#couldn’t be more proud of him. all the hardwork and the pain is worth it. you’re shining pedrito <3

[livelaughlovepedri]

and in the end the spanish team made him champion of Europe❤️

[keiyoomi]

Lifetime | M. Atsumu × F!Reader

details: 1.2k words | angst | mutual pining

summary: miya atsumu loves you for years, but you weren’t ready yet.

now playing: lifetime by ben&ben

note: hi, anon! enjoy!!! lmk what you think!!! hihi.

Everyone from Inarizaki’s side rose from their seats and cheered as soon as the ball landed on the orange court. You watched Atsumu and Osamu staring at each other in disbelief. After months of hardwork, they’ve finally achieved one of their goals for that year—to defeat the crows before they graduate.

Atsumu’s eyes scanned the audience area with his bright eyes. As soon as he laid his eyes on you, he raised his arm while smiling from ear to ear. Your classmates, who were sitting next to you, nudged your sides making you more flustered that you already were.

“Did Miya Atsumu just—?”

“In our section? Unbelievable.”

You looked down at your shoes to drown the noise that surrounds you. Including the non-existent sound of your heartbeat.

‘His hardwork and stubborness really paid-off this time.’ You smiled in relief, knowing that Atsumu would probably ramble on and on and on about today’s event while you’re walking back to the inn with them. ‘He really loves what he’s doing.’ You finally stood properly and looked at his direction. ‘His eyes seems more lively than usual. And to be honest, the smile he’s wearing now is better than looking at his puffy cheeks and pouty lips when he’s upset.’

Since that was the last match of Inarizaki on that day, you picked up everything you brought with you and followed your classmates on their way out.

While walking down the hallway towards the exit, you heard your voice being called. His voice was so loud that you could still hear it despite of the noisy crowd in that place. “Sensei, may I speak with her for a moment?”

“Take your time, Miya,” your homeroom teacher replied. “Congratulations on winning the match.”

“Thank you, sensei,” he said before holding your hand. “Let’s go!”

Your heart begins to race as you look at his hand that was tightly holding your hand, as if he was afraid of losing you. The warmth of his hand was enough to keep your hand warm on that cold day.

If only you could always do this whenever you like.

Atsumu stopped and opened the door that leads to the emergency stairs. He pulled you inside before facing you.

“Y/N...”

“H-Hm?”

“I’ve been thinking about this for years, and... well, I’ve asked Osamu, Aran-san, and Kita-san about it too,” he began before rubbing the back of his neck.

His awkward stance made you question if you were really with the confident Atsumu that you’ve been friends with for years. Gone the proud look on his face and the confident voice that he usually sport.

“If... If you don’t mind...” He looked into your eyes before taking a deep breath. “C-Can we be more than just friends?”

Then, there was silence.

Silence and your racing heart that’s pounding against your chest.

You couldn’t believe what you’re hearing from his lips. He actually said the words that you thought would never come from him. Words that hebwould probably said in one of your dreams.

He actually said it.

‘But...’ You looked at Atsumu’s flushed cheeks as he kept his eyes tightly shut. ‘What if... What if our relationship doesn’t work out? Will I still be able to see his smile up close? Will I be able to keep up with him?’

You squeezed hand as you exhaled. “Atsumu...” You watch his eyes look at yours with anticipation. You can’t... You can’t lose this chance to be with him for long time. But... “I... I’m sorry, Tsumu. I’m... I’m not ready yet.”

...You don’t want to lose what you have with him.

Years had passed since the day Miya Atsumu asked you out. There was regret, yes, but looking at your relationship with him and his twin, it was worth it. Probably.

“Oi. Tsumu, take a break for a bit.” You took the bottle from his bag along with his dry towel. “You might end up pulling a muscle or two if you abuse your body.”

“Just three more times.”

“You’ve said that earlier and you haven’t stopped yet.”

He huffed.

“Fine,” he grumbled as he made his way towards you. He gladly took the water bottle and the towel from your hand before you sat on the nearby bench. “You’re early today,” he pointed out before taking another sip from his bottle.

“Well, I was able to complete my task earlier than usual too. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt if I’d come here earlier too.”

“Hm...” He sat on the empty spot next to you before he leaned against your shoulder. “You wouldn’t make me join a mixers like Osamu does, right?”

You bit your lower lip while looking away from his sweaty head. “T-There’s... He means well, right? I-It’s been months since you’ve last—”

“Are you going to push me away again?”

“Atsumu...”

He sat up straight and looked into your eyes. “I’ve tried to keep myself from falling for you since the day you rejected me. I’ve tried going out with women that were interested in me and I find interesting, but none of them could replace you. None.”

“I’m sorry.” You bit your quivering lips after your voice broke. “I’m...”

“Y/N...” He gently cupped your cheeks and wiped the tears on your cheeks. “I’m not blaming you. I understand that you were not ready yet. And that’s alright...”

He placed a featherlight kiss on your forehead before forcing a smile. “Atsumu...”

He cleared his throat before rising from his seat. “Ahem. I’ll take a quick bath now. I can’t be late for that event.” Atsumu began to walk away from you and each step that he take tears your heart apart.

‘What if... What if this time... this time I’ll lose him for good? What if he finally finds someone who could...? I should be happy for him, right?’

Fear and sadness filled your mind with the thought of losing him for good. Fear, sadness and pain. Something that you’ve felt before when he dated all those women in the past.

Each time he dates someone, it felt like he was slipping away from you. As if you’re about to lose him for good.

“Sumu... d-don’t go,” you whispered as you quickly wiped the tears from your eyes. “Please...”

You sniffed and waited for his response.

But he didn’t say anything.

‘Maybe it was already too late to say those words.’

[furiousgoldfish]

Personal post about trauma under the cut, extremely upsetting content, do not read if you had narcissistic parents and don't wanna get triggered, I am very sad and mad and it's hard to talk about this. TW child labor, child torture, brainwashing, death threats, narcissistic abuse.

*

I was a hardworking child, I was happy and excited to work, I wanted to be a part of everything that's being done. I noticed work warranted for people to get respect, food, praise, acceptance, and I wanted to work hard so I too would be a part of that. My family lived in a rural area, they kept animals, grew fields of crops, were always in some sort of construction work, so me always being eager to work was pretty much ideal for them, or you'd think that it was. You'd think that.

I was working eagerly and I realized, that unlike for adults, I don't get respect, praise, acceptance, or sometimes even food. It was for some reason denied to me only. And I was still happy to work because I chased that feeling of personal accomplishment, even if there was no rewards. And again, you'd think this is perfectly convenient and ideal to parents who wanted free labour and to give no recognition or praise in return. You'd think that.

But it wasn't enough for them. Father got this idea to take me out to work with him alone, away from home. I remember the place we went to, only as a place I need burned down to the ground before I could breathe again. It was a demolition-construction of a house, and I don't remember how many time I've been there. All I know is, after first few times, I no longer wanted to go. I begged not to go.

I am guessing my father could not bear the looks of me working happily, or even working silently. Me doing everything I was told was not fun enough for him– so he would give me false instructions. As an easy setup for punishment. I did exactly what I was told, and would get screamed at and beaten up. Then forced to keep working in tears, shaking, terrified, injured, while being further berated. And that was only the start.

Even as a child, I was diligent and responsible about doing work, and I know I was getting things done just fine, because, I was doing the sibling's share of chores too. If siblings were called to work, they would simply mess up on purpose so I would be told to repeat it after them, correctly. Sometimes siblings would have me do it and take the credit, which I didn't mind because working made me feel better about myself. It made me feel useful. My mind was already dissociated from my body to the point where I no longer felt exhaustion, pain, strain, or any physical effect work was having on me. I would get berated and shamed if I showed signs of being tired or strained. So my body disregarded it all.

And yeah, that wasn't enough either. I was still sometimes feeling okay. If I was allowed to work alone, and let my mind wonder, if nobody commented on it I knew it was okay.

So this is where they decided to take a step further and disallow me to feel okay at any point. I was humiliated while working to the point of tears. I'd be ridiculed in front of guests. I could no longer enjoy my own thoughts, but constant criticism, insults, accusations and humiliation was raining down on me at every step. And when I was done, with tremendous effort it took to endure this, I would be told 'It would have been better if you had done nothing.' So my insane effort to endure abuse to get things done, was rendered worthless in a second.

Father kept taking me away to work alone with him, and forced me to listen to his monologues, which I hated, because he was boring, wrong and self-obsessed, but I wasn't allowed to say that, or argue. My silent compliance was never enough. He had to hit me. He had to find something to berate me over. He kept inventing reasons. I would clean his entire garage and he'd move a steel closet I couldn't possibly move and berate me for not cleaning under it.

I had a log thrown into my head, causing a head injury, and I had to keep working. I fell and fractured my shoulder so badly I could barely walk; I was brought to a forest to drag logs around, too heavy for me to lift. I was sometimes orchestrated to get injured; father would start a trailer I was standing on the edge of, and forced me to fall by quickly moving forward just enough. I was still expected to work after that. He hit me with a blunt edge of an axe and berated me for standing there. I was told to 'not expect a lift to the hospital'. I was brought to work while starved, grieving, suicidal. I was lied to about where I was going and what would I be doing, and for how long. I was never allowed to stop working.

And the game of giving me wrong instructions and punishing me for doing it 'wrong' never stopped. I caught on and begged for correct instructions. I would ask to explain, how to do it, to show me, anything. 'HOW OLD are you not to know this? I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO TELL YOU! YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS BY NOW!' And by his rage, I could tell that if I don't do it any way I knew how, I'd be punished instantly. I had no choice but to try – and of course fail, and feel horribly ashamed for 'deserving to get beat up'. Eventually my brain started shortcircuiting at the simplest tasks, I would mess up because I was in terror. I couldn't think.

At this point, I no longer wished to work for people who would inflict violence on me. And that is when I was quckly informed that if I didn't work, I would be killed. Not in those words. It was 'You have to work if you want to live!' followed by 'We can kick you out and you will starve on the street. Nobody will take you in. There is no place for you. Nobody wants someone like you. You don't deserve to eat if you don't work.' My choices were taken away. If I still refused, the result would be to beat me and force me to work injured, shaking and crying.

All this, for what? I would have been HAPPY to work. I would have been chasing my little daydreams and singing the pokemon tune, and if I was ever praised, I'd be the happiest kid on the block. I was a kid who liked to work. I wanted minimal fairness, minimal acknowledgment. To be a part of the family. Only that.

It just wouldn't do for the narcssistic father. Watching a child be broken, terrified and shaking, crying, ashamed, guilty, working past exhaustion, in injuries, was just too tempting for him to pass up. Even free labor wasn't worth to him as much as the pleasure of child torture. He needed that like it was a drug. What kind of a sick high did he experience, breaking a defenseless kid? What kind of pleasure did it entail, getting someone rid of their natural happiness to work? Was it fun, tearing me into pieces, over and over again? Does he remember it as a delicious, satisfying pleasure? Does he daydream about it? He knew it was wrong; he forced me to stop crying and hide the tears before we went home. 'Don't say anything to your mother.' I was told before being stuffed back in his car.

And now... I can't work. I can't even move sometimes. It was torn away from me. My ability to work was ripped away from my child body when I had no way to defend it or to grab it back and protect what is mine. I can't work anymore. It's terrifying. It terrifies me to not work. Because I was made aware working is the only thing keeping me alive, and capitalism confirms this, so I remain to forever fight with myself about how even if everyone says otherwise, I still deserve to live. Heartbroken, abandoned, with my basic human abilities stripped from me. It doesn't make me deserving to die.

I am so angry and sad. If I had my natural ability to work back, I'd be fine. I would be able to live safely. I wouldn't spiral into feeling like an unworthy member of society. I learned to survive very insecurely like this, but I hate every second of it. To know that instead of this insane uncertainty, anxiety, guilt for being bedridden, guilt for existing and not moving, I could have just found a job, have normal income? I can't bear it. I can't bear knowing this was wrenched away from me, because it was pleasurable to do so, because tearing me into pieces was a fun hobby for people who didn't care if what they were doing to me killed me. And I couldn't have done anything to stop it. And I'm like this now. Unable to take any more torture, unable to endure any more of being triggered, wondering if I would die from lack of resources, or would my body fail permanently in attempts to process all the exhaustion and pain I was dissociated from for my entire childhood.

How was this worth it. How it could have been worth it to anyone, destroying someone's ability to work, only because it's pleasurable. I felt the plan was to work me until I no longer could do it, then kill me. It's what they did to animals. And I was told I was more worthless than an animal. I was called lazy and a monstrous name I can't even translate, that implied I was burdening everyone with my existence.

It was even a bigger punch to my face to realize, after I escaped, that he was profiting from everything I did. That it would have taken money – way more than was ever spent on my survival, to get all that labor done. He was profitting while telling me I was worthless and don't deserve to eat or sleep in his house. He is now renting the place I was broken to help build. I was torn apart and he is still benefiting from it. And I have nothing. Not even a functional body to work with anymore.

