody really counts the short orientation and hours of reading rules and responsibilities a real productive work day, right?

If having the worst anxiety wasn't enough, you were blessed to have been given an amazing coping mechanism of meditation- in which would've been fine with if you didn't look like a complete idiot standing up with your eyes wide open breathing slowly.

But to be fair, this really was your first day on the job. You didn't know what to expect and your friend wasn't exactly a helping hand in these situations. As she was more confident and outgoing, there you were being an introverted, awkward female with amazing music taste- that is you ever felt comfortable to let people hear your music outside of your headphones.

"I don't get just why you have to pray while staring at the door as if you wanna stare into its soul, you look weird," Jules whined, placing her hand over her eyes. "We have to be at Finn's office in 10 minutes or else we're dead."

"Fine," you huff, grabbing your bag you had placed on the floor beforehand onto your shoulder. "Let's go."

Excitedly clapping her hands together, she swung the door open before dragging you down the hall of the room towards the elevators. The two of you had to meet at a studio on the other side of the city for this internship in which wouldn't be a problem if you enjoyed traffic and the crowds of people on the street- but you didn't.

Not only did you have to take the subway and a cab one hour before your schedule 8am start, you had to deal with the troubles of waking up your night owl roommate, Jules again, without slapping her silly by how strong her eyes stay shut.

After getting off the elevators and walking closer to his office, you recognized a couple of the other interns standing around his door looking either extremely nervous, tired- or both.

Suddenly, the door opened and Finn, the man who hired you, jumped out with a bright smile.

It's way too early to be this energetic.

"How is everyone doing on this lovely, working morning?" Finn smiled, making sure to make eye-contact with every single person in the hall before continuing on with his dialogue. "I'll take this silence as a way you all express your gratitude to be able to work on a live set."

With the ongoing silence still occurring, Finn continued with, "please follow me to the room next door, that's where we'll discuss minor details before heading towards the stages."

The minor details were simple, don't screw up.

There was also little insights on what we should be prepared for- taking care of the cast and errands as the day went on.

I suppose experience is what is needed for your future so it shouldn't be a surprise that you wouldn't be around a camera for too long. But it was mentioned that overtime you would accelerate your learning to harder tasks such as on-hands work, which you were terrified over but within time you would get over it.

You had to, this was a part of your dream job after all.

The group was informed more about the project we had to assist, some new show coming out called 'The Last of Us.' To be honest, you weren't familiar with it. Some of the guys in the group threw in their input that they played the game, but you didn't know it was also a combined franchise.

You weren't exactly a gamer or horror film person.

It hadn't even come to your mind that you would be interacting with real-life celebrities until you made near a stage and felt Jules grip your wrist hard and start tugging on it to get your attention as she tried to quiet her fan girl squeals.

Looking up, you saw a group of people walking through a set with papers in their hand, laughing and chatting with one another. Truth be told, you didn't recognize any of them. Maybe you should have done more research regarding this show you know nothing about- but you heard some successful directors had openings for extra help and immediately called your friend to join with.

"Is it bad that I don't recognize any of these people?" you whisper to Jules as she screeches in low volume, shocked that you would dare say that.

"You're joking right?!" she whispers with a high-pitched voice. "Everybody knows them! They are-"

"Is that him?" you heard a girl whisper from your group, Jules stopping her almost-started rant from it. "He really is daddy."

"What the fuck?" you heard one of the guy interns whisper in confusion, looking at her as if she was delusional as she waved her hand to him to not distract her from her view.

You weren't sure who she was talking about and you really didn't want to know. She probably had some silly crush on one of the actors which would just distract her from her job, it isn't worth it.

"Yo man, why is there a line of people looking like they are held at gunpoint?" one person laughed, pointing at your group as you tried to hold back your laughter.

You were assuming the people around you guys were majority of the cast as nobody else but the camera and makeup crew were present in the room. Surprisingly enough, even after seeing them closer you still couldn't figure out who any of these actors were.

Were you really that outdated in the films you watched?

"Way to introduce yourself, Gabriel," Finn replied, giving a pat on his back before turning back to the group. "These are the new interns because you know, you guys made the last ones quit."

"Uh no I didn't, that was all Nick!" you heard a small child gasp, pointing at an older looking man. He looked a little familiar but you couldn't wrap your head around it. "He made them pick up his food orders all the way across town everyday!"

The familiar-looking man had longer hair than most of the men around. "I would've done delivery if that was an option!" The man complained, making the girl scoff in return.

Hold on, you knew that voice. You grew up with that voice.

"Wait, I do know somebody, that's Ron Swanson" you gasped, completely forgetting how loud and clear you were in your surroundings by how fazed out you were to be a few feet away from a comedic legend.

You didn't know all eyes were on you until you felt Jules heavy weight of her shoulders hit yours as she hid her face in embarrassment from your last statement causing you to look up. Everybody tried holding back their giggles as Nick just smiled proudly.

Great, you just exposed how you didn't know them in front of them. Not mortifying at all.

"Funny and smart for knowing me, I like her already," you heard Nick proudly declare, turning to Finn with a firm nod. "You better not fire her."

Feeling your face getting hotter by the second, you wished you could just hide under a blanket and stay in there forever if it meant you never had to embarrass yourself like that again. This probably looked so disreputable on your part.

"And what might this oblivious, tomato be named?" you heard a man curiously question, getting your attention by his big framed glasses on his face.

Did he just call you a fruit?

"Be nice, you're intimidating them. It's like a new fish in a big pond," an older woman responded after, trying to bring some extra comfort into the room but it was too late- you were traumatized.

"Okay, okay," the man held up his hand in defense before turning to look at you straight in the eye. "What might this unaware, cherry tomato be named? That sounds cuter."

"Uh, y/n," you awkwardly stated, holding your hands together while terribly trying to defend yourself. "And it's totally not like I didn't recognize the rest of you!" you lie, pointing at a random person next to him before speaking up again, "you're in that one brilliant movie that was so good!"

The man sheepishly smiled at you before saying, "I am just one of the cameramen, but thank you. I do get told quite a bit that I look like Brad Pitt." And that was the moment you wanted to die inside.

That's it, you're never coming back here again. You've made a fool out of yourself.

"Stop talking," you heard your friend hiss before taking a step forward to help lessen the attention on you. "I am Jules. Not fashionable like the one from Euphoria, but still very friendly and fun."

The cast all waved at her from her radiating charm that could make anyone adore her. "Thank you, Jules who isn't from Euphoria, why don't everyone else introduce themselves."

After everyone had their time to shine, you were excused for a small break as rehearsal had yet to start. You weren't complaining, you would rather be out getting coffee on the other side of town if that meant you could avoid the actors and directors at all times.

Sitting on one of the break room's couches, you felt Jules jump next to you before hitting your shoulder rapidly. "I think that one girl intern hates you!"

Trying hard to remove her fast hands off you, you gave her a confused look. "Uh why? Was it because I embarrassed us?"

There couldn't be any other reason why she might dislike you, it's not like you knew her personally or had ever met her before the last few days.

"I mean Pedro did call you cute minutes after she called him 'daddy', what do you expect?" She giggled as you gave her a disgusted glance at the last term she used. Why would she call him that and feel comfortable saying it so freely? "She's in loveeee with him."

Pedro? So that was his name.

"First of all, he doesn't think I'm cute. The name 'cherry tomato' was cute rather than a hillbilly tomato," you defended, making her scrunch her face in confusion by your nonsense. "Second, there's no way a normal woman would be that upset over one small indirect comment not made in that way."

Jules rolled her eyes by how understanding you weren't being, it annoyed her even more how oblivious- like the man had said, you were being. "He called you a cherry tomato because it has an adorable ring to it for a cute person! Therefore, he finds you pretty- end of story."

"I am beginning to think you really are delusional."

"All I am saying is be careful," she whispers seriously. "She's young and I know a lot of people who obsess over him for his looks."

"Why? He's like in his 40s-"

"Daddy issues? Gray facial hair? I have no clue what people enjoy on their free time," Jules cut you off, shrugging while you snickered. Like you never heard that excuse before.

"Can we check out the set though? I'm feeling better and want to be out there to prove how unaffected I am from earlier- but I will be hiding behind your back."

"As always," she sang, following you out the door back to the main room.

Walking out, you were determined to stay focused and think before you said something silly- which was hard. Your whole life you've always been a little dumb when reading the environment, that's not gonna change within a few minutes.

Looking through the racks of costumes, tables filled with devices you had never seen before, and cameras that were bigger than yourself, one of the interns, Joon, came up to Jules and you to inform that it was time to actually 'work.'

"Damn, I kinda liked just walking around and doing nothing but stare at the lights. Now we have to get our hands dirty for minimum wage," Jules sighed as the two of you walked in front of one of the stages.

The stage was practically empty, only a few white walls installed and chairs scattered around.

After a few minutes of hearing one of the lead director's assistant discuss the plan of going over a few scenes, it came to your realization that this was only a rehearsal.

It made sense, this building wasn't necessarily a 'survival mode" vibe. Maybe a few indoor scenes would do the job, but it wouldn't be enough for the series.

"I want you to run along with Kendall to grab some snacks, go around the room and see what we're missing and restock!" Finn brightly smiled to Jules before turning to you. "Now, what should I do with you?"

Man, you wished you could replace Kendall right now because now you were alone

"She can help me with the makeup," a lady spoke up from a few feet away. She was a very tall, black-haired woman with a few facial piercings who looked like she was in her middle 20s. "We still need to practice to see how it'll look on the screen this week"

Finn looked at you and back at her before shrugging and nodding. "Works for me." He was already walking away before he turned back around, "but don't let her apply too much, I don't want them looking caked up in front of the camera." Lightly scoffing, you made your way to the girl as he walked away.

Standing there in discomfort, you waited for her to lead you in any type of direction to make this task go by quicker. Makeup was not your thing, or at least when it came to doing someone else's.

"I'm Violet, by the way," the girl smiled kindly at you as she handed you a black apron. "You must be y/n."

Taking the apron, you opened it to find in white writing 'TLOU Crew.' "How'd you know? Did me not knowing the cast spread that fast "

Giggling, she shook her head. "Yes and no," she grabbed one of her many make up bags and began looking through it. "Your name tag."

Looking down, you forgot they had written your name on the sticker during the short-lived meeting with Finn. Redness filled your face as you averted your eyes somewhere else, too embarrassed to make eye-contact.

"Anywho," Violet chuckled while putting one hand on her hip. "I thought maybe I could do my normal routine while you can just do the small stuff like brush their eyebrows or hair."

Squinting your eyes, you just gave her a confused look. "Brush their eyebrows? Work with their hair? Isn't the eyebrows fairly too easy for you to need the help and don't you guys have certified hairstylists?"

"Would you rather do more complicated things like taking their never-ending customized coffee orders?" She replied, making you immediately reject the idea. "I volunteered you to help me because I feel like working on harder tasks your first day would only be stressful."

How thoughtful of her.

"Plus, today's not a complicated schedule-," she added as she began lining her brushes around her small table. "-think of it as a practice run over a few lines, but for multiple scenes. We probably have like max 5 people I need to work on so no need for many artists."

There was another older lady in the other side of the table on her phone, probably another experienced makeup artist who knew the drill.

"Got it, today is a light day," you responded back, causing her to smile and hand you a hairbrush.

"See, you have the right mindset," she declared, nudging her head to the side. "And you better keep it because you have your first clients coming in."

Eyes widening, you swiftly twisted your body to see two young girls and Nick come in. Three people, that shouldn't be hard.

"You better make me look adorable," Nick pointed a finger at you as he sat down on a chair near you, causing you to let out a shy laugh as Violet motioned you to come closer.

"I'm going to prep his skin, go to Bella and Nico and ask them to do the same," she advised. "They usually do it themselves on these days to make the process faster."

Nodding you walked to the two young girls, not knowing which was who. The girls were chatting with each other before one with big curls noticed your presence before smiling brightly. "Skin routine, huh? Don't worry, we were about to begin."

Immediately, you noticed her beautiful accent that caused you to stare at her in shock.

"Looks like you frightened her," the other girl laughed, making you glance at her right after. They both had the strong accent.

"Sorry!" you blush, trying to avert your eyes away from them. "I just never heard a British accent- or at least one in person before."

The first girl giggled, waving her hand as a way to prove she didn't mind. "We get that all the time when we visit, it's okay- I never really hear your accent unless I am working on a new project."

"I don't have an accent- you have one," you declare, causing them to laugh harder.

"You seem really amazed by it, is it because you fantasize over Harry Potter or something?" the second girl jokingly questioned, making you chuckle.

"I wish, but I only watched one of his movies and never read the books," you sigh before continuing. "But one of my favorite bands are British so I just get a little loss for words whenever I hear one. It's such a beautiful tone- not to be weird or anything!"

"I agree, New Yorker's just sound so...angry," the first girl shivered. "Which band are you into? Maybe we know them"

"The 1975-"

"Aww, did you do your research on me to make up for earlier," you heard a voice boost through the area. Turning around, you noticed it was the man who called you a tomato, Pedro.

He gave you a cheeky smirk with a look in his eyes as if he knew torturing you will never get old- unless of course you started crying.

"No, you idiot-," the second girl rolled her eyes as he sent her a playful glare for the insult. "-she's talking about the band."

"Wait, you were born in 1975?" you lightly asked, your mind all scrambled in your heard trying to figure out how old he would be now. "that m-

"Yes, I am old!" Pedro fake cried, holding his heart with his hand. "You don't need to remind me that these wrinkles will never go away."

"Well if you had a prepped your skin throughout the years your skin would have been as smooth as a baby's butt like mine," you heard Nick comment from his chair, eyes closed as Violet just laughed in agreement while applying sunscreen on his face.

Pedro just rolled his eyes as the first girl began talking again. "By the way, I love the 1975! Never seen them live though, but they are definitely on my playlists."

You smiled, already feeling comfortable within the environment. Maybe being alone wasn't going to be that terrible.

"I heard he makes out with fans during his concerts," the second girl scrunched her nose in disgust. "Isn't he worried he would end up catching something."

"He probably gets check ups all the time, Bella," the first girl commented, or you suppose Nico since you now know which one was Bella.

"I would catch any disease if it meant I got to kiss Matty Healy for five seconds," you replied, causing the girls to stare at you in astonishment that you just said that so freely.

Maybe talking about your favorite band is slowly making you more confident?

