#clap for my baby please please please i want it to be worth the effort 😭 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tommybaholland · 4 years ago

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haikyuu (oikawa, kuroo, tadashi) s/o excitedly calls them to come over their apartment, to show them the new song they have learned on the violin and they wanted to show them first

im sorry, this is long :,)

s/o who plays the violin

featuring: oikawa, kuroo, and yamaguchi

i actually played the violin in middle school so i tried to expand a little more on this.. enjoy!

oikawa

you’re a hard worker just like him so he knows how important this is to you

playing an instrument and being in an ensemble is similar to playing on a sports team in that you individually have to do your part in order for the group to succeed

he makes sure that you’re fully confident in your ability to play new and more difficult songs

he doesn’t like seeing you struggle or be so hard on yourself but he can only speak for himself and knows how it goes

he knows that you’ll always come around when you’re ready

“why, hello there. how’s my s/o?” he answered with his familiar greeting.

you didn’t even answer his question, getting straight to your point. “toru, can you come over soon?”

he laughed lightly at the urgency of the statement. “hold on, sweetheart. maybe we should go on a date first.”

your silence was seemingly unamused by his joke. “i’m being serious, babe. i need to show you something so can you please come?”

“you know i just like playing with you, babe. of course. we’re cooling down at practice now and then i’ll be there in 15.”

“yay! i’ll see you then.”

“can’t wait, baby. love you.”

he let himself into your apartment, like always, and proceeded to where he knew you would be.

he knocked on the door frame of your bedroom. “is there a beethoven that lives here?”

you turned around, shaking your head as you strode over to greet him with a hug and kiss.

“hey, sweetie. sorry i’m a little sweaty.”

“it’s okay. but you know that beethoven didn’t play the violin, right?”

he scoffs, feigning offense. “can you just humor me? i try really hard with the music references, you know.”

“i know, toru. i love when you do,” you reply, giving him another hug. you then pulled away to get back to what you originally called him over for.

“okay. are you ready?”

“yep. let’s hear it, baby,” he replied, taking a seat at your desk.

you began playing, facing away from him and towards the window. you liked to play in front of the window in your bedroom as you always liked to say that the natural lighting provided a more peaceful setting. seeing the silhouette of your figure while you played was his favorite part.

you’ve played for him so many times that he developed a sense for when the music was about to end, much to your surprise. with this, he always claps early so that you’re smiling for him when you’re finished.

“yes, that’s my baby right there!” he reacts as he gets up from his seat, continuing to clap until he has you in his arms again, giving you a few praising kisses.

when he pulls away, he keeps his hands caressed over your shoulders.

“is this why i haven’t seen you lately, hmm? you’ve been practicing real hard? aww,” he coos, hugging you tightly after you nod.

“well, it looks like all that hard work was worth it,” he remarks. “but let’s go do something now because i have missed you so much.”

kuroo

he’s very honored that his s/o is someone so talented like you

he likes watching you play the violin as much as you like watching him play volleyball

even if it’s just watching you tune the instrument or play some scales

like you just watching him block or serve a ball

there are times though when he feels you’re not getting adequate rest because you’re practicing so hard

he hadn’t seen you much at all that week. he tapped on your contact in his phone, hoping that you’d make time to spend with him, given that it was friday night.

“oh, perfect timing,” you spoke immediately when you answered. “i was just about to call you.”

“really?” kuroo smirked. “well, that’s good to hear. i guess i just have a sixth sense, babe.”

“can you come to the practice room, like, now?”

“practice-- baby, i thought you were at home. why are you there now?”

“i just wanted to work on this piece a little longer and then i guess time slipped away from me. so can you please come over here now, please?”

you had repeated please twice so he knew that it was serious. he chuckled at your cute tenacity.

“of course, babe. be there soon.”

“oh, good. you’re here!” you remarked as he entered the smaller room. you quickly strode over to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him over to where you were working. he looked around to see sheet music everywhere along with several empty coffee cups and some food wrappers, as well.

“gosh, babe. it’s like you live here,” he joked. “i hope you’re not sleeping in here too. it doesn’t look very comfortable.”

“i may have dozed off a few times in here,” you answered candidly as you grabbed your violin and bow and fixed the sheet music on the stand.

“okay. ready?”

he nodded and you proceeded to play. there was something about how you looked when you played. you were so focused and looked like you could actually feel the music as you played it. that effect spread to others because he could feel it in every inch of his body. it’s a familiar feeling that he’s so lucky that you would share something like this with him.

when you were finished playing, he found himself stumbling over his words.

“wow, beautiful. that was...beautiful!” he praised, walking closer to you.

you laughed at his goofy compliment and thanked him before laying your instrument back in its case.

“but why didn’t you just play it at your apartment?”

“i felt like i wouldn’t be able to since i’ve been grinding away at it here. i’m sorry.”

“no, kitten. you don’t have to be sorry,” he replied, wrapping his arm around you. “and i know you’ve been working hard but you could play it well anywhere.”

you nodded gratefully and leaned in to give your pretty boyfriend a kiss, realizing that you hadn’t greeted him properly when he arrived.

“now, let’s go get you some real dinner,” he proposed as he took your violin case in one hand and yours in the other.

yamaguchi

he’s naturally very curious about your life as a musician

it’s nice energy to have around because at one point, you felt embarrassed when having to carry around your huge case with your instrument inside

but he didn’t care at all and didn’t want your talent to go unnoticed or without appreciation

he’s your biggest (and cutest) supporter out there

reciprocity is an emphasized aspect of your relationship and he tries to be as uplifting as you are for him with volleyball

you had been frustrated since you received the latest sheet music for your orchestra group. it was by far the most difficult piece that you had to learn. it seemed like you had an issue at almost every measure and had yet to master vibrato.

it was plaguing your mind to get it right and when you weren’t playing, you were thinking about how to overcome this block.

your boyfriend had seen you progress into obsession with perfecting the playing of this song. on one hand, he understood it because it was your sense of pride that pushed you to want to become better. at one point, however, you were so upset that you wanted to quit and that’s when he felt he had to step in.

“this is so stupid,” you huffed, rubbing your hands over your eyes as angry tears threatened to spill over.

“no. it’s not,” he disagreed. “come here, peaches.”

he held and comforted you over the woes of not being good enough.

“i know you can do this but i think you may be stressing yourself out too much over it. it’s worth the effort but not breaking down your entire emotional state.”

from then on he was diligent enough to try to help you take breaks when you needed or to give you space when you wanted it.

“tadashi,” you addressed your boyfriend one day over the phone. “i would like for you to come over so i can show you something.”

“sure, babe! i’ll come right now,” he replied. “does this have anything to do with music?”

“i’m not telling you,” you answered in a sing-song voice. “you’ll just have to see.”

“hey, cutie,” he greeted as he entered your apartment and found you in the living area with your violin out and everything. he walked over towards you as you returned the greeting, where he gave you a sweet kiss.

“so it looks like i was right?”

“yeah. you were,” you affirmed. “what else would it be though, honestly?”

“i don’t know. maybe you just wanted to spend a little time with little ole’ me,” he joked while wrapping his arms around you, giving you a good squeeze.

“that could’ve also been part of it,” you chuckled. “thanks for coming anyway.”

“of course, my pretty peaches,” he replies, booping your nose. “you call and i am there.”

you respond with a smile and another kiss before instructing him to sit down on the couch. you fiddle with your sheet music and stand before turning towards him again.

“this is still very much a work in progress but i think i’ve finally gotten somewhere with this one.”

he nods with a cute grin and you begin playing. he recognizes it, after several measures, as the piece that was giving you so much trouble. he smiled at how you looked much more confident in your playing and if you made a mistake, he couldn’t tell. even though he didn’t personally know too much about music, he could relate with volleyball. it’s that satisfying feeling of getting better at something that you’ve been working so hard on and that work finally shows.

he kinda got lost in the music that he didn’t realize that you were finished and he hadn’t said anything yet.

“like i said, it’s a still a little rusty but that’s the best play through i think i’ve done so far.”

“that was rusty?” he said incredulously. “i thought it was amazing, babe!”

you thanked him and he got up from his seat to give you some more love.

“aww, come here,” he beckoned, wrapping you up in his arms again and pressing kisses to the side of your head.

“i am so proud of you, peaches. i love you so much.”

you love him too and you’re so happy that you have such a sweet and supportive person by your side.

twas a good one, haikyuu night! send in those requests for next time..

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x y/n #oikawa x reader #oikawa fluff #oikawa headcanons #oikawa scenarios #kuroo x reader #kuroo fluff #kuroo headcanon #kuroo scenarios #yamaguchi x reader #yamaguchi fluff #yamaguchi headcanon #yamaguchi scenario #request #requested #tommybaholland

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august-bleeds-red · 4 years ago

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Tag Team

In which the AFAB!Reader discovers what Bo and Vincent can achieve when they work together.

Dedicated to the fabulous @quiveringdeer for being my sounding board and general awesome human, and to the absurdly talented @thesightstoshowyou for igniting my love for these boys with her phenomenal writing! ❤️ NSFW under the line.

You know you’ve been in the Sinclair household too long when you can identify the person behind you by how they grab your ass.

“Bo,” you sigh, glancing over your shoulder at the smug bastard smirking at you. You’ve been cleaning almost all afternoon, sweeping and scrubbing under the kitchen units, and the stove is your final task before you allow yourself some rest. “Really? Right now?”

“Hell yeah right now,” he chuckles, smoothing a large hand over your jeans-clad ass cheek. “You’re puttin’ on too much of a show here for me to wait, darlin’.”

Setting down the dishrag you’ve been scrubbing the stovetop with, you wipe your hands on the ratty old T-shirt you’re wearing and turn to face him. You can’t lie – even after all these months, he’s still more than a little intimidating to you. Six-foot-one of sinewy red-blooded Louisiana male, leering down at you like a fox cornering a baby rabbit.

“Now, what made you think I was interested in seein’ your face?” he says, gripping your hips and swivelling you back round to face the stove. He’s undoing the button on your jeans when a shadow falls across you from the doorway. You both turn to see Vincent staring at the two of you. He’s dressed casually, meaning in clothes that aren’t caked in wax, his long hair pulled back in a messy ponytail at his neck.

“Little busy here,” Bo warns.

Vincent looks to your face, already flushed with expectant arousal.

It’s my turn, he signs.

“Fuck off it’s your turn,” Bo snorts. “Go on, get.”

But Vincent’s not budging this time. Three long strides and he has his hands on you, jerking you from Bo’s grip and pinning you to his chest.

“The fuck?” Bo looks genuinely annoyed now. “Y’think you can just barge in here and blue-balls me?”

You groan in exasperation. Usually this kind of She’s Mine play would have you feeling hot under the collar, but it’s been a long day. “Look, one or both of you just do it or let me get back to work, okay?”

A thread of silent communication seems to pass between the twins, and Bo’s lip curls mischievously. “You want front or back?” he asks.

Vincent holds his hand out flat in front of his face and moves it downwards to his chin.

Bo shrugs. “Fine by me.”

Before you can so much as question what’s happening, Vincent hauls you up and over his shoulder, carrying you like a sack of potatoes to the ancient shag-pile rug in front of the TV. Setting you down, he quickly pulls off your T-shirt while Bo tugs at your jeans. You step out of them almost automatically, the cogs in your weary brain piecing together what’s about to happen. Forcing you to your knees, the brothers both unbuckle their belts.

“Eldest first,” Bo grins, grabbing a fistful of your hair and guiding you to his waiting erection. Your mouth opens automatically and you take him inside, bracing yourself against his thighs as he drags you back and forth along his length.

“Ahh yeah, that’s it, baby.”

Knowing what’s expected of you, you scramble blindly for Vincent, wrapping your fingers around his cock and stroking it. He lets out a rasping moan and thrusts into your loose grip. Bo allows you to break free and you turn your attentions to Vincent, sucking on him until he’s rock hard against your tongue. You’re vaguely aware of Bo rummaging for something in a nearby drawer, and when your eyes focus on the blue bottle he unearths you realise “front or back” was not referring to Vincent in your mouth and Bo in your pussy.

“Wait—” You try to pull away, try to stand, but Vincent already has a hold of you.

With a strength that always manages to surprise you, he drags you down to straddle his hips, one hand already on his cock, nudging the tip at your slit. Despite your disquiet at the way Bo is approaching leisurely from behind, you can’t stop the moan that falls from your lips as you’re impaled on Vincent’s impressive girth. He may be the quieter of the twins, but he’s by no means merciful – not with his victims, and not with your body. You thank stars for the natural lubrication of your arousal that allows him to penetrate with little resistance, the sting of the stretch lasting only a moment before the warmth of pleasure blankets you. Vincent’s hands settle on your waist, easing you slowly – but firmly – down, until your thighs meet his hips. You unconsciously push upwards as he lifts you, chasing that spark of bliss that curls through your lower belly. Vincent’s thumbs paint patterns in your skin, hips thrusting to meet your downward strokes. You cry out, palms flat against his chest, the muscles in your legs burning with the effort to keep elevated.

“Room for one more?” Bo’s liquor-smooth voice murmurs in your ear, and you feel the straps of your bra ping loose. Throwing the offending undergarment aside, Bo cups your breasts and squeezes hard. You gasp and he claps one hand across your mouth, slipping two thick fingers inside. You taste traces of engine oil and tobacco, the smoky-sweet scent you’ve come to associate with him. Combined with the aroma of wax and clay that clings to Vincent, you’re deliciously trapped in a cloying fog of aphrodesia.

Releasing your mouth, Bo’s hand traces the curve of your spine, pressing between your shoulder-blades to force you into a more accessible position. Your heart pounds and you glance anxiously over your shoulder at him. His eyes glint wickedly back at you, one hand stroking his cock with obvious intent.

“Bo,” you whisper. “Please. . .”

“Please what, baby-doll?” he purrs.

��Don’t hurt me.”

“Now why would I do a terrible thing like that?”

He rubs the tip of one finger, wet from your mouth, against your rear hole; Vincent slows his thrusts to a slow, crawling pace, just enough to keep the fire lit. You squirm as Bo’s digit pushes past the tight ring of muscle, the intrusion not big enough to hurt, but enough to feel unusual. When he adds a second finger, however, you flinch.

“Aw, too much?” You can hear the gleeful grin in his voice. Pushing both fingers in to the second knuckle, he splits them into a V, stretching you in preparation. You guess you should be thankful he’s giving any at all. You feel strangely empty when he pulls them out, but only for the briefest moment before you feel something bigger take their place. Vincent falls still as a figurine, his one sky-blue eye watching your face intently. Reaching between your bodies, he rubs the fore and middle fingers of one hand against your clit, sending a hum of pleasure murmuring through you to counteract what’s happening behind.

“Oh fuck, baby,” Bo grits his teeth as his cockhead disappears inside you. “You’re so fuckin’ tight.”

By the time he’s fully sheathed, you’re trying to remember your name. You’ve never felt so full as you do now, you would go so far as to say . . . complete. Vincent drinks in your kaleidoscope of expressions like a man dying of thirst; the holy sequence of pain and pleasure that crosses your face more beautiful than any art he could create alone. He gives an experimental thrust and you see Heaven. When the brothers begin moving together, you can just barely cling to your sanity. The warm, soothing ecstasy from Vincent integrated with the sharp, gratifying pain being served to you by Bo takes you to a new plane of experience.

“Y’like that, huh?” Bo threads his fingers through your hair and pulls your head back, exposing your neck. “Y’like being stuffed like a little slut?”

“Nng . . . uhh . . .” Your tongue feels too big for your mouth.

“Say it,” Bo licks a long stripe up the side of your neck. “Tell us what you are.”

“I-I . . .” the tempo of the two of them inside you sends lights popping before your eyes. “I’m— I’m a slut.”

“And who owns your pretty little pussy?” He deals a sharp slap across your ass cheek. “Who does this ass belong to?”

“You!” You’re almost sobbing, your pleasure rising within you like the sun. “Oh God, Bo . . . Vince . . .”

Bo quickens pace, hips smacking into your ass with ruthless force, and Vincent hand is almost vibrating with the speed at which he’s massaging your clit. Your combined gasps and moans rise in harmony, Bo turning the air blue with lustful curses.

“Oh god, oh fuck,” you whimper, white heat radiating upwards through your body from where you’re connected. “I’m— I’m gonna cum . . .”

“That’s it, baby,” Bo grunts, his thrusts evolving into mindless snaps of his hips, jerking so sharply you wonder if you’ll have bruises there tomorrow. “You’re gonna be drippin’ with cum after this. Gonna fill you so fuckin’ full.”

Your scream must echo to the church when you finally finish, your inner walls pulsating against Vincent’s cock and drawing his own orgasm from him. The warmth of his seed fills you, spilling down your thighs.

“Gonna cum in your ass,” Bo’s breathing is ragged, you can tell he’s close. “Gonna fuckin’—”

The sensation of cum shooting deep into your ass is an interesting one, but the wild howl of ecstasy that emits from Bo more than makes up for it. Both brothers are twisted, broken, often cruel, but God if they don’t give you pleasure the like of which you’ve never known; or likely ever will again.

You collapse onto Vincent’s chest as Bo pulls out of you, unable to keep your balance any longer. Vincent’s softening cock is still inside you, twitching occasionally when you move. Bo staggers to his feet and cups your jaw in his palm, claiming a feral kiss from your dry lips.

“You’re ours, Y/N,” he says.

“Yours . . .” you nod dazedly. You think you might pass out.

Both of you glance down at Vincent. It’s not often that he speaks, but the monosyllabic moments he does are always worth the effort. Lifting his wax mask from his face, he gives his own interpretation of Bo’s signature smug grin.

“Ours.”

#house of wax #bo sinclair #bo sinclair x reader #vincent sinclair #vincent x reader #horror #slasher fic #my fics #slasher community #slasher fandom #slashers #slasher x reader #bo x reader #vincent sinclair x reader

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kylermalloy · 2 years ago

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I need you to talk to me about The Originals 1x04 (Don't hold back. Please and thank you😉)

Hmm. Hmm. Okay. Good episode. So far we’ve had Klaus and Hayley both decide that they want the baby. Rebekah has arrived and agreed to help find Elijah—as well as protect Hayley and the baby. Marcel, while having fallen prey to Klaus’s manipulations, has asked his willing witch prisoner Davina to find a way to kill the Originals, since she has one daggered in her attic.

The board is set. The pieces strategically aligned.

And Klaus decides to bring in a new player. Not truly new—Cami has already gotten involved with Marcel, and she’s even been compelled by Klaus. (such an honor!) She has some idea of how dangerous these people are—probably aware that they’re the mob. But now Klaus is ready to not only show her the board, but label all the pieces: vampire, witch, werewolf, hybrid.

Cami: okay, so he’s crazy.

(Nah, that would be my reaction.) Her immediate go-to upon being compelled is to ask about the science behind it. Meanwhile Klaus is like, idk! I’ve been doing this for a thousand years it just works, okay.

I also love how he stares dramatically at the painting they met over while he monologues—he literally went out and bought that from the artist after Cami randomly read him for filth in the square. The conversation affected him that deeply that he needed that painting, just so he could look at it from time to time in melancholy reflection.

She also reads him for filth in this first scene, giving him a basic diagnosis and recommendation for more therapy—while he is speaking melodramatically about plots against him, women trapped in situations, in need of saving, and how he’s really not evil, he’s just taking appropriate measures against tyranny!

I adore how Cami keeps her composure all the way through this megalomaniacal speech—only protesting when he brings up her boyfriend Marcel. Personal/professional boundaries, Klaus!

All in all, this opening scene gives us a great insight into how the klamille relationship plays out: Klaus makes some grand, sweeping statement or gesture about the state of things, Cami remarks on his…uh…less than stellar mental state, Klaus responds by doing something to *impress* or intimidate her, but she simply questions the mechanisms of it. Mind control is not a scientific term!

Meanwhile, back at the church attic: I put way too much time and effort into this please clap

Nah, Davina wants to keep Elijah, even though Marcel promised to return him to Klaus. (What? He’s handsome, I get it)

But then she immediately changes the subject and asks Marcel to go to a concert. She gets a little petty, throwing a witchy temper tantrum in the form of boiling Marcel’s blood to get him to agree (or she could be convincing him that she can defend herself if necessary, but I really get the vibe she’s just being a teenager. “It’s not a phase, Dad!” “Sometimes I think you forget what I’m capable of.”)