I know I'm not the only person who was constantly left alone with narcissists as a child and had this, or worse, done to them. They don't care which pieces of children are left over by the time they're done getting their high. We're only a thing to consume, not living beings, not people, not someone whose life matters. Our pain is food to them. My father readily became a predator who snached his own kid away for torture sessions, and felt proud and fulfilled to turn his own child into a creature who cannot work anymore to survive.

Don't leave children alone with narcissists. I am trying so hard to get better, but facing reality, is this a thing a person gets better from? It's not a bodily harm of once or twice, this was happening for the most majority of my lifetime. It makes sense I cannot move. It makes sense I'm terrified to be triggered into this. It makes sense I can barely bear the reality of it. A person tortured hundreds of times wont just get up and walk away. I can't either. I have to lie here and hope that one day it will get better.

If you read thru all this, and you relate to the parts of this story, know that I am so sorry for what you were put thru. It's devastating and horrenous. If this is how you grew up, it would have been better not to have a family. We all should have been protected from this.

[justwonder113]

Hey first of all, I have to say that I adore your work. You have absolutely amazing fantasy and writing skill so I thought would u mind writing a scenario where Y/N and Iwaizumi have to break up even though they dont want it. I mean like they love each other but there are some circumstances that makes them to break up. Like I need a real angst without a happy ending.... I know I'm depressed.

First of all, thank you so much for requesting and saying all these sweet things. I would literally hug you if I saw you. Please note that you are an amazing human being and deserve all the best. Please take care of yourself. And whenever you feel like you want to talk to someone note that I'm always there for you.  I really hope you like it^^

Iwaizumi x Reader-Let's be greedy for tonight

word count"2k (my hands slipped)

WARNING: Angst, break-up themes, heartbreak, Iwa and reader break up because they have their own thing going on, pragmatic reader who's more mission oriented than emotional.. fluff if you squint

Honestly you didn't even understand how you got here. Everything was just fine few days ago. How did everything go to this? Where did everything take the wrong turn?

Just a few days ago you were comforting him because of the loss against Karasuno. You spent the whole night together just holding each other close but now.... It felt like that there was this huge gap between you and none of you knew how to get over it. This wasn't supposed to be a sad thing, both of you were supposed to be happy, wasn't this what you wanted?

You and Iwaizumi had one of the best relationships. He was the most amazing partner and companion you could ever ask for. He was the most supportive, loyal and kind person you have ever met. No wonder you fell for him even thought you were sure you wouldn't fall in love with anyone.

Honestly, you had nothing against love, but because you had set your priorities straight from the young age there was no physical room for it. You had your goals and you wanted to achieve them more than anything, you were determined to make your life as meaningful and as perfect as you could. Getting in a relationship would be nothing more than a distraction, it could ruin everything you worked so hard for up to this day and you were not willing to risk it.

Iwaizumi was on the same boat. He had his priorities straight and knew what he wanted in life and what was needed in order to achieve it. Especially now that he realized that in order to achieve his goals he needed to go to California to study. Your paths would part and there was no denying, both of you knew that long distance relationships didn't work and that it would only drag you down.

None of you planned to get in this relationship, both of you knew that this was inevitable. Both of you knew that you two were not meant to be.But why did it hurt so much? You knew that you would have to eventually break up with him, why did it hurt so much knowing that you could no longer see him, talk to him and hold him and be held by him?! Why did it hurt so much knowing that you would no longer have a chance to just be free with him? Why did he have to become your anchor? Why did he have to make you feel so good about everything?

You would never even think that you two would date. At first you were intimidated by him, he looked kind of hot headed and rough so you thought it would be better to avoid him. But as the time went by you got to know him more and more and started to respect him more and more. What was there not to respect and like? He was on top of everything and instead of being rough and all he was in fact really polite and a very caring person.

You got to know him more and more when you had to sit next to him after his seatmate asked to trade places with him because he couldn't see board well and you agreed. You rarely talked but you were on good grounds with him.

Your friendship deepened when he saw that you were having trouble understanding one of the subjects and spent most of his free time helping you understand it, you were sure he would stay for more but his friend, Oikawa interrupted you saying he had to come to practice. When Oikawa saw you he immediately bombarded you with all kinds of questions. You didn't get why got him interested but didn't say anything and tried to answer his questions, that day you got invited to attend one of their practices. Iwaizumi tried to explain that if you decided that you didn't want to it would be completely fine but you promised you would attend one of their practices for sure. Both of the boys smiled at you sweetly and them said their goodbyes. You didn't even know why you agreed, you just answered without even thinking.

Thinking about it the day you actually went and saw one of their practices may have been the day you started to see him in different light. They had a practice match against some college team, the game was so captivating you couldn't look away. And both Iwaizumi and Oikawa were so amazing! The whole team was really good but you didn't really know any other playing members, though some of the faces were familiar. You were sure that they were going to win but suddenly Oikawa's apparently injured knee started acting up, Iwaizumi was immediately by his side, you hadn't even noticed if anything was different but it certainly didn't pass by Iwaizumi's eyes. You were amazed that he saw the slightest change in his friend's demeanor and immediately called out to him. He helped him out of the court and bought to him water and cooling pads. You were watching with astonishment written all over your face.

Since that day you started talking to him more and more, at first you were asking how was Oikawa because you felt awkward that you didn't even knew how to approach him and start up conversations. You felt this sudden urge to talk to him all the times, you felt like knowing more and more about him, you just wanted to get close to him. You were trying so hard to get his attention. Thankfully you two got close to each other and started hanging out more and more. He would invite you to his practices and then would never fail to walk you home.

He was always willing to listen to anything you had to say, and was always there to support and be there for you. He remembered all the small things about you and always made sure you were feeling good first. You couldn't even count how many times and in how many ways he has helped you out. You just hoped you were for him the same way at least remotely close. He was like an iron wall, nothing seemed to get past him, he was always the strong one, the one in control, but he would sometimes let his guard down and let his true thoughts out. You knew it was hard to him, it was same to you. You just hoped you were helping him in any way whenever he opened up.

You actually got together on the beginning of your second year, when you got into an argument with him.  He was feeling extra grumpy and insecure after he saw that you were all friendly with Oikawa somehow and at some point he let out his biggest insecurity while grumbling and told you that you, like many others, only were with him to get close to Oikawa. When you asked why did he bring that he simply answered that all you did talk about was him and somehow it offend you so much you just looked at him for a second and next thing you know is that you're confessing while yelling that he's a dumbass that the only one you like is him.

That's how you came clean with your feelings both to yourself and Iwaizumi. The next five minutes were kind of really adorable and awkward as hell, well maybe four because first minute was definitely spent on making out with each other. And damn your first kiss would be memorable as hell.

Looking back on everything you went through all these almost two years you were devastated that you had to leave each other. And it devastated you that after all these both of you had trouble even speaking to each other. It's been an hour and neither of you had said anything. You just lied there in complete silence, just your fingers barely grazing each other from time to time. You knew one of you had to break the silence, one of you had to say anything.

"I'm leaving in two days, I packed most of the things I will just have to go over some stuff tomorrow." Iwaizumi sighed as he massaged the bridge of his nose. This was the first thing he has said since forever. You turned to him to admire him for the last time. Were you going to be fine without him? Lately everything was so blurry in your life, you were not sure if you knew everything was worth it anymore.

You broke the silence and decided to come clean"I'm proud of you, I want you to know that. I'm sad that we have to break up, even though I really didn't plan it I'm in love with you, deeply, but I'm also so proud and happy for you. You're going to do amazing things in life I just know it. Don't be sad about the break up, we knew what we were getting at when we started going out... I don't want to let go but you know it's for better." You smiled at him and put your hand on top of his and he held it so tightly it made you feel at ease.

Iwaizumi straightened up and hugged you tight snuggling his face against your neck. "Thanks love, I really needed to hear that." He took a deep breath, "I don't want to break up with you too. I really love you. You have been the most amazing partner I could ever ask for. I know I'm no good with words and forgive me if I sound too cliche, but damn I am as sure that you will achieve everything you set your eyes on, as a fact that the sky is blue. You're most determined and hardworking person I have ever met, and it pains me that you don't see all these amazing stuff about yourself. You're amazing, you're strong, beautiful and really intelligent. Don't forget it just because I won't be able to remind you it as often as possible." He kissed your neck lighly.

You let out a quiet huff of laugher and snuggled better against him, you could feel your eyes watering up. "That's quite hypocrite of you Iwa, I can tell you the same you know. You need to see more that you're just as amazing and competent if not more. Promise that you won't forgetting either." You whispered quietly.

"I promise. God I'm going to miss you so much!" If it were possible he bought you even closer and started peppering your face with kisses making you giggle.

"God you're getting so sappy, I'm barely recognizing you." You teased which resulted in you getting pinched on sides.

"I'm not the one crying." He said without even missing a beat.

"My eyes are just misty, don't flatter yourself." You lied but was there a point the tears were streaming down on your face.

"Oh shut up smartass." He rolled his eyes making you smirk.

"Make me!" He grumbled and sealed your lips in a kiss, making you shut up and melt against him in a second. The kiss was passionate, full of love and desperate at the same time. Your lips spoke all the words you couldn't pronounce for you, and it bought momentary comfort to both of you, you were terrified of when you had to pull back and face reality again.

"Can you stay with me tonight? I don't think I'm ready to let go yet. I want to be greedy and hold you like you're still mine, it's dumb I know it will only hurt me more but please," You mumbled against his lips, drunk with the pleasure, he only nodded and continued kissing you."

That night you lied in each others arms, feeling content and terrified of the tommorrow. Neither of you let go of the other for the whole night, afraid to lose the other. Maybe the novels were right and you also were lovers who were right for each other and maybe there was a possibility of soulmates existing but unfortunately for you it wasn't a good time. And when the sun would rise everything would end, your perfect paradise would disappear and you would have to start a new page of your life.

Maybe you would meet in the future and maybe there was a tiny possibility that both of you could hit it off then the time was better and both of you were at least merely satisfied with your achievements in life. But you were not naive enough to hope on that. Both of you knew that you would have to let go of each other but now you were feeling greedy and wanted to make your last nigh with him being completely engulfed in each other. Just for tonight you would be greedy and selfish just so you could feel at least a bit more at ease before completely breaking your heart.

So this is it love I really hope you will like it, feel free to tell me if you have another request or just talk lol. Tell me if you have any comments about it or would like to change anything about it too.

Lots of love and please take care of yourself!!!

PS, I didn’t really proof read it so if there’s any mistakes please bare with me I will edit it as soon as I can^^

[kisskeiji]

P R O L O G U E

Lost & Found

WARNINGS: language, cheating, violence (?) 

 When it comes to love, we all expect a fairy tale, a happy ending where the prince and the princess stay together forever and ever. Where love remains untouched even when time passes by. In real life, that fairy tale means a future together, the need for domesticity and endless support from and for your loved one, at least, that's what she thought, and she was fine with daydreaming about a life together with the man she spent the last four years with.

Y/N was hardworking, in fact, sometimes, she was too much of a hard worker, pushing herself to the limit to fulfill all her goals. As a mass communication major, she studied hard every day and tried to keep up with everyone’s expectations, including her own. As a bartender, she worked every night at some popular bar to pay for rent, school and basic needs. Even when she came home at ungodly hours and passed out from exhaustion she was always up in time to get ready to head to class. As a daughter, she tried to make her parents proud by doing her best at school, catching up with them weekly and sharing all she could. As a sister and friend, she was doting and always available, up to anything, the type to make you laugh and stay with you at your lowest. And even with her hectic lifestyle where she barely had time for herself; she was a girlfriend.

Y/N was devoted.

She had more love inside her than she could ever handle. She loved with everything she had, and if she loved and cared for her friends and family, all her adoration and devotion was focused on her boyfriend, Iwaizumi Hajime. She loved the man dearly, he was the reason why she worked so hard, the reason why she kept going even when her own body screamed for help, and she tried so hard to make him happy and proud. So proud that he could see a future with her by his side. She wanted nothing more, even if it meant leaving a lot of opportunities behind just to be by his side.

You see, after being in a long-distance relationship for a little over a year, they both thought they could go through anything and still be there for each other. They both promised to never be apart for that long again, they couldn’t take it.

Everyone rooted for them, they saw their love bloom, grow and go through one of the roughest patches in every relationship. For everyone, including them, their love was invincible. Stronger than any bond. The type of love that lasts forever. But lately the love they both professed to each other was often overlooked, more like, all her sacrifices and efforts were not enough proof of how much she loved him.

She noticed. Of course, she did. When she started to stay more hours studying for her upcoming finals, when she took longer shifts at the bar and spent more time out rather than home. She noticed how his eyes lingered on her when she got up to get ready for school and how much he longed for her touch. She also noticed when he stopped.

‘He thinks I don’t love him’ She thought to herself. And she tried, she really did. By cooking his breakfast and lunch everyday before leaving, by leaving sticky notes where he could see them, by kissing him goodnight and texting him all through the day to check up on him. And still it was not enough.

Acts of service could never replace the value of intimacy and physical touch, and she knew that.

‘Just a little longer’ she tried to convince herself everyday when she walked home from work. ‘It will all be worth it.’