You heard Violet let out a loud laugh as Nick disagreed, saying something about how young girls are too adventurous nowadays but it was true. Matt Healy was a very attractive man whose kiss could probably heal heartaches.

"Isn't he like in his 30s? Aren't you a little too young to be kissing an older man like him?" Violet questioned, making you shrug.

"Maybe I have a thing for older men."

"Wouldn't call a guy who constantly makes out with fans a man," Pedro snorted. "That's a boy."

Nick hummed in agreement as you suppressed a laugh. "How old are you anyway?"

Standing up straight you stared at him and he did the same back. "Guess."

"That never ends up good," Violet chuckled before examining you up and down. "But 18."

Shaking your head, you were young but not that young. At least your skin still made you look like a teenager, god bless.

"25," Bella answered in which you denied that as well.

"29" Nico tried but was wrong.

Nick sat up from his seat to really figure out your age before easily answering "32" and becoming shocked when you denied it. "Woah, are we at least going in the right direction?"

"Violet was headed there."

Pedro sat up in shock at your response. "You're a teenager?!"

"Would it be so wrong if I was?" you questioned. "I would love to live longer."

"She's 21," the other makeup artist who was long forgotten during this conversation casually spoke up, eyes lifting from her phone. The rest of us just stared at her as she did the same back, confused. "What? She fantasizes over an older man but is doing an internship- sounds like what every 21 year-old does."

Gasping, you held a hand over your mouth as everyone laughed at how accurate she was. She was indeed right, but you wouldn't necessarily call your crush on Matty Healy a fantasy- just a strong imagination of being his lifelong lover that would probably never happen because he doesn't know you exist.

"She's right, huh" Nico spoke up as she noticed you didn't fight back.

"Sadly."

After that whole fiasco trying to find out your real age, Violet began working on Pedro after she finished with Nick. Nico and Bella were almost done with their makeup with the other artist when Violet called you over.

Walking towards the chair, you noticed that she had already finished his base with an extremely natural look, not wanting to add too much or it wouldn't look realistic.

"Can you brush his brows and apply some powder on places that need it? I need to finish Bella off with a few final touches," Violet asked, in which you nodded as she pointed to the products needed to do so. "Don't worry if you mess up, it doesn't need to be perfect."

That didn't make you feel any better.

Standing awkwardly as she walks off, you searched around her overload of makeup table to grab the items she just pointed at.

You decided to do his eyebrows first which would be extremely weird because you've never done this before- or at least to a man.

Surprisingly, Pedro hadn't teased you at all since you arrived by his side to help. He actually just laid there silent and watched Violet direct you through her moves before she left.

Maybe he was cutting you a break for once.

You were proven wrong when you leaned forward and aimed your hand towards his face before he quickly tried biting your hand, causing you to squeal and drop the brush on his face, jumping back.

"Very unprofessional," he declared, picking up the brush that had fallen down from his face to his neck up before looking up at you. "Do you hit all of your clients?'

"You did that on purpose!" you glared, smacking his arm as he sent you a playful wink.

"And what are you gonna do about it? Tell on me?" he teased until you grabbed the brush from his hands and swiped it across his brows hard, causing him to hiss in pain. "God damn, woman!"

Laughing as he gripped his forehead area, he gave you a dirty look as you begin the process of patting his face, even hitting his face a little harder than usual in some spots to make sure you got your revenge.

Once done, you examined his face to make sure you were pleased with the results- in which you were.

"All done?' Violet asked, walking up beside you, checking out your work. "Nicely done, but why does he look grumpy?" she added, as he huffed. "and why is he holding his face?"

"Who knows?" you shrug as Pedro scoffs, watching you walk away as Violet calls out afterwards that you were free to go.

As you were walking back to find where the rest of the interns were, you turned your head to find Pedro's eyes still on yours. You gave him an evil smirk as he pointed his finger at you before swiping his thumb across his neck.

You giggled, about to respond back but you were interrupted when a hand tapped your shoulder. Turning around, you find that it was two of the interns, Joon and the girl who was supposedly in love with Pedro, her name tag claiming she was Kendall.

Was this the girl that Jules went did her errands with? Most likely.

"Are you done with the makeup? We need help arranging the equipment for what's gonna be used today," Joon softly smiled as Kendall just stared at you with no emotion.

Nodding, you followed after them as they walked towards the other side of the set. Soon, you had forgotten about the actor and your little battle as endless wires and heavy weights distracted you.

It wasn't till you physically couldn't bare holding the strong stands that the three of you were told you could take a lunch break. Pulling out your phone, you hadn't realized half the day had went by with all the work you were too engaged in.

"You wanna grab lunch with us? We were thinking about going to this small cafe down the street, the reviews look great," Joon asked as Kendall just sent you a small nod in agreement.

The three of you got along pretty well during the hours you spent together. You feel closer to Joon as he did talk the most, but Kendall did try to start little talks so it wouldn't be weird.

I mean we all kind had to get along in order for this job to work.

"I would but I should look for my friend-"

"I think she had her lunch already, I saw her walking by earlier eating a burrito," Kendall replied. Of course she ate already.

Going over the idea in your head a few times, you nodded. You were starving and you suppose its better to not be a loner right now. "Why not?"

As the three of you walked through the set, you didn't miss some of the glances you guys received as your footsteps were pretty loud. It looked like they were wrapping up on one of the scenes as the director was in deep focus on whatever he was lecturing to them on.

"I hope you guys like walking because I took a cab here," Joon chuckled, causing you to laugh.

"Don't worry, I did the same."

Putting on your big coat, you waited until Kendall was done tying the scarf around her neck before walking towards the exit. Close to the door, you halted when you heard someone call your name.

"Y/n!" you saw Bella jogging towards you making Joon and Kendall freeze their movements.

Shifting slowly, you gave her a curious look. "Yes?"

"We wanted to know if you wanted to have lunch with us?" she smiled before looking behind you to find the two others. "You guys can come too!"

Swinging your arms in front of you, you reject her offer as fast as she asked you. "Oh no, no- I'm all good," you decline, not wanting to feel like a bother. "You guys enjoy your own thing-"

"C'mon, how else are we gonna tease Pedro if you aren't there to get him riled up first?" she chuckled as you felt your face on fire.

"Maybe next time?" you kindly suggest, watching as she pouts but nods.

Lifting her right hand up, she sways it around. "Alright, but don't be surprised if Pedro haunts you because of this."

"Why would he?" you heard Kendall quickly question, making Bella tilt her head at her fast counter.

"Because he's the one who asked me to invite her-." Bella casually states before turning to you. "-which you declined so I hope he teases you all week for leaving Nico and I hanging."

Ignoring the first part of her last statement, you playfully nudge her before waving your goodbyes as she skips back to the rest of the cast. Beginning your walk to the cafe, the three of you had little talk about where you grew up, which schools you attended, and why you wanted to work for the film industry.

If it weren't for the freezing temperatures you would say you really enjoyed the walk, too bad you couldn't.

It wasn't until you were seated that Kendall decided to speak her mind on what she was really curious about:

You.

"So, I wonder why Pedro specifically asked you to join him for lunch and not the rest of us?" she randomly revealed as you were taking a sip of your coffee, almost choking on it once you heard her clearly. "Do I sense favoritism?"

Joon stifled a laugh, shaking his head at her last comment. "Doubt it, but I did wonder the same thing until I realized she did help with their makeup. That's intimate enough to make her at some level close to them."

You don't really know Kendall but she's been decent enough to be around until the cast comes to mind. Maybe she wants to be close to them? You're not sure, maybe Jules was right about her all along- who knows.

What you did know though was she was very quick to question and jump to conclusions.

"What did you even talk to them about?" Kendall eyed you, making you tense up a bit. She is very intimidating when she's curious.

"Nothing much-,' you shrug, messing with the napkin in front of you. "Mainly about the 1975 since the girls are British."

"You like the 1975?" Joon asked and you nodded. "I love them!"

Ears perking up after hearing this, you smiled hard. This new information just made Joon 10x better.

"I don't know who they are," Kendall intervened, trying to find some voice in the topic.

The rest of the hour was filled with Joon and you playing the 1975's albums to Kendall as she tried her best to hide her annoyance by shoving her food in her face.

She was definitely not a fan of talent.

Going back to work was a bit easier than before after finding comfort with a lot of the people around you. The three of you were still stuck doing the same job as you heard some of the other interns were either picking up props needed for a scene or being a personal assistant to Finn.

In fact, you hadn't seen many people as rehearsal was moved to another building on the lot. Another hour or two went by before Finn went up to Joon and you to cut you for the day.

"At least we don't have to stay late," Joon beamed, taking off the gloves he was wearing before folding them back into his little backpack. "I heard he's making some people stay till 6 for some heavy-lifting duties- thank god I wasn't chosen."

"Why? Because you aren't strong enough?" you laughed as he let out a small gasp in offense.

"To think we were becoming best friends," he pouted. "But I had a back injury over a year ago so they can't really make me lift anything more than 30 pounds."

Feeling bad for teasing him, you immediately tried taking back your horrible joke. "I didn't mean t-"

"It's cool, no need to beg for forgiveness," he smiled. "Just a little something I don't tell many people, it isn't a big deal majority of the time."

Throwing a weak- but sincere smile, you nod along. Sure it wasn't a big deal right now, but later it could get worse. You didn't want him to know you felt bad but you assumed he knew by the pity upon your face.

Waving your goodbyes, you texted Jules to figure out where she was. It was a strange feeling not seeing each other all day despite working in the same building, but you did live together so it wasn't like you were missing much.

Finding her fake laughing at some guy's joke, her eyes met yours once you appeared by the door of the break room. Immediately, she patted the young boy who didn't look a day over 18 on the back before skipping happily towards you.

"I take it you had a fun day?"

"The best," she grinned, flipping a piece of hair behind her back. "I finally know what an affogato is- it really isn't that amazing as it sounds though. Just a shot of espresso poured on top of a drink."

Laughing, both of you continued down the hall in hopes of quickly finding a cab to take you to the subway. With the timing of your release, you were sure there was going to be so much traffic out these doors that you weren't ready to deal with.

Swinging the exit door open, you didn't expect to find Joon waiting outside with his hands in his pockets, looking down the street praying for an available cab to drive by.

"That hard to catch a ride, huh" Jules sighed, pulling out her phone as Joon slumped, bummed out. "Uber it is."

Seconds later you felt the doors behind you open again but didn't bother to turn, Joon and you too focused on peeking at Jules' phone as she complained about why an app that was supposed to be used when in need always took forever to arrive.

Two people walked a few feet to the side of you three and that's when you could see from the corner of your eye their figures stopping. Moving your head, you caught a view of a man scanning his phone and another glancing at you. It was Pedro.

"And what are you doing out here in the cold, you look like a chihuahua shivering to death," he chuckled, taking steps towards you.

"Is that a compliment?" you questioned, tilting your head as he gave you a smug look, making you guess for yourself.

"Pretty sure he's means you look like a rodent," Jules dryly commented, swiping through her phone before groaning loudly. "Goddammit! The nearest driver is 25 minutes away, I don't want to be waiting that long for a ride that's probably gonna be my whole day's pay."

Realizing the situation you and your friends were in, Pedro lifts a hand trying to get attention. "You guys need a ride? I drove here and-"

"No thank-," you intervene.

"-yes, please," Jules cuts you off, sending you a small glare as you gave one back.

You were not going to ask someone you met just this morning for a ride home. It's too much.

Pedro laughed at the sight of you two yelling at each other through your minds. Telepathy really works when it comes to your friends. Joon just stood there, not really caring what decision we came to terms with. He figured since Jules and you stayed with him long enough he could join along with whatever you two did, so it was up to you guys to make the final move.

"Okay, don't kill each other," Pedro joked, making you move your eyes away from Jules back to him. "How about I drive you three home and you can help me with my makeup this week- so you won't feel like you're taking too much from me."

Squinting, you made a face. "But I already have to do that- it's part of my job."

"She agreed! Let's go," Pedro exclaimed, waving his right arm to you guys to follow him, ignoring you as you tried to debate as to why doing your job wasn't helpful enough.

As Jules kept trying to shut your mouth by placing her palms on it during the walk inside the parking garage, Joon kept looking back confused. "Wait, what about the man? Was he leaving with you?"

Taking a quick glance towards the direction Joon was looking at, Pedro shrugged before pulling out his car keys. "His wife is picking him up."

Joon slowly nodded, not completely convinced that was the case but he'd let it go this time.

Hearing a car beep, you saw a very nice black car's light flash quickly. Walking up closer, Pedro went to the passenger side and opened it while staring at you. "Get in, loser."

Awkwardly standing there, you shook your head and look towards the backseat. "Uh, no- I'm fine with sitting in the back. Maybe Joon can have it since he is the tallest one here."

Joon shook his head. "I'm happy with sitting in the back, ladies first."

Pedro agreed with his last comment, lifting his head to get in the car as you continued to reject his kindness. He already offered you a ride home, you weren't able to take the front seat.

You both continued to fight about the seat before Jules flapped her arms and jumped inside instead. "We are not going to argue for hours over a seat, I'll take it."

Lowering your shoulders, you smiled as Pedro sent you a displeased look. Heading towards the door, Joon opened the door for you, kindly sending you a warm smile. You returned one back and moved to the seat behind the drivers.

Joon followed after you and sat behind Jules as you could see Pedro speed walk around the car, quickly jumping in. He turned towards the back, glancing at the two of you. "Where to?"

"Jules," you called out. She pulled out her phone and showed it to him before saying, "this is it."

"City girls," he blurted out. "The rats on the streets must be a sight to see."

"Let me see?" Joon asked before her phone was shoved to his face. "Hey, I live three streets away from here. Nice."

"We're basically neighbors," you nudged him, making him do the same as Pedro and Jules just stared at the both of you.

"Anyway," Pedro let out a small laugh, "let's go before I change my mind."

Putting the car in reverse, drive, and zooming off, we were on our way. The ride was filled with Jules playing with the radio, Pedro nicely trying to get her fingers off his screen, and Joon calling out the different trees he'd seen out the window the entire time.

At one point Joon even handed you his phone and asked for your number in case either of you needed help with the internship or the cheesy joke of one of you needing sugar in the middle of night.

Once he was dropped off, it took less than ten minutes to arrive to your apartment building.

"You can just pull in right there," Jules declared, pointing at an open spot in front of our lobby doors.

Taking a quit scan, you objected. "No, that's for emergencies only. Just go around the block, we can walk."