Davina’s dresses are…adorable in early season 1. They really wanted this innocent, virgin-Mary-esque image for her, and they got it. She truly does seem like a child, even though she’s meant to be 16—the same age as Elena and her friends when tvd started (although the actress was much closer to 16 than the tvd actresses, so it makes sense).

Marcel’s reaction is very interesting. He looks nervous and uncomfortable for a moment before grinning and giving in. (he says it’s a compromise, but he really does just give in. She’s such a daddy’s girl. 😁) Sometimes I miss the odd little moments of distrust and posturing between them. Yes, they care for each other, but they’re still sizing each other up. Looking for weaknesses. Assessing the worth of their alliance. This comes in handy later in the episode!

…and seeing how long this post is getting from just two scenes, I’m putting the rest under a cut. Spoilers!

When Klaus approaches Cami at Rousseau’s, she spouts off some exposition about compulsion—for the uninitiated, those who haven’t seen tvd and still need some reminders on how the world works. But we get this little gem about what Cami thinks of Klaus (paraphrased): “you leave, and I go back to thinking you’re just a hot guy with a cute accent and money to burn on his sprawling memoirs.” Okay Cami, I see you girl 😉 don’t worry, we’ve all been there.

This line also sticks out, when he is preparing to compel her to meet Marcel and Davina. “You’re going to force me to do this, aren’t you? Why even bother with politeness?”

Yeah yeah, his answer is some trite “I like you” but that’s him, isn’t it? He comes in with his smug smile and demure posture and the accent he thinks is suave and smooth and persuasive, thinking he can verbally strong-arm everyone into doing what he wants. But when that fails, he just falls back on mind control. Still a strong-arm, less pleasant. Sorry, Klaus, you can’t win on charisma alone!

Oh, Hayley’s subplot! I forget how there was always a witch just…hanging around the plantation house in the early episodes. She’s also reading What to Expect When You’re Expecting, a nice touch. She’s probably not paying much attention.

And Rebekah is looking on Google Maps for a church attic! Our little Nancy Drew Mikaelson. Klaus is skeptical of it, but she actually does find the church this way. The internet isn’t all bad!

She makes a side trip to the vampire’s nest, where we see her slightly hate-flirting with Diego—one of my favorite minor characters from season 1. O fun background characters, where have thou gone? Also, Claire is gorgeous 🥰

Aww, and we get a glimpse into who Davina used to be, before all this harvest nonsense happened to her! She was apparently a normal girl who went to school, had crushes. Practiced magic on the side. But her only true friends seem to be other witches—Monique and Cassie and…that’s it, I guess? Yeah, they don’t go too much into Davina’s inner life.

But I get the sense that the French Quarter coven is a little like religious fundamentalists here in the US. Strict upbringing, rules on who the kids can talk to/be influenced by. Sophie references this too later, that her traveling and becoming a chef at a bar was a big *rebellion* by their standards. They don’t go too much into it, but it just seems a little cult-y to me. Not to mention the whole…child sacrifice…thing we learn about later. (Hey I never said this show was perfect—it says a lot of things, but it doesn’t always know what it’s saying!)

Anyway, back to the little fiddler Tim. He’s adorable, and I really wish we’d gotten to know him even a little better. True, he was just a plot device—but he was a glimpse into Davina’s world, and we don’t get too much of that.

Marcel is oblivious to how weirdly accepting Cami is of all these red flags he’s leaving scattered about. “We all have our hot-headed moments,” she says, smiling sycophantically and shrugging nonchalantly. If I didn’t know the truth, I’d be yelling girl run.

But if Cami is oblivious to Marcel, she sees what Marcel misses—Davina’s crush on the cute curly-haired fiddler. (He looks like a Timothee Chalamet prototype, now that I think about it.)

Ooh, and this episode is where we meet the wonderful, enigmatic Father Kieran! I first saw Todd Stashwick in a fantastic, one-off episode of Supernatural where he plays, I kid you not, Dracula—who is obsessed with old monster movies. It’s campy and hilarious and I highly recommend it, even to non-spn fans! Anyway, the hey-it’s-that-guy actor gives a great performance here in this other campy, supernatural drama.

His quick thinking when Rebekah tries to compel him? Brilliant. How else would he have avoided attention? He’s a smart dude.

And we get his backstory—which is also tangentially Cami’s backstory—of the St. Anne’s massacre. Sean murdering people, and then himself, with a sickle.

“You’re standing on blood.”

“I’m not squeamish.”

A+ line for Rebekah, honestly. Written, delivery, just. *chef’s kiss* that’s her.

Elijah’s vision gives us what is technically our first present-day Relijah interaction in this show. Long overdue, imo.

I’ve already spoken about how TO simplifies the Rebekah/Elijah relationship to “siblings who care a lot about each other and don’t necessarily want to fight on any given day.” Which, honestly, I prefer to the sneering and posturing they did to each other on tvd.

They hug, because they’re happy to see each other! They’re happy the other is okay!

This plot point does bring up an interesting bit of lore that TO kind of neglects: in order to neutralize the Originals, the dagger must first be dipped in white oak ash. This is why Elijah can wake up after Davina pulls the dagger out—she didn’t re-dip it in white oak ash before re-stabbing him. But TO glosses over the why, and as far as I remember, never explicitly states the lore about ash again, even though we see originals get daggered many times over the course of the series.

But enough silly plot logic. This show is about family! And I’m okay with at least one sibling relationship being just…uncomplicated affection. One could even make a case that they’re the most themselves around each other. This is how they were as humans—kind, loving, lots of care for each other and those around them.

Hayley gets into some trouble in the bayou—our first real glimpse of her as a Tough Grrl who Fights For Herself. She is also rescued by Rebekah and a Mysterious Wolf. (instead of a Horse Girl, Hayley’s a Wolf Girl) but other than that, this mainly acts to set up the plot for the next few episodes (which I enjoy immensely!)

Back to Davina and her Cute Fiddler—their reunion serves as background noise to the real star of the episode, Cami’s trauma and her musings on the nature of evil and humanity.

“The world is an awful place. Best to meet it on its own terms.”

“No. The world isn’t awful. People aren’t awful. They want to be good. Something makes them bad.”

(In Klaus’s case it was rejection, daddy issues, and time. Stir and simmer for a millennium.)

But Cami’s desperation to understand her brother’s senseless killings, his suicide, is the first glimpse we get into her psyche. Her world. So far she’s just been a tool in the narrative. She could’ve been anyone. But now she’s someone. Someone who not only listens and responds to Klaus, but who has her own problems and her own worries. Her brother—her twin brother—killed people with no warning. And if she, who knew him like no one else did, couldn’t see it coming, how can she protect herself from the same?

Klaus: I don’t know anything about this and all I can say is “stand alone against your demons” because that’s all I’ve done and clearly it’s working great for me. Okbyetimeforyoutogo

(He’s not great at therapy. Or encouragement in general.)

He then struts down to the altar where he plants himself in front of Jesus and mother Mary and postures to Davina. What an incredible show. The audacity. I love it.

Same as before, Klaus tries to win her over by being suave and smooth and genteel. But that doesn’t work—so he pouts and uses brute force. Since he can’t compel Davina, he goes for her cute fiddler. Oh no!

Davina shatters the windows and then runs outside (?) in search of Tim. Meanwhile Klaus has him up top, where he unceremoniously tosses him over the railing. And then his fiddle. (Oh my gosh I hate him so much.)

I think this is meant to imply Davina thinks she hurt Tim with her magic, and Klaus can heal him to make her owe him something. Unfortunately, this is something I don’t think they ever circle back to—except that it cements Davina’s eternal and undying hatred for Klaus, something that never leaves, not even after the Few Seasons Fatigue sets in. She will always hate him. I respect her for that, but it does get boring. Girl, this is literally the Klaus Mikaelson Show. Accept it.

“If he remembers meeting you and comes knocking, poor Timothy might end up caught in an awful scheme to control you…again.”

Oh my GOSH he’s awful. The devil emoji was made for him.

And there’s another small hint of conflict between Marcel and Davina! When he asks her what happened at the church, why she’s there, she retorts rather resentfully, “I live here, remember?” Another fascinating thing that never quite comes full circle.

Klaus’s little snarl when he finds out Hayley has disappeared. His little smirk when he learns the baby has healed Hayley.

And we end on the star of the episode again—Cami’s sad, sad story. She invites Klaus in rather blithely—“this is super weird. Come in.” Girl, even uncompelled you have awful boundaries. Don’t let your employer in your house at night! Even if he asks politely! Even if you think his accent is cute!

Once again, Klaus reduces her agency. He takes away her part of the story—her brother’s suicide, her investigation, her worries. She is nothing more than a tool in his story, the story of how he wrested the city back from Marcel and became king of New Orleans. She can’t afford to have her own life, it’ll get in the way of his! Not to mention Sean’s breakdown is a dead end—he’s dead and he’s not coming back. So he must compel this interesting story out of her. But he’ll feel a little bit bad about it.

I love this line, where he appeals to family, to him trying to honor his brother (lol. You were the one who put him in a coffin, Klaus! You caused at least half these problems!) And Cami shoots back: “what about my brother?” because family in the abstract isn’t important to Klaus. Klaus’s family is important to Klaus, and only in that he can use them to help him retake the city.

It really makes me sad we never get to see Cami before Sean died. She goes through this show missing half of herself, and it’s implied she changed a lot after hearing the news. Yet we don’t hear much about it even past this season.

I’ve always thought the season doesn’t really get started until Elijah’s back with us. So, I guess the end of this episode is where the show really starts! Everyone welcome back the creepy guy in a suit who likes hanging out with little girls in attics—Elijah Mikaelson, guys!

We’ll be back this time next week to see who eats who: Elijah…or Davina.

#asks #whitedahlia13 #the originals #to 1x04 #i’m not sure if a blow-by-blow recap was what you wanted christina but it’s what you’re getting lol #i did try to infuse it with some intelligent thought instead of just being funny #but yes this is a fantastic early episode and i have a lot of thoughts about it

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keelywolfe · 4 years ago

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FIC: Just Swimmingly ch.1 (BAON)

Summary: Stretch and Edge are happily living their best lives together, despite the occasional setbacks. This might be another one.

Tags: Spicyhoney, Established Relationships, Hurt/Comfort, Additional Tags To Come

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

~~*~~

Read it on AO3

Read it here!

~~*~~

"that's it, babe, i'm finished. stick a fork in me, i'm done."

Edge looked over to where his husband was flopped back in the grass, an arm slung over his eye sockets. His sweatshirt had been shed some time ago, followed by his tank top and now he was stripped down to his lovely, if somewhat sweaty, rib cage. He couldn’t blame Stretch for his exhaustion, they’d been working hard since early this morning and even he was starting to feel weariness setting in.

"Not quite finished, but close," Edge allowed. "It's looking very good."

That was enough to Stretch to rise all the way onto his elbows in outrage. "excuse me, it is looking fantastic. amazing. brilliant. gimmie a second to find a thesaurus and i'll toss a few more adjectives your way."

Edge had to admit that he was right. Their new pond was shaping up into a fine addition for their backyard. Surrounded by large stones to support the two small waterfalls, the narrow path that led to it from the coop was surrounded by plants that were both visually appealing and of types that any domesticated poultry would find an appetizing snack. What couldn't be seen was the dedicated filter and drain that would keep the water clean and the automatic vacuum that would run at night to keep bottom muck free for their little aquatic acquisition.

He'd spent days researching the best way to build it, another few designing it and ordering the necessary supplies. If they were going to have a duck pond in their increasingly hectic backyard, then they were going to have the best one that he could possibly manage, but it wasn’t only the aesthetic that made all the effort worth it. There was also the way Stretch scrambled up and shifted his sprawl across Edge’s back, hugging him tightly. “hey, babe, thanks for doing this.”

“You’re welcome,” Edge leaned back into his arms, “but I honestly can’t fathom why you would ever think I wouldn’t.”

“i don’t think you wouldn’t,” Stretch said. The words were muffled, his mouth pressed close to Edge’s temple. “but you made it a priority over your kitchen when you really didn’t have to."

The kitchen was still waiting on its remodel and that was certainly his next project, but the issues there were entirely cosmetic; the kitchen was still useable, if less than aesthetically pleasing. A small duckling would not remain small for very long and needed a pond as soon as possible. The little basin Cheese had been using was not an adequate substitute.

“Of course, I did,” Edge reached back to gently touched Stretch’s cheekbone, traced the arch with his thumb, glove whispering against bone. “What kind of person would I be if I didn’t put my grand duckling first?” He highly doubted he would have said the same when they first came to the surface. In fact, he would have assumed anyone who even suggested such a thing to him was a raving lunatic. These days, adjusting his life for not only Stretch but also chickens, neighborhood children, and experiments that would be right at home in any mad scientist’s laboratory was not only automatic, it was also a pleasure.

Stretch snorted, nipping teasingly as those fingers wandered down to his jaw. "yeah, okay, grandpa. welp, we got the water and we've got the plants in it. we put in those tablets you got to regulate the ph and we've got the little waterfalls going. can we bring cheese to it now?"

Edge drew away, crawling across the grass to pick up his clipboard. He made a show of checking the list until Stretch was practically rolling on the ground in moaning impatience.

"I believe we can introduce our newest family member to their own personal playground," Edge allowed. He nearly fell back on the ground when Stretch scrambled over right into his lap, flinging his skinny arms around him.

"yes!” Stretch cheered, “time for swimmies!" Too loudly and right into Edge’s audial canal. Before he could plot any sort of revenge, ticklish, pleasurable, or otherwise, Stretch was already squirming free and bouncing to his feet. He might have used up all his energy allotted for labor, but it seemed he kept a reserve stored for excitement.

'Swimmies?" Edge mouthed, but he only shook his head and climbed to his feet to begin picking up the tools scattered about, setting them back into his toolbox. Despite the day's work, his leg was only just starting to ache. He stretched it out with a grimace but didn't yet reach for his cane. After so much bending and moving today, he'd likely need it tonight and possibly some time with an ice pack as well. It was definitely getting better, slowly but surely. Today was simply pushing him to his limits.

"cleanup can come later, babe, you gotta watch!" Stretch called.

Obediently, Edge sat in one of the deck chairs Stretch had pulled over that morning for breaktime. "Watching."

With a flourish worthy of a game show host, Stretch opened the coop door and three chickens plus a duckling came scurrying eagerly out. Before they could get far, Stretch scooped up Cheese, holding the little bundle of yellow fluff and cooing to them. Already they were visible larger, soon they would begin to shed their baby down and real feathers would begin growing in.

The tiny quacks rose in volume as Stretch carried Cheese towards the pond and before he even made it to the walkway, the little duckling was squirming loose. Stretch set them down hastily before they could fall and Cheese made a beeline straight for the pond, splashing in, their little webbed feet paddling furiously as they quacked enthusiastically.

Nugget was less than pleased with her adopted child's watery delight. She stood on the artificial shoreline, flapping her wings and loudly expressing her displeasure. Cheese ignored her loud scolding and cackles, swimming happily, and finally Nugget began to sulkily scratch around the fresh landscaping in search of bugs, occasionally giving her child a grouchy glare. Noodle and Dumpling were less concerned with the latest member of their flock and were already inspecting their new territory.

"guess it works," Stretch laughed. He was nearly clapping his hands in glee as he watched Cheese contentedly swim circles around their new watering hole.

“It better, after all that effort.” Edge set both hands at the small of his back and stretched, groaning as his joints popped. “Let them swim for a while and then we can go get cleaned up so I can start on dinner.”

Stretch scrambled for his phone, wincing as he checked the time. "shit, i didn't tell you, i'm meeting andy in town tonight. sorry, babe, it slipped my mind."

"Not a problem.” His dinner plans could be easily adjusted to account for leftovers. More curious, and suspicious, was those two going out for the evening, particularly without himself and Antwan invited along. “What are the two of you up to?"

“checking out a few bands,” Stretch said promptly. He scooped his sweatshirt off the ground, his voice briefly muffled as he pulled it over his head. “see, catty gives andy a list of local bands who profess to be monster supporters to check out. word gets arounds that being supportive of monsters can get you gigs at our events and the embassy pays well.” That was both explanation enough and a guilty relief. Neither he nor Antwan were fans of the sort of music that Catty was likely seeking. “andy is checking their sound but also trying to poke around and see if it’s all just lip service since the only asshole we want on the payroll is your bro.” He leered, running his tongue lightly over his teeth. “you’ll have to wait for my lip service until i get home.”

“an impressive feat, considering your lack of lips,” Edge said dryly. He waited for Stretch to secure their flock back in the coop, despite Cheese’s heartbreaking protests for a longer swim time. Then he took a step towards the house and while he was sure his expression didn’t change in the slightest, he accepted the cane when Stretch pointedly handed it to him. “Thank you.”

“uh huh, try saying that a little less like ‘fuck off’ and i’ll buy it,” Stretch said cheerfully. “gonna head upstairs to change. hey, wait.” Just inside the door, Stretch pushed Edge up against the wall, both arms braced on either side of him as he leaned in. The sharp thrill that rumbled through Edge’s soul was sadly disappointed when all Stretch did was say firmly. “promise me you won’t spend the whole time i’m gone working. do some of your action figures or make some muffins. do something else, okay?”

“I promise.” Still caught in the loose cage of Stretch’s arms, Edge stripped off his dirty gloves and dropped them to the floor, then reached up to cup his face lightly, cautiously, between his bare hands as he leaned up to kiss him with gentle affection.

“liar,” Stretch murmured against his mouth. He stole another gentle kiss, another slightly less gentle one, then drew back, “you’ll tell yourself just one more thing and then get caught up in something important so when i get home, you’ll be sitting on the sofa and your leg is gonna hurt like a bitch because you didn’t move for five hours.”

“That does sound like me,” Edge agreed, stealing a last kiss before letting Stretch escape upstairs.

What he did not say was that the house tended to be too quiet without Stretch in it. Even when he was only sleeping next to Edge, his presence carried a certain weight that seemed to fill the room. Work was more immersive than any of his hobbies and he would be less likely to be constantly about to speak to Stretch only to remember that he wasn’t there.

Ridiculous, really, that he could miss Stretch before he was even gone, and he wasn’t about to say a word. He wouldn’t try to hold Stretch back for the world, certainly not from his friendship with Jeff.

He was setting up his laptop on the coffee table when Stretch came back downstairs, dressed entirely from Edge’s side of the closet, the warm pulse in his soul was far less from affection and more foreshadowing of the night he hoped would come when Stretch returned. Edge might not have chosen to wear a striped shirt with that jacket, but it was undeniably attractive on Stretch’s tall, slim form, particularly coupled with jeans that clung to his femurs, all the way down to the borrowed boots on his feet.

Stretch was never oblivious to his gaze and playfully struck a pose that would have given Mettaton a fit of jealousy.

“like the coming attraction?” Stretch said teasingly. He gave a little shimmy and Edge’s mouth went dry.

“Always.” He let it come out in a rough growl, watched the brief flicker of orange color Stretch’s eye lights.

His tongue flicked out over his teeth, his own voice lowering to that whiskey-sweet rasp that Edge loved so much. “don’t lose your raincheck, you’ll get to call it in when i get home.”

He leaned down for another kiss, one that Edge gladly granted. But before he could head for the front door, Edge caught his hand, drawing it to his mouth to press a light kiss right above Stretch’s wedding band. Later, he couldn’t say why he added, “Love? Be careful.”

It wasn’t his normal version of a sendoff, obvious in the way Stretch startled, blinking down at him. “aren’t i always, mama bear?”

“Absolutely not.”

“okay, well, i’d argue that. but my reputation kinda precedes me and you’re also something of an expert witness.” He twisted his hand in Edge’s loose grip, fingertips brushing against his jaw. “i will be tonight. deal?”

“Deal.”

With a last kiss, Stretch was out the door, heading off for a night of music and fun, and Edge was alone.

He headed for the kitchen first, absently reminding himself to get working on the schematics for this remodel next. The meal he’d planned for tonight suddenly lacked appeal and instead, he decided to make it tomorrow when Stretch would be home. A sandwich would do for tonight. Before he left with his plate, he rummaged through the freezer for an ice pack to keep the dull ache in his leg from rising to a throb.

By the time he was settled on the sofa, the silence in the house was already nagging at him, the memory of his husband dressed in his clothes lingering at the back of his mind, and with it, some nebulous agitation, something that he couldn’t properly express.

Better to cut it off now before he was truly distracted. Edge opened his laptop and soon was absorbed in his work. To the point he didn’t really register the time until his phone chimed and when he picked it up to check the message, the first three words turned all the lingering, warm anticipation in his soul to ice.