And that comes down to this very moment, when she opened the door of their  shared apartment with fatigue numbing her limbs and making her feel dizzy. She left her bag right beside her shoes and walked in. Something was off, that was all she could think of when she made her way to the living room.

A moan.

Her breath hitched for a second and with fear she looked up, finding Iwaizumi kissing another girl on the kitchen counter both missing many clothing items.

The world stopped. She couldn’t think of anything else more than the scene that unraveled in front of her. Was she dreaming? Because it was not funny, it felt more like a nightmare. The numbness of her limbs travelled all the way until it reached every part of her body. Tears gathering in her eyes but never falling. She just walked backwards trying to run away but at the same time unable to stop looking at him as heartbreaking the scene was, her eyes were on him filled with hurt and disgust.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around on her heels and tried to walk away, to her disgrace, her presence was sensed by the girl who was now in Hajime´s arms. Terrified she pulled away and told him to turn around and fear invaded his body. He turned around and saw her pick up her bag and leave the apartment without a word.

“Y/N!” He called.

“Who was that?” the girl asked petrified.

“My girlfriend.” He replied looking for his phone dialing her number.

“You had a girlfriend?” She asked. She didn’t know. When he didn’t answer her question, she hopped off the counter and tried to gather her clothes to get dressed.

He pulled his pants up and throwing his shirt on he ran after her. When he got to the hallway, he saw her on the elevator, pushing the closing button repeatedly for it to close faster.

“Y/N!” He screamed. She looked at him with nothing but pain in her eyes. His heart dropped “Babe. Babe please listen to me; I can explain but please come back.” He tried to talk to her making his way as fast as possible, but the doors closed right before he could reach her.

 Once she was out of his sight her shoulders dropped and released all the air she was holding in.

‘What the fuck is going on?’

Even when no one was watching the state of shock took all over her body, she just stared at her distorted reflection with blank eyes. A loud ‘ding’ followed by the doors opening brought her back to reality and she took a step out walking towards the end of the hall. Knowing he will be looking for her outside her only option was to hide somewhere else, luckily two of her friends lived a few floors above. With three knocks at the door she sighed once again and prayed for Akaashi and Bokuto to be home.  A minute later, Bokuto’s tall figure opened the door and greeted her with excitement.

“Y/N, what are you doing here?” He asked with a smile.

“Hey, Bokuto, uhm… Can I come in?” she asked trying to hide the urge to cry with a forced smile.

“Sure.” He moved out of the way and let her in “Are you okay though?” He asked once he noticed her unusual mood, before she could answer he called for his roommate “Hey, Akaashi, Y/N is here.”

“Y/N?” Akaashi’s head peaked from the kitchen as he watched her sit on the couch.

“Hi Akaashi, sorry for bothering you guys so late.” She forced another smile at him and waited for the inevitable question.

“Something happened? Where’s Iwaizumi-san?” Akaashi walked towards her.

“Outside.” She answered trying to find a way to explain what just happened. How are you supposed to tell people you just saw your boyfriend fucking another girl on your kitchen counter?

“Outside? What is he doing outside?” This time Bokuto took a few steps closer and crouched in front of her with concern on his eyes.

“He is looking for me, but I don’t want to see him right now.” She explained without looking at the two boys who stood in front of her. Before they could ask anything else, she spoke “I came home, and he was with another girl.”

“What?” Akaashi asked startled, regretting it almost instantly.

She sighed.

“He cheated on me.” Was the only thing she could say before she trembled and started crying, instinctively Bokuto embraced her in his arms and she broke down completely.

“What did I do wrong?” She asked in a whisper.

“You did nothing wrong Y/N, you gave your everything to him, it’s not your fault, it’s on him for taking you for granted.” Bokuto tried to console her, both of them letting her cry for a while knowing she needed to let it all out. 

“I’m gonna kill him.” The gray haired said once she pulled away.

“Bokuto.” Akaashi tried to stop him but he was already at the door.

“Bokuto, please don’t, he is going to know I am here, and you can get in trouble.” She said standing up.

“But he deserves it, Y/N, he made you cry and-”

“And it’s not worth it. Please don’t do anything stupid.” She said and he looked back at her unable to express his anger. It was so unfair for you to feel that way and he wanted nothing else than breaking Hajime’s nose.

“Fine. But if I see him near you, I will beat the shit out of him. We are not going to let him hurt you again.” He said as he walked back to the kitchen.

“Thanks. Can I use your bathroom for a bit?” She asked, looking at Akaashi.

“Sure, I’m making you some tea so you can calm down.” He said following Bokuto. She nodded and entered the bathroom.

She didn’t know what she was looking at. Was it the same person or her reflection was tricking her? She did not recognize herself at all. She felt stupid. For thinking their relationship would last forever, for loving so hard, for sacrificing everything for him and getting a heartbreak in return.

‘What am I supposed to do now? Do I know how to live without him?’ All those questions started to flood her mind all at once, there was no way she was coming back to him. She knew better than everyone that she was strong, but this was different, a different kind of pain, her heart felt heavy and she could barely breathe.

She joined her friends in the kitchen after a few minutes and a call to her sister, they both shared knowing glances as she entered the room, Akaashi finished brewing the tea and poured the beverage for her.

“Do you want to stay the night?” Akaashi asked as he handed the mug.

“Oh no, don’t worry, I just called my sister. I'm staying at her place tonight.” She explained taking a sip from her drink.

“Is she picking you up?” Bokuto asked.

“I’m taking a taxi; she doesn’t live that far from here.”

And so, she did, after she finished the tea Akaashi made and called a taxi. Bokuto made sure Iwaizumi was out of the way so she could leave accompanied by Akaashi who walked her to the car. She thanked him and gave him a hug before she left.

Walking back to his apartment, Akaashi saw Iwaizumi walking frantically inside the building while he talked to someone on the phone.

“Hey, Kaede, right? I don’t know if you remember me, I’m Y/N’s boyfriend.” 

Akaashi’s blood boiled when he heard him but decided to avoid an unnecessary argument that could possibly upset Y/N even more.

“Do you know where she could be by any chance? Oh, wait a second.” He said when he saw Akaashi walking back to the elevator. “Hey, Akaashi!” He called.

The former setter paid no mind to him, trying his best to not turn a round and give him a piece of mind on how he is probably the last person he wants to talk to and how he doesn’t deserve to talk to Y/N ever again until Iwaizumi got a hold of his shoulder and made him turn around.

“Can I help you?” He asked with clear annoyance in his tone.

‘He knows’ Iwaizumi thought. “Where is she?” He asked.

“I think that’s none of your business right now, Iwaizumi-san. She already had enough for the night, and being honest I don’t have a reason to associate with you anymore, so please, don’t come to me or Bokuto, we are not going to help you clean your mess.” Akaashi said, blue eyes piercing deeper than his harsh words, with nothing left to say he made his way to the elevator again.

“You don’t know what you are talking about, Akaashi, please where is she? I need to know if she is okay.”

“Good night, Iwaizumi-san.” With that the elevator doors closed and Hajime found himself alone once again. Feeling the anger building up inside him he cursed himself for being such an asshole. He knew damn well she did nothing wrong, and that angered him even more, he knew he was doing the wrong thing, he couldn’t even find the reason why it all started.

But it was too late and he knew that she won’t go back to him even if he begged, she asked for one thing, the bare minimum, what you expect from a partner; loyalty. And he failed to deliver that. He was fucked and he knew it, but he still had hope that she would at least listen to him. 

(a/n: hey! so uhm, this is my first time posting a hq fic and im really excited about it, i hope all of you enjoy it as much as i enjoy writing it, please excuse my grammar/vocabulary mistakes if you find any. feedback is appreciated. <3 thanks for reading once again)

masterlist

[amtwst-tls]

Starsending Outfit Deuce’s Personal Story translation - Part 3 [In the past, I...]

In which Deuce stops the mobs from causing trouble in a way he knows best.

Woods behind Campus - Big Tree

Crowley: Ahh, tomorrow is finally the day of 'Starsending', I wonder if they will be able to finish the event safely... Crowley: Big Tree, check! Wishing stars, check!

Crowley: Now if only the weather would clear up... Ah, I should go have a look at the weather forecast!

Octanivelle student A: ...Alright, the headmaster left, and there's no one around the Big Tree either.

Octanivelle student A: Let's steal those wishing stars off the tree while we have the chance!

Octanivelle student A: That guy's gonna have a hell of a shock when he comes back to see all the precious wishing stars he worked so hard to gather have all disappeared!

Octanivelle student B: This 'Starsending' event is just something to fool kids with, it's such an eyesore to see someone take it so seriously.

Octanivelle student B: Let’s mess him up real good!

???: -I knew this was gonna happen.

Octanivelle student A: Who-

Deuce: ...

Octanivelle student B: Wh-Why the hell are you here!? I thought you were supposed to be at practice...

Deuce: I slipped out.

Deuce: I figured that if you couldn't lay a hand on me directly, then you'd try to lay a hand on something I find important instead.

Octanivelle student A: Tch, you've got good instincts.

Deuce: Instincts? That's not it. I just knew what kind of bad shit you'd be up to.

Deuce: ... Because I used to be just like you.

Deuce: Uncool, pain in the ass, complaining all day about how everything was annoying... You must think that doing things half-assed is a lot cooler, right?

Deuce: What you don't get is that line of thinking is exactly what's not cool.

Octanivelle student A: What the hell!?

Deuce: That immature idea, of thinking that giving your full effort is uncool, is something I've graduated from in middle school!

Octanivelle student A: ...Ahhhh just shut the hell up! You're just full of shit!

Octanivelle student B: Oi, let's just destroy all his hardwork right in front of him and see him crying over it!

Deuce: Knock it off! If you still plan on messing with the wishes that everyone worked hard to collect...

Octanivelle student A: Yeah? And what're you gonna do about it?

Deuce: If you don't knock it off already...

Deuce: Then you know bloody well what's gonna happen to you dipshits right!?

Deuce: Folks like you who like to trample all over others hard work are gonna get their just desserts!

Octanivelle student B: What the-!? He's completely flipped his switch!

Octanivelle student A: Is this the same guy who was just preaching to us to be more serious!?

Deuce: Don't try to act dumb! I asked if you still have the balls to go through with it!

Octanivelle student B: Just how serious is this guy about doing this event!?

Octanivelle student B: At this rate, he's gonna chase us to the ends of the world like some rabid dog!

Octanivelle student A: Let's just leave already, this is turning out to be a lot more trouble than it's worth.

Deuce: Hmph, they just sucked till the very end.

???: Wow....

Trey: That manner of scaring- I mean, chasing away people is just like Deuce.

Deuce: Clover-senpai! There's Mc and Grim too...

Deuce: Wait, Silver-senpai and Vanrouge-senpai as well!? You guys caught me at a bad time...

Silver: You drove away the enemies with a splendid intimidation tactic. I could learn a thing or two from you.

Deuce: No, please dont...!

Deuce: Wait but, why are you all here?

Trey: We came looking for you. We're supposed to start practice soon, but you were nowhere to be found.

Deuce: I-I'm sorry about that... I just couldn't ignore what they might've been planning...

Trey: No, it's fine, thanks to you the wishing stars are all still safe.

Trey: I was planning on stepping in if things got messy... but you didn't retaliate even when you were provoked.

Trey: You did well to hold back, I'm proud of you.

Deuce: Hehe...thank you very much.

Trey: ...We've come all this way, even I want this event to be a success.

Trey: Just like you said, this is no time to be embarrassed of what we need to do. Thank you for that, Deuce.

Lilia: I have heard of what a diligent one you are from Silver, and came here to see it myself.

Lilia: Certainly, that was a splendid display of zeal that I was able to witness. I am certain that your wishes will reach the stars...

Lilia: ...Though I might add, I am not certain of what the content of your wish is!

Trey: Deuce's wish is to become a cop, right?

Deuce: Yes!

Trey: And in the elite, special department to boot. I think it suits someone as earnest as you.

Grim: Pupupu, he's the type to get a red mark every single year, there's no way he could ever become an elite cop!

Trey: It's alright, the tests to become a cop may be quite difficult, but in turn you can keep trying until the age of 100.

Lilia: Do you mean to imply that he couldn't pass until he was a century old? My, you can be quite cruel at times, Trey.

Trey: Wait, that's not what I meant...

Deuce: No matter how many years it takes, I won't give up!

Deuce: I've decided that I'm gonna put all my effort into fulfilling my dream. I'm definitely gonna become a cop and show you!

Deuce: Just you wait, Grim, I'm gonna become such a great cop that your jaw will hit the floor!

Grim: Huh, Deuce seems strangely positive this time.

Silver: Hm, it's a good thing.

Lilia: Indeed, you are a youth who has his life ahead of him, it would be a waste to not have great ambitions to chase after!

Deuce: Mc, you can look forward to the day I become a cop too!

Option 1 Mc: > I'll be waiting with bated breath.

Deuce: Yeah! I'll make sure to show you how cool I look in their uniform! Option 2 Mc: > I wonder if I'll be back home by then...

Deuce: Huh? Did you say something?

Mc: No, it's nothing.

Trey: Alright, that's enough chatting for now, we need to get back to practice.