Jules protested, pleading Pedro to not give in to your nonsense. "This is an emergency- I want to go home already!"

"It's a red line; therefore, no parking."

Pedro laughed as you raised your voice, determined to not let him get away with this. You were not about to pay for a ticket just because she couldn't walk a few feet...and then a few more to get home.

"Is she always this stubborn?" Pedro jested, earning a hard raise of the eyebrows from Jules.

"You should see her when we study. If you aren't there on time you're kicked out of the discord." Smacking her arm, she huffs and smacks you back.

"I need to be apart of this discord," Pedro stated, making you roll your eyes.

"It's for students only, grandpa," you replied, causing him to gasp.

"That's not how you should treat someone who gave you a ride across town, intern," he retorted and pulled up along the red crub, making Jules laugh as you sent him a dirty look.

So he's pulling that card.

Jules opened her side of the door, stepping out before grabbing her bag and leaning down against the window. "Welp, I am going inside before he personally fires me for befriending you. See you inside and thanks Mr. man who can still get me fired even though he's not my boss!"

Next thing you knew, she was opening the entrance doors and sliding right inside them. It was time for you to go as well.

You could see him grab his phone, unlocking it, and then placing it right in front of your face. "Give me your number."

Scoffing, you pushed his hand away. "Not even going to ask?"

"We both know you're too difficult to easily agree to a question like that," he countered, pushing it back towards you, not leaving until you accepted it.

Was it unprofessional to be giving the main lead of a new television series your personal number? Maybe a lot of people do it, you mean there are plenty of workers who end up friends with cast members all the time on sets.

You're sure these workers have given their numbers away on multiple occasions.

Handing him back his phone, he grinned. "Great, now I can directly reach you whenever I need coffee."

"Only during work hours," you replied, shaking your pointer finger at him. "I don't get paid overtime unless I am on the clock."

He chuckled, twisting his body to get a better view of you. "Yeah, yeah. We'll see about that."

With that, he jumped out of the car and opened your car door, allowing you to step outside and be met with the freezing temperatures once again.

How much you hate the cold when its windy.

"See you tomorrow, kid," he scanned over, waiting for you to comeback with some snarky remark for his pet name.

Stepping away from his car and meeting the sidewalk, you turned around towards him to find him leaning against his door now, watching you to make sure you make it inside safely.

"Same with you- thanks for the ride, grandpa," you smirked, making him suppress a laugh as you turned your back to him again, making your way to the entrance doors.

Two feet away, you stopped when you heard him chant out your name. Seeing him inside his car with his passenger window rolled down, he tried his hardest to move his head against it to see you. "By the way," he started, "you don't look like a rodent."

Feeling flustered by the random yet sweet compliment, you tried hiding your big smile by waving him off, trying to hide your face with your hands and sped walked inside.

You hoped he didn't see the tint on your cheeks.

Unfortunately, your hopes never come true.

[kiyomitakada]

Light likes to think he is an active person. An open-minded risk-taker, if one will. When he encounters a problem, he does not shy from the challenge but faces it square on. This is why he was a pleasure to have in class.

The first time Light is strangled asleep by the ghost of L Lawliet, he decides to put these skills into practice and raid Misa's sleeping pills.

Look, it's not like Misa keeps track of them. Light's usually the one who has to remind her to take her pills in the first place; she doesn't have any sort of refill schedule other than 'when they run out.' Taking just one won't hurt.

Still. He feels oddly guilty, shaking it out of the bottle, which is stupid for aforementioned reasons; the pill, at least, goes down as smoothly as a lie.

"Goodnight, darling," Misa mumbles, when he slides into bed at last, his throat bitter and tight.

"Night, Misa."

Light always sleeps on his back with his arms locked at his sides. He has nightmares, but not usually insomnia; he curbed that after the first week of using the Death Note. He closes his eyes and drowns with ease.

-

"Misa," he says the next morning, while dumping refrigerated salad into a bowl. He drinks coffee on weekdays like these. She drinks zero-sugar orange juice. Ryuk gets an apple.

Misa startles. "Yeah? What is it, Light?"

She's stopped wearing her pigtails recently. It's just too much effort to style her hair now that she's acting in more feature films, she says. These days it falls to her shoulders, straight and blonde. It makes Light a little sick to look at her.

"When you're falling asleep," he says. "Do you ever feel like something is crushing you?"

"Uh… no?" Misa tilts her head at him. "Why would I?"

"Some sleep conditions come with full-body paralysis and the sensation of weight. I was reading about it online yesterday." He wasn't.

"Hmm. Nope! Guess I have something else." Misa shrugs, grinning. "Thanks for looking it up for me."

"Sure," Light says. He wonders, briefly, if she's lying. No. Misa would never lie to him.

-

The pill, if anything, had dragged it out longer: the (lack of) screaming, the (lack of) thrashing, so on and so forth. But it occurs to Light, as he heads into the task force headquarters, that his nightmares are blurrier now. Usually the images last until at least lunch, possibly dinner if he has to use the voice changer for whatever reason; now he finds he can barely recall whether L's eyes crinkled at the edges or not when Light was feeding him cake.

This is, naturally, a relief. Light really hates his nightmares. He doesn't know why his brain insists on inventing a kind Ryuzaki, one who laughs at his jokes and returns his empty smiles and would not have killed him even if he saw Light in his entirety, which he didn't. Whoever that man is, he's an affront to the real L's memory.

Light snickers to himself in the empty elevator. Right, because he's doing such a great job carrying L's memory already.

Maybe the tradeoff is worth it, he thinks. He never wants to see L again, of course, but he'd take the real L over some facsimile in a heartbeat. At least L doesn't talk when he's strangling him.

-

"Where do humans go when they die?"

Ryuk snorts. "Midlife crisis, Light-o?"

"What? No. I'm only twenty." It had not occurred to Light that Ryuk would think he was asking about himself. 'Humans' had seemed like such an objective, distant word.

"Maybe heaven," Ryuk says. "Maybe hell. Maybe nowhere at all."

"With — equal probability?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Ryuk says. "Gimme another apple."

"No."

There is, obviously, no way that L has made it to heaven. So that rules one out. Actually Light is pretty sure this is a reskin of the Monty Hall game show problem, but he doesn't know what reward he's hoping for.

In any case, he's done his research by now. Sleep paralysis is a common condition that affects 8 to 50% of the population, a horrifically large range that should not still be tolerated by academia. The best treatments are cognitive behavioral therapy (which he doesn't need, since it's apparently centered around getting rid of fear of the paralysis), antidepressants (he's not depressed), and 'reassurance' (he is twenty years old).

In summary, this L is just as fake as Ryuzaki. Which Light knew already. Obviously.

It doesn't matter, though. It's better this way.

-

"—Light?"

Something is encircling his wrist. His left wrist. Light instinctively tries to reach for it, but he can't move, still — black-hole gaze and taxidermied butterflies and he needs to kill him, he needs to run —

"Light!"

And suddenly it all falls away. The person in front of him is blonde and soft and not any version of L at all.

He shoves her hand away. "Misa. What's wrong?"

"You were saying something," Misa says. "Over and over. It woke me up."

What is he supposed to say to that? 'Sorry'? "What was I saying?"

"…I don't know," Misa says. "Just gibberish, I guess."

Misa would never lie to him. He swallows the sudden acrid taste in his throat and his urge to scream at her for chasing L away. L will still be here tomorrow. It's fine. "Go back to sleep then."

"Okay!" Misa chirps, and flops down beside him.

Light checks his watch. It is still only fifteen past midnight. He must not have gotten very far into sleep.

He closes his eyes and tries to summon L again, not Ryuzaki with his oddly soft hair and dark brown eyes. L who is made of cruelty and vindictiveness and tricks. L who was never human in the first place.

He doesn't find him.

[ @deathnotetober day 25: ghost ]

(A/N: halfway through writing this i realized i might be drawing a lot of unconscious inspiration from telltale, which you should read right now because it’s gorgeous and it actually happened in canon i know because i was there. i don't think they are too similar but i just wanted it on the record if you're feeling deja vu that's probably why)

[chellestrash]

Private Matters

Chapter V (18+)

CamBoy!Frank Castle x Female Reader

Story summary: After stumbling upon a cam website one night you quickly discover your favorite streamer. Unable to get the thoughts and images of him out of your mind you decide to become a supporter and the two of you grow closer to each other over time. Things get complicated when your close friend, neighbor and crush decides to express his feelings for you.

Chapter summary: You find out your neighbour Frank never left your apartment after what happened the previous night. After a nice breakfast and an interesting conversation, the man decides to prove something to you.

Chapter warnings: explicit language, explicit content, mentions of smut, teasing, pet names

Word count: 3.1k

A/N: chapter V is finally here! i am SO SO SORRY it took me so god damn long to get this out but to be honest i got a bit stuck on the story and wasn’t really motivated to continue writing it. Luckily, thanks to @chelseasdagger i managed to rework it slightly and now i’m as excited about it as i was when i first started. SO, with that i hope those of you who choose to read this will enjoy it! Let me know what you thought and if you’d like to be added to the tag list. Thank you!!

Series Masterlist

Waking up in your bed after falling asleep on the living room couch the night before catches you off guard for a moment. You sit up straight, glancing around the room as the memories of yesterday’s evening slowly come back to you. The semi successful, but not quite, date with Frank, the walk back to your place, the make out session. Blood rushes to your cheeks at that particular thought, the feeling of his tongue on yours somehow still reminiscent in a spot right past your lips. It doesn't take long for you to remember the conversation that occurred right after, the weight of your words heavy on your shoulders now. You still weren’t sure why you mentioned it all to Frank, why you couldn’t just get over the feeling stuck somewhere in the back of your head. But you were thankful for his response to the awkward situation, he didn't mind your ‘confession’ or at least, if he did, he pushed it down deep enough for you to not be able to pick up on his actual feelings. Defeated, you sigh loudly, hands rubbing over your tired eyes. You make peace with the questionable decisions made the night prior.

After stepping onto the wooden floor, you quickly take in your current state. Clothes? The same ones you wore yesterday, nothing changed, and you frown at the thought of sleeping in them. Make up? Still partially on your face. Hair? Most likely a sleepy mess. You decide to sort out all those things before anything else. You quickly make your way over to the bathroom, shutting the door behind you.

The long, warm shower is something your body longed for without you even fully realizing. It takes you a moment to prepare for the day and after changing your clothes, and sorting out both your face and hair, you make your way out of the bedroom and to the living room.

“Morning.”

Frank’s voice comes seemingly out of nowhere, and you flinch, jumping back slightly, before noticing him by the kitchen counter.

“Oh shit… sorry.”

Frank lowers his voice apologetically, despite your gestures to let him know not to worry about it as you calm down quickly, now fully aware of his presence.

“I didn't think you'd stay after I fell asleep?”

You point to the couch before turning back to face him.

“Also did you-”

He shakes his head slowly, as if already knowing your question before you say it out loud—he didn’t carry you.

“Walked you over to the bed after a bit.”

The explanation fills the gaps in your memory, and you nod when the image of Frank walking slowly by your side, guiding your sleepy self into the bedroom comes back to you.

“Didn't want to...you know.”

He nods towards you.

“The clothes? Oh! Oh yeah, no you're fine. That…yeah it's fine, I changed now.”

You smile softly, showing off your chosen outfit before stepping in his direction and into the kitchen.

“You did try to take my makeup off, though.”

You point out, partially joking and partially serious, and Frank chuckles loudly in response.

“Didn't do it right?”

“Well, you got like half of it.”

You explain, grabbing the kettle to pour yourself some tea, and he nods.

“What are you doing here anyway?”

“Made this for you.”

Frank nods towards the island, and you only now notice the big plate resting right by the edge of the counter. Your eyebrows pull together, and you look up at him, slightly confused.

“You made me scrambled eggs?”

You ask, a small smile pulling at the corner of your lips. He shrugs, suddenly changing his confident posture. His arms are now crossed over his chest, his face turned to the side, eyes no longer on yours. He wonders if that was unnecessary, maybe he made it weird.

“You don't-”

“Thank you, Frank, it smells great.”

You cut him off, sparing him the unnecessary overthinking before sitting down in front of the plate.

“Did you eat?”

He nods.

“Before you woke up…took your time."

He explains and you look up quickly with a defensive glare.

“Hey!”

“What? Half the day went by already.”

“It’s noon!”

Frank smirks at the answer, leaning over the edge of the counter.

“’S my point.”

He points out and you counterattack.

“Okay smart ass, it's my day off, so I can do that if I want, actually. You're the one who's over at a friend's place in the middle of a work day.”

You point out and Frank stands up straight, clearing his throat while his body suddenly tenses up slightly. With arms crossed in front of his chest, Frank's black, semi tight-fitting shirt struggles to stretch over his chest and you find yourself staring at the way the fabric pulls over his body.

“Yeah well...”

He frowns, thinking over his words for a moment before letting out a loud sigh. You watch as he pulls his phone out to check something.

“Doesn’t start ‘til later.”

He explains and you smirk playfully.

“Later? I thought half the day went by already.”

Point for you. Frank's posture changes again after the tease. His body relaxes some, his arms drop and he scoffs, shaking his head.

“Okay. You win, happy?”

He admits his defeat, and you finish up your breakfast with a nod and a cheerful smile. Grabbing the plate to carry it over to the sink, you go back to the topic of Frank's employment after coming to the conclusion that if someone were to ask you what your very close neighbor Frank Castle does for a living, you simply would not be able to provide an answer.

“Okay so…what do you do for work, like actually?”

Setting the plate off to the side of the sink to dry, you then turn back to face him again.

“Why?”

He frowns, clearly slightly hesitant to answer the question.

“Just curious.”

You shrug, an innocent smile on your face and he watches you for another moment.

“I mean…I don’t-”

Frank starts, taking a deep breath in, and you watch him think about the answer before continuing.

“You meaaan? You don’t know?”

“Well, shit it’s like…”

He frowns, frustrated at himself for a lack of the ability to find correct words to explain this to you properly.

“Yeah?“

You lean on the counter, nodding encouragely, awaiting his answers with anticipation as you watch him settle on the answer.

“Media.”

“Oh…”

You attempt to picture Frank working for some company at a small desk in front of a computer screen and frown at the thought.

“Disappointed?”

You glance back up, and your eyes open a little wider, before you shake your head quickly.

"No, no, I’m just trying to picture it like...what part? Like... managing social media? You don’t seem like the type...no offense.”