We have him.

~~*~~

tbc

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus #by any other name

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dadsbongos · 4 years ago

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School Worker AU fic(?)

Movie/Game/Show: Danganronpa (just in general) Dynamic: idk fuckin everyone is in their senior year though Warnings: all of the danganronpa cast - unless otherwise specified - is in their senior year of hs Summary: Tsumugi makes a documentary. AU: Hope’s Peak is a shitty public school that makes their senior students work around the district in self-made or pre-existing programs in order to earn a crucial credit they need for graduation. A lot of the students want a “raise” in their wages because of the work they do, even though “raise” just means any money at all. ~~~

Maki twirled a long strand of her brown hair around her finger, eyes flickering over it boredly, “Yeah, I want to get paid for this.”

Kaito’s eyes widened, an uneasy smile crossing over his lips and nervously looking between his girlfriend and the camera, “Oh, c’mon, Maki-roll, it’s not about money! It’s about the kids!”

“It’s about the money,” Maki glared at the camera, “Pay me.”

“How do I feel about being paid?” Kaede giggled nervously, looking to her other two bandmates, “Well, it’s not about the money, we like playing for kids and the elderly.”

“Ibuki mostly agrees,” the girl with wildly multi-colored began, “However, Ibuki would also like to be paid for our hard work.”

Sayaka nodded shyly, a small smile on her lips, “I like working for the kids and elderly, but I also would like to have said work rewarded, if I could.”

“Yeah,” Hajime picked up yet another empty plastic water bottle with a gloved hand as he responded to the question, “I would love to get paid but nobody gives a shit about the kids cleaning.”

Chiaki, who wasn’t even holding her trash bag - preferring to have her face stuffed into her handheld, “Not paying us is the school’s way of preparing us for the years of unpaid extraneous labor ahead of us in an adult working environment… I think.”

“I should be gettin’ fuckin’ paid,” Mondo grit his teeth, no longer soaping up his math teacher’s car with Kazuichi and just looking at the camera, “I don’t get stared at by those fuckers,” he jabbed a thumb in the direction of a small gaggle of giggling freshman, “for free. I hate this shit.”

Kazuichi nodded, “I don’t even get to remodel the cars! I just wash them, that’s so lame!”

“Duh - yeah, I wanna get paid!” Junko scoffed, rolling her eyes, “What am I? Twelve? I don’t do this shit for nothing!”

Mukuro sighed quietly, practically elbow deep in the dirt, “You don’t do anything…”

“The hell did you say to me, you fat, ugly, skank?” the blond pressed a stiletto boot into her sister’s back, shoving her face-first into the flower beds Mukuro would now have to redo.

“So,” Tsumugi Shirogane held a mic to her mouth as she stared into the camera, “with so many students demanding a raise in wages, which would mean any wages at all, let’s get to the core issue of why these students feel that their work is so reward-worthy.”

A few feet away, Mikan was watching the hostess of the documentary with nervous eyes, her heart racing as she turned to Rantaro, “Oh my God, is she g-gonna ask us questions? I’m n-not good at speaking. I-I’ll stutter and mum-mumble and she’ll ask me to re-repeat myself, oh God…”

“Hey,” Rantaro gave the girl a small smile, carefully setting his hand on her shoulder, “it’ll be okay. I can do most of the talking, if you want?”

Mikan nodded shakily, fingers intertwining and scrambling apart repeatedly, “Th-that would be p-preferred, tha-thank you…”

As Tsumugi crossed towards the students, she stuck a microphone into Rantaro’s face first, thankfully. Quick to the point, she asked him the question of the segment, “Why, exactly, do you think your work is worth the funding of payment?”

“We do basically the same amount of work that the ordinary school nurse does under regulation and we’re certain our efforts are worthy of payment,” in order to avoid the awkwardness of Tsumugi having to ask Mikan, he gestured to his partner in nursing, “We both are.”

Nodding, Tsumugi moved to place the microphone into Mikan’s face anyway, “And your thoughts?”

“Uhhhh,” Mikan froze up, patting the tips of her fingers into each other, “y-yeah?”

“Yeah, what?”

“Yeah with Rantaro…”

Tsumugi blinked at the girl, standing there for a minute before slowly nodding and turning back to the camera to continue her segment.

Mikan turned to Rantaro with wide eyes, tears already bubbling at her waterline, “Oh my God… I just did that… I just- I - oh my God…”

Rantaro nodded, crossing his arms with a pitying smile, “Yeah, that was pretty bad.”

A loud, resounding thud was the opening sound of the shot, a girl landing flat on her back on a gym mat is the scene. The gymnasium is filled with a multitude of students in fighting stance - a tall girl with red eyes and a short boy with blond hair standing at the front.

Tsumugi narrowly dodges stray hits and flying bodies being tossed over shoulders as she approaches the two senior students. She judges how confrontational they both look and decides to not hastily jam her mic into either of their faces as she asks, “And what is the program you two have picked up for your required credit?”

Peko doesn’t look away from the students as she answers, “Self-defense.”

Fuyuhiko nods, “Any-fuckin’-body can sign up but most of these kids are girls and LGBT+. They’re who mostly comes.”

“Which is a whole different problem on its own,” Peko added, “The fact that they feel the need to learn self-defense rather than trust that nobody will try attacking them for simply walking down the street is rather saddening.”

“Oh, well that’s incredibly noble of you,” Tsumugi breathed out, slightly surprised - she hadn’t expected such mean-looking students to care so much

“Someone has to beat up scumbags,” the taller of the pair shrugged, “My arms were getting tired.”

“Right…” Tsumugi nodded, “uh, you two share this gym with another group, correct?”

“Oh, fuck, yeah,” Fuyuhiko glanced to one of the clocks encaged on the wall, “They should be back in- “

“We’re here for the gym!” a voice boomed out in the space, “Move out!”

“No!” Fuyuhiko shook his head, charging towards the pair and the volleyball team they were coaching that day, he jammed a finger into the girl’s shoulder, “You asshats are always too early! Peko and I got another ten minutes, at least!”

“Well, they need the gym now!” Akane gestured to the team, which was awkwardly standing around and waiting for the approval of Nekomaru and Akane to spread out to the gym, “‘Sides, it’s just five minutes!”

“Eight, now,” the blond crossed his arms, “They continue, you guys wait your turn.”

Seeing no soon-to-come resolution from the pair, Nekomaru moved past Fuyuhiko and Akane as they argued and towards Peko at the front. He rubbed the back of his neck, “We really need the gym right now. You can take our last ten minutes tomorrow if that’d be fair.”

Thinking over the proposal, Peko nodded before picking up the whistle from around her neck and blowing into it before calling to the self-defense class, “Alright, dress out and head home! Remember what you’ve learned and stay safe! Tomorrow, we’ll be meeting out by the baseball field!”

Fuyuhiko sighed, clenching his eyes shut to avoid looking at Akane’s smug grin, “You’re lucky Peko stepped in or I would’ve laid your ass out on the mat.”

“Whatever you say, baby face,” the girl snickered, strolling by to join Nekomaru’s side.

“What did you call me?!”

Tsumugi looked to the new faces, “Do you two fight like that often?”

Akane nodded confidently, “Constantly!”

Sighing, Nekomaru lowered his head, “That’s not a brag.”

“And you two do what around the school?”

“We pick up the school’s teams when the coaches are busy,” Akane pat her outrageously buff partner’s back, “You should see coach Nekomaru out there! He’s like a pro!”

“Well, that’s certainly something!” Tsumugi giggled, “And I can assume you two want to be paid for your efforts?”

“We’re supposed to be paid for this?!”

“Oh my God, leave us alone, you guys are so mean, assholes!”

“Don’t say that, we’re on school grounds! A teacher could walk by at any time!”

“Can you two please be quiet? They’re not even responding to you at this point.”

“We must focus on this column entry!”

“Y-yeah… so s-stop bothering us…”

Tsumugi hesitated, looking at the camera with furrowed brows, “Do we even want to go in?”

The camera shifted with the director’s nodding, the girl sighing loudly before quietly agreeing and pushing the door open to see a classroom with only five people in it. A short boy with untamed purple hair being held back from clawing at the back of a girl with long braids and glasses by another boy with greenish hair… God, what color was that?

Another girl looked up from the desk she was sitting at, “Are you here for the documentary on student payment for their work efforts involving school credit?”

“Yes, I am,” Tsumugi was incredibly tempted to lie, say she got lost, and run out - but she didn’t. Instead, she asked them to introduce themselves.

“Kyoko Kirigiri,” the girl at the desk introduced herself with a solid nod before returning to her work.

The boy holding back his friend finally managed to calm the purple-haired one down before shyly waving, “Shuichi Saihara,” to prevent the other boy from talking, Shuichi clapped a hand over his mouth with an exhausted look, “This is Kokichi Ouma. Us three solve ‘mysteries’ around school, it’s mostly just stolen items. They,” he pointed to the pair on the other side of the room, “write the school newspaper.”

Kokichi managed to release himself from Shuichi’s grasp, immediately rushing towards Tsumugi and grabbing her long skirt between his hands and throttling her, “Help! They’ve kidnapped me! I’m being held against my will!”

“Ah!” Tsumugi screamed, looking up to Shuichi, “What is he talking about?!”

“He’s a liar,” Kyoko piped up, “He’s annoying but he gets the job done quickly so I haven’t kicked him out yet.”

The girl across the room huffed, “C-can you s-shut up over there? And you,” she pointed at Tsumugi, “hurry up and get over here s-so we can get b-back to work…”

“Right,” she nodded slowly before going over to the pair, “You two write the newspaper, that must include some interesting stories.”

“N-not really… I’m T-Toko Fukawa. That's Hi-Hifumi Yamada…” she gave the boy a side-eye, “Don’t say anything w-weird…”

“Never!” he cheered, turning to Tsumugi, “I am Hifumi Yamada- “

“Yeah,” Tsumugi sighed, already rather exhausted with his loudness, “Toko already introduced you.”

“But you may call me by my online dubbing - The Alpha and The Omega!”

“Alright,” Tsumugi dryly replied - he didn’t seem awful, but he definitely wasn’t for her.

“Wait!” Kokichi whined as the girl was leaving, grabbing at the tail of her skirt, “Didn’t you hear me earlier?! These creeps kidnapped me! They’re gonna kill me!”

“Stop talking,” Kyoko mumbled.

Shuichi sighed, running his hands through his hair, “Please, Kokichi, you’re giving me grey hairs and I’m barely eighteen…”

Tsumugi rubbed over her eyes, exhaustion ringing over her, “Me too and I haven’t even known you for ten minutes.”

“No more crazies… no more crazies… no more crazies…” Tsumugi repeatedly murmured to herself as she rubbed her temples. Finally taking notice of the camera pointed at her, she hissed, “You better cut that.”

Once again, there was the motion of a nod from the director before following Tsumugi around to the back of the elementary school neighboring Hope’s Peak to find two more groups. This time, however, the two groups were working together extremely well and weren’t fighting whatsoever. Who knew how refreshing it could be to not hear yelling for five minutes?

It seemed that the third-grade student body had been split in half between a group of two and a group of three. The two were monitoring as kids ran around the large field - the three had kids standing at canvases with just a few bouncing around one with long hair tied in what appeared to be fishtail braids.

“Aw,” Tsumugi smiled at the sweet sight, “Okay, let’s go over there.”

A voice popped up from behind the camera, “I heard about these girls from the headmaster. Those two,” he pointed over to a muscular girl picking up kids on her arms with a shorter girl trailing behind her, “are Sakura Ogami and Aoi Asahina. They go around to closeby elementary schools and set up field days for the kids,” then to the group of three, made up of a white-haired girl in a long yellow overcoat, a redhead with extremely pointy boots, and the fishtail girl throwing obviously fake hits with some kids, “They’re Angie Yonaga, Himiko Yumeno, and Tenko Chabashira. They teach kids about the arts. Except for Tenko who teaches them her made up Neo-Aikido, something about controlling emotions and all that junk.”

“Wow,” Tsumugi breathed out, still approaching the two groups, “that’s so great. They seem like a fun- “

Then, out of nowhere, Tenko suddenly tossed Angie over her shoulder, causing an eruption of cheers to burst from the children.

Tsumugi’s face fell, she turned around and nearly ran out from behind the school and towards the car. Chants of “no, no, no, no” leaving her lips.

“Oh, finally, normal people…”

The two boys in the copy room looked up at Tsumugi’s sigh.

“You must be the documentary girl?” the brunette smiled slightly, unevenly, “Sorry, I don’t know your name,” he lifted up a stack of papers, “Kyoko probably mentioned it but I was grading.”

“Tsumugi Shirogane!” the white-haired boy cheered, setting down the papers in his hands, “You’ve come to get my worthless opinion on whether or not student workers should be paid?! How incredible!”

“Sorry about him,” the shorter of the pair chuckled, “He has an inferiority complex. We’re working on it.”

“Uh-huh,” not as bland as she thought, apparently, “You two are… TAs?”

“Yeah,” the shorter nodded once again, “We work under Miss Yukizome, but lots of students everywhere are TAs, so I don’t think we should really have a say in this…”

“Especially me!” the other one butted in, “I barely help at all… I’m just garbage…”

“Nagito, you’re not garbage, and you do a lot!”

“With all respect, Makoto, the only reason you’re stuck with me is because all the other teachers can’t stand me!”

“Well, the only reason I’m here is because nobody else had a spot open.”

“Do you two just comfort each other about your hang-ups?”

“Yeah,” Makoto nodded, already pulling Nagito into a hug and patting his back, “it’s nice. Like super amateur therapy.”

“Painfully normal in comparison to the others,” Tsumugi turned to the camera, “Almost as plain as me.”

“No,” the voice from behind the camera peeped up again, “You’re still definitely the plainer one.”

“We duel-work animal care and the occult,” Sonia cheered, holding a small puppy in her arms as Gundham fed hamsters in the back of the room, “It’s quite a bit of work but we manage, don’t we?”

Gundham nodded silently.

“Does…” Tsumugi gestured to the boy, “Does he ever speak?”

“You haven’t built enough resistance to the poison that would slip from his lips, unfortunately,” Sonia shakes her head, frowning slightly, “He doesn’t speak to people unless they’re immune.”

“And you are?”

“Surprisingly, yes!” eyes lighting up at the question, Sonia nodded excitedly, “It seems that I have managed to build up an immunity to his poison without even realizing it! Is that not amazing?”

Refraining from rolling her eyes, Tsumugi merely glanced between the beautiful blond and the boy hiding his bright red face in his scarf, “It truly is amazing, yes. How wonderfully random.”

“Wanna go?” the director asked.

“Yeah…”

The camera aimed at a downcast Tsumugi, a frown depressingly obvious over her features. The voice behind the camera popped up, “Wanna try Celestia at the math club again?”

“And get told that only people she hates more than her own clubmates are theatre kids and then get called theatre kids and yelled at to get out again?” the girl grumbled, letting her microphone fall down into her lap as she sat slumped against the wall, “No thanks, Monokuma.”

“I mean, she’s not wrong,” the camera turned to show off the boy going by Monokuma with heterochromatic black-and-red eyes, half-and-half dyed hair between white and black. He snickered, “Yeah, I’m a big theatre kid. It’s unfortunate. You are, too, just let it go.”

“She might be right, but it’s still mean!”

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glassesandkim · 3 years ago

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ok so anon sent me a rant that i asked for and I want to answer it but under a cut so we don’t have to spam the dash.

Click under the read more if you want to read me and anon’s rant on grey’s anatomy s17 finale

anon said: “Magston... what the hell lmao. They literally had a whole plot in 1716 about postponing their wedding so they could do it right (with family) and then winston was getting all mad about it and thought maggie was backing out (even though its a pandemic and theyve only been engaged for like what? 3 months tops). Then they flew their older parent/grandparent out (in the middle of a pandemic and severely affects old people), only to have them object to the wedding at the ceremony and then they postpone anyways???? What???? They couldnt have done that over the phone lmao like I liked the idea of magston a lot in s16 but their arc this season made me hate them so much lol. Sometimes I think theyre less developed than schmico (like which writer decided to marry them this season ????? Fireable offence imo considering they have no previous relationship history Im pretty sure and Im pretty sure they were only dating/engaged for like a year???? Even if the show was ending a moving in together/dating/engagment endgame would have worked for them? Anyways).”

First of all: what the fuck is grey’s obsession with marriage?????

It might just be me, but take it from someone who worked in the wedding industry for 3 years, and lemme tell you: weddings are fun, beautiful, amazing, but they’re also hella for the privileged. YOU KNOW IT CAN COST UP TO $700 CAD TO HIRE AN OFFICIANT??? So the job Richard had? He could’ve made an easy few hundies.

I really hate how fucking fake and badly acted that scene was when Maggie’s dad and Winston’s grandma objected to the marriage. Why did they wait until then and EMBARRASS both of them???? Like you said, what the hell was the point of last episode’s whole debacle???? They could’ve just not done that plot in ep 16 and had them get married anyway in ep 17 and had someone object to their marriage.

Can’t believe Maggie flew two old people around the country during a goddamn pandemic. How irresponsible is it???? Again, I don’t know if it’s because they’re just way more relaxed in the states than where I’m from but wth....

anon said: Okay and then amelink. I LOVED how amelia was written this episode, but in the context of the time jump it was kind of weird? Like amelia was feeling this way about marriage/more kids for 8-9 months and never even hinted to link that she wasnt interested? And I like to think link respects amelia a lot, so why didnt he bring up marriage again before proposing? Or ask mer/maggie what they thought about him proposing? I can understand her not talking to link about her concerns but I find it hard to believe she didnt bring it up with mer/maggie once in that time frame? Idk it was just rushed and weird. And amelia clearly wasnt okay with the fostering thing and he still went with it anyways lol.

I can’t remember and I don’t care enough to go watch the ep, but did Amelia and Link move out of Mer’s house?

The only good thing about this episode was Amelia, especially her conversation with Richard (in that not very Seattle courtyard rofl HONESTLY GREY’S PUT SOME EFFORT IN YOUR SETS. YOU KNOW YOUR ENTIRE SHOW IS SET IN SEATTLE RIGHT/???? LIKE MAKE IT RAIN IN THAT COURTYARD TO REFLECT HOW AMELIA FEELS IDK GAWD)

I also can’t believe Amelia would just be like, welp! I guess I’m a double mom now of my own child and this random crotch child that my baby daddy promised to his best friend. And oh ya, I don’t want anymore children but shhh its a secert.

I mean, I know Amelia technically fostered before but ............. (i’ll continue this in the next segment)

anon said: And the fostering thing... Jo’s plot was weird this ep too lmao. Like maybe Im just dumb but they never explained why she failed her background check? Idk this plot would have been a much better season long arc than a one episode arc lol. Although I think the single parent thing might be fun next season (the weird jo/levi friendship will be worth it if we get schmico babysitting)

They didn’t really explain why she failed her bg check. I also don’t know how money can fix her failed background check.

Also how fucking shady is it that Link and Amelia fostered a child? Wouldn’t the foster people want to give a child to a stable family who, let’s think, ARE MARRIED and HAVE A HOME OF THEIR OWN?

Who’s the dumbass in the writer’s room that thought of this ludicrous convenient solution for Jo? Only people with that much money and power can steal children.

I really thought Jo’s fight for Luna should’ve started earlier and when it didn’t start, I thought it would bleed into next season. It’s not easy to adopt a child.

anon said: Also is our last jackson appearance on this show really a random facetime with jo? Would have much rather had a face maggie to congratulate her on her marriage (why wasnt he there???)

Maggie’s kind of his step sister or whatever the f they are. Jackson could’ve taken a break from solving racism to attend his family member’s wedding, right?

anon said: Okay and then the interns... we never actually saw mer teaching them? Im hoping that theres a bigger intern/resident focus next season because of mers new job but now Im not optimistic haha. And why are the residents and interns grouped together? And why was levi so involved with mer’s patient that he wasnt pulled from the wedding to help???????? Its a double lung transplant get the upper year resident in there PLEASE!!! Or at least let him take over the surgery when mer passed out. Cristina would have been doing this shit in her intern year. I assure you he would much rather be at the surgery than the wedding of someone he has never interacted with. And Surely that surgery would have been better if more than 2 surgeons were working on it?????? my ONLY hope is that the time jump means we’re getting helm and levi aged up to 5th years and we get some chief resident/specialization/boards plots for them next year.

i hate grey’s and their ridiculous time jumps and blatant disregard to HOW THIS WILL AFFECT THE CAREERS OF THEIR RESIDENTS.