Trey: We wouldn’t want Deuce's efforts of protecting the wishing stars to go to waste now, do we?

Deuce: Ah, yes!

Deuce: Let's go, Mc!

------------------------------------------------- And that’s it for Deuce’s personal stories! I’m so glad I got his card, I got to learn so much about him, and also that underlying angst with mc... all of it is so good... Hope you enjoyed the translations and what a good boi Deuce is!

[madameoni]

I’m feeling big sad so here is some post-trespasser headcanon for Elaar

To say that Elaar is feeling terrible after the whole ordeal is an understatement. He is broken, mind and body.

The first months afterwards would be trowing himself onto recover his battle ability, and learning to do the basic things all over again, with several breakdowns in the middle of it. He will be angry, antsy, and sad. Very very sad. Having Cassandra would feel like the last straw of sanity sometimes. He would feel alone, but rely way more in his friends than before.

Slowly, and thanks to a nice prosthetic that Dagna created with help of some tevinter schematics that Dorian provided, he will be return to be himself. And to focus on the next crisis: faith, and subsequently, Solas.

He had been wondering about what it really meant to worship the Creators, now knowing they might as well been simply rulers of the ancient empire. He expressed this doubts over letters to his Keeper- without being specific about what brought up his questioning. Thanks to her guidance, he was able to reach a middle ground: he should honour the past. That doesn’t mean they should try to restore exactly what was lost, given they have no idea what really happened. Learning the past, to understand it, and plan for a better future.

They were real, but it wasn’t about them exactly- it was about what they represented. He recognised that he put himself at risk by drinking from the Well, but he had every intention to make the best out of it. He started to study, and record everything he would discover with the aid of the Well. Understanding their past should be of help to plan a better future.

The teachings of his Keeper, to focus on the future for his people, should always be a priority.

And that is why the very idea of what Solas plans to do... shakes him.

That doesn’t sound like a future for *his* people -normal, hardworking people that wish to settle and live at peace while proud of their heritage- that sounds like restoring a world that was never his to begin with. Everything had changed- he understands Solas idea that the only worthy world would be one only for elves, because that was the world he is from. And while that would be a dream to some, Elaar couldn’t disagree more.

 He wants justice for his people, he wants to recover the Dales, give his people a place to settle and stand next to humans being just as worthy. He is tremendously proud of what his keeper had accomplished on Wycome. This world, as chaotic as it is, was worthy. It needed change, but life wasn’t something you could wipe and re-start again because you didn’t like the results. The mere idea was sickening.

However, he understands Solas. In his grief, he did something atrocious. And now he is facing the results of what he did- the world he remembered, the people he saved, where no more. But just as he proved him that the elves of this time where worth saving, he will prove that the world is worthy too.

In the next years, among other things, he will travel to Wycome to meet his clan again- during the visit he would trust the truth to the Keeper. Istimaethoriel will remind Elaar that this world is theirs, and if Solas’ plans where to succeed- everything the elves fought for ever since the creation of the Veil would be for nothing. Their pains, but also their victories. The vallaslin isn't a slave marking any more, but proof that despite everything- they’re proud of who they are. Honour the past, but plan for a future.  We are the last of the Elvhenan, and never again shall we submit- not even to an old God.

Keeping this belief close to his heart, he ask the Keeper to expand his vallaslin lower over his neck, back and chest. He was bound to Mythal more than the rest, but wasn’t her slave. He will never be. The branches grow over his body, like the knowledge and responsibility he as to bear- but this is a path he choose. He made the Keeper promise that if he ever seem to stray from the path of saving this world, to slay him. But he wasn’t going to fear Mythal’s will, and if he can be so clear minded on his belief- then maybe Solas’ plan isn’t Mythal’s will at all.

He would also introduce Cassandra to his clan, of course. Elaar made the choice to live away from the clan, to keep it safe, so to most of them their relationship is not an issue. The Keeper gives her blessing, as well as his parents, so that is enough for him. He is pretty lucky that the clan is used to interact with humans - and now live with them- so most of them are understanding.

When he brings the topic of marriage it does bring some unrest. However, because they both want to respect their beliefs - Cassandra pleading to Sylaise would be as false as Elaar pleading to the Maker - the Keeper suggest a wedding where they both honour their Gods with their vows.

Elaar proposes in Wycome, with the help of his childhood friends he makes it as romantic as possible, with the view of the Sea and lots of flowers. Lots of them. A ridiculous amount of them. 

They marry in Kirkwall or Wycome, not sure, during a visit of Leliana, with both the Divine Victoria and Keeper Istimaethoriel as officers- the wedding takes place in the some fancy gardens, instead of the Chantry. The wedding is obviously another great source of gossip and complains to Victoria- but she is as proud as ever of what her friends accomplished.

I’m not sure where place Anya, their possible child lol, into the timeline. I like the idea of her being born right after Trespasser- another motivation to Elaar to save the world? 

[whereisthecd]

Magnolia Riders: SuperM/Saddle Club AU ✨

CHAPTER TWO

Meet the Magnolia Riders, a high caliber Equestrian Club showcasing some of the best, albeit chaotic, talent in the region. As the winter rest is coming to a close, the high intensity training at Sunset Magnolia Equestrian Center resumes in preparation for the first hunter jumper show of the season. While the team of hardworking goofballs is hoping to get their first group win of the season, their competition seems to be internal with the It Rider™️ on their team creating one storm after another. And then there’s the new guy with a not-so-superstar horse, or so it seems. How will the Magnolia Riders do this season? Will the barn aisle drama subside enough for a win? What’s with this new guy and will he find his way as a Magnolia?

Chapter One

Chapter Two: Sugar and Spice

Mark pulled up to the gravel driveway of the Wong residence. Their house was small yet charming, two apple trees perched at the end of the driveway next to the family Mustang that Mark and Ten drove. Mark gave the routine honk which signaled Lucas to run out of the house, two grocery bags in hand. As he opened the door he tossed both bags in carelessly, letting them hit the opposing window.

“Hey thanks man! Dad and I still haven’t figured out what’s wrong with the truck. I love the classic look of an old Ford but man are they a pain to fix,” he said before patting the shoulders of Mark and Ten in the front seats. 

“No problem, dude,” Ten answered before taking a sip of his iced coffee. It wasn’t normal for the guys to be out before 9am on a Saturday, but today was the annual Magnolia Riders Bake Sale, and with high goals set for the season, they had no choice but to wake up early.

“Do y’all think we’ll make anything this year?” Lucas asked eagerly. His seatbelt was fastened, but being in the middle allowed for his giant frame to hang over the center console, arms still on the backs of the two front seats. Ten and Mark both looked at each other, unsure how to answer that question. 

“Well, I don’t know. I mean we barely made enough money last year to cover show registration fees. And we need new jackets. I just don’t want Taemin to have to pull to other funding sources, you know? Sunset Magnolia is a high caliber farm and I just want us to be able to prove that we can represent that,” Mark added, his voice soft. He didn’t look at either of them, attentive to the road. Ten, on the other hand, casually leaned back and looked at Lucas.

“Yeah, the short answer to that is if we don’t sell enough cookies our pride is fucked again this year, so I hope those scones you brought are worth every penny,” he sassed before taking another sip of his coffee. Lucas gasped before releasing a deep chuckle, his cheeks leaving their beautiful brown tone for a softer pink blush.

“Well they’re store-bought and masked in my mom’s tupperware, so I hope so too!” Lucas yelled before falling back into his seat. The boys all let out cracks of laughter, drowning out the music Mark had blasting from the radio. A few minutes past. The boys listened to the K-pop that Ten had selected for the remainder of the drive. For a moment it felt like last season, just the three of them against the world, and Baekhyun of course. It was by no means the best season, but it was one they couldn’t forget. This year was supposed to be better, it had to be. Before long, Mark perked up to the group.

“Hey do you think Taeyong will be there? I mean, someone texted him right?” Mark waited for a response. It had been almost a week since Taeyong and Flower moved into the barn. While it wasn’t easy to fit into the group, they all agreed he was better than Baekhyun. With high hopes for this season, they just needed a teammate more than anything. Ten pursed his lips for a few moments before answering.

“Well, as long as he doesn’t get in the way of Taemin and me, I don’t care how many cookies he sells,” Ten settled back into the seat, looking out the window as they slowly approached the shopping center where their mobile bakery would station itself. 

“Jesus, Ten, all you care about is getting in his pants,” Lucas said, half joking and half serious.

“No, it’s much deeper than that! You know that! Come on, do I have to explain this again -”

“No dude, you’re fine, trust me. I’m just kidding. Taeyong is going to be fine, he’s not coming for you. Do you see how soft he is? He named his horse Flower!” Lucas put his hand on Ten’s shoulder.

“Hey, you can’t pipe in with that when my horse is named Annabelle and I am proud of that,” Mark replied, looking at Lucas in the rearview while parking the oldsmobile one-handed in the shopping center.

“Hey hey, there is nothing wrong with being soft. Not at all, I’m just trying to calm our drama king over here,” Lucas knudged Ten before unbuckling his seatbelt. “Besides, the TaeTen Love Story is the least of our worries right now, we just need to sell some shit.”

Ten blushed and silenced any clapback he formed in his head. It wasn’t worth any further embarrassment. The boys got out of the Mustang and collected their faux homemade goods, then headed towards the sitting area of the shopping center. They always had their bake sale here. Kai would usually drop off their table and banner before sunrise, in between the Hal’s WorkWear and Lily Ray’s Smoothie Shop. Between the two, they always hoped they would find a few customers. As they approached the area they expected to find their supplies, usually up against the edge of a raised garden, full of ferns and a few tulips, they found a different sight. 

Taeyong sat at the thin metal table, the Magnolia Riders banner hanging perfectly off the edge. In front of him sat a smorgasbord of baked treats: cookies, cupcakes, tarts, macarons, muffins, and tea cakes. It looked like he had been up for days, buried in a sweatshirt and hair flying in every direction. The site was a surprise for the boys, and the boxes of goods sitting behind Taeyong was an even bigger shock. 

“Holy...what is all this? Did you do this?” Mark asked, walking up to Taeyong, who was now frantically trying to stand up out of his chair. 

“I, I - yeah, I did this. In my spare time I like to bake. I figured the least I could do was help out here. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know earlier. I have Lucas’s number but I didn’t know if it would be weird to reach out or not. I have like, 12 dozen items here. Do you think that’s a good start?” Taeyong spoke quietly, his arm resting on his other shoulder, trying to hide his heart racing under the pink sweatshirt he wore.

“Dude! This is better than okay. This is everything we could ask for!” Lucas yelled as he threw the scones he was carrying in the garbage. “Screw these! Yours are going to make us money!” The rest of the boys giggled and crowded around Taeyong, hoping to see some customers show up soon now that the shopping center was open for business. 

Within the hour, a slow herd of shoppers flowed through the line. Usually a measly three or four donations an hour felt like success, but with Taeyong’s pop-up bakery in the works, it felt like non-stop traffic. Taeyong spent most of his time informing each customer of the buttercreams and fruit fillings he made. Mark spent his time as the Magnolia cashier, doing quick math, while Lucas and Ten schmoozed with their wit into leaving extra donations. It felt like the first time in a while that the Riders were in sync, and thanks to Taeyong, they were making bank. 

As the next couple hours passed, their business slowed into a steady pace, giving the boys enough time to restock the table and chat between customers. The constant flow of donations was welcoming, but everyone was a bit relieved to catch their breaths. Lucas took a few moments to sneak into the smoothie shop and buy everyone drinks, a treat Taeyong was appreciative of. 

“Ah there was no need to do that, thank you,” Taeyong said, hesitantly taking the smoothie from Lucas. His arm grabbed onto Taeyong’s shoulder in a rough yet reassuring way.

“No man, we owe you. You saved our asses today with this bake sale. We usually don’t even make a third of this, seriously,” Lucas urged, keeping his hand on Taeyong for a few more moments. Taeyong stared down at the table, eyeing the metal box stuffed to the hinges with dollar bills, the only thing of value in front of them, aside from the last few cakes, and crumbs of those who were snatched up before. His thin eyebrows furrowed from deep thought. 

“Wait, but…” his voice cracked, “we have nearly 1100 bucks here. And that was with some huge donations. Show registrations alone cost like 40 bucks a person. How do you guys even make it past the spring show every year -” 

“Look we know,” Ten interrupted, not in anger but embarrassment, “there’s a reason things run the way they do around here.” Ten nostrils flared between breaths. Mark and Lucas lightly nodded their heads. There was an unspoken agreement that Taeyong would learn as his time with the Magnolia Riders continued. He stayed looking up at the boys, his eyes widened into a soft begging stare, knowing there was more info he needed. 

“Look,” Lucas said. “Did it strike you as odd that Baekhyun called us all teammates?” He sat down in the metal chair next to Taeyong, slouching deep into the seat in an attempt to avoid the frustration of the topic at hand. 

“Oh, yeah? That annoying blonde guy. He’s on our team? Well why wasn’t he at our lesson then? Isn’t he supposed -” Taeyong paused, seeing the rest of the boys begin to roll their eyes. “What did I say? Did I mess up?” 