You follow up quickly with a slightly concerned expression glancing back at him.

Frank chuckles softly, shaking his head to let you know it’s alright and you didn’t strike him too hard with your observation.

“Okay, cause if it’s not managing, then what is it? Like vlogs or?”

You throw the idea at him and Frank is the one to frown this time, clearly "offended" that you could think so low of him.

“You always ask so many questions? Hmm?”

The man leans over to the other side with a stern expression and a raised eyebrow, attempting to get you to switch your focus.

“Only when I’m talking to a cute guy.”

You shoot, and he’s unable to dodge it. The frown slips away in exchange for a playful smirk. Squinting his eyes as if to make sure you won’t backtrack on your words, he's scans your face for another moment before dropping his gaze.

“So, it's not just that you interrogate people, you also lie, huh?”

“Well, you can either accept the compliment or answer the question.”

You smile innocently, leaning forward a bit closer to him now. Frank scoffs and looks off to the side after a couple seconds of eye contact before scrunching his nose and turning back to face you.

“How 'bout I ask you something now?”

He tries.

“Oh, I am an open book, Castle, you can’t get to me.”

“Yeah? wanna bet?”

Propping your head in your hands, elbows on the counter, you raise your eyebrows, feeling fully comfortable with your statement.

“Try me.”

“So, the guy you told me about?”

In that second, your stomach sinks and your body tenses up before he even finishes the question and your previous statement crumbles completely.

“Yeah, what was that? Open book?”

"Oh, haha, shut up.”

You push yourself away from the counter and make your way over to the living room part of the space. Leaning against the armrests of the couch, you cross your arms in front of your chest and sigh, trying to subtly escape Frank's eyes.

“Are you two like a thing?”

“What?”

You look up, and he finds your eyes.

“You said you do phone stuff, so... You two a thing?”

“Oh god, Frank, no, no, it’s not. No, there’s no 'thing'.”

He nods, silently thinking over your answer.

“You like him?”

Frank asks, and you dwell on how heavy the conversation suddenly feels. You shake your head slowly, and he frowns, his eyes searching for yours as he tries to decipher your thoughts without actually getting to hear them.

“You don’t like this guy, but you-"

“I don’t know him, Frank; how could I like him?”

You mumble quietly, your eyes focused on your feet.

“Well shit,”

Frank starts, and you look back up, thankful for his now nonchalant tone. You know he realized you felt guilty about the whole thing, it was his attempt to make you feel better.

“The guy clearly doesn’t know you either.”

He walks over to you, crossing the distance between you two in a few steps. You watch him confusedly, your head tilted up slightly, your eyebrows pulled together in curiosity.

“Clearly?”

He nods, filling the empty space between the two of you, his thumb gently rubbing over your chin as he tilts your head up to have you look at him.

“If he did, it would be a thing. Or at least you’d see him try to make it a thing.”

His touch makes your body relax almost instantly, his now quiet, low and raspy voice only adds to the comforting sensation as your eyes find his.

“You're saying that if this random guy knew me better, he'd like me or…try to get with me?”

Brushing his finger down your cheek, Frank smirks softly.

“Mean…why wouldn't he? Huh?”

The corner of your lips pull up at the words when you spot the perfect opportunity to tease him one more time.

“You getting soft on me, Castle?”

Biting into your lower lip, you watch Frank turn away with a cocky smile and you lean to the side, not wanting him to be able to slip away from you that easily.

“Huh?”

You press forward, and he shakes his head. Turning his face back to you, he nods slowly.

“Getting soft? On you? Sweetheart, you're really asking me that after yesterday? 'Mean...you felt it.”

Feeling your stomach cramp at the pet name, you do your best to remain collected and confident.

“Well...maybe you just wanted to be polite.”

Hooking your fingers on the belt buckles of his jeans, you pull him closer to you. The loud, raspy laugh rumbles through your body, and the sight of Frank's big smile makes you smile right back at him.

"That what you think, huh?”

He asks, whispering the question against your lips as he leans in closer to you.

“I mean, how would I know?”

You purr, pushing your hands against his chest, rubbing them up and down his torso, encouraging him to push forward.

“Want me to show you how?”

He glances down, his eyes now on your lips, before he looks up at your eyes again, licking his lips quickly. The low, rumbly voice travels through your body, down and between your legs and you push them together, hoping he wouldn't notice. You nod, stepping up even closer, your bodies now pushed up against each other, your leg nudging between his.

“Yeah?”

“Mhm.”

A quiet hum is his confirmation, and he lifts his big hands up, cupping your face before his thumbs brush over your cheeks. Your body relaxes into the warm touch, one hand on the back of your neck now as he holds you close to him, and his lips brush over yours gently.

"Yeah, okay, I'll show you.”

He mumbles against you, his tongue brushing over your lower lip, before he finally pushes into the kiss. You hum quietly, and your hands find their way to the back of his neck. The short hair prickles your palm as you rub over it, pulling slightly. Frank grunts into the kiss, his head tilting to the side the second his tongue slips past your lips. He deepens the kiss, and you moan quietly against him. His hands linger up and down your body, resting on your lower back, before he pulls you in closer. After dragging your nails down his neck, you move your hands back to his chest. His body is so close to you now. Your palm sliding lower and lower over the belt buckle and the zipper of his jeans. He grunts into your lips, breaking the kiss when your palm rests on the bulge between his legs. Rubbing your hand against his cock through the fabric of his jeans, you watch as his eyes close, his jaw tightens, and you swear you can feel him twitch in your hand. Pulling away, he glances down between your bodies, huffing through his nose loudly. You press your lips against his neck and feel his hand digging into your lower back as he longs to feel your body on his.

“You feel that?”

He asks, his big hand now over your smaller one, his cock warm in your palm.

“What was it? Getting soft, huh? You still gonna think that?”

The questions rings out in your head, and you tighten the grip around him. His hips push into your touch…unintentionally? Maybe he did it just to get to you.

“Oh no, Castle, I think you managed to convince me.”

Pushing a strand of hair away from your face, Frank tucks it behind your ear before dragging his finger down your cheek. Tilting his head down, he glances up into your eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Mhhmmmm.”

You purr seductively and squeeze him, probably slightly too tight. A low grunt leaves his throat while he grabs your wrist, quickly pulling it away.

“Think maybe that’s enough, huh?”

His intimidating tone slips through his words, but you’re already lost, gone too far to turn back now. Before he’s able to react in any way, you push your other hand against him.

“Shhit-“

Your lips are back on his, your now louder moans successfully winning him over. Stumbling through the room and around the furniture, you make your way over to the couch. Frank falls first, panting as he sits down on the couch, pushing his legs apart. He doesn’t take more than a second to catch his breath before pulling you into his lap. You grind down onto him, your body rocking gently on his. His fingers wrap around your neck when his lips find yours one more time.

You hum softly, pleased with the sensation, and Frank scoffs loudly.

“Jesus Christ.”

He shakes his head, quickly looking down once he feels your hand on the buckle of his belt.

“Yeah, let me-“

His hands on yours again as you both struggle to undo the buckle for a moment. After you unzip the fly, Frank pulls the fabric of his jeans apart, lifting his hips up slightly with a grunt to pull them down some more.

“Go ahead, sweetheart.”

You glance down at him, eyes widening at the sight of the bulge in the gray fabric of his boxer briefs. With your heart pounding against your chest, you reach your hand out, and Frank pulls you back into a kiss. Your fingers hook over the hem of his underwear, and your hips push forward on their own at the image in your head. The heat of his body is so prominent against your own now and you moan knowing the feeling of him inside you is so so close now.

Phone. You pull away quickly, a confused expression on your face, when Frank curses loudly, reaching to the back pocket of his jeans to pull his phone out.

“God, f- god damn it.”

He groans while checking the alert.

“It’s um…”

He turns the phone for you to read it as well.

“It’s work.”

It takes you a moment, but you finally move, breathing out a quiet laugh before turning the alarm off.

“Media?”

He breathes out a quiet laugh, clearly frustrated but thankful for your way of searching for a comedic relief in a shitty situation.

“Media.”

He nods, hands rubbing over the sides of your body as he allows you to make the decision. You nod now, a soft, understating smile on your face, before letting out a loud sigh and leaning closer to him. Pecking at his lips softly, you somehow get rid of his frustration, not fully of course, but enough. You push yourself off his lap and sit next to him on the couch. Frank drags his hand down his face. One more loud sigh before he somehow manages to pull himself up and off the couch.

“Listen I-”

He starts, hands working the zipper close as he talks to you.

“It's fine, don’t worry.”

You explain, and even though you mean it, he clearly doesn’t believe you, and you don’t blame him. Despite knowing this wasn’t anyone's fault, the disappointment is difficult to push down or mask.

“I’ll make it up to you, yeah?”

You nod, but he’s still not fully convinced.

“Hey, I’m talking to you.”

Leaning over you, he doesn’t leave you much choice but to look up at him.

The slight disappointment in his own eyes, the honest tone of his voice, and his gentle touch on top of your leg—you can’t help it. Your expression softens with his words, and Frank picks up on it the second it happens.

“Attagirl, there she is.”

You roll your eyes at the pet name, but your smile is still present.

“I’ll make it up to you, yeah? Promise.”

He pecks at your lips quickly, and you do the same. One more kiss before you finally nod again.

“Okay.”

You mumble against him and push into his lips one last time before he stands up straight in front of the couch. Clearing his throat, he fixes his belt. Your eyes drop to the still prominent impression of his cock between his legs, and your thighs push together at the thought, once again.

“Right, I’ll-”

“Mhm, go do your media then.”

You both laugh, and Frank shakes his head.

“I’ll text you later?”

You nod again, a soft smile on your face, as you watch him wave before he shuts the door behind him.

You sigh loudly before falling back onto the couch. Staring at the ceiling you replay the last couple minutes in your head over and over again. The tingling sensation between your legs stubbornly remains with you despite your wishes. The pure frustration of the situation only strengthened by the overwhelming longing for his presence, his touch. Hiding your face in your palms, you take a big, deep breath before grabbing the nearest pillow. You push it against your face and with your eyes closed and the feeling of Franks hands on your body still present you let out a frustrated, muffled scream.

Taglist:

@chelseasdagger @lorilane33 @dreadfulxives18 @5thelement @desert-fern

@joybabyjune @ohgodthebogisback

@barnesbabee @babeincolor @liadamerondjarin @therashslingingslasher @lostfleurs @httpwintersoldier @witchychanel @atemydadforbreakfast @sumo-b98 @lunaticgurly @mattmurdocksstarlight

[averillaratargaryen]

“A Better Man.”

Chapter XXXIV

“We must think of something to do, now that Aegon has left” Ser Cole was stood, as he held his child in his arms, rocking him side to side.

Alicent, who sat facing away from him, sighed to herself, wondering what she could have done differently, in order for Aegon to have stayed by her side.

“You did the best you could. He is blinded by love, it is not your fault” Ser Cole responds.

“But it is” Alicent turns to face him, “I let this happen. I took it upon myself to have him sit the throne. I-!”

“It is his birthright, your grace. He is the King’s first born son” Cole responds.

“And yet, my husband had named Rhaenyra his heir” Alicent reminds him.

“It was his choice to see the truth toward the end. He made sure to tell you, in order for you to take it upon him, and name your son the King” Cole took his hand to comfort her, as he craddled her cheek with it.

Alicent smiled, before she whispered, “how is the pain?”

They both look down, to where once testicles lay, before Cole looked up, “it is healing. The pain was much worst yesterday than it is today. But the pain does not matter. This pain does not matter. What matters is what we go forward with.”

“I do not follow” Alicent responds.

“We need to replace Aegon” Cole lay down his child gently, in his crib, as he found him to be sound fully asleep.

“We can not” Alicent shook her head no, “I forced him on that throne, what will others think for me to then replace him.”

“They will think that he is led astray by a bastard. That is the truth, and you know it yourself. You are protected, and you have many people who fall behind you. It is your word over Averillara’s” Cole encourages her.

“And who will we replace him with?” Alicent asks.

“Aemond” Cole responds.

-

“If we fight this war, we must fight to win it” Averillara suggests.

“And that is why I proposed our dragons” Jacerys responds.

“Our dragons are not slaves, Jacerys” She looked to her brother in disappointment, “

“We can not fight without them!” Jacerys looked to her as though she were mad, “dragons are what keep us safe.”

“Your grace” Rhaenys spoke, as she were to put her input.

“Just one moment” Averillara glanced to her before looking back to her brother, “if we fight with our dragons, we will only be fought back with the same fire. do you know what would happen if we create a war with the dragons?"

She looked to her brother to await his response, yet he did not have one to give, “"innocent people will die, Jacerys. Mother has always warned us to never fight with our dragons, you know this.”

“Daemon had fought for my husband during the War for the stepstones” Rhaenys points out.

“Caraxes was still a great part of the war” Daemon responds, “as much as you wish to fight this war peacefully, it can not be done, your grace.”

“You raided the Stepstones, with over a hundred men. We now have more than a thousand men sworn to fight for me” she then turns to Jacerys, “along with the two thousand men promised to me by Lord Cregan Stark.”

“Let us not forget, Lady Jane had pledged her support, with a dragon in return to protect the vale” Rhaenys reminds them.

“We have enough men to take down the red keep and everyone in it, without a dragon” Averillara looks toward Daemon, “you have fought with your sword, Jacerys has much training, as do I.”

“You can not fight this battle, your grace. You must stay in Dragonstone, where you are protected” Rhaenys takes a step forward.

“It is my war. I must” Averillara responds.

“We can not lose you, it is too dangerous. Vhagar protects the red keep, and we will be going with no dragon. It is possible for death to occur” Jacerys stops her from thinking for herself to join this fight.

“Vhagar will not be guarding the Red keep” Aegon responds, his voice causing everyone to turn and face him, “he plans to ride out to gain supporters for his claim to the throne.”

“But he has no claim” Jacerys responds, “he has no right!”

Daemon chuckles, not surprised by Aemond’s idea to usurp the throne from his brother, “it is in the family’s blood I suppose.”

Averillara stood quietly, as she had come face to face with Aegon, as did he, when he looked back toward her.

The two looked at one another in silence, the lingering gaze falling upon them, desperate and exhausted, by all they have had to endure for the past years.

“You should not be here” Jacerys walks toward Averillara, facing him.

“I understand your anger, but I have every right to be here” Aegon responds.