I bet, like Teddy’s child, Levi and Helm are gonna be residents for 10 years and never choose a speciality. I want to revoke grey’s rights to call themselves a medical drama. There’s nothing medical about this show.

JUST WATCH MER TOUCH A DIRTY ASS BASIN AND THEN TOUCH A WHOLE HUMAN LUNG WITH THE SAME HANDS

YOU KNOW HOW DIRTY THAT BASIN IS SITTING ON WHATEVER THE FUCK IT WAS SITTING ON??? GET A NURSE TO HOLD THE BASIN. YOUR HANDS ARE STERILE

(Okay, I’m also sure the basin would be sterile but I can’t. I can’t believe in real life, they’d have the same hands hold a basin and a human organ. Someone who’s a doctor or works in the OR, tell me if I’m right. I need to know. )

Also, Bailey taking off her mask when she’s hugging Mer after the surgery. Right TO JAIL!

anon said: And finally... not half of maggies wedding guests ditching the wedding to go stand in a hallway and clap for mer LMAO like they couldnt have done that the next day??? Like I said before, most of this episode was comedy lol.

it’s COVID. Why are people going into the hospital unnecessarily??????

Yes, but you’re right. I gotta watch these eps like it’s a comedy or I’ll LOSE MY FACKING MIND

anon said: Redeeming parts of this episode: merhayes still has potential, need them to stop having the same scene over and over again though. Nico ily and alex get that cheque for sitting there, dancing, and clapping for ellen. Jo selling her shares to koracick... lmao. Bokhee and the other nurse getting their vaccines :’)

LOL @ merhayes having the same interaction. I was telling some people that I’d love for Hayes and Owen to have some scenes and for Hayes to kick Owen’s ass. Because like @schmico-ing said, Owen is a child collector and Hayes would absolutely fucking hate him.

YES ALEX LANDI GETTIN’ THAT DOUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHH. What an amazing job. I hope he gets paid in the 6 figures for his time at grey’s.

I don’t know how I feel about Koracick. I love caring Koracick. I hate asshole Koracick. I feel like they’re two different people.

BOHKEE <3

Anyways, love your rants. I look forward to them when s18 starts or even whenever you have the odd urge to rant!

#i would go more in depth but it's been almost a week and the process of purging my mind of grey's has already begun #grey's anatomy #gk asks

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everybodyscupoftea · 4 years ago

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bags are simply too easy

pike jj x reader

gift wrapping 101

oops more pre-relationship

(warnings: cursing, stupid men, rushed editing)

“Okay,” you clapped your hands to quiet all three boys down, “this is gift wrapping 101. All of you are fucking terrible and you need to know for the future how to do anything besides just buying bags.”

“Bags are convenient,” Tyler tried to bargain.

“Bags are a cop out unless it’s really weirdly shaped and not worth the effort to wrap.”

JJ shrugged, “None of them are worth the effort.”

“It will be impressive in the future to whoever you losers end up with.”

Cody smirked, “I simply do not aspire to impress.”

“Mhmm, and that’s why you’re single.”

He scoffed, “Single by choice, baby.”

JJ raised his eyebrows, “You missed a Tinder date last week to play in a house video game tournament.”

“That’s very important,” Cody pointed at him, “and you’ve done it before too.”

“Okay, we’re not talking about me right now.”

You rolled your eyes, “Sit down all of you and be quiet while I show you. This will be a participative exercise. We’re wrapping all my gifts except Secret Santa so you guys better not fuck it up.”

“No promises,” Tyler held his hands up but sat just like you told him.

You had all the gifts spread out on the bed and picked up the most basic boxed shape one. Showing it to them, you started, “Okay, this is wrapping basics. Pay attention.”

You spread out the paper and wrapped it slowly, explaining each step. All of their attention spans and learning curves were burned into your memory, so you knew it would take Tyler almost no time at all, JJ would be next because his attention span was better than Cody’s, and Cody would need at least three walk-throughs.

When you finished Tyler was nodding, “Easy peasy, hand one over.”

You snorted but did as he asked, picking the easiest one left in the pile. Turning to the other two, you asked, “One more time?”

“At least,” Cody spoke up.

Grabbing a more difficult one to get out of the way, you walked them through it again, and by the time you finished, Tyler had a clumsily but decently wrapped gift in his hands. You took it to make sure there were no gaps and nodded, “Great job, bud.”

“Suck it,” he told the other boys who both flipped him off in return. You rolled your eyes and handed one to JJ who looked like he was ready to try.

“You got it, J,” you reassured, and he nodded, determined.

Cody watched eagerly, waiting for JJ to fuck up, and to your excitement and Cody’s disappointment, he didn’t.

“Get fucked,” JJ happily told him, tossing you the gift.

Cody gave you a pleading look, “Can’t I just put bows on them all?”

“No.”

“But why not?” he whined.

“Because this is an important skill and I will not let you fail.”

Shooing JJ and Tyler out of the room so they weren’t making him nervous anymore, you sat across from him, knees touching, and walked him through it twice more until he finally felt comfortable enough to try.

Not to your surprise, his was the best of the three, and he squeezed you tightly in a hug when you told him.

“You want to help me wrap the last few?”

He blinked a few times, clearly surprised, “You sure?”

“You have the best handle on it.”

Looking pleased, he nodded eagerly, getting better with each one you handed him. When they were all wrapped, you held your fist out for him to bump, and he did so, saying, “I’m glad you forced me into this.”

You rolled your eyes again, and handed him a roll of wrapping paper, “For you to do your own.”

“Fucking sick,” he gripped it tightly to his chest with wide eyes.

Isaac and JJ wandered back in a few moments later, and you handed them each a roll of their own, instructing them, “Each of you wrap Secret Santa. We’ll do a best wrapping competition. But know if we were to judge today, Cody would win.”

Tyler and JJ got a competitive glint in their eye while Cody just looked at the design on his wrapping paper.

After a few seconds, JJ feigned interest, “So where’s Zach in all this?”

“Zach already knows how to wrap gifts.”

Tyler grinned, “Of course he does, man is practically perfect.”

“Practically,” you agreed.

“Have you found any flaws yet?” Cody batted his eyelashes playfully, finally tuning into the conversation.

“I have. We’ve been dating almost a year, so.”

“So I’m sure he’s seen all your flaws then too,” JJ commented with a snort, looking down at his phone.

You furrowed your eyebrows, a little hurt, and Tyler elbowed him in the side. When JJ looked up and looked around, confused, Tyler rolled his eyes and dragged him out of the room. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t go far enough, and you could overhear them talking.

“Just because you’re jealous,” Tyler hissed, “doesn’t mean you get to be a dick. Play nice or go home.”

JJ huffed, “I’m not being a dick, I’m stating a fact.”

“No, you’re being a dick and we both know it.”

After a few seconds of silence, JJ sighed, “Fine.”

“Good, now go apologize.”

Cody quirked his eyebrows at you as they walked back in. JJ did at least look remorseful, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, it was meant to come off as a joke.”

You felt off balanced, “It’s fine. Thanks for apologizing.”

With that, you moved on, but you spent the rest of the time feeling strange. You think only Tyler noticed because he was the first to suggest they leave to give you time to wrap. When he hugged you goodbye, he bent down, “We’ll straighten him out.”

You huffed out a laugh, “It’s all good.”

“It’s really not but okay.”

When Secret Santa day arrived, the four of you gathered at the frat house to open gifts. Much to your surprise, they’d actually wrapped them like you asked. Peering down at them, you pointed at Tyler’s, “Much better, dude.”

He looked proud, “I practiced.”

JJ’s was the worst, “This isn’t great.”

He shrugged, “I mean it’s just you guys.”

You chose not to answer because if it was for you, your feelings were going to be a little hurt, and you were tired of him doing that, even if he’d made up for the whole Brooke situation.

Cody’s was the best still, “Cody wins,” you announced.

He cheered, “Fuck yeah, what do I get?”

“My love.” He scoffed, so you rolled your eyes, “Fine, I’ll buy you a burrito next week.”

“Done.”

Much to your relief, when you all opened gifts, Tyler had you, and JJ handed his shitty one to Cody. Cody wrinkled his nose, “Bro I’m lowkey offended. I deserve better.”

“Open the fucking gift, drama queen.”

It was a nice pair of running shoes, so Cody got over it pretty quick. You couldn’t help but take note of the lack of effort. Maybe it was stupid and you were overanalyzing it, but it was almost as if JJ didn’t care.

Tyler caught your eye and seemed to be thinking the same thing, but he shrugged like what can you do. And you supposed he was right.

Once all the gifts were distributed, you stood up, “Group hug boys.”

They crowded in tight for a few seconds before Tyler pulled away, “I’m going to make hot chocolate. Someone start a movie.”

When you sat down there was a text from Zach asking how things were going, and you answered him happily, a small smile on your face. You didn’t notice JJ staring at you, and by the time you’d put your phone down to focus on the movie, he’d looked away.

for day 18 of @obxmermaid‘s holiday challenge: wrapping presents

#pike!jj #jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x you #jj maybank fic #cody and tyler #outer banks #outer banks fic #obxmermaidholiday #frat!jj

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artificialqueens · 4 years ago

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Chase the Shadows Away (Taywhora) - Juno

Summary: It’s April 2020, the UK is in lockdown, and Tayce gets a hand-delivered letter from her neighbour Aurora which may change her life.

A/N: So this is set during lockdown and does mention covid, so please bear this in mind when reading if this will be a worry, but otherwise I hope you enjoy. CWs in place for alcohol, mental health mentions, and non-adherence to lockdown rules at one point.

Otherwise it’s quite fluffy with some h/c. I hope you enjoy.

The first letter Tayce got was in early April.

She hadn’t had much post since the whole country had been locked down, no one allowed to move outside their front doors for more than once a day for threat of fines and penalties and even getting sick. Most of the letters she was getting this week had been birthday cards for her absent housemate. She’d put the various brightly-coloured cards and Amazon boxes in a pile outside Viv’s bedroom door, and gave the pile the middle finger every time she walked past it.

But today there was a plain, white envelope, with “Hi” written on it in glittery red pen, and when Tayce opened it, she found a piece of notebook paper that had been folded at least four times, and Tayce nearly threw it across the room with the effort it was taking to open.

This had better be worth it.

When she got it unfolded, she read the three lines in the same glitter pen, then again, and once more just in case.

‘Hi, I’m Aurora. I’m on my own in my flat 7D because my housemate moved home because of lockdown, and you seem to be alone too. Want to write to each other? X’

And Tayce couldn’t hold back the rush of emotion, as much as she tried - but she was alone, and she took comfort knowing only these four walls would see tears stream down her face.

——

Tayce was on her own in the flat.

In the day time she opened her work laptop, thanking god she was allowed to work from home; throwing a hoodie over her pyjama top just in time for the 9am meeting where her boss grinned at everyone and told them all to keep swimming and chin up and whatever other self-indulgent bullshit she had read in her How To Motivate Your Teammanual in the chapter about Managing Pandemics.

Tayce was still surprised at how much bullshit her workmates seemed to swallow; all of them with the same broad smiles and straightened hair and shaved chins and eyeliner, for fuck’s sake - but Tayce copied them, knowing that not painting her own smile and her own eyebrows on was damning herself for the inevitable call and the simpering It’s Good To Talk conversation, followed by u k hun xx to be flashing repeatedly in the work WhatsApp group from all the team.

In the evenings, the only noise was the clink of the glass bottle against the wine glass. One glass was enough to make her a little sleepy, two was enough to make her dance, and three was enough to make her post something cryptic on her insta story and see if anyone DMed her.

Sometimes they did.

Joe liked to crack a few morbid jokes about how it was the apocalypse and we were all going to be dead by 2021, which didn’t help Tayce in the slightest. Ginny would message “You alright, bab?” at three in the morning, but never reply to any other message. Tia would send Tayce a picture of the banana bread she’d baked as if that would cheer Tayce up.

And Cherry sent her a message one time, telling her to look after her mental health, and then Tayce felt bad because Cherry worked for the NHS and only seemed to work and sleep right now, her insta photos showing her looking more and more gaunt, with #ClapForHeroes and #ProtectTheNHS appearing at the bottom of all her posts.

Nothing curbed the gaping black hole in Tayce’s chest, sucking everything that was good from her body and leaving her a shell.

Until the letter arrived.

——

Two days after she’d posted her own letter back to 7D, another letter arrived, in the same glittery red pen, this time addressed to her, with Tayce written on the front of the envelope this time.

‘Hi Tayce (sp?) nice to meet you, don’t worry I don’t know what to say either! Where in Wales are you from? I’m from Nottingham but I came to London for uni and didn’t leave! Are you still working rn? I got furloughed which is a bit shit. And my housemate is staying with her boyfriend so she can’t move back. Have you been clapping for the NHS? Someone on my floor was banging a pan or something!! Hope your ok? WB Aurora xx’

“I’m making a new friend,” Tayce had said to her mum on the phone later that night.

“In lockdown?”

“She’s delivering me letters.”

“How?”

“By hand, mum.” Tayce forced a laugh. “You know. Through the letterbox like a normal letter.”

“I hope you’re washing your hands before and after you open them, are you?”

“Yeah, of course,” Tayce grimaced as she said it.

“Good. Stay safe. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

One of these days, Tayce thought as she disconnected the call, she might be able to say it without her voice breaking.

——

By mid-April, a full month since lockdown had started and two weeks after the first letters between them, Aurora had given Tayce her instagram handle, and Tayce had given hers in return. Tayce found herself spending all of her Good Friday skimming down the page on moreauroramore, looking through all of her new pen pal’s photos and trying desperately not to look like an idiot by accidentally double-tapping any that were obviously over a year old.

Tayce had pictured Aurora in her mind as being over-excitable, short, with dark hair and lots of dusty pinks and baby blues and other pastel colours as her aesthetic, maybe with pot plants and cat pictures and cutesy little slogans surrounded by hearts. Instead she’d found a smolderingly attractive woman with a ridiculously versatile and sophisticated sense of fashion; one photo in a rococo-inspired summer dress, and the next in a cerulean blazer, matching trousers, and stilettos. Her hair was platinum-blonde, but it was hard to tell her eye colour as she seemed to own a never-ending plethora of colour contacts; and the eyebrow ring in the early pictures was replaced by a silver septum ring in later ones.

Her own insta looked quite plain in comparison, Tayce thought to herself. The landscapes she liked to post were interesting to her but probably not to the magnificent person on Aurora’s insta. The last picture Tayce had taken was of herself with her brother and niece in red rugby shirts just before the Six Nations was on; the last selfie before the last time she’d gone home which was … only February, she realised.

February felt like years ago.

When Tayce had awoken the next morning, she was greeted by the doorbell, and an Amazon driver sprinting away the moment she opened the door. A letter was on the doormat, in the familiar red glittery pen, and a single chocolate Easter egg.

‘Happy Easter Tayce. Don’t know if you celebrate but lol thought you would like some chocolate anyway! Don’t eat it all at once. Aurora xx’

It made Tayce’s gut wrench with guilt that she hadn’t thought to get Aurora one.

But it made Tayce even more pained, once she had clicked onto her instagram, to see that moreauroramore had liked all thirteen of the pictures she’d posted this year.

——

The zoom call at the end of April with the others from her uni group, saw not just Cherry missing, but also Ellie and Veronica.

“Ellie’s moving this week,” Lawrence nodded at the screen, “but that was all she’d tell me. She didn’t say where. Or if she’s staying in Dundee or anything. I just know she’s still trying to get her internet set up and I think she’s a bit stuck.”

“What about Vee?” Ginny asked in a low voice.

They all recognised the somber tone. They’d all taken it up. A change in their voices that all of them recognised in a kind of collective telepathic awareness. A hush in the calls, as if someone were dying, or had just died. Whenever anyone was missing, it was always the same worry circling all of their minds: what if it’s covid what if it’s covid what if it’s -

Tia was shaking her head. “It’s not covid,” she said, reading the minds of everyone through the internet, but her voice was still solemn as she continued. “I spoke to her mum. She’s -“

“Say depressed, Tia, it’s fine.” Bimini spoke gently, but not all of them were as open as Bimini was. Especially when it came to Veronica, who was a brick wall when it came to showing what she was feeling.

“She’s - not in a good place.”

“Say mental health,” Bimini said, shaking their head. “It’s okay to not be okay.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna make her feel any better, Bim.” Tia rolled her eyes.

“We’re all feeling this,” Pip nodded. “We all need to talk to each other.”

“Veronica won’t. Not yet. We just need to be there for her when she does. Anyway, who’s done anything interesting? Anyone else been trying banana bread? Everyone managed to find bogroll from somewhere now? No one is having the same problem that Joe had when she -“

“I don’t think we need to go any further with that one, love,” Joe muttered.

“I’ve made a pen friend.”

Everyone sat in stunned silence at Tayce’s sentence, mouths open like fish at feeding time.

“A pen friend? What is this, 1986?”

“Shut up, Ginny. I think that’s kind of cute, actually,” Tia mused, tilting her head to one side.

Tayce nodded. “Something a bit different. She lives in my block of flats. Two floors up from me. Been nice, to talk to someone, ever since Viv buggered off to her boyfriend’s house. Seriously, as soon as Boris announced lockdown she was jumping in her car and off to Liverpool.”

“You said she was a bit flaky,” Tia said sympathetically. “What’s your new pen pal’s name?”

“Aurora.”

“A-what?” Ginny raised their eyebrows. “Can we just call her Rory?”

“No.”

“We should get her on a call with us when Veronica’s back. Ronni and Rory, sounds like Ant and Dec will have some stiff competition when they get wind of that.”

“Ginny -“ Tia began, but Tayce was trying to hold back a chuckle.

——

‘Someone is talking about a street party on the 8th of May. Are you gonna go? I was gonna stay indoors but if you’re gonna go outside i will too xx’

Tayce knew she shouldn’t be thinking of meeting strangers outside her flat while the pandemic was ongoing, but she hadn’t seen a familiar human since March other than on a zoom call screen.

‘Hi Aurora, yeah i will go outside for a little bit. Look forward to meeting you properly instead of over letters! Tayce’

And Tayce finally stopped hesitating, adding two kisses on the end for the first time.

The weather was meant to be lush for a May bank holiday, as Tayce knew because her colleagues wouldn’t shut up about it. Almost eight weeks of lockdown were beginning to show the cracks in all their faces - no more eyeliner, and even Linda in Accounts had stopped posting boomerang videos of her kids doing Joe Wicks workouts while she waved her arms behind them.

So Tayce was over the moon when Friday rolled around and she could slam the Dismiss button on her phone alarm, turn over and sleep in until noon. Once she woke up though, she sat up with a jolt in her bed and realised she’d have to get ready; somehow it was important that she looked right today.

It was a power play, she knew it. An armour. But there was just something about clothes that made her mood turn in an instant. Her favourite leather jacket was probably a bit too heavy for the warm sunshine - warm sunshine? In May? - so she opted for the black denim instead and a skirt that hugged her slender figure, leaving her hair loose and wishing she’d gone for a trim before the lockdown. Maybe she should take her scissors to it?

She held the only scissors she had to hand - a pair of craft scissors - and wondered what her hairdresser mum would say if she knew that her daughter had taken non-styling scissors to the 30-inches of hair that she had.

No - better not. Her mum could give her a go over once the lockdown period had ended.

Someone was playing tunes on a speaker already when Tayce came down the stairs, dragging the garden chair Viv had left behind and brushing the digestive crumbs off it. One of the neighbours she recognised from her floor handed her an ice-cold can of Fosters which she sipped, not really enjoying the taste but relishing the freedom of it all. She knew to keep two metres from everyone, and she knew Cherry would absolutely murder her if she disobeyed that rule.

As soon as Aurora came into view from the block of flats, Tayce knew that keeping to the two metre rule would prove a little harder than she had first thought.

Aurora’s insta pictures showed a fashion model trapped in a little box on a screen, striving to get out - but in the flesh, she looked as if she had just rolled out of the living room after a Tiger King marathon. The grey jogging bottoms paired with the crop top and zip-up hoodie were probably too warm for today - 23 degrees, the radio kept repeating - but she made them look so effortless and stylish that Tayce suddenly wanted to buy some. Her platinum hair was piled in a messy bun, dark brown roots showing but the lackadaisical nature made it seem like Aurora meant it that way.

On her insta page, Aurora was way out of Tayce’s league; but here in life, she seemed a lot more accessible, a lot calmer, a lot more real.