“No, no it’s not you, we promise,” Mark began, leaning from his chair to see Taeyong’s face from the other end of the table. “There’s a reason for all this. Baekhyun gets his own lessons. It’s to return a favor. His parents are LOADED. Like, hella loaded.” Taeyong looked at the boys as if he was desperately trying to solve a math problem they threw at him. Ten was quickly growing impatient, desperately wanting Taeyong to connect the dots so he didn’t have to say the answer out loud.

“Come on, I know you are smart enough for this,” Ten sneered, now moving his hands hoping to roll out an answer from Taeyong. His eyes suddenly widened, eyebrows now stretched near the top of his widow’s peak.

“You’re not telling me….” He began to say, letting out a gasp once he connected the dots.

“That is EXACTLY what we are telling you, bro,” Lucas said before running his hand through his hair, tugging at the ends just above the back of his neck. 

“His family does the Riders a favor, suddenly we have registration and jacket funds, and then Taemin returns the favor back.” Mark mumbled, the straw of his smoothie hanging onto the ends of his lips, the other end tapping back and forth on the inside of his cup. Taeyong barely knew these boys, and certainly didn’t know Baekhyun, but it was clear where the battle lines were drawn. He tried his best to always keep an open mind and be free of judgement, but it was clear that this situation was much more complicated than his heart wanted it to be. 

“Shouldn’t he be here?” Taeyong asked, growing anxious about the politics of his new riding club. 

“Why show up and help a team you don’t give a shit about when your parents are just gonna donate their funds for your private lessons anyways,” Lucas huffed. 

“Trust me there is nothing I hate more than having to be a known competitor simply due to his parent’s money. It’s not like we don’t work our asses off outside of Sunset Magnolia for him to flaunt someone else’s money in our face. I spend the remainder of my free time scooping ice cream for minimum wage while he just uses mommy and daddy’s money to get the best of everything and I’m just expected to sit with it. God I hate him!”

“Sounds like someone is just upset he doesn’t get his own private lessons with Taemin,” Mark let out, immediately regretting his decision as Ten threw a half eaten cupcake at his chest.

“Fuck off, Mark. I know where you sleep,” Ten pouted before collecting himself. Taeyong stood up and started to pack the remaining treats. 

“No, you’re right. We all work too hard to let someone else just buy their way in. But that’s not happening this year, because we have the registration fees right here,” Taeyong began, chucking the box of cash into Ten’s hands. “It won’t cover everything, but at least he can’t take this credit from us. And it’ll be a nice surprise for him when he sees how we don’t need his money all the time,” Taeyong tried to affirm his team as best as he could. He was still the new guy, but this was who he had to fight for now. Ten looked back at Taeyong, he didn’t say anything, but Taeyong could feel the rage dissolving. The boys slowly packed up and walked towards the parking lot, satisfied with the best bake sale in Magnolia Rider’s history.

Taeyong followed the boys, who were all making random conversation about next week’s lesson plan and whether or not Baekhyun’s horse, Galina, was real or a robot, to the family Mustang. Before long they all stood in the empty parking space next to the car, kicking a pebble back and forth and continuing small talk, hoping to prolong getting into the car.

“Oh wait, did someone text Kai about coming to get the table? I don’t want someone to take it. God forbid our hard earned cash goes to table recovery,” Mark chimed in. 

“Oh I’ll just throw it in the back of my truck, I was gonna go see Flower anyway. It’s no big deal,” Taeyong offered, his hands now digging deep into his back pockets, pushing his scrawny yet broad shoulders forward through his sweatshirt. 

“Oh, no way! You and Lucas can be truck buddies now!” Mark exclaimed, “well, once he gets his fixed.” 

“Oh no way? You know I’ve had to fix mine plenty of times, gotta love a classic Chevy. If you want some help I’d be happy to take a look,” Taeyong offered, hoping he played his cards right. He was slowly growing more comfortable with these guys, but didn’t want to take any good moments for granted. Lucas stepped forward, right hand extending out. His arms were long but insanely muscular for such an agile equestrian. 

“You’ve got yourself a deal, man!” he jokingly shook Taeyong’s hand before patting his shoulder and turning back to the car. “See you at the barn on Monday?”

Taeyong nodded, letting out a soft smile. Mark walked around towards the driver’s seat before hollering over the roof.

“Hey, Ten and I are gonna be working at the ice cream parlor down on 127th and Maple tomorrow if you want to stop by!” Ten walked up to Taeyong, trying to make conversation a bit more intimate. 

“Yeah man, stop by anytime. And….thanks for being on our team, you’re one of us now,” Ten said quietly, looking down at his feet and then back into Taeyong’s eyes. A few black strands of hair fell into Ten’s brow, softening the edgy front he originally put on earlier that morning. 

“And...I’m sorry for being so hard on you during our first lesson, you’re really good, and we might actually have a shot this year with you on board.” Taeyong let out a small half smile, his right dimple stretching down to his jawline.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I’m really thankful to be here,” Taeyong said. He began to turn back towards the shopping center for the table, but stopped a couple steps into his journey. He looked back over his shoulder, yelling out to Ten as he tucked into the passenger seat.

“And I haven’t seen him ride, but trust me, you’re no number two. I’ve never seen someone ride like that. You’re at least my number one,” he said. Ten smiled back at Taeyong before rolling up the window, watching as his friend slowly made his way to complete his favor. 

[malyceaduncastellan]

Dear enemy brother

Hi guys! Honestly, I… didn’t expect that simply telling someone I was writing that AU would bring me so much popularity, I’m honestly stunned but… Not in a bad way, that’s for sure!

And for you guys, the third addition to the Dear Enemy Brother AU! Please enjoy!

Honor above all

When Jonah had woken up that day, he immediately gave up on the hypothesis that everything that had happened to him had been a dream. This wasn’t the ceiling of his room at headquarters. Nor was it the infirmary’s room.

He was in a bed with red-stained sheets, a strobbing pain in his stomach and an awful headache that made him feel dizzy. It took him some time to realize he couldn’t move his left arm. Turning his head or lifting it felt like hell.

-Ugh…

God, his head pounded horribly. He couldn’t stand that, really.

A voice he usually despised to hear rang in his ears.

-Don’t even try to move, Clingy Clemence. You should still be having this beauty sleep right now.

A needle was carefully shoved in his right arm, and the dizziness intensified until everything was black again.

The next time he woke up, he had to admit he felt a little better. The sheets weren’t blood-stained anymore, and his left arm seemed to be responding. He was pretty sure he hadn’t eaten in a while, yet the nausea that came to him convinced him he didn’t need to eat.

-Feeling better?

Jonah suddenly looked at the one who asked him that.

-I’m dead, aren’t I?

-No, but from your wounds, I’m sure you did your best.

Purple eyes scanned him suspiciously.

-You realize that stepping wounded in enemy territory is actually pretty reckless?

-What happened?

-You mean you don’t know?

Sirius Oswald, Queen of Spades, looked positively stunned.

-My mind is blurry.

Jonah didn’t feel strong enough to be snarky. His head hurt and he whimpered under the pain. It seemed to him that he could die only from that. He didn’t even notice Sirius’ hand on his arm.

-Doctor! He might need more painkillers!

It took what seemed to him like an eternity to finally be back to his senses.

-How many wounds did I have?

-Only three. But well, considering there was a hole in your stomach, a flow of blood on your hair and one of your bones going out of your arms, I’m guessing something went wrong. Did some of ours go wild at the border?

Suddenly remembering the whole scene, Jonah shook his head.

-No. No border fight involved. I was told to go solve a skirmish not far away from where you found me. They told me it was just a few men.

-I suppose there was more than a few.

-They were at least fifty. We were barely fifteen. Not… enough.

Jonah let out a sigh.

He wouldn't tell the Black Army what those men said. He wouldn’t tell anyone. He couldn’t if he wanted too. Everything felt surreal.

“Well, sounds like master Amon was right, the King Lancelot did give us a lot of good experiments subjects!”

As good as Jonah was with a sword, he was no match for that much people. Neither were his men, and he screamed at the top of his lungs for them to escape. He didn’t even know if some of them made it. Then one of the disciples of the Magic Tower made him lose his sword and planted it in his stomach. Another one hit him with a stone on his head. He tried to escape and ended up with his arm broken from the fall.

He knew Black Territory was near the place, and hoped that those men thought he was too uptight to be willing to step in.

Just a few more meters, he thought when he almost reached the border and he heard a patrol.

The moment he finally got there, his mind went blank.

And now he found himself here. Betrayed by his king. Betrayed, somehow, by the Army this man was leading. Betrayed. Wounded. Angry.

-We wanted to call for your army right away, but saving you was a hard catch. But now, I guess we can tell them you’re alive and well.

-Don’t. It’s better if…

Sirius’ eyes turned skeptical, and Jonah knew he had to give him a satisfying explanation if he wanted to escape the grip of the Red Army.

-If you tell them you got me right now, they might think you did this. Let them look for me.  And when I’m fully healed, I’ll go back myself.

The last sentence was a lie, he knew that already. But going back there wasn’t an option. The oh-so-righteous Red Army, not-so-righteous already. It just wasn’t possible for him to go back to an Army lead by a traitor and a liar.

He had seen Lancelot’s signature on that contract the disciples shoved in his face to make him accept the truth. He could have recognized a fake one. This one definitely wasn’t fake, and Lancelot had sent his own men, including his right-hand-man to death.

There was no way he’d go back there. The Red Army just had lost its honorable looks.

-I believe you’re lying, said Sirius, bringing Jonah out of his thoughts. I don’t know what you’re going through. I won’t try to know either. But if you don’t want to go back to the Red Army, we won’t force you to. We value freedom even for you. Stay as much as you like.

Sirius’ sentences weren’t made for nothing. No one at the Black’s headquarters treated him as the Queen of Hearts. He simply was a wounded man found on the border, a guest that had to be respected and cared for.

Two weeks in, and Jonah Clemence was declared as dead or missing by the Red Army. And he knew what that meant. He knew who the Queen of Hearts now was, and it made him furious. But he couldn’t explain. He couldn’t go back. Not yet, not now.

Every night, he went to sleep crying and begging his dear little brother for forgiveness. He swore he would tell him what the Kind he was now serving was really like. He wouldn’t let his brother die for the King of Hearts’ whims.

And that’s how he came back to training. Two months after the Skirmish and he was practically as good as before.

He helped the Black Army as much as he could, progressively taking in Sirius’ paperwork, claiming that he had been Queen and that he knew how all of those worked. He found out how those men really were, never going back on their words, deadly honest with each other, hardworking. Sure, family ties were important to him, but now he wished they had meant nothing for his brother wouldn’t have been forced to serve King Lancelot.

He slowly became one of them without knowing. The Jack of Spades, especially, felt like an ally. He was the oldest of the Chosen Thirteen at 37. Somehow, Jonah knew that man found out why he stayed there on Black Territory, even though he never had told him anything.

Their talks on the evenings were always pleasant and despite being a Black Army officer, he was a refined man with good manners and a sustained language, which pleased Jonah.

He sometimes left to patrol at the borders and was the one who found him and saved him, so a lot a gratitude was involved, but Jonah knew that there was more to it. He became friends with Thanos Howard, Jack of Spades.

Since he was now well and fine, they often fought on training ground, Thanos claiming he needed to keep in shape and “lacking of worthy opponents”. Sometimes, the ten of Spades joined them, and it was probably the first time Jonah ever admitted he had fun while fighting.

Thanos was strong, deadly strong, being able to defeat Jonah and Seth at the same time, but Jonah happened to beat him sometimes, which earned him a lot of praise. It felt weird to him to feel that he was more than the pretty-faced heir of the Clemence Family, but it also felt good to feel worthy. It felt good to be proud when he walked through the corridors and he heard the soldiers praising his fighting skills.

He certainly didn’t expect what would happen. As usual, Thanos was gone on patrol that day, so Jonah replaced his expert mind while watching the soldiers train. A shout interrupted the training session and one of Thanos’ soldier came running in panic.

They brought back a dying Jack of Spades to headquarters, and the doctors couldn’t do anything for him. Jonah didn’t get to see his friend one last time as he only got to see the other officers before dying.

He felt angry. According to the soldiers, masked men attacked them while the patrol was running and the Jack had been hurt in the process. They said they didn’t know who the attack was from, until one soldiers lost his mask and revealed a Red Army man.

Jonah was furious. So he didn’t even ask any questions when he was called with the Black Army officers in Ray’s office.

It seemed that they were all waiting for him, which made him suspicious. Did they think he had planned this…?

-Relax, man, said Fenrir, Ace of Spade, while looking at him. We’re not suspecting you. It’s actually quite the opposite.

-We want to thank you, Seth said, for being a friend to Thanos and coping with us insulting the Red Army for his death. But we have urgent matters so the thanks will have to wait. Boss?

Ray nodded and looked at Jonah right in the eyes.

-I’ll make things short. I hope you know what Thanos’s murder means.

Jonah knew, of course. He was a soldier too, after all.

-The Red Army will need to pay. You will ask for a suitable punishment. However, as soon as they will here this, the Red Army will launch a war for honor.

An honor they had lost long ago for him, but he knew how that Army worked, he had worked for it.