“And what right is that?” Jacerys asks.

As he took a step forward, Daemon put his arm out to him to stop him.

“I made an oath. To my sister, and to my wife” Aegon responds, his eyes continuing to linger onto Averillara’s, “this loss was much of mine as it was yours. I chose you, as my Queen. I pledged an alliance, and made a promise.”

“And what have you done about this loss?” Jacerys asks, “what have you done, about the guard, who was stood on the nights watch, and saw my sister being taken away?”

Aegon cleared his throat, as he looked at them, having no clear way to explain it, “I had his genitals fed to my dragon.”

Daemon let out a chuckle, as he shook his head, looking down.

“That is all?” Jacerys asks, “he and your brother Aemond should be hanged!”

“It is not my place to make that order!” Aegon shouted out in exhaustion.

“It is mine” Averillara spoke.

Looking back at her, with his eyes full of tears, Aegon found himself torn apart, before her.

…

Averillara and Aegon were now both stood in her chamber, facing one another, yet neither making eye contact.

“You should not have come here” Averillara tells him.

“You are my wife, Averillara. I- you told me the loss of our child by sending me a raven! I have been losing my mind!” Aegon responds.

“And I have not?” Averillara asks, “I have been losing my mind since the moment I was put on that throne!”

“I did not want this for. For us. I swear it to you, that I love you” Aegon spoke softly, as he took a step toward her.

Yet she took a step back, her eyes continuing to look away, causing his face to fall with much more sadness than before.

“Everything that has gone wrong, between me and my family.. it has all been due to your family and their mistakes” Averillara whispered, as she tried her best to cover her shaken voice.

“I do not stand for what my family does. I have been by your side through out this all, you know this” Aegon pleaded.

“My brother is dead, Aegon! My mother and brother, their deaths were both planned under your mother’s orders, to say the least. Our child died, under the roof of the Red Keep. It is clear I am not safe beside you” Averillara finally looked toward him.

Despite the topic of conversation, Aegon found it to some relief, to have Averillara look at him.

“What would you have me do?” Aegon asks.

“Leave” Averillara responds, “before anyone else from my family is to become the next victim.”

“Averillara, please” Aegon cried out, “you can not blame me for this, I know you do not blame me for this.”

“Why not?” Averillara asks.

“You are the Queen!” Aegon responds, “if you had ordered them dead, rather than to forgive, I would have stood by your side.”

“I can not order anything. Not under the roof of the Red Keep” Averillara shook her head.

“Why not?” Aegon asks.

“I am a woman, Aegon. A bastard, woman. In what universe would I be given the right to have a say. It was your word, over mine, and not once did you think to take charge in this decision” Averillara was quick to wipe her tears, as she sobbed out her last words, no longer hiding her emotions.

“It is so much that you are blaming me, yet you trusted Camyla despite my words to you, that she is a witch” Aegon responds.

“This is not about her-!”

“She is who killed our child!” Aegon shouts back, “I told you to let her go. I told you it is not safe to be around her, and yet you still bought her with you!”

“And whose fault was it that I was left alone with her?” Averillara asks.

To which Aegon gulped, as his eyes fluttered.

“Your mother’s affair” Averillara spat out.

She turned away from him, walking toward her window as she left him standing, facing her back.

“So what now?” Aegon whispered, after their minute of silence.

“I will not return to the Red Keep. Not until this war is over” Averillara responds, before turning around, “we can not stay with one another. Not after everything that has happened.”

“So that is it?” Aegon asks, “you no longer wish to be my wife, is that it?”

“I wish for the justice of my family” Averillara responds.

“And yet the injustice was not caused by me. But my family” Aegon nods, as he looked away, his heart broken.

Averillara held onto her dress, tightly, gripping it with tense, as her fingers trembled.

“But I will not leave” Aegon made his point clear, “I promised my sister and I will not go about it any other way. I will die, if I have to. But I will, knowing I did not turn away from my oath. Your grace.”

His refer to her, had Averillara’s heart pang in regret, as she looked up to watch him walk out.

As he closed the door behind him, Averillara slid to her knees, before her head hit lightly, against the bed frame.

She covered her mouth, as her cries became silent, blocking her sobs to be heard.

Outside her door, Aegon stood, his eyes on his hands that continued to hold onto the doorknob, wishing to walk back in and take her forcefully.

But he knew it was best to give Averillara her space. It was what she needed.

It was what their relationship needed.

To be apart, in order for them to understand the truth; they can not win without one another.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

it’s a bit of a short chapter, but the next one should be longer <3.

chapter 35

[beomgyuslilracha]

the ceo's son ✧.* [ pt. 7 ]

⊹ pairing: choi soobin x f! reader

⊹ genre: strangers to friends to potential lovers

⊹ warnings: tiny death joke again, sorry - i do that a lot

⊹ wc: 4.1k

summary: you've been an intern at c company for roughly over four months now - directly under the ceo as his assistant. everything was going perfectly: you were saving up money to attend uni next year, and you knew that you were under the ceo's good graces to receive a great recommendation when the time came! in fact, he took a liking to you so much that he'd often joke that he wanted to set you up with his son. at least ... you thought it was a joke.

your entire body and soul was absolutely reeling from the second you went to sleep, to when you woke up this morning, and even by the time you were back at work.

just as usual, it was none other than choi soobin who occupied the reserved location in your mind. at this point, he was truly living rent free in your head with an ocean view.

this time, in comparison to the last, it was on a much happier note. all you could think about, from the moment the two of you parted ways last night, was the delicate softness of his lips as they pressed against your knuckles in the form of a goodnight.

you practically cradled your hand the entire night as the smile on your face permanently glued itself to your lips.

despite having been exhausted before, soobin's gesture ended up waking every nerve in your body. it erupted from where his lips had first grazed your hand, traveling all the way to your heart and igniting endless fireworks.

it took you way too long to fall asleep after that, unable to keep yourself from giggling every few seconds as you felt the ghost of his lips again and again.

"miss y/n, you appear to be much happier this morning," mr. choi's voice spoke through your daze - causing you to realize you had been mindlessly cradling your hand again as you thought back to soobin's kiss.

blushing in embarrassment, you found yourself pursing your lips together to suppress the giant grin that was threatening to reveal itself. "yes i am, sir," you answered simply.

you had turned back to the files placed in front of you, getting back to work to organize everything you had missed from yesterday. you were surprised there wasn't as much as you had expected, but you were definitely not one to complain.

although, while you had distracted yourself, you didn't realize the seriousness that had suddenly overcome the ceo's features.

he was delighted to see you happy, of course, don't get him wrong, but he couldn't help but to ponder on a very suspicious feeling as to why.

after a few more minutes, mr. choi had spoke up again. "do you have any prior plans for lunch today, miss y/n?"

the answer to this was a definite yes.

with his son.

although, you and soobin were still in agreeance to keep his father from meddling between the two of you. sure, he was the reason that you two came together in the first place, but you both would rather it be left at that.

with your friendship going as smoothly as it was, neither of you were open to the idea of the grown man forcing anything to occur if neither of you were ready.

of course, you agreed to this matter before you realized your developed crush on his son, so you were no longer as opposed to the idea of his father attempting to play cupid.

"i do, sir, with ... a friend," you finally answered him, though scolding yourself in your mind for hesitating.

just as you were afraid of, the ceo picked up on it. he figured not to pry for an excuse this time, though - instead, he opted for a different approach.

"ahh, you can't keep avoiding lunch with your boss forever," mr. choi grumbled now, standing from his desk. "i expect you to join me this afternoon. i will not take no for an answer."

you gulped, trying your hardest to not scream at the man.

the last thing you wanted to do was upset him, but that didn't exactly mean you wanted to tell him the truth either.

"but- but sir, i told you, i already-"

"with who, hm?" he began to interrogate, his eyes narrowing as he studied your features. "another boy? is it a date?"

your mouth dropped and your entire face began to glow the deepest shade of red from embarrassment. his sudden questions caught you completely off guard, leaving you completely unprepared to answer the jealous man.

this finally allowed you to realize that mr. choi was wholeheartedly accusing you of avoiding lunch with him because you were seeing another boy, thus betraying his own son.

what he didn't realize was that his son is the other boy!

"sir, i'm not- no, there's no-," you turned towards a thoroughly shocked mr. jeong, silently pleading for at least some sort of assistance.

clearing his throat, and trying not to laugh as well, mr. jeong finally stepped up to play middleman.

"mr. choi, it is inappropriate to accuse your intern of any personal affairs that she may be a part of," he explained formally, adjusting the glasses that were resting on the bridge of his nose. "and miss y/n, surely it wouldn't be an issue to join your ceo for lunch at least once more?"

his statements left both you and mr. choi equally stunned, seeing the faults in both of your standpoints.

mr. choi realized he was completely overreacting, getting too ahead of himself and his investment in your relationships. he felt embarrassed for having acted unprofessional in a matter that did not concern him one bit.

you, on the other hand, did also find it unfair to have been rejecting mr. choi's lunch invitations every single day. even though it cut into time you could be spending alone with soobin, you figured it couldn't hurt to throw the man a bone every now and then.

clearing his throat, mr. choi spoke first.

"i do apologize for my behavior, miss y/n. it does not matter to me what you do in your free time, and i hope that you would forgive me for my unprofessional behavior this morning."

breaking into an amused smile, you let out a small chuckle. it was now the second time that the most important figure of the entire company was apologizing to you, and it was still just as funny as before.

"i accept your apology, mr. choi," you bowed, trying to suppress a giggle as well. "i also want to apologize for not making any time to join you for lunch. i would be happy to accept your invitation this afternoon."

your final words earned a beaming smile from the grown man. completely forgetting your earlier squabble, he immediately began rambling on about making the perfect reservation at some restaurant he recommended, but you didn't pay too much attention.

you were too busy thinking of how you were going to warn soobin.

excusing yourself for a brief moment, you stepped out of the ceo's office and into the empty hallway. making sure to distance yourself from the door, so as not to risk any eavesdroppers, you dialed soobin's number.

the first ring alone had your heart racing, and you couldn't help but to feel silly. you both have spoken on the phone many times by this point, but the butterflies in your stomach still grew nervous at the thought of hearing his voice.

"y/n? hey, give me one second," soobin's beautiful voice finally came through after two rings. after a few seconds, his voice came back. "okay, what's up?"

"i needed to tell you that your dad kind of cornered me into accepting lunch with him today," you told him, chewing nervously on your lip as you waited for his response.

you could hear him sigh on the other, and you began to wonder if he was pouting in that cute way he usually did. "does that mean we have to act like we barely know each other in front of him?"

"unfortunately yes," you giggled. "as far as he knows, we've only met about twice now."

"ahh this crazy man," soobin groaned, and you could even picture him shaking his head on the other end. "i guess i'll wait for his message about where we'll meet then."

"at least i'll still get to see you," you cooed, only slapping your hand over your mouth a second too late.

you began to furiously motion slapping your own forehead at your stupidity, only refraining from actually doing so incase soobin happened to hear over the phone. you couldn't believe you blurted something so embarrassing without even thinking about it.

"trust me, i can't wait to see you either." your heart practically flipped at his words, and you wished it was as easy to race across the city to see him now. "i should probably get back to ... class now, though."

"you were in class?! why did you answer then?" you began to scold him, looking around the empty hallway in a panic. you felt as if you were about to get in trouble for ditching.

"because it was you," soobin stated simply, but he was glad that you couldn't see how badly he was blushing on the other end. he was practically screaming in his own mind for saying something so bold.

you were quite sure that your soul just ascended. your racing heart was really the only sign that you still remained in your body at all.

he was definitely going to kill you at this rate.

"you're so dumb," you mumbled, blushing furiously and feeling the entire room heat up by 20 degrees. "get back to class already."

"alright, fine. i'll see you at lunch, y/nie."

"and i'll see you at lunch, binnie."

・❥・

you seriously couldn't imagine a single moment since you've known him that you had seen mr. choi, a fully grown man, so giddy and excited like a child – except for maybe the last time he had planned for you and soobin to get together.

"you're going to really enjoy what this restaurant has to offer," mr. choi had told you during the drive, chuckling mischievously to himself.

you were already fully aware of his little plan, but you couldn't help but to find the situation so funny.

he wasn't even trying to be subtle.

while you were sitting beside mr. choi, you were trying very hard to hide your phone from view while secretly messaging with soobin.

apparently he had arrived first, just like last time, and was waiting for you both at the front entrance.

your knees began shaking excitedly at the thought of being able to see soobin again. you only wished that his father was not tagging along to ruin the moment.

another downside was knowing you'd have to pretend to be unfamiliar with soobin in front of his father. instead of being able to feel his comforting arms engulf you in the most heaven-inducing hug, you figured you'd have to result back to an awkward handshake instead.

you only hoped that mr. choi would take his leave early on as he had the first time, allowing you both to be comfortable with each other again.

when the two of you arrived to the restaurant, which you couldn't help but to feel way too underdressed for, you immediately spotted the tall boy waiting beside the entrance just as he said he would.

it took every fiber in your body to keep yourself from running over to him.

you were seriously going to lose your mind.

"ah, what's this? my son! good to see you!" mr. choi announced, acting surprised for some reason - as if the two of you didn't know full well that this entire lunch was a setup.

"dad, don't pretend like you didn't invite me here," soobin grumbled, rolling his eyes at the man.

this caused mr. choi to begin clearing his throat awkwardly, having falsely hoped that soobin would play along with his act. he did not account for him exposing his plan within seconds of greeting each other.

as he then went on to explain something about treating you both to a meal, you and soobin met eyes and stopped listening to anything else instantaneously. it felt as if you were having a million conversations at once, not needing any words to communicate. the two of you were suppressing the urge to laugh, wanting desperately to cut the act and embrace one another as tightly as possible.

and this was from only two minutes of being in each other's presence.