Maybe it’s armour for her too. All this perfection in the photos. God. Why did I wear this?

She dropped her own deck chair down a reasonable distance from Tayce, taking another can of Fosters from the same neighbour and cracking it open. She took a swig, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and waved.

“Hi, Tayce. Here we are, then!”

“Yeah,” was the only thing Tayce could think of in response. Really cool. Very clever.

But Aurora was talking animatedly about how much she’d missed the sun, as she pulled a pair of sunglasses from her pocket and leaned back against the deck chair, claiming “Tesco are having them on sale - two for £12, so I got two - what else am I gonna do on furlough other than sunbathe!”

And the more the Fosters flowed - their neighbour’s 24-pack almost completely gone before 5pm, he seemingly wanting to give a can to the whole block - the more Aurora opened up her life history to Tayce.

How much she wished she was still in Worksop and could go on the long walks into the forest. How she’d give anything to hug her mum, a care-worker, and how she FaceTimed her shielding grandad every Sunday at 6.30 just after he finished his tea.

But most of all, how lonely it was every single night being alone in a flat in a huge city. Aurora dabbed her watery eyes with her thumbs as she described how much she loved everything that London had to offer when it was full of people, not dead to the world like it was now - and in this hollow place that lockdown was, she’d discovered that a city - any city, however exciting - was just a built-up area if you had no one to share it with.

Tayce hadn’t expected to cry. She’d cried maybe once or twice this whole time in lockdown, still too numb to have taken everything in that was happening. But the moment she’d opened her mouth, suddenly the Fosters had started talking for her too, and she was spilling out her worries onto the pavement below them as Aurora rubbed her back.

How her mum was furloughed from the hairdresser and her dad was always out in the lorry up and down the country. Her brother and sister-in-law, and her niece, were all still fine in Newport, but Tayce had missed her niece’s birthday, having to settle for blowing her a kiss down FaceTime and promising her through gritted teeth and cold fear that she’d give her the biggest cwtch ever as soon as this was over.

But now Tayce was in tears again, this time on Aurora’s shoulder, releasing her sorrows onto this woman who she had only exchanged written words with; now seeing her true soul laid bare in emotions that just refused to stop once she started. Aurora’s gentle hands ghosted through her hair, but then gripped Tayce tightly to her chest, planting a long, tender kiss on her hairline.

How had this happened? How had social distancing become this? Two people, thinking they were islands, clinging to one another for dear life?

Tayce held her for too long.

Aurora’s hands froze as she realised what she had done at the same moment Tayce had.

Cherry is gonna kill me.

Aurora walked with Tayce back to her flat as the sun was setting. It was nine in the evening, the heat finally starting to break, and both of them were aching and tired, spent from their tears. Aurora gave Tayce’s hand a gentle squeeze but said nothing else, her eyes red underneath her sunglasses, and Tayce had felt herself harden once again, turning the key in the door and closing the outside world back to where it should be.

——

After two weeks had passed, both of them not developing any symptoms after their contact, Tayce had an idea.

She put the letter through the letterbox in 7D at midday when she broke for lunch, and had a reply by half past one, a new record for Aurora.

‘Tayce, I’d love to form a support bubble with you. I thought you would have one already thats why i didn’t ask! Want to put on a film tonight and just chill? Bubble bud? Aurora xx’

So Tayce saw inside Aurora’s flat for the first time that same evening. After work, she practically sprinted up the stairs, thankful to get away from more of u k hun xx and her still-simpering colleagues.

It was very clean, as if it had only just been cleaned that day - freshly-washed surfaces, hoovered carpets, a sparkling bathroom - and Tayce marvelled at how tidy and orderly things were, a stark contrast from her own living space which had evolved into a nest of mess by now. Aurora’s living room and kitchen space were one area, with a mismatched sofa and chair facing the tv screen, hooking up a PS4 - Tayce hadn’t counted Aurora as a Dishonoured player either. The wall opposite the window was filled with small pictures of past fashion models - Kate Moss, Agyness Deyn, Cara Delevigne - all with matte black frames which had obviously been painted in lockdown, as one was on the coffee table drying over a copy of Hello magazine.

“My housemate’s not coming back, I can see it happening now,” Aurora shrugged, “so why not make the house the way I like it while I look for someone else to live with?”

Aurora poured Tayce a huge glass of wine, and that was followed by another; while she topped up her own glass liberally and kept shifting on the sofa as if trying to get comfortable. Tayce, for her part, took the chair instead, while Aurora tapped on the PlayStation controller to try to get Netflix up. The more she drank, the more cumbersome the controller seemed to become in her hands, until Tayce leaned over and took it away from her, Aurora’s fingers lingering a little too long on it before relinquishing.

When Aurora got up, meaning to pour them both a fourth glass of wine, she slipped on something and tumbled into Tayce’s lap in the chair, tittering something that sounded like “god I’m clumsy” through the giggles that came from her, unable to stop. Tayce slapped her on the back as she started coughing, but as that died down, Aurora straightened up, picking up Tayce’s hand in hers and drawing her up and away to join her on the sofa.

Lockdown had been so fucking lonely.

Aurora’s hand in hers was all Tayce needed to dissolve every wall she was still rebuilding from May Bank Holiday.

Aurora’s eyes were on her, she knew; through her peripheral vision as she tried desperately to cling to her focus on whatever episode of Tiger King this was.

When Tayce finally met her gaze, she averted it, turning her face to the window opposite them. Almost … playfully.

So Tayce looked back at the TV screen, but Aurora’s hand squeezed at hers, thumb in her palm pressing right in the centre, the pressure somehow travelling all the way to her gut. Tayce turned back to her, and this time Aurora did not look away.

“God, you’re gorgeous.”

Aurora looked at her through her eyelashes, lips parted in a smirk, curiously searching Tayce with her gaze as if wondering what her next move would be.

Tayce blinked incredulously. “Me? Like this? What do you mean, I’m gorgeous? Have you seen yourself?”

“And that accent, oh my days -“

“Go to Newport, we all sound like this.”

But the wine was hitting hard now and oh god lockdown is so fucking lonely and Tayce’s feet on the floor suddenly felt unsteady and Aurora was so fucking close to her on the sofa -

——

Once the hangover was gone, the memory of rest of the night felt like a dream, or maybe a nightmare. Tayce wasn’t entirely sure when she’d gone back to her flat, but she had, long before night had fully fallen and long after she was sure the burgeoning friendship she was finally making with someone lay in tatters two floors up from her.

The wine had washed away the strength she’d had, leaving her raw and vulnerable, and all the affection that had been growing since Aurora had first held her bubbled and burst into life. And Aurora must have felt the same magnetic pull, drawing them together across the sofa, nail marks still present in Tayce’s back that she could see in the mirror, a bruise forming on Tayce’s collarbone as Aurora had dipped a little lower.

It had been Tayce who had halted it - not because she hadn’t wanted to, but because she couldn’t decipher how much of this was affection and how much of this was just two lonely people, starved of company, starved of normality, seeking and clinging to it in any form.

And now it was the following day, and Tayce still didn’t know.

The group call at the end of the day was interesting. She stretched over the back of the sofa in her living room to grab her water, and that must have been enough to flash a sliver of skin.

“What’s that?” Lawrence asked loudly, prompting everyone else to go quiet. “Tayce? What’s that on your chest, hmm?”

“I didn’t see anything.”

“You’re not wearing your glasses, Ginny, you can’t see shit. What’s that on your chest? Why d’you have a bruise there?”

“Hi!” Ellie’s voice as she joined the call unexpectedly saved Tayce any further embarrassment; everyone shrieked when she came on, having missed the last two zoom calls following her move. “Thank God my internet is working now, I’ve missed all your faces!”

Tayce silently thanked Ellie’s timing and contentedly listened to the rest of them as they chatted about everything and nothing that they’d all missed. All of them were there; even Cherry showed up about twenty minutes in to wave at them and blow them kisses, her face even more pallid than before; before ducking back out to go to bed.

Only Veronica was still missing.

“She’s been messaging me,” Tia explained, “and she said she’s feeling a bit better, but since she got furloughed, she’s feeling like there’s no point getting out of bed or getting ready because there’s nowhere to go.”

“Send her some love,” Tayce said, but Tia snorted.

“You send her it! She’s gonna feel better if she knows we all miss her.”

It was true though, Tayce realised after they all disconnected. They all seemed to be drifting apart, no more energy to continue with these online gatherings, even though there were so many virtual meetup groups and apps that there almost seemed to be no excuse now.

She looked back through her phone messages. She hadn’t messaged Veronica since early April, taking her silence as a sign that she wanted to be left alone; but what if it wasn’t? Veronica was a closed fist, everyone knew that. And Tayce’s brother? Again, early April, and a quick call the week after for her niece’s birthday.

Lockdown, and self-isolation, seemed to be one and the same.

So Tayce spent the rest of the afternoon sending messages to everyone she had neglected since then. Maybe they would reply, and maybe they wouldn’t - but there was no harm in reaching out, no negative consequences.

By the end of the day, she was fielding messages back and forth from everyone she thought she’d lost through lockdown, the grey cloud over her head starting to lift, the fuzzy feeling disappearing and clarity settling in. She felt light, lighter than she had in weeks; and warm as the summery days they were getting in this late-May spring.

Towards the end of the day, she got a message back from Veronica at last.

Veronica: I’m doing ok. I got up and went for a walk today just to the park and back. It’s really nice although my hay fever sucks. Thanks for checking in on me i appreciate it x Veronica: Oh also Tia said you had a hickey on the group call haha tell me what her name is x

Tayce was surprised to realise she was grinning at the phone as she read Veronica’s message, her fingers stroking the mark on her collarbone as if to savour the vivid image that it sparked in her head.

——

It was three days after their drunken kiss on the sofa that Tayce had another letter through the door. The same red glittery pen, the same scrawl, but the writing a little smaller as if Aurora wanted to diminish herself.

‘Hi Tayce. I’m really sorry if i came on too strong this week. Can we go back to friends? Want to hang out tonight, bubble bud? Aurora xx’

Tayce swallowed down the part of her that immediately rose up and cried that she … didn’t want to just be friends.

Then it hit her.

God. I only met this girl properly this month. What’s wrong with me?

But she replied and immediately started clearing the house.

She put the pile of Viv’s birthday cards and presents from the hallway floor into a cupboard under the sink, giving it the middle finger again; put the six-weeks worth of laundry on to wash; cleaned all the dishes; and dragged the hoover out of the tiny airing cupboard and got to work on the carpets. The hard floors she swept, and carried the bin bags out to the communal bins, all before midday.

“Who needs Joe Wicks workouts?” She muttered to herself, panting, as she tugged some marigolds over her hands to sort out the rest of the kitchen.

By the time it was six, and time for Aurora to arrive, Tayce thought the house looked much better, and honestly, she felt much better too. The little spring clean she’d given the place had cleared a little clutter from her head as well.

It’s nothing to worry about. She’d just coming over for food and -

Tayce grimaced as she realised she hadn’t thought of what to do for food. She thought back to the beans on toast she’d had at four and kicked herself for not thinking of that. Dominos was still delivering, so she brought up the app and busied herself looking through the list of pizzas.

Aurora hadn’t arrived by ten past six, and Tayce started to worry.

Maybe she’s changed her mind.

But Tayce refused to let that thought take any root. She looked at the clock, which of course seemed to slow down from having eyes on it, and firmly told herself that she would message Aurora at quarter past if she wasn’t here before.

With a minute to spare, Aurora turned up, grinning merrily and waving the bottle of rose in Tayce’s face.

“Hey bubble bud! Sorry I’m late, well I’m always late, sorry in advance if you expect me on time for anything!” Aurora took a step inside and her jaw dropped. “Wow, your place is well nice!”

“Thanks,” Tayce grinned, although she wasn’t sure what Aurora was looking at. Tayce wasn’t allowed anything on the walls from what her landlord said, but Aurora wouldn’t stay still - checking out the titles of the handful of CDs Tayce had brought down to London with her; scanning a nail along the books on the shelf above the TV.

“It’s nice to hold a book sometimes,” Tayce shrugged, “rather than just read it on the kindle app.”

When Aurora got to the kitchen, Tayce cringed. She’d have to confess.

“I haven’t got in anything to eat. Only - only some bread.”

“And pot noodles,” Aurora added, opening a cupboard and helping herself to the contents as if she’d lived here her whole life.

“And pot - oh, are you thinking, maybe …”

“No way!” Aurora slammed the cupboard door and grabbed her keys again. “Be right back!”

Ten minutes later and Tayce was at the hob over the oven with Aurora, dicing onions while she cut up a red pepper, mince that Aurora had grabbed from her own fridge was out and ready to go in too.

“I needed to use that up anyway,” she shrugged. “Please tell me you don’t just eat bread and pot noodles, Tayce, please. I need to give you a cooking crash course if you do! Didn’t you learn to cook at uni? Or didn’t you do much cooking before you went? Oh my days - no fry the onion off first, with the garlic - I’ll chop the mushrooms, Jesus Christ pot noodles …”

“I know how to cook, give me some credit!” Tayce murmured, but she couldn’t stop smiling. “I just haven’t been to the shop yet, it’s been a long week.”

Aurora closed her eyes and hummed in appreciation. “Just keep talking to me, please.”

“What about?”

“Anything! Your life, your family - I don’t know, house prices, I don’t care - but that accent, ugh -“ Aurora shivered.

“Yours is cute, too,” Tayce smirked.

Aurora looked at her reproachfully. “You’re lying.”

“Yeah, I am.”

It was no use. The air was full of electricity, static around them, and before Tayce knew what was happening, suddenly they were kissing again, this time stone-cold sober, while the onions burned shadows into the bottom of the pan.

——

Viv gave her notice on the flat at the start of June.

“I just can’t afford to live here anymore,” she explained, sighing, when she got back and started to pack up everything in her room. “I’m gonna see if I can get some work back home.”

Tayce was numb, although she knew Viv didn’t mean it personally. It wasn’t her fault that she’d been made redundant straight after the lockdown ended, and it made sense that she wanted to be near her family. It was now four months since Tayce had seen hers, and she missed them every day, although she had been sticking religiously to her new routine of calling her parents every Saturday night and her brother’s family every Sunday afternoon.

“I’m sorry that’s putting you in a tight spot, Tayce,” Viv muttered, hugging her, and Tayce hugged her back.

“Can’t be helped,” Tayce replied, which was all she could think to respond with that wasn’t an inarticulate growl in frustration.

Viv was adamant she would pay her final month’s rent, and pay her half the utilities even though she wasn’t there. But she had to go home.

“How was your move?” Tayce asked Ellie on the next group call on zoom.

“Shite,” Ellie replied, “but partly because we struggled finding someone to move us. There’s plenty of places around, plenty of places to rent and stuff, because everyone’s moved back to where they came from.”

“You’ll find somewhere else to live, bab,” Ginny murmured in a soothing voice to Tayce, stroking the side of the laptop screen as she liked to do to show affection now that she couldn’t hug anyone.

“I know,” Tayce sighed. “It’s just a pain in the arse.”

She wasted no time. One of the spare room websites was always open in the background, and she was refreshing, looking maybe a little further out from central London to see if anywhere was cheaper, but nowhere was.

Then she spotted the dot in her own block of flats, and clicked the advert.

That’s - that’s Aurora’s flat.

Now she remembered. Aurora had mentioned something about her housemate moving out! It must now be official.

She read through the advert - how was it £50 cheaper than what she was already paying? - and looked at the contact name for the housemate, and there it was in black and white pixels: Aurora Martin, use form below.

Grabbing a piece of notebook paper - one of the last bits left, she’d been ripping them all out to write to Aurora - she penned a letter, one of what might well be the last ones, and jogged upstairs to post it through her letterbox.

The response came back to her in less than an hour, a new record for Aurora.

‘Tayce! I’d love it if you wanted to move in here! OMG. My landlord will want references from yours, but if you can get them quick then he can approve you really fast, he’s working from home. OMG you made my day. Come up at 7pm xx’

“Work contacted me today too,” Aurora beamed as she settled with Tayce on the sofa. “They want me to start back next week! Can’t wait. Need to get that coin again now! I mean, I’m dead grateful, you know, that I still have my job and I was on furlough so the government paid most of my wages, but it will be nice to have the full package again!”

“What is it you do again?” Tayce asked.

“Oh - I work as a fashion buyer. But because fashion’s kind of stopped right now, most of the designers are shut. Reopening now, especially the ones in mainland Europe! Can’t wait to be on the phone to them all again.”

“Wait. You speak to designers in other countries?”

Aurora nodded. “I speak French and Spanish.”

“You -“ Tayce was dazed. “I didn’t know that!”

“Well why would you? I mean you’ve only known me a couple of months!” Aurora laughed, and leaned back closer to Tayce, her perfume overwhelmingly sweet in the air. “You’re not gonna know everything about me yet, bubble bud.”

“No,” Tayce purred, “but I can’t wait to find out.”

——

By the Monday after the move, early July, Tayce was all set up to go. She’d moved the bed into the corner as she liked it, arranged her books into a rainbow as she liked them, and unfurled the posters she’d been unable to hang in her last flat, mostly punk bands that she liked, Bimini’s band’s poster, and the noticeboard with all the tickets tacked to it of all the gigs she’d been to. The vanity with the mirror that she’d brought from home fitted perfectly next to the window so she could do her makeup with natural light; and it was large enough for her work setup, which was where she was now.

The flat layout was almost identical to the one she’d just left, and the room was the same one - Aurora having the slightly bigger room - but it felt a lot more comforting, knowing she wasn’t alone here any more, knowing she had a little more freedom in decorations, and knowing that the hollow feeling in her chest was starting to slow down for good.

She turned off her work laptop at five as normal, which was when Aurora came in. Tayce pulled her in, giving her a peck on the lips.

“They’re gonna love you, I promise.”

Aurora just made a moan in the back of her throat and put her face in her hands, shrinking away from the vanity.

Tayce turned on her personal laptop, logging into zoom and connecting to the group chat. Her monthly uni call was set to half four today for some reason, and everyone else was already all there.

“Tayce! We wondered where you’d got to!”

It was Veronica’s voice, and Veronica’s face was in the top left. She still looked a little tired, and the shirt she was wearing looked suspiciously like a pyjama top, but she was here with them all, and this was a big step for her.

Tayce beamed at her. “So good to see you!”

“The move went alright then, bab?” Ginny asked.

Tayce nodded. “And there’s someone you should meet.” She pulled Aurora into frame, who still looked uncharacteristically shy for a moment before waving at the people on the screen. “This is Aurora.”

“Aurora!” Tia squeaked. “Like the princess!”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “Yes.”

“So we’ve got Rory and Ronni here together at last!” Lawrence exclaimed, while Veronica gave the camera two fingers.

But Tayce just grinned at her friends on the screen, far apart but together in this strange way. Aurora’s nails dug into her shoulder, still a little nervous, but even that was fading as she got more comfortable.

Aurora had been right - the city was just a lot of bricks in intricate patterns without someone in it that made it a home.

And this just might be becoming one.

#rpdr fanfiction #rpdr uk #tayce #a'whora #taywhora #ginny lemon #lawrence chaney #veronica green #tia kofi #ellie diamond #uk2 #lesbian au #fluff #hurt/comfort #juno #tw covid lockdown #tw mental health mentions #submission

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dudeandduchess · 5 years ago

Note

Can we have Giyuu starting a family? He has a sweet waifu and a baby, he's super happy with them and there's lots of love. Plz he needs it.

Ahhh hello, bby! My friend also requested this, so I hope both of you like it. UwU It’s not entirely complete bc I feel like I need to think more on how Giyuu will be with an actual baby. So there might be a part two??? But I hope this is fine for now. :D

Redemption week. Redemption week. I will write nothing but happiness for Giyuu this streak. Ahaha.

Also, another note: Two hundred yen in the Taishō era was worth alot of money. Just to avoid confusion. Okay, that’s it. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. Ahaha. 💖

***

Giyuu x F!Reader: Accidental Pregnancy (SFW Scenario):

“Alright, place your bets, everyone,” Shinobu chimed excitedly as she dropped a few bills and coins inside a box Mitsuri had found within Headquarters.

Readily, all the Hashira present— save for Gyōmei and Muichiro— dug into their pockets and counted out ample amounts of bills, before dropping them in with Shinobu’s bet. Then, deftly, the Insect Hashira quickly counted through the money.