-Yes. And I want you to make a choice. A choice I hate to force on you but a choice you have to make. We kept you here because you never acted as an enemy. But if war launches, whose side are you on?

-Yours.

He didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate even one second. Thanos’ death had made painfully clear to him that he didn’t consider the Red Army worth it anymore. He would fight them for his friend and for the men that brought him back to life even knowing who he was. They were trustworthy. They were righteous. They were honorable. And he would fight for that.

-That’s what Thanos would have wanted to hear, Ray said. Because, you see… He wrote that before going on patrol. And he told us the exact same thing on his death bed. The thing is… Will you answer his call, Jonah Clemence?

Ray handed him a letter written in neat handwriting and clear words.

“I, Thanos Howard, Jack of Spades, hereby give my wills concerning my current position.

Knowing my dear army's functioning, I know these wills may or may not be respected and I acknowledge that fully.

However, as you know it, I'm the oldest of the officers, and it's time for me to make my retreat to live a peaceful life, which is why this will be my last patrol.

Therefore, I would like to recommend a name for my replacement as the Jack of Spades. You know him for his implication, his fighting skills and his loyalty.

I would like to recommend Jonah Clemence for this position.

Yours truly, Thanos Howard, Jack of Spades.

May freedom soar on raven wings.”

Ray waited for him to read the letter and said:

-We actually are considering his proposition. The soldiers like you and would find you worthy of the position. So, do you take the call?

He didn’t hesitate.

-In memory of my dear friend, I will.

And he wouldn’t flinch, he knew it. He would tell his brother about the truth lying in the Red Army core. He would avenge his men. He would avenge Thanos, and retrieve his honor.

For now, and until death would come upon him, he was Jonah Clemence, Jack of Spades.

[peakyblinders1919]

The One Pt. 2

gif by @bonniebird

Michael looked at the clock, then the door, then the clock again. 10:30 and you hadn’t barged into his office yet to distract him? Something must be off, he thought to himself. He sighed heavily, pushing away from his desk to stand up. He ran his hand through his hair. Even when you weren’t here to distract him, you were distracting him. He left the work waiting for him on the desk as he walked through the place to Tommy’s office, knocking and letting himself in.

“Make it quick Michael.” Tommy said in a raspy voice, a cigarette in one hand and pen in the other, obviously very busy.

“Yeah, uh, I was just wondering if Y/N’s around, I…I got a question for her about the books this week?”

Tommy looked up from his important work, studying Michael through a veil of smoke. “She telephoned earlier, something about her grandmother. Won't be in for a few days." He explained non-chalantly, getting back to his work when he finished.

"Well is everything alright?" Michael asked a little too worriedly.

"Didn't ask. Not my business." Michael contemplated his answer for a minute. Sure, his cousin was cold and deceiving, but he actually had a heart and this wasn't like him. There was that one time he paid off the family of the boy who'd gotten killed on their behalf. He was ready to leave, annoyed and confused by it all when he decided not to.

"It is your business by the way, she's your fucking employee. Might be nice to know."

"You have feelings for her?" He said without missing a beat, his head shooting up from the paperwork on his desk again.

"Y/N's one of my best friends sorry if I give a shit." Michael said, still fuming, ready to storm out but Tommy wasn't phased by his outburst.

"I see the way you look at her." Michael didn't say anything, folding into himself. "You can't hide it. It's the same way I looked at Grace."

Michael, speechless, dropped into the seat. "I didn't think it was that obvious."

"Don't worry, it's not. But she's a great girl."

"She fucking is huh? Smart, funny, beautiful..."

"So what are you waiting for?"

"I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"Michael, why do you think she's always coming into your office?" He hesitated to answer because he didn't know the answer, but also couldn't actually say the truth; because she was checking to see if he was awake. Tommy's sigh caught his attention again, looking to him for advice. He rummaged in his desk, pulled out a piece of paper and slid it to the boy. "This is her Grandma's address. Go visit her, she could use a friend to talk to. You didn't actually think I didn't give a shit?" Tommy asked, leaning back and blowing out smoke confidently, proud in what he'd just done.

"Thanks Tom." Michael said, walking out the door ready to go find you and return as more than friends.

"So tell me more..." Your grandmothers words were interrupted by her sputtering coughs consuming her body and making her shake. You waited for it to pass and when it did you handed her a glass of water, then sat on the chair next to her with your tea clasped firmly in your hands. “Tell me more about this Michael."

Even in the comfort of your Grandma’s home you blushed at the thought of thinking about Michael as anything more than your friend. But recently you hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him that way. From the moment you saw him in Tommy’s office you were smitten. It was those green eyes.

“He’s my best friend grandma. We work closely together though, so I don’t know…”

She drank some water before another bought of coughs hit her. You watched her shiver in the process, getting up to wrap her in a blanket. You hated seeing her this way, and it was unfortunate to say, but it was the only way you could spend time with her these days. Your job was becoming increasingly demanding.

“Come on, get to the juicy stuff…what’s he look like.”

“Grandma!” You asked appalled.

“What.”

“Alright. He’s absolutely gorgeous Grandma. He’s got the most breathtaking green eyes that just draw you in and brown hair and a nice smile, when he decides to show it. And he’s educated, hardworking, stubborn as hell too but you get used to it. Still, he’s very caring, loves his family… and I’m rambling aren’t I?” You said once you saw your Grandma’s goofy grin.

“It sounds like someone’s in love.”

“I am not. If anything I have a little crush on him, but he’s my best friend. What we have right now is good, it’s not complicated. We just hang out and have a good time and I don’t want to make it complicated.”

“Seems like it might be worth it to find out.” You smiled at her, putting your hand on her cold, skinny one by her side. You thanked her for listening and got up to plant a kiss on her forehead. You headed to the kitchen to start making dinner for her when the doorbell rang.

“You expecting company Grandma?” You asked as you walked back through the room towards the door, wiping your hands on your apron. “Invited some friends over for a crazy party?” She laughed, which turned into coughing and you opened the door, not ready for what was standing behind it.

“Michael!” You explained shocked to see him standing at your Grandmother’s doorstep, miles and miles from home, with a bouquet of flowers. He just showed that rare smile of his and after a moment of letting the shock settle you lunged forward, embracing him in a hug. You tried not to hold on too long, to take in his scent or anything as he wrapped his free arm around you. You forced yourself apart then, looking at him still a bit of disbelief on your face. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I knew the second you didn’t barge into my office something was wrong. I bought this for your Grandma.” He said, indicating the flowers in his hand.

“Come in, please.” You said, talking the flowers from him and setting them up in water in the kitchen, but not before being stopped by your Grandma.

“Ohh, you were right. He is handsome. And he likes you.”

“Grandma stop it.” You whispered, hoping he didn’t hear any of it.

You continued into the kitchen. Somehow, you heard him say hello to your Grandma and her start asking him countless of questions over the fast beating of your heart.

“Ya ever killed anyone?” You heard the frail little women’s voice ask and rushed back in, setting the flowers next on the windowsill.

“Grandma… you can’t just ask people that.”

“But if you work with him…” She glanced at him sideways before trying to lean forward and whisper, “he must be one of those gangsters, and they have bloody hands.”

“Yes Grandma, you’re right, but it doesn’t really matter, now does it?” You glanced at Michael, throwing him an apologetic look but he didn’t look phased by her.

“It most certainly does, I wanna know your in safe hands.” You gasped at her words, shaking your head and hiding it in your hands, looking back up at Michael and mouthing ‘unbelievable’ to him.

“Ok Grandma, I think it’s time for you to rest.” You said, getting up to move her. She was saying goodbye, going up to Michael and looking at him, hard. He stood in her gaze uncomfortably, but played along. And when you turned your back for one second to get her bed ready, you barely overheard Michael reassure her he was always carrying and ready to kill anyone who wanted to hurt you. You smiled to yourself and put her to bed, returning to the kitchen to see Michael leaning against the counter smoking a cigarette.

“Sorry about that. She’s getting worse.” You explained without getting too emotional. “Do I even have to ask?” You said then, turning to look at him. He leaned on the counter, one hand deep in his pocket, the other bringing the cigarette back to his lips as he raised an eyebrow at you questioningly.

“Should I bother making tea or should I just pour the whisky?”

He chuckled. “I think you need it more than me.”

You bent down, retrieving the bottle you stashed away and pouring to heavy glasses. You crossed one arm as you stood next to him, looking at the liquid. “To…blissful ignorance.” He looked at you again but clanked glasses all the same as you sipped.

“You didn’t have to come.” You said after a long moment of silence. You said it but you didn’t mean it. It was good to see him. You eventually sat down at the little table, having a smoke he offered you to accompany your drink.

“I know but I wanted to. I wanted to make sure everything was ok.”

“Yeah, she’s doing fine.” You said, staring at the falling ashes as you tapped the cigarette into the tray.

“Sure, but what about you?”

“What about me?” You asked, your head popping up to meet his green eyes.

“How are you doing?”

“Honestly, fucking awful. I hate seeing her like this, you know. She’s not in a lot of pain but I can’t imagine what it must feel like to know you going to die soon and there isn’t much you can do about it.”

He changed his position, the chair squeaking as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table so he was closer to you. “It doesn’t seem to be affecting her much.”

“Well, that’s the other thing. Maybe she doesn’t really know she’s going and when it happens that’ll be it. And I don’t know which is worse. Either way she’s gonna be gone and I’m not ready-” your voice caught in your throat as a sob dared to take over. You were now talking to the ceiling, hoping it’d keep the tears from coming, but you were looking at a blurred sky. “I’m not ready to let her go Michael. But I’m glad I got to spend her last few days with her.”

And with that you broke down, and Michael was there to force your from your seat. Nothing more was said then as you wrapped your arms around him, your head comfortable on his chest as he rubbed your back comfortably.

“This. This is why I came.”

“Thank you.” You said with a last sniffle as the tears started to subside. You pulled away, groaning loudly and wiping your face dry. “Uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry all over you.”

“It’s fine. I didn’t really like this suit anyway.” He said, making you laugh.

“Me neither.” You admitted, causing him to make a face. “Thank you for coming. I’m really glad you did.” You said, both of you sitting again, smoking to calm the nerves. “Man, did you ever think this is where we’d be when you were sitting in Tommy’s office and I came in like a mad woman?”

“Definitely not.” A smiled rested on your face, content in the moment now as the sun was setting, the smell of carnations filling the room as you sat across from your best friend, who you loved. Time was ticking by in silence, but it didn’t bother you until looked at Michael again. He was staring off into the distance, the look on his face that usually means something’s bothering him.

“Hey,” you said, lightly nudging him. “What’s wrong?”

He huffed loudly then, throwing the rest of his drink down and slamming it on the table. “I can’t fucking do this anymore. Tommy was right.”

“Tommy? What are you talking about?”

“Y/N, you’re my best friend, you have been for fucking a year and a half but I can’t be just your friend anymore.”

“What..what are you saying?” You said, afraid of losing him.

He sighed and you watched him fighting with himself to say what he needed to. “Now might not be the best time to tel you but I have to. I like you.”

“Yeah, I like you too, what’s the problem?”

“No, I like you. I want to be more than your friend.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yes,” he sighed. “I’ve had a crush on you since you walked into the office rambling about numbers.”

“Well, that’s good because I had a crush on you the moment I looked into those green eyes of yours.”

“Fuck, I knew it.”

“You did not.” You said, nudging him again, but then staying there, close to him.

“So, are we doing this?” He asked, also liking the feeling of you close to him, your back resting against his chest, blowing smoke out as he waited for your answer.

“I think we have to. For my Grandma. It’s her dying wish.” You said, turning to look up at him. He smiled at your laugh, agreeing with you.

“Ok, we’ll do it but only for your Grandma.” You sealed the deal with a kiss, leaning forward to taste that sweetness you’d been dreaming off. After the feeling washed over you, you pulled apart, staring deep into his eyes.

“Can I tell you something?” You whispered.

“Of course.”

“You’re the one I’ve been missing.”

“Jesus. Just because I actually like you doesn’t mean you can just say shitty puns all the time.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” You said, apologizing with another kiss.

possible part three? let me know

also the bolded part is the cheesy line. get it. cause she always forget to carry the one...

[kang-euigeoni]

Overtime pt. 1

Genre: Office!Au Daniel x Reader romance Summary: Daniel is newly transferred into the sales department, and is assigned to your team. You used to be the ace before he showed up, but he’s quickly become the team’s ace due to his drive and personality, which makes you jealous.

lmao hello first wanna one fic to mark the day i got obsessed with them just 2 weeks ago!!!!!!!

“Hey everyone! I brought coffee for the team!” A deep, yet bright voice rang out in the dreary office full of barely-awake employees. It was only 8:30am, which was way too early to be so cheerful, or so you thought to yourself. When a large hand placed a steaming styrofoam cup of black liquid on the desk in front of you, you could barely lift your head and look up through half-lidded eyes at the owner of the voice, Kang Daniel, the only person insane enough to be this noisy so early in the morning. In a crisp white long-sleeved shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbow and not a hair out of place, it seemed that as a newbie, he wasn’t yet affected by the stressful environment that the sales department seemed to harbor. Unlike you, his eyes were barely visible not from lack of sleep, but from his huge smile. You muttered a “thanks” before curtly reaching under your desk to plug in the charger for your work laptop.