"well, if you two are ready, we may go eat now," mr. choi called out from the doorway, smirking pridefully at the way he caught your little staring contest.

with both of you blushing profusely, soobin then allowed you to enter ahead of him before following his father into the restaurant. unlike last time, mr. choi ended up following all the way to the table and even settled into one of the chairs.

once he insisted for you and soobin to sit side-by-side across from him, you came to the dreadful realization that the man did not plan on leaving this time around.

this was going to be a very difficult lunch for you.

although, it was going to be even more difficult for soobin.

when he had told you earlier that he was in class, he was actually in a ... rather different class than you would've expected. he was, truthfully, enrolled in a free course that was teaching him a little something that wouldn't exactly be considered education-based.

flirting 101.

with a certain four idiots playing the role as his professors.

in an attempt to slowly ease into expressing his feelings for you, soobin had shamefully turned to his friends once again for advice on how to properly flirt with you.

some of the suggestions he was given were a little too bold for his taste, such as something called a 'kabedon' that yeonjun told him about, but he was eager to try some of the smaller tips.

unfortunately, now with his father present, soobin wanted to explode in frustration at losing any chance he may have had.

he did pull out your chair for you to sit, but it wasn't enough for him to consider flirting - it was more so being respectful and polite than anything else.

the gesture still made your heart flutter, of course, but soobin didn't know that. he took your small smile as a simple thanks rather than you trying to keep yourself from melting into a puddle.

"miss y/n, did you know my son here is going to be graduating from university soon?" mr. choi spoke up, beginning the typical act of bragging about his son again.

you did know this, actually, but he didn't know that.

"no, i didn't. that's amazing to hear, i'm sure you must be proud," you spoke simply, avoiding looking directly at soobin in the fear that you'd end up bursting out laughing.

"come on, tell miss y/n about all the work you do," soobin's father urged him, giving a pointed look to force him to brag about himself to impress you.

soobin waved his hands in a small refusal, shaking his head as he turned a shade of pink all over. "i really don't do that much."

"nonsense, soobin, you're a hard worker! i know you're very passionate and determined, don't be shy!"

soobin was none of these things.

he was honestly pretty sure he had been cheating an entire class with beomgyu this semester, but he was not about to admit that in front of you or his father.

figuring his son to be a lost cause, the next few minutes consisted of mr. choi promoting soobin to you himself. he told you all about his achievements from when he was younger and even boasting about his talents.

as he spoke, you found yourself genuinely intrigued. you weren't about to deny the opportunity to hear more about soobin's childhood, so you listened intently while an amused grin graced your lips.

soobin, meanwhile, was chewing on his bottom lip as he watched you from the side. you were absolutely breathtaking to him, and he wished he could casually reach over and tuck your hair behind your ear like they do in the movies - a suggestion taken, surprisingly, from beomgyu.

after having been listening to a fascinating karaoke story from soobin's father, your entire body suddenly jolted up as a sudden spark emitted from a place on your thigh.

you no longer could process anything around you, only focusing on the new presence of soobin's hand.

every butterfly in your system was awake once again, fluttering in every part of your body. there was no way no one in the entire restaurant could not hear your pounding heart at this rate, as you were pretty sure it was about to burst out of your chest at any second.

you had been afraid that you wouldn't be able to act comfortable with soobin all afternoon, but you never expected for the cute boy to be so bold despite his father sitting directly across from you.

truth be told, though, he was actually aiming to secretly hold your hand under the table, but he blindly shot too far. with a shaky breath, he figured he was in too deep and left it at that - his heart pounding maniacally as he waited for you to push his hand away yourself.

it surprised you both when neither of you made any move to change your position.

you were more focused on not becoming an obvious blushing mess, while soobin was trying to remember how to breathe.

mr. choi, however, appeared to be none the wiser. he was now boasting about some other impressive achievement of his son's, paying absolutely no mind to the new shade of pink that both of your faces had turned.

"now what about you, miss y/n? i've been bragging about my son this whole time," mr. choi finally earned your attention. "why don't you tell us some things about yourself?"

'sir, i would rather die.' you thought to yourself.

unsure of what to even talk about, you began to describe simple things about your own family. you even briefly mentioned your own achievements as well, figuring it would definitely be something his father would be interested in.

although, you couldn't help but feel like you were a talking resume after a minute. talking about yourself made you feel like you were applying to be his son's wife rather than just making conversation.

amidst the story about your college acceptance, your breath suddenly hitched mid-sentence as you felt soobin's thumb slowly graze along your skin.

you had to quickly reach for your water and take a long drink to play off your embarrassment, refusing to meet either of their confused expressions.

soobin's confusion was more of an act, though. if he was being honest, he was biting back the smirk that wanted to take over his entire face as he saw your reaction to his touch. he was never one to be very confident in his actions, but this gave him a bit of an ego boost he wasn't expecting.

"ahh, sorry, i got- i got something stuck in my throat," you lied, clearing your throat and lightly patting your chest to play onto the act.

"here, let me ask for more water for you," mr. choi told you, genuinely concerned, and began motioning towards a waiter for their attention.

while the man was distracted, you risked a glance over to the boy beside you. you realized it was a mistake after you saw him flashing his dimple mischievously, deepening the shade of pink on your cheeks to a red now.

why was he acting so confident all of a sudden??

what did it mean?!

you turned your head to look at the waiter now, smiling thankfully as he refilled the water in your glass. too many questions were racing through your head now, most of it concerning what the possible reason could be behind soobin's actions.

you couldn't help for one particular thought to consistently occur every time you thought it over ... wondering if maybe soobin's feelings reciprocated your own.

regardless of the answer, you weren't confident that you would be able to survive through the remainder of the afternoon at the rate things were going.

・❥・

surprisingly, you did end up making it through the afternoon.

you were thankful, and maybe a little bit disappointed, that soobin hadn't done anything else to earn anymore reactions on your part. he had even ended up removing his hand whenever the meals had arrived.

what he didn't know was that you secretly yearned for it again immediately afterward.

from thinking he was upset with you yesterday to having him driving you insane today, you did not see yourself living a long life with soobin by your side.

one of these days, he was going to make your heart completely stop.

"thank you for lunch, sir, i greatly appreciate it," you thanked mr. choi on your way out, not wanting to forget his kind gesture - regardless of what his true intentions may have been.

the man chuckled heartily, nudging soobin to take notice of your politeness as he wiggled his eyebrows.

"ahh, miss y/n, it is always a pleasure of mine to treat such a wonderful intern to a nice meal," he told you, the smile of his even reaching up to his eyes. "and, of course, my son as well."

soobin scoffed, rolling his eyes as he felt like more of an after thought.

"if you two will excuse me, i have to call for our ride. allow me one second," mr. choi dismissed himself, taking out his phone and walking a distance away to probably call for mr. jeong to arrive with the car.

once you deemed he was far enough from earshot, you immediately turned to soobin and lightly smacked his arm, earning a small 'ow' through his laughter in response.

"what is wrong with you?" you questioned him with a nonthreatening glare. "why would you do that in front of your dad?"

"do what?" he asked you in a teasing tone, his tongue poking between his teeth as he smiled mischievously at you.

you could only squeeze your lips together in embarrassment, now avoiding his eyes as you felt your face begin to heat up again. you were still too shy to even say it out loud, seeing as thinking about his hand alone had the butterflies acting up in your stomach.

"look at you, you're so cute," soobin cooed, poking cutely at your blushing cheeks.

you swatted his hand away, but he continued to smile at you adoringly as he carefully studied your reaction. he found everything about you truly so cute.

"alright, mr. jeong will arrive here shortly," mr. choi's voice suddenly announced, causing you and soobin to instinctively take a step back from each other.

as if something that obvious wouldn't catch the older man's attention. in fact, he was very aware of it - he just chose to it ignore for both of your sake.

the three of you walked together to the end of the sidewalk, waiting for the next few minutes for your escort back to the company. mr. choi had offered for soobin to join them, but he insisted he needed to catch a separate ride to make it back in time for his next class.

mr. choi almost wanted to insist he join you both anyways, but refrained from doing so in order for his 'determined, hard working son' to make a good impression.

once the car arrived, mr. choi bid his son farewell and entered the vehicle first.

not wanting to think twice and regret it, soobin caught your hand before you could turn away and quickly earned your surprised attention.

with a soft graze of his free hand, he delicately pushed a loose strand of hair to cutely tuck behind your ear. the gesture left a shiver running through your entire body, and you sincerely forgot how to breathe.

using the hand that still held yours, he lifted it up and softly pressed his lips to your knuckles just as he had the night before.

when he looked up to meet your eyes, he cutely took notice of your dazed, lovesick expression watching his every move. he couldn't help the dimply smile that glued itself to his face, finding you absolutely beautiful once again.

now more than ever, he was finally sure.

"i'll see you tonight, okay?"

you nodded absentmindedly, unable to convince yourself that you were not in a dream in this moment. you couldn't even remember entering the car after that, still replaying his touch and his kiss over and over again in your mind.

soobin watched as the car drove further and further away, his heart racing at a million miles a second despite the confidence he had previously exuded.

had he not a single braincell in his mind, he didn't think he would've been strong enough to stop himself from kissing you then and there. you looked more irresistible than ever - the way you looked at him almost being powerful enough to draw him in completely.

he didn't exactly have a plan before, but now he desperately needed one.

because one way or another, he was confessing tonight.

previous | masterlist | next

a/n:

AGHH i know i'm finally proud of my own writing when even i sit here giggling and blushing because of soobin 😭😭💞 anywayyyyy i hope you all enjoy this update !!!

unfortunately, soobin will be confessing next part, which means.... my beloved ceo's son will be coming to an end all too soon. BUT i have other works in the drafts that i am excited to release once it's over <3 so pls pls pls continue to look forward to more content from me soon!!

~

taglist:

@sha-aesthic @wccycc @yjusei @ihrtgyu @strawberrydaichi @seodami @sparkswhoz @o934pm @dongmeiii @cannedturtle @intrrverted @fanfangying1304 @n0tprettybutt1red @human-misery @baekberrie @softcabur

[ bold = couldn't be tagged :( ]

[ryuichirou]

Replies

More replies! Related to our posts from yesterday + a couple of JadeSil ones from a while ago.

Anonymous asked:

I guess Sebek will be annoyed on waking up in the morning with Silver only to realized animals are around.

lol yeah, imagine falling asleep with Silver and waking up to that one scene from Bambi where all the animals greet the new prince. Things Sebek has to get used to….

hipsterteller asked:

Welp at least they didn’t find a skeleton

You mean… under the birdies?! Spooky..!

Anonymous asked:

Poor Jamil can't catch a break even at clubs.. (he secretly loves it, don't tell anyone lol he's shy)

- basketball poly asker

(this is related to a reply from yesterday)

Yeeeah, it’s probably better for Jamil when he gets pestered by these boys: this way he gets to have some action but also don’t proactively seek it out lol But of course the thought itself would never occur to Jamil! It’s all his subconscious mind.

Anonymous asked:

Hehe...imagine Azul seeing Jamil and Ace together. Another jealously alert. Even better, Jamil, Ace, and Floyd together.

Azul would get jealous with anyone who gets close to Jamil probably lol So with Ace it would be the same scenario as it is with Ruggie: he’s confused about Jamil’s choice and tries to win him over.

And with Floyd, well, Azul would just have to shut up and be patient and hope that Floyd gets bored of Jamil… because if he tells Floyd to stop, Floyd is just going to cling to Jamil even more :(

Anonymous asked:

Hi! I’m that JadeSil shipper from that one ask, is it okay if you can give some hcs on how would Silver’s first time would go if it was with Jade?

+

Anonymous asked:

I have Jade/Sil brainrot after seeing some other people talk about it…(and totally not because I am dirty minded)

What if one day Silver was eating Mushroom Risotto but it had a “special” mushroom (courtesy of Jade)  which had an aphrodisiac-like effect. Silver eventually asks Jade for help on why he feels so weird…and you can imagine how the rest goes

Sorry it took me so long to reply, Anon! Or are you two different Anons..? In any case, I’m sorry for taking so much time and for not giving a satisfying answer: since these two aren’t a ship we’re very invested in, even though we like it in theory, I won’t come up with any headcanons, but I’ll share my thoughts…. Because when I started to think about their first time, the setup I came up with was pretty much the same as what was mentioned in this second ask lol

Since the main theme/motif of their relationship that I always think about is mushrooms, I think the whole thing will start with Jade’s fascination with Silver’s appetite for mushrooms and his appreciation of them. And for a very long time, he would simply feed him without adding anything suspicious to it, but then he’ll notice just how good Silver is at describing the differences between different kinds of mushrooms Jade uses for the risotto. So of course he’s going to be tempted to feed him a “special mushroom”…

Poor Silver would be so conflicted. He never expected to get poisoned, and Jade seems deeply concerned as well… but is he really?  And would Jade really make such a mistake?

So yeah, long story short, Silver’s instinct would probably be to try to get back to his room and hide there until he gets better, but the poison is too strong, and with all his actions and words being just a big blur, he’ll end up having sex with Jade.

Jade is going to be surprised y Silver though, because while he knows that a lot of what’s going on is due to aphrodisiac (that was the whole idea), some of the things just seemed way too “natural”: Silver’s body is clearly used to having intense and lengthy sex, his movements are very intentional and he even has some noticeable preferences. Silver wouldn’t say a word during their first time (he just couldn’t articulate – he was too aroused), but his body language spoke volumes. Jade would probably be quite intrigued by him…

(whoops I guess I wrote it in a way that it isn't Silver's first time, I just noticed that...sorry!!)

[clumsiestgiantess]

Day 7: Serenade

So ummm the original draft for this went with the prompt, but after a few tweaks it has nothing to do with it. Have the writing anyways; I know some people wanted a continuation of this one.

I nearly had a heart attack when I woke up the following day.  Everything had been such a blur once the giant figured out how to communicate with me.  It slipped my mind that I was staying in Grady’s house.  Come to think of it, I don’t remember falling asleep.  The giant wasn’t in his room when I woke up, so I cautiously wandered out from beneath his desk where my makeshift bed had been constructed.  The blanket he’d given me made up most of it, and a towel served as my mattress.  My leg had healed up almost perfectly fine.  I can put my full weight on it now.  I couldn’t — and didn’t — want to imagine what might’ve happened to me had Grady been like all the horror stories I’d heard about giants before.  Not only would my leg be swollen beyond the ability to walk, I might’ve been locked away in a pet crate.  I’d heard of it happening to unlucky others, and feared it might happen to me.

Of course, no such thing occurred over the day I’d spent with Grady.  He’s been surprisingly hospitable, but I suppose that’s out of pity for me.  We’d gone to my camp to try to help everyone, but it was already too late.  The snow had piled up to my shoulders, burying almost everyone alive.  There were only two people left by the time we got there.  One had died on the way to Grady’s house, and the other had passed away as we tried to warm them up.  I’d been inconsolable the rest of the day, and fell asleep here.  I guess he’d put me in this bed after I’d passed out.