“We have two-hundred Yen here, whoever guesses correctly gets all the money. If more than one person guesses correctly, then they have to share,” Shinobu explained patiently, all while some of her comrades eyed the reward money in her hands hotly. Two-hundred Yen was already a lot of money; it could get them two-hundred dozen eggs, and maybe a a hundred pounds of cured meat.

So, suffice to say that all of them wanted it.

“Does everyone still have the same bets? Or would anyone like to change their prior bet?” At the prompt, Uzui sniffed haughtily as he crossed his arms over his chest.

And then, the Sound Hashira said, “It might not be flamboyant, but I’m betting that Tomioka will get (L/n) pregnant. That’s how those two will admit their feelings for each other.”

Shinobu nodded in complete agreement, while the others— namely: Rengoku, Shinazugawa, and Iguro— shook their heads. Kanroji, in typical fashion, looked to be a little lost— as she was the only one who had an entirely different opinion.

“Tomioka won’t do it. He’s not brave enough to confess to (Y/n),” The Flame Hashira announced with a laugh, which his cohorts agreed to with noncommittal hums.

“They might think they’re being sly by fucking behind our backs, but when someone says something about it they’re going to stop,” Sanemi added with a scoff, before looking right at Uzui— as if to directly oppose his opinion.

Iguro let his eyes flit over all of his comrades— lingering on Kanroji for a while— before landing right on Shinobu. “That’s most likely the reason why Oyakata-sama is talking to them right now.”

A collective silence hung over all the Hashira, as all of them contemplated their own opinions— which Kanroji took as her chance to air out her thoughts.

“Well, I think that Tomioka-san will take (Y/n)-chan out to a candlelit dinner, and he’ll confess to her there.”

All eyes landed on the Love Hashira, and all of them looked at her as if she had sprouted a new head. Her opinion was outlandish at best, but no one dared to say anything about it.

After all, she was entitled to live in her own fantasy world— no matter how inaccurate her portrayal of the Water Hashira was.

“I still don’t think this is right. Gambling is an unskillful activity. As Buddha once said, ‘In winning one begets hatred; in losing one mourns the loss of one’s wealth,’” Himejima uttered in that solemn tone of his, and it made his comrades all second-guess their decision.

But when they saw the box of prize money still in Shinobu’s hands, the Stone Hashira’s words practically floated away.

“Be careful, (Y/n).” All the Hashira looked up at Giyuu’s familiar tone, only to sport differing reactions when they saw the Water Hashira and the Snow Hashira round the corner with their hands intertwined.

At the sight, Uzui and Shinobu traded knowing looks, while the three who’d opposed their opinion furrowed their eyebrows in mild frustration. Meanwhile, Kanroji almost clapped her hands in joy at the sweet sight.

(Y/n) rolled her eyes at her lover’s overly worried words, as it was all she could do so as not to swoon at how attentive he was being. Ever since she’d told him about the news, he had made a more conscious effort to be around her— and she would be damned if she didn’t admit that it was making her fall even harder for him.

Not that she would ever say it out loud. She was fine with keeping her feelings to herself, thank you very much.

Unless Giyuu confessed first; only then would she admit to feeling the same way.

“Oh? All of you are still here?” (Y/n) asked in mild surprise when she caught sight of the huddled forms of her comrades. “I guess it makes it easier for-”

However, the Snow Hashira had to pause when she caught sight of the box filled with money in Shinobu’s hands. She immediately narrowed her eyes at the Insect Hashira, before stating flatly, “You were betting on this? Why am I not surprised?”

“How long have all of you known about us?” Giyuu asked in his usual tone, which had everyone— save for (Y/n)— looking at him much like they had at Kanroji.

“Everyone had always known, dumbass. You two weren’t exactly discrete about it,” Sanemi practically spat at Giyuu, which made Giyuu frown. He simply didn’t understand why the Wind Hashira was so rude to him.

As if sensing the upcoming squabble, Rengoku stepped in and quelled it before it could even take root in anyone’s mind. “So, would you mind telling us why Oyakata-sama asked both of you to stay?”

“Ah… that…” (Y/n)’s voice rose in pitch, as a blush made its way onto her cheeks. And, reflexively, her free hand moved to cradle her very faint baby bump.

All eyes zeroed in on that minute movement, and she had to quirk an eyebrow at Sanemi and Obanai who had cursed irately before crossing their arms over their respective chests.

“(Y/n)’s three months pregnant,” Giyuu announced, as the faintest of smiles graced his lips. He then looked down at where his lover’s hand pressed against her belly, and he couldn’t help but feel his own gaze soften at the tiny bump. “It’s mine.”

It all felt surreal when (Y/n) had first told him a month ago, but he wasn’t mad. He had never told anyone, but he’d always wanted to have a wife and children.

He had half of that solved, he just had to work on the other half. Hopefully, she wouldn’t make it him work too hard for her hand in marriage.

“Who else’s would it be, Tomioka-san?” Shinobu chimed in with a giggle, as she quickly counted half of the prize money and gave it to Uzui.

And with a smug smirk, the Sound Hashira fanned out the paper bills in his right hand, before using it to fan himself. “Thank you for making me a hundred Yen richer.”

“Yes, thank you. Let’s do this again sometime.” Shinobu laughed once more, before carefully pocketing her prize.

“All of you are insufferable. Come on, Giyuu. Let’s go.” With that, (Y/n) tugged at her lover’s hand to get both of them out of there.

***

So came the days when Giyuu was required to change from a stoic, single man, to a doting, and very-much-in love father-to-be.

He didn’t have a single complaint about his predicament. Not once did he think ill of (Y/n), nor did he resent her for getting pregnant. After all, it took two to make a baby. Besides, he was simply ecstatic at the thought of having a mini version of him and (Y/n) around the house.

Giyuu couldn’t wait to add more babies to their family.

However, the one thing that always got him down was (Y/n)’s lack of response to his feelings. He tried to convey his love for her through all of his gestures, and she was grateful towards him, but it seemed that she was still hiding part of herself from him.

It wasn’t a secret that he was bad at verbalizing his affections— or verbalizing anything, really— but he just wanted some confirmation that she felt the same way towards him.

Gratefulness was one thing, but genuine feelings were another thing entirely. He craved to let her know just how much he loved her, yet he was always hindered from doing so because of the unclear boundaries between them.

“Giyuu…” (Y/n) whispered in the dead of the night, as she propped herself up against her right elbow and gently rubbed her lover’s chest to wake him up. “Giyuu, wake up. Giyuu.”

Reluctantly, the Water Hashira opened his eyes, only to snap them wide open when he realized that (Y/n) was close to his face. He then bolted upright and turned to her, with worry shining in his eyes. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? Is it time?”

(Y/n)’s eyes widened at that, before she offered him a sheepish grin. It was so adorable that it calmed Giyuu’s racing heart. “I’m sorry for startling you, but… I want to eat something sweet and tart. Like sakura no mi, or yama ichigo. Please?”

He’d been woken up to go berry picking, which was already trivial enough; but to make matters worse, the sun wasn’t even up yet. If he checked his pocket watch, he would probably see that it was only half past two in the morning.

Still, Giyuu didn’t mind. Because he loved (Y/n), and that was the least he could do for her.

So, he slowly got up and out of their shared futon, then pressed a lazy kiss to the top of her head, before getting dressed to go foraging.

It didn’t take long for him to fill a small basket up with the berries she’d requested— as they were in season, and Giyuu knew the area like the back of his hand.

So he was surprised when he came back home, only to find (Y/n) already bustling around in the kitchen. From what he could smell, she was making okayu from what they had in the kitchen.

“(Y/n)? What are you doing out of bed?” The Hashira asked, clearly confused as to why she would be cooking at such an early hour— when she preferred to start her mornings a little later than him.

“I…” She began hesitantly, while she kept her head down to hide the blush on her cheeks.

Normally, her cravings were something easy to make, or something ready to eat in the kitchen, but it was the first time that she’d sent Giyuu out on an errand and she felt bad about it. So she decided to make it worth his while by making something for him.

She just didn’t think that he would be back so soon.

“(Y/n)?”

“I felt bad about sending you out this early… so I thought-” (Y/n) answered softly— but was cut off when Giyuu marched up to her, turned her around, then pressed his lips to hers.

The action served to make her eyes widen, as a blush warmed her entire body— from the tips of her toes to the top of her head.

She didn’t know why, but she was always reduced to a flustered mess whenever Giyuu did something remotely sweet.

Who was she kidding though? She knew exactly why she acted that way around Giyuu; it was because she loved him— immensely. She just couldn’t admit it out loud to him, at the risk of ruining whatever unspoken agreement they had.

“Here. Your berries,” He announced in his usual cool tone— even though he felt so lightheaded from what he’d done that he just wanted to lay down.

In her excitement, (Y/n) as good as forgot her jumbled emotions; so she reached out and grasped the basket with both hands. All the while, she eyed the plump wild berries so covetously that Giyuu felt he was intruding on something private. “Ah! Thank you, Giyuu! I love you even more for this.”

Giyuu, in his surprise, choked on air as his eyes widened at the casually-thrown surprise. He immediately turned away from (Y/n)— more to hide his completely red face than anything else— and began to walk away from her.

He wanted to ask her about her words, and the war he waged with himself was long and bloody, but he eventually relented. So, with his back still to her, and his hand still covering the lower half of his face, he asked, “Did you mean it?”

“Did I mean what?” The young woman asked happily as she popped the first yama ichigo into her mouth. All of her thoughts and trepidations from their earlier exchange had clearly been pushed aside to savor the taste of her berries.

“That you love me?”

That brought pause to (Y/n)’s actions, and she swallowed what was in her mouth before worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. It was now or never, really.

“Of course. I always have, Giyuu. I wouldn’t have been with you in the first place if I didn’t.” Her hands deftly fussed with the sides of the wicker basket— running the pads of her fingers over the rough grooves and indentations of the pattern— to ease her nerves.

“I… I love you, too. You and the baby. I always have, as well.” He was about to continue, when he felt his lover’s warm body press against his back, as her arms wrapped tightly around his middle.

“Good. Because you’re stuck with us now, anata.”

#giyuu tomioka x reader #kimetsu no yaiba tomioka #tomioka giyū #tomioka #tomioka giyuu #tomioka giyuu x reader #demon slayer tomioka #demon slayer fanfic #demon slayer #demon slayer requests #kny x reader #kny requests #kimetsu no yaiba fanfic #kimetsu no yaiba #kimetsu no yaiba scenarios #demon slayer imagines

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k7l4d4 · 3 years ago

Text

Midnight Striga: Fairy Tail/Owl House Cross Fic Episode 5 Part 7

Once more, I arrive, with Midnight Striga in tow!! Everybody Clap Your Hands!!

Boyd was utterly bored. Groaning, he slung his knife, Radical Chop, over his shoulder, lightly kicking the twitching corpse next to him, one of Reticulus’ leftovers. Those were never fun to deal with, ‘cause they were already dead! What was the point of a killer guarding a corpse, instead of, you know, killing? Eh, maybe he could practice his mutilations, he had been getting a little rusty in that regard. Humming to himself, he slung the ragged body beneath his feet into an upright position; a girl from the looks of it, brown hair styled into three rings on the top of her head, her left eye gouged out, and missing her tongue. Glancing down he saw that her heart and stomach had been extracted. By his estimate, he’d say she was about 12, verging on 13. Ah man, he could’ve had such fun with her!

Sighing, he twirled his knife before pointing the tip towards her. The knife lengthened, stretched, and bent, contouring around the edges of her face, slowly and cleanly skinning off the layer of tissue. If only that eye wasn’t missing, then he could’ve added it to his collection! Ah well, better luck next time. While he was seemingly distracted, one of the nearby Witches decided to make a break for it, a boy whose hair covered his eyes and possessed rather bat-like ears. Without even glancing his way, Boyd’s knife shot out like a bullet, cleanly slicing through his throat in an instant. He didn’t even have a chance to scream, how boring!

“Stupid Witches, can’t even die properly.” He grumbles, flicking the boy’s blood off of his precious blade. “Stupid Reticulus, never leaving any good corpses to slice up.” He briefly wonders again as to why, exactly, he was being stuck with this stupid job. He was one of the Squadron’s best killers, so why were his talents being squandered? He mulled it over in his head, knife idly slicing through the girl’s corpse, when a creak drew his gaze forward. As the reason finally clicked, he deadpanned. He was being used as bait, and as a test; great.

Three kids stood in front of him, staring at him like he was some kind of fucking monster; to be fair, he was one, no doubt about that, but it was always so annoying when people looked at him like that. He briefly contemplated trying to figure out which one Reticulus wanted to test, but decided it would be more fun to just kill the little shits. Not like they really mattered anyway. The chunky girl with the glasses started doing that stupid circle thing they did to cast spells, can’t have that. His knife shot out, smoothly slicing through her wrist and across her face, stabbing through her eyes into the brain.

Before the other two could do more than widen their eyes, he struck again. His blade ripped through the neck of the Mint-headed girl, and wasn’t that a color, sending her head rolling. Before the smaller boy could even scream, the knife slammed through his skull, entering through one ear, and exiting out the other. Scowling, he called Radical Chop back to him. No trouble at all, not even worth the effort of being clean. He sighed, only for a familiar, sharp pain to rush through his body; he had been stabbed. Glancing down, he was both surprised and not to see a dagger driven into his gut, the angle allowing for it to be dragged into his other vital organs easily. He spoke up, perfectly calm in the face of his death. “You can drop the invisibility now.”

As the air next to him rippled and faded, he was pleasantly surprised to see another kid, her face carefully blank save the familiar rage in her eyes, the kind he saw in all the kids who saw him kill their friends. He smirked. “Gotta say, pretty cold of you to throw your friends into the grinder like that.”

The girl snorted, calling over her shoulder. “Gus! Drop the illusion.”

“Got it!” A young voice called out, the corpses of the kids fading along with the blood coating his precious blade, the kids from before shimmering into view, ready to pounce if things turned dicy for the kid stabbing him at the moment.

Boyd snorted. He had underestimated them. He gave the girl who had effectively killed him a smirk. “So, you’re the little rat Retic wants to test, eh?” He laughed at her furious expression. “If you’re looking for him, he should be up ahead, going over the latest batch of bodies. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Before they could blink, he whipped his blade, his beautiful Radical Chop, up to his head, driving it through his own skull.

Gus gagged, while Amity and Willow looked on stoically. It was certainly an improvement over Gus actively heaving and the girls shouting. It was to be expected, as this was the fifteenth kill by this point, though they had only gone for the stealth option when they saw how quickly he had killed that Witch trying to get past him.

Amity glanced down at the Witch the man had killed. She recognized him. “Hey, I think I know this one.”

Luz walked over, glancing down at the bat-eared boy, curious. “Really? Who is he?”

Amity shrugged. “I honestly don’t know him personally, but Skara was interested in him a little.” She sighed, knowing that she’d have to deliver the news to her friend. “I really hope she takes this well.” She glanced up at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder, seeing Willow giving her a comforting, if hesitant smile, which she returned.

Luz sighed. “Let’s go, we’ve still got to take down Retic if we want this to end.” The others nodded. Bracing themselves, they moved, ready for the fight to come, or so they thought.

Eda moved to Lily’s side, shaking her roughly. “Come on Sis, we don’t have time for this!” She cried, frantically gesturing to the crowd under attack. She bit her lip, tilting Lily’s head up. “Listen, Sis, I know we usually don’t see eye to eye, but if you can’t get out of your head, that crowd is going to die.” She thought she saw a flicker of light in her eyes. “You always said you wanted to be in Bonehead’s Coven to help people, well now’s your chance to prove it! Those people up there? They came here to see you, because they believe in you! Are you really going to let them down!?” She got down on her knees, pleading. “Sis, I need your help, as painful and ridiculous as it sounds, it’s the truth! Please!” She glanced back at Rudolph, who had paused, enjoying the show. The bastard was enjoying watching her beg for her sister’s help.

Rudolph snickered, and laughed. “It truly is amusing to see! Earlier, I had lamented your decision to keep the wretched thing alive, but I see now that I was wrong!!” He cackled, relishing the look of enraged confusion on Eda’s face, even as the crowd desperately fought to survive.

“What in hell are you talking about, you psycho!!” Eda growled, bracing herself to defend if necessary.

Rudolph gave her an ugly smirk, oozing amusement. “Simple. You may not have killed her body, but you certainly killed her spirit! She’s lost the will to live, I’d say!” He cackled, soaking in the look of dawning horror on Eda’s face, the soul-crushing realization of what her display had done, even if she couldn’t comprehend how.

“No.” Eda breathed out, slowly walking away from Lily. “That wouldn’t happen, not with her! She’s too strong for that to happen!”

“Is she?” Rudolph mused, genuinely curious. “Everything we’ve gathered has pointed to a woman with a rather fragile ego; seeing her baby sister showing her up once again must’ve been quite the shock.” He was amused at Eda’s denial; for all she claimed to be the strongest on the Isles, a statement not totally devoid of fact, she seemed to be a tad oblivious to the fortitude of those around her.

“Gathered…” Eda muttered, her eyes widening. “You’ve been spying on her!?”

“Oh her, the schools, the government, you, everyone really. We carefully staked this out ever since we arrived.” He placed his hands on his hips, looking pleased with himself. “I must say, we certainly displayed an impressive amount of restraint, building all of this up.” He shrugged. “Normally, we just come and kill everything and everyone we come across. It was quite the learning experience!”

“You…” Eda growled, pure hate coloring her voice. “Just who do you think you are!?”

“Why, my dear, I think I’m the one leading the attack on your people, at the moment at least.” Rudolph cheekily replied. “After all…

“... We are the ones who hold the power in this situation.”

Mattholomule silently cried behind a stand, the crazed laughter of the maniac out front still ringing in his ears. He had just seen a woman torn limb from limb by flying chains, her organs and blood splattered all about. Bria sat next to him, biting her lip, while Gavin and Angmar played Rock-Paper-Scissors to figure out what to do. That choice was taken from them, however, when a chain yanked Bria out of hiding, prompting the three to scream in fear.

“It is simply the way of the world, after all. The powerful thrive, the weak die. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Emira held in a curse, while Edric hyperventilated next to her. Two squads of the invaders had just finished corralling a group of kids into a corner. She closed her eyes, trying to tune out the screams, Edric silently crying next to her, as the Mages ripped the children apart in a hail of magic. Glaring daggers at the murderers, Emira paused, a plan coming to her. Whispering to Edric, who nodded firmly in agreement, the two slunk into the shadows.

“Why, it is only natural for those with power, namely us, to do with it as we- HURK!”

Reticulus loomed over a potential donor, their limbs spread by his veins, dislocated from his body and acting as ropes to bind and restrain his target. He licked his lips. It wouldn’t do for the fools to potentially damage his prize with unnecessary struggling, now would it? Just as he reeled back to rip his prizes from the worthless husk before him, his body registered the sensation of a blade digging into his arm.

“Just shut your fucking mouth.” Eda warned, the butt of her staff slammed into the sadist’s gut. Seeing his hands take on that icy glow, she raised her leg, slamming him back with a kick to the chest. “You don’t know anything about the people of the Isles!” She shouted, her eyes spotting Bump summoning some Abominations in the stands, directing them at Rudolph’s troops.

“You think just because you’ve got a lot of power, you get to throw it around, and we’ll just take it?” She countered his frost with a fireball, landing a cracking blow across his jaw. When Rudolph slammed his hands against the ground, summoning an encroaching sheet of frost, she ripped it away with a shockwave of magical force.

“Your resistance to the inevitable is growing irksome!” He yelled, forming a fang of ice around his hand, lashing out at Eda. She blocked his blow with her staff, grunting as he forced her back. Spines of ice formed along his arms, stabbing towards Eda. “Your people are a pack of sheep, blindly following the words of a false prophet in their inane desire for safety!!” He encased her wrists in ice, preventing her from casting, before slamming his forehead into her eyes. “You may well be the strongest on the Isles, but that title is as hollow as their leader’s words!” He slashed his blades at Eda’s sides, a cry of pain ripping from her throat. Unbeknownst to either combatants, Lilith twitched at Eda’s cries.

“I…! Have stood on my own two feet… my entire life!” Eda choked out, hands grabbing at the claws currently pinning her in place.

“I do what I want to do, nothing more… nothing less…!”

Bria screamed, feeling the skin of her arms and legs stretching from the chains pulling her in either direction. The pain was like nothing she had felt before. Angmar and Gavin were being pinned in place, metal blades pushing into their hands to keep them from casting. She was… she was going to die here. Tears came to her eyes at the thought.