“Oh! Let me,” Daniel said, and quickly knelt down at the same time to put his arm under the desk. You were about to argue that you were perfectly capable of doing it yourself, and quickly tried to beat him to it, when suddenly a sharp pain shot through your head. The two of you had accidentally bumped heads--and Daniel had a pretty thick skull. He immediately jumped up and apologized profusely, gently holding the top of your head with his hand. “Ohmygosh, I’m so sorry Y/N!! It was an accident! Are you okay?” he fussed. You pushed his hands away and rubbed the sore spot on your forehead. “I’m fine, don’t worry,” you said, annoyed that all this happened before your morning coffee, “Go back to work.” Secretly, you were flustered at being in such close contact with him; when he bent down, you noticed (not for the first time) his broad shoulders that were dangerously close to your legs, exposed because of the skirt you had decided to wear today. When he brought his face closer to yours to check your head, you didn’t want him to see the bright red flush in your cheeks. But you can’t let that get to you--you have work to do.

As if taking his cue, your teammate in the desk beside yours, Ong Seungwoo, turned in his desk chair and called, “Yo, new kid, where’s my coffee?” Daniel’s smile returned as he said, “coming right up!” and he headed over to the other desk, where he and Seungwoo would probably continue their loud banter for the next half hour or so, as they did every morning. But today, Seungwoo must have been feeling mischievous.

“Hey, Kang, what do you think of Y/N?” Seungwoo whispered, loud enough that I could hear but not too loud, so that if I complained, he would say I was eavesdropping. Damn that guy, this is what you get for being friends with him. Still, you pretended not to hear but waited for Daniel’s reply. “Oh, Y/N? Uh, she’s pretty cool, I guess! She always does well and I look up to her?” It was the generic answer you expected, as you never really had a decent conversation with Daniel. Because you used to be the best salesperson on the team before Daniel showed up, you considered him your rival. Ever since he showed up, he had been consistently doing better than you in your monthly performance evaluations, and it was getting on your nerves. After all, you were aiming for a promotion in the next three months. You just didn’t feel the need to get friendly with him, though you honestly found him attractive. Still, you couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed in his reply. 

Seungwoo then whispered, “You don’t think she’s cute at all?” You only heard Daniel chuckle, which made you blush, and you were glad that you were facing away from Seungwoo’s desk at the moment. Your manager called Daniel at that moment, sparing you from any more details, and you turned around and glared at your deskmate. He just flashed a smile and made a finger heart, and you gave him the finger. He made a comically shocked face, shaping his mouth in an elongated “o” and clutching his chest, and you laughed at that before turning around and getting started on your sales reports.

It was the end of the work day and you were finally getting somewhere, as your deskmate left you alone in peace for most of the day. According to your reports, your sales value in units had gone up by 30% in the last month, one of the highest for the year. You were proud that all your hard work paid off. More importantly, your report had taken two whole days to finish up, but you had thankfully finished before tomorrow’s deadline.

Suddenly, your laptop crashed for no reason. You immediately panicked--two days’ worth of work was gone. The laptop wouldn’t turn on when you pressed the power button, and you were helpless--technology was not your strong suit. You looked desperately around for someone who could help, but everyone seemingly packed up and left, even your manager. With no choice left, you despairingly booted up a spare laptop and pulled up the files you had fortunately saved online--but you had to redo a months’s worth of reports by tomorrow. It looked like you weren’t going to be able to go home tonight. You were tired and on the verge of tears, even as you typed unhaltingly.

All of a sudden, you heard the office door open. You look up to see Daniel’s head poking inside with a look of concern. “Hey Y/N, uh, I saw the light on, I thought no one was here so I was gonna turn them off. You working overtime again? You sure are hardworking,” he scratched the back of his neck. Then, he took a closer look at your puffy eyes and runny nose. Concerned, he came inside and closed the door behind him. “Y/N, what’s wrong? Is this about hitting your head? I’m sorry about that--”

“It’s not you, Daniel,” you sigh, frustrated. “My laptop crashed and my reports--they were there and I didn’t get to save them and tomorrow’s the deadline.” you were nearly sobbing at this point, gasping after ever other word, trying not to cry. Your job wasn’t easy, and the pressure of constantly overworking yourself had reached a boiling point with this meltdown.

“Calm down, I can help.” Daniel came and stood beside you, grabbing a nearby tissue box and handing it to you. “Show me your computer.”

You reached beside you to open your non-functioning laptop. He pulled up a chair beside you and you once again noticed his wide shoulders. You could feel a comforting warmth where his upper arm brushed yours, and he was so close you could smell the faint scent of shampoo. You were getting distracted, you reminded yourself.

Amazingly, he pressed a series of buttons and the laptop whirred to life, displaying a blue screen and miscellaneous text you couldn’t understand. “How did you do that?” you asked. He smiled again so that his eyes were barely visible, “did you forget? I transferred into this department from the IT department.” He began typing away at the blue screen, his face now serious, and you couldn’t help but stare at his features from up close. His pink lips were slightly parted as he was deep in thought, his smooth skin glowed from the bright blue light of the laptop, and with his eyes open, he looked thoughtful and determined. His long fingers typed gracefully yet rapidly on the keys as if they were a piano. Unconsciously, you were leaning closer to him.

So close, in fact, that when he turned to you, your faces were inches away from each other. You reflexively jumped back, acting as if you were leaning closer to the screen and not to him; you couldn’t even bear to look at his face. Unbeknownst to you, he chuckled giddily at the closeness. “All done! Your files should have autosaved, you can check,” he said, pushing the laptop towards you. You quickly looked through your recent files, found that your reports were safe and sound, and gave a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much, Daniel. You have no idea how grateful I am,” you exclaimed, glad that you wouldn’t have to stay up for hours rewriting, “if there’s anything I can do to pay you back, let me know.”

With his elbow on the desk, he propped his chin on his hand and said, “How about having dinner with me? Since I guess you were planning to stay up late anyway.”

pt. 2 here!

[imagine-wannaone]

Ha Sungwoon Soulmate AU

Here we go, Ha Sungwoon~

• You’re soulmate key is where you see in black, white and grey until you meet your soulmate,

• While the idea sounds beautiful, it’s kinda a nuisance,

• Apples are like a roulette, are they going to be sweet or sour?

• You only found there was 2 different colours of apple when you where in your second half of your teenage years,

• You always read books with such beautiful descriptions but when they talk about the colours of a forrest or the vivid ‘turquoise’ of the sea, it means nothing to you,

• The amount of times you’ve eaten unripe bananas,

• And how are you supposed to tell if you’ve cooked meat properly?

• Cooking is a hell of an adventure,

• Food poisoning is g r e a t,

• “What’s your favourite colour?” is actually the most stressful question there is,

• “You know that one shade of grey that’s lighter than tree’s but darker than the clouds?”

• They don’t know,

• Constantly asking your friends to help choose clothes because you don’t want to dress in black all of the time,

• You listen to your friends when they say some colours don’t go with others,

• I mean you could go out as a interesting jumble but you have a little bit of pride left, buried deep down,

• You hated it as a kid, you couldn’t even understand the significance of a soulmate,

• (Sometimes you question the significance of a soulmate still but ssssh),

• You maybe threw a tantrum a few times when asked to colour pictures in,

• But honestly isn’t it a little mean to tell a kid who can’t see colours to colour a sunset,

• Something they’ve never even seen properly,

• You had to make sure your voice was heard,

• So you screamed you lungs out,

• Activist of the future,

• Its honestly such an unpractical key,

• You spend a hell of a lot of time wondering what colours are like,

• People can’t seem to give you a straight answer, either-

• 'Don’t worry, colours aren’t too great,’ they don’t understand the want for something you don’t have,

• Or

• 'They’re honestly so beautiful, wait till you meet your soulmate,’

• What else are you going to do but wait?

• But there’s not much point in wondering, you can’t exactly imagine new colours,

• Which is painful,

• But you have one friend who is quite good at describing colours,

• You don’t exactly know what they’d look like, but you get the feel for them,

• “Whats red like again?”

• “Like the rage you feel that you can’t control, When you see someone you can’t take your eyes off, the colour of kisses and the feeling where you know your the most attractive in the room,”

• I mean, you have a feeling in what to anticipate when you get your colours if nothing else,

• You always wonder, when you meet your soulmate, will all the colours flash at once, in the beat of a heart?

• Well you find out,

• Oh boy do you find out,

• It happens at a theme park,

• (Because we’re all kids inside),

• There’s a huge ride,

• The sort with all the loops and high speeds and screams and with its name in aggressive font on top of it,

• You’re not sure if you want to go on but you play odds on with your friend and you find yourself waiting in the short line,

• Alone,

• You hop into the seat of the ride, one of the ones where the seats are way too high so you have to jump to get on and with the bump in between your legs to stop you from slipping right out,

• You swing your legs and rest your hands on your knees to calm yourself,

• Screaming inside™

• Why had the worker shuffled you towards the front seat?

• A boy slides into the seat next to you, looking a little bit more confident than you,

• But that’s not saying much really,

• “You get dared to get on as well?” You turn to face him, hoping to calm your nerves before the workers come round to pull down the but that holds you in the seat,

• “Yeah, I-” He laughs lightly but then stops in his tracks, eyes widening in awe,

• You almost choke,

• (You actually do but no one needs to know),

• The colour of his eyes, you can see it,

• It isn’t a black or a grey or a white, it’s a colour and it’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen,

• “Shit, they weren’t kidding when they said it was beautiful where they,”

• You can’t stop staring because there it is, and it’s explainable,

• And this boy has bought you magic,

• You tear your eyes away to quickly glance around, shades of this single colour appearing all over, standing out loud and proud against the black and white,

• “You’re amazing, this is amazing,” He starts laughing and you can’t help but join in, admiring the crease of his amazing eyes and  the curve if his smile,

• You get strapped in, but there’s no fear left in your system, only an intense feeling of safety,

• Which is really misleading because you’re about to be hurtling in loops at top speeds strapped down by a mere piece of metal,

• But he slides his hand into his and you don’t let go,

• You probably break the bones in his hand on the ride but he isn’t complaining,

• You nearly rip your restraint to get a better look at him, and at the world,

• But you’re still vaguely aware of safety risks,

• The two of you hobble off the ride together, Swaying this way and that but you can’t stop giggling,

• More colours are starting to appear, as well as his eyes and hair, his skin tone and the colour of his lips, you’re pretty sure it’s pink, 

• Or red, 

• Or orange?

• But they’re so pretty you have to hold yourself back from running your thumb over them,

• But it seems your soulmate is having the same problem, but with less self control,

• He reaches out to touch the hair the ride has thrown around your face, tucking it behind your ear, careful as if you’re fine China,

• But then with the motion he pulls your head towards your chest and you can feel his heartbeat,

• Unhealthily fast but then so is yours, beating in time,

• You can see more colours melding together, some bright and the feeling of anger, but some the feeling of peace and coldness,

• It’s all so amazing and it’s all thanks to the man you’re pressed against,

• Rater tightly,

• But then you pull away and rest you hands on each others faces, taking in the shades and tone and colour and the minute details,

• So you do run your thumb over his lips,

• And through his hair,

• And across his palms,

• Anyway,

• You two relish everything that comes with each other, one thing at a time,

• His personality is a purple,

• Soft and careful, creative and peaceful, playful and hardworking,

• He makes colours flash before your eyes with every touch,

• When he runs his hand delicately down your back you see turquoise,

• When he runs his hands through your hair and shivers race down your spine, it’s a deep purple,

• When his soft lips press against yours and the butterflies make their appearance, it’s an intense red,

• You often make loads of blanket forts together to watch movies on laptop,

• Because there’s nothing more snug, 

• Curled up together under piles of blankets with little lights,

• But then he starts tickling you and you roll the hell out of there, unable to stand the foul play as his fingers danced against your sensitive skin,

• You ruin the fort but it’s always worth it,

• The two of you have an apartment that is just bursting with colours,

• Some rooms are pastels and some bright,

• Other people say some of the colours you choose don’t go together, but they seem perfectly wonderful to you two,

• To decorate your apartment you just threw balloons filled with pain around though,

• Because it’s fun and you liked the patterns it created on the walls,

• You’re very much into couples outfits because you can finally dress yourselves,

  • Clothes have an importance neither of you quite understand,

• Sungwoon is a different sort of beautiful,

• Not only is he the hansom you find in purple,

• But he’s the memories and firsts,

• First sunset, first rosy red apple, first meadow filled with vibrant flowers, first rainbow,

• It seems things are colourless until you’ve seen them with Sungwoon,

• And you undersand better than anyone else, why your soulmate key is the best,

• Because not only do you find each other, but you find the beauty of the world together, and because of each other,

• The question “What’s your favourite colour?” Becomes your favourite,

• But no one quite understands you when you say brown,

• They think it’s an ugly colour,

• But it has its own beauty,

• Because that was your first colour,

• It’s the colour of coffee and the comfort of your soft bed sheets  after a long day,