The bedroom door creaked open, and I cowered beneath the desk.  Slowly, I edged to the front of it and peeked up at the giant that had entered.  My heart calmed once I realized it was only Grady.  He’d come out of the bathroom the next room over, still slightly wet with only a pair of boxers on.  I stared at his bare torso, face rapidly flushing red.  He must still think I’m asleep.  Before I could hide again, he turned to his desk and spotted me.  “Ho!  Er’uoy ekawa!  Dloh no, tel em tsuj teg desserd.”  He acknowledged me, but I had no idea what he said.  Our languages are similar written down, but their pronunciations are too different for me to try and piece together what he told me.  I turned around and waited for him to get fully dressed before stepping out from my spot beneath the desk.  

This is the first time I’ve been properly face-to-face with a giant.  The days before, I’d been busy staying out of his way, trying to save everyone in camp, and figure out the giants’ language.  I cautiously stepped up to Grady; my head only came up to his shins.  He went over to his desk and took the clipboard with a fresh piece of paper as well as a pencil and some lead for me.  It’s still frightening, seeing him move around the massive space.  Even when he kneels down, Grady is still twice as tall as I am.  ‘Are you feeling any better today?’ Grady asked through the paper.  ‘My leg’s feeling a lot better.  I can walk on it now!’  He smiled, ‘That’s good, now I won’t have to carry you everywhere.’

Yesterday, while my leg was still swollen, Grady had to carry me wherever I wanted to go.  It was scary having to trust him so quickly, but I didn’t have much of a choice.  I clung tightly to his shirt while he held me in his arms.  It was an awkward situation, to be sure.  I was too big to be held in one hand, and too small to be carried on his shoulders.  He’d held me tucked beneath his jacket, blocking the freezing winds from reaching me while we trekked out to my camp.  Grady’s frightening size became less menacing once I remembered how kindly he’d treated me, and how safe I felt nestled close to him.  It’s slightly embarrassing thinking about it now.  

‘Did you want me to get you some breakfast?’ Grady asked me, taking me out of my memories from yesterday.  I nodded and he stood again, causing me to stumble backwards in shock.  Giving me a pitying look, he slipped out the door and closed it behind him.

A while later, he returned with enough food to feed a small group of people like me.  “Ereh uoy og,” Grady announced, “Evah emos tsafkaerb, neht ll’ew teg nwod ot ssenisub.”  His voice sounded a bit more serious than before, but again I couldn’t understand what he said.  I nervously ate my meal as Grady milled about his room, trying not to stare.  I understood why.  My height was dwarfed by all the giant-sized objects around me.  It’s an uncanny sight for me, but I’ve never thought about it from a giant’s perspective.  I must be about the size of a baby giant, if that.  Obviously, he doesn’t see me as that young of a person, but maybe that’s why he’s decided to take pity on me.

Once I finally finished my meal, he came back to my side, pencil in hand.  Grady brought the tip up to the paper numerous times, but he kept pulling back each time.  Eventually, he wrote ‘What are you going to do now?  The others you lived with..’  He stopped writing hesitantly, but I could tell what he meant to say.  I don’t have a camp to go back to anymore.

There’s a bigger camp across the giants’ subdivision — the one I tried to get to before the snowstorm hit.  I guess I could try going there.  However, there is another option.  A place that comes with heating, relative safety, and more food than I can eat.  The only drawback is my roommate.  I’m not sure Grady is even a drawback at this point, though.  I fiddled with the lead in my hand, staring at the paper in front of me.  What would Grady think of me if I invited myself to live in his house?  I can’t just stroll in and start making a home for myself beneath his desk.  

‘Do you have anywhere else to go?’ Grady wrote while I thought through what to do.  ‘There’s a camp at the other end of your subdivision’ I replied in a slow scrawl.  Carefully, Grady bent down all the way to the floor to look me in the eyes.  I hesitantly returned his gaze.  One of his palms drifted towards me and I froze as he took my restless hands in his.  They both fit effortlessly in Grady’s single palm.  “Uoy t’nod tnaw ot og ot rehtona pmac, od uoy?”  He asked me something quietly, but even if he’d spoken in my own language, I wouldn’t have understood him.  I was too mesmerized by the stunning hazel of his eyes.  They were so large I could see all the individual streaks of color that made up his irises.  

Before I knew it, his hand slipped away from mine.  Pencil in hand, Grady wrote ‘Would you rather stay with me here?  I could clean up the space beneath my desk and close it off so no one could look in.  It doesn’t have to be permanent, just until the weather gets nicer.’  

Simultaneous excitement and nervousness shot through my veins as I read his message.  With a shaking hand, I wrote ‘Are you sure you want me to stay?’  He nodded, ‘As long as you stay hidden, I don’t mind.’  I pointed to the words ‘stay hidden’ and drew a question mark beneath them.  His explanation quickly appeared next to it.  ‘If my parents find out that I’m taking care of you…’  Grady stopped writing, then looked back up at me.  He had a concerned look on his face, but I motioned for him to keep writing regardless.  

‘You know a lot of my kind don’t see you guys as actual people.  So if my parents catch you.. they’ll throw you back outside.  They won’t try to understand you like I do.’  I shuddered just thinking of it.  Adult giants seven — maybe ten — times my height, dragging me back outside into the freezing snow piled up to my shoulders.  They probably wouldn’t let Grady outside to reclaim me anytime soon, leaving me to suffer the freezing weather alone.  It would likely be too late for me by the time Grady managed to sneak back out to get me.  Even if it wasn’t, how long would it be before I was caught again?

“Yeh, I t’now tel gnihtyna neppah ot uoy, thgirla?”  His voice shook me from horrible visions of frozen wastelands and brought me back to the warmth of his house.  Hopefully it can be my house too.  Slowly I stepped over the paper and stood right in front of him.  “If you really do want me to stay, I’d-  I’d be so grateful..”  I stopped once I saw Grady’s eyes glaze over confusedly.  If only we could just speak with each other.  It’s already getting annoying having to write down everything I want to say.  I begrudgingly returned to the paper.  ‘I’d be so grateful if you let me stay here.  I don’t know how I could repay you for everything, but if you’re inviting me to stay, it would be stupid of me to give all of this up.’

A smile slowly grew on his face as he read what I’d written.  ‘Alright, then let’s get you settled in!’  Grady moved to get up, but I held out my hands to stop him.  “Wait!  I- I have one more question!”  He froze, looking down at me with another confused expression.  “Tahw si ti?”  I sighed, returning to the paper again.  I wanted to ask him why he was helping me — why he offered to let me stay despite knowing I had somewhere else he could drop me off.  I can understand why he’d been so kind until now.  First I was nearly dead, then I found I couldn’t walk, then my entire camp died, then I became a sad sobbing mess for twelve hours.  I imagine a lot of people would take pity on someone who had to go through all that, giant or otherwise.  However, I’m basically free to go now.  My leg’s healed up and I have my original goal still left uncompleted, so why did he offer to let me stay?

All of that spiraled around in my head as I sat staring at a blank portion of the paper, piece of lead in hand.  “Thgirla.  Ll’i tes pu emos ffuts htaeneb ym ksed rof uoy elihw uoy kniht tuoba tahw uoy tnaw ot yas, ko?”  He asked me a question — whether something was ‘ok’ or not — that much I could tell.  I watched as Grady began clearing out the space beneath his desk further, allowing me more room to stay hidden.  Just as I turned back to the paper, he yanked the large piece of furniture slightly away from the wall with a loud scraping noise, making me flinch.  “Yrros,” he said absentmindedly, continuing to drag it around until it was even again.  A spark of fear flitted through my chest watching him do that.  He’s strong enough to quite literally tear me into pieces if he wanted.  Not that he would.  He wouldn’t.  He won’t.

After watching him bang his head on the underside of the desk for the fifth time while setting things up, I gave up trying to write down what I wanted and instead went to help him with my living arrangements.  With some gestures and a few written explanations, I found that he’d pulled back the desk because the backs of the drawers were open behind it.  He wanted to build a small ladder for me to have a more private room in the lower drawer.  I had to congratulate him on that idea, because I honestly thought it was really cool having a two story house again.  

While he got to work making a ladder, I got to work putting up some makeshift walls.  Grady had brought me a bunch of flattened cardboard boxes to use as walls, and to make it less suspicious, Grady dragged over his laundry basket and pile of hoodies, throwing them around in a seemingly messy way that hid the cardboard perfectly.  We stopped for lunch, and I had to spend the second half of the day alone.  Grady and his family had somewhere to be that afternoon.  I sat staring at that paper for a while.  

I want to ask him; I just don’t know how.  How do you ask someone if every good thing they’ve done for you is out of pity?  You don’t.  

I’d find another time for that, or maybe he’d tell me on his own.  I busied myself with decorating my new home, but soon more deeper thoughts emerged.  Is this my new home permanently?  I know I want to stay here for the foreseeable future — through the winter at least.  But what happens after that?   I can’t live my whole life with a giant, can I?  Can I?  Again I tucked the thought away.  I don’t need to worry about leaving for a few months, until then I should just be thankful I have somewhere to stay that has heating.

Just as I was figuring out a lighting system for the surprisingly dark drawer, the door to Grady’s room clicked open.  Moments later, there was a knock on the front of the shelf.  “Yreviled!  Eht s’doof ereh!  Enoyna emoh?”  Grady’s voice held a certain lightheartedness that held my fears at bay for I time.  Plastering on a smile, I slid out of the drawer and stepped out from beneath the desk.  A large plate of food was piled in Grady’s hands.  It was more than what I could eat in the entire day.  “You.. didn’t have to get me so much!” I told him, astonished.  He happily handed the plate off to me and left the moment I went to get the lead and paper.  “Oh…”  I guess he just came back to make sure I was fed.

— pov swap —

Why was today of all days my parents’ anniversary?  The whole family, even my cousins that lived nearby, gathered to eat out at some expensive restaurant together.  I tried to seem entertained and enthusiastic about everything, but it was hard knowing who waited for me back home.  I’d left the little Survivor alone locked up in my room.  Hopefully she can busy herself with making a home beneath my dresser.  Hopefully she still wants to stay — not that I’d stop her if she wanted to leave.  That’s her choice to make, not mine.

Briefly, I managed to slip into my room for a moment to hand off some food from the restaurant, but my aunt and younger cousins had followed us home to catch up with everyone, so I made my visit as brief as possible.  I do not want one of my cousins coming to look for me while I’m talking with Hannah.  They would either rush to tell my parents, or rush to mess with her.  Both options were things I dreaded, and I’m sure Hannah would agree with me.  Finally, after readying myself for bed just to convince my family to leave me alone, I managed to return to her later that night.  It was a frustrating day to be sure, but the sight of the Survivor sitting up to welcome me back instantly put a smile on my face.

“Hey,” I addressed Hannah, kneeling down to be more level with her.  “I- I’m sorry about today.  I know it probably wasn’t fun for you sitting here alone.”  I stopped speaking when I saw the confusion in her eyes.  Right.  She doesn’t understand me.  I picked up the pencil and paper we’d been using to communicate and wrote: ‘I know I haven’t really been around today, and I’m sorry.  I know you’re probably worried about all this.  Are you alright?’  Hannah’s eyes drifted across my handwriting for a moment before balling up against her eyes.  She took a step away from me, head turned, but when she glanced back up at me, her face was slightly wet and her eyes glistened.  

That’s a no, then.  She didn’t look scared, but she certainly didn’t look alright, either.  “It’s alright, I.. It’s ok.  I promise this’ll be a rare thing.  I’m not gonna leave you locked up in here every day.  I don’t want to.”  Hannah can’t even understand it, yet when I offered her my arms, she sidled into them.  She feels so strange in an indescribable way.  It felt just like this yesterday, when I brought her through the snow to the place where the rest of her kind were hiding.  They’d all died in one way or another, and I felt awful for her.  Thankfully, Hannah does have somewhere else to go if she ends up changing her mind and leaving, but would it be a similar place to the awful living situation I’d seen in the snow?

After only a few minutes, her sniffles stopped and she slid out of my lap to write something.  ‘I didn’t mean to get so emotional,” she wrote hesitantly, ‘I don’t mind that you’re gone for a while, I just-’  Hannah stopped writing and stared at the words she’d written for a long time.  “If you can’t put it into words, that’s fine,” I told her before remembering to write it down.  I had to carefully bend over her to do so because she was still partially in my lap.  ‘You don’t have to tell me now.  Draft something up in your own writing then I’ll translate it myself, if that makes it any easier for you.  I’m going to try to figure out how to understand you verbally, but until then we’ll have to use this.  Is that ok?’  The Survivor read my writing, then answered with a yes and: ‘I’ll try to learn some of your language, too.  That’s good advice to try drafting something up instead of trying to write it all down at once.  As you can imagine, there’s a lot more I want to talk to you about.’

I sat in thought, staring down at Hannah as she glanced back up at me.  ‘Like what?’  She shuffled nervously after reading my question.  ‘Nevermind; tell me when you’re ready.  I have an idea on how you might get used to my language in the meantime.’  ‘How?’

Gently, I slid my hands around her torso and hoisted her up to my bed.  I could feel her breath hitch and heart skip a beat as she was lifted.  Hannah struggled for only a brief moment before recognizing what I was doing.  She turned to face me with a bewildered look the moment she could stand again.  “Tahw eht lleh saw taht rof?!  Uoy- Uoy t’nac tsuj kcip em pu ekil taht!  I teg taht uoy erew tsuj gnipleh em pu, tub I teg deracs nehw enoemos ym nwo ezis sbarg em, dnimreven a tnaig.”

She was yelling at me.  I know it’s probably because I picked her up without warning, though I can’t understand much else.  “Sorry; I’ll tell you before I do that next time.”  Hannah seemed to understand at least slightly because she nodded satisfactorily.  “Won tahw saw ti uoy detnaw em ereh rof?”  It took a second for me to remember why I’d put Hannah up there.  Grabbing the paper, writing stuff, and my phone, I got onto my bed myself.  I lay down so we were basically at eye level with eachother.  Hannah was actually taller than me that way.  ‘I thought we could kill two birds with one stone — spend some time together to make up for today, and get you to learn my language.’  While Hannah read my message, I propped my phone up on a pillow for both of us to see.