The maniac tormenting her gave a demented giggle, gesturing for the chains to rip her apart, once and for all.

“Stay away from Bria!” A young voice shouted. The agent turned in shock, his casting forgotten, as a fist as large as his torso careened towards him, pulping his skull. Standing defiantly, was Matty, tears of rage in his eyes.

“But for all that I hate Bonehead… I love the Isles… and the people who call it home…!”

With the plan prepped and ready to go, Emira glanced towards Edric. Grimly, she nodded, with him flashing a thumbs up in response. In perfect sync, the two yanked on the cords they had set up, releasing a colossal explosion of smoke into the groups of killers. Working in concert, the twins cast a spell onto the two groups. When their vision cleared, both groups saw the other as a squad of Coven Guards. Reacting to the apparent enemy, the two sets of invaders unleashed their magic upon each other, and in a matter of moments, all were dead. The twins dropped the spell, clutching each other in relief.

“So if you think I’m just going to stand back… and let you kill people because you feel like it… then you’re even crazier than you look!!”

With a scream of rage, Luz drove her blades into Reticulus’ eyes, while Willow used her vines to rip free the near-victim, Amity conjuring up her Abomination to cushion the fall, Gus using his Illusions to guide the way to the exit. Using his broad back as leverage, Luz pushed herself off of his body, landing in a crouch near the others, eyes glaring daggers at the hulking monster before them.

Rudolph scoffed, his humor long gone. “And did you forget that my magical frost builds up and hampers you further the more of it you are exposed to? Hmm?” He accused, eyes narrowed in contempt.

“Nope!” Eda gamely replied. “I just decided I hated the look of you more than I was afraid of dying against you.” Her cheeky grin turned daring, eyes bright with challenge. “Even if I die, I’ll have died fighting for my freedom. Give me your best shot, you two-bit bully.”

With a roar of rage, Rudolph reared back his arm, fully intending to skewer the arrogant Witch who dared to challenge his might! His eyes widened in surprise, however, when his attack clashed against a raised staff, brilliant aquamarine eyes glaring at him.

“Stay. Away. From my sister.” Lilith hissed.

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boymeetsparadise · 5 years ago

Text

masterlist

Mentions and contains: female reader x Kim Seokjin, fluff, !angst!, arranged marriage! au, break ups and running away, lying, betrayal, anxiety, language, pregnancy and children, vomit, infidelity suggestion, TINY suggestion at mature content

Word count: 7k

an: this took a while and lots of editing. italics are the memories or the flashbacks, whatever you'd like to call em. i’m always gonna find things to fix here and there but for now, enjoy. ALSO special thanks to my friend (S) for proofreading and being a great supporter, ily <3 lemme know your thoughts! requests are open but slow!

songs listened to while writing:

~someone new- banks

~mystery of love-sufjan stevens

~ TTU x young and beautiful. listen to the beautiful work here

this came up on my recommendations and I immediately fell in love.

“What are you here?” Confusion and hurt evident as his brows furrowed.

The former lovers stood face to face, away from sight in a small nook of a garden. On a warm spring afternoon, the flowers had bloomed and birds chirped. Far up ahead was the arriving crowd, waiting to celebrate the sight of a couple coming together; for in sickness and in health, for better or for worse… for life.

“You know me,” You let out a shaky chuckle, trying to calm your nerves. “I never think things through and maybe it was a mistake but, “But I wanted to see you one last time. One last time before I leave.”

Seokjin stared back, chest feeling heavy at your words. “Going where?’

“Somewhere,” You bit the inside of your cheek, refusing to make eye contact with the man you once loved.

“Do you think we’ll be together forever?” Curiosity got the best of you as you tried to take a bite of your ice cream. The two of you sat on the cool grass under the night sky as civilians strolled down the pavement, taking in the cool summer breeze.

“I don’t see why not.” Seokjin smiled as he looked down next to him, taking in the sight of his lover staring off into the river that was just up ahead. “I love you and you love me right?” He raised a knowing brow just in time to see you smile to yourself. “I’m guessing that's all we need baby.”

“I suppose so.” You agreed with a simple shrug. “To be quite honest, I’m really looking forward to it.”

Seokjin hummed as he mimicked your nod, butterflies swarming his stomach and cheeks growing warm, he wrapped an arm around your shoulder- pulling you closer with a relaxed sigh.

“I can’t wait till we have a home to call our own, I can see it now.”

“Oh really?” His head peeked with interest, “And what do you see with this home?”

Your cheeks took on his favorite color on you: red.

“I see this cozy home, nothing too big or too small y'know?” prompting Seokjin to hum in understandment.

“You want kids right?’ You shyly asked. They have been warily brought up as the relationship grew and grew, possibilities were endless for a young couple in love.

“That I do!” Seokjin chuckled with a nod. “I want as many as you do.”

“Even if it’s 500 kids?” You teased with a giggle.

Seokjin took this as his opportunity to tease you back.“You could ask for two or 3 billion, either way I wont be able to complain about that process now would I?”

“Stop that!” You blushed as you playfully slapped his shoulder. You leaned in to hide in his embrace, all while his chest vibrated with your favorite sound- his laughter. “What if someone hears you?”

“Not like they don’t know the process.” He smirked, enjoying how easy it was to playfully fluster his love.

“Ok” You plowed through- fixing your hair, trying to ignore the heat that spread across your cheeks. “Kids, maybe a dog too.” You smiled again. “I’d wake up early to make us breakfast, you know how much I love to make breakfast.”

Seokjin nodded.

“We’d go to work and come back just in time to make dinner together. Imagine when we start a family: relaxed mornings and fun dinners. Oh and the traditions we could start!” You jumped up just a bit from your seat, clearly excited.

“Like?” He raised his eyebrows.

You let your joy speak for you. Husband and wife. You’d live in a cozy home. Nothing too big or too small. The weekends were your favorites. Saturdays meant breakfast on the couch as you let the childhood favorites play on the tv, relaxing after a tiring week. Sundays was an extension and you loved going to the grocery store with him, taking turns every time pushing each other as one sat in the cart. That was something you’d continue until it was no longer possible.

You thought that as you got older your work schedules will allow more designated time together. Coming home around the same time to prepare dinner and stroll around the neighborhood as a couple. Holidays spent in a place you could grow out into and call your own. A safe place of love.

You talked more about a family. Making him chuckle as you already knew he’d be extra careful and baby proof your home before the child was even born. The joy of decorating a nursery and waiting for the first signs of an active baby. Late nights cuddled on the couch and reaching for his hand when the little bundle decided to start kicking, joking about how your baby was already as hyperactive like their father.

You rambled on about how you could wait till it was your first christmas as a family, a tiny bundle of love that was the perfect mixture of their parents. You imagined tiny hands clapping as flour created small clouds, chubby fingers reaching to squish the cookie dough, making a mess. The way you’d be holding his hand as you see them opening their first gift, excited for their reaction, despite not understanding and finding everything oh so amusing.

First steps on the living room as the two of you cheer and clap. Trips to his uncle’s strawberry farm. A toddler perched on his lap as he taught em the art of online gaming.

Seokjin mentioned he was looking forward to the day he has to scrub off scribbled crayon from the walls and the way his back won’t be the same after endless piggy-back rides but it would all be with love.

He shook his head with a chuckle at the mention of his dad jokes holding more meaning.

Birthday parties in the backyard surrounded by the people you love most. You were grateful for the friends you both made, excited for the future. You had no doubts your child(ren) would be surrounded by the best people...by love.

The rest of your lives would be spent in harmony. You imagined sending your children away to college and the world. Warm afternoons spent in the park and summer nights on the balcony reminiscing over the most embarrassing moments of when you first started dating. Laughing when bringing up past holidays. Slow dancing in the living room and late night talks in the dark.

A beautiful rollercoaster you’d ride over and over until your last breath.

Seokjin was ready for it all. The laughs, the cries. In his mind, it was everything he ever wanted and envisioned the moment he realised you were the one. He’d follow you to the ends of the earth and defy all odds, knowing what you two had would break all chains.

“You know it doesn't have to be this way right?” Seokjin whispered.

“Like what?” You focused your attention on a random flower bush even though you very well knew what he was referring to.

“I don’t have to go through with this. You don't have to go through with this.” He began to softly plead. It’s been such a long time since he has seen you, heard your voice, looked into your eyes. He’d spend his last breath begging for you.

With a sigh you reminded him with a soft voice. “We do Seokjin.”

“[Y/N]” He took a step towards you, your body taking you a step backwards as he stretched out his hand.

“Don’t come near me please.” You spoke in a broken whisper. You knew if he stepped any closer all will would be lost and you’d fall into his arms. Today wasn’t the day. That day will never come again.

“Please look at me.” His voice cracked. “I missed looking into your eyes so much, please”

A silence followed as the two of you stood in the garden. His hand was still reaching out for you as you held yourself, too afraid to reach out.

“Are you busy tonight?” Seokjin had his phone pressed to his ear by his shoulder as his hands flipped through endless hangers.

“Depends on what.” You responded as you laid back onto your bed. You had just started packing, school had ended and you finally found a nice cozy place to rent with some of your friends.

“Come with me to a family event please?’ Seokjin asked as he began to hold shirts up to his chest in the mirror, sighing in discontent and picking up another. “I’d feel much better if you were by my side.”

He nervously bit his cheek, as he paced between bed and mirror, glancing at the time. He would rather much ask to hang out with you and go somewhere he’d actually enjoy. Something he thought would be worth the effort.

“What are they making you do this time?” you let out a small chuckle, understanding his tone. He was never really fond of these events. He loved his family but sometimes, it seemed their intentions were different from his and it was best to stay apart when possible but tonight- seemed unlikely.

“Some stupid dinner between families and companies.” He muttered with a roll of his eyes.

“Sounds exciting.” You giggled, “Business talk is the best talk huh?”

“Oh but of course. Old men in suits talking about stupid numbers between this place and that. Terminology I can’t even begin to be bothered to learn. Not like my mother and her friends help make these events any better.” Seokjin was sure that if he rolled his eyes any harder they would roll right out of his skull. “So what do you say [Y/N]?”

“What time?”

“Six.” He jumped up from the edge of his bed, spotting the perfect button up. He knew that once you asked for time, you were on his side.

“M’kay. I’ll be waiting.”

“Love you.’ Seokjin smiled to no one but himself.

“Love you too.” You returned it before jumping out of bed, the shower calling your name. “Now go get handsome!”

That evening started out like any other, Seokjin’s hand on the small of your back as he guided you through the stuffed room.

Music played and all around were some of the most powerful business people in the country, along with their families. For a business dinner it seemed like just a normal celebration of some sort, laughter and screams all around, despite everyone being worth a couple million dollars of course.

Seokjin stayed by your side for most of the night: arm around your shoulders, hand on your back, arm in arm or hands intertwined. He knew you weren’t used to this type of scene but also for the sake of his own comfort, being able to put up with it all as long as he stayed by your side, the closest thing to peace he had.

“Seokjin” His father grinned as he made his way over to the table you sat at. Seokjin played around your hands on the table as you both mindlessly talked about what you wanted to do the next morning.

“Father.” Seokjin nodded with a grin as his father’s hands were on the back of your chairs.

“Hello [Y/N]!” He gave you a friendly smile, the lights giving away his tipsy state, it was nice to see him enjoying himself. With a nod, he continued to speak. “You look lovely. Are you two having fun? Isn’t it lovely?”

“It’s great father.” Seokjin spoke for you before you could even open your mouth to respond.

“I have some important people I want you to meet Seokjin.” His father grabbed his shoulder, gesturing to the small group of older men just up ahead. “Get to know before you take over, yeah?” His father suggested as he began to pull him up from his seat.

Seokjin began to stutter protests, he had no interest in his father’s business. He never had the slightest desire to take over one day and therefore tried his hardest to stay away unless an occasion called for the entire family for representation.

“I’m sure [Y/N] doesn’t mind. Do you?” Mr. Seokjin raised a suggestive brow. You simply nodded and let go of Seokjin’s hand, agreeing.

“It’s okay. Just do him this quick thing okay?” You have Seokjin a loving grin as he shook his head, dreading the conversations that awaited him.

“I’ll be back quickly okay?” He placed a gentle hand on the top of your head as his father held his arm, waiting to pull him away. “Just stay here and wait.”

“I promise” You let out a small giggle, “Now go before you lose an arm.” You teased.

With a hesitant face Seokjin let himself be dragged away, the loud chatter and music made it difficult to hear your own thoughts as the amount of people suddenly felt like too much. You tried to look across the room to the glass door that led out to the balcony you hung out earlier when you first arrived, surely he’d understand if he found you there on your own. You sat and mindlessly looked around, waiting for an opportunity to get up and move.

Seokjin forced a tight lipped grin as the older men laughed and took turns to pat his shoulder and back. His father beamed about his youngest son’s most recent accomplishments: had just graduated college; top of his class, bought a new car and was planning on moving out very soon after he had just scored a very well paying job.

“Who was the pretty lady by your side Mr.Seokjin?” Seokjin looked over to his right at the first nudge to his side, a grey haired man in a suit raised a suggestive brow as Seokjin looked at him in confusion. Was he referring to you? But of course as he hadn’t left your side all night.

“Is she single?” Another asked with a wink and chuckle as the other men began to tease, wondering if she came from a successful family, making sly suggestions of young promising sons and nephews who would more than likely love an opportunity to swoon her over and welcome them into their respective families.

Seokjin was having none of it, trying to deny all advancements as nonchalantly as he could as he scanned the room for you. His eyes landed on you as you stared off into your own little world and smiled to himself, you looked adorable in his eyes.

“She’s my son’s ex-girlfriend, best friends since childhood.” His father interrupted as he swung an arm around his son’s shoulder. “They were together in highschool but she's been so supportive of his engagement to lovely Gaeon, I’m so happy she’s here tonight!” He threw his head back, taking a large sip of the beer in his hand.

Seokjin froze at the mention of his ‘engagement’. He had never proposed in the first place, it was more of a forced marriage between their families. Sure Gaeon was a nice girl but he could never see himself falling in love with her. She felt the same way, the only difference is she saw this as a business deal and nothing more, refusing to bring shame to her family. Seokjin on the other hand, thought of it as cruel and unfair, remembering the day his fate was decided.

He was sixteen and ecstatic. He had walked home with a hop in his step afterschool, thanking his stars for the boldness from earlier in the day. You had been his best friend since you were kids, the teacher had sat you two next to one another, hoping maybe the two quietest kids would open up to each other. She was right and it resulted in a beautiful friendship that lasted all the way into highschool. He was your right hand and you were his, a dynamic duo that was known across the school over the years. You had outgrown the extremely timid nature and had a steady group of friends. It didn’t take long for Seokjin to realize his feelings. You were always a flushing mess around your best friend, hardly realizing he was the same way around you, crushes that grew as time went by.

Earlier in the school day, he was leaned up against the lockers, arms crossed. He made conversation with shaky hands, waiting for you to finish up whatever you were doing in your locker, ready to walk with you like he did with your other classes, whether you had them together not. It was lunchtime so there was no rush as your group of friends sat at your usual table. They were all aware of the unspoken feelings between you two, silently rooting him on as they hoped today would be the day.

With red ears and cheeks he nervously suggested that your usual weekend hangout would mean something more, if you wanted it to of course. You had slammed the metal door in shock, causing the hallways to go silent in sudden shock.

“Wait are you serious?’” You hesitantly asked, causing Seokjin to freeze. Was this a possible rejection? He gulped with a nod and quickly muttered a ‘yes’. With apologies to those around you, you shyly agreed. Two reddened teenagers hugged in glee, he couldn't believe he had finally done it.

He remembers how your friends like Jimin and Jungkook couldn't stop teasing him.

“About time hyung!” He slapped his older friend on the back. “Now when's the wedding?”

“Shut up, it’s just a date.”

“You say that as if you wouldn’t marry her one day.” Jungkook stepped in.

“Exactly.” Jimin smirked, causing Seokjin to blush and chuckle- focusing back onto his schoolwork.

He couldn’t wait till the weekend. Seokjin couldn’t help but think it was the start of something beautiful, as he made his way through the home, throwing himself onto the couch and looking up at the ceiling with a sigh.

“Had a good day at school boy?” His father walked into the living room with a smile as Seokjin sat up, fixing his now messy hair.

“Yep!” He smiled as he began to collect his things, ready to freshen up before dinner before stopping by the staircase at the mention of his name.

“Wear something nice.” His father, Mr. Kim grinned. Seokjin raised a confused brow as his father continued, “Exciting news to share with you at dinner.”

As his father made his way into another hall in the house, Seokjin thought for a moment, shrugging to himself before heading to his room. It wasn’t anyone's birthday or anniversary, no other occasions came to mind. He figured his dad had probably struck another successful business deal.

Seokjin was dead wrong as he had stormed out of his house during dinner later that night. His mother dismissed his actions as childish, claiming he had to show appreciation at the fact that one day he would be set for life and helping his future partner do the same.

“That kind of stuff only happens in movies.” Seokjin scoffed with a chuckle as he stuffed a forkful of food into his mouth. “Anyways great dinner mom.” He said with stuffed cheeks, picking up more food.

“Think about it Seokjin.” She gave him a smile as she reached across the table to hold his hand. “It’s not like you have a girlfriend or something. Plenty of time to establish a relationship with the Choi’s.” She dismissed her son’s stare with a small wave.

“I just asked [Y/N] to a date on saturday, sorry.” He shrugged, growing annoyed at his mother's suggestion.

“Well, cancel it.” His father chimed in. Seokjin hushed as he blinked a few times- taking in the reality of the situation. “You’re going to be preparing as we invited the Choi’s over for Sunday dinner.”

“Sorry, I have plans.” Seokjin was stubborn. Surely they had to be joking despite the annoyed serious looks spread across their faces.

“Son,” His mother sighed tirelessly as she rubbed her temples. “Think about it. It’s a great opportunity. A beautiful girl from a nice family, nice background, you have plenty of time to fall in love and you’d never have to worry about any setbacks.”

“What if the setback is that I don’t want it?” He spat as he pushed out his chair. He wiped his mouth before throwing the napkin on his plate, their eyes following. “I’ve had enough food for today, thanks for the meal mother.” He said as he stormed out of the house.

The Kim’s sighed into their hands, he’d come around one day.

The day never came.

And as the years went by, your relationship grew. You made plans for a future, never having the slightest clue of his secret. Everytime his parents mentioned it he brushed them off as a joke. He dreaded every interaction between his family and the Choi’s. At one point feeling pity for the young girl his age. How on earth was he supposed to crush his parents' joy without sadness? Of course he loved them but he always felt in control of his life. An arranged marriage was not in his plan, not in lifetime, in this century. Not when he was so desperately in love with you, [Y/N L/N].

His parents soon grew fed up with his resistance, prompting him to start keeping your relationship a secret from them, having them believe he had finally grown up and was taking this whole setup seriously. To him it didn’t matter. Soon he’d graduate from college and move out, maybe cut off all communication from his family and live how he wanted.

Soon enough the reality of everything kicked in. Coming home after your fourth anniversary only to find Mrs. Choi and his mother next to one another on the couch as Gaeon sat on the couch opposite of them, bridal magazines and fabric samples spread across the coffee table.

Seokjin felt as if the room was closing in on him; a planner with phone numbers and addresses to boutiques and bakeries of the sort, possible ceremony dates, a list written all over the lines of the book.

He was even more determined to get out of his home and away from this mess.

“Have you said hi to your fiance yet?” his dad asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. Seokjin made a face, he had no idea the Choi’s were even in the venue, not a single sight of them the entire night.

“What a wonderful night for a celebration!” Another man yelled as a waiter with a tray of shot glasses passed by the group. Drinks were passed around as Seokjin held his shot close, looking around the room trying to identify any of the Choi’s in the room.

The small group cheered as they threw back their drinks with a pucker, congratulating the family.

Seokjin’s eyes widened, everything started to add up and soon enough panic kicked in. This wasn’t some sort of fun business party... This was an engagement celebration. With desperate eyes he looked around the room, spotting the senior Chois but Goean was nowhere in sight.

A sudden wave of heat washed over him as he heard a muffled tap and a chirp of a mic. Almost immediately the room had gone quiet, rising to their feet as they looked in the direction of the sound, Mrs. Kim stood with a proud smile at the front of the room. The Chois made their way to the front as Gaeon finally made her appearance, pulling away from the crowd.

Seokjin stood on his toes, using the shoulders around him as extra support, trying to catch a sight of you before it was too late. He had to get out of here and fast. ‘Fuck!’ He thought as sweat began to make it way down his forehead. “How the fuck do I get out of here?” He asked himself.