• But more importantly,

• Him,

[montrealroleplay2]

LIANA HUNT

Age & Birthdate: June 2nd, 1990 (26) Birthplace: Choteau, Montana Location: Mont Royal Occupation: Photographer for a local newspaper Gender: Female Sexuality: Heterosexual Length of Time in Montreal: 7 years Faceclaim: Merritt Patterson

Liana from the day she was born embodied a spirit much larger than life that could’ve powered all the lights of her small, little town if she so wished. Perhaps that had something to do with her parents and the love they immediately had for her regardless of how she came into the world theirs or not. Sure enough, Choteau was an existence that required an enormous amount of strength and grit. Samson and Matilda Hunt though were two singular individuals with personalities larger than that little old town but who found peace and love within it. Samson was born there. He was raised where generation after generation of Hunts had lived since the formation of the small town ages ago. Yet he was smart, inventive and certainly at one point destined for much more than that small town had to offer. He was just as much the spirit of that town as Matilda’s child would become a beacon of light shining against the darkness. Liana’s mother, Matilda, however wasn’t born here and could’ve hardly called the continental US her home until a couple of months before Liana’s birth hailing from France. It was on one of the few times Samson was called to leave that small town of Choteau, visiting cousins in California when his life changed. That was where he met Matilda in heart of San Francisco. Both foreigners in a strange land, there was something electric between the two of them immediately and what should’ve been a three day trip turned to two weeks and then into two months. Word was sent back to a large family in a tiny town that their pride and joy had wed a heavily pregnant and very charming young French woman. Bringing Matilda back home to meet his family in a town of no more than 1,600 people where ranching and farming was their lifeblood brought much anxiety to Samson. As surprising as it would seem to be Matilda took to it like a fish to water. While her condition made it impossible to do any heavy lifting or hard work she helped as much as she could and won over a hard family to please. Soon after their return to Choteau, Liana was born. While she wouldn’t be his blood, Samson loved that little girl just as much as if she was and never once loved her as if she was anything else but his own.

Liana Hunt regardless of who her father really was, was blessed with two hardworking parents who while their life here was hard made sure she blossomed under their care. In their child they fostered a love for life and adventure - for passionate endeavors worth fighting for and never settling for anything just because others said you should. When Liana fell in love with the arts and photography, documenting life and this deep desire to try out the world to taste and see what was good they encouraged her to go full speed ahead towards that dream – of course after she finished school. That was one of the more important things they’d stressed throughout her life. Samson and Matilda’s wish only wish was that she had a good head on her shoulders and not a head full of fluff. So when Liana Hunt graduated valedictorian of her class ( albeit a very small class )  armed with a full scholarship went to pursue media arts in the country across the border on the other side of the world it seemed like. Dreams were hard to fulfill though as she’d soon come to find out. Life was not easy all on her own in a foreign country but the indomitable will and magnificent spirit inhabiting her bones persevered. Liana pushed through, studied hard and took some of the most beautiful photos and turned them into something else even more incredible. Being close with her parents she was always sending her work back home with an accompanying letter, telling them thrilling stories of her adventures in Montreal.

Then one of her greatest adventures began. Seth Casillas. Well more or less happened by mistake or perhaps fate if you believed that. The two of them met on this wild and completely unforgettable night in Montreal. What had started her evening she’d never tell but she grabbed his hand and worlds collided. The story changed every time she told it, the world more embellished with every breath spoken of that incredible night. Regardless of what happened however two strangers ended up back at his place, tangled up in his sheets with a new dress torn and tossed onto the floor. Yet she slipped right out of his life as easily as she had come right into it. With a kiss and a wink telling him she had places to be and great adventures to be had she promised if he was lucky she’d see him again. Twas a lie though, after she shut that door there was no adventure not really. Back to a nine to five she hated, trying to break into a business that, while she was exceptionally talented, had no open vacancies. Liana was much too proud to ask her parents for money and too in love with this city to leave it so she was stuck living from adventure to adventure carrying on carrying on with that memory of one wild night saved for a rainy day.  Days passed though and she was almost content with continuing on with carrying on, trying to claw out a life in a place just as hard as the one she’d come from – then she saw him again.  Things clicked with Seth and they really hit it off just like they had the first time they’d met. For a while their relationship was very casual, more sex and a good time than anything else but it became something more. They became something more and then the two of them found out their we would be a three.

Liana was pregnant and in love with a man she cared deeply about. From the beginning she knew what kind of life Seth lived and what he did for a living. Li’s father called it getting pummeled for sport but she had a feeling he secretly admired the guy just as much as her mother would’ve loved him were she alive to see the coming of a grand baby. All was going well, everything was fine and then Griffin was born and the world came crashing down on Liana. She watched it all, from the safety of their flat holding a beautiful baby boy as Seth took the hardest blow she’d ever seen him take. It scared her to the core, shattered her as if she had taken that hit felt it in her bones. Li - Li couldn’t do it. She couldn’t face a world constantly fearing for his life and fearing for what kind of life she could give her baby should Seth face a fight he couldn’t come back from. So she left. Left Griffin, left Seth, left the world she loved the most to flee back home to an ailing father. Samson Hunt wasn’t about to tell her what was wrong with her life or the many mistakes she had made by running home scared – he like always loved her with everything he had even if he himself was slowly slipping away. All the colors bleed out from life in that single month, pain flooded her dreams and weighed on a guilty conscience reaching out for a body that wasn’t there or reacting to the cries of a baby that wasn’t in the other room. Her father saw the pain she was in and had made up in his mind that he was going to talk to her; get her to go back if anything just for that baby because settling for this small town and into a small town life was never what she was meant for. Sadly however, Samson Hunt would never get to have that talk with her instead passing away quietly in his sleep with a picture of Matilda on the nightstand. When that happened a couple of weeks ago… suddenly everything became incredibly clear once again and the final wish of the man that raised her hit her hard. Sell the ranch, do what you love and never settle for anything less than the life you to live want no matter how hard the road or how long it takes to get back. Don’t just exist here - live. Therefore following through with his wishes and burying him next to mama, Liana headed back home. She’s back to the place where she discovered the world to face an entirely new one with a job finally in the area she’s always wanted to be in and several people who’d most likely have wished she stayed far away. Perhaps when he’d had that will written ages ago he didn’t quite mean this but perhaps in some unexplainable way he did. She would return to Montreal no matter what she’d face. If there was anything that could be said for Liana though was that she had an indomitable will and a beautiful soul - her real adventures hadn’t even begun yet and once her mind was made up there was no stopping her. Liana was coming home.

❝ life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!

Liana is as she has always been - completely and unapologetically herself. While she is a sweet person and a wonder to be around she’s strong where few are in their words always telling things like they are speaking honestly and most candidly with everyone she meets. That however does not mean her words are sharp or cutting but most things are tempered with loving concern or all peoples making it a point not to judge someone before she has the facts or they are allowed to tell  their story. Beyond that she’s an incredible woman. Strong and smart - she’s witty and saucy at times but a real sweetheart urging others to live life to the fullest and see the beauty all around them. Life is a banquet and some poor suckers are starving and truthfully Liana just wants to see people actually live it despite it all. Adventurous as she is Liana is a natural born storyteller with a little snippet of a french accent to some of her words. Never short of an entertaining story or anecdote the way she tells a story is almost enough to make the most cynical believe in happy endings and fairy-tales actually told right. Li’s observant, passionate, vivacious and truly caring young woman. She’ll comfort you in a time of distress, protect you with her life, keep your secrets and urge you to, like her parents taught her, only to accept the life one thinks they deserve.

However she while she is all this and more - Liana puts herself on the back burner. No doubt she takes care of herself but when she can’t take care of her own or is in a rough spot Li’s prone to exaggeration painting things better than they are so others don’t worry about her or pity her in some way. She can’t stand it and is as bullheaded in that respect as anyone else. Despite the desire to care for others and the people she loves it takes a lot for her to admit her mistakes or missteps and ask for help. There are edges to her too and she’s got a mean right hook if you push her far enough. She’s going through a lot lately, trying to keep it all together but while she’s trying to crawl out of a hole of her own making there are days that are darker than most and she’s still not completely acknowledged her father’s death let alone the incredible guilt she feels for leaving the city she loves or her brand new baby boy or the man she’s hasn’t stopped worrying about. It’s a mess but she’s a beautiful mess if anything made by her own hand and is still completely herself forever and always.

[fantasmalforce]

October Prompts - Day 6 : Warm Drinks (Flotsam)

Like all members of his kind, Flotsam required heat for survival. Warm water and sunlight were essential for Axies like him to function properly. Aside from providing them sufficient amounts of vitamin D, sunlight warmed up their cold-blooded metabolisms and allowed them to start their days and dictate when their days were finished. Depending on where he was stationed at any given time for a hit, the winter months could spell out trouble for the Axie. Overhanging storm clouds could block out the sun for days or weeks at a time. Snow and blizzard brought about by extreme cold fronts in many areas could freeze his fish form's slick mucous membrane. The weather made him sluggish and tired, unable to perform work when he could barely keep himself out of the comatose state his body so desperately wanted to enter in order to wait out the frigid months. His only salvation through the long season were hot drinks. Coffee, tea, or just plain hot water. The preheated moisture warmed him up from the inside out, awakening his vital processes and allowing them to function at a normal pace. He clung to whatever heat he could find or create, and in winter, that meant fireplace time and more coffee than his fish body was used to processing in the span of a few hours.

All this just to keep a steady income. It was worth it though- or it would be at least. The traveling offered him momentary distance from his current organization. With every business trip, Flotsam grew more and more distanced from the mob that he once thought was his salvation, yet had quickly realized would be the bane of his existence. Every completed transfer of goods or offer of services put a little more cash in his pocket that he would need to start his own empire; to start fresh and the way that he'd been hoping to start when he first left home. No more deception. He was fed up with the bullshit. Yet he knew that crawling his way out of this messy hell he'd mistakenly gotten himself into was going to be far from clean. He had his plan on how to escape, how to stay under the grid, but even the best-laid plans of mice and men so often went awry. Luckily for him, he was neither a mouse nor a man. He was an Axie, a hardworking creature that was deceptive with its helpless appearance, for it would writhe and struggle and fight for its life until its very last breath, and he was no different. He would do anything to be free of the mess he'd gotten himself into.

The male lounged back on the couch in the center of his dingy little room. The town he was located in this time was small, with only a few clusters of houses hanging on the outskirts of what was essentially the bare minimum for a highway pitstop: gas station, a handful of convenience stores, a mechanic or two, and a two-star motel for the weary traveler. He never would have stayed in this place had it been up to him. His initial plan was just to hit his target in one of the hastily crafted houses and leave by nightfall. Traffic had delayed him, however, and he'd arrived just in time to check-in when a blizzard had struck the area. Everything was covered in a thick blanket of frost, the mere sight of it causing Flotsam's stomach and overall temperature to drop. Luckily, the damned place at least had the luxury of a communal coffee pot that he could fall back on. And fell back hard on it indeed. Every hour he would come around, drinking a hearty amount of coffee before returning to his room to resume lounging about and waiting for an opportunity. Signal on the tv was lost, the internet signal was poor. At best, it gave Sam plenty of time to think about what he was doing and reflect on himself. Sitting next his occasional hot baths did give him plenty of time to ask himself what he thought he was doing.

Years ago, Flotsam was the equivalent of royalty. He was to inherit the status of a chief to his clan from his father. He would have been married, proudly leading his people into a prosperous future and dictating the lives of the clans he would form strong alliances with. The very ground on which he walked upon would have been worshipped. He would have been the biggest fish in every pond. He would have needed- wanted, for nothing. And what had happened? He threw that all away, walked away from it all. Not too long ago, he'd been a soldier revered for his confidence and loyalty, his dedication to the cause and willingness to fight the good fight. He'd been on the frontline of a war for the world and he'd won. His name had been everywhere, he'd been the living representation of a milestone marker for Mythics all around the world. And where was he now? His name smeared wherever it wasn't already forgotten, struggling to get by, missing home and a family that surely didn't miss him. The craze died down, and with it, his opportunities to make something of himself. He'd be lucky if he got a footnote in the history books. It was pathetic when he thought about it. He'd practically been gift-wrapped so many chances to make something of himself and at every opportunity, he pushed it away and made things harder. Now he truly was on his own, he knew the fearful pain of isolation as no Axie ever should have known.

Sinking deeper into his hot bath, he glanced over at the cup of hot coffee resting on the edge of the tub. What motivated him? A desire to change himself for the better? A desire to right his wrongs of the past? A desire to eventually be able to return home and tell his family he'd become something they could be proud of? No, no. Of course, that was not the case. There would be no going back to the place he used to call home and to a family of people he only used to know. He couldn't go back, only forward. And as he rose up from the water, allowing it to run down his face and hair and drip into the water with the coffee that spilled down his chin as he hastily finished the warm drink- allowing it to burn his throat and mouth as though it were some type of penance for all his past misdeeds. Flotsam panted as he tossed the empty cup away, staring at his reflection in the muddled water and repeating the same words over and over to himself.

"I'm doing this for me."