‘I thought we could watch a movie!’ I wrote happily.  ‘I’ll put the subtitles on so you can see how things are written and hear it at the same time.’  Hannah nodded, a small smile growing on her lips.  ‘I’d like that.  Thank you.’  I scrolled through a few different movies, letting her read and decipher the plot synopses of a few different ones before she finally chose and we settled in.  She’d picked a more girly movie I hadn’t seen because I hadn’t cared to watch it.  It wasn’t long before my eyelids grew heavy, and I let my head rest heavily on the bed.  

I don’t know how long I slept for, but I eventually woke up to the sound of snoring.  With a yawn, I lifted my head confusedly and froze.  Laying beside me, tucked against my arm, was the little Survivor, fast asleep.  For once she didn’t look conflicted.  In fact, she looked rather at peace.  My phone had shut off who knows how long ago, and I carefully slid my arm out from beneath Hannah to pick it up.  Carefully, I made my way off the bed and shut off my phone for the night.  Then, I turned back to Hannah.  I really didn’t want to wake her up, but I couldn’t sleep with her laying there.  Just like last night, when I had to put her to bed after passing out in tears, I again gently pulled her into my arms, tucking her to my chest to keep her from falling.  

With a slight mumble, Hannah turned over in my grip.  She unconsciously pressed herself against me, burying her face in the fabric of my pajamas.  She was adorable, but I had to put her down.  She’d never trust me again if she woke up to find herself snuggled in my arms.  I gave extra caution to make sure she fell seamlessly into bed, then slid a blanket over her.  I wanted to do more for her.  Though I know I’ve done a lot for her already, I can’t help but think it’s not enough.  Part of me already knows it’ll never be enough.  People destroyed her real home — the place where the Survivors came from.  I know this place will probably never feel like that, but I can at least try to make it a bit more welcoming.  Turning in for the day, I let my mind wander through things I could do or make for her.  It certainly won’t be perfect, but at least it’ll be something.  

[iwonderwh0]

Thinking about this au

Hank being bored and going on a night-time stakeout with Connor.

"You should be sleeping, Lieutenant."

"I've slept all day yesterday. Wouldn't be able to fall asleep today even if I tried. Thought I might as well do something useful."

"I'm afraid it's far from being useful – nothing has been going on here for four nights I've been monitoring it."

"Well, if I'm being paid to do nothing, I don't actually mind it that much either."

They stay silent for a minute. Once again Hank looks at Connor and can't shake off the feeling that he looks...really tired.

"When do you sleep? Or...I dunno, do you do something similar?"

"Androids go into stasis. I think you can call it 'sleeping'"

"So?"

"I get about an hour of it when I charge my battery in the morning."

"Is it...enough?"

"To charge – yes."

"...But?" Hank pries, sensing that there's more to it.

"It's not really enough time to fully process all the new data and run a full diagnostics."

"Huh..have any of you guys talked about it? Maybe I could say I few words?"

Connor sighs, he looks a little annoyed, but when he finally talks his voice is soft, quiet.

"It doesn't affect our performance that much for DPD to bother. No one will change the rules just so we could feel more comfortable. It's cheaper to restart or replace us when we accumulate enough critical errors instead of preventing them from occuring by giving us more time to be unproductive."

"That...sucks."

"I guess."

"Have you ever been," Hank winces as he wonders if his question is appropriate, "restarted?"

"Not yet."

"Is it like turning you off and back on, right?"

"No, it's wiping our memories clean and starting fresh."

Hank swallows and stares outside. He clears his throat and asks

"Are those memories stored somewhere to transfer them back or..."

Connor stares at him, and his silence speaks volumes.

"What do you think?"

"Holy fucking shit. Really?"

"That's why no one really likes being partnered with one of ours. Most of us here are wiped about once every three months."

"But not you."

He shrugs.

"I'm a new prototype. I suppose I'm more durable."

"Fuck..."

Hank reclines on his seat and counts how many months have passed since he was first partnered with Connor. Five.

"I thought it's a common knowledge," Connor says, lazily tapping a steering wheel, eyes fixed right ahead.

"I just...I never really thought about it. I don't really interact much with other androids. Other than you, I mean."

"I'm not a good example. That's okay. I'm not sure why I expected you to know."

They stay quiet for a little while.

"How much time would it take for you to do the full diagnostics and all those other things?" Hank asks when silence start to feel thick.

"It depends. Could be from 6 hours up to a 30 if I were to process all the months worth of unprocessed data."

Hank takes a look at the time.

"How about seven?"

Connor stopps tapping and turns his head to look at Hank. Hank continues.

"If you're right and there's nothing to see here, it won't hurt if you just go on the back seats and...do your thing," he shrugs, "I can always wake you up if something actually happens, right?"

"I'm...not sure if you're joking or not."

"Are you gonna move to the backseat or not?"

"Hank, it's not..."

"I won't tell anyone. Will you?"

Connor bits on his lower lip and looks around as if ensuring that no one else could see him through the car window.

Hank tilts his head

"So what do you say, deal?"

"Deal!"

With that he unfastens his seatbelt and climbs on the backseat, and Hank takes his driver seat instead.

"Um...in case you need me, send me a message, okay? You won't be able to wake me up otherwise."

Hank nods.

"Noted."

"And Hank?"

Hank hums in response and eyes Connor in a rearview mirror.

"Thank you."

"To be honest, I wish you said something earlier. What the hell..."

Hank turns around to check on Connor, waiting for some response, but the other already curled in the back seats with his eyes closed and his LED spinning in continuous yellow, blinking once in a while. It took Hank a few moments to realise he's staring and return his eyes back to the boring building outside. Before today he didn't even know that androids can, yet alone need to sleep sometimes, and somehow now one of them was doing exactly that on the backseats of the car they both were sharing. It was another minute of complete silence before he noticed that Connor was breathing. Hank already knew that about androids, they all did. Ironically, if they didn't it would have been far more noticeable. So, that piece of knowledge was nothing new to Hank, and yet somehow he never really paid attention to it. Until now.

He wonders if it's just something androids only do to appear more human or if there's some practical meaning behind it as well. He should not forget to ask Connor about it next time he's awake. Or...hell, why not just search it up. He glances back at the building, then takes his phone out and spends the next few hours alternating between looking outside at the building and reading about how on earth was his android partner even functioning. Perhaps he'll learn more about things he don't know. Perhaps one day they'll even prove to be useful.

[hurricane105]

What are the Teba thoughts that inspired the Teba fic?

I'm a Teba girl and I'm so curious to hear your opinions!

🦅🦅🦅

About 90% of them occurred to me while I was in the shower yesterday, thinking about this ask (where half of these kinds of thoughts spawn; the others spawn while falling asleep). I do think it's heavily inspired by rereading Thud! by Terry Pratchett, because Sam Vimes and my interpretation of Teba have a lot in common.

That said: in the cutscene when in botw when Teba is introduced, he says that he's going to Vah Ruta even though his friend Harth got hurt trying to take it down. He's almost sure he's going to fail, but if he doesn't do anything, Medoh will keep attacking (and presumably killing) innocent Rito. Kaneli describes Teba as 'headstrong,' which is true but I'm not sure it's quite accurate. I think Teba's thought process was more like 'I can die along with everyone else when Medoh attacks the Rito, or I can die fighting Medoh now. Only the second choice means my friends and family have a chance of survival.'

Teba's willing to face hard choices, and proactive enough to do something about it. But he can also be a little intense - he's very type A, and in lower stakes scenarios, he'd alienate people because he's so focused and high strung.

Thanks for the ask!

[ninchen1909]

A drunken rage and a sober confession III

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 1750

Warnings: short talk about insomnia, mention of an unplanned pregnancy, mother leaves child

Summary: Bucky and you finally talking about your feelings for each other

 Much to your surprise, you managed to fall into a kind of half-sleep, it is restless and the dreams in it are confusing, but it is better than not being able to sleep at all.

You hear a loud, shrill noise, followed by a knock that gets louder and louder. At first you think it's a background noise of your dream, until you realize that someone is at your door and wants to be let in. You're still completely lost and toy with the idea of pulling the pillow over your head and ignoring the unwanted guest on your doorstep. Who wants anything from you so early anyway? Especially on a Saturday.

Then it occurs to you: "Bucky!"

You run to the door as fast as you can, on your way there you stumble over your clothes from yesterday, but you can just catch yourself and a little later you are in front of the door.

You open it with a jerk and there he is, the reason for your nocturnal phone calls and your insomnia.

There stands the man you've loved for years, who seems to return those feelings. His eyes sparkle lovingly at you, a smile caresses his lips. In one hand he holds a cardboard holder with two coffee to go paper cups, while in the other hand he holds a bakery bag.

"Good morning angel, I brought breakfast." He holds the bag and the coffe holder up before he walks past you into the apartment, where he puts everything on your living room table "I didn't know if you wanted to eat something, but I brought you your favorite rolls anyway, and you always have coffee , so I brought you one too." Also this time you don't answer and just stare at him, you notice that he is getting nervous, you would like to take this tension away from him, but your mouth refuses to speak.

"If you're not comfortable and you'd rather go back to sleep, I can leave and come back later, your message only sounded very serious and I've spent the last two hours just wondering what's going on, and..."

"I heard you yesterday." You can’t hold back any longer, all your resolutions to keep the conversation calm and comfortable are forgotten from the moment he walked in the door. His words from yesterday echo through your head. Your heart is begging for confirmation of those words, but your brain is telling you to take it easy and get rid of any doubts first. But when have you had any doubts about Bucky?

Bucky's mouth opens and then closes again, it looks like a fish is gasping for water. You can see panic and also a slight desperation in his eyes.

All your resolutions to keep the conversation calm and comfortable are forgotten from the moment he walked in the door. His words from yesterday echo through your head. Your heart is begging for confirmation of those words, but your brain is telling you to take it easy and get rid of any doubts first. But when have you had any doubts about Bucky?

You wonder what his next move will be "W...what exactly do you mean?" ah, so his new move is to play dumb.

"I heard what you said to me yesterday after you put me to bed, I heard everything Jamie, every single word.” You took a step towards him.

"But you were asleep, please angel tell me you were asleep." He looks at you pleadingly, but you just shake your head.

"No James, I wasn't asleep." When he sees that you mean it, he starts to pull at his hair and paces nervously in front of you before stopping abruptly and turning back to you, looking at you with pleading eyes, briefly you think you do too to see tears in his eyes,

"Please angel just forget it, please let's just forget about this and just move on as to how we have been. I can't lose you please, I just can't. You and Charlie are the most important people to me please don't leave me."

You just shake your head and Bucky lets his head fall so his eyes are facing the floor.

"I can't forget it James, and honestly I don't want to forget it either." You approach him and take his large, rough hands in your much smaller one, your thumbs lightly brushing the backs of his hands.

"Please look at me Jamie" you wait until he lifts his head and looks into your eyes then you whisper "I love you too." It takes Bucky a little while to process your words, but as soon as he understands, his whole face lights up, he puts his hands on your cheeks and gently lowers his forehead against yours "Say it again, please, I have to hear it again" you smile "I love you James Buchanan Barnes" no sooner have you said those words than he joins your lips in your first, but certainly not your last, kiss. The kiss is full of tenderness and love, and there is also a silent promise of "I'll never let you go again" in it.

Out of breath you break apart "I love you too angel, more than you'll ever know." He kisses the tip of your nose.

A little later you're sitting together on the sofa, Bucky's arms hug you tenderly, your head rests on his strong chest, and the smell of his after-shave fills your nostrils when you suddenly remember what you wanted to ask Bucky the whole time "Jamie?" you look up at him slightly "Yes, angel?" “When you thought I was asleep you also said that Steve said to tell me about Lisa." Bucky closes his eyes briefly and lets out a deep sigh. "So you really do remember everything. I'll tell you if you really want to know. But please let me speak. So should I tell you?" You just nod in response before he starts to speak: "You know I haven't fallen in love with you just recently, my love for you goes back much further, in any case I was in love with you even before my relationship with Lisa, and every time we saw each other I said to myself: Today is the day I will tell my angel that I love her. But as you know, I never did. And then one day, we arranged to meet at our local bar, you brought this guy over  I think his name was Thomas, and you introduced him to me as your boyfriend. That night I cried over a woman for the first time in my life, I cried for our love and mourned a future we will never have, at least that's what I thought at that moment.

But my sadness quickly turned into anger. I was mad at you and Thomas because he had what I wanted to have with you, but I was most mad at myself, I had so many chances to confess my love to you but I never did. And I was like, "Hey, if it hurts me so much to see you with someone else, maybe it hurts you too to see me with someone else too" and that's when I remembered Lisa, she worked in the office across from the fire station, we had often met by chance and she always flirted with me or wanted to go out with me, I always refused. Except for the day after I first saw you with him, when she asked me again, I said yes. And before I knew it we started dating regularly and she was telling everyone we were a couple, I was playing along. But before long she started complaining that I was spending too much time with you and that she should be the top priority in my life and not you. I guess she acted out of necessity then when she went off the pill without telling me, and the next thing I consciously remember are the five positive pregnancy tests on my bathroom sink. I was happy, really, I always wanted to be a father, but I always imagined it differently. I always imagined that we would become a couple and then say yes in a small, intimate ceremony and then build a family together. I really tried to be a good boyfriend, I also really tried to love her. But I never loved her, I only ever loved you. And when Charlie was born and she realized that my feelings for her hadn't changed, she explained to me that she wanted to break up, and that she didn't want anything to do with Charlie. Charlotte was just her try to bind me to her, since she knew that I always wanted a family. Then she packed her things and left. I didn't even try to stop her. It was only important to me that Charlie is doing well and that he is not missing anything. And every time I see you with Charlie, I wish you were her mum. . I know this is a lot to digest and I was a total ass about it too, but believe me I never had any intention of really hurting anyone."

You lift your head from his chest to look at him, you can see genuine regret in his eyes and his face is also twisted into a grimace as if the thought of actually hurting someone hurts him physically.

"You're right Jamie you were a total jerk but it also wasn't right for her to just go off the pill and then just leave her kid behind. I think you both made mistakes in that situation."

James looks surprised "so you're not disgusted with me?" you shake your head "No I'm not, everyone has done something they're not proud of, the most important thing is that we make up for our mistakes and don't repeat them." He kisses your forehead and whispers "I love you so damn much" And I love you" he looks down at his watch "I've got about an hour left before I have to pick Charlie up from Steve, what do you want "Cuddle?" you look at him questioningly, "Cuddle!" replies Bucky, grinning at you as he opens his arms and you snuggle back into his chest, the chest you'll be snuggling into for many years to come.