“You alright son?” His uncle pulled him close, noticing the way Seokjin’s face fell.

“I think I’m gonna pass out.” Seokjin confessed, using the sleeve of his grey blazer to wipe his forehead.

“It’s alright Seokjin” His uncle tried to cheer him up, suggesting it was probably just the butterflies of love as Seokjin shook him off. He began to mumble excuses as he faced the floor, pushing his way through the crowded room. For a large room, it felt like it was suddenly closing in, did more people arrive?

“I am so overjoyed as you could all join us tonight!” His mother stood at the front of the room, his father suddenly at her side, cheeks flushed from the alcohol.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Seokjin bit his lip, pain feeling like a pinch due to how uneasy he felt. He continued to push through with you on his mind. He looked over to the exit, making a plan but shock grew as he spotted your group of friends come in.

What the hell did his mother do.

Taehyung and Namjoon spotted their hyung and waved with smiles. The other boys shot him a thumbs up, eyes focusing on his mother up front.

You stood with a smile, trying to get a clear view of his family, noticing he was nowhere to be seen. You were confused but shook your head, why didn’t he tell you tonight was a celebration? You guessed that his family, along with the one next to his had struck some sort of fantastic deal. Seokjin didn’t give much detail about tonight but his family had always been successful in the world of business.

You turned to look around the room and spotted your friends. You’d thought it’d just be you and Seokjin but you were ecstatic that your friends were invited. Perhaps he did it to feel more comfortable. Perhaps the news was so grand it had to be celebrated with everyone.

“I’m sure you all know why we are here.” His mother giggled, beyond proud of her family. “First I’d like to give the ever-so-great Chois a warm welcome!” The room exploded with applause.

You clapped along.

“Second and most importantly,” Mrs. Kim took a deep breath, “We are here to celebrate the wonderful engagement of my son and the only Choi daughter.”

Again you clapped along, but this time with a confused face, you haven't seen Seokjin’s older brother around but guessed he was probably around here somewhere.

It seemed it all happened in slow motion.

After so many pushes, Seokjin finally had a clear view of you, cupping his hands over his mouth.

“[Y/N]!” He waved his hand frantically, praying you’d see him.

“Will you do the honors Mrs. Choi?” Mrs.Kim placed a soft hand on the woman’s back as she took the mic, giving her the audience’s attention.

“I’m so honored and pleased to announce that after all these marvelous years- the engagement of my lovely daughter Miss. Choi Goean and Kim Seokjin. The wedding is next year and we hope to see you there!”

His friends gasped, Jungkook started choking on the cupcake he had picked up from the desert table as Hoseok rushed to and back with a cup of water.

Seokjin tried calling out to you again, failing, the crowd erupting with cheers. Like in the movies, your face suddenly changed into one of shock and then hurt. You felt as if you had just been dunked into ice cold water and time had slowed down.

‘The engagement of who?’ you thought.

With teary eyes, Seokjin finally made eye contact with you, eyes growing wide once again as he saw your expression.

It was unreadable but it was an image that would haunt him forever. You felt shortness of breath kick in, your stomach in the depths of your gut. You were surprised to find that your legs didn’t give in as you jumped out of your seat, desperate for the exit.

Seokjin lunged himself forward but was too late, missing the near grasp of your wrist as you pushed your way through the crowd.

“[Y/N]” Namjoon called out to you as they waited by the exit, “What's going on?”

“Are you okay?” Jimin asked as he softly held your shoulders. The boys and your best friend looked at you with a concerned confusion. Surely it was some sort of mistake or joke.. Right?

“[Y/N]?” Your best friend waved her hand in front of your eyes; nothing.

“[Y/N]! Wait!’ you recognized his voice and snapped back into reality.

You ran.

You ran and didn’t look back.

Ran as fast as your feet would carry you before they gave out. Your surroundings became blurry with tears threatening to spill and your hearing became muffled.

Luckily the building wasn’t too tall and you weren't as high up, ditching the elevator as you stomped your way down, running out into the busy streets.

You had to get out of here.

The sounds of cars and people passing by blocked out any voiced attempts made by Seokjin as he followed you down the street once he spotted the color of the dress you were wearing.

“[Y/N]!” He cupped his hands over his mouth once again, panting. “Stop for a second!” He leaned, palms on his knees- surprised your heels could carry you so far. With you on his mind he didn’t hear the fast steps of your friends chasing after you two.

He called out again as you turned a corner. Tears clouded your vision as they ran down your cheeks, the lights looked like blobs as your legs suddenly felt like jelly.

You sobbed into your arm, running into an alley. Dimly lit by a few spare lights, you felt your stomach come back up your throat. ‘God this feels like some sick joke.’ You didn’t have time to take another breath as you started to retch, hands against the wall before you.

Seokjin finally managed to catch up and carefully made his way over, trying to control his speeding heart. His heart- broken at the sight of you bent over, heaving. He began to hold your hair, the spare hair-tie he held for you on his wrist because you always complained about it making you hot, ready.

“Don’t.” You rolled your shoulders back, shrugging him off as you wiped your lips. “Don’t touch me, Kim Seokjin.”

Seokjin grimaced at the use of his full name, the way your voice was laced with hurt.

“Listen [Y/N]-” He began to stutter as you shook your head.

“Tell me this is some sort of joke.” You spat as you turned around to face him.

“I-”

Your friends caught up, Jungkook being a fast runner, lead. But as the scene unfolded he shushed his friends and ushered them into a nearby cafe, giving space.

“Say they fucked up and meant your brother. Tell me you're not really about to get married to someone else when you haven't even proposed let alone broken up with me Kim seokjin. Say it.”

“[Y/N] please listen to me.” He reached for your hands, shaking.

“Say it Kim Seokjin.” You pulled away. “Say it!” you challenged him.

Seokjin stayed silent as you stared at him, hot tears threatening to spill once again.

“Why aren’t you saying it?” You broke down again as your lip quivered. “Say it Jinnie! Say it!”

“I- They- Fuck.” He bit his lip so hard he tasted blood.

“She said years. How long Kim?”

“Listen to me-”

“Seokjin-”

“Just-”

“Seokjin.’ You sternly said, wiping tears away. He let out a sigh as his head fell.

“5 years.” He confessed, fresh tears rolling down his face.

“We’ve been together for almost 5 years Seokjin…” You hiccuped. “Jinnie-”

“I’m sorry!’ He sobbed at the use of his nickname again, the way you said it reminding him of a broken record. One he never intended to break. “Please just hear me out!” He pleaded, stepping closer, but with each step forward you took another back.

“Why didn't you tell me? How could you?”

“I didn’t have a choice, I never thought they were serious! But I will always choose you [Y/N]. It has always been you. Please just listen to me.”

“I can’t do this Seokjin. I don’t deserve this at all.” Angrily wiping your tears you turned around, feeling his hand grab onto your wrist.

“Please just give me time to explain and then you’ll understand. I thought this was some sort of sick joke too but baby please.” He tried to reason through his sobs. He knew he fucked up in not telling you and perhaps it was too late to even try to reason but he was gonna fight tooth and nail for the thing that meant most.

“Please don’t call me that again. Don’t look for me. I’m sorry Seokjin but this is goodbye.” Harshly yanking your wrist, you ran out of the alley and into the busy streets once again. Seokjin chocked through his sobs, snapping back into reality to try and chase after you but as soon as he left the alley- you were gone. He leaned against the cold, dirty wall, sobbing into his hands as his knees gave in.

He heard the soft steps, black dress shoes before him. He had been faced with his friends, [Y/B/F] was crying also as Yoongi laid a comforting hand on her back, her heart breaking at the sobs her friend had let out.

He knew he had a lot of explaining to do to his friends but most importantly you.

Almost a year later and you didn’t think you’d be searching for him.

“We can run away.” and for the first time that afternoon you looked up at him in confusion. “Say you’ll run away with me [Y/N]. We still have time. I can get us out of here and to some place far far away.” He began to let a couple tears fall, desperate to convince you.

A fresh wave of emotions hit you as you took in what he had just said. A small weak part of yourself tried to think about it. Running away? On his wedding day?

“We can’t do that Seokjin” You gulped with a sad shake of your head.

“Yes we can!” He interrupted before you could continue. “We don’t need any of this. As long as I have you I’m more than okay.” Once again his voice cracked as a tear rolled down his cheek, wiping it away he took another step. “Just take my hand.”

There was another moment of silence. There was so much you wanted to say before you had even arrived and now standing before the man you loved, everything vanished. Your eyes burned with tears you refused to let go of as your throat ran dry. Seokjin took your silence as a cue to desperately continue.

“I didn’t tell you this at first.” He began, taking a deep breath. “But remember how we wanted to be a family? To live happily ever after?”

You continued to look at him, emotions unreadable.

“I saved up.” Seokjin took another step. “Little by little, I took amounts my parents wouldn’t notice much and saved them into my own secret account.” He confessed as shock ran through your body. “I never mentioned it. The funds are ours. For a home. For a family. I saved up for us. It’s more than enough to get us by for a while. To run away and be happy without all these outside voices. You don’t have to worry about a single thing, all you have to do is take my hand and say you still love me. Please [Y/N].” With the back of his hand he roughly wiped away the free falling tears as the other finally took a grasp of your free hand.

“Why didn’t you tell me this?” You ignored the heat that ran down your spine, the first physical contact you’ve had with Seokjin in months. “Why did you do that?”

“I did it for you. For us.” He licked his lips, throat running dry with pleads. “We don’t have much time, c’mon [Y/N]. We can still make it out of here in time.”

“No Seokjin.” You hiccuped and pulled your hand away.

“What do you mean no?” Shock evident on his face. “Why else would you be here?” His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, eyes scanning over your face looking for any signs of regret.

“I’m sorry it was a mistake.” You bit the inside of your cheek.

“Why did you come here then?” Seokjin challenged as you turned around to face him again. “You can’t expect me to believe me you came here because you don’t love me anymore. You obviously do.”

Seokjin began to grow angry. First he lost control of his own path, second lost the love of his life and now third- she was back but it wasn't for him? Was life really that unfair?

“I don’t want this and I’m sure as hell you don’t want this either.” Seokjin sat across his promised fiance one day, meeting at a cafe.

“You’re right.” She agreed, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Then why go through with this?” Seokjin shook his head. “Let’s tell our parents this is a no-go and you can live your life while I’ll live mine.”

“No.” Goean made no effort to look at him as she brought her napkin to her lips.

“What do you mean no?” Seokjin furrowed his brows. “You literally just agreed with me.”

“I may agree with you,” She paused, taking another sip.

“But..?” Seokjin leaned forward. Of course there was a but.

“My grandfather did not start this empire from the ground up only for it to crumble two generations later. You have love and I have pride Kim.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Seokjin sighed, throwing himself back into his chair, hands on his head.

“I’m very serious.” She was expressionless. “I’d be fine with anyone else, so don’t think this is a name thing. Just so happens your parents suggested my family and mine agreed. No harsh feelings. In fact no feelings at all.” She spat as he scowled.

“So am I.” Seokjin challenged. “I lost the love of my life and I’ll do anything to get her back.”

“Why weren’t you honest with her from the get go?” She tilted her head, taunting him. “Better yet you could’ve run away. My parents would’ve found anyone else.”

“You suggest that now?” He spat in anger.

“Obviously since you didn’t think of it sooner Seokjin.” Goean finished the remainder of her coffee, standing up. “You had years. That was your mistake, not mine. See you later Kim.”

You thought it over for a moment, cowering under his stare.

“I don’t know why.” You confessed, hands behind your back. It was truthful. You really had forgotten why you even came in the first place. At first you thought it was to see him one last time. To wish him well and say goodbye. The closure you needed but was too afraid to get. A needed reality check after running for so long. Something to finally wake you from this nightmare. This is real life whether you liked it or not. Seokjin was off to be a married man and sadly it wasn't you.

“Pathetic.” Seokjin scoffed. “It’s pathetic.”

“Pardon?” You stuttered with wide eyes.

“You don’t get to come here on my supposed happy day and not know why. Tell me the truth.” He spat.

“I’m being honest, Seokjin. Something you never were. I don’t know why I decided on coming here but now I realize how selfish I was. I made a mistake.”

“Why can't you be selfish just this once?” His voice cracked. “I get I messed up, horribly I know. But can’t you see I love you? It has always been you. I’ll always choose you.” Seokjin reasoned.

“Jinnie-” His nickname slipped from your lips as he let out another batch of tears.

“[Y/N] please. It’ll hurt even more to let you go. Stay with me. Run away with me. Choose me.”

“I’m sorry-”

-DING DONG-

The large clock tower let out a large ring as the hand moved into the new hour. Music began to play and only increased in volume. It was time.

“I have to go.” With a sob, you stepped away from Seokjin who stared at you with his jaw dropped. The clock tower let out another chime as his head snapped up at the sound. He uttered a curse word and looked back at you- you had left.

“[Y/N]!” Seokjin’s hand came up to his mouth, an all too familiar feeling. He looked around the garden, spotting the flow of your dress disappear behind a hedge.

His feet carried him, fate gave him another chance and this time he was going to take it.

The clock let out a third chime and he wanted nothing more but to knock it down, shut it up for it reminded him of his mistake. He could still see a soft blurb of color, cursing your speed. Suddenly he found himself in front of a fountain, he reached deep into the garden. He desperately looked for you and broke down when he realized you had slipped away again. Another cursed chime of the clock and he fell to his knees as he kneeled over into the grass, crying into his arms. The fountain disguised his cries and hid yours as you were a few meters away, behind a bushed fence, violently sobbing into your hands.

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my-whumpy-little-heart · 4 years ago

Text

And Emphasis On Scent

Crackcember: Day 3 (Alt Prompt: Effervescent)

This chapter is far longer than I meant it to be, and I’ve got a feeling the next one will be too. Cheers to crackwhump owning all of my braincells!

Content warnings: manhandling, noncon (nonsexual) touch, light head injury

————————————

“Cool, okay,” Hilbert sighed to himself, “I’ll get out soon enough. Right.”

He eyed the duffel bag with disdain. There was no use in trying to pack anything when he wasn’t planning on going anywhere but back home. This would be a much better opportunity to escape, as long as he could get off the duct tape holding his ankles together.

Hilbert sat back, trying to find the end of the tape with numbed fingers to peel it off. Dennis apparently had no regard for his circulation, considering the lost dexterity in his fingers and now the light tingling on his feet, and he was more than ready to be free of his bonds.

It didn’t take him long to realize this may be a more difficult task than he anticipated, though. The layers of tape around his ankles were thick and wide, twisting above and below them over and over. With the edges tucked away and the whole thing being far too thick to tear through, packing the duffel bag with whatever he could find was looking like a better and better option.

Hilbert let out a sigh as he gave in and grabbed it, glancing inside to check that the can of beans was indeed the only item inside. Other than that… he glanced beside him at the abandoned ping pong paddles sitting near a ball that must have fallen off the shelf after them, figured it couldn’t hurt--figuratively, at least--and threw them in his bag.

A neon blur caught the corner of his eye when he looked over and sitting next to him, right where it had been abandoned only a day or two prior, was the little worm toy from Dennis. Eggbert, he’d named it. Hilbert berated himself as he stowed it in the bag, debating what purpose it could possibly serve, but it was better something than nothing. Maybe showing some appreciation for the toy would appease his captor.

He slumped back against the pillar, squinting to see the rest of the room, but it didn’t help much at all. Perhaps there was something on the pool table that he couldn’t see from his vantage point, but it wasn’t worth the effort of attempting to stand with his bound legs and teetering on over to check. There was definitely something he’d forgotten, but Dennis chose that moment to come thundering back down the stairs and it was too late.

He zipped the duffel bag, threw it over Hilbert’s shoulder, bound his hands in the same fashion again, picked him up bridal style--much to his displeasure--and they were off. Dennis was being uncharacteristically quiet for once as he carried Hilbert up the stairs and out the door, setting him down on the floor once they were back on level ground so he could see the hulking vehicle before them.

“There she is!” Dennis clapped him on the back, right over the sensitive welts. Hilbert hissed in pain, waddling awkwardly to face him and protect his injuries as best as possible.

A firm hand on his chin wrenched his head back forward, pointing at what must have been the RV. Hilbert nodded absently, unable to make out more than the general shape of the vehicle without his glasses. Dennis seemed to notice and sighed dramatically, whipping Hilbert’s head back over to him so he could slide the rectangular frames back on his face, none too gently, and turned him to look right back where he had before.

The RV was… well, it was certainly a vehicle. There wasn’t much nice to say beyond that. What must have once been bright red paint was chipped and faded, a dirty maroon stripped down to brown the lower it went. The front of the thing was dented all over and the windshield looked to be permanently encrusted with dirt and grime.

Hilbert really wasn’t looking forward to seeing the interior.

“Pretty neat, huh? She’s ready to roll and take us wherever I please,” Dennis nodded, seemingly quite proud of himself considering all he did was shell out some cash.

“I don’t suppose that includes my apartment?”

“Course not!” He grinned, grabbing Hilbert’s elbow and dragging him forward. The largely empty bag fell against his shin with every movement. “You’re never gonna want your apartment back once you see what this baby has in store.”

“Worth a try,” he muttered, fighting the losing battle to stay on his feet. At least Dennis had the slightest bit of foresight and brought a ramp to drag him gracelessly up into the RV.

The first thing he saw when they entered was a sitting area furnished with torn cushions right across from a shoddy kitchenette. Hilbert grimaced at some dark stains around the sink that looked suspiciously like mold. Dim yellow lighting cast a sickly glow over the whole space.

“Stop gawking, this isn’t even the best part!” Dennis pulled him past the main area back to a hallway with a door on either side and a room in the back. “I think that’s an ironing board or something,” he said, waving to the door on the left.

“Or something? Do you even know what all you bought?” Hilbert asked and Dennis stopped dead in his tracks, righting his captive before he fell to the floor.

“Fine, let’s see,” he said, shoving Hilbert in front of the door and opening it without warning. The ironing board inside swung out and down before he could comprehend what was happening, hitting him square in the forehead. “And there’s your answer,” Dennis nodded, pulling Hilbert along without a second glance. He grimaced, massaging the sore spot on his head as well as he could with his hands bound and wondering whose bright idea it was to make the ironing board block off the hallway.

The next room he stumbled into had a luxurious queen sized bed with a flowery comforter: the only part of the miserable vehicle that seemed presentable so far.

“This is the bedroom!” Dennis practically glowed with excitement. “Mmm… effervescent~!”

Hilbert would have questioned whether Dennis even knew what that word meant, but he realized he wasn’t particularly sure himself. If anything was right there, though, it was the ‘scent’ part. The whole room had a metallic sort of stench, like a coin, that made him wrinkle his nose. A real effervescent cent scent.

What was more concerning, though, was the fact that this seemed to be the only bedroom, which meant...

“I’m not sharing a fucking bed with you,” Hilbert spat out.

“What?” Dennis fixed him with an incredulous look, barking out a laugh. “No duh. You’re not allowed anywhere near my bed. We’ve got a shared restroom over there,” he said, pointing to a separate room at the end of the hallway, “but your room is right over here.”

He led them back to the door across from the ironing board and pulled it open in a grand, sweeping motion. Hilbert wasn’t sure what he was expecting but he shouldn’t have been surprised to see a small, musty broom closet in front of him.

“But,” Dennis took the duffel bag from him and threw it into the small space, shut the door, and put the ironing board back up as they stepped past, “since I’m nice, you won’t have to stay in there too often as long as you’re cooperative. Right now, you and I are gonna spend some quality time together.”

#whump #crackwhump #crackcember #effervescent #manhandling #noncon touching #head injury #not anything bad though. tame hours around here #hooray for roadtrip hours!#Dennis Mennis #Hilbert Griffith #Eggbert Griffith #eggbert is back! he's ready for this epic roadtrip #the only one not hyped enough here is hilbert #sadboi time #yo okay i just had an epiphany for the next chapter turn up lads i figured out how to fix the issue i'm having #epic simple solutions that should have been obvious from the beginning #okay anyhowww #shoutout to the super cool post scheduling feature around here #y'all are seeing this post right now at four p m eastern time #but i don't even have my phone out because i'm at a bowling match and am not allowed to have my phone #it's a technology miracle #kinda disappointed because i lowkey stole the title joke from the chapter but listen effervescent made it hard to get something decent #okay that's enough tags i gotta get stuff done while i still can

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